THAT’S EXACTLY WHAT WE’RE GOING TO DO TODAY.
>> AND JOINING US NOW AFTER
SENATOR MITCH McCONNELL
INTRODUCED THE ISSUE OF WHAT
THEY ACHIEVED OVERNIGHT SAYING
THAT IT IS NOT A STIMULUS
PACKAGE, IT IS AN EMERGENCY
RELIEF PACKAGE, JOINING US NOW
SENATOR TIM KAINE OF VIRGINIA,
DEMOCRATIC SENATOR, FORMER VICE
PRESIDENTIAL NOMINEE.
PRESIDENTIAL NOMINEE. LET’S TALK ABOUT WHAT THE
PACKAGE HAS AND WHAT THE CHANCES
ARE OF SUCCESS IN YOUR CAUCUSES.
AND I ASSUME YOU TALKED TO CHUCK
SCHUMER AND THE OTHERS, DIG
DURBIN WHETHER THE VOTES ARE
THERE.
THERE. IS IT CLEAR THIS IS GOING TO
PASS AND CAN IT PASS TODAY?
>> ANDREA, IT WILL PASS THE
SENATE TODAY WITH I THINK
UNANIMOUS DEMOCRATIC SUPPORT.
THE BILL HAS COME SUCH A -- SUCH
A LONG WAY FROM THE GOP PROPOSAL
THAT WAS ON THE TABLE ON SUNDAY
FOR THE INITIAL VOTE.
THE BILL HAS FIVE PILLARS.
IT IS SUPPORT FOR INDIVIDUALS
AND THEIR FAMILIES, SUPPORT FOR
SMALL BUSINESSES, SUPPORT FOR
INDUSTRY AND LARGE BUSINESSES,
SUPPORT FOR STATE AND LOCAL
GOVERNMENTS AND CRITICALLY A
MARSHAL PLAN FOR OUR NATION’S
HOSPITALS AND HEALTH CARE
PROVIDERS.
PROVIDERS. IN EACH OF THOSE FIVE PILLARS,
THIS BILL HAS ADVANCED
DRAMATICALLY BECAUSE WE STAYED
AT THE TABLE AND WOULD NOT
ACCEPT A POOR USE OF $2 TRILLION
BUT DEMANDED THE $2 TRILLION BE
USED TO HELP THOSE WHO ARE MOST
AFFECTED.
AFFECTED. >> ALREADY ANDREW CUOMO SAID THE
BILL OUTLINED IS NOT ENOUGH, IT
WILL ACTUALLY HURT NEW YORK
STATE BECAUSE IT WILL NOT COVER
THE $3.6 BILLION IT WOULD GET
WOULD NOT COVER THE GAP IT’S
SPENDING.
SPENDING. IT’S NOT ENOUGH FOR HOSPITALS,
THE MARSHAL PLANS.
HE SAID THEY’RE IN DESPERATE
SHAPE.
SHAPE. IS THE SENATE PREPARED AND THE
HOUSE, WHICH HASN’T EVEN PASSED
THIS, TO DO ANOTHER PACKAGE AND
DO IT QUICKLY OR IS EVERYONE
GOING HOME AS SOON AS THIS
PASSES?
PASSES? >> ANDREA, I WAS A MAYOR AND
GOVERNOR AND I CAN’T IMAGINE A
SINGLE MAYOR AND GOVERNOR IN
THIS COUNTRY WHO WOULD SAY THIS
IS ENOUGH BUT WE DON’T INTEND IN
THE SENATE FOR THIS TO BE
EVERYTHING.
EVERYTHING. AS YOU KNOW WE PASSED A BILL TWO
WEEKS AGO DEALING WITH HEALTH
CARE INVESTMENTS, LAST WEEK
DEALING WITH UNEMPLOYMENT
INSURANCE AND SICK LEAVE.
THIS BILL, MORE THAN TWICE THE
SIZE OF THE STIMULUS EFFORT OF
2008/’09 FISCAL COLLAPSE IS A
MASSIVE INVESTMENT IF THOSE FIVE
PILLARS.
PILLARS. BUT WE RECOGNIZE THERE WILL BE
SOME THINGS WE OMITTED.
THERE WILL BE SOME DETAILS THAT
WE PROBABLY GOT WRONG AS WE WERE
RUSHING TO TRY TO DO SOMETHING
WITH THE SENSE OF URGENCY, AND
THERE WILL BE ADDITIONAL NEEDS.
SO EVERYONE IS NOW FOCUSED ON
GATHERING UP THE LIST OF THOSE
THINGS AND WE EXPECT THERE WILL
BE AT LEAST ONE MORE SIGNIFICANT
COVID PACKAGE WE WILL ADDRESS.
BUT THE GOOD NEWS TODAY IS BY
STAYING AT THE TABLE EVEN AS
SOME OF OUR COLLEAGUES WERE
GETTING SICK OR THEIR SPOUSES
WERE OR STAFF WERE, BY STAYING
AT THE TABLE WE GOT TO A BILL
THAT MAKES MASSIVE INVESTMENTS
IN THESE FIVE PILLARS IN A WAY
THAT WE THINK WILL BE VERY, VERY
HELPFUL TO EVERYDAY AMERICANS
GOING FORWARD.
GOING FORWARD. >> AND YOU’RE CONFIDENT ABOUT
UNANIMOUS CONSENT, THERE WILL
NOT BE AN OBJECTION?
BECAUSE IF THERE IS AN
OBJECTION, AS YOU KNOW BETTER
THAN I DO, YOU CANNOT PROCEED TO
A FINAL VOTE TODAY.
>> YOU’RE RIGHT, ANDREA.
I’M VERY CONFIDENT WE WILL GET
THIS PASSED IN THE SENATE TODAY.
IT GOES OVER TO THE HOUSE SIDE
AND THEN THE HOUSE IS NOT IN
SESSION.
SESSION. THEY WOULD LIKE TO DO IT BY
UNANIMOUS CONSENT AND THAT’S A
CHALLENGE.
CHALLENGE. BUT THE GOOD NEWS IS AFTER THE
PARTISAN PROPOSAL WAS PUT ON THE
TABLE BY THE GOP SUNDAY, WE
SPENT THE LAST DAYS NOT ONLY
ADVOCATING FOR SENATE DEMOCRATIC
PRIORITIES BUT WE DEFINITELY
INCLUDED THE HOUSE DEMOCRATIC
LEADERSHIP TO MAXIMIZE THE
CHANCE THAT WHEN THE SENATE
ACTS, THE HOUSE CAN ALSO ACT
QUICKLY.
QUICKLY. SPEAKER PELOSI HAS SAID SHE
BELIEVES THIS BILL IS GOOD
ENOUGH FROM HER STANDPOINT THAT
THEY SHOULD BE ABLE TO DO IT ON
A VOICE VOTE UNANIMOUS CONSENT.
MY HOPE IS THAT THEY WILL BUT I
CAN ONLY REALLY GUARANTEE ON THE
SENATE SIDE, YOU WILL SEE US
PASS THIS BILL TODAY.
>> ONE OF THE ISSUES IS THEY
HAVE LESS THAN A DAY.
THEY COULD COME BACK TOMORROW
UNDER AN EMERGENCY PROCEDURE BUT
IT DOESN’T SEEM LIKE SHE HAS
THAT UNANIMOUS CONSENT NAILED
DOWN TO WARRANT BRINGING PEOPLE
BACK, MINUS THOSE HOSPITALIZED,
THE THREE THAT WE KNOW OF,
BRINGING THEM BACK ACROSS THE
COUNTRY IN SOME CASES.
>> AND THAT IS -- AGAIN, I HAVE
MY OWN BIGGER-THAN-LIFE TO DO
LIST RIGHT NOW ON THE SENATE
SIDE.
SIDE. >> UNDERSTOOD, UNDERSTOOD.
>> I CAN’T COMPLETELY PREDICT
WHAT’S ON THE HOUSE SIDE.
THE GOOD NEWS IS WHILE THE
SENATE’S BEEN DOING THIS
NEGOTIATION WITH THE WHITE
HOUSE, WE’VE ALSO BEEN INCLUDING
THE HOUSE DEMOCRATIC MAJORITY TO
TRY TO FAST TRACK THIS BILL ONCE
IT GETS THROUGH THE SENATE TO
GET TO THE PRESIDENT’S DESK.
AND, AGAIN, IT IS SO MUCH BETTER
THAN IT WOULD HAVE BEEN ON
SUNDAY IN TERMS OF PROVIDING THE
KIND OF RELIEF TO INDIVIDUALS,
SMALL BUSINESSES, OUR HEALTH
CARE NETWORK, STATES AND
LOCALITIES AND WE’RE READY TO GO
ON THIS.
ON THIS. >> IT DO YOU HAVE A PROBLEM WITH
THE SECRETARY OF STATE AGAIN
REFERRING TO THIS ENSCRIPTED
REMARKS ON A TELECONFERENCE
TODAY AS THE WUHAN VIRUS AND
APPARENTLY IN A CONVERSATION
WITH G7 MINISTERS, THE U.S. IS
INSISTING USING THE WUHAN PHRASE
AT THE UPCOMING VIRTUAL MEETING
IN JUNE?
IN JUNE? >> I VIEW THAT AS EXTREMELY
UNPRODUCTIVE AND UNHELPFUL.
AGAIN, WE’RE NOT GOING TO CHANGE
THE WAY THE PRESIDENT TALKS OR
SECRETARY OF STATE TALKS.
THEY USE THAT LANGUAGE TO TRY TO
DEFLECT BLAME.
DEFLECT BLAME. THE U.S. STARTED SIX TO EIGHT
WEEKS BEHIND OTHER NATIONS LIKE
AUSTRALIA AND SOUTH KOREA IN
TAKING THIS SERIOUSLY BECAUSE AT
THE VERY TOP OF THE
ADMINISTRATION, THE PRESIDENT
WAS SAYING THIS WASN’T A
PROBLEM.
PROBLEM. WE DON’T NEED TO WORRY ABOUT IT.
THE DEMOCRATS ARE CREATING IT.
THE MEDIA IS CREATING IT.
THEY’RE LOOKING TO DEFLECT
BLAME.
BLAME. WHAT WE ARE SHOWING TODAY IS
WE’RE GOING -- IF THE PRESIDENT
WON’T TAKE RESPONSIBILITY, WE’RE
GOING TO TAKE RESPONSIBILITY IN
CONGRESS FOR INJECTING THE
DOLLARS INTO THE POCKETBOOKS OF
EVERYDAY AMERICANS AND SMALL
BUSINESSES AND OUR HEALTH CARE
NETWORK TO GET US GROWING AGAIN.
THAT UNPRODUCTIVE LANGUAGE AND
TRYING TO BLAME SOMEBODY ELSE,