NBC "The Ed Show" - Transcript - Budget Agreement

Interview

BREAK IN TRANSCRIPT

SCHULTZ: Joining me now Congressman Jim Clyburn of South Carolina.
Congressman, good to have you with us tonight on the heels of this deal,
but -- and of course before the vote.

REP. JIM CLYBURN (D), SOUTH CAROLINA: But thank you so much for having me.

SCHULTZ: Let me be the fly in the ointment here. The Republicans are
going to go home and say, "We didn`t raise your taxes. We`re not going to
shut down the government. You still got the big three." Those are pretty
good talking points. What do the Democrats get out of this?

CLYBURN: Well, we`ll tell them first of all that we`ll go home, we did not
destroy Medicare. We did not do anything to Medicaid and we preserved a
government shutdown which a big portion of the Republican caucus want it
and I think they still are.

I will say this, what we did was established top line numbers. The
appropriate is still must to their work between now and January 15th in
order to avert any kind of a government shutdown. But I think this a
pretty good deal, not everything that I wanted, not everything that would
fit in it if I were right in it.

But the fact of the matter is we do have a compromise that I think we all
can get adjusted to and I`m just waiting to see whether or not the
Republicans will keep their end of the bargain this time around.

SCHULTZ: Congressman .

CLYBURN: The last time we had something like this, they walked away from
it with the top, you may remember that.

SCHULTZ: How many Democrats are going to walk away from this in your
opinion, Congressman? Because you`re leaving unemployment benefits is
going to cut three days after Christmas 1.3 million people and then 90 days
after that is going to be another 1.6 million people if they don`t find a
job. You got three people looking for every one job in this country and
this is going to be a real sticking point in the caucus, isn`t it?

CLYBURN: Yes it is going to be. But that`s not necessarily a budget
issue. We want to pass unemployment insurance. We could do that if the
speaker were to bring it to the floor before we leave on Friday. Put it up
on suspension. I think there are enough Republicans who know that they
have constituents who fall into this category as well and we could do
unemployment insurance. That doesn`t have to be and I don`t think it
should be a part of this budget but it could be a part of the budget deal
because I think they`re going to be coming up with a rule .

SCHULTZ: Yeah.

CLYBURN: . to deal with other issues that a rule could be brought that
will deal with unemployment insurance as well.

SCHULTZ: And what do you think the feasibility of that happening is?

CLYBURN: Well I don`t know what the Speaker is thinking is going to be. I
do know this. I`ve heard from enough Republicans who are seeing to believe
that it`s these people`s fault that they`re not at work, they don`t believe
in unemployment insurance and because it violates their sensitivities if
not their sensibilities, they may not be for it .

SCHULTZ: Yeah.

CLYBURN: . no matter what happens.

SCHULTZ: Well if the Speaker commits to that and the way he went after
some of the Right Wing groups today who were criticizing this deal. I
think that would probably bring a lot of Democrats to vote yes on this
budget deal.

CLYBURN: You are absolutely correct about that. Absolutely.
SCHULTZ: Even though the corporations are going to be getting off scot
free here with no change at all. I mean we`ve got a revenue issue, there`s
no new revenue into this, there`s no change in closing any loopholes. How
big a problem is this? And can you get around it?

CLYBURN: Well that`s always a problem for us. We would like to close
these loopholes, but I do believe they come in -- after the first of the
year, we ought to get serious in this Congress both the House and the
Senate about reforming our tax code. The tax code needs to be reformed and
we ought to do it. And I think that we should do it, we can do it and come
back the first of the year. We ought to start that process.
It will take up to two years to get done what really needs to be done
without tax code but it is .

SCHULTZ: Yeah.

CLYBURN: . absolutely a mess, we all know it but I don`t think you could
do it in a bill in this short period of time.

SCHULTZ: So the Republicans get $23 billion worth of budget cuts with no
new revenue and no taxes being increased and the corporations get away with
no change in the loopholes. This is a -- And you protect the big three,
but not to be negative about this, Congressman, but the fact is the big
three Medicare, Medicaid and Social Security already poll heavily in favor
of where the Democrats are. How can that be considered a big victory?

CLYBURN: Well we preserved all of that. We didn`t hurt Medicare at all,
we didn`t do a thing to Medicaid .
Advertise

SCHULTZ: Yeah.

CLYBURN: . and you know that`s what they`ve been arguing for now
entitlements are entitlements, sometimes they`re social nets, other times
they are tax cuts. And so entitlements ought to be tackled .

SCHULTZ: OK.

CLYBURN: . on both end to the spectrum and we can do that after the first
of the year. Also, they will do something very soon on the raising the
minimum wage. I think we`ll be able to do that first of the year.
SCHULTZ: Amen to that. That`s polling heavily as well positively by the
American people. Finally, Congressman are you going to vote yes on this
budget deal?

CLYBURN: Well, I`m going to make up my mind between now and Friday. I`m
leaving in that direction.

SCHULTZ: OK.

CLYBURN: No question about it.

SCHULTZ: Congressman Jim Clyburn, thanks for your time tonight. I
appreciate it.

CLYBURN: Thank you so much for having me.

BREAK IN TRANSCRIPT

Source