MSNBC "The Ed Show" - Transcript: Trade Practices and Boehner Suing Barack Obama

Interview

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Joining me tonight, Congressman James Clyburn of South Carolina. Congressman, good to have you with us tonight.

Can you explain to me the sense of urgency amongst those in Congress who get it and those who don`t?

REP. JAMES CLYBURN, (D) SOUTH CAROLINA: Well, thank you so much for having me, Ed.

Yes, there is a tremendous sense of urgency in the Congress. I don`t know what`s going to happen on the House side of whether or not there are appropriate legislation will be brought forward. But I do know that we have to have fairness in all of our trade agreements and we`ve got to have fairness in our tax code.

I believe that fair trade and a fair tax code ought to be working hand and glove in order to create the kind of environment that we need in order to expand the manufacturing in this country and protect, I`ll use the word protect, the steel industry from dumping and everything else is taking place, this undercutting the working men and women in that industry is got to be done and we ought to get serious about doing it and get serious real soon.

I`m very pleased to hear that 57 senators are on board. What I want to see now, the Republican leadership in the House coming on board and bringing legislation that allows us to do what is necessarily to make stability, bring stability to these families.

SCHULTZ: Would you be in favor of tariffs? Would you support the Commerce Department taking some legal action within the trade agreement to stop this?

CLYBURN: Well, I think the (inaudible) trade agreement that we come up with should contain enforcement procedures. That`s one of the reasons I signed on to the letter going to this administration bring in to each attention the kind of things that we want to see in a trade agreement and not to fast track this thing in such a way that we cannot have deliberate discussions taking place by all of us who are representing the workers.

Nucor steel is in my Congressional district and I`m interested in making sure that the men and women working in that plant or not under track (ph) within the kind of trade agreement that may come out of this administration.

SCHULTZ: Congressman, I`d like to talk to you about another matter tonight. John Boehner, Speaker of the House, making some news today talking about how he is ready to sue the President of the United States. Here is the clip.

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UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Are you planning to initiate a lawsuit against the Obama administration and President Obama over his use of executive actions?

JOHN BOEHNER SPEAKER: I am. The constitution makes it clear that the President`s job was to faithfully execute the laws. When there`s complex like this between the legislative branch and the administrative branch, it`s in my view our responsibility to stand up for this institution in which we serve.

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SCHULTZ: Congressman, your reaction to this. The threat is now apparently going to turn into action by Boehner.

CLYBURN: Well, I think that`s a shame. The fact of the matter is this administration like every other administration is and should be about the business of enforcing the laws. But we have to always make sure that when you have a House that has (inaudible) that this House has been, the president has a certain responsibility to use his authority and the executive orders or authorities given to the president of the United States by our constitution and our system of government. And I don`t think that you`re going outside of the law when you use the authority that you have, that`s why it`s there.

I have the impression the president for a long time to make better use and more use of executive orders in order to move the agenda forward. These guys submitted very clear from day one .

SCHULTZ: Yeah.

CLYBURN: . that, Ed, number one priority is to make sure that this president is not successful. That is what this is all about and I think the President knows that.

SCHULTZ: All right. Congressman James Clyburn of South Carolina, good to have you with us tonight. I appreciate your time. Thank you, sir.

CLYBURN: Thank you so much for having me.

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