♪ >> the white house did not release a weekly address from the president, however tammy duckworth of illinois delivered the democratic weekly address, discussing the federal response to the coronavirus outbreak ahead of memorial day.

senator duckworth: i'm senator tammy duckworth of illinois. i spent 23 years in the military, serving with some of the bravest men and women our nation has to offer. men and women who placed the alleys of our country, the liberties and ideals of which we stand before their very own well-being who understood we are stronger when we achieve a common good and refuse to leave anyone behind. i am going to spend this memorial day thinking of all of those warriors who sacrificed everything for the nation they left. i'm going to be thinking about my friends who never made it home from war. i'm going to be thinking about the stories they told about their families and the hopes they shared about their futures. that doesn't mean just spending a 24 hours once every day with their memories, it means every day trying to meet the lives that honor sacrifices they made

in the way they deserve. right now, those of us in congress can begin to do that by ensuring our veterans along with all other americans have what they need to stay as safe as possible during this global pandemic. even though mitch mcconnell is trying to slow walk the package claiming he has not yet "felt the urgency of acting immediately" -- but those i'm hearing from our not having trouble feeling that urgency. i don't know that kind of definition, including more than 1000 veterans have died in just three months. that qualifies as urgent in my book. veteransthat countless because they are exposed to agent orange or exposed to -- or suffer from gulf war syndrome, that seems urgent to me. that is why i introduced a bill to/veterans health care cost and ensure they don't have to pay more for vaccines or

preventative services than any other insured americans. that is why we democrats have been fighting to extend testing in contact tracing, to get hospitals resource they need to boost funding for small businesses, including those owned by veterans, and to funnel more support into hunger prevention programs like snap, which more than a million veterans rely on to survive. it's why we are working so hard to make sure every american can vote safely, securely and conveniently as possible. it's unthinkable republicans like mcconnell and trump might refuse to do so. toward the end of the civil war, abraham lincoln said we must all be strong to care for those who have borne the battle, their widows and orphans. as our nation faces a different crisis, let's reconnect to

heating president lincoln's words, so there's no better way to honor the sacrifices of our fallen heroes and acting in service of others. thank you. god bless all of our troops in harm's way right now. god bless all of our veterans. and, as always, god bless the united states of america. >> congress has set aside legislative work on capitol hill over the memorial day holiday. the house is expected to return wednesday and thursday of next week when they will allow proxy voting on bills for the first time. house plans on voting extending the foreign intelligence surveillance act through 2023 with some provisions to the program. members may also consider another coronavirus relief package. the senate is meeting every few days and pro forma sessions during their weeklong memorial day holiday recess. senators return to work on june 1 and will resumenominations ase

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