Mitch McConnell

Mr. McCONNELL

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

Mr. McCONNELL

Mr. McCONNELL. Mr. President, I move to proceed to executive session to consider Calendar No. 649.

Mr. McCONNELL

Mr. McCONNELL. Mr. President, on behalf of myself and the distinguished Democratic leader, Mr. Schumer, I send to the desk a resolution authorizing representation by the Senate Legal Counsel and ask for its immediate consideration.

Mr. McCONNELL. Mr. President, this resolution concerns a civil action pending in New York federal court against Senator Feinstein. In this lawsuit, the pro se plaintiff asserts a jumble of confusing allegations claiming that local government officials in California have assaulted him and taken his property. He appears to sue Senator Feinstein because he wrote to her for assistance, and she did not take sufficient action to satisfy plaintiff. Plaintiff's suit is subject to dismissal on jurisdictional grounds and failure to state a claim. This resolution would authorize the Senate Legal Counsel to represent Senator Feinstein in order to seek dismissal of this suit.

Mr. McCONNELL

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

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 President, I ask unanimous consent that the order for the quorum call be rescinded.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, anyone who has heard me speak about coronavirus relief going back months has heard one central principle: Let's deliver right away on all the subjects where everybody agrees and argue over the rest later. The solution to this impasse has been in plain sight for a long time now for anybody willing to see it: Agree where we agree, bank that progress, make law, take a whole lot of pressure off struggling people, and then keep debating the areas where we don't agree. There is no actual reason why the fates of commonsense policies like a second round of the job-saving Paycheck Protection Program had to be linked to the fates of fringe proposals like stimulus checks for illegal immigrants. There is no reason why the fate of funding for vaccine distribution or extending unemployment aid or legal certainties for universities should have been tied to radical ideas like paying people more not to work than essential workers earn on the job. These linkages have been totally arbitrary, just a political decision that Democratic leaders made many months back. Democratic leaders have tried to create a narrative where it is taken for granted that the most bipartisan, commonsensical relief policies would live or die with their side's most outlandish ideas. Well, that just isn't so. They have tried to create a dynamic where they move from one made-up number to a second slightly smaller arbitrary number and call it a meaningful concession. The truth is simple. This has always been about policy differences. We have two sides with two different visions for the best way to support our Nation through what we hope will be the last chapter of the pandemic. That isn't new. We have disagreements all the time. Our system can handle disagreements, but both sides have to be willing to compile their commonalities and make law here, and, up to now, our Democratic colleagues have declined to do that. Remember, their side said in March this pandemic was ``a tremendous opportunity to restructure things to fit our vision.'' So when Republicans tried to pass commonsense relief measures in July, in September, and in October, as well, our Democratic colleagues actually blocked policies they do not even oppose. It has been heartening to see a few hopeful signs in the past few days. After months of arbitrary attachment to sky-high dollar amounts that the Speaker of the House claimed were essential--that it would be an insult to settle for a nickel less--those baseless claims have suddenly evaporated. That is at least movement in the right direction, but the underlying reality is still with us. There are many important policies that have strong bipartisan support. There are many others that do not, and the way to help the country is for our Democratic colleagues to finally let the former group be signed into law while we keep arguing over the rest. The targeted second round of paycheck protection that we have been trying to establish since July would help a huge number of small businesses survive to the finish line and help huge numbers of workers to keep their jobs. And it can pass the Senate today, probably with 95 votes. With the apparent success of Operation Warp Speed, it makes no sense to skimp on the systems to distribute and deliver vaccines around the country. Those funds could pass the Senate today, possibly unanimously. University presidents have made it clear they need certainty for their reopenings. Let me say that again. University presidents have made it clear they need legal certainty for their reopenings. That shouldn't be partisan. Liability protections should be able to pass the Senate today. A number of our Democratic colleagues have focused especially on several of the unemployment relief programs that are set to expire in a matter of days. I specifically made sure to include those programs in my framework a few days ago. That extension could pass the Senate today. The House of Representatives is spending this week on pressing issues like marijuana--marijuana--you know, serious and important legislation befitting this national crisis. But here in the Senate, I put forward a serious and highly targeted relief proposal including the elements which we know the President is ready and willing to sign into law. Why should these impactful and noncontroversial life preservers be delayed one second longer? At long last, let's do what Congress does when we want an outcome. Let's make law on all the subjects where we agree and on all the areas where President Trump is ready to sign bipartisan relief into law. I promise, our deep differences will still be here to debate. Our disagreements will be right where we left them. But do you know what can't wait? What can't wait are American workers, American small businesses, K-12 schools, the vulnerable Americans and frontline healthcare workers for whom speedy vaccine distribution will literally be a life-or-death matter. Yesterday, my home State of Kentucky experienced yet another dreadful--dreadful--record-setting day. But Kentuckians also know that hope is in sight. Our State's workers are standing by at the UPS Worldport in Louisville and the DHL Express American Hub in northern Kentucky, key logistics centers that will play crucial roles in sending vaccines all around the country. Our people are hurting, but they are ready to finish this fight. Congress should not keep them waiting for reinforcements that should have arrived literally months ago. So compromise is within reach. We know where we agree. We can do this. Let me say it again. We can do this, and we need to do this. So let's be about actually making a law

Mr. McCONNELL

Mr. McCONNELL. Now, Mr. President, on a completely different matter, the Senate revolves around people. The body consists of 100 individuals. One of our key duties concerns the personnel whom we examine and confirm, and there are all these dedicated staff professionals who make this place go. Today, it is both my great honor and regrettable task to honor someone who secured all three parts of that senatorial triple crown: the senior Senator from Tennessee, the chairman of the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions, Lamar Alexander. Lamar first set foot here as a talented young staffer. Decades later, he appeared before us as a supersuccessful former Governor and university president with a nomination to the Cabinet. And for the past 18 years, the other 99 of us have gotten to serve alongside one of the most impactful Senators in modern American history. I have known Lamar for more than 50 years. We first met in 1969, when I was working for a freshman Senator named Marlow Cook and he worked down in the executive branch. We met at the suggestion of his previous boss and mentor, Senator Howard Baker. Either he suspected our paths might cross again later or he just saw two serious young guys in need of some livelier social lives. Now, this may shock the Presiding Officer, but I am afraid young Lamar Alexander and young Mitch McConnell did not exactly go crazy and paint the town red. But I will take a five-decade friendship any day. Both of us headed back home to continue our careers. It was already clear that a bright future in elected office likely lay in store for him. Lamar's reverence for public service started early. I believe he was about 10 years old when his father, himself a longtime local official, took him to meet his hometown Congressman, Howard Baker, Sr. The father of his future boss shook the boy's hand and handed him a dime. I think Lamar was hooked, then and there. Decades later, when Lamar announced his 1996 Presidential run, he was in his hometown of Maryville. His speech began with a story about his mother. She had read where he had lovingly described his upbringing as lower middle class, and she had taken umbrage to that. After all, Lamar had a library card and music lessons. In her words, ``everything you needed that was important.'' And I would certainly add loving parents to that list. This son of two educators grew up steeped in the importance of schooling. He would later reference his mother's work in early childhood education by saying he is probably the only Secretary of Education in history--in history--who spent 5 years in kindergarten. That passion would remain throughout Lamar's career. His cutting-edge focus on improving opportunities and reforming education benefited Tennessee hugely in the 1980s, and our whole Nation during his time in President Bush 41's Cabinet. But that isn't the only way Lamar has honored his roots. You couldn't walk across the entire State of Tennessee in a plaid shirt, get elected Governor before the age of 40, and serve more combined years as Governor and Senator than anyone else in the history of the Volunteer State without becoming entirely intertwined with the place. Every corner of the State is better for his service. His groundbreaking work to bring home good-paying auto jobs has paid dividends, so has his major focus on infrastructure and better roads. But alas, even building a statewide and then national reputation does not always, always, translate into honest-to-goodness celebrity status. I understand that following Lamar's Governorship, a stretch of highway in Maryville was fittingly named the Lamar Alexander Parkway to honor him. I further understand that sometime later, Lamar was driving on that very road and stopped for breakfast. When it was time to pay for his food, he handed over his credit card. The woman on the other side of the counter glanced at the name on the card, and then back at Lamar. ``Hey,'' she said, ``were you named after this road?'' Now, as a man of faith, I am certain Lamar knows Luke, chapter 4: ``No prophet is accepted in his hometown.'' Apparently, neither are statesmen to be recognized on their own highway. Here in the Senate, too, Lamar's impact has been massive, and the convictions that fueled it have been straightforward. He starts with a very firm framework: the right-of-center principles that Ronald Reagan used to rebuild a confident, prosperous America and beat communism. The Federal Government isn't meant to take over our States, neighborhoods, or our lives. But Lamar's career has also confirmed that conservative governance is not a contradiction in terms. There are genuine public goods it is the government's job to secure: public roads, public lands, public education, certain aspects of public health. He has dedicated himself to making those things better and stronger, especially for those who need opportunity the most. This vision aligns with the greatest traditions of the Republican Party and indeed of American history--government that is limited but effective and smart; a system where power stays close to the people and working families can thrive and prosper. These principles made our colleague a nationally known leader long before he was sworn in as a Senator. But I would say they have reached full flourishing with Chairman Alexander's astonishingly effective leadership right here in this body. Students, families, and teachers benefit every day from the Every Student Succeeds Act, Chairman Alexander's historic, bipartisan makeover following No Child Left Behind. One report called it ``the largest devolution of federal control to the states in a quarter century.'' Millions of medically vulnerable Americans also have their champion in our friend from Tennessee. The overwhelmingly bipartisan 21st Century Cures Act was the single most important law of the entire 114th Congress. It is paving the way for more innovation and faster innovation to benefit patients who have no time to waste--another Lamar Alexander production. His leadership was instrumental in the landmark legislation we passed 2 years ago to combat the opioid epidemic. Just this year, he was the driving force behind the Great American Outdoors Act, the Senate's historic project to secure our parks and public lands for generations to come. The list doesn't end there. There have been other education wins, like permanent funding for historically Black colleges and universities and simplifying the student loan process. There have been laws like the Music Modernization Act, which Lamar hammered out with our former colleague, Senator Hatch--a legislative duet from two musical virtuosos in their own rights. Senator Alexander knows about 50 different issues as well as most Senators know 3 or 4. He is hands down one of the most brilliant, most thoughtful, and most effective legislators any of us have ever seen. He likes to say this about the Senate: ``It's hard to get here; it's hard to stay here; so while you're here, you might as well try to accomplish something.'' Well, mission accomplished--and then some. If you reviewed Senator Alexander's resume and results without knowing the man, you might suspect he arrived as an established hotshot and threw his weight around. But even as Lamar has mastered the levers of power here, his character has never been captured by Washington. Lamar has remained clear that he has just been on loan from Tennessee the whole time. So we have had more than just a master legislator to call upon; we have been blessed with a sober, honest, and deliberate statesman-- someone who cares as much about preserving this institution as the near-term results he can wring out of it. From daily conversations to committee business, to the most dramatic moments on the floor, whether in the minority or the majority, Lamar has taken pains to treat his colleagues exactly as he would hope to be treated in their shoes. He has worked to build consensus in a consensus-based body. He has cherished and defended the Senate the Framers designed. It is no exaggeration to say Lamar Alexander is one of the most brilliant people I have met in my life. His mind is a steel trap. I understand he likes to keep his staff experts locked around a conference table for long sessions, turning a complex issue over and over until they have arrived at the best path forward for the country and the most precise, concise way to communicate it. He has a mastery of policy, mastery of the English language, and I can't forget to mention my friend's good cheer. Lamar really does live by the motto he inherited from his good friend and fellow Tennesseean, the late author Alex Haley: ``Find the good and praise it.'' I myself have leaned on Lamar's wisdom for many years, but I think I have learned just as much from his optimism, his can-do spirit, and his ability to look on the bright side and then discern how some more hard work can make it brighter still. So I am going to miss our regular dinners, even with our weeknight scheduling and official one-drink limit. Like I said, we weren't exactly party animals in our twenties either. But here is something else that never changes: How reassuring it is to be weighing a thorny question and see Lamar Alexander seated across the table. You know, the Senate can be all-consuming. It is not only our colleagues but their spouses and loved ones who all get folded into the extended family around here. So I am extremely grateful that it turned out that Mitch McConnell was not the most important young person Lamar Alexander met during his stint in Washington--not by a mile. Honey Alexander is a remarkable woman. She is a force of nature and incredible partner for Lamar. She raised a young family in the Governor's mansion for 8 years. She charmed and impressed more voters during Lamar's various campaigns than Lamar himself, and she has devoted her own career to public health and philanthropy. Their shared love and mutual respect inspire everyone. Honey is just about the finest ``in-law'' the U.S. Senate could have ever had, so Elaine and I are grateful to call her our friend as well. So as much as I am dreading life in the Senate without my brilliant friend, even I can't begrudge him the silver lining. The most distinguished public servant has more than earned the right to spend more days fly-fishing or walking trails in the Smokies, more mornings waking up on Blackberry Farm, and a much larger share of his time with Honey and their family. About 6 years ago, it fell to Lamar to eulogize his friend and mentor, Howard Baker. Here on the floor, he quoted another Senator who had said that when it came to the Senate, there was Howard Baker, and then there was the rest of us. Well, my friend, for 18 years, there has been Lamar Alexander, and there has been the rest of us. So I am sorry that in a few more weeks, it will be just the rest of us left. But you are leaving this body and those of us in it and the Nation it exists to serve stronger and better because you were here.

Mr. McCONNELL

Mr. McCONNELL. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Chair lay before the Senate the House message accompanying H.R. 6395. The Presiding Officer laid before the Senate the following message from the House of Representatives: Resolved, That the bill from the House of Representatives (H.R. 6395) entitled ``An Act to authorize appropriations for fiscal year 2021 for military activities of the Department of Defense, for military construction, and for defense activities of the Department of Energy, to prescribe military personnel strengths for such fiscal year, and for other purposes.'', do pass with an amendment. Compound Motion

Mr. McCONNELL. Mr. President, I ask consent that the Senate insist on its amendment, agree to the request of the House for conference, and appoint the following conferees on the part of the Senate, the list of whom is at the desk.

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, under the order obtained yesterday, I ask that the Senate proceed to S. 578.

Mr. McCONNELL. I call up the Grassley amendment at the desk.

Mr. McCONNELL. For the information of all Senators, at 4 p.m. today the Senate will vote on the Grassley amendment to S. 578 and passage of the bill. Until that time, the Senate will resume consideration of the Waller nomination.

Mr. McCONNELL

Mr. McCONNELL. Mr. President, when I opened the Senate on Monday, I repeated something Republicans have stated for months now. We need to put partisanship aside and get more bipartisan, targeted coronavirus relief out to the American people. Dating back to the summer, and all fall, Senate Republicans tried repeatedly to advance hundreds of billions of dollars to prevent layoffs, protect small businesses, fund vaccine distribution, and continue assisting workers who have already lost their jobs due to the crisis. Every time, the Speaker of the House and the Democratic leader blocked our efforts. It had to be the entirety of their leftwing wish list or nothing at all. Finally, this week, we are seeing cracks starting to form in the Democratic leaders' stone wall, and thank goodness for the country that that is finally happening. In the last several days, the Democratic leaders have signaled a new willingness to engage in good faith and, yesterday, a number of Senate Democrats proposed a different compromise. But at the risk of repeating something we all know, making law will not just require the Senate's approval but also the signature of the President of the United States. So, after several conversations with the Secretary of the Treasury and the White House Chief of Staff, I put forward yesterday another proposal reflecting what the President is ready to sign into law. What we have proposed would give universities and nonprofits the legal certainty they need. It would create a second draw on the job-saving Paycheck Protection Program to prevent more layoffs, and it would extend two important emergency unemployment benefit programs that were created by the CARES Act and which will expire in December without action. These programs have been championed by our Democratic colleagues, particularly the senior Senator from Virginia, and we made sure they were included in the framework. I hope our Democratic colleagues will finally let Congress pass a bipartisan bill that the President will likely sign into law and do so soon

Mr. McCONNELL

Mr. McCONNELL. Madam President, I ask unanimous consent that the mandatory quorum call be waived.

Mr. McCONNELL

Mr. McCONNELL. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the bill be considered read a third time and passed and that the motion to reconsider be considered made and laid upon the table.

Mr. McCONNELL. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions be discharged from further consideration of S. 1153 and the Senate proceed to its immediate consideration.

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. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Senate proceed to the immediate consideration of S. Res. 780, which was 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. Madam President, the latest results of vaccine trials continue to suggest that our victory over the coronavirus is on the horizon. But here in Washington, the additional relief that would help families, workers, schools, and small businesses cross the finish line has been held up for months while Democratic leaders pursued an all-or- nothing approach. When the Speaker of the House put forward the so-called Heroes Act back in May, multiple--multiple--House Democrats called it out for the political stunt that it clearly was. One Democrat said it was ``not focused,'' ``rushed to a vote too fast,'' and it ``doesn't help us accomplish [the] core mission'' of helping struggling people. Well, after several months with no progress, this same Democrat just said a few days ago that Senate Republicans' proposal is ``a bill we can pass'' and ``we should negotiate that to the finish.'' Even Speaker Pelosi's own Members think our Senate Republican bill is better than hers. Well, let's hope our Democratic colleagues will finally let us make law in all the enormously important areas where we do not even disagree. In the meantime, the Senate will proceed with pressing business on the Executive Calendar. We will vote to confirm several more well- qualified nominees, beginning today with Taylor McNeel, the President's choice to serve as U.S. District Judge for the Southern District of Mississippi. I hope each of my colleagues will join me in supporting this impressive nominee and those who will follow.

Mr. McCONNELL

Mr. McCONNELL. Madam President, now on an entirely different matter, as the 116th Congress draws to a close, I once again face a task that is among my favorite and least favorite jobs at this particular time: bidding farewell to some of the people we proudly call colleagues and friends. But I will take any excuse to brag about the impressive men and women we get to work alongside every single day. Today, I will begin with the junior Senator from Arizona, Martha McSally. For the last 2 years, Senator McSally has held the seat formerly occupied by our dear friend John McCain. It is only fitting that our ``Maverick'' was followed by a fellow veteran and pilot who has approached her service to the people of Arizona with such unabashed pride. By her own account, if you had asked a school-aged Martha McSally, who was apparently both shy and prone to motion sickness, whether a career in cockpits and then politics sounded appealing, she would have looked at you like you were crazy. But, even then, the future full-bird colonel and Senator was already on her way to a life defined by service. When Martha lost her father, a Navy veteran, at a young age, his final words to her were: ``Make me proud.'' ``Make me proud.'' With this challenge in mind, the youngest of five children took her academic and athletic talents to the U.S. Air Force Academy. The plan was to earn a trip to medical school through military service. Back then, a ground-based career must have sounded like a sensible plan. After all, being a combat pilot wasn't an option back then for female officers, and, besides, she was on the wrong side of the height requirement for any pilot's seat. No women and no people her size were eligible at the time. But after a ride-along training mission in an F-16 during one of her summer assignments, Cadet McSally realized that flying was just too cool to pass up. Some doors were going to have to open to make it an option, but if those doors weren't open already, then, Martha McSally was prepared to bust them down. That meant shaking off three straight rejections for a medical waiver of the height requirement. It meant inventing new tests to prove her exceptional aptitude, not only among the female candidates but the entire pool. It meant not taking ``no'' for an answer and ruffling as many feathers as needed until she got to serve. Of course, none of these skills and talents would sound at all familiar to us here in the Senate--not at all. By the time our future colleague won her spot as the first woman behind the stick of a combat fighter mission, she was charting a unique course in more ways than one. Her place in the squadron had made history, and the jet she flew--the A-10 ``Warthog''--had a unique place of its own. The A-10 flies low over the battlefield. It provides close air support, hunting and destroying threats to friendly forces on the ground. It is a machinegun on wings that holds special respect among combat military. Many seasoned soldiers have a story or two about times when pilots like Martha McSally swooped in to get them out of a bind. So Martha's flight hours were literally clearing the way for her fellow servicemembers in more ways than one. Her trailblazing helped change the perception and treatment of women in our Armed Forces. In one instance, she took the DOD to court over unfair dress codes for female servicemembers overseas and won an important change in policy. Pretty quickly, folks caught on to the fact that when Colonel McSally put her mind to something, it got done. So, naturally, when the then- Congresswoman was sworn in here in the Senate, she dove into tracking down answers for her fellow Arizonans, solutions for American servicemembers, and the care and justice her fellow veterans deserve. From her first day, Senator McSally reminded everyone here that public service is personal, that what we do here has a direct impact on the lives of millions of Americans. So after swearing the oath on a Bible recovered from the bombing of the USS Arizona at Pearl Harbor, she brought her experience and expertise to solving issues that are personal to her and to others who have worn the uniform. In solidarity with her fellow A-10 pilots and the forces they protect, Senator McSally fought to preserve and fund that unique weapon. Using her role on the Senate Armed Services Committee, she let her own painful personal experiences with sexual assault in the military fuel the pursuit of justice for fellow survivors. She authored expanded protections for service academy students who experienced assault, she proposed new preservation requirements for service records to promote accountability, and she made sure each was included when the Senate passed Defense authorizations. Her service to men and women in uniform didn't stop with those on Active Duty. Senator McSally has also championed expanded care and services for our veterans as they transition back to civilian life, greater Federal support for telehealth and suicide prevention, and expanded veterans treatment courts. So many important changes have been enacted because Martha McSally made them happen. Last year, it came to her attention that one remarkable 95-year-old Arizona veteran had not received the formal recognition he deserved for distinguished service back in World War II. Senator McSally made sure he got that Purple Heart, hand-delivered, with dozens of young airmen on hand to honor him. The junior Senator from Arizona has charted a singular course. She has balanced respect for tradition with an eye toward the future. She opened countless new doors for others. At every single step, our colleague has done it with dignity, faith, and a deep love of her State and her country that she cannot help but wear on her sleeve. She departs with a long list of accomplishments and every reason to hold her head high. Wherever life after the Senate takes her, I am confident our colleague will continue to be the most enthusiastic advocate for her State--for its people, its prosperity, and its natural wonders. That includes all the interesting creatures that she and her four-legged wingman, Boomer, meet when they are out hiking the trails. No, I am pretty certain Martha McSally is not through fighting yet. So, Martha, on behalf of not just the Senate but the Nation, thank you so much for your service to our country, in uniform and here in the Senate. We wish you all the best in the bright days to come.

Mr. McCONNELL

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

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 for up to 10 minutes each.