Congressional Record, Senate, March 4, 2021 — American Rescue Plan Act of 2021
Summary
This Congressional Record, Senate, March 4, 2021 section contains Senate floor remarks. Under the heading For the People Act of 2021, Mr. McConnell says House Democrats repassed a plan to give Washington unprecedented power over elections, says large portions of it may well be unconstitutional, and quotes the ACLU on the speech provisions. Under the heading American Rescue Plan Act of 2021, Mr. Durbin answers Republican colleagues who say the pandemic is nearly over, citing 510,000 Americans who have died and saying the United States has 5 percent of the world's population and 20 percent of the COVID infections and deaths. Another passage objects to $350 billion for States.
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“Congressional Record, Senate, March 4, 2021 — American Rescue Plan Act of 2021.”
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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
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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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S1040 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD — SENATE March 4, 2021
There was also another reality, I just got off a Zoom call with a That is the same thing with this. If
which the Republican leader just al- dozen small towns in Illinois. They are we accept the Republican argument
luded to in that, 12 months ago, we all down from my neck of the woods. that this pandemic is really over; if we
passed something called the CARES They are great folks, doing their best, accept the argument of the Governor of
Act. It was historic—the largest Fed- struggling under COVID–19. Texas—that was yesterday; we don’t
eral expenditure in the history of the They asked me: Are you going to have to worry about it tomorrow; if we
United States of America. Who de- send us any help? take that approach, we could have a
signed that bill? Well, it was Treasury I said: President Biden has made his disastrous result. We could be back in
Secretary Mnuchin, whom I didn’t American rescue proposal. If we can trouble again in just a few weeks.
know well but who, apparently, had pass it, help is on the way. I hope we don’t. I hope we come to-
some skill as a negotiator because he Assistance won’t just go to Spring- gether in the Senate, preferably on a
managed to not only speak for Presi- field, our State capital, or to Chicago, bipartisan basis, and help the President
dent Trump but to negotiate a bipar- which does need help, but to cities get us through this pandemic. This is
tisan package in March of last year, across our State and across our Nation. our chance. We have no greater respon-
called the CARES Act, for $2 trillion. It That is included in this bill too. Help sibility than to put an end to this pan-
came to the floor of the Senate, with a for our schools is included in this bill demic, put the economy on its feet, get
vote of 96 to nothing. Every Democrat too. The list goes on, and it is an im- the kids back in school, and let grand-
voted for the COVID rescue plan of the portant list because it really highlights parents visit those grandkids again.
Trump administration a year ago— the priorities of recovery in the United That is part of getting America back
every Democrat. States. where it needs to be.
President Biden and all of us heard We need bipartisan support. As
The second major bill occurred in De-
the news a day or two ago when the Democrats, we provided that support
cember, that of $900 billion, designed to
Governors of Texas and Mississippi, in to a Republican President. Now that
help us through the first 3 months of
full-throated denial of the reality of we have a Democratic President, will
this year—again, with Treasury Sec-
this pandemic, basically took off all our Republican Senators do the same?
retary Mnuchin at the table on behalf
the limitations on businesses and on I yield the floor.
of President Trump, negotiating with
individuals. No more mask require- The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Sen-
Democrats and Republicans. It came to
ments. Let’s open up everything all the ator from Connecticut.
the floor of the Senate, and, this time, Mr. MURPHY. Mr. President, I was
way. The President was right. That was
there were 92 votes in favor of it, in- presiding on Tuesday. Sometimes my
not a smart choice. It was not a wise
cluding every Democrat, and 6 Repub- choice. We are up against it, and we staff will give me a folder of things to
licans voted no. have to remain united in our effort to review while I am presiding, and often
So, you see, when it came to COVID they will be upset when I come back
defeat this coronavirus.
rescue plans under the Trump adminis- So this week, in a day or two, Presi- having not reviewed what they have
tration, the Republicans were happy to dent Biden’s American Rescue Plan given me. The reason for that is sim-
ask us to join them, and we did. Oh, will come to the floor. Will we have an- ple: When there are Members speaking
some people said we were giving them other bipartisan rollcall, 96 to nothing, before the body, I am, frankly, very in-
a political advantage here or there or 92 to 6? I am afraid not. As of this mo- terested to listen and to hear what our
the other place, but those arguments ment, and I hope it changes, no single colleagues have to say. We don’t do
didn’t prevail on the Democratic side. Republican Senator has expressed an enough of that in this place. We are so
The Nation came first. The pandemic interest in voting for this bill. Not one. busy during the day, we don’t spend a
came first. Unemployed people and I hope it changes, and it could. Some lot of time on the Senate floor. We
businesses that were struggling came Senators at the last minute, I think, might have the floor on on our TV in
first, and we voted that way. will realize this is the right way to go. our office, but we are not always pay-
Then came a new President: Joe Meanwhile, the Republican leader ing attention to what our colleagues
Biden, elected November 3, despite the comes to the floor every day and have to say. One of the benefits of
denial of some. It was a reality. He mocks this plan—a Democratic wish being able to preside is that you do get
took this pandemic and faced it square- list, a liberal wish list, NANCY PELOSI’s to listen to the arguments that are
ly—no excuses about hoaxes or ‘‘it is wish list. This is the American people’s being made right here on the floor.
going to go away’’ or ‘‘I have got a fa- wish list. Eighty percent of the Amer- In the hour or so that I was presiding
vorite chemical that will save ican people support what President on Tuesday, I got to hear about four or
everybody’s life.’’ He faced it squarely. Biden is trying to do, and the leading five of my Republican colleagues come
He accepted the responsibility, as economists have told us we have to do down in sequence to make their case as
President of the United States, to tell this. If we don’t inject money into this to why they would be voting against
the American people the truth. economy to restore its energy and fu- the American Rescue Plan, and so I got
The first thing he told them was that ture, we will pay for it not just for to hear a number of themes being de-
we cannot, we should not, stop in our months to come but far beyond. veloped.
efforts to end this pandemic and put It is a situation that every parent I don’t think coincidentally a num-
America back on its feet. So he made a knows, when they go to the doctor, to ber of arguments were made repeatedly
proposal, a proposal with at least $160 the pediatrician, with their little boy by many of our friends on the Repub-
billion in it, for buying vaccines, ad- or little girl with an earache, and he lican side of the aisle, and so I decided
ministering those vaccines, and distrib- says: I am going to give you some anti- it might be worthwhile to just spend a
uting them across the United States. I biotics. Now, this is a 5-day prescrip- few minutes talking about the claims
would think that everybody would tion. This little boy is going to start that are made about this bill by Repub-
agree with that as a starting point. It feeling better on the second day, and licans, the reasons why they are voting
wasn’t the end point. by the third day, he is going to be play- against it, and to talk about how some
As for the cash payment promised by ing as usual. You are going to think, of these arguments may be a little bit
the Trump administration and agreed well, he doesn’t need the rest of these more disingenuous than we might like.
to by most Democrats, he wanted to antibiotics. Don’t make that decision. The first thing that I heard was that
keep his word on that—$1,400 more for Keep giving him the full dose of medi- this bill was just too expensive. It is
families all across America. cine to get well completely, or he may $1.9 trillion. That is a lot of money, no
He talked about State and local aid. doubt, but this country has never ever
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lapse back into it again and get sick all
I can tell you that this is more than a over again. faced a healthcare crisis or an eco-
theoretical exercise in my State of Illi- So you stick with it even when your nomic crisis like we do today. This is
nois. We need help. The expenses of little boy is running rings around you an unprecedented moment in our Na-
COVID–19 and the lost revenue by our or the little girl is getting ready to get tion’s history, and it requires us to
shrunken economy have taken their on her tricycle, because that is what step up and do something that isn’t
toll in my State and in the cities the doctor said, and that was the right just going to sound like it will work
across the State. thing to do. and help people but actually will.
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March 4, 2021 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD — SENATE S1041
What is, I guess, to me ironic about Consult poll. It has been referred to be- local funding in the American Rescue
this claim that it is too expensive, that fore on the floor. Seventy percent of all Plan.
it is going to cost our kids and voters support the American Rescue There was rent and mortgage relief
grandkids too much money, is that Re- Plan. Not surprisingly, there is some in the CARES Act. There is rent and
publicans passed a tax bill that was al- difference between Democrats and Re- mortgage relief in the American Res-
most to the dollar the exact same publicans but, frankly, not much. Nine- cue Plan.
amount as this relief bill is. They ty percent of Democrats support the All of a sudden, since Democrats
passed a $1.9 trillion tax bill where the American Rescue Plan, and 60 percent took control of the White House and
majority of the benefits went to the of Republicans support the American took control of the Senate, all of these
richest Americans who needed no more Rescue Plan. Why? Because everybody things, which were categorized as
help. There was no crisis in 2017 is hurting in this country. Everybody COVID relief by Republicans in March,
amongst American millionaires and is hurting. Republicans and Democrats are no longer COVID. You are just sup-
billionaires. Yet Republicans were very need an extension of unemployment posed to think of these as extras, as
willing to draw down $1.9 trillion in benefits. Republicans and Democrats Democratic priorities.
debt-financed tax cuts; $1.3 trillion in both want cash payments. Republicans Ninety percent—ninety-five percent
corporate tax cuts; $83 billion to let and Democrats know that their kids of what is in the package we are voting
heirs of huge mega-estates be able to can’t get what they need in schools on today is simply an extension of the
inherit more money without taxation; without additional support. same set of funding streams that we
$435 billion tax cut for the wealthiest 1 This is a unifying proposal in the authorized in a bipartisan way a year
percent of Americans. So it is a little American public. President Biden made ago. And so this idea that this is some
hard to listen to my Republican col- a commitment to govern in a way that Democratic wish list, when we are es-
leagues claim that this bill is too ex- unified the country. He has done that. sentially just extending or increasing
pensive when they were willing to He has proposed a bill that has the the same funding streams that were in
spend the exact same amount of money broad support of Republicans and the CARES Act, is nonsense. It is non-
in 2017 on tax cuts for their wealthy Democrats. I don’t know that it is his sense. Of course, this is all COVID re-
corporate and millionaire friends. fault that it can’t draw Republican lief. Of course, it is COVID relief when
It is also hard to listen to this argu- support in Congress despite the fact you are increasing nutritional benefits
ment because just a year ago, Repub- that it draws Republican support from to people who can’t afford to feed their
licans were willing to spend $1.9 tril- the public. kids because they have lost their job or
lion to address this crisis. It isn’t as if Finally, this was maybe the most in- they have lost hours because the econ-
Republicans haven’t understood, when teresting theme of the complaints: It is omy melted down due to a pandemic.
they were in control of the White not COVID relief. I have heard different That is not, all of a sudden, not COVID
House and the Congress, that we need- statistics thrown out by my Repub- relief today.
ed to step up and meet this moment. lican friends. Some of them suggest This one is maybe the most bizarre of
Republicans have said: Well, this is dif- that only 5 percent of this bill is Republican claims. This bill is expen-
ferent because we are turning the cor- COVID relief. I am not sure exactly sive, but it is not too expensive. This
ner. Well, as Senator DURBIN laid out how they come to that calculation, but moment is unique, and we are man-
very well, we may be able to see the what I understand them to say is that dated by our oath of office to meet this
corner, but we are not there yet. anything that isn’t directly related to moment. Republicans didn’t have a
March 24 was the day that we passed putting shots in people’s arms or treat- problem spending $1.9 trillion to give
the CARES Act—almost the same ing people with present cases of COVID tax breaks to their wealthy friends. I
amount of money as we are considering is not COVID relief. don’t know why they, all of a sudden,
today. On that day, 737 people died of Well, let’s just take a look at what have a problem putting money in the
COVID–19. Yesterday, 2,369 people died was broadly part of the CARES Act pockets of hard-working Americans
of COVID–19. So in many ways, the cri- that was supported by every single Re- who are suffering through the worst
sis today is exponentially worse than it publican and what is broadly part of healthcare crisis this country has seen
was a year ago when Republicans, to a the American Rescue Plan, because my in a century.
person, were willing to spend $2 trillion Republican colleagues thought that ev- Republicans say this is a partisan
on the crisis. Now, all of a sudden, erything in the CARES Act was COVID bill. Out there in America, guess
when Democrats are in charge of the relief, whether it was designed to im- what—it is not. It is not. Republicans
White House, when a Democratic ma- mediately attack the healthcare crisis and Democrats support this because it
jority leader sits here in the U.S. Sen- or whether it was designed to address is full of commonsense ideas that make
ate, $1.9 trillion is too much money to the economic crisis. a lot of sense to people, no matter what
spend on a crisis that is taking on a There were stimulus checks in the their political ideology is outside of
daily basis three to four times as many CARES Act—not as big as the ones in Washington.
lives as it did when we spent this the American Rescue Plan, but they Republicans say this bill isn’t COVID
money a year ago. were COVID relief when we passed the relief but a Democratic progressive
By the way, the economic crisis is CARES Act. Now, according to Repub- wish list. No, it is simply an extension
still acute. There may be technically licans, they are not COVID relief. of the things that were bipartisan pri-
more people at work today than there There was an unemployment exten- orities last year. We thought they were
were in April or May of last year, but sion and a plus-up in the maximum good ideas then. We think they are
surveys suggest today 80 percent of benefit under the CARES Act. That good ideas now, especially given the
Americans don’t have enough money to was COVID relief back in March of last fact that four times as many people are
pay their bills. Why? Because a lot of year, but now, according to Repub- dying today as were dying in March of
people are back to work, but they are licans, it is not COVID relief. 2020, when we passed the first bipar-
working fewer hours, right? They have There was money for vaccines and for tisan CARES Act, and as the economy
less reliable work. So there is still a testing in the CARES Act. In the today is in just as dire straits as it was.
crisis that exists amongst 80 percent of American Rescue Plan, there is money I hope we are turning the corner. I
Americans today. This is no less than for vaccines and testing. hope we get vaccines into the arms of
the crisis that existed in 2017. Small business relief was, of course, individuals such that we are soon back
Here is the second critique that is conceived in the CARES Act, the PPP to the numbers of deaths per day that
SSpencer on DSK126QN23PROD with SENATE
made over and over about this bill: It is program. That is a big part of the we saw in March of last year. I hope
a partisan bill, Republicans say. Well, American Rescue Plan, but now it is that we are on a road again to full em-
that is a complaint of Republicans’ not COVID relief, according to my Re- ployment. But I am confident that
own making because it is only a par- publican colleagues, whereas it was none of that can happen unless we
tisan bill in the U.S. Senate. Three out last year. make this investment in COVID relief
of four voters support the American There was State and local funding in and in economic relief. It is an obliga-
Rescue Plan. This is a recent Morning the CARES Act. There is State and tion as stewards of the economy and
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S1042 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD — SENATE March 4, 2021
the welfare of the American people for and rescuing those States that are not so that both red and blue States would
us to step up to the plate and get this in crisis would not take anywhere close get a fair shot at funding, or amend-
done this week. to $350 billion. Democrats are going to ments to remove those provisions that
I yield the floor. spend hundreds of billions of taxpayer are in no way related to COVID relief.
The PRESIDING OFFICER (Mr. dollars on an unnecessary giveaway to Unfortunately, Democratic leaders
KING). The Republican whip. States, and on top of that, that give- have made it very clear that they are
Mr. THUNE. Mr. President, less than away is heavily, heavily weighted in not willing to entertain Republican
2 months ago, at his inauguration, favor of blue States. That is right. The ideas. So I don’t have a lot of con-
President Biden spoke about his deep distribution formula is designed to fidence that Republican amendments,
commitment to bringing Americans to- heavily favor Democratic States. even if adopted, will end up in the final
gether. Well, then there is the money for bill.
Today, the Senate will consider the schools. Now, Republicans have been It is deeply disappointing that pretty
first major bill of his Presidency, an in- very willing to give schools money to much the first thing Democrats did
tensely partisan piece of legislation. help them reopen. In fact, last year, this Congress was to take a bipartisan
Why is the bill before us today so par- when Republicans were in the major- process—the coronavirus relief—and
tisan? It is not because Republicans ity—which, by the way, during that make it partisan. All five—all five—of
were unwilling to cooperate with time we passed five COVID–19 relief the coronavirus bills that Congress has
Democrats on COVID legislation. In bills, all with bipartisan cooperation passed to date—last year, when Repub-
fact—in fact—Republicans made it very and support, at the 60-vote level that licans were in the majority—were bi-
clear that we were willing to work with we use here in the Senate for most leg- partisan. This bill could have been bi-
Democrats. islation that we take up under regular partisan, too, but Democrats decided
No, the bill before us today is so order—but we put a lot of money into that Republicans and the Americans
heavily partisan because Democrats giving schools money to help them re- that they represent should not have a
didn’t want to work with Republicans. open. In fact, Republicans voted for $68 voice in this legislation.
Democrats saw an opportunity to use billion for K–12 schools. Is this what the rest of the Biden
the COVID crisis to advance a whole At this point, that money is suffi- Presidency is going to look like? I sure
host of liberal priorities, and they were cient. Schools have spent just $5 billion hope not, because it is going to be real-
afraid that allowing Republicans to of the $68 billion that we have already ly hard—really hard—to come up with
participate in the process would mean provided. Let me repeat that. So far, solutions that are durable and that
that some of their pet projects would schools have spent just $5 billion, or represent the middle of the country—
be excluded or that they would have to less than 10 percent, of the $68 billion those people whose voices are not
pare back some of their more prof- that has already been given to them. heard in the legislation that we will be
ligate spending. Yet the Democrats’ bill would appro- taking up today.
So Democrats decided to use rec- I yield the floor.
priate an additional $129 billion for The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Sen-
onciliation to ensure that Republicans schools, 95 percent of which would be ator from Louisiana.
wouldn’t be able to interfere with their spent after this year—the year of the
Democratic legislation. And let’s be f
crisis, the year of the emergency, the
very clear about the nature of that leg- year of the pandemic. You would think CONCERNS OVER NATIONS FUND-
islation. Democrats would like to that, if this was a crisis, the funding ING UNIVERSITY CAMPUS INSTI-
present this as a COVID bill. It is not. would be made available to be used this TUTES IN THE UNITED STATES
Yes, there are a handful of true COVID year, but it is not. It is spent in the ACT
priorities in this legislation, such as years 2022 to 2028. Mr. KENNEDY. Mr. President, I want
more money for vaccines and Do Democrats really expect Ameri- to talk a few minutes about the good
coronavirus treatment, something that cans to believe that school dollars that people of China, about Confucius Insti-
I think everybody here on both sides of won’t be spent until 2027 or 2028 are ur- tutes, and the Chinese Communist
the aisle supports. But the bulk of this gently needed coronavirus response Party.
bill is either non-COVID-related or os- dollars? This is the pattern with this I meant what I said when I referred
tensibly COVID-related but, actually, bill, though. to ‘‘the good people of China.’’ You vis-
either unnecessary or excessive. We just passed a large coronavirus ited China, Mr. President. The people
On the non-COVID front, there is the relief bill in December, the fifth of China are wonderful people. They
$86 billion bailout for multiemployer coronavirus relief bill that Congress are engaging. They are smart. They
pension plans, the billions for climate has passed, and a lot of the money from have a great sense of humor. They have
change and other environmental policy that bill hasn’t been spent yet. In fact, built an extraordinary economy.
issues, a new taxpayer-funded leave a lot of money from earlier coronavirus I wish I could say the same about
program for government employees bills has not been spent. Yet Demo- their authoritarian government, but I
with no requirement that it be used for crats are throwing massive additional can’t. The Communist Party of China
COVID–19, and I could go on. amounts of money at various recipi- is trying to not only swallow China, it
The version of the bill that came ents with no idea—no clear idea—of is trying to swallow the world.
over from the House contained such whether or not that money will be We helped the Communist Party of
non-COVID-related measures as $100 needed or, in some cases, when we China be admitted into the World
million for an underground rail project know very well that that money isn’t Trade Organization. We were told that
in the House Speaker’s home State and needed. if we did, they would embrace free en-
$1.5 million for a bridge in the Demo- Republicans will be introducing terprise. We were told that the Com-
cratic leader’s home State, plus a mas- amendments to the Democrats’ bill. I munist Party of China would be a valu-
sive increase in the Federal minimum am introducing an amendment to undo able participant in a stable world
wage that would cost an estimated 1.4 the Biden administration’s freeze on order. None of that has come to be the
million jobs, according to the Congres- the Coronavirus Food Assistance Pro- case.
sional Budget Office, and potentially— gram, which has provided support for We know what the Communist Party
potentially—devastate small busi- farmers and ranchers who have been of China has done to Hong Kong. We
nesses already reeling from the effects hit hard by the pandemic. know what the Communist Party of
of the coronavirus. I hope some of my less extreme China has done to the Uighurs. We
SSpencer on DSK126QN23PROD with SENATE
Then there are the ostensibly COVID- Democratic colleagues will join Repub- know what the Communist Party of
related measures, such as $350 billion licans to advance some of our amend- China has done to the wonderful, won-
for States. So what is the big problem ments, such as Senator GRAHAM’s derful people of Tibet. But I did want
there? Well, States don’t need any- amendment to change the distribution to make that distinction between the
where near that much money to weath- formula for States to the formula used authoritarian government of the Com-
er the rest of the pandemic. The vast in the bipartisan CARES Act, which munist Party of China and the Chinese
majority of States are not in crisis, passed unanimously here in the Senate, people.
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