[Congressional Record Volume 166, Number 97 (Friday, May 22, 2020)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E477]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




      HEALTH AND ECONOMIC RECOVERY OMNIBUS EMERGENCY SOLUTIONS ACT

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                               speech of

                            HON. RON WRIGHT

                                of texas

                    in the house of representatives

                          Friday, May 15, 2020

  Mr. WRIGHT. Mr. Speaker, while I am not able to attend the vote for 
H.R. 6800, the Health and Economic Recovery Omnibus Emergency Solutions 
(HEROES) Act on May 15, 2020. I want to express my strong opposition to 
this legislation, and I plan to vote against it.
  This 1800-page bill is anything but heroic. It reads more like a 
Democrat Christmas list. Instead of crafting law, the Speaker wrote and 
dropped a political bill that she and the rest of her party know is 
dead on arrival in the Senate. This is not a serious attempt to pass 
more relief for American workers, businesses, and health professionals. 
Changing election laws, incentivizing illegal immigration, bailing out 
mismanaged pensions, and spending the cap on state and local tax 
deduction for the top 1 percent have nothing to do with the Wuhan Virus 
and do not address the real needs of the American people.
  As usual there are positive elements upon which there could be 
bipartisan support: more small business relief, help for our 
agricultural sector, additional resources for front line health care 
workers, and more funding for testing development and deployment. No 
doubt, these provisions will be cynically heralded as others ensure the 
bill's demise. Writing a politically inspired bill behind closed doors 
without meaningful negotiations with the minority, the Senate, or the 
White House is not how law is crafted. Rather, it's how mockeries are 
made that further erode the faith and confidence of the American people 
in Congress.
  Rather than spending another $3 trillion to push a socialist agenda 
and further expand government, we should be working together to assess 
how effectively the previous $3 trillion has been spent, and then 
identify the needs that are appropriate for the federal government to 
fill.
  Enough with the political stunts. Let's get back to working in a 
bipartisan manner so that we can re-open the economy, hold China 
accountable, secure our supply chain, and bring an end to the COVID-19 
pandemic. I continue to be inspired by the steadfast commitment from 
the men and women that leave their families, risk their health, and go 
to their essential jobs every day so that we can continue fighting this 
war.

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