CNN "Newsroom" - Transcript: ACA and Government Shutdown
Interview
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BLITZER: Joining us now, Florida Congresswoman Debbie Wasserman Schultz. She's also the chair of the Democratic National Committee.
Thanks very much, congresswoman, for coming in.
REP. DEBBIE WASSERMAN SCHULTZ (D), DNC CHAIRWOMAN: Thank you for having me. Appreciate it.
BLITZER: So a lot of people wonder, why not accept these piecemeal House bills that are passed in the House, they go to the Senate, they die in the Senate? Why not fund, for example, children who need clinical trials, clinical work at NIH, they have cancer, why not at least allow this to go forward?
SCHULTZ: Well, Wolf, as you know, I am a cancer survivor.
BLITZER: That's why I asked you the question.
SCHULTZ: So it would be hard for me to care more about cancer survivors. The reason that we are not going to do this in piecemeal approach is that in 15 minutes we have vote on the House floor. The Republicans could call up the clean CR and we could - we have the votes. We know 20 or so of their members are willing to vote for a clean CR. We could reopen the government for all cancer patients and we could stop - they should stop allowing their Tea Party extremist members to hold the economy hostage and to hold cancer patients hostage. And this is all over - if they really care about cancer patients -
BLITZER: As a cancer survivor yourself, how difficult was it for you to vote against funding of NIH so children could get cancer treatment?
SCHULTZ: Because I care about cancer survivors, because the Affordable Care Act is so critical for cancer survivors, as of January 1st, insurance companies can't drop us or deny us coverage because of our preexisting condition. I have a small business owner who posted on my FaceBook page today that she was able to finally get insurance coverage. Before she paid $1,240 a month. When she signed up for Obamacare on Tuesday, her insurance premiums per month were cut in half.
So if the Republicans really care about cancer patients and cancer survivors, they'll reopen the government, allow those trials to continue. They'll work with us on implementing the Affordable Care Act so we can make sure that peace of mind is there for all cancer patients.
BLITZER: I raise the question because there was an exception already made for military men and women. They do get their paychecks. There was separate legislation, a piecemeal piece of legislation which the House passed, the Senate passed, the president quickly signed it into law so that men and women serving in the military would get their paychecks on time. That's important. I'm not saying that's not important. It's very important.
SCHULTZ: Right.
BLITZER: So you already made one exception. Why not make another exception for veterans so they get their benefits, for children with cancer, for the District of Columbia, all these piecemeal pieces, accept that and then continue to fight over Obamacare?
SCHULTZ: If that's the Republican -- we shouldn't be fighting over Obamacare and we're not going to allow the Republicans to hold the economy hostage, shut the government down, over whether or not we're going to implement affordable health care for all American. And, you know, what the Republicans are trying to do is cherry pick the most painful things. Politically for them, they want to cast a shroud over what they've done and the impact that it has on Americans when they've closed down the government and so we're not going to allow them to have that release.
BLITZER: Is there anything - is there anything you, as a leader of the Democratic Party, you're the chair of the Democratic National Committee, anything you could give the speaker, John Boehner, so that he would allow this clean bill to come up for an up or down vote? Is there any concession, anything you're willing to negotiate?
SCHULTZ: We should - I said on the appropriations committee, like we always do, we should negotiate over the levels of spending. Democrats have already agreed to the Republican number for the continuing spending resolution. We don't like $988 billion. We think it's much too low, it hurts people, but we'll agree because we're not engaging in my way or the highway politics to their number so we can make sure the government reopens. What we won't allow them to do is to use Obamacare as a ransom for making sure that we can get the government reopened. That is - that's on them.
BLITZER: You heard - you heard the president today say that, as difficult as this government shutdown is, if two weeks from today, if they don't raise the nation's debt ceiling, it's going to be a disaster for the overall U.S. economy.
SCHULTZ: And he's right.
BLITZER: Social Security checks are going out right now on time, but they may not go out on time if there's no increase in the debt ceiling.
SCHULTZ: Look, let me tell you -
BLITZER: Here's the question.
SCHULTZ: Sure.
BLITZER: You represent south Florida. You've got a lot of seniors in your district. Is there anything you're willing to give the Republicans on this issue to make sure that Social Security checks go out on time?
SCHULTZ: Right now we have seniors all across the country who are able to -- who would normally be able to apply for new Social Security benefits and can't because the Republicans have shut the government down. We need to pass a clean, continuing spending resolution, reopen the government. We need to make sure in two weeks - before two weeks, because that's safer, that we pay our nation's bills, raise the debt ceiling and then, like we've done for more than 200 year, Wolf, if there are problems as the Affordable Care Act is implemented, we should work together.
Of course there are going to be kinks. But let me tell you what this is really about. Greg Walden (ph), the congressman who is now the chair of the National Republican Congressional Campaign Committee, what he said the other day, this week, to donors at a luncheon, was that what this is really about is the Tea Party because -- they said they had to shut the government down because a lot of their members would lose to Tea Party candidates in a primary. That's what this really -- is really about for them.
BLITZER: All right, a lot -
SCHULTZ: (INAUDIBLE) change (ph).
BLITZER: A lot of members are saying they're going to forgo their own paychecks even while -- because 800,000 federal workers aren't going to be getting their paychecks. What about you?
SCHULTZ: I am continuing to accept my paycheck because I think that everybody in the entire government -- if you work for the federal government, we should reopen the government and everybody should be paid. Where all Democrats are for opening the government, the Republicans refuse to open it and we need to all make sure we're coming to work and doing everything we can to let all the federal employees, 800,000, get their paychecks.
BLITZER: And once -- once they come back to work, retroactively, you'll vote to approve that they get their back pay?
SCHULTZ: Yes. And I hope my Republican colleagues, who've kept them without their pay, vote to do the same.
BLITZER: Debbie Wasserman Schultz, thanks very much for joining us.
SCHULTZ: Thank you. Thanks, Wolf. Thank you.
BLITZER: I just want to point out to our viewers, later today on "Crossfire" -
SCHULTZ: Yes.
BLITZER: A very special "Crossfire," 6:30 p.m. Eastern, you will be in the "Crossfire" with Reince Priebus, the chair of the Republican National Committee. Debbie Wasserman Schultz versus Reince Priebus.
SCHULTZ: Looking forward to it.
BLITZER: I suspect you will be from the left, Reince will be from the right.
Thanks very much.
SCHULTZ: Thank you.
BLITZER: Good luck in that debate.
SCHULTZ: Thank you very much.
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