Executive Session

Floor Speech

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Mr. CORNYN. Madam President, the Senate was gaveled out about 6 weeks ago now. We passed the $2.2 trillion CARES Act on March 25, and here it is May 4. Since that time, the global battle to defeat the coronavirus has only intensified.

There have been some who questioned the wisdom of the Senate coming back to Washington and convening, but I think we need to be here, and we need to do our jobs. We know how to do this safely. We know how to social distance. We know how to wash our hands and not touch our face. Those are the responsibilities each of us bear to one another not to spread this virus.

But if there is such a thing as essential and nonessential workers-- and I don't think that distinction is one we should discuss because 26 million Americans are not nonessential workers; they are absolutely essential to our economy and to our way of life. But, make no mistake, self-government is essential under any construction, under any definition of that word.

Our system was not made to run on autopilot, so it is appropriate that we show up and that we do our job and we protect the American people and do everything we can to defeat this virus from a public health standpoint but also to do what is necessary to maintain a lifeline to the economy and the workers who are an essential component of it so that, when we defeat this virus, we will be prepared for people to go back to work in full and keep our economy and jobs growing again.

We know that about 3.5 million cases have been confirmed worldwide, and roughly a third of these cases are here in the United States. Tragically, we have lost 65,000 Americans to this cruel virus, but, heroically, our healthcare workers have been on the job each and every day--like law enforcement and grocery clerks--doing their part to help provide us the healthcare, the law enforcement, and the food that is feeding our families.

We know, for weeks on end, our doctors and nurses and first responders have put themselves in harm's way to save the lives of those who have been affected by COVID-19. They are offering more than lifesaving care. These men and women are a hand to hold, a friendly voice, and a source of comfort to patients isolated from friends and family because of this cruel disease. Our heroic healthcare workers are physically and mentally exhausted from this fight. Yet they continue to serve, day in and day out.

I want to express my gratitude, and I know I speak for others when I say thank you for the heart that you have put into your job and for the sacrifices you have made, spending time away from your families so that you can help ours.

At the same time, we are seeing tremendous progress in a race to develop both treatments and a vaccine. While there are plenty of reasons to be optimistic about how this story ends, I know a lot of work remains to be done. In addition to the physical toll this virus has taken on the American people, it has wreaked economic havoc

In order to slow the spread of the coronavirus, stores and restaurants have closed their doors, travel plans have been abandoned, events have been canceled, and millions of Americans were suddenly without a way to earn a living. In the past 6 weeks, 30 million Americans have filed for unemployment--an absolutely staggering figure.

So far, Congress has passed four separate bills to address this crisis from a public health standpoint as well as to ease its economic impact. We have provided billions of dollars in funding to support our hospitals, increase testing capacity, and ramp up the production and acquisition of the personal protective equipment our medical workers rely upon as well as the ventilators that many of the COVID-19 patients will need.

We have provided unprecedented assistance for America's small businesses, which employ about half of America's workers. The Paycheck Protection Program has enabled small businesses to keep their employees on the payroll and cover expenses until the smoke clears.

We have also sent vital funding to our State and local governments-- about $150 billion. We provided relief to student loan borrowers and sent financial assistance to the American people in the form of direct payments from the IRS.

Members of Congress came together to act quickly and decisively to address this pandemic, and I am very proud of the work that we have done together so far.

Over the past several weeks, like every Senator, I have had the privilege of speaking with my constituents all across the State of Texas about the impact of this virus as well as Congress's response. I have spoken to doctors, nurses, and hospital administrators about the strain on the personnel and the need for personal protective equipment.

I have talked to small business owners across the State about their growing list of expenses and the lifeline that the PPE provided.

I have listened to our mayors and county judges, from our biggest cities and smallest towns, who have talked about the mounting financial burdens they are facing. I have talked with our farmers and ranchers about the impact on everything from cattle to cotton and the need to protect our food supply chain.

I am grateful for the men and women I have spoken with who have shared their perspective and feedback about Congress's response to the coronavirus.

Anytime a piece of legislation moves this quickly, as these bills did, and are this big, there are bound to be gaps that need to be filled, mistakes that need to be corrected, tweaks that need to be applied. The Texans to whom I have spoken over these past several weeks have pointed out some of those gaps and provided ideas for the discussions we are now having about what comes next.

A few weeks ago, I spoke with representatives from the Texas Council on Family Violence, the Texas Association Against Sexual Assault, and more than a dozen organizations across the State that support survivors of domestic violence.

When you think about the impact of the pandemic or any other major crisis, for that matter, domestic violence isn't typically one of the first issues that comes to mind, but the circumstances we are facing today make these cases all too common. People are spending more time isolated at home. They are dealing with a new range of stresses brought on by this virus--more time with their partner, financial struggles, teaching their children at home--and it is taking a devastating toll.

When Texas's stay-at-home order was first announced, many organizations saw a spike in their hotline calls. What is more frightening, once these orders were in place, the number of calls took a sharp decline. In Tarrant County, which is where Fort Worth is located, call numbers dropped by almost half.

With so much time isolated at home with an abuser, it may be more difficult to reach out to friends or family or contact the National Domestic Violence Hotline for assistance. When deciding whether to leave, to go to a shelter, there is also the risk of the virus itself, and many are faced with a lose-lose scenario: Do you continue living under the same roof as your abuser or do you go to a shelter where you or your children may come in contact with the virus?

These are not the only silent victims of this crisis. The fear and anxiety brought on by this pandemic has taken a toll on America's mental health. Most of us have never gone through something like this. Maybe none of us has gone through something quite like this. Our daily routines have been turned on their head. Isolated from friends and family and between social media and a 24-hour news cycle, it can be difficult to find a way to escape the constant barrage of bad news and anxiety.

Compounding the problem even further is the financial strain on many of the providers who support these individuals. A recent survey of providers by the National Council for Behavioral Health showed that more than 60 percent of mental health providers have already been forced to close one or more programs--60 percent--and 62 percent of providers cannot survive more than 3 months without emergency financial assistance.

As we continue working to help the American people through this difficult time, we cannot forget those who are suffering in silence. We have a big job ahead of us. That is why it is so important that we are here doing our job on behalf of the 330 million people in this country.

I returned back to the Senate with a long list of ideas and feedback from the Texans who have been generous enough to spend time talking with me over the past few weeks. I know all 100 Members of the Senate are in a similar position, and I hope we can retain the same sense of bipartisanship that has guided us through the legislation we have passed so far.

If we are going to win this fight--and we will--it will not be because of a Republican idea or a Democratic one; it will be because every single person in this Chamber checked their political priorities at the door and responded together--united--to confront and defeat this virus and to help restore our economy and the jobs that go along with it.

We have done it before. Let's do it again.

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