ON IT GOES, EAMON,. >> MIKE VIQUERA AND GEOFF
BENNETT AT THE WHITE HOUSE,
THANK YOU BOTH.
JOINING ME NOW IS DEMOCRATIC
CONGRESSMAN FROM MARYLAND
ANTHONY BROWN.
ANTHONY BROWN. CONGRESSMAN, THANK YOU VERY MUCH
FOR JOINING US, SIR.
I WANT TO START --
>> GREAT TO BE HERE.
>> I WANT TO GET YOUR
PERSPECTIVE.
PERSPECTIVE. I KNOW AS A DEMOCRAT AND MY
COLLEAGUE WAS REPORTING THE
DEMOCRATS VIEW THE PRESIDENT’S
WALL AS IMMORAL.
IT’S NOT ABOUT MONEY.
IT’S ABOUT MORALITY.
I KNOW YOU’RE NOT INTERESTED IN
GIVING PRESIDENT TRUMP THE $5
BILLION HE WANTS FOR THAT WALL.
LET ME REVERSE IT.
WHAT ARE YOU WILLING TO
COMPROMISE ON TO GET THE
GOVERNMENT BACK OPEN IN YOUR
DISTRICT BACK TO WORK?
>> SURE.
>> SURE. FIRST OF ALL, LET’S BE CLEAR.
IT DOESN’T MAKE SENSE FOR
DEMOCRATS TO NEGOTIATE AGAINST
THE AMERICAN PEOPLE.
WE KNOW A MAJORITY OF THE
AMERICAN PEOPLE OPPOSE A BORDER
WALL AND EVEN MORE AMERICANS
OPPOSE A SHUTDOWN ON MAKING
PROGRESS ON BUILDING AN IMMORAL
AND IMPRACTICAL BORDER WALL.
THIS IS SQUARELY IN THE
PRESIDENT’S LAP.
PRESIDENT’S LAP. HE HAS THE ABILITY TO OPEN UP
GOVERNMENT.
GOVERNMENT. WE SENT A BIPARTISAN BILL.
THE SENATE SENT IT OVER TO THE
HOUSE.
HOUSE. AND THEN WHAT HAPPENED PRESIDENT
TRUMP GOT IN THE ROOM WITH
SPEAKER RYAN.
SPEAKER RYAN. HE PUT HIM IN A FULL NELSON,
BODY SLAMMED HIM DOWN TO THE
MAT.
MAT. THE FREEDOM CAUCUS PILED ON.
PAUL RYAN CALLED UNCLE.
AND WE HAVE $5.7 BILLION IN A
MEASURE GOING BACK TO THE SENATE
FOR A BORDER WALL WHICH NOBODY
WANTS.
WANTS. >> LET ME ASK YOU THIS, THOUGH.
THE PRESIDENT, REPUBLICANS AND
ALLIES ARE MAKING THE POINT,
LOOK, THE PRESIDENT CAMPAIGNED
ON THIS ISSUE.
HE HAS THE MANDATE FROM THE
PEOPLE THAT ELECTED HIM.
AND SO HE’S COMING AT THIS FROM
THAT POSITION WHICH IS THIS IS
SOMETHING THE AMERICAN PEOPLE
VOTED ON BECAUSE IT WAS A
SIGNATURE ISSUE OF HIS CAMPAIGN.
>> HE HAD RALLYING CRIES AND
CHANTS DURING HIS CAMPAIGN
SPEECHES WHERE AMERICANS THAT
SUPPORTED HIM UNDERSTOOD THAT HE
WOULD HAVE MEXICO PAY FOR THE
WALL.
WALL. WHEN YOU ASK AMERICANS, DO YOU
WANT AMERICA TO PAY FOR THE
WALL, THE MAJORITY SAY, NO,
ABSOLUTELY NOT.
ABSOLUTELY NOT. >> THE LAST SHUTDOWN WAS 16
DAYS.
DAYS. 850,000 FEDERAL EMPLOYEES
FURLOUGHED PER DAY, ROUGHLY 40%
OF THE ENTIRE CIVILIAN
WORKFORCE.
WORKFORCE. BENEFITS IN THE RANGE OF $2
BILLION.
BILLION. REAL GDP GROWTH BECAUSE OF THE
REDUCTION IN HOURS WORKED BY
FEDERAL EMPLOYEES.
FEDERAL EMPLOYEES. HOW IS THIS YEAR’S SHUTDOWN
DIFFERENT?
DIFFERENT? DO YOU THINK IT COULD LAST LONG
ENOUGH IT COULD REACH THOSE
STAGGERING NUMBERS WE WERE JUST
TALKING ABOUT?
TALKING ABOUT? >> THIS IS A CONTRIVED FIGHT.
IF HE ALLOWS IT TO GO INTO THE
NEW YEAR WE ARE GOING TO SEE, I
BELIEVE, SIMILAR ECONOMIC AND
PERSONAL FINANCIAL HARM TO NOT
ONLY FEDERAL GOVERNMENT
EMPLOYEES WHO MAY GET
RETROACTIVE PAY ALTHOUGH I WOULD
QUESTION THAT.
QUESTION THAT. BUT FEDERAL CONTRACTORS WHO WILL
NOT BE ON THE JOB AND ARE NOT
GOING TO GET PAID.
YESTERDAY WAS IN THE DRY
CLEANER’S AND MY DRY CLEANER
TOLD ME VOLUME IS DOWN.
NEXT DOOR TO THE DRY CLEANER IS
THE BARBERSHOP.
THE BARBERSHOP. FOLKS ARE HOLDING OFF NOT
SPENDING THE SAME KIND OF MONEY
BECAUSE OF THE UNCERTAINTY.
I HAVE THE FIFTH LARGEST NUMBER
OF EMPLOYEES.
OF EMPLOYEES. I FEEL THE IMPACT.
I SEE THE IMPACT IN MY MALLS, MY
SHOPPING CENTERS AND THIS WILL
HAVE AN IMPACT AND IT’S MY HOPE
AND MY PLEA TO THE PRESIDENT
OPEN UP GOVERNMENT, PUT WORKERS
BACK ON THE JOB.
PAY FEDERAL CONTRACTORS AND
DON’T DO THE HARM TO THE ECONOMY
THAT WOULD ENSUE IF YOU DON’T.
>> CONGRESSMAN, I HAVE TO ASK
YOU BEFORE I LET YOU GO, I KNOW
CONSIDERING THAT YOU’RE ON THE
ARM SERVICES COMMITTEE, WHAT IS
YOUR TAKE ON THE PRESIDENT’S
DECISION TO WITHDRAW FROM SYRIA?
IS IT A GOOD OR BAD MOVE GIVEN
THE FACT WHEN HE WENT IN THERE
IN THE FIRST PLACE HE DID NOT
HAVE CONGRESSIONAL AUTHORIZATION
AND PEOPLE THOUGHT THAT WAS AN
UNNECESSARY MOVE FOR THE U.S. TO
GET INVOLVED IN AN UNNECESSARY
WAR FOR THE U.S. TO BE INVOLVED
IN?
IN? HOW DO YOU SEE IT NOW?
>> THE PRESIDENT CLAIMS ISIS IS
DEFEATED AND I DON’T THINK
ANYONE WHO REALLY FOCUSES ON
THESE ISSUES WOULD BELIEVE HIM.
THAT’S WHY ENVOY McGUIRK QUIT
EARLY, THAT’S WHY SECRETARY
MATTIS RESIGNED WHICH IS A
REBUKE OF THE PRESIDENT’S WORLD
VIEW AND HIS POSITION IN SYRIA.
THE PRESIDENT OWES IT, I THINK,
TO THE AMERICAN PEOPLE TO COME
FORWARD AND STATE WHAT IS THE
CRITERIA HE IS USING TO REACH
THE CONCLUSION THAT ISIS IS
DEFEATED.
DEFEATED. HE NEEDS TO SPEAK TO ISSUES LIKE
HOW WILL WE ADDRESS THE CIVIL
STRIFE THAT CONTINUES IN SYRIA,
THE REFUGEE CRISIS IN SYRIA, THE
HUMANITARIAN CRISIS IN SYRIA.
THERE ARE A LOT OF UNANSWERED
QUESTIONS.
QUESTIONS. REGARDLESS OF WHETHER YOU AGREE
OR NOT, THE PROCESS STINKS AND
THE RESULT IS NOT NECESSARILY
THE RIGHT ONE AND WE NEED TO