Coronavirus (Cong. Rec., July 13, 2021)
Summary
Congressional Record, Senate, page S4838, July 13, 2021, under Coronavirus. The speaker answers Senator McConnell's description of the American Rescue Plan as filled with what he called socialist ideas, pointing to vaccine funding, money for businesses to reopen and hire employees, and money for units of government that lost revenue. The speaker says the decision to leave Afghanistan was first made by President Trump, and notes that Senator Leahy's emergency security supplemental bill has already passed the House. The speaker also cites 104 people shot in Chicago over the Fourth of July weekend, 19 killed.
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“Coronavirus (Cong. Rec., July 13, 2021).”
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S4838 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD — SENATE July 13, 2021
hadn’t seen in the last year and a half, Well, decisions have been made to So now what happens when President
the kind of dialogue and communica- change that, and they were not made Biden arrives on the scene and comes
tion which I think is an important part by President Biden alone. They were up with an American Rescue Plan? Not
of my job and an important part of un- first made by President Trump. If you one Republican Senator, not one Re-
derstanding the world today. will remember correctly, he was nego- publican Congressman would vote for
They had one consistent message. tiating with the Taliban for an exit the American Rescue Plan. And Sen-
Despite the fact that they felt a close- strategy, a timetable, to leave Afghani- ator MCCONNELL this morning ex-
ness to the United States that had been stan, and they were reaching agree- plained why: Because it was filled with
built up over decades of generations, ment on that fact. The Senator from what he called ‘‘socialist ideas.’’
there was a new factor in Central and Kentucky didn’t dwell on that fact, but Let’s take a look at the Biden Amer-
South America which each one of them it is an important one. The decision ican Rescue Plan, just rife with social-
repeated as significant in the future of had been made by the Republican ad- ism. Let me tell you what Senator
that region. The new factor is the ar- ministration to leave. Biden inherited MCCONNELL is including: billions of
rival of China. it and accepted it, and he has been dollars for the administration of
In each one of these countries, large going forward with that. COVID–19 vaccines across the United
and small, China has become a player, Keep in mind, we are not leaving States. No, President Trump didn’t
a force. They have invested their re- without an effort. It is a supreme effort leave office with a plan for that to hap-
sources in developing an economic re- for more than 2,000 Americans who lost pen. President Biden had to create it in
lationship with these countries, have their lives in that effort in Afghanistan the American Rescue Plan. Is that so-
provided them with COVID–19 vaccines and more than $1 trillion—much more cialism—to provide vaccines for mil-
when others would not, and were be- than $1 trillion—being spent in dedica- lions of Americans to protect them
coming larger and larger factors in the tion to that effort over the years. So against COVID–19? Apparently Senator
future of the economies of these coun- after all that effort, it was clear this MCCONNELL thinks it was.
tries. long-term war was going to be longer And here is another one of his con-
Senator COONS said at one point, and still, and the Senator from Kentucky demned socialist ideas: providing
I certainly would agree with him: We came to the floor today with the plea money to businesses to reopen and hire
have to take this seriously in the that we should have continued that employees back. That is socialism? I
United States. We can’t assume that war in Afghanistan—to what end and don’t think so. That is part of restoring
long-term relationships and friendships on what timetable, I have no idea. a market economy that was badly dam-
will see us through. We need to be ac- But it is interesting when he men-
aged by COVID–19.
tively engaged in strengthening and tions the fact that there were Afghan
citizens helping the United States who The list goes on—money that was
creating alliances with these countries given through the American Rescue
in our hemisphere. were not being treated properly. You
see, Senator LEAHY, the Democratic Plan, without a single Republican vote,
He added—and I am glad he did—the
chairman of the Senate Appropriations to help units of government that had
United States has chosen, over recent
Committee, has an emergency security lost so much revenue because of
history, to literally spend trillions of
supplemental bill, which he is trying to COVID–19 restore essential services.
dollars on military efforts and those
overseas commitments, which is money move quickly. It has already passed the President Biden has said that among
China wasn’t spending for the same House. It pays for the expenses of Jan- those services is protection on the
purpose. China was spending trillions uary 6 and the mob that invaded the street, funding law enforcement—re-
of dollars to develop economic rela- Capitol after being inspired by Presi- sponsible law enforcement—to stop the
tionships, to loan money for infrastruc- dent Trump. But it does more than killing. Well, I want to tell you that I
ture projects in developing countries. that. It provides resources for those Af- am glad that he said that. It is not so-
The United States was spending its ghans who did help us in that war to cialism in the city of Chicago, where
money in other places, which takes me protect them. on the Fourth of July weekend 104 peo-
directly to the statement that was I would vote for that in a second, but ple were shot—104 people were shot in
made earlier by the Republican Senate that emergency supplemental has been Chicago, 19 killed, including 2 police of-
leader, Senator MCCONNELL, about Af- bogged down by the Republican side of ficers who were shot, I might add. And
ghanistan. You see, I was here on the the aisle. And then the Republican the President said we should take the
floor of the Senate when we voted to leader comes and says we are not doing resources from the American Rescue
invade Afghanistan, and I voted for it. enough for the refugees. I commend to Plan and dedicate them to restoring
We were told that al-Qaida was waiting him to read the Leahy supplemental order in neighborhoods across America.
there in hiding for the next oppor- appropriations. Resources are there for My city of Chicago is not an excep-
tunity to strike America and that if we those same refugees. And I support tion, sadly. It is a pattern that is show-
didn’t do our part to go after Osama that, he should support that and should ing up in cities across America, large
bin Laden, there would be more Amer- instruct the Republican leader on the and small. So these American rescue
ican innocent victims. Overwhelm- Appropriations Committee to join in funds for that purpose, far from social-
ingly, on a bipartisan vote, a unani- the effort. ism, are really basic to what we expect
mous bipartisan vote, in the Senate CORONAVIRUS in this country.
Chamber, we voted to invade Afghani- Mr. President, the second issue the I know that the Senator from Ken-
stan, and I was one of those votes. Republican leader raised this morning tucky returned to the Commonwealth
Let me quickly add that I was one of is worthy of note. When we passed over the break. He did an interesting
23 who voted against the invasion of emergency supplemental bills in 2020 in dance, saying that he was glad that
Iraq. I didn’t think the case had been the midst of the pandemic crisis, and money was coming into Kentucky, but
made by the Bush administration and the Trump administration was in he didn’t vote for it. We have heard
still don’t. charge, they were bipartisan in nature. that from Republicans across the Na-
But going into Afghanistan was, with I was happy to support them. We were tion.
the exception of one Member of the facing an American national public I wish they would have voted for it.
House, a unanimous bipartisan verdict health crisis. Our economy was suf- Wouldn’t it have been nice if Biden—
at that moment in American history. fering gravely, families and workers President Biden—had enjoyed the same
As we look back on it now, I don’t level of bipartisan support that we
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the same.
think a single person who voted for the Democrats joined with Republicans gave to President Trump on the Demo-
invasion of Afghanistan would have during the Trump years to provide re- cratic side in the midst of this pan-
ever guessed that we were voting for sources to businesses and individuals demic crisis? Maybe it is too much to
the longest war in the history of the across America to get through that ask from the minority leader, who has
United States. Yes, that is what it terrible time. I am glad we did it. That publicly announced that he is 100 per-
turned out to be—over 20 years in the is the kind of bipartisanship people ex- cent opposed to the Biden agenda—not
war in Afghanistan. pect. a very constructive approach.
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July 13, 2021 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD — SENATE S4839
CAPITOL FENCING AND JANUARY 6 Appallingly, the former President, They will carry the trauma of January
Mr. President, I want to speak on a Donald Trump, last week threatened— 6 with them for the rest of their lives.
different topic at this point, Mr. Presi- now, listen to this—he is going to share These officers work day and night to
dent. As I walked into the Capitol, I sensitive, personal information about keep us safe and to secure the Capitol
took a look around and saw something the officers who defended Members of Complex for the American people who
that I have been waiting for. Families Congress from an insurrectionist who visit. The least we can do is to make
were walking across the parking lot attempted to storm the Speaker’s sure they receive their paychecks.
right in front of the Capitol, enjoying Lobby. Yesterday, Senator PATRICK LEAHY
themselves. Children were out in the These despicable efforts to rewrite introduced an updated version of the
grass running around. People were the events of January 6, to somehow li- supplemental package for security. It
crowding together to snap selfies. That onize the terrorists who participated in would fully pay our Capitol Police offi-
used to be so routine around here, but it and denigrate those who defended us, cers’ salaries and provide additional
since January 6, it has not been the are nothing short of disgusting—and a funding to secure the Capitol Complex.
case. second assault on our democracy. It would also provide much-needed
Behind all of these families visiting It is a slap in the face of every officer funding to deal with the impacts of the
their Nation’s Capitol Building was who protected this building from a pandemic on the Capitol.
this beautiful dome of the Capitol—ma- murderous mob. Our officers deserve Over the last year, both the pan-
jestic, unobstructed for the first time answers for what happened that day, demic and insurrection put a huge fi-
in 6 months. and they deserve to know who is re- nancial strain on this institution.
Over the weekend, Capitol workers sponsible for it. Keeping the Capitol and the people who
removed the remaining metal fencing More than 535 people have already work here in a safe situation is a new
and concrete barriers that have sur- been arrested for their involvement in environment that will cost money.
rounded this building since the mob at- that insurrection—and many of them So far, Republican colleagues have
tack on January 6. My special thanks have ties to White supremacists and been unwilling to face the reality that
to those workers. domestic terrorist organizations. How we find ourselves in today and to spend
That security fencing stood as a re- did these far-right, fringe groups plan the money needed to respond to the
minder of what happened on January 6 their attack on our democracy? Who real threats we are facing. Their pro-
when former President Donald Trump posal falls short of the needs of the mo-
helped them? Who funded their effort?
summoned and agitated a mob to ment. Senator LEAHY’s proposal will
Who planted pipe bombs outside the
Washington and then sent them on a address the issues facing the Capitol
headquarters of both political parties?
mission to storm the heart of democ- Complex.
What contacts, if any, did Members of And don’t we owe it to the men and
racy.
Well, Trump is gone. But our democ- Congress have with these insurrection- women who protect us and our staff
racy is still here. And the smiling faces ists in the days leading up to the at- and our visitors to support their impor-
outside the Capitol this week are a tes- tack? tant work and pass this bill?
tament to the resilience that many We don’t have a full accounting. Yet, When a filibuster prevents the Senate
Americans share today. last month, Republican Senators fili- from even investigating an attack on
I want to thank President Biden for bustered the creation of an inde- the Senate itself and another filibuster
helping to unite this Nation. He pendent, bipartisan commission to in- may be used to threaten paying our po-
brought us together by appealing to vestigate the January 6 insurrection. lice officers who protect us, we have to
our shared values and our shared iden- Senator MCCONNELL pleaded with his ask a basic question: Who really bene-
tity. His steady, nonconfrontational caucus to block this commission. fits from the misuse of a filibuster?
approach has been a breath of fresh air Well, Congressional Democrats are Does the current overuse and misuse of
after the stifling storm of hateful, divi- determined to give the officers who de- this filibuster benefit our democracy?
sive tweets of the Trump years. fended this Capitol and the American Absolutely not.
His leadership—President Biden’s people the truth about January 6. We The Republican leader has used the
leadership—has allowed us to reopen are not going to tolerate whitewashing filibuster in a way never seen in the
this Capitol. So every American, and this attack for political purposes. history of the Senate to prevent us
every visitor to the people’s house, can I strongly support Speaker PELOSI’s from even starting debate on legisla-
experience this historic value. decision to form a bipartisan select tion that would make it easier for
But even as we celebrate the walls committee to investigate it, and I look Americans to vote.
around our Capitol coming down, it is forward to its findings. And as the You know that, Mr. President, better
important to recognize that there are House moves forward with its own in- than anyone because your State of
still many unanswered questions about vestigation, we need to ask ourselves Georgia is going through that debate
January 6. Our Nation suffered a dead- why the Republican Senate leader and at this very moment.
ly, shameful, infamous—infamous—se- all but six Republican Senators voted Does the filibuster in its current
curity breach on January 6. You would to prevent the Senate from doing its form actually benefit America? How
think that every Member of the Senate part to uncover the truth about this as- could it? Last month, Senator MCCON-
would be demanding to know what was sault on our Capitol. NELL used the filibuster to block this
behind it, what caused it, and to find a Not only does the Republican leader body from taking up equal pay legisla-
way to make certain it never happens oppose efforts to investigate what hap- tion, preventing employers from dis-
again, especially since it left 140 Cap- pened on January 6, he is leading the criminating against women in the
itol Police officers and other law en- effort against the funding needed to en- workplace. It is one of the many poli-
forcement officers injured and 1 dead. sure it doesn’t happen again. House and cies supported by a broad majority of
Sadly, most Republican lawmakers Senate Democrats have put forward American people of both political par-
actively oppose investigating what good-faith proposals to provide emer- ties. Unfortunately, those ideas—as
happened on January 6. Even worse, gency funding to deal with the ongoing good as they are, as popular as they
some of them are whitewashing the security issues at the Capitol and give are, as needed as they are—are dead on
events. Republican lawmakers in the the Capitol Police and staff here the re- arrival in the Senate thanks to Sen-
House have called the insurrectionists sources they need to do their job. ator MCCONNELL and his filibuster.
patriots. Patriots? Have you seen the If this Senate fails to approve that So again, I ask: What benefits do we
supplemental funding package, the derive from grinding our government
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video? Those were patriots marching
through these halls with Confederate Capitol Police department may have to to a halt? It is a small club that bene-
flags, Trump flags? start furloughing dozens—maybe hun- fits. You know who is in it? The
One House Member, who helped barri- dreds—of officers at the end of this wealthiest individuals and the richest
cade the House doors to protect himself month. corporations. The elites are the only
from this mob, now calls the insurrec- Let me be clear. No one—no one—has people who benefit from our broken po-
tionists ‘‘a normal tourist visit.’’ Get paid a heavier price for the insurrec- litical system. It stops progress alto-
out of here. tion than our Capitol Police Force. gether.
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