Nomination of Xavier Becerra (Cong. Rec., March 16, 2021)
Summary
This is S1537 and S1538 of the Congressional Record, Senate, March 16, 2021, with interleaved columns. A speaker criticizes the leadership of the Postal Service and suggests that Mr. DeJoy step down if he cannot provide leadership. Under the heading Nomination of Isabella Casillas Guzman, Ms. Klobuchar supports Ms. Guzman to be Administrator of the U.S. Small Business Administration, saying she will move to distribute over $16 billion in grants to shuttered venues. Under the heading Nomination of Xavier Becerra, another speaker supports his nomination to serve as Secretary of Health and Human Services, with the views and figures attributed to the speakers.
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“Nomination of Xavier Becerra (Cong. Rec., March 16, 2021).”
Original at www.govinfo.gov. Archived at Pandemic Darlings, https://pandemicdarlings.com/source-documents/crec-crec-2021-03-16-crec-2021-03-16-pt1-pgs1537-2-42e3f4185e/
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March 16, 2021 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD — SENATE S1537
into a lifeline for many, Mr. DeJoy un- The legislative clerk proceeded to the grant program immediately. We
veiled a radical plan to reorganize the call the roll. have been working with the staff there,
Postal Service, after only 1 month in Ms. KLOBUCHAR. Mr. President, I and we have given these venues that
the job and no experience in the De- ask unanimous consent that the order have been shuttered—the first to close
partment. He slashed overtime hours, for the quorum call be rescinded. and the last to reopen—the ability to
prohibited late and extra mail delivery The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without access PPP loans, which is really im-
trips, and set stricter delivery sched- objection, it is so ordered. portant right now. We also want to get
ules. NOMINATION OF ISABELLA CASILLAS GUZMAN the grant program out immediately—
In August, with no public expla- Ms. KLOBUCHAR. Mr. President, I get that money out—and distribute
nation, the Postal Service began re- rise in support of Isabella Guzman, cur- over $16 billion in grants. Our venues
moving mail-sorting machines from rently the director of California’s Of- can’t wait. They need that relief. Ms.
postal facilities around the country, re- fice of the Small Business Advocate— Guzman will be key to leading our way
ducing their ability to process mail. the Presiding Officer’s State—to be the out of this and helping Senator SCHU-
Amazingly, the Postal Service Inspec- Administrator of the U.S. Small Busi- MER with his theaters in New York to
tor General determined that the ness Administration. the Fargo Theatre in North Dakota.
changes were ordered with no analysis We all know the importance of small We need to get this done.
and no understanding of how they businesses and how they have been hit We just passed restaurant relief as
might affect timeliness of mail deliv- so hard during this pandemic. Small part of the American Rescue Plan—a
ery. A Federal lawsuit forced the Agen- businesses employ nearly half of all major, major bill—with the $28.6 billion
cy to put the changes on hold until private sector workers and make out- Restaurant Revitalization Fund, which
after the election. sized contributions to the innovation is going to be so key. I was at The
On February 6, Mr. DeJoy was quoted that makes America’s economy strong. Block Food & Drink restaurant in
in the Washington Post saying that his Yet the coronavirus has put millions of Saint Louis Park on Sunday and then
new plan for reorganizing the Postal people out of business, hundreds of headed up to Duluth, to the Boat Club,
Service would be ready for public re- thousands of these mom-and-pop, with the mayor and the owners of the
lease ‘‘as early as next week.’’ He said Boat Club. There were stories I heard
brick-and-mortar retail shops out of
that on February 6. We are still wait- of servers who had been laid off, then
business, and restaurants out of busi-
ing for it, waiting for the DeJoy plan came back, laid off, then came back,
ness.
to shape up the Postal Service. It is We are so pleased that there is, as we and there were stories I heard about
like waiting for a lost package. say in Minnesota, a lighthouse that we the owners of some of these res-
We know some of the biggest changes are looking to now. I was up in Duluth taurants in their taking out repeated
he intends to propose because he has on Sunday, and instead of the light at loans. They are hanging in there, and
confirmed them publicly. The DeJoy we need to have their backs.
the end of the tunnel, which so many of
plan for shaping up the post office is One out of six restaurants in this
us talk about with regard to the end of
expected to call for the following: more country has permanently closed down
this pandemic, the mayor there re- during the pandemic. As the leader of
service cuts, higher prices, and slower ferred to it as a lighthouse, for they
mail delivery. If that sounds like a the antitrust subcommittee in the Sen-
have a lot of lighthouses on Lake Supe- ate, we don’t want to just give all of
winning combination to you, I have rior. The end of this pandemic is our
some vintage computers to sell to your our food service and action in the res-
lighthouse. We see the blinking lights taurant area to the big guys. We are
business. In short, this is not a solu- from a distance, but we know we are
tion; this is sabotage of an essential pleased we have successful restaurant
not there yet. To get there, we not only chains in this country, but that can’t
public service, and we shouldn’t tol-
need to get this vaccine to every per- be the only thing we have. That is why
erate it.
son—and the President has said we will helping these smaller venues is so im-
Well, America has a new President
who understands that affordable, effi- have vaccines available by the end of portant.
cient postal service is essential to May for every adult in America—but Ms. Guzman gets that. She is a life-
America. Five days after taking office, we have to get it distributed, and our long proponent of small businesses and
President Biden replaced the Chair of pandemic bill certainly is going to be a is the daughter of a small business
the Postal Regulatory Commission. major step toward getting that done. owner. As a former entrepreneur, this
We also need to get our business makes her the right person for this job
Late last month, he filled three vacan-
cies of the Postal Service Board of Gov- economy back in order. We need to be at a pivotal time in the life of our
ernors, the body that hires the Post- able to not be so far down in the country. She has the backing of the
master General and oversees the Postal ground that we can’t climb out of U.S. Chamber of Commerce and numer-
Service. where we are. That is why having Ms. ous trade organizations. I know her
I encourage President Biden to make Guzman in place—someone with her leadership at the SBA will put our
all the changes necessary to rescue the record and her ability to lead and who struggling businesses in the best hands.
Postal Service. Mr. DeJoy has offered a served as the Deputy Chief of Staff and I ask my colleagues to support the
stream of excuses for the chaos that as the Senior Adviser at the Small nomination of Isabella Guzman to be
has fallen the Postal Service since he Business Administration during the Administrator of the Small Business
showed up. He says it is the pandemic, Obama administration—is so impor- Administration. The Presiding Officer
the Christmas holidays, bad weather, tant. must be proud to have someone who
an election that saw a record number She will oversee the Paycheck Pro- has done such good work in California
of Americans vote by mail. He has a tection Program, which we established in this job. We are excited about her
list as long as your arm. on a bipartisan basis in March of 2020 and what she can do.
I would remind him that in 1864, we as part of the CARES Act, as she un- NOMINATION OF XAVIER BECERRA
held a national election in the middle derstands the need for greater equity Mr. President, today, I rise to speak
of a Civil War, and 150,000 Union Army in loan distribution and has shown a in support of Xavier Becerra’s nomina-
troops voted absentee from the field. commitment to transparency and accu- tion to serve as Secretary of Health
The Postal Service is as old as America rate loan data. She has made clear that and Human Services (HHS).
itself. It has proven that it can adapt she will make the Paycheck Protection Attorney General Becerra will bring
to crises with the right leadership. If Program more accessible to businesses a fresh perspective to HHS at a critical
Mr. DeJoy cannot or will not provide that have traditionally not had access time during this pandemic. While there
that leadership, I respectfully suggest to the banking relationships needed to is light at the end of the tunnel with
ctelli on DSK11ZRN23PROD with SENATE
he step down. secure loans and grants. the distribution of the coronavirus vac-
I yield the floor. Very significantly to me and to those cines, there is still work to do to end
Mr. LEAHY. I suggest the absence of of us who worked on the Save our this pandemic and put our country on a
a quorum. Stages bill, including Senator CORNYN road to recovery, and that is where At-
The PRESIDING OFFICER. The of Texas, who led the bill with me, she torney General Becerra’s leadership
clerk will call the roll. has made clear that she will move on will be crucial.
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S1538 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD — SENATE March 16, 2021
Attorney General Becerra’s 12 terms eral Becerra told me and other mem- and, thankfully, the American people
in the U.S. House of Representatives bers of the Senate Committee on Com- can now see the light at the end of the
gave him a solid foundation in knowing merce, Science, and Transportation tunnel. Already, more than 20 percent
how to set agendas and achieve results, that ‘‘every consumer should be able to of all Americans have received at least
which we saw deployed in his work as a own and control his or her data’’ and one COVID–19 vaccine dose, with an av-
key leader on the Committee on Ways that ‘‘if we decide that we don’t want erage of more than 2.39 million addi-
and Means, ranking member of the anyone to use [our data], it’s our tional doses being administered each
Subcommittee on Social Security, and choosing.’’ His testimony was reas- day. We can see the light at the end of
chair of the House Democratic Caucus. suring, and I look forward to working the tunnel, but we are not there yet.
He helped to expand the Children’s with him to ensure consumers can have The COVID–19 pandemic has deci-
Health Insurance Program, modernize peace of mind when it comes to the se- mated American small businesses, and
and strengthen Medicare, and helped curity of their personal health data. the worst effects have been felt by the
pass the Affordable Care Act. His com- Given the pandemic’ s spotlight on most vulnerable small businesses, espe-
mitment to the letter and spirit of this the vulnerability of our Nation’s sen- cially those in Black, Latino, Native,
law is something he carried into his iors, I am eager to work with the Biden and rural communities, so the SBA
role as California Attorney General, administration to improve the safety must continue to be a lifeline in the
fighting to maintain his State’s ability and well-being of older Americans. coming months. That is why it is im-
to bring millions of previously unin- When my 92-year-old dad, living in a portant that we confirm Ms. Guzman’s
sured residents under the ACA’s um- memory care facility, was diagnosed nomination, so she can provide the per-
brella. with COVID–19 last year, I was only manent, steady leadership the SBA
Last November, he led the defense of able to visit him through a window. He needs right now.
the Affordable Care Act in the U.S. Su- recognized me, but he just didn’t un- When we passed the CARES Act, Con-
preme Court on behalf of 20 States and derstand why we couldn’t be in the gress tasked the SBA with one of the
the District of Columbia. His tweet same room together. Tens of thousands most important aspects of our COVID–
after the oral arguments concisely of families have been through these 19 relief effort. We knew we had to sup-
sums up the national importance of his wrenching situations over the past port our small businesses because the
effort: ‘‘The ACA saves lives. It is the year and want to see the Federal Gov- public health restrictions on public
law of the land.’’ He brings a strong ernment doing more. Attorney General gatherings, which have saved thou-
commitment to using the law and regu- Becerra recently moved to make the sands of lives and kept our commu-
latory tools to make access to health California Department of Justice Med- nities safe, have been especially chal-
care and other vital services equi- icaid Fraud Control Unit a full-fledged lenging for small businesses. We had to
table—the very thing that makes our division, underscoring his commitment help small businesses so that, when we
nation strong. to protecting seniors and people with get out of this pandemic, when our
I look forward to working with him disabilities. I know his leadership will economy returns, our small businesses
on ensuring that everyone has access place the needs of seniors front and will emerge in a position to help our
to quality and affordable healthcare, center. economy recover and continue to grow.
and I know he will be a partner in the Attorney General Becerra has the ex- The CARES Act included $377 billion
fight against the coronavirus and our pertise and experience and the enforce- in funds for small businesses and cre-
goal of getting all eligible Americans ment and regulatory savvy to handle ated the Paycheck Protection Pro-
vaccinated, even in hard-to-reach the job of protecting public health, gram, the EIDL advance program, and
areas. strengthening our hospitals and health the small business debt relief program
Last week, President Biden signed care system, making sure people have to help small businesses that had tradi-
into law the American Rescue Plan access to quality, affordable health tional SBA loans, like the 7(a) and 504.
Act, which included major funding to care, and supporting our health care In April, we passed legislation to re-
address the Nation’s worsening mental workers. And as the first Latino to plenish the PPP, EIDL, and the EIDL
health and addiction crisis. This is a lead the Department of Health and advance grant program with $370 bil-
high priority of mine and an issue with Human Services, he will bring a per- lion in additional funds. Then, in De-
which Attorney General Becerra has sonal understanding of the immediate cember, we passed the bipartisan Eco-
firsthand experience. He started his ca- need for equitable access to care. nomic Aid Act to provide another $325
reer as a legal aid attorney in Massa- With that, I ask my colleagues to billion to support small businesses,
chusetts, supporting clients contending support the nomination: Xavier allow for second round PPP loans, and
with mental health issues. I am eager Becerra as Secretary of Health and create the Shuttered Venue Operators
to work with him on this issue. Human Services. Thank you. Grant Program. In total last year, Con-
Addressing the skyrocketing costs of I yield the floor. gress appropriated more than $1 tril-
prescription drugs is another area I suggest the absence of a quorum. lion to the SBA for COVID–19 relief
where Attorney General Becerra has The PRESIDING OFFICER. The programs.
shown key leadership. He and I share a clerk will call the roll. Since the passage of the CARES Act,
belief that fairer competition means The bill clerk proceeded to call the the SBA has approved more than 7.5
increased access to affordable prescrip- roll. million PPP loans worth more than
tion drugs and better public health. As Mr. CARDIN. Mr. President, I ask $687 billion and more than 3.7 million
California Attorney General, he inves- unanimous consent that the order for EIDL loans worth more than $200 bil-
tigated and brought enforcement ac- the quorum call be rescinded. lion. These loans and grants have saved
tions against drug manufacturers’ anti- The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without millions of jobs and prevented millions
competitive business practices to help objection, it is so ordered. of small businesses from closing their
reduce drug prices and ensure that peo- Mr. CARDIN. Mr. President, I ask doors.
ple have access to the drugs they need. unanimous consent that I be permitted I want to thank the SBA personnel
In March 2020, he led a bipartisan group to finish my remarks before we vote. who have worked long hours, including
of 46 State attorneys general who suc- The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without nights and weekends, to implement
cessfully advocated before the U.S. Su- objection, it is so ordered. these critical programs.
preme Court to uphold the rights of NOMINATION OF ISABELLA CASILLAS GUZMAN SBA still has a lot of work left to do.
States to regulate and address the ris- Mr. CARDIN. Mr. President, I rise to As I mentioned, the December bill cre-
ing cost of prescription drugs. voice my strong support for Isabella ated the Shuttered Venue Operators
ctelli on DSK11ZRN23PROD with SENATE
The United States must do more to Guzman’s nomination to serve as Ad- Grant Program, which we expect the
ensure that new technologies have ap- ministrator of the Small Business Ad- SBA to open in the coming weeks.
propriate privacy and security protec- ministration. SBA also has to open a new $28.6 bil-
tions for health data. At a September Our Nation passed the 1-year mark of lion grant program for restaurants and
2020 hearing on the need for Federal COVID–19’s being declared a national bars, which was created by the historic
data privacy legislation, Attorney Gen- emergency last Saturday, March 13, American Rescue Plan.
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