FOX "Your World" - Transcript

Interview

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MR. CAVUTO: Well, the senator says he has the votes, the president saying anything he can to make sure that he does have the votes -- $925 billion stimulus. Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid says he has the votes to pass it. A slightly cheaper $830 billion package, Senate moderates say they're working on it. Anymore delay, the president says America cannot afford it. Republican Senator John Barrasso disagrees.

Senator Barrasso, good to have you. Where does this stand right now?

SEN. BARRASSO: Good to be back with you, Neil. We were supposed to start voting on amendments at 11:45 this morning. It's now after 4:00. We have not started. I just checked with the cloak room before coming on with you. There are over 200 filed amendments to try to deal with this large stimulus emergency package. Last night on the floor, Senator Reid said he planned to have it done tonight, so we're just going to have to wait and see what amendments we're allowed to discuss and vote on and ways to try to deal with this in a way the American people know need to be dealt with it, which is something that is not such a big package, something that is not so rushed, something that really is going to stimulate the economy rather than just a big spending package.

MR. CAVUTO: Well, let me ask you this. When I heard Senator Reid mention that he had the vote right now, was he referring to the votes on the original package? Was he referring to the votes on the new-and-improved bloated packages, that some are calling it? What? And is all of this amendment stuff just a waste of time then if he feels he's already got the vote in his pocket?

SEN. BARRASSO: Well, if he has the votes, then he's going to be able to block a lot of these amendments. Last night it sounded like he felt he had the votes. The amendments that have passed yesterday, actually by the Democrats, raised the cost of this already very expensive package, and they defeated amendments that we had to remove things that we thought really weren't worthwhile and didn't stimulate the economy and were not necessary.

MR. CAVUTO: All right. Now, so the read I'm getting from Senator Reid then is that, look, we're in the majority, you're the Democratic president, the Republicans are going to try to make this a tax bill, it's a spending bill, and we're going to have our way. Am I reading that correctly?

SEN. BARRASSO: Well, he needs 60 votes. He said last night on the floor that he would agree to a 60-vote margin, which makes you think that he has that many. I don't see it yet. As I've talked to other senators, we're talking about ways to try to improve this, to actually stimulate the economy, not a lot of bloated spending.

MR. CAVUTO: Senator, always good having you on. Thanks for joining me again.

SEN. BARRASSO: Thank you, Neil.

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