Leaders Doing Great Job on Coronavirus

Floor Speech

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Mr. BUDD. Mr. Speaker, I rise to discuss the coronavirus.

I want to reassure folks that since we first learned about this virus, our government has been very proactive in its response.

The President took charge and assembled a task force, headed by the Vice President, that brought together the best and the brightest doctors, scientists, and health experts that our country has to offer.

The President also took the crucial step of implementing a travel ban on China to slow down the spread of the outbreak within our borders.

While our government is appropriately handling the spread of the coronavirus, our citizens can help as well.

Mr. Speaker, I urge everyone to go to cdc.gov, follow the latest developments, and learn about easy ways that you can avoid getting sick.

America must always be ahead of the game on viral threats like these, and I am proud to say that our leaders are doing a great job.

Essential Support Faith-Based Organizations Provide for Communities

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Mr. BUDD. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to highlight the essential support that faith-based organizations give to the communities around them, including during times of crisis.

During Hurricane Florence, in 2018, volunteers from Samaritan's Purse were on the ground after the hurricane had devastated thousands of homes across my State.

Lorraine Jenkins, a resident of New Bern, my mother's childhood home in North Carolina, said that she ``had faith but needed a little more strength'' when she returned to her home to find it flooded with 18 inches of water. Thankfully, several volunteers from Samaritan's Purse were there to pray with Lorraine to give her the strength that she needed.

During Hurricane Dorian, in 2019, the Salvation Army provided over 43,000 meals, 55,000 drinks, 25,000 snacks, and 48 full cleanup kits to victims.

Mr. Speaker, faith-based organizations also provide key support services to children, many of whom are victims of the opioid crisis. This crisis has left over 92,000 children in foster care and in need of loving homes. Faith-based adoption agencies play a pivotal role in finding homes for these children.

Sadly, despite the clear benefits faith-based organizations provide to the communities around them, there remains an ongoing push to strip them of Federal funding or to even shut them down for following their sincerely held religious beliefs. That is why, this week, I am introducing the Equal Treatment of Faith-Based Organizations Act, along with several of my colleagues.

My bill codifies into law parts of the recently proposed HHS rule to ensure equal treatment for faith-based organizations. My bill reverses the discriminatory policy from the previous administration that required faith-based providers of social services to disclose their religious affiliation and refer potential clients to other providers. My bill also allows faith-based organizations to apply for Federal funding on equal footing with secular organizations.

Mr. Speaker, the Federal Government has no business discriminating against faith-based organizations purely on the basis of their sincerely held religious beliefs. I am proud to lead this legislation and to protect the good work that faith-based organizations do every day.

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