Fox News "The Story" - Transcript: Interview with Sen. Chris Coons

Interview

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MACCALLUM: Delaware Senator Chris Coons is the Democrat who agrees with that. He's also a member of the Judiciary and Foreign Relations Committees. Senator Coons, good to have you here but that that's an ugly introduction. There is a lot of messy stuff going on out there right now. How do we stop this?

SEN. CHRIS COONS, D-DEL., SENATE FOREIGN RELATIONS COMMITTEE: Well, Martha, there's a great tradition in Delaware at the end of our political campaigns, opponents, Republican and Democrat who've run against each other often in very spirited campaigns meet in Georgetown, Delaware, the capital of our southernmost County. And they literally bury hatchet together in the beach sand of our Atlantic beaches.

I've tried to bring some of that spirit here to Washington. I do have a strong and vigorous debates over policy differences with the president, with some of my colleagues across the aisle. But tomorrow morning, I'll begin Wednesday, as I do every Wednesday with James Lankford, my good friend who is co-chair of the Senate prayer breakfast, breakfast with me. We'll be holding hands in prayer and listening to my friend Johnny Isakson, the Republican Senator from Georgia, as he shares with us about his faith journey.

Something I've learned here in the Senate, Martha, is that it's a little bit harder to throw a punch at someone on the floor if you start the day holding hands with them in prayer. I think that's a spirit we could all use.

(CROSSTALK)

MACCALLUM: Yes, no doubt. Know that, that sound -- yes. I think that sounds like something that everybody can get behind. But you know, obviously, there are issues that have gotten us here.

COONS: Right.

MACCALLUM: And the discourse in the country is very ugly across the board. The president though seems to believe that Maxine Waters and Nancy Pelosi are the face of your party. And that the more they do this kind of thing, the more he likes it.

According to a tweet that he put out, "The face of Democrats is now Maxine Waters who with Nancy Pelosi, have established a fine leadership team. They should always stay together and lead the Democrats who want open borders and unlimited crime." And that last part really goes to where this most recent dust-up has come. From the border issue, and then, today from the travel ban.

COONS: Well, Martha, to be clear, I'm a Democrat, and I don't want open borders and I don't want more crime. In fact, I have co-sponsored and voted for bills in the Senate that have made dramatic increases in investment for border security.

I do think these two issues, immigration and the president's so-called Muslim ban have been very divisive, have brought a lot of passion to our fights here in Washington.

(CROSSTALK)

MACCALLUM: Maybe Senator, let me (INAUDIBLE) because we just have limited time. You know, why have Dem -- you know, that the president put out a deal that would have allowed 1.8 million DACA family to stay in this country.

COONS: That's right.

MACCALLUM: He wants a wall, and I think Americans are disgusted really with both sides of the equation right now. Why can't Democrats come to the table on that issue? And why are they going to so many divisive tactics to make it look like this is -- you know, such a heartless move when they're not willing to do what needs to be done to fix it?

COONS: Martha, to be clear, a bipartisan group here in the Senate led by Mike Rounds, former Republican governor of South Dakota, now a senator. A bipartisan group spent weeks working hard on a bill that offered 25 billion dollars in investment in border security to see the president midway on getting DREAMers that path to citizenship. That was the bipartisan bill. It got 54 votes here in the Senate but it only failed because the president personally lobbied against it the day that it came to the floor.

We've had some challenges negotiating with the president, because he'll initially say, "I will accept a bipartisan bill that does A, B, and C." And then, we -- when we get that bill to him because I don't know -- I rejected if it doesn't have EFA.

(CROSSTALK)

MACCALLUM: You know, Republicans and the president would say the same thing about that in your side. But, you know, would stand shoulder-to- shoulder with the president in the White House and sign a bill that you could both agree on? Or is that a picture that Democrats never want out there before the midterms?

COONS: Earlier today, Martha, two different Senate committees voted out two different bills that are genuinely bipartisan and I've worked very hard on. The Foreign Relations Committee, a bill that I've moved forward with Bob Corker, that the president supports and where I hope to have a bill signing on it that helps us spend more private capital in the developing world, less government assistance. And then, in the health committee with Senator Rubio, Republican of Florida, a bill to help improve savings for college for American families, and in particular, first-generation college attending students.

I'm eager to find substantive ways that we can work across the aisle, and fix the problems that actually affect working Americans. I'm hopeful we can do that in immigration, as well.

MACCALLUM: Well, I think, there are a lot of people are hopeful that both sides can figure out. And it, it really ought to be able to be figured out in terms of some kind of deal.

Andy Biggs, his a Republican from Arizona, when I talk to in just a moment, he believes that Maxine Waters must apologize for these comments that she made. You know, saying that you can tell Republicans that they are not welcome anymore, anywhere. Do you think she should apologize, or even potentially resign?

COONS: Well, I'll remind you at the top of this story, you had Senate Minority Leader Senator Chuck Schumer, saying that nobody should be using harassment or threats against political leaders as attack.

MACCALLUM: Yes. So what's the punishment for that?

COONS: So, I disagree with Congresswoman Waters, and I think she's going to have to come forward and make a decision about how she advances civility.

MACCALLUM: Did she apologize?

COONS: Which she had a contest here over which party is less civil, there's a lots of things I could point to that are uncivil about conduct of others. Let us instead agree that we should reject that sort of tactic, and we should be trying to work together across the aisle.

MACCALLUM: But you're not willing to call for her to apologize or resign?

COONS: I'm not going to call for her to resign. I do think that she should be saying that wasn't an appropriate statement, and I'm going to take a different course, and I'll apologize for that.

MACCALLUM: OK. Senator, thank you. Always good to have you with us. Thanks for being here tonight.

COONS: Thank you, Martha.

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