Democrats would block it. Heres a look at her comments now. We will show you as much as we can before todays White House Briefing. Pelosi thank you all if you are out here. Good day wherever you are in this holy week, passover. Approaching Easter Sunday and ramadan. The appropriate time for us to more deeply pray for those who have lost their lives and the families that are suffering and those who are sick with the virus. Its a very, very sad time as we awaken this morning to see that the totals are approaching 450,000 people infected. Approaching nearly 15,000 people who have lost their lives. That is the sad, sad part of it all. More than 17 million initial unemployment claims. Hundreds of thousands of jobs lost in the month of march. Now millions more expected in the coming months. The assault on the lives and the livelihood of the American People is one of epic proportion and one that demands congress continue to take bold, urgent, effective action to bring rapid relief to the health care workers, First Responders and others who are suffering, to Small Businesses, hospitals, state and local government and the rest. On tuesday morning, secretary mnuchin called. That would be two days ago. Secretary mnuchin called and asked for a quarter of a trillion dollars in 48 hours. With no data. Just quarter of a trillion dollars in 48 hours. This morning, leader mcconnell honored that request i say honored. Really dishonored needs that we have with a stunt on the floor of the Senate Requesting 250 billion. No data as to why we needed it. When there are outstanding needs. What we offered to do was to sit down and figure out what the numbers are and where they are needed most urgently. You may have seen this morning that this stunt performed by the Senate Leader knowing that it would fail and a goodfaith proposal to negotiate and address the immediate means that we have put forth by senator ben harden, the Ranking Member on the Small Business committee, and Chris Van Hollen proposing the democratic then objecting. Chris van hollen proposing our plan. What our plan would have done would have been to give some money to the ppp. We are proud of the cares act. We are proud of what we did to turn it from a corporatedown, trickledown plan to a workers bubbleup plan. We want it to work. We want it to work. An essential part was to honor entrepreneurship in america and recognize the roles Small Businesses play in the Economic Life of america. We want all of them to be able to participate. The banks are our friends in all of this. The plan the secretary proposed, rather than waiting for the process of going through the sba, the banks would make the loans with sba. The fed said we will take those loans off the books of the banks facilitating their participation. However, a large number of requests, firstcome, firstserved in the process. Many people who do not have banking relationships were going to be last in line. That is why they asked for more money we said lets help everybody here. Help the banks do what they are set to do. Lets call upon some of our Community Development commercial institutions to do what they can do to help many rural and Small Businesses and indian country, minority owned businesses, women and the rest. Farmers again. To be able to have easy access to the ppp. If they were asking for 250 billion more, the sum total of it all is 600 billion. That is what the leaders said. I want to amend the cares act to 600 billion. We were asking for 1 10 of that. 600 billion 60 billion for credit unions, allocations for minority depositories, developing corporations, micro lending which is a program of the sba in order to assist getting these resources to those small, Small Businesses that might not have a relationship with one of the banks making these loans. It had other provisions to facilitate the work of community banks, etc. , just to expedite the ppp. In addition to that, in terms of Small Businesses, and that is essential, we had two features. One was in an earlier bill and one in cares. In the earlier bill had the disaster loan program. We had 1 billion in that which would leverage to 7 billion plus in disaster loans. They are in great demand, to the tune of almost 300 billion of requests. In our proposal today we are saying we put it forth yesterday put on the floor today called for 50 billion in disaster sba disaster loans. That would be leveraged to 300 billion. This is a very fast way to help Small Businesses. In the cares act we had a grant program. Bipartisan supported. Grants to Small Businesses. 10 billion. It is already called upon be the 10 billion. We put 15 billion additional there. We are saying we will have the same amount, 250 billion to help Small Businesses. But we will have 125 billion to go to ppp as we respect and another 125 billion should be divided among direct loans, what we call the disaster loans. A big ticket item used by all Small Businesses. The grants. They are grants, not loans. 60 billion to have other Financial Institutions used to dealing with community, Small Businesses and the rest in the community to be facilitated to do this. Again, 250 billion for Small Business. But done in a way that really gets to where we see the data for the need. Eventually will we need more free ppp . Let see the data, but right now they have not spent one third of that. They still have two thirds of it left. We have time to negotiate to see how and where and when we should have more money there. In addition to that though, in our proposal is the recognition of the need for healthcare workers and those in hospitals were providing services and ministering to the needs of others who are sick and dying. We want to have those hospitals funded and equipped. We also want to have funds for state and local government who are carrying a big burden of all of this. We thought it would be a Good Opportunity to not only anticipate but reimburse state and local and hospitals and other health serving institutions for what they have already put out. Lets negotiate. The timing, the amount and the rest. We know these are bare minimums that we need. In terms of other than the ppp. The ppp, lets see the data how its working. The banks are friends and lets see how we can all help as many people as possible in this regard. This is a tragedy that has before when our country. We want to make sure everyone participates. One of the goals of the administration is to keep people off Unemployment Insurance if they can instead be running their businesses and keeping their workers employed. Wouldnt that be another good way to address this economic challenge we have . There is so much going on. What we want to do is to make sure that it is done in the best way for the most people. It is a lot of money, a tremendous amount of need, everybody affected directly, i will close as i began, as celebratefaith passover and prepare for easter, we pray for all of those under threat for their lives and livelihoods and we thank those who areay for those caring for them. Put forth a world prayer that god would enlighten those responsible for the common good so that they may know how care for those interested entrusted to their responsibility. We all have hearts to receive that enlightenment. That, i want to ask if you have any questions. If you would like to ask a question, please press star one. Please be sure to a new your unmute your phone. My question is, under what would you consider options for remote voting and are there any interim steps you . Onsider feasible we are so consumed in addressing the tragedy that is befalling our country. We have been tasked with looking be. Hat the options could there is a constitutional requirement that we vote in person. There are some ethical challenges that would have to be overcome even to consider it, and there are serious security issues. There are governors can considering proxy voting or committee voting. [no audio] both require a rule change. Again, as we all become more wevy in terms of technology, could transfer to remote voting, but it is not that easy. Again, this is something that is incurred to, but that is being pursued. Some technologies we might think are workable might not be secure. Forgive me for not being close enough to the phone on the first part of this. I have confidence in mr. Mcgovern and the rules committee. Where wereach a place could guarantee the security and the technology and the constitutionality. That is something that would have to be voted on by the congress of the united states. He is working on that and i am getting reports on what some of the technological options are. I will be very frank with you. We dont want anybody coming back at any time that might not be healthy for them. We are concerned about the health of the American People and the people going to work every day to administer to the needs of those who are sick, those who are supplying the food , the First Responders, firefighters, all of those taking risks we wish they did not have to take. Thats why we would like to get this additional funding for state and local as well as hospitals put through at the same time as we talk about our own safety. Again, we pray for a cure, because that is the solution, a vaccine or a cure, and we are allocating tremendous resources to that. Everyone should pay a lot of attention to testing, testing, testing, because that is what is going to give us a handle on the challenges we face. In the amendments put forth this morning, we had a call for rapid not only to take inventory, but to have documentation and data on the racial imbalance and impact of the coronavirus. Theree the statistics out on the impact it has had minority communities. We want to see not only how many people have died, but how many are tested, and we want to see how that is impacting the soersity of our community that we can further address and more wisely address the challenge that we face. Our next question, the line is open. , thank you forr joining us. I wanted to ask about the Student Loan Relief action in the second care package. I am wondering if private Student Loan Relief is something you are considering for cares two. That the just say cares committees have been dazzling in the brilliance, knowledge, and experience they are bringing to this and the Strategic Thinking about what we can get accomplished. The chair of the education and Labor Committee has been focused on this in a strategic way. One of the things that has been considered is focusing on Public Service debt forgiveness. Before the coronavirus, just when we were talking about health care in general, for primary care, it set her up, amounto have a certain of Student Loans forgiven. We are also looking at hazard are riskingpeople their lives and being essential workers to defeat the coronavirus. They are not about Student Loans. Again, the risks they are taking and the courage they have to be. Articipants in this battle bobby scott is examining what the possibilities are there. Like some of the provisions in the care act. We got rid of some, but not all. We think the focus should be more on the borrower rather than the forprofit universities that benefited from the cares act in a way we thought not to paint them all with the same brush, more than they should have gotten in the allocation of resources. We have to have a bigger allocation for education. In our first bill, we were proposing 70 billion. They agreed to 30 billion dollars. We know we have to do much more for education, k12, the whole system, but in order to do what we need for higher education, we need a bigger allocation of money and a discussion on how we can be helpful on the student loan front. As a reminder, if you would like to ask a question, please press star one and record your name. Can you specify what changes in election law you would like to see enacted to make it easier for people to vote . I would also like to know if you are thinking of changes in the interim bill or if you want to wait for the next major one . You are using the pandemic to try to restructure government and that any election changes should wait. Ms have a pelosi we different value system on what democracyns to and we want to encourage her patient. We disagree with republicans we want to encourage participation. We disagree with republicans on the obstacles they have put days, including number of number of hours, number of locations, and the rest. Had a very important piece of reform in hr one. Hr one is a breath of fresh air to the whole system, because it dark money out of politics and removes obstacles to participation. It empowers small donors to participate to increase the voice of the public rather than private interests. So, we have a major disagreement in terms of our democracy. No surprise he might dismiss Opening Doors to participation as something that is a plus, especially in a time of a pandemic, especially in a time of pandemic when elections are being postponed because of the threat to people coming to ther, those tending polls being there for hours and communicating with people in a way that isnt necessary if it isnt necessary, why do that . We do want to have vote by mail because it removes obstacles to participation and is healthier at this time. Again, some people may prefer to go to the polls, but the lower that number is, the healthier for everyone. That was the last point. In terms of the plan, what we. Ad was something simple under billion extraordinary circumstances, we might need more, and we want to but we thought, 1. 6 billion was needed right then and there. We got 400 million. But what they did on the republican side was, they took out some of our positive pieces that would include sameday registration, mailing a ballot to every registered voter, initiatives like that. Instead, they substituted three obstacles to participation. One was a 20 match from the thees in order to access federal dollars. You had to put up 20 . All the states dont have that money. That some rumor states are using electoral money to pay for the coronavirus response. Its an emergency. There is note when he percent. There are a couple other provisions that relate to soeasonable reporting, unreasonable that the National Association of secretaries of eight, which is bipartisan and led by a republican secretary secretaries of state, which is bipartisan and led by a republican secretary of state, sent a letter to us saying remove those obstacles. And thats bipartisan. We also included, for clarification purposes, we said that the money could be used to thatnsate for other funds had to be used. That was more a technicality than any real change. In any event, to the first part of your question, what do we want to do next . We want to do next what we in our bill, putting. Amilies and workers first our cares bill was instrumental in turning the republican trickledownrica to something bottomup. We are pleased with the Impact Senate democrats were able to have. Money and were to the on more openness system. Thats what we hope will happen next. This is not a matter of public opinion. Why should we say to people, stand in line for hours when we dont want you leaving the house . Some primaries are being put off. Why does it make sense for the president to say if people vote by mail no republican will ever get elected. Have more confidence in what the Republican Party stands for. It had been the grand old party. It has been hijacked, i know, but nonetheless, i can say as a former chair of the California Democratic already, the largest Democratic Party in the country, California Democratic party, the largest Democratic Party in the country, republicans know how to vote by mail. We should not belittle that and not be afraid of the voice of the people. But they are, and that is one of the reasons they want to stand in the way of a more open, at a time of aem pandemic. People have concerns about going to the polls. Lets recognize that and do the right thing. Next, cheryl at the new york times. Your line is open. Thank you, madam speaker. I hope you are well. The Problem Solvers Caucus sent votingetter about remote and operating congress in a remote way. I know this is not an idea that. Ou have been keen on there have been proposals of various ways to do this, Committee Debate and markup via videoconferencing. Haveder what thought you given, if any, to making these changes in the short term and the longterm. A number of our members and referred i referred to mr. Mcgovern because he was the person weighing all options. There are prohibitions. I was keen on having committee electronically. That is not necessarily allowed either. Let me just say this. Our rules are our best protection. I say this as a longtime legislator and longterm political activist in the party, the rules are your best protection. How the rules are written, use them to your advantage. It took three years to change the rules after 9 11. After 9 11, there was a concern that people could die in an attack on the capital or there would be an assault on our country and a number of members of congress would be incapacitated. If you die, you dont count in the quorum. If you are incapacitated, you do. Do you get my point . Termsey had to change the under which they would change a quorum number, reflecting the fact that people were incapacitated and could n