SO WHY IS THE REPUBLICAN RELIEF
PLAN, WHY IS IT OPERATING UNDER
THE ASSUMPTION THAT THINGS ARE
GETTING BETTER?
JOINING US NOW, CONGRESSWOMAN
KAREN BASS, A DEMOCRAT FROM
CALIFORNIA.
SHE IS THE CHAIR OF THE
CONGRESSIONAL BLACK CAUCUS.
SHE’S ALSO ON THE JUDICIARY
COMMITTEE WHICH WILL BE HOLDING
A HEARING WITH ATTORNEY GENERAL
WILLIAM BARR TOMORROW MORNING.
CONGRESSWOMAN, THANK YOU FOR
BEING HERE.
I ALWAYS APPRECIATE YOUR TIME.
BUT THIS IS A VERY, VERY
IMPORTANT TIME.
THIS IS A VERY IMPORTANT TIME.
SO MANY AMERICANS HAVE RELIED
UPON THIS FEDERAL BOOST TO
UNEMPLOYMENT.
IT IS OVER ALREADY FOR A NUMBER
OF AMERICANS AND THE REPUBLICANS
ARE PLANNING TO REPLACE THAT
WITH $200 DESPITE THE FACT THAT
MILLIONS REMAIN UNEMPLOYED.
WHAT DOES THE FUTURE LOOK LIKE
FOR YOU AND THE NEGOTIATIONS
BETWEEN CONGRESS AND THE WHITE
HOUSE ABOUT THIS?
>> WELL, I THINK IT’S GOING TO
BE VERY IMPORTANT THAT WE HOLD
FAST, BECAUSE THEIR ENTIRE
PREMISES IS THAT THE REASON WHY
PEOPLE ARE NOT GOING BACK TO
WORK IS BECAUSE THEY ARE PAID
TOO MUCH MONEY, WHICH IS
ABSOLUTELY RIDICULOUS.
I ALSO THINK IT IS SO OFFENSIVE
WHEN MILLIONAIRES,
MULTIMILLIONAIRES, SIT AROUND
AND ARGUE OVER A $600 CHECK AND
HAVE NO PROBLEM AT ALL GIVING
AWAY BILLIONS AND BILLIONS THAT
THEY DON’T EVEN WANT TO BE
ACCOUNTABLE FOR WHERE IT’S
GOING.
AND SO UNFORTUNATELY THE
ADMINISTRATION STILL HASN’T COME
TO GRIPS WITH THE PANDEMIC, BUT
THE QUESTION I HAVE IS WHEN WILL
THE PRESIDENT, WHEN WILL THE
ADMINISTRATION COME UP WITH A
NATIONAL STRATEGY AND RECOGNIZE
THAT YOU ARE NOT GOING TO GET
THE ECONOMY BACK TO WHERE IT
NEEDS TO BE UNTIL YOU ADDRESS
COVID.
>> AND THAT’S REALLY THE ISSUE.
THE PRESIDENT AND HIS ECONOMIC
ADVISOR, LARRY KUDLOW, WHO WE
SHOWED THERE WITH THE NOSE
OUTSIDE OF THE MASK, THEY HAVE
THIS BELIEF THAT IF YOU JUST GET
BACK TO WORK, IT’S ALL GOING TO
BE FINE.
AND YET WE’RE SEEING A LOT OF
STATES SETTING BRAND NEW COVID
RECORDS.
WE’RE SEEING MASSIVE
HOSPITALIZATIONS.
WE’RE SEEING -- WE CONTINUE TO
SEE A HIGHER DEATH TOLL.
IT’S JUST NOT THAT THINGS ARE
GOING TO OPEN UP ON THEIR OWN.
THERE IS AN INFECTION OUT THERE
THAT FOR THE MOMENT IN AMERICA
IS UNCONTROLLED.
>> WELL, DENIAL IS NO STRATEGY.
AND WHAT I’M CONCERNED ABOUT,
THOUGH, IS THAT THE
ADMINISTRATION JUST WANTS TO ACT
AS THOUGH THE VIRUS IS NOT
THERE.
WE ALL GO BACK TO DOING WHAT
WE’RE GOING TO DO, AND WE NEED
TO ACCEPT THAT A NUMBER OF
PEOPLE ARE GOING TO DIE.
BUT ALMOST 150,000 PEOPLE HAVE
DIED IN THE LAST FOUR MONTHS,
AND THE PRESIDENT NEVER EVEN
MENTIONS THEM, DOESN’T MENTION A
NAME, DOESN’T MENTION A STORY.
NO AMOUNT OF EMPATHY.
AND SO I THINK HE’S WILLING TO
ACCEPT A LOT MORE AMERICANS
DYING, MAYBE UNDER THE ILLUSION
THAT IF EVERYBODY GETS EXPOSED
LIKE IN HERD IMMUNITY THEN
THAT’S THE WAY WE’RE GOING TO
GET PAST THIS.
WE HAVE TO DO WHAT THE
SCIENTISTS TELL US TO DO.
AND UNTIL WE DO THIS, WE’RE NOT
EVEN GOING TO GET PAST THE FIRST
PHASE OF THIS VIRUS.
ALL THE OTHER COUNTRIES HAVE
PASSED US BY.
THERE’S REALLY NO EXCUSE FOR
THIS AT ALL.
>> CONGRESSWOMAN, YOU AND I TALK
FAIRLY FREQUENTLY.
I’D LIKE TO THINK THAT WE HAVE A
NICE RAPPORT, SO THIS IS AWKWARD
BECAUSE POLITICO RAN A STORY
THAT SAYS KAREN BASS RISES AS
SLEEPER PICK TO BE JOE BIDEN’S
VP.
I DON’T WANT OUR RELATIONSHIP TO
GET ALL FORMAL NOW THAT YOU’RE
CONSIDERED TO BE A VICE
PRESIDENT SHL CANDIDATE.
BASS HAS DRAWN ENDORSEMENTS FROM
A MOTLEY CRUE OF POLITICAL
INFLUENCERS FROM MARCOS -- TO
GEORGE WILL WHO DESCRIBED THE
CONGRESSWOMAN AS A SOOTHER AND
NOTED HOW SHE GOT ALONG WITH
KEVIN McCARTHY OF CALIFORNIA AS
WELL WHEN THEY SERVED TOGETHER
IN THE CALIFORNIA STATE
LEGISLATURE.
THAT’S HIGH PRAISE.
A LOT OF PEOPLE SAYING YOU’RE
THE PERSON THAT VICE PRESIDENT
JOE BIDEN SHOULD BE THINKING
ABOUT AS A VICE PRESIDENTIAL
PICK. AND TODAY YOU WERE CAUGHT
AND TODAY YOU WERE CAUGHT
CHATTING WITH HIM.
>> YES.
YOU KNOW, I BELIEVE THAT THE
PRESIDENT -- THE VICE PRESIDENT,
SOON TO BE PRESIDENT, 99 DAYS
UNTIL THE ELECTION, THAT HE IS
GOING TO PICK THE BEST PERSON.
HE KNOWS THE JOB, HE WAS IN THE
JOB.
I JUST HAVE TO SAY THAT THE
WOMEN THAT EVERYONE IS TALKING
ABOUT, AND NO ONE KNOWS WHO’S ON
THE LIST AND WHO ISN’T ON THE
LIST, ARE PHENOMENAL WOMEN.
AND ANY OF THEM WOULD BE
FANTASTIC.
I AM GOING TO DO EVERYTHING I
CAN TO MAKE SURE THAT HE GETS
ELECTED AND ONCE ELECTED MAKE
SURE THAT HE’S A SUCCESSFUL
PRESIDENT.
WHAT I’M SADDENED BY, THOUGH, IS
THAT BY THE TIME HE RAISES HIS
HAND IN JANUARY TO BE SWORN IN,
I’M HOPING THAT WE DON’T HAVE A
QUARTER OF A MILLION OF DEAD
AMERICANS AND I’M HOPING THAT
OUR ECONOMY IS NOT TEETERING ON
A DEPRESSION.
BUT, YOU KNOW, UNTIL THE
REPUBLICANS ACT, YOU KNOW THAT
THEY HAVE HAD THAT BILL SITTING
IN THEIR CHAMBER FOR OVER TWO
MONTHS AND THEY WAIT UNTIL
PEOPLE ARE ON THE BRINK OF
SUFFERING UNTIL THEY DECIDE TO
GO INTO NEGOTIATIONS.
SO THERE’S SO MUCH THAT NEEDS TO
BE DONE.
I’M HOPING THAT OUR COUNTRY CAN
