American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 (Cong. Rec., March 5, 2021)
Summary
The opening pages of the Congressional Record for Friday, March 5, 2021, No. 42 of Vol. 167, noting the House was not in session and covering the Senate at pages S1217 and S1218. Mr. Schumer thanks the floor staff who worked through the night reading the Senate amendment to the American Rescue Plan, and says the Senate will take many votes and finish the bill however long it takes. He argues that the plan would cut child poverty about in half and says a clear majority of Americans support it. Mr. McConnell says Democrats are about to break the bipartisan streak of the pandemic response and calls the bill an ideological spending spree, saying only 9 percent addresses the pandemic.
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Cite this document
“American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 (Cong. Rec., March 5, 2021).”
Original at www.govinfo.gov. Archived at Pandemic Darlings, https://pandemicdarlings.com/source-documents/crec-crec-2021-03-05-crec-2021-03-05-pt1-pgs1217-8-77f692757f/
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Congressional Record
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117 th CONGRESS, FIRST SESSION
United States
of America PROCEEDINGS AND DEBATES OF THE
Vol. 167 WASHINGTON, FRIDAY, MARCH 5, 2021 No. 42
House of Representatives
The House was not in session today. Its next meeting will be held on Monday, March 8, 2021, at 12 p.m.
Senate
FRIDAY, MARCH 5, 2021
The Senate met at 9 a.m. and was to the Senate from the President pro come to life and fulfill its purpose
called to order by the Honorable TINA tempore (Mr. LEAHY). under the Constitution. I am sure you
SMITH, a Senator from the State of The bill clerk read the following let- all didn’t expect that part of your job
Minnesota. ter: this week would entail standing on
f U.S. SENATE, your feet and reading dense legislation
PRESIDENT PRO TEMPORE, for more than 10 hours straight.
PRAYER Washington, DC, March 5, 2021. I can’t imagine that is anyone’s idea
The Chaplain, Dr. Barry C. Black, of- To the Senate: of a good time, but, as usual, our staff
fered the following prayer: Under the provisions of rule I, paragraph 3, took their additional duties in stride
Let us pray. of the Standing Rules of the Senate, I hereby
and carried them out with profes-
Eternal God, who rules the raging of appoint the Honorable TINA SMITH, a Senator
from the State of Minnesota, to perform the sionalism and grace, finishing around 3
the sea, use our lawmakers to bring
duties of the Chair. in the morning, and you are all right
stability to our Nation through wise
PATRICK J. LEAHY, back on your posts this morning.
and knowledgeable leadership. Remind
President pro tempore. Thank you, thank you, thank you for
them to be quick to listen, slow to
Ms. SMITH thereupon assumed the your service, your dedication. You are
speak, and slow to anger. Give them
Chair as Acting President pro tempore. the unsung heroes of this place.
the wisdom to understand that moral
To all of the critical workers, not
rot within a nation can topple its gov- f
just those here on the dais—the clerks,
ernment.
RESERVATION OF LEADER TIME the stenographers, the Capitol Police
Lord, inspire our Senators to pursue
justice, to love mercy, and to work The ACTING PRESIDENT pro tem- officers, the floor staff—to all of you:
with humility. Help them also to re- pore. Under the previous order, the Thank you, thank you, thank you for
member that You rescue the blameless leadership time is reserved. your efforts yesterday and every day.
from harm. And as for our friend from Wisconsin,
f
And, Lord, give a special blessing to I hope he enjoyed his Thursday
Your faithful servants who worked RECOGNITION OF THE MAJORITY evening.
through the night. LEADER f
We pray in Your faithful Name. The ACTING PRESIDENT pro tem-
Amen. pore. The majority leader is recog- AMERICAN RESCUE PLAN ACT OF
f nized. 2021
PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE f Mr. SCHUMER. Madam President, a
year ago this week, Congress began
The Presiding Officer led the Pledge THANKING SENATE STAFF work on what would become the
of Allegiance, as follows:
Mr. SCHUMER. Madam President, CARES Act, the opening salvo in a
I pledge allegiance to the Flag of the
first and foremost, I want to thank ev- yearlong battle against what, at the
United States of America, and to the Repub-
lic for which it stands, one nation under God, eryone—everyone on the floor staff time, was a strange and new disease. I
indivisible, with liberty and justice for all. who worked late into the night and don’t think anyone could have antici-
f into the wee hours of the morning to pated that a year hence we would have
finish reading the Senate amendment lost more than 10 million jobs and over
APPOINTMENT OF ACTING to the American Rescue Plan. half a million citizens.
PRESIDENT PRO TEMPORE The folks who sit up here on the dais Even as the vaccine makes its way
The PRESIDING OFFICER. The come to work every day with a very se- across the country, and hope shimmers
clerk will please read a communication rious job to do, helping the Senate on the horizon, millions of Americans
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∑ This ‘‘bullet’’ symbol identifies statements or insertions which are not spoken by a Member of the Senate on the floor.
S1217
.
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S1218 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD — SENATE March 5, 2021
are still struggling with basic neces- tion and testing, that it needs to crush urgent action is called for. The Senate
sities. Folks are thousands of dollars the virus once and for all. will move forward today with the
behind on the rent and utilities. Their All told, the American Rescue Plan American Rescue Plan. There will be a
heat, water and power are getting shut will be one of the largest anti-poverty lengthy amendment process, as the
off. More than a million Americans on bills in recent history, cutting child rules of the Senate require. The Senate
unemployment insurance report that poverty just about in half. The entire is going to take a lot of votes, but we
their kids aren’t getting enough to eat. country has gotten behind the bill: are going to power through and finish
Sometimes the macrostatistics get in business leaders, mayors, Governors, this bill however long it takes. The
the way because the top end is doing from big cities, small towns, Red American people are counting on us,
very well, the top 10 percent or 25 per- States, Blue States, Democrat, Repub- and our Nation depends on it.
cent, but so many other people are lican. I yield the floor.
struggling. And if you just look at a The clear majority of the American I suggest the absence of a quorum.
big number, you say: Oh, everything is people—Democrats, Independents, and The PRESIDING OFFICER. The
getting a little better. It is not for the Republicans—all support the American clerk will call the roll.
lower half of America. It is not. Rescue Plan. It seems the only group The bill clerk proceeded to call the
I read about one of my constituents in America who doesn’t support the roll.
recently, Allilsa Fernandez, from American Rescue Plan are Washington Mr. MCCONNELL. Madam President,
Queens, who had a job as a home Republicans. I ask unanimous consent that the order
healthcare aide lined up at the start of My colleagues on the other side of for the quorum call be rescinded.
the pandemic but couldn’t take it be- the aisle say $1.9 trillion is too expen- The ACTING PRESIDENT pro tem-
cause of her family’s preexisting med- sive. Well, my Republican colleagues pore. Without objection, it is so or-
ical conditions. Her mother was in the didn’t think it was too expensive when dered.
hospital with COVID. Her income went they gave nearly the same amount in f
from $3,400 a month to just $1,000. tax breaks to corporations and the
It was a huge, huge loss— ultrarich in a healthy economy, not RECOGNITION OF THE MINORITY
one that is struggling. LEADER
She said.
I have medications, my electric bill, the My colleagues claim this bill isn’t re- The ACTING PRESIDENT pro tem-
phone bill, and [the] other costs. Every day lated to COVID. What hogwash. It is a pore. The Republican leader is recog-
you . . . have to make . . . decisions: Am I strange thing to say because most of nized.
going to eat? the measures in the bill are exactly the f
In America, that should not be the same ideas Republicans supported a
AMERICAN RESCUE PLAN ACT OF
case. It shouldn’t be at any time but year ago in the CARES Act, which
2021
particularly when an evil disease has passed without a single dissenting Re-
robbed our hard-working people of publican vote. Mr. MCCONNELL. Madam President,
their income, their livelihood. Direct checks, in the CARES Act; en- today or tonight or tomorrow, Demo-
‘‘Am I going to eat?’’ And we are sup- hanced unemployment insurance, in crats say they will break the bipar-
posed to sit here and do nothing? We the CARES Act; assistance for State tisan streak that has defined the pan-
are supposed to say to Ms. Fernandez, and local governments, in the CARES demic response up until now. They are
and so many like her, we are not giving Act; funding for testing and the vac- dead set on ramming through an ideo-
you the help you need? cine, in the CARES Act; aid to schools logical spending spree packed with
Ms. Fernandez hasn’t been able to and small businesses, in the CARES non-COVID-related policies.
pay the rent since April of last year, Act. All of them were in the CARES This is just what a leading House
over $16,000 worth. And this bill will Act, which every Republican voted for, Democrat admitted they would do back
help people like her, but it will also and now they are saying the American at the start of the crisis: Exploit the
prevent people from getting into Ms. Rescue Plan, which has the basic, same pandemic as ‘‘a tremendous oppor-
Fernandez’s place: people who work for structure, is not related to COVID. tunity to restructure things to fit our
State and local governments who When we passed the CARES Act, we vision.’’ To give them credit, they
might be laid off, people who work for all thought that maybe COVID would never hid the ball. That is how you get
small businesses who might be laid off. be gone by the summer. It isn’t. We a 628-page bill that costs nearly $2 tril-
It is the job of this government, dur- need to keep at it in the same way. lion, but only 9 percent addresses the
ing this evil pandemic, to assist Amer- Every single Republican who voted for fight against the virus itself and only 1
ican families, businesses, and workers the CARES Act and those ideas a year percent—1 percent—for the lifesaving
like Ms. Fernandez until this pandemic ago, when a Republican was in the vaccines that are ending this night-
is over. It is also our job to prevent White House and Republicans con- mare as we speak.
others from falling into the same awful trolled the Senate, is now saying no, it That is how you craft a bill that does
situation that Ms. Fernandez finds her- seems. But now that a Democrat is in nothing to immediately get kids back
self. It is our job to hasten the day the White House, now that Democrats to classrooms. In fact, that spends only
when Americans can go back to work, control the Senate, those same ideas, 5 percent of the K–12 school money this
our country can go back to normal, our which they supported when Trump was fiscal year.
economy can come roaring back. We President and MCCONNELL was major- This isn’t a pandemic rescue pack-
can reduce that awfully high actual 10 ity leader, are a liberal wish list—same age; it is a parade of leftwing pet
percent unemployment. That is what ideas. Who the heck are they kidding? projects they are ramming through
the American Rescue Plan will do. They have no good answer. during a pandemic.
It will send direct checks to Amer- But let’s face it, we need to get this There is a costly ObamaCare bailout
ican workers and families struggling done. It would be so much better if we that will disproportionately benefit
with the cost of groceries, medicine, could in a bipartisan way, but we need wealthier people; payments to farmers
and the rent. The vast majority of to get it done. and ranchers based solely on the demo-
Americans will get the full $1,400 we We are not going to make the same graphics of the recipient without any
have asked for. It will help reopen mistake we made after the last eco- regard to actual need; and a massive
schools as quickly and safely as pos- nomic downturn when Congress did too cash bailout for mismanaged State and
sible. It will help the hardest hit small little to help the Nation rebound, lock- local governments, multiple times the
businesses hang on. It will keep fire- ing us into a long, slow, painful recov- size of COVID needs.
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fighters and teachers and busdrivers ery, where it was years before employ- Instead of pushing back on the anti-
and sanitation workers on the job. It ment was back to where it was before science bullying from Big Labor that is
will help American families stay in that crisis. locking kids out of the classrooms,
their homes, care for their children, We are not, we are not going to be they buy into it.
put food on the table, and it will give timid in the face of big challenges. We They want to create generous new
our country the resources, the vaccina- are not, we are not going to delay when benefits for parents who are dealing
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