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[Pages H2989-H2990]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
SENATE NEEDS TO PASS HEROES ACT
The SPEAKER pro tempore. The Chair recognizes the gentleman from
Michigan (Mr. Levin) for 5 minutes.
Mr. LEVIN of Michigan. Mr. Speaker, I rise today because the
coronavirus is winning. There are 2.5 million U.S. cases and more than
126,000 Americans dead. That is more than double the number of American
lives lost during the Korean war, tens of thousands more than the two-
decade Vietnam war, and 10,000 more than World War I.
The United States has 4.25 percent of the world's population but 25
percent of the COVID-19 deaths. Tens of millions of Americans have lost
their jobs or faced pay cuts. And in the coming weeks, economic
lifelines passed by Congress that have cushioned the blows are going to
expire.
It does not have to be this way. Right now, as I speak, the Senate is
sitting on the HEROES Act, a bill that Majority Leader McConnell has
refused to consider for more than 45 days.
What could have been done in those 45 days?
Moody's Analytics said: ``If quickly passed into law, the HEROES Act
would provide a substantial boost to the economy during the second half
of this year, when the economy is most vulnerable to the pandemic and
at most risk of sliding back into recession. The legislation would also
return the economy to full employment much more quickly.''
Moody's also said: ``How well the economy does in the next several
years depends critically on what lawmakers decide to do in the next few
weeks.''
That was more than a week ago, yet the Senate still refuses to pass a
bill that puts money in the pockets of workers with a second round of
direct payments to families, a bill with new payroll protection
measures to keep 60 million workers connected with their jobs, a bill
that extends weekly $600 Federal unemployment benefits through next
January so families can pay their bills.
But HEROES isn't just a bill to provide relief from the pandemic; it
is a bill to end it. HEROES contains $75 billion for more COVID-19
testing and contact tracing and $500 million to help our workforce
system place new contact tracers, focusing specifically on Americans
who are out of work and drawing from the communities they will work in
with the diversity reflecting those unique communities and the language
competencies necessary to serve them.
This last part is so important and a core piece of my Coronavirus
Containment Corps Act, my bill with Senator Warren that is included in
the HEROES Act in substantial part.
Last week, Dr. Fauci said that U.S. contact tracing isn't going well.
Why? Well, Dr. Redfield, the CDC Director, says that we have 27,000 or
28,000 contact tracers when we need, in his own estimation, 100,000,
and when other experts believe we may need double that.
[[Page H2990]]
We have public health departments that are underfunded. We have
communities that, after decades of discrimination, are understandably
weary of trusting health authorities. The Coronavirus Containment Core
Act addresses every one of those issues. We have solutions ready. No
single one of the solutions is a cure-all, but, together, they can turn
the tide of this pandemic.
We as Members of this body are in a unique and privileged position to
develop solutions that channel the resources we need to implement those
solutions on a nationwide scale. To fail to do this is to accept the
status quo.
Let's make the HEROES Act law. There is not a minute to waste.
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