Economic Hardship in America (Cong. Rec., Nov. 20, 2020)
Summary
A page of the Congressional Record, House, dated November 20, 2020, at page H6009. A Member recognizes the Jewish Center of Jackson Heights in Queens, which hosts community events and the Queens Center for Gay Seniors. Ms. Ocasio-Cortez then takes a 60-minute hour under the heading Economic Hardship in America, saying the Senate broke and abandoned struggling Americans the week before Thanksgiving. She cites unemployment at 6.9 percent in October, 10.8 percent for Black workers, 1.1 million new unemployment claims last week, 4.4 million people receiving pandemic emergency unemployment compensation, and 8 million more people in poverty since May. Near the end, another speech discusses election rules and state offices that count votes.
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“Economic Hardship in America (Cong. Rec., Nov. 20, 2020).”
Original at www.govinfo.gov. Archived at Pandemic Darlings, https://pandemicdarlings.com/source-documents/crec-crec-2020-11-20-crec-2020-11-20-pt1-pgh6009-9f7009e4e9/
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November 20, 2020 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD — HOUSE H6009
Heights. The center was first called the that won’t be able to afford a meal to Our country is going hungry on the
Queens Independent Society because eat, that don’t know if they will be week before Thanksgiving, and the
the term ‘‘Jewish’’ was not permitted kicked out of their home, that are un- Senate broke. I don’t care what party
at the time. sure if they are going to have to quit you are. It is an abandonment of our
The original building itself was based their job to care for their child. And we responsibilities as elected officials who
in Woodside, an adjacent neighborhood are having entire bodies, and the Sen- are charged with acting in the public
to Jackson Heights, because at the ate prides itself as one of the most de- trust.
time Jews were not welcome in the liberative bodies, they abandoned The unemployment rate jumped in
neighborhood of Jackson Heights. How- them. April to a level not seen since the 1930s
ever, in 1928, the center was able to re- The number of Americans living in and still stood at 6.9 percent in Octo-
name itself the Jewish Center of Jack- poverty since May has grown by 8 mil- ber. Some 10.8 percent of Black work-
son Heights, and in the 1950s, they offi- lion people, since just May 2020. Ac- ers and 8.8 percent of Latino workers
cially moved their brick and mortar cording to a study from Columbia Uni- were unemployed in October compared
into the neighborhood where they are versity, this rise in poverty has been to 6 percent of White workers. Last
housed today. concentrated in Black and Latino chil- week, 1.1 million Americans filed new
Today, the center is known in the dren and people. unemployment claims. Today, 4.4 mil-
community as an inclusive and accept- The CARES Act stimulus checks and lion Americans are receiving pandemic
ing space, hosting a number of diverse unemployment benefits lifted more emergency unemployment compensa-
community events throughout the than 18 million individuals in the tion, up from 1.4 million in August.
year, as well as housing our beloved United States out of monthly poverty Last week was the 35th straight week
Queens Center for Gay Seniors. in April alone. But this number fell total initial claims were greater than
Mr. Speaker, I ask my colleagues to from 18 million to 4 million individuals the worst week of the Great Recession,
join me in recognizing the Jewish Cen- in August and September after unem- and the Senate broke.
ter of Jackson Heights. ployment benefits were expired. You know, I want to address some of
Thank you for your ongoing service Just 44 percent of people in the the claims, because yesterday I said
to our community. United States are very confident that that we need to make sure that people
they can afford the needed food that get economic relief due to these shut-
f
will be necessary for the next 4 weeks. downs. And I was surprised to hear so
ECONOMIC HARDSHIP IN AMERICA That means the majority of people in many Republicans now concerned
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Under the United States are not very con- about how we are going to pay for it or
the Speaker’s announced policy of Jan- fident in their ability to eat over the using other people’s money. But the
uary 3, 2019, the gentlewoman from next 4 weeks, according to a new Cen- Senate majority leader wasn’t con-
New York (Ms. OCASIO-CORTEZ) is rec- sus survey data. About 10 percent, or cerned about other people’s money
ognized for 60 minutes as the designee 3.5 million households, are not at all when he authorized a $4 trillion lever-
of the majority leader. confident in their ability to eat the aged bailout for Wall Street in March.
GENERAL LEAVE
week before Thanksgiving, and the He wasn’t concerned about where that
Senate broke. It is unconscionable, un- money came from. He wasn’t concerned
Ms. OCASIO-CORTEZ. Mr. Speaker, I
conscionable leadership to abandon our about how we were going to pay for
ask unanimous consent that all Mem-
people. that.
bers have 5 legislative days in which to
revise and extend their remarks and to b 1230 It is only when we are talking about
include extraneous material on the And while we are arguing about nego- relief for working people, for children,
subject of my Special Order. tiations, and while we are arguing for families, for parents, for education,
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there about points, people are going hungry. for healthcare that, all of a sudden, we
objection to the request of the gentle- And we are dismissing their needs as can’t pay for any of these things. But
woman from New York? blue State needs or as bailouts depend- when it comes to tax subsidies for pri-
There was no objection. ing on what party you voted for. Hun- vate jets, we have got the money for
Ms. OCASIO-CORTEZ. Mr. Speaker, I ger has no party. Illness has no party. that. When it comes to the endless ap-
rise today to address what is top of And when we allow suffering to be alle- propriation towards more and more
mind to Americans across the country, viated or concentrated based on polit- military spending, when we aren’t
and that is the extraordinary economic ical affiliation, we are doing a dis- even, technically, in growing elements
and health hardship of the COVID–19 service to our entire Nation. of war, according to some people, we
pandemic throughout this year. This uncertainty in food reflects food have money for that. But we don’t have
The reason I decided to rise today is hardship across the country, with 5.6 money to feed our own kids. We don’t
because we are here convening in million households with children strug- have money to educate people. We
Washington, and just a day or two ago, gling to put enough food on the table don’t have money to provide
the Senate majority leader, Senator in the last 7 days. healthcare.
MCCONNELL, decided to break the Sen- Landlords filed at least 43,500 evic- But we have money for private jets.
ate. tions in 17 major cities from March We have money for tax loopholes for
He broke the Senate as there are until September. An estimated 13.4 yachts. We have money to incentivize
thousands of people in Texas lined up million adults living in rental housing stock buybacks. We have a billion dol-
for food lines. He broke the Senate today—nearly one-in-five renters—were lars to invest in research and develop-
while hospitals no longer have beds to not caught up on rent. ment for a vaccine—which was proudly
house the sick. He broke the Senate Small businesses don’t know if they invested in and a good use of public
and dismissed the Senate while 30 mil- are going to survive or exist in a funds—just for pharmaceutical compa-
lion Americans are on the brink of month, in a week, in January. nies to take these publicly developed
eviction. We cannot afford to wait for a new drugs and then sell them back to the
He dismissed the Senate when every administration or another election, or public at no discount, so we don’t even
single day when we go back to our a political state of play. We need to get get a return on this investment. How is
communities, people are asking us: Is people help now, and the Senate broke. that fiscally responsible?
there going to be help? Is there going They broke. So we are living in a world and a
to be a second stimulus check? Are we We are supposed to be here to work state of play in our governance where
going to get the resources that we for everyday people. We are not sup- the party who is eager to help subsidize
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need? posed to be here to work for political private jets somehow can’t find the
He broke the Senate. And in breaking donors or political favors or the power- dollars and the cents to get people a
the Senate, we are abandoning our peo- ful. We are here to serve the people $1,200 check. It is unconscionable, and
ple. who are most vulnerable, all the way it is wrong. And the Senate broke.
Thanksgiving is around the corner, up to the top. But we start with the I am rising today, because it is ex-
and there are millions of Americans people most in need. traordinarily difficult to represent a
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H6010 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD — HOUSE November 20, 2020
working-class district, not a private jet with its Bureau of Elections. While these po- tion,’ are a loosening of voter registra-
district, and go home every week, just sitions shouldn’t be politicized, at least when tion requirements and a lessening of ef-
as I am about to do again, and feel as it comes to elections, they are in a big way, forts to prevent fraudulent voting, ac-
and this politicization is coming to Michi-
helpless in this body because the ma- cording to Matthew Vadum, a political
gan.
jority of its Members and the majority Some people don’t like it when their boys analyst with the Capital Research Cen-
of the Senate can’t seem to get it to- don’t make the rules of the game. First and ter.
gether and get people the help that we foremost is the benefactor of the Democrats, ‘‘ ‘The thing that is amazing is that
need. And the Senate broke. convicted insider trader George Soros, the they can get the office for as little as
This is what I have to do. This is man who broke the Bank of England. Much $100,000 in campaign funding because
what we are resorting to, speaking to like his counterparts at Goldman Sachs, he no one pays attention to it, and they
an empty room because the Senate makes a killing off of speculating, and what get to control election opportunities in
better way of doing that than by controlling a State. It is cheap,’ Vadum said. He
broke.
elections. Other rich leftist democrats also said SOSP is currently targeting three
So if there is anything that I have wanted to get their people elected in their
left to say, if there is anybody out States in the 2010 election: California,
attempt to control our lives.
there that is listening, if you are a Their project is called the Secretary of Michigan, and Minnesota. In total they
working family, if you are struggling State Project. Its goal is to get their type of count for 82 electoral votes.
to get the food that you need, if you democrats in charge, and then look the other ‘‘Vadum says that because of chaos
feel like you are on the brink of evic- way when ACORN and PIRG to commit voter and demoralization the Republican
tion, we see you. We see you. fraud, rigging the election for the democrats. Party has not formulated a response to
What I ask of the Senate and what I They had some success in 2006. . . . the Secretary of State Project or tried
ask of our Republican colleagues in the And people can go online and find to match their efforts.’’
back in 2006 a report that George Soros That was 2010. We did not learn. And
Senate is to act as if you were the one
and Democrats were going to be fund- those campaigns, the project, had a
that was going hungry. Act as if it is
ing elections and selections of people, profound effect.
you getting evicted from your house. ‘‘Brunner has been a disaster in Ohio,
Act with that urgency. who would be involved in counting the
votes in important places. unless you are trying to rig the game
That is all I have to say. for the dems. There was tons of shadi-
Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance Most of us didn’t pay much attention
to that. I know in Texas I thought, ness in Ohio for the 2008 election. The
of my time. good news about Brunner is that she is
well, we are Texas. We elect Repub-
f running for U.S. Senate where she can
lican Governors, and they appoint our
ISSUES OF THE DAY Secretary of State, so we are safe from do less damage, even if she wins.
‘‘Brunner made news in October 2008
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Under this effort by the Soros Democrats.
when she declined to hand over to
the Speaker’s announced policy of Jan- What I didn’t think about back in
county election boards 200,000 names
uary 3, 2019, the gentleman from Texas 2006 and 2010 was the fact that county
on voter registration forms where the
(Mr. GOHMERT) is recognized for 60 min- clerks are really responsible for the
drivers license or Social Security num-
utes as the designee of the minority vote counting in their county. In most ber on the forms did not match the
leader. of east Texas, west Texas, south, and name. The Secretary of State Project
Mr. GOHMERT. Mr. Speaker, we the Panhandle, if a county clerk and praised her actions.’’
have had an interesting week. Not a lot her or his staff did not do the counting This is another report: ‘‘Blackwell’s
of critical votes have taken place. It of the ballots, we might get upset and office was one of the first and most
was more of an organizational week we vote them out. But in our biggest cit- critical offices claimed by the Sec-
have had here. At the same time, the ies, biggest counties, like Dallas, Har- retary of State Project. He was suc-
country’s election hangs in the bal- ris County where Houston is, Austin ceeded in 2006 by Jennifer Brunner,
ance. area, San Antonio area, they hire firms who received $167,000 in campaign con-
I think it is important to take a step that come in, some of which we find tributions from the Secretary of State
back in history, though. It is very in- out had Soros-type money that helped Project, and immediately began a com-
teresting when you look back and see start these things. Maybe it is his, plete overhaul of Ohio’s voting system.
what things have happened in the past maybe it wasn’t, maybe it was through Among the changes she made were al-
that maybe affected our future. Open Source or Tidewater, different lowing election day registration and
Here is an article from Republican _ groups that launder the money through the failure to purge election rolls of in-
Michigander published by RedState: different organizations, so it is hard to eligible and dead voters.’’
Don’t let Soros and the ‘‘Secretary of tell where it really came from, but we As Lyndon Johnson famously told his
State Project’’ take over your State. know it is people that wanted to con- campaign manager:
In 2010, the Secretary of State Project is so trol elections that got involved in de- No, sir. This man has every bit as
far targeting Michigan, California, Iowa, ciding who would be in charge of count- much right to vote as anybody else in
South Dakota, Ohio, and Minnesota. This ing the votes. Just like brother Stalin this cemetery.
post is Michigan specific, but look at the list and brother Boss Tweed, they had fig- Back to the article. ‘‘Her most mem-
of donors to a State level Michigan ured out it doesn’t matter who votes. orable moment was when a Federal
downticket race. Chances are this is hap- court judge ruled that she had violated
What matters is who counts the votes.
pening in your state, too.
Federal law for ‘not taking adequate
The article says: b 1245 steps to validate the identity of newly
You know comrades, says Stalin, that I So this article goes on. This is 2010. registered voters.’ At the time she ad-
think in regard to this: I consider it com- FOX News reported: ‘‘Since 2006 the mitted that there were ‘discrepancies’
pletely unimportant who in the party will Democracy Alliance, a left leaning in- in about 200,000 new registrations but
vote, or how; but what is extraordinarily im- fluence group funded by George Soros refused to allow polling workers to
portant is this—who will count the votes,
among others, has had remarkable suc- take action on the questionable bal-
and how. That is from Boris Bazhanov’s,
‘‘Memoirs of Stalin’s Former Secretary.’’ cess in targeting and claiming Sec- lots.’’
Boss Tweed says, As long as I count the retary of State’s offices in 11 of 13 crit- Mr. Speaker, if someone begins to see
votes, what are you going to do about it? ical States they targeted, including a pattern—gee, this was 2010. I didn’t
Some of the most overlooked and ultra-im- Ohio, Minnesota and Iowa. wake up until late in 2018. But this
portant positions in this state, talking about ‘‘Called the Secretary of State went on around the country, getting
Michigan, are those who run the elections. Project (SOSP) its aim is to target and people in positions that they would be
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Those are the county clerk, township/city capture the obscure, often overlooked responsible for counting the votes and
clerk, and the secretary of state’s office. It
office and implement election rules making rules, though that is supposed
takes the work of these offices and their
staffs to run the elections and make sure the changes that give democrats a better to be left to the legislature of each
process is above board—and, again, this is 10 chance of winning a plurality. Among State, according to the Constitution,
years ago, 2010—competent, and with integ- those changes that the Secretary of making rules as to what votes count
rity. Livingston County does a great job State Project calls ‘election protec- and what votes don’t.
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