CNN "Newsroom" - Transcript Interview with Ro Khanna

Interview

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[14:19:59]

CABRERA: Joining us now is Democratic Congressman Ro Khanna of California. He sits on the House Oversight and Reform Committee which oversees the postal service.

Congressman, good to have you here. I spoke to your colleague Gerry Connolly yesterday. And he is calling for the postmaster general's resignation. Do you believe DeJoy needs to resign?

REP. RO KHANNA (D-CA): Absolutely. I mean this is more serious in my opinion than the Ukraine issue. This is more serious than Russian interference.

You have a postmaster general who is deliberately removing mail sorting machines, coincidentally in battleground states and maybe disenfranchising millions of people. It is unacceptable. We need to immediately have him removed. We need to give the postmaster general money with specific instructions of what needs to be done to safeguard people's right to vote.

CABRERA: I want to come back to the money issue in just a second. But what do you make of this announcement that the postal service will stop removing the collection boxes ahead of the election now?

KHANNA: Well, that is not the main issue. I mean I'm glad they are doing this. But the main issue is that they have cut the staff (INAUDIBLE) time, people can't work overtime. They are cutting staff. They are removing mail sorting machines.

So there are structural issues at the post office that are going to make it very difficult for mail-in ballots to get in time to be counted. And it is deliberate.

CABRERA: Well he says that yes, those changes are deliberate. DeJoy admits that. That that's part of a restructuring that needed to happen. He says they're necessary because of funding issues. And he says the changes they are making will help save money, will streamline processes, will create more efficiency at the postal service.

But he acknowledges there is unintended consequences happening. So if they hit pause on this restructuring, are you ok with him staying in his position? KHANNA: I'm not. I mean give me a break. Four months before the

election they're going to undertake restructuring? I have never in my four years in Congress had a federal agency come and do cuts before asking Congress for money.

And here Congress is saying we're willing to give you the money, the House passed the money three months ago. If he needed more resources to avoid cuts, why couldn't he have come to Congress and gotten those resources?

So this is a deliberate attempt, in my view, to slow down mail delivery right before a critical election.

CABRERA: Congressman CNN is learning that the House Democratic leadership held a call late yesterday to discuss the possibility of returning to Washington. What are you hearing about when the House will return?

KHANNA: I know we have a conference call tomorrow to discuss this issue. We spoke with the Speaker yesterday as a California delegation and this is on the top of her priority list.

I mean this is very serious. Our members are concerned about the implication this is to have a fair election with every (INAUDIBLE) itself. I hope we return and I know we're speaking about it as a caucus tomorrow.

CABRERA: As you know, Congress went on recess without the funding for the post office. I know that you passed this bill previously, but there hasn't been a deal. So there is, you know, no new funding for the post office. There's no new help for unemployed Americans.

Chief of staff Mark Meadows, he pointed the finger at speaker Pelosi. Listen to this.

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MEADOWS: I'm all about piece meal. If we can agree on postal, let's do it. If we can agree on stimulus checks, let's do it. I've been the one that's advocating for that.

TAPPER: Right.

MEADOWS: Speaker Pelosi is the one who said that she won't do anything unless it is a big deal. We offered $10 billion for the postal service. Yes.

TAPPER: Yes.

MEADOWS: And now it has changed because her whole dynamic -- political dynamic has changed. But when she's in the room, when you say will you do it piecemeal, the answer has been consistently no. She's got to answer for that to the American people.

(CROSSTALK)

TAPPER: It sounds like there is common ground here -- it sounds like there's some common ground here.

MEADOWS: There is yes.

TAPPER: Because Pelosi has said she is willing to do a standalone bill. And she can bring the House back within 24 hours.

MEADOWS: If she's willing to do a standalone bill -- ok, all right. Ask her, ask her is she willing to do a standalone bill for stimulus checks for American people that are hurting. Ask her that.

TAPPER: Yes. She said on Friday she's willing to do it. So hopefully -- she is. But let me ask you --

MEADOWS: We'll try that --

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CABRERA: Is it true, Congressman? Is Speaker Pelosi saying yes in public and no behind the scenes?

KHANNA: No. I mean, she has said that we will do a separate bill on the post office. But it is important to realize, it is not enough to just say $10 billion because that money may not get spent. It may not get spent in the right way. Congress is going to have to be very specific to instruct how that money is spent so we have enough people who are doing the delivery so we have enough mail sorting machines. And so it is frankly a criminal violation to go against that statute.

And the Speaker has said she is willing to do that. So I don't understand where that comment is coming from.

CABRERA: So I guess as an American, I imagine people are watching thinking, well, I don't understand then if everybody agrees, a standalone bill is a go, why it is not happening?

[14:24:58]

KHANNA: Well, the reason it is not happening is that the Republican numbers have been too low. I mean they came in originally with $200 for unemployment. The Speaker has said that that is not enough to put food on the table, to pay rent. And so we're not going to have some deal at a very low number which leaves most Americans out to dry.

And what we've been saying is if you come up with a proper number that allows us to get those unemployed the $600, that gets a stimulus and that gets the states and localities the relief they need so that they are not laying off people, we will do it.

CABRERA: Well, let me ask you about the DNC. It kicks off this week. The party will formally name the Biden-Harris national ticket. It's also when the party sets its platform. And you have said that you will vote no on this platform. Why?

KHANNA: Well I'm very strongly supporting vice president Biden and Kamala Harris as a ticket, but I don't think in good conscience we can support a platform that doesn't have Medicare for all. We've had millions of people lose their jobs. Medicare for all was part of our Democratic Party platform until 1980. We need to at this moment say health care shouldn't be dependent on your employment. Healthcare should be a universal right.

CABRERA: Congressman Ro Khanna, thanks so much for joining us.

KHANNA: Thank you, Ana.

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