Never forget that you can also sustain us in the future. Today, give our senators the wisdom to trust you in the small things, realizing that faithfulness with the least perhaps them for fidelity with the much. As they seek to be stewards of your justice, mercy, and grace, use them to fulfill your purposes. Lord, give them a love for your wisdom and a passion to be guided by your precepts. We pray in your holy name. Amen. The president pro tempore please join me in reciting the pledge of allegiance to our flag. 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 i ask so speak in morning business for one minute. The presiding officer without objection. Mr. Grassley thank you. Now that the United Kingdom has separated from the European Union, its our opportunity to sit down with the United Kingdom and do some business. Therefore, im pleased that the United States and the United Kingdom are making strides in our negotiations to complete a free trade agreement. Our two countries, as you know, has a century riold relationship. That centuries old relationship. That will be further strengthened by a comprehensive deal that presents Economic Opportunities for our farmers, our manufacturers, and our Service Providers to the benefit of both sides of the atlantic. I will continue to insist that an agreement reached between our two countries will allow us to reach our full potential as trading partners, particularly when it comes to agricultural trade. The United Kingdom has been sub to very restrictive European Union rules that have no scientific basis. We call those sanitary and vital sanitary rules. And i urge the administration to work with the United Kingdom negotiators to achieve greater Market Access for u. S. Farmers. In other words, im tired of the e. U. Restrictions that weve had over the last couple of decades on our g. M. O. Grains. I yield the floor. Mr. Mcconnell madam president. The presiding officer the majority leader is recognized. Mr. Mcconnell when the Senate Passed the cares act back in march, we were trying to prepare the nation for economic paralysis and the medical battle of the century at the very same time. Hospitals, Health Care Providers, Small Businesses, and working families needed help fast and the senate stepped up in historic fashion. For months our legislation has helped cushion the pain of the crisis from coast to coast, but our nation is not finished with this fight. More americans are dying every day, millions and millions are unemployed, and the institutions of American Life cannot stay totally shut down until our race for a vaccine hits the finish line. Our nation needs to smartly and safely reopen while keeping up the medical battle. We need to get kids safely back to school and adults safely back to work without losing ground in the health care fight. The coronavirus does not care that we are divided. The coronavirus will not care if washington democrats decide it suits their partisan goals to let relief run dry. The American People are hurting and congress should have their backs. On monday i laid down a marker to shape the bipartisan conversations that need to happen now, not a loony ideological fantasy like the House Democrats bill from a few months ago which would have cut taxes for rich people, raised taxes on others and provide nothing for the Paycheck Protection Program. No serious talks require a serious talking point. Thats why we have a bill with largely bipartisan policies. Another round of cash for households. Nearly 3,000 for an eligible family of four. Another round of additional federal Unemployment Benefits, assistance which will otherwise simply expire. And another targeted round of the paycheck paycheck to keep Paycheck Protection Program to keep paychecks coming to american workers. Power incentives to starting rehiring, bring down unemployment and create safe workplaces for workers and customers. More support for hospitals and health providers, more support for testing, p. P. E. And diagnostics and more resources for a sprint toward a vaccine. And historic support for schools to reopen. A higher dollar amount than House Democrats managed to propose in their bill by cost three times as much as ours. And uniting all three pillars of kids, jobs, and health care, we have Legal Protections for medical workers, schools, nonprofits, and businesses so wellconnected trial lawyers cant get even richer off of stopping the recovery in its tracks. This is more than fair, more than bipartisan framework for democrats to engage with. The only reason i can see that Speaker Pelosi and the democratic leader would sabotage negotiations is if, as some concluded when they killed Police Reform in june, they actually think bipartisan progress for the country would actually hurt their own political chances. Thats why i said a few days ago wed quickly learn if the American People would get the responsible Democratic Party from march or the cynical obstructionist Democratic Party from june that blocked police former. So lets review the early going. Almost the instant we put out this proposal which would send thousands of dollars in cash to families and even more families to unemployed people, the democratic leader proclaimed, quote, those republican hardright money people dont want the federal government to help anybody, end quote. A trillion dollar proposal for kids, jobs, and Health Care Just proves republicans dont want to help anyone . Yesterday, after a meeting with the administration, the speaker of the house said, quote, this isnt a negotiation. So here we go again, madam president. Its the script from Police Reform all over again. Weeks of talk from democrats about the urgency of the issue, weeks of democrats thundering that people will be hurt if we dont act. But then when its time to actually make a law, democrats would rather keep political issues alive than find a bipartisan way to resolve them of. Take the issue of additional federal Unemployment Insurance. For weeks now its been clear to a majority of americans that we should not pay people more to stay home than we pay people who continue working. Should we have generous Unemployment Insurance in this crisis . Of course. Republicans want to continue the federal supplement at eight times the level democrats themselves put in place during the last recession. But obviously we should not be taxing the essential workers who kept working to the government can pay their neighbors a higher salary to stay home. Let me say that again. We should not be taxing the essential workers who kept working so the government can pay their neighbors a higher salary to stay home. Until about five minutes ago this was not a controversial opinion. Democrats shared it with us. The House Democratic majority leader said yesterday, quote, thats an argument that has some validity to it. Its not 600 or bust. A few days earlier our democratic colleague senator coons said he thought wed be finding some path forward with a different dollar figure. The day before yesterday, our colleague senator cardin said, quote, what is the right number . Well, we certainly understand we dont want someone to have higher benefits than what someone can make working. That was senator karpd inn. At the state level, the democratic governor of connecticut greece. Is this what he said. I think sometimes it discourages work. I would put off this extra 600 trueup they are talking about. I dont think we need that. Thats the democratic governor of connecticut. Like i said, not controversial. The Congressional Budget Office says that five out of six recipients of this aid, 83 , receive more to stay home than they made on the job. Let me say that one more time. The Congressional Budget Office says that five of six reu79s of this aid, 83 , receive more to stay home than they made on the job. And we all know thats not fair and its not workable in a reopening job market. Weve already heard from Small Business owners who had trouble reopening because it would be financially irrationale for their employees to come back. This is why republicans propose continuing providing federal aid, continue providing hundreds of dollars per week, but do it in a more targeted way while providing even more incentives for rehiring. With but but now, madam president , the speaker of the house will not let a package go forward unless we continue paying people more not to work. Thats apparently the speakers position, that we will not let a package go forward unless we continue paying people more not to work. Thats why thats what Speaker Pelosi signaled yesterday. No money for schools. No money for households, no second round of the p. P. E. , no money for hospitals or testing, nothing at all unless we continue to pay people more not to work. If the democrats dont get the continued tax and essential workers more to stay home, then nobody gets a dime. To put it gently, madam president , that is that is a completely unhinged position. 62 of americans say that paying people extra to remain unemployed creates the wrong incentives. Our democratic governor says he doesnt want that continuing. Her own deputy, the House Democratic majority leader said yesterday, there should be room to negotiate. But Speaker Pelosi is literally moving the goalpost so fast that even democrats cant keep up. And now she apparently feels that any rescue package will have to be the political left of her own democratic majority leader to the political left of the democratic governor of connecticut or she will not even consider it. She will just refuse to legislate and wish the American Families good luck in dealing with the pandemic. These are not the positions of people who are putting the common good above politics. These are not the positions of people who actually want to reach an agreement to save federal federal Unemployment Insurance from from completely expiring. The American People deserve better than this. The American People cannot afford for the Democratic People in congress to decide in june that they are finished legislating until november. Not during a crisis like this. The country needs help. The country needs action. If Democratic Leaders decide they wont negotiate, they will answer to the American People. The presiding officer 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, executive office of the president , derek kan of california to be Deputy Director. Mr. Mcconnell i notice the absence of a quorum. The presiding officer the clerk will call the roll. Quorum call mr. Schumer madam president. The presiding officer the minority leader is recognized. Mr. Schumer i ask unanimous consent the quorum be dispensed with. The presiding officer without objection. Mr. Schumer now, over the past three months, madam president , as americans stayed home, forfeiting their routines and their livelihoods to combat the spread of the virus, as essential workers risked their safety and their families safety, as 50 million americans filed unemployment claims, Small Businesses folded, and the disease spread rapidly through the summer, the republican majority paused on addressing covid19 while they confirmed more rightwing judges. Americans pitched in and sacrificed, and many suffered greatly while Senate Republicans kept their Assembly Line of extreme judicial nominees humming along and did little else. And now, after an interm minutable delay, Senate Republicans have finally admitted that the country needs relief, but they cant even get their act together to produce a halfway legitimate legislative proposal. We all witnessed a week and a half of infighting on the republican side as the country careened toward several cliffs created by republican delay. Republicans bickered amongst themselves as the moratorium on evictions expired. State and local governments shed jobs and cut Public Services, and the lassen hansed unemployment checks went out thd unemployment checks went out the door. When the republicans finally convinced themselves they were ready for a plan, republicans released several incongruent drafts littered with corporate giveaways, k street handouts, president ial pet projects. Some republicans proposed billions of dollars for large agribusiness and defense contractors, but not a dime to help American Families stay in their homes. The republican bill has a tax break for threemartini lunches, but no Food Assistance for hungry kids. There is a 2 billion there is 2 billion for a new f. B. I. Building whose location will increase the value of the trump hotel, but no funding to help state and local governments retain teachers, firefighters, bus drivers, and other public employees. There is no support for medicaid, for Nursing Homes, or those with disabilities. The proposals to support our Health System and meeting our testing needs are wildly insufficient. And if youre one of the 20 million to 30 million of americans who lost your job through no fault of your own and you cant find work, Senate Republicans think you have it too good right now. You should take a 30 pay cut, republicans are saying. This is not a serious proposal no a country in the midst of a once in a generation crisis. You can imagine when reviews started rolling in yesterday, they werent too positive. One republican senator said so as you can imagine when reviews started rolling in yesterday, they werent too positive. One republican senator said there are a hundred problems with the plan. Another republican, its a mess. I cant figure out what this bill is about. Another republican of this chamber said, you look at the package that was rolled out by the Republican Leadership and it contains virtually nothing that will actually aid in the recovery. Those would be harsh criticisms if they came from democrats, but those quotes werent from democrats. Those were republican senators talking about their own partys plan. Two senior republican senators have said that the republican proposal would be lucky to get even half of the republican conference to vote for it. Leader mcconnell warned democrats against blocking the democratic proposal. It turns out that Senate Republicans are blocking the republican proposal. So its abundantly clear that the Senate Republican proposal for the next phase of covid relief is not a useful starting point. You dont have to take my word for it. Just ask President Trump who took the podium yesterday afternoon and called the Senate Republican proposal semiirrelevant. At this point im beginning to wonder who does support the republican proposal on covid19. So heres where we are. We need to turn the page on the republican proposal and quickly. The legislative train wreck by Senate Republicans cannot derail our efforts to provide urgent, comprehensive, and necessary relief to the American People. Speaker pelosi and i have started negotiating with chief of staff meadows and secretary mnuchin. We want to work with our republican colleagues and the white house on a bill that actually meets the needs of the American People in these unprecedented times. But its going to take good faith and compromise. Were not hearing that from leader mcconnell. Leader mcconnell already is drawing lines in the sand insisting that any agreement include his specific corporate immunity provision. No negotiation. Put this provision, extreme provision in the bill without negotiation. That sure doesnt sound like someone who wants to reach a bipartisan agreement. Were going to need everyone to pull together. Were going to need to focus on the needs of the American People. With all due respect to the republican leader, americans on the brink of eviction are not crying out for a sweeping corporate liability shield. No one should be also to torpedo all the relief americans