Protecting Taxpayers and Victims of Unemployment Fraud Act

Floor Speech

BREAK IN TRANSCRIPT

Mrs. SYKES. Mr. Speaker, before I joined Congress, I was a State representative in the great State of Ohio. During the pandemic, my office fielded hundreds if not thousands of calls from parents, seniors, veterans, farmers, and families, all who needed help, and we did.

Unbeknownst to my constituents, the IT systems at the State agencies in Ohio processed those claims. Those IT systems needed to be updated. The staff roles had been decimated and protections were not in place. Months after those families sighed a breath of relief, they received a letter demanding repayment.

Mr. Speaker, if you have never been on the other end of a phone call where someone has cried or wailed in fear of financial ruin or about how they are going to feed their families or pay their bills or get their medication, I can understand why you would vote for this bill. Unfortunately, Mr. Speaker, I have, and I cannot support this legislation.

Mr. Speaker, I understand the need to stop fraud, and I understand the need to do this work. I look forward to doing it with you someday, but this bill would not do it. In fact, it actually eliminates $2 billion of the funds to update the system that caused this problem and put my constituents in this situation in the first place.

Mr. Speaker, I was sent here to fight for families, to lower costs-- not to criminalize Americans--and to support them with bills that will help their families live the American Dream.

Mr. Speaker, I will offer a motion to recommit H.R. 1163, and I ask unanimous consent to add the text of this amendment into the Record immediately prior to the vote on the motion to recommit.

BREAK IN TRANSCRIPT

Mrs. SYKES. Mr. Speaker, I have a motion to recommit at the desk.

BREAK IN TRANSCRIPT

Mrs. SYKES. Mr. Speaker, on that I demand the yeas and nays.

The yeas and nays were ordered.

BREAK IN TRANSCRIPT

Source