[Congressional Record Volume 166, Number 191 (Monday, November 9, 2020)]
[Senate]
[Pages S6620-S6621]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]



                              Coronavirus

  Madam President, COVID-19 did not take a day off for the election. 
While election week was brewing and all of us were glued to our 
television screens,

[[Page S6621]]

most of the country was unaware of the fact that the COVID-19 pandemic 
was worsening. Cases of the virus and hospitalizations in the United 
States have been spiking for weeks now. On Saturday, we hit the highest 
daily total of new cases--126,000 new cases on Saturday. In Illinois, 
we are approaching half a million cases. The State has tragically seen 
more than 10,000 of our neighbors and friends die from this COVID-19. 
The country is on pace to hit 1 million new cases every week by the end 
of this year.
  This is disastrous, and it demands action. Thankfully, President-
Elect Biden has announced an extraordinary task force of respected 
public health and medical experts--truth tellers, real leaders. Like 
the NIH's Dr. Fauci, I trust Dr. Kessler, David Kessler, whom I have 
known for decades; Dr. Morita, who served so admirably in the city of 
Chicago; Dr. Atul Gawande, one of my real heroes in medicine today--I 
have spent a lot of money on his books and have never regretted a penny 
of it; and former Surgeon General Murthy--what an extraordinarily 
talented man he is and the others who are part of the team.
  Yet we need to continue to stay safe and remember that this virus is 
not anywhere near being gone. There are 10 million Americans who have 
now contracted the virus, and we have lost 238,000 American lives. My 
heart goes out to everyone who has lost someone in this pandemic and to 
those who are still suffering due to this virus.
  In addition to the health and safety of the American people, we have 
also been struggling to deal with real economic uncertainty, job 
losses, food insecurity, stress, and childcare. It is a long list. 
Despite these urgent needs of families, small businesses, workers, 
health providers, and unemployed Americans across the country, 
unfortunately, the leadership in this Chamber has dragged its feet and 
offered only a few very weak measures that barely address the 
overwhelming needs of this Nation. This is why Americans have not 
received another round of economic impact payments, rental assistance, 
or enhanced unemployment assistance, and it is why hospitals are not 
receiving additional funding.
  Speaker Pelosi and House Democrats passed the Heroes Act in May--a 
$3.4 trillion relief package. After negotiating with the White House, 
they then passed the second version of that--a $2.2 trillion package. 
Unfortunately, the Senate majority leader, Senator McConnell, refused 
to consider either of these proposals and even refused to attend the 
negotiating sessions. The last Senate Republican response was 
inadequate--$500 billion. It may seem like a fortune until you look at 
a nation in the midst of a pandemic and at an economy struggling to 
survive.
  If the Republicans are serious about negotiating a real package--if 
they want to demonstrate to the American people what leadership looks 
like, with real solutions for real problems that families face--then I 
call on Senator McConnell to show up to the negotiating table and give 
up these rogue attempts to pass empty, halfhearted measures.
  The Chairman of the Federal Reserve Board, Jerome Powell, a 
conservative Republican economist, has repeatedly warned of potentially 
dire economic consequences if additional fiscal relief is delayed. As 
hiring begins to pick up in a few sectors--thank goodness--too many 
populations, including African-American workers, Hispanic men, and 
women with children, are being left behind.
  We need to focus on helping the American people through this 
pandemic. We need to do it now. This is the so-called lameduck session 
between the results of an election and the swearing-in of a new 
Congress and President, but shame on us if we don't use this time 
together in Washington as an opportunity to do more than vote for a 
random Republican judge. Can't we roll up our sleeves on a bipartisan 
basis and realize what is really happening across America as this 
pandemic heats up and more Americans die every day?
  We need at least $75 billion for additional testing and contact 
tracing to slow the spread of COVID-19--far more than the meager $16 
billion that was offered in the Republican measure.
  We also want to put $57 billion in for hospitals, clinics, and health 
providers. Just a couple of weeks ago, I was on the phone with these 
administrators. They are desperate. We are going to lose hospitals 
across this country and, I fear, maybe even in our own State if we 
don't step forward and do something.
  What is wrong with increasing, at least to some degree, the amount 
available for food stamps--the so-called SNAP program--so that hundreds 
of millions of Americans who go to food banks to survive get a helping 
hand? Is that too much to ask in the month of Thanksgiving and in the 
month of Christmas?
  We must also include more economic support for households through a 
second round of economic impact payments and through reinstating 
enhanced unemployment benefits.
  I continue to hear about struggles from hospitals that are on the 
brink, from workers who have lost their jobs, and from small business 
owners who are desperately trying to keep their heads above water. 
Unfortunately, the Senate continues to waste time on proposals that 
place the needs of Big Business ahead of the needs of small families. 
History will judge this body on how we respond--not on the best speech 
given on the floor--or on how we failed to respond to the worst 
pandemic in a century and the deepest recession in 75 years.
  The American people are looking for leadership. We cannot let them 
down