MSNBC "The Ed Show" - Transcript

Interview

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REP. STENY HOYER (D-MD), HOUSE DEMOCRATIC WHIP: Ed, it"s always good to be with you.

SCHULTZ: It was a great speech, but, of course, there"s a lot of laid-off workers across America wondering where do they go look for a job if the emphasis is not on manufacturing. Your thoughts on that.

HOYER: Well, I think we need to have emphasis on manufacturing. And we have been talking about an agenda that we call "Make It in America" agenda. Of course, that has two meanings. Number one, making it, getting your objectives; but number two, making it in America, manufacturing it in America, growing it in America, and selling it both here and around the world.

The president wants to double exports in the next five years. In order to do that, you"ve got to make things that people want to buy overseas. In order to do that, you have to expand manufacturing capability. And you have to have a policy to accomplish that end.

We, Democrats, have been talking about the "Make It in America" agenda for over a year now. Very frankly, I was disappointed that the president didn"t use that particular phrase in his speech. And I thought he had an opportunity to do so.

SCHULTZ: And the president--and, Steny, the president didn"t talk about economic patriotism. We"ve got corporations in this country that are sitting on hoards of cash. They have record profits. Yet they continue to get work elsewhere.

Why can"t the Democrats push the White House for some type of an effort to keep the jobs here and to do the labor here? What"s wrong with that?

HOYER: Well, let me say something, Ed. You and Leo Gerard just mentioned Ron Bloom. Ron Bloom has done an extraordinary job with the automobile industry.

I believe that in the very near future, in the next few days, in fact, Ron Bloom is going to be tasked by the White House at looking specifically at how we grow manufacturing in the United States of America - - here, employing Americans with good paying, high paying jobs and good benefits. That"s really what we need in this country.

And Americans overwhelmingly when they are polled say that if we"re going to be competitive society, and the kind of America that we want to be in the future, it will be based upon making things here in America.

SCHULTZ: So, you"re saying that the president is going to go down the road of some special consultant to focus in on this issue?

HOYER: Well, I don"t know about special consultant. I think he"s going to have somebody hopefully in the White House--

SCHULTZ: Yes.

HOYER: -- that is specifically tasked with that objective. Dan Lipinski, we"re pushing a bill that I hope passes the Congress, which directs the administration to have every four years an updated--adopt now, and then updated every four years, a manufacturing strategy for this country.

SCHULTZ: And, finally, Steny, I"ve got to ask you--every time the word "investing in America" comes up, that phrase, the Republicans turn it into a tax increase. What about that?

HOYER: Well, I think that"s unfortunate. You know, the Republicans understand very well about investing in stock, investing in business, investing in small, medium, large businesses in order to get a return. They understand that concept.

Well, we need to invest in America. That"s what the president was saying. We need to invest in our young people and make sure they get the kind of education they need.

SCHULTZ: Yes.

HOYER: We need to invest in our roads and bridges and transportation.

SCHULTZ: Well, it takes money to do that. And he froze the budget for five years. So, this is going to be interesting. He"s going to be robbing Peter to pay Paul.

And there"s going to be a heck of a fight in the Congress over that.

The prioritization of funds, I would think.

HOYER: No doubt it"s going to be a very tough challenge, and I"m hopeful and believe we are up to the job. And I hope we can do so on a bipartisan basis.

SCHULTZ: Congressman, thanks so much. Thanks so much, Steny Hoyer.

HOYER: Thank you.

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