MSNBC "The Beat with Ari Melber" - Transcript: Interview with Rep. Ro Khanna

Interview

JOHNSON: Joining me now is Congressman Ro Khanna, Democrat from California. He`s on the leadership team of the House Progressive Caucus.

Thank you so much, Congressman.

I`m going to start with this. When we saw the Pandora Papers come out earlier this week, the idea that you have got multibillionaires who are paying a smaller percentage of their taxes than somebody working at Carl`s Jr., it offended me, it disgusted me, but it also struck me as the kind of thing of, like, we can`t keep going like this.

You will have bread riots and fights in the street. Do you think that your party, which is the closest thing we have to a progressive party in America, recognizes the urgency of addressing economic inequality?

REP. RO KHANNA (D-CA): We do.

And that is the president`s agenda. When you have three people in this country having more wealth than the bottom 50 percent, something is wrong. And what the president is saying is, tax my district, Silicon Valley. They made a tremendous amount of wealth. Tax it, so that everyone can have a fair shot at the American dream.

This isn`t entitlement. I mean, giving people education and health care, so they can compete in a 21st century economy, it`s not just fair. It`s pro growth, it`s pro-opportunity, it`s actually the smartest investment we can make in the 21st century economy.

JOHNSON: "The New York Times" has done a piece on, as I mentioned, this sort of new hit viral show "Squid Game," and the fact that most of the people in this show, they`re in debt not through irresponsibility. They just don`t make enough money to simply live.

And the idea that a show like this has connected so intimately with so many Americans shows the level of desperation that many of us feel. We`re way past the days of "Cribs" and "Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous." Americans feel like they`re willing to do anything to get out of debt.

When we think about the two biggest debts that people are faced with, education debt and health care debt, how does the president`s plan address either of those two issues going forward, assuming that they can get passed?

KHANNA: Well, on education, it makes community college free. So if you`re making 40,000, 50,000 bucks, and you want to try to get a credential to better your life, to get a new opportunity, now you can do so and you don`t have to go into debt to do it.

And it also makes preschool free, so that if you have young kids, you don`t have to pay an arm and a leg to give them a fair shot, so they`re not behind starting in kindergarten or first grade. And, on medical, it actually allows seniors to finally get -- go to a dentist, to get a hearing aid.

I mean, it`s outrageous, in this country, that we don`t have seniors covered to get a dental checkup, to get dental coverage or to get hearing aids.

JOHNSON: And I got to point out, Congressman, I think that`s really, really key.

A lot of people think that, say, dental care, that is some extra, just for free, stuff. Trust me, for dental problems turned into huge medical issues throughout the rest of your body if they`re not properly addressed.

The other party -- and I use that term generously because I think Republicans aren`t really interested in governing right now -- they have attack any of these programs as socialism.

I`m going to play you a clip of sort of their greatest hits on this and get your thoughts on the other side.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SEN. MITCH MCCONNELL (R-KY): Trojan horse for permanent socialism.

SEN. JOHN BARRASSO (R-WY): And this is government-run socialism. Every one of us is opposed to it.

SEN. KEVIN CRAMER (R-ND): Some human infrastructure package that`s just socialism.

MCCONNELL: To leave Americans with a socialist country.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

JOHNSON: I don`t know what government-run socialism is. Is that like barbecue-flavored barbecue chips.

Is it really socialism to create an economy that is fairer and more accessible to regular people? Am I missing something here? Did my political science degree not count much?

KHANNA: Jason, not at all?

I`d love to invite Senator McConnell, Senator Barrasso to my district, the heart of Silicon Valley. We produce $11 trillion of wealth. Let me tell you, no one is going to accuse Silicon Valley of being socialist.

And you know they will find when they look at Mark Zuckerberg`s story or if they look at Microsoft, Bill Gates` story, what they had? They had a great education, they had health care, they had those advantages starting out.

JOHNSON: Right.

KHANNA: And all we`re saying is, why can`t every American have that shot? They can succeed in a free market only if they have an education and the health to be able to compete in a market.

So, far from being socialism, this is about the best investment you can make in the American economy to have more people productive, especially if we want to compete with a billion people in China.

JOHNSON: And, also, Congressman, I want to add, in addition to they had great education, they had health care, they also had infrastructure.

You can`t make Internet billions if you can`t trust the Wi-Fi. Those of us who have the opportunity to travel abroad know how common it is to just have the Internet shut down in certain parts of the world. That doesn`t happen here.

Lastly, I want to make sure that we get to this. There is a member of your party -- again, I use that term generously -- Joe Manchin in the Senate, who has consistently said that he`s worried that the $3.5 trillion package may be creating an entitlement society, that there`s too much being given to people for free, that everything has to be means-tested.

Do you think the idea of giving people affordable health care and access to child care, is that going to make people entitled? Are people going to manage please start having more babies because they think the government will take care of them?

[18:30:04]

KHANNA: Absolutely not.

And I think Senator Manchin could be reasoned with. At least he has a proposal out, unlike Senator Sinema.

But the Ohio State -- former president of Ohio State answered this for me. I asked him, is there a disincentive to give people free college? And he said: "You know, Ro, all of my kids had free college. I paid for it. And they did just fine."

So the middle class and the affluent get a lot of things for free, and they do just fine. I think it`s offensive to say that giving basic education and health care is somehow going to disincentivize the working class. Far from it. It`s going to raise their aspiration, their ambition, and make them even more productive.

JOHNSON: Thank you so much, Congressman Ro Khanna.

Thank you for putting this all in perspective for us tonight.

KHANNA: Thank you.

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