CNN "The Lead with Jake Tapper" - Transcript: Interview with Mark Warner

Interview

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SEN. MARK WARNER (D-VA): Well, the United States obviously has the right and the necessity to protect any of our troops in harm's way.

I was notified this morning, as chair of the Intelligence Committee, that we were taking some of these preemptive strikes against some of these Iranian-backed militias. This is obviously a very dangerous neighborhood. And I expect the president and commanders on the ground will take appropriate steps.

I'm glad to see that, at least so far, there are there are reports of no casualties. But, as we have -- as you indicated in your breaking news, the ability for the bad guys to constantly upgrade, whether it's use of drones or other devices that cannot harass or harm our troops, it's an ongoing threat.

TAPPER: I don't disagree with the your description of the bad guys. But there is a question out there about, why are we there? Why are we in Syria?

National security reporter Spencer Ackerman, for instance, tweeted in response to the airstrikes by the U.S. against these Iran-backed militias -- quote -- "The strikes happened because U.S. forces are targets of opportunity by an adversary entirely different than the one they're supposedly still there to fight. No one bothers to pretend anymore that strikes like these accomplish anything" -- unquote.

How do you explain why we're there? I mean, I think we were there to fend off ISIS. The Iranian-backed militias are a completely different group, not even the same branch of Islam. At some point, it just becomes a revolving -- like a vicious cycle, no?

WARNER: Well, Jake, you're right on that.

I have seen over my decade-plus a lot of bad plans around Syria. I have never seen any good plan. Obviously, for a while, we were there backing our Kurdish allies, who were very effective in terms of pushing back on ISIS.

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Unfortunately, President Trump kind of left them in the lurch. We are seeing now, in the case of Afghanistan, I think President Biden making the tough choice, but the appropriate choice, in terms of withdrawing our troops.

We're trying to do that in as orderly a fashion as possible. But this region has been more than a bit of a mess and chaos literally for the last two decades.

TAPPER: And there's this debate going on right now in Congress about the authorization for use of military force in Iraq from 2002. Is that the authority under which these troops are there firing at Iran-backed militias, the 2002 AUMF?

WARNER: Unfortunately, Jake, you're right.

That is, for the most part, the authority. And my friend and partner Tim Kaine from Virginia has been rightfully saying, under both Obama, Trump, and now under Biden, that it is time for the United States Congress to get its act together. And if we want to authorize these forces, let's put our names on the board in authorization, not simply require -- allowing each of these administrations, again, literally, for close to 20 years, to rely on legislation that was passed, I believe, back in 2002 or 2003.

TAPPER: Right.

Let's turn to infrastructure.

I want to ask, would you be OK if a bipartisan infrastructure deal is signed into law on its own by President Biden with no linkage with the larger budget reconciliation package that I know Democrats also want to do?

WARNER: Jake, this infrastructure package, $579 billion of new money in five years, biggest infrastructure investment in our country's history -- and it's not just roads and bridges. It's water. It is also broadband, as we were talking about off air, how important that is.

There's a whole lot of things around moving towards a cleaner power generation, smart grid, E.V. infrastructure, a lot of great things, and I hope that moves as fast as possible. But I'm also very committed -- and I'm one of the -- I think I'm the only so-called Democratic moderate on the Budget Committee.

I'm prepared to work with Senator Sanders and others to start down the path on a budget reconciliation process. We got to get all the Democrats on that. I think -- I intend to move forward on that kind of legislation. I was just going through some of the revenue sources, revenue sources that we couldn't use for the infrastructure package, but that can be used on this reconciliation package.

I don't think it's fair -- and I say this is a former business guy, but I don't think it's fair that American businesses are 35 out of 35 industrial nations in terms of lowest amount of taxes paid as a percentage of GDP.

TAPPER: Yes.

WARNER: I think there's a fairer tax system.

TAPPER: So let me ask you about that, because the chairman of your committee, Bernie Sanders, he has proposed about a $6 trillion price tag for this budget reconciliation bill.

Your fellow Virginian, Tim Kaine, he says that about $4 trillion would be OK with him. Senator Joe Manchin, who worked with you on infrastructure, he seemed to suggest his top line would be $2 trillion.

Where are you?

WARNER: Well, Jake, that's why I get to be in the middle of these negotiations, is to how to find some breakthrough between where Bernie's at, where Joe Manchin is at, how much a lot of what I will be able to support will be based upon how much additional revenue we can raise.

And there are a variety of sources there. But having gone through a number of these negotiations, we put together a bipartisan plan back in December. We called it the $908 billion plan. I just came out of literally weeks on end with my Republican colleagues on this record infrastructure investment.

Now I'm going to switch to where -- again, I probably won't be where Senator Sanders is, but I think there's a lot of worthy goals in his plan. But I find it's better to try to negotiate that with my colleagues, rather than through the press.

TAPPER: Is it -- I hear what you're saying, but is it fair to say that you start off at least somewhere closer to Tim Kaine, your fellow Virginia senator, around $4 trillion?

WARNER: I wouldn't be viewed as one of the moderate guys if I wasn't more on a plan that is going to be a little bit more moderate, but is going to also be able to be paid for.

But one thing, one thing, Jake, I do want to make clear, I absolutely believe, when we see these record high temperatures, not only on the East Coast, but we see record high temperatures in the Northwest and Canada and elsewhere, anyone that denies the reality and the economic duress that is being caused by climate change obviously isn't spending a lot of time outdoors.

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This is a once-in-a-generation time, where we can make meaningful changes in terms of climate, to invest in a cleaner grid, invest in cleaner vehicles, in moving towards a clean energy standard. Heck, I'm even open to a phase-in on a carbon tax.

TAPPER: Yes.

WARNER: But if we don't take advantage of really wrestling with climate change in a meaningful way, we're not doing our job.

TAPPER: Democratic Senator and Chairman of the Senate Intelligence Committee Mark Warner of Virginia, thank you so much, sir. Good to see you.

WARNER: Thank you, Jake.

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