WHITE HOUSE LAWN GOOD MORNING,
EVERYONE THANKS FOR JOINING US
WELCOME TO SUNDAY MORNING
FUTURES I'M MARIA BARTIROMO AND
THE PRESIDENT JUST SPOKE WITH
REPORTERS MOMENTS AGO, BEFORE
HEADING OFF TO CAMP DAVID FOR A
RETREAT WITH SENIOR CABINET
MEMBERS.
THE GOVERNMENT SHUTDOWN IS NOW
ENTERING A 16TH DAY.
JOINING ME RIGHT NOW IN AN
EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW IS
REPUBLICAN SENATOR FROM ALABAMA,
RICHARD SHELBY HE'S THE CHAIRMAN
OF THE SENATE APPROPRIATIONS
COMMITTEE AND SERVES ON THE
SENATE BANKING COMMITTEE.
SENATOR GOOD TO SEE YOU THIS
MORNING THANKS SO MUCH FOR
JOINING US.
GOOD MORNING TO YOU MARIA.
MARIA: YOUR REACTION TO THE
PRESIDENT.
YOU'VE HAD MEETINGS THIS WEEKEND
YOUR MANDATE IS TO FUND THIS
GOVERNMENT, TELL US WHERE WE ARE
IN TERMS OF BEING AT AN IMPASSE
ON THIS BORDER WALL FUNDING.
>> WELL, WE'RE AT LAGGERHEAD
STILL, WE'RE AT AN
IMPASSE AND I WAS HOPING IT
WOULD NOT BE THIS WAY BUT IT IS.
WE COULD SETTLE IT, WE SHOULD,
BUT THIS HAS BECOME A POLITICAL
CIRCUS.
A LOT OF PEOPLE ON BOTH SIDES
ARE CALLING NAMES AND SO FORTH,
BUT WHAT WE NEED TO DO, MARIA IS
GET TOGETHER.
WE NEED TO SECURE OUR BORDER.
I THINK THE PRESIDENT IS
ABSOLUTELY RIGHT IN THIS.
WE'RE CLOSE, SOMETIMES, BUT
WE'RE FAR AWAY, AND I THINK
WE'VE GOT TO QUIT THE POLITICAL
POSTURING AND GET DOWN TO
RATIONAL THINKING, RATIONAL
DISCUSSIONS.
I KNOW THIS AFTERNOON SOME OF MY
STAFF WILL BE AT THE WHITE HOUSE
, TRYING TO NEGOTIATE TO
WHERE WE ARE AND WHAT CAN BE
DONE.
THIS COULD BE SETTLED IN 24
HOURS OR LESS IF WE COULD GET
TOGETHER AND I THINK WE'VE GOT
TO GET TOGETHER BECAUSE
ULTIMATELY, MARIA, THIS WILL ALL
END IN SOME NEGOTIATED
SETTLEMENT.
THE AMERICAN PEOPLE WANT US TO
WORK TOGETHER.
THEY WANT US TO DO RIGHT.
THEY WANT US TO SECURE THE
BORDER.
THEY WANT US TO FUND THE
GOVERNMENT.
WE CAN DO ALL OF THIS.
WE SHOULD OF ALREADY DONE IT.
MARIA: WELL YOU HAD AN IDEA OF
$2.5 BILLION VERSUS THE
5.6 BILLION THAT THE PRESIDENT
WANTS.
WHAT ARE YOU HEARING ON THE
OTHER SIDE?
I KNOW THAT YOU'RE HAVING
DISCREPANCIES OVER WHAT TO CALL
IT, A WALL, OR CONCRETE VERSUS
STEEL.
THESE REALLY ALL SEEM LIKE
POLITICS.
>> OH, IT IS WALL POLITICS,
IT'S POSTURING, THE POLITICAL
EQUATION CHANGED A LITTLE BIT.
WE HAVE A REPUBLICAN PRESIDENT A
REPUBLICAN SENATE AND A
DEMOCRATIC HOUSE BUT WE ALL
SHOULD PUT SECURITY OF THIS
NATION FIRST.
THE BORDERS, WE ALL KNOW
DEMOCRATS AND REPUBLICANS SHOULD
KNOW THAT WE SHOULD SECURE OUR
BORDERS AND IT'S A QUESTION.
YOU MENTION THE NAME WALL,
BARRIER, BORDER SECURITY, WE
SHOULD GET AWAY FROM THAT.
FENCE AND WHATEVER IT'S CALLED
WE SHOULD WORK TOGETHER, WE
SHOULD PUT SAY WHAT IS IT GOING
TO TAKE TO SECURE OUR BORDERS
AND LET'S GO THERE AND QUIT
POLARIZING AND SCREAMING AT EACH
OTHER.
MARIA: SO WHAT IS IT GOING TO
TAKE?
THE DEMOCRATS SAY THEY ARE FOR
BORDER SECURITY.
WE'VE GOT NEW DATA FROM THE
DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY
MOST RECENT ESTIMATES SAY THAT
THE DHS ESTIMATED THERE WERE
12.1 MILLION UNAUTHORIZED
IMMIGRANTS IN THE UNITED STATES
IN JANUARY 2014 COMPARED TO
11.6 MILLION IN 2010.
WHAT DO THEY SAY IS NEEDED THEN
TO GET CONTROL OF OUR BORDERS?
IF NOT A WALL?
>> WELL, THE WALL OR FENCE OR
BARRIER, WHATEVER IT IS, BORDER
SECURITY, IS LONG AND COMING.
IT'S NOT THERE YET, BUT I
BELIEVE THE PRESIDENT IS RIGHT
AND I BELIEVE THE PRESIDENT HAS
AN OBLIGATION TO SECURE THE
BORDERS, SECURE THE COUNTRY AND
I THINK HE'S GOT A LOT OF POWER
THERE.
I WANT TO HELP HIM DO THAT BUT I
ALSO WANT TO GET THE GOVERNMENT
BACK IN ORDER AND WE NEED TO DO
THIS.
WE FUNDED 75% OF OUR
APPROPRIATIONS.
WE COULD DO THIS QUICKLY OR IT
COULD LAST A WHILE.
I THINK IF WE DON'T GET TOGETHER
IT'S GOING TO BE PROTRACTED.
MARIA: SO WHAT EXACTLY DO THEY
WANT ON THE OTHER SIDE IN ORDER
TO GET THE GOVERNMENT OPEN AGAIN
>> EXCELLENT QUESTION.
WHEN YOU NEGOTIATE WITH SOMEBODY
, MARIA AND YOU'VE DONE
IT, YOU'VE GOT TO FIGURE OUT
WHAT THEY WANT, WHAT WE WANT,
AND HOW DO WE SETTLE AND
COMPROMISE AND GET SOMETHING FOR
BOTH SIDES, BECAUSE ULTIMATELY
THAT'S WHAT'S GOING TO HAVE TO
HAPPEN.
YOU'RE GOING TO HAVE TO GIVE A
DEMOCRAT SOMETHING BUT THEY'RE
AGAINST EVERYTHING AT THE MOMENT
BUT THEY WANT SOMETHING.
WE'VE GOT TO FIGURE OUT WHAT IT
REALLY IS AND ARE THEY WILLING
TO NEGOTIATE POLITICALLY IN A
FAIR WAY, FOR BOTH SIDES.
MARIA: ARE YOU SAYING YOU DON'T
KNOW WHAT THEY WANT?
YOU'VE GOT TO FIGURE OUT WHAT
THEY WANT?
>> WELL I DON'T THINK ANY OF US
KNOW EXACTLY WHAT THEY WANT
RIGHT NOW THEY ARE JUST SAYING
THEY'RE AGAINST THE WALL AND
AGAINST THE NUMBERS THAT WE PUT
OUT TO THE PRESIDENT NEEDS AND
CLAIM THEY WANT SO I HAVEN'T
SEEN THE SPECIFIC THINGS THAT
THEY WANT.
MARIA: WHAT IS THE HIGHEST
NUMBER THAT THEY'RE WILLING TO
ALLOCATE TOWARD THE WALL?
OR TOWARD BORDER SECURITY?
>> WELL THAT'S A GOOD QUESTION.
WE DON'T KNOW THAT UNTIL WE GET
INTO SERIOUS NEGOTIATION.
OF COURSE THEY SAY THEY'RE GOING
TO STAY ON 1.3.
IF THEY STAY ON 1.3 AND THE
PRESIDENT STAYS WHERE HE IS
THERES NOT ANY COMPROMISE.
THERE'S NOT GOING TO BE ANY
OPENING THE GOVERNMENT.
THE PEOPLE ARE ESTRANGED RIGHT
NOW.
WE'VE GOT TO GET TOGETHER.
MARIA: YEAH, I FIND IT REALLY
ODD THAT WE'RE ENTERING A 16TH
DAY OF A GOVERNMENT SHUTDOWN AND