Todd Young

Mr. YOUNG

Mr. YOUNG. Mr. President, I call up amendment No. 54 and ask that it be reported by number.

Mr. YOUNG. Mr. President, I rise today in support of my amendment to ensure that any new round of economic impact payments does not go to those in this country illegally. It would establish a dangerous precedent if the Federal Government were to give a direct cash payment to those who have jumped the line and subverted our Nation's immigration system to enter the United States. Now, I want to emphasize that this amendment is not a change. It is not a change from the way this body has approached EIPs during the last two rounds. Moreover, it does not affect the important fix that Congress implemented, with the leadership of Mr. Rubio, in December to ensure mixed-status families are not negatively impacted. This amendment would simply make certain that Democrats do not loosen the existing eligibility requirements moving forward if there is a new round of EIPs.

Mr. YOUNG. Mr. President, how much time do I have to respond?

Mr. YOUNG. Mr. President, we have consulted with legal counsel. The gentleman from Illinois' statements, assertions are inaccurate. This would not impact mixed-status families. I encourage my colleagues on both sides of the aisle to vote aye on this amendment. Vote on Amendment No. 54 I ask for the yeas and nays.

Mr. YOUNG

Mr. YOUNG. Mr. President, I rise today to celebrate the 105th birthday of a proud Hoosier, Neva Fricke Bell, born on January 26, 1916. Neva lived through the 1918 Spanish flu pandemic, two World Wars, the Great Depression, and many other tragedies, as well as great celebrations, including her marriage to Simeon Bell for 60 plus years, the birth of her loving children, grandchildren, great-grandchildren, and great-great-grandchildren. A Boilermaker through and through, Neva's tenacity and great style are a testament to all Hoosiers and all Americans that our great State and Nation endures and celebrates victories great and small. Happy Birthday, Neva Fricke Bell.

Mr. YOUNG

Mr. YOUNG. Mr. President, I rise to recognize Shepherd Community Center's 35 years of service to individuals and families on the near eastside of Indianapolis, IN. Since 1985, this faith-based, inner-city ministry has operated with the mission to ``break the cycle of poverty on the near Eastside of Indianapolis by engaging and empowering the community to cultivate healthy children, strong families, and vibrant neighborhoods through a Christ-centered approach that meets the physical, emotional, spiritual, and academic needs of our neighbors.'' Shepherd Community Center serves the near Eastside of Indianapolis, where poverty rates in the area reach as high as 38.6 percent and 8 of 10 children rely on school as their primary source of food during the week. Shepherd provides hope and support to its neighbors through a unique and holistic approach Shepherd calls its Continuum of Care. The Continuum of Care is a full set of programs that allows Shepherd to be continuously engaged in the lives of neighborhood children, teens, and their parents. It is designed to help area families overcome the challenges they may be facing in all areas: physical, emotional, spiritual, and academic. Shepherd's approach has consistently yielded positive results, and families in its programs have become stronger physically, emotionally, spiritually, and financially. Shepherd's students also attain higher academic achievement. In an area where only 33 percent of entering freshmen graduate high school and only 75 percent of those who graduate go on to college, nearly 90 percent of Shepherd's seniors graduate and go on to college, job training, or the military. Shepherd's history dates to the fall of 1984, when the Westside Church of the Nazarene sent a group of volunteers to Central Nazarene Church to serve a Thanksgiving meal. In February 1985, that simple meal blossomed into an organization: Central Nazarene Mission. A few years later, the name was changed to Shepherd Community Center. Reverend Dean Cowles was the founding director and served in that role for Shepherd's first 4 years. Reverend John Hay, Jr. served for the next few years. Following Hay's departure, Cowles returned and served yet another 4 years. After a few years of transition, Reverend Jay Height was named executive director in 1998 and continues to serve today. And my friend Reverend Height has been a tireless champion for families on the near Eastside every day since then. In a 35th anniversary year when the COVID-19 pandemic compounded the challenges facing families in the area, Reverend Height and the Shepherd Community team met those challenges head on, and arm-in-arm with their neighbors. In a recent article in the Indianapolis Star, Reverend Height said, ``Hope is a precious commodity. When it's lost, the consequences for human life are devastating.'' I agree, Reverend Height. And I know the countless families of Indianapolis that Shepherd has served in its first 35 years are eternally grateful that Shepherd has been a custodian of hope for our capital city. On behalf of those families and the State of Indiana, I congratulate you on the 35th anniversary of Shepherd Community Center, I thank everyone who has worked and sacrificed in order to bless their neighborhoods through the work of Shepherd and wish the Shepherd Community Center all the best as it carries on that good and crucial work.

Mr. YOUNG

Mr. YOUNG. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the order for the quorum call be rescinded Tribute to Sharon Pierce

Mr. YOUNG. Mr. President, I rise today to commend an outstanding Hoosier whose work in Indiana's child and family welfare system has touched countless lives, including my own. Sharon Pierce, president and CEO of The Villages--a nonprofit child and family services agency--will soon be retiring after a distinguished 47-year career of serving our children and our families. Sharon also happens to be my aunt, and I have seen firsthand her love and dedication to Indiana's children. Her call to service started early in life. When she was young, Sharon's mother volunteered at a youth home in Fort Wayne. She and her siblings would help her mother with holiday parties. It was there that she first learned how important the family is to a child. A graduate of Ball State University, Sharon's entire career since then has been dedicated to public service. Prior to her work at The Villages, she worked for several youth advocacy programs in Illinois. She also served as a deputy director at the Indiana Division of Family and Children--the forerunner of today's Indiana Department of Child Services. While at the Division of Family and Children, she helped create a 1-800 number to report suspected child abuse. She also established the Healthy Families Initiative, which still today provides resources to at-risk, first-time parents to help prevent abuse and neglect. In 1992, she became the president and CEO of The Villages, where she has created a culture of compassion and a deep commitment to supporting families in need. At The Villages, children are enrolled in family and child support services, with the goal of helping to keep family members together. The Villages also provides foster care and offers support for relatives and family friends who are helping to raise a child, including education and child abuse prevention services. Sharon has said: ``Even though The Villages is probably best known for high-quality foster care, the reality is we want to do anything we can to keep families together.'' ``Anything we can to keep families together''--it is hard to imagine a mission more critical than this. I am not the only one to offer my praise for Sharon Pierce. Indiana's Governor, Eric Holcomb, said the following: Sharon's saintly efforts over the decades touched the lives of countless Hoosier children. She taught, inspired, led so many others over the years to invest in those who need it the most. Indiana Department of Child Services Director Terry Stigdon said: She exudes compassion and caring. . . . It's just innate to her being. Sharon has dedicated her professional life to ensuring children have a bright future, regardless of their circumstances. Her work has inspired countless others, including me, and the policies I choose to focus on here in the Senate. I know my Aunt Sharon is looking forward to spending more time with her husband--my Uncle Steve--their four children, and now their seven grandchildren. She has more than earned this next chapter in her life. But as a point of personal privilege and on behalf of the people of Indiana, I offer my heartfelt thanks for her decades of service, and I wish her very well in this next chapter. I yield the floor.

Mr. YOUNG

Mr. YOUNG. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that notwithstanding the provisions of rule XXII, if necessary, and at a time to be determined by the majority leader in consultation with the Democratic leader, the Finance Committee be discharged from further consideration of S. 578 and the Senate proceed to its immediate consideration, and the only amendment in order be an amendment to be offered by Senator Grassley, the text of which is at the desk; further, I ask that the Senate vote on adoption of the Grassley amendment and upon disposition of the amendment, the bill, as amended, if amended, be read a third time and the Senate vote on passage of the bill, as amended, if amended; finally, that adoption of the amendment and passage of the bill require 60 affirmative votes and, if passed, the motion to reconsider be considered made and laid upon the table.

Mr. YOUNG

Mr. YOUNG. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Senate recess until 2:15 p.m. Thereupon, the Senate, at 12:20 p.m., recessed until 2:15 p.m. and reassembled when called to order by the Presiding Officer (Mrs. Capito).

Mr. YOUNG

Mr. YOUNG. Madam President, I ask unanimous consent to complete my remarks before the vote.

Mr. YOUNG. Madam President, in the Marine Corps, we have a motto: Semper Fidelis. It means ``always faithful''--always faithful to our Nation and to the brave patriots who have honorably served it. Just last week, we recognized a day that is very special to me and I think to all Americans--Veterans Day. On this important occasion, we say thank you to our veterans, to those who have worn the uniform for their courage and for their commitment to protecting our freedoms and preserving our very way of life. Their service, of course, should be an example to all of us. I try to instill this in my children. It is something I discuss at school groups oftentimes, encouraging people to think about maybe spending some time in military service or finding other ways to serve their fellow Americans. Our veterans help keep us safe during times of great uncertainty and unease--something all of us, I think, appreciate a little bit more during this trying year. The month of November also marks Military Family Appreciation Month. Our military families don't always get the credit they deserve, but they bear a very special and unique burden on behalf of our country that, frankly, most of us cannot fully understand. They sacrifice their peace of mind and their well-being on behalf of their neighbors, their communities, and their fellow Americans, people they have never met-- What could be more beautiful than that?--because they believe in this Nation and they believe in this country and the values that undergird it. Even though we can't begin to repay the sacrifices they make on our behalf, we can honor them, and we can express our gratitude. So this Thanksgiving season, this time for counting our blessings and celebrating how many of them we enjoy even amidst this global pandemic, may we remember all that we are thankful for--every bit of it--and who we are thankful for, as well--yes, our family members, our neighbors, and our close friends, but I personally am thankful for our Active-Duty servicemembers. I am thankful for Indiana's more than 400,000 veterans. I am thankful for their selfless families. I hope all Americans will join me today, this month, this Thanksgiving, and every day thereafter and reflect on these men and women, the fellow Americans who sacrifice so much on behalf of all of us. Our country simply would not be the same without them; it arguably wouldn't exist without the families who are prepared to sacrifice so much. So God bless our Active-Duty servicemembers, God bless our veterans, and God bless our military families, and may God continue to bless this great country, the United States of America. I yield the floor.

Mr. YOUNG

Mr. YOUNG. Mr. President, I was necessarily absent but had I been present would have voted yes on rollcall vote 225, motion to invoke cloture on the nomination of James Ray Knepp II, to be a United States District Court Judge for the Northern District of Ohio. It was necessarily absent but had I been present would have voted yes on rollcall vote 226, on the nomination of James Ray Knepp II, to be a United States District Court Judge for the Northern District of Ohio.

Mr. YOUNG

Mr. YOUNG. Mr. President, 1 month ago, Judge Amy Coney Barrett was selected by President Trump to serve on the U.S. Supreme Court, filling the vacancy created by the passing of Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg. Since then, Judge Barrett has more than proven her qualifications for this job. A respected Federal judge, educator, and public servant, Judge Barrett has conducted herself throughout this process with poise and integrity. She has certainly demonstrated her intellect, her legal acumen, and her commitment to the Constitution of the United States. She is, clearly, a brilliant jurist who interprets the Constitution as written and carefully weighs the facts of a given case. Despite the Senate Democrats' repeated attempts to drag her into the political fray, Judge Barrett has proven that she will make her decisions based on the law rather than politics. When I met with Judge Barrett earlier this month, I was assured that she would be guided by the law and precedents and be faithful to the Constitution. As Judge Barrett herself has said more than once, ``A judge is obligated to apply the law as it is and not as she wishes it would be.'' She is obliged to follow the law even when her personal preferences cut the other way or when she will experience great public criticism for doing so--the law, not politics. As a fellow Hoosier, I have had the privilege of getting to know Judge Barrett and her family over the last several years, since she was nominated to fill a vacancy on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit. When I met the then-Notre Dame Law School professor, it was abundantly clear that she was a star. My colleague at the time, former Democratic Indiana Senator Joe Donnelly, agreed with that assessment. A brilliant legal scholar, Judge Barrett was and is held in the highest regard by her peers in the legal world. Judge Barrett's qualifications outshined personal attacks and religious bigotry, and she was confirmed by a bipartisan majority to that circuit court, and as a judge, she has more than proven her legal credentials. She has heard more than 600 cases and authored nearly 100 opinions. I should note she is the first woman from Indiana ever to serve on that esteemed court. As I said, when I introduced Judge Barrett before the Senate Judiciary Committee earlier this month, I was proud to cast my vote for Judge Barrett in 2017, and I look forward to doing so again for Associate Justice of the Supreme Court. Three years ago, I did not hear a single credible criticism--not a single one--of Judge Barrett based on her legal qualifications, and I haven't heard one at any time throughout this confirmation process. The Democrats have tried to make this process about anything other than Judge Barrett's qualifications. Alarmingly, they have made threats about what the consequences will be if we move forward. First, they threatened to pack the Supreme Court if we confirmed this nominee, but we all know they were talking about this long before--long before--Justice Ginsburg's passing. By way of example, my colleague from California Senator Harris said: ``We are on the verge of a crisis of confidence in the Supreme Court . . . and everything is on the table.'' That is a quote from March of this year. Senator Harris isn't alone. She just happens to be the most prominent at this point. In fact, according to the Washington Post, 11 Democratic Presidential candidates--5 of whom were sitting U.S. Senators--said they were in favor of or open to packing the Court. Second, they have threatened to eliminate the legislative filibuster if we confirm this nominee. Now, folks, they wanted to get rid of the 60-vote threshold long before this vacancy on the Supreme Court ever occurred. Again, I will use Senator Harris by way of example: ``I am prepared to get rid of the filibuster to pass a Green New Deal.'' That was in September of 2019. There are 18 Democrats who ran for President of the United States who supported that move, including 6 sitting U.S. Senators and 2 Governors who are now running for the Senate. Third, they have threatened to add States to the Union if we confirm this nominee. We know that has been on the far-left's wish list for years. These idle threats aren't going to stop us from carrying out the will of the American people, though, and confirming Judge Barrett. When we confirm Judge Barrett this week, she will be the fifth woman and the first mother of school-age children to serve as a Supreme Court Justice. She will also be the only current Justice to have received a law degree from an esteemed law school other than Harvard or Yale. I will tell you, Hoosiers are extremely proud of Judge Amy Coney Barrett and the trail she has blazed for others. She is a role model for young women everywhere, including, I might say, my own three young daughters. I am incredibly proud that our next Supreme Court Justice will be one who hails from America's heartland--from the great State of Indiana. I urge my colleagues to come together and carry out the will of the American people by swiftly voting to confirm Judge Amy Coney Barrett to the Supreme Court of the United States. I suggest the absence of a quorum.

Mr. YOUNG

Mr. YOUNG. Mr. President, I rise today in support of President Trump's nomination of Indiana's Amy Coney Barrett to the U.S. Supreme Court. In the coming days, Americans will hear a great deal about Judge Barrett--much of it from people who have never met her, who have never worked with her. As a fellow Hoosier, I have had the privilege of actually getting to know Judge Barrett and her family and to understand the breadth of her intellect and the thoughtful reasoning of her work. My own opinions have been informed by my personal interactions with her and supported by the countless students, clerks, and former colleagues who, despite their very political beliefs, are united in their admiration for Judge Barrett. They will second what I tell you here. Amy Coney Barrett's qualifications to fill this seat are beyond question. The character she will demonstrate, once in it, will be exceptional. Her career is beyond distinguished. She graduated magna cum laude from Rhodes College and summa cum laude from Notre Dame Law School in South Bend, IN. She was highly decorated while doing both, including Dean's Recognition Award and best exam in numerous courses. She held prestigious clerkships for Judge Laurence Silberman on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the DC Circuit and for the late Justice Antonin Scalia on the U.S. Supreme Court. She is a respected educator, teaching for nearly two decades at Notre Dame's Law School, where she was named Distinguished Professor of the Year three times. In 2017, she was nominated to fill a vacancy in the U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit. I have to say, I was incredibly pleased by her nomination to the Federal bench, and I was proud to vote for her confirmation. I wasn't alone in my esteem for Judge Barrett. During her confirmation process, those students and colleagues--former and current--came forward with words of support and praise by the score. They described her as fair and decent, brilliant and generous. They were struck by her integrity, her impartiality, and her temperament. They spoke of her dedication to teaching students not how to think but how to think for themselves. They recalled the long lines extending outside of her office of those students who sought and were always given advice and mentoring. Though they came from different backgrounds and held differing views, they came together as a chorus to say this: Amy Coney Barrett possesses exactly the type of mind and the strength of character America's constitutional system relies on. I agreed then, and I still do. Just 3 years ago, I didn't hear a single credible criticism of Judge Barrett based on her legal qualifications. I don't anticipate hearing one now. She will be guided by the law and precedence. She will be faithful to the Constitution. As compelling as the testimonies of those who admire her are, it is through her own words that we can see the type of Supreme Court Justice Amy Barrett will be: ``A judge is obligated to apply the law as it is and not as she wishes it would be.'' Judge Barrett has said: ``She is obliged to follow the law even when her personal preferences cut the other way or when she will experience great public criticism for doing so.'' It is important for Americans to understand her qualifications for the Supreme Court and her fidelity to the Constitution. But they should also know a bit about her life away from the bench. When I met her, it was quite obvious that Amy Coney Barrett was less interested in cataloging her professional accomplishments and more inclined to discuss her family and the accomplishments of her children, whom she clearly loves so very much. Judge Barrett and her husband Jesse have been married for over 20 years now. Their family is a large one and a loving one. They are parents to seven children. Their youngest son has special needs. They have twice adopted--both times from Haiti. Judge Barrett has asked: What greater thing can you do than raise children? That's where you have your greatest impact on the world. It is clear not just from those words but from simply spending a few moments with this beautiful family that this is her life's joy and her greatest point of pride. How absurd then to see her described, as some here and in the media have, as anti-healthcare. It is the opposite, actually. As the head of a large household, Amy Coney Barrett knows full well and better than most of her detractors how important medical coverage is to every American's health and to their peace of mind too. This includes insurance for those with preexisting conditions--which Republicans have, time and time again, committed to protect, while working to make healthcare more affordable and more accessible. This is actually not why Judge Barrett was nominated or why she belongs on the Supreme Court. Let us be truthful. It is also not the real reason why those who oppose her do so and do so with such rage. In the absence of actual objections to Amy Coney Barrett's resume, they rummaged through and purposely warped Judge Barrett's record. They warped her legal writings to position her as the mortal enemy of ObamaCare. This is a lie. Her scholarship--if properly read, rather than quickly mined for propaganda--reveals no such thing. For 30 years, Democrats have continually cried wolf, painting every Republican Supreme Court nominee as the end of the Republic, hoping always to scare the American people to their side. Just as we witnessed 2 years ago, when their lies run out of believers, the lies grow more reckless. This is a dangerous game to play right now--doubly so for the party that is blocking healthcare legislation during a pandemic. Judge Barrett hasn't been nominated to the Supreme Court to make policy. Some seem to have forgotten, but that is our job. President Trump selected her not only because of her sharp mind and impressive qualifications but because she will not legislate from the bench. That is the whole point. Of course, there are others who may take a different, even darker tack. To them, none of this matters--not the impeccable credentials, not the ringing endorsements, not that she is a role model of an accomplished professional and a loving mother, not that she has been described as ``mind-blowingly intelligent'' and ``one of the most humble people you will ever meet''--none of it. We will hear from them in coming days--likely in this Chamber. We will hear a lot from them. If past is prologue, they may choose to focus instead on Judge Barrett's religious beliefs--not out of any deep conviction but out of desperation. They may argue that it is impossible to live a life of faith and uphold the law. They may create a caricature of Judge Barrett that has no relation to reality and one that reflects their own intolerance, not hers. It is regrettable that, in 2020, we must still repeat this refrain: We do not have a religious test for public service in the United States of America, and we never have. It is true. Judge Barrett is a faithful Catholic. It is true. So, too, are five current Supreme Court Justices. So, too, are millions of Americans. To argue that this prohibits her from sitting on the Supreme Court is nothing short of religious bigotry. In 1793, George Washington penned a letter to the members of the New Jerusalem Church of Baltimore, MD. In it, Washington outlined one of the principles that makes America so unique. ``A man's religious tenets,'' he wrote, ``will not deprive him of the right of attaining and holding the highest offices that are known in the United States.'' Happily, 200 years later, we now apply Washington's equation regarding the holding of high office to both men and women. It is unfortunate, though, that, two centuries later, we must still be reminded that all Americans can worship and pray as they please, and no doors of opportunity shall be closed because of it. And there is this: Since our founding, 114 Americans have sat on the Supreme Court. Only four of them have been women. Are those who oppose this President and this pick really willing to use religious prejudice as an excuse to oppose confirming the fifth? Come on. If so, the faith my colleagues should be worried about isn't Judge Barrett's but the American people's in this institution. In the coming weeks, I hope we don't regress into religious bigotry. I hope the Senate can move past the personal attacks of some past nominees and, instead, focus on the professional qualifications and judicial comportment of Judge Barrett. We are constitutionally obligated to provide our advice and consent to the President on his judicial nominees. My hope--and, perhaps, it is a naive one--is that we will fulfill that responsibility by holding hearings that are informative rather than destructive, not unlike those that led to Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg's bipartisan confirmation in 1993. If the Senate does this and we consider Judge Barrett's qualifications, she will be confirmed and subsequently serve with great honor and distinction, and she will do the American people proud. Both the High Court and our country will be better for it. I suggest the absence of a quorum.

Mr. YOUNG

Mr. YOUNG. Mr. President, I rise today to discuss the dangerous path that national Democrats are spiraling on down and to caution our countrymen not to follow them. Radicals on the far left have hijacked an otherwise righteous cause and are in command of a once proud political party that traces its heritage back to Jefferson and Madison. The violence the radicals have unleashed threatens lives. The cancel culture they imposed curtails liberty. And their misguided means of creating economic equality endangers the pursuit of happiness. Joe Biden, Nancy Pelosi, and their hand-picked Democratic candidates are empowering the radical wing of today's national Democratic Party--the same people responsible for the chaos now on full display across our country. The national leaders of the Democratic Party offer them sanctuary. They make excuses for radicals' destructive behavior, the way an embarrassed parent does for a mischievous child. To them, the riots that are occurring from Minneapolis to Indianapolis are only peaceful protests. Promises to defund police departments are just ways of reimaging police--whatever that means. It is the same sleight of hand that turns government-run healthcare into Medicare for all who want it. Most Democrats will not publicly embrace the socialist policies the mob howls for because they know the American people will not buy it. But once in power, they will be all too happy to implement these radical policies, and that means a mainstream national Democratic agenda that will abolish and defund police departments; take away on- the-job insurance; pack the Supreme Court of the United States; raise taxes; give Washington, DC, and Puerto Rico the same number of U.S. Senators that the State of Indiana has; eliminate the legislative filibuster and, therefore, the right of the minority within this institution; and spend trillions of dollars of new government programs that Americans don't need or want. They are allies--the destroyers and these national Democrats I reference--only they can't be straight with the American people about their alliance, and their leaders just can't seem to summon the simple moral clarity that says racism is evil and so is using it to justify violence and vandalism. Blessedly, in my State, local Democratic elected officials have had enough. In fact, in recent weeks, several Hoosier public servants have left their party and they have become Republicans. To clearly understand the choice before us, we need only listen to their explanations why. This is Brian Snedecor, mayor of Hobart, who just switched from a Democrat to a Republican. He says: I must be true to my God, my family, myself and those that have supported and believed in me . . . I want Hobart to be a place for business to come and the American Dream to be achieved. And then we have Dave Wedding, Vanderburgh County sheriff, who also just became a Republican. Sheriff Wedding says: I'm tired of seeing fires set in our streets. I'm tired of people defying God, our church, our police, our government and everything we stand for. I happen to believe that every regular American feels the same way, and they will look to us to protect the American Dream and put out the fires--literal and figurative--in our streets. The choice that each of us must make in the coming weeks is pretty darned clear: law and order or anarchy; an economy that is growing or employers and workers which are grounded; citizens who are free and flourishing or subjects dependent on government. What the radicals don't understand is that though we were born by revolution, the history of America is one of steady progress--a determined march together for the common good and towards an ever better union. We have to lead that march. When far-left Democrats offer dangerous ideas and unfulfillable promises, Republicans will counter with innovative thinking and results-driven policies. We will create ways to help every American access affordable healthcare, afford a college education, advance their careers, raise a family, and buy a home that they can call their own. Republicans will play a part in the reinvigoration of economically disadvantaged areas, both rural and urban. Ours is an America where everyone lives free of fear and is able to speak their mind, and where citizens, no matter their color or their ZIP Code, can climb as high and fly as far as their ambition and ability allows. Their way leads to a dead end, ours to an endless frontier. They tear down. We will build. The path forward is clear. I yield the floor

Mr. YOUNG

Mr. YOUNG. Mr. President, ``Freedom is the freedom to say that two plus two makes four. If that is granted, all else follows''--so wrote novelist George Orwell. In the late 1980s, I traveled to the former Soviet Union as part of a youth soccer program. Now, decades have passed since that trip, of course, but the memories to me are still vivid. The shelves were barren. Citizens drank from communal water fountains. The items most in demand and hardest to find were American items: blue jeans--Levi Strauss--and bubble gum. Of course, those weren't the only things common in Indiana that were contraband behind the Iron Curtain. For decades, news, literature, art, or entertainment that was not broadcast or approved by the state was scarce and available only by bootleg. The monuments towering over Russia were built to honor those who controlled it, the same men who regularly erased parts of Russia's history to suit their own political purposes, not to serve others. This was a society where ideas and dialogue existed only underground, where watching American movies was a jailable offense, where free thinkers weren't found in newspapers or airwaves but locked away in labor camps, where information protected the State instead of empowering the individuals, where history was constantly purged and revised. By the time I visited, though, Soviet leadership, in self- preservation mode, had gradually allowed citizens access to information and media as new technologies emerged. It was only a ray of sunlight through a very small crack, but through it, people all across the former Soviet Union and the Eastern Bloc could finally see and hear what had long been hidden from them: jazz, rock `n' roll, Star Wars, Chuck Norris, Dr. Zhivago, and Robinson Crusoe. History once erased was restored. The truth of Stalin's murders was revealed. Inevitably, the fatal conceit of a centrally planned Communist economy was exposed, and large numbers of Russians realized just how poorly their quality of life compared to the free, Western alternative. They were even permitted rights to express dissatisfaction with their circumstances. A totalitarian regime's greatest ally is darkness and silence. Keeping a people in the dark is the surest way to guarantee they never demand their God-given rights. But just a trickle of information, just a hint of truth, a small offering of differing perspectives, and a touch of freedom of expression helped lead to the Soviet Union's demise--``the freedom to say that two plus two make four.'' Free people become and stay free through open dialogue because of the free exchange of information and ideas--even ones we disagree with; because of patience with perspectives that are not our own; because we study our history, celebrate its highs, and learn from its lows. That is why--that is why--it was painful to read recently that over 60 percent of Americans are now scared to admit their beliefs or air their opinions for fear of offending others and the consequences that will come with it. It is painful to learn but easy to understand. This is the logical reaction when Americans are regularly canceled, as we say today, for things said or written decades ago, with no chance of grace or allowance for growth. It is not just people who are being canceled. It is words. It is music. Classrooms and libraries are banning ``Huckleberry Finn'' and ``To Kill A Mockingbird'' rather than encouraging students to examine or understand their authors' words and messages. ``Hamilton'' is falling from grace now for the ``sin'' of acknowledging America was created in 1776. Whole parts of our American story are being wiped away. Communities have a right to lawfully determine who and what adorns their squares and streets, but that is a world away from toppling statues of George Washington and U.S. Grant in the same manner those of Lenin and Stalin were once removed at the end of the Cold War. Our entertainment industry is getting in on the act too. American movies once inspired freedom seekers. Today, they are self-censored to appease another totalitarian regime in Beijing. America is a good nation. Those who call it home are decent and kind. We are not perfect, but our imperfections are not irredeemable. The year 2020 has made it clear, though, that much work remains in the task of building a more perfect union. That effort is ongoing. Every generation since our founding has worked toward it. Every generation has made hard-earned progress, and our own work to create a more just future will be no less difficult--certainly more so than knocking down bronze and marble men or waging war on books or on each other across social media. Every time our Nation has moved closer to better realizing the promise at the heart of our Declaration of Independence ``that all men are created equal . . . endowed by their Creator with certain inalienable Rights,'' it has been because the Founders dared to dream that was possible and left us the means to do so: the freedom to raise our voices and state our opinions, to disagree and respectfully debate; the gift of free inquiry; the right to challenge our country on toward what Martin Luther King, Jr., memorably called its noble dream through words, music, art, or expression--all free from censorship and recrimination. These liberties--unparalleled in human history--were won, preserved, and handed down to us by many of those whose memorials are falling. Out of gratitude, we must remember the men and women who came before us. We must see their faults but not lose sight of their virtues and aspire to the high ideals they set for us, even if they often fell short of realizing them. What will we have without these freedoms, without memory and understanding of our past? Desolate public spaces, empty bookshelves, silenced citizens with nothing to strive for other than self-preservation. But with these freedoms and inspired by our history, valuable debate and dialogue will flourish; daring ideas will be welcome; and great ideas will live. And the work we are in--the work of building a more perfect union and a freer and fairer nation--will be possible. Let this be the path we choose. It would be natural to close with a quote by one of our several generations of Founding Fathers: Washington, Lincoln, King. But today I feel it is more appropriate to remember another nation's founder and a good American friend--a man who lived behind the Iron Curtain and knew well the dangers of censorship and the power of free expression. As a playwright and a musician, he suffered under censorship. As a public leader, he helped his nation gain the power of free expression. It was exactly 30 years ago today that Vaclav Havel, then the President of Czechoslovakia, spoke in this building. ``You have thousands of problems of all kinds, as other countries do,'' he observed of America. ``But you have one great advantage,'' he reminded us. ``You have been approaching democracy . . . for more than 200 years, and your journey toward that horizon has never been disrupted by a totalitarian system.'' Fellow Americans, our journey continues on toward that horizon, and only we have the power to disrupt it. In this Nation, two plus two must always equal four. We can take a positive step forward in one respect. Here is how. Beginning today, I will be regularly recognizing notable pieces of Indiana's history. It may be through a floor speech or a resolution or a social media posting. The purpose will be to celebrate and better understand my State's part of America's story and to remember the Hoosiers who--through and because of freedom of action, speech, and expression--wrote that story. They will not be erased. I yield the floor.

Mr. YOUNG

Mr. YOUNG. Mr. President, I rise to discuss the HEALS Act. As we continue to confront this coronavirus pandemic, we have to ensure that our schools and our employers can safely reopen. Our healthcare providers must also have the resources they need to continue to provide essential care to all Americans to fight this virus and to help this Nation return to some semblance of normalcy as quickly as possible. We have to also provide liability protection for those schools, businesses, and healthcare providers while they do their very best to operate safely during this unusual, once-in-a-generation, once- in-multiple-generations pandemic. The HEALS Act will help to provide these protections. The HEALS Act also includes several provisions that I have been championing, including legislation to address unemployment insurance system reform. We note that there have been a lot of challenges associated with the legacy computer systems, and we should never ever have to endure this again. Financial assistance to help childcare providers reopen has also been another priority of mine. I recognize that our childcare providers play an essential role in not just caring for our children and ensuring they remain educated and in a safe environment when their parents aren't around but in also being critical to our broader economy. If your kids aren't taken care of, you can't go to work, and Hoosiers want to go to work. Finally, we have telehealth legislation that has been included in this HEALS Act that will lead to greater affordability and access, especially as many of these authorities are made permanent in the future. This is a way to bend the cost curve down and provide a higher value for each of those healthcare dollars in our moving forward. It also includes the TRUST Act, which is something that I helped to introduce in order to establish a bipartisan national plan to finally begin tackling the long-term drivers of our national debt once we get through this coronavirus pandemic. I have been talking about this and have sometimes been criticized for talking about fiscal responsibility and the largest drivers of our long-term national debt. I am unapologetic every time I talk about it. This TRUST Act would establish a bipartisan national plan to finally begin tackling this, and I hope it will remain in the package as negotiations continue. Most importantly, I am glad the HEALS Act includes some really important features of my RESTART Act, which is a bipartisan piece of legislation that I introduced with Senator Bennet. We now have somewhere north of 42, 44 bipartisan cosponsors. We have 50 national groups--and growing--that are supportive of this legislation. It is very important that these features remain in the HEALS Act. Like my RESTART Act, the HEALS Act recognizes the need for having long-term working capital loans and targeting that relief toward businesses that have suffered significant revenue decline. We don't want more examples of businesses that are doing just fine in the wake of the pandemic getting access to moneys that, frankly, they don't need. Instead, we want to target our resources toward the hardest hit businesses that will not survive this pandemic. That is what the RESTART Act does, and I am proud of those features that were included. However, I have to say, in order to truly assist the hardest hit small- and medium-sized enterprises that have fallen through the gaps of previous programs, more of the RESTART Act is going to have to be included throughout this negotiation process. Last night, I received a text from a longtime friend of mine. Her name is Sheila. Sheila is a resident of Dearborn County, IN. Gosh, Sheila is an incredibly hard-working person, and she texted me the following: Todd, I saw you on C-SPAN today. I really appreciate how you bring up the Hoosiers. When you are writing this next bill, please consider small businesses like my husband and I have. Pat is the lone legal owner of our catering business. We invested all of the revenue made over the few years into our business, buying equipment, et cetera. Because of this investment, we had an impressive schedule of events this past spring, summer, and fall lined up. This time of year gives our barbecue business our greatest exposure and opportunity for financial gain. We were ineligible for a PPP loan because we did not show a profit. When composing the next PPP, please consider single-person business owners like our barbecue and catering business. God bless you. Well, God bless you, Sheila. It is hard-working people and couples and partnering Americans who help build this country. It is innovators and entrepreneurs and doers and dreamers and workers like Sheila. If we don't provide this much needed relief now, I am really concerned that we are going to be in a far worse position in the weeks and months to come. As more businesses close permanently, they go bankrupt; they are no longer paying payroll taxes. Then there is greater damage done to the economy and to our Nation's balance sheet. I am also concerned about our ability as a country to fully recover once there is a vaccine available. It is our small and medium-sized enterprises, which you disproportionately find in States like Indiana, the heartland of the country, where so much innovation occurs. It is not always in these large businesses; it is the smaller enterprises where the innovation occurs. Then, ultimately, it is the big businesses that acquire these innovative businesses. So we want these engines--these incubators of innovation, these small businesses, medium-sized businesses that are innovative and entrepreneurial--to survive this difficult time. They are also pillars, frankly, of Main Street, America. We take pride in our small businesses, many of which have been so hard hit. We don't want to hollow out Main Street America on the back end of this. The most fiscally irresponsible thing we could do here at the Federal level of government is to fail to respond to the needs of these small and medium-sized enterprises. So the additional assistance that I am calling for is critical to, for example, the more than 500,000 manufacturing employees in the State of Indiana, the most manufacturing-intensive State in the country. It is also critical to the 200,000 Hoosier restaurant employees laid off or furloughed since March. We have been able to provide them some short-term assistance, but this virus and the challenges associated with it have lingered on much longer than all of us had hoped, and we are going to have to help out these employers so that they have a place to go back to work once we figure this thing out. This assistance is critical to the small music venues that enrich our local communities throughout the State of Indiana and across our country, which are facing permanent closure, too, and the countless restaurants, gyms, salons, boutiques, hotels, retailers, and other small businesses that are essential pillars of our community. I grew up in a small business family. We had our up years; we had our down years. We had some rough Christmases. My dad, my mom--they took great pride in that family business. They made it. They worked hard. But they saw nothing like this virus. We need to help these businesses. These businesses are in dire straits not because any bad business decisions were made, but, instead, because this virus came from overseas, disrupted our lives, and in the interest of public health, our employees had to stay home. People stopped buying the same things they were buying. Our shopping patterns changed. At some point we will resume some semblance of normalcy. We are getting there. But in the meantime, we need a bridge to the other side of this virus. We need to make sure that all of the provisions of the RESTART Act make it into the HEALS Act. Since Senator Bennet and I introduced the RESTART Act in May, our legislation has received support from more than 40 bipartisan Senators. I am proud of that. There is a lot of hard work going on in the U.S. House of Representatives to get Members of the House to sign up as well. It has also been endorsed by roughly 50 national organizations and more than 50 Indiana businesses, and these are prominent national organizations, including, for example, the National Association of Manufacturers. Given the widespread support for the RESTART Act, I will continue to work with my colleagues to ensure that more of it is included in the final coronavirus package. I hope we get all of it included. We have to ensure that we are caring for those who have suffered the most. To Sheila and to Pat, you have my word--you have my word, as you did the first day we met, that I would do everything I could to fight for the people of Indiana, to fight for what is right, to fight tirelessly on behalf of my customers--you and the millions of Hoosiers I represent--answering only to my ultimate bosses: God and the Constitution. I will fulfill that pledge and continue fighting for all of you during this difficult time.

Mr. YOUNG

Mr. YOUNG. Mr. President, there has been a lot of talk on this floor about border security in recent years. It is amazing how much of what is said resembles what was said a quarter century ago. I am equally amazed by how the politics of border security have changed over that time period. Earlier this week--it has been widely publicized--President Trump visited Yuma, AZ, to highlight the continued need for border security. Now, as someone who has actually had firsthand experience with border security, I thought I would say a few words as well. As a U.S. marine in the 1990s, I spent months in a desolate, forbidding stretch of desert--my apologies to Arizonans--that was a stone's throw away from Yuma, AZ, the same place where these Border Patrol agents stand. Now, my marines and I were part of an unmanned aerial vehicle unit. We worked with Border Patrol agents, like these gentleman, and we were charged with patrolling the border in the Yuma Sector. They were on the ground. We flew drone missions to help them collect intelligence. It is a dangerous area with heavy narcotics and human trafficking. While there, I saw the need for greater border security. Now, uniquely, among the military services--and I know our Presiding Officer had a distinguished career in the U.S. Army--the Marines are charged, by statute, with tackling whatever mission, however daunting, the President requests of us. In fact, in 1834, Congress passed a statute right on point, indicating, under the law, that the Marines would ``conduct such other duties as the President or Department of Defense may direct''--pretty broad. It is pretty broad language. When in doubt, send in the Marines, I guess. Well, our unit's mission--not glamourous, but important then and important now--was to help make the border more secure. It is a critical mission, which remained a priority under Presidents Clinton and Bush. Later, a physical barrier was placed in the Yuma Sector. It was years after I left Active Duty. Trafficking decreased over roughly a decade's time period by 95 percent after that physical barrier was erected. It shouldn't be controversial. It is not ideological. This is just factual. We know walls work when properly and intelligently placed. Now, historically, there has been a bipartisan consensus around the idea that we not only put boots on the ground to protect the border but we also must invest in technology to secure our border, including physical barriers where they are required. The President was absolutely right years ago when he brought up this issue. He was right this week in Yuma, AZ. He is right today, and he will be right tomorrow as he continues to emphasize this issue. We must address this situation that is taking place along our southern border. We mustn't lose our resolve. There are illegal crossings and smugglers who are trafficking drugs and people that have created a horrific humanitarian crisis and an ongoing national security threat. Don't take it from me. According to the United Nations Missing Migrants Project, more than 2,400 migrants have died near the United States-Mexico border since 2014--2,400 migrants over a fairly short time period. This includes 497 deaths last year. That is a 26-percent increase from the year prior. This is a true humanitarian crisis today. It is also a national security threat. In addition to migrants fleeing Central America, it is possible that foreign terrorist organizations could penetrate this porous border. So border security and the safety of Americans has long been and should remain a priority of all Republicans and Democrats, especially those who serve here at the Federal level. President Trump is not the first President--underscore ``not the first President''--to understand this or to emphasize this issue. When I was serving in Arizona as a marine, President Clinton was our Nation's Commander in Chief. During a 1993 press conference, President Bill Clinton touted increasing the number of Border Patrol agents and working to supply them with the best possible equipment and technology. He repeated this message on multiple occasions. Then, during his 1995 State of the Union address, President Clinton said: ``Our administration has moved aggressively to secure our borders more by hiring a record number of new border guards.'' President Clinton understood this, and he wasn't the last Democrat to prioritize border security. President Obama, too, understood its importance. You see, we forget this. It is amazing how quickly we forget. Under the Obama administration, a surge of additional Border Patrol agents and resources were provided to secure the southwest border and to prevent illegal crossings. In fact, this may be uncomfortable for some, but President Obama was often called the ``deporter in chief'' during his Presidency, with roughly 3 million people deported under the Obama administration. Again, border security should not be a partisan issue. Historically, both sides of the aisle have agreed that the humanitarian and security issues at our southern border must be addressed, so it is time for Democrats to partner with Senate Republicans and President Trump to secure the border and to put Americans first. If we resolve to work together on a sensible solution to this crisis--and I resolve to--the result will be safer border towns, more jobs for American workers, fewer strains on limited government resources, and a deterrent to foreign nationals coming to America illegally and putting themselves and others at great risk. So the Senate cannot lose its nerve when it comes to the rule of law in addressing border security. This is one area where we cannot just send in the Marines. We own this. This body owns this. Every U.S. Senator owns this issue, so we, the U.S. Senate, must work collectively. We must come together on this and work with our President to keep America safe and secure.

Mr. YOUNG

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

Mr. YOUNG. Madam President, on a recent Saturday afternoon, the world watched as SpaceX's Falcon 9 lifted off from American soil, streaked through the sky, and sent the Crew Dragon capsule beyond the Earth's atmosphere. By Sunday, its crew was successfully docked at the International Space Station. The following morning, Indianapolis-based Eli Lilly & Company announced the start of human testing of a potential treatment for COVID-19. Falcon 9, the first rocket to send men to space from America in a decade was traveling at 10 times the speed of sound, and Lilly's COVID- 19 therapy is moving nearly as fast. It often takes a dozen years to develop a drug. This one could be available in just months. Neither happened spontaneously, though. They are the result of years of savvy, technological, and scientific investments, of partnerships between private industry and government. Such investments, such partnerships open new horizons in space exploration and disease fighting, and they show us the endless frontier into which American imagination and ingenuity can carry us. We Americans have always been drawn to the frontier--yes, the natural frontier of wildernesses and unfamiliar territories from which States such as mine spring, but also the frontier that bounds what we as humans were once imagined to be capable of accomplishing after our forbearers settled across this great continent. Americans see the heavens and don't simply wonder what they hold. We see loved ones grow sick, and we don't just resign ourselves to the prognosis. We create cures. Americans would always rather build a rocket ship than a rest home. We are driven by a deep need to lift one another, to discover breakthroughs that will lead to the betterment of all of mankind. And among the most powerful allies we have in accomplishing this are science and research and the innovations that they fuel. In the 20th century, Vannevar Bush beautifully captured the essence of the American culture of discovery and innovation. He first coined the memorable term ``endless frontier.'' Bush, you see, was a visionary, an unsung hero of World War II. He was the man who saw the importance of science and discovery in defeating the Axis Powers. As President Franklin D. Roosevelt's unofficial science adviser, he initiated the Manhattan Project and ensured that it received top priority from the highest levels of government. Later, in his 1945 report to the President, entitled ``Science: The Endless Frontier,'' Bush called for an expansion of public support for science and paved the way for the creation of the National Science Foundation. He believed that America's security and prosperity depended upon premarket investment in science and technology. Basic research, in his words, was the ``pacemaker of technological progress.'' ``New products and new processes do not appear full-grown,'' he said. ``They are founded on new principles and new conceptions, which in turn are painstakingly developed by research in the purest realms of science.'' Bush was right. The years that followed proved it. The National Science Foundation was created, a space age was ushered in, a space race was won, and an evil empire was defeated--all in an era of historic prosperity that was only possible because of America's economic and technological supremacy, itself built on government-funded premarket research. Bush originally articulated the importance of science to the Nation's fortunes in a time of peril. While the challenges we face today are of a different nature, we are again in such a time. A mysterious virus with no known cure has spread across the globe, killed thousands of Americans, and crippled our economy. A new power competition is now underway, and America's predominant challenger is an unscrupulous authoritarian regime whose values are the inverse of our own. For proof, witness Beijing's leveraging of COVID-19 to further its goal of global dominance and authorship of this new century. To meet these new challenges, we must once again--once again--show the entire world the resiliency and dynamism of the American people, the American economy, the American spirit, and the American project itself. And to do this, we must not simply advance again toward the endless frontier but accelerate into it. The Endless Frontier Act, authored by Senator Schumer and me, will provide the rocket fuel for America's innovators and visionaries. Let us resolve here today to pass it so that this generation of American doers and dreamers and their children can propel us forward and win the 21st century. Here is how and why we should act. The Endless Frontier Act would bolster U.S. leadership in science and tech innovation and boldly increase premarket investment in emerging tech. It will provide $100 billion in strategic investment in the National Science Foundation to bolster science and technology research and development. It will deliver $10 billion to establish regional tech hubs across the country to launch innovative companies, revive American manufacturing, and create new jobs to jump start our local communities. And in the coming years, it will strengthen American power, increase American prosperity, and carry on America's never-ending quest to continuously improve the world through innovation. Let us pass this act. If we do, another endless frontier will be before us, and with it, a stronger, freer, more prosperous nation, and a world in which free men and women author this new century. Dating back to the Cold War, after China had developed military might, its leaders focused on science and technology as a means to reorder the global balance of power. Since then, Beijing has aimed to overtake America, not with weapons, but with innovation. Offensively, China is investing in 5G, quantum computing, artificial intelligence, advanced energy systems--all of which have the potential to fundamentally change this century's economic and security environment for good or for ill. Defensively, China is shoring up domestic industries while exploiting our economic downturn and cynically using the pandemic to play the part of concerned global citizen to further its position in the world. And that is not a conspiracy theory. It is public knowledge. A new report from the Chinese Academy of Sciences bluntly observes: ``It is possible to turn the crisis [of COVID-19] into an opportunity-- to increase the trust and the dependence of all countries around the world in `Made in China.' '' Tellingly, for China, the search to find treatments for COVID-19 is not simply a race to stop the virus but a race for bragging rights and global superiority. The CCP is dedicating millions of dollars to research into drug development. Five out of the 10 top vaccine candidates are coming from China. As they have in other fields of research, China has recently ramped up spending on pharmaceutical research, no doubt with an eye on surpassing America in yet another field. The first COVID-19 vaccine could be the key. If all of these trends continue, China's overall investments in research and development will surpass our own within 10 years--just as their economy becomes larger than our own. Until now, we have primarily focused on defensive countermeasures to thwart the aggression of the CCP: blocking Huawei, tightening export controls, and improving foreign investment rules. These are important and must remain in place. But if America is to lead the world in the 21st century, it is neither realistic nor practical to build an economic iron curtain around China. We are not in a 20th century cold war, but we can learn and apply lessons from that Cold War. Just as we did in the 20th century, we must not simply contain a competitor but instead outinnovate and outgrow them. Something else is in the balance here too. China longs to become the world's leader but lacks the attachment to human rights and dignity required of those that seek to fill that role. What becomes of liberty in a world led by such a power? However imperfectly, every American generation, from the founding forward, has labored to preserve and pass down the blessings of freedom here and wherever its friends may be found, and this current generation must carry this on and provide the world with a choice--a choice between a great power that defends freedom or one that tramples upon it. But we will be powerless to offer this alternative if we don't keep pace with China, and we will not have a shot at this unless we invest in ourselves. Implementing the Endless Frontier Act will provide that investment. It will prevent us from being outflanked, and it will pave the way for a second ``American century.'' One of the primary reasons why the 20th century was America's rather than Russia's was because we produced more prosperity. You see, wealth is a crucial weapon in global competition. Bold investment in premarket research, like that proposed in our Endless Frontier Act, will generate more of it and make us a wealthier nation. The connection is undeniable and historic. When human beings began to apply science and technology to industry and in pursuit of new goods and services, of greater efficiency and output, human wealth grew by historic bounds. Cognitive scientist Steven Pinker charted this progress, and it is staggered. Human wealth barely advanced in the millennium after the year 1 A.D., and had only doubled a half millennium later. Then the industrial revolution arrived. Between 1820 and 1900, the world's income tripled. Fifty years later, it had tripled again, and again in 25 years, and again 30 years after that. This represents a 100-fold expansion of the world's gross domestic product since the industrial revolution, thanks to advancements in science and technology. And the technologies that ushered in this era were the result of curiosity, experimentation, failure, and ultimately, discovery. This is the formula for innovation, and it is something Americans are particularly familiar with. We are a creative people with a penchant for plunging ahead when we have an idea and searching for a solution when we see a problem. You know, it takes courage to be creative, and in America, we encourage and honor that courage. We celebrate those who try and fail and courageously get up and dust off their trousers and try again. We venerate our inventors--Bell, Edison, George Washington Carver, Jonas Salk, the Wright brothers, Tesla, Einstein, Page and Brin, Jobs, Musk. We know and remember their names, and we benefit daily from their contributions. Their life's work is a monument to human potential and American greatness. Their work would not have been possible without a hallmark of American culture: breathing space--yes, breathing space. It is space for the creative process--the very process required to connect things that already exist, that no one ever thought of connecting, and to take new discoveries and turn them into new products and services. When we join research with American creativity, we do more than produce faster cars and TVs with clearer pictures, and we do more than generate material wealth. You see, our innovators are part of something far more profound. It is an endless pursuit of human knowledge and progress and a quest that fulfills our deepest human needs as a people. That is what they are a part of. In the words of my friend Water Russell Mead, it is our ``built-in human belief that through change we encounter the transcendent and the divine.'' Passing the Endless Frontier Act will keep this quest going, and the quest will make our lives richer in so many ways. That image of a Falcon 9 taking off and the orange streak of its engines cutting the blue sky sparked a memory dear to so many Americans. Over 10.3 million people worldwide watched that launch. For many, it was no doubt a reminder of an era--that era when rockets regularly setting out for space from that very same station was an awe- inspiring symbol of American optimism and accomplishments. There were images, too, from Indianapolis. There, Lilly's scientists rushed cases containing the company's potential COVID-19 treatment to the airport and sent them on their way to patients for trials. For those who saw these images, they inspired hope and amazement--hope that we can soon stop this virus and amazement that our innovators have moved so quickly to find remedies. These are both inspiring moments for all Americans, ones that transcend so many of the differences that threaten to divide us. They show us and they show the world what America is still capable of. They reveal the endless frontiers still before us. Let us come together now. Let us accelerate boldly into the endless frontier. When life resumes as normal, this generation of Americans must not be content with merely recovering our losses. Instead, we must push ourselves to lead. Now is the time to pass the Endless Frontier Act, to strengthen U.S. leadership in science and tech innovation, and to dramatically increase public investment in emerging technologies. Let us choose to lead for ourselves and for our children. I suggest the absence of a quorum.

Mr. YOUNG

Mr. YOUNG. Mr. President, last week, I traveled around the great State of Indiana on my RESTART tour. I visited small businesses up and down the State--eight cities, in fact--where we have seen so many Hoosiers adversely impacted by this pandemic. Like many other States, Indiana is starting to open up our economy, and I know so many Hoosiers welcome that. Our Governor, Eric Holcomb, has been implementing a five-stage plan for safely reopening Indiana's economy. The cities on my tour have businesses that are in various stages of reopening. Restaurants like Catablu Grille in Fort Wayne, Arni's in Lafayette, and Woody's Library in Carmel are open at 50-percent capacity right now. The nonprofit Terre Haute Children's Museum remains closed, unfortunately, and is struggling to pay its employees. I visited Zimmer Biomet Hibbard, which is a medical device company in Valparaiso. I enjoyed the tour and visiting with the employees, but I discovered that its sales had dropped 95 percent in March. Fortunately, it received a Paycheck Protection Program loan, and that enabled it to keep all 23 of its employees on the payroll. It is clear that we need to continue evaluating additional relief measures for small businesses and Indiana's nonprofits. My RESTART Act is a viable approach to help keep our hardest hit businesses and nonprofits going. The RESTART Act is a bipartisan measure I introduced with Senator Bennet. The effort here is to build upon the success of the Paycheck Protection Program. We have seen that more than 74,000 Hoosier businesses have benefited from PPP, with loans totaling nearly $9.4 billion in the State of Indiana. Just for context, that is an average loan of about $130,000. These are for small businesses like those that we see up and down our State. The Paycheck Protection Program requires funds to be spent in just 8 weeks, but most restaurants, gyms, boutiques, and so many other businesses were not permitted to be open during part or all of that 8- week period. So the first part of the RESTART Act merely extends the timeframe to 16 weeks for our Nation's hardest hit businesses. Secondly, we know that the PPP was meant to be a bridge to reopening the economy, but many small businesses have much longer bridges to cross. That is why our new RESTART Program would provide loans that would cover up to 6 months of payroll and fixed operating expenses. That is just for those businesses that have taken a substantial revenue hit during this coronavirus pandemic. My RESTART initiative would provide needed funds with the flexibility for employers to pay bills and to implement social distancing measures, like with those Plexiglas dividers I have seen at so many businesses. Most importantly, it would bring employees back to work, which is exactly where they want to be. Over the last several weeks, I have spoken to more than 22,000 Hoosiers by using Zoom teleconferencing capabilities, having conference calls, and other means. I have to say I am truly inspired by the way Hoosiers have come together to help one another during this pandemic. Everyone has done his part. Hoosiers want to work, and business owners are eager to pay them. The RESTART Act can help make sure this happens, and I hope my colleagues will give it strong consideration in the coming days I yield the floor.

Mr. YOUNG

Mr. YOUNG. Memorial Day. If you travel door to door in neighborhoods across this country, all Americans will agree that this day is special. It is a day to honor the men and women who made the ultimate sacrifice on behalf of our country. Thanks to their heroism, we have our freedom, our strong democracy, and our country's greatness. For their contributions, we owe them a debt we can never repay. It was 152 years ago that our 16th President, Abraham Lincoln, enacted the first national Memorial Day. It was a day meant to honor the valiant soldiers who fought in the Civil War, and today we still heed Abraham Lincoln's timeless words: Bind up the nation's wounds to care for him who shall have borne the battle, and for his widow, and his orphan. To me, Memorial Day is a day to reflect--reflect on the Hoosiers and other great Americans we have lost to causes greater than their own. This day honors Alec, LCpl Alec Terwiske of Dubois, IN, a fellow U.S. marine. Alec lost his life in the line of service in Afghanistan in 2012, and I proudly wear his memorial bracelet around my wrist as a reminder of that sacrifice. This day honors James, CPL James Bethel Gresham from Evansville, IN. He is in the history books for being among the first American soldiers to give their lives in the line of duty during World War I. This day honors Charles, SGT Charles G. Ruble of Parker City, IN, who was killed in Europe during World War II in 1944. His remains were recently identified and returned to the United States, and in March, he was buried with full military honors at Arlington National Cemetery. This day honors Christopher. Just 2 weeks ago, we lost SGT Christopher Wesley Curry. Only 23 years old, this Hoosier soldier from Terre Haute, IN, was stationed in Iraq. Those who knew Christopher said: Sgt. Curry's incessant optimism was the hallmark of his personality and often provided respite for others during times of stress. His honesty, lightheartedness, and wit will always be remembered by his brothers in arms. To those who are not here today because they made the ultimate sacrifice for our Nation, we humbly say thank you. Their legacy lives on in the hearts of every American. God bless America. I yield the floor.

Mr. YOUNG

Mr. YOUNG. Mr. President, I thank my colleague from West Virginia. It is such a delight to serve with her and hear the stories of so many great Americans from across the country who are stepping up during this time of need. We are passing through a painful period. I think it is safe to say that it is one we never imagined we would live through. It is one I know we will never forget. It is not only the infected that this pandemic has hurt, for the coronavirus is robbing so many Americans of their ability to earn a living. It is taking away businesses they worked for decades to build. New anxieties are everywhere, and routines are upended. Our children are wondering when they will see their friends again and why their graduations were canceled. It is difficult not to feel hopeless or even afraid during times like these. Congress, I know, is sending every necessary support to workers and employers and is sending much needed supplies to medical professionals and hospitals. We are also removing redtape to help our economy withstand this virus and speed medical innovations to treat and to, eventually, cure people. Yet, although our government--a government of the people--is sending relief and will continue to do so, it is really our citizens who are leading the fight outside of government. We are showing a spirit that is uniquely Hoosier and, I dare say, uniquely American. Together, we are doing our parts, and, together, we will pass through this. We see the spirit in the incredible heroism of our healthcare workers and our caregivers. We owe them so much. They have been asked to bear the greatest burden, and they have answered that burden. In so doing, they are sacrificing their own safety and coming to the rescue where medicine cannot. We have seen it, too, in the bravery from those in what we have deemed our essential industries. We know they were essential long before this crisis, but it took this crisis, it seems, to really amplify that fact. We have seen it in the actions of rank-and-file Hoosiers. You know, across my great State, there are countless acts of courage and compassion, Hoosiers who leave groceries on neighbors' doorsteps or who print off 3-D masks, even something as simple as to call an old friend. Maybe they live on their own, and they just need a word, a word so they will not feel lonely. In Floyd County, a florist I know dropped off azaleas at homes around the area. The accompanying notes read: ``During this time of darkness, we hope to bring you a little light.'' I can say these little lights are growing across our State in this otherwise dark time. U.S. marines are taught to confront problems with creative thinking; we like to say to adapt, to improvise, and to overcome. Similarly, when Hoosiers face tough situations, they roll up their sleeves, and they ask: How can I help? When Americans combine our innovative spirit with service to others, we can meet any moment, including the one we are in now. In just recent weeks, I have spoken to more than 22,000 Hoosiers, and I have been moved by the stories of compassion and generosity I have heard. I thought I would share a sampling of those with you today. I heard from Maria with Sowing the Seed. Now, Sowing the Seed began as a ministry, but it has grown into much more than that. In fact, it is a massive community project in Vincennes. They are sewing masks for those in nursing homes, seniors, the immunocompromised, and others during these challenging times. Twila, with Sure Clean, Inc., told me about their efforts to sanitize over 4,000 masks. Willie and I connected from Jennings County. Willie is helping out his fellow veterans. He is delivering food, mowing grass, doing wellness checks--doing his part. Sean and Ben with Olio--a startup in Indiana--are helping hospitals across the Hoosier State to coordinate patient care and reduce the further spread of this virus. Darrell, with Lifeline Youth Ministries, is making food boxes for kids in Elkhart, and he has provided hundreds of meals already. I also spoke with Crossroads Distillery, Huber's Starlight Distillery, and French Lick Winery, which have completely revamped their operations and are now producing and distributing hand sanitizer. The list of those who are asking how they can help and who are finding innovative ways to do so is, frankly, too long to recite here. This fight against the coronavirus has catalyzed our American can-do spirit. Problem solvers across this great Nation are taking the initiative, and to them, we say thank you. Let us move forward, intent that we and future generations might draw energy from this moment forever, and let us resolve to find new ways to be better citizens by using our God-given talents to serve others. The days ahead will not be easy, but we will endure them. The clouds will part, and when they do, we will care for those who have been hurt. We will rebuild what we have lost, and we will do it with the same spirit with which we are now fighting this virus. Thank you

Mr. YOUNG

Mr. YOUNG. Mr. President, growing up, my dad used to tell me on a regular basis: ``You should never speak up unless you can improve upon the silence.'' I tried to take that to heart in my personal life and in my professional life. Today I feel like I can improve upon the silence. I have a deep conviction that the U.S. Senate is not living up to the expectations of the American people. The American people deserve a U.S. Senate as good as the American people. They deserve a U.S. Senate that is responsive when they need government most. I suppose it is fashionable these days to use so many of our institutions in society to elevate ourselves. Well, folks, this institution--this institution--its credibility is at stake. The American people need this institution to function. I was a U.S. marine after graduating from college, and I never saw a war. I never saw a national emergency or a major crisis. I am very straightforward about that, but I have to say, I was ready for a war. I was prepared for that big day when the United States of America really, really needed me, and I made sure all of my marines were prepared. We were prepared to do our duty when it mattered most. As it relates to this pandemic, I have to say that the American people are ready. Look around. It makes you proud. Are we not a unified people? Are we a Tribal people? There is a lot of conversation about that among political circles. Spend some time in my neighborhood. Spend some time back home in Indiana right now. Maybe it took some separation, some social distancing. Maybe it took some time away from work, some time away from social gatherings. Maybe it took cancellation, unfortunately, of March Madness, the NCAA tournament, to remind us all that we are deeply connected with one another. And we long for those connections, regardless of political philosophy and regardless of the fact that we have an election going on. That is not what is real important to regular people. Americans are coming together. They are ready for this emergency, and this is, indeed, an emergency. Make no mistake, look across the country at all the National Guards who are being mobilized. This is an emergency that people in my home State have been responding to favorably. The Senate needs to as well. Folks in my neighborhood are putting bags of groceries on people's doorsteps who are unable to go out and get groceries themselves. I know this from my own family. They are calling senior citizens they know who they think are probably lonely at this time. They are coming together. Back in Evansville, one of my friends, J.P., who is a business owner and very active in the community, and I were on the phone the other day. I think, like other Members, I have had countless phone calls in the last week or so with businessowners, not-for-profit leaders, healthcare providers, and rank-and-file citizens. This active citizen, this community leader, J.P. in Evansville, says that he was on the phone with the mayor, local business leaders, local healthcare leaders, and a bunch of others from Southern Indiana, and they were all on the same page. They have figured out how to come together, how to solve local problems together. They were all ready to tackle this because they sensed what we should all sense: The sooner you can tackle these challenges, the sooner the pain will end, and the sooner we will reduce anxiety among our neighbors. They are all determined to work together. In fact, he said he had not seen such unity within the community of Evansville, IN, since 9/11. It says a lot. Well, the Senate must be ready. This package, the CARES Act, was negotiated in a bipartisan way--two Democrats, two Republicans, in consultation with each of the varying working groups. They put together a package. It all came together, and it was introduced. It was all bipartisan until it came time to vote on a procedural vote yesterday You know, this virus may seem to many small because it has impacted a small percentage of our population directly, but I have to say that its impact is growing rapidly. The longer it takes us to come together, the more damage that is going to be done. This is an emergency. It is time, my colleagues on the other side of the aisle, to take yes for an answer and not play games. So what does this bill do? It is nothing controversial. It provides additional assistance for healthcare needs. This is a pandemic. We need more masks. We need more PPEs. Our hospitals are swamped. They can't conduct elective surgeries anymore. Their finances are out of whack. We need to help them out. What else does it do? It helps individual Americans. Folks are resource-constrained right now. They can't go to work. So 1,200 bucks, at least for starters, per American; $2,400 per married couple; and an additional $500 if you have dependents--that is really going to make a difference in Hoosiers' lives. We need to make sure that people have lives to go back to once we get through this, as well, and that is why this legislation is designed to provide much needed liquidity for these businesses. They still have debts to pay. They still have debts. They want to make payroll. I can't tell you--I mean, I have talked to so many small businessmen in tears. I have talked to leaders of our largest corporations as well. I will tell you, I talked to a lady who didn't think things looked real good. We didn't really have a whole lot of time to respond to this. Meeting payroll, paying for rent, paying your leases, paying for mortgages, these are the essentials, folks. And this is not 2008. That was a horrible crisis. But we are coming off of the best economy, arguably, in five decades. And because the economy was so good, people were optimistic about the future. And through no fault of their own, businessmen did sort of the rational thing. They invested in the future, the property, the plant, and the equipment that is required to grow. They were working on taking market share. All of those who believe in the free enterprise system can associate ourselves with what they were trying to accomplish. But 2008 was a little different. The economy was lethargic. The bottom fell out of the economy. In sort of an ironic twist, when the economy is down, people are paying down their debts. They are bolstering that balance sheet. They are maintaining some liquid assets in anticipation of further tough times. We don't have that benefit right now. We can measure the prospects of our employers in days. For many of them, it is too late. The U.S. Senate needs to treat this like an emergency because it is an emergency. So what else does this legislation do? Well, there is a category--let me just group it together. Let me call it, incontrovertibly, emergency funding. There is $20 billion for veterans' healthcare; $11 billion for vaccines, therapeutics, diagnostics, and other preparedness needs, masks, gloves, and ventilators; $75 billion for hospitals; $4.5 billion for the Centers for Disease Control; $12 billion for America's military as it helps respond to this pandemic, and so on. That is what the bill is all about. That is what we are fighting about. So what happened? How did things go off track? Well, it may surprise some folks, but I have a very positive relationship with the Democratic leader. We just happen to have a lot of principled disagreements. And at the very end of a bipartisan process, when he and other Members of his caucus try and insert provisions pertaining to the Green New Deal and other far-left priorities into this package, then, that, of course, disrupts our emergency response. So now we have Speaker Pelosi, seemingly, hijacking the process. That is right. She is over in the House of Representatives. She is not even part of this body, and her folks are all home. The House isn't in session, but Speaker Pelosi wanted to remain relevant. She decided she wanted to get some TV time, I suppose, and so her proposal involves federalizing voting. We can have an honest debate about whether it is appropriate to federalize the voting system, to mandate early voting, or same-day voter registration. That is something that should be debated in the U.S. Senate because I know it is a priority for so many of my colleagues. Again, there are elements of the Green New Deal. We can debate whether or not there has to be a full offset of airline emissions by 2025 some other time. We can debate whether or not greenhouse gas statistics for individual flights should be widely available. Let's work on that separately after we help the American people. Let's not work on pet priorities. We can debate permanent paid leave--permanent paid leave granted by the Federal Government some other time. This is a pandemic. It is an economic emergency, a public health emergency. The American people want a response. They don't want us to focus on this right now. I made a lot of phone calls in recent days back home. None of this is possible without the wherewithal, without the hard work of sturdy Americans, and without great American innovation, none of the resources that are required to actually sustain our government, to feed our families. People need places to work. Here is what is happening in Indiana, a little snapshot. The RV industry, the global headquarters of the recreational vehicle industry, is in Elkhart, IN. We are seeing RV companies temporarily shutting down in Indiana, and I know we are seeing it across the country. The hotel industry, today, the two largest hotels in Indianapolis had to shut their doors. I am not just talking about buildings shutting their doors; this closure is going to mean the loss of employment for about 780 full-time workers. Think of all of the family members who depend on those workers. This is an emergency. The auto industry--Hoosiers proudly manufacture the components for the auto industry. They assemble those components into finished automobiles. That industry has been brought to a halt on account of this unique crisis, and the worst, we hear, is yet to come. Airlines, they are feeling the most immediate impact. I flew the other day from my home in the Indianapolis area. I flew out of the airport to Washington, DC. It wasn't a chartered flight. I was the only passenger. I was the only passenger on the aircraft. We know that is not a sustainable business model when you are paying for the fuel, you have a pilot, a copilot, a flight attendant, and me. This is an emergency. St. Elmo Steak House is one restaurant of the restaurants across Indiana that have had to close their doors. St. Elmo just had to do it. It is the first time it has had to do it since 1902. They were even able to keep their doors open in the midst of the 1918 flu pandemic. This is bad. This is an emergency. The Senate needs to act. We have Sanjay Patel. He is the president of an Indianapolis-based company, and he and my team spoke recently. He said that he had to lay off at least 100 workers just last week, with another 150 layoffs likely this week. These are families. These are individuals who take pride in their work. They want to go back to work. Here is what Sanjay said: We're thinking of closing a few of them here--it's just deteriorating every day. It was worse last night than the night before, and it was worse the night before than 2 days ago. It's just deteriorating and I think it's just a matter of time [until] we close down. It is an emergency. It is not time for Nancy Pelosi's priorities. It is time for the American people's priorities. We have a baking shop with locations in Carmel and Indianapolis that had to lay some workers off. Their owner said: My heart goes out to my Cake Bake family, whom I was forced to lay off during this horrible virus. I am working with my banks, my insurance company, my accountant and the government to try and create some sort of relief support for my team. I am doing everything in my power to help all 170 of them. All tips received at both of our bakery counters will be divided and shared with our servers. Hoping to get through this difficult time together, coming out on the other end with the safety and health for our families. I heard from a small optometry practice in North Vernon. They have 12 employees. The owner says: We simply don't have the cash to fund their wages while they are off work. I am saving what cash I have to pay them, their vacation and personal day time. We are in trouble and need help. This isn't somebody who is used to asking for help. This is the time to give them help. Let's not allow this legislation to be hijacked. Let's live up to the high standards of the American people. At this difficult moment, let's come together like we did in 9/11, like our country has so consistently when the chips are really down. Let's all take part in this effort. I encourage all of my constituents and anyone else around the country to encourage your Senators--Republicans and Democrats alike. Stand up. Speak out. Send emails. Tell your neighbors. It is time for this body to move. It is time for us to deal with this crisis once and for all. We will make America great again from the bottom up. It doesn't have to take that long. We can bounce back, but the longer we wait, the harder it will be. Let's do our jobs.