AISLE, WHERE FEEDBACK HAS BEEN
LESS FAVORABLE OF BIDEN'S PLANS.
REPUBLICAN CONGRESSMAN MIKE
GALLAGHER JOINS US NOW FROM
GREEN BAY, AND REPRESENTATIVE
GALLAGHER, THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR
BEING HERE TODAY.
>> THANKS FOR HAVING ME.
>> YOU RELEASED A STATEMENT
YESTERDAY SAYING THE PRESIDENT'S
AGENDA WAS TOO EXPANSIVE AND THE
PEOPLE OF WISCONSIN WANT, QUOTE,
LESS NOT MORE GOVERNMENT
INTERVENTION IN THEIR LIVES.
IS THAT WHAT YOU HEARD FROM
CONSTITUENTS?
>> YEAH.
I THINK THE BIGGEST THING I'VE
HEARD AT LEAST ECONOMICALLY
GOING AROUND NORTHEAST WISCONSIN
AND TALKING TO BUSINESSES OF ALL
SIZES, GIVEN THE UNIQUE ECONOMIC
POSITION WE'RE IN TRYING TO COME
OUT OF CORONAVIRUS STRONG IS
JUST THAT WE NEED WORKERS.
EVERY BUSINESS IN WISCONSIN IS
STRUGGLING TO FIND PEOPLE TO
WORK.
AND THAT'S GOING TO BE A REAL
CONSTRAINT TO GROWTH IN
WISCONSIN GOING FORWARD.
AND SO THAT'S KIND OF THE
BIGGEST ECONOMIC ISSUE.
AND MY CONCERN IS THE LONGER WE
EXTEND THE GOVERNOR PLUS UP OF
UNEMPLOYMENT OR GIVE PEOPLE
CHECKS WE MIGHT CREATE A
DISINCENTIVE TO WORK.
I THINK WE'RE ALL UNITED ON
MAKING A SMART INVESTMENT IN
INFRASTRUCTURE, BUT WE HAVE TO
BE DILIGENT AND DISCIPLINED IN
HOW WE SPEND THAT MONEY AND
RAISE MONEY FOR INFRASTRUCTURE
GOING FORWARD.
>> AND YOU HAVE CRITICIZED THE
PRICE TAG OF PRESIDENT BIDEN'S
PLANS BUT HE SAID HE'LL PAY FOR
IT BY TAXING THE WEALTHIEST 1%,
CITING AMERICAN BILLIONAIRES
INCREASED THEIR WEALTH DURING
THE PANDEMIC WHILE THE REST OF
THE COUNTRY STRUGGLED.
WHY COULDN'T THIS SOLUTION FUND
HIS PLAN?
>> THERE ISN'T ENOUGH MONEY FROM
THE SO-CALLED 1% TO FUND THESE
VERY EX EXPANSIVE PLANS.
WE'RE TALKING ABOUT TRILLIONS OF
DOLLARS, DOUBLING THE SIZE OF
THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT IN TERMS
OF SPENDING AFTER WE JUST SPEND
UPWARDS OF $4 TRILLION.
WE ALLOCATED THAT MUCH MONEY
WHICH HAS NOT BEEN SPENT YET AT
THE STATE LEVEL.
SO AT A TIME WHEN STATE, LOCAL
AND COUNTY GOVERNMENTS ARE
TRYING TO FIGURE OUT HOW DO THEY
SPEND THE MONEY THEY JUST GOT
FROM THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT TO
HELP WISCONSINITES, I'M NOT SURE
IT MAKES SENSE TO TAX MORE
WISCONSINITES IN ORDER TO FUND
FORFUND-- MORE SPENDING WHEN WE'RE NOT
DONE WITH THE LAST ROUND.
I WORRY ABOUT THE IMPACT ON
ECONOMIC GROWTH BECAUSE OF THE
PENT-UP DEMAND THAT WE'VE HAD
FROM CORONAVIRUS.
AND OVER THE LONG TERM, I'LL
ABOUT GETTING AMERICAN JOBS BACK
HERE IN AMERICA, GROWING
WISCONSIN JOBS AND IF WE HAVE AN
UNCOMPETITIVE TAX CODE RELATIVE
TO OUR INTERNATIONAL COMPETITORS
LIKE CHINA AND BIDEN WOULD RAISE
THE TAX RATE HIGHER THAN CHINA,
WE'RE GOING TO SEE JOBS GET
OUTSOURCED TO OVERSEAS.
WE NEED TO BE BRINGING THOSE
JOBS BACK TO AMERICA,
INCENTIVIZING AMERICAN
MANUFACTURING.
WE WANT WISCONSIN TO EMERGE AS
THE HUB FOR THAT NEXT GENERATION
OF HIGH-TECH MANUFACTURING.
A BIG PART OF THAT IS OUR TAX
CODE, MAKING SURE IT'S
COMPETITIVE.
>> IN HIS AMERICAN FAMILIES
PLAN, BIDEN IS PROPOSING
EXPANDING EDUCATION TO INCLUDE
FREE PRESCHOOL AND TWO YEARS OF
COMMUNITY COLLEGE SAYING THIS IS
HOW THE UNITED STATES IS GOING
TO WIN.
YOU'VE USED THIS LANGUAGE OF
WINNING AND USING IN REFERENCE
TO CHINA.
DO YOU SUPPORT BIDEN'S EXPANDED
INVESTMENT IN EDUCATION?
>> I DON'T.
BUT I DO THINK THIS IS A KEY
POINT, THAT K-12 EDUCATION
REALLY USED TO BE AMERICA'S BIG
ADVANTAGE, RIGHT?
WE USED TO BE TOP IN THE WORLD
AND MEASURED BY THE
INTERNATIONAL COMMUNITY, AMERICA
HAS BEEN SLIDING INTO
MEDIOCRITY.
WE WERE KNOWN AS AN EDUCATION
POWERHOUSE.
BUT OUR RANKING HAS SIMILARLY
FALLEN INTO MEDIOCRITY.
BEFORE WE SPEND TRILLIONS MORE
ON EXPANDING EDUCATION, WE NEED
TO FIGURE OUT HOW DO WE GET K-12
BACK TO THE TOP OF THE HEAP?
OUR GOAL SHOULD BE TO HAVE THE
NUMBER ONE K-12 SYSTEM IN THE
COUNTRY BY 2030.
AND COMMON SENSE TO ME DICTATES
THAT WE NEED TO FOCUS ON THE
SYSTEM AS IT EXISTS NOW, BEFORE
WE DRAMATICALLY EXPAND IT.
AGAIN, I'M NOT SURE ALLOWING
PEOPLE TO GO TO COLLEGE FOR FREE
IS THE RIGHT WAY.
IN FACT, I THINK THE BIG THING
WE'VE LEARNED OVER THE LAST TWO
DECADES THROUGH PAINFUL TRIAL
AND ERROR IS NOT EVERY KID NEEDS
TO GO TO COLLEGE.
IN FACT, I THINK THE MESSAGE IS
YOU CAN GO RIGHT INTO THE
WORKFORCE, WORK FOR MARINETTE
MARINE, OSHKOSH TRUCK AND EARN A
HECK OF A LIVING AND SAVING.
YOU'LL HAVE A HOUSE BEFORE YOU
WENT TO COLLEGE AND ARE DROWNING
IN A MOUNTAIN OF DEBT.
I ALMOST THINK THAT'S THE
OPPOSITE DIRECTION WE NEED TO BE
GOING IN.
>> WITH UNDER A MINUTE LEFT, YOU
DO SEE EYE TO EYE ON THE ENDLESS
FRONTIER ACT TO INVEST IN
TECHNOLOGY AND MANUFACTURING.
BIDEN'S PROPOSAL ALSO PUTS
BILLIONS INTO NEW TECHNOLOGY.
DO YOU SUPPORT THAT AND THINK IT
WILL LEAD TO MORE AND BETTER
JOBS?
>> I SUPPORT CARVING OUT AN AREA
OF BIPARTISAN AGREEMENT WHERE WE
CAN INVEST IN THE TECHNOLOGY OF
THE FUTURE.
WHAT WE LEARNED IN CORONAVIRUS
IS WE'RE TOO DEPENDENT ON A
HOSTILE FOREIGN POWER IN CHINA
FOR LIFE-SAVING DRUGS.
I HAD A BILL WITH MARK POCAN ON
HOW TO BRING THAT MANUFACTURING
BACK TO THE UNITED STATES,
SEMICONDUCTORS, ROBOTICS.
I CO-CHAIR A TASK FORCE.
WE ARE TO GO TO HAVE TO INVEST
TO BRING THAT TECHNOLOGY BACK TO
THE UNITED STATES TO MAKE SURE
WE ARE THE GLOBAL HUB FOR
INNOVATION AND FUTURE TECHNOLOGY
AND THAT EVERYONE STILL WANTS TO
COME TO AMERICA BECAUSE WE'RE
THE GREATEST COUNTRY IN THE
WORLD.
>> WE NEED TO LEAVE IT THERE.
REPRESENTATIVE MIKE GALLAGHER,
TH