DAGEN: STIMULUS STALEMATE,
TALKS SET TO RESUME TODAY
BETWEEN WHITE HOUSE OFFICIALS
AND DEMOCRATIC LAWMAKERS AS THEY
WORK TOWARD A NEW ROUND OF
COVID-19 STIMULUS.
THE DEAD LOCK NOW FOCUSED ON
THOSE ENHANCED UNEMPLOYMENT
BENEFITS WHICH EXPIRED LAST
WEEK.
JOINING US NOW, FLORIDA
CONGRESSMAN, MEMBER OF THE HOUSE
JUDICIARY AND OVERSIGHT AND
REFORM COMMITTEES, GREG STUBBE.
GREAT TO SEE YOU.
WHERE ARE WE ON THIS?
>> WELL, I THINK THE SIDES ARE
STILL VERY FAR APART.
I THINK YOU’RE GOING TO SEE
MITCH McCONNELL’S DRAWN A LINE
IF THE SAND AS RELATES TO
LIABILITY PROTECTION AND
DEMOCRATS AND NANCY PELOSI WANT
TO EXTEND THE $600 A WEEK.
I TALKED TO BUSINESS LEADERS AND
BUSINESS OWNERS IN MY DISTRICT
AND THAT ADDITIONAL $600 A WEEK
IS KEEPING PEOPLE OUT OF THE
WORKFORCE BECAUSE THEY’RE MAKING
MORE MONEY ON UNEMPLOYMENT THAN
THEY WOULD WORKING.
SO THEY CAN’T EVEN FILL THE
BILLETS OF THEIR EMPLOYEES THEY
NEED TO FILL FOR THEIR
BUSINESSES IN MANUFACTURING AND
THE RESTAURANT INDUSTRY AND IN
THE SERVICE INDUSTRY IF THAT’S
GOING TO REMAIN IN PLACE.
I THINK REPUBLICANS ARE GOING TO
BE VERY HESITANT TO INCLUDE THAT
IN THE OVERALL PACKAGE.
DAGEN: YOU SEE CASES SPIKING
EVEN IN YOUR HOME STATE AND
BUSINESSES THAT CANNOT REOPEN,
NOT EVERYBODY COLLECTING THAT
EXTRA $600 PER WEEK IS STAYING
AT HOME BECAUSE OF THE AMOUNT OF
MONEY.
THEY CAN’T GO BACK TO WORK.
SO YOU’RE STILL TAKING THAT AWAY
FROM POTENTIALLY MILLIONS OF
AMERICANS.
YOU THINK THAT BENEFITS YOU?
>> I THINK AS LONG AS AS THEY
GET UNEMPLOYMENT COMPENSATION
BENEFIT -- EVERY CIRCUMSTANCE IS
GOING TO BE DIFFERENT.
I’M TELLING YOU WHEN I TALK TO
BUSINESS LEADERS IN MY
COMMUNITY, THAT’S INHIBITING
THEM FROM GETTING EMPLOYEES
BACK.
THEY TALK TO PEOPLE, FORMER
EMPLOYEES AND THEIR FORMER
EMPLOYEES ARE SAYING I’M NOT
GOING TO COME BACK TO WORK
BECAUSE I’M MAKING MORE MONEY ON
UNEMPLOYMENT.
THE PEOPLE THAT I TALKED TO IT’S
DEFINITELY A FACTOR IN
INHIBITING BUSINESSES BUSINESSE
GETTING PEOPLE BACK TO WORK.
DAGEN: THEY CAN REPORT THOSE
INDIVIDUALS TO BASICALLY TO THE
UNEMPLOYMENT OFFICES.
IF PEOPLE REFUSE TO COME BACK TO
WORK, YOU THE BUSINESSES CAN
REPORT THEM.
>> WELL, EVERY STATE WORKS
DIFFERENT.
WE JUST ALLOCATE THE MONEY AT
THE FEDERAL LEVEL AND THE STATE
DEALS WITH HOW THEY DO THAT
PROGRAM.
SO IF THAT’S SOMETHING WE CAN DO
HERE IN FLORIDA, I CERTAINLY CAN
LET OUR BUSINESS LEADERS KNOW
THAT.
DAGEN: I WANT TO GET GOVERNOR
HUCKABEE IN HERE.
WHAT SHOULD THE REPUBLICANS DO
HERE?
BECAUSE AGAIN, THEY’RE
NEGOTIATING WITH NANCY PELOSI.
THEY DO HAVE THE UPPER HAND IN
THE SENSE THAT THE DEMOCRATS IN
THE HOUSE PASSED SOMETHING IN
MAY, THREE AND-A-HALF TRILLION
DOLLARS, GRANTED MUCH BIGGER
THAN WHAT THE REPUBLICANS WANT
TO DO.
BUT THEY AT LEAST ACTED
PREEMPTIVELY RATHER THAN WAITING
UNTIL THE LAST MINUTE.
MIKE: LET’S KEEP IN MIND THAT
THE FIRST STIMULUS PACKAGE WAS
DONE VERY QUICKLY AND THERE
WASN’T A LOT OF TIME TO THINK
ABOUT IT.
THIS ONE HAS TO BE DONE WITH
MORE STRATEGIC FOCUS.
I AGREE HE WITH THE CONGRESSMAN,
YOU CAN’T PAY PEOPLE MORE MONEY
TO NOT WORK THAN THEY GET
WORKING.
THAT’S SOMETHING THAT CONGRESS
AND THE STATES HAVE TO WORK OUT
SO YOU ARE MAKING SURE THAT
PEOPLE WHO CAN’T WORK, THEY GET
THE MONEY.
THEY NEED THE MONEY.
THEY OUGHT TO HAVE THE MONEY.
BUT PEOPLE WHO CAN GET BACK INTO
THE ECONOMY SHOULD BECAUSE IT’S
VERY SIMPLE.
WHAT BEHAVIOR YOU REWARD, YOU
GET MORE OF IT.
BEHAVIOR THAT YOU CONSEQUENCE
YOU GET LESS OF IT.
YOU WANT PEOPLE TO GET BACK TO
WORK.
THAT’S THE ULTIMATE STIMULUS TO
THE ECONOMY.
THAT HAS TO BE THE FOCUS.
DAGEN: MICROSOFT CONFIRMS IT IS
IN TALKS TO BUY TIKTOK’S U.S.
OPERATIONS, HOPING TO HAVE THE
DEAL DONE BY SEPTEMBER 15.
CONGRESSMAN, YOUR THOUGHTS ON
THIS?
>> WELL, WE KNOW FOR A FACT THAT
THEY’RE SHARING INFORMATION WITH
THE CHINESE COMMUNIST PARTY.
THAT IS VERY TROUBLING TO ME,
ALSO TROUBLING TO THE PRESIDENT
WHICH IS WHY THE PRESIDENT
TALKED ABOUT BANNING IT.
I THINK IF THE PRESIDENT AND
MICROSOFT CAN WORK OUT SOME TYPE
OF AGREEMENT, THEN I WOULD BE
COMFORTABLE WITH THAT.
BUT IF THE PRESIDENT AND
MICROSOFT CAN’T WORK OUT AN
AGREEMENT, I SUPPORT THE
PRESIDENT AND BANNING TIKTOK IN
THE UNITED STATES IF THEY’RE
SHARING ALL OF THIS DAY DA AND
ALL OF THIS INFORMATION -- DATA
AND ALL OF THIS INFORMATION, ALL
OF THIS USER INFORMATION WITH
THE CHINESE COMMUNIST PARTY.
DAGEN: JUST TO BE CLEAR, TIKTOK
-- I KNOW THE WAY THE LAW WORKS
IN CHINA, UNDER CHINESE LAW
COMPANIES OPERATING THERE MUST
COMPLY WITH ANY GOVERNMENT
REQUEST FOR DATA.
TIKTOK SAID REPEATEDLY IT WOULD
NEVER HAND OVER SUCH DATA.
SO JUST TO BE CLEAR ON WHAT’S
BEEN SAID ABOUT THAT.
BUT ARE YOU COMFORTABLE WITH A
GIANT U.S. CORPORATION BECOMING
THAT MUCH BIGGER AND LITERALLY
BUYING UP ONE OF THE ONLY
LEGITIMATE COMPETITORS TO PART
OF, SAY, FACEBOOK’S BUSINESS?
>> WELL, THAT’S ONE OF THE
THINGS THAT WE TALKED ABOUT IN
THE LAST HEARING, THE TECH
HEARING LAST WEEK.
THOSE ARE THE TYPES OF OF THINGS
THAT NEED TO BE DISCUSSED AS
THESE BIGGER COMPANIES GOBBLE UP
THE SMALLER COMPANIES.
A LOT OF THE SMALLER COMPANIES,
THAT’S WHAT THEY TRY TO DO IS
GET BIG ENOUGH SO THEY GET
BOUGHT OFF, GET A PAYOUT AND
THEY CAN MOVE ON AND THEN THE
COMPANIES CAN CONTINUE THOSE
PRODUCTS.
SO THAT’S CERTAINLY SOMETHING
THAT WE NEED TO LOOK AT.
I’M MORE CONCERNED ABOUT THE
SAFETY AND SECURITY OF THE
AMERICAN PEOPLE HAVING SERVED IN
THE MILITARY, SO IF THERE’S A
NATIONAL SECURITY ISSUE WITH
TIKTOK SHARING THAT INFORMATION
WITH THE CHINESE COMMUNIST PARTY
I’LL LEAN ON THE SIDE OF THE
PRESIDENT WITH THIS ONE.
DAGEN: CONGRESSMAN, GREAT TO