MICHELE NORRIS, Host:
From NPR News, this is ALL THINGS CONSIDERED. I'm Michele Norris.
MELISSA BLOCK, Host:
Over the coming months, senators will wrestle with a number of contentious issues. Among them: Changes to the filibuster rules, a possible repeal of the health care law and efforts to slash the deficit.
NORRIS: Leader Reid, thank you so much for being with us.
HARRY REID: My pleasure.
NORRIS: Now, you still have the majority here in the Senate, although a slimmer one. How does this change things for you, the legislation going forward, your relationships with people in the minority, particularly Senator Mitch McConnell?
REID: So I think that's what we should focus on. And I feel comfortable with my relationship with McConnell and the Republican caucus, that we can get some good things done.
NORRIS: The lame-duck session was extraordinary. What lessons do you take from that? Is this a case where the planets just lined up, and there was this sort of unprecedented degree of cooperation? Or do you think that there are possibilities growing out of that?
REID: I also learned in that election that the American people - the people of Nevada, which is no different than people of this country - want us to work together. And I think we were able to get a lot of things done because of that. And I think - I don't want to be boastful here - but I think I know what the rules are around here, and I was able to do some things that got votes that normally we wouldn't have votes on.
NORRIS: I want to ask you about the changes to the filibuster rules - changes that your Democratic colleagues introduced this week. They would change when and how a senator could filibuster. Are these changes necessary? And help me understand, if you think they are necessary, why they're necessary.
REID: Everyone knows that the filibuster has been abused in recent years. And we have to either by an agreement or by changing the rules here, in a forceful way, make sure that this abuse doesn't continue. It's just wrong.
NORRIS: Abuse is a strong word.
REID: You even have Chief Justice Roberts, who everyone knows his partisan stripe, has said its wrong how judges are handled here - it's just wrong. We can't have scores of the president's nominations just, in effect, thrown away. We never get a chance to vote on them. And these deliberate delays that take place to prevent us from voting on things, doesn't help the American people.
NORRIS: Now, you know that the political waves in this city are much like a sine curve - you're up one era, you're down the next. So what happens if the Democrats should find themselves in the minority? Aren't you disadvantaging yourself going forward?
REID: Anything that I'm considering has nothing to do with changing the 60-vote filibuster. There are things we can do to streamline things around here that would be very significant - things we can do that would streamline the processes around here, and does not do anything to hurt the framework of the Senate, whether you're in the majority or minority.
NORRIS: Let's turn to health care, if we could. The House today took the first step toward repealing health care. An actual vote will come up next week. Would you allow a similar repeal to come up for a vote here on the Senate side?
REID: I mean we're talking about, over the next few years, well more than a trillion dollars.
NORRIS: Now, you know they quarrel with those numbers.
REID: This is nonsense. This repeal of this bill would put - let's see, I got to make sure I get the number right. Yeah, 32 million more people would be uninsured. Thirty-two million - what are they talking about?
NORRIS: I don't want to belabor this. But if you have the votes, why not let it come to a vote and then just move on?
REID: Because I think it's important that people understand that we do not think we got perfection with this legislation. We want to try to improve it. We don't want to try to destroy it.
NORRIS: Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, thank you very much for your time.
REID: My pleasure. Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.