[Congressional Record Volume 166, Number 96 (Thursday, May 21, 2020)]
[Senate]
[Pages S2577-S2578]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]



                              Coronavirus

  Mr. CORNYN. Mr. President, over the past couple of months, our 
country has gone into a lockdown but then slowly but surely has begun 
to adjust to the new normal brought on by COVID-19.
  Many of us have been working safely from home, as kitchen tables have 
been transformed into makeshift office spaces and, in many cases, 
classrooms as parents and students navigate the challenges of remote 
working and learning. But many of the most critical jobs in our country 
can't be done with a laptop and an internet connection--defense 
contractors, for example, the intelligence community, law enforcement 
agencies, and, of course, our heroic healthcare workers. They have to 
be on the frontlines doing their job each and every day no matter what 
the risk is because their work is considered to be essential.
  Our healthcare workers continue to fight this virus on the 
frontlines, delivering lifesaving care and comfort to those isolated 
from their loved ones. Our farmers and ranchers are producing the food, 
truckers are transporting it, and grocery store employees are stocking 
shelves so that amidst all of this uncertainty, we don't have to worry 
about not having enough to eat. Then there are the postal workers, the 
delivery drivers, the waste collectors, and an entire network of people 
we depend on who are keeping the cogs of our society running.
  Whether working from home or heading out the door each morning, these 
men and women are doing their jobs, even when it isn't easy or 
convenient, and they expect their elected officials to do the same 
thing.
  Just because a pandemic has brought our society to a screeching halt 
doesn't mean the U.S. Congress should pack up shop. Just as the men and 
women across the country continue to show up for work each day, 
Congress should do the same. After all, our responsibilities during 
this crisis have become more important, not less. That is why we moved 
quickly to pass four coronavirus response bills, totaling nearly $3 
trillion--something none of us imagined we would do just a couple of 
months ago--and provided vital support for our country amidst so much 
uncertainty.
  This, of course, came in the form of additional resources, including 
equipment for our healthcare workers and funding for ongoing research 
into vaccines and treatments. We also sent aid for what I consider to 
be a lifeline to those workers who, through no fault of their own, had 
no job and no paycheck, and then we have also provided serious 
resources to help small businesses and their workforce stay afloat.
  A financial investment in our fight against this virus was 
desperately needed, and that is precisely what we delivered on a 
bipartisan basis, but our response to this crisis cannot begin and end 
with blank checks. We need to ensure that taxpayer dollars are being 
spent responsibly and that we are making the changes needed to recover 
from this crisis.
  Every day I hear--usually through a videoconference--my constituents 
in Texas telling me how these bills are being implemented, what is 
helpful, what isn't, and what is needed from Congress. This feedback 
has been incredibly valuable as we look for more effective ways to 
strengthen our response and speed our recovery. So the Republicans in 
the Senate believe it is wise--it is prudent--to take stock of 
everything we have done before passing another relief bill.
  I believe the Presiding Officer and I heard the same report at lunch 
today; that only about half of the money that we have appropriated is 
actually out the door, and yet here people are clamoring for more and 
more money. And Speaker Pelosi, in really an unfortunate act of 
showmanship, rammed through a $3 trillion bill that has no prayer of 
being passed or becoming law. It is safe to say that House Democrats 
are taking a different approach than we are here in the Senate.

  They passed the $3 trillion bill, and they call it the HEROES Act, 
expressing their support for our Nation's healthcare heroes. We would 
join them in that sentiment, but the fact is, their priorities are much 
different. This bill mentions cannabis more times than it mentions 
doctors, hospitals, and nurses combined. It is an interesting tribute, 
if you ask me.
  If this bill were to become law, taxpayers' money wouldn't be going 
to coronavirus response; they would be funding a range of completely 
unrelated pet projects like environmental justice grants, soil health 
studies, and not one, but two studies on diversity and inclusion--
again, in the cannabis industry. It is interesting: two more studies on 
diversity and inclusion in the cannabis industry. The list of 
absurdities in this legislation is as big as this bill itself.
  Here is another one. They want to make sure that the wealthiest 
Americans pay less in taxes. This is from our Democratic friends who 
say that the top 1 percent don't pay enough, yet they present them with 
a huge tax cut for the wealthiest people in America.
  It also would complicate the hiring that our struggling businesses 
are already facing and rapidly dig our Nation deeper and deeper into 
debt. Is this all to attack the coronavirus, to come up with a 
treatment or a vaccine? No. This is a liberal wish list that has 
consumed all the time and energy of House Democrats over the last 
several weeks. This is what they think is more important.
  Rather than returning to Washington for more than a drive-by, which 
is what they did last Friday, to work on bipartisan legislation that 
might actually have a chance of becoming law, they chose to put 
together this partisan bill without consulting with the White House or 
the Senate. It doesn't address the crisis at hand, let alone the 
national security challenges that cannot be ignored.
  The threats we faced before this virus ever reached our shores, both 
on land and in cyber space, have not gone away. From Beijing to Tehran, 
Moscow to Pyongyang, and in nearly every corner of the globe, our 
enemies and adversaries are watching and continuing their efforts to 
work against our interests. They are not going to politely pause their 
efforts so that we can focus our efforts on COVID-19; if anything, they 
are doubling their efforts. We cannot afford to be caught flat-footed.
  Unfortunately, our counterintelligence and counterterrorism experts 
are already without some of the key tools they need in order to carry 
out their duties. In mid-March, the House refused to vote on a clean, 
short-term extension of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act under 
section 215 that would preserve these tools while we discuss long-term 
changes that might need to be made. Had they agreed at that time in 
mid-March, these authorities would still be intact through the end of 
this month. Instead, House Democrats chose to let those authorities 
lapse. For 2 months now, our counterintelligence and counterterrorism 
experts have been forced to work without some of the most powerful 
tools in their toolboxes.
  Fortunately, last week, the Senate was able to pass a bill to 
reauthorize these critical provisions that expired in mid-March. This 
legislation would not only restore those authorities but

[[Page S2578]]

strengthen oversight of our Nation's intelligence activities at a time 
when it is desperately needed.
  This bill passed the Senate with broad bipartisan support, but we are 
still waiting for the House to show up for work and to take it up and 
pass it. They are not coming back until the 27th, I think, of this 
month, after what can only aptly be described as a drive-by vote last 
Friday after not having been in town for 2 weeks and leaving promptly 
thereafter.
  Now that they have completed their work on their $3 trillion wish 
list, I hope we will see some action soon on things that will keep our 
country safe.
  That is only part of the critical national security work we have done 
here in the Senate since we returned to Washington earlier this month.
  I applaud Majority Leader McConnell for bringing us back. People are 
hearing all sorts of scary things on social media and cable news and 
even conscious disinformation campaigns by some of our adversaries 
about this virus and about how we ought to conduct ourselves. The best 
thing we can do as Members of the Senate is to demonstrate that with a 
little bit of personal responsibility and respect for others--
maintaining social distancing, masking when you can--we can actually 
still function. We can show up for work like those healthcare workers, 
those law enforcement officers, and others I mentioned a moment ago.
  One of the things our majority leader likes to say is that the Senate 
is in the personnel business. Today, we confirmed a fellow member of 
the Texas congressional delegation, Congressman John Ratcliffe, to be 
the Director of National Intelligence. I have known John for about 10 
years--or more maybe. He is prepared to continue the legacy of 
outstanding leadership we have come to expect and count on in our 
Director of National Intelligence. I am confident in his ability to 
serve as a leader and advocate for the intelligence professionals in 
the intelligence community.
  We also confirmed other important nominees for critical positions, 
including the Nuclear Regulatory Commission, the National 
Counterintelligence and Security Center, and the Department of Homeland 
Security. Just as the work of the country has waged on in the face of 
these challenges, so must our work.
  The American people are not just counting on healthcare workers and 
first responders and farmers and deliverymen and grocery store 
employees to do their jobs--as important as they are. They are counting 
on us, too, not only to continue to respond to this pandemic--to stay 
nimble and adapt, to watch and listen and learn on how we can do 
better--but also to strengthen our national security, keep an eye on 
our national debt, and do it all on a bipartisan basis.
  Like workers across America, Congress needs to show up, especially 
when it isn't easy or convenient. This pandemic may have temporarily 
halted the daily functions of many people in this country, but it 
cannot stop the critical work of the U.S. Congress on behalf of the 
people we are privileged to represent.
  I yield the floor.
  I suggest the absence of a quorum.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The clerk will call the roll.
  The legislative clerk proceeded to call the roll.
  Ms. COLLINS. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the order 
for the quorum call be rescinded.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.
  (The remarks of Senator Collins pertaining to the introduction of S. 
3833 are printed in today's Record under ``Statements on Introduced 
Bills and Joint Resolutions.'')
  Ms. COLLINS. Mr. President, I suggest the absence of a quorum.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The clerk will call the roll.
  The legislative clerk proceeded to call the roll.
  Mr. McCONNELL. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the order 
for the quorum call be rescinded.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.