Whose career has been marked by steadfast determination to expand Health Care Coverage for all members of the american continues to be a champion for the least, the last, and the lost who are part of the grip of this pandemic, madam speaker. The speaker pro tempore the honorable speaker of the house is recognized for one minute. The speaker i thank the entleman for yielding and i thank him for managing this important legislation on the floor of the house. Also commend him for the work that he did in the previous had. Lation that weve as has been acknowledged, this is the fourth bipartisan bill brought to the floor to address the coronavirus pandemic. This is a very important piece of legislation. To the floor with such heartache, with such sorrow bout those who have lost their lives and their loved ones, those who are suffering from the virus assault now and for those ho are in doubt about their economic situation. Its about the lives and the ivelihood of the American People. Thats what this is about. 900,000 americans are diagnosed have been diagnosed sick. E nearly 50,000 have tragically died. Oh, my goodness. We have to be prayerful, assault, about this again, on the lives and livelihood of the American People. Health s hospitals and care systems remain swamped with cases and far too many frontline have the personal protective equipment that they need. Nd just this morning, we learned that four more than workers applied for Unemployment Insurance last week with 26 million having lost jobs so far. And so we work to protect the people. We have to make decisions. We recognize that the key to our economy, the key to opening that door, the is a old we must cross scientific one. Testing. Testing, Contact Tracing. Isolation. Of course, treatment. Prevention. Key is scientific and we must make our decision in that way. Are and i say this overarching. He the American People have told us taxpayer t want any dollars when we did our earlier bill they dont want taxpayer dollars going to enriching shareholders, give bonus dividends, bonuses, c. E. O. Pay, all of that. They want the taxpayer dollars in their jobs. Nd the oversight of that is exactly what we passed we by pass or we passed voice vote earlier, well vote on later. Important. Its very important for the American People to have onfidence as they make their sacrifices that our taxpayer dollars that they pay are not squandered. Our colleagues have said, why do we need oversight . We have all these committees to oversight, and i hope they will, but they have other work to do as well. The republicans put forth elect committees themselves, benghazi, trying to destroy parenthood, this has an American People. We need a select committee whose to ose, whose purpose is the ss the challenge that coronavirus places on. Thats one. Two, the American People want their checks. Their checks. And thats what we are doing ith the p. P. P. And the direct payments and other initiatives that are there, and we need to more. Havent doneand we enough in this regard third, they want our heroes, our health are providers, our police and fire, First Responders, our our ency services folks, transit people, everyone to our food service folks, they want everyone to have the equipment they need to do their job. Health care workers on the frontlines, as are others. Emergency services, police and fire, some of them are the first 911 call. Respond to a and the line of defense. P. P. E. , do not have the the personal protective equipment that they need, and we owe them. Worthy t we are not thanking them,m, praising them unless we support them, and thats not being done and thats what they have to do in the next bill. Act, when he heroes we will come together to support our heroes. There was not enough interest in this bill right here on the part of others supporting our heroes, our Health Care Workers, our police and fire, our services, our in of supporting state and local government. Hear state and local, it might sound bureaucratic but it isnt. Are the people who meet the needs of the American People and are on the frontlines of virus. G this once we finish this, and im pleased to hear the chairman of the ways and means committee, mr. Neal, talk about were already preparing for that. For a while because we just didnt really know that come up. Rim bill would but when it did, again, we had o meet the needs of the American People. Im so proud that all of the ills were passing has been acknowledged have been done in a bipartisan way. As the next bill will be well. But let me just correct the record, because the istinguished gentleman from texas said we held up this bill. That want to correct record, because nothing could be further from the truth and he isnt aware but let me inform. Two weeks ago, the distinguished secretary of the treasury called me and said, i eed a quarter of a trillion dollars in 48 hours. Oh, really . Well, i dont know about that. We can do. Hat lets see what the why do you need that . Next day, that was april on april 8, day democrats came together, house nd Senate Democrats and made a roposal that went beyond the 250, 250 billion for the p. P. P. , a program we helped shape and we fully support, our Small Businesses, the entrepreneurship of america, the optimism of america, the of jobs and wealth and our country. That saw some evidence everything wasnt being done as we had hoped. Proposed, one day later, that we would have an additional funding for Small Businesses. Setaside for the smallest of Small Businesses, women, minorityowned america, rural veterans, native american communities, and the rest who not shall we say bankable as some others. Underbanked, 60 billion. Another 60 billion we said for our Small Businesses. Billion on of it, 50 of it for this the idle, the assistance loans. There. Lion that 50 billion is leveraged to lending. Billion in easier lending than for some because its just a loan. Its not about the bank deciding. The other 10 billion, we wanted 15 billion, we got for the grants. So there we got 60 billion and billion, 120 billion. And another 100 billion for the hospitals. On april 8. 100 billion for the hospitals ivided, hospital, 75 billion, testing, 25 billion. The Senate Republicans went to the floor the next day on april the 24 hours from the request of the quarter of a trillion dollars, mitch went to the floor and said this is it, 250 billion, not one penny more. Is. Is what it he Senate Democrats objected, offered an amendment that includes what were voting on today. Mcconnell said absolutely not. That was it. So for one week, he kept saying, bring it up again on monday, bring it up again on thursday. That delay. Re was finally, thursday of last week, interest in negotiation. What we have on the floor today result of the not time we elayed the legislation but the time that the republicans refused to accept the facts that needed 100 billion for our hospitals and our testing. For we needed more money the those who do not have sophisticated banking have onships where we can Community Development, Financial Institutions reach into they know the re businesses, the neighborhood, the community, the customers, clients. And so we should be very, very done of the work that was by congress madam chair, Nydia Velazquez of the small committee. And madam chair, Maxine Waters, hair of the Financial Services committee, bank, Small Business, coming with an idea that was out of hand by the leader of the senate. Dont even bring that around. This. Nly thats it. Or else you dont support Small Business. O when i hear during the previous debate on the other bill and then this distinguished Ranking Member on the ways and means committee, i respect, and he knows that, to say we delayed this. No. Delayed this because now, this isnt about this is taking responsibility. Without the discussion over this pat in weekend, which resulted the Senate Passing the bill, unanimously. Mcconnell who wasnt going to do one more penny, unanimously passing the bill. It has all this additional help that we initiated. He initiated. Resisted it. He initiated it. I think its really important for people to understand what fight is about. Its not about trickle down. We were successful in turning act from a corporateoriented trickle down bill to a workers first, bubble bill, and we were proud of that and that it passed and signed by the president. Again, they just had the 250. That. Ly support we helped create that. That isnt the end of the day do. What else we needed to and the more i understand they are resistant to helping those of the scale, i cant understand why they billion for the hospitals and the testing, that is esecretari essentia of eeting the health needs the American People. I want more, of course. I want more. So now we go to the next bill. Call it the heroes act. Unfortunately, they did not want this bill heroes into today. As fully as they should by and local. State and what is the distinguished side, mr. He senate cconnell, said, i think the states should go bankrupt. Oh, really . And not pay the Health Care Workers and the hospitals and First Responders and the rest, oh, really . You think that was a idea . Its just more notion mongering guess. More attention, i i came to this floor fully happy bipartisanship. Totally sad about what it is in terms of the lives of americas uncertainty the they face and the illness that ome are suffering and the loss of life of the many others, tens of thousands have suffered. Them say, we held up doing ll, when they are today with great pride exactly what the Senate Democrats asked to do on april 9. Again i want to thank Maxine Waters and Nydia Velazquez. Frank pallone for the good work that he did, and the good staff of all those committees. My voting today on the floor the strong agreement that sets the path we had in the cares act. These are the issues that were addressed in the cares act. What we are doing we are helping Small Businesses. We strengthen the paycheck protection package. Its 310 billion, including that critical 60 billion reserve for underserved rural, urban, tribal communities. By supporting Small Businesses that cannot access p. P. E. , we secured 50 billion for Emergency Assistance lending. That would be leveraging to over 300 billion. In Disaster Assistance loans. And 10 billion more for the grants. The hospital, providers, and Health Workers, we secured 75 billion for health providers, losing revenue every day, and physicians and Health Workers risking their lives because they dont have p. P. E. They dont have p. P. E. One of the new York Hospitals i heard a nurse say on tv when she went to meet the needs of her patients, she was given not the regular gown and mask and gloves. She was given a new york yankees rain poncho. Others were wearing garbage bags. Some of them said they were wearing medical waste on their faces because they could not change the mask and they would go to maybe four patients instead of the one and disscarred. So again, we thank them. We honor them. We revere them. But we have no right to do that unless we support them with what they need. They are risking their lives to save other lives. And now they may lose their jobs unless we do our heroes act, which i look forward to doing. For testing we secured 25 billion for testing which is key. Central to reopening our economy and resuming our lives. The administration has also agreed, this is very positive, a National Testing strategy that will increase domestic Testing Capacity and address disparities, including across race, ethnicity, and geographic regions. Unfortunately, as i mentioned, administration was not ready to include funding for our heroes, our health care, fire, e. M. S. , and other essential workers, the postal system which is essential to getting information materials where they need to be. Thats why cares 2 must be our heroes act. Focusing on support for those health care and essential workers. I cant say it enough. And then with that overarching concern for them, osha, they have safety in the workplace. Family and medical leave so that they can meet the needs of their families. Cobra for those who lost their jobs for funding for cobra and i hope the administration will be receptive to that. Pension. Additional u. I. And direct payments and more. Let us be clear, the health and safety of our country will be endangered if we cannot pay the heroes who sacrifice to keep us safe. They are being fired as we speak. Mr. Schumer was referencing hospitals in his state where people were let go from public hospitals. But thats not unusual. Our teachers, the custodians of our children, being left go, we have to face that and we have to do it very soon and next. And its unacceptable that leader mcconnell thinks no further legislation is needed. Thats what he said. No further legislation is needed. And he thinks heroic workers can wait, and states who hire them should go bankrupt. As cares two projects the lives and livelihoods of the American People, it must also protect the american democracy, safeguarding the integrity of our elections, and supporting voting by mail. Again, its the lives of the people, the livelihood of the people, the life of our democratcy. Again democracy. Again our prayers are with those who are suffering. His holiness, pope francis, i quote him all the time, he said weeks ago, his world prayer, that god would enlighten those who had the responsibility to take responsibility for those in their care. Let us hope that we can all be prayerful. Take responsibility. Do the jobs the American People. We have an extraordinary opportunity to do that, but we must do so in a way that keeps them safe as we want to open our economy and do so again. Science, science, science. Let us show the same courage and strength and move with great urgency to provide the support that they need, that they provide to others. Again, we have our differences. There is no question. I heard the gentleman speak out against the 600 for people who are unemployed. I think that we have to do whatever we can to recognize that Public Policy has a role here. That governance, governance carries with it responsibilities. And opportunity, and results and progress for the American People. And that science and governance are the answers to meeting the Health Care Needs and meeting the needs of our economy as we go forward. I thank our colleagues for their leadership, Maxine Waters, Nydia Velazquez, frank pallone. So many people. Again others right now as we speak the Agriculture Committee meeting. As some of our colleagues have said, we cant do snap . They turned down snap . Food stamps at a time when americas hungry . We have our differences. But we are coming together on this particular bill. Im proud of that. It is bipartisan. It is urgent. And let us get on with it so that we can get on to supporting our heroes in a way that is worthy of their sacrifice. Thank you, madam speaker. I yield back. The speaker pro tempore the hobble yorble speaker of the house honorable speaker of the house yields back. The gentleman from massachusetts reserves. The gentleman from texas is recognized. Mr. Brady thank you, madam speaker. I yield myself 30 seconds. I respectfully remember a different history. We are only one fund was out of money, those for our Small Businesses. The president asked for us to move quickly. It was blocked in the senate by those who said, theres no proof Small Businesses need this money. I remember the speaker herself saying, there is no data that shows Small Businesses need money. Those critical funds were blocked and held up for 16 days. This agreement we have today could have been agreed to in five minutes. At this point i am proud to yield two minutes to the leading republican on the Small Business committee, mr. Chabot from ohio. The speaker pro tempore the gentleman from ohio is recognized for two minutes. Mr. Chabot i thank the gentleman from texas for yielding. Madam speaker, this is has not been an easy time for americas Small Businesses. As the Ranking Member of the house Small Business committee, i hear daily from owners of restaurants and hair salons and small retailers and manufacturers and grocers and others about the gut wrenching choices that they have been forced to make. Fortunately, the paycheck protection act created upped the cares act has already helped Small Businesses save millions of jobs and cover essential expenses. One company, for exa