Fox News "Fox News Sunday with Chris Wallace" - Transcript: Interview with Rick Scott
Interview
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BAIER: There are new calls for mask mandates in schools as the more
contagious delta variant causes a spike in COVID among children. In
Florida, a record number of children are now in the hospital with COVID-19.
Joining us now, Florida Senator Rick Scott.
Senator, welcome back to "FOX News Sunday".
SEN RICK SCOTT (R-FL): Good morning, Bret.
BAIER: Senator, we want to talk about COVID in just a bit, but I want to
get to this bipartisan infrastructure deal that's being worked on, on
Capitol Hill.
Do you think it can pass? Should it pass? A number of your Republican
colleagues have been working to try to get it across the finish line.
SCOTT: First, Bret, I want to bring -- I just want to bring up Coach Bobby
Bowden, who just passed away his morning, a legend in Florida, won two
national championships. And my heart goes out to his family.
You know, with regard to the infrastructure, I like infrastructure. I spent
$85 billion in my years as governor on roads, bridges, airports and
seaports. But, at the same time, I cut taxes and fees 100 times and I paid
off a third of the state debt.
We've got to start doing things responsibly. Less than half of this bill
has anything with roads -- has anything to do with roads, bridges,
airports, and seaports and we were promised all along that this thing would
be fully paid for, we would not run any deficits and the Congressional
Budget Office came out and said, no, it's going to run over a quarter
trillion dollars -- a quarter trillion dollars. One bill. One bill will
have a quarter trillion dollars in deficits.
And, by the way, Nancy Pelosi has said all along, she will not allow this
bill to go through the House unless they get their $5.5 trillion reckless
tax and spending bill done at the same time.
So, let's or member, if you help -- if you help get this done, you're
helping get the $5.5 trillion bill done.
BAIER: As you've talked about as governor, you talked a lot about
infrastructure, numerous campaigns you did the same. According to the White
House, the American Society of Civil Engineers gave Florida a C grade on
its infrastructure report card. A number of bridges and highways in poor
condition, said they called this bill the single largest dedicated bridge
investment since construction of the interstate highway system. They've got
Florida specifically receiving $13.1 billion in federal aid highway
apportion program, $240 million for bridge replacement, and it goes on and
on, the dollar figures for Florida alone.
So the question is, by opposing this bill that has been worked on, as I
mentioned, by a number of your Republican colleagues, are you preventing
Florida from getting some of the federal money to deal with these big
problems?
SCOTT: Oh, I'm all for infrastructure. I'm all for roads, bridges,
airports, and seaports. Let's do that. Let's just do what we just talked
about, roads, bridges, airports, and seaports, and let's do it in a
fiscally response manner. Let's don't go borrow more money because let's --
let's look at what's happened with inflation. Gas prices are up a buck in a
year. Food prices are up. What's it caused by? Government spending that's
not paid for. That's what's going on.
And, by the way, you know, everybody wants to talk about how they want to
spend money. No one wants to be honest with the American public, they're
raising your taxes. They're raising taxes on American. The middle class is
going to pay for this. So they want to talk about, oh, yes, we want to go
spend all this money. Here's the candy over here. But now that you have to
pay for all that, we don't want to talk about that.
And so we were promised this would be paid for. So let's do two things.
Let's have real infrastructure, let's live within our means, quit running
up the debt. We have almost $30 trillion worth of debt. And, by the way, we
passed a debt ceiling where we have to have a vote to raise the debt
ceiling. They can't spend this money because they're going to borrow more
money. So let's be honest with the American public, spend money on roads,
bridges, airports and seaports, do it responsibly like I did when I was
governor.
BAIER: Yes.
Senator, you're talking a lot about the deficit and debt. A number of
Republicans are. But it wasn't that way under the Trump administration. In
fact, if you look at the numbers, the debt went up at the end of fiscal
2020, $26.9 trillion. The Trump administration and Republicans added $6.7
trillion to the debt. That was since President Obama's last budget, a 33
percent increase. Understanding COVID had a big role in that, but there's
not a great track record for Republicans recently to tout themselves as
deficit debt hawks and now to be doing it here.
SCOTT: Oh, I did. I paid off -- I walked in as governor of Florida in 2011
with a $4 billion budget deficit, a state that increased its debt every
year by over a billion dollars and I, in eight years, working with the
legislature, growing our economy, we paid off a third of the state debt.
Since I've been up here, I've been talking about the debt, how debt --
excessive debt, excessive spending causes your family and the poorest
families the most money. It's causing inflation. It's causing ridiculous
inflation right now.
BAIER: But you're kind of a lone voice, aren't you, or one of them?
SCOTT: Oh, no, we had a caucus meeting where we said, we're not going to
raise the debt ceiling without -- all Republican senators said, we will not
raise the debt ceiling without structural change. That's what we all agreed
to do.
BAIER: But my point is, is that you did under the Trump administration
with no strings attached.
SCOTT: I've been up here two years, Bret. I am working my tail off. I'm
fed up with a government that can't live within their means. Every family
in this country has got to figure out how to live within their means.
I -- I grew up in a very poor family. My mom had to figure out how to put
food on the table without borrowing money. There was nobody that's just
going to go throw money at her. So we all have -- we all have to do it in
our personal lives. We have to do it as government. You can do it. Watch
how you spend the money.
Like on this bill, do it responsibly. Do roads, bridges, airports, and
seaports. Don't borrow money. Grow the economy.
BAIER: All right, Senator, I want to turn to COVID, if I could. Your state
has seen a rise -- a major rise in COVID cases, hospitalizations. This is
what the president said this week.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JOE BIDEN, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: But the state with the lowest
vaccination rates are seeing ten to 20 times as many new cases per hundred
thousand people. It's moving like wildfire through the unvaccinated
community. And it's heartbreaking.
Just two states, Florida and Texas, account for one-third of all new COVID-
19 cases in the entire country.
If some governors aren't willing to do the right thing to beat this
pandemic, then they should allowed businesses and universities who want to
do the right thing to be able to do it.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BAIER: Now, Florida makes up 6.5 percent of the U.S. population. And as
the president mentioned, it does account for nearly 22 percent of the
country's new COVID cases. You have 60 percent of the hospitals saying they
could see staffing shortages. You've got 187 children in the hospital there
in Florida, which is a record down there.
Yet during this time, Governor DeSantis, the Florida governor, signed an
executive order barring school districts from forcing kids and students to
mask up to protect their freedom to choose.
Should he have done that now?
SCOTT: Well, first off, I -- you know, my -- I have a lot of concern for
all the people that have gotten COVID. I had COVID. I get -- I -- but I --
you know, and I also took the vaccine. If you feel comfortable, I think
everybody ought to get the vaccine and you ought to do whatever you can to
take -- make sure your family's safe.
Here's what I think government ought to do, give us good information. I
mean here's what's been frustrating about this. This -- this -- since COVID
started it's been all political. Just give us good information. Americans
are smart. They'll make good decisions for their families. And we can't go
back to fear, fear that kills jobs, fear that shuts down schools, fears
that slows everything down because it hurts -- it hurts all families.
Here's what I believe we ought to do at every level of government. Let's be
honest. If you feel comfortable, get the vaccine. If you don't, figure out
how you're going to keep yourself safe. I mean that's what I believe we
ought to be doing. And I'm going to -- I'm going to do everything I can to
tell people, you know, that, you know, I've -- I've been comfortable with
the vaccine. I had COVID. I don't want anybody to get COVID.
BAIER: Do you think former President Trump and other senior Republicans
are doing enough talking about vaccinations and the need for the population
to get that to keep people safe?
SCOTT: Well, he -- he got the vaccine. I mean I think -- I mean I've done
everything I can to try to make sure people get -- are comfortable getting
the vaccine. I think that's what every Republican I know is trying to make
sure people get good information and just tell people, you know, if you
feel comfortable, get the vaccine. I mean it -- I talked to a good friend
this week that got sick because he didn't -- he didn't get vaccine and my
heart goes out to him and -- and his family. I -- I hope no one else gets
sick. It's -- you know, I've -- I've been blessed. I've got grandkids. I
don't want any of them to get sick. So, be careful.
But, you know, get -- let people make their choices. This is -- you know,
this is not a country where we need people telling us what to do. I love my
mom. I hate her telling me what to do. Give me good information. I'll make
a good decision.
BAIER: Speaking of former President Trump, do you believe he's going to
run in 2024?
SCOTT: I don't know. I mean I -- I mean, who knows? He -- there's a long
list of people that are talking about running in '24. So, we'll see. He's
raised a lot of money, I know that.
BAIER: Are you one of those on the list?
SCOTT: I'm not planning to run. I'm the chairman of the National
Republican Central Committee right now working to get -- make sure we get a
majority of Republicans back in the Senate so we can start acting fiscally
responsible and do the right thing for Americans.
BAIER: Is the former president, Trump, the leader of your party?
SCOTT: You know, I think the voters are the leaders. I -- you know, here's
what's interesting. I -- I ran as, you know, as an outsider in 2010 and
everybody -- everybody endorsed my opponent, every Republican in the
country, and they all said, oh, he -- you know -- you know, that all the
leaders have chosen him as the heir apparent and he was the leader of the
Republican Party in Florida at the time. I was able to win because I went
and I told people what I thought they -- I -- they wanted somebody to do.
That's who's going to win. The -- in the next election, the '22 election,
the '24 election is, who's got the right message and right background for
that time. And that's who's going to be -- that's -- but the voters are the
leader of the party.
BAIER: Well, last thing. You said you are the head of the NRSC. The former
president is taking credit for your fundraising. He put out a statement
saying that by using his name and likeness, that along with other
Republican groups, the National Republican Senatorial Committee raised
$51.2 million. He said because of Trump and the Republican Party is unified
behind Trump and the patriots continue to fuel this movement.
So, do you give the former president the credit for that fundraising, and
is the party unified behind former President Trump?
SCOTT: Well, first off, there's lots of fathers of success and, you know,
failures in (ph) orphan. So I -- and we've done a really good job --
there's a lot of people. The -- the president has been helpful, but, you
know, there's a lot of people that have been helpful. And if you look at
Republicans across the country, we're raising money because people are fed
up with the Biden agenda. They know it's not good for their families. They
don't want open borders, closed schools. They don't want all this
inflation. They -- they would like somebody that would stand up to help the
Cuban people.
So that's why -- I mean that -- that's why we're going to have a great win
in '22 and that's where we're raising money.
BAIER: Senator Scott, we appreciate your time. Thanks for talking to us.
SCOTT: Thanks.
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