MSNBC "The Ed Show" - Transcript: Government Shutdown

Interview

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Now this has been a real lesson for liberals in this country because oftentimes there`s a crack in the armor. Often times, there`s some water slipping through the wall so to speak. It didn`t happen this time. A lot of credit goes to this man for keeping the caucus strong. Congressman Steny Hoyer of Maryland who serves as the House Minority Whip, this is a good day at the office, Steny if the votes go the way we think they`re going to go. Hundreds of thousand of workers are going to go back to work tomorrow. The government`s going to be open and we now go to fight for
another day. Your take on -- at this hour where we are, sir.

REP. STENY HOYER, (D-MD) MINORITY WHIP: Well, I think we`re going to do the right thing. We`re certainly not doing the perfect thing, but we`re doing the right thing and it`s never the wrong time to do that. I`m glad that we`ve come to this agreement. The country is the loser in this so far. Hundreds of thousands of people laid off, millions of people lost services from their government, and the reputation of the United States of America has been tarnished.

We`ll get it back. We`re a great country. We`re going to confront this, but we cannot continue this government by crisis and this government by hostage taking. It will not be a sustainable policy for Republicans to follow.

SCHULTZ: OK. So that -- so that means .

HOYER: They`ve done it once, they`ve now done it twice .

SCHULTZ: Yes.

HOYER: . and let`s hope on January 15th they don`t repeat this performance because the country is the loser and the American people have been the loser.

SCHULTZ: Congressman, there`s not a whole lot of difference between what you`re going to vote on tonight and what you could have voted on the Continuing Resolution just a couple of weeks ago. So this .

HOYER: Yeah.

SCHULTZ: . this has been an unnecessary political exercise that has hurt a lot of Americans. It`s also questioned our position in the world financially in the markets. Can you count on the United States? And, you know, Ted Cruz has got the kind of personality he could have changed his mind and plot this thing. I mean this is not a way to run the railroad.

Can you trust Republicans that you`re going to get in them to conference and you`re going to get a budget deal?

HOYER: Look, I think the American people have made it very clear that they want to see responsible government pursued. They don`t want to see their government shut down, they don`t want to see the government of United States not pay its bills on time, and they thought this was a bad strategy by the Republicans and they`ve sent that message to them. And I am very hopeful that we will not repeat it because to repeat it will damage our country and its people.

So that -- this deal, you`re absolutely right, Ed. This could have been cut on September 28th, never had a shutdown, never had a debt at risk of paying our bills. And let me say on that, it`s unfortunate that we haven`t extended the authority to pay our bills well through 2015 frankly to give the markets confidence, to give job creation confidence .

SCHULTZ: Well, that would help the economy and the Republicans don`t.

HOYER: . it would help the economy.

SCHULTZ: . want that.

HOYER: Absolutely. So let`s hope that they don`t put paying our bills at risk again on February 7th. We`ve have to come to a reasonable agreement. We`re prepared to do that, move forward but stop this government by crisis.

SCHULTZ: It`s -- Congressman, it`s interesting John Boehner calls back home to a Cincinnati radio station today. He`s quick to say about the Conference Committee. Every time he talks to you guys, all you`re talking about is raising taxes. I mean, you haven`t even gone to Congress Committee yet, he`s already throwing barbs. In fact, you haven`t even voted on this deal yet, and he`s already throwing barbs saying what it`s going to be like dealing with the Democrats. Your reaction to that?

HOYER: Well, the real issue is paying our bills, paying our bills to educate our kids, to keep our veterans in the kind of the benefits that they deserve and earned, to keep Social Security going. The issue is about paying America`s bills not raising taxes but paying our bills and deciding what we want to do on a rational basis to make sure that American families, American children, American seniors, American veterans have the kind of quality of life that we want them to have in this country.

SCHULTZ: Yes.

HOYER: That`s what this conference is about. And frankly as you know, Ed, we`ve been asking to go to this conference for six months.

SCHULTZ: Yes.

HOYER: Chris Van Hollen, the Ranking Democrats been asking to go to conference 17 times and we have not been able to get there.

SCHULTZ: So what is .

HOYER: I am glad we`re going there. Let`s hope to go there with an intent and agree upon a reasonable course of action.

SCHULTZ: Steny, what do you expect out of John Boehner? At one time he said that ObamaCare -- the Affordable Care Act was the law of the land.

Is this going to continue on? Do you think that we`re going to keep playing this all the way into 2014 about defunding ObamaCare and chipping away at something that is going to work and is going to save lives?

HOYER: Ed you just talked about some of the outside groups. As a matter of fact those very outside groups within the last 48 hours have been -- given the answer to that question is, yes they want to continue to talk about something, that almost every rationale Republican and commentator independent or otherwise said, "Look this strategy is not going to work." They pursued that strategy in any event. I`m hopeful that John Boehner, Mitch McConnell will not pursue this strategy again because it clearly will not work, shouldn`t work, and we ought to get down to the business and ....

SCHULTZ: But you have no assurance ...

HOYER: ... democracy.

SCHULTZ: You have no assurances that they won`t go down this road again, do you?

HOYER: No we don`t.

SCHULTZ: OK. And I think that`s ...

HOYER: Let me tell you, Ed the American public needs to and votes and everyone of these districts needs to tell everyone of us don`t do this, stop this playing games, get down to work, make sense with one another, and for our country.

SCHULTZ: Congressman Hoyer congratulations on the resolve keeping the caucus together.

HOYER: Thank you.

SCHULTZ: I think the President also deserves an awful lot of credit.

HOYER: I agree with that.

SCHULTZ: He stuck to his guns throughout the whole thing and this is only going to embolden the Democrats further as negotiations because we know they`re going after the big three, they`re going after the entitlements, the earned benefit programs, that`s the big price, and that of course trying to take down ObamaCare. Steny, great to have you with us tonight. Thank you.

HOYER: Thanks Ed. Appreciate it.

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