Transcripts For CSPAN U.S. House Of Representatives U.S. House Of Representatives 20240712

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 subordinates. In the last congress i advocated for multiple policies that would help states stabilize Health Markets damaged by the a. C. A. , unfortunately House Democrats repeatedly blocked our ideas. We all want patients to have access to high quality and affordable Health Coverage, but this measure doubles down on policies that have already failed. One thing is clear, we need to make our Health Care System work better for all americans. Thats why our goal should be to advance solutions to protect patients. To stabilize health care markets. To encourage greater flexibility for states. And to promote policies to help americans get and keep coverage. Madam speaker, i have Great Respect for the chairman. We worked together on a number of different issues in the congress with Great Success at the energy and Commerce Committee. Unfortunately, our bipartisan work to lower drug prices was derailed by the speaker in december when she decided to force politics over real progress. I recently read an article about a man suffering from a. L. S. Who has dedicated his life to finding a cure. Like americans with a. L. S. There are millions of americans suffering from other life threatening or debilitating diseases like cancer or sickle cell anemia, they are hoping and their families are hoping that one day there will be a cure. Its not debatable the bill before us today will reduce the number of new treatments in the future. New medicines, new lifesaving medicines, perhaps. Council of economic advisors found there could be more than 100 fewer treatments, fewer medicines that would never be invented, never be discovered. If this legislation we are going to vote op becomes law. 100 fewer. We can lower drug prices while preserving the hope those praying for a cure have. There is Common Ground to be had here. I have offered many times to work on Bipartisan Legislation that would lower drug costs without limiting perhaps even ending innovation. H. R. 19 is a bill comprised entirely of bipartisan policies. Thats our republican alternate. Its alternative. Its not just a republican alternative everything in there is bipartisan. Already seven of the provisions we put in months ago have been signed into law, proving that it is, indeed, a bipartisan package. Instead of pursuing proven Bipartisan Solutions, unfortunately democrats again are forcing partisan politics on this house and this country. Fewer options per patients at a time when we need more treatments and cures than most this. Bill is a peril stration why americans are so cynical about washington. The American People deserve better. Madam speaker, i urge a no vote and i reserve the balance of my time. The speaker pro tempore the gentleman from new jersey is recognized. Mr. Pallone thank you, madam speaker. I yield now two minutes to a long time champion of the a. C. A. , the chairwoman of our Health Subcommittee, ms. Eshoo. The speaker pro tempore the gentlewoman from california is recognized for two minutes. Ms. Eshoo thank you, madam speaker. And i thank the chairman of the energy and Commerce Committee. I rise in support of h. R. 1425, the Patient Protection and Affordable Care enhancement act. Today we deliver on our promise to the American People to undo the Trump Administrations total sabotage of the Affordable Care act and make Health Care Affordable for every american. Since the a. C. A. Was signed into law, 23 million americans have been insured. Every person with preexisting condition was protected and children could stay on their parents Health Insurance policy until they turned 26. Now in the middle of a pandemic and a recession. The Trump Administration and Congressional Republicans are supporting a lawsuit before the Supreme Court. Imagine this. To strike down the entirety of the a. C. A. I think that there is one word for this, cruel. H. R. 1425 does the opposite. It strengthens the a. C. A. And makes Health Care Affordable by lowering premiums and reducing drug prices. The bill ensures that no american will pay more than 8. 5 of their income for insurance premiums, benefiting approximately 20 million americans. The bill allows medicare to directly negotiate the price of the costliest drugs and the lower prices will be available to every american, including those who receive their Health Insurance through their employer. H. R. 1425 extends coverage to nearly five million americans by pushing the holdout states to finally expand medicaid. This would be such a blessing to people in those states whose governors denied them Health Insurance coverage. It also mandates 12 months of medicaid coverage for eligible postpartum mothers and ensures i request an additional minute. Mr. Pallone yield an extra minute. Ms. Eshoo thank you. It mandates 12 months of medicaid coverage for eligible postpartum mothers and ensures that once a person is enrolled in medicaid, regardless of their income changes, they will be covered for a full year. The bill ends the Trump Administrations expansion of junk Insurance Plans which exclude coverage of routine care. Imagine that. What kind of policy doesnt coverage routine care . And has left patients on the hook for thousands of dollars in medical bills. And it reinstates critical funding for outreach, marketing, and enrollment so more americans can easily sign up for insurance. Im very proud that many of parts of this bill originated in the Health Subcommittee which i chair where my first hearings as chair examined how to strengthen the a. C. A. This is good for the American People. Especially during this crisis of a pandemic and a recession. I yield back the balance of my time. The speaker pro tempore the gentleladys time has expired. The gentleman from oregon. Mr. Walden i now yield three minutes to the Ranking Member and former chairman of the Health Subcommittee on the energy and Commerce Committee, dr. Burgess. The speaker pro tempore the gentleman from texas is recognized for three minutes. Mr. Burgess i thank the gentleman for yielding. The Affordable Care act for the last 10 years really has been anything but affordable. Prices have gone up every year in spite of what we were promised. Its only been the last two years that premiums have actually begun to reduce. That is because of some of the policies enacted by the current administration. Expanding the feedsibility of limited duration plans, expanding Association Health plans. Hen we talk about this bill to expand the Affordable Care act, what we are really doing is increasing the unaffordability of health care in this country. This, h. R. 25, establishes a new Reinsurance Program and its going to cost 10 billion per year forever. There is no end date. This Reinsurance Program does not include some of the longstanding protections that ensure that federal funding could not be used to pay for abortions. If we want to pass a bipartisan rei shurens policy reinsurance policy, Energy Commerce republicans have a bill, h. R. 1510, which includes reinsurance coupled with structural reform of the Affordable Care act and gives states more choice on how to repair their markets that have been damaged by the Affordable Care act. And it is offset by stopping bad actors from gaming the system. Importantly it does include the hyde protections and therefore protects life. H. R. 1425 also punishes the states that choose not to expand medicaid by cutting their federal share of medicaid funding. Lets be very clear about this. A state such as mine that did not expand medicaid, reevaluates year by year, but if they choose not to expand, if they say they cant afford what this expansion would bring to the state, now this bill proposes to reduce the funding, the federal match for the traditional medicaid populations and who are they . Blind, age, disabled, medically fragile, children, women. Why would we want to do that . Now, remember the reason we have some states expanding medicaid and some not is because of a Supreme Court indicate. National federation of which dent business, ruled that not expanding is 204 stitutional, sections and 205 of this bill would iolate those very same principles and coerce states ather than incentivize them to expand medicaid. This will be struck down by the Supreme Court as well. Lastly, this bill uses offsets actively harm our nations Coronavirus Response by h. R. 3 that from would require the government to et prices and confiscate cological farm pharmacolo i yield back to the gentleman. Mr. Walden madam speaker, id just point out as we sit here oday oklahoma, under a republican governor, has chosen to expand medicaid coverage. Work. How it should not penalizing system. With that i reserve the balance of my time. The speaker pro tempore the new jersey is recognized. Mr. Pallone thank you, madam speaker. Minutes to the gentleman from oregon, mr. Schrader a member of the energy and Commerce Committee. The speaker pro tempore the gentleman from oregon is recognized for two minutes. Schrad you thank mr. Schrader thank you. Favor of the k in Patient Protection and Affordable Care enhancement act. The bill before us today has a variety of provisions that ive long time supporter of. And now, given the Current Crisis with covid19, many of these provisions are important than ever before. Drug prices to save people money, we do it in all life. S of our we need to do it here. Im also proud to lead effort with brett, included in todays bill, to nsure folks who are losing their Employer Sponsored Health Care Coverage are aware that that s to maintain coverage include both cobra and the marketplace. Also maintains states flexibility to ensure resources individuals that need the help the most. Y state of oregon has a waiver Reinsurance Program under section 1332 of the a. C. A. And within the first year it already started saving money for families by providing a a 10 to premium increase. These provisions in this bill bolster and augment states and other states to afford this type of program. While the impact of the not be seen ay that ately we know will have insurance raise up. The a. C. A. Went into effect, weve seen positive trends in coverage and utilization and must continue to build on the parts we know that are working and in no small part the Medicaid Expansion thats helping so many. All of our states are facing now. T crises right and more folks are shifting over to medicaid as they lose their jobs. Health care as an investment upfront, it pays ividends on the back and by driving Preventative Care and reducing costly treatments. I encourage my colleagues on side of the aisle to consider supporting the comprehensive bill before us today. And i yield back. The speaker pro tempore the gentleman from oregon is recognized. Mr. Walden thank you, madam speaker. To his time id like recognize a member of the energy and Commerce Committee, dr. Two minutes. The speaker pro tempore the gentleman from indiana is recognized for two minutes. R. Bucshon madam speaker, first of all, i want to echo all the points made by mr. Walden in his opening statement. Ago obamacare became the law of the land. This massive Near Government health of our nations care system came full of empty promises. President obama and a famouslyonal democrats promised americans that if you like your doctor, you can keep your doctor. To be true. Out not millions of americans lost ccess to their doctor as insurance has resulted to Narrow Networks. Nstead of seeing premiums decrease by 2,500 as president have promised, americans seen premiums and deductibles skyrocket. Accessible serve an that promotes quality care and peace of mind, not a down socialized onesizefitsall single payer Health Care System that would put the government in charge of most personal decisions families will ever make. Rather than working to find solutions for patients, democrats are choosing o double down on obamacares biggest flaws, all focused on drug pricing. Hey plan to give washington power to set drug prices. Ell, we know that nonpartisan analysis determined this would result in fewer medicines being developed and fewer cures. A physician, ive had to share bad news with families. That all too well eliminating just one new drug, how devastating that will be. Cureif that new drug was a for alzheimers, sickle cell a. L. S. Or maybe a vaccine for covid19 . Seriousrats want to get about addressing our Nations Health care problems and lowering Prescription Drug place to start is h. R. 19, Bipartisan Legislation that would lower outofpocket access to new ct and innovative cures and increase transparency. Turn americas Health Care System around with ommonsense, patientcentered solutions. Sadly, h. R. 1425 puts the federal government at the the patient. I urge my colleagues to vote no. Thank you and i yield back. The speaker pro tempore the yields back. Mr. Walden i reserve. The speaker pro tempore the gentleman reserves. New jersey. N from mr. Pallone madam speaker, i ield two minutes now to a member of the energy and Commerce Committee, the gentleman from massachusetts, mr. Kennedy. The speaker pro tempore the is leman from massachusetts recognized for two minutes. Mr. Kennedy thank you, madam speaker. Chairman. Mr. Madam speaker, yesterday afternoon, i spent a few moments a woman named the terese. Through an oxygen tube and a mask and surrounded by four of her family, she told me of the challenge of sheng with copd even though never smoked a cigarette. Her brother both passed away in that home. She was addiments that she adamant that she would too. He was hoping to make it for just a few more months. Was contingent on having access to health care. In ss that our president court just this last week was still trying to take away. How is our r, country made stronger by taking her health care . What kind of person, let alone administration, looks to the livesge of nearly 120,000 lost, 2 1 2 million infected by bestdemic and decides that response is to take away health care from millions more . Great about an administration that idly watches 0 million americans lose their jobs and then tries to take away their health care too . Morally bankrupt that we can afbish praise on lavish praise on essential workers and hen strip them access to medicine . All so that the rich can become richer, the powerful more by a massiveked up tax cut and aggregation of power. Te madam speaker, this moment has proved, lake many other moments nation, that our fates are linked, that our future is uncertain. We have a choice. Advance together or scramble on our own. Our generations of theresas family know the answer. We know that answer. It. Y is our chance to prove thank you, madam speaker. I yield back. The speaker pro tempore the gentlemans time has expired. The gentleman from oregon is recognized. You, madam thank speaker. One of the greatest tragedies theresas family and all merican families is what the Congressional Budget Office tells what this bill will do. Cures. T is 38 fewer 38. What if one of those was a cure for copd . Now recognize the gentleman from georgia, our pharmacist on the committee, mr. Carter, for two minutes. The speaker pro tempore the gentleman from georgia is recognized for two minutes. Mr. Carter i thank the gentleman for yielding. I rise today in opposition to this obamacare list legislation. And i want to start off by how g, madam chair, disappointed i am, how this ointed i am that comes this partisan Health Care Legislation is being moved such a serious time in our nations response to the pandemic. Developed and written without republican input which seems to be the thing to these things. I was up here last week talking about the policing bill. Same thing. No republican input. Were talking about the Health Care Bill. No republican input. Legislation at a time when our country needs solutions. You know, when a bill is developed and written without republican input, thats usually good sign that theres no real intention of moving this not. Lation, and theres the other side, madam chair, knows this is not going to move. Unfortunately, americans are suffering right now. Theyre suffering from covid19. E should be working together, republicans and democrats, to create solutions that benefit american. Unfortunately, this bill has many issues. Governmentcontrolled health care agenda. Once again, democrats are trying drugs. Ate the price of our tax manufacturers out of the they dont if comply. At a time when we need to be bringing back manufacturing to states. Ed now were doing just the opposite with this partisan legislation. The aisle es across want fewer cures during a pandemic. Pandemic, during a are you kidding me . Thats the last thing America Needs right now. Legislation also expands obamacares subsidies. Llowing some of the wealthiest americans to get subsidies for insurance paid for by dollars. Ed taxpayers this is not the time to be partisan, madam chair. To work time for us together. I hope my colleagues across the isle can set aside these efforts and work with us to pass meaningful bipartisan back. Ation, and i yield mr. Walden i reserve. The speaker pro tempore the gentleman from oregon reserves. Jersey. Leman from new mr. Pallone thank you, madam speaker. I now yield to another member of committee, the gentlewoman from michigan, mrs. Dingell. The speaker pro tempore for how time, two minutes . Mr. Pallone two minutes. The speaker pro tempore the gentlewoman from michigan is recognized for two minutes. Rs. Dingell thank you, madam speaker. And thank you, mr. Chairman. Patientn support of the protection and Affordable Care enhancement act and, yes, i isee with my colleagues this not a time for partisan politics. Ts been over 10 years since the passage of the historic atient protection and Affordable Care act which expanded health care to 20 million americans. Now this administration is at the Supreme Court trying to it. Al and its been four years since our colleagues, who say they done rotect people, have anything, theyve not given us anything else. Knocks. Do is take any forget that when that bill passed, there were things in it benefits. Lifetime people could not get Health Insurance if they had preexisting conditions. It allowed states to expand medicaid and provide access to both quality, Affordable Health protect them from crippling medical bills. Bipartisanstate, the expansion under governor rick governor, ublican healthy michigan, currently 650,000 michiganders and upports rural hospitals in michigan that would otherwise face a significant financial hardship. The reforms in todays bill, the Patient Protection and act,dable care enhancement builds on these successes. The legislation would reduce premiums for americans by expanding existing under the Affordable Care act to those that need the help. Outreach lso support and enrollment efforts and roll back the current to nistrations plans promote junk Insurance Plans basic ck the coverage of benefits. Finally, it would save americans dollars annually by allowing the secretary of Health Services, a republican right now, to negotiate drug prices. Congressional Budget Office the speaker pro tempore the gentlewomans time has expired. Rs. Dingell estimates that the drugs subject to negotiation would reduce prices by 55 . The speaker pro tempore the gentlewomans time has expired. Rs. Dingell i urge my colleagues to support this bill. The speaker pro tempore the gentleman from oregon is recognized. R. Walden thank you, madam speaker. May i inquire as to how much time has remaining . The speaker pro tempore the gentleman from oregon has 16 1 2 remaining. The gentleman from new jersey has 17 minutes remaining. Mr. Walden ok. You, madam speaker. Id now recognize the gentleman from arkansas for four minutes. The speaker pro tempore the is leman from arkansas recognized for four minutes. Thank you, madam speaker. Im grateful were finally having a discussion on the issue of health care. More than a decade of health care conflict has squandered dollars, driven up our national debt, done improve y little to health care and destroyed the publics confidence in either fix the bility to system. We can do better, yet, we dont. We lack em is not Creative Solutions to the issues that plague the Health Care System. Is not that the electric doesnt care about health care. They do. He need for health care is nonpartisan. There are no republican, democrat, or independent strains cancer. Forms of dementia, types of hospitals that check your Political Party registration when you arrive at the emergency room. The record is clear. The Democrat Party ontrolled the house, the senate, the white house. If it were not the correct if t were the correct solution to Americas Health care problems, we wouldnt be here today with your bill to fix it. Both of these attempts at solving health care failed like any other partisan attempt to solve health care will fail. The issue is so partisan that both parties had to ultimately result to the parliamentary gymnastics of budget reconciliation to have a prayer of getting a bill on president obamas on President Trumps tesk. We know that budget reconciliation creates too many limits to implement the best solutions for health carepolicy. We know you can pass whatever Health Care Legislation you dream up with a simple majority here in the house. We also know that a partisan bill from the house will not get past the 60 vote cloture threshold in the senate, much less get sipped into law by the president of the opposing party. Must we continue learning our lessons in congress at the expense of the american citizenry . Lets work on Health Care Legislation that can get a vetoproof vote in the house and 60 votes in the senate regardless of which Party Controls each chamber. Lets pass a Health Care Bill thats too good for a president of either party not to sign into law. After the republican failure to pass the American Health care act in 2017, i called my staff together and told them, even though we failed to pass a bill and moved on to the next issue, the problems with health care did not go away. And we are not going to stop working on the issue. We decided to reverse engineer legislation with a final goal being something that everyone could agree upon. A bipartisan bill that covered preexisting conditions, insure more people, lower cost, and gave americans a fair shot at health care. After a year and a half of hard work, the result was a fair care act of 2019. After another year of work, scrutiny and ideas we are close to filing the fair care act of 2020 with both the house and senate version. It has more than 50 bipartisan bills from the house and senate in the language. And a few of the bipartisan bills from the 2019 bill have already been signed into law. We should follow this pattern. Hopefully youll be pleased to know that several of the provisions in your Affordable Care enhancement act can be found in the fair care act. No one reached out to me for input on your bill. Im reaching across the aisle and asking you to consider working with us and cosponsoring the fair care act and other bills with bipartisanpolicy. The american citizenry and i am tired of partisan health care inaction. Will you please join to us change that. I yield back. The speaker pro tempore the gentleman yields back. The gentleman from mr. Walden i reserve. The speaker pro tempore gentleman from new jersey is recognized. Mr. Pallone thank you, madam speaker. I yield two minutes to the gentlewoman from illinois, ms. Kelly, who is a member of the committee and chairs the c. Can b. C. Brain trust. The speaker pro tempore the gentlewoman from illinois is recognized for two minutes. Ms. Kelly thank you, madam speaker. Thank you, mr. Chair. Rise today in support of h. R. 1425. Since enactment of the a. C. A. Millions of americans have gained Health Coverage, but too many families have been left behind by g. O. P. Governors and legislatures more interested in playing politics than helping families. Today we build on that success. Each year more than 700 american women die from pregnancy plicompli case answer more than half of these deaths are entirely preventable. Tragically black moms die at three to four times the rate of white moms. Passing this bill will help address that by allowing new moms to remain on medicaid for the entire postpartum period. And this piece of this legislation left with Many Republican votes. This portion is one example of the good in this bill and the lives that it will save. We cannot allow preventable deaths to continue in this country. We must do more. It was safer for me to have my daughter than it is safer for my daughter now to have a baby. I hope my colleagues will join me in supporting this lifesaving legislation. There is a lot of talk about how we should care about the health of the american citizens. One thing that we all can do is wear a mask. Thank you. I yield back. The speaker pro tempore the gentlewoman yields back. The gentleman from oregon. Mr. Walden ill continue to reserve. The speaker pro tempore the gentleman reserves. The gentleman from new jersey. Mr. Pallone i yield now two minutes to the gentleman, mrs. Craig. The speaker pro tempore the gentlewoman from minnesota is recognized for two minutes. Mrs. Craig thank you, madam speaker. I ask you what good is a cure if you cant access it because you cant afford it . The Patient Protection and Affordable Care act is immensely personal to me. See, i grew up for a portion of my childhood without Health Insurance. I also spent more than 20 years working in two Health Care Manufacturing companies, and was responsible for providing health care to 18,000 americans at a u. S. Company. These experiences and the stories i have heard across my district are why im here today, working to reduce outofpocket costs and the price of Prescription Drugs. Today les and his family farm in my district. They pay over 20,000 a year in premiums with a 12,000 deductible. Another family farm works another job during the day just for the family Health Insurance. These examples show the heart of the problem. If health care isnt affordable, it is not accessible. Im proud that the base of this bill is my bipartisan bill, h. R. 1425, the state Health Care Premium reduction act. The first Health Care Legislation that i authored as a member of congress. This bill will allow states to lower the cost of premiums in the individual marketplace. And to expand access to health care to more americans. Im also pleased that this package includes the transformational drug price negotiation mechanism from the Elijah E Cummings lower drug costs now act which finally takes on the high cost of Prescription Drugs. For the 51 of nonelderly with preexisting conditions in my Congressional District, the a. C. A. Was a life line. This is a moment that requires us to come together as americans to strengthen the a. C. A. And reduce the cost and increase the access to health care. Thank you, madam chairwoman, i yield back. The speaker pro tempore the gentlewoman from minnesota yields back. The gentleman from oregon. Mr. Walden thank you, madam speaker. Continue to reserve. The speaker pro tempore the gentleman from oregon reserves. The gentleman from new jersey. Mr. Pallone thank you, madam speaker. I neglected to mention, mrs. Craig is the prime sponsor of this legislation. I now like to yield two minutes to dr. Ruiz, who is a member of the energy and Commerce Committee, and has long worked on the a. C. A. Enhancement. The speaker pro tempore the gentleman from california is recognized for two minutes. Mr. Ruiz thank you. I rise in support of h. R. 1425, the Patient Protection and Affordable Care enhancement act. We are in the middle of a Global Pandemic that has infected millions of americans. Left minneapolis more unemployed, and struggling to pay their bills. And underscore the American Peoples need for quality, Affordable Health care. It is precisely during this time, it is precisely in our moment of history during American Families hardships and agony, it is precisely now that we must act for the people and fight to make health care more affordable and accessible. As an emergency physician, i have seen the faces of failed health care policies, the anguish from severe illness and death that could have been prevented if only the patient had routine care and Health Insurance. That is why today for the patients who need to see a doctor and get treatment, for the recently laid off workers who just lost their Health Insurance, for the families struggle being economically, i ask you to join me in voting for h. R. 1425, the Patient Protection and Affordable Care enhancement act. This bill would Lower Health Care premiums for middle class families, encourage states to expand medicaid, lower the cost of Prescription Drugs, and strengthen protections for preexisting conditions, the same ones that render a person more likely to die from covid19. The American People need our help in this moment and they need this bill. Thank you. I yield back. The speaker pro tempore the gentleman yield back. The gentleman from oregon is recognized. Mr. Walden i continue to reserve. The speaker pro tempore he continues to reserve his time. The gentleman from new jersey is recognized. Mr. Pallone thank you, madam speaker. I yield two minutes now to the gentlewoman from illinois, mrs. Bustos. The speaker pro tempore the gentlewoman from illinois is recognized for two minutes. Mrs. Bustos thank you, chairman pallone. Thank you, madam speaker. I rise today to support the Patient Protection and affordability care enhancement act. So many in our nation are frasing extreme Financial Insecurity and extreme worries surrounding this Global Pandemic. The Trump Administration is trying to eliminate protections for people and families with preexisting conditions and leave millions of americans without care. This includes more than 730,000 illinoisans. A man from the Congressional District i serve, named robert, wrote to me about his familys rising Health Care Costs. Robert and his wife have both worked hard almost their entire lives. Roberts first job went back to the age of 17. His wife started working when she was 16. Today they are in the early 60s and they are facing skyrocketing premiums and astronomical deductibles. Robert current pays more than 2,500 each and every month for just his premiums. That along with his deductibles cost his family about a quarter of all they earn every month. Hes even been told that because of his age and his wifes age they are lucky to get coverage at all. Working your whole life and having to struggle so much just to afford a necessity like health care. That is not what the American Dream is all about. Robert said to me, and i quote, word for word, i am hoping more than lip service will happen in washington, d. C. For robert and his wife and so many other americans, we must pass this bill. To lower the cost of health care and the cost of Prescription Drugs and also to protect people with preexisting conditions. Madam speaker, i yield back. The speaker pro tempore the gentlewoman yields back. The gentleman from oregon. Mr. Walden i continue to reserve. The speaker pro tempore the gentleman from new jersey. Mr. Pallone thank you, madam speaker. Proud to have my colleague from new jersey, i yield for two minutes to mr. Malinowski. The speaker pro tempore the gentleman from new jersey is recognized for two minutes. Madam speaker, 40 million americans have lost their jobs in the biggest Global Pandemic in modern history, and not long ago most of them would have lost their Health Insurance, too. I bet that in the last three months every single one of us, republican and democrat, in private or public moments with our constituents, has reassured them that at least the Affordable Care act is there for you. You do not have to lose your Health Insurance in the middle of this crisis. So how can it be that at this very moment when the value of the a. C. A. Is owe plainly obvious to tense of millions of americans, the administration is in court trying to strike it doufpblet the president has told us repeatedly he wants to protect people with preexisting conditions, but right there in his brief to the Supreme Court it explicitly says that should be struck down, too. When we ask him what will you do to replace the a. C. A. If its struck down . He says i wont tell you until after the election. Come on. Now, today we are going to pass the Patient Protection act, which unlike the president we are willing to tell the American People now exactly how we plan to improve health care in america. We believe that the a. C. A. Should be improved, not taken away. And the Congressional Budget Office says this plan for doing so will lower premiums americans pay by 10 . We want what President Trump said he wanted in the 2016 election to let medicare negotiate the price of Prescription Drugs which will save americans money and save the government over 500 billion. And we want to eliminate the junk Insurance Plans that the administration wants all those folks who are losing their jobs to take even though they dont cover essential Services Like Prescription Drugs and maternity care. I hope everyone will vote for this bill. If there are members who disagree, so be it. I would just ask please be honest. Dont say you want to protect people with preexisting conditions if you wont do to do so or put forward a plan to do sofmente dont advise your constituents to take advantage of the a. C. A. If youre not going to do anything while the president tries to strake it down. Thank you, madam speaker. I yield back. The speaker pro tempore the gentleman yield back. The gentleman from oregon is recognized. Mr. Walden i continue to reserve. The speaker pro tempore the gentleman from fluj new jersey is recognized. Mr. Pallone i yield two minutes to the gentleman from california, mr. Cox. The speaker pro tempore the gentleman from california is for two minutes. Madam thank you, speaker. Im honored to be here today to patient ut the protection and Affordable Care enhancement act. Thehe covid19 pandemic and related recession causes massive suffering across the country, we act. A duty to government has a duty to act. O as to minimize human suffering, not to exacerbate it. We must strengthen and enhance the Affordable Care act rather what the Trump Administration wants us to do and rip away health care from americans. A constituent of mine put it best. Know, donald you trump is bad for my health. In congress of us can make a positive difference in the lives of our constituents. 325,000strict there are people enrolled in medicare, almost , chip, and 27,000 individuals who got their insurance through the a. C. A. , obamacare. What this administration and Congressional Republicans want theyre telling me is into that these is that of e citizens and millions other citizens dont deserve health care. My democratic colleagues and i feel differently. Standing up to the Trump Administration trying to kill Affordable Care act. Thats why im glad House Democrats have introduced this will ative package that make health care and Prescription Drugs more affordable for American Families. Legislation. Nsense thats a win for all americans. This bill Lowers Health premiums, makes Prescription Drugs more affordable by empowering to negotiate for lower prices which is something we all know we should do. Past time to let drug americans by off charge them for drugs. This is a personal passion of mine. Amendmenti offered an to h. R. 97 that will ensure ommunities with high unemployment will help those shopping for health care. Works. Tell you, it in california, were enrolling less becauseho pay of widespread enrollment. We all deserve america. Americans. Ght as i urge my colleagues to support this bill. I yield back the balance of my time. The speaker pro tempore the gentleman yields back. Is gentleman from oregon recognized. Mr. Walden madam chair, can i inquire as to the amount of time if my friend has any other speakers. We do not on our side. The peaker pro tempore gentleman from oregon has 12 1 2 minutes remaining. Mr. Walden 12 1 2 minutes, speaker. The speaker pro tempore and the gentleman from new jersey has six just six minutes. Mr. Walden all right. Six. I believe you have other speakers so ill reserve at this time, madam speaker. The peaker pro tempore gentleman from oregon reserves his time. The gentleman from new jersey is recognized. R. Pallone thank you, madam speaker. I yield two minutes now to the entlewoman from florida, ms. Mucarselpowell. The speaker pro tempore the gentlewoman from florida is recognized for two minutes. Thank you, powell madam speaker. I stand here today as a member years ress because three ago i watched as this body took affordable peal the care act, which would have ripped Health Care Away from thousands of constituents in my district and over two million floridians in home state. This was an unconscionable move hat would have taken away protections from millions with preexisti preexisting conditions like my michelle garcia, who still suffers after a faulty broken device left ieces in her that to this day causes her chronic pain that requires persistent treatment. Its because of the a. C. A. That is protected. Ts because of the a. C. A. That disparlts in coverage disparities in coverage for communities and africanamericans communities narrowed. Of the a. C. A. That we dont have health care more xpensive because of someones gender. Its because i watched my colleagues across the aisle try that i the a. C. A. Away ran for congress and im here fighting to protect their care. Vote is very important to me. While the president continues efforts to take away uchneeded health care, especially during a pandemic, we are making quality care more accessible while removing junk plans. We are lowering Health Insurance Prescription Drug prices. And were also putting incentives for states like so they can expand medicaid and bring care to millions who need it. Simple. We shouldnt be taking care away now. Anyone right not ever. We shouldnt be making quality care more expensive. To make it more accessible. We need to make it more affordable. Yess why im proud to vote on todays legislation, and i urge my colleagues to do the same. Thank you. I yield back. The peaker pro tempore gentlewoman yields back. The gentleman from oregon. Mr. Walden continue to reserve. He speaker pro tempore he continues to reserve. The gentleman from new jersey. Mr. Pallone thank you, madam speaker. Now to the minutes gentlewoman from texas, ms. Sheila jackson lee. The speaker pro tempore the from texas is recognized for two minutes. Thank you. Lee thank you, madam speaker. Let me thank the chairman of the energy and Commerce Committee dynamic leadership. Et me indicate that i stand here today in the midst of a of strophic pandemic covid19 in the state of texas and in my Congressional District in harris county. Over the last couple of days we cases. Ards of 900 there are 2. 5 million cases over growing. N 126,000 who have died. The last three days of last week, 45,000 cases, most of them ere in texas, california, and arizona. Thats why im absolutely the factnd saddened by that this administration would to cut e Supreme Court off, deny, extinguish, put in way americans who need have insurance and who preexisti preexisting conditions. His is legislation that is a lifeline. Were saving lives. Four earning 40,000 would save nearly 1,600. They may have a covid patient in their family. 0yearold earning 57,000 would save 8,000. It takes into account people who are unemployed. Y replacing insurance that theyve lost. It takes into account the great need for drug price negotiation the elijah e. Cummings lower drug cost now act, omething weve all been fighting for for a very long time. Why cant we negotiate drug rices just like they do in medicaid medicare . And im pleased that this vulnerable protects populations from losing Health Coverage by ensuring that chip beneficiaries receive a full 12 months of enrolled, ce protecting them from fluctuationsdue to in their income throughout the year. That has happened to a lot of hardworking parents. It improves medicaid beneficiaries access o primary care and, yes, for those states who did not do the right thing, it encourages expansion. It gets rid of junk conditions. The peaker pro tempore gentlewomans time has expired. Ms. Jackson lee it gets rid of junk conditions. Thank the speaker and i thank mr. Pallone. Let us vote for this bill because it stops the devastation. Back. D the speaker pro tempore the gentleman from oregon. Mr. Walden thank you, madam speaker. Us have anyither of more speakers. Will yield myself such time as i may consume to close. Madam speaker, weve had a good here on the floor. Unfortunately, its not a debate ver a bipartisan piece of legislation. Its debate over a partisan bill that will never become law. President s office has issued a recommendation that he would veto this bill should it of the senate and to his desk. Talk about lets what impact this will have in this pandemic. Heard weve heard a lot about drugs. Congressional e Budget Office that this legislation will reverse the and innovation made in the bipartisan 21st century cures in fewer ould result new drug products developed and coming to market. Congressional Budget Office estimates up to 38 fewer medicines would be diseases. To cure massachusetts om talked about teresa on the porch in massachusetts with copd, i to believe what a tragedy t would be if one of those 38 medicines under development happen to cure copd. Cure for covid19. Maybe its a cure for a. L. S. Or or some form of cancer like the Ovarian Cancer that claimed my mother. Do know is it puts a dagger in the heart of innovation. Those scientists were all turning to right now, madam peaker, these brilliant young men and women in laboratories all across america, especially in california. California Life Science Association said this h. R. 3, part of which is incorporated in this to as much as a 58 reduction in revenue, which significantly reduce investment in partnerships and icensing agreements, emerging companies and therefore lead to an 88 reduction in new edicines developed by small u. S. Biotech companies. Reduction. Was 88 88 . Further, they expected to highpaying 000 biotech and r d jobs nationwide. You do that now . Knowingly enact a provision in legislation that 80,000 american hightech and r d jobs in the Health Care Field where we are for a cure . We are, dare i say, praying for treatment, not only for covid but for these other diseases. The legislation before us today would do that. Eve heard a lot about International Price controls this legislation would put in setting. Vernment price now, lets talk about what that means. For example, when looking at a of 270 new medicines launched in the United States 2011 to 2018, of those available in the United States our formulas, 67 are thelable in germany, 64 in u. K. , 48 in japan, 53 in france. 52 in canada. 41 in australia. Where countries treatment may have been launched, patients often have to wait months, sometimes years, get access to that treatment. Compared to the United States, it takes an average of 19 months longer for medicines become available to patients. Is the scheme s that this legislation wants to states. The united compared to the u. S. And canada, it takes an average of 14 months longer for medicines to become patients. To you know, more than a year is a long time to wait. Is a medicine re that could help you with some just e, that medicines been developed, and you can get t in america tomorrow and wait 14 months in canada. Can be 11 months longer. Doesnt have to be that way. Introduced at , the beginning of this debate, sometime ago. Think seven different provisions have already become law. They were everything in that bipartisan. S look, there are going to be differences of opinion, and among really good people that i on a regular basis, and we just disagree on policy. More sense it make to take the things upon which we do agree on policy and move forward into law while we debate the things where we have disagreement and work to try and find Common Ground . But thats not whats happening today. Navigator program, your bill into the0 million more Exchange User fee program to the program. Vigator lets talk about that a minute. 1 gators enroll less than of total enrollees, according to one report. In fact, one one awardee of Navigator Program had an enrollment goal of 2,000. Their goal, madam speaker. Person. Olled one they eventually enrolled a total 67 for 2,300 enrollee. In the private sector they do it for about 2. 40, not 2,300. 317 0 navigators signed up people in 2017. Youre going to pump far more that, this legislation would do that. Weve heard about some of that. In here for some of the wealthiest americans, youdf ironic, that we be doing this in your legislation, but you remove the cap. Dy it diverts taxpayer dollars, some of the highest earners in this. Untry, in theres a blank check for Insurance Companies. Of talked about the loss cures. Up to 38 in the next 20 years remember your 10 and 20year pipelines here. There are estimates it could be hundreds of new drugs. When i think about the farm for the minnesota we hold about, 2 in premiums, th that is what we got from the obama care act. It didnt do anything to go after the cost of health care. The Trump Administration, conversely, has done a lot to go after the cost of health care. Ive been with the president when he announced initiatives to make hospitals disclose their costs. We had no more left the roosevelt room and returned to the oval office when the secretary of health and Human Services announced the Hospital Group sued. They won the dis the administration won the disclosure in court to make sure consumers can know the costs. We worked together across the aisle on powerful legislation to address the Opioid Crisis in america. We put enormous amounts of money into our Community Health centers. We fully funded for a decade the childrens Health Insurance program and we did all that in a very, very bipartisan way. We in the last few years under republican majorities rewrote americas Mental Health laws. We all know theres more to be done to get Mental Health services into our Community Bus we have put unprecedented amount of support into Mental Health services. Meanwhile our Community Health centers urn the democrats continue to get a every couple of month infusion of money which is enormously frustrating for them, i know when i was chairman it made National Headlines that there were some levels of delay in fully funding our Community Health centers and we ended up getting them a twoyear, fully funded at the highest level ever funding guarantee. Their money runs out in november. Why arent we doing that . Why arent we taking that up . The president led the effort on surprise medical billing so even if you have insurance an you end up like a woman in colorado a few years back gave birth to her second son that child born in a hospital, covered by her insurance. Doctors covered by her insurance. Had a medical issue after birth and had to go to the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit. Just down the hall, bay the way. Turned out that hospital had contracted out that Neonatal Intensive Care Unit and it wasnt in her insurance after all. How in the heck does a consumer know that . We have bipartisan surprise billing legislation passed out of energy and commerce unanimously a year ago and has yet to come to the floor of the house under the democrats. So meanwhile consumers are getting stuck with surprise bills when theyre playing by the rules and it continues. And it shouldnt. Hopefully we can get that legislation on the president s desk, hes ready to sign it. Meanwhile we made record investments at n. I. H. , reauthorized the user Fee Agreement so that f. D. A. , food and drug administration, our innovators can bring drugs and new medical devices to market faster than any time and still save. We did that under republican legislation and signed by President Trump. President trump invoked the defense production act. When we didnt have enough ventilators or moombings gowns to Order Companies to make swabs or make ventilators and move forward and continue that investment. That was in a bipartisan way, the cares act. We can do bipartisan work, were just not doing it today. The choice to do partisan or bipartisan work is always made by the majority. When i was chairman i could move anything i wanted, generally speaking, any time. But i chose to try to make the bulk of our work, nearly all our work, bipartisan, because i wanted it to become law. The drug bill democrats passed earlier this year that takes away access to newed me sips, 88,000 jobs in the high tech world of innovation in medicine that bill is going nowhere. This bill is going nowhere. The Police Reform bill is going nowhere. What a tragedy. What a lost opportunity. Because there are many, many of us on this side of the aisle as you know stand ready to work in a bipartisan way, to get good policy and solve problems for the American People. So madam speaker, its unfortunate we find ourselves here today when americans expect so much more out of this institution. I hope i hope people show up and we can actually do our work and actually do it in a way that will bring positive view on this house. And on our ability to solve these enormous problems that the American People are facing, whether theyre suffering from copd or simply higher insurance policy premiums and the ductables. What good is your Insurance Plan if you cant afford to use it or when you think you followed all the rules to use it and then find out they contracted the emergency room and nobody covers the costs there. So lets defeat this now, lets go to a room where we can work these things out. We can find Common Ground here. That wont put a dagger in the heart of innovative jobs in america. That wont slow innovation medicine, medical devices, lifesaving medicines, but that will bring Better Health care for americans and finally on the issue of preexisting conditions, the president has been clear he supports protecting people with preexisting conditions as do i, going clear back to when i was in the state legislature in oregon, we made efforts to do that ive had legislation since the open dage of this congress to make sure regardless of how the lawsuit comes out that we protect people with preexisting conditions. The democrats wont let us bring that bill to the floor. Madam chair i urge a no vote on this legislation and i yield back the balance of my time. The speaker pro tempore the gentleman from oregon yields back any remaining time. The jell from new jersey is recognized. Mr. Pallone thank you, madam speaker. I yield myself the balance of the the time. I respect great my i respect greatly my colleague, the Ranking Member. But i have to say the tragedy that we face is a president , President Trump, who has totally neglected the situation here. The tragedy is not this congress. This Congress Passed the heroes act. But we have a president who simply ignores the covid crisis. Who doesnt want to take the bull by the horns and actually do something nationally to deal with test, to deal with medical supplies, to deal with what needs to be done. Continues to suggest that somehow the pandemic has gone away. This Congress Took action with the heroes act. And the tragedy of the president who continues to seek repeal of the Affordable Care act, the Affordable Care act, madam speaker, had led to over 90 of americans having Health Insurance when president obama left office. That number is going down. And last week the Trump Administration filed a brief again to repeal the Affordable Care act. The tragedy of what he has done, what President Trump has done to encourage junk plans which basically dont allow people with preexisting conditions to even get Health Insurance. This is the tragedy. And we in this congress are doing things to reverse the sabotage of the Trump Administration beginning today, again, with this enhancement act. Now i just want to say that one of the things that were doing here that is so important is reversing the Trump Administrations pushing pushing of these junk plans. The energy and Commerce Committee did a report investigation over the last year and what we found was that these junk plans discriminate against people with preexisting conditions. They rescind coverage if they have to pay out too much. They limit coverage. Remember that the Affordable Care act provided an essential benefit package rork bust coverage that you would have mental Health Coverage, you would have hospitalization, you would have the things that people expect to have on their insurance policy. But instead the Trump Administration is pushing out to millions of people and the you were ins keep growing every year, these junk plans that discriminate and do the opposite. And were going to bring down Prescription Drugs. I urge support for this legislation. Thank you, madam speaker. The speaker pro tempore the time for the committee on energy and commerce has expired. The speaker pro tempore the gentleman from massachusetts, mr. Neal, and the gentleman from texas, mr. Brady, will each control 30 minutes. The chair now recognizing the gentleman from massachusetts. Mr. Neal thank you, madam speaker. I yield myself such time as i might consume. The speaker pro tempore the gentleman from massachusetts. Mr. Neal im pleased to join with the speaker and other Committee Chairs to have introduced the Patient Protection and Affordable Care enhancement act and welcome consideration of the measure in the house today. Hearing the former chairman of the Energy Committee a few minutes ago, decent guy, he said that there was room for bipartisanship. In the health care debate. I mean, ive been here for a long time. Where was the bipartisanship, and im going to submit something republicans in all the years i have been in this house they have not agreed amongst themselves on health care, never mind agreing with democrats on health care. So for years, weve worked to expand access. Thats what this argument about is about today. We want to make sure that Affordable Health care exists for the American Family and to build on the coverage gains of the Affordable Care act. The covid19 crisis only adds urgency to an already pressing problem for millions of American Families. The problem has been consistently exacerbated by the Trump Administrations relentless crusade to dismant they will American Health care system. We called on the campaign recall on the campaign trail when President Trump was asked by reporters what he intended to replace obamacare with, he said dont worry, pal, youre going to love it. That was the apps. Just last week, under the cover of night, while Many Americans were likely sleeping, the Trump Administration took another step toward invalidating our health care laws. They filed a brief with the Supreme Court in support of undoing the a. C. A. And ending protections for nearly 130 million americans with preexisting conditions. I helped to write this law. Im really proud of it. And they staked out this position in a pandemic when millions of americans need health care more than ever. Our new Patient Protection and Affordable Care enhancement act is utilized to expand tax credits, to lower premium costs for the american consumer. For the first time in the history of the a. C. A. No one will pay more than 8. 5 of their income on a silver plan from the marketplace. Ill quickly share the other scenarios people will witness savings through. A family of four earning 40,000 hurblings nearly 1,6 in nearly 1,600 in premiums each year. An adult would save 800 a year. A 64yearold earning 57,000 a year would save more than 8,700 in premiums each year. These are significant savings that would make a big difference for americans, particularly during the Current Health and economic crisis we find ourselves in. I want to thank representative underwood for her tireless work on these provisions and advocating for millions of americans who will see their premium costs go down, recalling was offerede a. C. A. An embraced 20 million more americans received Health Insurance. I want to thank representative wild for the effort to remove a longstanding baferier for families with an offer of affordable family coverage as well as representative neguse for his work on behalf of Social Security beneficiaries who were at wisconsin of losing premium tax credits from the time they were covered by the a. C. A. Marketplace. These tax credits arent the only benefits consumers can expect under this very important legislation. We also slashed Prescription Drug costs. We reduced consumers deductibles, encouraged more states to expand medicaid and established their own a. C. A. Marketplace and to put an end to the expansion of junk Insurance Plans. This legislation reduces uninsured americans by people. N four million these are issues that matter to everyday americans. Perhaps now in this covid crisis ever. Han ensuring all americans can access Quality Health care families king their Financial Security really shouldnt be a partisan issue. After almost 70 votes on republican bills to repeal or a. C. A. , im really happy to stand on this floor of this support legislation that will continue to build on the gains of the a. C. A. Or legislation that increases access to affordable Quality Health care and for legislation people. For the american with that, i urge my colleagues this timely vor of legislation, and i reserve the balance of my time. The speaker pro tempore the gentleman from massachusetts reserves his time. The gentleman from texas is recognized. Mr. Burgess thank you mr. Brady thank you, madam speaker. I yield myself such time as i may consume. The speaker pro tempore the gentleman is recognized. R. Brady thank you, madam speaker. As a republican in congress, im proud of our republican efforts, creating the Medicare Part d prescription which then seniors leader nancy pelosi and democrats tried to kill. Speaker emember that pelosi famously predicted creating the crucial part d plans for the elderly, across the street, would end medicare as we know it, unquote. Imagine how many seniors lives would have been ost if she had succeeded in stopping the affordable medicare drug program . Have come to iors depend on it today. We are in the middle of an pandemic. Ted National Americans are worried about their health and their jobs. Yet, here we go again in the house, another partisan bill with no input from republicans. From Campaign Operatives and special interest groups. Sick andcan people are tired of this partisanship. My democratic colleagues and friends i say, stop playing political games with health care. To your is Dangerous Health in three key ways. T stops lifesaving cures from getting to the patients who need them most. T blocks americans from buying affordable shortterm health plans that cover them in between jobs. To slash stay support for state support for for the most vulnerable and poor. It doubles down on the most Health Care Plan in modern history, the Affordable Care act. Disaster. Er that you broke every promise democrats made to the american public. Like your Health Care Plan you can keep it. False. You canike your doctor, keep them. False. Our Health Care Costs will go down by 2,500 a year. Big false. Less than making 250,000 a year will see a tax increase. False. Add a dime to the federal deficit. False. Add over , it will 1. 5 trillion in debt this decade. We are battling the coronavirus and hoping against hope as Companies Partner with racing rnment, heroically to bring new treatments in medicines that lives and prevent americans from being infected. House ay, today, democrats are unbelievably that the a bill council of economic advisors predicts will stop 100 from ever cures getting to the patients who need them most. Sciences rnia Life Association says the pelosi plan for government setting medicine mean nearly nine of 10 new drugs would never be made available. Never. Their researchers and small biotech companies. That are the medicines could be the answer to some of the most heartbreaking and evastating diseases, including covid covid19, that our children, are facing. Ilies as this pandemic makes urgently lear, we need more cures, not fewer. Fewer cures means more lives cut short. Shrug offng democrats these Research Experts and say were fine with that. Affordable care act has improved under president prices went otage, down in most states. Insurance companies have stabilized. Families see more choices today. Flawed. Emains fatally heres proof. Two out of three americans eligible for obamacare are down. G it two out of three. They say its health care they cant afford, y and it doesnt work for them. Nbelievably, democrats are so hellbent on forcing americans onto the a. C. A. , today theyre state ning to slash support for medicaid unless tates buckle to expand obamacare. Holding the poor hostage . Hreatening to defund the operations of medicaid at the state level . Thats immoral. Remember, the t Supreme Court quickly struck extorteir last scheme to states. Finally, despite the claims theyre expanding health care this misguided bill blocks americans from buying shortterm dable, plans often used by Small Business workers and americans of work or in between jobs. Plans arent lth for everyone, but to the three illion americans with these lifesaving plans, democrats say tough. Or ou dont like your plan even if you do, you cant keep it. Theres a better way than this waste of partisan time. Real people are hurting. We should Work Together in to make affordable patientcentered health care a americans. Last year, republicans proposed legislation that brought ogether ideas and bills from members of congress from both andies to lower drug prices accelerate new cures. Health care policy fails when its partisan. Work together now to make drugs more affordable, to care access to quality and, yes, to lower costs. Achieve any oft those goals. Its partisan business as usual nation time when our calls out for so much more. With that i reserve the balance of my time. The speaker pro tempore the gentleman from texas reserves his time. The gentleman from massachusetts is recognized. Mr. Neal thank you, madam speaker. With that let me yield two inutes to the gentleman from california, mr. Thompson. The speaker pro tempore the gentleman from california is recognized for two minutes. Madam speaker, i rise in strong support of h. R. 1425. This legislation expanding and enhancing the Affordable Care ct and lowering Health Care Costs for all americans. N the past six months, over 120,000 americans have died due to covid19. Have lost their jobs, and in many cases their Health Insurance. Why its so critical we strengthen and build upon the foundation of the affordable act, which is exactly what this bill does. His legislation reduces the price of expensive pharmaceuticals, including taxpayers ving billions of dollars while all ng down drug costs for americans. And the bill uses those savings and wer insurance premiums expand tax credits, helping more americans afford the coverage they need. This bill bolsters state funds d programs, covid19 vaccine research, and cuts the number of uninsured by nearly four million. The president and my republican actively trying to gut protections for preexisti preexisting conditions and take away from millions of americans. This legislation reduces Health Care Costs for of americans at this critical time. Ts vital that we give our constituents the help they need. Friends onmany of my the other side talk about how they want to protect people who have preexisting conditions. Every one of which is in support f the lawsuit to repeal the Affordable Care act, the very bill, the very law that protects who have preexisting conditions. Protecting e for preexisti preexisting conditions and for provides the law that that protection. I urge my colleagues to vote yes bill, and i yield back the balance of my time. The speaker pro tempore the gentleman yields back the time. E of the the gentleman from texas is recognized. Mr. Brady yes, madam speaker. Im proud to yield three minutes to a key leader of the ways and Means Committee, the gentleman from pennsylvania, mr. Kelly. The speaker pro tempore the gentleman from pennsylvania has three minutes. Mr. Kelly thank you, madam speaker. Brady. Ou, mr. Look, the objective of this bill is to prop up the Affordable Care act. We want to pump money into Medicaid Programs and price drugs. S on prescription h. R. 1425 lifted the provision pelosis drug bill, h. R. 3, that gives the secretary set h. S. The power to medicare drug price controls for pharmaceutical manufacturers and payfor. A the savings from price setting power is meant for the expansion of the Affordable Care act. Facts are clear. Private investment in Drug Development fuels Innovation Ecosystem for new medicines. Its just that simple. The Congressional Budget Office has already determined that h. R. 3s negotiation provision would in fewer cures. You have to be especially tone introduce legislation that punishes the very pharmaceutical companies that re going to innovate and mass produce the vaccine the entire world is counting on to counter covid19. Of last year, we were 80 of the way there on a bipartisan before we got sidelined by h. R. 3 and legislation just like this. To the peoples work and Work Together on solutions that make sense, like 19, drug legislation that would actually make it to the president s desk. Mind, th all that in lets talk about who it is were talking for today. Who it is we represent on the peoples floor. For. T is were looking out because too often this becomes about november 3, 2020, and not everyday lives back in the districts and the folks who we represent. Letter that i a have read before because i think it really deserves to be repeated. In october t to me of 2019. Ear congressman kelly, my name is sarah stewart, and im from st. Petersburg, pennsylvania. The my understanding that house ways and Means Committee is having a public hearing on by the the very h. R. 3, way, that is being included in 1425. Act of r drug cost now 2019. It appears this legislation does support. Bipartisan it needs to take a more balanced approach. The balance is needed for like my 10yearold maddie. , maddie suffers from a rare ondition called pierson syndrome, which is a disorder that occurs as a result of mutated genes in the body. These genes impact the mitochondria of her cells and from predeucing producing enough energy for the. Ody it affects each individual differently. Her symptoms through the years have included blood transfusion thendent for several years, inability to heal after sun type 1e damage, becoming diabetic, progressively hearing losing her hearing and vision, developmental delays when having a body that runs on very limited energy. It has been truly heartbreaking in her the speaker pro tempore the gentlemans time has expired. Mr. Kelly she continues to defy the odds. A s challenge is of 10yearold. My simple message to you the speaker pro tempore the gentlemans time has expired. 30 seconds. Yield mr. Kelly my simple message to you, mr. Kelly, and the rest of rest of ttee and the the congress is there is no cure for treatments for pierson syndrome. Struggle to keep maddie balanced so her body is better able to cope with of this terrible disorder. All we have, as well as many other families across the world, is hope. Dont let partisan bickering impact the ability of discover and innovate new therapies that maddies life one day. The clock is ticking and maddie is waiting. To this. Comes down if you want to develop new drugs, dont penalize the people who develop them. Bad guys them as the when we re the speaker pro tempore the gentlemans time has expired. Kelly address covid19. Thank you. I yield back. Thank you. Mr. Neal thank you, madam speaker. The speaker pro tempore the gentleman from massachusetts is recognized. Mr. Neal im pleased to yield two minutes to the gentleman doggett. S, mr. The speaker pro tempore the gentleman from texas has two minutes. Approaching july fourth we should be celebrating our country. Of instierd, were mired instead, were mired in a more ic where we have people infected and more deaths from this pandemic than any world. In the entire with President Trump floundering and whining. This pandemic enial, delay, and ongoing deception has been exposed as the fraud that it is. And because of his multiple is a time when more americans desperately need enroll in nity to Health Insurance, not the junk insurance that hes been promoting. To eliminate, ks as do our republican colleagues, he Affordable Care act and the coverage that it has today for millions of our citizens. Todays bill offers a reaffirmation that the Affordable Care act should be strengthened, not destroyed, strengthening that would have occurred long ago but for the fa netic decade of our republican colleagues in trying to destroy the Affordable Care act. Next year, we have to do much more for health care than simply return where it should have been. Millions of americans, particularly in a state like texas which has more uninsured children than any state in america, they are still likely to be excluded because of obstructionist republican state leaders. And even those who have insurance are still often the victims of prescription price gouging. E exceed glit the exceedingly modest in this bill falls well short of monopoly prices for drugs developed at taxpayer expense. This bill pours billion into pharmaceutical development with no assurance that the prices in the resulting cures will be affordable. We see only today with the pricing of remdesivir, a drug that would have been would have been left in the scrap heap of failures but for taxpayer funding that the same taxpayers who developed the funds will be charged billions to get them. Lets looked for fwoord a day when we have a competent and committed president to Bring Health Care for all. I yield back. The speaker pro tempore the gentleman from texas is recognized. Mr. Brady thank you, madam speaker. Im proud to yield two minutes to a leader in health care reform, the gentleman from nebraska, mr. Smith. The speaker pro tempore the gentleman from nebraska has two minutes. Mr. Smith thank you, madam speaker. I rise in opposition to h. R. 1425. I stand here somewhat surprised that there is celebration of the successes of the socalled Affordable Care act. Many of my constituents are offended by the mere name of the bill the Affordable Care act because they dont find it affordable. They found it quite unaffordable and i would argue thats why we are here today. With a fairly clever scheme at taking money from here and putting it there. Which likely will still drive up the cost of health care. Its just a few different people paying for it. If we want True Health Care reform we should do that. But we havent done that lets look for the bipartisan opportunities on drug costs as mentioned earlier. Those have been advancing but those were all pushed aside for h. R. 3. H. R. 3 passed the house knowing that it wasnt going to go anywhere. I would argue that some people probably even voted yes on h. R. 3 because they knew the senate would not take it up and because they also know that it has major problems. But here we are today, again, with this scheme that i think ill fail the American People just like so much of the socalled Affordable Care act has failed the American People, in its mere cost not to mention other things. I remember the comments of if you like your Health Care Plan you can keep it. We know that didnt happen. So many other promises were made that were not kept. The American People want us to Work Together especially now. Probably more than in the history of our country the people want us to Work Together on Bipartisan Solutions. We need to do that, madam speaker. We can do that. Theres even evidence that there is Productive Work already done in a bipartisan fashion. So lets not do this bill 1425 today. Lets go about it in a bipartisan way where we know the American People will benefit more and our system can support that. Thank you and i yield back. The speaker pro tempore the gentlemans time has expired. The gentleman from massachusetts. Mr. Neal thank you, madam speaker. I would point out that 100 of the children in massachusetts are Health Insurance today and 97 of the adults. With that im pleased to yield two minutes to the gentleman from oregon, mr. Blumenauer. The speaker pro tempore the gentleman is recognized for two minutes. Mr. Blumenauer thank you very much. I listened to my colleagues cry out for bipartisan cooperation. And progress. I listen to them talk about somehow having promises not kept. Think for a moment. My colleagues, the promise of donald trump and the republicans to replace and enhance the Affordable Care act. Theyre going to eliminate and replace it with something better. No. Could not do it. Theyve been assaulting the Affordable Care act since the moment it was passed and they got their hands on the controls of part of the political control. They fought to protect big pharma so we have this corrupt bargain where americans have to pay the highest Prescription Drug prices in the world in order bribe pharmaceutical companies to continue research. And they wouldnt unless americans pay more than anybody else in the world. Including in many instances people who cant afford their Prescription Drugs. That corrupt bargain needs to be rejected. And now were hearing, i think starkly, the difference between republicans and democrats. Night and day. That active sabotage of the Affordable Care act today with the republican attorneys general and the full weight of the Trump Administration to try again to repeal it in its entirety. Our legislation would increase coverage for four Million People. Its interesting, watching people fight against the efforts of the Trump Administration and the republicans to deny them coverage, they figured out almost a half Million People figured out a way to apply, demonstrating the need in the time of coronavirus. Madam speaker, my republican friends have nothing to offer. They have no plan. The Trump Administration only wants to destroy the Affordable Care act at a time when its more important than ever. I strongly urge approval of this package. The speaker pro tempore the gentleman from texas is recognized. Mr. Brady thank you, madam speaker. Im pleased to yield one p one minute to a key leader on the committee, the gentleman from new york, mr. Reed. The speaker pro tempore the gentleman is recognized for one minute. Mr. Reed i rise today in opposition to the bill before us. The debate is very simple. Im a proud republican and i stand with the private market. I stand with you as the people. My democratic colleagues, they offer you a vision of health care defined and controlled by the government. If you believe the government can do a better job with your health care, then so be it. Vote with the democratic colleagues. But if you believe in entrepreneurs if you believe in innovator, then vote with the republican ideas that lead to more innovation. The bill before us today as we had a conversation with the Health Secretary in the ways and Means Committee room and with the Congressional Budget Office independently confirming that there would be dozens less innovations when it comes to treatments and cures for americans with the passage of this bill. That is what you are doing, eyes wide open, and were not going to let you get away wit. When you vote for this bill you are dooming millions of americans to not have a cure for the disease. Vote for the bipartisan bill h. R. 19, lower costs, more cures, thats the bill that will get through the system. The speaker pro tempore the gentleman from massachusetts is recognized. Mr. Neal let me yield two minute those gentlelady from washington state, congresswoman delbene. The speaker pro tempore the gentlewoman is yielded two minutes. Ms. Dell bhe nee thank you, madam speaker. Ms. Delbene thank you, madam speaker. I rise in support of the patient protect and Affordable Care enhancement act. This is one of the top concerns of my constituents. In 2019 i revved received about four times as many comments about Prescription Drug costs than the year before. Now with the covid19 pandemic and crisis, addressing the issue of drug pricing is more urgent than ever. The patient stories are numerous and never ending. Id like to share just one with my colleagues and the American People to remind us why this legislation is so necessary. A constituent of mine, day narc from kenmore, washington, has lived with type one diabetes for 14 years. When she was first diagnosed with diabetes, insulin cost her 50 each month. Today that same insulin costs over 600 per month. Thats an 1,100 increase for the exact same product. And there have been virtually no changes to insulin since danas diagnosis so the price spike is inexplicable. Dana is not only a diabetes patient but also a Nurse Practitioner and diabetes educator. She told me about patients who go to canada where they get insulin for 40 but with the border closed because of the pandemic, for many that option is shut off to them. Dana has shared store roifs patients who cant afford medications and ration their insulin which we know can lead to poorer health, vision loss, kidney failure and even death. I strongly support the patient protect and a protection and Affordable Care enhancement act which will strengthen and improve on the a. C. A. And give the health and Human Services secretary a fair price for insulin which will help patients like patients like da in a and the patients dana serves in my district. I urge my colleagues to support this legislation and i yield back the balance of my time. Mr. Brady i have a veto threat from President Trump that states the administration opposes h. R. 1425, further demonstrating this bill has no chance of becoming law. At this time i ask unanimous consent that these let behr submitted for the record. With that, im proud to yield two minutes to a leading Health Care Expert on the ways and Means Committee, the gentleman from North Carolina, mr. Hultgren, two minutes. The speaker pro tempore the gentleman is recognized for two minutes. That hasren one thing come clear federal officials have worked to mitigate the effects of coronavirus and save thousands of lives. Mr. Holding my district is home to one of the sites that vidse of the worlds supply of dexamethazone, one of the first lifesaving drugs for coronavirus. And this site is preparing to ramp up to meet demands. Policymakers must continue working with health care stake holders to spur innovation and ensure a steady supply of vital drugs to create the to treat the coronavirus. Unfortunately, we are wasting time today talk about government price controls that would do the exact opposite rather than incentivize the development of a vaccine and treatments, these would discourage companies from investing in new drugs and the tax penalty for noncompliance threatens to force companies and certain drugs out of the United States entirely. That not only means that thousands of americans could lose access to the drugs they desperately need but thousands of folks in towns like wilson could lose their jobs as companies leave the United States. Under no circumstances, no circumstances, madam speaker, can we adopt a policy that would curtail Patient Access to vital drugs and discourage the development of new innovative dreams. Even the go one less drug as a result of this policy is too many in the middle of a pandemic. I urge my colleagues to vote no on this misguided bill. I yield back. The speaker pro tempore the gentleman from massachusetts is recognized. Mr. Neal with that, let me yield two minute those gentleman from illinois, congressman schneider. The speaker pro tempore the gentleman is recognized for two minutes. Mr. Schneider thank you, madam speaker. Im proud to rise in strong support of h. R. 1425, the Patient Protection and Affordable Care enhancement act. Our country is in the midst of an unprecedented pandemic, requiring unprecedented actions. Like the heroes act the house sent to the senate more than six weeks ago. Beating back this virus will test us unimaginable ways and we cannot allow petty politics to push us backwards. Sadly, inconceivably, that is exactly what the Trump Administration asked from the Supreme Court last week when they argued to fully overturn the Affordable Care act. With more than 2. 5 million infections, and more than 125,000 lives tragically lost, we need to expand access to Affordable Health care, lower the cost of Prescription Drugs and improve outcomes for those hardest hit, especially in communities of color and rural communities. But the end of the Affordable Care act and other actions previously announced by this administration with no plan of their own will instead leave millions of americans at risk of losing their insurance. It will result in high premiums for millions of individuals and Small Businesses. And remember this. The 130 million of us with preexisting conditions including those who have been infected with covid19 will pay the heaviest price. The Affordable Care act is essential to ensuring americans have access to affordable, Quality Health care. It is still under attack by our president and his allies. Today i am i and my colleagues demonstrate our commitment to protecting it. The Patient Protection and Affordable Care enhancement act will strengthen the a. C. A. By strengthening protections for those with preexisting conditions, to ensure that no one pays more than. 5 of their income for quality coverage. It will negotiations for lower drug costs. And it will help address the inequalities in health care faced by many in our country especially communities of color. This is the kind of bill that should receive bipartisan support in the middle of a pan democrat egg. I urge my colleagues to vote for it and yield back the remainedmoifer time. The speaker pro tempore the gentleman yields. The gentleman from texas. Mr. Brady im pleased to yield two minutes to a key member of the ways and Means Committee, gentleman from arizona, mr. Schweikert. The speaker pro tempore the gentleman the speaker pro tempore the gentleman from arizona virginia tech. Mr. Schweikert two minutes is almost impossible to have an honest, detailed detailed debate discussion. We are playing this game where we are moving around who pays. We are doing almost nothing to actually reduce the underlying cost of health care. Your bills doing t ours has done t this bill has a cynical mechanism in it and this board is being recycled from h. R. 3. We are all familiar with the mechanism of reference pricing. We have debated it around here for years. If you are in great britain, and there is a new drug that gives you a year of healthy life and it costs more than 37,000, its not purchased. That pricing, that scars it mechanism is what the democrats bill is importing. Its savings are cynical because it will take away pharmaceuticals that make people healthy. How can we be doing this, even allow this mechanism in a time of pandemic . You are about to crush all the little biophrma companies desperately hoping to produce miracle cures and in a perverse way for large phrma you have just may have give them the market because you have taken away those nipping at their heels. I beg of you think about what youre actually doing because you will, this type of financing mechanism, will kill people. It will end lives because it will create a dearth, a shortage of the next generation of cures. Lets not nadge in that cruelty. Lets not engage in that cruel tifment there are better ways to get there. We proposed many of them. It would just be nice to get heard because there are solutions and this is a really dark one. With that, madam speaker, i yield back. The speaker pro tempore the gentleman yields. The gentleman from massachusetts is recognized. Mr. Neal madam speaker, let me recognize the gentlelady from alabama, congresswoman sewell, for 1 1 2 minutes. The speaker pro tempore the gentlelady from alabama is recognized. Ms. Sewell thank you, madam speaker. I am proud to support the Patient Protection and Affordable Care enhancement act today because it is high time that we reduce Prescription Drug costs for all americans. Likewise, this bill includes provisions to expand access to medicaid and Quality Health Care Insurance with expanded tax credits and premium subsidies. This bill includes a provision in the bill that is the bill that i have been advocating with my colleagues, john lewis and mark veasey, for some time now to ensure all states that expand medicaid coverage receive an equal federal match for expansion regardless of when they expanded. That means the 14 states like alabama that i represent could expand medicaid and get oak wall equal federal coverage in their match. This provision incentivizes Medicaid Expansion because it would help 113 million americans living in nonexpansion states n my state alone over 300,000 more alabamans would provide coverage for medicaid if we had this bill pass. The writing is on the wall and the facts are clear. Premiums and Health Care Costs are higher in states that havent expanded medicaid, over 70 of the rural hospital closures are in states that have not expanded medicaid. The Public Health emergency and economic crisis we are currently facing means that more uninsured and unemployed constituents are more vullnefrpblt lets pass this legislation t will not overwhelm expand medicaid and give Medicaid Expansion opportunities with equal federal match in states like alabama, but will also decrease Prescription Drug costs and protect the preexisting conditions that are so important for all americans. This is an important tool, providing our states with enhanced federal matching funds to ensure medicaid is one of the st tools that we have to represent the communities now and into the future. I yield back the balance of my time. The speaker pro tempore the gentlelady yields. The gentleman from texas is recognized. Mr. Brady madam speaker, im proud to yield one minute to the Ranking Member of the Health Subcommittee, the gentleman from california, mr. Nunes. The speaker pro tempore the gentleman from california is recognized. Mr. Nunes i thank the gentleman from texas. I rise today in opposition to h. R. 1425. Per usual this is a partisan bill that will go nowhere in the senate and the president will not sign into law. Among the various problems in this bill is the democrats insistence that including provisions which will prevent scientist from finding new cures. At a time when our nation is working to overcome the coronavirus, according to the California Life Sciences association, if this bill passes 88 of new drugs in the pipeline will be discontinued. That is hundreds of diseases that will not be cured and countless lives that will be lost. That is not something that i can support. Rather than engineer a government takeover of the Prescription Drug industry, we can Work Together to provide lower prices for families and we can do it without reducing cures. This bill we have before us today is not the answer. I urge all of my colleagues to vote no on h. R. 1425. With that i yield back. The speaker pro tempore the gentleman yields. The gentleman from massachusetts is recognized. Million neal im pleased to yield two minutes to the gentleman from california, congressman panetta. The speaker pro tempore the gentleman is recognized. Mr. Panetta madam speaker, i rise today in support of h. R. 1425, the Patient Protection and Affordable Care enhance the act. This comprehensive legislation will do what i have always said needs to be done to the a. C. A. It wont get rid of it but does fix it. This bill does that by lowering Health Care Costs and raising access to Quality Health care, especially for those that need it the most. We must do this now more than ever. With covid19 numbers spiking and administration that is trying to overturn the a. C. A. And reduce Health Care Access rather than expand it. In my district on the Central Coast of california, the numbers of covid19 are growing, but impacting certain communities more than others. Nearly 80 of all covid cases in Monterey County have been found community. Laninex they make upp almost 50 of the while nationally they have the highest uninsured rate. H. R. 1425 would fix that by eliminating barriers to the affordable hakuba for latinos and exspanneding coverage for Daca Recipients. 24 bill would improve health care for all americans by increasing protections for people with preexisting conditions, strengthening the state marketplaces, expanding premium tax credits, helping lowincome postpartum women and children. Now more than ever it is time for us to do our job and provedirnl prove the Affordable Care act so we can provide the Necessary Health care to those that need it the most and everybody in our nation. Thank you, madam speaker. I yield back. The speaker pro tempore the gentleman yields. The gentleman from texas is recognized. Mr. Brady thank you, madam speaker. Im proud to yield two minutes to the gentlelady from West Virginia, mrs. Miller. The speaker pro tempore the gentlelady from West Virginia is recognized. Mrs. Miller thank you, madam speaker. I rise in opposition to h. R. 1425 which should be called the expanding government and killing chores act. With this legislation my colleagues across the aisle are bending American Health care to the will of washington bureaucrats. Anyway you look at this, House Democrats took a bipartisan issue, improving health care and lowering prices, and botched it. We are now left with bad policy that will stifle innovation for new treatments and therapeutics, and do what government does worst, pick winners and losers in the private sector. This absolutely will not fix obamacares failed policies. This bill gives billions in taxpayer funded bailouts and subsidies while doing nothing to streamline services, lower costs, or cut taxes. Today House Democrats are wasting everyones time pushing a bill with price controls and punitive taxes, blank cheanings bailouts, and more red tape and bureaucracy. I want to bill that protects preexisting conditions, lowers drug pricing, incentivizes innovation, fixes our health carecies terges cuts taxes, and actually lets you keep your own doctor. But this is not it. For these reasons i urge my colleagues to oppose this legislation so we can get to work and actually pass a bill that improves the lives of our citizens. I yield back. The speaker pro tempore the gentlelady yields. The gentleman from massachusetts is recognized. Mr. Neal im pleased to yield 1 1 2 minutes to the gentlelady from florida, congresswoman murphy. The speaker pro tempore the gentlelady from florida is recognized. Mrs. Murphy thank you, madam speaker. Every american should have Affordable Access to doctor care, hospital care, and Prescription Drugs. This is important in normal times and vital during pandemic. Before covid florida had one of the worst uninsured rates in the country. Thats because state leaders refused to expand made, placing politics over Public Health. Its also because many floridians chose not to buy a marketplace plan because they couldnt find an affordable option. In florida cases hospitalizations and deaths are rising sharply. Millions of workers have lost their jobs in their employersponsored Health Coverage. Passage of this bill would make an immediate difference in the lives of my constituents who are really struggle. The bill would encourage florida and other holdout states to expand medicaid by having the federal government pay nearly the full cost t would make Exchange Coverage more affordable, reducing premiums and deductibles. Lower the cost of Prescription Drugs which are far too high. Finally, it would guarantee no american can be denied coverage because of a preexisting condition. This protection is even more important than ever since there is a risk that insurers could classified a covid19 diagnosis as a preexisting condition. I strongly support this bill and urge its passage. Thank you. I yield back. The speaker pro tempore the gentlelady yields. The gentleman from texas is recognized. Mr. Brady madam speaker, i yield two minutes to the gentleman from texas, member of the ways and Means Committee, mr. Arrington. The speaker pro tempore the gentleman from texas is recognized. Mr. Arrington madam speaker, at a time when our nations reeling from an unprecedented Public Health crisis and our fellow americans are struggling just to survive, the democrat leadership is wasting precious time on yet another partisan messaging bill. This legislations going nowhere, and my friends on the other side of the aisle know it. The name, the Patient Protection and Affordable Care enhancement act, is no such thing. Its the protecting obamacare act. Its the pretend we are legislating under the guise of partisan messaging act. Its the perpetuate the broken promises of obamacare act. Its empty. Its devoid. Its going nowhere. And we are wasting time in this national crisis. , if it did pass it would take flexibility and responsibility from states t would coerce states to expand medicaid, a flawed medicaid system, i might add, and it would allow for these moneys to be used on abortion, which is a nonstarter. We know its not serious when thats in there. Thats a poison pill. So, madam speaker, i encourage my colleagues to stop wasting the American Peoples time and lets get back to governing this great nation. I yield back. The speaker pro tempore the gentleman yields. The gentleman from massachusetts is recognized. Mr. Neal let me yield two minutes to the gentlelady from california, congresswoman chu. The speaker pro tempore the gentlelady from california is recognized. Ms. Chu last week as covid19 cases continued to spread, even reaching historic highs, and as the number of americans killed by this virus rose well above 100,000, donald trump asked the Supreme Court to strike down the entire Affordable Care act. If trump and republicans got their way, millions of americans would immediately lose their Health Insurance in the middle of a pandemic with no alternative available. Ending the a. C. A. Is life threatening, especially as we battle covid19. Thats why im proud to support the Affordable Care act the Affordable Care enhancement act. This bill would build on the you can sesssft a. C. A. By expanding tax credits to ensure more americans have access to Health Insurance, not fewer. It expands eligibility for these credits so dreamers can access Affordable Health care as well. Something we know will benefit entire communities. The coronavirus does not discriminate and neither should we. Critically, this bill undoes the Trump Administrations expansion of junk Insurance Plans, which offer minimal coverage and leave patients with massive bills when they do get sick. Because while access to health care is essential, it must be affordable. Thats why its so important that this bill also includes language from h. R. 3, the Elijah Cummings lower drug costs now act. This will lower Prescription Drug prices by allowing the government to negotiate for those prices, bringing our Prescription Drug prices in line with what they cost overseas. This bill puts the health of the American People first when we need it most. Im proud to support this legislation and i urge my colleagues to vote yes. The speaker pro tempore the gentlelady yields. The gentleman from texas is recognized. Mr. Brady im proud to yield three minutes to the minority whip and to the gentleman from louisiana, mr. The republican whip, mr. Scalise. The speaker pro tempore th the speaker pro tempore the gentleman is recognized. Mr. Scalise thank you, madam chair madam speaker. I want to thank my colleague from texas for yielding. I think we all remember, if you like what you have you can keep it. Remember that phrase . Probably the most broken promise in political history. Millions of people lost the Good Health Care that they liked because washington bureaucrats came in and said, not if you like what you have, you can keep it, but if washington likes what you have, you can keep it. And they took it away. And after that, you still see, years later, theyre trying to pull more people out of the private Insurance Market that actually like what they have and say get back on this. And if it works so well, by the way, madam speaker, wouldnt be people be going in droves to it . In fact it works so poorly that under this bill they have to bribe you with over 00 billion more in taxpayer money. Thats how much this cost. More than 400 billion to take you off of the private Health Insurance that you like, this is free market. If you dont like it you can go somewhere else. But those people liked their private Health Insurance. So theyre going to push them on to this at the expense of over 400 billion. And if thats bad enough, madam speaker what else do they do . They pay for it, get, pay for it by limiting the amount of drugs that will come to market. Yes. The down soifl economic advisors has advised and i quote, as many as 100 fewer drugs entering the United States market over the next decade or about one third of the total number of drugs expected to enter the market. Can you believe this . In the middle of a Global Pandemic when were trying and rushing to find a cure and vaccine for covid19, theyre going to bring a bill to the floor to stop drugs from coming to the market. Over 100 of them. And lets read more. Quote. This would reduce americans average Life Expectancy by about four months. My god, what are we doing bringing a bill to the floor right now when were trying to find a cure that will make it harder to find a cure . All to push more people, including wealthy people that would be eligible under this bill that already have private insurance, onto a taxpayer heavily subsidized program thats been failing under its own weight, failing so much they need to add 400 billion to try to entice you to take it and in the process limit the ability to bring lifesaving drugs like a cure for covid19 to the market. This is absurt. This is psychotic that were even debating this right now. We should be focused on helping expedite a cure, not making it harder to bring that very cure for covid19 to the market. I would strongly urge a no vote and i yield back the balance of my time. The speaker pro tempore the gentleman yields. The gentleman from massachusetts is recognized. Mr. Neal let me yield two minutes to the gentleman from california, congressman gomez. The speaker pro tempore the gentleman is recognized. Mr. Gomez i want to remind my colleagues from the other side of the aisle that this president has attempted to get rid of, eliminate the Affordable Care act or ba macare, over and over and over again. So when you pretend to care about expanding health care or taking care of people that dont have health care, it seems a Little Hollow to me. Thats why im proud to stand up here to snorte patient protect and Affordable Care enhancement act. It would invest in working families by expanding aforbled, strengthen Consumer Protections and increasing coverage. And theres a lot to like in this bill. For the First Time Ever under this legislation, Daca Recipients would be eligible for help with their premiums for plans they purchase under cover california or healthcare. Gov. For Daca Recipients home is here and many have been working as First Responders and fontline Health Providers in the pandemic. They should have Affordable Health care like any other american. Id like to thank chairman neal for working with me on this important provision. Second this bill makes changes so medicare more effectively serves its patients. For instance under this legislation, medicare enrollees would have better access to primary care physicians and wont lose their Health Care Coverage because of small fructuations in their income over the course of a year. 47 of my Congressional District is enrolled in medicaid or medical so these provisions have crucial. Last, this bill makes health care more affordable by increasing subsidies for working families on the marketplace. This provision is similar to the Health Care Affordability act of 2019 that i introduced with congresswoman lauren underwood. So this is a historic step. The Affordable Care act was a big step but its not done. And were going to keep pushing. And were not going to negotiate with the other side of the aisle that keeps trying to eliminate and roll back protections on Affordable Health care for millions of americans. With that, i yield back. The speaker pro tempore the gentleman yields. The gentleman from texas is recognized. Mr. Brady im proud to yield three minutes to a leader of the ways and Means Committee, the gentleman from ohio, dr. Wenstrup. The speaker pro tempore the gentleman is recognized. Mr. Wenstrup i thank the gentleman from texas for yielding and for his leadership. I rise in opposition to this bill. I grew up watching a show called Medical Center a kid. It led me to want to become a doctor because i wanted to help people. After i graduated and completed my surgical residency i owned a small practice with two employees. Eventually i merged with a larger Provider Group in part because the administrative burdens of complying with new laws an regulations, they were just too costly for my solo practice. That wasnt the end, though. Costs continued to rise and my physicianowned Surgery Center was sold to a local hospital and medicare reimbursement rates nearly doubled overnight. Including an increase in patient copays. When i got to congress i joined the g. O. P. Doctors caucus and im now proud to serve as vice chair. Most of us in the doctors caucus agree that one reason we came to congress is because of the mountains of red tape, red tape involved in practicing medicine, it has killed much of the joy of providing care to patients. Now the bill were debating today is another perfect example of an attempt to expand Big Government, making it harder on the medical community. In this case its patients who rely on Prescription Drugs who stand to lose the most. In the noifeds covid19 outbreak and response as we rush toward finding treatments and vaccine, my colleagues on the other side of the aisle want to pass a bill that will result in fewer cures for americans in need. Thats right. C. B. O. Analysis concluded that this bill would result in fewer cures coming to market to help the American People. Drug manufacturers who may feel government isnt willing to pay a reasonable price for their product would have their rev mue taxed at astronomical rates, essentially coercing the drugmaker into submission or cease to exist. The reason america leads the world in producing new medicines is because we allow competition. Competition to drive innovation. Right now Congress Needs to be fostering innovation through competition. Not imposing one size fits all washington mandates that accomplish just the opposite. Weve already proven we can do some Work Together. Last year the ways and Means Committee marked up a bipartisan drug pricing legislation bill only to have it die because of partisan leadership. I know the energy and commerce and judiciary committees have done the same. Lets debate and find compromise on those legislations which actually stand a chance of mechanicing law. I urge my friends on the other side of the aisle to work with us on Bipartisan Legislation that will result in finding cures for the American People because cures save money and save lives. I oppose this legislation and i yield back. The speaker pro tempore the gentleman yields. The gentleman from massachusetts is recognized. Mr. Neal im pleased to yield two minutes to the gentleman from nevada, congressman horsford. The speaker pro tempore the gentleman is rick niced. Mr. Horsford thank you, madam speaker, and i thank the chairman. I rise in support of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care enhancement act. In the middle of the Historic Health and Financial Security cry sthoifs coronavirus pandemic, especially in my home state of nevada that suffering the suffered the most debilitating Economic Impact, Affordable Health care is more important now than ever. Last week in thed my tholve covid19 crisis, President Trump petitioned the Supreme Court to strike down every last protection and benefit of the Affordable Care act. On friday, i learned that such a ruling would cost 23 million americans including 309,000 nevadans to lose their Health Insurance. There is no excuse for this cruelty, ever. But it is truly unconscionable that at a time when over 100,000 americans have lost their lives to a virus that we have yet to curb completely and when access to Quality Health care could be the difference between life and death, we should be building on the Affordable Care act to Lower Health Care, not ripping away every last benefit. And with all due respect to my colleagues on the other side who keep saying this bill has no chance in the senate, who do you work for . Mitch mcconnell . Or the American People . My constituents elected me to do my job and that is to fight for their health care. So i fully support the Patient Protection and Affordable Care enhancement act because we need to do more to provide Affordable Health care and bring down the rising costs of Prescription Drug costs. This bill does that. I urge my colleagues to join us, do your job today. I yield back. The speaker pro tempore the gentleman yields. The gentleman from texas is recognized. Mr. Brady i have here a host of let for the opposition to this dangerous legislation. One signed by more than 40 state and regional life science organizations, another intind over 130 small biotech companies, many of whom are currently working to develop covid19 therapies and vaccines and in these letters, they emphasize that this bill will deter badly needed investment that will harm the ability to manufacture and produce therapies and cures. For American Families. Madam speaker, in the midst of a pandemic we just heard a question, why do we oppose this bill . In the midst of a pandemic where countless lives will depend upon the development of these new cure, this cannot happen on our watch. Will not stand idly by. At this time i ask unanimous consent that these letters be submitted for the record. The speaker pro tempore without objection. The gentleman reserves. The gentleman from massachusetts is recognized. Mr. Neal thank you, madam speaker. Let me yield two minutes to the gentleman from new york, congressman suozzi. The speaker pro tempore the gentleman is recognized. Mr. Suozzi i rise in support of h. R. 1425, the Patient Protection and Affordable Care enhancement act. Madam speaker, the democrats have been debating internally over the last couple of years whats the best way to preredeuce Health Care Costs . Whats the best way to provide access to people . What should we be doing. Some say medicare for all. Some of us say lets build on the Affordable Care act how much can we provide more access and reduce drug costs that thats what were doing here today. Our republican colleagues are continuing to hurtle down a dark an misguided path to take away coverage from almost 20 million americans in the middle of the worst economic and Health Crisis we have had in almost a century. Im mystified by the strategy of my colleagues on the other side. What are they thinking . Now, they say they want to protect people with preexisting conditions. The president tweeted over the weekend saying hell always protect people with preexisting conditions. And ive heard colleagues of mine in ways and means say were convinced, we know now we have to protect people with preexisting conditions. Yet what do they do . Not what they say, what do they do . Their policies dont match their rhetoric. In 2017 they tried to repeal the a. C. A. Altogether which would take away peoples preexisting condition. Now in the midst of a pandemic thats killed 130,000 americans this administration and the republicans are pursuing a lawsuit to actually undo the Affordable Care act. That will get rid of preexisting conditions protection. It doesnt make sense. Prescription drugs. The president said in his campaign an thereafter when talking about big pharma, these guys are getting away with murder. We should be negotiating Prescription Drug prices. We passed a bill before, were doing it again today that says negotiate drug lices, theyre opposing it once again and theyre not doing anything to try to negotiate Prescription Drug prices. Today democrats are once again taking steps to reduce premiums, lower drug prices and expand coverage. I urge my colleagues on both sides of the aisle to support this bill. The speaker pro tempore the gentleman yields. The gentleman from texas is recognized. Mr. Brady yield myself 30 seconds. Just to quick fact check. You know the Republican Congress in 1996 enacted the First Comprehensive protections for preexisting conditions which cover today 275 million americans who are not affected by the lawsuit. Theres simply too much fear mongering and Bad Information in this debate. With that, i reserve. The speaker pro tempore the gentleman reserves. The gentleman from massachusetts is recognized. Mr. Neal thank you. Thank you, madam speaker. With that im going to yield one minute to the gentlelady from chicago, ms. Schakowsky. The speaker pro tempore the gentlelady from illinois is recognized. Ms. Schakowsky i thank the chairman for yielding to me. I would think that my colleagues on the other side of the aisle, the republicans would get tired of trying to take Health Care Away from americans. Particularly right now. The a. C. A. Enhancement act would make such incredible improvements and make health care more affordable but no the bill includes the no more Narrow Networks act that i actually introduced that would ensure that consumers can access more comprehensive, equitable and Timely Health care within their own Insurance Network now. It also ncludes the includes the protect consumers from unreasonable rate act and allows the federal government to help lower prices when those rates, those premiums are too high. This is a great bill. You should be for this i yield back. The speaker pro tempore the gentlelady the speaker pro tempore the gentleman from texas virginia tech. Mr. Brady i am prepared to close. So i yield myself such time as i may consume. The speaker pro tempore the gentleman is recognized. Mr. Brady thank you, madam speaker. Republican support children, seniors, and patients with preexisting conditions. Republican congresses created the popular childrens Health Insurance program millions of families rely on today. Republican congress created the Prescription Drug program in medicare to help seniors get the medicine they need that every democrat and Speaker Pelosi tried to kill that bill. Republicans, a Republican Congress created the Medicare Advantage program that serves 20 million seniors in america. And Republican Congress created the first law to establish protections for patients with preexisting conditions that cover 275 million americans today regardless of this a. C. A. Lawsuit. We want people to have access to quality, Affordable Health care that fits their needs, not Speaker Pelosis. We also support cures now for serious and lifesaving diseases, threatening diseases that plague so many families and our loved one the. Eliminating the hope for those cures is why this bill is so dangerous. Let me be also clear about what isnt in this bill, madam speaker. We heard a lot today from my friend on the other side of the aisle demoaning the Trump Administrations effort to root out unconstitutional laws while committing protect people with preexisting conditions. Democrats could end this uncertainty now. They are in charge of the house. Bring to the floor a measure republicans support that sever the individual mandate from the a. C. A. , bring it to the floor, legislative fix, for your unconstitutional law. Bring to the floor certainty for all americans, especially those with preexesting Health Conditions. House democrats wont do that. No, they find the political fear mongering to be too potent in an Election Year weapon. So we ten this charade. Let me say it all again for all the republican support protections for those with preexisting conditions. We wrote the law that protects 275 million americans today. We warned democrats about this inconstitutional law and we knew it would get struck down in court. But we cannot have a healthy society, we cannot protect all americans if we dont have access to lifesaving cures. As we continue to fight covid19, what are you thinking . Why are we destroying the incentives for new medicines and cures . We ought to be doing all that we can to accelerate medical innovation, not destroy it in this bill. Democrats force patients to choose between Affordable Medicines and lifesaving cure for alzheimers, a. L. S. , parkinsons, diabetes, or cancer. Thats a false choice. We are not talking about just a few cures for some very rare diseases, we are talking about up to 100 cures. Dozens lost. Our country is in a time of uncertainty. Millions are unemployed. States still have deep restrictions in place. For folks relying on shortterm limited plans for this period of unsrnt the speaker pro tempore the gentlemans time has expired. Mr. Brady i oppose this dangerous bill and urge everyone to oppose it. The speaker pro tempore the gentleman from massachusetts is recognized. Mr. Neal thank you, madam speaker. I have no further speakers im prepared to close. The speaker pro tempore the gentleman virginia tech. Mr. Neal madam speaker, this is very sensible legislation t builds upon the Affordable Care act. It keeps the protections of preexisting condition. It makes the Childrens Health Care Initiative permanent. Most importantly it expands the opportunity. Im going to reiterate something i said earlier with the experience we had in massachusetts with the Affordable Care act. 100 of the children in massachusetts have Health Insurance. 97 of the adults in massachusetts have Health Insurance. And it polls in the high 70s in terms of consumer satisfaction. It was the experiment that worked. We should be expanding Health Care Opportunities for members of the American Family not trying to deny them. We shouldnt be filing a lawsuit in front of the Supreme Court suggesting that we should do away with the Affordable Care act. Last point, and i mean this very sincerely. As long as i have been in this house, republicans have never agreed amongst themselves on Health Insurance, never mind trying to find an agreement with us. They have always disagreed sharply about the role of government in Health Insurance. So before they give us a lecture on how this ought to proceed, perhaps they could offer a competing plan that has never happened in my time in congress. With that i yield back the balance of my time. The speaker pro tempore all time for the committee on ways and means has expired. The speaker pro tempore the gentleman from virginia, mr. Scott, and the gentlewoman from North Carolina, ms. Foxx, will each control 30 minutes. The gentleman from virginia is recognized. Mr. Scott thank you, madam speaker. I yield myself three minutes. The speaker pro tempore the gentleman is recognized. Mr. Scott i rise in support of the patient proteanings Affordable Care enhancement act. As we continue to confront the worst Public Health emergency in recent history, our First Priority must be to protect health and safety of the American People. But during this pandemic, millions of people have lost their jobs and regrettably in america when you lose your job you frequently lose your Health Insurance. Based on the job losses in march and april alean, experts estimate that over 26 Million People across the country have lost their jobbased Health Insurance. So with so many workers looking to turn to the Affordable Care act marketplaces for health care, we must be building on the progress we have made to expand access to affordable coverage. This is exactly what this bill does. For example, as my colleagues have noted under the proposal no person will pay more than 8. 5 of income on benchmark silver plans through the marketplace. Moreover, we are fixing the socalled family glitch. A technical problem that prohibits families from getting affordable coverage. And we make that affordable coverage available for millions of working families. The legislation will also provide incentives to expand medicaid so that lowincome families across the country will have coverage regardless of where they live. It builds on existing Patient Protections by reversing the Trump Administrations expansion of shortterm socalled junk plans which discriminate against patients with preexisting conditions and not required to cover essential health benefits. These plans raise costs for everybody not in a plan, then abandon the patients when they get sick and actually need coverage. Finally, the Affordable Care act Affordable Care act enhancement act would save money for workers and employers by cutting the costs of Prescription Drugs and bringing them in line with the costs people in our countries pay. When they talk about the loss in investment and research, listen very carefully because they are saying that reducing the cost of Prescription Drugs is a bad thing. Second, they are talking about a previous version of the bill. This version of the bill we have an amendment in here that puts more money into research at n. I. H. So those investments will continue to get made. In contrast, the Trump Administration has continued to aggressively pursue the texas v. U. S. Lawsuit. Just last week the department of justice filed briefs urging that the Supreme Court overturn the Affordable Care act. If that suit is successful, all of the benefits of the a. C. A. Will be lost. Tens of millions of people will lose insurance. People with preexisting conditions will lose their protections. Affordability credits will evaporate. Consumer protections will be lost. This will happen in the middle of a Public Health emergency. For all those on the other side that say that the affordable problems and has they have a replacement, remember what the c. B. O. Said yield myself another minute. Remember what the c. B. O. Said about the bill that the republicans passed when they had the majority a few years ago. They said the costs would go up 20 the first year. 20some million fewer people would have insurance. People with preexesting conditions would lose their insurance and the insurance you get is worse than what you got. We cant afford to take this major step backwards in our efforts to put Quality Insurance within the reach of all americans. This is why i urge all of my colleaguesle to support the colleagues to support the Affordable Care enhancement act so we can strengthen the a. C. A. And ensure millions of americans will have better access to Health Insurance than now and better than they would have if successful. Uit is i reserve the balance of my time. The speaker pro tempore the gentlelady from North Carolina vefpblgt ms. Foxx thank you. I yield myself such time as i may consume. Madam speaker, i rise today in opposition to h. R. 1425, the socalled Patient Protection and Affordable Care enhancement act. By est in a series of House Democrats to score cheap political ports at hardworking taxpayers. Speaking of scoring cheap political points, i think most of my colleagues and i are tired of having words put into our mouths that arent there. We do not oppose reducing the cost of drugs. We want that. We dont believe it is a bad thing. At a time when congress should be united in our continued fight against the Novel Coronavirus and ensuring the country can reopen safely, we are instead here today kuwait debating a bill that amounts to nothing more than political posturing. Rather than solve any pressing health care problems, including the nations response to covid19 pandemic, this misguided legislation will limit Health Care Options for patients, contribute to already skyrocketing Health Care Costs, and double down on the many failures of the Affordable Care act or a. C. A. The republican leader of the committee on education and labor im committed to improving and enhancing Employer Sponsored Health care options for American Workers and their families. Yet today we are debating legislation that would enlarge obamacare, even further, by providing subsidies for some of the wealthiest americans. Providing a blank check, bailout for Insurance Companies, strong arming states into expanding medicaid, and eliminating Lower Cost Health Care options like shortterm limited duration Insurance Plans. Shortterm Insurance Plans offer Health Care Options for americans who might find themselves between jobs or unable to afford rising premiums in the already expensive individual market. Whats astonishing to me is that democrats conveniently failed to mention that these shortterm limited duration plans were illegal under the obama administration, and that states still have the authority to regulate these plans. As republicans, we believe in federalism. If states choose to limit or prohibit the sale of these plans, they are preto do so. Instead of respecting the judgment of state lawmakers and local authorities to act in their states and constituents best interests, House Democrats are doubling down on a one size fits all federal mandate. As we have seen over and over again, washington knows best requirements simply do not work. In the case of the illadvised legislation before us today, federally dictated policies will only lead to fewer choices and higher premiums. Additionally, House Democrats have missed the mark with h. R. 1425 when it comes to cobra notices for millions of workers. While there is room for improvement in this area, such as increasing transparency and allowing consumers to decide which plans work best for them, democrats are, instead, blocking consumer access to information about other forms of value Coverage Options outside of the a. C. A. Just when you thought it couldnt get worse, the blatantly political bill we are considering today incorporates Speaker Pelosis socialist drug pricing scheme to cover up the hundreds of billions of dollars this Government Health care expansion would cost american taxpayers. The rising cost of Prescription Drugs is anish shy that resonates with everyone issue than resonates with everyone in this chamber. 70 of americans consider reducing the price of Prescription Drugs to be a top priority, and they are looking to us, their elected representatives torques get the job done, to get drug prices under control. Thats why congress started a bipartisan effort last year to tackle this issue. Unfortunately this bipartisan collaboration was abruptly cut short by Speaker Pelosis introduction of h. R. 3, which was written in secret without member input or the regular committee process. Lowering drug costs should not be a partisan issue. Yet the underlying partisan socialist provisions in h. R. 3 are included in the legislation before us today. Democrats are well aware that h. R. 3 will never become law. Senate Majority Leader Mitch Mcconnell has said it will nowhere in the senate and President Trump said he will veto the bill if it comes to his desk. Still, House Democrats continue to waste time during an Unprecedented Health and economic crisis on legislation that will die after house passage. Their socialist drug pricing scream is nothing more than a left wing down payment on a government run Health Care System that would eliminate private insurance and inch fment impment government control rationing of Prescription Drugs. As i said many times before governments dont negotiate they dictate. The democrats radical drug pricing scream will eliminate choice and competition an jeopardize innovation, investment and access to future cures. And were considering this at a time when we are in the process of developing treatments and a vaccine for covid19. This type of unprecedented government interference in private market negotiations and substantial increase in regulatory red tape proves one thing the Democrat Party is being held hostage by their most radical left wing members. The American People deserve better from congress than the socialist drug pricing scheme in the bill before us today. They deserve a real solution that will lower the cost of Prescription Drugs without jeopardizing access to new treatments and cures. That is why House Republicans have introduced h. R. 19, the lower cost, more cures act. This bill contains bipartisan, bicameral measures and it can become law this year. Specifically h. R. 19 will help lower out of pocket costs prork tect access to medicines and cures, strengthen transparency and accountability and champion competition. Yet House Democrats are ignoring this bipartisan, commonsense legislation. Clearly they prefer politics over progress. Madam speaker, im deeply disappointed that were here today debating yet another partisan ploy from my colleagues on the other side of the aisle. Their Bipartisan Solutions to many pressing issues at our fingertips. Including continuing to fight the covid19 pandemic. But Speaker Pelosi and herdem colleagues continue to turn their backs on Bipartisan Legislation to help the American People and that is truly shameful. Madam speaker, i reserve the balance of my time. The speaker pro tempore the gentlelady reserves. The gentleman from virginia is ecognized. Mr. Scott thank you. I yield two minutes to the former secretary of the United States department of health and Human Services, the gentlelady from florida, ms. Shalala. The speaker pro tempore the gentlelady from florida is recognized. Ms. Shalala i rise today in support of h. R. 1425, the Patient Protection and Affordable Care act, care enhancement act. Our country is facing multiple interwoven catastrophes. A Global Pandemic, an economic crisis and a reckoning over the denial of racial justice. Our job as congresspeople is to help the American People through these tie triing times. This bill does just that and the time to pass it is long overdue. Madam speaker, my district has the highest enrollment in the Affordable Care acts morkt places with more than 100,000 people getting their Health Insurance from the a. C. A. My constituents are likely to have never had Health Insurance before the Affordable Care act became law. But there still are at least another 120,000 people in Miamidade County who do not have access to Health Insurance because my state, the state of florida, has refused to expand medicaid. This bill will take critical steps to improve and expand the a. C. A. And lower drug costs. It requires the secretary of h. H. S. To negotiate with drug manufacturers for Affordable Drugs for all americans. A power i would have loved to have had when i was secretary. It does exactly what the president asked for in his campaign. This provision alone will save medicare 448 billion. Other critical provisions include expanding tax credits deeper into the middle class so everyone can get affordable, comprehensive Health Coverage. My constituents are worried about their job, their loved ones, their health care, and their country. Lets help them not worry about how they will pay for Critical Health care if they get sick. Thank you and i yield my time. The speaker pro tempore the gentlelady yields. The gentlelady from North Carolina is recognized. Ms. Foxx thank you, madam speaker. I yield three minutes to the gentleman from pennsylvania, mr. Keller. The speaker pro tempore the gentleman is recognized. Mr. Keller thank you. I thank the Ranking Member for yielding. I urge my colleagues to join me in opposing h. R. 1425. While we all agree americans pay too much for health care and the rising cost of Prescription Drugs needs to be addressed this bill is not the answer. The covid19 pandemic has affected each of our communities in different ways. We need to remain focused on helping our constituents reopen their businesses, get back to work and remain protect fled virus. This bill does none of these things. Once again, we are wasting the American Peoples time debating something that will harm the Health Care System, move us toward socialized medicine and provide fewer cures. This is especially troubling as it is at odds with the Trump Administrations steadfast goal of finding treatments and a vaccine for covid19 as well as protecting americans from future pandemics. Just like h. R. 3, this bill irresponsibly coerces drug manufacturers into negotiating drug prices with the government. Slapping a 65 tax on revenue if they dont come to terms, which increases to as much as 95 . In any negotiations ive been part of thats not how it works. In fact, according to the analysis done by the Congressional Research service, letting the government set drug prices would violate both the fifth amendment takings clause and the eighth amendments excessive fines clause. Before the pan emdick pandemic i traveled across pennsylvanias 12th Congressional District and met with medical professionals who said the best way to reduce drug corses is patent reform, price prans 35eur7bcy so consumers know the actual cost of drugs theyre purchasing and finding new cures. Rather than working to fix the disaster brought about on the Health Care Industry by obamacare this bill expands its flawed structure and attempts to force nonMedicaid Expansion state into complying with a radical fantasy that resembled socialized medicine. Theres been bipartisan work on reform like h. R. 19 which republicans put forward last year. If the majority were more interested in finding real results they might have engaged with us in real discussions to find Common Ground. We are interested in lower prices, more cures and a healthier health care marketplace. Unfortunately this legislation continues us down the wrong road. For these reasons i oppose h. R. 1425 and urge all others to do so. I yield back. The speaker pro tempore the gentleman yields. The gentleman from virginia is recognized. Mr. Scott thank you, madam speaker. I yield two minutes to the chair of the subcommittee on Higher Education and work force investment, the gentlelady from california, mrs. Davis. The speaker pro tempore the gentlelady is recognized. Mrs. Davis thank you, madam speaker. Thank you, mr. Chairman. Yurebedly usually, ones Health Insurance is not top of mind, until it is. And this, madam speaker, is one of those times. We have to protect womens Peoples Health care. Men and women. 2 whether its battling the coronavirus, finding a cure for cancer, or even birth. Currently, medicaid covers women for only 60 days postpartum. But life threatening complications from pregnancy as we all know can continue much longer. These illnesses dont follow the calendar. Regulations of course must align with reality. His needs to be changed. Unfortunately, this bill and fortunately, this bill would extend medicaid coverage to a year postportum and provide women with Critical Coverage to help detect, diagnose and treat potentially fatal complications. By assuring Better Health awareness if the begin, we can ensure that all babies are protected and cared for as they grow. When our nation is facing a Health Crisis, the logical reaction should be to strengthen health care, not to weaken it. We need to secure the smart policies to protect future americans from the start. I urge my colleagues to support the a. C. A. Enhancement act and i yield back, madam speaker. The speaker pro tempore the gentlelady yields. The gentlelady from North Carolina is recognized. Ms. Foxx thank you, madam speaker. I yield two minutes to the distinguished gentleman from North Carolina, dr. Murphy. The speaker pro tempore the gentleman is recognized for two minutes. Mr. Murphy thank you, madam speaker. I rise in opposition to House Resolution 425. To be honest im a little bit baffled. Were in the midst of a Global Pandemic, the likes of which this world has not seen in over 100 years. But sadly enough, my democratic colleague thinks its a good idea to pass a law that would handcuff the availability of industry to create a vaccine and medicines to fight this disease. Are you kidding me . The price controls and regulations proposed in this bill completely eliminate any incentive for these Drug Developers to spend money to invent new drugs. Can you imagine any company, pharmaceutical or not, being taxed at the rate of 65 to 95 of what they make . We need the next remdesivir to save peoples lives. Such policy would not allow this to happen. What has happened in the past because of overregulation of industry in the u. S. . These company have left the u. S. And gone where . Gone to china. And how has that worked out for us in this pandemic . China has had a stranglehold on this nation when it comes to the drugs we need. In a time of national con sense us is that we need to purchase fewer drugs from china, the democrats want to ensure more of them are developed there and we have to respond to them. This is insan kit. I absolutely do agree that the cost of drugs in this country are too high. Im a physician, i still practice. I still see patients when were back in the district. This is their number one complaint. But there are bipartisan and commonsense measures that we can eliminate, that we can implement to decrease the cost of drugs. Like i have said many times before, if we want to lower the cost of drugs we need pharmacy benefit manager reform. We are the only country in the world that allows middlemen to drive up costs. They cost this nation over 800 million a year in unnecessary drug costs. Thises a bipartisan and commonsense reform rather than this nonsense legislation that we can work on together to dekeys the cost of drugs. Thank you and i yield back. The speaker pro tempore the gentleman yields. The gentleman from virginia is recognized. Mr. Scott thank you, madam speaker. Madam speaker, i yield two minutes to the dis distinguished member of the committee on education an labor, the gentleman from connecticut. The speaker pro tempore the gentleman is recognized. Today we vote on this bill that improves the Affordable Care act by cutting the cost of health care for families at an anxious time in their life. Mr. Courtney millions more with a preexisting condition. In the midst of this Health Care Emergency when we should be protecting coverage, the Trump Administration last week asked the Supreme Court to strike down the entire a. C. A. If mr. Trump has his wish those 2. 5 million americans along with 130 million others with preexisting conditions will lose the landmark Patient Protection thats been ton onthe books for the last 10 years, family the right to Health Coverage even if youve been sick before and the confidence and serenity to know you wont be charged more because of an illness in your past. Its right there on the first pame, prohibition of preexisting condition exclusions or discrimination based on health status. Yet the Administration Says the entire a. C. A. Must fall. Thats a verbatim quote. Well, mr. Speaker if the a. C. A. Falls preexisting condition protections fall wit along with age 26 coverage for dependent children and the elimination of lifetime limit which is will devastate patients with chronic illness. Last night the wall street journal reported the president once again admitted that neither he nor his Senate Majority have the slightest clue what their plan is if their wrecking ball of the a. C. A. Succeeds. Millions of americans have reaped out to states a. C. A. Exchanges in search of Health Coverage after losing jobbased insurance. 54,000 just in connecticut alone. At this time of severe Economic Uncertainty when a deadly virus is ravepbling communities we must do everything in our power to strengthen Health Insurance and make it more affordable which this bill does. To shrink from this challenge and roll back the clock on 10 years of progress would be a dereliction of duty. Vote yes on this bill. I yield back. The speaker pro tempore the gentleman yields. The gentlelady from North Carolina is recognized. Ms. Foxx thank you, madam speaker. I yield one minute to the gentleman from North Carolina, mr. Bishop. The speaker pro tempore the gentleman from North Carolina is recognized. Mr. Bishop democrats present a false choice, either support the expansion of an already failed governmentrun Health Care Scheme or let people go without health care. They want you to think that republicans and the Trump Administration have no ideas about how to expand coverage. Not the case. One of the first bills i introduced after joining last september was the increasing Health Coverage h. R. A. s act. My legislation would codify the Trump Administrations rule allowing employers to fund Health Reimbursement arrangements for their employees. Thanks to President Trump these h. R. A. s can now be used to purchase individual market coverage. That change is expected to lead to covering 800,000 more people. All without costly and counterproductive government mandates. The American People want more choices. Lower costs. And increased access to care. Not a continued government takeover. I urge you to vote against h. R. 1425 and for democrats to work with republicans on commonsense proposals like mine. I yield back. The speaker pro tempore the gentleman yields. The gentleman from virginia is recognized. Mr. Scott thank you, madam speaker. Madam speaker, i yield one minute to the chair of the subcommittee on civil rights and Human Services, the gentlewoman from oregon, miss bonna meach. Ms. Bonamici. Ms. Bonamici this is the 10th anniversary of the Affordable Care act of the over the past 10 years our country has made significant progress in improving access to Affordable Care act despite the Trump Administrations constant assault on the a. C. A. Now in the middle of an unprecedented Global Health cry criecies, the administration is in court trying to get rid of the a. C. A. , including its critical protections for people with preexisting conditions. This threatens the Health Coverage of more than 20 million americans, nearly half a million of them orr gonians. The oregonians. Disproportionately harming black and latino people and communities of color. We should be doing all we can to expand access to Affordable Health care for everyone, not take it away. I strongly support the Patient Protection and Affordable Care enhancement act. This bill will increase coverage, lower costs, and make quality care more accessible for all. I urge my colleagues to join me in supporting this important legislation to keep millions of americans covered and build on the lega sift Affordable Care act. I yield back the balance of my time. The speaker pro tempore the yields. The gentlelady from North Carolina is recognized. Ms. Foxx thank you, madam speaker. I yield two minutes to the gentleman from alabama, mr. Byrne. The speaker pro tempore the gentleman from alabama is recognized. Mr. Byrne i thank the distinguished Ranking Member for yielding. Madam speaker, to borrow a line from president reagan, here we go again. In the midst of a nationwide pandemic, where theres so much work we should be doing for the American People, the democrat majority has again brought a partisan messaging bill to the floor of the house that is dead on arrival in the United States senate. As the majority snows, this bill includes numerous provisions that are nonstarters for republicans in any legislation related to health care. Including spanning obamacare. No protections against taxpayer funded abortion. The rolling back of numerous Trump Administration regulations, that made Health Insurance more affordable, and financial penalties for states that dont expand medicaid. Certainly it seems bad timing ton enacting legislation that the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office has already confirmed would lead to fewer new drugs on the market. The democrats have again included their socialist Prescription Drug bill in this legislation. Madam speaker, there are real areas we could be working together to find Common Ground in health care. There could be Common Ground on reinsurance. Six months ago, republicans suggested over 40 bipartisan Prescription Drug provisions we could actually enact that would encourage innovation and groundbreaking new cures and promote lowcost options for patients. We are still waiting on Speaker Pelosi to take up that package of bipartisan bills. The truth is democrats are not actually interested in finding solutions. They are interested in ramming political legislation through the house in an effort to influence the 2020 president ial race and to create additional controversies for democrat house members to run on. Republicans are ready to have a serious conversation about making health care more affordable and accessible. Just like with Police Reformulas week, the other side is not reform last week, the other side is not. With that i yield back. The speaker pro tempore the gentleman yields. The gentleman from virginia is recognized. Mr. Scott thank you, madam speaker. Madam speaker, i yield two minutes to a distinguished member of the committee on education and labor, the gentlewoman from pennsylvania, ms. Wild. The speaker pro tempore the gentlelady from pennsylvania is recognized. Ms. Wild thank you, mr. Chair. Thank you, madam speaker. I rise in support of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care enhancement act, which builds upon the achievements of the a. C. A. , including its coverage of an additional 20 Million People. Im glad to see that the bill includes the tenets of h. R. 3, allowing the h. H. S. To negotiate Prescription Drug prices rather than continuing to pay the outrageous prices set by companies that have long blocked competitors from the market. With the limited time i have to speak, though, id like to highlight my appreciation that it includes my bill, the Family Health Care Affordability act, which fixes the family glitch in the a. C. A. Under the Affordable Care act, workers are to have access to Affordable Health care plans defined as Health Care Plans that cost no more than 9. 56 of the employees monthly household income. But the interpretation of afoddable only look at whether coverage is affordable to cover the employee not whether it is affordable to cover spouses and dependents. When factors in the family unit coverage can easily surpass 25 of household income, and still be deemed affordable and block the family from marketplace subsidies. This bill fixes that and makes sure that hardworking families have access to coverage without risk of financial ruin. I call on my colleagues to pass this important bill. Thank you. I yield back the balance of my ime. The speaker pro tempore the gentlelady yields. The gentlelady from North Carolina is recognized. Ms. Foxx thank you, madam speaker. I yield two minutes to the gentleman from michigan, mr. Walberg. The speaker pro tempore the gentleman from michigan is recognized. Mr. Walberg thank you, madam speaker. Thanks to my chairman in exile. I rise in opposition to h. R. 1425, the slow covid cures act. There are many problematic provisions in this bill that ultimately but ultimately it is yet another political employ ploy that will not be considered in the senate or become law and we dont want it to be because its not good. This bill is a step stordser towards national identifieding the drug industry and opening the door to one size fits all government drold rationing of Prescription Drugs. Governments dont negotiate, they dictate. The radical approach taken by h. R. 1425 includes troubling and unprecedented government i. N. S. Feerns in private market negotiations which will eliminate choice and competition. And jeopardize innovation and access to future cures. Countries that have adopted drug pricing systems like the one proposed in this bill face decreased access to Innovative New medicines, increased wait times for treatment, and supply shortages for in demand drugs. The bill will negatively Impact Investment in research and development of future treatments. Putting breakthrough cures for diseases like alzheimers, cancer, and Sickle Cell Disease at risk. At a time when we have the best minds urgently working on a vaccine for covid19, why would we want to slow down the development of lifesaving medications . Congress should be putting in place policies to incentivize Difficult Research and development for these rare and devastating diseases, not discouraging it. I stand ready to work with my democrat colleagues and advance Bipartisan Legislation that would Lower Health Care and drug costs without sacrificing innovation. But thats not the bill before us today. Sadly like last weeks Police Reform bill, the majority is once again focused on messaging not legislating. And thats too bad. I yield back. The speaker pro tempore the gentleman yields. The gentleman from virginia virginia tech. Mr. Scott thank you, madam speaker. I yield two minutes to a distinguished member of the committee on education and labor, the gentlewoman from georgia, mrs. Mcbath. The speaker pro tempore the gentlelady from georgia is recognized. Mrs. Mcbath thank you, mr. Chair. Excuse me, madam speaker. I rise today in support of h. R. 1425, the Patient Protection and Affordable Care enhancement act. As a twotime Breast Cancer survivor, i know how important it is to have access to quality, Affordable Health care, especially for those like me that have preexisting conditions. This pandemic has shown us that ery american needs access to quality, Affordable Health care. Ny americans have lost their employers sponsored insurance and found affordable Health Coverage outside of their grasp. Outside of their own reach. The Patient Protection and Affordable Care enhancement act incentivizes Medicaid Expansion, improves medicaid coverage, fixes the family glitch, and ensures that every american has access to quality Affordable Health care. That is our right. That is our right as americans to have Affordable Health care, to be able to take care of our loved ones, take care of ourselves, and live a good sustainable quality of life. There is so much work that needs to be done, but this legislation truly takes important steps to ensuring that every american has the ability to be able to have access to Health Coverage. I urge my colleagues across the aisle to vote yes. I am a preexisting condition, and in my district there are over 300,000 people like me that have preexisting conditions. And 45,000 of those in my district are children under the age of 17. We deserve to be cared for and we deserve to have a good quality of life afforded by affordable and good Quality Health care. I yield back the balance of my time. The speaker pro tempore the gentlelady yields. The gentlelady from North Carolina is recognized. Mitts fox ms. Foxx thank you, madam speaker. I yield five minutes to the distinguished gentleman from tennessee, dr. Roe. The speaker pro tempore the gentleman from tennessee is recognized. Mr. Roe thank you, madam chair. I rise today in opposition to h. R. 1425, which doubles down on the flawed premise underlying the a. C. A. And threatens access to lifesaving treatments in the middle of an ongoing Public Health epidemic. All of us agree in this country thatle with the dire need for health care reform. Our current systems costs too much, too complex, and often doesnt promote quality for value. This hasnt changed since the a. C. A. Was first passed into law. Remember the premise of the a. C. A. Was to lower cost and increase access. This game the democrats set up was an individual mandate to force people to purchase insurance they sometimes couldnt afford, requirements for all plans to cover government mandated essential health benefits, 10 to be exact, commute rating to drive up the cost for the youngest consumers, and massive subsidies available for families of four with incomes as much as 104,000. In addition, the bill requires states to greatly expand their Medicaid Programs, a require subsequently mitigated by the Supreme Court. What are the results . C. B. O. Estimated 24 million individuals would receive coverage through the a. C. A. In reality approximately nine million received coverage. 80 of whom are on a highly subsidized plan. Costs exploded as they tend to do highly subsidized care and plans responded by raising copays and deductibles. I said it before and ill say it again. If you have a 5,000 outofpocket, madam speaker, for most folks you dont have insurance you have a card. Meanwhile the competition and plan choice promised never materialized. Plan options have decreased over time. 75 of the increases in coverage most likely would have occurred with two reforms. Allowing individuals to stay on their parents plan to age 26, which i agree with. And sim Medicaid Expansion. Here we are again, democrats appear to have learned none of the lessons that have become plainly evidence since they passed their first government takeover of health care. Today we are considering legislation that will significantly expand premium subsidies for a. C. A. Insurance while prohibiting the 1332 waivers from states designing their own plans for their populations unique needs. One of the best examples of these waivers is maryland. Hardly a conservative state. Which reduced premiums for its residents on an average of 13 in 2019, an average of 10 in 2020. The democrats want to block this. I have no earthly idea why. Thats not all. The most outrageous aspect of this legislation is that it would offset the cost expanding of the a. C. A. By allowing government bureaucrats to set drug prices. It was the heart and soul of h. R. 3. They would are are are are are have reduced access to lifesaving treatments. Every study concluded that the bill would stop coming to market. How many cures would it stop . Our country leads the way in bringing new medications to market. That saves lives and improves quality of life. At this very moment, american innovators are working at light speed to produce a covid vaccine. The idea of passing legislation that discourages this type of innovation is absurd. My first pediatric rotation was at memphis st. Judes children hospital. 80 of those children i saw died. Today, 80 of those children live. If we dont stifle innovation, 100 of these children will survive. While democrats continue to double down on Affordable Care act, Trump Administration is working on reforms that actually work and are modernizing our Health Care System and ensure patients continue to receive care during this pandemic sm the Trump Administration is giving new Insurance Options to shortterm plans that cover benefits and potentially Game Changing rule to increase transparency and hospital prices that expand telehealth which i use today, giving states the authority to experiment with plan design and innovate with their Medicaid Programs. This is the time to Work Together and pursue policies that will ensure we have a strong Health Care System to come back to. Hope my democratic colleagues will increase access to quality care, lower costs for all americans and put patriots back in charge of healthcare patrioticing decisions. I urge a no vote. And with that, i yield back. The speaker pro tempore jabbed. The gentleman from virginia is recognized. Mr. Scott im yielding one minute to the speaker of the house of es representatives, ms. Pelosi. The speaker i thank the gentleman for his tremendous leadership in bringing this important and historic legislation to the floor. Health een of advancing care to americans during his career in congress. Thank you, mr. Scott, for your tremendous leadership for the opportunity you are giving us today. I salute you and chairman pallone, the chairman of the energy and Commerce Committee who played an Important Role in all the as well as mr. Neal, chair of the ways and Means Committee. These three committees of jurisdiction and the members of their committees have been so essential to excellence and its success. I salute our freshmen who have been leading the charge for Health Care Costs and Health Care Protections from the first day they arrived in the congress. 2018, for the in people, we would do three things, for the people, we would lower the cost of health care by logue the cost of Prescription Drugs and preserving the preexisting medical condition. We are doing that today. For the people, we are to not only lowering Health Care Costs bringingr paychecks by infrastructure. For the people, we would be having cleaner government and that is what we did at the end of last week with the justice and policing act and part of our h. R. 1, statehood for the District Of Columbia and certainly more to come on the cleaner government as we fight obstacles for participation. Here today, we are focused on that first, for the people priority. Access to Affordable Care is a matter of life and death. Thats so selfevident as we see every day in the covid19 crisis which has killed more than 125,000 americans, infecting 2. 5 million americans and that is tens of millions of people without jobs. As dr. King once said, of all the forms of inequality, injustice in health is the most shocking and most inhuman because it often results in physical death. Yes. As lives are shattered by the coronavirus, the protections of the Affordable Care act are more important now more than ever and this is a Health Justice issue. Democrats with this bill will strengthen Americas Health and Financial Security during this time of crisis and for years to come. It lowers americans Health Care Coverage, significantly increasing the Affordable Care acts subsidies and should be more generous and cover more middleclass families and negotiates lower Prescription Drugs to ensure that americans no longer have to pay for medicines that big phrma charges for drugs overseas. This has been a longterm goal of democrats in the congress. And since 2006, when we were running and won the majority, our for the People Agenda that equivalent agenda was a new direction for america. Six for 06 and we had six bills we would pass immediately after obtaining the majority. We passed all six of them in the house of representatives, five of them became law. Only one of them did not. The law enabling the secretary of h. H. S. To negotiate for lower Prescription Drug prices. This has been a fight over the years. We continue to make it, because it is central not only to the health but Financial Health and security of americas working families. In addition, this legislation expands coverage and pushes holdout state to adopt Medicaid Expansion for 4. 8 million excluded from the coverage. It combats inequities in Health Coverage in communities of color and expanding more affordable coverage to vulnerable populations and fighting the mortality epidemic and cuts down on junk plans. But you wont be there for me when i need care, so it cracks down on junk plans and sthengthens coverage for people with preexisting conditions. Members on the other side of the aisle say they are all for protecting preexisting conditions. Really . Why are you in the United States Supreme Court to overturn them . And according to the center for priorities, licy our bill would lower the costs for well over 17 million more americans and safeguard Affordable Care acts lifesaving protections for the 103 million americans with preexisting conditions. When they say they are for allowing people to get coverage with preexisting conditions, they dont say at what costs. Stiff competition. But one of the biggest differences between democrats and republicans, we guarantee ffordability and protect the preexisting medical condition as not being an obstacle to access. They are in court trying to overturn it. Sadly, and this is a stark contrast, as democrats unveiled our legislation last week, President Trump went to the court doubling down on his lawsuit to tear down the a. C. A. And dismantle every one of its protections, including the preexisting medical condition benefit. At a time when families need health care more than ever, the president is trying to strip protections for 130 million americans with preexisting conditions and take coverage away from 23 million americans. That doesnt go into what he is trying to do to the enhanced benefit that all americans with health care enjoy. We need to build of the progress of the Affordable Care act to Lower Health Care costs and Prescription Drug costs and not rip Americans Health care in the mid willing of a pandemic. What sense does that make . On day one of this congress led by representative allred, the house voted to throw our legal weight in defending this lawsuit. Yet 190 republicans voted against that resolution choosing to be fully complicit in the president s attempt to tear away health protection. We continue to call on the president to abandon his lawsuit to destroy the Affordable Care act and urge him instead to call on the 14 states who have refused to expand medicaid to do so. Doesnt it just make sense at a ime of a pandemic, its always important. Would have been amusing if this were not deadly serious to hear senator cornyn said people have lost their jobs because of their this pandemic and they need to sign up for the Affordable Care act. You need to defend the law of the lapped, not to tear it down. Today we have the choice to strengthen Americas Health care protections and Lower Health Care costs or be complicit in President Trumps campaign to dismantle health care. Make no mistake, a vote against this bill is a vote to weakens Americans Health and Financial Security during a pandemic. In so many languages and my mother used to say, if you dont have your health, you dont have anything. Health is so central. As you see the American People place a high value on it when they say they dont want to go out too soon to jeopardize their health or the others they have at home. In every language, when people salute each other, they salute to their people. The spanish salute. The french say salute. The germans, the irish, this is hard ause gaelic is a language. And salutee. All of that life and health, thats the salute that is centrally important. With this bill, democrats in the house are offering our salute to good health to the American People and we hope the republicans would join us in that salute. With that, i urge a strong vote for the Patient Protection Affordable Care enhancement act for the people, for the children, for the future. With that, i yield back. The speaker pro tempore the gentlelady yields. The gentlelady from North Carolina is recognized. Ms. Foxx i yield two minutes to the gentleman from georgia, mr. Allen. The speaker pro tempore the gentleman from georgia is recognized. Alalim disappointed with mr. Allen im disappointed by using this crisis to push their partisan agenda. You think a crisis would bring us together. H. R. 1425 is nothing more than another government power grab and attempt to double down on the failed policies of obamacare. Remember the promise was made to lower your premiums, yet they have skyrocketed. This rescinds the Trump Administration which aims to provide relief in rising premiums, it implements government price setting for drugs. The American People want choice, not one size fits all topdown Big Government programs. Why in the world would you send a hardearned tax dollar to washington and get 20 cents back to take care of a patient . I made a promise to the people of georgia i would fight for lower drug prices and this bill would lead to drug price hikes and shortages. Under this bill, the secretary would have to set prices. The c. B. O. Estimates that pricesetting policies will result in fewer cures and treatments coming to the market. It would expand obamacare after we spent years trying to roll back the burdensome mandate that the American People called out for congress to repeal. The American People want choice. My democrats have left the far left radicals to take over their agenda. Lets be clear. They want the government to be in charge of your health care. Everyones health care. Democrats believe they and the federal bureaucrat friends know whats best for your health care, not your doctor. I can tell you right now in my district, we know better and can see right through these schemes. We want to come together. Not far left political messaging bills. Unfortunately its business as usual here for the democrats putting policies over country. I the speaker pro tempore the gentlemans time has expired. Mr. Allen i thank you, yield back. The speaker pro tempore the gentleman yields. The gentleman from virginia virginia tech. Mr. Scott from virginia is recognized. Mr. Scott thank you, madam speaker. I yield two minutes to a distinguished member of the committee on education and labor, the gentlewoman from washington, dr. Schrier. The speaker pro tempore the gentlelady from washington is recognized. Ms. Schrier thank you, mr. Chair. Thank you, madam speaker, i rise in support of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care enhancement act. As a pediatrician and patient with type one diabetes i know how important it is to have real access to health care. The Affordable Care act was a phenomenal first step. It provided protection for 26 million americans with preexisting conditions who otherwise would not have had access to Health Insurance. Made sure young people are covered until age 26. And designated primary care and access to Birth Control as essential. Of course it wasnt perfect. It was intended to be a first step. Now with 10 years of experience we know how to improve it by addressing the serious issues of cost and access. The Patient Protection and Affordable Care enhancement act does just that. With a special emphasis on children and communities of color who for too long have faced health disparities. Also with this bill a family of four in my district would save on stimated 8,000 a year Health Insurance. This legislation provides permanent funding for the Childrens Health i shurens program so that children will be able to get health care they need right from the start. And im particularly excited that this bill also includes the kids access to primary care act, a bipartisan bill introduced to expand primary care access for children and families on medicaid. By matching medicaid reimbursement rates to higher medicare rates, medicaid patients will have access to more physicians and children will get the care they need when they need it from their very own primary care physician. That kind of access to care should not depend on zip code, income, or skin color. The toll this pandemic has taken on already disadvantaged communities drives home the need for everyone to have Affordable Access to the care they need. Thats why this bill, the Patient Protection and Affordable Care enhancement act, is so important. No family should ever face bankruptcy because of medical expenses. One of the few doctors in congress i will always work to ensure that everyone can afford the care they need. Thank you. I yield back. The speaker pro tempore the gentlelady yields. The gentlelady from North Carolina is recognized. Ms. Foxx thank you, madam speaker. I yield two minutes to the gentleman from pennsylvania, mr. Smucker. The speaker pro tempore the gentleman from pennsylvania is recognized. Mr. Smummer thank you, mad mr. Smucker thank you, madam chair. I would like to thank the Ranking Member of the committee a very happy birthday. Madam chair, i rise today in opposition to h. R. 1425. I do agree with my colleagues on both sides of the aisle that we need to enact reforms that will make Health Insurance and access to care more affordable. I also agree that we need to protect individuals with preexisting conditions. But the approach under the legislation being debated today will not bring us closer to a bert functioning marketplace. Its like putting a bandaid on a broken system. To truly lower the cost of insurance and care, we need to address the underlying cost drivers of health care. Yet can the legislation before us today ignores what is driving Prices Higher and instead it broadens government subsidies to more individuals, including the wealthy, so that on its face the price of insurance looks cheaper. Dont be fooled by generous tax credits. These credits will be paid for by all taxpayers when they are passed along it hardworking families in the form of higher taxes. I would welcome the opportunity to work with my colleagues on the other side of the aisle on real reforms that will increase choices for insurance and care options. That will cut through Health Care Monopolies to increase competition in the marketplace. That will allow for more permanentized plans. That will better target taxpayer funded subsidies to the poor, the sick, and the vulnerable, not high earning individuals. That would enable a system that fosters innovation in patient care, not stifle it through burdensome government mandate. Before i close, i want to touch on my colleagues decision to include the same governmentcontrolled drug pricing scheme in this patchwork of proposals passed a few months ago. At a time when the world is in fighting to emerge from a Global Pandemic, my colleagues on the other side of the aisle elieve it is an it isnt an appropriate time to raise taxes on lifesaving cures by 70 . We have already worked on policy adecember we all agree will help lower drug prices. The speaker pro tempore the gentlemans time has expired. Mr. Smucker i hope one day we can set the shenanigans aside and bringing bring real reforms like those included in h. R. 19 up for consideration. I yield back. The speaker pro tempore the gentleman yields. The gentleman from virginia is recognized. Mr. Scott thank you, madam speaker. Madam speaker, i yield one minute to the distinguished majority leader of the United States house of representatives, the gentleman from maryland, mr. Hoyer. The speaker pro tempore the gentleman from maryland is recognized. Mr. Hoyer thank you very much, madam speaker. I have only been on the floor a short time but im sure this has been the repeated opposition statements that if we only could get agreement f. Only we could do this we would have a Wonderful Health care program. Frankl, my friend on the other side of the aisle have had 12, 14 years at least to come up a program. Madam speaker, they didnt come up with program and they passed it through the house, they were in charge, went to the senate. Republicans were in charge of the senate. When they passed it through the house they all went down to the white house and had a big party. What a wonderful deal this is. And lo and behold, within two weeks the president who was extolling that bill calendar it a mean called it a mean bill. Thats not me, thats the president of the United States. About the bill that he was celebrating with his republican colleagues. The republicans talk a good game, but they dont play game. Its not that they dont play a good game, they dont play a game. Theres been no bill coming from the president of the United States. Madam speaker, last week in the middle of the worst pandemic in our lifetimes, the Trump Administration submitted briefs to the Supreme Court in support of a lawsuit by republicanled states seeking to overturn the law that provides millions of americans with access to ffordable health care. They offer no substitute. They said they were going to. But they have never done it. In spite of a decade of republican efforts, a decade, 10 years, they have had to work on this, and come up with a plan that all of them are talking about. Oh, we want to protect preexisting conditions. We dont want to have lifetime limits. All these things. Where is the bill . Where is the meat . Its not here. It hasnt been offered. And the one bill that was offered and passed this house was called by the president United States a mean bill. Not our president. Their president. I mean hes the president of all of us, but hes the member of the Republican Party just as obama was a member of the democratic party. We offered an alternative. We passed an alternative. It was signed and the majority of the American People support t. Matter of fact, 53 of independents support it. When the Supreme Court hears orel organizements in the republican lawsuit this autumn, and the republicans lawsuit, these are republican a. G. s, it will hear their arguments for taking away protections for those with preexisting conditions, those most vulnerable to covid19. At the very moment Health Care Experts predict another wave of i feckses. Of infections and the start of the flu season. Where do we see the spike . Along the southern border. Exas, florida, arizona taking away americans coverage and throwing our Health Care System into chaos is not, madam speaker, what the American People want or need during this global Public Health and economic crisis. When President Trump ran for office, this was before he called the bill that the house passed a mean bill, under republican leadership, President Trump falsely promised that he would offer an alternative to the Affordable Care act that was far less expensive and better quality. I ask any of my colleagues if they have seen that bill. Either side of the aisle. Have you seen that bill . This president has been president for 3 1 2 years. There is no republican bill to make sure that americans have affordable, Quality Health care and have them able to get insurance irrespective of preexisting conditions. There is no such legislation. Now, having failed to produce an alternative the president and his republican allies are determined to repeal it enthrire. Thats been their position for the last 12 years. Im proud that one of the first acts of our Democratic House majority was to defend the a. C. A. In the republican lawsuit. Indeed, americans dont want to scrap the law. They want to strengthen and expand it. They understand that its not an option having Health Care Coverage. Protecting your health is not an option. When democrats won the majority in the house, we did so promising to work to expand coverage. Lower outofpocket costs, and provide greater stability for Health Insurance marketplaces. Thats what we promised. We picked up 40 net seats. This bill is part of that promise. We passed another one it sits untouched in the senate, as some of my republican colleagues predict for this one. I understand that. The republicans are not for health care being affordable. Being quality. Being accessible for people. At least they havent offered a bill to accomplish that objective, notwithstanding what the president said. Importantly, among the other provisions you have heard about from my colleagues this morning, this legislation addresses the Racial Disparities in health care that have become so starkly evident during this pandemic. Expanding medicaid will help close those disparities antibills provisions should require medicaid coverage of Maternal Health care for 12 months postpartum will help reduce disparities that make africanamerican women as much as four times as likely to die as a result of the birth or pregnancy than white women. Those disparities arent acceptable. Our House Majority is taking action to address thefment i want to congratulate mr. Scott, mr. Pallone, i want to congratulate mr. Neal and i want o congratulate Speaker Pelosi. Moreover this bill would require the secretary of health and Human Services to negotiate over the most expensive Prescription Drugs that do not have marketplace competition. That do not have marketplace competition. Thats what keeps prices down. Consumers having choices. They dont have choices, they have to take the drug no matter what it costs. Which is a key component to lowering prices. That said i want to be clear that while we use international measures, we will continue to work with the patient and Disability Community to ensure that our efforts to reduce outofpocket costs do not have the unintended result of rationing lifesaving and Life Sustaining treatments. Or discriminate against our most vulnerable communities. I want to thank all the chairs and their committees who came together to produce this bill. I have mentioned chairman pallone, chairman scott, chairman neal, and others. I want to thank all the members who were instrumental in bringing these policies together. Including the many freshmen members who ran on strenenting the a. C. A. I see miss underwood on the floor, but there are many others in the freshman class who worked very hard. Why . Because they campaigned on for the people bringing costs down. I urge every member of the house to join in supporting this bill. Now is the time. Now is the time, madam speaker, to strengthen access to high quality Affordable Health care Racial Disparities that have come into view with covid19. I urge my colleagues on both sides of the aisle, if your rhetoric is about bringing costs down and your rhetoric is about accessibility, if your rhetoric is about quality, walk the walk. Dont just talk the talk. Vote for this bill, because it does what you say you want it to do. And i yield back. The speaker pro tempore the gentleman yields back the balance of his time. The gentlelady from North Carolina is recognized. Ms. Foxx well reserve at this time. The speaker pro tempore the gentlelady reserves. The gentleman from virginia is recognized. Mr. Scott i yield two minutes to the distinguished member of the committee on education and labor, the gentlewoman from illinois, miss underwood. The speaker pro tempore the entlelady is recognized. Ms. Underwood i rise in strong of the patient pro section and Affordable Care enhancement act. Ast june, i visited kayleigh heelt. She told me it would be nice to come home and work on the farm with my husband and grow our business and cant do that unless i get affordable Health Insurance. People like her is why i introduced legislation the Health Care Affordability act to make insurance affordable to more americans including those who dont qualify for tax credits. This legislation would reduce premiums by hundreds or thousands of dollars for 20 million americans and im pleased this is included in this bill today. This bill delivers on our promise to ensure that all americans have access to quality Affordable Health care. I urge all of my colleagues to support this bill and join me in this effort. And i yield back. The speaker pro tempore the gentlelady from illinois yields. The gentlelady from North Carolina is recognized. Ms. Foxx i continue to reserve. The speaker pro tempore the gentlelady from North Carolina reserves. The gentleman from virginia. Mr. Scott how much time is available each side . The speaker pro tempore the gentleman from virginia has 11 minutes remaining. The gentlelady from north rolina has 4 1 2 minutes remaining. Mr. Scott madam speaker, i yield two minutes to the the gentleman from maryland. The gentleman is recognized. Mr. Trone thank you, mr. Speaker. Health care is a human right. The Affordable Care act helped us live up to that value by giving 20 million American People Health Care Coverage including millions with preexisting conditions. But still, too Many Americans dont have access to good Affordable Health care and drug prices are through the roof. One of those americans is suzette from germantown, maryland. She told me that her insulin prices have sky rothed over the last year, making it hard to offer a drug that she needs to survive. As representative cummings said, we are better than that. The Patient Protection and Affordable Care enhance mbts bill cut premiums in half, allow negotiations on drug prices and lifelines for those who need Mental Health and drug treatment services. During the Global Pandemic, we should be acting with compassion to the most vulnerable in our country. This bill does just that. I urge a yes vote. Yield back. The speaker pro tempore the gentlelady from North Carolina is recognized. Ms. Foxx i reserve. The speaker pro tempore the gentlelady reserves. The gentleman from virginia is recognized. Mr. Scott i yield two minutes to a distinguished member on the education and labor, ms. Lee. Place place mrs. Lee a constituent of mine, wrote to me recently and retired on medicare and diabetic that requires insulin to survive and told me the cost of insulin is going up 400 . It is life or death for him because he needs the insulin, but cant afford it. This moment should give us all pause. Millions are out of work and thousands are sick and diing from a Global Pandemic but lifesaving medcages are out of reach for millions of american and this station continues its campaign to take away Peoples Health care. Seniors like mark deserve better and americans deserve better. Medication costs and junk Insurance Plans are forcing people to choose between lifesaving treatment and paying their bills. No one in this great country should have to make that choice. I urge my colleagues to vote for this bill and give every american access to Affordable Health care. I yield. The speaker pro tempore the gentlelady yields. The gentlelady from North Carolina is recognized. Ms. Foxx i continue to reserve. The speaker pro tempore the gentlelady reserves. The gentleman from virginia is recognized. Mr. Scott i yield two minutes to the gentleman from rhode island, mr. Cicilline. The speaker pro tempore the gentleman from rhode island is recognized. Mr. Cicilline i thank the gentleman for yielding and his extraordinary leadership and thank you chairman scott, chairman neal and chairman pallone. 122,000 americans have died from covid19. 2. 6 million are infected. And in the midst of this deadly and historic Global Health pandemic, the infection rates continuing to rise all across our country, there has never been a worse time than to rip away health care from the American People. Just last week, President Trump and my republican colleagues filed a pleading in the Supreme Court to take away health care from 20 million americans and gut protections for 135 million americans with preexisting conditions. Now more than ever democrats are standing up to fight to protect access to quality Affordable Health care. And patient pro text act does just that. It lowers Health Care Costs and protects patients with preexisting conditions and expands medicaid and lowers the cost of Prescription Drugs. Our colleagues on the other side of the aisle have described these ideas as radical. Only in the Republican Caucus is expanding Health Care Coverage and driving down costs and covering people with preexisting conditions radical. The rest of the American People, its a basic human right, access to quality Affordable Health care. This bill will do just that. My colleagues have been on a Relentless Campaign to repeal the Affordable Care act in its entirety and promised they were going to repeal and replaced. They have tried to repeal and never been a replacement and once again we are stepping into the breach. We are building on the success of the Affordable Care act to drive down Health Care Costs, expand coverage. I urge my colleagues to vote aye. And i thank the gentleman for yielding. The speaker pro tempore the gentleman yields. The gentlelady from North Carolina. Ms. Foxx im reserving until the chair is ready to close. The speaker pro tempore the gentleman from virginia. Mr. Scott im ready to close. So ill reserve. The speaker pro tempore the gentleman reserves. The gentlelady from North Carolina is recognized. Ms. Foxx thank you, madam speaker. Madam speaker, prop gantist, if you repeat the lie often enough, people will believe the lie and not the truth. Our colleagues are entitled to their own opinion but not to their own facts or repeating history. I want to read something from mr. Brady. Republican support children and seniors and patients. Republicans created the popular childrens Health Insurance program that millions of families rely on today. Republicans created the Prescription Drug medicare to help seniors get the medicine they need. Republicans created the first law that established protection for patients with preexisting conditions. That law passed in 1996 is the Health Insurance and portability act of 1996. We want people, we want to have access to high quality, Affordable Health care that fits their needs and make their own choices, not what Speaker Pelosi demands for them. Madam speaker, the devastating effects of covid19 are still being felt across our nation. Yet today, democrats are pushing a deeply flawed partisan bill that is being used to score cheap political points instead of working on Bipartisan Solutions like lowering drug costs, ending surprise billing and getting our economy back on its feet. We are left with h. R. 1425, a radical bill which will limit Health Care Choices and increases costs and double down on the Affordable Care act. No innovation, investment or solutions, just more of the failed status quo from House Democrats which will go nowhere after the vote today. Contrary to what Speaker Pelosi said, democrats do not and annot in this bill guarantee affordability of health care. What they do guarantee is government control with rationonning fewer cures and less freedom for americans. Epublicans believe in just the opposite. Madam speaker, i strongly urge a no vote on h. R. 1425 and i yield back the ball aps of my time. The speaker pro tempore the gentlelady yields. The gentleman from virginia is recognized. Mr. Scott i yield myself the balance of the time. Madam speaker, this bill will reduce the costs of Prescription Drugs. Americans pay two, three times or 10 times than other countries pay for the exact same drugs. Is bill will allow the department of health and Human Services to negotiate better prices. Those on the other side criticized reduced prices because it could reduce investments in research. This bill offsets any such reductions with significant increases investments and research at the National Institutes of health. This bill makes improvements to the Affordable Care act by reducing premiums and expanding coverage to families and protecting those with preexisting conditions and reducing the number of our insured. We have heard criticism but no description of a better alternative. We heard about the 1996 law on preexisting conditions but did not nothing in the individual market and thats what the Affordable Care act protects. Preexisting conditions in the individual market. But look at what c. B. O. Said about the republican bill when they passed and had the majority and were able to pass the bill. They actually passed the bill that c. B. O. Scored and they said that it would increase costs 20 the first year, 20 some million fewer people would be insured, those with preexisting conditions would lose some of those protections and the insurance you get is worse than what youve got. We can do better than that by passing bill and thats what we should do today by voting yes on this legislation. I yield back the balance of my time. The speaker pro tempore the gentleman yields. All time for debate has expired. Pursuant to House Resolution 1017, the previous question is ordered on the bill as amended. The question is on engrossment and third reading of the bill. Those in favor say aye. Those opposed, no. The ayes have it. Third reading. The clerk a bill to amend the Patient Protection and a forwardable care act and provide for certain reinsurance payments to lower premiums and the individual Insurance Market. The speaker pro tempore for what purpose does the gentleman rom oregon seek recognition . The speaker pro tempore the gentleman qualifies. The clerk will report the motion. The clerk mr. Walden of oregon h. R. To recommit the bill 1425 to the committee on energy and commerce with instructions same back to the house forthwith with the following amendment after ection 2, insert the following section 3. Effective date. This act and the amendments made act shall not take effect unless the secretary of in th and Human Services consultation with the commissioner of food and drugs, the director of the national health, and the director of the National Institute of aller gentlemen allergy and Infectious Disease certifies no amendments will adversely affect research on, development of, or approval of any drug, any biological product, intended to treat or prevent infection with the virus that causes covid19. The speaker pro tempore the ant to the rule, gentleman from oregon is recognized for five minutes in support of his motion. Very much, thank you mr. Speaker. This motion should be adopted. From ld prevent the bill upending the very progress we are all counting on for our develop new vaccines and therapies to confront this killer coronavirus. See, it simply states the legislation cannot take effect unless the secretary of Health Services certifies that no provision will adversely research, the development, or the approval of or drug intended to treat prevent covid19. A straight face have come to the floor today to grave danger to medical innovation. The Congressional Budget Office occasions. T on many upwards of 100 drugs, depending on the source, will make it into pipeline. Will it be a cure for covid,als cancer a. L. S. Or cancer, we dont know. Analysishe independent shows we will not see a lot of new medicines. Ets make sure its not the cure to covid or treatment to save lives for people who are on ventilators. What our motion to recommit says, before you move orward with a known innovation killer, lets at least exclude treatments and cures for covid19. Are being ties ravaged. We all know these stories. We all share them with each incredible damage done to lungs and organs and of covid19. Sult in the wake of this Public Health crisis, medical worked in have unprecedented speed to develop afe and productive products so we can safely reopen back up and eventually return to normal lives. Publicprivate partnerships to a degree never seen before. They are joining forces with competitors, government agencies, nonprofits and they on substantial financial risk in order to bring safe and effective vaccines and patients as quickly as possible. With passage of this bill, they in to gut innovation america. California Life Sciences tells us the provisions in this bill h. R. 3 canncluded in Innovation Tech jobs, r d jobs going away from america to somewhere else. Price of this bill. We know House Democrats voted to dangerous price controls with passage of h. R. 3. One of the that side benefits, shall we say, of socialized medicine, you dont get access to new become s when they do available in a timely a manner as you do here. Ompared to the u. S. And australia, takes an average 19 months longer for medicines to for patients. Le canada, 14 months longer. Nited kingdom, 11 months longer. Those cures cancers, those new medicines on the market, evolutionary sort of new innovations we all want. All were asking for here is law, your bill becomes and by the way, the administration said theyll ecommend a veto, before it moves through the path, lets at east make sure that an unintended but dangerous consequence of this bill does not take effect and that is will note sure that it inhibit research and innovation cure to atment or covid19. Thats what our motion asks for, vote on the yes motion to recommit and i yield back the balance of my time. The speaker pro tempore the yields back. For what purpose does the gentleman from new jersey seek recognition . Opposition to the motion to recommit, madam speaker. The speaker pro tempore the gentleman is recognized for five minutes. Mr. Pallone madam speaker, i urge my colleagues to vote motion toe republican recommit. This motion to recommit is a provides n and it cover to the pharmaceutical industry to continue to raise prices just as we have seen them on thousands of drugs this year alone. My republican colleagues would have you believe its the pharmaceutical industry alone thats and nsible for innovation for funding innovation in this ountry which admits the Critical Role the government will play and continue to play development of drug treatment and novel therapies. The investment in research for treatments and vaccines arent being put on the backs of the pharmaceutical industry. Congress and the american taxpayer who made unprecedented find aents as we race to cure for covid19. In response to covid19, invested over 8 billion for innovative biomedical research, development, and the purchase of new vaccines and therapeutics, including 4. 4 billion in the act and 3. 8 billion in the supplemental appropriations so. In the last month or this enhancement act, combined with the heroes act, which the up, e still has not taken would more than double this historic investment, bringing it to over 19 billion. Managers amendment to this bill adds another 2 billion. The claims by republicans here today, and this motion to recommit, my colleagues on the other side of would have you believe that were forced to choose etween two competing alternatives. Either finding vaccines and treatments for diseases and covid or reducing drug prices that are gouging merican families at the pharmacy counter every day. This is a false choice. From the republican perspective, e have no choice but to allow the pharmaceutical industry to continue to go unchecked and ake in record profits at the expense of those who need lifesaving medicines. Mongering at its worse and blatantly untrue. This country is doing both. More enough spending in the industry to make sure we ont Impact Research and development for treatments and cures, including a vaccine for covid19. E know that most Big Pharmaceutical Companies spend more on marketing, sales, and verhead than research and development, and theres no reason why American Families are orced to pay three, five, 10 times more for the same treatments than those in other countries. Thats simply unfair. Polling has y new shown nine out of 10 americans support direct negotiations by the federal government for the of a treatment for covid19. And why people are scared that gouged for a to be coronavirus treatment when its available. So often theyve been gouged by other drugs that their families have needed to stay healthy. Madam he bottom line, speaker, we can have innovation and lower costs and thats what underlying bill does. This bill will establish a fair price negotiating program that innovation by directing the secretary to rioritize the Drugs Research and Development Spending as well as the extent to which a drug true therapeutic advance over other drugs. I ask my colleagues to reject recommit. To we not in the last few months drug prices have gone up tremendously around the country drug prices increasingly take a large percent of your Health Care Costs. People people simply cannot avoid it. The false choice of my republican colleagues. With that i yield back and urge to vote against the motion to recommit. The speaker pro tempore the without yields, and objection, the question is on the motion to recommit. The question is on the motion. All those in favor say aye. Those opposed, no. The noes have it. The motion is not adopted. Mr. Walden madam speaker. On that i ask the speaker pro tempore the gentleman from oregon. Yeas lden i ask for the and nays. The speaker pro tempore pursuant to section 3 of House Resolution 965, the yeas and are ordered. Pursuant to clause 8 of rule 20, further proceedings on this question are postponed. The speaker pro tempore for what purpose does the gentlewoman from california, ms. Recognition . Ms. Waters pursuant to house 1017, i call up h. R. Housing emergency protections and relief act of its immediate or consideration in the house. The speaker pro tempore the clerk will report the title of the bill. H. R. 7301, a bill to prevent evictions, foreclosures unsafe Housing Conditions results from the covid19 andemic, and for other purposes. The speaker pro tempore pursuant to House Resolution considered ll is read. The bill shall be debatable for one hour equally divided and by the chair and ranking minority member of the committee on Financial Services. The gentlewoman from california, and the gentleman from michigan, mr. Huizenga, each will control 30 minutes. Recognizes the gentlewoman from california, ms. Waters. Ms. Waters mr. Speaker, i ask unanimous consent that all members may have five legislative days to revise and on h. R. Eir remarks extraneous insert material thereon. The speaker pro tempore without objection. The gentlewoman, ms. Waters, is recognized. Speaker, i yield myself such time as i may consu consume. The speaker pro tempore the gentlewoman is recognized. Ms. Waters thank you, mr. Speaker. H. R. E in strong support of 301, the emergency housing protections act relief act of 2020. This bill includes several that were included in the heroes act and independently number of members of the Financial Services committee. Ome people hearing this bill wont understand what we are attempting to do here today. Said, this was a part of the heroes act that passed this weve been waiting on heroesate to take up the act. They are not taking it up. They dont seem to care. Understand eem to that there are people out there ho are going to be evekted evicted, and so we have pulled it out of the heroes act and were taking it up independently we can send a message to he senate that we want this measure heard. And so we have a number of inbers who have participated putting this legislation together and who had independent do so. O that includes representatives heck, david nny chuy garcia, sidney axne, ayaw presley, katie porter, al green. Mr. Speaker, america was facing crisis dable housing before this pandemic hit. With so many families struggling as a result of the pandemic, were now on the precipice of an homeless crisis like we have never seen in our lifetimes. The cares act was an important step in providing relief, but more help is needed. We knew, for example, that an Eviction Moratorium without the provision of rental assistance would delay this outcome as families would have to pay more than they can afford, a lump sum of three to four months of scrun paid rent at the expiration of the moratorium. This house followed through on providing several additional and targeted Housing Solutions when it passed the heroes act. Unfortunately end of 45 days since heroes act has passed, no action has been taken by the senate or the Trump Administration. This is simply unacceptable. As a matter of fact, someone said this morning and i repeat, we have not heard one word, not one peep from this administration about rental assistance. We saw in the aftermath of the 2008 crisis what the consequences are when Congress Acts too slowly. 10 million forecasts and increases in rates of homelessness all across this country and we saw how communities of color were disproportionately hit with foreclosures and loss of wealth after they had been targeted with predatory marketing products. There are 2. 5 million cases of covid19 in the United States and over 125,000 americans have died. The centers for Disease Control reported that as of june 20, hospitalization rates for covid19 are highest among native, black and Latin Americans and people of color account for the largest portion of essential workers, are have a higher of incidence of preexisting Health Conditions and that having these preexisting Health Conditions, the reason for it is, they have been limited to health care and have fewer opportunities to isolate because they cannot work from home. But i must emphasize that this pandemic did not create such disparities, but only exacerbated them and i hope this pandemic has drawn widespread public attention to all of these disparities. Congress cannot fail again to quickly act as we did in the aftermath of the 2008 crisis. Cyst passage of the heroes act, our nations renters and homeowners experienced renewed pressure. When june rent came due, one in three renters were unable to pay their rent. On june 14, the Mortgage Bankers association reported that the number of homeowners in forebearance reached 4. 2 million. We have experienced record days of new positive coronavirus tests including infectious florida, ageorgia and my state of california. Since the heroes act passed, 11 million americans have filed for Unemployment Insurance. There are 25 days before the federal eviction ban expires. When it does, many families who have been unable to pay their rent because of the covid19 pandemic will face eviction a and the devastating con accept quenses that evictions have on families. Our Committee Heard testimony in january from one gentleman when all of his belongings were put out on the sidewalk and he and his children were forced out of their home and he tried to obtain training for a better job and the sheriff banged on his door. He described how he and his wife watched as all of their personal belongings with you thronche into the front lawn. He said and i quote, i remember feeling that i had failed, failed as a husband and as a father to provide a place for my family. Several landlords declined his rental application after charging a nonreimburseable application fee bass they saw the eviction on his record and he and his family stayed at motels. Maya once wrote that home is a refuge not only from the world but refuge from my worries, troubles, my concerns and we know all too well what happens to families when their homes are forcibly taken from them. We cannot sit by. We must understand that an he vicks can disrupt every aspect of a familys life. And this adds to disruption to a childs education. Housing can be traumatic and lifelong impacts. Children who avoid avick shon due to a longterm housing ubsidy have better educational achievements and less likely to become incarcerated. And awe so again, we cannot sit eyedly by and let this crisis cause irreparable harm to millions of families around the country. The bill pulls out the provisions from the heroes act. Let me tell you what the bill does. It provides 100 p billion for Emergency Assistance fund and 75 billion to ensure renters and homeowners can cover rent, mortgage payments and utility bills and extends and expands e avick shon and for all renters and homeowners and forebeerance relief and 18 billion in funding for homeless assistance to ensure rents remain affordable and housing is maintained with the safe and decent condition and cre eighths Lending Facility to help them finance their obligations. It ensures robust fair housing enforcement to protect all renters and homeowners. Each of us knows the value of a place where we and our family come together and share a meal and rest our heads. We know that households of color have not recovered from the 2008 crisis and we know they will continue to be disproportionately impookted if the pandemic causes the housing crisis to worsen. I refuse to do nothing while families suffer. This is an emergency and calls for an Emergency Response provided by this legislation. We cant wait. I strongly urge my colleagues to support this bill. I reserve. The speaker pro tempore the gentlewoman from california reserves. The gentleman from michigan is recognized. I rise in opposition to this bill and yield myself such time as i may consume. The speaker pro tempore the gentleman is recognized. This is the second time the house will vote on the provisions in this bill and the chair just laid that out. Every single one of these provisions was included in the socalled heroes act, a partisan debated last month. Just like that 3 trillion grabbag, it will not be signed by the president. At the conclusion of this debate, we will be right back. Mr. Huizenga why not try something new. It worked in the cares act and other four covid19 response bills that we had and it could work here as well. Rather than work across the aisle, the democratic leadership gave us no warning that this bill would be debated on the house floor, they jammed through the bill the rules Committee Held a hearing. The rules committee reported out a closed rule on this bill. Lets explain what a closed rule means. There are three types of rules, open rule meaning you can add any amendment you want. A structured rule which says, we are going to narrow those amendments to those areas that we think are most pertinent and then a closed rule which says you get nothing. You dont have any say in trying to improve this bill. Doesnt matter. We dont want to hear from the minority or our own members what ideas they might have. So notwithstanding, there have been numerous concerns about this bill and no opportunity to amend it and no amendment to strengthen it or improve what is already a bad bill. This will only stifle debate and hurt the bills chances for actual success. But thats not the goal here. It is an attempt to find another wedge issue to divide us. Nevertheless, i would like to emphasize that republicans and i are committed to Work Together to support efforts that are targeted and effective in responding to this devastating pandemic. When we Work Together there is nothing, nothing that can stand in our way. The cares act is proof of that. As i mentioned earlier, congress acted swiftly back in march to pass the cares act. It provided funding and increased funding for h. U. D. And its existing housing programs by prl 25 over its appropriated budget. For renters, the cares act provided protections through a ederal moratorium on he vicks. This more tore moratorium is in addition to any state or local moratorium. In my home state that has happened as well. The cares act created a new option for federally backed borrowers directly or indirectly impacted. What does forebeerance mean, you dont have to pay that month and attach those payments at the end and have a timeout. Borrowers can automatically laim up to one year protection penaltyy free. This has worked. It was negotiated out in a bipartisan manner. It has been stable and stabilized and slightly declined nationwide forebearance rates. This is proof that the cares act, a bipartisan bill that i think had four, maybe six total votes against it, some from both parties, it works. This is proof that bipartisanship and consensus approach has been the right one in the past and ought to be the right one now. Of course, we should never accept good enough. It comes to providing housing and Economic Security for our nations most vulnerable families. However, the bill today that we are considering, like the bill we considered last month, goes in the opposite direction. Instead of following the cares act model to help those hit hardest by the pandemic, this bill simply plays politics and this is a grabbag wish list under the guise of relief. All of which are nonstarters in the senate. Lets be clear. If we really want to start a real conversation about Affordable Housing in this country, lets start with the facts. Far too many large, high cost metro areas, local decisions and regulations have made the cost of housing in those areas too high for many hardworking families. We should not be rewarding these cities for decades of selfmade mistakes with taxpayer dollars. We should support families, not cities and municipalities and housing authorities, but families to meet the challenges that this pandemic has forced upon them. Republicans have and will continue to support targeted and efficient aid that goes to those who are most in need. We support solutions for those who who have been impacted by the pandemic that are administered efficiently. For you as a taxpayer, i would assume you would want to have that. Two, target it to those who need it most. That is the safety net we are trying to provide. And three, include muchneeded oversight. This bill fails those tests. Let me give you an example why this bill fails. Section 101 creates 100 billion with a b Emergency Rental Assistance Grant Program for quote, individuals or families at risk of homelessness or policy both sides do support. The bill take the policy to the next level making funding to individuals making up to 120 120 . an individual living in san , ncisco making 131,000 131,000 would qualify for a homelessness grant. Im a simple guy from the midwest and michigan, but making 131,000 a year qualifies you for a homelessness grant . What does that get you . 6 pousm 012 per month in rental assistance. 6,000 a month in rental assistance. This is not help, it is scandalous and i dont understand how my colleagues could defend that. 4 the bill fails to include a ingle meaningful permanent reform to any of the h. U. D. Programs. Moreover, the bill fails to for that y oversight new funding. O that end, figuring out how h. U. D. Will spend a 240 its ase, 240 increase in budget is a critical element to ensuring that any new funding is families who are in need, who are struggling, and some tting lost in bureaucratic shuffle in ashington, d. C. , or some Metropolis Housing authority. In fact, chairwoman waters said about the n talking cares act. Quote, since taxpayers are ooting the bill, all americans deserve to examine any and all information related to the disbursement and utilization of these funds, end quote. Ability to i had the put in an amendment to do just that, but we dont have that today. Nity so i agree. I agree with her on that, and we transparency. Hat thats why republicans stand ready to Work Together to find on meaningful reforms and ways to help those households deal with the awful ges of this pandemic. So i ask my colleagues, take a this. T we know its a recycled partisan bill. We know its not going to go senate. In the we know that its not going to be signed into law. Lets have a real conversation the issues, not just pick another political football. Yield i t i reserve the balance of my time. The speaker pro tempore the gentleman from michigan reserves the balance of his time. The gentlewoman from california recognized. Ms. Waters thank you very much, speaker. The gentleman from michigan had an opportunity when this bill house and its over on the senate side. If the republicans want to do more negotiation, they know they to take it up over there. I dont care how we get it, with over ill or with the one there. I yield one minute to the Senior Member of the Financial Services chair of the committee on oversight and eform from new york, mrs. Maloney. The speaker pro tempore mrs. Maloney from new york is recognized. I thank the gentlewoman for yielding and for her leadership. Of h. R. 7301. Ort their own, ault of new yorkers and americans across his country are struggling to pay their rent or make mortgage payments. People experiencing homelessness and survivors of seen ic violence have their limited options for safety nd shelter dwindle due to the pandemics impact on social services. And necessarybold step toward providing Economic Relief for millions of americans. T expands the Eviction Moratorium to protect all foreclosure he moratorium to protect all homeowners. It creates 100 billion emergency rental Assistance Fund nd provides nearly 13 billion targeted money for homeless vouchers,using choice for people experiencing homelessness and survivors of violence. Nobody should lose sleep about keep the re going to roof over their head while they re suffering through a pandemic. I urge my colleagues on both sides of the aisle to support necessary and important bill. And i yield back. The speaker pro tempore the gentlewoman from new york yields back. The gentlewoman from california reserves. The gentleman from michigan is recognized. At huizenga mr. Chairman, this time id like to recognize he gentleman and member of the Financial Services committee, mr. Steil from wisconsin. The speaker pro tempore the entleman from wisconsin is recognized for two minutes. Mr. Steil i thank my colleague from michigan. Opposition of the act. The coronavirus pandemic has our ted every community in country, and this disease hit our shores and our economy, and our economy has contracted dramatically. Have been forced to close, americans are being asked to stay home. Hile we recognize the strategies, there is serious economic harm thats very hard to ignore. Families are still worried about ends meet. Even as states have begun to reopen. Un to with that in mind, i understand my colleagues desires to do affected to keep families in their homes. I remain committed to just that. Are ng families who directly impacted by the coronavirus to stay in their stay in their apartments. Ut this bill fails on multiple fronts. At a time when our National Deficits are rising, our exceeds 26 trillion, my colleagues are more than 194 billion in new spending, more than half billion is 9 earmarked for h. U. D. , the ousing and urban development department. This would triple h. U. D. s 2020 doest, and importantly, it it without implementing eaningful reforms to ensure accountability and transparency. The new spending comes on top of in relief f dollars already provided in the forms of expanded Unemployment Benefits types of Economic Relief. Weve seen legislation come act of a in the heroes grab bag of liberal ideas. We now come back to the table with this. Of those ideas, which i think is important to highlight the impact that this will have community. Its a resurrection of misguided deas, of longterm Eviction Moratoriums. Under the emergency housing rotections and relief act, the cares act, Eviction Moratorium extended june 25, one year after date of enactment. This moratorium will apply to all renters, regardless of whether or not theyve been impacted by the coronavirus. In just those living buildings r. Huizenga i yield an additional minute to the gentleman. The speaker pro tempore the gentleman is recognized for an additional one minute. It will apply to all renters, not those negatively mpacted through no fault of their own due to the coronavirus, not those living in the federal ked by government. To everyone. In other words, if this bill is bill will impose broad and unprecedented eviction oratoriums that will last for 15 months without regard to the impact of the coronavirus. Very challenging for mom and pop landlords and negatively to our local economies. Property taxes have a higher than ty on rent payments mortgages. An extension on the eviction would ium in particular hurt local governments trying to provide Critical Services that now. N need right especially in these challenging times, we should not pursue that increase stress for cashstrapped cities and towns. Gain, i understand and share our desired goal to keep people in their homes. Flat. Ill just falls we have a responsibility to do hat thoughtfully and in a targeted manner and, therefore, i urge my colleagues to oppose this legislation and i yield back. The speaker pro tempore the gentleman from wisconsin yields back. The gentleman from michigan reserves. The gentlewoman from california, waters, is recognized. Ms. Waters thank you very much, mr. Speaker. Members, id like to remind the that republicans dont care about debt as long as theyre doing the spending. Are only when democrats helping americans, even in a time of crisis, and, remember, of the he president United States, trump, who said he likes debt. I quote him. Debt. D he likes i now yield to the gentlelady york 1 1 2 minutes who happens to be the Senior Member of the Financial Services and chair of the committee on Small Business, ms. Velazquez. The speaker pro tempore the new york, ms. M velazquez, is recognized. S. Velazquez thank you, mr. Speaker. I rise in support of h. R. 7301. Bill extends and xpands critical tenant protections and authorizes key Housing Assistance that is vital o keeping our neighbors safely housed during this ongoing pandemic. Thank chair want to waters for including language i wrote that will authorize additional funding for the housing operating fund and the section 8 program. Are providing today would allow Public Housing uthorities to continue take necessary steps to protect residents from the coronavirus. Mportantly, this bill also extends the eviction and foreclosure moratoriums we in the cares act for one year. Further, it expands those renters and o all homeowners. Monthly helps subsidize housing costs by creating a 100 Assistance Fund and a 75 billion homeownership resources for those struggling with their monthly housing costs. Of these funds will also ensure that individuals and face lump sum ot obligations and payments when end. Oratoriums the urgency of the moment is on us. Need this bill more than ever. The Eviction Moratorium provided act is set to expire in late july. City, tenants fear of eviction by unscrupulous present. Is ever it has been predicted we could evictions of 50,000 in this city if we do not act fast. Am proud to sponsor the bill. Adoption. Speedy thank you. I yield back. The speaker pro tempore the gentlewoman from new york yields back. The gentleman from california is the gentlewoman from california reserves. The gentleman from michigan is recognized. Mr. Uizenga thank you, speaker. At this time i recognize a distinguish member of the committee, rvices rose. The speaker pro tempore the gentleman is recognized. Mr. Rose i rise in opposition 7301. The Government Shutdown on the created ue to covid19 significant challenges for both renters and landlords. Including back home in tennessees sixth district, are aving to make difficult decisions regarding their finances. The shot the economy received largest our generation has ever seen. And the federal government has action to cedented remediate the damage done to the economy. Significantly increased funding for existing ssisted housing programs at housing and urban development nd suspended evictions for residents from federally assisted properties for 120 days. Provided direct relief through Economic Impact payments, expanded unemployment the Paycheck Protection Program to keep mericans on their feet and the doors of our main street businesses open. Been successful in many cases in providing renters with the financial means to keep paying rent throughout this pandemic. Should ber assistance administered efficiently, argeted toward those who need it most and include oversight. His legislation before us today, however, includes a massive spending increase that into place any substantive reforms. 7301 contains 119 billion in new h. U. D. Spending, tripling h. U. D. s fiscal year 2020 appropriated budget for both old programs. Yet, the bill does not include one Provision Holding the agency on how that new money is spent. Provisionevery single included in h. R. 7301 was part of the ded as partisan heroes act and has no United States senate. It is our role to ensure that we prudent, and i believe smarter. O be more Innovative Solutions are needed than the legislation we are discussing today. I will vote no on this legislation, again, and i urge fellow members to do the same. Thank you, mr. Speaker, and i back. The speaker pro tempore the gentleman yields back. The gentlewoman from california recognized. Ms. Waters. Ms. Waters i yield two minutes to the gentleman from missouri, of the subcommittee on housing, community development, clay. Surance, mr. Mr. Clay i thank the chairwoman for yielding. The speaker pro tempore the gentleman is recognized. Mr. Clay thank you, mr. Speaker. Rise in strong support of 7301. The covid19 Global Pandemic has resulted in an unprecedented has mic decline that greatly affected the health and i lbeing of the people represent in st. Louis, issouri, and millions of other americans. And as the Brookings Institute the united recently, states housing crisis is not new even before the coronavirus pandemic, 10 to 15 households reported being housing insecure. The unemployment at alltime levels, the housing not just affecting those on the margins. I want my colleagues to step back and imagine being a black person in st. Louis, los angeles or chicago and dealing with the problems of a Global Pandemic to of the usual unbrideled racism that comes with being black in america. It is mentally debilitating. But for blacks in america, just another day in the office. I received a letter last week from Legal Services of eastern missouri, which states, and i quote, thousands of families have gone from stability to sudden loss of income, which threatens access to basic needs, food, housing, health care and many who were already living on the economic margins are now and even more in dire circumstances. In short, the past three months have been a disaster for Many Americans just when we see signs of things Getting Better few new statistics show an increase in forebeerance requests, but today effectselp mitigate the of the pandemic by voting for this act. I yield back. The speaker pro tempore the gentleman yields back the balance of his time. The gentleman from michigan is recognized. Cusecuse i reserve. The speaker pro tempore the gentlewoman from california is recognized. Ms. Waters i yield two minutes to the the gentleman from georgia, a Senior Member of the Financial Services committee, mr. Scott. The speaker pro tempore the gentleman from georgia, mr. Scott, is recognized for two minutes. Mr. Scott thank you very much. Ladies and gentlemen on the loor, people all across this nation, if you listen to my republican friends, you would think we were not in a crisis. We are in a terrible crisis. Million americans noe jobs, just 14 weeks ago, longer have those jobs. Their homes are on the verge of being foreclosed. They need our help. Yes, you are right, the gentleman from michigan. We did pass this bill in the heroes act, but your leader over there said lets pause. His is the wrong time for this nation to pause. This is a crisis. And let me tell you something. Its a crisis in terms of health. But it is also a crisis in terms of our great economy going down. And the great pillars of our economy of Home Ownership, real estate values and the security of our banking system. Thats what is at stake here. So it makes sense for us to move. You dont think with 42 million americans no longer working, they arent going to be able to pay for their mortgages. They arent going to be keep the water on, the electricity on, the utilities. Theyre coming due already. And so i want to say to you that when senator mcconnell says put a pause on it, this nation stands in horror when we see is epidemic already creating million jobless people, but burdening us with an additional thrust of this pandemic. Thing is more important than telling the American People we care about them. They dont have a home. I urge my republican friends ms. Waters i have yielded to the gentleman extra time. The speaker pro tempore the gentlemans time has expired. The gentlewoman from california reserves. The gentleman from michigan is recognized. Cusecuse parliamentary inquiry, there was not a granting on the front end of that. Will that time be counted against the majoritys time . The speaker pro tempore it will. Cusecuse i just wanted to can clarify and make sure we are all on the same page. I deeply respect my colleague and friend from georgia. Hud has not been able to h. U. D. Has not been able to get the money out the door and we are trying to put more into that pipeline. I will continue to reserve. The speaker pro tempore the gentleman from michigan reserves. The gentlewoman from california is recognized. Ms. Waters i yield two minutes to the gentleman from texas, hairman of the subcommittee on oversight, mr. Green. The speaker pro tempore the honorable mr. Green is recognized. Mr. Green thank you mr. Speaker and madam chair. Always an honor to serve under your leadership. This. Hank you including im grateful because you are correct when you say people cant wait. They cant wait because discrimination still exists and it is increasing sm the National Fair Housing Alliance surveyed their members, their organizations and heres what they found as it relates to the declared pandemic, declared on march 11, 2020. They found that 13 indicated there is an increase in complaints related to sexual harassment. 16 related to domestic violence. 8 increase related to National Origin of pacific islanders. Heres one that will capture your attention. With reference to persons who have disbilities, didnt say they were a specific how or their sex, those with disabilities, a 45 increase in complaints. They need help. Yes, we can wait, but they cant. And beff to do something to help them. Thats what this bill does. It affords additional money for enforcement of laws that already exist with reference to housing and discrimination and people will be able to get additional education. Some people make mistakes but dont know they are making mistakes. Well give them the opportunity and finally this, these complaints are increasing in art of the insid area comments made by the president when he uses terms related to the virus that relates to people and there are some people who take these statements toll extremes and they discriminate against people. Im proud to support this legislation and people who are being discriminated against cannot wait. I yield back. The speaker pro tempore the gentleman yields back the balance of his time. The gentlewoman from california reserves. The gentleman from michigan is recognized. Mr. Huizenga can i inquire the remaining time on both sides. The speaker pro tempore the gentleman from michigan has 15 minutes remaining. The gentlewoman from california has 10 1 2 minutes. Cusecuse may i inquire how much time was taken off the previous speaker . The speaker pro tempore for the previous speaker, one additional minute was added. Mr. Huizenga i continue to reserve. The speaker pro tempore the gentleman from michigan reserves. The gentlewoman from california is recognized. Ms. Waters i yield two minutes to the gentleman from washington, Senior Member of the Financial Services committee and sponsor of the emergency are rental assistance title of this bill, mr. Heck. The speaker pro tempore the gentleman is recognized for two minutes. Mr. Heck i rise in support of this bill and i thank the chair for including the emergency represental assistance act in this bill. In two days, the rent comes due and as we face historic levels of unemployment, far too many are going to come up short. Failure to address the rent crisis will have dire consequences for millions of americans and housing ecosystem that for the files our economy. Our legislation has 150 held sponsors and endorsement of 700 organizations as it passed the house. It provides 100 billion through the Emergency Solutions grant program. It would change the lives of millions of tenants across the country who have been hit hard by the covid19 crisis. 10 million families pay half of their incomes on rent. Thats not going to improve. We must i protect the housing ecosystem. Residential rent payments are 50 billion each month and staff maintenance contractors as unemployment claims remain at historic highs, we cannot afford to lose those jobs. This is for mom and pop landlords and own more than half of the rental priorities and cant afford a represental loss and if we do nothing to stop the avicks, communities of color will be hardest hit. We need to support they are legislation. Keep americans safely in their homes throughout the pandemic, save the renters, save the jobs, save the housing ecosystem by voting yes on this measure. Thank you, and i yield back. The speaker pro tempore the gentleman yields back the balance of his time. The gentlewoman from california reserves. The gentleman from michigan is recognized. Cusecuse i continue to reserve. The speaker pro tempore the gentleman reserves. The gentlewoman from california is recognized. Ms. Waters i yield two minutes to the the gentlewoman from massachusetts, a member of the Financial Services committee, ms. Pressley. The speaker pro tempore ms. Pressley from massachusetts is reckniesed for two recognized for two minutes. Ms. Pressley i stood before my colleagues sounding the alarms about immediate relief millions in our communities would face eviction. I rise to remind each that the rent is due. 30 of families in my district missed rent payments. Black families are on the edge of a eviction tsunami. A report released found that 78 of all evictions filed in boston were this is an issue of racial, economic and Health Justice. Housing is critical. As evidenced by the disproportionating experiencing homelessness. Im proud this bill includes my Public Health Emergency Shelter act and 11 billion for rapid rehousing and health and safety of those experiencing homelessness. We must affirm our commitment to housing as a human right and housing as a form of justice. Thank you, i yield. The speaker pro tempore the gentlewoman yields back. The gentlewoman from california reserves. The gentleman from michigan is recognized. Cuse mr. Huizenga i reserve. Ms. Waters i yield two minutes to the gentleman from illinois, a member of the financial ervices committee, mr. Garcia. The speaker pro tempore the gentleman from illinois, mr. Garcia, is recognized. Mr. Garcia i rise in support of the emergency housing protections and relief act. This bill provides much needed relief for renters and homeowners while more than 40 Million People have filed for Unemployment Insurance and struggled to make ends meet. My district is a largely immigrant district and many people have not qualified. Families down the street in the barrio where i live and have lived for 50 years are forced to choose between paying rent or putting food on the table or buying prescription medicine. Families are staring down the barrel of another difficult decision, will my family have a place to live, food to eat, where will we go . These are the very real question that families are asking themselves. Mr. Speaker, we must act with urgency to protect families. This emergency housing protections and relief act is a lifeline for communities like mine. It prohibits landlords avacting tenants for failure to pay rent d 100 billion in assistance to keep everyone in their homes. Nd it strengthens the mortgage forebeerance protections. I know what the housing crisis looks like. I saw my neighbors lose homes. Economic recovery will be all but impossible. Congress must act now and pass h. R. 7301 to support our renters and homeowners. I yield back. The speaker pro tempore the gentleman from michigan is recognized. Mr. Huizenga mr. Speaker, i continue to reserve. The speaker pro tempore the reserves. The gentlewoman from california, ms. Waters, is recognized. Ms. Waters thank you. Yield one minute to the from oregon, a member of the committee on education sorry ms. Bonamici, the gentlewoman from oregon. The speaker pro tempore the gentlewoman from oregon is minute. Ed for one ms. Bonamici thank you, mr. Speaker. This year another months rent dufort millions of due for millions of are not making ends meet. In strong support of the emergency housing protections and relief act to help desperate families maintain stability by providing additional Financial Support and expanding were included t in the bipartisan cares act. Family of five living in sherwood, oregon, wrote to me and said it feels cruel to be facing eviction during a our mic that stripped family of its only income. Is eels cruel because it cruel, and thousands more families will face the same senate ality unless the and president join us in acting swiftly. Today, i led many of my on calling on h. U. D. Secretary carson to immediately extend protections for tenants federally supported housing until the comprehensive solution before us today is signed into law. Thank chairwoman waters for her leadership. To ge all of my colleagues support this important legislation, and i yield back the balance of my time. The speaker pro tempore the gentlewoman yields back the balance of her time. The gentlewoman from california, reserves. , the gentleman from michigan is recognized. Mr. Huizenga mr. Speaker, i continue to reserve. The speaker pro tempore the gentleman from michigan reserves. The gentlewoman from california, ms. Waters, is recognized. Ms. Waters thank you very much. 30 seconds to the gentleman from rhode island, a member of the committee on the cicilline. Mr. The speaker pro tempore the entleman from rhode island is recognized. Mr. Cicilline during this pandemic, millions of americans have lost their jobs and are to losing close their homes. The relief this congress provided kept millions of americans housed. To continue to act. 30 of renters are not able to pay their rent in june. Three. We passed the heroes act to provide emergency relief to homeowners who desperately need it because everyone deserves a safe home, pandemic. During a the senate has chosen fwhot to act not to act on the heroes act. To ensure millions of americans remain in their housing until this pandemic ends back to re able to get work. At a time of a national crisis, i urge my colleagues, please put partisan bickering and obstruction and pass the emergency housing protection and relief act. That, mr. Speaker, i yield time. He balance of my the speaker pro tempore the gentlewoman from california reserves. The gentleman from michigan is recognized. Continue to i reserve. I do have an inquiry as to the ajority as to how many more speakers they may have. Mr. Chair, can i ask the inquiry as to the time sides . Ng on both the speaker pro tempore the gentleman has 15 minutes left. California man from has four minutes left. Mr. Huizenga thank you. Reserve. The speaker pro tempore the gentleman reserves. The gentlewoman from california is recognized. Waters thank you very much, speaker. I yield 45 seconds to the entleman from new york, a member of the Foreign Affairs espaillat. Mr. The speaker pro tempore the gentleman from new york is recognized for 40 seconds. You, mr. Llat thank speaker. I thank you, chairwoman waters, for your steadfast support of tenants. Close to 130,000 deaths, covid 40,000 40 million unemployed. These are deaf times. Facing a housing tsunami as millions of families night afraid ery and anxious of where theyre going to get their rent money. Is too damn high and thats why we introduced and i sman chuy garcia introduced the stay at home act of 2020 that provides billions Financial Support for renters. And this is a good bill that billion for 100 renters. People really dont know where theyre getting their money to their rent. They want to keep a roof over their head. They dont want to be homeless. Critical time in america. And this bill will produce the ensure hat we need to the people are not homeless. Mr. Speaker, ill yield back the time. Ing part of my the speaker pro tempore the gentlemans time has expired. He gentlewoman from california reserves. The gentleman from michigan is recognized. Mr. Huizenga mr. Chairman, i continue to reserve. The speaker pro tempore the gentleman reserves. The gentlewoman from california is recognized. To inquire,id like mr. Speaker, if i may, how much left . O i have the speaker pro tempore the has ewoman from california 3 1 4 minutes left. Ms. Waters three 1 4. Peaker pro tempore 3 the speaker pro tempore i ms. Waters i yield one minute the distinguished speaker of the house, ms. Pelosi. The speaker pro tempore the gentlewoman from california is recognized. The speaker thank you very much, mr. Speaker. I thank the gentlewoman for exceptional for her leadership on behalf of americas working families. Especially salute her now for bringing the emergency housing relief act to the floor. It is urgently needed. Of it because rt it is, as i said, an urgently lifeline for workling families as orking covid19 exacts his devastating impact on lives and livelihoods america. I salute chairwoman maxine waters, chair of the financial ervices committee, a relentless, persistent satisfied force for good on behalf of families. Working especially focused on their security, housing being central to that. I thank denny heck for his this important legislation as well. Know, mr. Speaker, theres an Affordable Housing crisis in covid, long before which challenges the conscience f our country and now has been exacerbated by covid19. Before the crisis, one quarter americas 44 million renters their income on rent. Putting them just one financial from eviction and homelessness. That one covid19 is emergency. Tens of millions of americans jobs with rental ouseholds disproportionately affected. We cannot accept a situation in which millions of families are devastating e the choice between paying the rent, paying for groceries, rescriptions, and other essentials, but that has been the current even before challenge. Was the thats why earlier today we brought legislation to the floor to lower the cost of drugs, because it ad such an impact on Financial Security of families. Nd now helping to with the rent. 30 of renters could not make june. N exposing them to the threat of viction, particularly as the eviction bans that democrats cares act end. He victions are devastating, dismantling Financial Security, and exposing children and situations of financial instability that harm wellbeing. And children who experience are already vulnerable, more likely to live in families earning low incomes, to communities of color hich have a disproportionate impact here and special special needs Education Needs of children who i say this carefully i was a girl, my father was mayor of baltimore. Asmother, as first lady, had her mission Affordable Housing. Can we teach how children love and respect when e dont even show them that love and respect by giving them a decent place to live . When she roud because passed away many years after baltimores son used that in her t in her obituary, but this has always been important. Summit on our children, talking about their health and education and their health l security, leaders told us, you must include housing in that because impact on the psychological wellbeing of children. Of the children when this. Ink of in may, again, in may, the house heroes act which secured 100 billion in assistance to help 44 million rental households remain stably housed along with another 100 billion for additional Housing Support and Homelessness Prevention initiatives. All of this under the Leadership Congress madam chair, waters. Again, shes been fighting this fight for a long time. Reaching down into existing law statute to find ways to take forward. Yet, after we passed heroes act, leader mcconnell said we had to take a pause. Pausing, and ot the rent demands are not pausing. Cannot pause. While mcconnell denies family denying these families relief, the house will ass this bill to promote housing security. And we continue to call on the senate to pass the heroes act secure lifesaving housing and Homelessness Prevention which, i said the 100 and the 75 billion, and the 11. 5 billion for assistance to people experiencing homelessness and for Homelessness Prevention, building on the 4 billion act. Ded in the cares we need more now. Reezing on freezing of evictions and foreclosures, including expanding the to torium in the cares act over all renters until march, 2021. Rental assistance support for vulnerable in urban and rural areas, including seniors, hivaids, people with disabilities, and people im so pleased you put the special Rural Housing madam chair. Here, new emergency vouchers to support people who are homeless risk of homelessness, including those fleeing domestic assault. And this covid is a vicious and it is us virus, and resourceful and it just is out and attacks people, not only their lives but their their housing and psychological wellbeing and everything else. We e are other reasons should be passing the heroes ct, but right now, focus on this. I thank you, also, madam chair, provisions that to foreclosures to who ng off foreclosures will not be able to pay the mortgage. So i urge a strong bipartisan ote for the housing emergency emergency housing protection and relief act, to housing and ricas Financial Security during this time of crisis. Mr. Chairman mr. Speaker, were asking people to shelter shelter at home, and yet, because of covid, they but because of evicted. Ey may be not if madam chair, maxine waters, has her way. A strong support for americas working families. With that i yield back the balance of my time. The peaker pro tempore gentlewoman from california yields back. The gentlewoman from california, ms. Waters, reserves. The gentleman from michigan is recognized. Mr. Huizenga ill continue to reserve, mr. Chairman. The speaker pro tempore the entleman from michigan reserves. The gentlewoman from california, ms. Waters, is recognized. Indwyer if i inquire if the gentleman from ichigan has additional speakers . If not mr. Huizenga no, madam chair, close. Ady to ms. Waters i reserve the right to close. The speaker pro tempore the gentlewoman from california reserves. The gentleman from michigan is recognized. Mr. Huizenga thank you, mr. Chairman. Lets not be pollyanniish. The facts are facts. Pollyanneish. The facts are fact. In our economy, for the First Time Ever, certainly in the modern era, came to a screeching halt not because of bad business decisions. Not because of malicious or malfeasance or illegal activities. Much like we saw in the 20182009 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011 financial crisis that started in housing. We dont know where exactly our recoverys going to go. Eve gotten some good signs. But again, we cannot be overly optimistic without being prepared. But facts are facts. And heres one fact. In april, we saw historic declines in new home purchases. These are new i shouldnt say new homes. These are contracts to purchase a home. In may, we saw a historic rebound of 44. 3 . Why did that happen . Because in april both buyers and sellers were sidelined by this pandemic. Why did we see this rebound in may . Because the American People have optimism as well. That and basically zero Interest Rates from the fed probably helped too. But thats the point. We have been coming together to try to turn this economy around. Well, in this bill today, we are told that we cant wait. This bill cant wait. Yet what you need to know is this bill is not ready. And ill give you a perfect example of this. Page 71, section 105 of the bill that was debated in the rules committee, that had been part of the original heroes act, socalled heroes act, from a month ago, was part of my colleague from iowa, mrs. Axnes, standalone bill. Actually referenced a Rural Housing program as having 25 trillion, not 25 million, as it had been intended, but 25 trillion in that. And clearly this bill has been a cut and paste job all the way along. It was rushed when it was the heroes act. Socalled heroes act. Because that was part of the grab bag that was out there. It was rushed when my colleague, mrs. Axne, introduced it. It was rushed now in this bill. So, it does beg the question, what else got missed . Well, heres what else. Were told that the money has run out. Weve run out of the money that we have appropriated. What you need to know is all of the billions of dollars that was allocated has not yet been spent. But wait. Were told that this was spent already, and it isnt enough. Well, what you need to know is that they want to create new programs to spend hundreds of billions of dollars with zero, no new reforms or oversight put into this bill. None. That, that is not responsible. While youre told that this bill is only going to go to the needy, the poor, the disenfranchised. After all, this is a Homelessness Program. What you need to know is that theyre going to send 6,000 per month, 6,000 per month to someone making 131,000 in the speakers district. 131,000 . That person qualifies for a Homelessness Program . I can tell you, not in west michigan. I can tell you, not virtually anywhere else in the country. So i dont understand how my colleagues with a straight face can say that this is all about homelessness and all about helping those who have been disadvantaged and have not had a break in life. Well, 131,000 a year is pretty darn good break in life, i think. Well, mr. Chairman, i wish i had an opportunity to amend this bill. Id have some amendments. I wish we were doing a modified rule. It would even allow some of those amendments. Yet here we have today. No input from anybody other than what the Speakers Office and the chairs office had decided is going to be in this bill. Were plowing ahead with a bill that we know will not see the light of day when it hits the senate. And by the way, im a little confused when the chair early on admonished me and said i should go and negotiate with the senate about the bill that had been passed previously. So i say this a little tongue in cheek, but anybody who has watched School House Rock knows the house passes their legislation, the Senate Passes their legislation, then it comes together if were going to negotiate it out. Not in the middle of this process. Why not negotiate and amend the bill that is before today where it properly should be happening . Before us today where it probably should be happening . At the end of the day this is a serious, serious issue for our country. I know this. My familys been in construction and in housing for now three, going on a fourth generation. Weve seen it. Weve seen the ups and downs. My grandfather started, my namesake started in the depression era. My dad continued it through the 1970s. Through the 1980s. Into the 1990s. I started getting involved. Ive lived through a couple of economic down turns myself, trying to keep a Family Company afloat. Trying to provide housing and jobs. So, heres what we need to do, mr. Speaker, or im sorry, mr. Chairman in my opinion. We need to negotiate in good faith. This bill is not an attempt to do that today. Im disappointed in that. I wish we could. But i think once again we are seeing politics triumphing over people. We are seeing political footballs take the place of real policy issues. And when your objective is nothing but november, guess what, the American People lose. Thats the shame in todays debate. And i urge my colleagues to vote no. I know that there are some people on the other side of the aisle that are a little uncomfortable with this bill. But dont feel like they can vote no. I wish they had the courage of their convictions. I today will be voting no. And i encourage my colleagues as well. With that, mr. Chairman, i yield back. The speaker pro tempore the gentleman yields back the balance of his time. The gentlewoman from california is recognized. Ms. Waters thank you very much. Mr. Speaker, and mr. Speaker and members, i come from a family of 13 children. We were poor. We lived in inadequate housing. It was cold in the wintertime and the pipes froze on the inside of our house. In the summer time, it was too hot to be in the house. We sat on the stoop throughed through the wee hours of the morning trying to stay cool. But it was home. And i worried that we were going to be evicted. But my mother managed to put together the money and we never got evicted. But my neighbors and my friends i saw evicted. And maybe my friends on the opposite side of the aisle have never seen this. They dont understand this. And i have my friend from michigan talking about a family per year. 131,000 the members of Congress Make 175,000 a year. And we have members of congress who sleep free in this place, dont pay any rent when theyre in washington, d. C. And you have the audacity to come here and talk about denying assistance to people who are at the worst part of their lives, to be evicted. No, i do not yield. This is an emergency. The hospitals are filling up. Children are hungry. People have lost their jobs. This is about whether or not people are going to have a place to lay their heads. This is about whether or not families are going to stay together. We have hospitals where the i. C. U. Rooms are all filled. And these people may be sick and not have a place to go home to. Nd so i am not about to wait yes, he mocked us when we said we cant wait any longer. No, we cannot wait any longer. This is why im in the congress of the United States of america. This is why i came. For moments like this. To speak for the least of these. To speak for the poorest families in america. To speak for families when they need help. This is an emergency. Our families need help. And i cannot wait. You should not wait. I yield back the balance of my time. The speaker pro tempore all time for debate has expired. Pursuant to House Resolution 1017, the previous question is ordered on the bill. The question is on the engrossment and third reading of the bill. Those in favor say aye. Those opposed, no. The ayes have it. Third reading. The clerk a bill to prevent evictions, foreclosures and unsafe Housing Conditions result resulting from the covid19 pandemic and for other purposes. The speaker pro tempore for what purpose does the gentleman from michigan seek recognition . Mr. Huizenga i ask unanimous consent to dispense with the reading. Sorry sorry, mr. Chairman. I have a motion to recommit at the desk. The speaker pro tempore is the gentleman opposed to the bill . Mr. Huizenga i am, as currently opposed to the bill. The speaker pro tempore the gentleman qualifies. The clerk will report the motion. The clerk mr. Huizenga of michigan moves to recommit the bill, h. R. 7301, to the committee on Financial Services. Mr. Huizenga mr. Chairman, i ask unanimous consent to dispense with the reading. The speaker pro tempore is there objection . Without objection, the reading is dispensed with. Pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from michigan is recognized for five minutes in support of his motion. Mr. Huizenga mr. Speaker, this motion to recommit would remedy some of the short falls in h. R. 7 shortfalls in h. R. 7301 and would add some bipartisanship to this legislation. This motion only strengthens this legislation and increases the chance of this bill making it through the senate and being signed into law. This amendment would simply add four provisions to the bill. Each of which would reduce bureaucracy and increase oversight of these funds. So that they reach the people who need them swiftly. First, this amendment would harmonize the definitions of homelessness between h. U. D. And the department of education. For too long h. U. D. Has failed to think of the children who lack a permanent and stable home. Shifting funding away from this vulnerable population who, as the department of education acknowledges, are in practice and in fact homeless. Our amendment permanently ends that disparity that desperate disparate, sorry, treatment of the kids and makes them fully eligible for the substantial increase in funding at h. U. D. Under this bill. Second, the amendment would include the bipartisan yes in my backyard act, h. R. 4351, which passed the house by voice vote earlier this year. This provision would strengthen the oversight in this legislation and compel highcost localities to consider the local regulations that have been put in place that increase housing costs and put increased rent and Home Ownership benefits on American Families. Getting rid of these barriers would help cities all over america build more housing and lower costs for everyone. Third, this amendment would allow would get rid of the bureaucracy red tape currently bureaucratic red tape currently in the bill that prevents some of our most accomplished housing and Addiction Treatment Service Providers from being eligible to receive funds. Why the majority would want to disqualify shelters and other housing Service Providers who make it their mission to treat individuals struggling with alcoholism or drug addiction makes no sense at all to me. And finally, this amendment would ensure that these funds funds would be directed to where they are needed, to the nations taxpayers and their dependents, who are struggling right now. Basic common sense says we should not be spending money on those who are unlawfully present in the United States at a time when millions of americans and legal residents are out of work, overmatched with their bills, and fighting to do more with less. Combined, these provisions would help make a bad bill better and give greater accountability and focus to the nearly 200 billion in new, unpaidfor, untargeted, unaccountedfor spending in this bill. I urge my colleagues to support this motion to recommit and i yield back the balance of my time. The speaker pro tempore the gentleman yields back the balance of his time. For what purpose does the gentlewoman from california seek recognition . Ms. Waters i rise to claim time in opposition. The speaker pro tempore the gentlewoman is recognized for ive minutes. Ms. Waters mr. Speaker, i rise in opposition to the amendment offered by my republican olleague to h. R. 7301. Mr. Speaker, the amendment before us does nothing to bring relief to struggling to struggling families. The amendment would deny millions of families, including children, assistance during a crisis because someone in their family is here without proper documentation, racism, antiimmigrant policies hurt children the most. Were on the precipice of a housing crisis not seen since the great depression. A crisis that threatens to strip countless families of a home at a time when they are being asked to stay home. The house must take Emergency Action to respond and pass emergency legislation. Over the weekend, states across the country, including my home california, experienced the highest levels of infection since the pandemic began. Sunday, texas reported more cases for the sixth month in a roll. After passage of heroes 179 covid19 had patients in hospital beds. There were 5,500. Hospitalizations have now increased by 32 while gone up 19 over the past 14 days. Trends are similar in arizona, georgia, and florida, many of these states are halting their plans to reopen economy. On friday, texas closed down the state. And on saturday, warned san antonio and that hospitals were approaching capacity. Where exactly are covid19 to isolate ected when the hospitals fill up . Pandemic. Through this recent trends suggest it is getting worse. Ago, this chamber passed the heroes act, but the and trump led Senate Administration have done nothing to advance the bill. Unacceptable. Y fully one third of renters were nable to pay their rent in june. And at least 4. 2 million omeowners are now in forbearance, and we know that evictions are already on the ri rise. 9,000 h carolina, eviction cases have been filed expired s moratorium last week. In columbus, ohio, eviction taking place in a Convention Center to accommodate comply er of cases and with social distancing guidelines. And in tennessee, more than eviction cases are pending alone. County Michigan State Court Administrative office estimates will be filed s when its moratorium ends this month. One story share about someone this bill seeks to help. A navy veteran from dallas, texas, lost her job because of the pandemic. Her because her former employer was unresponsive, she had trouble needed ng the documentation to collect unemployment or other assistance and was unable to pay rent. Landlord filed for her to be evicted. Friends or family she can move in with and has been in and out of the hospital because condition. Eart she said, quote, im scared. Everything i ing have outside on the street. To go. Nowhere in delaware, two were unable to after clark, who was a bartender, lost her job with r fiance fell ill covid19 and could not go to work. One lly, clark and her one of her two children also came down with the illness. Eviction mily faces even as they recover from covid19. Rent eaker, on wednesday, and mortgages are dufort millions of familiar due for millions of families. Two stories. Theyre sad stories. I fear that this is going to be million times over if Congress Fails to act. Here we are, members of congress, were comfortable. Our rent. Ord to pay we have millionaires in congress. They can afford to pay the rent of a whole lot of people if they to. Ed and theyre going to go home to their families. Theyre going to be safe and secure. Going to be and while theyre in washington, they dont pay any rent, many of sleep in their offices at night. And yet, theyre talking about dont people rent who have another way. I yield back the balance of my time. The speaker pro tempore without objection, the previous question is ordered on the motion to recommit. The question is on the motion. Aye. Hose in favor say all those opposed, no. It. Noes have the gentleman from michigan. Mr. Huizenga mr. Chair, i yeas and nays. The speaker pro tempore pursuant to section 3 of House Resolution 965, the yeas and ordered. Pursuant to clause 8 of rule 20, further proceedings on this question are postponed. Pursuant to clause 12a of rule 1, the chair declares the house for aess watch live coverage beginning at 10 00 a. M. Eastern on cspan3, ondemand on cspan. Org. Or listen live wherever you are n the free cspan radio app. E. P. A. Has unfilthered coverage of cspan has unfiltered coverage of congress, the white house, the Supreme Court and Public Policy events. You can watch all of cspans Public Affairs programming on television, online, or listen on our free radio app. And be part of the National Conversation through cspans daily toya washington program. Or through our social media feeds. Cspan, created by americas able television companies. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi held her Weekly Briefing on the legislative agenda. She also answered questions about policing reform and the covid responls. Ms. Pelosi good morning. So this has basketball quite a week. What an this has been quite a week. What a historic evening we had last night with the George Floyd Justice in policing act. Mr. Nadler and the fact that it was bipartisan both in rejecting the