CLICK BELOW TO HEAR PART ONE OF JACK HALL’S INTERVIEW WITH REP. BERGMAN
CLICK BELOW TO HEAR PART TWO OF JACK HALL’S INTERVIEW WITH REP. BERGMAN
Upper Peninsula Congressman Jack Bergman stopped by the RRN offices Thursday morning for a wide-ranging interview on the coronavirus battle, the prospects for a new round of economic stimulus, and reaction to last night’s vice presidential debate.
He also discussed the Soo Locks project, expansion of broadband Internet across the U.P., and the program designed to reduce the number of veteran suicides.
Bergman (R-Watersmeet) says that he’s unsure if there will be a second stimulus package to help with the economic fallout from the coronavirus. He says that a lot depends on the political whims of House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif,) as she and President Trump have had on-again, off-again discussions on more government aid.
With the price tag attached to Pelosi’s proposals at between 2 and 3 trillion dollars, Bergman says the country can’t afford funding all of those social programs.
He says that he does not support a national mask mandate, saying that it is not the government’s role to control every aspect of your life. He also said the federal Justice Department should not step in on Gov. Gretchen Whitmer issuing restrictions through the health department to sidestep a Michigan Supreme Court ruling that went against her. Bergman says that is a state issue, and not one the federal government should be involved in.
On the Soo Locks, Bergman said it’s “promises made, promises kept”, as he campaigned four years ago on building a new lock to replace an aging one, and President Trump fast-tracked the project. The Army Corps pf Engineers, who Bergman called a “great partner”, has let the contracts out for the first two phases of the project.
Bergman said the debate with Vice President Mike Pence (R-Ind.) and Sen. Kamala Harris (D-Calif.) went well. He says that Pence was effective in pointing out the Trump administration’s efforts to battle the coronavirus began with a travel ban to China that was not supported by Democrats, including Harris.
As for another stimulus package, Bergman said that his “crystal ball is cloudy” and that a package is possible if Pelosi “stops insisting on a grab bag” of projects that she wants funded for political reasons. “If she concludes that she can get votes (in November), then she may move something,” he told RRN News. Bergman questioned whether the country can afford more stimulus, however, noting that “every time the government gives you something, they took it from you first”.
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