a refusal to understand that they have voted in the mechanisms that have allowed these things to happen. >> some of these authors. on book tv. you can find their program in its entirety on booktv.org. just put the authors name in the search at the top. >> we will interrupt the regular weekend schedule as a u.s. senate comes into session. we will return to book tv programs as soon as the senate finishes their business for the day. a reminder that all book tv programming is available to watch online apple tv.org. the senate meets today to continue work on judicial nominations. the final coronavirus aid package estimated to cost about $900 billion along with the federal spending bill for 2021.

they face a midnight deadline on that legislation to avoid a government shutdown in the morning. the house is in session so it would begin there before heading to the senate. now to the senate floor. .... .... will open the senate with prayer. the chaplain: let us pray. our father in heaven, you keep us from stumbling and falling. we trust your power. we sing of your steadfast love and proclaim your faithfulness to all generations. make us one nation truly wise with righteousness, exalting us

in due season. today, inspire our lawmakers to walk in the light of your countenance. abide with them so that your wisdom will influence each decision they make. keep them from the evil that brings grief, enabling them to avoid the pitfalls that lead to ruin. lord, empower them to glorify you in all they say and do. we pray in your holy name. amen. the president pro tempore: please join me in reciting the pledge of allegiance. 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: can i please have one minute for morning business. the presiding officer: the president pro tem is recognized. without objection. mr. grassley: today's sunday and i want to remember what senator byrd said on a lot of sundays when the senate was in session, and ebb didn't say this -- and he didn't say this because he didn't want to work on sunday, but he wanted everyone to remember the significance of this, especially christians, he said remember the sab assault and battery -- -- sabboth.

never before has the senate convened on a sunday. the constitution says that the senate will -- congress will meet at noon. of course, january 3 has fallen on a sunday over the last 238 years and each by unanimous consent the congress set a new convening day other than that sunday. so now it appears for the first time in history that senate democrats don't want to agree to such a unanimous consent and instead are insisting that the senate start the 117th congress on sunday. i'm not looking to get out of work. i've proven that i have respect for attendance in the senate. but out of respect, the senate usually does not have business

on religious holidays observed by members of various faiths. so, just like senator byrd, i also think the lord's day, particularly when it's paired with the weight of starting the new congress, deserves reverence. i yield. mr. mcconnell: mr. president. the presiding officer: the majority leader. mr. mcconnell: our bipartisan, bicameral discussions on another major pandemic rescue package continued all night and this morning. we are winnowing down the remaining differences. i think i can speak for all sides when i say i expect and hope to have a final agreement nailed down in a matter of hours. yesterday evening democratic colleagues agreed to important language authored by senator toomey. congress approved several new lending facilities to be operated by the federal reserve. it was to backstop the basic

foundations of our economy and prevent any sweeping financial paralysis. the historic legislation staved off systematic collapse. american workers and families still need much more help, but a total financial meltdown never materialized. these new emergency lending facilities were always intended to sunset at the end of this year. senator toomey and our democratic colleagues have landed on compromised language that ensures this will, in fact, happen. it also redirects the dormant money in these accounts toward the urgent needs of working americans and ensure that these expiring programs cannot simply be restarted or cloned without another authorization from congress. all while preserving both the independence of the federal reserve and the proper authority of congress.

yet another example of good-faith bipartisan collaboration that has defined our discussions all week. at this point we're down to the last few differences that stand between struggling americans and the major rescue package they need and deserve. these days and nights of negotiations have been encouraging but our citizens need this waiting game to be over. yesterday alone another 3,388 of my fellow kentuckians tested positive for the coronavirus. the virus continues to spread throughout our country. thousands of americans are being robbed of their lives on a daily basis. while the resilience of the american people have brought along our economic recovery faster than expected, it will remain both insufficient and tenuous until the vaccines that will end this fight have been distributed all across the nation. for months, literally months, senate republicans have been

calling for another targeted package to reopen the job saving paycheck protection program, extend federal unemployment benefits, fund k-12 schools, fund vaccine distribution, and get a lot more help on to the front lines as fast as possible. i'm relieved that we appear to be just hours away from legislation that will finally do that. when we get this done, congress will not deserve any special praise, not with this relief having waited until late december and not with some of our democratic colleagues openly saying the reason they finally changed their tune is they finally got a president-elect of their own party. when we finalize this measure and pass it, congress will only have done our job. we will have finally done our duty in getting more relief to those who need it most. let's make today the day we join together, put differences aside

and finally get it done. 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, tennessee valley authority, brian noland, of tennessee, to be men and women of the board -- to be a member of the board of directors. the presiding officer: the clerk will call the roll. quorum call:

quorum call:

mr. schumer: mr. president? the presiding officer: the democratic leader. mr. schumer: i ask unanimous consent the quorum be dispensed with. the presiding officer: without objection. mr. schumer: mr. president, now we have spent the past four to five days locked in intense, bipartisan negotiations over the final details of an emergency relief package. there are a few issues outstanding, but i'm quite hopeful that we're closing in on an out- -- outcome.

barring a major mishap, a the senate and house will be able to vote on legislation as early as tonight. many of the provisions in this bill are already public. they are all items that the country desperately needs and upon which there is no disagreement. we all are ready to deliver a desperately needed extension of enhanced unemployment benefits, direct survival checks to millions of american families and crucial relief to our schools, our small businesses, our health care system, and funding to support the production and distribution of a vaccine. as of yesterday, we had been steadily working through all of the other outstanding issues, but one issue threatened to derail the bill. the senator from pennsylvania made an 11th hour demand to curtail the authority of the fed to respond to economic crises, potentially leaving the fed with

less authority than it had even prior to the pandemic. the language in his provision was so broad, the intent seemed to be to sabotage the incoming administration's ability to stabilize the economy and save jobs. that was completely unacceptable to democrats. but late last night, the logjam was broken. senator toomey accepted my compromise to remove the dangerous similar-to language in his bill that was overly broad. we sent the senator far more limited language around 8:00 p.m. last night, and it was accepted a few hours later with a few technical changes. as a result, the federal reserve will retain its tools and authority in the event of a true emergency. now, this compromise should not have taken as long as it did. and, frankly, it was

irresponsible to threaten the entire package with this ideological attempt to limit the fed and treasury's powers in an emergency. but i'm very glad that our republican colleagues relented and accepted our offer. the toomey legislation was the last significant stumbling block to a bipartisan agreement moving forward. solving our disagreement over the fed's authority was a key to unlocking the rest of the bill and putting us on a path to final legislation. now that we've solved that disagreement, we can close in on a final agreement, finish drafting legislation, and move it through both chambers of congress hopefully as soon as tonight. as we speak, the legislative text is being finalized. the time has come to move forward and reach a conclusion. the legislation that's coming together will put money in the pockets of everyday people and

extend many of the benefits that we included in the cares act, a bill i was proud to negotiate with senator -- with secretary mnuchin. i will be the first to admit that while this short-term deal is necessary to meet the urgent and growing needs that so many people are facing immediately going into the winter, this bill is not sufficient. it is necessary. it is not sufficient. democrats would have liked to have provided more relief, especially to state and local governments and especially to american families on the brink of financial collapse. the survival checks in this bill are a good start, but there was bipartisan support for $1,200 checks. so let me be clear about one thing. this bill will not be the final word on congressional covid relief. when this chamber gavels back in 2021, we must pick up immediately where we left off.

we must protect people's jobs, whether they work for a company or a local government, whether they live in blue states or red states, whether their office employees are teachers, bus drivers or firefighters. still, the significance of this package should not be underestimated. we will deliver the second-largest federal stimulus in our nation's history. onl -- only the cares act will have been bigger. this package gives the new president a head start as he prepares to right our ailing economy. and it won't include any provision to limit the legal rights of workers who are put in harm's way. it won't include any provision to gratuitously limit the authority of the fed. on many issues where republicans once refused to grant an inch, we were also to make some meaningful steps forward. republicans, in their initial proposal, wanted zero direct payments. they wanted zero unemployment

insurance. they wanted zero rent relief. only a few months ago the republican leader admitted that 20 members of his caucus didn't want to approve another dime in spending. now we're on the verge of passing more than $900 billion. once an agreement is finalized, i'll have a lot more to say about the contents of the bill and the prods it took to achievt took to achieve it. but p for now i'm happy to support we have surmounted the final largest hurdle and an ending is in sight. let's get the job done together for the sake of the american people. i yield the floor. ?oo

a senator: mr. president. the presiding officer: the senator from colorado. mr. gardner: i ask the mandatory qoirk be waived. the presiding officer: without objection. the clerk will report the motion to invoke cloture. the clerk: we the we, the undersigned senators, in accordance with the provisions of rule 22 of the standing rules of the senate do hereby move to bring to a close debate on the nomination of brian noland of tennessee to be a member of the board of directors of the tennessee valley authority, 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 brian noland of tennessee to be a member of the board of directors of the tennessee valley authority shall be brought to a close. the yeas and nays are mandatory under the rule. the clerk will call the roll. 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 84, the nays are 5. the motion is agreed to.

a senator: mr. president? the presiding officer: the senator from texas. may we have order, please. the senator from texas. mr. cornyn: mr. president, the senate is still not in order. the presiding officer: will senators please take their conversations outside the chamber. the senate will be in order. the senator from texas. mr. cornyn: mr. president, the fact we're here on a sunday indicates to me something is different about what we are about and, to me, speaks too a sense of urgency we ought to

have to complete our work before the christmas holiday. there are few things more pressing than our agenda today. government funding, as we know, is scheduled to expire at midnight tonight. and unless we take action in the next few hours, our country will be thrown into another government shutdown. i hope every member of this body can understand why this is simply not an option. i've heard some people talk about a -- well, it's not a real shutdown if it just happens for a few hours or a couple of days over the weekend. but i think the appearance is horrible, and it speaks to us not living up to our responsibility to do this on a timely basis, without any lapse in government funding. this is not the time to furlough hardworking public servants or send our various governmental departments and agencies into chaos. we need to pass a funding bill

that will provide stability for the remainder of the fiscal year, through the end of september next year. and give our government the ability to operate with certainty. all you have to do is talk to the leaders at the pentagon, and they will tell you how chaotic and inefficient it is when congress passes short-term continuing resolutions, which speaks to the importance of providing some certainty and predictability to the funding stream. but we know government funding is only one of the things left to do on our list. our country is racing to distribute two now successful vaccines to bring an end to this pandemic that we've been living through that's claimed the lives of more than 315,000 americans. millions of workers have lost their jobs. they have no income. they've lost those jobs either in the weeks or several months ago and have been struggling to support themselves and their families. sometimes i wonder, as we delay

in responding and providing additional relief, whether those who receive paychecks have sufficient empathy for those who are receiving no paychecks. so time is of the essence. small businesses are crunching the numbers, trying to determine how much longer they can hang on and keep their employees on the payroll, if they have been able to at all. and, of course, teachers are doing the best they can to teach our children virtually or in a hybrid situation, some children going back in the classroom. but this has been a tragic circumstance, i believe, particularly for many low-income children for whom virtual learning is simply not an option or simply is failing them because them of them have no access to broadband and may not have sufficient supervision at home to help them through their studies, and it simply is, to

me, incredible that we expect to put a child in elementary school in front of a computer screen for eight hours a day and expect them to get what they need in terms of their education. but, of course, none of this is news. we've known about not only the need but the urgency of each of these priorities for months now. unfortunately, the partisan dysfunction leading up to the election prevented us from making more progress since the cares act was passed last march. but with the election in november, we saw finally some interest on the part of congressional leaders on both sides of the aisle and both sides of the capitol interested in negotiating a compromise. and there are many of our colleagues, some of whom are sitting here in the chamber today, who have dedicated a lot of time and effort to try and help the leadership build consensus and get to yes, which

i hope we will get to very soon. so we know there's been a lot of negotiations, a lot of loose ends, but vaccines, workers, small businesses, and schools should be our priority. according to the democratic leader and the majority leader, we apparently are just hours away from finalizing a bipartisan deal, but we know that the house has -- none of us have actually seen text yet of what this looks like. the only responsible thing is for us to be able to study it, understand exactly what is happening. then the house rules committee presumably will meet, pass a rule and then it will go to the house floor. i don't know -- i'm frankly -- the presiding officer: order in the national, please. mr. cornyn: i know some people are saying we can get this done today. to me that seems unlikely. but i guess we can all hope. i hope we do this responsibly

and not just quickly. but we do know the american people are suffering and this is not time for politics or delay for delay's sake. this is a time to come to together, to compromise, and to make good on commitment we've made to support the american people. i hope the signs that we are seeing -- sort of expecting smoke signals from some corners -- but the signs that we're all trying to read, the tea leaves and the like, i hope this becomes a lot clearer today and we can chart a clear path forward to not only government funding but coronavirus relief. while the shape of the legislation is still coming together, i hope it will include legislation i introduced earlier this year to hit some of our hardest-hit small businesses. over the last few months we've heard much about the incredible success of the paycheck protection program, which deserves all the accolades that it has received. because it's provided a vital lifeline to america's small businesses and their employees.

these loans helped employers make payroll and cover business expenses during the most difficult parts of the pandemic and, by any measure, the program has been an incredible success. but not all small businesses have been eligible for the paycheck protection program, and some of the most heavily impacted are our small independent venues. these businesses were the first to close when covid-19 hit, and they're likely to be the last to open when it's behind us. live cultural, musical, theatrical events are not only critical institutions but huge drivers. it can provide a paycheck not only to artists and performers but bartenders, ticket takers, as well as security guard, cleaning staff, and the list goes on and on. unlike restaurants which have been able to offer at least

carry-out or outdoor dining or retailers who switched to curbside pickup there is no substitute for these live events. that's why working with the senator from minnesota, senator klobuchar, i introduced the save our stages act, so that these venues can be kept afloat so that when we are able to put the virus behind us, our favorite small independent venues will be able to open their doors once again. this is a stressful and scary moment for the texans who work at and frequent our favorite venues, and the save our stages act can provide some hope for these cultural institutions. i'm proud to say that 58 of our clietions have -- colleagues cosponsored save our stages making it one of the most widely supported bipartisan proposals before the senate. these final hours of negotiations are not the time to try to change the basic contours of that proposal to benefit

well-endowed institutions or institutions that don't, frankly, need the money while these other venues are dying unless they get the money. save our stages will benefit beloved small independent music be venues and other theaters and the like across the country and assure those marquees will sign bright once again. so, mr. president, as we all know, time is running out and congress needs to take action and take action soon. we cannot add the stress of another government shutdown to a raging pandemic. it's time for us to come together and get this done for the american people. i yield the floor.

mr. hawley: mr. president. the presiding officer: the senator from missouri. mr. hawley: are we in a quorum call? the presiding officer: we are not. mr. hawley: mr. president, i rise today to discuss the covid

relief bill that i understand is soon to be brought before the house and then to this floor. i finally we have at long last a deal that hopefully will result in relief for the american people. there is a piece of good news that i want to note, this covid relief package will contain direct assistance for working people for every working family in this country that needs it, they will get a direct check, just like dhe in march. now, that is a victory, mr. president. there's no two ways about it. we should celebrate that victory not on our own behalf but for the many people in this nation who desperately needed it and who expected nothing at all in the way of direct assistance from this body. i want to thank those who are making sure that the relief is

available. not the least of which is the president of the united states, who has been very clear over and over again, that he wants to see direct relief to working families, that it should be the cornerstone of the bill and, of course, i thank senator sanders for his strong stand on this issue and it has been a privilege to work with him on it. this is good news. good news for working families, good news for working families just before christmas when they need the help the most. but i have to say that the levels of support that i understand will be offered to working people are hardly adequate and we should not pretend roarwise, mr. president. $6 -- otherwise, mr. president. $600 per person, $600 per child. this is a fraction of what was offered to the working people in the cares legislation just a few months ago. legislation, i might add, that every member of this body voted for. every member voted for it. and now they'll be getting only

a portion of that. it all adds up to $100 billion. we're told there was not enough leftover. there was not available for working people. yet, i noticed, mr. president, in the spending bill we're also going to vote on as part of the package, a bill that costs over a trillion dollars, we managed to find money for salmon recovery in the pacific, $643 million to carry out communications activity in the middle east, money for the export-import bank, $113 million for that sterling example of leadership, the world health organization that has done more to undermine world health than any other organization in the history of the world. then there's the so-called bipartisan proposal, which is the basis for the present deal. the bipartisan proposal which

included, i might point out, not a cent -- not a cent in direct relief for working people, almost a trillion dollars in costs, not one penny in direct relief for working people until it was added recently. that proposal included $20 billion for higher education, $20 billion. this going to many universities who have massive endowments worth billions and billions of dollars, most of that built on the backs of taxpayers, i might add, and, yet, we cannot find any further funds to help working people in this country. i cannot help but note, mr. president, that working people were the last consideration in the draconian shutdowns earlier this year that sent so many of them home, that cost them their jobs, cost them their wages and health care on the job and they have been the

last consideration in covid relief in this body ever since. it is disgraceful and it somebody unacceptable. the week going to do here today and i hope to have a vote on the floor today in this relief, it is a step -- a step in the right direction, but it is only a step. and i hope that it will be the beginning, mr. president, of a better approach, the beginning of actually putting working americans first, putting their needs, putting their independence, putting their strengths, their families, their communities first. that ought to be the economic policy of this nation. that ought to be the economic policy of this body. and i can assure you that is the foundation on which economic recovery will be built. because it's the working people of this nation who power the american economy. don't believele anything else. we hear a lot about global capital and the need to secure

the financial markets. by the way, the federal reserve, we're taking back $430 billion from the federal reserve, funded to the max. wall street funded to the max. but i say again, wall street capital, the financial markets, they are not the foundation of this economy. the working people of this nation, the working people of missouri, the working people of our other states, they are the foundation of this economy, and it is time they were put first, first for covid relief, first in our economic policy, first in all that we do. and so i hope, mr. president, that this effort to get them direct assistance will be the beginning of a larger effort to orient our economic policy and the policy of this legislation around the needs of our great working americans. i want to end by saying thank

you to them. thank you to the working people of missouri who have endured through this crisis day in and day out, who have gone to work as essential workers, who have taken care of children at home, who have missed shifts at home to care for loved ones, and contributed food to people in need, who have gone without to ensure their children can eat. the working people who have being a niced again and again and again, who have bother the -- bore the brunt of this pandemic, thank you, thank you for making this country work. thank you for building this country as we know it. help is on the way. help is on the way in this bill, which i hope will become law tonight. but there is much more to do and i for one stand ready to work to do it. thank you, mr. president. i yield the floor.

mr. brown: mr. president. the presiding officer: the senator from ohio. mr. brown: i thank the president. i rise today to discuss 2827, the african american burial network act introduced by the senator alexander and me. we know that for too long black families were blocked from burying their loved ones in white cemeteries, they were freed slaves, civil rights champions, veterans, mothers, fathers, active workers in communities. our bill directs the national park service to record unmarked historic african american burial grounds. we need to act now before these sites are lost to the ravages of

time or development. in an op-ed push lished -- published in the commercial appeal, senator alexander said, quote, our children need to learn more history in order to grow up knowing what it means to be an american, including our struggles with race. for more than two centuries, these have been look over by churches and you private citizens. i learned about this when i visited union baptist church in cincinnati where parishioners have worked to preserve their hallowed space from vandals and the inexorable passage of time. that cemetery i visited in cincinnati was founded in 1864, a final resting place for freed slaves, for black union soldiers, and for civil rights activists. i was there last november on a very cold morning, i remember, with angelita jones, chair of

the trustee board for union baptist church and other elected officials to announce funding to help restore the cemetery. but there is more to do at this cemetery and so many more like it across the country. our bill had help us better -- our bill will help us better understand the scope and scale of the issue and develop the tools needed to help churches, historic organizations, and communities protect these sacred burial grounds. i would like to take a minute as we move this legislation -- and i appreciate the cooperation of people on all sides -- to thank senator alexander for his help 0en this bill. -- on this bill. in fact, almost three years ago to the day -- it was almost exactly this day -- i believe it was -- our bill to create an african american civil rights war network passed this chamber. his awareness in protecting our history and the contributions to it by all americans are so

important. he's been a champion for so many issues that i've had the pleasure to work with him on over the years, from protecting the smoky mountains to stem education to helping find funds for cleanup efforts at a former uranium enrichment plant in ohio. he will surely be missed. we all regret his retirement and thank him for his amazing service. so, mr. president, as if in legislative session, i ask unanimous consent that the committee on energy be discharged from further consideration of s. 2827 and senate proceed to its immediate consideration. the presiding officer: the clerk will report. the clerk: s. 2827, a bill to amend title 54 united states code to establish within the national park service the u.s. african american burial grounds network and for other purposes. the presiding officer: without objection, the senate will

proceed. mr. brown: mr. president, i ask unanimous consent the brown substitute be agreed to and the bill, as amended, be considered read a third time. the presiding officer: is there objection? without objection. mr. brown: mr. president, i know of no further debate on the bill, as amended. the presiding officer: is there further debate? hearing none, the question is on passage of the bill, as amended. mr. brown: i ask unanimous consent that the title amendment be agreed to and the motion to reconsider be considered made and laid upon the table -- the presiding officer: all those in favor say aye. those opposed, say no. the ayes appear to have it. the ayes do have it. mr. brown: thank you, mr. president. the presiding officer: the bill, as amended, is passed a. mr. brown: i ask that the title amendment be agreed to and the motion to reconsider be considered made and laid upon the table. the presiding officer: without objection. mr. brown: thank you, mr. president. i suggest the absence of a quorum. the presiding officer: the

clerk will call the roll. quorum call:

quorum call:

quorum call:

a senator: mr. president. the presiding officer: the senator from tennessee. mrs. blackburn: i ask that we vacate the quorum, and i yield back all time. the presiding officer: without objection. all postcloture time has expired. the question is on the nomination. is there a sufficient second? there appears to be. the clerk will call the roll.

vote:

vote:

vote:

the presiding officer: has any senator not voted? does any senator wish to change their vote? on this vote, the yeas are 84, the nays are 5. and the nomination is confirmed. the majority leader is recognized. mr. mcconnell: i ask that the mandatory quorum call be waived. the presiding officer: without objection. under the previous order, the motion to reconsider is considered made and laid upon the table. and the president will be immediately notified of the senate's action. 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 of the standing rules of the senate, do hereby move to bring to a close debate on the nomination of fernando l. aenlle-rocha of california to be united states district judge for the central district of california, signed by 16

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 fernando l. aenlle-rocha of california to be united states district judge for the central district of california shall be brought to a close. the yeas and nays are mandatory under the rule. the clerk will call the roll. vote:

vote: