CNN "CNN Newsroom" - TRANSCRIPT Supreme Court Announces It Has Yet To Identify Who Leaked Draft Opinion Overturning Roe v. Wade; Rep. Byron Donalds (R-FL) Discusses Possible Standoff In Congress Over Debt Limit & George Santos Scandal; Trump Mistakes Accuser For Ex-Wife In Pic During Deposition; Search Warrant Unsealed In Case Against Idaho Murder Suspect. Aired 2:30-3p ET

Interview

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BLACKWELL: House Republicans and, increasingly, some from swing districts do not agree with the White House, that it's thinking there should be zero negotiation in the Congress over raising of the national debt ceiling.

[14:40:06]

Instead, they insist there must be some fiscal agreement first.

Let's discuss with Florida Republican Congressman Byron Donalds. He is also a member of the House Oversight Committee, part of the Steering Committee. We'll get into committee assignments in just a moment.

But, Congressman, first, thank you for coming.

Let's talk about the debt ceiling. We hit it today. Default comes in June.

Why connect these two? Congress has already run up these bills, has passed legislation, has spent the money, spending the money. Why not take care of that and have a separate conversation that most Americans would agree is necessary about handling spending?

REP. BYRON DONALDS (R-FL): The reason why you don't separate the two is because the only reason you're hitting the debt ceiling this fast is because of the reckless spending that has occurred.

So if you are going to increase the allotment of your ability to borrow money, you should address your spending habits. That's not a political statement. That's a business statement.

My career was 17 years in the financial industry. My first stop in my career was as a banker, where I actually underwrote credit obligations and decided who we were going to lend money to small businesses.

So you don't just get the ability to expand the credit card without have the necessary spending reforms.

If you read the reports from the credit agencies, are they concerned about Congress's ability to act? Yes.

But they're also concerned with Congress's lack of ability to control its spending in a meaningful way. We should be doing both at the same times.

BLACKWELL: Congressman, let's talk, because these are separate conversations. You are a businessman. You talked about your history as a small businessman. You know you have to pay the bills.

Republicans and Democrats racked up these bills. Where was this adamance about reducing spending when the debt ceiling was increased three times during the Trump administration?

There was no major uprising within the Republican ranks to say we have to cut spending to raise the debt ceiling then.

Is it happening now only because there's a Democratic president?

DONALDS: No. I disagree with you. I don't think so. I think those conversations existed each one of those times the debt ceiling was raised.

And from my recollection, there was some spending reforms put in, some spending caps put in, but there's a difference --

(CROSSTALK)

BLACKWELL: Hold on, hold on.

DONALDS: Before I got to Congress --

(CROSSTALK)

BLACKWELL: There's a difference between raising an issue and a standoff. Republicans are saying we will not vote for an increase --

(CROSSTALK)

BLACKWELL: -- without these cuts. That didn't happen during the four years of Donald Trump when it was suspended --

(CROSSTALK) BLACKWELL: -- and raised without all of these two other times.

DONALDS: But I think you're the one that's speculating there's a standoff that will happen here. Nobody has said that.

House Republicans will have clear negotiations with the White House about what are the spending reforms needed and what needs to happen about raising the debt ceiling. That is not a standoff. That is a negotiation.

Number two, before I got to Congress in the last term, my position has always been clear, that if you're going to continuously increase the debt ceiling, you have to address the long-term spending ramifications and the debt bubble growing in the United States.

That's the responsible thing to do.

I can't comment on what my colleagues did before I got to Congress.

BLACKWELL: Let be ask about the committee assignments. You were the speaker designee on the Steering Committee. The Steering Committee's job is to assign congressmen to various committees.

George Santos, what qualifies him that you know for sure qualifies him to serve on the Small Business Committee and the Committee on Science, Space and Technology.

DONALDS: Listen, that process of committee assignments is one where the members list the various things that they want to serve on and want to do in their time.

Specifically, to George and his situation, that's something that is not my place to get involved in. That's between him and his voters.

Every member of Congress is placed on committees. That's how the process works. We're going to place him on committees. If something else happens down the line, we'll revisit that decision.

There are members who do sit on committees in Congress that's not a biographic background part of what they've done in their life before Congress.

They sit on these various committees to try to do the best job possible on behalf of their district but also on behalf of the American people.

BLACKWELL: You have not joined some of your Republican colleagues, and most Democrats who we have heard from, who are calling for George Santos to resign. Do you think he can serve effectively?

DONALDS: I think it will be difficult, no doubt about it.

But again, if he has the wherewithal to deal with these things that have been caused by him and other things and still do his job, that still remains to be seen.

About the growing list of people calling for his resignation, no, I have not joined that.

[14:45:02]

Simply because I don't think that's the job of another member of Congress to say or call for. I think that's something between him and his voters. He has to deal with that on an individual basis.

BLACKWELL: I will say you called for President Biden to resign and 84 million people voted for him.

Congressman Byron Donalds, thank you so much.

DONALDS: Anytime.

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