Anna Eshoo

Ms. ESHOO

Ms. ESHOO. Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of the Paycheck Protection and Health Care Enhancement Act. This emergency funding is the fourth bipartisan aid package to address the tremendous needs of the American people as we fight COVID-19 on both the public health front and the economic front. The Democratic House has led the way to respond to this emergency. On March 4th, when the Administration refused to acknowledge the magnitude of this crisis, the House passed bipartisan emergency legislation providing four times the amount of funding for public health purposes than the Trump Administration originally requested. A week later, the House passed the bipartisan Families First Act, which recognized the importance of free coronavirus testing and the need for paid sick leave and nutrition aid for working families. On March 27th the House passed the bipartisan CARES Act putting families and workers first, instead of a corporate, trickle-down approach offered by the Senate. Today, the bipartisan Paycheck Protection and Health Care Enhancement Act continues the House's work to respond to the pandemic. It flips an insufficient Republican proposal that left hospitals, Community Health Centers, and health care workers behind by nearly doubling the resources to provide badly needed assistance to them. The legislation contains the following: Small businesses: Adds $310 billion to replenish the Paycheck Protection Programs, reserving $60 billion of that funding for community-based lenders, credit unions and small to midsized community banks that work with the smallest of businesses. The bill also adds an additional $50 billion in disaster loans at the SBA and $10 billion in grants to small businesses and nonprofits. $75 billion for hospitals, health systems, Community Health Centers, and other health care providers, including funds for Personal Protective Equipment for frontline workers. For all Americans: $25 billion for testing, the key to reopening the economy. Today, approximately one percent of Americans have been tested. This legislation calls for a national strategic testing policy focused on increasing domestic testing capacity, including testing supplies. This interim funding package will assist workers, families, small businesses, hospitals, and all our health care workers. The American people have tremendous needs and I'm proud to support this legislation to help meet them. There's so much more to do and I stand ready to work to meet our historic challenges. I support this legislation and will continue to support swift action by a Congress that aids a scientific public health response to the pandemic and a worker-first response to the economic crisis. Finally, I'd like to take a moment to acknowledge the sorrow being felt across the country as families mourn the loss of their loved ones to this terrible disease. In tribute to them, we do our work today.

Ms. ESHOO

Ms. ESHOO. Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act. This $2 trillion legislation--the largest aid package in American history--is shaped to help meet the great challenges we face during this crisis. As Americans stay home to slow the spread of the deadly coronavirus, the economy has ground to a halt. Nearly 3.3 million Americans filed unemployment claims last week, an all-time record. Our frontline health care workers are working around the clock to care for the tens of thousands of Americans who have contracted the virus, requiring a surge of hospital beds, masks, personal protective equipment, and ventilators to safely care for the sick. The Democratic House has led the way to respond to this emergency. At the beginning of March, we passed a bipartisan $8.3 billion funding package to strengthen our nation's public health response to the coronavirus. A week later, we passed another bipartisan bill, the Families First Act to provide paid sick leave and nutrition assistance to working families, as well as free coronavirus testing to anyone who needs it. Today's legislation continues Congress's fast-moving bipartisan emergency response to the pandemic. Democrats fought successfully to flip the original Senate bill from a trickle-down, corporation-first approach to a families and workers-first approach. The four major pillars of the legislation are: A ``Marshall Plan'' for our Health Care System, Expanded Unemployment Benefits and Direct Cash Assistance for Americans, Assistance for Small Businesses, Relief for state, tribal, and local governments. A $150 billion ``Marshall Plan'' for our health systems with funding to hospitals and other health providers to buy protective equipment, testing supplies, new construction, and to cover unreimbursed costs or lost revenue. Funding is also provided to increase the supply of health care equipment in the Strategic National Stockpile, implement the Defense Production Act, and boost FEMA's Disaster Relief Fund. $260 billion for unemployment insurance, providing an additional $600 weekly for every American receiving unemployment benefits. Many Americans will also receive a one-time cash payment of up to $1,200, and $500 per child. A $350 billion small business rescue plan that provides loan forgiveness grants to small businesses to keep their workers on payroll and help to pay rent and utility bills. Coverage also goes to independent contractors, gig workers, and nonprofits. A $150 billion relief fund to assist state, local, and tribal governments maintain essential public services for their residents. Democrats also successfully prevented secret corporate bailouts. Thanks to a strong Democratic effort, corporations that receive aid must use it to keep workers on their payrolls. They're prohibited from giving bonuses to executives, exercise buyback of stocks, or give dividends to shareholders. We launched many attempts to remove the $500 billion fund under the control of the Secretary of the Treasury, but we were unable to do so because of the support of Senator Mitch McConnell and the White House. What we were able to secure is an Inspector General to oversee the funds to ensure transparency and accountability, and a Board to do so as well. Finally, the legislation includes $100 billion in emergency appropriations for education, childcare, housing, and homelessness, as well as grants for states to prepare for the upcoming election in November. Taken together, this legislation will go a long way to help workers, families, small businesses, state and local governments, hospitals, and health care workers, and California will receive approximately $15 billion from the legislation. Congress's work to respond to the pandemic is not complete, and the House is already working on a fourth package to help our nation during these critical times. I ask my colleagues to join me in voting for this legislation to come to the aid of the American people during this time of crisis. They deserve swift action by a united Congress.

Ms. ESHOO

Ms. ESHOO. Madam Speaker, I rise to honor the life and work of an extraordinary man, Richard Bernard Morris, who was born March 9, 1930 in Alameda, California, to Thelma T. and John E. Morris, and was the fifth of seven children. He passed away surrounded by his beloved family on Tuesday, January 21, 2020, at the age of 89. Richard Morris attended Piedmont High School and attended the University of Santa Clara for one year prior to entering the Society of Jesus. In 1955, he left the seminary to join the United States Army and was stationed in Germany for two years. After his military service, he completed his Bachelor of Arts degree at UC Berkeley and attended law school at Boalt Hall (Berkeley Law). It was at Berkeley where he met his best pal and true love, Anne ``Bummie'' Baumgartner, and they were married at Mission San Juan Bautista on September 12, 1959. Rich entered private practice in 1960, first at Chickering & Gregory, and then at Feldman, Waldman & Kline, both in San Francisco. While in private practice, he began doing pro bono legal work and found his passion. In 1968, San Francisco was chosen as one of twenty cities to receive Ford Foundation funds directed at increasing the number of lawyers involved in pro bono work, and Rich was hired as the first Executive Director of the new San Francisco Lawyers Committee for Urban Affairs (now Lawyers Committee on Civil Rights). Rich's family was his joy. He was keenly interested in each of his children, grandchildren, their spouses and friends. He was a generous, funny, original, and supportive father, father-in-law, and grandfather, and the best partner to Anne. Rich was a devout Catholic who believed that work on behalf of the marginalized was fundamental to being a follower of Jesus. He was naturally attracted to quiet prayer and the contemplation of God's goodness in all things and people. As Jesuits would say, he was a contemplative in action, truly a ``man for others.'' He believed strongly in social justice and instilled these principles in his children and grandchildren. In 1975, Rich became Director of Communications for the American Bar Association, and the family moved to Evanston, Illinois. In 1998, Rich and Anne began a new adventure when they moved to Anne's family ranch in San Juan Bautista, California, where he soon became active in the movement for a more holistic, regenerative approach to land management. In 2017, Rich and Anne moved back to San Francisco, where he was delighted to have a window with a view of his beloved Bay. Madam Speaker, I ask the entire House of Representatives to join me in honoring this great and good man, and in extending our most sincere condolences to his beloved wife Anne, his eight children; his seven children-in-law; his eleven grandchildren and his siblings, Nancy Morris, RSJC, Bill Morris, and Thelma Clare Morris. Richard Morris' life was one of faith lived, duty, and purpose. He strengthened his community and bettered our nation, and it is an honor to pay tribute to him.

Ms. ESHOO

Ms. ESHOO. Madam Speaker, I rise today to honor the life and work of an extraordinary leader, former Mayor Susan Hammer of San Jose, California. She was a woman ahead of her time, one who championed diversity, the arts and the need for paying workers a living wage. Susan Hammer was born on December 2, 1938, in Altadena, California. She grew up in nearby Monrovia and graduated from UC Berkeley, where she met her husband Phil. She died on March 7, 2020 at her home in Willow Glen, San Jose, with her family by her side. After working on John F. Kennedy's presidential campaign, and at the newly formed Peace Corps, Susan and Phil returned to his hometown of San Jose. She worked on several campaigns and served on the San Jose City Council from 1983 until she was elected Mayor in 1991. She served as the 62nd mayor of San Jose from 1991 to 1999, working for diversity among city commissions, created the Mayor's Gang Prevention Task Force and began a partnership between the City and San Jose State University to build the Martin Luther King Library in downtown San Jose. She introduced policies that required the replacement of low-income housing destroyed by redevelopment and required city contractors to pay their workers living wages. She pushed for the construction of the Mexican Heritage Plaza and earned the renaming of the San Jose Repertory building, the Hammer Theater. Susan Hammer served on the Santa Clara County Juvenile Justice Commission and was a founding member and President of the San Jose Museum of Art. She was appointed to the Advisory Committee on Trade Policy and Negotiations by President Clinton, the first woman and the first elected official to serve on the Committee. Governor Gray Davis named her to the California State Board of Education. Mayor Hammer's son Matt said his mother . . . ``was our model of living a life of compassion and devotion to the community.'' The San Jose Mercury (March 10, 2020) in an editorial praising her, quoted her farewell address in which she said she hoped to be thought of as a mayor ``who built community by championing the potential of people; who fostered social action; and who changed the face of the city by nurturing its spirit.'' ``Mission accomplished'' is the Mercury's evaluation of her work, and I wholeheartedly agree. Madam Speaker, I ask the entire House of Representatives to join me in honoring the life and work of Susan Hammer, a great and good woman who set the `gold standard' in public service. We express our most sincere condolences to her husband, their three children, and all who had the privilege to know her. We are a better community and a stronger country because of Susan Hammer. I was blessed to know her and she will always be a source of inspiration to me.

Ms. ESHOO

Ms. ESHOO. Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of the Families First Coronavirus Response Act. Today's legislation comes on the heels of an $8.3 billion bipartisan bicameral package passed last week to strengthen our nation's public health response to the coronavirus. The Families First Act specifically protects working families from facing the terrible choice between staying home to avoid spreading the virus and losing the money they need to survive. It contains the following: free coronavirus testing for everyone who needs a test, including the uninsured; paid leave for up to three months for those who have to stay home because of the virus; unemployment benefits for those who lose their job or are furloughed during the crisis; increased federal funding to make sure our families have food through home- delivered meals to seniors, local food banks, and the SNAP program; and increased federal funds for Medicaid to support our local, state, tribal, and territorial governments and health systems in combatting this crisis. California will receive $4.46 billion in Medicaid funding to fight coronavirus through this legislation. Taken together, this legislation protects what's most important--the families and children who are at risk because of the coronavirus. I ask all my colleagues to join me in supporting the Families First Coronavirus Response Act today.

Ms. ESHOO

Ms. ESHOO. Madam Speaker, I rise today to honor the life of an extraordinary American, Robert L. Dehn, affectionately known to all as Bob. Bob was born on November 6, 1941, and passed away on January 23, 2020, after a brief illness. He was the son of Leslie and Lorna Dehn of Albany, California, growing up in Albany and Berkeley. He graduated from UC Berkeley with a degree in chemistry. After graduation, Bob began his career at SRI International, formerly Stanford Research Institute. His first position at SRI was as a pharmaceutical chemist, and later, after earning an MBA from Santa Clara University, he moved to marketing and business development. He continued in these roles in the Life Sciences Division until his retirement in 2007. Bob Dehn spent his entire career at SRI and it was there that he met his wife of 52 years, Fran McGroary. He is survived by Fran and their daughter, Elizabeth and son Peter, and their grandsons Oliver, Byron and Zac, and his sister Marlene. Fran and Bob have been known and respected throughout the Menlo Park Community for their countless contributions. Both have given generously of their time and considerable talents in service to others. Bob served on the Menlo Park Library Commission for 11 years, and helped engineer the passage of a bond measure that provided funding for renovating the main library in 1992. He volunteered extensively at Church of the Nativity and its Nativity School. Bob was a man of deep faith and he gave his time to St. Anthony's Padua Dining Room, serving as volunteer coordinator, cook's assistant and fundraising director. Madam Speaker, I ask the entire House of Representatives to join me in honoring the extraordinary life of Bob Dehn and in extending our condolences to his wife and his entire family. We are a better community and a stronger country because of all that Bob did for so many.

Ms. ESHOO

Ms. ESHOO. Madam Speaker, I thank the chair of our committee, and I rise in support of this legislation that is so important for the next generation of Americans, H.R. 2339. Very sadly, there has been a reversal of our country's great progress on tobacco use, and it is because of flavored products and a tobacco industry that preys on our Nation's youth. From 2017 to 2019 e-cigarette use more than doubled among high school students and more than tripled among middle schoolers--even younger. These are kids. They are not even young adults yet. By 2019, last year, 5.3 million middle and high school students were current users, already using some type of tobacco product or e-cigarettes. Over 80 percent of kids who have used tobacco started with a flavored product. That is the hook. According to the surgeon general, they begin using and become addicted to these products because e-cigarette manufacturers have targeted extensive advertising campaigns to kids and to young adults. So this didn't just come out of the ether. This is very purposeful. It is directed, and it is targeted to middle schoolers and high schoolers. Last year Congress raised the legal age to purchase tobacco to 21, but in January the President walked back his promise to address the youth tobacco epidemic by taking only some flavored e-cigarette products off the market. But as we heard from witnesses during our subcommittee hearing last October, those actions are not enough. The single most important action to reduce youth e-cigarette use is to crack down on the flavors because that is what addicts our kids. If any flavored products are still available, kids are going to find a way to get them. All flavors must be removed from the market including menthol, because this, again, is what hooks kids on smoking, and this legislation addresses that. We also have to address how tobacco companies target their advertisements to our kids. This bill ensures that e-cigarettes have the same strict marketing prohibitions as other tobacco products.

Ms. ESHOO. Madam Speaker, I think it is eminently clear that Congress must pass strong legislation to reduce the attractiveness and availability of flavored tobacco products to adolescents and teens to save this generation from lifetime addiction. There are costs to addiction, and our healthcare system has to absorb that. So why not prevent it and stop it in its tracks today? That is why I urge my colleagues to vote for H.R. 2339 to accomplish all of this.

Ms. ESHOO

Ms. ESHOO. Madam Speaker, I was unable to be present during roll call vote number 42. Had I been present, on roll call vote number 42, I would have voted NO.

Ms. ESHOO

Ms. ESHOO. Madam Speaker, this is National Gun Violence Survivors Week, and I rise today to honor the many courageous survivors of gun violence across our country who are fighting for change. Over 70 percent of the American people, including a majority of gun owners, support universal background checks. They know this policy will help keep guns out of the hands of criminals. The current system has already stopped 3 million gun sales to convicted felons and others who are prohibited by law from owning a firearm, but we can and must do more. The good news is that, a year ago this month, the new majority in the Congress took up two bills to establish universal background checks, including H.R. 8, the Bipartisan Background Checks Act. Sadly, the Senate refuses to take up these bills, and with every day that passes, 96 Americans are killed by guns. Today, we remember the over 100,000 survivors who have been injured by guns and are every day, those that we have lost, and the countless other Americans who are affected by gun violence in our country. We should never rest until Congress takes every action to address this.

Ms. ESHOO

Ms. ESHOO. Mr. Speaker, I thank the chairman of the committee for yielding. Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of this resolution. I do so for the following reasons: We have heard from our friends on the other side of the aisle about process issues. They are always appropriate to bring up. But that really is an obfuscation of why we are on the floor today with this resolution. This is about healthcare. This is about the Democrats looking to protect the healthcare that the American people have today. Now, from the outset of this administration, Medicaid coverage for low-income and disabled Americans, medically complex children, and our Nation's most vulnerable communities have been under attack. After failing to repeal Medicaid coverage for 17 million Americans in the last Congress, the Trump administration is now taking a hatchet to Medicaid. They are ripping coverage away from families, through onerous paperwork--saying: ``Oh, no, that really doesn't matter,'' but it does--onerous paperwork requirements, discriminatory policies against documented immigrants, and funding cuts through proposed block grants. Block grants are not exactly tidy. It is not the way they are being represented. They use the word ``flexible.'' Whom is it flexible for? It is flexible for the States that can't stand it and allow them to cut, and they are the States that have some of the poorest people in them. The administration's actions have already taken a terrible toll. They are directly responsible for 818,000 fewer children being enrolled in Medicaid and the Children's Health Insurance Program and 750,000 fewer adults being enrolled in Medicaid since 2017.

Ms. ESHOO. Mr. Speaker, I would like to hear the Republicans today stand up on the floor and say: We object to the administration being in the court to eviscerate, remove, undo, and get rid of the entirety of the Affordable Care Act, and I don't think this can stand. Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support it. I think a vote against this resolution is a vote to throw millions of Americans with preexisting conditions overboard.

Ms. ESHOO

Ms. ESHOO. Madam Speaker, we rise today to honor Congregation Beth Jacob of Redwood City, California, as it celebrates its 90th Anniversary of service to Jewish residents living between the cities of San Francisco and San Jose. The founders, Polish and Russian immigrants, were among the many Jews who fled Eastern Europe between 1882 and 1910. The group's first service was attended by 25 members and was held in a member's home. The Congregation held services in its first synagogue in Menlo Park in 1931. In 1952, the Congregation broke ground for its current facility on Alameda de las Pulgas in Redwood City. In 1979, Beth Jacob suffered a catastrophic fire, and the current facility was rebuilt in 1981. Congregation Beth Jacob's first leader was Kenneth Carlton Zwerin who served for a decade, followed by numerous rabbis and lay leaders. Rabbi H. David Teitelbaum, a distinguished civil rights activist, led Beth Jacob to join the United Synagogue of Conservative Judaism, an affiliation that continued until 2013. Rabbi Nathaniel Ezray, the Congregation's current leader, took the leadership position in 1995. Beth Jacob, a vibrant and egalitarian Congregation, is widely known and highly regarded for its leadership in progressive actions within the Conservative movement. For many years, women, LGBTQ individuals, people with disabilities and those who are homeless have been active and important within the Congregation. In fact, Beth Jacob was the first local synagogue to build a ramp so those with limited mobility could reach the Torah. Beth Jacob strives to see the image of God in every person who steps through its doors and believes in the importance of honoring differences. Madam Speaker, we ask our colleagues to join us in wishing Congregation Beth Jacob many more years of service to our community, and in thanking Beth Jacob for 90 years of providing a welcoming, safe and joyful place of worship to its devoted members. Congregation Beth Jacob is a beacon of hope in a world in need of hope, and a shining jewel in the crown of the San Francisco Peninsula.

Ms. ESHOO

Ms. ESHOO. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman for yielding. Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong support of this concurrent resolution, which requires President Trump to immediately terminate military operations against Iran. It is about time that Congress exercised its war powers authority under the Constitution. I believe this is long overdue. The President has taken our Nation to the brink of war without properly consulting Congress or seeking the legal authority to do so. Only Congress can authorize military action under Article I of the Constitution. To add insult to injury, the Trump administration has failed to fully explain to Congress and the American people what exactly the imminent threat was to the United States that required the strike that was undertaken. My constituents and people across the country have been terrified about the prospect of a new war in the Middle East. Now, let me be clear: No Member of Congress carries a brief for Soleimani or the Iranian Government.

Ms. ESHOO. No President has unilateral authority to take our Nation to war without authorization from Congress. I urge my colleagues to vote ``yes.''

Ms. ESHOO

Ms. ESHOO. Madam Speaker, I am proud to rise in support of H.R. 5377 and am an original cosponsor of this legislation. I am going to put my full statement in the Record, but let me just say a few things that are top-line--top-line--for my constituents. There are over 200,000 constituents' households affected by this in my congressional district. Now, someone was talking about math. I think the original tax bill was bad math. It charged $2 trillion to the national debt. Fair? No. It was an assault on the middle class. Let's be perfectly clear about this. And what has the middle class done to anyone here? They are the backbone of our country. They have four major things to deduct: mortgage interest, SALT, charitable deductions, and health expenditures. So what did the Republicans' tax bill do? It screwed the middle class, in plain English. So this restores that deductibility, and they deserve to have it. This bill is paid for. I think that is good math, and I think it is fair. I thank Mr. Thompson and the committee for the work that they have done on it. Bravo to all of you, and thank you from my constituents. Madam Speaker, as an original cosponsor of H.R. 5377, I rise in strong support of the Restoring Tax Fairness for States and Localities Act. This legislation repeals the harmful cap on the State and Local Tax (SALT) Deduction in 2020 and 2021 and fixes the marriage penalty in 2019 by doubling the SALT cap to $20,000 for married couples. This is welcome relief to the nearly 200,000 of my constituents and the millions of Americans who are no longer able to deduct the full amount of State and Local Taxes they pay each year. The 2017 Republican tax bill took a sledgehammer to the SALT deduction by capping it at $10,000 annually for both single filers and married couples, essentially an assault on the middle class, the backbone of our country. The SALT deduction is one of the few deductions in the federal tax code that middle class families depend on, along with deductions for medical expenses, charitable contributions, and mortgage interest. Prior to this harmful cap, my constituents claimed an average annual SALT deduction of $63,083 in 2017. More than half of all taxpayers in my district claimed this credit in 201 7, and half of these taxpayers earned between $75,000 and $100,00. This legislation also doubles the educator expense deduction for teachers and creates a new deduction for first responders for uniforms, tuition and professional development. These hardworking and dedicated professionals are part of the foundation of our local communities and they deserve this much-needed tax relief. I urge my colleagues to vote YES on H.R. 5377.

Ms. ESHOO

Ms. ESHOO. Madam Speaker, I rise today to defend our Constitution and our democracy by voting for the two Articles of Impeachment. The words of our sacred oath define our duty, and those words must be kept. Our Founders' primal fear was that powerful members of our government would become, in Hamilton's words, ``mercenary instruments of foreign corruption.'' President Trump abused the powers of the Presidency by ignoring and injuring national security and other vital national interests to obtain an improper personal benefit. He also betrayed our Nation by abusing his high office to enlist a foreign power in corrupting democratic elections. Article II I agree with because it details the obstruction of Congress by the President by directing unprecedented, categorical, and indiscriminate defiance of subpoenas issued by this House of Representatives and abused the powers of the Presidency in a manner subversive to the Constitution. I believe the Constitution is the soul of our Nation, and by defending it, we are saying we will not be soulless.

Ms. ESHOO

Ms. ESHOO. Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 4998, the Secure and Trusted Communications Networks Act of 2019, as amended. For nearly a decade I've raised how the vulnerabilities in our telecommunications infrastructure directly impact our national security. On November 2, 2010, I wrote to the Chairman of the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) expressing grave concerns about Huawei and ZTE, which have opaque relationships with the Chinese government, and I request that my letter be entered into the Congressional Record. Sadly, in the intervening nine years many small and rural providers have invested hundreds of millions of dollars in equipment made by Huawei and ZTE because the equipment is the cheapest available, and this investment was often funded by the FCC's own programs. I'm pleased that H.R. 4998 addresses this problem by strengthening the supply chain of the U.S. telecommunications infrastructure by prohibiting purchases of compromised equipment when FCC funds are used. The bill also creates a program to assist providers with the costs of removing and replacing prohibited equipment. This is necessary since smaller providers can't afford these upgrades on their own. However, H.R. 4998 is limited to strengthening our supply chain issue and is not a comprehensive network security effort. The threats we face are constantly evolving, and Congress must remain diligent in ensuring our communications are secure, private, and reliable. I support H.R. 4998 and urge my colleagues to do the same. House of Representatives, Washington, DC, November 2, 2010. Hon. Julius Genachowski, Chairman, Federal Communications Commission, Washington, DC Dear Chairman Genachowski, As a senior member of the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence, I have had grave concerns about the implications of foreign-controlled telecommunications infrastructure companies providing equipment to the U.S. market for quite some time. In particular, I'm very concerned that Huawei and ZTE, Chinese telecommunications infrastructure manufacturers are looking to increase their presence in the U.S. These companies have long-standing relationships with the Chinese People's Liberation Army, and are not subject to the same kinds of independence and corporate transparency that other countries require of their telecommunications companies. Last May, I wrote to the Director of National Intelligence and asked him to assess the national security implications of Chinese-origin telecommunications equipment on our law enforcement arid intelligence efforts, as well as on our switched-telecommunications infrastructure. While I cannot discuss the results of that assessment in an unclassified letter, suffice to say the answers were troubling, and the National Counter Intelligence Executive has made communications infrastructure security a top priority. Huawei and ZTE have recently taken aggressive steps to increase penetration into the U.S. telecommunications market. This summer, Huawei was in discussions with Sprint to provide mobile telecommunications equipment. And in August of 2009, Huawei signed a deal with Clearwire to provide equipment to their wireless network. Unlike mergers and acquisitions by foreign firms, agreements to directly supply equipment to the U.S. telecommunications infrastructure are not subject to CFIUS requirements. However, the net result is the same, where sensitive U.S. communications will travel over the networks and switches provided by a foreign-controlled entity. Clearly, the current CFIUS regime does not provide scrutiny of procurements from foreign companies to assess the risk to the U.S. telecommunications infrastructure. I would like to understand what your role is to protect the U.S. networks in order to assess what additional legislation may be needed. Do you have authority to protect the U.S. telecommunications infrastructure from inappropriate foreign control or influence? What authorities do you have to review procurements of foreign equipment by U.S. companies operating our telecommunications networks? What additional authorities would you need to ensure that the U.S. telecommunications infrastructure is secure from foreign influence? To what extent are you working with our nation's intelligence community to assess the threat to our telecommunications infrastructure? What is, or should be, the interagency structure to best review procurements from foreign entities? What kinds of transparency requirements, including divestment from state ownership, should be placed on companies seeking to sell telecommunications infrastructure equipment to U.S. network providers? Should this be a U.S. or an international standard? Our nation's telecommunications infrastructure must be protected for our national security, and I look forward to your prompt reply. Sincerely, Anna G. Eshoo, Member of Congress

Ms. ESHOO

Ms. ESHOO. Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong support of H.R. 4229, the Broadband Deployment Accuracy and Technological Availability Act, as amended. We all agree that every American needs access to broadband. Government agencies, companies, and the philanthropic sector have devoted significant resources toward this goal, but our efforts are stymied by the fact that we have a fundamentally flawed understanding of where the investment is needed. We need accurate maps to be able to close the digital divide and the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) should wait until these maps are developed before spending billions of dollars in additional subsidies to build out to unserved and underserved areas. I commend Representatives Loebsack and Latta, along with all of the members of the Subcommittee on Communications and Technology for their diligent work to find a bipartisan solution to this problem that will solve our mapping problem once and for all. I'm also pleased that the legislation includes an amendment I authored that protects the privacy of Americans. The bill allows the FCC to contract out the development of a database of all buildings developed by processing millions of property records about every home, business, and community institution in the country. These records often include private data about property owners and the property itself, including property values. My provision simply prohibits the FCC's contractor from selling this vast amount of data for marketing or other purposes, a practice common among data brokers. Our country doesn't need more data brokers. Any company using money authorized by Congress should only use its work product for the benefit of the American people in the ways that we expressly authorize. I'm a proud cosponsor of this legislation, and I urge my colleagues to vote for it.

Ms. ESHOO

Ms. ESHOO. Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 5035. I thank the leadership of the Energy and Commerce Committee and Communications and Technology Subcommittee for reaching this bipartisan agreement. This bill includes important consumer protections based on my bill, the TRUE Fees Act, that will provide consumers with an ``all-in'' price before a consumer signs up for cable or satellite TV. This includes all fees and taxes. The bill also gives consumers 24 hours to cancel without penalty. The average consumer pays $450 a year in opaque and confusing company-imposed fees on their cable bill (excluding taxes), according to Consumer Reports. This is a game of bait and switch and this legislation ends it. As is the nature of a compromise, not all of the protections from my TRUE Fees Act were included, but the legislation takes an important step forward in providing consumers with transparency. Another provision of H.R. 5035 empowers groups of small cable operators to negotiate better prices for consumers and decreases the likelihood of broadcast blackouts. This is something Mr. Scalise and I championed in our bipartisan Modern Television Act. It is important because large broadcaster networks take advantage of small cable operators during negotiations, leading to increased costs for consumers. Worse, stalemates in negotiations cause broadcast blackouts. While I'm pleased we're taking this important step, I also hope our Committee will revisit the issue of broader reforms to the video marketplace soon. Specifically, we need to protect consumers from other harmful practices, such as broadcast blackouts, and modernize outdated laws and regulations that hurt consumers in their wallets. Mr. Scalise and I propose such reforms in our bill H.R. 3994, the Modern Television Act. So far this year, broadcasters have caused nearly 300 blackouts, which is a record and more than double the number from five years prior. Furthermore, cable and satellite companies paid over $11 billion in retransmission consent fees so far this year, which is also double from five years prior. Consumers are paying more than ever while blackouts are more frequent than ever. We must revisit these issues and protect consumers from blackouts and rising costs. I support this legislation and urge my colleagues to do the same.

Ms. ESHOO

Ms. ESHOO. Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 4373, the Engineering Biology Research and Development Act. Engineering biology, or bioengineering, applies principles of engineering to living matter in order to develop new technology for a variety of applications. Breakthroughs in bioengineering have led to technologies that help many patients live fuller lives, including prosthetic limbs, biologics, micro-implants, medical imaging technology, and other medical devices. The applications of bioengineering also extend beyond medicine to fields such as agriculture, environmental science, and robotics, and I'm very proud to represent Silicon Valley where such of this cutting- edge research takes place. While the United States has been a global leader in bioengineering, we cannot be complacent as other countries, including China, continue to invest heavily in research and development. H.R. 4373 will help maintain American leadership in this critical field by establishing a federal bioengineering research initiative. It also requires the Office of Science and Technology Policy to coordinate with several agencies including the National Science Foundation, the National Institutes of Health, and NASA to develop a national bioengineering strategy. The downside of this legislation is that it does not include any new spending. I look forward to working with my colleagues to ensure we provide these agencies with the funding they need to make this initiative succeed. China now spends 30 times as much on research and development as it did 25 years ago, and while the federal government has also increased its spending on science in real terms over the same timeframe, Congress must make the necessary investments to maintain our country's global leadership in bioengineering and other high tech fields. I thank Chairwoman Johnson for her important work on H.R. 4373, urge my colleagues to support this legislation, and urge them to provide the resources necessary for a robust U.S. bioengineering effort.

Ms. ESHOO

Ms. ESHOO. Mr. Chair, I rise in support of the Elijah E. Cummings Lower Drug Costs Now Act. This is in your name, Elijah, and I think that you are listening. This bill is the most transformational change to Medicare since President Johnson signed Medicare into law in 1965. Why? Because it allows Medicare to directly negotiate the price of the most expensive drugs in our country, including insulin. The lower price will not only apply to seniors who are enrolled in Medicare, but across all private insurance policies. Manufacturers will no longer be able to hike prices faster than the rate of inflation. And, very importantly, it caps the out-of-pocket cost to seniors for their prescriptions at $2,000 a year. That is going to be a godsend to seniors. Something else that will be a godsend to seniors is, with the savings in this legislation, seniors in Medicare will have additional benefits that they have been clamoring for for a very long time: coverage for vision, dental, and hearing, as well as colonoscopies and lymphedema treatment. Very importantly--very importantly--I hear a lot about innovation here. This legislation increases funds for the National Institutes of Health to research and develop new cures. It provides almost $3 billion for the FDA to ensure the safety of our drugs--very important that all the committee members know that. It invests in our community health centers, and it directs $10 billion to address the opioid crisis in our country. So what is the difference between what the Republicans are saying and what the Democrats are saying? At the core of this bill, H.R. 3, is that there will be direct negotiations with the drug manufacturers to bring the price of drugs down. Our Republican friends do not support that. And we know it works, direct negotiations in the VA, direct negotiations in TRICARE, which is the healthcare system for all of our fellow Americans that wear a uniform and their families. So this legislation is sensible. Millions of Americans are not only going to save money, they will finally, finally, finally have the peace of mind that they will be able to afford the prescription drugs that they need for treatment, or those treatments that keep them alive. I am so proud of the work that the committee has done, and I recommend this bill to every single Member of the House--Republicans, Democrats--because of the substance of it and what it will bring into people's lives.

Ms. ESHOO

Ms. ESHOO. Mr. Speaker, I was unable to be present during roll call vote number 649. Had I been present, I would have voted: on roll call vote number 649, YES.

Ms. ESHOO

Ms. ESHOO. Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of S. 151, the Pallone- Thune TRACED Act. Robocalls are an epidemic and anyone with a phone knows this. I hear from my constituents daily about robocalls, and I know all of my colleagues do as well. Just last month Americans received a near record of 5.5 billion robocalls. I'm subjected to this harassment and so are my colleagues. These calls are highly annoying, but they are also used to scam and swindle people. Last year, an estimated 43 million Americans were scammed out of $10.5 billion. The American people are demanding that Congress take action to combat this national nuisance and today the House will deliver a victory for them. I'm proud that this bipartisan, bicameral agreement will put a real dent in our robocall problem. We know that no one bill can completely solve such a complex problem, and it's why the FCC and Congress must remain vigilant to ensure statutory and regulatory protections are sufficient to protect consumers. This legislation will bring relief to millions of Americans, so let's pass it and get it signed into law pronto.

Ms. ESHOO

Ms. ESHOO. Madam Speaker, I was unable to be present during roll call vote number 630. Had I been present, I would have voted: on roll call vote number 630 YES.