[Congressional Record Volume 166, Number 133 (Tuesday, July 28, 2020)]
[Senate]
[Pages S4515-S4516]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                               HEALS ACT

  Mr. McCONNELL. Yesterday, Senate Republicans put forward the HEALS 
Act, our framework for another round of historic relief for American 
workers and families.
  Our Nation stands at a challenging crossroads. We have one foot in 
this pandemic and one foot in the recovery. We can't go back to April, 
and until we have a vaccine, we can't go back to normal either. What 
the American people need is smart, safe, and sustainable middle ground, 
and they need Congress's help to construct it. That is exactly what our 
major proposal would do.
  Everyone knows that another rescue package will need to be bipartisan 
to pass the Senate. So the question before the country is now really 
quite simple: Are we going to see the versions of House and Senate 
Democrats that helped us unanimously pass the CARES Act back in March, 
or are we, instead, going to see the same Democrats who decided to 
block police reform in June and lash out at Senator Tim Scott's 
proposal instead of working with him to make law? In other words, do 
the Speaker of the House and the Democratic leader believe that 
struggling Americans deserve an outcome, or do they want to stay on the 
sidelines and recite talking points?
  Well, yesterday, even before the Democrats had seen our legislation,

[[Page S4516]]

they began attacking it. All the tired, old partisan tropes were 
trotted out. Before releasing a proposal that wants to give schools 
even more reopening money than the House Democrats' bill and which 
would continue additional unemployment benefits at eight times the 
dollar amount Democrats established during the last crisis, we were 
informed here on the floor that ``those Republican hard-right money 
people . . . don't want the Federal Government to help anybody.''
  This is beyond parody.
  Republicans put forward a trillion-dollar proposal for kids, jobs, 
and healthcare, including direct cash to households, and even more cash 
to unemployed people. And the Democrats say it proves we don't want to 
help people. They say it proves we don't want to help people. These are 
not serious statements. It is politics as usual, with talking points 
that went stale 20 years ago.
  But the week is young and the HEALS Act is full of provisions I 
would, frankly, dare my Democratic colleagues to actually say they 
oppose.
  Republicans want to extend supplemental unemployment insurance at 
hundreds of dollars per week. If Democrats block legislation, it will 
stop all together.
  Republicans want to send thousands of dollars more to American 
families through direct payments. If Democrats will not come to the 
table, they will get nothing.
  Republicans want to use tax incentives to encourage the rehiring of 
laid-off workers and the creation of safer workplaces through things 
like testing, remodeling, and PPE. If Democrats block action, workers 
will be on their own.
  Republicans want to specifically protect Medicare seniors from a 
spike in premiums because of COVID. If Democrats treat the HEALS Act 
the way they treated police reform, seniors will be on their own as 
well.
  Republicans want to pour money into K-12 schools and give greater 
flexibility to childcare providers so America's kids can have a safe 
but more normal school year. If Democrats block action, school 
districts will get none of us.
  Republicans want to create a second targeted round of PPE to keep 
small businesses above water. If Democrats will not negotiate, the 
``now open'' signs will come down and the ``going out of business'' 
signs will replace them.
  Republicans want to proactively expand our domestic manufacturing 
capability for masks and PPE and medical countermeasures. If Democrats 
refuse to negotiate, we will be just as dependent on adversaries as 
competitors in the next crisis.
  Republicans want to protect doctors, nurses, school districts, and 
universities from a second epidemic of frivolous lawsuits. If Democrats 
don't come to the table, our Nation's reopening will be at the mercy of 
trial lawyers.
  Republicans want to go even further to backstop hospitals and 
healthcare providers and fuel the sprint for vaccines. If Democrats 
will not let us, Americans will just have to cross our fingers and hope 
the medical system remains stable.
  To be clear, Republicans are not proposing to ``cut'' any relief. 
Under current law, expanded UI expires and is replaced with nothing. 
Under current law, there are no more direct payments and no second PPP. 
Every single thing we put forward is a way to get more relief into 
people's hands.
  Our Democratic colleagues want to pretend it is controversial, 
somehow, that taxpayers should not pay people more not to work than 
people who do go back to work. They want to pretend it is controversial 
that taxpayers should not pay people more not to work than people who 
do go back to work? The American people don't call it a controversy. 
They call it common sense. They call it basic fairness.
  This is absolutely a time to be generous and provide additional 
Federal relief to people who have been laid off, but we should not be 
redistributing money away from the essential workers who have remained 
at their posts.
  We should not be taxing somebody who has been stocking shelves for 
months so the government can pay their neighbor more than she makes to 
sit at home. That is what we are talking about--taxing essential 
workers to pay their neighbors a bonus to stay home.
  One study by university economists just found these benefits can 
exceed people's previous incomes two-thirds of the time. They found a 
medium recipient earns 134 percent of their prior salary. That means 
half are making even more than that. That is just not fair. It is not 
compatible with a reopening economy and more than 6 in 10 Americans 
feel this creates a disincentive to work.
  Even the Democratic House majority leader said just this morning that 
our perspective ``has some validity to it and we have to deal with that 
. . . it's not $600 or bust.'' That was the majority leader in the 
House. The Democratic majority leader in the House said: ``It's not 
$600 or bust.'' So let's get past these partisan cheap shots and have 
an adult conversation.
  Look at it this way. Think about one street, one block in one 
neighborhood, anywhere in America. Think how they would benefit if this 
bill were signed into law. Right now, several families on that block 
probably have no idea whether their kids will be heading back to school 
in a few weeks. Our bill would provide the money and legal certainty 
for school districts to reopen safely.
  Let's talk about the families' pocketbooks. Likely, every mailbox on 
that street or each checking account would get another $1,200 per adult 
and $500 per dependent. For a family of four, we are talking about 
$3,400 in cash. Maybe some of these homeowners are among the millions 
of Americans who have been thrown into joblessness. As we discussed, 
they would get hundreds of dollars more every week in added 
unemployment.
  But because we are doing it smarter, if anyone on the street owns a 
coffee shop or a contracting business, they will not hear from workers 
that they are earning more by staying at home. Those unemployed workers 
will get back on the job faster when our bill supercharges incentives 
for rehiring and helps pay for health and safety in the workplace.
  Maybe some other people on the street have held onto their jobs 
because of the historic Paycheck Protection Program. Their employer is 
considering closing down with that relief nearly exhausted. Our 
targeted second round of PPP could keep their paycheck coming instead 
of a pink slip. Maybe a retired couple lives on this block. If our 
proposal for Medicare Part B premiums becomes law, this couple will be 
protected from a spike in costs due to this pandemic, and needless to 
say, every single person on that street would benefit from even 
stronger Federal investments in the diagnostics, treatments, and 
vaccines that will ultimately win this healthcare battle for all of us.

  So, look, it is very simple. Partisan histrionics will not get any 
American family any of the relief I just described. Calling names will 
not get school districts one dime. Washington finger-pointing will not 
add 1 cent to anyone's unemployment check.
  The Democrats face a simple choice. They can come to the table, work 
with the Republicans, and engage seriously to make law for the American 
people or they can stay on the sidelines, point fingers, and let 
another rescue package go the same way as the police reform bill they 
killed back in June. The Republicans are ready to govern. We just need 
the Democrats to decide whether they are serious about actually making 
law.

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