Congressional Record, Volume 166 Issue 210 (Friday, December 11, 2020)

[Congressional Record Volume 166, Number 210 (Friday, December 11, 2020)]
[Senate]
[Pages S7443-S7444]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]

FURTHER CONTINUING APPROPRIATIONS ACT, 2021, AND OTHER EXTENSIONS ACT

Mr. McCONNELL. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Senate
proceed to the immediate consideration of H.R. 8900.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. The clerk will report the bill by title.
The legislative clerk read as follows:

A bill (H.R. 8900) making further continuing appropriations
for fiscal year 2021, and for other purposes.

The PRESIDING OFFICER. Is there objection to proceeding to the
measure?
Mr. SANDERS. Mr. President, reserving the right to object.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from Vermont.
Mr. SANDERS. Mr. President, it is no great secret that the American
people understand how far removed the U.S. Congress and both political
parties are from their needs. They do polls out there, depending on the
month, and Congress gets a 10-percent approval rating, and, on a good
day, maybe a 20-percent approval rating.
People understand that, to a shameful degree, what Congress does is
worry about the needs of wealthy campaign contributors--both political
parties--and turns their backs on the needs of working people.
A few months ago, in Burlington, VT, not far from where I live, they
shut down the road so that people could line up in their cars to get
emergency food distributed by the Vermont National Guard--hundreds and
hundreds of people in Burlington and all over the State of Vermont.
And, by the way, Vermont probably is in better shape than most States
in this country. We have more hunger in America today than at any time
in the modern history of this country. This pandemic has been a
disaster not only from a public health perspective but from an economic
perspective, and economists tell us that working families today are in
worse shape right now than at any time since the Great Depression.
And it is not just the children in America--the richest country on
Earth--who are going hungry. You have millions and millions of families
who are scared to death that they are going to be evicted from their
homes and join the half a million people in America who are already
homeless.
We have half of our population working day to day, living paycheck to
paycheck, trying to survive. This Congress must address the economic
emergency facing the American people. We cannot go back to our families
during the Christmas holidays while tens of millions of families are
suffering. They are looking toward us and their government--their
government--to provide the emergency assistance that they need.
Yesterday, Senator Hawley and I introduced a very simple amendment--
not a radical idea. In fact, we are way, way behind what other
countries around the world are doing to protect their workers. All that
we want to do is to once again provide the same benefits that were
provided in the CARES bill that unanimously--unanimously, Democrats,
Republicans--President Trump signed it, supported it. We all came
together in March to say that every working-class adult in this country
would get $1,200 and their kids would get $500.
So if you have a husband and wife and two kids, that is 3,400 bucks.
Maybe they can use that money to pay a couple of months' rent, buy some
food, go to the doctor. We are looking at a horrible pandemic now. You
have 90 million people who are uninsured or underinsured. That is all
we are asking--to do what we unanimously did in March, to make sure
that our unemployed workers get the benefits they need to make sure
that working families get that $1,200 check per person.
Now, I have been here for a while. I am not one of the Members of the
Senate who shuts down, does this and does that, and keeps people here
for weeks. I don't do that. But this I want to say right now: I am
prepared to withdraw my objection at this moment, but I will not be
prepared to withdraw an objection next week. We will deal with the
financial crisis facing tens of millions of Americans. And if I have
anything to say about it--and I guess I do--we are not going to go home
for the Christmas holidays unless we make sure that we provide for the
millions of families in this country who are suffering.
With that, I would yield to Senator Hawley
The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from Missouri.
Mr. HAWLEY. Mr. President, reserving the right to object, this is a
very simple thing that we are talking about, and I can boil it down
real easily.
If the Senate of the United States can find hundreds of billions of
dollars to give to big government and big business, surely it can find
some relief for working families and working individuals. And I would
just submit to you that it is working families and working people who
should be first in line for COVID relief, not last.
That is why the amendment that Senator Sanders and I have proposed is
so common sense--$1,200 for individuals, $2,400 for families, $500 for
every child--and as Senator Sanders rightly said, every Member of this
body has voted yes, in favor of this relief before.
What is more, I can't figure who exactly is opposed to it. The
President of the United States has said that he is in favor of direct
assistance. I thank the majority leader for his own support of direct
assistance. The Speaker of the House says she is in favor of direct
assistance. And that is why there is no reason why this body should
leave next week before we vote on and approve direct assistance to
working families.
Now, let me just say one other thing. Let me tell you about a phone
call I had with a friend of mine at home when this Congress approved
direct assistance back in March. He texted me, and then he called me
and he said: I am seeing this news about relief that we are going to
maybe get a check. Is that real?
I said: Yeah, that is real.
He said: Well, I don't know. I am worried about taking it. I mean,
what if we spend the money? I mean, we could use the money, but what if
we spend it, and I can't pay it back? You know, it comes back and now I
have got to pay it back?
I said: You don't have to pay it back. It is relief, because you need
it, because you are working. This is a guy who works in concrete. That
is his business.
And he said: Are you serious, now? You are serious that we can keep
this money? I can use this for my family.
I said: That is exactly what it is for.
And his comment to me was--his words were: Man, this is a godsend.
There are families like that not just all over Missouri, not just all
over Vermont, but all over this Nation, and they are in need today like
they were in need in March. It is incumbent upon this body to act, and
we should not leave until we do that.
So having reserved the right to object, today, I do not object.
I yield the floor.
Mr. SANDERS. Mr. President, I withdraw my objection.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. Is there objection to proceeding to the
measure?
Without objection, it is so ordered.
The majority leader.
Mr. McCONNELL. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the bill
be considered read a third time.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. Is there objection?
Without objection, it is so ordered.
The bill was ordered to a third reading and was read the third time.

[[Page S7444]]

Mr. McCONNELL. I know of no further debate on the bill.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. If there is no further debate, the bill having
been read the third time the question is, Shall the bill pass?
The bill (H.R. 8900) was passed.
Mr. McCONNELL. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the motion
to reconsider be considered made and laid upon the table.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.
Mr. McCONNELL. I suggest the absence of a quorum.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. The clerk will call the roll.
The legislative clerk proceeded to call the roll.
Mr. McCONNELL. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the order
for the quorum call be rescinded.
The PRESIDING OFFICER (Mr. Hawley). Without objection, it is so
ordered.

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