The u. S. Senate is about to gavel in. They are going to work on a judicial nomination with a confirmation vote scheduled for 5 30 for 5 30 p. M. Eastern. Republicans leader Mitch Mcconnell may introduce the republican covid19 recovery plan. Live now to the senate floor. The president pro tempore the senate will come to order. The chaplain, dr. Black, will open the senate in prayer. The chaplain let us pray. Eternal lord god, we again thank you for the life and legacy of representative john robert lewis. Lord, accept our gratitude for his ethical congruence that motivated him to find a moral way to get in the way. Were grateful that his passion for freedom summoned our nation to embrace our best hopes and not our worst fears. Inspired by his exemplary pilgrimage, may our lawmakers strive to live with such integrity that they will stand on the right side of history. Lord, help our senators to strive to see you more clearly, to love you more dearly, and to follow you more nearly day by day. We pray in your sovereign name. Amen. The president pro tempore will you please join in 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. The presiding officer the senator from iowa. Mr. Grassley one minute for morning business, please. The presiding officer without objection. Mr. Grassley former Vice President biden and nowminority leader schumer have indicated a willingness to end the socalled filibuster if Democrats Gain a majority in the United States senate after this years election. Meanwhile, Democrats Use the same rule to prevent even taking up senator scotts very thoughtful Police Reform legislation. The rule in question is the cloture rule which brings debate and amendments to a close so we can finally get to finality of a bill. What democrats blocked was ending debate on proceeding to Police Reform and start considering of any amendments that wanted to be offered. But it would have taken yet another cloture vote to get to final passage. The cloture rule ensures that no Police Reform bill could be passed by the United StatesSenate Unless at least 60 senators were satisfied with the outcome of the amendment process. In other words, it guarantees that concerns of the minority party, whether that be republican or democrat, would have to be addressed. So there was no excuse for preventing the senate from even beginning legislating process on this extremely important and timely issue of Police Reform. There is also no excuse for democrats who have claimed to oppose the 60vote requirement to cut off debate on principle when they were last in the majority. Who then immediately began using cloture to block bills that had majority support when they lost the majority and who still continue to use cloture to block progress on important issues today. But who now fully admit that they will change the senate institution, the protection for the minority, if it suits their partisan purpose in the future. I yield the floor and suggest the absence of a quorum. The presiding officer the clerk will call the roll. Quorum call the presiding officer the majority leader. Mr. Mcconnell today as we speak the presiding officer were in a quorum call. Mr. Mcconnell i ask that further proceedings under the quorum call be dispensed with. The presiding officer without objection. Mr. Mcconnell today as we speak, the United States congress confers a rare and high honor on a National Hero who richly deserves it. Our distinguished late colleague, congressman john lewis, is lying in state in the rotunda. I had the honor to speak at this afternoons ceremony. How amazing to reflect on johns incredible american life. It began deep in the segregated south, ran through lunch counters in nashville, jail cells in mississippi, across the Edmund Pettus bridge, up the steps of the lincoln memorial, and brought him to the halls of congress. He made heroic contributions to our nations march toward racial justice. He also brought an unforgettable example of moral urgency, respect, and love to washington that left an impact on everyone he met. His example will be missed here in the capitol. He will be remembered forever by a grateful nation. Because as far as im concerned, it is not really the rest of us in congress who are conveying an honor upon john lewis today, not this time. Rather, it is john who is bringing greater honor to us, to this capitol, with his presence one final time. Now, on a totally different matter, covid19 has killed nearly 150,000 americans. It has caused mass layoffs on a historic scale. And left 17 Million People out of work. It has thrown the lives and the trajectories of our nations children and young adults into uncertainty. Our nation stands now at an important crossroads in this battle. American families historic sacrifices brought our medical system through the springtime intact. The very early stages of our economic recovery have been promising, and our nation needs to continue to proceed with a smart and safe reopening. At the same time, the virus is stay with us. It is still the virus is still with us, it is still spreading, and it does not care about our fragile economic progress or our frustration with prescriptions or anything else besides infecting as many people as possible. So we have one foot in the pandemic and one foot in the recovery. The American People need more help. They need it to be comprehensive, and they need it to be carefully tailored to this crossroads. That is what this Senate Majority has assembled, and that is what chairman alexander, blunt, collins, graham, grassley, rubio, and shelby and senators cornyn and romney are introducing today. They will be coming to the floor shotly shortly to introduce their components. Together their bills make up the heals act thats health, economic assistance, liability protection, and schools. Thats health, economic assistance, liability protection, and schools. Just like in march with the cares act, Senate Republicans have authored another bold framework to help our nation. So now we need our democratic colleagues to reprise their part as well. They need to put aside the partisan stonewalling we saw in Police Reform, rediscover the spirit of urgency that got the cares act across the finish line, and quickly join us around the negotiating table. It will take bipartisan cooperation to make the heals act into law for the American People. The senate will not waste time with pointless partisanship. There is a reason why even Speaker Pelosi and leader schumer themselves have publicly dunnplayed the multi downplayed the multitrilliondollar socialist manifesto they published some weeks back and have suggested the real serious discussion would begin when republicans released our outline. We have produced a tailored and targeted draft that will cut right to the heart of three distinct crises facing our country getting kids back in school, getting workers back to work, and winning the health care fight against the virus. Kids, jobs, and health care. Kids, jobs, and health care. First, our nations kids. Chairman alexander, blunt, and shelby will be introducing a sweeping package to help schools and universities reopen safely. Were talking about more than 100 billion, more for an Education Fund than House Democrats put aside in a bill that spent multiple trillions. And there are policies to help child care providers and schools have the flexibility they need to function. Second, jobs. Since our nation has one foot in the pandemic and one foot in the recovery, our economic policies have to acknowledge both sides of that coin. Chairman grassley will introduce another round of direct checks for households at the same amount as before, with even more support for families who care for vulnerable adult dependents. Chairman collins and rubio have designed a sequel to their historic p. P. P. To help prevent more layoffs of American Workers. And republicans want to continue a federal supplement to state Unemployment Insurance. In fact, we will propose a weekly dollar amount that is eight times what democrats put in place when they controlled the white house and congress during the great recession. But we intr to do is in a way that does not slow down reopening. Were also going to help this country pivot into recovery. The American People dont just want relief. They want opportunity so long as the reopenings can be safe. So chairman grassley will walk through a strong economic incentives to boost worker retention, get americans rehired, and help Small Businesses buy the p. P. P. , testing, and supplies that will protect employees and customers alike. Senator romney has legislation to help a future congress ensure our Critical National trust funds remain strong. And looking to our longterm jobs future, theres no question this pandemic has america and our allies reexamining our degree of dependence on china. Chairman graham is introducing a package of legislation that will incentivize p. P. P. Manufacturing right here at home. It will ensure that our efforts to rebuild our National Stockpile of protective gear actually benefit American Workers instead of just stimulating china. And it will bring a heightened focus to other key concerns such as the hightech Semi Conductor manufacturing, Critical Minerals, and intellectual property theft so the lessons of this pandemic do not go unlearned. And finally health care. Chairman alexander, grassley, and others have already have already named have legislation to keep america on offense against this virus. Diagnostics, treatments, vaccines. Hospitals and Health Care Workers, protecting seniors who rely on medicare for premium spikes. Our legislation supports all of it at continued historic levels. And tying kids, jobs, and health care all together, senator cornyn has authored strong Legal Liability Protections so that nurses, doctors, charities, school districts, colleges, and employers can spend the next months actually reopening rather than fighting for their lives against frivolous lawsuits. Well preserve accountability in the event of gross negligence or intentional misconduct but were not going to let trial lawyers throw a party on the backs of the frontline workers and institutions who brought who fought this new enemy on the front lines. Health, economic assistance, liability, and schools. Another historic package for the next phase of this Historic National fight. To make a law, bipartisan talks need to come next so theres one big question facing the country right now. Which version of our distinguished democratic colleagues are the American People about to get . Are they going to get the Democratic Party we got in march when our colleagues met in good faith negotiations and worked with us to turn our framework into a bipartisan product . The democrats who helped us pass the largest rescue package in American History without one dissenting vote . Or will the country get the Democratic Party we saw in june when our colleagues refused to suggest amendments or improvements to senator tim scotts Police Reform bill and chose to block the issue altogether. Their actions last month left some observers wondering whether the democrats had made this cynical choice to give up on Bipartisan Legislation altogether right through november. Whrf democrats had determined that strengthen our nation with bipartisan action might hurt their political odds and therefore it might suit their fortunes better if pain and chaos simply continued. I hope thats completely off base, madam president. I know our democratic colleagues know this crisis is still urgent. I know they know American Families need more help. So i hope this strong proposal will occasion a real response, not partisan cheap shots, not the predictable tired, old rhetoric as though these were ordinary times and the nation could afford ordinary politics. We cannot have a Senate Minority decide in june it is done legislating until november. The pandemic is not finished. The economic pain is not finished. So congress cannot be finished either. The presiding officer under the previous order, the leadership time is reserved. Morning business is closed. Under the previous order, the senate will proceed to executive session to resume consideration of the following nomination which the clerk will report. The clerk nomination, the judiciary, William Scott hardy of pennsylvania to be United States district judge for the Western District of pennsylvania. Mr. Mcconnell i suggest the absence of a quorum. The presiding officer the clerk will call the roll. Quorum call quorum call mr. Schumer madam president . The presiding officer the democratic leader. Mr. Schumer a short time ago the presiding officer were in a quorum call. Mr. Schumer i ask unanimous consent the quorum be dispensed with. The presiding officer without objection. Mr. Schumer now, a short time ago, a ceremony honoring the life of the great representative john lewis was held in the Capitol Rotunda. The first time in our nations history that an African American lawmaker had laid in state. Last week i shared my reflections on the life and legacy of john lewis here on the floor. In the story of america, john was one of those special whos rose whose moral clarity shone out like a beacon for others to follow. Today, as we honor his extraordinary life here in the capitol, many of us his friends, his colleagues are filled with a deep sense of loss. But i want to share a short message of hope. It seems easy to forget that john was just a teenager when he started the work of redeeming it seems easy to forget that john lewis was just a teenager when he started the work of redeeming the soul of america, as he put it. He was 18 years old when he first met dr. King. 21 when he was aarrested as a freedom fighter. 25 when he was beaten blood did i on a sun someday in selma. On a sunday in selma. The civil the fight for civil rights has always been driven by the righteous indignation of our young people, and our time is no different. Once again young people across the country are rising in a Mighty Movement for justice and equality, supported by the vast majority of americans. The memory and legacy of john lewis life lives on in each and every one of them, and that fills me with hope. Now, on a very different subject, over the past several months, Senate Democrats have been appalled that our republican colleagues have refused to work with us in any significant way to help defeat covid19 or provide relief to americans during these unprecedented times. We do not understand how faced with the greatest economic threat in 75 years and the greatest Public Healthphlet in a Century Public Health threat in a century you the Senate Republican majority has content to do almost nothing for three long months. As more people died, more were thrown out of work, more Small Businesses went under. Last week finally our republican colleagues said they were coming out with a plan. But even after all the delay, even after leader mcconnell put the senate on pause for three months, Senate Republicans in the white house were so unprepared and so divided they couldnt even agree on a proposal among themselves. Ten weeks, ten weeks after democrats passed a comprehensive bill through the house, Senate Republicans couldnt even agree on what to throw on the wall. Last week was a slowmotion train wreck on the republican side. It couldnt have come at a worse time, and it will cause immense and potentially irrevocable damage to our country. Protections against evictions expired last week at a time when over 12 million americans lived in households that missed the rent payment last month. Enhanced Unemployment Benefits for 20 million to 30 million americans out of work expire this week without a proper solution. No matter what we do, states will not be able to quickly restart any enhanced Unemployment Benefits because Senate Republicans dirged for what dithered for what seems like an eternity. We are on the precipice of several cliffs, destructive cliffs, for one reason and one reason only the white house and Senate Republicans couldnt get their act together and wasted precious time. These issues could have been solved months ago, but the lack of any urgency and understanding and empathy for people who need he