Practice English Speaking&Listening with: Sen. Jeanne Shaheen: ‘I’m Outraged’ McConnell Won’t Address Relief Bills | Stephanie Ruhle | MSNBC
SENATOR JEANNE SHAHEEN OF NEW
HAMPSHIRE.
SHE’S A MEMBER OF THE SENATE
SMALL BUSINESS COMMITTEE.
SENATOR, THIS PROGRAM FROM THE
START HAS HAD THE BEST OF
INTENTIONS TO HELP SMALL
BUSINESSES ACROSS THE COUNTRY.
BUT WE BOTH KNOW THERE’S HUGE
FRUSTRATION.
MANY BUSINESSES ARE AFRAID TO
SPEND IT BECAUSE THEY DON’T KNOW
THE RULES.
AND NOW THE SENATE IS TAKING A
BREAK.
AREN’T YOU WORRIED THIS IS GOING
TO PUT THEM IN A WORSE POSITION?
>> I AM OUTRAGED, STEPHANIE.
WE’VE BEEN BACK IN WASHINGTON
THREE WEEKS, AND MITCH McCONNELL
DIDN’T ALLOW US TOALL BUSINESS P
C.A.R.E.S. PACKAGE, THE PAYCHECK
PROTECTION PROGRAM AND WE DIDN’T
GET AN OVERSIGHT HEARING IN THE
SMALL BUSINESS COMMITTEE.
WE’VE BEEN REQUESTING -- I’VE
BEEN REQUESTING SINCE WE WENT
BACK TO WASHINGTON THAT THE
ADMINISTRATOR OF SBA AND
SECRETARY MNUCHIN SHOULD COME
IN.
THEY SHOULD TALK TO US.
THEY SHOULD GIVE US THE
INFORMATION ABOUT WHAT’S NOT
WORKING IN THIS PROGRAM AND WHAT
IS WORKING SO WE CAN MAKE
DECISIONS AND WE NEED TO DO IT
NOW BECAUSE, AS YOU POINT OUT,
OUR SMALL BUSINESSES AT THE
HEART OF OUR COMMUNITIES IN NEW
HAMPSHIRE, THEY ARE THE
FOUNDATION OF OUR ECONOMY AND
THEY NEED HELP.
>> HOW IMPORTANT IS IT TO GET AN
EXTENSION?
A LOT OF RECIPIENTS ALREADY
HALFWAY THROUGH THEIR EXEMPTION
PERIOD.
>> WELL, I THINK WE NEED TO DO A
COUPLE OF THINGS.
WE NEED TO LOOK AT THE
EIGHT-WEEK PERIOD.
WHEN WE USED EIGHT WEEKS, WE
DIDN’T HAVE AS MUCH INFORMATION
ABOUT WHAT’S HAPPENING WITH THE
CORONAVIRUS AND HOW LONG IT’S
GOING TO TAKE US TO OPEN BACK UP
THE ECONOMY.
WE NEED TO PROVIDE FLEXIBILITY
ON THAT.
EITHER EXTEND THE PERIOD, CHANGE
THE WAY WE’RE LOOKING AT IT, THE
HOUSE HAS A PROVISION THAT WOULD
ALLOW 24 WEEKS INSTEAD OF EIGHT
WEEKS.
WE NEED TO ADDRESS THAT.
WE NEED TO ADDRESS THE PAYBACK
PERIOD.
I’M HEARING FROM SMALL
BUSINESSES IN NEW HAMPSHIRE.
THEY GOT THEIR LOANS BUT THEY’RE
REALLY WORRIED ABOUT WHAT THE
PAYBACK IS GOING TO BE BECAUSE
THEY HAVEN’T GOTTEN CLEAR
GUIDANCE ON THAT.
THOSE ARE TWO THINGS THAT WE’VE
REALLY GOT TO ADDRESS, AND WE’VE
GOT TO DO IT ASAP.
WE SHOULD HAVE DONE IT, YOU
KNOW, THAT SHOULD HAVE HAPPENED
AS PART OF THE ORIGINAL GUIDANCE
FROM THE PROGRAM.
>> ALL RIGHT.
I WANT TO TALK ABOUT OVERSIGHT
BECAUSE ON BOTH SIDES OF THE
AISLE, LAWMAKERS WANT TO KNOW A
LOT ABOUT LOANS GRANTED FOR $2
MILLION OR MORE.
BUT I WANT TO TALK ABOUT THE
SMALLER ONES.
LAST WEEK, THE TREASURY
DEPARTMENT SAID THEY WOULD NOT
PURSUE AUDITS FOR ANY LOAN UNDER
$2 MILLION.
AND THEY’RE BASICALLY SAYING WE
ASSUME THEY’RE GOOD.
THESE ARE NOT PRIVATE LOANS,
THOUGH.
THESE ARE BUSINESS LOANS.
WHY HAVEN’T WE HEARD FOR -- FROM
ANY REPUBLICANS OR DEMOCRATS
DEMANDING THE LOAN I.D.s BE
PUBLIC ON EVERY SINGLE SBA LOAN?
EVERY OTHER LOAN IN THEIR
HISTORY IS PUBLIC, AND THIS WE
JUST KEEP GETTING ROLLED AND
ROLLED.
AND I DON’T HEAR ANY LAWMAKERS
DEMANDING THE LOAN I.D.s BE
PUBLIC AND TRANSPARENT.
>> WELL, AGAIN, THAT’S WHY WE
NEED SOME OVERSIGHT HEARINGS.
THAT’S WHY AS A SMALL BUSINESS
COMMITTEE, WE HAVE GOT TO BRING
IN ADMINISTRATORS AND GET THAT
INFORMATION BECAUSE IT SHOULD BE
PUBLIC.
THERE SHOULD BE A SCREEN THAT
BUSINESSES HAVE TO APPROVE THAT
BANKS HAVE TO APPROVE FOR
BUSINESSES TO SAY THAT THEY
REALLY NEED THIS MONEY.
WE’VE GOT TO MAKE SURE THAT IT
DOESN’T GO TO BUSINESSES THAT
DON’T NEED IT BUT IT DOESN’T GO
TO CHAIN BUSINESSES LIKE RUTH’S
CHRIS STEAKHOUSE.
THAT’S A CRITICAL PIECE OF THIS
PROGRAM.
DESIGNED TO GO TO MOM AND POP,
TO THE SMALL BUSINESSES THAT ARE
SO MUCH PART OF OUR COMMUNITY.
>> BUT EVEN IF IT’S FOR SMALL
BUSINESSES, TELLING PEOPLE THAT
YOU’RE NOT GOING TO PURSUE
ANYTHING UNDER $2 MILLION BUT
NOT MAKE IT PUBLIC WHO RECEIVED
THOSE LOANS IS A RECIPE FOR
FRAUD, EVEN IF IT’S FOR 500
GRAND, 800 GRAND.
EVERY DOLLAR COUNTS.
THEY NEED TO MANDATE TO MAKE IT
PUBLIC.
>> ABSOLUTELY.
WE’VE GOT TO MAKE SURE THAT THE
MONEY IS GOING TO PEOPLE WHO
REALLY NEED IT, THAT IT’S GOING
TO THE WORKERS WHO NEED IT AND
THAT WE HELP THOSE BUSINESSES.
THE GOAL IS TO HELP BUSINESSES
GET THROUGH THIS PERIOD TO HAVE
WORKERS THAT CAN GO BACK TO WORK
WHEN THEY’RE ABLE TO STAND BACK
UP THEIR BUSINESSES AND TO GIVE
THEM SOME FLEXIBILITY.
THAT 75/25 DIVISION, THAT WASN’T
PART OF WHAT WE TALKED ABOUT
WHEN WE PASSED THE LEGISLATION.
THAT’S BEEN AN ARBITRARY
DECISION MADE BY TREASURY AND
SBA.
WE’VE GOT TO LOOK AT WHAT’S
GOING TO BE IMPORTANT TO
BUSINESS.
AND TO THEIR EMPLOYEES.
>> WELL, I APPRECIATE THAT.
I APPRECIATE THAT YOU’RE GOING
TO PUSH TO MAKE ALL OF THIS
INFORMATION PUBLIC.
CAN YOU TELL US WHERE WE STAND
ON THE HEROES ACT?
OBVIOUSLY, DIDN’T MAKE ITS WAY
THROUGH THE SENATE.
WILL YOU BE LOOKING AT IT?
>> WELL, I SURE HOPE SO.
YOU KNOW, I THINK ALL OF US WERE
DISAPPOINTED THAT, AS I SAID, WE
CAME BACK IN ON MAY THE 4th.
WE THOUGHT WE WERE GOING TO BE
BACK IN WASHINGTON TO ADDRESS
FURTHER ACTION TO HELP PEOPLE
WHO ARE AFFECTED BY THIS
PANDEMIC.
AND THE FACT THAT THE HEROES ACT
PASSED THE HOUSE AND WE DID
NOTHING WITH IT IN THIS LAST
WEEK IS JUST A REFLECTION OF THE
LACK OF FOCUS BY THE MAJORITY IN
THE SENATE ON WHAT WE REALLY
NEED TO DO THERE TO HELP THE
PEOPLE WHO ARE HURTING, THE
BUSINESSES WHO ARE HURTING.
WE’RE NOT GOING TO BE ABLE TO
STAND BACK UP OUR ECONOMY UNLESS
WE HELP BUSINESSES AND THEIR
EMPLOYEES, UNLESS WE CAN GET THE
TESTING AND CONTACT TRACING TO
ALLOW BUSINESSES TO REOPEN, TO
MAKE PEOPLE FEEL SAFE WHEN THEY
GO OUT. AND THAT’S WHAT WE SHOULD BE
AND THAT’S WHAT WE SHOULD BE
WORKING ON IN WASHINGTON.
NOT CONTINUOUS -- AND
APPOINTMENTS.
>> YOU DECLINED A REQUEST FROM
FORMER VP BIDEN’S CAMPAIGN TO BE
VETTED AS A POTENTIAL RUNNING
MATE.
WHY?
>> YOU KNOW, I’M INCREDIBLY
HONORED TO BE MENTIONED BY THE
VICE PRESIDENT, TO BE ON A LIST.
AND I’M GOING TO DO EVERYTHING I
CAN TO HELP HIM GET ELECTED THE
NEXT PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED
STATES.
I THINK HE WILL BE A GREAT
PRESIDENT.
BUT MY PRIORITY IS TO THE PEOPLE
OF NEW HAMPSHIRE.
I AM SO GRATEFUL TO HAVE BEEN
ABLE TO REPRESENT THEM IN THE
UNITED STATES SENATE.
I HOPE THEY WILL GIVE ME THAT
OPPORTUNITY TO CONTINUE TO DO
THAT.
I THINK IT’S IMPORTANT FOR US TO
