Transcript of Pelosi, House Democratic Leadership Remarks Following White House Meeting on #GOPshutdown
Washington, D.C. – Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi, Democratic Whip Steny Hoyer, Assistant Democratic Leader James E. Clyburn, and Congressman Steve Israel delivered remarks at a press stakeout at the White House following a meeting between the House Democratic Caucus and President Barack Obama. Below is a transcript of the stakeout and the question and answer session:
Leader Pelosi. We had a very positive meeting with the President of the United States. We expressed our appreciation to each other. We're standing strong to the American people to open government, to honor the full faith and credit of the United States of America.
Democratic Whip Steny Hoyer. Well, I want to say that the president emphasized over and over again what we also share, and that is he is willing to talk about all of the issues our Republican colleagues want to talk about and try to come to an agreement. But he is simply saying: "We can talk while the government is open. The government doesn't need to be shut down for us to talk. And we can talk while we make sure that the government pays its bills." I think the American public agrees with that and we agree with the President on that issue.
Mr. Clyburn?
Assistant Leader Clyburn. Well, I think, I can't add any more to that. This was a great meeting. Very positive, very upbeat with our Members. We were very, very pleased with the discussion and the President was very firm. And we believe very strongly that the President is open for a discussion with anyone. And the problem right now is the American people, especially those who depend upon the federal government for work, or want to go back to work, we ought not keep them at bay while we have these discussions.
Congressman Steve Israel. The President reiterated that he was willing to negotiate the issue in everything, and the government should open, put everyone back to work, and the Congress pays its own bills. Second, we will reiterate that there are probably about two hundred and thirty votes to open this government today, two hundred and twenty or thirty votes to open this government yesterday, two hundred and thirty votes to open this government tomorrow. It takes one person to allow that vote to come to the floor and that is Speaker Boehner.
Leader Pelosi. We spent a good deal of time sharing stories, the President from his experience and our Members from ours as to the hardships that the American people are feeling because of the government shutdown – whether it was individually, or in some cases furloughing of contractors, and the rest. So, it's about jobs, it's about our veterans make up a large percentage of the federal workforce and of people with disabilities. So, again, our emphasis is to solve the problem, open government, negotiate, and honor the full faith and credit of the United States.
We can take just a few questions.
***
Q: Inaudible question about the possibility of a short-term extension of the debt ceiling.
Leader Pelosi. I don't know what to expect. But I will say this: we are willing to give two hundred votes – as the distinguished Whip said and others have said – two hundred votes to open government, to appoint conferees, to go to the table to discuss the budget. And that is to say to the Republican leadership in the House: we accept your number; we accept your path to the table; take ‘yes' for an answer.
We haven't heard any offer of the short-term, one way or another.
Q: Leader Pelosi, if I can just follow up on that. Are you open to the idea of a short-term debt ceiling increase with a matter in just few weeks? Or anything that is just a little more?
Leader Pelosi. Well, first of all, just to go back to the CR, all we want is a short-term CR because we think the number is not acceptable. So, we think that we need to take up that number, deal with it, and when we go to the budget table is when we can resolve some of the issues about the debt ceiling. That is to say, the discussion will be a useful one. And it shouldn't be any condition as to what would happen to the debt ceiling. And there is no concession on the debt ceiling. The debt ceiling needs to be lifted. They are not getting anything for that. And we haven't seen an offer for that. When we see an offer for that, we'll make a decision about that.
Whip Hoyer. I just want to make a comment on that. Democrats are prepared to make sure that government pays its bills. But good policy, good economics, building confidence to the American people would be extending it for a substantial period of time so the markets will have the confidence of where we're going to be next week, next month, and next year. I think the answer to your question is: we're not going to vote against making sure that America pays its bills. We think it ought to be a longer term for the economy and the growth of jobs. Jobs after all, are really what we ought to be working on.
Q: So, how do you structure it to have the Republican confidence that ‘we'll take you to do what you want,' that we truly [inaudible] over all of these other issues?
Leader Pelosi. Wait a minute. We are giving them what they want. They want $986 [billion]. None of us want $986 [billion]. We gave them, we said ‘yes' to them for their number which we don't like.
Q: Well once those CRs are…
Leader Pelosi. Ok. Well, once they accept, take ‘yes' for answer to their bad number, then what?
Q: Then, how are they, what do you do to convince them that once the CRs are passed to they return to the table to bargain…
Leader Pelosi. Wait a minute. Let's put this in perspective very briefly. The beginning of March in the oval office, the Republican leadership of the House and Senate, Mr. Boehner and Mr. McConnell said they wanted regular order. That means you pass the budget in the House. You pass the budget in the Senate. You go to conference. That happened three weeks later in the House and in the Senate. Then they said: "We don't want regular order anymore." And for six months we've been saying: "That's what you said you wanted." Now we're saying: "Ok, if you shut down government," which is totally reckless and irresponsible, "we are now accepting your number of $986 [billion] for the next six weeks to go to the regular order of going to the budget table to discuss our budget priorities." And that is the path that is regular order.
Q: Leader Pelosi, what is the President's mood as to whether or not a deal could be structured? Today, House Republicans said: "Well, we are not going to send everybody. We are going to send certain people." That was not received well here at the White House. And again, you get the sense that you can't even agree on how goes to these meetings.
Assistant Leader Clyburn. That's their problem. Our entire Caucus was here.
Q: Everybody was here?
Assistant Leader Clyburn. Everybody was here. Everybody was invited. As far as we know, everybody was here. There were maybe one or two people who didn't get out the rain. But everybody was invited.
I don't think we can emphasize enough on the fact that we accepted their $986 [billion] number. That was a number that we accepted to start the negotiations. And Speaker Boehner, himself, on Sunday, said that he did agree to that in exchange for a clean CR. However, we later found that his people wanted the Affordable Care Act to be into his mix. But he agreed that we would have a short-term CR and we'd negotiate somewhere between our number or $1.058 [trillion], and that number of $986 [billion] over a six week period.
And if that's not negotiating, I don't know what is.
Leader Pelosi. Well, let me just say this point. So, following up on what my distinguished colleague, the Assistant Leader said. This number is the number that Speaker Boehner offered to Leader Reid.
Assistant Leader Clyburn. Right
Leader Pelosi. Leader Reid accepted this number. President Obama accepted the Republican House number. House Democrats accepted the Republican House number. The only people who are not accepting the Republican House number are the Republican House leadership and there are enough Members in their party who want to vote for a clean CR at that measure, to open government at that number. We have given them 200 names on a piece of paper, there are people who don't believe that, that number is good enough, but in order to open government are willing to do. What they're doing now, moving goal posts and changing views and taking back their commitments is a luxury our country cannot afford.
Q: Leader Pelosi, can you tell us on the CR and the permanent extension of the debt. [inaudible].
Leader Pelosi. Yes, yes. The short term CR, they are two different things. They're two different things. They're two different things. The short term CR we're willing to agree to because the number is not insufficient, as their Chairman of the Appropriations Committee has said, that number is not sufficient to conduct government. That's one of [Whip] Steny Hoyer's, one of Steny's favorite quotes, and perhaps you'd like to make that one. So that is a, that's a different story. A short term debt limit, as the Whip said, it doesn't restore confidence, it isn't a place to go.
Q: So you're not open to a short term then?
Leader Pelosi. Well, we'll see what – when we see them offer one, we'll see what, what path we think that takes us down. But…
Q: it sounds like you're really reluctant to give them a two-month CR, debt.
Leader Pelosi. Well, we're not. if the alternative is to renege, to default then.
Q: You won't give too much.
Leader Pelosi. Well, as I said, when we see. Now, I – I don't.
[Laughter]
Leader Pelosi. It may be humorous to you, but it's only the global economy. It's only your 401k if you have one, interest rates on cars, on car payments.
Q: There's very serious danger with default. [Inaudible]
Leader Pelosi. No, there is. I don't think it's a responsible place to go, I hope that our colleagues would not do that. We're just at the same place as we were if, excuse me?
Q: If the Speaker says [inaudible]
Leader Pelosi. Well, you have to talk to him about that. In any event, what we're saying is: we have made every concession. We've conceded prerogatives of the minority that has been historic, have never be conceded to the Speaker to say: "if this makes you feel more comfortable, we'll not, we'll smooth a path for you to go to the table. We accept your number."
So, you know, to talk about hypotheticals, if they offer, what would you do? Well let's just see what they are offering. But, but the – the only connection they have is, is the budget conference table because that's where this negotiation should be taking place. With government open. The American people with more confidence about their jobs. Businesses are not having the customers that they need because people are out of work and other people are uncertain. So this is, this is a sad scenario for our country.
Thank you all very much.