CNN "CNN Newsroom" - Transcript: Interview with Senator Mazie Hirono; House Vote Underway on $1.3 Trillion Spending Bill

Interview

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In the meantime, joining me is the Democratic senator from the state of Hawaii, Mazie Hirono.

Senator, thank you very much for being with us. I know you'll be interested in what's going on in the House of Representatives right now.

SEN. MAZIE HIRONO (D), HAWAII: Definitely.

BERMAN: Because you may get a chance to vote on this spending bill. This is a bill that doesn't include any protections for Dreamers or DACA recipients, it doesn't include these health care subsidies that Susan Collins was promised frankly back in December. Will you be a yes vote if this comes to you?

HIRONO: I'm really disappointed that DACA or this protection for 1.8 million Dreamers is not in here, although what you're reporting right now says that maybe there is a chance. I'm still reviewing this 2,000-page bill that we just got last night. And it points out how dysfunctional a process that we're utilizing to make sure that government runs. And, of course, I'm not for shutting down government. But coming up with a 2,000-page bill that we're expected to vote on in the Senate, and, first of all, has to come out of the House, is a nutty way to proceed.

[10:35:02] So I'm hopeful that the Joint Select Committee on Budget and Appropriations on which I sit will perhaps be able to come up with a process that will stick so that we can have a budgeting and appropriation process that doesn't lead to brinksmanship, finger- pointing and dysfunction.

BERMAN: I can see by your --

HIRONO: Hope springs eternal.

BERMAN: I can see by your grin you think that maybe all of a sudden the Democrats may have some new leverage here. We will keep our eye on that vote in the House.

HIRONO: Yes.

BERMAN: In the meantime, we just did hear also from House Judiciary Committee members. You say the Senate Judiciary Committee. They say they are concerned that when Congress goes on the Easter recess that it could be a chance for the president to take some kind of action against the special counsel's investigation, maybe Jeff Sessions, maybe Rod Rosenstein.

Do you feel a similar concern?

HIRONO: We -- there are a number of us who have had ongoing concerns about what the president intends to do regarding Russia investigation. We've already seen him trying to stymie it. But, yes, this is -- there is serious concern about Robert Mueller being fired, and while we're not in session to do anything about it.

This is why I think it is really important for us to continue to call attention to the vulnerability of Robert Mueller and how important it is for his investigation to continue. And that we should pass legislation before we go on our recess that will protect him and his investigation from stopping.

BERMAN: Senator, I don't know if you had a chance to hear the interview that Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg did exclusively with CNN's Laurie Segall. He says he would be happy to come testify before Congress if, if he's the right person at Facebook to answer the specific questions. Is that a sufficient answer? Shouldn't the answer just be, yes, I should come and appear before Congress?

HIRONO: Yes, I would like for him to say yes because after all this was taking responsibility. He is at the top of the decision-making at Facebook and he certainly should come and testify before us, and I hope that he comes willingly, otherwise I hope that a subpoena will be issued because Facebook and the other -- the concerns that people have, millions of users on Facebook expect a certain level of privacy. And so the idea that information that is collected and sold and used in nefarious ways by entities such as what happened in the 2016 election, you know, we need to shine some light on what is going on with this huge, huge platform.

BERMAN: Senator Mazie Hirono of Hawaii, thank you so much for being with us.

HIRONO: Thank you.

BERMAN: We promise to tell you as soon as we get the results of this vote in the House because it could change your life.

HIRONO: We'll be watching.

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