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Floor Speech
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Mr. SCOTT of Florida. Madam President, as our Nation continues to battle against COVID-19, we know that the best way forward for defeating this virus is making sure Americans have adequate prevention and treatment options against this terrible illness.
While I understand that we are still learning about COVID-19 every day, I share the frustrations of public health leaders and the American people at the Federal Government's lack of proactive leadership in fighting this virus. Even with a vaccine developed under the previous administration, President Biden has not been able to slow COVID-19's spread.
The Federal Government's most important role during a public health crisis is to provide accurate information to the American people. Unfortunately, over the past year, there has been mixed messaging, cruel and unfair finger-pointing, baseless censorship, and a striking lack of effort put into comprehensive public health education efforts.
You should be able to get a test, period, but many Americans have been frustrated at the lack of at-home tests as the virus has continued to spread under President Biden. However, as we seek to ensure the health and well-being of American families, we must do so while using taxpayer dollars responsibly.
It is imperative that the Federal Government do everything in its power to complete our public health mission in a manner that prioritizes support for domestic manufacturing. That is why, as soon as I learned about the administration's intent to purchase 500 million at- home COVID-19 rapid tests for the public earlier this year, I wrote to the HHS Secretary and urged him to prioritize the purchase of American- made COVID tests and prohibit the purchase of tests made in communist China.
We know that at least two FDA-authorized at-home COVID-19 antigen tests are manufactured in communist China and imported into the United States. The last thing the American tax dollars should go towards is funding a country that is guilty of starting the pandemic, covering up and lying about the origins of COVID-19, committing genocide again millions of Uighurs, destroying democracy in Hong Kong, persecuting Tibetans, harassing and threatening Taiwan, stealing American technology and research, and engaging in illegal and unfair trade practices.
Giving communist China taxpayer money would be a complete abuse of the public trust. Sadly, although unsurprisingly, that is exactly what the Biden administration has done in its decision to funnel $1.28 billion to Andon Health, a Chinese company. That is right--instead of supporting American manufacturing and exclusively ordering American- made tests, the Biden administration is handing nearly $1.3 billion of taxpayer funds to a company in communist China. This isn't a secret; it was widely reported by Reuters last month.
I am sure we all remember Biden's promise to ``Buy American.'' It is a commitment I and many of my colleagues in the Senate applauded. But, like so many promises made by this President, it has been broken.
That is why I introduced the No Taxpayer Dollars for Communist China COVID Tests Act--a bill to right the wrongs of the Biden administration and prohibit buying or importing COVID-19 tests made in communist China with U.S. tax dollars. I would like to thank Senator Roger Marshall for cosponsoring this bill.
We need this legislation because President Biden has announced that the government will be purchasing 500 million more at-home tests, and just last week, the Department of Defense announced it was buying more than 100 million tests from Andon Health to achieve Biden's goal. That is more money for communist China's economy and less investment in our own economy.
The Federal Government has a responsibility to support American manufacturers, especially as our economy recovers from COVID-19. We cannot turn a blind eye to the fact that it was the Chinese Communist Party that lied about this deadly virus, tried to hide it, and has continuously covered up the origins of COVID-19. We know that every dollar spent on COVID-19 tests manufactured in communist China goes directly to supporting General Secretary Xi and his genocidal regime.
People in this town think taxpayer money is free money to use as they want. They forget that for every dollar collected, there is a hard- working American who earned that money by the sweat of their brow. We have a duty and obligation to ensure that we spend that money wisely.
Thankfully, we won't lose anything or experience shortages by not giving these contracts to Chinese companies. It means HHS will have to work harder to get good, responsible contracts. But the Biden administration's willingness to fund the communist Chinese economy instead of the American economy is an absolute disgrace. It is another example of Joe Biden's willingness to appease dictators and forsake democracy, freedom, and human rights.
So, with many of these tests already repurchased and the Biden administration planning to spend billions more taxpayers dollars, it is important that Congress act on this immediately, which is why I will be asking to pass this good and commonsense bill today.
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Mr. SCOTT of Florida. First off, if my colleague actually wanted to help American families, he would do whatever he could to get American families jobs.
I can't understand why my colleague would object to this bill. When did the Democrats decide that they no longer care about the oversight authority of Congress?
My colleague never said that HHS couldn't find American manufacturers for these tests. He didn't go back and check to see if they did. It seems like every one of my colleagues on the other side of the aisle is just another member of the Biden administration focused on covering up for Joe Biden and his appeasement of General Secretary Xi.
I am actually trying to support American jobs and American families so they can support themselves.
I want to support American manufacturers and the American supply chain. The Biden administration is actively choosing to support the communist Chinese regime and their economy instead. This is what he was elected to do, and this is the last thing American families want to see their tax dollars go for.
As stewards of taxpayer dollars, it is our duty to make sure we are doing everything we can to support the American economy, not the communist Chinese economy, especially following the pandemic and during this time of record-high inflation.
So I think objecting to this bill is a choice just to appease communist China, and it is dearly disappointing that we couldn't pass this good, commonsense bill today.
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