MIDDLE CLASS HEALTH BENEFITS TAX REPEAL ACT OF 2019--Motion to Proceed

Floor Speech

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Ms. ERNST. Mr. President, our country is facing a crisis. Maybe I don't need to whisper that. Our country is facing a crisis.

I have served many times over--many times over--in crisis: floods, hurricanes, and war in a slightly different suit.

We are facing a crisis. We have three States that have had National Guardsmen activated in support of the coronavirus pandemic. We are in a crisis. And right now, right here in Congress, we have the ability--the duty--to act and to provide additional, much needed relief to the American people.

Last night, and, unfortunately, yet again today, have been very, very disappointing displays of putting partisan politics ahead of the immediate needs of the American people. Now, some would call this righteous indignation. I say, no, it is fighting for the American people.

My friends on the other side of the aisle delayed--no, let's say it the way it is. They blocked--they blocked--this package to move to cloture to further debate this bill, this bipartisan relief package.

Let me make this clear. The votes we have been taking haven't even been on the final bill. It is simply a way for us to continue negotiating and debating on a path forward on a bipartisan relief package--a package that, again--I am going to echo what my colleague from Ohio said--was written in a bipartisan way, two Republicans and two Democrats from those lead committees assigned to these task forces.

Folks, Iowans deserve better than this. All Americans deserve better than this. This is no time for political games and partisan wish lists--and, yes, there are partisan wish lists out there--of things that have nothing to do with the immediate needs of this pandemic. This is a time for action, folks, and it is a time for leadership.

Look, folks, the Senate took up a House-led phase 2 package that many of us considered not perfect. Phase 2, now, let's keep that in mind. There are many phases going on during this pandemic. Phase 2, we didn't feel that was perfect. Well, what happens when a phase 2 is not perfect? You move to a phase 3 because we need relief. We put our differences aside here in the Senate, and we supported--we supported the phase 2 package and provided the second round of immediate relief for our workers, our families, our seniors, and our businesses across the country. Why? Folks, gosh, darn it, it is the right thing to do. Why can't my Democratic colleagues do the same?

We need to be working in the most efficient and effective way possible to get immediate relief to the men, the women, and the children across this country. We need to give them what they need.

I have spoken directly with Iowans by phone all week: the small businessowners, the members of our ag community, many workers at our hospitals and in our healthcare industry, these moms and dads, the employees and employers, the grandmas and the grandpas, nurses and doctors, small businessowners, farmers, and veterans; you name it. They are all in crisis at this very moment. I can't tell you how many of those Iowans were crying on the phone with me. They keep saying: We need it now. We need relief now.

Maybe you don't think, across the aisle, that phase 3 is perfect, but--you know what--the longer we delay this, the more Iowans I am going to hear crying on the other end of the phone. Not one of them has told me: Don't pass this bill. Not a single one of them. What they have said is it needs to be done today.

Again, I will remind you that there are States where we have mobilized National Guard soldiers. The President and those Governors don't just mobilize National Guard soldiers because it is a fun thing to do. They do it because we are a nation in crisis.

Just overnight in Iowa, we had 15 more cases, and that is a total of 105 cases of coronavirus in my home State. That is not a lot compared to other States, but--you know what--Iowa is not populated a lot like other States. In Iowa, 105 is a lot.

Just a couple hours ago, I was on a call with Iowa's State leaders who were at the State Emergency Operations Center. Let me say that again--Emergency Operations Center, an EOC. You don't just set those up for fun, folks. You set them up when your State is in crisis.

They gave us a picture of what is going on with our workers and our small businesses on the ground in Iowa. Within 3 hours, the State received over 11,000 calls for unemployment insurance, and 2,000 of them are self-employed. They will not qualify for unemployment insurance. You know what would relieve their hurt? This package, phase 3.

Meanwhile, my Democratic colleagues are holding this bill up that would actually deliver the relief that is necessary for these workers whom I just mentioned for things that have nothing to do with a crisis. Senate Democrats are stalling funding for hospitals and small businesses until they get to jam through their Green New Deal. You tell me: What does placing emissions standards on airlines have to do with getting Iowa families and workers the relief they need right now?

The Green New Deal was brought up on this very floor last year. How many of them voted for it? None. None. Big zero. Big zero. They didn't believe in it then, so why are they trying to jam it through now?

Americans from every corner of this Nation are looking to the Senate for more help. This is an extraordinary situation, folks, and it requires an extraordinary response. This is, arguably, the biggest bill ever--nearly $2 trillion of funding. But is that enough? If we were offering up $3 trillion, would it be enough? If it were $4 trillion, would it be enough?

I guarantee you that our friends on the other side of the aisle would say: Oh, that is not enough. We need the Green New Deal. We need XYZ-- which has nothing to do with the COVID-19 crisis.

We are better than this. Let's come together in a bipartisan way, as we have done through much of this process. We took up phase 2. We supported it. I was glad to support it because it was the right thing to do. Let's deliver for the American people. It is our duty. We do not have time to delay. We must pass this additional relief now.

Again, it is phase 3. There may be many more phases to go. And if the Democrats believe it is the right thing to do, they will get this package done today, and we will move on and have discussions for yet another phase.

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