Coronavirus

Floor Speech

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Mr. CORNYN. Mr. President, as we all know, the clock is ticking down on coronavirus relief. Both the Senate and the House are set to wrap up the work of the 116th Congress in just a few days, but we don't appear to be much closer to a deal now than we were this summer.

Over the last few months, my colleagues and I on this side of the aisle have attempted to reach an agreement that could gain bipartisan support. We have proposed a number of targeted packages which have included funding for the most urgent bipartisan priorities, things like vaccine development, schools, and the Paycheck Protection Program. We have tried to pass individual proposals that have had near unanimous support, like a 1-week extension of unemployment insurance benefits.

At every turn in the runup to the election, our Democratic colleagues have simply stood in the way. It is not just Republicans' ideas they have rejected. The administration has repeatedly tried to negotiate with the Speaker, with the latest attempt being earlier this week. Oddly enough, our Democratic colleagues have blasted the offer as being an attempt to obstruct negotiations. This is a parallel universe, where up is down and down is up, apparently, for our Democratic colleagues.

Only in the Democrats' alternate realty is more compromise an example of obstruction. Based on everything we have seen so far, it appears they have no real interest in reaching a deal. And I conclude that only because they have stood in the way of every attempt so far to come to an agreement and seem perfectly content to maintain the status quo, which nobody claims to like, even as the American people continue to call for additional support.

Almost every Member of Congress has said they want to pass another relief bill before the end of the year, but as we stand here today, we are emptyhanded despite the fact that we agree on a majority of what should be in that package. Republicans and Democrats agree that funding for schools, vaccines, the Paycheck Protection Program, and assistance for the hardest hit Americans is desperately needed. But there appear to be two hangups in the negotiations: liability protections and State and local aid.

I think it is safe to say, in all fairness to our Democratic friends, they just don't support liability protections, whether it is for healthcare workers, hospitals, schools, churches, or nonprofits that can be hit with a wave of litigation unless we act. And we know on this side of the aisle Republicans don't support hundreds of billions of dollars of new money to bail out cities and States that have been mismanaged for decades.

With neither side willing to budge, Leader McConnell made the only reasonable suggestion I have heard in light of the stalemate. He said that setting these two issues aside seems to make sense so we can do what we can do and include all the things we agree on in the coming days while we hold off those more controversial pieces until the start of the next year.

Our friends across the aisle apparently have never heard of the 80-20 rule, and that makes sense, I guess, in this alternate reality where Nancy Pelosi said that ``nothing is better than something.'' I have never heard anyone say that before. It is rather shocking to me.

Based on their reception of the long list of proposals so far this year, I am sure it will come as no surprise that they have basically rejected any entreaties that we have made. It is clear to me that they aren't approaching these negotiations by asking what is best for the 330 million people in this country; their concern appears to be what is best for them politically--certainly in the runup to the election, where they denied the American people the benefits of another COVID-19 relief bill--or when it comes to liability protection, the trial lawyers.

Now, I am a recovering lawyer myself. I don't hold a grudge against lawyers earning a living. But the fact is, we ought to be concerned about the American people and not lawyers, who, I dare say, are probably doing pretty well relative to those who aren't getting a paycheck or are in lockdowns at home.

So our Democratic colleagues have employed the same all-or-nothing approach that has been their hallmark, and, as the American people have learned over and over again, it almost always leads to nothing. I mean, so much of this is so obvious, it seems to me, you almost are embarrassed to say it, but when your attitude is ``all or nothing,'' you usually end up with nothing. And that is where we are today--no unemployment benefit extension, no funding for schools, no money for vaccine distribution, no second draw on the Paycheck Protection Program. Nothing. Zip. Nada.

Our Democratic colleagues have proven over and over again that either they don't want to negotiate or they have forgotten how. They aren't interested in compromise, which is the only way you get things done here. It sounds like they are more interested in messaging than they are in actually achieving a result--making a law, something the President will sign after it passes both Houses.

So our colleagues need to make a decision, and they need to make it quickly. Are they willing to work with us and send a bill to the President that includes most of what they would like to see in a relief bill, if not all, or are they willing to tank everything--funding for State and local government, vaccines, schools, small businesses, families who are hurting and anxious and in financial distress? Are they willing to throw them under the bus if they can't get everything they want? Again, the choice seems so obvious to me. I am sorry I have to say it, but it has become obvious that, so far, Democratic leadership has no interest in resolving these negotiations in a way that gets them most of what they want without taking the risk that we end up emptyhanded Tribute to Pat Roberts

Mr President, this morning, during the remarks by the senior Senator from Kansas, I was stuck in the Judiciary Committee, and so I wasn't able to be here, although I have read and heard reported back to me some of the best moments of his remarks, and I just wanted to come here to the floor and say a few words about our friend Pat Roberts as we prepare to bid him farewell.

Pat has represented the people of Kansas for four decades--16 years in the House and 24 years here in the Senate--and I bet it seems like a blink of an eye. During that time, he has established himself as a national leader--in agriculture in particular--a dependable voice for rural Americans, and an unwavering advocate for our Nation's servicemembers, as you would expect a former marine to be. But he has also been a source of great comedic relief in a place where people often take themselves too seriously.

A few years ago, during a Senate Finance Committee hearing, we heard Pat's cell phone ringing. Much to everyone's enjoyment, it wasn't a factory-set ring tone; it was the song ``Let It Go'' from the Disney movie ``Frozen.'' When he was asked if he had seen the stage adaptation, he equipped: ``I might even be in it.''

Well, his acting chops are clearly not adequate for Broadway, but there is certainly enough to impress those of us here in this Chamber. He has a great Marlon Brando impression and a knack for injecting quotes from the movie ``On the Waterfront'' at the perfect moment. And we all know that he is a great country music fan, particularly of Ray Price.

Pat is happy to entertain just about anyone who will listen to his talent for storytelling, and I know members of my staff have enjoyed learning about his time in the Marine Corps--at least those PG-rated moments.

It is fitting that Washington Magazine has given him the title of ``Funniest Senator,'' a number of times even referring to him as the ``Senate's Jay Leno.'' You never know what Pat is going to say, but it is invariably entertaining and always amusing.

As much as we are going to miss his frequent jokes and clever one- liners, we are going to miss his steadfast leadership and friendship even more--as I said earlier, especially when it comes to his advocacy on behalf of farmers and ranchers and folks who put the food on our tables and the clothes on our backs.

Pat has had his hand and his fingerprints on every Agriculture bill for the last four decades. Those farm bills are tough--trying to marry up the interests of urban folks and food stamps and things like that along with the needs of our production agriculture, our farmers and ranchers. He was the first person to chair the Agriculture Committee in both the House and the Senate, as well as the first to write and pass a farm bill in both Chambers. He has been an unrelenting champion for our Nation's farmers and ranchers and producers, and Texas agriculture has benefited, too, from his work to remove trade barriers and burdensome regulations that have threatened their competitiveness or, in some cases, their survival.

While Pat's accomplishments as chairman of the Agriculture Committee are among his most celebrated, his remarkable career in public service has led to a long list of wins for the American people. He has led efforts to help improve access to quality healthcare for all Americans. He has helped keep taxes low and improve economic opportunities for families all across the country. And, of course, he has advocated for our servicemembers and our veterans. Pat even chaired the Senate Intelligence Committee for a time, and he helped to identify systemic problems in the intelligence community and enact critical reforms.

Finally, in a great labor of love, which seems like, I am sure, it has taken decades to accomplish, a few months ago, Pat was able to see his decades-long fight come to a satisfying conclusion when the Dwight David Eisenhower Memorial was completed. This incredible monument to our 34th President would not have been possible without Pat Roberts. He has worked on it for the last 20 years, most of it behind the scenes, and it seems like the perfect culmination of his service in Congress.

While Pat's sense of humor and devotion to public service are often on public display, members of our Senate community have also come to know of the size of his heart. He has got a big one. When a former member of Pat's staff unexpectedly passed away this last year, he was there to comfort the family and friends and share wonderful stories about Chris in a speech at his memorial service, because when you work for Pat Roberts--or I should say with Pat Roberts--you are not just a cog in a policymaking or legislative machine; you are family.

You would be hard-pressed to find a better friend to Kansans, a more devoted ally for our farmers and ranchers, a bigger K-State fan, or a more loved Member of the Senate than our friend Pat Roberts. There is no question we will miss him and the countless laughs he has provided over the years, but I know he is eager to spend more time in greener pastures with his wonderful wife Franki. Pat has earned a well-deserved retirement, and I know he is looking forward to spending more time with his and Franki's children and growing number of grandchildren.

Pat, we wish you well.

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