Mitch McConnell

Mr. McCONNELL

Mr. McCONNELL. Mr. President, I ask for the yeas and nays.

Mr. McCONNELL. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the majority leader and the Democratic leader be allowed to speak and that the time not count against the 2 hours of debate in relation to the objection raised on the State of Arizona.

Mr. McCONNELL. I want to say to the American people, the United States Senate will not be intimidated. We will not be kept out of this Chamber by thugs, mobs, or threats. We will not bow to lawlessness or intimidation. We are back at our posts. We will discharge our duty under the Constitution and for our Nation, and we are going to do it tonight. This afternoon, Congress began the process of honoring the will of the American people and counting the electoral college votes. We have fulfilled this solemn duty every 4 years for more than two centuries. Whether our Nation has been at war or at peace, under all manner of threats, even during an ongoing armed rebellion and the Civil War, the clockwork of our democracy has carried on. The United States and the United States Congress have faced down much greater threats than the unhinged crowd we saw today. We have never been deterred before, and we will not be deterred today. They tried to disrupt our democracy. They failed. They failed. This failed attempt to obstruct the Congress, this failed insurrection, only underscores how crucial the task before us is for our Republic. Our Nation was founded precisely so that the free choice of the American people is what shapes our self-government and determines the destiny of our Nation--not fear, not force, but the peaceful expression of the popular will. We assembled this afternoon to count our citizens' votes and to formalize their choice of the next President. Now we are going to finish exactly what we started. We will complete this process the right way, by the book. We will follow our precedents, our laws, and our Constitution to the letter, and we will certify the winner of the 2020 Presidential election. Criminal behavior will never dominate the United States Congress. This institution is resilient. Our democratic Republic is strong. The American people deserve nothing less.

Mr. McCONNELL. Mr. Vice President, I yield 2 minutes to the Senator from Oklahoma, Senator Lankford.

Mr. McCONNELL. Mr. Vice President, I yield up to 5 minutes to the Senator from Nebraska, Mr. Sasse.

Mr. McCONNELL. I yield up to 5 minutes to the Senator from Kansas, Senator Marshall.

Mr. McCONNELL. Mr. President, I yield up to 5 minutes to the Senator from Kentucky, Senator Paul.

Mr. McCONNELL. Mr. President, I yield 5 minutes to the Senator from Missouri, Mr. Hawley.

Mr. McCONNELL. I yield 5 minutes to the Senator from Utah, Mr. Romney.

Mr. McCONNELL. Mr. President, I yield up to 5 minutes to the Senator from Ohio, Senator Portman.

Mr. McCONNELL. Mr. President, I yield 5 minutes to the Senator from South Carolina, Senator Graham.

Mr. McCONNELL. So, colleagues, here is where we are. We have a few more speakers now as we wait for the House to finish their debate and vote. We expect the House to finish voting on Arizona between 11:30 and midnight.

Mr. McCONNELL

Mr. McCONNELL. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Senate be in a period of morning business, with the following Senators permitted to speak therein for up to 5 minutes each: Senator Toomey, Senator Rubio, and Senator Collins.

Mr. McCONNELL

Mr. McCONNELL. Mr. President, for information of all of our colleagues, we don't expect additional votes tonight

Mr. McCONNELL

Mr. McCONNELL. I know of no further debate.

Mr. McCONNELL. I know of no further debate. Vote on Objection to Counting Pennsylvania Electoral Votes

Mr. McCONNELL

Mr. McCONNELL. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that upon the dissolution of the Joint Session, the Senate stand adjourned to then convene for pro forma sessions only, with no business being conducted on the following dates and times, and that following each pro forma session, the Senate adjourn until the next pro forma session: Friday, January 8, at 10 a.m.; Tuesday, January 12, at 12:30 p.m.; Friday, January 15, at 10 a.m. I further ask that when the Senate adjourns on Friday January 15, it next convene at 12 noon on Tuesday, January 19; further, that following the prayer and pledge, the morning hour be deemed expired, the Journal of proceedings be approved to date, and the time for the two leaders be reserved for their use later in the day; finally, that following leader remarks, the Senate proceed to a period of morning business, with Senators permitted to speak therein for up to 10 minutes each.

Mr. McCONNELL

Mr. McCONNELL. Mr. President, I move to proceed to Calendar No. 480, S. 3985.

Mr. McCONNELL

Mr. McCONNELL. Mr. President, first I want to wish all my fellow Senators and our staff colleagues here in the Capitol a happy and healthy new year. In particular, I would like to extend our gratitude to the Capitol Police, offices of the Secretary of the Senate and the Sergeant at Arms, and the many other staff who have gone above and beyond to help us attend to important business this holiday season.

Mr. McCONNELL

Mr. McCONNELL. Today, by the grace of God, the genius of science, and the resilience of the American people, we appear to have a bright 2021 on the horizon. Our great Nation is poised to defeat this pandemic in the months ahead through safe and effective vaccines. The pace of the American people's economic recovery has already beaten expectations and predictions. Thanks to the ingenuity of our citizens and historic relief policies from Congress, overall personal income in our country is already higher now than it was prior to the pandemic. Now, the country needs more support, and the significant remaining pain is not--I repeat, not--evenly distributed, far from it. So we just enacted another historic $900 billion rescue package to get vaccines distributed, to keep small businesses alive, and to get a whole lot more targeted support to struggling people who actually need it. From multiple kinds of extra Federal unemployment benefits to nutrition assistance, rental assistance, direct cash, and beyond. This latest, huge, historic package was just signed into law less than 1 week ago. It is beginning to take effect right now. Many households have already received the latest round of direct cash, or will receive it very soon, to help them turn the page into this brand new year. While this huge new aid package takes effect, a bipartisan, commonsense caucus in both Chambers is not keen to let Speaker Pelosi and Senator Sanders rush to borrow half a trillion dollars for universal cash giveaways, regardless of need. A huge chunk would essentially be socialism for rich people--money flowing to households earning well into six figures who did not lose any jobs or income last year. The House Democrats' bill is just simply not the right approach. That is what editorial pages across the political spectrum say. That is what even liberal economists say. And that is what common sense tells us. Here is what the Senate is focused on: completing the annual Defense legislation that looks after our brave men and women who volunteer to wear the uniform. We passed this legislation 59 years in a row and, one way or another, we are going to complete the 60th annual NDAA and pass it into law before this Congress concludes on Sunday. It is a serious responsibility, but it is also a tremendous opportunity to direct our national security priorities to reflect the resolve of the American people and the evolving threats to their safety at home and abroad. It is our chance to recommit to research and development so that our 21st century military is equipped to outmatch any adversary. It is our chance to ensure that we keep pace with competitors like Russia and China. It is our chance to remind brave servicemembers and their families that we have their backs with facilities, resources, and support benefiting the finest fighting forces in the world. Over the past year, our colleagues on the Armed Services Committee have made sure the legislation delivers for our troops and for our Nation. Now it is time for us to deliver this bill.

Mr. McCONNELL

Mr. McCONNELL. Mr. President, I know of no further debate.

Mr. McCONNELL

Mr. McCONNELL. I move to proceed to Calendar No. 480, S. 3985.

Mr. McCONNELL

Mr. McCONNELL. Madam President, yesterday, the Senate was finally able to proceed to this year's National Defense Authorization Act. A few of our Democratic colleagues have pulled out all the stops to hold back this crucial bill, but last night, a big bipartisan majority of 80 Senators voted to proceed. There should be nothing controversial about giving our brave men and women in uniform the tools and training they need to stay safe. There should be nothing controversial about continuing the work of rebuilding and modernizing our capabilities. It should be a nonpartisan proposition that America should keep pace with Russia and China rather than slip behind. We have enacted an annual NDAA for 59 straight years and counting. In the next few days, the easy way or the hard way, we are going to do our job once again. This body will fulfill our responsibility to the men and women who protect our country. The Senate will be here until we finish this bipartisan legislation. Now, for several days, we heard some Senators say Congress must send more cash to high-earning households that haven't seen any income disruption during COVID-19. Our colleagues who purport to be the champions of vulnerable Americans now say that what struggling people really need is for Congress to stop focusing on targeted relief for them specifically and, instead, to send thousands of dollars to people who don't need the help. Experts from across the political spectrum agree that our colleague from Vermont is dead wrong on this. Socialism for rich people is a terrible way to help the American families who are actually struggling. Let me say that again. Borrowing from our grandkids to do socialism for rich people is a terrible way to get help for families who actually need it. Washington Democrats took President Trump's suggestion and skewed it so the checks would benefit even more high-earning households. Imagine a family of five where the parents earn $250,000 per year and have not seen any income loss this past year. Speaker Pelosi and Senator Sanders want to send them $5,000 from Uncle Sam. They make a quarter of a million dollars, nobody is out of work, but our so-called progressive friends say the household needs ``survival checks.'' In fact, they believe a family of five should have to earn $350,000 before the spigot of government money would stop entirely. Socialism for rich people. That is what Speaker Pelosi and Senator Sanders have sketched out. A terrible way to help those who need it, and experts across the political spectrum agree. The liberal editors of the Washington Post have blasted so-called progressives demanding a nontargeted giveaway that would give ``huge amounts'' to ``perfectly comfortable families.'' Larry Summers, who ran the Treasury Department for President Clinton and the National Economic Council for President Obama, says there is ``no good economic argument'' for more nontargeted checks with no linkage to need. The liberal New York Times reported this morning that a majority of the households that get nontargeted checks do not end up spending them on urgent needs but rather just add it to their savings. ``We know where the pockets of need are,'' said one economist, and ``putting [money] there would be a much more efficient use.'' Fortunately, though some of our colleagues seem to have forgotten, that is exactly what we did only a week ago. It has been less than 5 days since President Trump signed into law another historic bipartisan rescue package targeted to Americans who actually need the help. We passed an entire second round of PPP loans to save small business jobs, targeted to the hardest hit. We renewed multiple kinds of additional benefits for unemployed workers, including an extra $300 supplement every week. There are billions for targeted food assistance, billions for targeted rental assistance, and many billions of dollars for vaccine distribution so we can finally beat this virus and reopen the economy in full. These are the kinds of targeted emergency programs that directly help the most vulnerable, and we just poured almost another trillion dollars into them, less than 5 days ago, along with more direct checks that are already arriving in households' accounts. That is what we did just 5 days ago. This crisis has not affected everyone equally. The data show that many upper middle-class Americans have kept their jobs, worked remotely, and remained totally financially comfortable. On the other hand, some of our fellow citizens had their entire existence turned upside down and continue to suffer terribly. We do not need to let the Speaker of the House do socialism for rich people in order to help those who need help. Our duty, both to struggling Americans and to taxpayers, is to focus on targeted relief that will have the maximum impact and help the people who need it the most. That is what the experts say we should do. That is where there is broad bipartisan support, and that is exactly what we did less than 1 week ago, when nearly $900 billion in more targeted relief was signed into law for our people

Mr. McCONNELL

Mr. McCONNELL. Madam President, I object.

Mr. McCONNELL

Mr. McCONNELL. Madam President, I object.