COMMITTEE AND THE HOUSE
OVERSIGHT COMMITTEE.
CONGRESSMAN PORTER, THANK YOU
VERY MUCH FOR JOINING US
TONIGHT.
TAKE US THROUGH WHAT IT’S BEEN
LIKE FOR YOU IN THE HOUSE HAVING
PASSED COVID RELIEF BILLS,
MASSIVE COVID RELIEF BILLS
MONTHS AGO THAT HAVE BEEN
IGNORED BY MITCH McCONNELL AND
NOW WE’RE GOING THROUGH THIS
PROCESS WHERE MITCH McCONNELL
CONTINUES TO IGNORE THE BEST
EFFORTS MADE BY EVERYONE ELSE
TRYING TO SOLVE THIS PROBLEM.
>> YOU KNOW, IT’S NOT JUST WHAT
I’VE BEEN GOING THROUGH AS A
MEMBER OF CONGRESS.
I JUST WANT TO SAY WHAT I’VE
BEEN GOING THROUGH PERSONALLY.
YOU TALKED AT THE BEGINNING
ABOUT MITCH McCONNELL NOT CRYING
TODAY.
I CRIED TODAY, BECAUSE MY
GRANDMOTHER IS DYING OF
COVID-19.
AND SHE’S DYING BECAUSE OF
PEOPLE NOT TAKING RESPONSIBILITY
FOR THIS PANDEMIC.
SO IT’S JUST DISGUSTING TO ME
THAT MR. McCONNELL WILL NOT
ALLOW A BIPARTISAN COMPROMISE TO
MOVE FORWARD BECAUSE HE WANTS TO
GIVE AWAY GOODIES TO HUGE
CORPORATIONS.
>> LET ME JUST, CONGRESSMAN,
PLEASE, GO BACK TO YOUR
GRANDMOTHER FOR A MOMENT, I’M
VERY SORRY TO HEAR ABOUT HER
CONDITION.
WHERE IS SHE, HOW LONG HAS SHE
BEEN SICK, AND WHAT ARE YOU
HEARING ABOUT HER CONDITION
TONIGHT?
>> SHE’S IN IOWA WHERE SHE WAS
BORN AND LIVED HER WHOLE LIFE.
SHE’S 94 YEARS OLD.
SHE WAS TRANSFERRED TO THE
HOSPITAL.
WE ELECTED TO HAVE HER PUT INTO
HOSPICE SO SHE’S RECEIVING
COMFORT MEASURES AND WILL PASS
AWAY IN THE UPCOMING DAYS OF
COVID.
AND IN THE MEANTIME, I’M GETTING
PHONE CALLS FROM CONSTITUENTS
WHO HAVE LOST LOVED ONES AND
HEARING STORIES ABOUT WORKERS
WHO ARE SCARED TO GO TO WORK
BECAUSE THEY DON’T HAVE ENOUGH
PPE.
I’M PUTTING FOOD IN TRUNKS OF
CARS TO HELP PEOPLE AT FOOD
BANKS.
THIS IS THE PANDEMIC IN AMERICA.
IT’S AN EPIDEMIC OF COVID, IT’S
AN EPIDEMIC OF HUNGER, IT’S NOT
EPIDEMIC OF HOUSING SECURITY.
YOU KNOW WHAT IT’S NOT AN
EPIDEMIC?
IT’S NOT AN EPIDEMIC OF
LAWSUITS.
ANY EFFORT BY MITCH McCONNELL TO
SUGGEST THAT THAT IS HAPPENING
IS FLAT OUTLYING TO THE AMERICAN
PEOPLE.
>> LET ME ASK YOU AS A FORMER
LAW PROFESSOR YOURSELF ABOUT A
TECHNICAL POINT THAT ISN’T CLEAR
TO ME.
HOW WOULD FEDERAL LEGISLATION
CONTROL CIVIL LAWSUITS WITHIN
THE 50 STATES EACH OF WHICH HAVE
DIFFERENT RULES FOR CIVIL
LAWSUITS WITHIN THOSE STATES?
>> THAT CONCEPT IS CALLED
PREEMPTION.
AND WHAT IT BASICALLY DOES IS
THAT WHEN THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT
PASSES A LAW, IN THIS CASE THE
PROPOSAL FOR MITCH McCONNELL IS
TO ALLOW CORPORATIONS TO ACT AS
RECKLESSLY AS THEY WANT AND TO
NOT BE ON THE HOOK IF PEOPLE GET
COVID AND DIE AS A RESULT OF
THEIR RECKLESSNESS.
AND SO THE FEDERAL LAW WOULD
OVERRIDE THE STATE LAW.
NOW, YOU KNOW, I’VE BEEN
THINKING A LOT TODAY ABOUT MY
TORT CLASS IN LAW SCHOOL WHERE I
LEARNED ABOUT HOW THESE RULES
ABOUT EMPLOYER LIABILITY CAME TO
BE.
WE’VE PUT THESE RULES IN PLACE
BECAUSE CORPORATIONS,
PARTICULARLY AT THE TIME
RAILROADS, WERE ALLOWING THEIR
WORKERS TO BE MAIMED, TO BE
KILLED, AND NOT ENGAGING IN ANY
KIND OF REASONABLE SAFETY
PRECAUTION.
SO WE ADOPTED THE STANDARD WE
HAVE NOW.
SO IF BUSINESSES ARE FOLLOWING
REASONABLE RULES, STATE PUBLIC
HEALTH GUIDELINES, THEY’RE NOT
GOING TO FACE ANY LIABILITY.
THERE IS NO EPIDEMIC OF
LIABILITY.
IN FACT THERE ARE MORE LAWSUITS,
BASELESS LAWSUITS BROUGHT BY
TRUMP ABOUT THIS ELECTION THAN
THERE HAVE BEEN MEDICAL
MALPRACTICE OR PERSONAL INJURY
LAWSUITS RELATING TO COVID-19.
SO MITCH McCONNELL IS IN SEARCH,
THIS IS NOT A PROBLEM, THIS IS
SIMPLY ABOUT GIVING HIS
CORPORATE DONORS WHAT THEY WANT.
SO WHEN I LISTENED TO YOU TALK
ABOUT STEVE SCHMIDT AND SHE’S
TALKING ABOUT THIS CONSPIRACY,
HIS WORDS, THIS CONSPIRACY TO
KEEP IN POWER, IT’S IMPORTANT TO
PEEL BACK, KEEP WHO IN POWER?
AND THE ANSWER IS THE NATION’S
LARGEST CORPORATIONS WHO WANT A