CNN "CNN Newsroom" - Transcript

Interview

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BALDWIN: Joining me now from Washington, Senator Bernie Sanders of Vermont. He is a progressive independent who caucuses, votes with the Democrats.

And, Congressman, what is your reaction to the president saying he doesn't want to continue this protracted political fight; he wants to do what's best for the American people?

SEN. BERNIE SANDERS (I), VERMONT: Well, we all want to do what's best for the American people.

And, in my view, it is a moral outrage that the Republican Party is holding -- at a time when the middle class is collapsing, that the Republican Party is holding hostage millions of Americans who desperately need an extension in unemployment compensation and their tax breaks.

Where I disagree with the president --

BALDWIN: Now -- now, you -- you say it's a moral outrage. You were sort of going along the same hostage analogy as did the president, essentially saying the Republicans were keeping the American people hostage, but he didn't want to harm the hostages, the American people.

Do you not -- do you see it that way at all?

SANDERS: Well, what I can tell you is, I come from a small state, the state of Vermont. We have received 600 phone calls today alone, people saying the president's strategy is wrong, that our job is to convince a handful of Republicans that it is wrong to give tax breaks to billionaires, make our national debt even greater, and not provide extended unemployment to American workers.

So, I think we have the American people on our side. What we have got to do is rally the American people, have them call up their Republican senators and say, Senator, you can't give tax breaks to the tune of hundreds of millions of dollars a year, to hundreds of thousands of dollars a year, to people who don't need it --

BALDWIN: But, Congressman --

SANDERS: -- when the rich are already getting richer.

BALDWIN: Congressman Sanders, he -- you know, you listen -- SANDERS: Senator, by the way.

BALDWIN: Senator Sanders.

You know the president said he had to do this for the sake of the American people. If he let all of this continue to the -- the extensions run out, that would then mean a lot of hardworking Americans, their taxes would be going up, two million Americans would not get unemployment benefits.

I mean, just -- just for the sake of playing devil's advocate, if --

SANDERS: Look --

BALDWIN: -- you put yourself in the -- in the president's shoes, do you not see it from his perspective?

SANDERS: The Democrats control the White House, the House of Representatives today, and the Senate.

What is blocking us from protecting the middle class and not giving tax breaks to billionaires are a handful of Republicans. In the next couple of weeks, I honestly believe that the American people are prepared to tell Republicans, don't hold the middle class and the unemployed hostage in order to give tax breaks to billionaires.

So, I think, of course the president is right. We have got to protect the unemployed and the middle class. But I think we can do that by rallying the American people, and not giving tax breaks to people who don't need it, and driving up our $13.7 trillion national debt.

BALDWIN: Senator Sanders, I have heard you do plan to filibuster. Is that still your plan?

SANDERS: I am going to -- I think this is a very bad agreement. I think the vast majority of the American people do not agree with it. And I am going to do everything I can to defeat it so that we end up protecting the middle class and the unemployed and not drive up the national debt by giving huge tax breaks to people who don't need it.

BALDWIN: Senator Sanders, thank you for being live for us on Capitol Hill. Senator, thank you.

SANDERS: Thank you.

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