leader. they spoke about the grief of being at the senate the state. he talked about the work to be achieved a few weeks ago, passing the cares act $2.2 trillion in funds by 96 - nothing and then by boat a voice vote, we passed $484 million mark. almost $2.7 trillion. $2.7 trillion. the annual federal of the united states of america, for domestic discretionary spending. we did it in a matter of. days and weeks. we knew that we were facing as a present characterizing it emergency and we still do. the senate is here today because the majority leader, has brought us back to w washington. against medical advice. we know with the standard us in the district of columbia for the people live here. stay home.

do not meet in groups. work away from your normal working place to protect yourself and your family and everyone else. but we are back in town. majority leader tells us that we don't take days off. he says we are here to do the nation's business which can only be done only possible, when we are here. it talked about taking careful steps back. i have been waiting for the present majority red leader a mr will announce what the business will be this week. what are these things we should be doing. and from the endless telephone conferences that are evolving. in the comments by my friends and neighbors in illinois. there are many unanswered questions which they would like us to address. we have been waiting carefully and expectedly for the majority leader to announce what we are doing this week.

not just because members of the senate are being asked to come back, that is what we ran to do. you promised the people in our states that we would be there to do the business of the senate and the nation would be called upon. and certainly, want to keep that promise. always do. but it is appropriate to ask exactly what is it this week that we will be doing. i was noncontroversial nomination will be before us in a matter of two hours. likely to pass by an overwhelming vote, that can't be the reason, there must be more. but what is it. lots of things which the majority later could bring us back to do, but it appears one of the things that is most intensent on is to make certain that we consider the nominations of young district court judge from commonwealth kentucky. this individual was one of these who served on the district court and the commonwealth of kentucky

last year. his name is justin walker. justin walker, has a distinction. he is one of nine presidential henominees, sent to the senate judiciary committee by the white house who judged unqualified by the american voters association. as american bar association that said is absent in any significant trial experience, disqualified him to serve at the lowest federal court. make no mistake, but the lowest federal district court but it seems justin walker is well-connected with majority leader by having service staff at least as an intern, maybe more i'm not sure. in other that i am not aware of. att enough that his nomination has become a priority from the united states senate. and it's interesting despite the

career on the federal district court of less than six - eight months. despite the fact that no trial experience to take a job, majority leader senator mcconnell, once his man to be elevated to the second highest court in the land. the dc court of appeals. i don't understand it. certainly hard to argue that this is part of a response to a national health emergency in america. it has nothing to do with it. it is a political decision, clearly to levy this man of all of thedi members of the membersp across the nation, to be met next in line to be considered for the supreme court. i hopis seen a federal trial. that time he served in kentucky. i guess we'll find out on the hearing is been called for t wednesday of this week. so when the majority leader comes was sent have an important

nominations the deals with national security. i'm o sorry, but judge walker is not one of them. but wehe have this affirmation hearing is a political decision for political advancement at the risk of the senate and hundreds of people who are working here today because we have been called back. what is good senate judiciary committee do other than to entertain center senator mcconnell's former intern. to be raised in the second highest court in the land. i think they contact tracing, is going to be a key to reopening this economy in america. contact tracing says that if you have been exposed to a person, positive for covid-19, where boys, technological ways and other ways, to notify you. it also raises questions about information and privacy.

one of the issues that the committee considers. the federal prisons, currently now raging conflict because there's raging infection. is not the onlynl correctional institution that faces it but it does.s regards correctional officers as well as the inmates themselves. they are at risk because of covid-19's in the right of those serving times in our prisons. many states and the federal government to some extent are considering t the appropriate policy to keep america safe but also to treat these individuals with fairness. especially those who are working for the federal government doing what they are asking that to do. instead, from senator mcconnell he was to move up quickly into the second highest court in the land, should we be asking basic questions about the policies, of the bureau of prisons. immigration issues to .

interesting, magical look at the spokesperson when it comes to medicine. so many of them are clearly no immigrants to america. i want him thank all of our healthcare heroes, and run neighborhood do as well. we cannot think these men and rswomen enough for coming to wok and risking their lives, doctors and nurses left technicians, those working in nursing homes risking their lives every day. to give a safe, to treat those who are infected, save the lives of people we love. and as you listen on television to their comments about the risks that they are taking the cost of paying with their families and others, i know how many of them are clearly new immigrants to this country. and as no surprise that many of these people well trained and educated come to the united states for opportunity. we can get them in their own

country, we prosper in terms of our healthcare because of that decision. but when it comes to decisions by the united states senate, and dealing with immigration in healthcare, you think that we have no use for these people. take the document protection exposed winter president obama's executive order have a protection of daca so that they will not be deported from the united states and they can legally work in the united states. these are important people and i tried with senator graham a bipartisan amendment, about six weeks ago to say that their legal status in america would be respected at least until the end of calendar year so they can continue to be here without fear of deportation. it was stopped. the comments according to senator graham from one of his colleagues was there working on the dream. yes, i am. i'm still working on it and you want to know why.

because out of the 780,000 daca protected, 41000 of them are the healthcare field today. when it comes to this year and protective status, and the united system at least 11000 t f them, are we ready to state publicly was some members of the senate say privately. we don't need them. i'm not going to say that. i know better. we serve americans across the family, and thank goodness for these healthcare euros, those born in the united states of those not born in the united states becoming here to help us through this public healthcare crisis. innovation, and issue. will there be hearing this week. relates to this 20 challenge. we have not even addressed it. what about profiteering . with not be an interesting issue for us to have a hearing on the senate judiciary committee. in violations of current law.

and telephone conferences with a lot of people who are buying protective equipment. administered hospitals and clinics, medical professionals themselves. they report what is happened. he came from fairfield, illinois, which is a smaller community in downstate illinois with the hospital administration said we spake 22 cents for a surgical down. twenty-two cents for a surgical down. it is a hospital. the prices now between 11 and $20 apiece. somebody is ripping them off. they know it and i know it. if in the senate judiciary committee should know it too. there is another issue can take up. but instead, have senate bottles nobody for the court of appeals which he considers to be vital hanational business. i do not see it that way. what i see is a lot of people here the capital, doing their

jobs, as they were hard to do as they are dedicated to perform. at risk. i am prepared to be here because that's what i ran for office to do. but i would hope it would be for something substantive to do with real issues of national security and certainly issues related to this national health emergency. the district of columbia in the states on each side maryland and virginia continue to record new cases of covid-19 infections and death. they have not seen the two week decline in the cases but the white house guidelines set a few weeks ago . there necessary to begin the first phaseeo of reopening. the opposite iss true. on the washington metropolitan area where we have been called into work today, we find a covid-19 hotspot. in the week ending last thursday, the district of calais of an maryland and virginia, combined 20000 new covid-19 cases.

it's a lot of sickness and suffering. all three jurisdictions are understated home orders to try to curve the spread of this deadly virus andur ease the burn and save lives. on our exhausted medical workers. they also and that one state, not one state, has yet to be the first requirement of safety reopening our schools and businesses and communities in this pandemic. my colleagues the same, talking to people in their own home states, dealing with

challenges and issues facing businesses and labor unions and charities, hospitals, the list is so long i don't know where does darter were to end. but to suggest i was home taking a day off, mike kitchen became a sarah get office and i'm sure many senators will say the same. i worked as hard there as they do in this building, may be harder on some days. so we did not take days off. we negotiated nearly half trillion dollar covid emergency aid package for home states, life-support package foroo much-needed resources for testing and for healthcare workers. whenev you take apple a look at the issue of lost revenue, i spoke to the mayor of the district of columbia a few minutes ago, she talks about revenue that is lost to her, hundreds of millions of dollars which she has to face the next budget all related to

cove into the downturn of the economy, something is true in my state in virtually every other states, this covid crisis has taken its toll, on business activity on attendance at events, the purchases and that means less revenue coming into the coffers of states and local governments. we provided $150 billion for this purpose in the original cares bill, many of us believe any to stand up for them again. can't do speeches on the floor about your respect for police and first responders and firefighters and then come up and say it's a darn shame the people will nothe be able to pay them in the months ahead. when an economic disaster that would be states and local governments declared bankruptcy right and left, not to mention the real hardship it would cause a first responders and thus healthcare workers including nurses that we value so much.

as employed by state and local government which suffer at the suggestion of bankruptcy would fall. guidelines and risking making this pandemic worse. so the urgent business of the senate should be the covid-19 challenge that we face everywhere. coming back to washington, why isn't that a priority that's been announced? we don't know at this moment what will happen tomorrow or the two or three days after on the senate agenda. if it related to vow individual 19 -- to covid-19, count me in. if it relates to true national security, count me in. but if we're just coming here because of a promise made to a 38-year-old federal judge in kentucky, it doesn't meet the test. this nominee as i mentioned before was judged unqualified. before was judged unqualified. this nominee was judged on

qualified, made statements hostile to the care act. about ten years ago only pass the affordable care act it was to reduce the number of americans have no health insurance. it was successful, it cut in half and the state of illinois of uninsured, people without health insurance. its critics it did not vote for it, have not come up with an alternative to, and like justin walker openly contemptuous of the notion of moving our nation towards full healthcare coverage. i don't know that that argument is compelling todayof as it ever was under the current circumstances buried all of us appreciate the need for real safetylt net, all of us understand without real health insurance protection that this moment in history the people we love, children, spouses, parents, would be at risk because they would not have access to good quality

healthcare. so this is a situation where nominee,cial mr. walker, is unqualified for the federal district court positioned is now openly contemptuous of the affordable care act and argues it should be eliminated. at this moment in history, to eliminate the assurance of healthcare and health insurance protection, which i currently want on the second-highest of the land admits the headley engine the most economic catastrophe times majority leader's agenda remains unchanged. to fill the federal bench at any cost. mr. president the trump administration to the covid-19 crisis has shocked many people. america's 5% of the worlds population yet we have a one third of the worlds covid infections and more than 25%

of covid deaths let me say that again, america with 5% of the world's population and more than 25% of the world death. so morning, 67682 americans have died of this ferocious virus. they include my friends, people i know. and members of my family. c., state of illinois we have lost 2618 men, women and children to this pandemic, when the senate left a washington d.c., six weeks ago, to work from home, there were 5000 covid infections in my state. today, more 5 than 50000. wecu are number two in testing, so our numbers are more accurate than many other states. americans today feel great anxiety and sadness, but these healthcare professionals keep our heads up and our focus very clear. theseac essential heroes,

doctors, nurses, respiratory therapist, men and women who make sure there's food in these hospitals and the floors are clean, they include postal workers, grocery store clerks, truckk drivers, law enforcement officers, teachers who continue to teach our kids and help keep them safe. they are all part of this national effort. i would say the notion of homeschooling which is now east schooling which is now very common across america has renewed the appreciation of many parents for what the teachers are doing every single day to help their kids. state in every state people of color have suffered more than their share of covid sickness and death. partly because of long-standing health inequities with people of color with more pre-existing health conditions. partly because of barriers to healthcare and partly because a black and brown people are the ones having jobs that are deemed essential. one major hospital in chicago sit half the people died from

covid-19 and their hospital, were uninsured. many of them hispanic. there people who may or may not have health insurance, they are desperate to work and earn a living. some of them are afraid that either they or some member of their family may be deported if they even show up to hospital and report themselves sick so they wait until it's literally to too late and they die. you seen our economy shut down a lot ofse hardship as a result of it. many owners of businesses, restaurants and others have talked to me and others in the senate about how soon we can't reopen. most of them, not all of them understand that going through this kind of shutdown of our economy and our personal lives is bad if we don't one time, it's horrible if you think about doing it a second time if we open too soon or in the wrong way. in my state, 800 30,000 people

filed for unemployment insurance between march 1 and april 25. they are among the 30 million americans who filed for unemployment since covid came to america. 40million. that is the fastest, steepest loss of jobs s we have ever seen for to reopener states nations before we've done the hard and careful work required to reopen safely, only risk of more infection, more lost jobs, more economic hardship. reopening before we can reopen safely risks overwhelming our hospitals and icus. we need to listen to public health experts and the doctors and the nurses. many of whom have worked past exhaustion. we need to be responsible. not give the chance of the street with his essential work the senate should be doing? investigating why we don't have enough testing in this country, it's essential to reopening the economy, working with local and state tribal governments to hire and train the estimated three to

thousand contact tracers needed to reopen america safely. rather than forcing states to bid against each other b have to plead with the president to use his authority with the defense production act create here in america respirators and other ppe essential for workers and families. we provide oversight for the paycheck protection program and make sure those loans are going to small business as we originally intended and not to wealthy hedge fund operators. would rather be working on plans to shore up the u.s. postal service and essential public service creator of the constitution. what a reminder it has been to all this, staying home, watching the letter carrier come by every single day. the bright spot, big smile greeted by everybody on my street. with gratitude for his continuing work day in and day out. that is what our postal service is in for them to be degraded and insulted by the critics is totally unfair,

totally unfair. we ought to making plans and every american voter can vote by mail in the november election, given the likelihood this lethal virus will still be threatening us. if the senate is going to gather as a body in this pandemic, against medical advice of sound judgment of others, let's make sure our work is essential. we're still waiting for a report from the republican majority leader about the agenda and brings us here this week, ready to work, ready to address the covid-19 crisis that faces our economy. mr. president i yield the floor. >> will call the roll. >> the senate wasda gaveled out about six weeks ago now. we passed the two-point to trillion dollar care's act on march the 25th. and here it is may the fourth. since that time the