John Cornyn: “each year, during the month of August, I look forward to traveling across my State--my very big State--to spend time…”

“each year, during the month of August, I look forward to traveling across my State--my very big State--to spend time with my constituents. It is the best way to learn firsthand how the laws and programs we enact here are working and to receive the feedback on legislation being considered by the Congress in the future and what I can do to better help the folks back home. A typical State work period involves dozens of face-to-face events from every corner of my State, covering all ages, professions, and walks of life. Last August, I spent time talking with my constituents about everything from the Debbie Smith Act and GI benefits for student veterans to Project Safe Neighborhoods grants and the U.S.-Mexico- Canada Trade Agreement. As we all know, 2020 has been anything but typical, and this August was no exception. These big, in-person events have been replaced with virtual ones, with face-to-face meetings, which now involve wearing masks, social distancing, and a heavy dose of hand sanitizer. Instead of the broad range of policies we might normally discuss, almost every one of them centered on the impact of COVID-19. No big surprise there. I have heard from mayors, teachers, food bank employees, healthcare workers, restaurant owners, energy workers, and countless others about how the resources that we have been providing them have helped them through this pandemic.…”