BACK TO "THE LATE SHOW." FOLKS, MY FIRST GUEST IS THE
FORMER MAYOR OF SOUTH BEND, INDIANA, WHO CURRENTLY LEADS THE
UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION.
PLEASE WELCOME BACK TO "THE LATE SHOW," SECRETARY PETE BUTTIGIEG!
♪ ♪ ♪
( APPLAUSE )
NICE TO SEE YOU. NICE TO SEE YOU.
>> GOOD TO BE BACK. >> Stephen: I HAVE TO SAY, I
WAS JUST THINKING WHEN YOU WERE COMING OUT HERE, I ALWAYS ENJOY
YOU COMING HERE, NOT A LOT OF SECRETARIES OF TRANSPORTATION
OVER THE YEARS HAVE BEEN ON LATE-NIGHT TALK SHOWS.
>> WELL, I'M GLAD TO BE PART OF CHANGING THAT.
>> Stephen: YOU ARE, YOU ARE. YOU'RE A CHANGE-MAKER.
WE'RE COMING UP ON THE YEAR ANNIVERSARY OF THE
INFRASTRUCTURE BILL, RIGHT? >> THAT'S RIGHT.
>> Stephen: SO YOU'VE BEEN OUT THERE MAKING IT RAIN ALL OVER
THE COUNTRY. DID-- IS INFRASTRUCTURE FUN?
>> YEAH! ABSOLUTELY, YEAH!
>> Stephen: WHAT'S THE MOST FUN THING ABOUT ROADS AND
BRIDGES? >> I MEAN, FIXING THEM, THEM NOT
BEING BROKEN. >> Stephen: YOU LIKE FIXING
STUFF? >> YEAH.
I THINK THERE'S A REASON WHY CHILDREN, FOR EXAMPLE, ARE
FASCINATED, RIGHT, WITH TRUCKS AND ROADS AND TRAINS AND PLANES.
IT'S EXCITING. YOU'VE JUST GOT TO KEEP THAT
SENSE OF MAGIC IN IT WHEN YOU'RE DOING THE VERY HARD BLOCKING AND
TACKLING OF ACTUALLY BUILDING AND MAINTAINING THAT.
>> Stephen: YOU HAVE THE BEST SET OF TONKA TRUCKS OF ALL TIME.
>> ALL TIME. >> Stephen: YOU'VE ACTUALLY
BEEN INTERESTED IN INFRASTRUCTURE FOR A LONG TIME.
AS THE MAYOR OF SOUTH END, HERE YOU ARE GETTING A GIANT CHECK
FOR THE ROADS OF SOUTH BEND, $670,000.
( APPLAUSE )
AS THE SECRETARY OF TRANSPORTATION, GIVING UP ON THE
THE GIANT NOVELTY CHECK FOR $19.5 MILLION IN NEW HAMPSHIRE.
( APPLAUSE )
THIS SEEMS LIKE A PRETTY SMALL CHECK FOR $19.5 MILLION.
SHOULDN'T THE SIZE OF THE CHECK REFLECT THE SIZE OF THE AMOUNT
SO IF YOU INTO BILLIONS, YOU NEED A FLATBED TRUCK TO BRING
THE CHECK. >> IT WOULD BE HARD TO FIT IT ON
A PLANE, THOUGH. I THINK IT IS IMPORTANT TO NOT
BE TOO SUBTLE ABOUT THE MESSAGE. I THINK SOMETIMES FOLKS FORGET
WHAT GOVERNMENT IS DOING FOR IF WE FAIL TO MAKE IT CLEAR.
OF COURSE IT'S NOT JUST ABOUT THE CHECK.
IT'S ABOUT THE RESULTS. THE PROJECT WE'RE DOING THERE IN
NEW HAMPSHIRE FOR EXAMPLE IS GOING TO HELP THEM IN A VERY
BLUE COLLAR TOWN THAT HASN'T GOTTEN THE ATTENTION IT'S NEEDED
FOR ITS DOWNTOWN STREETS, WE'RE GOING TO HELP THEM TRANSFORM THE
ECONOMIC OPPORTUNITIES FOR THAT COMMUNITY, WITH FUNDING THAT
WILL REDO ITS STREETSCAPES AND THEY HAVE A BIOMASS POWER PLANT
NEARBY WHICH HAS TO DO A LOT TO-- THEY HAVE A COOLING TOWER,
AND THERE ARE WAYS THEY CAN ROUTE SOME OF THE COOLANT, THE
WATER THAT COMES FROM THAT TOWER, UNDER THE SIDEWALKS,
MELTING THE SNOW AND SAVING TAXPAYER MONEY ON THE PROCESS OF
PLOWING IT. SO AS A FORMER MAYOR --
>> Stephen: SO THE POWER PLANT MELTS THE SIDEWALK.
( APPLAUSE ).
PLANT COOL OFF-- GET RID OF THEIR WASTE HEAP, AND HELPS MELT
THE SNOW. AND ANYONE KNOWS THE BATTLE OF
MAYOR VERSUS SNOW IS SECOND ONLY TO THE BATTLE OF MAYORS VERSUS
POTHOLES. THE GREAT KIND OF PREDATOR-PREY
RELATIONSHIPS IN LOCAL GOVERNMENT.
AND NOW I GET TO BE SOMEONE WHO IS HELPING MAYORS ACROSS THE
COUNTRY, LIKE I USED TO BE, DEAL WITH THINGS LIKE THAT.
>> Stephen: SO AS THE SECRETARY OF TRANSPORTATION, THE
INFRASTRUCTURE BILL IS $1.2 TRILLION.
>> YUP. >> Stephen: OKAY.
WHEN YOU WERE MAYOR, ROUNDING UP TO THE NEAREST TRILLION, HOW
MUCH MONEY DID YOU-- DID YOU HAVE AT YOUR CONTROL THEN?
>> SO IT WOULD BE ABOUT, UH, WHAT IS THAT LIKE A PERCENT--
MUCH, MUCH LESS. >> Stephen: ROUNDING UP TO THE
FIRST TRILLION WOULD BE 1 TRILLION.
>> YES. >> Stephen: RHOADES SCHOLAR?
>> YES, TECHNICALLY. >> Stephen: DOES IT MAKE YOU
MAD OR DO YOU GET FRUSTRATED WHEN PEOPLE WHO VOTED AGAINST
THE BILL, LIKE RICK SCOTT, AND REPRESENTATIVE TONY GONZALEZ,
DON'T REFUSE THE MONEY, AND THEN ACTUALLY MAKE A BIG DEAL ABOUT
HAVING GOTTEN THE MONEY FOR THEIR CONSTITUENTS?
>> IT IS STRIKING THAT PEOPLE WENT TO THE FLOOR OF THE HOUSE
OR SENATE AND SAID NO, THIS INFRASTRUCTURE FUNDING SHOULD
NOT HAPPEN. AND 24E7B THEY CAN'T WAIT TO BE
THERE, WHEN THAT FUNDING IS COMING TO THEIR DISTRICT.
BUT -- >> Stephen: DO YOU MAKE THEM
HOLD THE BIG CHECK? >> I HADN'T T THOUGHT ABOUT THA.
THAT WOULD BE GOOD. >> Stephen: YOU AND THE CHECK
AND THEM. >> THERE'S NOTHING BETTER THAN
SEEING A SKEPTIC BECOME A CONCONVERT.
I CALL IT THE SINCEREST FORM OF FLATTERY IF SOMEONE WAS AGAINST
YOURLESS AND WHEN IT'S BENEFITING PEOPLE WHO LIVE IN
THEIR COMMUNITIES THEY CAN'T HUG YOU CLOSE ENOUGH.
I'LL SAY, THIS POLITICS ASIDE, THE PEOPLE WHO LIVE IN THOSE
COMMUNITIES SHOULDN'T BE PUNISHED BECAUSE THEIR SENATOR
ORHOUSE MEMBER SAID NO TO THIS FUNDING.
WE'RE GOING TO SERVE EVERYBODY EQUALLY.
( APPLAUSE ).
I SUSPECTED YOU WOULD HAVE THE-- THE BEST INTEREST OF THE
AMERICAN PEOPLE AT HEART. >> WELL, THANKS, I'D LIKE TO
THINK THAT'S HOW WE THINK ABOUT THINGS.
IT COMES FROM THE TOP. IT CAN BE FRUSTRATING,
POLITICALLY, WHEN YOU SEE THAT SORT OF STUFF GO ON.
BUT, LOOK, THIS IS PART OF A PATTERN THAT WE'VE OFTEN SEEN
WHERE MANY CONGRESSIONAL REPUBLICANS TAKE STANCES THAT
SEEM TO BE MORE ABOUT THE PROBLEM THAN ABOUT THE SOLUTION.
SO, YOU KNOW, YOU LOOK AT-- EVEN THE THINGS THAT THEY TALK ABOUT
THE MOST OFTEN-- IMMIGRATION, INFLATION-- I MEAN, OF ALL THE
THINGS CONGRESSIONAL REPUBLICANS HAVE PROPOSED, POLICY-WISE, CAN
ANYBODY NAME THE TOP FIVE THINGS THAT THEY'VE SUGGESTED TO FIGHT
INFLATION? CAN ANYONE NAME THREE?
HOW ABOUT ONE? YOU KNOW, THEY VOTED NO ON THE
INFLATION REDUCTION ACT THAT WAS ABOUT LOWERING PRICES FOR
AMERICANS. AND I WOULD HAVE LOVED NOTHING
MORE THAN TO HAVE A DEBATE BETWEEN THE DEMOCRATIC INFLATION
REDUCTION ACT AND THE REPUBLICAN INFLATION REDUCTION ACT ON THE
HOUSE OF THE FLOOR AND SENATE AND ARGUED OVER WHICH ONE WAS
BETTER. BUT THERE WAS ONLY ONE, AND IT
WAS OURS. AND, LUCKILY, IT PASSED.
( APPLAUSE )
WHEN WE COME BACK, I WILL ASK THE SECRETARY WHAT IT'S LIKE TO
BE A NEW FATHER. STICK AROUND, EVERYBODY.