Statistics. The United States now leads the world in the number of confirmed cases of the coronavirus with more than 1. 5 million. Another 2. 4 million workers filed jobless claims this week, joining the more than 38 million americans have applied for unemployment assistance since the crisis began. Veryl soon our country will reah another grim milestone. We are fast approaching the day when more than 100,000 american lives will have been lost to covid19, the size of a small city erased from the map. Speaker pelosi and i have sent a letter to President Trump this morning requesting that the American Flag be flown at half mast on all public buildings on the day the total reaches 100,000. As families all across the great country mourned the loss of friend, colleagues and loved ones, flying the flag at half mast would be a national expression of grief. And of course this weekend is also memorial day, where we commemorate so Many Americans who through the centuries have lost their lives fornt the country. And we never forget them. I hop hope mo mori all day every american will take a moment in the crisis to remember our veterans whove served and made a great sacrifice and remember their families as well. Now, in a flash, this disease has washed over our country like a flood. Changing nearly every aspect of American Society except perhaps the Republican Senate. If you look at our activity in the last three weeks, you would hardly know that there was a crisis. Leader mcconnell called the senate back into session three weeks ago. In that time, the Republican Leadership hasnt put one bill on the floor of the senate related to covid19. Not one vote on legislation having to do with the covid19 and the entire month of may. The house hasnt been in regular session, but it has voted on much more covid19 related bills this month than the republicanls senate. For leader mcconnell to say that the senate is working into the house is derelict is the opposite of what happened. The house has passed a major bill dealing with covid19. We have done nothing on this floor to vote on anything about covid19. For leader mcconnell to think we are doing our job by voting for some rightwing judges by engaging in some sort of show trials to go to pursue conspiracy theories from the far right and even from russia to besmirch political opponents past and present, that isnt what they should be doing. When americans look at what the atuse haswh done over the last three week weeks into what the e has done the last three weeks, they would see the house has done far more on covid19 in the senate because leader mcconnell is not allowingow the senate to focus on the issues that we should be focusing on. What little business we have done related to the crisis, oversight hearings and a few committees require weeks of pressure from senate democrats. Weve p had to push and push our colleagues to even fulfill the most basic responsibilities to do a hearing and oversight as to whether the money that they passed weeks ago is being spent properly. In the interest of making incremental progress, just incremental progress, democrats asked the chamber to consent to smaller measures related to the relief efforts. Wees asked colleagues to increae transparency in the smallbusiness Lending Program and to release the unedited guidance to helpp families, businesses and banks reopened safely. Senate republicans blocked those ideas. The inaction by the Senate Republicans has gotten so bad that even one of my colleagues on the other side doesnt want to adjourn today because his party has done nothing on the coronavirus for an entire month. Leader mcconnell has long presided over the legislative graveyard. But in this time of national crisis, when americans all across the country are desperate hefor relief, the inaction of te Senate Republicans is staggering making matters worse republicans are not just ignoring the coronavirus, they are practically sprinting towards focusing on a partisan election instead of coming together to try to solve the problem. Instead of debating the legislation on the floor, leader mcconnell has asked the senate to confirm the rights of thets rightwing judges in the Homeland Security committee, the republican chairman convened a hearing that slanders the family, the president s political opponen opponents with conspiracy theories invented by none other than the kremlin. At the Homeland Security committee should be Holding Hearings with the fema administrator about the long shortagest of ppe but instead te majority republican is following putin and his intelligence services. What a disgrace. With the sham and with a dereliction of duties. The house, again, they are doing their job. They passed a major bill. Senator mcconnell says lets wait, lets pause. He doesnt see immediate urgency. The n americans do. In the Judiciary Committee chairman wants to issue a bonanza of subpoenas about yet another Conspiracy Theory related to the 2016 elections in the hopes of driving down as many as can be found. And today in the Foreign Relations committee theha republican chairman is holding a hearing to have an President Trumps handpicked nominee for the voice of america. A nominee that is currently under investigation by the attorney general of washington, d. C. Thats right, the republican majority of the Foreign Relations committee is turning thehe cameras off so the press d the public can see what they are doing, getting a promotion to Steve BannonsBusiness Partner in the middle of a health crisis. This is such a gross misuse of power in the majority. While unemployment reaches astronomical levels, the Senate Republican caucus is often on a wild goose chase. The conspiracy is back with a vengeance. That is the name of this Republican Senate majority, the conspiracy caucus. That is where their focus is, not on eradicating covid19 for helping people get back to work, not on feeding hungryes familie, on pursuing conspiracy theories. Memorial day weekend is usually a time for senators to meet with constituents and hear their concerns. In these strange times, we wont be able to do that in person, but we will find ways to hear from the people in our state. And i expect my republican colleagues will get an earful. The American People should be furious about what Washington Republicans are doing in congress, and more to the point, what they are failing to do. As we approached the day of reckoning, more than a hundred thousand deaths from the coronavirus, i cannot imagine the American People happy that we cannot focus on the coronavirus because they are too busy being Oppositional Research for the president s reelection campaign. On another matter, later today, the senate will vote on whether to confirm representative John Radcliffe to serve as the director of National Intelligence which oversees the 17 different agencies in different intelligence agencies. Its one of the most important posts of the chamber. Acit requires someone with unimpeachable integrity, deep to speak truth to power. Eak truth to that is what we did. Unfortunately, mr. Radcliffe doesnt even come close to meeting att hyde park. Earlier this week i had the opportunity to speak with the congressman over the phone. I expressed my concerns they cast doubt on the qualifications of the credibility. I asked him to simply confirm the unequivocal conclusion of the 17 intelligence agencies that putin interfered in the 2016 elections to help President Trump. He couldnt confirm it. I asked if he would i commit bac specific steps to improve transparency and communications between the dni and congress. For instance, that every two weeks the staff of the gang of eight be briefed on what is happening in terms of election interference. That immediately congress be notified of another foreign country attempts to interfere. I asked him to do that within 72 hours. I will vehemently opposed the nomination today. More than ever, we need the right person to serve as the dni. Over the past few months we watched resident trump try to shortcircuit nearly every measure of independence and accountability within the executive branch. By baselessly firing one Inspector General after another President Trump has shown he will not tolerate anyone standing up to his personal political interests right or wrong. This is a dangerous pattern. That should send a shiver down the spine of anyone who denies the democracy and is relevant tm the Intelligence Community which must be able to inform the president of difficult truths. Mr. Radcliffe unfortunately has not yet demonstrated the qualities nor the independence that we should expect in the next leader in the Intelligence Community. I will n vote no and encourage y colleagues on both sides of the aisle for the sake of the independence and strength of the Intelligence Community which has served us so well for decades to join me in voting no. Madam president. The minority leader just got up and attacked the senate for not doing anything and then to announce that we are going to be voting today on the director of National Intelligence. It seems like a pretty important position. The person thats in charge of all of the intelligence of todays that we conduct around the world to make sure that we keep our country safe. So,at if the senate is here and not giving anything, it seems that a contradiction to suggest that we are actually going to vote today on a consequential position or a position thats important to Americas National security interest. Just one of many that we are going to be voting on and have been voting on over the past several weeks. The other thing that the leader, the democratic leader forgot to acknowledge is that last week we passed reform of the foreign Intelligence Surveillance act. A piece of legislation that is also important to National Security that authorizes all of our intelligence activities. To examine and look at all the coronavirus legislation we passed in the impact it is having and whether or not it is effective and where we needto to do more and where we need to fix things and tweak things in a way those that we funded and authorize work better. But madame president s to suggest the senate hasnt done anything on the coronavirus . Really . Really . My gosh we passed for bills madame president totaling almost 3 trillion. To the United States senate to the house of representatives on the president s desk signed into law. 3trillion not president and it was done in a bipartisan way because it is important for the country to make sure we are responding to enormous crisis that required an extraordinary response that i would argue has been extraordinary. Might in the senate or never has the anybodys time never at that scale or scope or consequence and those that we authorize and funded that passed as recently as a couple of months ago those dollars are still getting out there and in the pipeline and Healthcare Providers and hospitals and Nursing Homes and Small Businesses and workers and employees and people unemployed to the Unemployment Insurance program. There is a lot of dollars in the pipeline and resources expended by the United States senate in the United States house signed into law by theho president. It seems logical for us as stewards of the tax dollars as policy makers to make sure those policies we are putting into place having the desired effect so what has the senate been doing for the past three weeks . Take a look at the committee by committee basis if the things we have done are being Effective Health education labor and Pensions Committee the city did on the cdc is critical agencies fighting the Health Emergency to determine to ask thembo questions whats working whats not what have we don done, what should we be doing differently . What can we do thats the discussion they had last week i said on the Senate Commerce committee we market 14 bills yesterday but also looking at the impact of coronavirus legislation on those constituencies under the jurisdiction of the Congress Committee and one is the Airline Industry. We had a hearing to examine the impact of the coronavirus on the Aviation Industry and on the things we have done to support the Airline Industry in this country that was something the Commerce Committee did and then had a hearing on broadband connectivity. That is the way people through the people can be conducted because obviously we are doing a lot of things to connectivity as well. So what is working, what is not in terms of making sure those that dont have highspeed internet or broadbandavul services should tt be a part of the future legislation the Banking Committee had the chairman of the Federal Reserve board and secretary of the treasury of that committee to ask them questions about whats happening in the Financial Services industry and what is the effect of all the money that we spendut how is that working . What can we be doing differently . How can we improve her do this better as we look to the future . Those are just three committees off the top of my head also not the nominee for the Inspector General for the pandemic a very important position to be very active to do oversight work with respect to the pandemic, that is just not true. Frankly in the eyes of the American People to say we have spent 3 trillion and we would not want to take a look to see how that 3 trillion is spent or effected one effective or efficienton and then where we need to do more before we push another 3 trillion out the s,door . That people would say this is what we elected you to do to make sure youre taking our tax dollars in spending them as wisely and effective way than just as a reminder to my colleagues every dollar that we spend is borrowed from our children and grandchildren was doesnt just magically appear we are borrowing many everybody acknowledges we had a crisis we had to put out the fire we have been doing that. Every dollar weve already spent is the borrow dollar for future generations and someday we will have to repay when it be logical or rational for this body as stewards for the tax dollars to take a hard look at what is working and whats not before rushing headline to spending another 3 trillion . Which the democratic leader got appear and applauded the house to blow into town for 24 hours last friday cobbling together an ideological wish list. Granted there are things in there that are probably good ideas that could end up in a piece of legislation but this didnt get a single republican vote or a single consultation with republicans in the house of representatives how to put it together. In the end they could not keep all the democrats there were 14 democrats voting against that and the house of representatives never at the table was i got and it . Crazy stuff. Like studies as to whether or not there is diversity and inclusion in the marketing of marijuana. Sixty references in the house bill to cannabis only 52 references to jobs which is why i would think that people are more concerned about evidently and the studies on the diversity and inclusiveness of cannabis is more important than the job losses of the American People they threw everything in their they through a tax cut for millionaires and billionaires. They are out there every single day to talk about republicans helping out millionaires and billionaires and what is the house bill have an it . The tax cut 56 percent of that tax cut goes to the 1 percent top wage and is in america does that make sense . Probably not yes there small increase he is on Small Businesses no big surprise that something they are quick to do i just have to take issue with what the democratic leader was down here saying with his characterization of whats going on here. Needs to act in a bipartisan and constructive way not in a partisan ideological way i also think in a thoughtful way. Giving allied of consideration to what are we doing here with those borrow dollars borrowed from kids and grandkids every making the best use of them . That seems like maybe the utgreat divide with a lot of other issues it seems like the natural instinctive solution for my friends on the other side of the aisle to throw the money out there but i have to tell you i dont think thats the way the American People view it. They are making hard