Fox News Channel "Your World" Interview - Transcript

Interview

Fox News Channel "Your World" Interview - Transcript

Fox News Channel "Your World" Interview with Rep. Brad Sherman (D-CA)

Interviewer: Neil Cavuto

Subject: Busy Democratic Agenda

Copyright ©2009 by Federal News Service, Inc., Ste. 500, 1000 Vermont Ave, Washington, DC 20005 USA. Federal News Service is a private firm not affiliated with the federal government. No portion of this transcript may be copied, sold or retransmitted without the written authority of Federal News Service, Inc. Copyright is not claimed as to any part of the original work prepared by a United States government officer or employee as a part of that person's official duties. For information on subscribing to the FNS Internet Service at www.fednews.com, please email Carina Nyberg at cnyberg@fednews.com or call 1-202-216-2706.

MR. CAVUTO: Health care reform, climate change, spending bills, Supreme Court pick, Democrats hoping to act on all of it by midsummer. Forget whether it's doable, is it desirable? Democratic Congressman Brad Sherman, who sits on the Financial Services Committee, says it's both.

Congressman, that's a pretty busy agenda. First off, can you do it all?

REP. SHERMAN: I think we can. Keep in mind it's like multiprocessing. We've got 435 members of the House. It's not like any one person has to deal with all that legislation at the committee level. We do all vote on it on the floor. But we've got a lot of expertise in the Congress, and working separately in committees we can walk and chew gum at the same time.

MR. CAVUTO: You know, though, what this reminds me of? I don't know, Congressman, if you've ever seen the movie "Animal House." But there's a great scene in there, the food fight, right? I love this movie. And I'm not saying John Belushi is Congress, but I am saying that it got this massive food fight going, and everything stuck to the wall. And I guess you guys are seeing what sticks. And I know you mean well -- I know you mean well -- but we're spending a lot of money so fast we can't keep track of the food, the money, the whole nine yards. And I'm wondering whether you're rushing it. I mean, we rushed stimulus through, and we're seeing pennies on the dollar right now for the money we've spent. We're getting this report out of Congress on what former Treasury Secretary Paulson wanted to do to rush through a bank rescue, and apparently with a lot of strong- arming, and it was rush, rush, rush, rush, rush. To what avail? To what end?

REP. SHERMAN: This country has got a lot of problems, and I don't think we should delay unduly solving them. The economy needed that stimulus bill. We need health care. We need a clean energy and jobs program. Nobody from my constituencies --

MR. CAVUTO: But you're right, Congressman. Let's say that on that stimulus bill, we're seeing only millions of dollars from the $800 billion committed. Now, whether you're for or against it, if the goal was to get $800 billion to start stimulating, a fraction of it is, right?

REP. SHERMAN: Well, the withholding tables have already been changed. People are seeing more money in their paycheck. And frankly, you can't say we're moving too fast and we're moving too slow at the same time. I'll agree with you on some of these things, the bureaucracy should be moving faster. But just because bureaucracy is slow --

MR. CAVUTO: Well, a lot of times, Congressman, I personally don't want to see you moving at all, but that's just me. But what I am saying, though, is like that "Animal House" scene, do you risk creating a bigger mess, with good intentions?

REP. SHERMAN: Well, it is interesting that in "Animal House" I think at the last scene Belushi does become a politician. But the fact is that when you have a democratic government, it is the role of a minority to kind of disrupt things. Whereas in every other line of work, you don't have one group of executives trying to thwart or embarrass another group of executives, at least not openly trying to do so.

MR. CAVUTO: All right. (Laughs.) Touche for your cultural reference, Congressman. Good having you.

REP. SHERMAN: Good being here.

END.

Source