CNN "CNN Newsroom" - Transcript: Department of Homeland Security

Interview

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JEH JOHNSON, U.S. SECRETARY OF HOMELAND SECURITY: We should not at this point be playing political football with the budget of the Homeland Security capability of this nation. So what I've been urging today, all this week to members of congress is there are things that need to be funded in the Homeland Security Department -- new starts, new funding for border security, counterterrorism, the Secret Service that cannot wait much longer.

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BLITZER: All right. Let's discuss what's going on. Joining us Republican Congressman Mike Turner of Ohio -- Congressman, thanks very much for joining us. You don't want to really shut down the Department of Homeland Security, do you?

REP. MIKE TURNER (R), OHIO: Well, what we need here is the President of the United States to return back to the 9/11 commission report and read chapter 12 that calls for a global terrorism response. The report says specifically that we're not responding to just al Qaeda or just the events that occurred on 9/11, but a global strategy to address Islamic terrorism.

That's what we're seeing here as both NATO and U.S. Allies are very concerned about these Islamic terrorists that are going back and forth from war zone areas and then back into the west that pose a threat. I think the President by focusing on this certainly can rally the country and certainly rally support for the efforts in Homeland Security.

Now the President himself is the one that's tying his attempt to change the status of illegal immigrants here in the United States to the funding for Homeland Security. It's been clear on a bipartisan effort there's opposition to his plan. It's been clear that Congress is willing to fund Homeland Security, but does not wish to fund his executive action with this --

BLITZER: But isn't there another way -- Congressman, isn't there another way to make your views clear, what you want to do as far as immigration reform, opposing the President's executive actions, but at the same time doing what you've done for the rest of the federal government, allow it to be funded through the end of this fiscal year so that the American people will be protected by the Department of Homeland Security and all the agencies that are part of it?

TURNER: Well, remember, Wolf, if anything shuts down, it's not because Congress shuts it down. It's because the President either vetoes or is unwilling to take action. If a bill is on his desk to fund Homeland Security but doesn't fund his effort to change the status of illegal immigrants and he vetoes that, he will be the one who shut down the government without looking to what he should be focusing on which is a global strategy which was called for the 9/11 commission to address Islamic extremist and Islamic terrorism. You know our hearts go out to these victims -- the president needs to focus on the threats to our nation.

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BLITZER: I just want to be precise. Yesterday I spoke with your colleague, Republican Congressman Mike McCaul, he's the chairman of the House Homeland Security Committee. He's met with Jeh Johnson, the Secretary of Homeland Security yesterday. Both of them are obviously very concerned about this battle right now over immigration. And if it will shut down, in effect, the Department of Homeland Security which includes the Secret Service, which includes immigration, which includes all sorts of domestic security agencies, he wants some sort of compromise.

He wants to work out a deal that the funding will be there. And you know what? Maybe deal with some of these immigration issues elsewhere, because right now, especially in the aftermath of these terror attacks in Paris, it's not time to shut down the Department of Homeland Security.

TURNER: Absolutely. BLITZER: So here is the question to you, Congressman. Do you agree with the chairman of the House Homeland Security Committee that a deal has to be worked out, some sort of compromise on this issue?

TURNER: Well, I don't think you'll find one person in Congress in the House or the Senate that wants to shut down Homeland Security. You will find one person in the White House who has an ability to determine that outcome. And for negotiations, that means he has to come to the table. There is widespread opposition, both the American public and in congress, against his executive action with regard to the illegal status of immigrants tat he wants to change.

There is also wide support for addressing the issue of Islamic terrorism --

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BLITZER: Let me interrupt Congressman -- let me just interrupt for one moment, and I apologize for that because we have a limited amount of time. What you're saying is it's more important to you to stop the President's executive actions on immigration than it is to fund the Department of Homeland Security?

TURNER: Wolf, of course, as you know, I didn't say that. What I said is that the President has to come to the table. The only person talking at all about shutting down Homeland Security and how that might affect the President's executive action is the president. He has to come to the table.

BLITZER: But you've linked. He hasn't linked those two. You have linked it.

TURNER: Wolf, the only way it happens is if he vetoes the bill. That's his move. That's not --

BLITZER: Yesterday Jeh Johnson said to me the President will not accept any changes to his executive orders. He said that clearly, Jeh Johnson, yesterday.

TURNER: That is the President linking it, not Congress. Congress has the ability to fund actions and to defund actions. If the President of the United States takes that action, it would certainly be incredibly a threat to our national security, especially with what we see that's going on in Paris and the Islamic extremism, the fact that the 9/11 commission says we need a global strategy.

The President needs to focus on that. Come to the table and negotiate with Congress.

(CROSSTALK)

BLITZER: So just to be precise, Congressman, if there's no change in the President's executive action, you will vote against funding the Department of Homeland Security?

TURNER: No Wolf, I did not say that either. I said that the President is the one that is linking it. If he's giving a bill that he's willing to veto, he's the one that's linking it. Congress is doing its work. The President needs to come to the table and negotiate. And certainly those negotiations may mean he has to face that Congress does not support his executive actions just as the American public do not support his executive actions. What we have support for though is fighting this global threat of terrorism.

BLITZER: All right. It's eyeball to eyeball right now. We're going to see who blinks, the Republicans in the House and Senator or the President of the United States. But obviously funding the Department of Homeland Security and all that means for the American people's protection and security is critical right now. And obviously there's going to be a big, big fight over this issue over the next few weeks.

Congressman Mike Turner thanks very much for joining us.

TURNER: Thank you.

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