WILMINGTON, Del. — Today, U.S. Senator Chris Coons (D-Del.), a member of the Senate Appropriations and Small Business and Entrepreneurship Committees, joined MSNBC’s Andrea Mitchell to discuss the need for urgent COVID-19 relief and stimulus.

“I think it's important that Majority Leader McConnell show that he recognizes that we need to fund our recovery, that we need to provide an additional round of funding, yes to small businesses, but also to state and local governments, to families and individuals who are struggling, even on a day that the Dow Jones hits a new all-time record,” said Senator Coons. “There is a big difference between the stock market and what's happening in grocery markets in local communities all over our country. We've got families that are hurting and struggling. We have more than 6 million Americans who are on the verge of being evicted either because they're late on their mortgages or on their rent, and we need to take decisive steps to put a floor under our economy.”

Senator Coons concluded, “The very wealthiest Americans and those who hold stocks and bonds in their retirement accounts should be pleased about the all-time high for the Dow Jones, but that shows that there is confidence in the markets because they believe a transition is now finally under way, and we should be able to work across the aisle during this lame duck period to deliver some of the additional support that small businesses, employers, and employees and their families need and deserve going into this holiday season.”

Full audio and video are available here. A transcript is provided below.

Q: And Delaware Democratic Senator and Foreign Relations Committee member, Chris Coons, joining me now. Senator, thanks very much, thanks for being with us. And an almost happy holiday to you. It’s certainly a happier day for the Biden team there in Wilmington who can now start working on background checks, and as these nominees come forward, begin to think about getting ready for confirmations. 

Sen. Coons: That's right. This long overdue transition is now fully, finally, completely under way. And I'm excited by the nominees announced by President-elect Biden and to work with them and to support their nominations and confirmation. We should follow long-established precedent and have the relevant committee hearings before the inauguration so that the most senior members of the Biden-Harris Cabinet are in place on the very first day of the next administration. 

Q: Well that would be a really rapid schedule. Is there any sign that Mitch McConnell is going to let that happen? 

Sen. Coons: Well, I've spoken to a number of Republican colleagues, and I am hopeful that they will work with the incoming administration, particularly given the seasoned, senior, qualified folks who have been nominated. President-elect Biden has shown real leadership in moving forward with nominees who are both experienced, well-known to members of the Senate, folks who have been previously confirmed to senior positions, but who also break new ground. We're going to have Avril Haines, the first woman to lead the intelligence community, and Janet Yellen, the first woman to be Secretary of the Treasury, and Alejandro Mayorkas, the first immigrant and Latino-American to be the Secretary of Homeland Security. And these are folks who’ve got great, significant, relevant experience in the areas to which they’re being nominated and who have shown the ability to be confirmed to senior positions by the Senate in the past. 

Q: When I said that it would be a rapid schedule, obviously a rapid schedule given how late the transition is starting. It would normally not be so. But Mitch McConnell also has not been willing to deal on Covid and has not even endorsed or said that Joe Biden is the President-elect. 

Sen. Coons:  Well, regardless of what the majority leader has said, the reality is that Joe Biden is the President-elect, and Kamala Harris is the Vice President-elect, and with the GSA administrator now recognizing that reality and having delivered a written ascertainment, the transition is going to be well under way. It's not the President-elect's fault that the transition has been delayed by several weeks by outgoing President Trump's temper tantrum about the transition. And frankly I am optimistic that we will promptly begin the appropriate consultations with those senators who are most likely to be the committee chairs and that these very qualified nominees will be able to make progress. We shouldn't be holding up the transfer of critical national security information, for example, to the President-elect or to his team, or the transfer of critically needed public health information about Operation Warp Speed and planning for the delivery of vaccines to more than 300 million Americans, just because President Trump steadfastly refuses to accept the outcome of the election. 

Q: Do you think McConnell is trying to wait until after the Georgia runoffs on January 5 before acknowledging Biden's success? 

Sen. Coons:  I certainly hope not. That's a long time to wait. That's until January 5th. And I frankly think that would harm our whole nation. I think it's important that Majority Leader McConnell show that he recognizes that we need to fund our recovery, that we need to provide an additional round of funding, yes to small businesses, but also to state and local governments, to families and individuals who are struggling, even on a day that the Dow Jones hits a new all-time record. There is a big difference between the stock market and what's happening in grocery markets in local communities all over our country. We've got families that are hurting and struggling. We have more than 6 million Americans, Andrea, who are on the verge of being evicted either because they're late on their mortgages or on their rent, and we need to take decisive steps to put a floor under our economy. The very wealthiest Americans and those who hold stocks and bonds in their retirement accounts should be pleased about the all-time high for the Dow Jones, but that shows that there is confidence in the markets because they believe a transition is now finally under way, and we should be able to work across the aisle during this lame duck period to deliver some of the additional support that small businesses, employers, and employees and their families need and deserve going into this holiday season. 

Q: Do you think Joe Biden should reach out to Senator McConnell? 

Sen. Coons:  I think they should reach out to each other, as folks who served together for a long time, who know each other, and who have worked well in the past. I do think it's important for the Majority Leader and the President-elect to have a personal conversation promptly. I was really encouraged by the outcome of the conversation the President-elect had with Speaker Pelosi and with Minority Leader Schumer here in Wilmington last week, and I think they laid the groundwork for a very strong working relationship. I look forward to being a part of those in the Senate who are helping carry forward President-elect Biden's agenda for his administration. I think he won a strong electoral victory. He in the end I think will have received 80 million American votes -- excuse me, that I think we will see in the end that President-elect Biden has accomplished what is a significant win in the electoral college as well as in the states that have certified his election, but we have unfinished work to do, in working across the aisle, in crafting a bipartisan agenda that will deliver relief to the American people. And a key part of that is for President-elect Biden to reconnect with someone who has been a colleague in the past and who could be a partner in the future if he chooses the responsible path of cooperating with the incoming administration and that of course is Majority Leader McConnell. 

Q: Senator Chris Coons, thank you very much. 

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