BRIAN: WELCOME BACK, EVERYONE.
800 BILLION-DOLLAR STIMULUS
PLAN, MONEY TO SMALL BUSINESSES,
CITIES, STATE’S UNEMPLOYMENT
INSURANCE.
OUR NEXT GUEST FEARS AOC AND THE
SQUAD COULD DERAIL ANY
LEGISLATION COMING FROM THE
SENATE.
DEMOCRATIC WEST VIRGINIA SENATOR
JOE MANCHIN, ONE OF THE
LAWMAKERS BEHIND THE BIPARTISAN
BILL THAT INCLUDES SENATOR
CASSIDY AND OTHERS AND MITT
ROMNEY.
HE JOINS US NOW.
SENATOR, WHAT MADE YOU SAY THE
STATUS QUO WAS NOT OKAY AND
CALLED 1800 REPUBLICAN AND SAY
LET’S TRY A DEAL?
SENATOR: NOTHING WAS HAPPENING,
RIGHT?
LEADERSHIP HAD BEEN IN STALEMATE
BOTH IN LEADERSHIP AND IN THE
HOUSE.
PEOPLE ARE HURTING IN WEST
VIRGINIA, THEY ARE HURTING IN
EVERY STATE.
WE ARE IN WORST PANDEMIC AS FAR
AS OUTBREAK OF THE PANDEMIC WILL
GET MUCH WORSE THE FIRST
QUARTER, WE ARE TRYING TO GET
THROUGH THE DIFFICULT TIMES THAN
WE’VE EVER HAD AND THAT’S PEOPLE
THAT ARE LOSING EVERYTHING AS
FAR AS BENEFITS ARE RUNNING OUT
AND THERE’S MORE SHUTDOWN AND NO
OUTSIDE DINING AND INSIDE DINING
HAS BEEN SHUT DOWN.
SO MUCH THAT NEEDS TO BE
ASSISTANCE HERE.
560 BILLION LEFT OVER FROM THE
FIRST CARES PACKAGE AND THAT’S
WHAT LEADER MAC CONNELL IS
CALLING THE SKINNY PACKAGE.
HE WANTS TO GET THAT OUT THE
DOOR.
WE PUT WITH DEMOCRATS AND
REPUBLICANS WORKING ANOTHER
48 BILLION MAKES IT 908, 908 OF
NEW MONEY.
PEOPLE THINK IT’S TOO MUCH OR
NOT ENOUGH, OUR LEADERSHIP WILL
LOOK AT THIS IN A CONSTRUCTIVE
WAY.
BRIAN: SOME OF THE THINGS, A LOT
OF MONEY.
160 BILLION FOR STATE AND LOCAL
GOVERNMENTS, THEY CAN DECIDE
WHAT THEY WANT TO DO WITH IT?
>> NO, THEY CANNOT.
THE LANGUAGE IS MUCH DIFFERENT.
WE ARE NOT MAKING THE MISTAKES
OF THE PAST.
MITT ROMNEY AND ALL MY FRIENDS,
BILL CASSIDY AND MYSELF, SUSAN
COLLINS, WE ARE COMMITTED TO
MAKING SURE THERE’S
ACCOUNTABILITY.
BRIAN: DEMOCRAT RUN CITIES,
STATES, NOT YOURS, HAVE
COMMITTED A LOT OF THE FUNDS AND
PENSIONS THAT ARE UNSUSTAINABLE
AND THEY ASKED FEDERAL
GOVERNMENT TO BAIL THEM OUT AND
MIGHT USE PANDEMIC AS EXCUSE TO
DO THAT IN NEW YORK AND
CALIFORNIA.
>> CANNOT, CANNOT.
I CAN ASSURE YOU WITH REPUBLICAN
COLLEAGUES AND THE WAY I FEEL
ALSO AND I SPOKE WITH GOVERNOR
ON ALL SIDES, THEY CANNOT CURE
THEIR ILLS.
THAT WON’T HAPPEN.
BRIAN: 12 BILLION FOR COMMUNITY
LENDER SUPPORT, 288 FOR SMALL
BUSINESSES, WE KNOW HUNDREDS OF
THOUSANDS OF BUSINESSES ARE NOT
GOING TO REOPEN.
180 BILLION TO EXTEND BENEFITS,
EVEN CONSERVATIVE FLORIDA WANTS
TO DO THAT, 10 BILLION FOR THE
POST OFFICE, 25 BILLION FOR
NUTRITION AND AGRICULTURE AND
BOTH SIDES IN THIS GROUP, HOW
MANY HAVE CHECKED OFF ON THIS?
SENATOR: WELL, WE HAD TEN
BASICALLY THAT WORKED ON IT
DILIGENTLY FOR THE LAST WEEKS.
MORE PEOPLE ARE SEEING THIS IS
SOMETHING THAT CAN BE DOABLE,
IT’S ACCEPTABLE AND CAN BE
PASSED.
WE NEED LEADERSHIP TO GET ON
BOARD.
BOTH SIDES OF THE LEADERSHIP ARE
NOT HAPPY WITH IT, SOME WANT
LESS AND SOME WANT MORE.
THIS IS AN EMERGENCY RELIEF
PACKAGE.
IT’S NOT A DO-ALL END-ALL,
BRIAN.
IN MCCONNELL’S PACKAGE THERE’S
NOTHING FOR HOSPITALS, THERE’S
NOTHING FOR NUTRITION, NOTHING
FOR STATE AND LOCAL, NOTHING FOR
OPIOID TREATMENT AND NOTHING FOR
BROADBAND.
THESE ARE THINGS THAT NEED TO BE
DONE TO GET THROUGH BECAUSE THE
NEXT QUARTER IS GOING TO BE
TOUGH.
IF THEY WANT TO DO MORE, IF
PRESIDENT ELECT BIDEN WANTS TO
DO THAT, WE CAN COME TOGETHER
AND SEE WHAT THEY NEED.
IN THE HOUSE AND IN THE SENATE.
THAT’S UNBELIEVABLE.
BRIAN: I CAN’T TELL YOU HOW MANY
AVERAGE EVERYDAY AMERICANS HAVE
SAID DO YOU THINK THEY WILL GET
SOMETHING DONE IN THE INTERIM
BECAUSE YOU HAVE TO HIT -- YOU
ARE TALKING OVER 100,000 SMALL
BUSINESSES THAT ARE NOT COMING
BACK.
4 AND 5 MILLION AMERICANS WILL
BE PERMANENTLY UNEMPLOYED.
WHAT ABOUT THE COLLEGE KIDS
GRADUATING, NOBODY IS HIRING,
THEY WILL LIVE IN THEIR BASEMENT
STILL WONDERING WHEN THEIR LIFE
WILL GET ON TRACK.
SENATOR: WE HAD DEFERMENT TO
GIVE THEM RELIEVE.
COVID EMERGENCY RELEAVE
FRAMEWORK. WE ARE PUTTING THE LANGUAGE NOW
WE ARE PUTTING THE LANGUAGE NOW
AND HOPING TO BE DONE BY THE WEE
BRIAN: DEMOCRATIC SIDE SAID WHO
CAME UP DEFUNDING THE POLICE,
COST YOU MANY SEATS IN THE HOUSE
OF REPRESENTATIVES AND MAYBE
PREVENTED YOU FROM GETTING THE
SENATE AND ONE OF THE PEOPLE WHO
FIRED BACK AT YOU WAS ALEXANDRIA
OCASIO-CORTEZ, I FIND IT AMUSING
WHEN POLITICIANS TRY TO DIMINISH
THE SERIOUSNESS OF POLICY WORK,
MOVEMENT ORGANIZING AND
GRASSROOTS FUNDRAISING THROUGH
JUST TWEETS.
YOU SAID ALL SHE DOES IS TWEET
TO GET NAME ON LEGISLATION.
BEGGING CORPORATE CEO’S OF MONEY
THROUGH WAX-SEALED ENVELOPES
DELIVERED BY RAVEN.
YOU’RE SAYING SHE SHOULD GET
BUSY AND STOP TWEETING AND SHE’S
SAYING TO YOU, I AM BUSY AND
IT’S MUCH MORE THAN TWEETING,
WHAT DO YOU SAY?
SENATOR: WE JUST DIFFER, WE
DISAGREE.
YOU CAN RESPECTFULLY DISAGREE
AND WE DO THAT.
MY PEOPLE IN WEST VIRGINIA
EXPECT ME TO REPRESENT THEM IN A
RATIONAL, RESPONSIBLE, CIVIL
MANNER AND BIPARTISAN,
INDEPENDENT MANNER AND I DO THAT
TO THE BEST OF MY ABILITY.
SO I DON’T BEGRUDGE WHATEVER SHE
DOES.
I’M JUST SAYING THAT THE
CONGRESSWOMAN HAS THE RIGHT TO
DO WHAT SHE’S DOING.
SHE REPRESENTS HER PEOPLE.
THEY’VE ELECTED HER.
IT’S NOT WHO WE ARE.
WE ARE NOT GOING TO DEFUND THE
POLICE.
THERE’S NOT ONE SENATOR,
DEMOCRAT SENATOR THAT SUPPORTS
DEFUNDING THE POLICE.
IF ANYTHING, WE THINK THERE
SHOULD BE MORE INVESTMENTS MADE
TO BETTER -- BETTER TRAIN,
CONTINUING EDUCATION SO THEY
HAVE THE SOCIAL CHANGES AND KNOW
THEM BETTER AS THEY HAVE TO DEAL
WITH THEM.
THERE’S SO MUCH MORE THAT HAS TO
BE DONE.
DEFUNDING IS NOT AN OPTION ON
THE TABLE.
IT MIGHT BE IN CERTAIN PEOPLE’S
DISTRICT BUT NO SENATOR, NO
DEMOCRAT OR REPUBLICAN I’VE EVER
HEARD WOULD DEFUND THE POLICE IN
THE SENATE.
BRIAN: AS YOU SAID SHE’S
WINNING.
[LAUGHTER]
SENATOR: WELL, SHE HAS A LOT OF
FOLLOWING AND I UNDERSTAND THAT
AND EVERYONE HAS A RIGHT TO DO
WHAT THEY WANT ON THAT AND YOU
CAN SEE THE SUPPORT, IF THE
SUPPORT IS NOT IN THE
LEGISLATURE, IN THE SENATE OR IN
THE HOUSE, DON’T YOU THINK YOU
OUGHT TO FIND SOMETHING THAT YOU
CAN GET SUPPORT THAT WE CAN WORK
TOWARDS THE MIDDLE TO PASS?
PEOPLE DON’T RUN THEIR LIVES
FROM EXTREMES, BRIAN, THEY
DON’T, THEY DON’T RUN BUSINESSES
FROM EXTREME.
WE ALL COME TOGETHER AND MAKE
RATIONAL DECISIONS, THAT’S ALL
I’M ASKING THEM TO DO.
WE’VE HAD A DIVISIVE ELECTION
AND WE ARE STILL SPLIT AS A
NATION, WE HAVE TO START HEALING
AND COMING TOGETHER.
BRIAN: RIGHT.
YOU MIGHT HAVE NO CHOICE BECAUSE
YOU WON’T GET ANYTHING DONE
WITHOUT DOING THAT.
SENATOR JOE MANCHIN,I CAN’T
THANK YOU ENOUGH.
SENATOR: THANK YOU, BRIAN, HAPPY
HOLIDAYS TO Y’ALL.
WE WILL GET IT DONE.
WE WILL STAY HERE UNTIL WE GET
IT DONE.
WE ARE NOT GOING HOME TO
CHRISTMAS AND TELL THE PEOPLE WE