CNN "The Lead with Jake Tapper" - Transcript: Interview with Mark Warner

Interview

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BROWN: We're going to be very busy covering all of that then.

All right. Phil Mattingly, thank you so much.

And here to discuss, Democratic Senator Mark Warner of Virginia. He's chairman of the Intelligence Committee and is a member of the Budget Committee.

Nice to see you, Senator.

So you helped create the bipartisan infrastructure bill. But how Speaker Pelosi has said she won't bring it to a vote until the Senate completes work on the budget resolution. Do you agree with moderate House Democrats who are urging Pelosi to put this up for a vote now?

SEN. MARK WARNER (D-VA): Pamela, let's, first of all, at least take a moment and realize what the Senate will either later tonight or first thing tomorrow do. For 30 years, presidents of both parties have talked about making record investments in infrastructure. We all see that in bridges that are decaying, roads that have got potholes, airports that are third world. We know post-COVID, we need broadband in every community. We know

we've got aging water systems. We know we need to move to a greener energy grid.

You know, this bipartisan -- and I believe we'll get close to 20 Republicans -- after 30 years is going to get done tomorrow. And it's enormously popular.

Over 70 percent of Americans, Democrats, Republicans, independents, have all said, let's get this done.

Now, I can't predict what's going to take place in the House. But I think this is a good bill. I think it's got great merits. I think the American people want it.

And I think as we build back better to use the president's term, building back a 21st century infrastructure is core to making sure the economy comes back strong.

BROWN: OK. So back to my original question, should the House take it up now? Do you agree with those House Democrats, moderate Democrats?

WARNER: Listen, trying to predict what happens in the House is way above my pay grade.

BROWN: I know. But what do you think should happen?

WARNER: And I also know that Speaker Pelosi's been doing this stuff for a lot longer than I've ever even been senator.

So they will play that out. But I do think this broadly bipartisan infrastructure bill needs to get done. And the sooner, the better.

But I will leave the internal machinations of house politics to my house colleagues. They have not interfered in the long slog it's taken us to get to this point in the Senate. We're hopefully going to complete our business on infrastructure tomorrow. And then we do move to the first step of what's called the budget reconciliation.

And for viewers all that means is there's going to be a blueprint, but all of the details about what we'll do for childcare, what we can do in terms of providing a tax cut for working families, what we can do in terms of making community college more affordable or free, what we're going to do to lower prescription drug prices, that will definitely be the subject of a great deal of back and forth in negotiations over the next two to three months.

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BROWN: So, as you point out, the budget resolution was released today, and it would greenlight a slew of priorities for Democrats, some controversial, including providing permanent status for qualified immigrants.

How do you justify including immigration in a budget bill? WARNER: Well, you justify it because of the fact that for the last 15

to 20 years, we have left people in the shadows, because we've not dealt with immigration. I tell you in my state, in Virginia, about 40 percent of all the new tech companies that have been started, are started by first generation Americans.

I think, we need to give that kind of clarity, starting with the DACA kids who were brought here by their parents, with no say of their own, and, frankly, in a broader way to be undocumented, give them a path to a legal status.

We've not been able to do that in the past. I don't think we can wait forever. I think, frankly, as you see an economy that needs more workers, we need to bring folks who have paid their taxes and have -- do the hard work that is needed.

We hear business after business say they need more workers. I think in giving these undocumented a path to legal status will help provide that workforce as well as move our country forward.

BROWN: I want to ask you about another topic that's on a lot of minds of lawmakers. I imagine like yourself. The F.B.I. and Homeland Security, they have issued warnings that the big lie narratives will contribute to additional violence by domestic extremists. And sources tell us that some lawmakers are worried about security before they head home for August recess.

As the Senate Intelligence Committee Chairman, what are you hearing?

WARNER: Well, Pamela, it is shocking to me that -- and unfortunate for all of us, no matter where you fall in the political spectrum that what the Intelligence Community and the F.B.I. has called domestic violent extremists. The F.B.I. ranks that as a threat level that's virtually as serious as the kind of Islamic terrorists that people have been talking about for some time.

And that's a fairly stunning commentary on our country in 2021, and I think, perpetrated in many ways, by the kind of big lie about the election that Donald Trump put out, some of the anti-vaxxers rhetoric that has allowed our country to go back into this frankly, delta variant at a much higher level than if we'd all done what was driven by science and got vaccinated.

I think we have to be on guard. I hope members' safety, and people will be responsible. But as we saw on January 6th, there are people that think they can take the law into their own hands, and it is incumbent upon our law enforcement professionals, the F.B.I. and the Intelligence Community to treat this threat seriously.

And what's unfortunate is, we are seeing similar type activities, not so much simply focused around elections, but particularly around white supremacist groups, also pop up in countries like Norway, the U.K., and Germany. There is some international collaboration going on.

BROWN: Wow. All right, Senator Mark Warner, thank you.

WARNER: Thank you.

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