[Congressional Record Volume 167, Number 35 (Wednesday, February 24, 2021)]
[House]
[Pages H596-H597]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                   DISAPPOINTING COVID RELIEF PACKAGE

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The Chair recognizes the gentleman from 
Texas (Mr. Crenshaw) for 5 minutes.
  Mr. CRENSHAW. Mr. Speaker, I would like to take this opportunity to 
express my deep disappointment on the bloated, partisan bill that my 
colleagues are calling a COVID relief package.
  That is the name on the bill, but the reality is far from it. The 
reality is that we just passed a $900 billion package in December. The 
package wasn't perfect, but it was bipartisan. This one is not.
  The reality is that hundreds of billions of dollars remain unspent. 
As of last week, there were unofficial estimates of unspent or non-
disbursed relief that included $183 billion for another round of PPP; 
$199 billion for healthcare; $136 billion for expanded unemployment 
insurance; and $46 billion for direct stimulus payments. That is money 
we still have, unspent.
  The reality is that this administration can't or won't even give 
Congress an honest estimate of where that money is and what they will 
do with trillions more.
  The reality is that this bill is not for emergency relief, but for 
leftwing spending programs years from now. Nearly half of the funds 
under this bill won't be spent until 2022.

[[Page H597]]

  There are billions of dollars for State and local governments, mostly 
to blue States that impose costly lockdowns, even though California is 
reporting a $10 billion surplus; billions to bail out multiemployer 
pension plans; billions for subsidies to cover the cost of rising 
ObamaCare premiums; and a massive expansion of Medicaid with no reforms 
to address waste, fraud, and abuse within the program.
  Meanwhile, a mere 1 percent of this is for vaccine distribution. 
Really? Maybe that is, perhaps, because the Trump administration, 
indeed, did have a plan for vaccine distribution. I don't know.
  Of the billions they provide for schools, less than 5 percent will be 
spent this fiscal year with zero requirements to get kids back in the 
classroom.
  The reality is that some provisions, like a $15 minimum wage will 
only hurt the small businesses that Democrats claim they want to help. 
Many in my district have already told me they are going to lay off 
workers or shut down.
  So I say this to my colleagues who seem to believe that the size of 
their heart is correlated to how much taxpayer money they are willing 
to spend: This is not how you help. This is not how you govern 
responsibly. This is not a contest to see how much debt we can rack up 
for whatever constituency or special interest you favor at the moment.
  Americans don't want handouts. They want a vaccine. They want their 
businesses open. They want their kids back in school because they know 
it is safe, despite what the teachers' unions are saying. And they 
don't want to be told to wear three masks after they get a vaccine.
  If you want to work with Republicans, assess what has been spent and 
what hasn't and focus on small business relief that increases jobs 
instead of killing them, then Republicans will be right there with you. 
Until then, expect some serious opposition.


      Recognizing the Tremendous Strength of the People in Houston

  Mr. CRENSHAW. Mr. Speaker, I also rise today to recognize the 
tremendous the strength of the people in Houston, who I am honored to 
represent in Congress.
  As we all know, last week, an historic arctic blast hit most of the 
South, including the great State of Texas, plunging millions of Texans 
into darkness. In the middle of freezing cold temperatures, people 
weren't able to heat their homes or access water. I personally had to 
gather water from a swimming pool in our apartment complex after our 
water was shut off.
  I know that many had it much, much worse than I did. But through it 
all, the community came together. My friend Jim McIngvale, known as 
Mattress Mack, in Houston opened up his furniture store as a shelter 
last week to give people in need a warm place to sleep, eat or just get 
out of the cold for a few hours.
  There are countless others who stepped up. Plumbers helped their 
neighbors repair their pipes free of charge; food and water 
distribution centers opened up across the city, including in my 
district office; and people who had power used it minimally so 
electricity could flow back to their neighbors faster. This is what we 
call Houston strong.
  It got us through Harvey and Imelda, and it is what will get us 
through this difficult time as well.


            Happy Anniversary to Federal Protective Service

  Mr. CRENSHAW. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to wish a happy 50th 
anniversary to the Federal Protective Service.
  I thank the 1,400 members of FPS, the men and women who protect the 
more than 9,500 Federal facilities, and the 1.4 million employees who 
work in those buildings on a daily basis.
  All too often, you only gain attention when tragedy strikes, whether 
it is the 1995 Oklahoma City bombing or, just last year, bravely 
defending the Federal courthouse in Portland.
  I wish to remind Americans that it is every day that they are there 
holding the line.
  Mr. Speaker, I rise today to tell you we are thankful and we are 
appreciative of their service, and their commitment to keeping our 
Nation safe.
  Mr. Speaker, I thank the members of the FPS and I wish them a happy 
50th anniversary.

                          ____________________