PRESIDENT BIDEN WARNS THAT THE
PROGRESS WERE SEEING IS NOT
ASSURED UNLESS CONGRESS PASSES
HIS INFRASTRUCTURE PACKAGE.
HE AND REPUBLICAN SENATORS
SHELLEY MOORE CAPITO OF WEST
VIRGINIA HAVE BEEN TRYING TO
HAMMER OUT A BIPARTISAN DEAL BUT
IT HASNT BEEN EASY.
BIDEN JUST REJECTED A REPUBLICAN
COUNTER OFFER ON FRIDAY.
NEGOTIATIONS ARE EXPECTED TO
RESUME TOMORROW BUT FOR HOW
LONG?
WILL THE WHITE HOUSE RUN OUT OF
TIME AND PATIENCE?
JOINING ME NOW TO DISCUSS ALL OF
THIS IS THE SECRETARY OF LABOR
MARTY WALSH.
SECRETARY WALSH, THANK YOU VERY
MUCH FOR COMING TO "THE SUNDAY
SHOW."
>> THANK YOU FOR HAVING ME
TODAY.
>> OKAY.
LET ME GET YOUR REACTION TO THE
MAY JOBS REPORT.
559,000 JOBS.
ITS A LOT OF JOBS BUT IT CAME
UNDER EXPECTATIONS.
AM I MAKING TOO MUCH OF THAT BY
POINTING OUT IT WAS LOWER THAN
EXPECTATIONS?
>> WELL, I DONT KNOW I WOULD
SAY MAKING TOO MUCH OF IT BUT I
THINK WE HAVE TO LOOK AT THE
ECONOMY IN THE TOTALITY OF THE
PANDEMIC WERE COMING OUT OF.
WE LOST 22.6 MILLION JOBS IN THE
MONTHS OF MARCH AND APRIL OF
2020 AND COMING BACK AND GOING
FORWARD ISNT SOMETHING TO
SWITCH.
IF YOU LOOK AT THE LAST FOUR
MONTHS, THE PRESIDENT AND THE
AMERICAN ECONOMY ADDED 540,000
JOBS PER MONTH.
THIS IS A GOOD NUMBER THIS MONTH
BUT WE STILL -- ALL RECOGNIZE
ITS STEEP.
WE HAVE A STEEP HILL TO CLIMB
HERE.
WE HAVE TO MOVE FORWARD AND DO
MORE.
YOU KNOW, AS WE THINK ABOUT IT,
MORE PEOPLE ARE VACCINATED, AS
THE PRESIDENT SAID, MORE PEOPLE
HAVE HEALTH CARE.
THATS ALL GREAT SIGNS, WE HAVE
PEOPLE TESTINGOSITIVE FOR
CORONAVIRUS.
>> UH-HUH.
LETS TALK MORE ABOUT THIS STEEP
HILL TO CLIMB.
ONE OF THE THINGS THAT HAS BEEN
REPORTED IN PAPERS AND IVE SEEN
IT WITH MY OWN EYES, SIGNS IN
BUSINESSES.
PARTICULARLY RESTAURANTS, LIKE
McDONALDS, SAYING SIGNING BONUS.
A SIGNING BONUS IF YOU COME IN
AND YOU APPLY FOR A JOB AND GET
A JOB.
WHY ARE BUSINESSES HAVING SUCH A
HARD TIME FINDING EMPLOYEES?
>> FIRST OF ALL, THERES
ABSOLUTELY NOTHING WRONG WITH
BUSINESSES WANTING TO PAY THEIR
EMPLOYEES MORE.
I THINK ITS A GOOD THING FOR
THE AMERICAN PEOPLE.
IF YOU LOOK AT THE JOB REPORTS
FOR THIS MONTH AND LAST, THE
BEST NUMBER THAT JUMPS OUT IS
THE HOSPITALITY AND TOURISM,
INCLUDING RESTAURANTS, WAS THE
LARGEST GAIN OF EMPLOYMENT.
AND THE LARGEST GAIN IN JOBS, I
SHOULD SAY.
EVERYTHING IS HEADING IN THE
RIGHT DIRECTION WHEN IT COMES TO
THAT.
I THINK THATS THE BIGGEST
CONCERN WAS PEOPLE HAD WHEN THEY
WERE TALKING ABOUT, YOU KNOW, WE
CANT FIND ANYONE TO WORK.
WE CANT FIND ANY WORK IN OUR
RESTAURANTS AND WERE SEEING IT
LOOSENING UP AS WE MOVE FORWARD
HERE.
I PERSONALLY DONT THINK ITS
THE $300 ADDITIONAL KEEPING
MILLIONS OF AMERICANS OUT OF
WORK.
WHEN I THINK ABOUT ITS CHILD
CARE, INCONSISTENCIES IN THE
ECONOMY, AS FAR AS WORRYING
ABOUT GOING BACK.
BUT AS WERE GETTING MORE AND
MORE THROUGH THE PANDEMIC AND
GET TOWARD THE END OF THE
PANDEMIC, HOPEFULLY, WERE
SEEING MORE PEOPLE GO BACK TO
WORK.
PEOPLE WANT TO WORK.
>> YEAH.
SECRETARY WALSH, YOU ANTICIPATED
A QUESTION I WAS GOING TO ASK
YOU.
ABOUT THE $300 IN UNEMPLOYMENT.
SENATOR MARCO RUBIO IN AN OP-ED
WRITES MUCH OF THE REASON -- THE
HEADLINE IS WHY ARE WE PAYING
PEOPLE NOT TO WORK.
MUCH OF THE REASON HAS TO DO
WITH THE BIDEN ADMINISTRATIONS
UNEMPLOYMENT BENEFITS, WHICH ARE
SO MASSIVE THEYRE INCENT VISING
WOULD BE WORKERS TO STAY HOME
INSTEAD OF LOOKING FOR JOBS.
AGAIN, THIS MIGHT BE ASKING YOU
TO REPEAT WHAT YOU JUST SAID,
BUT DOES HE HAVE A POINT OR IS
HE COMPLETELY WRONG THAT THOSE
ENHANCED UNEMPLOYMENT BENEFITS
ARE GOING TO, QUOTE,
INCENTIVIZING PEOPLE NOT TO
WORK.
>> AS I SAID START OFF THE
INTERVIEW, 22.6 MILLION PEOPLE
LOST THEIR JOB.
22.6 MILLION
22.6 MILLION PEOPLE HAD NO IDEA
WHERE THEIR NEXT CHECK WAS
COMING FROM.
THANK GOD ARE FOR THE
UNEMPLOYMENT SYSTEM.
THE EXTENSION OF THE PANDEMIC
UNEMPLOYMENT WAS TO -- NOT IN
THE MIST THE PANDEMIC BUT
DEALING WITH THE PANDEMIC.
STILL THERE ARE MANY, MANY
PEOPLE IN THIS COUNTRY THAT ARE
HURTING THAT IF THEY DIDNT HAVE
THAT, MANY SENATORS AND
GOVERNORS -- IM A FORMER MAYOR,
WOULD HAVE MORE DEVASTATION ON
OUR HANDS IN THE CITIES AND
TOWNS ACROSS THE COUNTRY.
I DONT NECESSARILY AGREE WITH
THAT. AS WE MOVE FORWARD, THE AMERICAN
AS WE MOVE FORWARD, THE AMERICAN
JOBS PLAN IS IMPORTANT.
ALL SIGNS ARE POSITIVE BUT HE
SAID IF WE DONT PASS THE
INFRASTRUCTURE BILL, GET THE
AMERICAN JOBS PLAN PASSED, THEN
THE FUTURE OF AMERICA, THE
FUTURE OF AMERICAS WORKERS IS
UNCERTAIN.
>> AS YOU SAID, YOURE A FORMER
MAYOR OF BOSTON.
YOU ALSO MENTIONED THE
INFRASTRUCTURE PLAN AND
INFRASTRUCTURE BILL, AS I SAID,
IN THE INTRO.
THE PRESIDENT AND SENATOR
CAPITO, YOU KNOW, THEYVE BEEN
TALKING, THE PRESIDENT REJECTED
THE LATEST OFFER.
THE WHITE HOUSE PRESS SECRETARY
SAID THERES MORE RUNWAY LEFT IN
TERMS OF NEGOTIATION, BUT, YOU
KNOW, THE RUNWAY IS GOING TO RUN
OUT AT SOME POINT PRETTY SOON.
DO YOU -- SHOULD WE EXPECT THE
WHITE HOUSE TO BASICALLY CUT
BAIT THIS WEEK AS SECRETARY
BUTTIGIEG HAD WARNED A COUPLE OF
WEEKS AGO THIS COMING WEEK, THE
WEEK OF JUNE 7th WILL BE THE
OFFICIAL CUT BAIT TIME
>>WELL, IM NOT SURE, YOU KNOW,
CERTAINLY -- SECRETARY BUTTIGIEG
AND MYSELF AND THE OTHER
SECRETARIES ARE WORKING HARD TO
PASS THIS LEGISLATION.
YOU KNOW, THE PRESIDENT MADE IT
CLEAR ON FRIDAY A COUPLE OF
THINGS HE WAS CONCERNED ABOUT
WAS NOT ENOUGH INVESTED IN JOB
CREATION.
NOT ENOUGH INVESTMENT IN THE
CLIMATE.
THOSE ARE ISSUES TOP PRIORITIES
TO THE PRESIDENT AND TOP
PRIORITIES IN MOVING OUR COUNTRY
FORWARD.
I WANT TO COMMEND THE PRESIDENT,
HE SPENT LOTS OF HOURS HAVING
CONVERSATIONS AND SOME OF THE
CONVERSATIONS WERE GOOD
CONVERSATIONS WITH TRYING TO
MOVE A PACKAGE FORWARD IN A WAY
THAT COULD BE A BIPARTISAN BILL,
WHICH I THINK IS IMPORTANT TO
SEND A STRONG MESSAGE TO OUR
COUNTRY.
BUT AT THE END OF THE DAY, IF WE
CANT GET IT DONE, THE PRESIDENT
HAS TO TAKE A DIFFERENT
APPROACH.
RIGHT NOW I THINK THAT THE
PRESIDENT IS VERY FOCUSSED ON
GETTING SUPPORT OF THIS BILL FOR
BOTH SIDES OF THE AISLE.
IM ALSO FOCUSSED ON ALL THE
SECRETARIES THAT ARE PART OF THE
AMERICAN JOBS PLAN AND OTHER
FOLKS, WERE FOCUSSED ON TRYING
TO COME UP AND UNDERSTANDING HOW
WE MOVE THE BILL FORWARD.
IT WOULD ALMOST PREFER TO GET A
BILL THAT IS A BIPARTISAN BILL
TO SHOW THE AMERICAN PEOPLE THAT
ACTUALLY WE SHOULD COME TOGETHER
FOR A BILL THAT IS NOT A
DEMOCRATIC BILL, NOT A
REPUBLICAN BILL, ITS BILLS
ABOUT THE AMERICAN WORKER AND
THE AMERICAN PEOPLE.
>> SO THEN THAT SOUNDS LIKE
THESE NEGOTIATIONS THE DEADLINE
ISNT THIS WEEK.
THE DEADLINE THERE IS NO
DEADLINE ANYMORE?
>> WELL, I THINK THERES A FLUID
CONVERSATION AND I THINK IF WE
PUT DEADLINES THERE, AND WE
START TALKING ABOUT DEADLINES,
THEN THERES LINES DRAWN IN THE
SAND.
I THINK WELL SEE WHAT HAPPENS
TOMORROW.
ITS A MEETING IN A TIMELY
APPROACH.
WELL SEE TOMORROW WITH THE
MEETING AND THE SENATOR AND ON
THE CONVERSATIONS THAT WERE
HAVING TODAY AND TOMORROW.