Formatting necessary for an accurate reading of this text may be shown by tags (e.g., <DELETED> or <BOLD>) or may be missing from this TXT display. For complete and accurate display of this text, see the PDF.
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E349]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
MIDDLE CLASS HEALTH BENEFITS TAX REPEAL ACT OF 2019
______
speech of
HON. JAHANA HAYES
of connecticut
in the house of representatives
Friday, March 27, 2020
Mrs. HAYES. Mr. Speaker, the novel coronavirus, has become a global
pandemic that has brought us to the brink. Connecticut has been hit
particularly hard by this virus, with more than 1,000 confirmed cases
to date. Nonessential businesses in my state have been shuttered,
crippling our local economy, squeezing small businesses, and causing
painful layoffs. Our hospitals, frontline health workers, and first
responders are overwhelmed working without enough resources, personal
protective equipment, and tests to combat the rapid spread of this
unrelenting disease.
There is no more time to waste. Congress must act now to combat this
virus and get the states and the American people the support and
resources they need. I applaud House leadership for their hard work on
this bill and for getting a deal for the American people. I was indeed
frustrated that big business seemingly stepped to the front of the line
in earlier proposals, but I commend my colleagues for pushing back
against toxic provisions that would bail out those corporations, no
strings attached, without providing the requisite support to hospitals
and everyday Americans.
This bill is not perfect, and does not include everything I advocated
for, but it does include critical funding that will save lives and help
my constituents in Connecticut's 5th District recover from the economic
fallout of this public health crisis. It includes $150 billion for our
health care system, nearly $16 billion for veteran health care, over
$20 billion for SNAP, WIC, and other nutrition programs, direct
payments to Americans to help with the financial burden this virus has
caused, over $350 billion in funding for small businesses and
nonprofits, $150 billion in grants for states and local municipalities,
the expansion of unemployment benefits to make sure workers everywhere
can land on their feet after losing their job. Finally, it provides
over $35 billion for early childhood education programs, K through 12
schools, and higher education institutions in response to the severe
disruptions caused by the pandemic--including funds that will help
students and teachers with distance learning.
This third relief package is a monumental step forward, but more work
needs to be done to respond to this public health and economic
emergency. When future legislation is being discussed, I hope to
include more relief for volunteer firefighters and EMS personnel, who
are the first responders in many of the communities in my district.
Their work is so vitally important, now more than ever, and we must
ensure they have the proper equipment and protections in place to do
their jobs. I hope more funding will be made available for rural health
providers in the Northwestern Corner of Connecticut. We must help the
Postal Service and its employees, which have been hit hard by the
effects of the virus. I want to see more support for teachers as they
adapt to a new reality of distance learning, and more relief for
student loan borrowers. I hope that we will see an expansion in funding
for the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services. This is
particularly important as we look to combat the alarmingly high rates
of infection in nursing homes.
The impact that this virus is having on my district, Connecticut, and
our nation, cannot be understated, and we must do everything to help
Americans overcome the challenges we are facing. Now is the time for
unity, cooperation and immediate action. For these reasons I support
this bill and look forward to it being signed into law.
____________________