Will GOP push shutdown showdown over Planned Parenthood?
Republican Rep. Mark Meadows weighs in
This is a rush transcript from "Your World," September 25, 2015. This copy may not be in its final form and may be updated.
NEIL CAVUTO, HOST: All of this comes at a time when this pope has weighed into some very controversial issues in our country, some by design, some just enough to prick both the right and the left side bubble here.
But it occurs on the same day the speaker of the House has indicated that he doesn`t want the job, that he is going quit the job the end of next month.
North Carolina Republican Congressman Mark Meadows does not know if this was inspired by a certain pontiff, but Congressman Meadows thinks, well, it was inspired by a number of conservatives in Congress who had had it with John Boehner.
Well, Congressman, he is out. And you were arguing then, as you have argued since, on Planned Parenthood and some of these other initiatives, you said that moderate Republicans have sort of acquiesced and just given away their principles and values, but now it`s time to stand up, and this is that opportunity and this is that moment.
So, let me ask you, when it comes to Planned Parenthood, is it worth, in your opinion because the president says don`t take it out of a budget. Don`t submit a clean budget, you do that, he`s going to reject it. You do that, you shut the government down.
Is this worth shutting the government down to you?
REP. MARK MEADOWS R-NORTH CAROLINA: Well, Neil, I think that decision has already been made.
We`re going to be voting on a clean C.R. next week, which will fund the government, keep the government open. I believe that all of us were united in believing that...
CAVUTO: He`s not going to do that. He`s not going to do that. You know that.
So, where does that put things? Is this, for you, a principle enough to fight and say, all right, you -- you don`t do that, you don`t have a budget, technically, you don`t have a government functioning?
MEADOWS: Well, I think the government will function.
What we heard this morning in conference as the speaker was bringing forth this, Neil, was that the Senate is ultimately going to pass a clean C.R., probably over the weekend. It comes to the House either Monday night
or Tuesday for us to vote on.
It`s believed at that point that most all Democrats and enough Republicans will vote to support that. A number of us have a conscious a moral objection to voting for the horrific things that we have seen with Planned Parenthood, so a no vote there with the majority of Republicans, but I think that you will see a bipartisan support that keeps the government open.
And, really, the threshold of that is not the litmus test. It`s really, what we do from here? How do we address this?
CAVUTO: But what you`re saying -- what you`re saying is, in a way, by his quitting, and finding a way to cobble together votes to sort of keep this going, and even with your no votes, he has done you a favor.
The government doesn`t shut done, you avoid a protracted battle over this thing, and you still get to state your objection to continued funding for Planned Parenthood. Right?
MEADOWS: Well, most of us don`t want to just do a show vote. I think that`s what the American people are tired of.
(CROSSTALK)
CAVUTO: Well, that`s what this will be, but it will be keep the government open. Right.
MEADOWS: But it will keep the government open.
I think that we will see that. So, that headline of a government shutdown is really taken off the table. Then it really becomes a focus of how we ramp up oversight, how we deal with this. If charges are brought, does a moratorium go on funding at the point? And that`s what really the discussions leading from Tuesday forward will be, but really taking the
government shutdown off the table.
CAVUTO: I see.
You know, you`re a man of your will and your passion. And you have been punished by committee chieftains and House operatives for sticking to your convictions. But the guy who did all of those Planned Parenthood video, Congressman, was on with me earlier on FOX Business Network, which, if you don`t get, sir, you should demand.
But, nevertheless, as he was talking to me about when he made the videos, you have heard the criticisms he`s received, that these were doctored and edited. We all know that that was not the case, that any one of them, you could look in full on YouTube.
Having said that, he -- and this is a guy who is a passionate pro-lifer -- he didn`t know if you would take the leap of pushing the government to a shutdown over this. I want you to listen to this.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DAVID DALEIDEN, FOUNDER, CENTER FOR MEDICAL PROGRESS: People agree it`s unconscionable that an organization like Planned Parenthood should receive half-a-billion taxpayer dollars every year to fund a barbaric late-term abortion and baby parts business.
I think the American people want accountability from Planned Parenthood. They want our elected officials to hold them accountable for breaking the law in how they`re spending taxpayer money.
(CROSSTALK)
CAVUTO: Is it worth shutting the government down?
DALEIDEN: You know, I think that we have to leave it up to the experts who are actual experts and legislation decide the best way to do that. But I think the American people want accountability.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CAVUTO: I think what he was also saying, we don`t have there, that candidates like Carly Fiorina and others have brought this to such an attention and it`s such a passionate issue, certainly in the base of your party, and to a lot of other folks, that you have got -- you have got the nation`s attention, and right now you have got the supporter of the House the soon-to-be-former speaker of the House.
So, you won.
MEADOWS: Well, I think the nation`s attention is really right where
it needs to be, Neil.
When we see these horrific things played out on video, whether it`s one, two, or 10 videos, you can`t look at those and your heart cannot have compassion for the kind of horrific things that they`re talking about.
So, we have got to address that as a nation. We have a moral obligation to do that.
CAVUTO: All right.
MEADOWS: More importantly than that, if we can`t just move money to other women`s health care clinics to provide for women`s health care, when we`re talking about an $18 trillion economy, and a $3 trillion budget, we`re talking about $500 million, it`s a real drop in the bucket to just move. We`re not even talking about cutting it out.
CAVUTO: All right.
MEADOWS: So, we need to have that real debate.
CAVUTO: Congressman, pleasure. Thank you very much, sir, Mark Meadows from the state of North Carolina.
He has had a lot of run-ins with the heads of this party, and he has the scars to prove it and the victories to prove -- to prove it.
END
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