JILLIAN: WELCOME BACK ON THIS SAD OF SAD SATURDAY.
THE U.S. ECONOMY TAKING ANOTHER
HIT WITH 701,000 JOBS LOST LAST
MONTH AND UNEMPLOYMENT SURGING
TO 4.4%.
TO 4.4%. AND AS LEADERS OF BOTH SIDES OF
THE AISLE BEGIN WORK ON THE NEXT
PHASE OF A STIMULUS PACKAGE, HOW
SOON CAN WE SEE MORE RELIEF?
GRIFF: HERE TO JOIN US TO TALK
ABOUT IT IS HOUSE MINORITY WHIP
STEVE SCALISE.
STEVE SCALISE. GOOD MORNING, CONGRESSMAN HOW
ARE YOU?
ARE YOU? >> DOING WELL, GOOD MORNING,
GOOD TO BE WITH YOU.
GRIFF: THE JOBS REPORT TERRIBLE,
IT’S GOING TO GET EVEN WORSE,
YOU’VE GOT THE PHASE III OUT
THERE, HOW DO YOU ASSESS WHERE
WE STAND AS WE HIT THIS WEEKEND?
>> WELL A LOT OF WORK HAS BEEN
PUT IN THIS LAST WEEK INTO
MAKING PHASE III WORK
SUCCESSFULLY FOR THOSE COMPANIES
AND THOSE FAMILIES THAT ARE
STRUGGLING AND YOU SAW RECORD
NUMBERS, 10 MILLION UNEMPLOYED
JUST IN THE LAST TWO WEEKS, AND
YOU KNOW LOOK, WE’RE SEEING
EVERY BUSINESS TRYING TO FIGURE
OUT HOW THEY ARE GOING TO HOLD
ON TO THEIR BUSINESS AND THEIR
WORKERS.
WORKERS. THE BILL WE PASSED LAST WEEK WAS
DESIGNED TO HELP BRING PEOPLE
BACK OFF THE UNEMPLOYMENT RULES
AND HOLD ON TO THE WORKERS THAT
YOU HAVE, WHILE THEY CAN GET
PAID UNDER THAT BILL AND IT
BE A FORGIVABLE LOAN.
YOU SAW YESTERDAY THE PROGRAM
JUST WENT ONLINE IN TREMENDOUS
SUCCESS IN THAT PROGRAM.
WE’VE SEEN A LOT OF INTEREST
JUST IN THE LAST WEEK.
I’VE HAD CALLS WITH EVERY KIND
OF SMALL BUSINESS GROUP AND
MEDIUM AND LARGE SIZE BUSINESS
GROUP THAT ARE TRYING TO FIGURE
OUT HOW TO MAKE IT WORK FOR
THEMSELVES.
THEMSELVES. TREASURY SECRETARY MNUCHIN HAS
BEEN WORKING OVERTIME ON BEHALF
OF PRESIDENT TRUMP WHO REALLY
PRESIDENT TRUMP IS THE ONE WHO
SAID I WANT TO MAKE SURE THE
MONEY GETS IN THE HANDS OF
PEOPLE AND OF BUSINESSES WE CAN
HOPEFULLY HOLD ON THROUGH ALL OF
THIS SO WE CAN HAVE AN ECONOMY
TO COME BACK TO AND YESTERDAY,
THE PROGRAM CAME OFF TO A REALLY
SUCCESSFUL START.
SUCCESSFUL START. THERE’S A LOT OF WORK TO BE DONE
, BUT TREASURY WAS EVEN
WORKING LAST NIGHT TO REVISE
SOME OF THE RULES TO MAKE SURE
THAT THERE’S CLARITY, SO PEOPLE
KNOW HOW IT WORKS FOR THEM, SO
THAT THEY CAN APPLY FOR AND GET
THESE LOANS AND HOLD ON TO
THEIR JOBS AND SMALL BUSINESSES,
FAMILIES CAN HOLD ON TO THEIR
HOMES.
HOMES. PETE: YEAH, REPRESENT THEY’VE IN
THESE UNIQUE TIMES, PRICE TAGS
HAVE PRETTY MUCH GONE OUT THE
WINDOW SO A LOT OF PEOPLE
LOOK AT 2 TRILLION AND SAY A
HUGE NUMBER FOR PHASE III YET
THERE’S ALREADY TALK ON CAPITOL
HILL FROM LEADERSHIP ON BOTH
SIDES OF THE AISLE ABOUT A
POTENTIAL PHASE IV.
DO YOU SUPPORT THAT?
WHAT BE IN IT?
>> RIGHT NOW MY FOCUS HAS BEEN
ON MAKING PHASE III WORK.
THERE’S SO MANY ASPECTS OF PHASE
III FOR FAMILIES THAT GIVES A
LOT OF RELIEF.
I MEAN, RELIEF FOR INDIVIDUALS.
YOU CAN GET LOAN FORBEARANCE FOR
EXAMPLE, WHERE YOU CAN GO TO
YOUR BANK AND ASK THEM FOR AN
EXTENSION OF MAYBE THREE
MONTHS AT THE END OF YOUR NOTE
SO THE NEXT THREE MONTHS YOU
DON’T HAVE TO PAY YOUR HOUSE
NOTE OR BUSINESS NOTE THAT’S IN
THE BILL.
THE BILL. THE ABILITY AGAIN TO GET THESE
SMALL BUSINESS LOANS, MEDIUM AND
LARGE SIZE COMPANY, COMPANIES
OVER 500, EVERYWHERE FROM THE
BIGGEST COMPANIES IN THE
WORLD YOU’VE HEARD ABOUT THE
AIRLINE INDUSTRIAL OF THE
COMPANIES STRUGGLING HAVE AN
ABILITY TO GET RELIEF TO HOLD
ON THROUGH THIS CRISIS AND WHEN
WE COME OUT OF THIS HOPEFULLY IN
THE WEEKS AHEAD THOSE JOBS ARE
STILL THERE.
STILL THERE. OUR ECONOMY IS SOMETHING WE CAN
COME BACK TO.
THE FOCUS NEEDS TO BE ON MAKING
THAT BILL WORK AND A LOT OF
ENERGY HAS BEEN FOCUSED.
PETE: TOTALLY AGREE BUT WHEN YOU
SEE LEADERS TALKING ABOUT
ANOTHER PHASE PEOPLE START TO
SAY WHAT YOU SAID.
WAIT, WE JUST PASSED PHASE III,
PEOPLE ARE FIGURING OUT HOW TO
ACCESS IT.
ACCESS IT. WHAT’S THIS TALK ABOUT ANOTHER
ONE?
ONE? WOULD YOU SUPPORT, DO YOU THINK
THERE MIGHT BE A NEED FOR A
FOURTH PHASE?
FOURTH PHASE? >> WELL AGAIN, WHEN YOU LOOK AT
WHAT IS IN THIS THIRD BILL, AND
BY THE WAY THERE RONALD REGAN
TWO OTHER BILLS PASSED PRIOR TO
THAT SO YOU HAVE SOMEWHERE NEAR
$3 TRILLION OF TAXPAYER MONEY
OUT THERE NOW WORKING FOR
FAMILIES AND FAMILIES JUST
WORKING THROUGH THE DETAILS TO
SEE HOW IT’S GOING TO WORK LIKE
SECRETARY MNUCHIN SAID YESTERDAY
, MAYBE ANOTHER TWO
WEEKS, THAT IRS COMPONENT WHERE
PEOPLE GET $1,200 PER PERSON
COMING THROUGH THEIR IRS
AUTOMATIC DEPOSIT THOSE THINGS
HAVEN’T HAPPENED YET THAT WAS IN
THE THIRD BILL SO LET’S MAKE ALL
THE FOCUS ON GETTING THAT MONEY
INTO THE POCKETS OF FAMILIES SO
THEY CAN GET THROUGH THESE NEXT
FEW WEEKS.
FEW WEEKS. CLEARLY THERE’S TALK ABOUT WHAT
HAPPENS NEXT IN CONGRESS BUT
ESPECIALLY WHAT WE CAN DO TO GET
THE ECONOMY BACK OPEN AGAIN
AND I KNOW PRESIDENT TRUMP IS
FOCUSED ON THAT EVERY DAY WHILE
HE’S FOCUSED ON THE HEALTH AND
SAFETY OF THE AMERICAN FAMILY
FIRST.
FIRST. JILLIAN: BEFORE WE LET YOU GO WE
HAVE TO GET YOUR OPINION ON THIS
THE WHITE HOUSE TASK FORCE IS
OBVIOUSLY VERY CAREFULLY MONITOR
ING THE CASES IN
LOUISIANA AS THEY SPIKE AND
CONTINUE TO SPIKE, PRESIDENT
TRUMP SAYING THE MEDICAL
SUPPLIES WILL ARRIVE IN NEW
ORLEANS TODAY.
ORLEANS TODAY. TELL US ABOUT THAT STATE AND
WHAT’S HAPPENING THERE.
>> YEAH, THAT’S SOMETHING WE’VE
BEEN WORKING WITH THE PRESIDENT,
ALL THE WAY DOWN THROUGH FEMA,
TALKED TO THE FEMA ADMINISTRATOR
AT THE BEGINNING OF THIS WEEK
AND THEY ASSURED US THEY WERE
GOING TO GET MORE PPE’S AND
VENTILATORS DOWN TO NEW ORLEANS
AND THEY HAVE GOTTEN IT THROUGH
THE STATE OFFICE OF EMERGENCY
PEEP EDNESS I’VE BEEN WORKING
WITH OUR GOVERNOR, JOHN BILL
EDWARDS TOO SO EVERYBODY IS
WORKING ON THAT TOGETHER I
TALKED TO THE HEAD OF THE
HOSPITAL, WORNER THOMAS, ALL
OF THE PEOPLE HAVE BEEN STEPPING
UP TO THE CHALLENGE.
OUR HOSPITAL WORKERS ARE
STEPPING UP TO THE CHALLENGE.
WE WANTED TO MAKE SURE WE GOT
THEM MORE PROTECTIVE EQUIPMENT,
THE PPES HAD IS IN SUCH DEMAND
AND WE WERE ABLE TO GET OVER
110,000 PPE’S FOR THOSE WORKERS
THAT ARE THE BRAVE, FRONTLINE
WORKERS TAKING CARE OF PEOPLE SO
EVERYBODY IS PULLING TOGETHER.
THE TRAGEDIES THAT YOU SEE ARE
REAL BUT PEOPLE ARE DOING A
BETTER JOB OF SHELTERING AT HOME
, WASHING THEIR HANDS AND
SOCIAL DISTANCING BECAUSE THEY
REALIZE EVERY AMERICAN CAN PLAY
A PART IN STOPPING THE SPREAD OF
THIS DISEASE.
THIS DISEASE. GRIFF: AND YOU’RE IN A HOTSPOT
THERE, CONGRESSMAN SO WE’LL BE
THINKING ABOUT YOU AND ALL THE
PEOPLE DOWN IN LOUISIANA.
>> THANK YOU.
JILLIAN: THANK YOU.