Richard Durbin

Mr. DURBIN

Mr. DURBIN. I announce that the Senator from California (Ms. Harris) and the Senator from Rhode Island (Mr. Whitehouse) are necessarily absent.

Mr. DURBIN

Mr. DURBIN. I announce that the Senator from California (Ms. Harris) is necessarily absent.

Mr. DURBIN

Mr. DURBIN. I announce that the Senator from Maryland (Mr. Cardin) and the Senator from California (Ms. Harris) are necessarily absent.

Mr. DURBIN

Mr. DURBIN. I announce that the Senator from California (Ms. Harris) and the Senator from Vermont (Mr. Sanders) are necessarily absent.

Mr. DURBIN

Mr. DURBIN. I announce that the Senator from California (Ms. Harris) and the Senator from Vermont (Mr. Sanders) are necessarily absent.

Mr. DURBIN

Mr. DURBIN. I announce that the Senator from California (Ms. Harris) and the Senator from Vermont (Mr. Sanders) are necessarily absent.

Mr. DURBIN

Mr. DURBIN. Mr. President, I would like to take a few moments to say farewell to a friend and a public servant who served my State of Illinois and our Nation well. His name was Charles Carroll Smith, but his friends called him Charlie. He died on the day after Thanksgiving. Our paths crossed often over the years. Charlie served as Illinois' deputy secretary of state under then- Secretary of State Alan Dixon. When Alan Dixon was elected to the U.S. Senate in 1980, Charlie came to Washington with him. He was a key member of the Dixon staff, serving as both legislative director and senior national security adviser. When Alan Dixon left the Senate, Charlie joined the staff of Kentucky Senator Wendell Ford, then the Senate's Democratic whip. Charlie was Senator Ford's legislative staff director and a trusted adviser to Senator Ford on matters involving national security and foreign relations. He helped craft and pass many important pieces of legislation, including the 1990 law establishing the Defense Base Closure and Realignment Commission in 1990. He went on to serve as executive director of the 1995 Defense Base Closure and Realignment Commission-a massive task to try to realign America's military bases with the realities of the post-Cold War world. The work of the Base Closure Commission was necessary, complex, and historic, and Charlie's intricate understanding of both the Defense Department and the security needs of America and our allies was critical to the commission's success. Despite the gargantuan task, Charlie was never too busy to listen. I and all of the Members of the Illinois congressional delegation appreciated his willingness to always consider fairly our explanations about the national security importance of the military bases in our State. He never put his thumb on the scale for Illinois, but he made sure that we received a fair hearing. The day the commission announced its recommendations in 2005, Charlie called me to explain in layman's language just what the recommendations meant for Illinois and for America. I have never met anyone with a greater understanding of the workings of the Defense Department and the ability to translate that knowledge into plain English. He was a rare one. Charlie came by his political and legislative skills the old- fashioned way. He inherited them. He grew up in an Irish Catholic Democratic family on the North Side of Chicago. His father was in politics; his mother was a professor. Charlie was the first-born and only son in the family of three children. The Smith family took politics and democracy seriously. Charlie and his father were both named Charles Carroll Smith, senior and junior. Family legend has it that they were descended from Charles Carroll, one of the signers of America's Declaration of Independence and a member of the Continental Congress. Whether it was true or not-- this was before at-home DNA testing--the Smith family strove to live up to Charles Carroll's patriotic example. When Charlie was about 11, his father decided that the Smith family home should be a laboratory of democracy. They would discuss important events at the dinner table, and once a week, they would have a meeting to vote on matters involving the family. After just one or two of these family meetings, Charlie had an epiphany. He told his sister Sheila: ``You know, if we three kids stick together, we can outvote Mom and Dad.'' He said: ``I want a bike. What do you want?'' Charlie figured out what both of his sisters wanted and how to deliver it. At the next family meeting, the girls supported Charlie's proposal to buy him a bike. The kids won, and Charlie got his bike. The Smith family never held another family vote, but Charlie would go on to use his coalition- building skills in the interest of public service for the rest of his life. In 1968, Charlie joined the U.S. Army and served as an intelligence officer in Vietnam during the Tet offensive. He left public service in 1999 and began his second career as a lobbyist. He was respected by members of Congress on both sides of the aisle as a straight shooter and a good man. Besides his family, politics, and public service, Charlie loved the Chicago Bears and the Cubs and playing golf. Every Christmas season, Charlie hosted a party for his friends at the Army Navy Country Club in Arlington, VA. It was always a great, bipartisan celebration. This Friday, Charlie's friends will gather by Zoom to remember him on what would have been his 26th annual Christmas party. He will be missed there, and he will be missed in the halls of Congress, in his old neighborhood in Chicago, and many other places. Loretta and I send our condolences to Charlie's wife Patti Turner; his sisters, Sheila Smith and Catherine Wilson; and his many, many friends.

Mr. DURBIN

Mr. DURBIN. Mr. President, his name was the answer to a frequently asked question. It is a question that used to come up in almost every Democratic meeting when we talked about legislative ideas and we talked about making progress on the floor of the Senate. And the question was this: Who can we call on the other side of the aisle? And the answer was almost always Lamar Alexander. We knew that if we presented an idea to him, he would not only be receptive and respectful, we knew that if he came on board, it would lend credibility to our effort, maybe even get a bill passed around here. But it would always have to wear a red tartan badge with it because there was an idea that he wanted to bring to the party, but it was worth it. It was worth it not only for the progress that you can make in terms of legislation, but it was worth it because it was part of developing a friendship. Harry Truman used to recommend famously, ``If you want a friend in Washington, get a dog.'' I thought of that. I told you about it a few months ago when you were on one of those Sunday morning talk shows. You were broadcasting, I think, from your living room or family room at your home in Tennessee, and I couldn't get over that stuffed animal that was on the coffee table behind you. It just seemed like it was such an odd little piece of maybe personal pride to have that stuffed animal with you. It turned out it wasn't stuffed at all. It was Rufus, your dog, who slept through your entire performance, wasn't a bit moved by the fact that you were on some Sunday morning talk show. I want to thank you for many things, and I will mention a few of them in terms of legislation, but I especially want to thank you for--I brought a group of friends of mine down to Nashville, TN, and you made a recommendation list of places to stop, including the Bluebird, and then came by and joined us for lunch. You couldn't have been more gracious, and I thank you for that. That is a trademark of Lamar Alexander's life and service to this country. I could talk about many things, but I want to reflect on one that I think is timely and significant and is a reason a lot of us are wearing these masks. We are facing a pandemic with the COVID-19 virus. It has claimed 273,000 American lives, and I am afraid many more will follow. Millions--almost 13 million or more--have been infected by it. We want it to end, and we want it to end as quickly as possible. The really shining ray of hope here is the possibility that a vaccine will be available soon. I pray it will be. I like to think that some of the things that we did together, with others, created an opportunity for that vaccine to be discovered. It was 5 or 6 years ago that I approached you and I approached Senator Patty Murray and Roy Blunt with the idea that we ought to make a concerted, consistent effort to increase the NIH's budget by at least 5 percent per year. Senator Blunt, whom I see on the floor here today, I want to thank you. You took that cause to heart, along with Senator Alexander. We had the right appropriator and the right authorizer, and Patty Murray served in both capacities so effectively. We dramatically increased the NIH budget over the last 7, 8 years. I am hopeful, and I would like to think that some of those researchers and the work that they did was laying the groundwork for the discovery of these vaccines quickly in the United States and around the world. That is a legacy you won't soon forget. Do you remember when we first got wind of this COVID-19 and I walked across the Chamber here and I said to you: I am worried about this protective equipment issue and how much we are reliant on going overseas for sourcing; would you join me at least in an effort to find out whether we are dependent on foreign sources at a time when we might desperately need this protective equipment for our own? You said, sure, and we did it together and the investigation is underway. It may not serve us in this particular crisis, but it will serve in many generations to come to make sure we have reliable domestic sources in the United States. I am not going to catalog all of the items that were mentioned earlier by our colleagues Senator Blackburn and Senator Collins and Senator Feinstein--the list goes on and on--but that increase by 38 percent of the National Institutes of Health was something our little quartet did together, and I am particularly proud to be part of it. It wasn't, by far, the only thing that you have done. You championed an increase in the Department of Energy's Office of Science as chair of the Energy and Water Appropriations Committee, which Senator Feinstein noted. Under your leadership with her, that office budget has increased by 38 percent since 2015. You worked with the National Labs, like Oak Ridge, Argonne, Fermilab. Those are near and dear to me as well. And your support for research infrastructure provided essential help to this Lab and Labs across America. I want to just close by saying this. Most of us were moved by your speech. I am sure it was a perfect illustration of your view of this Chamber and the good memories you have and a challenge to all of us to do better. I think the honest answer is it is not the rules of the Senate that make the difference; it is the Senators who make a difference. If we come to the chore of legislating with the inspiration of Lamar Alexander, we are going to get a lot done for America. Thank you for your great service to our country.

Mr. DURBIN

Mr. DURBIN. Mr. President, it is hard to follow those heartfelt words from Senator Barrasso about his colleague and friend and our friend Mike Enzi, but I am going to make a try. Just as our tribute to Lamar Alexander was a tribute to the better angels of nature as they are shown in the lives of Senators, so, too, was Mike Enzi. I join my colleagues in thanking Mike for his service to Wyoming and to America. One of the most frequent questions many of us are asked is, Why can't you folks get along in Washington? Why can't you just do things together? I say to them that there are times when we do, and the many times are very important. When we do come together, it is because of people like Mike, who worked under his so-called 80-20 rule. We know that well, don't we? He would tell you he believes both sides could agree on 80 percent of the substance, and if negotiators are willing to give up the other 20 percent, we could actually get some things done around here. Wouldn't that be refreshing? One of those items was the Marketplace Fairness Act. Mike helped to lead the fight for local brick-and-mortar retailers in order to give them a chance to compete on an equal and level playing field with online sellers, email companies, and internet companies and to allow the States and localities to collect much needed sales tax revenue. It is hard to imagine how many years Mike put into that effort, but the Marketplace Fairness Act would have given the States the option to require from out-of-State businesses, such as those selling online, the collection of taxes owed under State law in the same way local businesses are required. Mike knew a lot about local business. As was mentioned on the floor by Senator Barrasso, his colleague, he was a small business owner in Gillette, WY, running NZ Shoes. Even as he went on to become mayor of Gillette at age 30, a staff sergeant in the Wyoming Air National Guard, a State representative, and then a State senator, he was always still the small business man from Gillette. In 1996, when he was recovering from open-heart surgery, then-Senator Alan Simpson decided not to run for reelection. Local leaders kept trying to talk Mike into running. He really just wanted to have more time to hunt and fish. In the end, he made an important decision. He ran, and he won. His career has had many legislative successes in having used his 80-20 rule. I will never forget the days when Ted Kennedy would come to the floor and talk about the compromise and the bargain he had struck with you. I had thought what a political odd couple, but the two of you did some remarkable things. Poles apart in terms of political philosophy, they treated each other with respect, and they had amazing successes to show for it. Even when he has differing views on the best ways to resolve issues, Mike Enzi shows a willingness to come to the table and discuss the areas in which we can agree. In 2012, Democratic Senator Byron Dorgan retired. I called Mike after Byron left and asked if I could take up Byron's position in his fight for the Marketplace Fairness Act. He said: Let's do it. We brought in Senator Lamar Alexander--that was a pretty smart move--and then Senator Heidi Heitkamp, who both made great contributions to our work. It was our luck that Heidi Heitkamp was the petitioner of the 1992 Supreme Court case Quill Corp. v. North Dakota, which made the Marketplace Fairness Act necessary. We were an unexpected group of Senators--two Republicans and two Democrats who were literally from all over the United States. We disagreed on some things, sure, but we agreed that Main Street business needed a break and deserved fair treatment. We kept working on it with Mike Enzi's leadership, and, in 2013, the Marketplace Fairness Act passed the Senate, overwhelmingly, with 69 votes. Unfortunately, the House of Representatives, once again, broke our heart and didn't act on it. We kept introducing the bill. Main Street businesses were still struggling against the unfair advantage that internet-only retailers had. Visitors to my office might have noticed a little something that was in my office that I have brought to the floor today and wondered what this was all about. This was a gift from Mike Enzi after we were successful in the U.S. Senate. It is a small, wooden, three-note train whistle. It would be a violation of the Senate rules to blow the whistle, but I want to tell you that it was a gift from Mike for our work we did together in helping to get the bill down the tracks of the legislative process. We were never able to get the House to take up the measure, but, in 2018, the Supreme Court finally did the right thing. In a 5-to-4 ruling in South Dakota v. Wayfair, Inc., the Court closed the loophole we had been struggling to fight and address for years. I am proud to be a part of that bipartisan coalition. In Illinois, it has meant a lot. We estimate that our State has received $460 million in annual revenue by virtue of Mike Enzi's determination and leadership on the marketplace fairness front. In this pandemic crisis, this revenue is more important than ever. Mike has always been a force for fairness, a friend, and a leader for whom I have great respect. As we fight this pandemic, we should strive to abide by Mike's 80-20 rule and remember that Main Street businesses are really hurting and need our help. I know Mike will have more time now for fishing and hunting. I wish him and Diana, his wonderful wife--and she is a wonderful person--and their grandchildren happiness. I look forward to reading about the next chapter in Mike Enzi's life of giving and caring. I yield the floor.

Mr. DURBIN

Mr. DURBIN. I announce that the Senator from California (Ms. Harris) and the Senator from Vermont (Mr. Sanders) are necessarily absent.

Mr. DURBIN. I announce that the Senator from California (Ms. Harris), and the Senator from Vermont (Mr. Sanders) are necessarily absent.

Mr. DURBIN

Mr. DURBIN. I announce that the Senator from California (Ms. Harris), the Senator from Vermont (Mr. Sanders), the Senator from Hawaii (Mr. Schatz), and the Senator from Rhode Island (Mr. Whitehouse) are necessarily absent.

Mr. DURBIN

Mr. DURBIN. Madam President, how bad is the COVID-19 pandemic? I am sure we each look at it in personal and family terms. We have just gone through a Thanksgiving like no other, for my family and for many others who decided that safety was more important than being physically in the same room with the family members we love. So we turned to FaceTime, Zoom, and every other contrivance we could find to maintain a connection with children, grandchildren, and other people we love. But the situation is dire. The infection and death rate in my home State has been heartbreaking in terms of the number of people who have had their lives changed, and some have had their lives ended because of it. I can use one example of how bad it is. It won't mean much to those who are listening. The city of St. Louis is a large metropolitan area-- millions of people. I grew up nearby on the Illinois side of the river. One day last week the St. Louis hospitals were unable to take a COVID- 19 patient, and, as a result, that patient was transported almost 100 miles away to Quincy, IL, to a hospital so the patient could receive the care that they needed. Think of that: not an available space in the city of St. Louis. Last month a dear friend of mine, feeling ill, who lived in Illinois, went over to the St. Louis area and went to one of the most outstanding hospitals in the city. She was told she couldn't be admitted because there was no room for her. She went to the second most reputable hospital in the city with the same report. Finally, with the third try, she was admitted to another hospital. Three days later she passed away. In a desperate situation, she was turned away from two major hospitals because they didn't have room. So we can argue long and hard about the danger of this COVID-19, whether it is something to take seriously or not--and there are still those who insist it is not--but we can't escape the reality that 13\1/ 2\ million Americans have already been infected with the COVID virus and over 267,000 American lives have been lost. My heart goes out to those families and their loved ones, some of whom were my friends--and one very close friend--who have lost their lives. And for all of those who are fighting COVID-19 today, including Members of Congress, I wish them well, Godspeed. Get well and come back and join us in a positive way. As the number of infected Americans continues to rise, it is vital that we continue to take safety precautions: social distancing, wearing masks, and staying home as much as possible. I am worried about the health and safety of our country, but I am also worried about the millions of Americans who find themselves in dire straits as the economic impact of this pandemic lingers. I think of some of the restaurants in Chicago and in my own hometown that I visited with my wife from time to time. They are gone. They are not going to return. Sadly, every day, decisions are being made by businesses just like those that they just can't continue to lose money. It clearly is a call to action for Congress to do something. Some choose to focus on the status of the stock market indexes and monthly job reports as proof that the economy has recovered. In fact, I met with a group of Senators from the other side of the aisle who said it is the dominant opinion of the majority of Republican Senators that we don't need a stimulus; that we have recovered; we are on our way. I don't see it that way at all. I think we clearly need to bring life into this economy that reaches families, neighborhoods, communities, and towns. The Wall Street Journal and the Dow Jones average are interesting to read, but for most Americans, it is not part of their regular life experience; it is just a question about whether or not they can keep their family-owned business open or whether or not that store or that restaurant they always valued as part of their community is gone forever. We know the stock market or a single jobs report are not reliable measures of the economy's overall health. The fact is, too many Americans are still living life on the brink. Look at the long lines of people in their cars waiting for food, spending hours of their day trying to get a donation of food. Some of them are embarrassed by the experience, though they should not be. It reflects the reality of what life is like for many people who just a short time ago were volunteers at that same food bank or contributed to it. They are waiting anxiously for relief and wondering if Congress even knows it. We set a record of 88,000 Americans hospitalized last Tuesday, a week ago. One-quarter of our hospitals are reporting critical shortages of doctors and nurses who have been fatigued with months on the frontlines. I can't help but be personally moved by these doctors and nurses who stand before us and talk about what it is like to be in that emergency room day after day after day. These are rock-solid professionals who have given their life to the medical profession. How many times have we watched them break down in tears as they tell us what they are going through? You talk about the emotional stress that we face, the depression we face having to stay home and away from our friends and family. Think about what they face every single day, plus the danger to their own personal health and the danger to their families that is part of this. It really begs for us to take this much more seriously here on the floor of the U.S. Senate. In the weeks leading up to Thanksgiving, 1 in 8 Americans--126 million--didn't have enough to eat. Millions of Americans are claiming some form of unemployment insurance. If we do nothing--if we do nothing--in the Senate, other than to act on the Executive Calendar, which the Republican leader referred to this morning, the day after Christmas, 12 million Americans will be cut off entirely from unemployment assistance--12 million. If we don't do something, those families will be in a desperate situation. If Congress fails to act, that day is going to be an ominous, dark day in our history. The issues facing our State and local governments, which are at the forefront of combating this crisis, continue to be a priority. Their budgets are being hammered by shrinking revenues, and without additional aid, many will have no choice but to either cut important services that many rely upon or raise taxes on families already hard-hit. We must take action to protect our State and local government workers, the firefighters, the teachers, the first responders. In the coming weeks, as many as 30 million Americans are facing the risk of eviction without additional help. Merry Christmas. You have been evicted. Just a few weeks ago, nearly 12 million Americans indicated they would be unable to pay their rent or mortgage in December. Where will they go? Housing assistance that helps keep families in their homes during this public health crisis, as we move into winter months, has to be a top priority. For those who are saying that we are out of the woods, we don't need a stimulus, look at those numbers on the Dow Jones index--I ask you to tell that to 20 million Americans receiving unemployment today or the countless small businesses that are facing closure. There is still a lot of hurt out there, and we need to get more relief out to those who need it. News of the COVID vaccine development is promising, but we are many months from building up the immunity that we need. In the meantime, we must confront the virus with investments in testing, tracing, and healthcare. I want to, at this point, say a word about an effort that was announced this morning that I have been part of for several weeks. There is a bipartisan group of Senators in Congress who have been talking about the very issues that I raised in this speech. I can't tell you how many hours they put into it. We have a group of eight Senators--four Democrats and four Republicans on this side of the Rotunda and a similar group on the other side of House Members--who have been trying to find a bipartisan path out of this current situation. I want to salute them. On the Democratic side, I want to thank Mark Warner of Virginia, Joe Manchin of West Virginia, and Jeanne Shaheen of New Hampshire. It has been my honor to sit at tables on Zoom calls hour after hour after hour as we hash through some of the difficult choices that need to be made. On the Republican side, I want to thank Susan Collins, Lisa Murkowski, Bill Cassidy, and Mitt Romney. They have put as much time as I have, and many times more, in this effort to bring us to a point where we can offer a solution. They announced this morning that they have come to a conclusion that the spending part of this is going to be manageable--doable--on a bipartisan basis, and it should be called on the floor for passage. I will tell you that the $908 billion package they put together is not what I wanted. I believe there should be dramatically larger amounts put into this effort. But there are some on the other side of the aisle who believe that little or nothing is needed. They have tried to find a middle ground, and I believe they have with the $908 billion. The way it is allocated across the board in a draft framework hits the major elements that we need to act on before we go home for Christmas in this month of December. I am not happy with a lot of these figures, but that is what it is all about in this world of the U.S. Congress: You come together willing to sit down and listen to the other side and, if necessary, compromise, so at the end of the day, you have something to show for your efforts. The reason I didn't participate in the press conference this morning is because at the very end, an issue came up, which I believe is really so important, that has to be resolved and resolved fairly, and that is the issue of immunity from liability. Many of us believe that businesses--most businesses--are doing everything they can think of to keep their employees and their customers as safe as possible, and I salute them for it. But many of them as well believe that we need to have standards that they can live up to, so if they are ever challenged by an employee, by a customer, or even in court, they can turn to a standard of care and point that they did everything they could be expected to do at that moment in time. I believe that is a good defense and always has been to any accusations of wrongdoing. But there are some who believe that there should be a different standard, an unreasonable standard--one that I think goes too far in providing immunity from liability, not just for good businesses but also for those that are not. And there are some. We need to have the courts available for those who have been treated badly. I think of the meat processing plants and some of the activities that were involved in the earliest stages, where the employees didn't receive the basic protection they needed. They came down with the COVID virus, and many had serious consequences in their lives. I believe they deserve a day in court. I want to make sure that we pass this COVID-19 bill, as the group has brought together or something like it, for $908 billion. We shouldn't be delayed or diverted from this effort by a debate over immunity from liability. It is an important issue, but some 38 States have already adapted their laws relating to COVID-19 liability. The others can certainly do it, if they wish, if they think they need it. That has resulted in some things which are worth reporting. We are told that there is a tsunami of COVID-19 lawsuits that are being brought against individuals and businesses. It turns out that nothing could be further from the truth. There is a law firm known as Hunton Andrews Kurth that monitors all lawsuits that are filed in the United States every day. They have sought out how many lawsuits relate to COVID-19 and the coronavirus. Last week's report is this: Out of the some 12\1/2\ to 13 million Americans who have been infected with the COVID virus, only 6,273 lawsuits have been brought in the entire Nation in the year 2020 that mention the term COVID-19 or coronavirus. Well, you think: Boy, that is a lot of lawsuits to be filed against doctors and nurses and hospitals. Let me tell you, out of the total number, 6,000 lawsuits, only 10--10--nationwide have been filed for malpractice claims, medical malpractice claims--10 lawsuits. To argue that we ought to close the doors of the court to people who are seeking relief, when so few lawsuits have been filed, makes no sense at all. How many personal injury suits? How many people have sued some person or entity or business saying, ``On your premises, I contracted this COVID-19''? Well, out of 13 million who have been infected, you would think the number would be enormous. Twenty-two-- that is the number--twenty-two personal injury lawsuits have been filed. One hundred and ten of these additional lawsuits have been filed by employees for workplace situations. Out of all these lawsuits in the United States of America for malpractice, personal injury, and workplace complaints, there are 142 lawsuits nationwide. Why would we hold up the $908 billion economic relief over this phenomena? Do you want to know where most of the lawsuits are being filed? Most of the lawsuits are being filed between businesses, as well as businesses versus their insurance companies, and prisoners who are petitioning the court for release from what they consider to be dangerous circumstances. Those are the lawsuits that make up the bulk of the cases that have been filed so far. There is no tsunami of lawsuits. The States are handling this matter responsibly and effectively, and there is no indication that our tort system in this country needs to be dramatically changed. That is why I really withheld my attendance this morning at this press conference. The group has not agreed on the basic issue of liability, but there were statements being made that I could not agree with that I didn't want to suggest that I did, and that is why I didn't attend. I am still ready to work on it. I want to work on it and find a bipartisan way to protect the rights of individuals who have been wronged for their day in court, not to extinguish or take away any rights from any people, to acknowledge that States have made decisions on COVID-19 and are moving forward and are doing a very fine job, as those numbers indicate. Let us not make the best the enemy of the good. For those Republicans who believe that the Cornyn bill on liability is an essential part of this package, do not deny unemployment insurance and help to small businesses across America because we need to fight out this battle. If the Democrats had insisted that we would have no COVID-19 bill unless we had minimum-wage legislation or family leave related to economic circumstances, you would say: Why don't you save that debate for another day? We don't need it at this moment. We do need it as a nation but not at this moment. At this moment, we need to pass emergency assistance to the families and businesses across America. I salute my friends who are part of this effort, this bipartisan effort. I am glad that I spent the time that I did, and I am still ready to work some more. We can come to a conclusion, and we must. For the U.S. Senate to finish this month without dealing with this very basic COVID-19 relief package is fundamentally wrong. It is the highest priority for families and businesses across America, and we owe them nothing less. I yield the floor.

Mr. DURBIN. I announce that the Senator from California (Ms. Harris), the Senator from Vermont (Mr. Sanders), the Senator from Hawaii (Mr. Schatz), and the Senator from Rhode Island (Mr. Whitehouse) are necessarily absent.

Mr. DURBIN

Mr. DURBIN. I announce that the Senator from California (Ms. Harris), the Senator from Vermont (Mr. Sanders), the Senator from Hawaii (Mr. Schatz), and the Senator from Rhode Island (Mr. Whitehouse) are necessarily absent.

Mr. DURBIN

Mr. DURBIN. I announce that the Senator from California (Ms. Harris), the Senator from Vermont (Mr. Sanders), the Senator from Hawaii (Mr. Schatz), and the Senator from Rhode Island (Mr. Whitehouse) are necessarily absent.

Mr. DURBIN

Mr. DURBIN. I announce that the Senator from California (Ms. Harris), the Senator from New Mexico (Mr. Heinrich), the Senator from Washington (Mrs. Murray), the Senator from Vermont (Mr. Sanders), the Senator from Hawaii (Mr. Schatz), the Senator from Arizona (Ms. Sinema), the Senator from Massachusetts (Ms. Warren), and the Senator from Rhode Island (Mr. Whitehouse) are necessarily absent.

Mr. DURBIN

Mr. DURBIN. I announce that the Senator from California (Mrs. Feinstein), the Senator from California (Ms. Harris), and the Senator from Vermont (Mr. Sanders) are necessarily absent.

Mr. DURBIN

Mr. DURBIN. I announce that the Senator from California (Mrs. Feinstein), the Senator from California (Ms. Harris), the Senator from Vermont (Mr. Sanders), and the Senator from Rhode Island (Mr. Whitehouse) are necessarily absent.

Mr. DURBIN

Mr. DURBIN. I announce that the Senator from California (Mrs. Feinstein), the Senator from California (Ms. Harris), the Senator from Washington (Mrs. Murray), and the Senator from Vermont (Mr. Sanders) are necessarily absent.

Mr. DURBIN

Mr. DURBIN. I announce that the Senator from California (Mrs. Feinstein), the Senator from California (Ms. Harris), the Senator from Washington (Mrs. Murray), the Senator from Vermont (Mr. Sanders), the Senator from New Mexico (Mr. Udall), and the Senator from Rhode Island (Mr. Whitehouse) are necessarily absent.

Mr. DURBIN

Mr. DURBIN. I announce that the Senator from California (Ms. Harris) is necessarily absent.

Mr. DURBIN

Mr. DURBIN. I announce that the Senator from California (Ms. Harris) is necessarily absent.

Mr. DURBIN

Mr. DURBIN. I announce that the Senator from California (Ms. Harris) is necessarily absent.

Mr. DURBIN

Mr. DURBIN. I announce that the Senator from California (Ms. Harris), and the Senator from Massachusetts (Ms. Warren) are necessarily absent.