Mitch McConnell

Mr. McCONNELL

Mr. McCONNELL. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Senate proceed to immediate consideration of S. 3503, introduced earlier today.

Mr. McCONNELL. I ask unanimous consent that the bill be considered read a third time.

Mr. McCONNELL. I know of no further debate on the bill.

Mr. McCONNELL. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the motion to reconsider be considered made and laid upon the table.

Mr. McCONNELL

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 President, I ask unanimous consent that the order for the quorum call be rescinded.

Mr. McCONNELL

Mr. McCONNELL. Mr. President, the new coronavirus has spread from China throughout the world, and it is challenging our Nation in new ways. Across our country, daily routines are being disrupted, families are grappling with school closings and changes to childcare, major American companies and institutions are literally modifying how they do business, and a growing number of Main Street small businesses face the possibility of significant disruptions as more and more communities begin to ``hunker down,'' as Dr. Fauci put it, on the advice of public health experts and local leaders. As an aside, I have noticed that a lot of the discussion in the media has focused on individuals who may be temporarily transitioning from office work to working from home. So I want to especially acknowledge the many other hard-working Americans for whom telework is not an option. Now, more than ever, we are reminded who really keeps this country running: the hard-working men and women who grow things, who make things, who drive trucks and move goods across the country, who mine coal or otherwise produce domestic energy and, literally, power our communities, who run the stores and shops we rely on, who serve our communities as police and first responders, and, of course, especially the dedicated frontline healthcare professionals, who work tirelessly to heal and protect all the rest of us. To all Americans--but, most especially, to those hard-working people whose efforts are going to get our country through this challenge--I have one message: The Senate stands with you. We stand with American workers and families, we stand with American businesses, and we stand with the public health experts and the heroic frontline medical professionals whom our Nation seems poised to lean on as heavily as we have at any point in recent memory. The Senate is committed to meeting these uncertain times with bold and bipartisan solutions. That is what we did a little more than a week ago, when the Senate passed billions of dollars in emergency funding for health and small businesses with an overwhelming bipartisan vote and put it on the President's desk. That is what we are going to keep doing this week, particularly if the House of Representatives can actually complete its work and transmit a finished product of its relief over to us. And it is what we are going to keep doing in the days and weeks ahead. With respect to the House-passed legislation, I understand the House chose to proceed with their planned 1-week recess, despite not having finished processing their bill. As of this afternoon, we are still waiting for the House to reach a decision on possible technical corrections and to submit a final product to us here in the Senate. We cannot consider the legislation until we get it, but I know that Senators on both sides have spent the last several days carefully studying the House proposal, and I know that all of us are eager to act quickly to support American workers, families, and small businesses. Even more broadly, Senate Republicans are absolutely convinced that the House's bill can only be the beginning--just the beginning--of Congress's efforts to secure our economy and support American families. This is a unique challenge--a unique challenge. Unlike in any other tough circumstances, our short-term goal is not simply to bring economic activity right back to normal starting tomorrow. Instead, our task is to secure the historically strong foundation of our Nation's economy and support Americans during this period when public health may require that some normal activities simply be scaled back. I have spoken with countless colleagues and committee chairmen over the last several days. We agree there are three major areas where the Senate must continue to develop bold and bipartisan action: No. 1, we will need to take further steps to assist individual Americans and families with financial challenges in the weeks and months ahead. No. 2, we will need to further significant actions to secure our Nation's economy--particularly Main Street small businesses--and safeguard our historically strong economic foundation through this period. No. 3, we will need further steps to ready our healthcare system and support our Nation's medical professionals. The Senate majority is already working toward next steps on all three of those fronts. I hope further bold action can be just as bipartisan and collaborative as the process by which we passed the first set of additional funds. We must work with each other in the bipartisan spirit this moment demands--and with the administration and the House--to deliver results for our country.

Mr. McCONNELL

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

Mr. McCONNELL

Mr. McCONNELL. Mr. President, this morning, the Senate and House Sergeants at Arms announced the suspension of public tours and nonofficial access to the Capitol Complex beginning at the close of business today and running through the end of March. Their decision was made in close consultation with the Attending Physician of the U.S. Congress, Dr. Brian Monahan. I support the decision of these nonpartisan officers. It follows new guidance from the Washington, DC, Department of Health encouraging that all nonessential mass gatherings of more than 1,000 people be postponed. The Capitol Complex welcomes many times that many visitors on a typical day, particularly at this time of year. Congress will continue to do our work. Offices will be able to welcome constituents and visitors for meetings and official business by appointment, but in deference to the experts and to protect the health of many Americans who travel to our Nation's Capital, tourism and nonofficial access to the Capitol and the complex will be put on pause. This virus is challenging our Nation in ways that feel unfamiliar to us, but our great country is strong, we are equipped, and we have overcome far greater challenges before. I know the entire Congress will look forward to welcoming all Americans back to visit their beautiful Capitol as soon as possible. In the meantime, we continue to encourage everyone to follow the facts, listen to the experts, and take smart and calm precautions as appropriate. Every American can access up-to-date recommendations for their own personal circumstances at www.coronavirus.gov. Last night, President Trump addressed the Nation on the broader, ongoing effort to slow and mitigate the spread of the virus here on American soil. As I have noted before, the administration's early proactive measures to repatriate U.S. citizens and restrict travel from China bought more time for public health professionals to prepare our response, and the funding measure that Congress passed last week is sending an infusion of new funding into laboratory research, frontline medical care, and everything in between. With those critical steps already taken, this week brought a further opportunity to help communities and families face the economic effects of the virus spread. Unfortunately, it appears at this hour that the Speaker and House Democrats instead chose to produce an ideological wish list that was not tailored closely to the circumstances. One is reminded of the famous comment from President Obama's first Chief of Staff: ``You never want a serious crisis to go to waste.'' Instead of focusing on immediate relief to affected individuals, families, and businesses, the House Democrats chose to wander into various areas of policy that are barely related, if at all, to the issue before us. Instead of working within existing law and within existing systems to deliver targeted relief as officially and effectively as possible, the Speaker's proposal would stand up a needless thicket of new bureaucracy. They would task offices like the Social Security Administration with standing up brand-new bureaucracy that would delay the delivery of aid to those who need it. As currently drafted, the proposal appears to impose permanent unfunded mandates on businesses that could cause massive job losses and put thousands of small businesses at risk. The administration was ready to collaborate. The Senate was ready to seriously consider a compromise product, but it appears that over in the House, leftwing political messaging may have taken priority over the needs of our country. Certainly, this is disappointing. I want to commend Secretary Mnuchin for his efforts and his continued conversation. At a minimum, I hope that Senate Democrats will not block potential requests from our colleagues today to pass smaller, noncontroversial pieces of legislation right away that would bolster particular aspects of the fight against coronavirus. The good news is that our Nation's economy remains strong. The President is continuing to take action himself. We just passed billions--billions--in urgent funding just last week, and the Senate will continue to stand ready and willing to work toward further bicameral, bipartisan actions when the House Democrats decide to get serious.

Mr. McCONNELL

Mr. McCONNELL. Mr. President, I understand there is a bill at the desk due a second reading.

Mr. McCONNELL. Mr. President, in order to place the bill on the calendar under the provisions of rule XIV, I object to further proceedings.

Mr. McCONNELL

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

Mr. McCONNELL

Mr. McCONNELL. Mr. President, now, on another matter, yesterday the House of Representatives did come together around a bipartisan agreement to renew some critical national security tools. The USA FREEDOM Reauthorization Act of 2020 will reauthorize key authorities granted to intelligence and national security professionals under the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act. First and foremost, this means ensuring that the men and women tasked with rooting out espionage and stopping terrorist activity on U.S. soil are equipped with the powers they need to be successful. Today, the threats these professionals confront are as serious and diverse as ever. Terrorist groups continue to wish us harm. Major hostile powers like Russia and China remain committed to undermining the integrity of American institutions, from our infrastructure to our elections. The targeted powers reauthorized by this legislation are a vital part of the efforts to protect American communities. That is a fact. It is a fact that has been reaffirmed time and again by Attorneys General and by the numerous reauthorizations granted by Congress. This time is no different. We can't mistake the safety and security that FISA authorities have helped preserve for evidence that they are no longer needed. At the same time, we cannot mistake a vital process for a perfect one. The 2016 election showed us perfectly clearly that the authorities granted under FISA are in need of targeted reforms to improve accountability. That was backed up by the findings of the Department of Justice inspector general. That is why this legislation contains a number of specific reforms to address the kinds of failures that embarrassed the system in 2016: more oversight over the practices of the FISA Court, more declassification and more compliance practices, higher level approval for certain sensitive applications, and more. Our responsibility here is twofold. We have to continue equipping our national security professionals and the intelligence community to anticipate, confront, and eliminate the threats facing our country, and we also have to respond to the failures of 2016 with real reforms that ensure the public trust is handled appropriately. This legislation, passed by a bipartisan majority in the House and endorsed by the Attorney General, strikes the right balance. I am confident that it will pass the Senate as well. It is not a question of if this passes but when. I hope that our colleagues who may not choose to vote for this legislation will not deny this body the opportunity to renew these authorities today to prevent any lapse. I hope none of our colleagues choose to force these important national security tools to temporarily lapse for the sake of making a political point, which will not change the outcome. In fact, I hope we can renew these authorities today. But if we cannot, if some of our colleagues choose to object, the lapse will only be temporary, similar to past short lapses between reauthorizations. These national security tools should not lapse. They do not need to lapse, and I hope none of our colleagues choose to unilaterally force them to lapse just for the sake of making a point. But at least it would only be temporary because this bill is going to pass, these authorities are getting renewed, and that is a great thing for the security of our Nation and the safety of the American people. I hope it can happen today.

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, yesterday President Trump visited the Capitol to discuss the ongoing efforts to fight the new coronavirus and its growing footprint here in the United States. As Vice President Pence, Dr. Anthony Fauci, and the other administration experts related in their briefing yesterday, we should expect a number of cases to continue to climb throughout our country. Fortunately, our Nation was rated the best prepared in the world for this kind of outbreak, and we are continuing to scale up our response every day. My home State of Kentucky currently has eight confirmed cases. I applaud the efforts of State and local leaders who are working together with Federal officials to proceed carefully and intelligently. Our public health experts are compiling the best guidance for individuals, families, businesses, schools, and healthcare professionals in one place, and www.coronavirus.gov is the place to go. I encourage every American to read through the information, particularly anyone whose personal circumstances make additional precautions a wise idea. President Trump and Senators also discussed potential policies to soften the economic impact of the virus. Over the last 3 years, we have built a historically strong economy of American workers and middle- class families. We should take sensible steps to help that momentum continue, notwithstanding this new challenge. I am glad the Secretary of the Treasury and the Speaker of the House are engaging in direct bipartisan talks on this subject. Congress has already provided billions in new funding to Federal, State, and local health leaders. I hope we can bring the same bipartisan energy to any steps that prove necessary to support our strong U.S. economy. Now, it has been sad but not surprising to see some of President Trump's Democratic critics here in Washington fall back on the same old predictable partisan attacks, even at a time like this, but across the country, where leaders are working together on the frontlines, we have seen something different. I want to commend the Democratic Governor of California, who stated on Monday that he had been in close touch with the President and Vice President and appreciated their attention and support. Here is what he said: He said everything I could have hoped for. . . . We had a very long conversation, and every single thing he said, they followed through on. That is the Governor of California talking about the Republican President of the United States. He praised the administration's work on this and said: ``It starts at the top.'' So, clearly, this does not have to be a time for partisan bickering. The American people know that. The leaders around the country know that. I hope our Democratic colleagues here in Washington understand the American people expect us to be working together on this problem.

Mr. McCONNELL

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

Mr. McCONNELL

Mr. McCONNELL. Madam President, now on another matter, yesterday, both the House and Senate were briefed by top intelligence community officials on the state of ongoing efforts to protect the security of American elections. I was glad that so many Members took the chance to hear directly from the experts. This issue is very important, and it is bad for our democracy that some have sought to politicize it. All of us should acknowledge the threat, and all of us should applaud the unprecedented step this administration has taken to protect against it. These significant efforts undertaken by the administration and funded by the Congress are actually working. Since 2017, the hundreds of millions of dollars we have directed to help State and local election officials reinforce their systems have been finding their mark. In all 50 States and across thousands of jurisdictions, new tools, more resources, and greater coordination have our Nation's defenses in a stronger place. This includes far greater coordination with the social media companies to combat foreign disinformation, as well as close collaboration between the Federal Government and State and local jurisdictions on protecting electoral infrastructure. And to date, the intelligence community reports they have not seen any foreign interference that aims to change vote tallies or prevent Americans from voting. So the American people are absolutely right to have confidence in the integrity of our voting systems, and they actually do. As I mentioned yesterday, one new survey has found that more than 70 percent--70 percent--of Americans are confident their State and local authorities will oversee a fair and accurate election this November. That is 70 percent of the American people who have confidence in the fairness of the elections this November. As an aside, this is worth remembering as our Democratic colleagues try to claim that election security demands things like an unprecedented Washington power grab over the nuanced details of how States and localities conduct elections or addressing things like campaign finance. These are longtime leftwing goals that have basically nothing whatsoever to do with the actual threats now before us. But the American people's confidence in the key institutions of our democracy does not mean they are complacent; they aren't. The same survey shows the American people understand full well that foreign adversaries like Russia want to divide our country and distort our discourse through disinformation. The intelligence community confirms that as well. Our intelligence experts have publicly assessed that Russia and other adversaries will continue looking for ways to warp our public debate from overseas. We all need to be aware that our adversaries seek to exploit the openness of our society to turn Americans against ourselves. Adversaries like Russia want to exacerbate social and political tensions in our country. They want to undermine our confidence in our own election and our democratic institutions. This is why I have stressed that politicians need to be careful not to take the bait. It is why the President signed an Executive order to enable sanctions against any person or any country that attempts to meddle in our elections. It is why this administration has created new procedures for promptly notifying campaigns that are targeted by foreign entities, unlike--unlike--how the Obama administration hid the ball back in 2016, and it is why the new, tough foreign policies of the last 3 years will continue to be essential. Narrow, tailored solutions are important, but the best way for the United States to defend ourselves and our interests against any malign behavior is to possess unquestionable strength and make it perfectly clear we are not interested in being pushed around. I have been a Russia hawk for more than 30 years. I am on record from the late years of the Clinton administration warning Democrats not to be naive about a new President-elect by the name of Vladimir Putin, so I applaud this administration's tough stance with Russia. And I am pleased that Democrats have stopped--stopped--mocking Republicans for being too tough on Russia and have come around to our point of view. We have come a long way since the passivity and the failures of the Obama administration back in 2016, but the work is not finished, and Senators are fooling themselves if they think this is just about Russia. We must stay vigilant--all of us; Federal leaders, State and local election officials, and every American citizen. Every one of us has a part to play in protecting our democracy.

Mr. McCONNELL

Mr. McCONNELL. Mr. President, I understand there is a bill at the desk, and I ask for its first reading.

Mr. McCONNELL. Mr. President, I now ask for a second reading, and in order to place the bill on the calendar under the provisions of rule XIV, I object to my own request.

Mr. McCONNELL

Mr. McCONNELL. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Senate proceed to the consideration of S. Res. 540, submitted earlier today.

Mr. McCONNELL. Mr. President, I know of no further debate on the measure.

Mr. McCONNELL. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that 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

Mr. McCONNELL. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Senate proceed to the consideration S. Res. 541, submitted earlier today.

Mr. McCONNELL. Mr. President, 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

Mr. McCONNELL. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Senate proceed to the immediate consideration of Calendar No. 407, S. 227.

Mr. McCONNELL. I ask unanimous consent that the committee-reported substitute amendment be agreed to, the bill, as amended, be considered read a third time and passed, and the motion to reconsider be considered made and laid upon the table.