Congressional Record—Senate S4572
Total Page：16
File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb
S4572 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD — SENATE July 29, 2020 council members and Governors refuse NAYS—46 Hirono Murray Stabenow Jones Peters Tester to condemn the rioting and the cold- Baldwin Hassan Sanders Kaine Reed Udall Bennet Heinrich blooded murder. Schatz King Rosen Blumenthal Hirono Van Hollen Schumer Klobuchar Sanders It is time for local leaders to restore Booker Jones Warner Shaheen Leahy Schatz law and order. It is time to make sure Brown Kaine Warren Sinema Manchin Schumer Cantwell King Whitehouse our communities are safe again. The Smith Menendez Shaheen Cardin Klobuchar Wyden death and destruction lies at the feet of Stabenow Merkley Sinema Carper Leahy Tester Murphy Smith elected Democratic leaders. Each must Casey Manchin Udall Coons Menendez NOT VOTING—2 be held accountable for their leader- Van Hollen Cortez Masto Merkley ship failure. Warner Cruz Markey Duckworth Murphy I yield the floor. Durbin Murray Warren The nomination was confirmed. Whitehouse CLOTURE MOTION Feinstein Peters The PRESIDING OFFICER. Under Wyden Gillibrand Reed the previous order, the motion to re- The PRESIDING OFFICER. Pursuant Harris Rosen to rule XXII, the Chair lays before the consider is considered made and laid NOT VOTING—2 Senate the pending cloture motion, upon the table, and the President will which the clerk will state. Cruz Markey be immediately notified of the Senate’s The senior assistant legislative clerk The PRESIDING OFFICER. The yeas action. read as follows: are 52, the nays are 46. The Senator from Alabama. The motion is agreed to. UNANIMOUS CONSENT REQUEST—S. 585 CLOTURE MOTION Mr. JONES. Mr. President, I rise We, the undersigned Senators, in accord- f today amid what we all know to be a ance with the provisions of rule XXII of the EXECUTIVE CALENDAR global health and economic crisis that Standing Rules of the Senate, do hereby we are in. I rise to propose a solution move to bring to a close debate on the nomi- The PRESIDING OFFICER. The that has been in front of us all along nation of Marvin Kaplan, of Kansas, to be a clerk will report the nomination. from the very beginning. It is a solu- Member of the National Labor Relations The senior assistant legislative clerk tion that has existed for 55 years to- Board for the term of five years expiring Au- read the nomination of Marvin Kaplan, gust 27, 2025. (Reappointment) morrow—55 years. Mitch McConnell, Joni Ernst, John of Kansas, to be a Member of the Na- Medicaid has brought millions of peo- Thune, Cindy Hyde-Smith, Roy Blunt, tional Labor Relations Board for the ple to better healthcare. It has brought John Cornyn, Marsha Blackburn, Deb term of five years expiring August 27, billions of dollars into States. That is Fischer, John Barrasso, Shelley Moore 2025. (Reappointment) important when we have both a Capito, Todd Young, John Boozman, The PRESIDING OFFICER. Under healthcare crisis and an economic cri- Lamar Alexander, David Perdue, Kevin the previous order, all postcloture time Cramer, Tim Scott, Michael B. Enzi. sis, but for 55 years, Medicaid has lifted is expired. the health outcomes of people all The PRESIDING OFFICER. By unan- The question is, Will the Senate ad- across this country and especially in so imous consent, the mandatory quorum vise and consent to the Kaplan nomina- many States that need it—States like call has been waived. tion? Alabama that are poor States, that are The question is, Is it the sense of the Mr. SCOTT of South Carolina. I ask unhealthy States. Senate that debate on the nomination for the yeas and nays. But we can do better. A solution of of Marvin Kaplan, of Kansas, to be a The PRESIDING OFFICER. Is there a Medicaid would bring billions of dollars Member of the National Labor Rela- sufficient second? into my home State of Alabama along tions Board for the term of five years There appears to be a sufficient sec- with about a dozen other States. It expiring August 27, 2025, shall be ond. would create thousands of new jobs. It brought to a close? The clerk will call the roll. would help shore up rural hospitals The yeas and nays are mandatory Mr. THUNE. The following Senator is that are facing financial struggles, a under the rule. necessarily absent: the Senator from condition made worse by this pan- The clerk will call the roll. Texas (Mr. CRUZ). demic. It would provide healthcare cov- The senior assistant legislative clerk Mr. DURBIN. I announce that the erage in Alabama alone to between called the roll. Senator from Massachusetts (Mr. MAR- 300,000 to 400,000 Alabamians who do Mr. THUNE. The following Senator is KEY) is necessarily absent. not have it right now. Some didn’t necessarily absent: the Senator from The PRESIDING OFFICER. Are there have it before this pandemic. Others Texas (Mr. CRUZ). any other Senators in the Chamber de- don’t have it now because they have Mr. DURBIN. I announce that the siring to vote? lost their jobs. They have lost their Senator from Massachusetts (Mr. MAR- The result was announced—yeas 52, employer-sponsored healthcare. KEY) is necessarily absent. nays 46, as follows: Expanding Medicaid would generate The PRESIDING OFFICER (Mr. COT- [Rollcall Vote No. 149 Ex.] $935 billion, with a ‘‘b,’’ in new tax rev- TON). Are there any other Senators in YEAS—52 enue for the State of Alabama. It the Chamber desiring to vote or to Alexander Gardner Portman would help local economies across the change their vote? Barrasso Graham Risch State by creating good jobs and ensur- The yeas and nays resulted—yeas 52, Blackburn Grassley Roberts ing workers and their families have Blunt Hawley Romney good healthcare. nays 46, as follows: Boozman Hoeven Rounds In our rural areas, especially, [Rollcall Vote No. 148 Ex.] Braun Hyde-Smith Rubio Burr Inhofe healthcare is dependent on Federal dol- YEAS—52 Sasse Capito Johnson Scott (FL) lars. Folks, expanding Medicaid was Cassidy Kennedy Alexander Gardner Portman Scott (SC) Collins Lankford the right thing to do before this pan- Barrasso Graham Risch Shelby Blackburn Grassley Cornyn Lee demic and some 37 States or so did just Roberts Sullivan Blunt Hawley Cotton Loeffler that. In fact, two States did that fairly Romney Thune Boozman Hoeven Rounds Cramer McConnell recently. Conservative States of Okla- Crapo McSally Tillis Braun Hyde-Smith Rubio Daines Moran Toomey homa and Nebraska are both in the Burr Inhofe Sasse Enzi Murkowski Wicker process of expanding Medicaid. It was Capito Johnson Scott (FL) Cassidy Kennedy Ernst Paul Young Scott (SC) important before the pandemic, but it Collins Lankford Fischer Perdue Shelby is vital that we do it now. It is abso- Cornyn Lee Sullivan Cotton Loeffler NAYS—46 lutely vital, especially, as so many Cramer McConnell Thune Baldwin Cardin Durbin people have lost their jobs, lost their Crapo McSally Tillis Bennet Carper Feinstein employer-sponsored healthcare Daines Moran Toomey Blumenthal Casey Gillibrand Enzi Murkowski Wicker Booker Coons Harris through no fault of their own. Ernst Paul Young Brown Cortez Masto Hassan Alabama didn’t take that step back Fischer Perdue Cantwell Duckworth Heinrich in 2011 when it should have. Alabama VerDate Sep 11 2014 06:12 Jul 30, 2020 Jkt 099060 PO 00000 Frm 00020 Fmt 4624 Sfmt 0634 E:\CR\FM\G29JY6.034 S29JYPT1 dlhill on DSK120RN23PROD with SENATE July 29, 2020 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD — SENATE S4573 held back. There is little doubt that important point for the State of Ala- later than other States—that States the main reason—not the sole reason— bama, which is expanded mental health that have expanded their Medicaid Pro- but the main reason that they held coverage. So many places that I have gram to serve more Americans can get back was purely political. The Ala- been to in the State of Alabama are their fair share of Federal matching bama Legislature and the Alabama begging for mental health coverage dollars. Governor refused to legitimize the Af- that they cannot afford in their com- It would also incentivize additional fordable Care Act and put their name munities. Expanding Medicaid would States—like the State of Alabama on anything having to do with it. The do just that. which hasn’t yet expanded Medicaid— people of Alabama—hundreds of thou- Let me be clear. Even without this to expand this critical program to mil- sands—have suffered because of it. bill, I still believe Alabama should lions of more Americans. I can think of That excuse is waning thin today, es- take this step. We literally can’t afford no better time to pass this legislation pecially when so much is needed to pro- not to. We need to be investing in our than right now, when more than 5 mil- vide healthcare to the people of my citizens’ health the same way we invest lion Americans find themselves having State. Just this morning, a new poll in trying to bring businesses into Ala- lost their healthcare coverage in the came out from Auburn University that bama. We need to try to invest in our last 3 months alone. showed that a majority of the people of people’s health because it will lift all In fact, some reports actually esti- Alabama, including a majority of Re- boats. mate that nearly 27 million Americans publicans and a majority of Democrats, If this incentive is what is needed to have lost their employer-sponsored favor expanding Medicaid. Our hos- get us over the finish line, let’s just do health insurance and are now in jeop- pitals and healthcare professionals it. Again, it is not mandated. States ardy of becoming uninsured.