[Congressional Record Volume 166, Number 51 (Tuesday, March 17, 2020)]
[Senate]
[Pages S1771-S1772]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]





                              CORONAVIRUS

  Mr. CORNYN. Madam President, across our country, we are seeing 
cities, schools, businesses, and other organizations take the necessary 
and serious precautions to keep the American people safe from the 
spread of the coronavirus. School districts, colleges, and universities 
are canceling in-person classes, churches are moving services online, 
professional sports teams are hitting pause on their regular season, 
airlines are canceling flights, and many Main Street businesses are 
closing their doors.
  I know that all of this is a little disorienting and certainly 
alarming. But while these measures aren't normal, it is a sign that we 
are heeding advice from the experts, people like Dr. Fauci and 
organizations like the Centers for Disease Control. It is a sign that 
we are doing what we can to prevent or at least slow down community 
spread. It is a sign that we are standing together and making progress, 
ultimately expecting that we will get through this together. The 
difficult decisions that need to be made by elected officials, business 
owners, and community leaders when they decide to shut down normal 
parts of our daily lives--these are not easy decisions for them to 
make.
  Despite the public health benefits these closures will provide, we 
are also expecting other serious--mainly economic--consequences. Our 
economic engine is being brought to a halt as people are staying home 
rather than producing, and small businesses and their employees in 
particular are feeling the impact.
  Jason Phillips is a manager at Zoli's Pizza in Fort Worth, TX, and he 
has been in the service industry for more than 20 years. Still, he said 
he has never been in a situation quite like this one. He said this past 
Saturday that Zoli's Pizza had about half the number of customers they 
have come to expect.
  Steven Startz has experienced a similar struggle. Last November, he 
opened a new restaurant in New Braunfels, TX, just north of San 
Antonio, called Le Citron European Cafe and Bistro. The first year for 
any new restaurant is bound to be tough. As luck would have it, a week 
after they opened, an oven broke, and it had to be replaced. But 
nothing has prepared Steven for the months of February and March, what 
they would bring. He was hoping, as you might imagine, for an uptick in 
tourists, which would mean more business, but instead a pandemic has 
kept everybody at home. Rather than a positive bump in the business, 
revenue for his young restaurant is down 60 percent. As a result, he 
has had to cut staff, and he hasn't hired replacements for the 
employees he has recently lost.
  This is an all-too-familiar struggle for millions of Americans who 
are unable to go to work during this pandemic and are facing serious 
economic uncertainty about their future. Those in the service 
industry--especially those who rely on tips--are among the hardest hit.
  I am glad to say that soon the Senate will take action to provide 
additional relief. As the Presiding Officer knows, we passed an $8.3 
billion emergency package to help fast-track discovery of a vaccine and 
to make sure that our healthcare sector is prepared for what is coming 
at it, or at least better prepared.
  The House has now passed the Families First Coronavirus Response Act, 
which we are in the process of taking up and will hopefully finish this 
week, and then I expect there will be a third installment--a stimulus 
package that Treasury Secretary Mnuchin will be up here on the Hill 
talking about today to try to help employees and employers and entire 
industries survive this economic trauma.
  The Families First Coronavirus Response Act will help protect both 
the physical and financial health of our country by supporting workers 
and their families impacted by the virus. It will remove financial 
barriers for Texans who need access to coronavirus testing, regardless 
of income or insurance coverage.
  This is one of the things I talked to Governor Abbott about in 
particular. He said that there are two things that Texas needs. He said 
it is more testing and it is more protective equipment, personal 
protective equipment--PPEs, as they are called--in order for this 
testing to take place.
  While it is still true--according to the Centers for Disease 
Control--that you should not be tested unless you are experiencing 
symptoms and referred by a healthcare provider, it is clear that more 
testing is going to be needed, and indeed we have heard from the 
President and the Vice President and the administration in general that 
we expect a huge ramping up of the capacity to test people so they can 
know whether they are positive and they need to stay in isolation or 
possibly need healthcare treatment or whether, like the President and 
one of our colleagues here, Senator Graham, they are negative, and 
obviously the peace of mind that comes with that. This legislation 
removes all financial barriers for that testing
  For those who have private insurance, it requires that all plans 
cover the cost of testing, including the cost of a provider, an urgent 
care center, and emergency room visits in order to get tested. As I 
said, right now, CDC protocol calls for a healthcare provider to make a 
diagnosis based on symptoms that would then lead to a test.
  Those are the same zero-cost measures that would apply to those 
covered by Medicare, Medicaid, and TRICARE.
  It also requires the National Disaster Medical System to reimburse 
the cost of testing for patients who are uninsured.
  In short, the bottom line is, no one will have to pay to be tested 
for the coronavirus, period.
  This legislation also includes a range of provisions to provide 
financial security for those who are unable to work, and that is 
because they are protecting the public health. It will create a new 
Federal emergency paid sick leave program for those impacted by the 
coronavirus. That means that any Texan--any American who is diagnosed, 
quarantining, or caring for a dependent who was impacted by this virus 
will be able to take 14 days of paid sick leave. And many Texas workers 
will be able to access 12 weeks of paid leave for virus-related long-
term absences. These protections include workers who stay home to care 
for their loved ones, including staying home with their kids due to 
school closures.
  This bill also makes changes to unemployment insurance. It will 
temporarily waive requirements for workers to prove they are actively 
searching for work during the public health emergency response, and it 
will provide $1 billion in emergency grants for States to support 
processing and paying unemployment insurance benefits. In other words, 
we know that people are staying home because their employers have told 
them their businesses have been shut down. Even though they are not 
sick, they are suffering financial loss. The purpose of this is to make 
sure that through the vehicle of unemployment insurance, they do get 
some money so that they can take care of their necessities and keep 
putting food on the table.
  This bill also takes serious steps to strengthen food security for 
those who are struggling with reliable access to healthy meals. This is 
one of the things I heard from a friend of mine out in West Texas just 
today concerned about the food banks that provide a safety net for 
people without access to regular, healthy food. This bill actually will 
send $400 million to local food banks, which are supporting those low-
income families across the country, including in places like West 
Texas.
  We know that older Americans are the most vulnerable when it comes to 
the coronavirus, and many are afraid to leave their homes at the risk 
of getting sick. This legislation provides a quarter of a billion 
dollars for the senior nutrition program to provide home-delivered 
meals to low-income seniors. It also provides half a billion dollars 
for Federal food stamps. It provides flexibility on work requirements, 
so those who lose their jobs or aren't able to work can receive 
assistance when they need it the most.
  I mentioned the food banks and the school lunch program. Last week, 
the U.S. Department of Agriculture approved a request from Texas with 
regard to school lunches. Millions of Texas students are currently 
eligible for free lunch programs, but, obviously, when the schools 
close, they don't get access to that nutrition. But thanks to the U.S. 
Department of Agriculture, Texas schools can continue to serve

[[Page S1772]]

free meals to low-income students, even when their schools are closed.
  This legislation also includes a range of measures to support 
healthcare workers, veterans, small businesses, and countless Texans 
who are struggling financially as a result of this pandemic.
  Of course, we know we are all racing against the clock to respond to 
this virus, and it is important for Congress to act promptly to 
demonstrate to the American people that we understand the problem and 
that we are using every tool in our toolbox to respond to this crisis 
on their behalf.
  In any major event--whether it is a natural disaster or a pandemic--
we need an all-of-government response. All of us need to be cooperating 
and working on the same page, moving as efficiently as we possibly can.
  As I said, the Families First Coronavirus Response Act builds on the 
$8.3 billion emergency spending bill that was signed into law by 
President Trump earlier this month. It also complements the national 
emergency declaration made by President Trump last week and Governor 
Abbott's disaster declaration for the State of Texas. That is why I 
plan to support this bill when a vote is scheduled.
  I know there are other Senators who have said they have good ideas. 
Many of them are intriguing and I think would make a positive addition 
to this legislation, but I think in times like this, the thing we need 
to do is to work together and function expeditiously to get this 
legislation passed. And because we know there is going to be another 
installment--a third installment--to respond to the coronavirus, 
perhaps those other good ideas can be included in that additional 
legislation, which we will pass before we recess.
  I was interested to hear the majority leader say that we will not 
recess until we take up and pass that third installment. I think his 
sense of urgency and his sense of determination and focus is well 
justified, and I congratulate him for that. I think we need to all pull 
together in a similar spirit of unity.
  I thank the Trump administration, especially Treasury Secretary 
Mnuchin, for working so quickly with Speaker Pelosi to build this 
package so that we can provide relief for American workers and families 
as soon as possible.
  This is not the first bill to strengthen our response to the 
coronavirus, and it will not be our last. As I said, there is a 
bipartisan commitment to passing the third phase to strengthen our 
economy and support the industries and businesses that have been hit 
the hardest by this pandemic.
  Leader McConnell has made clear his commitment to finding a bold, 
bipartisan solution to the economic challenges we are facing and will 
continue to face in the months ahead, and I am proud to support this 
effort.
  While conversations continue regarding the next phase of our 
coronavirus response and what that may look like, I believe it is time 
to pass the Families First Coronavirus Response Act so that we provide 
this needed relief to the American people as soon as possible.
  (Mr. SULLIVAN assumed the Chair.)

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