>> GOOD TO BE WITH YOU,
FREDERICA.
>> TURNING TO THE OTHER SIDE OF
THE AISLE, AMONG THE WISCONSIN
CONGRESSIONAL DELEGATION, WITH
DEMOCRATIC U.S. REPRESENTATIVE
MARK POCAN FROM THE 2nd
CONGRESSIONAL DISTRICT.
HE JOINS US FROM MADISON AND
THANKS VERY MUCH FOR BEING HERE.
>> THANK YOU, FREDERICA.
GLAD TO BE HERE.
>> SO LOTS TO TOUCH O. FIRST,
YOUR REACTION TO THE LAWSUITS
FILED BY THE TRUMP CAMPAIGN AND
HIS ALLIES IN WISCONSIN
CHALLENGING THE RESULTS HERE.
>> YEAH.
IF HE WANTS TO DONATE $3 MILLION
TO THE STATE OF WISCONSIN, WE'LL
GO THROUGH A FEW HOOPS FOR HIM.
BUT THEY'RE NOT GOING TO GO
ANYWHERE.
EVEN SCOTT WALKER SAID THE WAY
WE RUN OUR ELECTIONS IN
WISCONSIN, YOU'RE NOT GOING TO
FIND A WAY TO OVERTURN THAT MANY
VOTES.
BUT IF THIS IS WHAT DONALD TRUMP
NEEDS TO UPHOLD HIS FRAIL EGO IN
THE FINAL WEEKS THAT HE'S IN
OFFICE, WE'LL TAKE THE MONEY.
>> NOW OUR STATE LEGISLATURE
WILL HOLD INVESTIGATIVE HEARINGS
AS WE'VE SEEN IN OTHER STATES N.
YOUR MIND, DOES THIS HELP TO AIR
DOUBTERS' CONCERNS?
>> AGAIN, YOU'RE DEALING WITH
SOMEONE WHO DOESN'T WANT TO GIVE
UP AFTER THEY'VE LOST THE
ELECTION AND SOMEHOW REPUBLICANS
ARE STILL PART OF THIS CULT
UNTIL HE OFFICIALLY STEPS DOWN
AND THEY HAVE TO DO WHATEVER HE
REQUIRES.
I WISH THAT THEY WOULD TAKE THIS
TIME AND DO HEARINGS ABOUT
COVID, ABOUT WHAT SMALL
BUSINESSES NEED RIGHT NOW AND
PEOPLE WHO ARE UNEMPLOYED, WHAT
WE NEED TO DO WITH CONTACT
TRACERS, ABOUT TESTING IN SENIOR
LIVING SITUATIONS IN PLACES LIKE
WISCONSIN.
BUT THEY HAVEN'T MET FOR OVER
SIX MONTHS TO DEAL WITH ANY OF
THAT AND NOW THEY'RE GOING TO DO
A HEARING ON SOMETHING THAT IS
JUST TO MAKE THE PRESIDENT FEEL
BETTER.
NOT EXACTLY THE LEGISLATURE I
REMEMBER.
>> FROM YOUR PERSPECTIVE, HAS
THIS DELAY AND THE ALLEGATIONS
OF FRAUD DEFLATED DEMOCRATS'
EXCITEMENT OVER THE RESULTS?
>> NO.
THIS IS ALL DONE LARGELY FOR AN
AUDIENCE OF ONE, DONALD TRUMP.
YOU'RE FINDING EVERY DAY MORE
AND MORE MAJOR REPUBLICANS COME
OUT AND SAY JOE BIDEN WON THE
ELECTION BY A QUITE SIZABLE
MARGIN BY PRESIDENTIAL
ELECTIONS.
UP TO THIS POINT ALL THESE
ACTIONS ARE TO MAKE THE
PRESIDENT FEEL BETTER.
COVID IS KILLING THOUSANDS OF
PEOPLE A DAY ACROSS THE COUNTRY.
WISCONSIN HAS A COVID EPIDEMIC.
WE SHOULD BE FOCUSING ON COVID
AND INSTEAD WE'RE FOLLOWING
THESE LITTLE RABBIT HOLES THAT
THE PRESIDENT CAN FEEL BETTER.
IT'S JUST A SIGN OF THE TIMES OF
HOW TOUGH THE POLITICAL
ENVIRONMENT IS RIGHT NOW,
FREDERICA.
>> THERE IS SOME WORK GOING ON
TOWARDS COVID RELIEF OUT OF
WASHINGTON, INCLUDING DESCRIBE
HOW URGENT THIS IS FOR YOUR
CONSTITUENTS.
>> IT'S THE HIGHEST.
THERE'S NO QUESTION.
ANYONE WHO'S AN ELECTED OFFICIAL
WHO'S NOT SPENDING ALMOST ALL OF
THEIR TIME AND EFFORT ON COVID
ISN'T DOING THEIR JOB.
THAT'S WHAT I'VE BEEN TRYING TO
DO, WHETHER IT'S PUSHING THE
LEGISLATURE TO MEET AND SUPPORT
THE MASK AND OCCUPANCY ORDERS,
TRYING TO GET THE STATE TO HIRE
MORE CONTACT TRACERS.
WE'RE SIGNIFICANTLY DOWN.
AN IMPORTANT PART OF TESTING,
TRACING AND ISOLATION.
MISSING THOSE IS A CRUCIAL PART
OF WHAT WE HAVE TO DO.
AND MAKING SURE WE'RE TESTING IN
OUR SENIOR CENTERS MUCH BETTER,
NURSING HOMES AND ASSISTED
LIVING CENTERS.
WE'RE SEEING LARGE INCREASES IN
DEATHS IN THOSE FACILITIES.
MY JOB SHOULD BE TO GET THAT
FEDERAL BILL DONE, WHICH I THINK
WE'RE GOING TO DO NEXT WEEK, TO
GET ASSISTANCE TO SMALL BUSINESS
OWNERS AND PEOPLE WHO ARE
UNEMPLOYED AND OUR FRONT LINE
WORKERS AND STATE AND LOCAL
GOVERNMENTS DOING THE WORK.
BUT IF YOU'RE NOT OBSESSED BY
COVID AS AN ELECTED OFFICIAL,
YOU SHOULDN'T BE AN ELECTED
OFFICIAL RIGHT NOW.
>> WHAT LEVEL OF AID, WHAT KIND
OF SPENDING DO YOU SUPPORT IN
ANY FEDERAL PACKAGE?
>> WELL, IT LOOKS LIKE WE'RE
GOING TO HAVE A TRIMMED-DOWN
PACKAGE, BUT HAVING PRESIDENT
BIDEN TAKING OFFICE ON
JANUARY 20, THAT WILL GIVE US
ANOTHER CHANCE TO DO MORE WORK.
SMALL BUSINESS OWNERS ARE
HURTING BADLY, RESTAURANTS,
BARS, TOURISM, OTHER INDUSTRIES.
THAT'S CAUSING LAYOFFS AND
PEOPLE UNEMPLOYED AT NO FAULT OF
THEIR OWN.
WE'RE WATCHING FRONT LINE
WORKERS EXHAUSTED FROM TRYING TO
DEAL WITH THE COVID CASES AND
YET WE STILL HAVE A PRESIDENT
TELLING PEOPLE YOU DON'T HAVE TO
WEAR A MASK, WHICH IS
RIDICULOUS.
WE NEED TO CURTAIL THOSE CASES
TO RELIEVE THE PRESSURE ON OUR
HOSPITALS AND FRONT LINE
WORKERS.
WE NEED MORE RESOURCES THAN THIS
BILL WILL HAVE, BUT IT'S A
TEMPORARY FIX RIGHT NOW.
>> GOVERNOR EVERS WANTS PRIORITY
ON VACCINES GIVEN THAT HE SAYS
THAT STATEWIDE MITIGATION
EFFORTS HAVE BEEN BLOCKED IN
WISCONSIN.
DO YOU THINK DHS SECRETARIAL
LEKS AZAR WILL GO FOR GIVING
WISCONSIN PRIORITY ON VACCINES?
>> I THINK THEY'RE GOING TO DO
IT BY DEMOGRAPHICS AND
POPULATION AS THEY SHOULD.
FRONT LINE WORKERS SHOULD BE THE
VERY FIRST TO GET ANY VACCINES.
THOSE IN RISK CATEGORIES NEED TO
GET IT NEXT.
BUT THERE ARE THINGS WE CAN DO
IN WISCONSIN SHORT OF THIS THAT
WE'RE NOT DOING, INCLUDING
GETTING MORE CONTACT TRACERS,
HAVING MORE AGGRESSIVE TESTING
IN ASSISTED LIVING CENTERS AND
IN VERIFYING WHAT'S HAPPENING IN
THE NURSING HOMES.
SO I HOPE WE CAN DO ALL OF THIS
AT THE SAME TIME.
I THINK THE LEGISLATURE CAN MEET
AND PASS SOME OF THE IMPORTANT
PROVISIONS THE GOVERNOR HAS PUT
OUT OF THERE.
THE STATE HAS TO STEP UP AND DO
THINGS THEY CAN DO WITHOUT
LEGISLATIVE WORK OR FEDERAL
ASSISTANCE.
IF WE DO THAT AND GET OUR BILL
OUT NEXT WEEK AND THEN HAVE A
GOOD PLAN TO GET THE VACCINES
OUT TO PEOPLE WHO NEED IT THE
MOST, I THINK WE'LL AT LEAST BE
DOING THE JOB THAT WE HAVE TO DO
TO KEEP PEOPLE AS SAFE AS
POSSIBLE.
>> WE LEAVE IT THERE.
REPRESENTATIVE MARK POCAN,