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Senate Reaches Deal to End Shutdown; Russian Spy Ship Off Coast Of North Carolina; Democratic Congressperson Says They Are Getting Their Butts Kicked; Statue of Liberty Open Today. Aired 3:30-4p ET

Aired January 22, 2018 - 15:30   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

[15:30:00] JAMIE GANGEL, CNN SPECIAL CORRESPONDENT: I talked to four different Republicans on the hill. All political strikes afterward afterwards. One hard liner says unconditional surrender. The thing that I heard more than anything is this, the whole thing is ridiculous, and everyone is acting it is a big victory that we are keeping the government opened for three more weeks. We may be back in the same place.

BROOKE BALDWIN, CNN HOST: In the meantime, back on this victory. I had Luis Gutierrez, a member of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus on with me, in Washington on Saturday. He was saying, take me to the wall and give me the hammer and nails, I will build the man a wall myself if that means protection for Dreamers. Is that though on substance? That is what the president wants is this wall, insert not a win for the president?

ANA NAVARRO, CNN POLITICAL COMMENTATOR: Well, I think so. I think Democrats have moved there. People are willing, if it is an - exchange for Dreamers and DACA, you know, you may not agree with the concept of the wall or the merits. But if it is a strategic decision, I think most people, a lot of Democrats have moved and exactly where Gutierrez is on this.

BALDWIN: Can you believe that they're at the point where so many people --

NAVARRO: Can I believe that my friend Luis is going get brick and mortar and go build the wall. No, I think that is a stretch of the imagination.

BALDWIN: A lot of people said pigs would be flying before this wall would ever be built, and now you have Chuck Schumer putting this notion out, all right, we will build your wall on a platter to the president on Friday at the White House.

NAVARRO: We are stuck on the word wall.

JEFF BALLABON, MEMBER, TRUMP FOR PRESIDENT ADVISORY BOARD: It is interesting, if you go back, the president was portrayed only about the wall, always. The reality is from the beginning when he campaigned, he always talked about a wall with a big beautiful door, the president, I believe is the one that's going to drive this country finally to the right compromise that he promised the American people, that it is going to be a compromise. Not everyone is going to love it and a lot of people are not going to like it but the president I believe understands that this country is a generous country and make us feel secure we are happy to be generous.

BALDWIN: Well, we'll see what happens because of this man by the name of Stephen Miller who has perhaps thwarted some notions of the deal in the past with Democrats, this is how Lindsey Graham --

NAVARRO: You are sure he's a man and not a robot.

BALDWIN: A man or a robot, for you to be the judge on that. This is what Republican Sen. Lindsey Graham has said.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SEN. LINDSEY GRAHAM, (R) SOUTH CAROLINA: The reasons we yank these things back, is because Mr. Miller, I've known Mr. Miller for a long time. I know he is passionate and I know he is an early supporter of the president.

I will just tell you his view of immigration has never been in the mainstream of the senate. I think we'll never get there as long as we embrace concepts that cannot possibly get 60 votes. One of the concepts that I completely reject is that we have too much legal immigration. Mr. Miller wants to restrict legal immigration a time we have a worker shortage or the declining population that we need more legal immigration.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BALDWIN: Jeff, you tell us, how much does the president speak with Miller and how much does he listen to him?

BALLABON: I am on the campaign, I am not in the White House, so I don't know how much he does speak to Miller. I don't think however that Lyndsey Graham is representing the point of view, there is going to be ultimately victorious, I think the White House seems to have the backing from Stephen Miller, sitting outside the White House, that's what I am watching.

I think that Lindsey Graham with respect to him may be a little bit out of the mainstream on this issue. What the president wants and what he says the country wants is to get a place of much security and the country is not willing to take risks for non-Americans. But if you're willing to be much more generous core already on the shores, once we know we are secure.

BALDWIN: What did you notice? You noticed something of senator Graham.

GANGEL: He said not in the mainstream in the senate. Lyndsey Graham just came out a few minutes ago and said, he's expanding his game of six to gang of 60. In other words, he is going to reach out, he even said to some of the hardliners, to Senator Perdue and Senator Cotton. What I am hearing realistically is what we are going to see Lindsey graham do take some of the more hard-line positions and try to move them a little bit closer together for deal. The hard liners held out, they won and they will get a little something for it.

BALDWIN: OK.

NAVARRO: I think Lyndsey Graham is actually on the mainstream. DACA has the approval over 80 percent of the American public. It is so hard find any policy issue in America right now other than puppies and babies that can garner 90 percent of the approval. And yet the DACA does it. I think Lyndsey Graham, we have seen him for months trying to work with Trump and trying to be conciliatory and pragmatic. I think he is the mainstream.

[15:35:00] BALDWIN: Puppies and babies and Ana Navarro. All right, ladies and gentlemen, coming up here, we are still waiting for this final vote on the budget deal, one Democratic lawmaker says, "the senate Democrats got their butts kicked." we'll be right back. We will talk to a Democratic congresswoman next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BALDWIN: Here is breaking news, a Russian spy ship has been spotted on the coast of North Carolina. The ship was seen in international waters about 100 miles southeast of Wilmington, North Carolina. Lets go to Barbara Starr, why is it off North Carolina and what is it doing?

[15:40:00] BARBARA STAR, CNN CHIEF PENTAGON CORRESPONDENT: Well, sort of think as routine espionage. It does harken a little bit to the Cold War, this is a Russian spy ship known as the Viktor Leonov, and it has been out there before. Pretty much swings by the United States once a year or so.

It had been telling the Caribbean and now it is moving up the coast. Important to note that it is in international waters, it does not come inside U.S. waters. It is a ship that's full of spying equipment, communications, intercept equipment and that sort of thing. It is routinely of what the Russians are doing. No coincidence, they tend to go up and down the coast.

Because there are a number of U.S. military installations, last time they came through they were noticed off the submarine base in Connecticut. The U.S. is very much aware they are there and in fact now a U.S. warship is trailing the Russian spy ship. The USS Cole is out there and is trailing the Russian spy ship for a while, just making sure that everybody is keeping an eye on everybody else. Routine business but make no mistake, it is really another indicator that the U.S. and the Russians are eye balling each other all the time. Brooke.

BALDWIN: Barbara Starr, thank you very much. Lets take us back to other breaking news, this final vote on the budget deal to end the government shutdown, expected any moment now. And will we hear from the president? How involved was he in these intense negotiations? We'll be right back.

[15:45:00] (COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) SEN. CHARLES SCHUMER, (D SENATE MINORITY LEADER: President Trump's unwillingness to compromise caused the Trump shutdown and brought us to this moment. The facts are well known. Since our meeting in the Oval Office on Friday. the president and I have not spoken. And the White House refused to engage in negotiations over the weekend. The great deal making president sat on the sidelines.

SARA SANDERS, WHITE HOUSE PRESS SECRETARY: We are pleased the see Senator Schumer accept the deal that President Trump put on the table from the beginning, which was to responsibly fund the government and debate on the immigration as a separate issue.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BALDWIN: we are still waiting on that final passage from the senate and the house on this deal to reopen the government for the next three weeks but some members of his own party, his own party being Democrats, say the Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer caved when he agreed to end this government shutdown.

My next guest is a Democrat who'll soon vote there in the house, she is Congresswoman Debbie Wasserman Shultz. Good to see you.

REP. DEBBIE WASSERMAN SHULTZ, (D) FLORIDA: You too, Brooke, thanks for having me

BALDWIN: All right, let's just get to it. A lot of remember saying that leader Schumer caved, did he?

WASSERMAN SHULTZ: What I say is that we have been dealing with this Trump shutdown because of the complete ineptitude of this president and Republican leadership. We are five months into the fiscal year. I am a member of the appropriations committee, Brooke, as you know we should have negotiated a full year budget as of September 30th of last year, we are still kicking the can down the road because Republicans won't come to the table and negotiate with Democrats.

BALDWIN: Congressman, I hear you on your frustration. I hear you on your frustration with the president

WASSERMAN SHULTZ: It is insane.

BALDWIN: I hear you on your frustration with the president but I'm asking about the leader of your party on the senate side, did he cave?

WASSERMAN SHULTZ: Every senator has to make their own decision about whether this exclusively senate deal is something that they are comfortable with. As a house member, I will be voting no, and I will be voting no because of the reasons I just described to you. Republicans need to come to the table and negotiate to lift the caps which if we don't lift them, we'll risk an irresponsible kick in of the sequester, which is designed to never kick in. It is supposed to be so egregious, so harmful that we would never allow it to happen.

And yet, we are five months into the fiscal year and Republicans still won't sit down and negotiate a comprehensive budget deal. And in addition to that, this bill does not include and didn't include protection through disaster relief from my state after Irma and for Puerto Rico after Maria and Texas after Harvey.

There are a variety of reasons not to vote for this. We need to sit down in a much shorter term and negotiate in a comprehensive way on a full year budget deal, and in addition to protect our Dreamers and making sure we protect our children's health insurance, uind community health centers and our military.

BALDWIN: It sounds like there was a lot that wasn't in this deal. I have to harp back on what one thing can you point out that the Democrats that leader Schumer, what one thing did he get, you know, from Republicans to justify shutting down the government in the first place?

WASSERMAN SHULTZ: The one thing I would say that he did get is the potential for momentum because if and I am certainly hopeful that's what occurs. If McConnell can be taken at his word and over the next three weeks, before February 8, they can negotiate on protecting the Dreamers and making sure we have a full year comprehensive budget that lifts the caps and making sure that we can be responsible for the budget again.

[15:50:00] BALDWIN: I am sorry. Congresswoman, I am so hung up, I know Americans are listening, they heard you say potential for momentum. Was that really worth shutting the down the government down for?

BALDWIN: Republicans should be asking themselves that question because they shut the government down. This is the Trump shutdown. They control the White House, the house and the senate. They have the full ability to pass the budget, done of whatever they wanted, they could not because they know the way they're trying to approach funding the government is irresponsible, and they could not get all of their members to vote for it. There is a potential for momentum. If they are able to reach agreement on making sure that we can have a comprehensive budget deal, get our disaster relief passed, protect the communities devastated by natural disasters, make sure we responsibly fund our community, our military, children's health insurance and our Dreamers and then eventually hopefully we can get some agreement from the house and the president. My concern is this is an exclusively senate deal. The house and the White House have had no part of this. So, the momentum is what I'm hopeful about. And we'll have to wait and see. I can't vote yes on wait and see.

BALDWIN: I understand. On the potential for momentum, let's go with that argument. Then on that, do you think that senate Democrats should trust Mitch McConnell and his promise? His intention to deal with this in three weeks?

WASSERMAN SHULTZ: I'm not a senate Democrat so I can't judge what a senate Democrat should or should not be doing. I am a house Democrat and I can tell you that there is no trust here on the house side because there's been none earned. The Republican leadership in the house has not been included in this deal. Was not asked to sign off and actually, over the weekend when Paul Ryan was asked to sign off, he said no.

The bill that I'll have in front of me has no confirmation from me and my comfort level that even if they get momentum, that the house will take it up or the president will sign it. So, this Trump shutdown is purely a result of their ineptitude. Their inability to govern. The madness has to stop, it is only going to stop if we sit down at the table, work together, hammer out a compromise on a variety of issues that are essential to the American people's quality of life.

BALDWIN: On that word compromise, I was talking to one of your colleagues in the house. Luis Gutierrez over the weekend in DC, and I know several Democrats, him including, actually support building a wall. Give the president has big beautiful wall in exchange for Dreamer help. Do you back that?

WASSERMAN SHULTZ: I sat next to Luis Gutierrez in caucus today. He doesn't support the wall so don't characterize it that way.

BALDWIN: He sat with me in the DC bureau on Saturday saying, give me a hammer and nails. I will build that wall myself.

WASSERMAN SHULTZ: I am telling you. Right. He said he was willing to compromise on it. Let's not characterize that as support for the wall. I don't know any Democrat who supports this wall and most Republicans don't support it.

What we do need to do is to protect 800,000 Dreamer who were brought to this country through no fault of their own, to sit down at a table and have a discussion and a comprehensive compromise legislation that we can put on the floor both houses will sign off on, the president will sign into law. If that ultimately includes some version of a wall, then if it is the bipartisan will to do that, then that is something that should be considered.

But I'm not going to cherry pick every part of what could be considered to reach a deal to protect our Dreamers. I want to make sure that we're sitting down together and talking about achieving that and thus far the Republicans on the house side in particular have been unwilling to do that.

BALDWIN: Sure. Well, 87 percent of the country agrees with you on the Dreamers so there's that. Congressman Debbie Wasserman Schulz, good to see you, thank you very much.

Coming up next, we will take your live to one of the land marks that has defied the shutdown by staying open. We'll take you to the Statue of Liberty, next.

[15:55:00] (COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BALDWIN: As lawmakers vote on the bill to get the government back up and running, not all for federal workers were furloughed today. The Smithsonian

Museum and the National Zoo, they are open. And the state of New York is footing the bill to keep Lady liberty open as well. CNN's Allison Kosik got to spend the day on boat, near lady liberty, she's on dry land now, and so it was the governor, it was Andrew Cuomo who said no, were keeping her open.

ALLISON KOSIK, CNN CORRESPONDENT: That's exactly what he said. I'm not on dry land yet. We are still on the ferry. We are stopped here at the Statue of liberty. When we leave here we will be on our way to Ellis Island. And Governor Cuomo felt it was really important to deep iconic monuments open, especially since these the very monuments that's represent immigration. The very thing being debated and argued over and is what shut down government in the first place.

[16:00:00] And he thought for one, revenue. It was important to keep these monuments open because they bring in a lot of tourism dollars. Beyond the money was the symbolism. Give me your tired, your poor, your huddled masses. That's what is inscribed on the Statue of Liberty, the governor wrote a very poignant op Ed. He said beyond the tourism dollars, beyond the symbolism, these monuments especially stand for who we are and what we believe in. Brooke.

BALDWIN: Let me ask you quickly, did you have a chance to talk on any tourists, people who had come to New York, who come to the Statue of Liberty. What do they make of the mess that is congress? 20 seconds.

KOSIK: They definitely said it was a mess, but they certainly were excited to come and see these monuments. Especially on a day like today where half the day, we saw the government close. They thought it was, in one tourist's terms, idiotic about what was going on in congress.

BALDWIN: Allison Kosik, Thank you very much. Good to see you. And we're going to send things to Washington. I'm Brooke Baldwin in New York. We'll send it to "THE LEAD" with Jake Tapper. It begins right now.