Usa Freedom Reauthorization Act of 2020

Floor Speech

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Mrs. BLACKBURN. Mr. President, I want to thank Senator Ernst for her work in organizing this effort today to come to the floor and talk about the good things that are happening in our States. We know that the pandemic has changed a lot about the way we live and work and do business, and Tennesseans are certainly no exception to that.

One thing that has been consistent in this entire episode with the pandemic is the way Tennesseans step up to take care of one another. The numerous acts of kindness and graciousness that have been shown from neighbor to neighbor and community to community is something that shows the goodness of the American spirit. We are just blessed to be home to thousands of people who have demonstrated their desire to help make life a little bit better for their neighbors and their friends and sometimes for people they do not know but people who have expressed a certain need--people like Jeremy Hopkins

Jeremy is from Jackson, TN. He is an engineer at the Toyota Motor manufacturing facility that is in Jackson. He became aware of a need for PPE at a hospital in New Orleans. A friend of his made him aware of this need. Being an engineer, he fired up his personal 3D computer and printer and got to work making face shields for the healthcare workers in New Orleans. He worked with Union University and some of the students there--Union is located in Jackson, TN--and he was able to ship 57 shields to healthcare providers in New Orleans. And then he used his remaining materials to make another 173 shields for clinics in West Tennessee and Mississippi.

Steve Archer, a U.S. Air Force veteran and medical supply and logistics technician from Fountain City, decided to head to New Jersey to see how he could help to make certain that PPE was delivered on time to hospitals and nursing homes and healthcare providers. While he was helping them, he contracted COVID-19. Since that time, he has recovered, and he is back on the job in Tennessee.

The Knox County Baptist Disaster Relief team has also been working some long days at the Sevier Heights Baptist Church. What they are doing is cooking and assembling meals for the homeless.

Our famous distilleries--moonshine and whiskey, which they have been making there in Tennessee--have changed their production to making mass quantities of hand sanitizers.

Our wonderful singers and songwriters and musicians and choirs are holding concerts by Zoom and online to bring some relief and happiness to people all across the globe. We are all enjoying these virtual concerts.

The always amazing and inspiring Dolly Parton is our Tennessean of the Year. Dolly is reading bedtime stories from her Imagination Library on YouTube each week.

And, of course, I would be remiss if I did not thank some wonderful women who decided to pull out that sewing machine and get busy making face masks for critical workers all across the country. Dottie Godolphin, Marilyn Thomas, Janis Blair--well, Dottie, Marilyn, and Janis are seamstresses par excellence. They are creating these masks, and they are sending them where there is a need all across the country.

We are known as the Volunteer State in Tennessee. This pandemic is showing us that just as throughout our Nation's history, Tennesseans have shown up when they have been called and asked to volunteer and to give their time, their efforts, their energy, their talents, their resources in order to improve the lives of others. We thank each and every one who is doing this. And those whom I have mentioned, we say a special thanks for doing your part to ease the life of others during this pandemic.

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