MSNBC "Interview With Senator John Barrasso" - Transcript

Interview

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MS. BREWER: Joining us now is Senator John Barrasso, a Republican from Wyoming. Senator, good to see you today.

SEN. BARRASSO: Good to be with you, Contesssa.

MS. BREWER: Let me ask you: Is the president likely to get any more participation from Republicans in the Senate?

SEN. BARRASSO: Well, we want to have some input. We want to make some changes. We will bring amendments. We want to work together. The president came and visited with us at lunch on Tuesday. We had a good give-and-take to talk about the issues. But Republicans want to make sure that this is a bill that actually stimulates the economy, we get the results. And I think we need to fix housing first -- that's what got us into this mess in the first place -- and then create jobs. And there's ways to do that.

When I look at this bill, though, there's a lot of spending for things that don't fit into that category. You know, there's more money in this bill for food stamps and for unemployment benefits than there are for roads and highways and bridges. And those are the projects that we need to stimulate the economy.

MS. BREWER: The president seems to suggest, though, Senator, that housing should come in a separate bill altogether. Would you put housing in a stimulus bill?

SEN. BARRASSO: Well, the housing is the thing that got us in this situation in the first place. The bailout project was supposed to deal with that. It didn't. You know, I voted against the bailout plan. But I think that we need to fix housing first, and we can do that with low-interest loans, fixed 30 years for people who qualify for loans. That's the way to get this economy moving again.

MS. BREWER: The House majority leader, Steny Hoyer, talked a bit about those Republicans who oppose this package. Let me play what he said and then talk to you on the other side.

HOUSE MAJORITY LEADER STENY HOYER (D-MD): (From recorded clip.) The opposition to this bill can speak out against this recovery plan all they want, but their policies have not worked. And Americas -- Americans voted for change. They voted for a new direction. That's what we're going to (give them ?).

MS. BREWER: What's your response to that? I mean, under the Republicans, we saw the largest expansion of the federal government since FDR's New Deal, and now the chance to attack a bill that truly Americans -- many Americans are waiting for.

SEN. BARRASSO: My concern is this bill is the biggest spending bill in the history of the world. And I have to tell you, Contessa, a trillion dollars is a terrible thing to waste.

MS. BREWER: Yeah.

SEN. BARRASSO: You know, we're going to have one shot at this, and if you don't get it right, I don't know what you do after that. But the debt is mounting. This is unsustainable. We're looking at a wall of debt. And we need to do a better job.

MS. BREWER: Senator Barrasso, one more question for you here. Rush Limbaugh wrote an op-ed in The Wall Street Journal today, his bipartisan stimulus plan. He says, "Under the Obama-Limbaugh Stimulus Plan of 2009, 54 percent of the $900 billion -- $486 billion -- will be spent on infrastructure and pork as defined by Mr. Obama and the Democrats; 46 percent -- $414 billion -- will be directed toward tax cuts, as determined by me. Then we compare. We see which stimulus actually works. This is bipartisanship!"

Coming from the source aside, do you think that might be a good idea, split it right down the middle?

SEN. BARRASSO: Well, I mean, let's take at what really drives an economy, what creates jobs. It's small businesses all across America, and certainly in Wyoming. And the way to do that is to make it easier for small business owners to hire more people. And one of the best ways to do that is with tax cuts. So I support those sorts of things.

But we need to be very reasonable in finding a process that is timely and targeted and temporary, and this bill that we're looking at today I don't think really fits that category.

MS. BREWER: Well, Senator, I hope you'll come back on when -- when the Senate gets its chance to get its hands on this stimulus bill and to change some things, I hope you'll come back on and talk to us about those changes.

SEN. BARRASSO: Would love to do it, Contessa. Invite me back.

MS. BREWER: Thanks for your time.

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