Executive Session

Floor Speech

BREAK IN TRANSCRIPT

Mr. CORNYN. Madam President, during these last couple of weeks, like the rest of my colleagues, I was glad to get back home and spend some time talking to the men and women who are continuing to deal with the hurdles brought on by this pandemic.

As our battle against COVID-19 has waged on, I have looked to folks across different industries in Texas to provide us an honest readout about the challenges they are facing and whether what we have done for them is working. Over these last 3 months, again, like all of us, I have heard from medical professionals on the frontlines of this fight, researchers and scientists who are racing to find treatments and vaccines, small business owners just hanging on by the skin of their teeth trying to keep their businesses afloat and their employees' jobs intact, as well as countless other men and women who are doing everything in their power to support their neighbors and to protect their communities. Their feedback has been invaluable, as always, to the work of the Senate as we have worked to pass four coronavirus bills to support them during this challenging period.

As we prepare to work on the next response package, I was glad to hear from them about what they would like us to include in that. I have spoken with faculty and staff from community colleges across the State who are working to keep their students healthy while continuing to provide them with quality education. Like school leaders at all levels--from K-12 to other colleges and universities--they are constantly reevaluating the situation and preparing to make decisions about returning to onsite working and learning. I know these are difficult conversations that are happening across the country, and I am grateful for the hard work and dedication of incredible educators who are figuring out how to keep our children safe while continuing to give them the education they deserve and they need.

Last week, I spent some time hearing from mental health advocates who are fighting to ensure that Texans have the support and resources they need amid so much stress and uncertainty. Over the last several months, everyone in our country has experienced some substantial shift in their daily routine. No matter how major or minor these changes, combined with the stress that comes from living through a pandemic, this is all taking a toll on America's mental health.

I was glad to hear from more leaders with the Meadows Mental Health Policy Institute about how funding from the CARES Act has strengthened access to mental healthcare and how we can continue to support mental health services in Texas and across the country.

I also valued my time with Texas veterans and talked to them about how the CARES Act can help them and their families and their businesses. We discussed the VA-specific funding that is strengthening access to healthcare for many veterans, and I appreciated the opportunity to hear more about some of the challenges they are facing and how we can do more in the Senate to support them.

Over the last few weeks, I have enjoyed connecting with these Texans virtually, but I was also glad to join Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue for in-person visits with some of the men and women keeping America fed and clothed during this time of increased need. This pandemic has dealt a serious blow to Texas agriculture, and I would dare say to the Presiding Officer; I am sure it is true in her State as well. From livestock to row crops, to dairy, producers have seen their markets shrink and nearly disappear.

Last Thursday, Secretary Perdue, Congressman John Carter, and I participated in a roundtable in Coupland, TX, to discuss the impact of the pandemic on Texas agriculture. The CARES Act provided $16 billion in agricultural assistance, and so far Texans have received more than $300 million to support our producers. I was glad to learn more about how this funding is helping them through these difficult times and learning more about what should be included in the next bill.

Secretary Perdue and I also had the chance to see how two incredible organizations in Texas are keeping families fed. First, we visited the Houston Food Bank, which is the largest food bank in the Nation. Under normal circumstances, the Houston Food Bank and its volunteers provide food to families across 18 counties in Southeast Texas. As the impact of COVID-19 has grown, so has the need for assistance, so much so that our National Guard troops have been lending a hand for months, but this week that will come to an end.

Compared to the same time last year, the Houston Food Bank has seen up to a 171-percent increase in the need for food assistance. In June alone, the Houston Food Bank delivered more than 27 million pounds of food. It was a pleasure to join Secretary Perdue in volunteering for this incredible organization and being able to thank the men and women who are keeping our families fed in person. We were also able to visit one of the homes of the USDA Meals-to-You Program, which provides nutritious meals for low-income students in rural areas across the Nation.

These are two incredible examples of how organizations throughout the State are supporting those who have been hardest hit by the pandemic. Support for our farmers, our ranchers, producers, food banks, and other organizations keeping Texas fed was a big part of the CARES Act, and I hope we will continue to strengthen that support with the next coronavirus response package.

Senator Murphy and I introduced the SERVE and CARRY Act, which will provide additional opportunities to help low-income and unemployed Texans access food during the pandemic. It would establish three new programs to not only help put food on the table of Texans in need but also support the farmers, restaurants, and their workers who are suffering as a result of the economic impact of this pandemic.

This legislation has been endorsed by the National and Texas Restaurant Associations, the California and Texas Food Banks, and a number of other anti-hunger organizations. It is time we put our restaurants and their employees back to work in feeding people, and let our men and women in uniform volunteering at the food banks go home to be with their families. The SERVE and CARRY Act will do just that, and I urge my colleagues to look at it and hopefully support it.

As we dive into discussions on the next coronavirus response package, the feedback and ideas provided by these Texans during this last 2 weeks could not have been more timely. I want to thank each of them for taking the time to share their ideas and feedback with me. I come back to Washington with fresh ideas, and I am eager to get to work so we can provide additional support for the Texans who have been impacted so dramatically by this virus National Defense Authorization Act

Madam President, on another matter, before the Senate begins consideration of the next coronavirus response package, we will finish our work on the National Defense Authorization Act. If we are able to get this bill to the President's desk, which I hope we will, it will mark the 60th consecutive year in which Congress has passed bipartisan legislation to fund and support our Nation's military.

Each year, this is how we maintain our military bases, modernize our equipment, and invest in the next generation of weaponry. It is how we strengthen our relationships with old allies and forge new partnerships with new ones. It is how we take stock of the global threat landscape and ensure our troops have the training, equipment, and resources to counter even our most aggressive adversaries.

In recent years, China and Russia have emerged as two of the greatest threats to the world order. China, in particular, has been increasingly belligerent and well resourced and continues to demonstrate a lack of respect not only for the United States and our closest allies but for basic human rights.

A few weeks ago, China moved quickly and under a veil of secrecy to pass a law taking aim at the freedoms and autonomy of Hong Kong. What they are calling a national security law is nothing more than an effort to extinguish opposition to the Chinese Communist Party in Hong Kong. They are using this law to silence protesters and prescribe harsh penalties for those who have the temerity to speak out against the Communist Party. While devastating, this is certainly not surprising, given China's repeated human rights violations.

The Chinese Communist Party continues its disturbing ethnic cleansing campaign against the Uighur people. The so-called political reeducation camps are nothing more than detention camps where the Uighurs are tortured. Recent reporting found that the treatment in these camps often includes forced abortions, birth control, and sterilizations. I have spoken and will continue to speak out against the methods and motivations of the Chinese Government, operating through the Communist Party, to disrupt the world order.

China does not stand alone as one of the great threats facing our country today. Russia has become increasingly aggressive with its efforts to wreak chaos and sow discord. Since their attempts to interfere with the 2016 election, we have witnessed aggression after aggression by Russia. From Russia-backed mercenaries fighting in the Middle East to state-launched cyber attacks targeting banks and energy firms, to its hybrid warfare and assassination campaigns in Europe, Russia continues to undermine the United States and our allies.

Just last week, we learned that Russian hackers have attempted to steal coronavirus vaccine research. It is becoming increasingly clear that China and Russia adhere to no rules and no principles but their own. As the national defense strategy outlined, the threats posed by China and Russia are only growing more important by the day, and countering these threats requires a clear and concerted effort from Congress and the U.S. Government.

That is precisely why passing a strong Defense authorization bill is so important. This legislation prioritizes strategic competition with China and Russia and takes a strong approach to counter the threats posed by adversaries around the world. It will build on the progress we have made in recent years to strengthen our military and achieve peace through strength.

As we work to counter increasingly sophisticated adversaries around the world, I am glad Congress has taken the opportunity to deliver on one of our most critical responsibilities and pass the NDAA, which we will this week.

I thank Chairman Inhofe and Ranking Member Reed for working to get this bill passed with broad bipartisan support, and the provisions will prepare our military for the threats both of today and of tomorrow.

BREAK IN TRANSCRIPT

Source