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Pelosi Remarks at Bill Enrollment Photo Opportunity for the CARES Act

March 27, 2020

Contact: Speaker's Press Office,
202-226-7616

Washington, D.C. – Speaker Nancy Pelosi held a bill enrollment photo opportunity for H.R. 748, the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act. Below are the Speaker's remarks:

Speaker Pelosi. Good afternoon, everyone.

Thank you, all, for keeping your distance from each other, and we from each other here.

This is a very special day for us. I think it sends a very clear message to the American people, to America's families gathered in their homes, to all of the health care workers working to bring solace, administer to the needs of people who need their help, to the families that have lost a loved one. We want to send a message to them that America's hearts are full of love, America's hearts are full of love for them. And that we are all a family. And, like many families, we have our differences, but we also know what is important to us. And America's families are important for us.

So, we are so pleased, today, to have been able to have passed on the Floor, practically unanimously, this important bill, CARES. And we want to demonstrate that we do care for the American people in every way.

We are so honored to have the distinguished Republican Leader of the House with us today. I was honored to work with him in a very bipartisan way as we went along. Again, having our disagreements but also knowing our purpose.

With that, I want to yield to the distinguished Democratic Leader. Excuse me.

[Laughter]

He called you the Majority Leader. I'm calling you the Democratic Leader. Steny called him that.

[Laughter]

In any event, the distinguished Republican Leader of the House. His office is right there, you see the sign. Kevin McCarthy of California.

* * *

Speaker Pelosi. Thank you very much, Mr. Leader.

I want to join you in acknowledging the leadership of our committees in all of this. Richie – Chairman Neal – you started with Ways and Means, so will I – Richie Neal. Nita Lowey, who's not here right now, but who led the fight in the Appropriations Committee – the important discussions in the Appropriations Committee. Here is Rosa DeLauro from that Committee, who represented her Committee on the Floor and in the discussions. Peter DeFazio, Transportation and Infrastructure. Bobby Scott, Education and Labor. Maxine Waters, Financial Services. Mark Takano, Veterans Affairs. Nydia Velázquez, Small Business. Frank Pallone, Energy and Commerce. Jim McGovern, our Rules Committee Chair, was very helpful to us. As was so many of our other Members here. I do want to acknowledge, also, Zoe Lofgren from House Administration.

And then, of course, our distinguished Leader, Mr. Hoyer. Thank you for leading us on the Floor today. But, not only that, leading us through all of this discussion. Mr. Clyburn to make sure that we were not only on course substantively, but that we had the numbers needed to get the job done today. That would not have happened without you. To Mr. Ben Ray Lujan, thank you so much also for your work.

And I do want to acknowledge Chuck Schumer and some of the Members on the Senate, Dick Durbin especially, and members of their committees as well.

But this is – what we have to do now, and as the Leader was speaking I am further encouraged to say that what we have to do now, well we need to do more, but in terms of this bill, what we are all working on right now is to translate it into what it means. A toolkit for our Members so that any one of their constituents, if they are a small business owner, whatever their category is, that they know immediately how they can avail themselves of what is in this legislation. It's there. It is substantial. We need to do more. I just want to say, once again, I think it is very important that we do more for the personal protective equipment so that our health care providers have what they need. And I want to acknowledge the great work of Anna Eshoo in this regard. Greg Walden – where is Greg – has been working in all of this as well.

Leader McCarthy. Would you mind – I think I forgot Kay Granger, so would you thank her?

Speaker Pelosi. Yes. And on the Appropriations Committee, they worked in a bipartisan way in the House and with the Senate. And I want to join the Leader in acknowledging not only Nita Lowey as our Chair, but Kay Granger as the Ranking Member on the Committee.

So, with that, it is now time for me to sign the enrollment of the legislation so we can send it right over to the Senate. We thought Senator Grassley would be with us, but then he had a change of plans.

But we will send it to them and then they will send it to the President so that he can sign it as soon as possible so that as soon as possible it's benefits will be available to the American people.

I thank all of those who are gathered here for their distinguished contribution to all of this. I wish I could have a pen for all of them. As you know, I usually like to do that. However, they told me because of the virus I can't touch the pens. But I will get you a pen, dotting the ‘I' and all that.

So here we are. Aren't we proud? Usually we are crowded around, but –

[Applause]

Thank you all. Thank you.

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Issues:Health Care