>> Stephen: JON BATISTE AND STAY HUMAN, EVERYBODY, THANK
YOU, JON.
>> Stephen: WELCOME BACK.
JOINING ME NOW IS THE MAN WHO HAS SPENT MORE THAN 40 YEARS
REPRESENTING THE STATE OF NEW YORK ON CAPITOL HILL.
PLEASE WELCOME SENATE MAJORITY LEADER CHUCK SCHUMER!
SENATOR SCHUMER, THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR BEING HERE.
>> GOOD TO BE WITH YOU AGAIN, STEPHEN, FIRST TIME AS MAJORITY
LEADER.
>> Stephen: THAT IS TRUE, I WANT TO GET TO THAT IN JUST ONE
SECRETARY BUT FIRST I WANT TO TALK ABOUT THE HORRIFIC VIOLENCE
DOWN IN ATLANTA.
IT IS AN UNMITIGATED TRAGEDY.
WHAT WORDS DO YOU HAVE FOR PEOPLE IN THE ASIAN AMERICAN
COMMUNITY WHO ARE FEELING INCREASINGLY THREATENED OVER THE
PAST YEAR, ESPECIALLY?
>> YEAH, WELL FIRST MY HEART GOES OUT TO THE FAMILIES OF THE
EIGHT WHO HAVE SUFFERED SUCH A TRAGEDY.
AND TO LITERALLY MILLIONS OF ASIAN AMERICANS WHO NOW WALK THE
TREATS WITH FEAR THAT THEY MIGHT BE THE NEXT VICTIM OF THIS KIND
OF ASSAULT.
THE ASIAN AMERICAN COMMUNITY IS SUCH A BEAUTIFUL THING IN
AMERICA.
HARDWORKING PEOPLE.
THEY START BUSINESSES AND COMMUNITY ORGANIZATIONS.
THEY'RE FAMILY ORIENTED.
THERE IS NOTHING MORE THAN THEY WANT THAN TO BE AMERICAN.
IN NEW YORK, HERE IS AN INTERESTING STATISTIC TO SHOW, 9
PERCENT OF THE POLICE FORCE IS ASIAN AMERICAN.
SO THEY ARE A WONDERFUL PEOPLE AND THEY MAKE AMERICA A FINE
PLACE.
YOU KNOW WHAT HAS HAPPENED IN THE LAST FOUR YEARS, IS DONALD
TRUMP, WE'VE ALWAYS HAD BIGOTRY IN AMERICA, THERE SAN
UNDERCURRENT, SOMETIMES IT RISES TO THE SURFACE BUT DONALD TRUMP
HAS SORT OF, A LOT OF PEOPLE THOUGHT HE MADE IT ACCEPTABLE.
AND IT ROSE UP.
IT IS ALMOST AS IF YOU KNOW THE SUPEREGO THAT KEPT THIS BIGOTRY
DOWN WAS GONE.
AND SO IT IS WORSE THAN IT'S BEEN BEFORE.
WE ALL, EVERY ONE OF US HAS AN OBLIGATION TO SPEAK OUT AGAINST
IT.
TO LET OUR ASIAN AMERICAN FRIENDS KNOW WE LOVE THEM AND
THEY ARE PART OF US.
AND TO REALIZE THAT BIGOTRY AGAINST ONE IS BIGOTRY AGAINST
ALL.
I ACHE FOR THEM.
I ACHE, I DO.
>> Stephen: WELL, YOU HAVE A LOT TO GET DONE IN THIS SESSION
OF THE CONGRESS.
THE LAST TIME YOU AND I SPOKE, AS YOU POINTED OUT, YOU HAD A
DIFFERENT TITLE.
NOW YOU ARE THE MAJORITY LEADER, SECOND TIME FOR NANCY PELL OSY
TO BE THE SPEAKER, FIRST FOR YOU TO BE THE MAJORITY LEADER, ARE
YOU DRUNK WITH POWER OR STILL JUST DRUNK ON CHEESE CAKE, WHICH
IS IT.
>> YOU KNOW I LOVE JUNIOR CHEESE CAKE FROM BROOKLYN, BUT LET ME
TELL YOU THE REACTION I HAD WHEN I FOUND OUT I WOULD BE MAJORITY
LEADER.
YOU KNOW, EVERY ONE OF US WHO HAD WORKED FOR A VERY IMPORTANT
GOAL, WHETHER IT IS PERSONAL OR FAMILY OR PROFESSIONAL, CAN
ACHIEVE TA GOAL AFTER A LONG TREK, DE TOURS ALONG THE ROAD,
THEIR IMMEDIATE REACTION IS ONE OF YOURS, WOW, I GOT THIS.
BUT WITH ME, WITHIN A FEW MINUTES IT IS 4:30 A.M. IN THE
MORNING.
JUST AFTER THEY DECLAREED OSSOFF AND WARNOCK, THE TWO GEORGIA
SENATORS, I HAD A SECOND REAUCTION, OF A-WE, NO
APPROXIMATE NOT IN THE SENSE MY DAUGHTER USES, LIKE THAT MOVIE
WAS AWESOME, BUT A-WE IN THIS SENSE THAT WHEN THE ANGELS SAW
THE FACE OF GOD THEY TREMBLED IN A-WE.
AND I REALIZED RIGHT AWAY, IT HIT ME VERY HARD, QUICKER THAN I
THOUGHT, THE TREMENDOUS RESPONSIBILITY PLACED ON THE
SHOULDERS OF OUR DEMOCRATIC MAJORITY, SMALL THOUGH IT WAS.
AND I STILL FEEL THAT WAY.
WE HAVE AN OBLIGATION TO SHOW PEOPLE THAT THERE IS A POSITIVE
PATH FORWARD THAT CAN MAKE THEIR LIVES BETTER.
SO THEY WON'T TURN TO THE FALSE GOD OF BIGOTRY AND THE KIND OF
PERSON DONALD TRUMP WAS.
>> Stephen: LET'S TALK ABOUT SOME OF THE RESPONSIBILITY THAT
YOU AND YOUR FELLOW REPRESENTATIVES IN CONGRESS HAVE
TAKEN ON SO FAR.
SICK WEEKS INTO THE NEW JOB, YOU PASSED A 1.9 TRILLION DOLLAR
COVID RELIEF BILL.
BACK IN 2010 WHEN THE AFFORDABLE CARE ACT WAS PASSED, NOW
PRESIDENT BIDEN FAMOUSLY ON A HOT MIC SAID THAT WAS, AND CBS
WILL BLEEP THIS, A BIG [BLEEP] DEAL.
WHAT THREE WORDS DESCRIBE THE RELIEF PLAN?
>> GAME HAS BEEN CHANGER, CHANGING A LOT OF LIVES FOR THE
BETTER.
>> Stephen: HOW DOES IT CHANGE THE GAME, I'M SORRY, SIR, WHAT
HAS CHANGED, HOW DOES THE GAME CHANGE?
>> IN MANY DIFFERENT WAYS.
IT HAS DONE SO MUCH.
FIRST SOME OF THE IMMEDIATE THINGS THAT THE AMERICAN PEOPLE
WANT, PEOPLE WILL GET THEIR 1400 DOLLAR CHECKS, MANY HAVE
ALREADY.
FOR EACH PERSON IN THE FAMILY, A FAMILY OF FOUR, MAKES BELOW
$150, THEY DEBT $5600.
THE VACCINE, THEY ARE NOW BEING ADMINISTERED A MUCH QUICKER AND
MORE EFFECTIVE RATE, MANY MORE PEOPLE WILL BE ABLE TO GET THE
VACCINE MUCH SEERN.
HOW ABOUT THIS ONE.
BECAUSE WE CHANGE SOMETHING CALLED THE CHILD TAX CREDIT AND
THE EARNED INCOME TAX CREDIT, HALF THE CHILDREN IN AMERICA WHO
ARE IN POVERTY WILL NOT BE IN POVERTY, THAT IS AMAZING.
WHEN YOU ARE A CHILD AND YOU START OUT IMPOVERISHED, YOU
DON'T GET ADEQUATE EDUCATION AND HEALTH CARE AND HOUSING.
AND YOU KNOW, WHEN YOU BECOME A YOUNG PERSON YOU ARE WAY BEHIND,
JUST BEHIND.
WE CAN ERADICATE THAT, THIS IS FOR ONE YEAR, CAN I HOPE WE
WOULD MAKE IT PERMANENT THAT WOULD CHANGE AMERICA
PERMANENTLY.
WE MADE IT EASIER FOR SCHOOLS TO OPEN.
THERE ARE SO MANY THINGS IN THIS BILL.
ONE FINAL THING THAT ENCAPSULATES IT.
WE DEMOCRATS BELIEVE THAT GOVERNMENT HAS TO BE A FORCE FOR
GOOD.
AND WE PROMISED WHEN WE RAN THAT WE WOULD DO THINGS THAT WOULD
MAKE PEOPLE'S LIVES BETTER.
AND AM THIS AMERICAN RESCUE PLAN WE ACTUALLY HAVE DONE THAT, AND
JUST ABOUT EVERY AMERICAN WILL HAVE THEIR LIVES MADE BETTER ONE
WAY OR ANOTHER, ALL THE THINGS I MENTIONED.
YOU COULD BE A RESTAURANTEUR, YOU COULD BE A NONPROFIT, YOU
COULD BE SOMEONE WHO IS WORRIED ABOUT YOUR PENGS, ALL OF THAT
HAS BEEN MADE BETTER.
>> Stephen: LET'S TALK ABOUT BIG BOLD CHANGE AND ALSO INCOME
INEQUALITY.
THIS WAS THE ARP, THE RESCUE PLAN WAS PASSED THROUGH BUDGET
RECONCILIATION FOR THE PEOPLE OUT THERE THAT DON'T KNOW, THAT
MEANS IT DOESN'T NEED TO GET AROUND A FILIBUSTER.
>> RIGHT.
>> Stephen: CAN YOU DO THAT AGAIN?
THIS WAS THE 2020 BUDGET RECONCILIATION.
YOU'VE STILL GOT 2021, RIGHT?
>> YEAH, WE STILL HAVE ANOTHER ONE.
>> Stephen: SO YOU GET TWO, YOU GET TO DOUBLE DIP THIS YEAR,
IS IT GOING TO BE INFRASTRUCTURE PAID FOR WAY BIG TAX INCREASE ON
GUYS LIKE ME WITH A LOT OF CASH?
>> YEAH, WELL, WE HAVEN'T FIRMLY DECIDED BUT IT LOOKS, IT IS
LIKELY TO BE THE BIDEN PLAN, WHICH IS CALLED BUILD BACK
BETTER WHICH COMBINES A BUNCH OF THINGS.
NUMBER ONE, DRAMATIC INCREASE IN INFRASTRUCTURE.
BOTH THE TRADITIONAL INFRASTRUCTURE, BUT ALSO GREEN
INFRASTRUCTURE IT IS VERY CLIMATE ORIENTED.
SO FOR INSTANCE WE WOULD HAVE A POWER GRID THAT COULD BRING
SOLAR AND WIND POWER, FROM ONE END OF THE COUNTRY TO THE OTHER.
I HAVE MADE A PROPOOS-- PROPOSAL WHICH BIDEN HAS ACCEPTED THAT WE
ENCOURAGE, GREATLY ENCOURAGE ELECTRIC CARS WHICH DON'T
POLLUTE AS OPPOSED TO THE INTERNAL COME BUST SHON ENGINE,
SO AN INFRASTRUCTURE, IN A DIFFERENT WAY TOO, BROADBAND.
YOU KNOW FRANKLIN ROOSEVELT SAID IN THE 30S THAT EVERY HOME
SHOULD HAVE ELECTRICITY, IT WAS A NECESSITY.
WELL, HIGH-SPEED INTERNET IS A NECESSITY NOW.
BUT TOO MANY HOMES IN RURAL AMERICA AND WE HAVE TO INCLUDE
RURAL AMERICA IN WHAT WE TRY TO DO, AND IN THE INNER CITY DON'T
HAVE INTERNET.
OUR PROPOSAL WOULD SAY EVERY HOME SHOULD GET IT.
>> Stephen: WE HAVE TO TAKE A QUICK BREAK, SENATOR, STICK
AROUND, WHEN WE COME BACK, I WILL ASK CHUCK SCHUMER ABOUT
MITCH McCONNELL'S THREAT TO UNLEASH SCORCHED EARTH IF THEY
CHANGE THE FILIBUSTER.