mr. cornyn: mr. president, before they leave the floor, i just want to compliment my colleagues from alaska and ohio on making a very important point. you would think that from the press that there are negotiations taking place, but the truth is that speaker pelosi and the minority leader in the senate, senator schumer, have shown zero interest in resolving the differences on this next covid-19 package. and i think it's just very important for my colleagues to to -- to lay out the facts because there is a tendency not to ignore the facts in favor of a mythical or fantasy construct. and so i appreciate their statements. mr. president, i have four requests for committees to meet during today's session of the senate. they have been approved by both the majority and minority leaders. the presiding officer: duly noted. mr. cornyn: mr. president, hopefully sometime soon now that the enhanced unemployment benefits have been allowed to expire as a result of democratic objections and where the paycheck protec

mr. cornyn: mr. president, before they leave the floor, i just want to compliment my colleagues from alaska and ohio on making a very important point. you would think that from the press that there are negotiations taking place, but the truth is that speaker pelosi and the minority leader in the senate, senator schumer, have shown zero interest in resolving the differences on this next covid-19 package. and i think it's just very important for my colleagues to to -- to lay out the facts because there is a tendency not to ignore the facts in favor of a mythical or fantasy construct. and so i appreciate their statements. mr. president, i have four requests for committees to meet during today's session of the senate. they have been approved by both the majority and minority leaders. the presiding officer: duly noted. mr. cornyn: mr. president, hopefully sometime soon now that the enhanced unemployment benefits have been allowed to expire as a result of democratic objections and where the paycheck protec

mr. cornyn: i thank my colleague for his indulgence. one of the things we need to do is make sure the paycheck protection program is replenished as well. this is the most successful part of what -- of our coronavirus response. more than $670 billion appropriated to help small businesses maintain their payroll, keep their employees on payroll. more than 400,000 small businesses in texas have received these loans bringing in over $41 billion to the lone star state. this money has kept countless texans on the payroll, not only for today but into the future. sol i hope we will continue -- so i hope we will continue the paycheck protection program as part of the next covid-19 response. there's another provision that we need to address, though, and that has to do with deductibility of the expenses of businesses that have received the paycheck protection -- paycheck protection program loans and grants. unfortunately, while congress made clear that we expected businesses that receive these loans and grants to have the benefit of the ordinary bu

mr. cornyn: mr. president, as our nation's war against the coronavirus wages on, negotiations on the next relief package seem to remain at a at a standstill. the bolstered unemployment benefits provided by the cares act have expired. principals and teachers and parents, i might add, are preparing to begin the school year out adequate funding for the protective measures they need. and additional investments in vaccines and treatments are desperately needed. i believe the senate should stay in session until we're able to pass another coronavirus relief bill. but speaker pelosi and senate minority leader schumer seem to have zero sense of urgency in delivering the support our country needs, including their own constituents. and they have zero interest, apparently, at least so far, in a bipartisan compromise. despite the less than enthusiastic interest from their own members and a flat out veto threat from the white house, they continue to push the more than $3 trillion heroes act as a solution to the cr

withor cornyn's discussion you you said there was a violation of rules, norms, and the behavior of those involved in the investigation was not ideal. what about mr. orr? could we use similar words to describe his behavior over the course of this investigation? ms. yates: -- ms. yates: let me clarify one thing. comey'shat director decision to interview jennifer flynn without coordinating -- general flynn without coordinating could be characterized as rogue. i was not characterizing him as a robe. it's important to be -- as a robe. -- as a rogue. orr tillis: in terms of mr. and his behavior, in 2016 he was aware that -- was desperate to prevent president trump from being elected. was that information shared with you? thatates: none of information was shared with me. -- you were in the department of justice for 27 years, thank you for your service. i am notke a look -- an attorney or prosecutor, but i have read horowitz's report. does any of that make you angry with the lack of what i consider professionalism. the folks involved in this investigation were highly trained and educated, is it fair to say there were no rookies providing you with eviden

withor cornyn's discussion you you said there was a violation of rules, norms, and the behavior of those involved in the investigation was not ideal. what about mr. orr? could we use similar words to describe his behavior over the course of this investigation? ms. yates: -- ms. yates: let me clarify one thing. comey'shat director decision to interview jennifer flynn without coordinating -- general flynn without coordinating could be characterized as rogue. i was not characterizing him as a robe. it's important to be -- as a robe. -- as a rogue. orr tillis: in terms of mr. and his behavior, in 2016 he was aware that -- was desperate to prevent president trump from being elected. was that information shared with you? thatates: none of information was shared with me. -- you were in the department of justice for 27 years, thank you for your service. i am notke a look -- an attorney or prosecutor, but i have read horowitz's report. does any of that make you angry with the lack of what i consider professionalism. the folks involved in this investigation were highly trained and educated, is it fair to say there were no rookies providing you with eviden

mr. cornyn: madam president? the presiding officer: the senator from text h. texas. mr. cornyn: are we in a quorum call? the presiding officer: yes, we are. mr. cornyn: i would ask unanimous consent that the quorum call be dispensed with. the presiding officer: without objection. mr. cornyn: madam president, one year ago a gunman stormed an el paso walmart and opened fire. 46 people were shot, 23 tragically died, and the devastation in this night -- tight-knit community was beyond imagination. the heartbreak and confusion quickly turned to rage when we learned that this out-of-town shooter was a white supremacist whose crime could only be described as domestic terrorism. as my good friend, el paso mayor dee margo has said many times over the past year, we will not let this evil define us. he wrote in an op-ed this weekend, el paso will not be known for tragedy but for our strength and grace in the midst of tragedy. that strength comes to mind when i reflect on this terrible anniversary. when i visited el paso the day after the shooting, i saw the makeshift memorial that w