MSNBC "The Rachel Maddow Show" - Transcript: Interview with Elizabeth Warren

Interview

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SEN. ELIZABETH WARREN (D-MA): Thank you. It`s good to be with you.

MADDOW: Let me talk to you first about infrastructure. What`s your understanding of the lay of the land right now in terms of how this is moving and what proposal is actionable and on the table?

WARREN: Okay. The lay of the land is that there will be one infrastructure deal, and it will be a big infrastructure deal. This will be an infrastructure deal -- we call it an infrastructure deal, but it`s really about the kind of country we want to be going forward. It`s about making repairs from the past, but it`s about making opportunity for everyone.

Right now, there`s a group that`s called this bipartisan group, and they`re negotiating a part of it, a part of it around roads and bridges, around some important pieces like broadband.

But there`s a whole lot more that we`re going to do. If we want people to be able to go to work, if we want people to be able to have opportunities, then we need to make sure that child care, universal child care, is available, is affordable, is high quality for everyone. We need to make sure that we`re building a green energy system and a green transportation system.

And a part of this is how we`re going to pay for it. And that means making sure that billionaires and giant corporations are paying a fair share and that we`re enforcing the tax laws.

So, all of this is how we`re going to -- this is the plan for this administration, for this Congress, about how we move this economy, how we move this country forward. And I think the pieces are starting to coalesce.

MADDOW: And so, you as a very progressive member of the United States Senate, if the bipartisan group that`s made this sort of pronouncement tonight that they think they`ve got a deal, if they`ve agreed on something that is, you know, reasonable investments and not things you disagree with but you think it`s not enough, you may believe that we`re still moving in the right direction if that smaller piece of it gets embedded into the larger infrastructure bill that incorporates more of the things you were just talking about there as priorities.

WARREN: That`s exactly the right way to think of it is that the smaller piece gets embedded in a larger piece.

Now, they may be voted separately, but it is one infrastructure deal. I can`t vote for some small subset that, you know, the infrastructure train leaves the station and child care gets left on the platform, green energy gets left on the platform, billionaires don`t have to pay gets left on the platform. It`s that all of the pieces have to move because ultimately, it`s one deal.

MADDOW: How are Democrats doing right now in your estimation in terms of choosing their priorities, working together between Capitol Hill and the White House and getting stuff done? There`s not just worry and criticism but I think real consternation among a lot of people in the country right now to see what`s happening on voting rights, to see Republicans steam- rolling voting rights in every state in the country where they`ve got control and apparent impotence on Capitol Hill, Democrats unable to surpass the Republican filibuster and do anything to bolster voting rights.

I think there`s also some consternation about how long it`s been that these infrastructure talks have been going without any signs that we`re moving towards passing anything. It`s been a long time since the COVID relief bill passed. How do you think Democrats are doing overall?

WARREN: Look, the threat to our democracy, on voting, is enormous. This one is existential. We have to fight back against Republicans cutting out people from being able to vote and cutting out the effectiveness of their vote.

Remember we keep talking about this, the voting package. It`s not only about access to the polls. It`s about things like banning gerrymandering and getting that under control. It`s about exposing dark money and trying to squeeze it out of elections. It`s about anticorruption and conflicts of interest.

So, there`s a lot there that`s about protecting our democracy. Always remember first the good part, and that is we had H.R.1 that passed the House. By the time it got to the Senate, the Republicans had figured out more ways to suppress the vote and to keep people from -- democracy from functioning.

So, we had more work to do in the Senate to be able to add to the original bill. And we`ve had to have some negotiations. But keep in mind, we now have every single Democrat is on board with a voting rights bill, an anticorruption bill. And that`s -- that`s powerfully important.

Obviously, we`re hung up now on the filibuster. And so, the conversations are going forward about various ways we can approach that. Some people want to talk about a talking filibuster as a way to say make them stand up and talk about this, take as long as it takes, but protect our vote.

Others are talking about a one-time exception to the filibuster rule, saying, yeah, yeah, I get it. There are some people in the Senate who are not ready to get rid of the filibuster. But when it comes to voting, when it comes to our democracy, that is so urgent, we must put that first. That is our constitutional responsibility.

There are some other details that people are talking about. But the point is, we understand the urgency of the moment and we are talking with each other and trying to get ourselves past this point.

Has it gone as smoothly as I want? Heck, no. Come on. I`ve been fighting against the filibuster for years now. It is -- it gives Mitch McConnell a veto, and I am opposed. I think we should get rid of it so that we can do a whole lot of things.

But we are where we are. And we are a Senate, as you know, of only 50 Democrats, and we have the vice president to be able to break the tie. That means we`ve got to pull this together in a way that gets everyone on board.

We are moving. We`re not moving fast enough, but we are moving and we are moving in the right direction.

And I will give it everything I`ve got to push it on over the line. We have got to protect the vote in America.

MADDOW: Senator Warren, that is a very helpful insight into what`s going on among you and your colleagues on the Hill right now. I know this is going to be a tough and energetic week. Thank you for keeping us apprised. I look forward to talking to you about it again soon. Thank you.

WARREN: Good.

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