CRCTED THIS WEEK.
BIDEN IS EAGER FOR MONEY TO FIND
ITS WAY TO MILWAUKEE, WHICH
FACES LEAD PIPES IN DRINKING
WATER.
U.S. REPRESENTATIVE GWEN MOORE
IS CONCERNED ABOUT THE DANGER OF
LEAD PIPES AND PAINT.
SHE JOINS US NOW FROM
WASHINGTON.
THANKS VERY MUCH FOR BEING HERE
AGAIN.
>> THANKS FOR HAVING ME,
FREDERICA.
>> SO EVEN AS THE SENATE
GRAPPLES WITH AN IN STRA INFRASTRUCTURE
BILL, HOW KEENLY NEEDED IS THAT
IN MILWAUKEE?
>> WELL, FREDERICA, THANKS FOR
HAVING, BECAUSE, YOU KNOW, SO
MANY PEOPLE TALK ABOUT THE
SITUATION IN FLINT, MICHIGAN.
BUT THIS IS A PROBLEM ALL OVER
THE COUNTRY, ESPECIALLY IN OLDER
CITIES.
IN THE CITY OF MILWAUKEE, WE
HAVE 2500 CASES A YEAR OF
CHILDREN WHO ARE POISONED BY
LEAD.
AND, AS YOU KNOW, THERE'S NO
SAFE AMOUNT OF LEAD.
IT LEADS TO ALL KINDS OF
COGNITIVE DISABILITIES, PERHAPS
EVEN VIOLENT BEHAVIOR.
IT'S A LIFE-LONG TRAGEDY FOR
KIDS.
AND THIS $45 BILLION OVER THE
NEXT TEN YEARS WILL TAKE EVERY
SINGLE LEAD PIPE IN THE COUNTRY
OUT.
AND IT WILL TAKE OUT THE -- THE
LEAD PIPES WE HAVE IN MILWAUKEE
AND IN WISCONSIN AND OF COURSE
AT THE RATE THAT WE'RE GOING AND
AT THE FUNDING LEVELS THAT WE
HAVE IN MILWAUKEE, IT WOULD TAKE
70 YEARS IN ORDER TO DO IT
WITHOUT THIS APPROPRIATION.
SO WE ARE VERY, VERY DELIGHTED.
>> SO WHAT SHARE OF FEDERAL
RELIEF AND INFRASTRUCTURE FUNDS
NEED TO BE AIMED AT YOUR CITY?
I UNDERSTAND REPLACING ALL THE
LEAD SERVICE LINES ALONE IN
MILWAUKEE WOULD RUN LIKE $800
MILLION.
WHAT SHARE WOULD YOU LIKE TO SEE
GO TO MILWAUKEE FOR THAT?
>> $800 MILLION.
ACTUALLY, FREDERICA, THERE HAVE
BEEN -- I HAVE MADE EFFORTS
THROUGHOUT MY TENURE IN CONGRESS
TO PROVIDE MONIES FOR THESE LEAD
PIPES.
AND SO TO THE EXTENT THAT THERE
WOULD BE ANY SORT OF CITY MATCH,
WE HAVE BUILT THAT INTO -- THE
MAYOR HAS BUILT THIS INTO HIS
BUDGET.
SO WE HAVE BEEN PLODDING ALONG.
WE JUST HAVE NOT HAD ENOUGH
MONEY TO DO THEM ALL.
AND OF COURSE YOU HAVE HEARD THE
SCREAMING FROM COMMUNITY
ACTIVISTS, AND RIGHTFULLY SO,
ABOUT THE CRISIS THAT THIS IS
AND WANTING TO GET IT DONE.
SO WE'RE GOING TO USE THIS
FEDERAL MONEY TO REALLY LEVERAGE
WHAT WE'RE ALREADY DOING
LOCALLY.
>> SO IF THIS GETS TIED UP IN
WASHINGTON, WHAT WOULD YOU SAY
ABOUT ANOTHER GENERATION OF
MILWAUKEEANS GROWING UP UNDER
THE SPECTRE OF LEAD POISONING?
>> WELL, YOU KNOW, FREDERICA,
THANKS FOR ASKING THAT.
WE'VE KNOWN FOR A LONG TIME THAT
LEAD WAS NOT GOOD.
I MEAN, EVEN, YOU KNOW, BACK IN
ANCIENT TIMES.
IT'S JUST STUPID THAT WE HAVEN'T
DONE SOMETHING BEFOREHAND.
BUT AS WE SEE BRIDGES CRUMBLING,
BUILDINGS CRUMBLING, I THINK
THAT, YOU KNOW, WE ALL HAVE A
SHARED INTEREST AT THIS POINT TO
TAKE THIS STUFF VERY SERIOUSLY.
AND ANOTHER GENERATION OF
CHILDREN GROWING UP UNDER LEAD
IS GOING TO BE DEVASTATING TO
OUR ECONOMY.
THIS IS OUR FUTURE WORKFORCE.
YOU KNOW, WHEN I FOUND OUT THAT
MY SECOND GRANDDAUGHTER WAS
PREGNANT WITH MY FIRST GREAT
GRANDCHILD, I IMMEDIATELY
STARTED BUYING WATER.
THAT WAS MY -- THAT WAS MY
REACTION TO THAT.
YOU KNOW, AND NOT ONLY WILL IT
AMELIORATE ALL OF THESE HEALTH
PROBLEMS, BUT IT REALLY ADDS TO
OUR GDP.
YOU KNOW, ONE OF MY COLLEAGUES,
BRIAN HIGGINS, FROM BUFFALO ON
THE WAYS AND MEANS COMMITTEE, IS
CONSTANTLY TALKING ABOUT THE
RETURN ON THESE DOLLARS.
I MEAN, FOR EVERY DOLLAR WE
SPEND ON INFRASTRUCTURE, WE GET
ABOUT $3.72 IN RETURN.
SO -- AND IT REALLY, REALLY ADDS
TO OUR GDP.
YOU KNOW, YOU KNOW, ECONOMISTS
SAY THAT 28,000 JOBS WILL BE
CREATED FOR THIS -- WITH THIS --
WITH JUST $1 BILLION OF THESE
MONIES.
AND SO IT'S AN ECONOMIC BOON AND
IT REALLY MITIGATES THE HEALTH
RISKS THAT WE FACE.
WE CAN'T AFFORD -- YOU KNOW, WE
CAN'T DO THIS KNOWING BETTER.
IT WOULD BE DIFFERENT IF WE
DIDN'T KNOW WHAT THE TRA IMPACTS ARE
BUT WE KNOW BETTER.
<!32768> ON A RELATED MATTER,
YOU WERE JUST NAMED TO THE
SELECT COMMITTEE ON ECONOMIC
DISPARITY AND FAIRNESS IN
GROWTH.
WHAT IS THE TASK OF THAT
COMMITTEE AND WHAT DO YOU BRING
TO THAT WORK?
>> WELL, THANK YOU.
I WAS SO HONORED TO BE SELECTED
BY SPEAKER PELOSI TO SERVE ON
THIS TASK FORCE.
IT HAS SOME OF THE BRIGHTEST AND
BEST MINDS IN OUR CONFERENCE ON
THE COMMITTEE.
YOU KNOW, WE HAVE PEOPLE LIKE
ALEXANDER CORTEZ, WHO IS COMING
THERE TO SORT OF BRING THE
PERSPECTIVE OF DISPARITIES AND
INEQUALITY AMONG YOUNG PEOPLE,
THIS GENERATION, WHO'S BURDENED
WITH DISPARITIES.
LIKE HAVING MORE GRANT MONEY,
MORE LOAN MONEY FOR EDUCATION
RATHER THAN SOME OF THE GRANT
MONEY THAT PEOPLE IN MY
GENERATION WERE ABLE TO HAVE.
WE HAVE ANGIE CRAIG FROM
MINNESOTA, WHO'S GOING TO TALK
ABOUT THE KINDS OF DESPAIR THAT
EXISTS IN RULE AREAS.
WE HAVE SARAH JACOBS, GOING TO
TALK ABOUT THE FUTURE OF WORK.
AND FRAMALA, CHAIR OF THE
CONGRESSIONAL PROGRESSIVE
CAUCUS.
AND SO WE'RE GOING TO HAVE A LOT
OF DIFFERENT VOICES.
YOU KNOW, I'M GOING TO BRING THE
VOICE OF POVERTY AND THOSE LEFT
BEHIND AS A RESULT OF POVERTY TO
THE TABLE.
YOU KNOW, OUR CHAIRMAN, JIM
HEINTZ, FROM CONNECTICUT HAS
COMMISSIONED US TO BRING OUR
THINKING CAPS ON AND TO BRING
FACTS TO THE TABLE.
WE'RE NOT GOING TO SPEND A WHOLE
LOT OF TIME WITH ANECDOTES AND
SO FORTH.
WE'RE GOING TO -- THIS IS GOING
TO BE A SERIOUS CHARGE LOOKING
AT NOT JUST IDENTIFYING THE
PROBLEMS, BUT LOOKING FOR
SOLUTIONS.
>> ALL RIGHT.
WE NEED TO LEAVE IT THERE, BUT
WE WILL BE WATCHING THAT
INTERESTING AND IMPORTANT WORK.
REPRESENTATIVE GWEN MOORE, THANK
YOU VERY MUCH.
>>