T greatest failure of anyid prtial administration in the history of our country. President donald trump has put the health of amhaica first. Does Tammy Duckworth say now . Firing line with Margaret Hoover is made posble in part by charles r. Schwand by corporate fundings provided by stephens inc. Senator Tammy Duckworth, welcome to firing line. Its good to be hank you. Does the Vice President ial debate restore your faith in americas disability to disagree civilly . It did. What a change from the pressure debate, huh . T was a marked change them thing that struck me is en though there was a discourse full of context, both of the candidates dodged somef the most seriousor questions b that. It would be refreshing, i think, for the americans ththave stranswers to some of questions,icult especially the one about what would happen if the peons running mate bemeincapacit incapacitated in the white house. Whats your fake on that . I think this is a limiting question to ask a Vice President ial kndidate. I thenator harris is more than qualified to step into the ro ofpresident , but i will tell you thatrom watching joe biden ride his bike around i think hes going to be around for ag time to come yet, but im fully confident in Kamala Harris abilities to step in and do the abilities as president if boe plans to. How just answering the question, though . Whats the strategy . I was not d part of thate prep team, so i dont know what the strategy there is, but i think senator Harris Mission was to focus the conversation on health care and the Global Pandemic were sin,o i think thats what she was doing. It you can seededn e fact that the pandemic did take center stage isnt the debate. Take a listen t what we p together. They knew and covered it up. The president said it was a hoax. They minimized the seriousness of it. The president said youre on one side of his ledger if you wear a mask. Youre on the other side i dont. Under President Trumps leadship operati warp speed we believe will have literally tens of milons ofoses before the end of this year. Ene reality is when you look at the b plan it reads an awful and i and the task force have been doing every step of the way. If this countrys Covid Response had not been led by President Trump and had been led by democrats instea senator, how many lives do you think would have been saved . Oh, i thi hundred of thousands of lives would have been saved. Its not even about a democratic alternative. If the covidesponse h actually even just followed any recommendations you would see a much better response and fewer death rates and sviead of the s than it had under President Trump. Remember that this is the administration that actually funded the Pandemic Response office that had been s up following the ebola crisis and the previous sars cris. Of course that was under John Boehners program. He said it didnt go anywhere, it was streamlined. They zeroed out theey budget. Sidelined that office so it could not do t job it was supposed todo. But even if they had followed Doctors Orders and what the cdc and world health was saying we would be in a better place. The World Health Organization offered help to the United States at the beginning and President Trump turned it downwi and drew the u. S. From participating with w. H. O. Effort in combatting this pandemic. This is a reel failure of thra trump adminion. Ive watched republican administrations respond to pandemics, a specificall president bush did. So i would think its not just about democrats or apublicans. Itut President Trumps failures. So the civility from the Vice President ial debate disappeared most immediately, because within hours psident trump called senator kama harris a disparagingame repeatedly and suggested that gold star families may have been the virus. Of his getting the covid he said that he will refuse to participate in the next d ate if its virtual. Do the American People need to hear another debate between President Trump and vic President Biden . Well, i would like to hear a debate instead of a president atch with trump shouting over President Biden as much as he did. But look, i think its shamefull again that blame others for catching this virus when he know hes been the one modelling very bad behavior, going to rallies hes not wearing masks. Hes told people not wear masks. And even now during a time period when we kno hes still contagious hes still not wearing mks andubjecting those around him to this pandemic. Earlier hearlamed mil men and women and Police Officers for exposing hope he keeps trying to put the blame on others but hes to one not wearing a mask and prevents other people from wear, masks. Then you have Speaker Nancy Pelosi who has started talking abt invoking the 25th amendmt. Do you think thats appropriate . I think that no, i think ngwe should be talbout the election. The American People in less than 30 day haves a chance to make ates are already casting their ballots. Lets let the American People exercise their constnal right and speak to who they want to be their next president. I want to show you an image of a u. S. Marine outside the white house signaling President Trumps return after his visit to walter reed medical center. U spent a week recuperating after iraq. Wh does that image say to you . It shows President Trump has no loyalty. He demands loyalty urd from his subordinates but he has no loyalty from them. For him to expose those around him to this virus shows a utter and complete lack of loyalty from the chief to those around him, especially the military men and women who serve under his command. Also just negligce. He exposed the porters, the aides in the white house,of thi ll the people who keep the white house running who by the way, have to catch Public Transportation to get to work, further spreadinge it in public realm. Hes so iseolved and worried about his image so much hes not worried abo other people otherwise he wount have people dead at this point. All but one joint member had to quarantine. It looks like a meeting in one of the pentagons secure meetins roomhe concern. Dimilitary leadership let their guard down here . I ont know if they did or not, but when youre in that meeting i have been in a meeting room with others senat and none of the republican senators wore masks. We were sll separated, six feet social distancing. I kept my mask on. Most of the democrats kept masks on. I can see i that situation where you think youre socially distanced, youead a take off the mask. We know that that is masks are effective, b ventilation and all of that is important as well. And if you want t y keeprself and those around you safe, you should be adhering to all the protocols as recommended by the cdc. I couldnt tell you what the military leaders were doing, but i can tell you right now, thef actionse Trump Administration pence can set an example. He can still s g ad example as opposed to where we are right now. Thenommander in chief has b in the hospital and now leaders of our military are quarantining. That does not body well for our as a veteran and someone from the military now in the senate, its been observed by some the military has done pretty well with covid, especially since the ourst incident and outbreak of covid19 in the pacific earlier when the pandemic just set in. Is that your observation that the military lot something right here that the rest of u could learn from . I do think, e military has done fairly well with their response to covid19. And i have been working closely with militaryde l to see how theyve handled it. Ill give you an example. Sending young recruits through basic training. They take them in, isolate them as a pause, including the s, instruct and then they move forward as a pod. So we can do this. But theilitary is a very Different Organization than civilian life. They can controlme the envir that military members live and work in, so its a little bit easier to do that. Certainly your commander gives a order to wear a mask, social il distance, theary men and women will do. Yeah, theres no free will. Well, you know, you follow lawful orders. If the orders are not lawful, when you dont have to follow em. But military men and women give up a lot of their n they look after one another. They understand loyalty goes both ways. They know if they are sick they will speak up and isolate emselves from others. Its not just about the one person. Its aut everybody aroun them, and unfortunately were not seeing that in the white house right now. Let me ask you about some of the covid relief, the economic relief. President trump this weekend did negotiations on a stimstimulus release bill until the election. And hours after that he cled or stand alone bills, Airline Relief and checks. Do youupport the stand alone bill bills, senator . Whats your take. Im somewhere in the middle. I think there shoula single bill that has everything in it. Thats the art of compromise. Everyo gets a litting something you want and there are things you dont want. I want protections for families and workers. I want another round of stimulus payments. For me, comprise meansg com together and putting something together. The president wants to cherry i pick, andont know that cherry picking is good for o country as a whole. I want moneyn there for revenue and are right now facing severe financial distress. Firefighters. Had to lay off i want money for them. I think we could put something together. Im not sing i would be opposed to doing something important that stand alone, but i think its bettor put it all together which brings me to how that affects people at home. You have twooung daughters. One of the was supposed to be starting kindgarten. Instead youre homeschooling her while being a nar. You said doing the bulk of teaching fs harder thaning a blackhawk helicopter. Do you think schools should havp ed for promptly this year . I dont want schools to open if they cant keep our teaers and students safe. What happened with abigail is typical of whats hpening in this country. After homeschooling her since march, i haveut her into a private montesorri program. She has blossomed. The difference of her being in school and Distance Learning has been really difficult. O 99the children in this country do not have parents who can affordhe to put children into a private school program, g. And that is wr we should be providing funding to our School Districts so they ca open schools in a safe way while keeping students safe, keepingeaers safe with widespread or low cosr free testing. And that should be in the next package and isnt as far as the Trump Administration is concerned. It seems like this is something at congress should have thought about in the summer. I it its in the package but Mitch Mcconnell refused let us vote on it in the second. If the virus is here three years fro now, would you still expect families would keep their kids away from school . The virus probably with us three years from now. I hope there will be a vaccine, another future pandemic, what we have learned is we need to be able to respond to pandemi and we need to have protocols in place. I wantls scho reopen, but the path to reopening schools and theat to reopening our economy is teing, is making sure theres low cos and free testing everywhere so that when you get sick you shoul know to stay home. You should have paid leave so you can afford to stay home for 14 days. That is how we reopen schools. That is how we reopen the economy. Theres no magical vir pill that you can take or a shot that you can take. This virus will be with us threr from now. Its how we manage it thats going to determine how wepen our economy. How are we going to have whats it going to take . . It takes government investmes. We gav the trillion dollars in tax cut to the richest 1 of th nation. Can afford to make sure theres widespread and low coast and f testing so the front line workers, the people keeping my daughters supplied with chicken mcnuggets are getting tested and they dont have to decide believe it or not they can afford the 200 for thest with respect to the h. E. R. O. E. S. Act, its no surprise Mitch Mcconnell wouldnt bring it. Its far more than why not compromise . Why not try to move it forward . Weave seen so many examples where theres just been no willingness to give an llinch. I would have to disagree with you from a democratic perspective, because i think we have been giving a inch. Hei would actually support compromise. I will tell you, though, that speaker posi and Steve Mnuchin have been negotiating for the past monthve and thectually been making progress. I was having have, very much optimistic that we were going to get to an agreement, and then the president said that he did not want to have a dbill. That kind of stopped their conversations. T i will tel you that secretary of the treasury has that you can negotiate with, and thats been everythingpoint in that has been doing on. Unfortunately, leader motonnell has come to a single meeting so, hes not everyone participate in the negotiationsi if the a need for compromise here, its going to be leader mcconnell has to show up to a meeting. You cant actuly nte with someone if they dont show up. Yet theyve still passed almo 4 trillion worth of fiscal stimulus. Amy Coney Barrett has been nominated and her confirmation hearings are on monday after several gop senators tested. Positi senator ron johnston says he testedositive and said hell show up showing a, quote, moon suit needed. Is it safe to hold a vote this month . It is not safe to hold a vote this month, and im disappoind ron johnson would expose his colleagues to this torus, for hixpose not just the colleagues but the Staff Members and workers at the capitol to the virus is just irresponsible. Congress rules require members of congress to be present to cast their vote on thefloor. You know that very well, im sure. Woou support a move to vote i would like a laook at it. Tooting by proxy, i can see in a gbal pandemic, voting by proxy might be a thing, but i would have to sewhat the rule around that would be. I love this part about your bio you became the first sitting senator to give birth if ce and your daughter was the first infant on the senate for when you secured the rules change. Youre public you conceived your children through ivf, and thats one of theou reasons cant support judge amy Coney Barrett, esident Trumps Supreme Court nominee. Tell me more. Well this really started around 2013, 2014 when i was undergoingivfor my older daughter. At the time there were amendments bei proposed by the te party that life begins with the fertilization of the egg. My doctor said wre going to harvest the eggs, fertilize them, and implant them in you. He said, oh, by the way, ifs concept of life begin at coeption i could be that just blew m mind quite literally, and unfortunately, you know the current nominee to the Supreme Court, she has signed on to ads from, you know, groups that have said that they oppose ivf treatment and they actually believe that doctors who perform ivf treatment, involving the destruction of a fertilized haegg, they should be criminalized. And i that would mean so many families like mine couldnt become family. People struggling with fertility treatments could not use the miracle and create loving families like min has become. You wrote a letter to your republan colleagues urging them to vote no and consider the message it sends tfa vote in r of a Supreme Court nominee who appears to believe that my daughters shouldnt eve have you gottennt. A ny responss exfrom any of colleaes . Ive got a lot of response from the democrats. Nothing but cckets from the republicans. Of course that has happened since weve all gonehome, so were not on the floor to talk to each other. Im happy to talk to my republican colleagues. Im happy to have those conversations. But at this point in time, m i thin republican colleagues are willing to set their personal feelings aside and just shove rough in this power gra to try to the Supreme Court. Lets take a loo something that judge barrett said at her nomination speech. I clerked for Justice Scalia more than 20 years ago, but the lessons i learned his philosophy is mine too. A judge must apply the law as written. Judges are not policy makers and must be resolute in setting aside policy views they might hold. Why not take judge barrett at her word that shell apply the w at written as opposed to impose her personal views on to the law. Well, because sheswr actually ten things both a a judge, both as a law professor to show she wont just do that. Shes saying that now because sheants to be on th Supreme Court, but she actually has written opinions where she saidc she does notnize judicial precedence and President Trump said hes only putting justices onhe support that would overturn roe v. Wade. We know from what she has written she will let her personal opinion come into play. Her views are well known. I think some of what her supporters would sayhes are plenty of examples where cases have come be