[Congressional Record Volume 166, Number 192 (Tuesday, November 10, 2020)]
[Senate]
[Pages S6635-S6637]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                             2020 ELECTIONS

  Mr. CORNYN. Mr. President, I had to look at my watch today to remind 
myself it has been a week since the November 3 general election. I must 
say, it seems it has been much longer than that.
  Just as we have every 4 years throughout our Nation's history, the 
American people voted for our next Commander in Chief. In the months 
leading up to election day, we know the atmosphere was tense. The days 
of counting that followed it have been, as well, but I have full faith 
that our constitutional Republic is working just exactly the way it 
should.
  A record-setting 150 million people and counting cast a ballot this 
election. In my State, there were 10.9 million voters--almost 11 
million. The last time I was on the ballot, there were 4.7 million. So 
we have seen a huge influx of people and increased participation in the 
electoral process, and I think both of those are good things.
  The reason people come to Texas is that we are still a land of 
opportunity, where people can come and work hard, start out with 
little, build something for themselves and their families, provide 
value to others so they can come find a job and provide for their 
families, which is, to me, the definition of the American dream.
  We know that election workers and poll workers have worked across our 
country to ensure that every legal vote--whether it was in person or by 
mail--will be counted, and that is as it should be. I know major media 
outlets have projected that former Vice President Biden has secured 
enough electoral votes to be our next President, but there are still 
votes to be counted. As my friend the majority leader noted yesterday, 
the Constitution gives no role in this process to wealthy media 
companies.
  Between recounts and legal challenges, it is tough to say exactly 
when the election will be certified. But if there are irregularities, 
if there are

[[Page S6636]]

questionable practices or wrongdoing, President Trump and his 
campaign--like every other candidate and their campaign--are entitled 
to seek legal remedies in court. Of course, if they do, they will be 
obligated to present evidence, which I understand is in the process of 
being marshaled, and to do so, obviously, with dispatch.
  But while this process may seem drawn out to us living in the moment, 
legal challenges are not unprecedented. For example, back in 2000, we 
remember--some of us remember, most of us remember--the example of Al 
Gore, the Democratic nominee for President who didn't concede the 
election until December 13. During the weeks following the election, 
the American people waited patiently as the courts weighed in, and once 
they did, we all accepted the result. Acceptance of the result is key. 
I had faith in the process that led to that result just as I have faith 
in the process and institutions that are working now.
  When the Electoral College meets on January 6, 2021, every American 
should have confidence in the free and fair elections that led to that 
result. Let me say that again. When the Electoral College meets on 
January 6, 2021, every American--win or lose--every American, every 
candidate should have confidence in the free and fair elections that 
led to the result. I think this is perhaps the single most important 
reason to let the process that is currently underway run its course. If 
one side or the other or, more importantly, the voters who, ultimately, 
voted for the candidate who loses feel the process is unfair or has 
been jammed through unreasonably, are they likely to accept the result 
of the election or will they feel cheated? Well, acceptance of that 
result is perhaps the single most important goal we ought to strive to 
achieve.
  The peaceful transition of power is perhaps the single greatest 
feature of our constitutional system. Every 4 or 8 years, the most 
powerful person in the world steps aside to allow their successor, 
chosen by the people, to take charge. Of course, many wars have been 
fought, blood has been shed, and lives have been lost to secure this 
right to us as Americans and to ensure that peaceful transition of 
power after all the votes are counted.
  Yet in America, dating back to 1797, when Washington willingly passed 
the torch to Adams, the peaceful transition of power has defined the 
office of President. It is a legacy that our forefathers established 
and one that generations of Americans have fought hard to protect. So 
in 2 months' time, we will see this American constitutional process 
play out once again. I have complete confidence in that conclusion.
  While the Presidential race has dominated headlines over the last 
week, it was only one of the many races on the ballot, as the Presiding 
Officer knows from personal experience. From city halls to courthouses, 
to State houses, to Congress, Americans cast their votes for leaders at 
every level of government. I was honored--as I am sure my colleague 
from Louisiana, the Presiding Officer, was--to be reelected by the 
people of our State for another term in the U.S. Senate.
  During the campaign, I had a chance to present my record of service, 
and I was happy to do that to demonstrate that I have consistently 
fought to protect the rights of Texans and create more opportunities 
for every family to achieve their American dream.
  Collectively, here in Washington, we have brought down taxes for 
American families. We have empowered job creators. We have strengthened 
our criminal background check system for gun purchases, and we have 
reformed our criminal justice system, just to name a few things.
  But we have also worked hard to make healthcare more affordable by 
presenting more choices for consumers. We have supported quality 
education, and we have tried to make sure that safe communities are a 
reality for folks across the country and across the economic spectrum.
  In Texas, we have provided funding to rebuild following hurricanes 
and tornados and other natural disasters, like many other States.
  And throughout the COVID-19 crisis, we have provided unprecedented 
funding to help our frontline healthcare heroes, our small businesses, 
and our families stay afloat amid so much uncertainty.
  I am grateful for the opportunity to continue to fight for a bright 
future for every family in Texas and to work with my colleagues to make 
sure that same promise is a reality for all Americans, and that is true 
regardless of who they voted for. That is exactly what I plan to do. I 
don't just represent the people who voted for me in this election; I 
represent all 29 million--and growing--Texans. I am honored to do it.
  We have added a few new faces to the Texas delegation in the House, 
and I am eager to work with these men and women and my friend Senator 
Cruz as Team Texas as we continue our record of delivering for our 
State. This is perhaps one of the most important lessons of Senator 
Hutchinson, whom I served with here in the Senate and who is now our 
Ambassador to NATO. She would always make this point to Republicans and 
Democrats in the Texas delegation. She said: We may be Members of the 
House or Members of the Senate. We may be Republicans or Democrats. But 
we are Team Texas.
  I have been proud to continue that spirit and that effort. I am proud 
of the fact that in this election we increased the number of women 
elected to Congress. At least 134 women will serve in the next 
Congress, with a record number of Republican women in the House of 
Representatives. For young women like my own daughters and younger 
girls, in particular, this representation is long overdue--just like 
Amy Coney Barrett, who was recently confirmed to the U.S. Supreme 
Court. What a wonderful example and role model for young women and 
maybe not so young women--for all women--and for all of us. It is 
something we should celebrate.
  While we are still waiting to know which party will hold the majority 
here in the Senate--that will be determined on January 5 of 2021--it is 
clear that there was no blue wave that swept the country.
  My Republican colleagues and I in the Senate will continue to fight 
against ideological policies from the left, or so-called progressives, 
that were resoundingly rejected in this election. We are not going to 
allow the Federal Government to tax Texas energy workers out of a job 
by imposing a carbon tax. We are not going to let them hamstring our 
police with unrealistic funding cuts or one-size-fits-all policies. And 
we are not going to allow them to pack the U.S. Supreme Court with 
political Justices intent on delivering results that couldn't be 
achieved through the legislative process. And we are not going to let 
them reverse the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act, increase taxes, which will only 
make it harder for working families to put food on their tables.
  Now, the Presiding Officer and I both participated in an organization 
called No Labels, and I am proud of the work I have done, regardless of 
the fact I am a Republican and he is a Republican. We both know--we all 
know--that you can't get things done here in Congress by just working 
with people in your own political party. You have to work together. 
Indeed, I think that is the genius of our system. It forces us to work 
together if we want to get things done.
  I am proud of being consistently ranked as one of the most bipartisan 
Members of the Senate because I literally am willing to work with 
anyone, Republican or Democrat, who wants to make progress on the 
challenges that confront our Nation.
  This came up in a recent conversation we had during a hearing just a 
few minutes ago, talking about the lessons we have learned from the 
coronavirus in terms of the vulnerability of our supply chains, whether 
it is personal protective equipment that was overwhelmingly made in 
China, which was threatened by the delay in reporting from China and 
the hoarding and, literally, the global rush to hoard PPE for their own 
countries and their own people.
  But another example of that that we have worked on in a bipartisan 
way--most recently, in the National Defense Authorization bill--was to 
build more high-end semiconductors here in the United States. In 2019, 
only 1 foundry was being built in the United States and 16 of them in 
China, and you can imagine, if we are dependent for our economy, for 
our national defense on a sophisticated semiconductor manufactured in 
Taiwan, for example, that supply chain could be easily disrupted. So

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I am proud of the fact that we did pass, in the Defense Authorization 
bill, an amendment 96 to 4 to begin the effort to reduce the 
vulnerability in our supply chain. That is an example of the kind of 
thing that I think we need to do more of and which I am proud to be a 
part of.
  Well, I know Republicans have a long list of priorities, just as our 
Democratic colleagues do, but we still have a couple of months before 
the end of this Congress, and we need to find a way to work together in 
the best interest of the American people. The lights don't go out on 
the 116th Congress until January 3, which means we still have some 
time.
  I believe that over the last 2 years--notwithstanding what you hear 
in the media, which tends to focus on those narrow areas where we 
disagree the most and does not focus on the areas where we worked 
cooperatively together because they, by definition, don't make news--we 
have actually accomplished a lot for the country, and I will have more 
to say about that in the coming days.
  For now, I want to talk about the biggest remaining item on our to-do 
list and, that is an additional coronavirus relief package.
  Texas has just hit the unenviable milestone of 1 million confirmed 
COVID-19 tests. More than 19,000 Texans have lost their lives due to 
this virus, and our healthcare providers in some parts of the State are 
still struggling to keep up with the cases that end up going into the 
hospital. As we head into the winter months, experts are telling us 
that things will get worse before they get better. It is part of the 
seasonal impact of a virus like this.
  While we will continue to do our duty as individuals--wash our hands, 
mask when we can't socially distance, and the things we have learned to 
do, such as to stay home if you are sick--it is clear we are not 
through with this virus yet, even though we were delighted to hear some 
of the prospects for a vaccine in the not-too-distant future.
  In the meantime, we still need to make sure that the assistance that 
we started in the first four bipartisan bills we passed, that we 
continue that assistance both on the healthcare front and on the 
economic front until we fully recover.
  The researchers and scientists who have been developing a vaccine 
over the last months have been making tremendous progress, and we need 
to invest in their continued success. Once the vaccine is actually 
approved as safe and effective by the FDA, the logistics of getting it 
distributed across the country, prioritizing, I hope, the most 
vulnerable Americans--those in nursing homes and assisted living 
facilities and those with underlying chronic illnesses--that is an 
enormous logistical challenge, and it is going to cost money.

  At the same time, we need to make sure that our economic recovery 
continues and that means we need to continue to safely reopen our 
economy, just as our school children and our college students have 
transitioned from a virtual educational experience back into the 
classroom slowly but surely.
  The unemployment rate in October dipped at 6.9 percent. Now, that is 
still a far cry from the 3.5 percent unemployment we had before the 
virus hit, but it is the lowest we have seen since the pandemic began, 
and we need to make sure we don't backslide into the double digits.
  Well, we know with the pendency of the election, after we passed the 
CARES Act in late March, we tried, I think it was, four times to pass a 
more targeted bill. We spent roughly $3.8 trillion in the first four 
pieces of legislation, and many of us--me included--felt like we needed 
to do more but on a targeted basis. The Speaker said, well, $3 trillion 
was her pricetag. We offered a half a trillion dollars in additional 
targeted relief, to which she replied, ``Nothing is better than 
something,'' which made me do a double take. I always thought that 
something was better than nothing, not ``nothing was better than 
something.''
  Regardless of that, now that the election, by and large--at least, 
certainly, for Congress--is behind us, we need to address those people 
who still need help. I hope our Democratic colleagues will join us and 
not force the country to wait 2 more months. There is too much on the 
line.
  So I want to conclude by thanking the people of my State for the 
opportunity to continue to fight for them here in the U.S. Senate, and 
now I am happy to get back to work with all of my colleagues to deal 
with this unfinished business.
  I yield the floor.
  I suggest the absence of a quorum.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The clerk will call the roll.
  The senior assistant legislative clerk proceeded to call the roll.
  Mr. COONS. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the order for 
the quorum call be rescinded.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.

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