MARIA: CHERYL, THANK YOU SO
MUCH.
STIMULUS PASSING THE HOUSE, THE
DEMOCRAT’S 1.9 TRILL TRILLION DO
PASSED THE HOUSE WITH NO
REPUBLICAN VOTES.
IT NOW HEADS TO THE SENATE WHERE
THE $15 MINIMUM WAGE INCREASE
WILL LIKELY NOT MAKE IT INTO THE
FINAL BILL.
SCRAPPING A PLAN B TO LEVY A TAX
PENALTY ON CORPORATIONS THAT
DON’T PAY WORKERS A CERTAIN
WAGE.
JOINING ME NOW IS MICHIGAN
CONGRESSWOMAN, DEBBIE DINGELL.
IT’S ALWAYS A PLEASURE TO SEE
YOU.
THANKS FOR BEING HERE THIS
MORNING.
>> GOOD TO BE WITH YOU.
MARIA: HOW DO THE DEMOCRATS
JUSTIFY THIS BILL, CALLING IT
COVID-19 STIMULUS, WHEN ONLY 9%
OF IT IS ALLOCATED FOR COVID
RELATED THINGS?
>> YOU KNOW, IT DEPENDS WHAT
YOUR DEFINITION OF COVID RELATED
IS.
COVID RELATED TO ME IS WHERE THE
MONEY IS GOING IN THE BILL.
SOME OF THE MONEY IS GOING INTO
THE VACCINES, INCREASING
PRODUCTION, GETTING THEM INTO
THE ARMS OF PEOPLE, ET CETERA.
COVID HAS IMPACTED SO MUCH OF
OUR ECONOMY IN THIS PAST YEAR.
SO MAKING SURE THAT THERE’S
MONEY, PPP FOR OUR SMALL
BUSINESSES AND OUR RESTAURANTS
IS IN HERE.
MAKING SURE THERE IS MONEY SO WE
CAN REOPEN THE SCHOOLS SAFELY.
THE SCHOOLS ARE HAVING TO SPEND
MORE MONEY JUST TO HAVE THE
SCHOOLS BE SAFE, MORE EQUIPMENT,
MORE ADMINISTRATION, BECAUSE YOU
CAN’T PUT THE SAME NUMBER OF
PEOPLE ON THE SCHOOL BUS OR IN
THE CLASSROOM AND HOW DO YOU
MANAGE THE CHILDREN?
YOU HAVE TO BUY P PE EQUIPMENT.
I COULD GO DOWN THE LIST.
PEOPLE HAVE NOT -- THEY’VE LOST
THEIR JOBS, UNEMPLOYMENT HAS
GONE UP.
THIS IS A COVID BILL.
MARIA: WELL, LET’S BE CLEAR.
YOU SAID MONEY FOR SCHOOLS.
THE SCHOOLS ARE NOT OPEN YET,
CONGRESSWOMAN.
SO THERE’S THAT.
>> THEY NEED THE MONEY TO OPEN.
MARIA: IF THE TEACHERS ARE --
COME ON, THEY NEED THE MONEY TO
OPEN.
THEN YOU’VE GOT -- YOU SAID ALL
OF THESE BUSINESSES THAT ARE
AFFECTED BY COVID.
YOU’RE SAYING THE ARTS AND
HUMANITIES WERE AFFECTED
SEVERELY BY COVID, THAT’S WHY
$300 MILLION IS GOING THERE AND
MUSEUMS ANOTHER $200 MILLION
GOING FOR MUSEUMS AND THAT
RAILCAR IN SAN FRANCISCO THAT
NANCY PELOSI HAS BEEN FUNDING,
PUTTING AS MUCH MONEY AS SHE CAN
EVERY ACT, EVERY BILL, THAT?
I MEAN, THESE ARE THINGS THAT
YOU’RE SAYING ARE COVID?
>> THE CULT CHURL INSTITUTIONS H
BEEN HIT AS HARD AS ANY OTHER
BUSINESS.
MARIA: I KNOW 100 RESTAURANTS.
I KNOW 100 RESTAURANTS THAT HAVE
GONE OUT OF BUSINESS.
IS THERE ANY MONEY FOR
RESTAURANTS?
WHERE’S THE MONEY FOR
RESTAURANTS.
>> THERE IS MONEY FOR
RESTAURANTS IN THERE.
I KNOW BETTER THAN ANYBODY
BECAUSE MY RESTAURANTS TALK TO
ME, EVERY DAY.
ZIMMERMANS -- NOBODY CAN COME TO
ANN ARBOR, MICHIGAN AND NOT
THINK ABOUT ZIMMERMAN’S.
THEY’RE ABOUT TO GO UNDER.
WE HAVE MONEY IN THE BILL THAT
WILL GIVE RESTAURANTS RELIEF.
I THINK I FOCUS ON THE
RESTAURANTS AND SMALL BUSINESSES
MORE THAN I DO ON MOST AND I’M
WORRIED ABOUT GETTING THESE
SCHOOLS REOPENED.
MARIA: LOOK, YOU’VE SEEN KEVIN
MCCARTHY’S CRITICISM, THE LEADER
OF THE REPUBLICAN PARTY SAYS
THIS SHOULD BE CALLED A PELOSI
PAYOFF BILL, NOT A COVID-19
BILL, BECAUSE ONLY 9% OF THE
MONEY IS ACTUALLY EARMARKED FOR
COVID RELATED THINGS.
THE REST ARE JUST PET PROJECTS
OF THE DEMOCRATS, LIKE THE
HUMANITIES AND THE ARTS
INDUSTRY, LIKE MUSEUMS AND THE
REST.
WE HAVE A LIST HERE.
IT’S A REAL REACH TO SAY THAT
GIVING $300 MILLION TO ARTS AND
HUMANITIES IS COVID RELATED.
IT’S ALSO A REACH TO SAY
$200 MILLION FOR MUSEUMS AND
LIBRARIES IS BECAUSE OF COVID
AND SILICON VALLEY TRANSIT
EXPANSION, HOW IS $100 MILLION
FOR THE SILICON VALLEY TRANSIT
EXPANSION COVID RELATED?
I MEAN, SERIOUSLY, WE’RE LOOKING
AT THE LIST IN FRONT OF US.
WE’RE NOT STUPID, CONGRESSWOMAN?
>> TALK ABOUT MUSEUMS AND
NONPROFITS.
MUSEUMS HAVE SUFFERED THE SAME
PROBLEMS THAT BUSINESSES HAVE.
DO YOU WANT -- PEOPLE OF WEALTH
MIGHT BE WILLING TO KICK IN AND
SAVE SOME OF THE BIG NEW YORK
CULTURAL INSTITUTIONS BUT COME
TO MICHIGAN.
THE DETROIT ART INSTITUTE, THE
HENRY FORD, GREENFIELD VILLAGE,
THEY HAVE NO INCOME.
THEY CONTRIBUTE TO THE CULTURE
OF A COMMUNITY.
THEY’RE IMPORTANT PART OF THE
ECONOMY.
THEY’RE PART OF TOURIST
ATTRACTIONS.
DO YOU WANT TO SEE THEM GO OUT
OF BUSINESS?
THOSE ARE GROUPS THAT HAVE BEEN
IN MY --
MARIA: I DON’T WANT TO SEE
ANYBODY GO UNDER.
CONGRESSWOMAN, I DON’T WANT TO
SEE ANYBODY GO UNDER.
PEOPLE ARE GOING UNDER BECAUSE
OF THE RULES AND REGULATIONS OF
THE DEMOCRAT GOVERNORS WHO WILL
NOT ALLOW THESE SMALL BUSINESSES
TO OPEN.
HOW ABOUT PUTTING THE MONEY
ASIDE, SPENDING THE MONEY THAT’S
ALREADY BEEN ALLOCATED THAT’S IN
THE BANK READY TO GO, AND ALLOW
THESE BUSINESSES TO OPEN?
SO THAT THEY CAN ACTUALLY GET
GDP INSTEAD OF PPP.
LET’S GET THE ECONOMY BACK OPEN.
THAT’S WHAT’S GOING TO GET THIS
ECONOMY MOVING.
NOT MONEY FOR THE ARTS.
>> WELL, FIRST OF ALL, AGAIN,
THOSE ARTS --
MARIA: AND MONEY FOR THE
SCHOOLS WHEN THE TEACHERS WON’T
GO BACK TO SCHOOL.
WHAT IS TOPPING TEACHERS FROM
GOING BACK TO SCHOOL.
FOLLOW THE SCIENCE.
WHY AREN’T WE FOLLOWING THE
SCIENCE.
>> THAT’S WHAT I WAS ABOUT TO
SAY.
MARIA: YOUNG KIDS ARE NOT
NECESSARILY VULNERABLE THE WAY
OLDER AMERICANS ARE VULNERABLE.
HOW COME TEACHERS WON’T GO BACK
TO WORK?
MEANWHILE, THEY’RE GETTING
BILLIONS MORE IN THIS PACKAGE.
WHAT IS IT GOING TO TAKE TO GET
THEM BACK TO WORK.
>> A LOT OF THE TEACHERS ARE
GOING BACK.
THE NUMBERS ARE GOING DOWN ON
COVID.
YOU’RE STARTING TO SEE SCHOOLS
OPEN IN SOME PLACES.
I HAVE A PREGNANT NIECE WHO IS A
TEACHER AND SHE’S BEEN IN THE
CLASSROOM.
WE CAN’T MAKE BLANKET
STATEMENTS.
EACH SCHOOL DISTRICT DECIDES
THEMSELVES WHEN THE
CIRCUMSTANCES ARE OKAY.
MARIA: ARE YOU SAYING MORE
TEACHERS ARE AT WORK THAN NOT AT
WORK?
IS THAT WHAT YOU’RE SAYING?
>> I DON’T KNOW WHAT THE EXACT
NUMBERS ARE RIGHT NOW.
BUT I DO NO --
MARIA: IT’S NOT.
I CAN TELL YOU.
MORE TEACHERS ARE OUT OF WORK
THAN AT WORK.
MORE TEACHERS ARE OUT OF SCHOOL,
OUT OF WORK, BECAUSE THEY WON’T
GO TO WORK.
THEY WANT THIS MONEY.
WHERE IS THE MONEY GOING?
PARENTS WANT TO KNOW.
WE HAVE PARENTS WATCHING RIGHT
NOW.
THEY HAD TO CUT THEIR HOURS,
THEY HAD TO STOP WORKING, CHANGE
THEIR SCHEDULES TO BE HOME FOR
THEIR KIDS TO OVERSEE IT.
THEY NEED THEIR KIDS BACK IN
SCHOOL.
>> I DON’T DISAGREE WITH YOU.
THEY WERE CLOSED WHEN THERE WERE
DANGERS.
WE LOST MORE THAN HALF A
MILLION, 500,000 PEOPLE HAVE
DIED BECAUSE OF COVID.
CALIFORNIA --
MARIA: I’M AWARE OF THAT.
>> THEY TELL PEOPLE TO STAY
HOME.
NOW THE NUMBERS ARE GOING DOWN,
WE’RE SEEING MUTATIONS, WE’RE
SEEING EACH SCHOOL DISTRICT
FIGURE OUT A PLAN THAT WORKS FOR
THEIR COMMUNITY ON --
MARIA: LET ME ASK YOU THIS.
IF EVERYBODY IN THE PARTY IS SO
WORRIED ABOUT COVID, HOW COME
ELECTION REFORM IS NANCY
PELOSI’S HR-1?
THIS IS THE SWEEPING ELECTION
REFORM BILL BACKED BY ALL
DEMOCRATS LAST WEEK.
IT’S BEING BLASTED BY
REPUBLICANNINGS.
HOUSE MINORITY LEADER KEVIN
MCCARTHY WAS WITH ME ON SUNDAY
MORNING FUTURES.
HERE’S WHAT HE SAID ABOUT IT.
AS YOU’RE TALKING ABOUT THE
HORRIBLE SITUATIONS THAT
HAPPENED AS A RESULT OF COVID,
NANCY PELOSI, THE LEADER OF THE
HOUSE, IS TALKING ABOUT
ELECTIONS BEING HER NUMBER ONE
PRIORITY, NOT COVID.
HERE’S KEVIN MCCARTHY.
WATCH THIS.
>> THE DEMOCRATS, THEIR VERY
FIRST BILL, THEIR MOST IMPORTANT
BILL THEY’RE MOVING, YOU TALKED
ABOUT, HR-1, IS ABOUT PROTECTING
THEM, NOT HELPING THE AMERICAN
PUBLIC.
THEY WANT TO TAKE TAXPAYERS’
MONEY, THE HARD WORKING TAXPAYER
TO USE IT ON THEIR OWN
CAMPAIGNS.
THEY WANT TO CHANGE ELECTION LAW
SO THEY CAN CHANGE THE SYSTEM SO
THEY WOULD BE GUARANTEED THAT
THEY WOULD ALWAYS WIN.
THEY WANT TO HAVE A CZAR THAT
WOULD TAKE AWAY FREE SPEECH.
AND WHAT’S HAPPENING IN THE
CAMPAIGN.
THIS IS THE MOST IMPORTANT THING
TO THEM.
TO JUST HOLD ONTO POWER.
MARIA: SO WHAT’S THE
EXPLANATION?
>> MARIA, LET’S START WITH --
THAT’S NOT THE FIRST BILL THAT
NANCY PELOSI HAS PASSED.
HILLARY:.MARIA: HR1 MEANS WHAT?
>> WE TALKED ABOUT THE COVID
BILL.
MARIA: MR1 MEANS PRIORITY.
>> IT IT WAS THE FIRST PIECE O
LEGISLATION.
IT WILL BE THE FIRST BIG BILL
THE PRESIDENT WILL SIGN.
MARIA: WHY DOES SHE WANT
MAIL-IN BALLOTS TO STAY FOREVER.
WHY IS SHE USING THE ELECTION AS
HER HR- 16789.
HOW COME COVID WASN’T HR-1.
>> THAT BILL ALREADY HAD A
NUMBER THAT WAS THERE LAST
SESSION OR THE LAST CONGRESS AND
THEY HELD THAT NUMBER OVER OF.
MARIA: HOW ABOUT OPENING THE
ECONOMY BEING HR-1.
HOW ABOUT GETTING PEOPLE BACK TO
WORK BEING HR-1.
HOW ABOUT THAT?
HOW COME NOT?
>> BECAUSE HR-1 WAS ALREADY A
NUMBER ASSIGNED TO ELECTION
REFORM AND BY THE WAY, WHAT IS
WRONG WITH HAVING TRANSPARENCY?
WHAT IS WRONG WITH THE MAIL-IN
BALLOT THAT LET’S SOMEBODY WHO
IS NOT EASY TO GET OUT OF THE
HOUSE AND GO VOTE, VOTE?
WHAT IS WRONG WITH ENCOURAGING
THE MAXIMUM NUMBER OF PEOPLE.
MARIA: I THINK WE ALL KNOW
WHAT’S WRONG WITH IT.
I THINK WE ALL KNOW WHAT’S WRONG
WITH IT.
>> I THINK WE DON’T.
MARIA: COUNTIES WITH BALLOTS,
BALLOTS GO TO DEAD PEOPLE’S
HOMES AND PARKING LOTS AND THEY
COME BACKFILLED OUT.
I THINK WE ALL KNOW WHAT THE
VULNERABILITIES ARE AROUND
MAIL-IN BALLOTING.
AND HOW COME YOU’RE NOT
STRESSING HAVING AN ID TO VOTE.
HOW ABOUT HAVING AN ID TO VOTE,
WHAT’S WRONG WITH THAT.
HAVE YOU TO HAVE AN ID TO BUY A
BEER.
HOW COME YOU DON’T HAVE AN ID TO
VOTE?
>> THERE ARE WAYS THAT YOU
CONFIRM THE IDENTITY OF A PERSON
WITHOUT THREATENING THEM.
AND WHAT WE KNOW IS THAT --
MARIA: THREATENING THEM BY
SHOWING ID?
THAT’S A THREAT?
THREATENING THEM BECAUSE YOU
WANT ID.
>> HOW ABOUT SOME TRANSPARENCY
IN THE ELECTORAL PROCESS,
KNOWING WHERE MONEY IS COMING
FROM.
MARIA: THAT’S IT.
WE NEED TRANSPARENCY.
I TOTALLY AGREE WITH YOU.