Who?
Sen. Cynthia Lummis (R-WY)
Ask a Pol asked:
Your new stablecoin measure with Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand, are you guys still waiting on the House?
Key Lummis:
“We’re still working. Umm, yeah, we’re not — I think we’re getting closer. And I know I say that about once a week,” Lummis exclusively told Ask a Pol. “We have been waiting for the House, but I’ve been told that the House now has coalesced.”
Caught our ear:
“What Sen. Gillibrand and I have done is sort of draw up what is our area of maneuverability,” Lummis tells Ask a Pol. “Meaning, what are the sideboards on what we want? Where are there areas where we could compromise? And so we’ve laid that out — and have had that for quite a while — waiting to see where the House came down and hoping that where they come down is somewhere within our sideboards.”
LISTEN: Laslo & Lummis
Below find a rough transcript of Ask a Pol’s exclusive interview with Sen. Cynthia Lummis (R-WY), slightly edited for clarity.
TRANSCRIPT: Sen. Cynthia Lummis
SCENE: Laslo has already been told once by Lummis earlier in the day that she was too busy to stop and chat — which was 100% out of character — so when he sees her again in the afternoon, he slowly walks up in back of her as she’s walking between the two underground trams running from Senate Office Buildings to the US Capitol.
Matt Laslo: “You’re moving slower, but you still look busy.”
Cynthia Lummis: “No… (inaudible) … Fire away!”
Matt Laslo: “Well, I was talking to Ms. Gillibrand about your guys’ new stablecoin measure.”
Cynthia Lummis: “Oh yeah.”
ML: “When — are you guys still waiting on the House?”
CL: “We’re still working. Umm, yeah, we’re not — I think we’re getting closer. And I know I say that about once a week, but I really…”
ML: “That’s interesting, ‘cause she made it seem — and that’s not to play you all against…off each other — but she made it seem like you guys were finalized? But you’re kinda waiting for the House?”
CL: “Well, umm…”
Lummis sighs.
ML: “Wait, and correct me — yes, ma’am?”
CL: “We have been waiting for the House, but I’ve been told that the House now has coalesced.”
ML: “Huh?”
CL: “But I haven’t seen it yet. That’s — so until I see it, it’s hard, all I can tell you is what I’ve been told.”
ML: “Yeah?”
CL: “I’ve been told that they have coalesced, but since I haven’t seen anything in writing…”
ML: “I’m going over there right now looking for Mr. [Patrick] McHenry.”
CL: “Oh good, okay!”
Both laugh.
ML: “He’s a hard one to find, but um — are you happy? Tell me if I’m wrong, but it kinda sounds like, depending on what they have, you guys might want to mirror it over here? Or are there still sticking points you and Gillibrand are working out independent of that?”
CL: “You know, well, what Sen. Gillibrand and I have done is sort of draw up what is our area of maneuverability. Meaning, what are the sideboards on what we want? Where are there areas where we could compromise? And so we’ve laid that out — and have had that for quite a while — waiting to see where the House came down and hoping that where they come down is somewhere within our sideboards.”
ML: “Interesting.”
CL: “And that’s why I say, because I haven’t seen — I hear they’ve had a meeting of the minds, I haven’t seen their work product, so I can’t tell you definitely whether it really does fall within the sideboards of Sen. Gillibrand’s and my work product.”
ML: “This is why I’m so curious — this Congress, just overall — like, it doesn’t seem like you guys are dialoguing much with the House?”
CL: “It seems like what?”
ML: “There’s not much dialogue between the House and Senate?”
CL: “It’s really hard.”
ML: “Yeah?”
CL: “Y’know, so there’s so many big issues that are still — especially on the House side — that are still hanging fire: funding for Ukraine, for Israel, for Taiwan, border issues, these minibuses, the deadlines on the minibuses, the CRs we’ve had to do. I mean the major, major, major stuff has been really front-center over there.”
ML: “And that stuff is just hanging over this entire Congress?”
CL: “It is. Yeah, yeah. And it kinda hangs over everything. So when you have an issue that maybe isn’t quite at that level, it makes it hard even for them to have just the time to coalesce. So when I hear that they have, I’m very hopeful that’s true.”
ML: “Yeah? But right now you’re just waiting?”
CL: “You got it.”
ML: “Me too, ma’am.
CL: “Thank you.”
ML: “Welcome to the club.”
CL: “Thank you.”
ML: “Have a good one.”
Matt Laslo covers tech politics for WIRED, lectures on technology’s impact on government at Johns Hopkins and is the founder of Ask a Pol — a new people-powered press corps. @MattLaslo / @AskaPol_crypto
Ask a Pol — asking your lawmakers your questions at your US Capitol.
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