CNN "Newsroom" - Transcript: Syria and Affordable Care Act

Interview

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Joining us now is the House minority whip, Steny Hoyer, the Democrat from Maryland.

Congressman, thanks very much for coming in.

REP. STENY HOYER (D), MINORITY WHIP: Glad to be with you, Wolf.

BLITZER: Let's talk about this Russian plan to destroy Syria's chemical weapons. I assume you think this is all positive, that potentially it could bear fruit, is that right?

HOYER: Well certainly I think it's a very positive possibility. And if it bears fruit, it's going to be a very good resolution of this issue. As you said earlier, talking to Fareed, not just the deterring, but the removal of chemical weapons and the inability to use them at all. That's a very positive prospect. Let's hope it's real. And that's what, of course, Secretary Kerry is now trying to determine.

The Syrians have sent a letter to the United Nations saying that they're going to sign the convention on chemical weapons. That is very great progress. In my view, all made because the president was willing to use force, use military force, to dissuade and to degrade the ability of the Syrians to use their chemical weapons.

So, yes, I think this is a positive possibility, but it's only a possibility. We'll see whether or not it's real. As Reagan said, you've got to trust but verify and we're in the process of verifying at this point in time.

BLITZER: We should get some clues in the next few hours as how this meeting goes between Kerry and Lavrov in Geneva. And we're getting ready to hear what they have to say at start of those negotiations. They're going to presumably come up with some compromise language that could be brought before the United Nations Security Council.

HOYER: Wolf --

BLITZER: I want to move on to some domestic issues. But very quickly, congressman, if you would have had to vote on a resolution authorizing the use of force in Syria, you would have voted yea, is that right?

HOYER: That's correct. I believe that it was necessary to give the president the authority to act. First of all, I think it was warranted because of the use of these weapons which, for a century now, had been weapons which the international community said must not be used because of their terrible, terrible aspects and indiscriminate impact on people and children and families unrelated to any kind of warfare. As a result, I think the president took the right action and I am pleased to see that it's had a very positive result so far. Clearly the Russians would never, never have interceded in this way, the Syrians would never have responded with respect to the chemical convention on warfare but for the president's willingness to act.

BLITZER: You know, at the end of this month, the federal government runs out of money. You've got to pass what's called this continuing resolution to keep the government running, otherwise there's going to be a government shutdown. We all remember in the '90s what happened twice on those occasions. A lot of Republicans in the House they say they're ready to authorize, to completely fund the government, but they don't want to fund Obamacare, the law - the health care law. In order to keep the government running and have no government shutdown, are you ready to accept that condition?

HOYER: No. You know, this obsessive focus on the repeal of the Affordable Care Act and using -- taking that hostage for -- to fiscal responsibility is simply unacceptable. The president has no intention of doing that. And, very frankly, all of the reasonable Republicans that I've talked to know that it's a nonstarter. John Boehner and Eric Cantor know it's a nonstarter. They talk about it, but they try to set up a procedure where they would make their point for the 41st time that they want to see the Affordable Care Act repealed and then go on with a CR, with a continuing resolution, which would, in fact, be supportable by the United States Senate. I have issues with it, but, that aside, it is this obsession with saying, either do what I want you to do or I am going to act in a fiscally irresponsible way.

BLITZER: What about delaying its implementation for a year? Because the president - even the president has delayed some parts of its implementation for a year. What about that compromise?

HOYER: Well, I don't think that's a compromise. The Affordable Care Act was given three, four years to be implemented. It's now about to be implemented October 1, where the marketplace will be open, people will be able to choose health care and will give affordable quality health care to at least 30 million more people than have availability to it now. We think that's very important. It's been a tough fight. Very frankly, we need to see how it works, correct it where it doesn't, and make sure it works properly to do what we want it to do and that is provide affordable, quality health care to our people.

BLITZER: So even - just to be - just to be precise because we've got to leave it here, congressman. In order to keep the government running and not see a government shutdown, to fund the government for another year, this is a nonstarter as far as you're concerned. You'd rather see the government shutdown than delay implementation of Obamacare for a year?

HOYER: Nobody wants to see the government shut down, Wolf, and nobody ought to put it in that context. We had an election in 2012, just a few months ago, and in that election the Affordable Health Care Act was a major issue. The American people re-elected Barack Obama as the president. That was his - one of his major programs. To now the losers of that presidential elections to come in and say, unless you do what we want you to do, that we lost at the ballot box, unless you do that, we're going to shut down government. That is not an acceptable alternative.

BLITZER: Steny Hoyer is the minority whip in the House of Representatives. Congressman, thanks very much for joining us.

HOYER: You bet. Thank you, Wolf.

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