republican colleagues for more than two months. i'm bitterly disappointed and frustrated by the delay and the inadequacy of the product. we need bipartisan bicameral negotiations to meet the needs of the american people. speaker pelosi called on leader mcconnell and others to join me in the speaker's office half an hour after the republican plan released, republicans in the house and senate must join us. the senate republican ran down the clock and tossed an air ball. yield the floor. >> the u.s. senate is about to gavel in to begin legislative work for the day. senators will be considering two nominees for a judge in louisiana and debate continues

on the coronavirus aid package. senators are likely to talk about that upon the floor. now to live coverage of the senate on c-span2. the president pro tempore: the senate will come to order. the chaplain, dr. black, will lead the senate in prayer. the chaplain: let us pray. eternal god, our rock of safety, hear our

prayers. help us to live that the generations to come will know of your mighty acts. today, give our lawmakers the hearts to seek, find, and follow your will. lord, guide them in the path you have created, inspiring them with the potency of your powerful presence. may they trust you in adversity and prosperity knowing that they will reap a productive harvest if they persevere. lord, we trust you to lead us

with your loving providence. we pray in your merciful name. amen. the president pro tempore: please join me in reciting the pledge of allegiance to our flag. i pledge allegiance to the flag of the united states of america, and to the republic for which it stands, one nation under god, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all. mr. grassley: madam president. the presiding officer: the

senator from about a with a. mr. grassley: i ask permission for one minute of morning business. the presiding officer: without objection. mr. grassley: i want to talk about the world trade organization. i said what i'm going to say now before so i want to say it again. the united states must reaffirm its commitment to significant reform of the world trade organization. the united states must move to revitalize that organization because the world trade organization advances the cause of free and fair global trade, and they do that -- necessarily do it because of the modern economy we're in. it is imperative that we continue to double down on the effort that demonstrates the united states leadership at

geneva, the headquarters of the world trade organization. that includes our efforts to reform the world trade organization appellate body to work on subsidies that too many countries are using and to continue ongoing negotiations to accomplish these goals. the world trade organization can and should play an important role in the global economic recovery from our virus pandemic. i urge the administration and my colleagues here in the united states senate to advocate for our interest. i urge the administration to confront trade distortions, and most importantly, this administration must encourage all world trade organization members to unite in an effort to

lift us out of the nearly unprecedented global downturn we've had in trade because of the virus pandemic. i yield the floor. mr. mcconnell: madam president. the presiding officer: the majority leader. mr. mcconnell: yesterday senate republicans put forward the heals act, our framework for another round of historic relief for american workers and families. our nation stands at a challenging crossroads. we have one foot in this pandemic and one foot in the recovery. we can't go back to april, and until we have a vaccine, we can't go back to normal either. what the american people need is smart, safe, and stable middle ground and they need congress's help to construct it. that's exactly what our major proposal would do. everyone knows that another

rescue package will need to be partisan to pass the senate. so the country before the country is now really quite simple. are we going to see the versions of house and senate democrats that helped us unanimously pass the cares act back in march or are we instead going to see the same democrats who decided to block police reform in june and senator tim scott's proposal instead of working with him to make law? in other words, madam president, do the speaker of the house and the democratic leader believe that struggling americans deserve an outcome or do they want to stay on the sidelines and recite talking points? well, yesterday, even before the democrats had seen our legislation, they began attacking it. all the tired old partisan

tropes were trotted out. for releasing a proposal that wants to give schools even more money than house democrats bill and would continue the traditional unemployment benefits at eight times the dollar amount that democrats established during the last crisis, we were informed here on the floor that, quote, those republican hard-right money people don't want the federal government to help anybody. it's beyond parity. republicans put forward a trillion dollar proposal for kids, jobs, and health care, including direct cash to households and even more cash to unemployment people and the democrats say it proves we don't want to help people. they say it proves we don't want to help people. these are not serious statements. it's politics as usual with

talking points that went stale 20 years ago. but the week is young and the heals act is full of provisions that i would frankly dare my democratic colleagues to actually say they oppose. republicans want to extend supplemental unemployment insurance at hundreds of dollars per week. if democrats block legislation, it will stop all together. republicans wanton send thousands of dollars more -- want to send thousands of dollars more for direct payments. if democrats won't come to the table, they get nothing. republicans want to use tax incentives to encourage the rehiring of laid off workers and testing and remadling and p.p.e. if democrats block action, workers will be on their own. republicans want to specifically protect medicare seniors from a

speak in premiums because of covid-19. if democrats treat the heals act like they treated police reform, seniors will be on their own as well. republicans want to pour money into k-12 schools and give greater flexibility to child care providers so america's kids can have a safe but more normal school year. if democrats blocking action, school districts will get none of it. republicans want to create a second targeted round of p.p.e. to keep small businesses above water. if democrats won't negotiate, the now open signs will come down and going out of business signs will replace them. republicans want to proactively expand our domestic manufacturing capability for mask and p.p.e. and medical countermeasures. if democrats refuse to negotiate, we'll be just as dependent on adversaries as competitors in the next crisis.

republicans want to protect doctor, nurses, school districts, and universities from a second epidemic of frivolous lawsuits. if democrats don't come to the table, our nation's reopening will be at the mercy -- at the mercy of trial lawyers. republicans want to go even further to backstop hospitals and health care providers and fuel the sprint for vaccines. if democrats won't let us, americans will just have to cross our fingers and hope the medical system remains stable. so to be clear, madam president, republicans are not proposing to cut -- to cut any relief. under current law expanded u.i. expires and is replaced with nothing. under current law will -- there are no more direct payments and no second p.p.e. every single thing we put

forward is a way to get more relief into people's hands. our democratic colleagues want to pretend it's a controversy -- it is controversial somehow that taxpayers should not pay people more not to work than people who do go back to work. they want to pretend it's controversial that taxpayers should not pay people more not to work than people who do go back to work? the american people don't call that a controversy, they call that common sense. they call that basic fairness. this is absolutely a time to be generous and provide additional federal relief to people who have ban laid off -- been laid off, but we should not redistribute money away from the essential workers who have reminute and at their posts. we should not be taxing somebody who's been stocking shelves for months so the government can pay her neighbor more than she makes

to sit at home. that's what we're talking about, taxing essential workers to pay their neighbors a bonus to stay home. one study by the university economists just found these benefits can exceed previous incomes two-thirds of the time. two-thirds of the time. they found a medium recipient earns 134% of their prior salary. that means half are making even more than that. that's just not fair. it's not compatible with a reopening economy and more than six in ten americans feel this creates a disincentive to work. even the democratic house majority leader said just thissing morning our perspective, quote, has some -- this morning our perspective, quote, has some validity to it. it's not $600 or bust. that was the majority leader in the house.

the democratic majority leader in the house said, quote, it's not $600 or bust so let's get past the partisan cheap shots and have an adult conversation. look at it this way. think about one street, one block in one neighborhood anywhere in america. think how they would benefit if this bill were signed into law. right now several families on that block probably have no idea whether their kids will be headed back to school in a few weeks. our bill would provide the money and legal certainty for school districts to reopen safely. now let's talk about the family's pocketbooks. likely every mailbox on that street or each checking account would get another $1,200 per adult and $500 per dependent. for a family of four we're talking about $3,400 in cash.

maybe some of these homeowners are among the millions of americans who have been thrown into joblessness. as we discussed they would get hundreds of dollars more every week in added unemployment. but because we're doing it smarter, if anyone on the street owns a coffee shop or contracting business, they won't hear from workers that they are earning more by staying at home. and those unemployed workers will get back on the job faster when our bill supercharges incentives for rehiring and helps pay for health and safety in the workplace. maybe some other people in the street held on to their jobs because of the historic paycheck protection program, but their employer is considering closing down with that relief nearly exhausted. our targeted second round of p.p.e. could keep their paycheck coming instead of a pink slip.

maybe a retired couple lives on this block. if our proposal for medicare part b premiums becomes law they'll be protected from a spike in cost during the pandemic. and needless to say every single person on that street would benefit from even stronger medical benefits from the diagnostics, treatments and vaccines that will ultimately win the health care battle for all of us. so look, madam president. it's very simple. partisan histrionics will not get any american family any of the relief i just described. calling names will not get school districts one dime. washington finger pointing will not one cent to anyone's unemployment check. democrats face a simple choice. they can come to the table, work with republicans, and engage seriously to make law for the american people, or they can

stay on the sidelines, point fingers, and let another rescue package go the same way as the police reform bill they killed back in june. republicans are ready to govern. we just need democrats to decide whether they are serious about actually making a law. the presiding officer: under the previous order, the leadership time is reserved. morning business is closed. under the previous order, the senate will proceed to executive session to resume consideration of the following nomination which the clerk will report. the clerk: nomination, the judiciary, david cleveland joseph of louisiana to be united states district scruj for the western district of louisiana. mr. mcconnell: i notice the absence of a quorum. the presiding officer: the detector will call the roll. quorum call:

mr. schumer: madam president. are we in a quorum call? the presiding officer: we are. mr. schumer: i ask unanimous consent the quorum be dispensed with. the presiding officer: without objection. mr. schumer: now, madam president, yesterday, after putting the senate on pause for three months and after months of blocking nearly every democratic attempt to pass legislation related to coronavirus, senate republicans finally revealed their long-overdue proposal for the next phase of covid relief. in my many years in serving this chamber, -- of serving in this chamber, i have never seen a

republican majority, a senate majority of any type, respond to a national emergency in such a disorganized and disoriented fashion. weeks of infighting among senate republicans in the white house caused unnecessary and harmful delays. instead of presenting a single unified bill, republicans released several separate drafts last night, and there might be more today. they can't agree on one bill. they can't get 51 votes for anything. that's comprehensive, that deals with the problems, the very real problems the american people face. and even before republicans announced their bills, senior republican senators admitted that they lacked full support of republicans. two republican chairmen have said that probably half of the republican senate will vote against their own proposals. worst of all, the republican plan falls dreadfully short.

it is ununified, unserious, completely unsatisfactory. my republican friends, this is the greatest crisis america has faced in generations. 100 years since the last health crisis of this magnitude. 75 years since the great depression. and you are paying attention to your corporate friends and not answering the needs of the people. we democrats want a real bill that answers people's needs, that deals with the serious problems we face. that's what we're fighting for. we'll keep fighting for it. and our republican friends are nowhere to be found. while the republican proposal fails to provide crucial relief for families, workers, and the unemployed, it is littered with corporate giveaways, k street handouts, and presidential pet projects. the republican bill includes a $20 billion slush fund for large

agribusiness and tax breaks for three-martini lunches, but it doesn't provide a dime in food assistance for hungry kids. it includes an unprecedented, unsweeping provision to shield corporations for five years from liability for negligent treatment of workers and consumers, but there is no new sweeping provision to shield americans from evictions or foreclosures. it includes a $30 billion wish list for defense contractors, but no funding to make sure americans can vote safely in november. there are reports that republican -- that the republican proposal may include a provision to lower capital standards at wall street big banks, but nothing to help state, local, and tribal governments keep teachers and firefighters and bus drivers on the job. senate republicans managed to sneak in nearly $2 billion in

taxpayer funds for a new f.b.i. building whose location will increase the value of the trump hotel and enrich the president and his family. yup, in this proposal, senate republicans reward the president and his family's business interests, but not our essential workers. who, my republican friends, needs the help more? president trump who proudly claims he is a billionaire, or a worker who is about to lose his job, a small business person whose business is going under, a family that can't feed hungry children? who needs the help more, them or president trump? and perhaps, worst of all, in the middle of a pandemic, senate republicans and the white house want to give out-of-work americans a 30% pay cut. if you have lost your job through no fault of your own and you can't go back to work

because the administration bungled this crisis, senate republicans take -- propose taking $1,600 out of your pocket every single month. let me show my colleagues what new yorkers think of the republican proposal. let' em eat cake, g.o.p. plan slices $600 check, rejects aids to states. let them eat cake. that's what new yorkers think. that's what new yorkers think. that's what americans think. let them eat cake. shame, shame on our republican friends. the cover of "the new york daily news" sums it up. let them eat cake. let them eat cake sums up the republican proposal in response to the greatest economic crisis in 75 years.

let them eat cake. people can't feed their kids. people are losing their homes. getting kicked out of their apartments. small businesses are going under. republican response, let them eat cake. who are the republicans fighting for in this probably? tax breaks for three-martini lunches but no food assistance for the poor? immunity for corporations but no immunity for americans facing eviction? 20, 30 million unemployed americans and republicans say take a 30% tax pay cut. who are the republicans fighting for in this proposal? if you're a big bank, a defense contractor, a member of the trump family, the republican proposal has some good news for you. but if you can barely afford

rent, can't find work, can't feed your kids or fighting your family's future, the republican plan leaves you out in the cold. the consequences of the republican policy on unemployment alone would be disastrous. those enhanced benefits have kept 12 million americans out of poverty. those enhanced benefits are the one bright spot in this declining economy that consumer spending is going up now in large part because of pandemic unemployment insurance as well as p.p.p. one of the few things that's kempt our economy -- kept our economy from deteriorating further is that these unemployment benefits have boosted consumer spending. that's why economists say the republican proposal would cost over a million jobs this year and 3.4 million jobs next year. the republican proposal is costing us to lose even more jobs. states have warned us that the republican plan on unemployment

is unworkable to boot. we called state unemployment offices yesterday to ask them what would happen if the republicans passed this new scheme. one state office simply said chaos, chaos. office after office said it would take weeks, weeks, months to even implement the new plan. and what are people going to do during those weeks and months when they're not getting unemployment insurance? the idea on the republican side, that we have so slash unemployment benefits because otherwise americans won't go back to work is exaggerated. americans want to work, are ready to work, are desperate to get back to work. such little faith in the american people. such a bad outlook on human nature. people want to work, republican friends. they just don't have jobs to do it. we're not going to let them starve while that happens. god forbid we provide tens of millions of unemployed americans

a lifeline until we defeat this disease and get our economy back on its feet seems to be the republican attitude. that the republicans seem to think the american people are a bunch of loafers. well, they are not. now, we democrats want to get something done. we are certainly frustrated with the dithering, the disunity, and the lack of understanding of the depth of the crisis coming from the republican side. but that will not stop us. we must press on with bipartisan negotiations. time is running out. we cannot afford to fail. but the republican new proposal is not an adequate starting point. and history is repeating itself. each time we came together in the past to pass covid 2, covid 3, covid 3.5, it was because both parties sat down with each other and negotiated and did the hard work.

but that was only after republicans dared us and put an inadequate proposal on the floor and said we'll blame you. we held firm. they came back. we negotiated a much better bill. my hope, my belief is that they will have to do that again. leader mcconnell is in his alice in wonderland characterizations here on the floor. i can't believe them. he keeps insisting on a bipartisan spirit led to the cares act, but he skips over the fact that he dropped a partisan bill on the floor and democrats had to insist on continuing negotiating to make the bill significantly better. there's a lot of revisionist history going on on the other side of the aisle. and this morning mcconnell continued with his alice in wonderland logic. suggesting that democrats are going to be the ones standing in

the way of more relief. let's not forget republicans dithered for three months while democrats pleaded for action on covid. speaker pelosi and i wrote to mcconnell three weeks ago -- to leader mcconnell and said let's sit down and talk. we didn't hear a peep out of him. and when republicans finally woke up to the calamity in our country, they bickered among themselves for a week as the country approached several cliffs, unemployment, state evictions, state and local government and more. and now that the republicans finally have a proposal, its corporate -- it's corporate focused, doesn't meet the needs of the american people and half of their own caucus probably won't support it anyway. leader mcconnell a few minutes ago said if democrats don't want to negotiate a bill, i will remind the leader last night chief of staff meadows, secretary mnuchin, speaker pelosi and i were in the

speaker's office negotiating. why didn't mnuchin and meadows bring mcconnell along? because the senate republicans can't get their act together and produce a unified position. so leader mcconnell, i have a suggestion. instead of blaming democrats, how about senate republicans and leader mcconnell get their act together, roll up their sleeves, and actually get to do real work and solve these problems. every time, every time we've come to pass critical relief, democrats have forced our republican colleagues in the white house to come to the table and negotiate in a serious way. that's what we have to do again. we need bipartisan, bicameral negotiations to produce a bill that meets the needs of the american people. we democrats will continue to do that. speaker pelosi and i will be meeting with mnuchin and meadows again tonight in an effort to try and get a bill because the needs of the american people, the american economy, american

health is so great. let us come together and get something done. america desperately needs our help. i yield the floor. mr. durbin: madam speaker? the presiding officer: the senator from illinois. mr. durbin: i want to thank my colleague and the leader on the democratic side senator schumer for his specific, articulate, and direct analysis of where we stand today in the united states senate. faced with the worst public health crisis in a hundred years, faced with the worst economic crisis in 75 to 80 years, the message from the republican side of the aisle is think small. do as little as possible. let's see how this works out. at a time when we have unemployment figures breaking all records, when we have ten

times the unemployment claims in illinois that we did a year ago, i might add ten times the unemployment claims in the commonwealth of kentucky that they did a year ago, we instead are hearing from the republican side of the aisle that the problem with our economy is not unemployment. it's the fact that the people who are unemployed are being given too much money. right now we have a federal benefit package worth $600 a week. it was enacted in the cares act on march 26, that expires in three days. $600 a week, federal supplement over the state payment. what the republicans have suggested is to cut that $600 federal supplement to $200. and then they turn and say, well, what we really want to do is to compensate the worker with 70% of what they were earning when they were laid off. there's a real serious problem

here that they're not disclosing to the american people. back in march when we proposed a similar approach or one that took into consideration the previous wages of an unemployed worker, who told us to stop that consideration? president trump's secretary of labor, secretary scalia came to us and i was at the meeting when he said, you don't understand. you can't make that kind of change in the states because there are 50 different computer systems in the employment security offices across each and every state in the union. they cannot make this adjustment. they cannot make this change. the only way, they told us, secretary scalia told us in march, is a flat dollar amount to each unemployed worker, which is exactly what we did. and now the republicans come to us and ignore that advice, ignore that guidance that led to $600 a week and say, we'll come

up with an elaborate formula of 70% of what you were paid before. as senator schumer from new york said earlier, we surveyed a dozen states and they all told us impossible, five to six months before we're ready to do something in that manner. and that means for millions of americans currently unemployed, the possibility of only receiving $200 a week until some day in the future when these state unemployment systems can possibly change. that's the republican approach. and they've made a big point, as senator mcconnell did this morning on the floor, of a $1,200 check, a cash payment such as we had back in march. i'm not opposed to that. the president is desperate for it because he gets to sign the checks. he wants his signature on the checks that are going out to these individuals. well, mr. president, if that's what you want, be my guest if it's going to help working families. but make no mistake, a $1,200

check to a family that was receiving $600 a week, $2,400 a month is cold comfort and won't help them pay the bills that they face every single month. i only wish that the republicans are calling for these dramatic cuts in unemployment compensation for millions of americans, 30 million americans, i only wish they would go home to kentucky and other states and sit down for a meal with an unemployed family and let them tell these republicans what they are facing each and every month trying to get by even with this unemployment check. you see, there's an assumption. there's an assumption these people have a lot of money in savings. it's not reality. in the real world half of american families have little or mo savings to -- or no savings to turn to, even before this current economic downturn. imagine what they're going through now and the sacrifices they have to make. surely the republican leader has

heard the stories or seen firsthand as i have, families showing up at food banks and pantries looking for a helping hand to put something on the table, feed their families. some of them with their eyes down to the ground, with tears in those eyes because they never dreamed they'd be in this position in life. and what is the alternative suggested from the republican side? cut the unemployment compensation for millions of americans at this moment in history. think small, the republicans say. we can get through this by doing as little as possible. that is not true. we've been told over and over again that if we take our foot off the accelerator to try to move this economy out of the ditch, it will crash even further. and we don't want that to happen. we want people to get back to work and businesses to reopen and schools to reopen but we've got to do the right thing in terms of providing compensation to individuals. i reject the premise that many

republicans bring to this conversation, that if you're not rich, you must be lady in america. i don't think unemployed people in this country are lazy people. i think they're hardworking people who have been dealt a tough hand at cards. they're trying to keep their families together until they can get back to work into a decent job. cutting unemployment compensation at this moment in history is cruel, inhuman, and insensitive to the realities these families are facing every single day. there is one provision that came out yesterday that i want to speak to for a moment. for months, literally for months, senator mcconnell has come to the floor and criticized speaker pelosi for her efforts to pass the heroes act almost ten weeks ago, ten weeks ago. the house of representatives of under speaker pelosi passed legislation to provide covid-19 relief that we knew was coming because we knew the unemployment benefits were going to expire in

just a few days. she saw that coming and ten weeks ago did what was the right thing to do. she must -- mustered her troops. a majority voted for a package that moves us forward, that helps state and local governments face the reality of this economy, helps hospitals, helps individuals pay for their health insurance, a good package and one that i could readily support. senator mcconnell came to the floor regularly several times a week saying how bad that package was, how terrible it was while he did nothing, while the republicans proposed no alternative. it's just like the affordable care act. they've done everything they can, 150 times to try to repeal it and never before proposed an alternative. the same thing is true when it comes to this covid-19 relief. in this circumstance we received finally yesterday this proposal that was brought by senator

cornyn and on behalf of himself and senator mcconnell to address the issue of the immunity of corporations for lawsuits that have any relation to covid-19. immunity for these corporations so that they won't be held liable if, in fact, they are not performing up to the standards necessary to protect employees and customers. 65 pages long. it's a big giveaway to the biggest corporations in america. the republican corporate immunity bill does nothing to protect workers, improve safety standards or give business incentives to take proper precautions to reduce the spread of coronavirus. in fact this bill does just the opposite. it views workers and victims as the problem and sets hurdles from covid claims from having a day in court. what the bill would do is impose

sweeping preemptive provision on workers to bring cases for covid-19-related harm. it would require businesses to act the weakest available mandatory safe standard that applies to them so long as they are not grossly neglect .what are the safety standards? it wouldn't be the guidelines of the centers for disease control because those aren't mandatory. amazingly a business can be shielded from liability under this republican approach even if they make no effort to comply with the centers for disease control guidelines. how does that make us any snaifer more than that. if workers or sick americans try to bring a covid related case,

this puts them through a gauntlet of obstacles that make it nearly impossible to prevail, heightened burden of proof, damage caps, restrictions on joint liability. the republicans bill creates sweeping federal preemption of medical malpractice cases, including claims under medical malpractice not related to covid-19. it would up end medical liability laws of all 50 states for five years. instead of setting a strong an clear federal standard, like osha, the republican bill would shield businesses from regulate ri enforcement proceedings under osha, the fair labor standards act, the americans with disabilities act and more. the liability under this immunity would last for five years from december 2019 to

2024. the fact that republicans are proposing five years of liability immunity for corporations while promising a few months of assistance for workers tells the whole story about priorities and values. let's be clear. republicans have not made the case for why we would even consider federal liability immunity for corporations. remember, under current state tort law, if a business is taking reasonable precautions they won't be held liable for negligence. the state laws give business incentives to act recently and most businesses do. also, time and again i've heard senator mcconnell and senator cornyn come to the floor and talk about the tsunami of lawsuits. this morning senator mcconnell said an epidemic of frivolous lawsuits. if so happens we keep track of the lawsuits filed in the united states of america, and we can look to the pleadings in those lawsuits to see how many times

they mention coronavirus or covid-19. so we know how many lawsuits have been filed since the first of the year related to this pandemic. we know that despite the fact that four million -- at least four million covid infections have been established in the united states -- four million. do you know how many medical malpractice cases have been filed by any of those four million americans or anyone else against doctors, hospitals, nurses, providers? what is the epidemic number? well, we have it. here's the exact number of medical malpractice cases filed in the united states in the last six months. six. six. an epidemic, a tsunami. okay. how about personal injury lawsuits, senator? how many have been filed listing covid-19 or coronavirus as one of the reasons for these

lawsuits? 15. four million infected americans, 15 lawsuits, and the republicans have come to us and want to turn upside down the immunity and liability questions before the states and the nation. how about unsafe workplace lawsuits? now that's got to be a big category, four million infected americans. how many workers have brought lawsuits? 71 in the entire 50 states of america, 71 lawsuits. there is no flood of worker or victim lawsuits. it's a figment of the imagination of senator mcconnell, senator cornyn, and k street. but we shouldn't certainly at this moment in time ignore the obvious. over 20 states have stepped forward and established their own standards for lawsuits when it comes to the pandemic that faces us. this effort by the republicans would preempt that state action.

there have been hundreds and hundreds of covid lawsuits that have been filed business to business on questions like insurance liability. you don't hear the republicans wanting to stop businesses from filing lawsuits. no, just workers and the people who get sick. there's no need for the federal government to step in and override 50 states' liability laws, especially after the federal government has been deferring to states on every other aspect of this pandemic, testing, p.p.e., masks, stay-at-home orders. time and again this president said leave it to the governors, leave it to the mayors except when it comes to big corporations. if states need to adjust liability laws, they can do so. 28 states have already done it. here's the bottom line. the republican immunity bill would upend state laws, give businesses incentives to cut

corners, and risk further -- risk families. that is not what america needs. madam president, this is not a small challenge. it is an historic challenge. we shouldn't take the republican lead and play small ball. we ought to address this head on. first we need leadership at the top, which we have not had from the president. he has deferred time and again to governors and mayors and other officials at the local level telling them, find your own masks, establish your own testing regimes, find your own way out of this crisis when we needed federal leadership from the president, america did not receive it. america knows that. why is it that this nation with 5% of the world population has 25% of the covid infection cases in the world? why? what happened here? why didn't we follow the lead of other countries that stepped up with presidential leadership,

countries that have found dramatically less infection, dramatically fewer deaths? that's the reality of where we are with this pandemic. the reality of this economy, we stepped in on march 26 to pass the cares act and we managed to keep some businesses going. we managed to keep millions of unemployed americans together with their families through the most difficult period in their lives. and now at this moment the republican leadership says think small. this is all going to pass quickly. don't worry about these families that don't have enough to provide food and shelter and the basics for their family. they'll get be with a lot less from $600 a week to $200 a week, they'll do just fine according to the republicans. i disagree. our first obligation should be to these working families going through the toughest period they could ever imagine. stick with them, stand with them. be prepared to put the money on

the table which we know they'll spend right back into the economy. we'll find more unemployment if we follow the republican approach. it's estimated some three million jobs will be killed by the republican approach if cutting unemployment and the consequent downturn of spending by these same families. let's stick with those families now. they need us. madam president, i yield the floor. suggest the absence of a quorum. the presiding officer: the clerk will call the roll. quorum call: a senator: madam president. the presiding officer: the senator from colorado. garn garn madam president, i -- mr. gardner: congress has no

greater responsibility than keeping americans safe. the national defense authorization act is one of the most important pieces of legislation that is considered each year by the united states senate. it authorizes the weapons system, the programs and resources that support the men and women who serve our country in the armed forces as well as their families. last week the senate completed its work on the fiscal year year 2021 national defense authorization act for the 60th consecutive year. the bill received, as it should, wide bipartisan support and an 86-14 vote. i was proud to support the ndaa. in my home state of colorado our military installations including fort carson, the air force academy and the air force bases are on the cutting edge of space operations, military training and readiness and protecting our national security. i want to thank chairman inhofe and the ranking member for their bipartisanship at the senate armed services committee and for doing such a great job in

fulfilling their tremendous responsibility in providing for national defense. it cannot be overstated enough how grateful we all are and i appreciate the time and effort they dedicated to this effort. the security of the united states should be more important than any partisan politics and i appreciate their commitment to placing national defense above that partisan bickering. we've seen how even in the most rancorus political times republicans and democrats can come together to the free and open indo-pacific. like when the indo initiative act became law in 2017. as stated in the indo-pacific strategy report released in july of last year, this will have a hall of government policy framework that demonstrates u.s. government to a free and open indo-pacific region and includes initiatives that promotes rule

of law, democracy, economic engagement and regional security. now the united states senate has taken the next step to renewing their commitment to the indo-pacific. with a new initiative, a p. i.d. that will complement auria and have more of a u.s. presence. this will enhance the security initiative set forth in auria and will make the tough choices necessary to prioritize the indo-pacific and extend critical issues to protect our i authored entitled renewing america's commitment to the indo-pacific. it describes the pacific deterrence initiative which will complement the act and implement its initiative of a more robust military presence. and i ask for unanimous consent

in this -- that this op-ed be entered into the record. the presiding officer: without objection. mr. gardner: i'd like to thank my colleagues for their bipartisan work on the defense bill. we've had bipartisan -- a number of bipartisan amendments included in provision that's include the use of secure space and make sure military has access to clean water and it affects many places in colorado and others as they address the p p pass issues. i think it's important that one when one member of the family serves, the entire family serves. this legislation supports military families in colorado andle all over the world. it provides a much-needed pay increase for our military members and continues to support military spouses seeking employment the ndaa addresses the challenges service members and their families face living in privatized families and expands resources to continue to

address p fas water contamination. our military installations are critical to national security and supporting operations in space. this year's defense authorization includes language to ensure there is transparency when it comes to selecting the final home for the headquarters, the permanent basing decision of u.s. space command, and that u.s. space command's critical mission drives the decision-making process. the bill also supports the ongoing standup of our nation's newest military branch, the united states space force, to include my legislation establishing the space force reserve. the space force reserve will mirror its sister military service branches, and as a result the space force will better organize the military to handle space operations and bring all military members working in the space domain under the same organizational umbrella. general raymond is working hard to make sure the u.s. space

force is agile and prepared to respond to national security threats in the space domain. as we continue to work in establishing the u.s. space force, colorado is proud to continue its support of our nation's military operations in space. and that's why in the coming weeks i will be working with my colleagues in the senate to establish the u.s. space force caucus led by bipartisan coleads and chairs. the caucus will provide my colleagues and their staff the opportunity to learn more about military space operations and the critical threats that we face in the space domain. i welcome my colleagues' support and participation on the establishment of this caucus. and again, i'd like to thank my colleagues, chairman inhofe, ranking member reed, for their work on this important bill. i'm proud to support legislation that authorizes the $268 million for military construction projects in colorado and provides a 3% pay love for the men and women serving our nation in uniform. with that, madam president, i yield the floor.

a senator: madam president. the presiding officer: the senator from west virginia is recognized. mrs. capito: thank you, madam president. the world we are living in today is a very different one than we envisioned when we range in the new year in the beginning of 2020 or even when we celebrated st. patrick's day in march. covid has altered almost every aspect of our lives, from where we gather to celebrate or mourn, to how our children are educated and far too many across the country have lost loved ones to this disease. or they are living with the health complications because of it. however, while we are rightly focusing much of our nation's energy on coronavirus, this is

not the only health crisis we are battling. unfortunately, across the nation, drug overdose deaths are rising among the coronavirus. negating much of the progress that we have made over the last several years. a white house office of drug control policy analysis shows that 11.4% increase in fatalities for the first four months of 2020. my home state of west virginia reported 923 overdose-related e.m.s. calls in may, which is roughly a 50% jump from may of 2019. our neighboring state of kentucky and i'm sure neighboring state of ohio, too, has estimated -- kentucky has estimated a 25% increase in overdose deaths between january and march. since covid -- is covid-19 directly causing these overdose deaths? no. is the pandemic exacerbating our nation's addiction struggle? absolutely.

and it's not hard to see why. the past several months have been difficult for all of us. however, for someone in recovery, this disruption may cause them to have a hard time keeping their treatment regimens in place. the need for social distancing may make in-person -- and does make in-person recovery programs that are a lifeline for some almost impossible. social distancing may also lead to more individuals using drugs alone, raising the risk of overdose death because there is no one there to help or intervene. last week, i had the chance to talk with the c.d.c. director redfield about where we are in our nation's battle against addiction. the preliminary c.d.c.'s data recently released showed drug overdose deaths climbed to a record high last year. how the addiction crisis continues to shift also with overdose deaths rising in our other states such as alaska and the dakotas.

he also pointed out that deaths involving methamphetamine and cocaine have been steadily increasing despite the fact that deaths caused largely by synthetic opioids has been decreasing -- or actually, pills have been decreasing. how issues like neonatal absence syndrome where babies are born exposed to opioids continues to spread. and we talked about the work that we have done here in congress and what we continue to need to do. over the years, as i have mentioned, we have seen a decline in the deaths of prescription opioids. we've seen increases in access to treatment resources. moreover, we have seen a recognition that as a country, we have got a real addiction crisis. however, these recent statistics and the evidence we are seeing related to substance abuse during our current pandemic shows us there is so much more work to do, and it has a sense of urgency to it for many of us.

this sentiment was also shared with -- what i had director carroll. we meant in huntington just last friday. huntington is a town particularly hard hit by addiction. director carroll expressed his concern over the rising numbers of overdose deaths. he acknowledged the public health threat that covid presents. along with the essential mitigation measures implemented across the country to slow the spread. together, we have created unprecedented obstacles for americans to seek drug treatment. we discussed some of the response the trump administration has taken to the pandemic in our new reality. the trump administration has relaxed some of the rules related to the prescribing of medication-assisted treatment. that has been helpful. the increased role of telehealth in behavioral and mental health care. that's been helpful. the director updated me on ondcp's working to address the

specific impact that drug addiction is having on rural america. and just last month, ondcp and other federal agencies launched the rural community toolbox which is an online clearinghouse created with the express purpose of connecting rural leaders with funding data and information on how to combat drug addiction. we know resources in rural america are not as plentiful as they are in other areas of the country. we also discussed the administration's effort at the southern border to keep illegal drugs out of our communities. i am particularly interested in this area as i chair the appropriations committee for homeland security and subcommittee on appropriations. through this role, i was able to focus on the needs on the interdiction side so that drugs do not even physically get to west virginia in the first place. i have been to our southern border, which is actually where most of the drugs are coming from that end up in my state. i've worked with custom and

border protection, the t.s.a., the secret service, and the coast guard to ensure they remain focused on the -- this incredibly important aspect of our national problem. i'm also extremely proud of the work that h.s.i. division has done on homeland security. they have increased their presence in west virginia, in the number of officers, equipment, and partnerships such as with marshall university to help supplement the work of our local law enforcement. h.s.i. has expanded their presence on international mail facilities, something i have been a strong proponent of and many of us in this body have as well. earlier this month, the department of homeland security issued its 2019 seizures report to congress. this report confirms that a majority of drugs continue to come in from our southwest border, including cocaine, fentanyl, heroin, marijuana, and methamphetamines. challenges as a nation and

individual fill out our reality today. how i wish the drug addiction epidemic did not have to continue to be one of them. sadly, as many families across our nation know oh too well, it continues to ruin many lives. wishing it away is not going to work. we must continue to keep our eye on the ball, provide the resources necessary to resume the progress we have begun to see. my colleagues and i on both sides of the aisle have worked with the senate appropriations committee to be committing much-needed resources. chairman blunt has shown has dedication to the cause, both through the regular appropriations and through our stimulus bills. we continue to work to ensure that behavioral and mental health providers have the resources they need to continue to treat patients and keep their offices open. and i'm working with bipartisan colleagues on creative ways to address this crisis, whether by ensuring that doctors can offer

nonopioid choices as they resume elective surgeries through my no pain act with senator jones, or by ensuring that those in treatment and recovery can use the technologies of today to connect virtually to peers and counselors through the prescription digital therapeutics to support recovery act that i have introduced with senator shaheen. or by arming families with the information and resources they need to help their loved ones stay in recovery during these trying times through the family support services for addiction act that i have worked with senator gillibrand on. fortunately, we continue to not be alone in this fight. despite the other demands they are currently facing, community and local organizations continue to rise to the challenge. just last week, shatterproof, which is a national nonprofit organization dedicated to reversing the addiction crisis in america, launched the

addiction treatment locator assessment and standards platform, also known as atlas. atlas is the first resource of its kind to help those seeking addiction treatments, helps them to find high-quality care and appropriate care. it was launched in six states. i'm happy to say west virginia was one of them. it hopes to expand it to many more. our nation is facing unprecedented challenges. however, i remain confident we can meet all of them, including resuming the progress we have begun to make on our nation's addiction crisis. i'm dedicated to this, passionate about it, and look forward to continuing to work with my colleagues on creative solutions. thank you, madam president. the presiding officer: the senator from ohio is recognized. mr. brown: madam president, thank you. thank you, senator cooperate,

for not -- senator capito, for not letting this country and this body forget about this terrible addiction crisis that has afflicted her state, my state, particularly our region of the country, but well beyond that. her work has been particularly important. thanks for doing that. i think it also points to the importance of our doing during this pandemic other things to support local governments who are so stretched with medicaid dollars, with local public health dollars, and that's the importance of the next round of the pandemic funding state and local government, local communities, local education. we know that senator mcconnell's effort -- and i put the word effort in quotation marks -- has fallen so short, he waited, waited, waited, waited, waited. the house passed this bill in may. this body, senator mcconnell would not even take it up -- would not even begin the negotiations, really, until this week when unemployment is about to expire, when eviction

moratoria are about to expire, and if the opioid crisis, public health crisis is bad now and we haven't dealt with the coronavirus well now, imagine what happens when people lose their unemployment or reduce it to $200 a week, causing as eviction moratoria are expiring and courts are opening, eviction courts are opening up all over the country, imagine what happens to the opioid addiction public health disaster. imagine what happens to coronavirus if people lose their apartments in large numbers. i just don't think any of us can quite imagine that tragedy, but it's clear that my colleagues on this side of the aisle don't get out very much, don't talk to people very much, don't listen to people very much, and see what these huge needs are for

people to continue some semblance of the standard of living they had prior to the coronavirus. madam president, i rise -- i ask unanimous consent to put my remarks -- the following remarks in a different place in the record. the presiding officer: without objection. mr. brown: thank you, madam president. i rise to oppose the nomination of dana wade to serve as assistant secretary of housing and urban development. ms. wade has a long record of public service, i credit her for that, both in the senate and this administration. she has worked at h.u.d. and as staff to the senate hardworking and banking and urban affairs committee. however, the housing that mrs. wade has supported during her work in the trump administration leads me to believe she is not the right person to lead h.u.d.'s housing and homeownership programs at this critical time. just last year, mrs. wade held a senior political role at the office of management and budget. during her tenure at o.m.b., mrs. wade signed off on budget proposals that would have

slashed h.u.d. funding by billions and would have eliminated cdbg and home programs, programs critical, critical to affordable housing and community development and raised rents on the lowest income renters. she also signed off on rules that could displace more than 55,000 children from their homes. i don't think that's the person we want during a pandemic when the moratoria on evictions expire, all the moratoria on evictions expire when the majority party wants to cut $400 a week from unemployed workers. these are are unemployed workers. when evictions courts are open, i question whether mrs. wade is the right person, even in this administration, the right person to temper some of their actions that might end up with more people denied housing. she signed off on a rule that denied transgender individuals experiencing homelessness the right to seek shelter according

to their gender identity. she signed off on a rule that cut h.u.d.'s affirmatively furthering fair housing regulation, an important civil rights protection required by the federal housing act, an act written and pushed by and initially implemented by the father from the senator from utah of which he's -- i know he's really proud of his dad. i know he's proud of h.u.d.'s fair housing laws, law of the late 1960's. on mrs. wade's watch, h.u.d. and o.m.b. proposed to allow communities to ignore and exacerbate segregation even as they spend federal funds. that's not the only civil rights rollback mrs. wade saw. she signed off on h.u.d.'s proposal to undermine the desperate impact standard under the fair housing act, the largest mortgage lenders, mortgage bankers association, national association of realtors

have all said should not be finalized because it could erode civil rights protections. all the groups that deal with housing, the conservative groups, progressive groups, civil rights groups, the firms that make their living from housing, the realtors, the mortgage bankers, all of them said don't move forward with this. she signed off on it with h.u.d.'s proposal. when i asked mrs. wade about her time in o.m.b., she wouldn't speak about the work she did but she endorsed every one of these policies the trump administration advanced during her tenure. since mrs. wade returned to h.u.d. in december, the trump administration has doubled down on its assault on fair housing. just last week the trump administration released its final rule all but eliminating communities' legal obligation to affirmatively further fair housing. and now president trump wants mrs. wade to oversee f.h.a. and critical housing programs for low-income families, for

seniors, for persons with disabilities. h.u.d. and f.h.a. have an essential role to play in our housing system during this pandemic. f.h.a. is designed to play a countercyclical role stepping in to keep the mortgage market working during economic downturns like the one we're in. in the weeks and months ahead, families will need access to sustainable mortgages. renters will need access to safe, affordable apartments. homeowners who are struggling to make their payments will need forbearance and help getting back on track. at the end of forbearance if we want to avoid a wave of foreclosures -- we know what's happening with evictions, about to happen in a much more concerted title wave sort of way if -- tidal wave sort of way if the senate republicans get their way by shrinking, by cutting $400 per unemployed worker, $400 a week and the moratoria on evictions expiring and the evictions courts open. we know what will happen there. and we're also, of course,

concerned about the subsequent or at the same time wave of foreclosure. we need f.h.a. to keep up its important work. they can do more. they must do more. over the past several months, madam president, following the murder of george floyd at the hands of police, and with racial and ethnic, health disparities exacerbated by covid-19, our country has finally begun to talk about the systemic racism that exists throughout every system including housing. it's the justice system. it's education. we know more and more about the huge digital divide. it's the justice system, education. it's health care. we know that african americans' life expebl attention -- expectancy is shorter than white americans. we know the maternal mortality rate are considerably higher. we know all those things. the american public is finally recognizing them. this is an opportunity and with housing it was jim crow. then it was redlining.

now it's these rules that the trump administration is locking in. they must be a part -- conversely to what mrs. wade has advocated for and argued for and done, h.u.d. and f.h.a. must be a part of addressing that systemic racism. now and after this pandemic. f.h.a. can start by helping black and brown families stay in their homes so we don't repeat the mistakes of the 2008 crisis in which borrowers -- black and brown borrowers were more likely to lose their homes to foreclosure. at the end of this pandemic, f.h.a. and h.u.d. and their rental programs can also help families recover financially and access affordable homeownership maybe for the first time but it will take a commitment from f.h. ampleghts, a commitment from h.u.d. to address the massive inequity that still exists. this president we know actively undermines fairness in our housing system. we saw it again last week when he boasted that he would maintain segregation in our communities. it's a political act, of course,

just like sending federal troops into portland is a political act. just like his purporting to stand up to china which he hasn't done for four years is a political act. but we see it now as he divides people in the suburbs. unfortunately rather than working to fulfill the promise of the fair housing act, h.u.d. is aiding the president's effort. based on mrs. wade's recent work and the policies she's helped advanced, i'm concerned she will not stand up to the president's efforts to turn back the clock on fair housing. she will instead in all likelihood help this administration take our housing system in the wrong direction. that's why i oppose her nomination. i hope if she's confirmed she proves me wrong. i note the absence of a quorum.

the presiding officer: the clerk will call the roll. quorum call:

quorum call:

a senator: madam president. the presiding officer: the senator from a iowa is recognized. a senator: madam president, i ask that the quorum call be vitiated are. the presiding officer: without objection. the clerk will report the motion to invoke cloture. the clerk: cloture motion, we, the undersigned senators, in accordance with the provisions of rule 22, do hereby bring to a close debate on the nomination

of david cleveland joseph, of louisiana, to be united states district judge for the western district of louisiana, signed by 17 senators. the presiding officer: by unanimous consent, the mandatory quorum call has been waived. the question is, is it the sense of the senate that debate on the nomination of david cleveland joseph, of louisiana, to be united states district judge for the western district of louisiana shall be brought to a close? the yeas and nays are mandatory under the rule. the clerk will call the roll. vote:

vote:

vote:

vote:

the presiding officer: are there any senators in the chamber wishing to vote or change their vote? if not is the yeas are 55, the nays are 42. the motion is agreed to.

the clerk clr report the -- report the motion to invoke cloture. the clerk: cloture motion, we, the undersigned senators, in accordance with the provisions of rule 22, do hereby bring to a close debate on the nomination of dana t. wade, of the direct of columbia to be assistant secretary of house and urban development. the presiding officer: by unanimous consent, the mandatory quorum call has been waived. the question is, is it the sense of the debate that -- on nomination of dana t. wade to be assistant secretary to housing and urban development shall be brought to close? the yeas and nays are mandatory under the rule. the clerk will call the roll. vote:

vote:

vote:

vote:

the presiding officer: are there any senators in the chamber wishing to vote or change their vote? if not, the yeas are 57, the nays are 40. the motion is agreed to. under the previous order, the under the previous order, the

negotiations continue on the republicans $1 trillion coronavirus a package and senators will be discussing strategy during their separate republican and democratic lunch meetings today. watch live coverage when senators return here on c-span2. >> during the summer months reach out to your elected officials with c-span's congressional directory. contains all the contact information you need to stay in touch with members of congress, federal agencies and state governors. order your copy online today at cspanstore.org.

>> booktv on c-span2 has top nonfiction books and authors every weekend. comment up sunday at noon eastern on "in depth" our live two-hour conversation with u.s. combat veteran and road scholar westmore author of several books. he will be taking your phone calls, facebook comments and tweets. watch booktv on c-span2 sunday. >> senate lawmakers now taking a break to attend the weekly party caucus meetings where they will be talked about what to do about the