[Congressional Record Volume 166, Number 83 (Monday, May 4, 2020)]
[Senate]
[Page S2202]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]



                              Coronavirus

  Mr. President, having said that, let me remind my colleagues that we 
are still in the middle of a global pandemic--if we need to be 
reminded. I don't think we do. But once we have voted on the nomination 
before us today, I would urge the Senate to pivot and begin focusing 
next on examining issues related to the pandemic and to ensuring that 
the assistance we provided in the legislation we have passed so far--
four pieces, some bigger than others--is getting to the families and 
the communities that badly need it. If we were unable or unwilling to 
do so, I am not sure that the Senate should be returning to Washington 
to act on nonurgent business in contravention of the recommendation of 
the Office of the Attending Physician and while this entire region is 
still under stay-at-home orders.
  I also want to make it clear that the Environment and Public Works 
Committee, on which I serve and lead with Senator John Barrasso of 
Wyoming, was willing to approve this particular nomination unanimously 
by voice vote, but it is what is it is, and we are here today.
  In the midst of a global pandemic, the majority leader says he is 
concerned with nominations. Well, then, let's address positions that 
are actually more relevant to the crisis that we face today.
  Currently, one-third of the inspector general positions that are 
confirmed by the Senate remain either vacant or without permanent 
leadership. The President has nominated individuals to fill some, but 
not all, of these positions. The Senate should work quickly to vet 
those nominees we have received, especially those who would be involved 
with oversight for the coronavirus response.
  My colleagues will recall that this past March Congress passed an 
unprecedented $2 trillion relief package, the CARES Act, to bring help 
to millions of Americans who find themselves in dire straits through no 
fault of their own. Thankfully, the CARES Act created three new 
separate oversight bodies to monitor this emergency funding. I was also 
proud to work with Democrats and Republican colleagues alike to help 
secure an additional $20 million to ensure that the Government 
Accountability Office, which is known as GAO, can conduct important 
oversight of this funding. In fact, I learned last week that GAO has 
already notified Congress that it has already either undertaken or 
begun investigations or has planned investigations of over 150 audits 
that are related to this funding. Now, I appreciate GAO's diligence on 
this important matter; not only do I appreciate it, but we appreciate 
it, and the American taxpayers appreciate it as well.
  More than ever, it is critical that we have robust oversight to make 
sure that this money gets into the pockets of those who need it most 
and not into the pockets of those who would literally steal money from 
the needy and steal money from the taxpayers of this country.
  If our majority leader wants to bring the Senate back, then I would 
like to suggest that our time would be well spent making sure that 
those oversight bodies created in the CARES Act are fully functional, 
including the CARES Act Congressional Oversight Commission, which I am 
told still lacks a chairperson. This is a five-person panel. It is one 
created by each of our leaders in the House and the Senate. That would 
give us four, and then another one would be jointly agreed to by the 
majority leader here and the Speaker of the House. I am told that as of 
today, as of this moment, we still lack a chairperson of that important 
panel. I hope that our leader here, Leader McConnell, and Speaker 
Pelosi will work with haste even today--even today--to jointly name a 
chair to the Congressional Oversight Commission as required by law.
  The CARES Act also created the Pandemic Response Accountability 
Committee. That is a committee composed of inspectors general from 
relevant agencies to oversee all spending appropriated through the 
CARES Act. That is a huge undertaking. Unfortunately, those IG 
positions at key agencies, including the Treasury Department and 
including the Department of Education, still remain vacant.
  We have seen over the last month just how crucial it is that our IGs 
remain independent. Since the Senate was last in session, the President 
has unceremoniously removed, reassigned, or undermined highly regarded 
inspectors general who apparently weren't loyal enough to him or who 
dared to criticize what they viewed as a failed or flawed response to 
the coronavirus. For example, at the beginning of April, President 
Trump removed Glenn Fine, a highly regarded acting inspector general 
for the Pentagon, who had only a week earlier been selected by his 
peers--selected by his peers--to chair the Pandemic Response 
Accountability Committee, the third oversight body created by the CARES 
Act.
  We have also seen the President look to replace the Health and Human 
Services IG who, in a detailed report, pointed out the severe shortages 
that a number of our hospitals have been facing during the coronavirus 
outbreak.
  I believe it is clear that Congress needs to speak up when 
appropriate and do a better job supporting our inspectors general when 
this President--or frankly any President--takes retaliatory action 
against the independent watchdogs responsible for identifying failures, 
waste, fraud, and abuse across our Federal Government, especially when 
this much money is at risk.
  If the Senate is going to be back in session, it would seem to me 
these critical oversight positions should be among our top priorities