Coronavirus (Cong. Rec., March 3, 2021)
Summary
A page of the Congressional Record, Senate, dated March 3, 2021, at page S1000. A senator welcomes Kelly as a new Sergeant at Arms team member and says this will be the first time in the Senate's history that the Sergeant at Arms' leadership is comprised entirely of women, naming LTG Karen Gibson and Kelly Fado. Under the heading Coronavirus, Mr. Schumer says the Senate may move as early as that night to take up the American Rescue Plan, says over 78 million doses of the COVID vaccine have been administered, and says hundreds of business leaders have urged Congress to pass the bill. He lists bipartisan amendments accepted, including restaurant provisions sponsored by Senators Sinema and Wicker and a vaccine public awareness program sponsored by Senators Cardin and Portman.
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“Coronavirus (Cong. Rec., March 3, 2021).”
Original at www.govinfo.gov. Archived at Pandemic Darlings, https://pandemicdarlings.com/source-documents/crec-crec-2021-03-03-crec-2021-03-03-pt1-pgs1000-3f3a9da199/
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S1000 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD — SENATE March 3, 2021
of my team for many years, on the then sunk again over the summer and recent history, with crucial assistance
Rules Committee and in my leadership fall. We did a bill in December, and the for American families, particularly
office. She has helped plan, coordinate, January numbers looked pretty good. those struggling with the cost of
safeguard, and execute multiple Presi- But that is not evidence that the econ- childcare. It will give tax breaks for
dential inaugurations—and what a omy is able to sustain things on its low-income workers, so when they
great job she has done in every one of own; that is evidence that the Federal work hard, they can afford the neces-
them—and Capitol-wide ceremonies in Government needs to continue its role sities of life.
general. She has been an indispensable to get us back on track. So these things are ‘‘the liberal wish
resource to me and to my entire staff. We have come a long way, but we list’’ that Republicans are talking
I am very glad that Kelly is taking on have a long way to go. The American about—support for schools and jobs and
this challenge. Rescue Plan is designed to build on our families and workers and the vaccine?
One other note that I am very proud early progress and finish the job, to No way.
of—I think we all as Senators can be help our country get through the final Ironically, the ‘‘liberal wish list’’ in-
proud of—this will be the first time in months of the crisis and then, equally cludes a whole bunch of bipartisan
the Senate’s history that the Sergeant important, bring our economy roaring amendments that were accepted, in-
at Arms’ leadership will be comprised back. cluding provisions to help restaurants,
entirely of women. I cannot think of a We cannot go through the situation sponsored by Senators SINEMA and
team better prepared than LTG Karen we did back in 2009, where the stimulus WICKER; a vaccine public awareness
Gibson, Kelly Fado, and Jennifer Hem- wasn’t strong enough and we stayed in program, sponsored by Senators
ingway. recession for years. So just because the CARDIN and PORTMAN; and a provision
To all three of them: Congratulations numbers are not as bad as they were to better target direct payments, spon-
on your new roles, and thank you for doesn’t mean we don’t need a contin- sored by Senators MANCHIN and COL-
your many years of service to the Sen- ued strong push to get us out of this LINS.
ate and to our country. ditch and go upward and forward. Make no mistake, the American Res-
Now, we had always hoped that this cue Plan is a very, very strong bill that
f
very important work would be bipar- will move our country forward in
CORONAVIRUS tisan. Regrettably, it seems that too amazing ways. It should come as no
Mr. SCHUMER. Mr. President, now many of our Republican colleagues are surprise that support of the American
on the American Rescue Plan, as early resorting to the same predictable ob- Rescue Plan is coming from all over
as tonight, the Senate will move to jections they raise about nearly every the country.
take up the American Rescue Plan, a proposal supported by a Democrat. It Hundreds of business leaders—not the
bill designed to immediately deliver doesn’t matter what is in the bill; ev- most liberal bunch—have urged Con-
help to American families, workers, erything my colleagues oppose is ‘‘a gress to pass this bill. More than 435
and businesses struggling under the liberal wish list’’. That is what many mayors and State leaders, Democrats
weight of the pandemic and to lay the of them call it. and Republicans, have said the same:
foundation for our Nation’s recovery, Let me tell you, this bill is not a lib- They want the bill. As one Republican
so needed. eral wish list; this is an American wish mayor from Michigan put it, ‘‘The need
Every day, we see signs of hope and list. When people want checks to help is real, and not just in Democratic
signs of caution in our fight against them get out of the morass, that is not communities.’’ He went on to tell his
the COVID pandemic. As of today, in a liberal wish list; that is what the fellow Republicans in Washington who
good part because the Biden adminis- American people want. It is an Amer- oppose the bill to ‘‘talk to some of the
ican wish list. When people want re- Republican mayors.’’
tration is really doing a good job, over
sources to open schools quickly and But if my Republican colleagues here
78 million doses of the COVID vaccine
safely, that is not a liberal wish list; in the Senate don’t want to listen to
have been administered in the country
that is an American wish list. When the words of their fellow Republican
and over 100 million have been
people want assistance for the hardest- mayors and Governors, they can look
shipped—well ahead of the rosiest ex-
hit small businesses, that is not a lib- at the polls, which show the vast ma-
pectations at the start of the year.
eral wish list; that is an American wish jority of Americans, including a major-
Just yesterday, President Biden an-
list. Funding to keep teachers, fire- ity of Republicans, support this bill.
nounced that there will be enough vac- It seems like the only people who are
fighters, transit workers, first respond-
cines for every adult in the United dead set against this bill are Repub-
ers in Red States and Blue on the job,
States by the end of May—by the end it is not a liberal wish list; it is an lican Senators—not Republicans out in
of May—far sooner than most had American wish list. the country, not Republican mayors,
thought. Again, President Biden and So many of the people affected by not Republican businesspeople, not Re-
his team are doing a great job in mov- this bill are not liberals or Democrats. publican small businesses.
ing the vaccine out quickly but fairly. They may be Republicans, they may be I guess all of this should be expected.
Still, the United States averages Independents, they may be conserv- COVID–19 is not a Red State or a Blue
66,000 cases of COVID per week. That atives, but they are Americans who State crisis. Our Republican friends
exceeds anything we saw last summer want some help to get out of this mo- should know that. It is not a Demo-
during the worst months of the spread. rass. cratic or Republican concern. They
So we cannot relax, and the need for Money to expand the testing and should know that too. COVID–19 is a
the legislation that is before us is speed of the distribution of vaccines, menace to all of us, and we should be
stronger than ever before. the cornerstone of ending this crisis banding together to fight.
It is a similar story with the econ- once and for all—that is not a liberal The economic crisis has affected all
omy. There are green shoots, but un- wish list; that is an American wish list. of us, and the plan that we are going to
employment is still over 6 percent and Everyone wants the vaccine out there. vote on this week is going to provide
9 percent for African Americans. The Direct checks, as I mentioned, as prom- real, robust relief for all of us.
economy has lost 10 million jobs com- ised to Americans struggling to keep Whatever our Republican colleagues
pared to a year ago. Tens of millions of up with expenses, to buy their gro- decide to do, the Senate majority is in-
Americans report being thousands of ceries, medicine, to pay the rent and tent on going forward and helping the
dollars behind in rent and utilities. As utilities—that is not a liberal wish list; American people with bold action
Treasury Secretary Yellen and Federal
SSpencer on DSK126QN23PROD with SENATE
that is an American wish list. quickly.
Reserve Chair Powell have repeatedly I would ask my Republican col- I yield the floor.
warned us, our economy and its recov- leagues to go ask their constituents f
ery remain deeply uncertain. which of these things their constitu-
There are bumps but mainly because ents oppose. None. That is what the RESERVATION OF LEADER TIME
of the stimulus bills we have done. We data shows. The ACTING PRESIDENT pro tem-
did a bill in March, and the May and The American Rescue Plan will be pore. Under the previous order, the
June numbers looked pretty good but the single largest anti-poverty bill in leadership time is reserved.
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