Statements on Introduced Bills and Joint Resolution

Floor Speech

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Mr. CRUZ. Mr. President, I rise at a time of crisis. For several months now, our Nation been dealing with two simultaneous crises--a global health pandemic that has claimed the lives of over 115,000 Americans and over 400,000 people across the globe--and an economic crisis that has cost over 40 million Americans their jobs. We are also now dealing with a crisis of racial division and anger over the killing of George Floyd on Memorial Day.

As our Nation reels from the difficulties of the past few months, it's time to focus on what we can do to recover. One challenge that we've faced this year is the closures of schools all across the Country. Suddenly, because of the coronavirus pandemic, over 76 million American students of all ages were faced with finishing the school year at home--including over five million students in my home State of Texas--away from many of the resources that school provides.

To say that has been a staggering shift for many students and families is an understatement. That is why today, I'm introducing a bill to temporarily expand 529 accounts so that parents of children who are now learning from home as a result of the coronavirus pandemic can cover educational expenses such as tuition, books and other instructional materials, online educational materials, tutoring, standardized test fees, and educational therapies for students with disabilities.

This bill, the Helping Parents Educate Children During the Coronavirus Pandemic Act, is a version of a bill I introduced last year, the Student Empowerment Act, which would allow 100 percent of American students to use 529 accounts to help pay for K-12 education. The Helping Parents Educate Children During the Coronavirus Pandemic Act has the benefits of the Student Empowerment Act, but is tailored to navigate the educational challenges the coronavirus pandemic poses to students nationwide.

These bills would extend 529 accounts to cover educational expenses of all sorts, allowing public school families (who do not pay tuition) to participate. Around 90 percent of America's students attend public school, so this change would help many Americans afford all the associated costs of an education.

These bills would also make 529 accounts more accessible to low- income and middle-income families, public school families, families who send their children to religious schools, and homeschool families who need help paying for their child's K-12 education.

We've come a long way in making a quality education attainable for American students, but we have more to do. That is why I'm working to help parents, guardians, and students across the country access the tools they need to continue school at home as long as we have a public health emergency because of the coronavirus pandemic.

In closing, I want to thank the educators and parents who over the past three months have made education a priority for millions of American students. Your hard work and dedication to ensuring your students continue to learn despite the challenges of a global pandemic is a good example for us all that we must keep going, we must move forward, and that one day, we will emerge from these challenges stronger than before.

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