>> WITH ME NOW, JULIAN CASTRO,
FORMER SECRETARY OF HOUSING AND
URBAN DEVELOPMENT.
SECRETARY, GOOD TO SEE YOU.
WHAT DO YOU WANT CONGRESS TO DO
WHEN IT COMES TO THE EVICTION
MORATORIUM?
WHAT CAN IMMEDIATELY HELP PEOPLE
LIKE THE COUPLE WE JUST HEARD
FROM WHO HAD EXPERIENCED
HOMELESSNESS SECURE HOUSING AND
ARE NOW ON THE BRINK OF LOSING
IT AGAIN?
>> ALICIA, YOU POINT OUT -- AND
THE WOMAN IN THE INTERVIEW TELLS
A STORY THAT IS VERY COMMON
RIGHT NOW IN THE UNITED STATES.
WE HAVE MILLIONS OF PEOPLE WHO
ARE ON THE BRINK OF EVICTION.
IN SOME STATES EVICTIONS ARE
ALREADY BEING FILED.
AS SOON AS THAT MORATORIUM IS
DONE, THAT’S IT.
PEOPLE ARE GOING TO GET THROWN
OUT.
THEY’RE GOING TO GET KICKED TO
THE CURB.
FOLKS ARE GOING TO BE HOMELESS
OR TROUBLING UP.
THEY’LL BE SCRAMBLING.
WHAT WE NEED TO DO IS THE SENATE
REPUBLICANS NEED TO PASS THE
H.E.R.O.E.S. ACT OR A VERSION OF
THAT THAT PUTS SIGNIFICANT
INVESTMENT IN DIRECT RENTAL
ASSISTANCE, AND ALSO EXTEND THE
MORATORIUM ON PEOPLE WHO ARE
RENTING AND PROVIDES PROTECTION
TO PEOPLE WHO ARE ON A MORTGAGE
SO PEOPLE CAN HAVE A SAFE,
DECENT, AFFORDABLE PLACE TO LIVE
RIGHT NOW.
ON TOP OF THAT, WE NEED TO
ENSURE THAT WE DO ALL OF THE
OTHER THINGS WEE THAT WERETHAT W
THERE, UNEMPLOYMENT INSURANCE,
PROVIDING AID TO LOCAL AND STATE
GOVERNMENTS THAT ARE AT THE
BREAKING POINT RIGHT NOW.
AND THE PROBLEM IS THAT MITCH
McCONNELL AND HIS BUDDIES IN THE
SENATE ARE SO DISCONNECTED FROM
THE EVERYDAY LIVES OF PEOPLE,
WHETHER THOSE AMERICANS ARE
REPUBLICANS, DEMOCRATS,
INDEPENDENTS, IN RED STATES,
BLUE STATES.
MITCH McCONNELL IS SO
DISCONNECTED FROM EVERYDAY
PEOPLE THAT HE FEELS NO IMPETUS,
JUST GO THROUGH HOLIDAY SEASON,
GO INTO THE NEW YEAR, LET PEOPLE
FALL OFF THIS CLIFF, AND HE THE
COUNTRY WANT TO BUDGE.
WE NEED TO CHANGE THAT.
>> TO SAY NOTHING OF THE DELAY
WHERE EVEN IF THEY’RE ABLE TO
COME TO AN AGREEMENT, YOU AND I
KNOW THERE’S GOING TO BE A DELAY
IN ACTUALLY GETTING RELIEF TO
THESE PEOPLE.
WE’VE ALMOST COME TO THE POINT
WHERE THERE’S GOING TO BE SOME
GAP REGARDLESS OF HOW THIS GETS
ROLLED OUT.
I WANT TO PLAY YOU SOUND FROM
CONGRESSMAN PRAMILA JAYAPAL ON
COVID RELIEF.
TAKE A LISTEN.
>> I DON’T CALL THEM STIMULUS
CHECKS, I CALL THEM SURVIVAL
CHECKS.
FAMILIES ARE GETTING KICKED OUT
OF THEIR HOMES, THEY CAN’T PUT
FOOD ON THE TABLE.
AND THEY NEED MONEY TO BE ABLE
TO DO THAT.
THIS IS A BIPARTISAN ISSUE
BECAUSE FAMILIES ARE STRUGGLING.
AND MITCH McCONNELL AND THE
TRUMP WHITE HOUSE IS REFUSING TO
ACKNOWLEDGE THE SCALE OF THE
CRISIS WE FACE.
>> I WONDER HOW YOU THINK ABOUT
THOSE CHECKS, SECRETARY, RIGHT?
BECAUSE IN ADDITION TO WHAT WE
SAW FROM THE CONGRESSWOMAN,
AUSTIN SAID THERE’S GOING TO BE
A NEED FOR STIMULUS.
BUT WE CAN’T EVEN HAVE A
CONVERSATION ABOUT STIMULUS
UNTIL YOU BOTH GET THIS VIRUS
UNDER CONTROL AND BEGIN TO
STABILIZE THIS ECONOMIC
SITUATION.
HOW DOES CONGRESS NEED TO BE
THINKING ABOUT THESE CHECKS?
>> THEY NEED TO VERY MUCH THINK
OF THESE IN TERMS OF SURVIVAL OF
PEOPLE SO THAT FOLKS ARE ABLE TO
JUST GET BY.
I’LL GIVE YOU A GOOD, PRECISE
EXAMPLE OF THIS, ALICIA.
WE HAVE 12 MILLION FOLKS OUT
THERE WHO ON AVERAGE ARE BEHIND
IN RENT BY $5,800.
SO EVEN IF YOU SAID, OKAY, YOU
CAN’T GET EVICTED FOR THE NEXT
MONTH AND YOU’RE GOING TO BE
ABLE TO STAY IN PLACE, AS SOON
AS THE EVICTION MORATORIUM RUNS
OUT, IT COULD RUN OUT AT THE END
OF THE YEAR IF SENATE
REPUBLICANS DON’T DO ANYTHING,
RIGHT AWAY YOU’RE GOING TO HAVE
LANDLORDS ACROSS AMERICA SAYING,
OKAY, WHERE IS MY $5,800?
AND FOLKS OBVIOUSLY DON’T HAVE
THAT MONEY.
THEY’RE GOING TO GET SENT TO
COURT AND THEY’RE GOING TO BE
OUT ON THE STREET.
SO WE NEED TO BE THINKING ABOUT
THIS HOLISTICALLY.
WE NEED TO BE THINKING ABOUT IT
IN TERMS OF PROVIDING A MEANS OF
SURVIVAL FOR FAMILIES RIGHT NOW.
AND THEN EASING FAMILIES AND OUR
OVERALL ECONOMY INTO A TIME IN
2021 WHEN THE VACCINE HAS
ALREADY TAKEN HOLD, WHERE WE
DON’T HAVE TO, YOU KNOW, WORRY
ABOUT PEOPLE GETTING INFECTED,
WHEN BUSINESSES ARE MORE UP AND
RUNNING AND PROVIDING JOBS
AGAIN.
BUT UNTIL THEN, THIS IS NOT A
LUXURY.
IT IS A NECESSITY.
IT IS A DIRE EMERGENCY, AND THEY
NEED TO SUMMON SOME OF THAT WILL
THEY WERE ABLE TO SUMMON FOR THE
C.A.R.E.S. ACT ABOUT EIGHT
MONTHS AGO.
>> I DO WANT TO ASK YOU ABOUT
YOUR RECENT TRIP TO GEORGIA TO
CAMPAIGN FOR THE DEMOCRATIC
CANDIDATES.
YOU DID A TIKTOK WITH JON
OSSOFF.
TELL ME ABOUT WHAT YOU HEARD
FROM VOTERS DOWN THERE.
>> I TALKED TO SMALL BUSINESS
OWNERS DOWN THERE AND THEY TOLD
A CONSISTENT STORY, WHICH WAS
THAT THIS PANDEMIC HAS ROCKED
THEIR ABILITY TO DO BUSINESS.
ONE OF THEM SAID THAT THEIR
BUSINESS WAS ONLY AT ABOUT 50%
OF WHAT IT USED TO BE.
ANOTHER ONE SAID 70%.
ONE OF THEM SAID THEY USED TO
HAVE FOUR EMPLOYEES.
NOW IT WAS JUST THEM AND ONE
FAMILY MEMBER THAT WERE WORKING
THE BUSINESS.
I WORKED TO FOLKS WHO WERE
WORRIED ABOUT GETTING EVICT.
THERE IS A REAL CONCERN OUT
THERE.
THE REASON I WENT TO GEORGIA IS
BECAUSE MITCH McCONNELL HAS
SHOWN US THAT HE’S SO
DISCONNECTED FROM EVERYDAY
AMERICANS THAT IF WE CONTINUE TO
GIVE HIM THE KEYS TO THE SENATE
BY KEEPING PERDUE AND LOEFFLER
THERE, NOTHING IS GOING TO GET
DONE, EVEN IN THE NEXT
ADMINISTRATION, TO HELP PEOPLE
WHO NEED IT ON RENT, ON
UNEMPLOYMENT INSURANCE, ON JUST
THE THINGS TO GET BY.
PEOPLE NEED TO GET OUT TO VOTE
IN GEORGIA.
WE HAVE TWO FANTASTIC CANDIDATES
IN REVEREND WARNOCK AND JON
OSSOFF.
IT LOOKS GOOD.
THERE’S A LOT OF ENTHUSIASM
BECAUSE PEOPLE KNOW THAT THE