[Congressional Record Volume 166, Number 211 (Monday, December 14, 2020)]
[Senate]
[Page S7456]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]



                              Coronavirus

  Mr. CORNYN. Mr. President, as we all know by now, late Friday 
evening, the world received the news that we have been waiting, hoping, 
and praying for since March. The first COVID-19 vaccine was approved 
here in the United States. The vaccine was developed by Pfizer and its 
German partner BioNtech and was found to be 95 percent effective in 
preventing COVID-19 during clinical trials--extensive clinical trials.
  The leaders of Operation Warp Speed immediately mobilized the 
distribution plan, and the first doses of the vaccine are arriving at 
healthcare facilities across the country today. Texas's initial 
shipment of nearly 225,000 doses will be administered to our healthcare 
workers this week by our healthcare workers, and we will provide these 
heroes with the protection they need to continue their fight on our 
behalf on the frontlines.
  This is a turning point in our war against COVID, and the 
significance of this victory in such an expedited timeframe cannot be 
overstated. I want to thank the brilliant men and women who made this 
feat possible. There are the researchers and scientists who developed 
the lifesaving vaccine, as well as the volunteers who participated in 
clinical trials. There are the manufacturers that are rapidly producing 
millions of doses and distributors who are getting those doses to sites 
across the country as quickly as possible. Of course, there are the 
hospitals, pharmacies, and our incredible healthcare workers who will 
lead the vaccine effort. The race to a COVID vaccine will be remembered 
as one of the greatest human achievements of our generation, and these 
brave and brilliant individuals helped make it possible.
  I want to remind all of us that while this is a huge milestone and 
one that should absolutely be celebrated, we are not out of the dark 
yet. The light at the end of the tunnel is getting bigger and brighter, 
but we still have a ways to go, and each of us has our own part to play 
in getting us there. For the American people, that means stopping the 
spread through the same habits that we learned all year--washing your 
hands, wearing a mask, practicing social distancing, and taking extra 
care to protect our most vulnerable friends and neighbors. Of course, 
this holiday season is not a time to forget the habits we built over 
the last several months but to double down on them.
  While this is a development to be celebrated and a day we have been 
looking for for a long time, Congress has not yet done its job. For 
months on end, the American people have asked for additional financial 
support to weather this storm, and so far we have not seen any 
progress. Our Democratic colleagues blocked bill after bill, saying 
more of the words of Speaker Pelosi: Nothing is better than something.
  Well, our Democratic colleagues stood in the way of investing more in 
vaccine distribution, extending unemployment insurance benefits, 
helping our small businesses keep their workers on payroll, and giving 
our schools the resources they need in order to provide education to 
our students safely. Our Democratic colleagues didn't block these bills 
because they disagree with the content of the bills; they simply refuse 
to engage if we do not concede to their controversial and outrageous 
demands.
  At first, Democrats refused to back off the completely absurd bill 
passed in the House called the Heroes Act, which includes things like 
diversity studies for the marijuana industry and tax breaks for 
millionaires and billionaires. While they eventually realized how 
unrealistic their position was, they now stand firm in providing a 
bailout for cities and States that have been--some of which have been 
grossly mismanaged for decades.
  Over the last several months, our Democratic colleagues have 
repeatedly blocked legislation that would have poured half a trillion 
dollars more into our fight against COVID-19 because it didn't include 
their far-fetched, partisan priorities. Our Democratic colleagues have 
wasted a lot of time in playing games with this pandemic relief, and 
the clock on this Congress is quickly running out. Congress needs to 
pass another bill this week, and I encourage our Democratic colleagues 
to start compromising and quit the grandstanding. They have shown us 
time and again, when you sit down at the negotiating table with an all-
or-nothing attitude, the result is always nothing, and that is all they 
have to show for their obstruction over the last months since we passed 
the CARES Act.