On the one-year anniversary of the inauguration, Vice President Kamala Harris joined CBS MORNINGS to share what the Biden administration is focused on and how they are responding to low poll numbers.

Watch here: https://cbsn.ws/3KwyXYv

Twitter link: https://bit.ly/3tKbkWK

Rush Transcript:

GAYLE KING: And now Vice President Harris joins us. Good morning to you, Madam Vice President. It’s good to see you.

KAMALA HARRIS: Good morning, Gayle. Good to be with you.

KING: I know it was a very long night in the Senate last night. As expected, the voting rights legislation did not pass last night. In part because of two of your own party members. But the president says he can take action to protect the voting rights. What specifically are you going to do?

HARRIS: Well, thank you, Gayle. First of all, it’s really important for everyone to understand what’s at stake. Around our country, there have been purposeful, direct attempts to make it more difficult for people to vote – access to the ballot. And so that’s the issue when we talk about voting rights, attacks on our democracy. If you boil it down, one of the specific issues is that folks are making it – people in elected offices, in states, are making it more difficult for their citizens to vote. So, for example, they are making it more difficult for people to vote by mail. Well, think about folks who have disabilities, parents who have, you know, obligations every day, work two or three shifts. Voting by mail is the best way they can vote. They’re passing laws eliminating or reducing the number of drop boxes. Again, if you’re a single parent, a mom or dad, you got three kids in the back seat, and you want to vote, and it’s much easier for you to fill out your ballot at home and drive by, drop it in the drop box than to have those kids stand with you in line. What we need to do –

KING: We have all heard the case, Madam Vice President, so what are you going to do? I mean, you all have laid out the case very nicely about what’s at stake. And now we’re here, and it didn’t pass. So what will you do?

HARRIS: Well, what we will do is we will keep fighting to get the legislation passed because that is critical. So we are not giving up on that. And then it is a matter of continuing to do the work of executive orders and doing the work through the Department of Justice, which has been litigating these cases in the various states because we believe that they are in violation of the spirit of the Constitution of the United States. It is going to be about continuing to elevate this conversation. Because, Gayle, frankly, you’d be surprised how many people in the burden of everyday life are unaware of what’s happening in these states, but when they become aware of laws that make it illegal to give people food and water, if they’re standing in line, they’re outraged.

KING: We heard the president say he intends to get out of the bubble of the White House and go and take the message directly to the people, but at this point, I know it’s only one year, it’s your one-year anniversary today. You’ve got three years to go, but the polling is not good so far. CBS polling out today shows only 44% of Americans approve of your job in particular, that you all have failed to pass the Build Back Better bill, voting rights and police reform. What’s your new strategy to get this done? And I know you’ve got three years to go. What’s the new strategy?

HARRIS: Well, let’s just say to the point, I think the spirit of your question – polls go up and down, but we have to remain consistent in fighting for the American people and their needs. And so that is the strategy about staying focused. I am not going to give up on the issue of affordable childcare. I know that there are many parents –

KING: Madam Vice President, can you do that without Congress?

HARRIS: You know, I will tell you – you’ll appreciate this, Gayle – last week I was in Atlanta, and I had a visit with Ambassador Andy Young, who was probably one of the last living members of those leaders who marched with and advised Dr. King. And he said to me, “You know, we had ups and downs in the fight for civil rights and for progress in this country. But you can’t give up, and you can’t give up on the spirit of the American people to want things to be better.” And that’s how I feel. I take that seriously. So yes, we’re not going to give up on the affordable childcare, we’re not going to give up on some of these issues that really get to the heart of what people need and what they want. They want solutions. They want things to be fixed. They want to enjoy their families, and not have to worry about some of these issues.

KING: Let’s turn to Ukraine and Russia, because I’m wondering if you’re having a cleanup in aisle three in the State Department today, where the president raised a couple of eyebrows when he seemed to make the distinction between a minor incursion and an all-out invasion. And so the people in Ukraine today, we understand, are very upset with that, because they believe that the president has given Biden – has given rather President Putin the green light. What do you say to that? Because it does seem to be very confusing.

HARRIS: So the president, let me just first tell you. I start every morning reading the presidential daily briefing, which contains classified information about threats to our national security and hotspots around the world. I am often in meetings and the situation room, where the president and I and members of our leadership of our military, our intelligence community, convene on these issues. The president of the United States, Joe Biden, has been very clear on the subject of Ukraine. Which is: if Russia takes aggressive action, there will be severe and swift consequences that there will be a price to pay –

KING: He didn’t seem to say that yesterday though at the news conference. That’s why there’s some, that’s why I think clarification is needed.

HARRIS: Well, we are very clear, and we’ve been very clear with Putin that any aggressive action taken by Russia will meet and cost a severe cost.

KING: Let’s talk about COVID, because you all ran on “we are going to get COVID under control. We are going to get this licked.” And as we sit here today, as you know, we’re going into year three, and we are still talking about COVID, and you all admitted, “Listen, we’ve made some mistakes, we’re going to do better, we’re going to be better.” The schools, can the kids go to schools? In New Mexico, the National Guard is being asked to be substitute teachers, all because of COVID. So what is not under control? So I’m wondering, what is your strategy here? And have you come to the point, have you come to the point that we’ve all got to figure out how to live with COVID?