[Congressional Record Volume 166, Number 205 (Friday, December 4, 2020)]
[House]
[Pages H6849-H6850]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                      THE CORONAVIRUS IS EXPLODING

  (Mr. PANETTA asked and was given permission to address the House for 
1 minute and to revise and extend his remarks.)
  Mr. PANETTA. Mr. Speaker, the coronavirus is exploding, our hospitals 
are bursting, and many parts of our economy are hurting. It is no 
wonder why Fed Chair Powell and so many other economists are warning 
about the long-term damage that could be done if we don't pass another 
stimulus package soon.
  We passed the CARES Act earlier this year, and that did keep our 
economy afloat and our poverty rate flat,

[[Page H6850]]

but because of the pandemic, we are experiencing over 1 million cases a 
week and 2,000 deaths a day.
  Because of that, we are finding ourselves in more self-induced 
economic comas, just like we are seeing in my State of California and 
my district on the central coast of California.
  We can't wait any longer for another economic package. That is why 
Democrats and Republicans of the Problem Solvers Caucus worked with a 
bipartisan group of Senators to come up with a targeted and temporary 
package of close to $1 trillion to meet our most pressing needs. It is 
a compromise that can be a way to ``yes'' for both Houses and both 
sides to come together.

  Mr. Speaker, it is going to be a dark winter, so it is our obligation 
to our constituents to come to the table to negotiate and pass a 
pandemic relief package to help us get on the road to recovery this 
spring.

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