[Congressional Record Volume 166, Number 218 (Monday, December 21, 2020)]
[Senate]
[Pages S7887-S7888]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                              CORONAVIRUS

  Mr. McCONNELL. Mr. President, yesterday leaders in the Senate and the 
House and the Secretary of the Treasury reached a major agreement that 
struggling Americans have needed for months.
  We are going to pass another historic rescue package to help American 
families through this pandemic. We are going to pass full-year 
government funding so the Armed Forces and all Federal Departments have 
the resources and the certainty they need. And we are going to do both 
of these things as soon as possible.
  Senate Republicans have been trying since July--July--to get more 
targeted, bipartisan relief into the hands of the American people. Back 
in July, we proposed to send about $1 trillion to priorities including 
a second round of the Paycheck Protection Program, direct checks for 
households, and funding for healthcare providers, testing, and K-12 
schools--back in July.
  Democrats said no. They said they would block anything short of their 
multitrillion-dollar leftwing wish list. Here was one headline that 
particularly underscores their view: ``$2 trillion or bust: Democrats 
draw red line in coronavirus spending battle.''
  So, in July and in August, when Republican Senators tried to extend 
expiring Federal unemployment benefits, Democrats blocked us. Laid-off 
workers lost their benefits.
  In September and again in October, as people kept hurting, the virus 
kept spreading, and schools tried to find footing, every Republican 
voted for a multihundred-billion-dollar package. Both times Democrats 
blocked the relief. Their view was all or nothing.
  But a few days ago, with a new President-elect of their own party, 
everything changed. Democrats suddenly came around to our position that 
we should find consensus, make a law where we agree, and get urgent 
help out the door.
  In a few days of hard work, we have assembled another historic 
bipartisan rescue package: just under $900 billion of relief targeted 
toward our fellow Americans who need help the most.
  I will begin where this pandemic will end: vaccinations. Thanks to 
the genius of science and the leadership of President Trump, Operation 
Warp Speed has produced safe and effective vaccines. Now, we need to 
distribute them nationwide.
  This rescue package provides many billions more dollars to expand 
vaccine purchasing and vaccine distribution. Until we have won, we need 
to keep wearing masks and taking precautions. Even so, more Americans 
will fall ill, so this legislation continues to fund health providers 
and COVID testing.

[[Page S7888]]

  The pandemic has fallen especially hard on children and parents. Our 
legislation includes major funding--more than $80 billion--for K-12 
schools to reopen safely and get kids' educations back on track. There 
are billions more for childcare providers to reopen safely as well, and 
new investments in rural broadband will improve both education and 
telehealth down the road.
  Then there are Americans' personal finances, the impossible kitchen 
table questions that millions of working families have faced this year 
through no fault of their own.
  Back in March, thanks to Chairman Rubio, Senator Collins, and Senator 
Cardin, we created a Paycheck Protection Program. It saved small 
businesses and helped millions of American workers keep receiving 
paychecks rather than pink slips.
  It would be insanity for us to have saved these jobs all this time 
only to drop the ball with the end in sight, so this bill will send 
more than $280 billion to reopen the PPP for a targeted second round, 
and we made sure churches and faith-based organizations will continue 
to be eligible.
  Of course, millions have already been laid off, so months after 
Republicans tried to stop benefits from expiring in the first place, 
this package will resume a temporary Federal supplement to unemployment 
insurance, and it extends other programs for the self-employed and gig 
workers that would have expired.
  Thanks to the particular leadership and direction of President Trump 
and Secretary Mnuchin, households will receive a second round of direct 
relief checks--$600 per adult and per child. This is just some of the 
aid that will be heading Americans' way in a matter of hours. No 
sprawling leftwing wish list, no unconstrained bailouts for State and 
local government with no connection to COVID needs--just smart, 
targeted, bipartisan policies, what Senate Republicans have been 
recommending since the summer.
  I cited a figure of $900 billion, but listen to this. The net new 
cost--new cost--is less than roughly $350 billion. We are recovering 
more than half a trillion dollars in unspent money that Congress had 
already set aside and channeling it to these urgent needs.
  Thanks to our colleague Senator Toomey, this legislation winds down 
some of the temporary emergency powers we lent the Federal Reserve to 
make sure our financial system survived last spring.
  A lot of talented leaders helped make this happen. Leader McCarthy 
has been an invaluable partner. White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows 
has been central. Colleagues such as Senators Collins, Murkowski, 
Romney, Cassidy, and Portman helped prod the Senate toward consensus 
with their bipartisan work. And I just mentioned Senator Toomey.
  I want to give particular thanks to the Secretary of the Treasury, 
Secretary Mnuchin. Before the pandemic, Steven was already a crucial 
partner for the Republican majorities in Congress. We enacted the most 
consequential tax reform in a generation. We helped create the 
conditions for explosive job growth, wage growth, and record-low 
unemployment. Our country had the strongest possible starting point to 
weather this storm
  This year, the Secretary has been even more essential. He helped 
Congress develop and pass the historic CARES Act in record time. It 
prevented a complete economic collapse at the hands of the virus. From 
drafting CARES to implementing it, to the intervening months, to this 
latest package, Secretary Mnuchin has been an extremely capable and 
patient partner. He helped guide our Nation through this dark period 
toward the daybreak that lies ahead.
  On behalf of the Senate and the country, I thank the Secretary for 
his countless hours of work and his incredible effectiveness in 
extraordinary times.

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