IN A FEW MINUTES FROM NOW HE’LL
JOIN NANCY PELOSI FOR AN UPDATE
ON THE NEGOTIATIONS OVER
CORONAVIRUS RELIEF.
WITH ME IS DEMOCRATIC SENATOR
CHRIS COONS OF DELAWARE WHO ALSO
SERVES ON THE APPROPRIATIONS
COMMITTEE, JUDICIARY AND FOREIGN
RELATIONS COMMITTEES AND A BIDEN
CAMPAIGN SURROGATE.
SENATOR COONS, GREAT PLEASURE TO
TALK TO YOU AGAIN.
AS YOU PROBABLY KNOW WE KEEP
HEARING THE WHITE HOUSE IS
PINNING HOPES FOR A DEAL
HOPEFULLY BY FRIDAY, IF THERE IS
A DEAL TO BE MADE, WHERE NOW
THURSDAY WITH NO DEAL SO FAR.
WHAT WOULD YOU PUT THE ODDS AT
OF A DEAL HAPPENING BY THEN?
>> AT BEST 50/50, AND I HATE TO
HAVE TO SHARE THAT NEWS WITH
YOU, BECAUSE I KNOW THERE ARE
TENS OF MILLIONS OF AMERICANS
WHO ARE HANGING ON EVERY PIECE
OF NEWS COMING OUT OF HERE,
EAGER TO HEAR THAT WE HAVE
REACHED SOME APPROPRIATE DEAL.
THERE ARE TENS OF MILLIONS OF
AMERICANS WHO FACE EVICTION FROM
THEIR HOMES, ALREADY LOST THE
UNEMPLOYMENT INSURANCE
SUPPLEMENT THAT WE PASSED MONTHS
AGO IN THE C.A.R.E.S. ACT.
THERE ARE ANXIOUS PARENTS
WONDERING IF THEIR KIDS CAN OR
SHOULD GO TO SCHOOLS THAT MIGHT
OR MIGHT NOT SAFELY REOPEN.
THERE ARE STATES WHERE THE DELAY
FOR TESTING IS TOO LONG AND
THERE ARE HUNDREDS OF MILLIONS
OF AMERICANS INTENT ON VOTING
THIS FALL WHO ARE WONDERING IF
THEY’LL BE ABLE TO DO SO SAFELY.
SO EAMON, THERE ARE LOTS OF
TOPICS ON WHICH WE SHOULD BE
DELIVERING A BIPARTISAN SOLUTION
TO THE BIG CHALLENGES FACING OUR
COUNTRY, BUT FOR REASONS I CAN’T
FATHOM, THE WHITE HOUSE
CONTINUES TO BLOCK PROGRESS,
EVEN THOUGH THEY ARE NEGOTIATING
NOW HOURS AND HOURS AT A TIME,
SPEAKER PELOSI, MINORITY LEADER
SCHUMER, THE TREASURY SECRETARY,
MARK MEADOWS, PRESIDENT TRUMP’S
CHIEF OF STAFF, THEY HAVE MADE
SOME PROGRESS BUT GETTING TO A
TOP LINE NUMBER AND MAKING
PROGRESS ON ALL OF THE ISSUES I
JUST MENTIONED, MAKING SURE THAT
WE ARE ADDRESSING JOB LOSS,
HUNGER, HOSPITALS, PUBLIC
HEALTH, ELECTIONS, NATIONAL
SERVICE, WE ARE NOT MAKING
PROGRESS FAST ENOUGH.
>> LET ME GET YOUR THOUGHTS ON
THE POSTAL SERVICE, TALKING
ABOUT WHETHER OR NOT AMERICANS
ARE GOING TO BE ABLE TO VOTE
SAFELY COME NOVEMBER.
THAT’S OBVIOUSLY A VERY
IMPORTANT ISSUE.
SENATE MAJORITY LEADER MITCH
McCONNELL SPOKE ABOUT THE TIME
LINE FOR NEGOTIATIONS THIS
MORNING, DEFENDING HIS DECISION
TO TAKE THIS UP IN THE LAST FEW
WEEKS DESPITE THE HOUSE PASSING
A BILL BACK IN MAY.
LISTEN TO THIS.
>> THIS IS THE PERFECT TIME TO
TAKE A LOOK AT IT.
WE HAD NO IDEA BACK IN APRIL AND
MARCH WHAT THE ECONOMY WAS GOING
TO LOOK LIKE IN JULY.
NOW WE’RE IN JULY AND EARLY
AUGUST.
WE’VE GOT AN ACCURATE PICTURE
WHAT HAVE WE’VE DONE SO FAR,
WHAT WORKED, WHAT DIDN’T AND THE
CONDITION OF THE COUNTRY, AND
NOW WE CAN MORE ACCURATELY CRAFT
A PROPOSAL TO DEAL WITH THAT.
>> DO YOU BUY THAT?
WHAT’S YOUR REACTION TO HEARING
HIM SAY THAT WE DID NOT KNOW
WHAT THE ECONOMY WAS GOING TO
LOOK LIKE IN JULY, WHEN WE HAD
BEEN WEEK AFTER WEEK SEEING THIS
COMPLETE DOWNWARD TREND.
>> FRANKLY, THAT IS REPUBLICANS
WEREN’T WILLING TO COME TO THE
TABLE TO BEGIN NEGOTIATIONS.
IT’S REALLY JUST THIS WEEK THAT
NEGOTIATIONS HAVE BEGUN IN
EARNEST BETWEEN THE WHITE HOUSE
AND REPUBLICANS AND DEMOCRATS
HERE IN CONGRESS, AND WE’VE SEEN
THE CORONAVIRUS PANDEMIC SURGING
ALL OVER THIS COUNTRY FOR WEEKS
NOW.
WE’VE KNOWN THAT UNEMPLOYMENT
INSURANCE, THAT THE EVICTION
MORATORIUM WE’RE GOING TO RUN
OUT LAST WEEK.
WE’VE KNOWN THAT FOR MONTHS AND
SO TO WAIT UNTIL TENS OF
MILLIONS OF PEOPLE, THE 30
MILLION PEOPLE WHO ARE RELYING
ON THAT EXTRA $600 A WEEK TO
WAIT UNTIL THAT HAD EXPIRED, TO
WAIT UNTIL THE EVICTION
MORATORIUM HAD EXPIRED, TO BEGIN
NEGOTIATING IN EARNEST, STRIKES
ME AS JUST CRUEL AND
IRRESPONSIBLE, BUT LET ME TRY TO
BE OPTIMISTIC.
I’M ON THE SMALL BUSINESS
COMMITTEE.
ONE OF THE AREAS WHERE THERE’S
BEEN BIPARTISAN AGREEMENT IS
THAT WE SHOULD DO ANOTHER ROUND
OF THE PPP, THE PAYCHECK
PROTECTION PROGRAM.
WE SHOULD DO A ROUND TWO, USING
SOME OF THE FUNDS ALREADY
APPROPRIATED THAT HAVEN’T BEEN
EXPENDED, TARGETING THOSE
SMALLER BUSINESSES THAT HAVE
TAKEN HEAVY REVENUE LOSSES.
THAT IS ONE THING I THINK WE’VE
LARGELY COME TO AGREEMENT ON,
BUT ON AID TO STATE AND LOCAL
GOVERNMENTS, WHERE THERE’S
ALREADY BEEN 1.5 MILLION PUBLIC
EMPLOYEES LAID OFF, THERE’S ZERO
STILL IN THE REPUBLICAN
PROPOSAL.
I’M HOPING THEY’LL MAKE
PROGRESS, JUST A REMINDER,
EAMON, THESE AREN’T FACELESS
BRUR CRAT
BUREAUCRATS IN XWRA BUILDINGS.
WE’RE TALKING TEACHERS,
PARAMEDICS, POLICE OFFICERS THE
FOLKS WHO OFFER ASSISTANCE AND
WE HAVE LOCAL STATE GOVERNMENTS
LIKE DELAWARE FACING BIG REVENUE
CRUNCHES TO GO HOME WITHOUT
HAVING ADDRESSED THAT WOULD BE A
BIG MISTAKE.
ON POSTAL I’VE GOTTEN CALLS UP
AND AROUND THE STATE OF DELAWARE
TO FROM FOLKS COMPLAINING ABOUT
THE SLOWDOWN IN MAIL DELIVERY,
DELAYS IN MAIL DELIVERY AND
LEADER SCHUMER DEMANDED A
MEETING WITH THE POSTMASTER
GENERAL YESTERDAY TO GET AN
ANSWER AS TO WHY WHEN WE
APPROPRIATED AN EXTRA $10
BILLION MONTHS AGO IN THE
C.A.R.E.S. ACT WHY THERE SEEMS
TO BE A SLOWING DOWN OF MAIL
DELIVERY AROUND THE COUNTRY.
I’M GRAVELY CONCERNED ABOUT THE
SLOWDOWN IN THE CENSUS, AND THE