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 TORN
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,