[Congressional Record Volume 167, Number 35 (Wednesday, February 24, 2021)]
[House]
[Page H593]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                          AMERICAN RESCUE PLAN

  The SPEAKER pro tempore (Mr. McGovern). The Chair recognizes the 
gentleman from California (Mr. Costa) for 5 minutes.
  Mr. COSTA. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to speak on behalf of the 
American Rescue Plan.
  The critical need to provide economic relief for struggling Americans 
and communities across the Nation could never be more evident than it 
is now. A year into this pandemic, the world is reeling from the 
fallout of the coronavirus pandemic.
  This time last year, we had a handful of people that had, sadly, 
passed away from COVID-19 as it slowly made its way across the country. 
This week, we mourned over 500,000 lives lost and countless family 
members and loved ones that will be impacted forever, and we are still 
not out of the woods. Yesterday evening, we appropriately honored and 
recognized those Americans who lost their lives.
  This pandemic has created a deep economic crisis for American 
families and small businesses. Economic inequities continue to 
accelerate, sadly. Our communities are hurting. They are hurting, and 
the time for decisive action is now, just as we did in a bipartisan 
effort last year.
  Think about it. America--America, the richest country in the world, 
and yet the numbers are staggering. Over 18 million Americans are 
receiving unemployment benefits. Nearly 24 million Americans are going 
hungry, including 12 million children--12 million children. And nearly 
40 million Americans cannot afford to pay the rent and possibly face 
eviction.
  We must get more funding to our States and local governments so they 
can help those immediately impacted. This will allow us to begin to 
open our schools safely, which we must do, in addition to the rest of 
our economy. This is a key component of President Biden's American 
Rescue Plan, which I support.
  Now, let me repeat. The American Rescue Plan will work to keep 
communities safe and reopen schools with a robust vaccine plan for the 
public and educators that has been absent until the last 6 weeks.
  In my own circumstance, my own constituency, the city of Fresno, in 
the heart of my district is facing a multi-million dollar budget 
shortfall. Like most cities across the country, they will be forced to 
cut jobs, including those of first responders, without Federal support. 
The same is true in the communities of Madera and Merced, also in my 
district.

  The American Rescue Plan will bring nearly $200 million to these two 
local communities combined, providing critical relief needed to provide 
funding for services their residents require, my constituents.
  Now that vaccines are being administered, with millions inoculated so 
far, we have to continue to build on that momentum, for gaining the 
upper hand over this disease is on the horizon if we stay the course 
and implement the plan the President has outlined.
  But we must do more to help Americans than just providing 
vaccinations. Obviously, that is at the front lines, and we will 
produce more vaccines in the next month and in the next 2 months so 
that, as the President said, 300 million Americans, by this summer, 
will have the ability to be vaccinated. But economic relief is part of 
the necessity to help them, and the American Rescue Plan does that.
  Now, I have heard some of my colleagues on the other side talk about 
the concerns about the fiscal impacts to our economy. I am a Blue Dog. 
I believe that we need to have fiscal discipline, and I believe, after 
being here 17 years, that happens when Democrats are willing to deal 
with expenditures and Republicans are willing to deal with revenues. 
And unless we do deal with those two things together it isn't going to 
happen.
  The last administration indebted this Nation over $7.5 trillion--$7.5 
trillion in the last 4 years. I didn't hear much discussion during that 
time about the fiscal deficit. But I learned another thing in 17 years 
here; when Democrats are in charge, the debt matters. But when 
Republicans are in charge, who cares?
  So let's get real about this deficit. America is hurting today, and 
it needs our support and it needs our help.
  Over 140 executives of major American corporations are supporting 
this plan. Over 140 of the major companies in America think that this 
is necessary, the $1.9 trillion, to get this economy going and to put 
our country back on a track that we can be safe from this pandemic.
  So I urge my colleagues to do the right thing and to vote in favor of 
the American Rescue Plan, as we did previous measures on a bipartisan 
effort.

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