Faith to discussions and play a constructive role for bipartisan solution to the challenges we face because of an unprecedented and historic pandemic. President , to date americans lost nearly 150,000 people who have died with diseases related to the coronavirus. We are quickly approaching 5 million cases of infection in the United States of america. Consider this for a moment for the United States has five or so the worlds population, we have almost 25 of all the covid infections in the world. How did we reach this point that we have such a rampant rate of infection . I was considered the most developed nation on earth. Part is the problem is the president who peddles worthless medical advice. Impart a is Republican Senate has been unwilling to face the economic hardships would have been created by this pandemic in our economy. It was ten and a half weeks ago the house of representatives under democratic control past the heroes act. Ten and a half weeks ago they knew this day was coming. When the Unemployment Benefits that would put in the original legislation would expire as they will this week, when help for those who are renting to meet their obligations would expire, as it did last week, so ten andut a half weeks ago Speaker Pelosi put on the table her proposal to deal with america after these things occurred. Today on the floor of the senate, senator mcconnell the republican leader, called her efforts quotes a loony ideological fantasy. Loony q ideological fantasy. For senator mcconnell who is the leader of the majority here in the senate is aware of you been for the past ten and a half weeks . Where is the republican alternative . The republican substitute . Why have we not seen that come forward andll a real negotiation take place between the house and the senates. Well for the longest time senator mcconnell told us pages not feel quote a sense of urgency to take up this matter. Did not feel a sense of urgency. Will history was made in the chamberua this monday he actually use the word urgent. Finally urgency is stirring and he announced this week republicanwh alternative. But not quite. He announced a series of bills to be introduced by the republican side, always series of bills . We are just days away. We are days away from the issues when these expire with unemployment assistance part and yet in this circumstance, we are dealing with the problem will redo not have alternatives from the republican side. But we have some. And what was addressed this morning with unemployment assistance, understandan what happened last march 26 a may pass the cares act. This bill passed 96 and nothing in the senate chamber. Unanimous bipartisan. We sat down to established the amount for americans parenteral problem, when we did not anticipate. Set down the table said we have a lot of interesting formulas when it comes on planet compensation, but just 550 different states have 50 different computer systems, we have unemployed workers in the states are going to run into 50 different reactions. That is exactly what we faced. The alternative was simple week either give a flat dollar amount or we just wondered what the states might do with any other formula. So the decision was made, with the white house, with the republicans for the 600dollar a week im sorry pardon me federal supplements unemployment. Theres argument onar the floor that some workers may come out ahead if that happens. Well, undoubtedly that might be the case. The federal supplement was in addition to what the person qualify for state unemployment. In each statee has a own formula for state unemployment assistance in each worker has a different worker and salary experience. We went forward bleeding we do something dramatic and significant for the economy. The first place to start is with unemployed workers. When youre facing a recession is a lack of consumer demand. The first went to handout as a government was unemployed worke worker. You know theyre going to cement they have to spent to pay the rent, mortgage, utility bills, put food on the table, close and the kids, pay for Health Insurance. So he put the money into the economy and it works. We managed to slowlo the decline of the economy even though we see more employment so coming around. It wouldve been much worse if we had not made this commitment and benefit front employment investments. N so now the expiration of the employment benefiten program on july 31, just a few days away, the question is what will we replace it with . They ones to extend the Current Program to the end of thely year. That certainly a direct way to deal with this. One that would provide assistance to these families that would continue. Republicans that come up with a much different approach. What they suggested is we take the 600dollar week federal supplement then by october 1 we would require the states to implement a program that would give unemployed workers 70 of their last wage. Theyve obviouslynd ignored what secretary scalia told us just a few months ago. And that is the states would run into a terrible challenge trying to meet this new republican standard of 70 of the last paycheck. Were told he could do that back in march as the landscape change so much when it came to state computer systems, i doubt it. I doubt it very much. In illinois we have a good system but has been dramatically overwhelmed by the federal supplemental payment and pandemic Unemployment Insurance and other provisions which we passed in washington. So to think we meet the current obligations is very difficult. Which is more modern than some having said that the republicans have argued that if by october 1 you cant provide 70 by formula to the funemployed workers, i suppose hell go back to the 200. Week is unclear. Whats behind this . Whats at the heart of this . Here is the assumption listen to this. Weve heard it over and over we heard this morning. They assume in a federal supplements unemployment that they will refuse to go back to work. Even when offered a job. Theyre making more money to stay home than they did on the job. Thats at least whats been repeated over and over again. Madam president , this morning i would like to put in the record an article from yale news. And this yale study which was just released this week says, the yale study finds six banded jobless benefits and not reduce employment. Exactly the opposite of what we have heard over and over again from the republican side. This report reveal economist said as follows. It found workers receiving larger increases in Unemployment Benefits experience a very similar gains of employment and may relative to workers with less generous benefit increases. People withli more generous expanded benefits resumed working. Thats limp similar or slightly quicker rate than others did according to the report. Quote the data do not show a relationship between benefit generosity and c employment path under the cares act which could be due to the collapse of labor demand during the covid19 crisis. Put in simple terms theres not that many jobs out there looking for workers. On it turns out some workers, unemployed have gone back to work even though they might make slightly less than they did under unemployment. Why . The reason is obvious. Unemployment is a temporary benefit. Unemployment may not be as good and generous is what a person has in the workplace when it comes to the benefits that come with some jobs. And ultimately many workers want to get back to work. We should not assume, some politicians do that if a person is unemployed they must be lazy that is hardly the case. And certainly when it comes to the people of the incentive to go back to work i believe most americans do want to work for the notion have to change the whole system for fear some might not is definitely unfair. Only just say as we move forward with this. Attempt to deal with the economy, we have to face the reality. The reality is made clear by the chairman of the federal reserve. If we take our foot off the accelerator right now, were going to plunge over the cliff in a deeper economic mess than we are in today. They are trying by every means in Monetary Policy and Interest Rates to enliven this economy and create an that may reopen soon and i hope that happens. That we take the republican approach, little bit of this in a little bit of that its not going to work. We are going to find ourselves even worse. Im for those in deficit hawks how would that look up we face an even deeper recession . Its going to get worse even dramatically so. Shouldnt our first obligation beach of the workers across america blaster jobs and keep their Families Together . This notion of cutting the federal benefit from 600 a week to 200 a week i can guarantee you will make much more traffic around food pantries around america these unemployed families try to keep things together. Theres a re martini lunch tax break. Three martini lunch is that the way out of our economic issue. At the same time they are encouraging the federal tax break, and that wont receive those who receive snap benefits those are low income americans seems like things are upside down. Last point i will make is this senator mcconnell has said repeatedly for months, nothing is going to happen in the senate, nothing is going to help anybody in america unless he gets his wish toel give immunity to american corporations from coronavirus lawsuits. Finally begin to see his proposal it was released this week. I want to tell you would see modus dramatic proposals ive seen from the United States senate. Basically takes away the rights a of workers as well as those who are customers and businesses fromnd recovering under coronavirus lawsuit. Of cares the standard that is required of businesses to a level which basically will not protect t americans that faces pandemic across the country. And at the same time, it is providing assistance and relief. It is unfortunately creating an environment where some businesses, someul unfortunately in way they conduct their businesses and their employees. We know we faced a challenge here giving this type of corporate break for customers and employees across United States of america. Let me say a word about what is been set on the floor over and over again by senator cornyn and senator mcconnell the tsunami of lawsuits the epidemics of frivolous law suits. The trial lawyers on parade to the courthouse because of the pandemic. We checked every lawsuit filed this year that mentioned the coronavirus or covid19, to know how many medical malpractice cases have been far this calendar year with the socalled tsunami of lawsuits . Six. Six. And now many injury cases have been filed this year mentioning covid19 a coronavirus . This epidemic, this flood of lawsuits, 15. Across the entire United States of america. It is an imaginary problem that they are creating at this point. We can deal with it, 28 states have already by changing their state laws. By giving immunity to corporations with coronavirus losses will not make us safer, will not make the workplace safer for workers or the business safer for customers. If were going to restore Consumer Confidence everybody has to pull together. We ought to have standards established by the cdc based on Public Health and not politics and businesses conscientious businesses i am sure will follow these standards because they do care. Currently we dont have the standards in thisd effort will make it even less likely that we will. I yield the floor. Mr. President. Senator from pennsylvania. So thank you, mr. President , i rise this morning to cover a couple of topics. One their comments on the legislation i hope we are going to complete to provide relief to the nation in regard to the Public Health crisis in the jobs crisis. And then to other remarks in different parts of the record. Let me start with what we are facing right now. We know that it has been four months since the cares act, way back at the end of march. And we all expected at that time that peace of legislation and the legislation prior thereto and subsequently would have an impact on americans, we hoped in a positive way. Think there is some evidence indicates that the cares act had a positive impact. Obviously not perfect legislation. But i dont think any of us thought that was the end of the road. From then we saw just ten weeks ago, the heroes act passed the house of representatives you have the cares act, enacted into law and thank goodness for that, as well as several other pieces of legislation. But the heroes act only passed by the house and no action by the senate in those intervening ten weeks. If you were on the majority side of the aisle, the republican side, as leader mcconnell outlined wanted to delay see the full impact of the cares act, there is an argument someone make in that direction. I dont agree witht that, what i dont understand even if you believe you should wait, why you would not be preparing for the worst, preparing for the kind of outbreaks we have seen across the country when the virus moved away from the northeast and generally to the south and southwest and then to thepa west even more so. Why you would not prepare at least an outline. Why you would not begin negotiations many, many weeks ago as opposed to waiting until the last minute. Not just to respond to the overall problem, the worst Public Health challenge in a century, but also in april their way, why would you wait as the majority did until the very last minute for Unemployment Insurance mino benefits are running out now in a matter of hours really. Not even a few days now. So if that give that is your perspective that we should have waited, why wouldnt you prepare for the worst so when the worst was hitting, or something comparable to that would have legislation ready to go. The majority chose to delay, and i think inth a real sense seem to adopt the president s kind of virus denial. If you just dont talk about it, if you try to change the subject or in the case of the majority of dont legislate about ite, or prepare, just prepare to legislate about it, it will somehow reseat into the background needed dont have to worry aboutat it. That delay and that denial has proved to be i think misguided and i think thats being charitable. So we are faced with a number of challenges at the same time as we face a Public Health and jobs t crisis protostar with nursingme homes on longterm care. The very related issue of home and communitybased services. We know that in longterm care settings, most of the settings being Nursing Homes the nation has endured more than 59000 deaths. That number may have hit 60000, but we know it is more than 59000 deaths. So it more than 40 of all the deaths in the United States of america which is now about to reach one and 51000 from what we saw this morning, more than 40 of those are in longterm care centers. Most of them in Nursing Homes. This is not theoretical to people out there. This is not theoretical to families across my home state of pennsylvania or a lot of other states. Where 60 of gas were in longterm care centers. The deaths are of course residentshe of those Nursing Homes in addition to workers. Soat when you combine a residence at deaths and worker deaths you get more than 59000. We have got to ask ourselves as americans, is that just going to be acceptable . Are we going to stand your three months from now, four months or six months from now and say wow its really tragic all these deaths . And another 59000 people died in longterm care settings, mostly Nursing Homes. Is that the america we want . Is that the america were going to settle for . Heino i can hear the argument its a terrible virus, it is. It is a virus, very old and disproportionately higher numbers if you happen to be an older citizen and you have all kinds of chronic conditions or other Health Issues that might compromise your immune system ore, otherwise, you are especially susceptible. So someone argue this is just going to happen. But mr. President , we know exactly how to get the numbers down. The case numbers down pending death numbers. Is it perfect . No. Can we get 59000 to zero. Of course not. No one would argue that. But the idea that the United States of america in addition to not responding effectively to the onset of the virus itself, i am just talking about a subset, or a part of the tragedy. Thats the tragedy in our Nursing Homes. Both residents and their families. And for workers and their families. We know exactly what works. And ive got a bill that would substantially reduce the deaths and the cases. What is it . First about some pouring to know the number 3768. That is the bill. My bill would be included wholly or in substantial fashion to the next bill. Senate bill 3768 what is it do . It allocates 20 billion. Now weve heard numbers at thismo next peace of legislation might hit a trillion dollars or more. I think thats likely. We should ask ourselves should we set aside 20 billionct of that a fraction of that trillion dollar plus or more bill that we will pass we hope, can we set aside a fraction of that for older citizens and their families and the workers that take care of them . These are americans who fought our wars. They worked in our factories. They built the strongest middleclass the world hasou ever seen over the course of the last 75 or so years. These are people who were inventors and innovators. These are people who made america what it is today. They are our fathers and mothers or grandmothers and grandfather grandfathers. They gave us life and love. The least we can do is make an american effort to get the death number down and the case number down. And anyone who says we cant do that is defeatist. And i think invoking an anti american spirit. We know how to do this. What will the 20 billion go for . Real simple. I could be profound and its impact. Number one we know one practice in a nursing home that reduces the case number, the number of cases of people contracting the virus in the death number is coordinate what is that . Separating. Separating those with the virus in the nursing home from those who dont have it. Nursing homes who w did that were successful in getting their numbers down and they did it early like way back in early march maybe even earlier in some cases. And it worked. And it has been implemented in a number of states. But that has a cost to it. You might have to build out, you mightra have to retrofit you also need extra dollars for personal protective equipment. There should be no question that in the United States of america, every nursing home, every peace of personal protective equipment is needed is life said lifesaving. Lifesaving to be guarded from the virus essential for the workers as well. What else we need the money for. The problem in the nursing home of an outbreak you ought to be able to search expertise from other settings. That nursing home might need more doctors in that crisis or outbreak. It might need more nurses or certified nurses assistance or other personnel. We should have the dollars at the state level two surge those professionals. We also need more money for testing and Nursing Homes. Vitally important. So i think families across the country expect us to directly address this. Unfortunately the republican bill propose the other day does not do that. Is not as my bill would hear is the headline from just this week, july 24 the New York Times i will read the story, the headline is fema sends faulty protective gear to Nursing Homes battling virus. Faulty protective gear. We are months into this and weve got fema sending faulty protective gear. As the first line of the story. Expired surgical masks. Isolation gowns that resemble oversight trashbags. Extra small gloves that are all but useless for atypical Health Workers hands. It goes on and on i dont have time to do it today. But that article and so many otherdi documented reports indicate that these facilities do not have the protective gear that they need. Second issue mr. President is Unemployment Insurance. They want to cut 600. Week down to 200 so do the math cutting it by 400. Week this is at a time we are told since february United States has lost 15 million jobs. My recollection is in the Great Recession around a decade ago between the fall of oh eight and sometime about eight and half million jobs were lost but was already lost basically double that, 15 million jobs. We were told oh dont worry, april is going to be a bad month, may and june will be a lot better. Its just gonna roll down from there. I wont open that was the case. But in pennsylvania million unemployed. Fortunately went down, 849. I expected june and our state to be a lot lower than 849. Maybe its down by 100,000 or whether 50000 or even more. Unfortunately went from 849821. It had 21000 peoplenn out of work in pennsylvania in the month ofne june. So we still have a jobs crisis that will endure for a good while yet. Im therefore an unemployment crisis. The worst time to cut those benefits, those extra benefits will be right now. And i know it for the argument you continue this you are creating a disincentive to work. Thats what we are told. Well according to the Washington Center for equitable growth, and report this month just a couple of days ago this is what they found. Quote. Lack of opportunities tork work, not a disincentive to work are keeping unemployment are keeping unemployment elevated unquote. Thats what they found on a document in more than that statement would entail. Thats what they found in the research. They also found 23 fewer job openings in july of 20 versus july of 19. So fewer job openings. The bureau of labor statistics and the department of labor said that almost fourn unemployed in the United States for every job opening. Third issue state and local funding. They have nothing to help states and local governments. Now we know that state and local governments have got to balance their budgets. So extra dollars can only come from one source, the federal government. State and local governments have had to spend march a protector citizens of the onset of the virus. And the disease covid19. The impact of the virus in the pandemic, blew a hole in theirt budgets. So whats going to happen . When a state, whether its a red state, blue state or whatever the political conditions, they are all the same when it comes to revenue loss. Heres whats going to happen. Sure as night follows day, theyre going to have to cut education. So i would say to school districts, get ready for cuts. If your state cannot balance its budget its going to be education cuts, and therell be cuts to healthcare. Probably medicaid in most instances. And there will be other cuts. Public transit we are on awi call last night with transit advocates and around. Ennsylvania our site is asking for more help for transit. You can go down the long list with its education, healthcare, Public Safety itself at the local level. So we should do a lot more. We should be replicating something or at least approximating with the house did when they allocated 875 billion for state and local governments combined. How about the Supplemental Nutrition Program . The majority has refused over and over again, categorically refused to increase snap by the percentage that our site is argued for. I know its a little easy in washington to talk about hunger and Food Insecurity, some sort of distant issue because those of us who serve in this chamber are not food insecure. We dont have to suffer the pain of hunger that so many families are suffering. Many of whom Food Insecurity long before the pandemic. But many others, even middleclass families were people trying to get to theas middle class suffering from Food Insecurity because of the virus in the economic downturn. Families we know are literally choosing between the food they need for their families are paying the mortgage. Choosing between the food they need, groceries, versus paying for their kids medications. Last issue in this part of my remarks mr. President on medicaid, we know that the senate did the right thing in the Families First legislation way back in early march when it increase of matching dollars for medicaid by sixpoint to percent. Because matching dollars are vital for states to be able to pay for medicaid and be able to balance their budgets. I believe in the house bill heroes act ten weeks ago was set forth another increase of a higher amounts, 14 for eothose matching dollars. I think that makes a lot of sense, special people losing their jobsyo every day we just read a story in the New York Times last weekend was more than 5 Million People in the country of loss or Health Insurance because they lost or jobs or for other reasons. A lot of those folks are out of luck when it comes to healthcare itself returning to medicaid. So we should increase the matching rate of 14 . Now the republican proposal has no additional dollars for medicaid, and this i guess we should not be surprised because the white house Budget Proposal for the last several years, and i think supported in large measure by the republican majority here in the senate, has not only not wanted to increase dollars for medicaid and facts the white house has proposed cuts of several hundred billion dollars to medicaid over a ten year timeframe several years in a row. Republicans in the senate have said very little against that if anything against those kind of proposals. 75 days ago actually 75 days ago today, the Democratic House passed the heroes act. The heroes act was a