Coronavirus (Cong. Rec., May 10, 2021)
Summary
Opening pages of the Congressional Record daily edition for Monday, May 10, 2021, Volume 167, No. 80. The House was not in session, with its next meeting set for Tuesday, May 11 at 2 p.m. The Senate met at 3 p.m. with Senator Mazie K. Hirono of Hawaii in the Chair, and the Chaplain, Dr. Barry C. Black, offered the prayer. Under the heading Coronavirus, a speaker says the country should be on track for a comeback summer thanks to five bipartisan rescue packages, and criticizes Democratic officials on school reopenings, which is that speaker's view. Another passage notes the nomination of Marten, a teacher of 17 years, as Deputy Education Secretary, discusses S. 1 on voting rights and remembers police officers ahead of Police Officers Memorial Day on May 15.
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“Coronavirus (Cong. Rec., May 10, 2021).”
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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, MONDAY, MAY 10, 2021 No. 80
House of Representatives
The House was not in session today. Its next meeting will be held on Tuesday, May 11, 2021, at 2 p.m.
Senate
MONDAY, MAY 10, 2021
The Senate met at 3 p.m. and was The legislative clerk read the fol- We should be on track for a fantastic
called to order by the Honorable MAZIE lowing letter: American comeback summer, full
K. HIRONO, a Senator from the State of U.S. SENATE, steam ahead. From vaccinations to job
Hawaii. PRESIDENT PRO TEMPORE, growth, the new Biden administration
f
Washington, DC, May 10, 2021. inherited favorable trends in every di-
To the Senate: rection, thanks to the five bipartisan
PRAYER Under the provisions of rule I, paragraph 3, rescue packages that Congress passed
of the Standing Rules of the Senate, I hereby
The Chaplain, Dr. Barry C. Black, of- appoint the Honorable MAZIE K. HIRONO, a
just last year.
fered the following prayer: Senator from the State of Hawaii, to perform But in several important ways, the
Let us pray. the duties of the Chair. decisions of elected Democrats have
Eternal God, vindicate those who PATRICK J. LEAHY, contributed to slowing the return to
cling to the truth. They seek to walk President pro tempore. normalcy. We have seen some State
on Your path, to honor You with their Ms. HIRONO thereupon assumed the and local officials bow to Big Labor
work, and to glorify You with their Chair as Acting President pro tempore. and soft-pedal the clear science on
lives. May these lawmakers remember f
school reopenings. And the big bill that
Washington Democrats pushed through
that You are their light and salvation, RECOGNITION OF THE MINORITY a couple of months ago did not require
bestowing mercy and honor on them. LEADER schools to reopen in order to receive
Lord, You refuse to withhold any
The ACTING PRESIDENT pro tem- even more extra funding.
good thing from those who walk blame- The President and his team keep
less before You. Continue to strengthen pore. The Republican leader is recog-
nized. sending mixed messages about gath-
our Senators, who strive to please You erings and wearing masks that some-
with their thoughts, words, and ac- f
times break from their own CDC’s
tions. Empower them as they seek and CORONAVIRUS guidance for vaccinated Americans.
pursue peace for our Nation and world. Mr. MCCONNELL. Madam President, Again, there almost seems to be some
We pray in Your great Name. Amen. like all of my colleagues, I spent last reluctance to let go of emergency
f week traveling my home State. I spoke measures, even to the point of clashing
with Kentuckians about where we have with science.
PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE And what about our economic recov-
come over the past 15 months, where
The Presiding Officer led the Pledge we are today, and the bright future we ery? Back in March, Democrats
of Allegiance, as follows: should have ahead. rammed through their so-called Amer-
I pledge allegiance to the Flag of the More than 1.8 million Kentuckians ican Rescue Plan with a $2 trillion par-
United States of America, and to the Repub- have received COVID vaccines. These tisan spending spree. It is packed with
lic for which it stands, one nation under God, medical miracles were created in policies that seem designed for March
indivisible, with liberty and justice for all. record time by genius scientists plus 2020, not March 2021; for example: con-
f Operation Warp Speed. And they are tinuing to use taxpayer dollars to pay
proving the pathway back to normalcy a special bonus for unemployed people
APPOINTMENT OF ACTING that we had hoped for. to stay home rather than filling one of
PRESIDENT PRO TEMPORE I was happy to get to visit the Bap- the growing number of job openings
The PRESIDING OFFICER. The tist Health Hardin Memorial Hospital around the country.
clerk will please read a communication in Elizabethtown to hear about their Republicans had this crazy idea that
to the Senate from the President pro vaccination program and to thank the with vaccines flooding the country,
SSpencer on DSK126QN23PROD with SENATE
tempore (Mr. LEAHY). staff for all of their work. with COVID–19 in retreat, it was time
∑ This ‘‘bullet’’ symbol identifies statements or insertions which are not spoken by a Member of the Senate on the floor.
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S2398 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD — SENATE May 10, 2021
to actually reopen our country instead harder. They have battled the chal- There will be plenty of legislative ac-
of spending even more of working fami- lenges of the historic pandemic. In tion off the floor as well. Discussions
lies’ tax dollars to keep things shut many places, they have grappled with continue on a potential, bipartisan in-
down. increased violent crime rates and un- frastructure bill, gun safety legisla-
Well, a few days ago, experts were rest. And following terrible incidents tion, and policing reform.
stunned by a monthly jobs report for this past year, the majority of brave On Wednesday, the Senate Commerce
April that came in way below expecta- and honorable law enforcement officers Committee will begin to mark up the
tions. It was the first full month of have too often found themselves paint- Endless Frontier Act, bipartisan legis-
data collected after the Democrats ed unfairly with a broad brush, as lation that would invest in our sci-
passed their so-called rescue plan. This though their entire profession should entific and technologic capabilities and
bill they sold as a fast-acting, urgent, be defined by the worst examples. help the United States outcompete
emergency measure that was going to This year’s remembrances will be es- China and other nations in a number of
bolster our economy right away. This pecially somber here at the Capitol, emerging industries. There have been
report was expected to show that more where we are still mourning Officers extremely constructive bipartisan
than a million American workers had Billy Evans, Howie Liebengood, and talks over the last week, and I am fully
gotten jobs back in the month of April. Brian Sicknick, whom we have lost in supportive of the product that will be
Instead, we added about one-fourth a matter of months. considered in Wednesday’s committee
that many jobs. I hope police officers throughout our meeting.
Now, I had just spent the prior week country, from the Capitol to Kentucky In addition, a number of other Senate
talking with Kentuckians. I spoke with and all 50 States, know how very grate- committees are working on bipartisan
workers and employers at nearly every ful we are for their courage and for legislation to improve our competitive-
size of business from just about every their service. ness and make the United States a
kind of industry, all across the spec- I suggest the absence of a quorum. world leader in advanced manufac-
trum. And from big national companies The ACTING PRESIDENT pro tem- turing, innovation, and supply chains.
to local chambers of commerce, to pore. The clerk will call the roll. It is my intention to have the full
businesses like Manchester Tank in The legislative clerk proceeded to Senate consider comprehensive com-
Campbellsville, we heard optimism but call the roll. petitive legislation during this work
also real concerns—concerns about in- Mr. SCHUMER. Madam President, I
period.
flation and runaway costs, concerns ask unanimous consent that the order
This week, the Senate Rules Com-
about backed-up supply chains. for the quorum call be rescinded.
mittee will also mark up S. 1, a bill to
And as Washington pays workers a The ACTING PRESIDENT pro tem-
strengthen our democracy, increase
bonus to stay unemployed, virtually pore. Without objection, it is so or-
transparency in our campaign finance
everyone discussed very real concerns dered.
system, and make it easier for all
about their difficulties in finding work- f
Americans to vote. The Senate Demo-
ers who are willing to come back and RECOGNITION OF THE MAJORITY cratic majority named this bill ‘‘S. 1’’
fill these open positions. Almost every LEADER because it is a very top priority. The
employer I spoke with specifically majority gets to name the first five
mentioned the extra generous jobless The ACTING PRESIDENT pro tem-
pore. The Democratic leader is recog- bills of any new Congress. We picked
benefits as a key force holding back the For the People Act to be S. 1 for a
our recovery. nized.
f reason. Make no mistake, we are mov-
Now, I have heard some Democrats
ing forward with S. 1 in the Rules Com-
say that whatever incentives Wash- BUSINESS BEFORE THE SENATE mittee this week. I will attend the
ington creates, the responsibility real-
Mr. SCHUMER. Madam President, markup tomorrow.
ly falls on workers. But my friends on
the last time we observed Mother’s As a reminder to my colleagues, I
the other side can’t use the American
Day, most of the country could not have committed to bring S. 1 to the
people to shield their own bad ideas
spend time with their parents or have floor of the Senate. As the Rules Com-
from scrutiny. Policy matters. Incen-
their kids spend time with them. mittee prepares to amend and advance
tives matter.
It is May of 2021. Vaccines are avail- Standing outside of a window and wav- S. 1, our Republican colleagues face a
able nationwide. There are millions of ing to mom was the closest you could critical choice between working with
jobs open, ‘‘Help Wanted’’ signs from get. I remember that. So this year, I Democrats in good faith to pass law to
coast to coast. We should not still be was beyond grateful to celebrate with protect our democracy or siding with
taxing the Americans who are working my mother and my daughters in per- Republican State legislatures that are
to fund continued extra benefits for son. I know the same was true for orchestrating the largest contraction
those staying home. Americans across the country. As of voting rights in decades. There is no
It is not March of 2020 anymore. It is COVID–19 continues to recede—and reason our two parties can’t work to-
May of 2021. Kentuckians and all Amer- more than half of eligible adults have gether on S. 1. In fact, the legislation
icans need our Democratic friends to received at least one shot of the vac- has already been updated and im-
govern accordingly. cine after a very painful and difficult proved. It now includes input from
f year—it was another sign that our election officials across the country,
country is turning the corner. Praise including Republican election officials.
NATIONAL POLICE WEEK God. I am sure we will see additional
Mr. MCCONNELL. Madam President, Now, as we begin this work period, amendments to mark up tomorrow.
on another matter, yesterday marked the Senate will continue working to For example, I understand my col-
the beginning of National Police Week. help the country recover and build league from Georgia, Senator OSSOFF,
Under normal circumstance, we would back stronger than ever. That includes will offer an amendment to ban States
be welcoming police officers across the filling vacancies in the executive from restricting volunteers from giving
country here to Washington to share branch with highly qualified public food and water to Americans waiting in
experiences and commemorate broth- servants. line to vote. You would think such a
ers and sisters who have fallen in the This week, the Senate will consider provision would be unnecessary, but,
line of duty. the nomination of Andrea Palm for sadly, giving voters food or water while
Deputy HHS Secretary and Cynthia they are waiting in long lines has just
SSpencer on DSK126QN23PROD with SENATE
This year, I understand many of the
in-person gatherings have been post- Marten, a teacher of 17 years, to serve been criminalized by the State of Geor-
poned until this autumn. But we are as the next Deputy Education Sec- gia.
still remembering our law enforcement retary. There will be additional nomi- Look, we know our Republican col-
officers as we prepare for Police Offi- nations on the floor as the week goes leagues don’t like every aspect of S. 1,
cers Memorial Day on May 15. on. At the committee level, at least but will they work in good faith to im-
The past year has seen the difficult half a dozen other nominees will have prove it? Will they offer revisions or
job of law enforcement become even their markups. new ideas to protect voting rights, or,
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