[Congressional Record Volume 166, Number 88 (Monday, May 11, 2020)]
[Senate]
[Pages S2331-S2332]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                              CORONAVIRUS

  Mr. McCONNELL. Mr. President, the Senate is back for its second week 
in session, and we have more important work to do for the American 
people.
  While our Nation fights the coronavirus pandemic, many of our fellow 
Americans have been taking new safety precautions but continue to show 
up to perform essential work. Because of delivery drivers and grocery 
clerks, families can keep food on their shelves. Because of utility 
workers, people hunkered down at home have power. Because of 
pharmacists manning their counters, Americans have been able to keep 
getting the medicines they need so this health crisis does not compound 
itself. Then, of course, there has been the selfless work of so many 
doctors, nurses, and other healthcare professionals.
  Frankly, even the word ``essential'' does not do full justice to all 
the new American heroes we have met these past weeks.
  In my home State of Kentucky, we met people like Leilani Krause. She 
is a 30-year nursing veteran who now oversees care at a senior living 
facility in Louisville. A few weeks ago, she herself contracted the 
coronavirus. Even as she stayed home to recover, she never stopped 
working. She still did all she could to coordinate her patients' care 
over video calls. As soon as she

[[Page S2332]]

felt better and doctors gave her the all-clear, she checked right back 
into work right on the frontlines.
  I want to thank all of my Senate colleagues as we continue to perform 
our essential responsibilities to serve citizens like Miss Krause and 
so many other American heroes all across our country. Of course, much 
of the work before us relates to the pandemic itself. Our committees of 
jurisdiction are attacking COVID-19 and its effects from every angle.
  This week, Chairman Alexander and our colleagues on the HELP 
Committee will hold a major hearing on smart and safe ways for 
Americans to get back to work and back to school. They will hear expert 
testimony from the very top leaders: Dr. Fauci, Dr. Redfield, Dr. Hahn, 
and Admiral Giroir from HHS.
  Chairman Crapo and the Banking Committee will hear from 
representatives from the Federal Reserve and the FDIC on financial 
regulation. Obviously, that is an essential topic as the government 
continues to push out billions and billions of dollars in emergency 
liquidity following the CARES Act.
  With huge numbers of Americans working, teaching, and learning from 
home and with telemedicine more important than ever, the Commerce 
Committee will hear from experts about access to broadband internet 
during the crisis.
  The Judiciary Committee will hold an important hearing on issues of 
legal liability during this unprecedented time. It is crucial that as 
we continue to fight the pandemic itself, we ensure it is not followed 
up by a second job-killing epidemic of frivolous lawsuits. This would 
be just about the worst time in living memory to let trial lawyers line 
their pockets at the expense of the rest of our country. The Senate is 
going to play a strong role in ensuring that does not happen.
  While our committees are working away, here on the floor, we will 
start this week by confirming two more qualified nominees to important 
posts that should not remain empty at this time. We will begin with 
Brian Montgomery of Texas, named by President Trump to serve as Deputy 
Secretary of Housing and Urban Development. Then we will turn to Troy 
Edgar of California to be Chief Financial Officer at the Department of 
Homeland Security.
  I understand some of my distinguished Democratic colleagues complain 
that the full Senate should not have to spend more time on these sorts 
of uncontroversial executive branch nominees. I agree. But as long as 
their own Democratic leadership continues to hold important posts open 
for as long as possible in order to just spite the White House, as long 
as the minority continues to break from longstanding Senate precedent 
to obstruct even the least controversial nominees, then, frankly, they 
will have to continue to show up and vote on them. The floor votes they 
say they dislike are the direct result of their own tactics.
  We are also going to take up important legislation this week. While 
COVID-19 rightly dominates headlines around the world, the United 
States of America also faced many serious threats before this virus 
began to spread, and they are still with us today.
  Later this week, we will turn back to reauthorizing important 
authorities under the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act. This is 
urgent because the House refused to take up the Senate's short-term 
extension of important counterterrorism and counterintelligence 
authorities before they left town. House Democrats let these tools 
expire, so we must act quickly to clean up their mess and renew these 
authorities, which our government needs to fight terrorists and check 
the agents of China and Russia.
  The bipartisan bill we will take up was negotiated exhaustively by 
House Republicans and the Attorney General of the United States. 
Determined advocates for reform after the shameful abuses of 2016 sat 
down with determined defenders of the good parts of these tools, and 
they hammered out a strong compromise. The legislation will introduce 
more daylight and more accountability into the FISA process where 
appropriate, but it will ensure that the embarrassments of 2016 do not 
jeopardize these essential national security tools altogether.
  I hope the Senate will be able to dispatch the amendments that we 
will consider and pass this important legislation on a bipartisan basis 
to keep the American people safe.

                          ____________________