[Congressional Record Volume 166, Number 171 (Thursday, October 1, 2020)]
[House]
[Pages H5121-H5122]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                DEMOCRATS ARE FIGHTING FOR ALL AMERICANS

  (Mr. HOYER asked and was given permission to address the House for 1 
minute.)
  Mr. HOYER. Madam Speaker, since the beginning of this Congress, House 
Democrats have fought for the people. From lowering healthcare costs to 
raising wages by rebuilding America, to cleaning up corruption and 
strengthening democracy, House Democrats have passed major legislation 
and shown the American people what our priorities are.
  At the same time, sadly, Republicans have also made clear what their 
priorities are, priorities the American people, in my view, do not 
share, for example, and particularly, on healthcare.
  For years, Madam Speaker, President Trump and Republicans have been 
telling the American people that they have a plan that is better than 
the Affordable Care Act which will cover more Americans. As a matter of 
fact, the President said he would cover everybody at a lower cost and 
higher quality. Not a single Member of this House can rise and say, ``I 
know what the President's bill is,'' because they have never seen it 
after 3 years and 8 months.
  But after years with no plan being put forward, it is clear exactly 
what their plan really is: Eliminate the Affordable Care Act and offer 
nothing in return. They continue to tell the American people, ``You are 
on your own.''
  They tried to repeal or undermine the Affordable Care Act more than 
65 times in Congress and failed. Now they are trying to overturn the 
law in court, and they are attempting to ram a Supreme Court nominee 
through in order to do what they failed to do through the legislative 
process, of course, after saying that we ought not to consider a 
Supreme Court nominee in an election year because we ought to let the 
people speak.
  In fact, the people spoke in 2016 and voted for Hillary Clinton by 
over a 3 million disparity. Republicans didn't care. They wanted to 
know what the electoral college said. And, of course, that is our 
Constitution, but it is not the people speaking.
  The fight over this nominee is very much about the ability of 
Americans to access quality, affordable healthcare.
  When Democrats came into the majority, we took immediate action, 
Madam Speaker, to defend the Affordable Care Act in court and stand up 
for its protections for more than 130 million Americans with 
preexisting conditions.
  What can we expect if Republicans succeed in ending the Affordable 
Care Act?
  Free preventative screenings and services, gone.
  The guarantee of coverage for those with preexisting conditions 
without higher premiums, gone.
  The ability to get covered under your parents' plans if you are 
younger than 26, gone.
  The ban on lifetime and annual limits of coverage, gone.
  That is what we are defending for the people and what we will 
continue to protect.
  Madam Speaker, we also took real action to lower prescription drug 
costs with the passage of H.R. 3 and other legislation--not a gimmick 
like President Trump's meaningless executive orders or his illegal 
coupon cards that endanger the future of Medicare, but real action to 
benefit those who need more affordable prescription drugs.
  And when an unprecedented, deadly pandemic swept across the globe and 
on to our shores, House Democrats led the way with swift action, 
enacting four bipartisan laws and passing a fifth bill, the Heroes Act, 
4\1/2\ months ago. No action in the United States Senate for 3\1/2\ 
months, and then a lame effort, which was not supported by Republicans 
in the Senate and certainly no Democrats in the Senate.
  President Trump and the Republican Senate, however, have blocked the 
Heroes Act so necessary for those on unemployment, so necessary for 
those who are trying to feed their families, so necessary for family 
support, so necessary for small businesses, so necessary for hospital 
workers and those who are administering testing, and so necessary for 
the States and localities that are hiring police, firefighters, 
sanitation workers--the critical personnel necessary to help confront 
this virus.
  Where Democrats have said we are in this together, President Trump 
has said it is what it is.
  Let me say to the American people: What it is does not have to be.
  House Democrats have shown that there is a better way to lead and a 
more responsible way to govern in this crisis.
  Democrats have also been fighting to make our economy work, Madam 
Speaker, for the people while Republicans fight to make our economy 
work for the wealthy. That is why they are fighting about the tax 
provision that they put into the CARES Act, which we think ought to be 
deleted because it is for the wealthy, not for those who are 
struggling.
  In 2017, President Trump and Republicans enacted an unpaid-for $1.5 
trillion tax cut where 83 percent, more than 8 out of 10 Americans who 
got relief in that tax act were some of the wealthiest people in 
America, the top 1 percent. That bill also raised taxes on 86 million 
middle-class households.
  In contrast, Madam Speaker, House Democrats have used our majority to 
benefit working families and grow our economy. We voted to raise the 
minimum wage and ensure equal pay for equal work for women. It lies 
unattended in the United States Senate. Senator McConnell will not 
bring it up.
  We invested in new infrastructure and clean energy innovation that 
drives growth of new, high-paying American jobs. It sits untended in 
the United States Senate.

                              {time}  1115

  House Democrats have been working to make government more transparent 
and accountable to the people.
  Our majority moved swiftly, Madam Speaker, to pass the strongest and 
most comprehensive government reform legislation in decades, the For 
the People Act.
  That bill will hold government officials more accountable, increase 
transparency and ethical standards, and increase voter protections 
while instituting national redistricting reforms.
  Where is it? In the Senate left untended, unconsidered by the United 
States Senate, because it is on McConnell's desk and he will not move 
it.
  While this President and Republicans continue to make it harder for 
Americans to vote, and sow confusion and uncertainty about balloting, 
House Democrats passed H.R. 4 to restore the John Lewis Act, to restore 
the protections in the Voting Rights Act that so many fought for, 
demonstrated for, and died for.
  But unfortunately, too many in this country are trying to make it 
more difficult, not easier, to cast that central facet of being a 
citizen in a democracy, the right to vote.

[[Page H5122]]

  That is one of the 340 bipartisan bills that are languishing on 
Senator McConnell's desk. He will not call them up before the Senate 
for a vote, muzzling democracy.
  That is 340 important bipartisan bills blocked, stalled, or ignored.
  Madam Speaker, let's not forget that we began our majority in the 
middle of a damaging and irresponsible government shutdown, the longest 
shutdown that I have experienced in the 40 years I have been here.
  We moved swiftly to end that shutdown and prioritize the passage of 
funding bills last year and this year before the end of July in order 
to prevent another shutdown of our government.
  So last year we passed 8 of the 10 appropriation bills by June 26. 
This year, we passed 8 of those 10, notwithstanding COVID, by July 26.
  The Senate has not passed out of committee a single appropriation 
bill, not one, Madam Speaker.
  What have they been doing? Judge after judge after judge after judge. 
That is what they are doing, to serve their ideological agenda, hoping 
that they can control through the courts that which they cannot control 
in the democratic process.
  We have shown, Madam Speaker, what it means to govern for the people, 
and over the next few weeks, Americans will have a chance to choose the 
direction our country follows in the years ahead. They know that 
Republicans have failed them: no healthcare bill, no infrastructure 
bill that the President talked about in the campaign, ``I am going to 
invest in infrastructure.'' No bill has been presented by the President 
to do that, no healthcare bill.
  They know that our Republican colleagues have failed them through 
their inaction and irresponsibility.
  And they know, Madam Speaker, that Democrats have offered a serious 
agenda of leadership, have demonstrated the capacity to govern 
responsibly, and have shown ourselves always to be for the people.
  Madam Speaker, today we will be considering a bill. We are in 
negotiations. I hope those negotiations work. Frankly, Speaker Pelosi 
and Secretary Mnuchin reached four bipartisan deals. Mr. Meadows was 
not chief of staff, of course, at that point in time. Let us hope that 
we can reach a bipartisan deal.
  We were supposed to consider our Heroes 2 bill, our offer, our 
proffer, our statement of what we think is necessary to uplift the 
American people, to let them know they are not on their own, we are 
with them, we are together.
  We will consider that bill today if there is not an agreement. I hope 
there is an agreement. I hope we have a bipartisan piece of legislation 
that we can pass in the near future, because the American people need 
it, and that is what we have done in the past. Let's hope we can do it 
today.

                          ____________________