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.
“CORRECTING THE ENROLLMENT OF S. 2330” mentioning the U.S. Dept of Labor was published in the Senate section on pages S5825-S5827 on Sept. 23, 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:
CORRECTING THE ENROLLMENT OF S. 2330
Mr. BLUMENTHAL. Madam President, as if in legislative session, I ask unanimous consent that the Senate proceed to the immediate consideration of S. Con. Res. 46, which was submitted earlier today.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.
The clerk will report the concurrent resolution by title.
The bill clerk read as follows:
A concurrent resolution (S. Con. Res. 46) to correct the enrollment of S. 2330.
There being no objection, the Senate proceeded to consider the resolution.
Mr. BLUMENTHAL. I further ask that the concurrent resolution be agreed to and the motion to reconsider be considered made and laid upon the table with no intervening action or debate.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.
The concurrent resolution (S. Con. Res. 46) was agreed to.
(The concurrent resolution is printed in today's Record under
``Submitted Resolutions.'')
The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from Rhode Island.
Remembering Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg
Mr. REED. Madam President, I rise today to honor the life of Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg and to express my grave concerns at rushing to fill this Supreme Court vacancy rather than focus on the pandemic and its health and economic devastation.
The passing of Justice Ginsburg is a monumental loss for our country, but she will leave an indelible mark as a historic and brilliant jurist, civil rights trailblazer, and personal hero to countless people. We can all take inspiration from her stalwart and lifelong crusade for equality, shaped by her own struggles facing gender discrimination as a young lawyer, despite her outstanding education and obvious talent.
=========================== NOTE ===========================
On page S5825, September 23, 2020, third column, the following appears: We can all take inspiration from her stalwart and lifelong crusade for equality, shaped by her own struggles facing gender discrimination as a young lawyer, despite her outstanding education.
The online Record has been corrected to read: We can all take inspiration from her stalwart and lifelong crusade for equality, shaped by her own struggles facinggender discrimination as a young lawyer, despite her outstanding education and obvious talent.
========================= END NOTE =========================
Notably, one of her first and most important rulings as a Supreme Court Justice was when she wrote the majority opinion that struck down the male- only admissions policy at the Virginia Military Institute. In this and many other cases, Justice Ginsburg opened the door for generations to come and heralded a new era of equality so that those who were traditionally excluded and oppressed could truly partake in the American dream.
Congress should honor Justice Ginsburg's legacy by grieving her loss with her family, her friends, and the rest of the Nation. More importantly, we should listen to the Justice's wish that the Court she loved and served so honorably should not be part of the election season. My sense is Justice Ginsburg recognized that, while the Court has become more political over time, filling her seat a month or so before an election would do incredible harm.
Some say we need nine Justices. They certainly didn't feel that way about Justice Scalia's open seat. Rushing here seems unnecessary, shows a disregard for history, and shows a lack of faith in the American people's choice in November, but it appears they will not be thoughtful and wait. Instead, it is full steam ahead.
I am angered and saddened that my colleagues on the other side of the aisle are choosing to ram through a nominee who they know will not get broad support. While this is no different than their agenda over the last 4 years, the timing and circumstances could be not more startling or revealing as to their true priorities of power and stacking the deck.
My colleagues have been rushing to issue statements pledging their support for a Supreme Court nominee that President Trump has not even nominated. However, in the 4 months since the Heroes Act passed the House, they have not been able to muster any urgency to help the millions affected by the COVID pandemic. Indeed, my colleagues on the other side of the aisle keep bidding down the amount of assistance they want to provide.
Public health experts and economists alike have been sounding the alarm for weeks about what will happen if Congress does not provide further assistance. They warned that, without resources for testing, contact tracing, and other critical public health interventions, the case counts and deaths will only increase. They warned that, without rental, unemployment, and food assistance, evictions would skyrocket and households with children will go hungry. They warned that States would have to resort to deep budget cuts and layoffs without additional aid.
My Republican colleagues disregarded these warnings even as COVID-19 numbers continued to climb and even after the pandemic unemployment assistance and Paycheck Protection Program expired. They looked for excuses not to act, only pausing to bring up their so-called skinny bills, which fell woefully short of providing the help that is needed for families, businesses, and the States.
Due to the Trump administration's mismanagement and Republicans' inaction, much of what these experts predicted is already happening, and we continue to pass grim milestones signaling that we have failed to contain the virus and to adequately mitigate the economic fallout.
=========================== NOTE ===========================
On page S5826, September 23, 2020, second column, the following appears: Due to the Trump administration mismanagement and Republican inaction, much of what these experts predicted is already happening, and we continue to pass grim milestones signaling that we have failed to contain the virus and to adequately mitigate the economic fallout.
The online Record has been corrected to read: Due to the Trump administration's mismanagement and Republicans' inaction, much of what these experts predicted is already happening, and we continue to pass grim milestones signaling that we have failed to contain the virus and to adequately mitigate the economic fallout.
========================= END NOTE =========================
More than 200,000 people have now died, and the Department of Labor reports that nearly 30 million people are on unemployment. Despite the overwhelming need, Republicans seem eager to move on and shift all of their attention to filling a Supreme Court seat in as little time as possible.
They want to do it in a way that has never been done before. While other vacancies have arisen in an election year, the history is clear: The Senate has never confirmed a nomination to the Supreme Court this close to a Presidential election. Yet it is looking more like Republicans want to barrel ahead and deny the American people a chance to weigh in.
We have to ask ourselves: Why? One answer is easy: healthcare. My colleagues on the other side of the aisle, along with President Trump, had complete control of Congress and the White House for 2 years, and after spending 7 years saying that they would repeal the Affordable Care Act, they tried with all of their might to do just that. What they didn't anticipate was that the American people would turn against that effort.
In 2017, I heard from countless constituents, writing and emailing me, calling my office, approaching me at the grocery store and around Rhode Island, telling me about how the ACA had benefited them and their families and urging me to do everything in my power to stop the Republican effort to repeal the law. I was not alone in this. I know my colleagues on both sides of the aisle were hearing similar concerns from their constituents.
President Trump and congressional Republicans did not expect that they wouldn't be able to convince everyone in their party to go along with this scheme.
=========================== NOTE ===========================
On page S5826, September 23, 2020, second column, the following appears: President Trump and congressional Republicans did not expect that they wouldn't be able to convince everyone in their party to go along with the scheme.
The Record has been corrected to read: President Trump and congressional Republicans did not expect that they wouldn't be able to convince everyone in their party to go along with this scheme.
========================= END NOTE =========================
As we all remember, late one night in July 2017, while voting on the
Republican TrumpCare bill, my friend and my chairman, Senator John McCain, shortly before his death, courageously stood up and gave their proposal a thumbs-down, saying enough was enough.The following year, the American people swiftly voted many Republicans out of office, handing control of the House of Representatives to Democrats, largely because of healthcare. Democrats won by vowing to protect the ACA for the American people.
So, now, President Trump and congressional Republicans are counting on the courts to overturn the ACA for them. They have spent the last 3 years stacking the courts with judicial nominees who they think will rule against the ACA, regardless of the facts or merits of the case.
With the passing of Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, they have their opportunity to add another anti-healthcare Justice to the Supreme Court, just days before the Court will begin arguments on the Trump administration's lawsuit to repeal the ACA.
What is worse is that they are not going to wait until the election to pursue this because they know the American people do not agree with them and they can't take the chance that they will lose the election and, along with it, their opportunity to take healthcare coverage away from millions of Americans.
Republicans' fervor to fill a Supreme Court vacancy goes beyond dismantling affordable healthcare and denying healthcare to those with preexisting conditions. They are counting on a conservative supermajority on the Supreme Court to accomplish many of their extreme conservative goals, which they know the majority of the American people do not share.
This will endanger so many of the rights that Americans have fought for decades to win. It could mean making our country less democratic by gutting what is left of the Voting Rights Act. It could mean overturning the right of women to make their own reproductive healthcare decisions, in consultation with their doctors, and the rights of LGBT individuals to live free of discrimination. It could include stripping away environmental protections, which will become all the more important as climate change wreaks havoc in our communities.
How these and many other issues are decided by the Supreme Court for the next several decades is hanging in the balance. That Republicans want to speed through their nominee shows not only their disdain for the will of the American people but, also, their lack of confidence that voters support these policy goals and those who wrongly espouse them.
The only good that may come of this is that the American people will gain an even clearer understanding of what is at stake. The American public now has a clear choice, and I have no doubt that it will make the right one. They can see and understand what Majority Leader McConnell is doing.
At the very time the majority leader should be joining with us to protect the health of the American people in the midst of so much suffering and needless death during this pandemic, they are, instead, undertaking a misguided and unjustifiable effort to ram through a Supreme Court nomination. While I have little belief that Majority Leader McConnell will change his plans, I would hope that my colleagues would take a moment and look at where we are. We can debate how we got here, but right now the matters before us are profound. I hope a few in the majority decide to reconsider and take a step back from their maximalist power theory and leave this issue to the next session.
Until then, I will do everything I can to honor Justice Ginsburg and her life's work for what is right and what is fair. We will demand justice for the American people to make sure that their voices are heard.
I yield the floor.
I suggest the absence of a quorum.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. The clerk will call the roll.
The bill clerk proceeded to call the roll.
Mr. McCONNELL. Madam President, I ask unanimous consent that the order for the quorum call be rescinded.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.
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