>>> IN JUST THE LAST HOUR WE
LEARNED THAT THE UNITED STATES
ECONOMY ADDED 379,000 JOBS IN
FEBRUARY WITH THE UNEMPLOYMENT
RATE DECREASING SLIGHTLY TO
6.2%.
GOOD NEWS.
IT IS A BOOST FROM THE PREVIOUS
MONTH AND A SIGN THAT THE
ECONOMIC RECOVERY IS RAMPING UP
AS STATES LOOSEN RESTRICTIONS
AND COVID NUMBERS GO DOWN, BUT
IT IS CRITICAL TO NOTE THAT MORE
THAN 9 MILLION FEWER JOBS EXIST
TODAY THAN BEFORE THE PANDEMIC
AND WE HAVE STILL GOT A LONG WAY
TO GO.
JOINING US TO DISCUSS WHITE
HOUSE NATIONAL ECONOMIC COUNCIL
DIRECTOR BRIAN DEESE.
THIS IS TODAY NEWS WITHOUT A
DOUBT BUT WE STILL HAVE MILLIONS
OF AMERICANS OUT OF WORK AND
MANY OF THE JOBS AVAILABLE TO
PEOPLE TODAY DON’T PAY A LIVING
WAGE.
HOW DO WE SOLVE FOR THAT?
>> WELL, IT’S GOOD TO SEE YOU
AND GOOD TO BE ON.
I THINK WHAT WE SEE IN THIS JOBS
REPORT IS THAT WE HAVE A LONG
WAY TO GO IN THIS RECOVERY.
MOST OF THE JOB GAINS LAST MONTH
WERE IN THE LEISURE AND
HOSPITALITY SECTOR, GOOD TO SEE
SOME OF THOSE COME BACK, BUT IF
YOU LOOK UNDER THE HOOD OF THIS
YOU ALSO SAW THAT IN FEBRUARY WE
LOST NEARLY 70,000 EDUCATOR JOBS
AT THE STATE AND LOCAL LEVEL.
AS YOU SAY, THE CHALLENGE OF
LONG-TERM JOBLESSNESS WHICH IS
ONE OF THE HALLMARKS OF THIS
CRISIS IS NOT GETTING BETTER.
WHAT WE REALLY NEED TO DO HERE
IS WE NEED TO PROVIDE RELIEF AND
SUPPORT IMMEDIATELY IN THOSE
AREAS OF THE ECONOMY THAT WE
KNOW ARE STRUGGLING SO THAT WE
CAN GET THE TRAJECTORY OF THIS
RECOVERY UP SIGNIFICANTLY.
WE HAVE TO MOVE MUCH FASTER SO
THAT WE GET TO A RECOVERY FASTER
AND WE DON’T LEAVE THOSE WHO ARE
THE STRUGGLING THE MOST IN A
SITUATION WHERE THEY’RE OUT IN
PAIN FOR MONTHS AND MONTHS AND
MONTHS AHEAD.
>> YOU JUST LAID OUT HOW WHEN
YOU LOOK UNDER THE HOOD PEOPLE
ARE STILL SUFFERING IN A VERY
BIG WAY.
DOES IT WORRY YOU THAT A JOBS
NUMBER THIS STRONG AND SO MANY
STATES REOPENING COULD GIVE
LAWMAKERS PAUSE ABOUT PASSING A
BILL THIS BIG?
I’M TALKING ABOUT THE COVID
RELIEF BILL.
>> WELL, LET’S PUT THIS JOBS
NUMBER IN PERSPECTIVE.
ONE, WE ARE 9.5 MILLION JOBS
BEHIND WHERE WE WERE A YEAR AGO.
THAT’S A BIGGER JOBS HOLE THAN
ANY POINT IN THE GREAT
RECESSION.
NUMBER TWO, THE UNEMPLOYMENT
RATE, THE MEASURED UNEMPLOYMENT
RATE, IS 6.2% BUT THAT DOESN’T
CAPTURE THE FACT THAT WE’VE SEEN
HISTORIC REDUCTIONS IN THE LABOR
FORCE.
AND FOR THOSE OUT THERE WHO THAT
SOUNDS TECHNICAL IT MEANS
MILLIONS OF PEOPLE, MANY PARENTS
AND MOSTLY WOMEN HAVE LEFT THE
LABOR FORCE BECAUSE THEY’VE BEEN
FORCED TO TAKE CARE OF THEIR
KIDS OR TAKE CARE OF A LOVED ONE
IN THE PANDEMIC SITUATION.
SO I THINK WHEN WE LOOK AT THIS
REPORT WHAT IT SAYS IS THAT IT’S
ALWAYS POSITIVE TO SEE JOB
GROWTH, BUT WE HAVE A LONG WAY
TO GO AND, IN FACT, NOW IS THE
MOMENT TO ACTUALLY GO AND
PROVIDE THE SUPPORT THE ECONOMY
NEEDS SO THAT WE CAN ACTUALLY
MOVE MORE QUICKLY OUT THIS HAVE
CRISIS.
>> BUT DO WE NEED STRUCTURAL
CHANGES?
DO WE NEED TO MAKE CHANGES TO
OUR EDUCATION SYSTEM, SKILLS
TRAINING SYSTEM, CHILD CARE
SYSTEM?
JUST GETTING JOBS BACK ISN’T
GOOD ENOUGH.
>> ABSOLUTELY.
BUT, LOOK, HERE IS WHERE THE
RESCUE PLAN IS THE RIGHT PLACE
TO START.
A LOT OF PEOPLE TALK ABOUT
DIFFERENT PROVISIONS IN THE
RESCUE PLAN, BUT LET’S LOOK AT
SOME OF THEM.
$40 BILLION FOR OUR CHILD CARE
CENTERS, BOTH TO MAKE SURE THAT
THEY STAY OPEN DURING THE
PANDEMIC BUT ALSO TO ALLOW THEM
TO MAKE INVESTMENTS TO IMPROVE
THE QUALITY OF CARE AND THE
NUMBER OF SLOTS AVAILABLE TO
KIDS.
THAT IS NOT JUST A KIDS
EDUCATION ISSUE, IT’S A CORE
ECONOMIC ISSUE BECAUSE IF WE
PROVIDE QUALITY CHILD CARE WE
GET MORE PARENTS BACK INTO THE
WORKFORCE, MORE WOMEN BACK INTO
THE WORKFORCE AND WE START TO
ADDRESS THAT STRUCTURAL
CHALLENGE THAT PERSISTS.
>> A LARGE PART OF THIS BOOST IS
COMING FROM A NUMBER OF STATES
THAT ARE LOOSENING THEIR
RESTRICTIONS.
YOUR ADMINISTRATION, OUR
PRESIDENT, HAS HAD SOME HARSH
WORDS FOR THESE STATES, SO CAN
YOU CELEBRATE THESE NUMBERS AND
ALSO CRITICIZE THE STATES WHO
ARE THE REASON FOR THIS GROWTH?
>> WELL, IT’S REALLY IMPORTANT
THAT AT THIS MOMENT PEOPLE STAY
VIGILANT ACROSS THE COUNTRY
PEOPLE STAY VIGILANT, THIS HE
FOLLOW THE SCIENCE.
THIS IS THE TIME WHERE IT’S
ACTUALLY THE MOST IMPORTANT FOR
ALL OF US.
WE KNOW THAT WE WANT TO SEE
LOVED ONES, WE WANT TO GET BACK
TO LIFE AS USUAL, BUT THIS IS A
MOMENT WHERE WE HAVE TO STAY
VIGILANT.
WHAT I WOULD SAY IS WHEN WE LOOK
AT WHAT’S HAPPENING IN THE
STATES, YOU SEE SOME OF THAT IN
THE LEISURE AND HOSPITALITY, BUT
I’D ALSO GO BACK, WHAT WE’RE
SEEING AND WHAT PEOPLE ARE
EXPERIENCING IS EDUCATORS ARE
LOSING THEIR JOBS.
EDUCATORS ARE LOSING THEIR JOBS
IN THE MIDDLE OF THIS PANDEMIC.
>> WHY?
>> WHICH TAKES US EXACTLY IN THE
WRONG DIRECTION.
THE REASON IS STATES AND
LOCALITIES DON’T HAVE THE
RESOURCES TO DEAL WITH THE
EDUCATION ISSUES THAT THEY HAVE
TO DEAL WITH AND FIGHT COVID AT
THE SAME TIME, WHICH IS WHY
THERE’S BEEN A LOT OF DEBATE
ABOUT PROVIDING RELIEF TO STATES
AND LOCALITIES, BUT I THINK THAT
THE REVIEW PLAN’S PROVISIONS TO
PROVIDE RELIEF TO STATES AND
LOCALITIES IS THE WAY TO
ACTUALLY AVOID THAT TERRIBLE
CHOICE BETWEEN KEEPING EDUCATORS
ON THE JOB AND PROVIDING THE
SUPPORT WE NEED TO GET SHOTS IN
PEOPLE’S ARMS.
>> IS THE BILL GOING TO GET
THOSE 70,000 EDUCATORS BACK TO
WORK?
>> THIS BILL PROVIDES A HISTORIC
AMOUNT OF SUPPORT TO LOCALITIES
TO SUPPORT EDUCATION.
IT PROVIDES THE RESOURCES SO
THAT SCHOOLS CAN REOPEN SAFELY
WITHOUT HAVING TO LAY OFF THEIR
TEACHERS, WITHOUT HAVING TO LAY
OFF THEIR EDUCATORS.
BEYOND TEACHERS AS WELL.
JANITORS, CUSTODIANS, BUS
DRIVERS.
THIS BILL IS DIRECTLY TARGETED
TO ADDRESS THAT CHALLENGE.
>> WELL, THE SENATE IS GOING TO
VOTE ON AMENDMENTS TO THE BILL
TODAY.
WE KNOW THE PRESIDENT HAS
ALREADY COMPROMISED ON DIRECT
PAYMENTS.
CLEARLY IT IS A TOP PRIORITY TO
GET THIS THING THROUGH.
IS THERE ANYTHING ELSE YOU’RE
WILLING TO COMPROMISE ON?
>> THE SENATE IS GOING TO WORK
THROUGH THESE AMENDMENT PROCESS
AND WE’RE OBVIOUSLY GOING TO
STAY CLOSELY FOCUSED ON THAT.
IF YOU LOOK AT THE BILL AS IT IS
IT REFLECTS A NUMBER OF
IMPROVEMENTS AND MODIFICATIONS
BASED ON THE FEEDBACK WE HAVE
GOTTEN ALREADY.
WE’VE MADE CHANGES TO REFLECT
SMALL BUSINESSES TO TRY TO
ADDRESS THOSE SMALLEST
BUSINESSES IN MOST NEED.
WE HAVE MADE MODIFICATIONS TO
THE CHECKS AND THE PHASE OUT
THERE.
WE’VE MADE MODIFICATIONS ON THE
STATE AND LOCAL FUNDING TO MAKE
SURE THAT IT ACTUALLY SUPPORTS
THE REVENUE LOSSES AND THE
EDUCATIONAL NEEDS THAT WE’RE
SEEING AND NOT LETTING STATES GO
AND CUT TAXES IN THE FUTURE.
SO ALL OF THOSE CHANGES I THINK
WILL BE REFLECTED AND NOW IS THE
TIME FOR THE SENATE TO MOVE TO