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Amazon Drivers on Strike; House Republicans Attempt to Avert Government Shutdown; Interview With Rep. Dan Meuser (R-PA). Aired 1- 1:30p ET

Aired December 20, 2024 - 13:00   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

[13:00:50]

BORIS SANCHEZ, CNN HOST: It's beginning to look a lot like shutdown.

Anger and frustration boiling over on Capitol Hill. Lawmakers have fewer than 12 hours to pass a spending deal before the federal government shuts down at midnight. Speaker Johnson, as you see there, avoiding reporters, under pressure, as Democrats hold their ground. So can they reach an agreement?

Plus, a strike at Starbucks, baristas walking off the job in a handful of cities. Why some of them say this is just the beginning.

BRIANNA KEILAR, CNN HOST: And a record-breaking number of Americans are expected to travel this holiday, but a winter storm threatens to disrupt your good cheer.

We're following these major developing stories and many more all coming in right here to CNN NEWS CENTRAL.

SANCHEZ: Thanks so much for joining us this afternoon. I'm Boris Sanchez, alongside Brianna Keilar, in our nation's capital.

I have to acknowledge she was the one who came up with it's beginning to look a lot like shutdown. It's a great line.

KEILAR: And I think we're going to be saying it a lot today.

SANCHEZ: Yes. Yes, the government is on the brink of shutting down, and president-elect Donald Trump is telling Congress to let it happen now, before Inauguration Day, because he says it's President Biden's problem to fix.

A live look at Capitol Hill now, where House Republicans are meeting behind closed doors as they scramble to find a way to keep Washington running. Their plan A got scrapped this week. And then, last night, their plan B also failed, even though it was backed by the president- elect.

And now they're racing to come up with a plan C with just 11 hours and 58 minutes before the midnight deadline.

KEILAR: Speaker Johnson says they have something in mind, but Trump is demanding no deal unless the debt limit is raised or eliminated altogether. It's a condition that's getting pushback from both sides of the aisle.

And if Congress can't find a path forward, that means that some federal workers will be furloughed and essential employees might have to work without pay just days before Christmas.

CNN's Manu Raju is live on Capitol Hill.

Manu, tell us where talks stand right now. Things have been so fluid.

MANU RAJU, CNN CHIEF CONGRESSIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Yes, no question about it.

All day long, the speaker of the House has been trying to resurrect a plan that was shelved, that was defeated by 38 members of his own party who rebelled and revolted against Donald Trump's efforts to try to get this plan B, as you described, done last night, Democrats too opposing that plan.

So what is plan C? That's what they have been negotiating all morning long. And, essentially, what they have settled on is this, try to separate this package to keep the government open into several smaller bills and try to move those three different bills individually.

Among those bills will be a three-month extension of government funding, a $100 billion package to deal with natural disaster relief, things that -- parts of the country have been hit hard by hurricanes and the like, and $10 billion in aid to farmers. That had all initially been part of a larger package.

Of course, Donald Trump scuttled that package in the 11th hour earlier this week, when he criticized it and then demanded that this Congress address the issue of the national debt limit, of course, a politically fraught issue, one in which they have battled on over for years, and it takes months typically to resolve.

He wanted it done in a couple of days. But what we are hearing now from our sources is that the discussion about the debt limit, given the pushback from Democrats and conservative Republicans, is going to be punted until next year. It's in defiance of Donald Trump's demands, meaning that they have to address it when Donald Trump takes the oath of office and when the Republicans take control of both chambers of Congress.

Now, right now, they're trying to get buy-in from their members, but there is ample frustration, including from one congressman who told me going in, this is just another example of the swamp.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

RAJU: How are you feeling about the way this has come together?

REP. TIM BURCHETT (R-TN): It's Washington sewer 101. Nothing changes on that front.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

RAJU: So, now the question is the process, which will be very important in determining whether they have the votes to get this through.

There's one effort that they can try to get it done today, these bills done today, but that will require two-thirds majority in the United States House, meaning 290 members if all members are here and voting. And there are 219 House Republicans, so a significant number of Democrats would have to support it.

[13:05:06]

Another process that, try to do it by a straight majority, but that would require a procedural vote to happen first. That procedural vote would need to be carried by Republicans, because Democrats would vote against that initial procedural vote. If they were to succeed on that latter approach, that would require half of the House to move this through by tomorrow.

This would push this issue by tomorrow, because of the rules in the United States House, meaning past the shutdown deadline. So all these things are being negotiated right now behind closed doors. We will see ultimately what the speaker settles on.

SANCHEZ: And, Manu, what are you hearing about what Democrats are now considering?

RAJU: Yes, they are weighing this new idea by the speaker of the House. In fact, the speaker -- the leader of the House Democrats, Hakeem Jeffries, had told me and other reporters this morning that he is keeping open a line of communication with the speaker of the House.

That's much different than what we have heard over the last several days. And what we were told from our sources is that the Democrats are weighing whether to accept this. They want to see what happens in this Republican Conference meeting first.

Will their members come out and they revolt? Will they decide to do it under that two-thirds procedure that requires a significant number of Democrats to get behind it, or will they try to go along the majority vote, which will push it until tomorrow, which they could essentially do on their own with just Republican votes, assuming they don't lose more than a couple of defection -- defectors?

So, Jeffries and -- Hakeem Jeffries, the White House and the Senate majority leader, Chuck Schumer, are all having discussions at the moment to try to figure out how to proceed, whether to back this, because Democratic support essential, not just in the House, but, of course, the Democratic-led Senate and the Democrat who still occupies the White House -- guys.

KEILAR: All right, Manu Raju, thank you so much.

Let's talk about this now with Republican Congressman Dan Meuser of Pennsylvania, maybe get some insights into what, again, we said is a very fluid situation.

Sir, is this looking like a shutdown to you?

REP. DAN MEUSER (R-PA): Hi, Brianna.

Manu just laid it out extremely well. And as of right now, I think the odds are that there will not be a shutdown. We will have a vote, it looks like, soon, as Manu was explaining on suspension. We would need two-thirds on what largely was the bill from last night without the debt ceiling language.

Or, if that doesn't pass by the two-thirds, we then go to Rules. We have various procedures, and there's a pretty good chance before midnight we have a majority vote on another bill, a C.R., into March, which would also include the disaster relief and economic assistance, but without some of the other things that were in the last -- yesterday's bill.

So, we have two shots at it here. Hopefully, we get the first one done. I think we have -- I think it might go by suspension.

KEILAR: So, not including the debt limit, pushing it off, suspending it, eliminating it. Is that acceptable to you?

MEUSER: Well, you know what? If it's acceptable to the White House, it's acceptable to me. There is a conversation and a proposal of how we can put the debt limit in a reconciliation bill come February or so.

So, if that's the case, and the White House is comfortable with that, I'm comfortable with it.

KEILAR: When you say the White House, you're talking about Trump, the incoming administration, just to be clear?

MEUSER: I am.

KEILAR: OK.

MEUSER: Yes, Brianna, I am. And let's face it. That's almost how it seems.

I mean, Joe Biden's been MIA throughout this entire process, as has most of the White House. So, yes, I mean the incoming president's White House.

KEILAR: OK.

You told FOX Business this morning, when you were talking about Trump's expectation of the original government funding bill, that there were things that were not in it that were expected, apparently. You were talking about Trump's request for a debt ceiling.

Are you saying that Speaker Johnson ignored Trump on what should be in the bill? Or how would you characterize it?

MEUSER: Yes, I think it was discussed, possibly not made a significant priority, as it turns out it was.

And during the course of the negotiation -- and that's the problem when you receive bills at the last minute. I mean, we knew what was going to be in it, about 90 percent anyway. That last 10 percent, for instance, it was a surprise to me that the congressional pay raise was in there. That was a surprise.

So perhaps the White House -- and I don't know for sure -- was surprised that the debt ceiling language was not included in the final negotiation that took place really between the speaker and the Senate and Chuck Schumer and Jeffries, of course. So, yes, it looks like they were taken aback and felt it was far more important than was understood.

And that's too bad. That's what largely caused all of this.

KEILAR: Is Johnson's speakership in danger?

[13:10:01]

MEUSER: I don't think so.

The president -- the president-elect has shown support for Mike Johnson. We have support for him. I do. Look, this was -- this was -- it's not easy. It's difficult. There's a lot to corral here.

But, frankly -- and you're referencing my FOX Business earlier. We need to have an understanding of what the White House wants, and our role is to enhance it, make it as better -- better as we can, provide advice and be involved. But come the end of the day, we need to be on board with that agenda, because that's what we all won on.

That's what the president-elect was elected to do. And I'm here to live up to those promises.

KEILAR: You said, Republicans particularly not getting on board with what you called Trump's first step of wanting to dispense with the debt ceiling is -- quote -- "just wrong."

But many of your fellow Republicans will never vote for a debt ceiling increase. They have made themselves abundantly clear on this. And then there are still others, including Speaker Johnson, who are blaming Democrats for not walking that plank.

Does he expect Democrats to save Republicans from themselves?

MEUSER: Well, maybe the Democrats want to save themselves from their voters.

They already -- and some of my friends that are Democrats were speaking on the floor yesterday talking about a shutdown, like daring us to shut down, how politically problematic that would be for us. I mean, isn't what's best for the country more important than a short- term political victory?

I mean, they're handling the debt ceiling the same way, like they need it so they can have leverage down the road, or, frankly, just to stick it to...

KEILAR: Well, you have colleagues who have support -- who have supported a shutdown, a prolonged one, at that, Nancy Mace, others, in your own party.

(CROSSTALK)

MEUSER: Yes, I don't know if they support a shutdown. They're not afraid of it, right?

In any negotiation, you can't say what you are most fearful of. You need to say, OK, if that happens, that happens, but here is our position. And I think that's where they were.

And on some of their votes, look, I can't speak to that. Some of the votes yesterday by my Republican colleagues I didn't agree with and didn't understand. But, nevertheless, they had their position. And now we're continuing to move on.

Clearly, we can see the president-elect and his administration or his incoming administration are willing to negotiate, based upon some good-faith understanding that we will handle the debt limit early in reconciliation and a $1.5 trillion increase for a goal of $2.5 trillion in savings in the second reconciliation.

That's what we were just discussing in our conference.

KEILAR: This talk of Elon Musk for speaker, is that at all real or is that just a shot over the bow by some Republicans to Speaker Johnson?

MEUSER: It probably is a shot over the bow, but it may be a shot over the bow of the Democrats, who seem to try to be demonizing Elon Musk for the work he's doing, for the advice he's giving the president -- and that's all it is, he's an adviser -- and the fact that he's pulling the curtain back on some of this, frankly, garbage that is in these bills, pork barrel, whatever you want to call it.

So they're a little bit on...

KEILAR: When's the last time you saw a presidential adviser or the adviser to an incoming president scuttle an entire bill before Congress?

MEUSER: You know, Brianna, it wasn't scuttled that way. I started reading it on Tuesday evening. I didn't like what I saw. I began continuing reading it Wednesday morning. Every time I turned a page, the uglier it got, and I was close to a no before Elon Musk put anything out.

He was probably doing the same, he and his team going through it, and saying, my goodness, where did all this come from? This is not what we expected. And, by the way, they may have expected the debt limit language. So they just come out and said, hey, this is -- we don't like this.

And Elon Musk, first of all, he's his own person, but he is head of DOGE. So I'm sure the president was aware of what he planned to do. So it really just occurred based upon the information that we dug out of the 1,547 pages that was far more -- had far more in it than I certainly anticipated and probably they as well.

KEILAR: Yes, it's been reported Trump certainly was aware, but extraordinary this turn of events and how this came to be.

Congressman Meuser, thank you so much. A lot going on, on the Hill, and we appreciate your time.

MEUSER: Yes, I appreciate you too. Thanks, Brianna.

KEILAR: Coming up on CNN NEWS CENTRAL: One day after Amazon contractors hit the picket lines, Starbucks baristas in three major cities are now walking off the job. Ahead, how these strikes could impact you.

Plus, it's a huge holiday weekend for travel, and the weather is already playing a big role.

[13:15:04]

We will have your holiday forecast just ahead.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

KEILAR: Five days before Christmas, and thousands more workers could walk off the job at two of the biggest companies in America, Starbucks and Amazon.

Today, members of the Starbucks Workers United union began striking in Seattle, Los Angeles and Chicago. They say the fight could spread coast to coast to hundreds of other stores by Christmas Eve unless management commits to the framework of a first ever union contract.

SANCHEZ: Also on the picket lines, Amazon drivers, who are represented by the Teamsters union. They say they're not only seeking better pay and working conditions, but they also want to be recognized as company employees.

[13:20:08]

And that includes these drivers in Rhode Island, who, as you can see, are picketing with a giant inflatable pig. A local union leader explained why.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MATTHEW TAIBI, TEAMSTERS LOCAL 251 SECRETARY TREASURER: It's emblematic of our society, where you have immense wealth at the top and crumbs for workers.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SANCHEZ: CNN's business correspondent, Vanessa Yurkevich, joins us now. Vanessa, first to Amazon. The company says this work stoppage is not

going to impact Christmas deliveries. And we were joking yesterday about how I'm going to tell my family members that it absolutely is in case their Christmas presents don't show up on time. But what's the reality here? Is anybody going to be missing out on their stocking stuffers?

VANESSA YURKEVICH, CNN BUSINESS AND POLITICS REPORTER: Amazon says no. Amazon says everything is on schedule.

And, ultimately Amazon is saying that because they consider these drivers that are on strike third-party contracted drivers. They don't really consider them Amazon employees. But the Teamsters, which represents these thousands of drivers who are on strike across four states in seven main locations, say that the reason they're on strike is because Amazon won't come to the negotiating table.

Amazon says, well, we don't have to come to the negotiating table because these workers are not recognized as union members under the National Labor Relations Board.

I spoke to the national spokesperson of Amazon last night and asked her about this. I want you to listen to her and then also listen to a worker responding to what she had to say.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

YURKEVICH: Do you consider this strike illegal?

KELLY NANTEL, AMAZON SPOKESWOMAN: There is no strike. This is a protest that has been facilitated by the Teamsters. There are no Amazon employees and no third-party drivers who pay dues to the Teamsters.

LUKE CIANCIOTTO, DRIVES FOR AMAZON: The third-party model they created is very clearly a ploy and a mechanism to get out and under responsibility for unionizing workers. These third-party contractors don't exist without Amazon. Amazon is our only customer. And they create this situation, again, to create distance from us and give themselves an easy out.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

YURKEVICH: Now, there were seven locations that were authorized to go on strike by the Teamsters, but we are learning that now that there are support protests happening across the country, according to the Teamsters, at 199 Amazon facilities.

These are folks who are part of other unions, some Amazon employees, and then some of those drivers that are represented by the Teamsters. So clearly this is spreading. The workers are asking for better wages, better conditions.

As you guys know very well, a lot of these Amazon drivers have long hours, work in tough conditions, and they say they're feeling pressure from the company to work even faster, especially during this holiday season.

KEILAR: And this Starbucks strike, has any progress been made so far to stop it from spreading, as the workers are warning this is going to take off coast to coast?

YURKEVICH: Yes, not yet. And this strike with Starbucks workers is happening in three locations, Chicago, Seattle, and Los Angeles.

And the union is threatening to expand to other states by the 24th of December. But the difference here is that Starbucks actually does have to negotiate with these union workers. They recognize over 500 unionized stores. And they have been negotiating since February.

But the union says that they wanted a contract by the end of this year. We're almost at the end of the year, and they say that what's been presented by Starbucks has not been good enough. Starbucks says that they're disappointed that this is going on, that this strike is happening.

And they also say that this strike today has had minimal disruptions. One source who is familiar with the impact of this strike says just about 10 stores out of 10,000 did not open as planned today.

But,guys, this is the holiday season. This is a big time for both Amazon and Starbucks. These unions know what they're doing. Even though -- even if they don't have the financial, economic impact on these companies, they're raising awareness about what these workers are looking for at the end of the day.

SANCHEZ: Vanessa Yurkevich, thank you so much for that update.

Coming up: As Washington barrels toward a shutdown, one person is notably absent from the spotlight, Joe Biden. We have some new reporting on how the sitting president has been seemingly lying low in his final days in office, but now seeks to get involved.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[13:29:14]

SANCHEZ: As the clock ticks toward a government shutdown, there's one voice that's noticeably absent from the chaos on Capitol Hill, at least until earlier today, and that's President Biden's.

KEILAR: Since this bipartisan deal collapsed, the White House has only released a statement blasting the Republicans' revised spending plan.

But the president himself has yet to comment publicly, and his low profile is irritating some Democratic lawmakers.

CNN senior White House correspondent Kayla Tausche is there at the White House for us.

Kayla, this shutdown is here upon us, hours away, potentially. Why haven't we seen the president? KAYLA TAUSCHE, CNN SENIOR WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Well, Bri and

Boris, behind the scenes, President Biden is working the phone, talking to Democratic leaders, to make sure that the party is on the same page when it comes to messaging and posturing.

But he is purposefully staying out of the spotlight, an absence that the White House hopes draws more attention to what it sees as chaos within the Republican Party.