Floor Statements

Mr. President, on COVID, while the Senate will be busy fulfilling its constitutional duty to advise and consent on Presidential nominees, Democrats remain hard at work preparing the desperately needed COVID relief bill.

Our country is still in the throes of a crisis. Yesterday, we passed that grim milestone of 500,000 deaths, a towering and incomprehensible figure. Millions of Americans have reported being thousands of dollars behind on rent, on utilities. Small businesses are hanging on for dear life. Vaccinating 330 million Americans as efficiently as possible is one of the most crucial and complex undertakings of our times.

What we need to do now is put our foot on the gas to end the pandemic as quickly as possible, get our economy back to normal, and repair the damage that has been done. That is what the American Rescue Plan is all about. It will deliver the resources to keep small businesses afloat; Americans in their homes; and teachers, firefighters, and other essential employees in the public sector on the job.

It will send a direct check to Americans struggling with a once-in-a- lifetime financial burden. It will boost vaccine distribution. And it will provide funding and guidance for schools to reopen as quickly and safely as possible.

That last point, in particular, should appeal to my Republican friends who have been raising concern about school closures. We all want the schools to reopen safely. We are all worried about the cost of virtual learning on children and parents.

The solution is simple. It is not giving a speech here on the Senate floor. It is not criticizing teachers or school administrators. It is giving school districts the funding they need to reopen safely. It is expensive--expensive--to reopen safely during the COVID crisis. We want to do it as quickly as possible, and it is hard to understand that our Republican friends are saying: ``Open up the schools'' and ``I won't vote for any money for the schools'' to do just that. It is a complete contradiction.

The Republican position seems to be that these difficult challenges will fix themselves, that we don't need any more aid; we did enough already. Anyone who knows anything about schools knows, in the vast majority of schools in this country, that is just not the case.

So let our Republican friends put their votes where their speeches are, in helping the schools, in getting the money, in opening the schools safely--not in simply trying to make a political point and then trashing the schools without giving them the money they need. It makes no sense whatsoever. It is a total contradiction.

Also, if we don't act, enhanced unemployment benefits will expire for millions of Americans in need. If we don't act, millions of struggling families will miss out on direct payments and an expansion of the child tax credit and the earned income tax credit. If we don't act, we risk the same long, slow, and painful recovery we experienced after the financial crisis of 2008, when Congress did too little to get our country back on track.

The worst thing we could do would be to slow down now before the race is won. We will not do that. Later this week, the House--and, soon thereafter, the Senate--will start working on President Biden's American Rescue Plan.

Mayors, Governors, and economists from across the political spectrum agree that it should be a sizable effort. Treasury Secretary Yellen told us that ``the smartest thing we can do is act big.'' Federal Chairman Powell warned that we are ``a long way off from full recovery'' and that the greater risk lies in doing too little rather than doing too much.

Most importantly, the American people in poll after poll overwhelmingly approve of President Biden's American Rescue Plan. One of the last polls I saw showed a majority of Republicans--voters, citizens, Americans, Republican citizens, Republican Americans--agree with this plan. The Nation understands that we are not out of the woods yet and that Congress should do what is necessary to finish the job. Where are our Republican friends?

As I have said from the start, Democrats remain committed to working with our colleagues from the other side of the aisle to improve the bill, but at the end of the day, the American people sent us here with a job to do, and the clock is ticking. Democrats will not wait to move forward with the American Rescue Plan and taking the next important step in getting our country back to normal.

Mr. President, today the Senate will complete the confirmation of two key nominees: Linda Thomas-Greenfield to serve as U.N. Ambassador and Tom Vilsack to serve as Agriculture Secretary.

As I said yesterday, the Senate will also confirm Jennifer Granholm this week to serve as the next Energy Secretary and begin the confirmation of Dr. Miguel Cardona to serve as the next Education Secretary. We also hope to do Gina Raimondo, nominee for Secretary of Commerce, early next week.

Each of these nominees has received bipartisan support in committee. Each of these nominees is undoubtedly qualified for their positions, a stark departure from the caliber of nominees the Senate was made to consider during the previous administration.

Make no mistake, the Senate will move quickly to approve key officials in the Biden administration this work period. These Cabinet positions and Agencies have an immense influence over the policies of the United States, impacting hundreds of millions of American lives. At a time of acute national challenge, we need qualified leaders atop our Federal Agencies--and fast. and that is what we intend to do.

Mr. President, finally, January 6 is a day all of us will remember forever. The Capitol was breached by a violent mob. The Confederate flag was flown in the halls of our Union for the first time in American history. Insurrectionists--angry, bigoted--stood a few inches from where I am standing now. It is hard to believe these hallowed halls were occupied by such terrible, awful lawbreakers. Five Americans lost their lives, including a Capitol Police officer.

The impeachment of Donald Trump was one necessary consequence of the attack of January 6, but it is far from the only one. We must and will continue to recon with the events of that day. This morning--in fact, as we speak--the Senate Rules Committee and the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee are holding a joint hearing to examine the attack on the Capitol. The committees will hear important testimony from the acting chief of the Capitol Police, the former chief of police, and former members of the Sergeant at Arms. Later this week, Senators will be briefed by the acting chief of police and the Acting Sergeant at Arms on the current and future security measures around the Capitol.

It is our solemn responsibility to protect the Capitol and everyone who works and visits within it. It is our solemn duty to prevent a day like January 6 from ever, ever being repeated. At the same time, the Capitol has been and must be once again a symbol of democracy that is accessible to the people. No one expects the Capitol to remain a militarized zone in perpetuity. As I said, no one expects the Capitol to remain a militarized zone in perpetuity. We must strive to strike the difficult balance between access and security and better understand the intelligence and security failures that led to the attack on January 6. This will be a crucial and bipartisan undertaking. I am glad that Senators from both the Rules and Homeland Security Committees, from both parties, are starting that important work today.

I now yield the floor.

Madam President, I ask for the yeas and nays.

Madam President, I move to proceed to legislative session.

Madam President, I move to proceed to executive session to consider Calendar No. 16.

Madam President, I send a cloture motion to the desk.

I ask unanimous consent that the mandatory quorum call for the cloture motion be waived.

I suggest the absence of a quorum.

Madam President, it has only been a month since President Biden took the oath of office and Democrats assumed the majority in the Senate, but we have already taken some major steps to repair and rebuild our country.

I said this Chamber would begin its work by accomplishing three immediate tasks: confirming President Biden's nominees, addressing the COVID pandemic with bold legislation, and conducting a fair and honest impeachment trial of Donald Trump. The Senate has made steady progress on all three.

A little over a week ago, we concluded the second impeachment trial of Donald Trump. The House managers presented a powerful, harrowing reconstruction of the former President's role in inciting an attack against our democracy--the greatest offense ever--ever--committed by a President of the United States. Despite the final verdict of this Chamber, Donald Trump deserves to be convicted, and I believe he will be convicted in the court of public opinion. History will judge Mr. Trump harshly, deservedly so, and everyone who condoned the dangerous final acts of his Presidency will live with that in history as well and live rather dishonorably.

Even during the impeachment trial, the Senate advanced the ball on the two other priorities I mentioned. Our committees conducted several confirmation hearings and worked closely with their House colleagues to draft COVID relief legislation. That process is ongoing among Senate Members, as well as over in the House. Now that the trial is complete, we are going to move forward on both fronts.

Democrats remain hard at work preparing the desperately needed COVID relief bill, which is on track to go to the President's desk before the March 14 expiration of unemployment insurance benefits, and starting this evening, the Senate will continue the process of confirming President Biden's nominees with a vote on Linda Thomas-Greenfield to serve as the next U.N. Ambassador.

Ms. Thomas-Greenfield has spent three decades in the U.S. Foreign Service. She is exceptionally qualified, and that was reflected in the bipartisan support she received from the Foreign Relations Committee. If confirmed, she will assume the role of U.N. Ambassador at a time when the nations of the world must deepen their cooperation on the fight against COVID-19 and the fight against climate change, among other critical priorities. She will have no time to waste in rebuilding America's reputation and reasserting the first instrument of American power--diplomacy. I look forward to voting in favor of her nomination.

After that, the Senate will immediately proceed to the nomination of Tom Vilsack to serve as the Secretary of Agriculture. Mr. Vilsack is no stranger to the Senate confirmation process or to the Department of Agriculture in having served as its Secretary under President Obama. The former Governor of Iowa has made a career out of caring for and supporting our Nation's farmers. Mr. Vilsack was approved by the Agriculture Committee by a unanimous vote. I expect he will receive the same bipartisan reception by the full Senate.

For the rest of the week, we will continue to confirm Members of the President's Cabinet: first, Jennifer Granholm to serve as the Secretary of Energy; second, Dr. Miguel Cardona to serve as the Secretary of Education. Both nominees have been advanced by the respective committees with bipartisan votes--a pattern this week.

At a time when our Nation is gripped by a once-in-a-century crisis, the President deserves to have his nominees approved quickly by this Chamber so they can immediately get to work healing our great country

Madam President, I move to proceed to legislative session.

Madam President, I move to proceed to executive session to consider Calendar No. 9.

Madam President, I send a cloture motion to the desk.

Madam President, I now ask unanimous consent that the Senate resume consideration of the Thomas-Greenfield nomination as provided under the previous order.

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that upon the conclusion of morning business on Tuesday, February 23, the Senate resume consideration of Executive Calendar No. 10, Linda Thomas- Greenfield; that at 11:30 a.m., all postcloture time on the Thomas- Greenfield nomination be considered expired and the Senate vote on the confirmation of the nomination; further, that notwithstanding the provisions of rule XXII, at 2:15 p.m., the Senate resume consideration of Executive Calendar No. 7, Thomas Vilsack, with 20 minutes for debate, as provided under the previous order; that upon the use or yielding back of that time, the Senate vote on the confirmation of the Vilsack nomination; and that upon disposition of the Vilsack nomination and if cloture has been invoked on Calendar No. 11, the Senate vote on confirmation of the Thomas-Greenfield nomination; finally, that if any of the nominations are confirmed, the motions to reconsider be considered made and laid upon the table with no intervening action or debate and the President be immediately notified of the Senate's actions.

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Senate proceed to legislative session and be in a period of morning business, with Senators permitted to speak therein for up to 10 minutes each.

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that when the Senate completes its business today, it adjourn until 10:30 a.m., Tuesday, February 23; further, that following the prayer and pledge, the morning hour be deemed expired, the Journal of proceedings be approved to date, the time for the two leaders be reserved for their use later in the day, and morning business be closed; further, that upon conclusion of morning business, the Senate proceed to executive session as provided under the previous order. Finally, I ask unanimous consent that the Senate recess following the cloture vote on the Thomas-Greenfield nomination until 2:15 p.m.