{"database": "press", "table": "releases", "rows": [["https://www.barrasso.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/news-releases?ContentRecord_id=3E2481CD-E5F1-4E81-A94B-21797023A74D", "Barrasso: Next Phase of Pandemic Relief and Recovery Legislation Underway", "2020-07-28", "2020", "2020-07", "Republican", "House", "WY", "John Barrasso", "B001261", "www.barrasso.senate.gov", null, null, "legacy", "Our plan focuses on getting people back to work and kids back to school and doing it safely, as well as defeating the disease.\r\nClick here to watch Sen. Barrasso's remarks.\r\nWASHINGTON, D.C.  Today, U.S. Senator John Barrasso (R-WY) spoke on the Senate floor about Senate Republicans' framework for the next phase of coronavirus relief legislation.\r\nExcerpts of Senator Barrasso's remarks:\r\nI come to the floor today as our Senate works on next phase of pandemic relief and recovery legislation.\r\nThe country is united in combating the coronavirus.\r\nThe Senate's top priority is protecting the American people, and we are working together to save lives.\r\nAmerica is fighting a war, a war against a deadly disease.\r\nNow there's no retreating  No giving up the American fighting spirit. We will finish the fight.\r\nThe key to victory is to control the virus spread until we have a vaccine. A successful vaccine is vital to beat the virus and to return to normal life.\r\nThe race for a Covid-19 vaccine is as important as putting a man on the moon. We've made incredible progress  Vaccine development is well ahead of schedule.\r\nThe administration's public-private partnership  Operation Warp Speed  has started phase 2 and phase 3 vaccine trials much sooner than expected.\r\nNow, these are human trials.\r\nIf all goes well, we hope to have a vaccine ready by the end of this year.\r\nSenate Republicans will make sure Americans have a safe, effective vaccine as soon as possible. It will be the most accessible vaccine in the history of the United States.\r\nMeanwhile, we should all do our part to slow the spread. And we know what that means. That means socially distance, use good hygiene and wear a mask.\r\nThis is the time for all of us to come together.\r\nBut instead of fighting the virus, Democrats are waging a never-ending bidding war for more government spending.\r\nPeople want and people need and people deserve real leadership.\r\nThey expect us to slow the spread of the virus and to protect the vulnerable.\r\nWe have made tremendous progress on testing.\r\nWe've tested over 50 million people already  And we're close to conducting 1 million tests, 1 million tests, every day.\r\nWe also have better treatments for the disease. And we're taking care of our most vulnerable citizens  Seniors and people with chronic medical conditions.\r\nAt the same time, the economy is bouncing back. We had record job growth in May as well as in June.\r\nThat's because the Senate responded quickly to the health and economic crisis.\r\nThe Senate's historic CARES Act rescue package has helped this country weather the storm.\r\nWe've come far since the spring lockdowns.\r\nStill, some believe that the worst of the virus may be yet to come.\r\nThe Senate has put together a commonsense plan to aid the recovery.\r\nThis week Senate Republicans introduced a framework bill for the next coronavirus relief legislation.\r\nIt's the capstone to our pandemic rescue operation. Our plan focuses on getting people back to work and kids back to school and doing it safely, as well, of course, as defeating the disease.\r\nThe Senate proposal provides even more resources for testing and health care.\r\nThis means more for hospitals, more for treatment and more for vaccines.\r\nOur package includes over $100 billion for schools to open safely plus funding for child care.\r\nThe Senate plan provides liability protection. We shield the medical community, K-12 schools and colleges and universities and small businesses from frivolous lawsuits.\r\nOur plan includes another round of PPP loans helping the hardest-hit small businesses. We also send a targeted second round of direct payments to individuals.\r\nThe Senate package extends unemployment benefits in a way that encourages not discourages work. We cannot continue to pay people more to stay home than they would make at work. So we end this $600 weekly benefit bonus.\r\nThat's in contrast with Speaker Nancy Pelosi's $3 trillion and growing bill, her so-called Heroes Act. The Pelosi package actually makes it easier for the economy to stay closed and much harder for the economy to reopen fully.\r\nThe Senate is focused on health care on kids and on jobs.\r\nDemocrats, it seems, have other priorities: Endless bonus checks for staying home. Bloated bailouts for mismanaged cities and states. Runaway spending unrelated to the challenge before us.\r\nPre-pandemic we had a booming economy. We had record job growth, and we had record-low unemployment.\r\nWe're working to restore Americans' confidence. A solid majority of Americans now say that they see their finances as stable.\r\nSo I urge my Senate Democratic colleagues to come to the table. It is time to find common ground and to finish the fight.\r\nTogether, we will make sure that America wins the war.\r\n###", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"]], "columns": ["url", "title", "date", "year", "month", "party", "chamber", "state", "member_name", "bioguide_id", "domain", "scraper", "source", "date_source", "text", "has_text", "collected_at", "updated_at"], "primary_keys": ["url"], "primary_key_values": ["https://www.barrasso.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/news-releases?ContentRecord_id=3E2481CD-E5F1-4E81-A94B-21797023A74D"], "units": {}, "query_ms": 0.988994725048542, "source": "dwillis/congress-press", "source_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press", "license": "MIT", "license_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press/blob/main/LICENSE"}