[Congressional Record Volume 166, Number 52 (Wednesday, March 18, 2020)]
[Senate]
[Pages S1787-S1789]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                              CORONAVIRUS

  Mr. MANCHIN. Mr. President, thank you. I want to thank my colleague 
from Oregon for his big heart and his compassion, continually always 
worrying about those being left behind and forgotten. I can assure you 
that Mr. Merkley does not leave anybody behind, and he never forgets 
those who are in need of help.
  Let me just say, in speaking about what we are dealing with, unlike 
anything we have ever seen in my lifetime and most people's lifetimes, 
up until a couple days ago, my State of West Virginia felt like we were 
immune. There were no cases reported, and we were like an island in a 
sea of infestation around us. I knew that was not the case. Many people 
did not know that we were just not testing and the amount of tests were 
just not out there, so people had a false sense of hope and security.
  That has been shattered. We have our first case now. I am praying to 
the good Lord we don't have many more, but I suspect because of the 
fragility of our citizens and the elderly population that we have, 
those who have done

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hard work all their lives and have respiratory ailments could be in 
jeopardy. We are very concerned about that.
  I was reluctant to come and speak, but I think there are some things 
that need to be said. We are moving in an unprecedented way to how much 
money should be thrown at a pandemic and how much money do they believe 
it will take to get us through this horrible time. First of all, we 
should be thinking about are we investing and trying to build our 
healthcare defense system back up? It has been basically decimated over 
the last 2 or 3 years. Should we not put the scientists and people who 
know back in positions where they can be looking at these horrible 
illnesses and diseases, pandemics, and viruses that we have coming from 
different parts of the world to protect us from them hitting our 
country again like this?
  Next of all, should we not be putting everything we have into our 
research capabilities and working with all the scientists in all the 
different centers so that we can find a way to treat this virus with a 
vaccine that would prevent people from contracting this virus? Those 
are the measures we should be totally and absolutely committed to and 
spending our time and effort immediately upon.
  Next of all, the financial help that we are going to need. First of 
all, don't you think we should be using this--through every challenge 
that we have ever had in this great country, we have found a way to 
come out of it bigger and stronger. Don't you think we should be 
manufacturing the medical devices that we need to heal and cure and 
take care of American citizens right here in the good old USA? Don't 
you think we should have the amount of products it takes to make the 
pharmaceutical pills that we need in order to keep us healthy or cure 
us, if you will? Don't you think some of that should be done in the USA 
that we have allowed to leave our shores and which now we find is 
desperately needed? Don't you think we should be making the medical 
masks to protect our first responders and all of our medical workers 
whom we need to have on the job? Those are the things we are worried 
about from the fallout that can come from this horrific pandemic. It 
gives us a chance to reconnect and also a way to correct the 
lackadaisical approach we have had to manufacturing over the years. 
This is a time for change.
  Let me throw something else out. I don't think that you and I need a 
$1,000 check. I don't think we need that. I think there are an awful 
lot of people in America who still have a job, even if they are working 
from home, and that basically is not going to change their life with 
that $1,000 check. Think about the people who truly do need that check 
and a lot more--people on the frontline who have no control of this 
whatsoever, that don't have a guaranteed source of income unless they 
are out there earning it every day. Don't you think we could help them 
more through expanded unemployment benefits, working through the system 
that we already have in place in all of our States and in this country? 
Don't you think that might be a better way?
  How about the small businesses that are not capitalized to the point 
that they have no ability whatsoever to continue to operate when there 
is no capital or cashflow or reserves to take care of themselves? Don't 
you think we can help them through the SBA by removing the restrictions 
and redtape we have? Unemployment benefits: Basically, waiving all the 
wait times, increasing that to a $500-a-week limit? Things of that sort 
would help, don't you think?
  The large corporations, which I know everyone is concerned about, got 
one tremendous tax break. That being said, they will come back. They 
can afford to pay back a loan at zero percent interest, if you will, 
helping in some way to keep that part of the economy stimulated but not 
to the point where we are putting our children and grandchildren into a 
debt that we can avoid--but not being compassionate and sympathetic 
toward those who really need it on the frontline, which is the average 
working person who gets up every day and finds out there is no work for 
them. They are already on unemployment. They are in the system. Also, 
the small businesses are struggling. They are there.

  We are to the point now where we are going to bite off a lot more, 
and we are going to write checks that our children can't cash. That is 
exactly what we are doing, if we are not smart about this. It seems 
that everyone is gathering around now for whatever type of cover. I am 
not sitting here blaming the President or blaming any administration or 
anybody else for what we didn't do 2 or 3 or 4 months ago. I am asking 
now: Are we going to take responsibility for what we are about to do 
that doesn't make any sense whatsoever?
  With that being said, let's make sure that the money we are putting 
in the system is fixing the medical end of it, finding a cure for this 
virus, making sure that other viruses or pandemics don't attack us. 
Let's make sure we are doing everything we can with what we are 
responsible for.
  Every leader takes an oath of office. When you raise your hand, 
whether you are a mayor or Governor or President, whatever, you should 
be thinking immediately upon taking that oath, what can I do to protect 
the people I am responsible to represent? If you can't do that, then 
you are going into the wrong job with the wrong ideas, I can assure you 
of that.
  I am saying that I have the most at-risk population in the country. 
It is an older population that has done heavy lifting and heavy jobs 
and basically has respiratory concerns and ailments. They are the most 
vulnerable, and this pandemic can take a horrific toll on the 
population of the State of West Virginia if we are not careful with 
what we do.
  We can also change the course of how we do business and how we look 
after each other in America. This situation is asking all of us and 
challenging every one of us to look to humanity with compassion and to 
bring us together as a people. The American people are a most generous, 
caring, and compassionate people. West Virginians treat everybody as 
their neighbors. That is who we are. We must take care of our neighbors 
and reach out and help those in need.
  Right now, we have a situation where I am concerned. I am concerned 
that all of us have not done our job as well as we could have, and we 
are just throwing caution to the wind, thinking we can make everybody 
happy with this political coverage because we are going to be throwing 
money at everything, thinking this will take care of it. It will not. 
It will not unless we deal with the root problems we have. That means 
fixing our manufacturing base, taking care of Americans, making sure 
people who can't work and who have no other recourse, basically have no 
control of their destiny--basically provide the services. That means 
the jobs have to be there to meet the demand. We cut most of that out. 
Let's make sure we can take care of them and do that without 
bankrupting our future generations. I think it can be done.
  I will say this. I spoke to Vice President Mike Pence last night and 
told him the dire need we were in. I said: Mr. Vice President, I know 
the people are thinking that West Virginia has been spared. We have 
not. We haven't been tested. We need more test kits. We need more 
protection for our first responders. We need respirators and 
ventilators. We need the tents and first-tier operations. We are not in 
a second tier. We are too vulnerable to be in that second tier. If you 
want to stop the carnage that could happen if this thing breaks loose 
in my State full-fledged, then please help us.
  I want to thank the Vice President for basically reaching out and 
helping West Virginia. We are going to get through this. There will be 
a light at the end of the tunnel. There will be a new day. We will have 
a chance to right the problems we have right now that have been of our 
own making, and we can correct them by our own actions right now.
  I want to thank you, Mr. President. I hope all our colleagues are 
working in a bipartisan way. We should be working together. There are 
few times this opportunity comes. In a political arena, there are two 
things that happen. You better never ever take advantage of a crisis, 
and make something better happen. That is what we are dealing with now.
  It is a mandate. People are mandating us to do our job. They are 
mandating us to work together, not to be irresponsible or act like we 
are not in

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touch with the average person. We are because that is whom we 
represent.
  I yield the floor.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from Oregon.

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