the presiding officer: on this vote the yeas are 49, the nays are 50, three-fifths of the senators duly chosen and sworn not having voted in the affirmative, this motion is not agreed to. the point of order is sustained and the amendment fails. a senator: mr. president. the presiding officer: the senator is recognized. a senator: mr. president, i have 11 en bloc motions at the desk and i ask that they be considered en bloc. the presiding officer: without objection. the clerk will report. the clerk: the senator from tennessee, mr. hagerty offers 11 motions to commit the bill to each of the following instructed committees, environment and public works, agriculture, nutrition, forestry, health, education, labor and pension, banking, housing urban affairs, homeland security and governmental affairs, small

business and entrepreneurialship, commerce science and transportation, veterans' affairs, finance, foreign relations and indian affairs and that they be considered en bloc. mr. hagerty, the motion -- senators on -- mr. hagerty: senators have said this must be a bipartisan process, but so far it isn't. not once did any of the senate committees meet to consider it. not once. what's the purpose of the senate system of expert committees if, as we consider one of the largest bills ever before this body we're going to act as if the committees never existed. we are for pandemic relief. what we're not for is a

decade-long spending spree, rushed through this body, much of which has nothing to do with pandemic relief. our motions would simply send this legislation back to committee for three days so it can be reviewed in a bipartisan manner. these motions would ensure that the legislation supports proven by partisan programs before launching new programs or spending more money on programs that are already flush with cash. by mid week, we would have bipartisan legislation with committee input that is targeted timely pandemic relief for those in need. mr. hagerty: i urge my colleagues to support these motions. the presiding officer: the senator from vermont. sarnd. mr. sanders: i rise in strong opposition to this amendment. there are some people here who do not understand the crisis facing people. 50% of people are living paycheck to paycheck.

every day we do not vaccinate somebody, they are unnecessarily dying, we are suffering a mental health epidemic. this country is demanding that congress act now and stand up for the working families of this country. people are tired of obstructionism. they are tired of delays. they want action. let's do it. i yield. mr. hagerty: i ask for the yeas and nays. the presiding officer: is there a sufficient second? there is. the question is on the motions en bloc. the clerk will call the roll. vote:

the presiding officer: are there any senators in the chamber wishing to vote? if not, the yeas are 49, the nays are 50, and the motion is not agreed to. mr. kennedy: mr. president. the presiding officer: the senator from louisiana. mr. kennedy: thank you, mr. president. i have a motion to commit at the desk and i ask that it be reported. the presiding officer: the clerk will report. the clerk: the senator from louisiana, mr. kennedy, moves to commit the bill h.r. 1319 to the committee on small business and entrepreneurship of the senate with instructions. mr. kennedy: mr. president, i ask unanimous consent for two minutes of debate equally divided. the presiding officer: without objection. mr. kennedy: mr. president, my

amendment would prohibit the small business administration from providing any assistance, including but not limited to, paycheck protection program, 78 loans, or other small business assistance to anyone who has been convicted during the past 15 years of a felony -- of a felony during and in connection with a riot, a civil disorder, or another declared disaster without order there can be no justice. the presiding officer: the senator from maryland.

mr. cardin: this moves us in the wrong direction. we had bipartisan support recognizing that those convicted of crime, once they paid their price, should be able to participate in our society. the motion to recommit would suggest that someone who may have participated in a -- in a rally while they were in college 15 years ago and has a perfectly clear record could be prevented from participating in the s.b.a. programs. that's moving in the wrong destruction. i would -- direction. i would hope we would have strong rejection of this. i would like to clarify the record for senator lang lankford, there was a small amount $70 million put into the s.b.a., that's additional funds.

the idle loan program issued $2 billion worth of funds. that was additional funds put into the program. mr. kennedy: mr. president. the presiding officer: the senator has six seconds. mr. kennedy: mr. president, it's a felony for rioting. we shouldn't be giving them money. the presiding officer: all time has expired. the question is on the motion. is there a sufficient second? there is. the clerk will call the roll. vote:

vote:

the presiding officer: the yeas are is 48, the nays are 50. the motion is not agreed to. a senator: mr. president.

the presiding officer: the senator from florida. mr. scott: i have a motion to commit at the desk and i ask it be reported 6789. the presiding officer: the clerk will report. the clerk: the senator from p florida, mr. scott moves to commit h.r. 1319 of the senate with instructions. mr. scott: i ask unanimous consent for two minutes of debate equally divided. the presiding officer: without objection. mr. scott: as we can tell this week, washington is completely dysfunctional --. the presiding officer: would the senator yield. mr. scott: washington is completely dysfunctional and the unwillingness to work together caused multiple government shutdowns. if members of congress cannot work together to pass a budget, they should not be getting paid. it's pretty simple. if we can't do our jobs, we shouldn't get a taxpayer-funded salary. my no budget no pay amendment means congress should meet appropriations bills deadlines or forego their salaries in the job is done. the presiding officer: will the senator yield. will the senate please be in

order and take your conversations outside. thank you. mr. scott: there is no reason members of congress should be held to a different standard than american fems and businesses across the nation. accountability shouldn't be controversial. i hope my colleagues will join me in this motion. a senator: mr. president. the presiding officer: the senator from vermont. mr. sanders: my colleague from florida may not know it, but this is a budget. it's a $1.9 trillion reconciliation budget which in fact turns out to be the most significant piece of legislation for working people that has been passed in decades. finally congress is doing its job. unfortunately, my friends on the other side have used delaying tactics after delaying tactics, obstruction, obstruction, obstruction. the american people want action. they want action now. i urge my colleagues to oppose this motion.

a senator: i ask for the yeas and nays. the presiding officer: is there a sufficient second? there is. the clerk will call the roll. vote:

the presiding officer: the yeas are 48, the nays are 51. the motion is not agreed to. a senator: mr. president. the presiding officer: the senator from utah. mr. lee: mr. president, i call up my amendment number 1381 and ask that it be reported by number. the presiding officer: the clerk will report. the clerk: the senator from utah, mr. lee for himself and mr. rubio proposes an amendment

numbered 1381 to amendment number 891. mr. lee: mr. president, i ask unanimous consent for two minutes of debate equally divided. the presiding officer: without objection. mr. lee: mr. president --. the presiding officer: would the senator yield. can we please have order in the chamber. thank you. mr. lee: mr. president, there's a little known feature in our tax code created by the tax code and the way it interacts with our senior entitlement programs. it's caild the parent -- called the parent tax penalty, very misunderstood, little known but very, very harmful. the changes made to the child tax credit in the reconciliation package are not the right way forward. they don't directly attempt to fix the parent penalty. in addition to this problem the substitutes changes to the child and dependent care tax credit would make the penalty on stay at home parents in our tax code nearly seven times worse. my amendment with senator rubio would ensure that the child tax credit is targeted to refunding

americans their income in payroll taxes and turning the child dependent child care tax credit which discriminates against stay at home parents into a young child enhancement to provide additional help to parents during those critical first two years. mr. wyden: mr. president. the presiding officer: the senator from oregon. mr. wyden: mr. president, i rise in opposition to this amendment. colleagues, the underlying bill has significant improvements in the child tax credit. all told, the bill cuts child poverty in half, but this amendment would set us back. true, it expands the child credit in some ways, but to pay for these expansions, it dramatically cuts back on what is known as refundability. here's the problem, colleagues. refundability is what helps the

families at the lower end of the income scale. so to expand the child tax credit in several ways, the lee amendment reduces benefits to the working families who need them most. i want to close by way of saying i would be glad to work with my colleague from utah, the senator from florida. i would also note that the other senator from utah has been interested in these issues. this amendment -- the presiding officer: the senator's time -- mr. wyden: this amendment sets it back. mr. lee: mr. president, i call for the yeas and nays. the presiding officer: is there a sufficient second? there is. the clerk will call the roll. vote:

the presiding officer: the yeas are 49. the nays are 50. the amendment is not agreed to. the senator from texas. mr. cornyn: mr. president, i have a motion to commit at the desk and ask it be reported. the presiding officer: the clerk will report. the clerk: the senator from texas, mr. cornyn, moves to commit the bill h.r. 1319 to the

committee on health, education, labor, and pensions of the senate with instructions. mr. cornyn: mr. president, i ask unanimous consent for two minutes of debate equally divided. the presiding officer: without objection. mr. cornyn: mr. president, the united states is facing a brewing humanitarian crisis at the border. at the same time we are experiencing a global pandemic. this motion will help make sure we are prepared. in january 2021, the border patrol recorded about 75,000 encounters on the southwest land border --. the presiding officer: quiet in the chamber, please. mr. cornyn: a 60% increase over the last year, which was just before the last major migrant surge. the department of homeland security is reportedly projecting it will apprehend 117,000 unaccompanied children this year. the department of health and human services and the office of refugee resettlement are struggling to maintain enough bed spain to shelter all of

these unaccompanied children in custody. it's estimated the covid-19 restrictions reduced their capacity by about 40%. the biden administration reactivated a facility in texas to handle this influx of unaccompanied children and press reports indicate that an additional facility may be necessary. so this motion would commit the bill to the committee on help with instructions to provide adequate funding for the office of refugee resettlement to address this brewing humanitarian crisis. the presiding officer: the senator from washington. mrs. murray: this is a delay tactic intended to stop what we are doing to send the bill to the help committee. it would instruct the help committee to remove 135 million dollars in critical funding that will help support humanities and cultural organizations weather the worst of this pandemic. mr. president, the pandemic has

devastated our arts and cultural organizations. our nation's museums, indigenous cultural organizations and local education nonprofits are facing significant losses in revenue, in layoffs, in furloughs. our cultural organize gaitions in rural and suburban areas need these resources to continue to serve our communities. the u.a.c. program at the department of health and human services is critical for ensuring the health and welfare of unaccompanied children. we absolutely do need to take steps to support this program to ensure their well-being. but this amendment is merely a delay tactic to address the critical issues at hand related to the covid-19 crisis. i urge my colleagues to oppose the motion. the presiding officer: the question is on the motion. asking for the yeas and nays. is there a sufficient second? there is. the clerk will call the roll.

vote:

the presiding officer: are there any senators in the chamber wishing to change their vote or wishing to vote? if not, the yeas are 49. the nays are 50. and the motion is not agreed to. a senator: mr. president? the presiding officer: the senator for louisiana. mr. cassidy: i call up my amendment 1162 and ask it be reported by number. the presiding officer: the clerk will report the amendment by number. the clerk: the senator from louisiana mr. cassidy for himself and mr. cotton proposes amendment 1162 to amendment numbered 891. mr. cassidy: i ask unanimous consent for two minutes of debate equally divided. the presiding officer: without objection. mr. cassidy: i rise on behalf of

myself, senators cotton and cruz, our amendment prevents $1,400 stimulus checks from going to inmates. you heard that right. this bill sends $1,400 stimulus checks to people incarcerated for heinous crimes. prisoners have all their living and medical expenses paid for by the taxpayer. they don't pay taxes. they don't contribute to the tax base. they can't be unemployed. in other words, inmates are not economically impacted by covid and inmates cannot stimulate the economy. but under this bill, democrats are giving prisoners again sometimes incarcerated for heinous crimes a $1,400 stimulus check. if we eliminate these, we save taxpayers $1.9 billion. now i know my democratic colleagues aren't going to agree but this spending should be on real needs. stimulus checks for inmates is nontargeted, inappropriate. it is a total waste of money.

i ask my colleagues to support the amendment. csh mr. president. the presiding officer: the senator for illinois. mr. durbin: mr. president, this amendment will cause harm to the families of incarcerated individuals. joint filers who would receive only half of the payment that their families are owed while the spouse is incarcerated. given the stark racial disparities in our criminal justice system, this would cause the most harm to black and brown families in communities already harmed by mass incarceration. children should not be forced to go hungry because a parent is incarcerated. relief payments would allow facility to replace lost income and pay rent and put food on the table. the cassidy amendment sweeps broadly denying recovery rebates not only to incarcerated individuals but also to anyone violating the condition of probation or parole. but the social security statute

that senator cassidy's amendment copies from has a safety valve giving discretion to allow payments to persons because of mitigating circumstances. his amendment does not. i would urge my colleagues to understand what we are facing with our criminal justice system today. we need to bring more justice to it and caring for the families of those who are incarcerated. mr. cassidy: i'll reply. it only applies to people incarcerated for a year. that's not true. i call for the vote. the presiding officer: the question is on the amendment. is there a sufficient second? there is a sufficient second. the clerk will call the roll. vote:

the presiding officer: any senators wishing to vote or change his or her vote? if not, the yeas are 49. the nays are 50. the amendment is not agreed to. the senator from texas. mr. cruz: mr. president, i call up my amendment number 968 and ask that it be reported by number. the presiding officer: the clerk will report by number. the clerk: the senator from texas mr. cruz proposes an amendment numbered 968 to amendment number 891.

the presiding officer: the senate will come toward. -- come to order. the senator from texas cruz crudz i ask unanimous consent for two -- mr. cruz: i ask for two minutes of debate equally divided. the presiding officer: without objection. mr. cruz: moments ago the democrats in this chamber just voted to send $1,400 stimulus checks to murderers, to rapists and child molesters incarcerated in prison. this amendment just like the one we just voted on that senator cassidy and i introduced, this amendment before us today provides that the stimulus checks should not go to illegal aliens in this country. the question for the american people to answer is, should your money, should taxpayer money be sent, $1,400 to every illegal alien in america. this amendment provides that it should not, that stimulus checks should only go to american citizens or to people lawfully present. now, the democrats may say their language allows for that.

but they know that the i.r.s. treats someone who is illegally present in the united states for 31 days last year as a resident alien. so this corrects that and ensures that illegal aliens are not eligible for taxpayer-funded stimulus checks. the presiding officer: the senator for illinois. mr. durbin: mr. president, the statement of the senator from texas is just plain false. false. let me be clear. undocumented immigrants do not have social security numbers. and they do not qualify for stimulus relief checks, period. and just in case you didn't notice, they didn't qualify in december when 92 of us voted for that measure, and they don't qualify under the american rescue plan. nothing is changed. and for you to stand up there and say the opposite is just to rile people up over something that is not true. mr. cruz: will the senator yield for a question? mr. durbin: no, i won't.

it is not true. we know what's going on here. they want to be able to give speeches that say the checks go to undocumented people. in the circumstance where there is a parent -- the presiding officer: the senator's time has expired. mr. durbin: -- that's it. but no money going to undocumented people under the american rescue plan. mr. cruz: mr. president, do i have any time remaining? i call for the yeas and nays. the presiding officer: no, sir. is there a sufficient second? there is. the clerk will call the roll. vote:

vote:

the presiding officer: are there any senators wishing to vote or wish to change his or her vote? if not, the yeas are 49, the nays are 50. the amendment is not agreed to. the senator for utah. mr. lee: i call up my amendment 1331 and ask it be reported by number. the presiding officer: the clerk will report by number. the clerk: the senator from utah, mr. lee, proposes amendment 1331 to 891. mr. lee: i ask for two minutes of debate equally divided. the presiding officer: without objection. mr. lee: welfare for the wealthy, that's what we have here. expanding obamacare and its premium tax credit without limit would allow families making up

to 5$00,000 a year to access federal subsidies for health insurance. my amendment would ensure that no individual or family making more than 500% of the federal poverty line could receive them. for a family of four that would happen around $132,000 a year. any expansion of the obamacare tax credit must be temporary and limited. regardless of how you feel about obamacare, regardless of how you feel about this expansion of it, i think we should all be able to agree that allowing those who are making hundreds of thousands of dollars a year to access this form of government assistance, even in a pandemic, perhaps especially in a pandemic sin appropriate. mr. wyden: mr. president. the presiding officer: the senator for oregon. mr. wyden: i rise in opposition. colleagues, had is what this -- this is what this amendment would do. it would deny premium assistance

to many middle-class families forcing them to pay more for health care, the last thing they need in the middle of a pandemic. in 2020, the average cost of health insurance was $17,244, for a family of four. that is a hefty bill to pay without assistance for most middle-income families, especially those who live in higher-cost areas. a.c.a. premium tax credits can mean the difference between affordable health insurance and doing without coverage. i urge colleagues to oppose the lee amendment. mr. lee: i call for the yeas and nays. the presiding officer: is there a sufficient second? there is. the clerk will call the roll. vote:

the presiding officer: are there any senators wishing to vote or change his or her vote? if not, the yeas are 49, the nays are 50. the amendment is not agreed to. the senator from iowa. mr. grassley: thank you. i call up my amendment 902 and ask it be reported by number. the presiding officer: the clerk will report by number. the clerk: the senator from iowa, mr. grassley proposes amendment 902. mr. grassley: i ask for two minutes equally divided.

the presiding officer: without objection. mr. grassley: you folks on the other side of the aisle, the house agricultural committee voted out a bipartisan that had the support of congressman fingstra of iowa and congresswoman axny of iowa. it got out of committee and the rules committee took it out of the bill that came over here. i'm asking for reconsideration of that. this amendment does this. it makes farmers in iowa that were hit by the durotio wind and that is a wind that you don't predict like you do a tornado and it just crops up and 150 miles long and 30 miles wide. it destroyed 350 acres of corn.

laid it fat. most of it was plowed under. the presiding officer: the senator's time expired. mr. grassley: time is up already? i would like to have it considered, please. ms. stabenow: mr. president. the presiding officer: the senator from michigan. ms. stabenow: thank you, mr. president. to my good friend, we worked together on so many things on agriculture. we saw the devastation caused by the storms across the midwest last year. that's why we have a strong crop insurance program in our farm bill that quickly responds when disasters strike. iowa producers have received $600 million in crop insurance indemocraties for damages in 2020 -- indemnities, for 2020. this should be considered in appropriations. i urge a no vote because it would take away in this amendment critical funds to

repair our food supply chain, support our farmers, our food banks, our frontline workers and families in need. we know the supply chain is broken. this provision will help fix that. i would urge a no vote. don't take money away from here which is so critically needed for farmers and families. thank you. the presiding officer: the question is on the amendment. yeas and nays have been requested. is there a second? there is. the clerk will call the roll. vote:

vote:

the presiding officer: are there any senators in the chamber wishing to vote or to change his or her vote? if not, the yeas are 45 and the nays are 54, and the amendment is not agreed to. order in the chamber. a senator: mr. president. the presiding officer: the senator from kansas. mr. moran: i call up my amendment 1154. the presiding officer: the clerk will report by number. the clerk: senator kansas mr. more ran proposes amendment 1154. mr. moran: i ask unanimous consent for two minutes of debate equally divided. the presiding officer: is there objection? mr. moran: amendment 1154 is on community care funding within the department of veterans affairs. the v.a. has estimated that it

needs $13.4 billion for medical care. this will bill provides $14.4 billion in care, but it currently limits that how much money can be spent within that care for community care. so we generally have all the cares within the v.a. but sometimes people are referred out to the community. sometimes there's telehealth and sometimes the care occurs in a v.a. facility. this would eliminate that cap of $4 billion and replace it with spending $5 billion on community care, the amount that is expected the v.a. will need. mr. president, again, this amendment removes this arbitrary funding barrier and it also includes additional dollars for maintenance at our v.a. medical centers. i retain the balance of my time. a senator: mr. president. the presiding officer: the senator from montana. mr. tester: mr. president, i rise and unfortunately i have to speak against this amendment,

my good friend jerry moran. but here's the deal, if you talk to the veterans, they like v.a. care but there are some cases where community care is very, very important for them to have. either there are personal reasons or maybe because it's closer to where they leave. so community care is also very, very important. here's the problem i have with ranking member moran's amendment. this bill sets it as a cap of $4 billion. they go over that, they have to come to us and ask for permission to go over that. under this amendment, they can spend any amount on care, up to $5 billion and even more if they so choose without our permission. i want jerry moran and myself and others to be able to say, hey, what do you spent that money for? by the way, that's not only for community care. that's for v.a. care too. so i would like to leave that as a cap instead of a floor. that's why i oppose this amendment. mr. moran: the mission act allows for the veteran and the v.a. to make the decision where

the care should occur. i ask for the yeas and nays. the presiding officer: the question is on the amendment. is there a sufficient second? there is. the clerk will call the roll. vote:

the presiding officer: is there anyone else wishing to vote or change their vote? seeing none, the yeas are 49, the nays are 50. the amendment is not agreed to. a senator: mr. president. the presiding officer: the senator from alaska. ms. murkowski: mr. president, i call up my amendment number --. the presiding officer: just a moment. the chamber will be in order. ms. murkowski: i call up amendment number 1233 and ask it be reported by number. the presiding officer: the clerk will report by number. the clerk: the senator from alaska, mrs. murkowski, for hearse and mr. portman -- for hearse and mr. portman proposes amendment 1233. ms. murkowski: i ask for two minutes of debate equally divided. the presiding officer: without objection. ms. murkowski: this is the amendment we're waiting for, this is so bipartisan we've already agreed fo a voice vote, so listen carefully.

thank you for that. pre-pandemic, our public schools identified about 1.5 million kids who experience homelessness. that's 2.7% of all public school students. so think about what that means. that was pre-pandemic. we know that that number is higher now. so our amendment is pretty simple here. we reallocate less than 1% of the funding for the elementary and secondary school emergency relief fund to ensure that homeless youth and kids have the resources that they need to get into and succeed in school. in alaska and around the country the covid-19 pandemic and the economic downturn increased the strain on our families and the need for services. too many of the kids have left their homes, been pushed out of their homes, sometimes many of them to escape a dangerous situation. they're dealing with the challenges of virtual learning. these kids are worrying about where to sleep at night, how

they're going to eat dinner, if they're going to be safe. this amendment ensures that these kids, no matter the trauma and the challenges that they face outside of the classroom, will have a safe place to sleep and access to the wrap-around services that they need. we have a responsibility to ensure that this vulnerable population, many of whom will be subject to predation, violence or trafficking is not forgotten or left behind. i would like to yield to my friend and colleague, senator manchin. the presiding officer: the senator from west virginia. mr. manchin: i also proudly rise with my colleague on this piece of legislation. there's not one of us in this room that doesn't have rising homelessness for our children in your state. not one of us. we're all experiencing that right now. we're 10,000 in the state of west virginia alone, and these are children basically if you look at it, it's estimated that one in four homeless children -- that's about 420,000 kids -- are potentially unidentified and are not even

connected with a school system. not even connected. they're couch surfing, it's just horrible, horrible, horrible what's going on. i'm so proud this is such a bipartisan piece of legislation and less than 1%, less than $800 million is what we've asked for to use in this. thanks so much. appreciate it. the presiding officer: all time has expired. the question is on the amendment. all those in favor say aye. all opposed, nay. the ayes appear to have it. the ayes do have it. the amendment is agreed to. a senator: mr. president. the presiding officer: the senator from mt. montana. a senator: i have a motion at the desk. the clerk: the senator from montana mr. daines moves to commit the bill to the committee on foreign relations with instruction. mr. daines: this motion to commit will send this bill back

to the foreign relations committee to include authorization of the keystone x.l. pipeline, the final bill. in fact, as we saw earlier this morning, the keystone x.l. pipeline has bipartisan support. the amendment this morning was a 60-vote threshold. this is a simple majority, it's great for our rural communities, reduces emissions. it's time to get this done. i urge mile colleagues on both -- i urge my colleagues on both sides of the aisle to support this motion. a senator: mr. president. the presiding officer: the senator from new jersey. mr. menendez: mr. president. colleagues, this amendment is meant for one purpose and one purpose only, and that is to kill the american rescue plan, to kill all the work that has brought us to this moment, to kill the $1,400 checks to american families that will help them stay in their homes and put food on the table, to kill the extended unemployment checks that millions are depending upon us not to let lapse next week,

to kill the ability to put more vaccine in the arms of our families, to kill the desperate aid that small businesses need to stay alive, to kill the chance to lift 50% of all of those children in poverty into the sun lit plains of opportunity. the senate has already expressed itself today on keystone. the committee rules could not accommodate this referral in the time frame offered. enough is enough. it's time to defeat this amendment and pass the american rescue plan. i urge my colleagues to vote against it. the presiding officer: the senator from montana. mr. daines: the only thing killed is the keystone x.l. pipeline by president biden. this resurrects the keystone x.l. pipeline. the union jobs are needed. the rural communities need tax revenues for their schools. we had bipartisan support for that this morning. let's do it again. i urge passage of this motion to commit. the presiding officer: the question is on the motion.

is there a sufficient second? there appears to be. there is. the clerk will call the roll. vote:

the presiding officer: are there any other senators in the chamber wishing to vote or to change his or her vote? seeing none the yeas are 49, the nays are 50. the amendment is not agreed to. a senator: mr. president. the presiding officer: the senator from virginia. mr. warner: mr. president, i call up amendment 1391 and ask that it be reported by number.

the presiding officer: the clerk will report by number. the clerk: the senator from virginia, mr. warner, for himself and mr. rubio proposes an amendment numbered 1391 to amendment number 891. mr. warner: i ask unanimous consent that the, there be two minutes equally divided. the presiding officer: is there objection? none. go ahead. mr. warner: my colleagues, i believe this may be the last amendment, and it is broadly bipartisan. this amendment simply continues provisions that were included in the earlier covid relief packages. it was called section 3610, and it ensures that our classified government contractor workforce, a workforce that oftentimes takes many years to receive top-level security clearance, continues to get compensated through the balance of the fiscal year. failure to do this would lose this workforce to private sector and other competitors and seriously put our national security at risk.

i would point out this is an independent bill of this nature, clearly unanimously earlier this week on this side of the aisle. i yield the balance of my time. the presiding officer: the senator from kentucky. mr. warner: i yield to senator rubio. the presiding officer: the senator from florida. mr. rubio: thank you. this is important to the intelligence community. i just ask that no one be a fly in the ointment here. a senator: mr. president. the presiding officer: the senator from kentucky. mr. paul: this amendment is an insult to every cashier at walmart or bagger at kroger who comes to work every day in person. this amendment is an insult to every meat packer or waiter or waitress who comes to work every day in person. supporters of this amendment care more about government contractors making $100,000 a year than they do about the people who serve your food.

if food servers and grocery store clerks can come to work in person, i think government contractors can too. i urge a no vote. mr. warner: i ask for the yeas and nays. the presiding officer: is there a sufficient second? there appears to be. the clerk will call the roll. vote:

vote:

the president pro tempore: on this vote, the yeas are 93. the nays are 6. the amendment is agreed to. the president pro tempore: pursuant to rule 4, paragraph 2, the hour of noon having arrived, the senate having been in continuous session since yesterday, the senate will suspend for a prayer from the senate chaplain. dr. black. the chaplain: let us pray.

eternal god, who guides us through life's marathons, we praise your powerful name. have compassion on us and answer our prayers. lord, you control our destiny. you have promised to do for us all that you have planned. may our lawmakers confidently face the future, believing that their times are in your hands. guided by your loving providence, may our senators refuse to depart from the path on which you have placed them.

grant that your blessings will rest on your people now and always. we pray in your great name. amen. mr. schumer: mr. president. the presiding officer: the majority leader. and the senate will be in order. the senate will be in order. the majority leader. mr. schumer: mr. president, i'm pleased that we have finally come to this point. this amendment makes a series of conforming and technical changes. it strikes provisions that the parliamentarian advised were extraneous, it makes a series of

perfection issues while preserving the will that the senate has worked over this long day. i call up my amendment 1398 and ask that it be reported by number. the presiding officer: the clerk will report. the clerk: the senator from new york, mr. schumer, proposes an amendment numbered 1398 to amendment number 891. mr. schumer: mr. president, i ask unanimous consent for two minutes of debate equally divided. the presiding officer: without objection, it is so ordered. a senator: mr. president. the presiding officer: the senator from ohio. mr. portman: this amendment comes after about 24 hours of discussion here as a surprise so we're looking at it for the first time. two things are disturbing about it. it distorts worker compensation for federal employees, which substantially increases costs to

taxpayers, of course. it also sets a terrible precedent in terms of how workers compensation works. you have to show that you have been injured on the job. that's a basic principle of workers comp. this amendment requires compensation for covid-19 lost wages no matter how risky a federal employee's behavior might have been outside the workplace. no questions asked. if you're a federal worker, you get covid-19, you get this. that's not the way workers compensation works. so this is a big change in workforce policy and establishes a dangerous new precedent. it creates incentives for the employee and employer. we oppose this. for federal workers it is -- it is for injuries while in the

performance of duty. ask for an additional 30 seconds. the presiding officer: without objection. mr. portman: we're finding out there's another $10 billion added to state and local government. i don't if everybody was listening when senator romney gave a history of what is happening to our states. a lot of states don't need the money. some do, some don't. if you is have a sur -- surplus, you don't get the money, yet we're adding $10 million to that pot through this amendment. we object to this amendment. there may be other stuff too. i hope everyone has a chance to look at it. we have not had a chance to do it yet. i hope we do not create the wrong incentives. i hope we don't substantially increase costs to the taxpayer and another $10 billion to a category where it has been shown not to be needed.

the presiding officer: the senator from vermont. mr. sanders: i rise in support of the rescue plan. this bill we are completing now is the most significant piece of legislation to benefit working people in the modern history of this country. not only are we going to go forward to crush this pandemic, to rebuild our economy and to get our kids back to school safely, we're going to do something even more important. we're going to help restore faith in the united states government among the people of our country, the people are hurting and today we respond. the presiding officer: all time has expired. the question is on the amendment. those in favor say aye. opposed. the ayes appear to have it. the ayes do have it.

the amendment is agreed to. the question is on amendment number 891, as amended. all in favor say aye. all opposed, say no. the ayes appear to have it. the ayes do have it. the amendment, as amended, is agreed to. the question -- the clerk will read the bill for the third time. the clerk: calendar number 1319, an act to provide for reconciliation pursuant to title 2 of s. con. res. 5. mr. schumer: mr. president. the presiding officer: the majority leader. mr. schumer: mr. president. may we have order, please. the presiding officer: the senate -- the president pro tempore: the senate will be in order. those who have conversations please take them off the floor or to the cloakrooms.

mr. schumer: thank you, mr. president. mr. president, it's been a long day, a long night, a long year, but a new day has come and we tell the american people help is on the way. when democrats assumed the majority in this chamber, we promised to pass legislation to rescue our people from the depths of the pandemic and bring our economy and our country roaring back. in a few moments, we are going to deliver on that promise. this bill will deliver more help to more people than anything the federal government has done in decades. it is broader, deeper, and more comprehensive in helping working families and lifting people out of poverty than anything congress has seen or accomplished in a very long time. the pandemic has affected nearly

every aspect of american life so this bill spans the gamut and provides support to every part of our country. for americans who doubted that the government can help them in this time of crisis, you will be getting direct checks, your schools will receive assistance to reopen quickly and safely, your local businesses will get another lifeline and the day when you receive the vaccine will be a lot sooner. the american rescue plan will go down as one of the most sweeping federal recovery efforts in history. it's never easy to pass legislation as momentous as this, but it will all and soon be worth it. now, i know that on saturday morning, the american people aren't watching our proceedings here. they are probably out walking the dog or sitting down at breakfast with the kids, but i

want them to know help is on the way, that their government is going to give one final push to get us over the finish line. i want the american people to know that we're going to get through this and some day soon our businesses will reopen, our economy will reopen, and life will reopen. we will end this terrible plague and we will travel again and send our kids to school again and be together again. our job right now is to help our country get from this stormy present to that hopeful future and it starts with voting aye on the legislation before us. vote yes on the american rescue plan. vote yes. and before i yield the floor,

one final note, let us all express our deepest gratitude to all of my colleagues. we went through a long, long period in the last day, to the staffs of the committees and the personal senate offices who worked so hard to put this legislation together, and especially let us thank the great floor staff, the clerks, the cafeteria workers, the custodial staff and the capitol police. many of them have worked for as many as 36 hours straight. my notes say here let's get them a round of applause, but you've already done that. and one more thank you to my

great and wonderful staff. i'll thank all of them by name at a later date because i want them to be awake and alert when i do. i yield the floor. mr. mcconnell: mr. president. the presiding officer: the -- the president pro tempore: the republican leader. mr. mcconnell: the senate has never spent $2 trillion in a more haphazard way. the voters gave the democrats the slimmest majority. the voters picked a president who promised bipartisanship. the democrats' response is to ram through what they call, quote, the most progressive domestic legislation in a generation on a razor-thin majority in both houses. the right path was obvious. we followed it five times last year. five rescue packages totaling $

4 trillion and none got fewer than 90 votes. the senate wrote the cares act, republicans and democrats shoulder to shoulder, that was the road to real pandemic relief, but democrats actually wanted, mr. president, something else. they explained their intent very clearly, to exploit this crisis, quote, as a tremendous opportunity to restructure things to fit our vision. that's how you get this massive bill with only 1% -- 1% for vaccinations, that ignores the science on reopening schools that's stuffed with unrelated covid spending that even top economists say is wrong for the economy. 2021 is already set to be our comeback year because the american people's resilience and

the bipartisan foundation that we laid last year. we could have worked together to speed up victory, but our democratic colleagues made a decision. their top priority wasn't pandemic relief, it was their washington wish list. so, mr. president and colleagues, i strongly recommend a no vote. the president pro tempore: the clerk will call -- the president pro tempore: the question is on passage of the bill, as amended. mr. schumer: i ask for the yeas and nays. the president pro tempore: is there a sufficient second? there is a sufficient second. the clerk will call the roll. vote:

the president pro tempore: no senator wishes to change their vote, if not, the yeas are 50, the nays are 49. the bill, as amended, is passed.

the presiding officer: the majority leader. mr. schumer: i move to proceed to executive session to consider calendar number 12. the presiding officer: the question is on the motion. all in favor say aye. those opposed, no. the ayes appear to have it. the ayes do have it. the motion is agreed to. mr. schumer: i ask unanimous consent -- i note the absence of a quorum. the presiding officer: the clerk will call the roll. quorum call:

quorum call:

mr. schumer: i ask unanimous consent the quorum be dispensed with. the presiding officer: without objection. the clerk will report the nomination. the clerk: nomination, department of housing and urban

development, marcia louise fudge of ohio to be secretary. mr. schumer: i send a cloture motion to the desk. the presiding officer: the clerk will report the cloture motion. 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 executive calendar number 12, marcia louise fudge of ohio, to be secretary of housing and urban development, signed by 16 senators as follows. mr. schumer: i ask consent the reading of the names be waived. the presiding officer: without objection. mr. schumer: i move to proceed to legislative session. the presiding officer: the question is on the motion. all those in favor say aye. all those opposed say no. the ayes appear to have it. mr. schumer: mr. president, i --. the presiding officer: the motion is agreed to. mr. schumer: i move to proceed to executive session to consider calendar number 27. the presiding officer: the question is on the motion. all those in favor say aye. those opposed no.

the ayes appear to have it. the ayes do have it. the motion is agreed to. the clerk will report the nomination. the clerk: nomination, department of justice, merrick brian garland of maryland to be attorney general. mr. schumer: i send a cloture motion to the desk. the presiding officer: the clerk will report the cloture motion. the clerk: we, the undersigned senators, in accordance with the provisions of rule 22 of the standing rules of the senate hereby move to bring to a close the debate on the nomination of executive calendar number 27, merrick brian garland to be attorney general, signed by --. mr. schumer: i ask consent the reading of the names be waived. the presiding officer: without objection. mr. schumer: i move to proceed to legislative session. the presiding officer: the question is on the motion. all those in favor say aye. all those opposed say no. the ayes appear to have it. the ayes have it. the motion is agreed to. mr. schumer: mr. president, i ask consent that the mandatory quorum calls with respect to these motions be waived. the presiding officer: without objection.

mr. schumer: i move to executive session to consider calendar number 15. the presiding officer: the question is on the motion. all those in favor say aye. all those opposed say no. the ayes appear to have it. the ayes do have it. the motion is agreed to. the clerk will report the nomination. the clerk: nomination, environmental protection agency, michael stanley regan of north carolina to be administrator. mr. schumer: i send a cloture motion to the desk. the presiding officer: the clerk will report the cloture motion. the clerk: cloture motion, we, the undersigned senators, in accordance with the provisions of l rule 22 of the standing rules of the senate hereby move to bring to a close debate on

calendar number 15, michael stanley regan, administrator of the environmental protection agency signed by 19 senators as follows. mr. schumer: i ask consent reading of the names be waived. the presiding officer: without objection. mr. schumer: i move to proceed to legislative session. the presiding officer: the question is on the motion. all those in favor say aye. all those opposed say no. the ayes appear to have it. the ayes do have it. the motion is agreed to. mr. schumer: i move to proceed to calendar number 1, s. 11. the presiding officer: the clerk will report. the clerk: motion to proceed to calendar number 1, s. 11, a bill to provide for an exception to a limitation against appointment of persons as secretary of defense, and so forth. mr. schumer: i note the absence of a quorum. the presiding officer: the clerk will call the roll.

quorum call:

quorum call:

mr. schumer: mr. president. the presiding officer: the majority leader. mr. schumer: i ask unanimous consent the quorum be dispensed with. the presiding officer: without objection. mr. schumer: mr. president, i ask unanimous consent that on tuesday, march 9, at 5:30 p.m., cloture ripen on calendar number 12, marcia louise fudge, and executive calendar 27, merrick brian garland, that the senate

vote cloture on the marcia louise fudge and that the time expire on march 10 at 12 noon, following the cloture vote on the fudge nomination, the senate vote on the garl nomination and -- garland nomination. further, that cloture on the regan nomination ripen following disposition of the garland nomination. the presiding officer: is there objection? without objection. mr. schumer: mr. president, i ask unanimous consent that when the senate completes its business today, it adjourn until 3:00 p.m. on tuesday, march 9, that following the prayer and pledge, the journal of proceedings be approved to date, and the time for the two leaders be reserved for their use later in the day, morning business be closed, and the senate proceed to executive session to resume consideration of the fudge nomination, as provided under the previous order. finally, i ask that the mandatory quorum call with respect to the regan nomination be waived. the presiding officer: without objection. mr. schumer: mr. president, for

the information of senators, the senate will not be in session on monday, march 8. on tuesday there will be two roll call votes at 5:30 p.m., the first vote will be to invoke cloture on the fudge nomination to be secretary of h.u.d., followed by the garland nomination to be attorney general. if there's no further business to come before the senate, i ask that it stand adjourned under the previous order. the presiding officer: the senate stands adjourned until 3:00 number.

the president pro tempore: the clerk will report. the clerk: the senator from ohio, mr. portman, for himself and others, proposes an amendment numbered 1092 to amendment numbered 891. >> senator from ohio, 2891. >> is their objection, hearing none so ordered. >> everybody agrees the economy is getting better, no argument about that and workers needed in this massive partisan spending bill, democrats are insisting on a substantial increase to the extraordinary federal government at on to state unemployment payments making it harder to get people who can go back to work.