Floor Statements

Mr. President, I share my colleague's interest in supporting the men and women at Customs and Border Protection, but this amendment does the opposite. In fact, what it does is strip them of critical emergency support to them and other frontline Federal employees who are working to protect our country. In fact, 8,000 of the Federal employees at CBP have tested positive for COVID-19. Twenty- seven have died.

Your amendment would strip away emergency medical leave for these men and women who are protecting us while keeping the provisions in the bill that provide a 100-percent tax credit to private employers to provide up to $511 a day in sick leave, a provision I support.

So here you are targeting the men and women who are protecting our country at the border and other places by stripping them of their ability to take sick leave and keeping in the provision that allows our private sector neighbors to provide sick leave. This is, unfortunately, just aimed at undermining the folks who are helping protect this country on the frontline. I ask my colleagues to oppose the amendment.

Mr. President, I ask for 15 seconds.

I just want to point out that if we want to prevent the spread of the virus, we need to make sure those who get it have a chance to stay home and not spread it among their colleagues around the country.

Vote on Amendment No. 1383

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 when the Senate completes its business today, it adjourn until 9 a.m. Friday, March 5; 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; finally, that following morning business, the Senate resume consideration of H.R. 1319, and there be 3 hours of debate remaining, with the time equally divided and controlled between the two managers or their designees; and that it be in order for Senator Sanders to offer the first amendment.

Mr. President I strongly support the nomination of Cecilia Rouse to chair the Council of Economic Advisors. Dr. Rouse's career has focused on strengthening labor markets for American workers, improving our education system, and addressing the structural inequities that stand in the way of making the economy work for all Americans. She brings exactly the right experience and expertise that we need to help our Nation weather the economic storm caused by the pandemic and build back better.

Dr. Rouse was one of the clearest voices on the problem of long-term unemployment following the last recession. The discussions that my colleagues and I have already had with Dr. Rouse make clear that she remains focused on helping workers who lost their jobs get back to work as the economy recovers it and, going forward, on preventing the problem of chronic long-term unemployment that we saw even before the pandemic.

If confirmed, Dr. Rouse would be the first African-American and the fourth woman to lead the Council of Economic Advisors in its 74 year history. She has been a strong leader in academia and government, and I urge my colleagues to support her confirmation.

Vote on the Rouse Nomination

The PRESIDING OFFICER (Mr. Peters.) All postcloture time has expired.

The question is, Will the Senate advise and consent to the Rouse nomination?

Mr. President, I rise today to express my support for the confirmation of Governor Gina Raimondo, an experienced and dedicated public servant, to be Secretary of the Department of Commerce. I believe Gina Raimondo's extensive leadership experience serving the people of Rhode Island as Governor positions her well to lead the Biden administration's ambitious agenda at the Department of Commerce.

As Secretary of Commerce, Governor Raimondo will take on challenges that directly affect my home State of Maryland. That starts with fighting for an inclusive economy with shared prosperity that truly works for everyone. The struggles of low-income and minority communities hardest hit by the pandemic have shone a harsh light on inequities ingrained in our economy. We must root out these structural problems by supporting the work of vital institutions like the Minority Business Development Agency and Economic Development Administration. And small businesses will continue to need assistance for the remainder of the COVID-19 pandemic and long afterward to ensure that we emerge from this crisis with a more resilient economy. We also need to ensure that the United States can compete in international trade by leveraging the International Trade Administration's enforcement capabilities and strengthen our manufacturing sector by harnessing the power of the National Institute of Standards and Technology, located in Gaithersburg. We must also support the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's work to fight the devastating impact of climate change and protect Maryland's Chesapeake Bay. Finally, we must improve and depoliticize our census process, which still faces challenges of data accuracy, quality, and protection.

I am confident in Gina Raimondo's ability to take on these urgent challenges. I voted yes on her nomination and look forward to working closely with her in the years ahead to build a resilient economy that works for every American.

Mr. President, after 4 years of Secretary DeVos' efforts to promote greater privatization of our education system and dismantle the civil rights of students, Miguel Cardona is the person we need to restore the promise of America's schools. A former public school teacher who went on to be a leader in the same district where he was once an English learner, Dr. Cardona has demonstrated a lifelong commitment to our public schools and the belief that all children are entitled to a quality education in a safe and nurturing learning environment. He also has a proven track record of effectively responding to the pandemic, helping students overcome the digital divide, and safely reopening schools as the Connecticut Education Commissioner.

The pandemic has upended our education system, disrupting learning and exacerbating inequities. From day one as Secretary of the Department of Education, Dr. Cardona will need to be prepared to meet the challenges facing our students and educators, from addressing learning loss and social, emotional, and mental health to reversing declining higher education enrollment rates and a sky-rocketing affordability crisis. Additionally, as deep disparities continue to shortchange low-income students, students of color, and students with disabilities, Dr. Cardona will be a key partner in working toward closing these funding and educational opportunity gaps.

I am proud to support Dr. Cardona's nomination, and I look forward to working together to at last make good on our promises to fully fund title I and IDEA, to expand access to quality early childhood education and community schools, and to ensure higher education is accessible for everyone.

Mr. President, now is the time to take substantive action to transition to renewable resources, combat climate change, and build a brighter future for Americans. To help manage that transition, President Biden has nominated Jennifer Granholm to be the Secretary of Energy.

As the first female Governor and first female attorney general in Michigan history, Granholm oversaw the State's response to the great recession and worked closely with the Obama administration to save the Nation's auto industry and 1 million jobs. Granholm embraced innovative ideas to electrify the auto industry, stimulate State-wide job growth, and build the State's clean energy sector. She founded the American Jobs Project to promote technological advancements and clean energy policies to spark job creation and continues to push for clean energy policy nationwide.

Additionally, Granholm backed tax credits and incentives for wind and solar and signed legislation requiring Michigan to get 10 percent of its energy from renewable sources. She is eminently qualified to spearhead research and development and set policies to reach President Biden's stated goal of getting to a 100-percent carbon pollution-free power sector by 2035.

Granholm received bipartisan support from the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee, and we should follow their lead. She knows that clean energy is the key to creating millions of good jobs and mitigating climate change and is dedicated to advancing our Nation's nuclear security. For these reasons, I support Jennifer Granholm's nomination for Secretary of Energy.

Mr. President, I rise in support of the nomination of Ambassador Linda Thomas-Greenfield to be the United States Ambassador to the United Nations.

Our next U.N. Ambassador will inherit the monumental task of rebuilding our frayed alliances after four years of isolation and division, in which the United States retreated from our leadership role in promoting democracy, freedom, human rights, and the rule of law. There is no person better suited to this task than Ambassador Linda Thomas-Greenfield.

In a Foreign Service career spanning more than three decades, Ambassador Thomas-Greenfield served with distinction both in Washington and around the globe, including at the U.S. Mission to the United Nations that she will now lead.

As the son of a Foreign Service Officer and cochair of the Senate Foreign Service Caucus, I am also acutely aware of the significance of President Biden selecting a career Foreign Service Officer for this position. For 4 years, members of the Foreign Service have been maligned, demeaned, and marginalized by the people trusted to lead them. The selection of a career Foreign Service Officer to represent the United States at the United Nations marks a sharp turn away from that shameful chapter.

I look forward to working with Ambassador Thomas-Greenfield as we take on the difficult work of restoring our standing in the world, rebuilding our alliances, and investing in the men and women of our Foreign Service. I am proud to support her nomination.

Madam President, as the United States is facing its worst hunger crisis since the Great Depression and family farms are struggling, President Biden has nominated Thomas Vilsack to reprise his role as Secretary of Agriculture and capably steward the Department to address

these critical needs and support our rural communities.

Mr. Vilsack served as Agriculture Secretary for all 8 years of the Obama administration, overseeing investments in rural communities, healthier school meals, and better food safety standards. He also chaired the first White House Rural Council, which streamlined the effectiveness of Federal programs serving rural America, engaged stakeholders on issues and solutions in rural communities, and promoted and coordinated private-sector partnerships in those communities.

Our agricultural landscape has changed over the last 4 years, and we must accelerate our transition to net-zero agriculture by incentivizing practices like crop-covering and carbon sequestration. Agricultural conservation practices are also critical for achieving the pollution- reduction targets for nitrogen, phosphorus, and sediment under the Chesapeake Bay TMDL. I look forward to working closely with Mr. Vilsack to advance our climate goals.

Additionally, as communities of color experience disproportionate economic hardships as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic in addition to decades of discrimination within USDA, I will hold Mr. Vilsack to his promise to ``fully deeply and completely address[ing] inequities'' within the department and show ``zero tolerance for discrimination.''

Thomas Vilsack has the experience and insight to provide immediate relief to our struggling farmers, families, and rural communities. For these reasons, I support his nomination for Secretary of Agriculture.

Mr. President, I send a question to the desk for the House managers.

Madam President, I rise to support the nomination of Denis McDonough to be Secretary of the Department of Veterans Affairs. Mr. McDonough brings to this position a wealth of experience as a national security professional and White House Chief of Staff. He knows how to solve problems, break down bureaucratic silos, and deliver results.

As the VA Secretary, Mr. McDonough will face a host of new challenges brought on by COVID-19. I appreciate his commitment to addressing these issues head-on, including the need to lead an aggressive effort to vaccinate veterans and their healthcare providers, ensure that claims are processed in a timely manner, and review the proposed rule on VA home loans exiting COVID-19 forbearance.

In addition to the immediate challenges posed by the COVID-19 pandemic, I know that one of Mr. McDonough's priorities is to tackle the structural needs of the VA. I am also pleased that Mr. McDonough has already promised to defend the VA healthcare system against efforts at privatization. Additionally, I am grateful for Mr. McDonough's assurances that he will act assertively to create a culture of zero tolerance toward sexual harassment and assault in the Department. This is of particular importance after a VA inspector general's report found that his predecessor engaged in active measures to discredit a congressional staffer who reported that she was sexually assaulted at a VA medical center. We must ensure that our women veterans are treated with dignity and respect at all VA facilities.

I also want to applaud Mr. McDonough's pledge to make ending veteran homelessness a national priority. My home State of Maryland has been a national leader in this effort. Montgomery County, MD, effectively ended veteran homelessness in 2015, and the Veterans Village in Perryville is creating a model for using VASH vouchers to build supportive communities that house and provide services to homeless veterans. The State is also moving forward with an aggressive effort to build a second veterans home in Sykesville. This is a moral imperative, and Maryland has been leading the way. I trust that we will have the same level of urgency from the VA under Secretary McDonough, and I look forward to continuing the partnership on these efforts.

The Department of Veterans Affairs provides crucial services, care, and peace of mind for our Nation's 18 million veterans. The VA has more to do to make sure that the care that it provides is worthy of those who served our Nation. I believe that Mr. McDonough's experience has prepared him well to continue that effort, and I support his nomination.

Mr. President, let me start by thanking my colleague from Delaware for outlining the urgency of the moment and reminding us that the United States is not an island; that we have to address these issues together. And I am pleased to see President Biden reasserting American global leadership on all sorts of fronts, including the healthcare front.

Mr. President, I come to the floor today to support the budget resolution that is before us. As our country together fights the COVID- 19 health crisis and the economic fallout, more than 450,000 of our fellow Americans have died of COVID-19--200,000 more than the country that has experienced the next highest death toll. It is an unacceptable toll of suffering, and the economic fallout is painful as well.

Main Street is struggling. We have seen thousands of small businesses shuttered. Our students are facing an ever-widening education gap. Families are contending with mounting bills and food insecurity. It is a crisis that has upended every part of American life and which has disproportionately harmed working families, communities of color, our children, and the elderly.

I am glad that this Congress has been able to come together on a bipartisan basis before to deliver important emergency relief, but now is not the time to pat ourselves on the back and say we are done and throw in the towel. We need to go big, and we need to do it before it is too late, so we can beat this virus, get help to those who are hardest hit, and put our economy on the road to recovery. We must pass a package that meets the moment, and that is what the Biden proposal does: beating the pandemic by accelerating the delivery of vaccines and testing, helping to get our students back into school as fast as possible, and do it safely, and get our economy moving again--an economy that continues to suffer the wounds of the pandemic that has killed jobs and ballooned unemployment.

Right now, we are seeing a K-shaped recovery, a tale of two economies. Some people are bouncing back just great, like a V shape, but many others are flatlined or actually going further and further under. At the very top, the wealthy are doing just great. The stock market had a good year in 2020. The S&P 500 went up 16 percent. But it is no secret that stock holdings are concentrated among the very elite and that almost half of all American households have no stock holdings at all, including in 401(K) or other retirement plans. So don't tell me that the country is doing well because the stock market is up because the stock market conceals the whole other economy.

Here is a little story that illustrates the point, which is that in Baltimore City, per capita income is roughly $54,000, but if last year Jeff Bezos moved to Baltimore City, the average per capita income would be $175,000. People struggling in Baltimore City would be no better off, but it would appear that way if you simply look at the averages.

So, as we look at these economic figures, let's remember that averages conceal the real hurt being experienced by so many people. In fact, over 18 million of our fellow Americans are relying on unemployment benefits right now to sustain themselves and their families, and that relief will begin to expire in mid-March if we don't act.

Four million Americans have been out of work and looking for a job for at least 6 months. The harsh reality is that the longer someone is unemployed, the harder it is for them to get a new job, and when they do, it is often at a much lower wage, and that lower pay then follows them for decades. That is the story of countless American families holding on today against the torrent of financial hardship.

So to those who claim ``Don't worry. This is all going to blow over. Let's just delay our efforts to provide urgently required relief'' or ``Let's provide less,'' I say let's look at the hard facts.

If you look at the projections that just came out from the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office, they indicate that unemployment will remain above 4 percent until the year 2025 unless we do something different. That means that even after the last vaccine shot goes into the last arm, we may be caught in the wake of this economic down tow for years unless we act now.

So we shouldn't get complacent. We shouldn't look at those overall average numbers. We shouldn't look at the stock market. We should listen to the stories of people who are suffering, and if we don't act, they will be suffering for much longer than they have to. That is why it has been said that the risk is not that Congress might do too much but that we might do too little.

I remind my colleagues that we have been in this place before. Many of my colleagues on the Democratic side of the aisle have scar tissue from 2009. Remember, we were facing a financial meltdown that was taking the entire economy under, and here in the U.S. Senate at that time, then-President Obama was working to get a big economic relief package through. They had plenty of Democrats--at least 57 Democrats were on board; a majority of this body--but needed just some Republicans to join in this effort. Well, what happened was that the proposal, the bold proposal, got negotiated down and down and down and then barely squeaked by the U.S. Senate.

Even after all that long, bipartisan negotiating, in the House of Representatives, not a single Republican Congressperson voted for that bill. So we ended up with a divided Congress and an inadequate recovery bill, and our Republican colleagues spent the next many, many years complaining that the economic recovery after the downturn had taken too long. It was the longest and slowest economic recovery in history, when if we had been permitted to go big and bold, we could have changed that trajectory.

That is why Secretary of the Treasury Janet Yellen said that now we have to go all in. She said:

Neither the President-elect--

This was her earlier testimony--

nor I propose this relief package without an appreciation for

this country's debt burden. But right now, with interest

rates at historic lows, the smartest thing we can do is act

big. In the long run, I believe the benefits will far

outweigh the costs, especially if we care about helping

people who have been struggling for a very long time.

Even President Trump's former top economist, Kevin Hassett, supported that assessment and has said that if we don't act now, we could end up in a negative spiral for the economy.

The American public sees this very clearly. If you just look at recent polls, 70 percent of the American public is fully on board with President Biden's bold plan. That is reflected in a Quinnipiac poll that came out just today. The Navigator data said the same thing. The American public recognizes that we have to act big and we have to act now to make sure that we beat this pandemic and that we get our economy back on track just as soon as possible.

We all would like to have our Republican colleagues as partners in this effort. President Biden has made that very clear. But the overriding priority must be to meet the moment and take care of the needs of the American people. That is what the American people are telling us. I hope all of us will listen.

I yield the floor.

I suggest the absence of a quorum.

Mr. President, I opposed amendment No. 54 proposed by Senator Young because it could prevent more than 3.5 million American citizens with Social Security numbers, including 2 million children, from receiving vital relief if anyone else in their household lacks a Social Security number or uses an Individual Taxpayer Identification number to file their taxes. Before Congress passed an omnibus Covid relief package in December 2020, these mixed-status families were excluded from receiving economic impact payments, including their American citizen children. It is simply wrong and constitutionally suspect to discriminate against this group of American citizens.

Amendment No. 48

Mr. President, I opposed amendment No. 48 proposed by Senator Blunt. Getting our kids back in school is an urgent priority. Children, parents, and educators all struggle with remote learning, especially when far too many children don't have adequate access to the internet. But if we are to open safely and keep kids in school, we must follow evidence-based public health guidance from experts that protects all members of our school communities: students, parents, educators, and staff, alike. Vaccines for educators is a critical step, but schools must have the necessary guidance and resources to implement mitigation strategies to safely reopen, including funds for ventilation improvements, PPE, and robust testing and contact tracing. This amendment would be counterproductive--dangerously penalizing schools, disregarding State and local public health guidance, and blocking access to billions of dollars for our educators and students when they need it most.

The Biden administration has called for cross-agency collaboration to provide guidance and for Congress to provide an additional $ 130 billion in emergency K-12 funding, so our schools can safely return to in-person learning. American families, children, and educators can't afford for us to waste any more time; it is time for Congress to act.

Mr. President, I rise today to express my support for the nomination of Mayor Pete Buttigieg to be the Secretary of the United States Department of Transportation.

I believe Mayor Buttigieg's experience serving the people of South Bend, IN, as mayor and his service in the U.S. Navy Reserve position him well to lead the Biden administration's ambitious infrastructure and climate-related agenda at the Department of Transportation.

In coordination with Congress, Mayor Buttigieg will face numerous challenges as the Transportation Secretary concerning issues important to Marylanders.

We must reauthorize WMATA to maintain and improve metro rail and bus service to Maryland's DC suburbs, develop transit solutions for Baltimore city and other jurisdictions throughout the State, and provide pandemic relief assistance for Maryland's motor coach and transit industries not included in the CARES Act and for whom the most recent bipartisan package was only a down payment.

We also should focus on repairing and modernizing our infrastructure, investing in local projects, working with other Federal partners to expand access to broadband, addressing environmental concerns such as air and noise pollution plaguing our communities from air traffic, and connecting communities through the removal of aging infrastructure. As Secretary of Transportation, Pete Buttigieg will also play a vital role in implementing Presidents Biden's climate change agenda.

As one of the youngest Cabinet Secretaries in decades and the first openly gay member of a Presidential Cabinet, Mayor Buttigieg's nomination presents an opportunity to bridge the gap between the Federal Government and younger generations of Americans and communities traditionally underrepresented by leadership in government.

I am confident in Mayor Buttigieg's ability to take on these urgent challenges. And I look forward to voting yes on his nomination and working closely with him in the years ahead to tackle the issues facing our national infrastructure and transportation system.

Madam President, I rise to express my support for the nomination of Mr. Alejandro Mayorkas to serve as Secretary of the Department of Homeland Secretary. His long career in public service, first as a prosecutor and later as Director of the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services--USCIS--will provide DHS with much needed experience, expertise, and stability.

DHS is the third largest Federal agency, and under the Trump administration, it had six Directors in 4 years, four of whom were never Senate confirmed. This lack of stability at the leadership level, combined with the Trump administration's brutal immigration tactics and confrontational actions against peaceful protesters, sowed chaos and distrust in and about the Department.

Mr. Mayorkas will need to meet the challenges of restoring moral authority and guiding the Department through this difficult time. The challenges are many: executing a nationwide vaccine strategy to combat COVID-19, combating the rise of far-right, anti-government extremism and White supremacy, and strengthening our cyber defenses. I was pleased that he committed to supporting both DACA and TPS and working with Congress to support these communities. Maryland has a vibrant TPS population, with over 6,600 TPS holders working in essential industries during the coronavirus pandemic. Congress must act to extend permanent protections to these individuals and ensure that they have a safe and secure future with their families here in the United States. Unlike the previous administration, which torpedoed bipartisan congressional efforts to pass commonsense immigration reform, I am confident that Mr. Mayorkas will work with Congress to tackle these pressing priorities.

I was dismayed that my Republican colleagues sought to delay Mr. Mayorkas's nomination at such a crucial time. Approximately 4 weeks ago, domestic terrorists attacked Congress in an attempt to overturn the 2020 elections. Last week, for the first time, DHS released its first national bulletin warning about domestic rightwing extremism. The Department will need to work with the FBI and DOJ to combat one of the most lethal and persistent threats against our democracy. We cannot wait a minute longer, and Mr. Mayorkas must be confirmed immediately.