CNN "CNN Newsroom" - Transcript: Interview with Rep. Abigail Spanberger (D)

Interview

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MANU RAJU, CNN SENIOR CONGRESSIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Yes. Abigail Spanberger from Virginia, a freshman Democrat who did just talk to Democrats and Republicans I believe on the House -- on the Senate floor. Tell me what happened when you went on the floor, did you interact with any members and what was the message you tried to send?

REP. ABIGAIL SPANBERGER (D), VIRGINIA: Well I think for many of us -- and I can't speak for everyone -- but our whole goal was to say on the House side, we have now voted 11 times to fund the government to get people their paychecks for the work that many of them are doing and for others to get them back to work. For you know, I think it is so clear to us that this is an economic emergency at this point. It is national emergency in addition to the tremendous impact that the shutdown is having on the lives of individual people. And so the House has voted time and time again every time our bills have passed with bipartisan support and I think we want it to be over on the Senate side and show them it's your turn, it's your turn to continue this.

RAJU: Did you interact with any Senator on the floor just now?

SPANBERGER: I talked to a couple of Senators.

RAJU: Any Republicans?

SPANBERGER: I did not talk any Republicans. When you go on the Senate floor, they had us seated in a specific place. And so a number of the Senators who recognized us or who are from our home delegation came over and said hello. But you know, it was really just about being there and watching them vote and making sure that they're aware, I think. That we've been working hard to get the government open and we need them to vote.

RAJU: I also need your speaker to make a counteroffer to the President, sit down with the President, make a counteroffer before the government is reopened?

SPANBERGER: So the government needs to reopen. I mean, can full stop. That's what needs to happen. How we get to that point I think every discussion point should be on the table, every option should be available. I do know there have been a variety of different conversations happening on the preparation side within kind of leadership to leadership, talking about how it is that we can get past where we are right now.

[15:35:06] RAJU: Should she be more flexible, Pelosi?

SPANBERGER: You know, I can't honestly speak to how flexible she has or hasn't been. I do know that she's been talking cross leadership on the House side, on the Senate side. I know that other members of specific committees that do have tie-ins directly to homeland security and appropriating dollars for homeland security have been working hard to try and end this impasse.

But it all boils down to the most important thing, which is we are -- I mean, we are approaching an emergency. When you listen to air- traffic controllers' sort of sounding the alarm bells of what's happening nationwide. When we hear about FBI agents not being able to fully continue with particular cases. It is an emergency and we need the shutdown to end because the impact is just -- it is too tremendous and it's getting worse and worse by the day.

RAJU: Congressman, thanks so much for your time. Welcome to Washington and, Brooke, back to you.

BALDWIN: Thank the Congresswoman for us. Manu, thank you.

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