[Congressional Record Volume 166, Number 155 (Wednesday, September 9, 2020)]
[Senate]
[Pages S5504-S5507]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]



                              Coronavirus

  Mr. GARDNER. Mr. President, over the past several weeks, I have had 
the opportunity to visit with Colorado families and businesses across 
the four corners of our great State, talking about the challenges that 
Colorado faces when it comes to our economy as a result of the 
pandemic, talking about the health challenges that have been created 
for our State and so many of us around the world when it comes to the 
pandemic and the work that needs to be done and the work that this 
Congress needs to do to come together to stop the partisanship, to stop 
the fighting, to stop the arguing, and actually develop real solutions 
for the people of this country.
  Congress has done that time and time again over the past several 
months. If you go back to March 6, the passage of the Coronavirus 
Preparedness and Response Supplemental Act, that was signed into law 
that day. That is the first action that this Chamber took when it came 
to coronavirus response. March 18, a couple of weeks later, Congress 
passed the Families First Coronavirus Response Act. That was signed 
into law March 18. These were unanimous consent bills--many times 
unanimous consent, but had the support of every Republican and every 
Democrat. The work we were doing was so evident, and we needed to do it 
immediately.
  March 27, as economies were shutting down, as restaurants were 
closing, as hotels were closing, Congress passed the CARES Act--the 
Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act. It was signed into 
law on March 27. This is when you started to see some of the 
partisanship that was developing as that bill's passage was delayed in 
the Senate. Nonetheless, it passed, delivering trillions of dollars in 
support for the American people, support for unemployment benefits--
creating new categories of help for people who had seen their jobs 
eliminated, furloughed, or hours reduced--support for farmers and 
ranchers, support for a vaccine, support for education, mass transit, 
telemedicine, and beyond--trillions of dollars, almost a year's worth 
of appropriations, a year's worth of funding in one bill, to help make 
sure that we were meeting the needs of the American people.
  The actions that we take can be focused, at least the way I see it, 
through three primary lenses: No. 1, what we were doing to make sure we 
are stopping the spread and flattening the curve of coronavirus; No. 2, 
making sure that we are helping individuals who are in need, who are 
worried about how they are going to meet their rent payments, how they 
are going to make their mortgage, making sure that they are going to be 
OK.
  The third filter, the third lens of actions that we need to takeis to 
go back to our businesses and making sure they are able to keep people 
employed, making sure they keep their doors open, making sure that our 
economy can snap back to its full strength and even stronger than ever 
once the health pandemic is over.
  We passed the Paycheck Protection Program and Health Care Enhancement 
Act on April 24 to provide additional dollars for the Paycheck 
Protection Program. We passed legislation that would extend the 
Paycheck Protection Program into August, which changed the way some of 
the payments are able to be made within that time and what expenses 
could be utilized within that timeframe.
  We passed the Great American Outdoors Act, which will create 
thousands of jobs across the State of Colorado--100,000 jobs across 
this country.
  We continue to do more work. There is no alpha and omega legislation 
when it comes to a coronavirus. There is no one single package of 
legislation that we can walk away from, spike the football and say: Our 
job is done here.
  We passed one bill, two bills, three bills, four bills--and we will 
continue to do more because the American people need it, and the 
American people need that support.
  I met with a restaurant owner in Pueblo, CO, who talked about the 
restrictions they are facing at their restaurant. They can have only 50 
people in their restaurant regardless of social distancing. They can 
have only 50 people in their restaurant. They have a bar in their 
restaurant, but because they are a restaurant, they can have only 50 
people. The bar down the road can have 100 people in it because they 
are a bar, but the restaurant can have only 50 people because they are 
a restaurant, even though they have a bar. They are trying to figure 
out and understand the regulations, the guidance they are under, making 
sure their customers are safe, making sure their employees can be paid, 
making sure they survive this and get through this.
  This is what the Paycheck Protection Program represents. That is what 
the help we passed with unemployment benefits means. It is to help 
people get through this so that we can get back on our feet as a 
country. I met with farmers in Eastern Colorado who were struggling to 
find help, who couldn't find the labor that they needed, who saw 
challenges to their prices before coronavirus. They saw challenges 
because of coronavirus to their supply chains and what was happening to 
the markets. The CARES Act provided aid and relief to many in 
agriculture across the State of Colorado, but there is more work to be 
done.
  I met with schools across the State of Colorado that are trying to 
open, that are trying to figure out the best way to keep their students 
safe and their teachers safe and make sure they can stay open. Some 
were doing online learning; some were doing in-person learning. All of 
them were trying to figure it out.
  The CARES Act and other pieces of legislation we passed provided 
billions of dollars for our educational institutions from kindergarten 
to 12th grade on up through higher education--billions and billions of 
dollars--but more work needs to be done.
  My wife turned to me a couple of weeks ago before our three children 
started school and said: It is time for spring break to end. Our kids 
have been out since spring break in March. A week ago, they did start, 
but there are people and families across the State of Colorado who are 
unsure about whether their classes will continue in person. Maybe they 
never got that far.
  We have to make sure we are providing help with childcare, making 
sure families have a place where they can take their kids when they go 
to work. In a country where more and more families have both parents in 
the workplace, it is very difficult to continue that job and to do it 
effectively when you don't have childcare. We have all this supply 
problem where we don't have enough places for families to take their 
kids and we have a demand challenge where you have people who need to 
take their kids to daycare because their schools aren't open. The CARES 
Act and other legislation we passed addressed that need. There is more 
work yet to do.
  I have heard from my colleagues across the aisle that they support 
the Paycheck Protection Program and that they support funding for 
businesses so that they can keep people employed, so that businesses 
can hire people and get them to return to work because we made a 
decision that it is better to have people on the job at the workplace 
than in the unemployment insurance office. We passed the Paycheck 
Protection Program. Look at these numbers in Colorado. We have a total 
loan amount of over $10 billion that went to Colorado alone to help 
make sure that businesses were staying open, that they could keep 
people on the payroll, that they could survive the orders to shut down 
that came from mayors and the States and the President. We did it out 
of love for our community to make sure that we could stop the spread, 
flatten the curve, and get through this together. As a result, we have 
an obligation to make sure that

[[Page S5505]]

our economy comes back and that we help those businesses and those 
individuals through this to make sure our Nation gets back on its feet. 
The legislation that we passed has done part of that.
  If you look back to May 15, you think about an economy that lost 20.5 
million jobs. The unemployment rate as of May 15 was 14.7 percent. 
Today, just a week ago, it is 8.4 percent, with more work that needs to 
be done.
  I have heard from my colleagues on the other side of the aisle that 
there is a need to support childcare and a need to support education, a 
need to support our efforts to get a vaccine, a need to support efforts 
to continue research, a need to support the post office. I have heard 
from our colleagues on the other side of the aisle that there is a need 
to make sure we have unemployment benefits that continue for the 
American people.
  I completely agree that we should make sure the Paycheck Protection 
Program continues. We should make improvements to the Paycheck 
Protection Program and make sure we improve the Paycheck Protection 
Program so that it benefits more businesses so that unrepresented 
communities have better access to the Paycheck Protection Program, that 
we get more people involved in unbanked and underbanked communities--
nontraditional lenders--so we can get the Paycheck Protection Program 
out to them and save more jobs and get more people to work. I 
completely agree. Let's work together, and let's pass that.
  There are people who aren't as fortunate. There are people who have 
lost their jobs. There are people who have seen their hours reduced, 
and they are terrified about how they are going to make ends meet, 
about what they are going to do for their job and their family. The 
bills don't stop. They keep coming, and they have to be paid. We should 
help them. We should pass unemployment insurance benefits. We should 
pass unemployment benefits to help the American people. Let's vote on 
that. Let's do that. Let's make it happen.
  We should help people who need childcare. Let's make sure we are 
funding childcare. Let's pass it tomorrow. Let's pass it tomorrow to 
provide billions of dollars for childcare services. We don't have to 
wait; we can pass it now.
  We should provide additional assistance to our farmers and ranchers. 
Thank goodness that we have the ability to produce our food in the 
United States. Imagine what would happen if we were reliant for 70 
percent of our food on somebody else, like China. We have seen what 
happens in this country when we are reliant on China for our 
medications and for other personal protective equipment. Imagine if we 
relied on our food coming from somewhere else to the same extent.

  We are blessed that we have farmers and ranchers who wake up each and 
every day and work hard to put food on our table, but they are 
struggling right now. Let's help them. We don't have to wait. We don't 
have to wait another week or another month. We can pass it and vote on 
it tomorrow--$20 billion for our farmers and ranchers.
  We should continue our work on vaccines. I had the chance to stop at 
the University of Colorado to visit with Dr. Tom Campbell to learn 
about the trial that is taking place at the University of Colorado 
School of Medicine on the Anschutz Campus. They are working with the 
Moderna vaccine there, making sure that it goes to those who need it to 
get the best representative sample of how we can get the vaccine to 
succeed, to work, and get it into our community, but we need more help. 
We need more work. We need more research and development dollars. Let's 
vote on $31 billion on activities like vaccine development and 
distribution. Let's make that happen now--$16 billion for testing and 
related containment efforts.
  Let's build up a personal protective equipment stockpile once again. 
We know we need it. Let's vote on it. Let's vote on that tomorrow--$16 
billion. Let's pass it.
  This $105 billion is more money than the House of Representatives 
passed. There is $105 billion for education--for K-12 and for higher 
education. We have heard the need from our teachers. We have heard the 
need from our colleges. Let's pass that tomorrow in the bill that we 
are going to be voting on to provide that help. We don't have to 
debate; we don't have to delay. We can pass it tomorrow.
  The post office--I live in rural Colorado, and my grandfather was a 
rural letter carrier. I remember as a child traveling with him on 
county roads out in Yuma County, delivering mail. Let's provide $10 
billion to the Postal Service to make sure they have the resources they 
need because it matters in rural Colorado. We can pass that tomorrow.
  We are going to have a chance to vote on it tomorrow. Let's pass it. 
Let's make it happen. Let's get it done now.
  Everything here that we are voting on tomorrow--$105 billion to 
support students' safe return to in-person learning and educational 
opportunities, that is in the bill we are going to be voting on 
tomorrow. That $105 billion is more than the House of Representatives 
asked for.
  There is $16 billion for testing and related containment efforts in 
the bill. Let's vote on that tomorrow.
  There is $31 billion in vaccine and development distribution, $20 
billion in farm assistance, $15 billion to support childcare services, 
changes to the Paycheck Protection Program that will allow for a second 
loan.
  I met with restauranteurs in Denver and across Colorado who said that 
the Paycheck Protection Program is what kept them in business. I met 
with Mother Pearl in Colorado Springs--a Cajun restaurant--where they 
said: This saved us.
  But they are still struggling. They are not up to full capacity yet. 
Let's give them a chance to get a second loan through the Paycheck 
Protection Program so that they can bring their employees back, keep 
their employees employed and paid, and get their doors open and through 
this.
  Let's simplify the loan forgiveness application process so that 
people who have $150,000 or less have certainty and clarity about what 
is going to happen to that loan. If you look at Colorado, the vast 
majority of the loans that represent $10.5 billion in Paycheck 
Protection Program loans--95,000 loans were below $150,000 in Colorado; 
95,000 businesses could have certainty that their loan is forgiven. 
Let's pass that. Let's pass that tomorrow. That is in the bill.
  There are enhanced unemployment benefits of $300 a week. The State 
could contribute up to $400 a week, lasting through December at the end 
of this year. We can pass that tomorrow. It is in the bill.
  Ten billion dollars in assistance to the post office is in the bill.
  Every single point that we have made here is supported by my 
colleagues. They want money for education. We are giving more money to 
education than the House of Representatives passed. They want dollars 
for testing. They want dollars for vaccine and distribution. They want 
dollars and help and support for farm assistance. They want dollars for 
childcare. They want dollars for the Paycheck Protection Program. They 
want to keep businesses open and people employed and people hired. They 
want to help people and businesses have more certainty in how their 
loans are going to be handled. They want additional unemployment 
benefits for the American people, and they want help for the post 
office.
  There is not a single person who has come to the floor and said: I 
oppose money for higher education. They haven't done that because they 
agree. They agree with us. They agree with the testing and the research 
for the vaccine. They agree with support for childcare. They agree that 
we need to do it.
  Maybe somebody wants more. We passed one, two, three, four, five, 
six--this could be the fifth, sixth, or seventh bill, depending on how 
you count the various pieces of legislation that have gone toward 
coronavirus relief. We will do more, and we should do more.
  But why on Earth would you vote no tomorrow and tell the people of 
this country to go pound sand because you didn't get everything you 
wanted? Why would you tell the people who are on unemployment benefits 
and need it now: I am sorry, but I didn't get a tax deduction for 
wealthy people in California or New York so you are not getting yours. 
Why would you tell the people who need the dollars in education

[[Page S5506]]

to support our kids and our teachers: I am sorry, but you are not 
getting yours because somebody has a nice house in Los Angeles who 
needs a tax cut. Why would you tell businesses that they may not be 
able to keep their doors open because that house in Manhattan is really 
nice and you want to make sure they keep their big house tax deduction?
  My colleagues on the other side of the aisle would have you believe 
that the American people can wait for unemployment benefits, that they 
can wait for more help for businesses. They would have you believe that 
they don't need to vote yes on this, even though they agree with it. 
The American people expect us to do our jobs. The American people have 
the chance to see this Congress work not in a bipartisan fashion 
tomorrow but in a nonpartisan fashion--getting back to the very 
beginning of the work we did together to pass legislation to benefit 
and help the American people, who acted out of love to stop their 
economies because they wanted to stop the spread of the coronavirus. 
They shut their businesses and their hotels emptied out all because 
they were complying with efforts to socially distance in order to end 
this pandemic.
  We have a chance tomorrow to vote on a bill that will provide 
unemployment benefits that will help people in ranch communities--that 
will provide them with billions of dollars in aid--but they are saying 
no because they didn't get everything. Their theory seems to be, if I 
can't get everything I want, you don't get anything, period.
  Is that the message the American people are going to get tomorrow, 
that it is their way or the highway? You are not going to get the help 
that everybody agrees on because I just didn't get everything that I 
thought I should.
  Look, our family business is a farm equipment dealership, and I have 
talked about it many times on this floor. I have never seen somebody 
come into that dealership and say, ``My tractor is broken. I would like 
a Republican to fix it,'' or ``My planter needs to be repaired. Can you 
please find a Democrat to fix it?'' That is not the way people come 
into the store in our economy and do business.
  They don't go into Target or Walmart that way. They don't go to that 
restaurant in Pueblo, in Colorado Springs, or in Denver and ask, 
``Could you serve me the Republican meal today, please, made by a 
Democrat cook?'' They expect us to get the job done.
  There are some in this Chamber who argue that, if we just delay a 
little bit longer, we will put a big, big package together. Vote 
tomorrow. Bring amendments. Have the debate. Don't hide behind closed 
doors and argue that, if we just hold out a little bit longer, maybe my 
tax cuts will come for that mansion in Beverly Hills or for that place 
in the Hamptons.
  That is what they are doing. That is what they are doing to the 
American people. They are saying, even though we agree, because we 
didn't get our way, no one gets their help, that no one gets the help 
they need because they didn't get their way on everything.
  Tomorrow's vote isn't a final vote by any means, and even if it were, 
there is more work to be done. We will have additional pieces of 
legislation that we will continue to provide relief for, but tomorrow 
is the beginning of the debate. It is the first step in making sure 
that we have that for the American people; yet they are going to say 
no. They are going to vote no. They are afraid to debate. They won't 
even bring amendments.
  The Paycheck Protection Program has saved millions of jobs around the 
country. We have a chance to extend it, to make it work for more 
people. Unemployment insurance has expired. Look, we worked over August 
to make sure we had an extension of unemployment insurance and 
unemployment benefits for the people of Colorado and this country, as 
well as payroll tax breaks and help with rent. This was over the last 
several weeks. We need to act to extend it, and we have a chance to 
vote on it tomorrow.
  Vote yes, and we can provide that relief. Vote no, and you are 
telling the American people that politics is more important than 
policy, and that is wrong. If this body is interested in results and 
policy, they will vote yes to provide this relief that everybody agrees 
on.
  Some people find the politics of pandering and partisanship way too 
intriguing, inviting, and alluring. The American people find it 
sickening. Vote yes. Get on this bill. Bring your amendments. Have the 
debate. Let the American people know that relief is on the way--or vote 
no and continue this shameless charade of people who posture about 
helping the American people but who are simply interested in the 
electoral outcome.
  This vote is going to tell us a lot about people tomorrow. This vote 
is going to tell us about people who are interested in finding that way 
to relief for the American people--the opportunity is here--or is it 
going to simply be a chance to provide yet one more grandstand, yet one 
more finger-wagging, tongue-wagging opportunity for the American people 
to see how embarrassing the debate has become?
  The people of Colorado are strong, resilient, and optimistic. They 
see optimism in every vale and valley as they work to climb that next 
peak, but they need partners to help them, and we have a chance 
tomorrow to vote to provide that help.
  Do not be fooled by arguments that this doesn't do enough. We can do 
more, and we will do more, but let's start with the unemployment 
benefits now. Let's start with the business help now to keep people 
employed. Let's start with the vaccines and the research now. Let's 
start with the help for education now without delay.
  Tomorrow, I hope the outcome is a surprise, and I hope that we will 
see people come together in a way that we saw at the beginning of this 
debate. There is always more to be done.
  I ask unanimous consent to have a letter printed in the Record 
following my remarks that I wrote on April 16, with my colleague 
Senator Bennet and Governor Polis, that asks for more to be done.
  In this letter, we talk about the need for State and local funding--a 
half a billion dollars for State and local funding. We also talk about 
other programs, including additional benefits for food nutrition. I 
still support that. I am still fighting for that. I still want to do 
those things we listed in this letter, but I am not going to let that 
stop me from voting yes tomorrow because the American people need it.
  I hope that my colleagues will stop the partisanship, stop the 
gamesmanship, stop the power hungry approach to politics. Put it aside 
for the American people. Do what is right for the American people. Vote 
yes. I am delivering this critically important relief to our country so 
that we can stand united, as our country has stood united for months, 
and get through this together.
  In the weeks before the economy shut down and we could no longer go 
to church in person, we were reviewing a passage in the Bible which 
read that out of our struggles and tribulations comes perseverance, 
that out of that perseverance is built character, and that out of that 
character comes hope. We can provide that hope tomorrow. The American 
people deserve nothing less
  There being no objection, the material was ordered to be printed in 
the Record, as follows:

                                                   April 16, 2020.
     Hon. Mitch McConnell,
     Majority Leader, U.S. Senate, Washington, DC.
     Hon. Charles Schumer,
     Minority Leader, U.S. Senate, Washington, DC.
       Dear Leader McConnell and Leader Schumer: As you work to 
     extend and build upon the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and 
     Economic Security (CARES) Act, we write to request certain 
     modifications and improvements to the programs that were 
     included in the law. We kept these requests focused on the 
     areas under negotiation as we understand them including small 
     business reforms, state and local funding, health care, and 
     food assistance through the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance 
     Program (SNAP).
       Since the CARES Act became law, we have spoken with 
     Coloradans across the state about the Paycheck Protection 
     Program (PPP), including small business owners, farmers, and 
     non-profit directors. It is clear that we should provide 
     additional funding for the PPP, but we should also modify the 
     program to ensure it is providing support for as many small 
     businesses and non-profits as the program was originally 
     intended.
       Through our conversations, we believe the following 
     modifications and additions to the PPP can help fix the very 
     real-on-the-ground issues preventing many small businesses 
     from participating in the program:
       Increase the program appropriations and the loan amount to 
     4 times average monthly payroll (permitting those that 
     already have

[[Page S5507]]

     loans to increase their loan amount to reach that level) for 
     firms that have suffered significant revenue losses as a 
     result of the COVID-19 public health emergency;
       Increase the amount that can be spent on non-payroll 
     expenses for firms that have suffered significant revenue 
     losses as a result of the COVID-19 public health emergency;
       Expand eligibility as follows:
       Expressly provide that health care entities, such as quasi-
     governmental Critical Access Hospitals and other rural health 
     care providers, are eligible to participate in the program;
       Include certain nonprofits who should not have been 
     excluded in the first place, subject to the applicable 
     affiliation rules;
       Expand the exception to the 500-employee limitation for 
     franchises, which is contained in the Small Business 
     Administration (SBA) guidance, to include franchised 
     businesses beyond those listed in the SBA's franchise 
     listing; and
       Expand the affiliation rule exception to include more firms 
     that, for all intents and purposes have fewer than 500 
     employees, such as fitness centers and retail trade 
     establishments.
       Expressly provide that, following the recently-issued SBA 
     guidance regarding distributions from partnerships and LLCs 
     (up to $100,000 annualized), existing PPP loans that excluded 
     such payments may increase their loan amounts accordingly;
       Add the following to list of qualified expenses: mortgage 
     principal payments in accordance with previously-established 
     amortization schedules (no pre-payments), inventory expenses 
     in advance of re-opening businesses, and past-due inventory 
     invoices;
       Expressly provide that businesses can participate in both 
     the PPP and EIDL loans, provided that funds are not spent on 
     the same expenses;
       Set aside PPP funding to support our smallest businesses; 
     as well as minority-, veteran-, women-owned, and other 
     underserved businesses that may not have an existing business 
     banking relationship;
       Expressly provide that Community Development Financial 
     Institutions (CDFIs) are authorized lenders under the 
     program;
       Authorize the Treasury Department, the Federal Reserve, 
     and/or the SBA to purchase program loans for borrowers with 
     50 or more employees from the originating banks two weeks 
     after origination; and authorize the appropriate entity 
     purchase program loans for businesses with less than 50 
     employees immediately after origination; and
       Ensure that small agricultural producers who employ 
     individuals under the H-2A program can have their payroll 
     expenses count for loan forgiveness purposes.
       In addition to the PPP modifications, the Economic Injury 
     Disaster Loan (EIDL) Program that was included in the CARES 
     Act has been oversubscribed. The intended goal was to have 
     these loans paired with the PPP in order to provide 
     businesses a greater amount of liquidity. It has been clear 
     in our communications across the state that the program is 
     oversubscribed and EIDL needs significantly more funding and 
     improved efficiency to get the funding more quickly into the 
     economy. The CARES Act required EIDL advances of up to 
     $10,000 per loan to be delivered immediately, but the 
     oversubscription has caused the SBA to limit the amount of 
     those advances and they have been slow in arriving. EIDL 
     borrowers simply cannot wait for weeks for approval on 
     minimal advances. We must make sure the program is fully 
     funded so it can be useful for businesses.
       We must also work to provide health care providers, both 
     those on the frontlines and those struggling with lost 
     revenue, the support they need. We request additional funding 
     through the Public Health and Social Services Emergency Fund 
     (PHSSEF) to support hospitals and health care providers in 
     the next phase of legislation. We must also ensure that there 
     is a transparent and evidence-based process in place to 
     provide relief to rural hospitals and health clinics, 
     Medicaid providers, including home and community-based 
     services providers, children's hospitals, nursing homes, 
     providers treating undocumented patients, and safety net 
     hospitals and clinics who provide critical, life-saving care 
     to underserved populations and were not addressed in the 
     Department of Health and Human Service's initial $30 billion 
     tranche of funding from the CARES Act.
       Further, state and local governments and tribes are on the 
     front lines of responding to the crisis. The CARES Act 
     included $150 billion for these entities from the Coronavirus 
     Relief Fund and tens of billions of additional support for 
     education and housing needs. In addition to direct federal 
     support for education, housing, and public health needs, it 
     is critical that Congress provide an additional $500 billion 
     in flexible fiscal relief to states and hundreds of billions 
     of additional support directly to local governments without 
     population thresholds and with the flexibility to fill major 
     revenue shortfalls. We request robust funding to ensure 
     further flexible relief in the next legislative response. In 
     fact, any interim agreement between the leaders must include 
     this critical state and local funding.
       Lastly, we are deeply disturbed by the severe deprivation 
     so many families are experiencing, manifested in scenes of 
     hours-long lines at food banks across the country. To 
     alleviate some of the pressure on the hardest-hit families, 
     we support increasing overall SNAP benefits by 15% and 
     continuing that increase until the public health crisis has 
     ended and the economy has returned to pre-crisis conditions, 
     along with other reforms to SNAP to cut red tape and expand 
     access to nutritional assistance.
       Colorado is representative of America. We have remote rural 
     communities and large urban areas. We depend on the 
     agriculture industry, but we also have some of the most 
     cutting-edge technology companies in the world. We are known 
     for our restaurants, hotels, and outdoor recreation. Those 
     industries are supported by countless plumbers, electricians, 
     and contractors. And like America, we have our differences, 
     but above all, Coloradans are pragmatic--we do what works. 
     The ideas laid out in this letter reflect what Coloradans 
     have told us is needed to make these programs work. We should 
     waste no time in adopting them.
       We thank you for your work on behalf of the American 
     public. We believe that we share the common goals of keeping 
     thousands of small businesses across Colorado and the nation 
     with the ability to retain as many workers as they can, our 
     hospitals and health care providers equipped with what they 
     need, and state and local governments and tribes with the 
     ability to respond during this pandemic. Should you require 
     additional information on these suggestions, our staffs are 
     able to further discuss. As you negotiate the next federal 
     response, we respectfully request you include these 
     modifications to the CARES Act and additional requests in 
     mind.
           Sincerely,
     Cory Gardner,
       United States Senator.
     Michael F. Bennet,
       United States Senator.
     Jared Polis,
       Governor of Colorado.

  Mr. GARDNER. I yield the floor.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from Colorado.