mr. leahy: thank you very much. 'm glad we're having this. i'm glad secretary ross has come back here. i hope you're going to be more honest with the committee today than when you were -- than you were when i last spoke to you when you were before this panel back two years ago, in 2018. i asked you when you testified here in may, 2018, why the trump justice department would suddenly ask you to include a citizenship question on the census, to enforce voting rights. you deflected my answer. you testified, well, the justice department is the one who made the request of us. you then testified before the house that your department was responding solely to the justice department which initiated the request for the citizenship question. your statements were totally false. there's now an avalanche of evidence showing that you repeatedly pressured both the reluctant justice department and census bureau for nearly a year to support adding the question. in may of 2017, you told an aide that, you were, quo

mr. leahy: and, mr. president, i know, again, senator shelby and i will be speaking further on this. i ask that my whole statement be placed in the record as though read. the presiding officer: without objection. mr. leahy: with that, mr. president, i do not see another senator seeking recognition, so i suggest the absence of a quorum. the presiding officer: the clerk will call the roll. quorum call: mr. graham: mr. president. the presiding officer: the senator from south carolina. mr. graham: i ask unanimous consent to terminate the quorum call. the presiding officer: without objection. mr. graham: i ask unanimous consent that all debate time be considered expired. the presiding officer: without objection. mr. graham: i move to table the paul amendment and 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: vote: vote: the presiding officer: are there any senators in the chamber wishing to vote or wishing to chang

mr. leahy: madam president, chairman shelby has just spoken, and he and i have worked so hard together on the appropriations on the emergency coronavirus supplemental request, and i am am -- one, i have always enjoyed working with him. i'm pleased that we can announce that we have reached a bipartisan, bicameral agreement on an emergency supplemental to address the spread of the really novel coronavirus and protect the health and safety of the american people, something we should do when this happens. so i thank my friend, chairman shelby, chairwoman lowey of the other body and ranking member granger for their cooperation. you know, i think one of the things i have found over my decades here in the appropriations committee, we tend to leave our labels at the door. we have worked together, both republicans and democrats. we don't look at each other as a republican or democrat. we look at each other as a member of the house and the senate, trying to get this done, and i would urge the -- both the

mr. leahy:

mr. leahy: mr. president, i entered the senate in the wake of watergate in 1975. in fact, the first vote i cast was in favor of correcting the select committee to discover operations with respect to intelligence activities and the rights of americans. it was called the church committee. and with that # -- with that committee's work, the world learned of years of abuses that had occurred at the hand of the executive branch intelligence agencies. in response the senate passed sweeping reforms to rein in this overreach. since then more flaws and occasional abuses have been documented within our surveillance authorities. the senate has rarely had an opportunity to debate and improve them. we did so in 2015 when senators lee -- senator lee and i led the senate to pass the u.s.a. freedom act and senator lee and i believe the senate should do the same now. we should strengthen the amicus program. we should ensure that all exculpatory information is supplied to the surveillance court. to make other basic changes that protect all americans, protect all of our civil liberti

mr. leahy: mr. president? the presiding officer: the senator from vermont. mr. leahy: thank you, mr. president. i don't wish to delay things. i just want to make a couple comments. i did speak earlier this afternoon about this. it's almost an understatement to say that america is at an inflection point. we're facing a public health crisis unlike anything we've seen in a generation. the states and local counties are racing to respond to mitigate the crises. the package here is a good one. does it do everything? no. is it perfect? no. it's a lot better than where we were? yes. i think of the senate has a body should be the conscience of the nation. and there's time for us to have reality trump rhetoric. we've had enough rhetoric. as i said in the past, it speaks to reality. i think of our own governor, republican governor, who has worked so hard to help our state. this will give him some tools, as it will to our speaker of the house and our president pro tempore of our legislature. with this bill, we support the victims of this terrible virus, the health care provi

mr. leahy. mr. lee. mr. wyden. amendment is not agreed to.l >> narrator: the bll five votes short. the nra had won. >> "how could they vote that way? don't they understand what happened? how can they do that how can this be?" i mean, it was disbelief and a sense of betrayal. that w the mood. ♪ >> narrator: obama invited the newtown families to the white hoe after the vote. >> daniel was a first-grader at sandy hook elementary school. i know that he felt,e felt a sense of responsibility to us anand, and to the nation, d to that 90% of the country that, that wanted this. you know, i think he felt a, a strong sense of responsibility toward that. palpable.his disgust was >> it came down to politics-- the worry that that vocal minority of gun owners would come after them in future elections. so all in all, this was pretty shameful day for washington. thank you very much, everybody. ♪ >> narrator: any effort at gun controin whington was over. >> ...in a stinging loss for president obama and, i might add, the country. >>

mr. churchill accompanied by his daughter joined the president for further talks. as he came aboard, he was greeted by admiral leahyhopkins was already on the ship. mr. steffinous was the next to join the group. he was followed by ambassador wineham. after posing for photographers as they chatted on the sunny deck. the rest of the was spent in a final conference. that night the cruiser started on her homeward voyage. the president arrived in washington on the 28th of february, 37 days to yalta and back. days which will leave their imprint on history, history which franklin roosevelt lived and which he be kweejed in his last statement. >> i come from the conference with a belief we have made a start on the road of peace. never before have the major allies been more closely united, not only in the war but also in their peace aims. and they're determined to continue to be united. to be united with each other and with all peace-loving nations with the lasting peace which become a reality. peace can endure only so long as humanity really insists upon it and is willing to work for it and sacrifice for it. 25 years ago am

mr. leahy: madam president, before i begin i would like to ask tbhawct that debra flesher, a detailee on my judiciary committee staff be granted floor privileges for the remainder of the 116th congress. the presiding officer: without objection. mr. leahy: i thank the chair. madam president, 55 years ago a courageous band, civil rights activists including the fearless john lewis began a march for what many of us considered a sacred right to vote. the march -- they marched to montgomery and marched in the face of unspeakable violence. they shed their blood for access to the ballot. now, much has changed in the last 55 years, but this struggle for voting equality and this march for progress continues. on sunday i was inspired yet again by my hero, my dear friend now congressman john lewis who leads thousands in commemorating the anniversary of bloody sunday. this was not merely a commemoration. this was a clarion call to action. those of us who know the congressman, he has been very seriously ill

leahy? > thank you, mr. chairman. welcome, secretary. like some of the others up here, both republicans and democrats, i am concerned with the budget the administration has put forward for the health and human services. obviously you were involved with it, but it seems to have been drafted to hit an arbitrary target to slash funding without any realization of real-world impact of the proposed cuts. in fact, the move is completely confounding in the midst of the novel coronavirus outbreak you ant to slash funding in fy 2021 to programs to help us combat dangerous infectious diseases. and talk about a vaccination for the virus that's still about two years away. it spread to 30 countries. it's infected more than 79,000 people. it's caused at least 2600 deaths. hundreds of americans are restricted to u.s. military bases under federal government quarantine, and that's the first time in 50 years. t you proposed to cut $3.1 billion from the national institutes of health, nearly $700 million from centers for disease control and prevention progra

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., says he understands it better than the doctors do and a perfec

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 people are getting more than rhetoric, they're facing rea

i thank senators shelby and leahy for their work and i'm glad this much-needed relief is on the way. mr. president, i yield the floor and i note the absence of a quorum. the presiding officer: the clerk will call the roll. quorum call: quorum call: mr. cassidy: mr. president? the presiding officer: the senator from louisiana. mr. cassidy: i ask that the quorum call be vitiated. the presiding officer: without objection. mr. cassidy: mr. president, one thing that is on everybody's mind right now is how do we prepare to address the coronavirus. and i speak not just as a senator but perhaps even more particularly as a physician who has done public health in my previous practice. working with immunizations, looking at all those issues as to who is vulnerable and who needs to be protected. there are a couple of things that are quite apparent from what we've already learned from this epidemic. and let me compliment the chinese. they've come in for some criticism that was well deserved but in other things, they have helped determine a lot of things that will benefit the rest of the word in term

mr. leahy: mr. president. the presiding officer: the senator from vermont. mr. leahy: mr. president, i ask that the call of the quorum be dispensed with. the presiding officer: without objection. mr. leahy: mr. president, you know, everybody has a story. actually everybody has a journey when you think of life. some are heartbreaking but some are uplifting. and some are hopeful. tomorrow night during senior night the university of vermont's men's basketball team is going to celebrate a story that is all of these things, heartbreaking, uplifting, and hopeful. they'll celebrate that when senior josh bidell, takes the court for the first time in what will be the only time in his college career. josh is a native of columbus, indiana. he dreamed from a very young age of playing college basketball. at columbus north high school in indiana, josh was the basketball team's all-time lead point scorer andean indiana -- and indiana all star. just before the start of his college, he accepted a scholarship to

mr. leahy: madam president. the presiding officer: the senator from vermont. mr. leahy: madam president, i ask unanimous consent the call of the quorum be dispensed with. the presiding officer: without objection. mr. leahy: madam president, senators have been working very hard to respond to the crisis that's facing our whole nation. each one of us has certain things that our states -- in our states that might be unique, but we also are here for all of america. and all of america is suffering. i know my -- my staff, my staff in vermont, my staff down here, the appropriators, the appropriations staff have been working every day, every night until midnight or later, weekends. nobody has had any time off. i have been proud to work with them even though we have set up, as i would hope all would do, so we could teleconference and we could work remotely. earlier this week, we were faced with the prospect of a bill that was very one-sided. republicans and democrats have not done what we do best, sittin

mr. leahy: madam president, senators have been working very hard to respond to the crisis that's facing our whole nation. each one of us has certain things that our states -- in our states that might be unique, but we also are here for all of america. and all of america is suffering. i know my -- my staff, my staff in vermont, my staff down here, the appropriators, the appropriations staff have been working every day, every night until midnight or later, weekends. nobody has had any time off. i have been proud to work with them even though we have set up, as i would hope all would do, so we could teleconference and we could work remotely. earlier this week, we were faced with the prospect of a bill that was very one-sided. republicans and democrats have not done what we do best, sitting down and putting it together. we were given almost a take it or leave it bill. and i applaud senator schumer who said come back together. let's not pass that bill which leaves out so much of america, so much of

mr. leahy: madam president, chairman shelby has just spoken, and he and i have worked so hard together on the appropriations on the emergency coronavirus supplemental request, and i am am -- one, i have always enjoyed working with him. i'm pleased that we can announce that we have reached a

mr. leahy: madam president. the presiding officer: the senator from vermont is recognized. mr. leahy: madam president, i ask consent the call of the quorum be dispensed with. the presiding officer: without objection. mr. leahy: madam president, chairman shelby has just spoken, and he and i have worked so hard together on the appropriations on the emergency coronavirus supplemental request, and i am am -- one, i have always enjoyed working with him. i'm pleased that we can announce that we have reached a bipartisan, bicameral agreement on an emergency supplemental to address the spread of the really novel coronavirus and protect the health and safety of the american people, something we should do when this happens. so i thank my friend, chairman shelby, chairwoman lowey of the other body and ranking member granger for their cooperation. you know, i think one of the things i have found over my decades here in the appropriations committee, we tend to leave our labels at the door. we have worked to

mr. leahy: mr. president -- you. the presiding officer: we're in a quorum call. mr. leahy: i ask unanimous consent that the call of the quorum be dispensed with. the presiding officer: without objection. mr. leahy: mr. president, today the american people are making sacrifices to keep themselves, their communities, families safe. state and local government workers, truckers, bank tellers, countless others are doing important and necessary work on the front lines of this crisis. both as a senator from vermont but also as a member of this chamber for more than 40 years, i want to send my profound thanks to the millions of people around the country who are trying to help us and are sacrificing. i spoke earlier this afternoon with the governor of vermont, governor phil scott. he's about to take very significant steps further in vermont, which will cause us economic problems in the short run but protect the safety and the health of all vermonters. the governor is a republican, i'm a democrat. i applaud and support what he has done. it is time for all of us to stand togethe

leahy. the presiding officer: is there objection? without objection,so ordered. mr. mcconnell: so, mr. president, if there is no further business to come before the senate i ask it stand adjourned under the previous order. the presiding officer: the senate stands adjourned until 10:00 a.m. tomorrow morning. ite gallery today.rrow morning. ite number one. >> two years to the day since chemical weapons on the streets of salisbury. and they focus firmly on the future. they pay tribute to the people of salisbury. >> as the governmentpa