Congressional Record — Senate, S1030 (March 3, 2021)
Summary
Page S1030 of the Senate section of the Congressional Record for March 3, 2021, in interleaved columns. A statement describes the Neighborhood Stabilization Program, which between 2008 and 2019 helped build or rehabilitate more than 50,000 homes, and says more than 7.4 million units of affordable housing are needed. Mr. Durbin asks that the text of S. 582, a bill to prohibit the death penalty for violations of Federal law, be printed. Another passage discusses the 2002 authorization for use of military force in Iraq and statements by Secretary of State Blinken and Secretary of Defense Austin, and a resolution text on working mothers and child care closes the page.
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“Congressional Record — Senate, S1030 (March 3, 2021).”
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S1030 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD — SENATE March 3, 2021
The program helped States, local MERKLEY, Mr. SANDERS, Mr. and Syria (ISIS). Current Administra-
governments, and nonprofit organiza- BROWN, Mr. SCHATZ, Ms. KLO- tion officials, including President
tions acquire properties and rehabili- BUCHAR, Mrs. GILLIBRAND, Mr. Biden, Secretary of State Blinken, Sec-
tate or repurpose them as long-term af- OSSOFF, and Ms. BALDWIN): retary of Defense Austin and Com-
fordable housing. S. 582. A bill to prohibit the imposi- mander of the United States Central
Between 2008 and 2019, Neighborhood tion of the death penalty for any viola- Command, General McKenzie, have
Stabilization Program funds have fa- tion of Federal law, and for other pur- routinely emphasized that United
cilitated the construction or rehabili- poses; to the Committee on the Judici- States military forces remain in Iraq
tation of more than 50,000 homes, and ary. at the invitation of the Government of
the program has generated $1.8 billion Mr. DURBIN. Mr. President, I ask Iraq and in respect to its sovereignty.
in return income, allowing commu- unanimous consent that the text of the Recent presidential administrations
nities to stretch Federal investments bill be printed in the RECORD. have maintained that the 2002 AUMF
even further. There being no objection, the text of only serves to ‘‘reinforce’’ any legal au-
Today, more than 7.4 million units of the bill was ordered to be printed in thority to combat ISIS provided by the
affordable housing are needed across the RECORD, as follows: 2001 AUMF and is not independently re-
the U.S. to meet the needs of low-in- S. 582 quired to authorize any such activities.
come renters. In my home State of Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Rep- As such, repealing the 1991 AUMF and
California, more than 1.4 million units resentatives of the United States of America in the 2002 AUMF would not affect ongo-
are needed to address the State’s af- Congress assembled, ing United States military operations.
fordable housing shortage. SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. It would however, prevent the future
Due to financial burdens and loss of This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Federal misuse of the Gulf and Iraq War au-
Death Penalty Prohibition Act’’. thorizations and strengthen Congres-
income resulting from the COVID–19
SEC. 2. PROHIBITION ON IMPOSITION OF DEATH sional oversight over war powers.
pandemic, millions of people in the SENTENCE.
United States are at risk of eviction or It is past time to repeal both AUMFs
(a) IN GENERAL.—Notwithstanding any
foreclosure, and the need for more af- other provision of law, no person may be sen-
and formally mark the end of the Iraq
fordable housing is expected to in- tenced to death or put to death on or after War that resulted in a devastating loss
crease dramatically. the date of enactment of this Act for any of life and wounded tens of thousands
In addition to making long-term in- violation of Federal law. of our troops. It makes no sense that
vestments in building new affordable (b) PERSONS SENTENCED BEFORE DATE OF two AUMFs remain in place against a
ENACTMENT.—Notwithstanding any other country that is now a close partner.
housing in the United States, it is also
provision of law, any person sentenced to They serve no operational purpose, run
critically important to focus resources death before the date of enactment of this
on more immediate solutions, such as the risk of future abuse by the Presi-
Act for any violation of Federal law shall be
acquiring and rehabilitating existing resentenced.
dent, and help keep our nation at per-
buildings. manent war.
Acquisition and rehabilitation pro- By Mr. KAINE (for himself, Mr. I am proud to join this group of Sen-
vides two distinct advantages: it lowers YOUNG, Ms. DUCKWORTH, Mr. ators in introducing a bill to repeal
per-unit construction costs and makes LEE, Mr. COONS, Mr. GRASSLEY, these outdated and unnecessary au-
affordable housing units available to Mr. PAUL, and Mr. DURBIN): thorizations. I hope we can continue to
low-income households much faster. S.J. Res. 10. A joint resolution to re- find bipartisan compromise on these
The ‘‘Affordable Housing Redevelop- peal the authorizations for use of mili- tough war power issues to include re-
ment Act’’ would reauthorize and ex- tary force against Iraq, and for other vising and replacing the 2001 AUMF.
pand the Neighborhood Stabilization purposes; to the Committee on Foreign f
Program to help State and local gov- Relations. SUBMITTED RESOLUTIONS
ernments purchase blighted, vacant, Mr. KAINE. Mr. President, I am
abandoned, foreclosed, or surplus prop- pleased today to introduce in the Sen-
erties, and convert them into afford- ate, with my colleagues Senators SENATE RESOLUTION 87—RECOG-
able housing. Eligible projects would YOUNG, DUCKWORTH, LEE, COONS, NIZING THAT THE UNITED
include mixed-use development and GRASSLEY, DURBIN and PAUL a bipar- STATES NEEDS A MARSHALL
conversions of non-residential office tisan resolution to repeal the 1991 and PLAN FOR MOMS IN ORDER TO
and retail properties. 2002 Authorizations for Use of Military REVITALIZE AND RESTORE
All new units would have to serve Force (AUMF) against Iraq. This legis- MOTHERS IN THE WORKFORCE
households whose income does not ex- lation will formally end the authoriza- Ms. KLOBUCHAR (for herself, Ms.
ceed area median income, and at least tions for the Gulf and Iraq wars—30 and DUCKWORTH, Ms. SMITH, Ms. ROSEN, Mr.
25 percent of units would serve house- 19 years, respectively, after these WYDEN, Mr. HEINRICH, Mr. MERKLEY,
holds whose income does not exceed 50 AUMFs were first passed, reasserting Mr. WHITEHOUSE, Mr. BLUMENTHAL, Mr.
percent of area median income. Long- Congress’ vital role in not only declar- BROWN, and Mr. DURBIN) submitted the
term affordability requirements would ing wars, but in ending them. The re- following resolution; which was re-
apply in all cases. peal of these authorizations also recog- ferred to the Committee on Health,
The bill would authorize $1.5 billion nizes the strong partnership the United Education, Labor, and Pensions:
in discretionary appropriations to be States now has with a sovereign, demo- S. RES. 87
allocated as a competitive grant pro- cratic Iraq. Whereas any relief and long-term recovery
gram administered by the Department The United States is no longer at war from the economic fallout of the COVID–19
of Housing and Urban Development. with Iraq and our legal frameworks pandemic must recognize, rebuild, and re-
This bill provides a targeted and cost should reflect this reality as much as turn mothers to the workforce;
effective way for the Federal govern- our policy frameworks, to include the Whereas women, and especially working
ment to help communities build more Strategic Framework Agreement that mothers, are bearing the brunt of the eco-
Iraq and the United States signed in nomic fallout from the COVID–19 pandemic
affordable housing, while also stimu-
November 2008, which affirms the es- as a result of existing social barriers and pol-
lating local economies and creating icy failures such as—
jobs. tablishment of a long-term relation- (1) the lack of a care infrastructure, in-
I hope my colleagues will join me in ship of cooperation and friendship, cluding child care deserts and lack of care
based on the principle of equality in
SSpencer on DSK126QN23PROD with SENATE
support of this bill. Thank you, Mr. infrastructure caused by high child care
President, and I yield the floor. sovereignty and the rights and prin- costs;
ciples that are enshrined in the United (2) the lack of family-supportive work-
By Mr. DURBIN (for himself, Mr. Nations Charter. places;
(3) the lack of a national paid leave policy;
LEAHY, Mr. BOOKER, Mr. MAR- Since 2014, U.S. troops have been in and
KEY, Mr. MURPHY, Ms. WARREN, Iraq, alongside Iraqi forces, at the Gov- (4) gender and racial pay inequity;
Mr. VAN HOLLEN, Ms. HIRONO, ernment of Iraq’s request for assistance Whereas, at the beginning of 2020, women
Mr. KAINE, Ms. SMITH, Mr. in combating the Islamic State of Iraq made up the majority of the workforce for
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March 3, 2021 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD — SENATE S1031
the first time in almost a decade, even as children younger than age 10 say child care SENATE RESOLUTION 88—RE-
women continued to face unjust gender and is one of their top 3 challenges during the QUESTING THAT THE PRESIDENT
racial wage gaps; COVID–19 pandemic;
Whereas 2,300,000 women have left the
TRANSMIT TO THE SENATE NOT
Whereas, in 2019, before the COVID–19 pan-
labor force since the beginning of the demic hit the United States, there were
LATER THAN 14 DAYS AFTER
COVID–19 pandemic, including 275,000 who roughly 9,700,000 working mothers with a THE DATE OF THE ADOPTION OF
exited in January 2021; child younger than age 6; THIS RESOLUTION DOCUMENTS
Whereas participation by women in the Whereas 95 percent of the child care work- IN THE POSSESSION OF THE
labor force was less than 55 percent in April force is comprised of women, and yet nearly PRESIDENT RELATING TO THE
2020 for the first time since 1986, in part be- 2⁄3 of child care workers with children report
cause of the child care crisis caused by the AMOUNT OF FUNDING PRE-
problems with accessing public support pro-
COVID–19 pandemic; VIOUSLY ENACTED UNDER CER-
grams and often struggle to afford high-qual-
Whereas participation by women age 20
ity child care for their own families; TAIN PUBLIC LAWS AND CUR-
and older in the labor force fell to a 33-year RENTLY UNSPENT
Whereas 60 percent of businesses in the
low in January 2021, hitting 57 percent;
child care industry are minority-owned;
Whereas women— Mr. SCOTT of Florida (for himself,
(1) have suffered the majority of pandemic- Whereas a significant investment in child
care would be simultaneously job creating Ms. ERNST, Mr. LANKFORD, Mr. YOUNG,
related job losses; and
(2) have lost over 5,400,000 net jobs since and job enabling, creating care jobs and sup- Mr. HAGERTY, Mr. CRAMER, Mr. CRUZ,
February 2020, and account for 55 percent of porting parental employment, both of which Mr. BRAUN, Mr. ROUNDS, and Mr.
overall net job loss since the start of the would benefit women; HOEVEN) submitted the following reso-
COVID–19 pandemic; Whereas women of color are disproportion-
Whereas 86 percent of net jobs lost in De- ately represented in many frontline indus-
lution; which was referred to the Com-
cember 2020 were jobs held by women, with tries that also lack critical benefits such as mittee on Homeland Security and Gov-
women losing 196,000 jobs during that month; paid sick leave and flexibility to telework, ernmental Affairs:
Whereas mothers in the prime of their including food services, hospitality, retail,
working lives have paid an especially high S. RES. 88
and social assistance;
price, with mothers ages 25 to 54 experi- Whereas the unprecedented burdens of Whereas the national debt of the United
encing a 5.7-percentage point decline in em- child care, work, and remote learning have States is $27,900,000,000,000;
ployment since the COVID–19 pandemic strained the mental and emotional health of Whereas this represents $223,441 in debt per
began, compared to a 3.1 percentage-point mothers; and taxpayer;
decline for fathers in the same age group; Whereas access to paid leave during the Where Congress appropriated over
Whereas women are overrepresented in COVID–19 pandemic has been linked to a re- $4,000,000,000,000 on a bipartisan basis to ad-
low-wage jobs and underrepresented in high- duction in the spread of COVID–19 by as dress COVID–19 during 2020;
wage jobs;
many as 15,000 new cases per day where peo- Whereas Congress passed additional
Whereas employment in the bottom quar-
ple were able to use the leave, such that paid COVID–19 relief legislation as part of the bi-
tile of the wage distribution has declined by
leave has prevented the compounded partisan-bicameral omnibus COVID–19 relief
17 percent since February 2020, far exceeding
the overall employment decline of 6.5 per- stressors of countless evictions, hospitaliza- deal on December 21, 2020;
cent; tions, and hungry children: Now, therefore, Whereas the latest reports from the Con-
Whereas wages for women are key to the be it gressional Budget Office indicate that a sub-
economic security of the families of such Resolved, That it is the sense of the Senate stantial portion of funds previously allocated
women; that— remain unspent;
Whereas women of color play a particu- (1) mothers, especially mothers of color, Whereas Congress needs reliable informa-
larly vital role in the financial stability of have been pushed to the brink of economic, tion on unspent funds before it should con-
their families, and any disruption to their social, and emotional collapse during the sider allocating additional dollars;
earnings can be detrimental to the welfare of COVID–19 pandemic because of the existing Whereas, according to Center for a Respon-
their families; economic and social inequalities that women sible Federal Budget, the proposed American
Whereas the absence of affordable child have long faced; Rescue Plan allocates less than 10 percent of
care exacerbates inequality by severely in- (2) any relief and long-term recovery pack- its total funding to directly combat COVID–
hibiting low-income parents from attaining age to address the COVID–19 crisis should 19 needs;
promotions and higher salaries; recognize and rebuild moms in the work- Whereas, according to the Congressional
Whereas child nutrition is strongly linked Budget Office, the level of spending in the
force, in order to secure meaningful and sus-
to the employment status of mothers, such
tainable economic recovery, by including, at proposed American Rescue Plan is at least 3
that almost 1 in 4 children experienced food
a minimum— times the size of the output shortfall in our
insecurity in 2020 at the same time that
(A) a robust paid leave plan, which is es- economy, which will lead to higher inflation;
mothers experienced work disruptions or un-
sential to securing the physical health and and
employment that led to income loss;
Whereas work interruptions caused by financial health of families, including emer- Whereas, almost half of the American Res-
school closures and child care closures have gency paid leave policies that would create a cue Plan would not be spent until fiscal year
disproportionately impacted women, forcing path toward permanent paid leave solutions; 2022 or later, with at least $140,000,000,000 not
women to reduce work hours, take a leave of (B) the means to rebuild and stabilize the being spent until fiscal year 2024 or later:
absence, or permanently leave the work- child care industry, which is essential to eco- Now, therefore, be it
force; nomic recovery and bolstering women in the
labor force; Resolved, That the President is requested
Whereas, without reliable and affordable to transmit to the Senate not later than 14
child care, mothers who have left the work- (C) major investments in our education
systems, which must be made in order to days after the date of the adoption of this
force will not be able to return to work,
since such mothers often cannot pay for safely reopen schools and campuses, pro- resolution documents in the possession of
child care without the income made from viding funding to support and protect the the President relating to the amount of
going back to work; safety and health of educators, support staff, funding previously enacted and currently
Whereas essential workers who are single students, and families; unspent provided under the following laws:
parents face additional challenges and great- (D) recurring child benefits, and expanded (1) The Coronavirus Preparedness and Re-
er financial burden due to needing affordable and improved child tax credit and earned in- sponse Supplemental Appropriations Act,
child care; come tax credit to help reduce child poverty 2020 (Public Law 116–123).
Whereas the COVID–19 pandemic has exac- and provide economic security for families; (2) The Families First Coronavirus Re-
erbated existing stigmas against working (E) an expanded unemployment insurance sponse Act (Public Law 116–127).
mothers that falsely assume that their role program that benefits struggling workers, (3) The CARES Act (Public Law 116–136).
as caregivers will negatively impact their including those experiencing long-term un- (4) The Paycheck Protection Program and
work performance; employment; and Health Care Enhancement Act (Public Law
Whereas mothers forced to permanently (F) access to mental health support for
SSpencer on DSK126QN23PROD with SENATE
116–139).
leave the workforce or reduce work hours be- mothers, which is essential to maintaining
(5) Division N (relating to additional
cause of the COVID–19 pandemic are experi- the health of the family; and
coronavirus response and relief) of the Con-
encing career trajectory disruptions that (3) employers and policymakers in the
solidated Appropriations Act, 2021 (Public
lower their lifetime earnings potential and United States must prioritize addressing the
economic cliff facing mothers, and make per- Law 116–260).
endanger their future Social Security earn-
ings and other potential retirement income; manent the aforementioned policies so that
Whereas child care is a lifeline for working mothers are protected against any future
mothers, and over 75 percent of mothers with economic calamities.
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