Floor Statements

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 President, I ask unanimous consent that the order for the quorum call be rescinded.

Mr. President, history was made on Monday. Judge Merrick Garland finally got a vote before the Senate Judiciary Committee. It was a long time in coming. His nomination was approved by a bipartisan vote of 15 to 7. I am not surprised. He is superbly qualified to be the next Attorney General of the United States.

With experience, judgment, and integrity, he checks all the boxes. He served with distinction on the DC Circuit Court for 23 years and, in that time, developed a reputation for fidelity to the rule of law, a strict adherence to judicial independence, and a commitment to treat people with fairness, dignity, and respect. It is no surprise that he has been endorsed by 60 former Federal judges and by judges, of course, who have been appointed by Presidents of both political parties. In addition to his experience on the bench, he is a longtime veteran of the Department of Justice, where he served before he ascended to the DC Circuit.

He is uniquely qualified at this moment in history to lead the Department and to investigate and prosecute, for example, the January 6 insurrection--the mob that invaded this Capitol Building. The reason he is qualified is that he led the investigation and prosecution of the Oklahoma City bombing. We remember that very well. That was clearly a case of domestic terrorism. His work on that project won praise from across the political spectrum.

He also personally understands the Department's role in protecting civil rights. I believe he is the person to restore honor and dignity to this Department. He has support from every major law enforcement organization in the country, from 150 former Justice Department officials of both parties, from the Nation's leading civil rights organizations, and from many others--left, right, and center. His credentials are second to none, and his character--in particular, his selflessness--is a model to us all.

When we held the markup on his nomination in the committee, the most significant witness may have been a lady by the name of Mrs. Tucker. She testified on the second panel. She is the mother of two DC public school students who were tutored and mentored by Judge Garland. After the first child had received his helping hand for several years, the second child asked if she could be included in the next round, and then they both won the help of Judge Garland. Doesn't it speak volumes of a man who has reached that station in life that he would be so humble as to sit down and help children whom he had never met before find their way through life? It was a touching moment when she testified. It really was an insight into his character.

So you would think, with a 15-to-7 vote, you would think with all of these endorsements, and you would think that the fact of there being four members on the Republican Senate side of the Senate Judiciary Committee behind him that this would be a nomination of an Attorney General so important to this Nation that it would be given expedited treatment on the floor of the Senate. No. Unfortunately, there was an objection to expediting his nomination so he could get to work for the Department of Justice, and, as a consequence, we face the Senate procedure, which means that it could be days, maybe even into next week, before he can take the job. That is unfortunate. We need him now more than ever. Even Republican Leader Mitch McConnell has said he would support him. Chuck Grassley, my friend and the ranking member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, voted for him.

There is just no reason the Senate should not immediately hold a vote for Merrick Garland's nomination. He is the last remaining member of President Biden's national security team to be chosen. It is time for him to take this job. The Attorney General is needed to fight the threat of domestic terrorism, which the FBI Director spoke to yesterday in the Senate Judiciary Committee, to reorganize this Department and get it moving in the right direction, and to face the many challenges when it comes to national security and the administration of justice.

We should confirm Merrick Garland immediately. I sincerely hope that whoever is holding his nomination on the other side can be persuaded to give him his chance

Mr. President, on a different subject, I listened to the speeches of Senator Schumer and Senator McConnell about the American Rescue Plan--Joe Biden's proposal, his initial proposal as President-- to deal with the pandemic, the state of the economy, and many other aspects of American culture and life that need to be addressed. Clearly, there is a difference of opinion.

I couldn't help but think, as Senator McConnell was recounting our experience last year, that when it came to the CARES Act a year ago-- the $2 trillion plan to respond to the state of the pandemic and the economy, the plan that was engineered by Treasury Secretary Mnuchin, a member of the Trump administration, who argued and negotiated with Republicans and Democrats alike--that, when they finally agreed, the vote was 96 to nothing in this Chamber. Every Democrat voted for the proposed CARES Act that was engineered by the Trump administration. Party was pushed aside because the priority was our Nation. It happened again in December of last year. In President Trump's administration, with Treasury Secretary Mnuchin at the table and with Democrats and Republicans bargaining, the final vote was 92 to 6 in the Senate--not bad--and the 6 noes were all Republicans. Again, the Democrats stepped up and said: We will support this bipartisan effort because that is why we are here. The American people sent us here to do a job.

Now comes the new President, Joe Biden, who says: Good work last December, but that was temporary, and that was supposed to be a special effort. Now we have to finish the year. We have some deadlines coming. Just 2 weeks from now--or in less than 2 weeks--the unemployment insurance programs will be running out for millions of Americans, and the rental assistance program as well. Some will face eviction, and some will not have enough money to feed their families. So get to work. Pass the American Rescue Plan on a bipartisan basis.

We have yet to hear from one Republican Senator who will support President Biden's plan. Some of them have

legitimate differences with his policy, and I wish they would come to the table and be a part of the conversation, but none of them has really stepped up and said: We are in for the big effort that the President is calling for. That is what it will take. Unfortunately, because of that, in a 50-50 Senate, we will need every Democratic Senator to support the President's plan and to pass a version of what the House is sending over to us. We will go through an exercise called ``reconciliation'' in just a few days. It is not a pretty scene if you follow legislative history, but it is long overdue.

Do you know the one thing that should drive us on? It is not only the obvious need for this but the fact that the American people overwhelmingly support what President Biden has proposed. The American people believe, as he does, that we should be investing billions into more vaccines and more people to administer them. The American people believe that a cash payment to families is essential in some parts of this country. They would like to see the $600 in last December's bill complemented with the $1,400 in this proposal. They would like for us to put money on the table for people who are unemployed so they can put food on that same table, and they would like for us to get the schools ready to deal with reopening and classes that are safe for the kids and the teachers. There is no argument about that.

While 20 percent of the people may oppose it, 80 percent support it. Yet we can't find one Republican Senator to support President Biden's plan. They say it costs too much. Well, the Chairman of the Federal Reserve, Mr. Powell, a conservative Republican economist, has told us to be careful that you do too little. This economy is fragile. It needs to be strengthened. We need to inject into this economy enough of our resources so that people are back, purchasing again, and businesses are reopened. He has warned us, if you do too little and if you cut it off too soon, you are going to pay for it for years to come with unemployment and problems with the sluggish economy.

My Republican colleagues say it is just too much money. Well, I think they are wrong, and at this moment in history, I am prepared to err on the side of investing in the American people and American businesses and making certain that we have a fighting chance to put this behind us.

Our constituents know about the cost of this situation. They want us to provide the solutions. They want results from Congress. If we were to delay this payment, people would see their unemployment insurance lapse and hardships continue.

We shouldn't play politics with it either. In the two big bills last year, the Democrats were on board for plans engineered by the Trump administration. Economists believe that we need to move and move decisively.

According to an analysis by the Brookings Institution, passing a comprehensive plan like the American Rescue Plan could produce a 4- percent growth in U.S. GDP this year.

Moody's estimates that passing the same plan would create 7\1/2\ million American jobs. How about that?

We got good news over the weekend with the arrival of another safe and effective vaccine. This is the third one, the Johnson & Johnson vaccine, in our arsenal--perhaps more to follow. It holds the promise of finally getting America inoculated, vaccinated, and breaking the back of this pandemic.

This new vaccine prevents hospitalizations and deaths, stored at normal temperatures, a single shot--all good news.

But we need more than a promise of a vaccine. We need a plan. These vaccines are of no good to us sitting on a shelf or not being produced in volumes necessary.

President Biden's rescue plan, which not a single Republican supports, would provide 100 and--I think I have got the number right-- $160 billion in resources for the production of vaccines and the distribution. If we ever needed it, this was the moment.

Thankfully, President Biden's leadership has led to allocations to Illinois of vaccines that have increased by 70 percent since he took over as President. We still have our challenges at the local level.

I want to salute the Governor, JB Pritzker; the mayor of the city of Chicago, Lori Lightfoot; the Cook County Board President Preckwinkle; and all the others who are doing their best.

I announced with Senator Duckworth just last Friday that we are going to put a new facility in the parking lot of the United Center, where the amazing Chicago Bulls play basketball from time to time, and it is going to be able to vaccinate thousands of people every single day.

It is Federal assistance that is making it happen, and it happens to be in a neighborhood where African Americans and Latinos are nearby, and we need to protect them with even more effectiveness than we have to date. They account for 33 percent of the population of that area, and only 16 percent have been vaccinated.

The American Rescue Plan provides $20 billion to expand our vaccine distribution capacity. You would think that that would maybe attract one Republican supporter. It should. There are certainly some who argue against all vaccines and spending any money for it and all the rest, but they are such a small minority. The vast majority of Americans of both political parties understand that we have got to go to vaccinations as quickly as possible. The Biden rescue plan does that. I wish they would join us in supporting it.

There is also a need for money for education. There is $128 billion in this bill for additional education funding K-12, and there have been arguments made on the floor here by the Republicans that we just don't need it. They point to data showing that the school districts haven't spent the money that we provided in previous relief packages. Well, just talk to the principals and the teachers in your home State about that conclusion. You will find the money is desperately needed and that the money that has been appropriated before will be spent in an orderly way and not shoveled out the window.

We are looking ahead to the entire year and making certain that we have a real school year--perhaps the remainder of this year but certainly for next year. Illinois needs these funds and America does.

When it comes to State and local support, I have to tell you, we have paid a heavy price in our State of Illinois and our major cities. We have seen expenses go up and we have seen revenue go down and we need help, not unreasonable.

This helping hand will save jobs that are necessary for us--some of them healthcare jobs, some of them security and safety jobs, but they will save jobs, and that is why the State and the local resources included in this bill are so important and timely.

Over the past year, States and localities have lost 1.3 million jobs of their payrolls, far more than the 750,000 lost in the great recession. There is needed help from the Federal Government, and it is needed now.

We have recovered just 12 million of the 22 million jobs we have lost since the start of the pandemic.

According to the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, more than 8 million rental households and 2 million homeowners were behind on housing payments at the end of last year. The burden is tough, and for those of us lucky enough to have escaped it, we may not know the feeling, the empty feeling of eviction or the loss of a home that you have paid a mortgage on for years.

I am going to close. I see one of my colleagues on the floor preparing to speak, but I would like to close with the story of Galen Hensen from Midlothian, IL.

For 34 years, Galen has supported touring artists through his work in live concert production for some of America's most iconic musicians. When the American economy was upended by the pandemic, his industry froze to save other lives and to avoid crowds.

Like so many others, Galen went on unemployment. Yet, even with the Federal $600 supplement to State unemployment, he had only half of his regular income replaced. He struggles--still struggles to make ends meet. He wrote to me urging that we put aside our partisan differences and pass the American Rescue Plan. Let's listen to Galen, and let's listen to many others like him. They are counting on us.

I hope when all is said and done after all the speeches, that just as we came together on a bipartisan basis to pass the rescue plan twice last year--96 to

nothing, 92 to 6--under the Trump administration, with all Democrats supporting it, wouldn't it be great if we showed that same bipartisanship again

I yield the floor.

Madam President, I ask unanimous consent that the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions be discharged from further consideration of S. 164 and the Senate proceed to its immediate consideration.

I ask unanimous consent that the bill be considered read a third time and passed and the motion to reconsider be considered made and laid upon the table.

Madam President, I ask unanimous consent that the Senate proceed to the immediate consideration of S. 578, which was introduced earlier today.

I further ask that the bill be read a third time and passed and the motion to reconsider be considered made and laid upon the table with no intervening action or debate.

Madam President, I ask unanimous consent that the Senate proceed to the immediate consideration of S. 579, which was introduced earlier today.

I further ask that the bill be read a third time and passed and the motion to reconsider be considered made and laid upon the table with no intervening action or debate.

Madam President, I ask unanimous consent that the Senate now proceed to the en bloc consideration of the following Senate resolutions, which were submitted earlier today: S. Res. 90, S. Res. 91, S. Res. 92, and S. Res. 93.

I ask unanimous consent that the resolutions be agreed to, the preambles be agreed to, and the motions to reconsider be considered made and laid upon the table, all en bloc.

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Senate proceed to the consideration of S. Res. 94, submitted earlier today.

I know of no further debate on the resolution.

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

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the text of the bill be printed in the Record.

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the text of the bill be printed in the Record.

Mr. President, I have 7 requests for committees to meet during today's session of the Senate. They have the approval of the Majority and Minority leaders.

Pursuant to rule XXVI, paragraph 5(a), of the Standing Rules of the Senate, the following committees are authorized to meet during today's session of the Senate:

Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation

The Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation is authorized to meet during the session of the Senate on Wednesday, March 3, 2021, at 10 a.m., to conduct a hearing on nominations.

Committee on Environment and Public Works

The Committee on Environment and Public Works is authorized to meet during the session of the Senate on Wednesday, March 3, 2021, at 10 a.m., to conduct a hearing on nominations.

Committee on Finance

The Committee on Finance is authorized to meet during the session of the Senate on Wednesday, March 3, 2021, at 10 a.m., to conduct a hearing on nominations.

Committee on Foreign Relations

The Committee on Foreign Relations is authorized to meet during the session of the Senate on Wednesday, March 3, 2021, at 10 a.m., to conduct a hearing on nominations.

Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs

The Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs is authorized to meet during the session of the Senate on Wednesday, March 3, 2021, at 10 a.m., to conduct a hearing.

Committee on Rules and Administration

The Committee on Rules and Administration is authorized to meet during the session of the Senate on Wednesday, March 3, 2021, at 10 a.m., to conduct a hearing.

Committee on Veterans' Affairs

The Committee on Veterans' Affairs is authorized to meet during the session of the Senate on Wednesday, March 3, 2021, at 10 a.m., to conduct a briefing.

Madam President, I ask unanimous consent that when the Senate completes its business today, it adjourn until 12 noon, Thursday, March 4; 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.

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, back in 2017, before anyone had ever heard of COVID-19, our Republican colleagues could hardly vote fast enough for a $1.9 trillion tax bill. Most of the benefits of that bill went to the wealthiest people in America--$1.9 trillion in tax cuts, most of it to the ultrawealthy and large corporations. And of course there was little talk about the deficit and the debt when that was going on.

Now we are in the midst of a pandemic, and COVID-19 has killed more than half a million Americans. Americans are hurting. Our economy is hurting. Millions are unemployed. And our friends across the aisle are asking how little we can get away with doing at this moment in time. They want to know how much we can cut from President Joseph Biden's American Rescue Plan. Can we cut money to open schools? Can't we just wait? Let's just wait and see what happens. That is their question. How about cutting funds to help keep families from losing their homes? How about cutting the funds for vaccination sites? How low can we go?

One point nine trillion dollars in tax cuts for millionaires and billionaires--no problem. A President who denies the truth about a pandemic as it rages across America--no problem. But when Americans elect a new President with a mandate and a plan to finally break the back of this pandemic, get our economy back on its feet, get our kids back in schools, and actually help American families, suddenly a lot of folks on the other side of the aisle have lost interest.

Do you remember last year? I do. We discovered this COVID-19 and started to worry about it, as we should. In March of last year, we passed a bill that cost almost $2 trillion--the largest spending bill in the history of the United States--under President Trump, and it got 96 votes in the Senate--96 votes. Every Democrat and every Republican Senator who voted, voted for it, and I was one of them. Did I stop and say: Wait a minute; President Trump may get credit for this. No. We had an American crisis, a challenge, and we needed to respond to it.

And then what happened in December of last year, while President Trump was still in office? The second COVID-19 rescue plan came through, some $900 billion. I was one of those who were part of drawing it up, and I voted for it, no questions asked. We were still in the midst of a pandemic. The economy was flat on its back. I didn't care that Donald Trump was still President; there was work to be done for America. Ninety-two Senators voted for that; 96 in March, 92 in December under President Trump.

Well, how many Republican Senators are now stepping up to help us with the American Rescue Plan that President Biden has proposed? I am still waiting. None so far. Now it has become a partisan exercise to talk about dealing with the real pandemic and economic crisis of this country.

What is going on in this Chamber? Have we decided now, since we have a new President of a different political faith, that the other side cannot support efforts to increase the amount of money for vaccines and distribution across America, to send a cash payment to families who are struggling to get by, to give unemployment benefits to millions of Americans when those benefits are scheduled to run out in just 2 weeks?

All we hear from the other side is: You know, we may be overspending here. We should have thought of this before.

Yes, you should have, and you didn't under a Republican President. Now it has become an issue.

A year ago, at the beginning of the pandemic, 96 to zero for a $2 trillion COVID relief plan. Maybe if we had had an administration that wisely managed the COVID response, we wouldn't have been in that mess. Maybe if we had had a President who for the first year of this coronavirus wasn't making up stories that it is going to go away; it will disappear by Easter; it won't be a problem if everybody would just take a shot of Lysol; a new chemical I have discovered some of my friends are taking and all the rest--remember that? Remember those press conferences? And what was going on while the last President was ignoring the reality of that COVID-19 pandemic? America was getting sick, and Americans were dying.

We have 5 percent of the world's population and 20 percent of the COVID-19 deaths. What is going on here in a great nation like America? Well, for a year, we didn't get it together because we didn't have a President who accepted reality. Now we have a President who accepts reality and wants to do something about it. He was elected to lead, and he wants to lead.

Where is the Republican support? Democrats were there for the Trump plan; Republicans aren't there for the Biden plan. We wasted time and resources, but now President Biden wants to turn it around.

The American Rescue Plan, proposed by President Biden and passed by the House of Representatives last week without a single Republican vote, no Republican support for it, has the support of 80 percent of the American people--overwhelming majority of Democrats and Independents, even Republicans. It turns out the only people in America who are against this approach of taking this pandemic seriously are the Republicans in the House of Representatives and apparently in the Senate.

Every day this Senate delays passing the Biden American Rescue Plan, more small businesses close their doors, workers lose their jobs, parents turn to food banks and soup kitchens to feed their families, and more and more families face homelessness.

One provision that was included in the House version of the American Rescue Plan will not be part of the Senate plan, and that is the gradual increase in the Federal minimum wage.

Now, I understand. The rules in the Senate, particularly when it comes to reconciliation, as conceived by the late Robert C. Byrd, are almost impossible to understand and defend. I get it. I am not blaming any one person for that. That is a reality, and I have been here for a while, and I have seen it. So currently we cannot offer the Federal minimum wage under the so-called reconciliation bill because of the Byrd rules.

Our Senate Parliamentarian ruled last week that passing a Federal minimum wage increase as part of the rescue plan is not permitted under those rules. I respect the Parliamentarian's judgment. I may disagree and I may be disappointed, but I respect her judgment. Our Republican friends should know this, however: Senate Democrats aren't going to give up on raising the minimum wage. The issue is not going away.

Do you know how long it has been since we raised the minimum wage in America? Twelve years. Twelve years. The Presiding Officer knows that. That is the last time we increased the Federal minimum wage.

Twenty-nine States have done something about it, but 21 have not, and we don't have a change in the Federal law. That is the longest that our Nation has ever gone without raising the minimum wage since Congress created that wage in 1938.

During this pandemic, billionaires--people like Jeff Bezos, Elon Musk, Bill Gates, Mark Zuckerberg--they have done pretty well. They have seen their net worth increase by billions, even tens of billions of dollars. How about middle-class families? What do they see? They see their savings dwindle, and they find it almost impossible to make ends meet.

Fortunately, as I said, many States are acting. Washington is not. In 29 States, including Illinois, the State minimum wage is higher than the Federal minimum wage. The Federal minimum wage is $7.25 an hour. In Illinois, our State minimum wage is set to reach $15 an hour by 2025, just like the Biden plan. Most States that have increased their minimum wage have done so because their State legislatures have come to the rescue. Some States, like Missouri and Arkansas, raised the minimum wage by ballot measures.

Americans support raising the minimum wage.

I see Senator Leahy from Vermont has come to the floor. Remember when we used to have a colleague back there in the back row who would stand up and bellow about the minimum wage? His name was Ted Kennedy from Massachusetts. He didn't let a month go by or 2 months go by without reminding us that a lot of people were struggling to get by in this country and we sit here in Washington ignoring it, and that is why he would push for an increase in the minimum wage.

We are told that $15 an hour is exorbitant by some and that it is going to hurt the economy. The truth is just the opposite. Raising the Federal minimum wage gradually to $15 an hour will strengthen the American economy because minimum wage workers are most likely to spend the money they get on the necessities of life as soon as they get it-- food, clothing, housing.

Last week, one of our Republican colleagues gave a speech and said that he worked for $6 an hour when he was a kid and he is opposed to the $15-an-hour minimum wage. Well, if you took that six bucks an hour and just matched it with inflation, it would be up over $15 an hour today. Reminiscing about the ``good old days'' of $6 an hour is only done by people who don't have to live on $6 an hour.

Contrary to popular misconceptions, most minimum wage workers are not teenagers. According to the Economic Policy Institute, 59 percent of workers who would benefit from the Federal minimum wage are women-- women. They are taking a beating in this pandemic. They stay at home to watch the kids who can't go to school, trying to deal with daycare that has closed down, losing their own jobs--that is the reality.

Many mothers--two-thirds of them are the sole or primary breadwinners in their family and count on the minimum wage. Nearly one in four workers who would receive a raise under the $15 Federal minimum wage is a Black or Latina woman.

During this pandemic, America has relied on minimum wage workers to do the hard work and dangerous work in the pandemic. Do you want to know the real pandemic heroes? Do you want to reduce poverty and raise opportunity in America? Pay workers a living wage. Allow workers to share the economic prosperity they are creating with their dedication and labor.

At this moment, we may not have a path, but I hope we can find one. It is time for us to raise the minimum wage, to give the American workers the real wage they need to survive, and to show that we really do value the dignity of work.

I yield the floor.

Mr. President, the Committee on the Judiciary has adopted rules governing its procedures for the 117th Congress. Pursuant to rules XXVI, paragraph 2, of the Standing Rules of the Senate, on behalf of myself and Ranking Member Grassley, I ask unanimous consent that a copy of the committee rules be printed in the Record.

Rules of Procedure United States Senate Committee on the Judiciary