TODAY TO COMPETE WITH THE REST
OF THE WORLD IN THE 21ST SUN
ARCHITECTURERY.
THAT'S -- CENTURY.
THAT'S WHY MY PLAN GUARANTEES
FOUR YEARS OF ADDITIONAL
EDUCATION IN AMERICA STARTING AS
EARLY AS WE CAN.
THE GREAT UNIVERSITIES OF THIS
CONDUCT HAVE CONDUCTED STUDIES
OVER THE LAST TEN YEARS THAT
SHOWS THAT ADDING TWO YEARS OF
UNIVERSAL HIGH-QUALITY PRESCHOOL
FOR EVERY THREE-YEAR-OLD AND
FOUR-YEAR-OLD NO MATTER WHAT
BACKGROUND THEY COME FROM PUTS
THEM IN A POSITION TO BE ABLE TO
COMPETE.
>> PRESIDENT JOE BIDEN TALKS
ABOUT HIS PLAN TO EXPAND FREE
PUBLIC EDUCATION IN HIS FIRST
ADDRESS TO A JOINT SESSION OF
CONGRESS.
SO WHAT IS THE REACTION FROM
WISCONSIN'S CONGRESSIONAL
REPRESENTATIVES TO THE ROBUST
AGENDA?
WE FIRST TURN TO DEMOCRATIC U.S.
CONGRESSWOMAN GWEN MOORE AND
THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR BEING
HERE.
>> OH, IT'S SO GREAT TO BE WITH
YOU.
>> AS A FEMALE LEGISLATOR THAT
HAS MARKED MANY TITLES OF BEING
THE FIRST, WHAT DID IT MEAN TO
YOU TO HEAR PRESIDENT JOE BIDEN
TO ACKNOWLEDGE THAT FOR THE
FIRST TIME TWO WOMEN WERE BEHIND
HIM AND THAT, QUOTE, NO
PRESIDENT HAS EVER SAID THOSE
WORDS FROM THIS PODIUM AND IT'S
ABOUT TIME?
>> IT IS AN UNBELIEVABLE
DEVELOPMENT AND I THINK THAT
THOSE TWO WOMEN SITTING THERE IS
A MANIFESTATION OF WHERE WE HAVE
COME.
IN TERMS OF THE KIND OF PUBLIC
POLICY THAT WE'RE SEEKING.
YOU KNOW, ONE OF THE
CONTROVERSIAL PARTS OF HIS
RESCUE PLAN AND FAMILY PLAN IS
TO BUILD INFRASTRUCTURE FOR
CHILD CARE.
AND WHY IS THIS JUST NOW AS
URGENT AS IT IS?
AND I'VE HAD VERY NICE GENTLEMEN
SAY, WELL, YOU KNOW, I CAN SEE
TALKING ABOUT LEAD PIPES AND
BROADBAND AS INFRASTRUCTURE, BUT
CHILD CARE, YOU KNOW?
THE PROBLEM OF CHILD CARE IS A
PROBLEM FOR WOMEN WHO NEED THE
SERVICES AND IT'S A PROBLEM FOR
THE WORKERS WHO DON'T GET PAID
WELL.
IT'S A PROBLEM FOR BUSINESS
OWNERS OF CHILD CARE CENTERS WHO
ARE ENTREPRENEURIAL WOMEN.
AND I THINK IT'S AN EQUAL
PROTECTION CLAUSE THAT THIS
PRESIDENT HAS LEANED INTO.
I THINK HAVING LOST HIS WIFE AND
CHILD AND BECOMING A SINGLE
PARENT OF TWO BOYS IS REALLY
CREATED A LEVEL OF SENSITIVITY
TO THESE KINDS OF ISSUES AS A
PRESIDENT THAT IS UNPRECEDENTED.
>> AND AS WE HEARD A MOMENT AGO,
THE PRESIDENT UNVEILED THE
AMERICAN FAMILIES PLAN WEDNESDAY
NIGHT, WHICH INCLUDES FREE
PRESCHOOL AND COMMUNITY COLLEGE,
PAID FAMILY LEAVE, SUBSIDIZED
CHILD CARE AND PROTRACT THE
EXPANDED CHILD TAX CREDIT OF
MONTHLY PAYMENTS TO LOW AND
MIDDLE-INCOME FAMILIES.
WHY ARE THESE FOUR INITIATIVES
NEEDED RIGHT NOW, AT A COST OF
$1.9 TRILLION?
>> WELL, YOU GET A MUCH BETTER
RETURN ON THIS $1.9 TRILLION
THAN YOU DID THE $1.9 TRILLION
IN TAX CUTS AND JOBS ACTS WHERE
83% WENT TO RICH PEOPLE.
JUST EXPANDING THE CHILD TAX
CREDIT WILL TAKE 50% OF
AFRICAN-AMERICAN CHILDREN OUT OF
POVERTY.
I MEAN, THINK ABOUT THE RETURN
ON THAT INVESTMENT.
CHILD CARE, WE'VE ALREADY
DISCUSSED THE DERTH OF THAT.
AND EVEN WOMEN WHO ARE DOING
WELL IN THE WORKFORCE CAN'T
AFFORD THE COST OF GOOD DAY
CARE.
GOOD DAY CARE CAN ALMOST COST AS
MUCH AS COLLEGE TUITION OR
PRIVATE SCHOOLING.
PRESCHOOL, THE SCIENCE IS IN.
BIRTH THROUGH THREE IS WHERE
IT'S AT.
WE CAN'T AFFORD TO NOT MONETIZE
THE NEED TO GET AHOLD OF THESE
BRAINS AND START TEACHING
CHILDREN SOMETHING EARLIER THAN
THAT.
I THINK THE EDUCATIONAL GAPS WE
SEE HAVE COME FROM THE LACK OF
EARLY LEARNING, WHEN THE BRAIN
IS MORE ACTIVE AND READY TO
ENGAGE.
AND SO THESE ARE IDEAS WHOSE
TIME HAS COME.
AND WHEN YOU LOOK AT THE POLLS,
YOU CAN SEE THAT ALTHOUGH
THERE'S A LOT OF OPPOSITION FROM
REPUBLICANS TO THE PRESIDENT'S
AGENDA, HE'S GETTING LIKE 63%,
65% APPROVAL FOR THESE
PROPOSALS.
AND SO WE'RE MOVING FROM JUST
SORT OF RESCUING THE ECONOMY TO
REALLY BUILDING BACK BETTER SO
THAT PEOPLE ARE BETTER OFF THAN
WHERE THEY WERE BEFORE.
>> AND THE PRESIDENT LAID OUT A
LENGTHY POLICY WISH LIST DURING
HIS SPEECH AND SAID HE WANTS TO
WORK WITH REPUBLICANS IN.
IN THE REPUBLICAN RESPONSE
SENATOR TIM SCOTT CALLED THE
SPEECH EMPTY PLATITUDES.
DEMOCRATS HAVE A THIN MAJORITY
AND IS BIDEN SOWING MORE
DIVISION THAN UNITY WITH THESE
REALLY PROGRESSIVE AND COSTLY
PLANS?
>> WELL, I JUST THINK IT'S
INTERESTING THAT REPUBLICANS
ONLY CARE ABOUT DEBTS AND
DEFICITS AND SPENDING WHEN
DEMOCRATS ARE IN CHARGE.
I MEAN, OUR DEFICIT AND SPENDING
GREW UNDER, BELIEVE IT OR NOT,
RONALD REAGAN, ULTRA CONSERVE
TESTIFY.
IT GREW UNDER GEORGE W. BUSH.
CERTAINLY TRUMP SPENT ALL HE
WANTED AND REPUBLICANS SPENT.
I MEAN, THEY HAD THE TAX CUT
JOBS ACT, WHICH BENEFITED THE
TOP, YOU KNOW, 1% OF AMERICANS,
CREATED BILLIONAIRES.
AND SO NOW INVESTING IN PEOPLE,
INVESTING IN EDUCATION,
INVESTING IN OUR INFRASTRUCTURE
IS WHAT WE'RE GOING TO DO WITH
THOSE MONIES INSTEAD OF JUST
POURING INTO FOLKS WHO WANT TO
BUY BACK THEIR STOCKS.
THIS IS WHY DONALD TRUMP USED TO
DRAG ABOUT THE STOCK MARKET ALL
THE TIME.
BUT THE STOCK MARKET IS NOT THE
ECONOMY.
THE ECONOMY IS ME BEING ABLE TO
GO AND BUY MY SON OR DAUGHTER A
-- NEW SCHOOL CLOTHES.
THAT'S THE ECONOMY.
>> REPRESENTATIVE GWEN MOORE, WE
NEED TO LEAVE IT THERE.
THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR