Rob Portman: “I am here on the floor this evening to talk about what Congress needs to do right now to help the American people with…”

“I am here on the floor this evening to talk about what Congress needs to do right now to help the American people with regard to this coronavirus pandemic. We are not out of the woods yet. People are still struggling, with the economy being weak, and we still have a real healthcare crisis to deal with. Since this crisis began, Congress has come together as Republicans and Democrats both here in the Senate and over in the House, working with the White House, to pass five coronavirus bills--five. Legislation addressed both the healthcare crisis and the economic free-fall that were caused by the virus and also by the government-imposed shutdowns. The biggest of these bills was the one you hear most about; that is, the roughly $2 trillion in the CARES Act that was passed by a vote in this Chamber of 96 to 0--totally bipartisan. Unfortunately, since May, when the last of these bipartisan bills was enacted, partisanship has prevailed over policy, and Washington has been paralyzed, unable to repeat the coming together for the public good. Democrats in this Chamber have consistently insisted that the only way forward is a bill called the Heroes Act. This is a $3.5 trillion piece of legislation that passed the House of Representatives 4 months ago along partisan lines. By the way, $3.5 trillion would be the most expensive legislation ever to be enacted.…”