In an interview with Fusion’s Jorge Ramos Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz (D-Fla.) blamed House Speaker John Boehner for the failure of immigration reform this year. She also talked with Jorge Ramos about the influence of the Tea Party, NSA, gun control and her health. Watch the full interview below.
WATCH: http://fus.in/1dcKhqL
On Political Climate: “Three years ago I realized when the Tea Party swept the elections in 2010 they really began hurdling us to manufactured crisis to manufactured crisis,” Wasserman Schultz said. “I really felt like I had to sound an alarm bell.”
“We have to stop the gridlock. Even as the chair of the Democratic National Committee I understand it can’t be my way or the highway,” she continued.
On the NSA: “I think in the world that we live in, in terms of national security since 9/11, we need to continue to strike a balance between protecting our national security and making sure that we protect Americans privacy. Now the previous President to President Obama I would not have trusted and did not trust with that kind of sweeping authority. I do trust, I trust President Obama to continue to strive to achieve that balance.”
“But not President Bush?” Ramos interjected. “I didn’t, no because I thought his commitment to protecting privacy and taking the steps necessary to strike that balance wasn’t there. And we don’t know what will happen with the next President,” Wasserman Schultz said.
On Immigration Reform: After calling immigration reform a “political necessity” for the Republican Party the DNC chairwoman noted “right now we have a bipartisan bill that passed the Senate sitting on John Boehner’s desk that he could take up right now and if he allowed the whole House to vote it would pass, but he is the obstacle as is the Tea Party. Time is of the essence,” she said. “It is in his hands. He has a bipartisan bill. He continues to allow the Tea Party to call the shots. Even though he is the Speaker of the House he requires and insists on letting 218 Republicans – the majority of the Republicans – decide what the agenda will be.”
The interview aired last night on “AMERICA with Jorge Ramos” on Fusion (weeknights at 8:00 p.m., ET).
WATCH: http://fus.in/1dcKhqL
On Political Climate: “Three years ago I realized when the Tea Party swept the elections in 2010 they really began hurdling us to manufactured crisis to manufactured crisis,” Wasserman Schultz said. “I really felt like I had to sound an alarm bell.”
“We have to stop the gridlock. Even as the chair of the Democratic National Committee I understand it can’t be my way or the highway,” she continued.
On the NSA: “I think in the world that we live in, in terms of national security since 9/11, we need to continue to strike a balance between protecting our national security and making sure that we protect Americans privacy. Now the previous President to President Obama I would not have trusted and did not trust with that kind of sweeping authority. I do trust, I trust President Obama to continue to strive to achieve that balance.”
“But not President Bush?” Ramos interjected. “I didn’t, no because I thought his commitment to protecting privacy and taking the steps necessary to strike that balance wasn’t there. And we don’t know what will happen with the next President,” Wasserman Schultz said.
On Immigration Reform: After calling immigration reform a “political necessity” for the Republican Party the DNC chairwoman noted “right now we have a bipartisan bill that passed the Senate sitting on John Boehner’s desk that he could take up right now and if he allowed the whole House to vote it would pass, but he is the obstacle as is the Tea Party. Time is of the essence,” she said. “It is in his hands. He has a bipartisan bill. He continues to allow the Tea Party to call the shots. Even though he is the Speaker of the House he requires and insists on letting 218 Republicans – the majority of the Republicans – decide what the agenda will be.”
The interview aired last night on “AMERICA with Jorge Ramos” on Fusion (weeknights at 8:00 p.m., ET).
