March 5, 2021 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD — SENATE S1219 with school closures but only if they town admitting that they have written Senate agreed to the motion to proceed are Federal employees. To all the par- ‘‘the most progressive domestic legisla- to consideration of the bill. ents without government jobs, no such tion in a generation.’’ That is the A unanimous-consent-time agree- luck. White House Chief of Staff. Meanwhile, ment was reached providing for further There are provisions to let abortion here in the Senate, Democrats are still consideration of the bill at approxi- providers raid the small business res- pretending this is some down-the-mid- mately 9 a.m., on Friday, March 5, 2021; cue funds that were meant for Main dle proposal and lecturing us for not that there be 3 hours of debate remain- Street businesses. supporting it. They can’t even get their ing, with the time equally divided and They want to pay people a bonus not stories straight. controlled between the two managers to go back to work when we are trying The administration campaigned on or their designees; and that it be in to rebuild our economy. ushering in a new day of unity and bi- order for Senator SANDERS to offer the There is an effort to create a partisanship, but in 2020, under Repub- first amendment. brandnew, sprawling cash welfare pro- lican leadership, the Senate negotiated The ACTING PRESIDENT pro tem- gram—not the one-time checks but five rescue bills totaling $4 trillion, pore. The Senator from Vermont. constant payments—that ignores the and none of them got fewer than 90 UNANIMOUS CONSENT AGREEMENTS pro-work lessons of bipartisan welfare votes. That is how this Senate was run Mr. SANDERS. Madam President, I reform and which the White House has last year in a time of divided govern- ask unanimous consent that for the du- already stated they want to make per- ment, and now, in this supposed new ration of the Senate’s consideration of H.R. 1319, the American Rescue Plan manent. era of healing leadership, we are about Act of 2021, the majority and Repub- The unrelated liberal policies are to watch one party ram through a par- lican managers of the bill, while seated simply endless. It is like they have for- tisan package on the thinnest margins. or standing at the managers’ desks, be gotten we have a pandemic to fight. Go figure. permitted to deliver floor remarks, re- Larry Summers, a top economist in Republicans have many ideas to im- both the Clinton and Obama adminis- trieve, review, and edit documents, and prove the bill, many ideas, and we are send email and other data communica- trations, says this plan piles way more about to vote on all kinds of amend- debt on our kids and grandkids than we tions from text displayed on wireless ments in the hopes that some of these personal digital assistant devices and need to spend right now. That is Larry ideas make it into the final product. tablet devices. Summers, Bill Clinton’s Secretary We are going to try to improve the bill. What do we think about that? Treasury. Jason Furman, who chaired The millions who elected 50 Republican All right. I further ask unanimous President Obama’s Council of Eco- Senators will have their voices heard consent that the use of calculators be nomic Advisers, said the State and loud and clear. permitted on the floor during consider- local bailouts are ‘‘overkill.’’ These are Our country is already set for a roar- ation of the bill; further, that the staff liberal economists, Madam President. ing recovery. We are already on track be permitted to make technical and By one analysis, the Democrats’ to bounce back from this crisis. That is conforming changes to the bill, if nec- extra cash bonuses for laid-off workers not because of this bill; it is because of essary, consistent with the amend- who stay home will result in almost 60 our work last year. This is a trend this ments adopted during Senate consider- percent of workers earning more new Democratic government inherited. ation of the bill. money staying home than they would We are going to come roaring back and The ACTING PRESIDENT pro tem- earn from returning to work—more mostly not because of this bill—in fact, pore. Without objection, it is so or- money by staying home than they in some ways, in spite of this bill. It dered. would earn from returning to work. will be because of the bipartisan foun- AMENDMENT NO. 972 TO AMENDMENT NO. 891 What a great idea. This isn’t State un- dation we laid last year and the (Purpose: To provide for increases in the employment insurance; it is borrowing strength and resilience of our people. Federal minimum wage) from our kids and grandkids to pay yet Democrats inherited a tide that was al- Mr. SANDERS. Madam President, I an additional cash bonus for not work- ready turning. call up my amendment No. 972. ing. We could have worked together to do The ACTING PRESIDENT pro tem- This would extend deep into 2021, something smart to finish this fight as pore. The clerk will report. when we anticipate serious job growth. fast as possible. Democrats decided to The bill clerk read as follows: Just this morning, we had a jobs report do something else. The Senator from Vermont [Mr. SANDERS], that shattered expectations, nearly for himself and others, proposes an amend- f doubling the job growth experts had ex- ment numbered 972 to amendment No. 891. pected to see. CONCLUSION OF MORNING Mr. SANDERS. I ask unanimous con- This is what the Washington Post BUSINESS sent that the reading of the amend- says about this mess. This is the Wash- ment be dispensed with. The ACTING PRESIDENT pro tem- The ACTING PRESIDENT pro tem- ington Post about this mess that is be- pore. fore us: pore. Is there objection? Morning business is closed. Without objection, it is so ordered. For policy experts and even members of (The amendment is printed in today’s Biden’s own party, the improving picture is f RECORD under ‘‘Text of Amendments.’’) raising questions about whether the stim- LEGISLATIVE SESSION Mr. SANDERS. Madam President, I ulus bill is mismatched to the needs of the current moment. rise to offer an amendment to increase the Federal minimum wage from a That is from the Washington Post AMERICAN RESCUE PLAN ACT OF starvation wage of $7.25 an hour to $15 editorial. 2021 an hour over a 5-year period. It is mismatched all right because it The ACTING PRESIDENT pro tem- As I think you know, Congress has was never designed to meet Americans’ pore. Under the previous order, the not raised the minimum wage since needs. The goal was to ‘‘restructure Senate will resume consideration of 2007. The result of that is that half of things to fit’’ their ‘‘vision.’’ That is H.R. 1319, which the clerk will report. our people are now living paycheck to why there was no bipartisan process The bill clerk read as follows: paycheck, and many, in fact, are work- after a year of completely bipartisan ing for wages that are much too low in COVID bills that we worked on to- A bill (H.R. 1319) to provide for reconcili- ation pursuant to title II of S. Con. Res. 5. order to take care of their families. So, gether. That is why the Senate Repub- to my mind, the American people in licans who went to the White House to Pending: poll after poll and State after State un- propose working together were told: No Schumer amendment No. 891, of a per- derstand that we have to raise that thanks; take it or leave it. fecting nature. minimum wage to a living wage of 15 This is such a poorly targeted rush Prior to the consideration of this bucks an hour. I intend to do every- job that Democrats can’t even settle on measure, the Senate took the following thing that I can to make that happen, one set of political spin. The White action: By 51 yeas to 50 nays, Vice and I will be offering that amendment House Chief of Staff is going around President voting yea (Vote No. 73), the this morning. VerDate Sep 11 2014 00:56 Mar 10, 2021 Jkt 019060 PO 00000 Frm 00003 Fmt 0637 Sfmt 0634 E:\RECORD21\MARCH\S05MR1.REC S05MR1 abonner on DSKJLXR7X2PROD with CONG-REC-ONLINE S1220 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD — SENATE March 5, 2021 Madam President, before I do that, tion. That means, all over this coun- of our young people have seen edu- let me begin my remarks by explaining try, we have old people, elderly people, cation disrupted. Think about all of why this reconciliation bill that we are in their homes. They can’t interact the implications of what that means. It debating today, the American Rescue with their grandchildren, with their is likely that hundreds of colleges in Plan, is so enormously important that own kids, with their friends. You have America, which were struggling before it must be passed and must be passed young people who want to go to school, the pandemic, will cease to exist. as quickly as possible, in my view. This who want to socialize, who want to So you have the public health crisis legislation is the most consequential date, who want to do things that young with a half a million people dead, an and significant legislation for working people do.