[Congressional Record Volume 166, Number 204 (Thursday, December 3, 2020)]
[Senate]
[Page S7203]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                              CORONAVIRUS

  Ms. STABENOW. Madam President, it might be hard to believe it is 
actually December. In normal times, a lot of families in Michigan would 
be focused on getting ready for the holidays, and while Michigan 
children might still be counting down the days until Santa arrives, 
their parents have a lot bigger issues weighing on their minds.
  A Michigan dad has been out of work for months and is wondering how 
long his family will be able to keep scraping by in the new year after 
his unemployment runs out.
  A Michigan single mom whose hours have been cut and who has been 
unable to pay the rent for months is wondering just how long it will be 
until her family will be out on the street.
  The owner of a Michigan small business is wondering if he will see 
enough of a holiday boost to keep the doors open and his three 
employees on the payroll.
  A Michigan retiree who struggles to buy enough groceries is wondering 
if it is safe to wait in a long line at her local food bank or if that 
is where she will get sick.
  Michigan families who have seen almost 9,300 of their grandparents 
and neighbors and uncles and cousins and friends and community leaders 
get sick and die from this horrible virus are wondering who is going to 
be next.
  The truth is that we are not just facing a health crisis right now--
we are facing an economic crisis; we are facing a housing crisis; and 
we are facing a hunger crisis all at the same time. Coronavirus cases, 
hospitalizations, and deaths keep rising, and we haven't even seen the 
effects of Thanksgiving gatherings yet. We are seeing unemployment 
claims tick up, and those are expected to get worse after seasonal jobs 
will be cut in January.
  Some studies have estimated that about 40 million renters in the 
United States are at risk of losing their homes. There are already 
10,000 eviction actions that have been filed in a number of States. 
Those are 10,000 families who need to find new places to live right 
now, in the winter, in the middle of a health pandemic.
  We have all seen the massive lines of cars at food banks across the 
country. In a normal year, the Food Bank of Eastern Michigan helps 
about 14 percent of the population in 22 counties get enough food to 
eat. This year, it is helping 40 percent to put food on the table. 
Before COVID-19, the South Michigan Food Bank provided food to about 80 
families a week. Now it is helping more than 500 families a week. This 
is an emergency. These families, businesses, community organizations, 
and seniors can't just wait around, hoping for a Christmas miracle. 
They need help now, and it is our responsibility to do it now.
  That is why I am so pleased that lawmakers on both sides of the aisle 
have been working to come together on additional help. There are still 
a lot of details to work out, but I am hopeful, in being part of the 
process on the workings of the details, that we are going to be able to 
come together on an agreement that will help families and businesses 
and communities get through these tough times.
  Whatever agreement we reach won't be perfect. We know that. It won't 
be everything everybody wants. Yet we can't wait because time is 
quickly running out. On December 26--only 23 days from now--vital 
unemployment programs will expire, cutting off benefits that millions 
of workers will need to be able to provide for their families.
  If you are self-employed, if you are a contract worker, if you are a 
gig worker, suddenly you will have zero help--zero.
  Five days after that, on December 31, the Federal Reserve's emergency 
lending program ends. That will cut off crucial credit that is keeping 
businesses open and helping State and local governments provide 
necessary services.
  Also on December 31, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's 
eviction moratorium expires, and the Federal foreclosure moratorium and 
some opportunities for forbearance expire.
  Imagine what it would be like to begin a new year with no roof over 
your head or your family's, no place for your children to sleep, and no 
place to stay clean in the middle of a raging pandemic.
  And on January 1, millions of student loan borrowers will have to 
resume their payments whether they can afford them or not.
  These programs have been, literally, a lifeline for families, for 
communities, for businesses during the pandemic. And while vaccines are 
on the horizon and we are so happy to hear the progress, this pandemic 
is far from over. Cutting off this vital help now would be like an 
ambulance driver stopping 2 miles short of the hospital and making the 
accident victim get out and walk the rest of the way to the emergency 
room.
  We need to face this health crisis, this economic crisis, this 
housing crisis, this hunger crisis with seriousness and boldness. 
People in Michigan and across the country are crying out for help. It 
is time for this body to listen. It is time for Congress to lead.
  We should not go home until we have passed at least a short-term 
survival package to help Americans through the next few months. That is 
our job. That is our job, and we should not go home until that job is 
done.
  We are the United States of America--United States of America. 
Nothing is holding us back from helping our citizens other than 
people's unwillingness to do it. Nothing.
  We are the United States of America. There is no reason we are not 
coming together, and shame on the Congress and the White House if we 
don't act now to help our citizens.
  There is nothing holding us back but the political will to do it, and 
it needs to get done. There are many of us now on both sides of the 
aisle working to do that, and we need to make sure that people lean in 
together and get this done.
  I yield the floor.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER (Mr. Scott of Florida). The Senator from West 
Virginia.

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