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E PL UR UM IB N U U S Congressional Record United States th of America PROCEEDINGS AND DEBATES OF THE 116 CONGRESS, SECOND SESSION Vol. 166 WASHINGTON, MONDAY, OCTOBER 5, 2020 No. 173 House of Representatives The House was not in session today. Its next meeting will be held on Tuesday, October 6, 2020, at 9 a.m. Senate MONDAY, OCTOBER 5, 2020 The Senate met at 4:30 p.m. and was to the Senate from the President pro Utah, the senior Senator for Wisconsin, called to order by the Honorable ROGER tempore (Mr. GRASSLEY). and the junior Senator for North Caro- F. WICKER, a Senator from the State of The senior assistant legislative clerk lina, who are currently working from Mississippi. read the following letter: home. The standard cliche would say f U.S. SENATE, that these past few days have provided PRESIDENT PRO TEMPORE, a stark reminder of the dangers of this PRAYER Washington, DC, October 5, 2020. terrible virus, but the truth is that our To the Senate: Nation did not need any such reminder. The Chaplain, Dr. Barry C. Black, of- Under the provisions of rule I, paragraph 3, fered the following prayer. More than 209,000 of our fellow citi- of the Standing Rules of the Senate, I hereby zens have lost their lives. Millions have Let us pray. appoint the Honorable ROGER F. WICKER, a Mighty God, You are our dwelling Senator from the State of Mississippi, to per- battled illness or had their lives dis- place and underneath are Your ever- form the duties of the Chair. rupted by positive tests. This past lasting arms. May our President and CHUCK GRASSLEY, weekend, my home State of Kentucky First Lady feel Your healing touch. President pro tempore. just recorded its highest ever—highest May our Senators who are dealing with Mr. WICKER thereupon assumed the ever—one-day total for new cases. We the personal health challenge of Chair as Acting President pro tempore. all need to remain vigilant. We all need COVID–19 also experience Your divine f to remain careful. If the Speaker of the House and the healing and comfort. RECOGNITION OF THE MAJORITY Democratic leader had not spent Lord, we trust in Your support, for LEADER months blocking another bipartisan re- You continue to be the source of our The ACTING PRESIDENT pro tem- lief package over unrelated, far-left hope and peace. Give us great faith as pore. The majority leader is recog- poison pills, we could have put hun- we feel You near even in the darkness. nized. dreds of billions more dollars for kids, Lord, provide our lawmakers with jobs, and healthcare in the pipeline such fortitude that they can walk f many weeks ago. calmly through life’s storms. We pray CORONAVIRUS For the sake of our Nation, let’s hope in Your wonderful Name. Mr. MCCONNELL. Mr. President, the they finally lay down their partisan de- Amen. Senate has spent the last few days like mands and let our country get back on f all Americans have, praying for quick offense against this disease. healing and smooth recovery for Presi- PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE f dent Trump and the First Lady fol- The Presiding Officer led the Pledge lowing their positive COVID–19 tests. BUSINESS BEFORE THE SENATE of Allegiance, as follows: I spoke to the President by phone Mr. MCCONNELL. Mr. President, in I pledge allegiance to the Flag of the twice this past weekend. Both times, just a moment, I will move to with- United States of America, and to the Repub- his spirits were high. Both times, we draw the pending cloture petitions and lic for which it stands, one nation under God, talked about the people’s business: our recess the Senate with pro forma meet- indivisible, with liberty and justice for all. Nation’s fight against this pandemic; ings until 2 weeks from today. Mem- f his exceptional nominee to the Su- bers will receive at least 24 hours’ no- preme Court, Judge Barrett; as well as tice if any votes on urgent matters are APPOINTMENT OF ACTING our efforts to continue rebuilding the scheduled before October 19. That PRESIDENT PRO TEMPORE economy for working families. would take bipartisan consent. Other- The PRESIDING OFFICER. The We are also thinking of our friends wise, the full Senate will next meet on clerk will please read a communication and colleagues, the senior Senator for October 19. ∑ This ‘‘bullet’’ symbol identifies statements or insertions which are not spoken by a Member of the Senate on the floor. S6033 ® Pdnted on recycled papfil. VerDate Sep 11 2014 03:35 Oct 06, 2020 Jkt 019060 PO 00000 Frm 00001 Fmt 4637 Sfmt 0634 E:\CR\FM\A05OC6.000 S05OCPT1 ctelli on DSK30NT082PROD with SENATE S6034 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD — SENATE October 5, 2020 Obviously, the people’s business does Weeks ago, the junior Senator from I have wondered about that as I not come to a halt in the absence of Hawaii pledged: ‘‘I will look for every passed before it in the past, but in light votes on the floor. The important work procedural tool that I can [find] to of the experience over the last few of our committees will go forward as make sure that this does not happen.’’ days, I think in order to fairly follow each committee sees fit. Chairman Weeks ago, the senior Senator from science-based guidelines and give peo- GRAHAM has already announced the Ju- Massachusetts: ‘‘We need to use every ple warnings about what they should diciary Committee will meet as tool. We need to think seriously do to protect their health, we might planned on October 12 to begin consid- about everything we can do to try to consider a different placard. ering Judge Barrett’s nomination to slow this down.’’ the Supreme Court. We are full steam The No. 2 Democratic Senator, our Briefly, with respect to the majority ahead with the fair, thorough, and friend from Illinois, has said: ‘‘we [will] leader’s comments—I would love to be timely confirmation process that use whatever tools we have available’’ working on a COVID bill. The House Judge Barrett, the Court, and the Na- to ‘‘slow things down.’’ passed a Democratic preferred COVID tion deserve. Just yesterday, in the very same bill—the Heroes Act—in May. I under- The chairman has indicated the com- press conference where the Democratic stand the majority leader and his col- mittee will use the same hybrid for- leader claimed that his latest call to leagues find things about it they don’t mat—with some participants appearing delay the hearings were rooted in like. in person and others appearing over health and safety concerns, he gave the game away just moments later. In that There is no expectation that they video—that it has successfully used for would just take up the House Demo- more than 20 prior hearings this year. same press conference, he admitted, ‘‘We will use every tool in the toolbox cratic bill and pass it, but we waited Let me say that again. The Judiciary through May and then June and then Committee alone—just that com- to delay’’—so much about health and July and then August, until finally, in mittee—has held more than 20 hybrid safety concerns. mid to late September, the majority hearings since the start of the pan- Our Democratic colleagues have ad- mitted out loud what all these stalling put a bill on the floor that we viewed, demic. Many of these saw multiple tactics are about. Senate Democrats frankly, as insufficient. Senators participating via video con- have openly admitted they are grasp- ference. Some of them saw nominees It contained no funds for State and ing at straws to block the exceedingly participating by video conference. At local government aid, no funds for well-qualified nominee from receiving times, the Democratic members of the rental or mortgage assistance, no funds a fair and prompt process. committee have gone literally out of Look, we have months of experience for SNAP benefits or food aid. It would their way to praise this technology and governing this way while protecting have stricken State laws, such as those the chairman’s flexibility with this for- health and safety here in the Senate. that had been passed in Virginia to try mat. This body will not cease to function to provide a workplace safety standard Across all of our committees, we just because Democrats are afraid they for people returning to work in the have had 150 hybrid hearings since the may lose a vote. Chairman GRAHAM has days of COVID. pandemic began. The Senate has used all the options and procedures he needs We voted the bill down, as the major- this format no fewer than 150 times. We to supervise a fair, thorough, and hope- have continued performing our con- ity leader knows, but we did so with fully dignified confirmation hearing the expectation that that no vote stitutional duties while protecting next week. That is just what is going health and safety during the pandemic. would function much like the no vote to happen. in March functioned when we came in Our Democratic colleagues have I look forward to seeing Judge largely welcomed this approach, and on a Sunday and we voted down a par- Barrett’s brilliance and qualifications tisan proposal, and a few days later, we they have frequently taken advantage on full display starting 1 week from of it. So whatever mix proves to be the had a bipartisan proposal—the CARES today.

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