CNN "The Lead with Jake Tapper" - Transcript: Interview with Pramila Jayapal

Interview

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REP. PRAMILA JAYAPAL (D-WA): Well, Jake, the first thing is when we looked at this, what we looked at were our five priorities. The Progressive Caucus has priorities in this package. We laid those out almost two and a half months ago. And the really good news is they are all contained within this package.

We don't know the exact details, the levels of funding, we still need to get to that. I think that this is a big down payment. It's big momentum. And we're very proud of having put our priorities forward and fought for them, some of which weren't in the original family's plan proposal, including Medicare expansion.

[17:20:12]

The second piece is, we're going to continue to fight for everything that we put -- that we laid out. We understand that we're not going to get the level of investment that I had hoped that we were going to get, but it's never been about the top line number. It's always been about what are we going to deliver to people.

Can we say to Americans that we really are going to give them the opportunity to send their kids to a free community college, to get health care, to deal with the planet and, you know, the burning of the -- I'm sitting here in Seattle right now, the burning of the West, that's happening and all of the climate effects of that?

Are we going to be able to say to people, we're going to invest in housing? And are we going to say to those essential immigrant workers that we will take care of you after you took care of us. And the good news is, all of those in some form are in this.

TAPPER: Yes.

JAYAPAL: As are the tax increases, which are extremely wealthy for tax fairness for our Progressive Caucus members.

TAPPER: Well, you sounded very positive there. But you didn't say you support it. Earlier today, Senator Sanders, the Chairman of the Senate Budget Committee, defended the proposal. Take a listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) SEN. BERNIE SANDERS (I-VT), BUDGET COMMITTEE CHAIRMAN: This is the most consequential program in the modern history of this country. Could impact millions of working-class people, very proud of what we've accomplished. Thank you.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

TAPPER: So, Sanders is in favor. Are you?

JAYAPAL: Well, we don't know yet. We haven't seen everything that's in there. And until we do, we can't give a definitive answer. We're going to push -- I can tell you from what I've heard, we're going to push for more money for the care economy. We know that there are some climate provisions we care very much about, we want to make sure that they're included.

So, I think we're, you know, we feel very good about this step. But we can't give a firm commitment until we actually see what's in there. And we get to the final piece.

But Jake, I just have to tell you, you know, two and a half months ago, we laid out our priorities. People said you're not going to get all that in there. And today, we see that progressives inside Congress, outside Congress, of course, with Senator Sanders' leadership have really made that happen. And it will change lives for Americans.

People will feel the difference when they wake up in the morning. And they know that they -- that government has their back.

TAPPER: The budget proposal, if it passes, would likely have a lot of the issues that you've been championing. New commitments to Medicaid and Obamacare, paid leave programs, child tax credits, climate change, measures two years free community college, a path to citizenship for some immigrants. I guess the question is, is perfect going to be the enemy of the good for Democrats? This is certainly a lot of Democratic priorities, and it is a lot of money.

JAYAPAL: Yes, absolutely. And let's be clear, we helped make that happen. So no, perfect is not going to be the enemy of the good, because as you know, we thought that the total investment that was needed would be somewhere between six and 10 trillion.

But we've seen this as a massive down payment, we will push to get as much as we can in the House and make sure that these priorities are really, you know, cemented in there. But we're looking forward to seeing the details. And we're going to continue to push hard on the pieces that we think still need to be strengthened. But we feel very optimistic about this big step that the Senate has taken in the fact that our priorities are all contained within the framework.

TAPPER: There's a group of House Democrats and Republicans called the "Problem Solvers" caucus. It's a bipartisan group, they tried to work together, it's a lot of moderates. Two Republican members of the caucus have already said that this budget proposal, $3.5 trillion, impacts their potential willingness to support the smaller bipartisan infrastructure deal.

Are you worried at all about losing the little Republican support that the infrastructure deal already has? I know, in the past you -- I think you've said that you'd rather have a bigger Democratic plan than a smaller bipartisan plan?

JAYAPAL: Well, I've doubted from the very beginning that there are going to be 10 Republicans that are willing to get along -- go along with a bipartisan deal, because Mitch McConnell, two and a half months ago said that 100 percent of his focus is on stopping the Biden agenda. When there was a bipartisan deal that emerge, great. I'm supportive of that, assuming we like what's in it obviously. Seemed like we mostly liked it.

But are there 10 Republicans? I still don't know. I don't -- I haven't seen 10 Republicans come out in support of that. So you know, to me, it has always been that we can do that but we're not going to give up on the vision that we have laid out for Americans to wake up every morning and feel differently about their opportunities and, you know, and their livelihoods. So, that's what this reconciliation packages, that's where my attention has been.

[17:25:08]

And to me, you can't move one without the reconciliation package. Our members have been very clear about that.

TAPPER: Washington State Congresswoman Jayapal, thank you so much. Good to see you again.

JAYAPAL: Thank you, Jake.

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