CSPAN - Washington Journal 03/06/2025

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March 6, 2025 07:00-09:00 - CSPAN

01:59:53

Washington Journal 03/06/2025

Participants

Main

pedro echevarria

cspan 22:20

tim burchett

rep/r 15:27

Appearances

chuck schumer

sen/d 01:10

james comer

rep/r 00:41

jim jordan

rep/r 01:35

justin trudeau

can 00:58

karoline leavitt

admin 01:38

Clips

larry nichols

00:10

patty murray

sen/d 00:04

robert gaylon ross

00:18

wayne paul

00:04

Callers

jeff in dallas

callers 00:06

unity in texas

callers 00:06

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Speaker	Time	Text
unidentified		C-SPAN as a public service, along with these other television providers, giving you a front row seat to democracy.
		Coming up on Washington Journal, your calls and comments live.
		Then we'll talk with Tennessee Republican Congressman Tim Burchett about next week's federal spending deadline, Ukraine, and the House GOP strategy to advance President Trump's legislative agenda.
		And we'll continue the conversation with Rhode Island Democratic Congressman Gabe Amo, a member of the Budget Committee, as we discuss next week's federal spending deadline and the Trump administration's recent actions.
		Washington Journal is next.
pedro echevarria ▲ ● ▼		This is the Washington Journal for March 6th.
		The House is in at 9 a.m., so a two-hour program today.
		From the onset of his second term, President Trump planned to use tariffs against neighboring countries, Canada and New Mexico, in part to step up their border enforcement efforts with hopes of reducing the amount of fentanyl entering the U.S.
		The president enacted a 25% tariff this week, even as Democrats and some Republicans expressed concerns about potential harms to the economy.
		And yesterday, the president stepped back some of those tariffs after markets reacted negatively.
		To start the program today, when it comes to those tariffs on Canada and Mexico, do you support or oppose the placement of those additional tariffs?
		You can call and let us know what you think.
		Democrats, 202-748-8000.
		Republicans, 202748-8001.
		And Independents, 202-748-8002.
		If you want to share your thoughts on tariffs against Canada and Mexico and you want to text us, 202-748-8003 is how you do that.
		You can also post on our social media sites, facebook.com/slash C-SPAN, and also on X.
		The Economic Times takes a look at the use of tariffs by the Trump administration, giving a bit of an explainer on what's being done with them and how the Trump administration plans to use them.
		In their story, you can find their website.
		They start off with what is a tariff, adding that a definition of a tariff is fairly straightforward.
		It's a tax on goods coming from another country.
		In simple terms, tariffs are taxes charged on goods imported from other countries.
		In the section, when it goes who pays the tariffs, this adds, typically tariffs are paid by domestic importers and then paid to U.S. customs and border protection.
		However, economists often say that portions of the cost of tariffs end up paid by consumers.
		In response to tariffs, sellers may hike up prices of the goods that they are importing for consumers.
		And then, when it comes to the political aspects of the last few days, why is the Trump administration imposing those?
		The Economic Times story says that Mr. Trump, the president, has said he planned to use those tariffs to boost American manufacturing and what he says are unfair trade practices.
		Also, saying that he's also stated that the tariffs are intended to stop the flow of undocumented immigrants and illegal drugs into the United States.
		Quote, China makes the fentanyl, gives it to Mexico, puts it through Canada, puts it through different places, Mostly Mexico, but also a lot through Canada, he said on the Oval Office.
		And so those three haven't treated us very well.
		So that's a little bit of an explainer when it comes to the use of tariffs.
		When it comes to people's thoughts on tariffs, the polling organization YouGov has this to say on recent polling on the topic, saying Americans are more likely to oppose than support most of the president's tariffs and tariffs proposals.
		25% tariffs of goods imported from Mexico, 38% supporting that, 47 opposing that, a 25% good on Canada, 32% supporting it, 52% opposing it.
		A 25% on steel and aluminum imports, 35% supporting that versus 46% opposing it.
		And a 25% on good imported from the European Union, 33% to 49%.
		You'll remember that in the last day, it's automakers that got a bit of relief from the recent tariffs that were put on Canada and Mexico by the Trump administration.
		The story from Car and Driver saying those big three domestic automakers granted that one-month exemption from the 25% tariffs on imports from Canada and Mexico, adding that four GMs, Delantis, whose vehicles complied with the UMCA, the trade agreement, now have until April 2nd to prepare for those taxes to go into effect.
		So that's a bit of the explainer.
		When it comes to the use of tariffs by the Trump administration, specifically to Canada and Mexico, what do you think about that policy?
		You can let us know on the lines.
		Democrats 202-748-8000.
		Republicans 202-748-8001.
		And Independents 202-748-8002.
		Phil, and on our independent line in New York, starting us off on this idea of tariffs against Canada and Mexico.
		Good morning.
unidentified		Good morning.
		How are you?
		I'd just like to cover a couple of things here.
		First of all, most U.S. citizens don't know under the Inflation Reduction Act, right?
		It included Mexico and Canada.
		And what happened after that is companies started producing in Mexico and Canada more, and they were getting grants and subsidies from the federal government.
		But the American U.S. workers were not getting the benefit of getting those jobs.
		On top of that, most U.S. citizens don't realize there's been a trade war going on with Canada with dairy products on the northern border for years.
		And as little as two years ago, a year and a half, Mexico wouldn't import our corn because it was genetically modified.
		And then when they finally imported it, they put a 50% tariff on it.
		On top of that, they show alcohol being sold in Canada and it was being taken off the shelves.
		But most U.S. citizens don't realize, on top of the regular tariff, there's a syntax in Canada on alcohol and tobacco.
pedro echevarria ▲ ● ▼		So, I mean, all that said, when it comes to these additional tariffs, where are you then?
unidentified		I'm for them.
		But, you know, as long as they're stipulated individuals, I mean, how often do I got priced out of avocados a couple of years ago when they were going for two for $5 here in New York?
		You know what I'm saying?
		How often do I buy tequila?
		What do you buy a car?
		Once every three or four years if you're lucky?
pedro echevarria ▲ ● ▼		Okay, less in Kansas.
		Republican line.
		Good morning.
unidentified		Good morning.
		And I absolutely support Donald Trump and these tariffs.
		I believe what he's doing is the right thing, and I can prove it.
		I'm disabled, and I have nurses that go and buy my products at a discount outlet that starts with a W.
		I think you all know who it is.
		Starts with a W and ends with a T.
		And they buy the same groceries every week.
		And usually I spend $150 to $160 every week.
		Are you there?
		Yeah.
pedro echevarria ▲ ● ▼		And how does that relate to tariff policy then?
pedro echevarria ▲ ● ▼		Are these additional tariffs specifically?
unidentified		Yes.
		And My bill has dropped from $160 a week down to $100.
		I'm saving $50 a week.
pedro echevarria ▲ ● ▼		And how does that relate to the tariffs on Canada and Mexico, though?
unidentified		What's that?
pedro echevarria ▲ ● ▼		How does that relate to the tariffs on Canada and Mexico, though?
unidentified		Well, some of the products come out of Canada.
		Some of the prescription drugs, some of the food products come out of Canada and come out of other countries, too, that are being tariffed, Mexico especially.
		And as far as those avocados, they can keep them.
		I'd use them for baseballs.
pedro echevarria ▲ ● ▼		Okay, Seattle, Washington, Democrats lying.
pedro echevarria ▲ ● ▼		This is Trish.
unidentified		Hello.
		Good morning.
		Thanks for taking my call.
		So I did a little survey of my own yesterday.
		I called various representatives and senators, primarily in the northern states and Midwest.
		And I asked the intern whether they received any phone calls saying that the with the folks saying that they were really pleased with the tariffs and they were excited to pay more at the grocery store.
		And pretty much all of them, one way or the other, was like, no, we're not pleased about it.
		I'm not pleased about it.
		It's affecting my grocery prices.
		Listening to the Vancouver news every night, it's affecting those people.
		I just don't, and I'm sure it's probably the same on the southern border.
		So no, I think this is just a mean thing for him to do.
		If you want to cut down fentanyl, go after the folks that import this stuff from China and go to China and lock that down.
		But we know the 47 is scared of China, so I doubt that'll happen.
		So no, I think that's ridiculous and divisive, and it doesn't need to be.
		And it's all just a part of him trying to be the big boy in the block.
		So he can go to HL hell.
pedro echevarria ▲ ● ▼		Okay, that's Trish there in Seattle, Washington.
		The White House yesterday, the Press Secretary Caroline Levitt asked about these tariffs, the impact, the overall impact those tariffs could make when it comes to the economy.
		And here's some of that response from yesterday.
unidentified		Last night, President Trump said there will be a little disturbance, but we're okay with that.
		Can you put a dollar figure amount on how much the average American family should expect to pay as this disturbance?
		And why should Americans be okay with that when so many are already struggling to pay the bills?
karoline leavitt ▲ ● ▼		Well, first of all, last night, the president told the truth, and he was realistic, and he level set with the American people.
		And I think, frankly, it's very refreshing.
		And everybody in this room should be very grateful that we have a president who tells the truth about the reality of the economic situation that we are in, unlike the previous president who lied to everybody's faces, saying inflation was transitory, saying it was under control, saying that the border was secure when none of that was true.
		So the president is being frank and honest.
		And the American people elected this president to have monumental reform and change, including rebuilding our manufacturing base in this country, standing up to foreign nations who have been ripping off our country for decades.
		And that requires a little bit of disruption.
		That requires a lot of effort and work that this president is focused on doing.
		With that said, as the president said last night, his administration is wholeheartedly committed, of course, to ending the inflation nightmare caused by the Biden administration.
		Look at the deregulation efforts.
		Look at the president's push last night in his speech for Congress to pass tax cuts to end taxes on Social Security and overtime pay for hardworking Americans and taxes on tips.
		We need Congress to get that done because that's going to put more money back into the pockets of the American people.
		And I didn't even mention energy.
		Look at the president's approach and focus on unleashing the might of our energy industry.
		We know that's the number one driver of inflation.
		He's been slashing back a lot of the burdensome regulation from the previous administration to unleash our energy industry here at home, which will drive down costs.
		He said he is committed to making America affordable again.
		He did it in his first term, and Americans can trust him to do it again.
pedro echevarria ▲ ● ▼		Some of the reaction from Facebook: this is Kareem Outley saying, You have to be a complete fool to support tariffs against our biggest trade partners and neighbors.
		These are the highest tariffs since World War II.
		Maybe there was a reason why they came down.
		Matthew Lowenstein says, if a nation has tariffs on our goods, we should reciprocate.
		Do unto others.
		Kevin Downing, support all tariffs.
		This is how government was originally funded, not by the people.
		They did that for controlling corporations.
		And then James Hopkins, with if Mr. Trump's aims with these tariffs is to quote disrupt things, to quote shake things up and to somehow show his domestic audience that he is quote fighting for them.
		This is good theater.
		If he thinks tariffs will make American consumers happy at the checkout, I'm afraid everybody will wind up unhappy.
		I do not support this.
		Let's hear from Kevin.
		Kevin, Republican Line in Texas.
unidentified		Hello.
unidentified		Good morning.
jeff in dallas ▲ ● ▼		Yeah, I'm going to put myself down as ambivalent on the whole tariff situation.
unidentified		I do want to address the disingenuous argument that this is going to be passed on to consumers.
		Every tax of a corporation is going to be passed on to a consumer.
		I mean, that's just the fact of it.
		The Harris, when she was running, she was going to impose the tax, increase the corporate tax.
		No one was talking about how that could be passed on to consumers.
		It was all about how rich corporations are.
		And Pedro, I know you probably lived as long as I have, but I remember when Democrats were for tariffs.
		Steel industry, the auto industry, they paid for tariffs.
		And the only reason the Democrats are against these is one reason.
		Trump wants them.
		That's it.
pedro echevarria ▲ ● ▼		Okay, Kevin there in Texas.
		Let's hear from Michael.
		Michael is in New York, Independent Line.
		Michael, hello.
unidentified		Hey, how are you doing?
		I just want to give everybody a heads up.
		I bought a, in 2016, I bought a Dodge Challenger.
		I love the thing, right?
		And I was on the treadmill one day and I was watching how they were built.
		It was like that show on History Channel.
		And I found it really interesting that every Hemi engine, all these muscle car engines that we all think are American muscle cars, are all made in Mexico.
		Then they're created, they're put on a train, and that train comes into the United States, bypasses the United States, and goes up to Ontario, Canada, where every Dodge Challenger, every Dodge Charger is manufactured from scratch.
		Now, there's no doubt that tariffs are going to make that car a hell of a lot more expensive.
		And I mean, I don't care that the car was made in Mexico and Canada.
		I love the car.
		I think it's great.
		And I just know it's going to cost a heck of a lot more money for anybody to buy anything like that.
		Every Toyota Tacoma is made in Mexico.
		I mean, these are vehicles that we all use every day.
		I'm on the Long Island Expressway right now and I'm surrounded by them.
		I think anybody who thinks all these people driving these Dodge Rams and think, you know, this is a good thing.
		It's not a good thing.
		It's nothing good about it at all as far as out of pocket.
		And all the money that I spent by having that car, you know, I mean, I made a nice garage.
		I bought toolboxes.
		I did a whole nice setup, bought air conditioning, and made a really nice place for it.
		That was all spent locally.
		Local contractors, you know, local things.
		The toolboxes all came from Ohio.
		You know, so I don't think that this is at all good for anybody as far as their pocket goes.
pedro echevarria ▲ ● ▼		Okay, Michael there in New York, on the expressway, on the railway.
pedro echevarria ▲ ● ▼		Barbara in Georgia, Democrats line hi.
unidentified		Yeah, hi.
		I am opposed to it because I live on a fixed income and I have it rough.
		And I can't afford to go buy groceries now.
		And everything that you buy is going to become more expensive in the future.
		And plus, he's cutting Medicare and Medicaid.
		So what are we facing?
		What are the people facing that are on fixed incomes?
		I'm on a lot of medicines.
		And if my medicines go up, what am I going to do?
		Because I only okay.
pedro echevarria ▲ ● ▼		Barbara there in Georgia.
		The Hill, the online publication, The Hill takes a look at the political back and forth of the decisions by the Trump administration on tariffs, saying it's Mr. Trump's continuous back and forth on tariffs is taking a toll on Republican lawmakers who admit the constant announcements are difficult to follow, even as they try to assuage concerns from constituents.
		Mr. Trump's six weeks in the White House have been a roller coaster on a number of fronts, but tariffs have topped that list as the president has threatened to impose them on numerous U.S. trade partners, delayed their implementation, gone through with enacting them, hinted at compromises, and carved out exceptions.
		While Senate Republicans are willing to give him plenty of leeway despite their overall lack of enthusiasm for tariffs generally, they acknowledge the they will or won't they nature of Mr. Trump's threats and constant uncertainty has given them whiplash.
		Quote, the one thing about it is provides us with the opportunity to say, just hold your breath.
		It's kind of like the weather in South Dakota.
		It'll change by tomorrow.
		We're just waiting that Senator Mike Rounds, Republican of South Dakota, noting that the weather in his home state can be frustrating as well.
		It is frustrating, but we're used to it.
		I'm taking deep breaths before I make comments because I may be commenting on something that's no longer a valid point within hours.
		Jack is next.
		Jack in Georgia, Republican line.
unidentified		Hi.
		Good morning, sir.
		Thank you for taking my call.
		Yes, I support the tariffs.
		I understand how people feel, but, you know, I pay taxes myself.
		We have to bring the manufacturers back over here.
		You know, and I know the tariffs on Canada and Mexico has a lot to do with the illegal aliens and whatnot, and they're doing something about that.
		But what about the fentanyl?
		The fentanyl that has killed so many people.
		I think Canada has to step up and do a better job about that because it's killing people.
		What if the shoe was on the other foot?
		If we were doing it to them, I would feel the same way for them wanting to do something to us as in tariffs.
		But the tariffs is going to bring the economy back.
		I am a retired union pipe fitter.
		And Americans, you have to work with your mind, but you also got to learn to make trades with your hands and your body.
		And I think by bringing, by putting tariffs on other countries, they will bring the manufacturing jobs back over here.
		And then everybody can have a better chance on prospering in whatever they want to do.
		But we have to have carpenters.
		We have to have plumbers.
		We have to have people who work on cars.
		We have to have people who are lying in for electricity and whatnot.
		And I think all I got to say, sir.
pedro echevarria ▲ ● ▼		Thank you, Jack.
		Let's hear from Glenn.
		Glenn's in Texas, Independent Line.
unidentified		Good morning, Else Ben.
unidentified		It's been a while since I talked to you.
pedro echevarria ▲ ● ▼		Morning, go ahead.
unidentified		Well, on tariffs, I support tariffs.
		Okay, well, let's talk to Canada.
		Canada is charging us 13% tariffs on anything we buy from Canada.
		Okay, we also subsidize Canada, $38 trillion million dollars.
		Why are we subsidizing Canada as a country?
		So it's legal for Trump to charge Canada tariffs.
		Okay, what has caused our problems is the EPA, they have run all of our factories out of the country and they have gone to our neighboring countries, Canada and Mexico.
		EPA has caused this from years past.
		I know a little bit about EPA.
		They were at my business one time and was wanting to fine me for having two car batteries outside my building.
		And I showed them where the road was and they better get on it.
		Okay, let us go into Mexico.
		Tariffs will kill Mexicans, illegals coming into the United States.
		Also, it will kill infentinal coming into the United States.
		So tariffs is a wonderful thing if you use them in the right way.
pedro echevarria ▲ ● ▼		Okay.
unidentified		Trump is doing that.
pedro echevarria ▲ ● ▼		Glenn and Corpus Christi, Texas, another Texan in Houston.
pedro echevarria ▲ ● ▼		This is Hattie, Democrats Line.
unidentified		Well, good morning.
		Thank you for taking my call.
		I've been trying to call, you know, news at times.
		I'm against him, you know, charging all of this because my food, I'm on a fixed income.
		I've been working all my life.
		I'm over 80 years old now.
		And I'm so, you know, hurt that he, you know, doing this because all my food, everything is just going up and up and up and up.
		And I can't even have my electric bill, my food, my eggs running, you know, $4 a case.
		And they've been coming over here bringing their food.
		And most of the, we used to have in the cottonfield and everything.
		You could make a lot of stuff, you know, corn and everything with that.
		But now we look on, you know, from these other counties.
		So I'm against him, you know, doing this for us because, you know, he don't have to worry about that, you know.
		But as poor people working in my Social Security and everything, I'm just so upset.
		I don't know how I'm going to live if they cut everything and the food prices is just out of sight here.
		Okay.
		And like a little, you know, and so I'm just really hurt the way that he's doing.
		He just like for the risk, but he needs to help everybody.
pedro echevarria ▲ ● ▼		Howdy there.
		And Hattie there.
		Thank you, Hattie.
		I'm sorry about that.
		Howdy there in Texas calling in on thoughts when it comes to these tariffs.
		It was on the Senate floor where the Senate Minority Leader, Chuck Schumer, made his own thoughts known about recent tariff policy by the Trump administration.
		Here's a portion of that.
chuck schumer ▲ ● ▼		And let's be clear.
		The administration has obviously not thought through these tariffs.
		They seem to be changing their plans by the hour.
		Even this uncertainty is extremely harmful to the economy.
		It makes it impossible for businesses to plan ahead.
		It depresses spending.
		It slows growth, eats away at consumer confidence.
		Yes, there are certain tariffs, particularly against China, which competing with us economically in unfair ways.
		That might make some sense.
		But these have been unthought through.
		They're creating chaos for the economy.
		That's the one thing that the tariffs are accomplishing.
		Chaos for the economy, stock market plummets.
		And why?
		Why are they doing this?
		Well, it's not different here than Social Security or Medicaid.
		Why is Donald Trump hell-bent on starting a trade war when virtually every expert knows the casualties of a trade war will be families and consumers?
		The reason is very simple.
		One reason, he and Doge say that Social Security is a scam.
		They want to take away people's benefits to pay for billionaire tax cuts.
		That's the whole ballgame.
pedro echevarria ▲ ● ▼		That's from the Senate floor yesterday.
		Of course, you can always monitor the actions of the House and Senate when they're in on C-SPANS one and two, respectively.
		Things to watch out for in the House today, particularly it's reported by the Washington Post this morning.
		The House expected today to vote whether to censure Representative Al Green, the Democrat from Texas, from disrupting President Donald Trump's speech Tuesday to a joint session of Congress.
		The measure advanced Wednesday with a procedural vote along party lines, underscoring the acrimony in the chamber between Republicans and Democrats.
		And so look out for that as the House comes in at 9 o'clock today.
		But the action will take place during the course of the day.
		So follow along on C-SPAN, our app C-SPAN Now, and our website, too, for those actions playing out in the House.
		Let's hear from Franklin.
		Franklin is in California, Republican line.
unidentified		Good morning, Pedro.
		Thanks for taking my call.
		Yeah, like a previous caller, I'm also, well, not so much ambivalent on these tariffs.
		I'm uncomfortable with them.
		But we've got to bring these manufacturing jobs back into the United States.
		We can't just build a solid middle class based on the service industry.
		You know, God bless them.
		I know we need the service industry, but to have a solid living wage that you can support a family, you're not living month to month, just eking it out, you know, credit cards building month to month.
		We've got to have a manufacturing capability in this country.
		So I don't have enough, you know, perspicacity to see, to telescope into the future to know the best way this can be done.
		I don't like tariffs, but it seems to be the only way to incent manufacturing, you know, people like John Deere, Harley Davidson, et al., who've taken their manufacturing facilities and moved them overseas and created a rust belt in the United States and get them to move.
		Not all.
		It's not saying we're not going to never do business with China or Mexico or Vietnam or India, but to move some of these manufacturing facilities back into the United States so we can establish good, you know, a good living wage for middle-class workers and get this country back on it back on its feet again.
pedro echevarria ▲ ● ▼		Okay.
unidentified		Yeah, thank you.
pedro echevarria ▲ ● ▼		Franklin in California, thank you.
		Jim in Texas up next.
		Independent line.
unidentified		Hi.
		Hi.
		This is Jim.
		Thank you for having me on.
		These tariffs aren't, they're not looking at the full picture.
		I'm looking at building a new home in Lakey, Texas.
		And why should I start it right now if it's possibly going to go up 20 to 25 percent?
		Okay, that's going to hurt the builders, the plumbers, the electricians, all the people and everything.
		And I just can't, I would be stupid if I do it right now.
		So it's going to hurt the whole economy on the whole thing.
		And the other thing, I'm a veteran.
		I retired.
		Okay, they're hurting my health care.
		They're going to go in there and possibly cut 80,000 people.
		They need the president, who has not even been in the door of a health care facility of the VA.
		He needs to get it straight.
		Okay.
		I used to be a Republican.
		And when I heard him lying and everything, I said, forget it.
		We need to look at the full picture.
		He gets excited on barking orders, and he needs to calm down a little bit.
pedro echevarria ▲ ● ▼		All righty.
pedro echevarria ▲ ● ▼		Democrats line Stephen in Kentucky.
james comer ▲ ● ▼		Hello.
unidentified		Yes.
		Good morning, Pedro.
		Thank you for allowing me to speak.
		Just real quick, I know we're talking about tariffs, but Mr. Al Green, I don't think he did anything wrong.
		It's very hypocritical of Republicans to say that because when Biden had his State of the Union, Representative Bobbert and Marjorie Taylor Greene heckling the heck out of him, and they didn't get any consequences.
		So it's very hypocritical, double standards.
		Back to tariffs.
		I think it's a terrible idea to add tariffs to our neighbors, to our allies.
		You only add tariffs to countries that you're competing against.
		It's a terrible idea.
		I am in the manufacturing world, and we are, it feels like waves, ups and downs.
		It's unpredictable.
		And a lot of companies that are global are nervous because they have no idea to invest now save what's the right decision.
		And so my customers, my company, it feels unstable the way that he does this, pulling things in, taking things out.
		No, no, it's very sporadic.
		So we need some stability.
pedro echevarria ▲ ● ▼		I'm very against this.
		Let's hear from the Canadian Prime Minister.
		This was before the decision yesterday to pull back on some of those tariffs, but on the tariff policy from the United States overall, Justin Trudeau from a couple of days ago.
justin trudeau ▲ ● ▼		Now I want to speak directly to one specific American, Donald.
		In the over eight years you and I have worked together, we've done big things.
		We signed a historic deal that has created record jobs and growth in both of our countries.
		We've done big things together on the world stage, as Canada and the U.S. have done together for decades, for generations.
		And now we should be working together to ensure even greater prosperity for North Americans in a very uncertain and challenging world.
		Now it's not in my habit to agree with the Wall Street Journal.
		But Donald, they point out that even though you're a very smart guy, this is a very dumb thing to do.
pedro echevarria ▲ ● ▼		The Wall Street Journal this morning, this is their opinion page, their lead editorial, the Trump Tariff Roller Coaster, in which the editors write, Mr. Trump originally justified the tariffs under an emergency law to combat the alleged threat of fentanyl, but he claimed Tuesday the tariffs are needed because quote, we pay subsidies to Canada and to Mexico of hundreds of billions of dollars and have quote very large deficits with both of them.
		That sounds like White House protectionist and chief Peter Navarro, he and his boss love tariffs for their own sake.
		Meanwhile, the tariff barrage is causing economic uncertainty and slowing investment.
		A real thrill-a-minute.
		Again, those are the editors.
		Let's hear from Dante, Dante in Maryland, Republican line.
unidentified		Hello, thanks for taking my call.
		Three things.
		The first thing is, I don't have a problem with tariffs, but tariffs are not something that should be imposed.
		They're something that should be negotiated.
		And this whole concept of tariffs was actually negotiated by Donald Trump.
		Yeah, I'm going to say that again, by Donald Trump in 2019 with the formation of the USMCA.
		That's the U.S.-Mexican-Canadian agreement.
		In that agreement, the three countries were, for most items, were not going to impose tariffs until they reached certain quotas.
		So when you hear tariffs of 300, 200%, that's once the importation has reached a certain quota, which was agreed to by That agreement between the U.S., Mexico, and Canada.
		This third thing is that what people don't realize, the United States imports nearly 100% of their potash from Canada.
		That's what goes into fertilizing all the crops that grow the plants that we eat.
		And in addition to that, the U.S. imports over 50% of their beef, most of which comes from Canada and Mexico.
		So if you think that this isn't going to affect your food prices, or you're not going to see an increase in just going to McDonald's, because most of that beef that's imported goes to ground beef.
		So if you don't think this is going to directly affect you, and almost immediately, I think you have another thing coming.
		So that's the take home for me is that I'm not opposed to tariffs, but when you're talking about trading partners and neighbors, these things need to be negotiated and not imposed.
pedro echevarria ▲ ● ▼		Dante there in Maryland.
		Felix is in Maryland as well.
		Democrats line.
unidentified		I would like to echo Dante's sentiments.
		My comments are from a microeconomic perspective and a macroeconomic perspective.
		Microeconomically, I would recommend that everyone find a good mechanic because the news car market and new car market prices are going to increase.
		So find a good mechanic and repair your current car.
		Macroeconomically, I think this is a move by Trump to privatize the economy and buy up the lower prices once things start to get down.
		I haven't really looked into the factors that are going to affect the market prices, but more than likely, you're going to start to see a lot of private equity firms come in and buy up businesses that have gone out.
pedro echevarria ▲ ● ▼		Felix, there in Maryland, calling in again tariffs in Mexico being placed by the United States.
		Your thoughts on it, 202748-8,000 for Democrats, 202748-8001 for Republicans.
		Independence, 202748-8002.
		So if you want to make your thoughts known, we'll keep going until our first guest expects to arrive.
		Representative Tim Burchett, supposedly set for 7.30, running late.
		We'll keep calls going until he arrives.
		So if you want to call in and make your thoughts known, you can call in on one of those lines.
		You can also text us your thoughts too.
		202-748-8003 is how you do that.
		And then you can always place your thoughts on social media, Facebook and X available to you there too, if you want to make those thoughts known.
		Let's go to Roy, Roy in Georgia, Republican line.
unidentified		Hi.
		Hey, Pedro.
		Pedro, I think everything starts with respect.
		And we can see the other night that the Democrats did not respect President Trump.
		And also, I noticed my wife brought this to my attention.
		You habitually say Mr. President instead of President Trump.
		As far as tariffs goes, as a nation, we have to work together.
		We have to support the president and what he is trying to do.
		He cares for the country.
		He's trying to do the right thing.
		People don't realize that other countries have been tariffing us for years, for years.
		In Europe, for instance, I did not see an American-made car made in the United States in Germany because people could not afford it.
		Most of our cars here are imported.
		We have imported cars.
		Cars made in Mexico of a Ford Expedition was $12,000 added to the price of that car.
		Made in Mexico, and this a few years ago.
		And so, first of all, a house divided will fall.
		The Democrats need to get behind the president and work with him because he has a strong policy, a good plan to bring jobs back to America to lower prices.
		And he told you, he said, we're going to go through some difficult times.
		You have to be supportive of what he's trying to do.
pedro echevarria ▲ ● ▼		Okay, Roy there in Georgia finishing off these calls.
		Thank you for those of you who participated.
		Again, the House coming in at 9 o'clock today, and we're going to have two members of Congress joining us before that's done.
		After the break, we'll talk with Representative Tim Burchett of Tennessee, a member of the Oversight and Foreign Affairs Committees about Doge and other related matters.
		And then later on in the program, freshman Democratic Congressman Gabe Amo, a member of the Foreign Affairs and Budget Committees.
		And those conversations coming up when Washington Journal continues.
unidentified		American History TV, Saturdays on C-SPAN 2, exploring the people and events that tell the American story.
		This weekend, at 5.15 p.m. Eastern, historian Rebecca Brenner Graham talks about America's first female presidential cabinet member, Labor Secretary Francis Perkins, who worked to aid refugees fleeing Nazi Germany.
		Then at 7 p.m. Eastern, watch American History TV's series First 100 Days as we look at the start of presidential terms.
		This week, we focus on the early months of President Gerald Ford's term in 1974, including his pardon of former President Richard Nixon, who resigned from office during the Watergate investigation.
		At 8 p.m. Eastern on Lectures in History, Georgetown University history professor Derek Gannon on the Irish diaspora and the role of the United States during the Troubles and in the Northern Ireland peace process.
		And at 9.30 p.m. Eastern on the presidency, James Bradley, co-editor of the Martin Van Buren Papers, talks about his biography of our eighth president, the first in-depth look at the Van Buren presidency in decades.
		Exploring the American story, watch American History TV Saturdays on C-SPAN 2 and find a full schedule on your program guide or watch online anytime at c-span.org slash history.
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pedro echevarria ▲ ● ▼		Our first guest of the morning joining us from Capitol Hill, Representative Tim Burchett, Republican of Tennessee, a member of the Oversight and Accountability Committee, also a member of the Foreign Affairs Committee.
pedro echevarria ▲ ● ▼		Representative Burchett, good morning.
tim burchett ▲ ● ▼		Thanks for having me on, brother.
pedro echevarria ▲ ● ▼		You attended a meeting with Elon Musk yesterday over activities of Doge.
pedro echevarria ▲ ● ▼		What did you walk away from that meaning learning?
tim burchett ▲ ● ▼		Well, just how broad and deep the corruption and the misuse of public funds is, and it just keeps getting deeper, and they haven't even really scratched the surface because when they start looking at education and the Pentagon, I suspect it'll go much deeper.
pedro echevarria ▲ ● ▼		When you talk, if he says the things that Doge has found and the savings they found, how do you verify that other than the fact that it's the word of Elon Musk?
tim burchett ▲ ● ▼		They document it.
		There is a paper trail and a computer.
		It's computer generated.
		I have a 17-year-old daughter that shows me how stupid I am with my computer every day.
		But he had another gentleman there with him who verified everything that he said.
		And it allowed us.
		Marjorie Taylor Greene appointed me to her committee on the Doge subcommittee.
		And we are actually delving into all that.
		And I don't want to disclose too much of it because that means that most of the time that those folks will try to close up that paper trail.
		But it's very well documented.
		And I'm very confident in what's going on.
		You know, when he started laying out the numbers of people in there over 100 years old that were getting benefits and I think he said the oldest verified American was 114 and there was actually some that were even older than our country.
		And you have to wonder, is that just a computer glitch?
		But then when you were seeing checks go overseas that have been documented, why is somebody receiving benefits from America that lives in Peru, for instance, was one of the examples given.
		So there's quite a lot there.
		And I think my biggest fear is that we can stay focused.
		There's just so much corruption and it goes so deep.
		And furthermore, my fear is, as in my discussions with President Trump yesterday, is that the, I like to call them the war pimps, because every dollar we save, they're wanting to soak it up at the Pentagon with some new weapons defense system that, and a lot of these things, as soon as they come off the production line, are mothballed.
		The reason they stay in, we keep funding them is because they're in powerful legislators' district.
		And those things were discussed.
		And I felt like the more they're discussed and open, the more alert the American public will be.
		And they will start contacting their legislators and say, enough is enough with this.
pedro echevarria ▲ ● ▼		On the Senate side, there's talk from senators to use a rescission process to formalize these cuts into legislative efforts.
		Do you support that?
		And should that be the role of Congress more than Elon Musk at this stage?
tim burchett ▲ ● ▼		I think so.
		Rand Paul is spearheading that, and he's a very good friend.
		And I wholeheartedly support any rescinding of funds that I think have been misappropriated.
		But you've got to remember that it's very broad, and you can go into every department almost and find that case in point.
		The absent or the unused buildings that the federal government owns or that is renting.
		And I suspect that paper trail will lead back to some very influential people and some folks that have maybe even some members of Congress.
		And that's one thing else I suggested to Elon.
		I said, there's 435 members of Congress.
		I think you ought to investigate every dadgum one of them and see if they're getting some money that is possibly ill-gotten gains.
		And as I said that, I heard a loud noise behind me.
		I didn't know if somebody was taking a shot at me or not.
pedro echevarria ▲ ● ▼		Can you elaborate on that?
pedro echevarria ▲ ● ▼		Why would you investigate members of Congress on the topic of ill-gotten gains?
tim burchett ▲ ● ▼		Because there's no other reason for them to keep voting for garbage other than they might have a wife and/or girlfriend that works for one of these departments or works for one of these quasi-governmental agencies.
		And I think until we do that, America will not trust Congress and they shouldn't.
		But why wouldn't you?
		Why would you not want to discuss that?
		And that's why I've filed legislation along with AOC and others to eliminate individual stock trades by members of Congress.
		I own my buddy Tommy Seiler handles my $12,000 or $13,000 mutual fund very well.
		And I think members of Congress ought to follow that lead instead of individual stock trades.
		Another case in point: when we gave Ukraine our missile defense system by presidential order, President Biden did that.
		We had to replenish our missile supply in this country, which we should.
		We could not be naked in defense of our country.
		And yet, who owns stock in those companies?
		Members of Congress, both parties.
		And when have they bought that stock?
		Some of them just a couple of weeks prior to that decision by the president.
		So those are the kind of things America needs to be paying attention to.
		And I think Elon Musk is going to bring those to light.
pedro echevarria ▲ ● ▼		And before we take calls, there is an effort reportedly by House leadership to put a continuing resolution that will last throughout the end of the year.
pedro echevarria ▲ ● ▼		If that's the case, where are you on that?
tim burchett ▲ ● ▼		Well, there's talk, is it a clean, is it clean?
		And then they start talking about how the Cardinals, which I do not like that term, members of Congress that are on the Appropriations Committee will want to make some adjustments to it.
		And then for it is not clean.
		I think, why can't we go back to pre-COVID funding levels?
		No one has yet told me one bad gum government program that has been added since COVID that has made their lives better or that they could not live without.
		We ought to just go back to those levels and then we could balance, we could literally balance our budget.
pedro echevarria ▲ ● ▼		Representative Tim Burchett with us until 8 o'clock.
		Our first call is from Rick.
		Rick is from Missouri Republican line.
		Rick, you're on with our guests.
		Go ahead.
unidentified		Yes, thank you.
		Mr. Congressman, I think you already answered my question, which was how is it that within three weeks or a month, Musk is uncovering all of this, you know, this spending that's out of control.
		And why hasn't Congress found it out?
		I think you're already saying you want things to get in place where congressmen are being investigated.
tim burchett ▲ ● ▼		Yes, sir.
unidentified		And a deep dive on this.
tim burchett ▲ ● ▼		I do.
unidentified		So maybe elaborate a little further on it for me.
tim burchett ▲ ● ▼		Say again, you want me to do what?
unidentified		Just elaborate a little further on how we'll get to really what's been happening and what's going to be done to keep it from happening in the future.
tim burchett ▲ ● ▼		Well, I suspect it won't happen because there'll be some well-intended, very liberal judge will probably step in and block that investigation, but they shouldn't.
		When you run for Congress, it is an honor to be in Congress, and you ought to have total disclosure about your finances and where they come from and every investment that you make.
		And it ought to be instantaneous, not six weeks later.
		As you've seen, there's a Twitter ex site called Wales and Wales, like the mammal in the ocean.
		And you can look it up and it traces stock trades by congressmen and their listing.
		Some of them do hundreds, if not thousands, of stock trades in a year.
		Granted, I'm sure their stockbroker does it, but they seem to do much better than the market.
		Some of them, everybody wants to rail on Speaker Pelosi, but the reality is she's in the middle of the hundred.
		I mean, she's not even in the top 10.
		So I would suggest you look at that and you will see what's going on, and it's pretty evident.
		But I think it's a total arrogance of Congress.
		I remember when I was back home, and they did away with term limits, and somebody was on television, and they were interviewing them, and an elected official that was going to be forced out of office because of term limits.
		And they said, I don't know if this county could run without me.
		And I thought it was an April Fool's joke.
		I thought it was a joke.
		But in reality, that was their mentality.
		And that is the mentality of most members of Congress.
		And this place can't live without them.
		And guess what?
		There are 435 of us.
		That's why my number in baseball is 435 on the congressional baseball team because I tell people I'm the 435th most powerful member of Congress.
		But everybody up here thinks when they get up here, they get their entourage and they get their butts kissed.
		And they think they're going to get called from the president to negotiate a trade deal with North Korea or something.
		And that just isn't the case.
		And I think our egos have played us.
		And when you have 12% of the population voting and you go home, and the Democrats do the same thing as the Republicans.
		They go home to their MAGA dinners or Republic or Truman Day if you're a Democrat, and they throw out the red meat, how bad Congress is, and how much you're going to take it to them.
		Then they come up here and they just sell you down the river.
		And they do that every dadgum time, and we need to wake up.
pedro echevarria ▲ ● ▼		Jack is in Kingsport, Tennessee, Democrats line.
unidentified		Yes.
unidentified		Mr. Burkett.
tim burchett ▲ ● ▼		Yes, sir.
tim burchett ▲ ● ▼		Go ahead, brother.
unidentified		You're talking about the documentation that Elon Musk is using to far everybody.
		Have you seen that documentation?
		Yourself?
tim burchett ▲ ● ▼		No, sir.
unidentified		Well, why do you say it?
tim burchett ▲ ● ▼		Do what?
unidentified		Why do you lie to the people then?
tim burchett ▲ ● ▼		What am I lying about, sir?
unidentified		The documentation.
tim burchett ▲ ● ▼		No, there's.
unidentified		You said it was documented.
		It was documented.
		Oh, I've seen it all.
tim burchett ▲ ● ▼		No, I never said that.
unidentified		I'm not sure that you've seen it by bringing it up.
unidentified		And I've got another one for you.
tim burchett ▲ ● ▼		Well, sir, if you're not working, if you're working in the federal government and you don't show up for work, you show me any other job in America where you can do that.
tim burchett ▲ ● ▼		Organized crime and federal government is the only place to win the most live.
pedro echevarria ▲ ● ▼		Hold on, gentlemen.
		Gentlemen, Mr. Bridget, we'll let him ask a second question.
		Pauler, go ahead, please.
unidentified		He's going in far enough the job, not them missing work.
unidentified		All right.
pedro echevarria ▲ ● ▼		Well, what's your question?
		What's the follow-up question?
		Because we have to move on to another topic.
unidentified		I'm going to ask a question right quick.
		Okay.
		He's talking about the speech that Trump made, the disrespect that the Democrats had for him.
		How about Biden?
		What Republican hollered at him or our?
pedro echevarria ▲ ● ▼		Okay, that's Jack and Kingsport.
tim burchett ▲ ● ▼		And they were called out for it, and they were also censored for that.
		Imagine a political party that does not stand for a little boy who's beaten cancer, has brain cancer.
		Imagine not standing for a wife and a widow, excuse me, and a young child who lost their father who bravely covered their bodies after a sniper attempt.
		Imagine not standing for hostages released in Gaza.
		Imagine not standing for a little girl who was forced into sex change, but by her own volition and her parents asking questions found out the school was doing that and they took a stand against that.
		Imagine not standing for those things.
		That's what the Democratic Party would not stand for.
		They have lost their way, and I think America saw that.
pedro echevarria ▲ ● ▼		When it comes to the actions of Representative Al Green, center votes scheduled to take place today.
pedro echevarria ▲ ● ▼		Will you support that?
tim burchett ▲ ● ▼		Yeah, it's not going to do anything.
		All you're going to do is make him a martyr.
		I would just ignore it because unless we had something powerful to do to knock him off a committee or something, we censored Adam Schiff and that weekend he raised over a million dollars.
		I almost wish they'd censor me and I could use that as a fundraising.
		I'd sell t-shirts over that.
		It doesn't do anything.
		And we're going to raise cane about it, but he'll probably get reelected in his district.
		You have 10 or 12% of the population voting.
		That's what happens.
pedro echevarria ▲ ● ▼		Malik in Texas, Independent Line.
		Hi there.
		Go ahead.
unidentified		Yeah, first of all, I'd like to say today's Republican Party is nothing more than a socially acceptable fascist movement, devoid of any facts, any truth, any true platform.
		They are devoid of any intelligence.
		Mr. Bridget himself, along with Donald Trump, claimed to have signed the greatest trade deal with Mexico and Canada.
		And now they're saying they have a trade deficit and bashing the very trade deal that they have.
		Also, Mr. Burchett and Donald Trump claim there are millions of people over the age of 100 receiving Social Security benefits.
		I'd like him to name five.
		Just name five.
		And he talks about imagine not standing up for a little boy in the Republican Party.
		The Republican Party spent years bashing Ruby Freeman and Shea Morse to the point where they had death threats, had to be moved out their home and had to sue Rudy Giuliani.
		These people are a joke.
		They're an abomination to our country.
		They don't believe in the Constitution.
pedro echevarria ▲ ● ▼		Okay, Carler, you got your point across.
pedro echevarria ▲ ● ▼		We'll let our guests respond to it.
tim burchett ▲ ● ▼		Well, I'm not sure the names he referred to.
		But when you talk about a little boy who's beaten cancer or possibly has cancer and you don't stand for that, you don't stand for all those other things.
		And you don't stand for the waste, fraud, and abuse of billions of dollars.
		And yeah, you're right.
		I'm not going to name names because that would be a violation of the rules.
		And until that is put forth in a court case, I would believe that that would be actually a violation.
		So you're correct there, and I'm not going to do that.
pedro echevarria ▲ ● ▼		Speaking of court cases, as a member of the Foreign Affairs Committee, what was your reaction to the Supreme Court ordering on the freezing of or the unfreezing of foreign aid funds?
tim burchett ▲ ● ▼		Well, I'm not, I don't claim to understand what's going on in the court system, but imagine us sending money to other countries for things like circumcisions, $10 million, for instance, pornography to children, American taxpayers paying millions upon millions of dollars for sex changes in Central America.
		And then you look back at what's going on in this country.
		Hurricane Helene rolls through western North Carolina and East Tennessee, and Joe Biden won't do anything for them, just as he wouldn't do anything for the people in Hawaii or in Palestine, and probably wouldn't have done anything for the people out in California.
		Then we vote for $100 million for FEMA.
		I did not vote for it because I knew it would probably either be stolen or misappropriated.
		And then guess what?
		$54 million shows up in New York City to house illegal aliens in high-rise, in high-rent apartments.
		That's the kind of thing that we're against.
		That's the kind of thing Doge will uncover.
		And I look forward to that being brought forward.
pedro echevarria ▲ ● ▼		Just to clarify a couple of things when it comes to the Social Security, you've probably heard follow-up stories saying that when it comes to those getting checks 150 years or so, it could be coding issues attached to that.
		When it comes to some of those programs you listed, they come from State Department, say, versus USAID.
		When you see those follow-ups and then you hear what Elon Musk tells you, how do you square those two things?
tim burchett ▲ ● ▼		Well, as he stated, mistakes are going to be made, but the money's going out.
		Who cares where it's coming from, which department?
		The truth is, it's coming from your back pocket, and it's probably some of it is flowing back into this town in the politicians' back pockets.
		So that will come, and then you all will have to come back and explain that, and the folks will understand that.
		But the money's still going out, and some of that money is going overseas as well.
		And why would we be paying any kind of retirement or the federal government to anybody in Peru, for instance, documenting cases?
		And it's billions of dollars.
		And why do they not want that?
		And that's what's going to happen.
		They're going to cut the waste abuse and fraud out of Medicaid and Medicare.
		And they're going to come back and say, oh, you're cutting these programs.
		No, we're not.
		We're freeing up more money for those folks.
		And it's just driving them crazy.
		Go ahead.
pedro echevarria ▲ ● ▼		One more question on that front.
		Democrats, when it came to the topic of Medicaid, that saying that when those savings legislation has to come from the House Energy and Commerce Committee, Medicaid is the one program that that's going to come from.
		When you hear those arguments, what's your response?
tim burchett ▲ ● ▼		My response is that why are the Democrats opposed to cutting the waste abuse and fraud in those departments?
		And why are they not for freeing up more money for Americans that have paid into the system?
		You've got to ask yourself that.
		All we're talking about is the waste, abuse, and the fraud.
		And the Democrats are trying to stop that.
		And you have to ask yourself, why are they doing that if they're not part of the deal?
pedro echevarria ▲ ● ▼		So emphatically, do you think Medicaid is due for cuts then, or at least changes in spending to Medicaid programs?
tim burchett ▲ ● ▼		I think the delivery system is antiquated.
		I think a verification system needs to be in place.
		And I think when all those things are done, and when we actually look at the checks and look at the roles, let's make sure that there is no duplication.
		That's what I'm saying.
		And that's where the cuts will come.
pedro echevarria ▲ ● ▼		Another Tennessean.
		This is from Lake City.
		This is Ann, Republican line for our guests.
		Go ahead.
unidentified		Good morning, Representative.
		I have a dear friend, and I want to say good morning to her.
		Her name's Carol.
		She has a beautiful daughter that was a terrific basketball player for our legendary Pat Summit.
		And Shelly coaches basketball.
		She has trained hundreds of girls, and they're in the state tournament now.
		And I was so disappointed that the Democrats would not vote to keep men out of girls' basketball.
		I played basketball, volleyball.
		My girls did.
		I had granddaughters that played.
		One had a scholarship in soccer.
		One was offered a scholarship in basketball, but her dad said, nope, she's going to UT.
		And every Democrat voted against it.
		Even Miss Slotkin, who had a response to the president's speech the night, she campaigned on getting men out of girls basketball, and yet she didn't vote for it.
		I want that to be codified.
		I have a five-year-old granddaughter that's playing basketball.
		She's also a mutton buster.
		She went to Harriman last weekend and wrote a sheep.
		And girls need to have their own sport.
		They need to keep men out of it.
		And I would say to our girls at UT, they blew that team out yesterday, 40 points, and they're playing again this morning at 11 o'clock.
		And go, lady ball.
tim burchett ▲ ● ▼		Okay, thank you, Ann.
		Well, a lot to digest there.
		Pat Summit came to my daddy's funeral.
		She was a dear friend of our families, and I miss her greatly.
		But you're exactly right, ma'am.
		Not a single Democrat in the Senate, and only, I think, two bucked the system in the House and voted to keep men out of women's sports.
		Can you imagine the, you know, that's why these records, these men are competing in things against women.
		They're losers in their own sport.
		They can't compete.
		And look at Riley Games.
		She tied a man, and the man was given the award and was allowed to stand on the winner's podium.
		That's the kind of thing that the Democrat Party stands for.
		You've got to wonder, Who are they compromised by?
		And what forces are behind all this?
		This is a disgrace to our country.
		It's a disgrace to women's sports, and it needs to stop immediately.
pedro echevarria ▲ ● ▼		From Steve, Steve joins us from Maryland Democrats line.
pedro echevarria ▲ ● ▼		Go ahead.
unidentified		Yes, Mr. Burchick.
		My name's Steve.
		I voted for Donald Trump twice.
		I am a Democrat, but I have a question.
		The congressional calendar just came out.
		My understanding is they're only going to be in session 135 days.
		Can you explain to me how we get through the country's business when the congressional calendar is only going to be held for in session for 135 days when there's 365 days in a year?
		And this is my other issue with the 12 appropriation bills that we can never seem to get through.
		So for the past 25 years, the legislative branch has been unable to pass a balanced or any budget in 25 years.
		So my thing with those is maybe we should get rid of the entire legislative branch.
		That would be fabulous.
		16% approval rating year after year.
		This and Moneyway, your Appropriations Committee and the other committees.
		Isn't that your guys' job to pass a budget and then to follow up where the money is going?
		Thank you.
tim burchett ▲ ● ▼		Yes, sir.
		And that's a lot, too.
		Yes, sir.
		I think it's actually in the last 30 years we've not voted.
		We've not passed a budget.
		I was on the budget committee and I asked to be taken off because the time is a worthless committee.
		Jody Arrington is pushing for a budget and you're correct about the number of days.
		But the reality is I actually do more work when I'm at home in the district.
		It's not a vacation time.
		I don't know about, I can't speak for anybody else, but my calendar is already pretty much filled.
		And we're actually under Speaker Mike Johnson, we're actually in Washington a lot more than we were under the previous Democrat administration.
		So, yeah, we need to be here up here working and glaciers pass us by.
		And I can't argue with you enough.
		I can't agree with you enough.
		I mean, when I go home, people that actually work for a living, to me, it's kind of disgusting what goes on up here, but it's a lot better than it was, but it needs to be a heck of a lot better.
pedro echevarria ▲ ● ▼		Representative Burchett, when you go home, are you still holding town halls?
tim burchett ▲ ● ▼		We do teletown halls.
		It's a lot, it seems to be more efficient.
		And the reality is, is what we're seeing now is you've got the paid instigators, the people that are coming in, and they just clog it up and they just yell at you and they want to do what they're doing right now.
		They're getting national attention and they're trying to focus on obscure issues and do not focus on the real issues.
		They're told that Medicaid, we're cutting Medicaid and Medicare.
		And in the last bill, it was not even mentioned in the last bill.
		So that's total falsehood.
		We're not cutting those.
		I don't care what it's a Democrat talking point.
		Nobody could run on that and nobody will run on that in the Republican Party.
pedro echevarria ▲ ● ▼		Our guest serves the state of Tennessee, also on the Oversight and Accountability Committee and the Foreign Affairs Committee, Representative Tim Burchett.
pedro echevarria ▲ ● ▼		Thanks for your time.
tim burchett ▲ ● ▼		Thank you, brother.
pedro echevarria ▲ ● ▼		Coming up on the program, we'll hear from another legislator before the House comes in at 9 o'clock.
		Freshman Democratic Congressman Gabe Amo, a member of the Foreign Affairs and Budget Committees as well.
		We'll have that conversation when Washington Journal continues.
unidentified		Sunday on C-SPAN's Q&A, Kentucky Republican Congressman James Comer, House Oversight Committee Chair and author of All the President's Money, talks about his committee's 15-month investigation into the business practices of then-President Joe Biden and members of President Biden's family.
unidentified		In this interview, Representative Comer argues that the Bidens have benefited financially from corrupt financial dealings involving Ukraine, China, and other countries.
james comer ▲ ● ▼		Six different banks had filed 175 suspicious activity reports against the Bidens, most of which were while Joe Biden was vice president of the United States.
		And then they were subject to another 50 suspicious activity reports.
		So let me put that in perspective.
		No bank would file a suspicious activity report against the son of a prominent politician unless they were darn sure that a financial crime had been committed.
		Because when you file one of those, the bank examiners roll in your bank and it causes a lot of problems.
		So the banks knew that there was some bad things going on here.
		And that's when the investigation really took off.
unidentified		James Comer with his book, All the President's Money, Sunday night at 8 Eastern on C-SPAN's Q ⁇ A. You can listen to Q&A and all of our podcasts on our free C-SPAN Now app.
		Saturdays, watch American History TV's 10-week series, First 100 Days.
		We explore the early months of presidential administrations with historians and authors and through the C-SPAN archives.
		We learn about accomplishments and setbacks and how events impacted presidential terms and the nation up to present day.
		Saturday, the first 100 days of Gerald Ford's presidency.
		He took office after the resignation of President Richard Nixon during the Watergate investigation.
		President Ford declared, our long national nightmare is over, and later made the controversial decision to pardon Richard Nixon.
		In those first few months of his term, President Ford also tried to tackle high inflation in the country, energy issues, and the treatment of Vietnam War draft evaders.
		Watch our American History TV series, First 100 Days, Saturday at 7 p.m. Eastern on American History TV on C-SPAN 2.
		Washington Journal continues.
pedro echevarria ▲ ● ▼		Our guest is Representative Gabe Amo.
		He is with the Foreign Affairs Committee.
		He serves as the vice-ranking member, also a member of the budget committee.
		Representative Amo, welcome to Washington Journal.
unidentified		It's great to be on with you.
pedro echevarria ▲ ● ▼		There's a discussion going on on whether to keep on a continuing resolution until later on this year.
pedro echevarria ▲ ● ▼		Where are you on that?
unidentified		Look, where I am is I'm looking at Republicans to exhibit some leadership here.
		They claim a really big mandate, which is false, but they are in the majority in the House, in the majority in the Senate, and they have the White House.
		So they should be able to demonstrate to the American people that they have a capacity to lead, and the consequences of their inability to leave fall on them and them alone.
pedro echevarria ▲ ● ▼		Will Democrats support it at all?
unidentified		Look, I think, as you've heard and has been widely reported, they've walked away from the negotiation table.
		So, frankly, again, they have the burden of leading.
		And frankly, time has tickened and they need to demonstrate leadership to avert challenges for the American people.
pedro echevarria ▲ ● ▼		When you say they walk away from the negotiation table, can you elaborate on it?
unidentified		No, I think it's been widely reported that they have sort of shut Democrats out of this process.
		I think this morning I read that the president is pleading with members of the Freedom Caucus to support their plan for a continuing resolution.
		So they should proceed, see what happens.
		But if they want to be partners in governance, they have to behave differently.
		It seems like they want to do this alone, so it's on them.
pedro echevarria ▲ ● ▼		If Democrats were to support it, what would Democrats seek in order to get that support?
unidentified		Well, I think negotiations will happen in public.
		So I think that that has yet to be determined.
		Again, the burden is on Republicans.
		They know that they've got the numbers to pass if they can get everybody in unanimity around passing a continuing resolution.
		So let's see if they can do that.
pedro echevarria ▲ ● ▼		As far as the actual budget process, why do you think that the inability to actually pass a formal budget didn't take place?
unidentified		Well, look, as you saw, in December, we had the opportunity to proceed to have a full fiscal year budget.
		But instead, my colleagues on the other side of the aisle responded to ex-posts, tweets, or whatever they're called now, by Elon Musk and then the president-elect and decided to follow that vision instead of the vision and will of their constituents, which is to have an effective government that is making sure that things run.
		So, look, again, burden is on them.
		When you walk away, when you decide to follow the Musk-Trump agenda, this is the consequence for the American people.
pedro echevarria ▲ ● ▼		Our guest is with us, and if you want to ask questions of him in the 25 minutes or so he has with us, 202-748-8000 for Democrats, Republicans 202-748-8001, and Independents 202-748-8002.
		Text us at 202-748-8003.
		Today, the House is going to consider a censure move against Representative Al Green.
		What do you think of that move?
unidentified		Well, look, I think this is, again, a distraction.
		Because if you look at the chamber and the hooting and hollering that was coming from the Republican side, the lack of decorum in the MAGA hat that one of my colleagues on the other side was wearing, that's inconsistent application.
		Now, what I will say is, let us not focus on the act of censure and the performance of moving someone out, but what Mr. Green was saying.
		You know, he was sharing that he didn't think the president had a mandate to cut Medicaid.
		And let's be clear, the Republican House budget resolution, I sit on the budget committee, I sat there in a markup for 12 plus hours and over and over again to a person, no Republican deviated, they decided to push forward a plan to cut at least, remember it's at least $880 billion in Medicaid, hurting many Americans, hurting in my district,
		22.6% of people who receive Medicaid coverage.
		So we can be distracted by the performance of a censure and the folks who all of a sudden have decided to be high and mighty about the activities in the chamber.
		That's one thing.
		But I'm not going to stray away from policy because that is actually what we're sent to work on, not the policing of the free speech of colleagues.
pedro echevarria ▲ ● ▼		Going back to Tuesday, one of the constant criticisms since then of Republicans for Democrats was they consistently sat during the whole thing, even when young people were recognized or heroes were recognized.
pedro echevarria ▲ ● ▼		What do you think of that criticism?
unidentified		I asked my Republican colleagues when they're going to stand up for the people that they're cutting Medicaid from.
		When are they going to stand up for the people that they're going to cut SNAP benefits from?
		Look, performance in a speech is one thing.
		And I was sympathetic to so many of the Americans who were reflected in those that were recognized in the chamber.
		But let's be very clear, that is one speech.
		Speech is different from the legislative action that is required from my colleagues to ensure that people don't suffer in this country.
		And they are plodding ahead with great intention and a great ferocity to cut Medicaid, to cut SNAP, to hurt those in nursing homes, to hurt those in long-term care, to cut those with disabilities.
		So again, let's not be distracted.
		Let's focus on the substance.
pedro echevarria ▲ ● ▼		If you were sympathetic, why not stand up, at least express that sympathy?
unidentified		I was sitting there clapping.
		You can pan the room.
		I was clapping.
		Standing itself does not denote a specific acknowledgement.
		Again, this is performance and distraction.
		Let's worry about the core.
		They did not hear from the President of the United States.
		Our president, Donald Trump, did not speak to how he was lowering costs for the American people.
		Instead, he spoke to the fact that he said, well, there might just be a little disturbance for the pocketbooks and the bank accounts of the American people while he pursues a reckless tariff agenda that is raising prices on Americans now.
pedro echevarria ▲ ● ▼		Representative Gabe Ammo of Rhode Island joining us for this discussion, our first call for you comes from Tony.
		Tony is in Detroit.
		Democrats line for our guest.
		Tony, go ahead.
		You're on.
unidentified		Good morning, Pedro and Congressman.
		You just actually kind of like spoke on a thought.
		So I have a thought and a question.
		The thought is about oversight.
		Okay, Doge.
		Elon Musk is in charge of Doge and he is going through there and he's messing around with the nuclear stuff.
		This guy builds rockets.
		Who's to say he's not stealing information on the nuclear stuff and storing it?
		It does seem like some kind of smokescreen that Donald Trump and the Republicans are doing to make us not pay attention to what Elon Musk is doing.
		My question is: is there any kind of oversight on Elon Musk and Doge?
		Thank you.
		Well, sir, you identify one of the things that distresses my colleagues on the Democratic side and causes us real significant concern.
		It is why I am on a piece of legislation that's led by Congressman John Larson from Connecticut, the ending Doge Conflicts Act.
		I may have the name slightly wrong, but the idea here is that people with the special status of special government employee people like Elon Musk, who have to have their time in office and service re-upped every 130 days, have the same financial disclosure requirements that anybody else has.
		When I worked at the White House, I filed an annual ethics report.
		You could see how little an outside money that I received.
		In fact, nothing.
		But you could see that transparently.
		I was banned from owning stocks, banned from conflicts of interest.
		Why is someone with tens of billions of dollars in government contracts yielding and wielding so much power across our federal government?
		That is a conflict that has to be explored.
		Moreover, you identified the issues with Doge, which is the mass firing of technical experts and letting these 22-year-old coders, whoever they are, go in and eliminate staff at the nuclear administration, which protects our nukes, the FDA, NOAA, so many vital agencies where we require expertise.
		And these folks who don't understand government are causing great chaos and disrupting services that will disrupt our lives.
pedro echevarria ▲ ● ▼		In Florida, Republican line, this is John.
unidentified		Hi.
		Hi, Congressman.
		I'd ask you how you're doing, but I need to ask you a question.
		As you as a park as in a congressman, do you have to do a mental health evaluation?
		Because I'll tell you, looking at what you disrespectful, not standing up to that kid the other day who survived cancer and all those angel moms.
		I was a Democrat from Massachusetts, Pocahontas' home state.
		I travel the country now and I went to where Woke dies, Florida.
		And you have lost the people.
		Let me tell you, I travel the country.
		Your message is not resonating, okay?
		You're transgender and you represent a small minority.
		And what you did with those panels the other night and everything else and not standing up is disgusting.
		And I don't know how.
pedro echevarria ▲ ● ▼		Thanks, John.
unidentified		Look, I will stand up for the people of the first congressional district every single day.
		And I know that the colleagues that I have across the country stand up for their constituents.
		And I am deeply sympathetic to anybody who has experienced struggle and challenge in this country.
		And that's why I'm working so hard to prevent cuts to Medicaid, 40% of which in my state are children, the recipients, many of whom are going through struggles, have ailments, and if it wasn't for that program, would not have health coverage.
		So that's who I stand for while my colleagues on the Republican side are waging a vigorous effort to cut at least $880 billion.
		So I think we can all agree that we should be standing for everybody who has standing up for everybody who is experiencing challenges, especially on the health care front.
pedro echevarria ▲ ● ▼		We asked our previous guests about those cuts that are reported.
		He says there's changes needed to delivering systems.
		They're not necessarily cuts.
		When you hear those arguments from Republicans, what do you think?
unidentified		Look, I would say if you don't believe me, just watch them.
unidentified		Look at what they agreed to.
pedro echevarria ▲ ● ▼		But when you look at evidence, the actual cuts are going to come from Medicare.
pedro echevarria ▲ ● ▼		What's the card metaphysics?
unidentified		It's math.
		It's math.
		When you look at the biggest pot of money in the energy and commerce line item, you have to.
		It's the only place to achieve at least $880 billion.
		So it's, look, if they decide and they gain infinite wisdom because of the activism they're hearing from us and decide to do differently, great.
		But they have put forward a plan that pushes that forward.
		And so they've got to talk to their constituents at home.
		The constituents are watching.
		You've seen these town halls around the country where people have said, no, don't steal my Medicaid.
		And we should understand Medicaid is a cross-cutting program.
		Everything in some states from dental health coverage to supports for people with disabilities and so much more.
		People in nursing homes, long-term care, children, pregnant women.
		This is who the party of family values wants to hurt.
		And so it is a math exercise.
		We should look directly at what they have done, not what they said.
pedro echevarria ▲ ● ▼		This is Mike.
pedro echevarria ▲ ● ▼		Mike joins us from New Jersey, Independent Line.
unidentified		Hi.
		Yeah, some questions for Representative Amos.
		First, does he condemn essentially the behavior of Representative Green from Texas that is his rather acerbic response to Trump's speech on Tuesday night?
		Yes or no answer, please.
		Secondly, would he agree with Doge cuts if those monies were allocated to the U.S. citizens that are suffering in North Carolina and LA?
		Reallocate those monies to basically those individuals.
		If not, why not?
		Thank you.
		Great.
		So regarding Representative Greene, I don't spend my time policing my colleagues.
		That's not what I got sent here to do.
		The 560,000 people of the first congressional district asked me to focus on them.
		And that's what I'm going to focus on.
		Look, we'll let what happened with Representative Green happen as it proceeds today.
		In regards to Doge, Doge has not demonstrated that they've actually cut anything in line with their mandate.
		They've put up this wall of receipts of Doge cuts that they keep modifying, that double counts things, that talks about canceling programs.
		In one instance, a program that was canceled in the George W. Bush administration in 2005.
		So there is no truth to what they're doing.
		And in fact, what they've proceeded with with some of the illegal funding freezes has actually been overturned by the courts in many times over, including in Rhode Island's first in Rhode Island's district court several weeks ago.
		And we have not seen clear compliance with those court orders.
		So what I will say is they are not pursuing an agenda that is in line with the concept of efficiency.
		If this was a robust process, they would carry on like President Clinton did in the 90s, going through a commission, putting together a plan, bringing it forth in front of Congress, Congress, who has the power of the purse.
		Instead, they are taking a sledgehammer to essential functions of government.
		Moreover, look, I worked on disaster response when I worked at the White House.
		I was a special assistant to the president and deputy director of intergovernmental affairs, helping communities on behalf of President Biden in response to really difficult circumstances.
		What we should not be doing is playing politics with natural disasters, playing politics with the pain and suffering that people have achieved.
		So that's where our focus should be: making sure that relief in LA and North Carolina happens as soon as possible, devoid of the nonsense of Washington.
pedro echevarria ▲ ● ▼		You taught, you serve on the Foreign Affairs Committee.
		What did you think of the Supreme Court's decision regarding the unfreezing of foreign aid?
		Does this resolve the matter of foreign aid overall, do you think?
unidentified		Well, I'm not sure that it does because we have to see compliance.
		And the court did not specifically state a timeline for which those payments should be administered.
		And as we've seen, this administration has seen court orders and said we're going to make them optional.
		And so what we need to this disruption, to USAID, thousands of workers providing essential functions for our national interests, for the health of people across the world, disease eradication, hunger programs.
		I have in my own district some suppliers of critical malnutrition response that still requires payments, payments so that they can continue the good work and go around these, you know, beyond these waivers into actually supporting the great projects that are existing that are ending hunger for so many children around the world.
		That is critically important.
		On top of it, what we see in those actions regarding USAID is a wholesale disregard of the norms of how we operate in government, just arbitrarily cutting employees, leaving people on their own to survive.
		We have people in countries who are working on critical programs who weren't thrown a lifeline to even leave the country in which they're working.
		So those are real problems.
		I am hopeful that the courts continue to exert their wisdom on this process that has caused only chaos and confusion for Americans.
pedro echevarria ▲ ● ▼		What degree do you think that better oversight is needed about how much money is given to foreign aid and what types of programs are funded by foreign aid?
unidentified		I would be all for more oversight.
		Congress has that responsibility, and I look forward to having public hearings, not the closed-door hearing that we had with Mr. Morocco, who is the acting deputy administrator of USAID, which was done in the cloak of darkness in a hearing room instead of doing in front of cameras.
		In fact, Secretary Rubio should also show up before the House Foreign Affairs Committee and show that he wants to work with Congress.
		If there is a good intention here to root out any fraud, to right-size these programs, let them talk about it in public.
		Why do it in private?
pedro echevarria ▲ ● ▼		Representative Gabe Amo joining us.
		This is Roger.
		Roger joins us from Minnesota, Democrats line.
		Roger, good morning.
		You're on with our guests.
unidentified		Morning.
		One suggestion for C-SPAN first is: when you bring these politicians, no matter who they are, could you put up in the corner how long they've been in office, what their wage is, and what their net income is?
		I really get tired of these politicians who work so hard for us, and they're becoming multi-millionaires.
		And I've been in Haiti where the U.S. aid shows up, and it's for sale in the open markets, and the poor people can't afford it.
		I was working in Bolivia when their economy was crashing.
		And people said, if you have a good boss, you'll get paid at the end of the day so you can run to the store, buy what you need.
		So because tomorrow it's going to cost you more.
		People don't realize that this country is totally bankrupt.
		And if you think we have problems now, wait till the economy crashes.
		And what is your Mr. What's your net worth?
		I would really like to know how hard you've been working for us.
pedro echevarria ▲ ● ▼		Okay, that's Roger Minnesota.
unidentified		Well, the amount of work I've been doing is certainly not tied to what I earn as a member of Congress, which is, you can find on Google $174,000 a year.
		And I've been a government service, a public servant working in government for two presidents and a governor in Rhode Island, and now have the great honor of working for people in Congress.
		And you can find my ethics report.
		It's online, and you can find my net worth there, which isn't growing.
		But what I will say is this: when we talk about debt in this country, let's talk about the budget resolution that the House budget Republicans pushed through and that we voted on on the House floor to give $4.5 trillion in tax cuts, $1.1 trillion of which going to the top 1%, which will require us to go into greater debt.
		Think about which president has added the most debt to the ledger in our history, President Trump.
		He did that in the first term.
		These are facts.
		This is not something that I am saying out of turn.
		And so I hope that when folks think about what we've experienced with these actions from Congress to move forward with a budget resolution that is calling for these cuts, that is also adding to the debt, we look at who voted on those actions.
		And it's contrary to what my Republican colleagues often speak to.
pedro echevarria ▲ ● ▼		Let's hear from Howard Howard in Ohio, Republican line.
unidentified		Hi.
		Yeah, good morning.
		I got so much.
		Instead of the Democrats organization fighting every single thing that this man that he wants to do or thinks about doing, why don't they get off their butts, join them, go for all the cuts and waste that everybody in this country knows is happening, and help out and also protect what they want to protect.
		Instead of sitting back doing nothing, so right now he's making $176,000 a year for what?
		Just rejecting anything that comes out of the office.
		That's pretty wasteful.
		There's just so many things that the Democrats can do to help if they want to help.
pedro echevarria ▲ ● ▼		Okay, let's leave it there.
unidentified		Well, I'm working hard on behalf of my constituents in the first congressional district.
		I think about, for example, the cuts to the NIH, which benefits my state to the tune of $256 million cuts that go to life-saving research across fields, everything from neuroscience, Alzheimer's research, so much more.
		That advocacy that I'm providing there, counter to the arbitrary cuts of Doge, that is what I believe we should be doing, fighting for our communities.
		And I do that every day.
		I'm proud to do it.
		And I would say, look, we heard a speech from President Trump the other night.
		Did not identify how he was lowering costs for the American people.
		He congratulated himself a lot.
		He said that they made this immense amount of progress in the 43 days of his presidency, but ultimately had not actually said what they had done in line with their objectives for the American people.
		So I say to people around the country, look at what is on the menu for cuts.
		Those are really significant.
		The cuts to Medicaid, the cuts to SNAP, things that people rely on.
		And when they talk about Doge, let's talk about how they have yet to provide a significant record of the cuts that they are supposedly making in the name of efficiency.
pedro echevarria ▲ ● ▼		One of the organizations also that you're most concerned about is the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.
pedro echevarria ▲ ● ▼		Why is that?
unidentified		Look, NOAA is such a critical agency.
		Why it's important is they provide so much in terms of our storm response, in terms of aviation, you know, all of the things that are really valuable to our everyday that we don't think about.
		They provide the scientific research, the data services, the National Weather Service.
		Those are so important to our daily lives.
		And so the cuts to NOAA, the wholesale elimination of staff with great expertise, won't be easily replaced.
		I will stand up for NOAA, for the work that it does to keep our country safe, to keep us informed, and ensure that we don't have any gaps in what the services they provide to us that could really make a big difference.
pedro echevarria ▲ ● ▼		One more call.
		This is from Michigan.
		Kathy, Democrats line.
unidentified		Hi.
		Good morning, Pedro C-SPAN, Representative Amo.
		I have a couple of questions.
		I'd like to know how much of our U.S. Senators and our U.S. representatives pay in totality for their health care premiums, what percentage of their gross income that is.
		And this is to all the members of Congress.
		I'd like to know who has ever never been, who's ever, have you ever not been covered by health care insurance where you don't have insurance, you don't seek help.
		And there's one other thing I wanted to say, but we'll keep it there.
		How about that?
		It's egregious that anybody would try to deny someone health care.
		I've been working in health care for 30 plus years.
		And unless you do work there, you don't know.
pedro echevarria ▲ ● ▼		Okay, thanks, Collar.
unidentified		Well, thank you for your question.
		I don't have the percentage offhand, but I do pay a monthly premium.
		And I have had periods where I have not had health insurance and a transition between jobs.
		And that is a perilous time for a lot of Americans.
		You hope you don't get sick.
		You hope you don't fall.
		You hope there's nothing that happens to you during those gaps.
		And ultimately, this is why averting cuts to Medicaid is so critically important.
		When you look at some of the Medicaid population, remember that it was a Medicaid expansion as a part of the American, excuse me, the Affordable Care Act, where there are people who, for the first time in their lives, were able to have health insurance.
		There is also a very critical expansion of the premium tax credit to help people with their premiums every month that will expire at the end of this year.
		Another very important thing to uphold because having health insurance in this country is so very important, not only for our health, but for our peace of mind, our ability to move through this country, to go to work, to enjoy our lives and not have the fear of one medical bill throwing your life into a storm of bills and debt.
		And that is, frankly, not good for anybody across this country.
pedro echevarria ▲ ● ▼		Our guest serves the state of Rhode Island.
		He serves on the Foreign Affairs Committee as the vice ranking member, budget committee member as well, Representative Gabe Amo, first time on Washington Journal.
		Hope you come back.
unidentified		Pleasure be on with you.
pedro echevarria ▲ ● ▼		Coming up, we're going to have open forum.
		And if you want to participate in that, 202-748-8000 for Democrats, 202-748-8001 for Republicans, and 202-748-8002 for Independents.
		So if you want to make calls just before the House comes in in about a half hour on this open forum, go ahead and call the Texas Tribune, amongst other Texas publications, yesterday, publishing that, reporting that U.S. Representative Sylvester Turner, a former Houston mayor, state legislator, and institution in Houston Democratic politics, died early Wednesday morning.
		He was 70.
		His death comes two months into his first term representing Texas' 18th congressional district, the seat long occupied by his political ally, former U.S. Representative Sheila Jackson Lee, who also died in office.
		Representative Turner passed away, but it was just last week that he did an interview with C-SPAN about his experiences in Congress.
		And we want to show you a little bit from that interview.
unidentified		So here you are, just suppose.
		Two parents, didn't graduate from high school.
		And now here comes their son.
		Graduates valedictorian from high school.
		Ended up graduating with honors from the University of Houston.
		And then my mom gave me, she signed the loan papers for me to go to Harvard law school.
		Initially, she refused because when I told her how much, she said, Sylvester, I can't do that.
		And I reminded my mom, you always told us that we could be whatever the good Lord would have us to be.
		I told my mom, I said, Dad is not here.
		You are my mom and my dad.
		Three days later, she signed the papers.
		And it was my mom and my brother who took me to the airport, a one-way ticket.
		And I went to Harvard, sight unseen.
		And my mom said, I wish we could go.
		Can't afford to go.
		But we'll see you at Christmas time.
		Take God with you and do your best.
		So here I am from two parents that didn't graduate from high school.
		I've gone to the best schools in the country.
		I've been, and because of that education, life of, well, a lawyer for over 40 years, came out of one of the best, largest law firms in the country, Fulbright Jaworski.
		And now I'm state representative, a mayor.
		And who would have thought been in the homes of Congress?
		I can only imagine what my mom and dad would be saying.
		Washington Journal continues.
pedro echevarria ▲ ● ▼		Again, the House coming in in just a little less than a half hour from now, we'll do open forum.
		Until then, the lines you can call.
		Just pick the one that best represents you.
		And if you would, hold off from calling 30 days if you would.
		The Wall Street Journal reported yesterday, following up today, that the president is expected to issue an executive order as soon as today aimed at abolishing the Education Department.
		According to people briefed on the matter, a draft of the order viewed by the Wall Street Journal directs Education Secretary Linda McMahon to, quote, take all necessary steps to facilitate the closure of the Education Department based on, quote, the maximum extent appropriate and permitted by law.
		The order has been on the works since the president's transition in early February.
		The journal reported that administration officials were considering such a move.
		So you may see that play out in Washington today, as we told you earlier in the House side that center vote on Representative Al Green of Texas.
		Again, the House is where you can follow C-SPAN 1, the Senate, C-SPAN 2, and all the other things you can follow on our networks on our app at C-SPANNOW and our website at c-span.org.
		First call up on this open forum is in Illinois Democrats line.
		This is Leonard.
		Hello.
unidentified		Hello.
pedro echevarria ▲ ● ▼		You're on.
pedro echevarria ▲ ● ▼		Go ahead.
unidentified		Okay, I just want to say, I just get some things off my chest.
		Democrats need to show their constituents how they stand up to Donald Trump like Justin Trudeau did and remind people that he's a convicted felon, an adjudicated rapist, and a serial liar who wants to be a dictator with unlimited power.
		He's done nothing to help people in need and used his speech the other day to continue lying to the American people.
		He's using his office to enrich himself and his crime family and those who voted him in office, who will soon find out that he's interested only in growing an oligarchy for the benefit of his billionaire friends.
		He wants to take us out with NATO, align himself with dictators like Kim Sheehan Putin, and America needs to wake up.
pedro echevarria ▲ ● ▼		Okay, let's hear from Richard in Kansas, Republican line.
pedro echevarria ▲ ● ▼		Hello, you're next.
unidentified		Yes, sir.
larry nichols ▲ ● ▼		The first thing I would say to all the Democrats out there, I used to be a Democrat until I changed my second Obama vote.
unity in texas ▲ ● ▼		Now, and there's a reason that I left the party, and the reason is the last caller.
unidentified		You got to stop with the talking points, you got to stop with the dishonesty, you got to start working together.
		I don't expect you to do everything that the Republicans do, but that display that they did the other night was disgusting.
		I can say one thing, at least the guy that yelled at Obama, he did apologize, and he did regret what he did.
		It's time for the Democrats to eat some crow here.
		Now, let's look at what happened.
		All these jobs that they say were created, people that lost their job during COVID were laid off.
		When those people came back, that's not creating a job.
		Let's look at the job that's what were created.
		67% of them, they were loading up the government.
		That's where the jobs went.
		67% of the new jobs went to government.
		And that's what they did for four years.
wayne paul ▲ ● ▼		They loaded up the government and they hired all these employees.
unidentified		Okay.
pedro echevarria ▲ ● ▼		Okay.
		Richard from Kansas got it.
		Wyoming is next.
		This is Gordon, Independent Line.
unidentified		Hi.
		Hey, Mauren Pedro.
		I think C-STAN should be required viewing for all three branches of government.
pedro echevarria ▲ ● ▼		Oh, a lot of people watch us in all three branches.
pedro echevarria ▲ ● ▼		So go ahead.
unidentified		Good.
		Yeah, that's good.
		Well, what's going to happen if in the VA, if a combat veteran is laid off at work, somebody who's got PTS from repeated deployments into combat?
		I am not a combat veteran.
		I'm just a veteran.
		But what's going to happen?
		These guys, let's say they have a wife and child, and their wife is pregnant again.
		They're just getting started on a job.
		And all of a sudden they get laid off.
		Their wife moves in with her parents and divorces the guy.
		And he's got guns at home.
		There's going to be a lot of people, a lot of these combat veterans are going to be gunning for Musk and Trump.
		That's all I got today.
pedro echevarria ▲ ● ▼		Callers, thank you, Caller.
		The caller's sentiment is reflected of reporting yesterday from the Associated Press and others that the Department of Veterans Affairs planning for a reorganization that includes cutting over 80,000 jobs from the sprawling agency that provides health care and other services for veterans.
		According to the Associated Press, the VA's chief of staff, Christopher Syrich, told top-level officials at the agency Tuesday that it had an objective to cut enough employees to return to 2019 staffing levels of just under 400,000.
		That would require terminating tens of thousands of employees after VA expanded during the Biden administration, as well as to cover veterans impacted by burn pits under the 2022 PACT Act.
		Let's go to Donna in Georgia, Democrats line.
unidentified		Yes.
unidentified		Hello.
pedro echevarria ▲ ● ▼		Hello, Your Honor.
unidentified		I would like to say in response to the previous speakers who talking about the Democrats that didn't stand up, I stand up for what I think's right.
		I don't answer to nobody else but myself.
		And I don't stand up to a dictator.
		I don't stand up to a showout like Trump and Musk.
		I don't stand up for a person that, oh, I just came back in for to be a dictator over everybody, tell everybody what to do.
		And I'm 75 years old and I am on Medicare and I hope it runs for me as long as I live because I'm not well.
		But I don't think it will.
		He will take every dime we got out of our pocket and laugh our way to the bank where he banks him and us him and us both.
pedro echevarria ▲ ● ▼		That's Donna there in Georgia, in Pennsylvania, Margie, Republican line.
unidentified		Good morning, Pedro.
		You know, Republicans are going to say they thought it was a wonderful speech.
		Democrats are going to say they didn't.
		So let's just change the subject for a minute.
		I wanted to thank C-SPAN for the interviews of the new congressional members.
		That was fabulous, and it certainly gave me hope for the future.
		Well, maybe not the Puerto Rican guy, but that's a story for another day.
		But so another, and I had a couple suggestions for programs.
		Somebody come on and talk about if there are any movement for presidents to have one, say, seven-year term so they won't be running for their second term all through their first term and they can actually get something done as this president is doing.
		And then a final suggestion is on February 23 on Q ⁇ A, Louis Ferrante was on.
		And I know you hate conspiracy theories, but he was so interesting.
		It'd be so fun to have him on in the morning, too.
		So thank you so much.
		And oh my gosh.
pedro echevarria ▲ ● ▼		Okay, okay.
		That got you, Margie.
		And Pennsylvania viewers, if perhaps you missed a little bit of the context there, we had a chance, we've been having a chances to interview members of Congress, new members of Congress on Capitol Hill, talking about their experiences, what brings them to Congress, what they hope to do once they get here.
		We've been showing to you at various times.
		You can still find them online if you wish.
		If you go to our website at c-span.org to meet these members, 60 new members, I think, in the House of Representatives or so.
		I could be wrong on that, but it gives you a chance to learn a little bit more about them in their own words, so to speak, as you see there on the screen.
		So you can go to our website to find out more about that.
		Rachel in 40, Texas, Independent Line.
jim jordan ▲ ● ▼		Hi.
unidentified		Yes, I'm calling in about people being mad that the Democrats didn't stand up.
		Well, I don't think they're aware when Trump, before Trump ran for office, him and his family raised money for children with cancer, used that money to fund his campaign.
		Then New York City took him to court and made him pay the money back that was supposed to go to charity.
		And they no longer can raise money for charities, his family and him in New York City.
		He got so mad that he said he was going to move out of New York City, and they said bye.
		But also, Trump also cut money for research for cancer.
		He cut money for research with people looking for something for AIDS.
		So for them to set up and drop about removing the person that said something when Trump was giving a speech, that went as far as Joe Wilson when he stood up and called Obama a liar.
		That should have been stopped back then, and now they're complaining.
pedro echevarria ▲ ● ▼		Okay.
		Rachel there in Texas.
		Linda there in Ohio.
		Democrats line.
unidentified		Hi.
		Hi.
		Good morning.
		I would just like to say that it is so sad to see a President of the United States stand up there before Congress and just say lie after lie after lie, and repeat all his every time he talks on, he has an interview or he talks to the media.
		It's the same old stuff, the same old lies.
		And as far as this child that survived cancer, thank you Jesus for this child surviving cancer.
		But as far as I'm concerned, the reason the Democrats did not stand up and clap for this child is because Trump used him as a prop.
pedro echevarria ▲ ● ▼		Linda there in Ohio.
		There's a website there called Denverite that talks about a hearing that took place in the House yesterday in the House saying that several Republican members of Congress called for criminal investigations or even the arrest of Mayor Mike Johnson and other city officials at an hours-long hearing before the House Oversight Committee.
		We've had enough.
		America's fed up with the betrayal oaths.
		One of you said you're willing to go to jail.
		We might give you that opportunity, said representative Clay Higgins.
		Uh of Louisiana, a comment pointedly directed at Johnson, who previously said he would stand up for the city's immigration policies even if it meant arrest several mayors.
		Uh, before this House oversight, talking about immigration policies as it play out, plays out in the city.
		The exchange with the Denver mayor uh, Michael Johnson, took place, with representative Jim Jordan as well, talking about the process of immigration AND Custom enforcement arresting a suspected Venezuelan gang member in Denver.
		Here's that exchange from yesterday.
unidentified		What we do sir, is we release him from our county jail and we coordinate with ICE on that release time and release date so that ICE can come and pick them up from that location.
jim jordan ▲ ● ▼		Pick them up where?
jim jordan ▲ ● ▼		In the parking lot?
unidentified		Uh yes sir, they're on the facility.
jim jordan ▲ ● ▼		That's what happened in the parking lot.
unidentified		I know, sir.
		I've reviewed the video, so I looked at it.
		I've talked to the sheriff.
jim jordan ▲ ● ▼		Last night of our ICE officers got assaulted, didn't he i've reviewed the video had to tase the guy, didn't they?
unidentified		Would you like me to answer, sir?
jim jordan ▲ ● ▼		No, i'd like to answer.
jim jordan ▲ ● ▼		Did they tase him?
unidentified		Uh, I know that there were six officers that had multiple tasers.
unidentified		I saw the six officers.
jim jordan ▲ ● ▼		If you keep him in the facility and they come in the facility and get him, does it take six officers?
jim jordan ▲ ● ▼		Probably takes two, doesn't it?
unidentified		So we've had uh, we've been doing these, as I mentioned, 1224 times, 1226 times.
		This is the first time i've been made aware of there's been an incident like this.
		So I reached out to ICE after I saw the video.
		I've coordinated with their team and offered to sit down and see if their procedures can change.
jim jordan ▲ ● ▼		Simple, it's a simple question.
		It's a simple question.
		You can release him in the parking lot, give ICE one hour notice and they got to send six officers to arrest this guy.
		Or you can say, hey, what we're gonna, here's what we're gonna do, we're gonna hold him.
		You come in and bring two officers in and you turn him over there.
		Why not do it that way?
unidentified		We have a city.
jim jordan ▲ ● ▼		You know why you don't do it that way.
unidentified		We have a city ordinance that goes for a sanctuary city.
jim jordan ▲ ● ▼		This is the whole point.
unidentified		No sir, I disagree with you because i'll tell you why.
		What we?
		What if you talk about sanctuary as a definition of shielding people from law enforcement?
		We do not do that.
		What we do do is provide services.
		In this context, what we did is we coordinated.
jim jordan ▲ ● ▼		The release officer got assaulted because of your policy, which says we're going to release him to in your words, not Mine to the streets.
		They have to arrest him in the parking lot.
		They bring six officers when they could have had one or two just come in your facility into jail and take the guy there.
		But you won't do it that way.
unidentified		I've seen the video.
		I've reached out to ICE.
		I've offered to sit down and coordinate on strategies.
		If we need to make adjustments to what we do on releases, we'll do that.
		This is the first time in the 1,226 releases you've got.
jim jordan ▲ ● ▼		No, I read your testimony.
		We'll take action last night.
		I read your written testimony last night.
		Four and a half pages.
		And you used the words safe, safer, or safety 13 times.
		Talking about my job is to protect this business, the safety of the people in Denver.
		We're prioritizing making sure everyone in our community is safe.
		That's a lie.
		Because it was not safer for the ICE agents who are part of your community.
		No way was it safer.
		The safest thing to do is to say, ICE, we got him in custody.
		Come here, we're releasing.
		We held him 345 days.
		We can't hold him a second longer.
		We can't wait for you to come inside the building.
		We got to let him go.
		So you have to arrest him in the parking lot.
		That is how stupid sanctuary policies are.
pedro echevarria ▲ ● ▼		If you want to see more of that hearing, go to our various platforms to see the various exchanges that took place yesterday.
		Loretta in Ohio, Republican line on this open forum.
		Hello.
unidentified		Yes, sir.
		I really didn't want to call in, but I really believe our country is in dire states because of the deep debt we're in because past administrations have brought this about by the decisions they've made.
		And they should give Trump, at least he cares about our country.
		He speaks of God to make his decisions.
		We should go with it and give him a chance.
		Just give him a chance.
		Yes, there's a transmission or transference of power right now, and there's different ideas being said in state.
		We need to see if they work for our country.
pedro echevarria ▲ ● ▼		Okay.
unidentified		And I believe we need to pray for the people that are trying to help our country, not put each other down, not yell at each other.
		Use reason and common sense.
		No family, no business, no country can succeed spending more money than the people are bringing in.
pedro echevarria ▲ ● ▼		Okay, Loretta there in Ohio.
pedro echevarria ▲ ● ▼		Let's hear from Henry in New York, Independent Line.
unidentified		Hello.
		Good morning, Pedro.
		I've been trying to call in since the representative from Tennessee was on all the way through the next representative from Rhode Island.
		And basically, I don't have any particular, I mean, I'm all over the place this morning.
		Lots of good topics have been discussed and so forth.
		So I'll just try to tie in and focus on the clip you showed with Representative Jordan questioning, I don't know who, but somebody in authority that released and didn't release the dangerous person to ICE.
		And I'll focus on common sense and accountability.
		If we could just go back to doing common sense things in this country, like, for example, why the Democrats seem to be so toned down.
		It would not have cost them a thing to stand up for that child that was sitting in the balcony.
		He was there as a guest for the president of the United States.
		Stand up.
		It wouldn't have cost them anything.
		But no, they sit there and follow some sort of really flingy agenda.
		And I hate to go there because I really am an independent.
		I really like, I'm a former Navy officer.
		I'm very patriotic.
		I grew up in a small town.
		I bought into all of this citizenship stuff.
		And I would really like to see our country come together.
		I'm really grateful for C-SPAN.
		I've called in before.
		I'll call in again.
		Brian Lamb did a wonderful thing greeting C-SPAN for America.
		At least we can get together from time to time in the mornings on weekends and talk about these issues and things.
		So many things to discuss, serious things.
		Trump is trying a different route.
		It's totally different what he's trying.
		But the results so far, Europe is now standing up and they're going to be more, take more responsibility for funding their own defense.
		And that will take some of the burden off of us.
		And I wanted to ask the budget guy that you had on, how much is enough?
		We're $36 trillion in debt now.
		That's 150% of our national income.
		Is the sky the limit?
		What is the limit on our national debt?
pedro echevarria ▲ ● ▼		Okay, thanks, Henry.
		Let's hear from Beverly.
		Beverly in Wyoming, Democrats line.
unidentified		Oh, Pedro, Pedro.
		You let Jim Jordan on.
		You just ruined my damn day.
		Thank you.
pedro echevarria ▲ ● ▼		Apologies.
		Let's go to Christine.
		Christine in Michigan, Republican line.
unidentified		Hi.
unidentified		Good morning, Teda.
pedro echevarria ▲ ● ▼		Hi, go ahead.
unidentified		Just a moment ago, when Oakland Foreman came up, it said in the newspaper, talking about the education.
		And that's what I'm calling about is why don't the churches start and then what they pay in go for education and child care and make it separate from all the other stuff because the church is the one that started school and teach in hospital and things for children and separate them from all the other?
		other garbage that they're trying to promote in this country?
		And then we will see who really is pro-life.
pedro echevarria ▲ ● ▼		That's Christine there in Michigan.
		The previous caller had mentioned the Europe members of the European countries stepping up to help Ukraine.
		It was part of the address delivered by the French President Emmanuel Macron yesterday talking about the aid you do to Ukraine and other European from other European countries, including France.
		Here is the president from yesterday.
unidentified		Peace cannot be achieved by abandoning Ukraine.
		Peace cannot come at any price.
		And it cannot come from Russia dictating the terms.
		Peace for Ukraine comes with the collapse of Ukraine.
		And we have seen this happen in the past.
		We can't forget that this invasion started back in 2014 and that there was a ceasefire that was agreed to in Minsk.
		And that same Russia did not uphold the peace, the treaty, the ceasefire agreement.
		So we cannot have stability without robust guarantees.
		We cannot take them at their word.
		Ukraine has a right to peace and security for itself.
		And it is in our interest and it is in the interest of security in Europe.
		And that is why we are working closely with our British, German allies, and many other European nations.
		That is why you have seen me in these past few weeks engage with numerous these people in Europe, in London, to draft the commitments that are the base requirements for Ukraine.
		For us to sign a peace agreement where Ukraine will no longer be invaded by Russia, we have to do so by supporting the Ukrainian troops in the midterm, which may require further European forces to be deployed.
		I want to believe that the United States will stay by our side, but they will need to be.
		But we need to be ready if that were not the case.
		Whether we come to peace now or in Distant future.
		Europe needs to be able to better defend itself and to deter other forms of invasion.
		Whatever the case may be, we need to arm ourselves more.
		We need to bolster our defense positions.
		We need to determine.
		And that is why we uphold NATO and our partnership with the United States of America.
		But we need more.
		We need to reinforce our own defense and security capabilities.
		The future of Europe is not going to be decided by Russia or by Washington.
pedro echevarria ▲ ● ▼		Let's go to Aaron and Maryland, Independent Line.
unidentified		Yes, thanks for taking my call.
		I'd like to respond to Mr. Burchett when he made the statement: imagine the Democrats not standing for the 13-year-old boy.
		Since he likes to quote Beatles songs, I'd like to do the same.
robert gaylon ross ▲ ● ▼		Imagine if Elon Musk had gone up to Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, rounded up hundreds of IRS workers into an auditorium, told them they're fired, and immediately after that, he asked them to join him in an Eagles chant.
unidentified		E-A-G-L-E-S.
		Imagine how those workers were to respond.
		The Democrats, they were not directing their animus towards the child.
		They were directing their animus towards the messenger.
		And imagine if that child's father had been wearing a Capitol Hill policeman's uniform.
		We got to stop this rhetoric, guys.
		Okay.
pedro echevarria ▲ ● ▼		That's Aaron there in Maryland.
		How's just about to come in?
		Lori in Colorado.
		Go ahead.
unidentified		I don't like President Trump.
		I didn't like him when he was a Democrat.
		I sensed pure evil from this man, and I told my friends: if he is going to run for president as a Democrat, I will vote Republican.
		I told my Republican friends that.
		Some of them, one of them, knew Donald Trump personally.
		And when she asked me why I couldn't stand the man, she just shook her head and laughed and said, You are on right on, spot on.
		That's him.
		But I want to say, if you want to know what a person is really like, ask their relatives.
		They will tell you.
		Fred Trump wrote a book, All in the Family, and in the book, he was desperate for money because his disabled sixth son, little boy at the time, was dying.
		And he asked Donald Trump to help him, Mr. Trump.
		And his uncle, and I will try and quote him.
		He said that he should just let his son die.
		So that's the kind of man he is.
		And he's despicable.
		And I'm glad they sat there and didn't, they weren't disrespectful.
		We didn't go tear the Capitol apart like they did.
		We sat there respectfully.
pedro echevarria ▲ ● ▼		Okay.
		Let me squeeze in Bill in Ohio Independent Line.
		Rather quick, Bill, go ahead.
unidentified		Hi.
unidentified		Thank you for putting me on.

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