Coronavirus

Floor Speech

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Mr. SCHUMER. Mr. President, COVID-19, as we know, unfortunately, has upended nearly every aspect of American life for the better part of a year. But as impatient as we all are for our lives to return to normal, the harsh truth of the matter is that the coming months may be, by far, the worst of the pandemic.

Cases have skyrocketed to well over 150,000 Americans per day. We are now recording more than 1 million new COVID cases a week. Hospital ICUs and morgues in many parts of the country are approaching or even beyond capacity.

Americans must brace themselves for a long winter. We cannot tire of the simple precautions that limit the spread of the disease and save lives. Wear a mask, social distance, avoid large indoor gatherings, and stay vigilant. We must all continue to do our part to prevent this next surge from overwhelming our health systems and endangering our fellow citizens. Congress, as well, should be doing all that is necessary to support those efforts and prevent the worst from happening.

Too many Americans have lost healthcare coverage as a result of losing their jobs this year. Medicaid has seen a huge increase in new enrollees and needs resources. As unemployment remains in the tens of millions, extending unemployment insurance is paramount, and many more things besides.

Speaker Pelosi and I have been in regular communication with President-Elect Biden and his transition team. Unlike the current administration, the incoming administration wants to move rapidly to get a handle on the virus and recover our economy. Today, President- Elect Biden urged the Senate to pass the Heroes Act--comprehensive legislation that leaves no one behind. That is just the right approach. Our country deserves a bill that meets the needs of the American people and that meets the needs of the moment.

If Leader McConnell and our Republican colleagues want to sit down and negotiate a bipartisan solution with a bipartisan process, Democrats are ready and willing and able to do so, but, unfortunately, it has been 2 weeks since Leader McConnell said he was in charge of negotiating the next COVID-19 relief bill, and he still hasn't spoken to Speaker Pelosi or myself.

We have 14 votes on the floor this week on nominations for a lameduck President, but we have nothing--nothing--pertaining to COVID. There is, however, a bit of good news today. A second U.S. company announced that it has discovered an effective vaccine in phase 3 trials. Early figures suggest it is close to 95 percent effective. As these two vaccines move through the final approval process, we should prepare the country to produce and distribute them to everyone in a comprehensive bill that includes robust vaccine funding.

Finally, there is light at the end of the tunnel, but we are still in that tunnel and may be so for several months. So we must pull together, once again, to do everything in our individual power to turn the tide of the virus

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