On the recordDecember 9, 2020
I am Congresswoman Jan Schakowsky. I represent the Ninth Congressional District of Illinois, and I am here on this auspicious day to stand up for the people of the Ninth Congressional District who are suffering right now under this pandemic. Mr. Speaker, we know that already we have seen the deaths of 286,000 people, rivaling the total number of people who have died in World War II. We are at war with this virus. Fifteen-plus million Americans have contracted this virus. But it is not only the suffering of people and the families of people who have died and the people who have this terrible disease, but it is also an issue for the rest of Americans who are suffering right now. Mr. Speaker, like every other Member of Congress, I am sure that you are getting the calls that I am getting; people--adults--who are weeping into the telephone and telling us about their fears, the suffering that their families are facing, the loss of jobs. A man called crying, saying, ``I can't pay my rent. I have lost my job. I am so afraid that, along with my family, we are going to be out on the street.'' A woman called somewhat embarrassed to tell us that she cannot put food on the table for her children. We directed her to a food bank. Think of that; in the richest country in the world, that she had to rely on a food bank to be able to feed her family. Mr. Speaker, in this country today, 1 out of 4 of our children is considered--what we say--food insecure. What does that mean?…
