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Pope Francis Remains In Critical Condition; Interview With Rep. Nick LaLota (R-NY); Consumer Confidence Plummets. Aired 11:30a-12p ET

Aired February 25, 2025 - 11:30   ET

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

[11:30:04]

PAMELA BROWN, CNN HOST: You talked about how you really feel from your customers there that they're concerned about prices right now.

Last hour we learned that consumer confidence plummeted in February. That is the biggest drop in 3.5 years. Obviously, you're not an economist, but tell us a little bit more about how that sentiment is reflected in your own business and what you're getting from consumers.

SCOTT AUSLANDER, GENERAL MANAGER, BREAD FURST: Yes, I mean, I'm not an economist, but I can be your eggspert here.

(LAUGHTER)

BROWN: That's eggcellent.

(LAUGHTER)

AUSLANDER: Thank you.

In terms of my customers, I'm in Washington, D.C., so the political landscape really affects my customer base. So whether or not people are losing jobs or people are concerned about their friends and neighbors, in my case, it affects how much I can raise prices. How much of that increase in egg costs can I pass along?

Now, the good thing is, traditionally, eggs go up, eggs come down, sort of like gasoline. So the hope is that over time, in this particular situation, the price of eggs will come down a little bit. I don't know if it'll come down all the way to that $3 it was a year ago this time, but even if it moderates a little bit.

As a young man, I remember working at steak houses during mad cow and we raised prices all the way up, and prices did moderate a little bit after a couple years, but we didn't go all the way down.

BROWN: Scott Auslander, thank you for being our eggspert for the day.

AUSLANDER: Thank you for having me.

BROWN: We appreciate it. And best of luck to you and your bakery and all the bakeries that are out there right now.

AUSLANDER: I appreciate it. BROWN: ... and other restaurant grappling with this.

Well, turning back to our breaking news, a new report showing consumer confidence has plummeted, bleak news for the White House and for Congress, where lawmakers are facing a shutdown deadline and concerns about passing a budget.

Up next, I will speak with the Republican congressman about everything they're facing right now on Capitol Hill.

You're in the CNN NEWSROOM.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[11:36:33]

BROWN: On Capitol Hill, a critical test for President Trump's second- term agenda.

With a razor-thin majority, House Speaker Mike Johnson is trying to win over enough Republicans to push through a massive package of tax and spending cuts. And just moments ago, he waffled on whether critical -- the critical vote on the plan will actually happen today. But he's calling the blueprint -- quote -- "a moral obligation."

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

REP. MIKE JOHNSON (R-LA): The objective and our commitment has always been deficit neutrality. That's the goal here.

If we can reduce the deficit, even better. But here's another thing everybody needs to consider. Not only are we working to find savings for the American taxpayer, to find a better, more efficient, more effective use of their dollars, which we are morally obligated to do. We also have a moral obligation to bend the curb on the debt.

All of your children, all of our children and grandchildren are going to be saddled with the debt that we are spending right now. It's a $36 trillion federal debt. The deficits have ballooned. We have to change that trajectory.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BROWN: So let's discuss with Republican Congressman Nick LaLota of New York. He sits on the House committee responsible for deciding government funding.

Congressman, thanks so much for being here.

So there are just 17 days left until the government runs out of money and Congress can't seem at this point to come to a consensus on how to do that. How optimistic are you that Speaker Johnson and Republicans will be able to get something done here?

REP. NICK LALOTA (R-NY): I am optimistic. For the last couple of years, we have ran up against a couple of these deadlines. Each time, folks get a lot of anxious, there's a lot of buzz in the press about these deadlines, but each time over the last couple of years, under Speaker Johnson's rule, we have been able to meet those deadlines and keep the government funded.

So I remain optimistic about doing just that.

BROWN: House Majority Leader Steve Scalise said this morning that there will be a vote tonight. Now the speaker says there may not be one. What are you hearing?

LALOTA: Yes, I'm hearing the vote on the budget resolution, which should not be confused with budget reconciliation.

I'm hearing that the budget resolution vote should be expected this week, as early as today. Of course, it's an important step to put our nation back on the right track and deliver on a lot of the promises Trump and House Republicans made during the course of our campaigns, things about reducing inflation, bending the curve of our nation's debt.

This budget resolution vote, which will happen either today or later this week, as expected, is an important first step in that process.

BROWN: So where are you right now on the budget resolution?

LALOTA: I'm a yes on budget resolution. On one hand, it's a very important vote to put the train back on the right tracks.

But, on the other hand, it's just a mere procedural vote to then have an opportunity to have a policy discussion on tax and spending, a very necessary one, one that's necessary because Washington, regardless of which party has controlled whatever chamber or the White House, for 25 years has not balanced the federal budget.

Now we have $36 trillion in debt, a $2 trillion deficit. Enough's enough. Finally, we got to do something on the budget to put us on a better track.

BROWN: So, Republicans, on that note, they want to cut more than a trillion dollars in spending. How do you do that without touching entitlement programs like Medicaid or Social Security? Medicaid, yes.

LALOTA: So, with respect -- yes.

But with respect to Medicaid, that is a subject of discussion. There are three priorities that there is whole consensus in the Republican Conference about, one, ensuring all the illegals get off of the Medicaid rolls, two, to ensure that there are work requirements for able-bodied adults, and, three, that we take out the waste, fraud, and abuse rampant in a lot of state systems like mine in New York.

[11:40:15]

Those are the three things around which unite House Republicans on Medicaid. And there is a lot of discussion about things that go further than that there's a lot of opposition. Scores of members are opposed to cuts in Medicaid that go beyond that.

I was pleased to hear just last week President Trump say he was not in favor of deep Medicaid cuts, and there's just not enough votes in the House for that. And I would be totally against deeper Medicaid cuts.

BROWN: Right.

And just to note, undocumented immigrants are not eligible to enroll in Medicaid. But, of course, there has been a history of Medicaid fraud. I think the question is, even if you root that out, is that going to give you the savings that you need? And you have said that you oppose Medicaid cuts to -- quote -- "citizens in need." You have made that clear.

But what does that look like in practice? And how do you protect those citizens in need?

LALOTA: By voting no against the bill in a couple of months if it does go to cuts for citizens in need.

Today's vote is a mere procedural vote that gets the ball rolling on merely having a discussion, of which there will be plenty of public hearings and dialogue and feedback, talk amongst the press, of course, on social media, and everywhere else about what those cuts ought to look like.

But today's vote is a mere procedural vote just to merely have the opportunity to have a discussion, a discussion that Americans deeply want to have. We Republicans campaigned upon being more fiscally responsible. This is a 25-year problem in the making. It won't be solved in any one bill or any one year by any one Congress.

But we have to have the discussion what is truly affordable in this country. We want to protect Social Security and Medicare. We don't want to take Medicaid away from folks in the country who are here legally who truly need it. But we have to have a discussion about other priorities.

BROWN: Just what you laid out, I'm just curious what you think, though, about why I think, at last count, there were at least three Republicans holding out, saying they're not for this.

If this is just reflective of Republicans' priorities and it's just procedural, why do you think that that's the case this early in the game?

LALOTA: Because a lot of people get a lot of attention when they say no to things. It's easier sometimes...

BROWN: So, you think they're doing it for attention?

LALOTA: It's easier sometimes to say no. You get a lot more cameras, a lot more retweets on you when you're opposing things.

It's harder to do the business of the country. And Republicans, by en masse, are here to do the business that the country needs about shoring up our finances, while protecting at the same time important programs. That is sometimes a tough task to do. It's much easier to say no.

On the other side of the aisle, we see a lot of attacks that are mischaracterized about deep cuts that are not on the table whatsoever. Those are the easy politics. But the governing Republicans who are here who are going to vote yes on this budget resolution want to put the nation on a better track, while at the same time protecting these important programs.

BROWN: I want to ask you, because I know, in talking to folks, there's a lot of focus already on the midterms, right? You're up for reelection in next year's midterms.

The economy was the number one issue on voters' minds this past November. In our latest seeing in polls, 62 percent of people feel that Trump has not gone far enough in trying to reduce the price of everyday goods. Now, again, he's only been in office a little over a month, of course.

But how long can Trump go without bringing prices down before it costs your party its slim majority in the midterms?

LALOTA: So, the massive government overspending and the $2 trillion deficit that results from it is a very necessary thing to focus on to reduce, so that we can in fact reduce the inflation.

We all know that a lot of the inflation is caused by the massive printing of dollars, the rising debts and deficits. If we want to bring prices down, we need to do a couple of things. One of them is shore up our budget in the ways that we can without affecting these very important programs.

But another thing is increase the supply of American energy. And House Republicans are very eager to in the right places safely and cleanly extract the natural resources that are below many of our feet in different parts of this great country.

BROWN: And I want to ask you before you go.

As you know, a lot of Americans are talking about a lot right now. There's -- Washington is a very busy place since Donald Trump took office. Some people love it. Some don't love it. Some hate it. Some of your constituents, they have been trying to get to you. You and your fellow Republicans are getting an earful at town halls about what Trump and Elon Musk are up to.

But, notably, you haven't held any in-person meetings with the -- or, I should say, town halls, opting instead to hold a virtual one. And, last week, hundreds of people protested in front of your New York office demanding you to host an in-person one.

Will you do that, meet face-to-face with your constituents in that forum?

LALOTA: Well, Pam, you should get better information, because you're totally wrong on the .

BROWN: OK, tell me what I'm wrong about.

(CROSSTALK)'

LALOTA: We should have -- we had 20 town halls last Congress 16 in person, four tele-town hall. We're having our 21st town hall. I think it's next Wednesday of next...

(CROSSTALK)

[11:45:04]

BROWN: But I'm talking about this Congress. I'm not trying to be confrontational. I'm just being -- I'm talking about this Congress, because, as you know, there's a lot happening right now, and constituents are wanting to talk.

So that's what I'm talking about, not last Congress.

LALOTA: God bless. Thanks for clarifying that.

I think it's on next Wednesday we have a tele-town hall. We expect 10,000 or more constituents to participate in that. If any of your viewers are in my district, LaLota.House.gov.

BROWN: But why not in person?

LALOTA: We're doing plenty of in-person meetings.

In fact, get this, Pam. I invited the five heads of those organizations who organized those protests against me last week. By the way, they weren't offering any solutions to anything. They were merely trying to cause a stunt. I invited those five to my office to meet with me personally, to have them discuss with me their views on anything, abortion, guns, Elon Musk, Donald Trump, the things that we may not agree on.

I invited them to my office, gave them 24 hours' notice, said I had a half-hour for them to come chat.

BROWN: What did they say?

LALOTA: And guess what? None -- they -- three of them said no. Two of them ignored me.

That tells me that these folks are more interested in causing a scene, rather than trying to find solutions to the things that are challenging everyday Americans, the high prices, the debts and deficits, our security situation, the immigration situation. These are serious issues upon which we should have a great conversation.

But when these folks are just trying to stir the pots, paid protesters in too just trying to stir the pots...

BROWN: How do you know they're paid to protest? LALOTA: These are organized at the highest levels of the Democrat

Party. And you know the organizations, Pam, probably better than I do, organizing that people come to our district offices not looking for solutions.

That's the key thing. Our democracy is a great one. We're going to disagree sometimes. We should do so peacefully.

BROWN: But what I hear you saying is, you're not trying to evade meeting face-to-face with constituents? You will meet face-to-face with them?

LALOTA: Let's -- let's do it. I have invited -- I have met a number of them. You could check my social media. Some folks impromptu walked into my office last week, didn't have an appointment.

I sat down with two ladies who disagree with me on much. We found some common ground on two things in particular, one, that the nation does have a border crisis worthy of confrontation, and, two, that our nation's debt and deficit situation is also worthy of confronting as well. They don't agree with me on much. But we found a way to agree on that.

And I have met with a lot of people over time and I'm looking forward to more. But let's be sincere when we do so. And when these protesters won't agree to meet in person when I have offered them a meeting, that should be reflected on quite heavily as well.

BROWN: Well, that's why I wanted you to respond, because it's out there in the news, and I gave you the opportunity to talk about it.

Congressman, thank you so much. We will be right back.

LALOTA: Thank you.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[11:52:15]

BROWN: Well, the Vatican says Pope Francis is improving slightly, but is still in critical condition. Officials tell us the 88-year-old is not bedridden as he battles pneumonia in the hospital.

So to help us understand what this all means, we are paging CNN's chief medical correspondent Dr. Sanjay Gupta.

Hi, Sanjay.

DR. SANJAY GUPTA, CNN CHIEF MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: Good morning.

BROWN: So we were talking about this earlier this morning before my show.

GUPTA: Yes.

BROWN: And we were talking about how serious this all is, right? The pope was initially hospitalized for bronchitis. He's doing slightly better, but it's still really serious, right?

GUPTA: Yes.

So the good news first, two things that you just mentioned. One is that he's not on a breathing machine. He's getting out of bed. So those are good signs. But pneumonia in someone of his age is always going to be highly concerning for everybody, because things can change quickly. And there's sort of this fluctuating course of recovery, good days and bad days, so to speak.

We know if you look at the timeline, we know he was hospitalized on February 14, but two things to keep in mind. First, he's had a long history of lung problems. He had part of a lung removed back in the late '50s for lung infection at that point. Even before he was hospitalized, Pamela, he already had his aides reading speeches for him, so he knew that he was already having difficulty with some of his breathing.

And then it sort of progressed from there. He was diagnosed with bronchitis. That's the deep cough that people get that really is a sort of inflammation of the airways in the lungs. Then he was diagnosed with this polymicrobial infection, meaning many different pathogens, bacteria, viruses, things like that together, and then subsequently a C.T. scan diagnosing pneumonia.

We also know that he had, as you saw at the bottom there, an asthmatic crisis as well. So he's had many things sort of happening over the last couple of weeks now, Pamela.

BROWN: And what more do we know about that asthma attack and how serious that is?

GUPTA: Well, people think of asthma, they think of exercise-induced asthma, cold-induced asthma. But you can also have asthmatic sort of episodes or crises because of infection.

Asthma is essentially inflammation of the airway that causes it to spasm. So the airway is spasming. It's not -- it's sort of becoming problematic to breathe out, as well as breathe in. It can be uncomfortable. And you have got to do a couple of things. You have got to give medications to control those spasms and also give high-flow oxygen, so you're making sure they get enough oxygen.

BROWN: Yes, asthma attacks are very scary. I have had several in my life as a kid, and it's very scary and very serious.

The pope also required a blood transfusion. Why might he have needed that?

GUPTA: Two things. First of all, when you're giving red blood cells, that's what carries oxygen throughout the body.

[11:55:03]

So, if you're having difficulty oxygenating because of the pneumonia, because of the asthmatic crisis, making sure you have enough red blood cells to carry oxygen is really important. You don't want that to be too low.

There was another thing as well, though. He was also receiving platelets. Those are clotting factors. That's something that can happen as infection starts to spread through the rest of the body. No one has said that he has sepsis, but that is the concern. Low platelets can be an early indicator that someone's starting to develop a more body-wide infection.

So you want to make sure you're replacing those things as needed very regularly.

BROWN: Yes, when you're in the hospital that long, that's always a concern.

Dr. Sanjay Gupta, thank you.

And don't forget to send Sanjay your questions about pneumonia by scanning the Q.R. code on your screen.

Thank you for joining us. I'm Pamela Brown.

Don't forget, join Wolf Blitzer and me and "THE SITUATION ROOM" starting Monday, March 3, weekday mornings from 10:00 to noon. And, in the meantime, you can follow me on Instagram, TikTok and X @PamelaBrownCNN. Love hearing from you.

Stay with us. "INSIDE POLITICS WITH DANA BASH" starts after a short break.