On the recordMarch 27, 2020
The United States of America is at war. Its invisible foe is called coronavirus. Having a virus is not a new precedent for America. It is happened twice in the 20th century: the Spanish flu and polio. But in an attempt to slow this outbreak, we did set a new precedent. For the first time in history, we mandated the economy shut down by law. Now, we don't yet know the benefits of that, but we do know the cost. It is about $2 trillion dollars. And one must ask: What is the cost of not acting? It is agonizing to take on this debt, but here is a game-changer for me: When the government shut down the economy, it assumed the responsibility for bringing it back. This virus may threaten our health, but 98 percent or more will survive that. We will not allow the virus to take away our livelihoods. Mr. Speaker, I will be supporting the bill.
