>> KASIE, THANK YOU.
>>> JOINING US NOW TO DIG IN,
DEMOCRATIC CONGRESSMAN, JOSH
GOTTHEIMER.
ANOTHER ROUND OF STIMULUS CHECKS
AND SCHOOL FUNDING TIED TO
WHETHER OR NOT SCHOOLS REOPEN.
WOULD YOU VOTE FOR A BILL THAT
INCLUDED ANY OF THAT?
>> THAT’S JUST THE BEGINNING OF
WHAT WE NEED TO DO IN TERMS OF
GETTING STUFF DONE.
THE IDEA OF A PAYROLL TAX CUT,
THAT KASIE JUST PRAUT UP, THAT
IS SPOT ON, IT DOESN’T ACTUALLY
HELP PEOPLE WHO ARE OUT OF WORK,
RIGHT?
IT DOES NOTHING FOR THEM.
IT PUTS SOCIAL SECURITY AT RISK.
A LOT OF REPUBLICANS ARE EVEN
TALKING ABOUT IT BEING ALONE,
NOT ACTUALLY RESOURCES THAT ARE
JUST GIVEN TO FOLKS TO HELP
STIMULATE THE ECONOMY.
SO I THINK IT’S, AS WAS SAID,
THE REPUBLICANS ARE FIGHTING
WITH EACH OTHER.
THEY CAN’T AGREE.
WE’VE GOT TO GET THIS DONE BY
JULY 31st WHEN THAT UNEMPLOYMENT
INSURANCE BENEFITS RUN OUT.
SMALL BUSINESSES ARE HURTING.
SCHOOLS, AS YOU BROUGHT UP.
SCHOOLS THAT SUDDENLY HAVE ALL
THESE NEW EXPENSES.
PEOPLE NEED HELP.
WE PASSED A BILL OUT OF THE
HOUSE, THE HERO’S ACT.
WE’RE WAITING FOR THE SENATE TO
ACT BUT WE’RE WAITING FOR THEM
TO GET THEIR ACT TOGETHER.
>> IN YOUR MIND WHEN YOU LOOK AT
WHAT’S HAPPENING IN YOUR OWN
DISTRICT, WHAT IS THE MOST IMPORTANT THING THAT THE NEXT
IMPORTANT THING THAT THE NEXT
RELIEF BILL MUST INCLUDE?
>> WE’VE REALLY GOT TO GET STATE
AND LOCAL DOLLARS.
LOOK AT NEW JERSEY.
WE WERE IN THE EYE OF THE VIRUS
FOR SO LONG.
THE STATE LEVEL BUDGET NOT TO
MENTION WHAT’S HAPPENING IN ALL
OF OUR TOWNS AND SHORTFALLS THAT
EFFECTS LAW ENFORCEMENT,
TEACHERS, FIREFIGHTERS, YOU NAME
IT.
WE HAVE TO MAKE SURE TO FILL
THAT HOLE.
WE ALWAYS TAKE CARE OF OUR
STATES AND PEOPLE WHEN A STORM
HITS.
WE’RE THERE.
THIS IS THE SAME SITUATION.
WE HAVE A BIPARTISAN BILL
SITTING IN THE SENATE, WAITING.
THE SMART ACT IS $5 BILLION LED
BY BOB MENENDEZ AND CASSIDY IN
THE SENATE.
I HELPED TO LEAD WITH OTHERS,
TOM REED.
IT’S GOT TO GET DONE.
>> YOU AND TOM REED, YOU AND TOM
ARE TWO KEY MEMBERS OF THE
PROBLEMS SOLVERS CAUCUS.
IF THERE WAS EVER A TIME TO COME
TOGETHER, IT WOULD BE NOW.
DO YOU HAVE ANY REAL FAITH THAT
YOU AND YOUR COLLEAGUES ARE
GOING TO GET SOMETHING PASSED
BEFORE THE AUGUST RECESS?
>> YES.
I’LL BE MORE OPTIMISTIC ABOUT
THIS ONE.
I THINK THAT JULY 31st DEADLINE
IS LOOMING OVER.
YOU SEE WHAT’S GOING ON.
THIS IS NO LONGER A PROBLEM
WHERE THE SENATORS IN OTHER
STATES CAN SAY THAT’S JUST A
JERSEY, NEW YORK, CALIFORNIA
PROBLEM.
IT’S NOT OUR PROBLEM.
YOU SEE WHAT’S HAPPENING IN RED
PARTS OF THE COUNTRY, WHICH IS
HEARTBREAKING.
NOW THE PRESSURE IS REALLY ON
THEM, TOO.
THEY’VE GOT TO GET SOMETHING
DONE.
I DO NOT THINK PEOPLE CAN GO
HOME AT THE END OF THE JULY AND
GO BACK TO THEIR DISTRICTS
WITHOUT GETTING SOMETHING DONE.
SO I THINK WE WILL GET SOMETHING
DONE.
I THINK IT WILL LOOK, AS SPEAKER
PELOSI SAID, LARGER THAN WHAT
SENATOR McCONNELL IS TALKING
ABOUT.
WE HAVE A SIGNIFICANT PANDEMIC
AND CRISIS IN OUR COUNTRY RIGHT
NOW.
WE HAVE TO HELP PEOPLE WHO ARE
OUT OF WORK.
WE HAVE TO HELP OUR FRONT LINE
HEALTH CARE WORKERS AND GET
THOSE MASKS AS THE OUTBREAK
CONTINUES AND IF THERE’S ANOTHER
WAVE, MAKE SURE THE PPE IS
THERE, SUPPLY CHAIN IS THERE.
WE’VE GOT A LOT OF WORK TO DO
AND THE CLOCK IS TICKING RIGHT
NOW.
>> THE GOVERNMENT HAS ALREADY
SPENT AN ENORMOUS AMOUNT OF
MONEY, AND TAXPAYERS HAVE A
RIGHT TO KNOW WHERE EVERY SINGLE
DOLLAR HAS GONE.
AS YOU WORK ON THE NEXT BILL
THERE’S A HUGE QUESTION ABOUT
OVERSIGHT.
I WANT TO GO BACK TO THE PPP
LOAN PROGRAM.
MANY BUSINESSES HAVE BEEN HELPED
IN YOUR DISTRICT, BUT WE STILL
DON’T HAVE ANY INFORMATION ON
LOANS UNDER $150,000.
ARE YOU GOING TO DEMAND THAT AS
PUBLIC?
AND THERE’S ALSO TALK THAT ALL
OF THOSE LOANS SHOULD BE
AUTOMATICALLY FORGIVABLE EVEN IF
THOSE BUSINESSES DID NOT ADHERE
TO THE RULES OF PPP, WHICH WAS
MAINTAINING 100% EMPLOYMENT.
SO IT WOULD BE FREE MONEY WITH
NO ONE FOLLOWING THE RULES.
>> THAT MAKES NO SENSE TO ME.
YOU AND I TALKED ABOUT THIS.
THE IDEA THAT WE WOULDN’T HAVE
COMPLETE ACCOUNTABILITY AND
TRANSPARENCY IS UNACCEPTABLE.
THAT’S SOMETHING THAT I’VE BEEN
PUSHING FOR.
WE TRIED TO GET THIS THROUGH THE
HOUSE ALREADY, TO DEMAND -- I
DON’T CARE IF IT’S $10,000 OR
$150,000 OR $1 MILLION.
THERE SHOULD BE COMPLETE AND
TOTAL TRANSPARENCY.
WE SHOULD KNOW WHERE THOSE
DOLLARS WENT AND HOW THEY WERE
SPENT.
WE HAVE TO HELP OUR SMALL
BUSINESSES.
I’M A BIG SUPPORTER OF THE PPP
PROGRAM BUT I BELIEVE WE NEED TO