MSNBC Interview - Transcript
Interview
MSNBC Interview - Transcript
MSNBC INTERVIEW WITH SENATOR CHARLES SCHUMER (D-NY)
SUBJECTS: TOM DASCHLE, ECONOMIC STIMULUS PACKAGE INTERVIEWER: TAMRON HALL
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MS. HALL: For more on the latest controversy for the Obama team, we're joined by Democratic New York Senator Chuck Schumer, who also sits on the Senate Finance Committee.
SEN. SCHUMER: Hi.
MS. HALL: Senator, thank you so much for joining us. The president now taking questions there and as Chuck said, this was a bigger moment about the Commerce Secretary and his nomination, but I want to get your reaction, this is the third tax problem for a person who would have been on Mr. Obama's Cabinet, Nancy Killefer withdrawing her nomination. She essentially was supposed to be the watchdog. This will be the first time this office would ever be a part of the Cabinet.
What's your reaction?
SEN. SCHUMER: Well, I'm not familiar with the details. I just heard it when your producer mentioned it to me a couple of minutes ago, so I'm not going to comment on it until I learn the details.
MS. HALL: Well, we know the White House is confirming that she has withdrawn her name.
SEN. SCHUMER: I understand.
MS. HALL: Can you comment on that, those facts?
SEN. SCHUMER: No, no, I want to learn the facts first.
MS. HALL: Okay. Let's then talk about Tom Daschle and Timothy Geithner. You've got major newspapers, critics on the right and left saying that Mr. Obama promised transparency, he promised a new day, responsibility and here you have two big names, two big players who, for a fact, have tax problems.
SEN. SCHUMER: Well, the bottom line is that if you look at the percentage overall, it's rather small. They've had a large, large --
MS. HALL: You mean the dollar amount? What do you mean as small, sir?
SEN. SCHUMER: Well, the percentage. They've nominated about 80 or 90 people. These two people had tax problems. Both of them admitted it. Both of them made recompense. Both came clean. Daschle's never would have come to light had he not brought it to peoples' attention, and so --
MS. HALL: But he brought it to the attention after --
SEN. SCHUMER: No, no --
MS. HALL: After his name had been floated out, those are the reports that he knew about it last summer.
SEN. SCHUMER: Yeah, well, at the Finance Committee yesterday, it became clear that Daschle realized this in June of 2008, brought it up to his accountant, the committee staff, both Democrats and Republicans together independently interviewed the accountant and confirmed it and he told the accountant to fix it.
MS. HALL: Well, let me ask you about the stimulus here, we know that the president met with the Democratic leadership and according to some inside reports, he basically told the Democrats, listen, we have to make some changes here, there has to be some compromises made.
Where do you stand on this? And how far do you believe the Democrats, including yourself, are willing to reach across to get this done?
SEN. SCHUMER: We definitely want to reach across the aisle to our colleagues, for instance, two areas where some of our Republican colleagues have had problems, one is they said it should do more on housing, one of the things we're working on with them is increasing the initial tax credit for homebuyers, new homebuyers and others to help stimulate the housing market. Some Republicans had complained there's not enough here in infrastructure. There will be an amendment on the floor of the Senate that will increase infrastructure by about $25 billion. It may be debated right as we speak.
And so we are, indeed, reaching out. Obviously, there's a Democratic president, Democratic Senate, Democratic House. It's going to have a Democratic flavor to it, but that doesn't mean that good suggestions from the Republicans should be summarily rejected and they're not being. It's a great --
MS. HALL: What do you think is the best idea from the Republicans right now? What would you say is the best idea they've offered up that you've heard?
SEN. SCHUMER: Well, I tend to agree in broad brush stroke with both of their suggestions, one that we need more infrastructure and the second that we ought to focus on housing. The only debate with housing is whether we should do it now or do it in the next piece of legislation, which will come forward, which is the refinement of the TARP, where the president has said that he would take $50 (billion) to $100 billion of the $350 (billion) and put it into housing.
MS. HALL: Let me ask you, there's a couple polls out there, USA Today and the Gallup where a lot of Americans don't feel that this plan will help them and you've got the president making the rounds, giving interviews including to Brian Williams that will air tonight. The president is said to be frustrated that the public perception is that this recovery bill has become laden with partisan pet projects, pork barrel spending.
SEN. SCHUMER: Yes. Well, we're going to try to take most of those out. There's a bipartisan effort right now led by Senator Ben Nelson, a Democrat, Senator Susan Collins, a Republican, to take out the small number of porky things that are in there. It's less than half of one percent of the whole bill, obviously, the media focuses on that more than anything else, it's the first question you've asked me.
MS. HALL: Why do you think people focus on that? I think you could go and talk -- I don't know if it's just the media, I mean, if you talk to people, they hear these headlines and when they hear about contraception and all of these things that are for spending --
SEN. SCHUMER: Have they heard of the fact that I've gotten a provision in the bill that gives a $2,500 tax credit to all families of income up to $160,000?
MS. HALL: They heard it now from you.
SEN. SCHUMER: To help keep their kids, right, exactly, but they don't hear it from the media.
MS. HALL: Right.
SEN. SCHUMER: They don't hear as much about the $1,000 that each middle class family will get back. They don't even hear as much about the infrastructure jobs.
So this is the way our world works. President Obama accepts it. I accept it. But here's what's going to happen to answer your question. As the public learns about this large bill and how much it is focused on the middle class, they're going to like it, in fact, as I've seen the polls, this is not today's, but before this, 60-70 percent including a large number of Republicans said they have faith in Barack Obama to put together a good plan. The plan on the Senate floor is pretty much along the lines that Barack Obama has recommended and we will take out those few little porky things which you like to talk about.
MS. HALL: Well, it seems like I'm not the only one. Thank you very much.
SEN. SCHUMER: You're not the only one, that's for sure.
MS. HALL: Thank you, Senator Schumer, for making time and your reaction to all the news of the day. Best of luck on your day. Thank you, sir.
SEN. SCHUMER: Thanks. Bye bye.
END.
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