CNN "CNN Newsroom" - Transcript: Interview with Pramila Jayapal

Interview

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BLACKWELL: With us now is Democratic congresswoman from Washington State, Pramila Jayapal.

Congresswoman, thank you for being with us.

You just heard that this could get the next vote, this infrastructure deal, sometime this evening. What do you know about this bill?

REP. PRAMILA JAYAPAL (D-WA): Very little. You know, none of the details are out, as Manu said, so we're waiting to see what it is. I'm with the speaker here. We said three months ago at the congressional progressive caucus that

we would not move a bipartisan infrastructure bill without the $3.5 trillion reconciliation package that has all of the important issues that we have put forward from the care economy, getting women back to work, addressing health care, immigration, housing, a critical issue across the country, and of course climate change.

So we are waiting to see what the bipartisan bill has. But nothing has changed in terms of for us.

There are not going to be the votes in the House for a bipartisan bill without the reconciliation bill at $3.5 trillion because that's what we need in order to deliver on these promises.

So I'm looking forward to what they came up with, but the two have to move together.

CAMEROTA: But, Congresswoman, wouldn't it be a shame, after all of the blood, sweat and tears that apparently have gone into this bipartisan deal, 10 Republicans, 10 Democrats, they have worked -- we are told, they have worked hours and hours late into the evening for that not to go anywhere?

The fact that you're tying these two together, don't you want to take a win where you can get it in terms of bipartisanship on infrastructure?

JAYAPAL: I want the American people, Alisyn, to get a win. The American people are not going to get a win if we simply invest in roads and bridges but don't take on climate change.

If we simply say we're going to create good jobs but don't let women get back into the workforce.

If we don't do anything about health care at a time when the pandemic cases are rising again.

[14:40:04]

Yes, we want to win desperately. There's an urgency to people across this country who are struggling to make it.

The bipartisan bill is fine. It's a small piece of everything that we have to get done.

But we've been clear from the beginning. We believe this should have been one big bill. Some people wanted to do a smaller bipartisan bill.

But let me make it clear, 20 Senators is not the United States Congress. Every one of us is going to have to buy into the bipartisan bill and to the reconciliation bill. I get that.

As you know, I was pushing for $6 trillion. We're down to $3.5 trillion. So let's be very clear this is about delivering for the urgent needs people across the country have. That's who we have to get a win for. BLACKWELL: Listen to another topic, and it's the testimony that we

heard from four members of law enforcement there yesterday in front of the select committee.

We know that Republicans there in the House say that they are moving forward on an investigation. Their goal, they say, is to support the Capitol Police because, they say, Nancy Pelosi, although it is not her job, did not secure the capitol. That's not her role.

I want you to listen to some of the members of the caucus, the Republican conference, I should say, who did not watch or listen to what happened yesterday.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED REPORTER: Did you watch any of the hearing today?

SEN. MITCH MCCONNELL (R-KY): No, I didn't.

UNIDENTIFIED REPORTER: Why not?

MCCONNELL: I was busy doing work. I serve in the Senate.

REP. JAMIE RASKIN (D-MD): I'm asking, did you watch the testimony of the capitol officers who defended our lives on January 6th or did you not? It's a yes or no question.

REP. ANDREW CLYDE (R-GA): It's irrelevant.

(CROSSTALK)

CLYDE: It's absolutely irrelevant to this right here.

(CROSSTALK)

REP. MO BROOKS (R-AL): I didn't watch it. I don't know what happened.

UNIDENTIFIED REPORTER: Do you believe their testimony at all? You've heard what they have said in the past, haven't you?

BROOKS: It's difficult to have an opinion on whether you believe somebody when you haven't heard what they had to say.

UNIDENTIFIED REPORTER: Well, many of them said that they feared for their lives, sir. Do you think that that was true?

BROOKS: If they said that, I agree 100 percent.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BLACKWELL: Your reaction to those members who profess to have the interest of the Capitol Police and Metro Police but didn't even watch the hearing?

JAYAPAL: It's disgraceful. We have to, as a country, come to terms with what happened on January 6th. And there's an incredibly big gulf between some people, who promote or

continue to believe in the Big Lie, continue to believe that nothing happened on January 6th, have tried to whitewash it, and the people who know what the truth is.

Either because we were there or we watched it or we watched that powerful testimony from the officers yesterday.

This is fundamental if we are going to move forward. There has to be truth telling. There has to be accountability. And then perhaps there's some opportunity for us, as a country, to save our democracy and to be able to move forward.

CAMEROTA: Congresswoman, while we have you, tell us about this bill that you are reintroducing, the Domestic Workers Bill of Rights Act.

JAYAPAL: Alisyn, I'm so excited about this National Domestic Workers Bill of Rights. We will be reintroducing it tomorrow.

It is essentially a protection, civil rights protections for two million domestic workers, primarily women of color, that were left out of the protections of the Civil Rights Act.

And so what this bill does is it actually includes them into the Civil Rights Act, allows them the protections of that act.

But also adds a few protections around things like safe scheduling and having a voice on the job in terms of being able to determine what the key things are for domestic workers to be able to work with dignity.

So I'm so proud of this because this was a bill I introduced with Senator Kamala Harris in the last Congress.

President Joe Biden on the campaign trail said he would sign this bill into law.

We are now going to be introducing it tomorrow with just a phenomenal group of co-sponsors and giving hope to domestic workers who, of course, have been at the front lines of this pandemic with the care industry in so many ways.

CAMEROTA: Congresswoman Pramila Jayapal, thanks for being here and giving your insight into all of these issues.

JAYAPAL: Thank you, Alisyn.

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