Ms. Collins madam president. The presiding officer the senator from maine is recognized. Ms. Collins thank you, madam president. Madam president , the United States is facing a crisis unlike any other in our recent history. Madam president , this is no time for partisanship or for political differences to prevent us from coming together and working in the best interests of the American People. The coronavirus pandemic has arrived on our shores and is growing exponentially, sickening our people and devastating our economy. As of today, more than 26,700 americans have tested positive for the virus, and 340 people have died, while 176 have recovered. In my home state of maine, there are now 89 cases in eight different counties. Hospitals, doctors, and nurses are struggling to triage the influx of patients. Nursing homes are locking down their facilities in an attempt to safeguard their vulnerable residents. Students and teachers have had to transition abruptly to Online Learning as schools have closed across the nation. Parents have been left with no child care. Workers have been laid off or fear that they may soon lose their jobs as the outbreak worsens. To help mitigate the spread of this dangerous virus and protect those who are at highest risk, americans have stepped forward to take the proper precautions and to follow the guidelines that are issued by the centers for Disease Control. Although measures such as limiting large social gatherings and reducing nonessential travel are important to help contain the coronavirus and reduce contagions, they are also taking a tremendous toll on our economy. Madam president , there are 30 million Small Businesses in the United States. They employ nearly 60 million americans, about half of our nations workforce. According to a recent survey, 96 of Small Business owners say that they have already been affected by the coronavirus. Not in the sense that theyve become ill with it, but their Customer Base has simply dried up. And 51 say that they will only be able to keep open for up to three months if the economic consequences continue. The potential loss of more than half of our nations Small Businesses and the impact on the millions of people they employ is simply unacceptable. In my state, the number of claims for unemployment filed in the span of just three days this month was nearly double those filed in all of march a year ago. Maine is on track to surpass the highest weekly total of unemployment claims since the Great Recession of 2008. The situation is dire and it is only going to get worse unless we act and we act now. We must come together as republicans and democrats in this chamber and in the house to provide relief to the American People, to ensure that workers continue to receive paychecks or other forms of assistance. And of course we continue to build on the two bills we have already passed to protect the health and safety of the American People. Looking beyond the statistics that i just recited, the realworld effect of this economic devastation is evident everywhere. I just got off the phone from talking to a couple in lewiston, maine, jimmy and linda simonas. They run a Third Generation family diner. It is so well known and a favorite place to stop by for lunch. They tried to convert to a takeout business, but it just didnt work. So for the First Time Ever in this diners history, the simonas family is forced to close their doors and to lay off their workers, workers who have been with them for years, workers that include that not only themselves but their son george. Every day, i have heard from Small Business owners who are anxious about the future of their businesses and how they have continued to pay their employees who are often their Family Members, their friends, and their neighbors. The last thing they want to do is to lay off their employees and shut their doors, but they fear that they may have no other choice. They simply do not have the cash flow, the revenue coming in the door to allow them to remain open. The tourism sector, which is so critical to jobs in maine, has been particularly hard hit. A small hotel in brunswick, maine, received 84 cancellations within just 24 hours of the local college suspending its inperson classes. A wellknown irish pub in bangor, maine, had to close for st. Patricks day, probably its biggest day of the year, and has been forced to lay off 60 people. A Charter Bus Company based in lewiston lost 400,000 in three days because two page tours canceled. If tourism is further reduced, this bus Company Predicts losses of more than a million dollars. Countless other businesses in my state, such as restaurants, the lobster and fishing industries, gyms, b and bs, gift shops, retailers, hair salons have also been hard hit. The hospitality in particular is at risk of being devastateed as conferences and vacation trips continue to be canceled. A hair stylist who is a good friend of mine was forced to shutter her shop, and at the same time she lost her parttime job bar tending when the bar that employed her was also required to close as well. Madam president , when these Small Businesses suffer, it has the cast can cascading effect on their employees from housekeepers to wait staff to bartenders to fishermen to drivers to retail clerks. These are just some of the countless examples of the economic damage that is occurring in every community because of the virus and through absolutely no fault of the Small Businesses or their workers, but for the coronavirus and the steps that state and local governments have taken, as well as the federal government, these businesses would be thriving. In maine, they would they would be beginning to start staffing up for the summer months, for the height of the tourism season. So, madam president , it is essential that congress act immediately without partisan bickering, without delay, act immediately to protect the paychecks and to provide other relief to supplement the earlier bills that we have passed. And im pleased to report that help is on the horizon for Small Businesses and their workers that would allow them to weather the current storm. As a member of the Small Business task force, ive been working very closely night and day with a group of my colleagues, senator rubio, senator cardin, and senator shaheen. Our staffs have worked literally through the night on legislation to provide relief to Small Businesses and their employees. The keeping workers paid and employed act that i authored with senator rubio, the chairman of the Small Business and entrepreneur committee, provides a plan to do just that. Through our negotiations with senator shaheen and senator cardin who have been wonderful partners, wonderful partners, we have produced jointly a 350 billion plan that would help mitigate this crisis. Our group has worked night and day in a bipartisan fashion. We have kept in mind the common goal of protecting those employees who have been laid off or who are at risk of being laid off because of the cash flow problems of their employers, problems that these Small Businesses did not create but rather are a result of the covid19 pandemic. Our joint vision is to help Small Businesses and their employees make it through to the other side of this crisis by providing cash flow assistance quickly to employers who agree to keep their workers on the payroll. This would allow employers to stay in business and keep paying their employees. More than 100 maine Small Businesses and the Maine Chamber of commerce have endorsed this bill. Additionally, nationwide a group of more than two dozen business organizations that represent thousands of Companies Across the country have expressed their strong support for this proposal, and i would ask unanimous consent that both of those letters be included in the record at the conclusion of my remarks. The presiding officer without objection. Ms. Collins so, madam president , let me explain how our plan would work. Under our approach, Small Businesses would be eligible for a 100 federally guaranteed emergency loan to cover their payroll for eight weeks as well as certain fixed expenses, normal, customer customary expenses like rent, mortgage payments and utilities. These loans would ultimately be eligible to be forgiven provided that the employers kept the workers on their payrolls. Thats the key provision. This Financial Assistance is targeted, and it could not be used to give raises to highly compensated employees or to increase returns to shareholders, not that most of these Small Businesses even have shareholders. Our goal is to keep these workers employed, to keep paychecks going to them, to keep payments for their Health Insurance intact, to keep contributions that an employer may be making to their 401 k plan intact. And, madam president , we know that keeping people employed and ready to get back to work, not severing that connection between employers and their employees will cost far less than it would to try to rescue the economy after we have had massive layoffs and business closures. Thats what our bill would prevent. The secretary of the treasury has estimated that if we do nothing, if we do not pass this bill in connection with a broader package aimed at preventing economic devastation, we could see employment rise as high as 20 . And keep in mind, were coming through a period where we have had record low unemployment. It could rise as high as 20 . If that happens, the impact on the federal government would be substantial, far more than the 350 billion that we are using for this Small BusinessAssistance Program to keep their employees paid. Not to mention the extraordinary harm that this kind of economic catastrophe would cause to millions of families. Madam president , congress has already passed two emergency relief packages. They will promote the health and safety of americans. But it is going to take time for us to get the coronavirus under control. It is going to take time for the social distancing to work. It is going to take time for new treatments to be developed, much less a vaccine, despite the extraordinary efforts of scientists and physicians and other experts across this country who are all pulling together. Our keeping workers paid and employed act has been included in a third package that i Hope Congress will soon, very soon consider to respond to covid19. It is imperative that we not delay. Every day that we delay, another business like the simonas business, their diner in lewiston, maine, is forced to close their doors and to lay off their employees. Madam president , we are truly standing at the edge of a dangerous precipice. Bold, bipartisan action is required to respond to this Public Health crisis and move us back from economic disaster, Small Businesses closing their doors in some cases forever, devastating and decimating our downtowns, and millions of americans losing their jobs. I implore my colleagues on both sides of the aisle to put aside partisan differences and come together and join our Bipartisan Group in delivering this urgently needed aid for the American People by passing this important Economic Relief for the employees of Small Businesses throughout our nation. Thank you, madam president. I would yield the floor. A senator madam president. The presiding officer the senator from kentucky is recognized. Georgia. Forgive me. The senator from georgia is recognized. Mrs. Loeffler thank you. I want to begin with my gratitude and respect for those on the front lines in georgia and across america today, the doctors, nurses, First Responders, employees in our Grocery Stores and supply chains and in our state and local leaders who are leading the response on the ground at this perilous time. Together this is the best of america. 17 days ago i spoke from this podium and called on the country to come together to combat the outbreak of novel coronavirus. I asked the media, my colleagues in congress, and leaders across our country to join me in putting politics aside, to put the health and safety of all americans first. The next day in congress we came together to pass quickly an 8. 5 billion emergency funding to support our response to this virus which President Trump signed immediately. The week after that, in march, the president declared a national emergency, unleashing 50 billion to further mobilize testing, therapeutics and care. Today we find ourselves in an even more serious and urgent situation. The Health Threat facing our nation has intensified. Recent reports show the acceleration of infection. At the same time people are losing their jobs, is Small Businesses are closing and fear is taking hold while families are home with children out of school and parents out of work. This is why we must act immediately to pass the cares act, bringing well over 1 trillion with an Economic Impact being a multiple of that. Were in a rapidly changing environment with each passing day that requires this immediate and substantial action. Each day families are put more at risk of financial peril and hospitals are going without the resources they need. Uncertainty rests on americans doorsteps daily. They wonder how much longer can i make this work . How do i protect my familys health and welfare . We need immediate relief in the hands of the American People, and we needed it days ago. We cannot wait another day. The families are to the families worried about paying rent and feeding their children, the Small Business owner forced to shutter their doors and lay off staff that is like family to them, and who worry about foreclosure by landlords, the employees of Service Travel and tourism, industries left unemployed, the hospitals, rural and urban, and the assisted living facilities running out of equipment, staff, and beds, the Public Health officials, nurses and doctors working around the clock on the front lines, help is on the way. Every american needs to know that in washington we have their backs. That we know that there is deep uncertainty and fear that were working right now to address it. We must turn our rhetoric into action, and ill say it again, theres no room for political maneuvers here. I want every georgian to know that i am fighting for them every day. No amount of false politicized allegations against me or my family will distract me. Nothing will get in my way of delivering muchneeded relief to georgian families nothing. Ive spent the last two weeks speaking with hospital leaders, Small Businesses, and employers, and employees across georgia. The impact is felt by every georgian. The need is urgent from londs county to raven county, the issues of health and economic and concern are widespread. Across the country we must stand together symbolically though we cannot stand together physically. Thats why im calling on the senate to act expeditiously to pass this relief package immediately. Let me be clear. It is time to deliver. As weve seen, this virus does not wait for politics as usual to play out. Only swift action will save lives, families, and jobs at this unprecedented time. Just as the rest of america has done, the senate must step up and help win this war for all americans. Thank you, madam president. I yield the floor. Ms. Collins madam president. The presiding officer the senator from maine is recognized. Ms. Collins madam president , i would suggest the absence of a quorum. The presiding officer the clerk will call the roll. Quorum call the presiding officer the senator from florida is recognized. Mr. Rubio i ask unanimous consent that the quorum call be vitiated. The presiding officer without objection. Mr. Rubio i want to caveat what im going to say by the reality of everyone whos ever worked on legislation that every deal is contingent when you make a deal with the other side on something or another group of people, its always contingent on seeing it in written. Sometimes things dont align and oftentimes its not out of ill intent. I want to make that point. I want to make a point because we are dealing with almost the whole of the economy as we discuss what were going to do to help this country through this crisis, and you deal, for example, as we have been, with Small Business, it sometimes interacts with what other parts of the same agreement are are also dealing with. So, for example, you might be dealing with a Small Business sector but it interacts with what might be happening with a group thats negotiating Health Care Spending and so items like that are things that youre going to continue to work through and have some understanding over. But i think what i feel very confident in saying, as you heard a moment ago from senator collins, is that a group of us that were tasked