Year by democrats and republicans, including Energy Efficiency managers, battery storage, Carbon Capture and electric Grid Security and more. Live coverage next of the senate here on cspan2. The president pro tempore the senate will come to order. The chaplain, dr. Barry black, will lead the senate in prayer. The chaplain let us pray. Almighty god, you answer us when we call. You extend to us your mercies and great is the your faithfulness. Stay close to our lawmakers, guiding them in these challenging times. Lord, inspire them to put their total trust in you, as they find joy in your abiding presence. Deliver them from discouragement, as they seek to examount you by the way they live. Give them the wisdom to cultivate reverence for you and your precepts. We pray in your sacred name. Amen. The president pro tempore please join me in reciting the pledge of allegiance. 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. A senator mr. President . The presiding officer the senator from iowa. Mr. Grassley may speak in morning business for one minute. The presiding officer without objection. Mr. Grassley last saturday marked an incredible milestone for makeawish iowa. At that event in dubuque, this organization granted its 4,000th wish to michael, age 15, from owine, iowa. He received a livestock trailer for transporting his show cattle. 4,000 wishes is an amazing achievement for makeawish, which is dedicated to bringing joy to critically ill young people in iowa. The wishes they make the wishes they grant make such an impact on the lives of these children, so i congratulate makeawish iowa and their many volunteers for their accomplishments. I know that they will continue to spread joy, kindness, and compassion for years to come. I yield the floor. The presiding officer under the previous order, the leadership time is reserved. The clerk will report the pending business. The presiding officer cleric calendar number 557, s. 2657, a bill to support innovation in advanced Geothermal Research and development and for other purposes. Mrs. Shaheen mr. President . The presiding officer the senator from new hampshire. Mrs. Shaheen i call up amendment 1525 to amendment number 1514, as proposed by senator portman. The presiding officer the clerk will report. The clerk the senator from new hampshire, mrs. Shaheen, proposes an amendment 1525 to amendment 1514. On page 28, line 19, strike mrs. Shaheen mr. President , i ask unanimous consent that the reading of the amendment be waived. The presiding officer without objection. Mr. Manchin mr. President , i would like to ask for u. C. For my floor fellow, Patrick Laird for the remainder of the 116th congress. The presiding officer without objection. Mr. Schumer mr. President . The presiding officer the democratic leader. Mr. Schumer the coronavirus continues to spread. With more than 500 confirmed cases in the United States in twothirds of the 50 states. Given the inconsist tency in the delay of testing, we dont know if the number of cases accurately eflects the number of indicates in the United States. We now know that when the coronavirus first appeared on our soil, the centers for Disease Control produced kits that did not work properly and sent many of these tests to our hospitals and medical labs. The administration turned down tests from the world health organization. Even though 60 countries accepted it, and we have no answers as to why. It took weeks to get an accurate test out. And when it took weeks for the federal government to approve certain sites to run those tests, like the northwell facility on long island that i recently visited, it took weeks to ramp up the number of americans tested, and we are still far behind other countries like south korea in the number and percentage of the population we are able to test for coronavirus. The most powerful tool in responding to a virus is to know precisely where it is and how it is spreading. But because we dont have a complete handle on testing, many of our hospitals, doctors, researchers, and Public Health officials are flying blind. And we are still far behind where we ought to be in understanding how far the vice has already spread. Instead of taking responsibility and working quickly to rectify the early errors us the Trump Administration and especially the president himself downplayed concerns about the virus. The president falsely said a vaccine would be ready soon and implied that it was okay for americans to go to work, even if they had the virus. The president falsely blamed the Obama Administration for a policy change that slowed testing. It was regarded as totally false, what he said. And rather than spend the weekend in washington to get a grip on the crisis, the president was once again golfing at maralago. I dont want to guess at the number of times this president has criticized other president s for doing the same thing. The federal governments initial response to the coronavirus was slipshod, at best. It has greatly hurt the country, and it falls at the feet of the president. The buck stops with him. Now, i know President Trump will dismiss these criticisms and accuse democrats of playing politics, thats what he always does when theres legitimate criticism. Because in President Trumps world, theres no such thing of a legitimate crit simple of his administration. Criticism of his administration. But i would tell President Trump, we dont criticize your administration for the sake of it. We criticize because we want the administrations response to get better, and we are afraid that if we dont speak up, if we dont point out the problems publicly and push the administration to change its method of operation, it wont change at all and the crisis will continue to worsen. Now more than ever, we need President Trump to lead our governments response to the coronavirus competently and consistently. Were all rooting for that. Ment now as the economic effects of the coronavirus are beginning to worsen, there have been rumors that the Trump Administration may pursue policies to stimulate the policy. Let me be very clear. The best way to ensure Economic Security for the American People right now is to deal with the coronavirus itself competently and fullon. Something we havent yet seen. Getting a handle on the crisis and containing the spread of the virus is by far the best way to address any effects on the economy. If anything, the Administration Must prioritize the health and safety of American Workers and families certainly before corporate interests. In that respect, Speaker Pelosi and i have suggested several policies that the administration should pursue to help American Workers and families. Paid sick leave for workers impacted by quarantine orders, who are responsible for caring for children impacted by school closures. Enhanced Unemployment Insurance for workers who may lose their jobs from the Economic Impacts of the epidemic. Food security to ensure vulnerable populations do not lose access to food during this epidemic. Clear protections for frontline workers like our Health Care Professionals and workers who are responsible for cleaning public facilities. Widespread and free corona testing as well as Affordable Treatment for any noncovered coronavirusrelated costs. Protections against price gouging and increased capacity of our medical systems. The Administration Must move quickly and seriously to address the expanding threat to the health of the American People and the severe impacts of the coronavirus on the Financial Security of American Families. Again, the best way to deal with the problem here health and economic is to address the problem headon. And deal with the kinds of problems we have seen the administration in its slipshod and erratic response. That must vanish. Now you on the energy bill now, on the energy bill, this week the senate will continue to work on a bill that would update our Nations Energy policy. Since the bill has been taken up, senators have filed hundreds of amendments, and i hope we can have a fair process that will allow the senate to consider amendments from both sides of the aisle. I voted yes on the motion to proceed to the energy bill because i was hopeful wed have a fair and robust amendment process. Unfortunately, this has not happened. The majority leader is rushing to conclude the bill, even though theres no particular urgency to finish this week. I salute leader manchin, who has worked very hard on this bill, as well as chair murkowski. I have differences with the bill, but they worked hard in a bipartisan way. But we also have an emergency that warrants legislative action as soon as possible, and thats Climate Change. At the moment, leader mcconnell is blocking an important bipartisan amendment that would help clear it. I have urged leader mcconnell to allow a vote on anempt led by senator carper, a democrat, and senator kennedy, a republican, that will require the e. P. A. To phase out the use of h. F. C. s, hydrofluorocarbons. H. F. C. s are dangerous greenhouse chemicals found in everyday appliances. Theyre thousands of times more damaging than Carbon Dioxide to our atmosphere. Phasing out these h. F. C. s is very important, and itll go a long way in fighting Climate Change and protecting the environment for future generations. I believe the senate should be allowed to vote on the carperkennedy amendment. A Bipartisan Group of senators back it, and even the chamber of commerce backs this amendment. So far leader mcconnell has not allowed a vote on it. Now, we dont have a caucus position. There are different views because of the good work done by senator shaheen and senator manchin on other parts of the bill. But ill be voting no on cloture this evening, unless we can work pout a compromise in the next few hours to get a vote on this critical amendment. The energy bill is a was a rare opportunity to make tangible progress, and progress on Climate Change as well, an existential threat to our plan eight. I hope my republican colleagues and leader mcconnell in particular see the better side of reason and allow us to vote on bipartisan amendments. I yield the floor. The presiding officer the democratic leader. Mr. Durbin i ask consent the quorum call be suspended. The presiding officer were not in a quorum call. The senator is recognized. Mr. Durbin mr. President , the coronavirus has now been confirmed in 104 countries. There are more than 110,000 cases worldwide. 4,000 people have died. In the United States we have more than 500 cases, including seven in my home state of illinois and at least 20 deaths. With these numbers expected to increase, we must be prepared to handle the cases that inevitably will follow. As we consider the next step, it is imperative that we look at the impact this Public Health emergency is having on all sectors of our economy, including schools, hospitals, nursing homes, Public Health departments, and small businesses. Last friday i held a round table discussion with officials from the centers for Disease Control and prevention and the illinois and chicago departments of Public Health as well as other local health officials. It was held in the medical district of the city of chicago. Experts updated us with the latest information on the coronavirus and what is being done at the state and local levels to prevent and address the outbreak. Im grateful for the work these officials are doing to keep illinois safe and healthy in their homes, schools, and communities. This is a serious Public Health challenge and we are working diligently to protect americans from the virus. The seriousness of this situation was evident by how quickly the house and senate here in washington came together on a bipartisan basis to provide needed emergency funding to help combat the virus. Last Week Congress rejected President Trumps original funding request of 2. 5 billion and instead we secured 7. 8 billion to address the virus in the United States. This funding will reimburse state and local governments for the millions ever dollars theyve already spent in containing the spread of this virus. The bill also included important measures for patient monitoring, lab testing, acquisition of test kits and protective equipment, and research for vaccines and therapeutics. Democrats successfully fought to include a provision in the bill that ensure any forthcoming Coronavirus Vaccine is accessible and affordable for all americans in need. As we look forward to the next steps to respond to this Public Health emergency, it is critical that congress prioritize the health and safety of workers and their families. Our Public Health experts are rightfully telling people to stay home if they are sick, but for Many Americans staying home means losing a paycheck that helps them pay their rent, pay for food, medication, and child care. For Many American families, losing a paycheck, even one, would be devastating. Nearly 40 of American Adults do not have enough savings to cover a 400 emergency expense. Im proud to have helped introduce legislation last week that would immediately provide 14 days of paid sick leave to workers in light of coronavirus. It also is important that we ensure workers have access to Unemployment Insurance benefits during this uncertain time. We passed a robust funding bill last week, but our work is far from done. There will be farreaching impacts of this outbreak. It is imperative that we look forward to our developing a comprehensive response that benefits everyone, including americas working families and small businesses, not just large corporations. It is also important that we recognize the good work being done around the country to combat this virus. The orgon National Laboratory in my state of illinois is helping address the threat with the advanced foton source. Researchers are using this high powered xray to study the virus. It was Just Announced last week that potential drug targets have been identified for this coronavirus by a Team Including the university of chicago, northwestern university, and the university of california at riverside. The scientists and their findings suggest drugs previously in development to treat sars could now be developed as an effective drug against this coronavirus outbreak. This work by argon highlights how we need to work with researchers in different subject areas and expertise to address this pandemic and the importance of supporting Scientific Research funding and the importance of supporting Scientific Research funding in places like the National Institutes of health. It is coincidental that the presiding officer, the senator from missouri and i have worked together with senator alexander of tennessee and senator murray of washington over the last several years to consistently increase year after year the amount of money we invest in the National Institutes of health. Our premier medical Research Laboratory in the world. Over this period of time, if im not mistaken, a matter of only four years we have increased the expenditures for the department the National Institutes of health from 30 billion to more than 39 billion, a more than 5 added increase over inflation every single year. During the same period, i believe the center for Disease Control has increased by about 16 , which is a good number but not good enough. If anything, this pandemic that we face has reminded us of the absolutely essential role played by the center for Disease Control in protecting American Families from the threat of disease and epidemics that we may face with coronavirus. We need to make this investment every year without fail in our medical research and medical prevention efforts in the United States. I commend the senator who is presiding from missouri for his leadership on this issue, and i want to continue to work with him on a bipartisan basis to make sure this is done. Discoveries like those at the Argonne Laboratory<