[Congressional Record Volume 167, Number 39 (Tuesday, March 2, 2021)]
[Senate]
[Pages S965-S966]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                              CORONAVIRUS

  Mr. SCHUMER. Mr. President, on COVID-19, as early as tomorrow, the 
Senate will begin work on the American Rescue Plan. As the country 
faces a series of historic challenges, we must meet the moment with a 
historic response.

[[Page S966]]

  Millions of jobs and trillions of dollars have been taken out of our 
economy. Thousands of small businesses are holding on for dear life. 
Tens of millions of Americans are struggling with the rent, groceries, 
medicine, and utilities.
  Only a week ago, the United States crossed the tragic milestone of 
half a million deaths from COVID-19, a stark reminder that the pandemic 
isn't done with us yet.
  Over the past year, Congress has stepped up to the plate to pass 
important relief measures, but the job is not complete. The American 
Rescue Plan is designed to finish the job; to patch up the holes in our 
economy and lay a foundation for recovery; to keep struggling 
businesses, families, and workers afloat until brighter days appear on 
the horizon; to send our children back to school as quickly and safely 
as possible; and to defeat this evil disease once and for all.
  That is what the American people sent us here to do. That is what our 
government is for--not to sit back and wait for problems to fix 
themselves, not to cross our fingers and hope the economy will recover 
on its own. Our job is to end, through action, the current state of the 
crisis and hasten the day when our country and all of our lives can 
return to normal.
  The bottom line, if you look at the trajectory, every time we put in 
a relief bill--in March, the economy got better in June, and July. We 
put a relief bill in December, and now the numbers look a little better 
for January.
  But the economy is not strong enough to sustain things on its own. We 
need strong relief to get the economy going so it can continue on an 
upward path on its own. That is what this bill is designed to do. I 
fear--most economists, Secretary Yellen, Chairman Powell--if we do too 
little or nothing, the economy could stay mired in recession for all 
too long a time, just as it did when we didn't do enough in 2009, and 
the economy stayed in recession for many years after the financial 
crisis.

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