CNN "State of the Union" - TRANSCRIPT Interview With Rep. Pramila Jayapal (D-WA); Interview With Rep. Josh Gottheimer (D-NJ); Interview With Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick (R-PA); Interview With Sen. Marco Rubio (R-FL); Interview With U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg. Aired 9-10a ET

Interview

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Joining us now, Democrat Josh Gottheimer of New Jersey and Republican Congressman Brian Fitzpatrick of Pennsylvania. They are the heads of the bipartisan Problem Solvers Caucus.

Thanks to both of you for being here.

Congressman Gottheimer, let me start with you, because you have said both sides need to have constructive conversations about America's long-term fiscal health.

Well, what does that mean exactly? Are you saying that Democrats should, need to accept some spending cuts in order to avoid a default? And, if so, what cuts are you willing to support?

REP. JOSH GOTTHEIMER (D-NJ): I mean, I think it's irresponsible not to have the conversation, just like it's irresponsible to default on our responsibilities as a country and put the full faith and credit of the United States at risk, which is exactly why Brian and I and the Problem Solvers Caucus are working on this.

We understand that we have to have a conversation about the long-term economic and fiscal health of the country and make sure we raise the debt ceiling. So, obviously, we're not going to have the debate and negotiation here.

But I will tell you, Jake, we're hard at work on it. We have got a task force on it. And we believe we have got to actually take action, because putting people's 401(k)s and the full faith and credit of the United States and our standing of the world at risk is unacceptable.

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TAPPER: And, Congressman Gottheimer, President Biden and Speaker McCarthy met at the White House for more than an hour over the last week. They agreed to keep talking.

If their negotiations fall through, is that what you are doing, working on a Plan B that actually will become law, as Congressman Fitzpatrick just suggested?

GOTTHEIMER: I mean, our hope, of course, is that leadership and the White House are able to work something out.

Obviously, you saw Social Security and Medicare taken off the table this week. There's progress, and there's hopefully progress in all discussions going forward, but we have to keep -- keep working, because the worst thing that could happen is we get to a point this summer where, suddenly, we can't raise the debt ceiling and the full faith and credit of the United States is at risk and we don't pay our debts.

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That's unacceptable. You can't not pay your bills. So, that's why Brian and I and the Problem Solvers Caucus are at work at that, hopefully coming up with a solution that's a backup plan or one that the White House turns around and leadership turns around says, yes, that's a good idea, let's go with that one.

But, as Brian said, that's exactly what happened in the infrastructure package. We worked last Congress, with just a four-seat majority, to get so much done, whether we're talking about everything from gun safety, to building ships in the United States, to helping our veterans, and supporting law enforcement, all of that done in a bipartisan way.

We believe we should keep talking and make sure we try to make progress here.

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TAPPER: And, Congressman Gottheimer, President Biden's State of the Union address this week is likely going to double as a reelection pitch.

He will be 86 years old by the end of his second term, should he get one. Do you have any reservations about Biden being the Democratic Party's nominee in 2024?

GOTTHEIMER: No.

And I think, this week, what you're going to see -- and I'm looking forward to it. I, in my old life, was a speechwriter, so I'm anxious for all those speechwriters right now. But what's really important is laying out agenda for our country and for these -- for the next year. And, as Brian said, fixing the debt ceiling is a key part of this, but also working together and showing that we can come together, even in a narrowly divided government like we're facing now.

We showed how much we can get done. We have a lot to get done, from opioids to mental health issues to immigration, to more affordability for the country. So, I'm hopeful what we see -- and Brian and I will be sitting together -- what we see is a strong speech for the country. Country first here.

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