fight. we've always fought because we've always been the underdog. we've been counted out over and over again but we've never bowed and never, ever failed. may god bless you and your family with a healthy new year. and may god continue to bless the great state of new jersey and the united states of america. >> i want to turn now to congressman brandon boyle, democrat of pennsylvania, the second district of pennsylvania, one of the candidate joe biden's earliest supporters in campaign 2020. was this the inauguration and was this the message that you envisioned when you announced your endorsement of joe biden on that first day that he said he was running for the presidency? >> well, good to be back with you and great to be back on c-span. when joe first announced and i

endorsed him immediately that morning, it was almost two years ago. so we were well before covid and certainly the inaugural that i envision was something more typical in terms of crowds. and we've learned this whole new vocabulary in the last year that just didn't exist two years ago with social distancing and the need to mask up, et cetera. and then of course the other major change is just how much security was understandably required, the fact that the few of us who were able to attend the ceremony did so under very heavy national guard protection inside fences that had barbed wire on them. so that was certainly not -- that was unlike anything any of us would have envisioned two years ago. and yet despite how different it was from a typical inaugural, for me it still worked. i think the message was exactly

the message needed for this moment and also true to who joe biden is and his best instincts. so while completely different, i mean let's be honest, we live in a very different environment than any of us could have imagined two years ago. still yesterday for me was a very special day, a joyous day, a sense of relief, frankly. i notice how many people have been using exactly the same word that i felt in terms of just a lifting of a heavyweight off my shoulders. and i think a certain tightness of the chest that a lot of us have been feeling especially in the last two weeks and over last couple of months since former president trump was disputing the election results. and then of course we are obviously beginning literally today the one-year anniversary of the first identified covid case in the united states. so to finally have a day like yesterday that was joyous and uplifting is something that a

lot of us have been needing for a long time. >> from the front page of the newspaper today on the message of the day, unity is the path forward, is the quote from joe biden's inaugural address. as a member of congress, what's your role in that call for unity that joe biden made yesterday? >> that's an interesting way of putting it because certainly for me as an elected official it can't be, well, i'm suddenly going to abandon every political position i've held or what i truly believe is best for the country. and i can't imagine that is what president biden means by achieving unity. i think that what he means is something that i can do as an elected official is genuinely attempt to reach out to the other side, recognize that every difference of position is not necessarily difference of principle and do so in a way that recognizes the common humanity on the other side and

that most of us really just want what's best for our country. so when joe biden and now president biden speaks about unity, i know he's sincere. he's someone that has practiced what he preaches throughout his political career. in fact remember around this time last year some were criticizing him in the democratic primary for being too bipartisan or wanting to work too much with the other side. so it's obviously something that is sincere. and he stuck to his guns even through receiving some criticism on the primary debate stage of about a year ago. so i think that both he and that message are really well suited for this moment. >> does the impeachment of president trump undermine that call for unity? >> well, i -- first, i mean obviously we already have impeached in the house. so from my perspective as a house member we're done with it.

of course now it's up to the senate in terms of what they will do on the conviction front. you do see the entire democratic side both of the house and senate united on this. and you see a real division in the republican side. those who are hard core trump loyalists who will excuse any sort of behavior, and i think that's still the majority on the republican side. but a distinct and growing number of minority republican members who say the way trump has believed especially the last couple of weeks is too far, that he does deserve impeachment and conviction. and so i'm very interested to see what ultimately ends up happening in the senate trial. i will say i will be surprised if it were a long drawn out trial. i don't think that's in anyone's interests. i think most of the evidence is already publicly known. just play the tape. so i'm pretty optimistic that whatever the senate decides, it can actually be resolved in pretty short order and then we

can move on. >> in terms of what's next for congress and your role on capitol hill, we're looking at a biden plan already. the american rescue plan of $1.9 trillion covid response plan. i wonder your thoughts on the ability of the biden administration to move that through an even more closely divided house and a senate split 50-50. >> yeah, i serve on the house ways and means committee so that's where most of that bill will originate. obviously there's a lot in there that many of us have already been working on so i'm very excited to see president biden's plan. if you take his $1.9 trillion and combine it with the approximately $900 million we passed right before christmas it adds up to something similar to the heroes act the democrats

passed now about nine months ago. in terms of the practicalities of how we get that passed having a narrow majority is both a blessing and a curse. the curse is obvious the numbers are narrow. but the blessing is and i've experienced this once before. i served in a very narrow three vote majority. and it really encouraged unity because it was required to get anything done. so that's the blessing part of it. in some ways believe it or not as counter intuitive as it is, it's sometimes easier to keep your side united and push things through a narrower majority than one where you can a dozen, two dozen members essentially off the team. >> and what's next for big proposals from the biden administration? we've heard about a major infrastructure bill coming through, likely something that

would move through your committee and other committees as well. how big it would, what it would target? >> so first this is mostly at the executive level, so i won't talk about it too much and focus on the legislative side. but i think what's next for the biden administration is that ambitious plan of 100 million vaccinations in 100 days, that would totally change our society and the way that we're functioning today. it would be certainly a real blessing to get that through. but as i said a lot of that can be done at the executive level. in terms of legislatively. i have been talking on your program for six years now and some of my colleagues for longer than that about the need for a major, robust, multitrillion dollar infrastructure plan in the united states. i offered to work with the trump administration. the first tv interview that i did right after donald trump won more than four years ago was

extending an olive branch to work with the new administration on infrastructure. i still to this day don't know why they didn't pursue it because there was real bipartisan support. i am confident and optimistic that finally we will have infrastructure in america under president biden and we'll be able to meet our critical needs that were already there before covid and are now even more needed in light of the economic damage covid has fraught. >> i guess before you go, congressman, i appreciate your time. i know it's another busy day on capitol hill. but as a very early supporter of a joe biden presidential bid in 2020, maybe the people of the district of pennsylvania want to know do you have plans to stay in congress or if you're offered a job in the biden administration, and there's a lot of jobs to be had right now would you go? >> first i'm happy to be re-elected a couple months ago to my fourth term in congress.

i feel very fortunate. i was thinking about this yesterday as i was watching the inaugural and right there having to be literally right in front of where i was sitting just how fortunate i am to be a member of congress and represent where i was born and raised in congress. so i would not leave that lightly. but certainly if there was a position of mutual interest that is something i would have to give serious thought to. leave the job i have especially now where in the first time in my career i'll be able to work in a democratic house in a democratic senate under a democratic president.> it's very exciting to finally have the opportunity to pass some things i've been working on for a very long time. >> brandon boyle from the second district of pennsylvania, a democrat. c-span viewers familiar with him, always do appreciate the time you give with us here on the washington journal. >> thank you for what c-span does. >> joining us via zoom congressman buddy