Transcript: Mayor de Blasio Holds Q&A After Unveiling the Progressive Agenda to Combat Income Inequality

May 12, 2015

Mayor Bill de Blasio: Alright. We are ready for questions.

Question: A lot of your colleagues up here talked about the trade deal. The presumptive nominee of the Democratic Party, Hillary Clinton, has been mum on it. Should she come out publicly and oppose it?

Mayor: Look, I want to just say – this answers your question – here is a very clear agenda to address income inequality. One of the elements right here is that we should make sure there are not trade deals that hand power to corporations at the expense of American workers. It's as simple as that. I think all leaders need to address the issue in their own way, but it does have to be addressed.

Question: Should she specifically say it though now?

Mayor: I think I've been really clear about the fact that I believe the people running for president, governor, senator, should respond to this agenda – either agree with it or offer their own version of how address income inequality. Obviously one of the issues right now in this nation is how we do a trade deal properly that does not make the same mistake of the famous trade deals of the past. We can't have another NAFTA. And so I would say any candidate needs to address the issue in their own way.

Question: [inaudible]

Mayor: Jen, I think it's obvious that the issues we're talking about here have a huge impact on the people of New York City. And, when you think about what's happening in our city – 46 percent of the people of our city at or near the poverty level. Those are according to statistics developed in the Bloomberg administration. The ways we address that involve national policy. We can do a lot at the local level, and we're trying to do it with affordable housing, and increasing paid sick leave, and living wage, and a lot of other measures. But we need national policies to change. I'm also going to be here tomorrow working for the new infrastructure bill in Congress — the new transportation bill. New York City and cities all over the country need the federal government to address income equality. We can't make the progress we need without it.

Question: Does it bother you – the perception though, is that, in New York, that — even though you think you're doing this for New York, [inaudible] don't think that.

Mayor: Again, I think the fact is this is something that has to happen for our people. So, none of us should get lost in perceptions. We got to deal in facts. Everyone understands the federal government has a huge impact on the future of our roads, highways, mass transit, education, affordable housing – things that we are crying out for solutions for in New York City. It's obvious that a lot of what we need is right here.

Question: Mayor de Blasio — so, I noticed on your plan, you have refinance student loan debt to take advantage of lower interest rates. One of the things that progressives are really pushing nationally is debt-free —

Mayor: Yup.

Question: – student loans. So is there — is that something [inaudible]

Mayor: We've heard that from a lot of members of the coalition, particularly from the congressional progressive caucus, and that's something we're going to work on the next few days to add into this coalition effort.

Question: Mayor de Blasio, the terms of the incarceration rate is a concern. There – there's a report in the New York Daily News saying that the murder rate in New York has gone up 20 percent. There was just a robbery over in midtown Manhattan – just happened today – and shots were fired over a — a — a [inaudible] police officer. And right now we're in Police Week here in DC. The NYPD is concerned that the crime rate is going up in New York City. How do you answer to that?

Mayor: Well, the NYPD statistics – as Commissioner Bratton has made quite clear that the crime — overall crime rate, the major index crimes is going down in New York City, even compared to last year, which was a record year for crime reduction. There are some areas where we clearly have to do better, and we're implementing a host of new strategies, including freeing up an immense amount of police time to address serious crime because we're not doing the stop and frisk policy of the past. We're not arresting a huge number of young people for low-level marijuana arrests. So a lot is being done right now to put additional resources out so we can address the problems we do have. But the fact is – and please, check with the NYPD on this – overall, index crime in New York City has gone down this year, compared to the same time last year.

Question: Two questions if you don't mind. One – could you talk a little bit more about implementing the Buffet Rule and what, you know, specifically that involves. And also I noticed that a lot of – obviously a lot of New York Congress members are on this list, but a number aren't. Could you talk about the people who aren't on this list? Have you reached out to them? Do you eventually expect all New York members of Congress to sign onto this?

Mayor: Look, we started with an effort through the Congressional Progressive Caucus, and obviously reaching out to a number of the New York members, and some people just don't sign pledges. We do know there's a lot of folks in the Congress that make it a policy not to sign pledges. But the folks that I've reached out to – certainly the response was very, very positive. You saw a number of them here today. I think what you've seen, literally in a few weeks – the first meeting on this initiative was April 2nd at Gracie Mansion. We're here less than six weeks later. There's been a tremendous response, and I think it indicates that a lot of people who work in this building are looking to join a coalition to make a change at the fundamental level of our politics. Here's the problem – you heard it from a lot of them – they can't change the policies in the current political environment. We have to change the basic political debate. We've got to put income inequality at the front of the line of the issues we discuss. We think this agenda's going to help to do that.

Question: Mayor – Mayor, one of your planks here is raising the minimum wage to $15 dollars an hour. That's obviously something you're looking to do in New York, but you haven't been able to do yet. You haven't exactly gotten the reception I think that you wanted from Albany running out of time on the clock there. How do you intend to make this happen nationally if it's having such a sticking point, I suppose, in New York?

Mayor: Well, I point to the four states – four red states – that in 2014, in the general election, voted for minimum wage increases, and certainly the extraordinary efforts in the Fight for $15 coalition – demonstrations in 200 cities simultaneously two weeks ago. A lot is happening on the ground. I'm very hopeful that we're going to get change on this issue in Albany. I think the people in New York State are demanding higher minimum wages.

Question: Mayor, you know a lot of the gains over the past 50 years that labor talked about – so proud of – came at the cost of strikes, work stoppages, hitting the bricks. But I didn't hear any talk of that today. In other words, there was no talk of, okay, you're not going to give us this, we're going to shut it down. We're going to really assert our power and close it off, and really hit you in the pocketbook. There was no talk of that. I'm just wondering why.

Mayor: I appreciate your militancy, Henry.

[Laughter]

Henry, I think it's quite clear –

Question: It's the fact of the last 100 years.

Mayor: Right. I think what we're talking about here is a coalition that we think can change the national debate. And I think it's very important to look at how intense the grassroots organizing efforts have been around these issues. Again, the Fight for $15 is not your garden-variety organizing effort. It's been extraordinary, and it's been very, very vibrant, and it's made an impact because look what's happened – major corporations are proactively increasing their wages. That didn't happen by accident. And there's been pressure on state legislatures to act, and even here on the Congress. I think you're seeing something a little different than what you describes, but clearly an energy level that's rising, an organization level that's rising for progressive change.

Question: Obviously you're going to need more than Democrats to get your agenda passed. Dan Donovan's being sworn in today – have you talked to him about the agenda? Have you congratulated him?

Mayor: I spoke to Dan Donovan. I congratulated him yesterday. We had a very good talk, and we look forward to working together. I think he's someone, in my past experience, who I certainly can work with, and I think he's looking out for the interests of Staten Island, Brooklyn, and New York City. I talked to him about the fact that we are going to need the help of Congress members from both sides of the isle to achieve the changes we need for the city, and I think he understands that.

Question: [inaudible] Elizabeth Warren, and other Democrats who are opposing him on trade [inaudible]. Is he wrong? Are they wrong? Who's the [inaudible]

Mayor: Look, I think the bottom line on trade is I couldn't agree more with Elizabeth Warren and progressives who are saying that they're deeply concerned about this trade deal. We all live in the shadow of NAFTA. It's as simple as that. We all saw a deal previously that was supposed to strengthen the economic hand of American workers, and undermined American workers profoundly – particularly undermined our manufacturing sector. There's honest concern that this trade deal could do the same. Put aside the very real concerns about information and processing, and just go to the substance of the deal. There's tremendous concern, as this plank makes clear, that the real empowerment all be for corporations, not for American workers. So I agree entirely with Elizabeth Warren on that issue.

Question: The president is attacking Democrats for not supporting him. What do you make of that?

Mayor: I think we have a respectful disagreement on the issue, and I think that's not unheard of in the Democratic party. But I think right now what you see it more and more energy among progressives to not accept the status quo, and to fundamentally change the political debate, and the trade issue is a good example of that.

Question: Mr. Mayor, I'm just wondering why the criminal justice reforms that you've talked so much about for years in New York City aren't included as part of the Progressive Agenda?

Mayor: Well, we've not only talked about them. As you know, we've implemented the changes on stop and frisk, on marijuana arrests, obviously what we're doing to reduce the jail population on Rikers Island, bail reform, and a number of other measures. We are going to go back to the coalition literally starting tomorrow, and add a couple of the pieces – obviously with the agreement of coalition members – that people have said they thought would be very important to include. Clearly mass incarceration is having a huge negative impact on the economic potential of young men of color in particular. So, it is exceedingly pertinent to the question of income inequality and how we address it. I think the next few days, with the agreement, the coalition will be adding several more planks, including that one. Yes, sir?

Question: Mr. Mayor, I think something like three people today had their – got hit on the head with hammers at Union Square. So I'm wondering what you say to critics who say you should focus more at home and leave this to experts like Mr. Rangel, who do this every day?

Mayor: Again, I think mayors of New York City, for generations, have had to speak up for our city here in Washington and around the country. I remind people – the greatest of all my predecessors, Fiorello LaGuardia, was one of the cofounders of the U.S Conference of Mayors. It did not exist. It was – in the context of the depression that he realized that mayors had to have a stronger voice in Washington. He literally was one of the people who gave us the U.S Conference of Mayors. I don't know of a mayor of a New York City who has not spoken out nationally on issues core to cities all over the country. What I do know is a lot of the things my city needs happen right here. And right now, the political environment here will not allow us to get the support we need and the changes we need. We've got to change the debate, change the political environment. The way you do that is by building a coalition of leaders who can literally push the debate in the right direction. We have to – I said to someone earlier – we've got to walk and chew gum at the same time. I've got to achieve these kind of changes while making sure my city is safe, while making sure that we're improving our schools, and the host of things we do every day. Commissioner Bratton is doing a great job. As I said, the overall crime index shows crime going down, thank God. But we've got to achieve both. We cannot have New York City and cities around the country abandoned by the federal government. Yes sir? You are the one, yes.

Question: Okay, are you concerned at all about the experience with a – Great Britain just went through – with the Labour Party shifted to the left. They got totally wiped out –

Mayor: It is a very different dynamic. I obviously was entertained by Mr. Gingrich's analysis, and I would say it's a very, very different reality for a host of reasons. First of all, one of the major factors in that election was the growing desire in Scotland to be independent, and that fundamentally shifted the electoral context. Second of all, we've got an income inequality reality here that has grown now – literally since the day that Ronald Reagan took office – in a very, very sharp manner. I thought Joseph Stiglitz's analysis this morning – I commend it to everyone here because it points out this is not a new problem. This is 35 years of declining possibilities for American working people. This is now structural. And it has gone unaddressed here in this capital for years. So, I think our situation is different, and I think right now, people all over this country are shocked that there is not a set of solutions on the table in Washington to address income inequality. And these are the kind of ideas that are actually going to win the day in this country. Yes, sir?

Question: You have the two leaders of messaging and policy in the Senate and the House on the Democratic side – Chuck Schumer and Steve Israel. Have you talked to them about the messages that you just said have failed to address income inequality?

Mayor: They're both very valued colleagues and we certainly talked about a host of issues. But to me, we're seeing now – literally before our eyes – a change in our national politics. Again, this Fight for $15 movement is not like anything we've seen in years. This consistent pattern all over the country – the referendum on the minimum wage; the decisions by localities to increase minimum wage, to increase paid sick leave. Something is happening that is different from even just a few years ago. And I remind people, our politics are fundamentally different since the Great Recession. And so, this is a plan to address the America of today, and that's why such a cross-section of progressives are with it. Thank you, everyone.