A FULL DAY.
>> INDEED.
THANKS TO BOTH OF YOU.
>>> CALLS FOR NORMALCY AND UNITY
ARE ALREADY BEING UNDERCUT BY
PARTISAN BICKERING IN CONGRESS.
JOINING ME NOW, TWO MEN WHO KNOW
A THING OR TWO ABOUT WORKING
ACROSS THE AISLE AND SEEKING
UNITY.
THEY ARE THE CO-CHAIRS OF THE
BIPARTISAN PROBLEM SOLVERS
CAUCUS.
CONGRESSMAN TOM REED, REPUBLICAN
FROM NEW YORK, CONGRESSMAN JOSH
GOT
GOTTHEIMER, DEMOCRAT FROM NEW
JERSEY.
DEMOCRATS HAVE BOTH HOUSES OF
CONGRESS, THE WHITE HOUSE.
IF THERE’S ONE THING THAT WE
LEARNED IN THE LAST TWO
ADMINISTRATIONS, IT’S THAT
CONTROLLING ALL THE LEVERS
DOESN’T NECESSARILY MAKE IT EASY
TO PASS LAWS.
WHAT PATH DO YOU SEE,
CONGRESSMAN, TO GET STUFF DONE?
>> I THINK WE HAVE TO FOLLOW THE
WORDS OF OUR NEW PRESIDENT
YESTERDAY WHO SAID THAT UNITY IS
THE PATH FORWARD.
I THINK HE CALLED FOR ALL OF US
TO REPAIR THE BREACH AND TO GET
TO WORK.
THE ONLY WAY WE WILL BEAT COVID
AND TURN THE ECONOMY AROUND IS
IF WE WORK TOGETHER.
TOM REED, WHO IS ON HERE WITH
ME, A CO-CHAIR OF THE PROBLEM
SOLVERS CAUCUS, WE ARE FOCUSED
ON, THE 56 US IN THE CAUCUS,
WORKING WITH OUR COLLEAGUES, IS
TO GET THINGS DONE.
STARTING WITH COVID WHICH IS
FRONT AND CENTER RIGHT AWAY.
>> CONGRESSMAN REED, PRESIDENT
BIDEN SPENT MUCH OF HIS ADDRESS
SPEAKING ABOUT UNITY,
BIPARTISANSHIP.
SPECIFIC AREAS, CONGRESSMAN
REED, SPECIFIC AREAS WHERE YOU
COULD SEE MEMBERS OF YOUR PARTY
WORKING WITH DEMOCRATS, CROSSING
THE AISLE.
>> YEAH.
ABSOLUTELY I AGREE WITH JOSH AND
WITH THE PRESIDENT’S MESSAGE
YESTERDAY.
NOW IS AN OPPORTUNITY TO HEAL
THIS COUNTRY AND BRING US
TOGETHER.
SPECIFICALLY, AS WE DEAL WITH
COVID-19, WE IN THE PROBLEM
SOLVERS CAUCUS HELPED LEAD THE
PACKAGE THAT GOT SIGNED INTO LAW
FOR COVID RELIEF.
WITH COVID, I THINK ON VACCINE
DISTRIBUTION AND RESOURCES TO
MAKE SURE THE VACCINE IS GETTING
OUT AS FAST AS POSSIBLE SO WE
GET HERD IMMUNITY SOONER.
THAT’S SOMETHING WE CAN AGREE
UPON.
MAYBE AN OPPORTUNITY FOR
ADDITIONAL ASSISTANCE TO
INDIVIDUALS WITH DIRECT
ASSISTANCE IN REGARDS TO CHECKS.
YOU KNOW THE DEBATE WE WERE PART
OF BEFORE IN REGARDS TO THAT.
MAYBE WE CAN FIND A TARGETED
RELIEF PACKAGE THERE THAT GOES
WITH IT.
I WILL TELL YOU, THERE ARE MANY
OF US THAT ARE INTERESTED IN
FINDING THAT COMMON GROUND.
AS THE PRESIDENT SIGNED THESE
EXECUTIVE ORDERS, HE SAID
SOMETHING THAT I TOLD MY
COLLEAGUE MS. TIMES.
WHAT YOU CAN DO BY EXECUTIVE
ORDER YOU CAN UNDO BY EXECUTIVE
ORDER.
WHEN PRESIDENT BIDEN SAID WE
NEED LEGISLATIVE ACTION TO GET
THIS TAKEN CARE OF, THAT IS
WHERE I THINK WE IN THE PROBLEM
SOLVERS CAUCUS ARE CRITICAL TO
THE SUCCESS.
YOU NEED 60 VOTES IN THE SENATE
AND 218 IN THE HOUSE.
WE ARE WILLING TO ROLL UP OUR
SLEEVES TO FIND COMMON GROUND.
>> ONE ITEM THAT WASN’T ON THE
LIST FROM CONGRESSMAN REED,
IMMIGRATION.
IMMIGRATION REFORM HAS BEEN THE
POLITICAL WHITE WHALE FOR
DECADES, DEMOCRATIC AND
REPUBLICAN PRESIDENTS HAVE TRIED
TO GET IT DONE.
THEY BOTH FAILED.
I THINK IT HAS COME UP AT LEAST
THREE TIMES OVER THE PAST 13, 14
YEARS.
PRESIDENT BIDEN WASTING NO TIME
ANNOUNCING A PAUSE ON
DEPORTATION, LAYING OUT GOALS
FOR SWEEPING LEGISLATION.
SIMPLE QUESTION, WILL CONGRESS
PASS A SWEEPING IMMIGRATION BILL
THIS TIME?
>> I’M REALLY GLAD YOU BROUGHT
THAT UP.
THAT’S SOMETHING OUR CAUCUS HAS
WORKED ON FOR MULTIPLE YEARS TO
GET LEGISLATION PASSED.
OBVIOUSLY, WE -- I WAS
PERSONALLY PLEASED WITH THE
ACTION TAKEN YESTERDAY.
I THINK THIS IS SOMETHING THAT
TOM AND I HAVE TALKED ABOUT WITH
THE GROUP, HEOF GETTING BACK TO
WORK ON. I’M PLEASED THAT’S ON AT AGAIN
I’M PLEASED THAT’S ON AT AGAIN
DA.
IT’S GOTTEN VERY CLOSE.
WE WORK WITH A GROUP IN THE
SENATE, DEMOCRATS AND
REPUBLICANS, 16 OF THEM, HALF
DEMOCRAT, HALF REPUBLICAN.
IF HE WITH SIT DOWN AT THE TABLE
AND WORK TOGETHER, THIS IS
SOMETHING WE CAN GET DONE.
IT’S GOING TO TAKE US WORKING
TOGETHER, JUST LIKE
INFRASTRUCTURE, JUST LIKE COVID.
I THINK THE BROADER MORAL OF THE
STORY IS GIVEN HOW NARROW THE
MAJORITY IS, WE WILL ALL HAVE TO
SIT DOWN AT THE BEGINNING OF A
PROCESS AND WORK THE BEST WAY
FORWARD TOGETHER.
I THINK THAT’S WHAT THE COUNTRY
WANTS US TO DO.
>> CONGRESSMAN REED, WE MAY BE
HEARING CALLS FOR UNITY.
YOU RECENTLY TOLD MY COLLEAGUE CHUCK TODD, QUOTE, WE HAVE TO BE
CHUCK TODD, QUOTE, WE HAVE TO BE
REALISTIC, IT’S NOT GO-- IT’S
GOING TO BE A FIGHT.
WHAT WILL THE BIGGEST FIGHT BE
1234BE?
>> WE HAVE TO GET THROUGH THE
ANGER.
WE HAVE TO UNDERSTAND THE 74
MILLION FOLKS THAT VOTED FOR
PRESIDENT TRUMP AND WHERE THEY
ARE AT.
THE LACK OF TRUST THAT THEY HAVE
IN THE INSTITUTIONS OF CONGRESS
AND OF THE COUNTRY.
THAT’S WHY I APPRECIATED
PRESIDENT BIDEN REACHING OUT TO
THOSE 74 MILLION VOEKLILLION FOL
MAYBE IN H.R. 1 THAT YOU HAD A
PIECE ON THAT THE SPEAKER WAS
TALKING ABOUT, MAYBE WE FOCUS ON
THE ISSUE OF ELECTION INTEGRITY
TO BRING FAITH BACK INTO OUR
CONVERSATION.
YOU HAVE A CONVERSATION WHERE
YOU LISTEN TO THE OTHER SIDE AND
YOU LISTEN TO THOSE PEOPLE THAT
YOU DISAGREE WITH.
THAT’S WHAT WE DO IN THE PROBLEM
SOLVERS CAUCUS EVERY DAY.
WE STAY IN THE ROOM.
WE OFTEN YELL AT EACH OTHER, BUT
BY THE END OF THE CONVERSATION
AFTER AN HOUR OR TWO, WE ARE
LISTENING TO EACH OTHER.
THIS IS WHERE WE CAN AGREE.
DO IT WITH RESPECT AS OUR
PARENTS TAUGHT US.
THAT’S WHEN YOU CAN SOLVE
PROBLEMS FOR THE AMERICAN
PEOPLE.
>> I TOTALLY AGREE.
I WOULD JUST -- I WANT TO ADD
ONE THING.
TOM WAS SPOT ON.
AMERICA IS REALLY RESILIENT.
THAT WAS A CORE MESSAGE WE HEARD
FROM THE PRESIDENT YESTERDAY OF
HOW WE HAVE TO -- IN ORDER TO
BEAT THE VIRUS AND TURN THE
ECONOMY AROUND, WE WILL HAVE TO
SHOW THAT WE CAN HEAL THE
DEMOCRACY, EVEN AFTER A FAILED
INSURRECTION, AND GET BACK
TOGETHER AND BACK TO WORK.
IT’S GOING TO TAKE US WORKING
TOGETHER, TO TOM’S POINT.
LOOK FOR US TO DO THAT.
IT’S NOT GOING TO BE EASY, BUT
WE CAN GET THERE.
>> WE ARE ALL LOOKING TO YOU TO