and easy way to watch when you can't see it live. host: we welcome back to the program the reverend william barber ahead of the poor people's moral march on washington taking place on saturday. remind people what the poor people's campaign is and what you are marching for. guest: tens of thousands of people, over 500 buses coming to the mass poor people's low-wage workers assembly march on washington and to the polls. what the campaign is saying whether it is people from appalachia, alabama, massachusetts or mississippi, we

cannot have a country where we have 140 million people living in poverty. over 60.9 percent of black people, 30% of white people but 66 million white people, 52% of children, 44% of adults. when we are the wealthiest a sure -- nation in the country, if we just raised the minimum wage 32 million people would rise up out of poverty. 87 million people are uninsured or underinsured and this creates a level of death. 700 people die a day from poverty before the pandemic. the pandemic exposed the fishers. we -- fissures. we put workers on the front line but treated them like they were expendable. let's get account on policy, stop the lies about scarcity,

let's have the wealthy pay their fair share. billionaires made $2 trillion during the pandemic while 18 million people fell into poverty. let's do the things that not -- that make sense. not radical, universal health care, living wages for people working. let's do what is right by all people. host: let me give the phone numbers to the callers, republicans, (202) 748-8001, democrats, (202) 748-8000, independents, (202) 748-8002. the house is coming in in about 20 minutes but until then you're questions in this conversation. i want to focus on the end of the name to this march, "and to the polls." what about their voting habits and ability to get to the polls? guest: we did a study called

waking the sleeping giant and most americans don't know that in the last election, voters who make less than $50,000 a year voted higher than normal and they were critical in at least four to five key states. their votes alone. second people, poor and low wealth voters make up 32% of the electorate now and 45% in battle grounds now. number three, in 15 states, if poor wealth -- poor and low wealth people vote like they did or higher in the last election they could close the victory of any candidate and decide who sits in the senate, house, and presidency. we can no longer ignore 34 -- 32% of the electorate. saturday is not a day, it is a declaration. regardless of party, we have people from appalachia to

alabama, white folk in appalachia and black folk in alabama, our vote does not support this demand and we will mass mobilize through the summer because poor people can shift the electorate. host:p pooreoplescampaign.org is that website. i know leading up to this march, there has been some effort on your part to have a sit down with president biden. will that happen? guest: i believe it's going to happen and i think it is more the president's handler than the president. he said ending poverty was a good -- the level of poverty is so extreme.

whether they are from massachusetts or california or mississippi, i believe it will happen and in fact it must happen. if we don't change the way we do public policy mcconnell versus the president, how does this piece of public policy establish justice? how does it lift all the people? you have to put a face on it and we have to ask a question that joseph stiglitz raised, not how much does it cost to fix cubberley and low wealth but how much does it cost not to? it costs $3 trillion a year to let poverty stay where it is. we have lost that money because

two democrat senators and 49 republicans blocked raising the living wage to $15 an hour. many people may not know, the march on washington 1963 fought for two dollars an hour minimum wage which today would be $15. so at some point america has to say we cannot accept 140 million people living in poverty and low wealth and a quarter million people a year dying from poverty and the effects. host: florida, mitch, democrat, you are on with the reverend. caller: good morning and god bless your heart. i want to know if you have a phone number that i can reach out old school if i need to communicate sometimes by phone. i want to talk and i am proud of you and i pray to god to always bless you and keep you in good health.

i need that phone number, please. guest: first of all, thank you so much. i just want to say to callers like you, i know the website -- but if you dial information, they will give you the numbers. what i would like to say to this man i am hearing, there are thousands upon thousands, we have traveled all over this country, appalachia, upstate new york, the bronx, california, arizona, on saturday you will see black and why it and native american -- white and native american and gay and straight and saying we are the 140 million poor and low wealth people and we will not be silent with our voices and vote. we are calling for a third reconstructed -- reconstruction agenda that has been laid out and vetted by some of the best economists in the world. it says this will make america

better. we are not begging. we are saying to america, you can't sustain this democracy and its fundamental foundation when you have again, i keep saying the number, 140 million people living in poverty and low wealth. i want people to hear that number and say why? that's the point. you are going to see yourself, your uncles, your children and say, this has to turn from political fighting to a moral discussion in this country about what we are really going to be. host: where are you gathering? guest: third and pennsylvania. it is an assembly which is different than a march. come to third and pennsylvania, although by -- all the way back to 14th street. friday night we are going to the national mall at 5:00. we are having a communal feeding of anybody we hope can come.

the reason is to show how much hunger exists two blocks from the capital. then on friday evening at 7:00 we are having a service of morning bank -- mourning because a million people died from covid and we haven't stopped and just cried. poor people died at a rate of two to five times higher. essential workers were sent out on the front line but weren't given health care, a living wage, and it was almost like they were expendable. we are going to have a mopurning -- mourning for those dying from the pandemic, war, and saturday morning, everybody should come and hear the voices. can i say real quickly, all of the upstart union movers like the dollar general workers and giddy workers, they are going to

have their voices that every union will bring forth the speaker. this is a different rally. i'm not going to do a big keynote. we are putting the voices of the people. this is the people gathering. you will hear from real people and people you normally might not have seen together because folk are realizing whether it is in eastern kentucky or eastern south carolina, we better come together and address the issues of systemic racism, poverty, ecological devastation, the denial of health care, the war economy, and the false narrative of religious nationalism. host: rebecca, republican. caller: i would like to make a couple points. i would like to know when the investigation is going to include the democrats hand in this riot.

nancy pelosi is in charge of the capitol police. why was there only five guards posted? they knew at least two weeks later there would be problems yet they let it happen. they did nothing. host: since you are on with the reverend william barbeau, do you have a question for him? -- barber, do you have a question for him? caller: just pray for everybody. we need to get rid of these guns. this is a smokescreen to cover the issues that affect everyday people, food, gas. they need to take responsibility for their part in this. host: let you jump in. guest: thank you for your call. she raises a powerful question. when the riots first happened, people first said it was a bunch of poor folk and we found out it was more middle-class and up. poor folk have not rioted. poor folk are trying to make it.

one thing we are saying to this country is if you keep allowing 100 40 million people to live in poverty and they lose hope, that is the breeding ground for all kind of discontent, the breeding count for desperates and autocratic leaders. we don't need that. we need to live out our constitution which says we have to promote the general where -- general welfare of every person. that would mean everybody has universal health care, living wages. universal health care in 25 of the wealthiest countries, we are the only ones that doesn't offer it. host: for folks who have lost hope and they do call in and will say that, what do you say? guest: it is interesting what rebecca said when she said this inflation is a smokescreen. she is republican. i want to agree with her and

say, the lie of scarcity is a lie. that's what we are going to show. you cannot say in a country where you have some 20 to some billion gross domestic product that they cannot deal with these problems. we have a lot of scarcity and don't know what to do, but the problem is we always start at the wrong end of the debate. how much is it going to cost, how much will it raise taxes? we scare people rather than how much is it costing us for poverty, denial of health care, ecological devastation, and what would it benefit us if we changed those realities? hope is when you come together, recognize the power that you have where people represent 45% of the battleground states, we refuse to accept this but we will not accept violence. we will be nonviolent but we will register our voices and

vote and stay at this as long as it takes. it took 10 years to win the battles of the civil rights movement. this movement is committed to as long as it will take to change poverty and low wages. host: westchester, democrat. caller: one of my most favoriteest programs in the world, you are absolutely correct. i love watching you. i watched you on msnbc. the poor people's campaign is awesome. i could fill a whole two hours show asking you questions and you are absolutely awesome. i've got to tell you, i think our policies -- we are supposed to be trying to form a more perfect union in this country and we are just going backwards unfortunately. the republicans are really pulling us that way. the policies, big corporations,

they just take way too big of a chunk. you wonder why we have such a huge deficit besides our spending and why the middle class is being choked from taxes. the rich people pay very little because of loopholes and the poor people by definition can't pay it. that leaves the onus of most of the taxes or a darn good portion on the middle class. our policies are just crazy. they are not meant for poor people here. things should be skewed more towards poor people as opposed to corporations but it is the other way and always has been and probably will be. guest: i'm going to declare war always because people will stand up and fight back. i also want to say that poor and low wealth people, because

sometimes people want to isolate, republicans want to say that poor people are their own worst enemies, their personal morality. sometimes moderate democrats don't even want to talk about poverty. the reality is we have to. when you look at the policies, it wasn't one or two policies. it has been over the years. even the pope talks about neoliberalism and trickle-down economics are bad policies that take us backwards. what we need to do in this country is center the 140 million poor people and low wealth in our public policy and lift from the bottom up and declare everybody has a right to live and move policies to that direction. everybody benefits. some years ago, there was all this clambering, if you raise the living wage it is going to run prices up and then some economies won a nobel peace prize in their study said that is absolutely not true.

part of what we have to do in this society is get over the lies. our gathering on saturday, the low-wage and poor people's assembly is about truth telling. we will put out an agenda and say what we are going to do and put the real faces in front of the american people, challenge the lies of scarcity with truth and facts and footnotes. until we can have truthful debates and moral debates, what we end up having is likely had this year, two democrats and 49 republicans say no to 32 million people. they literally said no. even though 100 some cities since 1994 have raised their minimum wages to living wages, 49 republicans and two democrats said no to 32 million people. they said no to 43% of the black community alone that would have

come up out of poverty with one vote. they said no to millions of white people. this is the kind of conversation we need to have and what we say to congress people, when you have these debates, bring people to congress. bring religious leaders, bring impacted people, bring economists and put a face on these policies so we can have a real moral debate and not the normal stuff. host: in our last minute, when did we last have moral debates in washington? guest: we have never had them without a force. we had them during the first reconstruction between 1865 and 1898. we had them in the civil rights, the second reconstruction, forced by the people making it happen and now we have to have a third. it will only happen if the people make it happen. our movement is saying we are declaring we won't be silent, we won't be unseen anymore.

saturday is not an end, it is a beginning. it is not a commencement, it is a commencing. it is not a date, it is a declaration. we invite everyone. host: reverend william barber with the poor people's campaign co-chair, saturday beginning at 9:30. tell folks again where to meet? guest: find your way to pennsylvania and third the 14th. join us as we declare we won't be silent anymore and these realities do not have to exist. host: the poor people's campaign can be found online. what is it on twitter? guest: go to the .org. i am not as good as i should be with twitter but you will also mr. lieu: i yield myself such

time as i may consume. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized mr. lieu: i rise in support of the supreme court police parity act of 2022. while the supreme court police force is to provide protection to the justices this bill would extend their authority to provide protection to the family members of justices if there is reason to believe they are at risk. it is imperative they are free from fear of physical violence based on the constitution and law as applied to the facts of the cases before them. this is essential to the rule of