CNN "CNN Newsroom" - Transcript: Interview with Congresswoman Debbie Dingell

Interview

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[09:41:47]

HARLOW: Welcome back.

It is a make or break moment for millions of Americans desperate for help. Will Congress come together and act and reach a stimulus deal or collapse in a monumental failure? Remarkably, this Congress could end how it started in a government shutdown. The Senate has until midnight to pass a one-week stopgap bill passed by the House earlier this week.

Joining me now is Michigan Congresswoman Debbie Dingell. She also serves as senior whip and co-chair of the Democratic Policy and Communications Committee.

Congresswoman, I am so glad you're here because you've often been a voice of reason saying we've both got to give. You are not going anywhere, not leaving Washington until a deal is done. Does it get done by the end of next week?

REP. DEBBIE DINGELL (D-MI): We have no choice. I mean I have been very clear. I called myself Debbie downer again, whatever the subject is, that we have a responsibility to stay until we get this done. And, you know, this isn't about us anymore. This isn't a contest -- well, it never should have been about that. But we have people at home that are desperate.

So many programs are expiring. People are worried about their rent, their mortgage. You've -- you're hearing people tell stores of people stealing food, baby diapers. I had a father call me yesterday and say, I had to tell my daughter Santa Claus couldn't come this year. Now, I took care of that. Santa Claus will come for that father. But people shouldn't be living like this. Our job is to get this done. And I am not leaving until we get it done.

HARLOW: So why are more of your fellow members of Congress in both chambers not doing their job? And, by the way, if you say this is our job and Congress has failed to do that job for four plus months, what about people who say, well, then why should we re-elect you guys?

DINGELL: Well, first of all, I think politics, unfortunately, got into this, we got into electoral politics on a good day I don't always have the kindest thoughts about the United States Senate, which would rather not act too many times. But the Senate's got to come to the table. We've got to come together in a bipartisan way. I've always said that. Compromise isn't a dirty word.

I also remind people of the famous words that, you know, people with weak stomachs shouldn't watch sausage or laws being made. And while I'm very angry, I'm very frustrated, I just have to believe at the end we will get something here. I've seen this happen many times. And it cannot be. We should -- people are desperate, but the hammer we have should not be threatening to close the government down in the middle of a pandemic. That's unacceptable, too.

HARLOW: Right. Right. At the end of October, the White House and Secretary Mnuchin came to Pelosi, it was a half hour phone call, with a $1.8 trillion deal. And I understand it didn't have everything in it that she wanted. I understand the liability protection concerns there. And I also understand the question of whether McConnell would have had the votes in the Senate for it. But that is what Mnuchin and the White House came with. And now you guys are looking at a deal half that size. Was that a tactical error on the speaker's part?

DINGELL: You know, this is what I'm going to say. The fact of the matter is, everybody knows that this is a down payment.

[09:45:02]

Joe Biden has made it very, very clear that when he becomes president, he -- his number one priority will be a national COVID plan. We need to be spending more money. We need to do something for state and local governments.

I don't get why everybody's -- well, it's not everybody, it's a few, unfortunately, in the United States Senate, a few can block, say, state and local -- we can't give assistance. Do they understand who that is? Do they understand that those are the firefighters, the paramedics, the teachers of our children? Do they understand that public transportation is about to shut down? This isn't happening in only blue states or blue cities, it's happening across the country.

We have to do something. And it should have happened before the election. It hasn't. I'm not going to finger point back, but I'm going to look at all of us and say, can you really go home and not do something?

HARLOW: So you're making a point of what some Republicans in the Senate don't want to see, and that is state and local aid.

DINGELL: Correct.

HARLOW: Some of them believe that it's baling out governments that have been, in their view, irresponsible with their budgets. I'm going to set that to the side for the moment and ask you about your Democratic colleague in the Senate, Bernie Sanders. He's saying unequivocally no deal without $1,200 stimulus checks and $500 per child. Is that a deal breaker for you or what would you say to him to get something now?

DINGELL: We're still in hypothetical. We're still in discussions. We need to get a stimulus check to people. But as Joe Biden has been very articulate about he has told Chuck Schumer this, he has told Nancy Pelosi this, we cannot wait until January 20th. Let's get a partial down payment. I don't -- I'm not going to negotiate on this show, Poppy, with you, but we've got to get something. They need to all be in the room.

HARLOW: Yes.

DINGELL: And I do believe a stimulus check needs to be part of that. I would prefer what Bernie Sanders is talking about, but let's see where we end up.

HARLOW: OK. OK. Let me ask you a final question, switching gears here.

You -- you said something really important to my -- my colleague Wolf Blitzer a few days after the election, you said we need to understand why so many people did vote for President Trump. So given that, I want your reaction to what Joe Biden said on a phone call earlier this week with civil rights leaders.

Let's play it.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JOE BIDEN, PRESIDENT-ELECT FOR THE UNITED STATES: They've already labeled us as being defund the police. Anything we put forward in terms of the organizational structure to change policing, which I promise you will occur, promise you, just think to yourself and give me advice whether we should do that before January 5th, because that's how they beat the living hell out of us across the country, saying that we're talking about defunding the police. We're not. We're talking about holding them accountable.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HARLOW: Is he right, Congresswoman?

DINGELL: He's absolutely right. And I've said that all year. I participated probably in more Black Lives Matter rallies and vigils highlighting the issue of racial injustice and the way some things are handled. But I also have gone to all my blue lives matter events in my district. I work with these local law enforcement. We -- unfortunately, one from my hometown committed suicide last week.

I work in a lot of domestic violence cases, Poppy. Those police -- those are the worst case that they answer to. We do need to hold them accountable. We saw in Wisconsin that -- how a black man and a white man were treated differently, but we also need to recognize that law enforcement does play a critical role in many of our communities. And it's not an either/or. We need to have uncomfortable conversations. That's what leadership is, facing the truth but also thanking people who deserve to be thanked.

HARLOW: Congresswoman Debbie Dingell, we appreciate you very, very much on an important morning. I hope you guys get a deal.

Thank you for your time.

DINGELL: Thank you. Thank you, Poppy.

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