April 9, 2020 - Issue: Vol. 166, No. 68 — Daily Edition116th Congress (2019 - 2020) - 2nd Session

[Pages S2167-S2168]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                              CORONAVIRUS

  Mr. McCONNELL. Mr. President, our Nation continues to battle the 
coronavirus pandemic. More than 400,000 Americans have tested positive. 
Nearly 15,000 have lost their lives. Nurses, doctors, and EMTs are 
fighting this disease literally day and night, and important public 
health measures are creating an economic catastrophe.
  This morning, we learned that 6.6 million more Americans filed for 
unemployment in just the last week. That means more than 16 million 
Americans have lost their jobs in only the last 3 weeks, a tragedy that 
is hard to even comprehend. As one journalist put it, we are facing a 
healthcare crisis with an economic crisis strapped to its back. That is 
why, 2 weeks ago, the Senate passed the largest rescue package in 
American history. The bipartisan CARES Act funneled more than $2 
trillion into bold programs to help households, fund hospitals and 
healthcare providers, and keep paychecks coming.
  Before we adjourned, I said the Senate would stay nimble and prepare 
to react quickly as the legislation came online, so that why we are 
here today. Much of the CARES Act is still being implemented, but one 
key program--one key program--is already up and running. It is the 
Paycheck Protection Program from Chairman Rubio, Chairman Collins, 
Senator Cardin, and Senator Shaheen. It gives small businesses 
emergency capital so that workers can keep getting paychecks instead of 
pink slips. Just a few days after the program opened for business, $100 
billion in loans have already been committed. That is 30 percent of the 
total funding spoken for in just the first few days. I say that is very 
good news. It means this job-saving program is attractive to small 
business. Employers can access it. But it also means we need more 
funding, and we need it fast.
  Soon, I will ask unanimous consent to increase the funding for the 
Paycheck Protection Program to a new total of $600 billion. I am not 
talking about changing any policy language that both sides have already 
negotiated together several weeks ago. I am literally talking about 
deleting the number 350 and writing 600 in its place. Let me say that 
again: We are not talking about making any policy changes; we are 
literally changing the number 350 to 600. That is all we are suggesting 
here today. That, by definition, is a clean bill.
  I want to add more money to the only part of our bipartisan bill that 
is currently at risk of running out of money, so I was surprised to see 
this simple proposal met uneasily by the Democratic leadership. The 
distinguished Democratic leader and the Speaker of the House sought to 
use this crucial program to open broader negotiations on other topics, 
including parts of the CARES Act where literally--listen to this, Mr. 
President--literally no money has gone out the door yet--no money has 
gone out the door yet. The Democratic leadership has suggested they may 
hold Americans' paychecks hostage unless we passed another sweeping 
bill that spends a half trillion dollars, doubling down on a number of 
parts of the

[[Page S2168]]

CARES Act, including parts that have not even started to work yet.
  The country cannot afford unnecessary wrangling or political 
maneuvering. Treating this as a normal kind of partisan negotiation 
could literally cost Americans their jobs. We are in a situation right 
now where passing a bill means either unanimous consent or a voice 
vote. Everyone knows--everyone--there is zero chance that the sprawling 
proposal that our Democratic friends have gestured towards could pass 
either Chamber by unanimous consent this week--no chance. The President 
has already indicated he would not sign it. The country needs us to be 
nimble--nimble--to fix urgent problems as fast as we can, to be able to 
have focused discussions on urgent subjects without turning every 
conversation into a conversation about everything. We need to patch 
holes as we see them and keep moving forward together.
  Everybody in the Senate voted to send historic funding to hospitals 
and healthcare providers. Everyone supports funding hospitals. I am in 
favor of even more funding for hospitals and providers down the line. I 
have been talking to a number of them, as I am sure our colleagues 
have, over the last couple of weeks.
  But certainly, we need to see the existing funding begin to work 
before we know what additional resources may be needed. I have been 
urging Secretary Azar to push this money onto the frontlines as soon as 
possible. I am glad tens of billions are going to go out tomorrow. 
There is only one part of the CARES Act that is already--already--at 
risk of exhausting its funding right now--only one part of the CARES 
Act is at risk of exhausting its funding right now: the Paycheck 
Protection Program.
  We are asking small business owners across America to place their 
faith in us. We are asking them to keep workers on payroll because 
Congress, the Treasury, and the SBA will have their back. We must not 
fail them. My colleagues must not treat working Americans as political 
hostages. This does not have to be, nor should it be contentious. We 
don't have to divide along the usual lines so soon after we came 
together for the country.
  To my Democratic colleagues, please--please--do not block emergency 
aid you do not even oppose just because you want something more. Do not 
block emergency aid you do not oppose just because you want something 
more.
  Nobody believes this is the Senate's last word on COVID-19. We don't 
have to do everything right now. In fact, our posture of needing 
unanimous consent does not even permit us to try to do everything right 
now. We cannot play games with this crisis. Let's pass more 
noncontroversial funding for Americans' paychecks. Let's do it today, 
and then let's continue to work together with speed and bipartisanship. 
We will get through this crisis together.

                          ____________________