The Current State of the Covid-19 Pandemic
Floor Speech
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Ms. UNDERWOOD. Mr. Speaker, I rise today as my home State of Illinois approaches the grave milestone of 20,000 COVID-19 deaths.
I am thinking of the families of each of our neighbors we have lost, and I am also thinking of everyone in our community who is currently suffering from the physical, psychological, and financial consequences of the pandemic.
The past year has been so hard for so many of us, and it is not over. We still have a long way to go until our families' health and economic well-being is secure.
Now, thanks to the work of incredible scientists, we have authorized vaccines that are safe and effective, offering a level of protection that can save lives and crush this virus.
But until we actually get shots in arms, the virus will continue to spread. This process has been difficult, and the bottom line is that our current vaccine process is not sustainable. But we can change that. We must change that.
The good news is that we can. We have a new administration laser- focused on ramping up distribution, and there are investments to be made in order to help.
Local health departments are overwhelmed with phone calls from people wondering where to go for a vaccine. Web-based appointment signups are filling faster than people can register. Immunization providers lack the resources to carry out vaccination campaigns at this unprecedented scale.
To address these challenges and carry out an efficient COVID-19 vaccination campaign that prioritizes the people who need them most, Congress needs to act swiftly and boldly. The next relief bill must include significant funding to accelerate vaccine administration with a particular focus on providing vaccine doses and outreach to ensure that nobody is left behind.
We also need to fund the workforce that will carry out vaccination efforts, as well as testing, contact tracing, and other critical initiatives to stop the spread of the virus.
I have introduced two bills, the Community Immunity During COVID-19 Act and the Health Force, Resilience Force, and Jobs to Fight COVID-19 Act, to make the investments that will be needed to end the pandemic, prevent the next public health crisis, and ensure a strong economic recovery.
Finally, as we continue to confront a once-in-a-century health crisis, it is absolutely unacceptable that millions of Americans continue to lack access to affordable healthcare.
That is why I introduced H.R. 369, the Health Care Affordability Act, which would increase the dollar amount of premium tax credits across all income levels.
It would eliminate premiums for lower-income households; reduce premium costs by hundreds or thousands of dollars for middle-class families, including those who currently make too much money to qualify for the tax credit; and ensure that everyone would be able to buy a plan for no more than 8.5 percent of their income. For families in northern Illinois who currently pay 15, 18, or 20 percent of their income for healthcare, this is real savings that matters.
This was included in the President's American Rescue Plan, and I urge my colleagues to support its inclusion in the next relief package.
At this challenging moment in history, the decisions we make will be felt for generations. If our ideas are too small, the consequences not only mean a protracted pandemic but a stunted economic recovery.
But if we pursue solutions that meet this moment, we can not only get to the other side of the pandemic, we can emerge from it stronger than before, with evidence-based public health investments that prevent future crises; with career pathways that usher in a new era of economic growth; and with a healthcare system built on a foundation of equity, where access to quality care is not the privilege of a few but the right of all.
I believe that this future is possible, and I know that the decisions we make today will shape it. I hope my colleagues on both sides of the aisle are ready to do the work we were sent here to do.
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