>> before the senate adjourned for the big majority leader mitch mcconnell talked about the latest efforts to pass another coronavirus relief bill saying there was an agreement in principle between republicans and the white house. he said the current plan is to release a legislative framework by early next week. >> mr. president we stand at a critical midway point in our fight against the coronavirus. we made it to the springtime lockdowns american sacrifice save the medical system the federal care's acts millions of families make it through but these terrible virus is still with us, it kills more americans every day. some areas have seen areas hospitals,

healthcare workers, and a special or vulnerable citizens are nowhere near out of the woodsur. meanwhile, although the early days of economic recovery has beaten expectations and surprise the experts, we have really only begun to repair the damage. more than 70 million americans are still jobless. far too many families are still hurting. this is not over. america's fight continues, and so congress support for people must continue as well. the senate majority assembled a framework for cares too. the administration has requested additional time to review the fine details. but we will be laying down this proposal early next week. we have an agreement in principle on the shape of the package.

you'll have more relief to the american people that is tailored precisely to this phase of the crisis. chairman grassley, alexander, blunt and senators romney and others have each spearheaded a part of cares too. and so on monday the committee chairman and republican members will introduce each component. the sum of these efforts will be aen strong targeted peace of legislation aimed directly at the challenges we face right now. so mr. president, our country is a middle ground between strict lockdowns of a few months ago and they future day when the vaccine will put all this, finally, behind a sprayed the project now is to build middle ground that is smart and safe but more

sustainable. we are still waging a healthcare war against the virus and we cannot let up on that. we need to continue to strengthen the defenses we have built, encouraging mask wearing and racing towards treatments and vaccines. the same time the greatest country in the world history needs get back on offense. we need to carefully but proactively step back toward normalcy. this disease is still in the lives of more than 140,000 americans. i do stolen half a year of national life. we cannot let the robbery continue without a fight. we cannot let this pandemic rob us indefinitely of our children's education and the livelihood of 17 million american workers. we need to get americans back

to work, and school were continuing to fight for nation's health. that is what cares to his design to do. our proposal will not waste the american people's time with go nowhere socialist fantasies. we are not choreographing political stance or teeing up the same old partisan trench warfare. our proposal will focus on three things. kids, jobs, and healthcare. number one, kids. a functioning society needs to educate its children and young adults. our kids need us to invest in their future and working parents face uncertainty. we need as many kd -- 12 school schools, colleges, universities as possible to safely welcoming students this fall. so chairman alexander, chairman shelby and chairman

blunt are having a policy to help our schools reopen. they will lay out a reopening funding package for schools and universities, north of $100 million -- $5 billion that's more money was proposed for a similar fund. there'll be several important policies to help childcare providers, grant new flexibility to secondary schools, and more. number two, jobs in the economy : : households stay afloat and help us a many workers as possible to stay employed. so as chairman grassley will explain, republicans won't descend a second -- won't send a second round of direct payments to american households and to american households and and senator collins and senator rubio have crafted a sequel to

their historic and incredibly successful paycheck protection program. it would give the hardest hit small businesses an opportunity to receive a second loan if they continue to pay their workers. we also intended to continue temporary federal supplement to insurance while fixing the obvious craziness of pain people more to remain out of the workforce. small business owners across the country have explain how this dynamic is slowly rehiring and recovering. we are going to provide help but make sure it is suited to reopening the economy. but temporary relief cannot be our endgame. americans do not just want to scrape by but they want to thrive again. they want a road back to the incredible job market we had just a few months ago. chairman grassley will also lay out bold policies to incentivize

retention, and courage rehiring of americans, and help businesses obtain ppe testing and supply to protect those employees and entice customers. think of it this way, mr. president. in the spring our economy needed life-support and today while continuing to support families we must also get the economy into physical therapy so it can regain its re- strength. also, finally looking to the long term, 19 crisis has weakened the critical federal trust funds that americans rely on. as senator romney will explain our proposal includes a bipartisan billed cosponsored by senate democrats to help future congress have bipartisan proposals for protecting and strengthening the programs that americans count on a third

policy, a third pillar is the most important of all, health care. entire reopening and recovery depends on knocking this awful virus onto its heels. as chairman alexander, blonde, grassley and shelby will explain we will continue to treat the reit causes of this medical crisis. more resources for hospitalsos d healthcare workers and more help to keep spreading towards diagnostics, treatments and vaccines. new policies to shield seniors from a spike in medicare premiums. and new legislation that will leave us with better surge capacity to produce medical countermeasures right here at home the next time a crisis strikes. there is one more essential element that ties schools, jobs

and healthcare all together. legal protections to prevent our historic recovery efforts from simply lining the pockets of trial lawyers. we will preserve accountability in cases of actual gross negligence or intentional misconduct. but we will make sure that nurses and doctors who fought an unknown enemy are not swamped by a tidal wave of malpractice suits. we will make sure school districts, colleges, churches, nonprofits and employers that obey official guidance do not have to delay it reopening because they are afraid they will spend ten years in courts. this is where senate republicans are focused and more support for healthcare, more direct health for american families and strong

policies that help our country pit into a safe reopening. we will propose to continue and renew some of the most successful carers act policies while adding bothd,, bold new ideas to help get schools and jobs open for the american people. this is the package our country needs. this is what we will introduce. we are repeating the successful strategies that produce historic bipartisan carers act back in march and first i asked a number of her publicans to spearhead a serious first draft and then we put those elements together and invited our democratic colleagues to the table. guided by our roadmap working with the administration the senate reached a bipartisan outcome. earlierea this week even speaker pelosi and leader schumer seemed to concede that things went

better from the publicans lead. they themselves said the real work on this next bill would only begin after republicans laid out the framework. i am glad i democratic runs see things the same way i do but i just hope they meet our serious fact-based proposal with the productive and bipartisan spirit that got us the carers act rather than the cynical, partisanship that led them to block police reform just last month. doctors and nurses will need democrats to come to the table, unplayed americans will need democrats to come to the table. working parents and schoolchildren will need democrats to come to the table. we have known all along the american people would defeat this virus by understanding that we are all in this together, every single one of us. if we want to deliver more historic relief the senate will need to remember the very same thing.

>> during the summer months reach out to your elected officials with c-span's congressional directory. it contains all the contact information you need to stay in touch with members of congress, federal agencies and state governors preorder your copy online today at c-span store .org. >> next, defense department officials testify at the house oversight hearing on the f35 joint strike fighter jet program. there asked about maintenance issues and concerns that prime contractor lockheed martin provided defective spare parts and an outdated technology system for the aircraft. the vice president and general manager of the f-35 program at lockheed martin corporation also joined the hearing remotely to answer questions from lawmakers. >> the committee will come to order. first of all, i would like to congratulate ranking member and this is his first full committee hearing a