Rep. Ken Buck, R-Colo., argues increasing the stimulus check amount from $600 to $2,000 is ‘the right move.’
This is an unofficial transcript meant for reference. Accuracy is not guaranteed.
Back to you
will David thank you so much
with the clock ticking down, as
you mentioned, for a relief
bill to be passed by Congress
lets check in with a member of
Congress, its KEN Buck of
Colorado,
hes. Also, a member of the House
Judiciary Committee and a member
of the House Foreign Affairs
Committee,
congressman thanks. So much for
being with us.
You heard there from David Spunt
that Nancy Pelosi is
putting it to a vote, increasing
the checks from six hundred dollars to two thousand dollars.
How will you vote on that
potential bill?
I absolutely am in favor of
giving the american people
two thousand dollars and its the right move
and the president is absolutely
right, but thats only part of
what the president is suggesting.
Nancy Pelosi gave the members of
the house just a few hours to
read six thousand pages of legislation.
She did that because she had
stuffed this bill full of pork.
We are funding a covid relief
bill.
We are funding two new museums
to womens history.
We are funding social
engineering programs in Pakistan.
We are funding a panel to
examine a succession of the
Dalai Lama, all sorts of
pork projects in this bill.
What the president is saying is:
make America first
bring America make America the
priority, so stop funding
foreign projects in a covid
relief bill, knock that out and
take that money and use it to
fund and give the american
people a two thousand dollars check
if Nancy Pelosi does that, I
think Shell get overwhelming
republican support and shell
certainly have my support, but
just to add a two thousand dollars payment
instead of a six hundred dollars. Payment to the
pork thats in the bill is just
unacceptable
Rachel, but is she going to do
that representative buck?
Is she going to take the pork
out of there and all of the
programs that she loves?
I guess im curious. Is that what
the bill is going to look like?
Well, once again, she gave us
six thousand pages in a few hours to
read it
im sure we wont have a chance
to read this bill before we vote
on it and the Democrats will
vote for it.
The Republicans want to see the
bill
if she strips the pork if she
stops giving her pet projects in
the United States and overseas
this money, she will get
republican support, but it
takes more than just an hour of
debate to understand the bill
like this and to fully examine
it. So I would hope that she
would start sending this bill
out and letting people know that
all these terrible projects are
being stripped from the bill and
that the american people are
going to benefit.
This is just a play that Nancy
Pelosi and Chuck Schumer are
making to try to win votes in
Georgia.
Lets just be. You know upfront
about that and its a very
cynical play, because it deals
with something thats very
important to the american people
PETE. We know thats what they
do.
They did the same thing before
election day
congressman is there a way to
separate the two bills, the
nine hundred dollars billion for Covid
relief from the one dollar and thirty nine cents trillion
omnibus bill? Which much of this
is contained in and the
urgency created for Covid
gives an opportunity for all
the pork. As youre talking about,
is there a way to just do Covid,
as Republicans have talked about
for months and even higher
numbers than six hundred dollars, and then
debate the rest of that stuff
later or at least get a chance
to cut it out
its a great point, because
Nancy Pelosi actually had
brought other kinds of pork to
stop this bill from being passed
before the election.
She wanted to help fund the fail
ing pension systems in
California and New York, New
Jersey and other blue states.
She wanted to make sure that the
president didnt get a win
before the election by sending
out a check to the american
people, so she has stalled for
months to make sure this
bill didnt pass and now
on the eve of this bill, passing
she is going to refuse to take
out the pork thats necessary to
fund an additional payment that
the president was asking for
for the american people.
Will congressman just a point
of clarification. I want to move
on to ask you about the
coronavirus vaccine, but just
as a point of clarification, it
sounds like when youre
answering Rachel and Petes
questions. Your support for the
two thousand dollars increase is tied
to reducing the pork in the
government spending bill.
If thats not accomplished. If
Nancy Pelosi wont take that out
im reading between the
lines, then you will not vote
for an increase in the covid
relief checks.
I will not vote for an
increase in the covid
relief checks that places a huge
burden on our grandchildren to
payback the national debt, the
thirty dollars trillion of national
debt that we have already
accumulated. Absolutely not
will all right. Thank you for
clarifying where youll vote
on those bills,
possibly looked like they are
coming in the next couple days
to Congress.
Lets ask you about this really
quickly.
We know several members of
Congress like Alexandria,
Ocasio Cortez, have already
gotten their covid vaccines. Id
love to ask where you stand on
that. First lets take a look at
members of Congress where
theyve been on getting the
vaccine.
The covid vaccine became
available to members of Congress.
Last night and we are urged to
take it
thats it
will there, you have it.
She took the vaccine.
Members of Congress were put
toward the front of the line.
Where are you congressman?
Will you be getting the vaccine?
Have you already?
I have not gotten the
vaccine and I will not jump
the line.
There are healthcare workers in
America who need this vaccine
desperately.
There are seniors and those with
pre existing conditions that
need this vaccine.
I am a healthy young 61
year old man.
I am not going to take this
vaccine until those who are
at risk take the vaccine, and
then I will evaluate whether
ill take the vaccine or not at
that point, but I think its a
big mistake for 30 somethings
that are members of Congress to
assert their eliteist position
and take this vaccine rather
than giving those who are
desperately in need of the
vaccine. The vaccine is very
similar to the discussion we
just had about the pork taking
the pork out of the bill so that
Americans can get that two thousand dollars
relief
Rachel right well congressman.
We know that there are a lot of
elderly people who are suffering
and dying of loneliness in
nursing homes and really should
receive that vaccine before
healthy Americans so and young
Americans. So thank you for
joining us and merry.
Transcript generated on 2020-12-26.