To amend title VI of the Social Security Act to extend the coverage of Coronavirus Relief Fund payments to Tribal Governments.

Madam Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 5119) to amend title VI of the Social Security Act to extend the coverage of Coronavirus Relief Fund payments to Tribal Governments, as amended.

Madam Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous material on this measure.

Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.

Madam Speaker, I rise in strong support of H.R. 5119, a bill to extend the availability of Coronavirus Relief Fund payments allocated to Tribal Governments under the CARES Act of 2020 for 1 additional year.

This bipartisan bill was introduced by Mr. O'Halleran of Arizona and Mr. Young of Alaska with companion legislation sponsored by Mr. Sullivan and Ms. Murkowski in the Senate.

The historic CARES Act was signed into law on March 27, 2020, and included critical aid for States, territories, Tribes, and large localities to combat the coronavirus pandemic. However, the Treasury Department did not have a preexisting allocation process for disbursing the $8 billion set aside for Tribes.

According to a GAO review, it took extra time to set up these processes. Treasury also established some allocation methodologies without consulting with Tribes first, which led to legal challenges and even further delays of emergency relief.

Taken together, these delays have resulted in a compressed timeframe for Tribal Governments to put their CARES Act funds to work, which is unacceptable in light of the disproportionate impact the pandemic has had on the Tribal community.

According to a report by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, COVID-19 infections were 3.5 times higher for American Indians and Alaska Natives compared to White Americans during the first 7 months of the pandemic. Other reports revealed that 1 in 475 Native Americans in the U.S. died from COVID-19 compared to 1 in 825 White Americans.

The ravages of the pandemic have been compounded for our Tribal neighbors due to longstanding health disparities and social inequities. The deaths of Tribal elders from COVID-19 caused an incalculable and irreplaceable loss of cultural knowledge and language.

Tribes must be given a fair opportunity to put Federal aid dollars to work tackling these serious issues. H.R. 5119 is a commonsense step to ensure that Tribes have parity with recipients who have not faced similar delays in gaining access to CARES Act funding.

Finally, I want to assure my colleagues that CBO has confirmed that this bill does not increase Federal spending.

Madam Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support this bill, and I reserve the balance of my time.

Madam Speaker, I thank the dean of the House, the outstanding leader from the great State of Alaska, for his insightful comments and for fighting so hard for the residents of Alaska, the Alaska Native residents, and the American Indians. This bill will take care of the Tribes in many of our States across the country.

I also want to thank my colleague, Mr. O'Halleran, who could not be with us. He has a conflict with another committee meeting.

I want to thank the Democratic leadership here in the House, Speaker Pelosi and the Democratic team, for bringing this to the floor and also Mr. Comer, Mr. LaTurner, and others for being part of this bipartisan effort. This is truly a bipartisan effort.

Madam Speaker, I have no further speakers, and if the gentleman from Kansas is ready, then I am prepared to close.

Madam Speaker, the gentleman raised some important points, and it is under consideration. But this bill is before us right now, and it is an important bill.

Madam Speaker, if the gentleman from Kansas has no further speakers, then I am prepared to close.

I reserve the balance of my time.

Madam Speaker, I thank the gentleman for his leadership on this important bill, and also the dean of the House, Mr. Young, for his passionate support, who expressed so clearly the need of this important bill.

I thank Mr. Comer. It was good to work together in a bipartisan way.

And I want to also thank the Democratic leadership for bringing this bill to the floor.

I urge passage of H.R. 5119, as amended, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Madam Speaker, I thank Mr. LaTurner for yielding.

It has been said before, but it bears repeating: 24 days. That is how long Tribal Governments have to utilize their CARES Act funding before the December 31 deadline.

I talked to a number of Tribes that, rather than rushed to spend this money in recent months, tried to be thoughtful and deliberate about how to make these critically important investments. As a result, a number of them have millions of dollars left unspent.

In that kind of environment, it is proper and prudent for us to extend the deadline, and we should do so. That is why I wholeheartedly support this bill.

But I wouldn't feel right if I didn't point out that there is a better way, and it is, indeed, right before us, Madam Speaker. The solution is S. 3011, the State, Local, Tribal, and Territorial Fiscal Recovery, Infrastructure, and Disaster Relief Flexibility Act.

Now, the House companion to that Senate bill has been led by Democratic Representative Carolyn Bourdeaux and myself. It has overwhelming support--125 bipartisan cosponsors.

Our bill would do the exact same thing as the one before us tonight. Well, that is not quite right. I think our bill is superior in a few ways.

First off, it doesn't just provide flexibility to Tribal Governments as this bill would rightfully do. It also provides that kind of flexibility to States and localities that also desperately need it.

That is not the only way in which the Bourdeaux-Johnson bill is superior, and the dean of the House alluded to it earlier when he was talking. Our bill has already passed the Senate. This bill has not. In fact, the bill that I am talking about passed the Senate unanimously, and it has been sitting on the Speaker's desk since October 20.

Yes, it is true we find ourselves with only 24 days for Tribal Governments to act, but it didn't have to be that way, and it doesn't have to be that way.

My question for the Speaker would be: If our bill was good enough for 100 Senators, why is it not good enough for the House?

And this legislative approach just means that we are going to go a few more days until tribes have the certainty they need.

So Madam Speaker, I would close with this. If we brought S. 3011 up tonight and passed it, it could be law before midnight and tribes would not have the uncertainty that they continue to face.

Madam Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 5119, legislation that would extend availability of CARES Act funds provided to tribal governments through December 30, 2022.

Currently, CARES Act funds will expire on December 31, 2021, and tribes will be unable to use these vital resources. Although $8 billion was set aside for Tribes in the CARES Act to help respond to the coronavirus pandemic, they did not receive any funds until May 5, 2020, and some are still in the process of being distributed.

It is important to note that this legislation does not increase federal spending, rather it extends the timeline to use money already allocated.

After the CARES Act was signed into law, there was minimal guidance offered on what this funding could and could not be put towards, which led to an inadequate timeframe for Tribes to prepare an effective spending plan. A one-year extension will allow them the necessary time to best allocate these resources to their members without a rushed agenda.

Coronavirus Relief Funds have been put towards many essential services such as, improvements to health care, purchasing protective equipment, and distance learning programs.

Tribes used these funds in many different ways. Whether it was turning facilities into emergency operation centers or building meatpacking warehouses to help with the food supply crisis, they stepped up to provide for their members and community during the pandemic.

With the delayed allocations and limited guidance, tribes were put at an unfair advantage to begin with. This is why a December 31, 2022, extension of availability for CARES Act funds is necessary to allow tribes the time to effectively use these resources.

As Co-Chair of the Native American Caucus, I commend Vice Chair Young and Representative O'Halleran in introducing this legislation. I urge my colleagues to vote yes on H.R. 5119.

Madam Speaker, I thank the gentleman for yielding.

Madam Speaker, I rise in strong support of this legislation. It is badly needed.

First, I want to thank Chairwoman Carolyn Maloney and Ranking Member James Comer for their quick work. I have been trying for a long time to try to get this bill passed. I have asked everybody to put it in the CR and into the National Defense Authorization Act, but we didn't get it there. But the gentleman has brought it to the floor, so I thank both Representatives for doing that. Of course, I thank Speaker Pelosi, Chairwoman DeLauro, and Leader McCarthy.

This is badly needed, as was mentioned by the previous speakers. We are now 23 days away, and a tremendous amount of money is on the table.

It wasn't their fault. A lot of litigation was occurring so the money couldn't be spent. Consequently, if they don't spend it, they lose it, and they can't take care of the health problems caused by COVID. So this is a good piece of bipartisan legislation.

But we are not done because we do have to continue this as it goes to the Senate. I am urging my leaders to ask the Senate to really get this bill done. It is needed, it is right, and it is justified. Let's take care of those first Americans in this legislation because of COVID. It can be done.

Again, I thank both Members for the work they have done and the body of the House for voting ``yes'' on the legislation.

Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.

Madam Speaker, last year, Congress set aside $8 billion in the CARES Act for Tribal Governments to spend on pandemic-related expenses. However, much of this $8 billion was held up in litigation and distributed to Tribes only 4 short months ago, more than a year after the funds were originally appropriated.

This money is supposed to be used by December 31, 2021, about 3 weeks from today. But it is irresponsible to expect Tribal Governments to spend all this money within a few months of receiving it.

This bill would extend the deadline an additional year, giving Tribes more time to responsibly allocate these funds and best serve their people.

I thank my colleagues, Representative Young of Alaska and Representative Cole of Oklahoma, for their efforts in working on this matter.

Madam Speaker, I yield such time as he may consume to the gentleman from Alaska (Mr. Young), who is the dean of the House.

Madam Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the gentleman from South Dakota (Mr. Johnson).

Madam Speaker, I have no further speakers, and I am prepared to close.

Madam Speaker, because I believe this is sensible legislation and good for tribal governments, I will vote in support of this bill. I urge my colleagues to support this needed and bipartisan legislation.

I yield back the balance of my time.