Weeks agenda and reopening the u. S. During the pandemic. Mr. Hoyer i ask unanimous consent to speak out of order for one minute. The speaker pro tempore without objection. Mr. Hoyer thank you, madam speaker. As we face the crisis that covid19 has confronted with us, the house must do so in a way that contributes to the safety and welfare of our people and not that harms it. There will be no votes expected in the house next week. Members are further advised in an updated 2020 legislative calendar will be released in the coming days. I expect conversations to continue on additional legislation addressing covid19 and the legislation we passed honoring our heroes. In the event that an agreement is reached on a bipartisan or partisan bill, then we will make sure that the house has 72 hours before they need to come back to vote on that legislation. Im disappointed that leader mcconnell said when asked about the next phase of the next coronavirus relief, he said that is a decision to be made a month from now. As we know, we have a lot of people in places, we seafood lines that are very, very long. We see unemployment rising steeply. There are many people in this country that think waiting is not appropriate. Im pleased the house has adopted a resolution to allow committees to work remotely. I expect to use the coming weeks to get the committees to have hearings and markups on critical legislation. As the gentleman knows, we have a number of mustpass bills that need to be addressed. The National Defense authorization act, the 12 appropriation bills, the surface wrdaportation bill and the bill as well. As committees begin consideration, i will will let you know when they will be scheduled. I yield to the gentleman from louisiana, the minority whip. The speaker pro tempore the gentleman from louisiana is recognize dollars. Mr. Scalise thank you, madam speaker and thank my friend from maryland working through those items. I first want to start by associate myself with the comments from my friend from texas, mr. Thornberry about the loss of our dear friend, sam johnson. We got to be Close Friends and i can picture him sitting right over there by general lafayettes painting in his scooter as he was voting and sharing stories with friends in his last few months when he served here with us with distinction for so long and the conversations and just the understanding of a giant that we served with, someone who served our country. Spent seven years in the hanoi hilton. Never broken. Probably broke every bone in his body trying, but he and those other brave men in that prison never once faltered in their love and dedication to our country and to their family. And he is now with his wife in a special place and we are all better for having served with sam johnson. And he truly is missed and was a special friend. I yield to the gentleman. Mr. Hoyer echo on his comments, although congressman, a patriot, a hero, did not always vote with me nor i with him, but we game good friends and i shared with you and others in this body a deep respect for who he was as a person, decent man, patriotic man, a good man. And obviously as you have pointed out, a very courageous man as well. Served many missions. Down and he shout didnt break nor did the love for his country. And i yield to the gentleman. Mr. Scalise i thank the speaker as well for leading that tribute and im sure at some time in the future, we will spend an appropriate amount of time here on the floor where colleagues can share those stories about someone that everybody ought to know. I know we have some giants like john lewis and sam johnson, who we got to serve with. Sam left and now is no longer with us and john still is and he is going through his own battle and we pray for john as well. As we have our battles of debate politically, its good to remember the special people that get to make up this body and become part of this Great Institution of which we have the honor to serve. I appreciate the speaker and the leader to allow us to have that moment. Nd i yield to the gentleman. The speaker i thank the gentleman for yielding. What a day for all of us but an honor to serve with sam johnson and serve with him in the congress. I appreciate that you mentioned him and john lewis in the same sentence because i had the privilege and john larson set up a heres night. And i had the privilege of giving sam the award that night as a true hero. And he was funny. And he always beamed when he talked about shirley and he loved the children and his son bob. And bob. With shirley this is a very special person. I was mentioning to the distinguished whip earlier, we were there when the room was made and his picture. He wanted to always celebrate the recognition that he received so that he cor both in his partisanship and his patriotism which we all admired. I was mentioning to the distinguished whip and mr. Thornberry, that on one of those cages, he has a fellow prisoner of war there with him. And that is beyond anything we can imagine, the strength, the courage, the patriotism, just the faith in god that he had. So thank you for the opportunity to share some just personal comments about a really great man. Always friendly, always smiling, always teasing about our political differences, but as always, just being a model of greatness to all of us. I yield back. I yield back to mr. Hoyer, who was a good friend of sam johnson, i know. Mr. Scalise if anyone wants to read his book captive warriors tells his stories about the heroes he served in that prison with and the unbrookeable love between he and shirley and never weafered of her love of him, seven years removed and she didnt know he was alive. He loved her, he mourned her death. It was something for all of us to again as we have our daily battles here, just to know, special kind of people to serve with and he was surely one. And i yield back. Mr. Hoyer madam speaker, as i said, what we are going to do over the next couple of weeks, we have adopted a rule that allows the committees to meet even if they cant be here for Health Reasons depending on what the status is in d. C. And capitol and around the country, including transportation, the rule we adopted is that committees, in order to conduct virtual or hybrid hearings, practice session and then two hearings before they go to a markup. If we are going to work on this floor, we need product and product comes from the committees. So im very hopeful that the committees will be getting up and running at top speed in many respects. And the committees have been working so very hard and the members have been working so very hard on both sides of the aisle as they have been home and talking to their hospitals and governors and county commissioners and their local folks, nursing home administrators, so many people we have kept in touch with through these weeks to see what we can do to assist them whatever they needed. But the committees will be getting up to speed. They will be qualifying for having hearings and i expect work product to be coming later this month and be giving notice in the near term on a longer term schedule. But the house will not be in session next week. And then we will be looking at how the committees are proceeding from that point on. And we we will give 72 hours notice to members when and if we have to come back. And i would also say that we are ry hopeful that a republican colleagues will engage in the matters included in the hero bill because our states are struggling. My state is a relatively wealthy state. The revenues are off 20 to 25 . I dont know what louisianas is well. Cities and counties are struggling. The revenue reduction, which is a direct result of covid19. And so we are trying to help those states. In addition, we invested substantial sums in testing, isolating, tracing, treating individuals. We need to follow up on who they have contacted so we can make sure they isolate themselves and only way to get a handle on this is to reduce the transmission from one to the other and we are hopeful that we will develop and there is money in there to develop a therapeutic to mitigate the adverse effects of covid19 and also a vaccine to protect us from getting covid19. But until that happens, we also need to give additional help to our Small Businesses and individuals who are really struggling as unemployment is at historic levels. Over 38 million americans, maybe its closer to 40 million americans without jobs. We have given them assistance and need to give them some more, but thats where we stand now. And we will operate with the intent in mind of getting the business of the house done in addition to the extraordinary work that we have done and five responses now from the house on the effects that the coronavirus has caused in this country, both to human beings health and health of our economy. Mr. Scalise when you look at the work weve done together to help try to address the problems country, both conomically, the health side, Small Businesses, medium size businesses, large businesses, state, local government, that have f dollars already been spent. When you think just about the hundreds of billions of dollars through ent to states various means, whether its direct aid, the 150 billion that we sent to states, ach state got a large share of that money. Billions of dollars, in some cases for each state. One state that spent all of their allotment. Many are working to try to to re out if theyre going help local governments or not. It was surely our intention here hat it wouldnt just be for states, that 45 of that money should be available for local governments as well. Governors to espect that intent of this body, but rather than continuing to look to washington, i think looking ed to start within and saying how can we work to safely reopen our States States done other it successfully if other states are behind. Models out there. Thats why we always say the states are the great incubators democracy. States we all have smart people in this country that are out. Ing this states that are reopening uccessfully, that havent seen spikes in their hospitals, have done things and working off guidance from the centers for to successfully get their economies back open again. Back open at the level it needs to be and thats why we need to encourage so ybody to safely reopen that the real answer to states let have budget problems is them start get their economies going again, get people back to again, get people get their checkups and the immunizations arent children that getting immunized and the cancer treatments and the mammograms colonoscopies that have been skipped for months and we are seeing studies coming out from respected Health Experts that are talking about the real Health Danger of having shutins and people not getting out again. So we have to weigh all of this nd we have to keep encouraging the great progress were seeing from some of these great drug that ies here in america are working on a cure, that are inding therapies that are effective for covid19, with the help, by the way, with some of the trillions of dollars that we in washington. Hopefully a vaccine. About theauci talking possibility of a vaccine being available soon. We need to make sure were to help ramp up production when that is found so we can make it available to to take it. Ants we need to be focused, also, on Holding China accountable. Need to be focused on ringing production back to america. P. P. E. , which was in short supply in those critical weeks found out china, while they were lying to the world the this disease and w. H. O. Joining in with them, was ofpping, blocking the export p. P. E. , which they make the lions share of. American companies in china that werent even allowed to sell p. P. E. Back to us when place to do rs in so. And so we should be that. Igating im sorry thats not happening here. We should be addressing how we can bring more of that manufacturing back to america to create new jobs for americans making our own protective equipment for our frontline like doctors and nurses. Unfortunately, that focus hasnt been there. Issue is, where hould Congress Role be in this . Shouldnt congress be the lead n safely reopening and do our work . While we have had a limited number of opportunities to come back here and vote directly on a house floor, its been smooth process. Its been a process thats been staggered mbers, votes where social distancing, which is still the standard that practicing, uld be is able to be exercised in a safe and effective way. Very big had a difference on the proxy voting. I think we have already seen of that process, but the real issue is, when are we going o get back to a functioning regular schedule for the house representatives . As we are watching Major Companies you saw disney say parks in pening their a new weeks. You have the National Basketball association talking about playing games again. Whether or not there are fans in the stands, you talk about a exercise cant exercise social distancing, theyre working on protocols right now to test players, but to go on. Ames we all know the physical nature of a sport like basketball or football or hockey is talking about coming back. Again. Is already racing as all of these things are ideas in and these these great ways to safely get different parts of our economy we dont even know what the schedule of the house is, when the house will actually when k voting again, committees the Armed Services committee could be in a large room in the capitol thats vacant right now debating the National Defense authorization act so we dont bringing up legislation at the midnight hour. We can actually start working on that now. Done here in be washington. Doesnt have to be done remotely. These are the concerns that we would ask, is there going to when the majority leader would put out a new shows e that actually what our voting pattern will be . E know, obviously, when you look at may and april and even that has changed. But at some point, will it be mid june . It be mid july when we are these . Some of again, if nba players can play basketball in july, cant we have a regular schedule by then hat the house will be conducting business . Weve seen the spanish flu and in horses to get here and buggies and they figured out how to do it. Again, in the way, showing people how to safely do our business with a consistent right now doesnt exist . I would yield to the gentleman. Mr. Hoyer the answer is yes. Going to we are have mr. Scalise do we know when . Term. Yer in the near we have to find out how our committees can operate. National say the Defense Authorization bill on both sides of the aisle, theyve very hard at ery, phone, in other ways. So i expect them to be ready to the floor this summer. To pass that bill before the summer break, thats certain. Mr. Scalise if i can ask the gentleman on the voting and its in committee and clearly there are rooms here in the capitol. Youve seen the rules committee the ways and Means Committee where theyre able to be spread out at distances well the safe standards of social distancing, well beyond ix feet, where you can have inperson hearings, where the back and forth of a debate and with it, that would go here a proxy vote doesnt fit that situation does occur, i hope we will do that. When we look at this partisan have been a exercise. I know early off we talked about trying to find a way to conduct business where both parties would agree. The minority leader and the speaker were talking about doing that. We thought that would be how it would end up and then, of course, that wasnt what voting. With the proxy but even the gentleman, you just somebody that if proxy voted, it would be for Health Reasons. For the first time, this new experiment thats 230 been done in over years was conducted, there were members who voted by proxy, that g a document saying they couldnt be here to physically attend proceedings yet, turns out they were in other places. In some cases, it took them to get to a rocket launch than it would have taken them to get here to the United States capitol. In clear violation of the intent of proxy voting. Was just on the first day. So i dont know if the gentleman proxy g to revisit voting. But clearly weve seen most eople can come here and do the work, but even some who chose here. Could have been and what message does that send to the country when we should be to ones leading the way safely reopen . I would yield. The country think is distancing itself as well. I dont know whether you drove work today, but hardly any cars are on the street. Hardly any cars on the street in new york. The reason is because people are taking the advice of the and practicing social distancing. We think that makes sense. With nk thats consistent medical advice and thats what weve been doing. Say, they could have been here, but there are a lot of west coast members who get on airplanes. Some of those airplanes now, because there are so few flights, are crowded and people are concerned because they are not practicing social distancing. Know, i think we are ost of us, when were speaking when im speaking i dont wear a mask but if you see see me e capitol, you coming in and out of the capitol, getting into my car, i have a mask on. Were setting an example. Were setting an example how you floor, here on this which were all practicing right now. So i think the house is setting example of understanding that its not business as usual. The when you walk down the street and people are wearing masks, you know its not business as usual. Its not america of ago. Or four months so in any event, i think were going to proceed. Do the business of the american people. Did that this last two days, passed a number of very bills, important bills to small business, in particular. Sorry we didnt resolve the fisa question, but we did go to conference. What happens on that. So we have passed as the inary earlier, mentioned extraordinary legislation in this house throughout the last two months to ensure that the help an people got the they needed and that the country, while undergirded to the extent we could, so weve done a lot of work. Want to say this i think we a disservice to our members and to this institution if we go home and pretend that somehow members arent working because not physically in this room. I presume your members, but i tell you, the members on my side of the aisle working round the clock, clock, ating round the and that bill that we passed in way, we took a lot f time, days and days and days and days of hour and hour and hourlong conversations to get consensus on what ought to be in that bill. We passed it in a bipartisan way. Did theesumption is you same. I dont know. I was not on your phone calls. Disservice, i think i dont mean you, personally, but we do a disservice to allow or anybody else nobodys on vacation. People are working harder now we didnt have this observation. In my move on. Opeful we will hopeful we will be back to usual as soon as possible. Operative word, with the advice of our capitol physician, with the advice of administration, my own governor. States i have a republican governor, governor hogan. Was one of my predecessors. Very cautioustill and urging caution of our itizens. Mr. Hoyer im prepared to yield back the time. Mr. Scalise we have a disagreement on how business should be cuggetted on the house floor specifically as it relates to proxy voting and whether or not we can be here physically doing the job and clearly when were at home in our districts and finding other ways to get work done and communicate with constituents and communicate with people around the nation and using technology has definitely helped. But its not the same thing as when we are here. One piece is the ability to be here. We have the ability to be here. There are flights and if someone is not comfortable flying, they used to take horse and buggy but yet they found a way to get here in tougher times. You look at the message we are trying to send. Yes, there are some places, that you dont have traffic on the road because their first have chosen not to open as progressively as others using safety protocols. No one is talking about compromising safety. Many states have shown how to safely reopen and get people back outdoing the things that they want to do again. And thats the real issue is that you are watching aspects of the private sector and watching other levels of government, large cities, large states that are reopening and doing it successfully, not overrunning our hospitals. Hospitals are telling us they want more patients and the people that would normally be getting their checkups and hip replacements and things that are part of their life cycle of their quality of life and ability to live with cancer treatments that arent being done. There are people dying right now because they are not being tended to. In my home parish and talked to my coroner about this and took a sixweek period and took that exact sixweek period a year ago d 42 in noncovidrelated deaths in my parish. People arent going out, werent going to the doctor. If they had chest pains, they werent going to the Doctors Office because they were dying in their house. These are real numbers from the coroner. There is a problem that is created by not allowing people to go about their lives again in a safe way. We need to lead the way to show people. We had house votes in the midst of this pandemic and went smoothly and better ways to do it, well do it. We followed the protocols of the attending physician. I didnt hear members complaining about it. Everyone is practicing the social distancing that we all encourage and we are not doing it on a consistent basis and that doesnt send the right message. As the gentleman reworks the schedule and take into account it is important for us to show the rest of the country we can do our job. There are things that we do remotely. If we are in a threeweek schedule in d. C. And one week in our districts, we need to stay in touch with the people that elected us and we come back here and represent them better but we have to come back here and do the work. You cant phone it in sometimes and cant do it remotely. There are certain parts of our job that we have to be here. Things change on the fly. If you are back home or going to some other event somewhere else because you choose not to come here, its hard to say you gave your proxy to somebody and things change two minutes before a vote, hard for that person to know how to change their vote by proxy when they are not here. There are flaws in that that dont need to be here because we have proven we can be here. I hope that is taken into account and the new schedule shows that and released as soon as possible as industry and groups are starting to show how we can come back safely. Not last. 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