[Congressional Record Volume 166, Number 57 (Monday, March 23, 2020)]
[Senate]
[Pages S1920-S1921]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                              CORONAVIRUS

  Mr. SCHUMER. Mr. President, every time we hear the majority leader 
come out, it is a partisan screed. I am in my office with the 
President's Secretary of Treasury, the President's congressional 
liaison, getting things done. We Democrats are trying to get things 
done, not making partisan speech after partisan speech.
  In the past 24 hours, we got word that a Member of this Chamber, 
Senator Paul, has tested positive for coronavirus, and the husband of 
another Member, Senator Klobuchar, also tested positive. He is in the 
hospital. I want to let them know--both of them--that the Senate is 
thinking of them and praying for their speedy recovery, as we are for 
tens of thousands of American families who are confronting the same 
situation right now.
  Whether you are afraid for a sick family member, an older relative in 
the hospital, or struggling without work, income, or the knowledge of 
when your isolation might end, our thoughts are with you right now. 
These are trying times for all of us, but the scourge of this disease 
will pass. The American people, as always, will prevail.
  As the number of confirmed COVID-19 cases in the United States 
eclipses 35,000, the Senate continues to negotiate what will likely be 
the largest emergency funding bill in American history. As I have 
mentioned, we have had almost continuous discussions with Secretary 
Mnuchin. He left my office at about 12:15 last night and was there at 
about 9 o'clock this morning. The White House congressional liaison, 
Eric Ueland, has been in and out of the office as well. We are very 
close to reaching a deal--very close. Our goal is to reach a deal 
today, and we are hopeful, even confident, that we will meet that goal.
  We have been working on a few outstanding issues that are no surprise 
to everyone. From the very beginning, Democrats have insisted on a 
Marshall Plan for our medical system, more money for hospitals, 
community health centers, nursing homes, and urgent medical supplies, 
such as gloves and masks, ICU beds, testing kits, ventilators, and PPE. 
Since our negotiations, the numbers have gone up dramatically because 
the hospitals and our healthcare workers need the help.
  We are fighting hard and making progress on funding for State and 
local governments. They are propping up local healthcare networks 
virtually on their own. Their revenues are dramatically declining. Many 
towns and villages across America--the smaller ones in particular--
might go broke pretty soon if we do nothing. If we can help the big 
corporations, we can help our local towns and villages and the 
taxpayers they represent.
  On unemployment insurance, the bill has moved in the direction we 
have outlined. The original bill has the unexpanded employment benefits 
last only 3 months. We need to make it longer because the dislocation 
caused by this crisis will not be over in 90 days, and people who lose 
their jobs need help. It says to every American who loses his or her 
job--the Democratic plan that is now in the bill: You will get your 
full pay from the Federal Government. You can be furloughed by your 
employer. That means you will keep your benefits, health and otherwise. 
And it means that you will be

[[Page S1921]]

able to come back, and the business you had to leave can reassemble 
itself quickly after, God willing, this crisis ends.
  The bill still includes something that most Americans don't want to 
see: large corporate bailouts with almost no strings attached. Maybe 
the majority leader thinks it is unfair to have protections for workers 
and labor to companies that are getting hundreds of billions of 
dollars. We think it is very fair to ask for those. Those are not 
extraneous issues. That is a wish list for workers--nobody else.
  We are looking for protection. We are looking for oversight. If this 
Federal Government is making a big loan to someone--to a big company, 
we ought to know it and know the details immediately. The bill that was 
put on the floor by the Republican leader said no one would know a 
thing about those loans for 6 months at least. In those so-called 
bailouts, we need to protect workers--the workers those industries 
employ.
  We have been guided by one plan: workers first. That is the name of 
our proposal. The bill needs to reflect that priority.
  We are working on all of these items in good faith as we speak, and 
we hope and expect to conclude negotiations today. This vote the 
Senate--it is no surprise--is about to take is merely a repeat of the 
vote that failed last night. Leader McConnell continues to set 
arbitrary vote deadlines when the matter of real importance is the 
status of the bipartisan negotiations.
  Let me be clear. The upcoming procedural votes are essentially 
irrelevant. The negotiations continue no more than 30 feet away from 
the floor of the Senate in our offices, where the real progress is 
taking place. Once we have an agreement that everyone can get behind, 
we are prepared to speed up the consideration of that agreement on the 
floor. So I am going to get back to negotiations.
  We all know time is of the essence. The country is facing twin crises 
in our healthcare system and in our economy. We have an obligation to 
get the details right and get them done quickly. That doesn't mean 
blindly accepting a Republican-only bill. That was the bill we were 
given. There were lots of things we didn't even know about on Saturday. 
That means working to make this bill better--better for our small 
businesses, better for our working families, better for our healthcare 
system.
  Democrats--Democrats--will not stop working with our Republican 
counterparts until we get the job done. I will continue to update the 
Senate on the progress of our negotiations.
  I suggest the absence of a quorum.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The clerk will call the roll.
  The senior assistant legislative clerk proceeded to call the roll.
  Ms. COLLINS. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the quorum 
call be dispensed with.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Is there objection?
  Mr. SCHUMER. I object. I object.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Democratic leader's objection is heard.
  Ms. COLLINS. This is unbelievable.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The majority leader.
  Mr. McCONNELL. I ask unanimous consent that the Senator from Maine be 
allowed to speak for a few minutes.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senate is in a quorum call.
  Mr. McCONNELL. I ask unanimous consent that the order for the quorum 
call be rescinded.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Is there objection?
  Mr. SCHUMER. I object.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Democratic leader's objection is heard.
  Mr. COTTON. I ask unanimous consent that the order for the quorum 
call be rescinded.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Is there objection?
  Mr. SCHUMER. I object.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Democratic leader's objection is heard.
  The Senator from Louisiana.
  Mr. CASSIDY. I ask unanimous consent that the order for the quorum 
call be dispensed with.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Is there objection?
  The Democratic leader.
  Mr. SCHUMER. I would simply like to know for the sake of the 
Members--
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senate is in a quorum call.
  Mr. SCHUMER. I ask unanimous consent to speak for 30 seconds.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Is there objection?
  Mr. RISCH. I object.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senate is in a quorum call.
  Is there an objection to removing the quorum call?
  Mr. SCHUMER. Mr. President--
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Is there an objection to removing the quorum 
call?
  Mr. SCHUMER. Reserving the right to object--
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. There is no right to reserve the right to 
object.
  Mr. SCHUMER. I have the floor. I would ask--
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. No, you do not.
  The Senate is in a quorum call. You have to ask that the quorum 
call--
  Mr. SCHUMER. I ask unanimous consent that the order for the quorum 
call be rescinded.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Is there objection?
  Without objection, it is so ordered.
  Mr. SCHUMER. I would simply like to ask the leader--before we have 
these speeches, because we were supposed to vote for the next time 
after he and I spoke--what is the schedule for the rest of the day?
  Will he respond?
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The majority leader.
  Mr. McCONNELL. Mr. President, it is my understanding that they are 
going to let us voice vote this.
  Mr. SCHUMER. We have no objection to voice voting the first two and 
then would like to vote, if the leader wants, now on the third, and 
then we can have the speeches.
  Mr. McCONNELL. What you are proposing is that we voice vote two, and 
then the cloture vote occurs automatically?
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. That is correct.
  Mr. McCONNELL. Parliamentary inquiry: Does the cloture vote occur--
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Yes. The cloture vote pops and occurs third 
automatically.
  Mr. McCONNELL. I propose we voice vote the first two and then pause 
so that there are some speeches allowed by Members--up to an hour of 
speeches allowed by Members before the cloture vote.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Democratic leader.
  Mr. SCHUMER. I have no objection to that. As long as we have a 
schedule, I have no objection to that.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The understanding of the Chair is that there 
will be voice votes on the first two motions, and then there will be an 
hour of debate equally divided. There will be an hour of debate prior 
to a vote on the cloture motion upon reconsideration.
  Mr. MANCHIN. Equally divided? An hour on both sides?
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The majority leader.
  Mr. McCONNELL. That is fine.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The understanding of the Chair is that the 
request is that the hour of debate would be equally divided prior to 
the cloture vote on the motion to proceed.
  The majority leader.

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