MSNBC "The Ed Show" - Transcript

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MSNBC "The Ed Show" - Transcript

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Joining me now is Senator Jack Reed, with us tonight, who is on the HELP Committee.

And what we have here is we‘ve got the Senate Finance Committee coming out with one thing, we‘ve got the Senate HELP Committee coming out with something else. We‘ve got these titans in the Democratic Party that are going to clash on this.

Senator Reed, good to have you with us.

SEN. JACK REED (D), HELP COMMITTEE: Thanks, Ed.

SCHULTZ: How‘s this going to come out? How‘s this going to come out tonight?

REED: Well, it‘s going to take a while. This is a very complicated, substantive issue. And also, it‘s fraught with politics, as many thing is are around here. But this is a long process.

Not only the Senate will weigh in, but the House will weigh in. And the issue of public option, the issue of insurance reform, of ensuring that people can maintain their coverage, stability, all those things I think we‘re going to be accomplished. But it‘s going to take a long, long time. And it‘s a convoluted process also.

SCHULTZ: So, do you think that this recess coming up is going to be a good thing or a bad thing for the entire process, missing the deadline?

REED: It really depends on what we all do. You talked about listening to the American public. We have to communicate with the American public.

We have to show everyone that this is a better path, that the future is unsustainable in terms of both the social conditions of a lack of health care for 44 million Americans, and also the economic conditions facing families, facing state governments, facing the federal government. And then we have to show in a very particular way that they‘re going to be better off. And that‘s our challenge this August.

SCHULTZ: But Senator, how can one committee, the Finance Committee, come out with something almost totally different from the HELP Committee, when the Democrats are on obviously both committees? They‘re in the majority.

Have you ever seen the minority party in Washington be so strong as the Republicans are right now on such a big issue?

REED: Well, in the Senate, the key threshold is 60 votes, and that gives the minority leverage.

SCHULTZ: But I‘m not talking about the committee, Senator. I‘m talking about it seems there are some Democrats that are caving over there in the Finance Committee. That they just will not embrace the idea of a government-run insurance company that will guarantee competition that hopefully will bring down rates. They‘re just distancing themselves from that. But then on the other side you‘ve got the HELP Committee saying, yes, we want public option.

How can it be so different?

REED: Well, because we are committed to the same goals but we‘ve chosen different paths. And I think the Finance Committee members are working very hard.

We all want to accomplish reform on the Democratic side, because we know the consequences are unacceptable. And the president said that very eloquently. But they are trying to reach a different approach.

We have certain different jurisdictions. That might make a difference.

But we have to bring together a bill to come to the floor. That will be the merger of the HELP Committee and the Finance Committee. And then we have to...

SCHULTZ: And finally, Senator, do you think President Obama has changed his thinking on public option now that he‘s not getting a victory out of the Senate Finance Committee?

REED: No, I don‘t think he‘s changed. I think what he is doing is understanding—he served with us for several years—this process. And I think he‘s committed to improving health care for all Americans, and he‘s going to stay at it.

I must say, Ed, I was—participated in ‘93 and ‘94 in this health care debate, and we‘re about a year ahead of where we were in ‘93 and ‘94 because of the president‘s leadership.

SCHULTZ: Senator, good to have you with us tonight.

REED: Thanks, Ed.

SCHULTZ: Senator Jack Reed with us here on THE ED SHOW.

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