CNN "State of the Union with Jake Tapper" - Transcript: Interview with Susan Collins

Interview

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TAPPER: Moving to Capitol Hill now, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer just announced that those senators working through the weekend on the roughly $1 trillion infrastructure bill need more time to finish their work.

The bill includes a bipartisan agreement for $550 billion in new infrastructure spending. So far, there's not an actual written bill to upgrade the nation's roads, bridges and broadband for senators to vote on.

Joining us now, one of the negotiators of the infrastructure deal, Republican Senator Susan Collins of Maine.

It's so good to see you. Thanks so much. Good to see you in person.

SEN. SUSAN COLLINS (R-ME): Thank you.

TAPPER: It's been a long, long, long time.

So, you have been working all weekend. What's the holdup been? And when will senators be able to see a bill?

S. COLLINS: Well, it's hard to translate an agreement into actual bill language.

But it's important to note that, on Friday night, we did send out to Senate offices a large amount of the authorizing, the policy legislation. Overnight, we have been finishing up the spending provisions, the appropriations provisions, and marrying them to the bill.

And we really are just about finished. But large parts of text have already been shared with Senate offices.

TAPPER: Do you think it will be introduced this week? Will it pass this week?

S. COLLINS: That certainly is my expectation and my hope. We're going into session today at 12:00. And I think we will be able to lay down the bill later today and begin perhaps consideration of some amendments.

[09:15:05]

My hope is that we will finish it -- the bill by the end of the week.

TAPPER: And will it have at least 10 Republican senators to vote for it?

S. COLLINS: I believe that it will. This bill is good for America.

Every senator can look at bridges and roads and need for more broadband, waterways in their states, seaports airports, and see the benefits, the very concrete benefits, no pun intended, of this legislation.

It's going to make us more competitive, more productive. It's going to create good jobs.

TAPPER: I'm not sure why, but former President Trump has vowed to help defeat in primaries any Republican senator who supports your deal. You were just reelected, so I know this isn't necessarily a concern for you right now.

But are those threats working on scaring some of your fellow Republicans away from supporting this bill?

S. COLLINS: I think each senator will make his or her own decision and look at the benefits to his or her own state.

I have worked with the members of our group, so that we have a state- by-state analysis. And, in the end, I think we will have more than 10 Republicans who support the bill.

It's worth pointing out that President Trump proposed an infrastructure package of, I think, $1.5 trillion. So, he too at one point recognized the need for investment in infrastructure.

TAPPER: Yes. No, I said I don't know why he's against it, other than he's not part of it. Let's change the subject, if we can, to a dark day in the U.S.,

January 6.

You supported the failed effort to create an independent January 6 commission when it came to the Senate, although Senate Republicans ultimately defeated it in general.

The House has a new select committee. There are two Republican members, Kinzinger and Cheney, and they held their first hearing this past week. And, frankly, four law enforcement officers testified, and it was gut-wrenching testimony at times.

These are four who helped defend the Capitol, who helped defend you that day. Take a listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MICHAEL FANONE, D.C. METROPOLITAN POLICE DEPARTMENT: What makes the struggle harder and more painful is to know so many of my fellow citizens, including so many of the people I put my life at risk to defend, are downplaying or outright denying what happened.

The indifference shown to my colleagues is disgraceful!

(END VIDEO CLIP)

TAPPER: What do you think about the -- and I'm not including you, but what do you think about the indifference shown to the law enforcement by Republican lawmakers that we have seen, with even some people smearing them?

And do you have faith in this bipartisan committee?

S. COLLINS: Well, first, let me point out that I met with Mike Fanone and I met with other police officers to hear about their physical injuries, their emotional trauma from that very dark day in our history.

And they are still, the Capitol Police are still working 10 to 14 hours a day. They need more help. They risked their lives to defend everybody who was in the Capitol that day, including me.

I fought very hard to have an independent, bipartisan, nonpartisan, outside commission to look at all of the events of that day. And I'm very disappointed that it was not approved. I think it would have had far more credibility than Speaker Pelosi's partisan committee that she has set up.

But we should have had a 9/11-style convention to fully look at what happened.

TAPPER: Yes, I mean, Mitch McConnell opposed it, and that's why it didn't happen.

I should -- you called it a partisan committee. I should note that there are two Republicans on the committee, Cheney and Kinzinger. Do you have faith in them?

S. COLLINS: I respect both of them, but I do not think it was right for the speaker to decide which Republicans should be on the committee.

Normally, if you have a select committee, the minority leader and the speaker get to pick the members.

TAPPER: Yes, I mean, just a -- the reason she did that is because at least two of the members McCarthy picked to be on the committee are election liars, one of whom, Jim Jordan, is possibly even a material witness. He spoke with Trump that day.

S. COLLINS: Well, there were many communications with President Trump that day.

And, look, as you know, I believe that he -- that, while the rioters are primarily responsible for what happened, there's no doubt in my mind that President Trump helped instigate and motivate the rioters. And that's one reason I voted to impeach him.

[09:20:09]

The hallmark of our democracy is the peaceful transfer of power. And for anyone, the rioters, the president, anyone, to try to interfere with the Electoral College count is completely unacceptable.

TAPPER: Looking forward, the state of Mississippi has asked the Supreme Court to overturn Roe vs. Wade. The court is slated to hear arguments in the fall.

You said to me that you didn't think Neil Gorsuch would vote to overturn Roe v. Wade. You told my colleague Dana Bash you didn't think that Brett Kavanaugh would vote to overturn Roe v. Wade. Now there's a third Trump appointee on the court, Amy Coney Barrett. So there's a 6- 3 conservative majority.

Are you still confident that the Supreme Court will protect Roe v. Wade?

S. COLLINS: Well, I realize it's always hazardous to predict what's going to happen.

But if you look at the Roberts court and how it has ruled, there were a lot of naysayers on the left that said they would never hold up the Affordable Care Act. They did. They said they would never hold up same-sex marriages. Neil Gorsuch, the Supreme Court justice, wrote the decision banning discrimination in the workplace.

So I think that a lot of people on the left and pundits have been wrong about how the court has respected precedent. We will have to see. I will say that I don't think the amicus briefs are going to influence this court. I think they will look at precedent and reach their decision.

I would also note that I have voted for six of the nine justices on the court, including some of the most liberal ones, as well as the more conservative ones.

TAPPER: I know you care a great deal about this thing called the Havana Syndrome, which is this mysterious illness first experienced by officials at the U.S. Embassy in Cuba.

More than 130 cases have been reported worldwide. Victims report hearing intense noise, followed by side effects such as nausea, vertigo, headaches. New cases reported in Vienna just this month.

Who do you think is behind this?

S. COLLINS: That's the question that we must get an answer to.

And, just recently, the director of the CIA has appointed a very well- qualified individual to lead the search for this mysterious direct- energy weapon that is causing in some cases permanent traumatic brain injuries.

I authored a bill with Senators Warner and Rubio that passed the Senate that will provide compensation for these individuals who, believe it or not, initially were having a hard time getting the care that they needed. That is disgraceful. Our bill has passed the Senate unanimously.

I'd hoped that the House was going to pass it before going home this week, and that is a great disappointment to me.

TAPPER: All right, Susan Collins, senator from Maine, Republican, thank you so much for being here. We really, really appreciate it. It's always good to see you.

S. COLLINS: Thank you, Jake.

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