[Congressional Record Volume 166, Number 218 (Monday, December 21, 2020)]
[Senate]
[Pages S7900-S7901]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                              CORONAVIRUS

  Mr. CORNYN. Mr. President, here we are, the 21st of December, 4 days 
till Christmas, and Congress is finally getting around to doing its 
duty on COVID-19 relief, as well as the Omnibus appropriations bill, 
which will keep the government open and keep the lights on through the 
end of the fiscal year next September.
  I have to editorialize here that I think this is a terrible process. 
It is a terrible process. I just saw one of the Texas delegation House 
Members saying: I am expected to review thousands of pages of an 
appropriations bill and COVID-19 relief bill in the next couple of 
hours and then vote on it this evening?
  Well, we will be in the same posture. As terrible as this process is, 
it was intentionally created. I am sure that the Appropriations 
chairman, Richard Shelby, and Leader McConnell would have loved to have 
had a regular appropriations process to vote out each of the 
subcommittee appropriations and pass them using regular order, giving 
the Members of the Congress a chance to offer amendments and maybe 
improve the bill, but we weren't provided that opportunity because, 
essentially, the Democratic leader and the Speaker of the House of 
Representatives understand that this kind of broken process empowers 
them to the detriment of individual Members of the Congress and to the 
detriment of the people we represent. It empowers them, not the rank-
and-file Members.
  So, I believe this is a--and the same thing is true on COVID-19, of 
course. We passed the CARES Act in March. We tried to come back and 
replenish some of those funds. We were successful in doing so, for 
example, in the Paycheck Protection Program, but it was obvious there 
was more need, and on at least three occasions--maybe four, but at 
least three--we offered another half trillion dollars in relief, only 
to be blocked by Democrats here in the Senate.
  Speaker Pelosi was candid. She basically said: Well, this is about 
politics. We don't want President Trump to get credit for Congress 
stepping up in a bipartisan way to provide relief to the American 
people in the runup to the election.
  So this is where we are. We know what we have to do. We have to 
prevent the government from shutting down. We know that there is 
genuine need across the country for more COVID-19 relief, so we need to 
do that. But I would also point out, we are going to do roughly $900 
billion of an additional COVID-19 relief bill when Speaker Pelosi and 
the Democratic leader in the Senate, Senator Schumer, turned down a 
$1.8 trillion offer from Secretary of the Treasury Mnuchin. So, rather 
than accept twice as much earlier because it didn't fit their political 
playbook, now they are accepting half when they realized they have run 
out of runway.
  Well, the monthslong stalemate has finally broken. Yesterday evening, 
the so-called ``four corners''--the Speaker, the Republican leader in 
the House, the Democratic minority leader here in the Senate, and 
Senator McConnell--they reached agreement on a bipartisan package of 
bills to support the American people through the continued fight 
against COVID-19. And despite my comments about the process and what 
brings us here with so little time and ability to affect some of the 
content, I hope this legislation will pass and reach the President's 
desk in a matter of hours.
  I think we could all agree that this bill could not have come soon 
enough. Since this summer, Republicans and Democrats have been miles 
apart on the size and shape of the next COVID-19 bill. Democrats, as I 
indicated, wanted a $3 trillion bill they called the Heroes Act, while 
we supported a more targeted approach. That is when Speaker Pelosi 
uttered those now famous words: Nothing is better than something.
  Well, I have always believed that something is better than nothing. 
But the big-picture disagreements prevented any progress from being 
made, even though we, by and large, agreed on about 80 percent of what 
needed to be done, and that is included in the bill that we will vote 
on here in the next few hours.
  Well, after the election, the Speaker and Democratic leader here in 
the Senate, I guess, decided that they no longer needed to hold the 
American people hostage because the election had now come and gone. So 
there were bipartisan negotiations that broke out, which have led to 
targeted package bills--to a targeted package that could earn the 
support of both parties and the signature of President Trump. It is 
safe to say there could not be a more urgent need for action from 
Congress.
  The last several days have proven that we are, indeed, at an 
inflection point--turning point--in our ongoing fight against the 
virus. One successful vaccine has already been administered to 
thousands of healthcare workers across the country. In my State alone, 
the Governor estimates that a million people will be vaccinated by the 
end of this month. That is something we should all be thankful for and 
applaud.
  On Friday evening, the FDA authorized a second safe and effective 
vaccine made by Moderna, meaning that millions more doses will be 
reaching Americans--in particular, our frontline heroes--in the coming 
days. These are developments that we have been waiting, hoping, 
investing, and praying for, but it is not a silver bullet. We are still 
battling this pandemic, and it is likely to be with us for the 
foreseeable future. But the good news is, people who are particularly 
vulnerable because of their age or underlying chronic illnesses will 
likely be able to get the vaccine no later than March. Dr. Fauci said 
that by June, anybody in America who wants the vaccine can get it.

  This next phase of our fight will determine how quickly we are able 
to defeat COVID-19 and regrow our economy. This legislation will 
clearly help us get there.
  First, it will provide the needed support for vaccine distribution. 
Not only has there been a modern-day medical miracle in developing 
these safe and effective vaccines, but now the logistics of getting it 
to 330 million people in America are completely daunting, but it is 
happening. Millions of doses have already been delivered to hospitals 
across the country, and in the coming months, tens of millions more 
will be distributed as we launch this massive vaccination campaign.
  While the cost of the vaccine has already been covered, the range of 
associated expenses that come with it has not been. For everything from 
transportation infrastructure to deliver the vaccines to ultra-low 
temperature freezers to store them, to personal protective equipment 
for our healthcare heroes to safely administer them, those costs have 
added up and need to be provided for in this legislation. This 
legislation will, in fact, provide billions of dollars to help cover 
these kinds of costs and to ensure the race to distribute these 
vaccines is as successful as the race to develop them.
  Part of that is through relief for airlines, which will transport the 
vaccines to communities across the country. This assistance will enable 
our airlines to carry out their important role in the vaccine relay 
race, all while keeping their employees on payroll and preparing for a 
strong postpandemic recovery.
  These two successful vaccines so far are moving us closer and closer 
to the end of this crisis, but we still have a ways to go, and the 
American people need and deserve our support in getting there.
  Millions of workers have no way to earn a paycheck. Food banks are 
experiencing Depression-era lines each week. Farmers and ranchers have 
lost their traditional markets. Small businesses are sinking, and 
parents and teachers are still worried about a safe return to in-person 
learning for our students.
  This targeted relief package will send desperately needed support to 
each of these groups for each of those causes. The workers who had the 
rug pulled out from them earlier this year will continue to receive the 
federally enhanced unemployment benefits under the CARES Act that would 
otherwise expire the day after Christmas. And State unemployment 
benefits will be

[[Page S7901]]

bolstered, as I said, by $300 a week in Federal benefits through March 
14 of next year.
  We will also provide a second, more targeted direct payment to the 
hardest hit Americans, with up to $600 per individual. That means that 
a family of four making up to $150,000 will receive $2,400 in the 
coming days. This bill will ensure that the basic needs of low-income 
households, schoolchildren, and those in long lines at food banks will 
be met.
  It also provides $13 billion for a time-limited Federal nutrition 
benefit increase, as well as at least $1.9 billion for the Coronavirus 
Food Assistance Program at food banks.
  Our farmers and ranchers and producers who have lost significant or 
all the value of their crops will also receive $13 billion in 
agricultural assistance to strengthen the farm safety net which 
benefits us all.
  This has been a difficult year for millions of families in Texas and 
across the country as parents have worried about how to pay bills and 
buy groceries, let alone Christmas gifts under their tree for their 
children.
  I know this will not erase all of the financial uncertainty, but it 
will go a long way to provide some help to those whose livelihoods have 
been thrown into chaos, and I hope it will also provide reassurance for 
the parents and teachers who have worried about a safe return to in-
person learning.
  This legislation provides $82 billion for education and will help our 
K-12 students, colleges, and universities get their education programs 
back on track.
  This relief bill will also extend additional support to Texas small 
businesses. Our small businesses continue to struggle with the arrival 
of winter weather. That has been especially true for restaurants and 
other businesses that have relied on outdoor seating.
  Many of these businesses utilized the Paycheck Protection Program to 
help them cover payroll and other expenses earlier this year, but the 
program expired in August, and our hardest hit small businesses are in 
dire need of more support.
  This legislation will provide another $284 billion in the Paycheck 
Protection Program. This has been an enormously successful program in 
my State, with 414,000 loans that are convertible into grants under 
some circumstances worth some $41 billion. This has been a lifesaver 
for many of our small businesses and the workers they employ. The 
hardest hit businesses will be able to take a second draw of the PPP 
and provide for stability for their businesses and their employee until 
this crisis ends.
  I am glad this bill also includes language from a bill I introduced 
to clarify tax deductibility for business expenses paid with a forgiven 
PPP loan. The average PPP loan in Texas was $99,000, and without this 
change, those businesses that received that PPP loan and grant would 
face a $36,000 tax liability.
  That would start to show up in January with the estimated taxes being 
paid by many small businesses that pay on a quarterly basis. That sort 
of unexpected tax liability would be a slap in the face for those 
businesses that saw this life ring and decided to grab a hold of it. 
This change will ensure loan recipients aren't saddled with an 
unexpected tax liability that could absolutely sink their struggling 
businesses that have been hanging on by a thread.
  I appreciate Chairman Grassley of the Finance Committee, Ranking 
Member Wyden, and their staffs for fighting to include this change, 
which will clarify that these expenses should have been tax deductible 
all along. That is what Congress intended in March when we passed the 
CARES Act.
  I am also glad the Omnibus that is paired with this package includes 
other legislation that I introduced with our friend Amy Klobuchar, the 
Senator from Minnesota, called the Save Our Stages Act, designed to 
help our small independent entertainment venues across the country from 
closing their doors for good.
  These Main Street businesses were excluded from the original Paycheck 
Protection Program, even though they were among some of the hardest hit 
small businesses. Event venues were the first to close when COVID-19 
hit, and they are likely to be the last to open once it is gone. This 
funding will help them stay afloat until that long-awaited day finally 
arrives
  I thank Senator Klobuchar, who has been my partner in this bipartisan 
effort, as well as Senator Rubio, who has been a champion for these 
venues during the final critical stages of negotiations.
  The government funding legislation includes a number of other 
bipartisan bills which have had nearly unanimous support in both the 
House and the Senate, including a bill I introduced with our colleague 
Bob Menendez from New Jersey.
  This legislation will finally, after 25 years or more, establish a 
National Museum of the American Latino, which will improve Latino 
representation within the Smithsonian Institution. This museum will 
honor the contributions of Latinos throughout our Nation's history and 
give their stories a brick-and-mortar home here in our Nation's 
Capital. I am thrilled that generations of Americans will be able to 
get a more accurate view of our Nation's history when they visit this 
new Smithsonian museum, and I can't wait to be among its first 
visitors.
  There is no question that there are additional measures I would have 
liked to have seen included in the coronavirus relief legislation, and 
I am sure that is true for every Member. But this targeted package 
includes critical funding and support for Texans and Americans at this 
watershed moment, and it will break the stalemate which has paralyzed 
Congress for months now.
  The American people are suffering. It is not time for politics as 
usual. It is a time to come together to compromise and to make good on 
our commitment to support them.
  I appreciate the work of our colleagues who fought for a deal that 
will give our country added strength during this next critical phase of 
our fight, and I look forward to voting for this legislation.
  I yield the floor.
  I suggest the absence of a quorum.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The clerk will call the roll.
  The bill clerk proceeded to call the roll.
  Mr. CORNYN. I ask unanimous consent that the order for the quorum 
call be rescinded.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.

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