[Congressional Record Volume 167, Number 39 (Tuesday, March 2, 2021)]
[Senate]
[Pages S966-S967]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                              CORONAVIRUS

  Mr. McCONNELL. Mr. President, there has been a lot of discussion 
about the Democrats' decision to load up their partisan spending bill 
with liberal items that are completely unrelated to the pandemic.
  We are at a key turning point in this crisis. The Nation has just 
endured a historically painful year. This virus has stolen half a 
million American lives. It has thrown millions of children out of 
classrooms and workers out of jobs.
  But on every front there seem to be signs we are actually turning the 
tide.

[[Page S967]]

New cases, hospitalizations, and deaths have been declining. The CDC 
reports that one in five adult Americans has already received at least 
one vaccine dose. That is 50-plus million people. One in 10 has gotten 
both shots. And the supply of vaccines is continuing to ramp up with 
yet another authorized just last weekend.
  Meanwhile, science keeps confirming it is quite safe to get kids and 
teachers back in the classroom with simple precautions that we can 
accomplish right now. All indications suggest our economy is poised for 
a roaring comeback for workers and for families.
  This crossroads should give Washington a golden opportunity. We could 
get together on a bipartisan basis like we did five times last year--
five times--and pass more targeted policies to help finish the fight 
and get the American people their jobs, their schools, their lives, and 
their country back.
  A number of Senate Republicans went to the White House just days 
after President Biden was sworn in, proposing we continue the streak of 
overwhelming bipartisanship that has designed the COVID-19 response all 
this time. Our Democratic colleagues said no; they wanted to go it 
alone. And when you look at their partisan bill, you can certainly see 
why.
  Less than 9 percent of their massive proposal would go to the core 
healthcare fight against COVID-19. Listen to this: Less than 1 percent 
goes to vaccinations.
  You see, they had to leave room for all the completely unrelated, 
leftwing pet priorities, like sending $350 billion to bail out long-
mismanaged State and local governments, multiple times the expert 
estimate of COVID needs; things like massive expansion and ObamaCare 
subsidies that would disproportionately benefit wealthier people; 
things like handcrafted tweaks to Medicare so it pays more money to 
just three States: Rhode Island, New Jersey, and the President's home 
State of Delaware. You might call it a special kickback for the Acela 
Corridor.
  They had to make room to bankroll things like underground rail in 
Silicon Valley, upgrading a bridge from New York to Canada, and giving 
Planned Parenthood access to taxpayer money meant to rescue mom-and-pop 
Main Street businesses.
  Sadly, the parts that actually do relate to the pandemic aren't much 
better. At the same time that Democrats refuse to follow the science on 
in-person schooling, they want to pass a massive new set of deluxe 
benefits for Federal Government employees, including 15 weeks of paid 
vacation for folks whose children have the option--just the option--of 
virtual or even hybrid learning.
  They want to keep schools closed and then pay a special bonus only to 
parents who are Federal employees because--because their schools are 
closed.
  Now, this isn't a recipe to safely reopen America. To the degree that 
it even addresses the pandemic, it is more like a plan to keep it shut 
down.
  Mostly, it is just what Democrats promised almost a year ago: taking 
advantage of the crisis to check off unrelated liberal policies.

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