[Congressional Record Volume 166, Number 156 (Thursday, September 10, 2020)]
[Senate]
[Pages S5539-S5541]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]



                              Coronavirus

  Ms. HIRONO. Mr. President, actions speak louder than words, and by 
their actions it is clear that the majority leader and Senate 
Republicans have not been serious about passing another COVID relief 
bill that matches the urgency of this moment.
  First, the majority leader wanted to take a pause, and then he sat on 
the Housed-passed Heroes Act for months. Then in July, he introduced a 
series of inadequate piecemeal bills that went absolutely nowhere. Now 
the majority leader and Senate Republicans showed their priorities yet 
again by rushing to confirm five more Trump judges and offering an 
anemic, weak COVID bill aimed at appeasing the most conservative 
Members of their caucus. And we just voted on that bill.
  While Senate Republicans have been ``waiting for Godot'' on the next 
COVID bill, Senate Democrats have been listening to our constituents, 
and we have a sense of urgency. We have had this sense of urgency for 
the 4 months that we have been waiting for Congress to deal with the 
Heroes Act. We have been waiting for over 4 months, as I mentioned, for 
the majority leader to stop taking a pause.
  American workers and families couldn't afford a pause for 4 months, 
and they certainly can't afford to take a pause now. In fact, things 
have gotten worse. While Republicans sat on their hands, our country 
was facing and continues to face a grim reality.
  In the coming days, we are certain to pass the almost unthinkable 
milestone of 200,000 deaths from COVID-19. On March 29, when Dr. Fauci 
warned us

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that America could reach this milestone as an almost worst-case 
scenario, 2,300 Americans had died. And because Donald Trump has 
provided no national leadership, Dr. Fauci's warning will, more than 
sadly, soon come to pass.
  Over 6 million Americans have contracted coronavirus. Tens of 
millions of Americans remain out of work. Millions of Americans have 
lost their healthcare. Colleges and universities have started their 
fall sessions with students back on campus and are experiencing 
significant outbreaks. Millions of parents are facing the agonizing 
choice of sending their children to schools that aren't safe or dealing 
with the challenge of distance learning and childcare needs. And State 
after State, long abandoned by the Trump administration's failure to 
lead during the pandemic, are left on their own to deal with billions 
in budget deficits as a result of the pandemic and to make difficult 
decisions about how to confront new outbreaks.
  In Hawaii, new cases have been rising since July. The severity of our 
outbreak, particularly on Oahu, led the mayor of the city and county of 
Honolulu to issue a 2-week stay-at-home order on August 27. Yesterday, 
he extended this order for another 2 weeks. This order and the outbreak 
that preceded it offer a grim reminder that constant vigilance is 
necessary in the fight against COVID-19. It is a reminder that even 
States like Hawaii, which for months was lauded as a coronavirus 
success story, can become home to one of the fastest growing outbreaks 
in the country.
  At the end of July, Hawaii had barely over 2,000 cases of COVID-19. 
Yesterday, Hawaii crossed the grim milestone of 10,000 cases. Like in 
many other States, our outbreak has hit certain communities and 
populations the hardest. Our thriving, dynamic, and vital Pacific 
Islander community represents a mere 4 percent of our population but 
nearly one-third of our total cases. More than a dozen long-term care 
homes across our State are experiencing significant outbreaks that put 
our kupuna--our seniors--at heightened risk.
  The Oahu Community Correctional Center has seen the 299 inmates and 
76 staff members infected with COVID-19. The rising caseload on Oahu is 
putting pressure on Hawaii's already understaffed medical system, where 
existing provider shortages are straining the capacity of our 
hospitals.
  Although Hawaii's outbreak is centered on Oahu, we are seeing 
troubling signs on the Neighbor Islands, as well, with serious 
outbreaks at the Yuko Okutsu State Veterans Home in Hilo and the Maui 
Memorial Medical Center in Kahului.
  As we analyze and assess what is happening in Hawaii, the most 
important thing our State can do is learn from our experience and not 
to repeat the same mistakes. We have to explain things clearly and 
plainly, and we have to be accountable and transparent in our decision 
making.
  Our States certainly should have done a better job conducting 
outreach to at-risk communities, expanding our testing capacity, 
developing an effective contact tracing system, and establishing a 
clearer chain of command. But we don't have the luxury of simply 
pointing fingers, assigning blame, and moving on. In other words, we 
cannot be like the President.
  Instead, we need to work together to get our outbreak under control 
and support the hundreds of thousands of Hawaii residents who have 
suffered from this unprecedented public health and economic crisis.
  The Senate must do its part by passing a real comprehensive COVID 
relief bill that would help States like Hawaii confront their outbreaks 
and help the millions of Americans who are suffering right now. While 
the majority leader struggles to unite his caucus even around an 
emaciated, weak bill, like the one we voted on today, Democrats are 
united behind passing the Heroes Act because that bill's scope matches 
the urgency and severity of this moment.
  I certainly understand and appreciate the need to negotiate and 
compromise to get something done, but we cannot lose sight of whom we 
are fighting for. Unlike the majority leader and Senate Republicans, 
who are fighting tooth and nail for corporate interests in the next 
COVID bill, I am fighting for the workers, families, and small 
businesses that are getting screwed.
  I am fighting for Hawaii's small business owners, like Laura 
Andersland, who runs Salty Wahine on Kauai. Laura is one of the 
favorites on the Hill, where many of my colleagues, including those on 
the other side of the aisle, line up to sample Salty Wahine's Hawaiian 
salts. Laura's products are incredible, and her success over the years 
reflects the hard work she has put into building and growing her 
business. But Laura and Salty Wahine have been devastated by the 
pandemic. Although she was able to take advantage of past relief 
programs that we passed, Laura is struggling. She needs more help right 
now to pay the rent and rehire her employees.
  Alongside congressional Democrats, I am fighting for hundreds of 
billions in new assistance for small businesses like Laura's. I am 
fighting for the homeowners and renters who have lost their jobs and 
are terrified to think of what might happen to them if the Federal 
protections that have prevented their foreclosure or evictions expire.
  I am grateful that organizations like the Legal Aid Society of Hawaii 
are stepping in to help people worried that they will lose their homes. 
Legal Aid's executive director Nalani Fujimori Kaina told me that doing 
this work during a pandemic is like playing 3D chess on a Tilt-A-Whirl. 
In other words, it is mighty hard.
  The Senate needs to step up and provide the $100 billion-plus in 
housing and rental assistance needed to make a dent in this crisis. I 
am fighting for parents, teachers, and students who are struggling to 
adapt to the new normal of hybrid and distance learning: grandmothers, 
like a retired educator I spoke with last week--she is concerned about 
learning loss and her 5-year-old grandson struggling to sit and learn, 
sitting behind a computer screen for hours a day; women like the 
restaurant owner of Kauai I spoke with--she is worried about how to 
balance running her struggling business with tutoring her high school-
age children; and the many students I have spoken with over the past 
few months--they are struggling with learning loss, finding a quiet 
place to study from home, hunting down reliable internet at Starbucks, 
or having trouble concentrating--all because Republican Senators can't 
get their acts together.
  We need to increase our support for public schools so they can create 
safer environments for students once they are back in school. We can do 
this by investing billions of dollars to help States get their 
outbreaks under control through testing and contact tracing so we can 
get our kids back to school safely. The operative word is ``safely.'' 
We all want our kids to go back to school. They need to go back in a 
safe environment.
  The bill our Republican colleagues offered today was anemic and weak, 
at best. It does more to help their corporate benefactors than to 
address the pain so many Americans are feeling right now.
  After today's vote, I am left wondering: How much more pain do the 
American people have to endure before Senate Republicans get serious 
and act? How many more Americans have to die? How many more Americans 
have to lose their jobs? How many more businesses have to close? How 
many more children have to go hungry during this pandemic? How many 
more people have to lose their health insurance? The list goes on.
  I say to the majority leader: What is it going to take for you to 
finally do your job?
  I yield the floor.
  I suggest the absence of a quorum.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The clerk will call the roll.
  The legislative clerk proceeded to call the roll.
  Mr. WARNER. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the order for 
the quorum call be rescinded.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.


                              S. Res. 685

  Mr. WARNER. Mr. President, I rise today to express my support for my 
colleague Senator Duckworth's resolution honoring the service and 
sacrifices of members of the U.S. Armed Forces and our veterans. The 
resolution rightly criticizes President Trump for a series of 
statements and actions which

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have denigrated our men and women in uniform, our veterans, and our 
institutions.
  Service and sacrifice run deep among my constituents in the 
Commonwealth of Virginia. With 130,000 Active-Duty members living in 
Virginia, the Commonwealth has one of the highest populations of 
military personnel in the Nation. Virginia is home to more than 700,000 
veterans, men and women who have displayed the highest level of 
selfless service while defending this country and who have endured 
hardship and have put country above self.
  I am proud to call these American heroes my constituents, as well as 
my neighbors, and I am humbled to represent and serve them in Congress. 
I am thankful to them for protecting this great country.
  President Trump, though, again and again, has made disrespectful 
remarks about servicemembers, veterans, and military leaders despite 
being Commander in Chief. His name-calling and disdain for the value of 
service is divisive and dangerous.
  Remember how President Trump ridiculed the Gold Star parents of Army 
CPT Humayun Khan, who died in June 2004 from an IED in Iraq. Mr. and 
Mrs. Khan are residents of Virginia.
  Remember his comments questioning whether Senator John McCain should 
be called a hero and remember his recent comments, even after the 
reports of his comments in The Atlantic article came out--his recent 
comments that our top officials at DOD want to continue fighting wars 
to make defense contractors happy.
  Whether it is pardoning and excusing those in uniform who commit 
crimes or not standing up to President Putin in defense of our troops 
when reports emerged that bounties have been offered for killing 
members of our Armed forces, whether it is deploying our military in 
response to peaceful protests, threatening to politicalize and divide 
our military from civilian society, the President, on each of these 
occasions, is on the wrong side of honoring our servicemembers. These 
actions and statements are an affront to everyone who serves or has 
served. They are unacceptable and un-Presidential.
  Instead, let's stay focused on what matters in this country. Let's 
stay united. We need to ensure that we are expressing each and every 
day how thankful we are to those who serve for protecting the freedoms 
we hold dear.
  I want to thank Senator Duckworth for the introduction of this 
resolution and, more so, I thank her for her dedicated and exemplary 
military service to our country.
  It is my hope that all my colleagues in the Senate will recognize the 
mistakes made by our Commander in Chief when addressing the heroes of 
our military and our Nation's veterans.
  I suggest the absence of a quorum.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The clerk will call the roll.
  The legislative clerk proceeded to call the roll.
  Mr. WHITEHOUSE. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the order 
for the quorum call be rescinded.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.