Congressional Record — Senate, March 23, 2021, Page S1699

Summary

Page S1699 of the Senate section of the Congressional Record for March 23, 2021, in interleaved columns, recording a dispute over a unanimous consent request on S. 930. Mr. Cruz argues that the Federal Government should not send $1,400 checks to prisoners and that the Senate should agree to the bill, which is his view. Mr. Wyden, reserving the right to object, reads what the IRS has said about information it receives from the Bureau of Prisons and says the checks to millions of people should not be delayed. The exchange ends with objection by Mr. Wyden to the request.

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“Congressional Record — Senate, March 23, 2021, Page S1699.” Original at www.govinfo.gov. Archived at Pandemic Darlings, https://pandemicdarlings.com/source-documents/crec-crec-2021-03-23-crec-2021-03-23-pt1-pgs1699-9a5aabd45f/, SHA-256 ea348d8d3e59764279eb78dfa84d2e3ed5bf91a753d65e4faab053ca9d784176.

Full text

March 23, 2021 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD — SENATE S1699
The Senator from Texas. The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Sen- today. I further ask that the bill be
Mr. CRUZ. Mr. President, the Sen- ator is recognized. considered read a third time and passed
ator from Oregon, I guess, dem- Mr. WYDEN. Thank you very much. and that the motion to reconsider be
onstrates the principle that hypocrisy Mr. President, there isn’t informa- considered made and laid upon the
is the tribute that vice pays to virtue, tion about this crime or these crimes table.
because the Senator from Oregon sug- at the Federal, State, and local levels. Mr. WYDEN. Reserving the right to
gests that somehow payments to peo- So, again, we are back in exactly the object.
ple who are not criminals will be de- same place. The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Sen-
layed if we don’t pay criminals in pris- The Senator from Texas wants to ator from Oregon.
on. That claim, on the face of it, is ab- hold up the checks to millions and mil- Mr. WYDEN. Mr. President, I want to
surd. lions of people in spite of the fact that read, specifically, what the IRS has
The Federal prisons are administered he voted—he voted earlier—for a sys- told us, because I gather my colleague
by the Bureau of Prisons. Government tem that got the checks to everybody would like to just continue this for
may not be good at everything, but I in a timely way. And when you don’t some time. But here is what the IRS
feel quite confident that the Federal have the information about the specific says:
Government can produce a list of cur- crimes at the Federal, State, and local In the information the IRS receives from
rently incarcerated prisoners. I know levels, it becomes impossible to carry the Bureau of Prisons and State prison sys-
tems, we do not get the crime for which the
the States can. out what the Senator from Texas seeks person is incarcerated.
The IRS, likewise, is perfectly capa- to do. And the net effect is, again, that
ble of recognizing whether it is mailing So we can have a host more of these
millions and millions of Americans
amendments, if my colleague wants to
checks to prisoners in prison. This is aren’t getting the funds that they need
do it. But I get why he is so anxious to
not whether you have ever been con- to pay for essentials, rent and gro-
have his amendment passed—because
victed of a crime. It is, Are you sending ceries.
he was always for keeping people from
the checks to Sing Sing? If so, don’t I object.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. Objec- getting checks, and his amendment, if
send it.
passed, would put those checks on hold.
The claim that somehow Joe Six- tion is heard.
The Senator from Texas. So that is why I have objected, and we
Pack at home is not getting his check
Mr. CRUZ. Mr. President, you know, will put this into the record as well.
because we don’t want to send checks I object.
to prisoners is demonstrably untrue. it could be hard in these partisan days The PRESIDING OFFICER (Mr. MAR-
The Senator from Oregon also claims to know what the truth is. Both sides KEY). Objection is heard.
Republicans oppose stimulus checks, yell at each other. They insult each Mr. CRUZ. Mr. President, once again,
when he knows that is simply not the other. It is hard to know who is telling the Senator from Oregon has said
case. As he noted, this body over- the truth. something that is demonstrably false
whelmingly passed bipartisan COVID I ask the folks at home who are lis- and that he knows is false, which is
relief five times last year. It is only tening to this debate to exercise a lit- that he has suggested that I opposed
when Senate Democrats took the ma- tle bit of common sense. The Senator sending stimulus checks to the Amer-
jority that bipartisan legislation ended from Oregon just told you the Federal ican citizens, to law-abiding citizens. I
because the Democrats decided to push Government has no idea who are mur- not only didn’t oppose it, I voted for it.
a hard partisan bill instead. derers currently in prison. I want to Republicans supported it. He knows
A clean bill providing relief checks suggest that doesn’t make any sense. that. That is a red herring.
would have passed with an over- I feel quite confident the Department He just read a statement from the
whelming bipartisan majority in this of Justice could produce a list of cur- IRS Agency saying they get a list of
body, and the Senator from Oregon rently incarcerated murderers in Fed- prisoners from the Bureau of Prisons,
knows that. eral prisons within 24 hours. I am abso- and he said: But we don’t know the
We have now discovered, though, lutely certain the State of Texas could crime.
that given a straight-up choice be- produce that list. I am confident the The first unanimous consent request
tween sending checks to criminals in State of Connecticut could produce the I put before this body is, everyone on
prison versus sending checks to the list of the murderers currently in Con- that list in the Bureau of Prisons, don’t
victims of crime, Senate Democrats necticut prisons. I am even confident send them a check. That doesn’t delay
stand with the criminals. the State of Oregon could produce a your check. If you are not looking at
UNANIMOUS CONSENT REQUEST—S. 929 list of the murderers convicted of bars, if you are not in a jail cell that is
Mr. CRUZ. Mr. President, I am going homicide currently incarcerated in the 5 feet by 10 feet, this doesn’t affect you.
to suggest an even narrower situation. State of Oregon. This only affects criminals currently in
Perhaps we can’t agree on victims of The claim that we don’t know who prison.
crime. How about murderers? the murderers are who are in our pris- UNANIMOUS CONSENT REQUEST—S. 931
We just had a hearing in the Senate ons serving time for murder—it doesn’t Mr. President, let’s try one more
Judiciary Committee on gun violence. pass the laugh test. time. The Democrats have objected to
We saw a horrific mass murder in Colo- UNANIMOUS CONSENT REQUEST—S. 930 not sending checks to criminals in pris-
rado. Can’t we agree that murderers Mr. President, so let’s see if we could on. The Democrats have objected to
shouldn’t get checks—$1,400 stimulus agree in a different area—rapists, those not sending checks to murderers in
checks—from the taxpayers? Let’s take who committed sexual assault. prison. The Democrats have objected to
the money going to murderers and put Again, these are public records and not sending checks to rapists in prison.
it in the crime victims task force fund the Department of Justice and every Let’s try a group that I think may be
instead. State criminal justice authority have a the lowest of the low, which is child
And so, Mr. President, as if in legisla- list of all the rapists. How about let’s molesters. I spent a lot of years in law
tive session, I ask unanimous consent not send $1,400 checks to rapists? Take enforcement, and I think there is no
that the Senate proceed to the imme- the money and give it to the Crime more horrific offense than those who
diate consideration of S. 929, intro- Victims Fund so it can go to victims of commit crimes of violence and sexual
duced earlier today. I further ask that rape. assault against kids. When I was solic-
the bill be considered read a third time Here is a choice for Democrats: Do itor general of Texas, the cases where
and passed and that the motion to re- you want to send money to the rapists people sexually abused kids I thought
consider be considered made and laid or the victims of sexual assault? This should be in Dante’s Ninth Circle of

dlhill on DSK120RN23PROD with SENATE
upon the table. ought to be a hundred-or-nothing Hell.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. Is there choice. So here is a chance for some bipar-
objection? Mr. President, as if in legislative ses- tisan agreement. Can’t we all agree
The Senator from Oregon. sion, I ask unanimous consent that the that the Federal Government shouldn’t
Mr. WYDEN. Reserving the right to Senate proceed to the immediate con- send $1,400 checks to the child molest-
object. sideration of S. 930, introduced earlier ers in prison right now for molesting

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