Debbie Stabenow

Ms. STABENOW

Ms. STABENOW. Madam President, I am really proud to stand with a group of colleagues and leaders who understand what is happening to the American people and the hardship they are facing and the fact that they just want some help and they want people to understand that. We are in the middle of a pandemic. It is not done yet. We know we have to wrap our arms around what is happening with the healthcare pandemic before we can do anything else, but in the meantime we have an economic crisis, and we have a hunger crisis in this country. It is very hard for me to listen to folks--all of us, none of us are worried about going hungry tonight, not one. My guess is, we are not worried about our grandkids or others whom we know going hungry tonight or our moms and dads, but there are 14 million kids right now who aren't getting what they need to eat and could very likely go hungry tonight. They need a safety net. You know, when I look at what is the priority here with Senate Republicans, you know who gets a safety net? Wall Street gets a safety net. The stock market gets a safety net. The Secretary of Treasury will say: Hey, what do you guys need? We are backing you up. We got your back. But for the families of our country who, through no fault of their own, have been put into a situation where they have to worry about a roof over their head and food on the table and dollars to be able to pay the bills through help with unemployment, our colleagues say we have the audacity to think that they ought to have a safety net, too; that the majority of Americans ought to know that somebody's got their back. We are here to say that we are the ones who have their back, and we hope that before this is done, the Senate and the House will come together to do that. Right now, there are senior citizens--a lot of them--who get a minimum amount of monthly help for their food. It is $16 a month, not a week--a month. We have the audacity to stand here and want to pass a Heroes Act that would raise that to $30 a month, and our colleagues will object to a $14-a-month raise for our poorest senior citizens. Now, for everyone else, I mean we are looking at about $1.40 per meal--$1.40 per meal. I would challenge any of us to try and get a meal for $1.40. What the United States provides for someone who is in need of help right now is $1.40 per meal, and we have the audacity to be asking for that to be raised by a little less than $1 a day. That is what a 15-percent increase in SNAP is. It is a little less than $1 a day for somebody. Our colleagues act like this is unbelievable--unbelievable that we would think people should get 90 cents more a day to help with food. That is what we are talking about in this package. It is about getting people help. It is about understanding the hardships that they face and knowing it is not over and not going to be over for too long. Let me just stress, in closing, that one of the most efficient ways we can address stimulating the economy right now is by putting money in the pockets of people who have to spend it. One of the best ways--in fact, economists tell us the best way is giving somebody $1 that they have to go to the grocery store and spend it on food. If you give them $1, it translates into $1.70 in the economy to the grocery store, the processor, and the farmer. We need to get this done. We are also deeply concerned about the proposals they put forward on education that I will leave for another day, but it is time--it is time to recognize what people are going through and let them know that somebody cares and somebody is going to help them and somebody is going to have their back. I would yield to my friend and colleague from Ohio who has been such a leader.

Ms. STABENOW

Ms. STABENOW. Mr. President, first, it is wonderful to be here with my great friends from Connecticut, Wisconsin, and Ohio. This is such an important discussion we are having today and such an important bill that needs to be passed. Let me start again by underscoring something that Senator Murphy said, because despite what happened in the beginning as it relates to China and certainly over the years, I have not been shy to address concerns related to stealing our intellectual property rights or other issues related to China. The reality is, despite whatever the smokescreens are about China, you can't say that they are the reason that with 4 percent of the population, we have 25 percent of the cases of COVID-19 and 25 percent of the deaths in the world. There is much more to it, and, unfortunately, it lands right in this country with the lack of national leadership that has been completely AWOL when it comes to the kind of national strategy we need to get our people the equipment, the support they need, the testing they need, and to have a strategy to safely reopen the economy and our schools while, at the same time, putting the health and safety and lives of Americans first by addressing the pandemic. So I rise today to urge the Senate to take up and immediately pass the Medical Supply Transparency and Delivery Act. I want to thank Senators Baldwin, Murphy, and Brown for introducing this important legislation. I am very proud to be an original cosponsor of this bill. As all of you know, throughout history--and I love history--perhaps no State was as crucial to our Nation's victory in World War II as was Michigan. My colleagues may debate that, but I have the mic, so I will talk about Michigan. The truth is that more than half of Michigan men and women proudly served in uniform, including my own dad. Back home, the people of our State were hard at work producing the bombers, the tanks, the trucks, the helmets, and the guns needed to win the war. In fact, Michigan was called at that time ``the arsenal of democracy.'' We make things, and during World War II, we were making the things that were needed to win the war--the arsenal of democracy. Both at home and abroad, victory in many ways depended on the people of my State. For the past 6 months, our Nation has been fighting a different kind of war, a raging health pandemic, taking over 141,000 American lives so far. Unfortunately, this time our national generals appear to be missing in action. How is it possible that 6 months after the first case of COVID-19 on January 20, our healthcare workers still are struggling to get the personal protective gear they need to treat patients while keeping themselves safe? How can that be? How is it possible that 6 months after the first case of COVID-19 was detected in the United States, people are still struggling to get tested? Well, I will tell you how. It is because of the complete lack of Federal leadership coming from this White House that we have seen, since day one, in this crisis. None of us want it to be this way. We all live here. Our families are here. We are desperately concerned about our families, our friends, and people in our States. We want this White House to be successful in fighting the pandemic. We all need to be successful in fighting this pandemic. But the reality is that the administration could have immediately used the Defense Production Act to ensure that we have quality protective equipment and testing supplies in the right place at the right time. It could have happened immediately. Instead, we have the administration providing example after example of telling the Governors: OK, you do it. We don't want to do it. You do it. We will be right behind you. Then Governors turn around, and nobody is there. They don't want to support the Governors and local communities now that we were once required to step up. But you go ahead. Or they are putting together shady contracts--no-bid contracts--one after the other. One I will mention to you is called Fillakit, which was a $10 million no-bid contract to produce testing supplies by somebody who already had had problems in the past and who was given a no-bid contract after setting up a new company. We heard this over and over. And ProPublica reported that the testing tubes Fillakit produced were, in fact, repurposed miniature plastic soda bottles and described the packaging process as unmasked employees using ``snow shovels'' and dumping them into plastic bins before squirting saline into them all in open air. Well, Michigan received some of those so-called testing supplies, and needless to say, they were not useable. Meanwhile, Governors, hospitals, and nursing homes have spent time, energy, and money bidding against one another and being pitted against one another for lifesaving PPE and testing supplies. This is no way to fight a pandemic. This is no way to fight a war, and, certainly, no way to win a war. In Michigan, after the CARES Act passed, going back to the State, working with our State Governor and her team and our delegation, I, literally, was in a situation of reaching out--because of my work in healthcare--to people in the medical supply business, and we got some of the first masks because I knew a guy who knew a guy who knew a guy in China. That was how we got the masks--no national supply chain. Masks were coming in. Fifty-cent masks were being bumped up to $5, $6, $7 apiece--no accountability, nobody worrying about the United States and whether we could get the best deal and whether our hospitals were able to get what they needed. Frankly, it was chaos--complete chaos. Again, that is no way to fight a pandemic, and it is certainly no way to fight a war. During World War II, Michigan didn't decide to become the arsenal of democracy on its own. The Federal Government saw a need and called on Michigan companies and workers to fill it, and we did. It is the same thing this administration should be doing right now, today--today--to produce the PPE and testing supplies we need to end this pandemic. Instead, doctors and nurses are wearing the same masks for a week or more. People are waiting more than 10 days for test results, and more than 141,000 Americans, so far, have died, including more than 6,100 in Michigan. It is time to pass this important bill. It is past time. It is time to put our great American companies to work producing the supplies we need. It is time to win this war. We have done big things before, and we can do it again. I join with my colleagues in urging that this bill be taken up immediately. I yield the floor.

Ms. STABENOW

Ms. STABENOW. Madam President, I rise today with deep sorrow and strong determination. I am feeling deep sorrow over the loss of one of our Nation's great moral leaders and a dear friend of mine, Congressman John Lewis. As anyone who had ever met John knows, he was incredibly kind. He was a man who had seen so much of our Nation's history and written so much of our Nation's history, and yet he still treated everybody with dignity and respect. I have been honored to serve alongside him in the House and to become his friend. He was so supportive of me when I decided to run for the U.S. Senate. In fact, I will never forget how knowing that he believed in me helped give me the courage to jump into a race against an incumbent Senator. I am grieving the loss of my friend. I am also determined. Congressman Lewis dedicated his entire life to the fight for justice and equality. I am determined to do everything I can to do my part to ensure that his life's work continues. John Lewis came from very humble beginnings. He was one of 10 children of Willie Mae and Eddie Lewis, who worked as sharecroppers. Making a living off the land has always been hard, but it was even harder in the 1940s in the Deep South, where racism and discrimination were as relentless as the Alabama Sun. Faith in God was essential, and John had that faith in abundance. As a child, he wanted to be a preacher, and he certainly could have been. From reading Bible verses to the family chickens as a child to speaking alongside Dr. King at the March on Washington at just 23 years old, to his message at the 55th anniversary of Selma earlier this year, John had a preacher's ability to inspire all of us. Like a preacher, John knew that words alone aren't enough. When words come from the pulpit on Sunday and then they show up on the street on Tuesday, that is when the change really happens. John Lewis certainly showed up over and over and over again. He sat down at lunch counters. He sat in the front of buses. He spent his 21st birthday in jail after blocking the entrance to a theater that refused to sell tickets to people who look like him. He was arrested more than 40 times, beaten by Klansmen, and nearly killed marching across the Edmund Pettus Bridge. He never stopped showing up and causing ``good trouble.'' Just 6 weeks before he died, he stopped by the Black Lives Matter Plaza here in Washington, DC. It was the last time he was seen in public. Time and again, John Lewis put his life on the line in order to protect people's fundamental rights, including the right to vote. John knew that words alone can never be enough, and we have to be willing to take action. Late last year, the House passed the Voting Rights Advancement Act. It would restore section 5 of the Voting Rights Act that was overturned by the Supreme Court in 2013. For 228 days, this important bill has been gathering dust on Leader McConnell's desk--228 days of inaction. Senator Leahy is reintroducing the bill in the Senate as the John R. Lewis Voting Rights Act of 2020. I am proud to be a cosponsor of this important bill. It is time to pass it and get it signed into law in Congressman Lewis's honor. At the 55th anniversary of Selma in March, John reminded us what is at stake. He said this: We were beaten, we were tear-gassed. I thought I was going to die on this bridge. But somehow and some way, God almighty helped me here. He added this: I'm not going to give up. I'm not going to give in. We're going to continue to fight. . . . We must use the vote as a nonviolent instrument or tool to redeem the soul of America. I have seen the soul of America, and that soul looks a lot like my friend, John Lewis. I urge us to take up the Voting Rights Act in John's name and to pass it as soon as possible and ensure that his legacy lives on. I yield the floor. I suggest the absence of a quorum.

Ms. STABENOW

Ms. STABENOW. Mr. President, I want to thank my friend from Minnesota for her wonderful words. Again, we think about all the need that is there, and we are here just trying to make sure that people can get their basics, such as food on the table for the kids. We are very fortunate, and I feel very fortunate to have both Senators from Oregon here on the floor this evening. I am going to first yield now to Senator Wyden, but I want to say first: Senator Wyden is the ranking member of the Finance Committee, as we know. I think that is a pretty powerful committee, and we are grateful for his leadership. I am particularly grateful for the work the Senator is doing and has done on unemployment compensation and what needs to be done and the importance of tying all of this together--for somebody having enough income to be able to pay the rent and then getting enough help to put food on the table. I am proud to be his partner and very much appreciate all that he is doing to put people first--Senator Wyden

Ms. STABENOW. I am going to yield to Senator Merkley in a second. First, I want to say to the senior Senator from Oregon, when you talk about the Oregon Way, this needs to be the American way. This is the American way. Right now, the average food benefit under SNAP is $4.17 a day for a person. Think about going to the grocery store--$4.17 a day. We are asking for a 15-percent increase during this pandemic. We ought to all be looking at these numbers and going: Come on, the America way ought to be to make sure somebody can put food on the table for the children and that they are not eating a Milky Way until they can get to school. I am going to now turn to Senator Merkley. I want to give a shout-out to Senator Merkley, who is the ranking Democrat on the Agriculture Subcommittee of Appropriations, extremely important. He is such a wonderful partner and advocate on all of the food access issues and healthy food issues and so on. We are so lucky to have Senator Merkley in the position that he is in. I will turn to Senator Merkley. I yield time to Senator Merkley.

Ms. STABENOW. My guess would be that everyone is like me, and, no, I have not experienced a sense of it.

Ms. STABENOW. We are all extremely fortunate; we don't have to experience that.

Ms. STABENOW. Absolutely--at least doubled, absolutely.

Ms. STABENOW. I don't think hunger ever takes a vacation, if it is in the middle of the night, early in the morning, all the way through the week. I mean, the reality is, when we are here, there are people around this country who are hungry. When Senator McConnell adjourns the Senate for the week and we are not here for the next 2 weeks, people are going to continue to be hungry and probably getting more and more hungry as the economic situation gets worse.

Ms. STABENOW. Absolutely.

Ms. STABENOW. Mr. President, I want to thank Senator Brown for his eloquence and advocacy, and I want to thank him also for being an incredibly effective member of the Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry Committee, as is our next speaker, the senior Senator from Minnesota-- two Members that I am so proud to have as partners of mine on the Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry Committee. I yield time to Senator Klobuchar.

Ms. STABENOW. Mr. President, I rise today to be joined by my colleagues as well. I am very grateful to see the Senator from Ohio here. Thank you so much for being on the floor. Other colleagues will join to speak this evening on behalf of millions of American families who are struggling to make ends meet and feed their families at this incredibly challenging time. The COVID-19 crisis is taking a profound toll on our economy and the quality of life of millions of families. As businesses have closed and millions have lost their jobs, the number of people in need of food assistance has soared. Food banks have seen a 70-percent increase in demand--70 percent increase in demand. We have all seen the photos of lines of families in cars stretching on and on for miles, waiting in parking lots with moms and dads, trying to get food for their children. And even though donations have gone up--we are a generous people in this country--donations have gone up, but the need has far outpaced the funds that are available. As the pandemic swept across our Nation, one in five adults experienced food insecurity--one in five. More than 3 months later, even more Americans in every State are struggling to put food on the table. These are laid-off workers who lost their jobs due to the pandemic and aren't sure they will be able to find employment. Many of them need food assistance, and it is for the first time in their life that they need to ask for that help. These are single moms and dads who are worried about getting their kids fed before they even think about themselves. These are veterans who are willing to put their lives on the line for the country. Now they are struggling to find work and make rent and just need a little extra help getting the food they need to survive. These are senior citizens who are at high risk of COVID-19 and have had to make drastic changes to their day-to-day life just to stay safe. These are children who relied on school meals for breakfast and lunch, possibly after school as well, who have gotten used to the pain of an empty stomach since their school closed. To these people, hunger is not a partisan issue. It is not a political issue. For them, it is a daily reality that they face. For many of them, SNAP is the vital lifeline that keeps them fed in times of need, and today that need is even greater. If we are looking at the direction of COVID-19 and what is happening across the country, I am concerned, but I think it is realistic to say that the need is going to go even higher. In any crisis, it is just common sense to make sure affected families have their basic needs met. When I think of my friend from Ohio, who is our champion on housing--we talked about housing as being a basic need. I don't know anything more basic than a roof over your head and food on the table. Food and housing are pretty basic. We would all suggest that those are things that you start with and that you want for yourself and your family. When people's lives are turned upside down through no fault of their own, Americans come together to provide a temporary safety net to help them get back on their feet. That is what the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program is, SNAP. It is not there for when folks don't need it; it is there for when they do need it. During every past disaster, we have acted to make sure, as Americans, that people don't go hungry. On a bipartisan basis, we have increased SNAP benefits when families are in need and in cases of natural and economic disasters, like after the 2008 financial crisis. I do note that my dear friend, the chairman of the Ag Committee--who I think is on a different side of what we are going to be asking for tonight--he and I have come together over and over again on a bipartisan basis and will continue to do that to work together on these issues. We provide additional help to people in need. That is the first thing we do. Yet we know that increasing SNAP benefits, in addition to helping people in need, should be No. 1. Put people first--that should be No. 1. The great news with SNAP is that it also boosts the economy. This is a twofer. According to the USDA, SNAP is one of the best investments we can make. For every dollar we put into SNAP benefits, when somebody walks into the grocery store and buys food, we see roughly $1.70 more in the economy. It is the most efficient way to help farmers and to help the food industry, is to allow people to have money to buy food for themselves and their kids and for their parents. We know that every additional billion dollars in SNAP supports nearly 14,000 jobs. Usually families spend their benefits immediately, so it is very quick. I mean, you don't spend a lot of time--if you are hungry, you are not going to be waiting a couple of weeks before you use your SNAP benefits; you are going to immediately go to the store. That is an immediate economic impact. When families buy food at grocery stores and markets, as I said, they are strengthening their local economies and the supply chain as a whole, from the farmers to the truckdrivers, to the stockers, to the cashiers, to the folks who invest in the stock markets. In fact, farmers understand better than anybody that families are their customers. That is why, when we write a bipartisan farm bill, which I am proud that we have been able to do, we make sure it helps both farmers and families. Farm bills are about a farmer safety net. Farmers need additional help right now. It is also about a family's safety net, and families need help right now. Families across the country need help right now, and this time is no different. Nearly 2,500 farm and food advocates agree with that. In a letter to Senate leadership, these groups, including the National Council of Farmer Cooperatives, the National Milk Producers Federation, the National Farmers Union--thousands of organizations--have urged us to increase SNAP benefits for families in need right now with what is happening right now in this crisis. We are asking for something very simple and very reasonable, a 15- percent boost in SNAP benefits. This increase means an additional $25 a month per person. That may not seem like much, unless you don't have any food, unless you can't feed your children, unless you are a senior, and you can't get food. The fact is, it may mean that a mom can actually give her children some fruits and vegetables so they can stay healthy while they are staying at home through this crisis. It means maybe one less skipped meal at the end of the month. One less skipped meal, that is what we are talking about. This modest increase will help ensure that families most affected by the pandemic will be able to cover the cost of food while they stay safe, while they look for work, and while they rebuild their lives, which many families are needing to do. We also need to increase the minimum amount of SNAP from $16 to $30 per day. Again, for all of us, that doesn't seem like a lot. The reality is, this may be lifesaving--lifesaving--this difference, especially for our seniors who live alone. We must also waive the Trump administration's harmful regulations that will take food assistance away from hungry Americans when they need it the most. At a time when our neighbors and our economy are struggling, it is unconscionable to move forward with rules that would cut and deny benefits to millions of Americans, rules that would take away school meals from up to 1 million children. The Senate has the power to provide quick help to millions of people in every State across the country right now, right now. What a great way to spend a Wednesday evening to be able to help millions of families during this crisis. This is urgently needed. This is urgently needed help for the millions of families who are wondering where their next meal is going to come from. This is urgently needed help for the millions of people who have lost their jobs through no fault of their own in this crisis. When an unprecedented emergency has put American lives and livelihoods in danger, we have an obligation to act. It is not only our sworn duty; it is the right thing to do. It is just, plainly, the right thing to do. Boosting SNAP benefits is a tried-and-true, effective way to strengthen the economy and help Americans put food on the table. The U.S. Senate should not look away in the face of so much need. Therefore, Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Senate proceed to the immediate consideration of my bill to make temporary modifications to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, which is at the desk. I further ask that the bill be considered read three times and passed and that the motion to reconsider be considered made and laid upon the table.

Ms. STABENOW. Mr. President.

Ms. STABENOW. Mr. President, I agree with my friend from Kansas that we work together in many ways and have been able to get a lot of good things together by working across the aisle. I want to focus on just a couple of things to expound on what he said, though. While we, in fact, did add dollars for some emergency SNAP in the original Families First Response Act, unfortunately, about 40 percent of the households didn't get any extra help at all. These were our poorest citizens. These were those who were already getting--because their income was so low--the maximum benefit, and they got no help at all. So 40 percent of the folks didn't see anything that was just described, and, for others, we are very concerned about the temporary nature of this and the fact that it was not enough to sustain what is happening for families. The 15 percent that we are talking about, which is something that was done back during the economic recession and has been done in various ways in the past, is an important response to make sure that every single family and individual who needs food assistance--not just some but that every single one can get the help they need at this time. What has been done up to this point was a start. It is surely not enough--surely not enough. At the very beginning of this process, it was not clear how long this was going to go or how deep this was going to go. The U.S. Senate needs to respond to what we are seeing now and how families are being affected across the country. I am going to now yield to Senator Brown and then Senator Klobuchar. I believe I saw her on the floor as well. Yes, Senator Klobuchar and then Senator Wyden as well--three tremendous advocates. Thank you so much. Senator Brown

Ms. STABENOW. Mr. President, I want to thank my friend from Oregon for his comments and his ongoing leadership on the Appropriations Committee. It is incredibly important. Now, I am going to turn to the Senator from Pennsylvania, Mr. Casey, and thank him on so many different issues, which range from children and what they need, in terms of healthcare and being able to have the support they need to be able to grow and be successful, all the way up to our older citizens and those in nursing homes, where he is providing such advocacy now as we look at what needs to be done to support our seniors and those in nursing homes. Thank you for always putting people first and for joining us tonight.

Ms. STABENOW. Mr. President, first, I thank my friend from Pennsylvania for his passion and for his being such a wonderful partner on these issues. I very much appreciate his speaking about the fact that there is an economic benefit. If nothing else, if someone wants to look at how we can help our farmers, how we can help our grocery stores, how we can help those in the food chain--all of whom we want to help as well--you do that in the most efficient way possible, which is by giving people the funds to go buy food directly in the grocery stores so that they are able, when they have a need like this, to support their families. The great thing about SNAP is that it is set up so that when the economy gets better, the food assistance goes down. When the economy gets worse, the food assistance goes up. The challenge for us right now is that there is such a crisis and there are so many more people needing help--people who never in their lives thought they would need help--that we are in a situation in which we are called upon to meet that need and to be able to increase what we are doing. There was a small effort at the beginning to provide some additional help, but it nowhere near met the need we have now--nowhere near. When I think about negotiating the CARES Act and the fact that, again, the average benefit for food assistance in this country per person is $4.17 a day, the White House said no to any increase to the $4.17 a day. Leader McConnell said no to any increase in the CARES Act--to the $4.17 a day for people. There is something wrong with that, so we are here on the floor to say we have to do better. The Senate has to do better. The House did better when it passed the Heroes Act. It gave some additional support and help. The Senate needs to do the same. The Senate could have done the same tonight rather than to now wait 2 weeks, as we will not be in session. We haven't really started negotiating what comes next, and it will take weeks after that. Every single day, there are people going hungry. The pain that Senator Casey talked about is something being experienced by people tonight and being experienced by people in the morning and every single day going forward. That is the reality for too many families in America--in the United States of America--and it doesn't have to be that way. We can at least give some help. I wish we could do more. We couldn't get a 15-percent increase in the CARES Act. I would love to be able to do more than that, but at a minimum, we should be doing that. That is what the House did. That is what has been done in other economic downturns, and that is what we should be doing to help families in America who, frankly, just want to know somebody has their backs right now when everything is coming at them and when they are trying to figure out how they are going to keep their heads above water and care for their children and make sure that the older adults in their lives have the help and support they need as well. We are going to keep working on this until we get it. There is just no excuse not to be able to meet the need that so many millions of families are feeling right now. This is a moral moment for the Senate. It could have been a moral Wednesday. If there had not been an objection, we could have gotten it done tonight. Wouldn't that have been a great way to go into the Fourth of July weekend--being able to provide some small, additional food assistance for millions of Americans who are in need right now? This is not going to happen now because of the objection, but we are going to keep going until we can get families the help they need. I yield the floor.

Ms. STABENOW

Ms. STABENOW. Mr. President, I want to thank the Senator from Minnesota for her ongoing leadership on so many issues and, certainly, this is one of them. We greatly appreciate and need your voice. Mr. President, for over the past month, Americans in all parts of our country and from all walks of life have once again been marching for the cause of justice. They are raising their voices and raising the names of those killed by police violence: Eric Garner, Michael Brown, Freddie Gray, Breonna Taylor, George Floyd, and Rayshard Brooks. Americans aren't marching because of politics. They are not marching because they want the Senate to pretend to address this issue and hope it goes away. Americans aren't marching because they want more studies and reports. No. Americans from all walks of life--young and old, people of all backgrounds, religions, and nationalities--are marching because they are sick and tired of learning about more names. They want the people who represent them here in this Chamber to finally confront this deadly serious issue with the seriousness it deserves. It is time we meet their expectations in this historic moment. This really is a historic moment. It is a historic opportunity for all of us to come together. It is past time to do something to stop the violence. It is time to come together and to do something big and consequential, and it is going to take all of us to be able to do that. Just think about the big things we have been able to get done in the past decade or so. I am not trying to equate this current moment and this seriousness, but I know we know how to do other big things. The Presiding Officer knows that too. We do things across the aisle. We work across the aisle when we want to get things done. I think about passing a farm bill, a 5-year farm bill. A lot of people said we couldn't get it done because of all the different interests--the interests of families and food assistance, the interests of farmers and ranchers and so on. I had my doubts during those times, but we kept on working in a bipartisan way, and in the end we got a bipartisan bill that was good for farmers and our families, good for our environment, good for our economy. In fact, we passed it with an 87-to-13 vote, which is the most votes we have ever had in the Senate for a farm bill. Police violence and the systemic racism that is behind it deserves at least the same bipartisan effort that we gave the farm bill. In much the same way, the Senate came together across the aisle and got comprehensive immigration reform done. That only happened because people sat down together with different views--Republicans and Democrats--and worked through the complicated issues that were standing in our way, and we got it done in the Senate. Police violence and the systemic racism behind it deserve at least that same bipartisan effort. More recently, there was the CARES Act. Democrats and Republicans worked day and night to come together in agreement on the most effective way to meet the needs of Americans during an unprecedented health and economic crisis--which, by the way, we need to do again because we are not done. Police violence and the systemic racism behind it deserve at least that kind of effort. This is a huge crisis that pulls at the very soul of America. This issue certainly deserves the best of all of us right now, the best of what we can do. Systemic racism and related police violence certainly deserve, at minimum, the same kind of bipartisan effort we have focused on other issues that have not had the life-and-death consequences of this issue. The people who are marching and who are crying out for justice deserve a serious response at a serious moment. Leader McConnell needs to take this issue seriously and support a bipartisan process, instead of just moving to a weak, flawed, Republican bill just to pretend that he tried to do something. The House of Representatives are serious. They are passing a bill this week and sending it over to us. It is a serious bill. I am proud to be a cosponsor of the Senate version with our leaders Senator Booker and Senator Harris. They are serious about passing the Justice in Policing Act. Senate Democrats are serious. Mitch McConnell and Senate Republicans must be serious too. This is the moment. This is the moment for us to be serious together and address this in a big, profound, systemic way. Eric, Michael, Freddie, Breonna, George, Rayshard, and all of those who are no longer with us, as well as all of those marching, marching, marching and speaking out deserve nothing less than our best at this moment. They deserve a serious bipartisan effort. That is what I support. That is what my Democratic colleagues support. We know it takes sitting down and listening to each other. It takes working out differences. That is the only way change happens. We are willing to put in whatever time and effort it takes to make this happen, and that is what we are going to continue to fight for. I yield the floor. I suggest the absence of a quorum.

Ms. STABENOW

Ms. STABENOW. Mr. President, first of all, I want to thank my wonderful colleagues for their leadership, Senator Merkley and Senator Baldwin, for not just being on the floor today and speaking out but speaking out every day for introducing the Equality Act, of which I am very proud to be a cosponsor, and for continually standing up for the rights of all Americans. In 2013, a Michigan funeral director wrote a letter. It said: What I must tell you is very difficult for me and is taking all the courage I can muster. I felt imprisoned in a body that does not match my mind, and this has caused me great despair and loneliness. She told her coworkers, from now on, she was choosing to live her truth; from now on, she would be living and working as a woman. Unfortunately, she paid dearly for her courage, and 2 weeks later she was fired. That woman was Aimee Stephens of Redford, MI This week, Aimee's courage literally changed history--literally changed history. In a 6-to-3 decision, the Supreme Court ruled that what happened to Aimee was illegal. It was illegal. Period. Employers cannot fire or otherwise discriminate against employees simply because of who they are or whom they love. Period. Sadly, Aimee didn't get to celebrate the landmark victory, and we all wish she were here right now to be able to join and lead the celebration. She died last month at age 59. She will go down in history as someone who took a stand for equality, for basic fairness, and made our Nation a better place. So many people have joined her in this fight, getting to this victory. It is now time to further honor her courage and the courage of so many others by passing the Equality Act, and we can do it today. That is the good news. Right now, on the floor today, we can do that together. What a great way to end this week; this month of June, this Pride Month. What a great way this would be. The Equality Act is pretty simple. It protects people against discrimination based on sexual orientation or gender identity in all aspects of their lives. Unfortunately, this legislation, as my colleagues have said, which has already passed the House, has been sitting on Mitch McConnell's desk gathering dust for nearly 400 days-- 400 days since the House of Representatives took action. It is time to shake off that dust and get this thing done for Aimee and for everyone who has fought alongside her and continues to fight today to make our Nation a more equitable place. Now, our Republican colleagues, however, are more interested in pushing through extremist judges who have no interest in LGBTQ equality. Later today and next week, we will be voting on two judicial nominations--Justin Walker and Cory Wilson. It is, frankly, insulting that these two nominations are even coming to the floor--insulting to the American people that they are coming to the floor. Justin Walker's nomination is opposed by 275 outside groups, including the Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights and the National Center for Transgender Equality. As for Cory Wilson, he supports H.B. 1523, the so-called Protecting Freedom of Conscience from Government Discrimination Act, and that would give broad permission for people and businesses to deny services to people based on sexual orientation and gender identity. Both of these nominees--both of them would overturn the Affordable Care Act, which has made lifesaving differences for so many members of the LGBTQ community and Americans all across our country. Justin Walker wants the courts to throw out the entire Affordable Care Act, including protections for people with preexisting conditions. He called the Supreme Court decision upholding the ACA ``indefensible and catastrophic.'' Millions of people get their healthcare through the Affordable Care Act. Everyone who has an insurance policy is able to do that and get covered, even if they have a preexisting condition, because of the Affordable Care Act. Cory Wilson used even more colorful language. He called the law ``illegitimate and perverse.'' Providing people healthcare he thinks is perverse, and this is somebody the Republicans are going to put on the court. He even opposed expanding Medicaid coverage in Mississippi, a change that would literally save lives in the middle of a pandemic. We know what we need to do because Aimee showed us. We need to pass the Equality Act now--today. We can do that today. Wouldn't that be wonderful, on a bipartisan basis, to pass this today? We need to vote no on two judicial nominees who are far out of step with the basic American ideals of equality and fairness. Aimee Stevens was courageous. Four hundred days is way too long for millions of Americans to wait for the U.S. Senate to step up and do its job. It is time for all of us to truly stand up for equality for the LGBTQ community and set the foundation that we believe in equality for all Americans. I yield the floor.

Ms. STABENOW

Ms. STABENOW. I ask unanimous consent that the order for the quorum call be rescinded.

Ms. STABENOW

Ms. STABENOW. Mr. President, something is happening in America. People across our country and in my home State of Michigan are coming together for the cause of racial justice in a way that we have not really experienced in a generation. From Holland, to Bad Axe, to Marquette, to Detroit, people of all ages and faiths and backgrounds have been marching together, singing together, praying together, and kneeling together. In one voice, people are demanding change, imploring our Nation to finally be that place where all men and women are truly created equal. Unfortunately, we know that, far too often throughout our history and even today, our Nation has failed to live up to our highest ideals. Eight minutes forty-six seconds--that is how long a Minneapolis police officer, Derek Chauvin, knelt on the neck of George Floyd, an unarmed, handcuffed Black man lying on the pavement. For 8 minutes 46 seconds, George Floyd pleaded for his life. He said, ``I can't breathe.'' He cried out for his mother. He suffered. Then he was silent. Millions of Americans watched the video in shock and horror. Why didn't the officer just lift his knee off of Mr. Floyd's neck? Why didn't he just lift his knee up for just a minute--just lift it up? Why didn't one--just one--of the other officers push his knee off of Mr. Floyd's neck? What is happening in America that someone--let alone police officers--thought this was OK? Of course, we know it was not OK. It was not OK. It was a crime. It was murder. Watching those images has awakened something deep in the souls of Americans across the country. We know that racial disparities in every part of our society--from healthcare, to housing, to jobs, to education, to the air we breathe and the water we drink--have existed in our country since its very beginning. We have known for a long time that experiences with the police are different for Black Americans than for White Americans. Yet, despite all of the other times, this time-- this time--there the violence was, right in front of us, in a way that people have decided cannot and will not be ignored. There is much to do. For each of us, we have a personal journey--a personal journey to take concerning our own behavior with one another, and then we have a public journey to take together, to change laws and policies and work together toward the day when what happened in Minneapolis and across our country never happens again. That is the goal of the Justice in Policing Act. I am honored to cosponsor it, and I want to thank my friends Senator Booker and Senator Harris for leading us in this introduction. The Justice in Policing Act takes important steps to improve transparency by collecting better and more accurate data on police misconduct and the use of force. This will help ensure that problem officers aren't simply getting a job with a police department in another city or State to avoid being held accountable for their previous actions. The legislation improves police training and practices by ending racial and religious profiling, requiring officers to receive training on racial biases, banning no-knock warrants in drug cases, limiting the transfer of military-grade equipment to police departments, and banning chokeholds like the one that ended George Floyd's life. It finally makes lynching a Federal crime--something that I would have thought we would have done a generation ago. It makes important changes within our criminal justice system to hold police officers and departments accountable for their actions. This legislation is not about defunding the police. It is not about defunding law enforcement. It is about funding the right kind of law enforcement, the kind of law enforcement that protects all of our neighborhoods and the people who live in them; the kind of law enforcement that officers I know in Michigan--including in my own family, across Michigan--do every day; the kind of law enforcement I know the majority of police officers believe in. In short, this legislation is about treating people as professionals, with high standards, and expecting them to meet those standards. In any professional setting, including law enforcement, we should expect high standards and accountability for meeting those standards. We have a right to expect the best from our police officers. Firing dozens of bullets into a Louisville apartment under a no-knock warrant, killing a 26-year-old emergency medical technician and aspiring nurse who grew up in Michigan, did not meet the high standards we have a right to expect. Breonna Taylor deserved the best from our police. She did not get it. Shoving a 75-year-old man at a protest in Buffalo hard enough that his head cracked open while hitting the ground, creating a pool of blood, and then watching officer after officer walking past him without offering any help does not reflect the high standards we have a right to expect. Martin Gugino deserved the best from our police, and he did not get it. Kneeling on the neck of a man who is lying on the ground for 8 minutes 46 seconds, as he cries out for his mother and the life leaves his body, is not meeting the high standards he had the right to expect. George Floyd deserved the best from our police. He did not receive it. The U.S. Senate needs to pass the Justice in Policing Act now. I would love it if there was strong bipartisan support. Wouldn't that send a wonderful message across our country if we could do that? However, holding law enforcement to high professional standards is only the first step in becoming the Nation we all want to be. Racism has been with us since slaves were brought on ships to this country. It is an immoral thread that is woven deep in the fabric of our Nation's history. It is simply not enough to end racial inequalities in policing because the inequalities in our society don't end there. The pandemic has shone a brutal light on this truth. Our Democratic caucus released a report on April 30 that showed that Black Americans are more than twice as likely as White Americans to die from COVID-19, and in some communities, this disparity is even greater. In Michigan, 14 percent of our citizens are African Americans. Yet African Americans make up 41 percent--41 percent--of the deaths from COVID-19. It is not hard to see why, if you look. Because of generations of structural racism, Black Americans are less likely to have health insurance, more likely to have preexisting health conditions and higher risks for Black moms during labor and delivery, more likely to be exposed to air pollution because of where they live, and less likely to live in housing where social distancing is even possible. Black families also face challenges in accessing healthy food. While around 12 percent of American families overall are food secure, we know that more than 22 percent of African-American families are food insecure--more than one out of every five families. At the same time, in this health crisis Black Americans are more likely to be the ones working on the frontlines--these are the frontline jobs that can't be done at home--even though their children are home from school or childcare because they have had to close. They have more costs, but they are on the frontlines, and they are the ones still working. In fact, 41 percent of our essential workers are people of color. The majority are women. That is exposing them to both COVID-19 and now layoffs. While more than 12 percent of White Americans are out of work, nearly 17 percent of Black Americans have lost their jobs so far. No single piece of legislation, no matter how good, is going to solve these systemic issues all at once. We know that, but our continuing actions can do that, if we are aware and our eyes are open and we are paying attention and we are doing the best we can on everything that we do. That is why we need to pass the Heroes Act, passed by the House, as soon as possible. It has been weeks now since the House took action, and it is critically important that we get that done. This bill gives premium pay to our frontline workers, so we are not just applauding them. That does not pay for their childcare while they are working or for food or for keeping a roof over their own heads. We need to provide hazard pay, premium pay, for the people who are working when we have the luxury of working at home. The House bill extends unemployment benefits that are critical, strengthens emergency paid leave, and offers food and rent and mortgage assistance to families who need it. That is why it is so important to pay attention every time legislation comes to the floor and that we evaluate through the lens of how this affects everyone. How does this affect the poor? How does this affect communities of color? Are we doing everything we can to make sure we are not adding to the racial disparities or economic disparities that have lived with us for way too long? Senate Democrats, looking at every piece of legislation, paid attention on the Paycheck Protection Act, and we were successful in amending it to ensure that minority-owned businesses and underserved communities would receive the same business help and the same access to capital as majority-White businesses. It was a real fight to get that done. It was a struggle. It should not have been. When people say racial disparities are in the past, I say it is right here, right now. When we look at moving forward on legislation, we need to see who is helped, who is impacted, is it fair, and does everybody have a fair shot? Today, once again, we see in Georgia why it is outrageous that Mitch McConnell has been blocking a vote on the Voting Rights Advancement Act that the House passed 187 days ago. It was 187 days ago that they passed a bill to restore the Voting Rights Act, with no action here in the Senate. This needs to be passed immediately. It is another piece of what is happening in terms of the racial inequality in this country. Racial disparities are not in the past. Racism is not in the past. We are seeing it every day right in front of our eyes. Now is the time to keep our eyes open. Now is the time to lift America up to the best we can be. We need to pass the Justice in Policing Act, and we need to pass the Heroes Act to put people ahead of profits in this pandemic and close the gaps in investments in our communities that have created the racial disparities we see today in every part of our society and in every community, and we need to pass the Voting Rights Advancement Act right now. That would be a great thing to get done this week. There is not much happening on the Senate floor right now. It would be great if we could come together and all stand behind something as basic as making sure that everybody fully has the right to vote in this country. One of George Floyd's high school friends, Jonathan Veal, remembered that on their last day of 11th grade, George turned to him and said: ``I want to touch the world.'' George Floyd has touched the world. He has touched the hearts of people around the world. His horrific murder has inspired a worldwide movement against systemic racism and police brutality. I know that is cold comfort for his family and his friends who are missing him so much. It is time for us--all of us--to set high standards for law enforcement and the quality of life we want for all of our families. It is time to hold each other accountable to live up to our highest and best ideals as Americans. George's last breath cannot be the last word. I yield the floor.

Ms. STABENOW

Ms. STABENOW. Mr. President, I rise today to pay special tribute to the Michigan heroes who have given their lives for their country while serving in our military. This is an especially fitting time to do so as we commemorate the 75th anniversary this year of the end of World War II. The people of Michigan have always stood up whenever our Nation has needed us. That was certainly the case during World War II. Perhaps no State was as crucial to our Nation's victory in the fight against tyranny as was Michigan. More than half a million Michigan men and women proudly served in uniform in the Pacific Theater, the Atlantic Theater, and anywhere and everywhere we were called. Back home, the people of our State were hard at work producing the bombers, tanks, trucks, helmets, and guns needed to win the war. We were the Arsenal of Democracy, and both at home and abroad, victory depended on us, the people of Michigan. We won that fight; yet the costs were staggeringly high. Sadly, more than 10,000 Michiganders never made it home. These were our beloved children and parents, siblings and cousins, friends and neighbors. We were so incredibly proud of their willingness to give everything--even their lives--to defend freedom; yet that pride could never fully fill the aching loss our families and communities endured. Those losses are still felt 75 years later. Now, once again, Michigan is mourning. Far too many of our beloved children and parents, siblings and cousins, friends and neighbors have been lost to an invisible enemy that can't be seen or heard; yet just as we did in World War II--just as Michigan has always done--we are standing up, and we are fighting back, together. Our plants once produced bombers and tanks; today, they are producing ventilators and respirators, gowns and testing supplies. People are stepping up to serve across our State: tending the sick in our hospitals and clinics, delivering food to neighbors in need, even sewing masks to keep one another safe. Seventy-five years after World War II, a lot of things have changed, but one thing hasn't: The people of Michigan are still willing to step up and serve whenever and wherever we are needed, and we are needed today. On Memorial Day and every day, let us remember all servicemembers we have lost, thank those who are still with us, and surround our military families with love and support. Our military members and veterans have provided us the very best examples to follow. Let's honor their service and sacrifice with our actions.

Ms. STABENOW

Ms. STABENOW. Madam President, I first want to give a thank-you to everybody who is working right now and all the folks who are required to be here with the Senate in session. I wish we were focused on those things right now that are directly related to making sure everybody is going to be able to continue to be safe and to focus on what we need to do to safely reopen the economy rather than what we are voting on this week. I want to thank all of you for being here. I also want to send condolences and thoughts to everyone who has lost a loved one in this crisis. We are approaching, this weekend, 100,000 Americans. If that doesn't give us a sense of urgency right now to effectively address this health pandemic and to get this right and to work together, I don't know what does. I rise today with a real sense of urgency. I think it is important to understand how we got here so we know what we need to do going forward. On January 20, the first case of COVID-19 was reported in the United States, the same day as the first case in South Korea. Our White House didn't act. They were, unfortunately, more worried about the stock market than people in the supermarket. In South Korea, they did act. Within 8 weeks, they were testing 40 times more people per 1 million of their citizens than we were. By April 14, they had 10,000 cases, and we had over 600,000 cases because there was no sense of urgency to do what needed to be done to take this seriously. Now we know that we are well beyond that. Unfortunately, on the American side, in the weeks and months that came after January 20, the White House slow-walked declaring a national emergency. They failed to quickly implement widespread testing that was being done all around the world and in every other country, and they dropped the ball on getting the essential medical equipment and supplies doctors and nurses still need to treat people and keep them safe. Their reckless delay made us the world leader--the world leader-- in the number of COVID-19 cases and deaths. When you think about it, we are a little over 4 percent of the world's population; yet we have about 30 percent of the deaths because of a lack of urgency and the inaction from the very beginning to be able to get our country's arms around this deadly virus and what was happening. Now 4 months have passed, and as I mentioned, more than 90,000 to 100,000 Americans have passed away from COVID-19. Think about that. When we look at over 90,000 lives, that is as if a whole city in Michigan just disappeared from the map; yet the White House and the Republican leader and our friends across the aisle continue to show a lack of urgency about this crisis. On March 14, the House of Representatives passed the Families First Coronavirus Response Act. It had a whole range of things that were incredibly important in it: COVID testing so that you could get free testing if you needed it, increased Medicaid funding for States, extended unemployment help for more workers. It established 14 days of paid sick leave for people who lost their paychecks because they had to stay home due to the virus, and the bill provided nutritional food for moms and babies and families. Yet the Senate leader felt no urgency to pass it right then. The House passed the bill on a Friday night, in the middle of the night. All we had to do was to stay until Saturday and get it done, but there was no sense of urgency for the nurses and the doctors and the unemployed workers and the small business owners and the hungry families. They had to wait. They had to wait until the next week, for the Senate leader to go home for the weekend. The leader returned to Washington, but his sense of urgency still wasn't there. So, while the White House didn't act and the Republican leader didn't act, I will tell you who did act: The Governors acted. Democratic and Republican Governors stood up, and they leaned in to protect their citizens. I am so grateful for what our Governor and her great team have done in Michigan and for all of our mayors and local communities that leaned in, for their taking whatever resources were available and putting them right out there to make sure people's lives were being saved--the No. 1 priority. They have been stepping up and taking the action needed to save lives over and over and over again in this crisis. Frankly, that is what the White House said should happen. Remember the words of President Trump's when he tweeted: Governors must be able to step up and get the job done. We will be with you all the way. Unfortunately, when he said ``all the way,'' he actually meant to find your own way, which puts us where we are right now, today, in trying to help them get resources for critical State and local services. The vacuum of Federal leadership has real-life consequences. I released a report today that shows the price American families will pay if the White House and congressional Republicans refuse to support State and local services. Our Democratic Policy and Communications group, which is supported by all of the Democratic Senators, is saying we have to act. There are real consequences. Families and communities will pay the price if we do not act and step up and have their backs. Through no fault of their own, our States and local communities are facing critical budget shortfalls--up to $650 billion over 3 years-- that far exceed what States lost after the great recession. Without urgent Federal assistance, these cuts will affect our safety, our children's educations, and our quality of life. Yet the Republican leader said he has not yet ``felt the urgency of acting immediately.'' Maybe States should go bankrupt, he said. I can tell the White House and the Republican leader who feels the sense of urgency. He is the healthcare worker who has been laid off and doesn't know when he will get paid and what he is going to do to take care of his family. He is feeling a sense of urgency. He is the student whose school might have to be cut back, and they are the teachers who are going to be laid off through the severe budget cuts. They feel a sense of urgency. The woman who can't continue treatment for opioid addiction because of cutbacks at her local community behavioral health center feels a sense of urgency right now. It is the community that is cutting back on its police and fire departments and the 9-1-1 call centers in order to save money because the President said that he would be with them all the way but who now is saying ``No way. You are on your own'' that feels a sense of urgency. She is the mom who is waiting in line for hours in her car at the local food bank to try to get some food for her children for today, not next month. It is not ``Hey, we have 2 or 3 months.'' She wants them to eat today and tomorrow and the next day. She feels a sense of urgency. Americans across the country are feeling a sense of urgency, and it is urgent that we act to meet this moment so that they understand, in this horrendous moment and through no fault of their own--the health crisis and the economic crisis and so on--that someone really does have their backs. We need to help our State and local governments continue paying vital workers who educate our children and keep us safe and provide all of the essential services. We need to extend unemployment benefits so that people who are out of work will be able to pay the rent and feed their children. We need to approve access to healthy foods for families in need right now. We need to create a heroes fund to ensure that essential workers who have taken the most risk to keep our country running, to keep us safe, and to save lives during this pandemic receive the additional hazard pay, the compensation, that they deserve. They need to know they are essential and not expendable. Just saying thank you is good, but it is not enough when you are worried about paying your own mortgage while you go to work to save somebody else's life or put food on your own table for your family. Our country can do better for them. That is what the House bill did. That is what the Senate needs to do We need to invest in our State and local health departments so that we can continue to fight the virus and keep our communities safe. That should really be a no-brainer right now, the fact that we need to support our health departments that are on the frontlines of tracking what is happening and get the critical information so the right decisions can be made to keep us safe and the right decisions can be made so as to safely reopen our economy, which we all want and know needs to happen. Actions have consequences. I am here to say that inaction also has consequences. Inaction has consequences. We are losing lives; we are losing time; and every part of the economy is being affected. It is time to act. It is time for this Senate to act, not on more judges over and over and over again, but on the things that the American people need to have happen, that the people of Michigan need to have happen so they can be healthy and survive the virus and also be able to survive economically for their families, for their businesses, for their farms. Mitch McConnell may not feel a sense of urgency, but I do on behalf of the people of Michigan. It is time for the Senate to act. I yield the floor.

Ms. STABENOW

Ms. STABENOW. Mr. President, I wanted to share some thoughts, and I appreciate this discussion, obviously. As you know, Senator Roberts and I have basically coauthored the last two farm bills, and we all care deeply about rural America. I grew up in rural America. We have to get things done that are going to help small towns in rural America. The distinguished Senator from North Dakota and I have been talking about what we need to be doing in a number of ways. I just wanted to indicate that, when we talk about the needs that have been addressed through the market facilitation with payments and so on, I think we have a joint interest in making sure all of agriculture that has been hurt will be benefited by this. I understand the concerns about livestock. About half the cash receipts of the country are what we broadly call specialty crops. I can tell you that as the No. 1 producer of tart cherries in the country-- maybe the world--we have been hit so very hard by unfair practices with Turkey that we could lose the industry. We have received no help so far from the CCC. If we are going to move forward, I have supported and will continue to support doing things we need to do for farmers, but we have to recognize all of the needs. I am certainly willing to work with you on that because that has to happen. I would finally say this. On the one end, we have our farmers. On the other end, we have all of us who eat. We have a lot of folks in between who think the food comes from the grocery store--a lot of kids. One of the reasons I support having school gardens is for children to understand that there actually is a lot of hard work involved and food comes from our farmers. Part of all of this, when we look at this large package, is that I know there is concern about not leaving farmers out, but we can't leave out people who are at this point struggling to eat, as well. We have done a SNAP increase in every other crisis. In every other crisis, we had a temporary increase in SNAP funds. We desperately need to do that as well. We know that one of the best economic stimuli is to provide people with food assistance, who immediately have to spend that at the grocery store. Our grocery store owners, large and small, are challenged and are going to be challenged. This all goes right back to the farmers. I thank you for yielding some time. I want to say that there are many of us on both sides of the aisle who certainly care deeply about agriculture. We had the largest vote, Mr. Chairman, and 87 of 100 Senators voted for the last farm bill. I think every Democrat did. We want to make sure we are supporting our farmers. We want to make sure that families are lifted up who are struggling. I am getting calls from churches and food banks and those who are desperately concerned about families right now. We can't leave our families behind either.

Ms. STABENOW

Ms. STABENOW. Mr. President, I rise today to speak during a sad and perilous moment in our Nation's history. Our Nation was founded on important, basic principles that ``all men'' and women ``are created equal'' and ``that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.'' With rights, of course, always come responsibilities. America is a nation of laws, and no person, not even the President of the United States, is above these laws. No person, not even the President of the United States, is above these laws. That has been true since our Nation was founded, and it is still true today. Unfortunately, President Donald Trump has abused his power and acted as if he is above the law. He did this by holding up critical military aid to pressure a new foreign leader to investigate a political rival for his own political benefit. Then he did everything he could to try and cover it up after he got caught. As U.S. Senators, it is our constitutional duty to fairly and thoughtfully consider Articles of Impeachment, listen to the evidence, and make a decision that honors our Nation's values and our fundamental belief that no one is above the law. That is exactly what I did, and it is why I will vote to convict President Trump and remove him from office. The facts show the President did everything he could to cover up the truth, put our elections under even greater risk of foreign interference, and damaged the constitutional checks and balances essential to our democracy. Let's be clear. We are here because of one person. We are here because of one person--President Donald J. Trump. The President was provided multiple opportunities to prove his innocence, as he should be. The House made countless requests for documents during the impeachment inquiry. The White House ignored them. The House issued 42 subpoenas. The White House refused to comply and even went so far as to threaten and intimidate those people who chose to appear. Yet, even with this unprecedented level of obstruction, the House made a strong case for impeachment. Once impeachment moved to the Senate, the President again had numerous opportunities to defend himself. The American people and the people of Michigan strongly supported having additional documents and relevant witnesses--firsthand witnesses who could speak to the Articles of Impeachment. That is what a trial is supposed to be about. Yet the Senate did not hear from people who clearly have key, relevant information, including the former National Security Advisor, John Bolton, who is willing to testify, and, in fact, it is just a matter of time when we will hear publicly, all of us, what he would have said to the Senate; Acting White House Chief of Staff and Director of the Office of Management and Budget Mick Mulvaney; OMB Associate Director of National Security Programs Michael Duffy; and White House National Security Aid Robert Blair. Common sense--common sense--says that if President Trump's top staff have evidence of his innocence, he would have insisted that we hear from them, as we should. They would have rushed into this Chamber. Unfortunately, the exact opposite happened, lending strong support for the evidence presented by the House of Representatives. Instead, the President's defense team argued that abuse of power is not a crime and, therefore, not an impeachable offense, and it became clear that they believe, as the President himself has said on many occasions, that he has power to do anything he wants under article II of the Constitution. They also argued that if the President thinks his reelection is in the public interest, and if he does anything to benefit his reelection, including getting help from a foreign country, then that too is in the public interest and not an abuse of power. Common sense would tell us otherwise. Keep in mind that these are far from mainstream legal arguments, even in conservative legal circles. These arguments have been made up to protect President Trump and cover up his wrongdoing. These arguments are nothing short of appalling, and I am alarmed at what they suggest President Trump could do next week, next month, in November, or what any President in the future could do. Is it now OK for the President of the United States to ask a foreign leader to investigate a Member of Congress or any citizen if it helps him get reelected and, thus, in his mind, benefits the country? Is it now OK for the President of the United States to tell a Governor that they are not getting any critical disaster relief until they endorse him in the next election? Is it now OK for the President of the United States to ask foreign leaders to give campaign contributions or other political help in exchange for official visits? I don't think any of this is OK. The people of Michigan don't think any of this is OK, and I intend to do everything I can to ensure that it doesn't become our new normal. The Founders were smart. They had lived under a King, and they had no intention of doing so ever again. I have to wonder why so many of my Republican colleagues seem so, so eager to give it a try. This is the United States of America. In our country, no President is above the law, and it is illegal for a candidate or any elected official to receive political help from a foreign government. Americans must decide American elections. This is fundamental to our democracy and worth continuing to fight for, which I intend to do. Having said that, I am also deeply concerned about the divisions in our country, in our families, in our communities. It is critical that we find ways to listen to each other, respect differences, and find common ground so that we can address the important issues affecting our families and our country. These are indeed serious and perilous times. It is up to all of us to stand up for what we believe is right and to work to strengthen our democracy by coming together as Americans, by finding ways to work together to solve problems. Our children and our grandchildren are counting on us. I yield the floor.

Ms. STABENOW

Ms. STABENOW. Thank you, Mr. Chief Justice. I send a question to the desk on behalf of myself, Senator Cortez Masto, and Senator Rosen.