North American Wetlands Conservation Extension Act

Floor Speech

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Ms. DeGETTE. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in strong support of the Heroes Act.

Our country has weathered almost seven months of unrelenting tragedy.

200,000 Americans have died. Millions are out of work and millions more are struggling to get by. Families and businesses across the country need our help and they need it now.

As lawmakers, we have a responsibility to ensure we're doing everything in our power to respond to a crisis of this magnitude. The bill we have before us today is exactly the type of bold response that our country desperately needs.

We know that we can't fix our economic crisis without first addressing our public health crisis. The Heroes Act relies on a science-based approach to safely reopening our country, which is essential to ensuring the long-term success of rebuilding our communities.

Until we have a safe plan for vaccine development and distribution, Americans will not feel comfortable returning to work, schools, restaurants, or businesses at pre-pandemic levels.

And until we have a robust national testing and contact tracing system in place, we cannot begin to fully stem this pandemic.

The Heroes Act commits another $75 billion for testing, tracing and treatment.

It also commits another $20 billion to procure vaccine testing and vaccine candidates to prevent the spread of COVID-19, including a bill I authored that requires the Department of Health and Human Services to create a plan to distribute and administer vaccines to stop the spread of COVID-19 once such vaccines are developed and authorized.

We can't just work to prevent the spread of the disease, though. We must also find creative ways to ensure health care is accessible for every American who might need it.

No family should have to choose between putting food on the table or accessing COVID- 19 treatment. It's not just wrong, it's dangerous.

I'm proud to say that our bill will require coverage of items and services related to the treatment of COVID-19, ensuring all Americans can seek treatment for COVID-19 without concern for how they're going to pay for it.

It will also provide a 12 month ban on evictions and foreclosures alongside $50 billion in emergency rental assistance and $21 billion in emergency homeowner assistance. On top of everything else they are going through, Americans do not need to worry about being thrown out of their home.

Additionally, the legislation includes my bill to make state and local governments eligible for paid leave payroll tax credits for workers affected by the coronavirus. Without these tax credits, the costs of providing paid leave could undermine successful local coronavirus responses at a time when budgets are already strained due to reduced tax revenues caused by the economic fallout of the pandemic.

Tens of millions of families and small businesses are becoming increasingly desperate amid the ongoing pandemic. House Democrats have been advocating for more money to be put directly into the pockets of these workers and families for months. The Heroes Act would provide a second round of direct payments to families, new payroll protection measures, and extended unemployment payments.

We cannot sit and wait for a solution--we must take bold legislative steps to protect our communities, and to prevent any more tragedy and loss.

The answer is clear: we have before us a bill that will help struggling families. A bill that will reinvigorate our economy, and take concrete steps to limit the spread of the virus.

This is the second time that we've had to vote to approve a version of the Heroes Act. The American people are depending on us. Let's do what we were elected to do, and pass it on behalf of all of them.

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