July 30, 2020 - Issue: Vol. 166, No. 135 — Daily Edition116th Congress (2019 - 2020) - 2nd Session
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HEALS Act (Executive Session); Congressional Record Vol. 166, No. 135
(Senate - July 30, 2020)
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[Page S4623] From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov] HEALS Act Ms. ROSEN. Mr. President, this Nation faces a moment of crisis. The coronavirus pandemic has taken a serious and devastating toll on our country. Right now, in every corner of America, families are struggling to get by, and they are worried about what the future holds in store for them. Americans are worried about where their next paychecks will come from. They are worried about whether or not they will be able to keep their small businesses open. They are worried about how they will be able to pay their mortgages, their rent, or their utility bills, and they are worried about how they are going to feed their children. As I said before, this is a time of crisis, but it is a moment that we can overcome together. We are a nation that in the face of great challenges has responded with caring and compassionate leadership. COVID-19 is a major challenge--make no mistake about that--but we as a Congress can bring real and meaningful results to the American people. I am sad to say that the legislation introduced by Leader McConnell, the HEALS Act, does not do this. In fact, it does not even come close. This is a bill that slashes Federal unemployment assistance for people who are out of work not due to any fault of their own and because of a deadly pandemic and an unprecedented economic catastrophe. This is a bill that has no money for programs like SNAP to ensure that American children don't go hungry. This is a bill that provides no support to State and local governments so that they can continue to provide critical services during the pandemic. This is a bill that provides no support for the EIDL Program or EIDL Advance, which provide direct support to small businesses to pay their operating expenses. This is also a bill that doesn't even continue the eviction moratorium, putting countless Americans at risk of losing their homes as soon as this weekend when the rent comes due. This is unacceptable. In Nevada, our travel and tourism industry has been hit hard by the pandemic, which has hurt our entire economy. In April, unemployment reached over 30 percent--30 percent. It is the highest in our Nation. Even now, months later, unemployment is still in the double digits--15 percent by the last count--which is more than four times our prepandemic level. Now, just as Nevadans feel that we can't take any more pain, this bill plans to slash unemployment relief? Amidst our unemployment crisis, State and local governments are also struggling. In Nevada and across our country, our public employees have been on the frontlines of the pandemic, fighting against the disease and working to ensure the safety and well-being of all Americans. With little revenue coming in and significant costs going out, our States, our cities, our towns, and our Tribes are now facing massive budget shortfalls that will require cuts to critical programs and which threaten the pay of our teachers, our firefighters, and our first responders. The HEALS Act--Senator McConnell's proposal--has zero funds for any of them. While the majority leader's party prides itself on helping business, our Nation's small businesses, too, are left behind in his legislation. Small businesses, the economic engines that keep our communities going, have been hammered by this pandemic. But the HEALS Act has zero--zero additional funding for the Economic Injury Disaster Loan Program, which has benefited millions of small businesses nationwide, including tens of thousands of small businesses in Nevada. Senator Cornyn and I introduced bipartisan legislation last week that would not only provide $180 billion in funds to the EIDL and EIDL Advance Programs but will also lift the Small Business Administration's arbitrary caps on the loans and grants that all small businesses can receive. Real bipartisan solutions are possible, but our bipartisan proposal to help small businesses is not in Senator McConnell's bill either. Let's be clear. The HEALS Act is not a bipartisan solution, and it does not address all the needs of the American people. Just as a house cannot stand without support from a sturdy foundation, we cannot expect the American people to stand upon a bill that is the legislative equivalent of cheap drywall and a coat of paint. Our constituents, my constituents, need real support, a lifeline, not just window dressing. So I ask my colleagues in this body to rise to the challenge we face and provide that lifeline to the people of Nevada and to all of the American people. Let's help people keep their homes. Let's help families feed their children. Let's help small businesses keep their doors open. We must come together and develop timely, targeted, and thoughtful legislation to protect both the lives and livelihoods of the American people during this crisis. They deserve no less. Across the country right now, scientists and healthcare professionals are working around the clock, maximizing resources, developing innovative ways to protect the health of our Nation and save lives. As they work day in and day out, Congress needs to do the same. The House passed the Heroes Act over 2 months ago. It is long past time for the Senate to get to work. It is imperative that the Senate remain in session and that Senators remain in Washington, working tomorrow through the weekend until the Senate passes a true coronavirus relief bill. Working Americans don't get Fridays off, and neither should Congress. Although we may not agree on every aspect of how to address this crisis, my Democratic colleagues and I stand ready to work across the aisle to deliver relief to the American people. So I ask the majority leader, who controls our schedule--I ask him this: Don't we owe it to our constituents, to the American people, all Americans, to work through the weekend until we have an agreement? The essential workers on the frontlines of this battle aren't taking the weekend off to rest, and neither should we. I yield the floor. The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from Washington.
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