Washington, D.C. – Today, U.S. Representative Mike Levin (D-CA) spoke on the House floor to address the urgent need for bipartisan compromise on a COVID-19 relief bill. Rep. Levin has repeatedly called for bipartisan relief legislation to ensure that state and local governments can continue providing essential services, to keep small businesses afloat, to support health care professionals and frontline workers, and to help unemployed, housing insecure, and hungry individuals.
Click here to watch Rep. Levin’s speech and see below for a transcript of his remarks:
Mr. Speaker, I rise today on behalf of every American who has lost a loved one because of this pandemic.
I rise for those who have lost their jobs or who are struggling to make ends meet in the wake of this virus.
I rise for the doctors, the nurses, caregivers, and first responders who put themselves at risk every day as they try to save lives.
These folks – in my District and across the nation – know that the enemy is not our neighbors or our political opponents. The enemy is this virus. And they’re counting on us to come together to provide relief.
We must act urgently to provide state and local governments with the funding they need to maintain essential workers and provide critical services – including in public safety and education.
We must act so that small businesses don’t shutter their doors, laying off the good people who live and work in our communities.
The American people cannot and should not have to wait any longer. I urge my colleagues to put their differences aside and treat this emergency like our lives depend on it – because they do.
