CNN Newsroom: Interview with Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz (D-FL)
Interview
"Jim, if there's anything that is certain after Kevin McCarthy broke his word about the debt ceiling deal in the spring, after putting a bill on the floor that would have had 30 percent cuts that a million seniors would have gone without nutrition, 250,000 children, would have lost their child care, what -- you can definitely conclude is that the American people will be done owning the Republican Party and having Republicans lead the House of Representatives.
We have to make sure that we can govern and govern responsibly and giving the Republicans any power, which is the only thing that Kevin McCarthy and Republicans care about, that's very evident, that would be irresponsible on our part. So, I'm going to make a decision based on knowing that I have to be able to effectively represent my constituents and make sure we can take care of them and the Republicans could care less about that.
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The reason that we didn't shut the government down is because Democrats are the responsible adults in the room. You know, we have always been there, all the way through this process, to make sure that we didn't crash our economy into a cliff by blowing the debt ceiling, that we made sure we didn't crash the economy by, you know, causing a government shutdown. We're not going to have irresponsible cuts. That wasn't a CR. It was, you know, a Republican giveaway to MAGA extremists.
And on top of that, Kevin McCarthy is pursuing an impeachment of President Biden with no evidence. Their own witnesses this week acknowledged that there's no impeachment warranted because there is no evidence. This is not a person who should be given the keys to making the major decisions that affect millions of people's lives.
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Well, I mean if nothing changes, then yes. We have 45 days to go right to the brink again. We can't end up there. We have a debt ceiling deal. It had top lines that the majority of Congress and President Biden agreed to.
That's where we need to start with, and that's the kind of work that we need to do over the next six weeks.
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The majority of the House and Senate support continuing aid to Ukraine. You can't let a dangerous tyrant like Putin crash through a sovereign nation, try to take it over. It jeopardizes our national security, the national security of our allies. And what Kevin McCarthy needs to do is make sure he puts a bill on the floor and lets all of the members vote, and that's how we'll send that bill to the president.
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I mean, I think Dean realized, and I'm a member of the House Democratic leadership as well, I think Dean realized that, you know, he prudently needed to step down from elected leadership, given that he is really out of step with the majority of the Democratic caucus, because we know that Joe Biden has made sure that we could pull ourselves out of the COVID-19 pandemic.
We were able to pass significant infrastructure legislation, reduce prescription drug costs, the accomplishments that he's had in bringing down inflation and continuing to move our economy forward and creating a record number of jobs. If we have a member of the elected leadership that doesn't align with that, then it made sense for him to step aside.
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In the readings that I've been in with Dean with the leadership, he was taking steps towards realizing on his own that this was something that it was incongruous for him to remain in elected Democratic leadership because, you know, he feels so strongly about this. But I have tremendous respect for him. He's a dear friend of mine. We fight side by side on so many issues, including the U.S.- Israel relationship and fighting against anti-Semitism. And he'll continue to do a great job representing his constituents, which is what he should continue to do.
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I mean, I take Congressman Bowman at his word that he was confused and was trying to get out the door. I'll tell you, the doors that are in Cannon (ph) are in a circular room in the Cannon Rotunda. That's where my office is too, and it can get a little confusing when you're trying to get out which direction you should go.
But the hypocrisy of the Republicans who are willing and voted against expelling George Santos, who is a criminal and a liar, but they want to -- they immediately leap to expulsion for someone who pulled a fire alarm, I think accidentally. I mean, please, this shows you that they are in such chaos and disarray and have no agenda, and they brought our economy and our country to the brink of government shutdown.
Of course, they're going to distract by suggesting we should expel someone who accidentally tripped the fire alarm in one of our office buildings. By the way, wasn't the building where our actual vote was taking place.
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It's a different building.
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Right.
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He -- I will tell you, if you go in that -- anyone should take a walk into the Cannon Rotunda. There are three or four doors. It is confusing which one is the one. There's one door that you can go out. If you're in a hurry, I could see that his explanation is plausible. If they want to investigate it further, that's what they should do.
But for Republicans to leap to expulsion and they -- and actually vote which they did not to expel one of their own members who's a criminal and a liar and misrepresented everything about himself to his own constituents during the election, the hypocrisy is rich.
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Thank you.
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My pleasure.
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