%AISLE AND WISCONSIN'S 2nd
%DISTRICT CONGRESSMAN MARK POCAN.
%THANKS FOR BEING HERE.
%>> THANK YOU.
%GLAD TO BE HERE.
%>> WHAT IS YOUR RESPONSE TO THE
%NEW STATEWIDE EMERGENCY ORDER
%AND MASK MANDATE THAT GOES INTO
%EFFECT TOMORROW?
%>> WELL, I'M GLAD?
%MAJORITY OF STATES ALREADY HAVE
%THIS BECAUSE IT'S IN THE BEST
%INTEREST OF THE PEOPLE.
%FOR THE SHERIFFS THAT ARE SAYING
%THEY'RE NOT GOING TO ENFORCE
%THIS, I THINK IT'S PRETTY
%RIDICULOUS.
%THEY'RE TAKING POLITICS OVER
%THEIR OATHS TO YOU HOLD THE LAW.
%TO ANYBODY WHO THINKS THIS IS A
%BURDEN ON THEIR FREEDOM, I HOPE
%THAT THEY ARE CONSISTENT AND
%THEY GO BAREFOOT AND SHIRTLESS
%INTO EVERY STORE THAT THEY GO
%INTO, BECAUSE THAT ALSO IS
%AGAINST THOSE FREEDOMS THAT THEY
%SEEM TO ESPOUSE AROUND MASKS.
%THIS IS JUST COMMON SENSE, YOU
%KNOW.
%I'VE SEEN STUDIES THAT IF BOTH
%PEOPLE HAVE A MASK, THE CHANCE
%CAN BE AS LITTLE AS 1.5% CHANCE
%OF SOMEONE GETTING THE VIRUS
%WHEN YOU HAVE THAT SITUATION.
%SO THERE'S REASONS WHY OVER 70%
%OF PEOPLE SUPPORT THESE MASK
%ORDERS.
%IT'S A GOOD THING WE HAVE IT IN
%WISCONSIN AND I CONGRATULATE THE
%GOVERNOR FOR DOING IT.
%>> DO YOU THINK THAT GOVERNOR
%EVERS SHOULD HAVE ACTED SOONER
%ON THIS?
%>> WELL, I'M JUST GLAD WE HAVE
%IT NOW.
%MAJORITY OF STATES HAVE THIS.
%RECENTLY THEY SHOWED SOME -- WE
%HAVE SOME SPIKES IN WISCONSIN WE
%NEED TO ADDRESS AND I THINK THIS
%WILL CERTAINLY HELP US TOWARD
%THAT SO WE CAN FIGURE OUT WHAT
%TO DOTH DO THIS FALL WITH SCHOOLS
AND
%BUSINESSES.
%IT'S IMPORTANT THAT WE KEEP THE
%NUMBERS DONE AND THE BEST WAY TO
%DO THAT IS FOLLOWING THE MASK
%ORDER.
%>> IN WASHINGTON WE KNOW THAT
%CONGRESS IS WORKING ON THE NEXT
%CORONAVIRUS AID PACKAGE.
%WHAT IS YOUR REACTION TO THE
%SENATE WANTING TO REDUCE
%UNEMPLOYMENT FROM $600 A WEEK TO
%$200?
%>> FIRST OF ALL, FOR TWO AND A
%HALF MONTHS -- TWO AND A HALF
%MONTHS AGO WE PASSED A BILL AND
%THEY DID NOTHING.
%NOW THEY'RE FIRST COMING AROUND
%TO DOING THEIR JOBS WHICH I
%THINK IS AMAZING AND I'M SAYING
%THAT WORD BECAUSE I'M NOT
%ALLOWED TO SAY OTHER WORDS ON
%TV.
%THE FACT THAT THEY WOULD REDUCE
%THAT EXTRA SUPPORT FOR
%UNEMPLOYMENT, DON'T FORGET,
%PEOPLE HAVE LOST THEIR JOBS AT
%NO FAULT OF THEIR OWN, AS MANY
%SMALL BUSINESSES HAVE LOST
%DEMAND BECAUSE OF THE DISEASE.
%RESTAURANTS AND BARS, TOURISM,
%MEETING INDUSTRY, GO DOWN THE
%LIST.
%A LOT OF PEOPLE ARE SEVERELY
%IMPACTED.
%TO SAY SOMEHOW WE'RE GOING TO
%PUNISH THOSE PEOPLE AND THEY'RE
%GOING TO BE MAKING AS LITTLE AS
%UNEMPLOYMENT OFFERS DOESN'T SEEM
%TO MAKE SENSE.
%WE WANT PEOPLE NOT TO BE
%EVICTED, TO BE ABLE TO FEED
%THEIR FAMILIES.
%THAT EXTRA SUPPORT WAS DOING
%THAT.
%STUDIES HAVE SHOWN US THAT IT
%WORKED.
%$200 ISN'T NEARLY ENOUGH TO BE
%ADDITIONAL.
%WE'RE GOING TO FIGHT FOR THE
%$600.
%I THINK THE FACT THAT THAT'S A
%PRIORITY AT THE SAME TIME
%THEY'RE THROWING INTO THEIR
%PACKAGE FUNDING FOR F-35s AND
%BIGGER DEDUCTIONS FOR TWO
%MARTINI LUNCHES JUST SHOWS HOW
%AWFUL THEIR PRIORITIES ARE.
%>> WHAT ABOUT THE ARGUMENT THAT
%GIVING PEOPLE THAT EXTRA $600
%PUTS THEM ABOVE THE PLACE WHERE
%THEY WERE WHEN THEY WERE WORKING
%AND SO IT'S A DISINCENTIVE TO
%FIND WORK?
%>> SO FIRST OF ALL IT'S NEVER
%BEEN PROVEN.
%MANY STUDIES SAY THIS IS NOT
%WHAT HAS HAPPENED WITH THE EXTRA
%MONEY.
%IN THE FEW ANECDOTES WHERE IT
%MAY BE TRUE, YOU WOULD HAVE TO
%BE PAYING SOMEONE $10 OR $12 FOR
%THAT TO BE TRUE.
%YOU'RE NOT A JOB CREATOR AT THAT
%POINT.
%YOU'RE A POVERTY ENHANCER AT
%THAT POINT.
%THIS IS SHOWING THAT ON THOSE
%REALLY LOW-PAID JOBS AT $10 AN
%HOUR, FOR EXAMPLE, YOU'RE BELOW
%THE POVERTY LINE WITH A FAMILY
%WHEN YOU'RE MAKING A $10 AN HOUR
%JOB.
%MAYBE THAT'S PART OF THE JOB,
%RIGHT?
%SO WE NEED TO ADDRESS RAISING
%MINIMUM WAGE AT A FUTURE TIME.
%IN THIS PARTICULAR SITUATION,
%YOU'D HAVE TO BE A REALLY
%LOW-PAYING EMPLOYER FOR THIS TO
%HAVE ANY IMPACT.
%>> MEANWHILE, OUT OF WASHINGTON
%WHAT OTHER KINDS OF HELP SHOULD
%STATES LIKE WISCONSIN AND PEOPLE
%LIVING HERE EXPECT AROUND
%CORONAVIRUS AID?
%>> SO I THINK SOME OF OUR
%PRIORITIES HAVE BEEN THE
%UNEMPLOYMENT ASSISTANCE FOR
%PEOPLE WHO HAVE LOST THEIR JOB,
%HELPING SMALL BUSINESSES WHO
%LOST DEMAND, RESTAURANTS AND
%BARS AND TOURISM.
%WE NEED TO MAKE SURE THAT STATE
%AND LOCAL GOVERNMENTS HAVE
%MONEY.
%THEY'RE THE ONES PROVIDING THE
%SERVICES RIGHT NOW AND YET
%THEY'RE LAYING OFF PEOPLE
%BECAUSE IT'S COSTING THEM SO
%MUCH TO DO THAT.
%WE HAVE TO SHORE UP THE TESTING
%TO MAKE SURE THAT WE'RE
%CONTINUING IT DO THAT AND
%CONTACT TRACING.
%WE HAVE TO PROTECT THOSE FRONT
%LINE WORKERS BECAUSE WE DIDN'T
%DO THAT IN THE FIRST CARES ACT.
%BUT IT'S STILL FOCUSED ON COVID.
%IT'S JUST RIDICULOUS THAT
%SOMEHOW THE REPUBLICANS IN THEIR
%BILL PUT FUNDING FOR F-35s AND
%TWO MARTINI LUNCH TAX DEDUCTIONS
%IN WHEN WE SHOULD BE FOCUSING ON
%PEOPLE AFFECTED.
%>> THE U.S. JUSTICE DEPARTMENT
%ANNOUNCES THAT IT WILL BE
%SENDING FEDERAL AGENTS INTO
%MILWAUKEE.
%THEY SAY IT'S FOR VIOLENT CRIME
%FIGHTING, BUT WHAT IS YOUR
%REACTION TO WHAT'S CALLED
%"OPERATION LEGEND" IN WISCONSIN?
%>> OPERATION LEGEND IS NOTHING
%MORE THAN THE PRESIDENT'S LAST
%GASP AT TRYING TO SURVIVE BEFORE
%DROWNING BEFORE THE
%NOVEMBER ELECTIONS.
%HE REALIZES HE'S NOT DOING WELL
%IN THE POLLS, THE ECONOMY IS NOT
%DOING WELL.
%HIS RESPONSE TO COVID HAS BEEN
%PATHETIC.
%HE'S TRYING TO BRING THOSE
%SUBURBAN VOTERS BACK IN AND HE
%THINKS TO SCARE PEOPLE IS THE
%WAY TO DO THAT.
%THAT'S WHAT HE TRIED IN
%PORTLAND.
%IT DIDN'T WORK OUT.
%NOW HE'S REMOVING PEOPLE FROM
%THERE WITHOUT ANY RHYME OR
%REASON.
%NOW HE'S LANDING IN PLACES LIKE
%MILWAUKEE.
%IT'S A PATHETIC FINAL GASP TO
%TRY TO SURVIVE AND I THINK
%EVERYONE SEES IT AS JUST THAT.
%>> CONGRESSMAN MARK POCAN,