Usa Freedom Reauthorization Act of 2020
Floor Speech
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Mr. THUNE. Madam President, so far Congress has passed four coronavirus relief bills that have provided $2.4 trillion to meet the coronavirus crisis. Our goal has been to provide a comprehensive response addressing not just the medical priorities but also the economic impact this virus has had on so many American families.
We have provided funding for coronavirus testing, for medical care, for personal protective equipment for frontline medical personnel, for vaccine and treatment development, for veterans, for nutrition programs, for first responders, for unemployment benefits, for elementary schools, high schools, and colleges, for farmers and ranchers. The Coronavirus Aid Relief and Economic Security Act, or the CARES Act, the third relief bill we passed, provided nearly $350 billion for the Paycheck Protection Program to help small businesses keep employees on their payroll during this crisis. When the program ran out of money, we provided another $310 billion to ensure that as many small businesses as possible were able to take advantage of this help.
The CARES Act also appropriated $293 billion for direct payments to American citizens to help them get through this difficult time. At this point, government agencies are focused on getting all of the aid we passed out the door. Some programs, such as the Paycheck Protection Program, have been up and running practically since day one. More than 4 million businesses have applied for or already received forgivable loans through the Paycheck Protection Program, enabling millions of workers to keep their jobs. The vast majority of direct payments to American citizens, approximately 130 million so far, have been sent out. Other aid is still in the process of getting out the door.
The Department of Agriculture recently announced it will use funds appropriated in the CARES Act, plus other money, to issue direct payments to farmers and ranchers affected by this crisis. These payments are expected to reach farmers and ranchers in late May or early June.
Over the course of four coronavirus bills, we provided more than $500 billion to State and local governments. That is equal to roughly 25 percent of the yearly operating budgets of the 50 States combined. That money includes at least $185 billion for unemployment benefits, $150 billion for general relief funds for States, localities, and Tribes; $45 billion for the Disaster Relief Fund; nearly $26 billion for nutrition programs; $13 billion for school districts; $4 billion to help the homeless; more than $1 billion for first responders; and there is so much more.
On top of that, Congress directed the Federal Reserve to provide an additional $500 billion in loans to help States and municipalities manage cashflow issues during the pandemic. A lot of the money that we have provided has already been sent to States while some is still in the process of being disbursed. Meanwhile, States are in the process of figuring out how to spend the money they have received--some they have spent and some they have not--which brings me to an important point.
My friends across the aisle are pushing for more money, more money, more money. Yesterday, the House of Representatives unveiled a $3 trillion coronavirus relief bill--that is right, $3 trillion.
But we haven't yet seen the effects of the money we have provided already. It is difficult to understand how Democrats can call for an additional $3 trillion--all money borrowed, I might add, on the backs of younger workers and our children and grandchildren--when they haven't even seen what existing funds have been used for or whether they have been used at all.
Nobody is questioning--nobody is questioning that we may need additional money to address this crisis. Republicans have stepped up and appropriated $2.4 trillion--roughly, 50 percent of the entire Federal budget for 2020. That is an extraordinary amount of money, but these are extraordinary circumstances, and they call for an extraordinary response. But it is important to remember that every dollar of what we have appropriated for coronavirus is borrowed money, and today's young workers and our children and grandchildren are going to be paying for this borrowing.
We are putting an incredible burden on younger generations. We have an absolute obligation to make sure that we are only appropriating what is really needed. The way we find out what is really needed is by carefully monitoring the implementation of the $2.4 trillion that we have already provided, not by rushing to provide trillions more before we know whether and where they are needed. Once the money we have already provided has been fully allocated, we will have a better sense of where we may need to appropriate additional funds and where we have spent enough.
It is also important to remember that there are other things we can do in Congress besides borrowing money that younger generations will have to pay. Yesterday, the leader came down to the floor to talk about the liability protections the Republicans are pursuing for healthcare workers, businesses, and others on the frontline in response to reopening. As the leader noted, hundreds of coronavirus lawsuits have already been filed around the country, and these lawsuits represent a real threat to our economic recovery. Doctors and hospitals, for example, are making extraordinary efforts to protect patients and healthcare workers but are still reluctant to resume noncoronavirus- related medical care for fear of being sued if a patient were somehow exposed to the disease in the process of receiving care.
Businesses are worried that they can be held responsible if one of their employees develops coronavirus, even if the business took every reasonable precaution to discourage infection.
There is obviously a place for lawsuits when individuals or businesses engage in gross negligence or intentional misconduct. We will not be giving a free pass to anyone who fails in their basic duties during this crisis, but we need to make sure that medical professionals and small businesses and others can get back to running their operations and employing Americans without worrying that an army of trial lawyers is about to descend.
There are undoubtedly other things we can do to help Americans get back to work and deal with the effects of coronavirus without spending trillions of dollars, everything from regulatory reform to ensuring that frontline volunteers don't face surprise tax bills.
That is not to say that we will not be providing additional funding. In fact, it is likely that we will have to appropriate more money for the coronavirus response, but as I have already said, it is absolutely essential--essential--that we consider further investment carefully and only spend money where it is truly needed.
My friends across the aisle tend to think that government money and government programs are the solution literally to every crisis. They are happy to throw taxpayer dollars around without thought to the consequences of future generations. Disturbingly, more than one Democrat has indicated that they would like to take advantage of this crisis to remake America in their own far-left image. That is not a responsible response.
Republicans are going to continue to do everything we can to help Americans through this crisis. We are committed to meeting the country's needs while spending taxpayer dollars responsibly and with an eye to the burden we are placing on younger workers and future generations of Americans.
We undoubtedly have more difficult days ahead, but our country is strong and so are the American people. We are going to get through this.
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Mr. THUNE. The following Senators are necessarily absent: the Senator from Tennessee (Mr. Alexander) and the Senator from Nebraska (Mr. Sasse).
Further, if present and voting, the Senator from Tennessee (Mr. Alexander) would have voted ``nay.''
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Mr. THUNE. The following Senators are necessarily absent: the Senator from Tennessee (Mr. Alexander) and the Senator from Nebraska (Mr. Sasse).
Further, if present and voting, the Senator from Tennessee (Mr. Alexander) would have voted ``yea.''
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