We do know this is an unprecedented amount of money. Congress has never passed a rescue package like this before before, 1. 5 trillion on top of about 200 billion that was in the legislation that passed only a couple of weeks ago on top of the 8. 3 billion that was in the first one. This this is phase three. And then, finally, number three, this legislation does provide the help to the Health Care System, quickly, the Public Health care system to be able to provide the protective gear thats needed for Health Care Workers, the additional ventilators needed in our hospitals. The antiviral medication that can help when someone tests positive to know theres going to be a way to minimize to reduce the effects of this virus, the infection. And really significantly to not only lab corps said they can do 300,000 tests a week. We need to use the cotton swab to get them the swabs. There needs to be a process to get them. Now were starting to come online, this funding legislation will help them to quickly move so they can have the information to measure whether were succeeding or not. And then as we begin to measure our success to be able to get people back to work, to be able to get the economy back on track, to be sure that people are shopping. The consumer economy is so important. This can all happen, but this legislation is critical to make it happen, to provide the rescue to help people whether this storm and to be sure at the other end of this we come out strong. And we will. We will. It requires us working together today, right now to come out from behind these doors, stop the negotiating to add more here and there and just say, this is a bipartisan product. Nothing is perfect around here, but if you make perfect the enemy of the good, youre going to hurt more people, more Small Businesses will shut, more people will be out on their own and there will be more and more people who will be infected with this virus who otherwise could have been saved. So, mr. President , i ask my colleagues, its already been too long. Lets pass this legislation today. Lets begin the rescue package and begin to help the constituents who deserve it. I yield back. Mr. Lankford madam president. The presiding officer the senator from oklahoma. Mr. Lankford eight days ago we started the process of trying to be abe to pull together this economic bill. Eight days ago weve been in continuous session every day since then. It was our belief that we would vote on this bill two days ago on sunday. The negotiations have gone on for this ten tire eightday entire eightdaytime period, republicans and democrats working together, republican chairman, democratic Ranking Members, sharing ideas. Eight days ago senator schumer presented a list ten pages long of ideas and priorities that democrats wanted to be able to include in the Economic Relief package. Multiple of those areas are included in this package, in this compiled package that was all trying to head to vote on it on sunday, and then sunday happened that it was were close. That wasnt the answer were voting on it. It was suddenly the negotiations are, were close and a whole new set of priorities suddenly appeared from our Senate Democratic colleagues that said we want a few more things we want to do and a few more things that we want to evaluate. Were close is all we heard. We thought we were done. For the sake of the American People we need to be done. We have folks at home across the entire country that are trying to figure out if they can get a loan, if they can keep their business going, if they can pay their employees. They have no income coming and all that is coming out of this body is were close and we have a few more things that we want to discuss. Here is a stamp many of the sample of the calls that i got yesterday. A lady from southwest oklahoma called yesterday literally in tears saying that she has a Small Business and theres little to no business going on right now with no cash flow and she doesnt know about she and her husbands retirement and she doesnt know why the bill didnt pass yesterday. And all we can say to her was, we dont know either because it was suddenly a new set of issues that seemed to be all day long sunday, monday, and now were deep into tuesday and we still cant get a set of answers. Painfully enough, i caught one of my Senate Colleagues on the democratic side and just asked, what is the problem . What is the holdup . Their answer was, were compiling our list from everyone right now to try to get down to what our priorities are. This was yesterday monday. We thought we would be done on sunday and all i could say back to them was, youre compiling your list . You still dont even know what all you want to be able to include in this bill and were just stalling and waiting until we can figure out what to do. Weve been done and now were stuck waiting for the other side to say, im thinking of a few more things we want to include. I had a lady from southern oklahoma who called me because the Day Care Center where her daughter works is closed down. Doesnt know whats going to happen and wanted to know, shes heard about this possibility of a check being sent out to every american. That would sure be helpful right now and wanted to know when that was coming. All i could say was, i dont know. Were waiting on our democratic colleagues to finish compiling their list of the other things they want to add into this bill so we can even discuss it. All i can say is i keep hearing were at the two 2yard line or were this close, but we never seem to get past the 2yard line. Its always, were close. Folks at home dont need were close. They need this done. So let me just say real quick whats in this bill and why its so important to us. Additional money for testing, additional money for work on vaccines, additional money on trying to be go through treatments, ventilators, literally billions of dollars that go to hospitals and clinics and Nursing Homes and Senior Centers many one section of the bill has 75 billion, another section of the bill has 40 billion just for hospitals and for health care. The hospitals are all telling us the same thing, we need help and we need help right now. And i would say back to them, would love to except we seem to be parked on the 2yard line while other folks are saying, were close. Were still thinking of a few other things we want to get in. Theres an immediate check thats to go out to every american to be able to provide some support for utilities and the basic things because so many are unemployed. Those folks who are calling is, all i can say is i dont know. All i know is were close because the other side wants to include things they are thinking about on the list. Already in the bill is 250 million for Unemployment Insurance with an increase on the amount that would come on each check. Would love to get that started except were on the 2yard line and we cant seem to get past that because the other side is still making a list of the other things they want to include in the bill. So we cant get help to hospitals, we cant get immediate support checks out the door, we cant get additional Unemployment Insurance going because they were thinking about a few other things they want to add into the bill. Already in the bill is help for Small Businesses, helping people retain their full salary if they work at a Small Business that is a business of 500 or less so that they can stay connected to their employer so when we get through this virus they actually have a job and they can continue their same salary. Thats an immediate offer. Its not like the one that passed last week that Small Businesses are expected to pay for the coverage out of money they dont have and some day the federal government will figure out a process to reimburse them. This is totally different. This is an immediate up front infusion into Small Businesses so they dont have to come up with the cash. Its come up for them and for them to be able to help their employees that helps their employees from having to go into Unemployment Insurance and helps the recovery the economy recover faster because they are able to come back to it. I would love to them them, go to your bank right now, your loan is ready except i cant because the other side is thinking of more things they want to add into this bill. While Small Businesses cant make it through the week because of their cash flow because theyve been forcibly closed, the other sides thinking about a few more things that they want to add in. Theres help in this for nonprofits that are doing amazing work all over my state and they probably are in states all over the country right now. Nonprofits are out there that i talked to recently, homeless shelters but they are at max capacity, they are not allowing additional residences residents, the ymca is doing remarkable work. The Free Community clinic has had to close in some of my Communities Just because of covid19 and so they are trying to find ways to help out in other ways. The hope center thats in woodward is doing a drivethrough Food Distribution right now instead of having people come in and so they are getting food to them. Weve got some of the youth and Family Service facilities that are doing amazing work right now but they cannot make payroll right now. They are needing some help. Well, guess what, theres help in this bill for those nonprofits to be able to keep their payroll going and to be able to keep going because we desperately need those nonprofits to still be table toll provide that help in those communities. I would love to tell those nonprofits, help is on the way but all i can tell them is, were on the 2yard line waiting for the other side to determine a few more things that they still want to put into the bill. So its ready, maybe. A lot of Large Business thats employ a lot of people in my state businesses thats ploy a lot of people in my state are not asking for grants, though they would love to get those, obviously. They are asking for capital. They are asking for access to loans. They are asking for the opportunity to take out a loan and be able to make a payment. Thats in this bill. Its not a bailout for Big Companies in this bifl. This bill bill. This bill provides an opportunity for medium and Large Companies to get access to credit so they can get a loan to carry their company through it. I would love to tell them you can go take out that loan, but i cant because the other side is still thinking about a few other things that they want to do. And were waiting. Time is important right you in. Right now. And while one of my colleagues made a Public Statement yesterday saying this is a 2 trillion bill, we should really get it right. Oh, i agree, but this doesnt seem to be a matter of making sure the text is correct. All that ive heard for the last 48 hours is, there are a few more things were thinking about that we want to be table to get into the bill. Yesterday it was Solar Energy Panels and solar credits, which i dont know how it connection with covid19. It was forcing airlines to be Carbon Neutral by 2025. It was Union Representatives on corporate boards. It was limiting their ability for corporations to be able to have any kind of access to doing stock buybacks for the next ten years. All of those things may be fine to debate, why in the world are we holding up Small Businesses and holding up checks to individuals and cutting off support for nonprofits because were thinking about a few things like solar panels and Carbon Neutral foot prints for airlines . Why dont we get this done . Because the time is important and people at home that have real lives and real families and a Small Business have no income coming in right now. They have no cash flow and they are trying to pay their employees and figure out whats going to happen next while the other side is think ising about Something Else thinking about Something Else they might want to add to this this bill. Time for thinking through the details but in our office its a really difficult thing to continue to answer the phone and hear people say i dont know how we stay open any longer. Ill tell you what. Why dont you answer this call for me while youre thinking about what else you might want to add to the bill. A hotel owner in my state that just closed their doors while youre thinking about what you want to do next. Im asking the other side, the bill already has these elements in it. And while im confident people will step out of negotiations at some point and say we miraculously saved the bill because we changed five lines in it and we added additional dollars into this account or this account was too low. We didnt give 75 billion to hospitals. We gave a hundred billion to hospitals. Look, we fixed it and we didnt give 10 billion to cities of whats in there, we gave 15 billion so we saved it. But while youre arguing about adding a few more dollars to these different things, in the meantime Small Businesses and people across the country are saying can i get the first dollar while youre arguing about the 15 billiont billionth . Can i get some help now . Time is important. Lets stop pretending its not. It may not be to some folks in this room. It is to the four million folks in my state. We were ready to sunday with this bill and thought we were voting on it to finish it. Now 48 hours later the our side is still thinking about something they might want to add dinto this. Lets vote. With that i yield the floor. Ms. Mcsally madam president . The presiding officer the senator from arizona. Ms. Mcsally madam president , we are at war and unlike the enemies i fought against in uniform, this enemy is invisib invisible. But its just as deadly. Earlier today the World Health Organization cautioned that the u. S. Could be the next epicenter of this coronavirus pandemic. The Surgeon General sounded the alarm that things will guess drastically worse this week. Economists are warning of a prolonged economic downturn that will devastate the country financially in ways unseen since the great depression. As of right now more than 600 americans have died from the coronavirus. In arizona our governor announced this morning that the death toll from the outbreak is up to five. In the past four days weve seen more than a 200 increase in the number of cases in my state. Its going to go up. These arent just numbers. Theyre people. Our hearts and our prayers are with the grieving families who lost their loved ones, and those fighting for their lives right now. The nation has embarked on a massive effort to flatten the curve of the coronavirus to protect the vulnerable, buy time, and ensure our Health Care System doesnt get overwhelmed. These aggressive steps will save lives, but this path creates another calamity of massive Economic Hardship unlike anything weve experienced. Were telling people to stay home and not work. The financial devastation is wide and deep. Arizonans are stepping up to do their part to save the vulnerable, but working people deserve relief. And their needs are urgent. I was home in arizona a week ago sunday and i saw a neighbor, a single mom with three kids. She owns a food truck and told me her income just went to zero with all events canceled. What am i supposed to do . She asked me with her son by her side at the Grocery Store. I told her i was heading back to d. C. To pass legislation to get her cash fast, for her rent and food, plus Additional Support for her Small Business. She was scared. I cant imagine the fear that must be gripping all arizona parents just like her who must provide for their families in the face of this open ended economic lockdown. That same day i ordered takeout at my Favorite Local restaurant. There was hardly anyone there when its usually packed. And this was before the governors orders to shut down eating and dining rooms. This is a familyowned small restaurant where they poured their savings, their hearts, and their lives into building this local success story. I asked how they were coping and they said they were deeply concerned. What are we supposed to do, they asked. I told them to hang in there and that relief was on the way. More fear in the eyes of people whose only sin is to have worked hard and played by the rules in pursuit of their american dream. I walked to the gate at the airport terminal where i usually hug a woman who shines shoes on monday morning. We kept our distance but i asked how the virus impacted her. She said she only hd one only had one client that day and things were grinding to a halt. What am i supposed to do, i heard again. I took her phone number and i told her we leaf was on her relief was on the way soon. This morning shes waking up to no relief bill and a new story that airlines have plans to shut down altogether. Its a nightmare with no end in sight for so many like her. On the plane back to washington, d. C. , i texted the woman who grooms my dog boomer to ask how the virus was impacting her business. She told me it was slowing down but that she wasnt feeling well. I urged her to go home immediately and stay away from people. She said she couldnt because she had to pay her bills. What is she supposed to do . I pleaded with her on text to go home and said