I would like to address this issue because I think it is important that we explain where we are today and why we reached this point. I can recall when Senator Graham crossed the aisle a week or so ago, perhaps, and started talking about…

America has never seen anything like this before. To think that half of the people who live in the United States are under some order to either stay home or at least avoid contact with others is unheard of. This is an enemy--this…

first let me say a word to my colleague from Tennessee. It is good to see you, and it is a good social distance. I thank you for your presentation. We may not agree on everything, but we do agree on some things, and we are working together…

I will not yield at this moment. I want to finish my comment as I allowed the Senator from South Dakota to finish his. I hope the Senator from Arkansas will show me that respect. Thank you. Measures that have been raised this morning are…

how much time remains on our side? The PRESIDING OFFICER. There is 2 minutes 40 seconds.

I would like to suggest to my friends on both sides of the aisle that we first assume the appropriate distance and then, secondly, that we take a deep breath. The emotions we have seen on the floor on both sides of the aisle are reflected…

I might say to my friend from Idaho that it is not unusual for us to move on a measure before the bill, the paper, has come across the rotunda. We do it by consent. Yes, it happens here, and we were prepared to do it again.

let me just say, strike a responsible distance and take a deep breath. We are going to pass this bill--not the one that Senator McConnell brought before us yesterday but a version of that, which I think is a dramatic improvement. My prayer…

how much time is remaining on our side? The PRESIDING OFFICER. There is 5\1/2\ minutes.

I suggest the absence of a quorum. The PRESIDING OFFICER. The clerk will call the roll. The senior assistant legislative clerk proceeded to call the roll. Mr. McCONNELL. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the order for the quorum…

Yes, I object. The PRESIDING OFFICER. The assistant Democratic leader objects. Objection is heard.

if time remains on the Republicans' side, they can use it as they wish.

I think it is time to recognize that. Thank you. Cloture Motion The PRESIDING OFFICER. Pursuant to rule XXII, the Chair lays before the Senate the pending cloture motion, which the clerk will state. The legislative clerk read as follows…

I yield to the Senator from Montana. The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from Montana.

Who has the floor? Mr. McCONNELL. My friend, if that were invoked, there are still 30 more hours postcloture on the motion to proceed. Once you get on the bill, you have to go through it again. There is no way in which--

Who has control of the floor? The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from West Virginia has the floor.

I thank the Senator from Ohio. This is a bipartisan issue, as it should be. It affects both sides of the aisle. We are all vulnerable, and if we can find a practical solution which respects the integrity of the voting process of the U.S…

I announce that the Senator from Vermont (Mr. Sanders) is necessarily absent. The PRESIDING OFFICER. Are there any other Senators in the Chamber desiring to vote? The result was announced--yeas 47, nays 47, as follows: [Rollcall Vote No…

before my colleague from the State of Ohio leaves, I would like to note one issue that he did not raise, which we have in common, and that is the issue of votes on the floor of the U.S. Senate in times of national emergency. Senator…

each of us receives a report almost on an hourly basis from our home States. At the end of the day, my State of Illinois sends a report on the latest situation involving this COVID-19 virus. There were 163 new infections announced…

I want to clarify a statement I made earlier. I said that, because of problems at the control tower at Midway, Southwest Airlines had suspended its flights. It turns out it has substantially curtailed its flights, but it has not suspended…

yesterday I came to the floor with some optimism about what we could be including in the legislation currently being considered in the Senate to respond to the coronavirus public health emergency. I laid out priorities ranging from shoring…

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…

I come to the floor this morning with sad news. Illinois has lost its first resident to the coronavirus--a pandemic which is threatening our country and the world. Her name was Patricia Frieson, 61 years old, a retired nurse. She was an…

yesterday, the President of the United States and the Centers for Disease Control contacted us individually and at least through the media to advise us to avoid gatherings of more than 10 people. It is a reflection of the national…