>> LET’S HOPE HE DOESN’T TAKE IT
OUT ON THAT POOR TURKEY.
GEOFF BENNETT, PETER ALEXANDER,
THANKS TO BOTH OF YOU.
>>> SENATOR CHRIS COONS,
DEMOCRAT FROM DELAWARE, JOINING
ME NOW.
CERTAINLY A HAPPIER DAY FOR THE
BIDEN TEAM IN WILMINGTON WHO CAN
NOW START WORKING ON BACKGROUND
CHECKS AS THESE NOMINEES COME
FORWARD AND BEGIN TO THINK ABOUT
GETTING READY FOR CONFIRMATIONS.
>> THAT’S RIGHT.
THIS LONG OVERDUE TRANSITION IS
NOW FULLY, FINALLY, COMPLETELY
UNDER WAY.
I’M EXCITED BY THE NOMINEES
ANNOUNCED BY PRESIDENT-ELECT
BIDEN AND TO WORK WITH THEM AND
TO SUPPORT THEIR NOMINATIONS AND
CONFIRMATION.
WE SHOULD FOLLOW
LONG-ESTABLISHED PRECEDENT AND
HAVE THE RELEVANT COMMITTEE
HEARINGS BEFORE THE INAUGURATION
SO THAT THE MOST SENIOR MEMBERS
OF THE BIDEN/HARRIS CABINET ARE
IN PLACE ON THE VERY FIRST DAY
OF THE NEXT ADMINISTRATION.
>> THAT WOULD BE A REALLY RAPID
SCHEDULE, IS THERE ANY SIGN THAT
MITCH McCONNELL IS GOING TO LET
THAT HAPPEN?
>> WELL, I’VE SPOKEN TO A NUMBER
OF REPUBLICAN COLLEAGUES AND I
AM HOPEFUL THAT THEY WILL WORK
WITH THE INCOMING
ADMINISTRATION, PARTICULARLY
GIVEN THE SEASONED, SENIOR,
QUALIFIED FOLKS WHO HAVE BEEN
NOMINATED.
PRESIDENT-ELECT BIDEN HAS SHOWN
REAL LEADERSHIP IN MOVING
FORWARD WITH NOMINEES WHO ARE
BOTH EXPERIENCED, WELL-KNOWN TO
MEMBERS OF THE SENATE, FOLKS WHO
HAVE BEEN PREVIOUSLY CONFIRMED TO SENIOR POSITIONS, BUT WHO
TO SENIOR POSITIONS, BUT WHO
ALSO BREAK NEW GROUND.
WE’RE GOING TO AVRIL HAYNES,
FIRST WOMAN TO LEAD THE
INTELLIGENCE COMMUNITY, JANET
YELLEN, FIRST WOMAN TO LEAD THE
TREASURY, THE FIRST
LATINO-AMERICAN TO LEAD THE
DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY.
THESE FOLKS HAVE SHOWN THE
ABILITY TO BE CONFIRMED TO
SENIOR POSITIONS BY THE SENATE
IN THE PAST.
>> WHEN I SAID THAT IT WOULD BE
A RAPID SCHEDULE, OBVIOUSLY A
RAPID SCHEDULE GIVEN HOW LATE
THE TRANSITION IS STARTING.
IT WOULD NORMALLY NOT BE SO.
BUT MITCH McCONNELL ALSO HAS NOT
BEEN WILLING TO DEAL ON COVID
AND HAS NOT EVEN ENDORSED OR
SAID THAT JOE BIDEN IS THE
PRESIDENT-ELECT.
>> WELL, REGARDLESS OF WHAT THE
MAJORITY LEADER HAS SAID, THE
REALITY IS THAT JOE BIDEN IS THE
PRESIDENT-ELECT, AND KAMALA
HARRIS IS THE VICE PRESIDENT
ELECT, AND WITH THE GSA
ADMINISTRATOR NOW RECOGNIZING
THAT REALITY AND HAVING
DELIVERED A WRITTEN
ASCERTAINMENT, THE TRANSITION IS
GOING TO BE WELL UNDER WAY.
IT’S NOT THE PRESIDENT-ELECT’S
FAULT THAT THE TRANSITION HAS
BEEN DELAYED BY SEVERAL WEEKS BY
OUTGOING PRESIDENT TRUMP’S
TEMPER TANTRUM ABOUT THE
TRANSITION.
AND FRANKLY, I AM OPTIMISTIC
THAT WE WILL PROMPTLY BEGIN THE
APPROPRIATE CONSULTATIONS WITH
THOSE SENATORS WHO ARE MOST
LIKELY TO BE THE COMMITTEE
CHAIRS AND THAT THESE VERY
QUALIFIED NOMINEES WILL BE ABLE
TO MAKE PROGRESS.
WE SHOULDN’T BE HOLDING UP THE
TRANSFER OF CRITICAL NATIONAL
SECURITY INFORMATION, FOR
EXAMPLE, TO THE PRESIDENT-ELECT
OR TO HIS TEAM, OR THE TRANSFER
OF CRITICALLY NEEDED PUBLIC
HEALTH INFORMATION ABOUT
OPERATION WARP SPEED, AND
PLANNING FOR THE DELIVERY OF
VACCINES TO MORE THAN 300
MILLION AMERICANS, JUST BECAUSE
PRESIDENT TRUMP STEADFASTLY
REFUSES TO ACCEPT THE OUTCOME OF
THE ELECTION.
>> DO YOU THINK McCONNELL IS
TRYING TO WAIT UNTIL AFTER THE
GEORGIA RUNOFFS ON JANUARY 5
BEFORE ACKNOWLEDGING BIDEN’S
SUCCESS?
>> I CERTAINLY HOPE NOT, THAT’S
A LONG TIME TO WAIT.
THAT’S UNTIL JANUARY 5.
I FRANKLY THINK THAT WOULD HARM
OUR WHOLE NATION.
I THINK IT’S IMPORTANT THAT
MAJORITY LEADER McCONNELL SHOW
THAT HE RECOGNIZES THAT WE NEED
TO FUND OUR RECOVERY, THAT WE
NEED TO PROVIDE AN ADDITIONAL
ROUND OF FUNDING, YES TO SMALL
BUSINESSES, BUT ALSO TO STATE
AND LOCAL GOVERNMENTS, TO
FAMILIES AND INDIVIDUALS WHO ARE
STRUGGLING, EVEN ON A DAY THAT
THE DOW JONES HITS A NEW ALL
TIME RECORD, THERE IS A BIG
DIFFERENCE BETWEEN THE STOCK
MARKET AND WHAT’S HAPPENING IN
GROCERY MARKETS IN LOCAL
COMMUNITIES ALL OVER OUR
COUNTRY.
WE’VE GOT FAMILIES THAT ARE
HURTING AND STRUGGLING.
WE HAVE MORE THAN 6 MILLION
AMERICANS, ANDREA, WHO ARE ON
THE VERGE OF BEING EVICTED
EITHER BECAUSE THEY’RE LATE ON
THEIR MORTGAGES OR ON THEIR
RENT.
AND WE NEED TO TAKE DECISIVE
STEPS TO PUT A FLOOR UNDER OUR
RECOVERY.
PEOPLE WHO HOLD ACCOUNTS SHOULD
BE PLEASED ABOUT THE DOW, BUT IT
SHOWS THE RECOVERY IS UNDER WAY
AND WE SHOULD BE ABLE TO WORK
ACROSS AISLE TO DELIVER
ADDITIONAL SUPPORT THAT SMALL
BUSINESSES AND EMPLOYERS AND
EMPLOYEES AND THEIR FAMILIES
NEED AND DESERVE GOING INTO THIS
HOLIDAY SEASON.
>> DO YOU THINK JOE BIDEN SHOULD
REACH OUT TO SENATOR McCONNELL?
>> I THINK THEY SHOULD REACH OUT
TO EACH OTHER, AS FOLKS WHO
SERVED TOGETHER FOR A LONG TIME,
WHO KNOW EACH OTHER, AND WHO
HAVE WORKED WELL IN THE PAST, I
DO THINK IT’S IMPORTANT FOR THE
MAJORITY LEADER AND THE
PRESIDENT-ELECT TO HAVE A
PERSONAL CONVERSATION PROMPTLY.
I WAS REALLY ENCOURAGED BY THE
OUTCOME OF THE CONVERSATION THE
PRESIDENT-ELECT HAD WITH SPEAKER
PELOSI AND WITH MINORITY LEADER
SCHUMER HERE IN WILMINGTON LAST
WEEK AND I THINK THEY LAID THE
GROUNDWORK FOR A VERY STRONG
WORKING RELATIONSHIP.
I LOOK FORWARD TO BEING PART OF
THOSE IN THE SENATE WHO ARE
HELPING CARRY FORWARD
PRESIDENT-ELECT BIDEN’S AGENDA
FOR HIS ADMINISTRATION.
I THINK HE WON A STRONG
ELECTORAL VICTORY.
HE IN THE END I THINK WILL HAVE
RECEIVED 80 MILLION AMERICAN
VOTES -- EXCUSE ME, THAT I THINK
WE WILL SEE IN THE END THAT
PRESIDENT-ELECT BIDEN HAS
ACCOMPLISHED WHAT IS A
SIGNIFICANT WIN IN THE ELECTORAL
COLLEGE AS WELL AS IN THE STATES
THAT HAVE CERTIFIED HIS
ELECTION, BUT WE HAVE UNFINISHED
WORK TO DO, IN WORKING ACROSS
THE AISLE, IN CRAFTING A
BIPARTISAN AGENDA THAT WILL
DELIVER RELIEF TO THE AMERICAN
PEOPLE.
AND A KEY PART OF THAT IS FOR
PRESIDENT-ELECT BIDEN TO
RECONNECT WITH SOMEONE WHO HAS
BEEN A COLLEAGUE IN THE PAST AND
WHO COULD BE A PARTNER IN THE
FUTURE IF HE CHOOSES THE
RESPONSIBLE PATH OF COOPERATING
WITH THE INCOMING ADMINISTRATION
AND THAT OF COURSE IS MAJORITY