War on Covid-19

Floor Speech

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Ms. SCHAKOWSKY. Mr. Speaker, I am Congresswoman Jan Schakowsky. I represent the Ninth Congressional District of Illinois, and I am here on this auspicious day to stand up for the people of the Ninth Congressional District who are suffering right now under this pandemic.

Mr. Speaker, we know that already we have seen the deaths of 286,000 people, rivaling the total number of people who have died in World War II. We are at war with this virus. Fifteen-plus million Americans have contracted this virus. But it is not only the suffering of people and the families of people who have died and the people who have this terrible disease, but it is also an issue for the rest of Americans who are suffering right now.

Mr. Speaker, like every other Member of Congress, I am sure that you are getting the calls that I am getting; people--adults--who are weeping into the telephone and telling us about their fears, the suffering that their families are facing, the loss of jobs.

A man called crying, saying, ``I can't pay my rent. I have lost my job. I am so afraid that, along with my family, we are going to be out on the street.''

A woman called somewhat embarrassed to tell us that she cannot put food on the table for her children. We directed her to a food bank. Think of that; in the richest country in the world, that she had to rely on a food bank to be able to feed her family.

Mr. Speaker, in this country today, 1 out of 4 of our children is considered--what we say--food insecure.

What does that mean?

It means that they don't know where their next meal is going to come from. This is shameful.

People who are facing--the day after Christmas--losing their unemployment benefits. In Illinois, that is half a million people. Around the country, that is 16.4 million people who may be without any source of sustenance.

Mr. Speaker, this is America. We need to save our people. So we need to come to an agreement, and we need to come to it soon because people are desperate right now.

Mr. Speaker, the things that we need to do:

Number one, I believe that we need to send a check to every family. They need money in their pockets.

And where is that money going to go?

It is going to go right out into the community, helping all the small businesses that we are so concerned about. That $1,200 check that people got earlier in the year was a lifesaver, and we should do something similar right now.

Mr. Speaker, we need to extend those unemployment insurance benefits. Our economy actually was somewhat thriving when they were getting $600 a week to keep their families going. I am not necessarily asking for that amount of money, but we should continue the unemployment insurance benefits. Again, that money goes right out into the economy.

And then we have to end the idea of some sort of a liability shield. In many ways, it is really a get-out-of-jail-free card for companies that don't have to take care of their employees when they get sick.

Mr. Speaker, 48 million workers put their own lives in danger every day and suit up and go out into the world taking care of our elderly, working in hospitals, working in grocery stores, loading our shelves, and taking our money when we leave. These people deserve help, and the employer should not be freed from any kind of liability.

Mr. Speaker, we need the State and local money, and we need help for small businesses. We can do that. We must do that.

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