[Congressional Record Volume 168, Number 57 (Thursday, March 31, 2022)]
[Senate]
[Page S1886]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                          LEGISLATIVE SESSION

  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senate will now resume legislative 
session.
  The majority leader.


                           Order of Business

  Mr. SCHUMER. Mr. President, I have an update on today's floor 
schedule. At 1:45, the Senate was scheduled to hold a procedural vote 
related to a shell legislative vehicle we could use to pass COVID 
response funding. Our Republican colleagues have requested that we do 
not hold a cloture vote on the motion to proceed at the present as we 
are getting close to a final agreement that would garner bipartisan 
support.
  We are working diligently to finalize language, scoring, and a final 
agreement on what should be funded in the final COVID package, both 
domestic and international. As a sign of good faith and to encourage us 
to come to a final agreement, I will reschedule today's procedural vote 
to a later time.


                               H.R. 4373

  Mr. President, now, when it comes to replenishing COVID response 
funding, we simply cannot afford to kick the can down the road. We need 
more money right away so we have enough vaccines and testing and 
lifesaving therapeutics.
  We want our communities to go back to normal and stay normal.
  If a new virus comes--if a new variant comes, and we are not 
prepared, we could lose that ability to go back to normality, for our 
schools to stay open, for events to occur, for people to gather. We 
don't want to do that.
  Well, the best way to avoid that from happening if, God forbid, a new 
variant comes--and it is likely that it will--is to have us prepared, 
and this COVID legislation has us prepared by having an adequate supply 
of these new, almost miraculous therapeutics that can greatly reduce 
the severity of any illness and that can be given right after testing.
  We need tests, and we need to make sure that the vaccines we have are 
ready and updated. We can't wait. We can't wait until COVID is upon us 
to do this.
  The prospect of not being prepared is scary, and Americans should 
all--Democrats, Republicans--be able to unite in making sure we are 
prepared. We need to get COVID funding done for the country before the 
end of the work period. It is very much needed, and so we are going to 
keep talking with the Republicans so we can hopefully agree to a robust 
package that keeps our country prepared.


                 Unanimous Consent Agreement--H.R. 4373

  Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the cloture motion with 
respect to the motion to proceed to Calendar No. 310, H.R. 4373, ripen 
at a time to be determined by the majority leader in consultation with 
the Republican leader.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.

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