CNN "CNN Newsroom" - Transcript: "Interview with Rep. Christina Houlahan"

Interview

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REP. CHRISSY HOULAHAN (D-PA): -- and also saying -- indicating that I and many others would be more than happy to go back to session. There's a train every hour from Philadelphia, and I'm really looking forward to the opportunity to going back and legislating on this. The people --

POPPY HARLOW, CNN ANCHOR, NEWSROOM: But --

HOULAHAN: -- of our communities, red and blue, are demanding that.

HARLOW: But do you really think politically something is different this time? We have heard the president say Mitch McConnell's going to do something, Mitch McConnell says it's going to be front and center. Do you believe that something is fundamentally different in the Senate now?

HOULAHAN: Every time something like this happens, sadly, I have more optimism that something will happen. And every time, nothing happens. And so I'd like to say that I'm more optimistic, I'd like to --

HARLOW: Right.

HOULAHAN: -- take the president at his word, that something will happen. But I've seen this before.

HARLOW: Let's talk about the economy, which is -- we just don't know which way it's going to go. The market's up today, it was down 800 points yesterday. We've got concerns in the bond market, with the inverted yield curve. And we've got a $22 trillion national debt, a trillion-dollar deficit by the end of this fiscal year.

You are seen as a moderate, yet you still voted yes for the budget deal a few weeks ago. It raises spending by $320 billion over existing spending caps. Why do you and those who voted for that in both parties think that America can afford it right now?

HOULAHAN: Well, we were heading towards a precipice where we were definitely going to see another government shutdown if we didn't come to some sort of an agreement. And the agreement that we came to was palpable on both sides for a variety of different reasons.

From a Democratic perspective, it talked a lot about making sure that the opposite side of the Defense Department was also seeing funding as well. And so I think it was sort of a necessary evil, a step to make sure that we didn't head towards that same precipice that I was sworn into, which was a shut-down government.

HARLOW: But respectfully, Congresswoman, is it really a necessary evil or is it an abdication of duty, from members of both parties, to make the hard choices to leave an economy for our children that is sustainable? I mean, you also --

HOULAHAN: I -- yes.

HARLOW: -- could have both given and said, "All right, we'll give on cuts here." Basically, the only thing you guys agreed to is to spend more.

HOULAHAN: So I agree with you. I think there is a large majority of us -- I'm part of a very large group of -- a caucus called the New Dems, that caucuses on exactly this issue, which is fiscal responsibility --

HARLOW: Right.

HOULAHAN: -- this agreement doesn't talk about exactly where we're going to spend. In fact, yesterday, I hosted, in my town, my hometown, a Fix the Debt kind of seminar, with community and members, just to see, using a simulation, what sort of hard choices the Congress needs to make to make sure that we balance the budget. So I am exactly in your camp, that we need to be --

HARLOW: Yes.

HOULAHAN: -- responsible, but we also need to create the headroom to be able to be responsible.

HARLOW: Yes. I just hope that members of both parties are willing to make those hard choices, right? Because otherwise we are leaving --

HOULAHAN: Absolutely.

HARLOW: -- our children an untenable situation.

HOULAHAN: Absolutely.

HARLOW: Let's move on here. You are part of a group of more moderate freshman members of Congress. Some news outlets have labeled you guys "the other Squad." I know you don't like that label, you think it's a little high schoolish. I hear you on that.

But I do wonder what your view is on the more progressive wing of the party, especially in the presidential race. I, just last hour, had Governor Steve Bullock of Montana on, and he said something that was striking. He said to me, "I do worry, we are on our way to losing this before we even begin," when I asked him about Senator Bernie Sanders or Senator Elizabeth Warren.

Do you believe that the most progressive candidates can win against Donald Trump in a general?

HOULAHAN: So, going back to, you know, the House itself, we are an enormously broad and diverse caucus. We all represent the communities that we come from. I have enormous respect for the more progressive members of my -- of my caucus. And we are also, as a House of Representatives, a diverse group.

So I work aggressively, both to the left of me and to the right of me. I'm making sure that I am attentive to all of the needs of my community. I do come from one of those purple places.

And so I really don't -- I do bristle a little bit about the need to try and "other" us from each other, because we really all need to work together. I want to make sure that we're breaking down walls rather than creating cliques. And I do think that the presidential candidate that needs to come forward, needs to be a person who can listen to all sides of a conversation, and not just one end of the spectrum or the other.

HARLOW: OK. So I know you're not endorsing today, that's very clear. But you are from Pennsylvania, as is one of the candidates, Joe Biden. Are you in the Biden camp as of now?

HOULAHAN: I'm enormously respectful of Mr. Biden. He is a tremendously capable candidate. And I do believe that the success of the 2020 election for Democrats, comes right through Pennsylvania. And so the kind of candidate that I'm looking for, will be somebody who can win Pennsylvania. And he certainly is a son of Pennsylvania.

HARLOW: Is there anyone else in the party right now who can win Pennsylvania, Congresswoman?

HOULAHAN: I think there are a handful of candidates that I think are doing a good job of running a good, strong campaign, and listening to the community. I think one of the things that we want to make sure that we're focused on is we agree -- not just Democrats but Republicans and Independents -- on the issues that keep us together: health care, quality health care, jobs, education and back to safe communities. Those are the things that a winning candidate on both sides will be talking about.

[10:35:21] HARLOW: Congresswoman Chrissy Houlahan, it's nice to have you on for the first time.

HOULAHAN: It's a pleasure to be here.

HARLOW: Come back. And, again, I'm just so sorry about what happened overnight in Philadelphia.

HOULAHAN: Thank you, I appreciate that very much --

HARLOW: Of course.

HOULAHAN: -- as does the community.

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