Fox News "Hannity" - Transcript

Interview

Fox News "Hannity" - Transcript

FOX NEWS CHANNEL "HANNITY" INTERVIEW WITH SENATOR SAXBY CHAMBLISS (R-GA); SENATOR JOHN THUNE (R-SD)

INTERVIEWER: SEAN HANNITY

SUBJECT: PUSH FOR STIMULUS BILL PASSAGE

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MR. HANNITY: What is not known at this hour is all the specific pork-barrel spending that we have been telling you about specifically here on this program and the American people have been hearing about that has resulted in lower support for this bill. As we've been pointing out, they lost at least 15 to 20 points in terms of public support just in the last couple of days. But the pork-barrel spending, with all specificity, is unknown, even at this hour. And we now bring in Republican Senators Saxby Chambliss and John Thune.

Guys, welcome back. Thank you for being with us.

SEN. CHAMBLISS: Good to be with you, Sean.

SEN. THUNE: Good evening, Sean.

MR. HANNITY: Saxby, let's start with you. It looks like Snowe, Collins and Specter. Do we know the final price tag, number one? And has there been any discussion with those three as to why they went along with this, what can be described as the single biggest transfer of assets and power to the federal government from the private sector?

SEN. CHAMBLISS: Well, Senator Specter, Senator Collins both spoke on the floor tonight. And obviously, they made a very impassioned plea for their reasons why they're doing this. But nothing other than that that we know, Sean. The final price tag is not known yet. What we do know is that in addition to the 780 billion (dollars) that they apparently agreed to, there's another 45.5 billion (dollars) that's already been passed in the way of amendments to the bill. So we know that this magnanimous bill that was too big to believe that came over from the House has now been exceeded in the Senate. And we were just talking a little earlier, that's not the way it usually happens. It's usually the other way. So it's a pretty amazing night.

MR. HANNITY: Well, we know, for example, Senator Levin said, Senator Thune, that he wants to put whatever was taken out of this bill, he'd like to see put back in conference, so there may even be ultimately a bigger price tag come the end of all this. Now, my biggest problem, Senator, is the Congressional Budget Office numbers. This is the Democrat's own economists are saying that this is not going to be a stimulus bill, that this is a spending bill, and that we're likely ultimately to see a reduction in the growth in the economy. That's what their own economists are saying. So why was there just total support on the Democratic side on this?

SEN. THUNE: Well, it's really stunning, Sean, and we are borrowing at all. And as you mentioned, the CBO study that came out yesterday suggested that it could create as few as 1.3 million jobs. The price tag keeps growing. If you figure that out on a per-job basis, it's hundreds of thousands of dollars per job created.

I come from a state where the average annual salary is under $30,000 a year. I honestly don't know why you would have right- thinking Democrats or Republicans, for that matter, who would be for this. But it looks like it's going to pass the Senate.

MR. HANNITY: Well, so in other words, the people in your state, they're not going to want to pay for ATV parks, they're not going to want to pay for golf course updates, they're not going to want to pay for Frisbee golf. I'm shocked, Senator. I would think that's got to be on the top of the list of everybody in your state. Those are priorities.

SEN. THUNE: (Laughs.)

MR. HANNITY: Let me ask you this. One of my biggest complaints is the rhetoric and the language that has been used, gentlemen, by the president in the last number of days. He keeps using the word "catastrophe," that if we didn't pass this bill. Do you think, Senator Chambliss, that these fear tactics had an impact on the psyche of the American people?

SEN. CHAMBLISS: Well, it's difficult to say what's in the minds of people. But what we do know is there is a big split among economists, Sean, as to whether or not, with all this money being spent, it's going to make any difference or not. And the fact is that we know by spending it, again according to CBO, that chances are that in 2019 GDP is going to start turning downward. And we know when GDP goes down, inflation goes up. This type of spending creates additional inflation. So this is probably the most serious vote that John or I have ever taken in all of our years in Congress. And he's exactly right, we have just burdened our children and grandchildren here, or at least we're headed in that direction, in an unbelievable way.

MR. HANNITY: Oh, I've got to tell you. It's no longer big government, limited government. I've been saying to my audience, Senators, that this is now a battle of capitalism versus European socialism. And tonight, the European socialist act of 2009 is on its way toward full passage. Thank you, both, for being with us and giving us an update. We appreciate it.

END.

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