1 00:00:02,520 --> 00:00:13,800 Speaker 1: Bloomberg Audio Studios, podcasts, radio news. 2 00:00:15,520 --> 00:00:19,079 Speaker 2: You can't simply secure your way out of the challenges 3 00:00:19,440 --> 00:00:22,080 Speaker 2: that we face right now. It's not simply security. We 4 00:00:22,160 --> 00:00:23,960 Speaker 2: do need security, we need to make sure that we're 5 00:00:23,960 --> 00:00:27,640 Speaker 2: providing that to members, to staff, into the general public. 6 00:00:28,080 --> 00:00:30,440 Speaker 2: But there's something deeper going on in our society as 7 00:00:30,480 --> 00:00:32,599 Speaker 2: well that we have to address. 8 00:00:34,720 --> 00:00:37,040 Speaker 3: This is Balance of Power on Bloomberg TV and Radio. 9 00:00:37,080 --> 00:00:40,440 Speaker 3: I'm Joe Matthew part of my conversation there with Republican 10 00:00:40,520 --> 00:00:44,400 Speaker 3: Congressman Brian Style of Wisconsin on yesterday's Balance of Power 11 00:00:44,440 --> 00:00:48,440 Speaker 3: discussing what's being done to ensure lawmaker safety on Capitol Hill. 12 00:00:48,440 --> 00:00:50,920 Speaker 3: He's chair of the House Administration Committee, so this falls 13 00:00:50,920 --> 00:00:53,640 Speaker 3: in his portfolio of the panel that oversees funding for 14 00:00:53,720 --> 00:00:56,240 Speaker 3: member security. And of course it comes after reports of 15 00:00:56,280 --> 00:01:00,760 Speaker 3: political activists and lawmakers from both parties canceling public events 16 00:01:01,120 --> 00:01:04,520 Speaker 3: after Charlie Kirk was shot and killed on a college 17 00:01:04,520 --> 00:01:07,280 Speaker 3: campus in Utah on Wednesday. Joining us Now with more 18 00:01:07,319 --> 00:01:09,640 Speaker 3: on this and some of the other stories we're following. 19 00:01:09,720 --> 00:01:13,440 Speaker 3: Democratic Congresswoman Debut Osserman Chelsea Florida. It's always great to 20 00:01:13,480 --> 00:01:16,480 Speaker 3: have you, a congresswoman. Welcome back to Bloomberg TV and Radio. 21 00:01:16,520 --> 00:01:18,880 Speaker 3: I'd like to start with that matter of security. I'd 22 00:01:18,920 --> 00:01:21,840 Speaker 3: love your greater thoughts on the political violence that this 23 00:01:21,920 --> 00:01:25,320 Speaker 3: country is I fear growing used to. The fact of 24 00:01:25,360 --> 00:01:27,560 Speaker 3: the matter is, most lawmakers I have talked to this 25 00:01:27,600 --> 00:01:30,920 Speaker 3: week have been very modest about their own security. When 26 00:01:30,920 --> 00:01:32,720 Speaker 3: I've asked them if they feel safe, if they think 27 00:01:32,760 --> 00:01:36,640 Speaker 3: they should have a security detail. No one has demanded that, 28 00:01:36,680 --> 00:01:39,880 Speaker 3: but reports suggest that there is an outcry on Capitol 29 00:01:39,959 --> 00:01:43,119 Speaker 3: Hill for more to be done. And I wonder what 30 00:01:43,200 --> 00:01:45,080 Speaker 3: you think when you walk out the door in the morning, 31 00:01:45,120 --> 00:01:47,520 Speaker 3: if you think you should have a security detail. 32 00:01:49,280 --> 00:01:51,040 Speaker 4: Well, Joe, and it's good to be back with you. 33 00:01:51,280 --> 00:01:53,120 Speaker 4: And I'm glad to have the opportunity to talk about 34 00:01:53,120 --> 00:01:56,800 Speaker 4: this because I even my own opinion has shifted over 35 00:01:56,840 --> 00:02:00,680 Speaker 4: the last number of years. My answer, my first answer 36 00:02:00,760 --> 00:02:03,600 Speaker 4: to this question is always that you know, I serve 37 00:02:03,640 --> 00:02:07,920 Speaker 4: in the most representative body in the entire world, the 38 00:02:07,920 --> 00:02:11,880 Speaker 4: one that is the closest to the people, and access 39 00:02:12,000 --> 00:02:15,560 Speaker 4: to their representatives is something that we absolutely have to maintain. 40 00:02:15,639 --> 00:02:19,280 Speaker 4: And you know, when security is around you tightly, people 41 00:02:19,280 --> 00:02:23,639 Speaker 4: get intimidated and they feel less comfortable approaching their own 42 00:02:23,720 --> 00:02:27,040 Speaker 4: representative at the same time, though, I mean I had 43 00:02:27,040 --> 00:02:30,239 Speaker 4: a pipe bomb delivered to my office along with fifteen 44 00:02:30,360 --> 00:02:35,480 Speaker 4: other politicians around the country, where my return address was 45 00:02:35,680 --> 00:02:38,160 Speaker 4: the UH and my name was on the return address 46 00:02:38,200 --> 00:02:43,560 Speaker 4: of every package. The bomb had to be detonated in 47 00:02:43,600 --> 00:02:48,400 Speaker 4: the stairwell of my district office building. There are Paul Pelosi, 48 00:02:49,000 --> 00:02:53,720 Speaker 4: Nancy Pelosi's husband attacked with a hammer. I've gotten countless 49 00:02:53,800 --> 00:02:57,680 Speaker 4: death threats. I have on and off police outside my house. 50 00:02:57,800 --> 00:03:02,120 Speaker 4: And then it's it's to the point where making sure 51 00:03:02,160 --> 00:03:05,760 Speaker 4: that my constituents are protected when I am somewhere, especially 52 00:03:05,800 --> 00:03:09,760 Speaker 4: if there's been public notice and myself, protecting myself and 53 00:03:09,800 --> 00:03:14,560 Speaker 4: my family is essential. So an increased security presence needs 54 00:03:14,600 --> 00:03:18,600 Speaker 4: to occur. How we deal with that is something that 55 00:03:18,639 --> 00:03:23,519 Speaker 4: we need to discuss to maintain that balance between accessibility 56 00:03:23,520 --> 00:03:24,120 Speaker 4: and security. 57 00:03:25,240 --> 00:03:28,440 Speaker 3: Well, it's chilling hearing you describe all of that. That 58 00:03:28,520 --> 00:03:31,480 Speaker 3: pipe bomb was not a fake, I think is part 59 00:03:31,520 --> 00:03:33,520 Speaker 3: of your point. How does it make you feel when 60 00:03:33,560 --> 00:03:36,800 Speaker 3: the president says that this is the fault of the 61 00:03:36,920 --> 00:03:37,920 Speaker 3: radical left. 62 00:03:39,920 --> 00:03:43,480 Speaker 4: It is incomprehensible to me. We have a president who 63 00:03:43,560 --> 00:03:46,720 Speaker 4: is not able to meet this moment. I mean every 64 00:03:46,760 --> 00:03:49,920 Speaker 4: major elected official that I know democratic elected official that 65 00:03:49,960 --> 00:03:54,800 Speaker 4: I know, including myself, put out a statement of sorrow 66 00:03:54,960 --> 00:03:59,200 Speaker 4: for me, initially wishing mister Kirk hopefully a quick recovery 67 00:03:59,240 --> 00:04:05,000 Speaker 4: and then expressing sorrow about his killing, and also that 68 00:04:05,040 --> 00:04:08,280 Speaker 4: we need to make sure that political violence is never, 69 00:04:08,880 --> 00:04:13,640 Speaker 4: never the answer, and whether we disagree vehemently or not, 70 00:04:14,160 --> 00:04:16,360 Speaker 4: we all have to make sure we tamp things down 71 00:04:16,360 --> 00:04:18,960 Speaker 4: and the president is rapte doing things up. George W. 72 00:04:19,040 --> 00:04:22,839 Speaker 4: Bush after nine to eleven when the World Trade Center 73 00:04:22,960 --> 00:04:27,400 Speaker 4: was attacked, the Pentagon, I mean the plane crash in Pennsylvania, 74 00:04:27,839 --> 00:04:30,200 Speaker 4: he met the moment. He brought us together. He tamped 75 00:04:30,240 --> 00:04:35,839 Speaker 4: down Islamophobia and anti Semitism. And President Obama after the 76 00:04:35,880 --> 00:04:39,200 Speaker 4: Mother Emmanuel killings, did the same and brought this to 77 00:04:39,200 --> 00:04:42,840 Speaker 4: the country together. Blaming one side or the other is 78 00:04:42,880 --> 00:04:46,839 Speaker 4: not going to enable us to be able to cool 79 00:04:46,880 --> 00:04:49,400 Speaker 4: things down and make sure that we work together. I 80 00:04:49,440 --> 00:04:53,200 Speaker 4: do thank Governor Cox, who is really taking the right 81 00:04:53,320 --> 00:04:56,440 Speaker 4: tone here from Utah, and that's really the example we 82 00:04:56,440 --> 00:04:57,040 Speaker 4: need to follow. 83 00:04:57,920 --> 00:05:00,840 Speaker 3: Of course, noteworthy that Governor Cox, as a Republican who 84 00:05:00,880 --> 00:05:05,800 Speaker 3: you're complimenting here, who said our adversaries want violence, our 85 00:05:05,839 --> 00:05:09,240 Speaker 3: adversaries want violence. We have bots from Russia, China all 86 00:05:09,279 --> 00:05:11,919 Speaker 3: over the world trying to instill disinformation. I would encourage 87 00:05:11,920 --> 00:05:14,720 Speaker 3: you to ignore those. This is a big part of 88 00:05:14,720 --> 00:05:17,680 Speaker 3: this And by the way, a noteworthy I remember very 89 00:05:17,720 --> 00:05:20,680 Speaker 3: well when President George W. Bush visited a mosque. It 90 00:05:20,720 --> 00:05:24,159 Speaker 3: was on the seventeenth of September two thousand and one. 91 00:05:24,279 --> 00:05:27,160 Speaker 3: Is there an equivalent move that this president could make 92 00:05:27,440 --> 00:05:28,320 Speaker 3: at this time now? 93 00:05:30,200 --> 00:05:35,240 Speaker 4: You know, I hope he uses the moment to address 94 00:05:35,279 --> 00:05:41,480 Speaker 4: the country and set emanate healing words and ask us 95 00:05:41,520 --> 00:05:44,520 Speaker 4: all to you know, find our better angels and come 96 00:05:44,560 --> 00:05:48,480 Speaker 4: together and try to be less vitriolic. People feel very 97 00:05:48,480 --> 00:05:51,480 Speaker 4: strongly about you know, a lot of issues right now 98 00:05:51,520 --> 00:05:54,800 Speaker 4: on both sides, and I think you know, to quote 99 00:05:55,160 --> 00:05:58,640 Speaker 4: or to paraphrase mister Kirk, you know we should put 100 00:05:58,640 --> 00:06:00,960 Speaker 4: our phones down, tell our kids to put our phones down, 101 00:06:00,960 --> 00:06:05,440 Speaker 4: stop drowning and social media and outrage, and really try 102 00:06:05,440 --> 00:06:09,760 Speaker 4: to come together as human beings, human contact, human communication, 103 00:06:10,400 --> 00:06:12,200 Speaker 4: making sure that we get to know each other better 104 00:06:12,200 --> 00:06:16,080 Speaker 4: as people. When I have an opportunity, Joe to talk 105 00:06:16,120 --> 00:06:17,920 Speaker 4: to another colleague on the other side of the aisle 106 00:06:18,160 --> 00:06:20,000 Speaker 4: and I'm trying to win them over on an issue 107 00:06:20,000 --> 00:06:22,160 Speaker 4: they disagree with, me on. It is always so much 108 00:06:22,200 --> 00:06:24,520 Speaker 4: easier when we're looking at each other in the eye 109 00:06:24,600 --> 00:06:27,640 Speaker 4: and we're sitting down next to each other. I have 110 00:06:27,720 --> 00:06:30,479 Speaker 4: always found that people like to do, like to help 111 00:06:30,520 --> 00:06:33,320 Speaker 4: people that they like and that they think are nice. 112 00:06:33,760 --> 00:06:35,880 Speaker 4: And you don't get to know somebody and know whether 113 00:06:35,880 --> 00:06:38,560 Speaker 4: they're nice or if they have any good qualities unless 114 00:06:38,560 --> 00:06:40,720 Speaker 4: we really try to speak to them directly. We all 115 00:06:40,760 --> 00:06:41,480 Speaker 4: need to work on that. 116 00:06:42,960 --> 00:06:45,360 Speaker 3: I've only got about a minute left, congress Woman. What's 117 00:06:45,400 --> 00:06:47,480 Speaker 3: going to happen when everybody comes back? There was already 118 00:06:47,480 --> 00:06:50,280 Speaker 3: no trust between Democrats and Republicans, which is why we 119 00:06:50,360 --> 00:06:53,680 Speaker 3: keep talking about a government shutdown. I'm guessing we're not 120 00:06:53,720 --> 00:06:55,400 Speaker 3: going to have a post nine to eleven kind of 121 00:06:55,480 --> 00:06:59,680 Speaker 3: unity here. Will Democrats and Republicans work together to fund 122 00:06:59,720 --> 00:06:59,960 Speaker 3: the guy? 123 00:07:01,200 --> 00:07:03,640 Speaker 4: Well, speaking as a senior appropriator, there is certainly the 124 00:07:03,720 --> 00:07:06,440 Speaker 4: opportunity to do that, and the ball is in Republicans court. 125 00:07:06,520 --> 00:07:09,440 Speaker 4: I mean, we can work together on a bipartisan funding bill, 126 00:07:09,800 --> 00:07:15,320 Speaker 4: make sure that we don't terminate the Obamacare tax credits, 127 00:07:15,360 --> 00:07:18,440 Speaker 4: and bring the cost of healthcare down, make life more affordable. 128 00:07:18,600 --> 00:07:22,600 Speaker 4: I'm going to go shopping tomorrow for my family's tailgate 129 00:07:23,400 --> 00:07:28,400 Speaker 4: tailgate supplies, and there's a Trump tailgate tax that we 130 00:07:28,480 --> 00:07:31,440 Speaker 4: all pay, whether it's ground b for produce or cheese, 131 00:07:31,480 --> 00:07:35,480 Speaker 4: and the Trump tailgate tax has to be addressed. We 132 00:07:35,560 --> 00:07:38,360 Speaker 4: have to make sure that we come together, and we 133 00:07:38,440 --> 00:07:41,120 Speaker 4: have an opportunity to do that. But if Republicans take 134 00:07:41,160 --> 00:07:45,240 Speaker 4: this go along strategy and ignore the affordability crisis that 135 00:07:45,440 --> 00:07:48,200 Speaker 4: Americans are facing, then they will be the ones that 136 00:07:48,200 --> 00:07:49,120 Speaker 4: shot the government down. 137 00:07:50,760 --> 00:07:52,240 Speaker 3: I think we just got a little preview of the 138 00:07:52,440 --> 00:07:56,680 Speaker 3: Democratic messaging the tailgate tax. Congresswoman Debbie Wasserman, Chelsea, Florida, 139 00:07:56,720 --> 00:07:58,560 Speaker 3: thank you, as always for talking with au Some on 140 00:07:58,600 --> 00:08:00,400 Speaker 3: Bloomberg and we'll see you when you get back in town.