DETV's The Agenda - Sarah McBride

the agenda is powered by Dart Delaware's Transit service moving forward [Music] hello everyone welcome to the agenda it's your host Kerwin gains coming to you again with another Special Report uh things are happening so fast that we don't even have studio time right now to come in and see so uh we're having our guests uh reach out to us via zoom and they're doing so because they want to talk to you uh and ensure that you're on the agenda and your issues are on the agenda and we're doing that today this season has been great thank you so much for all of the folks are watching and leaving comments and giving us ideas and talking to us about some of the things are going on in your area we appreciate it here at DV thank you so much but we're bringing a Delaware favorite to you tonight today uh and that is Senator Sarah McBride is here hello Senator McBride hello it's good to see you kwin I always love joining the agenda thanks for having me back on no problem we love it when you're here um since we've talked I don't even think we can talk about all the stuff that has happened uh but um over the past two weeks let's just put a a a DeMark and say the past two weeks we've had a assassination attempt on a former president uh we've had the current president decide that he did not and want to run for reelection uh the current vice president president seems to be a nomination favorite at this time uh and she's actually in the city of Wilmington uh today uh to talk to the president to talk to the constituents I mean so much going on let's take this in bits and pieces you are actively seeking a a seat in the House Representatives representing U delawarians uh we're excited about that uh but I mean this is one heck of a time for you to jum jump in um uh what are your thoughts right now on we'll say the first thing and that's Delaware's favorite President Biden deciding that he does not want to continue his reelection campaign for 2024 sure well you're absolutely right that the last several weeks have been incredibly eventful perhaps some of the most eventful few weeks we've seen in modern American politics um the assassination attempt was a horrific and tragic uh moment that reflected uh the the two high temperatures that we're seeing right now in our politics um and of course the decision by President Biden not to seek reelection obviously is is a decision that for many delawarians uh was met with sadness we know and we love Joe but it was an act of profound p patriotism um this president has done what he has done throughout his life and throughout his career which is to put this country first um regardless of the impact on his own uh ambition his own career uh the decision not to seek reelection was a selfless act and it clearly paves the way for vice president Harris to not only become the Democratic nominee but to become the next president of the United States to shatter a national glass ceiling and to continue to build on the Biden Harris Administration Rec the their administration's record what is clear is that the four years of the Biden Harris Administration have been some of the most productive and consequential in modern American history they passed the largest investment in our infrastructure since the 1950s the first gun safety package since the 1990s the larg expansion of healthare since the ACA and the single most significant step to combat climate change of Any Nation on earth that is a record that any two-term president could be proud of let alone a one-term president and so as he prepares to leave office in January 2025 I know Delaware continues to be proud of Joe Biden I know Delaware has a lot to be proud of in Joe Biden's record um and it is an incredibly impactful record that I know vice president Harris will continue to carry forward as the nominee and hopefully as the next president of the United States Senator McBride let me ask you and I I have to be as blunt as I possibly can in regards to this do you think in in your political knowledge you've been in this game a very long time um long enough to know if a candidate has the horow or not to to make it right so I think for some of us we're very excited Ed that vice president Harris is going after this feat and and we we're going to support her but at this late stage in the game I would consider this close to quarter three or quarter four of the game um do you believe that she has what it takes to get to secure another Democratic president you know it's a a great question and I can say without hesitation that I know vice president president Harris has what it takes to win this election and to serve capably as our next president I was actually with the vice president on Saturday speaking at a rally alongside her and let me tell you she was incredible and the crowd was so enthusiastic for her this was the day before President Biden's announcement but she showed at that rally as she has shown already over the last particularly several weeks on the campaign trail that she is an energizing force in the Democratic party she is an exciting force in the Democratic party and I think we have to look no further than the fact that over the last 24 hours vice president Harris's campaign has raised nearly $100 million the largest sum raised in a 24-hour period in political history in this country that doesn't happen by chance that happens because of the enthusiasm of thousands and thousands and thousands of Grassroots supporters across this country who are fired up who are fired up to win this election who are fired up to elect vice president Harris as the next president of the United States who are fired up to flip the United States House of Representatives and keep the Senate this as I mentioned before this decision by President Biden was an act of service and patriotism and it has been a jolt in the arm for the Democratic party it has reinvigorated the chances of the democratic party to win up and down the ballot um and and I am confident that vice president Harris has what it takes to be our standard Bearer which was why I was proud to be one of the the first elected officials to endorse her on Sunday after the announcement by President Biden that he would not be seeking reelection so do in in your opinion when you're seeing these the campaign funds because you yourself have raised uh quite a bit of money um in your campaign race do you feel that so many folks have um kind of held back Their donation when they felt that it was President Biden and now that there is someone new um that is not him um they're donating or do you believe that this is like more of an invigoration as you said uh behind it and they're like hey let's go let's let's do this and uh this sounds like a great idea and they're just contributing to that just just curious to know your thoughts so I I think if you look at the record the president was raising a significant amount through Grassroots donors throughout the course of the last year now I think the last couple of weeks we did see a Slowdown I think not because of a lack of enthusiasm for President Biden but I think in many ways people felt like politics was on pause over the last few weeks as the Democratic party as President Biden worked through these difficult conversations that were happening about what the future of this election and the future of the party looks like um I think to what you just said the last 24 hours of donations to vice president Harris's campaign is not a reflection of a lack of enthusiasm toward President Biden it's a reflection of the the the the the newly re-energized party of politics being taken off hold as they felt like they were for the last few weeks and the commitment of this party and of our Grassroots supporters to win this race I think people recognize that we have a great candidate in vice president Harris recognize that the Biden Harris Administration has accomplished a historic amount over the last four years and I think they are excited to see her continue to move that agenda forward to pass affordable child care and paid family and medical leave for every family to guarantee affordable housing uh and health care for every person uh and to combat the epidemic of gun violence and to finally protect abortion rights federally here in the United States at a time when uh we've seen the Supreme Court undermine reproductive freedom Nationwide and so I think people are fired up for her I think they're fired up for the message and I think they're fired up to get back to work and to focus on the job before us over the next several months which is to win this race yeah I I've seen and on some of the um right-wing media they're requesting for the the 25th Amendment to actually be invoked saying that you know President Biden at this point is not fit to continue it's obvious blah blah blah um I don't agree with that message um trying trying to be as impartial as I possibly can uh but I don't agree with that message what's the feeling uh you did you said you mentioned excuse me that you spent some time uh with vice president Harris on on the campaign Trail um last week or this weekend what is your your feeling of the Biden side of things how how's the president handling this to your knowledge uh how is the staff handling this moving forward they still have a lot of work to do uh he's not leaving tomorrow I mean we still have um quite a few months here left and the country still needs to run yeah absolutely and I think there's no question in my mind that uh Joe Biden continues to be up to the job I think Joe Biden was up to the job for another four years the decision by Joe Biden not to seek re-election was not a decision based on his health or his capacity to govern it was based on his belief that uh for the party and for the country uh the best path toward defeating Donald Trump uh would be for him to pass the torch again an incredibly patriotic and selfless decision by him but it was not based on his health it was not based on his capacity I saw the president about a month ago um and what I saw personally and what I've seen in press conferences where he's talking about deeply complicated International uh policy after the NATO Summit what what I have seen up close and what I have seen uh in repu is a president who continues to uh understand the the issues that the American people face very deeply who still is an incredibly effective president again over the last four years up until now uh he continues to deliver historic change and I know he will continue to deliver progress over the next five or six months as he finishes up his historic term as president and he'll as Senator Carper says run through the tape I'm conf confident of that this this incredibly uh disingenuous effort by Republicans to mischaracterize the decision by the president not to seek re-election this incredibly frankly offensive effort by Maga extremists to uh capitalize on this moment is an act of desperation on their part um they are seeking to undermine the enthusiasm that Democrats have they are seeking to uh reclaim the story because they see the narrative falling away from them they see the narrative moving away from them they see the enthusiasm and the momentum moving away from them and so this ridiculous assertion that the 25th amendment should be invoked um is a desperate political Ploy by them it is a desperate and offensive political Ploy by them and it's a reflection of uh shift in momentum do you see it actually being a possibility no it's it's not only not a possibility it's it's it's 100% not necessary yeah I I I would I mean even Republicans who have met with the president recently have said he's a great negotiator they've said he's he he he he he's you know present and focused in meetings able to hash out details and summon details that people half his age can't summon again I saw the president a month ago he was uh the same man I have seen over the last few years he's the same man I've known throughout my life Joe Biden absolutely has what it takes to continue to be president and these these uh these statements by magga extremists are disingenuous and uh a desperate A desperate political attemp political I would I I would normally say yeah the 23d amendment definitely won't be inv vote but I never would have thought that the president would be asked to not run again you know what I mean uh due to his U whatever they're calling it or or lack of I I would never have believed that so we're living in these times where things are moving so fast I never would have believed that someone would have taken a shot at a a previous president uh d a rally I I mean so many things are happening and I know people at home feel the same way it's just you're not at a point where things can't happen things can happen and we need to just be aware of those things politics is certainly in unprecedented territory there is no question of that um and we've seen things over the the last several weeks and months that I you know certainly hoped and prayed we would never see like an assassination attempt on a former president we've seen events over the last few weeks and months that I certainly wouldn't have anticipated at even the beginning of of 2024 um but I I think one thing I can confidently say is that uh there is absolutely absolutely no reason for Joe Biden to not be the president of the United States I love it so as we're moving forward let's talk a little bit about your real well your your new Endeavor into uh trying to pick up a house seat here for the state of Delaware um currently there's no one well there is someone running against you now um but how do you feel that you would be the best candidate um moving forward sure well I am proud to be running uh as a dedicated Delaware Democrat to succeed our wonderful joyful Warrior Lisa blunt Rochester in the United States House of Representatives I'm proud to have her endorsement in this campaign I'm proud to have the endorsement of the person who I hope we will be voting in as the first black Speaker of the House in January Hakeem Jeff um and I'm running and have their support because Delaware only sends one person to the United States House of Representatives we have to send someone who's able from day one to roll up their sleeves dive into the details bring people together and deliver real and Lasting change that's exactly what I've done in the Delaware General Assembly where I passed Paid Family and Medical Leave where I helped lead the charge to pass the most significant gun safety package in State history where I've co-sponsored the effort to raise the minimum wage and where I just passed with unanimous bipartisan support the largest investment in our state's Medicaid Program which one in three delawarians rely on for health insurance the largest ongoing investment in that program since the Affordable Care Act itself I know what it takes to get things done I know what it takes to make a legislative body work better and Lord knows we need Congress to work better for all of us we need Congress to be able to act on all of the issues that matter from Health Care and housing to child care and paid leave to gun safety and reproductive freedom and we need Delaware Soul member of Congress to be someone who has the relationships who has the experience and who has the knowledge of how to make government work better for our families and make government work better for Del and that's why I'm running and that's why I'm proud to have the support of house leadership at the federal level the Delaware Democratic party congresswoman blunt Rochester a majority of Democrats in the Delaware General Assembly Senator Carper Governor Carney and others in this race uh and I'm going to continue to work my hard out over the next several months I've been running for a year but I'm going to continue to work my heart out to earn the support of delawarians in the primary and in the general election uh because I truly believe that uh no one has any inherent right to a seat I believe service is earned uh and I believe that running a full campaign makes a candidate a better member of Congress and so I'm I'm thrilled with the support that has come in and I'm excited for the next few months ahead of us and and we're excited that you're running um I for me my concern as a delawarean and not just as the host of the agenda but ensuring that we are keeping jobs flowing into the state of Delaware I believe that um our Representatives um in DC are also economic Developers for us as well they're allowing for legislation to be passed that's helping delawarians and helping bring business into Delaware and doing some great things that way I I believe and and my political science knowledge is that when people are working people are better our schools are better uh so many things are better once uh Revenue starts pouring in I hope that you can continue what we have we've been blessed over the past I guess I would say more or less uh 12 years with uh two years with Vice President Biden then four years with President Biden Delaware was at the Forefront of a lot of conversations we were not overlooked in the in the the conference rooms in DC and in the white house because we had representation there we had a great Delaware delegation and knew how to get things done y delawarians are they feeling I feel that we have another great person that's in there that that is that can handle that please tell us a little bit about why you would do a good job with that as well sure no well I I think you're absolutely right that we need the federal government to act in order for delawarians to have good paying jobs with real benefits in order to guarantee that every child from birth through graduation has a quality education to help make our communities safer and to help protect our rights and our dignity delawarians need progress on all of those issues um but again Congress is uh people say why on Earth would you want to go to the United States House of Representatives it is a d fire right at a certain point we've got to run into the fire and I have already I have already delivered meaningful policies for delawarians up in down the state in the Delaware General Assembly policies that have helped to create jobs policies that have helped to enhance benefits policies that have raised wages policies that have expanded access to healthcare policies that have protected our rights and our dignity again as a state legislature legislator just this past month the the only way we're going to get jobs in Delaware from the federal government is with ongoing Federal investment I've already passed legislation that's going to result in the largest infusion of federal resources into our state's Medicaid Program since the ACA I know how to get Federal investment I know how to get Federal support so that Delaware can continue to grow our economy as President Biden says from the middle out not the top down I know what it takes I know what it takes to make Congress work better that's why I'm running listen it's easy to talk about what we need to do it's easy to talk about these goals it's another thing to actually deliver governing is hard legislating is hard and we know from Donald Trump that someone just entering in without any experience legislating doing the hard work of governing we know what that results in it's hard to make up after their mistakes right so it's it's it's hard to recover it's hard to calm a country and uh President Biden helped us as being what they said the comforter and chief right that helped explain a lot of things to a lot of different Americans and kind of calm down uh where we currently stood as a country back in 2020 when he accepted office that's right that's absolutely right and so we need folks who are able to work across the political divide I've introduced in past dozens of bills in the Delaware General Assembly all but one have passed with bipartisan support I've got support from Democratic and Republican elected officials across the state and so I will be able to enter Congress from day one with the relationships with the knowledge with the experience to not only pass the policies that delawarians need but to ensure that we're as they say bringing home the bacon so that we get the federal investment and the federal support that our state needs to improve our schools to grow our economy and to make our state safer and Kinder for all of us well we can't let you go without talking about your current District district one here in the state of Delaware you're still serving there uh Senator McBride what's what's great going on currently in your your home District well first off to to to the point that we were just saying in the Delaware General Assembly including just this year I'm proud to have secured millions of dollars in investment in infrastructure and organizations in the first Senate District um from my first year helping to secure $2.5 million uh to build a new learning lab with Fame which is a great organization working to increase um diversity in the pipeline for our stem careers including students of color and young girls who are in our schools um to investments in our infrastructure getting Bridges reopened that unfortunately were damaged back in that once in a century storm we saw in 2021 getting investments into this district has been a top priority and we're starting to see a lot of a lot of those Investments coming to fruition for delawarians in the first Senate District again I'm proud that this past legislative session I've passed legislation that'll expand access to healthc care uh that will bring more jobs to our state that will improve our schools and expand access to early childhood education those are policies that benefit First District residents and of course policies that benefit delawarians up and down this state well I I feel like I could talk to you all day I really do and that's a good thing with thank you so much for coming on today talking to us letting us know uh the inside of what's going on and and being uh very candid with us we definitely appreciate it and we hope to uh see you again on the show very soon and if there's ever anything that we can do here on the agenda to help you please let us know thank you I look forward to joining you again thanks so much Kerwin thank you Senator McBride thank you all for tuning in again on a special edition of the agenda we appreciate it and we will see you soon hopefully uh next week have a great one [Music] [Music]