Nancy Pelosi joined “CNN This Morning” on Friday and discussed current Speaker of the House Mike Johnson, giving him some advice for his role.
CNN anchor Phil Mattingly kicked off the segment referencing conservative lawmakers who are currently making Johnson’s life incredibly difficult, putting at risk a deal Johnson made with Democrats and Senate Republicans to avoid a government shutdown.
“What do you think when you hear that you are still very much in the minds of the rank-and-file Republicans in the House?” Mattingly asked Pelosi.
“Well, I haven’t paid too much attention to what they’re saying,” Pelosi replied. “But what I do know after 20 years as either leader or a speaker, that when you’re dealing with the budget bill, it’s a negotiation. Nobody ever gets everything that they want, but you have to pass it because you cannot shut down government.”
The former speaker of the House continued to say that internal party objections intended to halt negotiations are a “disservice to their leader, to their speaker.”
“They have won the majority, they have a major responsibility,” Pelosi added. “It’s not an easy thing. It’s hard but you have to get it done.”
Mattingly asked Pelosi if she had any advice to share with the current speaker.
“Well, respect. ‘Respect’ is a word that I always use for my own members along the way,” Pelosi said.
“There are different bills in the course of the year. They’ll prevail on some and won’t prevail on others,” the congresswoman continued. “But as long as they know that their views are recognized, they should be able to come to the table.”
Pelosi then pointed out, “There’s a difference between Democrats and Republicans in this regard. We believe in governance, and we want to get the job done.”
She then highlighted all the government shutdowns that have come when the House is under Republican leadership, “because they don’t believe in governance.”
“Not having a budget and shutting down the government is a plus for them,” Pelosi added. “That’s what they like.”
“There’s no question that there are sharp ideological differences between the two parties that certainly seem to be exacerbated,” Mattingly agreed.
