Fox News "Sunday Morning Features" - Transcript Interview with John Barrasso

Interview

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Joining me right now, Republican Conference Chairman Senator John Barrasso.

Senator, thank you very much for joining us.

It didn't get a lot of fanfare, but we can imagine what would have happened if there was a government shutdown. So, that was a pretty big hurdle. Just how much momentum can we expect out of that and to this very elusive agreement?

SEN. JOHN BARRASSO (R-WY): Well, it's an important thing to do. We need to do just that.

But I will tell you, Charles, we need to keep the government funded, functioning. But I will tell you, I will believe it when I see it. It's not beyond Nancy Pelosi to play politics with this.

We have been at this point before, where Democrats just want to add more money to the federal debt, with more spending. We need to end government shutdowns permanently.

I have introduced legislation with a number of my colleagues, the End Government Shutdown Act, so that there would never be a government shutdown again.

PAYNE: Yes.

BARRASSO: It is the commonsense thing to do.

PAYNE: I know there's been dozens of these short-term agreements, right? So it would be welcome.

But, in the meantime, it would be even more welcomed if Americans had that security of at least one more fiscal package. That bridge that was created by federal funding, the swift actions of the White House really resulted in some amazing things with our economy, things that economists said could not be done four or five months ago.

We saw more of that on Friday with the jobs report, unemployment rate, 8.4 percent. Really, just three months ago, Senator, I was hearing 20 percent for the rest of the year, honestly. And no one looked at this number, 1.37 million jobs.

And if you dig into the numbers, because there are two surveys, 360,000 jobs for black Americans, 170,000 for Asian Americans, one million new jobs for Hispanic Americans.

We have got this momentum. But I think some in Congress, particularly on the Republican side, may be taking it for granted, not realizing it was their swift action that helped us, and now is the time to add more fiscal stimulus.

BARRASSO: Well, these are blockbuster numbers, Charles. It is part of the great American comeback. I think it's terrific, 10 million new jobs.

As you said, the experts were all wrong. They said we would still be at 16 percent unemployment. But I think this is a function of the leadership of the president, of President Trump, and what the Republicans have been focused on doing, but also the integrity and hard work of the American people, who want to get back to work.

We still have a ways to go.

PAYNE: Right.

BARRASSO: And a vaccine will make a big difference for that.

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We have a targeted package that the Republicans want to put forward to help people get back to work. There's paycheck protection money in there for our small businesses to continue. I expect Chuck Schumer and Nancy Pelosi to block that.

You know, it's almost as if the Democrats think they will do better in the election if more people are suffering. Charles, you heard Joe Biden say he would shut down the economy again.

Charles, that's the absolute -- that's a mindless thing to do.

PAYNE: Yes.

BARRASSO: That's not what we need to do as a path forward for America.

PAYNE: Yes. Yes.

BARRASSO: He is so wrong on this. We need to continue all full speed ahead, the vaccine and reopening the economy fully.

PAYNE: And to underscore your point, President Trump doing what he can, as Congress, more or less -- I hate to say it, but it feels like they're sort of fiddling around right now.

The executive order, with that $300 payment from the federal government, 45 states have taken him up on that. They're going to kick in an extra $100. But that's temporary. The government, the administration found that money in a pool out of FEMA.

So, there is a sense of urgency. Listen, it wasn't necessarily a political story, per se, but Nancy Pelosi's blowout, the visit to the hair salon without the mask, and the subsequent woman losing her business over all of this, can that create a sense of urgency?

If someone like a Nancy Pelosi, with a reported fortune of $114 million, can go to the salon, get a blowout, not wear her mask, while Americans are living day to day, moment to moment of praying for additional help, can that get us closer to this finish line?

BARRASSO: You know, it really should, Charles.

But this is Nancy Pelosi, one rule for her and one rule for the rest of America. I'm just not surprised by this. I'm not surprised that she has attacked the single mother of two who owned the salon, who is likely to go bankrupt, as a result of the fact that we don't have additional paycheck protection money.

So, to me, this is Nancy Pelosi as Cruella De Vil, saying no to paycheck protection for workers and small businesses all around the country, but at the same time telling one small business that they should open, but only open for her.

This is a sign of contempt for American workers.

PAYNE: Right.

There feels to be also a certain kind of irony that the Democrats are insisting on a lot of money for states. Many of these states had already been extraordinarily irresponsible. They have run up unfulfilled pensions.

They have got these programs to welcome people into their states and their cities that are poorly funded. And now they're -- most of them are -- or many of them are actually still shut down. They have exacerbated the problem.

The number of small businesses in California that have needed to tap into the payroll protection plan, for instance, is enormous. And yet you have places like New York, where they're on the verge of putting out almost every restaurant owner in New York City. California still won't open completely up.

You have got a lot of places that are equivocating on school reopenings. And the irony to me, Senator, is that they already were asking for a lot of money for these states, and now they're going to need even more.

Does that create an impasse? How do you get around that? Because we do know that these states and these cities need money to bring kids back to school safely. But how do we make sure, as American taxpayers, it's not used for other things that they were reckless about?

BARRASSO: Well, you're absolutely right, Charles.

And that's why Republicans have a targeted piece of legislation to get people back to work, get kids back to school, and get the vaccine out to people all across America. And that's what Chuck Schumer and Nancy Pelosi continue to block, because they have this trip to Fantasy Island, a $3 trillion bill, a trillion of which, Charles, one-third, has nothing to do with coronavirus.

It's all of the things that you have listed. It includes environmental justice and direct paychecks to illegal immigrants. And that's just the tip of the iceberg.

PAYNE: Right.

BARRASSO: Look, Republicans are never going to be able to win, nor should we try to win a bidding war with Nancy Pelosi or Chuck Schumer.

We're going to continue to focus on the things we need to do to get children back to school safely and get more businesses open all across the country. That's part of the great American comeback.

PAYNE: Senator, you mentioned the vaccine a couple times.

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And in an interview, Kamala Harris seemed not to be sure of whether or not she would take one if it was approved on November 1. And, of course, such a decision has already been downplayed or shot down.

Everyone understands that the key, the ultimate key, to us getting back to 100 percent where we were is a vaccine.

What do you make of the politicization of a vaccine that would be approved before the election, even though it's gone through all of the rigors, that normal vaccine process? It was just sped up because the administration put a lot of money toward it, but, still, it checks all the boxes that you would check for any drug approval.

BARRASSO: Well, let me say this about Kamala Harris' comments.

This is somebody who has campaigned to take health insurance away from 160 million Americans who get it through work. This is someone who has campaigned to have taxpayers fund health insurance for illegal immigrants.

But this statement about the vaccine is her most irresponsible statement of all.

I'm a doctor. I'm very encouraged by where we are with the vaccine. This is moving forward at warp speed. We're in stage three trials. Multiple vaccines look like they're going to work. We're working on plans to get these to the states, so that our health care workers can get them, the most vulnerable can get them, people with preexisting conditions.

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The vaccine is the path forward for all of America.

And yet what we see is -- and it's not just Kamala Harris -- 77-year-old Joe Biden said he wasn't sure if the vaccine was safe or real.

When it comes to this vaccine, Joe Biden and Kamala Harris are absolutely wrong. Charles, I have written a piece on FOXNews.com about just how important it is for all of us to get the vaccine and to make sure that the scientists continue to work at this rapid pace.

PAYNE: Someone -- I heard this saying in the last few months: Trust the science. Trust the scientists.

I'm not sure who said it. But it seems like a lot of folks who it's trickled off of their lips are now saying, well, we may not trust the scientists if it means that we -- it could hurt us in the election.

I mean, again, that would put a lot of American lives at risk, in my opinion, if they were to really shoot this down.

BARRASSO: I agree with you, Charles.

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When you talk about the upcoming election, to me, this is the most consequential election in our lifetime. And you take a look at what the differences are vs. the issue of jobs and the great American comeback we have under President Trump, vs. Joe Biden, who said he would shut down the economy again.

With regard to taxes, Joe Biden is ready to go with $4 trillion of additional taxes. And then just take a look at law enforcement and where we are there, the Democrats who want to defund the police. Republicans want to defend the police.

So, all across the board, Charles, when it comes to our of freedoms of speech, of religion, of Second Amendment rights to own and bear arms, the fundamental difference is so stark.

PAYNE: Right.

BARRASSO: And that's why I support President Trump and will vote for him for reelection for president in 2020.

PAYNE: Senator John Barrasso, it's always a pleasure to talk with you. And I really appreciate it on this Labor Day weekend.

Thank you very much, sir.

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