[Congressional Record Volume 166, Number 103 (Wednesday, June 3, 2020)]
[Senate]
[Pages S2678-S2679]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]



                              Coronavirus

  Mrs. BLACKBURN. Mr. President, I have to say that Tennesseans are 
enjoying being out and about. They are so thrilled to see the restart 
of our economy. Whether you are going to hair salons, restaurants, 
shopping centers, office parks, or manufacturing facilities, what we 
are hearing from Tennesseans is: Thank goodness we can get back to 
work. They are grateful that they have had the PPP to help them bridge 
from the shutdown to the restart. There has been $8.8 billion that has 
made its way into our State through the PPP program, and our Governor, 
our Tennessee General Assembly, and our mayors are really working 
diligently to be certain that our economy opens up, that people are at 
work safely, and that we continue to defeat this COVID-19.
  Over the past few months, we have seen Congress push forward, putting 
about $3 trillion into the economy for a restart, and State and local 
governments have already put over $139 billion worth of aid to good use 
by supporting local healthcare, helping to rescue businesses, and 
keeping companies working and local payrolls going--keeping people on 
the job.
  Our Governor and general assembly in Tennessee have just announced a 
new program that they are doing in conjunction with local businesses. 
Now, imagine for a moment what it was like to watch the economy tumble 
from the perspective of a community that was already struggling and 
trying to make ends meet. The pandemic caused catastrophic damage to 
the traditional economy and also to many of the service organizations 
that were there to meet needs. In Tennessee, as in many States, 
struggling communities depend on these nonprofit groups. This is why we 
fought so hard to include eligibility for nonprofits in the rescue 
funding packages.
  I will tell you that this is making a difference in Tennessee for 
some of our nonprofit organizations, like the East Tennessee-based 
Appalachia Service Project. ASP teams travel throughout Central 
Appalachia. They repair homes for low-income families. Mayors in the 
communities that ASP visit are running on tight budgets, and they 
depend on volunteers to fix up unsafe or uninhabitable homes. You can 
only imagine how it felt to the people at ASP to watch their funding 
evaporate, knowing that the leaky roof that needed attention over in 
Sneedville would end up turning into a rotten floor and a moldy wall 
and would be a safety hazard for the individuals who lived there. 
Fortunately, ASP was able to get an SBA loan that gave it a little bit 
of breathing room. Although it has had to cancel its volunteer program, 
its essential staff and contractors will be able to continue working 
all through the summer.
  The various rescue programs that Congress agreed to implement were 
not perfect by any means, but did they have a positive effect? From 
what we are hearing in Tennessee, they did, and they have been put to 
good use.
  I yield the floor.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from Indiana.
  Mr. BRAUN. Mr. President, I am a Main Street entrepreneur. I have 
spent my career building a little business into a large one over many 
years in my hometown. My wife, as well, has operated a home accessory 
and gift store on Main Street, literally. I am elated to see the 
American economy starting to get off to a smart restart.
  I addressed, in a couple of floor speeches before we left in March, 
the question of how to reopen our economy. I believe businesses are 
disciplined and ready to pay attention to the rules--the new normal--to 
make sure their employees and their customers stay safe. Business 
owners will follow the rules. It is in their own best interests to do 
so. They have much to lose from a new spike in the coronavirus. 
Businesses are always more adept, more agile than government, and I am 
heartened to see the innovative approaches many businesses are taking 
across our country to address this challenge.
  The virus does not affect all populations, industries, and areas of 
our country in the same way. So, naturally, the reopening in 
Indianapolis will be different from that on Main Street in Jasper, IN.
  We should remember that although this presents challenges, a one-
size-fits-all is rarely the best policy course of action, and decisions 
that affect citizens are best made by the level of government closest 
to them--mayors,

[[Page S2679]]

town councils, and State governments. We cannot use the blanket 
approach the government took in shutting down the economy to reopen it. 
Instead, we need to provide the tools to empower local leaders and 
businesses who know their communities best to reopen safely so that our 
country can function again.
  I believe that through the perseverance and innovation that American 
business has always exhibited, we can get our economy back on the path 
to recent heights without yielding back any territory to the virus.
  I yield the floor.