and colleagues, very shortly, the Senate will have the opportunity to confirm Attorney General Becerra to be the next Health and Human Services Secretary, and what this means is, after 4 years of going in reverse on health policy, it will…

as in legislative session, I ask unanimous consent that the Senate proceed to the immediate consideration of S. 823 introduced earlier today. The bill would provide for protection of recovery rebates. I further ask that the bill be read a…

just briefly. I think the key kind of question--and the checks are still going out, and we want them to get out as quickly as possible, but the key issue here is the Republicans, back in December, wanted to help that couple that I was…

I rise in support of legislation developed by our colleague, Senator Brown, and me to protect $1,400 relief payments from being garnished by predatory private debt collectors. We know that millions of American families are hanging on by a…

reserving the right to object. The PRESIDING OFFICER. The senior Senator from Oregon.

the Senate will soon vote on the nomination of California Attorney General Xavier Becerra to lead the Department of Health and Human Services. Moving this nomination forward required an additional procedural step and more floor debate than…

today the Republicans are showing some real chutzpa. On this issue, Republicans were for it before they were against it. Today, they claim to want to target prisoners. The real harm they are doing is to innocent children and families. I…

The Trump administration dramatically reduced the penalties for failing to meet basic protective Federal standards.

I support GAO's recommendation. Having accurate data is essential not only to fighting a pandemic but to analyzing which practices and policies worked and which did not.

These disparities in COVID-19 deaths are the result of generations of inequity in society and in health care.

Thank you, Chairman Wyden and Ranking Member Crapo, for your continued commitment to supporting individuals living in nursing homes.

A National Tragedy: COVID-19 in the Nation's Nursing Homes

Yes, it is important for us to be able to look back at the beginning of the pandemic to see what went wrong so that we can make sure something like this does not happen again.

The AGS greatly appreciates the opportunity to submit this statement and be part of this important conversation.

We have still seen in the last year what I describe as a collision of mismanagement at every level.

I certainly share the good Senator's views with respect to Mrs. Guzman as well. The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from Oregon.

Members can start by agreeing on basic facts.

I would ask unanimous consent that the scheduled vote occur immediately. The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered. The question is, Will the Senate advise and consent to the Guzman nomination?

We appreciate that this bipartisan bill also directs HHS to utilize focus groups and consumer testing.

When COVID-19 arrived, the Trump administration came up small by withholding data, failing to distribute protective equipment, and issuing guidance that put seniors in harm's way.

The Biden administration is working to turn things around.

The terrible impact of COVID-19 on seniors in long-term care is not a red State or a blue State issue.

the Senate will soon take a procedural vote on the nomination of Katherine C. Tai to serve as the next U.S. Trade Representative. For Senators who watched any of Ms. Tai's nomination hearing before the committee, you will know that Ms. Tai…

I was disappointed, earlier this year, when every Senate Democrat voted against my proposal to ensure accurate State reporting of nursing home resident and staff fatalities related to COVID-19.

by not requiring nursing homes to submit data from the first 4 months of 2020, HHS is limiting the usefulness of the data in helping to understand the effects of COVID-19 in nursing homes.