[Congressional Record Volume 166, Number 154 (Tuesday, September 8, 2020)]
[Senate]
[Pages S5433-S5434]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]



                                 Texas

  Mr. CORNYN. Madam President, each year, during the month of August, I 
look forward to traveling across my State--my very big State--to spend 
time with my constituents. It is the best way to learn firsthand how 
the laws and programs we enact here are working and to receive the 
feedback on legislation being considered by the Congress in the future 
and what I can do to better help the folks back home.
  A typical State work period involves dozens of face-to-face events 
from every corner of my State, covering all ages, professions, and 
walks of life. Last August, I spent time talking with my constituents 
about everything from the Debbie Smith Act and GI benefits for student 
veterans to Project Safe Neighborhoods grants and the U.S.-Mexico-
Canada Trade Agreement.
  As we all know, 2020 has been anything but typical, and this August 
was no exception. These big, in-person events have been replaced with 
virtual ones, with face-to-face meetings, which now involve wearing 
masks, social distancing, and a heavy dose of hand sanitizer. Instead 
of the broad range of policies we might normally discuss, almost every 
one of them centered on the impact of COVID-19. No big surprise there.
  I have heard from mayors, teachers, food bank employees, healthcare 
workers, restaurant owners, energy workers,

[[Page S5434]]

and countless others about how the resources that we have been 
providing them have helped them through this pandemic. From the Rio 
Grande Valley to Amarillo--opposite ends of our State--from Tyler to 
Orange in the eastern part of the State and all points in between, I 
masked up and met with Texans who are working overtime to keep their 
communities safe and to provide for their families. All the while, I 
continue to hold virtual conversations and telephone townhalls to hear 
from my constituents and share information about what we are doing to 
be helpful to them.
  These conversations, as I said a moment ago, always help me better 
understand the effectiveness of the legislation we passed and provide 
valuable feedback about what is needed in the next coronavirus relief 
bill.
  With the school year now officially underway in most of Texas, 
additional support for our students and teachers is one of my top 
priorities. I have had the chance to speak with K-12 students and 
teachers in Odessa, Lubbock, and Canyon, and college students and 
administrators in Angelo State University in San Angelo, as well as 
Texas Tech University and Texas Tech Health Science Center in Amarillo. 
Some joined us socially distanced on campus and others connected 
virtually.
  I was able to hear from both students and teachers about this 
unprecedented school year and the challenges--the extra challenges--
brought on by COVID-19. Whether in person, online, or some combination 
of the two, education looks a lot different this year, and we need to 
provide schools with the funding to keep kids in the classrooms safe 
and those at home on track for a great education.
  Congress has already passed $30 billion in emergency relief for 
education, including more than $2.6 billion for Texas. This funding has 
helped our school districts, colleges, and universities prepare for the 
fall, but, to be honest, more is needed.
  For those learning in person, additional funding can cover cleaning 
services and equipment to prevent children from catching and spreading 
the virus. For those learning virtually, it could provide additional 
hardware and internet hotspots so they can do their studies online.
  I visited one high school in Ector County--that is Odessa, TX--where 
they are using a blended or hybrid in-person and online instruction 
model. Ector County ISD began this year with online instruction for 
students who have internet access at home and in-person instruction for 
those who did not. Of the roughly 33,000 students in the district, 
about 4,200 were in the classroom on the first day. And I can assure 
you, it is not the only school district in Texas whose students have 
difficulty accessing the technology needed to learn from home.
  More than 2 million Texas households don't have reliable internet 
access, and it is leaving our students on the wrong side of the digital 
divide. Internet access is no longer a luxury or just a convenience; it 
has become a necessity, and we need to do more to ensure that students 
across Texas and across the Nation have access to reliable broadband.
  The CARES Act, which we passed in March, provides some relief on this 
front. It gave libraries $50 million in grants for digital connection. 
The demand for these funds was much higher than was available, and it 
became obvious we need to do more to help those who are on the wrong 
side of the digital divide.
  The Senator from West Virginia, Mr. Manchin, and I teamed up to 
include and introduce the ACCESS the Internet Act, which will provide 
funding to both the Department of Education and libraries to make 
reliable internet a reality.
  In addition to supporting virtual learning, this would also make 
access to telehealth more available to families. This has really been 
one of the most surprising positive developments out of this pandemic, 
and that is actually greater access to healthcare through telehealth, 
both physical and Mental Health Services on online.
  Our bill includes funding for healthcare providers, including the 
Department of Veterans Affairs, to get more patients connected so they 
can utilize these telehealth services. As we make a push for progress 
on the next relief bill, I will continue fighting for resources for our 
students and teachers, and that includes reliable access to the 
internet.
  Despite this August work period looking much different from years 
prior, I was still able to connect with tens of thousands of Texans 
virtually and over the phone and safely meet many of them in person. As 
I traveled, I was able to see how schools, our healthcare facilities, 
our food banks, local governments, and more have been able to use the 
Federal coronavirus funding provided for in the CARES Act. The feedback 
and insight I received was invaluable to my work in the Senate, and it 
is more important than ever as we continue negotiations on the next 
coronavirus relief bill.
  This is going to be a busy month in the Senate. We need to pass 
legislation to bolster our response to this virus, support our students 
and teachers, help those in need of financial assistance, and ensure 
that our healthcare response remains robust.
  We are just 3 weeks away from the end of the fiscal year, including a 
government shutdown unless we can reach an agreement on a funding bill. 
Complicating matters even further, we are at the peak of hurricane 
season, which may not seem like as big a deal in DC, but I guarantee, 
we have our eyes on these tropical storms in the Gulf of Mexico that 
could well end up onshore. Hurricane Hanna, for example, struck South 
Texas in July and hit our farmers and producers hard, as well as 
flooding out many, many homes and displacing families. A couple of 
weeks ago, Hurricane Laura tore through the Gulf of Mexico.
  Though the brunt of Laura hit other neighbors in Louisiana, for which 
we are very sorry, we are very glad that it did little damage in 
Southeast Texas, but it still did some significant damage. I was able 
to join the Governor, Lieutenant Governor, and Senator Cruz for a visit 
to Orange to survey the damage and speak with local officials about the 
impact of the storm. I am committed to providing my constituents in 
Texas with the resources needed to recover from whatever this hurricane 
season may bring. I will be keeping a close eye on the weather forecast 
as we move through what has already been an active hurricane season.
  We have a lot of work to do in the next few weeks. Though we weren't 
able to make progress on a coronavirus bill in July, I was on almost 
virtually daily conference calls with the White House and Secretary 
Mnuchin talking about the way forward. I am more optimistic today than 
I have been to this point that we will, ultimately, reach an agreement. 
I hope my colleagues have also heard from their constituents about how 
important relief is and that we can come together at such a critical 
point in our fight against COVID-19.
  I yield the floor.
  I suggest the absence of a quorum.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The clerk will call the roll.
  The bill clerk proceeded to call the roll.
  Mr. SCHUMER. Madam President, I ask unanimous consent that the order 
for the quorum call be rescinded.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.