[Congressional Record Volume 166, Number 119 (Monday, June 29, 2020)]
[Senate]
[Pages S3642-S3650]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                       UNANIMOUS CONSENT REQUEST

  Mr. WYDEN. Mr. President, the COVID-19 pandemic has thrown our 
country into a nightmare level crisis of joblessness. The Congress has 
not done enough to stop it and has not done enough to save the jobs of 
our people.
  I have come to the floor this evening to call for the Senate to pass 
legislation that is all about saving the public sector jobs that form 
the backbone of our local communities, our firefighters, our first 
responders, our teachers, our families, and so many others. They need 
our help. They need it now.
  Senate Democrats have been warning since March that when COVID-19 
cases exploded and our economy went into lockdown, our States, our 
cities, and our towns are now facing budgetary disasters unlike any 
they have gone through in recent memory. The shortfalls that State and 
local governments are facing due to the pandemic make the great 
recession look like a modest little economic hiccup. Layoffs are now 
happening at nightmarish levels.
  In March, April, and May, there were 1.5 million job losses. Among 
these key individuals were the firefighters, the first responders, our 
public employees, folks who teach our kids, work in public health, 
emergency response, and play a key role in maintaining our roads and 
highways. I am just going to take a few minutes to run through some 
specific examples of why Senate Democrats think this is so important.
  First, what kind of sense does it make to sit back and allow 
thousands and thousands of first responders to lose their jobs in the 
middle of a pandemic? COVID-19 cases have spiked now in places around 
this country. Our public health systems are getting hit like they were 
hammered with a wrecking ball. State and local governments are being 
forced to cut EMS

[[Page S3643]]

workers at the exact moment they need more first responders who know 
how to keep the ailing of this country safe.
  Second, let me mention education. Our country is in danger of losing 
a generation of teachers if Congress does not act to save their jobs. 
The official jobs data showed that in April alone, just 1 month, nearly 
half a million K-12 employees lost their jobs--half a million. 
Education experts have estimated that hundreds of thousands of teachers 
could be permanently laid off without action.
  Schoolchildren are already facing major setbacks due to the fact that 
they can't get the same level of face-to-face instruction during the 
pandemic. Far too many kids come from working families and are falling 
behind because they don't have the technology, and they don't have the 
support at home. Too many kids are hungry. Too many kids are neglected. 
Nobody knows when they are going to be back in class full time.
  Helping those young people catch up when this pandemic ends is 
already going to be incredibly hard, and it will be even harder if the 
Nation loses hundreds of thousands of dedicated teachers in the 
meantime, and that is just K-12.
  The COVID-19 crash is a disaster for Americans who want to get an 
affordable college degree as well. Our public colleges and universities 
are taking enormous losses. In my home State of Oregon, the losses 
added up to $130 million this spring. States are facing big, higher 
education budget cuts. School administrators are doing their best to 
plan for the future, but, still, they don't know when their campuses 
are going to go back to normal. You only have to look back to the great 
recession to see what is likely to happen next. More and more costs 
getting pushed onto more and more students and their working families. 
Two-thirds of the class of 2018 borrowed to pay for college, and those 
borrowers held an average of $30,000 in debt on graduation. Someday 
soon, that may be something like a bargain.
  Third, our country's already crumbling infrastructure is going to get 
even worse if communities can't afford to invest in roads and highways 
and other essential infrastructure projects. It is a self-defeating 
prospect. If the Congress doesn't help communities tackle the projects 
now, they will cost even more down the road and when the maintenance 
backlog grows. Delaying these kinds of projects makes it even harder 
for local economies to recover because all those workers will be out of 
a job, and a lot of businesses don't want to invest in places where 
there is a crumbling infrastructure.
  The proposal I offer tonight with the Democratic leader will help to 
save these jobs and stave off a whole lot of preventable economic 
hardship. One of the key lessons the Senate ought to remember from the 
great recession is that failing to support State and local budgets will 
prolong suffering across this country. It will slow down the recovery, 
and it will guarantee the country does not bounce back quickly in 2020.
  Our proposal builds on legislation that has already passed the other 
body. It incorporates State and local portions of the Heroes Act that 
rescues firefighters, first responders, infrastructure jobs, and 
teachers. It also includes an important proposal for the rural West--
Secure Rural Schools and Payments in Lieu of Taxes, what is call SRS 
and PILT. Even before COVID-19, our rural communities started with 
weaker economies, fewer public health resources, and worse access to 
healthcare. They were bound to have a harder time responding to and 
from the pandemic.

  Secure Rural Schools, which I authored with our former colleague, is 
all about bringing certainty and stability to communities and counties, 
often the frontline healthcare providers in far-out places. These are 
places where you have seen boom-and-bust traditional dependence on 
resource extraction, and there have been cycles where it is almost 
impossible, as the Presiding Officer knows, to plan for what is ahead.
  Our proposal would create a permanent endowment of funds to provide a 
predictable source of funding for rural economic development, roads, 
and schools. Payment in lieu of taxes is all about providing that same 
kind of certainty to those who live in rural areas dominated by Federal 
lands. They have the same right as anybody else to reliable services: 
firefighters, safe roads, highways, and schools. Ten years of permanent 
mandatory payment in lieu of taxes will help those counties budget for 
the future.
  I am going to close with one last argument I have heard from the 
other side and then yield to the distinguished Democratic leader. The 
other side often says that our ideas are some sort of blue State 
bailout. That is wrong, wrong, wrong.
  Teachers are going to get pink slips in Texas, Kentucky, South 
Carolina, and Florida, and they aren't going to believe that saving 
their jobs is a blue State bailout. Of the 42 States and Territories 
covered by Secure Rural Schools, less than a handful are blue States.
  The virus has absolutely no interest in political parties. It might 
hit Democratic States first, but it is now sweeping many parts of the 
country, including States that voted for Donald Trump.
  Despite being small and rural and, generally, relatively remote, 
county governments that rely on Secure Rural Schools and payment in 
lieu of taxes are responding to the same national public health crisis 
facing larger cities and urban areas. This economic crisis is hitting 
everybody.
  I don't want to see hundreds of thousands of teachers laid off 
anywhere--not in Oregon, not in Iowa, not in Texas, not in Kentucky. 
Especially when it is safe for kids to go back to school in person, I 
don't want them packed into classrooms with 40 or 50 other students. I 
don't want first responders to be laid off in the middle of a pandemic.
  I don't want our Nation's roads and highways to crumble into even 
worse disrepair because the Congress failed to address the nationwide 
budget crisis. The Senate has an obligation to act.
  I am now going to yield to the distinguished Democratic leader, and 
then I will offer a unanimous consent request to actually advance this 
critically important cause.
  Mr. SCHUMER. Mr. President, I thank my good friend from Oregon for 
his excellent and eloquent words. I want to thank him for being such a 
leader on this issue and so many others. I thank my colleague from New 
Hampshire, who will speak after me. I think Senator Menendez is 
expected here, as well, to say a few words before the unanimous consent 
request that will be made by my colleague from Oregon.
  We are a long way off from beating COVID-19. Our communities need 
Federal relief as soon as possible. The disease continues to spread in 
an alarming rate across much of the South and West, and our country is 
facing probably the greatest economic challenge since the Great 
Depression.
  Yet, for over 2 months, the Republican Senate has chosen to delay, 
delay, delay. First, Leader McConnell said another COVID relief bill 
was ``likely'' in June. Now, the earliest it could happen is late July, 
and, even then, the Republican leader said he wants to ``assess the 
conditions in the country'' first before writing a bill ``in his 
office.''
  I will make two points. The conditions in the country are terrible. 
You don't need to wait to assess them. We must act now. Second, if the 
leader thinks writing a bill in his office will produce results, I ask 
him to look at COVID 2, 3, and 3.5, where, in each case, he wrote a 
bill in his office without Democratic input. We insisted that we be 
included by not going forward, and we got a much better bill. We hope 
that is what he will do from the outset--work with us in a bipartisan 
way and work with the House, as well, to get something done.
  The time for waiting and the time for partisan posturing is over. We 
are on the precipice of several deadlines that require immediate action 
from Congress. There are several cliffs, but perhaps the most dangerous 
is the cliff for State and local governments, so many of which are 
finalizing their budget before the new fiscal year on July 1, in 2 
days.
  State, local, and Tribal governments have already laid off more than 
1.6 million workers and are being forced to cut critical services. At 
least 25 States have lost a minimum of 20,000 jobs. Apropos to the 
point my colleague from

[[Page S3644]]

Oregon made, there are 25,000 State and local jobs in Florida. What are 
we saying to them? There are 29,000 in Kentucky. What are we saying to 
them? There are 93,000 in Texas. What are we saying to them?
  These are not abstract numbers. They are teachers and firefighters 
and busdrivers and healthcare workers and more. It includes so many 
public health workers essential to contact tracing so we can lick this 
disease once and for all. Without Federal support, those job losses 
will continue, and the loss of vital services will continue as well.
  So far, the Senate Republican response to this potential crisis has 
been a giant shrug of the shoulders. Leader McConnell had once said 
that he would certainly be in favor of allowing the States to use the 
bankruptcy route. That is the Republican leader telling States, red and 
blue alike, why don't you go bankrupt.
  That is not acceptable to Senate Democrats. So tonight I am joining 
Senators Wyden, Menendez, Hassan, Carper, Gillibrand, and Murphy to ask 
the Senate's consent to pass emergency Federal funding so that State, 
local, and Tribal governments can keep fighting the pandemic and keep 
their communities safe.
  Lest people think this is a blue issue or a red issue, I ask 
unanimous consent that the following letter be printed in the Record
  There being no objection, the material was ordered to be printed in 
the Record as follows:

                               National Governors Association,

                                                    June 29, 2020.
     Hon. Mitch McConnell,
     Majority Leader, U.S. Senate, Washington, DC.
     Hon. Chuck Schumer,
     Minority Leader, U.S. Senate, Washington, DC.
       Dear Majority Leader McConnell and Minority Leader Schumer: 
     We write today to advocate on behalf of states, territories, 
     counties, cities and towns, all of which are experiencing 
     historic budget shortfalls as they continue to respond to the 
     pandemic. In less than two days, the budget years for 45 
     states and thousands of local governments will begin. Unlike 
     the federal government, these state and local governments 
     must begin their fiscal years on time and with a balanced 
     budget. If the Senate fails to act immediately to support 
     state and local governments, our nation's recovery from the 
     pandemic-induced recession will suffer and millions of 
     Americans will needlessly be harmed.
       Previous federal bills responding to COVID-19 provided 
     important support, many through well-established grant 
     programs, yet none allow for the replacement of billions of 
     lost revenue due to COVID-19. More robust and direct stimulus 
     is needed for state and local governments to both rebuild the 
     economy and maintain essential services in education, health 
     care, emergency operations, public safety and more.
       As we move closer to the end of the budget year, furloughs 
     and job cuts are on the table for many states and localities. 
     These jobs losses not only affect the provision of government 
     services, but also add to state unemployment. The damage will 
     get far worse without federal assistance, forcing drastic 
     cuts that will further delay and cancel infrastructure 
     projects, as at least 26 states have announced construction 
     delays for transportation projects. The loss of such projects 
     will ripple through states' construction industry, delaying 
     recovery further.
       State and local governments also purchase goods and 
     services which add to the nation's output, and in 2019, state 
     and local governments' purchases accounted for 11 percent of 
     GDP. When these activities slow down, there is an effect on 
     the nation's economy. Alarmingly, CBO's June letter on its 
     forecast of Gross Domestic Product for 2020 and 2021 found 
     that ``state and local governments' purchases of goods and 
     services fell by $350 billion, making up 9 percent of the 
     total decline in GDP.
       Nearly 15 million Americans are employed by state and local 
     governments. Teachers, first responders and emergency medical 
     service workers are on the front lines of this crisis doing 
     the essential work of the country. Government employment 
     continues to suffer substantial losses with over 1.6 million 
     state and local government jobs lost since March.
       Leaders in Washington have expressed support for flexible 
     fiscal aid to states and localities of all sizes. Yet months 
     have gone by and our communities continue to suffer. 
     Americans have a history of standing together in times of 
     crisis and must do so now.
           Sincerely,
       Accelerate Indiana Municipalities; ACT, Inc.; AECOM; 
     Alabama League of Municipalities; Alaska Municipal League; 
     Alkermes; American Association of Port Authorities; American 
     Beverage Association; American Federation of State, County 
     and Municipal Employees; American Federation of Teachers; 
     American Gas Association; American Hotel & Lodging 
     Association; American Network of Community Options and 
     Resources (ANCOR); American Planning Association; American 
     Public Human Services Association; American Public Power 
     Association; American Public Works Association (APWA); 
     American Shore & Beach Preservation Association; American 
     Society of Civil Engineers; AmeriHealth.
       Caritas; Anthem; Arizona Association of Counties; Arkansas 
     Municipal League; Arthritis Foundation; Association of County 
     Commissioners of Georgia; Association of Arkansas Counties; 
     Association of County Commissions of Alabama; Association of 
     Financial Guaranty Insurers; Association of Indiana Counties; 
     Association of Minnesota Counties; Association of Oregon 
     Counties; Association of Washington Cities; Axxess; 
     BrightSpring; Health Services California; Marine Affairs & 
     Navigation Conference (CMANC); California State Association 
     of Counties; Center for Public Safety Management.
       Central Gulf Coast Chapter of the American Shore & Beach 
     Preservation Association; CGI Communications, Inc.; Coast 
     Builders Coalition; Colorado Municipal League; CompTIA--
     Computing Technology Industry Association; Connecticut 
     Conference of Municipalities; County Commissioners 
     Association of Ohio; County Commissioners Association of 
     Pennsylvania; County Commissioners Association of West 
     Virginia; County Executives of America; Credit Union National 
     Association (CUNA); Data Center Coalition; Delaware League of 
     Local Governments; Dexcom; Esri, Inc.; Florida Association of 
     Counties; Florida League of Cities; Florida Shore & Beach 
     Preservation Association; Georgia Municipal Association.
       GIIA; GoRail; Government Finance Officers Association; 
     Great Lakes Dredge & Dock; IBM; Illinois Municipal League; 
     Illinois State Association of Counties; Institute for 
     Building Technology and Safety; International Association of 
     Emergency Managers; International City/County Management 
     Association; International Municipal Lawyers Association, 
     Inc.; Internet Association; Intuit Inc.; Iowa League of 
     Cities; Iowa State Association of Counties; ITC Holdings 
     Inc.; Jersey Shore Partnership; Johnson & Johnson; Kansas 
     Association of Counties; Kentucky Association of Counties.
       Land O'Lakes Inc.; Large Public Power Council; League of 
     Arizona Cities and Towns; League of California Cities; League 
     of Kansas Municipalities; League of Minnesota Cities; League 
     of Nebraska Municipalities; League of Oregon Cities; League 
     of Wisconsin Municipalities; Louisiana Municipal 
     Association; Magna; Maine Municipal Association; Maryland 
     Association of Counties; Maryland Municipal League; 
     Massachusetts Coastal Coalition; Massachusetts Municipal 
     Association; Michigan Association of Counties; Michigan 
     Municipal League; Mississippi Association of Supervisors; 
     Mississippi Municipal League.
       Motorola Solutions, Inc.; Municipal Association of South 
     Carolina; NACBHDD and NARMH; National Association for County 
     Community and Economic Development; National Association for 
     Home Care & Hospice; National Association of Black County 
     Officials (NABCO); National Association of Bond Lawyers; 
     National Association of County Collectors, Treasurers & 
     Finance Officers (NACCTFO); National Association of Counties; 
     National Association of County Engineers; National 
     Association of County Human Services Administrators; National 
     Association of Home Builders; National Association of 
     Regional Councils; National Association of State Auditors, 
     Comptrollers and Treasurers; National Association of State 
     Procurement Officials (NASPO); National Association of State 
     Treasurers; National Association of Towns and Townships; 
     National Community Development Association.
       National Conference of State Legislatures; National 
     Governors Association; National Emergency Management 
     Association; National League of Cities; National Marine 
     Manufacturers Association; National Organization of Black 
     County Officials, Inc (NOBCO); National Workforce 
     Association; Nebraska Association of County Officials; 
     Netsmart; Nevada Association of Counties; New Jersey 
     Association of Counties; New Jersey State League of 
     Municipalities; New Mexico Counties; New York State 
     Association of Counties; New York State Conference of Mayors 
     and Municipal Officials; NIC; North Carolina League of 
     Municipalities; North Dakota Association of Counties; North 
     Dakota League of Cities; NWEA; Ohio Municipal League.
       Oklahoma Municipal League; PACENation; Partnership for 
     Medicaid Home-Based Care; Pennsylvania Municipal League; 
     Police Jury Association of Louisiana; Port of Walla Walla; 
     ResCare Workforce Services; Rhode Island League of Cities and 
     Towns; Service Employees International Union (SEIU); Siemens; 
     Sourcewell; South Dakota Municipal League; Southern 
     California Edison; Teachers Insurance and Annuity Association 
     of America (TIAA); TechNet; Tennessee County Services 
     Association; Tennessee Municipal League; Texas Association of 
     Counties; Texas Municipal League; The Coca-Cola Company; The 
     Community Outcomes Fund at Maycomb Capital.
       The Council of State Governments; The Design-Build 
     Institute of America; The United States Conference of Mayors; 
     three+one; Thrive Skilled Pediatric Care; U.S. Tire 
     Manufacturers Association (USTMA); U.S. Water Alliance; 
     United Counties Council of Illinois; Utah League of Cities 
     and Towns; Vermont League of Cities and Towns; Virginia 
     Association of Counties; Virginia Municipal League; 
     Washington

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     City/County Management Association (WCMA); Washington State 
     Association of Counties; West Virginia Association of 
     Counties; West Virginia Municipal League; Wisconsin Counties 
     Association; Wisconsin County Highway Association; Wyoming 
     Association of Municipalities; Wyoming County Commissioners 
     Association.

  Mr. SCHUMER. This letter is from the ``Big 7'' national associations. 
They represent the Governors, Democrat and Republican; the mayors, 
Democrat and Republican; the State legislatures, Democrat and 
Republican; the county leaders, Democrat and Republican; and the city 
managers. They all got together in a bipartisan way, as this Chamber 
should do, and wrote the Senate a letter pleading--pleading--for 
Federal support and warning of the dire consequences of the delay.
  Let me read a passage from their letter to Leader McConnell and 
myself, with a copy to all Republican and Democratic Senators. There 
are many organizations from red States signing this letter. This is 
what they wrote:

       Previous federal bills responding to COVID-19 provided 
     important support . . . yet none allow for the replacement of 
     billions of lost revenue due to the COVID-19. More robust and 
     direct stimulus is needed for state and local governments to 
     both rebuild the economy and maintain essential services in 
     education, healthcare, emergency operations, public safety 
     and more . . . . Months have gone by and our communities 
     continue to suffer. Americans have a history of standing 
     together in a time of crisis and must do so now.

  Let me repeat those words for every Member of this Chamber to hear: 
``Americans have a history of standing together in a time of crisis and 
must do so now.''
  I urge my colleagues--and, particularly, my Republican colleagues--to 
listen to those words. These are your States, your cities, your mayors, 
your counties, and your State governments pleading with you for 
relief--not in a month, not later this year, but right now.
  I hope my Republican friends will listen to their voices--the voices 
of their constituents and State leaders--and consent tonight to pass 
Federal support for State, local, and Tribal governments. Blocking it 
will send a terrible signal to the American people that this Senate--
this Republican-led Senate--is unwilling to act with any urgency to 
pass the relief that our States desperately need.
  I now yield to my colleague from New Hampshire, who has been such a 
strong leader, particularly pointing out how lost revenues hurt 
governments--big, small, rural, urban, suburban, you name it
  Ms. HASSAN. Mr. President, I thank the distinguished leader, and I 
thank my colleague from Oregon, Senator Wyden, for joining in this 
motion and for making it.
  I rise today to join them in calling for urgently needed funding for 
State and local governments to support our communities as they continue 
to grapple with the COVID-19 pandemic.
  Across our country, State and local governments have been at the 
forefront of responding to this crisis and providing people and 
businesses with the support they need. State and local governments also 
employ millions of essential public employees--including teachers, 
first responders, and others--who have been working around the clock to 
help keep the American people safe.
  But in the face of these unprecedented circumstances, States and 
local communities are facing new, mounting costs and a catastrophic 
loss of revenue. Without additional Federal resources, we will see even 
more job losses and further economic harm. We must do more to support 
the American people.
  Just last week, Moody's Analytics released a sobering report on what 
State and local governments are up against. This report indicated that 
without significant Federal support for State and local governments, 4 
million additional people could lose their jobs.
  Throughout this crisis, we have worked together to try to save 
American jobs. Why, then, would we now sit and do nothing for the 
people who make our communities run?
  States and cities employ essential workers who have been on the 
frontlines of this crisis. We need these workers now more than ever. We 
should support the important work they are doing, not leave their jobs 
at risk.
  In addition to job cuts, without additional support, State and local 
governments may also need to cut programs and services that the 
American people depend on. Forcing States to slash education, 
infrastructure, and public health budgets, among others, would be 
deeply harmful at any time, but in the middle of a pandemic and the 
recession it has helped create, the ripple effect of those cuts would 
be even more staggering. Already, States and cities are cutting or 
delaying fixing sewer lines or roads and delaying putting out critical 
contracts to bid, with a ripple effect felt throughout the economy.
  It doesn't have to be this way. Senate Democrats are focused on 
providing significant economic relief for State and local governments 
across the country. This would mitigate the job losses and further 
economic damage that we are seeing as a result of this crisis.
  I urge my Republican colleagues to work with us to deliver this 
necessary relief and ensure that States have the flexibility to use 
this funding to backfill lost revenue and preserve jobs.
  The recent spike in cases in many States reinforces that the public 
health threat remains extremely serious. Our economy will be feeling 
the effects of this pandemic for years to come.
  State and local governments need our strong support to help save 
lives and strengthen our economy, and they need it right now. Blocking 
this relief will only make a dire economic situation even worse. That 
is the last thing the American people need.
  I join Senator Wyden and my colleagues in moving this UC request.
  Thank you.
  I yield the floor.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from New Jersey.
  Mr. MENENDEZ. Mr. President, I rise today to join my colleagues to 
stress the urgency for Congress to provide robust, flexible assistance 
to State and local governments on the frontlines of the COVID-19 
pandemic.
  Because this administration has failed to devise and deploy a 
national response to a national emergency, the burden of containing and 
defeating the virus has largely fallen on our States, our counties, and 
our municipalities. They are expending enormous resources to expand 
testing, shore up hospitals, process unemployment claims, and get our 
residents the help they desperately need.
  At the same time, revenues have fallen off a cliff due to the 
economic fallout. Monies collected from sales, property taxes, building 
permits, court fees, parking meters, transit fares--you name it--are 
all down.
  I served at every level of government in New Jersey--the school 
board, mayor, State legislature. I know exactly what they are going 
through. It isn't about any irresponsibility on their part. It is the 
consequences of a national pandemic. We didn't ask for 14,000 of our 
citizens in New Jersey to die. We didn't ask for nearly 180,000 New 
Jerseyans to ultimately be infected. But that is our reality. And that 
is not only our reality. There are other States similarly situated.
  Unlike the Federal Government, virtually all State and local 
governments are constitutionally obligated--constitutionally 
obligated--to pass a balanced budget. Forty-five States have a June 30 
deadline. That is tomorrow. Others are fast approaching.
  This isn't a blue State or red State issue. This isn't about 
pensions, as some have tried to suggest. This is a red, white, and blue 
issue. It is an American issue. This virus doesn't see political 
boundaries. This isn't an issue of fiscal responsibility. No one--no 
one--is immune. We see it across the Nation, huge spikes taking place 
in Florida, in Texas, in Arizona, and others.
  Earlier today, the bipartisan National Governors Association, the 
National League of Cities, the National Association of Counties, the 
U.S. Conference Mayors, the National Conference of State Legislatures, 
the Council of State Governments, and the International City/County 
Management Association sent a joint letter to Senate leadership. I have 
been a part of some of those organizations at different times. I have 
never seen them all come together on any given issue. They came 
together on this one.
  Over 170 businesses and organizations signed on, all unified with a 
clear message that, if we fail to provide our States and communities 
with immediate assistance, we will only hamper

[[Page S3646]]

our Nation's ability to fully recover, and Americans will needlessly 
suffer.
  According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, more than 1.4 million 
public employees and counting have been laid off or furloughed across 
the country--over 90,000 in Texas; 65,000 in Ohio; nearly 30,000 in 
Kentucky; 25,000 both in Colorado and Florida. Every State and 
community is bleeding.
  We are talking about first responders, teachers, nurses, sanitation 
workers, and other employees on the frontlines of the COVID fight. We 
need them on the job, not the unemployment line. It would be the height 
of irony that the result of the pandemic or, more importantly, our 
government's unwillingness to respond to the challenge of State and 
municipalities is that those whom we needed the most, those whom we 
still need the most, those whom we will need the most tomorrow are 
going to be laid off.
  The essential services our residents and businesses rely upon are 
being slashed left and right. For instance, the National League of 
Cities reports that more than 700 U.S. cities have halted roadway 
repairs and delayed equipment purchases to plug local budget holes. We 
are seeing deep, painful cuts across the board. Moody's projected last 
week that State budget shortfalls will top $500 billion over the next 3 
years.
  Now, I have heard some in this body argue that if we just reopen our 
economy, we would negate the need for Congress to act. Well, that has 
been proven a fallacy. COVID-19 cases are spiking across the country, 
especially in those States that were quick to reopen. We are seeing 
daily records being set in places like Arizona, Florida, Georgia, and 
Texas, forcing some areas to tighten their restrictions.
  Yet, in my home State of New Jersey, which was second only to New 
York in the number of COVID cases, we have not just flattened the 
curve; our infection rates are dropping. As we methodically and 
responsibly reopen, there is no doubt that the emergency protection 
measures we took in New Jersey helped stop the spread of COVID-19 and 
save lives, but that progress has come with tremendous economic pain 
and personal sacrifice that no State and community will be able to 
escape.
  So we can't allow ourselves to be handcuffed to partisan ideology. 
This isn't about left or right, conservative or progressive politics. I 
honestly believe that most of our colleagues on the Republican side 
understand this. Most recognize that forcing States and communities to 
go bankrupt is not a conservative principle, that the last thing we 
need during an economic crisis is to send 3 to 4 million public workers 
to the unemployment line without the ability for them to respond on our 
collective behalf.
  We need bold bipartisan action to address this national crisis. That 
is why the State Municipal Assistance for Response and Transition Act, 
or the SMART Act, is the commonsense solution we need to give our 
communities a fighting chance and to stop the economy from freefall.
  I want to thank Senators Cassidy, Hyde-Smith, Collins, Manchin, and 
Booker for joining me in this bipartisan effort, and we are working 
every day to build more support.
  The SMART Act provides $500 billion in flexible Federal funds that 
will help our communities dramatically expand the testing capacity and 
contact tracing we need to contain the virus, which is a necessary step 
to restoring consumer confidence and restarting the economy.
  It will help stave off massive layoffs, tax hikes, and deep, painful 
cuts to essential services. It will keep our EMTs, firefighters, public 
health workers, teachers, and other essential employees on the job 
during this critical time--because it is not just about defeating 
COVID-19. We still need to keep our first responders on the job, our 
children learning, the trash picked up, the roads maintained, and the 
buses and trains running on time.
  Unless we act soon, we will see more mass layoffs, devastating tax 
increases, and a breakdown in public safety and essential services. We 
cannot--in all good conscience--sit back and watch our States, 
counties, cities, and towns fail. We cannot shift the Federal 
Government's responsibility and then leave them holding the bag.
  We can't turn our backs on the American people. A national emergency 
requires a national response, and it is this body's sworn duty to act, 
to send our States and local communities the resources they desperately 
need to combat COVID-19 and to continue to serve the constituents we 
have all been elected to represent.
  If the safety and security of the American people is job one, this is 
also safety and security.
  I will close with this. I appreciate that there are different points 
of view, but I really get upset when I hear that States like mine or 
others somehow want to be bailed out.
  I will tell you what--New Jersey would be happy to take the excess 
money it sends to the Federal Treasury rather than what it gets in 
return--billions of dollars--and say: We will handle the problem on our 
own.
  We would like to see some of our fellow States here, which receive 
more money than they contribute to the Federal Treasury, return it. We 
are not a moocher State; we are a donor State.
  So some of my colleagues here should look: They get $20 billion, $30 
billion more from the Federal Government than they pay into the Federal 
Treasury. We in New Jersey pay more than we get.
  Now that we are in the midst of a national emergency in which we have 
thousands of our citizens dying, thousands more still infected, and we 
did the right thing in order to stop the dying, we should pay a greater 
consequence because we did the right thing in doing job No. 1: the 
safety and security of our citizens?
  I don't think so.
  I yield the floor.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from Oregon
  Mr. WYDEN. Mr. President, I thank my colleagues. A number have 
already given eloquent remarks, and we still have more to come. I know, 
per the agreement, that it is time to propound the unanimous consent 
request.
  So, with the support of thousands of firefighters, first responders, 
teachers, county health providers, and thousands more Americans of both 
political parties with an extraordinary work ethic, I ask unanimous 
consent that the Senate proceed to the immediate consideration of the 
State, Local, and Tribal Fiscal Relief and Rural Stability Act, which 
is at the desk. I further ask that the bill be considered read three 
times and passed and that the motion to reconsider be considered made 
and laid upon the table with no intervening action or debate.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Is there objection?
  The Senator from Florida.
  Mr. SCOTT of Florida. Mr. President, reserving the right to object, 
this is clearly a challenging time for every level of government. I 
think we will all admit that this crisis was unprecedented, and 
Congress has already taken bold action to stem this virus and save our 
economy. But if we are not careful, Congress will create another 
equally devastating crisis down the road--a crisis of our own making.
  Our national debt and deficits, already at unsustainable levels, have 
skyrocketed as Congress has spent almost $3 trillion--$3 trillion--to 
address this crisis. To put that in perspective, Congress has spent 
$9,000 for every American.
  At some point we need to start thinking about the impact this 
spending will have on the future of our children and our grandchildren, 
how we are impacting our ability to fund our military and our safety 
nets like Social Security, Medicare, and Medicaid.
  Again, I know everyone here wants to help our States. I want to help 
our States, too, which is why I support maintaining the existing 
restrictions tied to the Coronavirus Relief Fund that were included in 
the CARES Act to make sure this spending is for coronavirus response.
  Congress has already allocated billions in direct and indirect aid to 
States and localities. Total direct funding from the Federal Government 
already exceeds $1 trillion. Let me just go through it.
  We gave them $150 billion for COVID-19 expenses. To put that in 
perspective, while I was Governor of Florida, we had four hurricanes. 
The Federal Government never funded 100 percent of my cost. We are 
funding 100 percent of the COVID-19 cost.

[[Page S3647]]

  We have given our State and local governments $500 billion in short-
term loans. We have given them $45 billion in FEMA disaster funds, $30 
billion in education funds without any information on whether education 
costs have gone up, $34 billion for mass transit and community grants, 
$270 billion for CARES Act emergency appropriations, and $50 billion 
for Medicaid--and as we have all seen with the healthcare costs, 
Medicaid costs have gone down around the country.
  Even this doesn't begin to count another $1.3 trillion in indirect 
assistance to small businesses, individuals, and increased unemployment 
benefits to families in all of our States.
  We have given $175 billion to our healthcare community. We have given 
$11 billion to our States to deal with testing.
  Now my colleagues want to spend another $1 trillion before the other 
trillion dollars that was already allocated has even been spent.
  I sent a letter this month to all U.S. Governors to get more details 
on exactly how they are allocating the Federal coronavirus response 
funds that they have already received. I have heard back only from four 
States.
  Do you think I have heard back from New York? Of course not, and I 
don't expect to. Why? Because politicians in these liberal States have 
refused to live within their means for decades, and they want 
Floridians to backfill their budgets and pay for the incompetency of 
Governors like Andrew Cuomo.
  Andrew Cuomo got elected when I got elected--at the end of 2010, at 
the end of the financial crisis. I have watched him in my 8 years as 
Governor. Did he balance his budget? No, he doesn't balance his budget. 
He keeps borrowing more money year after year.
  The Wall Street Journal's editorial board said: ``The policy question 
is why taxpayers in Florida and other well-managed states should pay 
higher taxes to rescue an Albany political class that refuses to 
restrain its tax-and-spend governance.''
  New York has increased their spending since 2010 by $43 billion, 
which is $570,000 per new resident--$570,000 per new resident. They 
already have a State and local personal income tax rate of 12.7 
percent.
  I know why they want money: They can't tax their citizens any more. 
They have already done it. Because of all of their taxes, people keep 
moving to States like Florida. They have lost $9.6 billion in adjusted 
gross income to other States just since 2018.
  So what these States have done is they don't live within their means, 
and now they want us to come be responsible for their bad budgets, 
their pension plans, and things like that.
  One of my colleagues brought up this concept that some States are 
donors. I have been up here 18 months. I have looked at the Federal 
budget. I haven't seen a dime come from the States. It comes from the 
taxpayers in those States. Do you know how it comes here? It comes here 
to pay for things like Social Security and Medicare. Then these 
citizens get sick and tired of the high taxes in places like New 
Jersey, New York, Illinois, and California and move to lower tax States 
and then receive these benefits.
  Then people come up here and say: Oh, our government funded 
governments in other States. No, they don't. The citizens do it, and 
then they get sick and tired of those high taxes and move.
  So we know New York, California, and Illinois have no problem using 
hard-earned taxpayer dollars to fund their liberal priorities and to 
backfill their budget shortfalls and solve their longstanding fiscal 
problems.
  It is not fair to the citizens of States like Florida where, over my 
8 years as Governor, we made the hard choices that put our State on a 
financially secure path. Because we made those choices, the Governor of 
Florida was able to sign a responsible State budget today without 
having to beg the Federal Government for a bailout. Guess what. There 
are teacher pay raises in there and increased funding for K-12 
education.
  American families make responsible budgetary decisions every day. 
Successful companies make responsible budget decisions every day. Well-
meaning States like Florida have done it for years. It is time for New 
York, Illinois, and California to do the same.
  We have to get serious about how we are spending taxpayer money and 
the fact that this year's Federal budget deficit will be the largest in 
the history of this country. While it may be tempting to throw money at 
the problem and then believe that removing the restrictions on funding 
will satisfy States for a bailout, I am afraid that my colleagues are 
mistaken.
  These funds are still needed for coronavirus response, and 
unfortunately many States have not been shy about their desire for 
hundreds of billions of dollars in taxpayer bailouts for their liberal 
agendas. I am not going to let this happen.
  By the way, when you hear about all these letters that come that want 
more money--I spent 8 years as Governor of Florida. I don't remember 
one time that somebody came to me and said: Why don't you spend less 
money? Of course everybody is going to come up here and ask us for more 
money, more money, more money. It is somebody's money.
  I think about this in the context of my seven grandchildren. We 
cannot saddle them and children like them across the country with 
mountains of debt--debt that right now stands in excess of $77,000 per 
American--$77,000 per American.
  Do you know what it was in 1976? It was $3 per American. It is 
$77,000. To take away the same opportunities I had to live the American 
dream from our children and grandchildren would not only be a political 
failure, it would be an abdication of our moral responsibility.
  It is time to make the hard choices, to put our Nation on a path to 
recovery--recovery from this virus, from the economic devastations 
brought with it, and from the fiscal calamity that decades of 
politicians have ignored. I hope my colleagues will join me in the 
fight for our future.
  I therefore respectfully object.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Objection is heard.
  The Senator from Oregon.
  Mr. WYDEN. Mr. President, to make a very brief response--and I know 
my colleagues have been very patient--I just want to make sure that 
everybody really put in context the remarks the Senator from Florida 
made. He is basically saying that if you don't address healthcare now, 
if you don't address education now, if you don't address roads now, 
that somehow there aren't going to be any consequences.
  There are going to be very real consequences. People are going to be 
sicker, for example. We are going to spend much more down the road. We 
have a weakened and smaller economy, and we will have that for an 
unknown amount of time.
  My colleague mentioned his concern about weakened national security. 
How can a semi-permanently weakened economy not affect national 
security? Of course it is going to affect national security, and it is 
going to affect national security badly.
  Finally, I will make one additional point, and I know my colleagues 
will address this as well. My colleague from Florida talks about 
deficits. I am the ranking Democrat on the Finance Committee, where we 
sat through my colleagues' tax bill--a bill that he voted for, and he 
strongly supported it and said it is going to pay for itself; what is 
to worry about?
  Nobody does deficits better than that side of the aisle. Nobody does 
them better and bigger and in a more irresponsible way.
  I wanted to put that in context. I look forward to the remarks of my 
friend from Connecticut and Nevada.
  Mr. SCOTT of Florida. Mr. President, I would like to respond to my 
colleague before he leaves.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from Florida.
  Mr. SCOTT of Florida. Mr. President, I wasn't here when the tax bill 
was done. I cut taxes of over $10 billion. We cut taxes and fees. And 
what happened is our economy grew. We added 1.7 billion jobs.
  Let's go back and look at this. We talk about money. We have given 
$150 billion for the expenses. We have given loans. We have given FEMA 
disaster funds. We have given education funds. We have given mass 
transit funds. We have given emergency appropriations for a variety of 
different sections. We have given many healthcare dollars for

[[Page S3648]]

Medicaid. On top of that, we allocated $175 billion to our healthcare 
system, and we gave our States $11 billion for testing. It is not like 
we have been up here and not responding. We have responded.
  By the way, the dollars have not all been spent. What we need to do 
is, let's see what these Governors come back with. I have gotten a 
response from four Governors so far. Let's look at what they said, and 
then we can make a responsible decision on how we spend our money going 
forward.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from Connecticut.
  Mr. MURPHY. Mr. President, let me tell you how the bailout has 
worked. When COVID hit this country and people were dying from a 
disease that we didn't have a vaccine for, as emergency rooms all over 
the country were being overwhelmed, the Federal Government and the 
Trump administration did nothing. They did nothing. They didn't stand 
up a national testing program. They didn't stand up a national trace 
and quarantine system. They didn't let the CDC do their job and issue 
national guidelines around how to close businesses and schools. They 
didn't lead proposing legislation before Congress to tackle the costs 
of this response.
  President Trump put in place a feckless travel restriction that still 
allowed tens of thousands of people to get here from the countries that 
were infected, and then the Federal Government gave up. It did nothing. 
It left the entirety of the response to the States
  Here is how the bailout works. The States have bailed out the Federal 
Government by stepping up to the plate and being primary responders to 
this epidemic. Hospitals and local public health systems have bailed 
out the Federal Government, which did nothing to stop this virus. That 
is how the bailout has worked.
  All States are asking for is to help pay for the expense of 
confronting this virus. If a bailout equals saving lives, then I am for 
a bailout. Without help from the Federal Government, people are going 
to die. States that have to balance their Federal budgets are not going 
to be able to erect the kind of anti-pandemic infrastructure that will 
save lives.
  My colleague from Florida has left, but let's also just be honest 
about the accounting here. He had a chart up about Florida bailing out 
New York. If you want to do a deal in which Connecticut and New York 
and New Jersey get to keep all of the revenue that we send to the 
Federal Government, that we get a guarantee for every dollar we send to 
Washington, we get a dollar back, we are all in.
  I don't think my friend from Florida would take that deal because 
every single year, on average, a Connecticut citizen gives $4,000 more 
to the Federal Government than that Connecticut citizen gets back. The 
average New York citizen gives on average $1,700 more to the Federal 
Government than they get back. That is because we are wealthier States.
  You know what, while we fight to try to get as much of that revenue 
back to our State as possible, we understand that because citizens in 
our States have done a little bit better, we should help pay for the 
healthcare of people in Florida; we should help pay for the education 
of poor kids in Florida.
  We grouse about the amount of taxes we pay, but we understand the 
deal in which, because we have done a little bit better, we are going 
to help States that need a little bit more help. But on an average 
year, the average Florida recipient gets $2,700 more in Federal 
assistance than they give. That sounds like a bailout--on an annual 
basis, repeating year after year.
  What we are asking here is for some help to save lives. We are not 
asking to give out surplus checks to our constituents; we are asking 
for help to keep people alive all throughout this country. States and 
municipalities are the ones that are conducting the response because 
the Trump administration has refused to do it, and it is an expensive 
response.
  If you want to keep people alive, then you have to help us pay for 
that expense. You have to help us pay for that expense. Our revenues 
are cratering as the economy has been shut down. Our expenses are 
spiraling as we have been left holding the bag. When that happens, you 
can only do two things if you are a State that has to balance your 
budget, as Connecticut is, every year. We can either raise taxes--think 
about that: raising taxes in the middle of an economy in meltdown--or 
we can lay people off.
  Already across this country, 1.5 million State and local workers have 
been laid off, and there are more to come. Many of them will be in the 
public health field--the very people who we need to be able to identify 
where the virus exists, trace the contacts, and quarantine people to 
keep others safe. Those are the people who are going to be laid off.
  It becomes this downward spiral in which, as the Federal Government 
refuses to help States pay for the virus response and the States can no 
longer effectively stand up a response effort, the virus wins. That is 
one of the reasons you are seeing the virus spread in places like 
Florida or Texas--because we don't have the infrastructure in place. 
The Trump administration refused to build it, and now we are refusing 
to help States build it.
  It has been 45 days since the House passed their legislation helping 
States to keep people alive. I was on this floor as my Republican 
colleagues were literally jumping from their seats when Senate 
Democrats were insisting that we take an extra day or two to pass the 
CARES Act, to get it right--jumping out of their seats with a sense of 
urgency.
  The virus is back on the march again. The economy is in worse shape 
today than it was in March. It has been 45 days since the House sent us 
legislation to keep people alive, and we have done nothing.
  My colleagues, I want to leave you with just one picture--really two 
pictures side by side for my State. Just ask yourself after thinking 
about this, visualizing this, if this is really the world you want to 
choose to live in through your inaction.
  We have our share of billionaires in Connecticut. They are important 
to us. They pay a decent amount of taxes. They contribute 
philanthropically. But they have done very well over the course of the 
pandemic. A survey just came out that showed that over half of those 
who count themselves as billionaires in Connecticut had dramatically 
increased their net worth since this pandemic began. In fact, of all 
the billionaires in Connecticut, they had increased their total wealth 
by about $2 billion--$2 billion. That is driven in part by a stock 
market that has priced in all of the Trump administration's support for 
corporations. It is because of a stock market that has also priced in 
the mass extinction of lots of small businesses that will accrue to the 
benefit of those corporations.
  I want you to think about the richest Americans over the course of 
the last several months having seen their nest egg grow--grow. They can 
afford more. They can pass down more wealth to their children, even 
with 20 percent of Americans unemployed.
  Put that next to this visual. Jen Sherman lives in my State and has a 
14-year-old named Gavin. He is a special education student with a host 
of learning challenges. He hasn't been in school since March. He needs 
school because at school are his professionals--his counselors, his 
therapists. School is where his routine is.
  Jen says: My kid is falling apart in front of my eyes. It is making 
me physically ill watching him be out of school for going on for 4 
months. He is just deteriorating on me. His mental health is 
concerning. It is the unknown. He has so many questions we can't 
answer.
  Jen is getting ready to send Gavin, who is already broken down, back 
to school. As she is readying to send him back to school, school 
districts across the State of Connecticut are talking about laying off 
the very professionals who will help Gavin get back to that routine.
  Surveys suggest that if we don't pass another emergency response 
package for States, 10 percent of teachers could be laid off. You know 
who is going to come first. It is going to be those paraprofessionals. 
It will be those counselors who build support services around the most 
vulnerable kids.
  As corporations and billionaires have done better and better, kids 
like Gavin--low-income families across this country, the masses of the 
unemployed--are suffering and will not be able to get back to normal 
unless we beat this virus. We can't beat it if we

[[Page S3649]]

don't help States and municipalities with the work that needs to be 
done.
  It has been some 45 days since we watched the House pass legislation 
that could save lives and allow us to stand up a true national effort 
to beat this virus once and for all. I would plead to my colleagues to 
not go home for a 2-week vacation without passing legislation to help 
us stand up a State and local response to COVID-19.
  I yield the floor.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from Nevada.
  Ms. CORTEZ MASTO. Mr. President, along with my colleague, I am 
astounded that we have gone this long without any type of relief for 
our State and local governments that are suffering right now. The last 
time this Chamber passed legislation to address the coronavirus 
pandemic was April 21, 2020. That was over 2 months ago.
  I can tell you, I know, Mr. President and all of my colleagues, you 
are hearing from your constituents in your States. I am hearing from my 
constituents. I have heard from thousands of Nevadans who find 
themselves lying awake at night trying to figure out how to pay the 
rent, feed their kids, and take care of family members at elevated risk 
from COVID-19.

  People in the Silver State want to know what more the Federal 
Government is doing to help them, and rightly so, but they do not want 
to hear us on the floor of the Senate Chamber identifying and arguing 
that liberal States should not get some sort of relief right now.
  I just heard my colleague from Florida identifying that liberal 
States shouldn't get funding. What is a liberal State? How do we define 
that? Does that mean it is a Democratic State or a Republican State 
because I can tell you--you have seen it and I have seen it--we have 
all seen letters from our Governors across this country in a bipartisan 
way--letters signed by Democratic Governors and Republican Governors 
asking for relief and support from this Congress. It is not just the 
Governors; it is the mayors; it is the county chairmen, the county 
commissioners.
  I will tell you, there are some beautiful places in my State, and we 
are Nevadans. Whether you are a Republican or you are a Democrat, every 
single one of my mayors I have talked to, every single one of the 
county commissioners and the county chairmen, along with my Governor--
we come from beautiful, diverse backgrounds--they are looking for 
additional support. We can't put a pause on it now. We can't wait.
  I don't understand why we have been waiting since April. In April, 
State and local governments laid off 1 million workers across the 
country and froze or cut the salaries of thousands more. In April, in 
my home State of Nevada, unemployment was skyrocketing to 28 percent, 
the highest in the Nation. That is nearly one in three Nevadans without 
a job. Let me put that in comparison. The highest national unemployment 
rate America ever recorded during the Great Depression was 25.6 
percent.
  On May 25, the House voted for the comprehensive Heroes Act to 
support State, local, and Tribal governments, to bolster health 
systems, to provide further stimulus payments, to help frontline 
workers, and strengthen this Nation's economy. At that time, we as 
Senators could have rolled up our sleeves right then and worked to find 
common ground with the House so we could provide help and assistance to 
so many people across this country.
  Unfortunately, on May 26, our majority leader told reporters that the 
Senate would probably--we would probably pass more legislation. Now it 
is the end of June, and we have no legislation from the Senate on the 
greatest crisis facing this Nation since World War II, even though we 
are hearing constantly from our constituents and from our States.
  Meanwhile, we are suffering. I can tell you, Nevadans are suffering 
like almost every other State in the country.
  Nevada has to balance its budget on July 1, just a few days from now. 
Forty-six States have similar budgets they have to balance. Unlike the 
Federal Government, States can't borrow to make up for shortfalls. 
Every State in this country is collecting less in taxes than it usually 
would, and every State in the country faces unprecedented and 
unforeseen expenses because of this pandemic.
  In my State, the Governor has estimated there will be a $1.3 billion 
budget shortfall. Las Vegas alone is facing a drop in revenue of over 
$100 million. The city of Reno expects a $30 million hole in its 
budget. These are real dollars that are going to come out of essential 
services. State, local, and Tribal governments are absolutely on the 
frontlines of this health crisis.
  The Senate must join the House in passing this vital legislation to 
give assistance to so many in need right now across this country.
  We heard from my colleagues that States and localities have to pay 
EMTs, police, firefighters, healthcare providers--those essential 
people who are on the frontlines dealing with this healthcare crisis. 
According to a study by the National League of Cities, half the cities 
in the country expect that budget shortfall will affect public safety.
  State and local governments also fund schools and teachers. In the 
middle of this pandemic, they have to figure out ways to deliver online 
education to students who don't have computers or internet and work to 
support parents trying to help their kids learn. They are having to 
figure out how to feed kids in the next school year under inflexible 
nutrition program rules.
  Meanwhile, with these added challenges in Nevada, we are having to 
consider cutting $125 million from higher education and $100 million 
from elementary and secondary education. In Nevada, like so many other 
places, this is all going on against the backdrop of tremendous 
economic pain. We have 300,000 people in the Silver State claiming 
unemployment insurance and thousands of those still waiting to receive 
their benefits.
  This economic shock continues. People are going to start losing their 
homes or be evicted from their apartments if we don't do something to 
address it now. Nevada was already facing tremendous affordable housing 
crisis. We need urgent solutions to prevent this wave of dislocations 
and homelessness.
  And equally urgent is the help needed for our small businesses. I was 
just on a call earlier today with the executive directors of the 
chambers throughout our State. I can guarantee you, I am not alone. In 
your State and all of our States, our small businesses are scrambling 
to find new business models and new sources of revenue. Many of these 
businesses are the heart of our communities, and if they go under 
permanently, cities and towns will suffer as well.
  Our frontline medical workers--the true heroes--continue to need 
support. As cases climb in Nevada, they are working tirelessly to save 
lives and prevent complications, and they need our support.

  Our frontline medical workers and our States also rely on Medicaid so 
that other people who are also struggling financially can still get 
critical healthcare when they need it. In Nevada, nearly 45,000 people 
are newly reliant on this safety net coverage.
  Without additional resources to cover the costs associated with their 
coverage, the State will be forced to cut payments to the doctors who 
serve them, and this is in a State that already has one of the 
country's lowest rates of doctors per capita. Almost three out of four 
Nevada providers are worried about the financial viability of their 
practices in the face of the current crisis.
  When we talk about funding State and local governments, we cannot 
forget our Tribal governments. They don't collect taxes. They are 
barred from doing so. Yet they rely on businesses to fund services. 
With Nevada's economy so hard hit, our Tribal communities need another 
source of funding, and they need support. This is while many of the 
Tribes in my State are still in lockdown, still trying to get access to 
sufficient COVID-19 testing and PPE and even key data. The CARES Act 
funding wasn't even released to Tribal governments across the country 
for 60 days, and the Senate majority leader still thinks things aren't 
urgent? It is just wrong.
  The Senate must move urgently to strengthen the very institutions 
across this country that are delivering essential service to Americans. 
It is just a basic necessity.

[[Page S3650]]

  I understand that many of my colleagues want to make sure we spend 
Federal funds wisely, and I want that, too, but the way to achieve this 
is for all of us to start working now. Nevadans need us to take action. 
The American people need us to take action. I ask Leader McConnell to 
take up and pass the Heroes Act or convene on the floor of the Senate 
or in our committees real bipartisan discussions so we can pass the 
next economic stimulus package.
  I yield the floor.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from Connecticut.
  Mr. BLUMENTHAL. I am honored to follow the Senator from Nevada who 
knows so well the importance of public service and public servants.
  One of the reasons why we are here is because many of those public 
servants doing such great service for our communities will be laid off 
or furloughed to the detriment of their communities and their States. 
As the Senator knows in Nevada, and I know in Connecticut, what is 
necessary for them to continue their work is, in fact, the Heroes Act.
  We have been talking a lot about the frontline workers, the heroes, 
like first responders, police, firefighters, the doctors and nurses, 
the grocery checkers, the delivery people far and wide, high and low. 
They have been doing great work. Many of them are going to be directly 
affected if we fail to pass the Heroes Act. Many of them and their work 
will be for naught if we fail to support the Heroes Act and enable 
State and local government to continue to employ them and support them.
  I have been traveling across the State of Connecticut over these last 
2\1/2\ months. What I have found is unparalleled hardship and 
heartbreak.
  Yesterday, I visited a small business, a restaurant in Norwalk called 
No Leftovers, offering Caribbean food. It has been in business for 3 
years. Its owner has received no Paycheck Protection Program funding, 
and it is hanging by a thread. That story is repeated again and again 
and again.
  One of the reasons he is so fearful about the future is that zoning 
in Norwalk has been delayed because people are not at work. What 
happens to Norwalk and its Zoning and Land Use Department if there is 
no money to pay for it? That story writ large is about the future of 
America and the American dream that No Leftovers and small businesses 
like his exemplify, and it is a Black-owned business. The tragedy of 
the Black-owned businesses going under is one of the unwritten stories 
of this pandemic. Forty-one percent have failed during this pandemic--
often through no fault of those business owners--because they face this 
economic crisis, and they face the loss of service if State and local 
governments, in effect, have to cut their workforces and their services 
to those businesses. This is not only Black-owned but businesses owned 
across the board by all Americans and employing Americans.
  Small businesses, as we know, no matter who owns them, are the major 
job creators today in the United States. There are linkages here, as I 
have been hearing. I go around the State talking to those business 
owners--not only the big contractors, the defense providers, like 
Sikorsky and Pratt & Whitney, but their supply chain. Those small- and 
medium-sized businesses will be disastrously affected by a failure to 
keep faith, move forward, and pass the Heroes Act.
  Those frontline workers deserve the Heroes Fund--hazardous duty pay 
up to $25,000, retroactive to the beginning of this national emergency. 
Again, recognizing public service, not only rewarding it but also 
retaining and recruiting more of them.
  State and local governments depend on those frontline workers whom we 
talk so glowingly about. Now is our chance to put the money where our 
mouth is, and we have not only a moral obligation, we have an economic 
duty and a patriotic duty as we go into July 4.
  Finally, let me just say--and I said it last week--that the U.S. 
Senate is about to leave town for 2 weeks, wanting America to believe 
that we have done our job. The fact is, we will have failed to have 
done our job unless we will have acted on the Heroes Act. Failing to 
act on the Heroes Act is an abrogation of our duty. We cannot go back 
and talk about the spirit of the Fourth of July and about the 
resilience and resoluteness of the Founders if we cannot be 
sufficiently determined to do our job here.
  That aid to State and local governments is not a matter of 
convenience or luxury; it is a necessity for us to finance the public 
health departments that conduct testing and contact tracing as well as 
those economic development departments and land use departments, 
health, firefighting, policing, teaching. These are the core functions 
of our government, and there will be layoffs--massive layoffs--across 
the country if we fail to do our job.
  I have been reading a book called ``The Great Influenza'' by John 
Barry. One of the lessons of that pandemic is that the failure to tell 
the truth is itself a failure that can lead to disaster. It can spawn 
fear and even terror. It can lead to complacency and inaction.
  The failure to tell the truth is all too common these days with 
regard to this pandemic. The numbers tell, with much greater accuracy, 
the story of this pandemic than what we have been hearing from the 
White House. Yet now we have an obligation to make sure the truth is 
told, and that means facing the obligation to act. The way we can act 
is on the Heroes Act. The way we can tell the truth is to squarely lay 
before the American people what the challenges are and what the costs 
will be if we fail to act.
  The other great lesson of that book is of the failure by local health 
departments and by local leaders to command the resources and devote 
them to fighting the pandemic itself. This contributed to it. We need 
to learn the lessons of history. They are sometimes so simple and 
powerful that we look the other way.
  Before we leave town, let us look squarely at the Heroes Act and do 
the right thing--pass it and make sure that America moves forward to 
conquer this public health emergency and economic crisis that has been 
made all the more severe by the unfinished business of this country in 
dealing with racism and discrimination. We have that opportunity. The 
July 4 holiday should not be a time off; it ought to be a time on for 
us to do the right thing, and it is on us.
  I yield the floor

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