Transcripts For CSPAN2 House Rules Votes On 3T Economic Aid Remote Voting By Proxy 20240713

I would suggest only under those circumstances anticipated by this resolution can we continue work on behalf of the american public. I yield back. There is no constitutional issues revolving around whether or not committees can meet virtually. But congress creates the committees so hopefully we can all agree on that. Mr. Chairman i want to make a comment on the suggestion the Public Health people are making policy. They are not the governors cares one mayors and policymakers seek advice during a crisis from experienced scientist and Public Health officials, they can take that advice are not. All over the country there isic evidence some people take the advice and some are not. But all scientist that i know and the Public Health people in this country and many of whom i have worked with for years are very careful not to be policymakers they are particularly careful to present the evidence and not substitute for the policymakers. This country which has invested hundreds of billions of dollars over the years in building one of the great Scientific Enterprises with the National Institutes of health, cdc and fda, thank god we have them now. I yield back. Thank you for being here and for your patience and you can go. [laughter] thank you any other members wish to testify . With the original jurisdiction hearing the measure before the Committee Without objection the resolution is considered as read open for amendment at any point the gentleman from georgia is recognized for his amendment. I appreciate that i have an amendment at the desk the clerk will. Report the amendment. Amendment number one offered by mr. Woodall from georgia. This has been an amendment to make sure this resolution does not go into effect until the house has certified there is a system inio place for those designations. The majority has done everything in its power to move expeditiously as possible. I realize we have constitutional disagreements about this novel process and who should be the decisionmakers you will recall as part of the around Table Discussions she mentioned the most important rule here in the house as it relates to remote voting would be to authenticate. She said that over and over so the person is who they say they are to recognize the distinction between remote and reproxy voting but it seems to be a small step in the right direction since we all have an interestma to make sure while novel none of us wanted to be fraudulent i ask we add to the amendment that we shall not move forward without the affirmative certification from the clerk that the house has in place a system to securely receive those proxy validations. Ive been in contact with the Clerks Office we feel confident we will have a system in place that adheres to all principles we care about in the way of bureaucracy i dont think that makes sense. Its been over a month but on the cares act you said is not only important thater congress be competent but look competent Going Forward i dont think a 2 trilliondollar bill should be a practice run on a new form of remote voting. I know how concerned you are i know you dont want to move forward if the clerk says im not ready. What is the harm to have the office ofm the house that is in charge of voting integrity we have voting integrity before we move forward . I understand the harm i appreciate being corrected. I trust my staff are working on this and i feel teconfident we are in good measure. All those in favor . Those opposed . Rollcall please. [roll call] the amendment is not agreed to. Four six. The amendment at the desk. We ask the reading be suspended. The House Resolution 965. I will be quick about this but my amendment simply word change resolution the proxy voting cannot be authorizedd without the minority leader. I know there is some concern and it is legitimate that we live and the majority institution and i respect that but this is an extraordinaryry measure for extraordinary times. When we had our discussion , the minority leader showed a great deal of flexibility and was sensitive to the fact this was a power if used inappropriately would have him effectively deciding what came on the floor as the majority leader w. So he said what we have t given up for a month at a time or time. An that under the circumstances this matrix should again. This is an t extraordinary moment. Weve never done this before. The minority leader has shown he would be willing on most occasions to be respectful in the use of this. I think the gentle man. My response is we obviously think this is necessary at this moment and when we ask the minority leader specifically if he would concur he said no so if we agree to this we are basically killing this for now so i would urge a no vote the vote for the gentle man for oklahoma all those in favor . Those opposed . Know has it. [roll call] the agreement on amendment is not agreed to miss gammon is not here she is presiding over the close floor she will be back shortly. Thank you mr. Chairman my amendment on the desk. Amendment number three House Resolution 96565 offered from mr. Cole fromm oklahoma. Basically this says lets try this for 45 days. Lets give this extraordinary power to the speaker which we have never done before in the history of this institution. If it works well we can extend it but it will require two thirds for with some bipartisan buyin give it a trial run and come backns to see if we can have bipartisan consensus. You have mentioned a number of times you have talked to some members that probably are supportive i think if they saw it work 45 days that might encourage them to vote in that direction and again we could bring what you want to do with a bipartisan vote as opposed to what would happen with partyline votes thats for your consideration all those in favor . Those opposed . Know has it. [roll call] miss gammon is not recorded. The amendment is not agreed to. The clerk report the amendment. House resolution 965 offered by mr. Woodall of georgia. You heard most of the concern of constitutionality of the requirement of a quorum simply to move forward with there other issues but lets not have proxy voting as a part there is no doubt litigation would be involved it matters not the last crisis quorum language was passed by democratic and republican majorities in a bipartisan way it was to be subject to Constitutional Review of utilized you dont just anticipate it might be you believe it will be. It ask that we remove the most obvious of those hurdles so its not distracting from the other work we agree needs to be done. We have consulted with many constitutional scholars that what we are proposing is constitutional whatever we do some people will challenge it but i feel confident this will withstand any challenge i urge a no vote. Can i have our word on that motion . Something fascinating has emerged which is we seem to have a strong bipartisan consensus among those republican witnesses the current rule adopted is unconstitutional because it allows for two members to constitute a quorum and then dramatically expand the number of people required so it is a dramatic improvement over the current rule which is now reportedly unconstitutional according to those who have spoken aboutno it so this moves us in the right direction because it says a quorum is inthat a majority of the people who are participating are casting votes and pretending to participate as opposed to the current rule that to people alone can constitute a quorum. So just to dispel that, its not a republican rules change it was enacted first by a Republican Congress in 2005 then democratic in 2007 democratic 2009 then when i was elected 2011 it is a shared priority. How to get congress back to work in the event of a catastrophe. Have a quorum call open 72 hours to allow every member to get there but if you cant get a real quorum have another 24 hours and let that number count in this catastrophic situation is a new quorum so if only two of us survived the massu casualty yes that provision would allow the only two surviving members to conduct business not because he thought that was the best answer but best we could do. But to suggest having to people run the house is unconstitutional but having 22 people runle it does constitute a quorum is laughable either the house is able to change the rules in both cases or change the definition of quorum in either case but this very discussion shows as a topic of legal conversation what we do over the next 60 or 90 days with the biggest problem is. And with the Supreme Court considers aa question and that it is up to the house of representatives. Thats why this existing rule adopted under a Republican Congress and that stays on the books despite the fact and more outrage of the proposal but nonetheless it flows to any rule governing outside of their interpretation of what a quorum requirement is. There is a big qualitative difference of what we are doing and the existing rule that two people could constitute a quorum with the entire house of representatives which is totally antithetical so we are saying is a majority could be constituted if they call up and give the proxy to another member i understand if they say it has to be physical voting we cross that bridge with electronic voting and they said no it has to be a spoken vote but we went to electronic voting. The critical point is the intent of the member to cast his or her legislative will is indicated by the system we have adopted in our role rule it is a dramatic improvement to people can constitute a quorum if you say just emergency then you are conceding emergencies circumstances can change congresses treatment of the quorum we are changing it in a much more mild and modest way than allowing to members to speak for the entire body. Again thesese were mash one mass casualty events. If i am dead the quorum requirement declines it is not hypothetical but if 433 of us are dead, then two of us can constitute a quorum. That is an outrageous outcome but this was the best we could do with what we had to work wit with. I thank you may be mischaracterizing and 2005 a little bit because it doesnt make you dead to be a diminished quorum it could be a number of rays on reasons. At 433 of us are dead. But he raises a good point to that sometimes the standing rules are passed on from congress to congress but enough people in a bipartisan way have raised issues and we will take a good look at it before we pass the next set of rules. All those in favor . Those opposed . The nos have it. The vote is not agreed to. Given the committees reluctance i have an amendment at the desk. Number five housest resolution 965. I recognize you have consulted with legal scholars and most of the Supreme Court decisions are five four so legal scholars can disagree. What my amendment was suggest since the house general counsel is the one to represent that the counsel present the theory for defending proxy voting in court to the Bipartisan Legal Advisory Group and explain what that rationale is here we are the committee of jurisdiction we didnt have a single constitutional scholar. We didnt have that opportunity i know everyone shares this concern is not a partisan issue but this amendment would simply require the Advisory Group be presented with that legal theoryo as those of jurisdiction so all members can move forward with confidence in policy decisions will be respected by the courts. I oppose the amendment. I think every legal scholar we have talked to have not seen any constitutional issues my colleagues submitted a letter from mr. Strand. So with those congressional scholars let me introduce unanimous consent and in terms of legal scholars or experts so i would urge a no vote on the gentlemens amendment. No substantive legal argument. If there was a challenge probably would not negate that challenge. I look at this as a delay than anything else i urge a no vote. All those in favor . Know . The clerk will call the role. [roll call] four it eight. It is not agreed to put into the record some statements submitted and mr. Thompson of california. Sanchez. Further amendment. Are you saying the current house rules allow for the participation even though there are not present today . I am asking the statements be put into the record like we do all the time. Im just looking at how effectiveou the rules are to solve those issues. I have an amendment at the desk. Number six House Resolution. Suspend the reading. This is simply requiring the House Administration to issue a yearly report on voting integrity that describes the errors of proxy voting will know the law of unintended consequences. This is a good oversight check on what we are enacting with this rule. I urge a yes vote. I guess that is accepted. Good enough. [laughter] the best oversight we can do including the rules committee are to do hearings in the way we have intended. Hopefully the president is right this virus will mysteriously disappear but in the meantime i urge a no vote. All those in favor . All those opposed . The clerk will call the role. [roll call] the amendment is not agreed to. We are dealing with a lot of the legislation and things we have talked about today. And limit the use of proxy voting two things literally related to the Coronavirus Crisis plan to proceed that is the same language that my democratic colleagues included so all were asking to do is your position three weeks ago. With that i yield back. I oppose thellrepoee amendmeh the initial draft of the rule for a couple of reasons. We are in a pandemic and the consultation with the doctor and sergeant at arms. Covid20 in which case weve still got a problem so i felt the approach that was taken in the earlier draft was unreasonably. Something that we are g to do it again, going to do this for this emergency this is what we are going to be focusing on for the most part but again i think this limits if we are jut asking you to be where you were three weeks ago and if you cant be there as a majority, i just wouldve played out for the record it does suggest as a slippery slope danger because we moved from where the majority of uwas to a different position today so three weeks from now another movement. I was going to oppose it at that point. Ive spoken to a number of members. I think we were not there. Maybe you should have accepted it back then. But i think a couple of others at least would have opposed it so i yield back and urge a no. We didnt have the ability to accept it was in the purview and this is where you were three weeks ago. You move to someplace else and i would make that point to suggest once you left this particular could go a lot of Different Directions quitting once you didnt expect three weeks ago. During thee last three weeks there were members on both sides of the aisle we heard from the members and the consensus on our side is we have a lot of workrko do. Its not just coronavirus related. May i make one additional comment . It seems the question of constitutionality which we dont agree on but it would still be in play it doesnt beget more because you identify only thinge related to coded 19 so from our perspective it rises or falls but not with what kind of legislation. With all due respect it needed more constitutional in this whole course regardless but it does make it more limited in the traditional and one of the things pointed out in the course of the day and you in particular this is very limited. This is just another limitation. Its just another limitation. All those in favor . Opposed in the opinion of the chair of the f knowhow that dad could noes have it. [roll call] before we go to the next one i want to show unanimous consent a record for theex progressive caucus in favor of the underlying bill today. Further amendments. I have an amendment at the desk. Amendment number eight or 965. Mr. Chairman, this amendment respects with mr. Perlmutter had to say. Chthere is work that has to hapn and if we are going to go down this path, we should be getting those highest priority items dot. For those that are not high priority the suspension bills thatr are bought related that we shouldnt use proxy voting whether we are back for a day in the month of june or a week in the month of june we can do those suspension bills in pers person. For those that are not extensive but the most numerous in the congressional workload. [roll call] the amendment is not agreed to. This is a Pretty Simple though. Im surprised it wasnt in the tech is. No proxy votes on the bills that havent had a committee during the markup in other words things ought to be able to go through the committee particularly if we adopted the rule as it is written as we continue to send the markup process on the amendment all of those in favor say aye. In the opinion of the chair, the noes have it. [roll call] further amendments . I have an amendment to the task. Amendment number ten to House Resolution offered by arizona. This ensures the unconstitutional use of theo proxy votes are not employed should the house considered impeachment resolutions or contempt citations and i want to be clear that i dont like anything in this bill so my amendment is only offered because maybe itke will make ita little bit better. Certainly impeachment in the contempt citations are three extraordinary actions reserved for the greatest of times and i would certainly hope that we tiwould want all members here to consider and with that i would encourage the vote and yield back. Its like throwing everything but the kitchen sink at this and i do not see a reason to do this. [roll call] [roll call] ne amendment is not agreed to. Further amendments. Thank you mr. Chairman. I have an amendment athabasca. House resolution 965 offered by arizona. I want to offer an amendment my colleagues representative mike from louisiana and i worked on together. Mr. Johnson is also going to be introducing the amendment as a standalone bill. This demand is simply states that should a member choose to proxy vote, the total members representation of allowing will be reduced by the amount you would take for them to travel to the house under normal circumstances to vote for the 2020 travel expense formula. This is an official document all of the offices have access to from the House Administrations. It would be returned to the treasury. Members should be able to use funds that were meant for travel and other things. That isnt what the constituents want. At this point we need to give the funds back to the American People do not use them for things we are not even utilizing. This is a commonsense amendment if we are not going to travel the shouldnt get the money to do so and they should return it to the treasury and i asked for a yes vote. It goes back to the treasury anyway but the members can do whatever they want to do. Mr. Raskin has the smallest amount sitting here at the table because he lives the closest so if you have money left over what do you do with that . If the members choose to say that it is the equity issue he spent every penny because he said this is my constituents money. The reason california members get more money than these members do is because their travel is for. If they are not traveling they are just getting more money weve appropriated trillions of dollars to try to help people we are spending more money at this point. Im finding this is more asked to bar accident site and they will offer additional to cover the town halls to communicate so i object to encourage a no vote. Every number was given extra money to do telephone help holes and deal with the virus but they already got extra money. The constituent is complaining because they thought it was used for salaries are some things which it wasnt meant to be it was meant to be used for the town halls to deal with the viruslike equipment the staff they need to use so we were given the extra money. Money and then did specifically in reaction to the proxy. If you are not going to i had to travel but why should you get the money and that is all my bill does. Mr. Raskin. For my chief of staff there was no additional allowing. That story contributes to the mythology about whats really going on here. There is so much outrage of the 82,000 american citizens. We get this kind of delight and trivia. You combine with those people saying that members in their offices should have to return part of their salary. Its to cover the cost of their living in washington when they are here. I dont think the amendment is going to pass but she should combine forces with those that are saying members should see that part of their salary if they are in their offices so i will yield back. Thank you mr. Chairman. Not to belabor the point but since it was brought up i have information 8. 8 million was included in the bil the bill ans estimated at 20,000 for each office. Putting that aside my suggestion is maybe we should bring this up with the House Administration so i would encourage a no vote. In the opinion of the chair of the noes have it. The clerk will call the roll. [roll call] [roll call] the amendment is not agreed to. Further amendments. Our friend is having a conflicting hearing so im offering an amendment on his behalf and just want the committee to understand why hes not here. This amendment is actually mr. Burgess. Amendment number 13. I would ask for the indulgence of the committee. The 24 hour notice requirements before the proxy vote can be taken specified minimum voting times especially for the unanticipated votes and the contingencyy plan for the proxy votinvoting in the event of technological limitations i think those are all things we ought to be considering anyway so we just like to give those as a part ofhi the base though and your guidance would be determined in how we work through that and with that, i will yield back. The gentle lady from california. I know you are presenting on behalf of another are about wondering if these requests were brought up before the committee. I dont think we got down to that level of detail. We are heading into this without these basic things so these are just three things we think we should all know when the proxy voting is being used in any sort of problems technologically. I suspect these are things that chair man will be considering as he puts together items i have no doubt he will be consulting with us on those matters as well and obviously make the final decision himself in the very forthright dealing with this openly so these are concerns we have with respect to the proxy voting and the like to make sure that they ar are answered in orr for the guidance is going to be. In the opinion of the chair, the noes have it. [roll call] the amendment is not agreed to. Further amendments. I have the amendment at the desk. Ee House Resolution 965 offered byo mrs. Lesko of arizona. This would limit by proxy anyone could carry and i think that there is at legitimate reason for this. First of all again, i dont like the bill at all with the resolutiongi, but its going to pass so i might as well try to make it better. From a practical point of view if it is something unexpected how are you going to communicate i just think it is going to cause a problem and so that is why ih would advocate for yes. In the proposal they had nor limit to how many could be carried. The minority leader suggested to him they came up with ten but there is no question that the voting will take a longer time no matter how we do it so i think we have moved as much as makes sense. [roll call] [roll call] the clerk will report the total. The amendment is agreed to. Mrs. Lesko. Thank you mr. Chairman. Aihave an amendment at the desk. Amendment 15 House Resolution 965 offered by mrs. Lesko of arizona. Thank you mr. Chairman. My amendment to strike section foustrikes sectionfour related e Committee Operations to take up the entire section about the remote voting for the committe committees. I would urge a no vote on this. Othose in favor . Opposed them in the opinion of the chair of the noes have it. [roll call] [roll call] [roll call] i have an amendment at the desk. Amendment number 16 House Resolution 965 offered by mrs. Lesko ofer arizona. Thank you mr. Chairman. This would preclude the Permanent Select Committee on intelligence and the Ethics Committee conducting remote operations. Currently none of the platformsm that can be used to facilitate remote observations can handle classified information given to work relies on access to classified information this should be precluded from undertaking remote operations. Our National Security is too important to the Intelligence Committee to function the ethics can be handles serious and Sensitive Information of the members of congress and staff constantly. With the Ethics Committee held a Public Meeting at his generally in relation to allegations of improper conduct. The amendment provides to confront a witness against them by permitting these operations se fundamentally deny individuals the right. I hope all members can support this and i will yield back. This prohibits classified briefings in remote format. We are on a very bipartisan committee. There are some things you cant do remotely this will make sure we dont walk down that road with you that i will yield back. Thank you mr. Chairman. This doesnt it doesnt preclude from not doing their job. Its a Small Committee and they can certainly needed that endorsement and with that i was yelled back. I that is the whole reason that they are doing this though. I would urge a no vote. Its now on the amendment all of those in favor, oppose . In the opinion of the chair of the noes have it. The clerk will call the roll. [roll call] . With the greatest extent practical. To ensure all have the ability men want to the next amendment i apologize. This would prohibit proxy voting for accounting towards again something we have never done. We had a case in 1966 they attempted to call above point of resolution because a quorum was not present so we should be careful and not allow the proxy bill on proxy votes before the committee. I think we have talked about this already i would urge a no vote. All those in favor . Those opposed . The clerk will call the role. Spee13. [roll call] the amendment is not agree to. The clerk will report the amendment. House resolution 965 offered by the gentleman from oklahoma. Rd Pretty Simple we strike theho language that the committees must require all members to have the ability to participate remotely the whole spirit is so more members can participate i dont know how you would do that. Every member on the committee ought to have the ability to participate it is the responsibility of the institution to provide that we will not call them back to participate here that we have to guarantee wherever they are at a lot of members that this will be difficult on occasione g given the geography and lack of broadband that means may be setting up hotspots or moving someplace else to inconvenience the committee but it should not be a technical reason to exclude a member from actually participating in a Committee Hearing i want to have that struck to make sure every member has the opportunity to participate from wherever they are at. I yield back. It is the intention but there are circumstances that could arise. Right now if the airplane is canceled for whatever reason your Committee Hearing is notar iscanceled. I think the spirit is what you want but we need to build in a little bit so i would urge of no vote all those in favor . All those opposed . The nos have it. The clerk will call the role. [roll call] the amendment is not agreed to. The amendment is at the desk. Number 19 House Resolution 965 offered from the lady from arizona. This ensures guidance with limitation within the resolutionnc including difficulties and time zones there is a 22 hour difference between American Samoa and guam for instance. Technological limitations that preclude members from foley participating in remote sessions including attire or how the chair should handle witnesses and going over the allotted time and how the chair plans to have access. I know you say somebody will provide guidance but we are voting on this bill that changes us history and we dont even know how were going to do it. You sensibly will provide guidance. I will. Many of these issues will be addressed i urge a noi vote. Those in favor . Those opposed . The nos have it the clerk will call the role. [rollk call] the amendment is not agreed to. Further amendments . And amendment is at the desk. Number 20 House Resolution 965 offered from the gentle lady from arizona. My amendment would ensure during this period of Remote Committee work no remote markups are held its important to take this in baby steps and we can see how it works without markup markups. Obviously markups and voting are important i would encourage a yes vote. I would opposedvot minutes ao the were truly shouldnt take pills to the floor that are marked up and now you say we dont want to allow markups . I urge a no vote. In case it affects your vote. It wont. [laughter] you are saying we should be here to do our work in bothh cases the nos have it in the clerk will call the role. [roll call] three eight. The amendment is not agreed to. I have an amendment at the data. Number 21 House Resolution offered the gentle lady from arizona. My amendment word ensure during thisr period of Remote Committee work no remote depositions are to occur. This is a simple management aim to protect the right to counsel it is of the utmost importance during a deposition those questioned have a right to counsel readily available when that becomes much more complicated in a remote setting. The must really look to protect the right and due process during a deposition and it is hard to square that the reality of remote congress that committees conduct virtual business in addition some do not require a member to be present this could result in staff only depositions i hope that all members can support this amendment. I strongly oppose in the real world they are conducted remotely we shouldnt do anything to do anything to do oversight spirit depositions have been taken remotely 20 or 30 years at least and evidence presented to the courts we will be right now state and federal. Im not sure what lawyer is advising you on this one but they are wrong. I yield back. Go those in favor . Those opposed . The nos have it the clerk will call the role. [roll call] the amendment is not agreed toe. Number 22 House Resolution offered by the gentleman from oklahoma. The chairman this is creating a point of order to violate a house or Committee Rules and prevent the committee on rules for waving point of order to ensure that it is legal under the rules would reach the floor to be fully considered. This is a protection since we are obviously embarking on unknown territory with new methods or procedures never used ever to allow members to bring their case beyond the rules committee where the decision is automatic to make a decision. I oppose this. The waive the rules all the time practically as my friends did when they were in the majority. These are attempts to frustrate our ability to move forward on legislation i urge a no vote. When we were in majority would never embarked on Something Like this. We are violating the fiveminute pool. We have routinely done that. Agreed that this is the unchartered expansion rules way beyond anything from for you control the rules committee you control the body is still in the point of order is somebody feels it is a vagrant violation they can get in front of the body. All those in favor . Those opposed . The nos have it the clerk will call the role. [roll call] the amendment is not agreed toto. Thank you mr. Chairman i have an amendment at the desk spirit this requires the guidance held by Committee Plans to authenticate. Obviously you have not made that decision yet we want to make sure it is not in the resolution we want to make sure this is what you consider to getre that authentication validation of member participation. Of that language something you can verify they are who they say i urge a no vote because it would be in the guidance. But the are just using this opportunity to point these things out that when you review the record thank you so much. [laughter] all those in favor . Those opposed . The nos havet. It. The clerk will call the role. [roll call] street the amendment is not agreed to. Amendment number 242 House Resolution 965 offered by the gentleman from georgia. This is an amendment to make sure in the guidance that you provide a members right to offer a motion to adjourn or postpone it is preserved through unprecedented due process place solely in your hands to draft the entire process so my hope is you could tell me if the guidance does include the guarantee of each individuals members to make the motion to adjourn. The rules are still the rules and from the be denied so thisll is not necessary. I asked the question and sincerity if you intended to include that in theec guidance. The reason you saw everybody reaching over my soul one older on dash shoulders. There will be no other kiemotions or as stipulated by the rules in place right now. When the implementing legislation says notwithstanding in the house this is where we are going. That gives us pause. Instead to maintain all current rules of the house , this is where we are going i have a completely different. Et of amendments i would ensure the gentleman we are protecting minority rights if the one set of vote on this to make an exclamation point. Again ion would settle it says in section four. During any covered. Notwithstanding any rule of the house or the committeesyo that the chairman will lay out in his sole discretion if you the state every single thing then the chances of us leaving something out would be greater. I have several. But the these are the minority rights. Ul so having those and a process that is likely. I disagree with the assessment of what were trying to do but he has made hisre point i urge a no vote all those in favor . Those opposed. The clerk will call the role. [roll call] the amendment is not agreed to. I have an amendment at the desk. Number 25 House Resolution offered by the gentle man from georgia. This is an amendment to ensure the right of a member to the point earlier. I dont think since the last package was discussed but is specifically stipulated all current house rules would be followed this package specifically says ntnotwithstanding to do things differently. I know the gentleman does not have a partisan goal, but not only appropriate but the responsibility of the minority when the legislation has changed to notwithstanding any that we try to provide where definition is lacking. It is impractical to restate every right but i will ensure the gentleman if there is an issue and i attack him dor besmirch his character he is the right to take my words down. I know that circumstance would never happen. Hypothetically. We all experiences on the video calls. And with the Virtual Committee meeting so talking over one another i will concede we cannot possibly list every minority right. And include the six i am mentioning we could be done with it. If we include the six and then not others then we make it impossible for those others to be violated. We could be done with it. If we include the six and then not others then we make it impossible for those others to be violated. Omission of other rightsd. So those that are included the existence of the ninth amendment and the bill of rights. After reenacting entire history when we have a very simple delegation of power to operate consistentve with all laws with the house of representatives. If that is what weo had you would be right. During any covered. Notwithstanding we dont have a document that says please comply but ignore all of the rules. That they can operate according to the new rules. The new rules peeling that whatever chairman governor drafts. Are you telling me in that were donald trump thinks. I dont think the gentlemans reference notwithstanding any rule of themy house. Not trying to read anything into it you change the language incorporating every will house not to was standing any. Im sure it isnt nefarious but i want to make sure that minority rights are not trampled upon in the next congressman republicans are in control youll thank me for protecting minority rights. I will show you minority rights are protected was just vote on the amendment now just talking in circles. All those in favor quick supposed . The nos have it. The clerk will call the role. [roll call] the management is not agreed to. s motels resolution offered by the gentleman from georgia. I dont dispute the very generous way you have led this committee but introducing members from other Ranking Members who have not had the same experience which is why amendment m number 26 should include the right to ensure a seven day notice before the hearing and reserve the right to ensure 24 hour availability. I dont know how the chairman will use their power to use a different today than 30 years ago thats ano credit of the institution that is true. But that should not change the character of that. It could be argued without gebeing in the room with Committee Staff or expert witnesses folks even need more time to prepare not less with those limited guarantees that they have already said. We havent had any remote hearings yet. And those you can do that and those rules to be complied with and the chair has to follow them. All those in favor . Those opposed . The nos have it the clerk will call the role. [roll call] the amendment is not agreed to. Amendment number 27 offered by the gentleman from georgia. Want to be ensure the guidance and with the ruling of the chair. And those that do not include others to be deceptive in a limited nature and to and your support in the amendment including but not limited and then the right to appeal the ruling of the chair it will be very difficult to go through these parliamentary processes thats already difficult with a cadre of staff without the likes of somebody sitting beside you will only make it harder to make sure that guidance. Members of the right to appeal the ruling of the chair. I think this is unnecessary but lets have a vote. The nos have it the clerk will call the role. [rollthn call] the amendment is not agreed to. The clerk will report. Number 20 House Resolution offered by the gentle man from georgia. N, talking to the majority leader this word respond to that conversation. And that the guidance is not require the pay filing of amendments and that has seconddegree amendments and then to end up with a better solution i dont want that stilted teacher Government Committee process with those collegiate functions. And as i stated as well there is no the filing requirement. And then to have more older one order the hearings. And thats that. There is no need for this i would urge a no vote. I. Ha these kinds of protections that should be acknowledged i agree with us. Its already done but i want to acknowledge the good work that we continue to operate in the same spirit and i just want to acknowledge your work. I appreciateam you. But some will try to find ways. And then make it much more difficult than it needs to be. So then we will get through this together. And then limit your ability to do seconddegree amendments we will get through this this is not necessary. The chairman would yield what we said about the power of your leadership. But you had a choice when you drafted this language we could have decided this guidance together we can make these decisions and instead the language you drafted asset first and then i will decide later how that will work. I said that he we will chair with him the guidance. Before the vote. And then to entertain that as well. L. We have a committee that could not have a minority voice the very first step to create juries on jurisdiction and that we wont sit on any of these things we will delegate the process there is no better chairman im not denigrating your leadership the first step out of the box to say we wont do this collectively and then to write to the rules. Its a very real concern right now. The gentleman has asked not to have a pay filing wrequirements. So we are going through this procedure if the answer is yes i yield. I guess what is bothering me is every argument made by the five or six gentleman is almost ignoring the fact we are in a pandemic not in a regular system. Because the gentle man so with those guidances and kept saying this. We will be here all night. Thats fine. I dont care but america is undergoingng something that has not experienced in at least 100 years the size of the economic fallout is beyond belief. What we are trying to do is keep the government running in any kind of a way so many emergencies. And then choking on my words . I dont like what we see. This is not regular order what is happening in here. And with your law school days and to exclude something one way they would draw conclusions fromlu that. You can bring up every single section of the rules it reminds me that while rome is burning. We have the work to do. And then with the normal appropriations there is a lot of work and this is before the virus hit us all. I appreciate the minority to make it as difficult as possible. Were running out the clock through the end of december. I think thats what you want to do but after 29 of these amendments i can see that coming. And america suffer. Thats all i will say i yield back. I appreciate your indulgence in a wave from colorado is not suggesting im here in this capacity my sincerity in any way shape or form. Along that same line with the committee have jurisdiction we are in charge but thats not our job to let you think we are in charge the First Responders the First Responders we grow and assist versus. 1 responders our job on this committee it was the rules of the house and those in a profound way and then those that are concerned exactly to use human suffering which is tragic as an excuse on over that minority. Those are not even and sincere. And we are a process committee and focused on minutia because if we dont get the minutia right, that process falls apart. We can operate this entire house without a rules committee at all. You have a rules committee to deal with the problems that regular process does not solved perhaps holding a brandnew way after 200 years , perhaps responding to a crisis to unknown questions that mayor is a conversation and with the rules committee and then they usually vote on their own rules i think it is wonderful they but theres not a Single Member who questions the value mr. Coleot provides or his wisdom with the collaborative bipartisan way and those that dont think its a waste of collectivean resources to come after the fact. We dont agree on what were doing here. That is clear. I disagree that it is our job to make sure we have healthcare dollars. We bring these to the floor and that the process of policy and secondly and to come to an agreement not because we were not exchanging ideas are he is interested to me we just could not come to an agreement and with the big surprise we are here right now i think there is conclusion today. But somehow the implication we dont value his opinion are guidance, i do. So i want the record to reflect that and the work this committee does it is about making sure the space functions in a way to get the money and the relief to people in the crisis so i get it i dont question anybodys motives but we need to move on. So if we move on the first of all i doubt the wisdom of consulting all the time. I appreciate the kind words. But also a coupleat of things in response to what you said i thought the Ad Hoc Committee i thought they move closer and you certainly accepted what you said that starting off on our side we are not in favor of remote hearings. And with those proxy votes we accepted them with a lower tmber i think the whole exercise was a good one and then to have a lot of questions thats what theyre trying to do. Days and then not to be forthright because you have. I appreciate that. All those in favor . Those opposed . The nos have it. The clerk will call the role. [roll call] the amendment is not agreed to. Unanimous consent to insert statementecord a for in favor of the resolution. Further amendments . S. But we talk a lot about your consultation with the Ranking Member. And that you would consult the Ranking Member based on your statements and then continue to the. The further amendment. So bear with me i will have an amendment at the desk. And i would ask. Simply asking the ca authorize products to conduct the operations when those committees we are operating remotely if thats something you want to do as well. And that any source of technology we need to use. With those proceedings as it is. And then we change the words approved as served by. Its more than generous thank you. [laughter] so on the basis he will look at it that way. The vote is on the amendment. Those in favor . Those opposed. Thank you mr. Chairman. I have an amendment offered by the gentle lady from arizona. It would require within 24 hours of using the authority to recess Committee Operations they must notify with those circumstances related to the recess. We agree the chair should have the right to recess Committee Operations there should be a mandatory followup and with that i yield back. Led us think about this. I urge a no vote right now. I and then we need to consult with this. Why we have a vote. Do you want to vote on this . I urge a no vote. [roll call] the House Resolution number 31 offered by the gentle man efrom georgia. Thank you mr. Chairman all minority discussions are in the guidance go by the wayside if a number cannot i reboot the phone we are all not created technologically equal with the use of technology. Thise amendment would say that if we are willing to go down this road, each committee tairman must ensure there is a dedicated support Team Available to each member of the committee in real time. Because unlike our nightlife with the ability to communicateli sherman for the one is to see the impressions we were not all equally as skilled goes a long way to comfort and the due t process. And to have Technical Support to comply with the new rules i dont think we feel comfortable prescribing how that is done committees rely on different support teams so i agree with this in spirit. But in real life i would urge a no vote at this time. I know how individual committees pay for the support staff but it is a nonpartisan staff and with concerns who is getting the help. I know the capacity to be honest with you. So taking it like this, i would be reluctant to do so at this point i urge a no vote. So to leave some of those concerns to assure folks we would make a cap way forward this word have great participation opposed to administering it if you know their capacity or their individuals then how can we be confident going down this road . I dont even know this is the best group to do it. Theres anything that we can do or say and i urge a no vote. Those in favor . Those opposed . Call the role. [roll call] the amendment is not agree to. And this will require and then to be included in the Committee Report and then to have a systematic way the matter what the problems are and address some with those it becomes a lot easier. I think the reading could be dispensed with and theres no explanation required. The nos have it will call. [roll call] to have an amendment at the desk. Number 332 House Resolution of the member of arizona. Those with a serious and legitimate concerns to ensure that they to follow the recommendations of the cdc and i agree that and with this amendment to require those administrations to develop a plan to allow committees to more fully have those competent complex with those remote operations we have large significantlyio underutilized spaces that can be used the meeting rooms and auditoriums can be converted to allow congress to continue working for implementing a solution to overturn 200 years president and i urge the members to support and i yield back. Those in favor . Those opposed . The nos have it. The clerk will call the role. [roll call] House Resolution offered by the gentle man from georgia. First let me say i take no pleasure in an hour proceedings were brings us here are disturbing and painful the process that is near and dear to all of us to get to a better ending with the witnesses that come from a place of partisanship not that anyone questions the leadership on this committee but that concern it creeps to seemingly to everything we do. And we would not be having a conversation the anxiety would be present and then that confidence in a collaborative iway. Nf and this change section 512 the study of implementation to study the most significant does wass resolution provide the certification in thes us house of representatives and those consequential thing in this piece of legislation and then rather than and study and certify that and then tell us we are ready to do a to have a vote that requires one markup and what that will call on will call vote but now you cannot do anything to satisfy all concerns of the minority. And not one iota and i believe the American People degree of confidence that he is not contained in the underlying resolution doctor burgess is so in the conclusion comes back to do this most consequential thing and then to have a final vote not on that measure as part of the giant package and on that measure alone. Those opposed . Those in favor . The nos have it. The clerk will call the role. [roll call] the amendment is not agreed to. Any final comments. First of all thank you very much for the spirit of which you conducted the minority. The powers where it belongs. Its with the majority. I dont have any dispute. I dont think the majority leader or any member of our adhoc panel was trying in anyway shape or form to change that. Im much more profoundly worried and i know you know this. About the nature of the institution. Im worried that some of these changes will diminish the power of the individual member pretty dramatically and enhance the power of leadership. I also think the use or over use of this particular. Whether its remote voting, Virtual Committee meeting hearing. Will weaken us as a branch visavis the executive branch. Its in here actually operating. I also think there is a concern. You heard it from the members today. We are asking lots of other americans to do their work, to show up and do their work theyre heroes all. Doctors, nurses. The Unsung Heroes are those at Food Processing plants and driving trucks and stocking shelves. I know you feel that way too. Ive heard you express that sentiment on many occasions. I know my own hometown when i was there, i go to the same 7eleven every morning they were there every morning. They were strike there every morning making sure there was Food Supplies and gasoline. I think as our members we understand we need to change the way we operate. This very committee mitting and the way weve arranged ourselves is an admission of that, i think we all share that. But we do think broadly we ought to be here doing our work and that we run lots of risk and weaken the institution. And i think inhibit rather than maximize the chance for bipartisan cooperation by going down this road. We have great concerns about the rule and the changes that it proposes and our amendments suggest that tomorrow. Please dont think its because i have doubt about your motives, i dont. Or any other member of the majority on this open certainly the majority leader. I do have concerns about the judgment that have been made. You tried to work with us when i could. I appreciate that. We tried to work with you where we could. We didnt get all the way there, but we got more of the way there than perhaps this hearing might suggest. I hope we can continue to do that, i look forward to working with you as you work through the difficult issue of the guidance. And so with that. We may not agree on this one. But i always found you and your staff fair and congenial to work with, i know thats going to continue to go forward . I yield back. Let me say to the gentleman from oklahoma. I appreciate his kind words. I also appreciate the fact that on this issue which is contentious, but also a number of other issues weve somehow managed to get through it all in a way that seems to sometimes be the exception to the rule here in the house, which, you know, the fact that the rules committee seems to be more civil and more thoughtful. I dont say that in any disrespect to the chair. Were having hearings on medicare for all, impeachment, article i responsibilities and we have had some very thoughtful interactions here on this committee. Let me just say finally. None of us want to be in this moment where we have to confront these issues about members. I think that is the least of our concern. Its the safety of everybody that works up here. We have to be thinking of ways to operate remotely. We have never experienced anything like this pandemic in our lifetime. Lots of references were made to the 1918 pandemic. You look back on the history, congress didnt function. I gave an example of the fact we couldnt get together to approve more doctors to go to rural areas. Probably as a result of that more people died than should have. That is an example of how of failure. Were trying to come up with a package that hopefully is not only temporary, but very temporary. Thats not how we will manage to get through this. I think the one thing i have become convinced of is that the status quo. We need to figure out a way if members can come here, not everybody can. We also need to think about the safety of our staff and the people who work here. So i know were not going to agree on this, but i want to thank the gentleman of oklahoma for his incredible partnership up here. I want to thank all the members of the committee. All the work leading up to this hearing. This has been a long day, its nowhere near over yet. If there are no further amendments, all those in favor will say aye. No. Mr. Hastings . Mrs. Torres . Aye. Mr. Perlmutter . Aye. Mr. Askin . Aye. Miss scanlon . Aye. Miss shalala . Aye. Miss matsui . Aye. Mr. Cole . No. Mr. Woodall in. No. Mrs. Burgess . Aye. Eight yays, four nays. Okay. So now. Mr. Chairman . Yes. There were two little bits of misinformation that were floating around. I wonder if it would be appropriate for me to take a second to correct them now . You want to publicly correct the record . Yes, i would. Thank you, mr. Chairman. I understand from the House Committee on administration that in the c. A. R. E. S. Act there was 25 million appropriated to the house of representatives. It was stated in the discussion of one of the lesko amendments that went to the m. R. A. Accounts of individual members. It did not. That money went to contractors for the house of representatives in the cafeteria, in maintenance and technology, especially Technology Contractors who helped to set people up at home. As far as i know, there was no money allocated to m. R. A. s. The second thing i want to correct is one of the witnesses before took issue with i think we need to pause to start the next hearing. The rules committee will come to order. Were considering two measures. The first is hres. We just held an additional jurisdiction hearing and markup on this resolution. We heard a lot of feedback from both sides. Im not sure theres anything else to add to this. Weve been going since 11 00. I heard from members asking us to make these changes a reality for weeks now. We want to keep legislation in the safest way. We have discussed these ideas for weeks and now its time to act. The second measure is a bill to continue responding to the coronavirus pandemic. Im not surprised by much these days, but im shocked when i hear the president suggests that waiting a month or more before taking further action to combat the impacts of the virus are somehow okay. The unemployment right now stands at over 14 and continues to climb. More than a million americans have been diagnosed with this virus. Families are struggling to put food on the table and pay their bills. Some of my friends on the other side of the aisle are telling the American People to hurry up and wait. Are you kidding me . The congress is not waiting, were acting on this comprehensive bill that matches the scale of what we face. The heroes act provides pay for teachers, Health Care Workers and First Responders who keep us all safe. It provides additional Contact Tracing and testing of the virus. It establishes a heros fund for hazard pay. It also provides billions of dollars so the states can hold federal elections including early voting and vote by mail. Im especially proud that the legislation includes a 15 increase as well as bipartisan. As well as the bipartisan feed act. These provisions will help address the hunger crisis in this country. The scale of which weve not seen since the 1930s. I dont know what the Senate Majority leader or the president would do, and i know what they should do, get this bill signed into law. My constituents dont ask for more rubber stamping. They want more concrete solutions to the challenges they face because of this pandemic. Thats what this bill will provide, and its what all americans deserve. With that, let me turn it over to our Ranking Member for any comments he wishes to make. Ill turn to mr. Cole for any Opening Statements he would like to make. Todays legislative hearing is on hr6800. The majority is calling the heros act. Better described as a liberal pipe dream. Rather than attempting to work with republicans to advance bipartisan legislation. Speakers called us back here today to consider a bill that will cost 3 trillion and was assembled with only democratic input. I regret that. Weve had four supplementals in a row that were bipartisan. And no partisan division at all. Why we didnt proceed down that line which has worked in the past is a mystery to me. Indeed there are very few liberal policy ideas, the majority has not tried to squeeze into this bill whats most egregious is its an agenda ma masquerading as the coronavirus pandemic. The senate will not accept this bill, the president will not sign it into law. And why were going through this exercise is beyond my understanding. Whats even more surprising is how quickly the majority wants to move on a brill of this magnitude. Just six weeks ago the president signed into law the cares act, 2 trillion for Coronavirus Relief efforts. Just two weeks ago Congress Passed and the president signed a bill that provided an additional 500 million in relief. Much of the money included in those two bills isnt even out the door yet. Not content with having spent 2 1 2 trillion in six weeks, majorities now asking us to spend another 3 trillion this week. No matter that the nation has not absorbed the carries act yet. And the funds provided previously havent been all spent yet. Let me be clear about one thing, we stand ready to work hand in hand with democrats to pass another Coronavirus Relief bill if and when its needed. Today its not clear if we need another bill much less what should be in it. Perhaps thats why todays bill covers a lit thing of priorities. Just as we are being asked to vote on a democratic only measure to fundamentally change the nature of the institution of the house of representatives, the majority is asking us to pass a bill to fundamentally change and reshape the nature of our country. Consider just some of the provisions included in this bill, 3 trillion in spending, nearly 10,000 for every person in the United States. Complicated and controversial provisions allowing a bailout of pension plans. Forgiving student loan debt. And preventing any debt collection. Repealing a provision of the law requiring the auction, requiring same day Voter Registration and nationwide vote by mail. I could go on and on and on with this list. I think members get the picture. So much of what is in this bill has nothing to do with the crisis. Mr. Chairman, it doesnt make sense to me if the majority wants to help americans, there are plenty of bipartisan ways to do so. We should be focusing our efforts on legislation to combat this j pandemic, to allow peopl to get back to work and restore our economy. Instead weve been handed an 1800 page list of democratic priorities that they would be pursuing regardless of this pandemic. We can do better than that, and i hope in the coming weeks we will. I would ask the indulgence. At some point i need to go down and testify. I can do it from here or there . Whatever you feel comfortable. Given how difficult it is to space people, maybe i should stay where im at. All right. Thank you. Let me get back to you during questions, is that okay with you . I want to welcome our Witnesses Today to provide testimony on hr680, the heroes act. Chair woman nea lone were delighted youre here. Anything you brought in writing without objection will be put into the report. I recognize the gentle woman from new york, lonee. Mr. Chairman and members of the rules committee. More than 84,000 americans have died. More than 1. 4 million have become sick. More than 36 million have lost their jobs because of coronavirus. While congress has taken significant action to address urgent needs stemming from coronavirus we must do more. As jay powell told us yesterday. Additional fiscal support should be would be costly. But worth it, if it helps avoid long Term Economic damage and leaves us with a stronger recovery. The heros act takes that wisdom to heart. It is the bold and transformative step we need to make sure our nation achieves recovery from the economic recession. Much of the bill is in the jurisdiction of other committees. And my fellow Committee Chairs will tell you more how this bill meets the needs of the American People. By putting the money directly in the pockets of workers. Including our essential workers, supporting Small Businesses and nonprofits and further bolstering families, including their Health Security and workplace security. However, there is much in the appropriations division to address the health and economic crisis for the people. First and foremost, the bill delivers nearly 1 trillion to states and local governments so they can keep our heroes, First Responders, health workers, teachers and other Public Servants paid and working for us. Im incredibly proud that this bill will provide 67 billion to my home state new york. Which has been hit so hard. Second, we will only beat this disease with a robust strategy for testing, tracing and treatment. We build on the c. A. R. E. S. Act with an additional 100 billion for the Health Relief fund and 75 billion for a nationwide testing and Contact Tracing strategy. Third. We must meet the challenge that the economic effect of lockdowns and stay at home orders are having on families. As a mother and grandmother, i am deeply concerned about the effects of coronavirus on children and their education. We are including 100 billion to support k through 12 and higher education. These systems we hope will respond to this crisis. To address rising munger. This bill funds an expansion of snap benefits and other nutrition programs so that children and families have enough to eat. Working with the authorizing committees to prevent a housing crisis we are deploying new funds worth nearly 200 billion to help struggling families make rent or pay their mortgages. Finally, to stop this crisis from weakening our democracy, we have included funding to hold safe elections to carry out a fair and accurate census and to ensure that the Postal Service can continue safely delivering mail to american households. These are just a few of the highlights of this bill, and im so proud of the hard work of so many to ensure that includes the help that so many families, businesses communities need. Mr. Chairman the heroes act will meet the challenges this pandemic poses to our nation. I request an appropriate rule to bring it to the floor. Thank you. I yield back and i mr. Pollone. Thank you, mr. Chairman. Im not going to talk much about the appropriations part, but rather the authorizing parts that relate to the energy and Commerce Committee which is health, Telecommunications Energy and environment. In terms of the Health Provisions of the bill as miss lowee said, the heros act continues our on going commitment to providing the Health Care Resources and support needed to combat the virus. Most important in my opinion is the way in the original cares act that we had pretesting. Were now expanding that to free treatment drugs and ultimately vaccine. No one should be afraid that if they seek treatment, drugs or the vaccine, ultimately, they will have to incur any out of pocket costs. I think thats the most significant thing. Second, we add 75 billion to the 25 billion that was ployed in the last bill, specifically for a National Testing Contact Tracing and isolation plan. I think the responsibility has fallen mainly on the states. But i dont think that should be the case, in terms of providing a comprehensive testing plan and building out capacity, the federal government needs to do more to help the states. And so this basically not only adds money, but has specific plans and benchmarks with clear timetables to achieve Testing Capacity and make it significantly more robust. And at the same time provide for very specific ways to increase contact testing and isolation, particularly for those who cant isolate at home or perhaps because their apartment or home is not big enough for that. In addition to that, and i cant stress enough, we have built a supply chain with ill call it azar or someone whos clearly in charge of the supply chain. One of the faults of the of whats going on now, many times supplies were not delivered to help with treatment, ventilators, gowns, masks, youve heard the long list over the last few weeks or the last month and a half. We want to make sure there is a supply chain with someone in charge who we can go to with websites and portals to specifically indicate what supplies are needed. What supplies are going out and not only what supplies are being manufactured, more extensive use of the defense production act and manufacturing here in the United States. Not only for the personal protection equipment, but also for the drugs, also for the testing, also for building out capacity for all that, we need a much improved supply chain. We also as chair woman lowee said, we add another 100 billion to the Health Care Relief fund. Beyond the money again, because energy and commerce is the authorizing committee, we specifically say that this has to be for lost revenue linked to the covid virus. So far a lot of the money has been based on 2018, 2019 revenue losses that have absolutely nothing to do with the covid virus. And were saying that shouldnt be the case. It may be that a hospital, for example, cant do elective surgery, and, therefore, they can say that thats linked obviously to the covid virus. This money when it goes out through the Provider Relief Fund has to be linked to whats happening now in the last few months during this covid virus period not before. We also take the accelerated advanced Payment Program that many hospitals have used, borrowed money from, the Interest Rate is too high, its 10 , were reducing it to 1, were giving them an extra year to pay back. And were taking money from the general revenue so we dont deplete the Medicare Trust fund. We also have medicaid provisions. Additional increase to 2. 5 to support proportionate share hospitals. Increases by state that keeps patients at home and Community Based care, rather than going to Nursing Homes. Finally with regarded Health Provisions, i wanted to say one of the most important things and one of the biggest concerns we have, i know chash woman lowee has seen it in my state, the majority of the deaths are from Nursing Homes. We want to improve care at Nursing Homes, have a strike force that can be deployed for Nursing Homes. And also require Nursing Homes to provide information related to the covid19 cases. I wanted to mention also the telecommunications and energy and environment related provisions, with regard to telecommunications i cant stress enough, i know all of you know having the ability to access the internet and use the internet is so important during this covid period. We are including 1. 5 million billion for schools and libraries under the fcc program to facilitate Distance Learning during the emergency. An additional 4 million during the emergency that goes to the low income americans who perhap cannot pay their internet bills so they dont get cut off. Finally. A specific prohibition that providers cannot stop service to consumers unable to pay their telephone or their Broadband Service during the duration of the emergency. And last, but certainly not least with regard to utilities, very similar phenomenon. No shutoffs and the fund to a fund that gives a billion and a half dollars for new Water Utility Assistance Program again for low income. Theres two other things i need to mention that are in this bill. One price gouging under the bill, we provide authority to pursue Civil Penalties to those engaged in price gouging. I know many on this committee have asked what were doing with regard to mental health. I know that miss lowee has added funding to samsa with regards to mental health. Also another authorizing provision for Health Care Workers facing those types of problems during the crisis. Again i have spoken too long, i cant express my enthusiasm for this bill. This really is the heroes act in the sense that its helping everyone, but particularly helping those who are the heroes, who are on the front line, our Health Care Workers our emt workers, weve got to do more. I know the chairperson said whats in this bill is not directly related to covid. In all honesty, as you can tell from the things i mentioned, these are all related directly to the crisis, these are not ideological provisions, these are practical ways of dealing with the crisis right now. And thats really what this bill is all about, and i want to stress that, mr. Chairman. Thank you, again. Its my privilege to yield to the distinguished Ranking Member of the rules committee, and member of the Appropriations Committee and member of all kinds of task forces and everything else, mr. Cole. You can imagine how much i regret that my good friend couldnt be here tonight. And i regret that, and i know she would have been here if she could in anyway. The pandemic we face is unlike anything weve experienced in modern history. So too has been our response. Im pleased with how congress has worked together and quickly to provide urgent aid to those on the front lines and those struggling with the Economic Impacts and the efforts to slow the spread. Each of the four bills that have been enacted up until now, was ultimately the product of cooperation and bipartisan support. So its very disappointing to me to come to you personally on this bill, which has been crafted behind closed doors and without any republican input whatsoever. This is not the spirit of cooperation that the American People expect from their leaders during difficult times. And because theres been no cooperation, this bill is ultimately going to become law. I know what can come from members working across the aisle together. Its what led to the creation of the Infectious Disease Rapid Reserve fund that allowed the administration to respond to the emerging threat as we understood where resources were needed. I was proud to work with my counterpart, chair woman laurel on that fund. And even prouder to see it used so effectively. So knowing what we can achieve when we Work Together. Im very disappointed to be before you today to testify against the bill that has a 309 billion of funding in our subcommittees jurisdiction. But was created entirely without input or that of any republicans on the Appropriations Committee. I want to pause there for a minute. Normally the labor h subcommittee has a budget of between 180 to 90 billion. The four years i was privileged to be chairman, my Ranking Member worked with me in that process diligently. And voted for final passage each time. Last year when she was chairman, did exactly the same thing, we are used to collaborating together, i voted with her on her first bill, and its my hope when we get back to regular appropriations, mr. Chairman, i can do that again. To have a 309 billion labor h portion of this bill and not to have been consulted about it, asked a question about it, what are your priorities in it . Thats not how i know my chair woman works. She does all those things. That didnt happen because the speaker decided it wasnt going to happen. And that means this bill is not going to happen. It doesnt mean everything in the bill is bad. There are some great things in this bill. There are some other things that we dont think are great. But a bill that comes out of the house with no republican votes is not going to pass a Republican Senate and is not going to be signed by a republican president. I suspect this is a lot more about political messaging and political positioning than it is about rendering relief to the American People. And i regret that, because again, we Work Together for four bills in a row, and had almost unanimous support in the house. Each team on each side working together to maximize the vote for bills that we both knew were important. I think that spirit can be recaptured, its not going to be recaptured when we offer bills that have zero input from the other side. When the other side is not consulted, not included. Not asked. And when we put things in the bill that we know the other side cannot or will not accept. Thats whats going on here. With all due respect to my very good friend who i admire enormously, and who leads our committee with great professionalism and great bipartisanship, its my house that the house will reject this measure and go back to the cooperative nature thats been the hallmark of our governmental response to this pandemic. The American People deserve that. And to my good friend mr. Pollone, i disagree with you, not everything in this bill has to do with coronavirus. You can hold a different opinion. But youre not going to get the votes in the United States senate for that opinion to prevail. When theres so much we could work on together. Im sorry were having this kind of disagreement here tonight. I look forward to debating the bill tomorrow, its a pretty easy bill for every republican to oppose, since not a single republican was asked for any input or proposal. Were going to spin this with no committee meetings, i would suspect no amendments, no nothing. So if we want to have political fireworks and a show on the floor tomorrow, thats exactly what were going to get. This wasnt designed to become law. This is a political messaging bill pure and simple. Or perhaps its let me be charitable. A political negotiating thing, thats fine, you could have dropped the bill, we all did that, didnt have to drag everybody back for that. But again, i dont see this as remotely likely to become law. And i regret my friends who acted in a bipartisan way for four consecutive bills. Working with everybody, not always getting what they wanted. But offering good suggestions, we didnt always get what we wanted either, and we put some things in bills that we didnt particularly agree with, but we recognize our friends control the house of representatives. And their priorities needed to be included and they needed to be part of the discussion. And they made sure they were part of the discussion. No complaint with that. Thats exactly whats going to happen. Theyre going to decide they want to be part of the process too. And this is not going to be anything like our final work product. I fear that we run the danger of cementing people into their spots when they vote for something that we havent agreed to, and make it more difficult to compromise and delay compromise. Weve acted with extraordinary speed given the crisis thats overtaken us. Both parties can be proud of that. We put aside our differences, we Work Together. Why my friends have not continued down that course, which has been productive, i dont know. But perhaps ill explain that to us in the course of the debate. So again, forgive me for going on, mr. Chairman, i feel strongly about this, this is a great missed opportunity to Work Together in good faith. And instead were going to have a partisan vote tomorrow that we didnt need to have. And were going to delay things that in my opinion didnt need to be delayed. With that, i yield back. I want to thank the Ranking Member for his comments. And i want to begin by thanking all of you our esteemed chairman and chair woman for being here with us. Im a bit surprised to hear there was theres a feeling that there is no consultation on behalf of republicans on this bill. Because let me tell you, theres a lot to hate from the democratic side on this bill that looked much more like republican proposals. Let me start, before i give my statement and ask a couple questions, let me start by putting into the record a few letters of opposition that have come from our friends in labor. One of them is from ibew. In opposition of having the grow act added to the bill. The other one comes from bakery confectionery tobacco workers and Grain Millers International union. Grekt irs guild of america. International Alliance Stage employs. International longshore and warehouse union. International unions of allied trades. Pension rights center. Seiu, united food and commercial Workers International union. United steel workers. United steel workers. Now, while its good to see all of you today. And its good to see that you uo take a moment to acknowledge why we are here. When i boarded my flight yesterday i was in a region with small as this is that are struggling to survive in an economy that has grounded to a hault. Its a place where families are waiting bumper to bumper in a seemingly endless line of cars for food banks because their funds have run out and their children are hungry. It is a place where donation drives are the only way some of our medical workers fighting to save lives to get the ppe to stay safe. This place, the reason that i call home is not a secure place across the ocean. Its the end land empire. Its in california the fifthlargest global economy. Those businesses i mentioned are the mom and pop shops that make our community what it is. Those people in line are not folks from far away laces. They are our neighbors. They are our friends. They are our family members and those donation drives are my communities way of stepping up because for all that this congress has done in previous bills its still not enough. They are calling 911. They are crying for help. We are here today and tomorrow to answer their call for help. That is why today when it has taken us five hours to take up this bill, this rule, the people we know we love need us to do more in this time of fun and precedented danger. The question before us has nothing to do with politics. The question before us is whether or not we support the very communities we live in and the people and businesses that make us call those communities home. The heroes act does exactly that. I made a number of specific requests for this package after many, many, many days and several hours on the phone with people in my community. I am happy to see that you answered their call for help and this legislation. I led more than 75 colleagues in a call to the pay for medical workers who are putting their lives on the line to keep others alive. Air protections against employer retaliation for any medical worker who is a whistleblower for an adequate ppe. This is personal. Three of my closest family members are nurses. They are on front lines of this pandemic jeff countless other doctors and medical staffers across our country. We are asking them to risk their lives right now and they deserve proper support. Im glad to see that these provisions are in this bill. I also pushed for virtual naturalization to help the more than 100,000 americans in waiting to take that final step to citizenship with an on line oath. These are people that have already proved and have been approved to become our fellow americans. The only thing standing in the way is the oath ceremony which is on hold to prevent the spread of covid19. While everyone agrees that we must prevent the spread of this virus including in our immigration process, in the age of the internet there is no excuse for a dachshund nationalization process and in my region of Southern California 10,000 people were denied this final step to naturalization in march. 10,000 more were denied in april and 10,000 more were denied in may. Thankfully the heroes act includes funding for virtual naturalization ceremonies to. Aside from fulfilling requests like these the heroes act continues the vital support started in the cares out. It expands Economic Impact payments for the American People. It has new investments for Small Businesses, Small Business support like the Paycheck Protection Program and a new Employee Retention tax credit. It extends Unemployment Benefits for the more than 20 million americans who are out of work through january of next year and much, much more. A profound provision honors the most sacred fundamental ingredient in our democracy and that is our vote. The reason why we have debated for five hours. The heroes act has new resources to ensure our election is safe in november and our census count is as accurate as possible. As i close i want to revisit something i said earlier. This is not about politics. It is not about supporting the American People. It is about supporting the American People in this moment. Its about the incredible need in our community and it is about answering their call for help. Our fellow americans dont go hungry or lose their homes, so are businesses dont falter in a freefall. One day when the coronavirus is behind us we will have a society to emerge too. With that i want to thank you again for being here and im going to now recognize dr. Burgess. Thank you and first off actually madam chairman, my remarks were not in my capacity here pretty were from the testimony so im the next person on the rules committee to be recognized. They make if i could deal to the Ranking Member. Its a upward i known im sorry. Let me correct the record since im having a hard time breathing here too. Let me recognize the Ranking Member for his remarks. Aq very much and i recognize the circumstances are a bit unusual. I do want to make a couple remarks. To my friends on the democratic side if there are things in this building you dont like we are not responsible for any of it so this is a totally democratic written bill. If any of you have a concern please dont point out the republicans pick im proud that you have requests in the bill. Nobody asked me for a request or any other republican was asked to submit anything to this legislation, not one. Yes that is personal because it excludes 200 members who are advocating for their constituents because we are going to have the amendments on these bills. We have got a bill that nobody asked any republican about that now were publicans suggestion that im aware of has been included. If it was it was probably included without the republican being consulted or happen to be in common with the democrats and thats perfectly fine and i understand that and again you are going to get it partisan while the persistence tomorrow because you decided to craft it into an exclusively partisan way. I regret that. We have been very productive working together in the middle of a National Crisis in a way that i think any member of this congress can be proud of. For bills and arroyo with essentially no partisan dissent and i know how we operate on the pro patience committee. We are bipartisan. The majority makes the final call and everybodys suggestions are included and considered. We have the opportunity to do that. Thats not what happened in this particular case. S. As would happen four times previously. I also ask madam chairman i may the state Administration Policy for the record i would like to submit and not surprisingly it says presented to the president. Without objection. Those of the points i want to make. I have very little to say about the substance of the bill. Ive just had a few hours to look at it, 72 hours to be clear. I didnt have anything to do with whats in it neither did any other republican so if there are any complaints on the democratic side of suggest you take them to your own leadership. Please dont force it off on us. We didnt have much to do with this thing so it will be an interesting debate tomorrow and with that madam chair thank you very much and sorry for the circumstances on being on both sides of the podium. I dont like it and i know its difficult for everybody. With that i yield back. I want to thank the Ranking Member and i just want to add that i thought fought for my community. In wait for someone to come and ask me for anything and push my way through. With that i want to recognize mr. Thank you and i want to thank the chairwoman of the Appropriations Committee. I want to thank you pretty couple of months ago at that point i was late and i just said earlier on the amendment to the rules we are not in regular order. This thing that we face is of monumental proportions and at that time i remember asking mr. Scott there was a section you couldnt tell if it was a 1 increase in unemployment or 10 depending on the decimal point and he said well. I said is a 10 when the unemployment provisions kick in . He said i think its just 1 . It made me feel a little better except that we had 10 and almost 15 from two months in terms of unemployment. Its just something thats mindboggling so the response in this particular piece of legislation is something that is proportionate and is absolutely necessary. I want to thank the chairwoman for particularly three things. A whole bunch but the three things. Mr. Morelli and i sponsored a bill for 500 billion for state governments to help back fill the losses that they are seeing every single moment. Mr. Morelli and i sponsored assistance to local governments and mr. Morelli and i asked for flexibility with respect to money that had been appropriated for state and local governments so that they could have access because this is such a dramatic drop in revenues. All three of those things have been part of this so we can avoid, because in colorado over do we are laying off people. The city of denver Just Announced furloughs and those furloughs are acrosstheboard. Its his Law Enforcement and its firefighters and transportation workers, people helping with Unemployment Insurance claims. Its acrosstheboard. Rep. the need to get this resolved, really does require the urgency and bring it forward tomorrow. That is the first thing. Theres a hundred billion dollars and never k12 and higher education. I also, there was a point where mr. Cole raised earlier in the hearing about the frontline individuals and what we are demanding of them. And we are, there is no question whether it is a grocery quarter or eight firefighter or medical staff. We are also demanding a lot of other people to operate remotely to reduce the spread of the virus. One of those groups are teachers. They are going above and beyond the call of duty to try and educate their students remotely. Out of nowhere. One day, their teaching in a classroom in the next day, their teaching remotely. I know this personally because my wife is Teaching High School math, algebra, geometry, trigonometry, from the office and i am operating out of the dining room. So i want to thank you for that. A couple of three other things, i would say to my friend, i feel like i am adding it conversation. Just a oneway conversation with you mystical. I request, the republicans, in connection with a piece of legislation that some might say does not fit in this bill. The reason it was included, we would like to support on this, but we dont think we will support this bill. But we support the cannabis, is that it is a particular piece of legislation that deals with the essential businesses, 28 states have aided cannabis, 28000 businesses but no access, the Paycheck Protection Program. It is a Public Safety element which we talked about. There is a Health Safety element, because of the cash and the potential for transmission of the virus. Because of this. And finally, bipartisan vote, they hundred and 21 103 pretty want to thank you for correcting some of the things in the Paycheck Protection Program to make them more flexible for Small Businesses especially restaurants at least in colorado have not been allowed to open and will be opening i think soon. But there were too many restrictions. There is housing funds, rental funds, because of the faults that we see and are coming. And there is hazard pay for those individuals on the frontlines. So there is a tremendous amount in this piece of legislation that is so urgently needed. For us to go from virtually no unemployment in this country, it was as low as it has been in forever 236 million, unemployed, in two months. We have got to, it is a fraction of what has been lost from the economy so far. And our job and responsibility is to preserve this economy, to preserve what we can in a moment that none of us predicted, none of us wanted there is no formula for it. I just want to tell you that i appreciate your service and appreciate the product. It is not perfect and i would say to my friend, again from oklahoma, thats at the negotiation, there will be negotiation between the house and the senate over a lot of provisions. That is absolutely what happened with cares first. I know that my friend will also be a participant in those negotiations at that point. We have to get this moving. I would now like to recognize mr. Woodall. Rep. think about a chair, i have one question for each witness. Madam chair, i never get tired of hearing mystical safe nice things about you. I think he is saying nice things about the committee in general. He has been having so many, i feel well represented. Can you point to something that explains that dramatic departure from for bills in a row that avoids displayed the caring cooperative character of the Appropriations Committee with this bill in stark contrast with us in front of us today. Thank you for your question and i hope i can answer it to your satisfaction. This is a broad bill. It touches on a number of priorities, and instead of leadership driven measure, the bill is a product of hundreds of ideas that we have received from members and includes contributions from most every committee in the house. I cannot comment and write different of mr. Cole some very good points, that on our side of the auto, we have held countless Conference Calls to discuss the pandemic and all responses. Like my whole day, i am home in these last weeks, was on Conference Calls. I am sure that you have been the same. I know there are things in the bill that some of you may not like. But when the senate did not express an interest in rolling up his sleeves and writing another bill, together, frankly it forced our hand. We wanted to do this together. In the last two months, we have worked together to enact for emergency supplemental and i expect that we can do this again with my good friend mystical assent. I think what we have to do now in my good judgment, and then breaking member Ranking Member paul and of all of our other wonderful chairs republican and democrat, because we do for work so closely on appropriations. It can really do what we do best. Lets sit at the negotiation table, write an agreement that includes the best ideas from democrats and republicans. We have put these ideas together. It was not the traditional way. We got ideas from everybody that contacted us. So now lets do it. Lets do it together and put together a bill that really matches this time. I am not saying, and i can say to all of my friends, i have been in this congress for over 30 years. We have had some crises. But i have never experienced anything like this. So when this bill was put together, i am hoping now we can all contribute to it. And really have a good product that we can possible that can respond to a time that most of us have never never experienced. You always bring a touch of optimist to the rules. I appreciate you adding to it. I too believe that the crises, because of the faith that i have not just in this institution collectively but the individually members. I believe crises often bring out the very best in us. Which is why, i am so disappointed by the departure from the partnership of the past to the partisanship of the present. I signed on 100 percent to your vision of republicans and democrats sitting around the negotiating table getting it done. I just wouldve hoped it would come before the bill was on its way to the floor as opposed to after the bill passes in a partisan way because as mayor entrance mystical said earlier, i worry about people getting locked into theirs orders. You and mr. Cold had about whether these emergency items in this bill or whether it is everything in the kitchen sink is wound up here. It is true that my friend from colorado has worked very hard from a very long time and have no doubt that he not just the urgency in which he sees us with the emergency which he sees it. And he serves. I am a Budget Committee guy. We actually define emergency the house rules that we had a conversation earlier today about whether we will follow the house rules or not. And whether they governed not by the house rules specifically say, the query about these big bills they claim to be emergencies because members sometimes have a tendency to start putting things in. In any crisis, we want the dollars but we have them go to families in need. So mr. Cole thought that there was perhaps a wide variety provisions included. He thought a result emergency and covid19 related. I raise that because when the amendment to process toms traditionally, we waive points of order so that none of the house rules apply. We take all the provisions that were there to protect the members and wave them all proactively. I dont want to see us waive the point of order. That unbeknownst to you, have been slipped and that are not emergency related in any way shape or form because you have been involved in the drafting process and i have not. Do you believe that i can that i can be in the democratic side of the aisle. I have just seen it for a couple of hours. Give support to race those points of order. That tend to confirm the worst about us as opposed to our very best. I do believe having work on parts of the bills that everything, that is in the bill, is related to that covid crisis. In some ways it is easier for me to make that case for the things that i mentioned because of the most health related. But take whatever it is. We talked about whether its about a trillion dollars, to state and local governments. I suppose one could argue, if the state and local governments go bankrupt, how is that related to that covid crisis. But it is because they have all of this lost revenue. If they dont get the revenue, they will be laying off workers who will provide services during the covid crisis. You can argue over the individual details but i dont think there is anything in here is not related to the covid crisis and what we face right now on is like. Rep. the term i used earlier was committed to people sitting around the negotiating table and getting wind of all of the nun says and really digress the crisis that really is of course frank thank you all for yes to both my questions. I think you all for all of the work. Rep. thank you very much madam chair. I want to start with a couple of collective notes from the last hearing that we did. In the succession of the minutes, it was stated at one point, that alyssa had money put in our mras from last cares act. I think that is a piece of misinformation that we need to correct. According to the House Committee administration, there was 25 million was appropriated to the house of representatives. It has gone overwhelmingly to the contractors including people in the cafeteria and people in maintenance, people in technology, the contractors who were rotted to set up to peoples Computer Systems at home and so on. As far as i have been able to determine, there has been the money that been put into anyones mra critic so i think we should be searching in the business of circulating for truth. I dont think that is what it was. The gentle lady was just mistaken on that point. Secondly, it was also stated after the majority leader came and made a very and passionate statement about the importance of passing the resolution for adjusted voting. He invoked Abraham Lincoln and lincolns famous statement in his address to the house of representatives in 1862 on december 1st where he talked about the dogmas of the white house being inadequate to the stormy wasnt. And he courted the passages that are cases now so we must think anew and act in a pretty we must dos and throw ourselves and save our country. And in a critique, one of the subsequent witnesses, i think misstated what president lincoln was saying. He blinked that statement to a proposal to relocate or repatriate slaves to library at, or to haiti. That was not have all the substance and the purpose of lincolns statement at that point. If you read the entire passage, it is very clear that what lincoln is doing and this is been confirmed by several historians. If he was splitting the predicate for the emancipation proclamation just a month later. An incomplete part of the passage were you there, so you see what exactly he was saying. Thats actually passage that is not irrelevant to our current situation. Lincoln said this fiery trial will last down and honor or dishonor. The latest generation. The world will not forget that we say this pretty we know how to save the union. The world knows that we do know how to save it. Even we hear of the power and the responsibility and giving the freedom to the slaves, we shirk freedom to the freight. We shall know fully saber or we lose the last best hope of earth. Other means may succeed, this cannot fail the ways that the plane peaceful generous just, the world will forever applaud and god bless forever blessed. 1862 pretty exactly a month before he issued the emasculation of proclamation. I think it was intentional or unintentional slur on Abraham Lincoln that that passage was designed to send former slaves to other countries. So madam chair, i rise in favor of the heroes act. This is a moment of great and historic emergency in our country. We are in a Public Health catastrophe. We have brought to our knees in the health system. We have been brought to our knees in terms of food supply. We have tens of millions of americans who have been brought out of work and we have already lost 82000 it of our people. This is absolute emergency. I wish some of our friends who appeared here today could somehow a fraction of the outrage, that they displayed about a rules change to allow us to maintain the continuity of government about these conditions. Thats around and provide us and define every single one of our states, every single one of our district to a different degree. The heroes act, as many provisions in it. I want to speak quickly about the financial provisions in it but what i really want to focus on is that testing, the Contact Tracing and so on. But we know that this includes an trillion dollars to state and local territorial and tribal governments in the District Of Columbia government to cover the cost of First Responders, health workers, teachers, firefighters, cops, responders, people on the front lines. That is why this is called the heroes act. This money is going to go right to the people who are getting us through this crisis. Because of the pressure of the senate, we note earlier legislation already and could go to a place where they can bail out the airlines industry, the hotel industry, the cruise industry and so on. It be that as it may, this is the legislation. It is a crucial for america. This is the legislation that possessed in the test about whether were going to invest in the people who are fighting the battle on the frontlines. The trillion dollars, for the cost of the firefighters, the First Responders, the nurses, the doctors and hospitals. The health workers. 200 million for essential workers so they can receive or continue to receive hazard pay for the work that they are doing to try to rescue us and get us out of this nightmare. All of that, i am not seeing everything in there that i wanted. I like the legislation that was advanced based on what is taking place in europe. Greater than 15 percent unemployment, we might hit 20 percent unemployment. It makes me think what they would be saying if president obama for president. I remember they took two weeks to talk about obama wearing a tan suit. Whoa they say if he were president and we lost 82000 people. 35 Million People thrown out of work. I digressed for a moment. So, we have got to get out of the situation. Doctor bright said it when he testified earlier today. America has no plan. America lacks a plan. Any general will tell you that if you go into battle, and its wartime, no plan and no strategy, you will lose. It is overwhelmingly likely that you will lose pretty any football coach will tell you that you will lose. We have no plan. In fact, to the extent that the plan is against each other pretty slick we are back in the articles of confederation. The state fights with another state to get the materials that they need. In groups of states have to fight with each other to get the ppes that they. My governor in maryland, they called out the National Guard after he got some ppe equipment and testing kits from south korea because he was afraid that the federal government will sue them. So follow the National Guard. So the federal government, rather than coordinating the logistics, bringing the country together, which is the role of the federal government and our constitution has pitted states against each other in this brutal and wasteful profligate competition for supplies. And then actually pilfered some of the supplies from the states. That is not a strategy for victory against this virus. Now, the government who got the people out of it, has all used the same techniques. If we do not have a treatment, we dont have a vaccine. In working for them but in the meantime, social distancing, that is the only thing that has given us a thread of hope in the u. S. Rated social distancing, and then public testing mass public testing. If you need test and then aggressive vigilant Contact Tracing to be in touch with everybody who a covid19 person has been in touch with. And you need have a supportive isolation and quarantine of that person to make sure they are not infecting other people. You need to put the virus on the run. Forget all of these ridiculous absurd attempts to pick partisan fights as they injected partisanship and every moment by imputing partisanship to someone else that is all we get. This is partisan, partisan, partisan. Is all a massive invasion from what we need to be doing. Enough of that pretty put it to bed. We need to get together. We need to be one america, one nation, to fight the virus together rated that is how we will get out of it. But we do not have a plan. And we dont have a strategy. Now here is where i will come to you. If you and i have been able to speak under these different excruciating conditions a couple of times. I have tried not to make your life more difficult but it already is. I can only imagine what it would be like to be a chair, and you have 40 or 50 people on your committee calling you and other people calling you, and is very tough to get anything done rated their things that i like your that i was able to see in the legislation. You are pushing the administration towards a plan and if you are pushing for massively expanded testing. And tracing. The president has expressed reservations about testing and of course we know what rated testing will reveal how pervasive the virus actually is and the fact that is still out of control in many parts of the country. We need to get a real plan or testing. We need a real plan for Contact Tracing. My question is this. I introduced legislation with my friend, who secretary of hhs and would like think 70 or 75 cosponsors of the reopen american act. Here is what we propose and you will see the exact opposite of what we have seen so far from the administration. We say that the federal government should take over the supply chain and logistics and guarantee that it will get the ppes and the event of flavors to the state and so the way dont have people going into cardiac arrest or suffocating at the hospital for lack of a ventilator predict the federal government at will coordinate the logistics. We propose, we are doing that to the creation of the health equipment. Modeled after the war production board of world war ii. Lets call together people from hhs and cdc and nih and the department of defense, the defense agencies, get them together and thank you are the team that will make sure that the supply chain is being fed so the state have the stuff they need for and who is doing that now. We dont know. Senior bill, we need one person who will coordinate it. With all due respect, i am afraid that person could be kushner, it would be his 15th job. At another job for him the nothing more will ever happen. We need an institutional reorganization of the executive branch of government despite the radical quality and trend qualities of chief executive, we need to create a body that will coordinate the logistics and put us on the map in terms of fighting the virus. Then there are other part that i would like you to respond to. I see you have moved somewhat in this direction by saying the state need plans and would like to see a plane from hhs. We propose something much more formalized. How does the federal government work with the state and what we consider our federalism. If there was a time when he used to be a real partnership, a real dialogue in a strategic collaboration between the national government. Here, the present shows up one day and he is king kong any since i am going to tell you what to do and of course it is all gone the next day. In the next day he is back to being a complete bystander where he has basically any mistakes pretty youre doing okay, youre not doing okay. Sometimes even lures a stadium to doing Something Like georgia. I think you should go back and then enters in that governor. And then it scales rated as helterskelter and Everybody Knows it rated theres no plan. No strategy. We need a strategy. So heres what i propose. Lets use the starkest power that we have. The power of the purse to say we will invest in the state. We will invest in your reopening and getting us back on our feet in terms of commerce, education, socialite, the workplace, entertainment, everything. We will help you. If you submit your plans to the secretary of hhs, you can meet two criteria, one hospitals to meet the demand in your state so youre not overwhelmed into, you have got the virus on the run by having the infection might go down meaning that the transmission rate is less than one. That person has covid19 will be infecting fewer than one person. 3 or. 4 or. 7 benefits above one, where we were before, 1. 8, 1. 9, you have pandemic conditions. It is out of control. You brought the virus under control and in the hospitals imager demand so at the point give us your plans for reopening. We will take all of the best criteria from the age hs and cdc. Instead of censoring the disease control, it killed their guidelines. We will work with them to create the best guidelines and then have the states do it. Once we prove your point, we will pay for you to reopen. Because all of the economists tell us that a dollar spent in really winning the war against the virus, will save up to a thousand dollars later through recurring outbreaks and shutdowns. So i guess my question to you, his do you think there is enough in this legislation to give us the structure that we need to safely reliably, durably, reopen america and not be crossed back into a terrible cycle of rent of three openings, april 1, easter, mayday, fourth of july or whatever it is. And then we are thrust back into more outbreaks and more shutdowns. I will try to be brief, the simple answer is yes. I think you have a much aware, what we are trying to do in this bill. As a constitutional scholar which i know you are, you are very aware of different ideologies about federal versus state relations. I watch what goes on in korea and some of these other countries that have been very successful. In ways that we have not and i do believe a lot of it has to do with the fact that they are much more centralized, cases where the Central Government and the soul or singapore or whatever they have the ability to have her do things in one voice, nationally centralized. Im not advocating for that but thats their system. Let me just give you an example, we knew that the president was not interested in having a National Testing plan. He has said that. He wants to give all of the responsibility to the states. Play a minor role in helping them out a little bit. But basically, it is their responsibility. He has said this. Im not making this up. So in the last bill, the president signed, we pushed very hard to say there should be a National Testing plan and the language says National Testing plan. And strategy. And we pushed very hard to have specific benchmarks, timetables, for what exactly that consisted of. When we went to negotiate with the senate, with senator mcconnell, the majority leader. They were very much opposed to that because it did not want to have a national plan. They do not want to benchmarks and timetables and the metrics. So the bill did not have what i wanted. It did have a semblance of it but it was not as good as a light or we like to should say. And lo and behold, in implementing that bill, the last couple of weeks, there has been a tremendous pushback from the president in the white house. They basically said, give us your state plans and we will have a floor. We will test maybe 2 percent of the floor but if you want to go to eight, or nine or whatever, we will help you but that doesnt mean they will necessarily have the resources. So this bill, we went as far as we could that we could get the republicans on the president to go. Maybe a little further but mindful of the fact that they were not going to make this like what is happening in south korea for example. We do have the testing, the trust tracing in the isolation. Not only the money that is been provided by the appropriators an additional 75, over the 25 for a total of 100. Thank you appropriators. But we have those metrics, those benchmarks, then timetables. Specifically for the supply chain, set up, because remember, im not worried about that supply chain that were asking for the ppes, im worried about the supply chain for the testing, the Contract Tracing and also ultimately for the vaccine. So when i asked the question today to doctor wright, a single, in my opinion what is going on so far was the supply chain, those of the things on the behalf of this administration has been a total failure. Are we going to see the same thing with the vaccine. He said im afraid you may because of the same people are in charge of the same ideology. So we have the supply chain for everything. And benchmarks and all that including four not only testing in the tracing, but also for distribution of the vaccine once it is available. So when you look at this bill, its only the the additional money for the provider fund, for they contacted tracing, the testing. There are so many things that you have talked about so far here. But it is an effort to try to have a national plan. A national effort, not just leave it up to the states. It creates a huge gap he do that. Would you agree that states are begging for national leadership. The governors, are saying that we can not do this by ourselves. If they need the Central Government of the to be courted any logistics and bringing some rationale in the distribution of these scarce supplies. And also even if one state performs the service in terms of being able to reopen, and as a boy, since Ronnie States dont, and its chaos and immediately he pours over. It. Let me tell you this, if you look at the testing plans that have been submitted from the various states, you will see huge variations. My state is seven or 8 percent. Other states are nothing maybe one or 2 percent. As of this is going to continue rated huge variations and that is not good when were all in this together. It. See what were putting up all of this money. Why dont we attach conditions to it. The moment that they with the money, for recovery, reopening, protesting or tracing, that is the moment we say great, and we will work with you. We will use the scientific expertise that we have rated the Technical Expertise that we got to improve your plan so that all of the plans are good and we can reopen together as a country. Rep. i believe we have it in this. You said that believe this is the most important bills and the reason for that is my opinion is because this is the bill, the girls act is the bill that will get has to be safe and adequate reopening. So that our economy can grow again and get rid of the virus. The problem is, will the senate and will the president except these conditions that go along with the appropriations that are in this bill. And that remains to be seen. Mr. Chairman, i would suggest, because the hour is late. Number one i want to thank you my friends, for your enthusiastic thoughtful, comments as i would say the same from all those who are staying here at this hour. Lee can, if we pass this bill, as my friend mr. Cole said before, we were together, the republicans and democrats, your committee my committee we Work Together. We have had i would say, how many are there of us, hundreds of hours across the recommendations and comments from colleagues, such as yourselves who are here at this hour. I think that what we have to do is pass this bill and then go back my friend, the Ranking Member, and really get to work and make sure we are moving together. Not arguing with each other. Democratic ideas and the republican ideas, this bill came together because of the ideas from our colleagues. When we do this, some included some not. But i think at this point, lets pass this bill and then i am hoping we can move forward and Work Together rated as we have all said before, i could to the Nursing Homes, 11 people just died this morning. I got a call from a single and district. This is a crisis. Lets Work Together to figure this out. Move forward. I think we have got to pass this legislation and then i hope, my good friend mr. Cole that we can Work Together in a bipartisan way to continue to take action, to pass legislation, to appropriate money so it is direct and doors frankly with the experts are recommending to us. It does not matter so much what i am recommending. And is that the experts are rough recommending to us and lets move forward in a bipartisan way rated. Rep. tons of complaints in my district, about the three pretty program about the eight weeks provision. Somebody just moved in, and is also in eight weeks when everything is still shut down, they cant rehire people. When you explicate how that, having gone from eight 24 weeks. You are referencing now the financial section. Yes. I believe it is in there. So my area but i believe so rated. And then the other thing, is the District Of Columbia, is being made whole for having been treated as a territory and not akin to estate in the first round. Rep. again, i think that is in there and thats not our area. But i believe it is in there. Thats much thank you. Doctor burgess. Let me just ask you, this bill, that mr. Cole has pointed out entirely bipartisan. This one is unfortunately not. But in the back of the envelope calculation, that this is 3 trillion, we can give money on march 27th, we have added to that, we did some before. We are probably significantly north of 5 trillion just unappropriated dollars in the last eight weeks. Is that a fair assessment. Yes but what i am saying at this point, i want to repeat my comments before. I want to move ahead in a bipartisan play. I appreciate this. Let me ask you this. Here the Appropriations Committee. Mr. Cole is Ranking Member on h, an important part of that committee. Are you going to do your normal appropriations process after we finished. As some point are we going to pass the appropriations bill before we end the fiscal year. Let me say this to my good friend mr. Cole did no. Will not become flaw unless democrats and republicans in house and senate get together and still be some compromise. It may not be everything i want or may not be everything that might confront mr. Cole once but weve been appropriated for a while and in the end, is the good of the country and the recommendations of the experts, and a lot of compromise that gets a bill that we hope, it is not going to be is going to be in a real way eight tremendous challenges happening today. Will just help me out here. Rep. the Strategic Plan for the time. After this, you want this bill passed and say that it does sign into law. Then what is a Strategic Plan for the remainder of the fiscal year as far as they appropriations. Are we done. It is going to take care of everything that you otherwise would have appropriated. During the course of a normal fiscal year. No. For small and and a normal fiscal year, the house passes a bill, this in the passes a bill. And then we get to Work Together on a compromise hopefully, the best ideas of both. So, that would be the next step. If this bill passes, or when this bill passes, we are hoping that we can get the best ideas from the senate and the white house. I think everyone agrees that this is an emergency. So it is a time for us to Work Together. Rep. after this point, as the committee doesnt include, your normal process of holding the hearings, bringing the x percent, taking their testimonies and calculating what you need to appropriate because we will reach the end of the fiscal year. We cannot postpone that. And there will need to be in appropriations process that has occurred to fund things Going Forward. That is my only question. Are you planning that. It. Yes and is my good friend mr. Cole would say, you had a hearing just this week. Was it last week. What is today friday. Wednesday was wasnt afraid whatever. Mr. Cole was part of a pie partisan hearing which i understand it was very successful that i saw most of it. In the process, to the best of our ability moving forward, at the end of the year we hope will have the bills that we can Work Together in a bipartisan way and negotiate with the senate. This isnt regular audit. Ive been in congress over 30 years and i have never had retarded a process like this where we are wearing gloves, and we cannot sit together, we cannot have good conversations but to the best of our ability, and certainly, mr. Cole conducted a really excellent herring and it was a bipartisan hearing and was very successful. My friend texas field and make a point. The one we did have a very good hearing last week produced very bipartisan. I dont know where we will end up. Obviously we are operating under very unusual circumstances very difficult for all of us predict when the chairwoman and i have already exchange our priorities, and our discussion about the regular appropriations pretty did not have any kind of discussions about supplemental. I know were in the process on both sides of the audio of of listening and point from our members. Democrat and republican a lot like about what they would like. In some point, the chairwoman undoubtedly full presenter market. We will have a discussion about that and move through the process but i will tell you, at this point under very difficult circumstances, that subcommittee and im sure all of the other committees under supervision have been working very bipartisan fashion trying to get ready for their normal fy 21 appropriation bills. Rep. and i just want to say to my good friends, june was the original deadline when we were on to complete all of our appropriations. I cannot guarantee anything right now but i know that the leader and still encouraging us to complete a work by but its not regular times. I was just going to say that there is a huge challenge. We have a responsibility, each of us of taking this very seriously and you have ideas, come talk to us. We welcome everyones ideas on appropriations. But, at the end of the day we have to get bills going to be passed in the house. This is a time where we are having hearings. Other committees, they are having hearings, veterans are having hearing, we have to complete a work. This is not a year like any other i can recall. Rep. so the good news then, is that as authorized service, the possibly could be back in business, we have been completely sidelined. I think you will agree. None of the languages is in here, i dont recall being through the authorizing hearings that we have held an energy and commerce. Youre talking about above and medicaid. You already did one in march. This one on and on top of that. I dont recall the hearings where we discussed what is necessary. How much is necessary. We couldve done that but we have not. I guess williamson to use the good news is, as chairman, the most powerful authorizing committee in the house of representatives, we should go forward after whatever happens here, we should go forward as authorizers uniform the appropriators. We need to take back that part of our jurisdiction. We are the authorizing committee for the agencies that are under our jurisdiction. My only point is we should take that seriously. This is very frustrating. Its like mystical, i had no input, nobody called me. I dont recall any Conference Calls. What are your best ideas. But normally, that happens during the committee process. We have long hearings. We have subject Matter Experts on both side of the aisles. We are very thorough and work very well read. And we just have completely negated all of that going through this. And again, i just ate the good news, from the emc authorizers standpoint is that the appropriators, Strategic Plan is to continue on a more regular order pat, we just like for us in the authorizing committee to be back in the business of being involved in this as well. Absolutely. I was only here for part of the debate and the rules change but from what i have heard from mr. Mcgovern and what i can see from this rule change, that is exactly the purpose of it. The only for five bills that we have done during this covid, im a particular for the power here. Are a member those days seems a long time ago. A markup in this subcommittee and the full committee. The whole process. It usually takes about six months. But we cannot do that. First of all as you know, or maybe dont know. Im sorry for not but i have been told by the white house that those who have an in person hearing, there is not going to send somebody from the administration. So doctor wright, because these whistleblower know, he is the first person who is come from the administration. Rep. i called and asked for others for and many of them have spoke to us on the forum calls that weve had. Thats been bipartisan but their nonofficial hearings. So the whole idea is as mr. Mcgovern, think he was saying before that this will change if it takes place tomorrow which hopefully it felt, then we can of these hearings virtually and they can be official hearings where we have just what i said, a hearing in the subcommittee, markup and the subcommittee, marketing the full committee. It will fall beneath the most part, full be done virtually and we go back to business as usual. But you can do that now because unless you have a hearing in person, like this one. It is not official. The markup in person, it does not count under the rules. That has been the problem and that is why i dont want to bring in this other but that is why is very important for you is also important to pass the heroes act but the change and get back to business the way it was described. Even if its not done another way, is official. The one in the first half of march, many of us have talked about sing extensively. I talked to you about having her interesting. I dont understand how the cdc so far behind the curve. I dont to the state. That is Important Information for us to know. We ask the pandemic preparedness act, we asked to congress is to do it. I was the subcommittee chair and we did most of the working of god across the finish line. It was signed by the president. In 2019. And, we had an opportunity in february to have realtime, oversight as to what our fourth product had produced pretty blessed doing what we thought it would do. And quite honestly, we never asked the question bring we had hearings on tobacco, horse racing, any number of things but we do not have the hearings on the pandemic that was regulating half a world away. I would argue would have been an appropriate thing to do. Hello, we are where we are. Chairman of the most powerful authorizing committee and the United States house of representatives. An enviable position. One to which we should all aspire to one day. I would like to see us reclaim some of that authorizing authority. I am very frustrated that we were told on the health side that we could not have the key witnesses and when right across the hall, and oversight and government reform, chair maloney had all of the principles of todays. And we did not. And that i think is one of the things that people will look back and that is not a good record for us to have gone into this very desperate and the big time with not having done the work that we should have done. When new trouble was coming up early. Rep. look, and i want to spend the time of the rules committee but let me just say this. I believe we put in place of that preparedness act, the authority and the funding through for the administration to do what had to be done to prepare this pandemic. I think it is their fault, not because we did not do her job. The bill was there, it was passed. The money was there. But in terms of the ability to have regular order, unless you pass, or when we pass this tomorrow, we can go back to that. I could even today when we had doctor brights hearing, you cannot imagine all of the imaginations we had to go through just to be able to use the room. To just be able to set it up. The attending physician did not basically, since to me that we cannot have these in person hearings during this crisis. We cannot. But we still cant predict has to be virtual. Otherwise, we will not get back to regular order. That is my honest opinion rated inc. You. Rep. and i ask you one other question bring a dollar figure 67 million from new york. This appropriations bill do i understand that correctly. 67 billion to the state of new york. I was just wondering if we had the ability to know what other states do we have that allocation. I would be happy to provide you with as much detail as you want. Not just from new york but from every state in the country. Rep. the members of the full house, i think that is something that we should have available to us. I was unaware that there was and i dont know what formula or bases that was derived from. That would be interesting also. But still, if there is a dollar figure, i think people need to know what that is. All of the information is very clear. If you want to know the number of deaths, the number of current cases, the number of Nursing Homes than losing people everyday. The amount of money that has been spent and frankly, the governor in new york, i think has done a very effective job. I am happy to provide you as much information as you want to frankly, backup all of the investments that have made to finally, that ive seen just this week, the curve was going up, has finally tired and going down. But were not rushing to open up in new york or some other states. This is the longer discussion was certainly, you have a right to get all of the information you want. I will make sure you get it. Rep. i look to receive that from your staff. Thank you witnesses for being here pretty soon i should also say that Governor Cuomo has had tape tv program, everything today where he reports to the nation the amount of money spent, the shows the curve how it is starting to turn but there is still too much death and suffering. Too much illness that is still requiring attention. I am happy to get you whatever information you want. Rep. i watch Governor Cuomos show. Ive learned something about his daughters boyfriend and its all terribly interesting in addition to all of the other information that he imparted. I would appreciate it, it is a pleasure hearing about his daughters boyfriend in addition to the very player documentation of the cases and the curve that is somehow Getting Better read as a new yorker, i can tell you, we have not been out, this is the first time out of my house and i can hear. But there is a positive suffering from a lot of death, a lot of illnesses. Nursing homes are having a tremendous challenge. That one recently, last about ten people. But in any event, the hearings long. Im happy to get you any information you want. About new york, and if it is helpful to you, that is fine. Thank you. I think our witnesses for being here. Thank you to our witnesses for all of your hard work. Thank you for the leadership and putting together Strategic Plans to address the Public Health and safety issues that need to be addressed so that we can move towards a longTerm Economic recovery. And i really appreciated talking about what is in this bill, is really coming from our constituents. It is what we are hearing that our constituents need. In the past week i have had a really tough conversations with a couple of my neighbors on saturday, i went for a mass socially distant walk. One of my neighbors stopped me she was in the emergency room doctor, she has two kids. They live about three doors down. And she said, will something be done because i have a couple hundred thousand dollars worth of Student Loans and i am working in three different emergency room turnout. And if i die from covid, that will put my family in a really tough position because i just graduated from law school recently and we have it built up a lot of wealth pretty so that was one request to her. And request that is reflected in the terms of the heroes act predict the other request or information was from a woman that i went to school with pretty she is a nurse. She just got out of the hospital. She was in there for about a month. Shes not end up on a ventilator but she did end up, she almost died. Now she is out but she cant go back to work pretty will be a long road back for her. She has now have a heart condition. She may not be able to return to her job. It is better heroes in the front line workers, the essential workers in our transportation and in our grocery stores. That our elections can happen, pennsylvanias primary is june 2, we are not out of shut down in my region until after that. We need to provide the resources, to our communities, our essential services, to our families. 1200 is not pay for three months rent. Snap benefits if you are already at the max, youre still going hungry. So i really appreciate the work youre doing. There is so much urgency. I dont know why the senate does not feel the same urgency. They made a big deal about coming back last week to confirm judicial appointments. They have been not been putting together legislation to take the next step which our constituents, the americans need. If this bill is what it takes to get them to the table, thank you again and i yield back. Thank you, mr. Chairman. First i would like to address the comments that my colleague made mr. About giving information of the extra mra money that we were told was going to go to us. That was for the coronavirus for town halls, equipments, that our employees have to use. That actually, i text rodney davis who is the Ranking Member with the committee of House Administration and he said that is what he has been told. And that verse busted making on how to do that. He also said if that is not the case, it is news to him. That he is all fired up about it. We will see what happens on that. Lets turn to the bill itself. You know, i think there are some good things in the bill, i really believe the bad things that i consider bad in the bill totally outweigh the good things in the bill. From what i have been told, the bill continues this extra 600. Week Unemployment Insurance payment through the end of january, 2021. It extends the family medical leave for another year. But it mandates all businesses to do it including businesses with less than 50 employees. And it expands the 1200dollar rebate checks to people who are here illegally. And the 600 a week that people are getting an unemployment pay does not count towards the income to get food stamps or snap, corset federalize is elections by mandating that everyone gets mailed a ballot in every state has to do same day Voter Registration as the day they vote. And so, i have had business that that i have talked to im sure all of us have talked to Small Business owners, Large Business industry in our district and throughout the state over and over again ive heard from managers they are trying to hire back workers as are opening up in arizona having a hard time getting workers back because in many of the comment when you add the amount of money of 600, plus whatever the state of arizona paid an unemployment, these people are making more money than they were when they were working. [laughter] said they are having a really hard time hiring them back. The tie the truth, would not want to label this the no incentive to go back to work bill, because it businesses want to hire them back, they are opening up, and what i have been told is the workers are like, i get paid more staying at home. I know there is a mechanism where they can force them to come back to work and report them to Unemployment Insurance then you would have disgruntled workers, right . So who wants that. I just cant support this bill, mr. Chair, and i yield back. Sue may thank you very much. Mr. Marelli. I would note that states that have a 7. 25 minimum wage it certainly would make sense for people to take the enhanced unemployment. That might argue more for a higher federal minim