Remember your promise to never leave or forsake us. Finding power in your presence, give our senators the ability to discover solutions to the problems that confront our nation and world. May they strive to make a positive difference for all americans, permitting your light to illumine the way. Lord, provide our legislators with a new vision of faith and a fresh venture of hope as they seek creative ways to help a troubled world. We pray in your powerful name. Amen. The president pro tempore please join me in the pledge of allegiance to the flag. I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of america, and to the republic for which it stands, one nation under god, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all. Mr. Grassley madam president . The presiding officer the senator from iowa is recognized. Mr. Grassley i would ask permission to speak for one minute in morning business. The presiding officer without objection. Mr. Grassley this month is iowa history month, and for iowa history month, ill probably give a few oneminute speeches about history in iowa, but today i want to recognize the role of Iowa Veterans have played in our history. Just, for instance, in the civil war, iowa sent over 75,000 soldiers to fight for the union, the most per capita in any state. Now, ive been saying the most per capita of any state because i thought thats what the history, but ive had other states also say the same thing for their state. So i want to be intellectually honest but im still proud of those 75,000 iowans to fight for the union. Iowa has kept that tradition of service and i often have the pleasure of meeting our veterans. Like yesterday i met an iowa delegation for the veterans of foreign wars. I participate in the library of congress project called veterans history project. Accordingly, i have then had the honor of helping preserve 31 interviews with Iowa Veterans as part of the veterans history project. And thats taken place over just the last two years preserving the oral history of these Iowa Veterans. So the Iowa Veterans history project will then have their stories for future generations to ensure that the service of these iowans and the sacrifices of these iowans are never forgotten. I yield the floor. Mr. Mcconnell madam president . The presiding officer the majority leader is recognized. Mr. Mcconnell last week i described how congress could quickly secure supplemental funding to combat the coronavirus. The way to secure these urgently needed resources with speed and certainty was to forego partisan posturing, forego micromanagement at the leadership level, and let the bipartisan appropriators actually do their work. Since then chairman shelby, senator leahy and their counterparts in the house have worked hard on bipartisan, bicameral discussions. Thanks to their good work, we are close. The funding legislation appears to be about at the fiveyard line. Im optimistic we can complete the legislation and deliver this funding this week. We are close. In order to finish it up, both sides will need to continue to do what has worked thus far and resist the temptation to impose any lastminute ideological demands. In particular, ive heard that democratic leadership may be contemplating a lastminute demand that this funding legislation also test drive some untried, untested, and controversial parts of their medicare for all proposal that relate to the pricing of new drugs and innovations. So look, madam president , everyone agrees that the potential diagnostics, therapeutics, or vaccines that might come out of this new funding cannot only be available to the ultrawealthy. We all agree on that. Everyone agrees. We already have longstanding tried and true procedures so the government can buy and distribute new medicines in scenarios like this to ensure accessibility. These mechanisms are already in place. Theres no need and this is no time to begin experimenting with ideological proposals that could jeopardize research, development, and innovation. Like i said, the accessibility of treatments or vaccines is a priority for everybody. But before new technologies can be accessible, they obviously have to be available. This is a moment to empower innovators, to incentivize innovators. Its a time to remove hurdles to innovation, not build new hurdles and create new uncertainty through ideological experimentation. So i hope these rumors do not prove true. Im optimistic well be able to close out the remaining questions and process this legislation. In short order. This moment calls for collaboration and for unity. Our bicameral, bipartisan talks have made great headway. Its time to give our Public Health experts and Health Care Professionals the surge resources they need at this challenging time. In the mean time the senate will continue considering an important package of comprehensive Energy Legislation. For the first time in more than a decade, were looking at a thorough update to the laws governing innovation, security, and Workforce Development all across the American Energy sector. As chairman murkowski has noted, 12 years is a long time. The demafnedzs we face in researching, producing, refining, storing, and protecting our abundant Domestic Energy has evolved a great deal since 2007. So its high time for relevant federal policy to evolve as well. Im grateful the chairman was willing to take on this important task. And im glad that she and senator manchin led our colleagues on the energy and Natural Resources committee through an overwhelmingly bipartisan process to produce this bill. As i mentioned yesterday, the legislation aggregates 50 individual bills. It contains input from more than 60 senators. It covers an exhaustive range of energyrelated challenges from power storage and Renewable Technologies to Carbon Capture and electrical grid cybersecurity. It has earned the support of a similarly broad range of industry advocacy and research organizations. In one letter the bipartisan policy center, the American Nuclear society, the nature conservancy, and 36 other signatories endorsed it as, quote, the culmination of extensive efforts to develop practical legislative solutions. Thats the American Nuclear society and the nature conservancy. That ought to tell you what you need to know about this bill. This is a bipartisan piece of legislation done right. This is how you take practical steps and build consensus on issues that affect every american in every state. Around this time last year, youll recall we saw high profile example of exactly what not to do. The far left edge of the House Democratic caucus rolled out a massive scheme to forcibly remake much of our economy and our society according to their radical topdown designs. We all remember the Green New Deal. Categorical bans on the most affordable forms of American Energy, a dim future for millions of energy jobs, unprecedented washington mandates on every subject from building codes to personal transportation. And we all remember what happened next. This socialist fantasy did not stay confined to the ideological fringe. It quickly grew into a broader rallying cry. When the senate had the opportunity to vote on this wish list of central planning, only four, just four of our democratic colleagues could bring themselves to vote against it. Well, thats quite a remarkable commentary on the state of our politics. Experts estimated the Green New Deal could have cost our government more than the g. D. P. Of the entire world. The Green New Deal could have cost our government more than the g. D. P. Of the entire world. Instead this Bipartisan Legislation will let us direct responsible and targeted investment in a smart way toward key energy priorities. The Green New Deal sought to have washington micromanage everyday life in this country to a degree that the 20th century socialists would have drooled over. Instead, this Bipartisan Legislation will create better policy and regulatory conditions for American Workers, american innovators, and american job creators to actually thrive. Speaking as the senior senator from kentucky, i know firsthand that Many Americans in the middle of the country suffered badly during the obama era because washington pure contracts decided American Energy had to fit their ideological designs. The last thing, the very last thing we want is to move backward and expand those expennyly exponentially that would make the war on coal look like childs play. What kentuckians and all americans to deserve is for the federal government to make dominance easier, not harder. They deserve investment and support to help the communities that have fueled this country for generations to prosper once again. And that is what this bipartisan bill will actually deliver. Im proud to support this smart legislation. Clearly im not alone since only three of 100 senators voted yesterday against advancing the bill this week. So i would urge all of our colleagues to keep up their support and lets use these lets see this package through to the finish line. The presiding officer the leadership time is reserved. Morning business is closed. Under the previous order, the senate will resume consideration of the motion to proceed to s. 2657 which the clerk will report. The clerk motion to proceed to s. 2657, a bill to support innovation in advanced jeem thermal research and Geothermal Research and development and for other purposes. The presiding officer the senator from west virginia. A senator today we vote for consideration of bill 2657 which will serve as the vehicle for the American Innovation act. This is truly a Bipartisan Energy policy. Its innovation package would be the First ComprehensiveEnergy Policy update in 13 years. It brings together the strong bipartisan work of the Energy Committee over the last year. I would like to thank my friend and chairman of the committee, lisa murkowski, republican from alaska for her leadership and partnership with me over the last 14 months to process these bills and form the basis of the Energy Package well be turning to today. Mr. Manchin and thank you to the members of the energy and Natural Resource committee for their contributions to the development of this legislation. The American Energy innovation act draws from 53 bills from members of both sides of the aisle. 39 of those were truly a bipartisan effort. And 63 members of the senate have either sponsored or cosponsored a piece of this package. It truly is a bipartisan product and one that i believe will benefit this country greatly. So far we have had over 150 amendments filed, several of which are bipartisan, and there was no controversial issues that i know of. Im hoping that we can Work Together to incorporate some of those amendments from both sides of the aisle. As it stands, the American Energy and innovation act will advance the department of energies and National Laboratories ability to deliver muchneeded technology that American Workers can then export across the global marketplace. Not only will it further our ability to reduce Greenhouse Gas emissions from energy transportation, industry, and buildings, but it would also enhance our cyber Grid Security and maintain our Competitive Edge and role as a global leader. We talk a lot, all of us do, about Global Climate. When you think about Global Climate and you think about our responsibility and what we emit into the air, for some reason, most people have been led to believe the power generation, whether it be coalfired power plants, natural gas fired power plants, anything that has to do with fossil as contributing all of the Greenhouse Gas emissions in the United States. Thats just not true. Let me give you the breakdown. Power generation contributes 27. 5 of the Greenhouse Gas emissions. Power generation, how you get your electricity, comes from a coalfired power plant, gas, or any other type of fossil. Transportation, how we come and go back and forth to work, how we receive our goods, whether it is by car, plane, train, by trucks, 29 of the responsibility of Greenhouse Gases goes to transportation. The industry where people work, where they make their living, provide for their family, whether it be in a small factory, a large factory, a small business, or a hightech business, industry contributes 22 of Greenhouse Gas emissions. Commercial and residential, which is the building were in today, which is the beautiful capitol, and where we live. just the commercial and residential is 11. 5 responsible for Greenhouse Gases. So you have to have an allin policy. One one thing doesnt fit. And we dont have a Silver Bullet to fix everything. What we have done is you take all of those power generation, transportation, industry, commercial, and residential, that represents 90 of all the Greenhouse Gas emissions. Were approaching and were basically this piece of legislation approaches every one of those to reduce the Greenhouse Gas emissions. If we all Work Together and gas this truly bipartisan, farreaching, allinclusive bill, it will make a world of difference in how we lead the rest of the world in reducing Greenhouse Gas emissions. Thats what were trying to do. We do it through innovation. We dont do it through elimination. Elimination is not practical, responsible, or reasonable. The rest of the world will not follow. And basically, we have to have base load fuel. It has to be dependable, reliable, and affordable. But it has to be the cleanest in the world. Thats what this bill does. The other 9 you say well, its 90 , where is the other 10 . Thats in agriculture. Thats not in our jurisdiction, but they are working very hard in the Agriculture Committee to reduce their Greenhouse Gas emissions and their footprints, so everybody is doing their job. I believe this package is well balanced and many of my colleagues priorities on both sides of the aisle have been met. This bill represents a critical step in the right direction. I encourage, i truly, sincerely encourage all of my fellow members, democrats and republicans, to vote yes today on the motion to proceed. Your children will thank us, your tbrirn and generations after them will definitely thank all of us for doing our job today. Thank you, madam president , and i note the absence of a quorum. The presiding officer the clerk will call the roll. Quorum call mr. Schumer mr. President madam president. The presiding officer the democratic leader. Mr. Schumer i ask unanimous consent the quorum be dispensed with. The presiding officer without objection. Mr. Schumer now, madam president , as the number of confirmed cases of coronavirus in the United States continues to grow, congress is taking swift action this week to provide our health experts, Hospital Health care providers, and state and local governments the funding they need. A bipartisan negotiation between appropriators in the house and senate is very close to producing an emergency funding bill that would provide between 7 billion and 8 billion to respond to the coronavirus. This is very close to the amount that i thought was appropriate when i requested it last week, 8. 5 billion, and its more than four or five times what the administration originally requested. I believe if we hadnt pushed them, they would have been totally inadequate to the crisis, as they have been in preparation and planning. The administration requested 2. 5 billion, which was half, only half of that was new funding. The rest came from pulling it out of other things like ebola that were very much needed as well. The bill we put together here in congress is far more appropriate and will actually address our countrys short and medium term needs. This is very, very good news, and id like to compliment democrats and republicans, house and senate, for making efforts to come together, for being the adults in the room while President Trump childishly exaggerates, underplays, points fingers of blame, latches onto conspiracy theories, and most of all doesnt lead. This is an example where America Needs leadership, and President Trumps lack of leadership is glaringly apparent to americans. The crucial legislation provides funding for very specific and timely needs. There will be 350 million for hot spots, areas affected by the outbreak. There will be 500 million to procure pharmaceuticals and masks