WE HAVE TO AVOID A RAIL
SHUTDOWN.
MARIA: JOINING ME RIGHT NOW IS
PENNSYLVANIA CONGRESSMAN, THE
CHAIRMAN OF THE HOUSE FREEDOM
CAUCUS, MEMBER OF THE HOUSE
TRANSPORTATION AND
INFRASTRUCTURE COMMITTEE, SCOTT
PERRY.
GREAT TO SEE YOU THIS MORNING.
THANKS VERY MUCH.
CAN YOU WALK US THROUGH WHAT’S
GOING ON WITH THIS POTENTIAL
RAIL STRIKE?
FIRST, JOE BIDEN COMES OUT IN
SEPTEMBER RIGHT BEFORE THE
MIDTERM ELECTIONS AND TRIES TO
MAKE EVERYBODY BELIEVE THAT A
HE’S GOT SOME TENTATIVE
AGREEMENT WHICH DID NOT EXIST
AND HE DID A WHOLE PRESS
CONFERENCE ABOUT IT.
WE SAW THROUGH IT RIGHT AWAY.
NOW HE SAYS HE’S NOT ENGAGED.
>> GOOD MORNING, MARIA.
OF COURSE, PRESIDENT BIDEN AND
THE DEMOCRATS KEEP TELLING US
JUST TO SIT TIGHT, THERE’S A
LIGHT AT THE END OF THE TUNNEL.
UNFORTUNATELY, THIS LIGHT
HAPPENS TO BE A RAIL STRIKES
THAT’S GOING TO AMOUNT TO ABOUT
A $2 BILLION LOSS IN OUR ECONOMY
EVERY SINGLE DAY.
IF YOU THINK SUPPLY CHAINS ARE
BAD NOW, JUST WAIT AND OF COURSE
WHAT THE RAIL WORKERS HAVE
FIGURED OUT IS THAT MONEY TALKS
AND BS WALKS.
SO, YOU KNOW, WHILE THE
PRESIDENT DIRECTLY GOTTEN GOT
AND AVERTED A STRIKE IN TIME FOR
THE MIDTERM ELECTION, DOESN’T
SEEM THAT WILL BE THE CASE FOR
CHRISTMAS AND OF COURSE THE
POLITICAL DIFFERENCE IS THAT
THEY CARE ABOUT MID TERM
ELECTIONS.
THEY DON’T CARE WHETHER YOU CAN
GET YOUR CHILD WHAT HE OR SHE
WANTS FOR CHRISTMAS OR OF
WHETHER YOU CAN BUY STUFF OFF
THE SHELVES AT THE GROCERY
STORE.
THAT’S NOT AN ISSUE FOR THE
ADMINISTRATION AS THEY CONTINUE
TO CRUSH THE AMERICAN PEOPLE AND
CRUSH THIS ECONOMY.
MARIA: SO I MEAN, A WEEK FROM
FRIDAY IS WHEN THE FIRST OF
THESE RAIL WORKERS COULD
ACTUALLY GO ON THE PICKET LINES,
115,000 COULD STRIKE A WEEK FROM
FRIDAY.
DO YOU THINK CONGRESS WILL GET
INVOLVED TO AVERT A STRIKE OR
WILL WE SEE THE RAIL STRIKERS
MOVE AHEAD?
>> I THINK THERE’S A GOOD
POSSIBILITY THAT CONGRESS WILL
GET INVOLVED.
WHEN I SAY CONGRESS, OF COURSE
NANCY PELOSI REMAINS THE
SPEAKER, CHUCK SCHUMER REMAINS
THE LEADER IN THE SENATE AND
THAT’S NOT GOING TO CHANGE FOR
THE NEXT COUPLE WEEKS AND SO
ALWAYS INTERESTED TO MEDDLE AND
TAMPER WITH INDUSTRY, THE
DEMOCRATS ARE LIKELY GOING TO DO
THAT.
BUT HERE’S WHAT YOU KNOW, MARIA.
THE RAIL WORKERS KNOW THEIR
PRICES FOR EVERYTHING THEY BUY
ARE GOING UP AND THAT WAGES
AREN’T KEEPING UP WITH THE
INFLATION CAUSED BY CONGRESS,
CAUSED BY THE BIDEN
ADMINISTRATION AND THEY WANT TO
MAKE THEIR ENDS MEET LIKE
EVERYBODY ELSE SO THEY’RE
FORCING THE ISSUE AND OF COURSE
CAN ALL TOO WILLING TO CONTINUE
WITH GOVERNMENT INTERVENTION, I
SUSPECT SPEAKER PELOSI AND CHUCK
SCHUMER AND PRESIDENT BIDEN ARE
GOING TO WANT TO GET INVOLVED
AND FIX THIS FOR EVERYBODY.
WHAT THAT’S GOING TO MEAN TO YOU
IS ABSOLUTELY HIGHER PRICES AND
POTENTIALLY LESS THINGS ON THE
SHELVES THAN THERE ARE NOW.
THAT’S WHERE WE’RE HEADED AT
THIS MOMENT.
MARIA: WE’VE SPOKEN WITH THE
HEADS MANYOFSOME OF THE UNIONS,
THE DEAL, ONE SAID HE WOULD GO
ALONG WITH IT IF HE GOT MORE
SICK DAYS.
THEY’RE ALREADY GETTING A A 24%
INCREASE IN PAY AND PEN BENEFITS
THE RAIL WORKERS WANT MORE PAID
SICK LEAVE.
THEY WERE OFFERED ONE SICK LEAVE
PAY.
THEY WANT 15.
SO I MEAN, THAT’S I THINK WHERE
WE STAND RIGHT NOW.
BUT IN TERMS OF CONGRESS GETTING
INVOLVED, WHAT WOULD THAT LOOK
LIKE?
WOULD THE CONGRESS SAY, LOOK,
YOU’RE FORCED TO ACCEPT THIS
DEAL OR YOU’RE FORCED TO
CONTINUE GOOD FAITH
NEGOTIATIONSES?
HOW DOES THAT PLAY OUT?
>> I THINK HOW IT WOULD PLAY OUT
IS THEY WOULD TRY TO FORCE THEM
TO CONTINUE NEGOTIATIONS AND
FIND MIDDLE GROUND BETWEEN THE
SICK LEAVE ISSUE WHERE THE RAIL
UNION WANTS IT AND WHERE IT
CURRENTLY IS.
AND OF COURSE NEITHER SIDE IN
THAT -- NEITHER SIDE OF THAT IS
GOING TO GIVE UP ON THE
OPPORTUNITY THAT YOU CAN NEVER
LET A CRISIS GO TO WASTE.
THEY’RE GOING TO GET THE BEST
OUT OF THIS CRISIS FOR
THEMSELVES.
MARIA: ABSOLUTELY.
>> POLITICALLY AND FINANCIALLY.
MARIA: AND I WOULD NOT WRITE
OFF OTHER UNIONS WHO ARE LOOKING
AT THIS AND SAYING, WELL, THE
RAIL WORKERS ARE GETTING A 24%
RAISE.
I WANT THAT KIND OF A RAISE SO
MAYBE I’LL THREATEN TO STRIKE.
I WANT TO TALK ABOUT LEADERSHIP.
YOU JUST MENTIONED THE DEMOCRAT
LEADERSHIP.
LET’S TALK ABOUT THE REPUBLICAN
LEADERSHIP.
YOU ARE ON THE FREEDOM CAUCUS,
KEVIN MCCARTHY FACING A FLOOR
FIGHT TO DETERMINE WHO WILL BE
THE NEXT SPEAKER.
THE HOUSE FREEDOM CAUCUS HAVING
A BIG SAY IN THIS MATTER.
KEVIN MCCARTHY WAS HERE A FEW
WEEKS AGO ON SUNDAY MORNING
FUTURES AND HERE’S WHAT HE SAID.
I WANT TO GET YOUR TAKE ON THIS.
>> THE DISCUSSION WASN’T ABOUT
ME, IT WAS THE PROCESS AND THE
RULES IN THE HOUSE.
I HAVE OPENED UP THE RULES EVEN
GREATER THAN WE HAVE EVER
BEFORE, CHANGED THE STEERING
COMMITTEE WHERE THE POWER RESTS
WITH THE CONFERENCE THEMSELVES
TO MAKE THE DECISION, THEY HAVE
MORE POWER THAN THE LEADERSHIP
EVER HAD IN THE PAST AND REALLY
WALKING THROUGH RULES NEXT WEEK
AS WELL.
I KEPT THAT OPEN.
SO IF THE ARGUMENT IS ABOUT THE
RULES OF THE HOUSE, LET
COLLECTIVELY THE CONFERENCE MAKE
THAT DECISION.
MARIA: SO CONGRESSMAN, WHAT’S
YOUR RESPONSE IN IS THAT WHAT
YOU ARE TALKING ABOUT, THE
RULES?
>> MARIA, I WOULD HE RESPOND
THIS WAY.
THE DEFINITION OF INSANITY IS
DOING THE SAME THING WITH THE
SAME PEOPLE UNDER THE SAME
PROCESS AND EXPECTING A
DIFFERENT OUTCOME.
WE’RE ALL DISAYOU POINTED IN
WHAT HAPPENED IN THE SENATE
LEADERSHIP.
WE DON’T WANT TO MAKE THE SAME
MISTAKE IN THE HOUSE OF
REPRESENTATIVES.
WE WANT TO SEE THINGS CHANGE FOR
THE BETTER IN AMERICA, PEOPLE
SENT REPRESENTATIVES TO
WASHINGTON DC TO MAKE THAT A
HAPPEN AND THEY DON’T CARE ABOUT
THE RULES OR PROCESS CHANGES.
I GET THAT.
THEY WANT TO SEE
TRANSFORMATIONAL CHANGE IN
CONGRESS SO THAT PEOPLE
REPRESENT THEIR DISTRICT, DON’T
HAVE THIS ILLUSION OF
REPRESENTATIVE GOVERNMENT.
SO NIBBLING AROUND THE EDGES
UNFORTUNATELY PROBABLY NOT GOING
TO BE GOOD ENOUGH.
WE’RE TALKING ABOUT THINGS THAT
REALLY MAKE A DIFFERENCE, THAT
GET RID OF THE PAY FOR PLAY AND
MAKE SURE THAT PEOPLE CAN GO TO
WASHINGTON DC AND REPRESENT
THEIR DISTRICTS, REPRESENT THE
PROBLEMS IN THE COUNTRY AND MAKE
A DIFFERENCE FOR PEOPLE IN THEIR
LIVES AT HOME, WHERE THEY EXIST.
RIGHT NOW, THAT’S NOT WHERE WE
ARE.
MARIA: SO ARE YOU A NO VOTE OR
KEVIN MCCARTHY AND DO YOU WANT
TO SEE ANDY BIGGS AS SPEAKER?
>> I WANT TO SEE ANYBODY THAT’S
GOING TO BE SPEAKER THAT’S GOING
TO RECOGNIZE THAT THINGS NEED TO
CHANGE IN CONGRESS.
FOR 40 YEARS WE’VE HAD THIS
TOP-DOWN CRAM-DOWN OF YOU’VE GOT
TO DO WHAT LEADERSHIP SAYS,
LEADERSHIP PICKS THE COMMITTEE
CHAIRMEN, LEADERSHIP DECIDES
WHAT VOCATION MAKE IT TO THE
FLOOR, WHAT AMENDMENTS.
THERE HASN’T BEEN AN AMENDMENT
ON THE FLOOR IN SIX YEARS.
HOW DO YOU REPRESENT DISTRICTS
WHEN YOU DON’T SERVE ON A
COMMITTEE AND CAN’T OFFER AN
AMENDMENT ON THE FLOOR WHEN THE
BILL MAKES IT TO THE FLOOR AND
AFFECTS THE PEOPLE YOU
REPRESENT.
YOU CAN NOT.
THOSE THINGS ABSOLUTELY NEED TO
CHANGE.
WE NEED A DIFFERENT LOOK.
IF IT MEANS DIFFERENT PERSONNEL
THAT’S WHAT IT’S GOING TO HAVE
TO LOOK LIKE BUT WE’VE BEEN IN
THESE DISCUSSIONS SINCE
SUMMERTIME AND NOTHING REALLY --
IT’S NIBBLING AROUND THE EDGES.
IT’S SIMPLY NOT GOING TO DO.
MARIA: REAL QUICK, CONGRESSMAN,
WHEN ARE WE GOING TO SEE CLARITY
ON THIS, HOW WILL THIS PLAY OUT
IN THE COMING WEEKS?
>> I THINK THERE’S GOING TO
CONTINUE TO BE TALKS AND
NEGOTIATIONS BUT AS YOU KNOW,
MARIA, FIVE MEMBERS HAVE ALREADY
COME OUT AND SAID THEY WILL NOT
VOTE FOR LEADER MCCARTHY FOR
SPEAKER.
AT SOME POINT EITHER THEY’RE
GOING TO CHANGE THEIR MINDS OR
HE’S GOING TO CHANGE HIS MIND
AND I DON’T KNOW WHERE THAT IS
RIGHT NOW.
SO I THINK NEGOTIATIONS WILL
CONTINUE FOR A LITTLE WHILE BUT
I THINK UNLESS THERE’S SOMETHING
BIG THAT HAPPENS WE’RE EITHER
HEADED FOR A FLOOR FIGHT OR
SOMEBODY’S GOING TO HAVE TO
GIVE.
AND I DON’T SEE THE FIVE MEMBERS
WHO HAVE PUBLICLY COME OUT
CHANGING THEIR MINDS AT LEAST
UNDER THE CURRENT CONDITIONS
RIGHT NOW.
ALL RIGHT.
WE WILL LEAVE IT THERE.
CONGRESSMAN, IT’S GREAT TO TALK
WITH YOU THIS MORNING.
THANKS VERY MUCH.
SCOTT PERIJOINING US THIS