ICYMI: New Dem Chair Kuster Joins CNN to Discuss the Removal of Speaker Kevin McCarthy and the Bipartisan Path Forward
ICYMI: This morning, New Democrat Coalition (NDC) Chair Annie Kuster (NH-02) joined CNN News Central with John Berman to discuss the historic removal of Kevin McCarthy as House Speaker.
In the interview, Chair Kuster explained how the former Speaker’s dishonesty and unwillingness to work in a bipartisan way ultimately led to his removal, emphasizing that New Dems will continue to work across the aisle with reasonable Republicans. She expressed hope that the next Speaker would abandon far-right extremism and work with Democrats to get the job done on critical issues like funding the government, passing a Farm Bill, and supporting Ukraine.
You can watch the interview here and read the full transcript below:
JOHN BERMAN: This is Representative Annie Kuster. She is a New Hampshire Democrat, Chair of the New Democrat Coalition. Thank you so much for being with us this morning. Who are you going to vote for for Speaker?
CHAIR KUSTER: I'm voting for Hakeem Jeffries for speaker, and he's got 212 votes. We're here to work with our colleagues on both sides of the aisle to get the job done for the American people. And certainly your lead-in there – the aid to Ukraine – is very important. We've got a Farm Bill that needs to get done and we've got 42 days to get our appropriations done, so a lot of work to be done. We need to move quickly and get this resolved from the chaos in the Republican caucus.
JOHN BERMAN: It’s the early days, or the early moments, since Speaker McCarthy – former Speaker McCarthy – was outed, but right now two of the leading candidates to replace him would be current Majority Leader Steve Scalise and Chair of the House Judiciary Committee Jim Jordan, who are both seen as perhaps more hardline then Kevin McCarthy. So how are you better off with either of them as Speaker than Kevin McCarthy?
CHAIR KUSTER: Well, I think what you could see develop here would be a three way race, for a moderate Republican to emerge right now. They could win that race and we could work with them to get the job done. Look, this disarray, the dysfunction that Kevin McCarthy frankly created when he agreed to the rules change back in January – you remember the 15 votes to try to get his speakership. He agreed to so many changes by caving in to the far right extremists, and look at the chaos that has been, you know, brought down on the American people right now. So I think there's an option here. We can work together, we can work in a bipartisan way, and that's what our constituency has sent us here to do. Let's get the job done.
JOHN BERMAN: But this is not an episode of The West Wing, with all due respect. And while I know you would like a more moderate candidate, the likelihood is it could be someone who is seen as more conservative, more hardline than Kevin McCarthy. Correct?
CHAIR KUSTER: I think that'd be a tremendous mistake for the Republican caucus, and I think it's very clear to everyone how this went down. I remember back on January 6, you know, Kevin McCarthy went to the well after the attack on the Capitol, and he agreed that this was a terrible moment, this was historic, and that we needed to come together. Only a few days later, he went to Mar a Lago, stood with the former president, and from that point on, he caved time after time after time again to this extreme faction. And I think what we need is a Speaker of whatever stripes that's going to stand up for the institution, for Congress, working for the American people. And not lurching from one crisis to the next to the next.
JOHN BERMAN: If you're looking for signs of what's to come already, since McCarthy was ousted the Republicans running the show have kicked former Speaker Nancy Pelosi out of her Capitol building office. And we just learned this morning, Minority Leader Steny Hoyer, sorry, former Minority Leader Steny Hoyer kicked out of his office as well. So what does that tell you about where they're headed?
CHAIR KUSTER: I did hear about that pettiness and frankly, my understanding is that started with Kevin McCarthy on the way out the door. I certainly hope the mood improves and that, you know, they have reverence for the institution. Look, Congress has been under attack and it started on January 6, and it continues with a wing of their party that wants to take this institution down, that doesn't care about governing. And we need to get back on track. We have bills – let me give you a good example – the National Defense Authorization Act passed out of Committee, I think the vote was 45 to one and it was a Democrat actually that voted against it. Everyone agreed. And by the time that bill came to the floor, it was a Christmas tree of poison pill amendments, and we couldn't get that passed. So that's what I'm talking about. Look at the Ukraine aid, Speaker McCarthy refused to bring it to the floor.
JOHN BERMAN: Yeah, it’s just some moderate Republicans with whom you have been working with, for lack of a better word are pretty pissed at Democrats right now. Republicans in the Problem Solvers Caucus, which are important, but I think —
CHAIR KUSTER: It wasn’t on us to solve it, and Kevin McCarthy didn't come to the table with anything. We were prepared for that – I've been having quotes for weeks that there would be some kind of an agreement. We would change this rule, first of all, that is threatening the well being of Congress functioning in a rational way, and we would come to the table. And you know what, he brought nothing. When the conversation finally happened – it wasn't until Monday night – he offered nothing. He did not think that he needed that, and this is the result. I am very close to Republicans who are willing to work together; now is the time to get this back on track, and let's get the job done. My caucus, the New Democrat Coalition, is close to 100 Democrats. We work in a bipartisan way every single day, and we have lots of legislation, even on thorny issues like immigration. You know, this aid to Ukraine has a majority vote tomorrow if we took this up on the floor. And Speaker McCarthy refused. There is a majority in the House and in the Senate; send it to the President. Let's stand for democracy here in America and around the world.
JOHN BERMAN: Representative Annie Kuster from the Granite State of New Hampshire, thank you very much for being with us this morning.
CHAIR KUSTER: Thank you, John, good to be with you.
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