CAUCUS, NEW YORK CONGRESSMAN
HAKEEM JEFFRIES.
CONGRESSMAN, THANK YOU FOR
JOINING US THIS MORNING.
REALLY HUGE DAY.
YESTERDAY I HEARD YOU SAY IT
OVER AND OVER, MISSION
ACCOMPLISHED.
MISSION ACCOMPLISHED GETTING
THIS BILL THROUGH BUT LET’S BE
HONEST, WITH ALL DUE RESPECT,
$1,400 IS IMPORTANT BUT IT’S NOT
GOING TO DELIVER SOMEONE LONG
TERM FROM POVERTY.
FOOD ASSISTANCE IS NOT A SUB
SUIT FOR LONG TERM, GOOD PAYING
JOB AND WE STILL HAVE 250
MILLION AMERICANS THAT HAVEN’T
GOTTEN THE VACCINE.
HOW CAN WE SAY MISSION
ACCOMPLISHED YET?
>> GOOD MORNING, STEPHANIE.
IT’S GREAT TO BE ON.
MISSION ACCOMPLISHED IN TERMS OF
MEETING THE MOMENT WITH RESPECT
TO PASSING THE AMERICAN RESCUE
PLAN.
JOE BIDEN MADE CLEAR THAT HIS
TOP PRIORITY WAS TO ENSURE THAT
WE ADDRESSED THE COVID-19
PANDEMIC IN A COMPREHENSIVE AND
COMPASSIONATE WAY.
THIS IS A ONCE-IN-A-CENTURY
PANDEMIC.
IT REQUIRED A ONCE-IN-A-CENTURY
RESPONSE.
THAT’S WHAT IT REPRESENTS.
IN TERMS OF THE REVIVING THE
ECONOMY, WE KNOW THE AMERICAN
RESCUE PLAN WILL ADD AT LEAST 7
MILLION GOOD-PAYING JOBS.
THAT’S SUBSTANTIAL.
THERE’S SHORT-TERM ASSISTANCE IN
THE FORM OF DIRECT PAYMENT
SURVIVAL CHECKS AND, OF COURSE,
DEALING WITH ISSUES CONNECTED TO
UNEMPLOYMENT OR FOOD INSECURITY
OR PEOPLE WHO ARE ON THE BRINK
OF HOMELESSNESS, BUT THE CHANGES
THAT ARE BEING MADE TO THE
AFFORDABLE CARE ACT WITH THE
SUBSIDIES, THE CHANGES THAT ARE
BEING MADE WITH RESPECT TO THE
CHILD TAX CREDIT, THE CHANGES
THAT ARE BEING MADE WITH RESPECT
TO THE EARNED INCOME TAX CREDIT
SHOULD HAVE A MORE SUSTAINABLE
UP PACT
IMPACT ON CREATING AN AMERICAN
TO BRING ABOUT PROSPERITY IN
EVERY SINGLE ZIP CODE.
>> LET’S TALK ABOUT THAT.
THERE’S A DIFFERENCE BETWEEN A
RESCUE AND LONG-TERM RESOLUTION.
$5.5 TRILLION INTO THE SYSTEM
OVER THE LAST YEAR, WHICH WE
NEEDED.
BUT ARE THERE PERMANENT CHANGES
TO THE SYSTEM IN THIS BILL?
WHEN YOU THINK ABOUT THE
IMPORTANCE OF REOPENING SCHOOLS,
YOU’RE DARN RIGHT IT’S
IMPORTANT, BUT IT DOESN’T SOLVE
THE FACT WE HAD FAILING SKILLS
ALL OVER THIS COUNTRY EVEN
BEFORE THEY SHUT DOWN.
>> ONE OF THE THINGS THAT JOE
BIDEN HAD SAID ON THE CAMPAIGN
TRAIL, WHICH I THINK WAS
INCREDIBLY IMPORTANT, WAS WE HAD
TO BUILD BACK BETTER.
THAT WAS A RECOGNITION THAT WE
CAN’T RETURN TO NORMALCY
PRE-PANDEMIC BECAUSE THERE WERE
CHALLENGES IN TERMS OF NORMALCY,
THERE WERE FAR TOO MANY
AMERICANS WHO WERE FALLING
BEHIND AND WEREN’T ABLE TO
ROBUSTLY PURSUE THE AMERICAN
DREAM.
PRIOR TO THE PANDEMIC, HALF THE
AMERICAN PEOPLE REPORTED THAT
THEY COULDN’T AFFORD A SUDDEN
UNEXPECTED $400 EXPENSE.
THIS IS THE WEALTHIEST COUNTRY
IN THE HISTORY OF THE WORLD, SO
CERTAINLY TO YOUR POINT,
STEPHANIE, MUCH MORE NEEDS TO BE
DONE AND IN THE CONTEXT OF THE
BUILD BACK BETTER AGENDA, BUT
THIS IS A SUBSTANTIAL AND
MEANINGFUL FIRST STEP.
THE MOST SIGNIFICANT INVESTMENT
IN THE SOCIAL SAFETY NET IN OVER
A GENERATION.
>> CERTAINLY IS.
I WANT TO TALK ABOUT OVERSIGHT,
BECAUSE WE KNOW IN A RESCUE PLAN
LIKE THIS, SOME DOLLARS ARE
GOING TO GET MISUSED BUT NOT
JUST SOME, BILLIONS HAVE BEEN
MISUSED.
PROGRAMS LIKE PPP, THAT STARTED
WITH GREAT INTENTIONS, BUT WE
SAW A LOT OF MONEY GO TO A LOT
OF PEOPLE THAT DIDN’T NEED IT.
NOW THAT POTENTIALLY WE ARE
SEEING THIS NEXT $1.9 TRILLION
GO THROUGH, WHAT ARE WE LOOKING
TO DO TO MAKE SURE IT LANDS IN
THE RIGHT PLACE?
>> CONGRESS IS LOOKING TO TAKE
ITS OVERSIGHT RESPONSIBILITIES
WITH JIM CLYBURN, WHO SPEAKER
PELOSI APPOINTED TO LEAD THE
COVID-19 SPECIAL SELECT
COMMITTEE, ON REVIEWING HOW
FEDERAL DOLLARS ARE BEING SPENT
TO MAKE SURE THEY’RE BEING SPENT
IN AN EFFECTIVE, EFFICIENT AND
EQUITABLE FASHION.
THAT WORK WILL CONTINUE.
BUT WE ALSO HAVE AN
ADMINISTRATION THAT WILL STAY ON
TOP OF THE EXPENDITURES TO MAKE
SURE THEY REACH THE AMERICAN
PEOPLE.
THE LAST ADMINISTRATION HAD MANY
PEOPLE ASLEEP AT THE SWITCH
BECAUSE THEY WERE CONCERNED