S2022 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD — SENATE March 25, 2020 building blocks of the proposal we will ing creative ways to stand united, even The PRESIDING OFFICER. The pass today. if they have to stand 6 feet apart. clerk will call the roll. But Republicans knew the Nation We will win this fight because of peo- The senior assistant legislative clerk had no time—no time—for conven- ple like Amy Jean Tyler, a stay-at- proceeded to call the roll. tional political gamesmanship, so the home mom in Oldham County, KY, who Mr. DURBIN. Mr. President, I ask instant we released our first draft, I is leading a drive to sew cotton masks unanimous consent that the order for created a series of bipartisan working for a local children’s hospital. the quorum call be rescinded. groups. I asked Republicans and Demo- We will win this fight because of peo- The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without crats to work together around the ple like Pastor Grant Hasty in Stearns, objection, it is so ordered. clock—literally, around the clock—to KY, who is gathering volunteers to dis- f make the bill even better. tribute more than 550 home-cooked By Sunday, we had an updated pro- meals. RESERVATION OF LEADER TIME posal that was even stronger and con- We will win this fight because of peo- The PRESIDING OFFICER. Under tained even more ideas, literally, from ple like Peg Hays, who runs a distillery the previous order, the leadership time both sides—both sides. Republicans and in Christian County, KY, and is tempo- is reserved. Democrats have worked together to rarily converting her bourbon-making dramatically strengthen and rework facilities to churn out hand sanitizer. f unemployment insurance during this We will win this fight because na- CONCLUSION OF MORNING crisis. We have worked together to tional companies are switching produc- BUSINESS make sure lower income families could tion lines to make medical supplies be- The PRESIDING OFFICER. Morning receive the full cash assistance, and on cause our largest high-tech companies business is closed. and on. are partnering with the government to I will leave it to others to compare throw supercomputing power right into f the bipartisan Sunday bill to the final the race for vaccines. LEGISLATIVE SESSION version we will pass today and deter- We will win this fight because of fam- mine whether the last few changes ilies, neighbors, and church commu- really required or merited 3 days of nities that cannot even worship to- MIDDLE CLASS HEALTH BENEFITS delay—3 days of delay—in the face of gether in person and because of small TAX REPEAL ACT OF 2019—Motion this worsening crisis. But that Wash- businesses, big businesses, public to Proceed—Resumed ington drama does not matter any- health Ph.D.s, and local entrepreneurs. The PRESIDING OFFICER. Under more. The Senate is going to stand to- It has been 18 years since every the previous order, the Senate will re- gether, act together, and pass this his- American was united in amazement sume consideration of the motion to toric relief package today. and prayer as firefighters and first re- proceed to H.R. 748, which the clerk Struggling Americans are going to go sponders rushed into burning buildings will report. to their mailboxes and find four-figure on September 11, 2001. The senior assistant legislative clerk checks to help with their bills. Why? In the coming days and weeks, our read as follows: Because the Senate stepped up. Nation is going to meet new heroes. Many American families who have Many may be police, firefighters, and A bill (H.R. 748) to amend the Internal Rev- poured everything into a restaurant or EMTs once again. Many others will be enue Code of 1986 to repeal the excise tax on high cost employer-sponsored health cov- a shop or a small manufacturer are truckdrivers, grocery store clerks, and erage. going to keep making payroll and keep pharmacists, who literally keep our The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Sen- their businesses alive because this Sen- supply chains running; utility workers ator from Illinois. ate stepped up. and delivery drivers, who leave their Hundreds of thousands of workers in homes so everyone else can remain in CORONAVIRUS key sectors who might well have been theirs; teachers, who somehow manage Mr. DURBIN. Mr. President, America laid off through no fault of their own to keep educating their students over has never seen anything like this be- will, instead, get to keep their job and the internet while looking after their fore. To think that half of the people continue their career because this Sen- own kids at the very same time. And, who live in the United States are under ate stepped up. most of all, we are going to meet a some order to either stay home or at And, for the healthcare heroes who whole lot of American heroes who wear least avoid contact with others is un- leave their own sleeping children and scrubs and masks and gloves—heroes heard of. This is an enemy—this drive to the hospital for an all-night who rush toward the sick and wash virus—the likes of which we have never shift, who spend hour after hour heal- their hands until they bleed and work faced. ing the sick, comforting strangers, and around the clock to heal our friends As strong and determined as our Na- literally battling this disease, there and our families. tion is when it comes to these chal- will be more masks in their supply When our Nation comes through this lenges, this is unique, and it calls for closet, more funding for their hos- and takes flight again on the other unique leadership. There are a lot of pitals, and, soon, more new treatments side, it will be because American he- critics of the U.S. Congress—for good to administer to their patients because roes won this fight. All the Senate can reason—but I think what we have dem- this Senate stepped up. do is to give them the resources to do onstrated in the last several weeks So, today, the Senate will act to help it, and that is exactly what we are since we have addressed this the people of this country weather this going to do today. coronavirus is that there is a capacity storm. Nobody thinks legislation can f for common sense, bipartisan work, end this. We cannot outlaw the virus. and a timeliness that is essential. No economic policy could fully end ORDER OF BUSINESS The first two measures were passed the hardship so long as the public Mr. MCCONNELL. Mr. President, I in record time—one for $8 billion, health requires that we put so much of ask unanimous consent that notwith- which opened the door for more med- our Nation’s commerce on ice. This is standing the provision of rule XXII, the ical resources; the second, for $100 bil- not even a stimulus package. It is cloture motion with respect to the mo- lion, which tried to guarantee to people emergency relief—emergency relief. tion to proceed to H.R. 748 occur at a they would never have to pay to be That is what this is. time to be determined by the majority tested for coronavirus, that there No, this fight is not going to be won leader in consultation with the Demo- would be adequate food supplies during or lost in Washington. It is the Amer- cratic leader during today’s session. this calamitous time, that we would ican people who will beat this virus. The PRESIDING OFFICER. Is there have resources sent to the States for Americans will keep making sacrifices objection? Medicaid reimbursement at new levels, to slow down the spread. Americans Without objection, it is so ordered. that we would also engage people with will keep pitching in and looking after Mr. MCCONNELL. I suggest the ab- family leave, as necessary, so that they each other. Americans will keep find- sence of a quorum. could stay out of the workplace if they VerDate Sep 11 2014 06:32 Mar 26, 2020 Jkt 099060 PO 00000 Frm 00002 Fmt 4624 Sfmt 0634 E:\CR\FM\G25MR6.002 S25MRPT1 dlhill on DSKBBY8HB2PROD with SENATE March 25, 2020 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD — SENATE S2023 felt badly, and that we would also have ease even further in the United States. have come forward and asked: Are you an idea that we would come together as It says to those who are anxiously ex- going to help us? We are spending a lot a nation to move unemployment insur- panding their resources, expanding the of money because of this COVID–19. ance with dispatch. That passed, again, number of beds, bringing in retired This bill does it. It was not an easy in a timely way with a bipartisan vote. medical personnel—as the Governor task. We had to convince the other side And, then, we came to the third chal- from Illinois, J.B. Pritzker, is doing— that it was money well spent, and I am lenge—a challenge the likes of which I that we hear them and are providing happy to report that, on a bipartisan have never seen in my time in Con- them the resources to go to work to basis, we reached that agreement. As it gress, and I don’t imagine anyone else fight this challenge we face at every should, some $150 million will be going has. We decided in a span of about 7 corner of the United States. to these State and local governments.