ISSUES, WHETHER THAT IS A DROP
DEAD, THAT IS THE FINAL FIGURE,
ANYONE’S GUESS.
LET’S GO TO CYNTHIA LUMMIS THE
REPUBLICAN SENATOR FROM THE
BEAUTIFUL STATE OF WYOMING.
WHAT I LOVE ABOUT SENATOR
LOOMIS, VERY CONSISTENT ABOUT
DEBT, BOTH PARTIES ADDING TO IT,
BOTH PARTIES WORKING HARD, SAID
THEY WOULD WORK HARD TO AVOID
COMPOUNDING THE PROBLEM.
SENATOR, VERY GOOD TO HAVE YOU.
FIRST OFF THE REACTION TO JOE
MANCHIN?
>> WELL, NEIL, HE HAVE PUT OUT A
GREAT STATEMENT YESTERDAY,
PRINCIPLE THAT NOW DOESN’T LOOK
AS IMPORTANT BECAUSE HE DOES
WANT TO CONTINUE TO SPEND.
NOW THINK ABOUT THIS.
THIS IS, THEY HAVE ALREADY SPENT
1.9 TRILLION IN THE SPRING.
550 BILLION MORE ON
INFRASTRUCTURE THAN WE COULD
DOCUMENT WAS NECESSARY.
ALL OF THE DISCUSSION, WHETHER
IT IS COMING FROM JOE MANCHIN OR
THE PROGRESSIVES IS ABOUT HOW
MUCH WE’RE GOING TO SPEND, NOT A
SINGLE PERSON IS TALKING ABOUT
HOW WE CAN REFORM THINGS SO
WE’RE NOT $28 TRILLION IN DEBT.
IT IS AS IF THE DEBT IS
FORGOTTEN ABOUT.
IF WE’RE JUST BIDDING WITH EACH
OTHER HOW MUCH MONEY WE CAN
SPEND WITHOUT ANY THOUGHT ABOUT
HOW IN DEBT WE ARE, HOW IT IS
HURTING OUR ECONOMY, HOW IT IS
GOING TO CONTRIBUTE TO DIFFICULT
TIMES IN THE FUTURE.
THIS IS STUNNINGLY
IRRESPONSIBLE.
NEIL: YOU KNOW, YOU HEARD IT
FROM BOTH SIDES, CRITICIZING
OVERSPENDING ON THE PART OF
REPUBLICANS AND DEMOCRATS SO IT
KIND OF PUTS YOU IN A WEIRD
CAMP, NO OFFENSE SENATOR, BUT
YOU HAVE BEEN CALLING OUT ON
THIS.
I’M JUST CURIOUS NOW, IS IT YOUR
UNDERSTANDING, WHATEVER YOUR
PERSONAL VIEWS SENATOR MANCHIN
WON’T MOVE FROM THAT FIGURE?
YOU’RE QUITE RIGHT IT WILL ADD
TO THE DEBT.
QUITE RIGHT TO SAY WHAT THE
PRESIDENT SAID, THERE IS NO ZERO
COST TO THIS.
THERE IS A COST.
IT ADDS TO OUR RED INK BUT DO
YOU THINK THAT JOE MANCHIN CAN
BE MOVED FROM THAT NUMBER?
BECAUSE I GET A FEELING SENATOR,
YOU’RE CLOSER TO THIS THAN I AM,
THAT PROGRESSIVES ARE NOT GOING
TO MOVE IN HIS DIRECTION, AT
LEAST NOT THAT LOW, SO WHAT DO
YOU THINK?
>> WE’VE SEEN JOE MANCHIN STAKE
OUT POSITIONS THAT WERE TO THE
RIGHT OF HIS CONFERENCE BEFORE
ONLY TO CAPITULATE TO THEIR
LEADERSHIP LATER.
I HOPE THAT DOESN’T HAPPEN THIS
TIME BUT, HIS TRACK RECORD IS TO
CAPITULATE.
IT IS GOING TO BE IMPORTANT FOR
EVERYONE WHO WANTS HIM TO STAY
STRONG TO TALK TO HIM
FREQUENTLY, REINFORCE HIS
POSITION, HOPE THAT SENATOR
SINEMA WILL REINFORCE HIS
POSITION.
SHE IS VERY STRONG AND SO THE
FACT THAT THEY ARE SPEAKING FOR
PEOPLE WHO DON’T WANT TO SPEAK
UP WITHIN THE DEMOCRAT SENATE
CAUCUS IS REALLY, REALLY
HELPFUL.
NEIL: YOU KNOW, SENATOR, YOU’RE
EXACTLY RIGHT ON JOE MANCHIN AND
HOW HE ENDS UP VOTING YOU KNOW,
THE DEMOCRATIC POSITION.
I THINK IN THE OBAMA
ADMINISTRATION HE WAS A 95 PLUS
PERCENT VOTER IN AGREEMENT WITH
OBAMA PRIORITIES.
SO HIS ARGUMENT HAS BEEN THAT
SETS THE STAGE FOR VOTING ON
SOMETHING, GOING A LITTLE LOWER
OR DOESN’T SPEND AS MUCH.
NEVERTHELESS HE DOES GO ALONG
WITH DEMOCRATS AND THEY’RE GOING
TO BE REALLY FORCING HIM TO
CHANGE HIS MIND.
DO YOU THINK HE WILL?
>> WELL, HE, FORTUNATELY AT THIS
TIME HE HAS LAID DOWN A NUMBER.
HE HAS BEEN SPECIFIC.
AND NOW THEY CAN BEGIN, WHAT I
FEAR WILL BE A NEGOTIATION.
I’M WORRIED THE NEGOTIATION WILL
BE BETWEEN 1.5 AND 3.5 AND AS WE
KNOW THE 3.5 NUMBER IS ILLUSORY.
IF YOU LOOK FOR WHAT THE
COMMITTEE FOR RESPONSIBLE
FEDERAL BUDGET PUT OUT WHICH IS
MORE ACCURATE, THE EXPENDITURE
OVER 10 YEARS IS MORE LIKE FIVE
TRILLION AND AT THE END OF THEIR
PLANNED EXPENDITURES, EVEN THE
DEMOCRATS ADMIT THE NATIONAL
DEBT WILL BE $45 TRILLION.
NOW EVERY GOVERNMENT THAT HAS
GONE OVER 100% OF GDP HAS FACED
KIND OF A BLACK SWAN MOMENT, A
CRISIS, THAT IS PRECIPITATED BY
BEING THAT DEEPLY IN DEBT.
I HOPE WHEN JOE MANCHIN AND HIS
COLLEAGUES IN THE DEMOCRAT
CAUCUS GET TOGETHER TO TALK
ABOUT THESE NUMBERS, THAT THEY
WILL PUT THAT NUMBER ON THE
TABLE.
THAT NUMBER BEING WE’RE GOING TO
BE OVER 100% OF GDP IN DEBT.
AND WE’RE GETTING INTO SOME DARK
WATER HERE.
NEIL: THAT IS VERY GOOD WAY TO
CHARACTERIZE IT.
CYNTHIA LUMMIS, THANK YOU VERY
MUCH.
THE WYOMING SENATOR HAS HER
DEBTS ABOUT THE DEBT WE’RE
FILING UP.
SHE IS NOT ALONE.
THE SENATE MEANWHILE WILL TAKE
UP THE SHORT-TERM FUNDING
MEASURE, KEEP THE GOVERNMENT
LIGHTS ON TO GET IT OVER TO THE
HOUSE, THEN TO GET IT OVER TO
THE PRESIDENT TO SIGN TONIGHT.
SO THAT AT LEAST THEY CAN GET TO
THESE OTHER MATTERS.
IT IS NOT A GIMME.
I TOLD YOU ABOUT ANYTIME
WASHINGTON SAYS IT’S A GIMME, IT
NEVER IS, ONE HURDLE SEEMS
POTENTIALLY CLEARABLE IN THE
SENATE FOR ONE MEASURE, JUST
KEEPING THE GOVERNMENT LIGHTS ON
AND AVOIDING ANYTHING MORE