Gun violence. Mr. Good afternoon, everyone. I am fred ryan, publisher, and am happy to have you here with us this morning. Through these indepth oneonone conversations, we are learning more and more about the men and women seeking to become next president of the United States and what inspires them to serve the American People. Our guest this morning is new yorks america resting gillibrand. In. 2006, she captured the attention of the political establishment by winning the upset victory to represent the 20th congressional district. Our guest this morning is new york senator Kirsten Gillibrand. In 2006 she captured the attention of the political establishment winning an upset victory in the race to represent new yorks 20th congressional district. Just three years later she was appointed to the fill the senate seat of one of her mentors, former secretary of state hillary clinton. Now in her second full term, shes working on behalf of women. She has endorsed paid family leave, sponsored legislation on reducing Maternal Mortality and spoken out against Sexual Harassment and assault including in congress. Today well hear more about these efforts and senator gillibrands other priorities such as medicare for all, gun control and immigration policy and share with us thoughts about her Campaign Including her strategy for making it onto the democratic stage in houston next month. Please join me in welcoming senator Kirsten Gillibrand and the Washington Posts bob acosta. [applause] bob thank you so much for joining us here on Washington Post live. I am robert costa. We appreciate you taking the time. Thank you so much for being here. Busy of the campaign trail, you are in missouri yesterday, thank you for being here. Sen gillibrand my pleasure. Bob a few weeks before labor day and you were struggling in the polls both nationally and in early states. What is your path ahead . Sen gillibrand i am really proud of where our campaign is. We just had our first qualifying poll and i expect to get what i need to next few weeks. We are leading the debate on a lot of important issues. Yesterday, as you said, we were in missouri, because what we have seen in the past year and half from President Trump is an allout assault on womens reproductive freedom and we went to the front lines to talk about what this means for women. It is a Health Care Issue for where they dont have the ability to make their own decisions about whether to have children, how many children they are having, under what circumstances. It is an issue of economics, not having access to the health care they need. Meaning that disproportionate harm will fall to the women who dont have enough money to travel out of state. And issues of just basic human rights, that you are telling women that they cant have agency over their own bodies to make these very hard decisions. We have been leading the debate on womens reproductive freedom. I also went to the front lines of georgia. We have been leading a debate on family bill of rights. Why paid family leave matters. Why equal pay for equal work matters. And make sure no matter who you are, where you live or who you love, you can actually access family rights Like National paid leave and adopting children. So despite all that, i think it is really important that my voice is heard on the National Stage so we can talk about these issues. And it is why i hope your viewers go to kiersten gillibrand. Com and donate. Bob despite all the things you have laid out, you have struggled to get attention and traction. Why do you think that is . Sen gillibrand i feel this is an opportunity for democrats to really see what we stand for as a party. To lift up voices that are not being heard. One of the things i am most proud of is i am leading the debate on issues. I think my voice needs to be on the next debate stage. But i think these rules we have for the dnc our new, and most people are not aware of them. To get to the debate stage i need to have 130,000 individual supporters. I am just over 110,000. So i am hoping that everyone here sends one dollar, so i can make the debate stage. Second, you need to have a national poll. It is very early, so having isugh National Polls occurring to those who do have high name recognition. Those are not my rules. I have to follow them. I have to actually meet these goals and i believe in the grassroots. I believe that every person in this room, every person watching , let their voice actually matters. They may not realize it matters today, but it does. That is why i am here speaking to all of your listeners and viewers to say, your Voice Matters today. If you want issues of reproductive rights, lgbtq equality, money out of politics on that debate stage, i hope you will agree that my voice is needed. Bob will you make the debate stage in houston . Sen gillibrand i believe i will. And i am very excited to be there. Bob how close are you . Sen gillibrand very. [laughter] sen. Gillibrand but i need help. I have to ask your viewers to help, to go to my website. Bob they are aware of the website by now. [laughter] well, you keep asking me, so i have to tell you. Bob you are trying to get on the stage, if you dont make the stage Sen Gillibrand i am going to make the stage. Bob if a candidate does not make the houston debate stage, should they reconsider their campaign . Sen gillibrand it is up to them. It is up to every candidate to decide whether Campaign Looks like, why they are running, what they want to accomplish. I also have a different experience than most other candidates coming from a blue state. There is a false debate in the party right now. Are they have to be an uber progressive who can inspire the base or be a moderate who wins the red or purple areas. I believe you have to do both. Not only do i lead on womens rights and gay rights and will desk cleanair and clean water, and will pass the green new deal, i know how to do it. I know how to bring republicans and democracy on a bipartisan basis. I passed big legislation. Dont ask, dont tell repeal. The 9 11 health bill, i just made it permanent a couple of weeks ago, so our First Responders have health care for the rest of their lives. Other bills that President Trump signed into law, even though he does not know he signed into law. I get a lot done. Even more important is electability. I win in the red and purple places in new york on the highermargin than anyone before. Thaermargin is hillaryn, obama, any present was ever run for senate or governor. 72 is my threshold. So i can win in places like ohio, pennsylvania and michigan, and wisconsin. Bob where do you fit, senator . You say you dont need to be just a moderate or liberal. Sen gillibrand you need to be both. Bob where do you fit into that spectrum . Sen gillibrand i am at the forefront of a lot of our progressive issues. I actually know how to press the green new deal. I know a lot of the parts of it. I have already been working on it for decades. I know you have to put a price on carbon to use Market Forces to actually address Global Climate change. I know how to find republicans to do it on a bipartisan basis. I am effective in the senate. You need somebody who is both, at the forefront of big ideas womens rights, gay rights, cleanair, clean water, making sure we dont compromise our values and knowing how to find republicans that will work with you. When we repealed dont ask, dont tell, we did not water down the bill. We did it by finding brave enough republicans to help lead the way. We had the seven we needed. I had to work with democrats. There were democrats and said to me, why are you doing this now, it is not convenient . And i would look them in the eye and said, when our civil rights re civil rights convenient . You do it because it is the right thing to do. I know how to get things done and that is what everybody needs. I am a progressive but i know how to find Common Ground to do things on a bipartisan basis. Bob speaking on questions of duty and timing, should chairman nadler introduce articles of impeachment this fall . Sen. Gillibrand my view is yes, because i believe we have a responsibility in congress to provide oversight and accountability over the executive branch when are such serious allegations of wrongdoing. The Mueller Report is detailed. It has multiple serious factual analyses of obstruction of justice. Robert mueller said to us, if you could have exonerated the president , he would have. It also said to us quite clearly he did not believe he had that indict. Sis to i think there were delayed out in the report that it is your job, congress, to go through the allegations, go through the facts, lift it up to the American People so we know what took place. I think we need to be in the impeachment proceedings to guarantee getting the testimony cgahn as well as barr, which i believe is essential given the allegations in the report. President trump continues to obstruct that. I think it is necessary. I do understand the importance of what Speaker Pelosi has put forward, that we want the American People to know our agenda. She has done that. Her first 100 days were impressive focusing on ethics reform, voting rights, getting money out of politics economic , issues, job training issues, how to revitalize the rural economies. She is on it. But i think she has an obligation to do both of the same time. Mr. Costa you went after joe biden on his recent debate on as his oped from years ago. But on policy, what are your key differences between you and him . He is leading in the polls. Sen. Gillibrand i dont know. That was the question i asked. He wrote this oped a long time ago where he said some pretty stark thanksgiving for that time. He said that a parent working outside the home was resulting in the deterioration of the family. Quote. He said a parent working outside the home was avoiding , responsibility quote unquote. As a woman who has worked outside the home for her had twoe, a woman who sons and thought affordable, highquality day care was unaffordable at the time, i wanted to know specifically what did you mean when you wrote those things. Did you think me, a member of congress, was somehow undermining the family or deteriorating the family, or i was avoiding responsibility . So i respectfully asked, what did you mean when you wrote it, and to you still believe it today . But we did not have a conversation. Not only did my grandmother work outside the home a long time ago, because it was important to feed her family, but hurt my mother but my mother worked outside the home. I wanted to know why he believed they somehow deteriorated my family. They are my role models. It is why im running for president of the United States why i believe that instead of a misogynist in the white house, we need a working mom. It is why i have let on these led on these issues of making sure all people can have access to paid family leave. It is why i led on making affordable day care and universal prek a cornerstone of my president ial campaign. It is why i believe in equal pay and it will best equal work. The question is a legitimate question. What has changed is that he is running for president. And when you have written those something so far out of step with our party, i just need to know that you dont believe that anymore, and that is a legitimate question. Bob and legitimate question from your point of view. Onhave seen your criticism that oped. Anybroadly, do you have policy differences with the Vice President , on Foreign Policy and Economic Policy . Sen. Gillibrand on trade. Has been a. F. T. A. Disaster for this country in places like upstate new york, even long island, this is like michigan, ohio, pennsylvania and wisconsin. When you sign on to a bad trade deal that is a giveaway to corporate interests, it harms us. I think n. A. F. T. A. 2. 0 under President Trump has harmed us. I think trumps bad trade deal is a giveaway to companies in new mexico, locking in Higher Companies in mexico, locking in higher profits than they would ever be entitled to, it is a giveaway. That is what is wrong with some of our trade agreements. I did not support ttp. Specifically the transpacific partnership, because there were lockedin guarantees for Multinational Companies where they would have more power than a local government trying to protect our air and water. Just imagine that for a minute. Imagine a country is trying to say that this particular product from this manufacturer causes cancer, we dont want it in our water and we want litigation against a Multinational Company trying to pollute our community. , theythe tpp agreement didnt have a right to do that. It was outrageous. So i have a different view on trade from President Biden and others running because i cannot support a trade agreement that is a giveaway. Do believe in medicare for all . Sen. Gillibrand yes. Vice President Biden supports a public option under obamas health care law. If you are the democratic nominee, how do you fight that argument on the right . Sen. Gillibrand on medicare for all . It is easy. Back to the first thing i told you about me, i am different from most candidates running for president because i have an understanding and sensibility about how people who live in read rld, people who live in these red, r ural places see the world. I hate to admit this but i have uncles who voted for trump. [laughter] sen. Gillibrand so i know what is going on in their minds. When i ran for congress, in 2005, i actually ran on medicare for all. When i was traveling around my congressional district, this was preobamacare, people are being dropped from their coverage because of preexisting conditions. Kept Insurance Companies charging too much money, their copays were too high and a deductibles. It is a life or death issue. Every issue the American People kitchentable issues. That they struggle with every night that they cannot get sleep because they are worried about it. Their child is sick and they do not know how to get the treatment they need. I know what it feels like as a mom to have anxiety over a child. When ceo as a toddler had an allergic reaction. His face blowup. And literally ran to the shower, doused him with water, rushed to the emergency room. Throatfraid his would close the only thing is not afraid of was i had insurance card in my wallet, credit card in my wallet. Imagine every mother or father who is rushing to the emergency room who has no security and knowledge that they can buy whatever health care their child needs to save their life. That is the reality for people today. It was a reality for people in 2005. So i said to my district, how would you feel if you could buy the medicare at a price you could afford, 4 or 5 of income. The matter what, it is always there for you. They loved it. This is a 2 1 republican district. I promise you as president i can go anywhere in the country and say, why not have a notforprofit public option competing with your insurance that charges you too much money . Why do you think a forprofit Company Cares about whether you get access to the medicine you need or that second day in the hospital, or that treatment that costs too much money . They dont. Companies, they have an obligation to their shareholders, not to you. It is how the economy works. It is their obligation. So i could very sensibly say to them, lets at least have a notforprofit insurance option. I can take it to republican members of congress and say lets just try it and see how it works. It will work. Before you go about medicare for all, you will need to fix it. It will have to cover everything families need, dental, hearing, vision, all the things people have buy extra insurance to get to make it work. Second, make sure the reimbursement rate to the hospital or provider actually covers costs. Those are things you can build on. Give them five years. Right . Create a transition period, something i wrote in senator sanders bill. It is not necessary this is necessary. Buyin over the year and see how many do. I would not be surprised if it was 90 of americans pay more than 90 of americans would you like to have access to all the health you need a 4000 a year . You would want it. Mr. Costa you mentioned an uncle who supported President Trump sen. Gillibrand i have not spoken to him about it. I will tell you why, i am still angry. It i didnt find out about from him, by the way, i found out from my cousin. I said, that cant be true, they knew how much i loved hillary, that cant be true the used to be representative from that area in new york and now you are running for president of the United States. How do you convince those uncles, others like them who , to nowgun rights support gun control . Sen. Gillibrand so this is also easy for me. I think the amount of gun deaths we have seen in the last decade is so alarming to so many people. We dont want to live in a world where we our teaching our children shelter in place itself as opposed to math drills. I cant imagine a fear every parent is feeling right now because the last shooting was families going to walmart for backtoschool shopping. That is not an america we should want to live in, where there is so much anxiety. And easy access that these individual shooters have to weapons of war. In america today, we have americans fueled by hate, racism, division, hunting down other people with weapons of war. I think there is already Common