Middle Class Health Benefits Tax Repeal Act of 2019

Floor Speech

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Mr. HOYER. Mr. Speaker, pursuant to House Resolution 911, I call up the bill (H.R. 748) to amend the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 to repeal the excise tax on high cost employer-sponsored health coverage, with the Senate amendment thereto, and ask for its immediate consideration.

The Clerk read the title of the bill.

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Mr. HOYER. Mr. Speaker, I have a motion at the desk.

Mr. Speaker, we meet at a challenging time in our country and in the global community. This session will be different than most, where we come together and reach out our hands. We hug one another in affection and thanks for the collegial work with us on the people's business.

People who can see the Chamber now will see that we are keeping distance from one another, not out of hostility, but out of love for one another, that we may keep one another healthy and safe. It will, therefore, be an unusual session, but a critical session.

Mr. Speaker, this legislation represents a bipartisan resolve to meet the coronavirus challenge head-on. It represents a focus on families and workers, with the objective of making them safer and economically supported. It will protect workers and their families in our economy as we all do our part to flatten the curve.

Public health officials have made it clear that the only chance we have to prevent our healthcare system from being overwhelmed by this pandemic, as it is threatened to be, is for as many Americans to stay home as possible.

It is, however, necessary for us to be here to pass legislation to respond on behalf of the American people to this daunting challenge.

The closure means that large parts of our economy must be temporarily shut down, causing severe disruption for businesses and workers. We saw the impact of this yesterday, when new unemployment insurance claims increased by more than 3 million people, 3 million individuals, 3 million who are in families who rely on them for support and contributions to the support of their families and their children.

Today, the House is taking action on phase three of our response to this unprecedented challenge.

We initially responded, Mr. Speaker, to the immediate need of our Nation with $8.3 billion in appropriations to meet the immediate health needs of our people.

A little over 2 weeks ago, we acted to meet the continuing health and economic needs of our people. That was phase two.

This bill, Mr. Speaker, which is phase three of our effort, will increase unemployment insurance benefits to those furloughed or laid off while expanding eligibility to include the self-employed and contract workers, and send checks to most Americans to help them get through this difficult period.

Mr. Speaker, I am personally disappointed that Senate Republicans insisted on shortchanging the 700,000 people of the District of Columbia by $700 million, treating the District as a territory and not as a State for the purposes of allocating stabilization funds, as is so often the case. This jeopardizes the entire national capital region as we work together to prevent further spread of coronavirus.

I will be working with Delegate Holmes Norton and our colleagues to enact legislation correcting this injustice, and I look forward to working with my colleagues on both sides of the aisle to accomplish that objective.

As the number of coronavirus cases in our country rises above 85,000 of our fellow citizens and continues to increase exponentially, we must take swift action to ensure that people can stay home to slow the spread of this deadly virus, and that our economy can be supported so that it can rebound when the medical experts and scientists say it is safe to do so.

I thank the Speaker and the committee chairs who have worked tirelessly to bring this agreement to fruition, including Chairwoman Nita Lowey, Chairman Frank Pallone, Chairman Richard Neal, Chairman Bobby Scott, Chairman Peter DeFazio, Chairwoman Maxine Waters, as well as other chairs who have participated in forging this legislation with a bipartisan coalition in the United States Senate.

I thank, as well, the extraordinary staff--the extraordinary staff-- who have worked around the clock in a very short period of time, knowing full well the crisis that confronts us and that time is of the essence.

Thank you, staff.

The staff of each of our committees, our Members, and the leadership, the staffs of all three of those entities, and the Members have been working around the clock, literally, Mr. Speaker, around the clock to determine needs and priorities and meet them.

The House continues to stand ready to take additional steps when and as they are needed to win this battle for the safety and health of our people and our Nation.

Together, Democrats and Republicans, together, we Americans, we Americans will work together to do our part in fighting against the coronavirus.

Mr. Speaker, all of us stand in awe and deep gratitude to the millions of Americans who have shown courage and commitment at this dangerous and challenging time: our doctors, our nurses, our medical personnel, our police, our firefighters, and our emergency medical response teams; those keeping our pharmacies, grocery stores, gas stations, and other critical facilities open; and so many in the private and public sectors who are daily showing up to serve the needs of their neighbors and fellow citizens.

Mr. Speaker, they reflect the best of the ``home of the brave.'' It is in times like these that we remind the world and ourselves that we are truly one Nation, under God, indivisible, working together to overcome the greatest challenge with the greatest resolve.

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Mr. HOYER.

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Mr. HOYER. DeLauro), who is one of the leaders in this Congress on protecting families and children.

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Mr. HOYER. Mr. Speaker, I have thanked each and every one of the chairs. None have worked harder than Mr. DeFazio from the State of Oregon. He is one of this country's experts on transportation and the movement of goods and services so critical to our economy and so critical to the health of our people.

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Mr. HOYER. Mr. Speaker, I agree with the gentleman from Illinois. This is about all of us as Americans, not as Republicans and Democrats, helping those who are challenged, as all of our country is.

Our next speaker is my dear friend from New York City--one of the epicenters of this challenge--who has led the Small Business Committee with extraordinary ability and passion and making sure that the small businessmen and -women of America are helped and addressed in this bill.

Velazquez).

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Mr. HOYER. I thank the gentleman for his comments.

Mayors deal with this problem every day on the street face-to-face. They know how critical this problem is.

Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to yield 1 minute to the gentleman from Rhode Island (Mr. Cicilline), the former mayor of Providence and the chairman of our policy committee.
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Mr. HOYER. Mr. Speaker, at this time, I yield 1 minute to the gentlewoman from Pennsylvania (Ms. Wild).
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Mr. HOYER. As a former uniformed police officer on the streets of one of our largest cities in America, our next speaker knows firsthand the challenges of our first responders.
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Mr. HOYER. Mr. Speaker, I misspoke and elevated Mr. Neguse from Colorado, who is on the leadership and the freshman representative to the leadership, but now I am really recognizing the president of the freshman class, an extraordinary woman who has been in the Federal Government to rescue our automobile industry, and I thank her for her service.

Stevens).
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Mr. HOYER. Ocasio-Cortez), one of the epicenters of this challenge to our country.

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Mr. HOYER. Mr. Speaker, may I inquire as to the time left for both sides.

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Mr. HOYER. Schakowsky), one of the senior Members of the Congress of the United States, a member of the Energy and Commerce Committee.

Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentlewoman from Wyoming for her remarks. I am sure all of us on this floor can subscribe to them and, hopefully, react accordingly. I thank the gentlewoman for her remarks.

Titus), another senior Member of the Congress of the United States.
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Mr. HOYER. Plaskett).

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Mr. HOYER. Waters), the chair of the Financial Services Committee, a senior Member in the Congress of the United States.

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Mr. HOYER. Spanberger), who also has seen challenge up front and personal.

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Mr. HOYER. Haaland), one of the first two Native American women to serve in the Congress of the United States. And this bill, of course, reaches out to our Tribal communities to make sure that they are whole.

Mr. ROSE of New York. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of this bill because each and every day new workers, people in my own community, are dying.

I rise today in support of this bill because our front line soldiers of this war--our nurses and our doctors--need masks.

I rise today because days from now, weeks from now, New Yorkers will need thousands of more ventilators.

I rise today because hundreds of thousands of New Yorkers have been laid off.

And I rise today in support of this bill because this virus doesn't see party affiliation. Today, we rise as Americans, not Democrats or Republicans.

Mr. Speaker, lastly, I rise today in support of this bill because this is just the beginning. More work will need to be done. New York needs more help, but we are Americans, and we can get the job done.

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Mr. HOYER. Jackson Lee), one of our most senior Members.

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Mr. HOYER.
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Mr. HOYER. Garcia).

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Mr. HOYER. Mr. Speaker, our next speaker is another former member of the Armed Forces who has seen combat face-to-face and knows what crisis we face today.

I yield 1 minute to the gentlewoman from New Jersey (Ms. Sherrill).
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Mr. HOYER. Scanlon).

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Mr. HOYER. Slotkin).
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Mr. HOYER. Mr. Speaker, can I get the time remaining for both sides?

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Mr. HOYER. Omar).

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Mr. HOYER. Mr. Speaker, because we are getting towards the end, can you give us the time that each side has remaining.

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Mr. HOYER. Kuster).

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Mr. HOYER. Underwood).

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Mr. HOYER. Clarke), who knows this firsthand.

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Mr. HOYER. Mr. Speaker, it gives me great honor to yield 1 minute to the gentleman from New York (Mr. Jeffries), again, from the epicenter of this challenge that we have as a country and the chairman of the Democratic Caucus.

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Mr. HOYER. Clark), the distinguished vice chair of the Democratic Caucus.
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Mr. HOYER. Wasserman Schultz), a senior Member of the House and a cardinal from Florida.

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Mr. HOYER. Mr. Speaker, our next speaker is the former president of the University of Wisconsin, the former president of the University of Miami, and the distinguished former Secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services, one of our most knowledgeable Members about issues of families and workers.

Shalala).

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Mr. HOYER. Mr. Speaker, I am pleased that our next speaker is another Member from south Florida. All three of them have spoken now, indicating the importance of the crisis that confronts us.

Mucarsel-Powell).

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Mr. HOYER. Finkenauer).

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Mr. HOYER. Mr. Speaker, can I have a time check?
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Mr. HOYER.

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Mr. HOYER. Dean).
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Mr. HOYER. Pelosi), the Speaker of the House, who has been so critical in putting this piece of legislation together and focusing on workers and families.

As has been said so many times on this floor, America has faced many threats, some in the nature of attack by enemies and some in the nature of natural disasters, whether they be hurricanes or tornadoes or floods. Americans have responded and overcome those threats.

We now have a threat, as some have mentioned, that is unseen but has a great effect and is having a great effect today as we debate this bill in America.

Today we will vote not as Democrats or Republicans but we will vote as Americans who have been sent here to represent our country and our people to promote the general welfare. Certainly the general welfare has been put at risk by this virus.

We have in a very short time passed three major pieces of legislation, two that generated in this House and one that generated in the Senate. We will pass this bill today. I want to thank the majority leader--excuse me--the minority leader. I am the majority leader.

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Mr. HOYER. You can't have it.

While we enjoy a little levity, we understand the gravity of this situation. People will die today as a result of this virus.

We have come together as Democrats and Republicans from every region of this country to respond in a way sufficient for the challenge, and we know we will need to do more. But this day let us hope that like the United States Senate we come together each and every one of us not for partisan advantage but for the advantage and defense of our people.

America has been blessed by God and by our people. Let us respond this hour to their need in their defense so that America will go forward stronger, better, and more ready to face future challenges.

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Mr. HOYER. Mr. Speaker, I rise to clarify a provision in the bill we passed this morning, the Cares Act, that provides relief to states. With state revenues decreasing at the same time that demand for services is rising, there has been broad agreement in the House that something needs to be done to help states cope with funding shortfalls. Our legislation creates a Coronavirus Relief Fund to provide additional resources to states, local governments, and tribes to address costs incurred responding to the coronavirus pandemic. I am pleased that the final legislative language gives states broad flexibility in how they spend the money they will receive.

Some state leaders have expressed concern that a provision requiring that funds be spent only on newly identified needs could prevent states from using this new funding for legitimate needs relating to the current public health emergency just because the state's regular budget addresses similar spending needs. That is not the intent of the language in our bill. To be clear, we intended for the language to give states, localities, and tribes broad flexibility to address needs arising from the coronavirus pandemic, regardless of whether the need arises directly from new spending related to the outbreak or indirectly as a result of collapsing state revenues, as businesses shut down to support social distancing and protect public health.

I am encouraged that the Treasury Department has indicated that it appreciates the importance of providing this funding to states quickly, flexibly, and with a minimum of paperwork. It is critically important that the federal government give states the tools they need simultaneously to address the public health crisis as well as the economic damage it is causing.

In this same vein, I would be remiss if I did not, once again, express my profound disappointment that this provision treats the District of Columbia as a territory rather than a state. This misguided decision by the Senate will shortchange the District by hundreds of millions of dollars, hurting the National Capital Region's coordinated effort to fight the coronavirus. I am committed to fixing this issue in whatever legislation we consider next to address the coronavirus.

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