[Congressional Record Volume 166, Number 169 (Tuesday, September 29, 2020)]
[Senate]
[Pages S5918-S5923]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
SENATOR KAY HAGAN AIRPORT TRAFFIC CONTROL TOWER
Mr. BURR. Mr. President, I now would like to talk about a special
project in North Carolina which involves my former partner from North
Carolina, Senator Kay Hagan.
We are currently in the process of building a brand-new FAA tower at
the Piedmont Triad International Airport in Greensboro, NC. The bill
before us
[[Page S5919]]
would name the currently under-construction air traffic tower after
Senator Kay Hagan.
The late Senator Hagan worked tirelessly to secure the funding for
the new tower, and it will serve as a fitting tribute to her legacy as
a Senator and her work on behalf of the citizens of North Carolina.
Once completed in 2022, the 180-foot tower will not only provide a
state-of-the-art traffic facility for PTI Airport but also serve other
general aviation airports in a rather large geographic region. In one
of her last public appearances, in June of 2019, Senator Hagan was able
to participate in the groundbreaking ceremony of that FAA tower.
This bill has bipartisan support in the Senate, including Senators
Klobuchar, Warner, and Tillis. A companion bill has also been
introduced in the House by Representative Budd with a majority of the
delegation supporting, including Representatives Price, Butterfield,
and Adams.
This is a testament to Senator Hagan and shows how we can continue to
work together to not only achieve great things for our constituents but
also recognize the achievements of public servants like Kay Hagan.
Madam President, I ask unanimous consent that the Senate proceed to
the immediate consideration of S. 4762, introduced earlier today.
The PRESIDING OFFICER (Mrs. Blackburn). The clerk will report the
bill by title.
The bill clerk read as follows:
A bill (S. 4762) to designate the airport traffic control
tower located at Piedmont Triad International Airport in
Greensboro, North Carolina, as the ``Senator Kay Hagan
Airport Traffic Control Tower''.
=========================== NOTE ===========================
On page S5919, September 30, 2020, first column, the following
appears: The bill clerk read as follows: A bill (S. 4762) to
designate the airport traffic control tower located at Piedmont
Triad International Airport in North Carolina, as the ``Senator
Kay Hagan Airport Traffic Control Tower''.
The online Record has been corrected to read: The bill clerk
read as follows: A bill (S. 4762) to designate the airport traffic
control tower located at Piedmont Triad International Airport in
Greensboro, North Carolina, as the ``Senator Kay Hagan Airport
Traffic Control Tower''.
========================= END NOTE =========================
There being no objection, the Senate proceeded to consider the bill.
Mr. BURR. Madam President, I ask unanimous consent that the bill be
considered read a third time and passed and that the motion to
reconsider be considered made and laid upon the table.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.
The bill (S. 4762) was ordered to be engrossed for a third reading,
was read the third time, and passed as follows
S. 4762
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of
the United States of America in Congress assembled,
SECTION 1. DESIGNATION.
The airport traffic control tower located at Piedmont Triad
International Airport in Greensboro, North Carolina, and any
successor airport traffic control tower at that location,
shall be known and designated as the ``Senator Kay Hagan
Airport Traffic Control Tower''.
SEC. 2. REFERENCES.
Any reference in a law, map, regulation, document, paper,
or other record of the United States to the airport traffic
control tower referred to in section 1 shall be deemed to be
a reference to the ``Senator Kay Hagan Airport Traffic
Control Tower''.
Senate Bipartisanship
Mr. BURR. Madam President, that is all the unanimous consent requests
I have today, but since the floor is vacant, let me take this
opportunity to say that the American people have just seen that the
Senate can function, the Senate can pass legislation, the Senate can
find legislation that both sides agree on.
Yes, we, quite frankly, have issues on which we disagree, but why not
spend the balance of this week, the balance of this year, focused on
the things that we can find agreement on and come to this floor and
debate them and pass them. There are many more things that we agree
upon, on both sides of the aisle, than we disagree upon.
There are some hot-button issues that we will probably never find
unanimity on, but there are many, many things that affect thousands, if
not millions, of people's lives in this country that we can do by
simple unanimous consent. It just takes a willingness of 100 members of
the U.S. Senate to agree to take it up.
So I urge my colleagues on both sides of the aisle: Don't be the one
or don't be part of the contingent that objects to something. If it is
in the best interest of this institution, of this country, of the
American people, let it come up. Let it have a debate, and let it have
a vote--hopefully, a unanimous consent request like we have just seen.
I suggest the absence of a quorum.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. The clerk will call the roll.
The bill clerk proceeded to call the roll.
Mrs. SHAHEEN. Madam President, I ask unanimous consent that the order
for the quorum call be rescinded.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.
Census Bureau
Mrs. SHAHEEN. Madam President, there is a lot going on in America
right now. We are in the middle of a pandemic where we have lost over
200,000 people. We have millions who are unemployed. We are only 34
days away from a Presidential election. It is easy to see that a lot of
Americans could have missed the fact that we are also in the middle of
a decennial census.
Under article I, section 2 of the Constitution, since 1790, the
United States has conducted a census every 10 years. The U.S. Census
Bureau is currently executing the 2020 decennial census. As we speak,
census workers are conducting interviews and filling out survey forms
in every community in our country despite the tremendous obstacles that
have been posed by COVID-19. Their work is of utmost importance. I want
to take this opportunity to thank them for their very challenging
efforts.
The 2020 census will dictate apportionment of the House of
Representatives for the next decade. In addition, Federal programs rely
on census data to distribute more than $1.5 trillion in funding every
year to States, localities, individuals, and businesses. So the stakes
are high for the census, and we have only one chance to get it right--
one chance every 10 years.
As the vice chair of the Senate Commerce, Justice, Science, and
Related Agencies Appropriations Subcommittee, I have worked with
Members on both sides of the aisle to ensure that the Census Bureau has
the resources it needs to ensure a complete and accurate 2020 census.
This includes securing, for the past several fiscal years, the entire
amount that was requested by the administration, including reserve
funding, which has been critical to meet the challenges of the COVID-19
pandemic.
However, in addition to funding, the Census needs sufficient time to
get the job done right. To protect public health, on April 13, 2020,
Census Director Steven Dillingham and Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross
announced that the Census Bureau would delay field operations by 3
months and they asked Congress to delay reporting apportionment and
redistricting counts by 4 months in order to ``ensure the completeness
and accuracy of the 2020 Census.'' That was Census Director Dillingham
and Commerce Secretary Ross. Under this revised plan, the largest and
most important field data collection operation to follow up with
households that have been nonresponsive would run until October 31. On
a bipartisan basis, this request from the administration was welcomed.
We want to give the Census both the time and the resources that it
needs to do the job right.
Over the course of the summer, the Trump administration installed new
political appointees at the Census, and a number of reports indicated
that the Trump administration was looking to rush the 2020 decennial
census operations so that Secretary Ross--despite what he said to us
last spring--could transmit the apportionment counts to the President
by December 31, 2020.
Then, on August 3--just last month, August 3--Census Director
Dillingham announced that 2020 field data collection and self-response
operations would be shortened by a month, ending today, September 30.
This decision to curtail operations was not based on the advice of
career Census Bureau experts. Census data collection operations are
incredibly complicated even under the best of conditions, but their
complexity is greatly exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic. In fact,
this spring, experts made clear that a 4-month delay of statutory
deadlines was necessary.
In May, Tim Olson, Director for Field Operations for the 2020
decennial census, stated:
We have passed the point where we could even meet the
current legislative requirement of December 31. We can't do
that anymore.
That was back in May.
After the truncated data collection operations were announced, a
career official stated:
It's going to be impossible to complete the count in time.
I'm very fearful we're going to have a massive undercount.
[[Page S5920]]
I share this fear. I am deeply concerned that cutting short data
collection and processing operations during a global pandemic will
necessitate changes that will be detrimental to the accuracy and
completeness of the 2020 decennial census. In particular, I am
concerned that the Census Bureau will reduce the number of attempts to
count households and significantly increase the use of less accurate
data collection methods. This could lead to a substantial undercount in
historically hard-to-count areas. Those areas include Native American,
rural, and immigrant communities. An undercount would mean that these
communities would be left disenfranchised, without proper political
representation and without millions of dollars of Federal funding.
We should be clear about the gravity of this outcome. This would be a
constitutional crisis that further undermines faith in our governing
institutions.
I called for the Department of Commerce inspector general to
investigate why the Trump administration suddenly curtailed data
collection operations. I have also requested that the Government
Accountability Office conduct an investigation into how this rushed
timeline could affect data quality and the overall completeness of the
census count.
Last week, the Commerce inspector general released a preliminary
report, finding what we already knew: that the decision to accelerate
the 2020 census schedule was not made by the experts at the Census
Bureau and that rushed schedule increases the risk to the accuracy of
the 2020 census.
In particular, the report raises that the curtailed timeline does not
provide schedule flexibility in the case of natural disasters.
Unfortunately, over the last month, we have seen record wildfires out
West and several hurricanes in the gulf. This has delayed operations in
those regions.
The GAO came to a similar conclusion, publishing a report last month
that found that cutting the timeframe for the 2020 census could
increase the risk of an inaccurate count. One line from the inspector
general's report really stuck with me. It said:
A statutory extension would permit the Bureau to adhere, as
closely as practicable, to the 2020 Census plan it developed
over a decade instead of the replan it developed over a
weekend.
I hope my colleagues will review these reports. I know everybody is
anxious to go home. I am anxious to go home. But I hope people will
review these reports and join me in providing the Census Bureau the
time the agency needs.
This last-minute attempt to shorten data collection and data
processing isn't surprising, sadly. The Trump administration has made
other attempts to manipulate the count for political gain. It has been
well documented that political operatives have pushed the
administration and Secretary of Commerce Wilbur Ross to include a
citizenship question as part of the 2020 census and in an attempt to
reduce participation in immigrant communities. Ultimately, Secretary
Ross's attempt to include a citizenship question was rejected by the
Supreme Court.
We can't let these latest attempts to undermine the accuracy of the
constitutionally mandated count succeed.
Last week, a Federal court issued an injunction preventing the Census
Bureau from ramping down operations prematurely because there would be
irreparable harm to communities from rushing the count. However, this
could just be temporary. In defying the court, earlier this week, the
Census Bureau announced a mere 5-day delay so that operations will now
end on October 5. This is not long enough. The Census Bureau has also
announced plans to appeal the court's injunction.
This is not solely a rural or an urban issue, a red State or a blue
State problem. I hope my colleagues will listen to this because the
States with the lowest percentage of households counted are Alabama,
Louisiana, Montana, South Carolina, Mississippi--Senator Wicker--and
Georgia. Some of these States are on the bubble of gaining or losing
Representatives, so an undercount, which is a real risk if operations
are rushed and shut down prematurely, would have serious repercussions.
That is why I call on my colleagues to pass a 4-month extension of
the Census's statutory deadlines so that the Trump administration is
compelled to stick to the timeline it had originally announced.
Congress already missed an opportunity to address this issue as part of
the continuing resolution.
Again, there is bipartisan support for this extension, with a
bipartisan bill filed. In addition, last month, a bipartisan group of
48 Senators sent a letter to Senate and House leadership that called
for the inclusion of legislation to extend the statutory deadlines as
part of the next coronavirus relief package, as the House has done in
the updated Heroes Act that was released recently. We should also
ensure that the data collection operations, including nonresponse
followup and self-response, continue through October 31.
It is imperative for the census to count every person in the United
States and where one lives. This includes communities that have had
historically low participation in decennial censuses. The census is too
important to allow meddling for political gain. We must take action
immediately to ensure that the Census Bureau takes the time to get it
right.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from Montana.
Mr. DAINES. Madam President, I ask unanimous consent that I be
permitted to use props during my speech.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. Is there objection?
Without objection, it is so ordered.
Clean Water
Mr. DAINES. Madam President, water is the most basic element of human
life. In Montana, we depend on a steady supply of water to drink, to
irrigate our crops, to water our livestock, and to provide energy
through hydropower. Water is a precious resource, but there are still
rural communities in Montana that face challenges to access and that
are in dire need of Federal assistance. The health and economic risks
associated with the lack of reliable water have increased because of
the current pandemic.
I stand here today to highlight three bills that would ensure rural
Montana communities have access to water.
S. 1882 would allow the 130 family farms in the Kinsey Irrigation
Company and Sidney Water Users Irrigation District to continue the use
of Pick-Sloan power, which they have reasonably relied on for more than
74 years. Thankfully, this bill has been passed out of the U.S. Senate
and now awaits House consideration. I thank both Senate and House
leadership for getting this bill to the finish line, and I urge my
colleagues in the House to pass it.
Another Montana water priority is the bipartisan St. Mary's
Reinvestment Act, which supports the St. Mary and Milk River Project by
allowing the reconstruction and restoration of the over 100-year-old
infrastructure. I am proud to be working with the entire Montana
delegation on this important bill that supplies over 18,000 water users
and municipalities along the Hi-Line, including the Blackfeet
Reservation and Fort Belknap.
The catastrophic failure of a drop structure this past summer is
proof that Congress must pass this bipartisan legislation. I spent time
out there in July and saw firsthand the catastrophic failure of that
drop and why it is so important to get this legislation passed. This
bill is critical for Montana's families and Montana's farmers and
ranchers along the Hi-Line.
I would also like to highlight my bipartisan bill, the Clean Water
for Rural Communities Act. It is hard to believe that there are
approximately 40,000 Americans across 12 counties in both Montana and
North Dakota who currently do not have access to water that is safe to
drink. In fact, I have brought with me today some examples of the
drinking water that Montanans in the central and eastern parts of our
State have shared with me.
Here is a sample that literally came from the tap of the Arnesons. It
is hard to believe we are in 2020 and that a Montanan can open up a tap
and see water like this.
This example came from the Good family. Again, it is yellow water,
and this is black water. This is water that has literally come from the
taps of Montanans who live in the eastern part of our State.
You see, iron content in these impacted areas is nearly five times
the
[[Page S5921]]
Safe Drinking Water Act's standard, and nearly all residents must rely
on bottled water. This water is so contaminated that it is corrosive to
appliances, which requires residents to operate water softeners to
avoid damage.
My bill would allow two regional, rural water systems to be rebuilt
in order to provide Montanans access to reliable, safe water in central
and eastern Montana. I don't think that is asking for too much. All we
are asking for is reliable and safe water for thousands of Montanans.
Both of these rural drinking water projects have been working with the
Bureau of Reclamation for over 15 years to gain Federal authorization,
and they can't wait any longer.
I rise on behalf of the 40,000 Montanans who lack access to clean
water, and I urge the swift passage of the Clean Water for Rural
Communities Act as well as the St. Mary's Reinvestment Act
I yield the floor.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from Mississippi.
Greg Kelly
Mr. WICKER. Madam President, I have a serious matter to discuss with
the Senators about the U.S. relationship with our ally Japan.
Japan has been a valued American partner in the Pacific. It is our
fourth largest trading partner and a close military ally. Our nations
are better off because of the alliance between Japan and the United
States, and I hope it grows stronger in the days ahead.
I regret that today I must be sharply critical of the Japanese
Government. I rise to express concern over Japan's unjust treatment of
an American citizen, Greg Kelly. It is a concern that raises questions
about whether Americans can be comfortable about Japan's adherence to
the basic rule of law. Mr. Kelly has become the latest victim of
Japan's criminal justice system. Some have called it a hostage justice
system. Even some leaders in Japan have called it a hostage justice
system, because it is. It is unfair, harsh, and arbitrary. Japanese
prosecutors have an alarming conviction rate of 99 percent, which is
clearly designed to produce guilty verdicts.
Greg Kelly is a Tennessee resident who joined Nissan in 1988 and
became a respected employee. He rose steadily within the company and in
June of 2012 became the first American to join Nissan's board. Yet,
shortly before Thanksgiving of 2018, his 30-year career at Nissan came
to a crashing halt--a troubling halt to his career and to fundamental
fairness.
A company executive lured him to Tokyo for what was supposed to be an
urgent business meeting. Mr. Kelly was 2 weeks away from having badly
needed neck surgery and was hesitant to travel internationally, but the
Nissan executive assured him he would be home within a week, so Mr.
Kelly boarded a Nissan corporate jet to Tokyo. In fact, Greg Kelly had
been lied to and was walking into a trap that had been designed by
Nissan executives and Japanese authorities.
According to emails obtained by Bloomberg News, that Nissan executive
was working in collusion with Japanese prosecutors to disrupt a merger
between Nissan and the French auto company, Renault. Greg Kelly was
involved in negotiating that merger. Their plan required framing him
for bogus financial crimes and throwing him under the bus.
While he was en route to Tokyo, Nissan executives launched a
``boardroom coup'' to strip Mr. Kelly of his position. Government
prosecutors seized his boss, Carlos Ghosn, chairman of the board of
Nissan, for allegedly underreporting his income--another bogus charge.
Hours later, upon his arrival at the airport, Mr. Kelly was arrested
on these trumped-up charges. Mr. Kelly was treated with cruelty by
Japanese authorities from day one. He was kept in solitary confinement
for 34 days. This American citizen, this resident of the State of
Tennessee, was kept in solitary confinement, where he slept on the
floor in the dead of winter and had no heat. He was interrogated daily,
for several hours at a time, without having the presence of a defense
counsel--a basic legal right.
This is the treatment given to our American citizen by Japanese
authorities. His requests for medical attention were refused. When they
did eventually allow him to get surgery, it was too late to do much
good, and, predictably, Greg Kelly's physical condition got worse.
Thankfully, Mr. Kelly was eventually allowed to live in a Tokyo
apartment while he awaited trial. His trial began only this month--more
than 650 days after his arrest.
With regard to former CEO Carlos Ghosn, in a celebrated escapade, Mr.
Ghosn was able to escape from Japan to his native Lebanon after being
released on bail, but Greg Kelly remains in Japan to this day and
vehemently denies the charges against him.
It is noteworthy that the CEO of Nissan, Hiroto Saikawa, was involved
in the same negotiations as Mr. Kelly. In other words, if Mr. Kelly is
guilty of a financial crime, so is Mr. Saikawa. Yet, instead of being
arrested, he was allowed to simply resign.
Japanese leaders may deny it, but it looks an awful lot like there is
a double standard in Japan's justice system--a lenient standard for
native Japanese and a much harder one for Americans. This double
standard is not lost on American businesses, and it is not lost on this
Senator. Japan should worry about the consequences of its behavior. A
perceived legal bias could put a seriously chilling effect on our
economic relationship as more Americans think twice about doing
business in Japan or doing business with Japan.
Mr. Kelly's treatment in the Japanese courtroom has been no less
appalling. The trial began a few days ago, and the court allowed
prosecutors to give a 6-hour presentation at the opening of the trial,
with there being no simultaneous English translation.
They denied the same right to Mr. Kelly. He has yet to make his
opening statement. Instead of letting Mr. Kelly speak in his own
defense, the court then recessed for 2 weeks.
The proceedings have been incredibly slow and will continue to be
incredibly slow. The trial is expected to last more than a year because
Japanese rules allow the prosecutors to meet at the trial for only 6
days per month and also because the court refused to allow simultaneous
English translation at the trial.
This is a stark reminder of how fortunate we are in this country,
under our Constitution, which guarantees the right to a speedy trial.
I have zero confidence that the Japanese criminal justice system will
give Mr. Kelly a fair trial. The fix was in for him from the beginning.
His being lured to Japan, his wrongful arrest, his deplorable treatment
in solitary confinement and in court are a scandal worthy of Vladimir
Putin, not our allies in Japan. It should be an embarrassment for any
modern democracy.
This is a matter that should have been resolved in the board room and
by shareholders. This needless ordeal sends an unmistakable message to
the American business community: If you do business in Japan, you had
better watch your back. When it suits Japanese interests, they could
set a trap for you, throw you under the bus, put you in prison, deprive
you of your rights to counsel and your rights to return home, and waste
years of your life needlessly. That is the message it sends to the
American business community.
This is a shameful story for an ally of the United States, and it
looms as an ominous shadow over the coming Tokyo Olympic Games, the
recently completed U.S.-Japan agreement, and future trade negotiations.
Our two nations have shared in prosperity for decades because of
mutual respect and mutual cooperation. I hope our Japanese friends will
show a renewed interest in preserving that relationship, which has been
harmed by the Greg Kelly fiasco.
The newly installed Prime Minister of Japan, Prime Minister Suga,
needs to intervene in this matter. Japan needs to right this wrong and
end this highly visible stain on its international reputation.
I yield the floor.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from Vermont
H.R. 8337
Mr. LEAHY. Madam President, today, we in the Senate will vote on a
continuing resolution to keep the government funded through December
11, 2020. It is the last day we can do that.
I strongly urge all Members to vote aye. The last thing our country
needs
[[Page S5922]]
is a government shutdown in the middle of a global pandemic and an
unprecedented economic crisis.
Now, the bill we are considering passed the House by a wide margin to
show they were doing their job--sometimes a rarity in Washington. It
provides funding for the government through December 11 at fiscal year
2020 funding levels and under the same terms and conditions contained
in the fiscal year 2020 appropriations bills.
It also includes several authorization matters to extend programs
that otherwise would expire, including important health and
transportation and veterans programs.
Now, I am pleased the bill includes the emergency USCIS Stopgap
Stabilization Act. This will help prevent furloughs of Federal
employees at the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, many of
whom work in my home State of Vermont.
Now, these are dedicated Federal employees. They perform critical
work, helping immigrants apply for citizenship and visas and asylum,
and they have come to work every single day living under the threat of
furloughs for months now, in the middle of a global pandemic, and all
the while continuing their important work.
While I believe more fiscal year reforms and stronger oversight are
needed at USCIS, this legislation will help stave off the immediate
crisis while we work on a longer term solution.
I am also glad the bill includes nearly $8 million for child
nutrition programs, especially the extension of the Pandemic Electronic
Benefits Transfer. That is the P-EBT Program. That is important because
it provides millions of children with additional monthly benefits for
food purchases while schools are closed. And this assistance is
desperately needed as families across the Nation struggle to make ends
meet and to put food on the table.
Now, I support the continuing resolution. It is what I do in my role
as vice chairman of the Appropriations Committee, and I urge my
colleagues to do the same.
But I cannot help but note the reason we need this is because of a
dysfunctional Congress. It is a symptom of that. It is a senseless and
entirely avoidable, made-in-Washington crisis.
The Senate Appropriations Committee should have been allowed to do
its work. We could have completed all 12 appropriations bills months
ago, and the majority of those bills would have had overwhelmingly
bipartisan support of both Republicans and Democrats.
Apparently, the Republican leader did not want to allow that to
happen, so we are left with a continuing resolution. It simply kicks
the can down the road.
Not only did we not complete our work on the fiscal year 2021
appropriations bills, the Senate has not acted on a much needed COVID
relief bill to address the impacts of the pandemic found in every town
across America--every single town, represented by every single Senator
in this body.
Look what is happening across our country. Schools are struggling to
safely educate our Nation's children, in both the classroom and, where
necessary, remotely, without enough funding to do so.
More than 9 million children do not have access to the internet in
their homes. In normal times, this would set these children far behind
their more affluent peers who can access online educational resources.
By doing nothing--by doing nothing, at a time when much of our Nation's
children are remote learning, Senate Republicans and President Trump
are choosing to leave these children behind, and these children are all
over the Nation, in every single State, and they are being left behind.
Inaction is a choice, and that choice is to actively prop up the cycle
of poverty for yet another generation.
Look at the lines at our food banks. They are at a historic level
during this enormous economic downturn. Today, in America, the
wealthiest country in the world, one in four households are
experiencing food insecurity during this pandemic.
Nobody in this room has looked their child in the eyes with the
knowledge that you do not know where the next meal will come from.
Think of those people who do, day by day, have to look at their
children, knowing that they don't know where their next meal is coming
from and how they are going to feed these children.
Inaction here and at the White House is a choice to let that child go
hungry and force their parents to live with that terrible pain that
comes when you cannot put enough food on the table for your family.
Families are struggling to pay rent and eviction moratoriums have
expired across the country in every State. In July, it was reported
that, in this economy, more than 43 million Americans--one-quarter of
the adult population of this country--either missed a rent or mortgage
payment or had little to no confidence they could make the next
payment. That was two rent or mortgage payments ago, with no relief.
More than 31 million Americans were unemployed in August; 163,735
businesses have closed, and 97,066 of those have closed permanently.
States don't have the money they need to safely carry out an election
that is only 34 days away and in the middle of a pandemic.
Without a legislative change extending critical deadlines, our
ability to achieve a fair and accurate count in the 2020 census remains
a risk--a census that is required under the Constitution of the United
States, a Constitution we all have taken an oath to uphold.
American people are suffering, and politics are being played to keep
that suffering continuing. But it is infuriating that the Republican
leadership refuses to acknowledge this reality. Instead of doing their
job and considering and passing full-year appropriations bills and a
desperately need a COVID relief bill, Senate Republicans have focused
this year almost entirely on packing the courts with rightwing, extreme
judges. Faced with an unprecedented health and economic crisis, does
this spur Republicans to action? No. But what does? Aha. A Supreme
Court vacancy in an election year that under their own precedent--under
Republican precedent--should not be filled until the American people
have their say in November. All of a sudden, they are ready to go to
work. That is shameful. At least on that, wait until the election. Let
the American people speak.
You know, it is frustrating because we could have passed every one of
those appropriations bills and not be faced with this. And I bet they
would have passed overwhelmingly.
So if Senate Republicans want to keep the Senate in session during
October, I say do it. There is plenty of work left undone. The Senate
could act on the fiscal year 2021 appropriations bills, a COVID relief
bill, or any one of the hundreds of bills the House has passed that are
currently bottled up in Senator McConnell's legislative graveyard.
But these pressing needs--pressing needs of people going hungry,
being thrown out of their homes, not getting the medical care they
need, facing the danger of COVID, something the President said would go
away in the spring--their needs are being ignored while Republicans
focus on filling a vacancy to the Supreme Court that should rightfully
remain vacant until a month from now when the people have spoken at the
polls.
Congress is failing the American people because Republicans, led by
President Trump, care more about securing a hyperpartisan Supreme Court
than the health and safety of the American people--all people. It
doesn't matter their politics in this country. It is that simple.
Now, I remain committed to completing the fiscal year 2021
appropriations bills. I want to produce bipartisan bills before the CR
expires on December 11. I think Chairman Shelby shares this commitment.
I look forward to working with him to complete our work.
When he was not blocked by his own party's leadership, we passed, by
overwhelming margins, all of the appropriations bills. Let's work to
complete our work. But for now, let's remove the threat of any more
chaos in this country--prevent a government shutdown by passing this
bill. I urge all Members of both parties to vote aye on the continuing
resolution.
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. McCONNELL. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the order
for the quorum call be rescinded.
[[Page S5923]]
The PRESIDING OFFICER (Mr. Cramer). Without objection, it is so
ordered.
Motion to Table Amendment No. 2663
Mr. McCONNELL. Mr. President, I move to table amendment No. 2663.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. The question is on agreeing to the motion.
The motion was agreed to.
The amendment (No. 2663) was tabled.
Mr. McCONNELL. Mr. President, I know of no further debate on H.R.
8337.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. Is there further debate?
If not, the clerk will read the title of the bill for the third time.
The bill was ordered to a third reading and was read the third time.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. The bill having been read the third time, the
question is, Shall the bill pass?
Mr. McCONNELL. Mr. President, I ask for the yeas and nays.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. Is there a sufficient second?
There appears to be a sufficient second.
The clerk will call the roll.
The legislative clerk called the roll.
Mr. THUNE. The following Senators are necessarily absent: the Senator
from Tennessee (Mr. Alexander), the Senator from Kansas (Mr. Moran),
and the Senator from Florida (Mr. Rubio).
Further, if present and voting, the Senator from Tennessee (Mr.
Alexander) would have voted ``yea'' and the Senator from Florida (Mr.
Rubio) would have voted ``yea.''
Mr. DURBIN. I announce that the Senator from California (Ms. Harris),
the Senator from Vermont (Mr. Sanders), and the Senator from Montana
(Mr. Tester) are necessarily absent.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. Are there any other Senators in the Chamber
desiring to vote?
The result was announced--yeas 84, nays 10, as follows:
[Rollcall Vote No. 197 Leg.]
YEAS--84
Baldwin
Barrasso
Bennet
Blumenthal
Blunt
Booker
Boozman
Brown
Burr
Cantwell
Capito
Cardin
Carper
Casey
Cassidy
Collins
Coons
Cornyn
Cortez Masto
Cotton
Cramer
Crapo
Daines
Duckworth
Durbin
Enzi
Ernst
Feinstein
Fischer
Gardner
Gillibrand
Graham
Grassley
Hassan
Heinrich
Hirono
Hoeven
Hyde-Smith
Inhofe
Jones
Kaine
Kennedy
King
Klobuchar
Lankford
Leahy
Manchin
Markey
McConnell
McSally
Menendez
Merkley
Murkowski
Murphy
Murray
Perdue
Peters
Portman
Reed
Risch
Roberts
Romney
Rosen
Rounds
Sasse
Schatz
Schumer
Scott (SC)
Shaheen
Shelby
Sinema
Smith
Stabenow
Sullivan
Thune
Tillis
Udall
Van Hollen
Warner
Warren
Whitehouse
Wicker
Wyden
Young
NAYS--10
Blackburn
Braun
Cruz
Hawley
Johnson
Lee
Loeffler
Paul
Scott (FL)
Toomey
NOT VOTING--6
Alexander
Harris
Moran
Rubio
Sanders
Tester
The bill (H.R. 8337) was passed
The PRESIDING OFFICER. The majority leader.
____________________