Congressional Record, Volume 166 Issue 57 (Monday, March 23, 2020)

[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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