NH Now: Chris Pappas 7-2-20

Congressman Pappas to President Trump’s Anti-BLM Tweet: “By Ensuring That Folks Can Express Their Opinions and Can Gather in the Public Square and Protest Their Government, We Are a Better Country For It…I Hope That We Can Find Our Sense of Common Purpose Despite the Best Efforts of the President to Divide Us.”

In an interview with WKXL’s Chris Ryan, the Representative from New Hampshire’s First Congressional District, Chris Pappas evaluates the number of jobs created and the unemployment rate for the month of June by the Bureau of Labor Statistics, analyzes the reasons for recent increases of COVID-19 cases in mostly southern states, discusses economic stimulus legislation which is being considered by Congress, and responds to President Trump’s tweets criticizing the Black Lives Matter Movement.

The Bureau of Labor Statistics reported that a record number of jobs—4.8 million—were added to the economy in June and that the unemployment rate had fallen to 11.1%. Congressman Pappas is cautiously optimistic about improvements to the economy because there are increases in some parts of country in the numbers of COVID-19 cases being reported. He feels that the economy might have some starts and stops as people return to work after the shutdown.

Congressman Pappas believes that states, like Texas and Arizona, that didn’t take extraordinary measures to deal with the Coronavirus are having increased cases while states like New Hampshire who took serious measures are experiencing a downward trend. The Congressman calls for Granite Staters to maintain their resolve in case the virus has a second wave.

The House of Representatives and the Senate are working on extending legislation to help businesses recover from the economic shutdown and a bill which is designed to improve the country’s infrastructure. Congressman Pappas feels that the Moving Forward Act is a comprehensive, transformational bill which will rebuild the country’s infrastructure for the future. New Hampshire can expect a 30% increase in its allocation for highways and bridges. Funds have also been set aide for the Capitol Corridor Project to establish passenger rail service. Increased broadband service is also included in the package. Funding is provided for an extension of I 93 which would clear up a bottleneck in the Concord area. Several trillion dollars have been set aside for states to maintain and replace existing water systems. This infrastructure bill has passed the House of Representatives and is now being considered by the Senate.

The last part of the interview deals with recent comments by President Trump that were critical of Black Lives Matter protests. Congressman Pappas feels that protests are an important part of the American identity and that we should listen to those citizens who feel that they have been treated unjustly. The Congressman accuses the President of trying to divide us along racial, ethnic, and other lines, as opposed to bringing us together.