Floor Statements

Madam President, I move to proceed to legislative session.

Madam President, we all know of the crisis in America-- the greatest economic crisis in 75 years since the New Deal, the greatest healthcare crisis in 100 years since the Spanish pandemic flu. Americans are suffering and hurting, losing jobs, businesses closing, can't feed their families, being evicted from their homes.

We are in a very, very difficult situation. We cannot afford to dither, delay, or dilute. We need a big, bold package along the lines of what President Biden has proposed, the American relief plan.

We hope our Republican colleagues will join us in offering amendments. Of course, as you know, as the reconciliation process moves forward, it is open to amendments and suggestions. We want it to be a bipartisan proposal, but we also know that we must move forward with the crisis in America. That is why today's vote is a very good vote, because it sets us on the process of moving forward and solving this-- one of the greatest crises America has ever had.

I move to proceed to Calendar No. 4, S. Con. Res. 5, the concurrent resolution on the budget.

I ask for the yeas and nays.

Madam President, I ask unanimous consent that the Committee on the Judiciary be discharged from further consideration and the Senate now proceed to S. Res. 23.

I ask unanimous consent that the resolution be agreed to, the preamble be agreed to, and that the motions to reconsider be considered made and laid upon the table.

Madam President, I ask unanimous consent that the Senate proceed to the consideration of S. Res. 25, submitted earlier today.

I ask unanimous consent that the resolution be agreed to, the preamble be agreed to, and the motions to reconsider be considered made and laid upon the table with no intervening action or debate.

Madam President, I ask unanimous consent that when the Senate completes its business today, it adjourn until 9 a.m., Wednesday, February 3; 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 the conclusion of morning business, the Senate resume consideration of S. Con. Res. 5, with 31 hours remaining.

Mr. President, if there is no further business to come before the Senate, I ask unanimous consent that it stand adjourned, under the previous order.

Madam President, I ask unanimous consent that the order for the quorum call be rescinded.

Madam President, first, I ask unanimous consent that the 5:30 p.m. confirmation vote on the nomination of Alejandro Mayorkas to be Secretary of the Department of Homeland Security occur on Tuesday, February 2, at 2:30, with all other provisions of the agreement remaining in effect.

Madam President, at the beginning here, I want to briefly address the deeply disturbing reports of a coup in Myanmar. We are monitoring the situation with great concern, and the Biden administration is already providing briefings to the Hill on the state of affairs. Congress stands ready to work collaboratively with the new administration to resolve the situation.

I know this is a region of longstanding concern and interest to the Republican leader, so I hope that we can productively work together in a bipartisan fashion to determine the best course of action for America's interest and for the people of Myanmar.

Madam President, next, this week the Senate will continue to confirm President Biden's outstanding Cabinet nominees. We had intended to finish the confirmation of Alejandro Mayorkas to serve as Secretary of Homeland Security today, but unfortunately, with winter storms hitting much of the east coast, Mr. Mayorkas's confirmation will be delayed until tomorrow to accommodate Members who are having difficulty getting here.

We will also vote tomorrow on the confirmation of former South Bend Mayor Pete Buttigieg to serve as our Nation's next Secretary of Transportation. Mr. Buttigieg is an impressive public servant who has already earned the respect and confidence of both sides. He was reported out of the committee last week on an overwhelming bipartisan vote, and I look forward to confirming his nomination tomorrow.

Now, as we process these nominations on the floor, our Senate committees are hard at work preparing the next slate of nominees, including Secretaries of Agriculture, Energy, Veterans Affairs, Commerce, Education, Labor, EPA, and more. We have a lot of work to do here, but the Senate is going to press forward on these nominations as quickly as possible

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

Madam President, over the past week, the Senate has been confirming President Biden's Cabinet nominees with significant cooperation between both parties. Today, however, the Republican minority has forced the Senate to jump through a series of procedural hoops that will further delay the confirmation of one of our country's chief national security officials, the Secretary of Homeland Security.

It has now been 8 days since President Biden was sworn into office, and as a result of an objection from one Member--just one Member from the Republican minority--it will be another 4 days until we can complete the confirmation of Mr. Mayorkas to be our next Secretary of Homeland Security. What could have been the tidy work of a few hours on President Biden's first day will drag on for a week and a half. Make no mistake about it--he will be confirmed. This dilatory action will not succeed, but it will prevent the Senate from doing other important business.

It has become a point of pride for the Republican leadership to say that they are treating President Biden's nominees more fairly than Mr. Trump's, but I remind my colleagues that former President Trump had his first DHS Secretary, Secretary Kelly, confirmed on his Inauguration Day.

There is a reason that there has been bipartisan cooperation in the past to confirm the Homeland Security Secretary. Whatever our differences on policy, both parties have agreed that the prolonged delay of these nominations is no good--no good--for our national security.

That is particularly the case right now. Our government recently suffered an unprecedented cyber attack. In the wake of January 6, the threat of violence and domestic terrorism remains a great concern. But because of the tactics of some Republican Members--particularly the junior Senator from Missouri--Mr. Mayorkas's nomination is being needlessly stalled.

My friends on the other side don't have to agree with Mr. Mayorkas on the final points of every policy. I am sure they don't share the exact views of every appointment to a Democratic President's Cabinet. But that is not a sufficient reason to oppose a nomination, especially one as important as Homeland Security.

You don't have to take my word for it; listen to Michael Chertoff, President Bush's former DHS Secretary. He said:

If members of Congress want to contest elements of

[Biden's] proposal[s], they are free to do so. . . . But

hostage taking is not an appropriate way to do this,

particularly if a result of that is to put the lives of [the

American people] in jeopardy.

Chertoff went on to say that actions to thwart Mayorkas's nomination were ``irresponsible and unconscionable.'' ``Irresponsible and unconscionable''--

that is President Bush's former Secretary of Homeland Security, not a Democrat.

Well, the Senate is not going to tolerate this irresponsible and unconscionable delay. Despite the tactics from the Republican side, the Senate will begin work on this crucial nomination today, and he will be confirmed.

Now on COVID, Madam President, quickly, this Chamber must also consider additional relief for the American economy and the American people suffering from the prolonged effects of COVID-19. Congress must pursue a bold and robust course of action to defeat the disease, recover our economy, and get our country back to normal. Again, our country requires bold and robust action.

A trio of economic news items this week has underlined the glaring needs in the country.

First, the Federal Reserve issued a sobering warning yesterday that the pace of economic recovery is weakening, and as a result, they decided to leave interest rates low.

Second, the unemployment report this morning reminded us that jobless claims are still extremely high--at or near 1 million per week. That is a lot larger than usual.

Third and maybe most astoundingly, most striking, the Bureau of Economic Analysis this morning revealed that last year, the economy shrank by 3.5 percent--the worst year for economic growth since World War II and the first time our economy has contracted since the great recession.

Given these economic numbers, the need to act big and bold is urgent. Given the fact that the GDP sunk by 3.5 percent last year, we need recovery and rescue quickly. Everywhere you look, alarm bells are ringing--mortgage deferrals are increasing, businesses are still closing, schools are closed in many States, restaurants and bars and travel are in crisis.

Our new Secretary of Treasury, Janet Yellen, who was days ago confirmed with the support of 84 Members of this body and a large majority of our Republican colleagues, just told us that ``with interest rates at historic lows, the smartest thing we can do is act big.'' That is what Yellen said. ``[T]he smartest thing we can do is act big.''

Given these numbers, given the weakening state of the economy, only big, bold action is called for. To cut things dramatically at a time when the economy needs a boost would be irresponsible and hurt millions of people.

We are in the midst of a once-in-a-century crisis. It requires a once-in-a-century effort to overcome it. The dangers of undershooting our response are far greater than overshooting. We should learn the lesson from 2008 and 2009, when Congress was too timid and constrained in its response to the global financial crisis and it took years-- years--for the economy to get out of recession. We must not repeat that mistake today.

So the Senate, as early as next week, will begin the process of considering a very strong COVID-relief bill. Our preference is to make this important work bipartisan, to include input, ideas, and revisions from our Republican colleagues or bipartisan efforts to do the same. But if our Republican colleagues decide to oppose this urgent and necessary legislation, we will have to move forward without it. We have a responsibility to help the American people fast, particularly given these new economic numbers. The Senate will begin that work next week.

I yield the floor.

I suggest the absence of a quorum.

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

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.