CBS "Face the Nation" - Iranian Sanctions and Affordable Care Act

Interview

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SCHIEFFER: And we're back now with a number two Democrat in the House leadership, Maryland's Steny Hoyer. Glad to see you back, Mr. Hoyer.

REP. STENY HOYER, (D) MARYLAND: Good to be with you.

SCHIEFFER: What you think about this deal?

HOYER: Look, our policy is that Iran should not have a nuclear arms capability, that continues to be our policy. And the military option, as Secretary Kerry just said, is still on the table and it needs to be on the table. We need to make sure that Iran does not move forward.

I think that this is a marginal improvement. It did freeze some of their activity in place. And it continues the major sanctions in place. It's going to be costly on a continuing basis to them.

I think that the Senate has a sanction bill that increases sanctions, which we passed in the House in July. I think moving forward with that, but not implementing it for six months, assuming that the Iranians do, in fact, what they say they're going to do.

I think that secretary of state is absolutely correct, verification is the key here. We don't trust Iran, we need to verify that in fact they're going to do what they say they're going to do and we'll move towards a final agreement which will ultimately dismantle and eliminate their ability to have nuclear weapon.

SCHIEFFER: So, let me just make sure I understand what you're saying. The House has passed even tougher sanctions, you're hoping or you're hoping the Senate will go along with that, but put in a proviso there to put it on hold for six months.

HOYER: Majority Leader Reid, before this agreement was reached, said he was going to move forward on these after the Thanksgiving break.

Assuming he does that, I think it is appropriate that we wait six months to implement those which will say to the Iranians we need a final deal, and if not a final deal, these tougher sanctions are going to go in place. Or if you do not follow this interim agreement, those sanctions will go into place.

SCHIEFFER: Well, if it works, it will be some needed good news on the political front for the White House, because with every day there just seems to be some new mind boggling development about the problems with Obamacare.

Just this week, administration officials testified the computer system still had about 40 percent to go before its done. There's now evidence that people in the White House, including the president, were briefed months before the program started that there were some flaws here.

What happens here? Are they going to have to just take this thing down and start over?

HOYER: The process has been terrible. And we're all very disappointed, those of us who support the Affordable Care Act. But the Affordable Care Act, Bob, the majority of the American public says, look, we need to fix it, not repeal it. And what they mean by that is, they know they need affordable quality health care access. And as a result, the necessity is that we fix this access to it. And I think over time the American public are going to see it works well.

I had woman who talked to me the other day whose son was involved in an automobile accident some two-and-a-half years ago, very serious automobile accident. He was on her policy because of the Affordable Care Act. He's now over 26 with a preexisting condition and the only reason he can get health care is because of the Affordable Care Act. She came up to me and thanked me.

So I think millions of people have already been helped -- seniors, young people. people who went over their annual limit.

SCHIEFFER: But still 61 percent of Americans now oppose it. You know, I've got to say after the government shut down I thought the Republicans had dug themselves into such a hole they would never get out of it. But that seems to be washed away now by this failure of Obamacare.

HOYER: I don't think Obamacare has failed. Access to Obamacare has been a failure at this point in time. And it needs to be fixed.

So from that standpoint, the substance of Obamacare is yet to be tested. And to the extent it has been tested, it's been a success for millions of people.

SCHIEFFER: Would you at this point, if there was nothing else to do would you just be willing to shut the thing down and start over?

HOYER: No, not at this point in time. We don't need to start over.

And Bob, I don't think the American people want to start over. They want a system that works. We all do. And the Republicans have offered no alternative at this point in time simply repeal. And with all due respect to your figure I don't think the American public and a number of recent polls support that objective.

SCHIEFFER: All right. Well, Mr. Majority Leader, thanks for being with us.

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