MSNBC "The Rachel Maddow Show" - Transcript: Unemployment Benefits

Interview

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MADDOW: Joining us now is Senator Jeff Merkley, Democrat of Oregon.

Senator Merkley, thanks very much for being here tonight. I know that you were a yes vote on extending those unemployment benefits. So congratulations on that vote today.

SEN. JEFF MERKLEY (D), OREGON: Thank you very much, Rachel.And I`ve got to say, you`re giving the Senate Republicans way too much credit because today they only voted in favor of having a debate on the issue. They did not vote in favor of closing debate on the bill, itself.

In fact, we anticipate that based on McConnell`s proposal today, they`re going to try to attach conditions that will make it extremely hard to pass unemployment, so we really need to rally people across America to have them weigh in with their senators not only should we debate the issue, we should actually restore the unemployment program.

MADDOW: So their vote today is essentially a vote to move forward in the process of potentially voting on the bill? But you`re expecting that that means it`s just going to mean more obstruction and no guaranteed even up or down vote?

MERKLEY: Yes, this sounds so absurd across America, but today, the vote was to close debate on whether to debate and forcing us to take an intervening day before we actually vote on closing debate and only then later in the week will we actually start debating the bill.

And at that point, McConnell says he`ll put forward a proposal and probably have to do with dismantling parts of the Affordable Care Act to try to actually pass this through the Senate.

So, we are a very, very long way from having a Senate proposal go forward and I hope citizens across the country can weigh in heavily about how outrageous it is to shut down this Bush era bipartisan program that`s carefully calibrated to increase the number of unemployment weeks during periods of high unemployment state-by-state, very carefully calculated. It should absolutely go forward, but we`re not close to getting it done.

MADDOW: In terms of your reference to it as a Bush-era program. As far as I understand it, as long as this program has been in existence, when it has been voted on outside of big budget deals, when it`s been voted on as a standalone thing, there`s never before been conditions, pay-for conditions attach to bills like this, has there? This hasn`t been the way this has been dealt with in the past.

MERKLEY: Not in all cases, but primarily it`s been an understanding this does not need a pay for, and for good reason. Because these are funds that go to families that keep a financial bridge to the next job during periods of high unemployment and the funds they spend in the community help the economy recover, reduce the unemployment rate, which then in turn retires this program.

So, it`s self-retiring. And to force to take money from somewhere else to pay for this has not been in the spirit of the program, has not been the tradition.

MADDOW: The president has proposed not only extending these unemployment benefits but also a rise in the minimum wage. Also things like universal pre-kindergarten, preschool for kids across the country.

A bit of a populist agenda in terms of his last State of the Union and what he most recently said he`s planning to spend the whole year on, what we expect to hear from him in his next State of the Union in a couple weeks.

Should we see the Democrats party as a whole and Democrats in the Senate as having that same sort of economically driven agenda right now? Are those your priorities?

MERKLEY: Absolutely. What we see in this society across America is huge income inequality. I know you address this all the time, but 95 percent of the new income going to just the 1 percent at the top, huge differences in wealth. We`re losing living wage jobs. Out of the great recession, 60 percent of the jobs we lost were living wage and only 40 percent of the jobs we`re getting back are living wage.

So, families are going from middle class with benefits to near minimum wage part-time jobs, no benefits that you just can`t have a good foundation for a family, which means you have to have help creating new jobs that are living wage and in the meantime, you need these bridges of unemployment insurance and food stamps.

And right now, the Republican Party has been becoming the program basically or the party of the Grinch and Santa Claus putting coal in the stocking for the American families. And so, here we have Marco Rubio trying to reshape the image and we have this memo from the Republican Party in the House today that basically says, well, members, got to coach you. They had to coach the members how to talk about women`s issues.

Now, they`re saying we`ve got to coach you on how to be empathetic when we`re blocking these programs, how to emphatic, so people don`t realize how much of a Grinch we are being.

MADDOW: Senator Jeff Merkley, Democrat of Oregon -- thank you for helping us understand this tonight. Stay in touch with us as this continues to wind its way through the Senate. It sounds like the debate is going to be feistier than anybody knew.

Thank you, sir. Thanks very much.

MERKLEY: Yes, indeed. Thank you.

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