Barbara Lee: “I thank the Chair for her tremendous leadership and that of her staff for getting us to this point on behalf of the…”

“I thank the Chair for her tremendous leadership and that of her staff for getting us to this point on behalf of the American people and ensuring that we put forth a bill that will ensure that they know that we care about their health and economic security during this very serious moment. Also, I just want to thank Speaker Pelosi and Chairman Pallone for including language that will help reach communities disproportionately impacted by this deadly virus, as in the African-American, indigenous, Black and Brown community, the AAPI communities, and also treat them as partners to defeat COVID. Now, it has been 4\1/2\ months since the House passed the Heroes Act. Since January, over 200,000 people have died. People are terrified about keeping their families healthy and safe. They are terrified about keeping their jobs and their homes and their businesses. And, still, Republicans continue to block this critical relief from moving forward. Sadly, but not surprisingly, Black and Brown people are getting the worst of this. Forty thousand African Americans have died from COVID, one out of every five COVID deaths in America. Indigenous and Latinx people are each 50 percent more likely to die from COVID than White Americans. And 20 percent of all deaths in my district are from the AAPI community. It is clear that the President has no plan.…”