Mitch McConnell

Mr. McCONNELL

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

Mr. McCONNELL

Mr. McCONNELL. Mr. President, I am sorry to note the passing of Jeannette Priebe, a longtime friend and an instrumental part of my team when I was Jefferson County judge-executive. Jeannette was a skilled public servant, animated with a fierce spirit for our work. Today, I would like to pay tribute to her life and her many contributions to our Commonwealth. Jeannette's work embodied President Reagan's notion that ``personnel is policy.'' A great deal of her career was dedicated to putting the right individuals into positions of consequence, regardless of political affiliation. Jeannette became the first female personnel director of the Louisville Civil Service Board and later ran Jefferson County's personnel office. Her unyielding diligence made local government more effective for the families we served. Take, for example, Jeannette's transformative impact on the city's police force. To address a serious under-representation of African Americans in the department, she intentionally placed a strong emphasis on giving qualified, minority candidates a fair shot. She helped create a police force that was more representative of the community it protected. Jeannette joined my team when I was the newly elected Republican judge surrounded on all sides by skeptical Democrats. Almost everything we did brought an uphill climb. As a result, my staff and I developed a deep bond and a collective sense of purpose. In professionalizing the personnel office, Jeannette never let the bureaucracy slow her down. She did away with political patronage, insisting on merit in the county's policymakers. She knew the rules governing her position and used them to shake the malaise off local government. If I told Jeannette where I wanted to end up on a particular policy, she could chart the course to get there. She was absolutely critical to our accomplishments for the people of Jefferson County. There is perhaps no better example than the hiring of Norma Fletcher as the consumer protection division director. Norma might not have been the conventional choice among the stack of 60-plus resumes. She was a 26-year-old attorney who had only recently joined local government. In Jeannette's characteristic way, however, she saw Norma's initiative and drive. Norma got the job and would prove an invaluable asset to Jefferson County over the coming years in several important leadership roles. I am grateful that Jeannette recognized the potential of Norma and several other talented individuals who made our administration better as a result. Jeannette's job came with many serious responsibilities. But she never took herself or her colleagues too seriously. She was quick to break the tension with a joke and a smile. Her deep reservoir of faith helped give us all strength, even on the most grueling days. I will warmly remember the times she invited me to her home for dinner. Jeannette was a wonderful cook, and I enjoyed the chance to spend time with her, her husband Victor, and their family. Throughout my career, I have been lucky to work with some of the most capable and trustworthy staff around. Much of my early team was directly attributable to Jeannette's influence. After she left the county courthouse, I wasn't certain I would ever find another person quite like her. Then, about a decade ago, Jeannette's daughter Angie joined my staff. As my director of State operations, Angie has been tireless in helping me represent Kentucky in the Senate. She is so impressive in her own right and a wonderful reflection of her mother. I am grateful that brilliance happens to run in this particular family. It was a sincere privilege to call Jeannette a friend for so many years. I am forever grateful for her impression on my life and on lives around Jefferson County. I join with her family in remembering this remarkable Kentuckian.

Mr. McCONNELL

Mr. McCONNELL. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the committee-reported substitute be withdrawn; that the Udall amendment at the desk be agreed to; and that the bill, as amended, be considered read a third time.

Mr. McCONNELL. Mr. President, I know of no further debate on the bill, as amended.

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

Mr. McCONNELL. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Senate proceed to the immediate consideration of Calendar No. 397, S. 886.

Mr. McCONNELL

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

Mr. McCONNELL

Mr. McCONNELL. I ask unanimous consent that the mandatory quorum call for the cloture motion be waived.

Mr. McCONNELL. Mr. President, I move to proceed to Calendar No. 75, H.R. 1957.

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

Mr. McCONNELL

Mr. McCONNELL. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the majority leader be authorized to sign duly enrolled bills or joint resolutions through Monday, June 8, 2020.

Mr. McCONNELL

Mr. McCONNELL. Mr. President, I ask that the Chair lay before the Senate the message to accompany S. 3084. The Presiding Officer laid before the Senate the following message from the House of Representatives: Resolved, That the bill from the Senate (S. 3084) entitled ``An Act to amend title 38, United States Code, to modify the limitation on pay for certain high-level employees and officers of the Department of Veterans Affairs.'', do pass with an amendment. Motion to Concur

Mr. McCONNELL. Mr. President, I move to concur in the House amendment, and I ask unanimous consent that the motion be agreed to and that the motion to reconsider be considered made and laid upon the table.

Mr. McCONNELL

Mr. McCONNELL. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that action with respect to S. 3084 be vitiated.

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 when the Senate completes its business today, it adjourn until 3 p.m., Monday, June 8; 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 resume consideration of the motion to proceed to Calendar No. 75, H.R. 1957; finally, that notwithstanding rule XXII, the cloture vote on the motion to proceed to H.R. 1957 occur at 5:30 p.m.

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

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

Mr. McCONNELL

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

Mr. McCONNELL

Mr. McCONNELL. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Senate proceed to the immediate consideration of H.R. 7010, which was received from the House.

Mr. McCONNELL. Mr. President, I appreciate the good faith efforts of Senator Johnson to make sure the terms of the program and its legislative intent are properly understood. In addition, I commend his leadership in looking at the program overall, and making suggestions about reforms should Congress determine that additional money is needed in the future for the program. The program was designed intentionally to get money into the hands of small businesses quickly as government took the extraordinary and unprecedented step of shutting down the economy because of the pandemic. However, should we need to replenish the fund, he is absolutely correct that we should ensure that money flows to small businesses and enterprises that truly need it. I look forward to working with him and our colleagues on reforms to the program should Congress make the decision to extend it. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the letter I send to the desk be printed in the Record.

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

Mr. McCONNELL

Mr. McCONNELL. Mr. President, back in March, as the coronavirus pandemic began to grip our country, the Senate's historic CARES Act set up the Paycheck Protection Program to help protect American workers from layoffs during the crisis. Thanks especially to its chief architects, Senator Rubio and Senator Collins, the PPP has literally saved tens of millions of American jobs. Our colleagues' bold policy has meant the mailboxes of working families in all 50 States have continued to bring people their regular paychecks instead of pink slips. Through the end of May, this remarkable program has delivered more than half a trillion dollars to keep American workers on payroll all across our country. One recent survey found that more than three-quarters--three- quarters--of all small business owners have applied for a PPP loan and more than 90 percent of those applicants have received one. The Senate has always committed to standing behind this popular program. Back in April when it ran low on funds, we worked together to add more resources, and today we are passing another piece of legislation that makes a few targeted changes to the program. To help workers and small businesses through these lengthy shutdowns that are just now beginning to ease, we are increasing the loan forgiveness period from 8 weeks to 6 months. Since keeping workers on payroll obviously requires small businesses to stay afloat in the first place, we are expanding firms' ability to use these funds to meet obligations like their rent, their mortgage, or their utility bills, but we maintain the overall requirement to avoid layoffs to keep the strong protection for workers in place. And we are providing payroll tax deferral for the small businesses involved. This is a bipartisan bill that passed the House overwhelmingly. I am proud the Senate is sending it on to the President's desk to become law. I want to thank Senator Collins and Senator Rubio once more for their leadership in authoring this historic program in the first place. They have kept right on with their essential leadership, carefully monitoring the policy as it has taken effect. I know they have identified further technical fixes in addition to the issues we are addressing today, and I hope and anticipate the full Congress will look at addressing those as well in the future. I also want to thank Senator Daines, Senator Tillis, and Senator Gardner for their hard work on these modifications. The Senate delivered for workers and small businesses when we first passed the CARES Act. We delivered again when we added more money to this popular program back in April, and we are delivering again today.