CNN "The Situation Room" - Transcript: Interview with Rep. James Clyburn (R-SC)

Interview

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BLITZER: Sunlen Serfaty up on Capitol Hill, thank you very much.

Joining us now, Democratic Congressman James Clyburn of South Carolina. He's the House majority whip.

Congressman, thanks so much for joining us.

REP. JAMES CLYBURN (D-SC), MAJORITY WHIP: Thank you for having me.

BLITZER: Thank you.

The president, this will be his first State of the Union address since you guys, the Democrats, won back the majority in the House of Representatives. Where would you like to see your party work together with the president on specific issues? You know you worked together on criminal justice reform and got that passed.

CLYBURN: Yes. And we would like to see us work together on a few other issues, as well.

We want to work together on border security. We don't have a problem with securing our border. We would like very much for the president to give some confidence to the negotiators so they can find common ground and get us to where we need to be.

We want to see them working together on infrastructure. This is something that we need, not just to grow the economy but to secure the futures for our children. We need to be building new schools in rural communities. We need to be repairing our bridges, our roads. We need to be installing sewage and water in rural communities --

BLITZER: All right.

CLYBURN: -- for the -- for the health of our people. So a lot that we can work together on.

BLITZER: Do you think there's time for a compromise on border security? Will you support at least some funding for partial steel barriers along the border with Mexico? You don't have to call it a wall. CLYBURN: Wolf, you know, I've been calling it a wall. I call it a

smart wall. I say we ought to have a wall that uses technology just like we give smart telephones, we have smart TVs. All of that comes from the new technology that makes TV and telephones smart.

Let's do this same thing with securing our border.

BLITZER: What about some -- what about at least some steel barriers? Are you ready to fund some steel barriers as the president is demanding?

CLYBURN: Well, I just returned from Brownsville this afternoon, Brownsville, Texas, there on the Rio Grande. I went to that port of entry. That port needs to be reinforced, needs to be upgraded. And there is fencing there. And that fencing needs to be repaired.

And so I'm sure that we will work with the president on funding the repair work that needs to be done on those fences that are there and secure the border.

So we don't have a problem with that. We have a problem with a big 30-foot concrete wall, which would do nothing but be a monument to somebody's' ego.

BLITZER: But you know, the president has dropped his demand for a big 30-foot concrete wall. What he says he wants are these steel barriers in place of a formal concrete wall.

So I'll repeat the question. Are you ready to support at least some money for that kind of steel barrier? You want to call it a fence or whatever you want to call it. Are you ready to give him that?

CLYBURN: Well, I'm not one of the negotiators. I have no idea what's going on in that room. But if they come out there with the common approach, I don't care what it is. If the Democrats and Republicans come together on that conference committee and presents them to that Congress, I will vote for it, irrespective of what they call it, irrespective of how it looks, so long as the common ground is reached among any of them.

BLITZER: And they have to reach a deal, this bicameral, bipartisan group of appropriators, by Friday in order to allow a final vote next week. Is that right?

CLYBURN: That's correct. By the 15th. And I think they will get there. All we want to do is for the president to support them and not keep undercutting them. Give them the kind of room they need. Give them the kind of support they need, and I think they will get there.

BLITZER: So you think -- you're pretty optimistic these appropriators will be able to come up with a decent compromise that will avoid, A, a government shutdown, and B, the president declaring a national emergency to find money elsewhere to build a wall on his own?

CLYBURN: Well, I would hope the president would not go the route of a national emergency. That would be precedent-setting on the negative side which we don't need.

And you know, Wolf, I'm from South Carolina. I live constantly by our state's motto, "While I breathe, I hope." So I'm breathing and hoping that we can get to common ground.

BLITZER: Well, what are you going do if he does declare a national emergency?

CLYBURN: Well, we'll be in court by sun-up to determine whether or not he can sustain that through the judiciary.

BLITZER: Yes. Let's see if these appropriators can come up with a deal.

It's good to hear that the Democratic leadership in the House would support some sort of compromise they come up with. It's still unclear whether the president would do it if he doesn't have that formal sum of money for his border wall. But we'll see what happens over the next few days.

Congressman Clyburn, thanks so much for joining us.

CLYBURN: Well, thank you so much for having me.

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