On the recordMarch 25, 2020
let me be abundantly clear. I plan to support this legislation tonight, but I do want to fix it first. Our amendment is a very simple amendment. First, it is our responsibility to every extent possible to take care of the American people. I want to provide 100 percent of the salary while an American is laid off because of COVID-19--100 percent of the salary of someone laid off because of COVID-19. My goal is to do it the right way. The right way is that you get your income as if you are still working because you have been laid off because of COVID-19. It is not a raise for not working. It is not 200 percent of your income while on unemployment. The goal is simply to keep you whole while you are unemployed because of COVID-19. I cannot stress enough, as a former employer, and, frankly, as a former employee, the relationship between the employer and the employee is critical. Our Nation is built on the dignity of work. What this bill does, without fixing it, is simply say: You can earn more money by being on unemployment than you can while working. That isn't an incentive. That is perverse. We cannot have intended to encourage people not to work and make more money than to go back to work and receive their normal pay. With that, I yield the floor. The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from Nebraska
