Coronavirus

Floor Speech

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Ms. HASSAN. Mr. President, since the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic, it has been clear that we would need a sustained response to mitigate the damaging health and economic impact facing the American people.

When Republicans and Democrats came together to pass the CARES Act in March, I, along with my Democratic colleagues, made clear that we would need to stand ready to provide additional, robust support as the situation demanded.

This afternoon we have been hearing from our colleagues. I thank Senator Stabenow for gathering us here. I thank Senator Coons for the way he just illustrated in such personal, direct terms the way this pandemic and all of its ripple effects are impacting his constituents, as they are impacting my constituents and constituents of every single Member of the U.S. Senate.

Unfortunately, the Trump administration and Washington Republicans have not met the challenges facing the American people today with any sense of urgency, and the cost of that inaction has been seen all across the country. But, today, Senate majority Leader McConnell decided to act as if this were just any other Thursday--just any other Thursday for the Republicans in the Senate.

Well, it is not just any other Thursday for our constituents. Back in May, House Democrats passed a substantial relief bill called the Heroes Act, but for months, Republicans refused to even acknowledge the necessity of providing more relief. In the 3 months since the House acted, the pain that our citizens are experiencing has only grown. Cases have skyrocketed. The United States of America is approaching 160,000 Americans killed by this virus. Small businesses have shuttered, and millions of people have lost their jobs.

Meanwhile, President Trump continues to downplay the significant toll that this virus has taken. Earlier this week he said this of the COVID- 19 death toll: ``It is what it is.''

Just yesterday, he again claimed that the virus would simply go away. Not recognizing the gravity of this threat has significantly harmed Americans and America. While Congress can't undo the damage that has been done, I am urging my colleagues to come together on a response that will lead us forward. Throughout this week, I have joined with my colleagues to come to the floor and to lay out some of the priorities that we are focused on and to share what we are hearing from people all across our States.

The cost of inaction grows every single day. Millions of Americans lost enhanced unemployment benefits and with it the ability to feed their families and pay their rent. People will lose their homes now to evictions. By the way, their landlords will feel the ripple effect when they can't pay their rent. Their grocers will feel the ripple effect when they can't buy groceries. The economic pain will spread and spread and spread.

Lack of supplies and testing capacity--a national disgrace months into this pandemic--is hindering the ability to slow the spread of the virus and, of course, hindering the ability of people to get back to work and school safely.

Schools are struggling to open without the adequate guidance that the Federal Government could provide and without resources that they need to keep teachers, staff, students, and families safe.

States and local communities are accelerating cuts and, with it, adding to job losses and lost economic activity.

Americans are hurting. They are hurting in red States, and they are hurting in blue States. They are crying out for help.

One of the great privileges of this job is that people come forward with their ideas, with their hopes, with their fears. They share incredibly personal details about the challenges that they face and then are also so willing to share with us their successes too. We get to witness our constituents and work with them in difficult times and in good times, and they are willing to share that with us. They demonstrate to us day in and day out what it means to be a member of a community, what it means to come together and solve a problem. They do it in their businesses. They do it on school boards. They do it without regard to political party or walk of life.

The least we could do in the U.S. Senate on this Thursday, over this weekend, over the next week, is follow their example, represent them at their best, display that American ingenuity, innovation, pragmatism, compromise, can-do spirit. In the process we could save lives; we could begin to rebuild our economy; and we could demonstrate to the rest of the world that we know how to come together and work for what is best for all of us.

We must help our constituents. We must act.

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