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[Pages S1747-S1748]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
CORONAVIRUS
Mr. McCONNELL. Mr. President, the new coronavirus has spread from
China throughout the world, and it is challenging our Nation in new
ways. Across our country, daily routines are being disrupted, families
are grappling with school closings and changes to childcare, major
American companies and institutions are literally modifying how they do
business, and a growing number of Main Street small businesses face the
possibility of significant disruptions as more and more communities
begin to ``hunker down,'' as Dr. Fauci put it, on the advice of public
health experts and local leaders.
As an aside, I have noticed that a lot of the discussion in the media
has focused on individuals who may be temporarily transitioning from
office work to working from home. So I want to especially acknowledge
the many other hard-working Americans for whom telework is not an
option. Now, more than ever, we are reminded who really keeps this
country running: the hard-working men and women who grow things, who
make things, who drive trucks and move goods across the country, who
mine coal or otherwise produce domestic energy and, literally, power
our communities, who run the stores and shops we rely on, who serve our
communities as police and first responders, and, of course, especially
the dedicated frontline healthcare professionals, who work tirelessly
to heal and protect all the rest of us.
To all Americans--but, most especially, to those hard-working people
whose efforts are going to get our country through this challenge--I
have one message: The Senate stands with you. We stand with American
workers and families, we stand with American businesses, and we stand
with the public health experts and the heroic frontline medical
professionals whom our Nation seems poised to lean on as heavily as we
have at any point in recent memory.
The Senate is committed to meeting these uncertain times with bold
and bipartisan solutions. That is what we did a little more than a week
ago, when the Senate passed billions of dollars in emergency funding
for health and small businesses with an overwhelming bipartisan vote
and put it on the President's desk. That is what we are going to keep
doing this week, particularly if the House of Representatives can
actually complete its work and transmit a finished product of its
relief over to us. And it is what we are going to keep doing in the
days and weeks ahead.
With respect to the House-passed legislation, I understand the House
chose to proceed with their planned 1-week recess, despite not having
finished processing their bill. As of this afternoon, we are still
waiting for the House to reach a decision on possible technical
corrections and to submit a final
[[Page S1748]]
product to us here in the Senate. We cannot consider the legislation
until we get it, but I know that Senators on both sides have spent the
last several days carefully studying the House proposal, and I know
that all of us are eager to act quickly to support American workers,
families, and small businesses.
Even more broadly, Senate Republicans are absolutely convinced that
the House's bill can only be the beginning--just the beginning--of
Congress's efforts to secure our economy and support American families.
This is a unique challenge--a unique challenge. Unlike in any other
tough circumstances, our short-term goal is not simply to bring
economic activity right back to normal starting tomorrow. Instead, our
task is to secure the historically strong foundation of our Nation's
economy and support Americans during this period when public health may
require that some normal activities simply be scaled back.
I have spoken with countless colleagues and committee chairmen over
the last several days. We agree there are three major areas where the
Senate must continue to develop bold and bipartisan action:
No. 1, we will need to take further steps to assist individual
Americans and families with financial challenges in the weeks and
months ahead.
No. 2, we will need to further significant actions to secure our
Nation's economy--particularly Main Street small businesses--and
safeguard our historically strong economic foundation through this
period.
No. 3, we will need further steps to ready our healthcare system and
support our Nation's medical professionals.
The Senate majority is already working toward next steps on all three
of those fronts. I hope further bold action can be just as bipartisan
and collaborative as the process by which we passed the first set of
additional funds. We must work with each other in the bipartisan spirit
this moment demands--and with the administration and the House--to
deliver results for our country.
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