ms. stabenow: mr. president? the presiding officer: the senator from michigan. ms. stabenow: thank you, mr. president. well, it's thursday afternoon, and it just looks like any other thursday afternoon. there's no sense of urgency, the leader, senator mcconnell, has sent folks on their way for the weekend, and no agreement on the covid-19 survival package, which is what it real lay is for so many families. we are in a situation where it's another week of not focusing on how we get unemployment extension passed or how we deal with hungry families or make sure people can have a roof over their head or support our small businesses or our small family farms or our first responders on the front lines and others in cities and towns and in states that are providing public services essential to us, people who are in jobs that may lose

ms. stabenow: mr. president. the presiding officer: the senator from michigan. ms. stabenow: mr. president, i want to thank my friend from oregon -- both of my friends from oregon. we are oregon strong on the floor. we have great, powerful, effective senators from oregon, and i want to thank both of them. i want to thank senator merkley for his words as well as my colleague and friend from delaware and new hampshire and maryland. we're on the floor today because we know this isn't just another regular thursday where you can close up for the week and go home and do whatever is going to be done and then maybe come back monday, maybe tuesday, maybe wednesday. we don't know because we don't know what's happening on negotiations. but oh well, oh well, there is no real sense of urgency anyway, right? there is an incredible sense of urgency, and as we have been saying this afternoon, this should not be treated like just another end of the senate week on a thursday afternoon. we have the largest health pandemic in 100 years. as of today, it's about 160,000, 160,000, 160,000 deaths in thi

ms. harman johnson is also a former staff member for u.s. representative sheila jackson lee from the great state of texas, and for u.s. senator debbie stabenow. i would ask each of the witnesses here in person to please stand and be sworn in, raise your right hand, please. do you swear or affirm that the testimony you are about to give before the committee will be the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth, so help you god? and now the rules provide that each of the long distance witnesses must be separately sworn in. so, ms. harman johnson, do you swear, affirm that the testimony you're about to give before this committee will be the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth so help you god? >> senator cruz, i do. mr. cruz: mr. german, do you swear or affirm that the testimony you're about to give before the committee will be the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth, so help you god? >> senator cruz, i do. mr. cruz: very good. e will start with the prepared testimony, mr. no, you're recognized. >> [indiscernible] -- mr. cruz: please make sure you've turned your microphone on which is the switch right in the cent