March 16, 2020 - Issue: Vol. 166, No. 50 — Daily Edition116th Congress (2019 - 2020) - 2nd Session

[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E321]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                FAMILIES FIRST CORONAVIRUS RESPONSE ACT

                                 ______
                                 

                               speech of

                           HON. ANNA G. ESHOO

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                         Friday, March 13, 2020

  Ms. ESHOO. Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of the Families First 
Coronavirus Response Act. Today's legislation comes on the heels of an 
$8.3 billion bipartisan bicameral package passed last week to 
strengthen our nation's public health response to the coronavirus.
  The Families First Act specifically protects working families from 
facing the terrible choice between staying home to avoid spreading the 
virus and losing the money they need to survive. It contains the 
following: free coronavirus testing for everyone who needs a test, 
including the uninsured; paid leave for up to three months for those 
who have to stay home because of the virus; unemployment benefits for 
those who lose their job or are furloughed during the crisis; increased 
federal funding to make sure our families have food through home-
delivered meals to seniors, local food banks, and the SNAP program; and 
increased federal funds for Medicaid to support our local, state, 
tribal, and territorial governments and health systems in combatting 
this crisis. California will receive $4.46 billion in Medicaid funding 
to fight coronavirus through this legislation.
  Taken together, this legislation protects what's most important--the 
families and children who are at risk because of the coronavirus. I ask 
all my colleagues to join me in supporting the Families First 
Coronavirus Response Act today.

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