MSNBC "The Beat" - Transcript: Interview with Sen. Chris Van Hollen

Interview

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O`DONNELL:  Steve Schmidt, thank you very much for leading us off tonight, really appreciate it. 
 
And we are joined now by Democratic Senator Chris Van Hollen of Maryland.  He`s been ranking member of the Budget Committee and the chairman of the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee. 
 
Senator Van Hollen, your reaction to the president`s speech tonight. 
 
SEN. CHRIS VAN HOLLEN (D), MARYLAND:  Well, I have to agree with Steve, that this is a continuation of the degradation of the Oval Office by the president of the United States.  This time, using the tradition of Oval Office speeches that are usually reserved for major statements, instead, for a tawdry political speech. 
 
I mean, usually it takes the president 55 minutes at a rally to get out all those lies and false statements.  This time, he crammed it into eight minutes by reading a teleprompter.  I don`t think it advanced his case one a bit, Lawrence, in terms of the wall.  In fact, a lot of the facts he used don`t make sense in connection with the wall. 
 
For example, when he talks about drug interdiction.  We have a drug interdiction problem.  Senate Democrats and Republicans have worked to try to provide more -- more efforts targeted there at the points of entry, right?  A 2,000-mile-long wall doesn`t have anything to do with trying to slow it down at ports of entry. 
 
So, this is why it`s important that Senate Republicans get together with Democrats and pass those two House bills to open the government. 
 
O`DONNELL:  And, Senator, when you -- when the president talks about hero addiction, and the drug addiction in this country, much of this begins with opioid addiction which begins legally through the prescription process.  There has been no attempt by this administration to do anything about that part of this devastating drug addiction that this country has and has had for many years.  That has nothing to do with the southern border. 
 
VAN HOLLEN:  Well, that`s exactly right.  And Congress on a bipartisan basis has passed some legislation to try to expand treatment for it, but we`ve also, and ironically, in the homeland security bill that the president is now holding up, there are additional funds to screen for drugs that are coming across the border.  As you say, a lot of the opioid addiction crisis is a totally homegrown crisis, but to the extent we have a problem with drugs coming across the border, they`re coming across the ports of entry and we have provided additional funds in the bill that the president has said he will not sign to address that particular issue. 
 
And I have to say, Lawrence, that every day that goes by as you and Steve were talking, is another day where Senate Republicans are complicit with the president in this shutdown.  And that`s why it`s important they join Senate Democrats s in passing the bills that are on the Senate calendar right now, right?  One, that would open the Homeland Security Department until February 8th so we can continue any discussions the president wants to have, one that would re-open eight of the nine closed departments of the federal government, along the same lines that Senate Republicans have previously supported. 
 
So they`ve got no excuse to be an accomplice with Donald Trump in the shutdown.  
 
O`DONNELL:  Senator, what`s happening with Republicans?  Your Republican colleagues in the Senate.  We`ve seen Lisa Murkowski moving your way today, joining Senator Collins. 
 
So, you`ve now got at least three Republicans.  Are there more coming? 
 
VAN HOLLEN:  I do believe there are more coming.  And, Lawrence, that`s why this evening in the Senate, Senate Democrats said that the first order of business has to be to pass these two House bills that are the keys to re- opening the government. 
 
Let the president decide what to do with them when they get to the desk, but Mitch McConnell should not be AWOL in this -- in this debate.  And so, we blocked consideration of the legislation that Mitch McConnell will want to take up SB-1, and said the priority has to be solving this government shutdown and the way to do that is to vote on those two houses bills then we can ha a conversation about the most effective way tout secure our border. 
 
Securing our border has never been the issue.  You know that.  The issue is not wasting taxpayer dollars on an ineffective wall that Mexico is supposed to pay for. 
 
O`DONNELL:  Senator Chris Van Hollen, thank you very much for joining us tonight.  Really appreciate it. 
 
VAN HOLLEN:  Thank you. 
 
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