Answers to Your Coronavirus Questions; Rep. Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) is Interviewed about Unemployment and Congress.
CAMEROTA: Breaking news, more than 30 million Americans have lost their jobs in the last six weeks. The coronavirus pandemic is creating an economic crisis in the U.S. Joining us now to talk about this and more is House Speaker Nancy Pelosi. Good morning, Madam Speaker.</s>REP. NANCY PELOSI (D-CA): Good morning.</s>CAMEROTA: So that was the breaking news that we just had moments ago. And, of course, these are jaw-dropping numbers. I mean 30 million Americans in the past six weeks, 18.6 percent of the U.S. workforce has now filed for unemployment. I mean so that's basically the unemployment rate. What -- when you hear these numbers, when do you think that those numbers of jobless people will start going down instead of up every week?</s>PELOSI: Well, if I knew that, it would be a great thing if any of us knew that. But the fact is we have to do everything in our power to make a path for that to happen. I myself think that the path to our re-entering the economy is testing, testing, testing. It all comes back to science and the health and well-being of the American people. So we're talking about people's lives and the jaw-dropping figure of over 60,000 Americans already lost their lives to this -- to the coronavirus. And now we have these numbers, which are only increasing by the week. Hopefully, if we have -- my -- I believe that we have to have a path that is about testing so that there is confidence for people when certain opportunities open up are there, that they have the confidence that they can join the workforce because other people there have been tested as well. You cannot -- you cannot turn the economy around without the scientific leadership on it. And, again, testing, testing, testing, contact tracing, isolation, treatment and the rest, so that people will go forward, because God bless the American people. This is about workers and their families. And if you want to go into the workforce and take a risk, and then bring that home to your family, you have to think many times over about that.</s>CAMEROTA: I also want to ask you about states and about the federal aid, you can call it federal aid, you can call it a bailout, whatever you want, but what the governors say they need. And as you know, a week ago, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell basically suggested his preference for -- to allow some states to go bankrupt over bailing them out.</s>PELOSI: Yes, well --</s>CAMEROTA: I mean I'll just quickly -- let me quickly quote him. He said, we're not interested in solving their pension problems for them, we're not interested in rescuing them from bad decisions they've made in the past. It sounds like he has softened his rhetoric since then. So are states going to get federal money?</s>PELOSI: Yes, indeed. Let me just say that what the distinguished leader said was an excuse, not a reason, to do something. Everything we have done in the four bills that we have passed, all of which have been strongly bipartisan, and I'm very proud of that, has been about the coronavirus. It's not about one thing or another, it's about the coronavirus. So, when we're looking at the states, and municipalities and counties, and the assistance that we give them, we're looking at, what are your outlays for the coronavirus and what is your revenue lost because of the coronavirus? Has nothing to do with anything that went before. Same thing with the hospitals. It's about what -- what have you spent on the coronavirus, and what have you lost on the coronavirus? All of it that. So when he says that he references Illinois, all the troubles in Illinois came by a republican governor. So he's making it look like there's some blue state/red state thing here that we're bailing out -- has nothing to do with any other issues of the budget of any state. It only has to do with the coronavirus. And the governors are united, Democrats and Republicans. The mayors are united, Democrats and Republicans. County -- everybody is united in saying in order for us to survive, we need to have these resources, and they will.</s>CAMEROTA: And how much money will they get? Governors want $500 million.</s>PELOSI: Billion.</s>CAMEROTA: Of course, thank you. And so, I mean, I'm -- and I'm talking about the National Governors --</s>PELOSI: We could do that in a second.</s>CAMEROTA: Yes, I mean, the m, b, t, I mean we're at -- we're also talking a trillion. But I mean the Governors Association, that's the figure they've used. So what figure are you using?</s>PELOSI: Well, I'm looking to them for the assessment they have about the expenses that relate to outlays for corona and revenue lost. We're not going to be -- be able to cover all of it. But we'll be able to enable them to have sustainability. But understand this, that $500 billion, should that be the number, is not for one year. That's more like three years -- over a three-year period. And then same thing with state and local -- excuse me, municipalities and counties. We want to have a separate account for them because many of them don't get -- really get what they need from the state. Sometimes the governors are not inclined to do that. Other times they just fiscally are unable to do it. And so we want to have separate, direct support for townships, even as low as 50,000 and below. And this is a very big change. But, again, coronavirus revenue lost and we're waiting for their figure. It's approaching 500 billion too (ph). But, again, over a -- at least three, perhaps four years.</s>CAMEROTA: OK.</s>PELOSI: But, again, we want it to be based on the numbers and very clearly relate to revenue lost and expenditures made from the virus.</s>CAMEROTA: Understood. OK. Good to know. You have set up a coronavirus oversight panel.</s>PELOSI: Yes.</s>CAMEROTA: To figure out how these trillions of dollars will be spent. Your Republican colleagues seem wary of this panel.</s>PELOSI: Yes.</s>CAMEROTA: They think it's a setup of some kind. Impeachment 2.0 some have called it. Are there any Republicans on the committee? What do you say to them to assuage their fears about this?</s>PELOSI: Well, the appointments that I made to the committee are, I think, create a chemistry of working in a bipartisan way. Our distinguished chairman, Mr. Clyburn, has a record if his state of South Carolina of doing these oversight kind of activities under Democratic and Republican governors to much acclaim. This is about waste, fraud, abuse, profiteering, price gouging. Where there's money, there's mischief. There's just no question about it. And, again, as we review all of that, to take us to where you began this conversation, how do we get to a place to open up the economy to, again, save lives, but also save livelihoods as we go forward? I'm very proud of it. It is modeled after something Harry Truman did when he was a senator at the beginning of World War II. He said, World War I, they had 116 committees after the fact, after the war to examine how the money was spent. He said, I think I'd like to have one during the war as we go forward and it will save lives and save money and it did indeed do both.</s>CAMEROTA: Yes.</s>PELOSI: So it's modeled on -- and that was under a Democratic president at the time. So it wasn't about the administration. It was about, we don't want people that we've -- have examples of people trying to sell masks that they don't have, trying to abscond with the checks of people who are -- need to receive their direct payment.</s>CAMEROTA: Sure. Corruption. Yes. Understood.</s>PELOSI: Yes.</s>CAMEROTA: OK, Speaker, I also want to ask you about former Vice President Joe Biden and about this allegation that is being made by one of his former Senate staffers. Do you think that it is time for Vice President Biden to address this head on himself?</s>PELOSI: Well, I have great sympathy for any women who bring forth an allegation. I'm a big, strong supporter of the Me Too movement. I think it's been a great -- made a great contribution to our country. And I do support Joe Biden. I'm satisfied with how he has responded. I know him. I was proud to endorse him the other -- on Monday. Very proud to endorse him. And so I'm satisfied with that.</s>CAMEROTA: I mean he hasn't, to be clear, he hasn't addressed it. His campaign has addressed it, but he has not directly addressed it. Should he directly, publicly address it?</s>PELOSI: You know, it's a matter that he has to deal with. But I am impressed with the people who work for him at the time saying that absolutely never heard one iota of information about this, nobody ever brought forth a claim or had anybody else tell them about such a claim. But, again, we have an important election at hand. One that is, I think, one of the most important ones that we've had. We say that every election, but I think this one is the most crucial. And I -- I supported him because he's a person of great values, integrity, authenticity, imagination, and connection to the American people. He understands the kitchen table issues of America's working families. His father lost his job when he was a boy. He knows what that feels like for a family, how they're going to pay their bills, their health bills, education of their children, supporting seniors and their families and the rest. It's just -- he's the personification of hope and optimism for our country. And I was proud to endorse him. America needs a person like Joe Biden with his, again, his integrity and his vision for the future.</s>CAMEROTA: House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, we really appreciate you being here on NEW DAY. Thank you for your time.</s>PELOSI: Thank you. My pleasure. And thank you for what you're doing to tell the story of this. That information is so very, very important.</s>CAMEROTA: Thank you.</s>PELOSI: Thank you.</s>CAMEROTA: We'll be right back.