[Congressional Record Volume 167, Number 17 (Thursday, January 28, 2021)]
[Senate]
[Pages S184-S185]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                              CORONAVIRUS

  Mr. DURBIN. Madam President, now, on another issue, this morning, I 
went on a radio show in Bloomington-Normal, IL, WJBC, Scott Miller. The 
topic de jour--no surprise--was the vaccines, the COVID-19 vaccines, 
and why so many people in that part of Central Illinois can't get 
access to vaccinations.
  I listened to the frustration of people who called in to the 
announcer about waiting on the phone for hours, trying to get through, 
unable to make an appointment, and I called the Governor of Illinois, 
JB Pritzker, to ask him what was happening. He gave me some numbers in 
our part of the world, which probably reflect our country's status at 
the moment.
  He said that we were receiving 120,000 first doses of COVID-19 
vaccine each week--120,000 a week. We have approximately 10 million 
people eligible to be vaccinated in Illinois. Those under the age of 16 
are excluded for reasons determined by medical professionals, so we 
start with 10 million. We anticipate that at least 50 percent are 
currently hoping to get a vaccine as quickly as a possible. So we have 
to get 5 million people vaccinated in our State with two doses. There 
are 10 million doses, and we are receiving 120,000 a week. Is it any 
wonder that the new President, Joe Biden, has spoken up that we need to 
obtain as quickly as possible new sources of COVID-19 vaccine in large 
numbers? I support that completely.
  As part of his request for the American Rescue Plan, which has come 
before the U.S. Senate and House of Representatives, in that request he 
spells out what he thinks are the priorities in this country, and I 
believe he is correct.
  We talk about $160 billion to provide the supplies, emergency 
response, testing, and workforce for our country to stop the spread of 
COVID-19. Could there be any higher priority?
  There is $170 billion for schools and higher education so they can 
safely reopen and operate. Any parent or grandparent knows how urgent 
that need is.
  There is $80 billion for paid leave. It includes 14 weeks of paid 
family medical leave through the end of September. Certainly, people 
need to have that option available either because of their own illness 
or an illness in the family.
  Direct payments--already $600 has gone out to many families in direct 
payments. Another $1,400 per person has been promised. That is included 
in the Biden proposal.
  Unemployment insurance--we still are finding record numbers of people 
who are filing for unemployment; $290 billion extends the current 
benefits and eligibility and a $400 supplement per week until the end 
of September. Rental assistance, SNAP benefits, childcare, relief to 
families, such as the child tax credit--the list is lengthy, and I have 
read through it carefully.
  Should we do it? There are some who argue: No, we don't need more 
stimulus. We have done all we need to do.
  I have to disagree with that conclusion. The news this morning that 
was alluded to by the Democratic leader suggests that we are not out of 
the woods by a long shot when it comes to the state of the economy.
  CNN reported this morning that the Donald Trump final economic report 
card could be very underwhelming.

       [For example,] the U.S. gross domestic product, the 
     broadest measure of economic activity, is forecast to have 
     grown at an annualized rate of 4% between October and 
     December [of last year].
       In a normal year, that would be [cause for celebration]--an 
     A+. . . . But 2020 was no normal year.
       America is still recovering from the worst economic shock 
     in living memory. [Our gross domestic product] shrank [by] a 
     record 31.4% on an annualized basis in the second quarter. . 
     . . [I]t came screaming back at a 33.4% annualized pace in 
     the third quarter, [but] that wasn't . . . enough to make up 
     for the damage [that was] already done.

  I ask unanimous consent that this article be printed in the Record 
with my statement
  There being no objection, the material was ordered to be printed in 
the Record, as follows:

                       [From CNN, Jan. 27, 2021]

  Donald Trump's Final Economic Report Card Could Be Very Underwhelming

       (By Anneken Tappe)
       New York--Economists are grading on a curve. That's not a 
     good thing if you're former President Donald Trump.
       US gross domestic product, the broadest measure of economic 
     activity, is forecast to have grown at an annualized rate of 
     4% between October and December.
       In a normal year, that would be something to celebrate--an 
     A+ for Trump's final economic report card. But 2020 was no 
     normal year.
       America is still recovering from the worst economic shock 
     in living memory. GDP shrank a record 31.4% on an annualized 
     basis in the second quarter. Though it came screaming back at 
     a record 33.4% annualized pace in the third quarter, that 
     wasn't nearly enough to make up for the damage already done.
       So if 33.4% isn't good enough, 4% sure ain't gonna cut it, 
     either. It would get the nation only a small part of the way 
     back to its pre-pandemic strength--underscoring just how far 
     we still have to go.
       It also doesn't bode well for the recovery in 2021. The US 
     economy's recovery took a hit in the last quarter of 2020 as 
     Covid-19 infections spiked and various states reintroduced 
     lockdown measures.


                          A bad sign for 2021

       President Joe Biden inherited an ailing recovery and a 
     broken jobs market. The new administration will need an all-
     hands-on-deck approach to get the economy back on track this 
     year after the pandemic slammed on the breaks.
       Rising infections and renewed restrictions on people and 
     businesses put a damper on hopes for the recovery in the 
     winter months.
       The first quarter of 2021 ``is likely to be even weaker 
     with little reason to expect a sudden upswing in activity 
     until Covid restrictions are meaningfully eased,'' said James 
     Knightley, chief international economist at ING, even with 
     more help for the unemployed in place.
       Biden will need to bring the pandemic under control first 
     to get the recovery on the right path.


                    What's holding the economy back?

       Economists have been concerned about the state of the 
     recovery for a while. Rising infections in the fall and a 
     renewed increase in weekly claims for jobless benefits 
     pointed to another rough patch for the economy in the winter.
       On the consumer and spending front, retail sales logged 
     three straight months without any growth between October and 
     December as big shopping events like Black Friday and 
     Christmas failed to provide an adequate boost. And the 
     University of Michigan's survey-based consumer sentiment 
     index remained still far below its pre-pandemic level and 
     declined again after its most recent peak in October.
       Millions of Americans remain unemployed because of the 
     crisis, and in December, the economy shed 140,000 jobs--a 
     major setback for the recovery. It was the first net job loss 
     since April.
       The US economy runs on consumer spending and for as long as 
     Americans don't spend the way they used to--be it because of 
     unemployment, lockdowns or plain caution--it will keep the 
     recovery pace slow.
       The rollout of vaccines and ultimate control of the virus 
     is what will truly transport the economy back to its pre-
     pandemic strength, economists believe. But only about 23.5 
     million vaccine doses have been administered in the United 
     States so far.
       Meanwhile, those who lost their jobs or had their hours or 
     pay reduced because of the pandemic still require help from 
     the government.
       Trump signed a second stimulus package into law in 
     December, which extended various programs to continue helping 
     the jobless. But many economists believe the delay in getting 
     more measures passed hurt the pace of the recovery.
       President Biden's economic agenda includes more stimulus 
     still, but whether his $1.9 trillion plan will get passed in 
     its original form remains to be seen.
  Mr. DURBIN. The statistics are devastating, as well, when it comes to 
the number of people filing for unemployment--recordbreaking numbers--
and those are included in this article as well.
  So we are counseled by the new Treasury Secretary, Janet Yellen, 
approved by this body, that we shouldn't take our foot off the 
accelerator for fear that this economy will bog down again. Businesses 
will find it difficult to survive--even open--and their employees, of 
course, will be without work. We need to get this economy roaring back, 
and that means making the investment that President Biden is asking 
for.
  Similarly, we need to get our kids back in school. I know most 
parents would feel that is true, grandparents as

[[Page S185]]

well. And the sooner we do it, the better, but do it safely--safely for 
the teachers, administrators, and everyone involved in that decision.
  It is hard to imagine what we have been through in the last calendar 
year, the year 2020. I am glad it is behind us.
  We will still have many challenges ahead, but it is hard to believe 
that just 1 year ago this week, in the State of Illinois, we confirmed 
our first case of coronavirus--1 year ago. A patient had returned from 
China to suburban Chicago and transmitted the virus to her husband. She 
was treated successfully, as was her husband.
  But in the 365 days since then that transpired, 1.1 million COVID-19 
cases occurred in my State of Illinois--from one person a year ago, 1.1 
million cases--and almost 19,000 Illinoisans have died. The story is 
repeated in every State and every community. What started as a worry 
ended up becoming a pandemic and one of the deadliest in American 
history.
  Last year, I came to the floor to ask unanimous consent for a 
resolution with a simple message, that the United States should work 
with other nations around the world to address the COVID-19 pandemic. 
It seemed like a commonsense proposition. To think that one case in 
Wuhan, China, has led us to where we are today tells us that this is a 
shrinking world.
  We need to tackle that deadly communicable disease because it knows 
no boundaries. No nation is safe from COVID-19 if it is raging in any 
part of the world. Equally, no nation's economy is immune from the 
impacts of the pandemic raging elsewhere.
  I am glad the Senate eventually passed the resolution that I 
introduced, affirming the need to join with others in fighting the 
pandemic.
  Now, the first priority is obvious: Take care of the American people 
and American families and everyone who lives in our Nation. That is the 
first and highest priority for our elected officials at every single 
level.
  We are now debating a measure to help the American people gain access 
to vaccines--the Biden rescue plan--and the harsh economic impact it 
has had on America. President Biden understands the immediacy of these 
needs, and I hope that we in Congress do as well.
  As we respond to the COVID-19 crisis in America, though, we cannot 
ignore the need for a global response. This isn't a matter of being 
charitable. It is in our national interest and a reflection of our 
values to ensure that poorer nations have access to vaccines and tools 
to manage their impact.
  The New York Times columnist Nick Kristof chronicled this problem in 
a powerful piece earlier this month, entitled ``Starving Children Don't 
Cry.'' He noted that while some developing countries may have avoided 
high COVID death tolls, the pandemic has led, in many places, to what 
he calls ``pandemics of hunger, disease and illiteracy.'' Day laborers 
can't find work. Campaigns to address malaria, polio, AIDS, and 
malnutrition have been disrupted. It is estimated that hundreds of 
thousands of children in the developing world will die from 
malnutrition. Many who survive will face lifetimes of disabilities.
  A study by the International Chamber of Commerce found that the 
global cost of unequal global vaccine distribution will hit affluent 
countries almost as hard as developing countries.
  The study showed what would happen if wealthy nations were fully 
vaccinated by the middle of the year but poor countries shut out, a 
likely scenario.
  This week, the World Health Organization noted that only 1 of 29 low-
income countries has begun vaccination, and in that particular country 
of Guinea, only 55 out of 12 million people have been reached.
  The study concluded that the global economy could lose more than $9 
trillion, with nearly half of those costs absorbed by the United States 
and other wealthy countries.
  We are already seeing how illness in poor nations affects us. U.S. 
exports have plunged by nearly 28 percent in the last 6 months, 
resulting in lost jobs here, lower profits, and lower wages.
  So that is why I am reintroducing legislation to direct the U.S. 
Treasury to use its vote at the International Monetary Fund to release 
what are known as special drawing rights. These are foreign exchange 
reserve assets maintained by the IMF that can be used by developing 
nations during severe economic downturns, as done during the 2008 
global financial crisis.
  A release of these special drawing rights would not cost American 
taxpayers a single dollar, but they would help developing nations 
purchase and distribute COVID vaccines and stem the pandemic's economic 
impact overseas.
  This proposal is supported by a broad coalition, including American 
farm leaders, business leaders, and trade associations, leading 
economists, faith groups, labor unions, and humanitarian groups.
  I want to thank my cosponsors in this effort: Senators Sanders, 
Cardin, Reed, Merkley, and Leahy. We are joined in the House by my 
colleague from Illinois, Congressman Chuy Garcia.
  Three-quarters of a century ago, much of the world lay in ruins as a 
result of a global war. The United States made an unprecedented 
commitment to help the nations of the world rise from the ashes of 
World War II and rebuild. We did so because it was in keeping with our 
moral beliefs and it served our political and economic interests.
  The Marshall Plan and other international aid efforts by the United 
States helped make America the most powerful Nation on Earth, 
politically and economically. This global crisis, COVID-19, gives us 
another opportunity to strengthen America as we help repair a damaged 
world.
  Of course, our first priority is American families, and this effort 
would not take a single dollar away from buying the vaccines that are 
necessary to keep our Nation safe. But by using these special drawing 
rights, we provide resources to some of the poorest nations around the 
world so that they, too, can start vaccinating their population.
  This world got sick, we believe, because of one person in China, and 
it spread around the world. That is, at least, the theory that has been 
backed up by evidence so far. So let's make certain that, as we address 
this issue, we do it on a global basis.
  I urge the Senate to support this measure as a way to not only do the 
right thing for our less fortunate brothers and sisters around the 
world but as a way to help our own pandemic and economic recovery.
  I yield the floor.
  I suggest the absence of a quorum.
  The ACTING PRESIDENT pro tempore. The clerk will call the roll.
  The senior assistant legislative clerk proceeded to call the roll.
  Mr. THUNE. Madam President, I ask unanimous consent that the order 
for the quorum call be rescinded.
  The ACTING PRESIDENT pro tempore. Without objection, it is so 
ordered.

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