CNN "Newsroom" - Transcript: ACA and Government Shutdown

Interview

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Joining us now, the Democratic congresswoman from Florida, Debbie Wasserman-Schultz. She's also the chair of the Democratic National Committee.

Congresswoman, thanks very much for coming in.

It was interesting, Eric Cantor, a man you know well, Republican majority leader, he singled out four Democratic Senators up for re- election in often Republican leaning states -- Mark Pryor of Arkansas, Kay Hagan of North Carolina, Mary Landrieu of Louisiana, Mark Begich of Alaska -- and basically saying you guys better be careful, if you vote with the Democrats this time and don't defund Obamacare, your re- election could be in trouble.

Put on your hat as the chair of the DNC. How worried are you these four might vote with the Republicans?

REP. DEBBIE WASSERMAN-SCHULTZ, (D), FLORIDA & CHAIR, DEMOCRATIC NATIONAL COMMITTEE: Well, I'm glad you noticed what I noticed, which is that the Republicans, through their leadership, made it very clear after the vote to shut the government down if Obamacare is not defunded. They made it very clear what this is about for them. It's about politics. Not only after they voted on the House floor to do that, did the Republican conference erupt into applause. Imagine, erupting into applause over shutting the government down potentially and denying people health care. But then they all traipsed into the Rayburn Room for a rally in which the majority leader, Eric Cantor, told the whole country what this is about. It's about politics. It's naming specific Senators who they perceived to be vulnerable and calling them out and trying to suggest that the ball's in their court.

This is about an internal civil war going on in the Republican Party where clearly the Tea Party has won. They are hurtling us towards government shutdown and economic crisis. It is unconscionable, irresponsible and entirely avoidable.

The ball is firmly in the Republicans' court. They need to embrace sanity.

BLITZER: How worried are you that these four Democratic Senators potentially could be vulnerable in their bid for re-election might vote with the Republicans?

WASSERMAN-SCHULTZ: This is not about politics. This is about making sure -- I'm a member of the House of Representatives, Wolf. I represent the 23rd Congressional District in south Florida. This is about making sure that we don't tie ideological fights and certainly don't tie whether or not 30 million people get access to health care to whether or not we adequately fund the government. The Republicans continue to rigidly adhere to do dogma and ideology. They are slavishly bowing to the altar of the Tea Party. That's what this is about. The speaker needs to lead. They need to stop having the tail wag the dog. And they need to grow some courage and stop thinking about remaining in power and think about what's best for the American people and our economy. There's no one --

(CROSSTALK)

WASSERMAN-SCHULTZ: -- no economic expert who thinks this is a good idea.

BLITZER: It is about a roll call. So it is about politics in the sense that if these four Democrats were to vote with the Republicans right now -- the Democrats if you add the two independents who caucus with them, they have 54, Republicans have 46. Even if all four went with the Republicans, it would be a 50-50 tie, assuming all of them showed up, nobody was ill or anything along those lines. The vice president would break the tie, so the Democrats would be in good shape. They would win. But still, if there is an element of politics here.

WASSERMAN-SCHULTZ: What this boils down to now is the Republicans in the House today voted to choose between shutting the government down if Obamacare is not defunded, knowing that the Senate is not going to pass this and agree with them on that, knowing that President Obama would veto it if for some reason it got to his desk. So they've chosen to rigidly adhere to their dogmatic ideology to take the economy over a cliff. And essentially, what we're deciding here, thanks to the Republicans, is which car are we going to take? Will it be default on our debt and not pay our byes and not raise the debt ceiling or is it going to be shut the government down over whether or not we fund Obamacare? That question over the Affordable Care Act has been settled. It was settled when we passed the bill out of Congress and the president signed into law. It was settled again when the Supreme Court upheld it as constitutional. And it was further settled last November when Barack Obama was re-elected president of the United States. And one of the major questions was whether or not they supported implementing Obamacare.

BLITZER: Debbie Wasserman-Schultz, the chair of the DNC.

WASSERMAN-SCHULTZ: Very cut and dry.

BLITZER: You've got your hands full. We'll see what happens, assuming the Senate rejects what the House just passed. And we all assume that will be the case. It will go back to the House again --

(CROSSTALK)

WASSERMAN-SCHULTZ: It's totally unavoidable. Save the economy.

BLITZER: We should know something by the end of the next week.

WASSERMAN-SCHULTZ: I hope so.

BLITZER: Debbie Wasserman-Schultz, thanks very much for coming from.

WASSERMAN-SCHULTZ: Thank you

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