The Congressional Record is a unique source of public documentation. It started in 1873, documenting nearly all the major and minor policies being discussed and debated.
“Coronavirus (Executive Session)” mentioning John Thune was published in the Senate section on pages S4956-S4957 on July 20.
Of the 100 senators in 117th Congress, 24 percent were women, and 76 percent were men, according to the Biographical Directory of the United States Congress.
Senators' salaries are historically higher than the median US income.
The publication is reproduced in full below:
Coronavirus
Mr. President, last week was an important day for literally millions of Americans because the child tax credit went into effect on July 15, and many were awakened to the good news that their checking and savings accounts had been increased because of this new child tax credit.
It was part of the American Rescue Plan, the proposal by President Biden to get America back on its feet. You remember that plan, almost
$2 trillion. It was an important infusion into our economy. Money within that plan was being spent on the administration of vaccines across America. In addition to that, money was available for small businesses to receive forgivable loans. And this provision, that of enhancing the child tax credit, was an important part of it as well.
We have had tax credits in the past for families with children, but this was an especially important one because it was fully refundable, which meant it went to the lower-income families who might not have had enough income to merit a tax responsibility. This now is fully refundable, so there is no tax responsibility necessary to receive the payment. It also was a benefit that extended beyond poor and low-income families to middle-income families across America. Some of these families with this payment of $300 a month for each child under the age of 6 and $250 a month for those between 6 and 17 would receive resources which they desperately need to make certain that their children have a fighting chance.
We are especially proud of the fact that this infusion of cash into the hands of many families will literally mean it will lift them above the poverty line in America. Almost half of the kids in poverty will be spared that by this tax credit. So it has a direct and important impact.
I had a press conference last Friday in Chicago with one of the parents who will be benefited by this. Her name is Susana Salgado. She is a mother of three--an 11-year-old, a 16-year-old, and a 23-year-old. Her family relies on her husband's income. He works as a restaurant worker in Chicago to pay the bills, but when the pandemic hit, his hours were cut drastically. A return to normal remains elusive for people like Susana Salgado because, at the same time the family's livelihood vanished, their cost of living increased.
During the pandemic, as parents know well, schooling moved into the home and the high-speed internet connection became an absolute necessity for her kids to keep up in school. Thanks to the enhanced child tax credit, Susana can finally afford her monthly internet bill. It sounds like a small thing, but if the alternative is a child falling behind a grade in school, it is a critical family decision. That means her two younger children can keep up with their studies and her oldest son can remain in college. Something as basic as that can mean the difference in a young child's progress in his life.
So I salute President Biden for the American Rescue Plan, which helped to distribute vaccines across America, helped small businesses get back on their feet, and is helping millions of Americans and children and families as of this day. I am sorry that there was not one single Republican vote in support of that proposal, but I believe it was money well spent and continues to benefit this country. We have a lot of work to do in this country.
I will close by saying this: I was on radio shows this morning in downstate Illinois. Chicago, and the Chicagoland, area have been able to get vaccinated to a level where they are starting to breathe a little easier in anticipating children going back to school in the fall, businesses reopening, and people getting out and about. You can just feel it in the air. Yet that is not the case all over the United States.
The City of Los Angeles, I understand, is opposed to a new mask requirement, which, unfortunately, evidences the fact that there are still too many infections these days related to COVID-19. Unfortunately, as Dr. Fauci and others have said, these infections are reflected in people who have not yet been vaccinated, by and large, and it is an indication that we can't let up on our effort to continue vaccinations across America. It is the only way to successfully put this pandemic to rest and return to normal life in America.
To those who are not vaccinated, I am sure they are not watching C-
SPAN for advice, but I hope they will turn to a doctor or a nurse or to someone they trust in the community and hear about the safety of these vaccines, which have been safely administered to millions of people across the United States.
If each and every one of us accepts our personal responsibility to get vaccinated to protect ourselves, our families, those we love, and those all around us, we will finally bring this pandemic to an end. At this point, there are many, many who are still holding back. I hope they will reconsider that position.
I yield the floor.
The PRESIDING OFFICER (Mr. Padilla). The Republican whip.
Mr. THUNE. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that Senators Cornyn, Grassley, and I be allowed to complete our remarks before the scheduled rollcall votes.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.
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