mr. mcconnell: madam

president? the presiding officer: the majority leader. mr. mcconnell: i ask that further proceedings under the -- not in a quorum call? the presiding officer: not in a quorum call. mr. mcconnell: mr. mcconnell: well, madam president, i have an update for the information of all senators and for the information of the american people. and it's good news. its good news for the doctors and user ins inman rooms around the country who are waiting for more masks and more funding. it's good news for families all across america. at last, we have a deal. after days of intense discussions, the senate has reached a bipartisan agreement on an historic relief package for this pandemic. it will rush new resources onto the front lines of the our nation's health care fight, and it will inject trillions of dollars of cash into the economy as fast as possible to help american workers, families, small businesses, and industries

make it through this disruption. and emerge on the other side ready to soar. the bipartisan cares act will squarely address each of the four big priorities that i laid out in our legislation at the beginning of the process about a week ago. it will rush financial assistance to americans through direct checks to households from the middle class on down and through a significant and creative expansion of unemployment insurance during this emergency. it will deliver historic relief to main street america through hundreds of billions of dollars in emergency loans so more small businesses can survive this and keep paying their workers. it will help secure our economic foundations and stabilize key national industries to prevent as many layoffs as possible. while keeping big companies accountable as both sides have sought to do. and of course it will push major relief to hospitals and health care providers, invest in new

medicines and vaccines so we can beat this virus faster and help get more equipment and masks to the frontline heroes who put themselves at risk to care for patients. in effect, this is a wartime level of investment into our nation. the men and women of the greatest country on earth are going to defeat this coronavirus and reclaim our future. and the senate is is going to make sure they have the ammunition they need to do it. i'm thrilled that we're finally going to deliver for the country that has been waiting for us to step up. i'm relieved my distinguished democratic colleagues are ready to take yes for an answer. this has been a long week for the senate, but it's been a much longer week for the hundreds of millions of americans who find themselves in this strange, new reality. where every morning brings new worries about their health, about their loved ones, about whether their job or small

business will still exist at this time next week. so, madam president, help is on the way. the american people are already rising to this grave challenge, and the senate is about to follow suit. we're going to pass this legislation later today. mr. schumer: madam president? the presiding officer: the minority leader. mr. schumer: madam president, after five days of arduous negotiations, after sleep-deprived nights and marathon negotiating sessions, we have a bipartisan agreement on the largest rescue package in american history. this is not a moment of celebration but one of necessity. we have the anguish of the american people wondering about the few of their health, the health of their loved ones and d the economy necessitates us to

do all we can to help them and help our country. from the very beginning, democrats have had two primary goals -- a marshall plan for public health workers and hospitals on the front lines and putting workers first. the agreement now after these five days reflects those democratic priorities, and we are proud that they are now part of this legislation. like all compromises, this bill is far from perfect, but we believe the legislation has been improved significantly to warrant its quick consideration and passage because many democrats and republicans were willing to do the serious and hard work, the bill is much better off than where it started. democrats have succeeded in making the bill substantially

better on many counts. here are four major pillars of the bill. first, a marshall plan for our hospitals and medical needs. there is much more money for our hospitals, for our nurses and physicians, for our nursing homes, for our community health centers to do the job they need to do. over $130 billion. second, workers first. so many people are being put out of work through no fault of their own. they don't know what their future is going to be like. how are they going to pay the bills? well, we come to their rescue, and the most significant part of that is something we are proud to have devised -- we call it unemployment compensation on steroids.

every american worker who is laid off will have their salary remunerated by the federal government so they can pay their bills, and because so many of them will be furloughed rather than fired, if they have benefits, they continue, and extremely important, they stay with the company or small business. and that means that company or small business can reassessable once this awful plague is over and our economy can get going quickly. third, strict oversight, transparency, and accountability of all loans made to corporate america. we need oversight. we need transparency. every loan document will be public and made available to congress very quickly so we can see where the money is going, what the terms are, and if it's fair to the american people.

and an oversight board, as well as an i.g., to make sure things are done on the level. fourth, real resources for our state and local governments. that was one of the last decisions we had to make. $150 billion to go to states and localities who are so hard-pressed because of all the new expenses that covid-19 puts upon them and because they're not getting the resources they usually get, taxes are delayed until june. and finally, real, real help for small businesses. my dad was a small businessman, an exterminate. i know how small business people worry and suffer. they will be loans. their employees will be paid by the federal government while they're closed because they don't have customers or services. and they can, too, bounce back afterwards. so this agreement is really an

outstanding agreement. to them, to all americans i say, help is on the way. big help and quick help. we're going to take up and pass this package to care for those who are now caring for us, and help carry millions of americans through these dark economic times. i yield the floor. mr. mcconnell: madam president? the presiding officer: the majority leader. mr. mcconnell: i ask unanimous consent that when the senate completes its business today it adjourn until 12:00 noon wednesday, march 25. following the prayer and pledge, the morning hour deemed expired, the journal of proceedings be approved to

date, the time for the two leaders be reserved for use later in the day and morning business be closed. further following leader remarks, the senate resume consideration of the motion to proceed to h.r. 748. the presiding officer: is there objection? without objection, so ordered. mr. mcconnell: if there is no further business to come before the senate i ask it stand adjourned under the previous order. the presiding officer: the senate stands adjourned until senate stands adjourned until

television has changed since he spent begin 41 years ago, but our mission continues to provide an unfiltered view of government, already we brought you primary election coverage, the presidential impeachment process and now the federal response to the coronavirus, you can watch all the public affairs programming on television, online or listen on every radio app and be part of the national conversation through the "washington journal" program or through our social media feed. c-span, created by private industry, america's tabl cable television company as a public service and brought to you by your television provider.

starting now, booktv on c-span2. >> next on booktv "after words" joe ricketts offers his insight to be an entrepreneur and his founding of td ameritrade. he is interviewed by former wall street investment banker and author william cohen. after is a weekly interview program with relevant guest host interviewing top nonfiction authors about their latest work. all "after words" programs are available as podcasts.