And allowing the government to negotiate medication Prescription Drug prices. And for residents and homers to stay in their homes during the pandemic. Live coverage of the house. The speaker pro tempore the house will be in order. The prayer will be offered by father conroy. Chaplain conroy let us pray. God, thank you for giving us another day. Those who omfort suffer from coronavirus. Healing. Bless and comfort those who mourn the loss of loved ones in wake of covid19. Psalmist, we turn to you. Have mercy upon us, o god, for treated harshly. Harshly all t us the day. Attackers. Re our almost high when we are afraid place our trust. We praise the word of god. Not fear. N god and do all the day our enemies foil our plans. Their every thought is of evil against us. Lie in wait for our lives. Our threats are many, o god. Unrest in Police Reform, aggressive russian and policies, a struggling economy. Our time of need. Bless the peoples house and may that is done be for your amen. R honor and glory, the speaker pro tempore housent to section 4a of resolution 967, the journal of he last days proceedings is approved. The pledge of allegiance will be from the gentleman california. I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of america and to the republic for which it stands, one nation under god, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all. Entertain up to 15 the speaker pro tempore the chair will entertain up to 15 peechess for oneminute seechs for each on each side of the aisle. The hat purpose does gentleman from california seek recognition . Without objection, the gentleman is recognized for one minute. Thank you, madam speaker. Small businesses in orange across the United States are struggling. States and local governments have given shops and restaurants green light for reopening but have failed to provide businesses with the resources need to open safely. Introduce the bipartisan helping businesses with safely act of 2020 congressman brian mast of florida. This bill would provide a tax redit to Small Businesses, nonprofits and local governments annually to 000 purchase personal protective equipment and other supplies mitigatingsential to the spread of covid19. Rouda p. P. E. , like most sks, are the effective way to keep people safe and the economy running. Bill will provide safe and clean. My bill will help businesses open while protecting the public customers anders, communities. I urge my colleagues to support nd pass this crucial legislation. I yield back. The speaker pro tempore for what purpose does the entlewoman from North Carolina seek recognition . Ms. Foxx i ask permission to ddress the house for one minute, madam speaker. The speaker pro tempore without objection. Madam x thank you, speaker. Smith rounds airport located in North Carolinas Fifth District designated as North Carolinas first legacy airport. Miller ly named municipal field in 1927, the renamed in 1942 reynolds d. Smith foundation made a donation to the airport. Army corps ed as an facility and was the birthplace or piedmont airlines, the legacy carrier that merged with u. S. Airways. A vital xhoenent of the component of the piedmont, North Carolina, and will continue to so. Since with this designation horizon, im confident will continue t to be a vital component of the community and that north aviation sector will continue to grow and contribute states vibrant economy. Back. D the speaker pro tempore for what purpose does the gentleman from oregon seek recognition . Mr. Blumenauer to address the house for one minute and to revise and extend. The speaker pro tempore without the gentleman is recognized for one minute. Mr. Blumenauer thank you, madam speaker. Im proud of the rapid action the house took, 3 trillion pproved on a bipartisan basis with the senate and weve moved act, d with the heroes another 3 trillion thats pending action. E fixed the p. P. P. To better meet the needs of Small Businesses. Ut one area needs special attention. Over 500,000 independent with 11 million employees are going to face consequences this year. Half of the e, one unemployed, 5. 5 Million People, from the independent restaurants area. Attention l tailored federal help, were oing to see 85 of them disappear for good. Im pleased to have introduced on a bipartisan basis the act, house bill would establish 120 billion fund tailored to provide ssistance for independent restaurants. I strongly urge my colleagues to talk to their independent the cornerstone of a vital community. Them act now, we can save yet this year. A vital element in each and of our communities. The ouse bill 7197, restaurants act, will provide massive support. The speaker pro tempore the gentlemans time has expired. Mr. Blumenauer at a time when it is needed. Thank you, madam speaker. The speaker pro tempore for what purpose does the gentleman from texas seek recognition . Madam speaker, i ask unanimous consent to speak for one minute and to revise and extend my remarks. The speaker pro tempore without objection, the gentleman is recognized for one minute. Madam speaker, the of stafford, fort bain county, the state of texas, and of american lost a great man sunday, marilyn arrested mar arrested. He listened to all, regardless hat country you came from or where he wore shipped. His life was worshipped. Making human bout life better. Or 51 years as mayor, he did just that, helping texas 1967, ents to stafford open the door to fort bend to corporate america. Not happy with the public education, stafford, he fought the only cityrun school board in texas. Opened the stafford finance center in 2014. Proudly governed without one penny of property tax. Leonard who brought the bapsdue 0,000 piece 2014. To stafford in to close hindu temple to in 2014. Nearly one million texans in county are mourning now. I join them. The mayor. I yield back. The speaker pro tempore for what purpose does the gentleman from texas seek recognition . To ask unanimous consent address the house for one minute. The speaker pro tempore without objection, the gentleman is recognized for one minute. Madam speaker, i call today pass the colleagues to Patient Protection and act. Dable care enhancement mr. Veasey because we are in the middle of a Global Pandemic 130,000 lled almost americans and is ravaging my texas and have lept our hospital left our now,itals overwhelmed right its now more important that we do everything we can to strengthen the a. C. A. Has important legislation already given access to millions now have that have lifesaving health care, many who could not previously access it. This legislation that im working on now places critical provisions like lower Health Strengthening conditions for people with reexisting conditions, negotiating for low Prescription Drug prices and expanding health are by pressing for Medicaid Expansion. Let me tell you something, madam speaker. In dont want to get sick texas right now. You dont want to get sick in texas right now. Overwhelmed are because of the inaction of our governor. Shameful and anything that e can do here to help the crisis that we have back in our state thats also about to grip ther states in this nation, we need to act on it now. Time cannot wait. Yield back the balance of my time. The speaker pro tempore for what purpose does the gentleman from new jersey seek recognition . Mr. Pallone madam speaker, ursuant to h. Res. 1017, i call up h. R. 1425. The speaker pro tempore the clerk will report the title of the bill. The clerk Union Calendar number bill to amend a the Patient Protection and ffordable care act to provide for an improved Health Insurance affordability fund, to provide certain reinsurance payments to lower premiums in the individual Health Insurance market. The speaker pro tempore pursuant to House Resolution amendment eu of the in the nature of a substitute recommended by the committee on nergy and commerce printed in this bill, an amendment in the nature of a substitute text of the rules 11656 modified by the amendment printed in part 116436 is eport bill, as d the amended, is considered as read. Bill, as amended, shall be debatable for three hours among the ided controlled respective chairs and ranking minority members of the on education and labor, energy and commerce, and means. D the gentleman from virginia, mr. Scott, and the gentlewoman from ms. Foxx, the gentleman from new jersey, mr. Pallone, the gentleman from mr. Walden, the gentleman from massachusetts, mr. Neal, and the gentleman from texas, mr. Brady, each will control 30 minutes. Recognizes the gentleman from new jersey. Mr. Pallone madam speaker, i ask unanimous consent that all members may have five legislative days to revise and and add eir remarks extraneous material on h. R. 1425, the Patient Protection and enhancement act. The speaker pro tempore without objection. Mr. Pallone madam speaker, i ield myself such time as i may consume. The speaker pro tempore the gentleman from new jersey. Mr. Pallone madam speaker, as to face the tinue severe pandemic and a economic downturn, theyre justifiably concerned about health and financial future. Today were here to provide more relief to the American People. Strong support of h. R. 1425, the Patient Protection and Affordable Care act, legislation that will make health care and Prescription Drugs more will expand d access to Health Coverage. The legislation strengthens Affordable Care act for the future, which is critical at a time when the trump and republicans continue to support a lawsuit before the Supreme Court that strike down the entire a. C. A. These actions could result in 23 their Americans Losing Health Coverage and the elimination of critical consumer 130 ctions for more than Million People with preexisting conditions during the middle of pandemic. Sadly, this is nothing new. Over the last four years, much of the a. C. A. s progress has and in some case trump d by the administrations sab ton sabotage campaign. The Trump Administrations actions have driven up the uninsured rate. More millions of americans are uninsured and to id theyll not be able afford the cost of care if they become sick. The Patient Protection and Affordable Care enhancement act reverse these trends. This legislation is a ommonsense, fiscally responsible, onetwo punch that uses the federal governments savings from lowering costs to lowerug Health Insurance costs for americans. Empoweringes this by the secretary of health and Human Services to negotiate a Prescription Drugs. This legislation stops the gouging at the pharmacy counter americans no at longer pay four, five, or 10 times the amount people in other pay for the exact same drug. In this negotiation, not only it level the playing field, it saves hundreds of billions of dollars. Reinvest will then these savings to Lower Health Care costs for consumers and to to Affordable Care. More middleclass americans would receive Financial Assistance with monthly a family of four, for example, with an annual income would save 2,000 annually and a family of four income of ual 100,000 who previously didnt would save subsidies 8,000 every year. This is in addition to the under the y also had underlying a. C. A. This is under this bill in addition to what they normally save. Thats real savings to hardworking families. This legislation also lowers american Health Care Costs by reversing some of the worst sabotage from the Trump Administration. It reverses the administrations expansion ever junk Insurance Plans that leave patients saddled with thousands of dollars in medical debt. It restores critical outreach and enrollment funding gutted by the Trump Administration. And it reduces racial and Ethnic Health care disparities. H. R. 1425 also builds on the a. C. A. s Medicaid Expansion and further strengthens this important program. It provides additional incentives to states that sub bornly refuse stubbornly refuse tokes spanned their programs. Many of the red states have done that, they just refused to expand medicaid. These hote holdout states if they expand medicaid 4. 8 Million People would gain medicaid coverage overnight, including 2. 3 million uninsured americans. This bill also takes an important step to address the countrys Maternal Mortality crisis by extending medicaid postpartum coverage from 60 days to one year. Simply put this policy will save lives. Madam speaker, the Patient Protection affordable enhancement act Lowers Health care and Prescription Drug costs, expands coverage for millions of americans, and reverses the Trump Administrations years long effort to undermine americans access to quality and Affordable Health care. I strongly urge my colleagues to support this bill. I reserve the balance of my time. Thank you, madam speaker. The speaker pro tempore the gentleman from oregon is recognized. Mr. Walden thank you, madam speaker. I yield myself such time as i may consume. Madam speaker, our constituents are looking for us to put aside partisan politics. They want us not to play political games. And they want to us find Common Ground to address the unprecedented deadly challenges caused by covid19. We need to Work Together to lower Prescription Drug prices. We need to Work Together to aid states and stabblizing Health Markets damaged by the a. C. A. We need to Work Together to lower outofpocket costs for patients, including capping seniors drug costs under medicare, encourage participation in private Health Insurance, and we really need to fund our Community Health centers. We need to increase the options available through the market and end surprise medical billing. We could do all that, we could do it together, and it could become law. Unfortunately, instead, here we are, wasting time on a partisan bill that has zero chance of becoming law. This is no way to govern at any time, but especially in a pandemic. At a time when we are asking our nations innovators to find new cures and treatments to address covid19 at record speed and investment, democrats want to enact a socialist drug pricing scheme that could devastate this countrys innovation in the middle of a Global Pandemic. Frankly, its unconscionable. This legislation before us today provides 100 billion in bailouts for Insurance Companies at a time when insurers are not paying for elective procedures due to covid. We all want to make premiums more affordable, but all signs indicate insurers do not need a bailout right now. Wouldnt that money be better spent, madam speaker, on funding our nations Community Health centers, giving them certainty rather than letting their funding run out in a matter of months . They are on the frontlines of this fight in our communities. They are on the frontlines of the fight on testing and treating patients in rural and underserved communities. Shouldnt we fund them . Give them stability and certainty . Speaking of moneys poorly spent, today democrats are proposing we spend 400 million to prop up obamacares enrollment. This includes 100 million for the failed and discredited navigators program. 100 million for outreach in marketing only for a. C. A. Client plans. Not any of the more affordable alternatives and 200 billion for states to boost enrollment and no Strings Attached no. Transparency, no accountability. This law has been on the books for 10 years, and we must spend nearly half a billion dollars to make it look like its working . This bill democrats want to force states to expand medicaid allowing expansion states to get 100 of medicaid payments while punishing, punishing in the middle of pandemic taking money away from nonexpansion states. Taking it away from their medicaid. Thats what this bill does. If they dont expand, federal governments heavy hand comes in and takes money back out of medicaid. Its vin particular difficult and probably unconstitutional. The Supreme Court, madam speaker, said expansion is the states decisions. This legislation violates that. We need to Work Together with the states as partners not treat them like