CNN "The Situation Room" - Transcript: Interview with Congressman Ro Khanna

Interview

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[17:32:17]

BLITZER: The House Speaker Nancy Pelosi is facing some criticism for rejecting the latest White House $1.8 trillion dollar offer for a pandemic economic stimulus bill including some criticism from her -- within her own Democratic Party. Joining us now to discuss this and more, Democratic Congressman Ro Khanna of California.

Congressman, so -- thanks so much for joining us. Here's what unfolded last night, when I interviewed the Speaker and I quoted you to her, I want you to watch this little clip. (BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BLITZER: He said people in need can't wait until February. $1.8 trillion is significant and more than twice the Obama stimulus. Make a deal, put the ball in McConnell court. So what do you say to Ro Khanna?

REP. NANCY PELOSI (D-CA), HOUSE SPEAKER: What I say to you is I don't know why you're always an apologist. And many of your colleagues, apologists for the Republican position. Ro Khanna, that's nice. That isn't what we're going to do. And nobody's waiting until February.

Ro Khanna, he's lovely. They are not negotiating this situation. They have no idea of the particulars. They have no idea of what the language is here.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BLITZER: All right, so, Congressman, you've said you have a lot of ideas and you know a lot about what's going on in your district where so many people -- even though it's an affluent district in Silicon Valley, in California -- so many people are struggling, can't pay their rent, can't even put food on the table. How do you respond to the Speaker when she accuses you of having no idea what's going on?

REP. RO KHANNA (D-CA): Well, first, Wolf, as you know, I have tremendous admiration for Speaker Pelosi. She's a tough negotiator and I respect that. And to paraphrase Lin-Manuel Miranda, I'm probably not in the room where it matters. But I do have a constituency I represent.

And in my affluent district, the food banks are longer than they've ever been. Just today, I was speaking to a constituent, his wife lost his job. He can't make his mortgage payments, he may have to leave. Working families are not being able to pay rent. Immigrant families who spent 20, 30 years to create restaurants are losing them.

I have a moral obligation to speak out for them. And what I'm saying is the American people want us to get something done. And this is a sentiment that many members of Congress share.

BLITZER: Have you heard directly from her, from the Speaker, since the interview last night when she went after you?

KHANNA: No, and I don't -- that's not her job. I -- she has to get something done. I have heard from many other members of Congress, though, who believe that we need to work towards a solution. This is the biggest crisis that certainly I faced since being a member of Congress. It's arguably the biggest crisis in my lifetime other than 9/11.

[17:35:00]

And this is why we're elected to Congress. We have not given people the aid, they can't wait for a few months. You know, the stock market may be able to wait. They may be able to calculate expected value in three months from now, they're going to get something done. But what do you say to someone who says, I can't feed my kids? What do you say to someone who says, I'm going to lose my house. What do you say to someone who says, I haven't had unemployment benefits for a couple of months? Just wait, we have an obligation to get something done.

BLITZER: Because I've been hearing privately from several of your Democratic colleagues in the House, whether they're progressives and liberals or more moderates, and many of them are saying to me exactly what you're saying that they want the Speaker to go, have a deal with the President, have a deal with Steve Mnuchin, the Treasury Secretary, and then let the House pass it. And then let the President force Mitch McConnell and the Republicans in the Senate to do the same thing. Does that all -- at all with these final days of the campaign sound credible or realistic to you?

KHANNA: I do hope so. And look, the Speaker deserves credit. The state and local aid weren't on the table, now, they are. Rent wasn't on the table, now, the proposal says let's give people aid for rent. Childcare wasn't on the table, now, we have childcare.

So, a lot of the bill that the President is proposing has a lot of what the Speaker has fought for and she deserves credit. And what we're now saying is, let's close the deal. We have a few more things we need. Let's have a national testing plan. Let's get that $75 billion. But let's not have a view that we can go past the election and not get anything done. I believe that sentiment is much more widespread that is reported. Most people feel that this is a moment that Congress has to act.

BLITZER: So you have no doubt, Congressman, that if the $1.8 trillion bill came up for a vote on the floor of the House of Representatives, it would pass and then go to the Senate. Is that what I'm hearing?

KHANNA: Well, I said make a deal not take the exact proposal. I have no doubt that if it's around $1.9 trillion. If there are a few edits, I think we need to have a national testing plan. There have to be a couple more provisions. But I have no doubt that the parties are closed, and then a deal can be made. And that would have the votes in the House.

And then put the ball in McConnell's court. I mean, right now, everyone says a pox on all their houses, Congress is dysfunctional, we can't get anything done. If we create a vote in the House, if we cut a deal with the White House, then force McConnell and people will know who should have the responsibility.

BLITZER: So what are you going to say to your constituents who are struggling right now, Congressman, if there's no deal, and they have to continue to struggle without any additional assistance from the federal government in the coming days and weeks, and maybe even months?

KHANNA: Well, it's very hard. I had to talk to someone today, who, as I mentioned, is losing their house. I say our government is failing you. This is a time where we need to do a lot more. And it pains me that we're not being able to deliver for them. And that's why I'm going to come out and say that we need to get something done with as much power as I have.

I acknowledge that I'm not a committee chair. I acknowledge that I don't have as much power in the institution. But you know what, I'm an equal member of Congress. I represent a constituency, just like 435 other members, and all of our perspectives really do matter. And what I'm saying is coming from the heart, it's coming because I've been affected by the impact in my district, which is the heart of Silicon Valley.

Think about this, Wolf. If in one of the richest districts in the world, you have this much suffering, imagine how much suffering there is across this country.

BLITZER: Well, if you just walk around the District of Columbia as I do, you see it on the streets of Washington, I've lived here for many years, and you see a lot of people who are struggling out there on the streets. And as I asked the Speaker yesterday, why should you let the perfect be the enemy of the good, why not simply make a deal and start getting some of the assistance to all those people. Millions of Americans we're in desperate need right now.

Representative Ro Khanna of California, thanks so much for joining us. Thanks for everything you're doing. We appreciate it.

KHANNA: Thank you, Wolf. Thank you for having me.

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