PA Gov. Shapiro: We’re Trying To Fight Off A Federal Government Making Our Lives Much More Difficult
Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro joins Monday’s broadcast of MS NOW’s “The Weeknight” to discuss the economic strain Americans are facing and to deliver a pre-buttal to President Donald Trump’s upcoming trip to the state.
MICHAEL STEELE, MSNBC HOST: Governor, I appreciate the pre-buttal to the president’s visit because, as you know, there has been a lot of noise coming out of this White House, signifying very much of nothing. You have — we were talking about earlier in the last hour about the attempt by this administration to go after someone like Letitia James over a box she checked on her mortgage, using that as a way to sort of frame up a fraudulent claim of abuse and so forth, using the mortgage — mortgage application for that purpose. But this is an administration, in my view at this point, that has created a space in which people can’t even afford to get the paperwork to fill out for a mortgage, because they can’t afford a mortgage. They can’t afford the rent for the apartment that they’re looking for. They’re — they’re having to downsize their lives and to make very tough choices at kitchen tables, very much like the ones you’re very familiar with across the State of Pennsylvania because of the — the trade policies, the economic policy, the fiscal policy of this administration. A lot of governors like yourself are having to take this on — this burden on. You’ve noted exactly what you’ve done and are doing in the State of Pennsylvania. Speak a little bit more about the significant role of governors at a time like this under leadership like yours that tries to buffet and withstand the downward pressures on the economies of states like Pennsylvania by an administration that fundamentally doesn’t know how the economy works. GOV. JOSH SHAPIRO (D-PA): Yeah. Look, I think fundamentally you have to understand, when — when we’re running our states, when any governor is running their state, you want the federal government to be a partner with you. You want them to be a value add, whether it’s an extra dollar for an initiative or cutting through the red tape to help you get stuff done. What we find with this White House is every day they’re making our lives more difficult, demanding people’s private personal information, trying to take billions of dollars away from taxpayers in our state. So every day I’m trying to advance the cause for my fellow Pennsylvanians, as — as other governors do in their states. And then, with the other hand, we’re trying to fight off the federal government who are making our lives much more difficult.
