MSNBC "Hardball" - Transcript: Interview with Rep. Adam Smith

Interview

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MATTHEWS: Well, for more, I`m joined by the chairman of the congressional  Armed Services Committee, Democratic Congressman Adam Smith of the state of  Washington.

Mr. Chairman, thank you.

What would you do if the president declares tomorrow from the border that  he`s going to take $4 billion or $5 billion from the Defense Department and  spend it on the wall?

REP. ADAM SMITH (D), WASHINGTON: Two things.

One, we would sue. A lot of different people would be involved in that,  because, if you look at the law that he`s referencing, it`s a 1976 law. I  don`t think this falls under the heading of a national emergency, as  defined in that law. I think it would clearly be an illegal act, and we`d  sue.

Second, on the Armed Services Committee, we would advance legislation to  block him from doing it. Now, obviously, the problem with that is whatever  we passed would have to get through the Senate and be signed by the  president. So it would really probably play out in the courts.

MATTHEWS: He says, we face a threat of drugs coming across the border.  That`s the big one that grabs most people, drugs. What can we do about it?

Is this like the swine flu thing that the president declared a national  mercy over? Can he claim that?

SMITH: Well, I mean, he can claim that.

But, look, border security is important. Democrats are all acknowledging  that. A wall is the exact wrong way to go about doing it, as most border  people will tell you. And we have invested massive amounts of money in  border security, so much so that the number of unauthorized entries into  the country are at historic lows.
We have fewer undocumented people in the country. We have invested in  Border Patrol agents. We have built a wall where it makes sense. The  president`s fixated on the wall, instead of focusing on what would really  work for border security.

MATTHEWS: There`s a lot of people who would like to see this, this  blockade basically of U.S. government activity end.

SMITH: Yes.

MATTHEWS: Like, there`s all kinds of ideas. A lot of people -- I argued  last night most people coming to this country are not coming here to do  evil. They are coming here to do well. They`re trying to get a job.

And they hear there might be a job in Chicago or Philly or somewhere, and  they`re going for it. That`s why they come to the country. They get the word from a cousin, there`s a job opening at this restaurant, there is job 
opening at this gas station. You got to get up here.

Should we allow guest workers? Is that a compromise?

SMITH: Absolutely.

That`s the larger problem, is the legal immigration system in this country  is broken. And under President Trump`s leadership, he`s made it more  difficult. He`s trying to block immigrants in every conceivable way.

Yes, we need comprehensive immigration reform to make the legal immigration  system better.

MATTHEWS: You would include possible a guest-worker program?

SMITH: Absolutely.

MATTHEWS: Let me ask you about this thing. You say that you would sue if  the president of the United States took $4 billion or $5 billion from  defense and spent it on the wall.

There is nothing else you can do legislatively? That`s it?

SMITH: Well, like I said, we can do it legislatively.

But I can also count. And the Republicans control the Senate. And the  president has to sign anything that we do legislatively.

MATTHEWS: That`s true.

Well, let`s take a look at something I think is a little bit sad and  ridiculous. Nearly 800,000 government employees don`t know when they`re  going to see their next paycheck, which is supposed to come this Friday,  but won`t, including more than 8,000 members of the Coast Guard`s civilian  work force.

According to "The Washington Post" tonight, the Coast Guard published a  list of suggestions to help them make it through the financial strain of  the shutdown. The recommendations include having a garage sale, getting a  baby-sitting job, a dog-walking job, or becoming a personal shopper.

What do you make of that? This is advice to actual federal employees.

SMITH: This is something we -- 800,000 people are suffering. The people  that they`re supposed to be serving are suffering.

And they`re suffering over a legislative policy dispute. And what the  president doesn`t -- I have had things that have been important to me that  I have worked on for a decade to try to get passed. That`s all this is, is  a legislative policy dispute.

You should not shut the government down over it. You should have a vote.  And if you don`t have the votes, you don`t have the votes. Then take your  case to the American people, win the next election, and go forward.
But to shut down the government every time you have a disagreement over  where we`re spending money, that`s a recipe for suffering and chaos. And  these people are suffering. And the president just blows right past that.

And I think your illustration shows how ridiculous it is.

MATTHEWS: It`s a sad illustration and a ridiculous one.

Thank you, U.S. Congressman Adam Smith, chairman of the Armed Services  Committee of the House of Representatives.

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