Kentucky Flooding (Cong. Rec., March 4, 2021)
Summary
This is S1038 of the Congressional Record, Senate, March 4, 2021, with interleaved columns. The page opens with the end of remarks, by a speaker whose name is not printed in the text read, urging the Senate to pass the American Rescue Plan and criticizing a plan by the Senator from Wisconsin to force the reading of the Senate amendment in full. Under the heading Kentucky Flooding, Mr. McConnell describes the flooding across Kentucky, says rivers reached historic levels, and says the Governor will request an emergency disaster declaration. Under American Rescue Plan Act of 2021, he criticizes the Democrats' spending bill, saying only 9 percent goes to the entire healthcare fight, with the views attributed to the speakers.
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“Kentucky Flooding (Cong. Rec., March 4, 2021).”
Original at www.govinfo.gov. Archived at Pandemic Darlings, https://pandemicdarlings.com/source-documents/crec-crec-2021-03-04-crec-2021-03-04-pt1-pgs1038-3-daaab5669b/
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S1038 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD — SENATE March 4, 2021
on the utilities. Folks are facing evic- Donald Trump was President, they arms, and set it on a path to strong re-
tion. American families have had their were willing to vote for a total of over covery, the Senate is going to move
water shut off, their heat shut off in $3 trillion in aid. Now that President forward with the bill.
the depth of winter, and the power cut Biden is President and the economy is No matter how long it takes, the
during their kids’ first days of virtual in the same pickle, generally speaking, Senate is going to stay in session to
kindergarten. they don’t want to vote for a nickel. I finish the bill this week. The American
Even as the vaccine is quickly mak- wonder why. I wonder why. people deserve nothing less.
ing its way into Americans’ arms now And I have to say, a few of my Repub- I yield the floor.
that President Biden has taken the lican colleagues are going to some I suggest the absence of a quorum.
helm, tens of thousands of Americans pretty ridiculous lengths to showcase The PRESIDING OFFICER. The
continue to get sick every week, and their opposition to a bill The Econo- clerk will call the roll.
we are racing against the clock to de- mist has called ‘‘one of the most pop- The senior assistant legislative clerk
feat the pandemic and to save Amer- ular bills in decades,’’ a bill supported proceeded to call the roll.
ican lives. by a majority—a majority—of Repub- Mr. MCCONNELL. Mr. President, I
Now, Congress has come together on lican voters, not Republican Senators, ask unanimous consent that the order
several occasions to pass emergency re- but voters. for the quorum call be rescinded.
lief in this time of extraordinary crisis. Yesterday, the Republican Senator The ACTING PRESIDENT pro tem-
In each case, we saw our economy re- from Wisconsin—the same Senator who pore. Without objection, it is so or-
cover, briefly, before worrying trends last summer proudly declared he would dered.
took hold again, showing the depth of oppose even a dime more in COVID re-
f
the economic crisis. It is not going to lief, the same Senator who spent a Sen-
be quick and easy to get out of. ate hearing on Capitol security reading RECOGNITION OF THE MINORITY
After the CARES bill passed, our conspiracy theories into the RECORD LEADER
economy stabilized before dipping and saying that January 6 wasn’t an The ACTING PRESIDENT pro tem-
deeply again in the summer. After we armed insurrection—decided to make pore. The Republican leader is recog-
passed another emergency bill in De- himself the face of the Republican op- nized.
cember, the January numbers looked position to the bill by vowing to force
positive before once again slipping in the reading of the Senate amendment f
recent weeks. Trusted economists— to the American Rescue Plan, in full, KENTUCKY FLOODING
Treasury Secretary Yellen and Federal before we can proceed with the bill.
We all know this will merely delay Mr. MCCONNELL. Mr. President, ear-
Chair Powell, both cautious, careful
the inevitable. It will accomplish little lier this week, I described the terrible
people—are telling us, plain as day,
more than a few sore throats for the flooding across my home State of Ken-
that the economy is not yet ready to
Senate clerks who work very hard, day tucky. Rivers reached historic levels.
stand on its own; that our recovery is
in and day out, to help the Senate Whole communities are still under-
deeply uncertain; that the risk of doing
function. And I want to thank our water.
little is far greater than doing too
clerks profoundly for the work they do Yesterday, my staff and I spoke with
much.
We have also arrived at this moment, every day, including the arduous task leaders in some of our hardest hit
about to take up the American Rescue ahead of them. counties. The Estill County judge exec-
Plan, because we remember what hap- Still, we are delighted that the Sen- utive told me that he personally joined
pened the last time our country faced a ator from Wisconsin wants to give the crews to help families escape danger.
significant economic downturn. Con- American people another opportunity Small business owners in Lee County,
gress was too limited and constrained to hear what is in the American Rescue who survived one COVID obstacle after
in its response to the financial crisis in Plan. We Democrats want America to another, now saw their life’s work lit-
2008 and 2009, and, as a result, the coun- hear what is in the plan. And if the erally washed away. The situation in
try suffered a long, slow, painful recov- Senator from Wisconsin wants the Powell County is so dire that at least
ery—a lost decade for many American clerks to read it, let everybody listen one city can only be accessed by boat.
families, creating anger, pessimism, a because it has overwhelming support. Road crews, first responders, and the
sourness in the land that discombobu- We want them to hear about the direct Kentucky National Guard are doing
lated our politics. checks they will get, as promised, to their best to help out, but they can’t
We are not going to make those same help them keep up with the cost of gro- get a handle on the full scope of the
mistakes again. We are not going to ceries, medicine, and the rent; about damage until the water recedes.
condemn millions of working Ameri- funding to expand testing and support Once the assessment is complete, the
cans to another lost decade of tepid re- the vaccine; about the resources for Governor will formally request an
covery. We are not going to abdicate schools to reopen quickly and as safely emergency disaster declaration from
our responsibility to help the American as possible; about the money to keep the Biden administration. As soon as
people just because we have started to firefighters, teachers, busdrivers, and he does, my team and I will do our part
see the first hint that things aren’t as first responders on the job; about the to get Federal assistance to these com-
bad as during the very worst days of dollars to provide rental assistance to munities as soon as possible.
the pandemic. keep Americans in their homes; about f
Our mission—our mission—is to the help for the hardest hit small busi-
AMERICAN RESCUE PLAN ACT OF
crush the virus now, get our country nesses to hang on until brighter days
2021
back to normal, lay the foundation for return.
our economy to come roaring back— Oh, yes, when the clerks read, the Mr. MCCONNELL. Mr. President, on
roaring back. American people will get another a completely different matter, yester-
That is what the American Rescue chance to hear about the tax breaks for day, our Democratic colleagues had
Plan is designed to do, and the entire low-income workers and assistance for planned to begin ramming through
country has gotten behind it. Hundreds American families struggling with their partisan spending spree, but it
of the Nation’s top business leaders childcare—two measures that help seems they have had some difficulty
support the plan. More than 400 mayors make the American Rescue Plan one of getting to the starting line. After all,
and local leaders from both parties— the single largest anti-poverty bills in Senate Democrats, including com-
SSpencer on DSK126QN23PROD with SENATE
Democrat and Republican—support the recent history. mittee chairs, are essentially being
plan. The American people support the And then, once the American people jammed with text from over in the
plan, including a clear majority of have heard all over again about the House. Their own Members have barely
Democrats, Independents, Republicans. provisions that make this bill so pop- been able to read this thing, let alone
It seems the only group that opposes ular, about the support that is going to shape it.
the bill are Republicans here in Wash- lift the country out of the crisis, pro- So let’s think back to where we were
ington, and it is confounding. When vide millions of vaccines in people’s 1 year ago. Eleven-and-a-half months
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March 4, 2021 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD — SENATE S1039
ago, the Senate was also discussing a bill is to what Americans need right more of Americans’ speech and Ameri-
major spending package. In fact, it was now. There are no policies to get cans’ activities. The bill also tramples
the same size as what is being proposed schools reopened right away and no on citizens’ privacy with new mandates
right now—about $2 trillion—an appro- smart solutions to directly spur rehir- that would intensify ‘‘cancel culture’’
priate pricetag back at the start of the ing. Less than 1 percent of the money and help mobs harass people for their
crisis, but that is where the similarity goes to the vaccines that will end this private views. Even the leftwing ACLU
actually ends. nightmare—only 9 percent to the en- condemns this part of H.R. 1.
Last March, the Senate was working tire healthcare fight altogether. This is what the ACLU had to say:
overtime, in a bipartisan fashion, to I guess it has become a rite of pas- It could directly interfere with the ability
craft good policy from the bottom up. I sage for a new Democratic President to of many to engage in political speech about
assembled bipartisan task forces. We begin with a poorly targeted spending causes that they care about and that impact
had Republicans and Democrats and spree that doesn’t give Americans what their lives.
staff working around the clock to build they need. That was from the ACLU.
the policies that would save our health We already laid the foundation for a That is right. House Democrats have
system and our economy. roaring comeback. The Biden adminis- swung so far to the anti-free speech left
The CARES Act sustained us for al- tration inherited a tide that was al- that they have even lost the ACLU.
most a year of shutdowns. It funded the ready turning, but they have chosen to Speaking of political swings, Demo-
healthcare fight, saved small busi- ignore the approach that got us this crats who want Washington to take
nesses, and funded Operation Warp far. over elections should remember that
Speed, which helped pave the way for f majorities in Congress actually come
these pioneering vaccines and and go. It would be absurd for election
preordered hundreds of millions of FOR THE PEOPLE ACT OF 2021 regulations in every precinct in Amer-
doses for Americans. The law sent so Mr. MCCONNELL. Mr. President, ica to go boomeranging back and forth
much relief to households that, even as now, on one final matter, yesterday every time Congress changes hands.
the GDP declined, personal incomes evening, House Democrats repassed Millions of American voters elected 50
and savings actually went up. Even lib- their plan to give Washington unprece- Republican Senators and a whole lot of
eral economists say President Biden dented power over the way our Nation House Republicans to make sure that
has inherited an economy that was al- conducts elections. Just like their par- Democrats play by the rules, not re-
ready primed for a swift recovery. It tisan spending spree from last week, write the rules. For one party to seize
was the largest American rescue pack- the only thing bipartisan about the unilateral control over elections na-
age ever. Yet it passed the Senate vote was the opposition. tionwide would be a civic catastrophe.
without one single dissenting vote be- The same party that wants to change It is worth asking: Why are Wash-
cause it was built the right way. Senate rules when they lose a vote, ington Democrats so desperate to forc-
That was last March. So what about pack the Supreme Court when they ibly rewrite election law before the
today? lose a case, and throw out the electoral next time voters decide their fates?
Instead of heading into a dark tun- college every time they lose the White f
nel, we are accelerating out of it: in- House now wants to forcibly rewrite 50
credible vaccines, a rebounding econ- States’ election laws from Washington. RESERVATION OF LEADER TIME
omy. That is what the Biden adminis- It is unprincipled. It is unwarranted. The ACTING PRESIDENT pro tem-
tration inherited thanks to what we Large portions of it may well be uncon- pore. Under the previous order, the
did last year. stitutional. One of the key principles of leadership time is reserved.
Yet Washington Democrats are try- American elections is that Federal of- The majority whip.
ing to exploit the last chapters of this ficeholders cannot personally micro- f
crisis to pass what President Biden’s manage the way in which voters can
Chief of Staff calls ‘‘the most progres- hire and fire us. AMERICAN RESCUE PLAN ACT OF
sive domestic legislation in a genera- Different States and localities settle 2021
tion,’’ and they have told Republicans: questions around early voting or absen- Mr. DURBIN. Mr. President, some of
Take it or leave it. No openness to tee voting or voter registration in very our Republican colleagues say that
meaningful bipartisan input. Ten Re- different ways. Washington Democrats America doesn’t need President Biden’s
publican Senators approached Presi- want every county in America to have COVID rescue plan because ‘‘the pan-
dent Biden and proposed cooperation to answer all of those questions the demic is nearly over.’’ Funny. I have
on the order of hundreds of billions of way they want. For example, no State never heard them say we shouldn’t
dollars. They were refused. All that in- would be able to have a simple voter ID spend money to help tornado victims in
terested the Democrats was a partisan requirement unless they neutered it their States after the tornadoes were
hodgepodge of, largely, non-COVID-re- with a massive loophole, but every gone.
lated items. State would be forced to allow ballot Let me say it clearly. We are not out
Last year, the Democratic leader harvesting, where paid political of the woods yet. I wish we were. There
said: operatives can show up, carrying a are 510,000 Americans—maybe more
Sitting in your own office, writing a bill, stack of ballots with other people’s now—who have died. The United States
and then demanding the other side support it names on them. has 5 percent of the world’s population.
is not anyone’s idea of bipartisanship. Imagine looking at this national We have 20 percent of the COVID infec-
As recently as last November, he landscape, where we have seen the los- tions and deaths. Why? Because of poor
said: ing side doubt the legitimacy of two leadership during the first year of this
We need a true bipartisan bill—not ‘‘this is consecutive Presidential elections, and pandemic.
our bill, take it or leave it.’’ thinking: This is the time for a sweep- We had a President then, who is now
Another time, our friend from New ing, one-party rewrite of election law. gone, who would announce it was a
York told everyone to ‘‘go look up in Democrats are also coming after hoax, and it was going to disappear by
the dictionary what ‘bipartisanship’ is. Americans’ free speech. The Federal Easter, downplaying the seriousness of
It’s both parties working together, not Election Commission was set up after the situation with his fanciful flights
your party doing a bill and then saying Watergate to be a bipartisan panel by about certain chemicals that were
design. The FEC intentionally needs bi- going to save us or whether or not we
SSpencer on DSK126QN23PROD with SENATE
it’s bipartisan.’’
In less than 4 months, we have had partisan consensus to throw a penalty should all be gargling Lysol every
two completely different versions of flag. Washington Democrats want to morning. It made no sense, and the
the Democratic leader. The two of scrap that as well. American people came out of that ex-
them could have a fascinating debate Their bill would convert the FEC perience confused and infected, with
with each other. into an odd-numbered, partisan body, deaths in their families. That was the
But look, the real tragedy here is not and this partisan FEC would get even reality of the first year of the pan-
Senate process; it is how ill-suited this greater scope to nose around in even demic.
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