CNN "CNN Newsroom" - Transcript: Interview with Rep. Haley Stevens (D-MI)

Interview

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HILL: One of Harris's advisers now singling the senator is open to more moderate health reform plans. Ones that would allow options from private insurers. Joining me is a freshman Congresswoman Haley Stevens of Michigan, a Democrat.

Good to have you with us. I know you just came off a vote. As I understand it, you're not a fan of Medicare For All if it means of getting rid of private insurance. Do you think Kamala Harris went too far on Monday night?

REP. HALEY STEVENS (D), MICHIGAN: We just came out of a major election cycle where it was clearly a health care election. People are sick of the repeated attempts to repeal the affordable care act. I campaigned on protecting the affordable care act, improving it, et getting more people access to affordable health care. We're here in the new Congress and one of the big priorities is lower the cost of prescription drugs. I'm an elected official. I see my role as a change management officer guiding our population through the change that we need to make to achieve this goal of getting more people access to affordable health care.

HILL: So, in terms of those changes, if we did look at something like a Medicare For All, which we would get rid of private health insurance, even Michael Bloomberg saying this would bankrupt the country for a long time. Cost is a major issue here.

STEVENS: We have a rising deficit. That's an opportunity for bipartisan collaboration. We have to govern responsibly. We have to look at the costs of our health care. We have a lot of consumers who are saddled with costs. I hear this from people every which way. That the costs are out of control, particularly for prescription drugs. That's what I'm focused on in the new Congress. I just got appoint ed to the education and labor committee. I'm sitting on the subcommittee. That's something my colleagues and i, we're going to get something done. We are going to make those improvements. We need to govern to our reality. We are one-half branch of the Congress that retook a majority. We heard the people. We heard what they wanted us to do on health care. We're going to go do it.

HILL: The reality is that messaging is going to be important as well. As you're working with your fellow lawmakers here to try to get that messaging right, as you pointed out yourself, health care was very important in 2018. Health care will continue to be a major issue for voters as we are hearing from our reporters out there. How much of the conversation happening with you and your fellow Democrats is about getting the messaging right? That, yes, you can talk about perhaps a Medicare For All, but you're acknowledging there's a major cost and money has to come from somewhere.

[14:20:00] STEVENS: We certainly all understand the reality that perception sometimes does influence policymaking. But I will tell you what. There's new energy in this freshman class. There's a willingness to get things done to collaborate. We have the largest freshman class in over a generation coming together, many people campaigned on the health care message. And what it is that it's excited, energized and it's eager to get things done. I am thrilled about the new committee assignments as we were talking about. And. Some of the legislative priorities. It's community health centers. Those have gone unfunded pretty much. We need to make sure that those are adequately funded so we are providing people all over this great country access to the services that those community health centers provide.

HILL: I also want to get your take on into 2020 things are getting a little crowded, as you know, on Democratic side. Howard Schultz is talking about great country access to the services that those community health centers provide. But it seems to be open war on Howard Shultz from the Democratic party, who sees him as a threat. Do you agree with the way your colleagues are going after him?

STEVENS: I'm from Michigan. I will tell you one thing that I'm looking at as this 2020 cycle starts. Tis the season, right? I'm looking for people who are talking about our manufacturing economy, who are talking about innovation, the call to action to reawaken regional economic growth, particularly in our industrial sector around the skilled trades. These are profound opportunities for us. In the Democratic party we have people who jumped in. We are maybe going to see more jump in. We're going to have that dialogue and that discussion. I don't yet know how it works if somebody files as an independent. I'm a lifelong Democrat. Many of the people who are involved in the local Democratic organizations, that's what they are looking for is that person who is going to help us take back the White House in 20.

HILL: Shultz says the Democratic party lost him. Do you think he's got a right to be in the race?

STEVENS: I'm a proud Democrat. Last year when I was campaigning, going back to the start of 2017, there was a great sense of now what? What's our message? What does it mean to be a Democrat? It's really simple and clear what it means to be a Democrat. We're the party of the people. We're the party that's talking about your access to affordable health care, your access to affordable education, tackling the challenges of climate change, our party stands for so much. That's why we boomeranged back and had these great wins in 2018. That's where we're going to go into the year 20.

HILL: We'll have to leave it there. I didn't get a real answer, but we'll talk to you soon. Thank you.

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