[Congressional Record Volume 166, Number 128 (Tuesday, July 21, 2020)]
[Senate]
[Pages S4309-S4310]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                              CORONAVIRUS

  Mr. McCONNELL. Madam President, our Nation stands at a crucial midway 
point in our battle against this terrible virus. The heroism of 
healthcare professionals, essential workers, and families from coast to 
coast got our Nation through a springtime like no other. Communities 
across America put normal life on pause to buy breathing room for our 
medical system. We essentially had to winterize the world's largest 
economy for weeks on end and spare our people as much of the resulting 
pain as possible. The task was historic, and so was the Senate's 
response. We wrote and passed the CARES Act--the largest rescue package 
in American history. Our legislation helped pull both our health system 
and our economy back from the brink. Tens of millions of jobs were 
saved. The hallways of our hospitals did not become Italy. The Senate's 
leadership helped the Nation endure the first phase of this, but this 
crisis is far from over.
  The virus that has claimed 140,000 American lives has not gone 
anywhere. As some places step back toward normalcy, infections are 
climbing again in hotspots across our country. The start of our 
economic recovery has been sharp and impressive, but in absolute terms, 
we still have just begun to pick up the pieces. Our progress so far has 
been encouraging, but it remains fragile and far from sufficient. I 
would argue that our country's job now is even more complex than it was 
back in March.
  Now, as then, we need to keep our health system robust, but now, 
instead of locking down the country to do it, we want to stand up a 
society that functions somewhat more normally at the same time.

[[Page S4310]]

  The American people cannot completely stop building their lives until 
the vaccine is available. The United States of America was not built 
for a defensive crouch. We need to stand up an educational system and 
an economy that works for workers and families in the meantime. We need 
to find the right sort of middle ground--middle ground that is smart 
and safe but also more sustainable. It is another historic set of 
challenges and another opportunity for the U.S. Senate to deliver.
  For weeks now, I have made it clear that further legislation out of 
the Senate will be a serious response to the crisis. We will not be 
wasting the American people's time like the House Democrats, with their 
multimillion-dollar proposal for high taxes on small businesses, cut 
taxes for blue-State millionaires, and send diversity detectives into 
the cannabis industry.
  I have said we will start with the facts and develop real, targeted 
solutions on the subjects that matter most to American families. It 
turns out that means three things: kids, jobs, and healthcare--kids, 
jobs, and healthcare.
  Surveys show the American people's top priorities for reopening are 
childcare and K-12 schools. This country wants its kids back in the 
classroom this fall--learning, exploring, making friends. Their 
educations depend on it. In some cases, their safety depends on it, and 
so do the livelihoods of working parents.
  The American Academy of Pediatrics stated unambiguously that our goal 
must be in-person--in-person instruction. But of course, parents, 
teachers, and doctors all agree it has to be as safe as possible. That 
is where the Senate comes in.
  This majority is preparing legislation that will send $105 billion so 
educators have the resources they need to safely reopen. That is more 
money than the House Democrats set aside for a similar fund, by the 
way, and that is in addition to support for childcare needs. It is 
amazing how you can find room to fund serious priorities when you take 
a pass on the far-left daydreams.
  Second, the economic slowdown has hurt millions and millions of 
Americans. Before this crisis, we had never had 7 million Americans 
receiving unemployment at the same time. Today, we have 17 million. 
More than a million people have filed new unemployment claims every 
single week for more than 4 months now.
  The American job market needs another shot of adrenaline. Senate 
Republicans are laser-focused on getting American workers their jobs 
back. Our bill takes several specific incentives to hire and retain 
workers and turn the dials on those policies way up. The legislation 
will help reimburse for safe workplaces so Main Street can afford the 
PPE, testing, cleaning, or remodeling to protect workers and entice 
customers.
  The ingenuity and spirit of America's small business isn't possible 
to overstate, but they still face a tough road. With the majority of 
businesses expected to exhaust their initial Paychecks Protection 
Funding this summer, we will also be proposing a targeted second round 
of the PPP with a special eye toward hard-hit businesses.
  Speaking of building on what worked in the CARES Act, we want another 
round of direct payments--direct payments to help American families 
keep driving our national comeback. Helping to create more Americans 
jobs is an urgent, moral priority, and these are just some of the 
policies we are discussing that will help that happen.
  In addition to kids and jobs, our third major focus is healthcare. 
The reason is obvious. The reason is obvious. If we lose control of the 
virus or if research stalls, then everything else will be window 
dressing.

  Our proposal will dedicate even more resources to the fastest race 
for a new vaccine in human history, along with diagnostics and 
treatments. Our bill will also protect seniors from a potential spike 
in premiums. And the Federal Government will continue to support 
hospitals, providers, and testing.
  These are just some of the elements that Senate Republicans are 
discussing among ourselves and with the administration. There is one 
more central proposal that ties kids, jobs, and healthcare all 
together.
  As I have said for months, the next recovery package will include 
strong legal protections for the healthcare workers who save strangers' 
lives and the schools, colleges, charities, and businesses that want to 
reopen. The American people will not see their historic recovery 
gobbled up by trial lawyers who are itching to follow this pandemic 
with a second epidemic of frivolous lawsuits.
  Gross negligence will still be actionable, but we are creating a safe 
harbor for institutions that make good-faith efforts to follow the 
guidelines available to them. Doctors and nurses clearly deserve this 
protection, and school districts, universities, nonprofits, and small 
businesses will need it, as well, if we want any genuine reopening at 
all.
  The legislation that I have begun to sketch out is neither another 
CARES Act to float the entire economy nor a typical stimulus bill for a 
nation that is ready to get back to normal. Our country is in a complex 
middle ground between those two things. We can't go back to April, and 
we can't snap our fingers and finish the vaccine overnight. We need to 
carve out a new normal.
  Senate Republicans are continuing to discuss these and other ideas 
among our conference and with the administration. The majority will be 
laying down another historic proposal very soon. Here in the Senate, an 
outcome will require bipartisan discussions.
  I do not believe there will be anything in our bill that our 
Democratic colleagues should not happily support, but we will stand 
ready and eager to work together and produce a bipartisan outcome.
  As I said yesterday, in March the Senate gave a historic master class 
in how to pass major bipartisan legislation. The CARES Act, the largest 
rescue package ever, was drafted by Republicans, promptly negotiated 
across the aisle with Democrats, and then passed urgently without a 
single dissenting vote.
  Last month, in June, we recorded a master class in how not to make a 
law. Instead of amending Senator Tim Scott's JUSTICE Act, our 
Democratic colleagues flat-out blocked him. They filibustered the issue 
of police reform altogether. Well, for the sake of America's kids, 
jobs, and healthcare, let's hope our Democratic friends bring their 
bipartisan urgency and good faith to the process and leave the partisan 
poses behind.
  The Senate has led every step of this crisis. We need to rise to the 
task one more time.

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