FENTON, CONGRESSMAN JASON JASON
CHAVERS AND SARA CARTER, MORE
BREAKING NEWS FROM CAPITOL HILL,
HOUSE SPEAKER NANCY PELOSI AND
THE RADICAL DEMS ARE EXPECTED TO
VOTE TONIGHT ON THE $2 TRILLION
CHINA VIRUS RELIEF PACKAGE, THE
HOUSE IS GIVING NANCY PELOSI AND
TREASURY SECRETARY MNUCHIN MORE
TIME TO CARVE OUT A DEAL, AT
LEAST THAT IS WHAT THEY’RE
SAYING, FIRST GUEST HOLDING A 90
MINUTE MEETING TODAY WITH HOUSE
SPEAKER PELOSI, HE IS ONE OF
PRESIDENT TRUMP’S LEAD
NEGOTIATORS FOR ANOTHER ROUND OF
CHINA VIRUS RELIEF FUNDING
NEGOTIATIONS.
JOINING US TONIGHT AS TREASURY
SECRETARY STEVEN MNUCHIN, GOOD
TO HAVE YOU WITH US
MR. SECRETARY AND GIVE A SHEER
SENSE ON WHERE THESE TALKS ARE,
IT IS VERY DIFFICULT TO JUDGE
BECAUSE NANCY PELOSI IS SAYING
IT IS OUR WAY OR NO WAY AT ALL,
YOUR THOUGHTS.
>> IT IS ALWAYS GREAT TO BE WITH
YOU, I DID HAVE A PRODUCTIVE
MEETING WITH THE SPEAKER TODAY
AS YOU MENTIONED I WAS THERE FOR
AN HOUR AND A HALF AND THEY WENT
THROUGH VERY DETAILED PROPOSAL
THAT HAD JUST COME FROM THE OVAL
OFFICE AND REVIEWED WITH MARK
MEADOWS AND THE PRESIDENT, ALL
THREE OF US WERE VERY CLEAR IN
WHAT WE WANTED TO DO, I THINK IT
WAS A VERY FAIR PROPOSAL THAT
PROVIDES A LOT OF RELIEF FOR
HARD-WORKING AMERICANS THAT HAVE
BEEN HURT BY THE VIRUS,
PARTICULARLY MANY OF THE SMALL BUSINESSES, KIDS AND JOBS THAT
BUSINESSES, KIDS AND JOBS THAT
ARE IMPACTED BY THIS.
LOU: THE SPEAKER HAS FRUSTRATED
ANY EFFORT TO GET THE RELIEF TO
THOSE PEOPLE AND SMALL
BUSINESSES IN PARTICULAR, IN
ADDITION TO WORKING MEN AND
WOMEN IN THIS COUNTRY WHO AREN’T
WORKING, WHAT IT GIVES YOU CAN
SUCH AN IMPROVED OUTLOOK ON THE
PROSPECTS IS OF TODAY.
>> IT’S THE FIRST TIME WE’VE
SERIOUSLY REENGAGED AND WHAT HAS
BEEN SEVERAL WEEKS, I CAN TELL
YOU FROM OUR STANDPOINT MARK
MEADOWS AND I HAVE BEEN VERY
CLEAR THAT THE PRESIDENT WOULD
LIKE TO DO A DEAL THAT IS A FAIR
DEAL AND SOMETHING THAT CAN HELP
THE AMERICAN PUBLIC RIGHT NOW,
WE’RE NOT GOING TO DO A 2.2
TRILLION DOLLAR DEAL, THE GOOD
NEWS IS THE SPEAKER HAS COME
DOWN FROM THE $3.4 TRILLION DEAL
IF THERE IS A FAIR COMPROMISE WE
ARE PREPARED TO DO IT.
LOU: A FAIR COMPROMISE, YET
WITHIN THAT AS I UNDERSTAND IN
THE BILL THAT COULD’VE BEEN
VOTED UPON TONIGHT, THERE WOULD
BE NO MONEY FOR LAW ENFORCEMENT
AS THERE WAS IN THE EARLY HIGH
PACKAGE THAT NANCY PELOSI HAD
PRESENTED TO YOU, THAT IS NOW
ABSENT, IS SEEMS TO BE GOING IN
A NUMBER OF ELEMENTS THE WRONG
DIRECTION, 2.2 IS VASTLY HIGHER
THAN THE NUMBER THAT THE
PRESIDENT WANTS, IS THERE A
MEDIAN NUMBER THAT IS MAGICAL IN
TERMS OF REACHING AGREEMENT?
>> THE PRESIDENT INSTRUCTED US
TO COME UP SIGNIFICANTLY, WE
HAVE COME UP FROM THE TRILLION
DOLLAR DEAL THAT WE HAVE BEEN
WORKING ON EARLIER, HE IS VERY
FOCUSED ON WANTING TO MAKE SURE
THAT ALL OF THE PEOPLE IMPACTED
BY COVID, NO FAULT OF THEIR OWN
WERE DELIVERING RELIEF AS I SAID
BEFORE, OUR JOB IS DONE UNTIL WE
GET EVERYBODY BACK TO WORK AND
WE WILL KEEP TRYING.
LOU: WHEN ARE YOUR NEXT TALK
SCHEDULE?
>> I WILL SPEAK TO THE SPEAKER
AGAIN TONIGHT TO TOUCH BASE WE
HAD ISSUES WE WERE FOLLOWING UP
ON AND I DON’T THINK WE WILL
MAKE SIGNIFICANT PROGRESS UNTIL
TOMORROW AT THIS POINT.
LOU: DO YOU CARE TO SHARE THE
NUMBER, IF IT’S 2.2, 1.5, WOULD
THAT BE A REASONABLE MEDIAN?
>> I INDICATED IT’S IN THAT
NEIGHBORHOOD, I DON’T WANT TO
GIVE THE EXACT DETAIL, IT IS IN
THAT NEIGHBORHOOD BUT IS NOT
JUST THE AMOUNT OF MONEY UNTIL
THE MONEY IS BEING SPENT, WE ARE
VERY CLEAR, WE WANT TO SPEND
MONEY ON MORE PPP AND WE WANT TO
MAKE SURE THE HOTELS, THE
AIRLINES GET BUSINESS, THERE IS
MONEY FOR SCHOOLS SO THE KIDS
CAN GO TO SCHOOL SAFELY.
WE WANT MORE MONEY FOR TESTING
OF VACCINES THERE ARE A LOT OF
AREAS WHERE WE HAVE AN AGREEMENT
AND AS I SAID IS NOT JUST THE
OVERALL NUMBER IS THE
DISTRIBUTION OF IT.
LOU: THE ISSUE OF DISTRIBUTION,
THE PRESIDENT HAS MADE IT CLEAR,
HE WANTS DIRECT PAYMENTS TO
THOSE WHO NEED THE MONEY MOST
CRITICALLY, ARE DIRECT PAYMENTS,
ARE THEY PROVIDED FOR?
>> THEY ARE.
THE GOOD NEWS WE REACHED AN
AGREEMENT IF THERE IS A DEAL,
THERE ARE DIRECT PAYMENTS
SIMILAR TO LAST TIME THAT ARE IN
THE PACKAGE.
LOU: I WANT TO TURN TO THE
SPENDING BILL THAT THE SENATE JUST APPROVED BY OF SUBSTANTIAL
JUST APPROVED BY OF SUBSTANTIAL
VOTE, THAT GETS US THROUGH
DECEMBER 11, THIS IS AN AWKWARD
PROCESS JUST BEFORE THE
PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION.
THIS IS A VERY DELICATE BALANCE
WE ARE LOOKING AT TO FUND THE
GOVERNMENT GOING FORWARD GIVEN
ALL THE CHALLENGES OF THE
NATIONAL EMERGENCY WITH THE
CHINA VIRUS, THE DEEP SLOWDOWN
IN THIS ECONOMY THAT IS IN
RECOVERY WITHOUT QUESTION, WHERE
ARE WE HEADED OVER THE NEXT
COUPLE OF MONTHS IN TERMS OF THE FISCAL POLICY IN THE STATE OF
FISCAL POLICY IN THE STATE OF
THE ECONOMY AND ITS DIRECTION.
>> THE GOOD NEWS, WE GOT THIS ER
PAST, AND HAD BROAD BIPARTISAN
SUPPORT, THE LAST THING ANYBODY
WANTED WAS A GOVERNMENT SHUTDOWN
IN THE MIDDLE OF COVID, WE
FUNDED AFTER THE ELECTION AND
THAT’S WHEN WE WILL HAVE SERIOUS
DISCUSSION ABOUT FUNDING THE
GOVERNMENT FOR NEXT YEAR END I
THINK THE ECONOMY IS DOING A LOT
BETTER, THERE IS NO QUESTION AS
YOU SEE REOPENING, YOU SEE AN
ECONOMY DOING A LOT BETTER,
THERE STILL ARE CERTAIN PARTS OF
THE ECONOMY THAT ARE HAVING
DIFFICULTIES AND THOSE ARE THE
THINGS THAT WE WANT TO SUPPORT
IN OTHER AREAS IN THE ECONOMY
THAT ARE DOING GREAT AND I THINK
YOU HAVE A VERY BIG QUARTER OFF
OF COMING OFF OF THE CLOSING.