[Congressional Record Volume 167, Number 48 (Monday, March 15, 2021)]
[Senate]
[Pages S1510-S1511]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                              CORONAVIRUS

  Mr. McCONNELL. Madam President, last Thursday, I spoke about the pain 
and disruption this pandemic has caused this past year. I also 
discussed the optimistic springtime that lies before us. The brighter 
horizon is not a product of a partisan bill that was signed last week 
or an administration that was sworn in less than 2 months ago; it was 
built by the American people and supported by the five historic and 
completely bipartisan bills that Congress passed just last year.
  Later on Thursday, the Nation heard remarks from President Biden. The 
President spoke in a heartfelt way about grief and loss, but his vision 
for the days ahead was badly lacking. Along a number of crucial 
dimensions, the Biden administration keeps trying to rewrite recent 
history and overrule science.
  Let's take vaccinations. The President's speech tried to reinforce 
the myth that his administration inherited a shambles on vaccines, set 
goals that nobody believed were achievable, and has met those goals 
against all odds. This is just not true.
  The President said:

       I set a goal that many of you said was . . . way over the 
     top.

  But the benchmark of 100 million vaccines in 100 days was not some 
audacious goal that was met with great skepticism. A million shots per 
day was just the pace that the Biden administration actually inherited. 
We averaged more than 1 million shots per day the week of the 
inauguration. We totaled more than 1.5 million the day the President 
was sworn in.
  The groundwork we laid last year is proving a historic success. Where 
the

[[Page S1511]]

Biden administration is continuing to help streamline distribution, 
they should, of course, get some credit, but their effort to sprint to 
the front of this yearlong campaign should not fool anybody.
  The President announced another supposedly audacious goal on 
Thursday: that all adults in all 50 States should be eligible to 
schedule vaccinations by May 1. Here is the problem: Dr. Fauci said a 
month ago we would be there by April.

       I would imagine by the time we get to April, that will be 
     what I would call . . . `'open season'' . . . namely, 
     virtually everybody and anybody in any category could start 
     to get vaccinated.

  That was Dr. Fauci's prediction last month. So the President's 
announcement of May 1 wasn't ambitious good news; it was actually a 
walk-back.
  Something tells me that if the last administration had contradicted 
Dr. Fauci and pushed the vaccine milestone back a whole month, we might 
have heard about it from the media.
  Then there is the K-12 schooling. For months, science has confirmed 
that schools are remarkably safe and do not surge transmission of the 
virus. This administration's own experts amplified this before liberal 
politics got in the way.
  In early February, President Biden's CDC Director specifically said 
vaccinating the grownups who work in schools should not be a 
prerequisite for reopening them, but on Thursday, instead of calling 
for schools to reopen right now, the President endorsed Big Labor's 
moving goalposts. He said that because the Democrats passed their 
spending plan and because he has tried to move teachers toward the 
front of the line for vaccines, now--now--schools can move toward 
reopening. This approach has put liberal interest group politics ahead 
of vulnerable kids and their parents.
  It was reported last week that the following message was posted in a 
private online group for members of one public school union in 
California.

       Friendly reminder: If you are planning any trips for Spring 
     Break, please keep that off of social media. It is hard to 
     argue that it is unsafe for in-person instruction if parents 
     and the public see vacation photos and international travel.

  Further reports from California suggest some local governments may 
consider using some of the massive bailouts that Democrats sent them on 
bonuses. Reportedly, one union argues that grownups should get bonuses 
for things like ``an airplane trip to Hawaii when this is all over.'' A 
lot of working-class families in the country are struggling through 
untenable situations--in large part thanks to the liberal dogma that 
schools have needed lots more cash to become safe--and now unions are 
talking about trips to Hawaii?
  Every day that the Biden administration does not urge schools to 
reopen safely right now with simple precautions, it hurts kids who 
cannot afford these moving goalposts.
  President Biden also made news with the big proclamation that maybe--
maybe--if citizens behave themselves, we will be able to have small 
outdoor gatherings by July 4. He made sure to stipulate that 
politicians reserve the right to clamp down again, however, but that 
carrot dangled before Americans was small outdoor gatherings about 4 
months from now. This was bizarre and problematic on several levels.
  No. 1, let's be clear: The Federal Government does not instruct free 
citizens how they may gather in small groups with their own families. I 
have advocated strongly for following science, wearing masks, and 
taking all the precautions throughout this pandemic. The White House 
confers a bully pulpit. It does not confer supreme authority over daily 
life.
  Let's not forget that about 10 months ago, many liberal politicians 
applauded massive outdoor gatherings because they supported a political 
cause. I am not sure how much capital these officials have to 
micromanage backyard barbecues.
  No. 2, this strange proclamation was out of step with science. 
Current CDC guidelines say it is already safe right now--right now--for 
fully vaccinated people to meet in small groups, not just outdoors but 
indoors, and they can be joined by an unvaccinated household if they 
are low risk. That is the CDC's advice, talking not about July 4 but 
right now. Right now
  So the President went on national TV to move the goalposts way beyond 
what his own CDC is saying. Why? There is no science-based reason why a 
few fully vaccinated people couldn't get together outdoors right now--
not July 4; today. And if a healthy young adult who is still waiting 
for the vaccine wants to meet up with a few vaccinated relatives, that 
is about a personal assessment of a very small risk, not a matter of 
Presidential policy.
  That brings me to point three. The President's proclamation was far 
out of step with what is already happening across the country. It was 
advice for an alternate universe. The President and his advisers may 
need to get out more. Americans are already getting together in small 
groups outdoors in blue States and red States, in small towns and big 
cities. The country is not locked down waiting for July 4.
  In my home State of Kentucky, the Governor has backed indoor 
gatherings of up to eight people from up to two households. Here in the 
District of Columbia, as of next week, outdoor gatherings of up to 50 
people will be permitted--50 people here in the District.
  Americans are getting vaccines. They have learned about this disease. 
They have learned about the low risks of outdoor transmission. They are 
making their own determinations as free people.
  Look, I have been a consistent advocate for following the science, 
wearing a mask, and taking precautions. I believe we should all keep 
following the science. Nobody wants to fumble the ball on the 5-yard 
line. But that doesn't mean just citizens; it means politicians too. 
And science doesn't only run in the direction of more restrictions.
  The American people were told 12 months ago that accepting major 
disruptions for a limited time would flatten the curve and prevent a 
healthcare collapse, and Americans rose to the occasion.
  One year on, if the President and his administration want to continue 
to give advice to free citizens, I suggest they exit the alternate 
universe, stick to the actual science, and get acquainted with where 
the American people actually are.

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