CNN "American Morning" - Transcript

Interview

BREAK IN TRANSCRIPT

Joining us now is Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin. Is this -- this is not a game. We watch this and the American public, is this a game of chicken? What's happening?

SEN. DICK DURBIN (D-IL), MAJORITY WHIP: This is very real, 160 million Americans -- as of January 1st if the House fails to approve this bipartisan measure passed in the Senate.

And some three million Americans will be cut off from unemployment. In my home state of Illinois, 50,000 people will be cut off January 1st. Folks who have been out of work looking for jobs for a long time.

ROMANS: So yesterday, an accountant, a certified public accountant was talking to Ali and I, who said even a two-month extension -- we can't have this kind of uncertainty.

We can't know what we're doing with the payroll tax holiday in the near term. Giving, I guess, John Boehner, credit that you can't just keep, quote/unquote "kicking the can down the road." But is this about policy or is it about politics here?

DURBIN: It's both. On the policy side, what I'd say is what we decided in the Senate. I know you have John McCain following me. John McCain and I both -- 89 Democrats and Republicans agreed to extend this for 60 days while we negotiate a long-term approach to it.

It was a responsible, bipartisan overwhelming vote, 89-10 and so for those who were taking 2 percent out of the payroll tax, it would merely extend it to the end of February while we negotiate this. But what John Boehner suggested is stop at this point, nine days away from this deadline.

ROMANS: What is the next thing here? The other option is a conference committee maybe. That's not going happen overnight so that could be an option here. I'm going to get your thoughts on that in a second.

But Speaker Boehner had a photo op yesterday. You can see and we're going to show it here. He has a photo op yesterday. There are Republicans, he's appointed as negotiators to the conference committee, a conference committee that doesn't exist yet.

He said that they were there. They're ready to work and then that empty side of the table is presumably where the Democrats would sit. Can you envision any scenario, which the Democrats show up at that table there?

DURBIN: What he does not understand or does not admit is in the senate, unfortunately, it takes days for us to set up a conference committee and meet. We can't do this before January 1st even if it was our intention to do it.

But the point I want to get to is, John Boehner can spare America and three million unemployed Americans and 160 million working Americans the uncertainty of a January 1st deadline by just extending this bipartisan measure passed in the Senate until the end of February.

ROMANS: But you say he has lost control of his party.

DURBIN: I can't understand why someone has not stood up in the House Republican conference and said, look at what happened under our watch in this last year.

We threatened to shut down government twice. We threatened to close down the economy over the debt ceiling and now we're denying to over half of the people living in America a payroll tax cut in the midst of recession.

There ought to be one voice in that caucus that stands up and says, listen, we owe an obligation to this country that goes beyond the next election.

ROMANS: In your view then what's happening -- what is the assumption of Senate Democrats? It's the internal politics of House Republicans that you say that he lost control of.

DURBIN: Well, I look at it and think all the times that I've been on these conference calls that he referred to where he called in this whole conference. There are always be some out liars and dissidents who, you know, let's go and let's fight them until the bitter end.

And then a voice of reason will prevail. A leader will stand up and say calm down. Look at this at the long haul. When "The Wall Street Journal" editorialized yesterday against John Boehner and the House Republican strategy that should have been a wakeup call for those in the caucus.

That they're going down the track that even the most conservative publications and leaders in America rejected.

ROMANS: So what breaks it? What breaks the standoff?

DURBIN: I think that John Boehner should acknowledge the fact he cannot leave three million people without an extension of unemployment benefits and 160 million people, middle income Americans facing a tax increase because of Republican action.

He should extend it these 60 days. He can do it just by calling for a vote and passing the bipartisan measure from the Senate.

ROMANS: Can I ask you a question. You've been at this game for 20 years in the House and in the Senate. You know, we always say the word a new low for bipartisanship award, a new low for Congress getting something done. We know that the -- approval ratings are low. Have you ever seen a time when it's been like this? DURBIN: I can tell you the worst time I can recall was when Speaker Gingrich brought the government to a shutdown in a confrontation with President Clinton. He ended up being removed to speaker not long after.

I think what we've seen this last year with the House Republican leadership, is the failure for someone to step up and try to course, which really focuses on distinguishing the two parties, but not at the expense of this nation and our fragile economy.

ROMANS: John Boehner has House members who are there because they made promises to their constituents and they say they are keeping those promises and that they are the change in Washington.

DURBIN: And the approval rating of Congress is what, 11 percent? That kind of approach is not sitting well with the American people. We have bipartisan response in the Senate overwhelming bipartisan response. John Boehner and the House Republicans rejected it.

ROMANS: Senator Dick Durbin, nice to see you. Thank you so much --Ali.

BREAK IN TRANSCRIPT

Source