essential workers. i hope people don't forget these are the folks who have been day -- demanding $15 minimum wage. i think it's important to highlight they are the ones now keeping us afloat. se --s was a very, very, very serious issue. listen to the local authorities, federal and state authorities, health experts, and just stay away from people right now. i see this as a war. the united states is at war with this virus. >> stay in touch, using the newly updated c-span congressional directory, having all the contact information you would need to connect directly with your u.s. senator or representative. order your copy online today at c-span's store.org -- cspan store.org. >> we are back with clarence anthony, ceo ended -- and executive director of city

adhere that she is here to talk citi who isector of here to talk with us. >> you know him a yours. i followed your career, so keep up the great work. >> thank you. first of all, for the national league of city is and what it does. >> the national league of cities is the oldest municipal association that represents cities in america. in 2024, we would be 100 years old. our mission is to be the voice of citys -- cities. we advocate on behalf of the issues impacting cities. technical assistant, best practices, next practices, and we get our municipal leaders prepared to provide solutions and deal with real issues every day they are facing in their

community. host: now, the national league of cities recently conducted a tody -- a survey of cities figure out what is going on during can -- during coronavirus. can you tell us what you found out? >> we really found out that it will be a devastating time for cities right now as well as after this pandemic has been into lysed in some way. what we found out is that 80% of the cities, especially those between 50,000 500,000, we are going to see a 17% reduction in their revenue, and about 98% of them said they would see a shortfall, because of the pandemic they are dealing with, because they had a budget, but it did not, in any way, anticipate of such a travertine

-- tragedy we are experiencing in america right now. also, 55% said they would have to furlough employees, and some of those employees are what we consider essential today, as we go through this covid-19. that could include some of our fire services, emt, as well as public service. also,eartening, is that 38% indicated they expect to either furlough or lay off employees. this is already happening. all over america. , cities likel you cincinnati ohio is already laying off employees. we have cities like new york who will have to cut essential aervices, and they are

major member of ours. over oneio, a city of million, has already indicated they will have to either borrow money or lay off employees. our survey startled us in a way. was goingis pandemic to have an impact or is having an impact on cities. until you have -- until you start looking at the numbers and digging in to what is happening in america right now, in terms of stay-at-home enclosing restaurants and other businesses , no one had plans for this. no one was prepared, but our municipal leaders are on the forefront every day trying to figure out how they will get through this pandemic so that the citizens are safe and feel

as if they have a future in this nation, specifically in this city that they live. host: i someone thing in your survey i wanted to point out. all the way at the bottom of your page, it says more than half of all cities, of all sizes, reported police will be affected. what type of effect will you see on law enforcement from the coronavirus pandemic? >> i think there is no question that that is an essential service, public service, very important to every city in america. when you start looking at making cuts, you start looking at everything. sometimes, we focus on public safety, which is essential, and i think, as we look at our budgets in our nations and cities, i think that will be one

of the last things they would look at. but, you know, public safety is highlighted. other programs, small business funded programs, housing initiatives, homelessness, all of those are also going to have to go into the process as they basict providing services, initially, and then toer programs will also have be looked at. as a former mayor, in florida, when we went through so many hurricanes, those were the kinds of decisions that i had to make. they were not easy. they will never be easy. know, cities and towns, and villages, are not like the federal government. we don't print money. we have to balance a budget every year, and in balancing that budget, we have to look at

all of the essential services and needs of the community, no matter the size. and, make those tough decisions. again, new york has decided they will have to close parks. they can't continue to do those types of services full-time, and as well as manage their buzz it -- budget. right now, they are looking at ways to save during this time, thatou can also expect professional development of programs around equity and excellence, all of those things, including for loading -- furloughing and laying off employees, and that is startling. that is why we are pushing so hard to get the federal that went to recognize are the implementers. funders, buthe when it comes down to what is

happening in america, it is happening in neighborhoods. it is happening in communities. it is happening in the streets of our nation. it is not just happening statewide. this is the essential point we hope your viewers in listeners will take away from this conversation we are having today , that this is about real lives, not just about numbers, policy, and politics. host: clearance, once again, for the viewers, explain how this pandemic is affecting -- is it because tax revenue is lower? is it because people are leaving ? how does this pandemic affect a city or town's budget? >> cities around america are structured differently in villages and towns. in certain states, sales tax is a basic revenue. for major cities

like washington, d.c. or orginia area, or maryland, you can look at ohio and california. isrism tax in nevada devastating that community. because they live, eat, and sleep on that. all of that has closed. there is nothing going on in las vegas right now. new york, the tourism. even small cities have certain ands that they live by develop their budget by. water and sewer, all of those revenues are baked into the budgeting process. then, you have to look at your expenses. we have to balance our budget. we cannot just go in and create

debt without having money to fund that. the shortfall for many city decisions,about hard and when you have to make those kinds of decisions as the mayor, i can tell you, as a former one, there are a lot of sleepless nights, tossing and turning, and then there is the fact that you really have to look your citizens in the face every day if you cut elderly care for senior centers, or if you cut the youth program, or if you cut the housing. that is what we are fighting for here in washington, every day. it to get our federal government , congress as well as the administration, to understand that cities are the place, if this is being implemented and carried out every day, and we

need a partner with the federal government. we are seeing this shortfall, and i already indicated 98% say all of those revenues i just mentioned are being cut. are lost, because of this pandemic. we will open up special lines this morning to let our viewers weigh in on the conversation. rule -- ruralhad residents. at this hour, i want to know what is going on with your city services. city residents, your number will (202) 748-8000. municipal employees, whether you will be elected, city council, whether you work for cities transportation -- or city transportation department, whether you work for your city police department.

you are the ones these budget cuts affect. employees, your telephone number will be 202, 7 48, 8001. if you have an opinion about all of this and don't fit into those categories, i still want to hear from you. your regular telephone number for everyone else will be 202-748-8002. keep in mind, you can always text us at 202-748-8003, and we are always reading on social , and, on twitter, @cspanwj on facebook, facebook.com/cspan. clarence, we have several people texting us, asking you, as a former mayor, to give us your opinion on the places that are trying to reopen. for example, here's one tweet that wants to know if it is safe to open large places for large gatherings, and another one that

asks about governor desantis, what do you think about his decision to allow florida beaches to reopen? once again, one more tweet here says smart cities will reopen and let their citizens get back to work and play. what do you think as head of the -- what do you as head of the national league of cities, should places start reopen? guest: i think that that is an important question, and everybody is wanting to get back. i think that every governor, every mayor has to assess what is best for their community. but, taking into consideration the health and safety and longevity of that community, what we do not want to do is rush, because we are all sequestered in our homes, in quarantine in our homes, staying

home. we need first of all, to listen to the scientists and health professionals. the cdc has provided guidance, and i recognize that the president has a three-step plan, but the first thing we need to do is be able to understand that, if we do not manage this in the appropriate way, what we will have is a resurgence, so, when we see the numbers start to balance off and not continue to have residents in hospitals and -- or the tests are not increasing, it may not be the time to move quickly. i think, specifically, what governor desantis -- he is assessing what is happening in florida, and he has made a decision that that region of florida, which is the

do ball, jacksonville area -- /jacksonville area, is an area that he feels that has slowed down or has not increased as much. what i have made that decision related to the beach is in florida question -- beaches in florida because of the desire of the people? i am not sure i would have done that yet, but the governor has more information than i do. as a mayor, we see this data every day, and we walk downtowns every day, or we drive around every day, and we have a lot more information than any other level of government, so i think that the mayors in america have to be smart. and somebody talked about smart cities. using data, using your health department information, and making a decision that is best

for your city long-term, because what we don't want to do is have -- and have to go backwards and start this process over again. i think if we can just hold on and look at the data and the science, and make that decision based on that information. host: congress passed the cares act, which set aside $150 billion for cities. here is a little information about it. the city and counties with 500,000 residents, spending must be related do to the public that's related to public health emergency. what does it take for cities to get that money, and have we seen that money start flowing into cities around the country? guest: that is a good question, and we thank the administration,

on moving congress, quickly to get the cares act passed and signed, because it is very important that we have those resources. we think that those cities of 500,000 that have gotten those dollars, that is 36 cities. it is important that they use them and get the programs and the testing, and systems in place. we also note that, as i indicated, there are 19,000 towns, cities, and villages in america, and we want to make cares act 3.5, that more cities are able to get those dollars. because what is happening, of that $150 billion, your viewers and listeners, please know that

that is shared with the state, tribal government and cities as well. those $29 billion of dollars go to cities that are 500,000 or more. we know that our leaders are going to be able to use those dollars, but our advocacy is that we want those dollars to go directly to cities. we are advocating in 3.5 that those dollars are allocated directly to all cities, towns, and villages in america, so our residents, all residents, the hundred million left behind, will have dollars in money to get working. is -- were seeing

basically got a 1-2 punch. revenues are being slashed at the same time that expenses are growing. we thank the administration and of 500s for the pass population cities that have gotten those dollars, but we really need to work hard to make ofe that the city chattanooga, tennessee, jackson, -- and another point of fact, there are some states that do not have a city that is over 500,000. so, we are not seeing any dollars go to those cities. getre advocating hard to all americans to be able to have money come to their cities, so they can start their recovery. host: let's let our viewers join in on this conversation.

we will take our first call from kevin, calling from denver, colorado. kevin is actually a municipal employee. kevin, are you in the government or do you work for the government? caller: i am actually the colorado municipality state league director and a member of the organization of the national league of cities. but, myself and 48 of my colleagues around the country are all working with nlc on behalf of our municipal members. host: go ahead. caller: i just want to reaffirm what clarence is saying, and let me just say that the work in the -- work of the national league of cities, clarence, and his staff in bringing municipal issues to washington, d.c. and keeping them in front of leadership is outstanding. here on the ground in colorado, our our 270 member municipalities around the state are all dealing with reductions in revenue from 25% to 40%,

some more. primarily sales tax, because that is the driver of revenue in colorado municipalities. of course, that is because businesses are closed or unlimited operations, but that has a triple -- trickle-down effect. much bigger than a trickle, because we city -- we see cities now announcing restrictions and operations, furloughs, budget cuts, some with layoffs, and -- small small towns lik towns. these will have real impacts on municipal services that people care about. it is imperative congress and the administration understand that. and, work to support meanness of operations through this downturn so that we can keep delivering services that people need, expect, and want.

host: go ahead and respond, clarence. guest: first of all, kevin, thank you for calling in. i appreciate your support. jesse, i did not see that one at all. host: [laughter] don't worry, i was going to accuse you of that in a couple seconds. guest: all i know, but kevin is right. cities right now are struggling, and in colorado, as kevin talked springs, a small ,ity of about 10,000 population they are furloughing 179 week.ees, one day per we don't see that translated in real life. let me make it in real life. an employee that is essential to the city making minimum wage or even making a living wage.

check, it10% of their will have a tremendous impact on the lives of their families, so that -- kevin has been advocating with get dollars to every city in tremendous impact on the lives of their families, so this is what we look at every day. kevin has been advocating with his senator to get dollars to every city in colorado, and mayor hancock, the mayor, is one of those leaders who was that she was working hard. what kevin said is the same thing that is happening in every state in america, and we need to be able to have a partner with our federal government to help us get back started, kick up our economy again. host: i want to read a tweet from you. you were a former mayor of a small town in florida, maybe around 5000 people, if i remember correctly.

this person on twitter says that cities say they are stretched in their budget, yet they have recklessly made their own bed with exorbitant employee pensions and created a retirement class way above most private sector employees. this person on twitter said cities have made their own bed by overspending. do you agree? guest: of course, i do not agree with that. i think that, if you look at city budgets, and i already said this before, city have to have a balanced budget, and they manage their budget based upon the revenues that they have, like any other business. every mayor in america is a ceo, just like a private sector ceo. i think that some of the statements about municipal service or municipal leadership

is not accurate, because i have worked in the private sector and i can tell you that it works the same way. it is about revenues and expenses. there are cities, through this time of prosperity that we have had the last eight or so years, that have saved reserves that they are going to use right now. detroit, the mayor talked about this in a report to his citizens and talked about the fact that they had $307 million in reserves, and that will be eaten up because of the pandemic. that is not misuse of funds or giving raises. and, let me also be very candid with the tweeter. municipal employees deserve the same life that the private sector does.

they go to work, and they work just as hard, at every level. they also deserve to be able to retire, and live the same level of lifestyle that they did when they worked. just like private sector. i think the misnomer here is that because you work for government, you don't put your heart in. you do not get up every day and make sure that the streets are clean, or the parks are safe, or the community -- when the firetruck comes, that those persons are qualified and ready to sacrifice their life. there are 98% of our employees that serve our communities that are working hard, just like in the private sector. so, i do think that there needs to be some sensitivity on both sides.

and, in my role as ceo of the national league of cities, i have really focused on making sure that there are conversations between the public and private sectors, because good public policy is not developed just by working in a city hall. it needs to engage the private sector as well. good communities are not just developed by the private sector. they need the public sector input. when a leader, a municipal mayor, council member, or leader of any type, corporation, recognizes that our communities will prosper more, economies will grow, and are cities, towns, and villages will be a place that every citizen will , it's not's my home just the place i drive to work." isy will say "everybody

working together to make the community better." i would say my comment here, to the person who gave the question, i think i would love for you to go and spend the day department in any city government. and, i think you will see you have hard-working folks, just like those in the private sector. host: let us see if we can get a couple of quick questions before we end this segment. let us go to janet from chicago, illinois. janet is also a municipal employee. janet, what part of the city do you work for, or are you in city government? caller: i am retired from chicago police. host: ok. go ahead, janet. caller: he has a point, but since the appropriations way before this pandemic were not divvied out in the manner it , and there was a whole

lot of stuff that we could have done when the money was there. each city could have held its own or have the possibility of holding its own. and the reality of things, it --sn't matter what the money is not being cut equally. we are talking about bipartisanship, where this is something about the people, every day, that i have to see and retire when i was working. our model was serving the people. it doesn't turn off when you are tired. i see people helping people out here. to see something so desolate, i see where each other are trying to help each other out. there seems to be more compassion, because we are all in this and we know this could strike anybody. it is not limited to pre-existing conditions, and i have 12, and i'm doing just fine. host:host: let me get one more color in, -- let's get one more

caller in and i will have you respond to both of them. let us go to mark from california. good morning. caller: hello, i appreciate you taking my call. i am a senior, coming from a different angle on this. i am behind what you are talking about, and i was worried about this as soon as we were told to stay home from work, because i realized the funding for municipalities was going to fail. many of us seniors have municipal bonds, in mass quantities, versus being involved in stocks for security. that was supposed to be the most secure investments. i am wondering, as far as bond failures or as far as bonds fit as far as defaults, in the line of things. where municipalities are looking at cutting costs, where do bonds fall in? and, i appreciate you and the governors, and nancy pelosi, i saw her in an interview. she was talking about the next tranche of money coming in for

the cities and municipalities, because of the reasons we are talking about. so, i wonder where all of this fits together for the seniors, and i hope you can fight heavily for this, because this is critical for the investments of our elderly. host: go ahead and respond. guest: yeah, i do think, in this time, the security of the minutes of a market is pretty strong. i think you will still see where the treasury is going to put together an initiative that would back those securities. many of those bond issues are backed by water and sewer revenue and other revenue, and a treasury has recognized that, and they put a fund together so that states and cities will be able to apply for those dollars. as it relates to senior services, i hope that local governments and county governments will be able to

continue those services, because we and you deserve that. because you have given them so much of your life. the other question related to decision-making and the covid-19. i would like to come back at some point and talk about this. pat, before me, talked about the rural communities, and we are very concerned because the access to health care in my city was mayor, it was about an hour west of west palm beach. it was a poor community. the average per capital income at that time was about $17,000, health,access to hospital, and quality service was difficult to get through. so, our infant mortality rate, also the access to real jobs was really tough. there is a population in the rural communities, but then

there is also where you have seen the data about people of color who are being impacted by this virus at a higher rate than any other group. so, we are pushing also for the data to be aggregated in a way that we can look at the race, ethnicity of those that have tested positive, but also those that have died. and, we know there are 17 states that are reporting it in that way, but, nationwide, there are a lot of other states that are not addressing this by race, and we think that it is important now, but more important as we make decisions about where those dollars are going. and, covid-19 may be the virus, but the system failure is the crisis for those people who are not getting the services now,

not having testing centers in their communities, not being able to access it because of lack of transportation. it goes on and on. i know there is a lot more we can talk about that, and i just want to thank you so much, and thank you, on behalf of members of the omega sci-fi -- omega psi fi inc. and, keep pushing for our cities because we need this audience as often as we can. i appreciate this. host: we want to thank clarence anthony, ceo and director of the national league of cities, for being here with us this morning. we will have to have you back on. guest: thank you very much. thank you very much, jesse. >> c-span has around-the-clock coverage of the federal response to the coronavirus pandemic, all available at c-span.org/coronavirus. watch white house briefings,

updates from governors and state fromials, track the spread the u.s. and -- in the u.s. and around the world. watch any time, unfiltered, at coronavirus. ,> we are back with kevin koser vice president at the r street institute. good morning. >> good morning. host: first, tell us what you are and what you do. guest: we are a think tank in washington dc, and we study a wide range of issues that try to bring practical solutions to the issue -- to the table. we cover telecom, tobacco farm reduction, security, and the postal sce