{"database": "press", "table": "releases", "rows": [["https://www.thune.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/press-releases?ID=D97BFC4B-1BFC-43F7-A27A-941C1148A7A2", "Thune: Republicans are Ready to Pass Targeted and Fiscally Responsible COVID Relief", "2020-11-17", "2020", "2020-11", "Republican", "Senate", "SD", "John Thune", "T000250", "www.thune.senate.gov", "thune", "https://www.thune.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/press-releases", "scraper", "U.S. Sen. John Thune (R-S.D.) today discussed recent progress with multiple COVID vaccines, and he recognized the efforts of private sector companies, Congress, and the administration for expediting vaccine developments. Thune also emphasized that Republicans are prepared to pass additional targeted and fiscally responsible COVID relief legislation to provide assistance to American families and businesses. He urged his Democrat colleagues to put politics aside and help deliver relief for the American people.\n\nThune\u2019s remarks below (as prepared for delivery):\n\n\u201cMr. President, for the second Monday in a row, we received tremendous news about the prospects for a COVID vaccine.\n\n\u201cLast week, Pfizer announced that the initial results of its COVID vaccine showed a greater than 90 percent rate of effectiveness.\n\n\u201cAnd yesterday, Moderna announced that its COVID vaccine is showing a similarly high effectiveness rate, raising the possibility that not one but two COVID vaccines may be available in the very near future.\n\n\u201cThis success is a tribute to the innovative power of the private sector and the efforts of Congress and the Trump administration to expedite the development of COVID vaccines.\n\n\u201cOperation Warp Speed has helped fund development of Moderna\u2019s vaccine and will help fund distribution of both Moderna\u2019s and Pfizer\u2019s products.\n\n\u201cAnd while vaccine trials and development continue, so does research into new COVID treatments.\n\n\u201cDrugmaker Eli Lilly just received emergency use authorization for an antibody drug that will be used to treat COVID in patients with mild or moderate illness.\n\n\u201cAnother company, Regeneron, has also filed for emergency use authorization for a potential antibody treatment.\n\n\u201cAnd there are a lot of other clinical trials going on right now for COVID vaccines and therapeutics, meaning there may be more good news to come.\n\n\u201cMeanwhile, we\u2019re also strengthening domestic production of personal protective equipment for medical personnel and other essential workers.\n\n\u201c3M, which manufactures N95 masks, received two contracts under the Defense Production Act to expand N95 production.\n\n\u201cI recently visited the 3M plant in Aberdeen, South Dakota, to celebrate the opening of the plant\u2019s new N95 manufacturing lines.\n\n\u201cThese new lines will help 3M\u2019s N95 production increase from 22 million to more than 95 million respirators per month.\n\n\u201cThat\u2019s critical progress on the PPE front \u2013 not to mention the jobs that are being created.\n\n\u201cOn the economic front, the good news continues.\n\n\u201cThe October jobs report showed yet another reduction in the unemployment rate, and revealed that the economy created more than 600,000 jobs in October.\n\n\u201cWhile we definitely have a ways to go to get back to where we need to be, the speed and strength of our recovery is encouraging.\n\n\u201cAnd it\u2019s a testament to the strength of our economy before the virus hit.\n\n\u201cThanks to Republican tax relief and regulatory reform, our economy was thriving before the coronavirus descended, and that economic strength provided the groundwork for a strong recovery.\n\n\u201cRepublican-led coronavirus initiatives like the Paycheck Protection Program have also helped keep the economy going during the virus.\n\n\u201cMore than 5 million small businesses \u2013 including more than 23,000 in South Dakota \u2013 have taken advantage of the Paycheck Protection Program\u2019s forgivable loans to help keep their businesses operating and their employees on the payroll.\n\n\u201cOf course, Mr. President, while there\u2019s much to be hopeful about, the virus is still very much with us, and cases are surging.\n\n\u201cMy home state of South Dakota has been hit hard, as have many other areas of the country.\n\n\u201cWhile we wait for final approval of vaccines, it\u2019s essential that we keep following best practices and do what we can to slow the virus\u2019s spread \u2013 like social distancing, wearing masks, washing hands frequently, avoiding large gatherings, and more.\n\n\u201cAnd while the money Congress has already invested in COVID relief has gone a long way toward meeting the country\u2019s needs, we should pass additional, targeted relief to help Americans weather the rest of the pandemic.\n\n\u201cSenate Republicans have introduced additional COVID relief legislation that would provide the hardest-hit small businesses with a second round of Paycheck Protection Program loans, help schools and colleges operate safely, and provide additional health care resources to fight the virus.\n\n\u201cOur legislation would also provide for an additional $300 per week \u2013 over and above regular unemployment benefits \u2013 for those who have lost their jobs as a result of the pandemic.\n\n\u201cI\u2019m very pleased that our legislation includes an additional $20 billion in funding to allow the Department of Agriculture to continue to assist ag producers and processors.\n\n\u201cWe\u2019ve also made sure to include liability protections for schools and businesses that are doing their best to protect others from the virus.\n\n\u201cPredatory trial lawyers are already lining up to exploit the COVID crisis for financial gain.\n\n\u201cWe need to protect our economic recovery by ensuring that schools and businesses \u2013 and medical professionals \u2013 aren\u2019t subjected to frivolous lawsuits for coronavirus infections that were beyond their control.\n\n\u201cMr. President, I\u2019d love to be able to say that Republicans will pass our coronavirus bill in the next couple of weeks.\n\n\u201cBut unfortunately that depends on my Democrat colleagues.\n\n\u201cAnd the Democrat leadership hasn\u2019t shown much inclination to work with Republicans.\n\n\u201cIn fact, it has shown the opposite.\n\n\u201cSpeaker Pelosi spent more than three months \u2013 three months\u00ad \u2013 supposedly negotiating a coronavirus relief package that never arrived.\n\n\u201cWhy?\n\n\u201cBecause Democrats refused to put a reasonable offer on the table.\n\n\u201cMembers of the speaker\u2019s own party pleaded with her to arrive at an agreement, but the speaker wouldn\u2019t listen.\n\n\u201cAnd she\u2019s still not listening.\n\n\u201cDespite the fact that her party lost a number of seats in the House in the election, the speaker \u2013 and the Democrat leader in the Senate \u2013 are still refusing to come to the table to work with Republicans.\n\n\u201cIn fact, the speaker and the leader have doubled down on their unreasonable demands.\n\n\u201cMr. President, I get that Democrat leaders would like to be able to design their own coronavirus bill, with no input from anyone else.\n\n\u201cBut that\u2019s not what happens in divided government.\n\n\u201cIn divided government, both sides have to compromise in order to pass legislation.\n\n\u201cRepublicans know that.\n\n\u201cAnd we are willing to compromise to get relief into the hands of the American people.\n\n\u201cBut Democrats aren\u2019t.\n\n\u201cEven as the coronavirus surges around the country, Democrats continue to insist on their way or the highway.\n\n\u201cIt\u2019s hard not to think that the Democrat leadership is more interested in exploiting this crisis for political gain than in actually getting relief to Americans.\n\n\u201cMr. President, we could have another COVID relief bill ready for passage tomorrow if Democrats would just come to the table.\n\n\u201cIt\u2019s inexcusable that they haven\u2019t.\n\n\u201cBut Republicans aren\u2019t giving up.\n\n\u201cWe will continue to invite our Democrat colleagues to work with us to develop compromise legislation.", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-06-28T00:39:51Z"]], "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.thune.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/press-releases?ID=D97BFC4B-1BFC-43F7-A27A-941C1148A7A2"], "units": {}, "query_ms": 0.9284659754484892, "source": "dwillis/congress-press", "source_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press", "license": "MIT", "license_url": 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