WILMINGTON, Del. — Today, U.S. Senator Chris Coons (D-Del.) joined MSNBC’s Stephanie Ruhle to discuss COVID-19 stimulus negotiations and his concerns about what the Trump Administration is doing to the United States Postal Service.
On the relief provided by the CARES Act since March, Senator Coons said, “All of those things–nearly all of those things–have expired now: that additional $600 in unemployment, the support for state and local governments, the eviction moratorium. I'm getting lots of calls, Stephanie, from folks here in Delaware gravely concerned about how they're going to get through the next few months. If we were to put on top of that the impact on the balance sheet of the people of the United States and the impact on the Social Security Trust Fund of eliminating the payroll tax, that's just–that's not just saying to a drowning man, oh, here's a life preserver. It's saying, here's an anchor.”
“The executive orders, which were the Trump Administration response to this, are unworkable. Governors like DeSantis in Florida and Hogan in Maryland have said both they can't make them work and they don't have the resources to match what was the initial terms offered by President Trump that he'd give $400 a week in unemployment supplement if the states would match it with $100 out of that $400. There are real questions about whether President Trump has the executive authority he asserts he has in terms of some of the tax moves he made and whether or not this is of any real assistance to states and to people at all,” Senator Coons continued.
When asked about the changes happening at the Postal Service that have slowed mail delivery, Senator Coons added, “I've had Delawareans up and down my state–Republicans, independents, Democrats–call my office to complain that medication is arriving late, that packages and letters are arriving late. This is because the postmaster general has changed the delivery standards. We should be investing in a robust postal service as long as we have tens of millions of Americans at home and because we have an imminent election where we know there will be a record number of mail-in ballots.”
Full audio and video available here.
Q: Senator, you knew I wanted to talk money. I always do. Yesterday, the president doubled down on the payroll tax holiday, and I want to remind people “holiday” meaning you're still going to have to pay it; it's just on delay. But he said if he wins the next election, he'll make it permanent. Watch this.
Clip, President Trump: At the end of the year, on the assumption that I win, I'm going to terminate the payroll tax, which is another thing that some of the great economists would like to see done. We'll be paying into Social Security through the general fund.
Q: Okay. Number one. Can he do that unilaterally; do away with the payroll tax? And, second of all, explain to us the amount of money you would need to find somewhere else to keep Social Security from completely going under.
Sen. Coons: Stephanie, I don't have that number off the top of my head, but I’ll tell you it would be significant. We are already in–not unprecedented, but in highly unusual times. We have to go all the way back to the Second World War to find a period where the federal government is laying out as much money as we already have this year. I'll remind you the CARES Act, which passed unanimously in the Senate four months ago, put out $2.3 trillion of assistance. That's really what’s been keeping our economy afloat. That's the direct stimulus payments, the unemployment insurance supplement, the support for state and local governments that prevented us from sliding into a great depression over the last four months. All of those things–nearly all of those things–have expired now: that additional $600 in unemployment, the support for state and local governments, the eviction moratorium. I'm getting lots of calls, Stephanie, from folks here in Delaware gravely concerned about how they're going to get through the next few months. If we were to put on top of that the impact on the balance sheet of the people of the United States and the impact on the Social Security Trust Fund of eliminating the payroll tax, that's just–that's not just saying to a drowning man, oh, here's a life preserver. It's saying, here's an anchor.
Q: Senator, what do you say to those people from the state of Delaware calling you, telling you how desperate their economic situation is when yesterday Democrats refused to meet with Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin and negotiate at all. If you don't even meet with the guy, how are you going to create a resolution?
Sen. Coons: Stephanie, I don't think the issue is a refusal to meet. They had a conversation in which the secretary, who was a vital part of that agreement four months ago, by the way, said that Mark Mnuchin, the Chef of Staff to President Trump and the Trump Administration --
Q: Mark Meadows.
Sen. Coons: Yes, Mark Meadows. That they were unwilling to move from their position. I'll remind you that the House, controlled by the Democrats and Speaker Pelosi, passed a bill two months ago that was over $3 trillion. The White House, the Trump Administration, has taken the position along with Republicans in the Senate that they won't give more than $1 trillion. That's a big gap. And in their last in-person meeting, Schumer and Pelosi said we'll come down a trillion if you’ll come up a trillion and try to meet in the middle between what’s essentially 1 and 3.5 and get to maybe a 2, 2.5 number. That was rejected out of hand. The two single biggest issues remain aid to state and local governments and providing support for the millions of Americans who are unemployed and who need unemployment insurance assistance. The executive orders, which were the Trump Administration response to this, are unworkable. Governors like DeSantis in Florida and Hogan in Maryland have said both they can't make them work and they don't have the resources to match what was the initial terms offered by President Trump that he'd give $400 a week in unemployment supplement if the states would match it with $100 out of that $400. There are real questions about whether President Trump has the executive authority he asserts he has in terms of some of the tax moves he made and whether or not this is of any real assistance to states and to people at all. Let me remind you, Stephanie, the biggest piece of this disagreement isn't just about faceless, nameless bureaucrats in gray buildings. It's about paramedics, nurses, the folks who teach our children in schools. Those are the sorts of public employees who have already been laid off. More than 1.5 million of them around the country. And it will face layoffs without more assistance. They are talking. The absence of a conversation in person is because there wasn't any willingness to move to come to the middle.
Q: No reason to meet in person if you don't have anything to say. Quickly before we go, I know you joined fellow Democrats in signing a letter voicing your concerns about changes happening at the post office under this new postmaster general. These are serious issues. What can you actually do about it?
Sen. Coons: Well, Stephanie, the challenge of congressional oversight is we have to have the majority party be willing to take some action. We've sent letters. We’ve demanded meetings. We’ve raised this publicly. We’ve raised this privately. I've had Delawareans up and down my state–Republicans, independents, Democrats–call my office to complain that medication is arriving late, that packages and letters are arriving late. This is because the postmaster general has changed the delivery standards. We should be investing in a robust postal service as long as we have tens of millions of Americans at home and because we have an imminent election where we know there will be a record number of mail-in ballots. I initially was hopeful this wasn't an intentional effort to throw the election. I am gravely concerned given the recent changes in the leadership at the postal service that we've seen by the postmaster general, who I'll remind you was a major Trump campaign contributor.
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