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[Pages H1443-H1444]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
CALLING FOR BIPARTISAN RESPONSE TO CORONAVIRUS
The SPEAKER pro tempore. The Chair recognizes the gentleman from New
Hampshire (Mr. Pappas) for 5 minutes.
Mr. PAPPAS. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to address three issues of
critical importance to my constituents.
The first is the urgent need to prepare for the coronavirus.
Mr. Speaker, public health officials are now reporting the first
presumed positive test in my home State of New Hampshire.
As Members of Congress, our foremost responsibility is to keep our
communities safe. That is why, yesterday, I joined Governor Sununu and
my colleagues in the New Hampshire congressional delegation to receive
an update from public health officials on our State's ongoing efforts
to combat this epidemic.
The State of New Hampshire is currently ramping up testing
capabilities, investigating potential cases, communicating with Federal
partners, and working with individual communities on containment and
mitigation.
Here in Washington, we must ensure that the emergency coronavirus
spending package is responsive to the urgent needs of State and local
public health officials who are on the front lines of this situation.
We can only succeed in containing the virus if States like New
Hampshire can depend on the full support of the Federal Government for
costs associated with the response effort.
Mr. Speaker, if there were ever a moment for a renewed spirit of
bipartisanship in Congress, this is it, as our country focuses on the
deadly virus outbreak.
We must communicate health information clearly. We must develop
effective and affordable vaccines that are made available to all who
need them. And we must ensure that State and local governments, as well
as medical facilities, can sustain the arduous task of containing this
outbreak in the weeks and months ahead.
The American people are looking to us for levelheaded leadership that
rises above politics, and we can't let them down.
Let's pass a robust coronavirus package as soon as possible.
Mr. Speaker, I continue to encourage all of my constituents to follow
the CDC safety guidelines and to visit the New Hampshire Department of
Health and Human Services website for updated health information.
Progress Needed on Care for Veterans
Mr. PAPPAS. Mr. Speaker, I also rise today in support of veterans who
are seeking services in the community and the providers who care for
them.
For too long, hospitals and providers in New Hampshire have been owed
millions of dollars in unpaid claims for the care they provide to
veterans.
The community care providers impacted include large hospital
networks,
[[Page H1444]]
home healthcare providers, massage therapists, and acupuncturists.
I have personally met with these local providers to hear their
stories, and I have convened meetings of affected stakeholders in New
Hampshire and here in Washington.
Here is the bottom line: Without real progress, the MISSION Act will
never fulfill its promise, and care for our veterans will be
compromised.
Last week, at a hearing of the Committee on Veterans' Affairs, I
received a promise from Secretary Wilkie that the VA will take
immediate action to fix these persistent payment issues for community
providers in New Hampshire and across the country. We have to hold the
VA to this commitment.
My office is bringing VA leaders, veterans, providers, and third-
party administrators to the table to solve these problems once and for
all.
When our veterans return home, they shouldn't have to fight to
receive the care that they have earned, and local providers shouldn't
have to fight a stubborn bureaucracy just to get their bills paid, to
keep their doors open, and to continue treating our veterans.
We can and must do better on this front.
Empowering Parents in New Hampshire
Mr. PAPPAS. Finally, Mr. Speaker, I rise today to talk about
empowering parents in New Hampshire to develop the skills they need to
pursue the American Dream.
No parent should have to choose between caring for a child and
providing a better life for their families.
That is why I am introducing the American Job Centers Family
Accessibility Act, which will create a competitive grant program for
job centers to provide access to childcare for individuals receiving
services at their centers.
In 2018, more than 5.4 million unemployed workers, including more
than 500,000 veterans, took advantage of career services at job centers
in their communities. But despite clear evidence that job centers are
effective, barriers to access for jobseekers still remain.
In New Hampshire, State officials tell me that the number one
obstacle to job training is access to childcare. No one who works hard
and wants to develop new skills should be denied that opportunity
simply because they can't find quality, affordable childcare for their
kids.
Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support the American Job Centers
Family Accessibility Act so that working mothers and fathers aren't
unfairly denied the chance to earn a better job and a better life for
their families.
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