%DEMOCRATIC-LED HOUSE JUDICIARY
%COMMITTEE GRILLED U.S. ATTORNEY
%WILLIAM BARR TUESDAY.
%TOM TIFFANY IS A REPUBLICAN
%COMMITTEE MEMBER.
%HE JOINED IN ON TOPICS INCLUDING
%PROTESTS AND FEDERAL AGENTS IN
%U.S. CITIES.
%ALL OF THIS TAKES PLACE AS
%CONGRESS DEBATES THE NEXT
%CORONAVIRUS RELIEF BILL AND AS
%THERE WAS A DECLINE IN ECONOMIC
%GROWTH.
%WE WILL TALK WITH U.S.
%DEMOCRATIC REPRESENTATIVE MARK%
POCAN.
%WE ARE JOINED BY NOW REPUBLICAN
%CONGRESSMAN TOM TIFFANY.
%>> GOOD TO BE WITH YOU, FREED
%REEK CA.
%>> WHAT IS YOUR REACTION TO THE
%MASK MANDATE ORDERED BY GOVERNOR
%EVERS?%>> I TRUST MY FRIENDS
AND
%NEIGHBORS TO DO THE RIGHT THING.
%AND I THINK GOVERNOR EVERS
%SHOULD TRUST THEM ALSO.
%I THINK ABOUT SMALL BUSINESSES
%AND OTHERS.
%SOME OF THEM HAVE MASK MANDATES.
%AND YOU GET TO CHOOSE WHETHER
%YOU GET TO GO INTO THAT BUSINESS
%OR NOT.
%I JUST THINK GOVERNOR EVERS
%SHOULD TRUST THE PEOPLE OF
%WISCONSIN TO MAKE THE RIGHT
%DECISION FOR THEMSELVES.
%AND I THINK HE'S FOCUSING ON THE
%WRONG ISSUES.
%WHEN YOU HAVE STAT STATUES BEING T
ORN
%DOWN AT THE CAPITOL, THE CAPITOL
%NEARLY BEING HARMED, AS WELL AS
%UNEMPLOYMENT COMPENSATION CLAIMS
%NOT BEING TAKEN CARE OF, SOME
%PEOPLE HAVE NOT GOTTEN THEIR
%CHECKS FROM MONTHS AGO,
%FORECLOSURES, PEOPLE LOSING
%THEIR VEHICLES.
%I THINK GOVERNOR EVERS HAS MORE
%IMPORTANT THINGS TO FOCUS ON.
%>> DR. DEBRA BIRX TOLD STATES
%THAT THEY SHOULD IMPOSE MASK
%MANDATES ESPECIALLY IN THE MIDST
%OF THESE SURGES.
%SO WHAT ABOUT THAT KIND OF
%MESSAGING FROM THE WHITE HOUSE?
%>> I THINK GOVERNOR EVERS SHOULD
%WORK WITH THE LEGISLATURE.
%THEY'VE BEEN OFFERING TO WORK
%WITH HIM THROUGHOUT THIS WHOLE
%PROCESS, INCLUDING WHEN THE
%SUPREME COURT INTERCEDED BACK IN
%MAY.
%AND THEY MADE IT CLEAR.
%GO WORK WITH THE LEGISLATURE.
%THAT'S WHAT GOVERNOR EVERS
%SHOULD DO.
%>> DO YOU PERSONALLY WEAR A MASK
%INDOORS OR WHEN YOU CANNOT
%DISTANCE?
%>> I DO WEAR A MASK.
%LIKE I'M OUT IN D.C. RIGHT NOW,
%WHENEVER I'M WALKING THE HALLS,
%GOING IN TO VOTE, I WEAR A MASK.
%>> AS TO UNEMPLOYMENT, WHAT IS
%YOUR POSITION ON WHETHER THE
%EXTRA $600 A WEEK IN
%UNEMPLOYMENT BENEFITS SHOULD BE
%EXTENDED IN THE NEXT FEDERAL
%CORONAVIRUS PACKAGE?
%>> YEAH.
%THAT'S ONE OF THE KEY QUESTIONS
%THAT'S BEFORE US OUT HERE IN
%CONGRESS AND I THINK YOU'RE
%SEEING THE SENATE LEADERSHIP
%ALONG WITH THE HOUSE LEADERSHIP
%LED BY HOUSE SPEAKER PELOSI,
%THAT'S REALLY WHAT THEY'RE
%TALKING ABOUT.
%AND SPEAKER PELOSI WANTS TO
%EXTEND THE $6 # ON00 ADD-ON.
%WHEN YOU LOOK AT UNEMPLOYMENT IN
%WISCONSIN, BASE UNEMPLOYMENT IS
%$9.25 AN HOUR.
%WHEN YOU ADD THE $600 BONUS ON
%TO THAT, THAT'S ANOTHER $15.
%A PERSON WOULD BE MAKING NEARLY
%$25 AN HOUR BEING ON
%UNEMPLOYMENT.
%NOW, I THINK MOST PEOPLE JUST
%WANT TO GO TO WORK.
%BUT I THINK UNEMPLOYMENT
%SHOULDN'T BE THAT RICH.
%IF YOU TAKE A LOOK AT A COUPLE,
%IF A COUPLE IS BOTH ON
%UNEMPLOYMENT, THEY'RE MAKING THE
%EQUIVALENT OF $10 # ON,000 A
%YEAR WITH THAT $600 ADD-ON.
%EMPLOYERS ARE TELLING US WE NEED
%EMPLOYEES.
%AND IT'S TIME WE BUILT A BRIDGE
%WITH THE ENHANCED UNEMPLOYMENT.
%NOW IT'S TIME TO RATCHET THAT
%BACK.
%>> WHAT ABOUT AID TO STATE AND
%LOCAL GOVERNMENTS?
%DO YOU THINK THAT WISCONSIN
%SHOULD SEE ADDITIONAL MONEY FROM
%THE FEDS?
%>> WELL, THEY'VE ALREADY
%RECEIVED ADDITIONAL DOLLARS, SO
%IN A CAIR FAIR PACKAGE TWO MONTHS
%AGO, MONEY WAS ALLOCATED TO THE
%STATE OF WISCONSIN.
%GOVERNORS WERE GIVEN SOLE
%AUTHORITY OVER IT AND WERE ABLE
%TO DISTRIBUTE THOSE DOLLARS.
%I THINK THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT
%WAS VERY GENEROUS IN GIVING THAT
%$2 BILLION TO WISCONSIN.
%>> LET'S TURN TO THIS.
%AS A MEMBER OF THE HOUSE
%JUDICIARY COMMITTEE YOU HAD
%OCCASION TO QUESTION ATTORNEY
%GENERAL BILL BARR.
%YOU ASKED HIM TO STOP THE RIOTS
%IN PLACES LIKE MADISON.
%WOULD YOU SUPPORT BRINGING IN
%FEDERAL POLICE AGENTS TO DO
%THAT, INCLUDING THOSE THAT ARE
%COMING INTO MILWAUKEE, FOR
%EXAMPLE?
%>> IT WOULD BE PREFERABLE THAT
%FEDERAL AGENTS DO NOT COME IN.
%HOWEVER, IF THERE'S FEDERAL
%BUILDINGS, FEDERAL PROPERTY THAT
%IS BEING DAMAGED, THEN THE
%FEDERAL GOVERNMENT HAS A DUTY TO
%GO IN AND PROTECT THOSE
%PROPERTIES.
%IT'S LIKE PORT LAPPED.
%AT THAT FEDERAL COURTHOUSE OUT
%THERE, THEY HAVE A DUTY TO
%PROTECT AND THAT'S WHAT THEY'RE
%DOING OUT THERE.
%IF IT'S FEDERAL ASSETS, THEY
%SHOULD BE PROTECTED BY THE
%FEDERAL GOVERNMENT.
%>> REPRESENTATIVE GOHMERT TESTED
%COVID POSITIVE FOLLOWING THAT
%HEARING BY THE JUDICIARY
%COMMITTEE.
%DO YOU EXPECT TO BE TESTED
%BECAUSE OF ANY CONTACT YOU HAD
%WITH HIM?
%>> YEAH.
%I TALKED TO THE HOUSE PHYSICIAN
%IN REGARDS TO THAT, AND I WAS
%NOT WITHIN REPRESENTATIVE
%GOHMERT FOR 15 MINUTES, WITHIN
%SIX FEET FOR 15 MINUTES, SO THEY
%SAID JUST CLOSELY MONITOR.
%YOU DO NOT HAVE TO TEST.
%I'D BE HAPPY TO TAKE A TEST
%ANYTIME, BUT THE HOUSE PHYSICIAN
%SAID IT'S PROBABLY NOT
%NECESSARY, JUST MONITOR, AND
%THAT'S WHAT I'M DOING.
%>> WHAT'S IT LIKE TO BE IN THE
%MIDST OF A BUSY CITY, CAPITOL
%HILL, AND PEOPLE ARE GETTING
%SICK AND YOU ALL ARE DOING YOUR
%JOBS AND FLYING BACK AND FORTH.
%WHAT IS THAT LIKE?
%>> YOU MAKE SURE YOU KEEP
%YOURSELF SAFE, DISTANCE AS
%APPROPRIATELY.
%THE AIRLINES HAVE TOUGH
%RESTRICTIONS IN PLACE.
%THEY REQUIRE MASKS WHENEVER
%YOU'RE ON A PLANE, IN AN
%AIRPORT.
%THOSE THINGS ARE ALL HAPPENING
%TO PROTECT OUR HEALTH.
%I THINK THE MOST IMPORTANT THING
%IS WE ALL NEED TO BE AWARE.
%WE AS INDIVIDUALS HAVE A
%RESPONSIBILITY, AND THAT'S THE
%MOST IMPORTANT THING THAT WE CAN
%ALL DO, IS TAKE RESPONSIBILITY
%FOR OUR HEALTH.
%>> CONGRESSMAN TOM TIFFANY,
%THANKS VERY MUCH FOR JOINING US.
%>> YEAH.
%IT WAS GOOD TO BE ON TODAY,