| Speaker | Time | Text |
|---|---|---|
|
unidentified
|
Could you tell us if both President President Ramaposov, South Africa, and President Trump finally managed to overcome the difference and we will see United States and South Africa working together? | |
| Well, I'll answer that one first. | ||
| I think the meeting with the South African president in the Oval Office speaks to President Trump's generosity and the fact that any leader feels comfortable going to meet him, even with difficult conversations, and sometimes the problems that happen between two nations with different attitudes. | ||
| So the fact that it's President Trump means, of course, there's always hope. | ||
| It means, of course, there'll always be something for the future. | ||
| And speaking of the DRC and Rwanda, another very good example of something that has been a generational issue. | ||
| That we are, again, it's a long process, but they are taking the steps that we've asked of them to take, and that's also very promising. | ||
| We can look for an update when it comes to what the new dates are and what else is expected. | ||
| But what I can tell you is that that continues. | ||
| Another great change in dynamic, sometimes though, people forget and don't continue to ask, and I appreciate that you did, because there isn't any drama, because things are changing for the better. | ||
| So it causes less news, right? | ||
| There's less interest. | ||
| But it's worth following up as we watch these particular issues resolve. | ||
| As, of course, the news is taken up by other issues. | ||
| But this administration is committed across the board to peace and prosperity, and it seems the world's giving them a lot of chances to act on that. | ||
| Do we do what we do one more? | ||
|
unidentified
|
One more. | |
| Yes. | ||
| My Italian friend, right there. | ||
|
unidentified
|
Two more. | |
| Thank you. | ||
| Indeed, one is about Italy. | ||
| Actually, the Vatican. | ||
| I was there. | ||
|
unidentified
|
Beautiful place. | |
| I know. | ||
| Beautiful place. | ||
| You were there, and there was also some conversation with Paroline, which is the Vatican Secretary of State. | ||
| So are we seeing this conversation because we also have an American Pope that can actually better deal with our president? | ||
| And how close are we to actually the negotiation at the Vatican? | ||
| And then I have a second question on Russia. | ||
| Yes, obviously, the condition of the world existed before our new Pope Leo. | ||
| I'm not a Catholic, but I'm very moved by the nature of that faith, and it was just a beautiful experience to be there. | ||
| But I can tell you that, of course, the plans and the conversations with the Pope himself and certainly other leaders there was important. | ||
| It always would be. | ||
| If you're going to be in Italy for any reason and you're the leader of the free world, the Secretary of State of the Free World, you want to meet with these people. | ||
| This is why they're in their positions for that reason. | ||
| So I think that that's it's not because Pope Leo is an American, however, it's pretty terrific, and it's a reminder that your commitment and your faith, and it can lead you anywhere. | ||
| And so we, of course, pray for him's success as he moves forward with his duties. | ||
| And the rest of your questions? | ||
|
unidentified
|
Yeah, I have a question about Russia. | |
| I mean, I mean, not about Russia, about the different approach they were seeing from this administration when it came to diplomacy. | ||
| We saw yesterday with South Africa and then with Alex Zaneka. | ||
| Well, and I think you're seeing, I would go, this will be the last answer here, is that we're seeing different envoys, different styles, ambassadors, the Secretary of State, the President on the phone, because you have to do that when you're not simply setting up meetings every three, four, or six weeks. | ||
| That you're having meetings to make specific steps and have specific progress and deadlines about because you're a business person and you know what's possible, or you know humanity and you know it's possible. | ||
| When he says we need to have new ideas for Gaza, as an example, he really means that for everything, for how we conduct diplomacy, the secretary, of course, is on board with that. | ||
| It's natural for him. | ||
| Traditional diplomacy, going, talking, getting deliverables, making sure the relationship is active and alive. | ||
| And that is how you bond, you make friends, and your relationships with other countries are better. | ||
| So the secretary operates in that fashion. | ||
| But yes, there's a huge difference in that we are on, well, certainly we have now, what, three and a half years? | ||
| You have people who want to make a difference. | ||
| It's not just having fun in an office, it's changing people's lives for an endurable period of time so that we, our generation, I'm seeing some younger people in this room, of course, always, but for our generation, my generation, that we can think we did everything we could and have had some success in making things better. | ||
| That's the Trump administration. | ||
| That will be its legacy. | ||
| And it's an honor to be here. | ||
| And thank you all very much. | ||
| I appreciate it. | ||
| I'll see you on what is today. | ||
| I'll see you on today. | ||
| You know, the trip. | ||
| It's like, oh my gosh. | ||
| I thought I was waking up in a hotel today, but I wasn't. | ||
| Thank you, guys. | ||
|
unidentified
|
Thank you. | |
| Great to see you. | ||
| Appreciate it. | ||
|
unidentified
|
Later today, President Trump and Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. will bring together the newly established Make America Healthy Again Commission, which is tasked with advising the president on ways to address chronic diseases, particularly among children. | |
| You can watch live on C-SPAN, also on C-SPAN Now, our free mobile video app, or online at c-SPAN.org. | ||
| This weekend, President Trump is scheduled to deliver the commencement address to West Point Military Academy cadets. | ||
| We'll have live coverage from New York on Saturday starting at 10 a.m. Eastern on C-SPAN, C-SPAN Now, our free mobile app, and online at c-span.org. | ||
| As Mike said before, I happened to listen to him. | ||
| He was on C-SPAN 1. | ||
| That's a big upgrade, right? | ||
| But I've read about it in the history books. | ||
| I've seen the C-SPAN footage. | ||
| If it's a really good idea, present it in public view on C-SPAN. | ||
| Every single time I tuned in on TikTok or C-SPAN or YouTube or anything, there were tens, if not hundreds of thousands of people watching. | ||
|
unidentified
|
I went home after the speech and I turned on C-SPAN. | |
| I was on C-SPAN just this week. | ||
| To the American people, now is the time to tune in to C-SPAN. | ||
| They had something $2.50 a gallon. | ||
|
unidentified
|
I saw on television a little while ago in between my watching my great friends on C-SPAN. | |
| C-SPAN is televising this right now live. | ||
| So we are not just speaking to Los Angeles, we are speaking to the country. | ||
| Next, Attorney General Pam Bondi speaking to reporters outside the Capitol Jewish Museum in Washington, D.C. about a shooting that killed two Israeli embassy staff. | ||
| Can Jews feel safe here in the United States? | ||
|
unidentified
|
I mean, generally, so this is a very specific question. | |
| Sure, and it's not only here, it's not only in Germany, it's around the world that everyone needs to feel safe. | ||
| You have to feel safe in this country, and this hate speech has got to stop. | ||
| We have to come together as not only a community here, but as a nation and as the world. | ||
| And you being from Germany, you see that. | ||
| We have to keep everyone safe. | ||
| And that is the job right now of the Metropolitan Police, Mayor Bowser, Janine Pirro. | ||
| We were all out here all night long. | ||
| Everyone is working together as a team. | ||
| FBI, ATF, our U.S. Marshals are out here trying to protect everyone. | ||
| But our Jewish community must feel safe. | ||
| What we saw last night was disgusting. | ||
| I saw a young man's body being taken away who was about to get engaged. | ||
| He had an entire life in front of him, and that was taken away. | ||
| The hate has got to stop, and it has to stop now. | ||
| And this person will be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law. | ||
| You all have to understand, I can't talk about the facts. | ||
| I can't talk about anything else now. | ||
| They are working tirelessly to make sure this investigation goes proper. | ||
| It is. | ||
| Everyone is working together. | ||
| And that's what's going to happen now. | ||
| Can you talk about the threats? | ||
|
unidentified
|
Is there an increased threat level? | |
| Go ahead. | ||
| You spoke to Prime Minister Netanyahu. | ||
|
unidentified
|
I did. | |
| What did you talk about? | ||
| I did. | ||
| I spoke to Prime Minister Netanyahu last night. | ||
| I was with Ambassador Leiter, and Prime Minister Netanyahu called while I was with him. | ||
| I spoke to him, and of course, he was devastated. | ||
| He was devastated. | ||
| And it broke my heart to talk to BB last night. | ||
| He was devastated. | ||
| And I assured him we were looking into this. | ||
| Of course, all of our investigators were working together. | ||
| And I also spoke to President Trump multiple times, who was just heartbroken and devastated by this. | ||
| And, you know, his first directive to us was make America safe again, and that's what we are going to do. | ||
| There is no place for this hate in our country and in our world. | ||
| And has the threat level been increased? | ||
|
unidentified
|
Has the threat level been increased in Israeli missions around the country? | |
| Yes, I can tell you that, yes. | ||
| The question was, has the threat level been increased? | ||
| I can tell you security has been increased here as of last night. | ||
| Our U.S. Marshals are working hand in hand to make sure the embassy is safe, our ambassador is safe. | ||
| And again, please know everything we know now, he acted alone. | ||
| From everything we know now, this is an ongoing investigation. | ||
| But, you know, whether you're Jewish or not, be vigilant. | ||
| You know, this is the last thing these two young people, they were at a religious event right around the corner from where we're standing. | ||
| A religious event with friends and with co-workers. | ||
| They walked outside to go home and were gunned down. | ||
| That cannot happen in our community. | ||
| And this is the day where we all need to come together no matter what religion we are. | ||
| And, you know, the Muslim religion actually reached out to our rabbis and offered condolences and sent a beautiful message that they just showed me. | ||
| And that's what should be happening in our world. | ||
|
unidentified
|
What was the security posture prior to the shooting yesterday? | |
| How many armed security guards, police officers were on the scene? | ||
| Yeah, I don't know that. | ||
| I only got here after the shooting took place, so I'm sorry I can't answer that. | ||
|
unidentified
|
Attorney General, is this a security failure? | |
| Because we're very close to the Washington FBI's field offices. | ||
| This is typically our area with a high police concentration. | ||
| Well, I don't think anyone would have expected what happened last night. | ||
| They were in an event, a beautiful event. | ||
| People were, it was a dressy event. | ||
| They were dressed up. | ||
| They were all together and just celebrating and walked outside and they barely made it outside, as you know, when this happened. | ||
| But no, I think law enforcement were on the scene immediately because of that. | ||
| And the great men and women of the FBI are doing an incredible job, as well as Metropolitan Police. | ||
| Our ATF agents were out here. | ||
| Our U.S. Marshals were out here working hand in hand with the mayor and the police chief, who I cannot say enough good about right now. | ||
| And that's what we need to do. | ||
| Focus on the reports. | ||
|
unidentified
|
The reports of the manifesto. | |
| The reports of the manifesto out. | ||
| Yeah, I can't comment at all on the facts of the case right now. | ||
| You will be in a briefing at some point. | ||
|
unidentified
|
Thank you all. | |
| Any sense on the motive? | ||
| Law enforcement will brief you later. | ||
| Again, they're looking at all the facts and the evidence. | ||
| And you know, the reason I'm out here this morning is I had a scheduled interview before this happened yesterday. | ||
| And then the rabbis call me and ask if I would come out and be with them. | ||
| I know a lot of these rabbis ask if I would come out. | ||
| There is a ritual when a Jewish person dies and they come and they clean the blood from the scene. | ||
| And that's what, when you saw that happening over there this morning, I'm sure your cameras caught that. | ||
| They were scrubbing the floor. | ||
| That's what they do because in the Jewish tradition, they want to get all of their blood off the floor, even out of the cracks of the sidewalk. | ||
| And all of these men out there are volunteers and they're doing this. | ||
| They didn't know these young people personally. | ||
| They didn't know their families personally. | ||
| And they came out here and they're cleaning their blood. | ||
| They put it in a bag. | ||
| And then that bag will be buried with these two beautiful young people who lost their lives way too young. | ||
| So they were saying a prayer. | ||
| We were with them for that prayer. | ||
| And that's when every religion right now in America, we need to come together and do everything we can. | ||
|
unidentified
|
Thank you. | |
| Thank you guys very much. | ||
| Later today, President Trump and Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. will bring together the newly established Make America Healthy Again Commission, which is tasked with advising the president on ways to address chronic diseases, particularly among children. | ||
| You can watch live on C-SPAN, also on C-SPAN Now, our free mobile video app, or online at c-span.org. | ||
| In a nation divided, a rare moment of unity. | ||
| This fall, C-SPAN presents Ceasefire, where the shouting stops and the conversation begins. | ||
| In a town where partisan fighting prevails, one table, two leaders, one goal, to find common ground. | ||
| This fall, ceasefire on the network that doesn't take sides, only on C-SPAN. | ||
| Get C-SPAN wherever you are with C-SPAN Now, our free mobile video app that puts you at the center of democracy, live and on demand. | ||
| Keep up with the day's biggest events with live streams of floor proceedings and hearings from the U.S. Congress, White House events, the courts, campaigns, and more from the world of politics, all at your fingertips. | ||
| Catch the latest episodes of Washington Journal. | ||
| Find scheduling information for C-SPAN's TV and radio networks, plus a variety of compelling podcasts. | ||
| The C-SPAN Now app is available at the Apple Store and Google Play. | ||
| Download it for free today. | ||
| c-span democracy unfiltered mike said before i happened to listen to him He was on C-SPAN 1. | ||
| That's a big upgrade, right? | ||
| But I've read about it in the history books. | ||
| I've seen the C-SPAN footage. | ||
| If it's a really good idea, present it in public view on C-SPAN. | ||
| Every single time I tuned in on TikTok or C-SPAN or YouTube or anything, there were tens, if not hundreds of thousands of people watching. | ||
|
unidentified
|
I went home after the speech and I turned on C-SPAN. | |
| I was on C-SPAN just this week. | ||
| To the American people, now is the time to tune in to C-SPAN. | ||
| They had something $2.50 a gallon. | ||
|
unidentified
|
I saw on television a little while ago in between my watching my great friends on C-SPAN. | |
| C-SPAN is televising this right now live. | ||
| So we are not just speaking to Los Angeles. | ||
| We are speaking to the country. | ||
|
unidentified
|
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth spoke at Fort Bragg, North Carolina, during the 82nd Airborne Division's All-American Week review. | |
| Fort Bragg was originally named after Braxton Bragg, a Confederate general, but the Trump administration chose to rename it after World War II paratrooper Roland Bragg. | ||
| That reversed a Biden administration decision to rename the installation Fort Liberty. | ||
| Here are the Defense Secretary's remarks. | ||
| What an amazing day. | ||
|
unidentified
|
What an incredible opportunity. | |
| I thought I had the best job in the country. | ||
| I don't think I do. | ||
| Major General Work, thank you. | ||
| Congratulations. | ||
| Appreciate your actions, your words, and your leadership. | ||
| Along with Command Sergeant Major Delapena, through the best jobs in the country, best jobs in the world. | ||
| It is an absolute honor to be here, not just amongst the current, but amongst the past. | ||
| Amongst those who stand the line and those who stood the line. | ||
| Those who fight and those who support them. | ||
| This here, I know, is a community. | ||
| It means the world for me and my staff to be here. | ||
| There is nowhere I would rather be. | ||
| We've had this day circled on our calendar in the Pentagon for quite some time. | ||
| It is great to be here at Fort Bragg. | ||
| It is Fort Bragg again. | ||
| You know, there's nothing wrong with liberty. | ||
| Give me liberty or give me death. | ||
| I love it. | ||
|
unidentified
|
But give me Fort Bragg every day of the week. | |
| And to this formation out here, this beautiful formation, as I look, a message from our commander-in-chief, from your commander-in-chief, from President Donald J. Trump. | ||
| We know that all of you, America's 911, that you have our back. | ||
| The message for the commander-in-chief straight from 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue is he has your back. | ||
| I get a chance to watch it every day in the Oval Office, on foreign trips, wherever he is. | ||
| He is laser focused on putting America and Americans first and ensuring peace through strength. | ||
| So, as you train, as you prepare, as you are the tip of the spear, know that you are serving under a commander-in-chief who has your interests in mind with every decision that he makes. | ||
| Now, one of those decisions he made was choosing the Secretary of Defense. | ||
| And you know, some folks out there, some of us, we got some of our friends in the fake news media here. | ||
| Some of them said, critics might say, you can't choose an Army major to be the Secretary of Defense. | ||
| It has to be, well, one of our many distinguished generals, or congressmen, or business leaders, or corporate leaders. | ||
|
unidentified
|
Wonderful, there's many incredible Americans. | |
| One of the critiques was: we need somebody that can think strategically, big picture. | ||
| We can't have a guy who thinks like the troops. | ||
| To which I say, hell yeah, we can have a guy that thinks like the troops. | ||
| You see, my job is to think strategically operationally, but also understand the tactical. | ||
| I have stood not that long ago in a formation like this one. | ||
| And if you didn't hear it, please rest. | ||
| Double rest. | ||
|
unidentified
|
If that's a command from the Secretary of Defense. | |
| I've been in that formation loosening my knees, taking a deep breath, gazing over the horizon, sweating and wondering what time it is, but I can't move my arm. | ||
| I've been in your boots, not yours. | ||
| It's the 101st, it's not the 82nd. | ||
| I get it. | ||
| I'll admit that on a day like today. | ||
| Not quite your boots or your beret, but close. | ||
| And so, as I thought about this speech, I have an amazing staff, a wonderful staff who, and a great speechwriting team. | ||
| And they put together a binder of 27 pages. | ||
| I mean, it's like the Gettysburg Address meets the State of the Union. | ||
| Churchill meets Reagan. | ||
| But then I thought, wait, the last thing I want, if I'm standing in formation, is a 27-page speech. | ||
| So I will spare you that today. | ||
| The old-timers appreciate that one because they can sound that off. | ||
| I recognize in many ways many of the aspirations, thoughts, anxieties, fears, dreams that you have standing in formation, you and your families. | ||
| My job is to stay focused on you and our warfighters every single day. | ||
| So my message today is simple. | ||
| And on behalf of the President, we're going to bring it back to the basics. | ||
| The basics, sir, that you talk so much about, that the 82nd Airborne is focused on. | ||
| We're going to restore the warrior ethos. | ||
| And we are, across our formations, a standard that's set here every single day. | ||
| We will focus on readiness, on training, on warfighting, on accountability, on standards. | ||
| Black, white, male, female, doesn't matter. | ||
| We're going to be colorblind and merit-based warfighters, just like you are here in the 82nd Airborne. | ||
| We're also taking care of our people. | ||
| It's not just training, it's not just beans and bullets, it's families. | ||
| It's historic investment in barracks and housing, in health care, and yes, in pay. | ||
| There's a big increase coming for E1 to E4. | ||
| Also, I've got a bit of an announcement today that might be of interest to this community. | ||
| For the first time in 25 years, here at the Secretary of Defense through the Secretary of the Army, we are increasing jump pay. | ||
| Not only are we increasing jump pay, but for the first time, jump masters who have never been compensated additionally for that additional duty are going to receive an additional $150 a month in incentive pay. | ||
| So, here's to our jump, our paratroopers, our jump masters, who do the difficult things in difficult places that most Americans can never imagine. | ||
| But I want you to know inside the quarters of the Pentagon, you are on our mind with the decisions that we make in budgets, in planning, in deployments, in orders, in reorganizations. | ||
| We have you and your families in mind. | ||
| We're also going to rebuild our military. | ||
| President Trump is committed to historic investments inside our formations. | ||
| Our promise to you is that when the 82nd Airborne is deployed, if we have to call 911 for America's response force, you will be equipped better than any other fighting force in the world. | ||
| You should never enter and will never enter under President Trump's watch a fair fight. | ||
| That's my promise to you. | ||
| We will rebuild this military. | ||
| And we're going to re-establish deterrence. | ||
| Unfortunately, for a number of years, the world watched and wondered where American leadership and American strength was. | ||
| They watched the war that was unleashed in Ukraine or the attacks that happened on October 7th. | ||
| Just that same mentality reverberating just last night, sadly, in Washington, D.C. We saw the debacle of what happened in Afghanistan. | ||
| President Trump has said: by putting America first, we will re-establish peace through strength and we will re-establish deterrence. | ||
| And when I look out at this formation, the eyes of the men and women and these flags, I see the eyes of deterrence. | ||
| I see the eyes of American strength. | ||
| I see the eyes that will deter the wars that we don't want to fight because we know we have a president committed, a commander-in-chief committed to peace, peace through strength. | ||
| And my first platoon motto we ever had, which is one that you all know well, it's those who long for peace must prepare for war. | ||
| You live that motto every single day on behalf of our nation, and I cannot thank you enough, express our gratitude enough for what you do. | ||
| So, in conclusion, I'm going to turn to page 27 and end with some well-written words, deserve a fantastic formation like this one. | ||
| I'm grateful to be assembled here amongst America's guard of honor, the warriors of the 82nd Airborne Division, your families, and so many stout-hearted veterans. | ||
| Like those who came before you, you keep showing the world the stuff you're made of because we know you are ready for the important work that lies ahead. | ||
| On behalf of the President of the United States, on behalf of the Office of the Secretary of Defense, on behalf of a grateful nation, Godspeed to all of you. | ||
| God bless the United States of America. | ||
| An airborne all the way poor. | ||
|
unidentified
|
Get C-SPAN wherever you are with C-SPAN Now, our free mobile video app that puts you at the center of democracy, live and on demand. | |
| Keep up with the day's biggest events with live streams of floor proceedings and hearings from the U.S. Congress, White House events, the courts, campaigns, and more from the world of politics, all at your fingertips. | ||
| Catch the latest episodes of Washington Journal. | ||
| Find scheduling information for C-SPAN's TV and radio networks, plus a variety of compelling podcasts. | ||
| The C-SPAN Now app is available at the Apple Store and Google Play. | ||
| Download it for free today. | ||
| C-SPAN, Democracy Unfiltered. | ||
| Next, testimony from Labor Secretary Laurie Chavez-DeReamer on President Trump's 2026 budget request for her department. | ||
| She testified before a Senate Appropriations Subcommittee. | ||
| Good morning, Madam Secretary, and thank you for being here today to testify for the President's fiscal budget, 2026 budget request for the Department of Labor. | ||
| Thank you for being here. | ||
| I'm pleased, as always, to be joined by Senator Baldwin, the ranking member of the subcommittee. | ||
| We've worked together for several years now. | ||
| And I'm happy to have, well, Susan Collins, our chair of our full committee, will be joining us later today. | ||
| So, following four years of spending under the Biden administration, President Trump is taking steps to rein in our bloated bureaucracy and ensure that taxpayers' dollars are well spent. | ||
| The department's request proposes to reduce funding for the agency by $4.6 billion, a decrease of nearly 35%. | ||
| We look forward to hearing your testimony and discussing in greater detail your priorities, new proposals, and programs you think we should consider scaling back. | ||
| This month, we continue to receive good news about the strength of the American economy. | ||
| Our economy has added jobs every month since President Trump took office, and the unemployment rate has remained steady this past month at 4.2%. | ||
| However, millions of Americans are still underemployed or have stopped looking for work altogether. | ||
| We need to make sure that Americans have access to training programs, especially those that provide on-the-job training and those focused in high-demand jobs, which in West Virginia includes important industries like coal mining and health care. | ||
| I'd like to see the department take innovative approaches to expanding, and you and I have talked about this, apprenticeship opportunities to new programs and fields, as a lot of worthy apprenticeship opportunities don't fit the current registered apprenticeship mold. | ||
| I'm interested in hearing more about how the Make America Skilled Again grant program will increase flexibility and improve outcomes for workers looking to upscale and advance their careers. | ||
| I've also been a longtime champion of expanding and strengthening the early childhood education workforce through apprenticeships. | ||
| Giving our educators a clear pathway to successful careers opens the door to higher quality and better coverage of care, but also helping both our families and child care workers throughout the state. | ||
| Having a highly skilled workforce is critical, but it's only half the equation. | ||
| We must also continue to have common sense solutions to create an economic environment where businesses can thrive and create those good, well-paying jobs. | ||
| I've been pleased to see this administration take steps to rein in unnecessary regulatory burdens that make it harder for businesses to create jobs. | ||
| Earlier this month, the Department of Labor announced it will no longer enforce the Biden administration's independent contract rule, which jeopardized the ability of as many as 70 million freelancers, rideshare drivers, and other independent workers to earn a living in a way that best fits their needs and schedules. | ||
| This rule would take away the freedom for West Virginia real estate agents, truck drivers, freelance riders, and other self-employed workers to choose their own hours and work around other life priorities like going back to school or raising their children. | ||
| I hope to see this administration continue to remove bureaucratic red tape to allow companies to expand their workforce, grow their businesses, and show their employees how much they're valued in a growing economy. | ||
| However, to be clear, not all regulations are bad. | ||
| It is important to have appropriate protections to place to keep hardworking Americans, including our miners, safe. | ||
| West Virginia is the second largest producer of coal in this country. | ||
| For generations, coal miners in West Virginia have helped keep the lights on across the country. | ||
| We built the country. | ||
| But doing so has sometimes come at a great price. | ||
| In the last couple decades, West Virginia has experienced major mining tragedies at the Upper Big Branch Mine and Sago Mine, which claimed 29 and 129 lives, respectively. | ||
| I hope to hear more about the administration's plan to ensure that their workplaces are safe and that our workers are able to return home to their loved ones at the end of the day. | ||
| Secretary Chavez-DeReamer, as the fiscal year 26 appropriations process moves forward, I know we'll continue to work together to address priorities and find common ground on how to best responsibly allocate our taxpayers' resources. | ||
| Thank you again for being here today, and I'll now turn it over to the Ranking Member, Senator Baldwin. | ||
| Thank you, Madam Chair. | ||
| Good morning. | ||
| Good morning, Madam Secretary. | ||
| Thank you for being here today. | ||
| We're here today to talk about the Trump administration's fiscal year 2026 budget request for the Department of Labor. | ||
| Yet, we have barely a page of information on the budget proposal less than five months before the start of the new fiscal year. | ||
| What the administration has chosen to highlight in that one page is the establishment of a Make America Skilled Again block grant. | ||
| A central element of that block grant is cutting funding for the department's workforce development programs by roughly half. | ||
| This is a theme of this administration, slash programs that Congress created on a bipartisan basis for Americans, put a slogan on it, and say without any evidence, great things will happen. | ||
| This administration talks loudly about supporting and protecting American workers, but its actions are telling a very different story. | ||
| Its chaotic tariff policies will mean fewer high-skilled jobs while increasing costs for workers. | ||
| These cuts in this budget request would mean fewer opportunities for workers to gain the skills they need for good and high-paying jobs. | ||
| The budget requests For a new Make America Skilled Again program argues that it will promote the full range of post-secondary education and training options. | ||
| Secretary Chavez-DeReamer, if that were really the goal, I would be right there with you. | ||
| I have long fought to boost trade schools, career and technical education, apprenticeships, and any proven pathway that gives people opportunities and a chance to succeed. | ||
| But the real goal here is not that. | ||
| The goal is cutting bipartisan programs that help my constituents get the skills they need to make room for tax cuts for corporations and the wealthy, another theme of this administration. | ||
| Madam Secretary, when we met a couple of months ago, there was more that we agreed on than we disagreed on. | ||
| For example, we talked about the importance of registered apprenticeships. | ||
| I have been proud to support efforts to expand them in Wisconsin. | ||
| In our state, employers train 10,000 registered apprentices in 200 different occupations every year. | ||
| But you're proposing cutting funds for states and local workforce training programs which support apprenticeships. | ||
| Those cuts would be nearly a third. | ||
| You're proposing to totally eliminate the JobCorps program. | ||
| In my state, it's a program that gives so many students vital training and opportunities. | ||
| And you have terminated already appropriated funding to increase and support apprenticeships in fields newer to the apprenticeship model, like teaching. | ||
| It just doesn't add up. | ||
| Between what you have already done and what you're proposing in your fiscal year 2026 budget, this will leave Wisconsinites with fewer opportunities to find that pathway to a good paying job and a stable life. | ||
| And that's what we know from the very few details that have been provided so far. | ||
| I'm worried about what other supports you might want to take away from workers when that full and detailed budget request comes out. | ||
| I'm concerned that what I have seen at the department over the last four months doesn't bear any resemblance to our conversation prior to your confirmation. | ||
| That's because this administration is being led by OMB, Elon Musk, Doge, who are exerting unprecedented control over executive branch agencies and crossing the line of separation of powers. | ||
| Madam Secretary, while I heard your words expressing support to combat forced labor and child labor exploitation around the globe, actions to date tell a different story. | ||
| Terminating hundreds of millions of dollars in grants that our laws require the department to award and characterizing them as America last programs reveals a different priority. | ||
| That funding helps prevent labor exploitation abroad, which supports American workers here at home. | ||
| As long as big multinational corporations can turn a blind eye toward labor abuses down their supply chains and get the green light to move operations to the lowest cost countries that don't respect workers' rights, American workers will pay the price. | ||
| Madam Secretary, it's your job to make sure they compete on a level playing field where we will win. | ||
| Here at home, the department has also been busy eliminating grants supporting women in the workforce. | ||
| We've seen the chainsaw at work in eliminating grants to fight gender-based violence and harassment and support women in apprenticeships and non-traditional occupations. | ||
| This effort, these grants, are not optional. | ||
| They are in law. | ||
| On a bipartisan basis, Democrats and Republicans put into law that your department invest in programs and issue grants that reduce barriers to work for women. | ||
| Madam Secretary, you must be familiar with shortages of trained workers, and I am sorry to see that you're turning your back on support that opens doors for women to address these workforce needs. | ||
| Finally, as a former member of Congress, you understand better than most the importance of transparency and the administration being responsive to Congress. | ||
| What we have seen so far is simply not acceptable. | ||
| When you were pressed for information about the department's workforce reduction during last week's House appropriation hearing, you provided all sorts of excuses why you couldn't respond, including that you didn't have final figures. | ||
| I wrote you two months ago and asked similar questions about workforce reductions through the most recent pay period, and you failed to provide the requested information. | ||
| You're the head of this agency. | ||
| The buck stops with you, and you're responsible for answering these questions. | ||
| This is basic information this committee and Congress need to perform our constitutional duty. | ||
| This is basic information Wisconsinites and Americans deserve because it's their tax dollars. | ||
| You should also fundamentally understand our deep concern that it appears this administration is planning to ignore the law and illegally impound funds Congress appropriated. | ||
| Your department was created to ensure that workers have safe workplaces, receive the pay they have earned, and have access to the high-quality training they need to prepare them for in-demand jobs. | ||
| That doesn't happen by saying you're putting workers first, but by acting to put them first. | ||
| It's not too late to change course, and America's workers deserve nothing less. | ||
|
unidentified
|
Thank you, Chair Capitol. | |
| Thank you, Senator Baldwin. | ||
| And now I would like to welcome our witness again, the Secretary of Labor, the 30th Secretary of Labor. | ||
| She was confirmed in a bipartisan way on the Senate floor of 67 to 32. | ||
| That's quite a feat in this environment, I will say. | ||
| And Madam Secretary, we welcome your remarks for five minutes. | ||
|
unidentified
|
Thank you, Chairman Capito, Ranking Member Baldwin, and members of the subcommittee. | |
| Thank you for the invitation to testify today. | ||
| It's an honor to appear before the subcommittee to share the important work this administration is doing at the Department of Labor and discuss the President's fiscal year 2026 budget request. | ||
| It's a privilege to serve as the 30th Secretary of Labor and lead the Department's efforts on behalf of President Trump and the American workforce. | ||
| My role as Secretary is to ensure the American worker is at the center of our economic strategy. | ||
| The middle class, union workers, and small businesses have given us a clear mandate. | ||
| It is my job to guarantee those men and women are not just heard, but respected and prioritized at every level of government. | ||
| From the moment I was sworn in on March 11th, I promised to put American workers first, and that mission has guided my work from the very beginning. | ||
| Through common sense reforms, we will focus the Department of Labor on that same purpose, saving taxpayers' resources while safeguarding protections that are critical to the health and well-being of our workforce, like enforcement efforts, inspectors, and investigators. | ||
| Additionally, I'm committed to having an open-door policy for every worker. | ||
| As their liaison and advocate, I am committed to painting an accurate picture of laborers' needs and concerns to the President. | ||
| I launched my listening tour, America at Work, to hear directly from the men and women on the ground who are living this day in and day out. | ||
| The real-life insights and experiences are imperative to shaping federal labor policies and practices. | ||
| I told my team when I began this tour that I want to visit all 50 states to better understand regional workforce needs, and we're making good headway. | ||
| I've held my meetings with local leaders to learn more ways that the federal government can help develop a skilled workforce, improve infrastructure to attract business and investment, prioritize workers, and identify smart regulations that expand economic opportunity and drive job growth. | ||
| From a training facility demonstration with the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers in Pennsylvania to a day spent with students learning to become aviation mechanics in Nevada, I am experiencing and relaying these challenges and triumphs of America at work. | ||
| We have a responsibility to turn these stories into actions through smart reforms and federal solutions that deliver those results. | ||
| This worker-centric approach is part of the broader economic momentum President Trump is driving. | ||
| With nearly $10 trillion in private investments so far, Americans are seeing great progress in the growth of our jobs, our economy, and our competitive edge. | ||
| To further stimulate economic growth, the Trump administration is overhauling the waste, fraud, and abuse that has characterized the federal government's use of tax dollars for decades. | ||
| The Department of Labor is eliminating unnecessary red tape that stifles innovation. | ||
| We are on track to restore freedom and purchasing power to hardworking men and women. | ||
| For example, the Labor Department recently uncovered $4.4 billion of unspent and unusable COVID funding and is actively working to return that money to the Treasury in its entirety. | ||
| When Americans' hard-earned tax dollars aren't wasted, more of their paychecks can go toward things that actually matter, putting food on the table, gas in the cars, and providing stability for our families. | ||
| Workers are the cornerstone of our economic comeback, and that's exactly why America First policies matter. | ||
| I stand by ready to equip, train, and support our workforce so that they can thrive in the ever-changing job market. |