CNN "American Morning" - Transcript

Interview

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ALI VELSHI: Congressman Hal Rogers is a Republican from Kentucky. He's also the chairman of the House Appropriations Committee. He's on Capitol Hill this morning.

Congressman Rogers, thank you for being with us.

REP. HAL ROGERS (R-KY), APPROPRIATIONS COMMITTEE CHAIRMAN: Good to be with you, Ali.

VELSHI: All right. There are a lot of similarities here. First of all, I think it's fair to say that the president has moved a great deal from where he was last year and where he even was in February with his budget proposal, possibly based on some pressure from the Republican Party. What's your initial sense of where the president is with this right now?

ROGERS: Well, I was disappointed, frankly, in his speech yesterday. He failed to bring any specifics to the table. And that's where the problem is. We've got to get the specifics to try to control this out-of-control spending.

I mean, our deficit now is at $1.4 trillion a year. We are borrowing 42 cents of every dollar we spend.

And we've got to get down to basics, like we are today with this bill on the floor, to add spending for the balance of this fiscal year. We're going to cut $40 billion off of this year's spending, which is an all-time record, never before in history have we cut --

VELSHI: But would you say that because, I mean -- I think, again, it's fair to say, you've moved the president more in your direction, notwithstanding specifics, which we're going to have to get t in the next couple of months anyway -- are you generally pleased with the direction in wit president is going? Assuming that you can come to some agreement on those specifics.

ROGERS: Well, I'm certainly glad to see him come up to the table. He's not been at the table yet. So, he's at least come to the table. I want to see him sit down and work out details with us about how we can control this spending spree that we've been on the last couple of years. At least he's at the table.

VELSHI: All right. So, he wants $3 in cuts for $1 in increased taxes. We've heard Republicans and often those from the Tea Party saying this is not a revenue problem. It's only a spending problem.

This is an interesting compromise from the president, $3 in cuts, $1 in increased revenue, including taxing those high earners that the Republicans were entirely against -- against taxing what we call the Bush tax credit.

ROGERS: Well, we want to see the details. I want to see what he especially has in mind on tax increases. The problem in Washington is not that we're taxed too little. We spend too much. We spend too much, we borrow too much, and we tax too much, frankly, for this economy.

VELSHI: There is some sense though that there can be some -- a fairer approach to the tax system. And one of the things the president spoke of -- and again, I completely agree with you -- we want to see the details on this. But the idea that we eliminate a number of itemized deductions and in their place, possibly by eliminating some of them, end up with a lower tax rate for most people, for 98 percent of Americans.

ROGERS: Well, we'll see what he especially has in mind on those deductions he's talking about. If he's talking about repealing the interest deductions that people pay on their home mortgage, you know, that's pretty binding. So, yes, we'll look at the deductions. But the problem is not taxation. The problem is spending.

VELSHI: You seem to be fitting that into every answer. So, I know that sounds important to you. It does seem to me that when I look at the surface of the Paul Ryan's plan and the president's plan, the biggest differences seem to be in the entitlement spending, particularly on the Medicare side. Is that where you se the stumbling block?

ROGERS: Medicare, Medicaid, obviously the big ones. Look, we appropriate only a third of the federal spending. Two-thirds of the budget is on automatic pilot. It's Social Security and Medicare, Medicaid, veterans' pensions, food stamps, so the called entitlements -- two-thirds of the budget. They are on automatic pilot. They are not subject to annual appropriations by the Congress.

And that's where the big spending has taken place and that's where Paul Ryan is focusing his attention, is how can we responsibly reform Medicare, Medicaid to try to save some of the expenditures that are being made that that are driving up this debt?

VELSHI: We have a CNN/Opinion Research poll which asks whether the Paul Ryan proposal, the Republican proposals, cut spending -- to cut spending apply fairly to all groups. About a third say yes. About 68 percent, two thirds, a little more than two-thirds, say no.

Who do you think the Republican proposals are not fair to?

ROGERS: Well, you know, we have just begun to explore what the Paul Ryan proposal is. It will be on the floor today and tomorrow, so, we'll learn more about it. I don't think the public has really had a chance to soak in the Paul Ryan budget proposal just yet.

VELSHI: All right. And we will be taking a close look at that had here at CNN as well. Thank you. I think you're right, Congressman, that the public does need to spend some very close attention looking at this budget. It's very -- it's taxing for the average individual to be involved in this much discussion about federal spending, but it's important.

Congressman Hal Rogers, thanks very much for being with us.

ROGERS: Thank you, Ali.

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