John Thune

Mr. THUNE

Mr. THUNE. The following Senators are necessarily absent: the Senator from Tennessee (Mr. Alexander) and the Senator from Nebraska (Mr. Sasse). Further, if present and voting, the Senator from Tennessee (Mr. Alexander) would have voted ``nay.''

Mr. THUNE. Madam President, so far Congress has passed four coronavirus relief bills that have provided $2.4 trillion to meet the coronavirus crisis. Our goal has been to provide a comprehensive response addressing not just the medical priorities but also the economic impact this virus has had on so many American families. We have provided funding for coronavirus testing, for medical care, for personal protective equipment for frontline medical personnel, for vaccine and treatment development, for veterans, for nutrition programs, for first responders, for unemployment benefits, for elementary schools, high schools, and colleges, for farmers and ranchers. The Coronavirus Aid Relief and Economic Security Act, or the CARES Act, the third relief bill we passed, provided nearly $350 billion for the Paycheck Protection Program to help small businesses keep employees on their payroll during this crisis. When the program ran out of money, we provided another $310 billion to ensure that as many small businesses as possible were able to take advantage of this help. The CARES Act also appropriated $293 billion for direct payments to American citizens to help them get through this difficult time. At this point, government agencies are focused on getting all of the aid we passed out the door. Some programs, such as the Paycheck Protection Program, have been up and running practically since day one. More than 4 million businesses have applied for or already received forgivable loans through the Paycheck Protection Program, enabling millions of workers to keep their jobs. The vast majority of direct payments to American citizens, approximately 130 million so far, have been sent out. Other aid is still in the process of getting out the door. The Department of Agriculture recently announced it will use funds appropriated in the CARES Act, plus other money, to issue direct payments to farmers and ranchers affected by this crisis. These payments are expected to reach farmers and ranchers in late May or early June. Over the course of four coronavirus bills, we provided more than $500 billion to State and local governments. That is equal to roughly 25 percent of the yearly operating budgets of the 50 States combined. That money includes at least $185 billion for unemployment benefits, $150 billion for general relief funds for States, localities, and Tribes; $45 billion for the Disaster Relief Fund; nearly $26 billion for nutrition programs; $13 billion for school districts; $4 billion to help the homeless; more than $1 billion for first responders; and there is so much more. On top of that, Congress directed the Federal Reserve to provide an additional $500 billion in loans to help States and municipalities manage cashflow issues during the pandemic. A lot of the money that we have provided has already been sent to States while some is still in the process of being disbursed. Meanwhile, States are in the process of figuring out how to spend the money they have received--some they have spent and some they have not--which brings me to an important point. My friends across the aisle are pushing for more money, more money, more money. Yesterday, the House of Representatives unveiled a $3 trillion coronavirus relief bill--that is right, $3 trillion. But we haven't yet seen the effects of the money we have provided already. It is difficult to understand how Democrats can call for an additional $3 trillion--all money borrowed, I might add, on the backs of younger workers and our children and grandchildren--when they haven't even seen what existing funds have been used for or whether they have been used at all. Nobody is questioning--nobody is questioning that we may need additional money to address this crisis. Republicans have stepped up and appropriated $2.4 trillion--roughly, 50 percent of the entire Federal budget for 2020. That is an extraordinary amount of money, but these are extraordinary circumstances, and they call for an extraordinary response. But it is important to remember that every dollar of what we have appropriated for coronavirus is borrowed money, and today's young workers and our children and grandchildren are going to be paying for this borrowing. We are putting an incredible burden on younger generations. We have an absolute obligation to make sure that we are only appropriating what is really needed. The way we find out what is really needed is by carefully monitoring the implementation of the $2.4 trillion that we have already provided, not by rushing to provide trillions more before we know whether and where they are needed. Once the money we have already provided has been fully allocated, we will have a better sense of where we may need to appropriate additional funds and where we have spent enough. It is also important to remember that there are other things we can do in Congress besides borrowing money that younger generations will have to pay. Yesterday, the leader came down to the floor to talk about the liability protections the Republicans are pursuing for healthcare workers, businesses, and others on the frontline in response to reopening. As the leader noted, hundreds of coronavirus lawsuits have already been filed around the country, and these lawsuits represent a real threat to our economic recovery. Doctors and hospitals, for example, are making extraordinary efforts to protect patients and healthcare workers but are still reluctant to resume noncoronavirus- related medical care for fear of being sued if a patient were somehow exposed to the disease in the process of receiving care. Businesses are worried that they can be held responsible if one of their employees develops coronavirus, even if the business took every reasonable precaution to discourage infection. There is obviously a place for lawsuits when individuals or businesses engage in gross negligence or intentional misconduct. We will not be giving a free pass to anyone who fails in their basic duties during this crisis, but we need to make sure that medical professionals and small businesses and others can get back to running their operations and employing Americans without worrying that an army of trial lawyers is about to descend. There are undoubtedly other things we can do to help Americans get back to work and deal with the effects of coronavirus without spending trillions of dollars, everything from regulatory reform to ensuring that frontline volunteers don't face surprise tax bills. That is not to say that we will not be providing additional funding. In fact, it is likely that we will have to appropriate more money for the coronavirus response, but as I have already said, it is absolutely essential--essential--that we consider further investment carefully and only spend money where it is truly needed. My friends across the aisle tend to think that government money and government programs are the solution literally to every crisis. They are happy to throw taxpayer dollars around without thought to the consequences of future generations. Disturbingly, more than one Democrat has indicated that they would like to take advantage of this crisis to remake America in their own far-left image. That is not a responsible response. Republicans are going to continue to do everything we can to help Americans through this crisis. We are committed to meeting the country's needs while spending taxpayer dollars responsibly and with an eye to the burden we are placing on younger workers and future generations of Americans. We undoubtedly have more difficult days ahead, but our country is strong and so are the American people. We are going to get through this. I yield the floor.

Mr. THUNE

Mr. THUNE. Madam President, we are back for our second week in the Senate after spending some time working remotely to help flatten the coronavirus curve. We are getting used to the temporary new normal-- social distancing during hearings, floor votes, and meetings; masks; a lot of conference calls and Skype calls instead of in-person meetings; lots of hand washing and hand sanitizer; and as many staff working remotely as possible. We are committed to doing the essential work of the American people, and they are depending on us to do it in the safest way possible. Responding to the coronavirus continues to be at the top of the agenda. Last week, we held a number of coronavirus-related hearings, including a hearing on coronavirus testing and a hearing on the impact the pandemic has had on the airline industry. When people think about what the Senate does, they tend to think about voting on bills and debating on the floor, but the truth is, committee work is some of the most important work we do here in Washington. Committees are where we review nominees' qualifications, hear from experts in various fields, develop legislation, and conduct essential oversight of government programs. The work we do in coronavirus-related committee hearings will inform any future coronavirus legislation we might consider. This week, the Senate Banking Committee will be voting on the nomination of Brian D. Miller to be Inspector General for Pandemic Recovery at the Treasury Department. If he is confirmed by the full Senate, Mr. Miller will be an essential part of ensuring that the trillions we have provided for coronavirus relief are spent properly. The Banking Committee will also be holding an oversight hearing with key Federal financial regulators to learn about the steps they have taken to ensure the safety and soundness of our financial sector during this challenging time. The Senate Judiciary Committee will be examining the issue of liability during the COVID pandemic and discussing ways to prevent frivolous lawsuits from damaging our economy once we reopen. The Senate Commerce Committee, of which I am a member, will be holding a hearing looking at efforts to maintain and expand reliable high-speed broadband access during this time when so many Americans are relying on their internet for work, school, and connections with friends and family. The Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee will be hearing directly from the leaders of our fight against the coronavirus--Drs. Fauci, Redfield, and Hahn, and Admiral Giroir. Senators will be talking to these experts about what we need to do to safely reopen our economy and our schools. Another big part of our coronavirus response right now is monitoring the implementation of the funds we have already provided. We have delivered a tremendous amount of money to respond to the pandemic-- equal to almost 50 percent of the entire Federal budget for 2020--and it is important that any future funding be carefully targeted. We are facing extraordinary circumstances, and they call for an extraordinary, bold response from Washington, but it is important to remember that every dollar of the trillions we provided for the pandemic is borrowed money, and our children and grandchildren are going to be paying for that borrowing. That doesn't mean we are not going to provide more money if necessary, but it does mean we need to make sure we are spending money wisely and well and only appropriating what is really needed. That means monitoring the implementation of the funds we have already provided, which haven't been fully spent yet. Once we see how and where those funds are getting spent, we will have a better sense of where we have spent sufficiently and where more money may be necessary. It is also important that we make sure those funds are being spent in the most effective and efficient way possible. Again, these are all dollars that our children and grandchildren will have to pay for. We want to make sure we are not wasting any of that money. Finally, while coronavirus will, of course, continue to be at the top of our agenda, there are other important things we have to do to keep the government running and to protect the Nation. This week, we will take up legislation to renew and reform several key provisions of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act, which the Democratic-controlled House allowed to lapse despite unanimous support for an extension here in the Senate. Our law enforcement officers are working every day to protect Americans from terrorist threats. It is essential that we make sure they have the tools they need to do their jobs, while also providing critical protections for civil liberties. We are also taking up two nominations this week for senior administration posts: Brian D. Montgomery to be Deputy Secretary of Housing and Urban Development and Troy Edgar to be the Chief Financial Officer of the Department of Homeland Security. The American people are relying on us right now, and we have a responsibility to deliver for them. We will continue to do everything we can to support our Nation's families and businesses as the country fights its way through this crisis and emerges on the other side. I yield the floor. I suggest the absence of a quorum.

Mr. THUNE

Mr. THUNE. The following Senators are necessarily absent: the Senator from Tennesse (Mr. Alexander) and the Senator from Nebraska (Mr. Sasse). Further, if present and voting, the Senator from Tennessee (Mr. Alexander) would have voted ``yea.''

Mr. THUNE

Mr. THUNE. The following Senators are necessarily absent: the Senator from Tennessee (Mr. Alexander) and the Senator from Nebraska (Mr. Sasse). Further, if present and voting, the Senator from Tennessee (Mr. Alexander) would have voted ``yea.''

Mr. THUNE

Mr. THUNE. The following Senators are necessarily absent: the Senator from Tennessee (Mr. Alexander) and the Senator from Nebraska (Mr. Sasse). Further, if present and voting, the Senator from Tennessee (Mr. Alexander) would have voted ``yea.''

Mr. THUNE

Mr. THUNE. Madam President, I ask unanimous consent that notwithstanding the provisions of rule XXII, the postcloture time on the Edgar nomination expire at 4:30 p.m. today. I further ask that if confirmed, the motion to reconsider be considered made and laid upon the table and the President be immediately notified of the Senate's action.

Mr. THUNE

Mr. THUNE. Mr. President, I have 4 requests for committees to meet during today's session of the Senate. They have the approval of the Majority and 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 Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs The Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs is authorized to meet during the session of the Senate on Tuesday, May 12, 2020, at 10 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 Tuesday, May 12, 2020, at 2 p.m., to conduct a hearing on the following nominations: Brian D. Miller, to be special inspector general for pandemic recovery, U.S. Department of Treasury and Dana T. Wade, to be Assistant Secretary, U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. 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 Tuesday, May 12, 2020, at 10 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 Tuesday, May 12, 2020, at 2:30 p.m., to conduct a hearing.

Mr. THUNE

Mr. THUNE. The following Senators are necessarily absent: the Senator from Tennessee (Mr. Alexander), the Senator from Florida (Mr. Rubio), the Senator from Nebraska (Mr. Sasse), and the Senator from Pennsylvania (Mr. Toomey). Further, if present and voting, the Senator from Tennessee (Mr. Alexander) would have voted ``yea'' and the Senator from Florida (Mr. Rubio) would have voted ``yea.''

Mr. THUNE

Mr. THUNE. Madam President, a number of our Democratic colleagues have come to the floor and spoken here and elsewhere about the importance of providing assistance to State and local governments and that if that doesn't happen, there are going to be police officers and first responders and people who have essential jobs that we rely on every single day and for whom we are so grateful who wouldn't be able to get paid. I would just point out that already, as part of the coronavirus relief measures that Congress has passed, there was $150 billion sent to State and local governments, much of which has yet to be spent and, frankly, much of which we don't know what the actual need is out there until we have a better sense of what the revenue loss is to a lot of our State and local governments. Clearly, they are sounding the alarm, and they are justifiably worried about what happens if the downturn in the economy continues and what that might mean to their revenues. They are looking to Washington, DC, for assistance. I think that, as I said earlier, in the CARES package, there was $150 billion that went out to State and local governments. There have been concerns about how those funds can be used. It was stipulated that they had to be used for COVID-related expenses, and many State and local leaders were concerned that that did not give them the flexibility that they needed to meet other types of needs. Well, the Treasury Department has in the past few days come out with an interpretation that would allow those dollars--the $150 billion already appropriated--to be used to pay firefighters, to pay police, to pay first responders, to help with unemployment insurance accounts at the State level, to help with healthcare costs--the people who lose healthcare at the State level--and a range of other things. It dramatically broadened the eligibility of uses for the dollars that have already been allocated to State and local governments. So I think it is important for us to make sure--as we look at any additional assistance that we might provide, to determine how well the dollars that are already out there have been used and to, in fact, see what the actual needs are before we add to that. We had a number of pronouncements around here. The Speaker of the House, Speaker Pelosi, has come out and said: We need $1 trillion in additional assistance for State and local governments. It is hard for me to see how you can make a statement like that not knowing what the original $150 billion has been used for or whether it has been used at all in some cases. The fact that we have $150 billion in the pipeline, the eligibility and uses of which have been dramatically broadened by the Treasury Department to enable States to use it for the very things that many of the Democrats are coming down here saying: You know, if we don't help State and local governments, we won't pay essential workers--that just flat out isn't true. Those dollars can be used for that purpose. It makes sense for us, as policymakers and custodians and stewards of the people's tax dollars, to ensure that the tax dollars we have already put out there are having the desired effect and to figure out what is working and what is not working and to figure out, frankly, what the actual need is before we send more money out--and, by the way, more money that is all borrowed. Every dollar of the $2.8 trillion that we have already distributed--and all for good reasons. Everybody here was supportive and agreed we needed to do it. We needed a dramatic, bold response to an extraordinary circumstance, so that was done. But every one of those dollars was borrowed. Any dollar we put out going forward will be borrowed, which means that at some point somebody has to pay for it, and it is going to be our children and our grandchildren. There is an argument being made that, well, interest rates are low; this is a good time to borrow. Well, you want to borrow when interest rates are low if you have to borrow, but if we continue to borrow, there is a point at which interest rates, just by virtue of the laws of supply and demand, will start to go up, and when they do, you will see a dramatic increase in the amount of dollars we have to use here just to pay the interest on the debt, which, if interest rates ever normalize, will be north of about $1 trillion a year and represent literally about 28 percent of all Federal spending. So, point 1, every dollar we spend is a borrowed dollar. Point 2, I think it is important for us to see what the needs are to be able to put money out there. Point 3, there is already $150 billion in the pipeline to State and local governments to help with many of the things the Democrats have been complaining about. And Point 4, it seems to me, at least, that we ought to have a discussion about whether what we have done already is working before we decide to add to it and see if we are getting a good return on the tax dollars that have already been put out there. I don't think there is any resistance here to giving States more flexibility with those dollars. I don't think there is any resistance to doing anything and everything we have to to make sure we get through this crisis. I think our Members certainly agree with that and are prepared to make the necessary votes and to do what is necessary to get us through it. Remember also that there is no amount of money in Washington, DC, that can substitute for a dynamic, vibrant, active economy where jobs are being created and investments are being made. That is how you ultimately start to get things back on track in this country. So, as we get ahead of the health emergency--and, of course, obviously this week we celebrate nurses week. I am so grateful for the many contributions they are making not only during the pandemic but year-round and the people who are on the frontlines of this emergency. To ensure that we are doing everything we can to support them, to beat this health emergency--when we do, as the economy starts to open up, that is when we will see the jobs come back, that is when we will see the growth come back, and that is when we will see the standard of living and the quality of life in this country that people have lost in the last few months start to return. That is the best way to get things back on track here. I want to just make some comments this morning about another area of our economy and note that it has been an incredibly tough couple of months for American businesses and American workers. Virtually every sector of our economy is suffering as a result of the coronavirus, and the ag industry is no exception. Farmers and ranchers have taken a huge hit. The coronavirus has caused significant market volatility, sending many commodity futures prices plummeting. Meanwhile, reduced capacity at U.S. meatpacking plants as a result of the virus has diminished the demand for livestock, depressing prices. This has aggravated an already difficult situation for farmers and ranchers. Unlike the majority of the economy, which was thriving before the pandemic, the agricultural economy has been struggling now for a while. Low prices, extended trade disputes, and natural disasters have made a tough few years for farmers and ranchers even before the coronavirus hit. Now they are suffering even more. Agriculture is the lifeblood of my State of South Dakota. So when Congress was considering coronavirus relief legislation, support for farmers and ranchers was one of my top priorities. I fought to get agricultural relief money included in the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act, or the CARES Act, which was signed into law in late March. The final bill included $14 billion to replenish the Commodity Credit Corporation to allow the Department of Agriculture to provide income and price support for farmers and ranchers, plus an additional $9.5 billion in emergency support for agricultural producers affected by the pandemic. Days after the bill passed, I led a bipartisan group of Senators and representatives in a letter to Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue, urging him to use a portion of the funds to provide support for hard- hit cattle producers. I am pleased that in mid-April the U.S. Department of Agriculture announced that it would issue $16 billion worth of payments to ag producers affected by the virus. Those payments are expected to reach farmers and ranchers in late May or early June. I have been monitoring the progress of this relief, and I will continue urging the USDA to issue these payments as soon as possible. Agriculture producers can also take advantage of the Paycheck Protection Program included in the CARES Act. This program provides forgivable loans to small businesses, including self-employed producers, to help them cover payroll costs during this difficult time. Seventy-five percent of the loans must be used for workers' salaries and benefits, including the salaries of self-employed workers, while the remaining amount can be used for other qualifying expenses, like mortgage interest, rent, and utilities. The loan can be forgiven completely, as long as borrowers follow the requirement that at least 75 percent of the loan be used to cover workers' salaries and benefits and the remainder be spent on other qualifying expenses. As of this week, farmers and ranchers can now take advantage of the Small Business Administration's Economic Injury Disaster Loan Program, thanks to legislation Congress passed 2 weeks ago. I am continuing to monitor the cattle market. Livestock producers have taken a dramatic hit on the prices they are getting for their cattle. At the same time, however, the price of packaged meat has risen, and meat packers are seeing record profit margins. This raises real concerns about potential instances of price manipulation and other unfair practices within the beef industry, especially considering that four meat packing companies control more than 80 percent of the beef supplied in the United States. In March, I called Secretary Perdue to urge the Department of Agriculture to take action to ensure the integrity of the cattle market during the coronavirus pandemic. I followed up with a letter requesting that the Agriculture Department's packers and stockyard division look into the volatility in the cattle market, and Secretary Perdue has agreed to investigate. I also sent a letter to Attorney General William Barr requesting an investigation into potential price manipulation or other anti- competitive activities in the beef market. Our pork industry is also struggling due to the coronavirus pandemic. The temporary closure of the Smithfield plant in Sioux Falls created significant challenges for the 550 independent pork producers from South Dakota and surrounding States and for our Nation's food supply system. In the wake of the Smithfield plant closure announcement, I wrote a letter to Secretary Perdue requesting financial assistance for pork producers, and I have been closely monitoring the situation. I am pleased that the Smithfield plant is in compliance with Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and Occupational Safety and Health Administration guidance and will gradually resume operation starting today. No discussion of the challenges facing farmers right now would be complete without discussing biofuels. Ethanol and biodiesel producers buy up a significant amount of American corn and soy, which adds value to each bushel. As demand for fuel has decreased as a result of the coronavirus pandemic, ethanol and biodiesel operations have come offline and are no longer buying up their normal amounts of corn and soybean oil. This has significantly diminished a crucial market for our farmers. There has rightfully been a lot of focus on the oil and gas companies that are facing record loss and demand because of the coronavirus and because of an equally difficult oversupply problem driven by the Saudi- Russian price war. Hard-working Americans at these companies who have helped usher in our modern energy renaissance are now in limbo, and Congress needs to make sure we preserve our energy dominance and security. But it is important to recognize that the ethanol industry, which provides over 10 percent of the Nation's gasoline content--the cleanest 10 percent, I might add--is a part of that. Biofuels, too, have been a key part of America's energy renaissance and have also been hit hard by the sudden drop in demand, which has been a devastating blow for workers in the industry and for the farmers who supply them. Half--half--of the Nation's capacity has been idle. More than 70 plants have closed, and just as many have idled, directly harming their local economies and, again, drying up that essential market for our farmers. This has brought a new problem. Many Americans may not know it, but a substantial quantity of food-grade carbon dioxide, the CO2 used in carbonated beverages or to quickly chill meat products, is an ethanol by-product. This means that not only is ethanol part of our energy security and a foundation of our ag economy, but it also plays an important role in our food supply. The coronavirus is already straining our meat processing industry. We should not allow a CO2 shortage to deepen the problem. As Congress addresses the numerous challenges facing farmers and energy producers, we must make sure that ethanol relief is a part of that discussion. Whether it is through direct support or by advancing long-stalled corn fiber applications at the Environmental Protection Agency, we need to make sure that this American energy success story survives these challenging times. As we move forward, I will continue talking to farmers and ranchers about their needs and what we can do to help them get through these difficult times. Supporting our Nation's farmers and ranchers will always be--always be--one of my top priorities here in Congress. The coronavirus crisis has reminded us all just how much we depend on our agricultural producers, and I am grateful every day for the work they do to feed our Nation. I will continue to do everything I can to strengthen our agricultural economy and to help our Nation's farmers and ranchers thrive I yield the floor.

Mr. THUNE. The following Senators are necessarily absent: the Senator from North Carolina (Mr. Burr) and the Senator from Kansas (Mr. Moran).

Mr. THUNE

Mr. THUNE. The following Senators are necessarily absent: the Senator from North Carolina (Mr. Burr) and the Senator from Kansas (Mr. Moran). Further, if present and voting, the Senator from Kansas (Mr. Moran) would have voted ``yea''.

Mr. THUNE

Mr. THUNE. The following Senators are necessarily absent: the Senator from North Carolina (Mr. Burr) and the Senator from Kansas (Mr. Moran). Further, if present and voting, the Senator from Kansas (Mr. Moran) would have voted ``yea.''

Mr. THUNE

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

Mr. THUNE

Mr. THUNE. Mr. President, today is the first day of National Nurses Week--an annual commemoration each May celebrating the contributions of nurses--so today seemed like a fitting day to come down to the floor and talk about the contributions of nurses and other essential workers over the past couple of months. When we think about heroism, we tend to think of striking actions that take place in extreme circumstances--running into burning buildings, jumping onto a grenade to save a fellow soldier, racing out under fire to rescue a wounded comrade. And it is right that when we think of heroism, we think of such acts--acts of superhuman courage, generosity, and self-sacrifice. The past couple of months have also reminded us of another kind of heroism--the quiet heroism of doing one's duty, of getting up and going to work and doing your job day after day in difficult circumstances, even when you are tired, even when you are scared, even when you know that doing your job could place you in danger. We have seen a lot of that heroism over the past couple of months. A lot of Americans have been able to telework during the coronavirus crisis, but many, many more have had to go out and do the work that can't be done from home: police officers, first responders, pharmacists, grocery store employees, farmers and ranchers, food supply workers, cleaning personnel, bank employees, utility workers, delivery drivers, and most of all, doctors and nurses. Over the past few weeks, we have come to realize how much we rely on these individuals and that society couldn't operate without them. All the food in the world won't do us any good if it doesn't make it to grocery store shelves. That prescription from the doctor for lifesaving blood pressure medication is useless without a pharmacist to dispense the drug. We tend to take our utilities for granted, but what would we do during this crisis if no one was picking up our trash or making sure that the water keeps running and the electricity keeps flowing? Sometimes heroism looks like running into a burning building, and sometimes it looks like putting on a mask and gloves and stocking the shelves with bread and pasta and cereal. I want to say a special word about medical personnel. Of all the essential workers who have gotten up and gotten on with their duty in these days of the pandemic, medical personnel have displayed a special courage. They have been on the frontlines of this battle, the ones directly confronting the disease. Every day when they go to work, they go to work knowing that day could be the day they catch the virus from a sick patient, but they go to work anyway. They have read about and sometimes seen colleagues die from the disease. At times, they have lacked adequate protective equipment, but they have gone to work anyway. Those nurses we are celebrating this week have worked 12-hour shifts providing medical care in a high-stress environment and have still found time to sit with and comfort patients. I have read more than one story about nurses making sure coronavirus patients separated from family and friends don't die alone. To our Nation's doctors and nurses and other medical personnel: Thank you. We are so grateful for your courage and for your sacrifice. Before I close, I want to say a special thank-you to the essential workers around the Capitol Complex here in Washington. While Senators have been able to do aspects of our job remotely, we have also had to be here in the Capitol to do the critical work of responding to the crisis, and we simply couldn't be here without the contributions of a number of individuals: the men and women of the Capitol Police, the cleaning staff, the food service workers, the maintenance technicians and other support staff, the staffers who have to be in the office for the Senate to be able to operate, and the staffers right here on the floor--the doorkeepers and cloakroom staff and individuals from the Offices of the Secretary and the Parliamentarian. I know these are stressful days to be coming to work. I know you have been asked to exceed your normal duties. I am incredibly grateful and I know that all of my colleagues are incredibly grateful for everything you have done to keep the Senate operating safely. It is because of you that we are able to get keeping our work done for the American people. Sooner or later, we are going to get through this pandemic and life will return to something resembling normal, but I hope we will still remember to be grateful for the people who have kept our society running during this crisis, who have shown us, in a difficult and challenging time, how to get up every day and do our duty. I yield the floor.

Mr. THUNE

Mr. THUNE. Madam President, after a few weeks of working remotely to help flatten the coronavirus curve, we are back in Washington to continue our coronavirus response and address other important issues. It has been an incredibly difficult couple of months for our country and, in fact, for most of the world. More than 1 million Americans have contracted the coronavirus, and thousands have died. Our economy has taken a huge hit. Millions of Americans are out of work, and businesses are struggling to stay afloat. Americans are worried. They are worried about their own health. They are worried about the health of their families and loved ones, and they are worried about their finances. My colleagues and I know that Americans are suffering. Our overriding priority over the past 2 months has been responding to the coronavirus crisis. We passed several major response bills and provided substantially more than $2 trillion in assistance. We have funded testing, medical care, personal protective equipment for frontline medical personnel, vaccine and treatment development, paid sick leave, unemployment benefits, direct relief payments to American citizens, forgivable loans for small businesses, and much more. Our goal has been to provide a comprehensive response, addressing not just the medical priorities but also the economic impact this virus has had on so many American families, and there is more work to be done. Right now a big part of that work is monitoring the implementation of legislation we have already passed. We provided a tremendous amount of money, and we need to make sure it is getting to where it needs to go as quickly as possible and is being spent in the most effective way. Monitoring the implementation of the legislation we have already passed is also crucial for informing any future legislation. As I said, we have provided a tremendous amount of money for coronavirus, equal to almost 50 percent of the entire Federal budget for 2020, and it is important that any future funding be carefully targeted. We need to make sure that Federal dollars are going only to real coronavirus priorities. Our children and grandchildren will be footing the bill for the money we are adding to the national debt. As a case in point, the debt to GDP, which was scheduled to be 79 percent this year, is now expected to be, in the Year 2020, 101 percent. That jump from 79 percent debt to GDP to 101 percent debt to GDP is the largest jump, I am told, literally, since 1943, in the middle of World War II. So it is essential that we spend wisely. In addition to overseeing the implementation of the coronavirus legislation we passed and gathering data to inform any future bills, we also have a number of coronavirus-related nominations to consider, something that is a role that is unique to the U.S. Senate under the Constitution. When it comes to judicial nominations, nominations to the executive branch, the Senate has the responsibility to ensure that we conduct the research, investigate nominees, hold confirmation hearings, and ultimately vote to put people into key positions in the administration and on the courts. So the question about why we are here this week I think is a fairly easy one to answer, and that is because there are lots of really important positions that are key not only to the healthcare crisis we are facing in this country but to our ongoing national security priorities as well as to the economic challenges we are facing through this crisis. In fact, this week, the Senate Banking Committee will be holding a hearing on the nomination of Brian D. Miller to be the special inspector general for pandemic recovery at the Treasury Department, a key role created by the legislation that we passed here in the Congress, critically important to the implementation, making sure everything is done in the right way. As we all know, inspectors general pay a key oversight role in Federal departments, helping to root out waste, fraud, and other abuses of taxpayer dollars. If confirmed, Mr. Miller will be an essential part of ensuring that the trillions we provided for coronavirus relief are spent properly. Committees are doing other essential coronavirus work this week as well. The Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee is holding hearings on an initiative Senators Blunt, Alexander, and others worked to get included in the coronavirus legislation. This initiative was designed to spur innovation in private sector and public sector collaboration, with a goal of dramatically increasing our coronavirus testing capabilities. So that is going on in the Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee. The Senate Commerce Committee, of which I am a Member, is holding a hearing this week looking at the impact of COVID-19 on the airline industry, an industry we know is being profoundly impacted by what is happening with the virus. Next week, the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee will be hearing directly from the leaders of our fight against the coronavirus--Drs. Fauci, Redfield, and Hahn and Admiral Giroir. Committee work will play a key role in any future coronavirus bill, and it is good to have committees able to meet once again here in Washington, DC. Of course, while the COVID-19 pandemic will continue to be our priority in Washington in the coming weeks and months, there is other essential work that we have to do for the American people: appropriations bills, nominations to essential administration posts, and critical national security legislation is just some of the items on our agenda over the next couple of months. This week, the Senate Armed Services Committee and the Senate Intelligence Committee are holding hearings on nominees for key national security positions, including the Director of National Intelligence and the Secretary of the Navy. Senate Republicans are committed to getting our country through this crisis and helping American workers and businesses deal with the virus's impact. We will be discussing a lot of ideas over the next couple of weeks, from tax and regulatory relief to support farmers and ranchers to ways to spur job creation and shield responsible businesses from frivolous litigation once the economy is opened up again. As I said, we will continue to focus on making sure that the money we provided gets where it is needed as fast as possible. The United States undoubtedly has more tough days ahead, but we are going to get through them. We are going to come out tougher on the other side. In the meantime, we have work to do here in the U.S. Senate. People across this country are hurting and struggling, and there are many priorities that need to be addressed. So I am pleased that the Senate is open for business. We are going to be working the next few months, as I mentioned, on the national defense authorization bill, a piece of legislation that we have to do on an annual basis that deals with all of our national priorities, making sure that the men and women who defend this country, the American people, and our interests around the world have the training, equipment, and resources to do their jobs to keep Americans safe. We have a critical water infrastructure bill that will be marked up by the Environment and Public Works Committee, also a piece of legislation that is important to the economy in this country. If you look at the long list of things and priorities that we need to deal with here in the U.S. Senate, it is important that we be about the people's business. I know I can speak from personal experience that over the past several weeks, like my colleagues, we have worked really hard to stay connected. I worked really hard to stay in touch with people across South Dakota using technology, platforms, and apps that I never really had much experience with using in the past. From Zoom to Skype, to Google Hangouts, to Shindig, there are all kinds of interesting new apps that I think many of us became acquainted with, conducting lots of virtual meetings and staying in touch with our constituents to see what is important to them, finding out what is working and what is not working and getting feedback on what we could be doing to even better respond to the crisis that is out there. But there is no substitute, when it comes to doing the Nation's business, for being here, for committees to work, to meet, for us to be able to vote, for us to be able to deal with the important nominations I mentioned that under the Constitution, we, the Senate, have an obligation and responsibility to advise and consent on, whether that is a judicial nomination, key Cabinet post, or an important administration position that pertains to national security and the virus. There are lots of priority items for which the U.S. Senate has a key and principal responsibility, and we need to be about that business. So I hope, in the days and weeks ahead, as we take on those challenges, that we can work together in a way that provides maximum safety for the people who work here but also gives the important priority to the items and the issues that are critical to Americans at this point, in the middle of this crisis and, hopefully, when we get on the other side of it, those important critical national security priorities, economic priorities, and other business that the American people need us to deal with on a daily basis. I thank the Presiding Officer for the time and look forward to working with my colleagues, albeit in different circumstances than we have had to deal with in the past but, nevertheless, to have the U.S. Senate, the people's representatives, here doing the important work the American people expect us to do. I yield the floor.

Mr. THUNE

Mr. THUNE. The following Senators are necessarily absent: the Senator from North Dakota (Mr. Cramer), the Senator from Utah (Mr. Lee), the Senator from Kansas (Mr. Moran) and the Senator from Florida (Mr. Rubio). Further, if present and voting, the Senator from Utah (Mr. Lee) would have voted ``yea,'' the Senator from Kansas (Mr. Moran) would have voted ``yea,'' and the Senator from Florida (Mr. Rubio) would have voted ``yea.''

Mr. THUNE

Mr. THUNE. Madam President, at this very minute, across the country, families are wondering how they are going to survive financially now that mom or dad is out of a job. Hourly workers whose businesses have closed temporarily are praying that they will still have a job to go back to when this is all over. Small businesses are facing agonizing decisions about whether they will have to lay off employees or close their businesses altogether. And Democrats? Well, Democrats have been focused on fuel emissions standards and early voting. That is right. In the midst of an unprecedented health and financial crisis, Democrats have been delaying a major relief bill in hopes that they can include a laundry list of their pet projects--projects that have absolutely nothing to do with providing financial relief to Americans or ensuring the medical professionals have the resources they need to fight this virus. Republicans developed this legislation in conjunction with Democrats. It was teed up, being written up Saturday, Saturday evening, ready to vote Sunday morning, when Democrats voted to block even getting on the bill--even getting on the bill. They said: Well, we need to block it now because we may not be able to block it later--not, of course, acknowledging that there is yet another 60-vote hurdle that we would have to get over before we get to final consideration of the bill. But it has been teed up and ready to go now since Saturday night. We made a lot of changes since then to the legislation to address the Democrats' priorities. I thought we were very close to agreement on a final bill. Of course, then the Democratic leadership of the House and Senate stepped in. They apparently decided this was a perfect opportunity to implement a bunch of Democratic pet projects that have nothing to do--nothing to do with fighting the coronavirus or helping the American families who are suffering financially at this very minute. I know my Democrat colleagues have come to regard ``bipartisanship'' as a bad word in the past 3 years, but I had hoped--I really, sincerely had hoped--that in this hour of serious need, the Democrats would be able to put aside their prejudices and work with Republicans to pass this critical legislation. Apparently, that was too much to hope for from the Democrat leadership. Neither my colleagues nor I have given up on reaching an agreement. We are still working, and I am still hoping we will arrive at a final bill sometime later today. We should already have passed this legislation 3 days ago. The blame for not passing it lies squarely on the Democrats' shoulders. I really hope they will rethink their decision to hijack this relief bill for their political purposes, because the American people deserve better. The bill before us is filled with resources to help struggling families, provide relief to workers, and enable businesses to retain their employees during this crisis. Americans need this bill today, not tomorrow, not next week, not when Democrats are finally satisfied that they have scored enough political points--today. I hope my Democrat colleagues will urge their leadership to come to the table and pass this legislation. American workers and families need relief, and they need it now. We can't afford to let them down. All we need is a few Democrat Members who are willing to go against their leadership and vote with us to pass legislation that addresses all the fundamental issues that I just mentioned: assistance to families displaced, people who need cash, people who need to pay bills; assistance to those who are unemployed in the form of unemployment insurance, increasing the States' unemployment insurance that people already get by $600 per person per week for 3 months; checks of $2,400 for married couples and $500 per child on top of that, to go out immediately upon passage of this bill. For small businesses, there is $350 billion set aside to pay their payroll, to keep employees working, hopefully, to keep those jobs there so that they don't go away, and, when this thing is over, to ensure that those jobs are still there for people. Those are all provisions in this bill that are designed to help working Americans, families, and employees to keep their jobs and keep their livelihood until we get to a better place, which, hopefully, will be very soon. In the meantime, we need to deal with the healthcare crisis, which this also addresses. Look at this. There is over $240 billion in relief in this bill dealing principally with the challenges that our healthcare community has: $75 billion directly for hospitals and another $25 billion would come in reimbursements under Medicare to hospitals, so $100 billion for hospitals; $20 billion for veterans healthcare; $11 billion for vaccines, therapeutics, diagnostics, and other preparedness needs; $4.5 billion for the Centers for Disease Control; $1.7 billion for the Strategic National Stockpile; $12 billion for America's military, also an important component in this fight; $10 billion for block grants to States; $12 billion for K-12 education; $6 billion for higher education; $5 billion for FEMA disaster relief; $10 billion for airports; and $20 billion for public transportation emergency relief. In all, just in this particular provision of the bill, there is $242 billion in assistance--$186 billion, I might add, which would run through and be administered by the States. All told, between the amount that is going to families, workers, employees, and small businesses, there is about $1.1 to $1.2 trillion that could be on the street today helping address the healthcare and economic crisis that is being felt and experienced by the American people. But no, we are still here. We are still here waiting for the Democrats to conclude, at some point, we hope, all these political games that they are playing. It does seem like a big transaction for them--political winners and political losers. The only loser we know is the American people in all of this because the longer this goes on, the harder it becomes for them to get back to where they were, and the harder it becomes for that small business to stay open or keep those employees employed. Every single day is costing the American economy and American workers jobs, resources, and wages they could be putting forward to take care of them and their families. The Democrats have said they want more money for hospitals. That is negotiable. They want more conditions on the loan fund that larger businesses would be able to access in order to keep their businesses afloat. That is a negotiable thing. There are many of our Members here who support those very things. They say they want more money for State and local governments, which is probably something that could be negotiated. I keep having rank-and-file Democrat Members come up to me and say: This is the list of things we want to negotiate on and get in this bill. Those are all things we are willing to negotiate on and, frankly, many of our Members would support some of the things some Democrats want to do there, too. What is the holdup? I don't think rank-and-file Democrats even realize what their leadership is demanding just past those doors and trying to get done in this bill: getting the Green New Deal into effect; requiring, basically, federalization, nationalization of our election system in this country; and all kinds of new requirements that benefit their special interest groups. That is what this is about. This is the hijacking of a crisis to try and get permanent changes on a political agenda they haven't been able to get and normally wouldn't be able to get under those circumstances. We are happy to debate all of those issues. We are happy to have the debate about all those other things they want to talk about. That is what we do here. That is what we do in the Senate. If you have a good idea and you think something needs to be changed in this country, let's come here and let's debate it. Let's get a piece of legislation to talk about and see if we can come up with a solution. Right now is not the time to be debating ancillary, unrelated issues. Now is the time to put out the fire, and there is a fire burning in this country right now. It is affecting every American. Every single American is being affected. Today is the day. I hope and pray that when the Democrat leadership comes out here on the floor, they will announce that today is the day they are going to work with us on a bill which they had input in. Two of the great fallacies about this legislation is, one, that this is a partisan bill. They know that isn't true. Their rank-and-file Members who have participated in the working groups all know that isn't true. Yet their leadership keeps coming out here announcing this is a partisan bill. This is not a partisan bill. This was constructed in a way that gave both sides input, which includes many of the priorities both sides brought to the table. That is what this bill represents. It represents the very things they said they want: an emphasis on workers, an emphasis on unemployed people, and an emphasis on businesses. And the other great fallacy that they raised is somehow that this is a bailout for big businesses--big businesses that have been forced to shut down. Look at the airlines. They have 10 percent to 20 percent capacity. Why do you think that is? That is not their fault. That is not their choosing. They have been forced to shut down. There are industries in industry sectors all across this country that are being affected in the same way. All this bill includes is a provision that allows them to access credit so that they can keep their operations going, so that they can continue to pay the millions of employees who are employed by big businesses across this country. The Democrats continually come to the floor and say: This is a bailout for big corporations; we need more emphasis on workers. Who do you think employs the workers? As I mentioned, all the provisions in this bill--this is a pro-worker bill. This is about getting paychecks in the hands of American workers. That is what this bill does. That is what this bill is about. It is a sad and regrettable chapter in this time of enormous crisis--something we haven't seen, certainly, in my lifetime. You have to look back in the annals of history a really long time to find a time where we are facing the kind of circumstances, the kind of crises, and the kind of hardships we see, both in terms of people's health and livelihood, as well as their economic livelihood in our history. Today is the day to get this done. We can't wait any longer. The time for political games is over. It is time to act. I hope and pray that, by the end of the day, we will see the kind of cooperation, the kind of bipartisanship that will let us address the needs of hard-working Americans who are fearful for themselves and their families. I yield the floor.

Mr. THUNE

Mr. THUNE. Mr. President, I think we all know what is happening here. The leader pointed out in his opening remarks that everything was going really quite well. There were a lot of working groups that were meeting. There was great bipartisan cooperation. Both sides were getting ideas included in a plan. Then, yesterday, the Speaker of the House showed up with an agenda and, all of a sudden, it got taken over at the leadership level. Now, instead of talking about helping workers, we are talking about the Green New Deal and all kinds of other things, including the demands unions and other special interest groups want to see in this deal. Yet the throwaway line in this is about bailouts for big corporations. Really? Are we going to do that again? Are we going to do this again? You guys are going to come over here and block votes and use the line that this is a bailout for big corporations? You heard what Senator Alexander just said. This has money in here for workers. This has money for families. This has money for small businesses. It has lots of money, and $300 billion is going to go to checks: $1,200 per person, $2,400 per couple, and $500 per child, for everybody. There is up to $75,000 for a single and $150,000 for a married couple who is filing jointly. There is $250 billion in here for unemployment insurance, as the Senator from Tennessee pointed out, in order to plus up and top off those unemployment funds that the States have, and we will add $600 per person, per week for the next 3 months. That is going to help unemployed people in this country. The Small Business Loan Program, which was just alluded to and which Senators Rubio, Collins, Cardin, and Shaheen have worked on, is a $350 billion program that allows small businesses to pay their employees, to keep them employed so they keep their jobs and so those jobs don't go away. Right there, that is $900 billion that will go to workers. As Senator Alexander pointed out, there is over $242 billion in this bill that is going to help out with healthcare, and we all know we have to help our hospitals. Between the $75 billion in direct spending in this particular provision and the $25 billion or more that is going to be part of the Medicare provisions, that will be $100 billion for hospitals; $20 billion for veterans' healthcare; $11 billion for vaccines, therapeutics, diagnostics, and other preparedness needs; $4.5 billion for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention; $1.7 billion for the Strategic National Stockpile; $12 billion for the military; $10 billion for block grants to States; $12 billion for K-12 education; $6 billion for higher education; $5 billion for the FEMA Disaster Relief Fund; $10 billion for the airports; and $20 billion for public transportation emergency relief. All told, there is $242 billion--$186 billion, I might add, which will go to the States. Everybody talks about helping out the States. There is $186 billion of the $242 billion in this part of the bill that will go to the States. So there is $900 billion and another $250 billion. You are looking at $1.2 trillion to $1.3 trillion, roughly, of this bill that will be going to healthcare workers, hospitals, medical providers, families, employees, and unemployed people. That is where it will go. Yes, there is $500 billion in here to keep industries afloat that are failing, and they are failing by the day and shedding jobs by the day. These aren't grants--although, the Democrats did want some grants in here, I might add. These are loans. These have to be paid back. Bailouts usually apply to those who did something dumb on their own, who made bad business decisions. These companies aren't in trouble because of something they did on their own. This is no fault of their own. They are in trouble because they have been shut down, and they all hire millions of employees in this country. So, yes, we probably need to do something to help businesses in this country so they can keep working and keep their employees working. This was put together with a lot of bipartisan input. The leader appointed task forces, and the Democratic leader assigned people to task forces. I observed those meetings and the discussions that went on. They were bipartisan. I participated in some of those. They were bipartisan, and we came together. All of these things that have been put together in this plan were developed with an idea toward getting help to workers, employees, small businesses, healthcare professionals--the people who are fighting the crisis on the frontline. Yet here we are, dillydallying around, and we can't even get on the bill. As the leader pointed out, there is another 60-vote threshold that comes later. If you want to block it then, you can block it then. We can't even get on the bill. The country is burning. The country is burning, and your side wants to play political games. It is time to get this done. The American people expect us to act. They need action. We need to work together to get this done for the American people. Do not come out here and say over and over and over again that this is a bailout for big corporations. This bill is about workers. It is about people. It is about families. It is about people who are hurting out there economically, and we need to do something about it. We are in a position to do something about it, and it is high time that we did.

Mr. THUNE. The following Senators are necessarily absent: the Senator from Colorado (Mr. Gardner), the Senator from Utah (Mr. Lee), the Senator from Kentucky (Mr. Paul), the Senator from Utah (Mr. Romney), and the Senator from Florida (Mr. Scott).

Mr. THUNE

Mr. THUNE. Mr. President, I thank my colleague from North Dakota for his great leadership on this issue and all over here. Senator Roberts--the longtime chairman of the Senate Ag Committee and before that, the House Ag Committee--was very instrumental in our getting a farm bill in late 2018--a farm bill which provides a safety net and provides a little bit of stability in agriculture, which, as he pointed out, has been just in the tank literally since 2013. Our producers, farmers, and ranchers across the country and in South Dakota have been operating with negative cash flows, eating into their equity, and trying to keep their operations viable, and that was before COVID-19. Now we have COVID-19, and we saw the bottom fall out of the cattle market in this country. I don't have to tell the Presiding Officer that agriculture is important. It is the lifeblood of our economy in South Dakota. It is our No. 1 industry. But that ripple effect is felt all across the country. It is our food supply. Senator Hoeven talked earlier today about the importance of ensuring that we maintain a safe, quality, predictable, and affordable food supply for people in this country, particularly when people are concerned in a time of crisis. We need to maintain that food supply. So I want to thank him and all of our colleagues here from farm country for working together to provide some assistance in this particular bill, which would hopefully give some relief for those who are out there, day in and day out, grinding it out to make sure we have the food and fiber to keep this country going and, for that matter, to feed the world. Unfortunately, again, Senate Democrats don't seem willing to do that. I was encouraged to hear just a little bit ago from my friend from West Virginia, who is an advocate for agriculture. We also had the ranking member of the Ag Committee down here earlier, saying she is willing to work with us. But, unfortunately, we don't have time to waste. We don't have time to waste. This isn't something that can be put off to another day. We have producers that, if we don't do something, we are going to leave them behind, and we need our Democratic colleagues to step up and help get this bill passed. As Senator Hoeven mentioned, the bill would provide $30 billion to replenish the Commodity Credit Corporation, and it has a temporary funding increase of an additional $20 billion in CCC funding to address the impact of the outbreak of COVID-19. This funding would allow the Department of Agriculture to quickly get assistance to farmers and ranchers throughout America who are facing market volatility and declining pricing in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic. Farmers and ranchers, I might add, as I already mentioned, were already dealing with a weak ag economy well before this emergency hit. I spoke with the Secretary of Agriculture a couple of days ago and conveyed to him the incredible amount of hardship and economic pain that is being created across the farm belt these days, particularly with our cattle ranchers, and the pain they are feeling as a result of these declining prices and what it might mean to their operations. So I would simply say, in supporting all of my colleagues in what they said today, that we don't know the full impact of this outbreak across the agricultural industry, but we do know this: Our producers are doing their part to keep the grocery shelves stocked and food on our tables, and we need to do our part in providing the resources necessary to support them, which is why it is so important for many of the reasons we talked about earlier today to get on this legislation and get it moving. The national economy is melting down, and, of course, as I said, in the economy out in farm country, it was happening well before the national economy. But if we don't do something to stop the bleeding and do it soon, there is going to be a whole world of hurt. Let's get this bill across the finish line. We need help from our Democratic colleagues to do that.

Mr. THUNE

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

Mr. THUNE

Mr. THUNE. Mr. President, before I begin, we just learned that our colleague Senator Rand Paul has tested positive for the coronavirus. Our thoughts and prayers are with him for a speedy recovery. We will consult with the attending physician at the Capitol about appropriate measures for those of us who have been in contact with the Senator. This is the kind of situation that Americans across the country are dealing with right now, and it underscores the importance of acting immediately to deliver more relief for the American people. The Senate has been working around the clock over the past few days to put together a third round of coronavirus legislation. We are very close to moving forward with a major bill that will deliver much needed relief to American families, workers, and businesses and put more resources into the hands of medical professionals. This is a big bill, but this situation requires a big and bold response. Across our country, American workers and American businesses are struggling. Families are scared. Businesses have been forced to drastically curtail or close their operations, and social distancing has become a public health priority. Workers are wondering how long they will be getting a paycheck. Small businesses are worrying about whether they will be able to reopen their doors when all of this is over. Key industries have taken a massive economic hit. A major response is required. The package we put together addresses a number of priorities: putting emergency cash into the hands of American families and American workers quickly, in a way that ensures those most in need get the maximum level of support; delivering relief to small businesses to help them keep their workers employed; injecting stability into the economy to help bridge this crisis and to limit layoffs; providing new resources for State unemployment programs to help workers displaced by this emergency; and most importantly--most importantly--continuing to deliver resources to the healthcare workers fighting to stop this pandemic. This package is the product of bipartisan input, and I hope it will receive overwhelming bipartisan support in the Senate. Republicans and Democrats have already come together to deliver two coronavirus relief bills. It is time for us to come together again to deliver this legislation. As the leader said yesterday, the American people need help, and they need it now. This bill will provide them with relief. These are challenging times. There is a lot of stress and uncertainty, and Americans are understandably worried. We are going to get through this. There may be difficult days ahead, but we are going to come out the other side. All around this country, Americans are standing up to meet this challenge. We have our heroic healthcare workers who are putting their lives on the line to care for the seriously ill, our first responders who got their name because they are always the first on the scene in any crisis, and new heroes: grocery store employees, truck drivers, delivery people, pharmacy employees--people we may have taken for granted before but won't again. Everywhere I look in my State, I see South Dakotans helping other South Dakotans. It is the same all across this country: people looking out for their neighbors, providing meals for those in need, offering childcare help to those who can't telework, running errands for elderly, or those with compromised immune systems who can't leave their house. I was touched to read a story from the Rapid City Journal yesterday about a group of young people from Eagle Butte, SD, who showed up outside the Medicine Wheel Village Nursing Home to hold up signs to encourage the residents who can't receive visitors right now because of the risk of virus transmission. We are going to get through this together. My colleagues and I in the Senate are going to keep working to deliver the resources that Americans need to confront and defeat this disease. I yield the floor.

Mr. THUNE

Mr. THUNE. The following Senators are necessarily absent: the Senator from Colorado (Mr. Gardner), the Senator from Utah (Mr. Lee), the Senator from Kentucky (Mr. Paul), the Senator from Utah (Mr. Romney), and the Senator from Florida (Mr. Scott).

Mr. THUNE. Mr. President, we don't have the luxury of time here, and I think we all know that. Certainly, the American people know it. They can see it sort of just unfolding right in front of them. We have small businesses that are shutting down, which, of course, affects the people who work there. We have healthcare systems that have tremendous needs, and obviously they are on the frontlines of fighting the coronavirus. We continue to try to make progress on a piece of legislation that really should have been proceeded to today. The vote we had earlier today was a procedural vote. It was, basically, are we going to get on the bill. And what you saw was the Democrats object to even getting on the bill. Now, obviously, as the leader pointed out, once you are on the bill, you have 30 hours, if you choose to use it, in which to continue to discuss and debate. And if there are things that they are continuing to work on, certainly, they can have the opportunity to do that. But the vote today, which you saw the Democrats oppose, was simply whether or not we were going to get on the bill--a bill that is desperately needed by our country right now, and I would argue that the American people are looking to us for action. And, frankly, as I said, we just don't have the luxury of time. The Democratic leader got up earlier and said that this is a partisan bill. That is just false. That is just flatly untrue. This has been negotiated for the past few days now between Democrats and Republicans. Leader McConnell appointed several task forces, and the Democratic leader appointed representatives from his side to serve on those task forces. They have been negotiating elements of this bill now for the past few days. Frankly, what you see, the legislation in front of us, reflects that work. There is a tremendous amount of bipartisan content in this bill. The Democrats had ample opportunity to make their case and to try to get things included that they said they wanted. Just to sort of highlight, again, what the Democrats said their priorities were in this legislation--phase 3, if you will--it was about workers. It was about small businesses. It was about unemployment insurance. They call it unemployment insurance on steroids. It was about hospitals. I have to say that I see in this piece of legislation all of that. What they just voted to even debate includes all of those elements. In fact, if you look at what this bill includes, if you are talking about providing help to families and people who really need it in this country immediately--$1,200 checks to individual taxpayers, $2,400 to a couple who file jointly, and that runs through income levels all the way up. If you are a single taxpayer, $75,000. It phases out at about $99,000 for couples filing jointly and $150,000--it phases out after that. And then $500 for each child in this country. That was something that was a priority for both sides. Democrats wanted to have that in this legislation, and there were many Republicans who did as well. The President said it was something that he supported. So that was a bipartisan priority that ended up in this legislation and will bring immediate relief and get dollars back in the hands of American families to enable them to deal with their daily needs and, as best they can, with the crisis that we have unfolding in front of us. Then you had, of course, a priority--a huge priority--for the Democrats, which was the so-called UI on steroids, the unemployment insurance program. I have to say that my colleague from Ohio, Senator Portman, did a terrific job of laying out all the elements of this legislation, but, as he mentioned, unemployment insurance was a big priority for the Democrats. Well, there is a big commitment to plussing up, topping off, the unemployment accounts that the States maintain--$600 per week for 3 months into those unemployment accounts. So if you are unemployed in this country and you go down to the unemployment office in your State, what you would normally receive in terms of a benefit would be increased by $600 per week, per person, for 3 months. That was a huge priority for the Democrats and one that Republicans, as well, believed was important. So we have not only the checks going out immediately that will benefit families, but we also have now an unemployment insurance program delivered through the States that will provide assistance to those who have lost jobs. Then, of course, we had another priority that the Democrats mentioned, which was that they wanted to provide assistance--much needed assistance--to small businesses. If you look at what is in this bill for small businesses, there is basically a loan program operated under the Small Business Administration in which participating lenders, which could include commercial banks, community banks, and credit unions, as mentioned earlier, where small businesses could go to get loans--100 percent guaranteed--which, if used to pay payroll, if used to keep their employees employed over this period, would be forgiven at the end, to the total tune of about $350 billion total as part of this package. That is what it adds up to. That, again, is a benefit that would go out for the next 8 weeks to small businesses and, if used to keep their employees employed--in other words, to keep them connected to their jobs, in hopes that, when this thing passes, those jobs will still be there. So that is $350 billion there--$300 billion for checks that would go out to families, as I said earlier, and $250 billion to plus up the unemployment insurance accounts that the States maintain. Those are all benefits that will go out to workers in this country--to employees--to keep people afloat, if you will, until we get to a better time, hopefully, not too far ahead of us. So those were all priorities that both sides had, and that is just what Democrats voted against when we had the vote earlier about whether even to get on the bill, whether to debate the bill. They voted no. They voted no en bloc. You saw, shortly after that, a significant drop in the futures market. I think the markets, in addition to the American people, are looking to us to provide confidence, to provide a shot in the arm, to suggest that we get what is at stake and how important it is that we respond not only swiftly but in a bold and big way. So those are just a few of the things that were included in there that are Democrat priorities and represent the work of a bipartisan task force. Now, the Democrats have argued that perhaps there is too much in here in the form of bailouts. Well, there is a provision in here, through the Federal Reserve, that would allow loans to be made to companies that need cash flow, that need liquidity, and, obviously, those are loans that would be paid back. So I don't know how you can argue something is a bailout when people are getting loans--businesses are getting loans--that ultimately have to be paid back. But that is a provision in the bill. But if you don't have that in there, a lot of those businesses that, through no fault of their own, have been shuttered or asked to shut down--and I can use some good examples, notable examples. The airlines, basically, are not operating--10 percent, maybe 20 percent, but more likely, from what I am hearing, 10 percent of their normal loads. They are going to have huge hits to their balance sheets. And there are other companies like those across this country right now that are feeling a tremendous amount of economic harm. The reason that is important is because those people, those companies, those businesses employ thousands--millions--of workers across this country, and if we want to keep people employed in this country, we have to keep those businesses functioning and operating in a way that will enable them to continue to make payroll. So, yes, there is a provision in there that helps businesses sort of get liquidity--a loan, if you will; capital, if you will--that will bridge to, hopefully, a better time. But those loans, eventually, obviously would be paid back. The Democrats were very insistent that there not be any corporate bailouts, not any bailouts for big businesses, and I don't know how you could argue that what this includes is a bailout for big businesses. There is simply a mechanism--a credit facility, as it is referred to-- that would enable businesses to have access to loans that they could use to keep their businesses up and operating. So those are just a few of the features in the legislation that was just voted down--or even whether or not to debate it or not was voted down--by the Democrats. I want to mention one last thing here that the Democrats also voted against, even debated when they came out here and all voted against this. There is a significant amount of money going to those entities that we know are on the frontlines of fighting this virus. We have all said that the best way to get the economy back on track, the best way to see things restored to normal in this country, is to defeat the virus. Well, there are significant resources in this legislation that are designed just to do that: Seventy-five billion dollars going to hospitals and another $20 or $25 billion that will go to hospitals through other programs, a mandatory part of the spending. This comes through the appropriations bill. So these are discretionary funds. So there is about $100 billion in there for hospitals. Twenty billion dollars for veterans healthcare. Of course, veterans hospitals and healthcare facilities are really critical to caring for a critical group of people in this country, those who have defended and fought for our freedoms. Eleven billion dollars for vaccines, therapeutics, diagnostics, and other preparedness needs--in other words, all those things that we hear talked about, in addition to gloves and masks and ventilators, and those sorts of things, but also the money going into vaccines. Ultimately, the way we are going to beat this is we have got to have a vaccine. So there is $11 billion in there for that. There is $4.5 billion for the Centers for Disease Control, which was also plussed up significantly in the last two bills that we passed. The one most recently, earlier this week, had significant additional resources in there for the CDC. There is $1.7 billion for the Strategic National Stockpile. Twelve billion dollars for America's military, which I think we all agree is a priority for everyone here. National security is always an issue that we pay a lot of attention to, particularly in the time of crisis. Ten billion dollars for block grants to States, just directly block grants to States. Twelve billion dollars for K-12 education and another $6 billion for higher education Five billion dollars for the FEMA Disaster Relief Fund. Ten billion dollars for airports--and, obviously, airports are very much impacted by this complete drop-off when it comes to air traffic in this country. Twenty billion dollars for public transportation emergency relief. That adds up to $242 billion, on top of all the things that I just mentioned, going to things that we think are really strategic when it comes to defeating this virus and combating it and making sure that those resources are available to those who are on the frontlines and doing that. So, all told, of that $242 billion, 75 percent--or $186 billion--goes through the States. The Democrats have said: We need more money for the States; we need more money for the States. Well, this is a pretty significant amount, I would think: $186 billion out of the $242 billion that I just described runs through the States. So there is a tremendous amount of support for those who are on the frontlines trying to fight and defeat this coronavirus. So I just point all that out to say, again, that it is a complete misnomer to say, as the Democratic leader did earlier, that this was a partisan bill. This is a bipartisan bill. I participated in one of those working groups, and I sat across from my Democrat counterpart-- or, at times, more than one--and with staffs, and we came to the table with a set of priorities, and they came to the table with a set of priorities. What this represents is not everything they wanted, and it is probably not everything we wanted but the things that we could find that we could agree upon. So this was a very bipartisan process which incorporated the ideas of both Republicans and Democrats. It is truly unfortunate--frankly, sad, a sad day, I would argue, here in the U.S. Senate--for our country that the Democrats opted just a moment ago to vote not even to get on this bill, not even to proceed to it, to give us the opportunity to continue that discussion and that debate. They indicated that there are still discussions going on. I hope that is the case because--I have said this before--we don't have the luxury of time. We need action. We need action now--not later, now. The American people need to see relief. They need to see confidence in their elected leaders and a willingness to work in a bipartisan way on a solution, perhaps many solutions--hopefully, included in this legislation--to the challenges that they are facing in their everyday lives. So I will say it is unfortunate we are not going to be on this bill right now. I hope and pray--for the sake of our country and for the people who are not only suffering from the coronavirus but those who have loved ones and those who are exposed to it, those who are caring for them, but also for every worker, every small business in this country--that the Democrats would reconsider and allow us to get on this legislation and move forward in a bipartisan way on a bipartisan bill, which they helped fashion, which they helped craft, and that is critical to the challenges that we are facing in the days and weeks ahead so small businesses will have an opportunity to receive a cash infusion. I yield the floor.