CBS "Face the Nation" - Transcript: Trade Policy and Foreign Affairs

Interview

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MARGARET BRENNAN: We're back with Democratic Senator Jeanne Shaheen. She sits on the Armed Services and Foreign Relations Committee. She's in Portsmouth, New Hampshire, this morning. Senator, welcome to FACE THE NATION. You just heard the President's economic adviser--

SENATOR JEANNE SHAHEEN (D-New Hampshire/@SenatorShaheen): Good morning.

MARGARET BRENNAN: --lay out a-- a very rosy picture about the economy--these trade disputes. How are they affecting people in New Hampshire?

SENATOR JEANNE SHAHEEN: Well, we have a hundred and forty thousand jobs that are at risk if these tariffs continue. It was very good economic news this week. But that's why it's so hard to understand why anyone thinks that the uncertainty around these tariffs and the potential trade war are going to be good for the economy. People here are very concerned about that uncertainty. Everybody from Little Bay Lobster Company who's lost huge orders every week to China, and they're worried they're not going to get that market back, that they've gone to Canada to manufacturing companies like Filtrine over in the western part of the state where they make water filtering systems. So, this is affecting businesses. And one of the things I was very sorry to hear Ambassador Lighthizer say this week at-- when he came before the Appropriations Subcommittee, was that while they're talking about a bailout for farmers, they're not talking about help for small businesses who are being hurt.

MARGARET BRENNAN: It's a-- it's a good point you raise there. And the administration says they won't consider that at this point. I do want to ask you, though, about a colleague--

SENATOR JEANNE SHAHEEN: Right.

MARGARET BRENNAN: --of yours in the Senate, Senator Claire McCaskill. She faces a tossup election out in Missouri and she confirmed personally this week that Russian hackers unsuccessfully tried to access her Senate computer system. Microsoft I guess was out there saying she is one of at least three individuals who-- who were targeted. Who else is on that list?

SENATOR JEANNE SHAHEEN: I don't know who else is on the list but I do know that we've had an experience in our office with people getting phishing e-mails with social media accounts. There has been one situation that we have turned over to authorities to look into. And we're hearing that this is widespread at-- with political parties across the country, as well as with members of the Senate. So, this is a very big issue and it's something that we need to address in a bipartisan way. It affects both Republicans and Democrats. It's about the security of our political process and our government functions and we need to work together to address it.

MARGARET BRENNAN: I know you had some testy exchanges this week before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee with the Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, pressing him for more information on that conversation with Vladimir Putin. Were you satisfied with his answers?

SENATOR JEANNE SHAHEEN: Well, I was disappointed that he refused to address directly any of the specific questions about what happened in Helsinki between President Trump and Vladimir Putin. He continuously referred to policy being the same. And I appreciate that it is important for us to continue those policies. But what we don't know is what might have been agreed to by the President. And all we've gotten, in direct information about what happened, has come from the Russian authorities, from their defense ministry. And I am particularly concerned about Syria, because that's one place where Secretary Pompeo did equivocate, and where the President has gone back and forth on what we should be doing. I was there several weeks ago with Lindsey Graham and we were in northeast Syria where, thanks to our efforts and working with the Syrian Democratic Forces, who are mostly Kurds, we have seen the region stabilize. We need to make sure that continues. We need to find out why the White House is still holding on to the funding that we need for reconstruction efforts there, because the security is good, people are going back home. We went through the market in Manbij, which had been controlled by ISIS for several years. People were out. Kids were playing in the streets. Women were walking around. We need to make sure that that continues and not leave those Syrians to the Russians or to Assad.

MARGARET BRENNAN: Should the President go ahead with sanctions on Turkey, which he called for this week?

SENATOR JEANNE SHAHEEN: I think if-- you know, Turkey is an important ally of the United States. They're an important NATO ally. But we've seen some behavior by Turkey that is not consistent with what we expect from our allies.

MARGARET BRENNAN: That sounds like a yes.

SENATOR JEANNE SHAHEEN: Again, on that trip to-- well, I think we need to see them release the Americans that they're holding on trumped-up charges. We had some positive news this week with Pastor Brunson--

MARGARET BRENNAN: Mm-Hm.

SENATOR JEANNE SHAHEEN: --going from prison to house arrest. But they're holding other Americans.

MARGARET BRENNAN: Yes.

SENATOR JEANNE SHAHEEN: And we need to send a consistent message. Again, on that trip to Syria Senator Graham and I met with--

MARGARET BRENNAN: Senator--

SENATOR JEANNE SHAHEEN: --President Erdogan.

MARGARET BRENNAN: Senator--

SENATOR JEANNE SHAHEEN: He listened. But--

MARGARET BRENNAN: We do have to. We're running out of time here--

SENATOR JEANNE SHAHEEN: We need a message.

MARGARET BRENNAN: --I'm so sorry to cut you off, but we do have to leave it. Thank you for coming on the show. And we will be back--

SENATOR JEANNE SHAHEEN: Thank you.

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