Rep. Elijah Cummings (D-Md.) (AP Photo)

(CNSNews.com) - Rep. Elijah Cummings (D-Md.) told CBS’s “Face of the Nation” on Sunday that the Democrats have to work with the president, and the Congressional Black Caucus plans to meet with the president next week to discuss prescription drug prices.



“I think we have to work with him. I’ve got people who -- you know, I keep telling people, this is our president. He’s going to be our president for the next four years. I’ve got people in my community who are suffering from cancer. They need treatment. I’ve got people who need jobs, and I’ve got to work with this president, but at the same time, there’s nobody that has been tougher on this president than I have been,” Cummings said.





”Your name came up in -- in the president’s press conference, and it was about whether you’re going to have a meeting with the president. Are you going to have a meeting?” host John Dickerson asked.



“Yes. Oh, yes, I’m looking forward it to, and I think -- I think it was just a -- he apparently was not in contact with his staff properly, but we’re going to be meeting on prescription drugs. We’re going to be out this week, so I expect it to be the next week,” Cummings said.



“I want to talk about prescription drugs, the high price of prescription drugs, and he has made it clear that he wants to do something about that. I’m also going to, John, I’m going to talk to him about voting rights. You know, he talks about this voting fraud, which is nonexistent, but he doesn’t talk about all of the millions of people who have been denied their right to vote because of suppression, so I want to talk about things like that also,” he added.



“And what about the agenda for the urban communities?” Dickerson asked.



“Definitely. I understand that he will be -- you know, the Congressional Black Caucus wrote him on January the 19th. He never answered the letter until a day or so ago, but they have laid out an agenda where they’ll be meeting with him and trying to resolve some urban issues and issues throughout the country,” Cummings responded.



When asked if Cummings can work with the president, he said, “I think we have to work with him. I’ve got people who -- you know, I keep telling people, this is our president. He’s going to be our president for the next four years. I’ve got people in my community who are suffering from cancer. They need treatment. I’ve got people who need jobs, and I’ve got to work with this president, but at the same time, there’s nobody that has been tougher on this president than I have been.”



“There is a feeling among Democrats that I talked to, lawmakers in the grassroots, that there’s a feeling that no Democrat can work with this president, because the grassroots will say you’re working with the enemy. I mean the passion against this president is so hard, and, Democrats, is it really realistic that Democrats are going to work with this president?” Dickerson asked.



“It is -- it is -- John, it is very, very hard, but, John, we are only in these jobs for a short period of time, and I’ve got to represent the people, the 700,000 people that I represent. In that four years, I’ve got kids that got to have schooling. I’ve got people who need medical care, and I’ve got to work with him on the things that I can,u but, John, where our values clash, we’ll have to go toe to toe, period,” Cummings said.