HOUSE AND CHAIRS THE HOUSE
SELECT SUBCOMMITTEE ON THE
CORONAVIRUS.
THANK YOU FOR JOINING ME THIS
MORNING.
HELP ME WITH THIS IDEA.
WHAT RATIONALE CAN DEMOCRATS
GIVE THE AMERICAN PEOPLE IF THEY
OPT TO NOT EVEN TRY TO WORK WITH
REPUBLICANS ON THIS BILL?
>> WELL, THANK YOU VERY MUCH FOR
HAVING ME, STEPHANIE.
WELL, WE WILL NOT DO THAT.
WE ARE GOING TO WORK WITH
REPUBLICANS.
SHARON BASS HAS BEEN DOING A
GOOD JOB AS CHAIR OF THE CAUCUS
LEADING ON THIS.
WE JUST HAD A HEARING ON
YESTERDAY IN THE FULL COMMITTEE.
THEY VOTED THIS BILL OUT.
NO REPUBLICAN VOTED FOR IT, BUT
I THINK THEY’RE GOING TO REST ON
THEIR BILL COMING OUT OF THE
SENATE.
I NOTICE WHEN THE SENATE HAD
THEIR ANNOUNCEMENT TWO DAYS AGO,
THERE WAS A REPUBLICAN HOUSE
MEMBER STANDING WITH THEM.
SO I SUSPECT THEY HAVE BEEN
CAUGHT IN THEIR ACTIVITIES QUITE
A BIT.
SO THE HOUSE IS GOING TO GO WITH
THE SENATE BILL, I MEAN THE
HOUSE REPUBLICANS WILL GO WITH
THE SENATE BILL AND THEN WE’LL
HOPEFULLY HAVE A REAL GOOD
CONFERENCE.
AND I WANT TO SEE A REAL
CONFERENCE WHERE DEMOCRATS AND
REPUBLICANS, HOUSE AND SENATE
SIT AROUND THE TABLE AND REALLY
TALK THROUGH THESE ISSUES AND
MAYBE PUT UP ON THE SCREEN SOME
VIDEO FROM ATLANTA, FROM
MINNEAPOLIS.
GO BACK TO FERGUSON.
MICHAEL BROWN, WHAT HAPPENED TO
RAYSHARD BROOKS.
THE FACT IS MICHAEL BROWN’S BODY
LAID OUT IN THE STREET IN
FERGUSON FOR HOURS.
THIS IS THE KIND OF STUFF THAT
WE NEED TO COME TO GRIPS WITH.
SO I THINK WE HAVE A REAL
CONFERENCE, GET IN THE ROOM AND
HAVE SOME REAL FACTS AND
FIGURES.
PUT SOME VIDEO UP ON THE WALL
AND LET EVERYBODY SEE WHAT WE’RE
DEALING WITH.
WE MAY COME UP WITH A PRETTY
GOOD BILL.
>> WHAT WE’RE DEALING WITH GOES
BEYOND POLICE REFORM.
IF, IN FACT, YOU GET TO SIT DOWN
AND HAVE A REAL CONFERENCE, CAN
YOU USE THIS OPPORTUNITY TO
ACTUALLY ADDRESS INEQUALITY?
THINK ABOUT ECONOMICS FOR A
MOMENT.
YOUR STATE OF SOUTH CAROLINA HAS
SEEN HUGE ECONOMIC GROWTH WHILE
AT THE SAME TIME, YOU’VE GOT A
MASSIVE AMOUNT OF RESIDENTS.
THEY ARE THE WORKING POOR, AND
THEY HAVE BEEN FOR DECADES.
CAN YOU USE THIS MOMENT TO ALSO
DIG INTO THINGS LIKE EDUCATION
AND POVERTY?
>> ABSOLUTELY.
THAT’S WHAT I HAVE BEEN WORKING
ON FOREVER.
THAT’S WHY I HAVE BEEN PUSHING
VERY HARD.
WE CALL IT 10-20-30.
WHENEVER WE APPROPRIATE MONEY,
AT LEAST 10% OF THAT
APPROPRIATION OUGHT TO GO INTO
THESE COMMUNITIES WHERE 20% OR
MORE OF THE POPULATION IS STUCK
BENEATH THE POVERTY LEVEL FOR
THE LAST 30 YEARS.
THAT’S THE CENSUS BUREAU TELLING
US THAT WHENEVER THEY DETERMINE
THAT 20% OF THE POPULATION, 20%
OR MORE, HAS BEEN STUCK BENEATH
THE POVERTY LEVEL FOR THE LAST
30 YEARS, THEY CALL THAT
PERSISTENT POVERTY.
WE’VE GOT TO GO DIRECTLY AT THAT
PERSISTENT POVERTY AND DO IT
WITH HEALTH CARE, WITH
EDUCATION, WITH SCHOOLS, WITH
INFRASTRUCTURE, BROADBAND
DEPLOYMENT, HEALTH CARE CENTERS.
THIS IS THE KIND OF STUFF WE’VE
GOT TO DO.
AND I’M TIRED OF HAVING PEOPLE
TELL ME HOW MUCH IT COSTS.
IF WE DID EVERYTHING I SAID,
BUILD 100% OUT OF BROADBAND,
BUILD 100% COVERAGE OF COMMUNITY
HEALTH CENTERS IT WILL BE BY 10%
OF WHAT WE SPENT ON THAT TAX
BREAK THAT THIS ADMINISTRATION
GAVE TO THE UPPER 1%.
>> TO THAT VERY POINT, YOU
ARE -- YOU PUT A LETTER OUT
TODAY CALLING ON THIS
ADMINISTRATION TO RELEASE THE
ECONOMIC PROJECTIONS AROUND
UNEMPLOYMENT, SOMETHING THEY
HAVE ALWAYS DONE AND THEY’VE
DECIDED IN THE LAST FEW WEEKS
THEY’RE NOT GOING TO.
IS THAT BECAUSE YOU ARE TRYING
TO SHOW THAT WHAT CORONAVIRUS
HAS ACTUALLY DONE HAS
DISPROPORTIONATELY HURT THE
WORKING POOR?
YOU CAN’T SIMPLY LOOK AT THE
STOCK MARKET AND SAY, WELL,
WE’RE ALL SET.
>> THAT’S EXACTLY WHAT I’M
TRYING TO DO.
IF YOU LOOK AT THE LEGISLATION
CREATING THE SELECT COMMITTEE,
WE ARE TO BE OVERSEEING THESE
EXPENDITURES TO MAKE SURE THAT
THE MONEY IS BEING SPENT
EFFICIENTLY, EFFECTIVELY AND
EQUITABLY.
MAKING SURE THAT THIS MONEY GOES
OUT TO PEOPLE WHO NEED IT.
WE’VE ALREADY DETERMINED THAT
SOME PEOPLE GOT MONEY THAT DID
NOT NEED IT.
AND SOME OF THEM HAVE RETURNED
IT.
AND WE WOULD LIKE TO HAVE ALL
THE INFORMATION SO WE WILL KNOW
EXACTLY WHO IS GETTING THE
MONEY.
I THINK MNUCHIN IS DOING A
TREMENDOUS DISSERVICE TO THE
AMERICAN PEOPLE WHEN HE REFUSED
TO MAKE PUBLIC.
TRANSPARENCY IS WHAT THE PROCESS
OUGHT TO BE ABOUT.
>> BUT CONGRESSMAN, WITH ALL DUE
RESPECT, WE KNEW HE WAS GOING TO
DO THAT.
IT IS ENTIRELY PREDICTABLE THAT
THIS ADMINISTRATION WOULD NOT
PROVIDE INFORMATION THAT THEY
WEREN’T FORCED TO DO.
SO WHEN YOU SIGNED THE
C.A.R.E.S. ACT, WHY DIDN’T YOU
REQUIRE ALL OF THE SMALL
BUSINESS LOAN INFORMATION TO BE
MADE PUBLIC?
YOUR SELECT SUBCOMMITTEE DOESN’T
HAVE ANY CONTROL OR JURISDICTION
OVER PPP.
HOW COULD THAT BE?
>> WELL, YOU’VE GOT ANOTHER
COMMITTEE THAT DOES HAVE.
THE PRAC.
IT HAS CONTROL.
WE ARE THE ONLY ONES OVERSEEING
THIS.
SO THE FACT OF THE MATTER IS,
IT’S IN THE LAW THAT THEY’RE
SUPPOSED TO DO THIS.
HE IS BREAKING THE LAW.
AND SO, NO, I DON’T -- I DON’T
LOOK AT SOMEBODY AND SAY I KNOW
THEY’RE GOING TO BREAK THE LAW.
I THOUGHT, SURE, THIS MAN WOULD
ABIDE BY THE LAW.
HE SAID HE WOULD.
YOU GO BACK AND LOOK AT HIS
TESTIMONY, HE SAID THAT HE
WOULD.
AND NOW HE’S SAYING THERE ARE
PRIVACY CONSIDERATIONS.
THERE AREN’T ANY PRIVACY
CONSIDERATIONS USING PUBLIC
MONEY.
THIS IS A LOT OF POPPYCOCK.
THESE PEOPLE NEED TO BE
TRANSPARENT WITH THIS, BUT THAT
SEEMS TO BE THE WAY THIS
ADMINISTRATION DOES BUSINESS.
>> THEN WE HAVE TO KEEP ASKING
QUESTIONS.
IT MAKES ABSOLUTELY NO SENSE.
>> ABSOLUTELY.
>> I WANT TO ASK YOU BEFORE WE
GO ABOUT THIS MOMENT.
OBVIOUSLY, YOU’VE HAD AN
EXTRAORDINARY HISTORY AS A CIVIL
RIGHTS LEADER.
YOU RAN AN NAACP CHAPTER WHEN
YOU WERE 12 YEARS OLD.
LOOK BACK AT OUR COUNTRY
HISTORICALLY OR IN YOUR LIFETIME
AND COMPARE IT TO THIS MOMENT
WE’RE IN RIGHT NOW.
DO YOU THINK THIS TIME IS
DIFFERENT AS FAR AS COULD THIS
BE A MOMENT TO CREATE REAL
CHANGE?
>> YES, IT IS DIFFERENT IN MANY,
MANY WAYS.
IT IS SIMILAR TO SOME OF THE
THINGS WE DID BACK IN THE ’60s.
WHEN JOHN LEWIS AND I HELPED TO
FORM WHAT WAS KNOWN AS THE
STUDENT NONVIOLENT COORDINATING
COMMITTEE.
WE HAD THE SAME COOPERATION BUT
THAT MOVEMENT GOT HIJACKED.
THAT’S ONE OF THE REASONS I’VE
BEEN SPEAKING OUT AS LOUDLY AS I
CAN.
I WISH BACK THEN WE HAD THE
BENEFIT OF PEOPLE LIKE KAREN
BASS AND OTHERS.
WE HAVE OVER 50 MEMBERS -- I
THINK 53 HOUSE MEMBERS IN THE
CONGRESSIONAL BLACK CAUCUS.
AT THE TIME BACK IN THE ’60s, WE
HAD A HALF DOZEN.
LESS THAN A HALF DOZEN.
SO WE DID NOT HAVE THE BENEFIT
OF ALL OF THESE PEOPLE ON
JUDICIARY COMMITTEE, ON THE
FINANCIAL SERVICE COMMITTEE,
CHAIRED BY MAXINE WATERS.
WE HAVE THE BENEFIT OF THAT NOW.
SO I WOULD HOPE THAT WE WILL
WORK TOGETHER, THAT PEOPLE WHO
ARE BRINGING THESE ISSUES TO THE
ATTENTION OF THE AMERICAN
PEOPLE, THE PEOPLE WHO ARE
LEGISLATORS AND CAN DO SOMETHING
ABOUT IT, THE CORPORATIONS IN
THIS COUNTRY THAT CAN MAKE THEIR
FINANCIAL COMMITMENTS TO FIXING
SOME OF THESE THINGS.
LET’S BEGIN TO WORK TOGETHER AND
DO THIS RIGHT THIS TIME.
WE DIDN’T HAVE ALL OF THAT
BEFORE.
IT IS DIFFERENT THIS TIME.
IT FEELS DIFFERENT THIS TIME.