Return to Transcripts main page

American Morning

Target: Terrorism: Discussion with House Democratic Leader Richard Gephardt

Aired October 02, 2001 - 10:22   ET

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

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
JOHN KING, CNN SR. WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: A key meeting this morning at the White House, the president meeting with the bipartisan leadership of Congress. This is a weekly session now one of the remarkable turn of events here in Washington in the wake of the September 11th attacks. The president at that meeting discussing the military deployment. Also discussing his efforts to work with the Congress on both a short-terms and a long-term response to the economic impact here in the United States of those terrorist strikes on September 11th.

Immediately after that meeting, I spoke with the House Democratic Leader Dick Gephardt of Missouri, and I began by ask is him about the progress so far in negotiations on that stimulus package. Some say, the price tag could go as high as $100 billion.

Here's Congressman Gephardt.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

REP. RICHARD GEPHARDT (D-MO), HOUSE DEMOCRATIC LEADER: We haven't reached a real agreement on the size of the package. I think there a feeling it needs to be big enough to really stimulate the economy, get demand going again on both the individual and corporate side, but not so large that it causes deficits in the out years, causes long-term interest rates to go up. We all talked about that. And I think we are sensitive to that.

So in the next week or so, we'll be talking about the right size, talking with Alan Greenspan and others, people in the business and labor community, and figure out exactly how to do this.

KING: And in terms of assisting workers, you have been trying to negotiate a package specifically for the airline industry, but you and many of your colleagues think the problem is much broader. What specific things do you want it do for dislocated workers, whether it be extended unemployment benefits or health care help. What specifics will come in the next week or so?

GEPHARDT: Well, John, I think we feel that if we can get it into the airlines security package, that's the best place to put it in the next couple of weeks. Our problem is we have got lots of people who today who do not qualify for unemployment compensation -- seasonal workers, part-time workers, people who don't have quite enough work history to get any benefit at all, so we have to pick those people up. And then there's the matter of health care benefits. Lose their job, go into workman's comp. They really don't have the money to afford their follow-on Cobra health care payments. So we're trying to figure out how to help them be able to get through these tough weeks ahead.

KING: And some disagreements between the Democrats and the Republicans, the administration and the Congress over how do this, just exactly what the specifics should be. How much of your effort is focused right now on negotiating these differences behind the scene. There obviously is a great deal of concern about not having open partisanship in Washington at this moment.

GEPHARDT: Well, I think we've established a good working relationship. We've realized we have to stay unified, we have to have resolved and we have to move on thee problems; we can't just dither. So we're we are trying to do that while we keep a near-normal process in the Congress. We don't want five people walking in a room deciding all this and dictating to others. Congress is a large organization. People represent their people around the country. They deserve to be heard. So we are trying to quicken the normal process, while we have full collaboration and communication between the leadership and the president.

I think it's a system that is working pretty well. We are going to have to see how it goes as we go along. But I think we can get these things done. We need a package that has come from the attorney general on anti-terrorism. We need to get an airline security package done. We need to get our budget done. And we need to get a stimulus package done. I think we can get all those done in the next weeks.

KING: You have been in the Oval Office, sir, many times over the span of your career. You were just sitting in the Oval Office when the president of the United States was asked whether he believes Americans should be vaccinated against anthrax and other biological and chemical threats. A reflection of the extraordinary times we find ourselves in.

GEPHARDT: It as new world, and we are talking about things that prior to September 11th, we didn't talk about much at all. But it's the world we're in and we've got to deal with it. We are looking at the whole biological and chemical challenge. We are looking at other follow-on attacks.

But I'll tell you, while we need to be more vigilant, we've got all to all get back to work. The American people are resilient. I really don't think we will have follow-on attacks. I think we can prevent them and avoid them. We're doing everything in our power to achieve that. And In the meantime, we will be defeated if we just don't get back to work. We can't give in to fear. We can't give in to the feeling that we can't resume normal activities.

So the president is going to Reagan airport today. It's going to open. We need people to fly. We need people to get out and spend money and do the things they would normally do.

KING: The strikes, sir, on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon three weeks ago today, the president just saying in the Oval Office, no timetable, no negotiations, but clearly dissatisfied with the Taliban government in Afghanistan, which has refused to turn over Osama bin Laden. The British Prime Minister Tony Blair says today to the Taliban, "Your time has run out. You will now face U.S. and British military strikes." Any update from the president in the Oval Office on when that might come. And as we reach the three-week point, do you think the American people are growing impatient, that they want to see some strikes here, if you will.

GARRETT: I don't think they're impatient. I think they understand, as we all understand, this is a new kind of threat, a complicated foe, and the things we don't want to do is strike out, be ineffective, and increase the army of terrorism, not diminish it. So we have got do this in an intelligent, sensible way; we've got pick our targets carefully, surgically and get the job done. That's what president is trying to do. I support him in that effort. I think all Americans do.

We've got to be smart. We've got to be as smart as they are and smarter, and that's what we're trying to accomplish.

KING: But, sir, do you believe now, at this point, three weeks later, that one goal should be removing the Taliban from power since they have said Osama bin Laden is in their control, but they have refused to turn him over, as the president has demanded. Should that now be a goal of this administration?

GEPHARDT: John, I think the president has been clear. We're going to take action against countries that give safe haven for terrorists. Clearly, up until now, that's what been the Taliban has been doing. And we're ultimately going to have to take action. I don't think our action is to take down a government or to replace a government. Our action should be designed to get the terrorists, to get the perpetrators, and to prevent these attacks from happening again.

Obviously, we may have to take military action against parts of the Taliban infrastructure. But again, it's toward the end of preventing further terrorism.

And I think we also hope the Taliban is listening to what the president, what Americans are saying. Maybe they can still be convinced to do the right thing. They ought to do that. We hope they will.

KING: Congressman Richard Gephardt of St. Louis Missouri, the House minority leader, sir, thank you very much for your time this morning.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com