%>> GOOD TO BE WITH YOU,
%FREDERICA.
%>> TURNING TO THE OTHER SIDE OF
%THE AISLE, AMONG THE WISCONSIN
%CONGRESSIONAL DELEGATION, WITH
%DEMOCRATIC U.S. REPRESENTATIVE
%MARK POCAN FROM THE 2nd
%CONGRESSIONAL DISTRICT.
%HE JOINS US FROM MADISON AND
%THANKS VERY MUCH FOR BEING HERE.
%>> THANK YOU, FREDERICA.
%GLAD TO BE HERE.
%>> SO LOTS TO TOUCH O. FIRST,
%YOUR REACTION TO THE LAWSUITS
%FILED BY THE TRUMP CAMPAIGN AND
%HIS ALLIES IN WISCONSIN
%CHALLENGING THE RESULTS HERE.
%>> YEAH.
%IF HE WANTS TO DONATE $3 MILLION
%TO THE STATE OF WISCONSIN, WE'LL
%GO THROUGH A FEW HOOPS FOR HIM.
%BUT THEY'RE NOT GOING TO GO
%ANYWHERE.
%EVEN SCOTT WALKER SAID THE WAY
,
%WE RUN OUR ELECTIONS IN
%WISCONSIN, YOU'RE NOT GOING TO
%FIND A WAY TO OVERTURN THAT MANY
%VOTES.
%BUT IF THIS IS WHAT DONALD TRUMP
%NEEDS TO UPHOLD HIS FRAIL EGO IN
%THE FINAL WEEKS THAT HE'S IN
%OFFICE, WE'LL TAKE THE MONEY.
%>> NOW OUR STATE LEGISLATURE
%WILL HOLD INVESTIGATIVE HEARINGS
%AS WE'VE SEEN IN OTHER STATES N.
%YOUR MIND, DOES THIS HELP TO AIR
%DOUBTERS' CONCERNS?
%>> AGAIN, YOU'RE DEALING WITH
%SOMEONE WHO DOESN'T WANT TO GIVE
,
%UP AFTER THEY'VE LOST THE
%ELECTION AND SOMEHOW REPUBLICANS
%ARE STILL PART OF THIS CULT
%UNTIL HE OFFICIALLY STEPS DOWN
%AND THEY HAVE TO DO WHATEVER HE
%REQUIRES.
%I WISH THAT THEY WOULD TAKE THIS
%TIME AND DO HEARINGS ABOUT
%COVID, ABOUT WHAT SMALL
%BUSINESSES NEED RIGHT NOW AND
%PEOPLE WHO ARE UNEMPLOYED, WHAT
%WE NEED TO DO WITH CONTACT
%TRACERS, ABOUT TESTING IN SENIOR
%LIVING SITUATIONS IN PLACES LIKE
%WISCONSIN.
%BUT THEY HAVEN'T MET FOR OVER
%SIX MONTHS TO DEAL WITH ANY OF
%THAT AND NOW THEY'RE GOING TO DO
%A HEARING ON SOMETHING THAT IS
%JUST TO MAKE THE PRESIDENT FEEL
%BETTER.
%NOT EXACTLY THE LEGISLATURE I
,
%REMEMBER.
%>> FROM YOUR PERSPECTIVE, HAS
%THIS DELAY AND THE ALLEGATIONS
%OF FRAUD DEFLATED DEMOCRATS'
%EXCITEMENT OVER THE RESULTS?
%>> NO.
%THIS IS ALL DONE LARGELY FOR AN
%AUDIENCE OF ONE, DONALD TRUMP.
%YOU'RE FINDING EVERY DAY MORE
%AND MORE MAJOR REPUBLICANS COME
%OUT AND SAY JOE BIDEN WON THE
%ELECTION BY A QUITE SIZABLE
%MARGIN BY PRESIDENTIAL
%ELECTIONS.
%UP TO THIS POINT ALL THESE
%ACTIONS ARE TO MAKE THE
%PRESIDENT FEEL BETTER.
,
%COVID IS KILLING THOUSANDS OF
%PEOPLE A DAY ACROSS THE COUNTRY.
%WISCONSIN HAS A COVID EPIDEMIC.
%WE SHOULD BE FOCUSING ON COVID
%AND INSTEAD WE'RE FOLLOWING
%THESE LITTLE RABBIT HOLES THAT
%THE PRESIDENT CAN FEEL BETTER.
%IT'S JUST A SIGN OF THE TIMES OF
%HOW TOUGH THE POLITICAL
%ENVIRONMENT IS RIGHT NOW,
%FREDERICA.
%>> THERE IS SOME WORK GOING ON
%TOWARDS COVID RELIEF OUT OF
%WASHINGTON, INCLUDING DESCRIBE
%HOW URGENT THIS IS FOR YOUR
%CONSTITUENTS.
%>> IT'S THE HIGHEST.
,
%THERE'S NO QUESTION.
%ANYONE WHO'S AN ELECTED OFFICIAL
%WHO'S NOT SPENDING ALMOST ALL OF
%THEIR TIME AND EFFORT ON COVID
%ISN'T DOING THEIR JOB.
%THAT'S WHAT I'VE BEEN TRYING TO
%DO, WHETHER IT'S PUSHING THE
%LEGISLATURE TO MEET AND SUPPORT
%THE MASK AND OCCUPANCY ORDERS,
%TRYING TO GET THE STATE TO HIRE
%MORE CONTACT TRACERS.
%WE'RE SIGNIFICANTLY DOWN.
%AN IMPORTANT PART OF TESTING,
%TRACING AND ISOLATION.
%MISSING THOSE IS A CRUCIAL PART
%OF WHAT WE HAVE TO DO.
%AND MAKING SURE WE'RE TESTING IN
,
%OUR SENIOR CENTERS MUCH BETTER,
%NURSING HOMES AND ASSISTED
%LIVING CENTERS.
%WE'RE SEEING LARGE INCREASES IN
%DEATHS IN THOSE FACILITIES.
%MY JOB SHOULD BE TO GET THAT
%FEDERAL BILL DONE, WHICH I THINK
%WE'RE GOING TO DO NEXT WEEK, TO
%GET ASSISTANCE TO SMALL BUSINESS
%OWNERS AND PEOPLE WHO ARE
%UNEMPLOYED AND OUR FRONT LINE
%WORKERS AND STATE AND LOCAL
%GOVERNMENTS DOING THE WORK.
%BUT IF YOU'RE NOT OBSESSED BY
%COVID AS AN ELECTED OFFICIAL,
%YOU SHOULDN'T BE AN ELECTED
%OFFICIAL RIGHT NOW.
%>> WHAT LEVEL OF AID, WHAT KIND
%OF SPENDING DO YOU SUPPORT IN
%ANY FEDERAL PACKAGE?
,
%>> WELL, IT LOOKS LIKE WE'RE
%GOING TO HAVE A TRIMMED-DOWN
%PACKAGE, BUT HAVING PRESIDENT
%BIDEN TAKING OFFICE ON
%JANUARY 20, THAT WILL GIVE US
%ANOTHER CHANCE TO DO MORE WORK.
%SMALL BUSINESS OWNERS ARE
%HURTING BADLY, RESTAURANTS,
%BARS, TOURISM, OTHER INDUSTRIES.
%THAT'S CAUSING LAYOFFS AND
%PEOPLE UNEMPLOYED AT NO FAULT OF
%THEIR OWN.
%WE'RE WATCHING FRONT LINE
%WORKERS EXHAUSTED FROM TRYING TO
%DEAL WITH THE COVID CASES AND
%YET WE STILL HAVE A PRESIDENT
%TELLING PEOPLE YOU DON'T HAVE TO
%WEAR A MASK, WHICH IS
,
%RIDICULOUS.
%WE NEED TO CURTAIL THOSE CASES
%TO RELIEVE THE PRESSURE ON OUR
%HOSPITALS AND FRONT LINE
%WORKERS.
%WE NEED MORE RESOURCES THAN THIS
%BILL WILL HAVE, BUT IT'S A
%TEMPORARY FIX RIGHT NOW.
%>> GOVERNOR EVERS WANTS PRIORITY
%ON VACCINES GIVEN THAT HE SAYS
%THAT STATEWIDE MITIGATION
%EFFORTS HAVE BEEN BLOCKED IN
%WISCONSIN.
%DO YOU THINK DHS SECRETARIAL
%LEKS AZAR WILL GO FOR GIVING
%WISCONSIN PRIORITY ON VACCINES?
,
%>> I THINK THEY'RE GOING TO DO
%IT BY DEMOGRAPHICS AND
%POPULATION AS THEY SHOULD.
%FRONT LINE WORKERS SHOULD BE THE
%VERY FIRST TO GET ANY VACCINES.
%THOSE IN RISK CATEGORIES NEED TO
%GET IT NEXT.
%BUT THERE ARE THINGS WE CAN DO
%IN WISCONSIN SHORT OF THIS THAT
%WE'RE NOT DOING, INCLUDING
%GETTING MORE CONTACT TRACERS,
%HAVING MORE AGGRESSIVE TESTING
%IN ASSISTED LIVING CENTERS AND
%IN VERIFYING WHAT'S HAPPENING IN
%THE NURSING HOMES.
%SO I HOPE WE CAN DO ALL OF THIS
%AT THE SAME TIME.
%I THINK THE LEGISLATURE CAN MEET
%AND PASS SOME OF THE IMPORTANT
%PROVISIONS THE GOVERNOR HAS PUT
,
%OUT OF THERE.
%THE STATE HAS TO STEP UP AND DO
%THINGS THEY CAN DO WITHOUT
%LEGISLATIVE WORK OR FEDERAL
%ASSISTANCE.
%IF WE DO THAT AND GET OUR BILL
%OUT NEXT WEEK AND THEN HAVE A
%GOOD PLAN TO GET THE VACCINES
%OUT TO PEOPLE WHO NEED IT THE
%MOST, I THINK WE'LL AT LEAST BE
%DOING THE JOB THAT WE HAVE TO DO
%TO KEEP PEOPLE AS SAFE AS
%POSSIBLE.
%>> WE LEAVE IT THERE.
%REPRESENTATIVE MARK POCAN,
,