[Congressional Record Volume 167, Number 37 (Friday, February 26, 2021)]
[House]
[Page H736]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                              COVID RELIEF

  (Mr. ALLEN asked and was given permission to address the House for 1 
minute.)
  Mr. ALLEN. Mr. Speaker, here we go again. I am disappointed to say 
that my Democrat colleagues refuse to negotiate on legislation to 
provide targeted, temporary COVID-19 relief to the American people.
  Let's be clear. Only 9 percent of this $1.9 trillion package being 
advanced goes toward pandemic-related expenses, and it is riddled with 
partisan priorities unrelated to the pandemic, including a $15 minimum 
wage requirement that will destroy 1.4 million starting jobs; $350 
billion in blue State bailouts while leaving behind States like 
Georgia; funding for a Silicon Valley underground tunnel; and much 
more.
  Throughout this whole process, my Democrat colleagues have rejected 
prioritizing reopening our schools, despite the CDC stating that 
schools can safely reopen with proper precautions. Some of our students 
haven't seen the inside of a classroom in a year. But partisan 
priorities are apparently more important.
  Let's not forget that nearly $1 trillion remains unspent from 
previous relief packages. So let's stop calling it COVID relief when 
this package is clearly just a payout to Progressive priorities.
  It is time to end this nonsense because the American people are no 
longer fooled.

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