Weve lost american businesses, american wealth, and an unbearable number of american lives. A number that will inevitably increase as the number of infections continues to rise. The brutal economic effect of the pandemic has spared no corner of our country. Were living through the greatest economic crisis since the depression, and the greatest Health Crisis since the spanish flu in 1918. So it should not be hard to convince republicans in the white house to provide urgent and necessary relief to the American People. The 3. 4 million in the heroes act was based on the countrys needs which are so large and so diverse. Its not a political position. Its what our country needs, its schools, its businesses, its renters, its homeowners, its post offices, its elections, state and local governments, our health care system. Leader mcconnell doesnt seem to understand this. He sees everything through a political lens, but we democrats are looking at the real needs of people, and they are large. There are in many different places, and that is why we called for a large bill because it was needed. Because the American People demanded it, and at this point the American People are on our side. Twothirds, by survey data, support thedz democratic plan, not the republican plan. After days of arduous negotiations, Speaker Pelosi and i continued to run into republican intransigence. They didnt see peoples needs the way we did, they didnt see the depth and breadth of this crisis. So, like in any normal negotiation, we offered to move in their direction if they would november in ours. Lets move in our. Lets meet in the middle, we said. In the middle. Thats how negotiations occur, thats how you get something done. The white house said no. It was difficult for us to offer that compromise. The democratic position is that we want to devote enough resources to defeat the virus and see the American People through this crisis. The republican position is to give much less than whats needed. Democrats dont want to leave large portions of the country and the economy to fend for itself. But the reason we want to meet in the middle is that getting major legislation through congress is the only way to achieve something significant for the American People. Rather than compromise, our republican counterpart said take a hike, quite literally, they said virtually this in the room. No, its going to be our way or no way. Were not going to meet you in the middle. Why . Why wouldnt they when the needs are so great, when there are so many people suffering and so many more who will suffer if we dont act . Well, its because this Republican Party is tied so tied in a knot that it cant agree to anything. It can only spew the same political speech every day. The republican leader mcconnell has admitted that 20 republican senators wont vote for anymore relief for the American People. The senate bill that the leader keeps refer to, the republican leader, lacks the support of Senate Republicans. He cant bring it to the floor because so many of them will vote against it. The president himself called the republican bill semiirrelevant, one of the few things that had some truth to it that he said about this crisis. It was not some possibility that democrats blocked. Senate republicans spiked it the moment it came out. Why . Maybe they thought these executive orders would be a way out, so tied in a knot they cant legislate or even join us in the to meet us in the middle. They were clinging to the hope that the president could do something on his own through executive orders. But as we have seen, executive orders in general arent going to get the job done, especially the incompetent ones issued over the weekend. President trumps recent executive orders are so unserious in terms of meeting the large needs of america as to be pathetic. Take, for example, the payroll tax deferral. It makes no sense. Even republican members of congress, and according to reports, some members of the administration, oppose a payroll tax deferral because it would do next to nothing to help our workers or the economy. Remember, the president did not cancel payroll taxes, he cant. He just deferred them. Most employers will continue to with hold the payroll tax so that their employees wont be hit with a very large tax bill in december when the deferral expires. An a. D. P. , a nonpolitical Payroll Processing company, said, quote, it may take months to implement the president s new policy. It feels like forever ago but candidate trump promised he was different from republicans and would never touch Social Security or medicare. Well, guess what. Deferring the payroll tax is a backdoor way of weakening Social Security and medicare in case the president s intentions werent clear, he said that after the election he may permanently cut the payroll tax, which would deplete the trust funds and destroy Social Security and medicare as we know it. If youre a senior or paid into Social Security or medicare and are waiting for it, watch out. Watch out. Seniors throughout the decades since weve had Social Security have jeaously regarded the trust fund and now donald trump says, well, now, maybe we should get rid of it because we should defer we should get rid of the payroll tax all together. So this executive order is an example of many false promises that donald trump has made. And just as importantly, it is so put together with spit and glue, that in all likelihood many states wont implement it at all, some have said so, and many more even if they want to implement it will take months, several months, while people will not get their unemployment benefits. The easiest thing to do for the good of the economy for keeping millions out of poverty which the president the president s pandemic Unemployment Insurance has done is simply to renew the existing Unemployment Insurance, but because of the hard right, because so many republicans dont want to spend the money, even for people who have lost jobs through no fault of their own, it doesnt happen. And the idea that the American Worker is looking for an out is demeaning to the American Worker, leader mcconnell. Americans want to work. Theres pride in work. The overwhelming majority of americans, if given the choice of a job or Unemployment Insurance for a period of time, even if that Unemployment Insurance is not exactly what they got paid, will take the job the we know that. America believes in the work ethic. So how demeaning to the American Worker to say they are looking for a way out. They are looking for a way to scheve the system. Thats not the American Worker i know. When employment is over 10 , you can look for a job but may not get it. Thats the reason why people are out of work. The president s plan there was a disaster in terms of its inability to be implemented, its effect on Social Security and medicare, and the demeaning way in which it looks at the American Worker. The president s executive order order therefore the are a disaster. And the president s executive order on evictions is the best example of all sizzle and no establishing. And no steak. It does not even guarantee a moratorium on evictions, it instructs federal agencies to review and and consider evictions. Three of the things the president has done dont work. The deferral of the payroll tax hurts Social Security and does not pump money into the economy. Cutting the employment insurance will take weeks and months to implement and hurts American Workers and demeans them. And the executive order on evictions is lets consider something. Well, we know what that means in jargon around here. Lets not do it. Lets just talk about it. So President Trumps executive orders are hardly worth the paper they are printed on. You dont have to take my word for it. Go ask senator republican senators from South Carolina and nebraska who arent too thrilled with it either. And, of course, the biggest problem with these executive orders is not what they do, but what they dont and cant do. The orders dont address tracing and treatment of covid19, desperately needed to curb the Health Crisis which in turn is hurt rg the economy hurting the economy so badly. The order leaves out money to safely reopen our schools and provide the p. P. E. And other help to keep kids, teachers and staff safe. The orders wont give Food Assistance to hungry kids and families. The orders wont aid firefighters, sanitation workers, all people who keep our communities running could lose their jobs. The orders leave out funds to make sure can be carried out effectively throughout covid19. And the orders do nothing to make sure our elections can conducted in a safe and secure manner during this covid crisis. The fact is, we are facing an unprecedented crisis. The government is going to have to commit resources to fight this disease and the economic devastation it has wrought. Executive orders cannot do that, and, therefore, will always be sufficient, especially those crafted in such a poor way as these. The only way to crush the virus and truly protect american working families is to pass a comprehensive bill in congress that is equal to the challenges. The challenges facing our country. Democrats remain ready to return to the table. We need our republicans to join us there and meet us halfway and Work Together to deliver immediate relief to the American People. Were ready as soon as our republican colleagues have come off this view that its their way or no way and meet us in the middle. Now, before i yield the floor, i want to take a step back and talk about the core problem in our negotiations over the past few weeks. President trump and the Republican Party certainly in the senate are not alive to the suffering of the American People. The response from the white house to the greatest domestic challenge of the 21st century can be summed up in five words issued by President Trump in an interview last week it is what it is. President trump was challenged to defend his claim that covid19 is under control. How, he was asked, 1,000 americans are dying a day. President trumps response it is what it is. It is what it is. Thats how the president of the United States of america responds to the harrowing fact that more than a thousand americans are dying every single day from a virus his administration failed to contain. Not a morsel of empathy, not an ounce of sorrow, not a shred of remorse for the many mistakes his administration has made. The president says, it is what it is. What a shocking admission of breadthdential fail what a shocking admission of president ial failure. We live in a wealthy and yet countries around the world manage to sighs late the spread and stop the disease. Countries are a mere fraction of our resources and knowhow. President trumps response to this crisis is a national and international embarrassment. The president says, it is what it is. President trump is not the only one who dismisses the graftty of covid19. The lack of empathy and understanding starts at the top but it goes all the way down. The president s chief of staff said covid19 isnt such a big deal for schoolchildren compared to the flu. Leader mcconnell put the senate on ice because his party didnt feel the urgency of act. His words. And now by the leaders own admission, more than a third of the Senate Republican caucus doesnt want to vote for anything anything to help the American People. The economy is failing. Small businesses are closing. State and local governments are cutting essential services. Americans cant pay the rent and will be thrown out of their homes. Families cant afford to feed their children. Essential workers dont have p. P. E. Were sending our kids back to School Without a plan. The number of americans were testings is going down. The disease is ravaging our nursings homes. And americans are dying so many in so short a time that Funeral Homes and morgues are storing the dead in refrigerated 18wheelers and yet the president says, it is what it is. The president , his aides, his party in congress are not even awake to whats happening in this country. That is the reason why Senate Republicans delayed for four more for four long mondays and that is the for morning hour long months and that is the reason weve during the summer months, reach out to your elected officials with cspans congressional directory that contains all the Contact Information you need to stay in touch with members of congress. Order your copy online today at the spann store. Org. Cspan store. Org. Our lives a look at coverage on tuesday. At 9 30 a. M. , the full d. C. Court of appeals hears the full argument to determine if a judge must dismiss the perjury case against michael flynn. In the afternoon, our campaign 2020 coverage includes Vice President pence accepting the endorsement from the Arizona Police association in tucson. At 7 30 p. M. , senator kennedy and senator markey face each other in a primary debate. And on cspan2 at 9 00 a. M. , a forum on the vaccine for covid19. The na