Department of the Interior, Environment, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, 2019

Floor Speech

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Ms. MOORE. Mr. Speaker, I support this imperfect interim agreement. But I want to be clear, while it funds some key priorities, it leaves behind additional key assistance that we can provide to households, individuals, and state and local governments that are the tip of the spear in the fight against COVID-19. As we take up this bill, I recognize that it is a much better bill than the one Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell tried to ram through the Senate last week. Thanks to those who worked so hard to help accomplish that.

That being said, it is clear that this Congress has much more work to do to support the American people, our heroic public health and health professionals on the front line of this pandemic while fighting to get basic protective equipment, and to help support state, local, and tribal governments that are leading this response.

This legislation will temporarily refill the Paycheck Protection Program but if the experience of the first week of this program is any indication, demand will again quickly overwhelm this program and the program's funds will be quickly depleted. And while I support the changes to direct funds into the hands of some of the most vulnerable small businesses, that addresses just one of the numerous concerns about this program that my office has heard. And I know other Members have heard as well. More changes are needed not only to increase transparency and protect the taxpayer, but also to help this program work better for more vulnerable small businesses, not just larger corporations or friends of the Trump Administration.

I am also pleased that the bill includes additional funding to support our hospitals and other health providers that daily work to test, diagnose, treat those affected with this illness. They have saved countless lives. However, so far, the Administration has only released $30 billion of the first $100 billion provided by Congress a few weeks ago, with little if any of that money shipped out so far going to children's hospitals, community health centers or Medicaid providers, among others who are struggling.

The Administration needs to be more transparent about how it will distribute the remaining funds from the first round and the additional funding in this bill and how it will determine key terms, such as hot spots that it reportedly wants to target. And it needs to get these dollars out soon. Weeks more of delay is not acceptable.

Additional funding provided for our public health efforts through CDC, HRSA, and NIH is appreciated. But since this is a public health emergency, much more funding is needed especially as state and local governments are challenged by an economic slowdown that has imperiled their revenues.

There is more to be done and that must be done soon. We need another strong comprehensive bill in line with the CARES act that responds to emerging needs. Access to Personal Protective Equipment remains a struggle and testing remains a challenge even while the Administration pats itself on the back on both fronts.

Additionally, we need to ensure that critical programs that serve populations that will be hit the hardest by any economic downturn, like TANF and SNAP, are granted funding and flexibility to help people through these trying times. Having tried to take care of everybody else, our next package needs to look out for the least, the last, and the lost.

Lastly, one of the truly missed opportunities is funding to support safe and secure elections in this environment. Unfortunately, my state of Wisconsin has become an unwelcomed example of what happens when partisanship, rather than people's well-being, guides decisions about holding elections in this environment. In the city of Milwaukee, the largest city in the State, there were only 5 polling stations available. You can guess the result . . . long lines that both discouraged voting and raised a potential health threat to both voters and poll workers.

We know more elections will be held soon and regardless of decisions about reopening states and cities, they must take place in the safest and securest possible environment we can ensure. That requires funding. Funding to support a full panoply of voting options including absentee ballots and extended early voting periods. We also need funding to ensure localities have an adequate number of polling places and funds to ensure that all votes cast are counted accurately and fairly. And that's just to list a few of the reasons why funding to protect our election security is so fundamentally needed. In the recent Wisconsin election, nearly 80% of the ballots cast were absentee. But even there you had issues as you had people request a ballot who did not get one or had one sent after the elections, there were also issues with stacks of undelivered absentee ballots, and ballots returned because they did not have a postmark. The longer we delay providing these funds, the less likely we will get, despite the best efforts by hardworking state and local officials, a fair election.

I yield back the balance of my time.

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