Fox News "Your World" - Transcript

Interview

Fox News Channel "Your World" Interview With Rep. Donald Payne (D-NJ) Interview: Neil Cavuto
SUBJECT: JOB-CREATION STIMULUS

MR. CAVUTO: Now, fair and balanced, Democratic Congressman Donald Payne of New Jersey. He thinks the plan will create a lot of jobs.

Congressman, if you can hear us, the concern is here there are no guarantees it will. It's a lot of money to spend without at least that minimum guarantee.

REP. PAYNE: Well, I think that that's an illusion in the mind of that congressman. There's no question about the fact that there will be jobs. Ninety percent of the jobs created will be in the private sector. It's intended to save or create 3 (million) to 4 million jobs. If my colleague would actually read the material that has come forward, he would see what the plans are there.

MR. CAVUTO: Well, he's not the only one, though, right? I mean, this is the deputy chief of staff of the Joint Committee on Taxation. This guy has no ax to grind. He has no agenda. He's just saying, look, I can't guarantee that. And he's the one crunching the numbers.

REP. PAYNE: Well, the failure of the past administration, I think many are now saying that economic stimulus did not work. That's like an automobile that has a reckless driver and does not take all safety precautions and wrecks the car. We have a whole new team. We have a new driver. We have someone who has thought things out clearly. And I voted against the first bailout because it was a lot of pie in the sky, giving money to Wall Street, the people who had created the problem in the first place.

MR. CAVUTO: But Congressman, this deputy chief of staff, he's not talking about the old driver or the old team. He's talking about the new driver and the new team and the new package and crunched some of the numbers for both and said without any political aspersions any way, I cannot guarantee you that this is going to create a job.

Now, you might argue with this and have great faith in the fact that this might and probably will. But you're asking the American people for upwards of 1 trillion bucks on the hunch or the hope and the prayer that it's going to create jobs. Now, can you tell me unequivocally then that it will, that this guy is wrong?

REP. PAYNE: Well, the fella is, in my opinion, wrong. Of course, I'm not Mandrake the Magician. But there's no way that a person who really is a serious economist can go away saying that he cannot guarantee a single job.

MR. CAVUTO: Can you? Can you guarantee it?

REP. PAYNE: Well, yes, I will guarantee it. So let's come back in a year and then two years.

MR. CAVUTO: You just guaranteed, so, Congressman, I'm going to hold you to your word, I'm going to hold you to that guarantee. And we'll see what happens. A pleasure having you.

REP. PAYNE: Very good.

END.

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