CNN "Newsroom" - Transcript: Interview with Barbara Lee

Interview

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WHITFIELD: All right. With us now is Democratic Congresswoman Barbara Lee of California. Congresswoman, always good to see you.

So what is it going to take to bring Democrats together on both the infrastructure and the larger $3.5 trillion reconciliation bill in time for any votes this week?

REP. BARBARA LEE (D-CA): Thanks a lot for having me, Fredricka. Yes, we're quite frankly at a defining moment in our country. And in fact, I believe now that we've passed the budget out of the Budget Committee yesterday -- I serve on the Budget Committee and we worked all day here in Washington to make sure that bill left committee.

And so the speaker is very smart and she knows what she's doing. I met with the president with a group of progressives last week at the White House. And I think we're all on the same page. We're now trying to find consensus, trying to unify, trying to make sure that both bills work together per our agreement, per our deal that was made.

WHITFIELD: So possibly unify on what? Where would the consensus be? So you've already identified then the problem areas among the progressives including yourself?

LEE: Well, yes. I'm a former chair of the Progressive Caucus. And let me tell you this is not a progressive caucus bill. This is not a blue dog or a new dem bill.

[14:14:52]

LEE: This is a bill which the Biden administration campaigned on. We have got to deliver on the promises that the president made.

Number one, the child tax credit. I mean can you imagine how many children would be lifted out of poverty if in fact we make it permanent? We already passed in one of our prior bills at least part of what we need to do to make sure that we finally eliminate poverty for children.

Secondly, our women in the workforce -- women need to get back to work. They want to get back to work, but guess what, they can't afford child care. So in this Build Back Better bill, we have provisions for affordable child care, for childcare providers, caregiving. So many of our elders, so many of our disabled citizens need care giving.

And this bill provides for their lives and their livelihoods so we've got to work together and we work at this (INAUDIBLE) Congress.

WHITFIELD: So I think I'm hearing you say the consensus is those things need to stay included but then the issue is going to be by how much do you cut it in order to -- for those things to remain inclusive but at a smaller price tag?

LEE: Well, negotiations are taking place right now. We have $3.5 trillion -- that's what I voted for yesterday. And that's what we expect.

Now of course, there's going to be negotiations as we speak because we have to come to consensus. But I want to see $3.5 trillion and also what's important is to make sure that all of those initiatives, those provisions, those details as it relates to what we voted on.

Climate change, for example, we have resources, investments in that bill to provide for good paying union jobs for our climate efforts, for our green economy.

(CROSSTALK)

LEE: So there are many efforts in the bill that we've got to address.

WHITFIELD: All right. So I also want to ask you about this bipartisan police reform bill that has now fallen apart. I mean following George Floyd, there seemed to be some real momentum to get something done and then today, there was a lot of finger pointing from the measure's leading Democrat and Republican about who and what is to blame for this failure. Listen.

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SENATOR TIM SCOTT (R-SC): We have about a billion dollars in grant money that goes to police. When you started saying in order to receive those dollars you must do a, b and c, and if you don't do a, b and c you literally lose eligibility for the two major pots of money -- the Byrne Grant and the COPS Grant.

When you tell local law enforcement agencies that you are ineligible for money, that's defunding the police. There's no way to spin that.

SENATOR CORY BOOKER (D-NJ): Again, it's unfortunate. You remember on this saga we got the head of the FOP, the director of FOP, IACP -- these are some of the biggest unions an law enforcement agencies to go with us on a lot of common sense reforms and those folks don't want to defund the police. This is a bill that would have had millions of dollars for the police department.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: So how disappointing is this to you?

LEE: well, it's very disappointing. But let me just say, Senator Scott is downright wrong. I serve on the appropriations commit, and we have measures for accountability, for our federal tax dollars. Why wouldn't we not have that for the police?

Secondly --

(CROSSTALK)

WHITFIELD: So you use the word "accountability". He's interpreting that accountability as another way of saying defunding police. A consequence equals taking away funding and he sees that as defunding. So how do you get around that if that's the way he feels?

LEE: That's wrong when you look at how we appropriate funds, we provide measures for accountability for how taxpayer dollars are spent for what we want to see take place or we don't provide the funds.

And so that's just the Republican talking point. I don't know if they really wanted to do this. I mean part of the provision for this bill really did have some of the provisions which Trump supported.

(CROSSTALK)

WHITFIELD: Do you see it can be -- do you see that it could resuscitated and reconsidered in another way?

LEE: I hope so. I know Congresswoman Karen Bass very well and Senator Booker very well, and I know they negotiated day and night, day and night to try to bring some sense and sensible provisions to this bill on police accountability, on transparency, on a national database.

And I believed that they were getting close and all of a sudden the provisions with regard -- it wasn't even qualified immunity that Senator Scott was talking about. Now they're talking about holding taxpayer dollars -- making sure taxpayer dollars are accountable for what these programs are supposed to do.

And so I know Senator Booker and Congresswoman Bass are (INAUDIBLE) looking forward to get back (INAUDIBLE) achieve the goals of the George Floyd Justice in Policing Act recognizing that they have made many, many compromises already in many bills and I know this for a fact because I have talked with them all the time and they have done an incredible job.

[14:19:51]

LEE: And so I'm so disappointed. I mean black and brown lives do matter. And this police reform bill was a step in the right direction to make sure that there's some police reform and police accountability.

And it is a shame and disgrace that Republicans would do what they did and not allow for this very modest bill to move forward.

WHITFIELD: Congresswoman Barbara Lee, we're going to leave it right there. Thank you so much and, of course, and before we lose that signal with you. Thanks for hanging in there with us.

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