CQ Transcriptswire

SPEAKER: SEN. HARRY REID, D-NEV., SENATE MAJORITY LEADER

[*] REID: Senator Franken gave me a few jokes he thought I should share with you, but I didn’t like them, so I’m not going to do it. Here’s a list, a short list of those who know we need to lower the rising health care costs, especially for the middle class: doctors; hospitals; pharmaceutical industry; a bipartisan group of governors; President Obama, who has made fixing health care his top priority; Democrats in Congress, who are committed to doing it this year; and at the top of the list are the American people. Nine of ten believe high costs are hurting their families.

Here’s a list of those who believe we should maintain the status quo: Republican leaders in Congress. That’s it.

It’s pretty lonely, I guess, on that side. Maybe that’s why they basically refuse to negotiate. Maybe that’s why they don’t want to have a debate on the issue. Maybe that’s why they’re committed to doing everything they can to stand in the way and maintain the status quo.

It was just a couple of weeks ago the Republican leader in the House said the following, and I quote: “I think we all understand that we’ve got the best health care system in the world,” end of quote.

So that’s the difference in this debate. Republican leaders think the present health care system is the best in the world, and those of us who believe that we should change it: doctors, hospitals, pharmaceuticals, governors, and on and on.

The status quo simply is not where America is. They know that, unless we act, rising costs will only continue to get worse. They know that the current path is dead end and we need to head in a different direction. That’s the choice. It’s a clear choice. And that’s why we’re going to get health care done.

QUESTION: (OFF-MIKE) to try to keep (OFF-MIKE)

REID: You’re getting good. Your lips don’t even move anymore.

QUESTION: Can you hear me?

REID: I can hear, but it was great. It was like -- you’re about like Edgar Bergen, who a lot of people wouldn’t remember.

QUESTION: (OFF-MIKE) going to be a renewed push to keep Democrats together on procedural votes. I wonder how hard you’re going to push Democrats on that, if you feel like it’s -- it’s actually realistic to keep people together on health care and on climate change and big items like that.

REID: We want to work with the Republicans. This year, we’ve had a tremendously productive year. Democrats haven’t done it alone. We’ve had Republicans work with us, a handful. We got three on the stimulus, and we could go through the whole list where we got just a few votes.

We really need more help from the Republicans. We don’t want to do this alone. We want to work with them, and that’s what we offer. But we can’t allow the status quo to be the order of the day. So we’re going to work as we have all year long, Democrats to stay together.

QUESTION: (OFF-MIKE) to a second -- to a second stimulus...

REID: Who said that?

QUESTION: ... Steny Hoyer -- if necessary? Do you agree with that? And -- and would you be open to a second stimulus, if necessary?

REID: First of all, for those of you who couldn’t hear the question, as I understand it, he said Steny Hoyer said we should be open for another stimulus. Is that what you told me? OK.

First of all, just slightly over 10 percent of the stimulus money has been given out for -- for the places that go. So a little less than 90 percent still needs to be put out to the American people, and we’re in the process of doing that. It’s going to move more quickly now.

As far as I’m concerned, there’s no showing to me that another stimulus is needed. Things are -- things, as Bernanke said, the crops have been planted, the shoots are now appearing above the ground. And that certainly is evident based on the fact that slightly over 10 percent of the dollars are out among the people.

QUESTION: Senator Reid (OFF-MIKE) health care, but can you talk about the challenge of keeping all 60 of your Democratic -- all 60 of -- of the Democrats together for -- for a final product? Clearly, there (OFF-MIKE)

REID: The question -- the question is this. How difficult will it be -- I’m paraphrasing -- to keep all 60 Democratic senators together on health care? I repeat: We want to get some help from the Republicans.

On procedural votes, we’ll keep the Democrats together. We -- we’ve done that in the past. We’ll do it in the future. I would hope the Republicans understand that they should be part of the game here.

And I am having a meeting tomorrow with a number of Republicans strictly on the issue of health care, who I’ve been told they want to do business on health care. It’s four Republicans senators. I look forward to that meeting, and so I -- I think that we don’t want to do it alone. That’s what I’m saying. We’ll just do what we have to do.

QUESTION: (OFF-MIKE)

QUESTION: (OFF-MIKE) you’ll be able to get the 60 votes needed for a climate bill? And when are you scheduling floor time for that?

REID: Well, we’re moving forward on a climate bill. I’m having a meeting tomorrow with all my chairs. I’ve got six of them. We have a timetable that we have laid out. They’ve all agreed on that. And we hope to be able to get to climate change sometime in late or middle of September or, at the latest, the first part of October.

QUESTION: And how confident are you for 60 votes?

REID: Well, we have to see what the product is first, you know? But I feel that, with our still importing 70 percent of the oil we use, that it’s more important now than ever to do a good energy bill, which we already have one reported out of the Energy Committee, which is a good bill Boxer’s moving forward on. I met with her last night. So I think we’re doing quite well.

QUESTION: How do you bridge some of those regional differences on the (OFF-MIKE)

REID: We have a number of steps. First of all, we have to get a bill out of the committees and then join that in a bill. Then we have to get something off the floor. The House is going to move -- and they’ve already moved quickly on this, so they have a bill, so we have something to confer with them. So it’s a -- it’s at least at three step or more process.

QUESTION: (OFF-MIKE)

REID: Yes?

QUESTION: (OFF-MIKE) confirmation hearing and may be surprised to see him in that new role? And I’m just curious what -- what do you think he brings to the table? Why did you put him on that committee?

REID: I -- when I was a member of the state legislature, I served on the Judiciary Committee, very, very good committee. I liked it very much. We have a tremendous Judiciary Committee. Some disagree with me. I personally believe that we should -- it’s not necessary to have all lawyers on the committee.

We have, of course, Senator Feinstein. No one can ever question her involvement in that committee. She has been a stalwart. Herb Kohl is -- is ranked right under Senator Leahy. He’s a non-lawyer. So we could go through others, but I don’t -- that’s not a requirement.

Al Franken is extremely smart. Just a little side note for some of you, we were in my office yesterday getting ready to come out here, introduce him to all of you. And he said, “Is there going to be a podium out there?” I said, “Sure, there will be a podium.” And he said, “Well, I didn’t know, so I memorized what I was going to say.”

Al Franken is very smart. And he didn’t say that -- he wasn’t boasting. He’s just making comment. He’s extremely smart. He’s Harvard-educated. He has written volumes, books. In fact, for Christmas this past year, I gave my Nevada counterpart, John Ensign , all of his books as a Christmas present.

(LAUGHTER)

And now that he’s in the Senate, I’m going to get him to sign them for Senator Ensign. QUESTION: (OFF-MIKE) redirect some of the money that has been earmarked that way?

REID: At this -- at this stage, no. We’re doing fine. The money is coming out. I was reading Nevada clips today. Douglas County, they just said they’re going to spend $417,000 in that small county on stimulus money to do some highway work. That’s going to put dozens of people to work. That’s happening all over the country. The money is starting to come out. So I feel comfortable with that.

Thanks, everybody.

END

.ETX

Jul 07, 2009 15:05 ET .EOF

Source: CQ Transcriptions

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