WEBVTT - Deception In The Details:  Sarah Westwood Talks to A&G

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<v Speaker 1>I will say this before we get to our reporter.

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<v Speaker 1>I did see Larry Summers on CNN this morning, and

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<v Speaker 1>he was he's a democratic economist, but he was more

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<v Speaker 1>than willing to call out all those other bills as inflationary.

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<v Speaker 1>He was warning the White House this is gonna make

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<v Speaker 1>inflation worse. He says, this is going to help with inflation.

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<v Speaker 1>So right, well, and there was the big Chip bill

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<v Speaker 1>as well. To discuss this. Uh my gosh, what a day.

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<v Speaker 1>Sarah Westwood, investigative reporter for the Washington Examiner, joins us, Sarah, welcome,

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<v Speaker 1>how are you. I'm great, thanks for having me. I

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<v Speaker 1>can only assume that somebody but Joe manson a yacht.

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<v Speaker 1>Is that how he changed his mind or would we

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<v Speaker 1>have any idea how that came about. It's completely unclear

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<v Speaker 1>how it came about. The win of it is certainly

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<v Speaker 1>almost certainly earlier than yesterday afternoon. I mean, I think

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<v Speaker 1>Republicans were really burned by the timing of his announcement

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<v Speaker 1>that he was going to back this deal, because, if

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<v Speaker 1>you remember, Mitch McConnell said, we are not going to

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<v Speaker 1>offer support for the semi conductor bill, the chips bill

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<v Speaker 1>that you guys mentioned unless you guys, you know, agree

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<v Speaker 1>not to move forward on a reconciliation build. Does all

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<v Speaker 1>this stuff fund climate change? You know that the Democrats

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<v Speaker 1>have been wanting. And he held up that bill until

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<v Speaker 1>he was pretty sure that build back better or some

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<v Speaker 1>version of it was dead. Then he lent his support

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<v Speaker 1>to it, and just a few hours later, Mansion and

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<v Speaker 1>Chumor come out and say they have a reconciliation deal.

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<v Speaker 1>So I think Republicans feel really burned right now by

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<v Speaker 1>that bait and switch. And it's why House Republicans are saying, well,

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<v Speaker 1>you may have tricked us in the Senate, but we're

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<v Speaker 1>not going to support it in the House. And they

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<v Speaker 1>are whipping against the Chips bill. Now, Wow, even though

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<v Speaker 1>the Republicans like the Chips bill, they're just using it

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<v Speaker 1>as a bargaining chip. If you'll pardon the use of

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<v Speaker 1>the word chips too many times, Um, if you'll excuse me,

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<v Speaker 1>I'm enjoying some pringles. Well that is kind of from

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<v Speaker 1>from a Yeah, that's interesting from a drama standpoint, because

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<v Speaker 1>I saw the headlines middle of the day that before

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<v Speaker 1>the we're on the I'm on the we're broadcasting the

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<v Speaker 1>show is centered on the West coast. So it was

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<v Speaker 1>the middle of the day for me that the whole

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<v Speaker 1>new bill back better paired down thing was dead. I

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<v Speaker 1>saw the headlines that that was dead, and then all

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<v Speaker 1>of a sudden, just like Tony Dow the other day,

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<v Speaker 1>was not dead. Briefly, Um, you were following that story.

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<v Speaker 1>So so some Shenanigans are lying or is it? How

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<v Speaker 1>upset are the Republicans about this? Republicans are pretty upset.

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<v Speaker 1>I mean, they definitely feel like there was deception involved

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<v Speaker 1>in in the way the details of the new Democratic

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<v Speaker 1>Reconciliation Bill came out. And it's almost certainly was the

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<v Speaker 1>case that Mansion and Schumer didn't magically arrive at this

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<v Speaker 1>conclusion hours after the Chips bill passed. It's clear this

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<v Speaker 1>deal probably came together in the days or even weeks

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<v Speaker 1>before Chips advanced out of the Senate and then it

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<v Speaker 1>was announced. Also not clear what part of this bill

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<v Speaker 1>would be, you know, anti inflationary. I mean, it's subsidies

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<v Speaker 1>for green energy, it's subsidies for solar panels and electric cars,

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<v Speaker 1>it's tax increases on businesses. So it's not clear where

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<v Speaker 1>Democrats are really getting this idea that it's going to

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<v Speaker 1>fight inflation, and it's really bad timing for them to float,

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<v Speaker 1>you know, more than three fifty billion dollars worth of

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<v Speaker 1>government spending at the same time that we're getting these

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<v Speaker 1>GDP numbers. That suggests to all sentient economists that the

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<v Speaker 1>economy is now in a recession on top of the

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<v Speaker 1>inflation that we're experiencing. So can you we've skipped to

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<v Speaker 1>the politics, and the politics are are really interesting actually

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<v Speaker 1>this time. But what is in this gigantic fourty three

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<v Speaker 1>billion dollar bill just the quick drive by while the

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<v Speaker 1>part that Democrats seem most excited about is a lot

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<v Speaker 1>of the climate change um UH measures that are in

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<v Speaker 1>this bill obviously, like I mentioned, their subsidies for electric vehicles,

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<v Speaker 1>for solar panel production, for transitioning more towards clean energy.

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<v Speaker 1>There's some new UH carbon emission regulations. I can just

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<v Speaker 1>jump in and make These are my words, not yours.

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<v Speaker 1>I just I get the feeling, you know. My My

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<v Speaker 1>first thought when I hear those words is that's gonna

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<v Speaker 1>be a bunch of crap, a whole bunch of useless crap,

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<v Speaker 1>A whole bunch of money is gonna get spent. It's

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<v Speaker 1>not gonna help the environment in any way people are

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<v Speaker 1>gonna get rich. We're not gonna use less fossil field.

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<v Speaker 1>But back to you, Sarah, Celinda, right, Celenda is what

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<v Speaker 1>comes to mind. Right, That's often been the case is

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<v Speaker 1>that it's been a boondoggle for technology that has not

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<v Speaker 1>yet succeeded on the free market, that is not ready

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<v Speaker 1>for mass production and doesn't impact climate change in any

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<v Speaker 1>meaningful way. So you have the climate piece of it.

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<v Speaker 1>The Democrats are really excited about. There's an increase in

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<v Speaker 1>the corporate minimum tax. That will actually be an interesting

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<v Speaker 1>component because UH Senator Kirsten Cinema out West has repeatedly

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<v Speaker 1>said she does not support raising taxes on businesses in

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<v Speaker 1>any form, and her opposition to tax increases has been

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<v Speaker 1>part of what prevented Democrats from moving forward on a

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<v Speaker 1>bill like this before. Even though Mansion, you know, has

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<v Speaker 1>opposed a whole host of other things, she's been standing

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<v Speaker 1>against corporate tax increases. It will be interesting to see

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<v Speaker 1>if she's gonna shift her stance now because she doesn't

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<v Speaker 1>want to be the one in the hot seat like

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<v Speaker 1>Mansion has been. You also have some UH pharmaceutical company

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<v Speaker 1>reforms that allows Medicare to negotiate prescription drug prices with

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<v Speaker 1>the pharmaceutical companies, the government things that will help lower

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<v Speaker 1>prescription drug prices for senior So it's sort of a

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<v Speaker 1>grab bag of some of the stuff that Democrats wanted

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<v Speaker 1>and build back better. It's nowhere near as ambitious, but

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<v Speaker 1>it does in a lot of areas dump money into

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<v Speaker 1>the economy at a time when it's already overheated, and

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<v Speaker 1>that's obviously going to be the line that Republicans use

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<v Speaker 1>against it. Yeah, I just saw one item that it

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<v Speaker 1>was I think it was sixty billion dollars given to

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<v Speaker 1>disadvantaged neighborhoods who have been disproportionately affected by climate change

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<v Speaker 1>or something like that, which having grown up in Chicago

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<v Speaker 1>with the corrupt, corrupt money handout system they have there,

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<v Speaker 1>I know, a slush fund. When I see just just unbelievable,

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<v Speaker 1>just unbelievable that the UM. When I hear the biggest

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<v Speaker 1>investment in climate change fighting ever, I just I want

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<v Speaker 1>to hold onto my wallet. Maybe I'm too cynical, but

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<v Speaker 1>I doubt it. So now, because this is a budget

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<v Speaker 1>reconciliation bill, the filibuster does not factor incorrect, and it

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<v Speaker 1>will probably pass the House. So don't need any Republicans. Correct,

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<v Speaker 1>no Republicans will be needed. But the interesting thing is

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<v Speaker 1>they are going to need all fifty Democrats, so they

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<v Speaker 1>can use Senator Vice President Kamala Harris as a tiebreaker.

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<v Speaker 1>But one issue for Democrats right now in terms of

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<v Speaker 1>the timing is that, uh, their members keep getting COVID.

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<v Speaker 1>I mean, I believe Senator Dick Durbin is the latest

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<v Speaker 1>to be out for at least two weeks because of COVID,

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<v Speaker 1>So we can't pably be there. The Senate, unlike the House,

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<v Speaker 1>does not have proxy voting, so everybody has to physically

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<v Speaker 1>be there, so their plans keep getting pushed back and

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<v Speaker 1>push back and push back because members are out with COVID,

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<v Speaker 1>and so even though all the details of the bill

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<v Speaker 1>seem to have been hammered out, they might not be

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<v Speaker 1>able to get it done before August recess, which pushes

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<v Speaker 1>this into September because of the COVID outbreak that Washington's experiencing.

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<v Speaker 1>All right, Sarah, I'm gonna ask you to not listen

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<v Speaker 1>to the next few sentences. This is private to Jack.

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<v Speaker 1>The Republicans have to send people into the Capitol to cough.

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<v Speaker 1>That's that's stupid that they're still holding onto the you

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<v Speaker 1>gotta be there to vote. That's that's a vestige of

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<v Speaker 1>the eight hundred. But whatever, that's a different topic. Um uh.

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<v Speaker 1>Sarah Westwood, investigative reporter of the Washington Examiners on the line,

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<v Speaker 1>and do you want to touch on the giant chips? See,

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<v Speaker 1>I suppose we should before we run out of time.

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<v Speaker 1>So what's the big deal on the on the chip bill?

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<v Speaker 1>Why is this big? Well, chip bill would offer subsidies

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<v Speaker 1>to UH semiconductor manufacturing here in the US to sort

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<v Speaker 1>of full sort the US of competitiveness against China, who's

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<v Speaker 1>also a big manufacturer of semi conductor. And these are

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<v Speaker 1>chips that are using basically all kinds of technology that

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<v Speaker 1>we use. So it's important bills. But there were also

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<v Speaker 1>deficit concerns, inflationary concerns, because anytime you're talking about a

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<v Speaker 1>subsidy or a hand out to an industry, you're talking

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<v Speaker 1>about the government dumping money into an economy that's already

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<v Speaker 1>you know, struggling too many dollars, chasing too a few goods.

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<v Speaker 1>And the politics of the chips build were also sort

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<v Speaker 1>of surrounded in controversy, I think because of Paul Pelosi,

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<v Speaker 1>Nancy Pelosi's husband, making some pretty lucrative trades in the

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<v Speaker 1>semiconductor industry on the stock market. So there was a

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<v Speaker 1>lot of sort of scandal involved in this bill. And regardless,

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<v Speaker 1>I think it's going to have a hard time getting

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<v Speaker 1>through the House if all the Republicans are going to

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<v Speaker 1>vote against it. But you know, if if if Nancy

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<v Speaker 1>Pelosi can get keep all of her Democrats in line

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<v Speaker 1>to support it, then you know there's a good chance

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<v Speaker 1>that that it does become law. And Republicans are going

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<v Speaker 1>to be really unhappy about that. So the Republicans, all

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<v Speaker 1>the Republicans are against the chip bill. Also, well, leadership

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<v Speaker 1>is whipping against it, which means leadership has sent out

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<v Speaker 1>memos to all the hundreds of GOP members and said

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<v Speaker 1>the official position of the conference is that we would

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<v Speaker 1>like you to vote against this. Now, they don't do

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<v Speaker 1>this for every bill. Sometimes they don't whip against things.

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<v Speaker 1>They let members vote their conscience, as they say, but

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<v Speaker 1>this is an instant when conscience, yeah, saying we would

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<v Speaker 1>like you to vote against the spill. That doesn't mean

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<v Speaker 1>everyone will tow the line, but most well, But is

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<v Speaker 1>that as a leverage against the build back better Light

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<v Speaker 1>or is that because they actually are against the chip bill.

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<v Speaker 1>I think it's the former, you know, I think there

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<v Speaker 1>was a good chance this was honest way to passage

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<v Speaker 1>beforehand it had by partisan support. Okay, so I did

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<v Speaker 1>have Republicans, right, I just want to make sure I

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<v Speaker 1>understand that. So it had Republican support outside of the

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<v Speaker 1>whole using its leverage, all right, Yeah, that was pretty

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<v Speaker 1>solid bipartisan support. I mean, it was not uncontroversial. But

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<v Speaker 1>Sarah Westwood of the Examiner on the line in the

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<v Speaker 1>few seconds we have left, Sarah, could you give us

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<v Speaker 1>the brief list of government programs that have been cut

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<v Speaker 1>to help pay for the giant new one? So I'm

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<v Speaker 1>glad we only have a few seconds. So that's the

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<v Speaker 1>sort of thing. You are. You are. You are really

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<v Speaker 1>good at your job, and most people aren't. I'm not

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<v Speaker 1>most people are not good at the jobs. You are

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<v Speaker 1>really good at your job. Yeah, it's always a pleasure.

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<v Speaker 1>Thanks at Million, You're terrific. Thanks bye bye, farm Strong

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<v Speaker 1>and Jetty