CNN "CNN Newsroom" - Transcript: Interview With Pennsylvania Congresswoman Chrissy Houlahan

Interview

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BALDWIN: Let me ask a congresswoman who has been patient enough to wait through for the last hour.

Ladies, thank you very much.

Another freshman congresswoman who is part of that historic class, she is Democrat Chrissy Houlahan. She's the first woman to represent the 6th District in Pennsylvania.

So, Congresswoman, welcome, and thank you so much for waiting in the wings. We get a lot of breaking news this time of day.

So let me actually -- I want to ask you what we were just discussing, that if it is true that Nancy Pelosi said today Donald Trump that Democrats are not looking to impeach you, if true, how do you take that?

REP. CHRISSY HOULAHAN (D), PENNSYLVANIA: So I would be happy to answer that question. But I would really rather talk about what we just saw.

I don't believe that the...

(CROSSTALK)

BALDWIN: If I may, though, can I get you on record on that? And then we will continue on.

HOULAHAN: Of course.

The Democratic Party is a very big tent. I was elected by the people of my community to get to the business of the people. The business of the people, first and foremost, is having a functioning government. And right now, we have done exactly the opposite of that.

And so I definitely am not looking to impeach our president. But I am looking for a president who does his job. And right now, that job is not being done. Right now, what we have just seen over the last hour- and-a-half is a reality television show. And we are not in the business of playing with people's lives. This is reality.

And he talked about existential threats at the border. Fundamental threats are people's livelihoods and whether they have food in their stomachs and roofs over their head. And that's first and foremost the responsibility of the government not to impede the opportunity of people to be able to pursue their lives and happiness.

BALDWIN: Sure.

As the president did point out, though, that there is a group set to negotiate. They're going to continue negotiating into the weekend. Does that seem like any progress to you?

HOULAHAN: Well, I am grateful for that. And I did watch the president's press conference and haven't been able to see any of the other coverage related to how that meeting went to -- or went by.

But it did seem as though there were conflicting reports about how that meeting happened and how it transpired. And so I'm interested to see more about that, but it did -- it was at least hopeful that we will continue to talk over the course of the weekend.

I look forward to moving forward on this. I came here to get the business of the people done. I'm two to into my job, and I really do want get to the down to the business of why I was elected by the people of my community, which is to worry about health care and making sure that we have opportunities to have great jobs and terrific education, and, frankly, it wasn't necessarily about building a concrete structure at the southern border.

BALDWIN: What about though -- yes. Here's the but. But President Trump did say, he confirmed what we heard from Leader Schumer when he was sitting next to Speaker Pelosi outside the White House after they'd had this whole conversation, which they contend was more contentious and lengthy at times.

He said that he did -- he will allow the government potentially to be shut down for months or years. The president said he said that.

HOULAHAN: Right.

BALDWIN: How would you respond to the president?

HOULAHAN: And that's very, very alarming.

And if I were one of those 800,000 people who are worried about their next paycheck and, therefore, worried about their rent and their food and their car payments, or, frankly, all of the people who benefit from the services of those 800,000 people, I would be very, very concerned that my government was obstructing the opportunities that I had to just be a common everyday citizen.

BALDWIN: Congresswoman Houlahan, the president does seem to be wavering on his wall, or at least his description of it going all the way back to his campaign. Have to call it a wall. You can call it steel, fencing. [15:15:01]

Does this help the case for your party?

HOULAHAN: So I actually was fascinated by the way that he sort of meandered through the -- through his conference and seemed to be wandering from one conversation to another and one set of words to another.

And I definitely thought I heard some sort of a movement on his part by talking more about steel. But I don't know that that necessarily changes anything in the conversation, which is that, first and foremost, we have a responsibility to the people who are here to have a government that is working.

And, right now, I come into this Congress with a government that is shut down. And I am incredibly enthusiastic about getting to work with the new folks who have just come in, with an incredible set of skills and the diversity of experiences. Cannot wait to get to work on behalf of the people to move those issues forward that are most critical to them.

BALDWIN: But so I'm hearing you correctly and then I -- we will head off -- you did hear an opening in the president talking about steel? That could be a potential opening for Democrats in negotiations?

HOULAHAN: I don't have any other way to see it, when it's clear that he has changed the conversation, than some sort of an opening.

BALDWIN: OK.

Congresswoman Chrissy Houlahan, good luck. Thank you.

HOULAHAN: Thank you. I appreciate that. I look forward to speaking to you more.

BALDWIN: Thank you.

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