[Congressional Record Volume 168, Number 55 (Tuesday, March 29, 2022)]
[Senate]
[Page S1812]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]



                              Coronavirus

  Mr. President, on COVID, I am continuing to hold negotiations with my 
Republican colleagues on much needed COVID public health response 
funding. Even though cases and deaths and hospitalizations are, 
thankfully, down and falling across the board, it is still necessary 
and a matter of great urgency that we replenish funding for more 
vaccines, more therapeutics, more testing, and for new vaccines to meet 
the challenge of any new variant. The sooner we have these in place 
when, God forbid, a new variant hits, the healthier we will stay, the 
more life will stay normal. To deny it now, and then 3 months from now 
or 6 months from now, or whenever, be unprepared and let it spread 
unchecked until the COVID variant's tentacles are too deep in our 
society, makes no sense whatsoever.
  But to pass more COVID public health response funding, we need 
bipartisan cooperation. It is a responsibility of both Republicans and 
Democrats to make sure we have the tools and resources in place that 
will keep the virus down, keep our schools, keep our communities open.
  We are not there yet on reaching an agreement, but we are going to 
keep working in good faith to get there. I hope we can reach an 
agreement with our Republican colleagues very soon because nobody wants 
to find themselves in a situation where cases suddenly start rising 
again, and we aren't ready to respond quickly.
  I yield the floor.
  I suggest the absence of a quorum.
  The ACTING PRESIDENT pro tempore. The clerk will call the roll.
  The senior assistant legislative clerk proceeded to call the roll.
  Mr. McCONNELL. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the order 
for the quorum call be rescinded.
  The ACTING PRESIDENT pro tempore. Without objection, it is so 
ordered.