. >> representative gregory meeks. he serves the state of new york, the fifth district and also the chair of the foreign affairs committee. we appreciate your time this morning, sir. >> good to be with you. >> reverend meeks, representative, before we start talking about matters of foreign policy, hr1 beak worked on this week, what do you say to those critics particularly on the republican side about how it shapes voting in their mind. >> what we're talking about is making sure everybody has access and make it easier for people to vote. we talk around the world about democracy. the essence of democracy is the individual's right and ability to vote. so what hr-1 does, it protects the right to vote by removing barriers to cast a ballot. i know, for example, post reconstruction time was put in place was barriers to prevent african-americans from voting by counting how many jellybeans were in a jar and things that eliminated folks from having true access to ballots. that's not who we should be in 2021. we should be making

representative gregory meeks.hen republican congressman joe -- mo brooks will be here to talk about the hearing with chris wray on covid relief negotiations. those conversations coming up on washington journal. ♪ >> book tv on c-span has top nonfiction books and authors every weekend. saturday, charles koch and charles koch foundation president brian hooks, co-authors of the book will even people offer their thoughts on how to tackle economic and social challenges. pulitzer prize winning author elizabeth kolbert talks about environmental issues, global warming and the human impact on nature. she's the author of several books including, under a white sky, the nature of the future. former new york federal reserve board chair sarah horwitz, author of the book mutualism offers her thoughts on how to build economic sustainability for workers in the futures. watch book tv on c-span2 this weekend. washington journal continues. host: our first guest of the morning is representative gregory meeks. he is the chair of the fo

gregory meeks joins us, a democrat from new york.could be a two hour conversation because of his perspective on foreign affairs and his perspective as a congressman from jfk airport, the fifth district in new york. congressman meeks, on infrastructure, new jersey is worse than new york. that's all we need to know. [laughter] new york is doing fine right now by any civil engineering study. you get off the plane in new york, at laguardia, at jfk, there's a lot of roads that are troubled come up bridges troubled -- are troubled, bridges troubled. how do we fix this with the new infrastructure bill? what is different this time right now. rep. meeks: i think this time we are going to get something done. i think if you talk to democrats and republicans, they understand that if you look at our crumbling infrastructure not only in new york come about across this nation, we've got to invest in it. just like those with their own homes, you've got to invest in your home to keep it up. otherwise, no matter how well it was built, if it was built

congressman gregory meeks chairs this committee. live coverage here on c-span3. >> taking a look at some of the spending that it's in this package. $123 billion dedicated directly to covid-19-related policy which includes 47 billion for disaster relief funds and funeral expenses, 50 billion for testing and contact tracing, using the defense production act to buy and distribute medical supplies. and vaccine distribution and confidence in supply chains 16 billion. taking a look at the state and local money, it would provide 195 billion to state governments. it would provide money for local governments, territories and tribes. that cost 155 billion. 10 billion for infrastructure and it would create paid covid relief for federal workers and other policies, that price tag $400 million. the paper version of the chart highlights some of the other spending there as well. $246 billion for extended unemployment programs, 143 billion for expanding tax credits and the stimulus check, the $1,400 direct payment. 410 billion. some of the breakdown

jonathan: coming up in the next hour, representative gregory meeks, the democrat from new york and chairuse foreign affairs committee. looking forward to that conversation. from new york this morning, good morning to you all. alongside tom keene and lisa abramowicz, i'm jonathan ferro. your equity markets down 15 points on the s&p 500, -0.4%. your headlines in the bond market, tens, 1.77% briefly. heard on bloomberg radio, seen on bloomberg tv, this is "bloomberg surveillance." ♪ ritika: with the first word news, i'm ritika gupta. president biden is planning to take on the nations challenges -- the nation's challenges on inequality. he will start to outline his plan tomorrow in a speech in pittsburgh. the president's remarks will lay out the infrastructure part of the $3 trillion spending package . social spending programs will be unveiled next month. the immediate crisis of the suez canal blockage has ended, but the battle over damages a just beginning -- over damages is just beginning. it was estimated to have cost more than $10 billion per day. it is likely to lead to a flood of claim

and the foreign affairs committee in the house where gregory meeks is speaking at the opening remarks where we expect the secretary of state to also be speaking just listening on the guided ministrations foreign policy priorities and i want to thank you secretary blanking for joining us this early in your tenure i think all of us on the day as and who are they are very truly appreciate this opportunity for dialogue your testimony today will no doubt expand on this administration's foreign policy strategic priorities as it views of the global landscape and how those views inform its diplomacy forward approach it's also a chance for you to hear our views and concerns as part of the role that this committee plays in supporting successful u.s. diplomacy around the world and i trust you appreciate that from a new american engagement in the world by rejoining the paris agreement the u.n. human rights council and the w.h.o. the guided ministration has made one thing clear america is once again back at the table. however we do not return to the world as we last left it but one where the unite

. >> representative gregory meeks.he state of new york, the fifth district and also the chair of the foreign affairs committee. we appreciate your time this morning, sir. >> good to be with you. >> reverend meeks, representative, before we start talking about matters o

up wednesday morning, new york democratic congressman and house foreign affairs committee chair gregory meeksiscusses u.s. foreign-policy challenges and alabama republican congressman mo brooks on covid-19 relief and divisions in the republican party. c-span's washington journal, live at 7:00 eastern wednesday morning. watch washington journal on saturday at 9:00 eastern as we mark the 75th anniversary of winston churchill's iron curtain speech, regarded as one of the cold war's most iconic speeches. we will take your calls and speak -- tweets looking back on the speech. >> coming up live wednesday, the house continues work on legislation making changes to campaign-finance, voting, and ethics laws. 19 amendments remain to be debated and that begins at 9:00 a.m. on c-span. on c-span2 at nine: 30, washington post live talks to johnson & johnson ceo alex gorski about their newly approved one dose covid-19 vaccine. at 10:00 a.m., a subcommittee looks at the budget for the u.s. capitol police. the senate returns at noon to take up the house passed 1.9 trillion dollar covid-19 relief bill and at 9:

foreign policy priorities, and congressman gregory meeks is the chair of this committee. our live coverage continues here now on cspan3. >>> the committee will reconvene. i want to thank the secretary for extending his amount of time with us in the vein to try to get every member to ask a question. i'm going to, without -- and ask unanimous consent so that we will do four more members. two on the democratic side and two on the republican side, at five minutes. in trying to get other questions in from that point on, we will try to get every member three minutes to ask questions so that we can try to get every member to ask a question at this session. and the secretary has agreed to stay so that every member has an opportunity to ask a question. without objection. i now recognize the chair of the subcommittee on asia, the pacific, central asia, and nonproliferation, representative army bera from california for five minutes. >> thank you, mr. chairman. i echo the congratulations of my colleague, and thank you for your service for our country, mr. secretary. and also apprecia