moments. we all know the new administration will ask for yet another package. it's not like we won't have another opportunity to debate the merits of liability reform and its state and local government in the very near future. thank you. [background noises] senate minority leader chuck schumer also held a briefing with reporters at the capitol earlier today. he discusses party's legislative agenda, covid-19 relief legislation and the electoral college votes. this is about ten minutes.

>> [background noises] met good afternoon everyone and want to thank senators casey and her owner for joining me. now 2020 was a year full of bad news for the country. but it is coming to an end with some good news. very good news. over the past eight to nine months, science, biochemists and researchers rest to produce a vaccine for the covid-19 pandemic. and they succeeded in it made seeing extraordinary way. we don't have just one but several candidates for a vaccine. each of which have shown to be 90% effective in clinical trials. yesterday america crossed two milestones. the first gremlin.

300,000 americans lives lost due to covid. the second, a crowning scientific achievement to the 2t century. the first covid vaccines administered from one end of the country to another. it was an amazing sight to see the first american and nokia-against the disease. a nurse at north while hospital in queens, and my home state of new york. actually north will is on the queens nasa border. i don't know which part of it she was in. it was an amazing sight to see the first american and nokia elated against the disease. and over the next year we will see this replicated hundreds of millions of times as americans get vaccinated. public figures at all levels should be building confidence in a vaccine. and fight disinformation of those who undermine it. at the moment the vaccine is being distributed to medical

personnel, doctors, nurses, front line workers in the most vulnerable populations. and as i said yesterday, i will take the vaccine as soon is it appropriate and recommended. i will not skip the line. so, the covid-19 is light at the end of the tunnel. it's getting brighter every day but it has a long way to go. but we cannot think that the crisis is over. we need to pass covid relief to help our fellow americans get by until we eradicate this virus. we need to fully fund not only production of the vaccine but it's distribution as well. the states badly need that money. and we need to get it done for every american. >> i want to thank senator schumer and senator aroma for joining us. as much as this year has been a challenge on so many fronts regarding -- personnel regarding the worse public health crisis in a century, we

still have more challenges ahead. not only in the next you months of the number of cases and the death numbers rising, but also we face a challenge with regard to the distribution of the vaccine. we are very happy that we are at this point and we can talk about the vaccine being distributed as opposed to being developed and hope for. but i think we need to do at least two key things. first, having more funding for state and local governments to distribute the vaccine and conduct a mass fox nation campaigns. on a scale that is unprecedented. so they're going to need help doing that. we need to also instill confidence in the vaccine among the public. you have heard a lot about that. i know in my home state of pennsylvania, officials there have talked about the need for more funding for this effort. it is going to take billions of dollars in federal government needs to step up and pay the tab to get this

done. in terms of building confidence we all have a role to play talking to friends and family. but also those that might doubt whether or not they should take the vaccine. there are others, somehow will be better messengers than others. but we all have to do our part. we need to make sure we are sharing, especially elected officials sharing accurate information from trustworthy health experts to answer the questions people have. some have made the point that not only do we need to talk to people, to instill or increase confidence. but we also need to listen to those who have doubts are sayin saying. we can't simply lecture to them and hope they fall in line and get the vaccine. the group going to have across the country a lot of

validator's and trusted sources with the other sources to get the point across. in terms of what our work has to be, we have got to provide adequate resources of states have the necessary programmatic support that they need to get the right message out. but it is a time to be helpful, even as we are vigilant and the next coming weeks and months because the rising case numbers. senator. stomach thank you, leader schumer and senator casey thank you very much for yesterday was a red letter day. it brought tears to my eyes think see all this front care health and workers who have been seeing death and suffering for the last nine months or so. to get their vaccinations and how happy they were. the stories they told really gave me hope for the country. but as mentioned, it is not over yet.

as you know weirdly with emergency covid relief bill. in states like hawaii without the support for state and local government, moderna has. [inaudible] furloughs for basically every state employee. that is adding to the suffering that's arty going on. then who will need to provide federal support for district distribution for hawaii the first to get these doses is queens hospital where the largest healthcare providers in the states. it's going to cost the state of hawaii something like 25 to $75 million to distribute this vaccine. in hawaii, is already furloughing their people. so while there is hope on the horizon, we have a lot more to do to enable the fox nation to be distributed to all the

groups. which gets me to the second point. we need to encourage, this is where the media comes in. we need to encourage communities and individuals to get the vaccine when it is their turn. and we all know that minority communities are already suffering from the pandemic disproportionate. in hawaii it will be pacific islanders. these are communities that we have to make special efforts to reach out too. and basically to utilize their trusted community people to get the word out that they should get the vaccine. so there are some very specific things we have to do to make sure that not only the vaccine gets distributed, but to people who should get it get it. and then those who have the individual responsibility to wear a mask, wash her hands, do social distancing. because we are not going to

get to anything that can be described as crowded immunity until sometime next year. so thank you for your part in getting the word out. select questions for any of us? reporter: what is this a better country right now that we acknowledge the reality of the election results before the leaders of the republican party? samet better connell today said he acknowledged abiding will be president. i am told he also at his lunch with some others urged members to just go forward pray not to mess around with the electoral college or any shenanigans. i hope very strongly that that happens. it's over. electoral college has said joe biden will be the next president. every republican should acknowledge that and stop the games. and those in the leadership

should encourage their fellow republicans to do it. yes. reporter: is the $6 billion in the bipartisan proposal for a vaccine distribution enough? are you willing to set apart state and local? >> on the first one, without talking about will happen in that room, i think we need more for distribution. on state and local, everyone knows my position. it has broad bipartisan support. i'm not getting into negotiations in any way that will occur at 4:00 o'clock. yes. reporter: there some last week to study the sideline protections and setting aside local. last week you criticize that. isn't that where the talks are going? samet kissimmee i'm not going to get into negotiations here that will occur at 4:00 o'clock. >> senator sanders or is pushing for the individual

1200-dollar stimulus check for it is there any chance we could see that this month? is that something down the road? civic i'm not going to get into negotiations of the room. $1200 in additional money to go to people something that me and many in the caucus support. >> are you confident this will be enough vaccine doses for everyone next year? and should president biden is a defense production act to increase the number available? >> is just have high up in his his plan to produce and disturb the paxil be a lot better than trumps plan. thank you. : : :

thank you, everybody. >> senate is out for the night. earlier today, members confirmed the nomination of thomas to be a judge on the seventh circuit court of appeals. he replaces judge amy coney barrett now serves on the supreme court. no more debates are expected this week and also possible, were uncovered relief legislation and federal spending. current government on the expires friday. follow the senate live on c-span2 when members return wednesday. ♪ >> states with c-span for continuing coverage of the transition of power as president-elect joe biden moves closer to the presidency.

with the electoral college votes from states across the country, join us january 6, live 1:00 p.m. eastern with a joint session of congress to declare the winner for president and vice president. january 20 at noon, inauguration of the 46th president of the about the state. live coverage begins 7:00 a.m. eastern from the statehouse to congress to the white house. watch it live on c-span on the go c-span.org or listen using the free c-span radio at. ♪ ♪ >> c-span's "washington journal" everyday, calls live on the air for the news of the day and discussed policy issues. coming up wednesday morning, advancing health equity founder and ceo doctor blackstock uncovered vaccines how to build

public confidence on them particularly in communities of color. yale university american history professor, david and the history of presidential election and parallels between this past election and the election of 1860 led to the civil war. watch c-span's "washington journal", live 7:00 p.m. eastern wednesday morning. join the discussion with your phone calls, facebook comments, text messages and weeks. issues surrounding the 2020 election security and administration will be examined by the senate homeland security government affairs committee at the hearing wednesday morning. watch live beginning 10:00 p.m. eastern on c-span three, online at c-span.org or listen on the three c-span radio app. ♪

>> book tv on c-span2 has top nonfiction books and authors every weekend. coming up this weekend, mammy booked for saturday 1:00 p.m. eastern doctors and daniel and former new york times the american correspondent. later with journalist nicholas 755, discussion on the books, let me and he recorded 9:00 p.m. eastern on the book strongman, interviewed by columbia university professor, sherry berman. watch book tv on c-span2 this weekend. ♪ >> next, today's white house briefing kayleigh mcenany, she spoke about a range of issues