durbin: thank you, mr. president. mr. president, each of us receives a report almost on an hourly basis from our home states and at the end of the day, my state of illinois sends a report on the latest situation involving this covid-19 virus. 163 new infections were announced yesterday. that's the biggest one-day jump that we've had and one additional death. governor pritzker has issued a stay at home order for the state of illinois today beginning saturday, today, at 5:00 p.m. until april 7. the city of chicago is closing its parks and libraries as well starting today. the veterans administration has reported one confirmed veterans case with the virus in the chicago area. that person is now under home quarantine. we had an exceptional situation at midway airport where two faa tower employees tested positive for the virus several days ago. we of course have to have an abundance of care and caution for the remaining employees there and so the f.a.a. together with the city of chicago has been involved in screening the other

durbin: happy to yield. a senator: i'm told that speak pelosi also not sent the bill to the senate yet. a senator: has the bill be sent by speaker pelosi to the senate yet? the presiding officer: the chair is unaware that the bill's arrived. mr. nadler: probably pretty -- mr. risch: pretty hard to argue that. mr. durbin: there's an enrollment collection that is supposed to be taken up by the house and sent over here. i understand that men and women of the house -- a member of the house has objected to the enrollment. it is held up because of his objection. mr. risch: thank you, mr. president. the presiding officer: the senator from ohio. mr. brown: i think you watched what is wrong with this place. senator durbin comes here and talks about doing something. last thursday when speak pelosi and secretary mnuchin were close to coming up with a deal about what we have to do, what we have to do to stop this virus. keep in mind, the president of the united states first answered this with all of the elites in switze

durbin: mr. president, i would like to address this issue because i think it's important we explain where we are today and why we've reached this point. i can recall when senator graham crossed the aisle a week or so ago perhaps and started talking about unemployment insurance and his goals with unemployment insurance. it sounded consistent with the language in conversation i heard in our own side of the aisle, our own caucus. to use the unemployment insurance system as a way to make sure that people were able to really weather the storm when it come to the public health crisis we face. there are a number of people who are filing for unemployment has gone up dramatically. two million new unemployment claims filed last week compared to 218,000 nationwide in previous weeks. so we know that the number of people who have lost their jobs, laid off, furloughed, fired is growing just in a fashion we've never seen before. i've seen it reported in my state, i'm sure each of you have seen the same. but let

senator durbin? senator durbin -- out, thisthing i left should be a four corners negotiation with the white house. the plan that leader mcconnell laid out will only delay things. to first putlicans together their plan and then work it out with the white house and then come to us and then after that go to the house will just slow things down. i believe the best way to get this going is in a bipartisan way from the outset. we have our ideas, they have their ideas, but leader mcconnell, speaker pelosi, leader maccarthy, myself, and the white house sit down and come to an agreement rather quickly. the plan leader mcconnell laid out will slow things down in a significant and genetic way, and off in anot start bipartisan way, and above all, it should be bipartisan. senator? much --durbin: this is this is a matter of life and death. the state of illinois has announced the first coronavirus vitality. the person passed away while being hospitalized. i also learned from the department of public health there wa

durbin: i want to clarify a statement i made he willier. i stayed that because of a problem at the control tower, southwest airlines had suspended their flights. it turns out that they have substantially curtailed their the flights but have not suspended all their flights. the earlier press report has been amended by the papers. and i wanted to make my statement on the floor clear. quorum -- that the quorum call be lifted. the presiding officer: without objection. mr. van hollen: thank you, mr. president. thank you for presiding today and to all who are here at this moment of extreme challenge for our country and for the

senator dick durbin. >> thank you very much.it's an honor to be here and to be part of this presentation. i do want to preface it by thinking governor pritzker. when you stand for office you never know what challenge you will face if you are elected. no one could've possibly imagine the challenge which this government and our entire team at leading us this one are facing agent of a day. we use statistics and these are human lives, this government has made it clear that he is addressing this challenge in the most serious possible manner with professionalism, determination and compassion. he's put together an excellent team and do what you think dr. ezike. it's my pleasure to work with her in several different capacities. and secretary hou and others who are here. i do want to shout at as well to the big sister, penny pritzker. personal friend for many years, a leader of the federal level as our secretary of commerce, governor, i couldn't think of a better person to cheer this done your sister, to lead this effort, to bring togeth

durbin: mr. president, i would like to address this issue because i think it's important we explain where we are today and why we've reached this point. i can recall when senator graham crossed the aisle a week or so ago perhaps and started talking about unemployment insurance and his goals with unemployment insurance. it sounded consistent with the language in conversation i heard in our own side of the aisle, our own caucus. to use the unemployment insurance system as a way to make sure that people were able to really weather the storm when it come to the public health crisis we face. there are a number of people who are filing for unemployment has gone up dramatically. two million new unemployment claims filed last week compared to 218,000 nationwide in previous weeks. so we know that the number of people who have lost their jobs, laid off, furloughed, fired is growing just in a fashion we've never seen before. i've seen it reported in my state, i'm sure each of you have seen the same. but let

durbin: i ask unanimous consent that the quorum call be suspended. the presiding officer: without objection. mr. durbin: i understand there is a discharge position at the desk for senate joint resolution 56 signed by at least 30 senators which will cause the joint resolution to be discharged under the congressional review act, is that correct? >> yes, it is. mr. durbin: i move to the joint -- under chapter 8, title 5 of the u.s. code relating to borrower defense institutional accountability. the presiding officer: the question is on the motion to proceed. mr. durbin: i ask for the yeas and nays. the presiding officer: is there a sufficient second? there appears to be. there is. 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 55, the nays are 41. the motion is agreed the clerk will report. the clerk: 439, s.j. res. 56, joint resolution providing for congressional disapproval under chapter 8 of title 5, united states code, and so fort

that is senator durbin. i want to thank you for all the work you are doing to help us build a series of relief packages that actually aid working families and small businesses. i am really glad you are here in person to share more about that. i will have the pleasure of introducing our other guest in just a few moments. the director of the department of public health directors on our medical fight against covid-19. doctor. >> continue to practice social distancing across the state. it may not seemed like it now, but you are helping us get to the end and eventually returning to our regular normal. disregarding social distancing guidelines, i am begging you to think of your fellow man, woman and child. it is so clear. we need our entire community to form these important tasks or else we suffer the consequences for all. today, unfortunately, we are sharing 673 new cases of covid-19 which brings our total for illinois to 2538 individuals sadly, this also includes seven additional deaths which brings us to 26 liv

he served here with senator markey and was senator durbin. and i've talked to him three times this week. hey will help us speed up the unemployment checks so they get to workers. we need to make sure all workers whobl are eligible, including independent contractors and self-employed workers. secondly need a temporary expansion of the earned income tax credit and the child t tax credit for the next several years. third, we need to hold any county company getting taxpayer dollars accountable. if we are going to help the airlines, and i think we should mr. president, it means the airlines can do no stock buybacks, no sending jobs overseas, it means no outsourcing jobs to independent, usually low-paid contract workers, food-service, custodial, security workers, it means no golden parachutes for executives. it means no using taxpayer dollars that we are bailing them out with the bust unions that are trying to organize in the workplace. if they want taxpayer money, you commit to using it to help people who make this country work. fourth, we need to

durbin: mr. president, yesterday i came to the floor with some optimism about what we could be including in the legislation currently being considered in the senate to respond to the coronavirus public health emergency. i laid out priorities ranging from shoring up hospital systems to measures to provide direct assistance to students, workers, businesses, and families through this economic crisis. since that time, leader mcconnell has released the republican draft, his offering for this third package. it's a 250-page bill that some estimate will cost a trillion dollars. that is a daunting price tag, except when you put it in context of the american economy and what it takes to keep us on track or put us back on track. our top priority must be immediate direct relief to the health care sector. our heroic doctors, nurses, first responders, lab techs and the hospitals and health clinics they support. yesterday, i spent an hour on the telephone with the governor of illinois, j.b. pritzker, talking ab

durbin: madam president. the presiding officer: the senator from illinois. mr. durbin: madam president, yesterday, the president of the united states and the center for disease control contacted us individually and at least through the media to advise us to avoid gatherings of more than ten people. it's a reflection of the national emergency we face and the public health crisis that america is facing head on, as it should. this morning, as we opened the senate, there were 18 people gathered on the floor of the senate, three senators and 15 staff people. as those who follow the senate can tell, our staffers come to work as they are expected to, but come under circumstances that are more challenging than they were just a few weeks ago. i want to thank each and every one of them here on the floor, as well as the many that you don't see behind the scenes who are necessary for the opening of this capitol and for the protection of everyone who works here. there are policemen, there are people engaged in basic activities here to keep this magnificent structure function

durbin: i want to clarify a statement i made he willier. i stayed that because of a problem at the control tower, southwest airlines had suspended their flights. it turns out that they have substantially curtailed their the flights but have not suspended all their flights. the earlier press report has been amended by the papers. and i wanted to make my statement on the floor clear. quorum -- that the quorum call be lifted. the presiding officer: without objection. mr. van hollen: thank you, mr. president. thank you for presiding today and to all who are here at this moment of extreme challenge for our country and for the world, and we must rise to the occasion and unite to fight a common enemy, covid-19, also known as the coronavirus, and what we're witnessing, mr. president, is americans from all backgrounds and all walks of life doing that around the country, coming together and uniting not physically close but spiritually close to one another as we work our way through this crisis. in my state of maryland, people are doing exactly that.

senators durbin and stabenow ere part of this but couldn't be here for further obligations. now we have senator leahy. senator leahy: thank you, mr. leader. crisis, and serious i'm afraid that the white house rhetoric and ing not facing reality. to we're doing is trying substitute reality for their rhetoric. the american people are looking for leadership. believe it's up to us to provide that leadership. at we're doing is looking people. those are the ones, not corporations. people. we respond to and hear from in our states. been said, paid sick days so people can stay home to protect of r health and the health others. that's critical. it's critical they be able to critical but it's that they're not fearing they're lose their house or children to go to school. small businesses and to unities, we're trying help them in vermont. i applaud our governor who's doing that. net.y those who can't pay their rent mortgages.heir but also the american people are rhetoric.re than they're facing reality. it does not help at all when the a sident comes in wearing of the hat, a member c.d.c

different parts of this proposal and their views and were going to hear from centers very, brown, durbin, leahy, wyden, horner and cardin. >> thank you senator schumer. families in my home state of washington are scared . they are frustrated they are angry so mi. new reporting now makes clear that even after researchers in seattle raised serious concerns about the possibility of community spread in washington state and tried to work with federal agencies to conduct testing, the administration did not work with them to let the public know how serious this was. you can be sure that i'mgoing to get the bottom of this and make sure it never happens again . i am furious that instead of acting with urgency, they did nothing. instead of acting with transparency, they kept quiet. instead of working to keep families safe, they wasted valuabletime . and now, over 24 people in my home state have died. over 1000 across the country are now confirmed to be infected and experts are telling us that many more will will likely become ill. i'm hearing from people in washington state are worried about their

course that we have the numbers needed to get the job and then to acknowledge chuck schumer and dick durbin but what we have to do now we have to do more but in terms of this bill so anyone of their constituents and whatever their category is and how they can avail themselves it is there. it is substantial. we have to do more and it's important we do more for healthcare providers have what they need. >> i forgot kate. >> and appropriations committee and then to join the leader to acknowledge to the members on the committee. and then to sign the enrollment of the legislation so we can send it to the senate. and then they will send it to the president so he can sign it as soonbu as possible that this will be available to the american people and the contribution to all of this. i wish i could have a plan for all of you. [inaudible] [inaudible conversations] [applause] [inaudible] [inaudible] [inaudible] >> don't forget. [inaudible] [applause] [inaudible conversations] >> congressman massie why were you both on congressman on both sides of the chamber. >> they didn't give me a minute to speak a

i do want to acknowledge chuck schumer and the members of the senate dick durbin especially with their committees as well. but what we have to do now i am encouraged to say we need to do more but in terms of this bill what we are working on right now is to translate a toolkit for our members so any wine of their constituents small business owner or that they know how they can avail themselves of what is in this legislation. it is fair and substantial. we need to do more. i think it's very important we do work for the personal protective equipment so healthcare providers have what they need thank you to the great work of the congresswoman issue. >> and the appropriations committee working in a bipartisan way in the house and senate i want to join the leader and acknowledging the ranking member on the committee. with that it is now time for me to sign the enrollment of the legislation to send it over to the senate. there has been a change of plans but they will send it to the president so he can find it as soon as possible so the benefits will be available to the american people. all of

senator durbin comes here and talks about the importance of doing something. last thursday when speaker pelosi and secretary mnuchin were close to coming up with a deal about what we have to do, what we have to do to stop this virus, keep in mind, president of the united states first mentioned this in answer to a question about all the elites in davos, switzerland first answered a question saying, oh, this virus is nothing, it will mean nothing. he's known-- it took him, one, two, three, four, five, six, i think eight weeks before he declared an emergency and then last thursday, we were supposed to start working on this, we should have-- i had senator mcconnell on the floor and i opened this door and pointed down the hall and said senator mcconnell shut come back here and work on this bill. whether they're finished in the house down the hall doing it or not we should be working this. now we've had four more days, senator mcconnell had to go back to kentucky. i don't really know what he went back for. we asked him to stay and finish this, negotiate it and do it

i want to acknowledge chuck schumer, dick durbin, and the members of their committee. we have to do now as the leader was speaking, further whatraged to say that we have to do now and in terms of what we need to do more, but in terms of what we are working on now is to translate it into a toolkit for our members so that anyone of their constituents, if they are a small business owner -- whatever their category is, that they know immediately how they can avail themselves of what is in this legislation. it is there, it is substantial, we need to do more, and i just want to say once again, it is important that we do more for personal protective equipment so our health care providers have what they need. i want to acknowledge the great work of a congressman in this regard. >> i think i forgot somebody. >> and the appropriations committee, they worked in a bipartisan way in the house and with the senate, and i want to join the leader and acknowledging. kay granger is the ranking member on the committee. meh that, it is now time for to sign the moment of the legislation so w

never into my wildest dreams, senator durbin, did i believe that what we have done

durbin: i would be happy to yield for a question from the gentleman from south carolina. carolina. >> both sides of the aisle would not agree that we are both inclined to get you in place but and we are in fact keeping the average person especially the working class people hold as we ponder and discuss this amendment, would you agree? of course. in my final thought is, my goal isn't to come down here and have a disagreement come as much as it is to illuminate a very important part of the process that if we can get it fixed throughout our country that as we tackle these issues of the future, more focus on both sides of the aisle will have greater confidence in giving these resources to the states so that our people can behold, that's all i want to say. >> no disagreement. but the u.s. department of labor says we cannot do that at this moment. and at this moment, when people are hurting so badly, when they lost their jobs, their furloughed, they're laid off and they're worried about paying their bills the trump administration says were going to send them a cash payment, we

joining us now senator dick durbin. thank you for joining me. sure you've got to be hired, but here you are with a deal. are you happy with the bill? >> yes, i am. last sunday when the democrats voted no to move forward on the original mcconnell bill, there was a lot of anxiety and finger pointing, but the good news is in the next 72 hours, we came together on a bipartisan basis with the white house and really struck an agreement that we think answers the highest priorities. we are insisting there be a marshall plan for the hospitals. we went from 75 billion in the original bill to 130 billion in this big. we increased dramatically the unemployment insurance that will be available to workers across america, to protect them and their families when they're furlough the and laid off from work. we put a substantial amount, $150 billion in for state and local governments, which have been spending money right and left to keep up this with public health crisis. there's other provisions in there, for example, protecting 50 to 60 million in businesses. a

durbin: thank you, madam president. sean is one of nearly 6,000 borrowers from north carolina who have applied to the department for a borrower defense discharge. he attended the art institute of charlotte, thinking it was his path to a successful future. he was told by recruiters the school would prepare him for a job in video game designing and that they would connect him with people who would help him land that job. that's a pretty serious promise to a young person, isn't it? he says they kept pushing him to take on more and more courses and more and more debt. he eventually had so much debt, he felt no other option than to finish the degree. he had to go all in with this school, the art institute of charlotte. he says, and i quote, as a young black man, the last thing i wanted to do was become just another statistic by dropping out of school, end of quote. today sean owes nearly $100,000 in student loan debt for a degree that did not prepare him for a job in the very industry he was promised. when he asked the art i

durbin: mr. president. the presiding officer: the assistant democratic leader. mr. durbin: are we in a quorum call? the presiding officer: we are. mr. durbin: i ask it be suspended. the presiding officer: without objection. mr. durbin: i would like to discuss a vote that will take place later today but first i want to talk about the coronavirus. i was first notified by my governor that we've run into a shortage in my state of the test kits that are necessary. some 320 illinoisans have been tested to date. these are people who should be tested either because of exposure of coronavirus or because of vulnerability of the maisht and sus -- patient and suspicion they have been in contact with the coronavirus. we are running out of test kits and there's been a contact made with the centers for disease control to determine why we're not getting responses on this need for additional kits in our state to test people who are truly vulnerable. i don't believe our situation could be unique. i imagine other s

durbin: mr. president? the presiding officer: the assistant democratic leader. mr. durbin: mr. president, i'd like to suggest to my friends on both sides of the aisle that we first assume the appropriate distance and then, secondly, take a deep breath. the emotions that we've seen on the floor on both sides of the aisle are reflected in homes across america, where families are very emotional at this moment as we face this public health crisis. it's no surprise that that is reflected on the floor of the senate but we are going to solve this problem and we are going to do it in a timely way, which the american people expect us. we've had two measures that come before us, which were addressed on a bipartisan basis with an agreement. this will be as well. now, this argument that we can't spare one minute, we can't spare one day -- i understand the sense of urgency. the house of representatives passed the second bill, the $100 billion bill, in the early morning hours of saturday. when did the senate pass the bill? wednesday. more than four days later. so $100 billion bill, which inc

rob hio republican senator portman and illinois senator dick durbin have written an today's iece in washingt"washington post"" sugg the debate allowing senators to vote remotely. during specifically these national crises, be it pandemic or other situation it's impossible for senators to vote in person, their resolution gives the minority leaders joint authority to allow secure voting.oting -- remote it would be allowed up to 30 days and the senate would have renew remote voting every 30-day period afterwards. this limitation would ensure voting remotely cannot become the norm around the emergency.of an read the entire "washington article at washingtonpost.com. >> follow the coronavirus at reak c-span.org/coronavirus. watch congress, white house updates from governors. track the spread throughout the .s. and the world with interactive maps. demand at anytime at c-span.org/coronavirus. >> and now from geneva, it's the world health organization's -- director general and others. start, the joint awareness campaign with the orld health organization aimed at combating the coronavirus. from yesterday, this is

durbin: mr. president? the presiding officer: the senator from illinois. mr. durbin: mr. president, america has never seen anything like this before. to think that half of the people who live in the united states are under some order to either stay home or at least avoid contact with others, unheard of. this is an enemy, this virus, the likes of which we've never faced as strong and determined our nation is when it comes to these challenges, this is uniq unique. and it calls for unique leadership. there are a lot of critics of the united states congress for good reason, but i think what we've demonstrated in the last several weeks since we've addressed this coronavirus is that there is a capacity for commonsense bipartisan work and a timeliness that is essential. first two measures were passed in record time, one for $8 billion that really opened the door for more medical resources. the second for $100 billion which tried to guarantee to people they would never have to pay to be tested for coronavirus, that there would be adequate food supplies during this calamitous time

senators durbin and stabenow were part of this but couldn't be here because of other obligations. now we have senator leahy. >> thank you, mr. leader. we have a serious crisis and i'm afraid that the white house believes in using rhetoric and not facing a reality. what we're doing is trying to substitute reality for their rhetoric. the american people are looking for leadership. i believe it's up to us to provide that leadership. what we're doing is looking at people. those are the ones, not the corporations, it's the people that we respond to and hear from in our states. as has been said, paid sick days so people can stay home to protect their health and the health of others. that's critical. it's critical they be able to stay home, but it's critical that they're not fearing that they're going to lose their apartment or house or building or their children to go to school. small businesses and communities, we're trying to help them in vermont and i applaud our governor who is doing that. safety net, those who can't pay the rent or afford their mortgages. but also the american peop

joining us, dick durbin. senator, tell me something good? >> the good news is the negotiations are continuing between the white house, senator schumer, and people trying to bring this to a good conclusion. they continued since the vote yesterday on a positive note. there are things we can point to already that are improvements over the mcconnell bill we were asked to vote on twice now. first, dramatic investment in the public health care across this country. we all know our hospitals, clinics are about to be inundated with people that need help. these hospitals need a helping hand, whether in rural areas of the state of illinois or city of chicago, they are asked to dramatically expand services. we are putting money on the table to make it happen and move forward. secondly, we said from the start we want this to work for workers and families across america. i think you'll see some positive changes already in the negotiations that are going to help families move forward. they're going to be able to get assistance, keeping their families toget

durbin: thank you, mr. president. mr. president, each of us receives a report almost on an hourly basis from our home states and at the end of the day, my state of illinois sends a report on the latest situation involving this covid-19 virus. 163 new infections were announced yesterday. that's the biggest one-day jump that we've had and one additional death. governor pritzker has issued a stay at home order for the state of illinois today beginning saturday, today, at 5:00 p.m. until april 7. the city of chicago is closing its parks and libraries as well starting today. the veterans administration has reported one confirmed veterans case with the virus in the chicago area. that person is now under home quarantine. we had an exceptional situation at midway airport where two faa tower employees tested positive for the virus several days ago. we of course have to have an abundance of care and caution for the remaining employees there and so the f.a.a. together with the city of chicago has been involved in screening the other

come back, and if we can't come back for a long time, i should explore, as senator klobuchar and durbin and doing, a warner are way to vote remotely only in situations. yes. reporter: totally different question. us how t, can you tell quickly will we see that new inspector general? confirmed. senator schumer: we want it to move very quickly. if the senate confirms, it will about a month. reporter: and then separately, can you address the concerns -- apologize from the beginning -- governor cuomo -- indiscernible] senator schumer: new york has gotten over $100 billion easily. but it doesn't all go to the state government. more to the state government. and i told -- i told everybody, to mitch take his case mcconnell. as of last night, there was no state and local aid in the bill. it and we got $150 billion. and so there is -- there should more. we'll come back and give more, ut even $5 billion to new york state, $1.5 billion to new york and another $1 billion to the it's more local aid than they have seen in a long time. wait. she had a question and then you then we'll go. reporter: can y

durbin: madam president, i come to the floor this morning with sad news. illinois has lost its first resident to the coronavirus. a pandemic which is threatening our country and the world. her name was patricia freeson, 61 years old, a retired nurse. she was an exceptional person, and her brother said she cared for everyone but herself. she lived taking care of people. and she loved it. she started having breathing difficulties last week and was hospitalized at one of our better hospitals in the city of chicago and succumbed yesterday to the coronavirus and its complications. she had had a history of respiratory illness, but she was taking care of herself and staying home, as she was told to do. her family remembers the last time she left the house was two weeks ago to attend the funeral of a friend. she did entertain visitors at her home from time to time. her two sisters have asked for tests themselves because they were in contact with her, and i'm sorry to report they have been unable to obtain those tests, at least as of late last night. i have spoken

this is the news live from durbin italy response to corona virus with a lockdown the government says no one should into or leave affected region it's it's part of top new measures to try to contain europe's deadliest corona virus outbreak also coming up. reported gods fire tear gas and smoke bombs on the border with turkey as brussels warns migrants they will not be allowed to enter. and in the bundesliga dortmund jump up to 2nd after winning the battle of the bushes old faces in the 40 club back as they slid to 5th. a math anyhow and welcome to the program italy is planning to take drastic steps to try to contain the new coronavirus it's set to quarantine more than 10000000 people around its financial capital milan and its tourist magnet venice public facilities will be closed and people will be told not to leave or into that comes after the latest of its lease coalition junior partner the democratic party said he'd come down with the virus speaking before the quarantine plan was made public italy's head of civil protection said desperate measures when needed to bait the coronavirus

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senator durbin and senator blumenthal and senator merkley and i and others went -- 50 years. people smoke at half the rate today than they did 50 years ago. it's starting to go back up because of e-cigarettes but we've had huge public health victories in this country. you know what? we have a president of the united states now and we have a senate republican leader, mitch mcconnell, who -- well, he certainly tried to help tobacco but i won't even talk about that. we have a president and we have a senate majority leader that simply aren't -- they dismantle, they did all they could to dismantle the centers for disease control and n.i.h. they left us prepared when the president fired the global security team at the white house that looked out for illnesses. and now what? we have a global pandemic on our hands. president trump needs to stop pretending he can lock out a disease by putting up walls at the border, that he's already allowed to spread and start making up -- he needs to start making up for all the lost time he's wasted and so does senator mccon. we need to make sure we

durbin: madam president, as i noted earlier, samuel johnson once molted that there's nothing that focuses the mind like the prospect of a hanging. i would say there's nothing that focuses the mind on the issue of health care like the prospect of a pandemic, and that is what we're facing now with the coronavirus. americans should not panic and they shouldn't be pessimistic but we need to be realistic as the numbers start to increase over the world. and we take note of our vulnerabilities here in the united states of america. we're also, i hope, reflecting on what we're counting on toest go us through this pandemic in a posse comitatussive fashion in america. the first thing is we look to two major health care organizations of the federal government -- the national institutes of health, which is the premier health research agency in the world, and the center for disease control, which again leads the world when this comes to preventing the spread of disease and threats to the public health of america. the question we should ask ourselves is how have we treated these agencies to date. the an

durbin: thank you, mr. president. mr. president, each of us receives a report almost on an hourly basis from our home states and at the end of the day, my state of illinois sends a report on the latest situation involving this covid-19 virus. 163 new infections were announced yesterday. that's the biggest one-day jump that we've had and one additional death. governor pritzker has issued a stay at home order for the state of illinois today beginning saturday, today, at 5:00 p.m. until april 7. the city of chicago is closing its parks and libraries as well starting today. the veterans administration has reported one confirmed veterans case with the virus in the chicago area. that person is now under home quarantine. we had an exceptional situation at midway airport where two faa tower employees tested positive for the v

joining me now is senator dick durbin of illinois.nator, i know we only have you for a few minutes here, but if i could get your reaction to the latest developments here, and an update waiting for you guys to pass the family first bill. is it going to happen and in what form? >> i don't know the answer about timing in the senate. it's in the hands of senator mcconnell. he received the entire package last night. it's ready to be voted on immediately, and we should do it as soon as possible. it could have been considered by unanimous consent even a few days ago. but right now there is no need for delay. we should move on it quickly. members are here, staff is here. let's get it done. >> you were up in arms on the senate floor last night saying we shouldn't have to be flying back and forth for this and waiting and risking our families and other staff. can you just tell me, there seems tovsh have been a change the bill overnight that would lessen the family leave protection for workers and would only include those who have to stay home to

illinois senator dick durbin defended speaker pelosi, she's made positive statements in the hopes thatreach a point where we have that bipartisan agreement and that would speed this up as it should be durbin told republicans the senate needs the support of the house leader to get any bill they pass to the president's desk, reporting in washington, i'm morgan right. >>danville of a school lunch delivery company choice lunch was serving meals to 25,000 students a day at 300 schools across california. now that all school deliveries have been scrapped due to the coronavirus pandemic the company's workforce has been reduced from 200 employees to just 40. today the company ceo launched a no-contact drive-thru grocery pickup at the company's headquarters on san ramon valley boulevard to help rehire employees who lost their jobs. one of the first customers, a retired teacher whose schools were served by choice lunch over the years. i wanted to give them back some business and it made for easy way to get eggs, it's great to support a local business and it's wonderful that they're able give us t

a few years ago he was commended on the floor of congress by senator dick durbin about how talented this guy is. so take that story and show why is this guy not working for google? why is he not working for uber. >> or other dreams. >> the larger story that i found from my reporting was that there's a lot of people, a lot of latinos in tech that have incredible talents and skills and yet because of sadly structural racism in the valley are not getting that opportunity. >> but there is this opportunity for companies to hire dreamers. it is legal for companies to hire dreamers. >> absolutely. >> let's assume for a minute, give the benefit of the doubt that it isn't racism and you've documented in some cases it is. is it so many extra hurdles? is there anything else we can use to explain why dreamers are getting a tough time in silicon valley? >> i found three reasons why. the first is there is a certain bias where recruiters are financially incentivized -- >> because they might not stay. >> because they might not stay. most recruiters look for people that want to stay at least six months a

i think senator durbin for working with me on this project and my hope is we can see a change in our senate rules come out of this process so that we can have the ability to do our constitutional duties, regardless of what's happening with regard to the national capital, or crisis as we've curtly face with covid-19. and i yield back my time. >> madam president? >> the majority whip. >> madam president, yesterday the senate passed the families first coronavirus response act which is bipartisan legislation that will provide critical relief to american workers can families and small businesses. two weeks ago the senate as the first phase of coronavirus response and that was $8.3 trillion in funding for coronavirus research, testing and medical care. so yes please bill yes, this bill was the second phase of that response. the families first coronavirus response act will ensure that all americans can't access coronavirus testing at no cost. the bill also ensures expanded telehealth access for medicare recipients during this outbreak which i strong support. as a resident of a real estate i

said no, everyone said we've got to do better for the hospitals, and senator schumer and senator durbin and murray and so many others, did such a great job on this. they've been negotiating through the night, as well as, it was such a team effort, and we are working on of course unemployment insurance, and small businesses, and i keep pushing to get those ballots ready, so we can have our mail-in ballots. there's just so much good work going on right now, and the american people should not settle for what they've had to date. which is not enough tests. not enough equipment. and that's why i'm here tonight, and so many of my colleagues are working around the clock. >> there has been this fight in the senate, as you're describing, all democrats, standing together, and saying what senator mcconnell is offering is not the right response, it's not enough, it doesn't meet the right priority, not the right way to deal with this, it certainly feels like a clash between two immovable sides but there is also this urgency to get some relief passed. >> i think that actually there have been some rea

he's been working on it, senator durbin and others. having seen these senators now either quarantined off and on, off and on, we're going to have to do more work, rachel. i don't think we're going to get everything we want on the mail-in ballots, and i think we could because we've got democratic and republican secretaries of state that actually want to have a democracy and an election where people can vote in the fall. and so there's a number of things that we're pushing for right now, and there's some things we're going to be doing in the next month. and people are going to have to vote. and so one of the ways you can do this -- and i've looked at this. i believe it's legal under the constitution as long as we change the rules of the chamber. on a very emergency basis, to allow for some remote voting, especially when it pertains to these emergency measures. so that's one of the things we're pushing for. the staffs are the ones that are on the front line. and i think, again, i just keep going back to the grocery store workers and the d

president, to join my democratical colleagues, think of doctor senator durbin. we need to do something more of unemployment insurance. .. income almost doubled in certain circumstances and i want to help people and i want to make sure if you lose your job. that we cover your wages, but under this bill, you get $23.15 an hour baseded on a 40-hour work week, know the to work. and if you're trying to hire somebody in south carolina the next four months, you've got to compete with that wage. if you're working in a restaurant or probably not now, but if you're working anywhere from $15 an hour, somebody's making $23 an hour and you're working. it's just not fair. it's going to hurt the rubio-collins construct, restaurants that are out of business. we want them to be able to borrow money to pay the payroll to keep people connected to their employer. now, what do you do when you make $23 an hour being on unemployment? how do you keep that waitress or bartender at 15 or $17? you've made it a nightmare for small businesses. they're being pitted against their own employee

durbin: madam president. the presiding officer: the senator from illinois. mr. durbin: madam president, yesterday, the president of the united states and the center for disease control contacted us individually and at least through the media to advise us to avoid gatherings of more than ten people. it's a reflection of the national emergency we face and the public health crisis that america is facing head on, as it should. this morning, as we opened the senate, there were 18 people gathered on the floor of the senate, three senators and 15 staff people. as those who follow the senate can tell, our staffers come to work as they are expected to, but come under circumstances that are more challenging than they were just a few weeks ago. i want to thank each and every one of them here on the floor, as well as the many that you don't see behind the scenes who are necessary for the opening of this capitol and for the protection of everyone who works here. there are policemen, there are people engaged in basic activities here to keep this magnificent structure function