[Congressional Record Volume 167, Number 23 (Monday, February 8, 2021)]
[Senate]
[Pages S567-S568]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]



                         Issues Facing America

  Mrs. BLACKBURN. Madam President, when President Biden addressed the 
Nation on Inauguration Day, he promised unity and bipartisanship. It 
was a big part of his inaugural address, and so far the Democrats here 
in Washington are not living up to that promise. Their message, and we 
saw this last week, is not unity; it is submit and conform.
  On his very first day in office, President Biden rubberstamped 17 
separate Executive orders. Since then, he has approved so many changes 
that a lot of Tennesseeans can barely keep track of the orders and 
memos and directives that are flying out of the Oval Office.
  It is safe to say the only benchmark they have to work with is the 
number of lost jobs we will see as a result of all of this paper-and-
pen governance and paperwork. Jobs gone--stroke of a pen.
  The American people are very unsettled by this. I am hearing it from 
Democrats, Independents, Republicans, Libertarians.
  Last week, I came to the floor, and I spoke in detail about how this 
lack of clarity about the future has made many Tennesseeans fearful of 
the impending changes to our national security policy. They are very 
unsettled.
  So many of our veterans in Tennessee have talked with me about this. 
They don't like all this soft talk when it comes to talking about China 
and Russia and Iran and North Korea. They are worried about what comes 
next. The domestic policy mandates have done nothing at all to give 
reassurances or calm spirits.
  Last week, the Senate Democrats put forth a budget proposal that 
treats struggling communities like hypotheticals that could work with 
theoretical changes, all created for a graduate-level economics exam. 
They are not dealing with real problems and real life.
  For about 15 hours, we debated and voted on a fraction of the almost 
900 amendments filed in an attempt to do some damage control to that 
budget resolution. But when Friday morning came and went, all the 
Democrats had to offer was a glaringly partisan resolution that 
blatantly contradicted President Biden's stated commitment to unity and 
bipartisanship.
  And, you know what, in a perfect world, the solutions the Democrats 
have come up with just might work. But we do not live in a perfect 
world; we live in a fallen world.
  This country is not created in the image of the Democratic Party. To 
anyone who has ever managed a small business budget, what my colleagues 
on the other side of the aisle are trying to do just does not make good 
common sense.
  One of the top issues I hear about from people back home in Tennessee 
is this proposal they have for a $15-an-hour minimum wage. I feel I 
should remind my colleagues that resistance to this mandate doesn't 
come from a place of stinginess or classist hatred but from a place of 
absolute confidence that it will destroy small businesses, even with 
the phase-in period.
  I have not heard from a single business owner who will be able to pay 
the wage and employ the same number of people--not one. They will have 
to let staff go.
  A report by the Congressional Budget Office released just today 
echoes and confirms their concerns. By 2025, the Democrats' proposal 
will cut jobs for 1.4 million workers, at a time when workers are 
struggling to get back to work. So much for job creation, and we all 
know the best economic stimulus is a job.
  Just 6 weeks ago, Congress passed a $900 billion COVID relief 
package. Very little of that money has been spent. Yet Democrats and 
the White House continue to demand trillions--that is right, 
trillions--in overbroad spending that targets no specific problem and 
has no actual bipartisan support. If that is not bad enough, billions 
of dollars from last year's bipartisan relief packages, all five of 
them, also remain unobligated.
  So we are at $3.6 trillion in spending, and they are wanting another 
$1.9 trillion, with little idea of the effect that remaining 
unobligated funding will have on the economy. But still, the data shows 
that what has been spent already has made a difference and will 
continue to do so.
  Relief should be timely. It should be targeted. It should be 
temporary. Those that need the help should get the help, but we do not 
need overbroad spending.
  The Congressional Budget Office released another report just over a 
week ago showing that if we leave the laws governing how we tax and 
spend alone--leave them alone on the books, in force--the GDP will 
continue to rise and the economy will get back to its prepandemic 
health without, without Congress authorizing one more penny in relief 
spending.
  So the American people want to know why, why are the Democrats 
claiming that the only solution to our present crisis is to spend as 
much as possible, as quickly as possible, without considering which 
sectors of the economy actually need the help, which families need 
help, which individuals need help.
  What we do know is what we saw in 2009 and 2010 and 2011 and 2012 and 
2013 and 2014 and 2015, which is that, if you

[[Page S568]]

get in here and overspend without targeting, without direction, you 
slow the recovery. We know that. We watched it. We lived through it.
  They are going to need a better answer than ``because we say so,'' 
``because this is what we are going to do,'' because the people 
understand that the Federal deficit was historically large even before 
the pandemic. They know how debt works and that a big deficit means 
more of that Federal debt.
  They also know that who holds that debt matters and that we are 
beholden, right now, to China, to OPEC, for trillions of dollars in 
that debt.
  Scale that down for a minute. When that same thing happens to one of 
these small businesses, when they max their credit line, if they fall 
behind in their payroll, they can't plan for the future, they can't 
plan for emergencies, and they can't invest in their own success.
  The same concepts apply to the Federal budget. You cannot tax and 
spend your way to prosperity. You have to have economic growth.
  So I ask my colleagues: Why are you making decisions that are going 
to slow the recovery and slow the economic growth?
  The Democrats' approach to planning for the future might sound good 
in theory, it might sound good in hypotheticals, but real-life 
economics is not. Future pandemics are not. The need to innovate and 
stay competitive in the warfighting domain is not. Those are real-life 
issues.
  The Democrats have been so aggressive this past couple of weeks, and 
President Biden, in taking out the eraser and trying to erase 4 years 
of productive policy that benefited millions of Americans, and the 
people are starting to wonder what else they are going to throw away in 
favor of a very autocratic, authoritarian, empty vision for our Nation.
  I yield the floor.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from Montana.
  Mr. TESTER. Madam President, I ask unanimous consent that I be able 
to finish my remarks before the vote.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered


                 nomination of denis richard mcdonough

  Mr. VAN HOLLEN. Madam President, I rise to support the nomination of 
Denis McDonough to be Secretary of the Department of Veterans Affairs. 
Mr. McDonough brings to this position a wealth of experience as a 
national security professional and White House Chief of Staff. He knows 
how to solve problems, break down bureaucratic silos, and deliver 
results.
  As the VA Secretary, Mr. McDonough will face a host of new challenges 
brought on by COVID-19. I appreciate his commitment to addressing these 
issues head-on, including the need to lead an aggressive effort to 
vaccinate veterans and their healthcare providers, ensure that claims 
are processed in a timely manner, and review the proposed rule on VA 
home loans exiting COVID-19 forbearance.
  In addition to the immediate challenges posed by the COVID-19 
pandemic, I know that one of Mr. McDonough's priorities is to tackle 
the structural needs of the VA. I am also pleased that Mr. McDonough 
has already promised to defend the VA healthcare system against efforts 
at privatization. Additionally, I am grateful for Mr. McDonough's 
assurances that he will act assertively to create a culture of zero 
tolerance toward sexual harassment and assault in the Department. This 
is of particular importance after a VA inspector general's report found 
that his predecessor engaged in active measures to discredit a 
congressional staffer who reported that she was sexually assaulted at a 
VA medical center. We must ensure that our women veterans are treated 
with dignity and respect at all VA facilities.
  I also want to applaud Mr. McDonough's pledge to make ending veteran 
homelessness a national priority. My home State of Maryland has been a 
national leader in this effort. Montgomery County, MD, effectively 
ended veteran homelessness in 2015, and the Veterans Village in 
Perryville is creating a model for using VASH vouchers to build 
supportive communities that house and provide services to homeless 
veterans. The State is also moving forward with an aggressive effort to 
build a second veterans home in Sykesville. This is a moral imperative, 
and Maryland has been leading the way. I trust that we will have the 
same level of urgency from the VA under Secretary McDonough, and I look 
forward to continuing the partnership on these efforts.
  The Department of Veterans Affairs provides crucial services, care, 
and peace of mind for our Nation's 18 million veterans. The VA has more 
to do to make sure that the care that it provides is worthy of those 
who served our Nation. I believe that Mr. McDonough's experience has 
prepared him well to continue that effort, and I support his 
nomination.
  Mr. TESTER. Madam President, I rise today in support of Denis 
McDonough. Denis is President Biden's choice to lead the Department of 
Veterans Affairs.
  Though there is a great political divide in our Nation, I believe 
that veterans across the country and Members on both sides of the aisle 
are united by a very basic expectation: that the next VA Secretary be 
an individual of honesty, integrity, and vision. This individual must 
listen to veterans and put their well-being above all else.
  Denis McDonough has demonstrated that he is, unequivocally, the man 
for this job. And to be clear, this is not an easy job. But Denis is 
used to making tough calls. He has shown an exemplary commitment to 
public service and a strong willingness to do right by those who have 
worn the uniform and sacrificed on behalf of our liberties.
  As White House Chief of Staff, he quickly earned a reputation for 
getting the job done, working across Federal Agencies, and finding 
common ground. For the last 20 years, he has played a key role in many 
decisions surrounding sending our military men and women to war and 
knows that taking care of these folks when they return home is a cost 
of war and a shared responsibility.
  Veterans need someone like Denis fighting in their corner, but the 
truth is there is simply too much at stake.
  With more than 400,000 Americans dying from COVID-19 in less than a 
year, the VA Secretary's top responsibility will be ensuring that the 
Department has everything it needs--from vaccines to personal 
protective equipment, to additional healthcare and supportive 
services--to care for veterans and to protect the VA's employees.
  He will be held accountable when it comes to swiftly implementing a 
number of historic reforms, from the John Scott Hannon Veterans Mental 
Health Care Improvement Act, a bill that is out-of-box thinking to help 
our veterans in the mental health challenges and suicides that have 
resulted, to the Deborah Sampson Act, an act to help the largest or the 
fastest growing group of veterans, our women veterans, have access to 
care, to the expansion of presumptive coverage for thousands of 
additional Vietnam veterans exposed to Agent Orange and overdue 
coverage for our Vietnam veterans--not to mention a myriad of other 
critical priorities that have been in the works for years and need 
serious attention, such as the Caregivers Program and the electronic 
health record modernization effort.
  But Denis is fully prepared to take on these responsibilities. He is 
ready to build the trust of our Nation's servicemembers, veterans, and 
their families, and treat them with the respect that they have earned.
  Now more than ever, veterans need a strong leader who will prioritize 
delivering timely and quality healthcare and benefits over making 
political points. I am confident that, as VA Secretary, Denis will be 
squarely focused on serving these needs.
  I ask my colleagues to join me today in confirming him to this role, 
where I have no doubt that he will be successful. Our Nation's veterans 
are counting on us.
  Now, unfortunately, my friend and colleague, the ranking member of 
the Senate Veterans' Affairs Committee, Jerry Moran, couldn't make it 
back in time for this nomination due to bad weather and flight delays. 
But he was planning on voting to advance this nomination today because 
he believes Denis McDonough is someone who shares his commitment to 
taking care of our veterans.
  With that, I yield.