CNN "CNN Newsroom" - Transcript: Interview with Governor Ned Lamont

Interview

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[10:46:45]

SCIUTTO: Welcome back. Well, like much of the country right now, Connecticut is dealing with spikes in new infections, positivity rates and hospitalizations. That is raising serious concerns from health experts about whether the governor should consider imposing another statewide shutdown. So I'm joined now by the governor of Connecticut, Ned Lamont.

Governor, thanks for joining us this morning.

GOV. NED LAMONT (D-CT): Good morning, Jim.

SCIUTTO: So first question there, are you considering a statewide shutdown right now?

LAMONT: No, I want to do things that make a difference. And by far, what makes the biggest difference is people wearing a mask, limiting their social gatherings, staying with closest friends and family. And we've got a positivity rate that's creeping up but it's at five percent, still one of the lowest in the country. This is no time to be talking about a shutdown.

SCIUTTO: OK. Vaccines, approvals likely to come within days perhaps.

You just had a meeting regarding your state's plan. What did you learn in that meeting and how quickly do you roll this out?

LAMONT: A week from Monday, we get our first dose of the vaccines from Pfizer. A week thereafter, from Moderna. We should have hundreds of thousands of doses by the end of this month, prioritizing health care workers and nursing homes. We ought to be able to have all of them vaccinated with their second dose by mid, late January.

SCIUTTO: Are you seeing a problem in your state with residents saying they're not going to take the vaccine, either they don't trust it or they believe disinformation coming from the president and others that the outbreak's just not that serious?

LAMONT: We've got a fair number of people saying, how come I'm not in that very first priority group, but there are some who are, let's say, hesitant on vaccines. We've got an advisory group made up of all the members of the different communities, so we go to the community and when it's safe and effective, say, now's the time for your community to take it if you want to be safe for yourself and your family.

SCIUTTO: There's been some criticism recently -- understandable -- that many national leaders -- the secretary of state, Mike Pompeo, hosting hundreds of holiday guests at the State Department -- but also Democratic lawmakers -- the governor of California told his constituents stay at home; he went to the French Laundry restaurant. You have Steve Adler, the mayor of Austin, urged residents to stay at home, he traveled to Mexico.

How important is it for leaders -- yourself included -- to set an example?

LAMONT: Look, I work really hard to lead by example, and -- but sometimes if I'm outdoor dining and somebody comes in, I don't have my mask on, bingo, you're on the front of all the blogs (ph). So you do have to be careful because people follow your lead.

SCIUTTO: Fair enough, but I mean you do have cases here of leaders -- Pompeo, even Gavin Newsom in California -- leaders of both parties who tell constituents to do one thing and then they do something differently themselves. How damaging is that?

[10:50:00]

LAMONT: Look, I think some of these folks do it in defiance. You know, a lot of those big parties at the White House were in defiance of wearing a mask. You know, some governors let their guard down and slip, and you've got to be very careful about not letting that happen.

SCIUTTO: Of course, the other element to this -- and I know you hear this from constituents -- is the deep economic costs of the ongoing pandemic.

We have, not far from where I'm sitting right now on the Hill, more talk of another stimulus package, but still differences. You have Democrats coming down to this bipartisan plan of $900 million or so -- $900 billion I should say -- but the Senate majority leader's still holding for something smaller.

What do you say to lawmakers here about the urgency of this help? How much is it needed now?

LAMONT: Mitch McConnell, make the deal. I think the House and Senate have come forward, President Trump as well as Joe Biden say it's time to make a deal. I think we need this money right now. The PPP loans for our small businesses, they're really on the edge of going under and if they go under, you've got a severe recession on your hands.

You know, I need money for testing, I need money to roll out these vaccines, our CARES Act money ends on December 31st. We've got a rainy day fund, but I don't know what my other states are doing on that.

SCIUTTO: Yes, as you know, one of the sticking points for Republican lawmakers has been funding to states, right? They don't want it, they claim that those are states who, you know, have their own financial problems. What's your response to that?

LAMONT: The worst pension crisis in the country is in Mitch McConnell's Kentucky. (INAUDIBLE) Florida has seen their revenues collapse because they rely upon tourism. So don't blame the victim, I think that's the wrong way to go. If you want this country to get out of what could be a knee-knocking recession, now is the time to step up and provide some support so our teachers and our first responders and our nurses and docs can stay at work and get us through this pandemic.

SCIUTTO: Well, Governor Ned Lamont, we wish you, we wish the people of Connecticut the best of luck as you face all this.

LAMONT: Thanks, Jim, good to talk to you again, be safe.

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