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Coming up on Washington Journal this morning, your calls and comments live.
And then South Carolina Republican Congressman Ralph Norman joins us to discuss the incoming Trump administration's agenda and House Republican priorities.
Also, Illinois Democratic Congressman Brad Schneider gives his thoughts on the new administration, U.S. foreign policy, and other congressional news.
C-SPAN's Washington Journal starts now.
Join the conversation live.
Good morning.
It's Friday, November 15th, 2024.
A two-hour Washington Journal is ahead, and we begin on President-elect Donald Trump's cabinet picks for his second administration.
The incoming president unveiled a half dozen nominees and appointees yesterday this morning.
We begin by getting your thoughts on his picks so far and asking you who you'd like to see serve in a cabinet post in a second Trump administration.
Phone lines are split as usual by political party.
Democrats, it's 202-748-8000.
Republicans, it's 202-748-8001.
Independents, it's 202-748-8002.
You can also send us a text, that number, 202-748-8003.
If you do, please include your name and where you're from.
Otherwise, catch up with us on social media on XIT's at C-SPANWJ on Facebook.
It's facebook.com slash C-SPAN.
And a very good Friday morning to you.
You can go ahead and start calling in now the Washington Post with their graphic, a wrap-up of Donald Trump's cabinet picks so far.
He's filled about half of the positions so far, the latest ones coming yesterday in terms of his nominees.
Robert F. Kennedy Jr. for Health and Human Services Secretary, Doug Collins, the former Georgia Congressman for Veterans Affairs Secretary, and then Donald Trump letting the cat out of the bag last night at an event in Mar-a-Lago that he would be officially nominating Doug Bergham, North Dakota governor, to be interior secretary.
We're talking about those picks and then the upcoming confirmation process as well as we ask you who you think should be in President-elect Donald Trump's cabinet in his second administration.
Again, phone lines for Democrats, Republicans, and Independents.
As you're calling in, Donald Trump spoke about some of his nominees at Mar-a-Lago last night, starting with RFK Jr.
Great mind and a great guy and so popular.
And I think he's right.
He wants to make people healthy.
It's driven him pretty wild over the last number of years.
The Democrats didn't treat him well.
He was doing fantastically well.
And I think they came out with some rule that you had to do this.
Mike, you had to get 70 or 75% of the vote to qualify to be in the primary.
That was a pretty tough thing to get.
And he was doing incredibly well, and he decided he can't do it, went independent.
Now he's with us all the way.
And today I nominated him for, I guess, if you like health and if you like people that live a long time, it's the most important position, RFK Jr.
Bobby.
And I just looked at the news reports.
People like you, Bobby.
Don't get too popular, Bobby.
You know, you've reached about the level.
Now, we want you to come up with things and ideas and what you've been talking about for a long time.
And I think you're going to do some unbelievable things.
Nobody's going to be able to do it like you.
And boy, does he feel it in his heart.
So congratulations also to your family.
And a woman who was a Democrat and was independent.
She went independent.
And last week she said, I want to be a Republican because this is what I stand for.
And I've always admired her.
And I've admired her because she was loaded up with common sense.
And it's all about common sense.
I mean, we're conservative in this room, but we can understand the other side.
But what we really are is people with common sense.
And I think that's why we won with the numbers that we won by.
Tulsi Gabbard.
Thank you, Tulsi.
Great common sense.
And you have Vivek Rameshwami.
It's taken people a long time, and now that name is emblazoned into their brain.
But Vivek, wherever you may be, where are you, Vivek?
Thank you, Vivek.
Good.
He's working with Elon on efficiency.
They're working on efficiency, among other things, and they're going to be saving a lot of money and making our country stronger and better.
And they'll be coming out with individual reports, but a big one toward the end.
And you put those two together.
It's going to be really great.
President-elect Donald Trump last night at Mar-a-Lago.
That was also the event where he let it known that Doug Bergh would be getting officially that nomination for Interior Secretary.
That's expected to come today.
Donald Trump has been releasing all of his official statements on his Truth Social page.
You can follow them as they go, but been rolling them out pretty quickly this week.
And at the end of this week, in the wake of those nominations, we're asking you who you'd like to see in a second Trump cabinet.
Lines for Democrats, Republicans, and Independents.
And we will start on that line for independence.
Rob in Fort Lauderdale, Florida.
Good morning.
Good morning.
Thank you for taking my call.
I would say, what's the question?
Who we would choose to be on the cabinet?
That's the question, Rob.
Okay.
Well, I think it's a good choice to choose Robert Kennedy, but I'm very surprised how the left and Democrat media just ripping the guy apart.
I mean, I thought they were so proud of the Kennedy name.
And it seems like Fox News and the Republicans give total respect to Robert Kennedy Jr.
But also, I think Matt Gates is a good choice.
I think that they're a little afraid of him because, you know, there's an old saying, what goes around comes right back around.
He's not going to go out there trying to cause any problems or scandals.
He's going to govern himself accordingly.
And there's going to be some accountability.
There's no doubt about it.
And I want to say one more thing that's slightly unrelated here.
I listen to this show every morning.
And I hear mostly 90% older people.
I'm 63, maybe 70, 80.
And it's this constant Trump bashing on and on and on, calling him every name in the book.
The guy won.
Give him a break, okay?
He got a huge portion electing him, voting for him from non-white voters.
Tremendous amount.
Give the guy a break.
You know, he came in there.
You know, everybody, Roger Stone, Giuliani, all these men who were great men, never had a criminal record.
Now they all have these criminal records that were fabricated upon by the weaponized Democrat Party and the Democrat-run media.
That's Rob, an Independent in Florida.
You talk about how the media is reacting to Donald Trump's picks.
Robert F. Kennedy Jr. is the subject of the lead story in the New York Times today.
Trump to select Kennedy as head of health agency, a skeptic of vaccines, is the subhead.
Unclear if senders will confirm unorthodox HHS nominee saying that in selecting Mr. Kennedy, Mr. Trump is picking someone who is at war with the very public health agencies that he would oversee.
That is the second graph of the lead story of today's New York Times.
Richard, Sparta, New Jersey, good morning.
You're next.
Good morning.
But it's perfectly obvious what's going on here.
He is trying to appoint people into agencies where he knows the people in the agencies are going to hate them and cause just tremendous dissent in each agency.
And what he's hoping for is for a lot of people to quit so he can stuff them with people who are going to be his loyalists.
This is right out of dictator playbook.
And if he doesn't get to be dictator, we have to rely on the Republicans in the Senate to stop him.
And that's a thin lead to rely on.
So a lot of these things that people worry about, he's on the path.
There's no doubt about it.
Richard, what do you think about the process of recess appointments to avoid going through a confirmation process?
He knows that a lot of people don't want these people to be appointed.
So the people from the agencies, I'm sure, are complaining like crazy.
And so obviously he wants to force them in there without Senate approval for obvious reasons because a lot of people don't like who's been appointed.
One quick comment on the election itself.
The Democrats failed to feel the pain of the people who are suffering greatly from the inflation.
And that's where they failed, in my opinion.
Basically, it was the economy, which was inflated all over the world, by the way.
So the idea that Biden caused it was really nonsense, mostly.
But, you know, we've got something to worry about.
If these people get in those agencies, we're going to see a lot of chaos, a lot of people quitting, and we're going to be down that road to dictator.
He's trying to put people in who are going to back him up when he starts breaking the law again.
Got your point.
That's Richard in Sparta, New Jersey on recess appointments.
If folks haven't heard that term before, the Wall Street Journal with a helpful, quick definition and history of it.
The Constitution empowers the president to appoint ambassadors, judges, and other officers of the United States subject to the advice and consent of the Senate.
Today, more than 1,000 senior positions in the federal government require Senate confirmation.
The framers of the Constitution viewed this division of authority as a way to promote government through better qualified officials.
The Senate, however, wasn't conceived to continuously be in session, and the vagaries of 18th century communication and transportation meant that weeks could go by before lawmakers could reconvene for an emergency.
To keep government staffed, the Constitution allows the president to fill vacancies while the Senate is in recess, but those commissions expire at the end of the next session of Congress.
That means a recess appointment can't hold office longer than two years, the length of a congressional session.
But perhaps one way for at least some nominees to avoid a confirmation process if that is the route that Republicans choose to go.
Bill is in Orange Park, Florida.
Republican, good morning.
You know, John, your question should have been to that last caller.
You mean, your opinion should count and 75 million people shouldn't count, right?
And you're calling him Hitler.
You're the Hitler.
I think, Mr. Trump, I think he's got all the right in the world to have as many people as he wants, whoever he wants, as his candidate.
We didn't complain about Biden's choice, and I don't want some guy with a beard and a dress teaching my kids.
That's Bill in Florida.
This is Alan in Rockaway Park, New York, Independent.
Good morning.
Good morning.
I just want to say, sadly, let the clown show begin.
Robert Kennedy is the last person to, he has no medical background.
He has no administrative background.
He comes up with the craziest theories that are just too weird.
And Gates has no, never tried a case.
I mean, let me just conclude with, in my life, the most unsolvable mystery is anti-Semitism because as far as I know, Jewish people never really attacked anybody.
But a close 1A is having Donald Trump as president.
He's just, like they say, a narcissist.
Alan, are there any picks that Donald Trump has announced so far that you do agree with?
The senator from Florida, which says Nirubio is not a bad pick, okay?
Other than that, they all stink.
Thank you for listening.
That's Alan in New York.
This is James out of New Orleans.
Republican, good morning.
Hey, good morning.
How are you doing?
Doing well, James.
All right.
Can you hear me?
I can.
All right.
I think that all the picks that Trump has made are good.
I just hope he picks somebody to run the ATF office that's not anti-gun, that has a little bit more brains than the morons that are there.
James, who would you like to see?
Is there somebody that you have in mind?
Anybody that's just pro-gun, pro-Second Amendment for the ATF, because the man that's in charge there now is a total dummy.
He knows nothing about firearms.
And that one show they had on CVS where they couldn't even put a block back together.
It's pitiful.
And I think all the other picks that he picked are pretty good for what's going on today.
And Kennedy, I don't have a problem with Kennedy or any of the other people he picked because I think it's time that the people wake up that all the money that the Democrats spent on the illegal aliens dipping into the Social Security Fund and giving them all these free cards and telephones and free housing while veterans are suffering out here.
It's time to start taking care of Americans, shut down the border, deport them all.
And then also when they deport these people, they should look into their cell phones and look into all their pictures to see if any of them are doing illegal activities like smuggling drugs or people.
And then what they should also do is take down all their phone numbers and everything else to see who they're talking to.
Then they should deport them all.
Now, people don't realize once you're deported by the federal government, it takes 20 years before you can come in and file any paperwork.
And I don't have anything else to say.
That's James in Louisiana, Judith in Peoria, Arizona.
Democrat, good morning.
Good morning.
Thank you for taking my call.
I am just not agreeable with President Trump, President-elect Trump's choices, simply because they hold no experience in those fields.
Just like the gentleman said, Robert Kennedy, he has no scientific or medical background.
And he had all those conspiracy theories going on.
And to be ahead of the health organization is just scary.
And Matt Gates, he's too rambunctious and rude.
And I don't think he has the experience for Attorney General.
He doesn't carry the temperament.
And then you have the Secretary of State, Ruby O.
He has no experience.
He's been in politics, but he might have been the better one because he's been there.
Judith, let me ask you about Pete Hegseth, who Donald Trump has nominated for Secretary of Defense.
This is today's Washington Times.
This is their argument for Pete Hegseth as Secretary of Defense, saying that he's been put forward to become Secretary of Defense, and he's not part of the club that usually runs the military, a retired general or a West Point graduate.
Instead, Mr. Hegseth is a combat veteran who served as an infantry captain in Iraq and Afghanistan before returning to run organizations that advocate for veterans.
He's not the type to be impressed by rear echelon commanders who would put soldiers, airmen, and Marines in danger before retiring to a cushy board position with a defense contractor.
That's their argument for Pete Hegseth.
What do you think?
Yes.
You know, usually when a president picks his administration, it's usually someone with the experience in politics and has been there, the military generals, people that really know what's going on, what they're doing.
But when you're picking people just because you think they can do it and they don't have any experience, it's like somebody going on the job and learning on the job.
And when we're in the crisis situations that we're in now, we can't wait for these bad decisions to pop up and wonder if they're good.
I think a lot of these people need to be vetted.
Matt Gates has a, you know, he has that criminal thing going on.
They need to be vetted.
I mean, who goes on a job who has not been vetted?
They ask for your credentials and everything and your background.
They want everything about you, your experience.
There's a lot of people going into these jobs with no experience.
That's Judith in Arizona.
You mentioned Matt Gates.
What he has is a House Ethics Committee investigation that's been going on since 2001.
He's officially stepped down from the House, so not under the jurisdiction of the House Ethics Committee, stepping down from his seat.
But this is the New York Times wrap-up of that investigation of claims that Mr. Gates engaged in sexual misconduct and illicit drug use, shared inappropriate images or videos on the floor of the House of Representatives, misused state identification records, converted campaign funds to personal use, and accepted impermissible gifts under House rules, among other charges.
And lawmakers demanding that the House Ethics Committee still release that report, even though Matt Gates is no longer in Congress ahead of a potential confirmation hearing for that post of Attorney General that Donald Trump has nominated him for.
This is John in Ohio Independent.
Good morning.
Good morning.
I consider myself an unaffiliated leftist, and I never belonged to any political party or political organization.
But the two very interesting positions that I mostly support are Robert F. Kennedy and Tulsi Gutbert, because they've taken the position that both of the Democratic and the Republican parties are bipartisan warmongers.
And I think that is a really existential threat humanity faces with both parties and the politicians being bought by the military-industrial CIA complex and the media, CI industrial, military, industrial media complex.
And the attempt to discredit Robert Kennedy in every hourly newscast with a kind of dripping sarcasm is really, I think,
Criminal because he's been involved in exposing the big pharma corruption, the links between the big pharma and the military-industrial complex and their control over the politicians and the government.
Because of the billionaires that control the media and the 1,500 right-wing AM radio stations that are ready to slander and smear anyone who questions these wars that are leading to actual probable Third World war, by firing U.S.
Billions of dollars of weapons and missiles into Russia right Now.
Got your point.
That's John.
You mentioned Tulsi Gabbard being nominated for Director of National Intelligence, the principal advisor to the president on intelligence matters related to national security, a budget of some $76.5 billion.
Tulsi Gabbard was on Fox News on Wednesday, and she was asked about how she perceived the reaction to her nomination for that post.
This is what she had to say.
How do you think foreign capitals are taking your nomination and the nomination of other people in the national security apparatus?
It's a good question.
I think President Trump has already shown how active he has been in not waiting around for day one on January 20th or 21st, but he's already leading.
He's already engaging with so many of these world leaders around the world on the phone constantly, and he's showing the kind of leadership that the American people voted for.
Do you expect resistance from the inside?
Because there was a lot of resistance in the first term.
And how would you deal with that?
The American people delivered quite an incredible mandate for change in this election with the popular vote and the electoral vote overwhelmingly saying, hey, we want Donald Trump as president, and we've had enough of the Harris Biden regime.
Of course, there's going to be resistance to change from the swamp in Washington.
I think that's kind of the point.
The American people are saying, hey, stop looking at yourselves.
Stop focusing on your own power, your own position, your own bank accounts.
How about we have leaders in Washington who are actually looking out for the American people?
And on every issue across the board, that's really what it comes down to with what President Trump is trying to accomplish: we have to make sure that our government puts the interests of the American people first.
Tulsi Gabbard on Fox News, that was Wednesday evening.
This Friday morning, we are getting your reaction to Donald Trump's cabinet picks so far, asking who you'd like to see in President-elect Donald Trump's cabinet.
This is Maria in Westville, New Jersey, Independent.
Go ahead.
Good morning, John.
I'd like to compliment the gentleman who was on just recently, pretty much summed up our problems with the connection with worldwide global crime.
The one appointment I do approve of is Tom Holman because he is earnest and he knows how to do the job.
But I feel that until we get rid of five eyes, and I hope Tulsi Gabbard looks at this, that gets all of our intelligence to the former British Empire and their satellites.
And it just goes around and around.
We give them the newest arms and they're sold all over the world.
And then we have to invest again in arms.
And our own people are suffering.
Also, I hope that the DREAMers are expelled first.
All the little hankies, they can give up all the money that we invest in their education.
All right, that's Maria in New Jersey.
Going to be our last caller in this abbreviated first segment of the Washington Journal today.
But stick around, lots to talk about.
It's 9 a.m. in for the House.
So before then, we're going to be joined by two members of Congress.
Up first, it's Congressman Ralph Norman, Republican of South Carolina.
And then later, it's Democrat Brad Schneider of Illinois who will be here to take your calls.
Stick around.
We'll be right back.
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Washington Journal continues.
South Carolina Republican Congressman Ralph Norman joins us.
He is joining us two days after Speaker Johnson was picked to lead House Republicans in the 119th Congress.
And Congressman Norman, do you expect him to have any issues winning the speaker vote on the House floor on January 3rd, that first vote of the new Congress?
Well, I think it will be an interesting time.
I think people are rallying behind Mike Johnson.
I think the president, that's his choice, and I think we'll give Mike the leeway he needs to really promote the agenda of what this president was almost overwhelmingly elected to do.
So I'm excited about it.
I've read an Associated Press story this week.
You were quoted as saying Speaker Johnson's challenge is what it's always been, but with Trump in charge, it'll be easier for him to deliver.
What do you mean by that?
Well, you know, what we faced with the Biden administration was sure vetoes on anything of substance that we wanted, that the conservatives wanted to push.
With President Trump, it's a whole different day now.
And I think President Trump will be a backstop for getting this country back on track.
Look, the last four years have been dismal.
This country responded the way that I'm glad they did, which is we can't keep going like this.
And the fact they gave Donald Trump an overwhelming vote of support, I think will carry through the new year and the next four years, honestly.
After that speaker votes, it gets less attention, but it's the vote on the rules of the 119th Congress.
You tweeted this week regarding the proposed new House rules.
We have absolutely no room for error in the 119th Congress.
Why are we already seeking to punish members for voting their conscience?
What are you talking about there?
Well, that never came up.
The amendments that we considered yesterday, they withdrew those.
What were those amendments about?
Well, the amendments were about if you voted against the rule that you basically were put in timeout and were potentially kicked off committees.
That was never, it was discussed, but it was never put before the body because it wasn't the right thing.
I, along with a lot of other people, the only people that can punish you are the constituents in your district.
And that goes for all 435 members of Congress.
So the right thing was done.
And what was important to a lot of people was the threshold for motion to vacate going up from one to nine, which was fine with us.
So I think we're off to a great start.
Delve into that motion to vacate a little bit more for folks who aren't attuned to Congress speak.
Motion to vacate is a rule that any member could basically put a privilege resolution on the floor, as they did with Kevin McCarthy, done by Matt Gates, to take him out of the speakership.
And instead of one person doing it, it takes nine, an additional eight now to do it.
So people thought that was important.
So, you know, it was the right thing to do with Mr. McCarthy.
And it's been in existence for a long period of time, over 200 years, being one, that is.
But the nine has been raised, and that's what we'll abide by.
Do you agree that it should be nine people coming together to make that motion to vacate, or do you think one person should still have that power within the conference?
You know, I'm fine with nine.
Would I rather have less?
Yes.
You know, the whole body, the 435 members have a vote on it.
So even though one person brings it up, it does slow the process down.
So would I have rather kept it at one?
Yes.
Would I have rather had it at three?
Yes.
Nine was a compromise that was agreed to, and I'm fine with that.
What do you think of Donald Trump's cabinet position picks so far?
They've been coming pretty quickly this week.
Donald Trump has done a tremendous job of putting talented business people in place to get this country back on track.
They're not, you know, typically you have in government positions, particularly with the Biden administration, just retreads of people who have been in government their whole lives.
They're elitist with the Biden administration.
Look what the results were.
President Trump will deliver everything he said.
And look at the glorious four years we had when he was in office from 16 to 20.
He will replicate that.
He will deliver everything he promised and we'll back him up with that as members of Congress.
If you were a United States Senator, is there any of his picks that he's rolled out so far that you would not support?
Absolutely not.
I would go with everyone he's had.
I don't know of a weak leak that he's had.
I mean, the Kennedy appointment got a lot of press and a lot of people were supposedly upset.
But that was the right thing to do.
Kennedy does not have to do this.
He's got a passion for health care and I think he'll do a good job.
But Donald Trump puts the right people in the right place to do what's right for America.
And that's on full display with all of his picks.
About half those positions have been, at least a nominee has been named so far.
If Donald Trump is listening to Ralph Norman, who would you like to see in one of those other positions that hasn't been filled?
Well, he's, you know, that's up to Donald Trump.
I mean, he knows the backgrounds of people.
He knows their strengths, their weaknesses.
And everybody he has picked, again, will get the job done, particularly with Elon Musk and Vivek Ramswami with scaling down government.
The American people are thirsty to rein in government and rein in spending, and these people will do it.
They're not getting paid, and the big thing they're doing, John, is publicizing the cuts that let the American people see firsthand.
And I think that's just one of his picks.
But Donald Trump, his record proves he puts good people in good places, and he did it with his business, and he'll now do it for the country.
Let me give the phone numbers for viewers to call in.
Congressman Norman with us until 7.50 a.m. Eastern.
So go ahead and start dialing in.
It's 202-748-8001 for Republicans, 202-748-8000 for Democrats.
Independents, 202748-8002.
As folks are calling in, Congressman, I want to get your thoughts on John Thune as Senate Majority Leader.
Well, you know, Senator Scott is who I would prefer.
He's more conservative, and I think more aligns with Donald Trump.
And I think that was President Trump's pick.
But the Senate's spoken, and, you know, we'll see how it works out.
Hopefully it will.
The signals that Senator Thun is telling the nation and President Trump, I think, resonates, and hopefully we'll follow through with that.
Do you have any opinion on recess appointments, whether that's a good thing for the body?
Yeah, I mean, if you look in the past, I think President Bush had 179 in recess appointments.
It still takes 51 senators to agree to go into recess.
But yeah, look, to stall any of these picks with the condition of the country is not the right thing.
So I hope the Senate approves the picks of Donald Trump, have the discussion, have the debate, but at the end of the day, don't drag it out just for the main person, the main reason to stall this administration.
Look, the American people are giving a resounding vote of confidence for Donald Trump, and that includes his picks.
Rob Norman joining us from up on Capitol Hill, taking your phone calls this morning, and we will start with David out in Charlotte, North Carolina, Independent.
Good morning.
Good morning, everyone.
And I want to congratulate the president for winning.
And he can appoint whoever he wants to.
And those who are opposing him, they are the ones who didn't vote for him.
And also, question for the Congressman.
Congressman, I-77 North going toward Exit 90, there's a dead deer sitting there, a dead deer on the side.
Why nobody's cleaning it up?
And also all the road conditions in Rock Hill going toward Charlotte.
Who's going to fix them up?
And also, there's one story about you, Congressman.
I saw you once over 10 years ago at the YMCA in Rock Hill.
One of your relatives was playing there basketball and you were handing out candy.
You went out to vending machine and then you hand out candy to one of your relative kids and you made sure that there were other kids sitting around.
You gave them candies too.
So I still remember that, Congressman.
So you keep up the good work.
Thank you.
Thank you so much.
I didn't get fully the question about the I-77 and the workers who's going to pick them up.
Look, it's a backlog.
We've got transportation issues all over the country, really.
And that's one of the jobs that each state has to deal with.
And South Carolina is no exception.
But the good news is we're growing.
People are coming to South Carolina.
And we've got to make sure the roads are in place before the businesses are opening and before get ahead of it so that you can get people in and out.
But it's a backlog now, and I agree with you.
And I do remember giving the candy out to children at the Y. You've got a good memory.
That's a long time ago.
And for viewers who may not be as familiar with the geography, Rock Hill is pretty close to Charlotte, right?
Yes, a 20-minute drive.
When I land in Charlotte, it takes me 20 minutes to get to Rock Hill.
Now, if the traffic backs up, it'll take 30 or 35 minutes.
But I'm fortunate.
Many members of Congress have far more distances to travel, but it's convenient for me.
It's the 5th District of South Carolina that Ralph Norman represents taking your phone calls this morning.
This is Tim in Wisconsin, Westby, Wisconsin, a Democrat.
Good morning.
Good morning.
Thank you for taking the call.
I would like to say that I think that we've been in a different position today if Biden would have dropped out a year ago and had a real primary for the Democrats, but that's on us.
But I'd also like to say I don't think Gates and Kennedy are actually proper picks.
There are some I don't have a problem with.
But I know they want to disband the Education Department and certain other departments and put it back in the hands of the state.
And I agree with it in a lot of ways, some of it.
But I'd also like to see Feman disbanded.
Put that money, break it down state by state, how many people you got, how much money you send in, so on and so forth, and give it back to the states and let them distribute it when they have crisis.
Because it seems like that would be a better way to go.
Thank you.
Congressman Norman, what do you want to pick up on there?
Well, I agree with block grants.
believe the people can spend it better than their states.
What this Doge Commission will do is streamline government.
People want government out of their hair.
They want government and particularly the regulations during the Biden administration that have caused this country to go into a tailspin.
I think that's what American people are thirsty for and that's why they gave the president the support that they did.
But I agree with his statement on letting the states spend their own money.
But we at the federal level have got to stop imposing these regulations that are, and I call it strangulation by regulation.
And that's what people are tired of, particularly in the businesses.
Let the businesses do what they do best.
And they're the backbone of America.
That's what made it great, not government.
If it was up to you, are there certain agencies or entire departments you would eliminate?
Department of Education has gone completely out of bounds.
Now, it's easier said than done, but I would hopefully we'll rein that in, if not abolish it.
DOJ has been weaponized against conservatives.
Look what they did to President Trump.
The 91 indictments were a joke, and people know that.
So that's just two of them that I do away with the Department of Education.
And the Department of Justice has got to be reined in from going after Americans.
Because as President Trump said, they're coming after us, and it's got to stop.
Zach in Louisiana, Republican.
Good morning.
Zach, you want to go to the next one?
Yes, sir.
Okay.
Yeah, how y'all doing?
Hey, Representative, Mr. Norman.
I'd like to see Mr. Trump and his administration start recognizing the Lord God Almighty and the Son, Jesus Christ.
I know that's a little outdated, but to me it's a real thing.
The breath in you is true as the breath in your lungs.
Well, I agree 100% with you.
Now, you know, the Americans had a front row seat to the bullet that came within micro inches of killing the president.
That turn of the head was providential.
I believe that as much as I'm standing here, I think the president knows God spared his life.
And, you know, we're one nation under God, and I think it ought to be front and center stage.
And God, I think, has given us one more chance to save this country.
We've got to turn back to him.
And I say that unapologetically.
And we've gotten away from it.
Everything from our schools to our public institutions.
You've got to put God front and center stage.
And I look forward to this president doing that.
And President Trump has done a good job in his first four years.
And I think he'll do a better job the next four years of highlighting the religious freedom this country has in Jesus Christ.
How could he put God front and center stage, as you say?
What you can do is, one, acknowledging during the day of prayer, taking that seriously, just like we do the pledge.
But it all starts with God.
And I think people now, we are fortunate that we've got a president that will highlight that and will not be embarrassed about it.
And President Trump is not.
None of us are perfect, but we've got one that was, and that was Christ.
And I think you will find that more in not just the public statements, but indeed when the people he's put in office are people of faith.
And that's so important.
The Keystone State of Pennsylvania, about 10 minutes left with Congressman Norman.
This is Sylvia, Line for Democrats.
Good morning.
Yes, thank you.
Good morning.
Good morning.
Jerry 6, you forgot about that.
He tried to murder y'all.
And he wasn't thinking about God doing that kind.
How do you support him?
Okay, thank you.
Who is this again?
Sylvia, bringing up January 6th.
Oh, January 6th.
Indeed.
Go ahead, Congressman.
Yeah, January 6th was a sham.
I was there.
There wasn't any insurrection.
A lot of unanswered questions that will come out.
And the president had authorized the National Guard to control that.
Why did Nancy Pelosi and the Sergeant of Arms go with that?
Why are certain people who were letting people in the Capitol not held accountable?
You know, a lot of unanswered questions.
A lot of things were omitted.
Pelosi kicked off some of the conservatives that would have asked tough questions like Jim Jordan and others.
So that'll come out in time.
But that wasn't a takeover of the government.
We voted that night.
So the Democrats thought they had a, just because they publicized it and had a hearings on it, which were fake, to be honest with you.
So the truth will come out on that, as it always does.
When you say it was a sham, what do you mean?
Well, they omitted, how do you have a, you know, a sham of a hearing when you don't have cross-examination?
Why did they kick Jim Jordan off the committee?
Liz Cheney was a part of that.
And this was a vendetta against Donald Trump.
And it didn't work.
The American people did not buy it.
And you saw shirts all over this country said, I'm voting for the felon.
People knew it wasn't true.
And so the January 6th Commission was no different.
And again, the American people spoke and they just didn't believe it.
And again, we were here.
And what they tried to portray was not what was real.
Now, it was tragic because you lost lives.
But it didn't have to happen.
But it did.
And I hope when the truth comes out, the American people will see it.
Would you like to see some of those convicted of crimes in a court of law since January 6th, the DOJ investigations of thousands of people?
Would you like to see them released from jail?
What happened with particular ones jailed up here in Washington?
They didn't get a trial.
They didn't get to hire a lawyer.
They were thrown in jail.
And if you get a traffic ticket, you get to hire an attorney and you get your day in court.
Why wasn't that to the initial 58 that were put in jail here in Washington?
What about those who have had their day in court?
You know, I hadn't followed the, it has not been fair from what I've heard with people.
The DOJ has gone after and still going after.
A lot of the border agents are going after those they think violated the Capitol on January 6th, but instead of going after the invasion of the borders of the illegals.
But no, you know, there's a lot, once everything comes out, the trials that have been held, I don't think there've been a fair trial like the ones against with Trump in New York.
It wasn't fair.
I went to one of them and the judge was openly hostile to President Trump.
And that's not the way the American system works.
The balance of justice was not done in that case.
Burnsville, West Virginia, Diane Republican, good morning.
Yes, I want to thank Representative Norman for his support for Donald Trump since day one.
He's been strong, stood strong.
And remember, they're complaining right now about his nominations, but we still have Booty Judge in charge of transportation, and he was nowhere to be found because he was on paternity leave when we had that disaster of the supply chain crisis.
We had Sam Burton, Britain, whatever his name was, Department of Energy, stealing our luggage.
Anyone complain about Matt Gage?
I don't think so.
Hang in there tight.
Thank you.
Congressman, you supported Nikki Haley in the primaries.
We talked to you out there on C-SPAN on primary night in Iowa.
Do you think she should have a cabinet position?
That's completely up to Donald Trump.
I support all of his cabinet positions.
And, you know, I don't think Nikki wants a cabinet position.
She's got other things she's doing in South Carolina.
But look, President Trump is totally up to him.
He has made the right pick so far, and he'll continue to make the right picks.
And as the caller mentioned, it's been a disaster.
We're not just Bootage Edge.
Look at Merrick Garland.
You're talking about violations of subpoenas on the Robert Herr case of the President Biden holding confidential information.
That's been overlooked.
But it's a new day in this country, and American people are excited to have it come.
Time for just one or two more phone calls.
This is Ron Liverpool, Pennsylvania, line for Democrats.
Yeah.
Lindsey Graham said in 2015, if you nominate Donald Trump for president, that he would destroy our party.
He has.
He's turned you all into liars.
You're lying about January 6th.
You're lying about the Justice Department being weaponized.
Coups are not legal.
January 6th was a coup.
Jim Jordan wasn't allowed on it, the committee, because he was involved in the coup.
Now, the guy who tried to shoot Trump, he was a Republican named Crooks, which proves that God has a sense of humor.
All right.
Congressman Norman.
Those are ridiculous statements.
He's got his right to his opinion.
Look, if he's happy with the last four years under this administration, it's his opinion.
If he's happy with the invasion of those who've come in from over 170 countries, that's his opinion.
If he does not value the lives that have been lost because of illegals, Lakeland Riley being one of them, that's his opinion.
He has every right to it.
I just disagree with it.
And look at the poll.
Look at the results of the election.
75 million people, 312 electoral votes.
The American people don't agree with that caller.
He's got every right to express it.
But we just, we're on two separate trains.
And I think the train with Donald Trump is going to be successful.
And, you know, somebody asked me about revenge.
Donald Trump put it in a great way.
Success will be what this country will have, not revenge.
Last call from Kennesaw, Georgia, Yvonne Independent.
Good morning.
Good morning.
My question to you is this here.
I am so tired of Republicans lying.
What y'all are doing is that y'all want a white race.
Y'all want a white race country where y'all are in control.
Y'all have the white Christian nationalist people back in y'all, and y'all think that we don't see y'all.
You think Trump is not racist?
Got your point.
Yvonne, you got the final minute, Congressman.
Look, again, he's got his point of view.
Donald Trump is not racist.
That's a joke to even say that.
He is the most fair, the most successful president we will have had in a long time.
And if the caller wants to keep down that train of saying everything's racism, misogyny, and others, I just disagree with him.
The success this country will have, it will be phenomenal under this administration.
And he can continue to fight and vote for what he thinks is right, which is totally different than what the public said and the American people said in this last election.
Congressman Ralph Norman, Republican of South Dakota.
Always appreciate your time on the Washington Journal.
Thanks for stopping by.
Thank you, John.
Coming up for about the next 40 minutes this morning, we are going to be in an open forum.
And then post-open forum, we will talk to another member of Congress.
It is Brad Schneider, Democrat of Illinois.
But go ahead and start calling in with your open forum phone calls.
We'll put the numbers on the screen, and we will get to your calls right after the break.
Attention middle and high school students across America.
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Our coverage begins Saturday at 11 a.m. Eastern and Sunday at noon.
Highlights include PBS's Ray Suarez with his book, We Are Home, on Immigration and the Process of Becoming an American, The Washington Post's Liza Mundy discussing her book, The Sisterhood on Women in the CIA, former DOD and DOJ Inspector General Glenn Fine and his book, Watch Dogs on the Role of an Inspector General, and Elizabeth Diaz discussing her book, The Fall of Roe, on Post-Row America.
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The house will be in order.
This year, C-SPAN celebrates 45 years of covering Congress like no other.
Since 1979, we've been your primary source for Capitol Hill, providing balanced, unfiltered coverage of government, taking you to where the policy is debated and decided, all with the support of America's cable companies.
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Washington Journal continues.
Here's where we are this morning.
The House is scheduled to be in at 9 a.m. Eastern, so we will take you there as usual when the House does come in.
It's an abbreviated Washington Journal.
I should note that freshman members of Congress are on Capitol Hill today and heading up to the East Front right now for their freshman picture.
It's freshman orientation week for those who won their races and will be seated in the 119th Congress.
Democrats and Republicans, freshman House members are gathering on the House side steps on the East Front for their annual picture, or I should say biannual picture for the incoming class.
We'll show you that when it happens, but it's open form right now on the Washington Journal.
Any public policy, any political issue that you want to talk about, the phone lines are yours to do so, and the numbers are on your screen.
Callers already on the line, this is Randy in Kentucky.
Drop first in open form.
Good morning.
Thanks, Joe.
The fellow you had on there previously, who's pretty good from South Carolina, but on these picks for Trump, they were the ones for Biden when he picked his.
They were just like the biggest jokes, and no one was telling you.
They thought people would say they're the greatest, but they were jokes.
I mean, he had Lloyd Austin, Secretary of Defense, that was missing with nobody, told no one in change of command where he was that he was out for weeks.
And head of the head of the Defense Department, these people, the Secretary of Navy, I mean, do you not know what the Secretary of Navy is and does?
I mean, insane.
Secretary of Transportation, same away.
The head of teachers' union, same away.
Make jokes and fun of American citizens with these people.
Attorney General hated Trump.
I hated McConnell because they didn't put him on the Supreme Court.
And Supreme Court, by the way, nominated a woman to the Supreme Court that didn't even know what a definition of a woman was.
I mean, these people, I mean, what Randy, is there anybody out there that you would like to see in a second Trump cabinet?
I'm just going down through the ones.
I'm just trying to explain how sorry these pics were of Biden's administration compared to what they're saying about Trump's picks.
And the one thing that you should really remember: whenever you talk about Matt Gates, he's a heterosexual.
And there's an old biblical saying.
Just apply this to everything you see.
There's an old biblical saying that you will choke on a heterosexual, but you'll swallow a game.
All right, this is Randy.
That's Donna in Beaumont, Texas.
Next, Democrat, good morning.
Good morning.
I just want to say how disgusted I am about people who picked Trump, and now Trump's taking Gates for he's a sex trafficker, and it's just not right.
That's Donna in Beaumont, Texas.
Lawmakers demanding a release of an ethics committee probe about Matt Gates, a probe dating back to 2021.
House Ethics Committee has been conducting that investigation.
Here's what they have investigated: claims that Mr. Gates engaged in sexual misconduct and illicit drug use, shared inappropriate images or videos on the House floor, misused statements, identification records, converted campaign funds to personal use, and accepted impermissible gifts under House rules.
There was a statement earlier this week from Senate Judiciary Chairman Dick Durbin, the Democrat from Illinois.
He won't be the chairman in the 119th Congress, but he's the Judiciary Chairman until the end of the 118th Congress.
This is his statement after Donald Trump picked Matt Gates as his Attorney General, saying, In light of Donald Trump's selection of former Congressman Matt Gates to be AG, I am calling on the House Ethics Committee to preserve and share their report and all relevant documentation on Mr. Gates with the Senate Judiciary Committee.
The sequence and timing of Mr. Gates' resignation from the House raises serious questions about the contents of the House Ethics Committee report.
We cannot allow this valuable information from a bipartisan investigation to be hidden from the American people.
Make no mistake, this information could be relevant to the question of Mr. Gates' confirmation as the next Attorney General of the United States and our constitutional responsibility of advice and consent.
The statement from Dick Durbin.
This is Peter in Foxborough, Massachusetts, Independent.
Good morning.
Hi, hi, good morning, John.
What I got is right now, I'm speaking in all caps, and I'll throw an explanation point in there every so often.
Yeah, I'm just worried about the picks he's making.
They're just horrible.
If they're anything like his last time he was in, you know, but Matt Gates, you know, we got a captain that's going to be the secretary of the defense.
We got Gillard.
She's a traitor to the Democratic Party, but I think she just wants, I don't know.
I don't know.
But anyways, I got a plan.
I've been not sleeping.
I got the Trump depressing, I guess.
I don't know.
But the whole thing is, if I was Joe Biden, I'd retire, make Camellia, make her the 47th, piss off a lot of Maggies because they got the 47 instead of a 48 on their hat.
But then if I'd take, I would take Joe, put him in jail.
He had the documents.
Then I'd take Trump, read my ligo, bring him all back and save his.
All right.
That's Peter this morning showing you what's happening on Capitol Hill right now.
The freshman members, the elected members that will be freshmen in the 119th Congress gathering on the steps of the East Front on the House side, those House members there for their portrait, their picture that they always take ahead of the new Congress.
We'll let you watch that a little bit as we hear from Gary in Tennessee, Independent.
Good morning.
Thank you, John.
In your first session, a man made an interesting point.
There's a lot of us old people watching C-SPAN, very few young.
I'm a 70s gray-headed old man, and I want to say we have screwed this country up with the people we elected.
We had George Bush spent four years after a war that may have been necessary, nation-building in Afghanistan, a big giant rock that exports poppy seeds for heroin.
Then we had Barack Obama with eight years doubling down all our tax dollars while some people were really hurting in this country.
More nation building.
Now the young people have spoken.
And I know I'm close with a lot of young men, 20 years old, 20 to 40 years old.
They've all got young kids.
One of them voted, probably 20 kids, and one of them voted for Harris.
And he's absolutely a liberal.
That's his prerogative.
But these people have spoke.
It's time for us old dudes, sit on our couch and let them have it.
I want to say one more thing.
I've worked for two billionaires in my life.
I was a grain of sand on their beach.
They did not know who I was.
But after that, I started my own business.
And there's no stupid billionaires.
There's none.
Unless they inherited their money, maybe.
Gary, do you think?
Do you think there should be an age limit on service on elected office in this country or as an appointment to the Supreme Court?
Do you think there should be an age limit?
You talk about the old people sitting down on the couch.
Yeah, well, those are some wise old constitutional guys that that's just how the system works.
I don't know that we can change that.
But we need to shut up.
We have screwed it up.
We've got a system where our government is spending $15 million to run a windmill 10 years that produces $5 million worth of energy.
That's our money.
It's the young people's money.
It's the people in the inner cities that are hurting.
We're a wealthy, wealthy nation, and these politicians have ripped us off.
Their children are wealthy.
It's time for us to shut up and let these young kids have their new country.
And somebody show us how it's done.
That's Gary.
This is Christopher next in Massachusetts, Southbridge, Massachusetts, Independent.
Good morning.
Good morning.
Hey, this is Chris, and I've just got a curious question about Haiti.
That stuff that's going on in Haiti has gone on so long, I would love to see our government step in.
What is our government doing about Haiti with the gangs and all that kind of stuff?
And that's my comment of the morning.
Chris, appreciate that.
Maybe it's a good upcoming segment on the Washington Journal.
I will bring that up in our meeting this afternoon.
This is Joanne in Memphis, Tennessee.
Democrat, good morning.
Good morning.
My question is: why isn't it not any black being nominated in his cabinet?
If they say he's not racist, why is it that even in his first term, he only appointed Ben Carson?
So, what is it with he's not appointing any black people in his cabinet?
Thank you.
Yvonne, Tampa, Florida, Republican, good morning.
Hi.
Okay, so what I want to say is that I'm very, very, very that Trump was voted in.
I'm definitely a native of New York City.
Everyone's asking, why isn't it that black is not voted in?
It's sad to say that majority of them don't know how to act.
If you're going to vote someone in, it shouldn't be based upon any type of color or anything like that.
It should be more about your level of education, your love for God, and what you can actually do to make a difference in this country.
And that goes for any office that you're in, just a local office that you work in.
It starts there.
It's so sad how everyone is looking at the demographics and judging from the outside and not looking at the fact that Trump is getting the job done.
No one can do it like Trump.
I call him a bad husband that pays the bills.
So let it go.
That's Yvonne in Tampa, Florida.
This is Alan in Arkansas, Independent.
Good morning.
Hi, John.
Good morning.
Yes, I've been waiting for you to be on.
You've been so helpful the few other times I've called in the last year.
And Alan, I want you to talk about what's going on.
You always call about the same thing.
Let's talk about what we're talking about today.
I think you're going to talk about a podcast again.
I think we've shown it several times.
I'm so impressed that you remember that.
But that's exactly why I was calling.
What do you think is going to happen?
I know the podcast is about the war in Ukraine.
What do you think happens in the coming months in the Trump administration when it comes to the war in Ukraine?
Well, thank you.
And again, I just wanted to say, so I can try to get an extra minute.
I was a broadcast professional 55, 60 years ago and was on the radio and love radio broadcasting and so on.
My two claims to fame was spending an hour in Orville Fauba's hotel room when I was 19 and an interview before he had a news conference.
And it was just because I was just wanting to be with somebody after he was there to see him early and not have to wait until after his conference to get an interview with him.
So he invited me into his hotel room for an hour with his wife getting dressed through a little louvered door on the other side.
So the wildest story.
And the other is this talk show I had 55 years ago was with the absolute brilliant political scientist Jim Rankino.
And he was a professor at a university and just a brilliant political scientist.
And so when I have this talk show, he comes on for an hour.
The only one-hour talk show he was on before he really worked himself out of his life, truly.
He passed away waiting for a news conference.
He's the political scientist that got the Democrat elected from Arkansas, the Clinton family.
So I just have this history in broadcast.
And so that's why I didn't get to make the point about this woman to connect her with President-elect Trump that, again, inviting or asking you to invite her on for an hour's interview program.
And I've called during the week and talked to your people on two different occasions.
And Alan, what's the name again?
Anna from Ukraine.
And I just tell you, she's going to be the prime minister of Ukraine.
It may be 10 years from now or 20 years from now.
She's now in her 40s.
But because of this political career, I've interviewed hundreds and hundreds of people.
I remember the first time I heard Rush Limbaugh's name, and I thought, oh, sure.
But he turned out to have a pretty impressive career.
But I tell you, this woman, and I just say all those things because I've had this experience with meeting so many different people.
And, Alan, I appreciate you telling us about it this morning.
It's our open forum this morning at the same time that the House Freshman Class picture is taking place on the East Front steps.
They just wrapped up the picture itself, and now all the freshman members mingling with each other.
They've been in freshman orientation all week long on Capitol Hill, learning the ropes, learning how to put House offices together, budgets for house offices.
All those things take place ahead of the new Congress, every new Congress.
It's the 119th Congress that is going to sit on January the 3rd.
The first vote they will have is the vote for the House Speaker.
And we will, of course, be there for it.
And you can watch it here on C-SPAN when that happens.
Taking your phone calls in open form as we continue to show you what's happening on Capitol Hill today.
This is Barbara in Connecticut.
Democrat, good morning.
Good morning.
I was just calling to say, how come Half America seems to have lost its mind thinking that the cabinet picks are sensible?
You have Bobby Kennedy who brings dead bears to Central Park, Christy Noam, who takes her dog and shoots it in a gravel pit.
What's the matter with people?
I mean, there are things that Bobby Kennedy, for example, wants to slow down the research into drugs, new drugs, big pharma and all of that.
And yet, one out of five children in this country who are diagnosed with cancer do not live.
And it's just crazy to me.
I just don't understand it.
Thank you.
That's Barbara.
This is Chris Derby Line Vermont Republican.
Good morning.
Good morning.
I have some comments for the previous speaker, too, but one of the biggest concerns is this Kennedy appointment.
It's been on the news lately that we have measles re-emerging, 30 states, on non-vaccinated children.
So what's going to be the new prerequisite for infants and school-aged children?
Do we drop those vaccines for measles?
And does that start a new epidemic?
And may I have some comments regarding the previous speaker?
Go ahead, Chris.
I've got some folks waiting, but go ahead.
Okay, when they say about dropping the Department of Ed, I'm 73 years old and I sub on the junior high level.
And how are we to know what are uniform standards throughout education in the United States, especially for math and science, in order to get into college if the Department of Education is disbanded?
There should be, you can't do certain things by states.
You have to have a standard just to get students to a certain level to be academic students eligible for college.
Chris, what grade do you substitute teaching?
Seventh and eighth.
And I do math, science, language arts, social studies.
I'm all across the board at 73.
Have you substituted since the election?
I worked yesterday.
Are the kids talking about the election?
No.
We make it a point that if you have any questions, it's your to go to the social studies department.
I had kids before the election ask me who I voted for, and I politely responded that my vote was private.
And when they were 18, and in four years, most of them will be voting if they want to come back and have that discussion.
But I explained also as an educator, I can't tell you who I'm voting for because it would flavor what you're thinking.
Because basically, at that age, they're parroting their parents.
And if their parent isn't in the same line that I am, that sets up a controversy between the school and the parent.
Does that make sense?
So we have an agreement within staff, within our SU, that we do not make political comments, especially to kids of that age.
Because we went through January 6th was horrendous at school.
The kids were upset.
They definitely took sides, and they took sides from their parental conversations.
And that leads into something else that your current speaker spoke about, that January 6th was a sham.
When you looked at the TV footage and you saw members of Congress that were hiding underneath chairs, and you saw a guillotine put up, and you heard about the different ways the rotunda was trashed and defaced, I don't see how any adult member of Congress that has taken an oath can say that that was a sham.
That's almost a slap of intelligence.
And this day of prayer, I'm all for that.
I'm Catholic, was raised Catholic, and definitely believe in Christ.
But what does that have?
How does that bring in the Jews that are waiting and the Buddhas that have been along longer than we have?
Because we have different, we are a nation of different faiths.
We are a nation of different faiths, which is what brought us here in the first place, was religious freedom.
Chris, thanks for the call from Vermont this morning.
Anthony in Florida, Independent.
Good morning.
Good morning, John.
John, I try to call in Monday on Veterans Day, but I know this is the, I call this the American Show, the Nation Show.
So I'm very appreciated when I do get in, but I wanted to call in and talk about, we had the topic of what Veterans Day mean.
And I want to tell you the reason I call you Big John because I served on the John F. Kennedy USS, John F. Kennedy CD67.
And every time we pull out, and that's a carrier, Anthony?
Yeah, that was Carrier.
She's decommissioned.
She was the last, I think, non-nuclear carrier.
And every time we pull out, they'll play the song Big John.
That's why I call you, that's why I get it from when I call in and say Big John.
And I wanted to tell you, man, Veterans Day means so much because when I was out there serving to see, you know, the ships and the carrier and the cruise missiles and everything, the battle group got to go over when it was in the Mediterranean and to see our power, man, that no country, Russia, China, they don't want any of us, man.
And then not only the machinery we have, but the heart we have to fight and love our country, man.
And I still fight the day with a fucking spoon to defend her.
And I don't care who the president is, whether it's Trump, Biden, you know, Kennedy.
If we bring Abraham Lincoln back, man, this country's worth fighting for, man.
Hey, John.
Anthony, what years were you in the Navy?
Man, I was in the Navy, 91, 1991, 99.
I graduated 7 o'clock that night, and I was on my way to Orlando, which is they don't have the boot camp.
I mean, they don't have the boot camp there anymore.
By 8 o'clock, I was in boot camp.
You joined right out of high school?
Right out of high school, but it was the greatest decision I made.
Greatest decision.
And John, do one more thing for me.
When you see BO, man, with them pretty glasses he used to wear, tell him I say, hey, he can come back every now and then and wave and tell us, hey, because we miss him, man.
We miss Bill Scanlon, too.
The Big John song, is that the one about the guy who goes down and saves the miners in the mine?
Yeah, Big John.
I remember that song.
Anthony, thanks for the call from Florida.
Ray in Glendale, Arizona, Democrat.
Good morning.
Good morning, John.
Good morning, John.
What this Jewish, if you would do your viewers a favor and put up on the screen a formal definition of the word cacistocracy.
They're going to want to know it because that's what we're going to be living under starting next year.
What is the word that you want?
Cacistocracy.
What's the definition, Ray?
Well, you look it up and put it up for everyone.
You tell me what you think it is, Ray.
I'm not your Google.
Go ahead.
It's a government society made up of the worst, least qualified and most unscrupulous citizens.
Suffice to say, you're not happy with these cabinet picks.
Oh, I'm delighted.
This is going to be a real crown show.
It's going to be entertaining as awful.
That's Ray in Arizona.
This is Eric in Upper Marlboro, Maryland, Independent.
Good morning.
Good morning.
I'm a retired vet, and I have a concern with the American people.
A lot of them don't really understand or comprehend the Constitution.
One of the previous callers talked about the Supreme Court justice that was appointed that she didn't know the definition of a woman.
People don't understand it's not their lane.
Their job is to interpret the Constitution.
And I'm really concerned.
I mean, I took an oath.
The previous caller was a vet as well.
We took an oath to defend the Constitution.
And it seems like the Constitution is being overlooked.
It's just being discarded.
And we're picking and choosing which individual rights we're going to respect.
So I really don't understand where we are as a country at this point.
Former president and president-elect Trump at one point spoke of suggesting the termination of the Constitution.
So it's really concerning to me that a lot of the American public really doesn't grasp what the Constitution is and what the job of the Supreme Court is.
And also, I'd say with the picks of the Supreme Court that Trump did, we basically had, I would say, at least two that basically they didn't, they line under oath.
Whether you're pro-life or, you know, pro-abortion, it's about individual rights and freedoms.
And they said they would not touch settled law.
So that's just my comment.
It was really concerning that I hear someone say, oh, she didn't know the definition of a woman.
I mean, it's not the Supreme Court's job to be a doctor.
Their job is to interpret the Constitution.
Letty in Florida, Democrat.
Good morning.
You're next.
Good morning.
I had a question since Trump said if he's one, it's not the election is not real when he wins.
But he lost, and the election is big because he made the announcement when he was in Georgia that he had pit bulls.
And I don't see how one woman can depress the vote of 2,000 and something people.
They had a bunch of people doing that same thing all over the country.
Nobody's saying a thing about it.
The votes have been depressed.
They threw away a lot of the votes.
And I don't understand how a felon can run for president.
And the least little thing, some people do, they're thrown in jail.
And those are my comments I would like to know.
That's Letty in Florida Omar here in D.C., Republican.
Good morning.
Yes, good morning.
I'm a Republican because I inherited this Republican label from my grandparents who were from South Carolina.
So my comments are going to be about that.
The labels are not important.
It's which party was about social justice in their era.
And so I'm a Lincoln Frederick Douglass Tubman Republican.
And so usually, although not always, I vote for Democrats.
I want to say that the Representative Norman did not talk about the Court of Shame in South Carolina, which is an area of where education and schools are very, very poor in his state.
Also, the representative, a lot of these guys like to pretend that things like the blinding of Isaac Woodard, who came home from World War II and the white sheriff blinded him.
He's a black vet.
This happened in South Carolina.
In fact, there's a song that Woody Guthrie wrote about, the blinding of Isaac Woodard.
Look it up.
Also, it is very possible to be a family values, a value conservative, and still want health care for all and still want good schools for all and good housing for all.
Those are not inconsistent.
So I don't know how it is that the idea that one is a social justice warrior has come to be something that seems to be in contradiction to the idea of having family values.
Again, Representative Norman would like to pretend that there's still no results of structured racism in South Carolina.
He is absolutely wrong.
All you have to do is go there.
And if you're from there, as my family has been for five generations, you can see that.
And that is the absolute truth.
And when he talks about Christianity and all of that, you need to remember that there was a strong Muslim presence on the coast of South Carolina by people who were descendants from Gambia, the Senegambia region, and that their religion was systematically eliminated, as well as African religions.
So Islam on the coast of South Carolina during the antebellum period is a real thing.
And we know that we have many books now about this issue.
So these guys, like Norman, don't tell the whole truth.
Sometimes maybe they don't know it.
But we need to deal with that reality.
As to the election of Donald Trump, on the blinding of Isaac Woodard, a program from, it was late last year, Judge Richard Gergel, the author of Unexampled Courage: The Blinding of Sergeant Isaac Woodard and the Awakening of President Harry S. Truman and Judge Jay Waits Waring, a book discussion that we aired on American History TV that you can watch if you're interested in the history there and other programs on Isaac Woodard as well.
But that's the most recent one.
Tim's next in Wilson, North Carolina, Independent.
Good morning.
Yes, good morning.
I just wanted to say, during this election or before the election, I never thought, I talked to a lot of people, I never thought that we would see genocide in my time.
And the mood of the people, because you got to look at it, it wasn't that people did not vote.
I mean, people did not vote for Biden, but it was that people didn't, a lot of people didn't vote because the way things look.
You know, you look at the wars, and, you know, Israel controls this country, whether we want to omit it or not.
And Biden was caught up.
I think he had a chance to stand up and be stronger and stand up and do the right thing for Israel, which they could have got rid of Netanyahu because Israel wanted to get rid of him.
Netanyahu also met privately with Putin, just like Trump did.
And I think this country has gone into a different direction.
I think it's been led by CPAC.
So, Tim, what do you think happens in the Middle East with U.S.-Israel relations in the next Donald Trump administration?
We know Mike Huckabee is Donald Trump's pick to be U.S. ambassador to Israel.
Gonna see fire.
You're gonna see a war with Iran, and you're gonna see that whole area erupt.
You're gonna see Russia take part of Ukraine, and it's gonna be a whole resettling.
You're gonna see NATO practically gone.
Another thing Biden did was try to fight that war divided.
He should have just came out and told the American people that there was no winning to it because you can't fight a war when you've got the other party against you over here.
So he got himself into a lot of trouble.
And when people look that, when you look at the world before the election, it was just chaos and it was a down thing.
And the Democrats, 10 million people less voted for Biden this time than the last time, which should have been the other way around.
So that should tell you something.
That's Tim in North Carolina.
Just about five minutes left in open forum.
This is James Cleveland, Ohio.
Line for Democrats.
Good morning.
Yes.
How's it going?
Doing well.
Yes.
I'm calling in to make a particular comment that during Trump's pre-inaugural address, he indicated that his life was spared by God and that basically that God has sent him here as Moses to lead the people out of the darkness.
And my particular comment is that Trump has been the darkness.
And I'm trying to get my head around what type of God would spare a life like a man like Trump.
It's James in Ohio.
This is Mary Akron, Ohio.
Republican, good morning.
Yes, I wanted to talk about during the debate when the cap story came up about the Haitians in Springfield, Ohio.
Well, I wanted to give a real story about the Haitians in the United States and the Haitians that the Democratic Party shackled down in planes and flew back to Haiti and lied to them.
Okay, the Democratic Party were using people from Haiti just like they have used the black people to get their vote.
How it all started was Mexico released all these Haitians into the United States because they were having a three-day holiday.
So they all ended up under that bridge September of 2021.
The more conservative Democrats were hearing all kinds of things from their constituents.
You know, we can't have all these migrants coming into this country, not migrants, illegal aliens.
So my orcas orchestrated that they were going to fly them out and take them back to Haiti.
Well, they lied to the Haitians.
And Mary, where did you find this?
It all comes from immigration studies.
This is all fact.
Nobody reads anything.
I don't watch CNN and Fox and get my information from them.
In fact, I think they need to be doing more investigating.
They lied to these Haitians.
They boarded them on buses, took them to the planes, shackled some of them down like slaves.
Get that, people, Democrats, slaves, blew them back to Port of Prince.
When these people realized they were not being flown into the interior of the United States, they took over the plane.
They tore the plane up.
And Mary, when you say immigration studies, are you talking about the Center for Immigration Studies?
That's where you read about this?
Yes.
Yes.
I don't know why you guys don't tell this story about how they shackled Haitians down in planes, lied to them, flew them back into Port of Prince.
Now they're down there alrighty.
And I got one more thing to say.
Those Haitians have been living in Brazil and Chile and different countries peacefully.
They came here because Joe Biden opened up the border.
It's Mary in Ohio.
One more call in open form.
This is Pamela in Kansas in the Sunflower State.
Democrat, good morning.
Good morning.
I would just like to state, during Trump's run for this current session, I call it, of his coming presidency, he kept saying, we, the country, we, the people in the United States, were the enemy from within.
He has many people behind him that have that same belief that the citizens of the United States of America, unless they support Trump wholeheartedly, we are the enemy.
That's Pamela, our last caller in this open forum 30 minutes before the House comes in, and we'll, of course, take you there gavel-to-gavel here on C-SPAN.
In that time, though, we will be joined by Democrat Brad Schneider of Illinois, a discussion with him about what to expect in the 119th Congress.
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From now until the House comes in at 9 a.m., we're joined by Democrat Brad Schneider.
He won a sixth term in the 10th District of Illinois on election night.
And Congressman Schneider, what's your explanation for why we're headed into the next two years with Republicans in control of the White House, the Senate, and the House here in Washington?
Well, not to be flipped, but the Republicans won 53 Senate seats and won a majority of the House seats.
But the majority in the House actually shrunk a bit.
So it's hard to give it one simple explanation.
At the top of the ticket at the presidential race, the Democrats just didn't make the case across the country.
And we have to do a better job of reaching out to voters, reaching out to voters in the middle who want to hear a message from the Democrats that address their concerns, their everyday concerns, and give them confidence that we're going to lead in a direction that will improve the quality of their lives.
I think at the House, like I said, Democrats actually picked up seats.
I'm a member of the New Democrat Coalition.
We've actually gone from 100 members to 108.
We're the moderates in the middle.
So the center is held, and we just need to expand that and work to do better in the next election.
The New Democrat Coalition is something you're running to be chair of in the 119th Congress.
What would you do as chair of the New Democrat coalition?
What can you do?
Well, I think the New Democrats have a critical role to play.
As I said, we're 108 members, maybe 109 or 110, depending on the outcome of some of the races that aren't yet called.
We're actually a majority of the Democratic caucus.
And I think what the new Dems have to do is make sure our voices are heard, that we stand up for our values and principles as Democrats, putting workers first, working families, making sure we're investing in our communities, growing our economy.
We're going to stand against actions from the other side that we think take the country in the wrong direction, but we stand ready and willing to work together across the aisle as well as throughout the caucus to try to put forward policies that will improve people's lives.
Is it as simple as saying Democrats moved too far left in election 2024 and that's why they lost?
No, I don't think so because again, you have the fact that among the new Dems, we've actually added members.
I think in some cases that may have been the case, but across the board, we just need to do a better job listening to what voters are saying, where their priorities are, focusing on the issues that matter to them on a day-to-day basis.
At the same time, we need to make the case that America does have an important role to play in the world, and we can't shy away from that.
I think the Democratic message has to move in a direction that connects with people in the country, especially in the middle of the country.
But I don't think it's a matter of wholesale change.
I think it's putting the emphasis on the policies such as the infrastructure bill that we passed, the Chips and Science Act, the PACT Act, helping veterans.
The legislation that Democrats can have gotten done are things that affect people's lives in a very positive way.
The more we explain that, I think the better we can connect.
This is Ingrid Jacques in USA Today, her column, her opinion piece.
One of the reasons why so many voters turned away from Democrats this election, they were sick of being called racist, transphobic, or sexist simply for having views that differed from the far left.
What do you think?
I think, again, as a moderate, and I say moderate is a style, not a position.
I believe we should listen to everybody and speak to them with respect.
In my own case, I represent a district where I won my first race by one point.
I lost my first reelection by two.
I came back and won by five.
I've worked with people in my district, and now I win by 20% or more because I think I listen to the people I represent.
I tell them I run as a Democrat, but I represent everybody.
I think the better we can get the message out that we are a big country with a lot of diverse ideas, but we are a country that welcomes those ideas and we can differ with each other, but do it with respect.
I think if we can get that message across, we'll do a much better job of attracting voters to our side of the aisle.
A senior member of the Foreign Affairs Committee, are you going to continue to serve on Foreign Affairs in the 119th?
I hope so.
I'm on Ways and Means, which is my primary committee.
That's what's known as an exclusive committee.
So I serve on foreign affairs by special waiver with permission of the leader.
I hope if there's a spot, I would love to continue to serve there.
I want to get your thoughts on Donald Trump's picks for his cabinet that impact foreign affairs issues, starting with Marco Rubio.
Marco Rubio is a U.S. senator.
I disagree with much of his positions, but he's a person that has earned respect and is certainly qualified for the position.
Beyond that, though, I have great concerns about the nominees that President Trump has announced.
People who are not serious and, in fact, could be quite dangerous in their positions, whether it is Tulsi Gabbard for national intelligence, and it's not just on foreign policy, Matt Gates for Attorney General.
I've worked with both of them.
I don't think either one is qualified for the position, and I think their views and perspectives and priorities would make them very dangerous in those roles.
We've talked about U.S.-Israel relations in the past.
What about Mike Huckabee as Ambassador to Israel?
You know, Mike Huckabee, he's been a governor.
Again, we don't have a lot of common views, but he'll go through the Senate process.
And my hope is if he does become ambassador, we'll continue to work together to try to advance peace for both Israelis, Palestinians, and all the people of the region.
How do you advance peace in that region?
Well, first thing we have to do is find a way to end the war.
And as long as Hamas is a threat to Israel and reigns over Gaza, it's difficult to see a path to peace as long as Hezbollah, both Hamas and Hezbollah, proxies of Iran.
We need to make sure that we work with our allies and create a path where people can live together, respect each other's place in the region.
I'm chair of the Abraham Accords Caucus.
Tal Becker, who is one of the authors of the accords, talks about the Abraham Accords for the first time, saying both Israelis and Arabs belong to the same land.
And we have to find a way for those two peoples to live together, lift up the land, and in doing so, lift up each other.
Brad Schneider with us until the House comes in at 9 a.m. Eastern.
It's 202-748-8000 for Democrats to call in.
202-748-8001 for Republicans.
Independents, 2028-8002.
As folks are calling in, let me return to ways and means.
When we talk about a SALT cap here in Washington, what does that mean?
What does that Washington speak translate to?
Well, the SALT cap, SALT stands for state and local taxes.
And what the Republicans did in the 2017 tax bill was cap the deduction at $10,000 per household.
So even a couple with two incomes are capped at that $10,000.
It was a punitive measure targeted specifically against states like Illinois, California, New York, New Jersey.
It affects states that have higher property or state taxes.
Bottom line, though, it is a double tax.
States that make the decision to invest in their own communities, pay for their schools, and do so with property taxes or state income tax rather than a sales tax or other measures.
These citizens in these states are now being taxed twice by that cap.
So I think the SALT cap should be repealed.
I was hopeful we could move towards that if the Democrats were in the majority.
I'll continue to work with that.
It is a bipartisan issue.
In fact, there's a bipartisan SALT caucus because it affects both Democrats and Republicans, and it violates the principle by being a double tax on American citizens.
Let's chat with some callers.
Michael's up first out of Dallas, Texas.
Democrat, good morning.
Yes, I'm Michael Abraham.
What I wanted to say, first of all, is go back to the first point you all made about Governor Huckabee.
He is the man that clemences me out of the prison.
But let me tell you what his agenda is.
He said that the Palestinians does not have a state.
He said that that one land is only for Israel.
He said that they got to get with the Arabs and the Persians and relocate the Palestinians.
Now, he's supposed to be a preacher.
And if you read the Bible, you'll learn that the Israel and Palestine are brothers.
They're brothers' children.
You see, because Abraham had an illegitimate son first, his name was Ishmael Bahagar.
Oh, my God.
Those are the Arabs.
I want to bring it back to today.
I'm interested.
You said Mike Huckabee granted you clemency.
You were in prison at some point and he granted you clemency.
Is that what you said?
Yeah, he granted me clemency.
He said, that was the reason I called.
I wanted to talk about how ex-convicts all over the world, all over the United States, were discriminated in this election because they allowed Donald Trump to do it.
I cannot go buy a 22 pistol and I got out of penitentiary 30 years ago.
But Trump controls all the nuclear weapons.
Well, Brad Schneider, there's a lot there that the caller brings up.
What do you want to pick up on?
Well, I will touch on where he started about Mike Huckabee and some of the things he said about the Middle East.
And I mentioned before I don't agree with many of the positions of Governor Huckabee.
I believe that both the Israelis and Palestinians have long historical claims to the same land.
And that's been the challenge in this region for centuries, not just the last 76 years.
I believe that Israel has a right to defend itself, that it is right to protect its borders, defend its citizens, and do everything it can to rescue its hostages.
I also believe that the path to a long-term peace, and this is not on the table today, but down the road, is two states.
I've talked about this for a very, very long time.
A Jewish democratic state of Israel living with security and peace alongside a Palestinian state that doesn't threaten Israel, is not governed by a terrorist organization like Hamas, is not a proxy of a country that sponsors terrorism around the world like Iran.
It's got to be a true and real peace.
And that's why, again, going back to the Abraham Accords, working with countries like UAE, Bahrain, Morocco, building on the prospects for normalization with the Saudis and trying to work with the Palestinians to create real responsible government that respects the needs and the rights of the Palestinian people, but also works towards peace and prosperity with the Israelis.
That's the path we've got to find.
As long as Hamas is in control, Hezbollah is threatening Israel.
As long as you have those things, that path is really difficult to create.
Arthur's next out of Michigan Republican.
Good morning.
Yes, good morning, Representative Brad Trader.
I'd like to just make out a point.
You know, a lot of seniors said this, this, and that, and people, you're here watching the news.
People are suffering because of high everything, gas, high energy, everything.
And when you lose income, when I lost my wife last year, it does hurt.
And I think when she paid all her money into taxes, she should have been able to collect.
I should have been able to collect at least half of hers.
No, when you lose a spouse, you just get cheers or the highest one.
And then a lot about the election.
I see all the news.
And I just want to say, you know, people cried out.
That's why they switched because they're hurting in everyday life.
And then you hear stories of people coming here from other countries getting $1,400 a month for groceries.
I mean, the only way you're going to, and I was a Democrat, my family, I grew up in a Democrat family.
And we switched over my wife back in the 80s because the way things were going, you know, people have to live.
And we all have to live together on the earth.
We're all brothers and sisters.
And we have to live the truth and follow Jesus and be good to everybody.
Brad Schneider.
Well, first let me say I'm sorry about your loss.
I know I lost my dad now almost two years and it's been a struggle for my mom.
And so I hope you're doing well.
And I think you're 100% right.
First, families across the country have been struggling.
Inflation has affected all of us, but especially working families, families that were already stretching to make ends meet.
Inflation made it that much harder.
And as we grow our economy and incomes rise, that's help for many.
But if you're on a fixed income, if you depend on Social Security, inflation takes a real bite.
And as you mentioned, when you lose a spouse, when both are on a fixed income, the rent doesn't get cut in half.
The electric bill doesn't get cut in half.
There are a lot of expenses that stay fixed, and we need to respond to that.
So I hear what you're saying, and I would like to address that.
We need to make sure Social Security remains strong, that for so many people in this country who depend on Social Security for basic living expenses, just to get through month to month.
We've got to make sure that we protect that.
Folks who have worked a long career in this country, contributed to building this country, and are now in their retirement years should have security and dignity throughout those years.
So I agree with you 100%.
To the caller's points on why Democrats lost in 2024, you were one of the early voices calling on Joe Biden to step aside in the presidential election.
If he had stepped aside sooner, do you think Democrats would have done better?
Yeah, it's hard to play the counterfactual.
It's easy to think, you know, President Biden, when he was first elected, said he was going to be a one-term president.
If he created a longer on-ramp for whether it was Vice President Harris or anyone else to step in to fill the shoes of President Biden, you look at President Biden's first two years of his term, the legislation, the historic transformative legislation passed.
I already mentioned the Chips and Science Act, the infrastructure bill.
All of this will have positive impacts for years to come, if not decades.
And in July of this year, I called for President Biden to pass the torch, which he did.
I think there'll be a lot of analysis asking whether he did it soon enough or if it would have made a difference.
My hope is that in the weeks, months, and years ahead, we can continue to build on the successes President Biden laid out and the Congress passed in the last Congress and do good things for the American people going forward.
About 10 minutes before the House comes in today, and we will take you there when they do.
Bill is on the line from Buffalo, New York, though, independent with Congressman Brad Schneider.
Go ahead.
My older friend.
Bill, you're with us.
You got to stick by your phone and turn down your TV.
This is Mel in California.
Republican, good morning.
Good morning.
Thank you for taking my call.
My question is concerning Matt Gates.
The charges, I was interested in the charges being held against him.
Or I guess the Department of Justice dropped those charges a year ago.
But it made me curious why Trump would select him.
So I went on Young Turks, and after they were talking about him, they talked about a documentary, the people who made a documentary called The Swamp, and it came out in 2020.
And that documentary exposed why we only have a two-party system, why Congress can never get, or not never, but Congress has a hard time getting things through.
And my question is, it makes Citizens United look like kindergarten.
So my question is, if all of these things are exposed through watching the swamp on HBO Max, if all of these things are exposed,
showing how the lobbyists pretty much control a lot of what Congress does, and it's pretty much turned our Congresspeople into fundraisers more than representing the people.
So my question is, would the representative you have on right now, would he vote, if he had the choice, for Matt Gates to take care of and get the lobbyists out of Congress so they can do the work of the people?
Congressman.
Well, thanks for the question.
I'm going to split it into two.
I work with Matt Gates.
I wouldn't vote for him for anything.
But I think you are 100% right about the impact of big money and Citizens United having grave consequences.
Members of Congress are forced to fundraise.
It's a part of the process.
But because of Citizens United, what's known as dark money or money that we don't know who is behind a commercial or an attack against a member, it doesn't matter which party, it comes from both sides.
We have circumstances where one candidate may outraise their opponent and get their message out, talk in positive ways.
But then outside groups that have nothing to do with the candidates come in and can spend two, three, four, ten times as much money attacking the candidates.
And it can be outside groups that have interest that have no reflection on what the priorities or values of the district are.
And so it's a real problem.
So I support Citizens United as a Supreme Court decision.
So we need legislation.
We need comprehensive campaign finance reform.
We need to bring integrity back into campaign finance and make sure that the voters have a chance to hear the voices of the people running to represent them, but that those voices aren't drowned out by people from outside the district who can create a completely different dynamic.
Andover, New Jersey, this is Michael Independent.
Good morning.
Good morning, gentlemen.
I'm a 66-year-old man, and I was a lifelong Democrat, but this summer I ran to the clerk and registered as an independent.
And I saw this train wreck coming for the Democrats.
But here's what I want to ask Representative.
APAC attacks Democrats and makes them lose.
And the Democrats never say anything about that.
And that's my concern.
So I hear you're concerned.
Look, there are a lot of groups that, as I mentioned in the last question, are spending a lot of money.
What I will tell you is that APAC supports Democrats and Republicans.
I was endorsed by AIPAC.
Many of my colleagues in the Democratic caucus were endorsed by APAC, as well as Republicans.
APAC, like any other group that has an issue that they care about, is spending money on races, and we're seeing that across the country.
That doesn't mean that where they're spending is determined, but what I said in the last question, we need to make sure the voices of the candidates are heard and that those voices aren't drowned out by outside groups.
What does it take to get an endorsement from APAC?
I think the same thing it takes to get an endorsement from any group.
I was endorsed by APAC, League of Conservation Voters, Planned Parenthood.
They look at my record.
They look at where I stand on issues.
With APAC, it is standing in support of a strong U.S.-Israel relationship.
I'm one of the leaders in supporting that relationship.
I think it's a strategic relationship for the United States.
But the League of Conservation Voters has a questionnaire.
They look at the answers to those questions, as well as my record on environmental issues.
Planned Parenthood looks for the fact that I've been a champion for reproductive rights, reproductive freedoms.
Brady and other groups look at my record of standing up and calling for actions to reduce gun violence in this country.
So if you're an incumbent, it's on record.
If you're a challenger, it's usually on questionnaires.
Troy in Rancho Mirage, California, Democrat.
Good morning.
Good morning, Mr. Schneider.
As a person who was born and raised in Illinois, I appreciate your service to the state and the country.
I have one question and one concern.
Everyone discusses Social Security and people retiring under dignity and whatnot.
But, you know, it's the money that we individually have paid in over the years through our employment that is rightfully ours.
So that disturbs me.
But a question that I have is no one seems to be talking about the election results and why the Democratic Party failed this go-around.
And I believe a lot of the results of that failure would be due to a lot of news outlets putting out false information.
I think about Fox News and the lawsuits regarding the voting machines and whatnot.
And if people are in their own corners listening to only Fox News, they may not hear the truth.
I'm not saying that all news entities are fully 100% objective, but that's just an observation of mine that I feel has a lot to do with the election.
You know, social media putting out a bunch of lies, different countries putting out misinformation.
But I think our own news outlets are guilty of that.
And when Donald Trump talks about fake news, and yet I think about Fox news.
Anyway, I will take this off air, and I appreciate your response.
Well, thanks.
I appreciate the question.
Look, we have a couple of challenges.
When I was growing up, we had three major news networks and a local channel.
People would be watching similar news and getting not necessarily unbiased, but balanced perspectives.
Today, in an environment where we have multiple cable channels and fewer and fewer people are actually getting their news from TV, people are falling into silos.
And I think it's fair to say that there are no news outlets, whether it's Fox, CNN, MSNBC, or you're going and getting your news on various online sources.
All of them have their respective biases.
I think as consumers of news, we need to recognize, understand, and appreciate those biases and do what we can to try to get a balanced source of information by going to more than one source.
But there's another issue that should concern us all, and that's the disinformation campaigns of some in the United States, but more so it's foreign actors.
It's Russia, it's China, it's Iran, it's North Korea, it's others who are trying to create distrust.
A perfect example was the efforts to destroy Americans' confidence in our election system.
One thing that has to be, I think, pointed out and screamed from the tops of the roofs.
We had an election last week that was open, that was fair, that did not have violence across the country, and is resulting in a transfer of power that will be peaceful as it should be and goes back to the very roots of this country.
I want to make sure that everyone in this country knows that they can cast their vote safely and easily, that their vote's going to be counted and that the tally of the vote will reflect the will of the people.
And I also want to know that when they go to cast their vote, that they are well informed.
We have to do a better job of informing our citizens.
And I'll also argue that that starts in trying to get into the schools and teaching civics and teaching young people how to think critically, how to get their own news from various sources, and be informed consumers of information and smart makers of decisions about their lives and their future and the future of our country.
Congressman Schneider, about 60 seconds before the House comes in, always appreciates when members zoom from their offices.
Is that a Ukrainian flag over your shoulder?
And who signed that flag as we wait for the House to get it?