Although the Chinese are already there, they're the number one trading partner to many of those countries, and they have a lot of influence, and they're trying to undermine American influence in the region.
We need to wake up and we need to battle back.
And I don't mean in a kinetic fashion, but we need to in order to stem their gains down in South America.
Congressman, thank you so much for your time.
We are unfortunately out of time.
I know I have many, many more questions to ask you, but of course, I will find you in the hallways of Capitol Hill to make sure I can do that.
Thank you so much for joining us.
Well, it's my pleasure, and I guess I'll see you tomorrow.
And thanks to all of you for tuning into Washington Post Live.
Of course, if you want to see any past episodes or see what is coming up, please go to WashingtonPost.com/slash live.
Thanks again.
Coming up shortly here on C-SPAN, the U.S. House will return for its first session after the presidential elections.
Today, members will consider several bills under suspension of the rules, including increasing the transparency of mail-in ballots by requiring ballot envelopes to have tracking barcodes.
Also, legislation preventing the IRS from issuing fines and tax penalties to Americans held hostage and ending the tax-exempt status of any group supporting terrorist supporting organizations.
And later this evening, House Speaker Mike Johnson will swear in two new members who won special elections last week to fill vacant seats in Texas's 18th House District for the late Houston Democratic Congresswoman Sheila Jackson Lee and former Republican Congressman Mike Gallagher in Wisconsin's 8th District.
You can also watch on the C-SPAN Now app or online at c-span.org.
On this open forum, caller, you are on.
Go ahead, please.
This is open forum against 202748 in Thales.
Caller, good morning.
Go ahead.
You're going to have to turn down that television now.
Oh, okay.
What I was wanting to discuss was everybody wanting to know what happened about the voting.
Everybody know what happened.
Crump had all the billionaires behind them having the lottery going where people can pay their money to hit the lottery to win a million dollars.
That was for one thing.
I wish they quit trying to accuse President Biden and Vice President Kamla of doing anything wrong.
They done nothing wrong.
They done exactly what they supposed to do.
And for the Social Security, I worked on my job 36 and more years.
I put money into Social Security.
Didn't nobody give that to me.
That's something I put in there.
And they say that Trump is going to run through the Social Security Disorder to go broke.
Okay.
Again, this is open forum.
Viewer, you are on the air.
Go ahead with your comment on this open forum.
Hello.
Hello.
You're on.
Go ahead.
Hello.
Can you hear me?
I can.
Go ahead.
Okay.
I was saying that I noticed in the race, the Republicans and the Democrats were racing for pushing to win, pushing to win.
And I don't think we looked at the horses that were running.
And we lost, and the Democrats won.
I mean, the Republicans won.
But still, the horses are not the best ones that should be in order.
Who were you?
As far as the choices you had and the choices you wanted, who were the choices you wanted?
Well, I didn't want Biden, and I didn't want Trump.
I thought they were just both too old.
And so Kamala Harris was the list of two evils, let's say, or three.
So I really thought that we both wanted to win.
Democrats wanted to win.
Republicans wanted to win, but they didn't care about the horses that they were running.
Okay.
In Indiana or on Independent Line, this is from Oklahoma.
This is Guy from Oklahoma.
Go ahead.
Hey, good morning, Pedro.
Thank you for taking my call.
And Ben, I mean, there is so much to digest over the results of the election.
Can you hear me, Pedro?
You're on.
Go ahead.
Yes, we can.
Okay.
The reason I'm an independent, the reason I voted down the ballot Republican is, of course, the economy, inflation, the border, all these things that are mainstream reasons why Trump took the office.
But for me, the biggest concern I have is all the gaslighting and just the way everything has become politically corrupt.
So, for example, over the weekend, I was listening to the BBC, and they had a liberal lady on there talking about what an outrage and a travesty it was that Trump won, and especially the way he handled the Afghanistan withdrawal was a total disgrace.
But that was Biden.
And I'm just, I'm so sick of the lies.
Trump's Putin's puppet.
The Hunter Biden laptop is Russian information, and on and on and on.
It's just, so anyway, that was my reason for voting Republican is to get the line out of politics if it is ever possible.
Thank you.
We'll hear next from Dee in Wisconsin, Independent Line.
Hi there.
Yes, hi.
I just have one question.
I heard yesterday on the news that they are trying to make Biden step down so that Harris can take over presidency for a month and a half.
Can they do that?
Is that really what, you know, I mean, what this election's all about, just so she can step in for a month and a half and make him step down?
When you heard that story, why did you react in the way you did?
Because it makes me really mad.
This is a presidency is not a game.
And they're making it a game.
Like she, so that she, both he said, so she can go ahead and have, so she could say she was president.
Dee, you're referencing a story that you heard the other day.
This is from the former communications director for Kamala Harris.
He made the unlikely suggestion that Joe Biden resign so she could become the first woman to serve as the president.
Jamal Simmons offered the thought during an appearance as a panelist on Sunday on CNN State of the Union when asked what should be the top priority for the United States before President-elect Trump begins his second presidency in January.
And though there's no indication that Mr. Biden, President Biden would consider it, Simmons said he quote, resigned the presidency in the next 30 days to briefly make Kamala Harris the president of the United States.
You can find more there, The Guardian and other news outlets picking up that story from Sunday.
Georgia is next.
This is Mitchell, Republican line.
Hi.
Hi.
Hey, I would like to take a different tact here, something I read this morning on the internet, and it was initially from Elon Musk.
But I like the idea that they're maybe going to take a look, a close look, at dismantling the Federal Reserve.
Anyone that's in the know that's read anything about the Federal Reserve knows that it's a quasi-government agency that's not really authorized under the Constitution.
The United States, as a matter of fact, really violates it, in my opinion.
The United States Congress having a lot of people.
Many calls from this morning's Washington Journal will leave this here and go live to the U.S. House where members are gaveling in for their morning hour session.
Today, members will consider several bills under suspension of the rules, including increasing the transparency of mail-in ballots by requiring ballot envelopes to have tracking barcodes.
Also, legislation preventing the IRS from issuing fines and tax penalties to Americans held hostage, and ending the tax-exempt status of any group supporting terrorist-supporting organizations.
Later this evening, Speaker Mike Johnson will swear in two new members who won special elections last week to fill vacant seats in Texas's 18th House District.
And now, live coverage of the House here on C-SPAN.
The House will be in order.
Pursuant to the order of the House of January 9th, 2024, the Chair will now recognize members from lists submitted by the majority and minority leaders for morning hour debate.