BUT WHEN IT COMES TO THE TENS OF
MILLIONS OF AMERICANS IN DIRE
STRAITS, WELL, WE CAN’T GET THE
DEFINITE GET OUT OF CONTROL NOW,
CAN WE?
JOINING ME NOW SENATOR COREY
BOOKER, DEMOCRAT OF NEW JERSEY,
FORMER PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE.
SENATOR BOOKER, GOOD TO SEE YOU.
THANK YOU FOR BEING WITH ME.
COULD YOU TELL ME THE LATEST AT
THE SENATE?
>> WELL, YOU WRAPPED IT UP WELL.
FIRST OF ALL, I’M FRUSTRATED.
I’M BACK IN NEW JERSEY, DROVE UP
THIS AFTERNOON.
WE SHOULD BE WORKING THIS
THROUGH.
THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES, AS
YOU SAID, THEY DIDN’T JUST PASS
THEIR HEROES ACT TO DEAL WITH
THE COVID CRISIS.
THEY PASSED IT WELL OVER A MONTH
AGO.
WE HAVE HAD A LOT OF TIME AS WE
WATCHED THE CRISIS GROW WORSE
AND WORSE THE NUMBER OF CASES
PUSHING US FURTHER AND FURTHER
AS AN ALLY AROUND THE PLANET AND
THIS PRESIDENT HAS NOT COME UP
WITH A PLAN AND THE REPUBLICAN
LEADER HAS FAILED TO PUT UP A
PLAN FOR THIS COUNTRY.
BY THE WAY, THIS IS NOT A
REPUBLICAN VERSUS DEMOCRAT
THING.
>> NO.
>> BECAUSE REPUBLICANS AND
SENATORS, THERE HAS BEEN A
BIPARTISAN DEMAND FOR ACTION AND
RESOURCES.
AND IT’S JUST VERY FRUSTRATING
THAT THIS -- MITCH McCONNELL,
WHO CALLS HIMSELF THE GRIM
REAPER, HAS NOT ACTED IN A WAY
TO REALLY HELP BRING LIFE AND
SUPPORT AND WELL-BEING TO OUR
COUNTRY.
>> WHAT IS THIS, SENATOR?
IS IT CONSERVATIVISM.
THE TAX PLAN WAS SUPPOSED TO
ENRICH THE AVERAGE AMERICAN BY
$4,000.
IT WAS SUPPOSED TO TAKE GDP
GROWTH UP TO THREE OR AS THE
PRESIDENT SAID FOUR, FIVE AND
SIX PRESIDENT.
IT WAS SUPPOSED TO REDUCE THE
DEFINITE BY SPURRING ALL THIS
ECONOMIC ACTIVITY.
THEY WERE ONBOARD FOR THAT.
NOW YOU HAVE PEOPLE NOT ONBOARD
WITH INCREASING THE DEFICIT
PROBABLY AT THE ONE TIME EVERY
TEN YEARS WHERE IT IS CALLED
UPON TO DO SO BECAUSE AMERICANS
ARE STARVING IN SOME CASES OR
WILL LOSE THEIR HOMES.
>> YEAH.
YOU CAN’T TELL ME THAT YOU COULD
COME UP WITH PUTTING HUNDREDS OF
MILLIONS OF DOLLARS A HOLE IN
OUR DEFICIT TO GIVE THE
WEALTHIEST AMERICANS AND
CORPORATIONS TAX BREAKS.
BUT SUDDENLY WHEN LOW AND
WORKING CLASS AMERICANS, WHEN
PEOPLE OF MY STATE WHO ARE OUT
OF A JOB BECAUSE OF THIS CRISIS,
YOU CAN’T SUDDENLY TELL ME THAT
YOU CAN’T EXTEND UNEMPLOYMENT
INSURANCE, THAT YOU DON’T HAVE
RESOURCES FOR OWE SCHOOLS, THAT
STATE AND LOCAL GOVERNMENTS WHO
MIGHT HAVE TO LAY OFF
FIREFIGHTERS AND TEACHERS, THAT
THEY DON’T HAVE THE RESOURCES
HERE.
THAT’S A HALLOW ARGUMENT.
THEY HAVE NO MORAL GROUND.
THE REALITY IS THE CHAIRMAN OF
THE FED HAS SAID WHAT OUR
ECONOMY NEEDS IS AN INJECTION OF
RESOURCES.
UNEMPLOYMENT INSURANCE, STIMULUS
CHECKS, THE KIND OF THINGS THAT
HELPS FAMILIES THROUGH THIS
CRISIS ARE THINGS THAT NOT ONLY
WILL HELP THOSE FAMILIES BUT
WILL STIMULATE AND HELP OUR
ECONOMY THROUGH THIS STORM.
THE LAST THING YOU SHOULD
UNDERSTAND IS WE’RE THE RICHEST
NATION ON PLANET EARTH.
BUT KNOW WHAT WE DID GET DONE
THIS WEEK?
A MASSIVE BILL FOR THE DEFENSE
DEPARTMENT.
SO WE CAME UP WITH THOSE KIND OF
RESOURCES.
BUT WHEN IT COMES TO DEFENDING
THIS COUNTRY FROM THE
CORONAVIRUS, FROM A PANDEMIC
THAT’S KILLED OVER 140,000
AMERICANS, IT SEEMS LIKE WE ARE
GETTING INACTION FROM MITCH
McCONNELL THAT IS UNACCEPTABLE.
>> LET ME ASK YOU ABOUT THIS.
YOU WERE A MAYOR.
SO YOU UNDERSTAND.
YOU BROUGHT UP TEACHERS AND
FIREFIGHTERS.
THEY ARE NOT PAID BY THE FEDERAL
GOVERNMENT AND STATES CAN’T RUN
DEFICITS AND CITIES CAN’T RUN
DEFICITS.
SO THE IDEA THAT WE ARE NOT
EXTENDING FUNDING TO LOCAL
GOVERNMENT SOUNDS VERY
DISCIPLINED.
BUT IN FACT THOSE PLACES HAVE
NOWHERE TO GO.
THEIR TAX REVENUES ARE DOWN,
TOO, AND THE ONLY THING THAT
WILL RESULT IN THAT IS THAT
LOCAL SERVICES AND PEOPLE WILL
BE PUT OUT OF JOBS.
>> EXACTLY.
AND THAT’S WHY EVERY
ORGANIZATION THAT REPRESENTS
THESE INDIVIDUALS, COUNTY
LEADERS, MUNICIPAL LEADERS AND
GOVERNORS ALL IN A BIPARTISAN
FASHION, THEY HAVE TO BE
RESPONSIBLE.
THEY GET IT DONE ON THE GROUND.
THEY HAVE TO BALANCE BUDGETS.
ALL OF THEM HAVE JOINED TOGETHER
TO CALLING IN A BIPARTISAN
FASHION FOR MONEY FOR STATE AND
LOCAL GOVERNMENTS BECAUSE IF WE
DO NOT DO THAT, WE WILL SEE
HUNDREDS AND THOUSANDS OF
LAYOFFS FROM THOSE STATE AND
LOCAL GOVERNMENTS.
AND IN A TIME WE HAVE COME UP
WITH A MONEY TO HELP BIG
INDUSTRIES LIKE THE AIRLINE
INDUSTRY, FOR EXAMPLE, TO KEEP
THEIR EMPLOYEES TO SAY THAT NOW
THE PEOPLE THAT ARE DOING THE
WORK THAT WE REALLY NEED RIGHT
NOW IN THIS PANDEMIC IS
FRIGHTENING TO ME.
IT IS UNCONSCIONABLE TO ME, AND,
FRANKLY, IT’S JUST A SHOWING OUR