[Congressional Record Volume 167, Number 21 (Thursday, February 4, 2021)]
[House]
[Page H332]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                              {time}  1045
               THE CURRENT STATE OF THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The Chair recognizes the gentlewoman from 
Illinois (Ms. Underwood) for 5 minutes.
  Ms. UNDERWOOD. Mr. Speaker, I rise today as my home State of Illinois 
approaches the grave milestone of 20,000 COVID-19 deaths.
  I am thinking of the families of each of our neighbors we have lost, 
and I am also thinking of everyone in our community who is currently 
suffering from the physical, psychological, and financial consequences 
of the pandemic.
  The past year has been so hard for so many of us, and it is not over. 
We still have a long way to go until our families' health and economic 
well-being is secure.
  Now, thanks to the work of incredible scientists, we have authorized 
vaccines that are safe and effective, offering a level of protection 
that can save lives and crush this virus.
  But until we actually get shots in arms, the virus will continue to 
spread. This process has been difficult, and the bottom line is that 
our current vaccine process is not sustainable. But we can change that. 
We must change that.
  The good news is that we can. We have a new administration laser-
focused on ramping up distribution, and there are investments to be 
made in order to help.
  Local health departments are overwhelmed with phone calls from people 
wondering where to go for a vaccine. Web-based appointment signups are 
filling faster than people can register. Immunization providers lack 
the resources to carry out vaccination campaigns at this unprecedented 
scale.
  To address these challenges and carry out an efficient COVID-19 
vaccination campaign that prioritizes the people who need them most, 
Congress needs to act swiftly and boldly. The next relief bill must 
include significant funding to accelerate vaccine administration with a 
particular focus on providing vaccine doses and outreach to ensure that 
nobody is left behind.
  We also need to fund the workforce that will carry out vaccination 
efforts, as well as testing, contact tracing, and other critical 
initiatives to stop the spread of the virus.
  I have introduced two bills, the Community Immunity During COVID-19 
Act and the Health Force, Resilience Force, and Jobs to Fight COVID-19 
Act, to make the investments that will be needed to end the pandemic, 
prevent the next public health crisis, and ensure a strong economic 
recovery.
  Finally, as we continue to confront a once-in-a-century health 
crisis, it is absolutely unacceptable that millions of Americans 
continue to lack access to affordable healthcare.
  That is why I introduced H.R. 369, the Health Care Affordability Act, 
which would increase the dollar amount of premium tax credits across 
all income levels.
  It would eliminate premiums for lower-income households; reduce 
premium costs by hundreds or thousands of dollars for middle-class 
families, including those who currently make too much money to qualify 
for the tax credit; and ensure that everyone would be able to buy a 
plan for no more than 8.5 percent of their income. For families in 
northern Illinois who currently pay 15, 18, or 20 percent of their 
income for healthcare, this is real savings that matters.
  This was included in the President's American Rescue Plan, and I urge 
my colleagues to support its inclusion in the next relief package.
  At this challenging moment in history, the decisions we make will be 
felt for generations. If our ideas are too small, the consequences not 
only mean a protracted pandemic but a stunted economic recovery.
  But if we pursue solutions that meet this moment, we can not only get 
to the other side of the pandemic, we can emerge from it stronger than 
before, with evidence-based public health investments that prevent 
future crises; with career pathways that usher in a new era of economic 
growth; and with a healthcare system built on a foundation of equity, 
where access to quality care is not the privilege of a few but the 
right of all.
  I believe that this future is possible, and I know that the decisions 
we make today will shape it. I hope my colleagues on both sides of the 
aisle are ready to do the work we were sent here to do.

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