[Congressional Record Volume 166, Number 209 (Thursday, December 10, 2020)]
[Senate]
[Pages S7395-S7396]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




  NATIONAL DEFENSE AUTHORIZATION ACT FOR FISCAL YEAR 2021--Conference 
                           Report--Continued

  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from Texas.


                              Coronavirus

  Mr. CORNYN. Mr. President, as we all know, the clock is ticking down 
on coronavirus relief. Both the Senate and the House are set to wrap up 
the work of the 116th Congress in just a few days, but we don't appear 
to be much closer to a deal now than we were this summer.
  Over the last few months, my colleagues and I on this side of the 
aisle have attempted to reach an agreement that could gain bipartisan 
support. We have proposed a number of targeted packages which have 
included funding for the most urgent bipartisan priorities, things like 
vaccine development, schools, and the Paycheck Protection Program. We 
have tried to pass individual proposals that have had near unanimous 
support, like a 1-week extension of unemployment insurance benefits.
  At every turn in the runup to the election, our Democratic colleagues 
have simply stood in the way. It is not just Republicans' ideas they 
have rejected. The administration has repeatedly tried to negotiate 
with the Speaker, with the latest attempt being earlier this week. 
Oddly enough, our Democratic colleagues have blasted the offer as being 
an attempt to obstruct negotiations. This is a parallel universe, where 
up is down and down is up, apparently, for our Democratic colleagues.
  Only in the Democrats' alternate realty is more compromise an example 
of obstruction. Based on everything we have seen so far, it appears 
they have no real interest in reaching a deal. And I conclude that only 
because they have stood in the way of every attempt so far to come to 
an agreement and seem perfectly content to maintain the status quo, 
which nobody claims to like, even as the American people continue to 
call for additional support.
  Almost every Member of Congress has said they want to pass another 
relief bill before the end of the year, but as we stand here today, we 
are emptyhanded despite the fact that we agree on a majority of what 
should be in that package. Republicans and Democrats agree that funding 
for schools, vaccines, the Paycheck Protection Program, and assistance 
for the hardest hit Americans is desperately needed. But there appear 
to be two hangups in the negotiations: liability protections and State 
and local aid.
  I think it is safe to say, in all fairness to our Democratic friends, 
they just don't support liability protections, whether it is for 
healthcare workers, hospitals, schools, churches, or nonprofits that 
can be hit with a wave of litigation unless we act. And we know on this 
side of the aisle Republicans don't support hundreds of billions of 
dollars of new money to bail out cities and States that have been 
mismanaged for decades.
  With neither side willing to budge, Leader McConnell made the only 
reasonable suggestion I have heard in light of the stalemate. He said 
that setting these two issues aside seems to make sense so we can do 
what we can do and include all the things we agree on in the coming 
days while we hold off those more controversial pieces until the start 
of the next year.
  Our friends across the aisle apparently have never heard of the 80-20 
rule, and that makes sense, I guess, in this alternate reality where 
Nancy Pelosi said that ``nothing is better than something.'' I have 
never heard anyone say that before. It is rather shocking to me.
  Based on their reception of the long list of proposals so far this 
year, I am sure it will come as no surprise that they have basically 
rejected any entreaties that we have made. It is clear to me that they 
aren't approaching these negotiations by asking what is best for the 
330 million people in this country; their concern appears to be what is 
best for them politically--certainly in the runup to the election, 
where they denied the American people the benefits of another COVID-19 
relief bill--or when it comes to liability protection, the trial 
lawyers.
  Now, I am a recovering lawyer myself. I don't hold a grudge against 
lawyers earning a living. But the fact is, we ought to be concerned 
about the American people and not lawyers, who, I dare say, are 
probably doing pretty well relative to those who aren't getting a 
paycheck or are in lockdowns at home.
  So our Democratic colleagues have employed the same all-or-nothing 
approach that has been their hallmark, and, as the American people have 
learned over and over again, it almost always leads to nothing. I mean, 
so much of this is so obvious, it seems to me, you almost are 
embarrassed to say it, but when your attitude is ``all or nothing,'' 
you usually end up with nothing. And that is where we are today--no 
unemployment benefit extension, no funding for schools, no money for 
vaccine distribution, no second draw on the Paycheck Protection 
Program. Nothing. Zip. Nada.
  Our Democratic colleagues have proven over and over again that either 
they don't want to negotiate or they have forgotten how. They aren't 
interested in compromise, which is the only way you get things done 
here. It sounds like they are more interested in messaging than they 
are in actually achieving a result--making a law, something the 
President will sign after it passes both Houses.
  So our colleagues need to make a decision, and they need to make it 
quickly. Are they willing to work with us and send a bill to the 
President that includes most of what they would like to see in a relief 
bill, if not all, or are they willing to tank everything--funding for 
State and local government, vaccines, schools, small businesses, 
families who are hurting and anxious and in financial distress? Are 
they willing to throw them under the bus if they can't get everything 
they want? Again, the choice seems so obvious to me. I am sorry I have 
to say it, but it has become obvious that, so far, Democratic 
leadership has no interest in resolving these negotiations in a way 
that gets them most of what they want without taking the risk that we 
end up emptyhanded


                         Tribute to Pat Roberts

  Mr President, this morning, during the remarks by the senior Senator 
from Kansas, I was stuck in the Judiciary Committee, and so I wasn't 
able to be here, although I have read and heard reported back to me 
some of the best moments of his remarks, and I just wanted to come here 
to the floor and say a few words about our friend Pat Roberts as we 
prepare to bid him farewell.
  Pat has represented the people of Kansas for four decades--16 years 
in the House and 24 years here in the Senate--and I bet it seems like a 
blink of an eye. During that time, he has established himself as a 
national leader--in agriculture in particular--a dependable

[[Page S7396]]

voice for rural Americans, and an unwavering advocate for our Nation's 
servicemembers, as you would expect a former marine to be. But he has 
also been a source of great comedic relief in a place where people 
often take themselves too seriously.
  A few years ago, during a Senate Finance Committee hearing, we heard 
Pat's cell phone ringing. Much to everyone's enjoyment, it wasn't a 
factory-set ring tone; it was the song ``Let It Go'' from the Disney 
movie ``Frozen.'' When he was asked if he had seen the stage 
adaptation, he equipped: ``I might even be in it.''
  Well, his acting chops are clearly not adequate for Broadway, but 
there is certainly enough to impress those of us here in this Chamber. 
He has a great Marlon Brando impression and a knack for injecting 
quotes from the movie ``On the Waterfront'' at the perfect moment. And 
we all know that he is a great country music fan, particularly of Ray 
Price.
  Pat is happy to entertain just about anyone who will listen to his 
talent for storytelling, and I know members of my staff have enjoyed 
learning about his time in the Marine Corps--at least those PG-rated 
moments.
  It is fitting that Washington Magazine has given him the title of 
``Funniest Senator,'' a number of times even referring to him as the 
``Senate's Jay Leno.'' You never know what Pat is going to say, but it 
is invariably entertaining and always amusing.
  As much as we are going to miss his frequent jokes and clever one-
liners, we are going to miss his steadfast leadership and friendship 
even more--as I said earlier, especially when it comes to his advocacy 
on behalf of farmers and ranchers and folks who put the food on our 
tables and the clothes on our backs.
  Pat has had his hand and his fingerprints on every Agriculture bill 
for the last four decades. Those farm bills are tough--trying to marry 
up the interests of urban folks and food stamps and things like that 
along with the needs of our production agriculture, our farmers and 
ranchers. He was the first person to chair the Agriculture Committee in 
both the House and the Senate, as well as the first to write and pass a 
farm bill in both Chambers. He has been an unrelenting champion for our 
Nation's farmers and ranchers and producers, and Texas agriculture has 
benefited, too, from his work to remove trade barriers and burdensome 
regulations that have threatened their competitiveness or, in some 
cases, their survival.
  While Pat's accomplishments as chairman of the Agriculture Committee 
are among his most celebrated, his remarkable career in public service 
has led to a long list of wins for the American people. He has led 
efforts to help improve access to quality healthcare for all Americans. 
He has helped keep taxes low and improve economic opportunities for 
families all across the country. And, of course, he has advocated for 
our servicemembers and our veterans. Pat even chaired the Senate 
Intelligence Committee for a time, and he helped to identify systemic 
problems in the intelligence community and enact critical reforms.
  Finally, in a great labor of love, which seems like, I am sure, it 
has taken decades to accomplish, a few months ago, Pat was able to see 
his decades-long fight come to a satisfying conclusion when the Dwight 
David Eisenhower Memorial was completed. This incredible monument to 
our 34th President would not have been possible without Pat Roberts. He 
has worked on it for the last 20 years, most of it behind the scenes, 
and it seems like the perfect culmination of his service in Congress.
  While Pat's sense of humor and devotion to public service are often 
on public display, members of our Senate community have also come to 
know of the size of his heart. He has got a big one. When a former 
member of Pat's staff unexpectedly passed away this last year, he was 
there to comfort the family and friends and share wonderful stories 
about Chris in a speech at his memorial service, because when you work 
for Pat Roberts--or I should say with Pat Roberts--you are not just a 
cog in a policymaking or legislative machine; you are family.
  You would be hard-pressed to find a better friend to Kansans, a more 
devoted ally for our farmers and ranchers, a bigger K-State fan, or a 
more loved Member of the Senate than our friend Pat Roberts. There is 
no question we will miss him and the countless laughs he has provided 
over the years, but I know he is eager to spend more time in greener 
pastures with his wonderful wife Franki. Pat has earned a well-deserved 
retirement, and I know he is looking forward to spending more time with 
his and Franki's children and growing number of grandchildren.
  Pat, we wish you well.

                          ____________________