| Speaker | Time | Text |
|---|---|---|
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unidentified
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Witness Democracy Unfiltered with C-SPAN. | |
| Experience history as it unfolds with C-SPAN's live coverage this month as Republicans take control of both chambers of Congress and a new chapter begins with the swearing in of the 47th President of the United States on Monday, January 20th. | ||
| Tune in for our live all-day coverage of the presidential inauguration as Donald Trump takes the oath of office, becoming President of the United States. | ||
| Stay with C-SPAN this month for comprehensive, live, unfiltered coverage of the 119th Congress and the presidential inauguration, C-SPAN, Democracy Unfiltered. | ||
| We want to take viewers now up to Capitol Hill to the Cannon Rotunda, where we're joined ahead of a day in the House by Democrat Gabe Vasquez. | ||
| He represents New Mexico's second district on Capitol Hill. | ||
| Congressman Vasquez, we've been talking about President Joe Biden's farewell address last night. | ||
| How did you think he did? | ||
| How do you think America's 46th president will be remembered? | ||
|
unidentified
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John, well, thanks for having me on. | |
| Look, I think certainly President Biden leaves a legacy behind him that it's going to take several years, if not decades, for the American people to fully realize some of the historic investment that this administration made in things like infrastructure and climate change. | ||
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unidentified
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But look, I have really been focused the last two years on my district and the progress that has been made in my district. | |
| You know, just recently we announced almost $62 million in infrastructure dollars to repair roads in my hometown, city of Las Cruces, New Mexico. | ||
|
unidentified
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That was through the Department of Transportation. | |
| And there's so many more success stories from this administration that have touched rural communities, that have touched everyone from farmers to farm workers to small business owners to international trade. | ||
| It's going to help our district. | ||
| And so I was really focused on how we could get the administration to match some of their ambition to actually making those dollars flow to the ground. | ||
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unidentified
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And I think we're starting to see a lot more of that now. | |
| You talk about your district, the second district runs along the entire length of New Mexico's border with Mexico. | ||
| Donald Trump has promised executive orders on day one, having to do with immigration, having to do with securing the border. | ||
| How are you preparing in the second district? | ||
| How are your constituents preparing? | ||
| What are you expecting? | ||
|
unidentified
|
Well, look, I come from an immigrant family. | |
| I have the story of the American dream that a lot of immigrants hope to reach when they come to this country. | ||
| The truth is that in my district and many other places around the country, we depend on immigrant labor. | ||
|
unidentified
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But it's not just the labor itself. | |
| It's those Hispanic families that come from immigrant backgrounds that help power our small businesses. | ||
| It's veterans. | ||
| It is folks from all across every spectrum, education and health care, that contribute to this nation and contribute to this country. | ||
| And so what I'm focused on is finding bipartisan solutions to where we can actually meet the nation's workforce needs. | ||
| And in a district like mine that looks like farm workers, that looks like rural health care workers in our tribal communities, in our rural communities. | ||
|
unidentified
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And so international trade is also a huge part of how our economy works along the U.S.-Mexico border. | |
| We have one of the fastest-growing ports of entry, and our largest trading partner here in the U.S., of course, is Mexico. | ||
| And so we have to think about diplomatic solutions to grow our economy, to reform our immigration system, and to finally have a system that's humane and that also helps contribute to our economy. | ||
| And I think that's what I'll be focused on in terms of working with the Trump administration and Republicans in the upcoming two years. | ||
| Staying on the second district for a second, you're one of 11 Democrats who won in a district that Donald Trump won in the 2024 election. | ||
| So what lessons do you take from that? | ||
| Does that influence how you will be representing the 2nd District on Capitol Hill? | ||
| Well look, our approach in this election may be different than other Democrats' approach, but for me it was really showing up to the district first and foremost. | ||
|
unidentified
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Second is not excluding the Latino electorate as a separate electorate. | |
| I do have a majority Hispanic district and the issues that impact Hispanic folks in our community who may be third or fourth generation, fifth generation, or new folks that are coming to this country, the issues that they face are the same. | ||
|
unidentified
|
And pocketbook issues in my district were the biggest thing. | |
| If you can't afford a place to live, if you can't afford health insurance, if you're going broke for medical bankruptcy, can't afford a car payment. | ||
| I mean, those are the things that people are facing. | ||
| And whether you're Hispanic or you're not, those are the real issues for Americans. | ||
| And that's what we focused on here in the first two years of my term. | ||
| And I think that was a successful formula. | ||
| And I think it's going to continue to be that way for me with Republicans holding the Senate and the House and, of course, the administration. | ||
|
unidentified
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It's finding bipartisan solutions to the things that people care about the most. | |
| And I think once you start to separate a specific electorate away from the actual issues that matter to people, you really gain some traction. | ||
| And so I was very happy that we actually won our re-election campaign by 500% more than I did in my first term, and that was being an incumbent Republican in what has traditionally been a Republican district. | ||
| From the second district back up here to Capitol Hill, you're on the Armed Services Committee. | ||
| I know you don't get a Senate vote as a House member, but what did you think of the confirmation hearing this week for Pete Hegseth? | ||
| Well, look, I think national security for me and the military installations that we have in our district, including White Sands Missile Range and Holloman Air Force Base, are keys to national security. | ||
| Whether it comes to nuclear weapons testing or the development of new technologies, it's incredibly important for me to honor the role that I have serving for the Armed Services Committee, and that includes military families and quality of life issues as well. | ||
| And so I'm looking for a leader that is going to take this job seriously, that has the qualifications to actually run what is essentially a $900 billion a year budget through the National Defense Authorization Act. | ||
| And it is troubling to see that Mr. Hegseth does not have the qualifications and the experience to run both a budget that's this big or handling this many employees. | ||
| And so obviously the President has his choices to make of who he appoints, and the Senate then has to do their due diligence and process to confirm those nominees. | ||
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unidentified
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But I will look forward to working in good faith with Mr. Hegseth should he get confirmed. | |
| But I have serious concerns about his ability to lead the most important part of our country, which is national security. | ||
| Do you think he will be confirmed? | ||
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unidentified
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Well, look, I can't speculate on what the Senate's going to do. | |
| It certainly seems like he has the Republican support to do that. | ||
| And again, that's why I want to make sure that if he is confirmed, that we actually get him up to shape to actually be the leader of our nation's national defense system. | ||
| If somehow you could have asked a question in that hearing, what would you have asked him? | ||
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unidentified
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You know, I think probably there have been a lot of questions I would have asked him. | |
| You know, I don't care too much about the personal stuff. | ||
| What I care about is national security. | ||
| So as we face adversarial threats from the Communist Chinese Party and other threats across the country, clearly developments in the Middle East and of course the war in Russia and Ukraine, I'd like to learn more about his approach to those issues, how he's going to work also in a diplomatic way, because certainly use of force is the strength that we have as a country to be able to negotiate with other countries to achieve diplomatic outcomes that bring peace to these regions. | ||
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unidentified
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And that's really important to me. | |
| So I would have asked his strategy on how to use diplomacy as a tool to be able to help negotiate, whether it's ceasefires or end the war in Russia and Ukraine and learn his strategy about those things. | ||
| Gabe Vasquez, I know you have to get to a busy day. | ||
| What's on tap for you on Capitol Hill today? | ||
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unidentified
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Sure. | |
| Well look, it's just like any other day, but today I'm really happy to receive a lot of my constituents who are coming from New Mexico that are here to participate in the inauguration activities. | ||
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unidentified
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It's a great day for us. |