MARIA: WELCOME BACK.
SO WHAT WILL THE NEXT ROUND OF
STIMULUS LOOK LIKE, PRESIDENT
TRUMP TELLING FOX BUSINESS
YESTERDAY THE NEXT WAVE OF
RELIEF COULD DELIVER MORE THAN
THE ADDITIONAL $1,200 FLOATED BY
DEMOCRATS BUT ALSO BRUSHING OFF
ANY EFFORT THAT WOULD, QUOTE,
DISINCENTIVEIZE WORK.
SENATE MAJORITY LEADER MITCH
McCONNELL IS VOWING TO ABANDON
THE UNEMPLOYMENT EXPANSION AS
PART OF THE NEXT ROUND.
THE HOUSE PASSED AN
INFRASTRUCTURE PLAN YESTERDAY
WHICH WILL LIKELY FAIL IN THE
SENATE.
JOINING ME NOW TO TALK ABOUT
THAT IS TEXAS CONGRESSMAN, ALONG
WITH MEDICAL DOCTOR HIMSELF,
MICHAEL BURGESS.
THANK YOU FOR BEING HERE.
>> GOOD MORNING, MARIA.
MARIA: TELL US ABOUT THE
CONVERSATION HAPPENING AROUND
ANOTHER STIMULUS BILL.
WHEN AND HOW BIG?
>> AS YOU KNOW, THE HOUSE AND
THE SENATE ARE IN COMPLETELY
DIFFERENT PLACES ON THIS, JUST
LIKE THE HOUSE OF YESTERDAY
PASSED A TRANSPORTATION BILL
WHICH WILL NEVER GO ANYWHERE.
THEY ALSO PASSED ANOTHER ROUND
OF RESCUE OR STIMULUS A FEW
WEEKS AGO WHICH WAS $3 TRILLION
IN THE TOTAL PRICE TAG WHICH IS
ALSO OF NEVER GOING ANYWHERE.
THEY SAW YESTERDAY SIGNS FROM
THE SENATE THEY ARE PERHAPS
COMING INTO AN AGREEMENT INTO
PERHAPS PLACING MORE MONEY INTO
THE PAYROLL PROTECTION PROGRAM
AND ANOTHER ROUND OF INDIVIDUAL
STIMULUS.
I THINK THE EXTENSION OF THE
BONUS FOR UNEMPLOYMENT IS LIKELY
TO EXPIRE AT THE END OF JULY,
WHAT I’VE BEEN HEARING FROM MORE
THAN ONE EMPLOYER WHERE I AM IS
I THINK YOU WANT PEOPLE GOING
BACK TO WORK.
YOU HAVE JOBLESSNESS HIGH AND
EMPLOYERS THAT HAVE JOBS THAT
ARE GOING UNFILLED.
THAT HAS TO BE RECTIFIED.
MARIA: LET ME ASK YOU,
CONGRESSMAN, YESTERDAY WE HAD ON
THE CO-CEOS OF STANDARD
INDUSTRIES, WHICH IS A GLOBAL
BUILDING MATERIALS COMPANY AND
THEY WROTE AN OP ED SAYING THAT
THE CONGRESS SHOULD REALLY
CONSIDER DOING A TAX INCENTIVE
FOR HOME IMPROVEMENT,.
WE’RE ALL SPENDING ALL OF OUR
TIME IN OUR HOMES.
WE ARE INVESTING IN OUR HOMES.
SHOULD THERE BE A TAX INCENTIVE
FOR THAT?
>> NOT SURE ABOUT THAT.
BUT I -- I TALKED ABOUT THIS
BEFORE.
CERTAINLY THE PAYROLL TAX
HOLIDAY OR PAYROLL TAX ROLLBACK
WHICH WOULD BE AN IMMEDIATE
STIMULUS TO WORKING PEOPLE,
IMMEDIATE STIMULUS TO JOBS, I
THINK THAT IS SOMETHING THAT I
KNOW OTHER HOUSE MEMBERS HAVE
TALKED ABOUT AND I THINK
REPUBLICANS IN THE HOUSE COULD
GET BEHIND.
AS FAR AS A TARGETED STIMULUS
FOR HOME IMPROVEMENT, WE COULD
ALWAYS -- EVERYONE COULD ALWAYS
IMPROVE.
MARIA: YEAH.
>> MAKE MY HOME STUDIO A LITTLE
NICER.
BUT I DON’T KNOW THAT I HEARD A
LOT OF TALK ABOUT THAT.
IT’S AN INTERESTING CONCEPT.
MARIA: OKAY.
ALL RIGHT.
WELL, THEN THAT’S NEWS IN AND OF
ITSELF.
CORONAVIRUS IS SPIKING ACROSS
THE COUNTRY RIGHT NOW,
CONGRESSMAN, AS YOU KNOW, EVEN
IN YOUR HOME STATE.
THE U.S. SEEING MORE THAN 52,000
CASES YESTERDAY.
YOUR HOME STATE OF TEXAS SEEING
A SINGLE DAY JUMP OF MORE THAN
8,000 CASES.
WHAT SHOULD WE BE DOING TO CURB
THE SURGE OF CASES?
DID WE REOPEN TOO QUICKLY?
>> NO, THIS IS OF COURSE WHY YOU
DO A PHASED REOPENING AS
GOVERNOR ABBOTT DID HERE IN
TEXAS AND IF YOU FIND PARAMETERS
MOVING IN THE WRONG DIRECTION,
YOU DIAL IT BACK.
AND THAT’S WHAT HAS HAPPENED.
CONTROVERSIAL TO BE SURE, THE
PEOPLE WHO HAVE BEEN TOLD THAT
THEY HAVE TO REDUCE THEIR
BUSINESS ACTIVITY ARE NOT HAPPY
ABOUT THAT AND THEY’RE PUSHING
BACK.
WHICH IS WHAT YOU WOULD EXPECT.
I WILL TELL YOU THIS, MARIA.
DIFFERENT PARTS OF THE STATE ARE
VERY DIFFERENT.
I AM ONE COUNTY NORTH OF DALLAS
COUNTY WHICH AS YOU POINTED OUT
DID HAVE RECORD CASES, BUT OUR
HOSPITAL UTILIZATION HERE IS
ABOUT 50 OF%, 55%.
ICU, 40%, VENTILATORS, 17%.
SO IT’S EVEN JUST A FEW MILES
AWAY FROM THAT CITY CENTER, THE
CRISIS IS SOMEWHAT MUTED.
AND IT DOES SEEM TO BE A YOUNGER
POPULATION THAT IS GETTING ILL.
I DON’T KNOW WHETHER THE VIRUS
HAS CHANGED OR IT’S THE
POPULATION STRAIT STRATEGY TO A
AGEDEMOGRAPHIC.
NO ONE SHOULD WANT TO GET THE
VIRUS, NO ONE SHOULD TRY TO GET
IT.
YOU SHOULD WEAR MASKS, SOCIAL
DISTANCE, WASH YOUR HANDS, DON’T
GO TO WORK IF YOU ARE SICK, ALL
THE THINGS WE’VE BEEN TOLD STILL
APPLY.
MARIA: THERE WERE A LOT OF
YOUNG PEOPLE IN THE STREETS OVER
THE LAST MONTH IS ALL I’M GOING
TO SAY THERE, IN TERMS OF
PROTESTING, IN TERMS OF LOOTING,
I WONDER HOW MUCH THAT PLAYS
INTO THE SPIKE WE’RE SEEING.
LET ME BRING IN BRIAN BRENBERG
REAL QUICK.
BRIAN: ON THE POINT OF
REOPENING AND CLOSING AGAIN,
IT’S A YO-YO FOR SMALL
BUSINESSES THAT ARE RAMPING UP
INVESTMENTS TO GET BACK AT IT,
ESPECIALLY NEW YORK CITY,
RESTAURANTS GETTING READY TO
OPEN AND THE MAYOR SAYS YOU
CAN’T DO IT.
IF WE DON’T STOP THE YO-YOKING,
NO MATTER HOW MANY STIMULUS WE
GET, IT WILL NOT HELP THE
RECOVERY.
SMALL BUSINESSES ARE REALLY
FRUSTRATED WITH THE UNCERTAINTY.
>> WHAT WILL FIX IT IS OF
COURSE COMING UP WITH A RELIABLE
VACCINE AND THE WORK BEING DONE
ON THAT IS GOING AT WARP SPEED.
I’VE NEVER SEEN THE
COLLABORATION THAT WE’RE SEEING
IN THE DEVELOPMENT OF THE
VACCINE AND COUNTER MEASURES.
THE MANDATING OF CLOSURES, EVEN
IN TEXAS, EVEN IN AN AREA LIKE
MINE THAT IS RELATIVELY QUIET, I
DON’T THINK IT’S A GOOD IDEA, I
THINK SITUATIONS WHERE YOU PUT
YOURSELF AT RISK, I THINK PEOPLE
GET THAT.
AND CERTAINLY PEOPLE THAT ARE IN
THE HIGHER RISK ZONES, THEY --
MARIA: THAT ELONGATES THE
RECESSION.
A LOT OF PEOPLE FEEL THE WAY YOU
DO.
YEAH, THEY’RE NOT GOING TO GO TO