Biden Administration (Cong. Rec., April 29, 2021)
Summary
A page of the Congressional Record, Senate, dated April 29, 2021, at pages S2341 and S2342, carrying two floor speeches. A Senator at the top of the page thanks Kaitlin Fahey, who has served as chief of staff, recalling 15 years of work together in Illinois. Mr. Lankford then comments on the President's joint address of the night before, saying it proposed around $11 trillion in spending this year and saying too little was said about the vaccine effort and the border. He also cites Border Patrol figures, including 172,000 encounters in March, and says he cannot support S. 1, the voting bill.
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“Biden Administration (Cong. Rec., April 29, 2021).”
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April 29, 2021 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD — SENATE S2341
Then, 15. I had no idea where she was, every pocket of this country that they 200 vaccinated people all spaced out.
and, at the time, barely even knew who shouldn’t need to choose between hav- But that is a different story for a dif-
she was. All I knew was that on her ing jobs and having kids. ferent moment.
first day, as not just a volunteer but a You can see why I call her ‘‘The For that speech last night, as I lis-
full-time employee, our latest hire was Hammer’’ and why she is one of the tened, I thought about the other
ridiculously late to pick me up to drive only people in the world who scares the speeches that I have listened to as well.
me to the next campaign stop. Not a living daylights out of me, but in the Many of these speeches are similar.
great look for her first task on the job. best way possible. And you can also see The President comes and casts a vi-
Twenty minutes passed. Then, 25. why I have been so lucky to have her in sion. Says these are things that they
Then, 30. She still wasn’t there. my corner all these years, to have her want to be able to do, talk through dif-
Her name was Kaitlin ‘‘Something,’’ as a partner in office pranks, and to ferent programs, talk through different
I remembered. Well, whenever Kaitlin have her as a sister, who I could count tax issues, talk through where we are
‘‘Something’’ deigned to show up—if on to simply sit in silence on the other as a country, cast a vision. I get all of
Kaitlin ‘‘Something’’ deigned to show end of the phone and cry with me after those things.
up at all—she would get a lesson in my miscarriage.
working for a former military officer This month was Kaitlin’s last as my Last night, and every night, when
who believed in the sanctity of chief of staff. So, today, I just want to one of those speeches occurs, there is
clocking in at 0855 hours if your com- say thank you to her. usually something unique or different
manding officer told you to report at Thank you to Kaitlin’s wonderful about the speech. It is a little different
0900 hours. family also—Scott, Ronan, and direction for where they want to go.
Thirty-five minutes went by. Then, Brenna—for lending us your wife and Not all those programs will get imple-
40. your mom. mented. I had people already con-
It was only after 45 minutes had And thank you, Kaitlin, for every tacting my office, panicked in some
passed that I saw her car coming moment of the last 15 years. Thank ways, saying: Are all those things
around the bend. And while I could not you for imparting your humor and for going to be done? And I can smile at
have noted at the time, Kaitlin ‘‘Some- humoring me, for showing that warmth them and say: No, all those things
thing’’ was about to become one of the and strength can be one in the same, won’t be done, because it never is. It is
most important people in my life. But for not quitting when I tried to get you a vision that is cast by the President
on that day, she made me miss an to wear a wedding dress made out of that they have to convince the Amer-
event because we were too late. camouflage material, or when I got the ican people and Congress to be able to
In the 15 years since that day that office to take part in ‘‘Talk like a Pi- engage with as well.
she showed up so incredibly late, rate Day’’ and do every memo in ‘‘Pi- But last night was epic in the sense
Kaitlin Fahey has gone from being an rate.’’ Thank you for being the kind of of spending. I was even surprised at the
intern to being in charge of interns, to, person who would jump out of a car amount that we are talking about at
well, being in charge of me as my and run out into the middle of the this point, and it seems to be just so
scheduler and then as my chief of staff. street to help save a lost dog—which flippant and normal at this point.
She has become a trusted political she actually just did this past election When you do the math of what just
adviser, a confidant, a close friend, and day. happened with the American Rescue
an honorary member of my family— Thank you for keeping me in line and Plan, that was just under $2 trillion of
someone I knew I could turn to for a for building our team from the ground spending. Last night, one of the pro-
gut check and for the most brutally up, running our office—first in the posals was also about $2 trillion, and
honest advice, the person who can both House and then in the Senate—with another one was about $2.5 trillion. So
calm me down and rev me up and who grace, precision, and brilliance; take those together—just over $6 tril-
can switch between the two on a dime. prioritizing empathy and compassion, lion in proposed and spent government
From greasy fast food stops along common sense, and common decency; debt just in those three recommended.
campaign routes to the hallowed halls wearing a million hats all at once yet What people aren’t adding to this is
of the Capitol Building that I am always making sure our staff felt val- that starting in June, in July, it is ap-
speaking in today, Kaitlin has never ued, heard, and ever able to serve the propriations time. Our best under-
left my corner. She has always pushed people of Illinois. Thank you for being standing—we haven’t received the
for what was good and right, for what my ‘‘Hammer.’’ budget from the White House yet—is
was best not just for me but for the I don’t thank you for not letting me
that proposal will be about $4.5 trillion.
people I represented—never, ever ac- get a Margarita machine for the office,
So adding together what happened in
cepting the word ‘‘no’’ when a ‘‘yes’’ however. But I also thank you for
the first 100 days and what is about to
might be better to help even one fam- being my friend, for showing up to
happen in the next 100 days that we al-
ily in one far-flung town of our home drive me in your car that day, albeit 45
ready see coming, is a proposal to
State of Illinois. minutes late. You were worth waiting
spend, this year, $11 trillion—$11 tril-
Day after day, year after year, in role for every one of those minutes. I love
lion. That far exceeds what was even
after role, she worked tirelessly, not on you.
spent during the pandemic time period,
my behalf but on behalf of every Illi- I yield back.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Sen- when we all determined that this is a
noisan, every American, proving along
ator from Oklahoma. rainy day that we definitely need to be
the way that you don’t need to wear a
able to help stabilize our economy—$11
nation’s uniform to serve our country; BIDEN ADMINISTRATION
trillion.
that you can serve America without Mr. LANKFORD. Mr. President, I
ever going to basic training or picking have had the privilege to represent the The size of government, the number
up a rifle; that you can serve America, great State of Oklahoma and the peo- of times that I heard, ‘‘If there is a
and change her forever and for the bet- ple of Oklahoma, to be able to sit in problem, government here in Wash-
ter, simply by caring deeply and work- multiple Presidential addresses in the ington, DC, can solve it’’—it was epic.
ing tirelessly to make tomorrow a lit- House of Representatives Chamber. Now, initially, at the beginning of
tle bit better, a little fairer than today. At that joint address that happened the speech, there was a lot of talk
There are a million stories I could last night, I didn’t have the privilege about COVID, as well there should be.
tell about the work that Kaitlin has to actually get a chance to sit in on. Our Nation is coming through this. But
done and all that she has accomplished, As, clearly, anyone who watched the I was surprised how little conversation
ctelli on DSK11ZRN23PROD with SENATE
but I will hold myself to just one: when speech saw that there were 200 people there was about the vaccines and the
she helped change Senate rules to in a room designed for 1,600 people, process, Operation Warp Speed, and the
allow babies onto the floor for votes so with the spacing and all of the things partnership between government and
that new parents could fulfill their du- that were happening there. In some private industry that was done last
ties to both their children and the Con- ways it seemed normal, and some ways year to be able to bring all these vac-
stitution, showing moms and dads in it seemed ridiculous with the room of cines to place.
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S2342 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD — SENATE April 29, 2021
You see, all the vaccines were devel- Deal separated in different sets of the issue because the administration
oped and ordered last year. All the nee- ideas. The term ‘‘Green New Deal’’ has doesn’t seem to see it as a crisis or
dles and the alcohol wipes and the ma- become very, very unpopular with folks something that has to be fixed imme-
terials—the PPP that would be need- as they find out what it is. Taking diately; it can be fixed eventually, with
ed—were all ordered last year. This pieces of the Green New Deal, sepa- hundreds of thousands of people com-
year was just a matter of getting shots rating them in different spots, and try- ing across the border now every month.
in arms, which I am incredibly grateful ing to pass them doesn’t change any- In the last official report from Cus-
we have had so many Americans that thing either. toms and Border Protection and Border
have stepped up and driven up, come I was surprised how little the Presi- Patrol, there were over 100 different
and put their arm out there and said I dent really talked about what is going countries represented by the individ-
want to be part of this solution for get- on in the crisis at the border. He did uals crossing the border just this
ting rid of COVID in our country. mention it, and I was pleased to see year—over 100 countries. It is not just
Everyone knew that as we got shots that. Many people in my State really folks from Central America. Literally,
in arms, we would see the numbers see that as a very serious issue that people from all over the world are pay-
come down—at least we hoped. And we needs to be resolved. Our open borders ing the cartels the money it takes to
did. The numbers are coming down, and right now and the literally hundreds of get through Mexico and traveling into
the economy is coming back up. That thousands of people who have crossed our country and checking in or skip-
is the other thing that everyone pre- our border illegally just this calendar ping across the border, and they dis-
dicted, as well—that as soon as some of year, just in the last 100 days, is record appear into our economy. I see that as
the shutdowns happened, we would levels. an issue. I wish the administration
begin to see the economy begin to rise I talked to the Border Patrol folks, would see that as an issue.
again, and, thankfully, we are. and they talked about how in March A conversation that came up last
It was interesting to be able to hear alone, they had 172,000 encounters. It is night was about voting. It is an impor-
the President last night take credit for a record number. But now in April, tant conversation for us. We are a rep-
all that, which I assume every Presi- they are hitting or exceeding that resentative republic. Voting is ex-
dent sitting in that spot would. But I record, just in April, again because the tremely important to us as a nation;
am grateful to President Trump and numbers continue to skyrocket to that every vote counts and that every
the leadership that happened in HHS numbers we have not seen. The number vote has the integrity that it needs.
and the work of career folks and the of unaccompanied minors is at a 20- But with S. 1 and on the House side,
folks who are in science and private in- year high. We have not seen these num- what they call H.R. 1, I am stunned at
dustry and pharmaceuticals and what bers in decades. the contents of that bill.
they have done over the last year be- It is a significant issue for us as a When President Biden said: Just pass
cause it is remarkable what we actu- country. It is one that started on Janu- that bill and put it on my desk, I
ally have walked through and what we ary 20 with the change in policy and thought, there is absolutely no way I
have seen. issues. would pass a bill like that; nor would
What was not mentioned last night We have more than 5,000 individuals the people at home even want me to
when talking about the economy is un- who have been picked up by Border Pa- pass a bill like that.
employment insurance. It is something trol just this year who have a criminal That is a bill that is intentionally de-
I brought to this body before. When I record in the United States. signed to make voting easy and cheat-
traveled around my State the week be- We have 15,000 individuals whom Bor- ing easy. We want to make voting easy
fore Easter and the week after Easter der Patrol has just released into the and cheating hard. That is the way we
when we were not voting those 2 country with no notice to appear at all, have done elections for a very long
weeks—as I traveled around, every em- just a statement as they come through. time. Why would we want to shift from
ployer I talked to said the same thing: The line was so long that Border Patrol that? I am all for making voting as
We are hiring, but we don’t have people leadership was telling them, from easy as we can. My State has early vot-
applying, or people who are applying Washington, DC, that if the line gets ing. It has mail-in voting and all the
are coming in and just applying and too long, just release people into the characteristics you want to have to
filling out a form, and when they offer country and tell them to check in with protect the integrity of the vote so
them the job, they are saying: I don’t immigration folks in whatever part of when it is over, everyone can look at it
want the job. I just need to be able to the country they go to. Just check in. and say: My person won or lost, but I
bring the completed form back to the Literally, if they are coming across the trust the integrity of the vote. It has
unemployment office so I can continue border and the line is too long, just let all those elements.
to get my check. them go and tell them to check them- We worked very hard to make sure
I talked to employees who were frus- selves in when they get to wherever every community in every area has ac-
trated because the person who used to they are going in the country—15,000 cess to voting and doesn’t have long
work next to them is not showing up people like that just this year. lines and make sure we get to mail out
for work anymore because they are We have 150,000 people whom Border ballots and all those things to be able
home getting unemployment benefits Patrol has reported that they saw to not only give the opportunity for
because the unemployment benefits in crossing the border, but they literally people to vote but to protect the integ-
my State right now far exceed what didn’t have the manpower to even get rity of the vote.
the normal wage is. People aren’t to them, what they call ‘‘got aways’’— S. 1 and H.R. 1 does things like same-
showing up. That is a problem in our 150,000 this year who won’t show up in day registration but also removes voter
economy. anyone’s numbers of people entering ID. You partner those two together,
My fear is that is a problem that is the country illegally. and that is a recipe for double-voting
going to continue all the way until These numbers are truly epic num- and fraud. You can’t have those two to-
September because the unemployment bers. gether.
benefits that were extended were ex- Last night, the President’s proposal It mandates a third-party collection
tended all the way through the first was to allow us to do more in Central of ballots that could be done in any
week of September. Even though we America and eventually this will get State. Individual political groups could
pushed back and said this is a bad idea, better. I would tell you from being literally go door-to-door and say: Have
the Democratic colleagues and the down at the border three times just you voted yet? If you haven’t, come
President said: No, let’s keep moving this year and interacting with folks, I out on the porch right now. I will stand
ctelli on DSK11ZRN23PROD with SENATE
forward. would encourage anyone from the ad- with you, and we can vote together,
There are lots of parts of the Green ministration to go to the border and and then I will turn your ballot in for
New Deal that were presented last actually see what is going on and actu- you.
night, but they didn’t use the term ally talk to law enforcement there. That violates everything we have
‘‘Green New Deal.’’ It was bits and From being down in that area, their done in voting about secret ballots and
pieces of elements of the Green New concern is that this is a very long-term about the integrity of the ballot, and
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April 29, 2021 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD — SENATE S2343
only the folks in the post office would make infrastructure a partisan issue. agreed to; the bill, as amended, be con-
handle it or the folks in the polling We have always done infrastructure to- sidered read a third time and passed;
place would handle it. Now, this is a gether. It is not like any of us are op- and that the motion to reconsider be
third party whom no one has any con- posed to highways and to waterways considered made and laid upon the
nection to nor accountability to who and to clean drinking water and to table.
can randomly grab ballots and collect broadband. There are key aspects that The PRESIDING OFFICER. Is there
them. How do we not think there won’t are core to infrastructure. Let’s con- objection?
be fraud in that system? tinue to be able to do those. Let’s do Ms. MURKOWSKI. Madam President,
It also takes away all voter IDs in them efficiently and wisely. That is all we talked a lot about the pandemic and
every State, including my State, where that we would ask. all that it has brought. I would like to
there is not even a complaint about I am pleased the President actually take just a few moments here, at the
voter IDs on either side of the aisle be- reached out and said: Let’s start sit- outset, before I ask for full consider-
cause it is an incredibly fair system. It ting down to be able to talk these ation, to share with colleagues, very
doesn’t require a driver’s license. It can things through, because that will allow briefly, what we have faced in the
require any piece of paper or any way us to be able to work together toward State of Alaska with regard to our
to be able to show you are who you are. a better solution. State’s economy. We have probably
We have a straightforward system to The second big moment for me last taken a greater hit than any State in
be able to protect not only the integ- night was listening to my friend and the country.
rity of the ballot but to make sure colleague TIM SCOTT speak about his We saw a 32-percent drop in revenue
every person is not only allowed to family, speak about a vision for the last year, 10 percent higher than any
vote but is encouraged to vote. Why country, to be able to challenge the other State in the Nation. We are
would we take that away from places country and to be able to challenge starting to see a light at the end of the
where it is already working and there this body to be able to do what he tunnel, and that is good, but we are
hasn’t been a complaint just because called commonsense finding common also facing the prospect of another dev-
someone in Washington, DC, says we ground. It is a great idea. astating tourist season.
shouldn’t do it? We have different perspectives across Back home, right now, people are not
Centralized control of voting in the aisle in this building. That doesn’t talking about the season for 2021 com-
Washington, DC, seemed to be part of mean we can’t sit down as Americans ing up. The motto is ‘‘Get through to
the theme of the night last night, and be able to work them out. As TIM ‘22.’’ That is an awful way to be ap-
where it was, everything would work SCOTT reminded us, part of the story of proaching our situation so they have
better if it only came to DC. I tell you, asked for help. They realize that any-
America is a story of redemption. We
I have met a lot of smart people in DC,
can do that together. thing that we can do to try to salvage
but I can also tell you that I know a lot TIM also challenged this Nation to even a few weeks of the tourist season
of smart people in Oklahoma who love stop politicizing race, to stop saying is going to be important to us.
their neighbors, who want to see the over and over again that because we So Senator SULLIVAN and I have been
right thing done, who care about peo- working on behalf of hundreds of small
disagree, it is because we are racist.
ple in their community and in their
TIM spoke to the Nation and said there businesses that rely on this essential
State. And this sudden belief that if we
are real issues of race out there, and income just so they can scrape by for
are going to get things done right, we
you cheapen it when you politicalize another year. A lot of people don’t
have to bring it to Washington, DC,
every issue and say it is because you think about cruise ships as being an es-
and allow the folks in Washington, DC,
are racist. sential activity during a pandemic but,
to be able to run it, I will tell you, the
Let’s actually sit down and disagree let me tell you, in our State, where so
folks in my State would shake their
on issues as Americans, and let’s re- much of our economy is based on tour-
heads and say: We are doing OK. Let us
solve those things together. We have ism, it is an imperative. It is jobs; it is
take care of our neighbors at home,
common ground, and we have areas of livelihoods; and it really is what allows
and don’t make us sign a paper every
real disagreement. I had lots of areas our small communities to keep their
time we want to do something and send
where I disagree with President Biden, doors open.
it off to somebody we never met in
but I am willing to sit down and lay In 2019, before the pandemic was upon
Washington, DC.
This growing in size of our Federal out a set of ideas that I think are a us, we were looking at 1.33 million
Government is not a goal for me. Being much better option. Let’s talk it out. tourists who came to the State of Alas-
efficient, protecting the rights of every That is what we do. But let’s resolve ka by way of cruise ship. That is pretty
American, protecting our national se- these issues in the days ahead. significant. In 2020, there were 48 pas-
And no, you are right, I am not going sengers. That is 48 passengers. That is
curity—those are goals. They don’t re-
to give on the Second Amendment. I not 48,000. So, in other words, you had
quire federalizing everything.
I can tell you a couple of areas where am not going to give on issues of life an economy that was looking pretty
last night really had some shining mo- and the value of every child. I am not strong and pretty good, and it abso-
ments for me, though. President Biden, going to give on—I think the debt and lutely went into a free fall.
twice in his speech, literally reached deficit is a very important issue. I am Normally, the tourism industry gen-
out to Republicans and said: I under- not going to give on encouraging the erates more than $214 million in State
stand Republicans have another idea value of work for every single person and municipal revenue, more than $1.4
on this. Let’s sit down and talk. and every single family. There are billion in payroll, $2.2 billion in visitor
That was a good moment. Quite areas I am not going to give on, but we spending, and the prospect was doing
frankly, for the last—let’s say of a 100- should at least sit down and treat each nothing but going up until we were hit
day Presidency so far, for 90 days of other with dignity and respect, and in 2020. The vastly diminished cruise
that, we have gotten the Heisman from let’s talk it out. season contributed to statewide unem-
the President and his team, saying: We I yield the floor. ployment rising from 6.2 percent to 11
have got this; we don’t need you. Then The PRESIDING OFFICER (Ms. COR- percent. Southeast Alaska had greater
in the last really 10 days or so, the TEZ MASTO). The Senator from Alaska. unemployment, which increased from
White House has started reaching out UNANIMOUS CONSENT REQUEST—S. 593 4.7 to 11.3—17 percent of all jobs in the
some. And to be able to hear President Ms. MURKOWSKI. Madam President, region impacted.
Biden last night say: We understand as in legislative session, I ask unani- This kind of unemployment and this
Republicans have a different idea; let’s mous consent that the Committee on kind of stress is an extraordinary chal-
ctelli on DSK11ZRN23PROD with SENATE
sit down and visit—that almost sounds Commerce, Science, and Transpor- lenge. So Alaskans are trying to figure
like governing. That would be a great tation be discharged from further con- out is there a way to salvage there, and
shift for us, to be able to sit down and sideration of S. 593 and the Senate pro- there are two points here.
talk these things through. ceed to its immediate consideration. I We are ready to welcome visitors
Republicans aren’t opposed to infra- ask unanimous consent that the Mur- back in the State. We are leading the
structure. How absurd to be able to kowski amendment at the desk be country in vaccination rates. Half of
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