[Congressional Record Volume 166, Number 223 (Thursday, December 31, 2020)]
[Senate]
[Pages S7986-S7987]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                  UNANIMOUS CONSENT REQUEST--H.R. 9051

  Mr. SCHUMER. Madam President, the Senate today meets for a rare New 
Year's Eve session for one reason and one reason only: The Republican 
leader has refused to allow us to vote on legislation to provide the 
American people $2,000 checks. He has twice objected to my requests to 
set a time for a vote on the measure, claiming yesterday that direct 
stimulus checks were ``poorly targeted,'' bemoaning the idea that some 
of these checks might go into ``the hands of Democrats' rich friends 
who don't need the help.'' Senator Toomey said much the same thing.
  Well, funny, I don't remember the Republican leader and Senator 
Toomey complaining about how a $2 trillion across-the-board corporate 
tax cut was ``poorly targeted'' because some large companies didn't 
need the help. No, when corporations get a blanket tax break, that is 
fine by the Republican majority. When the average American gets a 
little help from their government, it is ``poorly targeted.''
  I hope that every American heard the objections by these Republican 
Senators. I hope every American who has their water or heat or 
electricity shut off or had eviction notices stapled on top of one 
another to their door or had to choose which meal to skip on a given 
day--I hope they all heard the reason they will not receive $2,000 
checks is because Leader McConnell thinks it could wind up in the hands 
of ``Democrats' rich friends.''
  Let's be very clear. There is one way and only one way to pass $2,000 
checks before the end of the year, and that is to pass the House bill. 
It is the only way to get the American people the $2,000 checks they 
need and deserve.
  The House is gone for the session. Any modification or addition to 
the House bill can't become law. Either the Senate takes up and passes 
the House bill or struggling Americans will not get $2,000 checks 
during the worst economic crisis since the Great Depression.
  Leader McConnell knows this. So he has said that the Senate can only 
vote on a bill that combines the checks with other unrelated partisan 
policies: a repeal of section 230 and an investigation into the 
President's dishonest and bogus claims of election fraud.
  The Republican leader claims that President Trump insists that all 
three issues must be addressed in one bill, but, of course, the 
President has made no such demand. President Trump couldn't care less 
about how the bills are packaged in Congress.
  So the Republican leader has invented an excuse to prevent a clean, 
up-or-down, yes-or-no vote on $2,000 checks from coming to the floor. 
This maneuver to combine all three issues is intended to kill the 
possibility of $2,000 checks ever becoming law.
  Just to prove it, let me make this offer to the Republican majority. 
We are willing to vote on the other issues that President Trump 
mentioned--all the issues the Republican leader says must be 
addressed--so long as we vote on them separately. That way, $2,000 
checks could become law, and we could debate all the President's 
supposed concerns.
  We can vote on setting up a commission to look at the President's 
roundly rejected claims of voter fraud. We would also have the 
commission look at voter suppression and gerrymandering. That is 
completely unrelated to helping Americans pay their bills, but we are 
willing to take a look at the whole picture. Just give us a vote on the 
House-passed bill so we can get help now for people who desperately 
need it.
  Heck, we can also have a vote on repealing 230. We can do it today. 
We will use Leader McConnell's exact language. He wouldn't agree to 
that because he knows his caucus wouldn't actually support such an act. 
Unlike the President, some Members of this body understand what 230 
means. They understand that section 230, which certainly needs change, 
actually enables the President to spew his lies.
  We all know the 117th Congress will have to take a close look at the 
relationship between liability and reckless speech on the internet. But 
if Leader McConnell wants a vote on these issues, we are here for it. 
Just give us a vote on the House-passed bill, and we can vote on 
whatever rightwing conspiracy theory you would like.
  We can even vote to set up a special blue-ribbon commission to 
determine whether Georgia's secretary of State has a brother named Ron, 
if that would make our Republican friends happy.
  Just don't let these conspiracy theories and Presidential fantasies 
get in the way of helping actual people--people whose livelihoods have 
been torn apart by this pandemic, people whose lives have been torn 
apart by the administration's mismanagement of this pandemic, people 
who need just a little direct assistance.
  The President's term, thankfully, will end in 20 days. It is a term 
that has been marked by hate and division and turmoil. He has so far 
used his term to enrich himself and the wealthy.
  Let's close out the term on a good note. For once, he wants to help 
regular people, to give Americans a leg up. Let's allow him to do that.
  We have a chance at the end of this painful year to give Americans a 
reason to have some hope in 2021. The only

[[Page S7987]]

thing standing in the way is the Republican Senate majority. In a 
moment, I will, once again, ask consent that the Senate set a time for 
a vote on the House bill to provide $2,000 checks to the American 
people. Remember, the Democrats are willing to vote on all of the other 
issues that the Republicans say the President supposedly cares about. 
Just let us vote on a clean bill with the $2,000 checks.
  Madam President, I ask unanimous consent that the Senate proceed to 
the immediate consideration of Calendar No. 645, H.R. 9051, a bill to 
increase the recovery rebate amounts to $2,000 for individuals; that 
the bill be read a third time and the Senate vote on passage; and that 
if passed, the motion to reconsider be considered made and laid upon 
the table with no intervening action or debate.
  The ACTING PRESIDENT pro tempore. Is there objection?
  Mr. McCONNELL. Madam President, I object.
  The ACTING PRESIDENT pro tempore. Objection is heard.

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