[Congressional Record Volume 166, Number 208 (Wednesday, December 9, 2020)]
[House]
[Page H7062]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                       COVID RELIEF FOR AMERICANS

  (Ms. SCANLON asked and was given permission to address the House for 
1 minute and to revise and extend her remarks.)
  Ms. SCANLON. Mr. Speaker, it has been 257 days since the first major 
COVID relief package was signed into law--257 days. In that time 
period, COVID cases in the U.S. have skyrocketed, and we have lost 
almost 290,000 Americans.
  The devastation this virus has wrought on our families, our 
communities, and our economy is enormous. But it would have been so 
much worse if we had not provided that early relief to our families, 
our small businesses, and workers impacted by the spring surge. And 
economists are clear that we need to provide more direct relief in 
order to buoy the economy, much less to keep people safe.
  The relief that we are seeking, that the American people are seeking 
is not a handout. It is a lifeline. It is critical to get relief in the 
hands of families, small businesses, frontline workers, and local 
governments so we can get the virus under control. But, also, so we can 
get the country back to work once we do so.
  Mr. Speaker, time is of the essence. Unemployment is running out, 
small businesses--and especially, restaurants--are closing. Families 
are facing eviction and foreclosure.
  Mr. Speaker, fighting this pandemic has been hard enough on the 
American people. Getting them the relief they need to stay safe and 
healthy shouldn't be.

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