"THE NEW YORKER" AND HE >>> LET’S BRING IN THE
TOP-RANKING DEMOCRAT IN THE U.S.
SENATE MINORITY LEADER CHUCK
SCHUMER OF NEW YORK.
SENATOR, THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR
BEING WITH US.
>> GOOD MORNING.
>> WE OBVIOUSLY ARE STILL HAVING
CONCERNS WITH PPP, HELPING OUT
SMALL BUSINESSES.
SMALL BUSINESSES. THERE WAS A GLITCH YESTERDAY.
BUT ALSO, YOU’RE LOOKING INTO
SOMETHING BIGGER.
SOMETHING BIGGER. AND THAT IS THE FACT THAT "THE
NEW YORK TIMES" HAS REPORTED
THAT WALL STREET BANKS ARE
ACTUALLY GIVING PREFERENCE TO
THEIR BIGGER CLIENTS, THEIR
PREFERRED CLIENTS.
PREFERRED CLIENTS. WHAT CAN YOU TELL US ABOUT THAT?
AND HOW CAN YOU MAKE SURE THAT
SMALL BUSINESS OWNERS FROM
NEW YORK TO FLORIDA TO
CALIFORNIA ALL GET A FAIR SHAKE?
THE SAME FAIR SHAKE THAT THE BIG
COMPANIES GET.
COMPANIES GET. >> YOU’RE 100% RIGHT, JOE.
AND ONE OF THE THINGS THAT THE
TREASURY AND SBA SHOULD HAVE
DONE FROM THE BEGINNING WHICH
THEY DIDN’T IS GIVE GUIDELINES
TO THE BANKS SAYING GIVE THESE
SMALLER LENDERS, NOT THE PEOPLE
WHO KNOW A BIG SHOT BANKER THE
LOANS FIRST.
LOANS FIRST. THEY DIDN’T.
THEY DIDN’T. SO WHEN COVID 3, WE DID WALL OFF
A PLAN THAT COULDN’T GO TO THESE
PEOPLE, BUT THEY HAVEN’T
IMPLEMENTED IT YET.
LET ME MAKE A LARGER POINT HERE,
AT THE BEGINNING OF THE SHOW,
YOU TALKED ABOUT TESTING.
CONGRESS CAN PASS LAWS AND THEY
CAN BE VERY GOOD LAWS.
BIPARTISAN, PASSED 96 TO 0.
THIS HAS BEEN AN ABJECT FAILURE
AT IMPLEMENTING THESE LAWS.
THEY DON’T HAVE THE QUALIFIED
PERSONNEL.
PERSONNEL. THEY DON’T HAVE THE FOCUS.
ALL TOO OFTEN IT SEEMS THE
PRESIDENT’S EGO IS AT STAKE.
I’M SENDING A LETTER WITH MY
DEMOCRATIC RANKING LEADERS TODAY
TO McCONNELL.
TO McCONNELL. SAYING WHAT WE SHOULD DO, NOW
THAT WE’RE COMING BACK NEXT WEEK
IS HAVE HEARINGS, OVERSIGHT.
CALL IN DR. BIRX AND DR. FAUCI,
AND AZAR.
AND AZAR. AND SAY WHY ISN’T THERE A PLAN?
THERE’S NO DETAILS AS TO HOW
IT’S GOING TO WORK.
WHY DON’T WE NEED A NATIONAL
REGIME TO MAKE SURE THE SUPPLIES
CHAINS WORK.
CHAINS WORK. SAME THING CALL IN THE FDA
ADMINISTRATOR.
ADMINISTRATOR. WHY AFTER 30 DAYS WE PASSED THE
FIRST COVID BILL, 30 DAYS, ARE
THE COMPUTERS BREAKING DOWN.
WHERE WAS THE EXTRA SUPPORT?
WHERE WERE THE PERSONNEL?
SO WE COULD HAVE OVERSIGHT
HEARINGS.
HEARINGS. IT SEEMS WHY HE BROUGHT US BACK,
WELL, THERE’S SOMEONE WHO HAS
NOTHING TO DO WITH COVID ON THE
CALENDAR MONDAY NIGHT.
THE RUMOR IS HE WANTS TO PUT A
JUDGE ON THE CALENDAR WHOSE
CLAIM TO FAME SEEMS TO BE THAT
HE WORKED FOR McCONNELL HAS A
CIRCUIT COURT JUB.DGE.
THE ABA RANKED HIM AS
UNQUALIFIERED.
UNQUALIFIERED. WE HAVE A OBLIGATION TO CALL
THESE PEOPLE BEFORE CONGRESS,
THE SENATE, HAVING THESE
HEARINGS TO BE PUBLICIZED.
TH WILL ENABLE HIM TO BE ASKED
TOUGH QUESTION AFTER TOUGH, NOT
TO THE PRESIDENT AND VICE
PRESIDENT, TO ATTACK THE
REPORTER WHO ASKED THE QUESTION
AND MOVE ON.
THIS IS PART OF WHAT CONGRESS
WAS TOLD TO DO, OVERSIGHT OF THE
EXECUTIVE BRANCH.
EXECUTIVE BRANCH. AND I HAVE TO TELL YOU, THE
EXECUTIVE BRANCH HAS FAILED
MISERABLY AT IMPLEMENTING ALL OF
THE THINGS THAT CONGRESS HAS
PASSED.
PASSED. AND I’VE NEVER SEEN AN
ADMINISTRATION SO BAD AT
ENACTING THE LAWS THAT CONGRESS
HAS PUT TOGETHER.
SO, WE NEED THESE OVERSIGHT
HEARINGS.
HEARINGS. AND WE NEED THEM NOW.
THIS COULD BE THE OPPORTUNITY
FOR LEADER McCONNELL, WHEN WE
COME BACK TO DO SOMETHING REAL
THAT AFFECTS THE AMERICAN
PEOPLE.
PEOPLE. IN THE MIDST OF THIS AWFUL
CRISIS.
CRISIS. >> YEAH.
>> YEAH. SENATOR SURE, WILLIE GEIST HERE.
>> HI, WILLIE.
>> GOOD TO HAVE YOU ON.
I THINK MOST PEOPLE AGREE, YOU
NEED TO PERFORM YOUR JOB OF
OVERSIGHT BUT WHAT SMALL
BUSINESS OWNERS IN UPSTATE
NEW YORK ARE NOT HEARING.
THEY WANT THEIR CHECKS.
AS YOU POINTED OUT YET, SMALL
BANKS, MID-SIZE BANKS COULDN’T
EVEN GET ON TO THE WEBSITE.
THEY COULDN’T GET THROUGH, LET
ALONE GET THE MONEY AND
APPROVALS FROM SBA.
>> RIGHT.
>> RIGHT. >> WHAT DO YOU SAY TO THE SMALL
BUSINESS OWNERS WHO MISSED THE
BOAT ON THE FIRST ROUND OF MONEY
AND NOW THEIR BANKS CAN’T EVEN
LOGON TO THE WEBSITE TO GET
THEM?
THEM? THEY CAN’T GO ON LIKE THIS.
>> WELL, WE GOT TO HAVE THE SBA
STRAIGHTEN IT OUT QUICKLY.
I HAVE BUSINESSES WHO HAVE BEEN
APPROVED AND THEY’RE GOING TO GO
OUT OF BUSINESS.
TWO THINGS HAVE TO HAPPEN.
TRAF
TRAF THEY’VE GOT TO STRAIGHTEN OUT
THE PROBLEM RIGHT AWAY.
THEY’VE GOT TO TELL THE BANKS,
NO MORE BIG BOYCE.S.
NO MORE CHAINS.
WHAT I TALK ABOUT HEARINGS, YOU
NEED PRESSURE ON THIS
ADMINISTRATION, YOU NEED IT
BECAUSE THEY’RE NOT DOING IT
NOW.
NOW. WHY IS IT 30 DAYS AFTER THE
FIRST COVID LAW WAS PASSED ARE
THE COMPUTERS STILL ALL GLITCHY
AS THE PRESIDENT SAID, WORSE
THAN GLITCHY.
THAN GLITCHY. CRASHING, NOT WORKING.
SO, WE NEED THEM TO FIX THESE
COMPUTERS IMMEDIATELY.
COMPUTERS IMMEDIATELY. TO WALL OFF -- WE GAVE $125
BILLION TO NOT GO TO THE BIG
BOYS, BUT TO GO TO THE NONBANKS
AND UNDERBANKS.
AND UNDERBANKS. FOCUS ON THAT AND GET THOSE
LOANS MOVING NOW.
>> SO, LET’S TALK ABOUT NEW YORK
STATE.
STATE. THE STATE THAT YOU REPRESENT.
THE STATE THAT YOU LOVE.
HOW IS NEW YORK DOING?
THE CURVE IS BENDING.
FOR NOW, BECAUSE WE UNDERSTAND
THAT THERE MAY BE A SECOND WAVE
IN THE FALL.
HOW IS NEW YORK STATE DOING?
HOW IS THE CITY DOING?
>> WELL, THE CURVE IS BENDING A
LITTLE BIT, BUT WE STILL HAVE
TOO MANY DEBTS.
WE STILL HAVE TOO MANY
HOSPITALIZATIONS.
HOSPITALIZATIONS. AND I THINK OUR GOVERNOR AND
MAYOR HAVE DONE THE RIGHT THING.
THEY’VE BEEN CAUTIOUS.
IF YOU MOVE TOO QUICKLY, THIS
SECOND WAVE COULD COME BACK WITH
A VENGEANCE, MAYBE EVEN EARLIER
THAN THE FALL.
SO TO LISTEN TO THE MEDICAL
EXPERTS.
EXPERTS. TO BE PATIENT, UNDERSTAND THERE
IS SOME BALANCE HERE, OBVIOUSLY.
BUT TO MAKE SURE THAT WE DON’T
MOVE TOO QUICKLY.
BECAUSE IF IT COMES BACK AGAIN,
COMES BACK WITH A VENGEANCE, IT
WILL BE WORSE THAN THE FIRST
TIME, HARD AS THAT CAN BE TO
IMAGINE.
IMAGINE. I WOULD EXPECT THE STATES TO BE
CAUTIOUS.
CAUTIOUS. I’D SAY ONE MORE THING ABOUT THE
STATES HERE, JOE, WE NEED TO GET
AID TO THE STATES AND TO THE
LOCAL GOVERNMENTS.
LOCAL GOVERNMENTS. THAT’S WHAT MY GOVERNOR AND
MAYOR ARE TALKING ABOUT
CORRECTLY.
CORRECTLY. WHEN MITCH McCONNELL SAYS THEY
SHOULD GO BANKRUPT, AND NOW HE’S
COMING IN WITH SOME SUBTERFUGE,
HE’S SAYINGBY DON’T WANT TO GIVE
THE GIVE THE AID UNTIL WE MAKE
SURE THERE’S LIABILITY.
DOES THAT MEAN IF THE BOSS TELLS
A WORKER YOU HAVE TO WORK NEXT
TO SOMEBODY THAT HAS NO MASK,
THAT WORKER CAN’T PROTECT HIM OR
HERSELF AND THE BOSS IS IMMUNE
FROM LIABILITY.
FROM LIABILITY. THE AID IS NOT GOING TO, QUOTE,
GOVERNMENT.
GOVERNMENT. IT’S GOING TO POLICE OFFICERS,
FIREFIGHTERS, BUS DRIVERS,
HEALTH SAFETY INSPECTORS.
THESE ARE THE PEOPLE WHO NEED
HEM.
HEM. THERE’S GOING TO BE MASSIVE
LAYOFFS AT THE STATE AND LOCAL
LEVEL UNLESS WE GET SOME MONEY
TO THEM QUICKLY.
AND WE’VE GOT TO DO THAT QUICKLY
UNTIL COVID 4.
AND WHEN McCONNELL SAYS WE’VE
GOT TO DO A., B., C., D., WHICH
IS IRRELEVANT TO GETTING THE
PEOPLE THE MONEY THEY NEED,
THAT’S WRONG.
THAT’S WRONG. >> SENATOR SCHUMER, YOU’RE
TOPPING FOR A NATIONAL TESTING
STRATEGY.
STRATEGY. YOU’RE OBVIOUSLY NOT ALONE IN
THAT.
THAT. THE PRESIDENT AS WE SAID EARLIER
IN THE SHOW, HE’S UNWILLING.
HE’S SAID FAMOUSLY, THE FEDERAL
GOVERNMENT SHOULDN’T BE STANDING
ON STREET CORNERS CONDUCTING
TESTS.
TESTS. OBVIOUSLY, THAT’S FOR STATES
ACROSS THE COUNTRY TO IMPROVISE.
NEW YORK CITY IMPLEMENTED ITS
OWN TESTING.
OWN TESTING. AND TO SOUTH KOREA TO GET
500,000 TESTS.
500,000 TESTS. IN YOUR EYES HOW WOULD A TESTING
STRATEGY WORK?
STRATEGY WORK? >> WELL, I CALLED THE PRESIDENT
MONTHS AGO TO USE THE DEFENSE
PROTECTION ACT AND APPOINT A
CZAR.
CZAR. ONE PERSON IN CHARGE.
THAT PERSON HAS THE ABILITY
UNDER THE PRESENT LAW UNDER THE
DPA TO SAY THESE TEN FACTORIES
ARE GOING TO MAKE THESE TESTS.
AND THESE 20 FACTORIES ARE GOING
TO THE SUPPLY CHAIN AND SUPPLY
THE FACTORIES WITH THE TESTS
THEY NEED.
THEY NEED. THEN YOU GIVE THE TESTS TO THE
STATES, AND THE STATE CAN
IMPLEMENT THE TESTING IN THE
BEST WAY POSSIBLE.
BUT THERE WILL BE NO WAY TO RAMP
UP AND GET THE NUMBER OF TESTS
AND TALK SILLAUXILIARY THINGS LI
SWABS.
SWABS. YOU’RE EXACTLY RIGHT, WILLIE.
IT’S HIT AND MISS.
YESTERDAY THERE WAS A MEAT PLANT
IN KANSAS WHERE THERE WAS A LOT
OF CORONA.
OF CORONA. THE GOVERNOR HAD TO CALL IN THE
NATIONAL GUARD TO AIR-DROP AN
ADEQUATE NUMBER OF TESTS.
YOU CAN’T DO IT ON AN AD HOC
WILLY-NILLY BASIS.
WILLY-NILLY BASIS. WHAT ABOUT OTHER PLACES, AND
OTHER MEAT PLAYS IN SO MANY
OTHER PLACES.
OTHER PLACES. YOU HAVE TO RAMP UP THE
MANUFACTURING.
MANUFACTURING. YOU KNOW THE REPORT THEY ISSUED
YESTERDAY IT WAS PATHETIC.
IT DIDN’T HAVE ANY DETAILS.
AND AT THE END, IT SAID, LET THE
STATES DO IT.
NO ONE IN THE ADMINISTRATION HAS
GIVEN AN ANSWER SPECIFICALLY AS
TO HOW THE STATE SHOULD DO IT.
THAT’S ONE OF THE REASONS I
THINK WE NEED HEARINGS.
I WANT TO HEAR FROM NOT SO MUCH
FROM THE VICE PRESIDENT AND
PRESIDENT.
PRESIDENT. BUT FROM BIRX, FAUCI, AZAR, HOW
ARE THE STATES GOING TO DO IT
AND WHY ISN’T THE FEDERAL
GOVERNMENT DOING IT.
WE HAVEN’T HEARD ONE GOOD REASON
WHY THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT
COULDN’T BE IN CHARGE.
WE BUT IN COVID 3, $25 BILLION,
$11 BILLION TO THE STATES TO DO
THE CONTACT TRACING AND
ADMINISTERING THE TESTS.
BUT WE GAVE THEM OVER $9
BILLION.
BILLION. TO GET THESE SUPPLY LINES
WORKING.
WORKING. FOR A MONTH, THEY RESISTED.
AND YOU KNOW WHAT, NO ONE CAN
FIGURE OUT WHY.
AND ONE OF THE PROBLEMS IS, I
THINK, THE EXPERTS ARE NOT
LISTENED TO BY THE PRESIDENT.
HE GETS IN HIS HEAD, LET THE
STATES DO IT.
HE SAYS "I MADE THIS DECISION
I’M NOT GOING TO CHANGE MY
MIND."
MIND." AND GUESS WHAT, IT IS HURTING
PEOPLE, PEOPLE ARE GETTING ILL
BECAUSE THERE AREN’T TESTS.
THE TESTING IS SO SIMPLE.
A MONTH AND A HALF AGO WHEN NEW
ROCHELLE WAS QUARANTINED, I
CALLED UP THE MAYOR, HE SAID IF
I HAD TESTS I COULD SOLVE THIS
PROBLEM.
PROBLEM. ADEQUATE TESTS HE SAID IF I GIVE
A TEST TO EVERYONE UNTIL NEW
ROCHELLE, IF THEY HAVE THE VIRUS
THEY HAVE TO STAY IN.
KOREA’S DOING, GERMANY’S DOING
IT.
IT. OTHER COUNTRIES ARE WAY AHEAD OF
US.
US. THIS ADMINISTRATION CLINGS TO
THE IDEA THAT THE STATES SHOULD
DO IT.
DO IT. WITH NO PLAN ON HOW THE STATES
SHOULD DO IT, NO RATIONALE ON
HOW THE STATES SHOULD DO IT.
IT’S AWFUL.
IT’S AWFUL. THAT’S ALL I CAN SAY.
IT’S AWFUL.
IT’S AWFUL. AND MR. PRESIDENT, DONALD TRUMP,
YOU’RE HURTING THE RECOVERY YOU
WANT SO BADLY BY NOT HAVING THE
TESTS.
TESTS. THE BEST WAY TO RECOVER QUICKLY
IS TESTING, TESTING, TESTING.
AND I WANT HIM TO DO THE RIGHT
THING.
THING. I WANT HIM TO DO THE RIGHT THING
FOR THE AMERICAN PEOPLE.
AND IT IS FRUSTRATING.
>> SO, SENATOR SCHUMER, LET ME
ASK YOU A QUESTION, A LARGER
QUESTION THAT’S GOING TO BECOME
VERY RELEVANT WHEN THE SUPREME
COURT TAKES UP A CASE ON THE
POWER OF CONGRESSIONAL
OVERSIGHT.
OVERSIGHT. ONE OF MY FRUSTRATIONS, TALK
DODD DAVID REMNICK WITH "THE NEW
YORKER" ABOUT THIS EARLIER TODAY
WAS THE FACT THAT WE SEEM TO BE
CAPTIVE TO JUST ONE PERSON.
AND THE FAILINGS OF ONE PERSON
WHEN, IN FACT, WE HAVE A
DEMOCRACY WITH THREE SEPARATE
EQUAL BRANCHES.
EQUAL BRANCHES. WE’VE GOT CHECKS AND BALANCES.
AND YET, THIS PRESIDENT HAS
REFUSED TO COMPLY WITH
CONGRESSIONAL SUBPOENAS FROM THE
START.
START. >> RIGHT.
>> RIGHT. >> OF THIS ADMINISTRATION.
NOW, I KNOW DEMOCRATS ARE
CONCERNED ABOUT THAT.
BUT REPUBLICANS AND SMALL
GOVERNMENT, CONSERVATIVES,
GOVERNMENT, CONSERVATIVES, PEOPLE LIKE MYSELF, THAT HAVE
TALKED ABOUT MADISONIAN
DEMOCRACY OUR ENTIRE LIVES ABOUT
CHECKS AND BALANCES AND PUSHING
BACK THE IMPERIAL PRESIDENCY
SHOULD BE CONCERNED.
HOW CONCERN ARE YOU THAT THEY’RE
ASKING FOR ADDITIONAL
INFORMATION REGARDING, QUOTE,
WHETHER THIS IS A POLITICAL
QUESTION OR NOT?
AND HOW IMPORTANT IS IT THAT THE
SUPREME COURT DOES THE RIGHT
THING AND ACTUALLY CURBS THE
POWER OF THE IMPERIAL
PRESIDENCY?
PRESIDENCY? SO THAT REPUBLICAN PRESIDENTS,
DEMOCRAT PRESIDENTS AND
INDEPENDENT PRESIDENTS CAN’T
IGNORE THE REQUEST?
>> YOU’RE SO RIGHT, JOE,
STEMMING FROM THE DAYS WHEN THE
FOUNDING FATHERS FEARED KING
GEORGE.
GEORGE. AND HERE SO MANY OF THE
CONSERVATIVES HAVE ABANDONED
THAT PRINCIPLE AND JUST GOT
ALONG WITH DONALD TRUMP WHICH
HISTORY WILL SHOW WAS ONE OF THE
WORST THINGS THAT THEY COULD
HAVE DONE, FOR THEIR OWN
MOVEMENTS, FOR THEIR OWN
BELIEFS, BUT ALSO FOR THE UNITED
STATES OF AMERICA.
I DO THINK THIS, IF THE
PRESIDENT RESISTS HAVING FAUCI
OR BIRX OR THE SBA ADMINISTRATOR
COME BEFORE US, I DARE A COURT
TO SAY THAT WE SHOULDN’T BE
ALLOWED TO DO THAT.
IF THERE’S EVER A CRYSTAL CLEAR
MOMENT WHERE OVERSIGHT IS
NEEDED, WARRANTED AND LIFE AND
DEATH, IT’S NOW.
I DON’T THINK THEY WOULD DO IT.
BUT WHO KNOWS.
SOME OF THESE JUDGES ARE SO
IDEAOLOGICAL THAT THEY DON’T
LOOK AT THE HISTORY, THEY DON’T
LOOK AT THE CONSTITUTION.
THEY DON’T LOOK AT THE FACTS.
AND IT IS -- IN THE LONG TERM,
THIS IS A SERIOUS PROBLEM THAT
WE’RE GOING TO HAVE TO DEAL
WITH.
WITH. AND I RESPECT THE HANDFUL, MAYBE
MORE THAN A HANDFUL, BUT THE
BUNCH OF CONSERVATIVES WHO HAVE
BROKEN WITH THE PRESIDENT ON
THESE VERY GROUNDS.
>> YEAH.
>> YEAH. SAME HERE.
SAME HERE. AND OBVIOUSLY, REPUBLICANS NEED
TO UNDERSTAND THAT WHAT APPLIES
TO THIS PRESIDENT AND WHAT THIS
PRESIDENT DOESN’T HAVE TO DO IS
GOING TO APPLY TO DEMOCRATIC
PRESIDENTS IN THE FUTURE.
AND I SUSPECT IF YOU LOOK AT
DEMOGRAPHICS, THERE ARE GOING TO
BE A LOT OF DEMOCRATIC
PRESIDENTS IN THE FUTURE.
SENATE MINORITY LEADER CHUCK
SCHUMER, THANK YOU SO MUCH.
GREAT TALK TO YOU AS ALWAYS.
>> THANK YOU.
>> PLEASE STAY SAFE.
GIVE OUR BEST IF YOU WILL TO
NEW YORK STATE’S HEALTH CARE
WORKERS, THE DOCTORS.
>> THEY’RE GREAT.
>> THE DOCTORS AND NURSES.
>> JOE, ONE QUICK THING, STILL
EVERY NIGHT AT 7:00, I LEAN OUT
OF MY APARTMENT WINDOW AND ZO
THE WHOLE CITY, AND WE APPLAUD
THESE PEOPLE.
THESE PEOPLE. AND YOU CAN HEAR THE APPLAUD
BOUNCING OFF THE WALLS OF THE
BUILDINGS.
BUILDINGS. IT’S A GREAT MOMENT THAT GIVES
US SOME STRENGTH.
SO THANK YOU FOR REMEMBERING
THEM.
THEM. >> ALL RIGHT.
THANK YOU SO MUCH, SENATOR.
I JUST WANT TO SAY TO HEALTH
CARE WORKERS THAT MAY BE
WATCHING, DOCTORS AND NURSES,
OBVIOUSLY, WE SAW THE SAD AND
TRAGIC NEWS OF WHAT HAPPENED TO
ONE EMERGENCY ROOM DOCTOR.
NOW THAT YOU ARE LOVED.
KNOW THAT YOU ARE RESPECTED,
KNOW THAT YOU ARE DOING GREAT
THINGS.
THINGS. AND BETTER DAYS ARE AHEAD.