[Congressional Record Volume 166, Number 63 (Tuesday, March 31, 2020)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E344]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




          MIDDLE CLASS HEALTH BENEFITS TAX REPEAL ACT OF 2019

                                 ______
                                 

                               speech of

                          HON. NORMA J. TORRES

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                         Friday, March 27, 2020

  Mrs. TORRES of California. Mr. Speaker, I rise to support the Senate 
Amendment to H.R. 748, the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic 
Security Act. This bill will provide emergency relief to millions of 
Americans as we fight the coronavirus outbreak.
  I want to highlight Title VI, which establishes a Coronavirus Relief 
Fund that provides $150 billion for the Secretary of Treasury to 
disseminate to States, Tribal Governments and units of local government 
in fiscal year 2020. Tragically, in recent days I've heard from many 
tribal nations in California, and they are really struggling. That's 
because they did the right thing to help our country combat this virus 
by closing their businesses.
  It is worth noting that they did so proactively and were under no 
obligation to take such drastic steps. But, as we have come to expect 
from our leaders in the tribal community, they did the right thing 
because it was the right thing to do.
  These closures have been nothing short of catastrophic. The very 
resources that had been used to fund the tribal government and provide 
services virtually evaporated overnight. These governments run, for the 
most part, on these tribal funds. The funds provided by the federal 
government via the Indian Health Service and the Bureau of Indian 
Affairs, and other federal programs, often only make up a very small 
percentage of the total cost of running Tribal governments. So, when 
these businesses closed, the Tribes knew that doing so would compromise 
their ability to serve their people during this time of crisis.
  I heard these stories and knew that Congress had to respond. This $8 
billion fund will address the decrease in revenues, and we have 
mandated that the Secretary of Treasury work with the Secretary of 
Interior, to make sure that these decreased revenues are into their 
determination when making funds available to tribes.

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