Fox News "Sunday Morning Futures" - Transcript: Interview with Sen. Rick Scott

Interview

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BARTIROMO: All right, that was South Carolina Senator Lindsey Graham last week with me right here on "Sunday Morning Futures" sharing his prediction on the fate of a Democratic House resolution intended to block President Trump's national emergency declaration to build a border wall.

The Senate will soon consider the measure after it passed the House last week. Some Republicans are signaling their support over concerns a future Democratic president could also choose to go the national emergency route to bypass Congress. That's why they're pushing back on this.

Joining me right now in an exclusive interview is Florida Republican Senator Rick Scott. He sits on the Senate Homeland and Governmental Affairs and Armed Services Committees.

And, Senator, it's good to have you this morning.

How are you going to vote in that measure?

SEN. RICK SCOTT, R-FLA.: Well, I'm going to vote for border security. I'm going to vote with the president.

The -- everybody that's going to vote on this ought to go down to the border, like I did, talk to Border Patrol. And here's what they're going to tell you. One, they need more people. Two, they need new technology. The technology that they've got is decades-old.

And, three, they have got to have barriers, just so they operational control. So, if you go talk to them, there's no way you could then say, oh, I'm going to vote against border security.

The Democrats don't want border security. American public wants border security. They want results. I know a lot of people don't like the process. None of us like this process. It's all caused because the Democrats don't believe in border security. I want results. I know the president wants results.

BARTIROMO: All right, so what about your colleagues who say the reason that I have to push back and not vote with the president is because a Democratic president in the future might take advantage of the same thing?

This has been used, what, 60 times, go -- calling a national emergency.

SCOTT: Right.

Well, look, you know, a lot -- people can come up with a rationale for voting against things. I think the American public, they want results. The president tried. Look, he -- I mean, he's tried to get the Democrats to fund the border.

He offered things. He said, let's talk about DACA. Let's talk about fixing the TPS program. And they said no way. They did everything they could to make sure there was no border security. So the president is doing what he has to do to take care of the American public, which believes in having a secure border.

And I'm going to vote with the president. And I hope every Republican and I hope the Democrats will take the time, go to the border. Once they do, they are either -- they have one choice, either vote for border security or go tell border security that you don't care about their safety, and you're telling Americans you don't care about their safety.

It's a simple choice, in my opinion.

BARTIROMO: Well, what about your colleagues on the Republican side that are going against the president? Why aren't your colleagues firmly behind this president, then?

SCOTT: I think -- I think people are -- you know, they want to say that, oh, this is not the right process.

And I agree.

BARTIROMO: Yes.

SCOTT: It's not the right process. I mean, nobody wants this to be the right -- the process we go through. Why are we here?

Because Washington is completely dysfunctional. That's it. Washington doesn't work. I have been there about two months. It doesn't work. But the Democrats will not fund what Americans want. Americans want border security. The president is doing his job. Secure the border.

BARTIROMO: When you say Washington doesn't work, is that because that too many people in the Congress have their own ideologies, and they're not doing what their constituents really want them to do?

SCOTT: I think there's a bunch of actors.

I think -- I mean, look at the Democrats. They will go give a talk about border security, and then will -- they will vote against it. There's just a lot of actors up there. We have got to get people that -- one, I believe in term limits. I think that should happen.

We have got to get new people up there that are just absolutely committed to getting something done.

BARTIROMO: Right.

SCOTT: We shouldn't pay people if you shut down government, if you don't pass a budget. That's your job. There's some basic things that -- I'm a business guy.

BARTIROMO: Right.

SCOTT: And so, in business, you try to get things accomplished.

BARTIROMO: Let me ask you this.

The bill is going to come to the Senate floor when? What's the timing on this? When do you expect to vote?

SCOTT: We don't -- we're not sure exactly when we're going to vote on it.

I think it's still another couple weeks at least that's going to come.

BARTIROMO: OK.

SCOTT: It's got to come -- I think it's got to come to Armed Services first.

BARTIROMO: Yes.

SCOTT: So -- and then we have a 15-day -- so I think it's at least two more weeks.

BARTIROMO: Meanwhile, the president just back from Hanoi with his meeting with Kim Jong-un. Your reaction to that?

The president talks a lot about his relationship with Kim Jong-un, so -- but we are yet to see any real movement in terms of denuclearization.

SCOTT: Well, first off, let's remember, he's a dictator. Kim Jong-un is a dictator. He's a thug. He's a murderer. That's what he is.

Now, I think the president is doing the right thing by trying to figure out how we make our country safer, by sitting down with him and saying, you need to denuclearize. And this is why your country, you and your citizens, will be in a better position.

Now, in business, you know that you have to walk away from deals a lot. That's the way it -- what happens. Often, before you get a deal, you have to walk away from it.

I think the president did the right thing. He walked away because he's not getting what he wanted out of the deal. And I'm proud of him for doing that.

BARTIROMO: Yes, but what can we expect on this issue?

SCOTT: Well, what you hope for is that North Korea comes to their senses and says, look, I want to have freedom and democracy, I want to have our citizens with plenty of food, I want to have them -- great jobs.

That's what you would hope.

BARTIROMO: Yes.

SCOTT: But we have to remember, this guy is a tyrant. He's a thug. He murders his own citizens, his own family. So you have to -- you have to have low expectations.

BARTIROMO: All right, we will leave it there.

Senator, it's good to see you this morning. Thanks so much.

SCOTT: Nice seeing you.

BARTIROMO: Senator Rick Scott joining us there.

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