American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 (Cong. Rec., March 17, 2021)
Summary
Page S1578 of the Senate section of the Congressional Record for March 17, 2021, in interleaved columns. Mr. Schumer announces that Senate Democrats are introducing S. 1, the For the People Act of 2021, to stand up to voter suppression and end dark money in politics, which is his view. A speaker says some voting laws in Georgia and other States smack of Jim Crow and warns against hate toward the Asian American community, and another says the American Rescue Plan will speed the safe reopening of schools. Remarks also note that the Senate will confirm Katherine Tai as the top trade official and comment on Beijing exporting authoritarianism.
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“American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 (Cong. Rec., March 17, 2021).”
Original at www.govinfo.gov. Archived at Pandemic Darlings, https://pandemicdarlings.com/source-documents/crec-crec-2021-03-17-crec-2021-03-17-pt1-pgs1578-3-6583710f93/
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S1578 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD — SENATE March 17, 2021
these things down seems to have weak- FOR THE PEOPLE ACT OF 2021 to vote. But some of these voter sup-
ened, and the id seems to have Mr. SCHUMER. Now on S. 1, democ- pression laws in Georgia and other Re-
strengthened. racy reform, today Senate Democrats publican States smack of Jim Crow in
We cannot lose for a moment our vig- are introducing the No. 1 bill of the the 21st century rearing its ugly head
ilance against these forces of hate, in- 117th Congress, S. 1, to stand up to once again.
tolerance, bigotry, and discrimination. voter suppression, end dark money in These laws and their various cousins
I love the Asian American commu- politics, and reinvigorate American de- in Republican State legislatures across
nity. They have done so much for mocracy in the 21st century. the country are collectively one of the
America. I see it in my borough of Make no mistake, democracy reform greatest threats to modern American
Brooklyn, in my city and State of New must be a top priority of this Congress, democracy. According to a recent re-
York, and throughout the country— and I will put S. 1, the For the People port in the Washington Post, these
hard-working people, people who do so Act, on the floor of the Senate. laws could strain every available meth-
much for our country at every level. For too long, we have let really im- od of voting for tens of millions of
They are welcome here. That is Amer- portant parts of our democracy wither. Americans, potentially amounting to
ica. Yet, bigots have increased hate Unlimited dark money flows into cam- the most sweeping contraction of bal-
crimes and maybe even possibly led to paigns. Special interests have way too lot access in the United States since
the deaths of these people. much influence in Washington. And the end of Reconstruction, when
So I hope that all Americans first worst of all, there is a concerted, na- Southern States curtailed the voting
will realize that there is too much hate tionwide effort to limit the right of rights of formerly enslaved Black men.
in the land, that hate against one American citizens, particularly people If one party believes ‘‘heads we win;
group is hate against any group, and of color, to vote. tails you cheated’’; if one political
we should all, Americans of every Throughout America’s history, we party believes that when you lose an
background and race and creed, color, have seen a continuous cycle of expan- election, the answer isn’t to win more
and religion, gender, and sexual ori- sions in our democracy being met all votes but, rather, to prevent the other
entation, band together against the too often by vehement backlash from side from voting, then we have serious
haters. It is so un-American. those who wish to maintain an exclu- and existential threats to our democ-
E pluribus unum—out of many, one. sionary status quo. racy on our hands.
That is what America has always been. Earlier this year, we witnessed only This is no political dispute. It goes
That is what America must continue to the latest example in the form of a vio- way beyond that to the core—the
be, and our voices must speak out. lent insurrection right here in this core—of what America is all about.
Chamber, right here in this Capitol, an That is why we need S. 1 so badly, a
f bill that would combat all of these
attack fueled by the insidious lies of
NOMINATIONS the former President aimed at over- voter suppression efforts by restoring
turning the results of a free and fair critical parts of the Voting Rights Act;
Mr. SCHUMER. Second, on nomina- election. a bill that would make it easier, not
tions, the Senate is once again making In the wake of the November elec- harder, to vote by automatically reg-
excellent progress this week con- tion, one of the safest and most secure istering American voters when they
firming President Biden’s nominees. in American history, dozens of Repub- get a driver’s license; a bill that would
We began the week by confirming a lican-led State legislatures have seized limit dark money and corruption in
history-making Cabinet member, Inte- on the former President’s big lie and our politics and much more.
rior Secretary Haaland. Yesterday, we introduced hundreds of bills aimed at There are a lot of problems in our
confirmed Isabel Guzman as the SBA tightening voting rules under the nasty country—healthcare and climate
Administrator. Today, we will confirm guise—the nasty, malicious, and false change and income inequality—but we
another consequential administrative guise—of election integrity. These designed a democracy that would allow
appointment, the U.S. Trade Rep- bills, sadly, are aimed at Americans of competing interests in our country to
resentative. color—Black Americans, Latinos, Na- come together and agree on solutions.
President Biden has named Katherine tive Americans. If our democracy doesn’t work, we have
Tai, the daughter of proud immigrants Despicable efforts to target these his- no hope of solving any of our other
from Taiwan, a veteran of the Office of torically disenfranchised communities problems.
the Trade Representative under Presi- have become a central component of S. 1 is going to be a top priority this
dent Obama, and one of our country’s the electoral strategy of one of Amer- Congress. We will fight and fight and
most seasoned experts in international ica’s major political parties. Shame on fight to get this done legislatively.
trade. That—Ms. Tai—is what America them. Shame. It is infuriating. Infuri- Failure is not an option. Too darn
is all about. ating. When you lose an election, you much is at stake.
We welcome her. We give her a great are supposed to win over the people f
position of authority because of her ex- you lost, not stop them from voting.
pertise. And maybe—you know, I will That is un-American, autocratic, and AMERICAN RESCUE PLAN ACT OF
leave it at that. It is a great contrast against the fundamentals of our de- 2021
to the tragedy I was talking about a mocracy, but this is happening in Mr. SCHUMER. Now on the Amer-
few minutes ago and the ascension of States all across the country—all ican Rescue Plan, I would like to con-
another proud American of Asian an- across the country. tinue shining a spotlight on different
cestry here. Maybe the most reprehensible effort aspects of ARP. The legislation helped
As U.S. Trade Representative, Ms. is underway in Georgia, where State so many people and so much of the
Tai will play a crucial role in enforcing Republicans are trying to limit absen- country, it is easy to forget many cru-
existing trade deals and making sure tee and mail-in voting, make it harder cial parts of the bill. So later today, I
that American workers, businesses, to post a ballot by drop box, and dis- will be joining my dear friend Rep-
and researchers can compete on a level allowing early voting on Sunday, a day resentative VELÁZQUEZ from New York
playing field. She will be an essential when many churchgoing African Amer- to talk about how the American Res-
player in restoring America’s credi- icans participate in voter drives. Does cue Plan helps Puerto Rico, which is
bility with our trading partners and anyone on the other side of the aisle too often an afterthought in Federal
promoting international cooperation to legislation.
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think taking away Sunday voting in
tackle some of the world’s biggest Georgia is not bigoted? What is the ra- The American Rescue Plan will do
problems, from the global pandemic to tionale? Stop it, if you want to stand three historic things for the people of
climate change. for equality and justice. Puerto Rico, American citizens all.
I have not a single doubt that Ms. Tai Our country has supposedly come a First, it will deliver Federal dollars
is the right person for the job, and I long way since African Americans in to the island’s earned income tax cred-
look forward to the Senate giving her a the South were forced to guess the it for low-wage workers for the first
well-deserved promotion later today. number of jellybeans in a jar in order time ever.
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March 17, 2021 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD — SENATE S1579
Second, it will expand eligibility for students, this bill provides significant and the country quite well. That is why
residents to claim the child tax credit. support for learning recovery pro- she received broad bipartisan support
Prior to the ARP, only families with grams—afterschool programs, summer from the Finance Committee and why
three or more children in Puerto Rico school programs, and other resources the vote to advance her nomination
could claim the child tax credit. Why to help kids catch up and get back on yesterday was 98 to 0.
those American citizens were treated track. I look forward to working with Ms.
differently than all the others was be- Through the American Rescue Plan, Tai to embrace trade and push back on
yond me and strikes me as nasty. But we have made a life-changing invest- abusive practices from China and other
now every family can. ment in our students. It is one of the anticompetitive countries.
Third, the ARP bill will add $1 bil- many ways this bill will help us re- Trade is a huge strength of America.
lion—$1 billion—in food assistance. cover from the crisis and come back It drives job creation and economic
Residents of American territories don’t stronger than ever before. growth. Just look at my home State,
receive traditional food assistance pro- I yield the floor. for example. Exports support more
grams like those in the United States, I suggest the absence of a quorum. than 140,000 jobs in Kentucky. Hard-
such as the SNAP program, but instead The PRESIDING OFFICER (Ms. working Kentuckians supply nearly 200
their governments receive block grants ROSEN). The clerk will call the roll. countries with everything from agri-
that have been capped by the Federal The senior assistant legislative clerk cultural goods to medicines, to aero-
Government. proceeded to call the roll. space parts and motor vehicles.
The American Rescue Plan makes Mr. MCCONNELL. Madam President, In the last Congress, we modernized
sure that Puerto Rico, which suffers I ask unanimous consent that the order our trade with our neighbors to the
devastating rates of poverty, 43 per- for the quorum call be rescinded. north and south through the USMCA.
cent, and especially childhood pov- The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without We gave Kentucky farmers, workers,
erty—an unacceptable 57 percent of all objection, it is so ordered. and consumers a long-awaited boost.
the children in Puerto Rico live in pov- f But our job creators still face unfair
erty. So we want to make sure that barriers, including those targeting
Puerto Rico receives its fair share of NOMINATION OF XAVIER BECERRA American spirits. The Bluegrass is
Federal food assistance. Mr. MCCONNELL. Last week, our proud to craft 95 percent of the world’s
The American Rescue Plan may be Democratic colleagues had to resort to bourbon, but, currently, tariffs put
the greatest anti-poverty effort in a a rare tactic to rescue the stalled nom- Kentucky distillers at a disadvantage
generation, and we make sure that ination of Xavier Becerra to run the in their largest export markets.
Puerto Rico is part of it. Department of Health and Human Ms. Tai should address these unfair
Now let me turn my attention to Services. international headwinds facing Ken-
schools. One of most enduring images The distinguishing feature of this tuckians. I would encourage her to
of the COVID–19 pandemic will be the nominee’s resume is not his expertise focus on expanding markets and reduc-
empty classroom. For 12 months, in health, medicine, or administration. ing barriers for products and services
teachers have done their level best to That part of the resume is very brief. from all 50 States.
keep their students engaged with re- What stands out are Mr. Becerra’s com- Americans would welcome the
mote learning, but there have been in- mitments to partisan warfare and his growth in opportunity and prosperity.
credible difficulties. Too many stu- far-left ideology. And, if you ask me, the whole world
dents don’t have reliable internet. Too He has supported the sweeping gov- could benefit from a little more Ken-
many parents can’t be there to help ernment takeover of healthcare they tucky bourbon.
young kids log on and keep up with call ‘‘Medicare for All,’’ which would f
their work. Simply put, there is no re- actually end Medicare as we know it
placement for having kids in the class- and would rip away families’ private CHINA
room. We need to get our schools to re- insurance plans. Mr. MCCONNELL. Madam President,
open as quickly and as safely as pos- As the administration’s policies con- tomorrow, the Secretary of State and
sible. tinue to create a border crisis, Mr. the President’s National Security Ad-
Now, my Republican colleagues have Becerra is someone who believes we visor will have their first face-to-face
made a lot of noise about reopening our should not just have blanket amnesty, meeting with Chinese officials. I am
schools, but they don’t want to dedi- but that entering the country illegally glad our officials met with regional al-
cate any resources to actually getting should not even be a crime. lies like Japan and South Korea right
it done. We need money to do this. And even amid a global pandemic, beforehand and have been in touch
There are many more expenses under the most significant health-related ex- with Australia and European allies as
COVID. perience on the nominee’s record is his well. It is essential that we and our
Through the American Rescue Plan, efforts to wield the legal system friends present a united front.
Senate Democrats delivered the single against religious Sisters to make them Now, the United States and the whole
largest investment in American edu- violate their faith and conscience. world need the President’s team to de-
cation ever. We are proud of that. Up to now, every person who has ever liver a strong message tomorrow.
Proud. Let me say it again. Through been confirmed as Secretary of Health During the campaign, President
the American Rescue Plan, Senate and Human Services has either been fa- Biden spoke dismissively about the
Democrats delivered the single largest vorably reported by the Finance Com- threat from China. But thus far, in of-
investment in American education mittee or discharged by unanimous fice, his team has shown signs they un-
ever—ever—$170 billion to repair the consent. There is ample reason why derstand that Communist China
damage caused by this pandemic, this nominee would be a glaring excep- threatens America, our allies, and the
three-quarters of which will go directly tion. prevailing international system.
to K–12 education, prioritizing school I continue to urge a ‘‘no’’ vote. The world spent years presuming
districts that need it the most. This f that welcoming China into the inter-
will help schools update ventilation, national community would inevitably
hire more nurses and janitors, make NOMINATION OF KATHERINE C. cause its rulers to play by the rules.
classroom sizes smaller, and make get- TAI Twenty years ago, President Clinton
ting kids to and from school safe. Mr. MCCONNELL. Madam President, said: ‘‘[E]conomic innovation and po-
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In short, the American Rescue Plan fortunately, the Senate will first be litical empowerment . . . will inevi-
will greatly accelerate the safe and ef- confirming a thoroughly qualified tably go hand in hand.’’ But since then,
fective reopening of schools. Once kids nominee to be the new administra- rather than the rest of the world ex-
are back in the classroom, the Amer- tion’s top trade official. porting liberty and transparency into
ican Rescue Plan will help make sure Katherine Tai is just the kind of China, Beijing has found more success
they can stay there and succeed. After qualified and mainstream person who exporting authoritarianism and corrup-
what has been a lost year for too many is positioned to serve President Biden tion beyond its borders.
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