MSNBC "The Rachel Maddow Show" - Transcript: Interview with Barbara Lee

Interview

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We have just the person to ask. Joining us now is a member of the progressive caucus who attended the last of the meetings today with President Biden, California Democratic Congresswoman Barbara Lee.

Congresswoman Lee, it`s always a real pleasure to have you here. Thank you for making time.

REP. BARBARA LEE (D-CA): Thank you, Rachel. I`m really happy to be here with you again.

MADDOW: So there is a reflexive thing in the beltway media which is when you have nothing else to write, just write Democrats in disarray and hope that the facts follow. And you can present some -- present whatever is going on in that frame. I usually do not accept that frame, but I am desperate to know how these meetings went at the White House and how you feel things are going in terms of this goal that everybody seems to share about getting these bills passed.

LEE: Sure, Rachel. I don`t think the Democrats are in disarray. First of all, this was a very constructive conversation with the president about the urgent need to deliver for the American people. We have always said we made a deal. There is an agreement that both of these bills will move forward, even though in the smaller bill, for example, in the infrastructure bill there is not everything that I would support or want, but I agreed that I would support that.

We have to have investments in child care, the child tax credit, climate. We have to address the housing crisis, health care.

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And, you know, this is so important because so many women, for example, are out of work, and they can`t get back to work if they can`t afford child care. And so I believe the president is showing extraordinary leadership by meeting with all of us and trying to figure out how to get to total unity within our caucus. And I believe that we looked at and talked about where we could reach common ground right now, and there are some areas, and we look to a path forward.

Finally, I do have to say I think we do need a little bit more time, because I believe we can be unified as Democrats and come out with two bills which we agreed upon that would really speak to the aspirations and the needs of the American people.

MADDOW: When you say you need more time, do you believe that the deadlines, or at least the target dates that have been agreed to thus far should be pushed back and might be pushed back?

LEE: I think they should be pushed back, because I believe the longer we have to talk and negotiate, because this is a negotiation, and we have to bring people together and try to find the path forward. And the president is a very fine negotiator.

Our speaker has said very clearly that we have to have both packages. So has Senator Schumer. We just need time I believe to be unified as a caucus to make sure that both of these bills move forward based on the agreement that we made.

This is a transformational moment. This is an inflection point. We have so many needs which have been neglected for decades. And so, we cannot let this go down in any way, shape, or form. This is a transformational moment, as I said, and we have no option but to make sure that both of these bills pass.

MADDOW: Sort of famously, when President Biden was vice president to President Obama, according to both of them, the arrangement that they made when they decided to become a pair, when they decided to become running mates was that Vice President Biden would always be the last man in the room on any important decision. Whatever meetings were taken, whatever discussions would happen, he would be the last person to meet with the president before a decision was made. I note that vice president Biden today chose to meet with the progressives, chose to meet with the liberals last at the end of all those other meetings with the leadership and the moderates and the conservatives.

I wonder if that does give you more insight, gives you any sort of advantage in terms of understanding what sticking points might have arisen earlier in the day or where the president thought the most difficult points were that need needed to be smoothed over?

LEE: Sure. I think that -- and I have to say that the president is listening to a variety of members of the caucus to make sure that he understands everyone`s points of views. But we did learn that there are many areas that we care about all together, unified. For example, we want to make sure that we deliver immediately to the American people, that they can feel and know that we are impacting their lives, that they have money in their pockets, good paying jobs that we`re addressing the climate crisis.

So, the urgency President Biden communicated that that was felt by the moderates and the other members that he`s met with today, and we have this sense of urgency that we have to act right now on behalf of American people. So we have no option. And finger we have just a little bit more time, the Democrats will be unified and come out with two bills that we can pass.

MADDOW: California Democratic Congresswoman Barbara Lee. Congresswoman Lee, it is always a pleasure to have you here. Come back whenever you have stuff to talk to us about. Thanks for helping us understand what happened today at the White House. I appreciate it.

LEE: Thank you very much. Nice being with you again.

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