EMMANUEL HOSPITAL IN PORTLAND,
OREGON AND ACROSS THIS COUNTRY.
>>> JOINING US NOW IS OREGON’S
DEMOCRATIC REPRESENTATIVE
SUZANNE JUAN MYRTLE BEACHY.
SHE SITS ON NEW MEXICOIOUS
COMMITTEES INCLUDING EDUCATION
AND LABOR.
SHE IS A LEADING MEMBER OF
SEVERAL CAUCUSES, THE NURSING
CAUCUS AND THE SMALL BUSINESS
CAUCUS INCLUDED WHICH MAKES YOU
UNIQUELY RELEVANT TO THE
DISCUSSIONS WE ARE HAVING TODAY.
GOOD TO SEE YOU AGAIN.
>> THANK YOU.
>> YOU AND I HAVE NOT TALKED
SINCE THE DAYS WHENEVER NIGHT IN
THIS CITY WAS A DANGEROUS THING.
THERE WERE CONFLICT BETWEEN THE
PEOPLE AND THE FEDERAL AGENTS IN
THIS CITY.
THE FEDERAL AGENTS ARE GONE BUT
THE TENSION IN THE CITY STILL
EXISTS.
WHY IS THAT?
>> THANK YOU FOR THE INVITATION.
THERE CONTINUE TO BE TENSIONS IN
THE CITY.
BLACK LIVES MATTER.
WE HAVE TO REMEMBER WHY PEOPLE
WERE PROTESTING AND SOME
CONTINUE TO PROTEST.
WE NEED TO TAKE ACTION.
ALSO, ALI, AS YOU NOTED, THIS IS
A VERY STRESSFUL TIME FOR
PEOPLE.
I HAD A TELEPHONE TOWN HALL
MEETING YESTERDAY AND I CAN HEAR
IT IN THE VOICES OF PEOPLE.
THERE ARE MANY THINGS THAT CAME
TOGETHER TO CREATE THIS STRESS.
OF COURSE THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC,
AND VERY CONCERNED ABOUT THE
NUMBERS THAT YOU ARE TALKING
ABOUT.
BUT ALSO, THE HORRIBLE DEATH,
THE MURDER OF GEORGE FLOYD AND
BREONNA TAYLOR AND MANY OTHERS.
AND WE HAD TERRIBLE WILDFIRES
HERE IN THE PACIFIC NORTHWEST.
ALL OF THESE THINGS TOGETHER ARE
CREATING THAT KIND OF STRESS.
I TELL YOU, YESTERDAY I HAD A
SENIOR CITIZEN FROM PORTLAND
SAY, I GOT THAT $1,200 A FEW
MONTHS AGO BUT THAT DIDN’T LAST
VERY LONG AND I NEED HELP HAVING
SOMEBODY DELIVER MY GROCERIES.
I TALKED TO SOMEONE WHO LIVES
NOT FAR FROM HERE WHO SAID I AM
HOME WITH MY KIDS.
I CAN’T WORK BECAUSE I CAN’T
FIND CHILD CARE.
IT IS SO HARD TO FIND CHILD
CARE.
I AM TERRIFIED IF MY
UNEMPLOYMENT BENEFITS RUN OUT AT
THE END OF THE MONTH.
LAST MONTH I HEARD ABOUT A RESTAURANT CLOSING IN ASTORIA
WEST OF HERE IN THE AREA I
REPRESENT.
THEY DEPEND ON TOURISM.
PEOPLE CAN’T VISIT.
THE COMMERCIAL FISHING INDUSTRY
SELLS TO A LOT OF RESTAURANTS
AND A LOT OF RESTAURANTS ARE
CLOSING.
IT IS A STRESSFUL TIME FOR
PEOPLE.
WE REALLY NEED THE SENATE TO
ACT.
THE HOUSE HAS PASSED BILLS TO
HELP ADDRESS THESE PROBLEMS.
WE NEED THE SENATE TO ACT AS
WELL.
I LISTENED TO THE DOCTOR.
I SHARE THE CONCERN ABOUT OUR
FRONTLINE WORKERS OUT THERE
EVERY DAY WITHOUT ADEQUATE PPE.
>> SO YOU -- YOU AND THE HOUSE
DID PASS A BILL IN OCTOBER.
>> RIGHT.
>> LOOKS LIKE WE MIGHT BE
GETTING CLOSE TO ANOTHER BILL.
>> CORRECT.
>> YOU ARE ON THE GROUND.
WE HAVE BEEN OUT HERE TALKING TO
SMALL BUSINESSES.
THEY ARE RUNNING OUT OF MONEY.
THE UNEMPLOYMENT MONEY WILL RUN
OUT AT THE END OF THE MONTH.
WHY IS IT THAT OUR UNITED STATES
SENATORS -- DO THEY NOT LIVE
AMONGST PEOPLE?
DO THEY NOT HAVE RESTAURANTS?
DO THEY NOT TALK TO WORKING
PEOPLE?
HOW IS IT THAT THE SENATE HAS
NOT PASSED THIS.
I WISH I COULD ANSWER THAT
QUESTION ALI BECAUSE IT IS
REALLY CONCERNING.
WE PASSED THE HERO’S ACT BACK IN
MAY BECAUSE WE ARE LISTENING TO
PEOPLE IN COMMUNITIES.
MY MOM WAS A SMALL BUSINESS
OWNER.
I KNOW HOW HARD SMALL BUSINESS
OWNERS WORK AND THEY ARE
STRUGGLING.
I MET WITH SEVERAL OF THEM IN
HILLSBOROUGH, WEST OF PORTLAND.
THESE THINGS ARE REGIONAL.
JUST SOUTH OF HERE, WINE
COUNTRY.
THEY ARE SMALL BUSINESSES, THEY
HAVE TASTING ROOMS, THEY ARE
STRUGGLING.
PLUS SOME OF THEM HAVE SMOKE
DAMAGE AND CAN’T HAVE A CROP
THIS YEAR.
WE LISTENED TO THEM, THAT’S WHY
WE PASSED THE HERO’S ACT IN MAY,
AND AGAIN IN OCTOBER.
HERE’S ANOTHER CHANCE THAT THE
SENATE WILL TAKE THAT UP.
>> YOU ARE HOPEFUL IT WILL GET
DONE.
>> I AM HOPEFUL.
IF THEY LISTEN TO PEOPLE THE WAY
THAT I AND MY COLLEAGUES IN THE
HOUSE HAVE LISTENED, THEY WILL
RECOGNIZE THERE IS A NEED.
THERE IS A LIGHT AT THE END OF
THE TUNNEL.
>> THERE IS SOME DISTANCE TO END
OF THE TUNNEL.
>> THERE IS DISTANCE TO THE END
OF THE TUNNEL.
IF WE DON’T GET THAT AID PACK AN
OUT, THE WOMAN WHO WAS
TERRIFIED, THE CITY OFFICIAL IN
ONE OF THE COASTAL CITIES SAID
THAT WE NEED THAT AID BECAUSE WE
DON’T HAVE ENOUGH TO KEEP YOUR
PUBLIC SERVICES GOING IF WE
DON’T HAVE THAT STATE AND LOCAL
AID IN THE HERO’S ACT THAT WE
PASSED.
>> THANK YOU FOR TALKING ABOUT
THE FIRES.
WE ARE GOING TO BE TALKING ABOUT
THAT AS WELL, ANOTHER MATTER
THAT IS OVERSHADOWED.
>> RIGHT.
ON TOP OF EVERYTHING ELSE WE HAD
THE FIRES AND THE SMOKE DAMAGE
AND LIVES AND STRUCTURES LOST.
IT HAS JUST BEEN A REALLY TOUGH
TIME.
THE SENATE NEEDS TO RECOGNIZE
THAT.
WE NEED TO HELP THESE U.S. SMALL
BUSINESSES, THE INDIVIDUALS, THE
WORKERS WHO ARE OUT THERE TRYING
TO DO THE RIGHT THING AND WORK.
BUT MANY OF THEM ARE TAKING CARE
OF SMALL CHILDREN.
CHILD CARE IS A HUGE ISSUE.
I HAVE HAD TEACHERS TELL ME --
REMOTE LEARNING -- OF COURSE WE
WANT STUDENTS BACK IN SCHOOL BUT
I HAVE HAD TEACHERS TELL ME A
LOT OF THEIR HIGH SCHOOL AND
MIDDLE SCHOOL KIDS ARE LOGGING
ON WITH BABIES AND TODDLERS IN
THEIR LAP BECAUSE THEY ARE
TAKING CARE OF YOUNGER SIBLINGS.
>> UNBELIEVABLE.
>> WE DESPERATELY NEED THE
SENATE TO ACT.