[Congressional Record Volume 166, Number 54 (Friday, March 20, 2020)]
[Senate]
[Page S1862]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                       SENATE LEGISLATIVE AGENDA

  Mr. McCONNELL. Mr. President, yesterday I introduced the Coronavirus 
Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act: Senate Republicans' bold 
proposal to continue combating this health crisis and the economic 
crisis it is causing. And I called on our Democratic counterparts to 
join us immediately at the table for urgent discussions so the Senate 
can deliver measured relief to the American people as soon as humanly 
possible.
  I am glad to say that talks are already well underway. Earlier this 
morning, a number of our committee chairmen began indepth, bipartisan 
talks with their Democratic counterparts. We were joined by 
representatives from the administration, and those talks continue right 
now as we speak.
  Here are the next steps: These Member-level discussions will proceed 
with the goal of reaching agreements on each of four components of the 
legislation by the end of today--by the end of today, agreements on 
each of these four components.
  This would allow the first procedural vote to occur before the end of 
the day tomorrow, and that would allow a bipartisan package focused on 
immediate challenges to pass the Senate Monday.
  The Nation's needs and expectations are perfectly clear. Workers, 
families, small businesses, and the foundations of our economy itself 
need swift action. And in the Senate, ``swift'' means bipartisan.
  The Senate rose to the occasion earlier this month. We united across 
party lines to pass billions in quick funding to support the medical 
response, and we did it again just this week. We passed the more modest 
proposal that came over from the Democratic House quickly and in a 
bipartisan fashion.
  Now our Nation needs a major next step, and we need it fast. That is 
why Senate Republicans produced a bold initial proposal to give shape 
and structure to these discussions.
  First, our CARES Act will deliver direct financial help as quickly as 
possible to the American people. Senate Republicans want to put cash in 
Americans' hands.
  For Americans who have lost work, this would be the quickest possible 
first wave of government assistance to supplement unemployment 
insurance and help with bills and immediate needs.
  For our Nation's seniors, this would supplement Social Security and 
provide further relief to those who are at heightened risk and have had 
to change their routines literally overnight.
  And for Americans still working, this infusion of money would provide 
a little more certainty in this very uncertain moment and the 
opportunities to invest in local economies where possible.
  Second, our proposal would provide the quickest possible access to 
desperately needed liquidity for small businesses all across our 
country. Our proposal would use existing channels and small businesses' 
existing lending relationships to provide hundreds of billions of 
dollars in emergency capital, a significant cash infusion as fast as 
possible so that more small businesses can hold on to their workers, 
weather this disruption, and come out on the other side instead of 
having to resort to layoffs or shutdowns right away.
  So no tangled new bureaucracies, no delay of this urgent aid while we 
try to redesign complex programs from the ground up, just the most 
direct path--the most direct path to the cash that small businesses 
need to keep making payroll, while, in many cases, the government 
itself is chasing away their customers for the sake of public health.
  This straightforward approach is already earning support. A coalition 
of small business advocates has already written to express their hope 
that ``both Republicans and Democrats can come together'' to pass this.
  Third, our bill recognizes a big, structural, national crisis 
requires a big, structural response. Let me say that again. Our bill 
recognizes that a big, structural national crisis requires a big, 
structural response.
  We want to empower the Treasury Department to engage in targeted 
lending--not bailouts but loans--to key sectors and industries which 
this pandemic is hurting.
  Again, we want to preserve employer-employee relationships wherever 
we can. We have to fight to protect jobs, and we need to recognize that 
our Nation will need industries to come back online quickly on the 
other side of the crisis.
  Fourth--and this is crucial--our legislation will continue to push 
surged resources to the frontlines of the medical battle against the 
virus itself. We want to expand access to testing and treatment to 
further encourage and speed up research on therapeutics and eventually 
vaccines, to continue to fund the hospitals and health centers that are 
treating patients, and we want to expand healthcare workers' access to 
critical equipment and supplies, including--including--respirator 
masks.
  These are the four big things our bill seeks to do. As we speak, at 
this very moment, Senators on both sides are discussing the details and 
exchanging suggestions on all four of the pillars that I have just 
outlined.
  So, once again, this will not be the first bill we pass to combat 
this crisis or the second, and I do not expect it will be the last.
  This legislation does not need to contain every piece of the ongoing 
national effort. In fact, that would be impossible. But everyone--
everyone--from public health experts to economists, to working families 
of this country--everyone--has made it clear that we need to deliver 
relief and we need to deliver it now.
  We need to go big. We need to minimize new complexity, and we need to 
move swiftly. We need to push immediate relief to Americans. We need to 
keep Americans employed as much as possible and help job creators 
literally stay afloat. We need to continue taking action to stand with 
medical professionals and protect our Nation's health.
  Laid-off workers cannot wait. Struggling Main Street businesses 
cannot wait. Our hospitals and health centers cannot wait.
  So, as I said, I hope these Member-level discussions will be able to 
produce agreements in principle on all four components by the end of 
the day today. In fact, they must reach agreement by the end of the day 
today. That would leave tomorrow for drafting legislative text and for 
the first procedural vote on the shell. And that should allow a 
bipartisan package, focused on immediate challenges, to pass the Senate 
on Monday.
  The crisis is moving fast. The Senate is here, we are working, and we 
are going to deliver.

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