MSNBC "The Ed Show" - Transcript: Congressman Tim Ryan on Funding the Department of Homeland Security

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Let`s go now from more reaction to what is unfolded in the last hour on
Capitol Hill. Let`s speak with Congressman Tim Ryan of Ohio.

Congressman, good to have you with us.

REP. TIM RYAN (D) OHIO: Good to be with you, Ed.

SCHULTZ: Do you think this is what the people of Ohio want?

RYAN: No. They want stable government and we just can`t seem to get it
from the Republicans. I mean we`ve got a group of extremists, Ed that are
really running the shop down here. We can`t get a bill just to fund the
Homeland Security, we have the Prime Minister of Israel coming next week,
there`s going to be a lot of diplomats here and we`re going to shutdown the
Homeland Security.

And we were in this, you know, rat race here where its two weeks, three
weeks, three weeks more. You can`t run an operation like this. It`s
ridiculous.

SCHULTZ: How committed were the Democrats not to move on this bill
tonight? Were there some in Caucus that said "All right. Let`s do the
three week." was there much of argument amongst the Democrats to go down
this road?

RYAN: Not a whole lot. There were some who obviously represent a lot of
the people in Homeland Security in Northern Virginia or other little
pockets throughout the country, who voted the other way. But for the most
part I think we got stand our ground and say "Hey, we need a functioning
government here. We can`t govern three weeks at time." There are budgets,
there are people working, there are families like get your act together and
let`s make sure we fund the government. There`s a bill out there a clean
bill till September 30th.

This is about arithmetic. Ed. John Boehner does not have the votes in his
own Caucus. They aren`t the votes in the Senate to do what the Tea Party
people want. There`s a Democratic President in the White House. There not
going to get everything they want. This is about arithmetic and figure
out, you know, what you can get done, get as much as you can and make a
deal that moves the ball down the field.

SCHULTZ: So who are these people in the House? Who are the ringleaders in
the House that simply would not budge on this bill?

RYAN: There are about 50 members. It`s the Republican study committee.
It`s your most extreme conservative members of the Republican Caucus.
Ideological have said things in their Congressional district against
President Obama. So therefore they can agree with anything that he wants
even when we said give me three-week bill. It`s better than nothing.

SCHULTZ: So this is still -- not to interrupt you but this is still about
Obama. I mean this -- right down to this Tea Partiers in the House, these
hard-line conservatives, it`s about not giving this President what he needs
to protect the country.

RYAN: Right. It`s about Obama. It`s about immigration. It`s about the
CPAC Conference that`s going on up the street, cranking everybody up to be
the most extreme conservative they can possibly be. And if they somehow
tied this to the constitution, I`m telling you Ed, we`re dealing with the
tail wagging the dog here.

We have a small of extremist that are running the entire United States
Congress. This is why we can`t get...

SCHULTZ: Yeah.

RYAN: ... a transportation bill.

SCHULTZ: Yeah.

RYAN: This is why can`t invest on education, research and development.
This is why we can`t get tax deal. All because of this group of 50 members
who have -- if Boehner doesn`t do every single thing that they want, they
threaten to take him out as Speaker and that`s what we`re dealing with
right now.

SCHULTZ: So it is the survival of the Speaker. That`s part of the
equation as you see it?

RYAN: No doubt about it. I think there`s probably meetings happening
right now in the -- on Capitol Hill plotting how to takeout Speaker Boehner
from the Republican Caucus. There`s no question in my mind right now.

SCHULTZ: So you think that there are moderate Republicans if there`s any
left. So certainly that not the Tea Partiers, they`re thinking, you know,
maybe Boehner is not our guy, but where else would they go?

I mean, would they come up -- well, of course they would probably come up
with more of a moderate guy than Boehner who wouldn`t countdown to the Tea
Party that would have brought that Senate bill to the floor. Is that what
you`re talking about?

RYAN: Well, yeah. I think Boehner needs to stand up to him.

SCHULTZ: Yeah.

RYAN: I think Speaker Boehner has the votes of the moderate and the
majority of the people in his Caucus. He can withstand the coup (ph).

Stand strong bring these moderate bills to the floor and maybe we could
actually get some legislation, maybe you can pull 30, 40, 50 Democrat votes
for transportation bill. I mean.

SCHULTZ: So...

RYAN: . let`s move the ball, lets invest in the country.

SCHULTZ: So quickly, Tim, is Boehner a Tea Partier tonight?

RYAN: We`re going to find out. The clock is ticking.

SCHULTZ: All right. Congressman Tim Ryan with us here on the Ed Show
tonight. The drama unfolds on Capitol Hill.

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