ticked down to 6.2%. it is happening on the very same day the senate is set to kick off debate on that $1.9 trillion covid relief bill. they're scheduled to gavel in any second now. amendments come next, starting at noon, a process republicans intend to make as long and difficult as possible. that effort actually began yesterday when republican senator ron johnson forced clerks to read the bill on the senate floor. the 628-page bill, a process that ultimately took almost 11 hours. wrapping up just after 2:00 a.m. this morning. it won't stop the bill from passing but it might end up delaying financial help, desperately needed financial help for millions of americans who continue to struggle. even with the good numbers out this morning we've still got about 10 million americans that are on unemployment and many more that aren't collecting benefits. just ahead the director of the white house economic council brian deese will be joining me to tell me what these numbers tell us about where the country is headed. i want to bring in a fantastic group to break this down. phil rucker, jason furman, jake sherman, and jim acina. he ran obama's 2012 campaign, worked in that white house and he's currently ceo of the mecina group. you first, mr. furman, we'll start with the huge job numbers, what do they tell you about where the country is headed and does it concern you it could give some lawmakers pause about moving forward on such a big stimulus bill? >> stephanie, it should not give lawmakers pause. in fact, it should encourage them about the importance of doing even more. we are 11.9 million jobs short of the trend we are on before the pandemic. at the pace that we created jobs in february we would have to wait 4 1/2 years for this economy to get back to where it's going. we're going to need something more like a million jobs a month. the second thing to know is that we passed a stimulus measure in december, $900 billion, part of what we saw in january and february is people did spend that money. that did support jobs in the leisure and hospitality section -- sector and part of why we're getting where we're getting, it's definitely the vaccines, but it's also the money. and we need more of both. >> jason -- >> that's why the legislation is so important. >> there's another issue i see with the jobs that are coming back, many of them are low paying, people aren't getting offered full-time work because the unemployment picture has been so bleak for so long workers have little to know bargaining power so you can get a job, but not one that can support you or your family. how do we solve for that? >> the way you solve for that is a lower unemployment rate. when the unemployment rate gets low wages go up. it would be great to raise the minimum wage, but the $1.9 trillion stimulus bill and relief bill that will result in higher wages all by itself. more needs to be done but that's a good start. >> jim, this bill was written in january, when the pandemic landscape was very different. we had a lot fewer vaccines, cases and deaths were much higher. if it were to be rewritten today do you think there'd be any significance changes? >> i don't think so because i think that what the lawmakers are looking at is exactly the numbers that jason's talking about. we've got to continue to do more things to stimulate this economy, and get us back on the road to recovery on the pandemic. so i think lawmakers are looking at this in realtime. they're looking at amendments right now. the truth is, we ought to do every single thing we can do. as you know in 2009 i helped negotiate a package where we bent over backwards to get three republican votes. and the package wasn't big enough. we didn't have the kind of strong economic growth coming out of it that we really needed. they're not going to make that same mistake this time. they're going to do everything they can do to make sure we come out of this with the kind of jobs numbers jason's talking about and that's good politics as well, stephanie. >> we need good jobs and people to be trained for them. jake, let's talk about what we're going to see in the senate today. in today's edition of "punch bowl news" you said the amendment is politically useless. i don't know what that means. explain. >> the vote-erama process gives the minority, the senate republicans, a chance to throw up a bunch of what they hope to be politically toxic votes. that's all this is, the bill is cooked. the process is cooked. it's going to pass the senate at some point, between now and let's call it tuesday. the voterama gives people a chance to change the bill and some things might be changed around the edges but it's mostly used as a political exercise and it's not a particularly efficient or good one. going back to your initial point, the politics for republicans they're going to use this opportunity to say that mitch mcconnell is saying it's not 2020 anymore, we don't need this kind of money, you guys disagree and most economists disagree but the maximum number of republicans that are going to vote for this bill is one, lisa murkowski, and she is not sounding particularly hopeful that she will vote for the bill and the senate republican leaders are pushing her very strongly to oppose this legislation. so what jim just said is absolutely right, that's how democrats view this. they're not going to waste any time trying to get republicans, they have 50 votes in the senate and a small majority in the house and they're going to try to push this through. >> yesterday, president biden continued to talk about working with the other side. watch this. >> i've been talking to a lot of my republican friends in the house and senate, continue to do that, and we have. we've met -- have a number of meetings with republicans on the coronavirus bill and the house, senate, combination of both. so we're keeping everybody informed. >> can you talk to us about those meeting, those conversations? because it certainly doesn't seem like it has translated into actual bipartisanship, phil. >> yeah, steph, so the meetings are certainly a change from the trump presidency when trump really mostly only talked to republican lawmakers. but you're right that it's not translated into votes for the biden agenda items. what it has done is earned president biden some plaudits among republicans on capitol hill who are pleased to be heard, pleased to be invited to the oval office or on the phone to share their thoughts on this legislation but they're not supporting it and that's because there is such a fierce determination, especially in the senate, among those republicans to be united against this new administration and against this agenda and if they can't come together on covid relief it really raises questions about whether they'll be able to work together on other issues down the pike. although certainly president biden is hoping infrastructure may be an area where he can get some bipartisan support. there was discussion tt at the white house yesterday. >> what about being united with their constituents? help us understand why so many republicans are ignoring the fact that this bill is very popular among americans of -- republicans, democrats, non-voters, people need help. >> yeah, you're exactly right, there's a morning consult pullout this morning, stephanie, showing 77% of americans support this bill, including 55% of republicans, as you know in our partisan world we're in right now, stephanie, you can't get 77% of americans to agree on anything, including free beer. but they're saying to their members of congress give us some relief here and the only people that don't seem to understand that are republican members of congress. because they're playing the game they played in 2009. they think they come back to power by being the opposition party, and trying to stop the democrats from getting what they want. that might be good politics in a bitterly divided senate in a very close house but it certainly isn't good in politics for the country and its recovery out of the pandemic. >> jake, let's talk about the way government works because democrats want to get together under one tent but we are seeing all of this outrage against people like joe manchin, kristyn synema, moderate democrats. that's the way it is. you may not like how they're voting or how they're feeling but what are they doing that's so unfair? >> you'd have to ask the people who are upset about it. it's puzzling to me. to be fair they are out of step ideologically with the majority of the senate and house democratic caucus. you use the government you're given. joe manchin's a democrat, he helps make this majority. kristyn synema is a democrat, she helps make the majority. without those two people there's not going to be a majority. they are allowed to have their opinions and they're allowed to represent their constituents the way they see it and it's unfortunate for democrats who see different. it's not offensive to the process. they're just saying i'm not for the legislation as you've written it here are the changes i need to vote for it and hopefully you can make those changes or else you don't have my vote. that's the way representative government works. i understand it might frustrate some people but the question is would you rather have a minority or a majority? they have a majority now, a very small one but they have it with joe manchin and kyrsten sinema. >> could there be confusion about where the democratic voters. it was a rebuke of former president trump, moderates won. >> you're right about that, steph. if you're kristyn synema and joe manchin, you're thinking not just where are the majority of democratic voters but where the majority of voters period. and west virginia voters are not in lockstep with those on the left in the democratic party. >> jason, given that a portion of americans have saved up a lot of money, there's pent up demand for consumer spending, there a risk that we lose the will for more support going down the line, a jobs program, a skills retraining program, which would change the outlook for our most vulnerable communities going forward? >> yeah. the way to think about it is if this plan passes we can get back to the economy we were at as if the pandemic never happened. and that could happen sometime even in the first half of 2022. that economy wasn't good enough though. there were too many people who weren't being paid enough. too many people even who weren't working and so we need to do a lot better. i think a lot of people who are more skeptical about this first bill, some of the moderates we're talking about are very enthusiastic about infrastructure, they understand the need, i think everyone understands the need to build a stronger economy, to make those investments. so i think, if anything, this will embolden people. this worked, we want more. we want to do even more. >> well, we will soon find out. it is certainly a day of progress. gentlemen, thank you all for joining me this morning. we're going to leave it there. and also developing this morning a politically appointed former state department aid who served in the trump administration has been arrested in connection with the january 6th capital insurrection. federico klein was arrested in the state of virginia, the fbi would not discuss details but documents allege a man later identified as klein was seen on video assaulting d.c. police officers and u.s. capitol police officers. this appears to be the first criminal case connected to a member of the trump administration stemming from the riot. coming up ahead this hour we have a lot more to cover. we are hearing from two of the women accusing new york governor andrew cuomo of sexual harassment. plus, more than a dozen states are rolling back or have no mask mandates at all. the republican governor explains why he thinks it's the wrong move. plus, can the white house celebrate the strong jobs number while criticizing states that are reopening fully? 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but what have you been doing for the last two hours? ...delegating? oh, good one. move your xfinity services without breaking a sweat. xfinity makes moving easy. go online to transfer your services in about a minute. get started today. governor andrew cuomo's accusers are speaking out publicly, charlotte bennett and lindsay boylan, both former employees, with new interviews he sexually harassed them on the job. as the "new york times" reports the top aides rewrote a state health department report to hide the number of nursing home residents who died of covid-19. anne thompson is covering all of this for us. anne, what is the latest? >> reporter: good morning, stephanie, the latest is that later this morning the democratic controlled state legislature will take up a bill that could repeal governor cuomo's emergency pandemic powers, this as two of the women who accuse him of harassment are telling what they say really happened. this morning new pressure from both scandals facing new york governor andrew cuomo as a new report in the "new york times" alleges his top aides altered a state health report in june 2020 to conceal the number of nursing home residents who died of covid-19. the cuomo administration's initial public count excluded residents who died in hospitals. at the time cuomo was making plans to write a book on his handling of the pandemic for which he had won widespread praise. a senior adviser now responding to nbc news that the hospital data was left out after the state health department could not confirm it had been adequately verified and said it did not change the report's conclusion. this as two of the three women who claim cuomo sexually harassed them are speaking out. >> without explicitly saying it he implied to me that i was old enough for him and he was lonely. >> reporter: 25-year-old charlotte bennett was an executive assistant to cuomo. she told cbs news she had a disturbing conversation with the governor in his off on june 5th. >> he asked me if age difference mattered. he also explained that he was fine with anyone over 22. i thought, he's trying to sleep with me. the governor's trying to sleep with me. and i'm deeply uncomfortable, and i have to get out of this room as soon as possible. >> reporter: when asked for comment cuomo's spokesperson referred us to wednesday's press conference. >> i never, ever meant to offend anyone or hurt anyone or cause anyone pin. >> reporter: and the governor's apology. >> i was apologizing to the young woman who worked here who said that i made her feel uncomfortable. >> reporter: an apology bennett does not accept. >> he has not apologized for sexually harassing me and he can't even use my name. >> reporter: another former aide lindsay boylan said the government made inappropriate marks during her tenure and give her an unwanted kiss. she says i'm really not focused on punishment. i'm focused on accountability. as for boylan's accusations cuomo has denied those in the past. now looking ahead the next step is for the attorney general to appoint that independent investigator to look into these claims, an investigation that many believe will take months, not days. stephanie? >> anne, thank you. coming up next, 17 states on their way or have already dropped their mask mandates, one state that has not, west virginia. i'll be asking governor jim justice to see if he's feeling pressured to change the rules where he is. you have 100 days to change your mind. that's the visionworks difference. visionworks. see the difference. (vo) ideas exist inside you, electrify you. they grow from our imagination, but they can't be held back. they want to be set free. to make the world more responsible, and even more incredible. ideas start the future, just like that. you may have many reasons for waiting to go to your doctor right now. but if you're experiencing leg pain, swelling, or redness, don't wait to see your doctor. these could be symptoms of deep vein thrombosis, a blood clot which could travel to your lungs and lead to a pulmonary embolism. which could cause chest pain or discomfort, or difficulty breathing—and be deadly. your symptoms could mean something serious, so this is no time to wait. talk to a doctor right away, by phone, online, or in-person. if you smell gas, you're too close. leave the structure, call 911, keep people away, and call pg&e right after so we can both respond out and keep the public safe. if you see wires down, treat them all as if they're hot and energized. stay away from any downed wire, call 911, and call pg&e right after so we can both respond out and keep the public safe. the debate over reopening this country is raging this morning as a growing number of states announce they are rolling back mask mandates, at least 17 states currently have no requirements to wear masks or have announced plans to end such requirements. at the very same time a handful of states and cities are also making moves to reopen businesses. yes, cases and hospitalizations are down, and the u.s. is now administering 2 million vaccines per day. but health officials still warn against easing restrictions too much right now amid concerns we could be on the cusp of a new surge in cases. live to mara barrett in tennessee where an event planning company is trying to bring their industry back by helping vaccines get rolled out. this is happening at a nascar race tack. let's remind our audience there are no events to plan right now, there are no benefits, there are no weddings and they are taking their expertise and bringing it to vaccines. >> reporter: that's right, steph, right here normally drag racing happens, instead you can see this massive line of cars behind me getting their second dose of vaccines. today is actually specifically for teachers. this site in particular can do 1,500 shots a day but they've ramped up their planning to accommodate 10,000 shots a day. lots of logistics and event planning going into these mass vaccination sites, speedways, arenas, stadiums across the country and health care workers were initially doing that. as you mentioned these live event workers have been out of work, it's a trillion dollar industry, haven't had jobs for well over a year and they wanted to lend a hand in making sure that everything here at these sites goes smoothly so they put their heads together, they put together this organization called covaid, like live aid or farm aid to basically issue guidance and resources at these major mass vaccination sites across the country. i want you to take a listen to the founder michael strickland why he wants to talk to the white house. >> we're used to working all over the united states all the time at the same time so we were built to deliver solutions simultaneously nationwide and we're able to work with all the folks in the federal government to help them do it because they simply didn't have enough staff, enough resources, and enough planning to provide disaster relief in every city in the united states. >> reporter: now here in tennessee specifically they've received 50,000 plus new doses of the j&j vaccines, expecting to get 40% more of the moderna and pfizer vaccines, as they become more available these large sites like this and across the country and the coordination of the large sites is key to make sure we get everyone vaccinated as quickly as possible and the live event workers say the faster they can help make that happen the faster entertainment venues get back open and the faster they can get back to work. >> joining us now republican governor from west virginia jim justice, his state remains among the nation's leaders in vaccinations, governor, thank you for joining us, a growing number of states are ending their mask mandates. are you facing pressure from businesses or constituents in west virginia to do the same there? >> really, stephanie, not much. you know, i mean we do hear it some, but -- and believe me be, i don't like the masks either. but, you know, i would really subscribe to just this. i would say one robin doesn't make spring. i mean, if you'll just step back and think about that, you know when robins start to come back and everything, if we instantaneously react sometimes it could be kind of foolish because all the sudden we may turn around and look at some really bad weather, winter weather that's still to come. so we're going to be a little more cautious and everything. and we're not going to just jump right into that pool right yet. you know, a lot of people want to do that to make a big splash and everything. maybe get themselves in the news and everything. but west virginia's done the prudent and right thing along the way and we're going to continue to do that. >> do you think it's premature to reopen at 100% capacity? i know we all want to get back out there but do you think it's safe just yet? >> well, in a lot of ways, you know, stephanie, you know, we have relaxed, you know, from a standpoint that we're 75% capacity in our restaurants and bars, and we've increased the size of our gatherings and everything. we're probably going to relax a little bit more, you know, and we're going to do that today a little bit later today but as far as just wholesale opening up, 100% and everything, you know, i don't know why just a little more caution isn't the very best medicine and, you know if we don't watch out i'm always afraid of whiplash that could come. >> how hard is it to understand what exactly this country needs right now in terms of support? we've got a very bifurcated economy, and i don't mean to sound so nerdy. but, you know, we've got millions of americans who could work from home, who did own their homes, who do own stocks, assets. and they've done very well. we're seeing their savings number up. while at the very same time millions and millions of americans are in economic despair at food lines for the first time, losing their housing. how do you figure out where we need to be? >> well, it's a tough task, and it's a big challenge. that's all there is to it and that's why i was really supportive of the trump administration but i'm really supportive of the biden administration because it's tough and, you know, and what they're dealing with, you know, i mean, is a challenge beyond belief. but when it boils right down to it you're hitting a bull's eye. we've been divided in too many ways. we've got too many people that are still hurting in lots of ways that we can't forget. we've got to get them back on their feet and going. and we've got a nation with a business -- i mean with an economy that could be thriving beyond belief. you know, i always look at the glass half full. i don't want to look at the glass half empty but i think there's opportunity right here at our fingertips with would the people of the state of west virginia benefit from a $15 minimum wage? >> well, stephanie, that's tough. we addressed this one other time and everything. from the standpoint of some states, you know, you have a cost of living that is enormously higher than here and i think that needs to be a state by state play and right now, you know, i am totally supportive of everybody making as much of a higher wage as we can. in fact, in west virginia we're trying really hard right now to totally eliminate our income tax and be the most northerly and the most easterly state without an income tax. so i think there's lots and lots of opportunities going on in west virginia. but right now i don't know that increasing the minimum wage, you know, automatically to almost a standardized thing country wide is the right thing for west virginia. >> can you give us an update on the vaccine rollout? you've just lowered the age from 65 to 50 where you are. you've been a leader in getting this done. >> well, you know, stephanie, we've been a leader all the way. you know, we've been a leader with the nursing homes, you know right off the get go, we've got them tested and we've got them, you know, we got them vaccinated and everything. same way with assisted living. we lead the nation over and over with the vaccine rollout we've had in the last little while but you just think about this, for weeks and weeks now, every vaccine that comes into west virginia, that week it goes into somebody's arm and i mean 100%. in fact, we're even getting more than 100% out of the vials but we've moved our teachers down to 40 years of age, we've moved our age down to 50. imagine this, stephanie, we have got well over half of the population in our state, 65 and older, that are vaccinated and a third of them that are fully vaccinated with the second dose. so, you know, and i'd say one other thing really quick, you know this thing, this thing, if you model this from a business standpoint, we had an incredible demand for needing the shots and the supply was a real problem. now we had to really watch because we were making up a program, a lot of states were, and while they were doing that, there were supplies sitting on the shelves and not getting in people's arms and people dying. we conquered that issue. today what you're going to see is you're going to see a significant increase in supply and if we don't aggressively get after being able to give the doses, just like you just showed at bristol and a lot of different places, lower the age, we're going to absolutely end up with shots on the shelf in a warehouse, and not in somebody's arm because we're not aggressively after getting them in people's arms. >> we don't want them in shelves. i've got a couple of arms here waiting. governor, thank you so much for joining, i appreciate it. >> stephanie, thank you for everything, appreciate you. >> coming up next even before the pandemic our nation's veterans struggled with mental health issues and things have only gotten worse, much worse since states started going into lockdown. what can we -- what do we need to do for our veterans now? 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nbc's cynthia mcfadden has the story. >> reporter: when sergio joined the army he was so young his parents had to sign the papers. he served as a combat medic but when he came home intense ptsd came home with him. >> i remember going into trader joe's one time, i was anxious, i was trying to remind myself, i'm not in iraq, i'm here in the u.s. >> reporter: before the pandemic sergio says he was doing better than in a long time. he had a steady job for the first time in years and while it never went away the painful voice inside his head had quieted and then came march of 2020. >> i was just like -- i'm supposed to isolate but i was fighting for so long not to isolate, to try to communicate with other people and stay in touch with other people. >> reporter: veterans suffer from ptsd at least twice the rate of non-vets, covid has struck many parly hard. we spoke to four vets with ptsz. >> when i started getting help the first thing the therapist told me you have to stop isolating. i got involved with my support system and people in my life and then this happened. >> reporter: did covid make what you had been going through worse? yes, everybody. >> you know, it's like walking out in iraq, wondering if this is the day that, you know, you're going to get shot. there are many days that i walked out of my house thinking is today the day that i'm going to get covid and, you know, not recover? >> reporter: a sure ray from the wounded warrior project showed that since social distancing more than half of the vets surveyed said that their mental health is worse. >> when you're sitting home for, you know, 12 hours a day, seven days a week, the demon has a way of rearing its ugly head. >> reporter: isolation really spurs that on. >> absolutely. >> reporter: when you're living in your hen head. >> when i got shot by a sniper i was paralyzed. i spent two years in a wheelchair. i had the covid back in july. it was worse than getting physically injured in the war. mentally, it put me in a very dark place that i almost pretty much ended my life if i didn't reach for help. >> reporter: each of you in different ways have talked about really dark times but is that just a polite way of saying you've thought about taking your own life? how many of you? all of you. they are acutely aware that nearly 20 veterans died by suicide every day before the pandemic. >> i've buried more friends by their own hand than i have from the war. >> reporter: all four have been receiving counseling during the pandemic. without it how confident are you that you'd be sitting here tonight? >> i wouldn't be. >> reporter: calls to the vet crisis line are up nearly 15%. but a glimmer of hope. so far blim nair data from the va have not shown a spike in veteran suicide. if there's someone out there right now, a veteran listening to all of you, what do you want them to know? >> i'd rather sit with you for ten hours on a phone than sit and give, you know, a speech at your wake, any day of the week. >> i'm begging you, like, please, go get some help. don't wait. there's a lot of good things you can still get out of life. >> joining us now to discuss this very important topic, paul ryekoff, an iraqi war vet. also the host of the independent americans podcast. paul, you work with veterans every single day. you warned us, one year ago, on this very show, how bad this was going to be for the veteran community. one year in, what do you have to say? >> it's back. i wish i was wrong, stephanie, but this was predictable, it was preventable, but we're in a tough spot right now. you know, war is hard. it has a huge human cost, financial cost, and i think the way i would frame this up is, you know, you're an investment expert. veterans are not a charity, they're an investment. if you invest in them. they can do well. they can be leaders, they can help us fight the pandemic, they can be officer eugene goodman who helped stop the insurrection. if you don't make that investment we're likely to see them unemployed, struggling to connect with their communities, they could face suicide and they'll be more susceptible to extremism. it's an investment we've got to make. trump and former secretary willkie blew it, i came on your show and said they need to make it a priority, and they didn't do it. basically trump lied and willkie lied and vets died. thousands have died, a quarter million have been sick and it didn't have to be this way. we've got a very big hole to dig out of but we're picking up steam and there is signs of hope. >> paul, let's talk about that susceptibility to extremism. yesterday va secretary mcdonough was asked about the number of veterans who were part of that january 6th attack and how big of a concern that is and should be. i want to share what he said. >> i also saw veterans on that day, including members of congress who were veterans doing remarkable things, including members of the dcpd and the capitol pd, veterans doing remarkable things. >> what do you think about that? >> i think it's right. you know, veterans can do remarkably good things and veterans can do remarkably bad things. many of them did step up with the capitol hill police, members of congress, as emergency responders. but one fifth of the attackers had served in the military. so it's a very significant problem, it's a dangerous problem and it's one that the military hasn't tackled aggressively enough. it's good to see secretary defense austin prioritizing, focusing on extremism. now the va is doing the same but there have been failures at the policy level, at the political level to address extremism for years. we knew this was a problem. veterans tried to warn america about that. and it's a problem we've got to clean up. veterans have got to clean up our own house. but it is a national security issue. but again, if we tackle it and do it the right way, these are the folks who can help administer the vaccine, thousands of veterans are right now volunteering to administer the vaccine and the va just got over $15 billion in the new supplemental. there can be the reenforcements if properly used and properly led. president biden is on the right track. he's got a big hole to dig out of but he is on the right track. >> paul, always good to see you, i like the sentiment, invest in veterans, find a way to do it. for you at home, if you or someone you know needs help call the crisis hotline 24 hours a day seven days a week, the number is on your screen, 1-800-273-8255. coming up, we are going to talk jobs again, 379,000 jobs were created in february. hugely positive news. however, a whole lot of those jobs aren't paying people enough to support themselves. and under that number there remains millions of americans who are still out of work, food insecure. we're going to find out how we're going to solve for that with the director of national economic council for this white house brian deese. he joins us live from the white house. ite house. and mine's unlisted. try boost® high protein with 20 grams of protein for muscle health. versus 16 grams in ensure high protein. boost® high protein also has key nutrients for immune support. boost® high protein. feel the cool rush of claritin cool mint chewables. powerful 24-hour, non-drowsy, allergy relief boost® high protein also has key nutrients plus an immediate cooling sensation for your throat. feel the clarity, and live claritin clear. voiceover: riders. wanderers on the road of life. the journey is why they ride. when the road is all you need, there is no destination. uh, i-i'm actually just going to get an iced coffee. well, she may have a destination this one time, but usually -- no, i-i usually have a destination. yeah, but most of the time, her destination is freedom. nope, just the coffee shop. announcer: no matter why you ride, progressive has you covered with protection starting at $79 a year. voiceover: 'cause she's a biker... please don't follow me in. you're clearly someone who takes care of yourself. so why wait to screen for colon cancer? 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>> well, it's good to see you and good to be on. i think what we see in this jobs report is that we have a long way to go in this recovery. most of the job gains last month were in the leisure and hospitality sector, good to see some of those come back, but if you look under the hood of this you also saw that in february we lost nearly 70,000 educator jobs at the state and local level. as you say, the challenge of long-term joblessness which is one of the hallmarks of this crisis is not getting better. what we really need to do here is we need to provide relief and support immediately in those areas of the economy that we know are struggling so that we can get the trajectory of this recovery up significantly. we have to move much faster so that we get to a recovery faster and we don't leave those who are the struggling the most in a situation where they're out in pain for months and months and months ahead. >> you just laid out how when you look under the hood people are still suffering in a very big way. does it worry you that a jobs number this strong and so many states reopening could give lawmakers pause about passing a bill this big? i'm talking about the covid relief bill. >> well, let's put this jobs number in perspective. one, we are 9.5 million jobs behind where we were a year ago. that's a bigger jobs hole than any point in the great recession. number two, the unemployment rate, the measured unemployment rate, is 6.2% but that doesn't capture the fact that we've seen historic reductions in the labor force. and for those out there who that sounds technical it means millions of people, many parents and mostly women have left the labor force because they've been forced to take care of their kids or take care of a loved one in the pandemic situation. so i think when we look at this report what it says is that it's always positive to see job growth, but we have a long way to go and, in fact, now is the moment to actually go and provide the support the economy needs so that we can actually move more quickly out this have crisis. >> but do we need structural changes? do we need to make changes to our education system, skills training system, child care system? just getting jobs back isn't good enough. >> absolutely. but, look, here is where the rescue plan is the right place to start. a lot of people talk about different provisions in the rescue plan, but let's look at some of them. $40 billion for our child care centers, both to make sure that they stay open during the pandemic but also to allow them to make investments to improve the quality of care and the number of slots available to kids. that is not just a kids education issue, it's a core economic issue because if we provide quality child care we get more parents back into the workforce, more women back into the workforce and we start to address that structural challenge that persists. >> a large part of this boost is coming from a number of states that are loosening their restrictions. your administration, our president, has had some harsh words for these states, so can you celebrate these numbers and also criticize the states who are the reason for this growth? >> well, it's really important that at this moment people stay vigilant across the country people stay vigilant, this he follow the science. this is the time where it's actually the most important for all of us. we know that we want to see loved ones, we want to get back to life as usual, but this is a moment where we have to stay vigilant. what i would say is when we look at what's happening in the states, you see some of that in the leisure and hospitality, but i'd also go back, what we're seeing and what people are experiencing is educators are losing their jobs. educators are losing their jobs in the middle of this pandemic. >> why? >> which takes us exactly in the wrong direction. the reason is states and localities don't have the resources to deal with the education issues that they have to deal with and fight covid at the same time, which is why there's been a lot of debate about providing relief to states and localities, but i think that the review plan's provisions to provide relief to states and localities is the way to actually avoid that terrible choice between keeping educators on the job and providing the support we need to get shots in people's arms. >> is the bill going to get those 70,000 educators back to work? >> this bill provides a historic amount of support to localities to support education. it provides the resources so that schools can reopen safely without having to lay off their teachers, without having to lay off their educators. beyond teachers as well. janitors, custodians, bus drivers. this bill is directly targeted to address that challenge. >> well, the senate is going to vote on amendments to the bill today. we know the president has already compromised on direct payments. clearly it is a top priority to get this thing through. is there anything else you're willing to compromise on? >> the senate is going to work through these amendment process and we're obviously going to stay closely focused on that. if you look at the bill as it is it reflects a number of improvements and modifications based on the feedback we have gotten already. we've made changes to reflect small businesses to try to address those smallest businesses in most need. we have made modifications to the checks and the phase out there. we've made modifications on the state and local funding to make sure that it actually supports the revenue losses and the educational needs that we're seeing and not letting states go and cut taxes in the future. so all of those changes i think will be reflected and now is the time for the senate to move to pass this bill, provide the support that we need so that we can actually get the kind of recovery that we need going. >> all right. brian, always good to see you. thank you for joining us this morning on a very good jobs day. >> thank you. that wraps up this very busy hour. i'm stephanie ruhle. hallie jackson picks up coverage next. m stephanie ruhle. hallie jackson picks up coverage next be ready for every moment, with glucerna. it's the number one doctor recommended brand that is scientifically designed to help manage your blood sugar. live every moment. glucerna. is scientifically designed to help manage your blood sugar. hooh. that spin class was brutal. well you can try using the buick's massaging seat. oohh yeah, that's nice. can i use apple carplay to put some music on? 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