[Congressional Record Volume 170, Number 50 (Thursday, March 21, 2024)]
[House]
[Pages H1300-H1301]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                     AMERICAN CONNECTIVITY PROGRAM

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The Chair recognizes the gentleman from 
Illinois (Mr. Krishnamoorthi) for 5 minutes.
  Mr. KRISHNAMOORTHI. Madam Speaker, Congress needs to fully fund the 
American Connectivity Program, also known as ACP. This landmark 
initiative helps all Americans afford home internet access that is 
essential today to achieve work or education success.
  In my district, Nancy Mendez said that one-half of the people in the 
United Palatine Coalition's beginning computer class relied on the ACP 
for their first-ever home internet access.
  More broadly, Cook County estimates that more than 250,000 households 
in Cook County have been helped by the law. I want to congratulate and 
thank Toni Preckwinkle and Cook County for their successful 
implementation of the ACP.
  Be that as it may, if the House doesn't act, those families in Cook 
County and elsewhere will lose their home internet access.
  Let's pass the ACP reauthorization act now.


                            SEIU Healthcare

  Mr. KRISHNAMOORTHI. Madam Speaker, in Illinois and across the 
country, America is in the midst of a childcare crisis. Today parents 
face a desert of childcare options, and the options available to them 
are increasingly unaffordable.
  In addition, childcare workers face low wages and a lack of benefits 
that leave them unable to meet their own basic needs.
  In Illinois, nearly 60 percent of parents live where there are not 
enough childcare providers. Parents and workers are shouldering the 
cost of care through massive enrollment fees, lower wages for care 
workers, and a steep decline in the number of licensed childcare 
providers. This situation is untenable and unacceptable.
  SEIU Healthcare is fighting to create living wages and affordable 
services. Now it is our turn in Washington to meet the challenge. We 
must support the needs of parents and care workers alike by fully 
funding President Biden's request to stabilize childcare resources now.


                           Catholic Charities

  Mr. KRISHNAMOORTHI. Madam Speaker, partisan gamesmanship over the 
southern border is causing this House to neglect the needs of thousands 
of legally admitted children and families for whom hunger and 
homelessness await.
  Catholic Charities of Chicago estimates they now serve five to six 
times as many people at their pantries compared to 2020. These 
increases mirror those reported by other food banks, religious 
organizations, and not-for-profits nationwide, and they are all 
struggling to bridge the gap created by our inaction in Washington.

[[Page H1301]]

  The blame game will not feed the hungry. We can and must do better 
now.

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