[Congressional Record Volume 167, Number 50 (Wednesday, March 17, 2021)]
[Senate]
[Pages S1594-S1595]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]



                   Unanimous Consent Request--S. 798

  Madam President, I rise today to discuss an insane issue in the 
Democrats' COVID spending bill that we need to fix.
  Tucked into the Democratic bill is a provision to give $1,400 
stimulus checks to inmates. That is right. As our Nation faces a public 
health crisis and a crippling debt crisis, Democrats are handing out 
stimulus checks with your tax dollars to Federal inmates who don't pay 
income taxes, have all their needs--food and medical expenses 
included--paid for by taxpayers, and they do nothing to stimulate the 
economy. It simply doesn't make sense.
  My friends and colleagues, Senators Bill Cassidy, Tom Cotton, and Ted 
Cruz, tried to fix this by introducing an amendment to strip this out 
of the Democratic bill, but the Democrats wouldn't have it.
  Senate Democrats voted unanimously to block the passage of that good 
amendment and chose instead to waste even more taxpayer dollars by 
sending $1,400 checks to inmates.
  Let's talk about what that means for American taxpayers. There are 
nearly 1.5 million State and Federal inmates incarcerated in Federal 
prisons across the United States. These are people convicted of 
committing serious crimes and victimizing their fellow Americans.
  Under this bill the Democrats passed, American taxpayers are on the 
hook for $1,400 checks to some of the most heinous people we have ever 
seen. I am talking about people like the racist Charleston Church 
shooter, Dylann Roof; serial rapist and predator, Larry Nassar; 
aspiring terrorist, Muhammad Dakhlalla, who tried to join ISIS and is 
now in prison in Georgia; convicted serial killer and rapist, Mark 
Goudeau, who is on death row in Arizona; convicted cop killer, Michael 
Addison, who is on death row in New Hampshire; and the monster who 
killed 17 innocent Floridians in Parkland at Marjory Stoneman Douglas 
High School on February 14, 2018.
  How could anyone--anyone--possibly justify sending checks to these 
people?
  If we send $1,400 checks to all State and Federal inmates, all 1.5 
million, that is more than $2 billion--$2 billion in taxpayer money 
going to stimulus checks for inmates.
  That is $2 billion that could be used to help our small businesses 
recover; $2 billion that could be used to enhance vaccine development 
and distribution so that more Americans can get the shots they need to 
move us forward and away from this virus; $2 billion that could be used 
to pay down some of our massive debt. There are so many positive uses 
for these funds that provide a real return for American taxpayers, but 
sending them to inmates isn't one of them. It is an unjustifiable 
expense that does nothing to fight COVID-19.
  Today, I ask for full support of this body to strip this bad policy 
from law. We cannot forget that America is in a

[[Page S1595]]

debt crisis. I have been talking about it for a while, and I won't stop 
talking about it because it is a crisis my Democratic colleagues still 
don't seem to understand.
  Right now, our Nation is headed toward $30 trillion in debt. Think 
about that--$30 trillion. The U.S. debt will be equal to $240,000 per 
taxpayer. That is insane. And what are the Democrats doing to rein in 
this unsustainable debt? Absolutely nothing.
  In fact, the Democrats' wasteful and untargeted spending bill, which 
will raise the debt from $28 trillion to $30 trillion contains loads of 
handouts and provisions, just like this one, that recklessly spend on 
their priorities unrelated to COVID.
  That is why I sent a letter to the Biden administration on Monday, 
urging him to rescind hundreds of billions in waste from this bill and 
create a targeted approach Americans truly need.
  It is clear that Democrats are living in a fantasy land where debt 
doesn't matter, spending has no consequences, and inflation is 
impossible. Of course, reasonable Americans know that is not true
  The Biden administration needs to take immediate action to request 
the rescission of the non-COVID-related, liberal agenda-driven, and 
wasteful funding found throughout this bill.
  So I will keep fighting to cut down on this liberal wish list. Today, 
we can start that important work and pass my bill to not only save $2 
billion from going to inmates who have no need for the money, but also 
show the American people that Congress is committed to remaining fully 
accountable to the American people for the proper stewardship of tax 
dollars.
  Madam President, I ask unanimous consent that the Senate proceed to 
the immediate consideration of S. 798, introduced earlier today. I 
further ask that the bill be considered read a third time and passed 
and that the motion to reconsider be considered made and laid upon the 
table.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Is there objection?
  Mr. WYDEN. Madam President, reserving the right to object.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The senior Senator from Oregon.
  Mr. WYDEN. Madam President, today the Republicans are showing some 
real chutzpa.
  On this issue, Republicans were for it before they were against it. 
Today, they claim to want to target prisoners. The real harm they are 
doing is to innocent children and families.
  I object.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Objection is heard.
  The junior Senator from Florida.
  Mr. SCOTT of Florida. Madam President, it is hard to imagine that my 
colleague just rose in opposition to this good bill.
  Let's be clear. By objecting to this bill, Democrats are standing in 
full support of spending $2 billion to send $1,400 checks to inmates. 
Democrats want to spend $2 billion in taxpayer money to send checks to 
people in prison, convicted of committing serious crimes and 
victimizing their fellow Americans.
  That means Democrats are saying that they want American taxpayers to 
be on the hook for $1,400 checks to some of the most heinous criminals 
we have ever seen--people like Dylann Roof and the Parkland shooter.
  How can anyone justify sending checks to these people? Let's 
remember, inmates don't pay income taxes. They have all their needs, 
food and medical expenses included, paid for by taxpayers. They don't 
do anything to stimulate our economy.
  I do hope my colleague will reconsider his objection and stand with 
me in putting accountability to American taxpayers over this insane 
policy that does nothing but throw $2 billion we don't have out the 
window.
  Thank you, Madam President.
  I yield the floor.
  I suggest the absence of a quorum.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The clerk will call the roll.
  The legislative clerk proceeded to call the roll.
  Mr. MARKEY. Madam President, I ask unanimous consent that the order 
for the quorum call be rescinded.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.