[Congressional Record Volume 166, Number 67 (Tuesday, April 7, 2020)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E355-E356]
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. BRADLEY BYRNE

                               of alabama

                    in the house of representatives

                         Friday, March 27, 2020

  Mr. BYRNE. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to speak in support of the CARES 
Act. The situation on the ground demands action, which we must provide 
today.
  Last week, 3.3 million Americans filed for unemployment. Small 
businesses around this country are shuttering. Millions of Americans 
and their children are at home practicing social distancing, a term 
that few knew 2 weeks ago. Countless others are on the front lines in 
our hospitals, doctors' offices, and pharmacies or simply checking us 
out at the grocery store. The American people need our help.
  No region or section of the economy has been spared by this pandemic 
but South Alabama, which I represent, has been particularly hit hard. 
Millions of Americans come here every year to enjoy the weather, the 
beaches, and our southern way of life during the March and April Spring 
Break seasons. This all changed overnight. Countless small business 
owners have lost one of their busiest times of the year, and thousands 
of hard-working Alabamians have been let go from their job through no 
fault of their own.
  The Constitution states that private property shall not be taken for 
public use without just compensation. This principle guides my support 
of this bill today. In essence, the government has asked our nation's 
businesses and workers to shoulder the burden of economic shutdown, 
during good times, for the wellbeing of the country. For that reason, 
it is fair and just that we provide them a lifeline to help them 
weather this storm.
  The situation is truly dire. Many small businesses are weeks or days 
away from depleting their cash reserves. When these small businesses 
close, rarely do they reopen. Thus, if we do not act, the economic 
devastation caused by extreme social distancing could plague 
communities for years.
  Yesterday, I spoke to many small businesses in my district on a call. 
I was struck when one asked me to give them hope. To the American 
people who are watching, there is hope, and the help you need is on the 
way.
  To small business owners, I say there is no more important provision 
in this bill than the Paycheck Protection Program. Through this program 
or nation's small businesses and 501(c)(3) nonprofits will be able to 
obtain a new 100 percent federally backed loan at an attractive 
interest rate. These loans will feature an automatic deferral for 6 
months.
  Most importantly, if the small business or non-profit uses their 
Paycheck Protection Program loan to cover their payroll, rent, mortgage 
interest, or utilities during an eight-week period, the loan will be 
forgiven. The only requirement for this forgiveness is for employers to 
maintain their payroll or hire their workers back. Thus, we have 
effectively said to these hurting small businesses, don't close your 
doors and keep your employees. And, if you do those things, which are 
necessary for us to exit the crisis quickly and effectively, we will 
give you a grant.
  Congress specifically wrote this program to utilize the existing SBA 
7(a) loan program. Unlike SBA disaster loans, these loans are generated 
by private banks, credit unions, and other lending institutions. We did 
this purposefully. We don't want bureaucrats at the SBA holding things 
up. We want the banks and credit unions you trust to get the money out 
to you as quickly as possible.
  For our nation's workers who are struggling, we have provided 
enhanced unemployment benefits for those who have lost their job 
because of the coronavirus through no fault of their own. I strongly 
support this aid to help the millions who have been laid off and 
furloughed get through this difficult time.
  Unfortunately, it is my fear that in our haste to help, we may have 
done real economic harm. Almost everyone supports enhanced unemployment 
benefits for those who have lost their job due to COVID-19, but by 
having a flat $600 benefit for many workers on top of their normal 
state benefit, we will put some workers in a better position to not 
work than they would have been had they not been laid off due to the 
pandemic. This could lead to employers increasing layoffs and could 
cause employees to fail to seek to work once the crisis is abated. Not 
only is this a recipe for a government financed work disincentive, but 
the loss of these workers from the economy could strain our recovery. 
Basic economics should dictate to all of us that we should never make 
the cost of not working better than the cost of working. For that 
reason, I am deeply disappointed that the Democrats in the House and 
the Senate refused to provide for a simple fix to cure this issue.
  I am also disappointed that other special interest and pork 
provisions crept into this bill at the last minute. The essential 
pieces of this legislation were ironed out almost a week ago, yet 
Democrats held up this important bill with a list of demands. 
Fortunately, most were rejected by negotiators from the Trump 
Administration but some were included in the bill.
  At the request of House and Senate Democrats, a number of pet 
projects received pork funding in this legislation. The American people 
should know that Republicans fought these provisions. Yet, despite our 
best efforts to keep them out, funding for the Kennedy Center, 
Corporation for Public Broadcasting, Amtrak, and the Postal Service was 
included, among others. Additionally, at a time when employers are 
cutting back, new funds for Congressional staff and expenses were also 
added. This is disgraceful. Had the Speaker allowed an up or down vote 
on including these funds, they would have been stripped from the bill 
with bipartisan support. Yet, Washington as usual has resulted in their 
inclusion. The American people have a right to be angry about this 
pork. I hope there is bipartisan support to rescind it in the coming 
days.
  The provision of the bill designed to help mid-sized companies also 
contains several lines that--while they may seem innocuous--are special 
interest gifts to big labor. Specifically, the bill requires that 
employers maintain existing collective bargaining agreements already in 
place and requires neutrality in any attempt to unionize. Changing 
times call for changing agreements between management and labor. By 
locking existing collective bargaining agreements in place, we put the 
thumb on the scale of labor to the detriment of the health of the 
business. More fundamentally, ``neutrality'' in organizing means 
allowing the union to talk to a business's employees without the 
employer being able to present the other side of what unionization 
could mean to the employer. This is fundamentally unfair to employers 
and employees.
  These provisions will undoubtedly make certain industries and certain 
companies less likely to apply for the assistance they need to maintain 
their workforce. It will also provide an unfair advantage to companies 
already unionized over those who are not and to areas of the country 
that have a heavy union presence. Union membership is declining 
nationwide. We don't need a union bailout in a bill to help with the 
coronavirus recovery.
  Finally, I note the enormous price tag of this bill. We should all 
pause to think about over $2 trillion--the largest appropriations bill 
in the history of the Congress--being rung up on our nation's credit 
card with little warning. I do not question the need for such a major 
economic rescue package but we cannot continue to borrow in good times 
with the idea that we will simply borrow even more in the bad. America 
must have a serious conversation about how much government we are 
willing to pay for. This crisis should show us that the international 
order for things that we have depended on for decades is not more than 
a crisis away from a collapse. Today it is a medical supply collapse. 
Tomorrow it may be our debt. No party is without blame for our debt 
situation. Many things must change in the aftermath of this crisis, and 
we must ensure that our lack of fiscal responsibility is one of them.
  Mr. Speaker, the bottom line is there are many things in this bill I 
do not like. There are

[[Page E356]]

portions that I think are a mistake. But, Mr. Speaker, this is our time 
for action. The good in here outweighs the bad. Do not hold this bill 
up. We owe it to the citizens of this great country who are struggling. 
We owe action for them today.

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