Patty Murray

Mrs. MURRAY

Mrs. MURRAY. I ask for the yeas and nays.

Mrs. MURRAY

Mrs. MURRAY. I ask for the yeas and nays.

Mrs. MURRAY

Mrs. MURRAY. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent to print the following letter in the Congressional Record.

Mrs. MURRAY

Mrs. MURRAY. Madam President, reserving the right to object, I understand the position of my colleagues from Alaska and Florida who want to see a return to cruising by July 4. I am there with them. The cruise industry in my home State supports over 5,500 jobs and creates $900 million in annual local business revenue. Those jobs and that impact on the local economy have been severely disrupted, but we have to ensure the safety of our friends and our families on these cruises before they disembark. We have seen firsthand how devastating COVID outbreaks on cruise ships can be. Just last year, we saw thousands of passengers stranded on cruise ships--people put in quarantine or refused entry to ports as borders closed. Over 31 million Americans have contracted COVID, and 560,000 have died from this disease. Cruise ships require specific focus and protocols in place to prevent future outbreaks. While I am as eager as anyone else to see a return to travel, we cannot cut corners. Doing so risks lives and will only further delay returning to normal, hurting our economy more in the long run. We must trust the science, and we must allow the CDC to continue its work to help us return to what we love as safely as possible. So I will continue to work with the CDC and the administration as they develop the next phase of their cruising guidance, but for now, I object.

Mrs. MURRAY

Mrs. MURRAY. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the motion to reconsider be considered made and laid upon the table and the President be immediately notified of the Senate's action.

Mrs. MURRAY

Mrs. MURRAY. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the motion to reconsider be considered made and laid upon the table and the President be immediately notified of the Senate's action.

Mrs. MURRAY

Mrs. MURRAY. Madam President, I rise today to strongly urge my colleagues to support the nomination of Dr. Rachel Levine. She is a highly qualified public health expert to serve as Assistant Secretary for Health. As the highest ranking health official in Pennsylvania, she led the State's COVID-19 response by focusing on transparency and clear, science-based communication; giving daily briefings on the status of the pandemic; and advocating for the resources and support Pennsylvanians needed. Dr. Levine has been on the frontlines of this pandemic, which is why she knows firsthand what our States and communities need from the Department of Health and Human Services. Even before this crisis, Dr. Levine established herself as a trusted voice to the people of Pennsylvania on matters of public health through her work to establish opioid prescribing guidelines and education for medical students, make lifesaving treatment for opioid overdoses widely available, combat eating disorders, increase health equity, and help the LGBTQ community get healthcare. She was confirmed to both of her positions in the State with broad bipartisan support. She passed out of the Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee with support from Republican colleagues last week, and I hope she will be confirmed today in a strong bipartisan vote as well. I want to take a moment to acknowledge what her confirmation today would represent for our country because, in addition to being a high qualified nominee, Dr. Levine is also a historic one. Upon confirmation, she will be the highest ranking openly transgender official in our government and the first one ever confirmed by the Senate. I have always said the people in our government should reflect the people it serves, and today we will take a new, historic step toward making that a reality. I am proud to vote for Dr. Levine and incredibly proud of the progress this confirmation will represent for our country and for transgender people all across it who are watching today. I hope all my colleagues are as well. I would also say how glad I am that yesterday we voted to confirm Dr. Murthy as Surgeon General. During his last tenure as Surgeon General, Dr. Murthy established himself as a trusted voice on matters of public health, helped see our Nation through the Zika outbreak, and published groundbreaking reports on the opioid epidemic and rising youth tobacco use. I am pleased to have Dr. Murthy returning to the role of Surgeon General at this critical time. When it comes to ending this pandemic, we have a lot of work to do and no time to waste. We are going to need all the help we can get, particularly from experts like Dr. Murthy and Dr. Levine to get it done. I yield the floor.

Mrs. MURRAY

Mrs. MURRAY. I ask for the yeas and nays.

Mrs. MURRAY

Mrs. MURRAY. Mr. President, I have 8 requests for committees to meet during today's session of the Senate. They have the approval of the Majority anc Minority leaders. Pursuant to rule XXVI, paragraph 5(a), of the Standing Rules of the Senate, the following committees are authorized to meet during today's session of the Senate: committee on armed services The Committee on Armed Services is authorized to meet during the session of the Senate on Thursday, March 18, 2021, at 9:30 a.m., to conduct a hearing. Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs The Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs is authorized to meet during the session of the Senate on Thursday, March 18, 2021, at 10 a.m., to conduct a hearing. committee on finance The Committee on Finance is authorized to meet during the session of the Senate on Thursday, March 18, 2021 at 10 a.m., to conduct a hearing. committee on health, education, labor, and pensions The Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions is authorized to meet during the session of the Senate on Thursday, March 18, 2021, at 10 a.m., to conduct a hearing. committee on homeland security and governmental affairs The Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs is authorized to meet during the session of the Senate on Thursday, March 18, 202l at 10:15 a.m., to conduct a hearing. committee on the judiciary The Committee on the Judiciary is authorized to meet during the session of the Senate on Thursday, March 18, 2021, at 10 a.m., to conduct a hearing on nominations. committee on veterans' affairs The Committee on Veterans' Affairs is authorized to meet during the session of the Senate on Thursday, March 18, 2021, at 1O a.m., to conduct a hearing. special committee on aging The Special Committee on Aging is authorized to meet during the session of the Senate on Thursday, March 18, 2021, at 9:30 a.m., to conduct a hearing.

Mrs. MURRAY

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

Mrs. MURRAY

Mrs. MURRAY. Mr. President, I come to the floor today to support the nomination of Mayor Marty Walsh to serve as Secretary of Labor. Across the country, working families are really desperate for help. Even before this pandemic, the deck was stacked against workers and especially against women, workers of color, and workers with disabilities, thanks to an unlivable Federal minimum wage and subminimum wage for tipped workers and workers with disabilities that do leave millions of workers struggling to make ends meet; a pay gap that makes getting by even harder for women, in particular, women of color; a lack of a national paid family, sick, and medical leave policy and quality, affordable childcare for working families; a failure to protect workers from pandemics and workplace accidents and harassment and discrimination and more; and a wave of job loss and economic uncertainty that is upending the lives of workers and retirees across our country. This pandemic has laid bare the painful fact that while our economy might work for the biggest corporations and wealthiest individuals, it isn't working for working families. And all of these challenges--unsafe workplaces, lost jobs, low wages--are even worse for people of color due to longstanding inequities that are rooted in systemic racism and are widening due to this pandemic. Our country cannot fully recover from this crisis unless we begin to change that by rebuilding a stronger, fairer economy. And that starts by making sure we have a Secretary of Labor who will actually champion workers and working families. As a union leader, a State representative, and as a mayor, Mayor Marty Walsh has done just that. He has a clear track record as a collaborative leader who worked across coalitions with labor groups and the business community to build up Boston's middle class. Under his leadership, 135,000 new jobs have been created in Boston. He fought for a $15 minimum wage and paid leave policies to help ensure women, workers of color, and workers with disabilities can succeed in the workforce and get the pay they deserve. During this pandemic, Mayor Walsh has continued to show a deep commitment to his frontline workers who have kept this country running by providing funding for emergency childcare and other resources his essential workers needed to weather the pandemic. And he would bring an important perspective as the first union leader to head the Department in decades. His unwavering commitment to put workers first was plain to see during our confirmation hearing. In his testimony Mayor Walsh spoke powerfully about the importance of protecting frontline workers who do so much to keep our communities and our country running and rooting out the inequities that have done so much damage to communities of color. Mayor Walsh made clear he will work with Congress to help ensure every worker has a fair, livable wage; a safe workplace; paid family, sick, and medical leave; access to quality, affordable childcare; a secure retirement; and the right to join a union and collectively organize. I was impressed by his answers during our hearing, and I wasn't the only one. Mayor Walsh's nomination passed out of our HELP Committee with strong bipartisan support in an 18-to-4 vote, and I hope he will now be confirmed with similar, overwhelming, bipartisan support because even before this pandemic and even before President Trump's 4-year crusade against workers, we had a long road ahead to build a truly fair, inclusive economy that works for working families. But, now, not only is the road longer, the clock is ticking. Workers who are the backbone of our economy have been pushed to the brink. They need us to confirm Mayor Marty Walsh so we have a Secretary of Labor who will take quick action to address the urgent challenges we face and be a valuable partner in helping our economy come back stronger and fairer for all workers. While we made important progress in the American Rescue Plan to extend unemployment benefits and provide much needed tax relief for those benefits, provide direct payments for families, and protect the pensions millions of workers and retirees depend on and while President Biden is taking important steps to reverse Trump-era rules that undermined workers' rights, this road to recovery is long, and there are still many steps we need to take, including raising the Federal minimum wage to one fair wage of $15 an hour, passing the PRO Act into law to strengthen workers' right to join a union, and passing the BE HEARD in the Workplace Act to protect people from harassment, assault, and discrimination. We have a lot to do and no time to waste. I urge all of my colleagues to prove to families back home they understand we need a Secretary of Labor we can trust to stand up for workers and not huge corporations. I urge my colleagues to join me in voting to confirm Mayor Walsh. Thank you. I yield the floor. I suggest the absence of a quorum.

Mrs. MURRAY

Mrs. MURRAY. I ask for the yeas and nays.

Mrs. MURRAY

Mrs. MURRAY. Madam President, I would like to start by taking a moment to address the awful violence we saw in Georgia yesterday. Everyone, especially elected officials, needs to not just speak out but to act against this deadly display of hate. To the victims and their families and to the Asian-American and Pacific-Islander community in Washington State and nationwide, my heart is with you not just today but going forward. I will continue sending a strong message that hate against you must stop, and I will keep working to ensure your safety in light of the terrible surge in hate crimes we have seen in our State and across the country.

Mrs. MURRAY

Mrs. MURRAY. And for the information of the Senators, I will speak for about 7 minutes.

Mrs. MURRAY. Madam President, I ask unanimous consent to complete my remarks before the vote is called.

Mrs. MURRAY

Mrs. MURRAY. Mr. President, I want to really thank Senator Schumer, Senator Wyden, and Senator Sanders and others who are working so hard with me on making sure that our relief bill includes a much needed raise for our workers. Democrats and Republicans alike have joined together in rightly calling our essential workers heroes and the backbone of our economy. But despite their tireless work and the constant risk of COVID exposure, too many of these workers are paid wages so low, they cannot afford to pay for even their most basic needs. This pandemic should be a wake-up call that these workers whom we all call heroes deserve more than $7.25 an hour. I urge my colleagues to vote for the Sanders amendment in order to give a much needed raise to millions of workers and end the tipped minimum wage and subminimum wage for youth workers and workers with disabilities. After more than a decade since the last Federal minimum wage increase, the tides are turning, and there is overwhelming support for Congress to act. So let me be clear. Today's vote is just one step in our fight. We are not going to give up. Today we are going to keep working to get this historic bill across the finish line because right now this country is on fire. Republicans' biggest concern seems to be that we might use too much water. The reality is, we are far from doing too much because we will not have done enough until this crisis is over, until families across the Nation are safe, and until we rebuild a stronger and fairer country. Anyone who says this bill is too expensive needs to understand how much this pandemic has already cost our communities, how much it has already taken from families, and how much more is at stake if we don't finally bring it to an end. They need to listen to public health and healthcare workers who have been straining to test, to contact trace, to vaccinate people across the country, and to grapple with the trauma of fighting this pandemic on the frontlines. They need to listen to parents who are asking how they are supposed to go to work when they don't have childcare and their kids can't go to school in person, who wonder how are they going to pay rent, how are they going to pay for groceries, how are they going to pay to keep the heat on, and fearing what will happen if they cannot. They need to listen to students whom this pandemic has robbed of critical school resources, as well as opportunities to grow and thrive and socialize with their peers. They need to listen to our States and our cities and our Tribes and our territories that have seen their budgets upended. They absolutely need to listen to people of color, to voices in the Black, Latino, and Tribal communities who have been hit the hardest by this pandemic in every way. Anyone who has been listening to the American people and anyone who has been watching what they have gone through understands the danger in this moment is not doing too much; it is doing too little. If Republicans want to talk about too much, there are almost 10 million fewer people working compared to this time a year ago. There are 11 million people at risk of eviction and 11 million people about to lose their unemployment benefits. That is too much. One study says that by June, this pandemic will likely have set students back 5 to 9 months in math from where they could be in a typical year, and that setback is even larger for students of color. Another notes that as schools across the country have shifted to remote learning, that one in four students lacks access to internet at home. According to the CDC, one in four young adults has considered suicide. That is too much. Since the start of the pandemic, we have lost over 650,000 jobs in higher education and 1 in 6 jobs in childcare. That is too much. Across this country, this virus has infected over 28 million, left thousands of ``long haulers'' still experiencing symptoms, and killed over half a million people. That is too much. We have to act. We have to. And that is why we are fighting to pass the American Rescue Plan. This American Rescue Plan will send families long-overdue direct relief and prevent expanded unemployment benefits, which have been a lifeline to so many people, from expiring. It will help get vaccines in arms faster. It will hire and train more public health workers. It will ramp up our testing capacity and invest in programs to counter the disproportionate harm COVID-19 has caused specifically to communities of color and Tribes. It will expand affordable insurance to more families and give schools much needed resources to help our students get back to classrooms for in-person learning safely. It will stabilize our struggling childcare sector, which is so critical to helping women and working families get back to work. It will support small businesses and help States keep educators and firefighters and sanitation workers and others on the job. So before my Republican colleagues worry anymore about the cost of doing all that, I hope they take a moment to consider the staggering cost of failing to do it. There is a reason bold action like this plan has the support of Republican Governors like Jim Justice in West Virginia; the support of Republican mayors like Betsy Price in Fort Worth, TX, or Francis Suarez in Miami, FL, or David Holt from Oklahoma City; and, according to a recent poll, the support of a majority of Republicans. That same poll showed that the American people support this package by an overwhelming 3-to-1 margin. People support this American Rescue Plan because the American Rescue Plan supports people--workers, families, communities--who know firsthand the loss and hardship of this last year and because they understand the simple fact that when the house is in flames, you do not argue about how much of the fire to put out or how much water to use or how many lives to save; you do whatever it takes until the crisis is over and everyone is safe, and you do it as fast as you can. That is what Democrats are trying to do today. That is what this bill is about, and I urge every single Member of the Senate to support it. I yield the floor.

Mrs. MURRAY. Mr. President, the only way to safely reopen schools for in-person learning and keep them open is to provide the $125 billion that is included in the American Rescue Plan Act for our K-12 schools. This Federal funding will support schools in their implementing safety protocols that are aligned with local public health guidance in order to safely reopen, stay open, and help students with learning recovery. Our goal is clear. Let me make something else clear. The amendment offered today to condition funds on forced school reopenings is simply a political show that will, actually, further disadvantage schools that have already suffered the most. If we only provide funding to schools that are physically open, schools in communities with high rates of COVID-19 can't receive the money they need to implement health safety protocols, but they will feel the pressure to reopen even if it is not safe. So conditioning funds actually undermines our ability to get students back in the classroom safely. Let's prioritize student learning. Safe in-person learning is paramount so let's stop wasting time. Let's pass this plan and get the schools the funds they need.

Mrs. MURRAY. Mr. President, I oppose this amendment. It would strike two important improvements we made to the program that funds private schools. First, Republicans are critiquing this bill for not being targeted enough, but this amendment would remove the requirement to target funding to private schools that serve significant percentages of low- income students. The American Rescue Plan provides an additional $2.75 billion for services to private schools. And the bottom line is, Federal funds shouldn't be spent at expensive private schools. Instead, they should be targeted to low-income students at private schools like all our other education investments. The pandemic is disproportionately harming students of color and those from families with low incomes. While these students are already much more likely to attend public schools, we need to make sure that those who do attend private schools are prioritized as well. Secondly, this amendment strikes the limitation we placed on the funds being used for reimbursements at private schools. Reimbursements that were permitted with the first round of funding for this program were in order to cover past expenses incurred by private schools. Those expenses should be reimbursed by that first round. These additional funds are intended to provide services for private schools in the future. I ask my colleagues to oppose this amendment.

Mrs. MURRAY. Madam President, it is frustrating, but not at all surprising, that in the middle of a pandemic, as we are working to get urgently needed relief to our families, to our small businesses, and to our communities across the country, some Republicans would rather spend time launching political attacks on reproductive health. That is exactly what this amendment is--an effort to expand restrictions on abortion that already make it harder for women who have low incomes, who are often women of color, to exercise their constitutionally guaranteed right to make their own healthcare choices. I oppose this amendment because it is completely unnecessary. It is a harmful attempt to distract us from the work that we are on tonight. Point of Order Madam President, I raise a point of order that the pending amendment produces budgetary changes that are merely incidental to the non- budgetary components of the amendment, and it therefore violates section 313(b)1(d) of the Congressional Budget Act of 1974.

Mrs. MURRAY. Madam President, this is yet another amendment that conditions funding to our public schools under the guise of wanting in- person learning, when in reality withholding this funding is counter to everyone's goal. But this amendment goes a step further. It strips much needed funds from our public schools that want to reopen for in-person learning and implement safety protocols that are aligned with local public health guidance in order to create a voucher program. That is right. This amendment takes money from public schools that serve 90 percent of our students and sends those funds to private schools. It is unclear to me if our colleague's goals are really about reopening public schools or just about advancing long-term ideological goals. If we only provide funding to schools that are physically open, schools in communities with high transmission rates of COVID-19 will not receive the resources necessary to implement safety health protocols. Conditioning funds undermines our ability to actually get our students back into the classroom. Let's stop wasting time and pass the American Rescue Plan so those resources can get to our schools and our students. Vote on Amendment No. 969

Mrs. MURRAY. Madam President, this amendment will undermine the goals of this bill to provide assistance to all educators, all students, and families who have struggled through this pandemic. It is simply an attempt to discriminate against transgender students. All students, including transgender students, benefit from participating in sports--to challenge themselves, to improve fitness, to be part of a team. Allowing transgender students to participate in athletic activities consistent with their gender identity in no way disadvantages their fellow students. For the love of God, can't we just have a little bit of heart and compassion in this world for someone who doesn't look or live exactly like you? Instead of focusing on discriminatory policies, we should be examining the real issues with gender parity in sports when it comes to funding and resources and pay equity. I oppose this amendment because it discriminates against transgender students. It is a harmful attempt to undermine our work to help students and families. Point of Order Madam President, I raise a point of order that the pending amendment produces budgetary changes that are merely incidental to the nonbudgetary components of the amendment and violates section 313(b)(1)(D) of the Congressional Budget Act of 1974. Motion to Waive

Mrs. MURRAY. Let's be clear. This is a delay tactic intended to stop what we are doing here to send the bill to the HELP Committee. It would instruct the HELP Committee to remove $135 million in critical funding that will help support humanities and cultural organizations weather the worst of this pandemic. Mr. President, the pandemic has devastated our arts and cultural organizations. Our Nation's museums, indigenous cultural organizations, and local education nonprofits are facing significant losses in revenue, in layoffs, in furloughs. Our cultural organizations in rural and urban and suburban areas need these resources to continue to serve our communities. The UAC Program at the Department of Health and Human Services is critical for ensuring the health and welfare of unaccompanied children. We absolutely do need to take steps to support this program to ensure the well-being of children in ORR care. But this amendment is merely a delay tactic to address the critical issues at hand related to the COVID-19 crisis. I urge my colleagues to oppose the motion. Vote on Motion to Commit

Mrs. MURRAY

Mrs. MURRAY. Madam President, I rise today to voice my strong support for Dr. Cardona's nomination to serve as Secretary of Education. Across the country, students, parents, and educators are in crisis. Every day without an experienced leader at the Department of Education is a day that we are losing precious ground. Back in my home State of Washington, I heard from a mother in Yakima whose children shared one iPhone to learn. I heard from a father of a high school freshman in Spokane, worried about the social and psychological toll the pandemic is taking on his son. I heard from students at the Lummi Nation, trying to focus on remote classes while in multigenerational households on a shared, spotty broadband. I know there are so many similar stories from people in my State and across the country about how this pandemic is making life harder, the ways it has set back students from where they would be in a typical year, denied them access to critical school resources, deepened longstanding inequities, and so much more. From early education to higher education, we need to make sure students and their families have the support they need to not only get a high-quality education but to make sure every student can try. Democrats want to get students safely back in the classrooms for in- person learning as soon as possible. So I am glad the Biden administration put forward clear, science-based, public health guidance schools have long needed. There is no one solution that will ensure safety on its own as our country ramps up vaccine distribution. Congress has to do its part and pass the American Rescue Plan to provide vital funding for schools--to secure adequate PPE, to reduce class sizes to increase social distancing, to improve ventilation and contract tracing, and to take all the steps they need to do so that they can safely reopen for in-person learning or provide high-quality distance learning if it is not safe in their community to return to the classroom and so that they can assess and address the damage this pandemic has done, especially the way it has deepened inequities that have hurt students of color, students of families with low incomes, students with disabilities, LGBTQ students, women, English learners, students experiencing homelessness, and so much more. At this moment of crisis, Dr. Cardona is exactly the leader we need at the Department of Education to tackle these challenges. During his confirmation hearing in the Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee, he demonstrated beyond a doubt that he has experience, principles, and the perspective that we need in this critical role. That is why Dr. Cardona was voted out of our committee by an overwhelming 17-to-5 margin with broad bipartisan support. Dr. Cardona will come to the Department as a proven leader who will work with students, parents, caregivers, educators, school administrators, and State, local, and Tribal officials. Just as importantly, he will come to the Department as a former elementary school teacher, an adjunct professor, a principal, assistant superintendent, and former English learner himself who knows we have a responsibility to make sure every single student has access to high- quality public education. At our hearing, he made clear he will fight against longstanding inequities and for every student, including those who have not had a champion at the Department for the last 4 years. He spoke about his commitment to accomplishing President Biden's goal of safely reopening the majority of our K-8 schools for in-person learning within his first 100 days in office. He showed he understands the challenge the Department is facing is larger than just seeing schools and students and parents and educators safely through this pandemic. It is making sure we come back stronger and fairer. Accomplishing that means ensuring childcare and early education is available and affordable for every family; ensuring every student can get a high-quality public education no matter where they live or how much money they or their families have; rooting out longstanding inequities from our education system by tackling racism, sexism, ableism, and bigotry head-on; and ensuring that higher education is accessible, affordable, accountable, and safe for every single student. We have a lot of work to do for our schools and students. We have an excellent candidate to get it done, and we have no time to waste. I urge all of our colleagues who have heard from a parent who wants to get their child back in the classroom safely--I am sure everyone has-- to join us and vote to confirm Dr. Cardona as Secretary of Education. I yield the floor.

Mrs. MURRAY

Mrs. MURRAY. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the following committee rules be printed in the Record.

Mrs. MURRAY

Mrs. MURRAY. Mr. President, I send a question to the desk.