[Congressional Record Volume 166, Number 202 (Tuesday, December 1, 2020)]
[Senate]
[Pages S7126-S7127]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]



                              Coronavirus

  Earlier this afternoon, the majority leader shared some good news in 
our ongoing effort to deliver an additional coronavirus relief package 
to the American people before we adjourn for the Christmas holidays.
  Following discussions with Secretary Mnuchin and the White House 
Chief of Staff, there now seems to be a general agreement on a path 
forward that could gain bipartisan support in Congress and earn the 
signature of the President.
  People sometimes forget, we are an important part of the process, but 
the person who signs legislation or would choose to veto it is an 
important partner in that legislative process as well. So the fact that 
President Trump has indicated he would sign such a bill is encouraging.
  The majority leader is in the process of drafting this new language, 
which could finally break the gridlock which has put us in such a 
precarious position in terms of delivering the relief to the American 
people that they need, both from a public health and an economic 
standpoint. This may finally put us on a path to passing another relief 
bill before the end of this year.
  We know we are going to have to do it, but we should not make the 
American people endure additional pain and anxiety and hardship as a 
result of political dysfunction by kicking it over into the new 
administration.
  For months on end, my constituents in Texas and the American people 
have waited as political dysfunction has stood in the way of progress 
on COVID-19 relief. With case counts climbing in Texas and across the 
country, the need for action cannot be overstated.
  It is clear that Republicans, both in the Congress and the White 
House, are prepared to make a deal, and I hope our colleagues across 
the aisle can bring themselves to stop blocking relief and to do the 
same.
  (Mr. CASSIDY assumed the Chair.)
  And as I see the Presiding Officer take his seat, I am reminded, too, 
there is an additional bipartisan bill, introduced by a group of 
Senators, including the Presiding Officer, that I think provide some 
other shape and contours to

[[Page S7127]]

what a potential bipartisan relief package will look like. So here in 
the waning days of this Congress, as we approach the Christmas 
holidays, I think the best Christmas present we could confer on the 
American people is to work together in a bipartisan way to provide both 
the public health relief and the financial support that they need 
during this challenging time.