Mitch McConnell

Mr. McCONNELL

Mr. McCONNELL. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Senate now proceed to the en bloc consideration of the following Senate resolutions which were submitted earlier today: S. Res. 584, S. Res. 585, S. Res. 586, S. Res. 587, and S. Res. 588.

Mr. McCONNELL. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the resolutions be agreed to, the preambles, where applicable, be agreed to, and the motions to reconsider be considered made and laid upon the table, all en bloc.

Mr. McCONNELL

Mr. McCONNELL. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that when the Senate completes its business today, it adjourn until 10 a.m., Wednesday, May 20; further, that following the prayer and pledge, the morning hour be deemed expired, the Journal of proceedings be approved to date, the time for the two leaders be reserved for their use later in the day, and morning business be closed; further, that following leader remarks, the Senate proceed to executive session to resume consideration of the Manasco nomination under the previous order.

Mr. McCONNELL

Mr. McCONNELL. If there is no further business to come before the Senate, I ask unanimous consent that it stand adjourned under the provisions of S. Res. 583 and do so as a further mark of respect for the late Tom Coburn, former Senator for the State of Oklahoma.

Mr. McCONNELL

Mr. McCONNELL. Madam President, I ask unanimous consent that the Senate proceed to the consideration of S. Res. 582, submitted earlier today.

Mr. McCONNELL. I ask unanimous consent that the resolution be agreed to, the preamble be agreed to, and the motions to reconsider be considered made and laid upon the table with no intervening action or debate.

Mr. McCONNELL. I suggest the absence of a quorum.

Mr. McCONNELL

Mr. McCONNELL. Madam President, the coronavirus pandemic continues to challenge our Nation, and the Senate is here working for the American people. Our committees have called in experts like Dr. Fauci and leaders like Chairman Powell to discuss the CARES Act and the path toward reopening. We are tracking the effects of the largest rescue package ever and are considering next steps, like strong legal protections so that doctors, small businesses, schoolteachers, and universities do not face a second epidemic of frivolous lawsuits. The Senate is also staying on top of other threats that predated COVID-19--the meddling of Putin's Russia, the brutal Chinese Communist Party, rogue states like Iran and North Korea, foreign terrorists such as ISIS. Two weeks ago, we overwhelmingly confirmed an impressive leader for the National Counterintelligence and Security Center, whom Acting DNI Grenell has announced will play a central role in briefing candidates and campaigns on foreign threats against our elections. Today, our colleagues on the Intelligence Committee, now led by Acting Chairman Rubio, will report out the President's nominee to be the next Director of National Intelligence, and, last week, we reauthorized essential tools that our intelligence community needs to defend our homeland, track our enemies, and protect Americans. But we didn't stop there. Over the last several years, we have been painfully reminded that our Nation and our liberties are not only threatened from without. The fabric of our country is also hurt when tools and capabilities that are meant to keep us safe are abused in ways that are, at best, reckless, sloppy, and unaccountable--or, worse, polluted by political bias. In 2016, the FBI embarked on a counterintelligence investigation against Donald Trump's campaign for the Presidency. Federal law enforcement used taxpayer money to scrutinize a political campaign in the middle of a democratic election. You would have thought such a radical step must have sprung from an air-tight justification. Certainly, you would think the outgoing Obama administration should only have used the awesome power of the Federal Government to pry into their political rivals if they had had a slam-dunk basis for doing so, but that is not what they had. In one instance, the FBI got permission to surveil a Trump associate by telling half-truths, blurring evidence, and citing sketchy sources like a dossier of partisan opposition research that had been funded by the Hillary Clinton campaign and the DNC. Here is how even the New York Times explained the recent findings of the Justice Department's inspector general: ``The FBI had cherry-picked and misstated evidence about the Trump adviser . . . when seeking permission to wiretap him.'' That was from the New York Times. So an American citizen's campaign for the American Presidency was treated like a hostile foreign power by our own law enforcement, in part, because the Democratic-led executive branch manipulated documents, hid contrary evidence, and made a DNC-funded dossier a launch pad for an investigation. The inspector general counted seven significant inaccuracies and omissions. Here is his report: We identified multiple instances in which factual assertions relied upon in the [FBI's] FISA application were inaccurate, incomplete, or unsupported by appropriate documentation based upon information the FBI had in its possession at the time the application was filed. Did you catch that last part? It was based upon information the FBI had in its possession at the time the application was filed. So we are either talking about gross incompetence or intentional bias. Does any Senator think it is acceptable for any Federal warrant application to include seven significant inaccuracies and omissions? But this wasn't just a run-of-the-mill warrant; it was a FISA warrant to snoop on a Presidential campaign. This is just one of the realities that President Trump's Democratic critics spent years calling conspiracy theories or inventions of the President's mind. Yet here it is in black and white from exactly the kind of independent inspector general the Democrats rushed to embrace when convenient. Sadly, this was no isolated incident. Just recently, Attorney General Barr has had to take the incredible step of unwinding the DOJ prosecution of another former Trump adviser because the government's case against him was unfair and distorted as well. It was largely on the basis of these proceedings that the Democrats and the media spent years being fixated on wild theories of Russian collusion, but upon investigation, the Mueller investigation--remember that one?--it is those wild allegations that collapsed along with the credibility of several of these investigations that helped to create the cloud of suspicion in the first place. In the words of our distinguished Attorney General: The proper investigative and prosecutorial standards of the Department of Justice were abused. . . . We saw two different standards of justice emerge, one that applied to President Trump and his associates and the other that applied to everybody else. We can't allow this ever to happen again. That is from the Attorney General. Oh, and by the way, as if this debacle needed even more shocking behavior, I understand a Federal judge may try to continue prosecuting one of these cases even though the prosecution itself wants to drop it. The judge has taken it upon himself to go browsing for other hostile parties. Obviously, that subverts our constitutional order in which the executive alone decides whether to prosecute cases So, look, no matter what some Washington Democrats may try to claim, you are not crazy or a conspiracy theorist if you see a pattern of institutional unfairness toward this President. You would have to be blind not to see one. All of this is why the Senate passed important FISA reforms in last week's bill--to help bring accountability and transparency into that flawed process--and we aren't nearly finished. As soon as possible, the full Senate will vote on Mr. Ratcliffe's nomination. The President will have a Senate-confirmed DNI who can pursue the vital national security work of our tireless intelligence community while he can also ensure that the IC stays out of politics and out of the papers. Just yesterday, Chairman Graham announced the Committee on the Judiciary will vote on a serious new set of subpoenas so the Senate can hear directly from key players like James Comey, Andrew McCabe, Loretta Lynch, and many others to continue getting to the bottom of this. Let me say that again. The Senate Republicans are taking steps to issue subpoenas to a wide variety of Obama administration officials who have some relationship to the abuses I have just laid out. The American people deserve answers about how such abuses could happen, and we intend to get those answers. I have been a strong supporter of law enforcement and the intelligence community during my career. The American people sleep safer because dedicated people are protecting our country and bringing our foes to justice. It is precisely because I support these missions that I feel so strongly this malpractice cannot be tolerated and must never be repeated.

Mr. McCONNELL

Mr. McCONNELL. Now, Madam President, on another matter, it is my honor to help bid farewell to a distinguished staff leader, who has himself handled sensitive security matters with great care and dedication. For more than 30 years, this body has functioned more safely and smoothly because Mike DiSilvestro was on the clock as Director of the Office of Senate Security. Mike D.'s job is tough to describe. That is partially because long tenured all-stars like Mike have a way of carving out their own niche, but it is mostly because his work is literally classified. Mike has been in charge of the Office of Senate Security almost as long as I have been in the Senate. He came on board as Acting Director in 1987. He took over a brandnew office with incredibly important and sensitive functions. The details are not for public consumption, but let's say there were two main missions. First, Mike has managed, modernized, and expanded the secure facilities and systems that provide classified information in the Capitol to Senators and committees as we govern the country. He has simultaneously been a diplomatic liaison to the executive branch and has advocated for the Senate's prerogative, and he has been a skillful manager of people and logistics, who has made sure our secrets stay secret once they arrive here. Second, Mike has been one of our top leaders on the security of the Senate itself. He helps to plan for contingencies and guard every facet of our institution, its people, and its systems from outside actors with bad intentions. These are tall orders--even for a fellow graduate of the University of Louisville. Consider how much has changed in the 37 years since Mike first came to the Senate and in the 32 years he has held this job: major wars, terrorist strikes on the homeland, anthrax in the Hart Building, countless technological advances that have made his task radically more complex. Imagine guarding some of the Nation's most closely held secrets, planning for possible attacks on the institution, and still being unanimously described by your colleagues as calm, cool, and even-keeled. Mike is no cheap people pleaser. His duties don't permit it. When you see Mike outside his secure facility and heading our way, it does not mean a social call--it means bad news--and you had better believe this stoic sentinel has had to say no a lot more than yes. Just doing the job half as reliably and reassuringly as Mike is a herculean task by itself, but then factor in the fact that he is also one of the most personally well-liked and respected colleagues among the circle of folks with whom he has worked. Mike D.'s reputation extends far outside the Senate. I have it on good authority that, when Secretary of Defense Esper--who served as national security adviser to a former majority leader--comes to Senate Security to brief us Members, he doesn't consider his visit complete until he has stopped in Mike D.'s office to check on his old colleague. Yet, ironically, outside a select circle, most people in the Senate itself probably could not pick Mike D. out of a lineup. I guess, when everything you work on is strictly ``need to know,'' you wind up on a need-to-know basis yourself. Even Mike's own teammates describe his approach as somewhat ``stealth-like.'' In short, even to his beloved Senate, Mike has remained somewhat mysterious. It is definitely a good sign for all of us that he has never become a household name, but some careful intelligence work on our own has turned up clues about Mike D.'s next assignment. His well- earned retirement will bring more hikes, more long runs, a lot more golf, and more time with the family he treasures. He may miss his colleagues and the importance of his job, but I don't think tears will be shed for the end of those heroically long commutes on I-95 which took place at all hours, day and night, whenever duty called. I can't offer Mike any higher praise than to repeat what he actually already knows. The Senate has been safe and secure for more than a generation because of you. Decades of Senators have gotten the information we need because of you. Some people spend their whole careers wondering if they have made a difference. You have not needed to ask that for almost 40 years, and you will never need to ask it again. Mike, we are going to miss you, but old habits die hard, and we simply aren't willing to sever all ties. So, this morning, the Senate will officially designate Mike as Senate Security's Director Emeritus. The Office's first-ever Director will become its first-ever Director Emeritus. But don't worry, Mike. Your new job description will just be a little bit lighter. I hope the biggest mystery you have to tackle for a while will be whether to play 9 holes on Saturday or fit in 18. The Senate and your country thanks you for everything you have done.

Mr. McCONNELL

Mr. McCONNELL. Mr. President, the COVID-19 pandemic continues to hold our Nation on high alert. More than 1.4 million Americans have been infected; more than 80,000 lives have been tragically lost; and the livelihoods of tens of millions of working families have been turned upside down in what seems like the blink of an eye. Our Nation's healthcare system has not been stressed by contagion on this scale in over a century, and unemployment has not been this high since the Second World War. A new generation of American heroes--from medical professionals, to lab researchers, to grocery store workers, to custodians and janitors, to community volunteers--has been called up to the frontlines to serve its neighbors and our country. So, for several weeks now, the Senate has counted ourselves among those ranks of essential workers. They are showing up for our country, so we are showing up for them. With respect to the pandemic itself, we are conducting rigorous oversight of the Senate's historic CARES Act rescue package and are helping to plan the pivot toward reopening. Last week, Chairman Alexander and the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions engaged with Dr. Fauci, Dr. Redfield, Admiral Giroir, and other top experts to discuss paths for schools and businesses to reopen, and numbers of our colleagues are joining me and Senator Cornyn in thinking proactively about the issue of legal liability that could crush the recovery on the runway. We need strong legal protections to ensure that our historic recovery efforts are not drained away from healthcare workers, schools, and universities or small businesses in order to line the pockets of trial lawyers. At the same time, we have kept our eye on the ball on other significant global challenges. Last week, on a bipartisan basis, the Senate reauthorized critical surveillance authorities for our national security professionals. We also made sure to include important new reforms to begin to address the abuses that marred the 2016 election, the disturbing details of which are continuing to come to light every day. Our action on that subject is not finished. Thanks to leadership from Senator Rubio, we passed legislation to continue ratcheting up the pressure on the Chinese Communist Party. In this case, our bill will shed new light and impose new consequences for the egregious abuses against the Uyghur people and other Muslim minorities. We also confirmed well-qualified nominees to important roles at the National Counterintelligence and Security Center, the Nuclear Regulatory Commission, the Department of Homeland Security, and the Department of Housing and Urban Development. In other words, we have done more for the American people in 2 weeks on this side of the Capitol than the House of Representatives has done in the last 2 months. In the two months that the House Democrats have spent away from their duty stations, they have seemingly given themselves just one assignment--to draft an enormous political messaging bill and brand it as coronavirus relief. Yet, even on this basis, they have failed. The 1,800-page doorstop that Speaker Pelosi dropped last week was appropriately greeted as the legislative equivalent of a standup comedy. There were tax hikes on small businesses in the midst of a small business crisis, and there were targeted tax cuts for the wealthiest people in the bluest States. There were two separate taxpayer-funded studies on diversity and inclusion in the market for marijuana. In sum, it was a $3 trillion wish list slapped together in a clumsy effort to never let a good crisis go to waste--serious work here in the Senate and partisanship pointlessness over in the House. The Senate will stay on course and continue our serious work at this serious time. Tomorrow morning, our colleagues on the Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs will hear from Secretary Mnuchin and Fed Chairman Powell on the latest status of the CARES Act implementation efforts. The Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee will meet this week to consider the nomination of Brian Miller to serve as Special Inspector General for the pandemic recovery programs. The Special Committee on Aging will be examining the challenges facing American seniors during this pandemic as both the virus itself and the social distancing measures take a heavy toll on older Americans. Of course, we will continue to uphold our responsibilities beyond the scope of COVID-19. We will consider more nominations to the Federal Election Commission and to the Federal bench. Tomorrow, our colleagues on the Intelligence Committee will vote on reporting the nomination of John Ratcliffe to serve as Director of National Intelligence. This role is essential for monitoring and countering evolving threats from Russia to China, to terrorist groups, and for ensuring the intelligence community's important work is not tainted by partisan bias or political weaponization. We have a busy week ahead of us. This pandemic is not going to defeat itself; a careful reopening will not plan itself; and our Nation's other challenges are not about to politely step aside in the meantime. All kinds of American heroes across the country are tackling the coronavirus head on. We are going to do all we can to keep them safe and supported while they do.

Mr. McCONNELL

Mr. McCONNELL. Mr. President, I suggest the absence of a quorum.

Mr. McCONNELL

Mr. McCONNELL. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs be discharged from further consideration of the following nomination, PN1715, and that it be placed on the Calendar.

Mr. McCONNELL

Mr. McCONNELL. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Senate proceed to legislative session for a period of morning business, with Senators permitted to speak therein for up to 10 minutes each.

Mr. McCONNELL

Mr. McCONNELL. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that notwithstanding the provisions of rule XXII, the postcloture time on the Rash nomination expire at 11:45 a.m. tomorrow; I further ask unanimous consent that notwithstanding the provisions of rule XXII, the cloture vote on the Trainor nomination occur at 2:30 p.m. tomorrow; further, I ask unanimous consent that if cloture is invoked on the Trainor nomination, the postcloture time expire at 4:30 p.m.; finally, if any of the nominations are confirmed, I ask unanimous consent that the motions to reconsider be considered made and laid upon the table and that the President be immediately notified of the Senate's action.

Mr. McCONNELL

Mr. McCONNELL. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that when the Senate completes its business today, it adjourn until 10 a.m., Tuesday, May 19; further, that following the prayer and pledge, the morning hour be deemed expired, the Journal of proceedings be approved to date, the time of the two leaders be reserved for their use later in the day, and morning business be closed; further, that following leader remarks, the Senate proceed to executive session to resume consideration of the Rash nomination under the previous order; finally, following disposition of the Rash nomination, the Senate stand in recess until 2:15 p.m.

Mr. McCONNELL

Mr. McCONNELL. Mr. President, if there is no further business to come before the Senate, I ask unanimous consent that it stand adjourned under the previous order.

Mr. McCONNELL

Mr. McCONNELL. Madam President, I ask unanimous consent that the order for the quorum call be rescinded.

Mr. McCONNELL

Mr. McCONNELL. Madam President, this pandemic is weighing heavily on the American people. Roughly, 1.4 million Americans have been infected, more than 80,000 have died, and unemployment has not been this high since World War II. Just a few months ago, millions of hard-working men and women were thriving and optimistic. They were making big plans across kitchen tables. Now all of that is in chaos. The Chairman of the Federal Reserve reports that nearly 4 in 10 American households that earn less than $40,000 a year had somebody get laid off in the month of March alone. This emergency is very serious, so the Senate's response has been serious. In March, Senate Republicans designed and the full Senate passed the CARES Act. It pushed trillions of dollars to working families, job creators, and medical professionals. We sent direct cash to almost 130 million Americans. We delivered hundreds of billions of dollars in paycheck protection loans to small businesses, saving tens of millions of American jobs. We helped State and local governments defray coronavirus costs. We funded healthcare providers and testing. Even now, its programs are still taking effect, still coming online, still helping. The Senate took a blank sheet of paper and turned it into the largest rescue package in history. We have taken this crisis seriously, but the House Democrats have taken a totally different approach. While we finalized the CARES Act, the House parachuted in with miscellaneous liberal demands that were completely unrelated to COVID-19--solar energy tax credits, airline emissions. One senior House Democrat called the virus a ``tremendous opportunity to restructure things to fit our vision.'' One Senate Democratic colleague asked: ``How many times are we going to get a shot at a $1 trillion-plus program?'' They told us exactly what they were up to, so we ignored the leftwing wish list and stayed serious, and the CARES Act is still helping Americans bridge these temporary shutdowns. So let's fast-forward to today. The Democratic House is still not back in Washington. Its constitutional duty stations are still unmanned, but the Democrats cannot stop salivating over the possibilities for partisan gain. Former Vice President Biden says he sees this tragedy as an ``incredible opportunity . . . to fundamentally transform the country.'' Biden said it is an ``incredible opportunity . . . to fundamentally transform the country.'' Speaker Pelosi said: ``I see everything as an opportunity.'' A cochair of the Congressional Progressive Caucus said: ``For me, the leverage is that there is enormous suffering.'' ``The leverage is that there is enormous suffering.'' There are 80,000 Americans who have died and more than 20 million who have lost their jobs. I call that a crisis; they call it leverage. This week, the Speaker published an 1,800-page seasonal catalog of leftwing oddities and called it a coronavirus relief bill. So here we go again. It includes a massive Tax Code giveaway to high earners in blue States. Working families are struggling to put food on the table, but the House Democrats are prioritizing millionaires on the coasts. It would print another round of checks--listen to this--specifically for illegal immigrants. Can you believe it? We forgot to have the Treasury Department send money to people who are here illegally. My goodness. What an oversight. Thank goodness the Democrats are on the case. The Speaker's bill also tries to use the virus as cover to implement sweeping changes to election laws that the Democrats have literally wanted for years, like forcing every single State to embrace California's sketchy ballot harvesting whether they want to or not. Then there is the cherry on top. It is the bold new policy from the Washington Democrats that will kick the coronavirus to the curb and save American families from this crisis. Here it is--new annual studies on diversity and inclusion within the cannabis industry. There is not one study but two of them. Let me say that again. The Democrats' supposed coronavirus bill includes taxpayer-funded studies to measure diversity and inclusion among the people who profit off of marijuana. The word ``cannabis'' appears in this bill 68 times--more times than the word ``job'' and 4 times as much as the word ``hire.'' Maybe that is just as well because when their proposal does try to treat the economic crisis, it proposes stifling, anti-work policies that would only make it harder for Americans to get their jobs back. For example, they literally propose to raise taxes on small business and drain more cash from Main Street during a Main Street meltdown. So maybe it is best if the House Democrats focus on cannabis studies and leave economics to the rest of us. This is a totally unserious effort. Even the mainstream media says: ``Neither this bill nor anything resembling it will ever become law. It's a Democratic wish list.'' Forget about making law; this thing even fails as a messaging bill. That is what is so remarkable. The House Democrats had a blank slate to write anything they wanted to define the modern Democratic Party--any vision for the society that they wanted--and here is what they chose: tax hikes on small businesses, giveaways to blue State millionaires, government checks for illegal immigrants, and sending diversity detectives to inspect the pot industry. The House gave itself no assignments for 2 months except to develop this proposal. Yet it still reads like the Speaker of the House pasted together some random ideas from her most liberal Members and slapped the word ``coronavirus'' on top of it--an unserious product from an unserious House majority that has spent months dealing itself out of the crisis. The House Democrats have been missing in action for months. While the Senate was passing the CARES Act, the Democratic House was on the sidelines substantively and literally. They had already gone home. Nearly 2 months later, the Senators are back at our duty stations with new precautions. We have been back for 2 weeks. We are holding major hearings on the pandemic. We are legislating and confirming nominees. Yet the House is still at home. And when it does contribute, it is not serious. The House Democrats have checked out of this crisis and left governing up to the Senate. They even intend to shatter congressional history and jam through remote voting so they can continue to be counterproductive from the comfort of their homes. Let me say that again. They even intend to shatter congressional history and jam through remote voting so they can continue to be counterproductive from the comfort of their own homes. Look, here in the real world, the Senate Republicans are working seriously to help the country reopen. The crushing unemployment figures, even with the CARES Act, show that no amount of Federal spending could substitute for the entirety of the U.S. economy. We need to be smart, and we need to be safe, but we have to find a more sustainable middle ground. This week, Chairman Alexander and the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions heard from Dr. Fauci, Dr. Redfield, and other top experts on exactly this subject. There are at least two big things our Nation will need to start recovering: stepped-up testing nationwide and legal liability protections so that K-12 schools, universities, charities, and employers are not invaded by trial lawyers the instant they unlock their doors. On testing, fortunately, the Senate has already done a great deal. The executive branch and especially the States are in the driver's seat, but we have already sent billions of dollars to help scale up testing nationwide. On legal liability reform, the work lies ahead of us. As my Republican colleagues and I have made clear, strong legal protections will be a hard redline in any future legislation. That is what is happening here in the Senate--serious leadership on a serious crisis like we have been doing for months. This half of the Capitol is doing our job

Mr. McCONNELL

Mr. McCONNELL. Mr. President, I move to proceed to legislative session.

Mr. McCONNELL

Mr. McCONNELL. Mr. President, I move to proceed to executive session to consider Calendar No. 640.

Mr. McCONNELL

Mr. McCONNELL. Mr. President, I move to proceed to executive session to consider Calendar No. 564.

Mr. McCONNELL

Mr. McCONNELL. Mr. President, I send a cloture motion to the desk.

Mr. McCONNELL. I ask unanimous consent that the mandatory quorum calls for the cloture motions be waived.

Mr. McCONNELL

Mr. McCONNELL. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Senate proceed to legislative session for a period of morning business, with Senators permitted to speak therein for up to 10 minutes each.

Mr. McCONNELL

Mr. McCONNELL. Mr. President, as spring begins to give way to summer, there is a singular tradition that unites everyone from across my home State. Even after particularly contentious college basketball seasons, Kentuckians of all backgrounds can look with pride to the Twin Spires of Churchill Downs for the Kentucky Derby. Since 1875, the pride of Louisville has been inextricably linked to the ``Most Exciting Two Minutes in Sports.'' This year, however, fans couldn't gather at the Grandstands, the infield, or at a Derby Party. The coronavirus pandemic has changed the daily lives of nearly every American. Even our most sacred traditions have been put on hold as we follow the advice of medical experts to slow the spread of this terrible virus. As a result, the Kentucky Derby has been postponed for the first time since the Second World War. The 146th Run for the Roses will instead take place over Labor Day weekend in September. Jerry Brewer, a Kentucky native and Washington Post sports writer, put into words the sense of longing felt by so many Kentuckians. In a wonderful column published on what would have been Derby weekend, Jerry shared both his personal reflections and our shared emotions. In Louisville, the Derby is more than a single race. Kentuckians spend the weeks before celebrating our people and our heritage. I am grateful that someone with such eloquence could describe Kentucky's Derby passion. That is not to say horseracing fans weren't treated to a race on May 2. Instead of hosting the world's most anticipated horse race, Churchill Downs created a virtual running of Triple Crown winners. In a match of some of horseracing's biggest names, Secretariat--one of the greatest horses to ever run--completed an all-star victory. Although a lot will be different about the Labor Day Derby, so much of what makes the Kentucky Derby special will remain the same. Whether at the track or watching from home, fans will still get to sip a mint julep filled with Kentucky's signature spirit. Longtime residents and first-time visitors alike will feel the sentimental tug as they sing ``My Old Kentucky Home.'' And the thundering hooves of thoroughbreds will echo in the ears of millions. The postponement is certainly a disappointment, but I would encourage my fellow Kentuckians not to despair. Our traditions are rooted deeply in the Bluegrass. We will beat this virus, and Kentucky will get the chance to shine once again. Like the champions whose names surround Churchill Downs, Kentucky has the strength and grit to overcome any obstacle and cross the finish line. We may not have a 146th Kentucky Derby champion for a few more months, but I think Jerry Brewer would agree, it is worth the wait. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that Jerry Brewer's article be printed in the Record.