CNN "CNN Newsroom" - Transcript: Interview with Senator Bill Cassidy

Interview

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[10:25:00]

SCIUTTO: Welcome back.

New this morning, job numbers show that the economic recovery is stalling. The U.S. added 245,000 jobs in November. That's good news but it's half of what economists had expected. Things could get worse if there is no stimulus deal.

On the table right now, $900 billion in aid for Americans. President- elect Joe Biden said this last night about the latest proposal.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BIDEN: That would be a good start. It's not enough. And they should focus on the things that are immediately needed, and what's immediately needed is relief for people in their unemployment checks, relief for people who are going to get thrown out of their apartments after Christmas because they can't afford to pay the rent anymore, relief on mortgage payments, relief on all the things that are in the original bill the House passed.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SCIUTTO: Well, Republican Senator Bill Cassidy of Louisiana is working on that bipartisan plan for stimulus. He joins us now to speak about it. Senator, thanks so much for taking the time this morning.

SEN. BILL CASSIDY (R-LA): Hey, Jim, thank you.

SCIUTTO: So, you're part of the team. You heard some of the things that the president-elect ticked off there, extra unemployment benefits, eviction protection, some of which are in this proposal. Simplest question, you're part of this team, will Congress make a deal?

CASSIDY: I think we will. The only thing that can pass is something, which is bipartisan. This is bipartisan in both the Senate and the House. The chamber of commerce have endorsed, Pelosi and Schumer have endorsed, President Trump says he would sign it if it comes to his desk, Biden has endorsed. So, we're kind of lining up everything we need to get this relief package through. I think we can.

[10:30:00]

SCIUTTO: So, the figure is about $900 billion here. And that involves Republicans coming up, Democrats coming down on the desired figure.But so far it's just a framework. Will you have a detailed plan for folks to look at and vote on by next week?

TEXT: COVID-19 Relief Proposal: $300/week in enhanced federal unemployment benefits; Continued pause on student loan payments; Eviction moratorium; Additional funding for Paycheck Protection Program; $16 billion for vaccine development/distribution and COVID testing/tracing; Allow gig workers to file for unemployment insurance; Extend unemployment insurance to 39 weeks

SEN. BILL CASSIDY (R-LA): Yes we will. We're working on that today and all weekend to see if we can get a move beyond the framework into something which is actually more legislative language. Now, it may not be voted on next week, but it is our goal that my Senate and House colleagues will be able to look at this and say, OK, maybe a detail or two more to work out, but we move beyond a framework into kind of a fleshed out. We anticipate having that ready.

SCIUTTO: Because folks watching right now have heard similar hope before -- and that's been dashed, sadly -- can you make a commitment here that you and your colleagues will pass something before you leave for the holidays?

CASSIDY: So I'm only one of 100 and I'm not in the House. So I can't tell you what bill -- we're not a dictatorship. But we do think the way we have framed this is the way our founding fathers expected us to. Party is not the issue, it is the needs of the American people. With bipartisan groups in the House and the Senate working first with ourselves in good will and then with our leadership including the president. Now, that's how we anticipate doing this.

I will also say that we've got a delicate balance. I call it the see- saw or the teeter-totter. Both sides have given, and both sides have received. And neither has received everything, but both received much of what we think the American people need. If we can keep that balance, we'll get it through.

SCIUTTO: Yes. I think people would welcome compromise. Let's talk about COVID if we can. You're, of course, a doctor, yourself were infected. You know this personally. The sad fact is that the numbers are spiking here, and it's not -- you know, taking into account party, red state, blue state, it's happening across the country right now.

But we are still not seeing the president focusing on this. Again this morning, he's tweeting election fraud claims that just don't have basis. Does the country need the president to speak up now, to lead now in your view?

CASSIDY: I don't know if -- Jim, I guess we're just going to have to disagree on this. Vaccine is shipping on December 14th. No, vaccine has already shipped, it'll be approved on December the 14th and probably administered in the first patient on the 14th, certainly on the 15th. That's what we need: widespread deployment and acceptance of immunization, that's the focus.

In the meantime, individual Americans, sneeze into your sleeve, wear your mask, wash your hands, do socially distanced, do all the things we know that can decrease transmission. I think it's more to do with individual responsibility than somebody hectoring me from on high.

SCIUTTO: I understand. Well, I'm talking about what gets us from today to the point where hundreds of millions of Americans have this vaccine, which is still many months off. You heard the president-elect call for asking Americans, when he takes office, for 100 days to wear a mask. You're a doctor, would you support such a call?

CASSIDY: Well, it depends. I mean, yes, in general speaking, wearing a mask is a good thing to do if you're in certain areas of transmission, absolutely. If you're on the beach and there's a nice breeze blowing off the ocean, do you need to wear a mask? Your risk of transmission's incredibly low. If you're walking down the street and somebody is, you know, across the street, they're not wearing a mask, it poses no risk to you.

So as a physician, I have to admit I have to just pause on rhetoric and say, well, what exactly do you mean? If you're in a restaurant and you're not eating, absolutely wear your mask.

SCIUTTO: Right.

CASSIDY: So I want to move beyond what has almost become hysteria in some points, into a little bit of, OK, American people, let's be straight.

SCIUTTO: Let's talk about the election. Joe Biden told my colleague Jake Tapper last night that he's received calls privately from several GOP senators. You're among the few -- to your credit -- who have publicly acknowledged Biden's victory, but the leadership of the Senate has not. We're more than a month after the election, is it time for Republican leaders to say Biden won this election, he's the president-elect?

CASSIDY: I can't speak for the leaders, but I can say the most important thing is that President Trump ordered the General Services Administration to begin the transition. I know that McConnell has acknowledged that Biden is most likely going to be the next president and has begun that sort of transition, if you will, in terms of how we get there.

So I can't speak to, you know, what people's public comments are. I can speak to what their actions are, and I do think that transition is taking place.

SCIUTTO: Most likely though, come on, the results have been certified, there have been recounts in Georgia. What do you mean -- the Republican leaders congratulated President Trump within days of his victory in 2016. Why don't you see the damage of feeding this false sense that this election was stolen?

[10:35:04]

CASSIDY: As you mentioned, I am somebody who has said that based upon the results in Michigan, Biden was over 270, and so we should acknowledge that victory. I can only speak for myself, I can't speak for others but I have spoken on the topic.

SCIUTTO: Well, that's to your credit, Senator Bill Cassidy, we appreciate it and thanks for joining the program this morning.

CASSIDY: Hey, thank you.

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