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, WEDNESDAY, JULY 22, 2020 No. 129 Senate The Senate met at 10 a.m. and was took place there. It happens to be the Russian military has kept probing the called to order by the President pro worst genocide on European soil since bounds of U.S. airspace, and Putin’s re- tempore (Mr. GRASSLEY). the Holocaust. gime has kept its sights on cyber war f Twenty-five years ago, 8,000 Bosnians and destabilization by proxy. were murdered out of ethnic and reli- China continues to treat inter- PRAYER gious hatred. Many Bosnians, who wit- national commercial lanes like its own The Chaplain, Dr. Barry C. Black, of- nessed this horrific atrocity, became private pond, choke freedom and au- fered the following prayer: refugees and found a home in my State tonomy out of Hong Kong, and try to Let us pray. of Iowa. We must remember for those ethnically cleanse Xinjiang. Eternal spirit, grant to this Nation Bosnians, Iowans, and for all Bosnians Both countries continue to mod- and to all people a social conscience who suffer as they continue to deal ernize their military capabilities from built on the vision of the ancient with unimaginable memories. It is also sea to space. And Iranian meddling, prophets who saw sufficiency for every important for the rest of us to make a North Korean saber-rattling, and the person and a time when anxiety would point of remembering what has hap- persistent violence of terrorist groups overcome chaos and hopelessness. Has- pened so we can prevent it from hap- like ISIS and al-Qaida demand our at- ten the day when the small and weak pening again. tention as well. can make their contributions alongside I yield the floor. Amid these threats and many others, the great and powerful. Lead us to the I suggest the absence of a quorum. the American people and the entire day when we will see peace among the The PRESIDING OFFICER. The free world look to the men and women Nations of the Earth, when swords clerk will call the roll. of the U.S. military to preserve order shall be beaten into plowshares. Use The senior assistant legislative clerk and peace. The open and bipartisan the Members of this body to bring us to proceeded to call the roll. process led by Chairman INHOFE and the time when Your will is done on Mr. MCCONNELL. Madam President, Ranking Member REED has produced Earth, even as it is done in Heaven. I ask unanimous consent that the order strong legislation that will advance Lord, we trust You with our future. for the quorum call be rescinded. their missions. Let Your glory cover the Earth as the The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without It is the product of intense com- waters cover the sea. objection, it is so ordered. mittee work; it contains more than 200 We pray in Your mighty Name. f bipartisan amendments; and it builds Amen. on the historic progress which this ad- RECOGNITION OF THE MAJORITY f ministration and this Republican Sen- LEADER ate have secured over the past 3 years. PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE The PRESIDING OFFICER. The ma- After years of cuts to our military The President pro tempore led the jority leader is recognized. that weakened readiness, imperiled Pledge of Allegiance, as follows: f modernization, and called into ques- I pledge allegiance to the Flag of the tion our commitment to preserving our United States of America, and to the Repub- NATIONAL DEFENSE global interests, we have reversed the lic for which it stands, one nation under God, AUTHORIZATION ACT tide. We have invested in strength. We indivisible, with liberty and justice for all. Mr. MCCONNELL. Madam President, built a new national defense strategy The PRESIDING OFFICER (Mrs. this week, the Senate will pass the 60th and are investing in rebuilding and LOEFFLER). The Senator from Iowa. annual National Defense Authorization modernizing our military to help Mr. GRASSLEY. Madam President, I Act. Every year, this legislation lets achieve it. ask permission to speak for 1 minute in the Senate make our top priorities for This legislation will carry the morning business. protecting our homeland, our allies, progress even further—more support The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without and our global interests into law, and, for defense research and innovation, re- objection, it is so ordered. certainly, the recent behavior of our sources for military housing and f adversaries world over shows why this healthcare, tools to deepen our com- task is as urgent as ever. mitments with regional partners in Eu- SREBRENICA Even as our Nation is focused on rope and the Pacific. Mr. GRASSLEY. Madam President, fighting the pandemic at home, our For most Americans, investing in the there is an area in Bosnia that goes by servicemembers have contended with greatest fighting force in the world is the name of Srebrenica. This month is dangerous behavior from would-be not controversial. It is a no-brainer. the 25th anniversary of a massacre that competitors all around the world. The But lest we forget, the radical energy

∑ This ‘‘bullet’’ symbol identifies statements or insertions which are not spoken by a Member of the Senate on the floor.

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VerDate Sep 11 2014 00:21 Jul 23, 2020 Jkt 099060 PO 00000 Frm 00001 Fmt 4624 Sfmt 0634 E:\CR\FM\A22JY6.000 S22JYPT1 SSpencer on DSK126QN23PROD with SENATE S4364 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD — SENATE July 22, 2020 on the far left is sparking some truly know that we will never—never be able bate all together. They don’t try to win extraordinary behavior among our to deter such behavior if we sell our the contest. They just harangue the Democratic colleagues. own soldiers short and surrender our referees to stop the game. If they don’t Case in point, later today, we will technological edge. like an op-ed, they want it unpub- vote on an amendment that was adver- I assure you, Beijing and Moscow will lished. If they don’t like a tweet, they tised in an opinion essay by the junior be watching this vote. I ask my col- want to track down the author and get Senator from Vermont titled ‘‘Defund leagues on the other side of the aisle to them fired. If they don’t like a tenured the Pentagon: The Liberal Case.’’ This reject this far-left fantasy. Defeat this professor, they throw around Orwellian is the junior Senator from Vermont— amendment. Throughout the Cold War, accusations that his or her ideas make an essay titled ‘‘Defund the Pentagon: we maintained a bipartisan commit- them feel unsafe. The Liberal Case.’’ ment to American strength, American This hostile culture is getting re- You heard correctly. We have moved alliances, and a global peace built on sults. According to one brand-new sur- on from defunding local police to American values. We will reinforce vey, it is only the far-left Americans defunding the U.S. Armed Forces. that stand when we sink—sink the who do not feel compelled to self-cen- Maybe we will be sending social work- reckless Sanders-Schumer amendment sor their views because of a hostile cli- ers on overseas deployments, when and again when we pass this bipartisan mate. Everyone but the left feels the they aren’t too busy responding to vio- bill. threat. lent crimes. I am not sure. Senator f And 50 percent of self-identified SANDERS’ amendment would literally strong liberals say that simply contrib- decimate the defense budget. It would FREE SPEECH uting to the Republican Presidential rip 10 percent of it right out and pour Mr. MCCONNELL. Madam President, candidate ought to be a fireable offense the money into all the socialist fan- on a final matter, since the spring, our for a business leader. Let me say that tasies—free rent, free college, free ev- Nation has engaged in important con- again. Fifty percent of self-identified erything for everyone. versations about racial justice in polic- strong liberals say that simply contrib- Now, in light of the long-held views ing. uting to the Republican Presidential of our colleague from Vermont, a pro- Most people understand that con- candidate ought to be a fireable offense posal like this may not be particularly tinuing our Nation’s tremendous for a business leader. In this country? shocking. What is remarkable is that progress toward justice does not mean We recently saw the New York Times the Democratic leader—the leader of battling against American principles or apologize for publishing a straight- their caucus—felt pressured into en- American history. Progress means ful- forward policy argument from a U.S. dorsing it. filling our values, not attacking them. Senator. Since, an editorial staffer re- Let me say that again: The Demo- Yet a group of radicals have latched signed from the paper because even cratic leader, who in almost every floor onto this moment to say we should re- center-left opinions were not liberal speech tries to accuse this administra- pudiate our country itself. We have enough and led to her constant harass- tion of being too soft on America’s ad- watched as mobs have dragged statues ment. That was a recent editorial staff- versaries, wants to literally decimate of Washington, Jefferson, and Grant er resigning from the New York Times our defense budget to finance a social- through the dirt. And, in parallel, in- because her center-left opinions were ist spending spree. side many elite institutions, self-styled not liberal enough and led to her con- This turns out to be something of a intellectuals say we should similarly stant harassment at the times. You pattern. On the Democratic side, it discard the basic principles they fought see, the safe spaces only go in one di- sometimes seems like we have hawks for. rection. when it comes to speeches but chickens One of the key pillars of our Nation On elite campuses such as Princeton, when it comes time to make policy. is the rule of law. In a civilized society, we see faculty turning on their tenured When they are on the sidelines, there is the same laws need to apply to every- colleagues and even administrators plenty of bark, but whenever they ac- one. The times our Nation has fallen weighing in to chastise people with un- tually call a shot, there is zero bite. short on this score, particularly for all popular views. Lots of bark, little bite; all hat, no cat- the years when Black Americans were We see online platforms such as tle. completely denied the equal protec- Facebook threatening to ban political That is how we end up with spec- tions of law, it has been to our great advertising altogether, chilling our de- tacles like the Democratic leader play- shame. This has been central to the mocracy, because far-left employees acting as a Russian hawk, when about cause of civil rights. There is a reason and outside pressure groups berate a decade ago, he was publicly arguing the 14th amendment insists on ‘‘the them for letting the very speakers use we should cozy up to Putin, send Rus- equal protection of the laws.’’ their platform. sia billions of dollars of cash, pull the Yet, in recent months, local leaders Even at a time when there is signifi- plug on NATO missile defense pacts have violated this basic tenet. As riots cant appetite in Congress to take a sec- that hurt Putin’s feelings, and concede rocked major cities, we saw politicians ond look at the legal protections af- to him, ‘‘Russia’s traditional role’’ in decline to act. They seem to fear far- forded to those supposedly neutral the Caspian Sea region. left critique more than looting and platforms, they still contemplate giv- That was the Democratic leader in chaos. And we saw the uneven applica- ing an angry minority of agitators a 2008. Pay off Putin, and let him have tion of other rules, like when mayors veto over Americans’ political speech. his sphere of influence. And now today, cheered on mass demonstrations but The author Salman Rushdie, who was he wants to decimate defense spending. continued to prohibit religious gath- himself threatened with death for con- But in between, he spent years insist- erings. That is the rule of law in jeop- troversial speech, once said this: ing that Democrats want to get ardy. Of course, the last example is Two things form the bedrock of any open tough—want to get tough on foreign also a First Amendment issue. And the society—freedom of expression and rule of policy. freedom of expression itself is another law. If you don’t have those things, you don’t You see how the game works: sound principle that has come under threat. have a free country. like hawks on television, act like As I said a few weeks back, this goes Free expression and the rule of law— chickens when making policy. deeper than just constitutional law. exactly the two things we have seen Defense spending demonstrates our America has always prized the spirit of eroded in recent months. will to defend ourselves and our inter- the First Amendment. We citizens Rushdie recently signed an open let- ests in a dangerous world. Keeping our must want to protect an open, civil dis- ter with other intellectuals—many lib- Nation safe is our foremost constitu- course—a true marketplace of ideas. erals—sounding the alarm on this cul- tional duty. We cannot shirk it. But, lately, the political left has em- tural poison. ‘‘Editors are fired,’’ they My colleagues who profess concern braced something totally different. wrote, ‘‘books are withdrawn . . . jour- over Putin’s efforts to interfere in our Today’s far left is not interested in nalists are barred from writing on cer- politics, or Xi’s efforts to rewrite the winning debates with better argu- tain topics . . . professors are inves- rules of the international system, must ments. They prefer to shut down de- tigated . . . steadily narrow[ing] the

VerDate Sep 11 2014 00:21 Jul 23, 2020 Jkt 099060 PO 00000 Frm 00002 Fmt 4624 Sfmt 0634 E:\CR\FM\G22JY6.002 S22JYPT1 SSpencer on DSK126QN23PROD with SENATE July 22, 2020 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD — SENATE S4365 boundaries of what can be said without New York Times and cancel culture, Seriously, there are only 3 weeks left the threat of reprisal.’’ but there is not a word about COVID. until the August work period, and the Well, you can guess what happened People are ready to lose their unem- Republicans are still in the opening next. The grievance industrial complex ployment benefits, to lose their apart- phases of preparing their bill. We don’t came after the letter itself. The au- ments and be evicted. Local govern- have time for this mess that the Re- thors were accused of advancing big- ments are laying off people because publicans are in. The moratorium on otry and the cycle of nonsense started they don’t have the dollars. We are in evictions that we passed in the CARES all over again. a national crisis. Act expires in 2 days. The Wall Street The United States of America needs We don’t hear a word out of Leader Journal reports that nearly 12 million free speech. We need free expression. MCCONNELL as we are on the edge of so adults live in households that missed And all of us, from all perspectives, many cliffs. Instead, there is lots of their last rent payments and that 23 need the courage to speak up and de- talk about the New York Times and million have little or no confidence in fend it. cancel culture. That may be fodder for their ability to make the next ones. the far right. That is not what America Next week, the enhanced unemploy- f needs. ment benefits we passed in the CARES RESERVATION OF LEADER TIME When Leader MCCONNELL, at this cru- Act will expire while 20 to 30 million The PRESIDING OFFICER. Under cial moment, can’t even mention Americans will still be without work. the previous order, the leadership time COVID–19, it shows what a knot the A recent study showed that those en- is reserved. Republicans are tied in. The bottom hanced benefits prevented nearly 12 line is this: The White House Chief of million Americans from slipping into f Staff said Republicans ‘‘were on their poverty—12 million. Yet, because the CONCLUSION OF MORNING own 20 yard line’’ when it comes to Republicans can’t get their act to- BUSINESS their legislative proposal—their own gether, those benefits might expire The PRESIDING OFFICER. Morning 20-yard line, 2 months and a week after next week. business is closed. we passed the COVID 3 bill, after mil- Congress needs to act quickly. The lions more Americans applied for un- Senate Republicans and the White f employment, after many small busi- House need to get on the same page, LEGISLATIVE SESSION nesses went under, and many more died produce a proposal—not just drop it on and were hospitalized as COVID–19 the floor but start negotiations. Better rages in many Southern States. We are yet, we could start negotiations on the NATIONAL DEFENSE AUTHORIZA- still on the 20-yard line? Where have Heroes Act, which already passed the TION ACT FOR FISCAL YEAR the Republicans been? House, and, unlike the developing Re- 2021—Resumed I have never seen a political party in publican proposal, it would actually The PRESIDING OFFICER. Under the middle of a crisis so tied in a knot match the scale of this crisis. the previous order, the Senate will re- that the majority leader can’t even Speaker PELOSI and I met yesterday sume consideration of S. 4049, which mention it in his speech and spends with Chief of Staff Meadows and Sec- the clerk will report. time ranting against favorite targets of retary Mnuchin. Even with all of this The senior assistant legislative clerk the far right and can’t come up with a chaos, we have had some indications read as follows: proposal. about what the Republicans are trying A bill (S. 4049) to authorize appropriations This is not a game. This isn’t typical to do in their bill. Over the weekend, for fiscal year 2021 for military activities of Republican dysfunction about whether we heard that the administration was the Department of Defense, for military con- or not they did or didn’t see the Presi- trying to block additional funding for struction, and for defense activities of the dent’s last tweet. The disarray on the coronavirus testing and contact trac- Department of Energy, to prescribe military Republican side has real consequences. ing. President Trump has also ended personnel strengths for such fiscal year, and Americans will suffer unnecessary pain the CDC’s data collection efforts, po- for other purposes. and uncertainty because of it. tentially risking access to data that Pending: The only reason there hasn’t been an- public health experts so vitally need. Inhofe amendment No. 2301, in the nature other relief package in Congress al- So, when we met with Chief of Staff of a substitute. ready is due to this Republican incom- Meadows and Secretary Mnuchin, McConnell (for Portman) amendment No. petence and reckless delay. Even after Speaker PELOSI and I told them to 2080 (to amendment No. 2301), to require an all of these months, the White House back off these counterproductive and element in annual reports on cyber science and Senate Republicans are starkly di- dangerous ideas. and technology activities on work with aca- vided about what to do. The White In addition, we will be sending a let- demic consortia on high priority cybersecu- rity research activities in Department of De- House is insisting on policies, like a ter to the administration to demand fense capabilities. payroll tax cut, that would do nothing answers on how data is being reported RECOGNITION OF THE MINORITY LEADER to help millions of unemployed Ameri- to the White House, as well as pushing cans and that many Senate Repub- for legislation in the upcoming bill to The PRESIDING OFFICER. The licans don’t even support. The Repub- ensure that COVID–19 data is fully Democratic leader is recognized. licans can’t even seem to agree on transparent and accessible without CORONAVIRUS whether to provide any new aid for there being any interference from the Mr. SCHUMER. Madam President, State and local governments or if the administration. Democrat Senators returned to Wash- States should be able to more flexibly We know Donald Trump likes to hide ington on Monday prepared to work in use the support we have already given. the truth. He thinks, when the truth a bipartisan way on the next phase of A few of my friends on the other side doesn’t come forward and when he coronavirus relief. of the aisle hardly want to spend any muzzles government officials, that it After stalling for months while more money to help our country in this changes things. It doesn’t. The virus COVID–19 surged in more than 40 once-in-a-generation crisis because it still rages and will rage unless we do States, Senate Republicans finally said might add to the national debt. Giant something about it, not simply hide that now—the end of July, more than 3 corporate tax cuts—$1.5 trillion to $2 the statistics that show his depth in months after the CARES Act passed— trillion of them—are OK, but fighting mendacity. We will make sure that would be the time for another emer- the greatest public health crisis in a those statistics are made public so all gency bill. But here we are. It is in the century and forestalling a depression is of America, including the President, middle of the week, and the Republican a bridge too far? Where are the prior- will know how bad the situation is, be- Party is so disorganized, chaotic, and ities on the other side of the aisle? I cause that is what we need—the truth unprepared that they can barely cobble guess they are for helping big cor- to set us free and then to act on it. Let together a partisan bill in their own porate fat cats—wealthy people—but me repeat: If the administration re- conference. not average people who are hurting. fuses to reverse course, the Democrats Indicative was Leader MCCONNELL’s That is the trouble with the Repub- will insist on data transparency in the speech. He rants and raves about the lican Party. next COVID relief bill.

VerDate Sep 11 2014 00:21 Jul 23, 2020 Jkt 099060 PO 00000 Frm 00003 Fmt 4624 Sfmt 0634 E:\CR\FM\G22JY6.003 S22JYPT1 SSpencer on DSK126QN23PROD with SENATE S4366 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD — SENATE July 22, 2020 All of our efforts to bolster the econ- than in any 3-month period in the his- of Representatives passed the Heroes omy, help the unemployed, save small tory of the United States. That is a Act. Senator MCCONNELL has come to businesses, and ensure our children are stunning statistic. We are searching the floor regularly to ridicule that ef- safe at school will be meaningless if we the records to make sure that it is an fort because he doesn’t like the provi- don’t stop the spread of the virus. Hid- accurate statement, and I am afraid it sions in the act. It is his right to have ing COVID data from the CDC, as well is. a difference of opinion, but the obvious as foot-dragging on more testing and So far, we believe 140,000 Americans questions to Senator MCCONNELL are tracing, is absolutely incomprehensible have died of this COVID–19 crisis that these: Where is your alternative? What and imperils everything else we are we are facing. This is not a moment of have you been doing for the last 2 working on. So we need to make a law, American greatness. They have just months? You should have been writing and we need to make it soon. Right done a review of the nations across the a bill that we should be voting on as now, the infighting and partisanship on world and the safety of living in those soon as we finish the one that is pend- the Republican side and cockamamie nations that face this pandemic. Where ing on the floor. ideas, like hiding data from the CDC, does the United States rank among the Apparently, the White House and the are only adding to the delay. nations of the world in terms of safety Senate Republicans can’t come to any We also saw the return of President in dealing with the coronavirus? It agreement about how to move forward. Trump’s coronavirus press briefings ranks 58th—two ranks ahead of Russia. There are some who are basically say- yesterday. It is remarkable that Presi- How could we have reached this mo- ing: Enough. We are not going to spend dent Trump has lowered the bar so ment in time when this pandemic has another penny. We are not going to much that his performance yesterday been so devastating in the United waste any more money on any type of was seen as a change in tone. It is a States, more so than in many other COVID–19. very sad state of affairs in our country countries around the world—countries I have seen their testimony. I have when one day of the President’s read- that are supposedly not even close to seen their statements before the micro- ing statistics is hailed as leadership us in terms of economic development phones. That is hard to imagine. when that is what he should have been and strength? They have handled this I wonder if some of the Senators from doing all along. The mere acknowledg- far better than the United States. Yet States like Kentucky and Texas who ment by the President that COVID–19 what are we doing about it now? It is a have stepped up and said, ‘‘We have is raging through our country is some valid question. spent enough money on this,’’ have kind of breakthrough. Is that what I know that the President has de- been home recently. Have they been people believe? Is that what Trump cided he doesn’t want the likes of Dr. there to meet people who are unem- wants the people to believe? It is crazy. Tony Fauci by his side any longer ployed, out of work, or who have been The truth is, every time the Presi- when it comes to talking about this laid off who are receiving the Federal dent takes the podium, he is a risk to pandemic, but Dr. Fauci and Dr. Col- unemployment benefits to keep bread public health. We are 6 months into the lins, of the National Institutes of on the table and to pay for the their coronavirus, and the President has Health, were interviewed over the mortgages and their health insurance? only just come around to the idea that weekend and were asked directly about This $600 a week may sound like a wearing masks would be a good idea. the issue of testing. pretty generous amount of money to He deserves criticism for that belated Why does it take so long in the some. Try living on it. Try living on admission, not praise. We are 6 months United States to get results, and what $600 a week when it costs you $400 a into the crisis, and the President said kind of problems does that create? week for health insurance. Yes, that is yesterday that his administration is in Well, we know. If people suspect they the average on COBRA premiums—al- the process of developing a strategy are positive for this virus and go in for most $1,700 a month. So, when you talk that is going to be very, very power- a test, they are worried that they may about $600 a week, take out $1,600 or ful—6 months in. Countries in Europe be endangering their own lives, not to $1,700 off the top of that, and tell me and East Asia developed national test- mention the lives of others. Then, they what is left to take care of your fam- ing regimens ages ago. That is why have to wait 1 day, 2 days, 3 days, 6 ily. they are way ahead of us in fighting days—more—for the test results. That As for the last Federal unemploy- this crisis. is unacceptable. We need to invest ment payment under the CARES Act, Americans must be hanging their more money in testing and more Senator SCHUMER is right. It ends on heads in shame and disbelief that this money in finding tests to provide July 31—a week from Saturday. We administration is still trying to sort quicker results. have been told that the last checks will out the basics. Then, when he says he You would think that it would be ob- be mailed this Saturday, which is just is going to try and sort out the basics vious to everyone, but it is not obvious a few days from now. months and months too late, as the cri- in this negotiation that is taking place Three days from now, the last check sis has raged, people think he should now in the U.S. Senate. There are Re- goes out. While that check is making get praise? No, he should be criticized publican Senators who are resisting its way through the mail, is it even because he hasn’t done what he was the idea of putting more money into possible that the Republican leader- supposed to have been doing for testing in the United States. What ship, with the White House, will come months. country do they live in? Do they ever up with a proposal to deal with this? It President Trump started his press go home from Washington to see what has been 2 months. Senator MCCONNELL conference by labeling COVID–19 the is happening in the rest of this coun- said, during those 2 months, that he ‘‘China virus,’’ which shows the Presi- try? We closed down the testing facili- didn’t feel any sense of urgency—no dent is still trying to deflect blame and ties in my hometown of Springfield, IL, sense of urgency. Can you imagine the play political games with this deadly, this last week. It was disappointing, sense of urgency if you can’t make serious virus—games that are divisive. for we needed it, and we need more. your mortgage payment? Can you The truth is, more than anything or If we are serious about opening this imagine the sense of urgency if that anybody else, the responsibility for economy, if we are serious about stop- utility bill is so large you can’t pay it? America’s failure to deal competently ping the spread of this pandemic, and if That is the reality facing a lot of fami- with COVID–19 falls squarely on Presi- we are serious about opening our lies who have been laid off and are un- dent Trump’s shoulders. It is long past schools and making certain that teach- employed. I believe—and many agree— time for the President to start acting ers and pupils are safe, we need more that one of our highest priorities is to like it. testing. Yet here we are, tied in knots, make sure that the resources are there I yield the floor. as Senator SCHUMER said earlier. for the families. The PRESIDING OFFICER. The The Republicans can’t agree among I also want to say that we are in the Democratic whip. themselves about the issue of putting midst of this conversation about public Mr. DURBIN. Madam President, I money into testing in the midst of this health while the President and his read this morning that more Ameri- pandemic. It is hard to believe. It was party are trying to kill the Affordable cans have died in the last 3 months more than 2 months ago that the House Care Act in the Supreme Court. More

VerDate Sep 11 2014 00:21 Jul 23, 2020 Jkt 099060 PO 00000 Frm 00004 Fmt 4624 Sfmt 0634 E:\CR\FM\G22JY6.005 S22JYPT1 SSpencer on DSK126QN23PROD with SENATE July 22, 2020 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD — SENATE S4367 than 140,000 Americans have died from form, who make so many great sac- cuts. When you start exempting things this pandemic, and President Trump rifices for our country. But I have also like military pay and healthcare, it and the Republican Party are trying to discovered at the same time how poor- means the remaining items take a kill the major source of health insur- ly we manage the Department of De- deeper hit. ance for millions of Americans. For 10 fense. Our procurement system seems The 14-percent cut that has been pro- years, the Affordable Care Act has been designed to generate redtape, delays, posed for the remaining items at the the law of the land, and before it was and cost overruns. Our top adversaries Department of Defense would be a hard the law of the land, there were some around the world develop game-chang- hit, no question about it. As I have said things going on when it came to health ing technologies at a fraction of the many times, sequestration didn’t work, insurance which we should not forget. cost that it takes us to develop them. and we ought to learn a lesson from it. Routinely, health insurance compa- There is going to be an amendment The National Guard should not have nies discriminated against women be- on the floor today about future spend- a 14-percent cut. Special victims coun- fore we passed the Affordable Care Act ing in the Department of Defense of- sels and sexual assault prevention pro- and prohibited their practices. There fered by Senator SANDERS. I heard grams should not be cut by 14 percent. was a time when insurance companies what Senator MCCONNELL had to say Cleaning up PFAS contamination at were allowed to charge women more about it earlier. He seems to believe military bases should not be cut by 14 than men for the same health insur- that any suggestion that there is percent. Instead, we ought to look at ance policies. It was common for misspending in the Department of De- the Department of Defense budget women to pay three or four times what fense is not patriotic. Somehow you more carefully, not with an across-the- men pay for on the identical plans. are a chicken if you raise any ques- board cut. Important women’s healthcare was tions about waste in the Department of Let’s start with the $16 billion OCO often excluded from most insurance Defense. I couldn’t disagree more. gimmick. OCO is the account created plans. For instance, most individual The Sanders amendment proposes a to fight a war. We started this account policies refused to cover maternity or 10-percent budget cut in the Depart- years and years ago, when we actually newborn care. ment of Defense. Well, I have taken a were engaged in a war. We have kept it Insurance companies were allowed to look, as others have, at the failed au- alive to this day because it is a way to deny coverage and charge higher pre- dits, the cost overruns, and the scle- escape budget rules. miums to Americans with preexisting rotic bureaucracy at the Department of The OCO gimmick funds were re- conditions. That particular discrimina- Defense. I believe the American tax- quested for routine Army, Navy, and tion hurt women much more than men. payer deserves more. Air Force operations that have nothing Approximately 24 million American One of my early hearings in the De- to do with fighting a war in Afghani- men have preexisting conditions; 30 fense Appropriations Subcommittee fo- stan or any other place. The adminis- million American women. cused on the defense industrial base tration requested these funds for the Insurance companies could consider a and the threat of sequestration. The sole purposes of evading the caps on host of medical conditions to be pre- lives of our servicemembers often de- the base defense budget. Beyond that— existing conditions: breast cancer, C- pend on the equipment and training listen to this—the President of the sections, victims of domestic violence, provided. When managed well, the de- United States, who is arguing for this asthma, acne, heart disease—all pre- fense industrial base generates the best budget, was the first to raid it and take existing conditions. Before the Afford- equipment, next-generation tech- $8 billion or more out for his medieval able Care Act, that is what the health nology, good jobs, and powerful weap- wall on the southern border of the insurance companies pointed to when ons. However, I am concerned that United States. they charged women and others more holding defense contractors account- The $18 billion in weapons systems because of it. able for poor performance has not been overruns that I mentioned earlier— The Affordable Care Act put an end the priority it should be today. what could we do with $18 billion in to that, and now the Republicans want Listen to this: From 2016 to 2019, cost overruns? Well, you could increase to put an end to the Affordable Care military spending rose by 18 percent. the budget for the National Institutes Act. Well, you must say, they must During the same period of time, the of Health medical research by almost have a much better idea. There must be Department of Defense accumulated 50 percent. That is one thing. You a Republican proposal out there far $18 billion in cost overruns for weapons could provide student loan forgiveness better than the Affordable Care Act. programs. What about the contractors for healthcare workers or hazard pay There isn’t. We haven’t seen any. They who generated those cost overruns? for these same men and women who have no alternative. They just want to The top five defense contractors in risk their lives for us every day. kill anything that might have the America saw their profits increase by I have to tell you, there is need for us name ‘‘Obama’’ on it. 44 percent in that same period. This to look to space in terms of our future We have to do something about this doesn’t add up. defense. I still haven’t been sold on this to protect health insurance for the fu- Businesses have the right to earn a concept of the so-called Space Force. ture, and the notion that the Repub- profit, but taxpayers have the right to Putting millions of dollars into addi- licans and President Trump are fight- demand accountability. With defense tional bureaucratic costs is hard for me ing the Supreme Court to eliminate the spending on such a steep rise, we to understand or explain. Affordable Care Act in this moment in should be driven by the motto ‘‘pay for Ultimately, the Sanders amendment American history, when we are fight- performance.’’ I don’t believe that is is going to be considered in this au- ing this pandemic, is impossible to ex- the culture at the Department of De- thorization bill, but if it is going any- plain. fense today. where in concept, it will be in the Ap- AMENDMENT NO. 1788 Senator SANDERS wants to direct $74 propriations Committee, where I serve. Madam President, I have been hon- billion to communities across the Our work as appropriators is to exam- ored to work on the Defense Appropria- country—including many needy com- ine the details of the budget and make tions Subcommittee since December of munities in my State of Illinois—for the best decisions for the taxpayers 2012, when Senator Dan Inouye, the housing, healthcare, childcare, edu- and for our national defense. legendary Senator from Hawaii and re- cation, and jobs. Senator MCCONNELL I believe Senator SANDERS is on the cipient of a Congressional Medal of comes to the floor and calls that so- right track to demand accountability Honor, passed away. Since I have taken cialism. Socialism when it comes to and to ask that we find cost overruns that job, I have been impressed many education and childcare? I don’t agree and expenditures that can be changed times over by the extraordinary De- with him. without jeopardizing our national de- partment of Defense and the actions There is considerable merit to what fense. His exact approach is not one they have taken—the development of Senator SANDERS has to say about the that I would endorse, but I have to say technology like GPS, investing in crit- run-up in cost at the Department of that I stand behind his concept that we ical medical research, and the abiding Defense, but I do not agree with his need to ask harder questions about this commitment to women and men in uni- basic approach of across-the-board massive spending.

VerDate Sep 11 2014 00:21 Jul 23, 2020 Jkt 099060 PO 00000 Frm 00005 Fmt 4624 Sfmt 0634 E:\CR\FM\G22JY6.006 S22JYPT1 SSpencer on DSK126QN23PROD with SENATE S4368 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD — SENATE July 22, 2020 I yield the floor. workers and construction workers and that the Veterans Administration al- The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Sen- equipment manufacturing workers— ready presumes are the result of expo- ator from Rhode Island. who, in this indiscriminate, across-the- sure to Agent Orange by veterans dur- Mr. REED. Madam President, I rise board cut, would lose their jobs at a ing their military service in Vietnam. to comment, along with my colleague time when we can’t lose any jobs. This We know that exposure to the toxic Senator DURBIN, about the Sanders approach would be disruptive. I would chemical Agent Orange has had severe amendment. I must commend how not want to make a point to the dis- health consequences for veterans who thoughtful and knowledgeable Senator advantage of the thousands and thou- answered the Nation’s call to military DURBIN is about all these subjects. He sands of men and women who are work- service during the Vietnam conflict. has pointed out how there are too ing hard to take care of their families Recognizing this, the Veterans Admin- many military programs that are not all across this country. istration already presumes that certain well moderated and that have cost Again, we do have to make serious diseases affecting these veterans are overruns that result in excess cost to investments in communities across service connected as a result of the ex- the American public. We have to do this country that have been neglected, posure to Agent Orange. These diseases something about those things, and we and I have been consistent in support include non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma, soft also understand that we have huge de- of those efforts. We do have to make tissue sarcoma, respiratory cancers, mand with respect to nondefense investments in our infrastructure for myeloma and type 2 diabetes. spending that we have to meet also. our economic liability and our eco- We also know that there are other The Sanders amendment, as Senator nomic efficiency. We do have to pro- diseases that are not yet covered and DURBIN pointed out, would impose an vide support in many, many different that there are veterans who suffer from across-the-board cut to the Depart- ways that transcends and goes beyond these diseases, and this conclusion is ment of Defense, except for military just the Department of Defense. In supported by a scientific review by the personnel accounts and the defense fact, one could say that just as vital a National Academy of Medicine. Par- health programs. What he would call a part of our national defense as our kinson’s, bladder cancer, and 10-percent across-the-board cut, when military budget is our education budg- hypothyroidism should share the same you take out health and personnel, be- et and our healthcare budget because presumption of service connection as comes really a 14-percent cut to all the our strength is not just military forces; the diseases already presumed to be accounts at the Department of Defense. our strength is knowledgeable citizens, service connected. The danger, as so well illustrated by our strength is healthy citizens, and Our Vietnam veterans should not Senator DURBIN, is that this type of in- our strength is an efficient economic have the burden of proving by inde- discriminate getting rid of the good system. pendent evidence that their diseases and paying for the bad that doesn’t But I think this approach, as I sug- were caused by exposure to Agent Or- really work. It doesn’t make sense. It gested today and I think the sugges- ange. The failure to add these condi- reminds us all of the battles we had tion from Senator DURBIN also was tions to the Veterans Administration’s over sequestration, where Depart- that this just across-the-board ap- presumptive list continues to deny sick ments—not only the Department of De- proach is good for a headline, it is good and aging veterans the healthcare and fense but the civilian Departments— to make a point, but we are here to compensation that they have earned had to fund programs because they met make policy, and I hope we do make through service to our Nation and that the cap and then cut other programs policy. I hope we can continue in this they desperately need. that were much more valuable because National Defense Authorization Act to Senator TESTER’s amendment begins they exceeded the cap. That is not a try to argue about issues that people to remedy this inequity, and I urge all way, as they proverbially say, to run a feel are not appropriate spending or if, Senators to vote for the Tester amend- railroad, nor the Department of De- in fact, we need more spending and ment. fense. that in the appropriations process we With that, I yield the floor. So we do have to look for specific will do that once again. The PRESIDING OFFICER (Mr. areas to cut, and, as Senator DURBIN Just as a reminder, this bill adheres SASSE). The Senator from Alaska. said, a great deal of that is done and to the Bipartisan Budget Act of 2019. It Mr. SULLIVAN. Mr. President, in will be done in the Appropriations is the final year of the Budget Act. So about an hour we are going to take a Committee where he is the ranking the numbers we are talking about vote that our servicemembers around member. I am a colleague on the com- today for the Department of Defense the world will likely be watching. It is mittee, and each year we have the are not willy-nilly; they were not nego- a critical vote on the amendment of challenge of taking the authorization tiated without the context of non- my colleague from Vermont to blindly that says ‘‘you may do this’’ and actu- defense spending. It was a bipartisan cut defense spending, taking a hatchet ally putting in the money to do it, and agreement to set the levels of spending to the already agreed-upon Bipartisan that effort is usually valuable, as is the for both defense and nondefense, and Budget Act. authorization effort, and critically im- that is what we are doing here today. We have heard from my colleague portant. We need a serious discussion about JACK REED from Rhode Island, who is We have to make sure that a result of national spending priorities, not just part of the strong leadership on the our deliberations is, first, the resources defense spending priorities but prior- Armed Services Committee and just that are necessary to protect the men ities that look back to poor commu- spoke out against it, and I am going to and women in the Armed Forces who nities, industrial policy, infrastruc- speak out against it. protect us and also provide for the ture, education, daycare, the impact of I am going to spend some time ex- quality of life of their families and ul- artificial intelligence on the work- plaining what this means. This is not timately, of course, that we are able to place. We have a lot to do, and I think just one amendment. This has national deter any threat, and if not, defeat we should get on to doing it but not implications, and if you are watching that threat decisively. with the shorthand message of ‘‘let’s in America, I want you to think about This is a very important endeavor, cut everything here, and put it over what is really going on here. and, again, suggesting that we just cut there.’’ Let’s look at the serious issues, First of all, my colleague from across the board and then put it some- and let’s confront them, and let’s pro- Vermont says that it is a 10-percent place else is not, I think, commensu- pose serious solutions. cut, but it is going exempt military rate with the kind of approach that we So because of these indiscriminate personnel and healthcare accounts— must take and we have to take going cuts, I will be forced to oppose this which is true as part of the amend- forward. amendment by Senator SANDERS. ment—but it is actually going to com- The other factor, too, is that there There is another amendment that pensate for the other cuts, so it is actu- are real ramifications for this that are will come before us today proposed by ally a 14-percent across-the-board cut not sometimes obvious. There are lit- Senator TESTER, and that is one I do to the Department of Defense. That is erally thousands and thousands—not support. Senator TESTER’s amendment the amendment we are going to vote just military personnel but civilian will add additional diseases to those on.

VerDate Sep 11 2014 00:21 Jul 23, 2020 Jkt 099060 PO 00000 Frm 00006 Fmt 4624 Sfmt 0634 E:\CR\FM\G22JY6.008 S22JYPT1 SSpencer on DSK126QN23PROD with SENATE July 22, 2020 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD — SENATE S4369 To paraphrase one of our great Presi- Here is what happened. The greatest are from the other side of the aisle, but dents, Ronald Reagan: There they go military power in the world in 1945 was there are principle disagreements on again. There they go again. the U.S. military. We had just won key issues between some on this side of I chair the Subcommittee on Readi- World War II. By 1950, due to dramatic the aisle and the other side. One of ness of the Armed Services Committee. defense cuts, lack of training, lack of them is about the degree to which we One of the reasons I ran for the Senate readiness, our military had a very dif- support our military and national de- in 2014 was exactly this issue of mili- ficult time halting the invasion of a fense. tary readiness. As a colonel in the U.S. third-world army, the North Korean I know all of my colleagues are patri- Marine Corps Reserve, I had a little bit army. otic. I don’t like doing the patriotism of an up close and personal view on it. For the history buffs who understand argument. Every Member of this body, The readiness of our Armed Forces in Korean war history—the military cer- all 100—we love our country. But there the second term of the Obama adminis- tainly does—they know what Task are some impressions when you look at tration was plummeting. In the second Force Smith was. It was the first what goes on here, when you look at term of the Obama administration, de- American unit that went in to stop the the sweep of history with regard to fense spending was cut by 25 percent, North Korean army. Task Force Smith readiness and funding our military. and, with that, the readiness of the was obliterated. Hundreds were killed Again, to my Democratic colleagues men and women in the military plum- in the summer of 1950. As a matter of on the Armed Services Committee, De- meted. By the way, at the same time fact, thousands of young Americans fense Appropriations, who, like me, at- defense spending was cut by 25 percent, died horrible deaths during the summer tend the hearings regularly, dig into Russia was increasing defense spending of 1950 because the leadership in Con- the issues, know the threats our coun- by 34 percent, and China was increasing gress, the leadership in the executive try faces, I think we work together to by 83 percent. branch, and the leadership in the Pen- rebuild readiness. But at the national So let me just give an example. These tagon let the readiness of our Armed level, here are the facts. Think about numbers actually were classified, and Forces plummet. Let me repeat that: 70 it. Carter, Clinton, Obama, Biden— they have been declassified. In 2015, years ago right now—if you look back what do those administrations all have when I arrived in the Senate, these 70 years ago in the summer of 1950 on in common? They get into power, and were some of the numbers relating to the Korean Peninsula—thousands of they cut our military, and morale readiness. Remember, we are supposed young Americans were being killed be- plummets, and readiness plummets. to be in charge of readiness here. Three cause they weren’t trained and they Let me go a little bit closer to home. of the 58 brigade combat teams in the weren’t ready. Since I have been elected, the No. 1 bill U.S. Army—the brigade combat team This was probably one of the biggest my colleagues on the other side of the is the 5,000 men and women deployed derelictions of duty in U.S. history. Be- aisle have filibustered—the No. 1 bill block in our military, and 3 of the 58 cause it is a forgotten war, not many when they want to take something hos- were at the tier 1 level of readiness people know about it. But it was a dra- tage—is the Defense appropriations that you want for a deployed unit. You matic failure of leadership in the Con- bill. Ten times, since I have been in can understand why that was classified gress, the executive branch, and the this body, the funding for our men and in 2015 because we certainly didn’t military. The military even has a say- women has been pulled in as a hos- want our adversaries to know that. So ing for this: ‘‘No more Task Force tage—ten times. No other bill in the 5 percent of the U.S. Army was fully Smith.’’ We will never ever—ever—let last 51⁄2 years, since I have been here, ready to fight. Less than half of Marine our young men and women go fight a has been filibustered more than the De- Corps Navy aviation could fly—another war where they are unprepared, and be- fense appropriations bill. classified number, now unclassified. cause of that, they die. Our friends in the media never report Training and flight time for all mili- I agree we need to do all we can to on this, but that is one of the issues tary pilots plummeted. address many of the social issues that When I arrived in 2015, the Obama ad- my colleague from Vermont highlights, that really burns me up here because it ministration proposed a cut of another particularly during this pandemic. But happens all the time. Trust me, our 40,000 Active-Duty troops for the U.S. we must never, as a Congress, gut our troops know it. They watch it, and Army. One of the units they were look- military readiness to such a degree they know it. ing to cut was the 4th Brigade of the that our young men and women come Now we have a Sanders amendment 25th Infantry Division—the 4–25 at home in body bags as opposed to vic- for across-the-board DOD cuts of 14 JBER in Alaska, the only airborne tors. That is what happened in the percent just as we are digging out of combat team in the Asia Pacific. I put summer of 1950. the readiness hole that we all know every ounce of my energy into fighting We were on a path toward this dan- that we are in. If you don’t acknowl- that misguided decision. The 4–25 was gerous lack of readiness during the sec- edge it, you are not paying attention. not cut, thankfully. All the rest of the ond term of the Obama administration. The Senate minority leader has re- 40,000 were cut. We are still digging out I cited the numbers. I chair the Sub- cently come out in favor of the Sanders of that hole. committee on Readiness. I have been amendment. I wonder where Joe Biden So I want to throw something out all focused on this issue of rebuilding is on the Sanders amendment. there because people don’t think about our readiness. Of course, as my colleague from Illi- it. Imagine if there had been a major Here is the good news. With the Re- nois just mentioned, the Pentagon contingency or, yes, a war in 2015 with publicans in control in the Senate and must do a better job of managing waste these readiness numbers. Sometimes the White House, we have begun to dra- and cost overruns. I fully agree with wars hit us when we are least expecting matically rebuild our military and our that. In fact, the Trump administra- them. I am going to talk about that. readiness. This has been a priority of tion was the first administration to fi- I will tell you this: It would have ours. This has certainly been a priority nally undertake an audit of the Pen- been very ugly—not only for our na- of mine. Many of my colleagues, Demo- tagon. Again, Democrats and Repub- tional security but more importantly crats and Republicans, particularly on licans on the Armed Services Com- for our troops—for the men and women the Armed Services Committee, have mittee pressed for it, and we finally got we are supposed to make sure are been working on rebuilding our mili- it. It took decades, but an audit of the trained so that they never have to go tary. When we were looking at these Pentagon has finally happened. into a fair fight, so we know they are numbers, so many people on the Armed Make no mistake, the Sanders always going to win. Services Committee, including JACK amendment is the first salvo in the na- We just celebrated the 70th anniver- REED, who just gave a very eloquent tional Democratic leadership’s goal of sary of the outbreak of the Korean war speech, recognized, whoa—dangerous defunding the military across the on June 25, 1950. I am a bit of a Korean world, dangerous neighborhood, and a board. If you don’t want to take my war history buff. I will tell you this: military that is not ready. So we got to word for it, here is the POLITICO op-ed What we didn’t celebrate was actually work. from Senator SANDERS about his what happened in the summer of 1950 I enjoy my bipartisan work here in amendment titled: ‘‘Defund the Pen- at the outbreak of the Korean war. the Senate. Some of my best friends tagon: The Liberal Case.’’

VerDate Sep 11 2014 00:21 Jul 23, 2020 Jkt 099060 PO 00000 Frm 00007 Fmt 4624 Sfmt 0634 E:\CR\FM\G22JY6.009 S22JYPT1 SSpencer on DSK126QN23PROD with SENATE S4370 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD — SENATE July 22, 2020 ‘‘Defund the Pentagon’’—there they He will be greatly missed. He is walls benefits, more and more veterans go again. This is a really important somebody they only make one of, an are forced to live with the detrimental issue. I hope my colleagues on both incredible human being. effects of their exposure without the sides of the aisle defeat this amend- AMENDMENT NO. 1972, AS MODIFIED assistance that not only they have ment overwhelmingly—overwhelm- Mr. TESTER. Mr. President, I call up earned but that we owe them—veterans ingly. The men and women of the mili- amendment No. 1972, as modified, and like Bill Garber from Great Falls, MT. tary are watching this amendment. ask that it be reported by number. In 1967, Bill enlisted in the U.S. The men and women of the military The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Army, and within 6 months he was sent know that their readiness 5 years ago clerk will report. to fight in Vietnam, where he served as was in a really bad state. The legislative clerk read as follows: a combat engineer and demolitions ex- The vote today and what is going to The Senator from Montana [Mr. TESTER] pert with the 11th Armored Cavalry happen later—literally, if you look at proposes an amendment numbered 1972, as Regiment, 1st Brigade Combat Team of history, we never know when the next modified, to amendment No. 2301. the 101st Airborne Division. During his conflict is coming. We didn’t know that The amendment is as follows: yearlong tour in Vietnam, Bill saw in the summer of 1950, the military was (Purpose: To expand the list of diseases asso- heavy combat, and like most military going to be rushed to the Korean Pe- ciated with exposure to certain herbicide folks who were in Vietnam, was ex- ninsula and would barely be able to agents for which there is a presumption of posed to Agent Orange. hold its own. Thousands died because service connection for veterans who served Now, more than 50 years later, after they weren’t ready because of defense in the Republic of Vietnam) his service and his sacrifice, Bill suf- cuts by the Congress and the executive At the end of subtitle G of title X, add the fers from tremors diagnosed as branch and the Pentagon. following: Parkinsonism, one of the three condi- So this is an important vote. The SEC. ll. ADDITIONAL DISEASES ASSOCIATED tions that would be covered by the De- lives of the men and women in our WITH EXPOSURE TO CERTAIN HER- BICIDE AGENTS FOR WHICH THERE partment of Veterans Affairs if this military and their readiness could well IS A PRESUMPTION OF SERVICE amendment passes. Bill’s story is he- depend on this vote, and I urge my col- CONNECTION FOR VETERANS WHO roic, but the truth is, he is one of tens leagues on both sides of the aisle to SERVED IN THE REPUBLIC OF VIET- of thousands of Vietnam veterans in strongly reject it. NAM. Section 1116(a)(2) of title 38, United States this country who are still waiting for I yield the floor. this White House to grant them the The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Sen- Code, is amended by adding at the end the following new subparagraphs: benefits they have earned. ator from Montana. ‘‘(I) Parkinsonism. No more waiting. No more trying to REMEMBERING JIM POSEWITZ ‘‘(J) Bladder cancer. outlive the Vietnam veteran. My Mr. TESTER. Mr. President, before I ‘‘(K) Hypothyroidism.’’. amendment directs the Department of call up my amendment and get to the Mr. TESTER. Mr. President, I want Veterans Affairs to acknowledge the issue of our veterans in this country, I to turn to the issue of the day, and overwhelming scientific evidence al- want to say a few words about a good that is this amendment to the National ready put forward by veterans, sci- friend and a legendary Montana con- Defense Authorization Act. entists, and medical experts, and pro- servationist named Jim Posewitz, who Senator REED talked about it a few vide Vietnam veterans with the bene- passed away a few weeks ago. minutes ago because, quite frankly, He was a towering figure in Montana fits they have earned in service to our justice is long overdue for thousands of and in the history of conservation in country. veterans who are currently suffering our great State. He was a man who Today, we have an opportunity to and dying from illnesses related to ex- knew right from wrong, and Montanans end the needless suffering and dis- posure to Agent Orange in Vietnam. know that he was almost always right appointment for an entire generation You know, one of our most sacred du- and seldom wrong. of veterans who are counting on Con- Poz’s accomplishments are too long ties is to take care of those who are gress to simply do the right thing. The to list, but any Montanan who fished in wounded in service to this country, and reality is that taking care of our vet- the Missouri River, learning the ethics the fact is, this administration, the erans is a cost of war and is a cost that of hunting or hiking in Montana’s Trump administration, has refused to must be paid. We must hold this ad- Rocky Mountain Front, owes a deep expand the list of presumptive health ministration accountable on behalf of debt of gratitude to Poz’s more than 30 conditions associated with Agent Or- thousands of veterans like Bill who years of work for the Montana Fish, ange to cover illnesses such as bladder gave so much for this country, and I Wildlife, and Parks and to his post-re- cancer, hypothyroidism, and urge my colleagues to get this done tirement work as a conservation advo- Parkinsonism. They don’t seem to with a ‘‘yes’’ vote on this amendment cate, ethicist, and leader. think that exposure to these toxic so we can end the wait for veterans The Wilderness Act of 1964 says that chemicals in Vietnam is a cost of war. who have already sacrificed greatly America’s wildest places are those Well, let me tell you, they are wrong. and who shouldn’t be forced to wait 1 where man himself is a visitor. Poz un- It is a cost of war. The fact is, this ad- minute longer. derstood that power, that magic, and ministration wants to outlive the Viet- I yield the floor. the importance of these places. He was nam veterans, and they don’t want to The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Sen- relentless in his fight to protect them, pay for it. ator from Vermont. and he was uncompromising in his Every time we get in a situation— Mr. LEAHY. Mr. President, in a few faith that they bring us closer to na- and I should say the last time we got in minutes we will vote on the Sanders ture, to each other, and to ourselves. a situation, for sure—we sent off our amendment, which I support. As vice He never stopped fighting for Montana young men and women in the military, chairman of the Senate Appropriations and for the wild places in Montana. and we put the cost on the credit card Committee, I have worked with the Re- My heart goes out to Poz’s family, for our kids to pay and don’t think a publican leadership and with Chairman including his life partner Gayle; his thing about it, but when they come SHELBY in recent years to strike budg- sons, Brian, Allen, Carl; Matthew and back and they are changed, all of a sud- et agreements that resulted in parity Matthew’s wife Heather and their den, we don’t want to pay for it, espe- between defense and nondefense spend- daughters, Sarah and Lindsay; his son cially when these conditions, in par- ing. At the same time, amid a national Andrew and Andrew’s wife Kelly and ticular, already meet the historical and international public health crisis, their daughters Madison and Charlotte; standard to be added to the Depart- the need to infuse more resources into his stepdaughter Ann and Ann’s hus- ment of Veterans Affairs’ presumptive public health, education, and business band Nate and their children, Joslin list for service connection. development programs has never been and Lyzander; his stepson Clayton and Now, this is not just me talking. This greater. Clayton’s wife Michelle and daughter is the National Academies of Medicine I have heard from my Republican col- Ayla. Poz is also survived by his broth- weighing in with their reviews of sci- leagues on the floor objecting to the er John and John’s wife Mary and their entific evidence—scientific evidence. Sanders amendment. I would say to four children. Each day this administration stone- them that if they feel that strongly—

VerDate Sep 11 2014 03:35 Jul 23, 2020 Jkt 099060 PO 00000 Frm 00008 Fmt 4624 Sfmt 0634 E:\CR\FM\G22JY6.011 S22JYPT1 SSpencer on DSK126QN23PROD with SENATE July 22, 2020 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD — SENATE S4371 this is not authorized—but if they feel When you see something that is not right (2) the amount equal to 14 percent of the that strongly, they should tell their . . . you have a moral obligation to say aggregate amount described in paragraph (1). Republican leadership to allow the ap- something. To do something. Our children (b) ALLOCATION.—The reduction made by propriations bill to come up so they and their children will ask us, ‘‘What did you subsection (a) shall— do?’’ can actually vote on the Defense bill. (1) apply on a pro rata basis among the ac- counts and funds for which amounts are au- Right now, this is just idle chatter That is a question all of us must ask ourselves. thorized to be appropriated by this Act when they object to Senator SANDERS’ (other than military personnel and the De- VOTING RIGHTS ADVANCEMENT ACT amendment, and yet they are unwilling fense Health Program); themselves to actually vote up or down Mr. President, there is one thing I (2) be applied on a pro rata basis across on the appropriations bill for not only am doing today that I want to share each program, project, and activity funded the Department of Defense bill but the with my fellow Senators and Ameri- by the account or fund concerned; and other Departments. The Sanders cans. Today, I am reintroducing the (3) be used by the Secretary of the Treas- amendment, after all, maintains full Voting Rights Advancement Act, and ury to carry out the grant program described in subsection (c). support for the personnel needs of the we are renaming it the John Lewis (c) GRANT PROGRAM.— Department of Defense, as well as the Voting Rights Advancement Act. This is bipartisan legislation. It has (1) ESTABLISHMENT.—There is established critical medical research supported in the Department of the Treasury a grant throughout the Department. It would 47 Senate cosponsors. It would safe- guard what John fought over a lifetime program through which the Secretary of the also take some of the Department’s Treasury shall, in coordination with the Sec- sweeping budget and reserve it for un- to achieve: equality at the voting retary of Education, the Secretary of Health derfunded domestic needs. This is long booth. The bill would restore the Vot- and Human Services, the Secretary of Agri- overdue. ing Rights Act to end the scourge of culture, the Secretary of Housing and Urban I again call on my Republican col- minority voter suppression. Development, the Secretary of the Interior, leagues to stop talking about the Now, the House already passed a and the Administrator of the Environmental companion to the John Lewis Voting Protection Agency, provide grants to eligible money you want or don’t want to entities in accordance with the requirements spend. Tell the Republican leader to Rights Advancement Act in December. Now let’s do our part. We can’t claim of this subsection. allow the appropriations bills to come (2) APPLICATION.—An eligible entity that to honor the life of John Lewis if we to the floor and vote up or down. desires a grant under this subsection shall refuse to carry out his life’s work. Of REMEMBERING JOHN LEWIS submit to the Secretary of the Treasury an course, if we stand in the way of that Mr. President, on another issue, I application in such form and containing such work, that would be the wrong thing to have had such an incredibly heavy information as the Secretary may require. do. (3) PURPOSES.— heart since I heard Friday night my So I would urge my fellow Senators, (A) PERMISSIBLE PURPOSES.—An eligible en- dear friend and hero, John Lewis join me in calling on Senator MCCON- tity that receives a grant under this sub- passed away. I stand here on the Sen- NELL to allow a vote up or down on the section may use the grant funds for any of ate floor today to talk about him. John Lewis Voting Rights Advance- the following: When I got a call at our home in (i) To construct, renovate, retrofit, or per- ment Act. Vermont late that night, my wife, my form maintenance with respect to an afford- Let’s do that for John, but let’s not son, and I just sat there and talked able housing unit, a public school, a do it simply because it is named after about John for hours and cried. We childcare facility, a community health cen- him but because it is precisely what knew America lost a genuine hero—an ter, a public hospital, a library, or a clean John would do. And if we have a moral drinking water facility if any such building unwavering lodestar who, over decades compass, we should do it and take ac- or facility is located within the jurisdiction of selfless activism and public service, tion to forge a more perfect Union, pro- of the eligible entity. drew us closer to our ideals. (ii) To remove contaminants, including I remember when he invited me in to tect our democracy, and above all, do what is right. lead, from infrastructure with respect to the watch actually a sit-in by Democratic provision of drinking water if that infra- I yield the floor. Members in the House of Representa- structure is located within the jurisdiction The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Sen- of the eligible entity. tives when the Republican Speaker had ator from Vermont. closed down the House for them to (iii) To replace, remove, or renovate a va- AMENDMENT NO. 1788 have votes. He saw me outside, and I cant or blighted property that is located Mr. SANDERS. Mr. President, I call within the jurisdiction of the eligible entity. asked him what is going on, and he up amendment No. 1788, and I ask that (iv) To hire public school teachers to re- said: You are my brother. duce class size at public schools within the He took me by the arm, brought me it be reported by number. The PRESIDING OFFICER. The jurisdiction of the eligible entity. in, and sat me down in the well of the clerk will report the amendment by (v) To increase the pay of teachers at pub- House to watch what was going on. I lic schools within the jurisdiction of the eli- number. was always humbled and honored to be gible entity. The legislative clerk read as follows: called his brother, as he often did when (vi) To provide nutritious meals to chil- The Senator from Vermont [Mr. SANDERS] we were together, including an unfor- dren and parents who live within the juris- for himself and Mr. MARKEY, proposes an diction of the eligible entity. gettable visit he had with us in amendment numbered 1788 to amendment (vii) To provide free tuition to residents Vermont just last year. No. 2301. within the jurisdiction of the eligible entity I have been thinking so much of what The amendment is as follows: to attend public institutions of higher edu- we can say, and there aren’t enough (Purpose: To reduce the bloated Pentagon cation, including vocational and trade words—there certainly aren’t—in pay- budget by 10 percent and invest that schools. ing tribute to a man whose life was de- money in jobs, education, health care, and (viii) To provide rental assistance to resi- fined by the relentless and fearless pur- housing in communities in the United dents within the jurisdiction of the eligible suit of equality. John bled, literally, States in which the poverty rate is not less entity. and his bones were broken, literally, than 25 percent) (ix) To reduce or eliminate homelessness within the jurisdiction of the eligible entity. for the causes of civil rights. He came At the end of subtitle A of title X, add the (B) IMPERMISSIBLE PURPOSES.—An eligible following: to Congress bearing those scars—a liv- entity that receives a grant under this sub- ing, breathing reminder that our soci- SEC. lll. REDUCTION IN AMOUNT AUTHOR- section may not use the grant funds— IZED TO BE APPROPRIATED FOR FIS- ety’s progress on racial equality came CAL YEAR 2021 BY THIS ACT; ESTAB- (i) to construct a law enforcement facility, through the sacrifices of heroes like LISHMENT OF GRANT PROGRAM TO including a prison or a jail; or him. REDUCE POVERTY AND INVEST IN (ii) to purchase a vehicle for a law enforce- In Congress, John Lewis stood with DISTRESSED COMMUNITIES. ment agency. equal moral clarity, serving as its con- (a) IN GENERAL.—The amount authorized (4) DEFINITIONS.—In this subsection— science and reminding us that our to be appropriated for fiscal year 2021 by this (A) the term ‘‘eligible entity’’ means— Act is— (i) a county government with respect to a work to build a genuinely equal and (1) the aggregate amount authorized to be high-poverty county; just society remains unfinished. His appropriated for fiscal year 2021 by this Act (ii) a local or municipal government within thundering words just months ago echo (other than for military personnel and the the jurisdiction of which there are not fewer even more loudly today. He said: Defense Health Program); minus than 5 high-poverty neighborhoods; and

VerDate Sep 11 2014 04:54 Jul 23, 2020 Jkt 099060 PO 00000 Frm 00009 Fmt 4624 Sfmt 0634 E:\CR\FM\G22JY6.013 S22JYPT1 SSpencer on DSK126QN23PROD with SENATE S4372 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD — SENATE July 22, 2020 (iii) a federally recognized Indian Tribe don’t talk about it much, but we That is where we are today: hunger, that exercises jurisdiction over Indian lands should, and that is that 600 billionaires homelessness, racism, a warming and (as defined in section 824(b) of the Indian in our country have seen their wealth dangerously warming climate. These Health Care Improvement Act (25 U.S.C. go up by $700 billion during the pan- are the issues that we have to focus on. 1680n(b))) that contain high-poverty neigh- demic. So we entered this pandemic borhoods; Our attention must be on improving (B) the term ‘‘high-poverty county’’ means with massive income and wealth in- the lives of ordinary Americans—work- a county with a poverty rate of not less than equality since the pandemic, and the ing people, lower income people—and 25 percent, according to the Small Area In- very rich have become even richer, doing what we can to work with coun- come and Poverty Estimates of the Bureau while working people have seen a sig- tries around the world to help the bil- of the Census for 2018; nificant decline in their income and lions of people living in economic dis- (C) the term ‘‘high-poverty neighborhood’’ wealth. tress. means a census tract with a poverty rate of The current crisis, or series of crises, With that, I rise today to make it not less than 25 percent, according to the 5- have revealed the extraordinary in- abundantly clear that if we are going year estimate of the American Community equities in our economy. If people Survey of the Bureau of the Census for years to address those issues, if we are going 2014 through 2018; and didn’t know it before, they surely know to protect the working families of this (D) the term ‘‘public school’’ means a pub- it now. country who are now under so much lic elementary school or secondary school, as In the United States today, over half stress, it is absolutely imperative that those terms are defined in section 8101 of the of our workers live paycheck to pay- we change our national priorities. Elementary and Secondary Education Act of check. Not surprisingly, when you live The status quo and conventional wis- 1965 (20 U.S.C. 7801). paycheck to paycheck, and the pay- dom that we see on TV every day and Mr. SANDERS. Mr. President, I check stops coming in, you are in fi- that we hear on the floor of the Senate thank Senator LEAHY for his support of nancial distress. That means that your is no longer good enough. History has our amendment, for his beautiful words economic situation goes from poverty, overtaken us. Unprecedented crises on John Lewis, and for his insistence which is low wages, to desperation, have overtaken us. The status quo is that this Senate makes sure that every which is no income coming in at all. not good enough. We must respond. American has the right to vote. That is That means that you go hungry. It We must finally have the courage to not asking too much, and that is a bill means that you may become homeless. stand up to powerful special interests we should deal with. It means that when you get sick, you and all of their campaign money and Mr. President, I rise to speak in sup- no longer have health insurance or the understand that we cannot allow these port of the amendment I have filed for income to see a doctor. people to continue to have so much the National Defense Authorization What the pandemic has taught us is power over the economic and political Act to cut the bloated $740 billion Pen- that a relatively low unemployment life of this country; that we must start tagon budget by 10 percent and use rate, which is what we had before the developing policies that work for work- that $74 billion in savings to invest in pandemic, does not adequately guar- ing families, not just the rich, not just antee for the security and well-being of human needs here at home. the powerful, and not just those who working families. This amendment is being cosponsored contribute to super PACs. When tens of millions of our people by Senators MARKEY, WARREN, Fifty-three years ago, Dr. Martin Lu- earn starvation wages, that is not a MERKLEY, WYDEN, and Senator LEAHY ther King, Jr., challenged our country good economy. When 40 percent of our and will receive a rollcall at 12:10 p.m. to fight against three major evils: ‘‘The This amendment has been endorsed people do not have the savings to pay evil of racism, the evil of poverty, and by more than 60 organizations rep- for a $400 emergency, that is not what the evil of war.’’ That was what Dr. resenting millions of working people, I would call a good economy. When King said 53 years ago. And if there environmentalists, and religious lead- over half a million Americans are were ever a moment in American his- ers, including Public Citizen, the Union homeless and 18 million families spend tory when we need to respond to Dr. of Concerned Scientists, and Physi- at least half of their incomes on hous- cians for Social Responsibility. ing, that is not a good economy. When King’s clarion call for justice and de- In America today, we are experi- 87 million people are uninsured or mand, as he stated, ‘‘a radical revolu- encing an extraordinary set of crises underinsured, that is not a good econ- tion of values,’’ now is that time. This unprecedented in the history of the omy. In other words, to create a good is the moment for us to bring about United States of America. We are in economy, we are going to have to do a what Dr. King called ‘‘a radical revolu- the midst of a public health crisis that whole lot better than that. tion of values,’’ whether it is fighting is worse than at any time since the Further, over the last few months, against systemic racism and police Spanish flu of 1918. Over the past 4 hundreds of thousands of Americans brutality, whether it is transforming months, the coronavirus has infected have taken to the streets to demand our energy system away from fossil more than 3.7 million Americans and justice for the murders of George fuel, whether it is ending a cruel and caused nearly 140,000 deaths. Floyd, Breonna Taylor, Rayshard dysfunctional healthcare system, or We are in the midst of the worst eco- Brooks, and Ahmaud Arbery, among addressing the grotesque level of in- nomic downturn since the Great De- many others, and to end the rampant come and wealth inequality in our pression. During the COVID–19 pan- police brutality that we see in America country, now is the time for change, demic, 119 million Americans have seen today. These tragic killings of unarmed real change. a decline in their income—unbeliev- African Americans have highlighted In my view, given all of the unprece- able. One hundred and nineteen million the urgent need to rethink the nature dented crises our country faces, now is Americans have seen a decline in their of policing and to fix a broken and rac- not the time to increase the Penta- income, 50 million have filed for unem- ist criminal justice system. gon’s bloated $740 billion budget, which ployment, and American households On top of all of that—on top of a pan- is 53 percent of all discretionary spend- have lost over $6 trillion in wealth. demic, on top of an economic collapse, ing in America. Let me repeat that. All over this country—in the State of on top of systemic racism—we have to The military budget alone is 53 percent Vermont and in every other State in address the existential threat facing of all discretionary spending in this America—people are going hungry in this planet of climate change. country. America. People are going hungry. And A few weeks ago, temperatures in Si- At a time when 28 million Americans many, many people are frightened to beria—the coldest region on Earth— are in danger of being evicted from death that they will soon be evicted topped 100 degrees, shattering records. their homes, now is not the time to be from their apartments or will lose If we do not get our act together and spending more on the military than the their homes to foreclosure. transform our energy system away next 11 nations combined. That is where the American people from fossil fuel and into renewable en- At a time when 30 million Americans are today: loss of jobs, loss of income, ergy, we will be leaving this planet in- have lost their jobs, now is not the hunger, eviction. creasingly unhealthy and uninhabit- time to be spending more on national On the other hand, there is another able for our kids and future genera- defense than we did at the height—the reality going on in America today. We tions. height—of the Cold War or the wars in

VerDate Sep 11 2014 04:54 Jul 23, 2020 Jkt 099060 PO 00000 Frm 00010 Fmt 4624 Sfmt 0634 E:\CR\FM\A22JY6.005 S22JYPT1 SSpencer on DSK126QN23PROD with SENATE July 22, 2020 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD — SENATE S4373 Korea or Vietnam. Let me repeat: don’t need more fighter jets. What we that the Congress has appropriated so spending more in real, inflation-ac- do need in this country, desperately, is much money for the Defense Depart- counted-for dollars today on the mili- more healthcare, more housing, more ment that the Pentagon literally does tary than we did during the Cold War childcare, and better schools. not know what to do with it. Between or the wars in Korea or Vietnam. Now is the time to fundamentally 2013 and 2018, they actually returned At this unprecedented moment in our change our national priorities, and more than $80 billion in funding back history, now is the time to provide that is what this amendment is all to the Treasury. They had more money jobs, education, healthcare, and hous- about. This amendment in itself is not than they could spend. ing in American communities that going to do anywhere near what we In my view, the time is long overdue have been ravaged by the global pan- need to do as a country, but it is an im- for us to take a hard look not only at demic, by extreme poverty, by portant step forward in changing the the size of the Pentagon budget but at deindustrialization, and mass incarcer- way we think about our needs. the enormous amount of waste, cost ation. Let me be clear. If we were to insti- overruns, fraud, and at the financial If this horrific pandemic we are now tute a 10-percent cut in military spend- mismanagement that has plagued the experiencing has taught us anything, it ing, that $74 billion could provide high- Department of Defense for decades. is that national security means a lot quality childcare to every family in Let’s be clear. We don’t talk about it, more than building bombs, missiles, jet America. Imagine that. We could solve but let’s be clear. About half of the fighters, submarines, nuclear war- the childcare crisis in America just by Pentagon’s budget goes directly into heads, and other weapons of mass de- cutting the military budget by 10 per- the hands of private contractors, not struction. National security also cent. our troops. Over the past two decades, means doing everything we can to im- We could, by cutting the military virtually every major defense con- prove the lives of our people, many of budget by 10 percent, provide section 8 tractor in the United States has paid whom have been abandoned by our gov- housing vouchers to all of the 7.7 mil- billions of dollars in fines and settle- ernment decade after decade. lion families in America who are pay- ments for misconduct and fraud, all The amendment that I am offering ing more than half of their limited in- while making huge profits on those today would cut the $740 billion budg- comes on rent. government contracts. Virtually every et—Pentagon budget—by 10 percent A 10-percent cut to the Pentagon major defense contractor has been and use that $74 billion in savings to could provide a free college education found guilty of misconduct or fraud. invest in distressed communities in for 2 million low-income students. Since 1995, Boeing, Lockheed Martin, every State in this country, commu- A 10-percent cut to the Pentagon is and United Technologies have paid nities that have been ravaged by pov- enough to hire 900,000 teachers in the over $3 billion in fines or related settle- erty, mass incarceration, and other poorest schools in America. ments for fraud or misconduct. Fur- enormous problems. So I am a little bit tired about hear- ther, I find it interesting that the very Under this amendment, distressed ing that we don’t have enough money same defense contractors that have cities and towns would be able to use for nuclear weapons, that we need more been found guilty or reached settle- this $74 billion to create jobs by build- money for missiles and tanks and ments for fraud are also paying their ing affordable housing, new schools, guns—that we need more for all of CEOs excessive—excessive—compensa- childcare facilities, community health that, yet we are turning our backs on tion packages. Last year, the CEOs of centers, public hospitals, libraries, sus- Americans who are hurting the most. Lockheed Martin and Northrop Grum- tainable energy projects, and clean I believe this is a moment in history man both made over $20 million in drinking water facilities. These com- when it would be a very good idea for total compensation, while around 90 munities would also receive Federal all of my colleagues, Democratic and percent of these companies’ revenue funding to hire more public school Republican, to remember what former came from defense contracts. In other teachers, provide nutritious meals to Republican—Republican—President words, for all intents and purposes, children, and offer free tuition at pub- Dwight D. Eisenhower said in 1953. I these companies are basically govern- lic colleges, universities, and trade think we all recall that Eisenhower ment agencies. Ninety percent of the schools. knew something about military budg- revenue coming in comes from the tax- Over and over again, our Republican ets and the war because he was the payers of this country. Meanwhile, the friends—my colleagues here—have told four-star general who led the Allied CEOs of those companies make over 100 us we cannot possibly afford to address forces to victory in Europe during times more than the Secretary of De- the enormous problems facing working World War II. He was not a passivist. fense makes. It is not too surprising, families: We just can’t afford it. We He was not an anti-war activist. He was therefore, that we have a revolving don’t have the money to deal with a four-star general. door where our military people end up homelessness and hunger and inad- Dwight D. Eisenhower said: on the boards of directors of these equate education. Every gun that is made, every warship major defense companies. That is what they say every day. We launched, every rocket signifies, in the final Moreover, as the GAO has told us, sense, a theft from those who hunger and are have been told that we cannot afford to not fed, those who are cold and are not there are massive cost overruns in the make public colleges and universities clothed. This world in arms is not spending Defense Department’s acquisition tuition-free or to provide a decent in- money alone. It is spending the sweat of its budget that we continue to ignore year come for every man, woman, and child. laborers, the genius of its scientists, the after year. According to the GAO, the But when it comes to spending $740 bil- hopes of its children. Pentagon’s $1.8 trillion acquisition lion on the military, well, suddenly, Right now, when the world is search- portfolio currently suffers from more hey, money is no problem; we can ing for treatment of the coronavirus, than $628 billion in cost overruns, with spend as much as we want. Hey, let’s when we are searching desperately and much of the cost growth taking place listen to all of the lobbyists from the spending billions looking for a vaccine, after production. military-industrial complex who flood maybe it might be a good idea to be A major reason why there is so much Capitol Hill and tell us all their needs. educating our young people to figure waste, fraud, and abuse at the Pen- We have to listen to them, but we don’t out how we deal with disease—with tagon is the fact that the Defense De- listen to the children in this country cancer and schizophrenia and Alz- partment remains the only Federal who may not have enough food to eat heimer’s and diabetes—rather than agency in America that has not been or the workers in this country who are putting more and more scientists into able to pass an independent audit. sleeping out in their cars. We don’t lis- figuring out how we can blow the world Many of us will recall what then-Sec- ten to them, but when it comes to the up a dozen times over. retary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld— military, hey, no end to the money What Eisenhower said was true—pro- George W. Bush’s Secretary of De- that we can provide. foundly true—67 years ago, and it is fense—told the American people on the To my mind, that is unacceptable. true today, maybe even truer today. day before 9/11. It never got a lot of at- We don’t need more nuclear weapons. When we analyze the Defense Depart- tention—the day before 9/11. Rumsfeld We don’t need more cruise missiles. We ment budget, it is interesting to note said:

VerDate Sep 11 2014 04:54 Jul 23, 2020 Jkt 099060 PO 00000 Frm 00011 Fmt 4624 Sfmt 0634 E:\CR\FM\G22JY6.016 S22JYPT1 SSpencer on DSK126QN23PROD with SENATE S4374 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD — SENATE July 22, 2020 Our financial systems are decades old. Ac- Let us vote for the Sanders-Markey- those responsible for the 9/11 attacks— cording to some estimates, we cannot track Warren-Merkley-Wyden-Leahy amend- to fight new enemies in new geog- $2.3 trillion in transactions. ment to cut the Pentagon budget by 10 raphies, outside of Afghanistan. I don’t know that the situation has percent and invest in human needs here All told, so far, we have spent $6.4 changed very much since 2001 and at home. trillion in the wars in Afghanistan, Rumsfeld’s remarks. Yet, nearly 20 The PRESIDING OFFICER (Mr. Iraq, Syria, and other places since 2001. years after Rumsfeld’s statements, the LANKFORD). The Senator from Massa- Even as those wars wind down, the de- Defense Department has still not chusetts. fense industry is pushing for costly passed a clean audit, despite the fact Mr. MARKEY. Mr. President, I am new acquisition programs to maintain that the Pentagon controls assets in proud to speak in support of my superiority over China and Russia. excess of $2.2 trillion or roughly 70 per- amendment with Senator SANDERS to The forecasted ‘‘permanent arms in- cent of what the entire Federal Gov- prioritize investments in our commu- dustry’’ begins to explain why the Pen- ernment owns. nities over a bloated Pentagon budget. tagon accounts for half of the entire I believe in a strong military, but we I thank Senator SANDERS for his lead- fiscal year 2021 U.S. discretionary cannot keep giving more money to the ership on this issue, bringing forth this budget. Our military budget is larger Pentagon than it needs when millions fundamental tension that exists within than the next 10 countries combined. of children in this country face hunger our society. Our battle fleet is larger than the next every day and 140 million Americans The men and women of the Armed 13 navies combined, with 11 of those 13 cannot afford the basic necessities of Forces deserve our admiration, our re- navies represented by our allies or our life without going into debt. spect, and our support. Day in and day partners. In 1967 Dr. King warned us that ‘‘a out, they defend our country’s inter- However, every dollar spent on the nation that continues year after year ests in all corners of the world, and Pentagon is one fewer available to to spend more money on military de- their families sacrifice alongside them. fight the scourge of poverty in this fense than on programs of social uplift But what makes America the envy of country, to strengthen the social safe- is approaching spiritual death.’’ I be- the world is not simply the strength of ty net and protect American families. lieve the time is long overdue for us to our military but the strength of our Our communities have suffered while we spend ourselves into extreme U.S. listen to Dr. King. people. At a time when, in the richest coun- And 2020 has brought historic chal- military dominance. try in the history of the world, so I fear that the Pentagon budget we lenges: a global pandemic, a growing many of our people are struggling, now debate today shows to a child that we recession, a reckoning on the systemic is the time to change our priorities be- don’t prioritize giving him or her a racism that pervades our country. We cause, as Dr. King stated, we are ap- quality education; shows mothers and have also seen an estimated 5.4 million proaching spiritual death. fathers that, in the wealthiest country American workers lose their health in- At a time when we have the highest in the world, they will forever remain surance between February and May, rate of childhood poverty of almost any one illness away from financial ruin; leaving them even more vulnerable to major country on Earth, at a time shows a family that the dream of a virus surging in every corner of this when 60,000 Americans die each year homeownership, much less affordable country. because they can’t get to a doctor on rental housing, will remain out of their The Sanders-Markey amendment time and 1 out of 5 Americans cannot grasp; shows frontline heroes working states that we cannot afford, in this, afford the prescription drugs their doc- in hospitals and nursing homes in Chel- our moment of national crisis, to spend tors prescribe, we need to start focus- sea, MA, and across the country that three-quarters of a trillion dollars on ing on those people, not on the mili- they have no choice but to go work bloated defense spending—spending tary-industrial complex. sick because their employer does not At this moment of unprecedented na- that is supposed to protect or country offer paid leave. tional crisis—a pandemic, an economic yet did nothing to inoculate against I reject the false choice between a meltdown, the demand to end systemic the most profound public health emer- strong U.S. military and strong Amer- racism, and an unstable President—it gency in a century. ican communities. Trillions of dollars This amendment is also in keeping is time for us to truly focus on what we in defense spending did nothing to pro- with President Eisenhower’s warning, value as a society and to fundamen- tect us from the coronavirus pandemic. as Senator SANDERS said, that ‘‘we tally transform our national priorities. The defense spending can’t protect us must guard against the acquisition of Cutting the military budget by 10 per- from the destruction of the environ- unwarranted influence, whether sought cent and investing that money in ment and the worsening climate crisis. or unsought, by the military-industrial human needs is a modest way to begin Yet we are due to spend nearly 70 times complex. The potential for the disas- that process. more on defense than we will to protect Let me conclude by once again trous rise of misplaced power exists, against the next pandemic and other quoting Dwight D. Eisenhower. I don’t and will persist.’’ global health challenges. know that I have ever quoted a Repub- Persist it has. This $740 billion fiscal We must no longer equate national lican quite as much as I have during year 2021 budget before us is the fulfill- security with our inventory of planes, these remarks, but he is somebody ment of Ike’s worst fears. In his ad- missiles, and nuclear weapons system, whom I respected very much. dress to the American people, Presi- and if coronavirus is truly a war, as This is what Eisenhower said when dent Eisenhower also predicted that a President Trump says it is, he is duty- he left office. This was back in 1961. He permanent arms industry would come bound to embrace the fact that na- was out, and John F. Kennedy was to call the shots. After Japan surren- tional security also means health, coming in. This is what he said. I hope dered aboard the USS Missouri in 1945, housing, and financial security, and na- we can all remember this. He said: ending the Second World War, that per- tional security means doing everything In the councils of government, we must manent arms industry made its fixture. we can to save and improve lives in guard against the acquisition of unwarranted After we emerged victorious in a his- American communities, particularly influence, whether sought or unsought, by toric and ideological struggle against communities of color, that have been the military-industrial complex. The poten- the Soviet Union that brought us to neglected for too long and that have tial for the disastrous rise of misplaced the brink of nuclear holocaust, Eisen- born the worst of the coronavirus im- power exists and will persist. hower’s feared permanent arms indus- pacts. Eisenhower was right then, and, if try stuck around and retooled to advo- Our amendment begins that impor- anything, the situation is worse today. cate for new weapons to fight the end- tant work by making smart cuts of 10 Now is the time for us to stand up to less war to come. percent to the budget of the Pentagon the greed and irresponsibility of the The catastrophic attacks of Sep- for this fiscal year and redirecting military industrial complex. Now is the tember 11 led to more than a doubling those funds to the Department of the time to address the needs of working of the Pentagon’s budget. Multiple Treasury to administer a grant pro- families, the elderly, the children, the Presidents have stretched a limited au- gram to strengthen vulnerable, low-in- sick, and the poor. thorization of military force to go after come communities.

VerDate Sep 11 2014 03:52 Jul 23, 2020 Jkt 099060 PO 00000 Frm 00012 Fmt 4624 Sfmt 0634 E:\CR\FM\G22JY6.018 S22JYPT1 SSpencer on DSK126QN23PROD with SENATE July 22, 2020 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD — SENATE S4375 For example, in Massachusetts, we being told that money is not there for Scott (SC) Sullivan Warner would be eligible to receive up to $1 bil- unemployment insurance; for cities Shaheen Tester Whitehouse Shelby Thune Wicker lion in Federal funding to create jobs and towns not to have to lay off teach- Sinema Tillis Young by building affordable housing, schools, ers; for cities and towns to have the Stabenow Toomey childcare facilities, community health testing, the contact tracing, and the The PRESIDING OFFICER. On this centers, public hospitals, libraries, and personal protective equipment to pro- vote, the yeas are 23, the nays are 77. clean drinking water facilities, remov- tect families in our country; to make Under the previous order requiring 60 ing lead pipes and replacing vacant or sure we can provide sick care leave; votes for the adoption of this amend- blighted properties; to improve edu- and to make sure we can provide ment, the amendment is not agreed to. cation by hiring more public school childcare for families in this country. The amendment (No. 1788) was re- teachers to reduce class sizes, increas- We are told there is not enough money. jected. ing teacher pay, providing universal Yes, there is, and that money is in the VOTE ON AMENDMENT NO. 1972, AS MODIFIED nutritious meals, and providing free defense budget of the United States of The PRESIDING OFFICER. Under tuition to attend public colleges, uni- America, so that we can protect those the previous order, the question is on versities, or trade schools; and to make families. agreeing to the Tester amendment, No. housing more affordable by providing Too many people right now are nos- 1972, as modified. rental assistance and eliminating talgic for a time that never was, in- Ms. HASSAN. Mr. President, I ask homelessness. stead of having the idealism which we for the yeas and nays. We should prioritize eradicating pov- need to battle the issues of today. But The PRESIDING OFFICER. Is there a erty, not war. We should prioritize bat- for the poor, the sick, the elderly, the sufficient second? tling global killer diseases, not devel- disabled, the Black and Brown and im- There appears to be a sufficient sec- oping a new weapon designed to eradi- migrant families in this country, the ond. cate the human race. It is time we past is just a memory and the future is The clerk will call the roll. funded education, not annihilation— their hard reality. The legislative clerk called the roll. Medicaid, not missiles. This is the time for the U.S. Senate The result was announced—yeas 94, Where do we start to make Defense to stand up and to begin the funding of nays 6, as follows: Department cuts? First, we must end the programs which every family needs [Rollcall Vote No. 136 Leg.] the war in Afghanistan, which would to protect themselves. I urge an ‘‘aye’’ YEAS—94 save tens of billions of dollars. The vote on this amendment, and, again, I Alexander Gillibrand Reed time is long overdue to bring our men thank Senator SANDERS for his incred- Baldwin Graham Risch and women home. And it is time to ible progressive leadership on this issue Barrasso Grassley Roberts double down on other tools of U.S. and for so many others. Bennet Harris Romney statecraft—diplomacy and develop- Blackburn Hassan Rosen I yield back. Blumenthal Hawley Rounds ment—to shape a better future for Af- Blunt Heinrich VOTE ON AMENDMENT NO. 1788 Rubio ghanistan, particularly Afghan women. Booker Hirono Sanders The PRESIDING OFFICER. Under Boozman Hoeven As we work to put a stop to endless Sasse Brown Hyde-Smith war and repeal the 2001 AUMF, the the previous order, the question occurs Schatz on agreeing to the Sanders amendment Burr Inhofe Pentagon must realign its budget to re- Cantwell Johnson Schumer flect the cold, hard wisdom of Ronald No. 1788. Capito Jones Scott (SC) Shaheen Reagan that ‘‘a nuclear war cannot be The Senator from Vermont. Cardin Kaine Mr. SANDERS. I ask for the yeas and Carper King Shelby won and must never be fought.’’ Casey Klobuchar Sinema Between the Departments of Defense nays. Cassidy Lankford Smith and Energy, we are due to spend nearly The PRESIDING OFFICER. Is there a Collins Leahy Stabenow $50 billion on nuclear weapons in fiscal sufficient second? Coons Loeffler Sullivan Cornyn Manchin Tester year 2021. Over the next three decades, There appears to be a sufficient sec- Cortez Masto Markey Thune we are on course to spend $1.7 trillion ond. Cotton McConnell Tillis on nuclear weapons overkill. We can The clerk will call the roll. Cramer McSally Toomey Crapo Menendez Udall field a safe, secure, and effective nu- The senior assistant legislative clerk Daines Merkley called the roll. Van Hollen clear deterrent—one that assures our Duckworth Moran Warner Durbin allies and partners—all without break- The result was announced—yeas 23, Murkowski Warren Enzi Murphy ing the bank. nays 77, as follows: Whitehouse Ernst Murray Wicker Our people, not our military parades, [Rollcall Vote No. 135 Leg.] Feinstein Perdue Wyden are the source of American greatness. YEAS—23 Fischer Peters Over the past few months, this country Gardner Portman Young Baldwin Hirono Schatz has experienced a reckoning, as Ameri- Blumenthal Klobuchar Schumer NAYS—6 cans from all walks of life have had Booker Leahy Smith Braun Kennedy Paul enough. They have had enough of being Cantwell Markey Udall Cruz Lee Scott (FL) Cardin Merkley Van Hollen lied to by the President about the true Casey Murphy The PRESIDING OFFICER (Mr. ROM- threat of a deadly disease. They have Warren Durbin Murray Wyden NEY). On this vote the yeas are 94, the had enough of people of color being Gillibrand Sanders nays are 6. murdered in cold blood by the very po- NAYS—77 Under the previous order requiring 60 lice forces meant to serve and protect Alexander Duckworth Lee votes for the adoption of this amend- them. And they have had enough of Barrasso Enzi Loeffler ment, the amendment is agreed to. being told there just isn’t enough Bennet Ernst Manchin The amendment (No. 1972) was agreed money to support the well-being of Blackburn Feinstein McConnell Blunt Fischer McSally to. their communities, while they can see Boozman Gardner Menendez CLOTURE MOTION billions in taxpayers’ dollars going to Braun Graham Moran The PRESIDING OFFICER. Pursuant Brown Grassley Murkowski unnecessary wars and nuclear weapons to rule XXII, the Chair lays before the programs and to benefit the President’s Burr Harris Paul Capito Hassan Perdue Senate the pending cloture motion, friends and family. Carper Hawley Peters which the clerk will state. The choice today is very clear. We Cassidy Heinrich Portman The legislative clerk read as follows: are ready to take the smallest step, a Collins Hoeven Reed Coons Hyde-Smith Risch CLOTURE MOTION 10-percent cut, to begin to address the Cornyn Inhofe Roberts gap in resources in this country. This We, the undersigned Senators, in accord- Cortez Masto Johnson Romney ance with the provisions of rule XXII of the Cotton Jones Rosen is the time for us to stand up. We are Standing Rules of the Senate, do hereby about to have a debate on how much Cramer Kaine Rounds Crapo Kennedy Rubio move to bring to a close debate on amend- money we have to help families in this Cruz King Sasse ment No. 2301 to Calendar No. 483, S. 4049, a country through this pandemic. We are Daines Lankford Scott (FL) bill to authorize appropriations for fiscal

VerDate Sep 11 2014 03:52 Jul 23, 2020 Jkt 099060 PO 00000 Frm 00013 Fmt 4624 Sfmt 0634 E:\CR\FM\G22JY6.020 S22JYPT1 SSpencer on DSK126QN23PROD with SENATE S4376 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD — SENATE July 22, 2020 year 2021 for military activities of the De- that we all now rely upon to protect That is why, in this year’s annual De- partment of Defense, for military construc- ourselves against the spread of the con- fense bill, I made it a priority to boost tion, and for defense activities of the Depart- tagion. The situation underscores the support for university research in ment of Energy, to prescribe military per- conundrum our Nation faces balancing places like Iowa to ensure we can make sonnel strengths for such fiscal year, and for other purposes. the need to work with the Chinese Gov- and manufacture metals and materials Mitch McConnell, Mike Crapo, Pat Rob- ernment and the challenges of holding here at home. This will help make sure erts, John Cornyn, John Barrasso, Cory the Communist Party accountable for China doesn’t corner the world market Gardner, Roy Blunt, Thom Tillis, Mar- its devious deeds. on key materials. sha Blackburn, Mike Rounds, Shelley Plain and simple: The Chinese Com- Retaking our supply chain from Red Moore Capito, Kevin Cramer, John munist Party attempted to cover up China also means removing unneces- Thune, James M. Inhofe, Jerry Moran, the outbreak of COVID–19 from the sary redtape imposed by Washington. I Joni Ernst, John Boozman. very beginning and continues to do so am working to waive the tax penalties The PRESIDING OFFICER. By unan- today. Rather than containing the for manufacturing and medical supply imous consent, the mandatory quorum spread of the virus, the regime has fo- companies that choose to relocate to call has been waived. cused on containing knowledge of the America. The question is, Is it the sense of the outbreak, going so far as punishing I have also demanded the Treasury Senate that debate on amendment No. Chinese scientists who dared to warn Department investigate how Chinese 2301 offered by the Senator from Okla- about the virus’s imminent danger. companies are avoiding taxes that U.S. homa to S. 4049, a bill to authorize ap- As a result, we now face a worldwide businesses have to pay. propriations for fiscal year 2021 for pandemic that has claimed countless Iowans across the State have told me military activities of the Department victims and could impact every aspect how much they appreciate this Presi- of Defense, for military construction, of our lives for months, if not years, to dent standing up for them by pushing and for defense activities of the De- come. China doesn’t play by the rules. back on the years of bad actions by the partment of Energy, to prescribe mili- They constantly seek to undermine the Communist Party. They also want to tary personnel strengths for such fiscal law. And if you ask an Iowa farmer, end our dependence on that same Com- year, and for other purposes, shall be they will tell you the same. munist regime. brought to a close? For years, China has stolen intellec- Yes, we can and we should continue The yeas and nays are mandatory tual property and reneged on their trading important agricultural prod- under the rule. trade agreements. While we have seen ucts. But at the same time, we should The clerk will call the roll. China still purchasing some of our corn bring jobs back and make critical sup- The legislative clerk called the roll. and soybeans, they haven’t completely plies ourselves so that when you look The yeas and nays resulted—yeas 87, held up their end of the deal when it at a product’s label, it proudly reads nays 13, as follows: comes to China phase one. ‘‘Made in the U.S.A.’’ Folks, when China cheats on trade [Rollcall Vote No. 137 Leg.] I yield the floor. deals, the impact is real: American jobs YEAS—87 The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Sen- are lost and wealth is transferred from ator from Ohio. Alexander Ernst Perdue the United States to the Communist Baldwin Feinstein Peters Mr. PORTMAN. Mr. President, I want Party of China. This is unacceptable, Barrasso Fischer Portman to thank Senator ERNST for putting Bennet Gardner Reed especially after the damage already Blackburn Graham Risch this colloquy together. What she just caused to our economy by China’s mis- said with regard to the importance of Blumenthal Grassley Roberts handling of the coronavirus outbreak. Blunt Hassan Rosen having reliable sources here in Amer- For decades, our leaders in Wash- Boozman Hawley Rounds ica is absolutely right. Braun Heinrich Rubio ington played along, remaining quiet The supply chain issue is one that I Brown Hirono Sasse as China stole American intellectual Burr Hoeven Schatz hope we will address in this COVID property and scientific research, cheat- Cantwell Hyde-Smith Schumer package—for starters, with regard to ed on trade deals, and violated basic Capito Inhofe Scott (FL) our personal protective gear, the PPE, Cardin Johnson Scott (SC) human rights. Those days are over. Carper Jones Shaheen President Trump is standing up to because if we can’t rely on having Casey Kaine Shelby China by taking decisive actions masks and gowns and other PPE made Cassidy King Sinema here in America, it is tough for us, par- Collins Klobuchar Smith against the Communist regime for its Coons Lankford Stabenow flagrant violation of trade deals and ticularly during an international pan- Cornyn Leahy Sullivan crackdown on the autonomy and rights demic like this, to build and rely on Cortez Masto Loeffler Tester countries like China. Also, frankly, Cotton Manchin Thune of Hong Kong. Cramer McConnell Tillis I have heard this from farmers in some of the product that comes from Crapo McSally Toomey Iowa. They know that this President is China has not been reliable itself. Cruz Menendez Udall standing up for them and pushing back I appreciate what you are doing there Daines Moran Warner and also the work you are doing to en- Duckworth Murkowski Whitehouse on China. And here in the Senate, my Durbin Murphy Wicker colleagues and I are also holding China courage us to be more resourceful here Enzi Murray Young accountable. at home, to be sure we are doing the NAYS—13 Right now, I am laser-focused on de- things we have to do to protect our- selves from foreign influence, including Booker Markey Van Hollen creasing our dependency on China for Gillibrand Merkley Warren critical supplies. The COVID–19 pan- China. Harris Paul Wyden demic has been what I call a great Part of our issue with China, I think, Kennedy Romney awakening when it comes to the vul- is that for the last several years, a lot Lee Sanders nerabilities in our supply chain. The of us point fingers at China and we are The PRESIDING OFFICER (Mr. United States has become far too de- not pointing fingers, frankly, at our in- PERDUE). On this vote, the yeas are 87, pendent on Communist China for items ternal problems. We need to get our the nays are 13. like personal protective equipment, house in order here in America and Three-fifths of the Senators duly cho- prescription drugs, and other essential protect ourselves better. We have legis- sen and sworn having voted in the af- medical supplies. We need to fix that. lation to do that, which we just re- firmative, the motion was agreed to. And that is what I am fighting to do. ported out of the Governmental Affairs The Senator from Iowa. During my military service, includ- Committee today. It has to do with CHINA ing as a logistics battalion commander this issue of China coming to the Ms. ERNST. Mr. President, the in the Iowa Army National Guard, I United States and systemically tar- coronavirus doesn’t come with a label learned firsthand the importance of se- geting promising research and prom- saying ‘‘Made in China,’’ but perhaps it curing the defense supply chain. We ising researchers, and saying: We would should. This pandemic, which began in cannot continue to rely on our adver- like to get that research. Wuhan, China, has flooded the world saries, like China, for critically impor- The research is often supported by just like so many products from China tant national security materials. the U.S. taxpayer. It is sort of tough

VerDate Sep 11 2014 03:52 Jul 23, 2020 Jkt 099060 PO 00000 Frm 00014 Fmt 4624 Sfmt 0634 E:\CR\FM\G22JY6.023 S22JYPT1 SSpencer on DSK126QN23PROD with SENATE July 22, 2020 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD — SENATE S4377 here for us in America to lose our re- recruited 30 or 40 people, according to We also help the State Department search and our innovation and our in- the FBI. to keep these people out, and we help tellectual property to other countries. Again, these are all allegations. His with regard to our universities to en- It is particularly tough when taxpayers arrest has been made. He actually is al- sure that we are reporting and being pay for it, and $150 billion a year of leged to have taken biological samples transparent as to the money univer- taxpayer money goes to the National from Cleveland, OH, to China—this tax- sities are receiving from China and Institutes of Health, the National payer-paid NIH research—literally, other countries. Science Foundation, and the Depart- physically taking these to China. They Again, I thank my colleague from ment of Energy to do basic research. also, by the way, provided lodging for Iowa for having this colloquy. I see we That is good. We have helped to de- him with a three-bedroom apartment have two other colleagues here. I know velop important therapies and cures for in Wuhan. That is luxury. they are really well-versed and in- some kinds of cancer. We helped to de- This is about money. Unfortunately, volved in these issues, and I want to velop the internet. It has been very this is about people who are not patri- hear from them, as well. helpful on manufacturing processes. A ots but instead are willing to sell us I would just say that I hope, on a bi- lot of great things have come out of out by selling their research, their ex- partisan basis—by the way, our legisla- that research. pertise that our taxpayers have funded tion is bipartisan. Our investigation But one thing that really troubles me to China and other countries. was bipartisan. I would say this is non- is that for 20 years now, with China NIH, recently, by the way, fired or partisan. This is an American issue. We taking the lead and other countries, as forced the resignation of 54 research- should all be standing up to protect the well—Iran, North Korea, and others— ers—not 1 or 2 or 3, but 54 people. We American research enterprise and to be they have again targeted these re- have been pushing them hard to find sure that our taxpayers, when they pay searchers and this research and said: out who these people are and what they for this important research, have the We want to get that. And, frankly, are doing. They haven’t been willing to benefit of it rather than its being they get it on the cheap because the re- reveal that yet because this is a matter taken, in particular, by China to ben- search is being paid for by our tax dol- under investigation. They have told us efit their military and their economy, lars. that of those who are under investiga- which has been going on for 2 decades. Let me give you an example of what tion at NIH, 90 percent have ties to It is time to wake up. I am talking about. Recently, in my China—90 percent. I yield to my colleague from Arizona. home State of Ohio, there was a case Wake up, America. Here we are. We The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Sen- along these lines. I applaud the FBI are in a situation where other coun- ator from Arizona. tries, particularly China, have targeted and the Department of Justice and our Ms. MCSALLY. I thank my colleague American research, American research- U.S. attorneys for finally getting on from Ohio and others here from Florida ers, and are now taking this back to top of this issue. We spent a year and Iowa for coming together to talk China to benefit their military, to ben- studying this issue here in the Con- about this important American issue efit their economy, and to benefit their gress in what is called the Permanent and national security issue. healthcare system. I served 26 years in the military. In Subcommittee on Investigations, By the way, I do not believe this is my last years in service and since then, which I chair. We found out that this for academic purposes. It is wrong we have seen the threat of the rise of was a huge problem and wrote a report what is happening, but it is even more China. It is a threat to America’s secu- late last year. wrong because this is not as if they are rity, our jobs, and our role as a leader In the report, we implored our Fed- taking it back to do joint research on in the world. They are on a deliberate eral law enforcement agencies to get an academic basis. on this issue. In fact, we had a hearing Let me tell you what the State De- path to try to dominate the world and where an FBI agent testified and said partment told us at our hearing on this shape it into their vision. They need to that it is true. We haven’t been focused topic at the end of last year. They said: be stopped. on this, and we have to make that up ‘‘The Chinese Communist Party has de- When I was a cadet at the Air Force now. clared the Chinese university system Academy, we had an honor code that They are making up for it. They are to be on the front line of military-civil- said: ‘‘I will not lie, cheat, or steal, or arresting a number of people. They are ian fusion efforts for technology acqui- tolerate among us anyone who does.’’ doing the things that should be done to sition.’’ China has been lying, cheating, and try to stop some of this stealing, real- This is our own State Department. stealing for far too long. Americans are ly, of our seed corn, our technology, That means there is a clear link be- now waking up to this threat and are our innovation, our intellectual prop- tween the research that is being taken resolved to change the trajectory and erty. in America and the latest advancement hold China accountable, but this can’t Here is the Ohio example. Recently, in China’s military and its economy. be done by us alone. Our European the FBI announced that it had arrested It has been happening for 20 years. It partners and others in the Pacific and a researcher connected with the world- is time to put an end to it. The legisla- elsewhere need to join with us and also renowned Cleveland Clinic and Case tion that we were able to get through wake up to China’s dangerous path and Western Reserve University. This indi- committee today takes a really impor- work with us to stop them. vidual had received a huge grant from tant step in that direction. There are We have been calling this the National Institutes of Health, or four or five elements of it. geostrategic shift a return to ‘‘Great NIH. That grant was for about $3.6 mil- One of the most important to me is Power Competition,’’ as if to assume lion. But then this same individual—of giving the FBI and law enforcement that we are all playing by the same course, not telling NIH or telling the tools they need to go after these in- rules. We aren’t. China is playing by Cleveland Clinic or Case Western or dividuals by creating a new criminal their own rules and cheating the sys- anybody else—had accepted money law that says if you lie on these forms, tem for their own gain and power. The from China. if you are taking money from China, it Chinese Communist Party is a reck- In the contracts that we were able to is certainly a conflict of commitment less, predatory adversary that is dedi- research during our investigation, and a conflict of interest. You can be cated to subverting U.S. interests and these contracts with China say you are taken to task for that and held ac- supplanting our Nation as the world’s not allowed to reveal that you have countable. Right now you can’t. dominant leader. this relationship with China, that you They are arresting these people on Over the past 10 years, China has in- are getting the money from China. things like mail fraud, tax evasion. It creased their military spending by 85 They not only gave this guy money—$3 is a little like how they used to go percent. Their investment in defense million—but they gave him a deanship after gangsters before there were laws has been used to build their navy, ex- at Wuhan University. They gave him directly related to racketeering and so pand their missile stockpile, and money to hire people in Wuhan. They on. This is something where we need to emerge as a leader in technologies like gave him the ability to travel around be sure that we are giving people the hypersonics, cyber warfare, and artifi- America recruiting others. We think he tools that they need. cial intelligence.

VerDate Sep 11 2014 03:52 Jul 23, 2020 Jkt 099060 PO 00000 Frm 00015 Fmt 4624 Sfmt 0634 E:\CR\FM\G22JY6.026 S22JYPT1 SSpencer on DSK126QN23PROD with SENATE S4378 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD — SENATE July 22, 2020 This buildup has been far from defen- onstrate that the greatest country in aggressive in protecting American re- sive alone. From their illegal maritime the world will not be taken for a fool. search and American innovation, in- claims among several sovereign states, Our Republic and our freedoms that it cluding potentially lifesaving research then building artificial islands where stands for will allow our country to into a coronavirus vaccine. We should they didn’t exist before to militarize prevail over China’s Communist and do everything we can to stop buying them in the South China Sea with rogue agenda. With American will, products ‘‘Made in China’’ because, their maneuvers and exercises that are American innovation, and the Amer- every time we do, we are putting an- aggressive and belligerent, to their ican spirit, we will prevail. other dollar into the pockets of those covert attempts to infiltrate the I appreciate my colleague from Flor- stealing our technology, denying their United States through our universities ida joining as well. people basic human rights, and prop- and stealing our technology, Chinese I yield the floor. ping up dangerous dictators like forces are expanding their tentacles far The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Sen- Maduro in Venezuela. beyond our borders, to the detriment of ator from Florida. We have to hold Communist China Mr. SCOTT of Florida. I want to rec- American national security interests. accountable and financially liable for ognize my colleagues from Arizona, Congress must do our part to respond its lies that led to the coronavirus. It Ohio, Texas, and Iowa for their com- to this threat. For these reasons, I in- is responsible for the devastation. We troduced several pieces of legislation mitment to holding Communist China accountable and supporting Americans. have to stand up and say that it is that immediately stopped China from I rise today to discuss the threat of wrong to allow Beijing to host the 2022 taking advantage of government funds Communist China—a threat that poses Olympics. That is wrong. The world and taxpayer dollars to purchase prod- a huge risk to the national security of community cannot condone or reward ucts and services from Chinese compa- the United States, our allies, and the its despicable behavior and human nies with ties to Chinese military. stability of world markets. rights violations. To end our reliance on China’s con- Communist China is simply stealing It is important to be clear-eyed. We trol and manufacturing of PPE, I intro- American jobs and technology and spy- have to see Communist China for what duced legislation to authorize the ing on our citizens. it is. We all must do our part to sup- President to incentivize American General Secretary of the Communist port our Nation and make it clear to companies to produce medical devices, Party Xi is a dictator and a human Communist China that the people of equipment, and drugs. rights violator who is denying basic the United States will not stand for its We saw at the onset of the rights to the people of Hong Kong, behavior. coronavirus that it was clear that out- cracking down on dissidents, threat- I will not stop fighting until our fu- sourcing the production of PPE to an ening Taiwan, and militarizing the ture and the futures of all of our chil- adversary was wrong and risky. I wit- South China Sea. dren and our grandchildren are secure nessed firsthand the ingenuity of Ari- Uighur prisoners in Communist from this threat. zona companies that stepped up to help China are being rounded up, blind- I yield to my colleague from Texas. fill the gap. That is no excuse for ig- folded, shaved, and loaded onto trains The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Sen- noring the fact that we have to bring to be taken to concentration camps ator from Texas. manufacturing home of vital medical simply because of their religion. You equipment and PPE so that, once Mr. CRUZ. Mr. President, I rise to can’t believe this is happening today in join my colleagues in discussing the again, it is made in America. this world. single greatest geopolitical threat fac- Finally, the coronavirus outbreak Communist China’s deceptions sur- ing the United States for the next cen- has taken a catastrophic toll on our rounding the coronavirus pandemic country and the world. Make no mis- should be the last straw for every tury, and that is the rise of Communist take. The virus began in China and American. It doesn’t matter to Com- China. spread globally because the Chinese munist China that their lies and misin- We are, right now, months into a Government lied about what they knew formation killed hundreds of thousands deadly global pandemic that has about it, and they destroyed evidence of people around the world. Communist sickened over 14 million people world- and silenced doctors and whistle- China is on a mission to be the domi- wide and has taken the lives of over blowers. nant world power. Chairman Xi will 600,000 people. Why are we in the midst Like the rest of the Nation, Arizona stop at nothing to grow Communist of a global pandemic? It is because the has suffered devastating consequences China’s influence. For Communist Chinese Communist Party deliberately due to this pandemic. Already, we have China and Chairman Xi, this great lied to the world. It covered up the out- lost over 2,900 Arizonans, plus the eco- power conflict is a zero-sum game. In break and allowed it to spread. The nomic toll. order for China to be stronger, America coronavirus pandemic has thrown into Communist China unleashed this and all freedom-loving countries high relief the fact that China is our virus on the world, and it should face around the world must be weaker. We most dangerous threat. severe repercussions for their coverups can’t allow that to happen. It is time For 8 years in the U.S. Senate, I have and lies about the origins and spread. we finally stand up and address the worked hard to lead the fight to ad- China’s actions cost lives and dev- new Cold War occurring between the dress the threat of Chinese Communist astated the world economy, and it United States and the Chinese Com- power and aggression and hostility must be held accountable. munist Party. head-on, to make the U.S. economy as I moved to do just that this week by For too long, Washington politicians free and independent from China as introducing the Civil Justice for Vic- have been more concerned with short- possible, and to thwart the never-end- tims of COVID Act. Americans who term political success than with the ing propaganda and censorship cam- have been victimized by the lies and long-term threats to our way of life— paign from the Chinese Communists. deceit of the Communist Party—to in- but not anymore. It is time for action. Last week, the Chinese Communist clude those who lost loved ones, suf- We can no longer rely on countries like Government made the decision to sanc- fered business losses, or personally Communist China for our critical sup- tion me personally, so I am now—I harmed—deserve the opportunity to ply chain. We need to build up the na- awoke to discover—prohibited from hold China accountable and demand tional stockpile of PPE and our phar- traveling to Communist China. Some- just compensation. maceutical industry with supplies from how, I think I will overcome that great I appreciate many of my colleagues American-based producers. We can no burden, and I will tell you I wear Chi- joining with me on this legislation. It longer accept Chinese technology that na’s sanction as a badge of honor. is due time that we hold China ac- could be used to spy on us, and we are There is a reason they are lashing out. countable for their malevolent behav- working to prohibit the Federal Gov- There is a reason it has decided to di- ior—not just over the past several ernment from purchasing drones from rect personal sanctions on me—because months but over several decades. our adversaries. they are scared; they are terrified. The The United States must take imme- We can no longer allow Communist Chinese Communists are murdering, diate action and, with strength, dem- China to steal from us. We have to be lying, torturing tyrants.

VerDate Sep 11 2014 03:52 Jul 23, 2020 Jkt 099060 PO 00000 Frm 00016 Fmt 4624 Sfmt 0634 E:\CR\FM\G22JY6.028 S22JYPT1 SSpencer on DSK126QN23PROD with SENATE July 22, 2020 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD — SENATE S4379 For a long time in Washington, there I have introduced legislation in this people. I am proud to say the Trump were politicians in both parties—Demo- body called the SCRIPT Act that will administration took major portions of crats and Republicans—who were impose consequences when American that legislation I introduced and im- apologists for China, who denied the companies allow the Chinese Govern- plemented them to increase the pres- threat was there, who insisted that the ment to censor our films. The con- sure to stop facilitating Chinese tor- path forward was getting more and sequences are simple. We don’t have ture and oppression. more and more in bed with the Chinese the power as the government to impose The overwhelming challenge for this Communists. The most significant direct negative consequences, but what body and for this country for the next long-term foreign policy consequence we do have the power to do is to use century going forward is how we will of this global pandemic is that people’s the incentives we have; namely, lots of stand up to the threat of China. China eyes are opening up on both sides of movies borrow Federal assets. When is waging a 1,000-year war. For the sake the aisle here in Washington and across you go watch a movie and see a plane not only of Americans but for the sake the world. One need look no further or a ship or a tank or when you go of the free world, America needs to win than the United Kingdom’s reversing watch a movie on the border and you this contest. its decision to allow Huawei to build see DHS assets, all sorts of Federal I yield the floor. its telecom infrastructure in order to agencies allow movies to use equip- The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Sen- understand how China’s mendacity has ment that is the property of the Fed- ator from Tennessee. been revealed to the world. eral Government. The SCRIPT Act is Mrs. BLACKBURN. Mr. President, I So how do we hold China account- very simple. It says, if you are going to was thinking a bit earlier today about able? How do we deal with the Chinese allow the Chinese Communists to cen- what we were doing at this time last Communist Party? sor your movie, the Federal Govern- year. We were busy hosting Tennessee First of all, we should sanction Chi- ment is not going to loan you our Tuesdays and welcoming Tennesseans nese officials involved in the ongoing equipment and materiel. We are not and families and children with such cu- suppression of medical experts, of jour- going to facilitate making a movie if riosity and bright eyes and lots of nalists, and of political dissidents, all you are going to give the Chinese Com- questions about our Nation’s govern- of whom have been ‘‘disappeared’’ by munists the editing and censoring pen. ment, about these beautiful buildings the Chinese tyrants. I have introduced Not only do the Chinese Communists in which we work every day, and about legislation to do just that. Over the engage in propaganda in Hollywood, the job that we have in representing past several years, I have introduced, but they also engage in espionage and them. I like that curiosity, and I like roughly, a dozen separate pieces of leg- propaganda on our university cam- that energy that, generally, is brought islation that have all focused on dif- puses—a very deliberate, systematic ef- to our Chambers and to our work dur- ferent aspects of addressing the China fort to steal and deceive. In the Na- ing the summertime. This year, things threat. tional Defense Authorization Act for really are a little bit different. I think Another aspect is Chinese propa- Fiscal Year 2019, I was proud to secure it is a very worthwhile exercise—and I ganda—Chinese propaganda that is re- a funding prohibition for the Depart- appreciate that my colleagues are par- flected here in the United States. Big ment of Defense from funding univer- ticipating in this exercise—to remind Business, giant corporations, the sities where the money could go to a ourselves why this year is different. media, Hollywood all are terrified to Confucius Institute. As a result of that The answer, of course, as to why is take on Communist China. All see the bipartisan legislation, which earned this year different is the Chinese Com- billions they can earn from access to support from Republicans and Demo- munist Party. It is the one that is to be the Chinese markets as being more im- crats, 17 Confucius Institutes have been held responsible, to be blamed for the portant than free speech. shut down. With respect to Hollywood, sadly, too When it comes to our supply chain, sickness, the chaos, for this crisis that many movie producers here in the we have seen, in recent months, the in- we have had, which is a health, food, United States have been perfectly con- credible foolishness of allowing the and financial crisis all rolled into one. tent to allow the Chinese Communists American supply chain to be dependent It has happened because of decisions to censor American movies. For exam- on China—medical equipment, pharma- that China made, decisions that were ple, later this year, the sequel to ‘‘Top ceuticals, PPE. In the midst of this made by the Chinese Communist Par- Gun’’ is scheduled to come out—‘‘Top pandemic, one Chinese Government ty’s leadership. Gun,’’ one of the greatest military re- state-controlled newspaper explicitly There are some things that are the cruiting films ever made. In the sequel, threatened to cut off lifesaving phar- known knowns, if you will. They are on the back of Maverick’s bomber jack- maceuticals to the United States of the things that we know happened as et, the flag of Taiwan has been re- America as a tool of economic warfare. you look back over what has happened moved and the flag of Japan, both of If it were to do that, that wouldn’t just with COVID–19. which the Chinese overlords deemed to be economic warfare—that would be ac- What we know is this: On December be offensive, and our heroic First tual warfare. That is literally threat- 31, 2019, government officials in Wuhan, Amendment champions in Hollywood ening the lives of millions of Ameri- China, confirmed they were monitoring dutifully complied with censorship. cans. the spread of a disease that looked a By the way, it needn’t just concern We need to break our supply chain lot like pneumonia. They didn’t know geopolitical affairs in Asia. With an- dependence on China, especially con- exactly what it was. It didn’t have all other Hollywood movie, ‘‘Bohemian cerning critical infrastructure, and I the markers, but a lot. But on New Rhapsody’’—a fabulous biopic of have introduced hosts of legislation de- Year’s Eve, they let us know: Hey, we Freddie Mercury, the lead singer for signed to do so with respect to pharma- have a problem out here. Just days Queen—the Chinese censors decided it ceuticals, with respect to critical min- later, they confirmed it was caused by offended their sensibilities to have erals. We have to keep the American a novel virus that had infected dozens scenes in the movie that revealed that people’s lives and safety not dependent of people. We now know it was hun- Freddie Mercury was homosexual. Now, upon the whims of Communist China. dreds of people. I ask you to pause for a second and ask: In my final point right now, in China It wasn’t until January 23, however, How on Earth do you tell Freddie today, there are, roughly, 1 million that authorities shut off Wuhan from Mercury’s life story without including Uighurs in concentration camps—an the rest of the country. By this time, the fact that he was gay? It was inte- Orwellian-style, dystopian government, the virus was spreading like wildfire. gral to who he was. Yet those in Holly- where the government has all power to Let’s pay close attention to what I just wood, which on so many other issues monitor what you say, to monitor said. They shut off Hubei Province, are glad to be woke social justice war- whom you talk to, to monitor your be- they shut off Wuhan not from the rest riors, dutifully complied when the Chi- liefs. I introduced legislation to impose of the world, not from other countries, nese censors said to take it out, and sanctions on any American technology but from the rest of China. Don’t you they deleted the scenes from ‘‘Bohe- companies that facilitate the moni- dare go anywhere else in our country. mian Rhapsody.’’ toring and oppression of the Chinese This is contagious.

VerDate Sep 11 2014 03:52 Jul 23, 2020 Jkt 099060 PO 00000 Frm 00017 Fmt 4624 Sfmt 0634 E:\CR\FM\G22JY6.030 S22JYPT1 SSpencer on DSK126QN23PROD with SENATE S4380 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD — SENATE July 22, 2020 Now, as if that 23-day gap wasn’t bad nity. How much further are we willing ply chains are at risk. Our pharma- enough, credible watchdog reports re- to let this go? I will tell you this: As I, ceutical supply chains are at risk, and vealed that the CCP—Chinese Com- every single day, talk to Tennesseans our PPE supply chains are at risk. munist Party—lied—they lied to global about China and what has happened What many people don’t know is that health officials about the danger posed with China and how China has not been our rare earth minerals and critical by the virus for not just a day or two an honest broker, not only in this but minerals supply chain is at risk. Lots while they figured it out but for 51 days for decades, Tennesseans have had of folks really like the solar panels and before they sounded the alarm and enough. electric car batteries. Well, great—ex- said: Listen up. Pandemic. Pandemic. I yield the floor. cept we are completely dependent on Fifty-one days. This deception allowed The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Sen- China for the rare earth minerals that a regional outbreak to spread into a ator from Oklahoma. are in those. global pandemic that has so far killed Mr. LANKFORD. Mr. President, the If we don’t develop our own sourcing more than 140,000 Americans. world is watching and dealing with for those rare earth minerals—and we It would be easy to chalk all of this COVID–19—the economic effects and do have those same rare earth minerals up to incompetence and overwhelmed health effects. It has affected every here—if we don’t develop our own sup- bureaucrats, but every Member of this single one of our families in some way. ply chain, if we don’t develop our own body knows that is not what happened. While the world is watching and we manufacturing for pharmaceuticals That is why, over the past few weeks, are dealing with all those issues here in and for the precursors of pharma- more and more of my colleagues here the United States, we can’t lose track ceuticals, we will continue to be vul- in the Senate have agreed to support of what is happening on the world nerable to the Chinese Government, legislation that will allow Americans stage because China is using this mo- and at the moment the Communist to hold China accountable for the de- ment when the world is distracted to government determines, they will take struction caused by the pandemic. push its way into Hong Kong and to over that supply, and we will be at On Monday, Senator MCSALLY intro- break its word. risk. duced the Civil Justice for Victims of When we deal with China, we know For decades, the Confucius Institutes COVID Act—a bill that I am very what they have done, the predatory have thrived on college campuses, pleased to support and to be a cospon- tactics they have taken either on their spreading a Communist philosophy all sor. This bill contains elements of my own people or on countries around the through our college campuses. It is Stop COVID Act, which I introduced world. now at a moment that college cam- earlier this year. It would strip Chinese The United States of America—when puses and leadership in colleges are officials of their sovereign immunity we do foreign aid, we go help other starting to wake up to say: Why are we for reckless actions that caused the countries gain more freedom, more se- allowing Communist indoctrination on pandemic and would give our Federal curity, more stability, and more eco- our campuses? courts the authority to hear claims nomic growth. We don’t ask anything It is a bill that I have pushed, that I that China has caused or contributed in return. We engage with them to help will continue to push to be able to to the COVID–19 pandemic. This is not them. wake up our universities, to say: Why an unusual step. We did this after 9/11 China is working with developing are we allowing this on our campus? for the 9/11 families. What we would do countries around the world by moving It is an issue that I have pushed for is give them the opportunity to go to into different countries and taking col- years, dealing with Chinese Com- court and make their case—hold China lateral of their ports, of their airports, munists spying on American tech- accountable. and establishing military bases around nology, stealing technology, and also It is time for this body to reject the the world when poorer countries de- stealing our science and inventions. artificial backstops that some of my fault on the loans they give them. They come over with a grant from colleagues on the other side of the aisle They are not helping other countries; the United States and say they are use to protect China from criticism, they are taking over other countries. going to send over researchers, when and I encourage those colleagues to ask They are stepping into country after really what they are doing is har- themselves: What are you afraid will country and offering them great new vesting the research and taking it back happen if we hold China accountable technology from Huawei to help their to China. for what they have done? What do you cell phone systems. They are estab- They take materials, whether it be fear? lishing security systems around their music or movies or any items of pro- We have known for years that Beijing banks. But what they are really doing duction, and all that manufacturing uses every tool in its toolbox to spy on is monitoring their people and gath- that comes to China, they then take us. Look at what we have learned ering data on people all around the that same technology, move it to a dif- about Huawei. They embed the chips in world. The security systems aren’t ferent factory, and literally compete the hardware. You do not know they there to set up and prop up dictator- against the first company, because to are there until they activate. We know ships in poor countries; they are there do business in China, you have to turn they steal our intellectual property. for the dictatorship of China to track over all your intellectual property to Look at what they have done to the what is going on there and any inter- the Communist government, which music industry, to the entertainment national development. then takes it and uses it on their own. industry, to publishers, and to auto- We should be aware of what China is The Chinese Communist Government motive engineers. China—they can’t in- doing, and we should not ignore this is not the ally of freedom for the world, novate their way to success, so what do moment for the free people of Hong and we should be aware of that. Cer- they do? They steal their way to suc- Kong. tainly the people of Hong Kong are cess, and then they lie about it. Today, many Americans are aware of aware of that. China continues to cause chaos on how China has handled the issue of pro- In 1997, after 150 years as a British the international stage. Look at their tective equipment. The medical equip- territory, Hong Kong became a part of work pushing into the South China ment that we desperately needed in China under the Joint Declaration. It Sea. Look at what they have done to March, April, May—much of it manu- was one country, two systems—that the freedom fighters in Hong Kong. factured in China—we could not get be- Hong Kong for 50 years would remain Look at how they act and how they cause the Communist Government of autonomous and free. pressure and try to stifle Taiwan. This China kept the materials from Amer- Well, just over two decades later, the is standard operating procedure for the ican companies that were manufac- Chinese Government has broken its Chinese Communist Party. turing in China. The Chinese Com- promise, and Hong Kong is no longer Now, because they chose to lie and munist Government wouldn’t allow the free. While the world is consumed with not come forward, we have more than exportation of that, and they just took what is happening with COVID–19, the 140,000 Americans who are dead. Mil- that equipment over, putting all of the Communist government has moved lions more have lost their jobs, and schedules behind. Suddenly, Americans into Hong Kong and has taken it over. they have lost their sense of commu- woke up and understood that our sup- They passed a law in Beijing that they

VerDate Sep 11 2014 03:52 Jul 23, 2020 Jkt 099060 PO 00000 Frm 00018 Fmt 4624 Sfmt 0634 E:\CR\FM\G22JY6.032 S22JYPT1 SSpencer on DSK126QN23PROD with SENATE July 22, 2020 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD — SENATE S4381 sent over and declared in Hong Kong that the American Government should break in China, and she is right that that they can’t have any of what they be engaged in trying to break through China was nontransparent and call subversion, organization or perpet- what is called the great firewall in unhelpful in those early days. But do uation of what they call terroristic ac- China. We know they will extend this you know who the greatest cheerleader tivities, collusion with a foreign coun- firewall into Hong Kong, as well, and for China was in the first 2 to 3 months try or an external element, which I will will prevent the people from Hong of COVID–19’s outbreak there? Presi- explain later. Kong from access to social media, in- dent Donald Trump. On 45 occasions he This new security law literally was formation with each other, or informa- went on social media or gave state- delivered to the people of Hong Kong at tion from the outside world, just as ments to the press in which he lauded midnight, and it went into place imme- they have with the people of China. China’s response. He talked about how diately. Then the next step was that But the people of Hong Kong have transparent they were and how they the Chinese Communist police—mili- grown up and lived in freedom, and were doing a great job. The world com- tary law enforcement—moved into they know what it means to get out- munity couldn’t put pressure on China Hong Kong to begin to implement this. side information, and the Chinese Gov- to open up with respect to what they Free speech immediately stopped. ernment is actively working to shut knew about the virus in large part be- Those protesters who were out on the that down. We should actively work to cause the leader of the Nation’s most street just wishing to be able to vote push back on that to make sure the powerful country was doing the bidding and to speak their mind were imme- free people of Hong Kong continue to of the Chinese Government. diately rounded up. communicate with each other and with The second thing that this President Teachers and academics have been the outside world. We can stay engaged has done that makes China very, very arrested or fired or threatened. Com- with that basic function of human pleased is to essentially make the ar- munist Chinese leaders have contacted rights. That is why Senator KAINE and gument for the Chinese that the auto- them to reprimand them about teach- I are so passionate about this. cratic model that they are perfecting is ing about human rights in their class- We should engage as a government to the best method by which to organize rooms, remembering that in Hong make sure that they can continue to society around the world, because they Kong it was required—it was a required have the free speech that we have. say: Listen, we got this virus under class in Hong Kong just weeks ago—to When anyone loses their human rights control in a matter of months, and the learn about human rights and freedom, and dignities, the world loses human world’s greatest democracy is still and now the Chinese Government is re- rights and dignities. dealing with an epidemic that looks to moving those teachers and threatening Again, I am aware that there are be raging newly out of control. So as any other teacher who teaches about many things that need to happen with we engage in this broad fight between human rights that they will be re- COVID–19 right now, and we are ac- models of governance, our inability— moved. tively working on those things as well, this administration’s inability—to get Faith leaders have been squashed. and we should. But we should not lose this virus under control is maybe the You see, under this security law that track of freedom. Freedom is our re- greatest gift that this President has has passed, you can’t have any external sponsibility to model and to live and to given to China. element collusion. They define ‘‘exter- help other free people to guard. Let’s Here is what makes it so unconscion- nal element’’ as any kind of worship of stand with the people of Hong Kong. able: We know that democracy is inef- I yield the floor. God as well that does not align with ficient. We know that capital markets The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Sen- can sometimes be inefficient when the Communist Government. So any ator from Connecticut. faith-based group who is there in Hong pressed up against the wall by emer- UNANIMOUS CONSENT REQUEST—S. 3627 gencies. So we built into the statutes Kong is immediately being squashed. Mr. MURPHY. Mr. President, I am The Muslim Uighurs are gathered up of the United States emergency powers glad to have the opportunity to talk in Communist China and put in con- to give to this President—to any Presi- for a bit on the floor of the U.S. Senate centration camps to reeducate them on dent—so that when they are faced with on U.S. policy toward China because how to be more Chinese. Now the peo- an emergency, they can cure some of there has been no better friend for Chi- ple of Hong Kong are experiencing that the inefficiencies of democracy. nese interests likely in our lifetime We are on the floor today—Senators same type of oppression as the first than President Donald J. Trump. BALDWIN, STABENOW, BROWN, and I—to step has stepped in to take away their Articles suggest that when you sur- talk about one particular power this right to free speech, their right to vey Chinese Communist Party leaders, President has. It is an act called the gather and protest, and now also their they are, to a person, rooting for the Defense Production Act, and it allows right to have freedom of faith. Leaders reelection of this President. I don’t the President during moments of emer- of the democracy movement have al- need to go through the litany of ways gency to commandeer parts of the ready been rounded up and arrested. in which China has become more influ- manufacturing supply chain in this This is something that we should not ential and more powerful all around country to make sure we are making ignore. We have said as a world ‘‘Never the world because of this administra- everything we need in order to repel a again,’’ and we should engage. tion’s policies, but at the top of that foreign invader. Sometimes that may I know many people in my State say list is the abdication of the United be an army, but in this case it is a we should focus on COVID–19, and we States’ traditional leadership role on pathogen. should. There is much that needs to be human rights, which has allowed the What we have known from the very done. We cannot take our eyes off of Communist Party to march on the beginning is that there was no way for freedom around the world, as well, and Uighurs and others. It is a failed trade this country to have enough personal the people of Hong Kong. As they lose policy that has allowed China to ex- protective equipment—masks, face their freedom, the world loses freedom, tend its influence into places like Afri- shields, gowns, and gloves—and there and China sees it can move into one ca and throughout the Silk Road. It is was no way for this country to be able more place one more time. Taiwan is America’s break with Europe that has to have enough tests to know who has next, and they will continue to move in shattered our ability to negotiate to- it so that we can track it and get rid of this same way. We should stay en- gether the future rules of the economic it without the Federal Government gaged. order. stepping up and utilizing the Defense There are multiple bills this body has But what China is really ecstatic Production Act. already done on sanctions, and we about is this President’s performance Twenty percent of nursing homes should continue. We should continue to since March in the wake of a virus that today have less than a week’s supply of press in and speak out for those who now shows the United States as having PPE. cannot speak for themselves in Hong 25 percent of the world’s COVID cases Doctors at one hospital in Houston, Kong. They are being isolated. Senator while having only 4 percent of the where the outbreak is raging out of TIM KAINE and I just dropped a bill yes- world’s population. control, are being told to wear their terday dealing with internet freedom My friend Senator BLACKBURN recited N95 masks for 15 days in a row when it for the people of Hong Kong, saying the early moments of this virus out- is recommended for a single use.

VerDate Sep 11 2014 03:52 Jul 23, 2020 Jkt 099060 PO 00000 Frm 00019 Fmt 4624 Sfmt 0634 E:\CR\FM\G22JY6.033 S22JYPT1 SSpencer on DSK126QN23PROD with SENATE S4382 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD — SENATE July 22, 2020 The national strategic stockpile once this President is all of a sudden impo- dad. Back home, the people of our had 82 million gloves. Today they have tent. It falls to us, Members of the U.S. State were hard at work producing the less than 1 million. Congress, to stand up and pass legisla- bombers, the tanks, the trucks, the Guess what. It is going to get worse. tion, the Medical Supply Transparency helmets, and the guns needed to win More people need to be tested. Schools and Delivery Act, to make sure—to the war. In fact, Michigan was called at are about to reopen. The super- make sure—that we are using the ex- that time ‘‘the arsenal of democracy.’’ intendent of the 100,000-student Jeffer- tent of the statutes provided to this We make things, and during World War son County school district in Louis- government and this President to II, we were making the things that ville, KY, says that he needs $10 mil- make sure that people are safe and were needed to win the war—the arse- lion to order face masks alone. It is make sure people are tested in the mid- nal of democracy. Both at home and going to cost schools across this coun- dle of an ongoing epidemic. abroad, victory in many ways depended try $25 billion to purchase medical sup- I am glad to be joined on the floor on the people of my State. plies, and these medical supplies are today by a number of my colleagues to For the past 6 months, our Nation going up in price because the supply is talk about the need to pass this legisla- has been fighting a different kind of so low. We have a solution: the Defense tion. We are going to offer a unanimous war, a raging health pandemic, taking Production Act. consent request. Senator BALDWIN will over 141,000 American lives so far. Un- We also don’t have enough tests. It do that. I have been very pleased to be fortunately, this time our national now takes 7 to 10 to 14 days to get a a partner with her in developing this generals appear to be missing in ac- test back. In Connecticut, it used to legislation to require the tion. How is it possible that 6 months take just 1 day. You can’t beat this operationalization of the DPA, but be- after the first case of COVID–19 on Jan- virus if you don’t get results for 7 to 10 fore she speaks, let me turn it over to uary 20, our healthcare workers still days. That person who gets tested goes my colleague and our caucus’s leader are struggling to get the personal pro- out and spreads it during that time. on issues of healthcare, Senator STABE- tective gear they need to treat patients James Davis from Quest Diagnostics NOW. while keeping themselves safe? How said: The PRESIDING OFFICER (Mr. COT- can that be? How is it possible that 6 months after We would double our capacity tomorrow TON). The Senator from Michigan. . . . but it’s not the labs that are the bottle- Ms. STABENOW. Mr. President, first, the first case of COVID–19 was detected neck. [It] is our ability to get physical ma- it is wonderful to be here with my in the United States, people are still chines and . . . our ability to feed those ma- great friends from Connecticut, Wis- struggling to get tested? Well, I will chines with chemical reagents. consin, and Ohio. This is such an im- tell you how. It is because of the com- That is equipment that could be pro- portant discussion we are having today plete lack of Federal leadership coming duced in the United States if the Presi- and such an important bill that needs from this White House that we have dent took control of the manufacturing to be passed. seen, since day one, in this crisis. supply chain—not forever, but to the Let me start again by underscoring None of us want it to be this way. We all live here. Our families are here. We extent of this crisis. something that Senator MURPHY said, So the Medical Supply Transparency because despite what happened in the are desperately concerned about our families, our friends, and people in our and Delivery Act, which Senator BALD- beginning as it relates to China and States. We want this White House to be WIN and my colleagues will talk more certainly over the years, I have not about, essentially picks up the ball the been shy to address concerns related to successful in fighting the pandemic. We President has dropped and commands stealing our intellectual property all need to be successful in fighting this pandemic. the President to operationalize the De- rights or other issues related to China. But the reality is that the adminis- fense Production Act and put some- The reality is, despite whatever the tration could have immediately used body in charge of its effectuation to smokescreens are about China, you the Defense Production Act to ensure make sure we are producing in this can’t say that they are the reason that that we have quality protective equip- country all of the medical equipment— with 4 percent of the population, we ment and testing supplies in the right the masks, the gloves, the testing re- have 25 percent of the cases of COVID– place at the right time. It could have agents, the cartridges—that it is pos- 19 and 25 percent of the deaths in the happened immediately. Instead, we sible to produce in this Nation. world. There is much more to it, and, have the administration providing ex- The level of gleeful, willing, know- unfortunately, it lands right in this ample after example of telling the Gov- ing, purposeful incompetence from this country with the lack of national lead- ernors: OK, you do it. We don’t want to administration is absolutely stunning, ership that has been completely AWOL do it. You do it. We will be right behind and no one should normalize an admin- when it comes to the kind of national you. istration that has the power to save strategy we need to get our people the Then Governors turn around, and no- lives and refuses to operationalize it. equipment, the support they need, the body is there. Why won’t this administration take testing they need, and to have a strat- They don’t want to support the Gov- control of the supply chain? Why are egy to safely reopen the economy and ernors and local communities now that they willing to let people die? States our schools while, at the same time, we were once required to step up. But can’t run the supply chain by them- putting the health and safety and lives you go ahead. Or they are putting to- selves. It is a national and inter- of Americans first by addressing the gether shady contracts—no-bid con- national supply chain. Hospitals can’t pandemic. tracts—one after the other. create their own supply chain. They So I rise today to urge the Senate to One I will mention to you is called need to be focused on saving lives, not take up and immediately pass the Med- Fillakit, which was a $10 million no-bid being miniprocurement organizations. ical Supply Transparency and Delivery contract to produce testing supplies by We know that democracies and capi- Act. I want to thank Senators BALD- somebody who already had had prob- talist economies are by nature and de- WIN, MURPHY, and BROWN for intro- lems in the past and who was given a sign often inefficient when faced with ducing this important legislation. I am no-bid contract after setting up a new these urgent crises. That is why we very proud to be an original cosponsor company. We heard this over and over. give Presidents these enormous but of this bill. And ProPublica reported that the test- temporary powers to smooth out the As all of you know, throughout his- ing tubes Fillakit produced were, in inefficiencies of a multibranch, multi- tory—and I love history—perhaps no fact, repurposed miniature plastic soda jurisdictional democracy. State was as crucial to our Nation’s bottles and described the packaging When it comes to calling in the Fed- victory in World War II as was Michi- process as unmasked employees using eral troops to beat the hell out of pro- gan. My colleagues may debate that, ‘‘snow shovels’’ and dumping them into testers, this President seems perfectly but I have the mic, so I will talk about plastic bins before squirting saline into willing to exercise his powers as Com- Michigan. them all in open air. Well, Michigan re- mander in Chief, but when it comes to The truth is that more than half of ceived some of those so-called testing making sure that my kids’ teachers or Michigan men and women proudly supplies, and needless to say, they were my local doctor has a mask this fall, served in uniform, including my own not useable.

VerDate Sep 11 2014 03:52 Jul 23, 2020 Jkt 099060 PO 00000 Frm 00020 Fmt 4624 Sfmt 0634 E:\CR\FM\G22JY6.035 S22JYPT1 SSpencer on DSK126QN23PROD with SENATE July 22, 2020 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD — SENATE S4383 Meanwhile, Governors, hospitals, and these American corporations and their right thing. I thank Senator TESTER nursing homes have spent time, en- contributors, starting with Senator for that work. ergy, and money bidding against one MCCONNELL down the hall, to get all of UNANIMOUS CONSENT REQUEST—S. 3627 another and being pitted against one these advantages for China. Mr. President, we know a lot of another for lifesaving PPE and testing Now, if you are thinking about run- things. We know 144,000 Americans are supplies. This is no way to fight a pan- ning for President of the United States dead. We have grown numb to these demic. This is no way to fight a war, in 2024 as a Republican, you bash numbers. We can’t forget who they are. and, certainly, no way to win a war. China. If you are in a tough reelection They are our friends, our sisters, our In Michigan, after the CARES Act right now for the Senate, you bash brothers, our parents, and our neigh- passed, going back to the State, work- China. If you are a House Member and bors. ing with our State Governor and her afraid of being defeated, you bash As has been said, we are 4 to 5 per- team and our delegation, I, literally, China. If you want to help the cause for cent of the world’s population. We have was in a situation of reaching out—be- Donald Trump, you bash China. It accounted for almost 30 percent of the cause of my work in healthcare—to doesn’t matter that President Trump deaths in the entire world. That is not people in the medical supply business, has been the best friend of China. It because we don’t have skilled doctors. and we got some of the first masks be- doesn’t matter the Republican leader- It is not because we don’t have smart cause I knew a guy who knew a guy ship has been in the pocket of Chinese scientists. It is not because we don’t who knew a guy in China. That was Communist interests because of their work hard. It is because of leadership. how we got the masks—no national support for American corporations. It We know this President and the ma- supply chain. is just good politics to bash China. So jority leader down the hall, who does Masks were coming in. Fifty-cent we know that, and Senator MURPHY the bidding every single day of this masks were being bumped up to $5, $6, touched on that. President, had chance after chance to $7 apiece—no accountability, nobody S. 4049 get ahead of this virus. President worrying about the United States and Mr. President, I want to say a few Trump failed and Senator MCCONNELL whether we could get the best deal and words first about Agent Orange and failed. Now they have stopped even pre- whether our hospitals were able to get thank Senator TESTER for his work on tending to try. what they needed. Frankly, it was behalf of the tens of thousands of Viet- The President demands that schools chaos—complete chaos. Again, that is nam vets who suffered because of expo- reopen—no plan to protect teachers no way to fight a pandemic, and it is sure to Agent Orange. and students. He demands businesses certainly no way to fight a war. We all know what the issue is. The open up—no plan to protect workers During World War II, Michigan didn’t National Academy of Sciences has rec- and consumers. The American people decide to become the arsenal of democ- ognized the four illnesses that are sug- have done their part and made incred- racy on its own. The Federal Govern- gestive or where there is sufficient evi- ible sacrifices. Essentially, they bought ment saw a need and called on Michi- dence associated with Agent Orange. President Trump time in March, April, gan companies and workers to fill it, For years, we have known that. The May, and June, and he wasted it. and we did. It is the same thing this VA has added illnesses in categories to This spring, people stayed home. administration should be doing right the list of presumptive medical condi- They worked hard to flatten the curve. now, today—today—to produce the tions associated with Agent Orange. Members of both parties—both par- PPE and testing supplies we need to They have resisted this. ties—begged him to use the Defense end this pandemic. Instead, doctors and Time is running out for these vet- Production Act to scale up the produc- nurses are wearing the same masks for erans. We did this to them. The Amer- tion of medical supplies, including a week or more. People are waiting ican Government decided to spray testing supplies, and coordinate their more than 10 days for test results, and Agent Orange. We knew it was harm- deployment. All the way back in more than 141,000 Americans, so far, ful. We definitely know it is harmful March, we knew we faced shortfalls in have died, including more than 6,100 in now. If you were exposed to poison N95 masks, gowns, and the materials Michigan. while serving our country, you deserve we needed, most importantly, for test It is time to pass this important bill. the benefits you earned, period. production, like cotton swabs. I imme- It is past time. It is time to put our For 3 years, in the Veterans’ Affairs diately convened Ohio manufacturers great American companies to work Committee—I sat in the Veterans’ Af- back in March. I know Senator BALD- producing the supplies we need. It is fairs Committee—I begged the Vet- WIN did the same thing in her State. I time to win this war. We have done big erans’ Administration to recognize asked them what support they needed. things before, and we can do it again. I that these three illnesses are caused by I released a plan and sent a letter to join with my colleagues in urging that Agent Orange and they should get Vet- the White House outlining Executive this bill be taken up immediately. erans’ Administration benefits. I actions the President could take imme- I yield the floor. begged the Veterans’ Administration, diately. This was March. Since then— The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Sen- and no answers. I begged the President April, May, June, July—and essentially ator from Ohio. of the United States, and President nothing happened. The Federal Govern- Mr. BROWN. Mr. President, I thank Trump said he is a friend of veterans, ment can acquire the resources our Senators MURPHY and STABENOW and but he couldn’t be bothered to add country needs and send them when Senator BALDWIN’s terrific leadership these three illnesses on the list. So they are needed most. on this. I echo Senator MURPHY’s ear- these veterans, individually, have to Senator CRAPO, a Republican from lier comments about China. get down on their knees—figuratively, Idaho, and I worked together to include I see on the other side of the aisle if not literally—and beg the VA for provisions in the CARES Act ensuring Senators and President Trump. It is benefits when it ought to be automatic. the President has the ability to use campaign season. So it is time to bash That is what Senator TESTER’s amend- DPA authority he already has without China, even though they have been in ment does today. It makes it auto- delay. We worked with our colleagues the pockets of China. matic. in the Appropriations Committee to in- I was in the other body when cor- Instead, the White House said no and clude $1 billion in new DPA funding. porate interests came and lobbied the the Veterans’ Administration said no, Yet hundreds of millions of dollars just House of Representatives and lobbied but because of the work of Senator sit around waiting to be used. the Senate asking for China to get all TESTER today, my colleagues are fi- Our States and our healthcare work- of these trade breaks and tax breaks so nally—it doesn’t happen often around ers continue to face supply shortages. that American companies could shut here. My Republican colleagues actu- What exactly is the President waiting down production in Milwaukee or in ally stood up to the President of the for? Imagine if he had used that DPA Cleveland and move overseas to China United States and said: No, Mr. Presi- money and DPA authority in the and get all kinds of tax breaks. And dent, you are wrong on the VA about spring and said we need to be producing then my Republican colleagues were covering these illnesses for Vietnam a million tests a week by the end of also pro-China because they wanted vets. And, finally, this Congress did the summer, or imagine if we said our goal

VerDate Sep 11 2014 03:52 Jul 23, 2020 Jkt 099060 PO 00000 Frm 00021 Fmt 4624 Sfmt 0634 E:\CR\FM\G22JY6.037 S22JYPT1 SSpencer on DSK126QN23PROD with SENATE S4384 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD — SENATE July 22, 2020 is to be ready to open schools in the ply chain, leaving healthcare workers consin labs that are currently per- fall and I am calling on American busi- at hospitals and long-term care facili- forming tests do not have access to a nesses and American workers to manu- ties at the forefront of this crisis to consistent supply of reagent. facture the tests we need to do it? fend for themselves, rationing the We are not alone. States across the Look around the world. Other coun- scarce personal protective equipment country have been abandoned by the tries figured this out. We are being left that has been provided to them. In Trump administration. They have been behind. It is time for us to step up. If fact, just a couple of weeks ago, Vice forced to go this alone, while President the President will not lead, we must. If President MIKE PENCE, who was put in Trump has tried to pass off responsi- the President will not use DPA on its charge of our pandemic response, said bility for his own failures. own, Congress must use its authority the administration will be issuing guid- Every single one of us knows that our to force him to. ance encouraging healthcare workers States need more resources and sup- That is why it is so disappointing to to reuse personal protective equip- plies so we can ramp up testing, iden- see my Republican colleagues objecting ment. This is the same Vice President tify those who are infected, isolate to Senator BALDWIN’s bill. But, of who declared that the United States positive cases, and safely trace all con- course, they are objecting because they would ‘‘have this coronavirus pandemic tacts so that the spread of this virus are doing the bidding of President behind us’’ by Memorial Day weekend. can finally be contained. We all know Trump, and they want to blame China He was tragically wrong, and this that President Trump’s broken supply for everything, instead of take any re- White House continues to play catchup chain has been a failure, and my legis- sponsibility themselves. But objecting on a pandemic and a virus that is lation with Senator MURPHY, supported to Senator BALDWIN’s bill, which would spreading faster than ever. by 46 Democrats, will help fix it. force the President to actually do his The person whom President Trump In order to put people back to work job and coordinate a national response put in charge of our medical supply and safely reopen businesses and to a national crisis—that is the answer. chain was his son-in-law, Jared schools, we need both a national test- The American people should not have Kushner. Jared Kushner predicted in ing plan and the supplies to implement it. This is true in Wisconsin and every to fend for themselves again and again April that by June we would be back to other State in our Nation. and again in the middle of a pandemic. normal and that in July we would be Our legislation will help respond to I yield the floor. ‘‘rocking again.’’ It is July. It is July, The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Sen- this public health crisis and prepare for and this is where we are. the future by mobilizing a Federal re- ator from Wisconsin. Last Thursday, America had its high- sponse to increase our national produc- Ms. BALDWIN. Mr. President, Presi- est number of new coronavirus cases in tion of the testing and medical supplies dent Trump’s response to this pan- 1 day. And in my home State of Wis- demic has been a failure of leadership. we need at the State and local level. consin, we had our highest case count Specifically, the bill will provide crit- So we are here today to provide leader- ever yesterday—yesterday—and we ical oversight of the distribution of ship in the Senate to do what the have many hospitals across my State medical supplies and put an expert in Trump administration has failed to do. with less than a week’s supply of face In April, with my good friend Sen- charge to oversee COVID–19 equipment shields, goggles, gowns, paper medical production and delivery so we know we ator MURPHY from Connecticut, the masks, and N95 masks. are putting science and facts over poli- two of us introduced legislation called This public health crisis has not dis- tics and private distributor profits the Medical Supply Transparency and appeared. We are not back to normal, when it comes to responding to this Delivery Act. That act would force and we are not ‘‘rocking again.’’ pandemic. President Trump to take action and The fact is, President Trump has Finally, our legislation unlocks the scale up American production of things failed to lead, and this White House has full authority and power of the Defense like test kits, swabs, reagents, personal taken us in a wrong direction in our Production Act so that we can produce protective equipment, and the medical fight against this pandemic. New and deliver tests, testing supplies, per- equipment needed at the local level to coronavirus cases are rising in the sonal protective equipment, and med- address the ongoing COVID–19 pan- States that we work for, which means ical equipment that we need to take on demic in our country. we need more testing supplies, more this pandemic, treat patients, protect Three months later, States still do testing, and more personal protective workers, open businesses and schools, not have the supplies they need. Now equipment for our workers. and save lives. more than 3.8 million Americans have The question this Senate needs to an- My friends on the other side of the been infected with the coronavirus, swer is whether we are going to let this aisle have a choice: They can continue and, tragically, over 141,000 people have President continue to take our country to ignore President Trump’s failure to died in our country. For 3 months, our in the wrong direction, or are we going respond to this public health crisis, legislation has been in the majority to lead and do what we all know needs knowing full well that until we con- leader’s legislative graveyard. to be done? front it in the bold and effective way Since this public health crisis start- Not one of my Senate colleagues can that we should, we will not solve our ed, the Trump administration has had make an honest case that their State economic crisis, or they can choose to no national testing plan, and they have has everything it needs to fight this liberate themselves from this failure never had a plan to provide States with pandemic. and support a solution that will serve the testing supplies they need to com- In Wisconsin, we have been short- the people who sent us here to work for bat this pandemic. As a matter of fact, changed by this administration. They them. last month, the President said we need- have failed to provide adequate sup- If my colleagues on the other side of ed to slow down testing, and, this plies for our State’s clinical and pri- the aisle believe, as this Vice President weekend, as President Trump once vate labs, paralyzing our ability to ex- does, that this pandemic is behind us, again said the coronavirus would dis- pand testing to the levels we need. In then object. If my colleagues on the appear, there were reports that the some cases, what we have received other side of the aisle believe, as Jared White House is trying to block Federal from the Trump administration were Kushner does, that we are rocking funding for States to conduct testing unsuitable and unusable testing sup- again in July, then object. If my col- and contact tracing. plies—foam applicators that cannot be leagues on the other side of the aisle President Trump has not only aban- used for swabs and saline tubes that believe, as President Trump does, that doned each and every one of our States, were too short to transport swabs used the coronavirus will just magically dis- he has also turned his back on front- in the majority of COVID–19 tests. appear, well, then, object. line healthcare workers, who continue In addition, the majority of labs con- If you oppose the failures of this to face shortages of personal protective ducting COVID–19 tests in Wisconsin President and this administration in equipment, including gloves, gowns, are clinical or private labs. These labs responding to the COVID–19 pandemic, face shields, and masks. cannot access resources from the ad- then I ask for your vote to pass the The Trump administration has cre- ministration and are essentially being Medical Supply Transparency and De- ated absolute chaos in the medical sup- told to ‘‘figure it out.’’ Over 80 Wis- livery Act today.

VerDate Sep 11 2014 03:52 Jul 23, 2020 Jkt 099060 PO 00000 Frm 00022 Fmt 4624 Sfmt 0634 E:\CR\FM\G22JY6.039 S22JYPT1 SSpencer on DSK126QN23PROD with SENATE July 22, 2020 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD — SENATE S4385 So I ask unanimous consent that the the State of Wisconsin, the chairman As we speak, COVID–19 continues to Homeland Security and Governmental of the Homeland Security and Govern- surge across the country. As cases keep Affairs Committee be discharged and mental Affairs Committee. growing, our testing supplies and our the Senate proceed to the immediate It is July. It is July, and cases are PPE, already in short supply, are consideration of S. 3627, the Medical rising. Action was not taken in Feb- reaching critical levels. From Seattle Supply Transparency and Delivery Act. ruary, March, April, May, June, or so to Miami, people are waiting in line for I further ask that the bill be considered far in this month of July. We had more hours to get tested, and their results read a third time and passed and that than fair warning that we had short- might take days, if not more, to come the motion to reconsider be considered ages of masks and gloves and gowns back. In many places we are missing made and laid upon the table. and face shields and testing swabs and basic supplies—swabs, gloves. In cer- The PRESIDING OFFICER. Is there testing media and reagents, and yet it tain hospitals it has been reported doc- objection? is July. tors and nurses are being told to reuse Mr. JOHNSON. Mr. President. As I said earlier, yesterday Wisconsin their N95 masks as many as 15—15— The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Sen- announced the most cases positive for times. ator from Wisconsin. coronavirus in a single day that we It has been 6 months since we have Mr. JOHNSON. Mr. President, reserv- have seen since the pandemic began. been fighting this virus. How is this As we strive to reopen our economy, ing the right to object, let me say first still happening? The problem should the President exhorts all schools to that I appreciate my colleague from have been solved months ago, but the Wisconsin’s work on this issue. It is an hold 5-day-a-week, in-person classes. We know that the demand for testing President has been derelict in his duty. important issue. It is one that our His administration has been a total committee has been working diligently and the demand for masks will only in- crease exponentially—the need to keep failure when it comes to testing and on. PPE. Since the beginning of the COVID workers safe as they return to work Instead of fully invoking the DPA crisis, we have held five hearings and a and the need to keep customers safe as and ramping up the production of crit- roundtable on exactly this issue—ex- they enter and engage in commerce. To ical supplies early on, President Trump ploring and doing oversight on the na- say that this needed to happen back in has left doctors, nurses, and medical tional stockpile and its supply chain February is an understatement. I am pleased that my colleague has staff fighting this disease with one vulnerability. Just today, we marked held hearings, but this bill was filed in hand tied behind their back. He has up five pieces of legislation very simi- April when it became apparent that the failed to keep us and those working on lar to what my colleague from Wis- President was not going to act. This the frontline safe. consin is introducing here and trying bill has been available for committee to pass by unanimous consent. The five This bill, however, would finally—fi- review since April. nally—force the President to do what pieces are the Federal Emergency Pan- The House passed many elements of demic Response Act, Securing he should have done ages ago. We have the Medical Supply Transparency and been talking about the DPA since way Healthcare Response and Equipment Delivery Act in their Heroes Act, Act, National Response Framework back in April. I called the President in which they passed 2 months ago. I just April, got him on the phone, urged him Improvement Act, National Infrastruc- ask, where would we be today had this ture Simulation and Analysis Center to invoke it. He told me he would and been put into law? then contradicted himself a few hours Pandemic Modeling Act, and finally— There has been time to review. There this one closest to my colleague’s bill— later. How typical, but how dev- has been time to study. But it is past astating for the American people. Then the PPE Supply Chain Transparency time to pass the Medical Supply Trans- Act, which is actually the piece of leg- he quickly lost interest—again, typical parency and Delivery Act. I hope we of this President, whose attention span islation we have had the most discus- can create another opportunity for the sion on—two amendments, including a is much too short for the big fight that Senate to act on this in the days to we have with COVID. second-degree amendment to one come because it is so overdue. amendment—before passing it unani- I want to again thank my colleagues So what we say is the President’s ap- mously. So our committee has done a who joined me on the floor this after- proach to the pandemic was—typically here—no followthrough, no strategy, lot of work. noon—my coauthor, Senator CHRIS no comprehension of the problem. The My concern about what my colleague MURPHY of Connecticut; my colleague President’s mind-boggling refusal to is doing here—trying to pass this by from Michigan, DEBBIE STABENOW; and unanimous consent—is by and large by- my colleague from Ohio, Senator invoke the DPA shouldn’t be piled on top of the challenges our medical passing the committee process. It is SHERROD BROWN; and the 45 other Mem- true her staff reached out to my staff a bers of the U.S. Senate who have joined workers and citizens already face. couple of weeks ago. We asked, have me in sponsoring this bill. I am sorry we didn’t pass this legisla- you vetted it through the Department? I yield the floor. tion. I hope we can do it soon. Apparently, she has begun that proc- The PRESIDING OFFICER. The I yield the floor. ess, but this piece of legislation has not Democratic leader. The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Sen- been properly vetted. It has not gone Mr. SCHUMER. Mr. President, I want ator from South Dakota. to thank my colleagues, Senators through the proper and full committee REMEMBERING JOHN LEWIS process. BALDWIN and MURPHY, for their urgent Again, without expressing an opinion words on this most important issue. I Mr. THUNE. Mr. President, before I on a piece of legislation but also ac- am proud to join them as we seek pas- begin, I would like to take a moment knowledging the fact that our com- sage to pass legislation to finally re- to honor Congressman John Lewis, who mittee has done a lot of work—passed quire the President to invoke the full died on Friday. A leader of the civil five pieces of legislation on a non- authority of the DPA, the Defense Pro- rights movement, he was one of the 13 partisan basis today because we are duction Act, so that the Federal Gov- original Freedom Riders and an orga- concerned about this as well—I have to ernment can more speedily get testing nizer of the 1963 March on Washington. object. supplies and PPE to the parts of our He was a man of conscience, convic- The PRESIDING OFFICER. Objec- country struggling under the weight of tion, and supreme courage. tion is heard. the pandemic. ‘‘When you see something that is not Ms. BALDWIN. Mr. President. Make no mistake, medical profes- right, not fair, not just, you have to The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Sen- sionals and frontline workers fighting speak up. You have to do something,’’ ator from Wisconsin. this virus still—still—do not have the he would say. Ms. BALDWIN. I am, of course, very protective equipment and the testing John Lewis did something. Con- disappointed that we cannot move this supplies they need because the Trump fronted by the great sin of segregation, forward. administration failed to fully invoke John Lewis put himself front and cen- I want to respond to a couple of the the DPA earlier this year. This is a cri- ter in the fight. He organized sit-ins. comments made by my colleagues from sis of President Trump’s making. He led demonstrations. He marched for

VerDate Sep 11 2014 03:52 Jul 23, 2020 Jkt 099060 PO 00000 Frm 00023 Fmt 4624 Sfmt 0634 E:\CR\FM\G22JY6.040 S22JYPT1 SSpencer on DSK126QN23PROD with SENATE S4386 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD — SENATE July 22, 2020 freedom. And he paid for his convic- businesses to hire and to retain work- It can be argued that it is money we tions with his blood. A man who es- ers. It will provide a refundable tax need to borrow, but we need to remem- poused nonviolence, he suffered incred- credit for Main Street businesses for ber that it is borrowed money and that ible brutality at the hands of both po- the protective equipment and cleaning the bill for that money will eventually lice officers and civilian mobs. He was supplies that they need to keep their come due. The more we drive up our attacked and beaten an untold number employees and customers safe and to debt, the greater the threat to the of times. encourage Americans to return to their health of our economy, not to mention During a march in Selma, AL—on a businesses. It will provide another to the economic future of today’s day that lives in infamy—a police offi- round of assistance to small businesses, younger workers. We have an obliga- cer fractured John Lewis’s skull, leav- with a focus on those that have been tion to them to limit our borrowing to ing him with a scar that he carried to hit the hardest by the pandemic. what is absolutely necessary to fight the end of his life. Yet John Lewis was We also expect to issue another the virus. unbowed. No matter how many times round of direct payments to hard-work- The Democratic leader has come he was attacked or what he suffered, he ing Americans to help them get back down to the floor the past couple of got up again and rejoined the fight. on their feet and to stimulate the econ- days and suggested that the Heroes His death is a great loss, but John omy. Act—a $3 trillion coronavirus bill the Lewis will live on in the annals of The third bucket of our coronavirus House passed is—‘‘a good product to American heroes. May we all have his response is, of course, healthcare. We start with’’ when it comes to a phase 4 courage in fighting for the right. have to keep ensuring our healthcare coronavirus relief bill. CORONAVIRUS professionals have the resources needed That is ludicrous. The bill the Demo- Mr. President, so far, Congress has to treat patients, develop new treat- cratic leader is promoting—the bill he provided $2.4 trillion to fight the ments, and to find a vaccine to tame thinks is a good starting point for coronavirus. Over the past couple of this virus once and for all. coronavirus legislation—is a bill that months here in the Senate, we have The coronavirus legislation that we mentions cannabis—cannabis more been closely tracking the implementa- are drafting will address all three of often than it mentions the word tion of this money and working with those priorities. ‘‘jobs.’’ the administration on disbursement. Our legislation will also include an- Let me just repeat that. The bill the In June alone, we held 30 hearings in other important priority that will pro- Democratic leader thinks is a good the Senate on COVID-related issues. tect jobs, schools, businesses, and starting point for coronavirus relief All of this has helped us identify the healthcare workers, and that is liabil- legislation mentions the word ‘‘can- priorities that need to shape our next ity protections. No matter how many nabis’’ more often than it mentions the bill, which we are hoping to pass in the precautions schools and businesses word ‘‘job.’’ next couple of weeks. Those priorities take, there is no way for them to com- While the Democratic leader is cer- are kids, jobs, and healthcare. pletely eliminate all risk of employees, tainly welcome to disagree with me, I First, kids: Getting kids back in students, or customers contracting the don’t think diversity studies in the school safely needs to be a priority. virus, but an army of trial lawyers is cannabis industry have a major role to Being able to attend school in person is waiting to levy lawsuits against even play in defeating this virus or getting important for students’ academic de- the most careful schools and busi- Americans back to work, nor does fed- velopment and for their social and nesses. eralizing election law—another pri- emotional well-being. There is absolutely no question that ority the Democrats included in their The American Academy of Pediatrics schools and businesses should be liable has stated: ‘‘All policy considerations bill. for gross negligence or for intentional Despite its $3 trillion pricetag, the for the coming school year should start misconduct, but businesses and schools bill the Democratic leader is endorsing with a goal of having students phys- that are taking every reasonable pre- fails to meet one of the most basic re- ically present in school.’’ Now, not every school may be able to caution to protect employees and stu- quirements of any coronavirus relief fully reopen this fall, but we need to dents and customers should not have to bill, and that is providing a meaningful make sure that those schools that can worry about facing lawsuits for virus plan for getting Americans back to reopen have the resources they need to transmission that they could not have work. It is disappointing to hear the reopen safely. That is why the legisla- prevented. Democratic leader promoting such an tion the Republicans are drafting here Healthcare workers giving their all unserious piece of legislation at a time in the Senate would provide more than on the frontlines to treat coronavirus that we should be devoting all of our $100 billion to help schools ensure they patients should not have to worry that efforts to getting a bipartisan bill to have what they need to safely welcome their efforts will be rewarded with law- the President. students back to class. suits. I hope my other Democratic col- While our first priority in getting I would like to think that we can put leagues in the Senate are ready to look kids back to school is ensuring their a bipartisan bill together and get it to beyond partisan wish lists and focus on academic and social well-being, getting the President’s desk in the next couple negotiating a relief package that ad- students back in school is also impor- of weeks. Republicans are ready and dresses the real priorities we are fac- tant for families’ economic health. willing to work with Democrats to get ing: helping kids and parents, getting There are a lot of parents in this coun- this done. We will introduce our draft Americans back to work, and providing try who can’t afford to have one parent shortly and be ready to negotiate with the healthcare resources needed to stay home to homeschool. We need to Democrats to arrive at a final bill, the fight this virus. ensure that those parents have access same process that we followed with the Republicans are ready to come to the to schools and childcare wherever pos- CARES Act, our largest coronavirus re- table, and I urge Democrats to join us. sible so that they can keep or return to lief bill to date. I yield the floor. their jobs. This will work only if Democrats are The PRESIDING OFFICER (Mrs. Enabling Americans to return to willing to come to the table and nego- BLACKBURN). The Senator from Illinois. work is key to our economic recovery. tiate a reasonable bill. My Democratic UNANIMOUS CONSENT REQUEST—S. 4243 Currently, there are more than 17 mil- colleagues sometimes behave as if gov- Mr. DURBIN. Madam President, I am lion unemployed Americans. While this ernment money is drawn from a mag- expecting the Senator from Utah to is a significant improvement from ical pot of gold that will never run out, come to the floor momentarily to re- where we were 2 months ago, that num- but it is not. It is not. sume debate over an issue which was ber is still much too high, and we have Every dollar of the coronavirus fund- raised yesterday and suspended to to do everything we can to get these ing we provided so far has been bor- move to a vote that had been pre- Americans back on the job and receiv- rowed money, and every dollar we ap- viously scheduled. ing a regular paycheck. propriate in the phase 4 bill we are Since this item, this issue, we are That is why the legislation we are drafting will likely be borrowed money discussing is of such importance to so drafting will provide incentives for as well. many individuals in our country

VerDate Sep 11 2014 03:52 Jul 23, 2020 Jkt 099060 PO 00000 Frm 00024 Fmt 4624 Sfmt 0634 E:\CR\FM\G22JY6.042 S22JYPT1 SSpencer on DSK126QN23PROD with SENATE July 22, 2020 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD — SENATE S4387 today—and many of them are following ator PATRICK LEAHY of Vermont and work in good faith with him to resolve this carefully and closely—I wanted to Senator MAZIE HIRONO of Hawaii. The our differences. Last December, we make sure we returned to it today to RELIEF Act would increase the num- reached an agreement—I believed we at least consider one aspect of the de- ber of green cards to clear the backlog did—on an amendment to the bill. The bate. for all immigrants waiting in line for amendment doesn’t address the core Yesterday, when I made a unanimous green cards within 5 years—eliminate problem because it doesn’t increase the consent request, Senator LEE said he the backlog for green cards within 5 number of green cards. As a result, it had not had time to look at my pro- years. would not reduce the green card back- posal. That is why I waited until today This RELIEF Act would keep immi- log, but there was an improvement in to come back, so that he would have grant families together by treating the amendment which we put together. that opportunity. children and spouses of green card I talked about it yesterday. Yesterday, I came to the floor to holders as immediate relatives, just as Let me highlight two key provisions speak about the plight of immigrant the children and spouses of citizens of our agreement. We protected the workers who are suffering because of a are, so they don’t count against the families who are stuck in this backlog serious problem in our immigration green card caps. The RELIEF Act waiting for a green card. Immigrant system known as the green card back- would protect the aging-out children workers and immediate family mem- log. Many of these immigrants are es- who qualify for a green card based on bers would be allowed to ‘‘early file’’ sential workers who are helping to lead parents’ immigrant petition. for their green cards. That was a pro- the fight against COVID–19, but the The RELIEF Act that I am describ- posal that came to me from Senator green card backlog puts them and their ing is not novel or controversial; it is LEE, and I thought it was reasonable. families at risk of losing their immi- based on a provision of the 2013 com- These individuals would not receive gration status and being subject to de- prehensive immigration reform bill, their green cards early, but they would portation. which I helped to write with the so- be able, while waiting, to switch jobs Under the current law, there are called Gang of 8. That included Senator and travel without losing immigration clearly not enough immigrant visas— McCain, Senator GRAHAM, Senator status. I think that is reasonable. also known as green cards—available Flake, as well as Senator RUBIO on the Early filing adds a critical protection each year. The numbers that we have Republican side; myself, Senator SCHU- that wasn’t in S. 386. established in 1990 are still applicable MER, Senator MENENDEZ, and Senator Listen carefully. Our agreement pre- today, though our national economy BENNET on the Democratic side. We vents the children of immigrant work- has doubled since then. We are still worked hard and passed that measure ers from aging out of green card eligi- talking about 140,000 employment visas through the Senate Judiciary Com- bility so they will not face deportation each year. mittee and on the floor by a vote of 68 while they are waiting for a green card. These so-called green cards have re- to 32. Our agreement also would crack sulted in many people waiting for long What I am proposing is something I down on the abuse of H–1B temporary periods of times—literally for years— have proposed in the past, crafted, work visas. Really, I think this is at for the opportunity to become legal passed, and offered to the House of the heart of the problems we are run- permanent residents and securing one Representatives to help start to solve ning into. There are corporate entities of the green cards. While they are wait- the immigration crisis, which we cur- in India, which have extraordinary ing, their families are at risk. rently have in this country. Unfortu- power over the securing of these H–1B visas. These backlogs are particularly dif- nately, the Republicans, who con- The amendment we put together ficult on children because as they wait, trolled the House of Representatives would allow legitimate use of H–1B the children, of course, advance in age, when this measure came before them visas, but here is what it would say. It and when they reach age 21, they are several years ago, refused to even take would prohibit a company from hiring subject to deportation. I have met with up this measure and debate it. additional H–1B workers in the future these families, and I have talked with If they had, we wouldn’t be here if the company’s workforce is more today. The green card backlog would them. It is a heartbreaking situation. than 50 employees and more than 50 The unanimous consent request, not exist based on the provision which percent of those are temporary work- which I will make today, addresses the I offered with others in the comprehensive ers. plight of those children directly. Sen- immigration reform bill. Unfortunately, The 50–50 rule is from a bipartisan H– ator LEE objected to it yesterday. He some of the Republicans on the other side of the aisle are still unwilling to increase any 1B reform bill that I authored with said he had not had a chance to look at Senator GRASSLEY. This provision was it. I hope he will reconsider when I number of immigrant visas. They want to keep the immigrant workers on a temporary included in the 2013 comprehensive im- make the same request today. basis, where they and their family are at migration reform bill. These children who face, what we risk of losing their immigration status and Senator LEE has said publicly: This is call, aging out at age 21 would be pro- being deported. a commonsense reform to root out tected by this unanimous consent re- The senior Senator from Utah, Mr. abuse. I think he is right. I know these quest, which I am making. In addition LEE, has introduced S. 386, known as companies despise this provision, and I to the green card backlog, it is clear the Fairness for High-Skilled Immi- think it is one of the reasons we find there is a solution to this issue, which grants Act, to address the green card ourselves with no common ground I am afraid we are not going to be able backlog. I have a basic concern with today. If this is included, they don’t to achieve. It is to increase the number that bill. It includes no additional want anything to pass, and they are of green cards available each year in green cards. Without any additional doing their best to stop it. this country. green cards, S. 386 will not reduce the The reality is that the top recipients These immigrant workers who are green card backlog. Without additional of H–1B visas today are outsourcing seeking green cards are already in the green cards, S. 386 will not reduce the companies that use loopholes in the United States working legally. This is green card backlog. law to exploit immigrant workers and not a question of increasing the num- Don’t take it from me. There are offshore American jobs. In the most re- ber of green cards, of bringing in new those who will disagree and say: Oh, cent year for which data is available, 8 immigrants to compete with American DURBIN is wrong. He is just mistaken in of the top 10 recipients of new H–1B workers. These workers are already saying that. visas were outsourcing companies. here. It is about whether immigrant Please go to the nonpartisan Con- Unfortunately, yesterday, Senator workers will continue to be able to gressional Research Service. Here is LEE objected to this proposal, which we work on temporary visas, where they what they said about S. 386, Senator had put together. Instead, he offered a have to depend on their employer for LEE’s legislation. ‘‘S. 386 would not re- revised version that included changes their immigration status and their fu- duce future backlogs compared to cur- that were requested by the Trump ad- ture is uncertain. rent law.’’ ministration. Let me explain Senator I introduced legislation known as the Despite my concerns about Senator LEE’s changes because I think they are RELIEF Act. My cosponsors are Sen- LEE’s bill, I agreed to sit down and basic, and I believe they are a problem.

VerDate Sep 11 2014 03:52 Jul 23, 2020 Jkt 099060 PO 00000 Frm 00025 Fmt 4624 Sfmt 0634 E:\CR\FM\G22JY6.045 S22JYPT1 SSpencer on DSK126QN23PROD with SENATE S4388 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD — SENATE July 22, 2020 First, he wants to remove a provision Yesterday, Senator LEE said he had does nothing for the child of an immi- from our original agreement, known as not had a chance to review it, so I grant whose dead parent’s green card the hold harmless clause. What it says wanted to return to the floor today. I application is ultimately denied be- is very simple. It assures immigrants believe this is timely and important, cause his or her job is no longer avail- already waiting in line for green cards and now he has had a chance to look at able—nothing. that there is nothing we will do that it. Senator LEE’s original bill does not To be honest, the 20 to 30 years is a will, in any way, injure or delay their offer any protection for those children, short wait for most of the Indian na- pursuit of a green card; they can’t fall which I think is a major humanitarian tionals currently stuck in this awful, further behind in line. We hold them problem caused by the green card back- hellish green card backlog. In fact, it is harmless from any change we make. log. a drop in the bucket. In 2020, the wait Why wouldn’t we? Some of these people The early-filing provision in my for an EB2 green card is not, in fact, 20 have waited for years. The hold harm- agreement with Senator LEE will im- to 30 years for an Indian national. less provision basically says we are mediately protect the kids in the back- What is it, then? Is it 30? Is it 40, 50, 60? going to protect wherever you stand in log under the age of 21. However, if No, it is much longer than that. It is line. early-filing is delayed, Senator LEE 195 years. This means that someone The second thing that Senator LEE now proposes those kids would age out from India entering the backlog today wants to do is to delay for 3 years the and lose their green card eligibility. would have to wait 195 years to receive effective date of the 50–50 rule to crack I have met many of these young peo- an EB3 green card. Even if we give down on outsourcing companies. I ple. It breaks my heart to hear their their children this limbo status, none don’t know why we want to wait 3 stories, that they may be reaching a of them will have a prayer of becoming years to do that. We don’t have to. We point where they have aged out and a U.S. citizen. shouldn’t. Why on Earth would we give could be deported. That is why I want To put this in perspective, 195 years these companies that are outsourcing to offer this specific single provision. ago, John Quincy Adams had recently American jobs and exploiting immi- There is no reason these children been inaugurated as President of the grant workers a free pass for an addi- should be punished for a broken immi- United States. tional 3 years? gration system. It is beyond their con- The legislation purports to allow Third, Senator LEE wanted to delay trol, but it is not beyond our control to aging-out children to move to a stu- for years early filing for people who are help them. dent visa status, but it also fails to ac- stuck in the green card backlog. The I now am going to ask unanimous complish even this. Student visas re- object behind the early filing, and the consent for the Protect Children of Im- quire the applicant to have residency reason why it is so appealing to me, migrant Workers Act. in a foreign country, which, obviously, was that it would protect the individ- Madam President, I ask unanimous these children do not have. uals applying as well as their families consent that the Judiciary Committee Perhaps these are merely drafting er- from the start, and now the Senator be discharged of S. 4243, the Protect rors, but as such, they underscore my suggested that we delay this. That just Children of Immigrant Workers Act, concerns about passing slapdash legis- means that many children will age out and the Senate proceed to its imme- lation just because it bears a title that during that 1-to-3-year period of time diate consideration; further, that the compels us to believe that it will cor- and be subject to deportation. We bill be considered read a third time and rect the most egregious problems and shouldn’t do that to these children and passed and the motion to reconsider be protect the most vulnerable popu- these families. Yesterday, I made a simple proposal considered made and laid upon the lations. table with no intervening action or de- Even if we generously overlook these to Senator LEE, which he hadn’t seen ‘‘drafting errors,’’ this legislation goes personally, and that is why we had to bate. from sloppy to worse. Most egre- come back today. While we continue to The PRESIDING OFFICER. Is there debate the best way to fix the green objection? giously, it will increase the existing The Senator from Utah. card backlog, let’s make sure no chil- green card backlog. If we pass this leg- Mr. LEE. Reserving the right to ob- dren of the affected families are islation on its own, high-skilled work- ject, for well over 8 months, my friend harmed or deported. It is just that sim- ers from highly populated countries and distinguished colleague, the senior ple. will have fewer and fewer green cards I offered a new bill—very simply stat- Senator from Illinois, has been pub- available to them, meaning they will ed—the Protect Children of Immi- licly blocking legislation protecting have to wait longer and longer for re- grants Workers Act. This brief, three- the children of immigrant workers. lief. In fact, by the time we stretch this page bill would ensure that children do Now there is something called the Pro- out to 2030, the 195-year backlog I men- not age out while waiting for a green tect Children of Immigrant Workers tioned a moment ago would be ex- card. Act. He comes to the floor asking that tended out to a 400- to 450-year back- Imagine if you brought your family we pass this bill by unanimous con- log. That is not fair. I can’t imagine to the United States, worked on an H– sent—a bill that, as he notes, was in- that is what the Senator from Illinois 1B visa, applied for a green card to stay troduced just yesterday. Well, we must wants. in this country, and your children are pass this right now, he says, because If we want to actually protect the waiting with you for the green card. these children shouldn’t have to suffer children of immigrant workers, we You are paying for them to go to col- 1 more hour. With all due respect, they need to end the inequities of the green lege because they don’t qualify as could have had relief months ago. They card system. Real protection for the American citizens for any type of Fed- can still have relief today. children is impossible unless we have a eral financial aid. You are making I have taken the time since yester- fair path forward for the parents. great sacrifices for them. Then the day day to review Senator DURBIN’s legisla- I have worked for 9 years on a comes when they reach the age of 21 tion, and I cannot support it. This leg- thoughtful solution to these problems and they can be deported and the fam- islation allows the children of H–1B in the Fairness for High-Skilled Immi- ily divided. Why would we want to let workers to remain in the country for grants Act. This compromise protects that happen? the 20 to 30 years that their parents children, protects widows and wid- This three-page bill, the Protect have to wait in the green card back- owers, and it provides an equitable Children of Immigrant Workers Act, log—the same green card backlog the path forward for all our high-skilled protects those children. It would not Senator is now decrying. immigrants. That is why I call on Sen- increase the number of green cards. It When their parents die, children of ator DURBIN to lift his hold on the would not provide any special benefits. immigrant workers will not be imme- Fairness for High-Skilled Immigrants It would simply allow children of im- diately deported. But this prolonging Act and to provide relief to immigrant migrant workers to keep their place in of dependent status is helpful only if children and to their parents. line for a green card and be protected the parent lives and works in this As to the suggestion that the changes from deportation until they can get country until his or her green card ap- made to this legislation were bad, that that card. plication is actually adjudicated. It they were a departure from what we

VerDate Sep 11 2014 03:52 Jul 23, 2020 Jkt 099060 PO 00000 Frm 00026 Fmt 4624 Sfmt 0634 E:\CR\FM\G22JY6.046 S22JYPT1 SSpencer on DSK126QN23PROD with SENATE July 22, 2020 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD — SENATE S4389 agreed on, it is not true. The imple- about the plight of these children. I am even for these people who have been mentation delay simply allows the trying to address it. He continues to living and working here in the United USCIS a time to develop the adequate object. States for years and sometimes dec- infrastructure to implement what we I yield the floor. ades, even for physicians from India had proposed, the 50–50 rule change. The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Sen- and other countries who are literally This 3 years is there to protect the H– ator from Utah. risking their lives today on COVID–19 1B visa holders who were already here. Mr. LEE. Madam President, we have patients. The Senator told me there is The hold-harmless provision was taken the opportunity right here to pass this no appetite for giving them additional care of with the 3- to 9-year transition right now. This bill fixes this problem. green cards so they can stay here on a that now covers them. As to the suggestion that we can’t do permanent basis. I think that is unfair, In any event, this legislation—the any of this without increasing the and that is my position. one Senator DURBIN now tries to pass total number of green cards—this is a The Senator made it clear—and I am by unanimous consent, introduced for poison pill. My friend and colleague not saying otherwise—that he dis- the first time yesterday that I have knows that it is a poison pill. In fact, agrees with me. So what I tried to do is now reviewed—is sloppy. It doesn’t we had that very discussion. I don’t or- come in and say that at least during solve the problem, and it would make a dinarily—in fact, I have a uniform pol- the pendency, while they are waiting lot of things worse. I therefore object. icy against publicly talking about pri- for green cards—which could be dec- The PRESIDING OFFICER. Objec- vate conversations we have as col- ades unless the law is changed—let’s at tion is heard. leagues. We have now brought it to the least protect their families. That is all The Senator from Illinois. floor. I basically said. Mr. DURBIN. Madam President, We talked about this. This was the He has come back and said: I want to there is no question that there is a basis upon which we reached a deal in put in a provision that takes out the green card backlog for immigrant his office in December. The point there hold-harmless protection. I want to visas. We issue 140,000 employment- was to understand that we can’t pass protect these people who are outsourc- based visas a year and 226,000 family something—certainly by unanimous ing companies in India that have cap- visas. There are some 5 million seeking consent—that increases the total num- tured the lion’s share of these H–1B them. I want to increase the number of ber of employment-based green cards. visas. I want to make sure that those green cards. The Senator from Utah op- It is not going to happen. So we are who are going to be protected have to poses that. As a result, the bill that he dealing here with that finite universe. wait up to 3 years before there is any introduced, according to analysis by That is the basis of the deal we reached protection. the Congressional Research Service— in December. Why in the world would we do any of this is not DURBIN’s language; this is As to the suggestion that we can’t do those things? I am willing to sit down and the Congressional Research Service: S. anything without increasing the total talk to you, but I am not going to accept 386, the lead legislation, would not re- number of green cards, the Senator these at this point unless we can find a start- duce future backlogs compared to cur- knows that is not on the table. That is ing point, which is protection for the chil- rent law. not fair. What we want to do is make dren of these families. If you will agree to When he talks about 195 years and that, I will be more than happy to discuss this process fair, even if we only have the other provisions again, but because the John Quincy Adams or whatever his a limited number of green cards to other provisions are now what you are offer- historical analogy was, he doesn’t ad- work with, which is the case. Whether ing, I object. dress that at all in S. 386. you like that political reality or not, it The PRESIDING OFFICER. Objec- The problem, of course, is that he is is the political reality. It is the factual tion is heard. bound to a position of his party that understanding that the Senator and I The Senator from Utah. will not allow one additional new im- discussed and understood in December Mr. LEE. Madam President, the pro- migrant—none. I don’t take that posi- when we made that deal. The Lee alter- tection for the children is now found in tion. These men and women and their native is the encapsulation of that. the proposal, in the amendment at the kids have been living in the United Madam President, I ask unanimous desk—the one that was just objected to States. Many of them have been here consent that the Judiciary Committee by my friend and colleague, the Sen- for years, some of them for decades. be discharged from further consider- ator from Illinois. Some of them are doctors in hospitals ation of H.R. 1044 and that the Senate I would ask my colleague rhetori- in my hometown. I trust them, and I proceed to its immediate consider- cally or directly, as he may choose: If, trust their kids. What I am asking him ation; further, that the Lee amend- in fact, he is unwilling and remains un- to do today is simply join with me in ment at the desk be agreed to, the bill, willing to negotiate on any bill ad- protecting their children while we re- as amended, be considered read a third dressing this problem without increas- solve the other issues. He refuses. He time and passed, and that the motion ing the total number of employment- refused yesterday. He refuses again to reconsider be considered made and based green cards, why in the world did today. laid upon the table. he waste months of my time? Why did He calls my approach sloppy. Let’s The PRESIDING OFFICER. Is there he lead me to believe, while in his of- see the Lee alternative to protect the objection? fice, that he was open to such an agree- children. I would like to see what he Mr. DURBIN. Reserving the right to ment that was, in fact, the premise would like to propose. Maybe it is lan- object. upon which we proceeded? We spent guage that is better, and maybe I can The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Sen- months on that, and I worked in good embrace it. But let’s take care of that ator from Illinois. faith. discrete part of this issue. Why would Mr. DURBIN. Just do the math; As I mentioned yesterday, it was we leave these children now aging into 140,000 EB visas and 226,000 family visas against my better judgment that I adults at risk? That is just the wrong per year and 5 million people waiting. agreed to announce with the Senator way to approach this. We can solve this If you think you can solve this without on the Senate floor that we had problem, and we should. While we solve changing the number of green cards, reached an agreement because I knew it, we should protect these children. It you can’t. You may address it from one that we had to work out a few kinks, is within the ken of both Senator LEE angle or another. You may help some but I proceeded based solely on the fea- and myself to sit down through staff who are waiting as opposed to others. sibility and our ability to implement and come up with that language. I be- You only give assistance to some at that bill. That was the only change lieve we can. the expense of some other group. that we made. I want to say I will continue to offer I understand the Senator’s position. I Now, if the Senator wants to make this opportunity for Senator LEE to don’t quarrel with the fact he made it some adjustment to that, bring it for- protect these children until we can sit clear from the start that, from his per- ward. I would love to consider it. Yet down in good faith and resolve any dif- spective and perhaps from his side of what he is now telling me is that the ferences we have between us. I have the aisle, there is just no appetite for premise upon which we proceeded on heard this case over and over again increasing the number of green cards, those negotiations and then spent

VerDate Sep 11 2014 03:52 Jul 23, 2020 Jkt 099060 PO 00000 Frm 00027 Fmt 4624 Sfmt 0634 E:\CR\FM\G22JY6.048 S22JYPT1 SSpencer on DSK126QN23PROD with SENATE S4390 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD — SENATE July 22, 2020 weeks and months working on was Federal holiday. In a few minutes, I tural readings, musical performances, false in that the whole premise that we will ask unanimous consent that the and many other celebrations. These could reach some sort of compromise— Senate take up and pass this important events have provided many with the an actual compromise—that wouldn’t bill. opportunity for reflection, education, increase the number of total green Our country is in the midst of a long and a deeper understanding of our his- cards available was illusory. I find that overdue reckoning on race and justice. tory as a nation—the whole history— disappointing. The murder of George Floyd by mem- and how it has affected and shaped the Mr. DURBIN. Madam President, the bers of the Minneapolis Police Depart- lives of Black Americans. Senator has addressed a question to ment has galvanized the Nation as pro- Nearly every State and the District me, I believe. testers have taken to our streets, de- of Columbia have passed legislation Mr. LEE. Rhetorically or otherwise, manding justice—justice for George recognizing Juneteenth as a holiday or the Senator is welcome to answer. Floyd, justice for Breonna Taylor, and observance, and the Senate has passed The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Sen- justice for countless other Black and a resolution designating June 19 as ator from Illinois. Brown Americans who have been hurt Juneteenth Independence Day, but Mr. DURBIN. Madam President, I or killed at the hands of law enforce- Juneteenth has never received the know other Senators are waiting to ment. Yet this reckoning goes well be- higher status it deserves as a Federal speak, so I will try to be as concise and yond seeking accountability for police holiday. The Juneteenth National Inde- brief as possible. officers who betray the trust we bestow pendence Day Act rights this wrong I understand the Senator’s position. upon them. and makes Juneteenth a Federal holi- He doesn’t want another green card. He The disparate treatment and mis- day. believes Members on his side of the treatment of Black and Brown Ameri- We still must travel a long and dif- aisle don’t want an increase in the cans permeates our society. It infects ficult road to justice and equality in number of green cards—period. I knew our courts, our schools, and our places the United States, but we cannot get that going in. He made that abun- of work. It reflects the unfulfilled there without recognizing the original dantly clear. We can’t solve the under- promise of a nation built upon the no- sin of slavery and marking its end. It is lying problem without it, but we can tion that all are created equal, and it incumbent upon all Americans to make it better. That is why we con- has its roots in our Nation’s original truthfully acknowledge and understand tinue to talk and negotiate, and I hope sin—slavery—a crime against human- our past and how it affects our present we will continue to talk and negotiate. ity that we have for far too long failed and our future. Making Juneteenth a Yet, for goodness’ sake, the starting to acknowledge, address, or come to Federal holiday will not right all of the point ought to be the protection of grips with. wrongs of the past or fix what remains these children. One way to further the process of ra- broken, but it is an important step. It Can we not agree that we will protect cial reconciliation and healing is to is the truth of our history and the the children and then proceed to con- recognize, honor, and celebrate the for- missing half of the story of our Na- tinue the negotiations on the premise mal end of slavery in the United States tion’s freedom and independence. It is that the Senator cannot accept one and to do so at the Federal level. Per- long past time to recognize Juneteenth more green card? I can, and the Sen- haps the most effective, direct, and far- as a Federal holiday. ator can’t, but we will try to improve reaching way to do that is with a Fed- Let me stop there and recognize my partner in this effort, the senior Sen- the system with that premise accepted. eral holiday commemorating that his- ator from Texas. At the starting point, for goodness’ toric event. The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Sen- sake, let’s protect the children while For more than 150 years, the we negotiate and debate. Hopefully, we ator from Texas. Juneteenth holiday, which marks the Mr. CORNYN. Madam President, I can do it on a timely basis. That is my emancipation of slaves, has been ob- will be brief. response. served one way or the other across our Let me just tell the Senator from I am willing to continue to work. I Nation, including in Texas, but it is Massachusetts that I agree with every- understand the Senator cannot issue long past time to place Juneteenth on thing he has said. It shows how people another green card. The math never par with other Federal holidays so that of, maybe, different political works with 5 million people waiting all Americans in all 50 States will cele- ideologies—certainly different par- and 140,000 employment green cards brate Juneteenth alongside Veterans ties—can come together and recognize and 226,000 family visas a year. It is Day, Memorial Day, Martin Luther that there is a moment available to us never going to work, but I am willing King Day, and other Federal holidays. here in which we can demonstrate our to try to make the system better, with The celebration of Juneteenth dates nonpartisan support for this act of ra- the understanding that I will increase back to June 19, 1865, when Union sol- cial reconciliation in our country. the number of green cards and that the diers, led by MG Gordon Granger, trav- I agree that slavery was the original Senator will not. eled to Galveston, TX, with the an- sin. Our founding documents said that The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Sen- nouncement that the Civil War had all men and women were created equal, ator from Utah. ended and that the enslaved were now but that certainly wasn’t the practice Mr. LEE. Madam President, I am al- free. This was 21⁄2 years after the date when it came to African Americans at ways happy to discuss any counter- of President Lincoln’s Emancipation the time who were officially designated proposal. If the Senator would make Proclamation, but either the news of as something less than fully human. It one, I would love to see it. It is not fair Lincoln’s order had not reached many, was an outrageous act at the time, and to say I don’t care about those kids be- including those in Texas, or local offi- our country has paid a dear price for cause I am unwilling to create addi- cials had refused to enforce it. that over the years—from the Civil tional green cards. If the Senator On June 19, 1865, Major General War to the violence that led up to the wants to protect these children, pass Granger read to the people of Texas peaceful civil rights movement in the this bill. Pass it today. Pass it at this General Order No. 3, the first lines of sixties. It is obvious from the recent very moment. which told them clearly and unequivo- events—George Floyd’s death in par- I yield the floor. cally: ‘‘The people of Texas are in- ticular—that we are not where we need The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Sen- formed that, in accordance with a to be. We still have room to grow as ator from Massachusetts. Proclamation from the Executive of part of our developing that more per- UNANIMOUS CONSENT REQUEST—S. 4019 the United States, all slaves are free.’’ fect Union. Mr. MARKEY. Madam President, I Juneteenth celebrations followed as I know our friend and colleague TIM rise to speak in support of S. 4019, the did the recognition of Juneteenth as SCOTT, who has been at the forefront of Juneteenth National Independence Day the formal end of slavery in the United this discussion with his advocacy for Act—legislation that I have introduced States. Since 1865, communities all the Justice Act, has a lot of bipartisan along with Senator CORNYN. We have 54 across the Nation have celebrated ideas for police reform. He points out cosponsors and broad bipartisan sup- Juneteenth with parades, cookouts, that, as an African American, his expe- port that would make Juneteenth a prayer gatherings, historical and cul- rience has been much different from

VerDate Sep 11 2014 03:52 Jul 23, 2020 Jkt 099060 PO 00000 Frm 00028 Fmt 4624 Sfmt 0634 E:\CR\FM\G22JY6.050 S22JYPT1 SSpencer on DSK126QN23PROD with SENATE July 22, 2020 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD — SENATE S4391 those who are non-African Americans. When I asked for a CBO score, the When you add in benefits, total com- He said, over the last two decades, he sponsors of the bill had not even ob- pensation, the average total compensa- has been stopped—as he puts it, ‘‘driv- tained a score, and I still don’t think tion for Federal workers in 2018 was ing while Black’’—about 18 different they have obtained a score. The esti- $136,000, just shy of $136,000. In the pri- times. mate, in terms of what it will cost vate sector, the total cost of compensa- At a roundtable that was sponsored American taxpayers in the private sec- tion is a little more than $75,000—55 by Mayor Sylvester Turner and that I tor to pay for a paid holiday for Fed- percent of what Federal Government had requested, I sat next to a pastor of eral workers, is about $600 million per workers make. a church in Houston who happened to year. The CBO score would come in at So if you strip out and just compare be the local head of the NAACP. $6 billion over 10. the benefits, again, we are talking He said: I honor the police. I respect In terms of why I object, let me just about an extra paid day off, an extra the police. I support the police. Yet he put a couple of facts to that $600 mil- paid holiday for only Federal workers said: My son is afraid of the police, and lion bill that hard-working taxpayers to celebrate Juneteenth, paid for by we have to do everything we can to would have to foot in an era when we American workers who make about cure that trust deficit. are $26.5 trillion in debt and when 17 $12,000, on average per benefit, com- In Texas, we have recognized million of our fellow Americans are pared to $41,000 in benefits for Federal Juneteenth as a State holiday for 40 currently unemployed. workers. That is only 29 percent. years, obviously, because of the fact The first chart here—let’s just talk So those are the facts. Again, that is that this occurred as a result of the about how many days off Federal work- what I object to. Emancipation Proclamation’s being ers get currently. Again, I am happy to celebrate announced in Galveston, TX. Yet I re- I have two columns—minimum and Juneteenth. I think we should cele- cently cosponsored a bill with Con- maximum. For paid holidays, they get brate the fact that we did remove that gresswoman SHEILA JACKSON LEE to 10, which is pretty generous. Most peo- original sin by emancipating the study a trail, basically, from Galveston ple in the private sector get something slaves. That is a day of celebration. I to Houston as the possible designation similar—7, 8, 9, or 10. For paid leave agree with that. I simply don’t believe of a national park in further recogni- days, there is a minimum of 13, up to we should make American taxpayers in tion of this event. 26; for paid sick days, 13, minimum and the private sector pony up $600 million I believe strongly that we need to re- maximum. a year, $6 billion over 10 years, to give member our history because if we don’t What we just added in last year’s Federal workers, who already are paid remember our history, in the words of NDAA was paid parental leave, which quite generously and have quite a few one sage, ‘‘we will be condemned to re- allows an individual—either mother or days off one more paid day off. live it.’’ We have come so far, but we father, with either a natural childbirth So what I am proposing—again, I know we still have further to go. I do or an adoption—60 days of paid leave. don’t object to Juneteenth and a cele- believe that the appropriate word to So for a total, at a minimum, there bration, but if we are going to make use is ‘‘reconciliation.’’ This is an op- are 96 days, up to 109 days if they take that a Federal holiday, the main im- portunity for us to demonstrate our paid parental leave. pact of that is giving Federal workers concern and our commitment to equal Looked at a different way, as a ratio, a paid day off. I would just suggest justice and equal treatment under the if they take the maximum number of law by recognizing Juneteenth as a this: Why don’t we take away one of 109 days, that is, basically, for every 1.4 Federal holiday. their days of paid leave? Mr. MARKEY. I thank the Senator days you work, you get a day off. On a So I have an amendment at the desk, from Texas. This is a thoroughly bipar- minimum basis with paid parental and I would ask that the Senator from tisan effort, and it is long overdue. leave, for every 1.7 days you work, you Massachusetts modify his request to Madam President, I ask unanimous get a day off. include my amendment at the desk; consent that the Committee on the Ju- Now, again, I realize the paid paren- that the amendment be considered and diciary be discharged from further con- tal leave is a ‘‘just a few times in some- agreed to; that the bill, as amended, be sideration and that the Senate now body’s career’’ phenomenon, so let’s considered read a third time and proceed to S. 4019; further, that the bill take a look at this without paid paren- passed; and that the motions to recon- be considered read a third time and tal leave, and it will show that the sider be considered made and laid upon passed; and that the motion to recon- number of days with pay that Federal the table. sider be considered made and laid upon workers get off is still quite generous. The PRESIDING OFFICER. Does the the table. Again, paid holidays, they get 10; Senator so modify his request? The PRESIDING OFFICER. Is there paid leave, 13, up to 26; paid sick leave, Mr. MARKEY. Madam President, re- objection? 13, for a total of 36 to 49. serving the right to object, the Sen- The Senator from Wisconsin. So, again, going back to that ratio, ator’s proposal—rather than allowing Mr. JOHNSON. Madam President, in the maximum number of days without this unanimous consent request to go reserving the right to object, let me paid parental leave, a Federal worker through, the Senator proposes to hold start out by saying that I agree with can work 4.3 days and then get a day it hostage to taking away the leave virtually everything my colleagues off—basically a 4-day workweek for the benefits that come with paid holidays from both Massachusetts and Texas entire year. That is quite generous. for American workers. That is some- have said about celebrating the eman- So what I am objecting to is creating thing we have never done before, and cipation of the slaves. That was an im- a national holiday that gives Federal with good reason. We shouldn’t be pe- portant moment in U.S. history. It workers another day off with pay, paid nalizing our workers by taking away should be observed, and it should be for by the American taxpayer, and we benefits, especially not in the current celebrated. I have no disagreement are collectively already $26.5 trillion in environment and especially not as the whatsoever with that at all. The one debt. price to pay for recognizing a long area of disagreement is how the bill’s Last slide. I would like to just, in overdue Federal holiday. sponsors have chosen to celebrate that general, talk about the private sector I object. holiday. pay versus Federal worker pay. I know The PRESIDING OFFICER. Objec- As the Senator from Massachusetts there are some disputes about this in tion is heard. pointed out, since 1865, it has been ob- terms of education and that type of Is there objection to the original re- served with celebrations and cookouts, thing, but still, this is pretty solid in- quest? which is the appropriate way of doing formation. Mr. JOHNSON. Madam President, re- this. I object to the fact that, by nam- The 2018 average annual wage—just serving the right to object, and to ing it a national holiday—and what wages, salary or wages—for Federal quickly respond to the Senator from they are leaving out of their argument workers is over $94,000. For private sec- Massachusetts, I am not taking any- and its main impact—it will give Fed- tor workers, the average is about thing away from Federal workers. I am eral workers a paid day off that the $63,000 or about 67 percent of what a just not willing to give them an extra rest of America will have to pay for. Federal worker makes. day paid.

VerDate Sep 11 2014 03:52 Jul 23, 2020 Jkt 099060 PO 00000 Frm 00029 Fmt 4624 Sfmt 0634 E:\CR\FM\G22JY6.052 S22JYPT1 SSpencer on DSK126QN23PROD with SENATE S4392 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD — SENATE July 22, 2020 So if we create Juneteenth as a Fed- year, and, somehow, passing a bill that ‘‘Free enterprise’’ means you em- eral paid holiday, they will get an would do so much good in a time with brace competition. You are not putting extra day, and I am just saying let’s so much hardship might help Repub- up barriers to entry. You engage the keep them whole by removing a paid licans who also support the bill, hurt- consumer so that they can see what leave day, and then they will have the ing Democrats’ chances of taking the you are charging them. That does not exact same number of days off as they majority. occur. The alternative will be as clear have currently, and the American tax- As we consider a new relief bill, we on the other side of the aisle; they payer will not be out an extra $600 mil- ought to put aside that kind of poli- want to make government the business lion per year or $6 billion over 10 years. tics-before-people method of legis- partner of healthcare. If the industry I object. lating. We need to approve the Pre- doesn’t get with it and start doing The PRESIDING OFFICER. Objec- scription Drug Pricing Reduction Act what all the rest of us do when we go tion is heard. as part of this package. Our country is to the marketplace—embrace competi- The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Sen- facing the most serious public health tion, be willing to compete, don’t ask ator from Iowa. crisis in a generation—not just a gen- for barriers to entry, and, yes, we tell PRESCRIPTION DRUG COSTS eration, if you think back—in genera- the customer what we charge them be- Mr. GRASSLEY. Madam President, tions. fore they buy it. That doesn’t happen before I speak, several of my colleagues Millions of Americans are newly un- in healthcare. employed, and many small businesses on this side of the aisle, over the next The market is opaque and complex. have slowed or shuttered altogether. several minutes—well, probably for There is nothing free about it, except People across the country are stretch- more than a half hour—will be coming that drugmakers are free to charge ing their paychecks and their savings to the floor to discuss what I am dis- whatever they want. The market is de- to get through this virus pandemic. cussing, which is a very important pendent on government-sanctioned re- problem we have of rapidly increasing In the CARES Act, passed in March, and in subsequent legislation, we bates and monopolies by the FDA drug prices. exclusivities and patent abuse. It is After I speak, these other Senators helped slow the hurt caused by this virus. But there is only so much a time to fix this. PBM may not mean will come to the floor: Senator BRAUN, stimulus check or tax relief can do much to the public, but it stands for Senator CASSIDY, Senator COLLINS, when your bills just keep coming and pharmacy benefit managers. This is a Senator HYDE-SMITH, Senator going up—meaning the pharmaceutical structure of middleman that is not MCSALLY. All of these people have been bills. present in other industries. Normally, very favorable in support of the Pre- These drug price increases are a with transparency, prices cascade down scription Drug Reduction Act, and I weight that Americans shouldn’t have through the system in a way that ev- want to thank them for participating to bear, especially seniors on whom the erybody can see it, and the successful in bringing attention to this very im- virus is taking a particular toll. survivors in that industry have per- portant issue of unjustified increases in The increases aren’t a result of a formed because they give good value to drug prices. functioning marketplace or an indus- their customers; they keep their over- After these folks I just mentioned try with healthy competition. Address- head low; and they earn the business. speak, I understand that my colleague ing these price increases is also some- PBMs use techniques like spread from Iowa, who is in support of the leg- thing we all largely agree on. pricing. Normally, there is a spread— islation, is going to come at a later In 2016, the President campaigned on you buy it for this and sell it for that— time today. making the marketplace for prescrip- but not where people can’t see it. It is So thank you to my colleagues. tion drugs fairer and more affordable time that we get away from this com- According to a recent Gallup poll, 9 for patients. He won. He even talked plexity and the opaqueness of it be- out of 10 Americans are concerned about that promise in a State of the cause the day of reckoning will come, about prescription drug prices. Specifi- Union message when he said that he and the day of reckoning is not too far cally, they are concerned that the wants Congress to send a bill for him away. pharmaceutical industry will take ad- to sign this year. I recently came from the business vantage of the current pandemic to in- So the President made that campaign crease drug prices. That poll was pub- world. No one likes the healthcare in- promise in 2016, and the President has dustry other than the CEOs and owners lished a month ago. Unfortunately, done many things since then to carry those concerns have become a reality of these businesses. All of us who have out that campaign promise. He has to deal with them are just asking for now. even helped me in the development of Two weeks ago, POLITICO reported that one simple thing: Show us what this legislation. things cost. Quit hiding it. Insurance that pharmaceutical companies have That was 2016. This is 2020. In 2018, we raised prices on hundreds of prescrip- companies have these secret deals with have had many House Democrats cam- hospitals, with pharma, and it is start- tion drugs just during the pandemic. paign on making the marketplace for The report says that there have been ing to cost too much. It shows up in prescription drugs fairer and more af- the fact that it is nearly 20 percent of more than 800—800—price increases fordable. Many of them won, and they just this year. our GDP in the United States, and it took over the House of Representa- costs almost half of that in most other I have been working on a bill for over tives. It is time to put politics aside a year and a half to stem these in- developed countries. The sad thing is, and finally act. the results aren’t any better. In many creases and rein in drug prices. It Just because Big Pharma was bank- cases, the results are better at a price would cap costs for Medicare recipi- rupting patients before the pandemic that is half the cost. ents, cap increases to the rate of infla- doesn’t mean that we should allow tion, and save taxpayers nearly $100 them to keep on doing it now. In fact, Both Chairman GRASSLEY and I have billion. It wasn’t simple, but I am glad there is no better time to put an end to talked with President Trump. Presi- to have produced this kind of bill with Big Pharma’s price gouging than right dent Trump has been the most vocal Ranking Member WYDEN and my col- now. individual in DC about trying to get leagues here with me today. I yield the floor. the industry to work like the rest of us But I am disappointed. My partner The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Sen- entrepreneurs do. Every time he has an and all of my Democratic colleagues ator from Indiana. Executive order, they take him to who approved this bill in committee by Mr. BRAUN. Madam President, Sen- court. That is ending because just re- a vote of 19 to 9 declined to cosponsor ator GRASSLEY and I share a passion cently the hospitals tried that, and the an improved version of the bill that that I think most Americans do in that district court overturned it. They will they helped put together in the first it is time that we end this stranglehold probably appeal it, and, hopefully, the place, and this is the work of about 18 that the healthcare industry has on all appellate court will overturn it. months. of us because they pose as free enter- I have a transparency bill which is as I can’t be sure why, but I have to as- prisers, but there is nothing free about simple as: Show us what you are charg- sume it is because it is an election the way they actually operate. ing us before we engage your service.

VerDate Sep 11 2014 06:38 Jul 23, 2020 Jkt 099060 PO 00000 Frm 00030 Fmt 4624 Sfmt 0634 E:\CR\FM\G22JY6.053 S22JYPT1 SSpencer on DSK126QN23PROD with SENATE July 22, 2020 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD — SENATE S4393 Mr. GRASSLEY has the same thing basi- plaining about these surprise billings. new medicine, it is as if the innovation cally on drug pricing. Let me tell you We wouldn’t be holding our breath. We never occurred. The ‘‘Making how that works. would simply be doing what all edu- Coronavirus Drugs Affordable Act’’ This is a real live experiment that I cated consumers do when they go to strikes the balance between lowering put into place 12 years ago. I was so buy from a truly free enterprise. costs for families and incentivizing sick and tired of the insurance agents I yield the floor. companies to find those cures. coming in and telling me how lucky I The PRESIDING OFFICER (Mr. Let me show you what this bill does. was that it was only going up 5 to 10 CRAMER). The Senator from Louisiana. It caps the patient’s out-of-pocket ex- percent this year. I didn’t think I was Mr. CASSIDY. Mr. President, penses. It lets patients pay over time. very lucky. My company wasn’t large COVID–19 is a continuing threat to It protects patients from price gouging, enough to spend a lot of time on it. Americans’ physical and financial and it preserves the incentive for com- When we got to be 300 employees, that health, and it is at this intersection panies to find cures. Let me explain starts to add up. Now we have 1,000 em- that Congress can make a meaningful each of these. ployees. Thank goodness my kids have impact on the family budgets of all First, the bill caps the out-of-pocket to deal with that with a good, young Americans by passing sensible legisla- expense for those in the Medicare Part executive team, but I put something in tion to lower the cost of prescription D Program, our senior citizens, and place 12 years ago that I am proud of. drugs through measures such as the particularly for the most vulnerable I said enough was enough. What do Prescription Drug Pricing Reduction seniors with chronic conditions. Re- we have that is really going to change Act or, as I like to call it, the ‘‘Making search has shown that seniors are at the dynamic? You have to remember, Coronavirus Medications Affordable the most risk for severe complications this is 12 years ago—talk about trying Act.’’ and death from COVID–19. When a to find transparency then. We were There is an urgent need to lower the treatment or cure is widely available, lucky that we were large enough to cost of prescription drugs. The high cost should never be a barrier for a sen- self-insure. By doing that, we probably price of drugs is not a new problem, but ior to access the drug that she or he it is a problem that is going to be made saved close to 25 percent, and by engag- needs to survive. ing our employees in their own well- worse by the coronavirus pandemic. Under the current system, this is Millions of households have seen their being and incentivizing them to shop what a senior citizen pays for their me- incomes suffer due to economic around to enable their ability to find dicinal benefit under Medicare Part D. lockdowns aimed at containing the better prices, it was even there if you They have a deductible for which the virus. senior pays 100 percent; the initial cov- looked for it hard back then. Long It is encouraging that job numbers erage phase and the coverage gap story short, we have not had a pre- continue to outpace expectations, but phase, for which they pay one-fourth of mium increase at my company in 12 still, millions of fellow Americans are years. I am proud of that. We covered out of work, which affects their pock- the expense; and then in the cata- preexisting conditions with no caps on etbook and potentially their insurance strophic phase, the patient pays 5 per- coverage because we took a radical coverage. Americans do not need the cent of the cost no matter how high change to how healthcare should be added burden of expensive drugs, par- that expense goes. So let’s imagine a medication which bought by the consumer, the employer, ticularly right now. and forced the transparency out of a Congress is providing relief for Amer- costs over $1 million. They are paying system that wasn’t giving much of it ican families and businesses through 5 percent of that medication cost, and then. the COVID–19 crisis, and we are consid- if I could stand up any higher—but I Now there is more transparency, but ering another round of support. I think keep losing my microphone—they will it is just on the fringes. If you get that we should include how do we make pay 5 percent of that. Think about a to happen, prices will cascade down drugs more affordable. That way, if theoretical drug that costs $3 million a through the system. President Trump folks become ill, they know that they year. The senior would be required to had another Executive order for will be able to afford the cure. I believe pay 5 percent of whatever that drug pharma—all these expensive drugs you the best path forward is the ‘‘Making costs. That is under current law. What see advertised—to put the price along Coronavirus Drugs Affordable Act,’’ as we are trying to do is fix this. If this with the advertisement. A lot of times I call it, or, as Chairman GRASSLEY occurs, the senior will not be able to it is deceptive—you can get it for as calls it, the Prescription Drug Pricing afford lifesaving medications. little as $5 a month. Well, somebody is Reduction Act. I like mine better. Under the legislation that we are at- paying for that $60,000 or $70,000 drug. Now, the difficulty in addressing the tempting to pass, it would change the Generally, it is the employer, and the issue of the price of medications is that Medicare Part D standard benefit so employee some of it, but it is, again, a balance must be struck between mak- that there is still the initial deductible due to the fact that we can’t see any- ing sure the medication is affordable in which the senior pays 100 percent, thing. but also making sure there is still a but after paying 20 percent of the ini- Americans are blindfolded from profit motive that will incentivize the tial coverage phase, there is no longer prices, only to receive medical bills, researchers and pharmaceutical com- that 5 percent toward infinity. We often, that arrive 2 months later. They panies to find these cures that we know make medications affordable for the have no idea, and they open up the en- we need. Just think about it. Without senior. If that is all the bill did, we velope with trepidation. Oh my good- innovation, we would not be able to would do something quite remarkable ness. It wasn’t what I thought it would find a vaccine for coronavirus—a vac- for the ability of a patient to be able to be. More often than not, it is: Oh, my cine that will save millions of lives afford a potentially lifesaving drug. gosh. This is terrible. It has got to end. worldwide and allow us to go back to a By the way, as a physician, I know It would be different if we were ask- normal life. this is a barrier for patients to be able ing for something that is radical. What Let me just praise the pharma- to have their drugs. So we address that we are asking for is tell us what you ceutical industry. We have seen them in this bill. are charging us before we have to en- respond to this crisis in many helpful The second thing we do—you might gage your services. ways. Additionally, they recently com- say: Wait a second. The senior citizen That is why it is so important. The mitted a billion dollars to anti- if he or she has to pay for all this for White House is behind it. Hopefully, microbial resistance, which is to say, a very expensive drug in the month of the other side of the aisle will get be- to find an antibiotic that will work January, they can’t afford that. Under hind it. Support Chairman GRASSLEY’s when other antibiotics no longer do. the current situation, the senior has to bill, the Prescription Drug Pricing Re- They have invested in large-scale and pay her deductible and her initial cov- duction Act, and support my bill, the rapid treatment options, and, again, it erage phase whenever it is due, which Healthcare Price Transparency Act. is only through innovation that we will might be in the first week of the year. The story I told you about my own beat this virus and end the pandemic. What we also do in this bill is we give company would happen across the But we must remember this: If a pa- the senior citizen the opportunity to country, and we wouldn’t be com- tient cannot afford the innovation, the pay all this lump sum as a series of

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To fix the problem of the high cost of Senator CASSIDY just ably explained, Not only do we cap the senior citizen’s drugs, it will take a bipartisan coali- one of the most important improve- out-of-pocket expense, but we also tion. We have that with this bill. It ments is to Medicare Part D. It would allow her to pay that expense over a ends government handouts to pharma- protect our seniors with an out-of- set of months so she can factor it into ceutical companies, but it doesn’t pocket spending limit. It would also in- her budget. That is the second great price-fix. It saves $80 billion for the clude cost-control measures, such as an thing that this bill does. taxpayer and for the patient, and it inflationary cap to limit price hikes. What is another thing that we do? maintains incentives for lifesaving in- We have made some progress in this Senator BRAUN also referred to this, novations. area. but we also have cost transparency. If Some in this Chamber will be tempt- I have authored legislation that is there is a medication which has the ed to stop this bill until after this making a difference for patients. One price being elevated unnecessarily, and year’s election. To them, I would say: of the laws I authored bans gag clauses if the customer knew that, she would Don’t let politics keep us from deliv- that had prohibited pharmacists from know: Wait a second. I can get my ering drug-pricing relief for American informing their customers if there were medications far less expensively here families. Too much is on the line, espe- a less expensive way to purchase their versus there or, if I accept a substitute, cially during this pandemic. To do prescription drug. Amazingly enough, again, the medication will be more af- nothing while families try to pay med- sometimes it is cheaper to pay out-of- fordable. We mandate that kind of ical bills is wrong. Let’s work together pocket than to use your insurance price transparency that allows the cus- to pass this bill to lower the cost of card—not something that most con- tomer to make an informed decision. drugs, to protect innovation, and to sumers would ever realize unless the Now, I know there are competing save lives. pharmacist informed him or her. ideas on how to lower drug costs. House I yield the floor. My bill also updates a 2003 law re- Democrats, for example, have intro- The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Sen- quiring drug manufacturers to notify duced legislation that they claim ator from Maine. the Federal Trade Commission of pat- would lower costs. But, remember, I Ms. COLLINS. Mr. President, first, ent settlement agreements, giving the told you that there is this tension. How let me recognize and thank Senator agency greater visibility into whether do we preserve the incentive to inno- GRASSLEY for his extraordinary leader- they include tactics such as anti-com- vate while still making sure the inno- ship on an issue that matters so great- petitive reverse payments that slow or vation is affordable? ly to the American people, and that is defeat the introduction of lower cost House Democrats have put up a bill. the high cost of prescription drugs. His drugs. Another law I authored is help- Yes, it makes medicine more afford- persistence has produced the Prescrip- ing to bring lower cost generics to the able, but it kills the desire to innovate. tion Drug Pricing Reduction Act, a far- marketplace more quickly by expe- The Congressional Budget Office has reaching set of bold proposals that I diting their approval by the FDA. estimated that if the bill the House strongly endorse and that build on the But clearly there is more that we Democrats have proposed is passed, work I have done as the chairman of must do. At a time when economic and there will be 38 fewer cures invented by the Senate Aging Committee. health security are more linked than pharmaceutical manufacturers—38 More than half of all Americans and ever, Congress has an opportunity to fewer cures. 90 percent of our seniors take at least deliver a decisive victory in lowering Let me tell you a story. I mentioned one prescription drug each month. We costs for patients. that I am a physician. I came of age in should be able to work together to help In addition to the Finance Com- my residency, if you will, when the the American people—particularly our mittee package, the HELP Committee AIDS epidemic hit. I was 25 years old seniors—on an issue that affects their bill—I serve on the HELP Committee, or 27 years old, and I would see men my health and their finances. No senior which is chaired by Senator ALEX- age dying of HIV. We didn’t have an should be faced with the choice of buy- ANDER—incorporated more than 14 bi- antibody then. If you were diagnosed ing food they need, paying a bill for the partisan measures to increase price with HIV—again, we called it AIDS oil to heat their home, or buying their competition, including portions of a then—you basically were dead because prescription drug. bill that I introduced with Senator TIM we had no cures. Since then, we now I remember very well being in line at KAINE, the Biologic Patent Trans- have medications that—if you are in- the pharmacy in Bangor, ME, and the parency Act, which is intended to pre- fected with HIV, you can live until you couple in front of me found out that vent drug manufacturers from gaming are 75 years old or 80 years old. We their copay was $113. The husband the patent system. have found something that doesn’t looked at his wife and he said: Honey, Patents are important to encourage quite cure, but it allows it to be treat- we just can’t afford that. They left the the development of earth-breaking, ed as a chronic condition. What if we prescription that one of them needed groundbreaking new pharmaceuticals, didn’t have that cure? What if that that was prescribed by their doctor but the system should not be gamed so were one of the 38 cures we never had? there on the pharmacy counter. When I that when the patent is about to ex- What if one of the cures we lose out asked the pharmacist how often this pire, a host of new patents are filed on on is a cure for Alzheimer’s? My par- happens, he said: Each and every day. the medication in order to block a ents died of Alzheimer’s. All of us know Every day. lower cost generic from coming to mar- somebody affected by Alzheimer’s or That is why we should be working to- ket. dementia. What if the cure we lose is gether to pass Senator GRASSLEY’s bill, In October, the Institute for Clinical the cure for Alzheimer’s? as well as many of the other bipartisan and Economic Review published its You may think you are making medi- bills that you have heard described first annual report on unjustified price cations less expensive, but in terms of today, including legislation that I have increases of prescription drugs in our human life, you are making it that advocated to improve the lives of mil- country. It should surprise no one that much more expensive because instead lions of Americans. This goal surely HUMIRA, the poster child for patent of finding that cure for Alzheimer’s, should be beyond partisan politics. gaming, led the list. HUMIRA’s price you instead have consigned those peo- In just the last year, three Senate increased by nearly 16 percent from ple with Alzheimer’s to a slow, awful committees advanced legislation to re- 2017 to 2018, costing American patients death—awful for them and awful for form our flawed drug-pricing system. I and insureds an extra $1.86 billion. Why their loved ones as they see their par- can’t think of anything else that we do we want to wait any longer, and how ents decline. I would argue that it is buy where the price is less transparent did HUMIRA do it? It once again put up

VerDate Sep 11 2014 06:38 Jul 23, 2020 Jkt 099060 PO 00000 Frm 00032 Fmt 4624 Sfmt 0634 E:\CR\FM\G22JY6.056 S22JYPT1 SSpencer on DSK126QN23PROD with SENATE July 22, 2020 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD — SENATE S4395 this patent thicket—its manufacturer mary progressive MS in 2002. Only one this country cannot afford their pre- did—in order to block the lower price drug, named OCREVUS, can help slow scription drugs due to the anti-com- biosimilar. the advancement of this disabling dis- petitive prices of companies—like The Judiciary Committee has ad- ease. That drug costs a staggering Allergan—that continue to increase vanced bills that empower the Federal $65,000 a year—more than most Mis- their prices year after year. Trade Commission to take more ag- sissippians make. Even with good in- Today, the threat of the coronavirus gressive action on drug pricing. This surance coverage, Scott cannot afford pandemic has only increased concerns year, the FTC charged the infamous the $15,000 copay for OCREVUS, so he about drug pricing. As new vaccines Martin Shkreli with a scheme to in- just goes without. and treatments for COVID–19 are being crease the price of the lifesaving drug MS drugs have seen some of the most tested and developed, the affordability Daraprim by more than 4,000 percent shocking price increases of all, with of prescription drugs is more important overnight, which was the focus of an list prices rising nearly 450 percent than ever. Just as much as we need a Aging Committee investigation that I over the last 10 years. vaccine or treatment to be discovered, led with former Senator Claire McCas- Two young neurologists in Mis- we also need it to be affordable for kill in 2016. sissippi told me about their Medicare Americans if we are going to get on the Floor consideration should also allow patients who quickly move into the other side of this pandemic. for action on other important prescrip- catastrophic phase of Medicare Part D I am proud to be an original cospon- tion drug bills, such as legislation that early each year. Even though these pa- sor of the Finance Committee chair- Senator JEANNE SHAHEEN and I have tients face only a 5-percent out-of- man’s comprehensive Prescription authored to eliminate incentives that pocket cost for their drugs in this Drug Pricing Reduction Act to bring create price hikes, distorting the insu- phase, that small percentage can affordability and fairness to the pre- lin market. Insulin has been around for amount to thousands of dollars for the scription drug market. This bill must 100 years. I realize there is fast-acting expensive neurology drugs these pa- be an immediate priority for us as lead- and slow-acting insulin, but there is no tients depend on. Because there is cur- ers if we are serious—if we are seri- excuse for the skyrocketing price of in- rently no Medicare Part D out-of-pock- ous—about helping patients afford the sulin. et cap, these patients will get no relief drugs they need. There is another bill that I cospon- from high drug prices later in the year This important legislation would cre- sored, introduced by Senators KLO- when they still have to have them. ate a true out-of-pocket cap for Medi- BUCHAR and GRASSLEY, that would end These are just a few of the many sto- care beneficiaries, reinforce the mar- pay-for-delay schemes. ries that I have received from Mis- ket forces that have supported the re- We must come together on prescrip- sissippians. I have one of my own as search and development of so many tion drug legislation without further well. miracle cures, keep pharmaceutical delay. Three committees have pro- My mother, a Medicare beneficiary companies from price gouging, prevent duced strong bipartisan bills, and we living in Monticello, MS—Hyde, Lor- taxpayers from being on the hook for should proceed to act and pass this leg- raine—faced $454.50—right there—in unlimited price hacks that have no islation. out-of-pocket costs for her prescription basis in the free market, stop the hurt- The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Sen- eye drops earlier this year. A tiny bot- ful tactics of pharmacy benefit man- ator from Mississippi. tle of eye drops cost $454.50. The drug, agers that hurt patients and commu- Mrs. HYDE-SMITH. Mr. President, I RESTASIS, has been on the market nity pharmacies while enriching the join my colleagues today in calling on well over a decade—more than enough middlemen. this body to include the Prescription time for Allergan, the pharmaceutical These reforms could reduce out-of- Drug Pricing Reduction Act of 2020 in company that developed the drug, to pocket spending on prescription drugs the next coronavirus relief bill so that recoup its investment. Yet the average by $72 billion, reduce premiums by $1 we can finally address the high cost of wholesale price of this drug has in- billion, and save taxpayers $95 billion. prescription drugs. creased almost 250 percent in 10 years. The Congressional Budget Office an- The troubles caused by skyrocketing It was almost unbelievable when my ticipates those savings will spill over drug prices are a never-ending source mom called me and told me what she into even more savings in the commer- of worry and hardship for Mississip- paid for eye drops. cial health market. pians and people across this entire This case went all the way to the This is a priority that should tran- country. I hear about this issue from U.S. Supreme Court because Allergan scend party politics. Yet Democrats constituents more than just about any had undertaken what I consider one of who had previously supported Chair- other issue when I go home. I hear this the most blatantly anti-competitive man GRASSLEY’s reform legislation all the time. I go to church with people schemes in the history of the pharma- have walked away from the drug pric- who have to decide whether they are ceutical industry. Fearing competition ing negotiation table altogether. They going to buy their drugs or buy food. after its RESTASIS patent expired in would rather deny President Trump a That is a reality we live with. 2014, Allergan transferred the patents victory on this issue than help the mil- Let me highlight a few stories shared to a Native American Tribe in an at- lions of Americans struggling to make with me by some of my constituents. tempt to use the Tribe’s sovereign im- ends meet due to high drug costs. Emily Quinn lives in Fulton, MS. Her munity to shield Allergan against com- There is no doubt about it: They are husband, Brian, was diagnosed with petition from lower priced generic al- putting election-year politics ahead of type 1 diabetes at the age of 2 and con- ternatives. As I said, this case went all making prescription drugs affordable tinues to rely on insulin daily. Her son the way to the Supreme Court in 2018. for the American people. Dylan, who is now 16, was diagnosed Even though the Supreme Court ulti- The American people can’t wait. with type 1 diabetes at the age of 6. mately ruled this scheme was illegal, Every month they continue to block The Quinn family pays more than the company’s underhanded ploy suc- this vital legislation is another month $2,700 each month for just Brian’s and cessfully delayed competition while it of thousands of dollars in insulin ex- Dylan’s insulin, not including other di- continued to reap outrageous benefits penses for the Quinn family in Fulton, abetic equipment and supplies that from RESTASIS, costing the U.S. MS. Every month delayed is another they have to have. healthcare system over $2 billion per month that Scott Crawford’s MS ad- It is shocking that more than a cen- year because of their monopoly pricing. vances because he cannot afford his tury—a century, not a decade; a cen- We want pharmaceutical companies medications. Every month is another tury, 100 years—after insulin was dis- to succeed. The great cures and treat- month that those neurologists in Jack- covered, insulin prices continue to rise ments they discover improve the lives son will continue to worry about their by staggering amounts, nearly 300 per- of many, many Americans. We recog- patients on Medicare who face unlim- cent over the last 10 years. nize that fact. But these cures and ited expenses due to no out-of-pocket Scott Crawford of Jackson, MS, is a therapeutics can only save lives if the cap. volunteer advocate for multiple scle- patients can afford them. Too many These patients, and millions more rosis. Scott was diagnosed with pri- Mississippians and individuals across like them, cannot wait until next year

VerDate Sep 11 2014 06:38 Jul 23, 2020 Jkt 099060 PO 00000 Frm 00033 Fmt 4624 Sfmt 0634 E:\CR\FM\G22JY6.070 S22JYPT1 SSpencer on DSK126QN23PROD with SENATE S4396 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD — SENATE July 22, 2020 or until the coronavirus pandemic does just that by holding Big Pharma The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Sen- passes or until Democrats decide to put companies accountable for exploiting ator from Rhode Island. the American people over politics. loopholes and keeping pricing high for S. 4049 Mississippians and Americans need a seniors, families, and taxpayers. Our Mr. REED. Mr. President, I rise, to- solution now. My friend the Senator bill pulls back the curtain on drug pric- gether with the chairman of the Armed from Iowa has done the hard work of ing and negotiations. It ends the stick- Services Committee, to talk about the writing a bill over the past 18 months er shock at the pharmacy counter, and chairman’s plan to conclude the delib- that can address the heart of the issue it caps out-of-pocket costs for seniors erations of the legislation before us and garner bipartisan consensus. I call so that Arizonans can afford the medi- today. on my colleagues to include the Pre- cines they need. As you well know from being in the scription Drug Pricing Reduction Act According to the Congressional Budg- committee, this was a process that was in the next coronavirus relief package. et Office, our Prescription Drug Pric- bipartisan, thoughtful, extremely well- I have been very excited to work on ing Reduction Act would save tax- this. This is one of the very reasons orchestrated by the chairman, and we payers close to $95 billion, reduce out- accomplished a great deal. As you that I came to Washington, DC—to of-pocket spending by $72 billion, and help Mississippians. know, the members of the committee— reduce premiums by $1 billion. we considered literally hundreds of dif- I yield the floor. This bill is even more important now The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Sen- ferent amendments by the members as that we are navigating a global pan- we marked up the legislation. Then we ator from Arizona. demic and its subsequent economic Ms. MCSALLY. Mr. President, I want passed the bill out of committee, we challenges that are squeezing family to thank Chairman GRASSLEY for his brought it to the floor, and at that and fixed-income senior budgets even tireless leadership on lowering the cost point, a total of 880 amendments were more than in normal times. With over of prescription drugs for Americans. I filed on the legislation—446 Republican 17 million Americans unemployed—in- am proud to join with him on the floor amendments, 422 Democratic amend- cluding many Arizonans—along with today and join him in his legislation ments, and 12 joint amendments. So we that we must pass to help Americans the ever-looming threat of the had a rich field to pick from in terms and to help Arizonans. coronavirus, affording prescription of trying to improve the legislation. medicine should be the least of their Everywhere I go—and when I am The first substitute that was intro- concerns. Our bill would give Ameri- hearing from Arizonans—I am con- duced on the floor to begin formal de- cans and Arizonans one less thing to stantly hearing about the rising costs liberation included a total of 79 amend- worry about during these extraor- of prescription drugs. It is among one ments—34 Republican amendments, 34 dinarily difficult and unprecedented of their top and most pressing con- Democratic amendments, and 11 joint times. cerns. From seniors who can’t afford amendments. Then we proceeded for- Unfortunately, despite this bill re- their medications to parents struggling ward. Last week we came up with an- ceiving strong bipartisan support until to care for a child who suffers from other unanimous consent to allow the just a few months ago, Democrats re- chronic conditions, out-of-pocket drug votes that took place this week on sev- cently chose to walk away at the direc- costs are too high. Far too many sen- eral very important amendments, but tion of their party’s leadership, and iors and hard-working individuals in in addition to that, we incorporated they refused to join in on the reintro- our State either can’t afford both their another legislative proposal including duction of this legislation that they co- groceries and their medications or they 62 amendments. have been forced to ration their pre- authored. This happens only in DC. Just to be clear: They were for it be- So from the introduction of the bill scriptions because of skyrocketing to the floor and to this moment, we drug costs. fore they were against it. This is mad- dening. This is why people all over my have adopted 141 amendments. They In 2017, AARP Arizona reported that are bipartisan, both Democrats and Re- a whopping 26 percent of our residents State are so frustrated with the dys- function in this place, where people are publicans. Now we are at the point— stopped taking their medications as and the chairman, I believe, has a very prescribed due to cost. willing to put looking for power and thoughtful way to conclude the legisla- Last fall, I heard from a constituent electoral politics ahead of what people tion—to consider another round of in her midsixties from Green Valley, need right now. Right now they need AZ, who was diagnosed with rheu- relief. They need relief to lower their amendments and then be able to move matoid arthritis and taking several out-of-pocket costs for all of the issues to final passage very quickly. medications to treat her condition. that they are facing as seniors, as fam- Again, let me conclude by saying When she transitioned to Medicare ilies—any of the diagnoses, any of the that the chairman has done a remark- Part D from her employer’s health conditions. These lifesaving and qual- able job. I commend him for his bipar- plan, her out-of-pocket costs for one of ity-of-life-improving medicines—we tisanship, his thoughtfulness, and his the drugs she was taking—Enbrel— have to lower the costs, and now is the consideration, and I am completely went from $10 per month to nearly time to do it. Arizona patients and tax- supportive of his proposal to bring this $6,000 per month. This is a 600-percent payers and families and seniors need bill to a conclusion. increase in her monthly out-of-pocket Washington to act now. I yield the floor. costs just for this drug alone. I don’t I want to urge our Democratic col- The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Sen- know anybody who can afford $6,000 a leagues to put politics aside. I know it ator from Oklahoma. month for one drug as a senior—as any- is hard to do in an election year, but Mr. INHOFE. Mr. President, first of one. This is insane. She had to switch put it aside. Service before self—that is all, can I say Senator REED has been to another medication twice, but be- one of the core values I learned in the incredibly great in this whole process. cause they were infusions, she now has Air Force. I bring it here with me We have been working on this for a to travel 84 miles round trip to get today. whole year now, and we are now to the treated. The significant jump in drug Serving others first—that is why you point where tomorrow we should be costs have affected both her pocket- are here. Put those politics aside. Let’s able to pass it out of—it will not be book even her quality of life. act to lower the out-of-pocket costs of passed at that time. We also have a This is unacceptable, and I have prescription drugs in our upcoming conference we are going to have to be worked with my Senate colleagues on coronavirus relief bill. faced with and all that, but today and both sides of the aisle, with Chairman This is a pivotal moment for action. tomorrow morning are very important GRASSLEY’s leadership, over the past We have to come together as a Con- to us. year and a half since I have been in the gress to ensure hard-working Ameri- The point that is made by Senator Senate to bring down the costs of drugs cans, their families, and seniors can ac- REED—if you add up all the amend- and help Americans save more of their cess the treatments they need at an af- ments, really, it is you guys in the money. fordable cost. Senate who have drafted this bill. Not Senator GRASSLEY’s bill, of which I Let’s pass this bill now. only are there 141 amendments since am proud to be an original cosponsor, I yield the floor. we came out of the committee, but in

VerDate Sep 11 2014 06:38 Jul 23, 2020 Jkt 099060 PO 00000 Frm 00034 Fmt 4624 Sfmt 0634 E:\CR\FM\G22JY6.080 S22JYPT1 SSpencer on DSK126QN23PROD with SENATE July 22, 2020 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD — SENATE S4397 the committee, we had over 800 amend- from the package. It will not even ap- bolts or a few screws—that product ments that were part of the bill to pear at that time. Otherwise, you need cannot lawfully be labeled ‘‘Made in start with. to be here to object in person. the U.S.A.’’ One of the reasons—and I think I We use the term ‘‘balanced.’’ This is Because of the flow of interstate and speak for Senator REED and myself at how this works. We have 40 amend- international commerce, in which most the same time. We have had some expe- ments that are going to be hotlined to- manufacturers sell wholesale to na- riences in the past where, since the night. If the Republicans have eight of tional and international distributors Senate operates with unanimous con- them that they object to and the who then disperse products all sent, we were unable to have any Democrats have seven they object to, throughout the country, the other 49 amendments at all on the floor. So in they have to find one more to object to States are forced to comply with this order to do that, to make sure—if that so it ends up being eight and eight or one—the most rigid definition—in should happen again, we wanted to so that the number will be equal. It order to avoid costly litigation. make sure we had all these amend- sounds a little complicated and it For many practical purposes, this ments already in the bill. So that was sounds like something that might not just means they can’t use the label. It our starting point. work, but it will work. We have been makes it impracticable as a business Now, here is where we are today. We doing this now for over a year. Actu- matter and not feasible as a legal mat- had a great vote on the NDAA, receiv- ally, we started this process 2 years ter for them to claim that label. Even ing an 87-to-13 vote in favor of ending ago. So it is going to be the responsi- though they could legally boast the debate on the substitute. That was bility of the Democrats and the Repub- ‘‘Made in the U.S.A.’’ claim in every great. That was today. That means we licans to make that even so that no other State in the country, California are at kind of the end of this process one can say that it is biased to one makes it more or less impossible for now. We have continued to work on an- side. them to do so. In other words, a single other managers’ package. So all of that is what is going to hap- State is effectively dictating a coun- Last night we hotlined—a lot of the pen, and it is very important that staff try-of-origin label. Think about that people who may be watching are not fa- and Members be aware of that because for a minute. miliar with the terminology. We what we don’t want to happen is to If California or any other State in hotlined—we sent out to all the Demo- have someone come along and say they the Union, for that matter, would like crats and all the Republicans for any were not aware of this process that is to create a State-of-origin label, I have objections they might have—another in place. So that is the process we are no issue with such a State doing that group of amendments. It was a large going to use, and that is one that is and wouldn’t suggest that the Federal group, an equal number of amendments fair. Government ought to undo those pa- for Democrats and Republicans. It Again, I don’t think—and this will be rameters. But as it currently stands, came back, and there were a lot of ob- the 60th consecutive year. There has the California law undermines jections to it, so we have now taken never been a year, in my memory, that Congress’s rightful authority to regu- that and started on one last managers’ has had more amendments considered late interstate commerce and need- package that we are going to be—a than we have considered this year. lessly hurts American manufacturers. modified version that we are going to With that, I yield the floor. This is one of the reasons we are our hotline tonight. The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Sen- own country. This is one of the reasons It is very important that people are ator from Utah. we fly the Stars and Stripes. It is one listening right now. A lot of times peo- f of the reasons the Constitution came ple aren’t listening. Certainly, the into existence to begin with—to give staffs should let their Members know REINFORCING AMERICAN-MADE Congress the power to regulate com- that they are going to get a hotline on PRODUCTS ACT OF 2020 merce between the several States with actually 40 amendments—20 Demo- Mr. LEE. Mr. President, when Ameri- foreign nations and with Indians cratic amendments, 20 Republican cans see a ‘‘Made in the U.S.A.’’ label Tribes. Our previous form of govern- amendments—tonight. That is going to on a product, it is a source of great ment, under the Articles of Confed- be the hotline they are going to look pride, and justifiably so. It represents eration, didn’t create a Congress that at. Some of your staff and some of the the American virtues of had that power. As a result, in the Members may not have read these entrepreneurialism and industrious- early days following the American Rev- amendments yet. It is likely that is the ness. It also alludes to the fact that, as olution, States were engaging in activi- case. If you have objections to amend- Americans, we have a common sense of ties amounting to economic Balkani- ments in this package—that is what we destiny and a common appreciation for zation. We saw economic Balkanization are hotlining—we encourage you to the inherent dignity and eternal worth among and between the States. That is lodge those objections with the Cloak- of the human soul. It is a symbol of why our Founding Fathers gathered in room. That is when you get these support for American manufacturing that hot, fateful, and sweltering sum- things. That is going to be tonight. We jobs, for local communities, and for mer of 1787 in Philadelphia—for this will note those objections and see what high-quality products. So it often spurs very reason. remains. American consumers as well as foreign The Reinforcing American-Made Tomorrow morning—let’s say all the consumers to buy a particular prod- Products Act would solve this very objections have come in. Tomorrow uct—a product lucky enough to have problem. It would simply ensure that morning, at a time—we were hoping that label. the FTC has the exclusive authority to that time was going to be around 10:30 The Federal Trade Commission cur- set the national standard for ‘‘Made in tomorrow, but we know a lot of people rently enforces a difficult standard for the U.S.A.’’ labeling. The legislation want to talk; a lot of people want to be all products that want to claim the would provide clarity and consistency, heard. We can’t control that, but we ‘‘Made in the U.S.A.’’ label. It requires helping American companies to avoid will ask for unanimous consent to pass that ‘‘all or virtually all’’ of a product unnecessary hardships and frivolous the package with a balanced number of be made in the United States, and it lawsuits that would otherwise deter amendments from both Democrats and has issued a lengthy legal guidance them from using this coveted and jus- Republicans. This is tomorrow, hope- document—or a series thereof—estab- tifiably enviable label of ‘‘Made in the fully at 10:30, but maybe that will not lishing rules for who may and may not U.S.A.’’ work. claim that title. Now more than ever, in the midst of We will require Members who want to However, one State holds a different the economic turmoil associated with object to this final package to come standard—one that is nearly impossible the global pandemic, we ought to be down to the floor in person and object. for businesses to meet. Under Califor- doing all we can to support American If you already have an objection to a nia’s law, if more than 5 percent of the jobs and to strengthen our local com- specific amendment in this package components of a particular product are munities. This legislation would help registered with the Cloakroom, the manufactured outside the United us accomplish just that. I urge my col- amendment should have been pulled States—even if that means just a few leagues to vote in favor of it.

VerDate Sep 11 2014 06:38 Jul 23, 2020 Jkt 099060 PO 00000 Frm 00035 Fmt 4624 Sfmt 0634 E:\CR\FM\G22JY6.085 S22JYPT1 SSpencer on DSK126QN23PROD with SENATE S4398 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD — SENATE July 22, 2020 Mr. President, I ask unanimous con- DRIFTNET MODERNIZATION AND scale driftnet fishery, if such permit is sur- sent that the Committee on Commerce, BYCATCH REDUCTION ACT rendered for permanent revocation, and such permit holder relinquishes any claim associ- Science, and Transportation be dis- Mr. KAINE. Mr. President, I ask charged from further consideration of ated with the permit; unanimous consent that the Senate ‘‘(B) a forfeiture of fishing gear associated S. 4065 and that the Senate proceed to proceed to the immediate consider- with a permit described in subparagraph (A); its immediate consideration. ation of Calendar No. 316, S. 906. or The PRESIDING OFFICER. The The PRESIDING OFFICER. The ‘‘(C) the purchase of alternative gear with clerk will report the bill by title. clerk will report the bill by title. minimal incidental catch of living marine The bill clerk read as follows: The bill clerk read as follows: resources, if the fishery participant is au- thorized to continue fishing using such alter- A bill (S. 906) to improve the management A bill (S. 4065) to make exclusive the au- native gears. thority of the Federal Government to regu- of driftnet fishing. ‘‘(3) CERTIFICATION.—The Secretary shall late the labeling of products made in the There being no objection, the Senate certify that, with respect to each participant United States and introduced in interstate proceeded to consider the bill, which in the program under this subsection, any or foreign commerce, and for other purposes. had been reported from the Committee permit authorizing participation in a large- There being no objection, the com- on Commerce, Science, and Transpor- scale driftnet fishery has been permanently mittee was discharged, and the Senate tation, with an amendment as follows: revoked and that no new permits will be proceeded to consider the bill. (The part of the bill to be inserted is issued to authorize such fishing.’’. Mr. LEE. Mr. President, I ask unani- shown in italic.) SEC. 5. EXCEPTION. Section 307(1)(M) of the Magnuson-Stevens mous consent that the bill be consid- S. 906 Fishery Conservation and Management Act ered read a third time. Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Rep- (16 U.S.C. 1857(1)(M)) is amended by inserting The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without resentatives of the United States of America in before the semicolon the following: ‘‘, unless objection, it is so ordered. Congress assembled, such large-scale driftnet fishing— The bill was ordered to be engrossed SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. ‘‘(i) deploys, within the exclusive economic for a third reading and was read the This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Driftnet zone, a net with a total length of less than third time. Modernization and Bycatch Reduction Act’’. two and one-half kilometers and a mesh size SEC. 2. DEFINITION. of 14 inches or greater; and Mr. LEE. I know of no further debate Section 3(25) of the Magnuson-Stevens ‘‘(ii) is conducted within 5 years of the date on the bill. Fishery Conservation and Management Act of enactment of the Driftnet Modernization The PRESIDING OFFICER. Is there (16 U.S.C. 1802(25)) is amended by inserting ‘‘, and Bycatch Reduction Act’’. further debate? or with a mesh size of 14 inches or greater,’’ SEC. 6. FEES. Hearing none, the question is, Shall after ‘‘more’’. (a) IN GENERAL.—The North Pacific Fishery the bill pass? SEC. 3. FINDINGS AND POLICY. Management Council may recommend, and the The bill (S. 4065) was passed, as fol- (a) FINDINGS.—Section 206(b) of the Magnu- Secretary of Commerce may approve, regulations son-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Man- lows: necessary for the collection of fees from charter agement Act (16 U.S.C. 1826(b)) is amended— vessel operators who guide recreational anglers S. 4065 (1) in paragraph (6), by striking ‘‘and’’ at who harvest Pacific halibut in International Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Rep- the end; Pacific Halibut Commission regulatory areas 2C resentatives of the United States of America in (2) in paragraph (7), by striking the period and 3A as those terms are defined in part 300 of Congress assembled, and inserting ‘‘; and’’; and title 50, Code of Federal Regulations (or any (3) by adding at the end the following: SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. successor regulations). ‘‘(8) within the exclusive economic zone, (b) USE OF FEES.—Any fees collected under This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Reinforcing large-scale driftnet fishing that deploys nets this section shall be available, without appro- American-Made Products Act of 2020’’. with large mesh sizes causes significant en- priation or fiscal year limitation, for the pur- SEC. 2. EXCLUSIVITY OF FEDERAL AUTHORITY tanglement and mortality of living marine poses of— TO REGULATE LABELING OF PROD- resources, including myriad protected spe- (1) financing administrative costs of the Rec- UCTS MADE IN THE UNITED STATES cies, despite limitations on the lengths of reational Quota Entity program; AND INTRODUCED IN INTERSTATE OR FOREIGN COMMERCE. such nets.’’. (2) the purchase of halibut quota shares in (b) POLICY.—Section 206(c) of the Magnu- International Pacific Halibut Commission regu- Section 320933 of the Violent Crime Control son-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Man- latory areas 2C and 3A by the recreational and Law Enforcement Act of 1994 (15 U.S.C. agement Act (16 U.S.C. 1826(c)) is amended— quota entity authorized in part 679 of title 50, 45a) is amended— (1) in paragraph (2), by striking ‘‘and’’ at Code of Federal Regulations (or any successor (1) in the first sentence, by striking ‘‘To the end; regulations); the extent’’ and inserting the following: (2) in paragraph (3), by striking the period (3) halibut conservation and research; and ‘‘(a) IN GENERAL.—To the extent’’; and inserting ‘‘; and’’; and (4) promotion of the halibut resource by the (2) by adding at the end the following: (3) by adding at the end the following— recreational quota entity authorized in part 679 ‘‘(b) EFFECT ON STATE LAW.— ‘‘(4) prioritize the phase out of large-scale of title 50, Code of Federal Regulations (or any ‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—Except as provided in driftnet fishing in the exclusive economic successor regulations). paragraph (2), the provisions of this section zone and promote the development and adop- shall supersede any provisions of the law of Mr. KAINE. I ask unanimous consent tion of alternative fishing methods and gear that the committee-reported amend- any State expressly relating to the extent to types that minimize the incidental catch of which a product is introduced, delivered for living marine resources.’’. ment be agreed to and that the bill, as introduction, sold, advertised, or offered for SEC. 4. TRANSITION PROGRAM. amended, be considered read a third sale in interstate or foreign commerce with Section 206 of the Magnuson-Stevens Fish- time. a ‘Made in the U.S.A.’ or ‘Made in America’ ery Conservation and Management Act (16 The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without label, or the equivalent thereof, in order to U.S.C. 1826) is amended by adding at the end objection, it is so ordered. represent that such product was in whole or the following— The committee-reported amendment substantial part of domestic origin. ‘‘(i) FISHING GEAR TRANSITION PROGRAM.— was agreed to. ‘‘(2) ENFORCEMENT.—Nothing in this sec- ‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—During the 5-year period tion shall preclude the application of the law The bill was ordered to be engrossed beginning on the date of enactment of the for a third reading and was read the of any State to the use of a label not in com- Driftnet Modernization and Bycatch Reduc- pliance with subsection (a).’’; and tion Act, the Secretary shall conduct a tran- third time. (3) in the third sentence of subsection (a), sition program to facilitate the phase-out of Mr. KAINE. I know of no further de- as so designated by paragraph (1), by strik- large-scale driftnet fishing and adoption of bate on the bill, as amended. ing ‘‘Nothing in this section’’ and inserting alternative fishing practices that minimize The PRESIDING OFFICER. Is there ‘‘Except as provided in subsection (b), noth- the incidental catch of living marine re- further debate? ing in this section’’. sources, and shall award grants to eligible Hearing none, the question is, Shall Mr. LEE. I ask unanimous consent permit holders who participate in the pro- the bill pass? that the motion to reconsider be con- gram. The bill (S. 906), as amended, was sidered made and laid upon the table. ‘‘(2) PERMISSIBLE USES.—Any permit holder receiving a grant under paragraph (1) may passed, as follows: The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without use such funds only for the purpose of cov- S. 906 objection, it is so ordered. ering— Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Rep- The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Sen- ‘‘(A) any fee originally associated with a resentatives of the United States of America in ator from Virginia. permit authorizing participation in a large- Congress assembled,

VerDate Sep 11 2014 06:38 Jul 23, 2020 Jkt 099060 PO 00000 Frm 00036 Fmt 4624 Sfmt 0634 E:\CR\FM\G22JY6.086 S22JYPT1 SSpencer on DSK126QN23PROD with SENATE July 22, 2020 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD — SENATE S4399 SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. ‘‘(i) deploys, within the exclusive economic month to oppose the amendment, and This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Driftnet zone, a net with a total length of less than he obscured its purpose in describing Modernization and Bycatch Reduction Act’’. two and one-half kilometers and a mesh size it, only saying that it required that SEC. 2. DEFINITION. of 14 inches or greater; and ‘‘some of the names of our Nation’s Section 3(25) of the Magnuson-Stevens ‘‘(ii) is conducted within 5 years of the date Fishery Conservation and Management Act of enactment of the Driftnet Modernization military bases must be removed.’’ He (16 U.S.C. 1802(25)) is amended by inserting ‘‘, and Bycatch Reduction Act’’. neglected to mention that the amend- or with a mesh size of 14 inches or greater,’’ SEC. 6. FEES. ment specifically sought change only after ‘‘more’’. (a) IN GENERAL.—The North Pacific Fish- to facilities named for Confederates. In SEC. 3. FINDINGS AND POLICY. ery Management Council may recommend, fact, he did not mention the Confed- (a) FINDINGS.—Section 206(b) of the Magnu- and the Secretary of Commerce may ap- eracy or the Civil War at all. son-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Man- prove, regulations necessary for the collec- If you are unwilling to be plain about agement Act (16 U.S.C. 1826(b)) is amended— tion of fees from charter vessel operators what is at stake, it portrays a weak- (1) in paragraph (6), by striking ‘‘and’’ at who guide recreational anglers who harvest ness in your position. So let me be the end; Pacific halibut in International Pacific Hal- plain. I speak today because I am a (2) in paragraph (7), by striking the period ibut Commission regulatory areas 2C and 3A Senator from the State with the most and inserting ‘‘; and’’; and as those terms are defined in part 300 of title (3) by adding at the end the following: 50, Code of Federal Regulations (or any suc- at stake in this discussion. Three of ‘‘(8) within the exclusive economic zone, cessor regulations). the ten bases whose names must be large-scale driftnet fishing that deploys nets (b) USE OF FEES.—Any fees collected under changed under this amendment are in with large mesh sizes causes significant en- this section shall be available, without ap- Virginia. Virginia was the State whose tanglement and mortality of living marine propriation or fiscal year limitation, for the people were most affected by the Civil resources, including myriad protected spe- purposes of— War, and I served as its 70th Governor. cies, despite limitations on the lengths of (1) financing administrative costs of the My hometown of Richmond was the such nets.’’. Recreational Quota Entity program; capital of the Confederacy, and I served (b) POLICY.—Section 206(c) of the Magnu- (2) the purchase of halibut quota shares in son-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Man- International Pacific Halibut Commission as its 76th mayor. I have dealt with agement Act (16 U.S.C. 1826(c)) is amended— regulatory areas 2C and 3A by the rec- issues of Civil War names, statues, me- (1) in paragraph (2), by striking ‘‘and’’ at reational quota entity authorized in part 679 morials, battlefields, and buildings the end; of title 50, Code of Federal Regulations (or throughout my 26 years in public life. (2) in paragraph (3), by striking the period any successor regulations); Based on decades of grappling with this and inserting ‘‘; and’’; and (3) halibut conservation and research; and question, I want to describe a principle, (3) by adding at the end the following— (4) promotion of the halibut resource by ‘‘(4) prioritize the phase out of large-scale explain an epiphany, and finally pose a the recreational quota entity authorized in question. driftnet fishing in the exclusive economic part 679 of title 50, Code of Federal Regula- zone and promote the development and adop- tions (or any successor regulations). First, a principle: If you declare war tion of alternative fishing methods and gear on the United States, take up arms types that minimize the incidental catch of Mr. KAINE. I ask unanimous consent against it, and kill U.S. troops, you living marine resources.’’. that the motion to reconsider be con- should not have a U.S. military base SEC. 4. TRANSITION PROGRAM. sidered made and laid upon the table. named after you. Section 206 of the Magnuson-Stevens Fish- The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without If you declare war on the United ery Conservation and Management Act (16 objection, it is so ordered. States, take up arms against it, and U.S.C. 1826) is amended by adding at the end f kill U.S. troops, you should not have a the following— ‘‘(i) FISHING GEAR TRANSITION PROGRAM.— NATIONAL DEFENSE AUTHORIZA- U.S. military base named after you. ‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—During the 5-year period TION ACT FOR FISCAL YEAR This principle is nowhere stated in beginning on the date of enactment of the 2021—Continued law because it need not be. It is a basic Driftnet Modernization and Bycatch Reduc- commonsense principle. The principle tion Act, the Secretary shall conduct a tran- The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Sen- explains why we have no Fort Corn- sition program to facilitate the phase-out of ator from Virginia. wallis, Fort Benedict Arnold, Fort large-scale driftnet fishing and adoption of S. 4049 Santa Ana, Fort Von Hindenburg, Fort alternative fishing practices that minimize Mr. KAINE. Mr. President, I rise to- Tojo, Fort Ho Chi Minh. the incidental catch of living marine re- night to speak about a provision of the If you declare war on the United sources, and shall award grants to eligible National Defense Authorization Act permit holders who participate in the pro- States, take up arms against it, and gram. that would direct the renaming of mili- kill U.S. troops, you should not have a ‘‘(2) PERMISSIBLE USES.—Any permit holder tary bases and facilities that are cur- U.S. military base named after you, receiving a grant under paragraph (1) may rently named for those who voluntarily but we make an exception. Ten bases use such funds only for the purpose of cov- fought for the Confederacy during the and many other military facilities are ering— Civil War. named after Confederate leaders who ‘‘(A) any fee originally associated with a I thank Senator WARREN for offering declared war on the United States, permit authorizing participation in a large- the amendment, and I particularly took up arms against it, and killed scale driftnet fishery, if such permit is sur- thank her for making adjustments to rendered for permanent revocation, and such U.S. troops. Even further, they took permit holder relinquishes any claim associ- the amendment to accommodate con- these actions to destroy the United ated with the permit; cerns of colleagues on both sides of the States, to tear our country in half so ‘‘(B) a forfeiture of fishing gear associated aisle. I was proud to cosponsor the re- that the seceding Southern States with a permit described in subparagraph (A); vised amendment in committee and could continue to own those of African or speak in favor of it today. descent as slaves—a species of prop- ‘‘(C) the purchase of alternative gear with It is important to state clearly what erty—rather than treating them as minimal incidental catch of living marine this amendment will do. If it passes equal human beings. Is this worthy of resources, if the fishery participant is au- and survives a threatened Presidential thorized to continue fishing using such alter- honor? Does it justify an exception to native gears. veto, it will require the Department of the sound principle that I describe? ‘‘(3) CERTIFICATION.—The Secretary shall Defense to initiate a 3-year process to Why were these 10 bases so named certify that, with respect to each participant change the name of any military base, when they were constructed in the in the program under this subsection, any barracks, or other facility named after years before and during the First and permit authorizing participation in a large- a Confederate military leader. Why 3 Second World Wars? The names were scale driftnet fishery has been permanently years? The timing is designed to allow not chosen due to the military skill of revoked and that no new permits will be a full public process in each location so the Confederate leaders. Some are re- issued to authorize such fishing.’’. that the desires of the community vered for their prowess, but some are SEC. 5. EXCEPTION. leaders can be taken into account in reviled. The names were not chosen to Section 307(1)(M) of the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act choosing new names. honor the character of the 10 leaders. (16 U.S.C. 1857(1)(M)) is amended by inserting I state with clarity the substance of Some are respected—excepting the before the semicolon the following: ‘‘, unless the amendment because one of my col- blight on character that support for such large-scale driftnet fishing— leagues took the floor earlier this slavery confers—but others were not

VerDate Sep 11 2014 07:23 Jul 23, 2020 Jkt 099060 PO 00000 Frm 00037 Fmt 4624 Sfmt 0634 E:\CR\FM\A22JY6.012 S22JYPT1 SSpencer on DSK126QN23PROD with SENATE S4400 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD — SENATE July 22, 2020 distinguished in their behavior or their nicipal buildings, courts, schools, many prive those of African descent of their integrity. The record makes clear that named after prominent African Ameri- equality, we signal that we are not the 10 bases were named for Confed- cans, women leaders. Aging bridges committed to our most fundamental erate leaders upon their construction that had been named for Confederate American value. during the First and Second World generals were eventually replaced and Finally, there are questions for Wars because of a lingering belief in named for civil rights heroes. those, including the President, who at- their cause—dividing the Nation to up- In short, we viewed this problem as tack those who want to remove Confed- hold slavery and White supremacy. one that could be solved with a path of erate names from military bases or In the days of mandated segregation, addition—not replacing the painful take down Confederate statues. a vibrant Ku Klux Klan, popular cul- symbols of the past but instead adding When you saw young Germans in 1989 ture painting a false picture of the war to our built environment the recogni- spray graffiti on the Berlin Wall and and its aftermath with films like ‘‘The tion of people and eras that had not knock it down, how did you feel? I Birth of a Nation’’ and ‘‘Gone with the previously been honored. This was nec- know how you felt. You felt good to see Wind,’’ there was a powerful desire to essary and important work. I was people standing up to leaders and say- hold up the Confederate cause, to sani- proud to play my part in it during my ing: You will no longer divide us. tize the Confederate cause and deny 16 years in local and State service. When you saw people throughout the the reality of African-American suf- But in recent months, as I spent our Soviet bloc pulling down statues of fering. That desire even affected this extended April quarantine in Richmond Stalin and Lenin after the collapse of very body during those years, as the and I talked to people about whether the Soviet Union or Iraqis pulling down Senate repeatedly used the filibuster to Confederate statues on our Monument statues of Saddam Hussein, how did block Federal anti-lynching legisla- Avenue should be removed, I learned you feel? I know how you felt. You felt tion. something. When I refer to these stat- good to see people standing and saying It is clear now, as it has been clear ues as symbols of a painful past, again with their actions: We will no longer for a very long time, that the cause of and again, I was told: Tim, you might glorify tyrants who oppressed us. the Confederacy was not just but mon- see these statues as signifying a pain- When you see hundreds of thousands strous. Destroying the Nation to pre- ful past, but we see them as signs of a of Hongkongers in the streets pro- serve slavery would have been a catas- painful present and even predictors of a testing against the Chinese Govern- trophe. difficult future. ment, how do you feel? I know how you History can’t be rewritten, and it is This sort of stopped me in my tracks. feel because I heard you, even in this important to tell it, but choosing who I asked my friends to explain. Here is a Chamber. You feel good seeing every- to honor is another matter entirely. I composite of what they told me: If hon- day people standing up against a gov- repeat a principle that I believe brooks oring these Confederates were just ernment that would deprive them of no exception: If you declare war on the about the past, that would be one their basic freedom. United States, take up arms against it, thing. But these statues are honored in Well, if you feel that way—and I be- and kill U.S. troops, you should not the present by a city and State that lieve virtually all Americans do—how have a U.S. military base named after maintain them, spotlight them, empha- can we feel otherwise about patriotic you. size their beauty, and market their ap- Americans who believe in a nation This wisdom was understood imme- peal to tourists. In the present, these committed to the equality of all when diately in the aftermath of the Civil statues become a rallying point for they stand up and say: We will not be War by Robert E. Lee. He was asked neo-Confederates and others who would divided. We will not glorify those who about memorials to the Confederacy take us back, just as occurred in Char- oppressed us. We will not honor those and stated: ‘‘I think it wiser not to lottesville in 2017. who stood against our freedom. That is keep open the sores of war but to fol- The present is pretty frightening. Af- what our people, especially our young low the examples of those nations who rican Americans are dying of COVID at people, are saying to us now. Sup- endeavored to obliterate the marks of disproportionate rates. The job losses porting this amendment will show civil strife, to commit to oblivion the in this economic collapse are falling so them that we are listening. feelings engendered.’’ This amendment hard on African-American commu- In conclusion, we Americans have is consistent with Lee’s wise observa- nities. We see scenes of police violence grown as a nation and as a people since tion. against African Americans playing the Civil War. And we have grown as a Second, let me explain an epiphany endlessly on our televisions, and we nation and as a people since the first that I have had just in the last few don’t see an immediate end to these half of the 20th century when, in very months. When I moved to Virginia to disparities. different circumstances, it was still get married in 1984, I saw the Confed- Do you really expect us to believe seen as a good idea to honor the Con- erate statues in Richmond, and I was that a society that continues to honor federacy. puzzled. As a Kansas-raised civil rights those who tried to destroy our country One of the key areas of our growth— lawyer and then later as a local elected to save slavery will be serious about admittedly a progress of fits and official in a city that was majority Af- ending the racial disparities that exist starts—has been a greater acceptance rican American, I was struck by their today? You either support the equality of others, regardless of race or religion continued prominence. But together of all or you don’t. If you honor those or sexual orientation or gender or na- with the leadership of my diverse city, who opposed our equality—indeed, op- tionality or physical ability. Thank we viewed these statues and other sym- posed the very notion of our human- God for that growth. Of course, the evi- bols of the Confederacy as painful sym- ity—what hope can we have about dence all around shows that we still bols of an incomplete past—painful be- overcoming the real-time injustices have a long way to go to reach full cause of the reality of slavery and dis- that are manifest all around us? equality. It might be like the North crimination, which have warped our I thank God I can still learn some Star. We can steer by it, but it is not Commonwealth and country since 1619, new things at age 62. In my view, the in the capacity of mortal mankind to and incomplete as well. Where were the statues and base names and the other reach it. statues to Richmond heroes from the Confederate honorifics that dot the But when we do steer by it and step revolution or the civil rights move- American landscape have been about in its direction, we become better. ment? Why did our city highlight 4 the past. But I now see that, for so That is what this amendment will ac- years out of a 250-year history and many, they raise deep and troubling complish, and it is why I so strongly downplay everything else? questions about the present and the fu- support it. My generation of Richmond leaders ture. Are we committed to the equality I yield the floor. endeavored to solve this problem by of all—the moral North Star an- The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Sen- painting a more complete picture— nounced by Jefferson in the Declara- ator from Iowa. statues of Arthur Ashe, Abraham Lin- tion of Independence and reconfirmed PRESCRIPTION DRUG COSTS coln, Maggie Walker, a civil rights me- by Lincoln at Gettysburg? If we con- Ms. ERNST. Mr. President, Ameri- morial on our capitol grounds, new mu- tinue to honor men who fought to de- cans are facing extremely challenging

VerDate Sep 11 2014 07:23 Jul 23, 2020 Jkt 099060 PO 00000 Frm 00038 Fmt 4624 Sfmt 0634 E:\CR\FM\G22JY6.090 S22JYPT1 SSpencer on DSK126QN23PROD with SENATE July 22, 2020 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD — SENATE S4401 times, and, right now, folks are work- suddenly chose to drop their support facing hard times. They are mourning ing hard just to make ends meet to put for this bipartisan drug pricing reform the loss of loved ones who have been food on their table and to care for their bill that they helped write. taken by this virus. They are worried families and their loved ones. Let me make that clear. The Demo- about how they will take care of their As our communities continue to crats helped write the bill with Senator children at home while they work to grapple with the devastating impacts GRASSLEY. Those who sat on the Fi- provide. They are concerned for their of the coronavirus pandemic, the crisis nance Committee approved this bill health and the well-being of their loved of rising drug costs in the United last year. ones. Many of them are considering States has only worsened. Now, more This year, they are refusing to assist skipping a dose of their medication or than ever, folks are operating on very my senior Senator, CHUCK GRASSLEY, cutting a pill in half to try to make thin margins and simply don’t have in moving forward a bill they helped those prescriptions stretch just a little room in their budgets for expensive write. That begs the question: What bit further until their next paychecks. prescriptions. changed over the course of one year? Let’s put aside political interests. No individual should have to make Do you know what, folks? That is ex- Let’s work together on this. I will be the decision between filling a life- actly what happened. It was the year: standing at the ready, and it is my sin- saving prescription and feeding their 2020 is an election year, and that means cere hope that my colleagues on both family. The skyrocketing costs of pre- Washington is not focused on solutions; sides of the aisle will join me in this ef- scription drugs have become a matter it is all about the political scoreboard. fort. of life and death for so many. We have We have seen it already this year I yield the floor. heard the heartbreaking stories of indi- with our friends across the aisle block- I suggest the absence of a quorum. viduals who could not afford their insu- ing us from even debating the JUS- The PRESIDING OFFICER. The lin, who were forced to ration and skip TICE Act, the police reform bill that clerk will call the roll. doses, and, as a result, they lost their contained about 70 percent of what our The senior assistant legislative clerk lives. Democratic colleagues were asking for proceeded to call the roll. I remember quite vividly a conversa- in police reform. Mr. GARDNER. Mr. President, I ask tion I had with an Iowa mother ex- Iowans put their partisanship aside unanimous consent that the order for plaining how she lost her son who, as a and came together and got a police re- the quorum call be rescinded. young man, was rationing his insulin form package passed; that is, Iowans in The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without because he could not afford to do more. our State legislature. I wish we could objection, it is so ordered. say the same for Washington, not only It was a heartbreaking discussion, and THE GREAT AMERICAN OUTDOORS ACT on the JUSTICE Act but also this pre- having that discussion with that moth- Mr. GARDNER. Mr. President, 6 scription drug pricing bill. Lowering er, I could not help but think then of weeks ago, I stood here as the Senate prescription drug costs shouldn’t be my own brother and sister who have prepared to begin deliberating historic about who gets the credit. It should be been reliant on insulin as juvenile dia- conservation legislation—the Great about working across the aisle to save betics for nearly all of their lives. American Outdoors Act. I introduced lives, which is the very reason that When we talk about the cost of pre- this legislation with Senator MANCHIN, Senator GRASSLEY worked hand in scription drugs, lives are literally on of West Virginia, along with so many hand with Democrats on this bill. other bipartisan champions for the out- the line. Iowans should expect more from Iowans have been very clear with me Washington. They want more, and they doors and our public lands. Senators where they stand on this issue. They should get it. DAINES, PORTMAN, WARNER, ALEX- want to see us come together to ad- Chairman GRASSLEY, President ANDER, KING, CANTWELL, BURR, and vance solutions that drive down those Trump, and I will not back down from HEINRICH are just a few of the cham- drug prices. Seniors, families, and chil- this fight. We will press on and do ev- pions who helped to shepherd this his- dren all need to be assured that when erything in our power to provide relief toric legislation through this Chamber. they go to the pharmacy, they will be to Americans who desperately need it. I remarked on that day that it was not able to afford their medications and I will continue to call on my Demo- often the Senate had a chance to make not have to skip a meal—or more—to cratic colleagues to come to the table history, but, indeed, history we made. do so. to work on improving our Nation’s The Senate came together in an over- This is why I was proud to join my healthcare system and drive down the whelmingly bipartisan fashion and friend and my colleague, Senator costs for Americans. Whether it is low- passed the Great American Outdoors GRASSLEY, in introducing a piece of ering drug costs, expanding childcare Act 73 to 25, and just moments ago, the legislation that I know he has worked options for families, ensuring protec- U.S. House of Representatives joined us tirelessly on—the Prescription Drug tions for individuals with preexisting in making history by passing the Great Pricing Reduction Act of 2020. This conditions, like my sister and my American Outdoors Act with a vote of vital piece of legislation would root brother, or simply making sure that 310 to 107. out unfair pricing shenanigans and per- children have access to clean diapers— This legislation is headed today to verse payment incentives that allow simple things. These are all issues that the desk of the President of the United pharmaceutical companies to take ad- Americans want to see Congress take States for his signature. The President vantage of the system at the expense of action on. has already supported the bill, noting taxpayers and patients. Just recently, I joined with my col- the nature of this historic bill and the According to the Congressional Budg- league Senator BRAUN of Indiana in in- huge conservation victory that it is. et Office, this bill would save taxpayers troducing a bill that helps address yet In the weeks since Senate passage, I $95 billion with a ‘‘b,’’ reduce out-of- another critical issue for Americans— have traveled all over the great State pocket expenses by $72 billion with a increasing transparency and lowering of Colorado and have visited with land ‘‘b,’’ and reduce premiums by $1 billion healthcare costs. management officials, professionals, with a ‘‘b.’’ Our Healthcare PRICE Transparency stakeholders, and constituents to dis- It needs to be said that Chairman Act would implement the administra- cuss what the Great American Out- GRASSLEY worked for months on end to tion’s rules requiring hospitals and in- doors Act will really mean on the craft this bill in a bipartisan manner surers to reveal their low, discounted ground on a personal, local level for with his Democratic counterparts. In prices and negotiated rates to patients Colorado and Colorado’s public lands. I fact, two-thirds of the Senate Finance before they receive medical care. would like to share some of those sto- Committee approved our bipartisan Iowans should be able to know the ries with you today. Prescription Drug Pricing Reduction costs associated with their healthcare Here we have a picture of an amphi- Act a year ago this very month—two- in advance so they can make the best theater that is outside of the Black thirds of the Senate Finance Com- decisions for themselves and for their Canyon of the Gunnison National Park. mittee. Yet, at a time when Americans families. If you would just go a little bit further are struggling to afford rent and gro- Folks, let’s not forget that, outside to the right, you would actually be in ceries, my colleagues across the aisle the Halls of Congress, Americans are the canyon.

VerDate Sep 11 2014 07:23 Jul 23, 2020 Jkt 099060 PO 00000 Frm 00039 Fmt 4624 Sfmt 0634 E:\CR\FM\G22JY6.092 S22JYPT1 SSpencer on DSK126QN23PROD with SENATE S4402 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD — SENATE July 22, 2020 This is an amphitheater that was the Great American Outdoors Act will cooped up indoors for the last several built, basically, in the 1960s. The park become. months. Millions of people and families itself is now about 20 years old. It had It is not just the national parks or are facing uncertain futures. Will over 430,000 people visit it last year. It the national forests or the Bureau of school return in the fall? Will my busi- has a deferred maintenance backlog of Land Management that will benefit ness survive this challenging time? $7.7 million, and this South Rim Am- from the Great American Outdoors Will I receive my next paycheck? phitheater facility is part of that back- Act. This is a picture of the Runyon When the first waves of the virus hit log. It is currently being used, but it Sports Complex in Pueblo, CO. This and shutdown orders went into place, needs significant upgrades. If you actu- area has a number of ballparks from some of Colorado’s mountain towns ally sat on one of those benches, you little leagues to adult leagues. In fact, and rural areas were the hardest and probably wouldn’t be able to sit any- they just had their first pitch of the first hit. Community restaurants where else for quite a long time be- season last week—a day that I was ac- closed; hotels emptied; and their cause of the splinters and the gouges tually at the Runyon Sports Complex stores’ doors were closed to visitors. that you would receive from the shards in Pueblo, CO, to kick off a tour- These are challenging times, no doubt, of wood that are on those benches, and nament to celebrate the beginning of a but one glimmer of hope will always be there are electrical outlets that are season that had been much delayed our public lands and the great out- popping up from an old projection sys- thanks to COVID–19. doors. tem. This area saw people like Pee Wee This Nation does not have Repub- This is supposed to be used for edu- Reese play baseball and Babe Ruth lican or Democratic public lands. This cation and educational opportunities. visit this same area to play baseball. is not a partisan issue. Preserving and With the right improvements, they will Now Coloradans of every generation taking care of our public lands provides be able to restore this and get it back are able to go to the Runyon Sports a benefit to the entire country, and it to its original purpose. New park Complex and enjoy it. It has become a will provide a benefit for generations benches and electrical work are among regional draw to help benefit the city to come. just a bit of this amphitheater’s economically and to teach kids about Yet, not only is this legislation about needs—a $200,000 deferred maintenance sports and teamwork. That is what this preserving and protecting our lands, it project alone, this site for education means. is also about job creation and economic for experiential learning. Within the The Land and Water Conservation recovery—more hope for the people of rest of the park, there are millions Fund, yes, helps forests and parks, but this country. Passing the Great Amer- more in maintenance projects like this 40 percent of the Land and Water Con- ican Outdoors Act will create over one that need to be performed and car- servation Fund’s funding is dedicated 100,000 jobs by addressing the park ried out. to projects at the State and local lev- maintenance backlog alone. In my Our lands are busy. People are loving els. If you grew up on the Front Range home State of Colorado, it will create them. This is one example, and it is of Colorado and played baseball, the thousands of jobs across the State as one example of a project that will be odds are good that you will have spent the mission of the Great American completed thanks to the Great Amer- some time on the field at Runyon or at Outdoors Act is fulfilled. There will be ican Outdoors Act. Yet it is not just any other number of places that have more jobs created as the work begins national parks that have maintenance been funded by a Land and Water Con- to address maintenance projects on needs. servation Fund project. Runyon has re- other Federal lands. The Forest Serv- Secretary of Agriculture Sonny ceived over $100,000 in LWCF funding ice, the Bureau of Land Management, Perdue joined me in Colorado in mid- over the years, and the complex con- our National Wildlife Refuges, and the June, and we toured the Mizpah Camp- tinues to be a vital part of the commu- Bureau of Indian Education’s schools ground, which is in the Arapahoe and nity today. all have needs that will be addressed by Roosevelt National Forests, that has The LWCF is not just about our pub- this legislation. These will be impor- been closed for a decade. This is a beau- lic lands; it is about your local ball- tant opportunities to create jobs when tiful river, and the campground is back park, about your local swimming pool, the projects are finally and fully fund- here. There is only one problem: There about playground facilities, and urban ed. is no bridge. This river wiped out the parks that otherwise wouldn’t give mi- I mentioned this statistic quite a bit culvert and the bridge a decade ago. nority communities access to recre- during the consideration of the Great This is a campground without access ation. That is what it is about. American Outdoors Act here in the because, 10 years ago—a decade ago—a Just up the road from Runyon Field, Senate. For every $1 million we spend flood came through—high water came in El Paso County, CO, and the commu- on the Land and Water Conservation through—and wiped out the access. nities within them, they have benefited Fund, it supports between 16 and 30 You can’t even use this public facility greatly from the LWCF. We visited a jobs. That is a figure above and beyond because of a decades-long maintenance project in El Paso County that received the 100,000 jobs that we created by the backlog at this facility alone. hundreds of thousands of dollars. It is a parks’ provisions of the legislation The Great American Outdoors Act county that has received $5 million in alone. This is a bill that will put people will provide line-of-sight funding for funding over the years and has pro- to work. It is a bill that will put people projects like these, which will no vided benefits for everything from to work by building playgrounds, fixing longer have to compete for a small pool building parks to tennis courts and trails, cleaning up ballparks, and pro- of funding with every other national trails. The State has received over $2 tecting our iconic landscapes for gen- forest in the country. million in funding to improve the erations to come. When I talk to these professionals— Cheyenne Mountain State Park facili- This is a bill that reminds us that when I talk to the forest rangers and ties within El Paso County, CO. our communities and our shared, pub- the park superintendents—they talk Local, regional, and State outdoor lic outdoor spaces are worth investing about how they are able to accomplish recreation projects will only further in. It is a bill that reminds people that building structures in their parks, how benefit when the Great American Out- we have hope for America. It is a bill they are able to build campgrounds in doors Act is signed into law. With the that reminds people that your public their parks, and how they are able to Great American Outdoors Act, Con- lands are waiting for you and that Con- keep up with restroom facilities, but gress is finally fulfilling its commit- gress was able to come together, during they have had no line-of-sight funding ment to fully and permanently fund these trying times, in a bipartisan for additional help down the road. This the LWCF, which will benefit every fashion that was so strong and so great means that, as the facilities age, they State in the Nation. that you will be able to enjoy the great may just have to be closed or, in this The passage of this historic legisla- American outdoors the way they were case, as access gets wiped out, you will tion could not come at a more critical meant to be enjoyed. just never regain that access. What a time. Our economy has suffered during I am pleased that the House of Rep- loss to the American people that is, but the coronavirus pandemic, and stay-at- resentatives affirmed all of this by what a benefit to the American people home orders have kept Americans passing the Great American Outdoors

VerDate Sep 11 2014 07:23 Jul 23, 2020 Jkt 099060 PO 00000 Frm 00040 Fmt 4624 Sfmt 0634 E:\CR\FM\G22JY6.094 S22JYPT1 SSpencer on DSK126QN23PROD with SENATE July 22, 2020 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD — SENATE S4403 Act today with such a strong, bipar- vironmental groups, as well as the yet the maintenance backlog is huge tisan vote. I thank my colleagues on President. there, as you can imagine, and without both sides of the aisle and in both People will say: Well, that was easy this legislation, they would not be able Chambers for their hard work and dedi- to do with all that support. to make progress. cation to passing this historic con- It wasn’t easy to do. If it had been I got to see specifically what the servation legislation. easy to do, it would have happened 20 money is going for, which is making I look forward to the President’s or 30 years ago. So it took support sure that house still stands years from signing this bill in the days ahead. I from the Senator from North Dakota now so that people, particularly young look forward to getting out into the and leadership from the Senator from people in our community, can under- great outdoors, and I look forward to Ohio and Senator WARNER from Vir- stand the history of our country—the these lands as they continue to inspire ginia, especially. good and the bad, the cooperation and the hopes and dreams of kids and I came to the floor also to talk about the seeking for freedom that came adults alike for generations to come. something else, but I see the Senator from the Underground Railroad and the I yield the floor. from Ohio so I think I will yield the incredible leadership that Charles The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Sen- floor and then speak on the other sub- Young showed as an early African- ator from Tennessee. ject after he has a chance to speak, if American pioneer, both in the military Mr. ALEXANDER. Mr. President, be- he would like to. and in our national park system. fore the Senator from Colorado leaves Mr. PORTMAN. Mr. President, I And then I was at the Cuyahoga Val- the floor, I offer to him my congratula- thank my colleague from Tennessee for ley National Park, where I had the op- tions for his inspired leadership of the focusing on the American Great Out- portunity to see the 13th most visited Great American Outdoors Act. doors Act. I had come to the floor to park in America and a number of dif- This is something that good people talk about the COVID–19 legislation we ferent needs that they have, adding up on both sides of the aisle have worked are considering, but I am very pleased to about $50 million. Their annual on, literally, for as much as a half a to be here with my colleagues who budget, by the way, is about $11 mil- century. Now, people are used to politi- helped to get this legislation across the lion, and yet they have $50 million cians who exaggerate, but that is no finish line. It is incredibly important worth of things that have to be fixed. exaggeration, because I have been and truly historic for our national I saw trails literally falling into the around along enough to know and to parks. river. I saw railroad tracks for the understand that—first, with the Land I have spent more than a dozen years beautiful scenic railroad that runs and Water Conservation Fund, which on this. It is kind of embarrassing be- through there where the tracks have to was first enacted by Congress in 1964. I cause I wasn’t very successful for the be replaced. I saw a bridge that is truly was the chairman of President Rea- first 11, but from my days as the Direc- becoming dangerous and has to be gan’s Commission on American Out- tor of the Office of Management and fixed—an historic bridge. These are doors and reiterated support for that in Budget, I have been focused on what things that can’t be done with their 1986. Senator GARDNER, Senator really is a tragic situation—about a $12 normal budget that funds the rangers DAINES, Senator PORTMAN, Senator billion now maintenance backlog in and some programs. These are capital WARNER, Senator HEINRICH, Senator our national parks, far more than the expenses, things that have to have a separate funding source, the way we MANCHIN, Senator CANTWELL, and a parks could ever afford to take care of whole parade of Senators on both sides based on our annual budgets that we budget around here, and we are doing of the aisle have worked very hard to provide them from this place and yet that now. So after many years of trying dif- make this happen. something that had to be done. ferent efforts at this and finding some And it would not have happened So it is not very exciting for some success over the years—the Centennial without President Trump’s leadership, people to think about, gosh, fixing a Act has helped a little bit and some either. We would not have been able to visitor’s center or making sure a trail other things to get private-public part- spend the money the way that it is isn’t eroding into a river, making sure nership money—we now have the abil- spent—energy exploration money for that our roads and bridges in our na- ity to really say that the parks are conservation purposes—unless the tional parks are kept up to speed, so going to be in good shape for our kids, President’s Office of Management and that when you go to a national park our grandkids, and the future genera- Budget had approved that. you can actually use the restroom fa- tions that can enjoy what LAMAR So it is usually never true that an cilities and the lodges. But we have had ALEXANDER has referred to—I think, important piece of legislation is passed a huge problem with finding funding paraphrasing Ken Burns—as America’s by a single Senator. It is usually a pa- for that, and in this legislation, as was best idea. rade of Senators. But Senator GARDNER noted by my colleague from Tennessee, With that, I yield back. I would like has been leading the parade, and I con- who has been at this for many years, as some time in a moment to talk about gratulate him for that and salute him well, we are finally doing something to the COVID–19 legislation, but I would on behalf of all of us who want to see help our parks that is badly needed. like to yield now to the Senator from our national parks—the 419 different The priority projects—$6.5 billion Tennessee. places we have, from the Great Smok- worth—will now be handled by legisla- Mr. ALEXANDER. Mr. President, I ies to the Rocky Mountains, to Yellow- tion that passed the House today by a thank the Senator from Ohio for his stone, to Pearl Harbor, to the National 310-to-107 vote and passed the Senate a courtesy, as well as his leadership. I Mall—protected, as well as our na- few weeks ago. The President has will not be long. tional forests, our national wildlife ref- agreed to sign it, and it will keep our (The remarks of Mr. ALEXANDER per- uges, as well as the permanent funding promise, and it is a debt unpaid to our taining to the introduction of S. 4284 for the Land and Water Conservation parks. Without it, future generations are printed in today’s RECORD under Fund. wouldn’t have the opportunity to visit ‘‘Statements on Introduced Bills and So I wanted to have an opportunity and enjoy these incredible treasures. Joint Resolutions.’’) to say that before he left the floor. I spent the last few weeks at a couple Mr. ALEXANDER. I yield the floor. And I see my friend Senator PORTMAN of our national parks—one, the Charles The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Sen- from Ohio here, who really, along with Young home in Ohio, which is a beau- ator from Ohio. Senator WARNER of Virginia, began the tiful historic home that is actually a CORONAVIRUS work on the other part of the bill—the station on the Underground Railroad Mr. PORTMAN. Mr. President, the bill that would take money from en- and, therefore, has particular and very legislation that Senator ALEXANDER is ergy exploration and reduce the na- important historic significance for our talking about probably is something tional park backlog by half over 5 State. Charles Young was the first we ought to look at in connection with years. That had the support, combined Black colonel in the U.S. Army, the this legislation that we are likely to with the Land and Water Conservation first Black superintendent of a na- pass here in the Congress in the next Fund, of more than 800 different out- tional park, and his home needs to be week or so regarding the COVID–19 cri- door recreation, conservation, and en- preserved for future generations. And sis that we face. I am here on the floor

VerDate Sep 11 2014 07:23 Jul 23, 2020 Jkt 099060 PO 00000 Frm 00041 Fmt 4624 Sfmt 0634 E:\CR\FM\G22JY6.095 S22JYPT1 SSpencer on DSK126QN23PROD with SENATE S4404 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD — SENATE July 22, 2020 today to talk about that—to talk about cant impact on how we address these We need to do it based on good data what the next steps ought to be and dual healthcare and economic crises. on what has been spent and what re- how we should be responding as Con- That is why it is important, and more mains to be done. We need to keep in gress to this unprecedented challenge important than ever, that we figure mind what is the most important pol- we have of the pandemic. out how to work together, Republicans icy proposals to include in this legisla- We are now about 5 months into it, and Democrats alike, and make some tion and not make it a catchall. and for much of April and certainly in smart bipartisan policy decisions. First, and most importantly in my the month of May we were seeing pret- Unfortunately, that is not the way view, we need to increase funding for ty good progress on the coronavirus the House of Representatives has pro- the healthcare response and the safety pandemic. The situation was improv- ceeded to date. The House Democrats efforts. This is the underlying problem: ing, and many of us thought we were chose to construct their own proposal. Until we focus on this pandemic and turning the corner. Unfortunately, as It is called the Heroes Act. Rather than what the virus is doing, we can spend we have moved into June and July, we working constructively across the aisle all the money we want around here, are now trending in the wrong direc- to try to find some common ground to and it is not going to make much of a tion in much of the country. Over the help Americans deal with this difference. So we have to be sure that past week, the number of hospitaliza- healthcare and economic crisis, Demo- we are focused on the actual problem. I tions, for instance, has risen in many crats chose and made and released an think that means getting our of our States, and there is concern that 1,800-page, $3.5 trillion package that in- healthcare professionals the resources the situation could worsen when the cluded some provisions that have noth- they need to effectively respond to this weather begins to cool. ing to do with COVID–19. crisis. They need more funding. We Today, in Ohio, our Governor an- How big is $3.5 trillion? Well, that need more funding for testing, contact nounced a statewide mask mandate, as makes it the biggest piece of legisla- tracing, PPE—the personal protective an example. We have not had that yet. tion ever passed by either the House or gear that, unfortunately, we still don’t He did so because he is concerned about Senate in the history of our country. have the stockpiles here that we need. some of the numbers. Ohio is not in as Never have we had legislation that ex- We need to be sure we are doing every- bad a shape as some of the States, but pensive. Also, $3.5 trillion is just a lot thing we can do to get this antiviral we are not seeing the progress we of money. The budget last year was $4.5 medication up and going. We have one, hoped for. trillion—the entire budget for the en- Remdesivir, that is showing positive The past few months have been a tire year for our country. This one bill results. We need to make sure that we somewhat better story for the econ- is $3.5 trillion. So it is not only the are doing everything we can to get this omy. After the initial shocks of the most costly legislation ever to pass, vaccine as fast as possible because with self-imposed economic shutdown this but, again, it is not just about COVID– a vaccine, as we have with the common past spring, a couple months ago, we 19. In fact, one Democratic leader flu, we will be making tremendous have seen a steady rebound taking called it ‘‘a tremendous opportunity to progress in pushing back against the place in most parts of the country. New fix things to fit our vision,’’ which is virus. Stopping the spread of the virus unemployment claims, put out just why it passed by a nearly party-line has to be our top priority in this next last week, while still far too high com- vote. bill, as it has been in some of the other pared to where we were before this pan- If true, by the way, that vision en- legislation. demic, are the lowest we have seen tails raising taxes on some small busi- It is clear from the recent resurgence since the crisis began. Recent retail nesses; it includes giving out tax in cases that we are still not where we sales numbers are about where they breaks, largely to benefit very wealthy need to be in testing. I know there has were a year ago when there was no pan- individuals on both coasts; it has direct been a lot of discussion recently about demic. So we are seeing better im- payouts to illegal immigrants; it has testing and whether it is needed or not. provement in the economy as compared immigration reforms related to ICE I will tell you it is critical because we to the disappointing progress we were and other things; it has unprecedented need to know where the disease is and making recently on the pandemic. mandates on the States to require how it may be spreading. It also gives Thanks to unprecedented Federal ac- mail-in voting and telling States, by us much greater context in taking tion, such as the Paycheck Protection the way, that they are required to have steps toward reopening in a safe way, Program which has allowed small busi- certain kinds of ID. This has always whether it is our schools or whether it nesses to keep their doors open and to been within the province of the States is our businesses, going to restaurants, retain employees, thanks to some of to run their own election systems. going to bowling allies, movie theaters. the targeted tax relief to help our fami- That is in this legislation. Testing is very important. lies and also our businesses, we have At the same time, out of $3.5 trillion Last week, I was in Columbus, OH, at been able to prevent an even more seri- and 1,800 pages, there is nothing in it to the Columbus Health Department, ous economic collapse that in my view provide liability protection to our where officials told me what a huge dif- would have had a devastating impact schools, hospitals, and small busi- ference the CARES grant that they re- on all of us. However, we are not out of nesses; no funding for the Paycheck ceived has made in being able to ex- the woods yet. There are still, roughly, Protection Program; no assistance for pand testing. They are building a track 17 million Americans out of work. That Americans trying to get back to work. to monitor and maintain the virus in is a lot of Americans who have been It is $3.5 trillion in taxpayer money Franklin County that is needed right furloughed through no fault of their being appropriated on a party-line now, and they are doing a great job. own because businesses are not oper- vote. I don’t think that is what people They are providing testing that is ating. This corresponds to about an 11- are looking for. I think they want us to driveby testing. It is easy to access. If percent unemployment rate, more than get together, as we have already with you don’t have insurance to pay for it, three times higher than it was just 5 four previous COVID–19 legislative it is covered through CARES funding months ago. packages, and work together to try to that passed in the Congress. We are You will recall that in February we get it done. We have to find that com- being sure that the funding is pro- had historically low unemployment. mon ground. viding the best information available Now we are up to 11 percent. Of course, We have to be sure we pass some- as we fight this invisible enemy. We there are parts of the economy that thing that is bipartisan, that supports have to continue to do that to have not seen the progress that other our healthcare system, our schools, our prioritize bolstering the ability of our parts have. local governments, our employers, our healthcare officials at home and to be So there is a lot for us to consider families, and that we do it in as tar- able to coordinate the response—State now that Congress is back in session geted a way as possible given the fact level, local and national levels, and and now that we are in the middle of that we have already the largest deficit testing, obviously, is key to that. negotiating this new what they call the in the history of our country this year, In addition, as more parts of our phase 5 coronavirus rescue package. and, of course, all this adding to our country are putting in place safe plans The new legislation will have a signifi- national debt. to reopen our economy, we want to

VerDate Sep 11 2014 07:23 Jul 23, 2020 Jkt 099060 PO 00000 Frm 00042 Fmt 4624 Sfmt 0634 E:\CR\FM\G22JY6.097 S22JYPT1 SSpencer on DSK126QN23PROD with SENATE July 22, 2020 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD — SENATE S4405 make sure that the individuals who Keeping our children out of the class- nesses and others who need the work- went on the COVID–19 unemployment room for a protracted period of time force badly, and it would help our econ- lines in the early days of this pandemic has already had a negative impact on omy begin to be able to reopen prop- have the opportunity and the incentive many of them with regard to edu- erly. to reenter the workforce. We have to be cational advancement. This idea, by the way, has broad sup- sure our workplaces are safe. We have heard this from the experts, port across the country. That same This week, I introduced legislation the American Pediatric Society, and poll I talked about found that 69 per- called the healthy workplace tax cred- the pediatricians back home—the doc- cent of respondents support a return- it, a credit on payroll taxes to ensure tors who are looking at this situation to-work bonus. employers can afford additional safety are saying it is very helpful in terms of There are various ways we can ac- measures, from the Plexiglas you have getting kids back to school for edu- complish this goal, but I believe it probably seen in some places, the cation but also for their mental health would be helpful if it is paired with an shields to be able to protect people, to and for their social skills. extension of the unemployment insur- the PPE that is needed, the gowns in On top of that, many parents, of ance. some cases, the masks, the gloves, course, have been forced to make im- So this is something we have to focus hand sanitizer, to be able to afford possible decisions. Do they go to work on and come up with a bipartisan con- that, and to be sure that there is test- to earn a paycheck or do they stay sensus—a compromise—to ensure that ing in place so employees and con- home to take care of their child. So re- we are not paying people more not to sumers feel safe reentering the econ- opening the schools will have the effect work but ensure we are taking care of omy. This tax credit will support our of having childcare, which is very im- people who are furloughed through no efforts to make our workplaces healthy portant. We need to act fast to ensure fault of their own. I also think we should be considering and safe and to build consumer con- children don’t lose more progress. provisions to help incentivize the hir- fidence that all appropriate measures Our phase 5 legislation should pro- ing from the employer side, so it is also are being taken. vide funding to help our schools safely It doesn’t really matter what we say reopen, whether it is providing addi- providing more of an incentive to bring people on board. A way to do this that as elected officials. It doesn’t matter tional masks, gloves or other protec- makes a lot of sense to me because it is what our Governors are saying or local tive gear or other resources we have building on legislation we have already health officials. If people don’t feel safe talked about, I think that money is passed is to expand and repurpose the or feel comfortable, they are not going well spent. work opportunity tax credit to add a to reengage in the economy and step Second, we have to get the economy category for COVID–19 furloughed indi- forward. I think this kind of a tax cred- moving again. To do that, I believe we viduals. Also, the employee retention it should be something that both sides need to remove the disincentive cur- tax credit from the CARES Act we of the aisle can strongly support, and rently in place; whereby, interestingly, passed just a short while ago can be we can ensure that we are doing every- we tried to help on unemployment in- improved to make it more encom- surance, but we provided a flat $600 thing we can to get people back to a passing and a better hiring credit. payment that has actually more normal life. Helping to subsidize the marginal cost As we tackle this healthcare chal- disincentivized a lot of people from of a new hire will allow businesses to lenge head-on, we also can’t afford to going back to work. Why? Because ramp up operations more quickly as step back on our efforts to combat the most individuals are making more on the economy reopens, while also bring- drug epidemic. Remember the opioid unemployment insurance than at their ing more individuals off of the unem- crisis that we were facing over the last previous job. A University of Chicago ployment rolls and into the workforce. couple of years. It has devastated com- study says that 60 to 70 percent of I hope these are part of whatever leg- munities all around our country, in- those who are on unemployment insur- islative package we end up with. Again, cluding my home State of Ohio. Unfor- ance are making more on UI than they these two should be bipartisan. The tunately, we are seeing, during the did when working. work opportunity tax credit has always coronavirus pandemic, the number of As part of this negotiation, I believe been bipartisan. The retention tax addictions, overdoses, and overdose Congress should and will extend the ad- credit was bipartisan in the CARES deaths is growing. This is very con- ditional Federal unemployment insur- Act. These are things we can do, and cerning, particularly because, thanks ance benefit in some form, but you they should get done. to a lot of efforts, including efforts in shouldn’t get paid more not to work. I We should be sure to stick with what this body, to provide more treatment think that is a principle that we all has worked to this point in our and recovery and prevention services, agree with, I hope, on both sides of the coronavirus response. One of the big- we were finally making progress in aisle. We should fix this disincentive to gest successes, of course, has been the 2018. In my State of Ohio we had a 22- work by making the benefit a percent- PPP loan program. However, one flaw percent decrease in opioid overdose age of your previous income. in the original law creating the PPP deaths. Every single year for the pre- By the way, a July 13 Yahoo Finance- program was that it put in place bar- vious dozen years we had seen in- Harris Poll found that 62 percent of riers to loans for those owners who had creases, and, finally, we were making Americans believed these enhanced UI unrelated felony records. progress. Now, unfortunately, we seem benefits served as a disincentive to This was brought to my attention by to be backtracking because of the work. They are right. It doesn’t have to a constituent of mine. His name is COVID–19 crisis. be that way. We can help people to en- Troy Parker. He is a person who has People are isolated, and people are sure they get the support they need but done everything you would expect and feeling anxiety. People are not being not have them being paid more than you would want someone to do who able to access the treatment they used they would if they were going to work. comes off of a felony conviction—a to be able to access. So in this legisla- Depending on how high the Federal mistake that he made. He was given a tion, we should also be sure that we payment is, by the way, we ought to second chance, and he took it. He make permanent the progress we have also consider a return-to-work bonus started a small business. It is a clean- made recently with coronavirus in pro- for individuals that they receive on top ing business, and he hires a lot of other viding more telehealth treatment, of their paycheck—in other words, take second-chance individuals—returning making that more accessible. I have in- part of the Federal benefit with them citizens. He gives them a chance, an troduced legislation called the TREAT back to work. I have been promoting opportunity, and he has been success- Act that would do just that so we don’t this since May. We haven’t been able to ful. But during the coronavirus pan- lose ground on this other deadly dis- pass it yet around here, but I think demic, he lost a lot of his business, as ease. this would help people—help those you can imagine, so he applied for a We also need to look forward to the workers who do want to go back to PPP loan. He was told he couldn’t get fall and ensure that we have funding to work to be able to make that tough de- one. Why? Because he has a felony support the schools so they are able to cision without having a financial dis- record. He has a conviction for a finan- safely reopen their doors to students. incentive. It would help our small busi- cial crime, and it was within the last 5

VerDate Sep 11 2014 07:23 Jul 23, 2020 Jkt 099060 PO 00000 Frm 00043 Fmt 4624 Sfmt 0634 E:\CR\FM\G22JY6.099 S22JYPT1 SSpencer on DSK126QN23PROD with SENATE S4406 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD — SENATE July 22, 2020 years. It was several years ago, but it The flexibility, I hope, is something thing from Olympic National Park that was in the last 5 years, so he couldn’t that both sides of the aisle can agree will get an upgrade for some aging get a PPP loan. Well, he is just the to. Why shouldn’t we have more flexi- water systems to new trails at Mt. kind of individual we would want to bility with regard to the CARES fund- Rainier, to other projects at Lake Roo- help. ing? sevelt and even Fort Vancouver. Thanks to Troy, we engaged on this By the way, some of it hasn’t been I want to thank all my colleagues, issue when we learned about it. We spent yet. As an example, in Ohio we Senators GARDNER, MANCHIN, PORTMAN, worked with the Treasury Department. still have $850 million that is slated to KING, BURR, WARNER, ALEXANDER, We got some immediate relief in terms go to the local communities, to our DAINES, and HEINRICH, who made up the of a rule, but we now have to put that commissioners, and to our mayors for coalition who have been working on into law to provide the relief that is our cities that are under 500,000. Yet we this issue in the more recent days to needed to provide certainty and to cod- don’t have the flexibility and certainty make sure that we got it out of the ify it. The Paycheck Protection Pro- we need there. That is important to Senate and got it over to the House of gram Second Chance Act does that. It pass as part of this legislation. Representatives. The important thing is bipartisan. Senator CARDIN and I in- These are just a few policy proposals, is that it has been a bipartisan coali- troduced this legislation. It has to be I believe, that can make an immediate tion of people who believe in public part of the next bill because it makes and lasting impact in our response to lands and open space that has brought so much sense. the challenges we face with this us to this point. We also need a plan to adapt our coronavirus pandemic. I am sure that The Land and Water Conservation economy for a future where many indi- in the coming days, we will be dis- Fund was something that Scoop Jack- viduals may be living more of their cussing the next steps forward in-depth son led the charge on in the 1960s, lives at home and online. This is easier because I believe we all recognize how based on the fact that he thought in some urban areas where you have important it is to get this right and to America was urbanizing and, with our access to broadband, but it can be a move quickly on it. highway system, he thought we would huge hurdle in some other areas, par- Unemployment, by the way, expires— need open space and, boy, was he right. ticularly rural parts of our country, in- that $600—on July 31, at the end of next So everything from Gas Works Park in cluding parts of Ohio. week. That is a deadline we can’t let downtown Seattle that gives families a Think about it. We rely much more pass. great view of Lake Union to the im- on telehealth, much more on tele- We are facing a momentous test of pressive things that have been done all learning, and much more on tele- our ability to come together once over the State, being able to say now working. Yet, in many parts of the again to address a disease that has that the Land and Water Conservation country, there is no access to the kind changed almost every aspect of our Fund will receive $900 million perma- of Wi-Fi, the kind of broadband that lives, seemingly overnight. It is our re- nently means two to three times more you need to do so effectively. sponsibility to do that. Now is the time money than we previously had to make Earlier this month, I introduced bi- to put aside partisanship, get away investments in open space. partisan and bicameral legislation to from our partisan corners, and work And we know that investments in accelerate broadband access across the together on some of these constructive open space are not only restorative to country to help our economy. Rural solutions. all of us who enjoy the outdoors, America deserves the same level of ac- I look forward to working with my whether it is hunting or fishing or hik- cess to broadband, and including this colleagues on both sides of the aisle— ing, but it also is a big juggernaut for legislation in this phase 5 package my colleague from Washington State, our economy. That over $800 billion in would help them get it faster. my colleagues from North Dakota, and Third, we need to solve the growing revenue is generated from this indus- my colleagues who I know share my problem of State and local govern- try, and it is an industry that is well concern that we can’t allow this oppor- ments running out of funding the worth putting more investment in. So I thank all my colleagues that longer this crisis continues. This has tunity to pass. We have to once again were here tonight and for their hard affected some critical public safety come together. As we said tonight, there are many of services like EMS, firefighters, and po- work. Particularly, I want to thank these things that are bipartisan, where lice departments, leaving more Ameri- Senator MANCHIN. Senator MANCHIN there can be a lot of consensus. We cans vulnerable at the worst possible has done an incredible job taking this time. have to move forward to support our issue as the ranking member of the En- Ohio is particularly vulnerable be- healthcare system, our schools, our ergy and Natural Resources Committee cause many of our local governments employers, and our families as we work and understanding how important it are so reliant on income taxes. In fact, to overcome this crisis. was to get it over the goal line. the Brookings Institute has determined I yield the floor. So I tell the Senator that I am going that four of the top five cities of Amer- The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Sen- to give him a picture of myself hiking ica that will feel the largest fiscal im- ator from Washington. in the Dolly Sods in West Virginia as a pact are probably cities in Ohio. THE GREAT AMERICAN OUTDOORS ACT great thank you for his perseverance of Back in April, Senator BROWN and I Ms. CANTWELL. Mr. President, I moving this effort to the final goal urged the Treasury to provide more come to the floor to talk about the line. So I just want to thank Senator flexibility so local governments can NDAA, but before I do, I want to join MANCHIN and, obviously, all my col- use the CARES funding that has been my colleagues and share their great en- leagues. provided for critical services like po- thusiasm tonight out here on the Sen- S. 4049 lice and fire. While the administra- ate floor in talking about the Senate- But, Mr. President, I wanted to come tion—thanks to Secretary Mnuchin un- crafted bill, the Great American Out- as we were wrapping up the final de- derstanding and acting on this—did so doors Act, that took a step closer to bate on the National Defense Author- administratively, it now has to be codi- getting to the President’s desk today. ization Act for fiscal year 2021 to talk fied to be sure we have the needed cer- That is the investment that we believe to my colleagues about this bill as it tainty. we should be making in open space and moves to conference. When I was home the last few weeks, public lands passed the House of Rep- I want to make sure we continue to I heard a lot about this from our coun- resentatives and we hope will be signed pay particular attention to one provi- ty commissioners, our municipalities, by the President very shortly. sion, and that is that the NDAA bill, as and our mayors saying: We don’t know This investment, as my colleagues reported out of the Armed Services if we can use these funds this way or were talking about tonight, has been a Committee, I believe included some that way. We have to be sure we have long time in coming on two fronts—ob- egregious provisions that would effec- some certainty here. We don’t want to viously, coming from a State that rep- tively wrestle away civilian control of have to repay this money. resents a lot of National Parks and spending on our nuclear arsenal and So this codification will also be very areas that need the investment in de- give it to the military, a provision that important. ferred maintenance projects—every- would allow the Department of Defense

VerDate Sep 11 2014 07:23 Jul 23, 2020 Jkt 099060 PO 00000 Frm 00044 Fmt 4624 Sfmt 0634 E:\CR\FM\G22JY6.100 S22JYPT1 SSpencer on DSK126QN23PROD with SENATE July 22, 2020 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD — SENATE S4407 to raid dollars out of the Department express our opposition to the inclusion of know that the National Nuclear Secu- of Energy that are literally there spe- controversial and far reaching provisions rity Administration makes up about 45 cifically for us to meet our nuclear that would fundamentally alter the Depart- percent of the Department of Energy’s ment of Energy’s (DOE) responsibilities for cleanup obligations and also to fund the nuclear weapons budget. budget. R&D at our national laboratories, As members of the Senate Committee on So, in other words, the Secretary of places like the National Renewable En- Energy and Natural Resources, we write in Energy would have lost control over al- ergy Laboratory in Colorado or other support of Secretary Brouillette’s June 29, most half of his budget. And it would facilities in my State, like the Pacific 2020 letter to Chairman Inhofe and share his also mean that the Nuclear Weapons Northwest National Laboratory. concerns that provisions in the Senate Council, which is comprised of five Specifically, the committee-reported NDAA bill undermine DOE’s ability to meet DOD subcabinet officials and one rep- its mission goals and responsibility for main- resentative of the Department of En- bill would have stripped the Energy taining the viability of the nation’s nuclear Secretary’s power over his own budget deterrent. ergy, that they would have effectively and would have allowed subcabinet of- As currently written, the Senate NDAA been dictating to members of the ficials on the Nuclear Weapons Council bill would strip the Secretary of Energy of President’s Cabinet what the budget to approve the budget for the National the ability to manage some of the most sen- should look like. So imagine that the Nuclear Security Administration. sitive national security programs that ac- Secretary of Energy has to come before So I know the Presiding Officer count for almost half of the Department’s Congress, and he says, 45 percent of my budget. Such changes could impede account- knows this well. But it would have al- ability and Congressional oversight, as well budget has already been determined by lowed the Pentagon to prioritize mak- as imperil future funding for other critical somebody else, and you really can’t go ing nuclear weapons over the critical DOE responsibilities such as promoting sci- talk to them. missions of the U.S. Department of En- entific and technological innovation, man- This isn’t just an issue of trans- ergy. And I believe it also would have aging our National Laboratories, sponsoring parency. This is also an issue about the reduced civilian control over spending basic research in the physical sciences, and Department of Energy’s obligations to on our country’s nuclear weapons com- ensuring cleanup of the nation’s nuclear clean up, specifically in Washington at weapons complex. Hanford. So I want to make sure people plex. Sweeping changes impacting civilian con- I am so glad that Energy Secretary trol of our nation’s nuclear weapons pro- understand that nuclear waste cleanup Brouillette wrote to Senator INHOFE grams should only be made in consultation is a Federal obligation. It is an obliga- and talked about this and said: ‘‘These and coordination with the committee of ju- tion that we have as a nation, not just provisions eliminate a President’s Cab- risdiction in an open and transparent man- in Washington, but other States, and inet Secretary from managing some of ner. The changes included in the Senate unfortunately, we haven’t met all the the most sensitive national security NDAA bill have been met with opposition milestones for nuclear waste cleanup. programs in the Department, most no- from the Trump Administration, former Sec- In fact, Idaho experienced this between retaries of Energy, recent NNSA Administra- 2012 and 2018 when DOE failed to meet tably, assuring the viability of the Na- tors, and the Congressional Advisory Panel tion’s nuclear deterrent.’’ on the Governance of the Nuclear Security cleanup milestones at the Idaho Na- I do want to thank Senators INHOFE Enterprise. tional Laboratory. and REED for hearing the concerns ex- We therefore request that the provisions be Taking away DOE’s ability to control pressed by many Senators on both removed from the pending bill or that the its own budget would make it harder to sides of the aisle and for hearing the Senate be allowed to vote on the relevant meet milestones, and now, some want concerns of the Secretary of Energy amendments filed by Ranking Member more of their budget taken away by Manchin. and accepting the Manchin-Cantwell the NNSA. How are they going to meet Sincerely, these milestones? This is probably no- amendment that stripped these trou- Senator Maria Cantwell, Senator Lamar bling provisions out of the bill because Alexander, Senator Martin Heinrich, where more important than in the I believe it was a radical change that Senator Bill Cassidy, Senator Ron State of Washington. And so the De- did not have enough debate. Wyden, Senator John Barrasso, Sen- partment of Energy is legally obligated But I certainly appreciate the Pre- ator Mazie K. Hirono, Senator Jim to meet these cleanup obligations at siding Officer’s interest and determina- Risch, Senator Bernie Sanders. the Hanford site and to meet the obli- tion as well. In particular, I want to Ms. CANTWELL. Mr. President, I re- gations of what is called the Tri-Party thank Senator ALEXANDER and Sen- spectfully ask that the members of this Agreement, which is a legal contract ators HEINRICH, CASSIDY, WYDEN, BAR- year’s NDAA conference committee—I with the State of Washington. RASSO, HIRONO, RISCH, and SANDERS am assuming there will be one—that It is the duty of our Nation to clean who jointly sent a letter to the Senate they consider all these issues as they up what was a national effort in World leadership expressing opposition to go to conference. War II and the Cold War. these provisions. This is not just a bureaucratic budg- So I hope our colleagues won’t forget In a letter that stated, if these provi- et dispute or some interagency ac- history here, won’t forget the obliga- sions would have remained in the bill, counting measure. This is, I believe, a tion to clean up those nuclear waste they would have ‘‘impeded account- very important issue, as it relates to sites, and certainly won’t forget this ability and Congressional oversight, as civilian oversight of our nuclear weap- effort we had here on the Senate floor. well as imperil future funding for other ons complex and, as written in the Last year, the Department of Energy critical DOE responsibilities such as original bill, would have required the completed a Lifecycle Scope, Schedule, promoting scientific and technological Nuclear Weapons Council to set the and Cost Report for the completion of innovation, managing our National priorities for the NNSA budget and the Hanford cleanup site. It found re- Laboratories, sponsoring basic research would have required the Department of maining cleanup costs to be $323 billion in the physical sciences, and ensuring Energy to get the Nuclear Weapons at a best-case scenario and $677 billion cleanup of the nation’s nuclear weap- Council’s approval before it could sub- at a worst-case scenario. ons complex.’’ mit its Energy budget to OMB. So that makes cleaning up legacy Mr. President, I ask unanimous con- So, yes, there was a big takeover of military nuclear waste sites in central sent that that letter, the Cantwell- the Department of Energy budget Washington the second largest long- Alexander letter, be printed into the snuck into the NDAA. Well, let’s just term obligation the Federal Govern- ment has after Social Security and RECORD. say some of us knew about it; some of There being no objection, the mate- us didn’t know about it. But we ob- Medicare. So it is no wonder people rial was ordered to be printed in the jected, and now, we have taken this come and try to raid it. Trust me, I could be going on all RECORD, as follows: language out. But I am sure this will continue, and night over all the efforts that have JULY 1, 2020. I think it still continues. I think peo- been going on for decades, where people DEAR MAJORITY LEADER MCCONNELL, MI- NORITY LEADER SCHUMER, CHAIRMAN INHOFE, ple who have a desire to have a larger try to come up with a new way of ei- AND RANKING MEMBER REED: As the Senate National Nuclear Security Administra- ther taking that money out of the considers the Fiscal Year 2021 National De- tion budget definitely are going to con- budget or saying that they are going to fense Authorization Act (NDAA), we write to tinue this effort. But people should find a quicker way to do cleanup. I am

VerDate Sep 11 2014 07:23 Jul 23, 2020 Jkt 099060 PO 00000 Frm 00045 Fmt 4624 Sfmt 0634 E:\CR\FM\G22JY6.101 S22JYPT1 SSpencer on DSK126QN23PROD with SENATE S4408 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD — SENATE July 22, 2020 all for speed, but I am also for meeting the same no matter the color of a per- liked the idea of George Washington the obligations. But there is no magic son’s skin; that profiling is a thing of being the first President is that George here. It is a responsibility, and it is the past; that viewing two young Black Washington was very worried about science, and it is an investment, and it men on the street is not viewed dif- that, and the example he set would belongs to the whole Nation. And we ferently than viewing two young White mean a whole lot. certainly don’t deserve to have people men on the street. It is that goal of It is one thing to have a Constitution coming to the Senate floor with a bill having everyone treated fairly that has on paper. It is a whole other thing to trying to take away 45 percent of the led so many to come out and say: We hold onto it, to keep it. Coming out of administration’s budget and then say need major reform in our country. We the Constitutional Convention, the we don’t have to meet that cleanup ob- need to set behind us the time period story goes that someone asked one of ligation because we are investing in when departments of public safety tend the convention policymakers: What do nuclear weapons instead. to look at the White community and we have? And he replied: A republic, if So, believe me, as this bill moves off say, ‘‘Those are our clients,’’ and look we can keep it—if we can keep it. the Senate floor, I am going to be at the Black community or the dark- This is what democracy looks like watching the conference. I am not just skinned community and say, ‘‘Those right here. There is another picture of going to watch this issue now or in are the threats.’’ That is what people what democracy looks like. This is the conference. I am going to be keeping are trying to change by turning out in ‘‘wall of moms’’ in Portland, OR, com- watch on this issue in a constant fash- America in this fashion. ing out, standing side by side, creating ion, just like I always have on Hanford It is an important moment in which a barrier between the police and the cleanup dollars. But I resent that peo- we need substantive change, real Federal forces that had been allocated ple believe that Congress would fall for change—real change like the bill CORY to the city by President Trump and the such a tactic to believe that the efforts BOOKER put together and led the battle people, creating that barrier, that of nuclear weapons development should on, and KAMALA HARRIS put together ‘‘wall of moms,’’ to say: Do not use be controlled by a small subcabinet with him in partnership and led the flashbang on us or all the people behind council and that they shouldn’t report battle on. That is the type of change us; do not use tear gas on us or all the to the Secretary of Energy on that we need in America. That is why people people behind us; do not use impact budget, but make up their own budget have been turning out in the streets. munitions, a polite name for, essen- and demand that it be met at the Pres- But there is an unexpected twist on tially, rubber bullets—they say ‘‘non- idential level. something we didn’t anticipate, in lethal bullets’’—we hope, right, be- Now, I just hope we don’t reach this which the President of the United cause sometimes they do enormous same dilemma again. I hope we have States hasn’t listened to this message damage—do not use your batons to learned from it. I hope that people un- about coming together so that every- knock us down and break our bones; do derstand that these priorities of clean- one is treated equally. Instead, he is not pepper spray us in the face. We are up of our nuclear waste sites and what doubling down on a strategy of racism, the ‘‘wall of moms.’’ these parts of the country did for us in a strategy of bigotry, a strategy of cre- This is what democracy looks like, meeting our obligations in World War ating conflict in America with a deter- but this is a message lost on President II and the Cold War. mined new effort. Trump. We have something entirely We laud those efforts from a sci- This is a picture of protesting in Or- different from the President. The entific perspective. We laud those ef- egon. I was at a demonstration much President said: I am going to send some forts from the manpower that it took. like this, where people chanted: ‘‘This forces out to Portland to basically pour We should now laud a budget that is what democracy looks like. This is gasoline on the fire and turn it into, keeps the focus on cleanup and gets the what democracy looks like.’’ basically, a much more intense con- job done and not lose track or sight be- This is what democracy looks like, flict. cause, from time to time, somebody colleagues—people coming together So you already have the basics of a else wants to make a larger investment with their signs and their feet and challenge in which you have had folks in nuclear weapons. their time, saying: We need change. It from the White extremists coming in I yield the floor. is as fundamental as free expression camouflage to Portland to create trou- I suggest the absence of a quorum. under the First Amendment. It is as ble and looking for a fight, and you The PRESIDING OFFICER. The fundamental to our Constitution as the have antifa coming to Portland to look clerk will call the roll. right to assemble. This is as funda- for a fight with the White extremists, The legislative clerk proceeded to mental to the vision of ‘‘We the Peo- the White nationalists. call the roll. ple’’ as anyone can imagine—that vi- Well, that had calmed down enor- Mr. MERKLEY. Mr. President, I ask sion that Lincoln summarized as ‘‘gov- mously to where there was only a unanimous consent that the order for ernment of the people, by the people, small group left, coming in late at the quorum call be rescinded. for the people,’’ not of, by, and for night and causing trouble. But Trump The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without some dictatorial force, not someone said: If I can recreate conflict in Port- objection, it is so ordered. who wants to consolidate power in an land, well, I can run a campaign on UNANIMOUS CONSENT REQUEST—AMENDMENT imperial Presidency. fear. Because what we have seen, in NO. 2457 In fact, our Founders were really Presidential campaign after Presi- Mr. MERKLEY. Mr. President, I rise worried about authoritarianism. They dential campaign, is a Republican can- tonight to ask: What does democracy were really worried about an imperial didate saying: If we run on fear, we will look like in America? I have here a pic- Presidency. win because people think of us as ture of what democracy looks like— Once they launched that Constitu- stronger on national security. people showing up presenting their tion, what would happen with that first Well, we have seen the different opinions with their feet and their President? Would that first President strategies. There was the Ebola run-on- voices and their signs saying: We want say: I am now going to consolidate fear strategy. There was the ‘‘immi- change. And the change they want is to power in this young Republic, hold on grants, rapists, and murderers are pursue the important value that public to the Executive, ignore the balance of going to run across the border and safety in America be a value that is ap- powers between the branches of govern- swarm America’’ run-on-fear strategy. plied equally to all citizens; that every ment, and consolidate power in the Ex- There was the ‘‘ISIS is going to row single person in the community is ecutive. I am going to take the forces across the Atlantic and invade Amer- viewed as a client for the public safety that were the Revolutionary War ica’’ run-on-fear strategy. There was team; that the distribution of protec- forces, and I am going to turn them the Willie Horton ‘‘you are going to be tion is equal and the treatment of citi- into a force to keep in power regardless attacked by a dark-skinned person in zens is equal, so that when public safe- of the constitutional requirement for an alley’’ run-on-fear strategy. ty officers respond, they respond equal- elections. And all too often it has worked, this ly no matter what section of the city They were very worried about this. effort to gear up division in America, the call comes from; that they respond One of the reasons they particularly to play on racism in America.

VerDate Sep 11 2014 07:23 Jul 23, 2020 Jkt 099060 PO 00000 Frm 00046 Fmt 4624 Sfmt 0634 E:\CR\FM\G22JY6.103 S22JYPT1 SSpencer on DSK126QN23PROD with SENATE July 22, 2020 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD — SENATE S4409 But to that strategy of division and Then we had a bill here on the floor. Now, we know that President Trump racism I say: No way. That is too low, We needed 60 votes, under our policy admires authoritarian leaders. He has too wrong for America. We should be rules, to be able to pass it to close de- spoken with admiration about Duterte coming together as a country. We bate. It was disclosure—to say at least in the Philippines. He seems to be in should have a message of coming to- we should disclose where money comes love with Erdogan in Turkey. He loves gether as a people. We should be taking from. But what happened? The fossil the Crown Prince in Saudi Arabia, who on the challenges of healthcare and fuel lobby said no Republican can dare assassinated an American-based jour- housing and education. to vote for this bill if you want us to nalist. Those are the bills we should have keep you in power, and every single He can’t find anything wrong with here on the floor of the Senate. We Member across the aisle followed their how Putin runs Russia, as basically an should be taking on the issue of fair lead and voted against disclosure. authoritarian-style dictator. But now labor, good-paying jobs. We should be They voted for darkness. They voted he is doing something beyond just this working on rebuilding America’s infra- for hiding these massive contributions affection: He is bringing the tactics of structure. coming in from who knows where be- authoritarian governments to the We should be addressing the fact cause they are hidden. streets of the United States of Amer- that, even today in States all across My point is that this is democracy ica. this country, you can be discriminated here, people expressing their views, and This is what democracy looks like, against for being a member of the here in this Chamber we should have but I am going to show you some pic- LGBTQ community. You can get mar- democracy as well. tures of what democracy doesn’t look ried in the morning, and you can pro- We had it almost over our entire his- like—instead, what authoritarianism ceed to be thrown out of your apart- tory, of people being able to put vir- looks like, what paramilitary forces ment. You can be told you cannot eat tually any issue on the floor and have look like. in this restaurant, you cannot sit in it debated on and then to have it voted So let’s take an exploration of the this movie theater, you cannot receive on and then to have voters know how President’s strategy. Well, first, au- this government benefit. their Senator voted so there was ac- thoritarians don’t want identity about The Supreme Court just took one countability. the organization on their police uni- step forward on the employment ques- But no more. We are in this incred- forms, and they want the police, in tion, strengthening the ability to not ible period in which there are a record functioning, to look more like warriors be discriminated against in employ- number—low—of amendments, and the in some other fight across the sea. ment. amendments we do have are basically So you dress them in camouflage. We passed a bill here in the Senate not very significant to begin with or Here are folks deployed by President back in 2013 to do exactly that, to they are preprogrammed by leadership, Trump in the streets of Portland. What strengthen protections in employment, agency do these belong to? No shoulder not by each Senator having power. The but the Republican-controlled House patch, no identity on this front, no idea of 100 Senators having that wouldn’t take it up and treat LGBTQ identity on the other shoulder, no iden- power—that sounds like something out Americans fairly. tity on the helmet—no identity. Who of just another world, yet that was the If we were doing our job, we would are these people? have a debate on the Equality Act that Senate throughout its history until re- How about these people? Are these would end discrimination in all of cently. the same group here? These are White Why do I keep emphasizing this? Be- these areas because it is the right extremists, nationalists, who come to thing to do that no door should be cause this concentration of power Portland to get in fights. So President slammed in the face of an American be- where bills and amendments only go Trump dresses up his Federal forces to cause of who they are or whom they through the majority leader is an abso- look like White extremists on the love. Isn’t that something we should be lute fit with government by and for the streets of Portland. doing here? powerful—the opposite of government How is there accountability if you Shouldn’t we be taking on this chal- by and for the people. don’t know where they are from? lenge of carbon pollution and climate So if someone has a bill that says Who can tell me if these folks are chaos? All the fossil fuel companies you can’t gouge Americans on drug from Customs and Border Protection? have worked hard to turn this into a prices, they can’t get that bill to the Are they from the Federal Protective partisan issue. It didn’t used to be a floor because it is blocked by the ma- Service? Are they U.S. Marshals? How partisan issue. Back when President jority leader, and the drug companies do we know? We don’t because they are Bush—not yet President but candidate don’t want that bill on the floor, so deliberately not marked. Bush ran against candidate Dukakis, it they give a lot of money to that team. We are told that these are actually was the Republican candidate who ran If someone says we should have rea- Customs and Border Protection. I on climate change. It was the Demo- sonable gun safety laws—not violating called up the head of Customs and Bor- crat who ran on fossil fuels. the Second Amendment—and we will der Protection, and I said: What is the It is not so long ago, before Citizens make the world a little safer for our story with this tactic of secret police United, that we had so many climate children, well, that bill can’t get on the on the streets? He said: Oh, no, no, no; champions on both sides, but then dark floor because it is blocked by the ma- we insist they have ‘‘CBP’’ on them. money was introduced, and the fossil jority leader, and it is backed by mas- We insist they have a unique identifier. fuel community said: This is our sive spending of dark money and the In fact, he put this in a tweet. He chance to control the U.S. Senate. NRA. told all of America: We don’t do that. They put hundreds of millions—not Or if we have a bill that says we But America has pictures, and those thousands, millions—of dollars into the should do a lot more about housing, I pictures tell us there is no ID. They are Senate campaigns 6 years ago, 2014. can’t put that bill on the floor. How being deployed as secret operators on I remember it well because I was one about we have a banking system that the streets of Portland. of the folks they were targeting, and I serves the cannabis industry so that we That is going to be terrifying because saw their strategy of taking that don’t have huge bags of money opened you don’t know who they are. Is it just money and putting it into third-party up to the possibility of organized crime someone who wants to create trouble campaigns and running tremendous moving it around the country and who puts ‘‘police’’ on their shirt? Is it numbers of assault ads, negative ads, doing bad things? We should extend one of these folks? These folks have attack ads—doing it on social media all that coverage, but we can’t get that badges on them that look a little more across the board. vote on this floor—which brings me to official. We see an American flag here. Since then, what happened? Well, all something more important than just We see an American flag here. the voices that were on the Republican basically anything I have just talked Are these White extremists coming side of the aisle saying ‘‘We need to about, which is what President Trump to the streets to beat people up, or are take on climate’’ disappeared. That is is doing right now: deploying secret po- they Federal agents? And if so, who are the corrupting power of Citizens United lice across America, secret police here they, and what is their mission? We and dark money. in America. found out their mission in short order.

VerDate Sep 11 2014 07:23 Jul 23, 2020 Jkt 099060 PO 00000 Frm 00047 Fmt 4624 Sfmt 0634 E:\CR\FM\G22JY6.105 S22JYPT1 SSpencer on DSK126QN23PROD with SENATE S4410 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD — SENATE July 22, 2020 Here we have a picture of a Navy vet. about here? Are we talking about cause they weren’t coming to coordi- That Navy vet said he came down to Syria? Are we talking about Duterte in nate, to help; they were coming to dis- say: What does it mean to honor your the Philippines? Are we talking about rupt. They knew that if they asked to oath—your oath of office, your oath to Erdogan in Turkey? Are we talking come, asked whether they were want- the Constitution? He wants to know. about the Crown Prince in Saudi Ara- ed, the answer would be no, you are not He was a veteran who served in our bia? Are we talking about Putin run- wanted because you are coming to in- forces to defend the Constitution. ning Russia? We could be talking about flame the violence and disruption. How did President Trump’s secret po- any of those folks, as they use these The President was giving speeches, lice respond? Here is a CBP agent with tactics, but this is unacceptable and saying ‘‘Look at what a wonderful a baton right here, striking him. Here outrageous and unconstitutional in a President I am because I am sending is another one with a baton coming democratic republic. help to quell violence in Portland’’ around to strike him again. Here is an- President Trump coordinated this de- while he was sending secret police to other one spraying pepper spray into ployment of secret police and attacks create violence. This has to be one of his face. This man, just standing here— on peaceful protesters to create a big the bigger lies he has told in his time his hands are basically hooked in his conflagration, a big explosion of pro- as President. By various accounts, he pocket, like this—he is just standing tests in Portland. The protests had tells a number of them every single here saying: I came down here to see died down to just less than 100 actors day. But this lie to the American peo- what people thought about honoring and some bystanders in the late ple is not just a little white lie; this is their oath to the Constitution. And he evening, and then I am told that on the not just a little misrepresentation; this is attacked. He is attacked by multiple days that followed these outrageous at- is something of constitutional input members of this secret force Trump tacks, the protests multiplied—not about who we are as a country. We puts on the streets of our Nation. one- or twofold but fivefold or more. don’t do secret police in our country. They had not just pepper spray and That is exactly what Trump wanted be- We don’t grab people off the streets and terrify them and throw them in un- not just batons; they had other weap- cause he wanted to say: There is this marked vans in our country—at least ons, impact munitions—in this case, dissent and trouble in the streets of U.S. marshals. not until now. Portland. I am your law-and-order You see, the President has looked at Here is a young man who is holding a President; I will take care of that trou- the polls that say we are not very boom box over his head—that is what ble. happy. Americans are not very happy it looked like—and he is on one side of You create the trouble. You escalate with the way you have executed the the street. On the other side of the the conflict so you can say ‘‘I am the Presidency. We are certainly not very street are the marshals. As he stands one who can deescalate it’’ later. This happy with the way you have managed there in the video, you see him crumble is a horrific strategy that no Member this really big crisis, the COVID–19 and fall to the ground because from of this Senate should have the slightest pandemic. When there is a crisis, you across the street, he was shot right be- sympathy for—a strongman in the Oval start to see someone—can they rise to tween the eyes. Critical condition. Office adopting the secret police tac- the occasion? Can they bring forth the Fractured skull. tics of the worst dictators from around best in people? Can they facilitate co- Who in the world would expect a Fed- the globe. operation? Can they mobilize re- eral officer to shoot a protester, who is Some of the headlines that followed sources? Can they make the case in an either holding up a sign or a radio, be- were things like this: effective and persuasive fashion? tween the eyes from across the street? ‘‘Federal Law Enforcement Use Un- The American people have seen that Do you think that is accidental? They marked Vehicles To Grab Protesters President Trump could not rise to the accidentally shot him in the head? It Off Portland Streets.’’ occasion. He could not bring himself to wasn’t accidental; it was deliberate. ‘‘A Navy vet asked federal officers in bring people together. He could not They are sending a message. A lot of Portland to remember their [constitu- make the case for a national strategy other people got shot with these muni- tional] oaths. Then they broke his on how to tackle the coronavirus. He tions. I am told that he is no longer in hand.’’ You saw the pictures of them could not mobilize resources to address critical condition. Thank goodness for striking him with the batons. it in a timely fashion. Millions more that, but it could have been very, very ‘‘Federal Officers Deployed in Port- are going to get sick as a result of his different. We still don’t know the ulti- land Didn’t Have Proper Training, incompetence, and tens of thousands mate outcome of this assault on a D.H.S. memo said.’’ It says: Untrained, more will die because of the incom- peaceful protester. undisciplined folks, but they knew petence of President Trump. Pepper spray, using batons on vet- what the President wanted and that What is a President running for re- erans, shooting a peaceful protester in was to create an escalation of violence election to do when his incompetence the head from a few yards away—that on the streets of our city. is revealed in its complete and total is not all that Trump’s secret police You are probably wondering, didn’t clarity to the Nation? You create a were up to. They decided to go through the President call and talk to the Gov- war. That is what you do. You create a the streets and grab people and throw ernor before he decided to deploy these war because a war might rally people them into unmarked vans. secret police on the streets of Port- to your side when we are being at- Here is one of those vans on the land? No, he didn’t. Didn’t the DHS tacked. But in this case, the President streets of Portland. Here are President Secretary? No. How about the Depart- couldn’t come up with an overseas war. Trump’s secret police, unmarked, ment of Justice? The Attorney Gen- ISIS? Too weak. The scary Ebola? Too throwing another protester into a van. eral? No. Surely they called the mayor long ago. North Korea? A completely One of the individuals who was treat- and said: Before we deploy folks to pa- failed strategy by the President of ex- ed in this fashion said he was terrified trol the streets with tear gas and ba- pressing his love for yet another dic- because he thought these camouflaged tons and impact bullets, rubber bullets, tator and that love not being returned folks were the White extremists who pepper spray; before we beat up peace- in any effective policy changes. So come to make trouble, and was he ful protesters and shoot them in the what is left? Immigration. Oh, wait—he being kidnapped? They would not an- head, we want to talk to you, Mayor, already played the rapist and mur- swer the question when they were about what is going on. Did the Presi- derers at the border card. He already asked ‘‘Who are you?’’ They didn’t an- dent call? Did the Secretary call, the offended people throughout our Nation swer the question. Secretary of Homeland Security? Did by snuffing out the lamp of Lady Lib- Secret police, unmarked, using pep- the Secretary or the Attorney General erty. What is left? You have to create per spray, batons, impact munitions, call? Did the head of Customs and Bor- a war inside the United States. and tear gas on peaceful protesters, der Protection, CBP, call before they First came Washington, DC. He tried and then throwing people—grabbing sent in their special operating group? out the secret police strategy by de- them and throwing them into un- Did the Marshals’ lead director, com- ploying forces onto the steps of the marked vans. What does that make you missioner call? The answer is no, no, Lincoln Memorial, unmarked, and no- think of? What country are we talking no, no, and no. None of them called be- body knew who the hell they were. Who

VerDate Sep 11 2014 07:23 Jul 23, 2020 Jkt 099060 PO 00000 Frm 00048 Fmt 4624 Sfmt 0634 E:\CR\FM\G22JY6.107 S22JYPT1 SSpencer on DSK126QN23PROD with SENATE July 22, 2020 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD — SENATE S4411 are these people who are on the Lin- I am still wondering what passage in what a mighty leader I am attacking coln Memorial? Are they far-right ex- the Bible he was there to talk about. these peaceful people with these weap- tremists carrying guns? Are they Cus- You can think for yourselves. You can ons. I did it to the protesters in Wash- toms and Border Protection? Are they imagine. You can ask yourselves: What ington, DC, and I did it to the pro- U.S. Marshals? Who are these people? did the President want to say with the testers in Portland, OR, and now I am Nobody knew. They were secret police Good Book in his hand? Did he want to going to take my strategy of attacking at the Lincoln Monument. say this book talks about turning the protesters and spread it all across And then he decided to test the strat- other cheek, and I will show how much America. egy of using weapons against peaceful I admire that principle of turning the What does he talk about? He says: I protesters across from the White other cheek by coming out and telling want to take this strategy to Balti- House. There they are gathered to- my team to tear gas and shoot peaceful more. He says: I want to take this gether. There is this great tradition in protesters? Is that what the President strategy to Philadelphia. He says: I America. If you want to protest where wanted to do, kind of somehow dem- want to take this strategy to New the President can see you, you go to onstrate support for turning the other York. And then he said: I want to take L’Enfant Plaza and you look up at the cheek by having his team gas and it to Chicago and I want to take it to second story and you hold up your pro- shoot people in that area close to Detroit and I want to take it to Oak- test sign and you scream your position L’Enfant Plaza, close to the steps of land, CA. What do those things have in on something that you consider very the church, or did the President want common? And then he says: They are important for America—the change to come out and say: This Good Book led by Democrats. I will take my strat- you want to see or the man you object talks about beating swords into plow- egy of inciting violence with secret po- to. The President and his family look shares, and I want to come out and lice, unmarked van abductions, use of out those windows and say: I sure hate show just how I believe in the principle pepper spray, batons, and flashbangs— seeing those protesters. of beating swords into plowshares by the whole arsenal—and I will take it to But that is symbolic of the right to having my team gas people and baton all these cities where there are Demo- assemble and the freedom of speech in people and do these explosive flashbang cratic mayors. Then I will say: Look at our beautiful Nation under our extraor- grenades. Is that what the President me. I am a law-and-order President, dinary Constitution. What did Presi- was trying to do? and I can quell all that trouble I cre- dent Trump do? Well, he walled off What message in the Bible was he ated across this country. L’Enfant Plaza across from the White trying to convey? Was he trying to You are probably thinking I made up House so people couldn’t protest there. convey the message that Jesus Christ this list of cities that the President That is what this President thinks of talked about time and time and time talked about. Surely, the President protesters. He sees them as a threat to again of helping the poor and the des- wouldn’t take this incredibly horren- him. He doesn’t like freedom of assem- titute, and he thought it was such an dous secret police strategy and express bly, and he doesn’t like freedom of important message to carry to the that he wanted to take it on a trial run speech, but what he does like is a good United States that he would use force, all across America so he could create photo opportunity. tear gas, rubber bullets to clear the violence in Democratic cities, but in So the President decides to get the path so he could talk about how impor- his own words: team together and we will go over and tant it was to help the destitute and Who’s next? New York and Chicago and I will stand on the steps of the church Philadelphia and Detroit and Baltimore and the poor in America and how his poli- all of these—Oakland is a mess. and hold up a Bible. I still am a little cies might help them? No. We don’t And he framed it as going to quell vi- confounded about what his message know. I don’t think the President olence, but, instead, the strategy pro- was to do that. The thing is, to get to knew. He has never indicated that he is duces violence. It enflames. It accen- the steps of the church, he would have actually familiar with the contents of tuates. It outrages. It creates conflict. to come near these protesters he hates that book he was holding up, which I have here an article, and it is from because he hates protesters. He doesn’t makes it a particularly bizarre photo FOX 32 News in Chicago: ‘‘Lightfoot like Americans calling for change or op. confirms federal agents will help man- criticizing his policies. But this was his first trial run of this age Chicago violence.’’ Chicago has a I am thinking back about this ‘‘wall strategy of using weapons against Democratic mayor. Let’s go create of moms’’ that I showed you earlier— peaceful protesters, of using unmarked trouble there. these moms coming down, forming a uniforms on the steps of the Lincoln line, and saying: Don’t tear gas us. Mayor Lori Lightfoot had a different tone Memorial. He loved it so much. He Tuesday regarding President Donald Don’t do shock grenades. Don’t shoot loved that sense that he was so strong Trump’s decision to send agents to Chicago. us with rubber bullets. Don’t pepper because he could clear the path with ‘‘I’m hopeful that they will not be foolish spray us. his Presidential team so he could get enough to bring that kind of nonsense to And yet his forces did all those to those steps. He was such an awesome Chicago,’’ the mayor said. things. man, such an incredible President Well, what did she mean by ‘‘non- Where did he try this out first? He showing strength by attacking peaceful sense’’? It is the polite word for attack- tried it in that area behind L’Enfant protesters so he could have his photo ing peaceful protesters with batons and Plaza where the church steps were. His on. It filled him with such energy, he flashbangs and tear gas. forces went out and attacked those thought: Let’s try this out elsewhere in I am certainly not saying that Port- protesters. Nobody saw violence of any the country—so he comes to Portland. land didn’t have some tensions. The ex- kind. This had nothing to do with He comes to Portland, and he pro- tremist groups on the right have made quelling a riot. This had to do with one ceeds to say: Let’s use that secret po- a favorite trip out of coming to Port- simple thing: The President hates pro- lice strategy again, unmarked. Let’s land to cause trouble and the anti-fas- tests and wanted to show what a strong use those batons and pepper spray cists have responded in kind, and that man he is, like those dictators he ad- again against a peaceful protester. is what the local team has to manage mires all across the planet—like the Let’s use those impact munitions again and deescalate. They have succeeded in Crown Prince in Saudi Arabia, like against someone holding up a sign, deescalating it to where it was a small Duterte with his extrajudicial execu- shooting them from across the street, group late at night. And then Trump tions in the Philippines, like Putin, giving them a fractured skull and put- came in and blew it all into a big crisis whom he just can’t say enough good ting them in critical condition and into once again. things about who suppresses the civil the hospital. Let’s take it and even am- When I said that this is coordinated rights of the Russian people. He wanted plify it a little bit and put them into with his campaign, campaign ads went to show how strong he was so he sent unmarked vans and sweep them away. up. His strategy of creating chaos in his team out to tear gas, use impact This is what we have with the Trump America, then campaigning on it munitions, rubber bullets on the pro- secret police strategy. couldn’t be more transparent. testers so he could stand at the church As he did these things, he went out As President Trump deploys Federal with a Bible. on the campaign stump and said: Look agents to Portland, Ore., and threatens to

VerDate Sep 11 2014 07:23 Jul 23, 2020 Jkt 099060 PO 00000 Frm 00049 Fmt 4624 Sfmt 0634 E:\CR\FM\G22JY6.108 S22JYPT1 SSpencer on DSK126QN23PROD with SENATE S4412 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD — SENATE July 22, 2020 dispatch to other cities, his re-election cam- So we put into the bill a requirement If you proceed to offend people across paign is spending millions of dollars on omi- for the President to produce a national the country by failing in leadership on nous television ads that promote fear. . . . test strategy and produce a report with protective equipment and failing in The influx of agents in Portland has led to leadership on testing and failing in scenes of confrontations and chaos that Mr. his test strategy. What did it read? It Trump and his aides have pointed to as they read our test strategy—our national leadership on contact tracing, you need try to burnish a false narrative about Demo- strategy—was to leave it to the States. another plan, and we have the plan. cratic elected officials allowing dangerous What kind of leadership is that to have The President has made it clear he protesters to create widespread bedlam. no strategy on producing the reagents will test out his secret police and at- The Trump campaign is driving home that or the tests and getting them around tacks on peaceful protesters in DC, message with a new ad that tries to tie its the country? magnify that experiment in Portland, dark portrayal of Democratic-led cities. One thing we have done here is we and see if it creates more chaos. If it There it is—campaign ads to fit his have funded a lot of money to help does, he will deploy that effort across dark portrayal of Democratic-led cit- communities buy tests because they the Nation. That is President Trump’s ies. are expensive. We said they should be plan, and it is as wrong as anything The idea that not only would the free to the victims—to the people who could be. Secret policing has no place President bring those secret police tac- are getting tested, that is. Every in the United States of America. tics to America—to our streets—he health expert has said you have to I introduced a simple amendment to would deploy them in his effort to cre- crank up this testing so that there is the Defense Authorization Act, which ate conflict so he can win reelection, so no wait time. It doesn’t help to get the deals with security powers and things he can have something that scares the results 7 or 10 days later. like Customs and Border Protection American people. Don’t we have I have been holding townhalls. I hold and deals with things like U.S. Mar- enough to be worried about already? one in every county every year in Or- shals, and I said we are on that right Don’t we have a pandemic to manage? egon, 36 counties. This year, I only got now on the floor of the Senate. Let’s A number of us worked to say: Mr. have this debate about secret policing, President, you need to have a national 21 in before the coronavirus made it impossible to hold them in person, but and let’s just ask a few simple things. strategy on producing protective equip- First, when the President sends ment to help stop the spread of this I have been holding them digitally, electronically. I keep hearing the re- agents anywhere in the country, they contagion. Mr. President, that should have to carry identification about who probably include taking available fac- port from the county health agents that now testing has increased to its they work for. It is not that big of a re- tories and putting them to work mak- quest, and it is not expensive. Instead ing protective equipment and distrib- taking 7 days to get a response, 9 days to get a response, 11 days to get a re- of putting a generic ‘‘police’’ or no uting it quickly. The President said, marking at all, you put ‘‘CBP,’’ or you sponse. Why is that? It is because we no, he’s not doing it. He is not acti- put ‘‘U.S. Marshals,’’ or you put ‘‘Fed- didn’t have any national strategy for vating the Defense Production Act to eral Protective Service’’ or one of a producing tests. As the disease flares have a national strategy to stop the dozen other Federal police units that up and grows in magnitude in the spread of this disease. play different roles. That way, the Southern States, more and more re- I have two healthcare workers in my American people will know who they sources are getting diverted to those family. My son works in a doctor’s of- are. Then you put unique identifiers on Southern States. So there are not the fice recording the computer code on them so that, if they do something ter- testing supplies because there is no na- the symptoms and so forth. He is a rible, like walk up and shoot a pro- tional strategy. medical scribe. My wife goes house to tester in the head, you would know Then the experts said: Well, you house visiting folks who are in hospice. who had done it. You could find out. They are in the final chapter of their should have a contact tracing strategy, Now, some of my friends have said: life, and she coaches them and their so, when people test positive, you can Well, we are not sure we want to re- family on care and support during this immediately find out who they have quire names to be on the uniforms be- final chapter of our journey here on been in touch with so those people get cause there have been some cases in this planet. A number of the people she immediately quarantined before they which people have been so outraged sees are very high risk because they can pass it on to other people. that they have harassed the families of are fragile and sick in that final chap- Yet that doesn’t work if you can’t the police officers or of these Federal ter, so they would be very affected if get test results quickly, and it doesn’t agents. We don’t want that. OK. A this disease were introduced. Some of work if you don’t have contact tracers. number would work that could be used them have the disease. A number of us have worked to provide to identify someone after an egregious She has to be very careful that she funding for contact tracers. ELIZABETH act but would protect the families of doesn’t pick it up and bring it home to WARREN and I have introduced a bill our Federal agents who are doing a my elderly mother who lives in our that calls for 100,000 contact tracers good job. That is pretty simple. Have house. My elderly mother is in her across this country. There is $75 billion an ID as to what agency you belong to nineties. She probably wouldn’t want in the House’s bill for testing and trac- and a unique identifier. You are no me to call her elderly in her nineties, ing across the country. longer secret. but she is fragile, and she would be af- How did President Trump respond Then you can’t be deployed on some fected. My son doesn’t want to bring it this last week? President Trump said: I expanded mission of sweeping the home or spread it. Both of them had don’t want any money for testing in streets. Your legitimate mission should trouble getting the protective equip- this bill—no money for testing. He be to protect a Federal monument or a ment they needed early in this pan- wants this stripped out; yet it is an es- Federal building, and you have to be at demic because we didn’t have a na- sential element for controlling the that Federal building or in the near vi- tional strategy. Trump failed the lead- coronavirus. cinity of it or of the monument. That ership test. I don’t think he will win on that one. is pretty simple. If you want a broader How about another critical piece of I think the Members of this Chamber, mission, you have to coordinate with this, which is testing? on both sides of the aisle, care enough the mayor and the Governor and get We needed to crank up all of the bio- about their constituents that they their permission. logical manufacturing capacity of want to help with testing and contact It is pretty straightforward. Have a America to produce the reagents so tracing, but the President wants the patch with the agency, a unique identi- that people could be tested and get the testing stripped out. fier, and pursue your mission in the results within hours or a day so that, if Why does he want it stripped out? It near vicinity of the Federal property. they were infected, even if they were is because, if you test more people, What else? asymptomatic—they didn’t have the then you get more positives, and if you The President would have to tell the disease symptoms, but they had the get more positives, it doesn’t look people of America how many people he disease, and they could spread it—that good. So he is choosing to have things is sending, from what agencies, and to they would be quarantined, but the look good rather than to contain the what city for a little bit of trans- President said no. coronavirus. parency. That is it.

VerDate Sep 11 2014 07:23 Jul 23, 2020 Jkt 099060 PO 00000 Frm 00050 Fmt 4624 Sfmt 0634 E:\CR\FM\G22JY6.110 S22JYPT1 SSpencer on DSK126QN23PROD with SENATE July 22, 2020 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD — SENATE S4413 This amendment that I am proposing it has been the most debated bill that The PRESIDING OFFICER. Is there to stop secret policing is simple; yet I have been part of since I got here. Not objection? my colleagues are blocking it from only that, the amendments that are Mr. CRAMER. Mr. President, I don’t being considered in this bill. represented in this 807 are almost, object. I yield the floor. nearly, equally divided among the two The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without The PRESIDING OFFICER (Mr. parties represented in this great Cham- objection, it is so ordered. GARDNER). The Senator from Oregon. ber. Mr. MERKLEY. Mr. President, my Mr. MERKLEY. Mr. President, in a What we have been witnessing to- colleague has said that the facts I have moment, I will again ask for this im- night is a diatribe—in some cases, fan- presented tonight are a fabrication, to portant issue of deployment of secret tasy but, in every case, an exaggera- use his exact word. He has called it a police to be debated and voted on, on tion and, in many cases, a fabrication. breach of protocol. He has called it a this floor. That is what the U.S. Senate The good Senator from Oregon has violation of common decency. I think we are here as a Chamber to is for, to address the issues facing shown us pictures of what democracy address difficult, important issues in Americans, but I didn’t want to ask looks like. I don’t disagree. We are self- until my colleague was here to respond America. This is a difficult and impor- governed. The exceptionalism of Amer- tant mission. from the Republican Caucus. When he ica is that we are self-governed. This is a new use of force in a manner is ready, I will make that motion. Democracy also demands protocol in that doesn’t belong in the streets of I make this motion to send a couple this Chamber, the most deliberative America. It is important that we de- of different messages. One, most impor- body in this world. Yet, without any bate it. tantly, is that secret policing has no warning—without any heads-up—here I would be happy to have it be a place in America, and all Americans we are, dealing with a unanimous con- standalone bill, come up right after must stand arm in arm and say no. The sent motion on an amendment that has this National Defense Authorization second is, when there is an important already failed to get unanimous con- Act, and have it debated for 2 hours issue like this, this is the Chamber in sent just in the last 24 hours on a bill and voted on, because then we actually which it should be debated and voted that has already been debated for have a conversation and we have to on so we can hear the conflicting weeks and months. It included bipar- take a position, and our constituents views. tisan amendments across the board. can see where we stand, and folks could There may be clauses in the amend- Then we are confronted with this propose an amendment to it if they ment that I will propose that people breach of not only protocol but of— didn’t like the way I have written it. It won’t like, insight that they can pro- well, let’s just say—common decency is so simple. It says: Do what we have vide, or modifications that they would and respect for each other. always done. Put ID about where you like to propose to my amendment, but I do agree with the Senator from Or- come from. Have a unique identifier. it can’t happen unless this amendment egon on this point: He is right in that And don’t go sweeping through the is considered on the floor. we should have the debate, and that is streets if your mission is to protect a That is why, notwithstanding rule why it is too bad that his amendment Federal property. Stay at that Federal XXII, I ask unanimous consent to call wasn’t allowed to be debated in Sen- property or work with the Governor or up my amendment to stop secret polic- ator TIM SCOTT’s JUSTICE Act. the mayor if you have a broader effort. ing in America, amendment No. 2457, And the reason it couldn’t be debated Those are reasonable things. an amendment to limit Federal law en- there was because he and most every I don’t think that it was a breach of forcement officers for crowd control; one of his colleagues on the Democrat protocol to ask this Chamber to con- that there be 2 hours for debate, equal- side other than three filibustered sider that on this bill because there is ly divided between opponents and pro- against TIM SCOTT’s police reform bill. a connection. We are talking about a ponents; and that upon the use or I don’t think they want a solution. bill that involves the use of force and yielding back of time, the Senate vote They want to have this crazy rhetoric, how we govern in America. in relation to the amendment with no demagogue all day and all night, wher- I don’t think it is a violation of com- intervening action or debate. ever they can have a demagogue, and mon decency. My colleague does, and I The PRESIDING OFFICER. Is there they want to blame President Donald would prefer that we actually have objection? Trump for the actions of criminals. that conversation about the facts and The Senator from North Dakota. Now, I have heard it all when I have about the arguments, about the simple Mr. CRAMER. Mr. President, in re- heard, from the Senate floor, antifa re- solution I proposed when we can actu- serving the right to object, I, like the ferred to as the anti—what did he call ally take a vote or other people can entire staff in the Chamber today and them? The antifascists. The offer amendments to it and modify it. like the Presiding Officer for most of antifascists. That is the way to sugar- That is this Chamber doing what it this time, has endured this for the last coat thugs. should be doing. hour, an hour that has been very simi- So for these reasons—and I could So I am disappointed that my col- lar to the hour we had yesterday on the think of dozens of others, but I will league is blocking this from being con- very same topic and with the very spare you all and the staff this late sidered before this body. I do love this body, and I first came same motion to have the very same night, getting later—I object. amendment passed in the Defense Au- here when amendments were freely— The PRESIDING OFFICER. Objec- The PRESIDING OFFICER. The gen- thorization Act. tion is heard. tleman’s time has expired. I am a member of the Committee on The Senator from Oregon’s Mr. MERKLEY. Thank you, Mr. Armed Services. Prior to the Presiding postcloture time has expired. President. Officer, I was presiding. I was honored Mr. MERKLEY. Mr. President, I ask The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Sen- to sit in that chair and watch the unanimous consent to speak for 5 min- ator from North Dakota. chairman of the Committee on Armed utes. Mr. CRAMER. Mr. President, I am Services and the ranking Democrat of The PRESIDING OFFICER. Is there just going to reiterate my final point the Committee on Armed Services talk objection? one final time, and I promise not to in glowing terms about each other and Mr. MERKLEY. And I would invite take more time than the Senator from the bipartisan effort that has led to a my colleague to stay if he would like Oregon. National Defense Authorization Act to and yield to him if he wants to jump He had his opportunity to have this that has considered 807 amendments to into the conversation. amendment considered, debated, and this point. As we sit here, 40 more Mr. CRAMER. I think we have had voted on in the JUSTICE Act, intro- amendments—20 by Republicans and 20 enough debate. I object. duced by Senator TIM SCOTT, a bill that by Democrats—are being hotlined for The PRESIDING OFFICER. Objec- dealt specifically with police reform. further consideration for, hopefully, to- tion is heard. It would have been the perfect place morrow’s final passage. Mr. MERKLEY. Mr. President, I ask to have the debate, except that my col- The National Defense Authorization unanimous consent to speak for 2 min- league voted against cloture so we Act has been greatly debated. In fact, utes. couldn’t even proceed to the bill.

VerDate Sep 11 2014 07:23 Jul 23, 2020 Jkt 099060 PO 00000 Frm 00051 Fmt 4624 Sfmt 0634 E:\CR\FM\G22JY6.112 S22JYPT1 SSpencer on DSK126QN23PROD with SENATE S4414 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD — SENATE July 22, 2020 I don’t know how we could have made place the ones that permanently close. More- tunity to break with the past and create a it any easier or better. In fact, when we over, the failure rate is likely to be higher, better future. Congress should grab it. took up the JUSTICE Act, he and his as many firms were on the wrong side of f side were provided at least 20 amend- trends—such as the move to online shopping, convenient food delivery or watching VOTE EXPLANATION ment opportunities. We could have had streaming content at home—that the pan- Mr. VAN HOLLEN. Mr. President, I the debate he seeks tonight at the ap- demic lockdown has accelerated. voted in support of S. Amdt. 1788, propriate time on the appropriate bill, Another consideration: The protests which would reduce defense spending and I am sorry that we didn’t do that. stirred by the killing of George Floyd in by 10 percent and invest that money Perhaps after tonight’s episode, he Minneapolis police custody have made clear into healthcare, education, and poverty and his colleagues will reconsider, and how many Americans were left behind in the reduction in communities with a pov- perhaps before we are done this year, pre-coronavirus economy; restoring the way things were before the virus hit won’t ad- erty rate of 25 percent or more. To gov- Senator SCOTT’s JUSTICE Act could be dress these needs. ern is to choose, and as we face unprec- brought to the floor and we could have Here are three ways Congress can help edented challenges at home, this de- an adult discussion and debate on launch a new, more equitable era of entre- fense budget is out of step with the val- amendments and on the bill and on all preneurship. ues, priorities, and needs of the Amer- kinds of great ideas right here in the First: Make it easier for the earliest-stage start-ups to receive PPP dollars and for all ican people. most august body in the United States. The unchecked growth in the defense I hope that can happen. start-ups to access the Main Street Relief Fund. PPP loans go to existing businesses to budget is unsustainable, and the With that, I yield the floor and wish maintain jobs but not to new businesses that Trump administration has exacerbated you a good night. want to create them. Main Street loans go these challenges. We have a duty to en- f only to companies that are already profit- sure the readiness of our forces, and I able; most start-ups are not. That approach MORNING BUSINESS have supported efforts to rebuild our is backward: Studies show that nearly all Armed Forces after years of costly net new job creation comes from start-ups, Mr. CRAMER. Mr. President, I ask overseas engagements. But massive unanimous consent that the Senate be not established businesses. A PPP revision should allow start-ups to spending increases without clear stra- in a period of morning business, with obtain loans based on their plans to create tegic direction do not make us safer. Senators permitted to speak for up to jobs—with loan forgiveness granted only if We need to be thoughtful about our 10 minutes each. those jobs materialize. If they don’t, the spending choices, recognizing that Mr. GARDNER. Without objection, it start-ups should be required to repay the every dollar spent on defense is a dollar is so ordered. loans before any other obligations. And the not spent on healthcare, education, barrier in the Main Street lending program f workforce training, and other critical that makes businesses ineligible for aid if areas of need. CORONAVIRUS they were not profitable in 2019 should be re- moved. The National Defense Authorization Mr. LEAHY. Mr. President, the Con- Second, the government needs to be a Act as it is currently written would gress, our States, and the administra- counterweight to private capital that exac- spend $740.5 billion on defense. This tion talk about ways to handle the im- erbates geographic disparities in opportunity represents 53 percent of total Federal mediate consequences of COVIV–19. We as the country responds to the crisis. The discretionary spending and exceeds the must also talk about the aftermath, pandemic is a devastating tragedy, but ad- defense budgets of the next 11 nations and Steve Case has written a provoca- versity tends to be met by the creation of combined, including our allies in Aus- new industries and new businesses. This cri- tralia, South Korea, Germany, Japan, tive op-ed about the future. sis will stir innovations in medicine, goods Those of us in Congress should read and services delivered at home, remote work France, and the United Kingdom. It is and discuss it It has to be considered in and learning, and more. Where will these more than twice the combined defense future planning. new firms grow? If the decision is left to the expenditures of China and Russia. I ask unanimous consent that the private sector alone, almost all of them will Topline defense spending has risen by text of this article be printed in the be in three states: New York, California and more than $100 billion since President RECORD. Massachusetts, which attract 75 percent of Trump took office; after the $74 billion There being no objection, the mate- all venture capital. cut proposed in this amendment, de- Great ideas to respond to this crisis are rial was ordered to be printed in the fense spending would still be above the spread widely across the country—but cap- fiscal year 2017 level. RECORD, as follows: ital is not. Business assistance programs cre- Some of my colleagues have ex- [From the Washington Post, July 19, 2020] ated by Congress should have a special focus on getting startups off the ground in places pressed unease about the across-the- THERE’S NO GOING BACK TO THE PRE-PAN- board nature of these cuts, and I agree DEMIC ECONOMY—CONGRESS SHOULD RE- that have lacked venture capital backing in SPOND ACCORDINGLY the past. Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.) and that a targeted approach is preferable. others have already proposed such legisla- But I have seen the consequences of de- (By Steve Case) tion; members of Congress from these ne- laying difficult decisions and believe This week, Congress will likely take up the glected areas should insist it is part of any we can no longer wait to have difficult next steps in the economic response to the Phase 4 bill. covid–19 pandemic. If the package is like pre- conversations about our defense budg- Finally, lawmakers should step in to ad- et. In addition, the National Defense vious efforts, it will focus on trying to turn dress unintended inequalities of opportunity back the clock to February 2020: treating the for female and minority entrepreneurs Authorization Act is not an appropria- economy as if it were Sleeping Beauty, mere- caused by the earlier relief bills. Because tions bill, and this amendment simply ly needing to be awakened to be fully re- these programs fund only existing busi- reduces the total amount of money au- stored. This strategy is a mistake: Congress nesses, they reinforce opportunity gaps. thorized to be spent on defense in the needs to stop solely backing efforts to re- Communities with thriving businesses get upcoming fiscal year. The Appropria- store the old economic reality and focus on more PPP and Main Street aid; those that tions Committee, on which I serve, will how to develop a new one. have lacked capital to get businesses off the still have the task of making thought- Most of the $1 trillion that Congress has ground in the past see little help now. ful, targeted reductions in areas of put into business support so far during the The solution would be for Congress to di- pandemic has been directed to preserving ex- rect unused PPP funds to start-ups led by fe- lower priority, while preserving fund- isting firms through the Paycheck Protec- male entrepreneurs and entrepreneurs of ing for high-priority items. I encourage tion Program and the Main Street Relief color, creating opportunities where they my colleagues to confront these chal- Fund. Helping those businesses and their have not existed before. The Main Street lenges for the good of our country and workers is vital, but that alone won’t fuel Lending program could be modified to ex- make adjustments as needed during the economic recovery the country needs. tend special debt options to community de- conference negotiations with the House The problem is that many of the businesses velopment groups and minority-focused ac- while remaining under the cap set by backed by PPP or Main Street are going to celerators to back a new wave of startups this amendment. wind up shutting down. Even when they founded by historically underrepresented en- aren’t facing a global pandemic or economic trepreneurs. I am glad that this amendment pro- crisis, about 100,000 small and medium-size There’s no going back to the pre-pandemic tects salaries and healthcare from cuts, businesses fail in the United States every U.S. economy. Too much has changed; too and would have preferred that it go fur- year. New businesses will be needed to re- many new needs exist. This is a rare oppor- ther in making targeted cuts in order

VerDate Sep 11 2014 07:23 Jul 23, 2020 Jkt 099060 PO 00000 Frm 00052 Fmt 4624 Sfmt 0634 E:\CR\FM\G22JY6.113 S22JYPT1 SSpencer on DSK126QN23PROD with SENATE July 22, 2020 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD — SENATE S4415 to reduce the impact elsewhere in the votion to mankind’s right to life, lib- ter for it. He was, too, as all who knew defense budget. In particular, we erty, and the pursuit of happiness. Sec- him will testify, a devoted father and should have taken this opportunity to retary of State Colin Powell awarded husband, and his family’s loss is the scale back our country’s trillion-dollar Lorne the Distinguished Service Medal, most profound. He was a hard man to nuclear modernization efforts. Modern- the State Department’s highest decora- lose at such a young age, for his family izing our nuclear weapons in a manner tion. and friends, and for the country and that makes them easier to use in more Lorne and John shared, too, a dedica- the world. scenarios while abrogating our treaty tion to the peaceful conduct of inter- Lorne Craner, son of Robert and Au- responsibilities and doing nothing to national relations. Both knew that our drey Craner, husband of Anne Craner, bring Russia back to the nuclear nego- interests and values sometimes had to father to three beloved children, Isa- tiating table is a recipe for disaster. be defended by force of arms, but they belle, Alexander, and Charles, brother However, my concerns with the par- were both so personally familiar with of Charys, an American patriot, a man ticulars of this amendment do not the costs of war that they worked hard of justice, a peacemaker, and a friend change the plain fact that our national to resolve international conflicts to many, is gone. But his memory is a defense budget has grown out of con- peacefully where possible and to make blessing to all who had the good for- trol. In the midst of the worst eco- new friends of former enemies. tune to have known him. nomic downturn since the Great De- Lorne went to work for John in his To his wife and children, the people pression, a pandemic that has taken last term as a Member of the House who loved him most, as much as you the lives of more than 143,000 of our fel- and his first term in the Senate, but hurt today, time will assuage your low Americans and shows no signs of their relationship began earlier than grief, and you will still feel his pres- slowing down, and the impending crises that. Lorne’s father, Air Force Colonel ence in your hearts. I lost my parents of homelessness and joblessness that Bob Craner, resided for more than 2 when I was a young man. I can say we face if the Congress fails to provide years in the cell next to John’s in a with confidence that the day will come relief, we simply cannot afford to con- Hanoi prison the POWs called, ‘‘the when you will recall, without heart- tinue this level of overinvestment in Plantation.’’ John described Colonel ache, the good and honorable man who defense at the expense of other critical Craner to me as one of the finest offi- loved you so and with whom you will national priorities. For that reason, I cers he had ever served with and ‘‘prob- one day be reunited. God bless you. supported this amendment. ably the person I was closest too in my Thank you. f life that I wasn’t related to.’’ John was f held in solitary confinement at the REMEMBERING LORNE CRANER time, the hardest period of his impris- 65TH ANNIVERSARY OF MINOT AIR Mr. GRAHAM. Mr. President, I would onment, and he credited Bob Craner, FORCE BASE like to pay tribute to someone many of whom he constantly communicated Mr. CRAMER. Mr. President, I want my colleagues knew and admired, with by tap code, ‘‘with keeping me to congratulate the Minot Air Force Lorne Craner, who passed away on July sane.’’ Base on the 65th anniversary of its be- 2 at the too young age of 61, a victim of Despite the mistreatment of the ginning. cancer. POWS, John resolved early in his Sen- On July 12, 1955, Minot, ND, commu- Lorne dedicated his professional life ate career to help America reconcile nity leaders and area residents gath- to advancing freedom and justice in the with Vietnam, recognizing that the ered to break ground on land north of world. He served that cause faithfully U.S. and Vietnam had shared interests the city for what would become the as the longest tenured president of the in Southeast Asia, and that the cause Minot Air Force Base. One and a half International Republican Institute, of human dignity in the country where years later, operations commenced at IRI, as the Assistant Secretary of he had resided involuntarily for over 5 the base, and personnel and aircraft State for Democracy, Human Rights, years could be served through friendly made their way to Minot, where they and Labor in the George W. Bush ad- rather than hostile relations. The nor- have enhanced our State and defended ministration, as Director of Asian Af- malization of relations between the our Nation ever since. By the mid- fairs on President George H.W. Bush’s U.S. and Vietnam wouldn’t have hap- 1960s, it was recognized as one of the National Security Council, and as an pened when it did if not for John’s ef- Nation’s largest military installations, advisor to Members of Congress, in- forts to help bring it about. I think it with a population of nearly 19,000 mili- cluding his service as foreign affairs is one of his greatest achievements. tary and civilian men and women and aide to a newly elected Senator from And Lorne Craner, the son who was de- their families. It was also recognized as Arizona, our late colleague, John prived of his father for 5 years by the having the largest housing village on a McCain. He continued to advance Vietnam war, provided invaluable help military base in the continental United American values abroad as president of in that effort. States, with more than 2,450 homes. the American Councils for Inter- Lorne travelled to Vietnam with The mission, aircraft, and staff have national Education, as a board member John in 1990, where he helped John changed over these past seven decades. of several distinguished organizations, build productive partnerships with Vi- Today, the Minot Air Force Base sup- including the Millennium Challenge etnamese officials who would help re- ports two legs of the Nation’s nuclear Corporation. solve issues that were in the way of triad and provides vital defense to our I got to know Lorne when Senator better relations. And from his positions security. It is the only dual-wing nu- McCain, who was IRI’s chairman, asked in government and at the IRI, he con- clear-capable installation in the Na- me to serve on its board. I saw the In- tinued to advance American interests tion, with the 5th Bomb Wing and its stitute thrive in size and reach under and ideals in Southeast Asia. Today, B–52 bombers and the 91st Missile Lorne’s leadership, becoming one of the growing security and commercial ties Wing, along with Minuteman III inter- world’s most effective agencies for between the two former enemies, sym- continental ballistic missiles. democratic development, respected by bolized by the port calls in Vietnam by During these 65 years, the Minot human rights advocates around the U.S. Navy ships, including the USS community and State of North Dakota world and in both U.S. political par- John S. McCain, are a testament to have remained constant in their sup- ties. both John and Lorne’s vision and effec- port for the thousands of people who Like John, Lorne was a tireless de- tiveness. They imagined a better future have been stationed at the Minot Air fender of the dignity of all human out of the resentments and rubble of Force Base. We take pride in all they beings, the bedrock value that democ- war, and, with others, made it a re- have done and continue to do to ensure racies are instituted to respect. Like ality. They were both men who be- peace throughout our world. We will John, Lorne fought the bad guys to de- lieved to do good in the world was why continue to stand by them in the years fend the little guys. Toward that end, we were put on this earth. ahead. he usually exercised a little more skill Lorne was deeply committed to his To the men and women of the Minot at diplomacy than John sometimes cause, a cause he never strayed from, Air Force Base, you and all who came possessed, but they shared an equal de- for a day in his life, and we are all bet- before you have faithfully served our

VerDate Sep 11 2014 07:23 Jul 23, 2020 Jkt 099060 PO 00000 Frm 00053 Fmt 4624 Sfmt 0634 E:\CR\FM\A22JY6.008 S22JYPT1 SSpencer on DSK126QN23PROD with SENATE S4416 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD — SENATE July 22, 2020 country and lived up to your motto, life of dedicated serviceman, husband, TRIBUTE TO KATHY HAMILTON- ‘‘Only The Best Come North.’’ Every father, and lifelong West Virginian.∑ BROWN day, you go to work carrying the ∑ f Mr. RUBIO. Mr. President, today I weight of the world on your shoulders, recognize Kathy Hamilton-Brown, the willing to pay the ultimate sacrifice to TRIBUTE TO JEANNINE ABADIE Brevard County Teacher of the Year at protect our freedoms and keep us safe. Endeavor Elementary School in Cocoa, ∑Mr. RUBIO. Mr. President, today I Thank you for all you do to make FL. America great. recognize Jeannine Abadie, the Walton Kathy credits her success to her fel- County Teacher of the Year at Emerald f low teachers in Brevard County. She Coast Middle School in Santa Rosa ADDITIONAL STATEMENTS notes that her school is like her fam- Beach, FL. ily: a home away from home. To Jeannine is always working to help Kathy, teaching is more than just a her students better understand mathe- REMEMBERING TECHNICAL job. She believes her students are our matics and to improve her classroom SERGEANT RALPH H. RAY Nation’s future leaders, and she is com- to better suite their needs. She re- mitted to making a difference in each ∑ Mrs. CAPITO. Mr. President, I rise to cently created a video app that pro- recognize Technical Sergeant Ralph H. of their lives. vides tutorials for students. She spe- Kathy’s life experiences influenced Ray, who was a dedicated West Vir- cializes in curriculum design and as- her to become a teacher and care for ginia serviceman in our U.S. Army Air sessment analysis for her math classes. her students. She feels indebted to the Corps during World War II. T SGT Jeannine also mentors her colleagues support system of family and friends Ralph H. Ray is being honored by the in lesson planning and student achieve- who guided her at a young age. She renaming of a bridge on U.S. Route 60 ment. She provides support and profes- hopes to inspire her students to do that spans the Greenbrier River in his sional development for her colleagues something great with their lives after native Greenbrier County, WV. to ensure their students are well they leave her classroom. T SGT Ralph H. Ray graduated from equipped for high school and their fu- Colleagues note that Kathy is a Frankford High School at the age of 17 ture educational careers. fierce advocate for students, working in 1940. He left his home in West Vir- Jeannine is a math instructor at Em- to ensure they succeed both socially ginia to complete his enlisted physical erald Coast Middle School and has and academically. Due in large part to for the U.S. Army Corps on January 7, taught there for 7 years. Previously, her innovative efforts, Kathy’s school 1943, and subsequently earned the rank Jeannine taught algebra at Northwest saw a 61-percent reduction in discipli- of technical sergeant. He earned his Florida State College. She received her nary referrals, as well as an increase in airplane mechanic diploma at the Ford master’s degree from the University of overall student attendance. Factory in Michigan the spring of 1943 West Florida in mathematics and sta- Kathy is a prekindergarten through and then completed gunnery school in tistics and will soon graduate with her sixth grade teacher at Endeavor Ele- Laredo, TX. second master’s degree in instructional mentary School. She has been with During his service, T SGT Ralph H. design and technology. Brevard Public Schools for 21 years. Ray was assigned to a top-notch flight I convey my best wishes to Jeannine Outside of the classroom, she serves on crew with whom he trained for 3 for her outstanding work as an educa- the community partnership school op- months. He and his crew traveled to tor. I look forward to hearing of her erations team and works with Endeav- Trinidad, Brazil, Africa, Morocco, and continued success in the years ahead.∑ or’s business partners throughout the Wales before reaching the Tibenham community. f Base in East England. While serving as I would like to extend my sincere a flight engineer during World War II, TRIBUTE TO FAITH BENCH thanks and gratitude to Kathy for her he and his crew flew 30 successful mis- commitment to the education of her ∑ sions before returning to the United Mr. RUBIO. Mr. President, today I students. I look forward to hearing of States and spending the last 10 months honor Faith Bench, the Manatee Coun- her continued good work in the coming of his enlistment at the Air Transport ty Teacher of the Year at Braden River years.∑ Corps in Miami, FL. This dedicated and Middle School in Bradenton, FL. diverse military service is certainly Faith has a special bond with her f worthy of admiration. students who struggle with math. That TRIBUTE TO WILLIAM FURIOSI After his release from the U.S. Army is because she struggled with the sub- ∑ Mr. RUBIO. Mr. President, today I Air Corps, T SGT Ralph H. Ray worked ject when she was in school. She under- am pleased to honor William Furiosi, as an airplane mechanic for Bollinger stands those who hate the subject at the Seminole County Teacher of the Airport in Davis Creek, WV, and while the beginning of the year and finds it Year at Oviedo High School in Oviedo, there, he earned his civilian pilot’s li- deeply fulfilling to help grow each stu- FL. cense. T SGT Ralph H. Ray began dent’s problem-solving skills by the William has taught AP biology, working as a chemical technician for time they leave her class with greater chemistry, and experimental research Westvaco in South Charleston, WV, in confidence and appreciation for the at Oviedo High School for the past 17 1948. He married his wife Mary Mad- subject. years. William aims to create a posi- eline Hudson on April 16, 1948, and es- Faith’s colleagues note that she tive environment for students to think tablished a beautiful and loving family works hard to make learning fun and critically while studying science. He with four daughters: Valerie Ann engaging for her students each year. enjoys breaking down complex sci- Lyons, Angela Sue Ray, Verna Ray- She is committed to tailoring her les- entific theories to help them better un- Breaux, and Anita Ray-Kirk. son plans to suit the individual needs derstand the component ideas behind T SGT Ralph H. Ray retired in 1984 of every student. In turn, Faith is in- what they are learning. and passed away on August 8, 2019. It is spired by her colleagues and believes At the Seminole County Science Fair fitting that an enduring monument that their work together is the key to this year, 12 of his student’s science will be established to commemorate an educator’s best work. projects placed, with six first places, Technical Sergeant Ray and his con- Faith teaches mathematics to sev- four second places, and two third tributions to our State and our coun- enth grade students at Braden River places. His students say they benefit try. As resolved by legislature of West Middle School. Teaching is her passion, from his teaching style, finding it re- Virginia, the locally known Caldwell and she wants to help her students ac- latable and exciting during their class- Bridge, will henceforth be named the complish their dreams. es. ‘‘U.S. Army Air Corps T SGT Ralph H. I thank Faith for the good work she I thank William for the good work he Ray Memorial Bridge.’’ I hope it pro- has done for her students over the has done for his students over the vokes thought and appreciation for all years. I look forward to learning of her years. I wish him all the best and look of our military heroes and may the continued good work in the coming forward to learning of his continued bridge be an enduring reminder of the years.∑ success in the coming years.∑

VerDate Sep 11 2014 07:23 Jul 23, 2020 Jkt 099060 PO 00000 Frm 00054 Fmt 4624 Sfmt 0634 E:\CR\FM\G22JY6.058 S22JYPT1 SSpencer on DSK126QN23PROD with SENATE July 22, 2020 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD — SENATE S4417 TRIBUTE TO JAE GLASS County Teacher of the Year at Florida Teacher of the Year at Vanguard High ∑ Mr. RUBIO. Mr. President, today I Panhandle Technical College in School in Ocala, FL. recognize Jae Glass, the Gulf County Chipley, FL. Euan believes that learning is a life- Teacher of the Year at Port St. Joe Joli has been a teacher for more than long endeavor not only for his stu- High School in Port St. Joe, FL. 26 years. She is the adult education di- dents, but also for himself. He enjoys Jae teaches seventh grade English rector and instructor for the Florida working with other teachers in the language arts and a ninth grade inten- Panhandle Technical College and offers school district and works to utilize the sive reading class at her alma mater, instruction for several programs at the teaching experience to make the learn- Port St. Joe High School, where she school. Joli teaches all levels of stu- ing of chemistry as real, enjoyable, and has taught for 8 years. dents, including those seeking high successful as he can for his students. Jae dedicates her time to being a school equivalency, professional test- Euan believes he is fortunate to have positive role model for her students by ing preparation, personal enrichment, taught chemistry to students of dif- engaging with them each day in her or other specialized certification. ferent age groups under a variety of classroom. Throughout the school Enrollment at Florida Panhandle curricula in England, Scotland, New year, her students participate in more Technical College remains open York City, and now in Ocala. He looks than traditional learning lectures. An throughout the year so the environ- forward to bringing chemistry to life so example of an alternative activity in- ment and format of Joli’s class is ever- students can enjoy the learning proc- cludes her ‘‘book tasting day,’’ which changing. She works with students ess. allows students to snack at picnic ta- ranging from 16 to 66 years old who are Euan currently teaches chemistry at bles while sampling from an array of working towards their GED, and she is Vanguard High School and has taught books. able to modify her teaching style to students around the world for 16 years. Jae believes it is important to make match the composition of the current He received his degree in chemistry English relatable and fun to her stu- class. She is willing to meet with her from the University of Edinburgh and dents. She encourages them to use students anytime, whether when they studied to be a chemistry teacher at a reading and writing as a creative arrive in her classroom, after class, or university in England. Euan taught means of expression. She also works to by appointment. chemistry and general science in Eng- help students that do not speak Joli finds the best part of teaching to land and Scotland for 10 years and was English as a first language by securing be the family she has found at the an adviser to the Scottish Government additional materials for her school. school. She enjoys working with her on chemistry curriculum and assess- I convey my sincere gratitude to Jae fellow instructors and faculty and says ment qualifications for students. After for her devotion to helping her stu- they all work as a team. Joli considers marrying his wife, they moved to New dents succeed in their future endeav- this family to extend to her students York City, where he taught at a middle ors. I look forward to hearing of her and loves that she is able to help them school, before moving to Ocala. continued success.∑ achieve their life dreams. I am grateful for Euan’s hard work in f I offer my sincere gratitude to Joli educating students and enabling them for her dedication to her students and to succeed. I wish all the best to him TRIBUTE TO EVAN GOULD extend my best wishes on her contin- and look forward to learning of his con- ∑ Mr. RUBIO. Mr. President, today I ued success in the years to come.∑ tinued good work in the coming years.∑ honor Evan Gould, the Clay County f Teacher of the Year from Lake Asbury f TRIBUTE TO KERI HEMRICK Junior High School in Green Cove TRIBUTE TO WHITNEY JONES Springs, FL. ∑ Mr. RUBIO. Mr. President, today I Evan felt honored and humbled to recognize Keri Hemrick, the Collier ∑ Mr. RUBIO. Mr. President, today I represent Clay County as he considers County Teacher of the Year at Gulf am pleased to recognize Whitney himself just one of the many high-qual- Coast High School in Naples, FL. Jones, the Nassau County Teacher of ity educators teaching in the region. Keri believes motivating her students the Year from Wildlight Elementary He relishes opportunities for his stu- to impact their community is one of School in Yulee, FL. dents to participate at district and the most important commitments she Whitney became a teacher to make a State competitions as he takes great makes as a teacher. She aims to lead difference in the lives of students by pride in their superior and award-win- each student, whether they have a dis- helping them to develop a passion for ning performances. His music and ability or a gift, towards increasing learning. Her teaching philosophy is drama programs are highly regarded in their achievements in school. She that students will work hard when they Florida and generate great interest works to ensure their success upon are shown love and respect. She finds it throughout the county. leaving her classroom. humbling to watch her students grow Evan has been a teacher for 30 years, Keri’s students were excited to learn and successfully learn new class sub- with 22 years in Clay County. Outside that she had received this award. They jects throughout the school year. of the classroom, Evan dedicates his were proud to see her recognized for Whitney considers her role in her time and talents to giving back to his representing the family-like environ- students’ lives to be one that offers en- community. He cofounded the Clay All- ment she cultivated in their classroom. couragement, guidance, and compas- County Elementary Chorus, as well as Many students have credited her for sion. She works with her colleagues to The 5 & Dime Theatre Company. Evan helping them to understand the new implement new teaching strategies and also serves as the chair of District 1 subjects throughout the school year. plans standards-based lessons to ensure Junior Thespians, which hosts an an- Keri is an exceptional education co- students are prepared for the third nual festival that brings in more than teacher, case manager, and chair of the grade when they leave her classroom. 500 drama students from across the re- exceptional student education depart- Whitney began her teaching career at gion. ment at Gulf Coast High School. She Yulee Primary School, teaching there I extend my sincere thanks and grati- dedicates her life to making a dif- for 5 years before becoming a second tude to Evan for his many years work- ference by engaging her students with grade teacher at Wildlight Elementary ing as a teacher and helping countless special instruction and services. School, where she has taught for the students fulfill their drama and musi- I extend my best wishes to Keri for past 2 years as a team leader and grade cal ambitions. I look forward to learn- her dedication to her students and her level chair. She is also on her school’s ing of his continued success in the community and congratulate her on action plan team, which works to cre- coming years.∑ this award.∑ ate plans to help the lowest quartile f f students improve in school. I extend my best wishes to Whitney TRIBUTE TO JOLI HARTZOG TRIBUTE TO EUAN HUNTER for her good work as a teacher and look ∑ Mr. RUBIO. Mr. President, today I ∑ Mr. RUBIO. Mr. President, today I forward to hearing of her continued honor Joli Hartzog, the Washington honor Euan Hunter, the Marion County good work in the years to come.∑

VerDate Sep 11 2014 08:26 Jul 23, 2020 Jkt 099060 PO 00000 Frm 00055 Fmt 4624 Sfmt 0634 E:\CR\FM\G22JY6.064 S22JYPT1 SSpencer on DSK126QN23PROD with SENATE S4418 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD — SENATE July 22, 2020 TRIBUTE TO DEVON LAMONICA A. Long Elementary School in Palatka, help teach the school’s youngest stu- ∑ Mr. RUBIO. Mr. President, today I FL. dents to her success. honor Devon LaMonica, the Okaloosa Kelli’s colleagues note that she has Karen was named Teacher of the County Teacher of the Year at Fort an innate ability to connect with stu- Year in her 25th year of teaching, all of Walton Beach High School in Fort Wal- dents struggling academically or devel- which she has taught kindergarten and ton Beach, FL. opmentally. She often spends extra in DeSoto County. Her favorite aspect Teaching was not the career Devon time helping those students better un- of teaching is watching her students imagined for herself when studying fo- derstand assignments. Kelli seeks to grow throughout the year. She notes rensic science biochemistry at the Uni- impart her love for reading to her stu- they enter her classroom with a blank versity of Central Florida, but now she dents and is passionate about inspiring slate and, by the end of the school cannot imagine any other career for the next generation of avid readers. year, are able to read and write. herself. Devon loves the opportunity to Kelli has taught first grade at James I extend my sincere thanks and grati- ignite a passion for science in her stu- A. Long Elementary School for 6 years. tude to Karen for her dedication to her dents and views teaching as a joy. She While Kelli was surprised to learn that students, and I look forward to hearing launched the biomedical science pro- she received this prestigious recogni- of her continued success in the years ∑ gram at Fort Walton Beach High tion, her students and colleagues con- ahead. School and continues to teach the en- sider her an inspiration and know it f was well deserved. tire program. TRIBUTE TO JACOB POELMA Devon earned her master’s degree in I would like to thank Kelli for the ∑ Mr. RUBIO. Mr. President, today I education at the University of West good work she has done for her stu- am pleased to honor Jacob Poelma, the Florida and returned to work as an ed- dents and extend my best wishes to Monroe County Teacher of the Year ucator at Fort Walton Beach High her. I look forward to hearing of her ∑ from Coral Shores High School in School, her own alma mater. She is na- continued success. f Tavernier, FL. tionally recognized as a Biomedical Jacob believes that, as a teacher, his Science Master Teacher and trains new TRIBUTE TO JONATHAN MOTTA impact is greater than the sum of his teachers in this field across our Nation. ∑ Mr. RUBIO. Mr. President, today I students’ test scores and homework She has been a teacher for 13 years. recognize Jonathan Motta, the Osceola grades. He strives to honor a student’s I extend my sincere thanks and grati- County Teacher of the Year at NeoCity individuality while fostering a sense of tude to Devon for her work to teach Academy in Kissimmee, FL. community in the classroom. He knows her students. I look forward to learning Jonathan believes it is important that every student has a unique story of her continued success in the years ∑ that his students be prepared for life and focuses on tailoring his teaching to ahead. after high school and challenges them engage each student in the best way f to apply the principles they learn after they are able to learn. Jacob works to TRIBUTE TO ELIZABETH MANN they leave his classroom. He works to provide real-time language trans- incorporate upper level math into prac- lations of his lectures so all of his stu- ∑ Mr. RUBIO. Mr. President, today I tical business models, technology, and dents can master the material in their recognize Elizabeth Mann, the Santa other areas that are important to stu- native language. Rosa County Teacher of the Year at dents. He considers this integration to Jacob has taught biology in Monroe Oriole Beach Elementary School in be the most rewarding part of his work. County for 4 years. He works with stu- Oriole Beach, FL. Jonathan also seeks to fill what he dents in and out of the classroom by of- Elizabeth believes children learn best views as a gap in the traditional teach- fering personalized teaching and when they are working together. She ing format by teaching his students mentorship opportunities, sponsors provides opportunities throughout the other life skills, such as organization Coral Shores High School’s Gaming school year for her students to team up and public speaking. Club, announces sporting events, and with one another to accomplish a goal. Jonathan finds the unique environ- volunteers at extracurricular and other She accepts each student for who they ment and approach to learning at community activities. are and holds high expectations, view- NeoCity Academy to be a great place I extend my deepest gratitude to ing their small victories as the most for his teaching style. He teaches Jacob for his dedication to his students rewarding part of her work. Whether it mathematics and has incorporated a and efforts to improve the learning ex- is their first time counting to 20 or variety of concepts to students in Osce- perience. I look forward to hearing of helping a friend, she believes these mo- ola County for the past 7 years. During his continued success in the years to ments make her job fulfilling. his tenure, he developed a project- come.∑ Elizabeth comes from a family of based learning curriculum that creates f educators. Both her parents were assignments involving real-world sce- TRIBUTE TO KATHLEEN RULING teachers and instilled in her the drive narios such as architecture, finance, to help others. Her colleagues consider design and manufacturing, and health. ∑ Mr. RUBIO. Mr. President, today I her to be every parent’s dream teacher I thank Jonathan for his passion and recognize Kathleen Ruling, the Union for their child because of her dedica- creative efforts to implement a lifelong County Teacher of the Year from Lake tion to the children’s success. approach to learning. I wish him all Butler Elementary School in Lake But- Elizabeth is a student education in- the best in the years to come.∑ ler, FL. clusion teacher for first grade at Oriole f Kathy believes that every child is Beach Elementary School. She works worthy of respect, as they have a with special needs students throughout TRIBUTE TO KAREN NEADS unique story to tell. She views her job the school year and offers group and ∑ Mr. RUBIO. Mr. President, today I not as a line of work, but a place where one-on-one instruction across all sub- am pleased to recognize Karen Neads, she is preparing each student for their ject areas. the DeSoto County Teacher of the Year future. Her colleagues describe her as I am grateful for Elizabeth’s great from Memorial Elementary School in having a natural gift for teaching and work with her students. I extend my Arcadia, FL. working with children. best wishes to her and look forward to At Memorial Elementary School, Whether by creating hands-on class- learning of her continued good work in Karen strives to develop a positive en- room experiences or diligently track- her future endeavors.∑ vironment in which she is able to moti- ing each child’s progress, Kathy sup- f vate her students. As she prefers to ports her student’s educational careers teach in a way where she is more be- and is always willing to help, even TRIBUTE TO KELLI McGAHEY hind the scenes than upfront, Karen after they leave her classroom. ∑ Mr. RUBIO. Mr. President, today I was shocked to receive this important As an elementary special education recognize Kelli McGahey, the Putnam recognition. She credits her colleagues teacher for 38 years, Kathy has left a County Teacher of the Year at James and administrators on their work to lasting legacy in Union County. In 1985,

VerDate Sep 11 2014 07:23 Jul 23, 2020 Jkt 099060 PO 00000 Frm 00056 Fmt 4624 Sfmt 0634 E:\CR\FM\G22JY6.072 S22JYPT1 SSpencer on DSK126QN23PROD with SENATE July 22, 2020 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD — SENATE S4419 she implemented the staggered start To the Congress of the United States: ernize and improve the Internal Rev- program for kindergarteners. In 1990, Section 202(d) of the National Emer- enue Service, and for other purposes, she founded the Tiger Cubs, a club that gencies Act (50 U.S.C. 1622(d)) provides and that the House has agreed to the recognizes students for their positive for the automatic termination of a na- amendment of the Senate to the title attitude and encouragement to peers. tional emergency unless, within 90 of the aforementioned bill. Both of these programs are still in ef- days before the anniversary date of its f fect in the county. declaration, the President publishes in ENROLLED BILLS PRESENTED I express my sincere appreciation to the Federal Register and transmits to Kathy for her many accomplishments the Congress a notice stating that the The Secretary of the Senate reported and years of service to her students. I emergency is to continue in effect be- that on today, July 22, 2020, she had wish her continued success in the years yond the anniversary date. In accord- presented to the President of the to come.∑ ance with this provision, I have sent to United States the following enrolled bills: f the Federal Register for publication the enclosed notice stating that the na- S. 4148. An act to extend the Chemical Fa- cility Anti-Terrorism Standards Program of TRIBUTE TO JOSIE STUMPF tional emergency with respect to ∑ the Department of Homeland Security, and Mr. RUBIO. Mr. President, today I transnational criminal organizations for other purposes. am pleased to honor Josie Stumpf, the declared in Executive Order 13581 of S. 4209. An act to amend title IX of the So- Volusia County Teacher of the Year at July 24, 2011, is to continue in effect be- cial Security Act to improve emergency un- Holly Hill School in Holly Hill, FL. yond July 24, 2020. employment relief for governmental entities Josie teaches fifth grade and has The activities of significant and nonprofit organizations. taught in Volusia County for nearly 20 transnational criminal organizations f years. She credits her success to Day- have reached such scope and gravity EXECUTIVE AND OTHER tona Beach mayor Derrick Henry, who that they threaten the stability of COMMUNICATIONS was her 11th grade teacher. She says international political and economic The following communications were Mayor Henry changed the course of her systems. Such organizations are be- laid before the Senate, together with life, as it was not until she was in his coming increasingly sophisticated and accompanying papers, reports, and doc- class, where music and energy were in- dangerous to the United States; they uments, and were referred as indicated: corporated into his lessons, that she re- are increasingly entrenched in the op- EC–5072. A communication from the Sec- alized learning could be fun. This moti- erations of foreign governments and retary of the Securities and Exchange Com- vated her to inspire others in the same the international financial system, mission, transmitting, pursuant to law, the way that he inspired her. thereby weakening democratic institu- report of a rule entitled ‘‘Prohibitions and Josie strives to keep learning fun. An tions, degrading the rule of law, and Restrictions on Proprietary Trading and Cer- example of her creative teaching in- undermining economic markets. These tain Interests in, and Relationships With, cludes transforming her classroom to organizations facilitate and aggravate Hedge Funds and Private Equity Funds’’ (RIN3235–AM70) received during adjournment mimic a campground, a cafe, and many violent civil conflicts and increasingly of the Senate in the Office of the President other different environments to better facilitate the activities of other dan- of the Senate on July 10, 2020; to the Com- engage her students in the learning gerous persons. mittee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Af- process. The activities of significant fairs. Josie’s colleagues admire her seem- transnational criminal organizations EC–5073. A communication from the Chief ingly natural ability to relate to stu- continue to pose an unusual and ex- of the Publications and Regulations Branch, Internal Revenue Service, Department of the dents, which has inspired them to fol- traordinary threat to the national se- Treasury, transmitting, pursuant to law, the low her lead. Josie’s enthusiasm for curity, foreign policy, and economy of report of a rule entitled ‘‘Relief for Tax- education extends beyond her own the United States. For these reasons, I payers Affected by Ongoing Coronavirus Dis- classroom, where she has been known have determined that it is necessary to ease Pandemic, Related to Sport Fishing to develop curriculum modules for lan- continue the national emergency de- Equipment and Bows and Arrows Excise Tax guage arts and regularly helps other clared in Executive Order 13581 with re- Filing and Payment Deadlines’’ (Notice 2020– teachers. 48) received during adjournment of the Sen- spect to transnational criminal organi- ate in the Office of the President of the Sen- I extend my best wishes and grati- zations. ate on July 8, 2020; to the Committee on Fi- tude to Josie for her dedication to stu- DONALD J. TRUMP. nance. dents for nearly two decades, and I THE WHITE HOUSE, July 22, 2020. EC–5074. A communication from the Chief of the Publications and Regulations Branch, look forward to hearing of her contin- f ued success in the years to come.∑ Internal Revenue Service, Department of the MESSAGES FROM THE HOUSE Treasury, transmitting, pursuant to law, the f report of a rule entitled ‘‘Notice; COVID–19 MESSAGE FROM THE PRESIDENT ENROLLED BILLS SIGNED Relief and Other Guidance on Mid-Year Re- At 11:30 a.m., a message from the ductions or Suspensions of Contributions to A message from the President of the House of Representatives, delivered by Safe Harbor statute 401(k) and statute 401(m) United States was communicated to Mrs. Cole, one of its reading clerks, an- Plans’’ (Notice 2020–52) received during ad- journment of the Senate in the Office of the the Senate by Ms. Ridgway, one of his nounced that the Speaker has signed secretaries. President of the Senate on July 8, 2020; to the following enrolled bills: the Committee on Finance. f S. 4148. An act to extend the Chemical Fa- EC–5075. A communication from the Chief PRESIDENTIAL MESSAGE cility Anti-Terrorism Standards Program of of the Publications and Regulations Branch, the Department of Homeland Security, and Internal Revenue Service, Department of the for other purposes. Treasury, transmitting, pursuant to law, the report of a rule entitled ‘‘Carryback of Con- REPORT RELATIVE TO THE CON- S. 4209. An act to amend title IX of the So- cial Security Act to improve emergency un- solidated Net Operating Losses’’ ((RIN1545– TINUATION OF THE NATIONAL employment relief for governmental entities BP84) (TD 9900)) received during adjourn- EMERGENCY WITH RESPECT TO and nonprofit organizations. ment of the Senate in the Office of the Presi- TRANSNATIONAL CRIMINAL OR- dent of the Senate on July 15, 2020; to the The enrolled bills were subsequently GANIZATIONS THAT WAS ESTAB- Committee on Finance. signed by the President pro tempore LISHED IN EXECUTIVE ORDER EC–5076. A communication from the Sec- (Mr. GRASSLEY). retary of Defense, transmitting a report on 13581 ON JULY 24, 2011—PM 55 the approved retirement of Vice Admiral The PRESIDING OFFICER laid be- At 5:58 p.m., a message from the Richard A. Brown, United States Navy, and fore the Senate the following message House of Representatives, delivered by his advancement to the grade of vice admiral from the President of the United Mrs. Cole, one of its reading clerks, an- on the retired list; to the Committee on Armed Services. States, together with an accompanying nounced that the House has agreed to EC–5077. A communication from the Under report; which was referred to the Com- the amendment of the Senate to the Secretary of Defense (Personnel and Man- mittee on Banking, Housing, and text of the bill (H.R. 1957) to amend the power), transmitting a report on the ap- Urban Affairs: Internal Revenue Code of 1986 to mod- proved retirement of General Terrence J.

VerDate Sep 11 2014 07:23 Jul 23, 2020 Jkt 099060 PO 00000 Frm 00057 Fmt 4624 Sfmt 0634 E:\CR\FM\G22JY6.078 S22JYPT1 SSpencer on DSK126QN23PROD with SENATE S4420 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD — SENATE July 22, 2020 O’Shaughnessy, United States Air Force, and Lewis, United States Navy, and his advance- officers authorized to wear the insignia of his advancement to the grade of general on ment to the grade of vice admiral on the re- the grade of brigadier general in accordance the retired list; to the Committee on Armed tired list; to the Committee on Armed Serv- with title 10, United States Code, section 777, Services. ices. this will not cause the Department to exceed EC–5078. A communication from the Under EC–5089. A communication from the Under the number of frocked officers authorized; to Secretary of Defense (Personnel and Man- Secretary of Defense (Personnel and Man- the Committee on Armed Services. power), transmitting a report on the ap- power), transmitting a report on the ap- EC–5099. A communication from the Under proved retirement of General James L. proved retirement of Major General Timothy Secretary of Defense (Personnel and Readi- Lengyel, Air National Guard of the United J. Kadavy, Army National Guard of the ness), transmitting the report of three (3) of- States, and his advancement to the grade of United States, and his advancement to the ficers authorized to wear the insignia of the general on the retired list; to the Committee grade of major general on the retired list; to grade of brigadier general in accordance with on Armed Services. the Committee on Armed Services. title 10, United States Code, section 777, this EC–5079. A communication from the Under EC–5090. A communication from the Under will not cause the Department to exceed the Secretary of Defense (Personnel and Man- Secretary of Defense (Personnel and Man- number of frocked officers authorized; to the power), transmitting a report on the ap- power), transmitting a report on the ap- Committee on Armed Services. proved retirement of Lieutenant General proved retirement of Lieutenant General EC–5100. A communication from the Under James C. Vechery, United States Air Force, John J. Broadmeadow, United States Marine Secretary of Defense (Personnel and Readi- and his advancement to the grade of lieuten- Corps, and his advancement to the grade of ness), transmitting the report of three (3) of- ficers authorized to wear the insignia of the ant general on the retired list; to the Com- lieutenant general on the retired list; to the grade of rear admiral (lower half) in accord- mittee on Armed Services. Committee on Armed Services. EC–5080. A communication from the Under EC–5091. A communication from the Under ance with title 10, United States Code, sec- tion 777, this will not cause the Department Secretary of Defense (Personnel and Man- Secretary of Defense (Personnel and Readi- to exceed the number of frocked officers au- power), transmitting a report on the ap- ness), transmitting the report of an officer thorized; to the Committee on Armed Serv- proved retirement of General James M. authorized to wear the insignia of the grade ices. Holmes, United States Air Force, and his ad- of lieutenant general in accordance with EC–5101. A communication from the Under vancement to the grade of general on the re- title 10, United States Code, section 777a, Secretary of Defense (Personnel and Readi- tired list; to the Committee on Armed Serv- this will not cause the Department to exceed ness), transmitting the report of an officer ices. the number of frocked officers authorized; to authorized to wear the insignia of the grade EC–5081. A communication from the Under the Committee on Armed Services. of brigadier general in accordance with title Secretary of Defense (Personnel and Man- EC–5092. A communication from the Under 10, United States Code, section 777a, this will power), transmitting a report on the ap- Secretary of Defense (Personnel and Readi- not cause the Department to exceed the proved retirement of Lieutenant General ness), transmitting the report of an officer number of frocked officers authorized; to the Thomas C. Seamands, United States Army, authorized to wear the insignia of the grade Committee on Armed Services. and his advancement to the grade of lieuten- of lieutenant general in accordance with EC–5102. A communication from the Under ant general on the retired list; to the Com- title 10, United States Code, section 777a, Secretary of Defense (Personnel and Readi- mittee on Armed Services. this will not cause the Department to exceed ness), transmitting the report of twenty (20) EC–5082. A communication from the Under the number of frocked officers authorized; to officers authorized to wear the insignia of Secretary of Defense (Personnel and Man- the Committee on Armed Services. the grade of brigadier general in accordance power), transmitting a report on the ap- EC–5093. A communication from the Under with title 10, United States Code, section 777, proved retirement of Lieutenant General Secretary of Defense (Personnel and Readi- this will not cause the Department to exceed Bruce T. Crawford, United States Army, and ness), transmitting the report of nine (9) offi- the number of frocked officers authorized; to his advancement to the grade of lieutenant cers authorized to wear the insignia of the the Committee on Armed Services. general on the retired list; to the Committee grade of brigadier general in accordance with EC–5103. A communication from the Under on Armed Services. title 10, United States Code, section 777, this Secretary of Defense (Personnel and Readi- EC–5083. A communication from the Under will not cause the Department to exceed the ness), transmitting the report of two (2) offi- Secretary of Defense (Personnel and Man- number of frocked officers authorized; to the cers authorized to wear the insignia of the power), transmitting a report on the ap- Committee on Armed Services. grade of major general or brigadier general proved retirement of Lieutenant General Jo- EC–5094. A communication from the Under in accordance with title 10, United States seph L. Osterman, United States Marine Secretary of Defense (Personnel and Readi- Code, section 777, this will not cause the De- Corps, and his advancement to the grade of ness), transmitting the report of an officer partment to exceed the number of frocked lieutenant general on the retired list; to the authorized to wear the insignia of the grade officers authorized; to the Committee on Committee on Armed Services. of rear admiral in accordance with title 10, Armed Services. EC–5084. A communication from the Under United States Code, section 777, this will not EC–5104. A communication from the Under Secretary of Defense (Personnel and Man- cause the Department to exceed the number Secretary of Defense (Personnel and Readi- power), transmitting a report on the ap- of frocked officers authorized; to the Com- ness), transmitting the report of six (6) offi- proved retirement of Lieutenant General Mi- mittee on Armed Services. cers authorized to wear the insignia of the chael A. Rocco, United States Marine Corps, EC–5095. A communication from the Under grade of major general or brigadier general and his advancement to the grade of lieuten- Secretary of Defense (Personnel and Readi- in accordance with title 10, United States ant general on the retired list; to the Com- ness), transmitting the report of five (5) offi- Code, section 777, this will not cause the De- partment to exceed the number of frocked mittee on Armed Services. cers authorized to wear the insignia of the officers authorized; to the Committee on EC–5085. A communication from the Under grade of rear admiral or rear admiral (lower Secretary of Defense (Personnel and Man- Armed Services. half) in accordance with title 10, United EC–5105. A communication from the Under power), transmitting a report on the ap- States Code, section 777, this will not cause Secretary of Defense (Personnel and Readi- proved retirement of Vice Admiral Thomas the Department to exceed the number of ness), transmitting the report of an officer J. Moore, United States Navy, and his ad- frocked officers authorized; to the Com- authorized to wear the insignia of the grade vancement to the grade of vice admiral on mittee on Armed Services. of brigadier general in accordance with title the retired list; to the Committee on Armed EC–5096. A communication from the Under 10, United States Code, section 777a, this will Services. Secretary of Defense (Personnel and Readi- not cause the Department to exceed the EC–5086. A communication from the Under ness), transmitting the report of an officer number of frocked officers authorized; to the Secretary of Defense (Personnel and Man- authorized to wear the insignia of the grade Committee on Armed Services. power), transmitting a report on the ap- of major general in accordance with title 10, EC–5106. A communication from the Sec- proved retirement of Lieutenant General United States Code, section 777, this will not retary of the Securities and Exchange Com- Todd T. Semonite, United States Army, and cause the Department to exceed the number mission, transmitting, pursuant to law, the his advancement to the grade of lieutenant of frocked officers authorized; to the Com- report of a rule entitled ‘‘Amendments to general on the retired list; to the Committee mittee on Armed Services. Procedures with Respect to Applications on Armed Services. EC–5097. A communication from the Under Under the Investment Company Act of 1940’’ EC–5087. A communication from the Under Secretary of Defense (Personnel and Readi- (RIN3235–AM51) received during adjournment Secretary of Defense (Personnel and Man- ness), transmitting the report of twelve (12) of the Senate in the Office of the President power), transmitting a report on the ap- officers authorized to wear the insignia of of the Senate on July 10, 2020; to the Com- proved retirement of Lieutenant General the grade of rear admiral (lower half) in ac- mittee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Af- Thomas W. Bergeson, United States Air cordance with title 10, United States Code, fairs. Force, and his advancement to the grade of section 777, this will not cause the Depart- EC–5107. A communication from the Acting lieutenant general on the retired list; to the ment to exceed the number of frocked offi- Assistant Secretary of State, Legislative Af- Committee on Armed Services. cers authorized; to the Committee on Armed fairs, Department of State, transmitting, EC–5088. A communication from the Under Services. pursuant to the Convention on Cultural Secretary of Defense (Personnel and Man- EC–5098. A communication from the Under Property Implementation Act, a report rel- power), transmitting a report on the ap- Secretary of Defense (Personnel and Readi- ative to extending and amending the agree- proved retirement of Vice Admiral David H. ness), transmitting the report of fifteen (15) ment between the Government of the United

VerDate Sep 11 2014 07:23 Jul 23, 2020 Jkt 099060 PO 00000 Frm 00058 Fmt 4624 Sfmt 0634 E:\CR\FM\A22JY6.017 S22JYPT1 SSpencer on DSK126QN23PROD with SENATE July 22, 2020 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD — SENATE S4421 States of America and the Government of tive equipment worn by firefighters to deter- S. 4259. A bill to codify a statutory defini- the Republic of Nicaragua; to the Committee mine the prevalence and concentration of tion for long-term care pharmacies; to the on Finance. per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, and for Committee on Finance. EC–5108. A communication from the Assist- other purposes. By Mr. MENENDEZ: S. 4260. A bill to promote access to mort- ant Secretary, Legislative Affairs, Depart- f ment of State, transmitting, pursuant to the gage credit during the COVID–19 pandemic Convention on Cultural Property Implemen- EXECUTIVE REPORTS OF by preventing restrictions on providing Fed- tation Act, a report relative to actions taken COMMITTEES eral backing for single-family mortgage loans in forbearance, and for other purposes; from 2012–2018 to conclude new cultural prop- The following executive reports of erty agreements with Belize, Bulgaria, to the Committee on Banking, Housing, and Egypt, and Libya, and to extend agreements nominations were submitted: Urban Affairs. with Bolivia, Cambodia, China, Colombia, By Mr. WICKER for the Committee on By Mr. PERDUE: Cyprus, El Salvador, Greece, Guatemala, Commerce, Science, and Transportation. S. 4261. A bill to establish a grant program Honduras, Italy, Mali, Nicaragua, and Peru; *Michael P. O’Rielly, of New York, to be a to assist elementary and secondary schools to the Committee on Finance. Member of the Federal Communications with reopening after closures related to EC–5109. A communication from the Assist- Commission for a term of five years from COVID–19, and for other purposes; to the ant Secretary, Legislative Affairs, Depart- July 1, 2019. Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and ment of State, transmitting, pursuant to the *Joel Szabat, of Maryland, to be Under Pensions. Convention on Cultural Property Implemen- Secretary of Transportation for Policy. By Mr. MENENDEZ (for himself, Mr. tation Act, a report relative to actions taken *Mary A. Toman, of California, to be Under CARDIN, Ms. WARREN, Mr. VAN HOL- from 2012–2018 to conclude new cultural prop- Secretary of Commerce for Economic Af- LEN, Mr. MARKEY, Ms. SMITH, Mr. erty agreements with Belize, Bulgaria, fairs. BOOKER, Ms. CORTEZ MASTO, Mr. Egypt, and Libya, and to extend agreements *Michael J. Walsh, Jr., of Virginia, to be MERKLEY, Ms. HIRONO, Mr. SANDERS, with Bolivia, Cambodia, China, Colombia, General Counsel of the Department of Com- Mrs. SHAHEEN, Mr. BLUMENTHAL, Ms. Cyprus, El Salvador, Greece, Guatemala, merce. ROSEN, Ms. HARRIS, Ms. HASSAN, Mr. Honduras, Italy, Mali, Nicaragua, and Peru; WARNER, and Ms. KLOBUCHAR): Mr. WICKER. Mr. President, for the S. 4262. A bill to direct the Secretary of to the Committee on Finance. Committee on Commerce, Science, and Health and Human Services to develop an ac- EC–5110. A communication from the Direc- Transportation I report favorably the tion plan, make targeted grants, and develop tor of Congressional Affairs, Federal Elec- following nomination lists which were public awareness campaigns with respect to tion Commission, transmitting, pursuant to printed in the RECORDS on the dates in- COVID–19 and the disproportionate impact of law, the Commission’s Semiannual Report of the COVID–19 pandemic on racial and ethnic the Inspector General for the period from Oc- dicated, and ask unanimous consent, to save the expense of reprinting on the minorities and other vulnerable populations; tober 1, 2019 through March 31, 2020; to the to the Committee on Health, Education, Committee on Homeland Security and Gov- Executive Calendar that these nomina- Labor, and Pensions. ernmental Affairs. tions lie at the Secretary’s desk for the By Mr. LEAHY (for himself, Mr. DUR- EC–5111. A communication from the Chair- information of Senators. BIN, Mrs. FEINSTEIN, Mr. JONES, Mr. man of the Council of the District of Colum- The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without SCHUMER, Mr. COONS, Ms. HARRIS, Mr. bia, transmitting, pursuant to law, a report objection, it is so ordered. WHITEHOUSE, Mr. CASEY, Mr. KAINE, on D.C. Act 23–217, ‘‘Comprehensive Plan Mr. BLUMENTHAL, Mr. REED, Mr. Framework Amendment Act of 2019’’; to the *Coast Guard nomination of Peter H. BROWN, Ms. SMITH, Mr. MERKLEY, Mr. Committee on Homeland Security and Gov- Imbriale, to be Lieutenant. MARKEY, Ms. CANTWELL, Mr. MURPHY, ernmental Affairs. *Coast Guard nominations beginning with Ms. BALDWIN, Ms. HASSAN, Mrs. MUR- EC–5112. A communication from the Chair- Nicholas C. Custer and ending with Nicole L. RAY, Mr. HEINRICH, Mr. WYDEN, Mr. man of the Council of the District of Colum- Blanchard, which nominations were received BOOKER, Ms. HIRONO, Mr. KING, Mrs. bia, transmitting, pursuant to law, a report by the Senate and appeared in the Congres- SHAHEEN, Mr. SANDERS, Mr. VAN HOL- on D.C. Act 23–323, ‘‘COVID–19 Response Sup- sional Record on June 17, 2020. LEN, Ms. CORTEZ MASTO, Mr. WARNER, plemental Temporary Amendment Act of By Mr. JOHNSON for the Committee on Ms. STABENOW, Mr. CARPER, Mr. 2020’’; to the Committee on Homeland Secu- Homeland Security and Governmental Af- CARDIN, Mr. MENENDEZ, Mr. UDALL, rity and Governmental Affairs. fairs. Mr. BENNET, Mr. SCHATZ, Mrs. GILLI- EC–5113. A communication from the Chair- *Elizabeth J. Shapiro, of the District of Co- BRAND, Ms. WARREN, Ms. DUCKWORTH, man of the Council of the District of Colum- lumbia, to be an Associate Judge of the Su- Ms. KLOBUCHAR, Ms. ROSEN, Mr. bia, transmitting, pursuant to law, a report perior Court of the District of Columbia for TESTER, Mr. PETERS, Ms. SINEMA, Ms. on D.C. Act 23–333, ‘‘Medical Marijuana Pro- the term of fifteen years. MURKOWSKI, and Mr. MANCHIN): gram Patient Employment Protection Tem- *Mark A. Robbins, of the District of Co- lumbia, to be an Associate Judge of the Su- S. 4263. A bill to amend the Voting Rights porary Amendment Act of 2020’’; to the Com- Act of 1965 to revise the criteria for deter- mittee on Homeland Security and Govern- perior Court of the District of Columbia for the term of fifteen years. mining which States and political subdivi- mental Affairs. sions are subject to section 4 of the Act, and EC–5114. A communication from the Chair- *Carl Ezekiel Ross, of the District of Co- lumbia, to be an Associate Judge of the Su- for other purposes; to the Committee on the man of the Council of the District of Colum- Judiciary. bia, transmitting, pursuant to law, a report perior Court of the District of Columbia for the term of fifteen years. By Mr. GRAHAM (for himself, Mrs. on D.C. Act 23–334, ‘‘Coronavirus Support CAPITO, and Mr. ROUNDS): Temporary Amendment Act of 2020’’; to the *Derek Kan, of California, to be Deputy Di- rector of the Office of Management and S. 4264. A bill to require personal protec- Committee on Homeland Security and Gov- tive equipment to be acquired from domestic Budget. ernmental Affairs. producers for the Strategic National Stock- EC–5115. A communication from the Prin- *Nomination was reported with rec- pile; to the Committee on Finance. cipal Deputy Assistant, Directorate of ommendation that it be confirmed sub- By Mr. LEE: Standards and Guidance, Department of ject to the nominee’s commitment to S. 4265. A bill to amend the National Envi- Labor, transmitting, pursuant to law, the re- respond to requests to appear and tes- ronmental Policy Act of 1969 to require the port of a rule entitled ‘‘Revising the Beryl- tify before any duly constituted com- submission of certain reports, and for other lium Standard for General Industry’’ purposes; to the Committee on Environment (RIN1218–ADZ0) received during adjournment mittee of the Senate. and Public Works. of the Senate in the Office of the President f By Mr. CRUZ: S. 4266. A bill to provide civil liability for of the Senate on July 14, 2020; to the Com- INTRODUCTION OF BILLS AND mittee on Health, Education, Labor, and injuries in law enforcement free zones, and Pensions. JOINT RESOLUTIONS for other purposes; to the Committee on the Judiciary. f The following bills and joint resolu- tions were introduced, read the first By Mr. CRUZ (for himself, Mr. MENEN- REPORTS OF COMMITTEES DEZ, Mr. RUBIO, and Mr. DURBIN): and second times by unanimous con- S. 4267. A bill to designate the area be- The following reports of committees sent, and referred as indicated: tween the intersections of 16th Street, were submitted: By Mr. CORNYN (for himself and Ms. Northwest and Fuller Street, Northwest and By Mr. WICKER, from the Committee on KLOBUCHAR): 16th Street, Northwest and Euclid Street, Commerce, Science, and Transportation, S. 4258. A bill to establish a grant program Northwest in Washington, District of Colum- with an amendment in the nature of a sub- for small live venue operators and talent rep- bia, as ‘‘Oswaldo Paya Way’’; to the Com- stitute: resentatives; to the Committee on Small mittee on Homeland Security and Govern- S. 2525. A bill to require the Director of the Business and Entrepreneurship. mental Affairs. National Institute of Standards and Tech- By Mr. SCOTT of South Carolina (for By Ms. HASSAN (for herself and Mr. nology to conduct a study of personal protec- himself and Mr. WARNER): BURR):

VerDate Sep 11 2014 07:23 Jul 23, 2020 Jkt 099060 PO 00000 Frm 00059 Fmt 4624 Sfmt 0634 E:\CR\FM\A22JY6.019 S22JYPT1 SSpencer on DSK126QN23PROD with SENATE S4422 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD — SENATE July 22, 2020 S. 4268. A bill to improve coordination be- By Mr. MANCHIN (for himself and Mr. S. Res. 655. A resolution declaring racism a tween the paycheck protection program and GARDNER): public health crisis; to the Committee on employee retention tax credit; to the Com- S. 4282. A bill to amend the Community Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions. mittee on Finance. Mental Health Service Block Grant to au- By Ms. STABENOW (for herself, Mrs. By Mr. KAINE (for himself and Ms. thorize a set-aside for crisis care services, MURRAY, Ms. CANTWELL, Mr. PERDUE, MURKOWSKI): and for other purposes; to the Committee on Mr. KING, and Ms. COLLINS): S. 4269. A bill to amend the Public Health Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions. S. Res. 656. A resolution recognizing the Service Act to improve maternal health and By Mr. WYDEN (for himself, Mr. DUR- importance of the blueberry industry to the promote safe motherhood; to the Committee BIN, Mr. BROWN, Mr. VAN HOLLEN, Mr. United States and designating July 2020 as on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions. MENENDEZ, Mr. CASEY, Ms. CORTEZ ‘‘National Blueberry Month’’; to the Com- By Mr. TILLIS: MASTO, and Ms. ROSEN): mittee on the Judiciary S. 4270. A bill to amend the CARES Act to S. 4283. A bill to provide funding for States f ensure that the temporary relief from CECL to improve their unemployment insurance standards does not terminate in the middle technology systems, and for other purposes; ADDITIONAL COSPONSORS of a company’s fiscal year; to the Committee to the Committee on Finance. S. 92 on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs. By Mr. SCOTT of South Carolina (for At the request of Mr. PAUL, the name By Mr. KAINE (for himself and Mr. himself, Mr. ALEXANDER, and Mr. of the Senator from Florida (Mr. WARNER): CRUZ): S. 4271. A bill to reform Federal firearms S. 4284. A bill to provide for emergency SCOTT) was added as a cosponsor of S. laws, and for other purposes; to the Com- education freedom grants, to amend the In- 92, a bill to amend chapter 8 of title 5, mittee on the Judiciary. ternal Revenue Code of 1986 to establish tax United States Code, to provide that By Mr. RISCH (for himself, Mr. GARD- credits to encourage individual and cor- major rules of the executive branch NER, Mr. ROMNEY, and Mr. YOUNG): porate taxpayers to contribute to scholar- shall have no force or effect unless a S. 4272. A bill to advance a policy for man- ships for students through eligible scholar- aged strategic competition with the People’s joint resolution of approval is enacted ship-granting organizations, and for other into law. Republic of China; to the Committee on For- purposes; to the Committee on Finance. S. 159 eign Relations. By Mr. MANCHIN (for himself, Ms. By Ms. HARRIS (for herself and Mrs. COLLINS, Mr. CRAPO, and Mr. At the request of Mr. PAUL, the name FEINSTEIN): TESTER): of the Senator from Montana (Mr. S. 4273. A bill to amend the Rosie the Riv- S. 4285. A bill to establish a pilot program DAINES) was added as a cosponsor of S. eter/World War II Home Front National His- through which the Institute of Museum and 159, a bill to implement equal protec- torical Park Establishment Act of 2000 to Library Services shall allocate funds to tion under the 14th Amendment to the provide for additional areas to be added to States for the provision of Internet-con- the park, and for other purposes; to the Com- Constitution of the United States for nected devices to libraries; to the Committee the right to life of each born and mittee on Energy and Natural Resources. on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions. By Mr. PAUL: By Mr. MARKEY (for himself, Mr. preborn human person. S. 4274. A bill to amend title XI of the So- TILLIS, Mr. PETERS, and Mr. GARD- S. 350 cial Security Act to exclude discounts for NER): At the request of Mr. LEAHY, the covered part D drugs from the anti-kickback S. 4286. A bill to authorize appropriations name of the Senator from Illinois (Mr. prohibition, and for other purposes; to the for offsetting the costs related to reductions Committee on Finance. DURBIN) was added as a cosponsor of S. in research productivity resulting from the By Mr. THUNE (for himself and Mr. 350, a bill to restore the application of coronavirus pandemic; to the Committee on ENZI): the Federal antitrust laws to the busi- Commerce, Science, and Transportation. S. 4275. A bill to require recipients of Pan- By Mr. MORAN (for himself, Mr. ness of health insurance to protect demic Unemployment Assistance to provide competition and consumers. employment documentation, and for other TESTER, Mr. TILLIS, Mr. BLUMENTHAL, S. 549 purposes; to the Committee on Finance. and Mr. ROUNDS): S. 4287. A bill to amend title 38, United By Mr. WARNER (for himself and Mr. At the request of Mrs. GILLIBRAND, States Code, to establish presumptions of DAINES): the name of the Senator from Oregon S. 4276. A bill to require the Secretary of service-connection for members of the (Mr. MERKLEY) was added as a cospon- Labor to establish a program for providing Armed Forces who contract Coronavirus Dis- sor of S. 549, a bill to modernize voter ease 2019 under certain circumstances, and portable benefits to eligible workers, and for registration, promote access to voting other purposes; to the Committee on Fi- for other purposes; to the Committee on Vet- erans’ Affairs. for individuals with disabilities, pro- nance. tect the ability of individuals to exer- By Mr. MARKEY: By Mr. TESTER: S. 4277. A bill to amend the Toxic Sub- S. 4288. A bill to establish the Badger-Two cise the right to vote in elections for stances Control Act to reauthorize healthy Medicine Cultural Heritage Area in the State Federal office, and for other purposes. high-performance schools, and for other pur- of Montana, and for other purposes; to the S. 633 Committee on Energy and Natural Re- poses; to the Committee on Environment and At the request of Mr. MORAN, the sources. Public Works. name of the Senator from Maine (Ms. By Mr. MARKEY: By Mr. YOUNG (for himself, Mrs. CAP- S. 4278. A bill to direct the Secretary of ITO, and Mr. KING): COLLINS) was added as a cosponsor of S. Transportation to carry out a grant program S. 4289. A bill to require the Secretary of 633, a bill to award a Congressional to support efforts to provide fare-free transit Health and Human Services to collect, ana- Gold Medal to the members of the service, and for other purposes; to the Com- lyze, and report qualitative and quantitative Women’s Army Corps who were as- mittee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Af- data on the use of telehealth during the signed to the 6888th Central Postal Di- fairs. COVID–19 public health emergency; to the rectory Battalion, known as the ‘‘Six Committee on Finance. By Mr. MARKEY (for himself and Mr. Triple Eight’’. BENNET): f S. 4279. A bill to require the disclosure to S. 1067 Congress of presidential emergency action SUBMISSION OF CONCURRENT AND At the request of Ms. HARRIS, the documents; to the Committee on Homeland SENATE RESOLUTIONS name of the Senator from New Hamp- Security and Governmental Affairs. The following concurrent resolutions shire (Mrs. SHAHEEN) was added as a co- By Mr. MARKEY: and Senate resolutions were read, and sponsor of S. 1067, a bill to provide for S. 4280. A bill to reduce the health risks of referred (or acted upon), as indicated: research to better understand the heat by authorizing the National Integrated causes and consequences of sexual har- Heat Health Information System Inter- By Mr. BROWN (for himself, Mr. BOOK- agency Committee to improve extreme heat ER, Ms. HARRIS, Mr. SCHUMER, Mr. assment affecting individuals in the preparedness and response, requiring a CARPER, Mr. MARKEY, Mr. WYDEN, scientific, technical, engineering, and study, and establishing a grant program to Ms. BALDWIN, Mr. BLUMENTHAL, Mr. mathematics workforce and to exam- address heat effects, and for other purposes; HEINRICH, Mr. BENNET, Ms. SMITH, ine policies to reduce the prevalence to the Committee on Commerce, Science, Mr. CARDIN, Mrs. FEINSTEIN, Mr. and negative impact of such harass- and Transportation. SANDERS, Ms. WARREN, Mr. VAN HOL- ment, and for other purposes. By Mr. GRASSLEY: LEN, Ms. KLOBUCHAR, Mr. MERKLEY, S. 1197 S. 4281. A bill to require a report to Con- Mr. MENENDEZ, Mr. WHITEHOUSE, Ms. ARKEY gress on certain efforts in connection with HIRONO, Mrs. MURRAY, Ms. HASSAN, At the request of Mr. M , the the financial management systems of the De- Mr. KAINE, Ms. DUCKWORTH, Mr. name of the Senator from Rhode Island partment of Defense; to the Committee on SCHATZ, Mr. CASEY, Mr. DURBIN, Mr. (Mr. WHITEHOUSE) was added as a co- Armed Services. REED, Ms. STABENOW, and Mr. KING): sponsor of S. 1197, a bill to amend the

VerDate Sep 11 2014 03:51 Dec 01, 2020 Jkt 099060 PO 00000 Frm 00060 Fmt 4624 Sfmt 0634 E:\RECORD20\AUGUST\S22JY0.REC S22JY0 abonner on DSKJLXR7X2PROD with CONG-REC-ONLINE July 22, 2020 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD — SENATE S4423 Internal Revenue Code of 1986 to estab- ance provisions and to authorize the sponsor of S. 3819, a bill to encourage lish a tax credit for construction of appropriations of funds to Israel, and the protection and promotion of inter- new all-electric homes. for other purposes. nationally recognized human rights S. 1210 S. 3328 during the novel coronavirus pandemic, At the request of Ms. COLLINS, the At the request of Ms. ROSEN, her and for other purposes. name of the Senator from Alabama name was added as a cosponsor of S. S. 3840 (Mr. JONES) was added as a cosponsor 3328, a bill to award grants to States to At the request of Ms. STABENOW, the of S. 1210, a bill to amend the Internal establish or improve, and carry out, name of the Senator from Connecticut Revenue Code of 1986 to increase and Seal of Biliteracy programs to recog- (Mr. BLUMENTHAL) was added as a co- make permanent the exclusion for ben- nize high-level student proficiency in sponsor of S. 3840, a bill to protect the efits provided to volunteer firefighters speaking, reading, and writing in both continuity of the food supply chain of and emergency medical responders. English and a second language. the United States in response to COVID–19, and for other purposes. S. 1703 S. 3559 S. 3855 At the request of Ms. CANTWELL, the At the request of Mr. BENNET, the At the request of Ms. WARREN, the name of the Senator from Ohio (Mr. name of the Senator from Vermont name of the Senator from Virginia (Mr. BROWN) was added as a cosponsor of S. (Mr. LEAHY) was added as a cosponsor KAINE) was added as a cosponsor of S. 1703, a bill to amend the Internal Rev- of S. 3559, a bill to provide emergency 3855, a bill to ensure ethical and ac- enue Code of 1986 to reform the low-in- financial assistance to rural health countable use of COVID–19 relief funds, come housing credit, and for other pur- care facilities and providers impacted to prevent corruption and bias in the poses. by the COVID–19 emergency. disbursement and supervision of those S. 1964 S. 3606 funds, and for other purposes. At the request of Ms. HIRONO, the At the request of Mrs. GILLIBRAND, S. 3886 name of the Senator from Maryland the name of the Senator from Pennsyl- At the request of Mr. MARKEY, the (Mr. VAN HOLLEN) was added as a co- vania (Mr. CASEY) was added as a co- names of the Senator from Ohio (Mr. sponsor of S. 1964, a bill to support edu- sponsor of S. 3606, a bill to provide for BROWN), the Senator from Delaware cational entities in fully implementing the establishment of a Health Force (Mr. COONS), the Senator from Wash- title IX and reducing and preventing and a Resilience Force to respond to ington (Mrs. MURRAY) and the Senator sex discrimination in all areas of edu- public health emergencies and meet from Pennsylvania (Mr. CASEY) were cation, and for other purposes. public health needs. added as cosponsors of S. 3886, a bill to S. 2579 S. 3693 prohibit the use of funds for an explo- At the request of Ms. HIRONO, the At the request of Mr. GRASSLEY, the sive nuclear weapons test. name of the Senator from Rhode Island name of the Senator from North Da- S. 3995 (Mr. WHITEHOUSE) was added as a co- kota (Mr. HOEVEN) was added as a co- At the request of Mr. THUNE, the sponsor of S. 2579, a bill to direct the sponsor of S. 3693, a bill to amend the name of the Senator from Wyoming Director of the Office of Science and Agricultural Marketing Act of 1946 to (Mr. BARRASSO) was added as a cospon- Technology Policy to carry out pro- foster efficient markets and increase sor of S. 3995, a bill to limit the author- grams and activities to ensure that competition and transparency among ity of States or other taxing jurisdic- Federal science agencies and institu- packers that purchase livestock from tions to tax certain income of employ- tions of higher education receiving producers. ees for employment duties performed Federal research and development S. 3745 in other States or taxing jurisdictions, and for other purposes. funding are fully engaging their entire At the request of Mr. DURBIN, the talent pool, and for other purposes. names of the Senator from Oregon (Mr. S. 3997 At the request of Mr. PORTMAN, the S. 2815 MERKLEY) and the Senator from name of the Senator from Utah (Mr. At the request of Mr. SCHUMER, the Vermont (Mr. SANDERS) were added as names of the Senator from Oregon (Mr. cosponsors of S. 3745, a bill to direct ROMNEY) was added as a cosponsor of S. MERKLEY), the Senator from West Vir- the Secretary of Education to provide 3997, a bill to strengthen the security ginia (Mr. MANCHIN) and the Senator relief to borrowers of student loans for and integrity of the United States sci- from Indiana (Mr. YOUNG) were added whom the Department of Education entific and research enterprise. as cosponsors of S. 2815, a bill to re- found misrepresentation by the institu- S. 4014 quire the Secretary of the Treasury to tion of higher education or a State at- At the request of Mr. CARDIN, the mint coins in commemoration of the torney general has asserted a right to name of the Senator from Illinois (Mr. National Purple Heart Honor Mission. borrower defense discharge. DURBIN) was added as a cosponsor of S. 4014, a bill to provide for supplemental S. 2882 S. 3814 loans under the Paycheck Protection At the request of Ms. HARRIS, the At the request of Mr. BENNET, the Program. name of the Senator from Nevada (Ms. names of the Senator from North Caro- S. 4019 ROSEN) was added as a cosponsor of S. lina (Mr. BURR), the Senator from At the request of Mr. MARKEY, the 2882, a bill to establish a community South Carolina (Mr. GRAHAM), the Sen- name of the Senator from Michigan wildfire defense grant program, and for ator from Michigan (Ms. STABENOW), (Ms. STABENOW) was added as a cospon- other purposes. the Senator from Minnesota (Ms. KLO- sor of S. 4019, a bill to amend title 5, S. 2886 BUCHAR), the Senator from Wisconsin United States Code, to designate At the request of Ms. MCSALLY, the (Ms. BALDWIN), the Senator from Ne- Juneteenth National Independence Day name of the Senator from New York vada (Ms. ROSEN), the Senator from as a legal public holiday. OBERTS (Mrs. GILLIBRAND) was added as a co- Kansas (Mr. R ), the Senator S. 4084 sponsor of S. 2886, a bill to prohibit the from Tennessee (Mr. ALEXANDER) and At the request of Mr. MARKEY, the use of animal testing for cosmetics and the Senator from Utah (Mr. ROMNEY) names of the Senator from Vermont the sale of cosmetics tested on ani- were added as cosponsors of S. 3814, a (Mr. SANDERS), the Senator from Or- mals. bill to establish a loan program for egon (Mr. WYDEN) and the Senator S. 3176 businesses affected by COVID–19 and to from Massachusetts (Ms. WARREN) were At the request of Mr. RUBIO, the extend the loan forgiveness period for added as cosponsors of S. 4084, a bill to name of the Senator from North Da- paycheck protection program loans prohibit biometric surveillance by the kota (Mr. HOEVEN) was added as a co- made to the hardest hit businesses, and Federal Government without explicit sponsor of S. 3176, a bill to amend the for other purposes. statutory authorization and to with- Foreign Assistance Act of 1961 and the S. 3819 hold certain Federal public safety United States-Israel Strategic Partner- At the request of Mr. MARKEY, the grants from State and local govern- ship Act of 2014 to make improvements name of the Senator from New Hamp- ments that engage in biometric sur- to certain defense and security assist- shire (Mrs. SHAHEEN) was added as a co- veillance.

VerDate Sep 11 2014 07:23 Jul 23, 2020 Jkt 099060 PO 00000 Frm 00061 Fmt 4624 Sfmt 0634 E:\CR\FM\A22JY6.026 S22JYPT1 SSpencer on DSK126QN23PROD with SENATE S4424 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD — SENATE July 22, 2020 S. 4089 MERKLEY) was added as a cosponsor of S. RES. 578 At the request of Mr. DURBIN, the S. 4193, a bill to develop and nationally At the request of Mr. WYDEN, the name of the Senator from Illinois (Ms. disseminate accurate, relevant, and ac- names of the Senator from Massachu- DUCKWORTH) was added as a cosponsor cessible resources to promote under- setts (Ms. WARREN), the Senator from of S. 4089, a bill to amend title 11, standing about African-American his- Tennessee (Mrs. BLACKBURN) and the United States Code, to improve protec- tory. Senator from Nevada (Ms. ROSEN) were tions for employees and retirees in S. 4204 added as cosponsors of S. Res. 578, a business bankruptcies. At the request of Mr. JOHNSON, the resolution condemning the Govern- S. 4117 name of the Senator from Florida (Mr. ment of Iran’s state-sponsored persecu- At the request of Mr. CRAMER, the SCOTT) was added as a cosponsor of S. tion of its Baha’i minority and its con- name of the Senator from Texas (Mr. 4204, a bill to establish an Interagency tinued violation of the International CRUZ) was added as a cosponsor of S. Task Force to analyze preparedness for Covenants on Human Rights. 4117, a bill to provide automatic for- national pandemics, and for other pur- AMENDMENT NO. 1885 giveness for paycheck protection pro- poses. At the request of Mr. ROMNEY, the gram loans under $150,000, and for other S. 4220 names of the Senator from Nebraska purposes. (Mr. SASSE) and the Senator from Cali- At the request of Mr. MERKLEY, the S. 4150 names of the Senator from Delaware fornia (Mrs. FEINSTEIN) were added as At the request of Mr. REED, the name cosponsors of amendment No. 1885 in- (Mr. COONS), the Senator from New of the Senator from Montana (Mr. tended to be proposed to S. 4049, an York (Mrs. GILLIBRAND), the Senator DAINES) was added as a cosponsor of S. original bill to authorize appropria- from Rhode Island (Mr. REED) and the 4150, a bill to require the Secretary of tions for fiscal year 2021 for military Senator from Delaware (Mr. CARPER) the Treasury to provide assistance to activities of the Department of De- certain providers of transportation were added as cosponsors of S. 4220, a bill to limit the use of Federal law en- fense, for military construction, and services affected by the novel for defense activities of the Depart- coronavirus. forcement officers for crowd control, and for other purposes. ment of Energy, to prescribe military S. 4158 personnel strengths for such fiscal S. 4230 At the request of Mr. HAWLEY, the year, and for other purposes. At the request of Mr. WYDEN, the name of the Senator from New Hamp- AMENDMENT NO. 2051 shire (Ms. HASSAN) was added as a co- name of the Senator from Pennsyl- At the request of Mr. MARKEY, the vania (Mr. CASEY) was added as a co- sponsor of S. 4158, a bill to examine the name of the Senator from Delaware extent of the reliance of the United sponsor of S. 4230, a bill to amend title (Mr. COONS) was added as a cosponsor XVIII of the Social Security Act to ex- States on foreign producers for per- of amendment No. 2051 intended to be sonal protective equipment during the pand access to mental health services proposed to S. 4049, an original bill to COVID–19 pandemic and produce rec- and certain evaluation and manage- authorize appropriations for fiscal year ommendations to secure the supply ment services furnished through tele- 2021 for military activities of the De- chain of personal protective equip- health under the Medicare program. partment of Defense, for military con- ment. S. 4233 struction, and for defense activities of S. 4162 At the request of Ms. COLLINS, the the Department of Energy, to prescribe At the request of Mrs. FISCHER, the name of the Senator from Maine (Mr. military personnel strengths for such name of the Senator from Texas (Mr. KING) was added as a cosponsor of S. fiscal year, and for other purposes. CORNYN) was added as a cosponsor of S. 4233, a bill to establish a payment pro- AMENDMENT NO. 2328 4162, a bill to provide certainty for air- gram for unexpected loss of markets port funding. At the request of Mr. YOUNG, the and revenues to timber harvesting and name of the Senator from Indiana (Mr. S. 4172 timber hauling businesses due to the BRAUN) was added as a cosponsor of At the request of Mr. BROWN, the COVID–19 pandemic, and for other pur- name of the Senator from Colorado amendment No. 2328 intended to be pro- poses. posed to S. 4049, an original bill to au- (Mr. BENNET) was added as a cosponsor S. 4248 of S. 4172, a bill to provide emergency thorize appropriations for fiscal year At the request of Ms. HARRIS, the 2021 for military activities of the De- funding for child welfare services pro- name of the Senator from New Hamp- vided under parts B and E of title IV of partment of Defense, for military con- shire (Mrs. SHAHEEN) was added as a co- the Social Security Act, and for other struction, and for defense activities of sponsor of S. 4248, a bill to establish a purposes. the Department of Energy, to prescribe grant program to provide funds for military personnel strengths for such S. 4182 health care entities to establish or im- fiscal year, and for other purposes. At the request of Mr. GRASSLEY, the prove bias and anti-racism training to AMENDMENT NO. 2352 name of the Senator from Iowa (Ms. help reduce racial and ethnic dispari- ERNST) was added as a cosponsor of S. At the request of Mr. HAWLEY, the ties in COVID–19 testing, treatment, 4182, a bill to provide nursing homes name of the Senator from Georgia health outcomes, and vaccine access. with resources for responding to the (Mrs. LOEFFLER) was added as a cospon- COVID–19 public health emergency to S. 4252 sor of amendment No. 2352 intended to protect the health and safety of resi- At the request of Mr. WYDEN, the be proposed to S. 4049, an original bill dents and workers, to reauthorize fund- names of the Senator from Ohio (Mr. to authorize appropriations for fiscal ing for programs under the Elder Jus- BROWN), the Senator from New Jersey year 2021 for military activities of the tice Act of 2009, and for other purposes. (Mr. MENENDEZ) and the Senator from Department of Defense, for military S. 4190 Pennsylvania (Mr. CASEY) were added construction, and for defense activities At the request of Mr. MERKLEY, the as cosponsors of S. 4252, a bill to pro- of the Department of Energy, to pre- name of the Senator from Nevada (Ms. vide funding for States to improve scribe military personnel strengths for ROSEN) was added as a cosponsor of S. their unemployment compensation such fiscal year, and for other pur- 4190, a bill to authorize the Director of programs, and for other purposes. poses. the United States Geological Survey to S. RES. 509 AMENDMENT NO. 2433 establish a regional program to assess, At the request of Mr. TOOMEY, the At the request of Mr. MANCHIN, the monitor, and benefit the hydrology of name of the Senator from Missouri name of the Senator from Indiana (Mr. saline lakes in the Great Basin and the (Mr. HAWLEY) was added as a cosponsor BRAUN) was added as a cosponsor of migratory birds and other wildlife de- of S. Res. 509, a resolution calling upon amendment No. 2433 intended to be pro- pendent on those habitats, and for the United Nations Security Council to posed to S. 4049, an original bill to au- other purposes. adopt a resolution on Iran that extends thorize appropriations for fiscal year S. 4193 the dates by which Annex B restric- 2021 for military activities of the De- At the request of Mr. PETERS, the tions under Resolution 2231 are cur- partment of Defense, for military con- name of the Senator from Oregon (Mr. rently set to expire. struction, and for defense activities of

VerDate Sep 11 2014 07:23 Jul 23, 2020 Jkt 099060 PO 00000 Frm 00062 Fmt 4624 Sfmt 0634 E:\CR\FM\A22JY6.028 S22JYPT1 SSpencer on DSK126QN23PROD with SENATE July 22, 2020 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD — SENATE S4425 the Department of Energy, to prescribe STATEMENTS ON INTRODUCED preventable maternal and infant mor- military personnel strengths for such BILLS AND JOINT RESOLUTION tality in the United States. I’m calling fiscal year, and for other purposes. By Mr. KAINE (for himself and on my Senate colleagues to support AMENDMENT NO. 2435 Ms. MURKOWSKI): this bill and include it in the next At the request of Mr. VAN HOLLEN, S. 4269. A bill to amend the Public coronavirus relief package so we can the name of the Senator from Illinois Health Service Act to improve mater- enact positive systemic changes to (Mr. DURBIN) was added as a cosponsor nal health and promote safe mother- make sure more women and newborns of amendment No. 2435 intended to be hood; to the Committee on Health, thrive and have the maximum chance proposed to S. 4049, an original bill to Education, Labor, and Pensions. for success. authorize appropriations for fiscal year Mr. KAINE. Mr. President. There are 2021 for military activities of the De- significant racial and ethnic inequities By Mr. THUNE (for himself and partment of Defense, for military con- in maternal and infant mortality rates Mr. ENZI): struction, and for defense activities of in the U.S. According to the CDC, the S. 4275. A bill to require recipients of the Department of Energy, to prescribe maternal mortality rate for non-His- Pandemic Unemployment Assistance military personnel strengths for such panic Black women in 2018 is more to provide employment documentation, fiscal year, and for other purposes. than 2.5 times higher than the mater- and for other purposes; to the Com- mittee on Finance. AMENDMENT NO. 2437 nal mortality rate of non-Hispanic Mr. THUNE. Mr. President, I ask At the request of Ms. KLOBUCHAR, the white women, and the infant mortality unanimous consent that the text of the names of the Senator from Illinois (Ms. rate of non-Hispanic Black women is bill be printed in the RECORD. DUCKWORTH) and the Senator from more than 2.3 times higher than the in- fant mortality rate of non-Hispanic There being no objection, the text of Alaska (Mr. SULLIVAN) were added as the bill was ordered to be printed in cosponsors of amendment No. 2437 in- white women. Any pregnant woman the RECORD, as follows: tended to be proposed to S. 4049, an choosing to have a child should be able S. 4275 original bill to authorize appropria- to do so safely without regard to in- tions for fiscal year 2021 for military come, race, ethnicity, employment sta- Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Rep- tus, or any other socio-economic fac- resentatives of the United States of America in activities of the Department of De- Congress assembled, fense, for military construction, and tor.’ This is why Senator MURKOWOSKI and SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. for defense activities of the Depart- This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Pandemic ment of Energy, to prescribe military I are introducing the Mothers and Newborns Success Act, which aims to Unemployment Assistance Integrity Act’’. personnel strengths for such fiscal SEC. 2. PANDEMIC UNEMPLOYMENT ASSISTANCE. year, and for other purposes. reduce maternal and infant mortality, ensure that all infants can grow up (a) IN GENERAL.—Section 2102(a) of the Re- AMENDMENT NO. 2441 lief for Workers Affected by Coronavirus Act healthy and safe, and protect women’s (contained in subtitle A of title II of division At the request of Mrs. GILLIBRAND, health before, during, and after preg- the name of the Senator from Con- A of the CARES Act (Public Law 116–136)) is nancy. Our legislation supports innova- amended— necticut (Mr. BLUMENTHAL) was added tion in maternal health delivery and (1) in paragraph (3)— as a cosponsor of amendment No. 2441 improves data collection on maternal (A) in subparagraph (A)— intended to be proposed to S. 4049, an mortality and maternal deaths. The (i) in clause (i), by striking ‘‘and’’ at the original bill to authorize appropria- bill will help ensure that women are end; and tions for fiscal year 2021 for military matched with birthing facilities that (ii) by inserting after clause (ii) the fol- lowing: activities of the Department of De- are risk-appropriate for their par- fense, for military construction, and ‘‘(iii) provides documentation substan- ticular needs to improve maternal and tiating employment or self-employment or for defense activities of the Depart- neonatal care and outcomes. The legis- ment of Energy, to prescribe military the planned commencement of employment lation strengthens support for women or self-employment not later than 21 days personnel strengths for such fiscal during the critical postpartum period, after the date on which the individual sub- year, and for other purposes. the year after birth, and will help en- mits an application for assistance under this AMENDMENT NO. 2451 sure pregnant women get the vaccina- section or is directed by the State Agency to At the request of Mr. MARKEY, the tions they need and are aware of ma- submit such documentation or has shown good cause under the applicable State law names of the Senator from California ternal health warning signs. The bill (Mrs. FEINSTEIN) and the Senator from for failing to submit such documentation by promotes maternal health research and the deadline, in accordance with section California (Ms. HARRIS) were added as the use of telehealth to help high-risk 625.6(e) of title 20, Code of Federal Regula- cosponsors of amendment No. 2451 in- expectant mothers in geographically- tions, or any successor thereto, except that tended to be proposed to S. 4049, an isolated areas. The Mothers and such documentation shall not be required if original bill to authorize appropria- Newborns Success Act is a significant the individual previously submitted such in- tions for fiscal year 2021 for military step toward reducing racial, ethnic, formation to the State agency for the pur- activities of the Department of De- and geographic inequities in maternal pose of obtaining regular or other unemploy- fense, for military construction, and ment compensation; and’’; and and infant health. I am glad that my (B) in subparagraph (B)— for defense activities of the Depart- colleague Rep. Terri Sewell will be in- ment of Energy, to prescribe military (i) in clause (i), by striking ‘‘or’’ at the troducing companion legislation in the end; personnel strengths for such fiscal House of Representatives. (ii) in clause (ii), by striking the period at year, and for other purposes. Given COV1D–19’s disproportionate the end and inserting ‘‘; or’’; and AMENDMENT NO. 2457 impact on communities of color and re- (iii) by adding at the end the following: At the request of Mr. MERKLEY, the cent research from the CDC which finds ‘‘(iii) in accordance with section 625.6(e)(2) names of the Senator from Delaware that pregnant women with COVID–19 of title 20, Code of Federal Regulations, or (Mr. COONS), the Senator from New are more likely to be hospitalized and any successor thereto, an individual who does not provide documentation substan- York (Mrs. GILLIBRAND), the Senator admitted to the ICU, this legislation is tiating employment or self-employment or from Rhode Island (Mr. REED) and the especially timely. the planned commencement of employment Senator from Delaware (Mr. CARPER) No woman should fear for her or her or self-employment under subparagraph were added as cosponsors of amend- child’s health because of her race. We (A)(iii).’’; ment No. 2457 intended to be proposed need to ensure more women of color (2) by redesignating paragraphs (4) and (5) to S. 4049, an original bill to authorize and their children, particularly Black as paragraphs (5) and (6), respectively; and appropriations for fiscal year 2021 for women and children, receive equitable (3) by inserting after paragraph (3) the fol- military activities of the Department care. COVID–19 and its impact on preg- lowing: of Defense, for military construction, nant women has only underscored the ‘‘(4) DOCUMENTATION SUBSTANTIATING EM- PLOYMENT OR SELF-EMPLOYMENT OR THE and for defense activities of the De- need for urgent action. By advancing PLANNED COMMENCEMENT OF EMPLOYMENT OR partment of Energy, to prescribe mili- evidence-based policies to improve ma- SELF-EMPLOYMENT.—The term ‘documenta- tary personnel strengths for such fiscal ternal and infant health outcomes, this tion substantiating employment or self-em- year, and for other purposes. bill will work to reduce and eliminate ployment or the planned commencement of

VerDate Sep 11 2014 07:23 Jul 23, 2020 Jkt 099060 PO 00000 Frm 00063 Fmt 4624 Sfmt 0634 E:\CR\FM\A22JY6.030 S22JYPT1 SSpencer on DSK126QN23PROD with SENATE S4426 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD — SENATE July 22, 2020 employment or self-employment’ means doc- Then, later on, in 1992, when Presi- $91 billion in Federal loans that fol- umentation provided by the individual sub- dent George H.W. Bush was in office lowed students to public and private stantiating employment or self-employment and I was Education Secretary, I colleges of their choice. and wages earned or paid for such employ- helped the President develop some- Now, the Federal Government also ment or self-employment, or such informa- tion related to the planned commencement thing we called the GI Bill for Kids, provides vouchers to help pay for of employment or self-employment.’’. which was Federal funds for a $1,000 childcare. The Child Care and Develop- (b) APPLICABILITY.— scholarship to work with cities and ment Block Grant was negotiated by (1) IN GENERAL.—Beginning not later than States, like Milwaukee in Wisconsin, John Sununu when he was Chief of 30 days after the date of enactment of this that were trying to give low-income Staff for H.W. Bush in 1990, and what Act, each State shall require that docu- families more choices of good schools that does is basically give money to mentation substantiating employment or for their children. States, and States then give vouchers, self-employment or the planned commence- Then, my last act as Education Sec- ment of employment or self-employment (as just like Pell grants for college, but defined in section 2102 of the Relief for Work- retary was to notice what they call they give them to working moms, and ers Affected by Coronavirus Act (contained start-from-scratch schools in Min- they can go pick the childcare center in subtitle A of title II of division A of the nesota, created by the Democratic- that is best for their child. CARES Act (Public Law 116–136)) be sub- Farmer-Labor Party. There were about The Federal Government, in 2019, mitted by any individual who applies for a dozen of them, as I remember, and I provided $8.7 billion and States another pandemic unemployment assistance under wrote every school district in the coun- $1.2 to provide vouchers to 1.3 million section 2102 of the Relief for Workers Af- try and asked them to start one of children. fected by Coronavirus Act (contained in sub- these start-from-scratch schools, which title A of title II of division A of the CARES So I think you can see where I am Act (Public Law 116–136)) on or after the date were the forerunners of today’s public going with this. It is that the idea of of enactment of this Act. charter schools. Today, we have 7,500 giving parents choices of schools is not (2) PRIOR APPLICANTS.—Any individual who public charter schools. a new idea. We have done it in colleges applied for pandemic unemployment assist- Then, in 2004, I tried something I since 1944. We do it with childcare. We ance under section 2102 of the Relief for called the Pell Grant for Kids, a $500 do it in community colleges. Why not Workers Affected by Coronavirus Act (con- scholarship that would follow every do it for elementary and secondary tained in subtitle A of title II of division A middle- and low-income child in Amer- education? Why not give low-income of the CARES Act (Public Law 116–136)) be- ica to an accredited program of their fore the date of enactment of this Act and families more of the same choices of choosing. good schools that wealthy families receives such assistance on or after the date Some people said: Wait a minute. of enactment of this Act shall submit docu- have? mentation substantiating employment or You can’t call the Pell grant a voucher. Now, during COVID–19, children in I said: That is precisely what the Pell self-employment or the planned commence- all K–12 schools have been affected by grant is. The Pell grant is a voucher ment of employment or self-employment (as the disease. There are 100,000 public that a college student can take to any defined in such section 2102) not later than 90 schools across our country serving 50 days after the date of enactment of this Act accredited college—public, private, or million students. That are another or the individual will be ineligible to receive religious. Why can’t we do that for ele- 35,000 private schools serving 5 million pandemic unemployment assistance under mentary and secondary schools? such section 2102. In 2005, we had a hurricane named students. Many of those schools, public Katrina, creating devastation on the and private, are choosing not to reopen By Mr. SCOTT of South Carolina gulf coast, and Senator Ted Kennedy in person this fall. (for himself, Mr. ALEXANDER, and I and Senator Landrieu and others Many schools are failing to provide and Mr. CRUZ): worked together to provide 1.2 billion high-quality distance learning. The S. 4284. A bill to provide for emer- Federal dollars in one-time emergency students who will suffer the most from gency education freedom grants, to assistance for the 2005–2006 school year this are the low-income children—the amend the Internal Revenue Code of so students enrolled in public or non- children from families where both par- 1986 to establish tax credits to encour- ents work away from home every day age individual and corporate taxpayers public schools—children who were dis- placed by the hurricane—could enroll or where the only parent works away to contribute to scholarships for stu- from home every day, children with no dents through eligible scholarship- in public or private schools while their families recovered. They got scholar- internet, families who can’t afford to granting organizations, and for other put a child in a private school if the purposes; to the Committee on Fi- ships of up to $6,000. And, more recently, I suggested a public school is not open. nance. These are the parents who have the Mr. ALEXANDER. Mr. President, Scholarship for Kids Act. I said: Why don’t we give a State like Tennessee, greatest need and the children who today, Senator TIM SCOTT of South Ohio, or North Dakota, the opportunity have the greatest need. We should ad- Carolina and I have introduced the dress that need as we think about how School Choice Now Act, which does two to take most of the Federal dollars and turn them into scholarships for the to deal with COVID–19. things: It protects students who have Just as more families need more op- been attending private schools from lowest income students in their State? tions, there are fewer scholarships the heartbreaking loss of scholarships, That scholarship would amount to available to help them choose private and it gives families more options for $2,100 if we just took the existing schools because there has been less their children’s education at a time money we had and spent it that way. charitable giving as a result of the pan- that school is more important than So that is the strategy that we fol- ever. lowed in this country for many, many demic. I have been working to find ways to years, ever since 1944, with the GI bill So for low-income students attending help parents pursue the education that for veterans. private schools on a scholarship, that best meets their child’s needs for a We all remember what that was. The can mean a heartbreaking end to their long time, since 1979, when I began to veterans came home and a grateful na- time at school and a transfer to a new be the Governor of Tennessee. tion gave them a scholarship and said: school that may not meet their needs In 1986, we Governors got together in Take it anywhere you want, to any col- at all. something called Time for Results. I lege or accredited school. Take it to That is why Senator SCOTT and I and was chairman of the National Gov- Notre Dame, take it to Yeshiva, take it others of us recommend that Congress ernors Association. The vice chairman to a historically Black college, take it first provide sufficient funding for all was the Arkansas Governor, Bill Clin- to Ohio State, take it to Tennessee, of our schools—100,000 public schools ton, and we devoted the Governors’ at- take it to the Presbyterian school. and 35,000 private—so they can safely tention for an entire year to one sub- And they have done that, and the GI open this fall with as many students ject—education. bill may be one of the most certainly physically present as possible. There were six points. One of those successful pieces of legislation ever en- I have suggested that the cost of this points way back then was to find ways acted. to the taxpayers could be as much as to give parents more choices of schools Last year, there were over $28 billion $70 billion. The House of Representa- for their children. in Federal Pell grants and more than tives has appropriated $58 billion.

VerDate Sep 11 2014 07:23 Jul 23, 2020 Jkt 099060 PO 00000 Frm 00064 Fmt 4624 Sfmt 0634 E:\CR\FM\A22JY6.033 S22JYPT1 SSpencer on DSK126QN23PROD with SENATE July 22, 2020 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD — SENATE S4427 If Congress were to agree on the MURRAY, Ms. HASSAN, Mr. KAINE, Ms. on the basis of race, color, national origin, higher number, $70 billion, that would DUCKWORTH, Mr. SCHATZ, Mr. CASEY, sex, age, or disability in certain health pro- be about $1,200 for every one of the 55 Mr. DURBIN, Mr. REED, Ms. STABENOW, grams, building on other Federal civil rights laws; and Mr. KING) submitted the following million public and private school stu- Whereas the Patient Protection and Af- dents in the country. resolution; which was referred to the fordable Care Act required reporting to Con- The School Choice Now Act that Sen- Committee on Health, Education, gress on health disparities based on race, ator SCOTT and I are offering is about Labor, and Pensions: color, national origin, sex, age, or disability; the 5.7 million of those 55 million chil- S. RES. 655 Whereas several Federal programs have dren who attend the 35,000 nonpublic, Whereas the United States ratified over 350 been established to address some, but not all, private, or religious schools. It pro- treaties with sovereign indigenous commu- of the health outcomes that are dispropor- vides scholarships to students to have nities, has broken the promises made in such tionately experienced by communities of color, including sickle cell disease, tuber- the opportunity to return to the pri- treaties, and has historically failed to carry out its trust responsibilities to Native Amer- culosis, infant mortality, and HIV/AIDS; vate school they attended before the Whereas the National Center for Chronic pandemic and gives other students a icans, including American Indians, Alaska Natives, and Native Hawaiians, as made evi- Disease Prevention and Health Promotion works to raise awareness of health dispari- new opportunity to attend private dent by the chronic and pervasive under- ties faced by minority populations in the school by doing two things: One, pro- funding of the Indian Health Service and United States, such as Native Americans, viding one-time emergency funding for Tribal, Urban Indian, and Native Hawaiian Asian Americans, Black Americans, and scholarship-granting organizations. health care, the vast health and socio- Latino Americans, aiming to reduce risk fac- economic disparities faced by Native Amer- These are nonprofits that do the impor- tors for groups affected by such health dis- ican people, and the inaccessibility of many tant work of helping students attend parities; Federal public health and social programs in private schools in each State. These Whereas the United States’ health care Native American communities; scholarship-granting organizations will system and other economic and social struc- Whereas people of Mexican and Puerto use this one-time funding to provide tures remain fraught with racism and racial, Rican descent, who became Americans ethnic, sex (including sexual orientation and families with direct educational assist- through conquest, were subject to, but never ance, including private school tuition gender identity), and class biases that lead full members of the polity of the United to health inequity and health disparities; as well as homeschooling expenses. States and experienced widespread discrimi- Whereas life expectancy rates for Black No. 2, this act would provide perma- nation in employment, housing, education, and Native American people in the United nent dollar-for-dollar Federal tax cred- and health care; States are significantly lower than those of its for contributions to those scholar- Whereas the immoral paradox of slavery white people in the United States; ship-granting organizations. What this and freedom is an indelible wrong traced Whereas disparities in health outcomes are throughout the Nation’s history, as African exacerbated for LGBTQIA+ people of color; means is that any American taxpayer Americans lived under the oppressive insti- who makes a charitable donation to Whereas disparities in health outcomes are tution of slavery from 1619 through 1865, en- worsened for people of color with disabilities one of these nonprofits that provide dured the practices and laws of segregation due to bias and inequitable access to health scholarships to students will receive a during the Jim Crow Era, and continue to care; credit on their Federal taxes equal to face the ramifications of systemic racism Whereas several States with higher per- the amount the taxpayer donated. The through unjust and discriminatory struc- centages of Black, Latino, and Native Amer- same goes for private companies that tures and policies; ican populations have not expanded their make donations to these organizations. Whereas, before the enactment of the Medicaid programs—continuing to disenfran- Medicare program, the United States’ health chise minority communities from access to The School Choice Now Act is not a care system was highly segregated, and, as Federal mandate. States are free to health care to this day; late as the mid-1960s, hospitals, clinics, and Whereas 16 States have failed to take ad- create their own tax credit scholarship doctors’ offices throughout Northern and vantage of the Federal option to expand ac- programs that work for the unique Southern States complied with Jim Crow cess to Medicaid and the Children’s Health needs of students in their States. laws and were completely segregated by Insurance Program to lawfully-residing im- States that don’t want to support race—leaving Black communities with little migrant children within the first 5 years of scholarships to private schools are not to no access to health care services; lawful status, and 26 States have failed to do required to accept these funds. They Whereas, between 1956 and 1967, the Na- so for similarly-situated pregnant women; tional Association for the Advancement of can be returned to the Secretary, and Whereas, between 2016 and 2018, the child Colored People (NAACP) Legal Defense and uninsured rate increased from 4.7 percent to the funds will be redistributed to Education Fund litigated a series of court 5.2 percent and the Latino child uninsured States that want the funds. cases to eliminate discrimination in hos- rate increased from 7.7 percent to 8.1 per- This bill is about one of the great pitals and professional associations; cent, and children of color are far more like- principles of what it means to be an Whereas the landmark case Simkins v. ly to be uninsured than white children; American: the principle of equal oppor- Moses H. Cone Memorial Hospital, 323 F.2d Whereas a climate of fear and confusion for tunity. For me, equal opportunity 959 (1963), challenged the Federal Govern- immigrant families due to the public charge means creating an environment in ment’s use of public funds to expand, sup- rule discourages such families from enrolling port, and sustain segregated hospital care, eligible children in Medicaid and the Chil- which the largest number of people can and provided justification for title VI of the dren’s Health Insurance Program; begin at the starting line. When every- 1964 Civil Rights Act and the Medicare hos- Whereas Pacific Islanders from the Freely one is at the starting line in America, pital certification program—establishing Associated States experience unique health anything is possible. Giving children Medicare hospital racial integration guide- disparities resulting from United States nu- more opportunity to attend a better lines that applied to every hospital that par- clear weapons tests on their home islands, school is the real answer to inequality ticipated in the Federal program; but such people have been categorically de- in America. Whereas, in 1967, President Lyndon B. nied access to Medicaid and other Federal Johnson established the National Advisory health benefits; f Commission on Civil Disorders, which con- Whereas the United States has historically SUBMITTED RESOLUTIONS cluded that white racism is responsible for facilitated outsider status toward Asian the pervasive discrimination and segregation Americans and Pacific Islanders, such as the in employment, education, and housing, re- authorization of the internment of Japanese SENATE RESOLUTION 655—DECLAR- sulting in deepened racial division and con- Americans during World War II, which re- ING RACISM A PUBLIC HEALTH tinued exclusion of Black communities from sulted in profound economic, social, and psy- CRISIS the benefits of economic progress; chological burdens for the people impacted; Whereas language minorities, including Whereas the history and persistence of rac- Mr. BROWN (for himself, Mr. BOOK- Latinos, Asian Americans, and Pacific Is- ist and non-scientific medical beliefs are as- ER, Ms. HARRIS, Mr. SCHUMER, Mr. CAR- landers, were not assured non-discriminatory sociated with ongoing racial disparities in PER, Mr. MARKEY, Mr. WYDEN, Ms. access to Federally-funded services, includ- treatment and health outcomes; BALDWIN, Mr. BLUMENTHAL, Mr. HEIN- ing health services, until the signing of Ex- Whereas implicit racial and ethnic biases ecutive Order 13166 in 2000; within the health care system have an im- RICH, Mr. BENNET, Ms. SMITH, Mr. Whereas the Patient Protection and Af- pact on the quality of care experienced by CARDIN, Mrs. FEINSTEIN, Mr. SANDERS, fordable Care Act included provisions to ex- communities of color, such as the under- Ms. WARREN, Mr. VAN HOLLEN, Ms. pand the Medicaid program and—for the first treatment of pain in Black patients; KLOBUCHAR, Mr. MERKLEY, Mr. MENEN- time in the United States—established a Whereas the historical context of unethical DEZ, Mr. WHITEHOUSE, Ms. HIRONO, Mrs. Federal prohibition against discrimination practices and abuses experienced by Black

VerDate Sep 11 2014 07:23 Jul 23, 2020 Jkt 099060 PO 00000 Frm 00065 Fmt 4624 Sfmt 0634 E:\CR\FM\G22JY6.082 S22JYPT1 SSpencer on DSK126QN23PROD with SENATE S4428 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD — SENATE July 22, 2020 patients and research participants, such as Latino, and Native American patients across Whereas a Federal public health crisis dec- the Tuskegee Syphilis Study, serve as sym- the United States; laration defines racism as a pervasive health bols of the Black community’s mistrust of Whereas, because of racial and ethnic dis- issue and alerts the Nation to the need to the medical system; parities, people of color are more likely to enact immediate and effective cross-govern- Whereas women of color continue to face have pre-existing, preventable, and chronic mental efforts to address the root causes of attacks, documented throughout history, on conditions, which lead to higher COVID–19 institutional racism and their downstream their prenatal, maternal, and reproductive morbidity and mortality rates; impacts; and health and rights; Whereas people of color are overrepre- Whereas such declaration requires the re- Whereas enslaved Black women were sented in the number of people in the United sponse of the Government to engage signifi- forced to endure egregiously unethical and States living under poor air quality condi- cant resources to empower those commu- cruel treatment, as subjects of insidious tions, which can increase the likelihood of nities that are impacted: Now, therefore, be medical experiments, to advance modern COVID–19 morbidity and mortality; it gynecology; Whereas the COVID–19 pandemic has wors- Resolved, That the Senate— Whereas, through the late 1960s and early ened barriers for Black, Latino, and Native (1) supports the resolutions drafted, intro- 1980s, physicians routinely sterilized people American households that suffer from dis- duced, and adopted by cities and localities of color, performing excessive and medically proportionately higher rates of food insecu- across the Nation declaring racism a public unnecessary procedures on patients of color rity; health crisis; without their informed consent; Whereas Black and Latino workers make (2) declares racism a public health crisis in up a disproportionate number of frontline Whereas Black and Native American the United States; workers, are less likely to receive paid sick women are 2 to 4 times more likely than (3) commits to— leave or have the ability to work from home, white women to suffer severe maternal mor- (A) establishing a nationwide strategy to and have been excluded from many forms of bidity or die of pregnancy-related complica- address health disparities and inequity relief readily available to other groups; tions, and implicit racial biases and lower across all sectors in society; Whereas people of color are disproportion- quality care are contributing factors to the (B) dismantling systemic practices and ately impacted by the criminal justice and health care disparities that lead to these policies that perpetuate racism; immigration enforcement systems and face a (C) advancing reforms to address years of outcomes; higher risk of contracting COVID–19 within Whereas Black and Native American in- neglectful and apathetic policies that have prison populations and detention centers due led to poor health outcomes for communities fants are twice as likely to die as white in- to the over-incarceration of people of color; fants, and the Black infant mortality rate in of color; and Whereas, during the COVID–19 pandemic, (D) promoting efforts to address the social the United States is higher than in 97 coun- an increased use of anti-Asian rhetoric has tries worldwide; determinants of health—especially for resulted in Asian Americans being harassed, Black, Latino, and Native American people Whereas researchers have developed the assaulted, and scapegoated for the pandemic; analytical framework of ‘‘weathering’’ to de- in the United States, and other people of Whereas communities of color continue to color; and scribe how the constant stress of racism bear the burdens of inequitable social, eco- leads to poor health outcomes for Black (4) places a charge on the Nation to move nomic, and criminal justice policies, prac- forward with urgency to ensure that the Americans; tices, and investments that cause deep dis- Whereas the daily experience of racism is United States stands firmly in honoring its parities, hurt, harm, danger, and mistrust; moral purpose of advancing the self-evident associated with stress, depression, and anx- Whereas over 40 percent of Latinos report iety, and may cause physiological reactivity truths that all people are created equal, that being discriminated against or harassed be- they are endowed with certain unalienable or contribute to chronic health conditions; cause they are Hispanic; Whereas racism is linked to mental health rights, and that among these are life, lib- Whereas approximately 24 percent of the erty, and the pursuit of happiness. challenges for children and adolescents; Latino population in the United States iden- Whereas children of color are overrepre- tifies as ‘‘Afro-Latino’’ and is thus poten- f sented in the United States child welfare tially subject to both race and national ori- SENATE RESOLUTION 656—RECOG- system, and up to 80 percent of children in gin discrimination; foster care enter State custody with signifi- NIZING THE IMPORTANCE OF Whereas, because of racism, Black people THE BLUEBERRY INDUSTRY TO cant mental health challenges; in the United States share a unique set of Whereas disparities in educational access challenges and experiences that require THE UNITED STATES AND DES- and attainment, along with racism experi- heightened levels of awareness and risk IGNATING JULY 2020 AS ‘‘NA- enced in the educational setting, affect the while performing everyday tasks—such as TIONAL BLUEBERRY MONTH’’ trajectory of academic achievement for chil- jogging in neighborhoods, driving while Ms. STABENOW (for herself, Mrs. dren and adolescents, and ultimately impact Black, or playing in a park—that are not ex- MURRAY, Ms. CANTWELL, Mr. PERDUE, health and racial inequities in school dis- perienced by other populations; Mr. KING, and Ms. COLLINS) submitted cipline, which has long-term consequences Whereas Black people in the United States for children; are 3 times more likely to be killed by police the following resolution; which was re- Whereas racism and segregation in the than white people in the United States, and ferred to the Committee on the Judici- United States contribute to poor health out- police violence is the 6th leading cause of ary: comes by segregating Black, Latino, and Na- death for young Black men; S. RES. 656 tive American communities from oppor- Whereas the police brutality and violence Whereas the blueberry is a fruit native to tunity; experienced by Black people in the United North America; Whereas, for decades, discriminatory hous- States adversely impacts mental health Whereas blueberries were first— ing practices, such as redlining, systemically among Black communities; (1) managed and harvested as wild blue- excluded people of color from housing, rob- Whereas Black communities led the Nation berries by the native Wabanaki through spe- bing them of capital in the form of low-cost, in mourning the killings of Ahmaud Arbery, cialized burning practices that are still used stable mortgages and opportunities to build Breonna Taylor, George Floyd, Elijah in 2020; and wealth, and the Federal government used its McClain, and countless other Black Ameri- (2) used fresh and dried in food and medi- financial power to segregate renters in cans—calling for justice and long-term cines by Native Americans, who introduced newly-built public housing; changes to dismantle systems of oppression; blueberries to early colonists, which led to Whereas environmental injustices, such as Whereas throughout our Nation’s history, new uses and forms of blueberries, including proximity and exposure to toxic waste or people of color have been at the forefront of frozen, establishing traditions still observed hazardous air pollutants, continue to harm civil rights movements for essential free- in 2020; the health of communities of color, low-in- doms, human rights, and equal protection for Whereas the pioneering work conducted in come communities, and Indigenous commu- marginalized groups and continue to fight New Jersey in the early 1900s by Elizabeth nities around the Nation; for racial and economic justice today; White and Dr. Frederick Coville, a botanist Whereas social inequities such as differing Whereas a public health issue is defined as at the Department of Agriculture, to domes- access to quality health care, healthy food meeting the following 4 criteria: ticate wild lowbush blueberries resulted in and safe drinking water, safe neighborhoods, (1) The condition affects many people, is the development of the hybrid for cultivated education, job security, and reliable trans- seen as a threat to the public, and is con- highbush blueberries; portation affect health risks and outcomes; tinuing to increase. Whereas, because of those early efforts, Whereas, during the COVID–19 pandemic, (2) The condition is distributed unfairly. highbush blueberries are large, sweet, juicy the effects of racism and discrimination are (3) Preventive measures could reduce the berries that can be commercially produced seen in COVID–19 infection, hospitalization, effects of the condition. and shipped; and mortality rates—disproportionately high (4) Those preventive measures are not yet Whereas wild blueberries— among Black, Latino, and Native American in place; (1) are small and sweet; and populations compared to the overall popu- Whereas racism meets the criteria of a (2) are not planted, but still grow and are lation—exacerbating health disparities and public health crisis, and public health ex- harvested where they have naturally oc- highlighting barriers to care for Black, perts agree; curred for thousands of years;

VerDate Sep 11 2014 07:23 Jul 23, 2020 Jkt 099060 PO 00000 Frm 00066 Fmt 4624 Sfmt 0634 E:\CR\FM\A22JY6.035 S22JYPT1 SSpencer on DSK126QN23PROD with SENATE July 22, 2020 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD — SENATE S4429 Whereas the blueberry industry in the SEC. 3168. SENSE OF CONGRESS ON IMPORTANCE (1) in subsection (a)— United States, including both highbush and OF EXTRACTING AND PROCESSING (A) in paragraph (20), by inserting ‘‘in ac- wild blueberries, is an important agricul- URANIUM IN THE UNITED STATES. cordance with subsection (c)’’ before the pe- tural industry with an annual economic im- It is the sense of Congress that extracting riod at the end; pact of $4,700,000,000; and processing uranium in the United States (B) in paragraph (21)— Whereas highbush and wild blueberries— increases the resiliency of the United States (i) by striking ‘‘including with Federal of- (1) have a total harvested area estimated to counter uranium producers owned or con- ficials,’’; and at more than 140,000 acres; and trolled by hostile foreign governments. (ii) by inserting ‘‘in accordance with sub- (2) are produced in 48 States by more than section (c)’’ before the period at the end; and 15,000 growers and their families; SA 2488. Ms. MCSALLY submitted an (C) by adding at the end the following new Whereas highbush and wild blueberry pro- amendment intended to be proposed to paragraph: duction in the United States has continually amendment SA 2301 proposed by Mr. ‘‘(23) To— increased, with particular growth during the INHOFE to the bill S. 4049, to authorize ‘‘(A) require semi-annual content reviews first 2 decades of the 21st century, reaching appropriations for fiscal year 2021 for of each language service of each surrogate a total harvest of 700,000,000 pounds in 2019; military activities of the Department network, consisting of a review of at least 10 Whereas blueberries are— of Defense, for military construction, percent of available weekly content, by flu- (1) low in fat; and and for defense activities of the De- ent language speakers and experts without (2) a source of fiber, vitamins, and min- direct affiliation to the language service erals; partment of Energy, to prescribe mili- being reviewed, who are seeking any evi- Whereas blueberries are being studied to tary personnel strengths for such fiscal dence of unprofessional content, which shall examine the role that the berries may play year, and for other purposes; which was be submitted to the Office of Policy and Re- in promoting good health in areas such as ordered to lie on the table; as follows: search, the head and Board of the respective cardiovascular health, brain health, exercise, At the end of subtitle A of title VII, add service, and the Chief Executive Officer; and insulin response, and gut health; and the following: ‘‘(B) submit to the appropriate congres- Whereas blueberries are harvested in the SEC. 708. MANDATORY REFERRAL OF MEMBERS sional committees a list of anomalous re- United States from March through early OF THE ARMED FORCES FOR MEN- ports, including status updates on anoma- September, with the peak of the harvest oc- TAL HEALTH EVALUATION. lous services during the 3-year period com- curring in July: Now, therefore, be it Section 1090a of title 10, United States mencing on the date of receipt of the first re- Resolved, That the Senate— Code, is amended— port of unprofessional content.’’; and (1) designates July 2020 as ‘‘National Blue- (1) by redesignating subsection (e) as sub- (2) by adding at the end the following new berry Month’’; section (f); and subsection: (2) recognizes the contributions of blue- (2) by inserting after subsection (d) the fol- ‘‘(c) LIMITATION ON CORPORATE LEADERSHIP berry growers in the United States and their lowing new subsection: OF GRANTEES.— families; and ‘‘(e) PROCESS APPLICABLE TO MEMBER DIS- ‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—The Chief Executive Offi- (3) recognizes that purchasing blueberries CLOSURE.—The regulations required by sub- cer may not award any grant under sub- grown in the United States supports farmers, section (a) shall— section (a) to RFE/RL, Inc., Radio Free Asia, jobs, and the economy of the United States. ‘‘(1) establish a phrase that enables a mem- the Middle East Broadcasting Networks, the ber of the armed forces to trigger a referral Open Technology Fund, or any other grantee f of the member by a commanding officer or authorized under this title (collectively re- AMENDMENTS SUBMITTED AND supervisor for a mental health evaluation; ferred to as ‘Agency Grantee Networks’) un- PROPOSED ‘‘(2) require a commanding officer or super- less the incorporation documents of any such visor to make such referral as soon as prac- grantee require that the corporate leadership SA 2487. Mr. ENZI submitted an amend- ticable following disclosure by the member and Board of Directors of such grantee be se- ment intended to be proposed to amendment to the commanding officer or supervisor of lected in accordance with this Act. SA 2301 proposed by Mr. INHOFE to the bill S. the phrase established under paragraph (1); ‘‘(2) CONFLICTS OF INTEREST.— 4049, to authorize appropriations for fiscal and ‘‘(A) CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER.—The Chief year 2021 for military activities of the De- ‘‘(3) ensure that the referral process pro- Executive Officer may not serve on any of partment of Defense, for military construc- tects the confidentiality of the member in a the corporate boards of any grantee under tion, and for defense activities of the Depart- manner similar to the confidentiality pro- subsection (a). ment of Energy, to prescribe military per- vided for members making restricted reports ‘‘(B) FEDERAL EMPLOYEES.—A full-time em- sonnel strengths for such fiscal year, and for under section 1565b(b) of this title.’’. ployee of a Federal agency may not serve on other purposes; which was ordered to lie on a corporate board of any grantee under sub- the table. SA 2489. Mr. MENENDEZ submitted section (a). SA 2488. Ms. McSALLY submitted an an amendment intended to be proposed ‘‘(3) QUALIFICATIONS OF GRANTEE BOARD amendment intended to be proposed to to amendment SA 2301 proposed by Mr. MEMBERS.—Individuals appointed under sub- amendment SA 2301 proposed by Mr. INHOFE INHOFE to the bill S. 4049, to authorize section (a) to the Board of Directors of any to the bill S. 4049, supra; which was ordered appropriations for fiscal year 2021 for of the Agency Grantee Networks shall have to lie on the table. requisite expertise in journalism, tech- SA 2489. Mr. MENENDEZ submitted an military activities of the Department of Defense, for military construction, nology, broadcasting, or diplomacy, or ap- amendment intended to be proposed to propriate language or cultural understanding amendment SA 2301 proposed by Mr. INHOFE and for defense activities of the De- relevant to the grantee’s mission.’’. to the bill S. 4049, supra; which was ordered partment of Energy, to prescribe mili- (d) INTERNATIONAL BROADCASTING ADVISORY to lie on the table. tary personnel strengths for such fiscal BOARD.—Section 306 of the United States SA 2490. Mr. ROUNDS submitted an year, and for other purposes; which was International Broadcasting Act of 1994 (22 amendment intended to be proposed to ordered to lie on the table; as follows: U.S.C. 6205) is amended— amendment SA 2301 proposed by Mr. INHOFE Add at the end of subtitle G of title XII the (1) by striking subsections (a) through (c) to the bill S. 4049, supra; which was ordered following: and inserting the following: to lie on the table. SEC. 1287. UNITED STATES AGENCY FOR GLOBAL ‘‘(a) IN GENERAL.—The International f MEDIA. Broadcasting Advisory Board (referred to in (a) SHORT TITLE.—This section may be this section as the ‘Advisory Board’) shall TEXT OF AMENDMENTS cited as the ‘‘U.S. Agency for Global Media advise the Chief Executive Officer of the SA 2487. Mr. ENZI submitted an Reform Act’’. United States Agency for Global Media, as appropriate. The Advisory Board as estab- amendment intended to be proposed to (b) SENSE OF CONGRESS.—It is the sense of Congress that the Office of Cuba Broad- lished shall exist within the Executive amendment SA 2301 proposed by Mr. casting should— branch of Government as an entity described INHOFE to the bill S. 4049, to authorize (1) remain an independent entity of the in section 104 of title 5. appropriations for fiscal year 2021 for United States Agency for Global Media; and ‘‘(b) COMPOSITION OF THE ADVISORY military activities of the Department (2) continue taking steps to ensure that BOARD.— of Defense, for military construction, the Office is fulfilling its core mission of pro- ‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—The Advisory Board and for defense activities of the De- moting freedom and democracy by providing shall consist of 7 members, of whom— partment of Energy, to prescribe mili- the people of Cuba with objective news and ‘‘(A) 6 shall be appointed by the President, tary personnel strengths for such fiscal information programming. by and with the advice and consent of the (c) AUTHORITIES OF THE CHIEF EXECUTIVE Senate, in accordance with subsection (c); year, and for other purposes; which was OFFICER; LIMITATION ON CORPORATE LEADER- and ordered to lie on the table; as follows: SHIP OF GRANTEES.—Section 305 of the United ‘‘(B) 1 shall be the Secretary of State. At the end of subtitle F of title XXXI, add States International Broadcasting Act of ‘‘(2) CHAIR.—The President shall designate, the following: 1994 (22 U.S.C. 6204) is amended— with the advice and consent of the Senate, 1

VerDate Sep 11 2014 07:23 Jul 23, 2020 Jkt 099060 PO 00000 Frm 00067 Fmt 4624 Sfmt 0634 E:\CR\FM\A22JY6.036 S22JYPT1 SSpencer on DSK126QN23PROD with SENATE S4430 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD — SENATE July 22, 2020 of the members appointed under paragraph Office of Management and Budget or to Con- (D) in subsection (g), by striking ‘‘Board’’ (1)(A) as Chair of the Advisory Board. gress; each place such term appears and inserting ‘‘(3) PARTY LIMITATION.—Not more than 3 ‘‘(6) advise the Chief Executive Officer to ‘‘Agency’’; members of the Advisory Board appointed ensure that— (E) in subsection (h)(5), by striking under paragraph (1)(A) may be affiliated with ‘‘(A) the Chief Executive Officer fully re- ‘‘Board’’ and inserting ‘‘Agency’’; and the same political party. spects the professional integrity and edi- (F) in subsection (i), in the first sentence, ‘‘(4) TERMS OF OFFICE.— torial independence of United States Agency by striking ‘‘Board’’ and inserting ‘‘Agency’’; ‘‘(A) IN GENERAL.—Except as provided in for Global Media broadcasters, networks, and (4) in section 309— subparagraph (B), members of the Advisory grantees; and (A) in subsection (c)(1), by striking Board shall serve for a single term of 4 years, ‘‘(B) agency networks, broadcasters, and ‘‘Board’’ each place such term appears and except that, of the first group of members grantees adhere to the highest professional inserting ‘‘Agency’’; appointed under paragraph (1)(A)— standards and ethics of journalism, including (B) in subsection (e), in the matter pre- ‘‘(i) 2 members who are not affiliated with taking necessary actions to uphold profes- ceding paragraph (1), by striking ‘‘Board’’ the same political party, shall be appointed sional standards to produce consistently reli- and inserting ‘‘Agency’’; for terms ending on the date that is 2 years able and authoritative, accurate, objective, (C) in subsection (f), by striking ‘‘Board’’ after the date of the enactment of the U.S. and comprehensive news and information; each place such term appears and inserting Agency for Global Media Reform Act; and ‘‘Agency’’; and ‘‘(ii) 2 members who are not affiliated with ‘‘(7) provide other strategic input to the (D) in subsection (g), by striking ‘‘Board’’ the same political party, shall be appointed Chief Executive Officer. and inserting ‘‘Agency’’; for terms ending on the date that is 4 years (5) in section 310(d), by striking ‘‘Board’’ ‘‘(e) APPOINTMENT OF HEADS OF NET- after the date of the enactment of the U.S. and inserting ‘‘Agency’’; Agency for Global Media Reform Act; and WORKS.— (6) in section 310A(a), by striking ‘‘Broad- ‘‘(iii) 2 members who are not affiliated ‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—The heads of Voice of casting Board of Governors’’ and inserting with the same political party, shall be ap- America, the Office of Cuba Broadcasting, ‘‘United States Agency for Global Media’’; pointed for terms ending on the date that is RFE/RL, Inc., Radio Free Asia, the Middle (7) in section 310B, by striking ‘‘Board’’ 6 years after the date of the enactment of East Broadcasting Networks, the Open Tech- and inserting ‘‘Agency’’; the U.S. Agency for Global Media Reform nology Fund, or of any other grantee author- (8) by striking section 312; Act. ized under this title may only be appointed (9) in section 313(a), in the matter pre- ‘‘(B) SECRETARY OF STATE.—The Secretary or removed if such action has been approved ceding paragraph (1), by striking ‘‘Board’’ of State shall serve as a member of the Advi- by a majority vote of the Advisory Board. and inserting ‘‘Agency’’; sory Board for the duration of his or her ten- ‘‘(2) REMOVAL.—After consulting with the (10) in section 314— ure as Secretary of State. Chief Executive Officer, 5 or more members (A) by striking ‘‘(4) the terms ‘Board and ‘‘(5) VACANCIES.— of the Advisory Board may unilaterally re- Chief Executive Officer of the Board’ means ‘‘(A) IN GENERAL.—The President shall ap- move any such head of network or grantee the Broadcasting Board of Governors’’ and point, with the advice and consent of the network described in paragraph (1). inserting the following: Senate, additional members to fill vacancies ‘‘(3) QUORUM.— ‘‘(2) the terms ‘Agency’ and ‘Chief Execu- on the Advisory Board occurring before the ‘‘(A) IN GENERAL.—A quorum shall consist tive Officer of the Agency’ mean the United expiration of a term. of 4 members of the Advisory Board (exclud- States Agency for Global Media and the ‘‘(B) TERM.—Any members appointed pur- ing the Secretary of State). Chief Executive Officer of the United States suant to subparagraph (A) shall serve for the ‘‘(B) DECISIONS.—Except as provided in Agency for Global Media, respectively,’’; and remainder of such term. paragraph (2), decisions of the Advisory (B) in paragraph (3)— ‘‘(C) SERVICE BEYOND TERM.—Any member Board shall be made by majority vote, a (i) by striking ‘‘includes—’’ and inserting whose term has expired shall continue to quorum being present. ‘‘means the corporation having the corporate serve as a member of the Advisory Board ‘‘(C) CLOSED SESSIONS.—The Advisory title described in section 308’’; and until a qualified successor has been ap- Board may meet in closed sessions in accord- pointed and confirmed by the Senate. (ii) by striking subparagraphs (A) and (B); ance with section 552b of title 5, United and ‘‘(D) SECRETARY OF STATE.—When there is States Code.’’. a vacancy in the office of Secretary of State, (11) in section 316— the Acting Secretary of State shall serve as (e) CONFORMING AMENDMENTS.—The United (A) in subsection (a)(1), by striking a member of the Advisory Board until a new States International Broadcasting Act of ‘‘Broadcasting Board of Governors’’ and in- Secretary of State is appointed.’’; 1994 (22 U.S.C. 6201 et seq.) is amended— serting ‘‘United States Agency for Global (2) by redesignating subsection (d) as sub- (1) in section 304— Media’’; and section (c); (A) in the section heading, by striking (B) in subsection (c), by striking ‘‘Broad- (3) by amending subsection (c), as redesig- ‘‘BROADCASTING BOARD OF GOVERNORS’’ and in- casting Board of Governors’’ and inserting nated— serting ‘‘UNITED STATES AGENCY FOR GLOBAL ‘‘United States Agency for Global Media’’. (f) RULEMAKING.—Notwithstanding any (A) in the subsection heading, by inserting MEDIA’’; other provision of law, the United States ‘‘ADVISORY’’ before ‘‘BOARD’’; and (B) in subsection (a), by striking ‘‘Broad- Agency for Global Media may not revise part (B) in paragraph (2), by inserting ‘‘who casting Board of Governors’’ and inserting 531 of title 22, Code of Federal Regulations, are’’ before ‘‘distinguished’’; and ‘‘United States Agency for Global Media’’; which took effect on June 11, 2020, without (4) by striking subsections (e) and (f) and (C) in subsection (b)(1), by striking ‘‘Broad- casting Board of Governors’’ and inserting explicit authorization by an Act of Congress. inserting the following new subsections: (g) SAVINGS PROVISIONS.—Section 310 of the ‘‘(d) FUNCTIONS OF THE ADVISORY BOARD.— ‘‘United States Agency for Global Media’’; United States International Broadcasting The members of the Advisory Board shall— and Act of 1994 (22 U.S.C. 6209) is amended by add- ‘‘(1) provide the Chief Executive Officer of (D) in subsection (c), by striking ‘‘Board’’ ing at the end the following new subsections: the United States Agency for Global Media each place such term appears and inserting ‘‘(f) MAINTENANCE OF PROPRIETARY INFOR- with advice and recommendations for im- ‘‘Agency’’; MATION.—No consolidation of grantees au- proving the effectiveness and efficiency of (2) in section 305— thorized under subsection (a) involving any the Agency and its programming; (A) in subsection (a)— grantee shall result in any legal transfer of ‘‘(2) meet with the Chief Executive Officer (i) in paragraph (6), by striking ‘‘Board’’ ownership of any proprietary information or at least 4 times annually, including twice in and inserting ‘‘Agency’’; intellectual property to the United State person as practicable, and at additional (ii) in paragraph (13), by striking ‘‘Board’’ Agency for Global Media or any other Fed- meetings at the request of the Chief Execu- and inserting ‘‘Agency’’; eral entity. tive Officer or the Chair of the Advisory (iii) in paragraph (20), by striking ‘‘Board’’ ‘‘(g) RULE OF CONSTRUCTION.—No consolida- Board; and inserting ‘‘Agency’’; and tion of grantees authorized under subsection ‘‘(3) report periodically, or upon request, to (iv) in paragraph (22), by striking ‘‘Board’’ (a) shall result in the consolidation of the the congressional committees specified in and inserting ‘‘Agency’’; Open Technology Fund or any successor en- subsection (c)(2) regarding its advice and rec- (B) in subsection (b), by striking ‘‘Board’’ tity with any other grantee.’’. ommendations for improving the effective- each place such term appears and inserting (h) RULE OF CONSTRUCTION.—Nothing in the ness and efficiency of the United States ‘‘Agency’’; United States International Broadcasting Agency for Global Media and its program- (3) in section 308— Act of 1994 or any other provision of law may ming; (A) in subsection (a), in the matter pre- be construed to make the Open Technology ‘‘(4) obtain information from the Chief Ex- ceding paragraph (1), by striking ‘‘Board’’ Fund an entity authorized under such Act ecutive Officer, as needed, for the purposes of and inserting ‘‘Agency’’; until the effective date of legislation author- fulfilling the functions described in this sub- (B) in subsection (b), by striking ‘‘Board’’ izing the establishment of the Open Tech- section; each place such term appears and inserting nology Fund. ‘‘(5) consult with the Chief Executive Offi- ‘‘Agency’’; cer regarding budget submissions and stra- (C) in subsection (d), by striking ‘‘Board’’ SA 2490. Mr. ROUNDS submitted an tegic plans before they are submitted to the and inserting ‘‘Agency’’; amendment intended to be proposed to

VerDate Sep 11 2014 07:23 Jul 23, 2020 Jkt 099060 PO 00000 Frm 00068 Fmt 4624 Sfmt 0634 E:\CR\FM\A22JY6.039 S22JYPT1 SSpencer on DSK126QN23PROD with SENATE July 22, 2020 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD — SENATE S4431 amendment SA 2301 proposed by Mr. meet during the session of the Senate The clerk will report the resolution INHOFE to the bill S. 4049, to authorize on Wednesday, July 22, 2020, at 9:30 by title. appropriations for fiscal year 2021 for a.m., to conduct a hearing. The senior assistant legislative clerk military activities of the Department COMMITTEE ON COMMERCE, SCIENCE, AND read as follows: of Defense, for military construction, TRANSPORTATION A resolution (S. Res. 617) designating July and for defense activities of the De- The Committee on Commerce, 22, 2020, as ‘‘Glioblastoma Awareness Day’’. partment of Energy, to prescribe mili- Science, and Transportation is author- There being no objection, the com- tary personnel strengths for such fiscal ized to meet during the session of the mittee was discharged, and the Senate year, and for other purposes; which was Senate on Wednesday, July 22, 2020, at proceeded to consider the resolution. ordered to lie on the table; as follows: 9:45 p.m. to conduct a hearing on nomi- Mr. CRAMER. I ask unanimous con- At the end of subtitle D of title XII, insert nations. sent that the resolution be agreed to, the following: COMMITTEE ON FOREIGN RELATIONS the preamble be agreed to, and the mo- SEC. 1242. FEASIBILITY STUDY ON INCREASED The Committee on Foreign Relations tions to reconsider be considered made ROTATIONAL DEPLOYMENTS TO GREECE AND ENHANCEMENT OF is authorized to meet during the ses- and laid upon the table. UNITED STATES-GREECE DIPLO- sion of the Senate on Wednesday, July The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without MATIC ENGAGEMENT. 22, 2020, at 2 p.m., to conduct a hearing objection, it is so ordered. (a) FEASIBILITY STUDY.— on nominations. The resolution was agreed to. (1) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary of Defense COMMITTEE ON HOMELAND SECURITY AND The preamble was agreed to. shall conduct a study on the feasibility of in- GOVERNMENTAL AFFAIRS (The resolution, with its preamble, is creased rotational deployments of members of the Armed Forces to Greece, including to The Committee on Homeland Secu- printed in the RECORD of June 15, 2020, Souda Bay, Alexandroupoli, Larissa, Volos, rity and Governmental Affairs is au- under ‘‘Submitted Resolutions.’’) and Stefanovikeio. thorized to meet during the session of f (2) ELEMENT.—The study required by para- the Senate on Wednesday, July 22, 2020, graph (1) shall include an evaluation of any at 10 a.m., to conduct a hearing. infrastructure investment necessary to sup- ORDERS FOR THURSDAY, JULY 23, COMMITTEE ON THE JUDICIARY port such increased rotational deployments. 2020 The Committee on the Judiciary is (3) REPORT TO CONGRESS.—Not later than Mr. CRAMER. Mr. President, I ask 180 days after the date of the enactment of authorized to meet during the session of the Senate on Wednesday, July 22, unanimous consent that when the Sen- this Act, the Secretary of Defense shall sub- ate completes its business today, it ad- mit to the congressional defense committees 2020, at 2:30 p.m., to conduct a hearing. a report on the results of the study required journ until 9:30 a.m., Thursday, July 23; COMMITTEE ON RULES AND ADMINISTRATION further, that following the prayer and by paragraph (1) that includes the estimated The Committee on Rules and Admin- costs associated with such increased rota- pledge, the morning hour be deemed tional deployments. istration is authorized to meet during expired, the Journal of proceedings be (b) DIPLOMATIC ENGAGEMENT.—The Sec- the session of the Senate on Wednes- approved to date, the time for the two retary of State is encouraged to pursue per- day, July 22, 2020, at 10:30 a.m., to con- leaders be reserved for their use later sistent United States diplomatic engage- duct a hearing. in the day, and morning business be ment with respect to the Greece-Cyprus- SELECT COMMITTEE ON INTELLIGENCE closed; further, that following leader Israel and Greece-Cyprus-Egypt trilateral The Select Committee on Intel- agreements beyond the occasional participa- remarks, the Senate resume consider- tion of United States diplomats in the reg- ligence is authorized to meet during ation of Calendar No. 483, S. 4049; fi- ular summits of the countries party to such the session of the Senate on Wednes- nally, that all time during recess, ad- agreements. day, July 22, 2020, at 10 a.m., to conduct journment, morning business, and lead- f a hearing. er remarks count postcloture on sub- SUBCOMMITTEE ON WATER AND POWER stitute amendment No. 2301, as amend- AUTHORITY FOR COMMITTEES TO The Subcommittee on Water and ed. MEET Power of the Committee on Energy and The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without Mr. THUNE. Mr. President, I have 8 Natural Resources is authorized to objection, it is so ordered. requests for committees to meet during meet during the session of the Senate today’s session of the Senate. They on Wednesday, July 22, 2020, at 2:30 f have the approval of the Majority and p.m., to conduct a hearing. ADJOURNMENT UNTIL 9:30 A.M. Minority leaders. f Pursuant to rule XXVI, paragraph TOMORROW 5(a), of the Standing Rules of the Sen- GLIOBLASTOMA AWARENESS DAY Mr. CRAMER. Mr. President, if there ate, the following committees are au- Mr. CRAMER. Mr. President, I ask is no further business to come before thorized to meet during today’s session unanimous consent that the Com- the Senate, I ask unanimous consent of the Senate: mittee on the Judiciary be discharged that it stand adjourned under the pre- COMMITTEE ON BANKING, HOUSING, AND URBAN from further consideration of and the vious order. AFFAIRS Senate now proceed to S. Res. 617. There being no objection, the Senate, The Committee on Banking, Housing, The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without at 8:55 p.m., adjourned until Thursday, and Urban Affairs is authorized to objection, it is so ordered. July 23, 2020, at 9:30 a.m.

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