CNN "State of the Union with Jake Tapper" - Transcript: Interview with Josh Gottheimer
Interview
BREAK IN TRANSCRIPT
TAPPER: Now I'm going to talk to Congressman Josh Gottheimer.
You just heard from the head of the House progressives on their demands for Democratic legislation. The other side of the story now within the Democratic Caucus, the moderates, who also have enough members to block legislation if they don't like the deal their leaders make.
Joining us now, the Democratic chair of the House Problem Solvers Caucus, Congressman Josh Gottheimer of New Jersey.
Congressman, thanks so much for joining us. We appreciate it.
So, Speaker Pelosi made a promise to you to pass infrastructure by tomorrow. But just this morning, Speaker Pelosi said she's going to bring the bipartisan infrastructure plan to the floor for consideration tomorrow, but would only commit to a vote sometime this week.
Is that acceptable to the moderate faction that you represent?
GOTTHEIMER: Well, as you know -- first of all, thank you so much for having me.
What's so important that people should understand is, we have been working for months, since April, on this bipartisan structure plan, which, as you know, passed out of the Senate in August with -- the beginning of August, with 69 votes, 50 Democrats, every Democrat from Bernie Sanders to Joe Manchin, and 19 Republicans.
It's now -- it's been sitting there waiting for action in the House. Every single Democrat in the House voted to bring it to the floor for a vote this week. We're going to do it. We're going to have the votes. It will come up tomorrow, and we're going to vote this week, early this week.
[09:15:00]
And, listen, I am very confident that we will get this done. And as Pramila just said, we also need to get reconciliation done. We need to get both done. And the speaker has said she will -- she will get the votes. And no one's better at that than the speaker.
And so we're going to have a big week for the country, and it's going to be bipartisan. Democrats and Republicans are going to vote for that infrastructure bill earlier this week.
TAPPER: But you said in August that you struck a deal to hold a vote tomorrow, not just bringing it to the floor for consideration with a vote later.
If you don't get a vote on infrastructure tomorrow, that no longer means that you won't support the reconciliation bill? You're giving a little bit here? GOTTHEIMER: Well, no, what we're -- no. No, no, no, listen, we're going to get a vote early this week. And let me be clear about that.
TAPPER: But not tomorrow?
GOTTHEIMER: Well, it's going to be brought to the floor tomorrow.
If the vote -- the way these things work, if you start debating it and it rolls over to Tuesday, I don't think -- I think we're all reasonable people.
But the bottom line is, what's important -- and the speaker communicated this to all of us yesterday -- is that we vote on it early this week. And that's going to happen.
And what's really important is that everyone also understands that we are working, as Pramila just said, around the clock on getting reconciliation done as well. And I'm optimistic we're going to get both done.
There's too much on the line here for our country. You think about infrastructure and what happened, that tragedy last night, the derailment in Montana on Amtrak. And, of course, I'm here in New Jersey. We got hit so hard, as other parts of the country did, by Hurricane Ida.
And in the infrastructure bill is climate resiliency to help fight climate change, obviously fix Amtrak and invest there in our roads, our bridges, our rails. We have got a tunnel between New York and New Jersey, that's literally 113 years old and crumbling. Broadband.
There's so much in this historic once-in-a-century package. And it's been sitting there waiting, Jake, for our consideration, waiting for us to vote on it since early August. I can't explain to anybody why we have this separate bill sitting here, and you have got all these hardworking men and women ready to go to work here of labor, ready to go to work and get this done, and we haven't voted on it.
So that's why I know we have to get it done. And we will. And we also have to get reconciliation done. And that's also going to get done.
TAPPER: Well, you know the answer to the question. The reason that it's not going to be voted on tomorrow is because House progressives are worried that more moderate Democrats, such as you or more conservative Democrats, like Senator Joe Manchin, will kill the reconciliation deal, the Build Back Better Act, if they don't make sure that it's a quid pro quo.
They will vote for infrastructure as long as you vote for reconciliation.
Let me just ask you, though, if...
GOTTHEIMER: Well, I...
TAPPER: Go ahead. GOTTHEIMER: Yes.
TAPPER: Go ahead.
GOTTHEIMER: No, I just want to be clear about that. I support reconciliation.
So -- and so do my colleagues. We meet all the time. And let me tell you, we all agree that we need a reconciliation package. And I think that's important for everyone to understand. But that doesn't mean -- these are two separate bills, right? You have got infrastructure, a historic once-in-a-century -- there's no reason why we shouldn't pass that right away and get those shovels in the ground and make sure we do everything we can to stop derailments and invest in our infrastructure and climate and make sure we fight climate change.
And then, also, we should keep working on this separate bill on reconciliation, which I'm committed to passing.
TAPPER: Right.
GOTTHEIMER: From Pramila said we're sitting -- we're talking all the time to make sure we can get that done as well.
TAPPER: Yes, except that's not where the progressives are. And, obviously, there's at least 45 or so that will vote against infrastructure if there isn't -- at least now they're saying that they no longer need to vote first, but maybe an agreement, a pathway forward.
If this all takes a couple weeks to sort out, not -- because, obviously, it's not happening tomorrow, as you wanted, is that OK with you?
GOTTHEIMER: Well, let me just be clear about that. The bill is going to get voted on early this week. And it's going to come to the floor tomorrow as we wanted. And we feel very good about that. So, I just want to be clear about that.
And, secondly, I believe when it does come to the floor, that we will have the votes. I don't believe any Democrat or a small fraction of Democrats is going to come -- come for a vote on infrastructure, on two million jobs a year for hardworking men and women of labor, and to make sure to fight climate change, and vote against it.
It's a key part of the president's agenda. I just don't buy, at the end of the day, that folks will vote against it. And I think it's right to say to -- for them to hear from people like me and others that we are completely committed to getting a reconciliation package.
And I will tell you there's so much in there with also helping to fight climate change, to child care, to reinstating the state level tax deduction to helping make life more affordable.
TAPPER: Yes.
GOTTHEIMER: Things like that are so important. So I'm completely committed to getting both done.
TAPPER: Let's start -- let's talk about that, because you have threatened to vote against the budget reconciliation bill unless it repeals the so-called SALT -- that stands for state and local taxes -- deduction cap, which would move -- essentially, give hundreds of billions in tax breaks to mostly upper-income residents of predominantly blue states, including your fellow New Jerseyans.
Your senator, Democrat Bob Menendez, has floated making the repeal of SALT temporary for a few years as a possible compromise to get it into the bill. Would you support that?
[09:20:02]
GOTTHEIMER: Listen, I'm with Senator Menendez.
We reinstate SALT for a couple years and have to go back for more reinstatement after it, I'm fine with that. Let me just tell you this, though. Where we live, here in Northern New Jersey, which is such a beautiful place, if law enforcement and a teacher living together, they make $200,000 a year, it's very -- it's a very expensive place to live.
So, when we reinstate SALT, that's giving tax breaks for them, because the cost of living here is higher, right? And that's just -- I just want to be clear about that, that these are folks who are struggling to get by. And reinstating SALT will bring down their taxes.
And that's a very important thing. So we're going to get this all done. And that will be -- that will make it into the bill, I know, in the end. And that's kind of the point, Jake, right, that we have to keep working on this and getting it done. There is an agreement to be had here, and we will get there. We got to keep working around the clock.
But that doesn't mean we should not proceed on a key part of the president's agenda. What's great for the country, if Democrats and Republicans -- and they will be Democrats or Republicans voting for the bill early this week when it comes to the floor, as the speaker committed to...
TAPPER: Yes.
GOTTHEIMER: ... as every Democrat in the House in August voted to do.
So, it's going to get done. We will get both things done, just like we did the American Rescue Plan, which was a huge win for the country. So, there are so many things that we have gotten done already, and we just have to keep working.
TAPPER: Thank you, Congressman. Appreciate your time.
BREAK IN TRANSCRIPT
Source