CNN "State of the Union" - Transcript: Interview With Congressman-Elect Dan Crenshaw, Congresswoman-Elect Deb Haaland, and Congresswoman-Elect Chrissy Houlahan

Interview

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TAPPER: Welcome back to STATE OF THE UNION. I'm Jake Tapper. When Congress comes back in session in January, there will be at least 86 new members of the House of Representatives, the most diverse group ever elected.

And joining me now, Democratic congresswoman-elect Deb Haaland of New Mexico, one of the two first Native American women ever elected to Congress, Republican congressman-elect Dan Crenshaw of Texas, a former lieutenant commander in the Navy SEALs, and Democratic congresswoman- elect Chrissy Houlahan, a former Air Force captain who flipped the seat in Pennsylvania.

Go, Eagles. Perhaps the good luck that you -- the good luck you had will come to them as well.

(LAUGHTER)

TAPPER: So, you have all seen congressman-elect Crenshaw get attacked on "SNL" and deal with that.

Obviously, your colleague, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, the congresswoman-elect from New York, has also been attacked quite a bit in her first week on the job.

A lot of people talking about civility, but things here in Washington and in the nation really seem nastier than ever. And I'm wondering if you think your class will try to usher in an era of cooperation, bipartisanship and civility?

DEB HAALAND (D), NEW MEXICO-CONGRESSWOMAN ELECT: Well, first of all, I feel like some people's definition of attacked is different than ours and what we have seen.

This week, we have all worked together extremely hard. We have -- it's been a very fast-paced week, orientation, going from one orientation to the next at opposite ends of the Capitol.

And I feel like we have all been very cooperative and actually quite civil to each other.

TAPPER: What do you think? You have -- you have been in the barrel, as it were.

DAN CRENSHAW (R), TEXAS CONGRESSMAN-ELECT: I echo that sentiment of, what does it really mean to be attacked?

My whole message last week was, was I really attacked? Was I really offended? That doesn't mean what was said was not highly insulting and should be addressed, but I don't need to feel attacked.

And I think that was the message we're trying to send. And the other message we're trying to send also is, just don't insult people. We can attack each other's ideas, but not each other as people. That's -- that should be the goal moving forward.

TAPPER: What do you think?

CHRISSY HOULAHAN (D), PENNSYLVANIA CONGRESSWOMAN-ELECT: So, I agree.

I, frankly, would like to see our orientation be more bipartisan. I would like to see -- maybe that's some thing that we can do in the future, where we bring ourselves together more frequently in an orientation way.

[09:30:03]

But part of my campaign and my candidacy was absolutely about the issue of decency and civility. I think it really is important to pull people together.

My part of Pennsylvania, my part of Philadelphia is really purple. It's 40 percent Republican, 40 percent Democrat, and 20 percent independent. And, to a person, we just want to see civil discourse come back and to talk about ideas, and not harass people.

TAPPER: And two of you are veterans.

HOULAHAN: Yes.

TAPPER: And you're the child of a veteran. You were just at Arlington visiting your father's grave.

HAALAND: I grew up in a military household.

TAPPER: And so President Trump has just said on a different network that he should have gone to Arlington National Cemetery on Veterans Day, but he was busy making calls, doing things for the country.

What do you make of all this? What do you make of the debate about whether or not he should -- he should have done more on that -- on that day? And does it matter to you?

HAALAND: Well, I went to Arlington on Veterans Day and -- to visit my father's grave.

And while there, I spoke to a woman who brought her folding chair and sat in front of her son's grave, seemingly for hours.

I want -- I feel like Americans might -- they have sacrificed. And so showing that you care about that sacrifice, giving respect to our fallen soldiers, I think, is an easy thing to do, especially if you live in the same city as the cemetery.

TAPPER: What do you think?

HOULAHAN: So, I, in addition to being a veteran myself, am third- generation military, and my grandmother and grandfather are buried at Arlington.

And so I tend to share your belief with -- I think it's important that our commander in chief respect the veterans and the people who have served our country so fundamentally. I also have four-active duty cousins right now. And so this is personal to me. But it also is about our nation. TAPPER: You, sir?

CRENSHAW: Well, I have been to Arlington multiple times to bury my friends. I have had least two funerals there that I have attended and gone back occasionally.

I also know that the president on a very personal level has treated those Gold Star families very well, and he has embraced them, and he's been very good to them.

I would have liked to see him at Arlington. But, again, I'm not offended by the fact that he didn't go. I understand that he does have a lot of things to do. I would have liked to see him there.

But, as veterans, I don't think it necessarily affects us that -- where he shows up to in a ceremonial fashion. What affects us is, listen, are you giving us a clear mission? Are you giving us the equipment we need to do it? Are you raising pay for the military?

He's done all of these things. That's what matters to me as a veteran.

TAPPER: You're going to have a big choice to make coming up with Nancy Pelosi. You have not said how you're going to vote.

You are a yes on Pelosi, right?

You're a no, I'm assuming.

(LAUGHTER)

CRENSHAW: Good assumption. That's a good...

TAPPER: But why have you not come out in favor of her or against her one way or the other?

HOULAHAN: So, listen, I wanted to back all the way up and say, I have enormous respect for Leader Pelosi and for the work that she's done in leading our party today and in the past as well.

I wouldn't be standing here, sitting here, unless people like her did the work that they have done. I sit on -- stand on her shoulders.

I believe that women in the Democratic Caucus made the majority. There were so many of us who were elected out of the 60 or so who we're bringing to Congress. We could have made the majority just with women alone. And I'm deeply appreciative for her for that work.

I had the opportunity to sit down with Leader Pelosi. I think it was yesterday. The days are blurry. So, it may actually -- may have been Friday. And we had a terrific conversation.

And I am actually fundamentally leaning towards voting for her. But I take this responsibility very, very seriously. There are a lot of moving parts in leadership and many decisions that need to be made, not just her election, but the election of other people's as -- people as well.

And I'm a deliberative person. And so I'm working hard to understand what all of my options are, how I can best serve my constituency.

And the last thing that I would say is, during that conversation that I had with her, we had a conversation about the fact that I'm putting myself forward for something called the DPCC, which was -- is basically the portion of our leadership that allows us to communicate the messages and the messengers.

And so I'm going to be hopefully one of three people who will serve her and that committee and all of us in messaging what it is that we'd like to convey about the House in 2020. And so I would like to be part of the solution in bringing the voice of a young generation -- relatively young for me -- and a very large class to bear on what we have learned in purple places like mine.

TAPPER: We're running out of time, but I do want to ask each of you one question, which is, first of all, what does it mean to you to be one of the first two Native Americans elected to Congress?

HAALAND: Right. Right.

Well, of course I'm deeply humbled that I have this opportunity. I was, oh, kind of -- I will tell you that, the other day, when I was walking across the capital to actually go take our freshman photograph, two young Native girls from South Dakota came up to me, tapped me on the shoulder.

Their mother came over -- it looked like it was a school field trip -- crying. And we hugged and took pictures.

[09:35:05]

I feel like, for every Native American child who has never, ever seen themselves represented in this body of our government, it means a tremendous amount to them. I know it means a tremendous amount to tribal leaders across the country to feel like they have representation, where they haven't before.

So, my state, New Mexico, we have 23 tribes in our state. I have three tribes in my district. And so I feel very confident that my experience will give me an opportunity to be that voice at the table.

TAPPER: Quickly, if you can -- and I want to have you all back in the future.

Quickly, if you can, being a veteran -- you're not the first veteran in Congress, but you're one of the most visible right now.

CRENSHAW: So, what's that like?

Well, it affects me in two ways, right? One is policy. So, we have a more -- a deeper understanding of national security issues, foreign affairs issues. I worked a lot in the intelligence community as well. So I will be -- I will be a competent voice for those issues. And on

a -- but, on a deeper level, first of all, it means we understand what leadership is, which is taking care of your people. Above all else, it's taking care of your people. It's inspiring people to be better.

And, also, it's an understanding that, when we work with our fellow veterans, we know that we both started off this career just trying to serve our country, before we got into politics. And that's a way to bridge that gap between us.

TAPPER: All right, well, best of luck to all three of you. And I hope to see you again. Thank you so much for being here.

(CROSSTALK)

HOULAHAN: Thank you. Appreciate being here.

HAALAND: Thank you.

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