Healthcare Workforce Resilience Act
Floor Speech
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Mr. PERDUE. Madam President, the word ``bipartisanship'' gets tossed around a lot in this town. Unfortunately, we don't often see bipartisanship put into action. However, as we have faced an unprecedented crisis recently, I believe we have seen the Senate prove that it can, in fact, get it done. People can come together, and real, bipartisan solutions can actually happen in this body.
It is actually encouraging to me--and it is simply a function of what I have known since I was a kid--that Americans deal with a crisis better than anyone else. In many ways, we put things aside, and we get together for what is good for the people back home.
Since the COVID-19 crisis began, we have passed three phases of relief packages to help our country weather this COVID-19 storm. In these three phases, we ramped up testing in support of our healthcare workers, we helped Americans who are struggling financially, and we created the Paycheck Protection Program, which has saved millions of jobs and many businesses. Today, as we debate a fourth COVID-19 relief package, it is absolutely critical that we continue to find common ground and bipartisan solutions to bring our country together again.
The Healthcare Workforce Resilience Act is a real, bipartisan solution to a serious problem our country faces today in our healthcare delivery system. This bill is first and foremost a healthcare bill that will help our hospitals deal with this COVID-19 crisis. It is absolutely critical that we include it in the next COVID-19 relief package.
Today in America, many communities are facing severe shortages of doctors and nurses. Particularly, hospitals and clinics in rural areas and communities of color are badly understaffed and are struggling to fill crucial positions.
My home State of Georgia has been especially impacted by this particular crisis. While Georgia is the 8th largest State by population, it ranks 39th in the number of active physicians per capita--39th. Over half of Georgia's 159 counties have been designated as primary care health professional shortage areas. The Georgia Department of Public Health has stated that Georgia's nursing shortage is a full-blown crisis. This is also true in most other States, actually. They have warned that Georgia is not able to recruit the nurses or doctors our hospitals need. But we can change that.
The COVID-19 crisis did not start this shortage of healthcare workers, by the way, but it has exacerbated it dramatically.
Since the beginning of this crisis, I have held conference calls with thousands of constituents across Georgia over the last 4\1/2\ months. I have heard directly from healthcare workers who have explained the dire situation they are facing. Nurses and doctors are working longer hours. Retirees are being asked to come back to work. Many healthcare workers have contracted the virus themselves. In fact, one study found that healthcare workers account for nearly one in five COVID-19 cases.
In many areas, hospitals have simply not had enough staff to handle the COVID-19 patient increase. Albany, GA, was one of the first hardest hit areas in the country, right there in South Georgia. At one point, nurses and doctors from all over the country had to be flown in just to take care of all those who fell ill in Albany. In many cases, patients had to be exported to other hospitals in the State.
As this virus continues to spread, many hospitals are in danger of being overwhelmed as we see this recent surge of COVID-19 cases, particularly in our younger people.
Healthcare workers have been true heroes--there is no question about that. Right now, we have an opportunity to give them the support they desperately need. The Healthcare Workforce Resilience Act is a bipartisan solution that gives our hospitals the support they need to get through this crisis. Our bill simply recaptures unused green cards to give highly skilled, foreign-born nurses and doctors the opportunity to work in our country and help solve this crisis. It will recapture approximately 25,000 unused visas for nurses and 15,000 unused visas for doctors. This bill would cut redtape and give our hospitals critical support quickly as America continues to reopen our economy. It will ease the pressure on healthcare providers and help save American lives.
I want to emphasize that this bill will not increase current legal immigration limits, displace American workers, or negatively impact healthcare worker wages.
I have always been a supporter of a merit-based immigration system, and many people on the other side of the aisle are as well. We all continue to work in that direction. We believe that a merit-based immigration system can strengthen our economy and protect American jobs at the same time. This is a policy that President Trump and the majority of Congress have long supported--on both sides of the aisle, actually. The Healthcare Workforce Resilience Act is fully aligned with these merit-based policies.
These immigrant nurses and doctors have already been hired and approved to work in our country. Many of them live here already. The only thing preventing them from saving lives is bureaucratic redtape and the backlog it creates. These folks are highly skilled, well qualified, and extremely motivated to be on the frontlines in the fight against COVID-19. They are all ready to go in the areas that need the most help.
This bill is truly bipartisan. I am very proud to say that today. It has 36 cosponsors from both parties. I give the lead sponsor on the Democratic side, my friend from Illinois, Senator Durbin, a lot of credit for that. He has long been a champion for this sort of help in this area. This bill reflects what the American people want. It provides what our healthcare system needs. It has bipartisan support.
Actually, in 2005, Congress passed a similar bill. That bill recaptured unused visas and helped address a nursing shortage that existed at the time across the country. It passed with overwhelming and nearly unanimous support. The coronavirus has put our country in a similar position today. There is no time to wait. The deeper our nurse and doctor shortage gets, the more Americans we are needlessly putting at risk.
President John F. Kennedy once said: ``In a time of domestic crisis, men of goodwill and generosity should be able to unite regardless of party or politics.'' I don't think that comment has been any more timely than it is today in the midst of this crisis.
We are indeed in a time of crisis. We have already shown that we can unite and find meaningful solutions. It is time to do it again. Let's get this bill across the finish line and support our healthcare workers and save lives in America.
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