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00:00Congressman we're hearing today on oversight. What do you hope to accomplish . Well first of all you got it. You got to understand that this is this whole thing is ridiculous in my judgment. Eight different entities doing oversight right now. But somehow the Democrats think we need a ninth . My my feeling is and I've said this earlier the eight are doing the proper oversight the government's supposed to do looking after the interest of the taxpayer. This ninth one is looking out for political interest of the Democrats because it's no accident that Jim Clyburn is the chair and Jim Clyburn is Joe Biden's biggest supporter. So I think this is a committee to attack the president to to prop up and help Joe Biden as we head into the summer before an election. So look Wolf we'll see . But you know they're starting off with a video conference briefing. I mean we should be back here meeting in person if it's as important as the Democrats say it is with a clever send a letter to some of the businesses that accepted money from TPP . And I wanted to hear your response on that. He's raised some concerns on that. Well the big concern was that they're trying to get universal stainless in Pittsburgh trying to put steel workers in the unemployment line because the business owner said if we don't have access of this BP dollars we're going have to lay people off. So this was their first big action is to to send a letter trying to put steelworkers in Pittsburgh and in eastern Ohio in the unemployment line. And then their second big action is to have a hearing today where they don't ask Republicans about any of the witnesses. Don't give us proper notice. I don't even know if it's if it's a hearing or clause a hearing or what it is. We only get three minutes to ask questions. So an unfair process for a committee that's totally totally political. Again I think Americans don't see it for what it is. Hearing aside going abroad for a second. People want to get back to work all over the country and other lawmakers who are saying not so fast. They have medical concerns in the cities and whatnot . How do you balance that conversation nationally especially when we're in the middle of one of the greatest economic slowdown . Well I think the American people when when when elected officials and governors told the American people we need to flatten the curve and shut things down the American people did that. But now that was two months ago. And what was the goal . The goal was to flatten the curve. So we didn't do what overwhelmed the health care system. What we certainly haven't done that. In fact most hospitals many hospitals are laying people off. And if they don't they don't have any. They don't have any revenue over the last eight weeks. So it is time to go back to work instead of passing some some new trillion dollar spending package that that Speaker Pelosi is going to put on the floor this Friday. Seems to me the best stimulus the best face for is to go back to work and to understand different parts of the country are different like western Ohio is not like Manhattan. Western oil has not even like downtown Cleveland or Columbus. So let's let west central Ohio and north central Ohio which I guess represent. Let's let those folks go back to work with regards to Speaker Pelosi's plan. Republicans have said it's dead on arrival but the longer that this goes on there is an understanding that folks need assistance now. The longer that this goes on and things are not real. That's why the best phase for is to go back to work which we're seeing states do . Florida Georgia other states. Ohio is in the process of going back. That's great. We're going to be fully open with some some you know protocols in place but fully open restaurants and everything next. Next week on the 21st. So that's the proper approach. And we should never forget we've already allocated trillions of dollars to deal with this tough time we're in. But we are as secretary of NIKKEI said earlier this week there may not be an economy left if we don't go back to work. So let's get back to work. The business owners I talked to in west central Ohio and north central Ohio they're itch and they're eager to go back to work. Some of them never stopped and they're frustrated. They sure are. I mean did you hear that from constituents about the discrepancy between small businesses on Main Street and the big businesses the fact that some of these bailouts. I sure do. We hear it all the time. We hear from people in the agriculture sector in the manufacturing sector and more so retail as much of manufacturing still spilt still been up and running. And I think that's an important important point . Some businesses were essential so they've never shut down. Well they were able to operate. They were able to do it in a safe way for their for their employees and for customers and clients who may be coming into their business . Why can't the rest of the economy do the same. That's all we're asking. So it's it's really when you boil it down it's about freedom. It's about opportunity. So let's let's make it happen . I mentioned agriculture. The president has been saying publicly that he is not interested in another type of trade negotiation with China so long as this continues to go on and China is not as transparent as they need to be for their handling of this or mishandling of some are alleging . I want to get your take because in an agriculture is crucial to so many of your decisions. Well I think he's right. You know what we shouldn't be doing here in Congress is having hearings on on the role China played in starting this whole whole thing . And the fact they didn't give us the truth the role the World Health Organization played out there you know taken out and taken. The constituents I represent taking our tax dollars and then lying to us. I've got a colleague who has a great line . He says we paid on the pay organization to lie to us. They'll probably do it for free. So that's what we should be focused on . The president's right. And he was the first and he campaigned on this issue getting tough on China having the right kind of trade deals in place getting on them for not following international trade norms stealing intellectual property. And now we learn this. So heck yeah we should be tough on them. We should do in a smart way but we've got to be tough on them. The president's been absolutely right on that issue. Final question . 33 million unemployed filing for unemployment. That is it's a hard not scary. Yeah . What do you do in this particular historic moment. Yeah we're all going to look back on some time and try to figure out where what went wrong what went right. How do you reflect on that as you try to decide where Republicans in Congress move from here . Well I've said that earlier. The move is open up our economy . We had the greatest economy humming along just earn and turn in churn and lowest unemployment in 50 years. Wages gone up for working class Americans. Mark markets up and everything was so good. And then this virus hit and we were told we were going to go into a short term lockdown in order to flatten the curve and make sure we don't overwhelm our health care system. We've done that. Now it's time to open back up and get things moving . When you talk about 30 some million Americans who were unemployed. That is unbelievable number. But I think we can start the great American comeback. Real quick. I think it will happen. Just take a little time. But I think it's going to happen. The great American comeback this great economy was there before him. You open it back up. The American people are the folks I get the privilege to represent. They are eager willing ready to go fight and grow their business back and get things moving in the right direction .

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Rep. Jim Jordan Says Time for `Great American Comeback'

Rep. Jim Jordan, a Republican from Ohio, discusses his views on reopening the U.S. economy and Wednesday's meeting of the newly-created House Select Subcommittee on the Coronavirus Crisis, which he serves on. He speaks with Bloomberg's Kevin Cirilli in Washington. (Source: Bloomberg)

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