MSNBC "The Ed Show" - Transcript

Interview

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All right, joining me now is Congressman Chris van Hollen of Maryland. He‘s the Chairman of the DCCC. All right now, we‘re taking--I guess we‘re taking temperatures right now, Chris.

REP. CHRIS VAN HOLLEN, (D) MARYLAND: That‘s right.

SCHULTZ: Where do we stand in the House right now? What is the latest on a government-run option to give the private sector some competition? Where do we stand at this hour?

VAN HOLLEN: The House is very strong on this. As the Speaker has said from day one, it‘s the best way to hold insurance companies accountable, to give people the choice they need. It‘s an option.

The only people who should be afraid of a public option are those insurance companies that don‘t want to compete fairly, those insurance companies who have been running up huge profits, who have been increasing their premiums.

The public option will be a check on them. It will give consumers another choice and obviously insurance companies, especially those in the parts of the country that have a monopoly, don‘t like that.

The Republicans, as you earlier indicated, have not put anything on the table. That little exchange with Eric Cantor was very revealing because the Republicans said that they were going to put their own proposal on the table 100 days ago.

Here days and days have passed. They‘ve got nothing to show for it because they‘re afraid that people will realize that the plan...

SCHULTZ: Sure.

VAN HOLLEN: ... they‘re putting forward won‘t do the job.

So they‘ve been spending a lot--as you know Ed in the last couple of days defending an insurance company that sent out a mailer using taxpayer dollars, because it‘s a taxpayer subsidies Medicare provider, essentially providing disinformation to seniors and trying to scare them.

The Republicans have spent all their time defending that insurance company.

SCHULTZ: And it was Senator Kyl on the Senate Finance Committee who went so far to say it‘s ok if they‘re sending out false information, because that‘s freedom of speech.

Now, getting back to that exchange that Cantor had at that town hall meeting, I am correct when I say that they‘ve got nothing on the table for that cancer victim, right?

VAN HOLLEN: They‘ve got zero, they‘ve got zero.

SCHULTZ: Ok.

VAN HOLLEN: And that and I‘m glad you exposed that.

SCHULTZ: Ok, just so--all right here‘s Nancy Pelosi on the trigger.

I want to play this sound bite and get you‘re reaction and here it is.

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PELOSI: The evidence seems to point at this caucus that I was asked to that a trigger is an excuse for not doing anything. I believe that the bill is the trigger. If anybody wants--I don‘t even want to talk about a trigger. When we are ready, I‘ll tell you where we‘re going to be.

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SCHULTZ: I like that. I like that response big-time. Is the trigger just an excuse in your opinion, Congressman?

VAN HOLLEN: Well, I think the Speaker said it well. And the lady‘s story, the lady who had the exchange with Eric Cantor, that‘s the trigger. The trigger is already out there every day in America.

People clearly need more choice and more competition. We need to make sure that you‘re not excluded based on preexisting conditions. That‘s why you need an affordable option. And the public option is just part of a range of choices.

So I think the problems we have today have already triggered the need for a public option and that‘s why we‘re fighting very hard in the House. And we‘re hoping that as more people understand that the trigger is a device to hold insurance companies accountable, they will side with the public option and recognize that we should not let the insurance industry have its way here.

SCHULTZ: Great to have you with us Chris van Hollen. And I appreciate your time tonight.

VAN HOLLEN: Thank you. Good to be with you

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