CNN "American Morning" - Transcripts

Interview

BREAK IN TRANSCRIPT

CHETRY Seventeen minutes past the hour. Welcome back to the Most News in the Morning.

A small health care victory for Republicans overnight. The Senate busy plowing through mountains of GOP amendments and may hit a procedural pothole. Two flaws in the health care, quote, "fixes" will now have to send the bill back to the House where congressmen and women will have to take another vote. JOHN ROBERTS, CNN ANCHOR: It comes as the health care conversation is turning awfully ugly, with House Democrats the targets of harassment, vandalism, even death threats.

Joining us now from Capitol Hill is the House Majority Leader, Congressman Steny Hoyer.

Congressman, thanks for being with us. Let's talk, first of all, about the bill coming back to the House for reconsideration after the Senate moved early this morning.

They found a couple of procedural violations related to the college loan program that got tucked in there. What does this mean in terms of re-passing the bill? And do you expect that Republicans are going to keep finding these procedural violations and kicking it back to you?

REP. STENY HOYER (D-MD), HOUSE MAJORITY LEADER: Well, my presumption is that they've found that the problems that exist, which are small, as you say, and technical, and that they will send the bill back. My expectation is, sometime this afternoon, and sometime later this afternoon is my expectation, we will pass the bill and send it on to the president.

ROBERTS: All right. But, again, so you think that this will be it? You don't think that they'll find anything else to kick it back to you for?

HOYER: Well, I don't expect so, but one never knows in the United States Senate. But I think the expectation of the Senate leadership is that it will be coming back to us sometime this afternoon.

CHETRY: And besides the delay, is there any other problem in terms of this? I mean, some of the members who had a hard time voting for it --

HOYER: No.

CHETRY: -- is there any danger that it won't pass again?

HOYER: No, I don't think there's any danger. Obviously, this bill is what we call the improvement section of the bill. It was the agreement between the House and the Senate to makes improvements in the Senate bill. The Senate bill has been signed by the president. This is effectively the amendments. If it were a conference report, this would have been the amendments. And I have no belief that we'll have any trouble passing it through the House.

CHETRY: All right. Well, let's talk a little bit about these threats. Congressman Bart Stupak out of Michigan, the pro-life Democrat who helped really seal the health care deal received several disturbing voice mails. We have a little snippet of one just so our viewers can get a sense of what's being going on. Let's listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) UNIDENTIFIED MALE (via telephone): Stupak, you're a lowlife, baby-murdering scumbag pile of steaming crap. You're a cowardly punk, Stupak. That's what you are. You and your family are scum. That's what you are, Stupak. You're a piece of crap.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CHETRY: You also said yesterday that roughly 10 Democrats have reported threats or forms of harassment, in some cases vandalism with members of Congress. What's going on here? And do you think congressmen and women are in danger?

HOYER: Well, I think there's certainly reason for concern. There's reason for care and both the Capitol police and the FBI are concerned, obviously, with public officials who are participating in a democracy take positions. Clearly in our country, we expect that to be done in a peaceful, nonviolent way. Unfortunately, we got to all be cognizant of the fact when we use very hot rhetoric it can be seen as incitement to people whose judgment is not peaceful, is not nonviolent and who either verbally or physically threaten people with whom they disagree. That's not the American way. I think in a bipartisan way, the leadership has a responsibility. And all members have the responsibility to tell Americans that's not the way we conduct our democracy.

ROBERTS: Congressman Louise Slaughter who had a couple of incidents, a brick thrown through an office window, as well as a voice mail left something about a sniper said, quote, "It's more disturbing to me that the Republican leadership has not condemned these attacks and instead, appears to be fanning the flames with coded rhetoric."

But the Minority Leader John Boehner did come out yesterday and did say this is not the way to do things. It's not the American way. What -- do you need to hear anything else from the leadership?

HOYER: Well, I think together, we need to make a statement that clearly indicates that this kind of activity is unacceptable in our democracy. But we ought to also conduct ourselves individually, whether it's on the floor, on the Capitol grounds, or in our districts in a way that not only says that but conveys that. That the debate is civil, constructive. It may have very serious differences of opinion on issues but we ought not to give rise to the fact that because somebody disagrees with us, they are somehow, therefore, should be subjected to either violent rhetoric or violent acts. And I think that we all have a responsibility to do that.

CHETRY: In that statement from Minority Leader Boehner, he also went on to say after condemning what's been going on, that he said many Americans are angry over this health care bill and they feel that Washington Democrats just aren't listening. How do you address that for people who are angry and feel that their voice isn't being heard? Is there anything that can be said that would help tamp down some of this rhetoric?

HOYER: Well, not to stoke it would be very helpful. The debate here has been a very angry debate, very frankly. Implications of socialism, communism taking over the government, none of which is true. But we need to be very careful, because while that may be perceived in the halls of Congress as simply hyperbole and debate which is hot, but certainly does not encourage violence or violent actions, nevertheless, can be perceived by some as doing that.

Yes, it's been an angry debate, unfortunately. It should be a civil debate. There are differences. We believe this is a very good bill. And very frankly, the polling data recently indicates the majority of Americans are supporting the legislation that was passed. But that notwithstanding, whatever those positions are, we need to all make it very clear. And I think you're right, John Boehner has spoken out on this. We need to all make it very clear that violent actions, violence directed against members or anybody else in this debate is simply unacceptable in our democracy. That's not the American way.

ROBERTS: Well, we do know, Congressman, that some of these people have left these threatening voice mails, at least, they've been tracked back. They have an originating phone number. It's been turned over to authorities, so we'll see where the investigation goes from here.

House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer from Maryland, thanks for joining us this morning. Good to see you.

HOYER: Thank you.

CHETRY: Thanks so much.

BREAK IN TRANSCRIPT

Source