American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 (Cong. Rec., March 11, 2021)
Summary
This is the opening of the Congressional Record, Vol. 167, No. 46, Senate, Thursday, March 11, 2021. The Senate met at 10:30 a.m. with the Chaplain, Dr. Barry C. Black, offering the prayer. Under the heading Nominations, Mr. Schumer says the Senate confirmed three members of President Biden's Cabinet the day before and will begin the process of bringing the nomination of Xavier Becerra to be Secretary of Health and Human Services to the floor. Another speaker says that Secretary Haaland at the top of the Interior Department is a profoundly important moment, with the views attributed to the speakers.
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Cite this document
“American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 (Cong. Rec., March 11, 2021).”
Original at www.govinfo.gov. Archived at Pandemic Darlings, https://pandemicdarlings.com/source-documents/crec-crec-2021-03-11-crec-2021-03-11-pt1-pgs1477-7-995c71a72e/
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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, THURSDAY, MARCH 11, 2021 No. 46
Senate
The Senate met at 10:30 a.m. and was RECOGNITION OF THE MAJORITY Representative HAALAND to the top of
called to order by the President pro LEADER the Interior Department is a pro-
tempore (Mr. LEAHY). The PRESIDING OFFICER. The ma- foundly important moment for Amer-
f jority leader is recognized. ica as we advance on the long road—
still not fully traveled at all—toward
PRAYER f
equality. For too long, Tribal nations
The Chaplain, Dr. Barry C. Black, of- NOMINATIONS have been denied a seat at the table
fered the following prayer: Mr. SCHUMER. Madam President, where decisions were made that im-
Let us pray. yesterday, the Senate completed an ex- pacted their lives and their land. Not
Eternal God, You have always been tremely productive day by confirming only will Secretary HAALAND ensure
our helper. Continue to teach our law- three members of President Biden’s that they get a seat, she will bring her
makers to live for Your glory. Cabinet. Today, we are going to keep own lived experiences to the table
Lord, lead them along the paths that up the pace by moving the ball forward alongside them.
will keep our Nation strong. Give them on two more of the President’s nomi- Under President Trump, the Depart-
confidence in Your guidance and a pas- nees. ment of the Interior became one of the
sion for Your truth. Strengthen them First, the Senate will begin the proc- most scandal-ridden Agencies in the
so that they will be courageous in de- ess of bringing Xavier Becerra’s nomi- history of the Federal Government. It
fense of righteousness. Inspire them to nation to the floor to serve as HHS gave oil and mining companies carte
wait patiently for the ultimate tri- Secretary. This is a critical position as blanche to drill in wildlife reserves. It
umph of Your prevailing providence. we continue to battle the virus, and I rolled back environmental protections
May they find spiritual nourishment am perplexed that none of my Repub- and greatly undermined trust in the
simply by being kind to each other. Federal Government and Tribal lands.
lican colleagues would vote for him. He
We pray in Your merciful Name. Representative HAALAND will move
is a capable man, and he has worked
Amen. the Department in a dramatically dif-
hard to make sure that people get ferent direction. One of her most im-
f healthcare. Some have said: Well, he is portant responsibilities will be to re-
PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE not a doctor. Neither was the previous store and uphold the Federal Govern-
Trump nominee for HHS, who happened ment’s obligations to sovereign Tribal
The President pro tempore led the
to be a pharmaceutical company execu- nations. I cannot think of a better can-
Pledge of Allegiance, as follows:
tive. Whom would Americans prefer? didate to take on this job than Rep-
I pledge allegiance to the Flag of the Second, the Senate will move forward
United States of America, and to the Repub- resentative HAALAND, and I greatly
lic for which it stands, one nation under God,
with another very historic nominee look forward to confirming her. It will
indivisible, with liberty and justice for all. who makes us so proud, Representative be historic.
DEB HAALAND of New Mexico, to serve Now, in general, Madam President,
f
as the next Secretary of the Interior. the Senate is making great progress in
RESERVATION OF LEADER TIME She will be confirmed on Monday. Rep- installing President Biden’s highly
The PRESIDENT pro tempore. Under resentative HAALAND was elected to the qualified nominees. So far, we have al-
the previous order, the leadership time Congress in 2018. She was the first Na- ready confirmed 16 Cabinet-level ap-
is reserved. tive American woman, along with Rep- pointments. We are set to increase that
The PRESIDENT pro tempore. The resentative SHARICE DAVIDS of Kansas, number to 18 after Secretaries
Senator from Nevada. to ever serve in the people’s House. If HAALAND and Becerra are approved.
Ms. ROSEN. Mr. President, I suggest confirmed, Representative HAALAND Every single one of the President’s
the absence of a quorum. will not only become the first Native nominees has been confirmed with a bi-
The PRESIDENT pro tempore. The American to lead the Department of partisan vote here on the Senate floor.
clerk will call the roll. the Interior, but she will be the first President Biden deserves to have his
The senior assistant legislative clerk Native American to serve in any Cabi- team in place, and the Senate is mov-
proceeded to call the roll. net position in American history. We ing quickly to get the job done.
Mr. SCHUMER. Madam President, I have had a Vice President with Native f
ask unanimous consent that the order American roots but never a Cabinet of-
for the quorum call be rescinded. ficial. AMERICAN RESCUE PLAN ACT OF
The PRESIDING OFFICER (Ms. Given the long and troubled relation- 2021
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ROSEN). Without objection, it is so or- ship between the Federal Government Mr. SCHUMER. Now, Madam Presi-
dered. and Tribal nations, the ascension of dent, on the American Rescue Plan,
∑ This ‘‘bullet’’ symbol identifies statements or insertions which are not spoken by a Member of the Senate on the floor.
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S1478 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD — SENATE March 11, 2021
which finally cleared the hurdle in the most important of all—who knows? ican Rescue Plan is going to dedicate
Congress yesterday by passing the There are so many good things in this resources to all of them for Indian
House, it is now only a Presidential bill—is the child tax credit, which will Country.
signature away from becoming law. cut childhood poverty in half. When a I want to thank a whole bunch of my
Soon—very soon—the most sweeping child is born into poverty at no fault of colleagues. So many contributed, but
recovery effort in recent history will his or her own, they don’t get adequate the chair of the Indian Affairs Com-
get underway. nutrition. They don’t get adequate mittee, Senator SCHATZ, and Senators
Direct checks will be delivered to healthcare. They don’t get adequate TESTER and CANTWELL and SMITH and
American families from coast to housing. They don’t get adequate edu- KELLY and BEN RAY LUJÁN and Hein-
coast—roughly, 85 percent of all house- cation. Then, when they get to young rich are very, very important. Senator
holds. The American people can expect adulthood, they have nowhere to go, HEINRICH particularly pushed for
those $1,400 checks for each person in and then they get blamed for their broadband. So it was a team effort, and
the family to be delivered by the end of plight. The better, smarter, more effec- I am proud of my colleagues.
March, and we are making amazingly tive thing to do is to help them get out The American Rescue Plan takes us a
good progress on vaccines. Vaccines of poverty early so they can lead good, giant step closer to fulfilling our trust
will be available far more quickly to productive lives as citizens and as tax- responsibilities to all Native Ameri-
far more people. payers. We are doing that for the first cans, Alaska Natives, and Native Ha-
Just this morning, the Biden admin- time here, and I hope it is something waiians. This is just one example, an
istration announced an expansion of that we can continue. important one, as to how the rescue
the vaccine program, and I was able to Simply put, the American Rescue plan will dramatically improve the
announce that more than 100 commu- Plan is one of the most significant lives of millions of people in this great
nity health centers in my home State pieces of legislation to pass the Con- country of ours.
of New York will be eligible to get gress in recent history. I yield the floor.
their own, dedicated supply of vac- Yesterday, I started describing in I suggest the absence of a quorum.
cines. There is a brand new vaccine su- more detail some of the lesser known The PRESIDING OFFICER. The
percharge for New York and for some aspects of the plan. Everyone knows clerk will call the roll.
of the rest of the Nation as well—the that vaccines are coming, that $1,400 The senior assistant legislative clerk
crux: more vaccines and more sites to checks are coming, that money for proceeded to call the roll.
administer them. Over 100 sites will be schools is coming, and now people Mr. MCCONNELL. Madam President,
set up across New York State to ad- know of the child tax credit, but there I ask unanimous consent that the order
minister a massive influx of new shot are lots of other things in this bill. for the quorum call be rescinded.
supplies. Today, I want to continue by talking The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without
There is light at the end of this about another unheralded provision: objection, it is so ordered.
COVID tunnel, which has always been assistance to Native communities. It is
centered on access to a free vaccine for f
a topic very much on theme today
all New Yorkers. More access and more given the nomination of Secretary RECOGNITION OF THE MINORITY
shots mean a quicker recovery, and HAALAND. LEADER
that is what we want, and that is be- One of the most tragic features of the The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Re-
coming available for my home State of COVID–19 pandemic is how destructive publican leader is recognized.
New York and for the entire Nation. it has been for America’s Tribal na-
The CHC sites, or community health f
tions. Native Americans have faced the
center sites, will be federally funded highest risk of infections, hospitaliza- CORONAVIRUS
and organized by the Department of tions, and deaths due to COVID–19—bar Mr. MCCONNELL. Madam President,
Health and Human Services—a huge none, the highest. Early in the crisis, a year ago, coronavirus cases were be-
expansion. We have all heard numerous the Navajo Nation, to take one exam- ginning to climb on U.S. soil. Shut-
stories of people having to travel too down measures were starting to take
ple, saw more cases per capita than any
far to get the vaccine, hampering our effect.
other State in the country. Decades of
ability to recover and return to nor- Americans have endured one of the
an unraveling social safety net, declin-
mal. With this announcement of more strangest and most painful years in liv-
ing economic opportunity, an overbur-
vaccines and more New York sites to ing memory. Nearly 2 million Ameri-
dened health system, and the failure of
administer them, New Yorkers have cans have been hospitalized with seri-
the Federal Government to honor its
something to celebrate, and I thank
trust obligations to American Tribes ous cases of the virus. More than half a
the President for working with us to
left Native communities unequipped to million have lost their lives. Millions
make this effort real and to bring it to
handle the crisis. But in the American of students and workers have had their
every State in the Nation. Other things
Rescue Plan, the Democrats will de- lives completely thrown off course. But
are happening, too.
Our schools will receive critical as- liver the single largest investment in these dark times have also spotlighted
sistance to update their infrastructure, Native communities in our Nation’s some of the best of America: heroism,
hire more teachers and tutors, and pre- history. We are very proud of that. It is selflessness, ingenuity.
pare to reopen as fast and as safely as historic—the single largest investment Last March, the night we passed the
possible. in Native communities in our Nation’s CARES Act without a single dissenting
There is going to be money for history. More than $31.2 billion in di- vote, I said we would see a new genera-
broadband. There are going to be dol- rect funding will go to Tribes and com- tion of American heroes, and so we
lars for rural hospitals. There are going munities to defeat this pandemic and have. Doctors and nurses and first re-
to be dollars to help our Tribal na- rebuild their communities; $20 billion sponders have worked tirelessly to help
tions—all who are suffering. The new directly to Tribal governments so they their fellow Americans. Essential
RESTAURANTS Act, which is so im- can stabilize essential services; $6 bil- workers kept manning their posts and
portant to so many of our States, is be- lion to the Indian Health Service, not prevented economic collapse. Neigh-
coming law. More money for Save our just for vaccines and testing and trac- bors looked out for neighbors, and
Stages to help our arts institutions is ing but to improve and restore these small businesses shifted gears almost
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coming. rural, long-neglected hospitals; hun- overnight. Children and parents have
Perhaps the thing that we are the dreds of millions more for Native edu- fought to adapt to extraordinary dis-
most proud of—although there are so cation; $10 million will go to just mak- ruptions, and incredible heroes in lab
many in this bill—is helping people ing sure communities can access clean coats in America and worldwide
with their pensions and making sure water. worked at light speed to decode this
those who are laid off still get Listen to the items I just mentioned: new enemy and create lifesaving vac-
healthcare by funding COBRA fully. clean water, keeping hospitals running, cines in record time.
There are so many good things for connecting kids to broadband. These Today, together, we are standing on
average working families, but maybe are absolute necessities, and the Amer- the cusp of a new springtime for our
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