Interview with Josh Earnest; House Bill Aims To Cut Millions From Amtrak Budget.
CAMEROTA: We are following breaking news out of Philadelphia, a train derailment killing six people at least and injuring 146 others. We're joined now by white House Press Secretary Josh Earnest. Josh, thanks so much for being on NEW DAY this morning.</s>JOSH EARNEST, WHITE HOUSE PRESS SECRETARY: Good morning, Alisyn.</s>CAMEROTA: So, Josh, sadly this is not the first train derailment that we have reported on this year. In fact, according to the Federal Railroad Administration there have been nine Amtrak derailments just this year alone. They say that Amtrak in particular derailments have been increasing over the past few years. What can the government do about this?</s>EARNEST: Well, first, Alisyn, we've had Department of Transportation employees, investigators who've been on the seen since overnight trying to determine exactly what happened just north of Philadelphia last night. And obviously our thoughts and prayers are with the families of everybody who is affected by this terrible crash overnight. We're trying to figure out what happened and hard at work doing just that. The president has been a long-time advocate for investing in our infrastructure and making sure we have the kind of 21st Century infrastructure we know will be critical to the success of our country. And we know the Department of Transportation takes very seriously the responsibility that they have to ensure the safety of the traveling public. If there's an opportunity for us to make further investments in our infrastructure that would safeguard the public, we need to make the safety and positive economic benefit in terms of creating jobs and stimulating economic growth across the country.</s>CAMEROTA: Look, it's interesting you talk about the investment because right now the House Appropriations Committee is working on this markup for fiscal 2016, a bill that would actually cut millions of dollars to Amtrak. Is that the right answer cutting their funds right now?</s>EARNEST: Well, just yesterday the president's budget director sent a letter to House appropriators raising concerns about this because it did so substantially underfund common sense investments and transportation infrastructure we know are both good for the economy in terms of ensuring we can get our good support in an efficient way. That we can move our goods around the country in an efficient way, but also we can make sure that the traveling public is safe. We also know that these kinds of investments are really good for the economy. That they create jobs in the short term and lay the foundation for long term economic growth. So this is a common sense kind of thing. It shouldn't be a partisan thing, and after all there is no such thing as a Democratic bridge or Republican bridge. But rather these are the kinds of bridges and railways and runways that benefit all Americans.</s>CAMEROTA: Sure, but you know, Josh, by the same token, Amtrak has $1.4 billion annually, so are they not investing enough into safety?</s>EARNEST: Well, again, we will find out what happened to this specific crash. There is clearly more that can be done when we are talking about a railway infrastructure that is decades old. If there are better investments we can make in terms of the upgrading the structure to make it more safe, I am confident that will be on the minds of not just the investigators, but also the leadership in the Transportation Department.</s>CAMEROTA: OK, Josh, let's talk about the other big story going on today, and of course, that's the trade deal, the Transpacific Partnership, President Obama has invested a lot of time into this, and yet Democrats don't seem to like it. Democrats are the impediment for this moving forward. They say that this will hurt American jobs. What's the White House response?</s>EARNEST: Well, the Alisyn, what the president, the reason the president is pursuing this specific trade agreement is because it will be good for American jobs, for middle class American families, and that if the United States doesn't engage in the Asia-Pacific region, we will see China come in and write the rules of the road in a way that further disadvantage American businesses and further disadvantages American workers. And the president's idea is let's engage with Asia-Pacific countries. Let's get them to raise their labor standards. Let's get them to raise their environmental standards and start to level the playing field with business that's done in the United States. And if we level that playing field, all of the benefits associated with the U.S. economy will give American workers and American businesses a competetive advantage an allow them to compete in the international economy. If we can open up access to global markets for American goods and American services, the president is confident that American business is going to win that competition and that's going to be good for the economy. It's going to create jobs.</s>CAMEROTA: As you know, Senator Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts doesn't like this deal and she and the president have been in a bit of a verbal sparring match over this and fellow Democrats are saying the president actually went too far in criticizing Senator Warren. He said, quote, "She is a politician like anyone else." Let me read to you what Senator Sherrod Brown said to "Politico" yesterday. He said, "I think by just calling her another politician, I am not going to get into more details, I think referring as her first name, might not have done that for a male senator, I have said enough." In other words, he is suggesting that it was a sexist comment that the president said.</s>EARNEST: Yes, Alisyn, I saw that and I think that's a pretty difficult thing to explain when you consider that the president actually is on a first-name basis with Senator Warren. Senator Warren used to work for the president and the administration. The president also frequently refers to senators by their first names and I can point you to a number of references where the president has referred to Sherrod Brown as Sherrod in a number of public settings so --</s>CAMEROTA: But did the president go too far in this verbal sparring match with Senator Warren? Not in a sexist way, just in terms of get into the public battle?</s>EARNEST: Look, I think what we prize in our democracy is a robust debate of issues that are important to the country, and this is an important issue to the country in the mind of the president. We have a basic choice to face about whether the United States is going to try to retract from the global economy. And try to dig a mote around the United States and try to protect us from the influence of the international economy, and that's a path that many Democrats support, and they think engaging in the economic competition around the world will put the United States to a disadvantage and cost more companies to shift their jobs overseas. The fact is if you write the most progressive trade agreement like the president is trying to reach that races environmental standards and labor standards, and enforces both of them that what we'll actually see is that American companies are going to create American jobs. Because they want to make sure that they have the capacity to compete around the world, and that's what Nike announced when the president traveled out to the west coast at the end of last week basically suggesting if we enact this Asia-Pacific trade agreement, Nike won't create jobs overseas but here in America.</s>CAMEROTA: Josh Earnest, we always appreciate a robust debate here on NEW DAY. Thank you so much for being on.</s>EARNEST: Thanks for the opportunity, Alisyn.</s>CAMEROTA: Let's go over to Michaela.</s>PEREIRA: All right, Alisyn, we are going to continue to follow the breaking news, the latest for you in the deadly Amtrak train derailment. We are live from the scene in Philadelphia. Investigators are combing through the wreckage to find out what went so horribly wrong.