CNN "The Lead with Jake Tapper" - Transcript: Interview with Tate Reeves

Interview

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REEVES: Well, thanks for having me on, Jake. And, as always, happy Easter. Look, I don't think there's any doubt that there is vaccine hesitancy,

particularly in rural areas across America. We also had vaccine hesitancy early on within our African-American community in our state and across America.

But we're seeing a significantly higher uptake there. As each polling data comes in, we're seeing more and more Americans that are willing to take the vaccine.

[09:30:07]

We have approximately 535,000 Mississippians that are fully vaccinated today. We have another 300,000-plus that have received their first dose. And so I'm hopeful that, as we move forward, that more and more of my constituents will recognize the importance of it.

And it is important. It's something that I have done, my family has done. I was able to see my grandmother recently for the first time in a year on her 90th birthday. And so the vaccine is our path towards normalcy. And it's one that I hope more -- more folks across the country will recognize.

TAPPER: That's wonderful. And I'm so glad to hear about your grandmother.

Do you think that Trump coming forward and telling the rural Americans, the Trump supporters in Mississippi, "Hey, I got vaccinated in January" -- I don't know why he did it in secret, but he did -- "and it's safe and it's great, and you should do it, too," do you think that would help?

REEVES: Well, I certainly think that President Trump and other leaders across America, not only political leaders, but leaders across all methods, would be helpful.

But let's be honest. I think more than anything else -- and we have had a lot of conversations about this with my state health officer, and you will see us do something about it this week -- we need to educate folks. We need to make sure that we educate our people and let them know that this vaccine is safe, that it is -- and while it is under an emergency use authorization, it has gone through clinical trials with literally tens of thousands of individuals who have done that.

It has been peer-reviewed. And so I think the education piece is more important than the endorsement pieces, if you would. It's kind of like politics. Getting endorsements are important in politics, but, at the end of the day, you have got to educate the voters on why you should be elected. And so that's something that I think we have got to work on.

TAPPER: Your fellow Republican governor Ron DeSantis of Florida issued an executive order banning private businesses from requiring so-called vaccine passports that would prove an individual has received the COVID-19 vaccine.

Do you think private businesses should be banned from requiring vaccine passports? What's your take on this?

REEVES: Well, I don't support vaccine passports. I don't think it's necessary and I don't I don't think it's a good thing to do in America.

The -- I will tell you this. In Mississippi, we have pretty significant requirements in terms of vaccines for our kids going to public schools. We're one of the most highly vaccinated states amongst our kids in America.

But there are those individuals that want -- that don't want to do that. And let's be honest. And this is really where we focused our vaccine distribution. This virus treats those over the age of 50, and particularly those over the age of 65, very differently than it treats those under the age of 50; 98 percent of our deaths and Mississippi have been people over the age of 50.

Over 90 percent of our deaths have been people over the age of 65. That's why I'm so proud of the fact that we're really very fastly approaching 75 percent of our senior citizens have received the vaccine in our state. So, we're protecting those most vulnerable.

But we're -- at some point, we got to let Americans make their -- the decision that they think is best for them and their family.

TAPPER: Let's turn to President Biden's new infrastructure bill.

The American Society of Civil Engineers gives your state a D-minus for your roads and bridges. Almost one in 10 bridges in Mississippi are structurally deficient. The number of roads in poor condition is double the national average. A winter storm just knocked out water in your state capital for weeks.

This legislation would commit more than $100 billion to fix roads and bridges. Could Mississippi use the help?

REEVES: Well, there's no doubt that Mississippi could use our fair share of $100 billion.

The problem with this particular plan, though, is, although the Biden administration is calling it an infrastructure plan, it looks more like a $2 trillion tax hike plan to me. That's going to lead to significant challenges in our economy. It's going to lead to a slowing GDP. And it's going to lose to -- it's going to lead to Americans losing significant numbers of jobs.

Infrastructure, Jake, is an area where Republicans and Democrats ought to be able to come together and do something good for the country. But, as you mentioned, this plan spends $110 billion on roads and bridges, and spends more than that on the combination of Amtrak and public transit.

And what's even worse, it spends $100 billion on clean water, which Mississippi could certainly use, but it spends more than that on subsidizing electric vehicles, $155 billion to subsidize electric vehicles. That is a political statement. It's not an -- a statement on trying to improve our infrastructure in America.

And so it looks more like the Green New Deal than it looks like an infrastructure plan. But if the Biden administration will do what the president has said he wants to do, which is work with Republicans, I believe we can come up with a plan that we can afford, one that we can pay for, and one that truly invests in the infrastructure needs of this country.

[09:35:11]

And there's no doubt that Mississippi, like virtually every other state, could use federal support. Infrastructure is a core function of government. It is something that the federal government, the state government, and local government should spend more of our resources on.

But we don't have to hike taxes by $2 trillion to do it.

TAPPER: Well, how do you pay for it, then?

REEVES: Well, I think you pay for it in a number of different ways.

One way you pay for it is by seeing significant improved economic growth. We saw that throughout the Trump administration, because the policies were pro-business, they were pro growth, and revenues improved.

Now, unfortunately, during those four years, like the four years before that, they did not in Washington get control of spending. They feel as if the debt doesn't matter. You're looking at a debt burden today of nearly $30 trillion for Americans.

And what's ultimately going to happen -- and it's already happening -- as interest rates rise, the share of our annual budget that goes to pay for interest expense is going to rise from what is already an enormous level of 15 to 20 percent of all federal revenues goes to pay interest expense.

TAPPER: Right.

REEVES: That is not sustainable over the long term.

TAPPER: Yes, that doesn't -- that doesn't really answer the question as to where -- how do you pay for it, though. It actually provides examples of how it's even more complicated than that.

Governor Tate Reeves, thank you so much. Hope you have a blessed day.

REEVES: Thank you so much.

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