[Congressional Record Volume 166, Number 133 (Tuesday, July 28, 2020)]
[Senate]
[Pages S4526-S4530]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
HEALTHCARE WORKFORCE RESILIENCE ACT
Mr. PERDUE. Madam President, the word ``bipartisanship'' gets tossed
around a lot in this town. Unfortunately, we don't often see
bipartisanship put into action. However, as we have faced an
unprecedented crisis recently, I believe we have seen the Senate prove
that it can, in fact, get it done. People can come together, and real,
bipartisan solutions can actually happen in this body.
It is actually encouraging to me--and it is simply a function of what
I have known since I was a kid--that Americans deal with a crisis
better than anyone else. In many ways, we put things aside, and we get
together for what is good for the people back home.
Since the COVID-19 crisis began, we have passed three phases of
relief packages to help our country weather this COVID-19 storm. In
these three phases, we ramped up testing in support of our healthcare
workers, we helped Americans who are struggling financially, and we
created the Paycheck Protection Program, which has saved millions of
jobs and many businesses. Today, as we debate a fourth COVID-19 relief
package, it is absolutely critical that we continue to find common
ground and bipartisan solutions to bring our country together again.
The Healthcare Workforce Resilience Act is a real, bipartisan
solution to a serious problem our country faces today in our healthcare
delivery system. This bill is first and foremost a healthcare bill that
will help our hospitals deal with this COVID-19 crisis. It is
absolutely critical that we include it in the next COVID-19 relief
package.
Today in America, many communities are facing severe shortages of
doctors and nurses. Particularly, hospitals and clinics in rural areas
and communities of color are badly understaffed and are struggling to
fill crucial positions.
My home State of Georgia has been especially impacted by this
particular crisis. While Georgia is the 8th largest State by
population, it ranks 39th in the number of active physicians per
capita--39th. Over half of Georgia's 159 counties have been designated
as primary care health professional shortage areas. The Georgia
Department of Public Health has stated that Georgia's nursing shortage
is a full-blown crisis. This is also true in most other States,
actually. They have warned that Georgia is not able to recruit the
nurses or doctors our hospitals need. But we can change that.
The COVID-19 crisis did not start this shortage of healthcare
workers, by the way, but it has exacerbated it dramatically.
Since the beginning of this crisis, I have held conference calls with
thousands of constituents across Georgia over the last 4\1/2\ months. I
have heard directly from healthcare workers who have explained the dire
situation they are facing. Nurses and doctors are working longer hours.
Retirees are being asked to come back to work. Many healthcare workers
have contracted the virus themselves. In fact,
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one study found that healthcare workers account for nearly one in five
COVID-19 cases.
In many areas, hospitals have simply not had enough staff to handle
the COVID-19 patient increase. Albany, GA, was one of the first hardest
hit areas in the country, right there in South Georgia. At one point,
nurses and doctors from all over the country had to be flown in just to
take care of all those who fell ill in Albany. In many cases, patients
had to be exported to other hospitals in the State.
As this virus continues to spread, many hospitals are in danger of
being overwhelmed as we see this recent surge of COVID-19 cases,
particularly in our younger people.
Healthcare workers have been true heroes--there is no question about
that. Right now, we have an opportunity to give them the support they
desperately need. The Healthcare Workforce Resilience Act is a
bipartisan solution that gives our hospitals the support they need to
get through this crisis. Our bill simply recaptures unused green cards
to give highly skilled, foreign-born nurses and doctors the opportunity
to work in our country and help solve this crisis. It will recapture
approximately 25,000 unused visas for nurses and 15,000 unused visas
for doctors. This bill would cut redtape and give our hospitals
critical support quickly as America continues to reopen our economy. It
will ease the pressure on healthcare providers and help save American
lives.
I want to emphasize that this bill will not increase current legal
immigration limits, displace American workers, or negatively impact
healthcare worker wages.
I have always been a supporter of a merit-based immigration system,
and many people on the other side of the aisle are as well. We all
continue to work in that direction. We believe that a merit-based
immigration system can strengthen our economy and protect American jobs
at the same time. This is a policy that President Trump and the
majority of Congress have long supported--on both sides of the aisle,
actually. The Healthcare Workforce Resilience Act is fully aligned with
these merit-based policies.
These immigrant nurses and doctors have already been hired and
approved to work in our country. Many of them live here already. The
only thing preventing them from saving lives is bureaucratic redtape
and the backlog it creates. These folks are highly skilled, well
qualified, and extremely motivated to be on the frontlines in the fight
against COVID-19. They are all ready to go in the areas that need the
most help.
This bill is truly bipartisan. I am very proud to say that today. It
has 36 cosponsors from both parties. I give the lead sponsor on the
Democratic side, my friend from Illinois, Senator Durbin, a lot of
credit for that. He has long been a champion for this sort of help in
this area. This bill reflects what the American people want. It
provides what our healthcare system needs. It has bipartisan support.
Actually, in 2005, Congress passed a similar bill. That bill
recaptured unused visas and helped address a nursing shortage that
existed at the time across the country. It passed with overwhelming and
nearly unanimous support. The coronavirus has put our country in a
similar position today. There is no time to wait. The deeper our nurse
and doctor shortage gets, the more Americans we are needlessly putting
at risk.
President John F. Kennedy once said: ``In a time of domestic crisis,
men of goodwill and generosity should be able to unite regardless of
party or politics.'' I don't think that comment has been any more
timely than it is today in the midst of this crisis.
We are indeed in a time of crisis. We have already shown that we can
unite and find meaningful solutions. It is time to do it again. Let's
get this bill across the finish line and support our healthcare workers
and save lives in America.
Madam President, I yield the floor to my colleague from Illinois,
Senator Durbin, the lead Democratic cosponsor on the Healthcare
Workforce Resilience Act, and I want to thank him for his tireless
efforts in this regard and his strong leadership to help the young men
and women on the frontlines of our healthcare delivery system.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from Illinois.
Mr. DURBIN. Madam President, let me thank my colleague, the senior
Senator from the State of Georgia, for joining me in this bipartisan
effort. We now have some 36 sponsors and cosponsors of this
legislation.
Immigration can be a divisive issue, but this is an immigration
measure that is not divisive. It has unified us on a bipartisan basis,
as it should. We are talking about the Healthcare Workforce Resilience
Act. We are talking about men and women who, as we speak on the floor
of the Senate in the safety of this Chamber, are literally risking
their lives as healthcare professionals across the United States to
deal with this pandemic, which we fight every single day.
Last week, we sent a bipartisan letter urging congressional leaders
to make this bill part of any COVID-19 relief legislation. Currently
pending before the Senate is a negotiation with the White House, the
House, the Senate--Democrats and Republicans--to make sure that we
continue to move forward to fight this pandemic and to restore the
vibrancy of our own economy. The letter we sent was cosigned by
Senators Leahy, Young, and Coons, as well as Representatives Schneider,
Cole, Finkenauer, and Bacon, who were the lead sponsors of the House
version of the same bill. We are now up to, I understand, 37. They said
36 earlier. I am told we have 18 Republicans and 19 Democrats, and the
window is open for those who want to join us in this bipartisan effort.
They will not regret it.
Our bill is a temporary stopgap measure, but it is designed to
strengthen our healthcare workforce and improve healthcare access for
Americans in the midst of this crisis. Consider this reality when it
comes to fighting the COVID-19 virus: In the United States, 1 in 6
healthcare and social workers, 3.1 million--1 in 6--of the 18.7 million
are immigrants. Yet our broken immigration laws prevent many of these
immigrants from contributing more fully to the battle against this
pandemic.
Under current law, there are not enough immigrant visas, which we
also call green cards, available each year. As a result, immigrants are
stuck in crippling backlogs for many, many years. The green card
backlog, which I have debated with Senator Lee on the floor many
times--but this green card backlog includes thousands of medical
doctors currently working in our country on temporary visas. This
backlog puts them and their families at the risk of losing their
immigration status and being deported. It hinders their ability to
fight against COVID-19 because these doctors face many restrictions due
to their temporary status.
For example, many of these doctors cannot take shifts at hospitals in
COVID-19 hotspots where they are desperately needed. The Healthcare
Workforce Resilience Act, which we bring to the floor, would reallocate
25,000 unused immigrant visas for nurses and 15,000 unused immigrant
visas for doctors. These are visas Congress has previously authorized
but were never used.
It is important to note that our bill requires employers to attest
that immigrants overseas who receive these visas do not displace the
employment of any American workers. We want to ensure that the
beneficiaries of this bill complement, not replace, the American
healthcare workforce.
I am going to tell you the story of one of these doctors who is
practicing in downstate Illinois in the Quad Cities area in Moline. I
can tell you, as a downstater myself, there are many areas of downstate
that are rural, small town, and cannot bring in the specialists who are
needed. That is why these doctors become so important when they step in
and provide their services. Let me tell you about this doctor.
His name is Dr. Bhanu Vakkalanka. He sent me a letter and told me his
story, and he asked me to help work to pass this piece of legislation.
Dr. Vakkalanka and his wife, Dr. Sasi Royyuru--excuse me for
mispronouncing--Royyuru--are both physicians. They met in medical
school in India, and they came to the United States 15 years ago in
2005--15 years ago. At the time, their children--a young girl and boy--
were 5 and 3 years old.
Before they came to the United States, they had trained and worked
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for 10 years in England. Both achieved great professional success, but
they were drawn to move to the United States. They were drawn to our
freedom, our equality, and the opportunity that really is our trademark
in the world.
This is what Dr. Vakkalanka told me about his family's move to the
United States, and I want to quote his words:
It was not an easy transition. We had to start all over
again as residents. It was challenging to take care of two
young children in the middle of our long working hours and
paltry salaries with no one to fall back on. . . . But we had
not come this far to give up on our dreams easily.
Dr. Vakkalanka now works as a medical oncologist for the UnityPoint
Health System in Moline, in my home State of Illinois, a well-respected
institution. Dr. Royyuru is a family physician in Bloomington, IL.
There is a long drive between the two, Moline and Bloomington. Here is
what Dr. Vakkalanka told me about his life in America:
Despite the initial hardship, we fell in love with the
United States soon after we came here. People were welcoming
and generous. We were made to feel like we were part of this
society from day one and we felt that this is where we
belonged. We felt blessed, happy and proud to be able to live
here, raise our children and call it our home.
Let me tell you, he tells me how fortunate he was. I believe we are
the fortunate ones--fortunate to have two exceptional physicians and
their children as residents of my home State.
Unfortunately, Dr. Vakkalanka and Dr. Royyuru, his wife, are two of
thousands of doctors who are stuck in a bureaucratic backlog called the
green card backlog. They have lived in the United States for 15 years.
Their green card petitions were approved nearly a decade ago. Yet, even
today, after more than 10 years, they are not lawful residents. Why?
Because the backlog of people seeking these green cards--these
immigration visas--is so large.
In the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic, the temporary immigration
status of this family puts them at real risk. Why? If, God forbid, they
would contract COVID-19 and become disabled or die, their family will
instantly lose their immigration status and be forced to leave the
United States. For 15 years they have waited, and for 10 years they
have been on the actual queue, the waiting list for green cards, and if
one of them takes ill and cannot work, they could all be deported.
Now their children, who were 5 and 3 when they arrived in the United
States, are 20 years old and 18 years old. This is significant. They
grew up in this country, but they are at risk of aging out in this
bureaucratic system. If they reach the age of 21, these two children,
who have lived here virtually all of their teenage and adolescent
life--if they reach the age of 21 and have not been able to apply for a
green card, they are subject to deportation. Can you imagine how
devastating it would be for this doctor and his wife to think that
their children, after all these years, would be deported from the
United States? It is a very real risk.
Dr. Vakkalanka told me:
Our children waited for 15 years or longer along with us
for their turn. They laughed with us and cried with us for
all these years. It is not fair to kick them out of the line
for no fault of theirs. They have nowhere else to go. This
country is their only home!
Dr. Vakkalanka and Dr. Royyuru's family story makes clear why
Congress needs to include the Healthcare Workforce Resilience Act in
the next coronavirus relief legislation. Under our bill, these two good
doctors from India, and thousands of others like them, would finally
receive their green cards. They and their families would get the
permanent immigration status they deserve and be able to use their
skills to serve on the frontlines of the pandemic wherever they are
needed most.
Let's face it. This pandemic is testing us as a nation, testing us as
to whether we will have the endurance and the determination to get
through this pandemic but equally testing us as to whether we care for
one another. Certainly, we care for our families. We spend a lot of
time with them. We worry about not being able to be next to our
children or grandchildren because of fear of infection, and it is a
real test. But it is also a test of our values of who we are.
This man, after giving 15 years to the United States, practicing
medicine in areas where he is desperately needed, is simply asking for
a chance to become a legal, permanent resident of the United States. It
is not too much to ask. For all he has given us, and his wife as well,
we owe it to him and his family to give them the peace of mind that
they have a future in the United States. They have proved that they are
deserving.
I hope, even in these divided political times, we can come together
in Congress to quickly aid these immigrant health heroes.
I commend my colleague from Georgia. I thank him. He had to step away
from the floor at this moment, but I thank him for joining me in this
bipartisan effort.
Let's get this done. Let do the right thing for this doctor, for his
family, and for so many others
Racism
Mr. President, the great writer, James Baldwin, told us:
Not everything that is faced can be changed. But nothing
can be changed until it is faced.
The national discussion on race and racism in the wake of the death
of George Floyd in Minneapolis has really opened the eyes of many
Americans and people around the world. Many people are seeing more
clearly--some perhaps for the first time in their lives--the extent to
which injustice has embedded itself in parts of America.
We see how some of our laws and institutions don't match our stated
and professed belief that all men and women are created equal and
endowed with the same inalienable rights.
Later today, John Lewis will make his last departure from the U.S.
Capitol. He is going home after a long and noble life of service, a
life that has helped us to live up to our ideals. How often did we hear
John Lewis say: When young people tell me that nothing has changed, I
tell them to come walk in my shoes.
He was so right. America is different and America is better because
of the enormous sacrifice and courage of men like John Lewis, Reverend
C.T. Vivian, who passed away, as well, last week; Joseph Lowery; Mamie
Till; Martin Luther King; Coretta Scott King; Rosa Parks; Daisy Bates;
Julian Bond; Bayard Rustin; Elijah Cummings; and, of course, my friend
and the current House Democratic Whip, James Clyburn, and so many
other leaders of our modern civil rights movement--just too many to
name.
We are a more perfect union today because so many ordinary men and
women and children whose names are mostly forgotten by history risked
their lives for dignity and democracy in little towns like Selma and
Birmingham, AL, and Chicago's Marquette Park neighborhood.
Thank goodness we are better, but the work of true justice and
equality is far from over. We know that. A month before he died, John
Lewis spoke out about how he was moved to see so many people from
different backgrounds marching together for racial justice and healing.
Most Americans today are appalled--almost incredulous--that only
decades ago young people like John Lewis and Diane Nash were accosted
by angry mobs simply for having the audacity--the audacity--to sit at a
Whites-only lunch counter or ride on a segregated bus.
We reject racism as individuals, but many of us are only beginning to
understand the existence of the corrosive consequences of the system of
racial injustice. This national reckoning on race in which we are now
engaged is helping us to see more clearly how old, discredited ideas
about race, which have been rejected by most, still linger in the minds
of many individuals, regardless of the laws that have been passed.
I believe that most Americans believe very deeply in fairness. It is
one of our defining values as a people. I also believe Maya Angelou was
right when she said:
Do the best you can until you know better. Then when you
know better, do better.
How can we do better to reduce systemic racial injustice and heal the
wounds and divisions that false notions of racial superiority have
caused in our Nation and our fellow citizens? As John Lewis told us
often, achieving great, genuine equality is the work of a lifetime. Let
me suggest briefly a few ways that this Senate can begin that work.
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First--and this is so easy and obvious--let the Senate debate and
vote on the Justice in Policing Act. The President can send
unidentified Federal agents to as many cities as he likes, but the
calls for justice in our streets will not end until we make a clear
stand against policing tactics that killed George Floyd, Breonna
Taylor, Tamir Rice, Laquan McDonald, and too many other men, women, and
children of color in America.
Our Republican colleagues acknowledged the need for policing reforms
when they brought up the bill that included certain changes, but the
bill did not proceed, and it should. This Senate can--and must--do
better. This belief is shared by an overwhelming majority of civil
rights organizations in our Nation.
The Justice in Policing Act is sponsored by Senators Kamala Harris
and Cory Booker. It has passed the House of Representatives, and I am
proud to be a cosponsor.
The House, in passing its version with a bipartisan vote, gave us an
opportunity, I say to Senator McConnell, to debate the Justice in
Policing Act, which passed the House, and here in the Senate we should.
Second, let this Senate debate the Economic Justice Act that has been
offered by Senator Schumer.
Third, Martin Luther King called racial disparities in healthcare one
of the most shocking of all racial injustices. It was more than 50
years ago when he said. Yet the disparities persist to this day and may
be worse in many ways.
This pandemic has laid them bare for us to see. Black and Brown
Americans are three times more likely to become infected with
coronavirus than White Americans and twice as likely to die from COVID-
19.
The Affordable Care Act has done more to reduce racial disparities in
healthcare than almost any act since the creation of Medicaid. It is
hard to believe that there are many on the other side still trying to
kill the Affordable Care Act in the midst of a pandemic that has
already taken the lives of 145,000 Americans. Many more have been
sickened, and it is still burning out of control in large parts of our
Nation. Think about what it would be if we had no Affordable Care Act
and doubled the number of uninsured people in this country. How could
that bring us any consolation or confidence that we can continue to
fight this battle?
For the sake of African Americans, Latinx Americans, and all
Americans who rely on the affordable coverage and patient protections,
it is time to put an end to this endless assault on the Affordable Care
Act.
I hope my colleagues--especially my colleagues who speak passionately
about protecting mothers and babies--will join me in passing a bill I
have introduced to reduce the shocking high rate of maternal and infant
mortality among African-American women and their babies. It is
inexplicable that in the United States of America, we see so many Black
women dying in childbirth and so many babies dying as well. It is
unnecessary. It is time for us to focus the great resources, health
resources, of America on this issue.
In America, a woman of color is three to four times more likely than
a White woman to die as a result of pregnancy. Why? The answers are
very obvious. We need better, more focused, more understanding medical
care. I am sad to say that in Illinois, the situation--the numbers--are
that bad, if not even worse.
The United States is 1 of only 13 nations in the world in which the
maternal mortality rate is worse than it was 25 years ago. In the
United States of America, we are 1 of only 13 nations in which the
maternal death rate is worse today than what it was 25 years ago. How
in the world can we explain that?
I have introduced a bill called the MOMMA Act. My companion in this
effort is my Congresswoman from Chicago, Robin Kelly. Let's get that
debated, I say to Senator McConnell. It will not take long. I bet it
passes easily. We owe it to many across America to show the initiative
and to bring it to the floor.
Fourth, because our friends across the aisle could not agree among
themselves on what would be in the next coronavirus relief bill,
critical protections included in the CARES Act have now or will soon
expire without replacement.
These protections include payments for the jobless for tens of
millions of Americans who have lost their jobs in this pandemic--it
wasn't because they were lazy; it was bad luck--as well as the Federal
moratorium on evictions for families who have had difficulty paying
their rent because of economic devastation brought on by COVID-19.
Unless we extend this moratorium, as many as 28 million could lose
their homes in the next 3 months. I can't imagine the devastation that
would bring to a family--losing your home and perhaps having no place
to turn. For the sake of those families and for our ability to fight
this virus, we must extend the moratorium on evictions and help
families who are struggling to pay rent.
Senator Warren introduced a bill that I have cosponsored to extend
this critical moratorium through March. It is called the Protecting
Renters from Evictions and Fees Act.
I am proud to cosponsor a bill with Senator Brown that provides $100
billion in emergency rental assistance to help families and individuals
pay their rent. Let's keep these families in a safe, quality living
environment
The crisis of affordable housing didn't start with this pandemic. The
shortage of safe, affordable public housing has been building for
decades, and it disproportionately harms African-American families.
Senator Harris of California has introduced a bill, which I am proud
to cosponsor, called the Housing is Infrastructure Act. It would invest
$100 billion to repair our current stock of public housing and to build
new units of safe, affordable public housing.
I could just walk you through a map of the State of Illinois and the
public housing I have visited and witnessed that is in desperate need
of repair. It is time, you think, to call the landlord and say: What
are you going to do about this housing unit that you own that is
falling down? Except, it turns out, we are the landlords. The Federal
Government owns this property. The Federal Government has the
responsibility to fix it.
Last week, President Trump moved to repeal an Obama-era rule meant to
ban discriminatory housing and zoning laws and policies. It is not
pricing from this President, but it is wrong. We need to move forward
and not backward. The housing infrastructure needs to move in the right
direction.
Finally, once again, in the name of John Lewis, I believe that the
right to vote was ``almost sacred,'' in his words, and I share that
feeling, but that right is now threatened by a series of misguided
decisions in recent years by the Supreme Court and other courts.
The House passed a bill last year to restore the Voting Rights Act to
its original intent. That bill is being reintroduced in the Senate this
week by Senator Leahy and in the House by Congressman Clyburn. The
difference? They are naming it in honor of Congressman John Lewis.
John Lewis did not risk his life in Selma and so many other places so
people would praise him in speeches or name things after him. He did
not risk his life for the right to have a bridge named after him--
although it is a fitting tribute. He risked his life over and over
again to protect the right of every American to vote.
Americans' faith in our electoral system--the cornerstone of our
democracy--continues to be under attack by entities that wish us ill.
For those who gathered in the Rotunda yesterday to honor his memory
and to stand in silent respect for all the work of his life, I say to
my fellow Senators who were there: Let us pass the Voting Rights
Advancement Act in the name of Congressman John Lewis. Let us make it
clear that his life was worth this and so much more.
When you know better, you do better. Our eyes have been opened, and
now it is time for us to act.
It is my honor to serve in this Senate, but I am sorry to say that
when it comes to production of important, meaningful legislation, this
institution has fallen far behind.
We seldom take up bills of great importance and magnitude. We just
passed the Defense authorization bill--a very important piece of
legislation, which I believe has passed for 59 straight years in
Congress, and I am glad it passed again, but now you see an empty floor
and an empty Chamber
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where we are not taking up the issues that we should.
There is one person who controls the agenda and the schedule of this
Chamber, and that is the Republican majority leader, Senator Mitch
McConnell of Kentucky. Let's not waste this opportunity to make America
a better place. Let's do things that make a difference.
America is counting on us in the midst of this massive health crisis
with COVID-19--perhaps the worst health crisis our Nation has faced in
over 100 years. With the state of our economy and so many--tens of
millions of people out of work, shouldn't we be acting together on a
bipartisan basis, as we did in March of this year, to pass legislation?
The reports we have is that the other side of the aisle is in
disarray. I might remind Senator McConnell that the best legislation
that passes here is bipartisan. And this measure, COVID relief, moving
forward, should be bipartisan as well. For it to be bipartisan, we need
people of both parties to sit down together and negotiate. That has to
continue, along with the participation of the White House, in order to
achieve these goals.
First and foremost, we need to restore unemployment assistance to the
millions of families who will see it end in just a few days. I cannot
imagine having lost your job, worried about whether there is another
one waiting or whether one will be available, and then having to worry
about whether you can make that rent payment, the mortgage payment, the
utility bills, food, health insurance--the basics--and to be told that
Congress just let unemployment assistance expire, which happens in just
3 days. What are these families going to do?
I sincerely hope that every Member of the Senate will reach out to
one of these unemployed families and listen quietly to their stories. I
have seen them as they come to the food pantries. I have seen them come
and ask for help, which they never dreamed they would have to do. It
must be heartbreaking to go through that experience. Let's stand by
them now. They need us now more than ever.
I yield the floor.
I suggest the absence of a quorum.
The PRESIDING OFFICER (Mr. Boozman). The clerk will call the roll.
The senior assistant legislative clerk proceeded to call the roll.
Mr. THUNE. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the order for
the quorum call be rescinded.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.
____________________