Congressional Record, Senate — December 30, 2020, S7979

Summary

This is S7979 of the Congressional Record, Senate, December 30, 2020, with interleaved columns. The page opens with the end of remarks, by a Senator whose name is not printed in the text read, on pandemic relief for Texans. Under the heading Coronavirus, Mr. Brown says that in March the CARES Act kept 13 million people out of poverty through unemployment insurance, direct payments and small business loans, and that 8 million people have dropped into poverty since the benefits expired. He says his original plan was $2,000 per person, and that if Republicans refuse to support direct payments they will again choose corporate interests over working families. The views are attributed to the speakers.

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“Congressional Record, Senate — December 30, 2020, S7979.” Original at www.govinfo.gov. Archived at Pandemic Darlings, https://pandemicdarlings.com/source-documents/crec-crec-2020-12-30-crec-2020-12-30-pt1-pgs7979-809d310569/, SHA-256 6258a7660dfb27113b63527d601d1ed2d3ae0c36908b9eda569d21a67d9b1bf5.

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December 30, 2020 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD — SENATE S7979
This isn’t like highway bills or farm which have eased the financial strains in the bank accounts of the largest cor-
bills or defense spending bills where we on millions of Texans and other Ameri- porations and biggest banks, hoping it
have an idea about what is needed for cans. I will continue to work with our will trickle down. We know it never
individual programs. There was no colleagues to provide assistance as our does. The CEOs just pay themselves in-
precedent for this pandemic, no hand- war on COVID–19 rages on. stead.
book, and no clear way to gauge how I yield the floor. We know that just recently there was
long this crisis would go on or what The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Sen- more good news for American CEOs
would be needed to sustain our re- ator from Ohio. who are able again to do stock
sponse. f buybacks, more dividend distributions.
After the CARES Act passed, we A lot of corporations have made a lot
CORONAVIRUS of money—more power to them—during
knew it made the most sense to hit the
pause button and see what worked Mr. BROWN. Mr. President, we have this pandemic, but those are the cor-
well, what didn’t, and where more help heard a lot of revisionist history this porations that continue to get the big
was needed. As I said, there were cer- afternoon. tax breaks.
tain programs like the Paycheck Pro- Look back in March, when Congress We need, instead, to directly invest
tection Program that almost imme- did the right thing and the Senate in people who make this country work.
diately dried up. If I am not mistaken, voted unanimously. Because of our ef- It helps people pay the bills and stay in
in 2 weeks, roughly $350 billion was ob- forts, 13 million people were kept out their homes and get through this down-
ligated under the Paycheck Protection of poverty—we know that—because we turn. It injects money into local econo-
Program—a strong indication that we provided relatively generous unem- mies that really need it. The more
really hit the sweet spot when it came ployment insurance. We did the direct money people have, the more they
to helping those small businesses. That payments. We helped with small busi- spend in small businesses that are
is why we added more funding in April, ness loans. But then this Senate hurting.
another $320 billion, and we extended thought its work was done for the year. We know this works. It did in the
the program in July and reinvested in We begged Senator MCCONNELL month spring. We came together. We crossed
after month after month to come back the aisle, passed the CARES Act, ex-
the Paycheck Protection Program
and help. panded unemployment, and provided
again in the omnibus.
As I said, there were other places As I said, 13 million people were kept direct stimulus checks, keeping 13 mil-
where the money went unspent. But, out of poverty because of the work this lion people out of poverty. The bill we
fortunately, in the most recent bill we Congress did in March of this year, but passed last week was a good step in
were able to repurpose hundreds of bil- now, since—many of those benefits, es- that direction, but we should make it
pecially the unemployment benefit and stronger.
lions of dollars in unspent funds, again,
the direct payments, were not contin- Back in March, my original plan that
to target it to where the need was
ued, of course. Those benefits expired I tried to negotiate as I sat with Sec-
greatest and where it could help the retary Mnuchin and a handful of other
most. in August, and we have seen 8 million
people drop into poverty in this coun- Senators was $2,000 per person, adults
There is no question that tens of mil-
try since. Yet Senator MCCONNELL re- and children. We called for it to be sent
lions of workers and their families
fuses and refuses and refuses. automatically throughout the year,
have been hurt by this virus. We all
I hear this revisionist history that every quarter, as long as we remained
know that. And I think we have all
Democrats just want to help people in a public health emergency.
acted together, by and large, respon- It is clear now what we could have
sibly, in trying to respond to that. No who are already affluent and give them
done and should have done. No one
one will be left out if we have a means more money. Well, remember back in
could predict how long this crisis
and method of targeting this to those March, the only amendment that we
would last. Today, we still aren’t sure
people—whether it is direct payments, considered, the only amendment that
when everybody will be vaccinated and
enhanced unemployment benefits, in- Senator MCCONNELL allowed on the
when the economy will return to full
centives to their employers to main- floor of the Senate to the CARES Act, strength. We don’t want to sit idly by.
tain them on payroll. And now that we the only amendment was to take away We don’t want to wonder how bad it
have the beginning of the distribution the $600-a-week unemployment insur- could get. We are the strongest, richest
of the vaccine, my hope is that in the ance. The only place Republicans country on Earth. We have the re-
coming months we will get back to, if fought was the $600-a-week unemploy- sources to do something about it; we
not the new normal, whatever the next ment insurance. That more than any just need leadership willing to use
normal will be. single thing we did is why people were every tool we have.
But we are just a few days from kick- kept out of poverty. Now the best we If they refuse to support this $2,000
ing off the new Congress, and I have no could do was $300-a-week unemploy- per person, if they refuse to support
reason to believe that our coronavirus ment insurance—the best we could do. these direct payments, Leader MCCON-
relief work is finished here today. As a In spite of Senator CORNYN’s and oth- NELL and Senate Republicans will
matter of fact, Vice President Biden ers’ comments, Senator MCCONNELL again make it perfectly clear to the
said that he expects to send us an addi- waited, waited, waited, and waited. Fi- American people whose side they are
tional request for help once he assumes nally, we were able to do that. on.
office. The President of the United States Every time there is a fork in the road
Once the legislation we have passed threatened to veto it, causing millions and Senator MCCONNELL and Senate
has a chance to benefit the American of Americans to fall off their unem- Republicans have to make a decision—
people, we will see if more relief is ployment insurance. We know all that. either go with corporate interests or go
needed, and then, if it is needed, we It is just important to remember all with working families—every single
should absolutely do more. that. time, they choose corporate interests.
I still believe in the wisdom of the in- But there is one simple question be- They had no problem pouring money
cremental approach, and I believe our fore the Senate this week: Are we into corporate coffers with their tax
Democratic friends will join us in re- going to put more money into people’s cut and blowing up the deficit.
sponding to the true needs of this crisis pockets? The American people made it Just down the hall here in Senator
without monthlong delays or irrespon- clear on election day that they want a MCCONNELL’s office, I remember lobby-
sible spending. government that is on their side. This ists lining up, looking for those tax
Countless Texans have told me about is our chance to deliver for them, to cuts back 3 years ago, and they got

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the importance of the relief we have show people whom we serve that we those tax cuts. They didn’t say any-
provided through direct payments, un- can make a real difference in their thing about government deficits back
employment benefits, food assistance, lives, which we did back in March. then—$1.5 trillion added to the deficit.
and other forms of support by the laws It is pretty simple. The best way to They didn’t mind that because that
we passed throughout this year. I was help Ohio workers and families is to was money going into their contribu-
proud to support each of those policies, put more money in their pockets, not tors’ pockets, into big corporate coffers

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S7980 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD — SENATE December 30, 2020
for the wealthiest people in this coun- moments there where I thought maybe up until the pandemic, a good and
try. They were all too happy to let the it wasn’t going to pass this year and we probably, I would argue, the best econ-
government shovel loans to the biggest would set a record. Senator REED and I omy we have had in my lifetime.
banks and companies. But in the mid- don’t want to set that kind of record. Well, that is good news, of course,
dle of the worst crisis of our lifetime, We want to make sure we get this but it is bad news in one way because
faced with the chance to give money done. it is hard to keep the people in those
directly to ordinary Americans, my The reason this is important is this critical fields—pilots, for example.
colleagues claim we can’t afford it. is the blueprint. This tells us what we They have an opportunity to get out
That is just simply a lie. We are the are going to be doing with our troops. and do things that are—there are jobs
richest country on Earth. I could make an argument that it is out there that are paying a lot more.
I remember Bill Spriggs—an econo- really—we are in the most dangerous So we have to have them on the flight
mist at Howard University—told the situation, I think, that we have been in hours if something happens. And they
Banking and Housing Committee in before. I have often talked about the are out—there are a lot of jobs on the
September: We didn’t win World War II good old days when we had the Cold outside that are paying more. So we
by worrying about whether or not we War with two superpowers. We knew just have to make sure that we keep
could afford it. We were in a global cri- what the Soviet Union had; they knew the resources in the right place to do
sis. We marshalled all our vast re- what we had. Mutually assured de- the right job.
sources and talents to rise to meet it. struction meant something at that So I think this is the—I know this
We grew the economy from the middle time. procedural vote today is going to bring
class out. We paid down the debt with But now it is different in a lot of re- us, in the next couple of days, to pass
rising wages. spects because you have rogue coun- the Defense authorization bill.
If we have learned anything from the tries out there that have weapons and It is all about the guys and gals in
crisis, it should be that we can do the have abilities to wipe out nations. That the field. We owe it to them. This is
same again. Americans are tired of is why it is so significant. going to be the 60th year. I anticipate
being told we can’t. It is the only an- So, anyway, we suffered through a that this is going to pass with very
swer that Senator MCCONNELL and Sen- little bit of a problem back during the large numbers.
ate Republicans ever have for most Obama administration, during the last With that, I yield the floor.
people’s problems: We can’t help you. 5 years, which would have been from The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Sen-
We can’t solve your problem. You are 2010 to 2015. In his budget, he down- ator from Rhode Island.
on your own. graded the military by 25 percent, and f
Let’s aim higher. Let’s deliver for the that is the same time, during that
NATIONAL DEFENSE
people we serve. Let’s put $2,000 into timeframe, that China increased theirs
AUTHORIZATION ACT
their pockets—money that will make by 83 percent.
such a difference for so many families. So it is a scary world out there, and Mr. REED. Mr. President, I would
It will help a mother worried about it is one that, to me, I have no doubt like to rise and discuss the Fiscal Year
how she will pay back rent. It will keep that this is the most important bill 2021 National Defense Authorization
a laid off restaurant worker from turn- that we will pass all year because we Act.
ing to a payday lender. It will allow a have got our kids, and they are out First, I would like to salute the
father to buy a new computer so his there right now. They are in the chairman. He has done an extraor-
kids are better able to learn online. trenches, and we have to support them. dinary job. We have both served on the
These are millions of real people—peo- That is what it is all about. committee for many years, and this is
ple we swore an oath to serve who I do want to mention how many peo- probably the most challenging year we
would breathe a little easier this new ple are involved in this thing. We are have had due to many different factors:
year if we pass this. actually starting this right now. We the pandemic, the virtual hearings, all
So let’s be clear about the decision are starting next year’s NDAA. So this those things.
today and this week before the Senate. started a year ago. The ones working And this has been particularly chal-
Are we going to give the people we on this—you have Liz King and John lenging, and the chairman, at every
serve $2,000, or are you going to stand Bonsell heading up the minority and point, stood up to the challenge and led
in the way? It is that simple. Let’s majority part of the committee, doing us. I want to thank him for that. It was
come together. Let’s pass this. Let’s a great job and working every week- a pleasure working with him.
make a real difference in people’s lives. end—almost every weekend—with a We all recognize that this legislation
I suggest the absence of a quorum. very large staff, all specialists in cer- passed both Chambers, the House and
The PRESIDING OFFICER. The tain areas. And they have got the bill. the Senate, by overwhelming bipar-
clerk will call the roll. So I am very proud of the bill that we tisan majorities. And it is very impor-
The senior assistant legislative clerk have this year. I think that it passed, tant legislation. That is why it earned
proceeded to call the roll. when it passed in the Senate, it was 84 this bipartisan support.
Mr. INHOFE. Mr. President, I ask to—I think it was 84 to 14, I think it It enhances our national security. It
unanimous consent that the order for was. I think there were a couple of peo- strengthens our military readiness and
the quorum call be rescinded. ple not here. But that is the largest— defense capabilities. It protects our
The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without that doesn’t happen very often, to pass forces and their families and supports
objection, it is so ordered. a bill with those margins, and we did. the defense industrial base.
f So this is a long tradition. We have Despite all that it does for our troops
got to support our troops. They are in and their families, President Trump
NATIONAL DEFENSE there doing the right thing. It has been waited until the 10th day after he re-
AUTHORIZATION ACT a joy, personally, for me to be working ceived it and vetoed it the last day he
Mr. INHOFE. Mr. President, this is with Senator REED, and we have, to- could exercise his veto. That was De-
what I have considered to be—and I gether, kind of provided the leadership cember 23, which made quite a Christ-
have heard my friend from the Demo- on this thing. We didn’t work as hard mas for our military personnel and for
cratic side, the minority side, say the as the staff did. I admit that. But we all of my colleagues who are here today
same thing, that this is the most sig- were there, and I am very proud of this to start the process of responding to
nificant bill that we pass every year. bill. that veto.
It is the NDAA, the National Defense So right now we have kids that are The House already took the first

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Authorization Act. This will be the overseas, and they deserve the pay that step. They returned on Monday. Once
60th year—is it the 60th or 61st year? was increased—that would be increased again, by an overwhelming vote, over
Mr. REED. The 60th. when this bill is passed. Right now, we 300 Members of the House overrode the
Mr. INHOFE. OK. It is the 60th year have critical areas like pilots and engi- President’s veto. Now we face the same
that we have passed this, and it has neers, doctors, that are in short supply task in the Senate. It is my hope we
passed every year. There were a few because of the fact that we have had, can quickly and resoundingly override

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