[Congressional Record Volume 166, Number 53 (Thursday, March 19, 2020)]
[Senate]
[Pages S1820-S1822]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                              CORONAVIRUS

  Mr. DURBIN. Madam President, I come to the floor today to thank 
Speaker Pelosi, Leader Schumer, and all of my colleagues who help 
support the Families First Coronavirus Response Act. That measure was 
signed yesterday by President Trump. As I understand from Leader 
McConnell, work is underway on a third coronavirus package in the form 
of an economic stimulus to provide more support to families, 
businesses, and to the healthcare community, including our hospitals.
  This morning, I spoke to the Governor of Illinois--we have been 
speaking on almost a daily basis, sometimes almost several times a 
day--and asked him about the State of the situation in our home State 
of Illinois. Unfortunately, we are still desperate for testing kits. 
Illinois has about 5,000 more kits that were provided yesterday by a 
private company at the urging of our Governor, but we have never seen 
the number of test kits that we believe are necessary to measure the 
current state of this coronavirus in our home State of Illinois. The 
official count--and I might add that word ``official''--is that we have 
had 288 Illinoisans infected and 1 fatality. I believe that the number 
of infections in the official report grossly understates the exposure 
in my home State of Illinois. Once more tests are administered and we 
receive the results, I am afraid we are going to see a dramatic 
increase in that number of reported infections in the State.
  One hundred and twenty-eight new cases were announced yesterday in 
our State. It is the largest single 1-day increase since we have been 
reporting. We have 2 additional counties that have now been touched out 
of the 102. We are now up to 17 counties with the infections. An 
additional 20 people at the DuPage County long-term care facility 
tested positive, bringing it to a total of 42--30 residents and 12 
members of that staff--in that one facility.
  Forty-one thousand unemployment insurance claims were filed in 
Illinois in the past 2 days. To put that in perspective, during the 
same 2 days last year, 4,445 were filed. That is roughly 10 times the 
number of unemployment claims that have been filed this year. As I 
mentioned, that is 10 times the level of the same 2-day period a year 
ago.
  The Department of Labor reported this morning that 281,000 people 
filed unemployment insurance claims nationwide last week, and that 
number is likely to grow. Oak Park--just to the west of Chicago--is the 
first town in Illinois to issue a shelter-in-place order for residents, 
which will last until April 3. Mayor Lightfoot for the city of Chicago 
announced the city would temporarily suspend debt collection practices 
and nonsafety-related citations, as well as penalties for late payment.
  I might add that we learned last night that two Members of the House 
of Representatives have tested positive for the virus: Representatives 
Mario Diaz-Balart of Florida and Ben McAdams of Utah. Both developed 
symptoms last Saturday, just hours after voting on the coronavirus 
response bill with hundreds of other Members.
  I have joined with Senator Rob Portman of Ohio in proposing that we 
take into consideration the fact that we have critically important work 
to do in the Senate, but gathering in groups, as we have done 
historically, poses a health risk not just to us as Members and our 
families but to the staff as well as their families, the staff in the 
Senate and their families. We ought to be more thoughtful in terms of 
our own families and the people who work in the U.S. Senate. Yes, do 
our job, but do it in a sensible and thoughtful way.
  Senator Portman and I are exploring possibilities for remote voting 
by Members of the Senate. Why is it required that we be physically 
present on the floor, closer to one another, than perhaps we should be 
at this moment during a public health crisis? Senator Portman and I, on 
a bipartisan basis, are trying to find a way to achieve this goal and 
to still protect the integrity of the voting process in the U.S. 
Senate. Yes, it is new. Yes, it is different. Yes, it reflects the 21st 
century and reflects a challenge, the likes of which we have never 
seen. Tomorrow that challenge may be another public health crisis, some 
other national emergency, or maybe even a terrorist attack.

[[Page S1821]]

Shouldn't we be ready to make sure the Senate can still do its business 
if it is difficult, impossible, or not advised for Members of the 
Senate to come physically to the floor and announce their vote each 
time it is needed? We believe we should explore this on a bipartisan 
basis, and we are urging the leaders on both sides to look at it 
seriously at this moment.
  I might add as well that Governor Pritzker spoke about the issues 
that they are facing and said to me, more than once, that we need 
Federal guidance as to what we should do in our State. I want to salute 
him and the other Governors who are doing the best they can in drawing 
their own public health conclusions based on the advice they have 
received.
  I would think we need to be sensitive to the reality of the hospitals 
that are facing real challenges today that are likely to increase. What 
we have seen over the past few weeks from our healthcare workers on the 
frontline is nothing short of heroic. The nurses, the doctors, the 
technicians, the lab experts have done work above and beyond their call 
of duty that we hope for in these times of challenging crisis. I 
commend every hospital employee for their selflessness and quality 
work.
  What I am hearing from Illinois health officials is that hospitals 
are being stretched to the absolute limit. One hospital executive in 
central Illinois told me that his cashflow runs out in a matter of 
weeks and his hospital may be forced to close. In downtown Chicago, our 
academic medical centers have activated emergency protocol and are 
burning through protective masks, respirators, and other equipment.
  As of Tuesday, three-fourths of the 2,600 intensive care beds in 
Illinois were already occupied, and 40 percent of our 2,100 ventilators 
were being deployed.
  For the next package that we are considering here--CV-3 or phase 3, 
however you characterize it--Congress must step in with direct, 
immediate assistance to recognize the extreme financial burden and 
equipment shortfalls of hospitals and healthcare workers. This has to 
be priority No. 1, period.
  Prior to this coronavirus challenge, one in four rural hospitals 
across America were already facing closure. If a rural hospital closes 
in your home State--whether it is Nebraska or Kansas or Ohio or 
Illinois--jobs will leave, businesses close, and the community's 
healthcare needs are in peril. As part of the measure that we are 
presently considering--this phase 3 or CV-3 measure--Senator James 
Lankford of Oklahoma, a Republican, and I are calling for inclusion of 
our rural hospital relief act, which will provide immediate relief to 
the most financially vulnerable rural hospitals. These hospitals are 
the backbones of our health system in rural America.
  As we know, as well, many people soon may lose their jobs, if they 
haven't already, because of this pandemic. In so many cases, losing 
your job means losing your health insurance. That is why I am working 
to ensure individuals who lose their job as a result of this 
coronavirus do not also lose their healthcare. Under current law, COBRA 
coverage allows individuals to remain on their employer-sponsored 
health insurance plan after they lose their jobs and otherwise become 
ineligible. There is a basic problem with COBRA. It costs too much and 
the employee--now severed from their work--has to pay 100 percent of 
the premiums with no employer contributions. Many people just can't 
afford it.
  I think it is imperative that Congress step up and offer Federal 
funding to cover the costs of COBRA coverage for individuals who lose 
their jobs as a result of this pandemic. Loss of a job is bad enough. 
We can't also sit by while millions of people lose their health 
insurance.
  Democrats are working on a robust funding package to help our U.S. 
military defend our country against this pandemic. It includes 
substantial increases in the capacity of military healthcare that will 
benefit the troops, their families, retirees, and members of the 
public. We need more resources to provide the National Guard with the 
means to tackle this crisis. As of Wednesday, nearly 2,000 Guardsmen 
are active in 54 States and territories. The number grows each day. The 
women and men of the National Guard are working hard, distributing 
meals, transporting medical professionals, assisting with planning, and 
much more. Our States are paying for this emergency mission work out of 
their own pockets. This is a national emergency. States need Federal 
assistance as the role of the Guard is likely to grow.
  Some may be surprised there are just over 4,000 beds in the entire 
military medical system. Some projections say we will need triple that 
number, and I want to make sure that the funding is there if, God 
forbid, we need it.
  We also need to take immediate action to address the threat COVID-19 
poses to inmates and staff in our Federal prison system. Just 
yesterday, two Federal Bureau of Prison staff tested positive for 
COVID-19. It is only a matter of time until the virus begins to spread 
within these correction facilities, if it hasn't already. Despite this 
threat, the Trump administration has not requested any additional 
funding for the Bureau of Prisons to prepare for overtime costs. We 
need to make sure our Federal, State, and local prisons and jails have 
access to the supplies and personnel and resources they need. We need 
to do everything we can to safely release or transfer as many inmates 
as possible to home confinement, particularly those vulnerable and 
elderly.
  Our economy is being ravaged by this public health epidemic. The 
Department of Labor reported this morning that more than 281,000 people 
applied for jobless benefits last week, a 33-percent increase from the 
previous week. Similar grim news has come out of Illinois that has seen 
unemployment claims skyrocket, as I mentioned earlier. These figures 
show us how serious this is for working families, underscoring the 
importance to move quickly and boldly.
  Congress must immediately take steps to ensure State unemployment 
trust fund accounts have more resources to get the benefits to those 
who need them. This morning, my Governor alerted me to the fact that 
there is a cashflow problem because of these claims being made on the 
unemployment benefits account. Nationwide, small businesses and 
retailers are closing their doors--some, we hope, only temporarily. 
Restaurants are moving to take-out only or closing up their shops 
altogether.
  This morning, I had a webinar with Chicagoland Chamber of Commerce. 
We expected about 100 people to participate, and over 500 did. Small 
businesses across America are very conscious of the threats to their 
continuing business by this public health crisis. This is going to be a 
significant hit for a lot of small businesses. We have to be there to 
help them.
  I support a proposal that also is being led by my Senate colleagues, 
Senators Brown Bennet, and Booker, to request that direct cash 
assistance beginning at $2,000 be sent to American families in need. 
This will be a crucial lifeline, but it alone can't help these families 
navigate the crisis.
  I support what Senator Schumer said earlier about strengthening 
unemployment insurance for these same families. A second wave of 
assistance is likely to go out. I support that as well.
  I don't believe this is a short-lived crisis. We have to see it 
through and stand by the workers and their families all the way.
  In past times of economic crisis, we have seen an increase in chapter 
11 bankruptcy filings by businesses. Too often, these businesses have 
been able to manipulate the bankruptcy process to favor creditors and 
management while leaving the workers high and dry. We cannot let this 
happen again. For more than 10 years, I have had a bill to reform 
chapter 11 to improve outcomes for workers and retirees, most 
importantly, by doubling to $20,000 the value of worker wage claims 
that are entitled to priority payment in bankruptcy.
  Let's get that reform done as part of the challenge of this crisis. 
Let's make helping workers the highest priority when it comes to 
business bankruptcy.
  We also need to make clear that companies that take Federal bailout 
money can't turn around and use chapter 11 to try to get rid of their 
collective bargaining agreements with their workforce. My legislation 
would prevent this type of gaming. We need to get that done as well.

[[Page S1822]]

  If Congress is going to consider changes to make the bankruptcy 
process simpler and less painful for businesses, we ought to do the 
same for workers and families. That includes Americans who are 
currently being crushed by student loan debt and face their own 
economic recession even before this one. If we are talking about 
relieving debts that businesses and individuals cannot pay, for 
goodness' sake, how can we ignore the crushing student loan debt across 
America, which compromises the futures of the thousands of Americans? 
We need to take steps to forgive student debt, like for students who 
were defrauded by for-profit colleges--a measure we continue to fight 
Secretary DeVos over--and we need to restore dischargeability in 
bankruptcy for student loans once and for all.
  In short, bold policy ideas to help families during this time are not 
exclusive to either political party. I look forward, as we have in the 
first two measures, to a bipartisan effort and a timely effort to 
respond. America is counting on us. Now is the time for us to produce
  I yield the floor.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from Ohio.

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