Coronavirus (Cong. Rec., Feb. 8, 2021)
Summary
This Senate page of the Congressional Record (page S564, February 8, 2021) carries a floor statement that begins with a tribute to George Shultz, who served as Secretary of State under President Reagan and said that trust is the coin of the realm. The speaker then criticizes the Democrats' $1.9 trillion proposal, citing a demand to more than double the minimum wage and a Congressional Budget Office estimate of 1.4 million jobs lost. The statement describes a 14-hour voting marathon on budget amendments the week before. It closes with remarks on the military coup in Burma and protests against it, and on the extension of New START.
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“Coronavirus (Cong. Rec., Feb. 8, 2021).”
Original at www.govinfo.gov. Archived at Pandemic Darlings, https://pandemicdarlings.com/source-documents/crec-crec-2021-02-08-crec-2021-02-08-pt1-pgs564-88a7c317c7/
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S564 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD — SENATE February 8, 2021
to modernize our monetary policy so Americans are suffering, but their side some on mysterious or obviously spe-
American leaders could control Amer- seems to see an opportunity to ram cious charges and others without any
ica’s destiny. through ideological change. That is the charge at all. Their actions were ille-
After an interlude in the private sec- impulse behind the Democrats’ latest gitimate right from the start, and the
tor, Secretary Shultz’s country came $1.9 trillion proposal. Their plan for treatment of these political prisoners
calling again. He spent 61⁄2 of President more massive borrowing puts leftwing is showing the world the military re-
Reagan’s 8 years as Secretary of State. myths ahead of the scientific evidence gime’s disdain for the rule of law.
He helped steer the smart and strong and the Nation’s urgent needs. While In the face of this tyranny and with
foreign policy that clinched the free the Biden administration’s own sci- the memory of how brutally the mili-
world’s victory over the Soviet Union, entists say schools could reopen safely tary has dealt with protesters in the
but even as the Reagan administration right now with smart and simple pre- past, the public unity of so many of
nudged communism into a box canyon, cautions, their proposal buys into the Burma’s people is a powerful display of
this top diplomat’s master touch was myth from Big Labor that schools courage. In far-flung cities and towns,
vital in making sure that tensions did should stay shut a whole lot longer. members of the country’s diverse eth-
not rise too high. While Republicans want to save as nic groups, from the Burman majority
As amazing as it sounds, this impres- many jobs as possible, Washington to the Shan and Rohingya minorities,
sive resume doesn’t fully explain Democrats are backing Senator SAND- have rallied around the democratically
George Shultz’s incredible reputation. ERS’ demand to more than double the elected government. They are demand-
It wasn’t just all he did. It was how he minimum wage. The Congressional ing justice and an end to military rule.
did it. He led with thoughtfulness, fair- Budget Office says this would kill 1.4 I have been encouraged over the past
ness, and, above all, integrity. He lived million American jobs. Nonpartisan ex- week by the diplomatic efforts under-
by the maxim he shared in his centen- perts say it would send more people to taken by the administration to dem-
nial reflection just a few weeks ago. the unemployment line than it would onstrate the U.S. condemnation of the
Here is what he said: lift out of poverty. But remember, this military’s flagrant assault on political
Trust is the coin of the realm. is all about liberal dreams, not urgent rights. Today, it is time to follow up
His honesty and thoughtfulness won needs. with meaningful costs on those who aid
Some Democrats even want to break and abet the suffocation of Burmese de-
wide admiration that transcended poli-
Senate rules to jam this through. Last mocracy.
tics. He won the trust of career dip-
week, the Senate had a 14-hour voting The people of Burma in the streets
lomats and State Department staff, in-
marathon on amendments to the today are putting their lives on the
cluding those who did not naturally
phony, partisan budget that Democrats line. As one protestor told the New
lean to the Reagan right.
jammed through as a procedural first York Times over the weekend, ‘‘I don’t
Famously, when new Ambassadors
step. We got Senators on the record on care if they shoot because under the
met with him on their way abroad, the
a host of questions that matter to military, our lives will be dead any-
Secretary would spin a globe and ask
American families. Sadly, the Demo- way.’’
them to point out ‘‘their country.’’ The
crats blocked our efforts to say that, at Today, these protestors are joining in
unlucky ones who fell for the trap and
the very least, school districts where the same refrain heard repeatedly in
pointed to their foreign destinations
teachers have been vaccinated cer- places like Hong Kong, where demo-
were swiftly corrected. ‘‘No,’’ he said.
tainly need to reopen, to press States cratic progress is too often met with
‘‘Your country is always America.’’
to accurately report nursing home jackboots. They are standing up for
At the McConnell Center at the Uni-
deaths, to protect the free exercise of basic freedoms, and they are paying
versity of Louisville, we host a distin-
religion, and several more. close attention to who will stand with
guished speaker series. George Shultz Other amendments divided Demo- them.
honored us as our very first ever distin- crats and were adopted. For example, I suggest the absence of a quorum.
guished speaker back in 1993, and he over some Democrats’ objections, the The PRESIDING OFFICER. The
kept right on writing and speaking and Senate said that illegal immigrants clerk will call the roll.
mentoring young people up until just a should not receive stimulus checks, The bill clerk proceeded to call the
few weeks ago. that the Keystone XL Pipeline should roll.
America was his country, all right. not be canceled, and that our govern- Mrs. FISCHER. Madam President, I
He loved it deeply and served it always. ment should not declare war on ask unanimous consent that the order
The Senate’s prayers are with the fracking. But, amazingly enough, at for the quorum call be rescinded.
Shultz family and all the friends and the end of the night, the very same The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without
colleagues he leaves behind, a truly re- Senate Democrats who had sought to objection, it is so ordered.
markable life. appear moderate by supporting those NEW START TREATY
CORONAVIRUS three things turned around and voted Mrs. FISCHER. Madam President, I
Madam President, in 2020, a Repub- in lockstep to strip them all out again. come to the floor today to discuss the
lican Senate and a Republican adminis- Our colleagues who said they sup- administration’s decision to extend the
tration led five historic pandemic res- ported these changes voted to strip New START treaty by 5 years.
cue packages on a completely bipar- them right back out at the end of the Supporters hailed the move, with the
tisan basis. evening. That is about as Washington, New York Times reporting that the
We marshaled the largest Federal re- DC, as it gets. President’s decision ‘‘avoided a re-
sponse to any crisis since World War For the sake of America’s kids, newed arms race.’’ Meanwhile, critics,
II—about $4 trillion across five bills— American jobs, Americans’ health, who believed the question of extension
all of it completely bipartisan, but now Democrats should put the political had given the United States leverage to
Washington Democrats have other games aside and resume the same kinds extract concessions from Russia, as
ideas. Even though we are still pushing of bipartisan talks they demanded con- well as China, described the move as a
out $900 billion in relief that Congress stantly all of last year. American fami- wasted opportunity and a giveaway to
passed less than 2 months ago, even lies deserve a process and a bill that Putin.
though a group of Senate Republicans put their actual needs at the center. As the last bilateral arms control
met with President Biden to discuss bi- BURMA agreement between the United States
partisan avenues for hundreds of bil- Now, Madam President, on one final and Russia, perhaps it shouldn’t be sur-
lions of dollars more, Washington matter, over the weekend, hundreds of prising that the debate over extending
dlhill on DSK120RN23PROD with SENATE
Democrats have decided they want to thousands of protesters stood up across New START took on outsized impor-
go it alone. Burma in defiance of the military tance, with parties on both sides seeing
It was last March—remember?—when coup. it as the vehicle to accomplish all of
a senior House Democrat called this For a week now, the military has de- their goals. Now, with the extension
disaster a ‘‘tremendous opportunity to tained hundreds of civil society leaders decided, it comes with an opportunity
restructure things to fit our vision.’’ and democratically elected officials, to regain our perspective and consider
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