The Congressional Record is a unique source of public documentation. It started in 1873, documenting nearly all the major and minor policies being discussed and debated.
“CORONAVIRUS” mentioning the U.S. Dept of Labor was published in the Senate section on pages S1820-S1822 on March 19, 2020.
The Department provides billions in unemployment insurance, which peaked around 2011 though spending had declined before the pandemic. Downsizing the Federal Government, a project aimed at lowering taxes and boosting federal efficiency, claimed the Department funds "ineffective and duplicative services" and overregulates the workplace.
The publication is reproduced in full below:
CORONAVIRUS
Mr. DURBIN. Madam President, I come to the floor today to thank Speaker Pelosi, Leader Schumer, and all of my colleagues who help support the Families First Coronavirus Response Act. That measure was signed yesterday by President Trump. As I understand from Leader McConnell, work is underway on a third coronavirus package in the form of an economic stimulus to provide more support to families, businesses, and to the healthcare community, including our hospitals.
This morning, I spoke to the Governor of Illinois--we have been speaking on almost a daily basis, sometimes almost several times a day--and asked him about the State of the situation in our home State of Illinois. Unfortunately, we are still desperate for testing kits. Illinois has about 5,000 more kits that were provided yesterday by a private company at the urging of our Governor, but we have never seen the number of test kits that we believe are necessary to measure the current state of this coronavirus in our home State of Illinois. The official count--and I might add that word ``official''--is that we have had 288 Illinoisans infected and 1 fatality. I believe that the number of infections in the official report grossly understates the exposure in my home State of Illinois. Once more tests are administered and we receive the results, I am afraid we are going to see a dramatic increase in that number of reported infections in the State.
One hundred and twenty-eight new cases were announced yesterday in our State. It is the largest single 1-day increase since we have been reporting. We have 2 additional counties that have now been touched out of the 102. We are now up to 17 counties with the infections. An additional 20 people at the DuPage County long-term care facility tested positive, bringing it to a total of 42--30 residents and 12 members of that staff--in that one facility.
Forty-one thousand unemployment insurance claims were filed in Illinois in the past 2 days. To put that in perspective, during the same 2 days last year, 4,445 were filed. That is roughly 10 times the number of unemployment claims that have been filed this year. As I mentioned, that is 10 times the level of the same 2-day period a year ago.
The Department of Labor reported this morning that 281,000 people filed unemployment insurance claims nationwide last week, and that number is likely to grow. Oak Park--just to the west of Chicago--is the first town in Illinois to issue a shelter-in-place order for residents, which will last until April 3. Mayor Lightfoot for the city of Chicago announced the city would temporarily suspend debt collection practices and nonsafety-related citations, as well as penalties for late payment.
I might add that we learned last night that two Members of the House of Representatives have tested positive for the virus: Representatives Mario Diaz-Balart of Florida and Ben McAdams of Utah. Both developed symptoms last Saturday, just hours after voting on the coronavirus response bill with hundreds of other Members.
I have joined with Senator Rob Portman of Ohio in proposing that we take into consideration the fact that we have critically important work to do in the Senate, but gathering in groups, as we have done historically, poses a health risk not just to us as Members and our families but to the staff as well as their families, the staff in the Senate and their families. We ought to be more thoughtful in terms of our own families and the people who work in the U.S. Senate. Yes, do our job, but do it in a sensible and thoughtful way.
Senator Portman and I are exploring possibilities for remote voting by Members of the Senate. Why is it required that we be physically present on the floor, closer to one another, than perhaps we should be at this moment during a public health crisis? Senator Portman and I, on a bipartisan basis, are trying to find a way to achieve this goal and to still protect the integrity of the voting process in the U.S. Senate. Yes, it is new. Yes, it is different. Yes, it reflects the 21st century and reflects a challenge, the likes of which we have never seen. Tomorrow that challenge may be another public health crisis, some other national emergency, or maybe even a terrorist attack. Shouldn't we be ready to make sure the Senate can still do its business if it is difficult, impossible, or not advised for Members of the Senate to come physically to the floor and announce their vote each time it is needed? We believe we should explore this on a bipartisan basis, and we are urging the leaders on both sides to look at it seriously at this moment.
I might add as well that Governor Pritzker spoke about the issues that they are facing and said to me, more than once, that we need Federal guidance as to what we should do in our State. I want to salute him and the other Governors who are doing the best they can in drawing their own public health conclusions based on the advice they have received.
I would think we need to be sensitive to the reality of the hospitals that are facing real challenges today that are likely to increase. What we have seen over the past few weeks from our healthcare workers on the frontline is nothing short of heroic. The nurses, the doctors, the technicians, the lab experts have done work above and beyond their call of duty that we hope for in these times of challenging crisis. I commend every hospital employee for their selflessness and quality work.
What I am hearing from Illinois health officials is that hospitals are being stretched to the absolute limit. One hospital executive in central Illinois told me that his cashflow runs out in a matter of weeks and his hospital may be forced to close. In downtown Chicago, our academic medical centers have activated emergency protocol and are burning through protective masks, respirators, and other equipment.
As of Tuesday, three-fourths of the 2,600 intensive care beds in Illinois were already occupied, and 40 percent of our 2,100 ventilators were being deployed.
For the next package that we are considering here--CV-3 or phase 3, however you characterize it--Congress must step in with direct, immediate assistance to recognize the extreme financial burden and equipment shortfalls of hospitals and healthcare workers. This has to be priority No. 1, period.
Prior to this coronavirus challenge, one in four rural hospitals across America were already facing closure. If a rural hospital closes in your home State--whether it is Nebraska or Kansas or Ohio or Illinois--jobs will leave, businesses close, and the community's healthcare needs are in peril. As part of the measure that we are presently considering--this phase 3 or CV-3 measure--Senator James Lankford of Oklahoma, a Republican, and I are calling for inclusion of our rural hospital relief act, which will provide immediate relief to the most financially vulnerable rural hospitals. These hospitals are the backbones of our health system in rural America.
As we know, as well, many people soon may lose their jobs, if they haven't already, because of this pandemic. In so many cases, losing your job means losing your health insurance. That is why I am working to ensure individuals who lose their job as a result of this coronavirus do not also lose their healthcare. Under current law, COBRA coverage allows individuals to remain on their employer-sponsored health insurance plan after they lose their jobs and otherwise become ineligible. There is a basic problem with COBRA. It costs too much and the employee--now severed from their work--has to pay 100 percent of the premiums with no employer contributions. Many people just can't afford it.
I think it is imperative that Congress step up and offer Federal funding to cover the costs of COBRA coverage for individuals who lose their jobs as a result of this pandemic. Loss of a job is bad enough. We can't also sit by while millions of people lose their health insurance.
Democrats are working on a robust funding package to help our U.S. military defend our country against this pandemic. It includes substantial increases in the capacity of military healthcare that will benefit the troops, their families, retirees, and members of the public. We need more resources to provide the National Guard with the means to tackle this crisis. As of Wednesday, nearly 2,000 Guardsmen are active in 54 States and territories. The number grows each day. The women and men of the National Guard are working hard, distributing meals, transporting medical professionals, assisting with planning, and much more. Our States are paying for this emergency mission work out of their own pockets. This is a national emergency. States need Federal assistance as the role of the Guard is likely to grow.
Some may be surprised there are just over 4,000 beds in the entire military medical system. Some projections say we will need triple that number, and I want to make sure that the funding is there if, God forbid, we need it.
We also need to take immediate action to address the threat COVID-19 poses to inmates and staff in our Federal prison system. Just yesterday, two Federal Bureau of Prison staff tested positive for COVID-19. It is only a matter of time until the virus begins to spread within these correction facilities, if it hasn't already. Despite this threat, the Trump administration has not requested any additional funding for the Bureau of Prisons to prepare for overtime costs. We need to make sure our Federal, State, and local prisons and jails have access to the supplies and personnel and resources they need. We need to do everything we can to safely release or transfer as many inmates as possible to home confinement, particularly those vulnerable and elderly.
Our economy is being ravaged by this public health epidemic. The Department of Labor reported this morning that more than 281,000 people applied for jobless benefits last week, a 33-percent increase from the previous week. Similar grim news has come out of Illinois that has seen unemployment claims skyrocket, as I mentioned earlier. These figures show us how serious this is for working families, underscoring the importance to move quickly and boldly.
Congress must immediately take steps to ensure State unemployment trust fund accounts have more resources to get the benefits to those who need them. This morning, my Governor alerted me to the fact that there is a cashflow problem because of these claims being made on the unemployment benefits account. Nationwide, small businesses and retailers are closing their doors--some, we hope, only temporarily. Restaurants are moving to take-out only or closing up their shops altogether.
This morning, I had a webinar with Chicagoland Chamber of Commerce. We expected about 100 people to participate, and over 500 did. Small businesses across America are very conscious of the threats to their continuing business by this public health crisis. This is going to be a significant hit for a lot of small businesses. We have to be there to help them.
I support a proposal that also is being led by my Senate colleagues, Senators Brown Bennet, and Booker, to request that direct cash assistance beginning at $2,000 be sent to American families in need. This will be a crucial lifeline, but it alone can't help these families navigate the crisis.
I support what Senator Schumer said earlier about strengthening unemployment insurance for these same families. A second wave of assistance is likely to go out. I support that as well.
I don't believe this is a short-lived crisis. We have to see it through and stand by the workers and their families all the way.
In past times of economic crisis, we have seen an increase in chapter 11 bankruptcy filings by businesses. Too often, these businesses have been able to manipulate the bankruptcy process to favor creditors and management while leaving the workers high and dry. We cannot let this happen again. For more than 10 years, I have had a bill to reform chapter 11 to improve outcomes for workers and retirees, most importantly, by doubling to $20,000 the value of worker wage claims that are entitled to priority payment in bankruptcy.
Let's get that reform done as part of the challenge of this crisis. Let's make helping workers the highest priority when it comes to business bankruptcy.
We also need to make clear that companies that take Federal bailout money can't turn around and use chapter 11 to try to get rid of their collective bargaining agreements with their workforce. My legislation would prevent this type of gaming. We need to get that done as well.
If Congress is going to consider changes to make the bankruptcy process simpler and less painful for businesses, we ought to do the same for workers and families. That includes Americans who are currently being crushed by student loan debt and face their own economic recession even before this one. If we are talking about relieving debts that businesses and individuals cannot pay, for goodness' sake, how can we ignore the crushing student loan debt across America, which compromises the futures of the thousands of Americans? We need to take steps to forgive student debt, like for students who were defrauded by for-profit colleges--a measure we continue to fight Secretary DeVos over--and we need to restore dischargeability in bankruptcy for student loans once and for all.
In short, bold policy ideas to help families during this time are not exclusive to either political party. I look forward, as we have in the first two measures, to a bipartisan effort and a timely effort to respond. America is counting on us. Now is the time for us to produce
I yield the floor.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from Ohio.
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