Committee Holds Hybrid Hearing on Need for Senate Passage of Heroes Act

On Thursday, the full Committee held a hybrid hearing entitled, “The Heroes Act: Providing for a Strong Economic Recovery from COVID-19.”

The virtual hearing panelists included:

• The Honorable Shaun Donovan, former Secretary, U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, and former Director, U.S. Office of Management and Budget
  
  
• The Honorable Robert Reich, Carmel P. Friesen’s Professor of Public Policy, Goldman School of Public Policy, University of California, Berkeley, and former Secretary, U.S. Department of Labor
  
  
• Mr. John W. Rogers, Jr., Chairman, Co-CEO & Chief Investment Officer, Ariel Investments
  
  
• Dr. Steven Davis, Labor Economist, William H. Abbot Professor of International Business and Economics, The University of Chicago Booth School of Business
  

Click here to read the Chairwoman’s opening statement.

Chairwoman Waters Denies Ranking Member Request to Cancel Hearing, Highlights Bipartisan Efforts to Help Americans

On Wednesday, Chairwoman Maxine Waters (D-CA), sent a letter to Ranking Member Patrick McHenry (R-NC) rejecting his request to reconsider convening a Full Committee hearing entitled, “The Heroes Act: Providing for a Strong Economic Recovery from COVID-19,” and reasserting the urgent need to provide relief to the millions of suffering Americans amid the COVID-19 pandemic. In the letter, Chairwoman Waters makes clear the Committee has conducted itself in a bipartisan manner to address the impacts of COVID-19 on communities across the nation and affirms that the Committee must remain focused on providing the assistance the American people so desperately need.

"The financial services provisions contained in Division K of the Heroes Act would protect first responders and workers by improving the Defense Production Act and applying it to PPE and other critical medical supplies; provide emergency rental assistance and assistance to homeowners, landlords, and the homeless; expand forbearance, foreclosure, and eviction protections for homeowners and renters; protect student borrowers, and consumers from negative credit reporting and debt collection; support small businesses, non-profits, and minority-owned businesses; support states, territories, and local governments; and provide oversight and protect taxpayers,” wrote Chairwoman Waters. “I cannot think of a better way to spend our Committee’s time than these legislative solutions to help American families during and beyond this pandemic.”

See the full text of the letter here.