you fight the flu. The answer
Monday morning.
>> From KPRC 2 this is Houston
newsmakers with khambrel
Marshall.
>> With a new administration
comes new hope that maybe
especially to after more than a
150 million people came out
during the pandemic to vote but
what does it mean for the
chances of meaningful
legislation being passed an
appropriate question after
impeachment, the soon to be
former president set the stage
for the new Congress. Joining
this morning to talk about that
and much more representing the
18th congressional district
congresswoman Sheila Jackson
Lee good morning congresswoman
good to see you thank you for
spending this time with me this
morning. What do you say to
those like my guest last week
congressman Brady who said that
impeachment is a waste of time.
>> Well first of all I’m
delighted to be with you this
morning and delighted to be
with all of your viewers.
I have a great deal of
confidence in our new
government. The spirit and
passion and compassion of Joe
Biden and kamala Harris is all
about bringing the nation
together bringing Houston and
Harris County ins and Texans
together and frankly I think
everyone around the world looks
to America as the Citadel of
democracy. And what they saw on
January 6 uphold them and
frankly I believe our standard
of democracy also his apartment
to accountability. As we see
these videos more and more of
course you know that I was in
the chamber in the gallery
heard the gunfire. Sore armed
plainclothes men trying to
protect. The chamber was stuck
and could not get out had to
hit the ground. And many
members who were there to do
their constitutional duties. Were so much intimidated by
Were so much intimidated by
this attack on the Congress.
There is no doubt that
individuals who provoked a this
he told the big lie who
continue to tell the line have
to be held accountable.
Impeachment is the Congress
only way to be able to hold
someone That is served in
office or is serving in office.
This president deserves to be
impeached as he has already
been the only president in
history to be impeached twice
and he needs to be convicted.
When the trial is going the
Senate sadly however, there are
those who spoke. Very a
favorite Lee very deeply that
the day of as such as senator
Lindsey Graham and others
indicated enough is enough.
We now have a whole different
attitude one would have to ask
the question where is the
consistency in upholding the
Constitution. So yes. I don’t
think it is a waste of time I
do think and we just been on
time unify around issues that
we can be unified around and
that is to pass a major
extensive COVID-19 package for
the many suffering Houstonians
and suffering people of Texas
and the nation that’s what I’m
going to be committed to as a
newly appointed leadership
appointee of the Budget
Committee of the United States
House of Representatives so
president Biden waste much time
getting people to in place to
try to take on some of those
challenges you talked about.
>> Ramping up efforts to make a
Distribution more efficient
starting regular news
conferences about government
efforts et cetera you’ve been
on the front lines in Houston
we’ve seen you there for a long
time helping to set up dozens
of testing sites in vaccine
opportunities based on what
you’re seeing now what’s
working what can be done better
and what are you able to do to
help smooth out this process
now that this new
administration is in place.
>> Well thank you for that in
tomorrow January 30 is I open
my 50 seconds and testing site
and I say to all of your
viewers if you have not yet
gotten vaccinated continue to
get tested particularly with
the new South African variant
that has come in it is
important to know whether
you’re asymptomatic or in fact
to protect yourself by being
tested against this new more
contagious variant of COVID-19
and I will continue to do so
working without community going
into neighborhoods but early as
a senior member homeland
security really confronted
these large domestic natural
disasters if you will even in a
national disasters this
pandemic I recognize in the
early part of February that
this was going to be a
mountainous challenge. So I
introduce recently HR 3, 3, 0,
which is a COVID-19 delivery
act, here’s what I think needs
to be done. I applaud the local
officials for working with the
small measure of vaccinations a
vaccine that they have gotten
that was actually at the Harris
health LBJ hospital on the very
first day of the receipt of
such that came a local private
delivery truck. Good for them.
We need a massive takeover by
the federal government to
massively vaccinate the
American people. We needed to
be done through the offices and
the expertise of FEMA. FEMA has
dealt with natural disasters.
For a very long time most
people don’t realize that FEMA
was in New York after 9.11 and
help stand up a lower Manhattan
and FEMA was in charge they’re
able to instruct other agencies
to do things as evidence Dow by
the administration looking at
my legislation and now
utilizing theme and open up a
100 sites and CNN has just
activated 10,000 National
Guard. I think the National
Guard and I spoke to general
Austin about this and the
United States military. Well
poise to help run sites in our
rule in urban areas in our
neighborhoods along with our
local officials and that we
should enact the defense
production act to massively
produce Pfizer and Moderna
we’re waiting on Johnson
Johnson is not. As efficient
and protective as the 2
initial. A vaccine is but other
vaccines are coming in as they
come on line then we should be
able to do that in addition it
should be a multi billion
dollar maybe
multimillion-dollar someone
will take that is a shocking
number to educate the American
public health professionals and
others about getting vaccinated
in Los Angeles 92% of the
health professionals and first
responders that died were
people of color. We know that
African Americans and
Hispanics. Have gotten COVID-19
more often they are sicker in
the hospitals and they die more
and we know that it impacts
people of all backgrounds all
economic backgrounds all racial
backgrounds and so it is not a
isolating COVID-19 pandemic but
we do need to hit hard hit
communities. We need to take it
over by the federal government
and we need to get this massive
testing and neighborhood
testing that we can do together
I think the president is up to
the task is committed to that
and I will continue to work
with them and push the
protocols and I offered which
include and and. And logistical
protocol to know where all of
the vaccines are distributed
for the local governments to
know when those distribution
will you come for them to get a
consistent distribution on the
basis of their population which
is what makes sense and not
just waiting for a handout
every single week which is
going on now through the state
they’re handing out drips and
drabs of vaccinations their
disappointing people and they
are isolating communities are
not doing what local
governments want them to do
when the federal government
ends in a work with local
government and that’s what I
think is crucial. I will be
working to ensure that its
planned those 4.
>> Congressman economy is also
big part of recovery moving
forward the president has a big
package Republicans have said
it’s too big. We’ve seen the
tremendous pushback from.
State governor Abbott here for
example saying that the
decision to drilling permits.
It’s going to be a crippling
effect on Texas energy. You
know as well as a lot of people
do how important that is to
this community. What are you
saying about that process about
the president’s decision to
freeze the drilling and how are
you in favor of that or against
it. Well first of all I want to
say that we should go Bay.
>> The Federal Reserve chair
the. New secretary of the
Treasury in the case Janet
Yellen says go big. We have
suffered for almost a year we
need that $1400 we need
extended unemployment, we need
PPP to stand up restaurants and
a stand of small businesses we
need people to get back to work
and so we need a big problem we
need a massive vaccination
program we need to spend money
on vaccines. We need to spend
money on testing. And the
contact tracing we need to
spend money on getting all
schools and daycares back open
safely for our children and
teachers we need to test out
first responders of all kinds
of teachers essential workers
we need to go big and go.
But as it relates the the
heartbeat of this great that
has been an economic engine
prison mine is not finished
yet. I’m prepared and willing
to work the White House on how
we deal with the moving for one
of renewables and natural as
well working with the
transition and the hard work
and workers in this state who
deal with fossil fuel and
drilling and have made a living
and survival on that. So Texans
I need to realize that this is
not the final story, the final
chapter. President Biden is a
thoughtful leader. He wants to
bring the country together we
need to be able to and I’ve
heard this from the industry
here they are willing to sit
down and speak with the
administration I believe that
that is going to happen and we
as members of Congress who are
from Texas will be very much a
part. Promoting a new
environment if you focus or
renewables but a recognition of
the importance of the various
industries in our community so
you’re not concerned about job
losses as a result of that
decision. I don’t believe this
is a final decision and I
believe there’s opportunities
for the industry to be able to
sit down. The secretary of
energy The White House
leadership and members of
Congress to ensure that we
protect jobs all right, thank
you cards and pay we’ve got
more to talk including how the.
>> Partisanship. His deep in
Congress and some issues about
safety we need to talk about
we’ll talk about that after the
break he will based on outside