1 00:00:00,720 --> 00:00:04,200 Speaker 1: Hi, it's west Kosova. Today we're starting something new here 2 00:00:04,240 --> 00:00:07,400 Speaker 1: at the Big Take. It's a special report hosted by 3 00:00:07,440 --> 00:00:13,480 Speaker 1: my brilliant colleague, Salaya Mosen Bloomberg Senior Washington correspondent. Each week, 4 00:00:13,560 --> 00:00:16,920 Speaker 1: Saliya will bring you original reporting and insights on the 5 00:00:16,960 --> 00:00:21,079 Speaker 1: most important people, issues, and ideas that will shape the 6 00:00:21,160 --> 00:00:26,200 Speaker 1: twenty twenty four US election and how they'll impact policy, politics, 7 00:00:26,239 --> 00:00:28,920 Speaker 1: and power for years to come, not just in the 8 00:00:29,040 --> 00:00:32,519 Speaker 1: US but around the world. Watch this space for a 9 00:00:32,560 --> 00:00:36,080 Speaker 1: new installment every week. Thanks so much for listening, And 10 00:00:36,640 --> 00:00:39,080 Speaker 1: here's Seleia. 11 00:00:39,440 --> 00:00:42,400 Speaker 2: A lot of presidents have tried to go big on infrastructure. 12 00:00:43,000 --> 00:00:47,040 Speaker 2: It's seen as a surefire way to show American's tangible progress, 13 00:00:47,680 --> 00:00:50,920 Speaker 2: and President Biden actually managed to pass a massive bill 14 00:00:51,000 --> 00:00:55,080 Speaker 2: to fix our roads, bridges, airports, and more. You'd think 15 00:00:55,080 --> 00:00:57,520 Speaker 2: that'd be a pretty clear political win for a president 16 00:00:57,600 --> 00:01:03,200 Speaker 2: seeking reelection. Not quite. A recent poll of swing state 17 00:01:03,280 --> 00:01:06,240 Speaker 2: voters that Bloomberg conducted with Morning Consult found that when 18 00:01:06,240 --> 00:01:10,280 Speaker 2: it comes to infrastructure, more Americans trust former President Trump 19 00:01:10,560 --> 00:01:14,920 Speaker 2: than Biden. That's a problem for Biden, but it's also 20 00:01:14,959 --> 00:01:19,440 Speaker 2: a problem for Mitch landru Landrew is the White House's 21 00:01:19,480 --> 00:01:24,080 Speaker 2: Infrastructure Coordinator. He's in charge of implementing the bipartisan Infrastructure 22 00:01:24,120 --> 00:01:26,520 Speaker 2: Law and dispensing its funds. 23 00:01:26,480 --> 00:01:29,679 Speaker 3: To one point two trillion dollars. That's a lot of money, but. 24 00:01:29,840 --> 00:01:33,480 Speaker 2: Is money enough to accomplish the president's goals. Biden has 25 00:01:33,520 --> 00:01:36,800 Speaker 2: said that beyond fixing crumbling roads and bridges, he also 26 00:01:36,880 --> 00:01:40,000 Speaker 2: wants this money to prepare the US for natural disasters 27 00:01:40,000 --> 00:01:43,600 Speaker 2: and extreme weather events, which in the last year alone 28 00:01:43,880 --> 00:01:47,520 Speaker 2: cost the US economy one hundred and forty five billion dollars. 29 00:01:48,800 --> 00:01:53,440 Speaker 2: And Mitch Landrew has experience dealing with catastrophic events. He 30 00:01:53,560 --> 00:01:57,440 Speaker 2: was lieutenant governor of Louisiana when Hurricane Katrina hit, and 31 00:01:57,520 --> 00:02:00,680 Speaker 2: later he oversaw the rebuilding of New Orleans as mayor. 32 00:02:01,800 --> 00:02:05,720 Speaker 2: Now Biden is asking him to do something similar, but 33 00:02:05,840 --> 00:02:15,519 Speaker 2: on a national scale. I sat down with Lander to 34 00:02:15,560 --> 00:02:18,799 Speaker 2: talk about how he's tackling this monumental task, whether the 35 00:02:18,840 --> 00:02:22,040 Speaker 2: Biden administration is getting credit on the ground, and what's 36 00:02:22,040 --> 00:02:27,320 Speaker 2: at stake. I'm Senior Washington correspondent Seleiah Mosen. This is 37 00:02:27,320 --> 00:02:36,760 Speaker 2: the big take from Bloomberg News. Everyone from Louisiana will 38 00:02:36,800 --> 00:02:40,440 Speaker 2: correct how you pronounce New Orleans, so I kind of 39 00:02:40,520 --> 00:02:42,519 Speaker 2: knew I was setting myself up for embarrassment. 40 00:02:42,760 --> 00:02:44,320 Speaker 4: Well, if you go down to New Orleans, you have 41 00:02:44,360 --> 00:02:46,160 Speaker 4: to call it New Orleans, not New Orleans. 42 00:02:47,200 --> 00:02:48,480 Speaker 3: Bubble cut your break on that. 43 00:02:49,240 --> 00:02:53,240 Speaker 2: Landrew comes from a Louisiana political dynasty. His father Moon 44 00:02:53,360 --> 00:02:56,480 Speaker 2: Landru was mayor of New Orleans in the seventies. His 45 00:02:56,560 --> 00:02:59,440 Speaker 2: sister Mary was a senator. And it's impossible to talk 46 00:02:59,480 --> 00:03:03,279 Speaker 2: about Mitchelder's current role senior advisor in the Biden administration 47 00:03:03,840 --> 00:03:06,600 Speaker 2: without talking about his years in state and local government. 48 00:03:07,760 --> 00:03:10,519 Speaker 2: In January of two thousand and four, Lander was sworn 49 00:03:10,520 --> 00:03:14,400 Speaker 2: in as Louisiana's Lieutenant governor. In August of two thousand 50 00:03:14,400 --> 00:03:18,880 Speaker 2: and five, Katrina hit I want to update you on 51 00:03:18,960 --> 00:03:23,000 Speaker 2: the progress of that potentially catastrophic storm, Hurricane Katrina. 52 00:03:23,280 --> 00:03:26,800 Speaker 5: New Orleans is a bowl, and as the rain continues 53 00:03:26,800 --> 00:03:29,800 Speaker 5: to fall, and it has been falling all day, the 54 00:03:29,880 --> 00:03:31,239 Speaker 5: bowl is filling up. 55 00:03:31,600 --> 00:03:34,160 Speaker 3: I think about it every day. I mean, it was a. 56 00:03:36,120 --> 00:03:38,840 Speaker 4: It was a cataclysmic event. I mean it's hard to 57 00:03:39,800 --> 00:03:41,600 Speaker 4: it's hard. I get joked up even thinking about it. 58 00:03:41,680 --> 00:03:42,080 Speaker 3: Right now. 59 00:03:42,280 --> 00:03:44,720 Speaker 5: New Orleans tonight a city underwater. 60 00:03:44,800 --> 00:03:47,000 Speaker 4: The water is continuing to rise, and there may be 61 00:03:47,000 --> 00:03:49,280 Speaker 4: problems with the levee as well. I was sitting in 62 00:03:49,320 --> 00:03:52,680 Speaker 4: the Emergency Operation room while I was a Lieutenant governor, 63 00:03:52,680 --> 00:03:55,160 Speaker 4: and at two o'clock in the morning, I was talking 64 00:03:55,160 --> 00:03:57,160 Speaker 4: to my friend who was the manager of the Superdome, 65 00:03:57,240 --> 00:03:59,520 Speaker 4: who I recall very vividly saying to me, Mitch, I've 66 00:03:59,520 --> 00:04:02,200 Speaker 4: got twenty five thousand people in this building. The roof 67 00:04:02,320 --> 00:04:04,360 Speaker 4: is peeling off of the building right now, and I 68 00:04:04,400 --> 00:04:06,119 Speaker 4: don't know if we're going to survive the night. 69 00:04:06,440 --> 00:04:11,280 Speaker 5: Thousands maybe did in these floodwaters, and tonight officials at 70 00:04:11,320 --> 00:04:15,640 Speaker 5: all levels of government are mobilizing to evacuate all one 71 00:04:15,720 --> 00:04:17,799 Speaker 5: hundred thousand people still here. 72 00:04:18,440 --> 00:04:21,440 Speaker 2: Landrew rushed from Baton Rouge back to his hometown of 73 00:04:21,440 --> 00:04:25,480 Speaker 2: New Orleans. He found it virtually unrecognizable, just. 74 00:04:25,440 --> 00:04:28,719 Speaker 4: Seeing everything destroyed in a minute. I mean we kind 75 00:04:28,720 --> 00:04:32,280 Speaker 4: of we lost everything. We lost houses, we lost schools, 76 00:04:32,400 --> 00:04:35,440 Speaker 4: we lost clinics and hospitals, we lost everything. 77 00:04:35,480 --> 00:04:37,720 Speaker 3: I mean literally all gone seventeen feet underwater. 78 00:04:38,320 --> 00:04:41,479 Speaker 2: In the days that followed, Landrew waded through the floodwaters 79 00:04:41,480 --> 00:04:46,000 Speaker 2: in a boat, helping first responders on rescue missions. His sister, 80 00:04:46,240 --> 00:04:49,080 Speaker 2: the Senator, gave an interview to CNN at the time, and. 81 00:04:49,080 --> 00:04:51,000 Speaker 3: I understand that people are suffering. 82 00:04:51,160 --> 00:04:54,000 Speaker 4: I myself have been involved in rescue operations. 83 00:04:54,040 --> 00:04:55,440 Speaker 3: My brother has been on a boat. 84 00:04:55,520 --> 00:04:58,719 Speaker 2: In New Orleans in the city's lower ninth ward, a 85 00:04:58,760 --> 00:05:03,320 Speaker 2: mostly black neighborhood, residents were strained on rooftops, those streets 86 00:05:03,440 --> 00:05:04,719 Speaker 2: were hit the hardest. 87 00:05:05,040 --> 00:05:07,760 Speaker 3: Just this complete seat of carnage at desperation. Here a very, 88 00:05:07,880 --> 00:05:09,440 Speaker 3: very sad scent for these people. 89 00:05:12,040 --> 00:05:14,200 Speaker 2: Landrew got a lot of praise for his work across 90 00:05:14,240 --> 00:05:18,599 Speaker 2: the state, quickly securing federal aid to help rebuild historic buildings. 91 00:05:19,160 --> 00:05:21,440 Speaker 2: At the end of his first term as Lieutenant governor, 92 00:05:21,680 --> 00:05:24,360 Speaker 2: he ran for mayor of New Orleans. In office he'd 93 00:05:24,400 --> 00:05:28,200 Speaker 2: failed to secure twice before, but five years after Hurricane 94 00:05:28,279 --> 00:05:32,280 Speaker 2: Katrina hit, he won with sixty six percent of the vote. 95 00:05:33,480 --> 00:05:36,920 Speaker 2: The city he inherited remained broken, nearly one hundred million 96 00:05:36,960 --> 00:05:41,440 Speaker 2: dollars in deficit, widespread crime, a stagnant economy, Homelessness had 97 00:05:41,480 --> 00:05:45,600 Speaker 2: doubled from pre Katrina levels, and those with homes struggled 98 00:05:45,760 --> 00:05:46,760 Speaker 2: to rebuild. 99 00:05:46,920 --> 00:05:48,720 Speaker 4: And not only did we have Katrina, but we had 100 00:05:48,760 --> 00:05:51,880 Speaker 4: read it, we had gushed off, we had the national recession, 101 00:05:51,880 --> 00:05:54,880 Speaker 4: we had the BP oils Bill. So just kind of 102 00:05:54,880 --> 00:05:57,920 Speaker 4: forging through the fires that we had, we had to 103 00:05:58,000 --> 00:05:59,720 Speaker 4: learn how to rebuild. 104 00:05:59,839 --> 00:06:01,840 Speaker 2: Tried to see this as a chance to do a 105 00:06:01,839 --> 00:06:04,520 Speaker 2: sort of internal audit of the city to figure out 106 00:06:04,560 --> 00:06:07,640 Speaker 2: what worked and what didn't communities. 107 00:06:08,080 --> 00:06:10,800 Speaker 4: When you're in devastation, all you want to do really 108 00:06:11,400 --> 00:06:14,400 Speaker 4: is close your eyes and pray that it was just 109 00:06:14,440 --> 00:06:17,120 Speaker 4: a dream and if it wasn't, just to get back 110 00:06:17,200 --> 00:06:20,160 Speaker 4: like exactly it was before the thing happened. I mean, 111 00:06:20,200 --> 00:06:22,919 Speaker 4: that's kind of what everybody wants, But you have to 112 00:06:22,920 --> 00:06:24,840 Speaker 4: ask yourself, well, do we want to put it back 113 00:06:24,920 --> 00:06:28,080 Speaker 4: just like it was, or do we have a responsibility 114 00:06:28,120 --> 00:06:30,720 Speaker 4: to make it better? And how do we make it stronger? 115 00:06:30,960 --> 00:06:32,880 Speaker 4: And how do we prepare for a new future that's 116 00:06:32,920 --> 00:06:36,039 Speaker 4: coming that maybe we never built right the first time. 117 00:06:36,600 --> 00:06:39,280 Speaker 2: Landry got a hold of untapped federal funds and he 118 00:06:39,360 --> 00:06:43,120 Speaker 2: got to work Other than the city's sewerage and waterboard, 119 00:06:43,320 --> 00:06:47,840 Speaker 2: which remained mired in mismanagement. His administration's record on infrastructure 120 00:06:48,040 --> 00:06:52,680 Speaker 2: was largely positive. He rebuilt public spaces, roads, and hospitals, 121 00:06:52,960 --> 00:06:55,039 Speaker 2: all with potential storm risks in mind. 122 00:06:55,600 --> 00:06:58,480 Speaker 4: Trying to find out how to redesign an emergency response 123 00:06:58,560 --> 00:07:01,520 Speaker 4: was critically important, which made us think about, well, how 124 00:07:01,560 --> 00:07:03,840 Speaker 4: when we build back, how to build back stronger and better? 125 00:07:04,520 --> 00:07:07,400 Speaker 2: If build back better sounds familiar to you, it's because 126 00:07:07,440 --> 00:07:10,280 Speaker 2: it was the original language Biden used when proposing a 127 00:07:10,280 --> 00:07:13,880 Speaker 2: lot of his pandemic recovery programs Lander is a company 128 00:07:13,920 --> 00:07:16,520 Speaker 2: guy in the way that senior advisors to the president 129 00:07:16,640 --> 00:07:19,360 Speaker 2: kind of have to be. But the task in front 130 00:07:19,400 --> 00:07:23,040 Speaker 2: of him won't be easy. Let's just consider everything that 131 00:07:23,080 --> 00:07:26,520 Speaker 2: this law is supposed to address. There are the typical 132 00:07:26,560 --> 00:07:28,360 Speaker 2: things that you might think of when you hear the 133 00:07:28,360 --> 00:07:33,640 Speaker 2: word infrastructure. You know, roads, bridges, public transit lines. Our 134 00:07:33,720 --> 00:07:37,720 Speaker 2: infrastructure is old. A third of American bridges are in 135 00:07:37,760 --> 00:07:41,280 Speaker 2: need of repair, so are miles and miles of highways 136 00:07:41,280 --> 00:07:45,400 Speaker 2: and roads. This year, the American Society of Civil Engineers 137 00:07:45,640 --> 00:07:49,120 Speaker 2: gave the country a C minus on its overall infrastructure. 138 00:07:49,880 --> 00:07:54,480 Speaker 2: But there's also expanding internet access, dealing with water pollution, cybersecurity, 139 00:07:54,760 --> 00:07:58,480 Speaker 2: and making the US more climate resilient. The list is 140 00:07:58,600 --> 00:08:02,320 Speaker 2: really long. You can see how that money, when spread 141 00:08:02,320 --> 00:08:05,520 Speaker 2: across so many different types of projects, might not actually 142 00:08:05,600 --> 00:08:09,920 Speaker 2: go that far. So while Biden's one point two trillion 143 00:08:10,000 --> 00:08:13,720 Speaker 2: dollar investment is huge, it's a drop in the ocean, 144 00:08:14,280 --> 00:08:18,080 Speaker 2: and it's kind of embarrassing to boot. China invests more 145 00:08:18,120 --> 00:08:19,840 Speaker 2: than that in infrastructure every year. 146 00:08:20,120 --> 00:08:21,480 Speaker 3: Yeah, no doubt, way behind. 147 00:08:21,640 --> 00:08:24,120 Speaker 2: Yeah, what kind of broader commitment do you think we 148 00:08:24,240 --> 00:08:26,640 Speaker 2: need for America to be able to compete globally? 149 00:08:27,120 --> 00:08:29,720 Speaker 4: Well, first of all, more, there's no question about that 150 00:08:30,240 --> 00:08:31,400 Speaker 4: this is a massive bill. 151 00:08:31,520 --> 00:08:33,439 Speaker 3: It's not as much as we need to fix every. 152 00:08:33,240 --> 00:08:35,400 Speaker 4: Problem all over America all at one time, but it 153 00:08:35,480 --> 00:08:37,880 Speaker 4: is a massively good now payment on a future. 154 00:08:38,600 --> 00:08:42,040 Speaker 2: Here's another constraint. Biden has a very clear idea of 155 00:08:42,120 --> 00:08:45,680 Speaker 2: how he wants that money spent. Rather than handing each 156 00:08:45,760 --> 00:08:48,880 Speaker 2: state a wat of cash, the law lays out rules 157 00:08:48,960 --> 00:08:52,920 Speaker 2: for how to spend it, like repairing highways is fine, 158 00:08:53,080 --> 00:08:59,440 Speaker 2: but expanding them not so much. In early twenty twenty two, 159 00:08:59,720 --> 00:09:03,160 Speaker 2: when Biden first announced plans for implementing the Infrastructure Law, 160 00:09:03,400 --> 00:09:06,520 Speaker 2: a letter laid it on his desk. It was signed 161 00:09:06,559 --> 00:09:08,839 Speaker 2: by sixteen Republican governors. 162 00:09:08,480 --> 00:09:12,080 Speaker 4: Who said, I disagree that we have to use our 163 00:09:12,120 --> 00:09:15,560 Speaker 4: money to fix things as opposed to build new highways. 164 00:09:16,200 --> 00:09:20,560 Speaker 2: Biden had other requirements too, like prioritizing American made construction 165 00:09:20,640 --> 00:09:25,079 Speaker 2: materials and funding projects that benefit communities of color. After 166 00:09:25,120 --> 00:09:28,160 Speaker 2: the break, how Lander is dealing with these tensions and 167 00:09:28,440 --> 00:09:34,360 Speaker 2: the newest challenges from Congress on infrastructure spending. Welcome back. 168 00:09:34,640 --> 00:09:37,480 Speaker 2: We've been talking to Senior White House Advisor Mitch Landrew 169 00:09:37,520 --> 00:09:40,920 Speaker 2: about the trillion dollar infrastructure package he's helping to deploy. 170 00:09:41,760 --> 00:09:44,800 Speaker 2: Local leaders and the federal government have different ideas for 171 00:09:44,880 --> 00:09:48,360 Speaker 2: how to spend the money. I asked Landrew, so how 172 00:09:48,360 --> 00:09:51,120 Speaker 2: do you juggle when the federal government or what you're 173 00:09:51,160 --> 00:09:53,720 Speaker 2: looking at is to spend the money one way, and 174 00:09:53,800 --> 00:09:56,200 Speaker 2: you go on the ground and governors and state and 175 00:09:56,240 --> 00:09:58,160 Speaker 2: local leaders are saying, actually, we need to do this 176 00:09:58,200 --> 00:10:00,600 Speaker 2: differently them. 177 00:10:00,400 --> 00:10:01,240 Speaker 3: And we talk with them. 178 00:10:01,320 --> 00:10:03,319 Speaker 4: I mean, one of the parts of what I call 179 00:10:03,360 --> 00:10:06,880 Speaker 4: the hard work of governing well requires you to develop 180 00:10:07,000 --> 00:10:10,880 Speaker 4: good relationships with people and to work out the differences 181 00:10:10,880 --> 00:10:13,520 Speaker 4: that you have to try to find an accommodation between 182 00:10:13,520 --> 00:10:16,120 Speaker 4: what you want and what they want. I haven't gotten 183 00:10:16,720 --> 00:10:20,560 Speaker 4: a governor or a mayor, or a congressman or a 184 00:10:20,600 --> 00:10:24,599 Speaker 4: senator tell me that they don't want money in that 185 00:10:24,760 --> 00:10:26,280 Speaker 4: districts to do these things. 186 00:10:26,360 --> 00:10:29,400 Speaker 2: The Infrastructure Bill's passage marked a rare moment of unity 187 00:10:29,440 --> 00:10:32,560 Speaker 2: in a Congress that's royaled by divisions, but in the 188 00:10:32,600 --> 00:10:36,560 Speaker 2: two years since it's passed, Republicans, even some who voted 189 00:10:36,600 --> 00:10:40,480 Speaker 2: for the bill, have talked of cutting that spending. That's 190 00:10:40,520 --> 00:10:43,200 Speaker 2: one way. Some in the GOP propose coping with a 191 00:10:43,240 --> 00:10:46,880 Speaker 2: funding deadline that's looming on November seventeenth, and if a 192 00:10:46,920 --> 00:10:51,480 Speaker 2: compromise isn't reached, the government could shut down. Under their 193 00:10:51,520 --> 00:10:56,240 Speaker 2: new speaker, Mike Johnson, House Republicans have proposed cuts, including 194 00:10:56,320 --> 00:10:59,800 Speaker 2: some to transportation grant programs and to the operating budgets 195 00:10:59,840 --> 00:11:03,840 Speaker 2: of things like Amtrak. On Fox News' Sunday Morning Futures 196 00:11:03,920 --> 00:11:08,240 Speaker 2: last weekend, Johnson praised his party's quick budgeting work ready. 197 00:11:08,520 --> 00:11:11,360 Speaker 3: We're working like a well old machine. We passed one of. 198 00:11:11,280 --> 00:11:15,280 Speaker 4: The appropriations bills just a day after I assumed the gabble. 199 00:11:15,800 --> 00:11:19,240 Speaker 2: Republicans could be eyeing infrastructure costs, in part because this 200 00:11:19,320 --> 00:11:23,439 Speaker 2: kind of massive overhaul does not come cheap. The Congressional 201 00:11:23,440 --> 00:11:27,280 Speaker 2: Budget Office estimated that the bipartisan Infrastructure law would add 202 00:11:27,280 --> 00:11:30,280 Speaker 2: two hundred and fifty six billion dollars to the deficit 203 00:11:30,760 --> 00:11:34,400 Speaker 2: over roughly the next decade. But Democrats have a counterpoint 204 00:11:34,400 --> 00:11:38,040 Speaker 2: on cost this investment in updating infrastructure and making it 205 00:11:38,040 --> 00:11:40,800 Speaker 2: more resilient. It could help save money. In the future, 206 00:11:42,200 --> 00:11:46,280 Speaker 2: this country will continue to face costly natural disasters. Think 207 00:11:46,320 --> 00:11:50,720 Speaker 2: about California with its wildfires or Florida with its coastal storms. 208 00:11:51,360 --> 00:11:53,640 Speaker 2: Private insurers are starting to pull out of these states, 209 00:11:53,679 --> 00:11:57,200 Speaker 2: basically saying we don't want the risk of covering areas 210 00:11:57,280 --> 00:12:02,240 Speaker 2: prone to extreme weather. That do stay are raising premiums, 211 00:12:03,040 --> 00:12:06,240 Speaker 2: and that brings up another thorny issue. Does the federal 212 00:12:06,240 --> 00:12:10,000 Speaker 2: government use the same calculus? Is it asking whether it's 213 00:12:10,000 --> 00:12:13,840 Speaker 2: worth investing in infrastructure in certain places at all? I 214 00:12:13,880 --> 00:12:16,920 Speaker 2: asked Landrew about that. What I'm thinking of as Louisiana 215 00:12:17,000 --> 00:12:20,040 Speaker 2: property insurance rates are really high. A lot of insurers 216 00:12:20,040 --> 00:12:23,320 Speaker 2: there have gone under. Now that you're in the federal government, 217 00:12:23,440 --> 00:12:27,240 Speaker 2: when you're looking at an area region, does that factor 218 00:12:27,320 --> 00:12:29,800 Speaker 2: into how you decide where and how you're going to 219 00:12:29,800 --> 00:12:30,880 Speaker 2: spend on infrastructure? 220 00:12:32,160 --> 00:12:35,000 Speaker 4: No, not really, that's really a matter left to Congress 221 00:12:35,080 --> 00:12:38,959 Speaker 4: with the National Flood Insurance Program and the risk analysis 222 00:12:39,000 --> 00:12:41,880 Speaker 4: around all of that stuff. Generally, this money gets down 223 00:12:41,920 --> 00:12:43,960 Speaker 4: to the ground two ways. Half of it plus a 224 00:12:44,000 --> 00:12:47,040 Speaker 4: little bit gets sent right to the governors. The other 225 00:12:47,080 --> 00:12:49,920 Speaker 4: half of the money actually is given out by grants, 226 00:12:50,120 --> 00:12:56,040 Speaker 4: and that means that governmental entities like airport authorities, cities states, 227 00:12:56,080 --> 00:12:59,120 Speaker 4: they can come apply for the money. Now, there are 228 00:12:59,160 --> 00:13:01,240 Speaker 4: a couple of examples where some of this money is 229 00:13:01,280 --> 00:13:05,000 Speaker 4: being used to relocate, but that's generally a community's decision 230 00:13:05,280 --> 00:13:06,760 Speaker 4: to move or to not move. 231 00:13:07,280 --> 00:13:08,600 Speaker 3: I just came back from Alaska. 232 00:13:08,679 --> 00:13:11,960 Speaker 4: I was at the Nepakiak Village, which is in very 233 00:13:12,040 --> 00:13:15,680 Speaker 4: north Alaska, and there is a tribal community there that 234 00:13:15,840 --> 00:13:19,679 Speaker 4: is actually moving from the physical location that they're in 235 00:13:19,720 --> 00:13:22,840 Speaker 4: now where they're suffering from land loss. But they decided 236 00:13:22,880 --> 00:13:25,280 Speaker 4: to do that, and they asked for funds to help 237 00:13:25,360 --> 00:13:27,360 Speaker 4: them do that, as opposed to the government telling them 238 00:13:27,440 --> 00:13:28,120 Speaker 4: you have to move. 239 00:13:28,800 --> 00:13:32,199 Speaker 2: Most vulnerable communities haven't made the choice to leave, including 240 00:13:32,240 --> 00:13:35,480 Speaker 2: many in Louisiana, and so the government funds are going 241 00:13:35,559 --> 00:13:42,120 Speaker 2: to improving their infrastructure. Landrew and others on the Biden 242 00:13:42,200 --> 00:13:44,360 Speaker 2: team are working hard to show voters how far the 243 00:13:44,400 --> 00:13:45,160 Speaker 2: funds are going. 244 00:13:45,640 --> 00:13:48,280 Speaker 4: One of our challenges, one of my responsibilities, is to 245 00:13:48,320 --> 00:13:51,440 Speaker 4: prove that this really really works, and we're well on 246 00:13:51,440 --> 00:13:53,559 Speaker 4: our way to do that. I've been one hundred and 247 00:13:53,640 --> 00:13:58,040 Speaker 4: ten cities or traveled over one twenty thousand miles to date. 248 00:13:58,280 --> 00:14:02,880 Speaker 4: We have thirty eight thousand projects in some level of 249 00:14:02,880 --> 00:14:05,120 Speaker 4: formation across the United States of America right now. 250 00:14:05,120 --> 00:14:07,040 Speaker 3: I mean, it's quite incredible, but. 251 00:14:07,080 --> 00:14:09,360 Speaker 2: So far, it's not clear that the message is coming 252 00:14:09,400 --> 00:14:12,400 Speaker 2: through to potential voters, at least not those in swing 253 00:14:12,440 --> 00:14:16,000 Speaker 2: states that Bloomberg and Morning Console polled recently. I asked 254 00:14:16,040 --> 00:14:18,719 Speaker 2: Landra about that too. We had a poll out of 255 00:14:18,720 --> 00:14:20,720 Speaker 2: Bloomberg that we did with Morning Console. I don't know 256 00:14:20,760 --> 00:14:23,160 Speaker 2: if you saw the numbers, but what we found in 257 00:14:23,200 --> 00:14:25,360 Speaker 2: this poll was it forty two percent of voters say 258 00:14:25,400 --> 00:14:28,360 Speaker 2: that they trust Trump to handle infrastructure problems in the country, 259 00:14:28,920 --> 00:14:31,760 Speaker 2: and thirty eight percent trust Biden. What do you make 260 00:14:31,760 --> 00:14:32,040 Speaker 2: of that. 261 00:14:32,920 --> 00:14:34,360 Speaker 3: Ah, I don't know what to make of it. 262 00:14:34,440 --> 00:14:36,880 Speaker 4: I mean, all I can tell you is that when 263 00:14:36,920 --> 00:14:39,000 Speaker 4: President Trump was in obvious he talked about passing an 264 00:14:39,040 --> 00:14:41,800 Speaker 4: infrastructure bill and he couldn't and he didn't. So presidents 265 00:14:41,800 --> 00:14:44,120 Speaker 4: for I'm going to last fifty sixty seventy years have 266 00:14:44,200 --> 00:14:46,600 Speaker 4: been talking about doing this and could ntavi get it done. 267 00:14:47,160 --> 00:14:49,080 Speaker 2: It's hard not to wonder how all of this will 268 00:14:49,080 --> 00:14:51,520 Speaker 2: factor into the twenty twenty four presidential race. 269 00:14:52,000 --> 00:14:53,960 Speaker 3: We didn't pass the bill for election purposes. 270 00:14:54,000 --> 00:14:55,880 Speaker 4: I mean, everybody hopes they get credit for what they do, 271 00:14:56,400 --> 00:14:58,720 Speaker 4: but this is a very, very deep die. One of 272 00:14:58,720 --> 00:15:01,320 Speaker 4: the other lessons you asked me about New Orleans was 273 00:15:01,360 --> 00:15:03,360 Speaker 4: that when I was rebuilding the city, the question was 274 00:15:03,360 --> 00:15:05,840 Speaker 4: to rebuild it fast, and to rebuild it right, and 275 00:15:05,920 --> 00:15:08,640 Speaker 4: to rebuild it right. Sometimes it takes longer, and it's harder, 276 00:15:08,640 --> 00:15:10,360 Speaker 4: and you got to dig deeper, and people don't see 277 00:15:10,400 --> 00:15:10,760 Speaker 4: it right. 278 00:15:10,680 --> 00:15:13,120 Speaker 3: Away, but I think people will begin to see it. 279 00:15:15,720 --> 00:15:18,240 Speaker 2: Back in two thousand and five, when Landry was in 280 00:15:18,280 --> 00:15:21,840 Speaker 2: New Orleans boating around to rescue people from rooftops, he 281 00:15:21,920 --> 00:15:24,760 Speaker 2: took in all the rubble and destruction. He took in 282 00:15:24,840 --> 00:15:29,080 Speaker 2: the loss of life, the tragedy, but he also witnessed something. 283 00:15:28,760 --> 00:15:32,320 Speaker 3: Else, amazingly like ghosts. 284 00:15:33,320 --> 00:15:36,400 Speaker 4: You saw people walking out of that water who had 285 00:15:36,440 --> 00:15:38,920 Speaker 4: lost everything, and they found a way to help somebody 286 00:15:38,920 --> 00:15:41,480 Speaker 4: else who maybe a day before they would have walked 287 00:15:41,480 --> 00:15:45,360 Speaker 4: across the street from And I just remember at that time, 288 00:15:45,520 --> 00:15:48,920 Speaker 4: just it's searing into my brain that there's really nothing 289 00:15:48,960 --> 00:15:49,480 Speaker 4: we can't. 290 00:15:49,280 --> 00:15:50,200 Speaker 3: Do if we do it together. 291 00:15:50,280 --> 00:15:52,640 Speaker 4: That's not just the thing you say around the boy 292 00:15:52,640 --> 00:15:56,080 Speaker 4: Scouy fire. It's a real thing, and that's why I 293 00:15:56,080 --> 00:15:56,920 Speaker 4: know it's possible. 294 00:16:06,360 --> 00:16:08,680 Speaker 2: Thanks for listening to the big take from Bloombird News. 295 00:16:08,840 --> 00:16:12,920 Speaker 2: I'm your host today, Celeia Mosen. This episode was produced 296 00:16:12,920 --> 00:16:16,800 Speaker 2: by Julia Press, Naomi Shaven, and Anna Masarakis. It's part 297 00:16:16,800 --> 00:16:20,600 Speaker 2: of a special series from our DC newsroom. Blake Maples 298 00:16:20,680 --> 00:16:24,040 Speaker 2: is our mixed engineer. Our story editors are Mike Shephard 299 00:16:24,120 --> 00:16:28,800 Speaker 2: and Wendy Benjaminson. Sage Bauman is our executive producer. Thanks 300 00:16:28,800 --> 00:16:30,680 Speaker 2: for tuning in. We'll be back next week.