MIDDLE CLASS HEALTH BENEFITS TAX REPEAL ACT OF 2019--Motion to Proceed
Floor Speech
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Mr. GRASSLEY. Mr. President, 24 hours ago, we thought we would have this legislation passed and that it would be on its way to the House of Representatives and, soon this week, on its way to the President for his signature so we could respond to the crisis we are in. This legislation about which you have heard several speeches tonight is the answer to the crisis--the economic crisis--just like two other pieces of legislation we passed in the last 2 weeks that were signed by the President and that responded to the public health crisis.
America is suffering. I don't have to tell you the stories of personal hardship and the loss--particularly economic but now real life loss--because of this virus. This serious health crisis is quickly becoming a serious economic crisis. Through no fault of their own, Americans have been sidelined to fight the virus, and the economy is unraveling as a result of the public health crisis. Every hour, more people are being laid off. Every hour, more businesses are closing their doors. Every hour, families are being forced to figure out how they are going to pay their bills.
Without a doubt, this is a crisis. Hundreds of thousands of people this week are going to the unemployment office, but you wouldn't know it by watching the Senate Democrats as they drag their feet on much needed relief for Americans. It is not just for Americans; it is to get the entire economy moving.
So how has this evolved to the point that it has now?
No. 1, last night and not once today but twice today--so three times--we tried to get this bill up on the U.S. Senate floor just for debate. We have been filibustered on procedural votes just to allow us to debate this relief package. It is a package that we have been working on in a bipartisan way for several days now.
This sort of activity by the Democratic Senators is outrageous. They are blocking a bill that includes relief that we all agree is needed for the American people. They say this wasn't a bipartisan effort. That is what we have heard all day. Really? Well, I have had very good working relationships, very good dialogue, and some disagreement but a coming together with several of my Democratic colleague on the Committee on Finance in meetings on Friday and Saturday to work out a bipartisan bill that we could be voting on now. So they say it was not a bipartisan effort. Really? Then who were all of those people who were sitting in the same room I was, negotiating around the clock for multiple days?
The fact is, we have worked with the Democrats on this bill, and we have worked in good faith together--both sides. We have included many provisions the Democrats want because we started with what the Republicans thought was a good bill in order to solve these economic problems. We had to change some Republican issues, and we had to add some Democratic issues. In fact, they don't want to admit it of the legislation, but many of my colleagues on the other side, on just this very day, have come to the Senate floor to brag about the areas on which we agree. These are provisions in this bill. But in the same breath, they call this a partisan bill. That makes no sense. Why would they want to say that a bill that we worked on for several days, working out differences between Democrats and Republicans, is a partisan bill?
They also claim that this bill contains so-called corporate bailouts and not enough funding for workers and healthcare providers.
Well, let me say that loaning money to small business and big business that has to be paid back--in the case of small business under this bill, I have to admit that if they have fewer than 500 employees and they get benefit from it and they don't lay anybody off, it will be a forgiven loan. But for really large corporations--let's say like getting the airlines flying again because the public depends on them and because there are millions of jobs connected with the airlines-- giving them loans is a bailout? No, it is not. It is a jobs bill so those millions of people working for the airlines can continue to work and the flying public can fly when they want to fly.
That is my response to the fact that this is not a corporate bailout like they want you to believe.
And no help for individuals? Let's look at the facts for helping individuals.
This bill would send $1,200 to almost every American immediately; couples, $2,400; and families would get $500 for each child. It is meant that this money would be out to these families who need this help just as fast as the IRS can get it out. And it is no different from what we did in 2008 with the great recession that we were going into at that particular time.
This bill also responds to what Democrats asked us to do: Beef up the unemployment insurance program, benefiting those people laid off.
Now, all 50 States have a different figure for what unemployment pays unemployed people in that particular State. But whatever that figure is, our bill would add $600 per week for a period of 3 months. And if somebody says ``Well, that is not long enough,'' well, if we don't get this economy turned around in 3 months, we are going to be here doing it all again anyway.
But it beefs up the unemployment by $600 in each of those States on top of what those States are already paying out. The unemployment part of this bill makes unemployment benefits available to more Americans than ever before.
Now, I am chairman of the Finance Committee. These are just the provisions in the Finance Committee bill. There were three other bipartisan groups of people working on other parts of the economy to get this bill put together to help unemployed people.
Our bill, though, in the Finance Committee also includes assistance for businesses of all sizes. It keeps them afloat so that folks have a job to go back to when they come out of this pandemic. So don't try to say that this bill doesn't help workers.
The bill also includes about $100 billion for healthcare workers and helps to speed up delivery of treatments and helps to get potential vaccines developed a lot faster. This bill also helps health professionals.
But it helps nobody--nobody gets any help--as long as the Congress sits on its thumb, and that is what we have been doing all day, when this bill could have been passed and sent to the House.
My colleagues complain that this unprecedented aid package is not sufficient. I don't know what the exact figure is at this point because there are still some negotiations going on, but the last I heard it was fast approaching $2 trillion. Somehow, that is not enough.
They are saying it is not enough help. So while they are saying it is not enough help, nobody is getting any help. I don't understand it.
As I have already alluded to, we passed phase 1 legislation to help 2 weeks ago; we passed phase 2 last week; we are working on phase 3. So if we need more help down the road, we will have that opportunity when we know for sure what the situation is. We don't have to address the next 10 years in what they are trying to negotiate now. We can address these problems if we don't get the pandemic under control by then.
So there is no excuse for not delivering what we can do this very day. Instead, the Democrats are playing politics while the rest of the country suffers, while there is great anxiety out there, while they are looking to their leaders for help and not getting it.
If you don't think this is political, just look at the political wish list that Pelosi has put out. The scholar of the U.S. Senate, Senator Sasse, is going to speak about that, I think, coming up here, and you will see a picture of this great big bill that she put forward. But just let me name two or three things that I know about because I haven't read an 1,100-page bill like he probably has.
They want to erase the Postal Service debt. What does that have to do with hundreds of thousands of people going to the unemployment office today?
They want to require same-day voter registration. What does voter registration have to do with the crisis of unemployment and the pandemic that we are facing today?
They want to saddle the airlines with crippling new emission standards. What does that have to do with the unemployed today, the people who are suffering, the anxiety that is out there that people have because they don't know how bad this situation is and they know they are losing their job?
This legislation also wants to resurrect the Green New Deal at the same time families are losing their income.
My colleagues, now is just not the time for this sort of horseplay. There will be plenty of opportunities to debate these policies later, not when we have a crisis on our hands--in other words, not now.
Just a few days ago, our bipartisan talks were going very well. We made incredible progress over the course of the few days that we put this together, so we have a bipartisan bill.
So to my Democratic colleagues, please put your swords away. Please focus on the task at hand. Please stop the delaying tactics and the politicking. America needs us to deliver.
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