MSNBC "The Ed Show" - Transcript

Interview

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SEN. JEANNE SHAHEEN (D), NEW HAMPSHIRE: Well, you"re absolutely right to be passionate, Ed. The fact is it"s unconscionable that it"s taken us almost two months and four votes before we"re going to be able to get these unemployment benefits extended.

We"ve got 15 million people out of work in this country, five people for every job opening. And they"re people who want to work, who are looking for work. And this is not a handout. This is an effort to help those folks get through difficult times.

We"ve got people like my constituent Jo Ellen (ph) from Canterbury, New Hampshire. She"s a psychiatric nurse. She was laid off almost a year ago. She"s been looking for work every day, everything from nursing to retail. And she can"t find a job.

And we need to help people like Jo Ellen (ph) and make sure that they"ve got some support while they continue to look for work.

SCHULTZ: Now, once this is passed and it gets funded, will the Senate do something about the 99ers, all unemployed people? Or is that just not going to happen?

SHAHEEN: Well, I hope so. You know, I"ve got a bill for on-the-job training that will help pay people while they"re working, and getting paid by businesses so they can transition to a new job.

We need to get an energy bill passed, as you said, so that we"re going to be able to compete in this country for the jobs that are being created around the world.

SCHULTZ: I"m all about that. But the 99ers, there are going to be people left behind. And that really is what these four million people in this country want to know. Is the Senate going to come back after this and try to address this issue?

SHAHEEN: Well, I certainly hope so.
Again, this is one of the best things we can do to help stimulate the economy, because for every dollar we put in unemployment it, pays back about $1.60. And we know that people who are on unemployment are going to go out and they"re going to spend that money, they"re going to pay for groceries at their local grocery store, they"re going to buy gas in their car--

SCHULTZ: They are.

SHAHEEN: -- so they can keep looking for jobs. They"re going to pay their rent and their mortgage. So it"s a good way to stimulate the economy.

SCHULTZ: It"s a great start, because it"s going to help a lot of people, because a lot of people are losing their homes, their losing their health care, the lot, their car payments. And with that goes the credit right out the door.
I mean, we are really hurting this country for years to come if we don"t step up and help the 99ers. And I mean all unemployed people until this thing turns around, and then we have to make sure it turns around.
But one more point I want to make with you, Senator. The president was very aggressive today. Has he now pivoted to the midterm? Is this what we"re going to see more of out of the White House?

What can you tell us?

SHAHEEN: Well, I hope so. And again, he has every right to be aggressive.
The fact is our colleagues on the opposite side of the aisle, by and large--now, a couple of them are voting for the unemployment extension, and that"s important, and I admire them for that. But most of the people on the other side of the aisle are saying we"ve got to pay for this unemployment extension, but we don"t have to pay for tax cuts for the wealthiest, to extend those.

SCHULTZ: Well, that"s who they are. That"s who the Republicans are.
They haven"t changed at all. They haven"t come up with any solutions whatsoever to move the country forward. It"s like we"re going back to when McCain was running for president. Nothing"s changed. It"s the same old outfit.

Senator, great to have you with us tonight. I appreciate your time.

SHAHEEN: Nice to be here.

SCHULTZ: Thank you.

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