Rep. Eric Swalwell: Security presence at the Capitol is 'unlike anything that I have seen before'

Rep. Eric Swalwell (D-CA), joins Yahoo Finance's Kristin Myers to discuss what he's seeing at on Capitol Hill ahead of inauguration day, and what he's expecting from Biden's first 100 days in office.

Video Transcript

KRISTIN MYERS: And welcome back to Yahoo Finance Live. We've got 24 hours to the inauguration of President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris. So let's talk more about this. We've got California Democratic Congressman Eric Swalwell here with us now to chat more about what we can expect going forward after they both take their oaths of office.

So, congressman, I first am hoping you can give us a little bit of a temperature check of Washington, DC, right now, as we keep seeing videos and photographs of thousands and thousands of troops in DC, as security measures, of course, are incredibly tight and heightened after those riots in the Capitol.

ERIC SWALWELL: I was just at the Capitol, and it's a scene unlike anything that I have seen before. To even attend tomorrow, I have to have a negative COVID test, so I went to the Capitol to get tested. And you see hundreds of national guardsmen, men and women, on cots, resting after their shifts. Throughout the Capitol, there are multiple barricades and a very wide perimeter around the Capitol.

It's a little unsettling, to be honest. I remember, as a kid, my father always pointing out to me at presidential inaugurations that you'll note that you do not see any tanks in the streets and you won't hear any shots fired. And that's what makes us so special. And sadly, for the first time in our country's history, we will not have seen a peaceful transition of power.

KRISTIN MYERS: So, to that point, I'm wondering if you have any personal security concerns. As you mentioned, there are thousands of troops in the capital right now, more than stationed in Iraq and Afghanistan. And we have reports that two members of the National Guard were actually pulled from providing security for connection to some of these fringe groups. So how much worry do you have for your safety, especially after the riots? And do you think that there's potentially a potential for some kind of internal threat?

ERIC SWALWELL: Well, we know there are plots to attack the Capitol inspired by the president's rhetoric. And yes, I was happy to see that individuals of the guard who had affiliations to right-wing groups have been removed. But I don't want to tarnish thousands of hardworking honorable members of the National Guard with the actions of a very small number. I'm so grateful that they're there. I wish they didn't have to be there, and the same for the Capitol Police.

Sure, a few will be investigated for their role in the attack two weeks ago, but overwhelming majority of them, 99% of them, bravely stood and defended the Capitol. And I really would hate if people walked away thinking that the men and women in military or law enforcement, in any way, by and large, condone this.

KRISTIN MYERS: Do you worry at all, given after those riots we now have an impeachment trial looming, do you worry that your Senate colleagues won't be able to juggle passing economic stimulus, confirming all of President-elect Biden's appointments, and of course, then, deal with that Senate trial for the impeachment?

ERIC SWALWELL: You're right. We're going to be busy, but I hope I serve with people who can multitask. I think that's why they were elected in their states to go to the Senate or to go to the Congress, is that you can do more than one thing at a time. So, first and foremost, we have to pass coronavirus relief and get everyone vaccinated so our kids can go back to school and our churches can open and our markets and our small businesses can get back to work.

But also, yes, the president needs-- the new president will need a cabinet that can address these national security threats and provide relief. And of course, over in the Senate, for some period of time, we need to make sure that we hold the person who incited the attack on the Capitol accountable.

KRISTIN MYERS: Now, Senator Mitch McConnell, in many ways, hobbled the Obama administration by being an obstructionist. Is there a fear, or what do you think the likelihood is that we could be repeating history again under a Biden-Harris administration?

ERIC SWALWELL: Well, I like how they're starting the new administration tomorrow, the Vice President Biden going to church with Mitch McConnell, a power sharing agreement being worked out today between Leader Schumer and Mitch McConnell. So I'm not going to write Mitch McConnell off.

I think we have to be ready, though, if he were to act the same way he did back in 2009 to still pass our agenda, whether it's voting rights, healthcare, corona package relief. But I do-- I'm going to follow the lead of President-elect Biden and try and seek a America united.

KRISTIN MYERS: I'm going to try to ask you to do the impossible, which is answer this next question in just about a minute or less. You mentioned some of the priorities, but President Biden will be taking over a country in crisis economically in terms of public health and also when it comes to social issues. What do you really perceive as some of those priorities in the first 100 days to soothe divisions and heal the economy?

ERIC SWALWELL: Well, on coronavirus, getting Americans back to work, stimulating their pocketbooks, but also connecting the disconnected through infrastructure improvements. And then, yes, the fabric of our democracy is a system that's fair and just in passing the John Lewis Voting Rights Act. He can do all of that. And I hope we do it in a united way.

KRISTIN MYERS: I have to say, you're better than some of our reporters at keeping it very tight and concise, congressman. California Democratic Congressman Eric Swalwell, thank you so much for joining us today.