>>> ON WEDNESDAY, PRESIDENT JOE BIDEN INTRODUCED A SWEEPING $2
TRILLION INFRASTRUCTURE AND JOBS PACKAGE.
THE PROPOSAL AIMS TO RESHAPE THE AMERICAN ECONOMY, IN ADDITION TO
MAKING THE MOST WIDE-RANGING U.S. INVESTMENTS IN GENERATIONS.
THE INFRASTRUCTURE PACKAGE COMES AS THE DEBATE OVER TOUGHER GUN
CONTROL LAWS HEATS UP FOLLOWING RECENT MASS SHOOTINGS IN
ATLANTA, GEORGIA, AND BOULDER, COLORADO.
"CONNECTING POINT'S" RAY HERSHEL SPOKE WITH MASSACHUSETTS SECOND
DISTRICT CONGRESSMAN JIM McGOVERN TO GET HIS THOUGHTS ON
WHAT THE CHANCES ARE THAT MORE RESTRICTIVE GUN LAWS COULD
BECOME A REALITY THIS YEAR, AS WELL AS HIS REACTION TO THE
PRESIDENT'S MASSIVE INFRASTRUCTURE PROPOSAL.
>> WE HAVE NEGLECTED OUR INFRASTRUCTURE FOR DECADES.
AND WE SEE THE RESULTS. AGING ROADS AND BRIDGES, WATER
AND SHORE FACILITIES THAT ARE -- NEED TO BE REPAIRED.
YO KNOW, WE ARE NOT INVESTING IN HOUSING.
WE ARE NOT INVESTING IN RAIL OR OUR AIRPORTS.
I CAN GO RIGHT DOWN THE LIST. SO THIS IS A MUCH-NEEDED
INITIATIVE AND IT IS PAID FOR. BIDEN IS ASKING BIG
CORPORATIONS, MANY OF THEM WHO HAVE ESCAPED PAYING TAXES
BECAUSE ALL OF THE LOOPHOLES AND SOME OF THE TAX BILLS THAT WERE
PASSED OVER THE YEARS, INCLUDING TRUMP'S TAX BILL, TO ACTUALLY
PAY THEIR FAIR SHARE. SO WE ARE NOT GOING TO ADD TO
THE DEFICIT, BUT INVEST IN OUR INFRASTRUCTURE AND OUR ECONOMY.
I'M GOING TO TRY TO BRING IT OVER THE FINISH LINE.
>> WHAT WOULD THIS INFRASTRUCTURE BILL AS THE
PRESIDENT DETAILED IT MEAN FOR MASSACHUSETTS ITSELF?
HW WOULD IT HELP THE BAY STATE? >> CONGRESSMAN NEAL AND I HAVE
BEEN A HUGE CHEERLEADER FOR EAST/WEST RAIL.
I WOULD EXPECT A HUGE CHUNK OF THIS BILL WILL GO TO SUPPORT
RAIL PROJECTS ALL ACROSS THE COUNTRY, INCLUDING THE ONE WE
WANT TO SEE HERE IN MASSACHUSETTS.
IT MEANS UPGRADES IN AGING WATER AND SEWER SYSTEMS, UPGRADES OF
ROADS AND BRIDGES IN DISREPAIR. WE CAN INVEST IN HOUSING WHICH
IS A NECESSITY AND SCHOOL REPAIRS WHICH WOULD ALSO BE
COVERED BY THIS. MASSACHUSETTS, WHICH IS AN OLD
STATE AND WED HAVE OLD INFRASTRUCTURE, WILL BENEFIT
GREATLY FROM THIS. >> SENATOR MINORITY LEADER MITCH
McCONNELL CALLED THE INFRASTRUCTURE PROPOSAL A TROJAN
HORSE WITH BIG TAX HIKES. WITH THAT KIND OF OPPOSITION AND
FEELING, WHAT DO YOU FEEL GOING FORWARD?
ARE YOU GOING TO GET REPUBLICAN SUPPORT?
>> I DON'T CARE WHAT MITCH McCONNELL SAYS.
HE HAS BEEN A HINDRANCE FOR MOVING PROGRESSIVE LEGISLATION
FORWARD FOR MANY YEARS NOW. WHEN THE REPUBLICANS WERE IN
CHARGE OF THE SENATE, THE HOUSE AND THE PRESIDENCY, THEY DID
NOGS ON INFRASTRUCTURE. THIS WAS NOT A PRIORITY.
AND THE FACT IS THEIR PRIORITY WAS TAX CUTS MOSTLY FOR RICH
PEOPLE, A TAX BILL THAT ALLOWED BIG CORPORATIONS, MANY OF THEM
TO ESCAPE PAYING ANY FEDERAL TAXES, AND THEIR OTHER PRIORITY
WAS TRYING TO OVERTURN THE AFFORDABLE CARE ABOUT AND THROW
MILLIONS OF PEOPLE OFF OF HEALTH INSURANCE.
WE HAVE A DIFFERENT SET OF PRIORITIES.
WHETHER OR NOT WE GET REPUBLICAN SENATORS AND MEMBERS OF CONGRESS
TO SUPPORT IT OR NOT REMAINS TO BE SEEN, BUT WE NEED TO GET IT
DONE. >> CONGRESSMAN McGOVERN, WE WANT
TO GET YOUR THOUGHTS ON ANOTHER ISSUE THAT HAS COME UP OBVIOUSLY
YEAR AFTER YEAR AND CERTAINLY NOW IN THE WAKE OF RECENT MASS
SHOT SHOOTINGS IN ATLANTA, GEORGIA, AND BOULDER, COLORADO.
WHAT IS THE LIKELIHOOD WE COULD SEE MEANINGFUL, TOUGHER GUN
LEGISLATION ENACTED INTO LAW THIS LEGISLATIVE SESSION?
>> WELL, I'M SICK ABOUT THE FACT THAT IN SPITE OF MASSACRES THAT
HAVE OCCURRED ON A REGULAR BASIS IN THIS COUNTRY, IN SPITE OF THE
HIGH UPTICK OF GUN-RELATED DEATHS THAT CONGRESS HASN'T BEEN
ABLE TO GET ANYTHING DONE. WE HAD A PRESIDENT TRUMP WHO WAS
IN THE BACK POCKET OF THE GUN LOBBY WHO DIDN'T WANT TO DO
ANYTHING. PRESIDENT BIDEN WANTS TO SPEND
UNIVERSAL BACKGROUND CHECKS, CLOSE LOOPHOLES, HE SUPPORTS THE
BAN ON ASSAULT WEAPONS. WHY DOES ANYBODY NEED AN ASSAULT
WEAPON? WHY DO YOU NEED A WEAPON OF WAR
UNLESS IT IS TO KILL SOMEBODY? I POLLED TODAY 75% OF THE
AMERICAN PEOPLE FAVOR UNIVERSAL BACKGROUND CHECKS.
65% FAVOR A BAN ON ASSAULT WEAPONS.
THIS IS WIDELY POPULAR. THE ONLY PLACE IT IS NOT POPULAR
IS WITH SOME SENATORS IN THE BACK POCKET OF THE GUN LOBBY WHO
BENEFIT FINANCIALLY FROM THEIR CONTRIBUTIONS AND WHO ARE MORE
COMMITTED THO SUPPORTING SPECIAL INTEREST THAN PUBLIC INTEREST.
>> CONGRESSMAN, ONE OF THE ISSUES THAT HAS COME UP WITH
REGARD TO BACKGROUND CHECKS IS THAT, FOR EXAMPLE, SENATOR JOE
MANCHIN, A DEMOCRAT, CAN'T SUPPORT THE HOUSE-PASSED BILLS,
THE TWO BILLS PASSED IN THE BILLS WITH REGARD TO BACKGROUND
CHECKS, OF COURSE, AND ASSAULT WEAPONS.
WITH REGARD TO THE BACKGROUND CHECKS, IF AN INDIVIDUAL IS
SELLING PRIVATELY, I WANT TO SELL YOU A GUN, THAT INDIVIDUAL
SHOULDN'T HAVE TO UNDERGO BACKGROUND CHECKS.
YES, MAYBE FOR COMMERCIAL SALES. COULD YOU SUPPORT A PROPOSAL NOT
ALLOWING BACKGROUND CHECKS FOR INDIVIDUAL SELLS?
>> LOOK, I THINK SENATOR MANCHIN'S CONCERN IS UNWARRANTED
AND FRANKLY MISSES THE POINT. I SHOULD NOT BE ABLE TO SELL A
GUN TO SOMEBODY WHO HAS A -- WHO WOULD FAIL A CRIMINAL BACKGROUND
CHECK. WHY DOES THAT MAKE SENSE?
IT REALLY IS OFFENSIVE THAT PARENTS WHO HAVE LOST THEIR
CHILDREN TO GUN VIOLENCE COME TO CONGRESS AND PLEAD WITH SENATORS
AND MEMBERS OF CONGRESS TO DO SOMETHING AND UP UNTIL NOW,
NOTHING HAPPENS. THAT JUST HAS TO CHANGE.
WE HAVE A DEMOCRATIC HOUSE, A DEMOCRATIC SENATE AND A
DEMOCRATIC WHITE HOUSE WHO ACTUALLY UNDERSTANDS THE PAIN OF
GUN VIOLENCE IN THIS COUNTRY. SO MAYBE THE STARS ARE ALIGNED
THAT WE CAN GET SOMETHING DONE.