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.