Fox News "Sunday Morning Features" - Transcript Interview with John Kennedy

Interview

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Joining me right now with his expectations for a bill is Louisiana Senator John Kennedy. He serves on the Banking, Budget and Appropriations Committee.

Sir, it's great to see you this morning. Thanks so much for joining me.

SEN. JOHN KENNEDY (R-LA): You bet.

BARTIROMO: What are your priorities for a next stimulus bill? Do you want to get something out before the recess starts again on August 8?

KENNEDY: Well, it depends on what's in the bill, Maria.

I don't know what's going to be in the bill. I don't know if there will be a bill. And, frankly, neither does anyone else. It takes 60 votes to pass a bill in the Senate.

The only thing I'm certain of right now is that the bill we pass, if we pass one, will not be Speaker Pelosi's bill. It is untethered to reality. And among most senators, including many Democrats, it's about as popular as a sinkhole.

Among the topics that we will talk about will be, number one, maybe the most important, getting our schools open, money, extra money for K-12. Most fair-minded people believe that keeping our schools closed will do far more damage to our kids than the coronavirus ever can.

Having said that, I know a lot of parents are scared. If you don't want to send your child back to school, you shouldn't, and you shouldn't be forced to. And if you're a teacher or an employee, and you don't want to go back, don't. That's between you and the school board.

But I think we will have enough kids, enough teachers, and enough employees, with the right resources, to get our schools open. We probably shouldn't have closed them down to begin with.

BARTIROMO: There is also some consensus on limiting ability for businesses, schools, and government in terms of their liability.

Is there consensus there? Will that be in the next bill?

KENNEDY: There's not a consensus on anything.

But the other issues we will talk about will be, as you pointed out, limiting liability for our schools and our universities and our hospitals. We will work on trying to give relief to people laid off who lose their health insurance. We will talk about additional PPP. We will talk about additional unemployment compensation.

Payroll tax cut will be on the table, as will direct stimulus payments to American people.

BARTIROMO: OK.

KENNEDY: But, again, there's not a -- there's not even close to a consensus yet.

BARTIROMO: You are also working on a bill.

I want to move on to China. You're working on a bill that will prohibit American companies from collaborating with the Chinese Communist Party.

A really stunning speech this week by Attorney General Bill Barr. Let's hear that. And then I want to get your take on where we are with China. Here is Bill Barr.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

WILLIAM BARR, U.S. ATTORNEY GENERAL: The ultimate ambition of China's rulers isn't to trade with the United States. It is to raid the United States.

If you are an American business leader, appeasing the PRC may bring short- term rewards, but, in the end, the PRC's goal is to replace you.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BARTIROMO: Pretty stunning comments there, Senator.

What can you tell us about this? The A.G. called out technology companies Cisco, Google, Microsoft, Yahoo, Apple, all by name. What is at stake if these companies continue working with China?

KENNEDY: General Barr, in my estimation, is absolutely correct.

The Chinese people are wonderful people, but their government, the Communist Party of China, is comprised of a bunch of outlaws. They're bullies. They understand only strength. If you're too nice to them, if you turn the other cheek, they just stab you in the neck.

The poster child for what the general was talking about is the leadership at the National Basketball Association. The NBA leadership is so greedy, so anxious to do business in China that they do whatever the Chinese Communist Party tells them to do.

If the party told the leadership of the NBA to join the Taliban, the NBA leadership would say, where's the line? I'm working on a bill that would prohibit American companies from giving in to this bullying by the Communist Party of China.

It would say, basically, if you give in to them, you violate American law. Now, it's a delicate bill to draft, and we're working on it.

BARTIROMO: Yes.

KENNEDY: But Barr is right.

BARTIROMO: We want to show you this video of the Uyghurs in China.

Now, this video was shot in 2018, so it's not new. But what it clearly shows are the Muslims and the Tibetans that are locked up in camps in China. They are blindfolded. They are being lined up.

And what can you tell us? What is the responsibility of the free world to take a stand against these people being locked up in China? The Chinese Communist Party has pushed back and said, it's none of your business what goes on in other countries, Senator.

KENNEDY: Well, in my estimation, what the Chinese Communist Party has done to the Tibetans and the Uyghurs is despicable.

All the Tibetans and the Uyghurs want to do is practice their religion. And the Communist Party in China says, your religion is the Communist Party of China. And we have to stand up to them, not just other governments, other Western democracies, but those who value free enterprise as well.

And for those of my colleagues on Capitol Hill who admire the authoritarian socialist approach of countries like China...

BARTIROMO: Yes.

KENNEDY: ... I will just tell you, look at the Uyghurs, look at the Tibetans.

Look what China is doing now, causing mischief with India, in the South China Sea, in Hong Kong. All they understand is -- I don't want to start a cold war with China, but weakness invites the wolves. And we have to be firm with them.

BARTIROMO: Yes.

And, on Thursday, the president signed the Hong Kong sanctions bill, unanimously passed by the bipartisan Senate. This is an important message.

I just will point out that China has already sanctioned Marco Rubio and Ted Cruz.

(LAUGHTER)

BARTIROMO: And they say that this is holding -- this is for them holding CCP officials accountable for what's going on in China, Senator, real quick.

KENNEDY: I think Ted and Marco probably will wear the sanctions as a badge of honor.

For 20 years, we have been told by the commentariat that we have to be patient with China, that free enterprise will change them.

BARTIROMO: Yes.

KENNEDY: They're trying to change free enterprise.

BARTIROMO: Senator, thank you so much.

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