On the April 24, 2026 Washington Journal, host Greta Van Susteren examines an 86% disapproval rating for the 119th Congress, driven by dual government shutdowns, Iran war tensions, and ethics scandals involving expelled members like Eric Swalwell. While Speaker Mike Johnson fails to extend FISA and President Trump claims 78% of Iranian targets are neutralized, Democrats push a War Powers Act vote as Senate Republicans fund immigration enforcement without ICE restrictions. Callers debate corporate influence via Citizens United and leadership age, concluding that systemic corruption and partisan gridlock have eroded public trust in American governance. [Automatically generated summary]
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Bridging the American Divide00:15:25
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Bridging the Divide in American Politics.
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Coming up on Washington Journal this morning, along with your calls and comments live, Paragon Health Institute's Brian Blaise on the findings of a new report looking at the impact government policies have on hospital and healthcare costs.
And then the Reverend Jim Wallace of the Georgetown University Center on Faith and Justice will talk about President Trump's feud with Pope Leo XIV and the role of faith in the Trump administration.
C-SPAN's Washington Journal is next.
Join the conversation.
Disapproval of Congress ties record high at 86%.
That according to a new Gallup poll out this week.
Good morning, everyone.
Welcome to the Washington Journal on this Friday morning, April 24th.
We want to get your thoughts this morning.
Do you approve or disapprove of Congress?
Well, we want to dig a little bit deeper than a poll and ask why you either approve or disapprove.
Republicans, dial in at 202-748-8001.
Democrats, 202-748-8000.
And Independents, 202-748-8002.
You can also text if you don't want to call at 202-748-8003.
Just include your first name, city, and state.
Or you can join us at facebook.com/slash C-SPAN and on X with the handle at C-SPANWJ.
Digging a little bit deeper into this Gallup poll that was released this week, they found the Americans' approval of the 119th Congress stands at 10%.
Well, 86%, this ties the record high, disapprove of the job the senators and House members are doing.
When they break it down by party, in the Gallup poll, they found that Republicans had a 20% approval rating, Independents 11, and Democrats coming in at 3%.
Representative Jim Jordan, a longtime member of Congress, represents a district in Ohio, on Fox Business yesterday, responded to the Gallup's findings.
This is from his point of view.
For six months, I mean, you can't blame people for being annoyed at government, can you?
Well, I get that, I guess, but you know, that's the Democrats.
They shut the government down 42 days in the fall.
Now it's 60-some days in the spring.
Understand the Democrats' plan when it comes to, you know, because they don't want to fund ICE, but understand what they've done.
They first, for four years, they let in 10 million illegal migrants.
Then they create sanctuary jurisdictions, which make it tough to remove those migrants when they commit another crime.
And now they say, we're not going to fund the guys who do the removing.
We're not going to fund ICE.
So of course people are going to be frustrated with the crazy things that the Democrats propose and the crazy things they do.
Plus, there's just this general thing, you know, Congress, and when it comes to passing laws and getting stuff done, it's a cumbersome process.
What was the Churchill line?
You know, Churchill said democracy is the worst form of government there is, except for all the others.
So I get that, but that's just part of the way the founders designed this amazing thing we called America with its checks and balances, the best government ever, but it still sometimes is messy.
So I get that in a general sense, but specifically, it's the crazy Democrat policies that I think are driving Americans and the position that Americans have about Congress.
Ohio Republican Jim Jordan, with his take on this Gallup poll, we want to hear from all of you this morning and get your thoughts on whether or not you approve or disapprove of Congress and tell us why.
Digging into the Gallup poll, they note that it is partly due to the shutdown of the Homeland Security Department, now at a record length, and most disapproval highs coincide with shutdowns.
They also note this, though, that beyond the ongoing DHS funding impasse, congressional disapproval on Gallup's April 1st through the 15th poll may reflect Republicans' frustration over Congress not passing legislation, including the Safeguard American Voter Eligibility Safe Act, which passed the House in 2025 and would require citizenship documentation to register to vote.
Also, broader tensions over war powers related to the U.S. conflict with Iran.
The effects of high gas prices and ethics scandals involving two members of Congress that led to their resignations as the polling period was drawing to a close may be souring public opinion further.
Is that why you disapprove of Congress?
If you approve, we want to hear from you as well.
Moving on to Punch Bull this morning, their headline this morning is that it's very clear Republicans have been in a rut.
Speaker Mike Johnson twice failed in humiliating fashion to pass an extension of FISA, the controversial intelligence surveillance law.
Next week, Johnson and the House GOP will see if the third time is a charm.
Democrats muscled through a high-stakes redistricting referendum in Virginia on Tuesday, setting off intense squabbling among House Republicans about why they were so badly outspent in the old Dominion.
President Donald Trump's war with Iran continues to roil global financial and energy markets with no end in sight.
Trump's polling numbers have collapsed, including on the economy, which is a huge problem for vulnerable GOP lawmakers.
And another embattled cabinet secretary bailed out this week.
And a wave of sexual misconduct scandals have rocked Capitol Hill.
Would you list some of those reasons for your opinion on Congress?
We'll go to Barbara, who's in Georgia, Democratic caller.
Barbara, approve or disapprove of the 119th Congress.
Oh, Lord, I disapprove of him.
I'm hoping every single day and praying that somebody will impeach this man before he destroys the United States.
All right, but Barbara, we're talking about Congress this morning.
What's your opinion of them?
The same.
The same.
The same, yes.
Even your Democratic leaders.
The leaders, I'm not against them.
I think they're trying.
But I think the Republicans, they don't want to negotiate.
Okay.
Paul in New Fairfield, Connecticut, an independent.
Paul, what do you say?
Hi, Greta.
Thanks for C-SPAN.
I just want to say that we're going to hear for the rest of your conversation various Republicans and Democrats calling in to talk about their party's viewpoint.
The problem is not what Congress is, whether they're effective or not.
It's that we're living with this system where we have parties.
What are the parties for?
Really think about what are the Democrat and Republican parties for.
They're not for you and me.
Okay.
Paul's thoughts.
An independent in Connecticut.
William's also an independent in Ohio.
William?
Good morning.
How are you today?
Morning.
Approve or disapprove of Congress.
Oh, I disapprove.
I mean, and the worst of all is the ones from Ohio.
We already got a gerrymander Congress in Ohio, and we got Jim Jordan, which is one of the three stooges in charge of the whole thing.
And that's crazy because we got him, JD Vance, and Marino, and all three of them are worthless as anything.
And all they do is do Trump's bidding, which is crazy because they talk about shutting the country down.
The Democrats don't shut this country down.
The Republicans do.
They're the only ones, and they don't take care of the poor.
I swear, all they take care of is the rich man and his attitude.
All right, well, William, you're calling on the independent line.
Have you ever voted for a Republican?
I voted for Trump in 16, but the man is so terrible I left the party.
Okay.
William, an Ohio independent caller.
More of your calls coming up this morning.
Approve or disapprove of Congress.
That's our conversation here in the Washington Journal for the first hour.
Listen to what the Democratic leader Hakeem Jeffries of New York had to say when the daughter of CNN reporter Manu Raju, it was Take Your Child to Work Day at the Capitol yesterday, asked the leader about Congress's Americans' frustrations with Congress.
Got a question there.
Why do voters you Democrats so poorly?
Did your dad give you that question?
It's a great question.
I'm going to have words with you after this, Mario.
Listen, I think that we exist in an era right now where the American people are understandably frustrated with institutions because far too many people in this country are struggling to live paycheck to paycheck.
They can't thrive and can barely survive.
And so there's a frustration with Congress.
There's a frustration with institutional political parties, whether that's Democrats or Republicans.
Certainly a frustration with the courts, with organized religion, with the media, frustration with institutions of higher education, and of course, frustration with the current president of the United States of America.
There's a great frustration that applies to every organized institution in this country.
And Democrats are not immune from that.
And we do have a responsibility to continue to convince the American people that as a party, we're actually focused on making their life better, on fixing our broken health care system, on cleaning up corruption, on ending this reckless and costly war of choice, and on getting ICE under control.
The Democratic leader from New York in the House, Hakeem Jeffries, there with his take on why Americans are frustrated with Congress.
Gallup found 86% of those that they polled disapprove of the job Washington is doing on Capitol Hill.
Anthony in Detroit, Michigan, an independent.
We'll go to you next.
Yep, good morning.
I agree with the caller, Paul, from Connecticut, who said something about Democrats and Republicans.
They've done a terrible job.
That's why approval is where it is.
The Democrats and Republicans, they've been grandfathered in and given to us.
And, you know, their grip on power is like you can't even touch it.
Like, so many, they're so old in age.
Congress, you know, so much older than the population.
It's like they just have a grip on power that they don't want to let go of.
So, Anthony, which party will you vote for in November?
Oh, I started voting third party a long time ago because Democrats and Republicans are two of the most corrupt organizations in human history.
I mean, you got to be honest if you're just looking at it.
Look at all the wars they've started in the last 50, 75 years.
Just so corrupt, it's not even funny, both of them.
Okay.
Anthony in Detroit, independent caller.
Michael in New Kensington, Pennsylvania, Republican.
Good morning to you, Michael.
Go ahead.
Hey, good morning, Greta.
Thanks for taking my call.
Thanks for susping.
And I am particularly upset at the Democrats.
I am a Republican, but I've never seen a time when one party or the other was so anti-American to the point that when we were at war, they were so unsupportive of our efforts.
I think there's a good reason why we're in Iran.
I think that Iran is something that earlier, previous administrations have failed to address.
And I think it's very similar to what happened when Thomas Jefferson went after the Barbary Pirates.
And he said, this is every, all the other European countries were paying blackmail money to them so that they protection to the Barbary pirates so that they wouldn't have to their ships wouldn't get scuttled and things like that.
And Michael, so let me ask you about the Gallup poll then.
Why do you think the approval rating for Republicans is 20%?
Well, I think people don't understand that Republicans, we have such a tight, there's such a tight control that neither party has very much advantage.
It's very hard for anybody, either party, to get anything done because of the very slim margin that we have.
Right.
And I think that I think that, but I mean, even when you see this big, beautiful bill that was passed, I mean, there were tax breaks for so many people.
I mean, it wasn't just the rich people.
It wasn't just the, you know, there were a lot of tax breaks that were given to people.
And people don't understand that if that bill had not been passed and your taxes would be going up tremendously on top of the gasoline prices and everything else that we're faced with now, you would have taxes that were $4,000 per household, perhaps.
Okay.
Michael in Pennsylvania on our line for Republicans approving of his of the job members of Congress are doing his party on Capitol Hill.
Getting the Country Back on Track00:06:02
Linda is next.
Oklahoma, Democratic caller.
Good morning.
I so strongly disapprove of what Congress is doing.
There was a system of checks and balances.
And I wake up every day and discover that no, government isn't working at all.
Mr. Trump has been able to break laws.
There's a tremendous amount of what I see as grift.
His family seems to be enriching themselves, and Congress does nothing.
The dismantling of the federal government, firing all the employees.
I'm upset particularly about the Forest Service, but I'm sure other people have other things that they focus on.
But I thought Congress was there in order to balance out the government and protect us so that we didn't have this authoritarian type power step in.
Okay.
Linda, as a Democrat, let me bounce this off of you.
This is Axios' reporting this morning.
Resistance-minded House Democrats are pushing their colleagues to begin building the case against President Trump now in anticipation of a day one impeachment vote if they retake the House.
Why it matters?
The mere existence of this movement shows how much pressure Democratic lawmakers will face next January if they retake the House and or Senate.
Representative Delia Ramirez, Democrat of Illinois, told Axios the party, quote, should build up the case so that when we are in power in January, we've created the conditions, we've done the fact-checking, we've done the shadow hearings, everything we need to be able to impeach Trump.
Linda, do you agree with that strategy?
Well, you know, that's one strategy, and I understand it, but I don't know that they should spend their time impeaching Mr. Trump as they should trying to get the country back on track.
I think people need health care.
We're going to need SNAP.
I live in Oklahoma.
It's extremely poor.
Rural hospitals are going to shut down.
I'm not sure they need to put all their energy in that it would be successful in removing them.
I'm not sure that would happen.
I would like to see them try and get the country back on track.
All right.
That's what I want.
Thank you.
Linda in Oklahoma, a Democratic caller, Linda, for you and others that are interested in health care coming up here on the Washington Journal.
We're going to talk about the cost of health care, how much hospitals are charging, and of course we'll talk about rural hospitals as part of that conversation as well.
According to the Cook political report, this is what the prediction looks like as we head into election season.
So before November, at this point right now, Cook Political Report says that Democrats lead in battleground districts.
In districts which President Trump won by an average of two points in 2024, Democrats hold a six-point lead on the generic congressional ballot, 50 to 44%.
They also found in their latest analysis that if that advantage holds come November, any district President Trump carried by 10 points or less could be in significant danger of flipping Democratic.
That is on the House side.
This morning we're talking about your approval or disapproval rating for both the House and the Senate.
Vincent in Gaithersburg, Maryland, and Independent.
Hi, Vincent.
Yeah, good morning.
Hi.
I have a disapproval of you, C-SPAN, and all of the leftists who you read, the authors of the polls, and the decision that C-SPAN and PBS and CNN, you know, on the Sam Frank, the new boss who was CNN boss for 33 years, the questioning of Mimi, who was a PBS for 15 years, her own Mimi Jersey show, all left-leaning, the influence.
But here's the thing.
Here's the thing.
The only people who call in and praise you are the Democrats.
And this morning, you had nothing.
You just tried to demean President Trump, the military, the whole bit.
And your polls, you always read the lowest poll.
You never read all of the polls.
And you never wait till the polls are really complete.
And polls really don't mean nothing.
You know why?
All of these polls over the years were wrong.
You know why?
President Trump won anyway.
But Greta, jump in.
Greta, you have a good day.
All right.
Vincent Gaithersburg, Maryland, Independent.
We'll take the feedback.
Thank you.
Susan in Florida, Republican.
Hi, Susan.
Hi, how are you?
Good morning.
Good morning.
Yes, I'm just wondering.
I do approve of the job that Congress and the Senate is doing, except that I do have a problem with Jon Thune.
I do believe that Schumer and McConnell have something on him that he cannot do the job that he's out there to do.
Who are you talking?
I'm sorry, I missed that.
You're talking about Jon Thune?
Yes, John Thune.
Yes.
I mean, he's there, but he certainly is not being a speaker.
He definitely is not the head of the Senate.
Right now, Schumer and McConnell are still running the Senate.
Well, why do you think that?
Why do you think that, Susan?
What's your frustration?
I'm thinking that because he, first of all, 84% of the Americans want the Save America Act, and he's holding it off, holding it off, holding it off.
You know, because Chucky doesn't want it.
Chucky doesn't want that.
There's no way that Chucky wants, oh my God, our illegals can't vote.
I know.
There's no way.
So, you know, I think Jon Thune needs to go.
I think five senators can vote to get him out of there.
And I think it needs to be done.
Republicans Seek Filibuster Loophole00:02:20
All right, Susan, do you want Jon Thune to go or Johnson?
Because you said both names.
I said John Thune.
Oh, John Thune.
Okay.
Sorry about that.
All right, Susan.
Yes.
Florida, Republican, with her thoughts this morning.
There has been movement in the Senate this week.
This is from the New York Times, their headline, Senate adopts, Senate GOP adopts budget plan, rejecting affordability proposals.
The Senate early Thursday morning adopted a Republican budget blueprint that would pave the way for $70 billion increase for immigration enforcement and the eventual reopening of the Department of Homeland Security.
Republicans pushed through the plan on a narrow, nearly party line vote of 50 to 48.
It came after an overnight marathon of rapid-fire votes known as a Voterama, in which the GOP beat back a series of Democratic proposals aimed at addressing the high cost of health care, housing, food, and energy.
The debate put the two parties' dueling messages on vivid display six months before the midterm elections.
Republicans are using the budget plan to lay the groundwork to eventually push through a filibuster-proof bill providing a multi-year funding stream for President Trump's immigration crackdown.
Use the all-night session to highlight their hardline stance on border security, seeking to portray Democrats as unwilling to safeguard the country.
Republicans are seeking a way around a filibuster on this DHS funding.
The budget blueprint is a crucial piece of Republican plan to fund the Department of Homeland Security and end a shutdown that has lasted for more than two months.
After Democrats refused to fund immigration enforcement without new restrictions on agents' tactics and conduct, the GOP struck a deal with them to pass a spending bill that would fund everything but ICE and the Border Patrol.
Republicans said they would fund those agencies through a special budget bill that Democrats could not block because they don't need 60 votes for what they call a reconciliation here in Washington.
They just need a simple majority.
So Republicans have made that move.
It's now up to the House, and then we'll see if it makes it to the president's desk.
Approve or disapprove of Congress.
David in Minnesota, an independent.
Hi, David.
Redistricting Battles and Headlines00:02:32
Hi, can you hear me?
Yeah, we can.
Yes, I'd like to just say my children were having a discussion about the war in Iran the other day.
And my one son, who's 10, was saying that it's not technically a war because Congress did not declare a war.
And he said that numerous times.
And all of a sudden, my eight-year-old turned to him and said, nobody cares about Congress, only you.
It's a war.
And I thought that pretty much summed it up.
Congress has been useless.
I really don't know what they do.
President Trump and the previous presidents have been ruling by executive action.
Those are the things that make it into the headlines.
So I really don't know what Congress does anymore.
I haven't heard any headlines about legislation passed.
They don't work together.
And they're kind of a useless organization that nobody cares about.
All right.
David's thoughts in Minnesota there, an independent.
Let's go to Frank next, an Ohio Republican.
Hi, Frank.
Good morning.
Yeah.
Yeah, it's all kind of a joke.
Like that last gentleman just said, what does Congress actually do but create problems?
Either way, it doesn't matter which way you go.
But wouldn't it be nice if there was no parties to argue about?
Wouldn't it be nice if we just argued and discussed issues?
All we do is discuss party, party, party.
Get rid of the parties.
You're supposed to vote on the person's values and morals.
Do they line up with yours or not?
That is how people are supposed to vote.
But it's all about parties.
And it doesn't matter if you're a good Democrat or a good Republican.
But you had to go with the party because the party runs everything.
All right.
And Frank on Capitol Hill this week, it was about the parties and which party can control the majority after this midterm election.
As you know, Virginia voters approved a redistricting referendum that could favor Democrats 10 to 1 in those 11 congressional districts in the old Dominion.
Right now, Democrats have six seats.
It could go to 10 after the Virginia voters approve this.
Parties Control Everything00:14:52
Listen to Speaker Mike Johnson, two reporters on Wednesday, about the redistricting efforts in Virginia.
It's a hyper-partisan gerrymandering boondoggle.
We fought hard.
We raised a ton of money.
We did our best, but the Democrats in charge of Virginia hoisted this upon the people.
It is still in the courts.
We are confident in calling upon the Virginia Supreme Court to do the obvious and right result, and that is to strike this thing down.
Why?
Because it was demonstrated again last night.
This is a divided state.
It's almost 50-50.
Keep walking.
So a 10-to-1 map is not justified in that state.
And the people showed it again last night.
The fact that it was so close demonstrates and proves exactly what we've been saying from the beginning.
Speaker Mike Johnson on the redistricting battles and the latest.
The New York Times Republicans consider next moves after voters approve the Virginia map.
And they said that Florida Governor DeSantis has called state lawmakers for a special redistricting session.
But less than a week before the start of the session, which was delayed, he has yet to unveil a new map for legislators to consider.
Florida state lawmakers have shown little interest in redistricting and are not expected to propose their own maps.
Although Florida may attract much of the attention in the short term, a case before the U.S. Supreme Court could have a far more significant effect on redistricting.
The court is hearing a challenge to a key provision of the Voting Rights Act that effectively prohibits racial gerrymandering.
Should the court completely strike that provision, as it appeared poised to do during oral arguments, multiple states could attempt to quickly redraw their maps.
And the Supreme Court's move could give Mr. DeSantis another justification to draw new maps in Florida.
Still, it is unclear when the court will issue a ruling in this term, which ends in late June or early July.
A late ruling after dozens of states have completed their primaries would make it difficult for many states to draw their new maps before the midterms.
Hakeem Jeffries, the Democratic leader from New York, was asked about the next moves in Florida by Republican Governor Ron DeSantis.
Here's what he had to say: our message to Florida Republicans is F around and find out.
If they go down the road of a DeSantis dummy mander, the Florida Republicans are going to find themselves in the same situation as Texas Republicans, who are on the run right now.
And under no circumstances are Texas Republicans picking up five seats.
They'll be fortunate if they get two or three.
While in California, we are going to get all five.
The Republicans are dummy mandering their way into the minority before a single vote is cast because they started this war and we're going to finish it.
Hakeem Jefferies, the Democratic leader from New York, on the latest in Virginia and the redistricting battle that continues throughout this year.
This morning we're asking you: do you approve or disapprove of Congress?
Sylvia is next.
And Alexandria, Virginia, Democratic caller.
Yes, good morning.
Good morning.
No, I do not approve of Congress.
I voted originally, and the first person I ever voted for a president was Richard Nixon.
And we all know what happened with his what happened to him.
You know, it could not have happened unless the Republicans had stepped up and said, okay, this is not what we want a president to do.
We have to step in here and control the situation.
Yes, it was Democrats, but it was Republicans who went out of their way to say this is not right.
Right now, the way the country's being run with the president, Trump, things aren't right.
Because if you think things are right, then I think you're living with really rose-colored glasses on.
Things are really bad.
It's bad for us and it's bad for the world.
So why aren't the Republicans out there trying to try to change?
There are a few.
You know, yes, Mr. Tullis isn't going to be running from North Carolina.
So he's saying, okay, I'm going to tell you how I feel.
And sometimes he says things that I don't agree with or how he does it, but mostly he does.
He says things that make a whole lot of sense and that we've lost our ethics.
That is the problem we have here.
On both sides of the aisle?
Both, yes, because we're trying to fight fire with fire, and eventually it will pull us down.
Okay.
Sylvia's thoughts there.
Alexandria, Virginia, I will leave it there.
We're going to continue getting your thoughts on whether or not you approve or disapprove of Congress.
We're asking the question this morning because Gallup is out with a new poll that shows 86% of Americans disapprove.
Before we get back to your calls, though, in other news, I want to share with you Vice President JD Vance and Secretary of State Marco Rubio yesterday announcing the extension of a ceasefire between Israel and Lebanon.
Yes, sir.
Well, first of all, congratulations.
Congratulations to you and our Secretary of State.
But most importantly, congratulations to the people of Israel and Lebanon.
I think it's a major historic moment.
We're going to extend the ceasefire for three weeks that's already in place between Israel and Lebanon.
Of course, it wouldn't have happened without the president's direct engagement.
The fact that you have these leaders of different countries coming together for the first time, they came together in the Oval Office and they came together because of energetic diplomacy, of course, led by the President of the United States.
So I think it's a big moment for the world.
It's a big moment for our country, but just very proud to be a part of it.
So thank you, sir, for making it happen.
Thank you very much, JD.
Thank you, Mr. President, for hosting this.
Actually, you know, the President wanted to be personally involved, and I'm glad he was because it made it possible to get this extension, and it gives everybody time to continue to work on what's going to be a permanent peace between two countries that want to be at peace.
Both are victimized by the same terrorist organization, a terrorist organization that no doubt has victimized Israel, but has also victimized the people of Lebanon.
The people of Lebanon deserve to live in a country that's peaceful and prosperous.
They have an opportunity to do that.
They have a history of that.
And what's standing in the way is an organization that operates, a terrorist organization that operates within their national territory that needs to be, that threat needs to be eliminated.
And so thank you, Mr. President, for this gathering today and for convening it and being a key part of it.
And it spies it's time to continue to work.
I'm very optimistic that in a few weeks we'll be even closer to the kind of permanent peace that the people of Israel and Lebanon deserve.
Yesterday in the Oval Office, the Vice President and Secretary of State on the latest between a ceasefire brokered by the United States between Israel and Lebanon.
Front page of the Washington Times this morning, sticking with Iran, the president rules out nuclear hit orders shoot to kill.
President Trump emphatically insisted Thursday that the United States will not use a nuclear weapon against Iran as the conflict nears its third month.
Speaking in that Oval Office meeting with reporters, the president called questions about the nuclear options stupid.
The president also yesterday said he would not be rushed to end the war with Iran as negotiations continue.
Listen to what he had to say.
I took the country out militarily in the first four weeks.
I took it out militarily.
Now all we're doing is sitting back and seeing what deal.
And if they don't want to make a deal, then I'll finish it up militarily with the other 25% of the targets.
We've hit 78% of the targets that we've wanted to hit.
We've knocked out their manufacturing.
We've knocked out their missile production.
We've knocked out their drone production.
We've knocked out everything.
In some cases, when I say knocked it out, 70, 80, 90%, it's amazing what we've done.
So I've done that within that period of time that I mentioned, but I don't want to rush myself, you know, because every story says, oh, Trump is under time pressure.
I'm not.
No, no.
You know who's under time pressure?
They are.
Because if they don't get their oil moving, their whole oil infrastructure is going to explode.
You know what that means?
Because they have no place to store it.
And because they have no place to store it, if they have to stop it, something happens that only Lynn can explain.
Something happens underground that essentially renders it in very poor shape and you never recover fully.
You can recover 50, 60%, but you can never have it like it is right now.
And they have a matter of days before that event takes place.
So I'm not under any pressure whatsoever.
You're asking for more time to sort out negotiations.
You're not asking for more time.
I'm not asking for them.
No, it's not more time.
I'm not asking anybody for more time.
And you know what they get for that?
You know what they get for that?
Iran without a nuclear weapon that's going to try and blow up one of our cities or blow up the entire Middle East.
President Trump in the Oval Office yesterday with the latest on the Iran conflict.
This morning here in our first hour of the Washington Journal, we're asking you about your approval or disapproval rating of the 119th Congress.
Republicans dial in at 202-748-8001.
Democrats 202-748-8000.
And Independents, 202-748-8002.
Remember, you can text if you don't want to call at 202-748-8003.
You can also join us on facebook.com slash C-SPAN and on X with the handle at C-SPANWJ.
We'll go to Roger in Naperville, Illinois, Democratic caller.
Roger, do you approve or disapprove of Congress?
Disapprove, but before I start saying, I want to talk about that bozo, the joker that called and just said starting his sentence saying how much he's a disapproval of you.
That is such a joke.
Has he seen the economy, how bad the economy is, how people are struggling?
I'm talking about a guy, Vincent from Maryland.
Get a life.
Second thing, why my disapproval for Congress?
Because what happens with the representative, as soon as they win the election, they're starting raising money second day.
That is the problem.
The money is the issue in this whole Congress.
That's all they are trying to get themselves as rich as possible.
And till we get money out of this race, we're still going to keep having problem because the election is all about getting elected, getting rich, and the average American just cannot get ahead.
It's difficult.
The rich are getting richer and the poor are getting poorer.
And that's all it is.
And the middle class is just floating until America realizes that, until they realize the representatives that they're sending over there, and it will not be resolved.
And we will keep having such a low number of approval for the Congress.
That's what I need to say.
All right.
Roger there in Naperville, Illinois, Democratic caller.
Kenny in Wilson, North Carolina, and Independent.
Kenny, approve or disapprove?
I disapprove also, but it's a lot more to that than the way y'all asking the question.
And let me explain, please, ma'am.
On the Democratic Party side, it's mainly the leadership.
If you look at the leaders, the main leaders of the Democratic Party over the last probably 80s, since the 80s, it's been Pelosi, Biden, and Chuck Schumer.
They're very old and ineffective.
So that's what we are mainly, we need to get rid of on the Democratic side.
We need a new face on the Democratic Party.
Get rid of them completely.
Well, Hakeem Jeffries is, Hakeem Jeffries from New York, who you're seeing on your screen.
He's a relatively new face.
Right, but you got Pelosi still there.
And everybody think that she's pulling the strings on Jeffries or influencing him.
Those people need to get out of the way.
Let me explain to you.
It's going to make a lot of sense after I explain it to you.
Now, on the Republican side, all these people are behind Trump.
So I'm completely against that whole party.
The Democratic Party can get life.
All they got to do is put a new face on the Democratic Party.
They have to get rid of Trump.
Somebody called in before said, No, they need to concentrate on the economy first and don't concentrate on impeaching Trump.
No, you got to get rid of him first.
If you try to do the economy with Trump in there, it's not going to work.
Okay.
So, who, what face?
What face do you want to see?
What fresh face do you want to see leading the party?
You got plenty of them in there.
You got the young girl from the Bronx, New York.
You got the young lady from Texas.
They speak very fluently.
That's what the Republicans got.
That's how they won.
They got energetic people, and we got all these old people in there that won't move.
So that's what the Democrats has got to do.
That's the reason I left the Democratic Party.
Now, let me finish up now.
Okay.
Now, if you look at Pelosi, I'm going to tell you how they messed up and lost the Democratic Party.
It's been all their fault, all these old leaders in the Democratic Party.
You look at Pelosi.
She hired Mueller to investigate Donald Trump.
That was a big mistake, a Republican.
Biden, when he first got in, and I would like for you to look this up, ma'am, because I heard him say this one time, and I think somebody told him that he didn't say it anymore.
But he said he wasn't interested in going after ex-presidents because the question was asked to offend him when he first got in office.
So he didn't want to investigate Trump.
He was pushing it through the side like Trump was going to just go away when he should have really started to investigate him and got that guy, I forget his name, the guy that Trump was investigating Trump, they finally put in there.
He should have put somebody in there like that and really started on Trump from the beginning.
But he just thought everything could fall back together.
And Schumer is old.
All he does is sit up there with his hands in his pocket.
Congress Must Police Its Own Ethics00:02:05
He don't influence nobody.
You got to have some for Zaz.
So he needs to step aside.
All right, Kenny, heard your point.
Caroline, North Carolina, Democratic caller.
Oh, yes.
I would give Congress.
Well, I don't really think we have a Congress.
The Republicans and majority, they're not doing anything.
We just have an executive office, and I don't think he's qualified.
I would like to go back to what the earlier caller that didn't understand the division in this country like he's never seen before.
I think they look through jaded glasses because I clearly hear Trump and his cronies constantly say that the Democrats are evil.
He hates Democrats.
I mean, so I guess they missed that part.
It's not a voluntary thing, but to be a citizen of the United States and the president constantly rails against you as a non-citizen just because you didn't vote for him and you don't support his little ideas.
And I like to say that evidently somebody is not seeing anything correctly because he went back to the barberry pirates.
Before I knew, the Iranians, the straight was open before Trump went over there with his little bombs and things.
The straight was open, so there was no problem there.
And as far as getting new life into the Democratic Party, they're doing pretty good.
But I really would like to sign on with they need to get that money out of politics.
And another thing I like to say, I don't think this war is going to be over anytime soon because Donald Trump Jr. and his daughter invested heavily, and you can look it up into a drone company.
So they are into the military industrial.
Caroline, I will leave it there.
Also, happening this week in Congress, in case you missed it, on the House side, Republicans and Democrats have been threatening to expel members from both parties.
Older Members Need to Move On00:09:21
And as you know, Eric Swalwell stepped down when he faced an expulsion vote.
Then Republican Tony Gonzalez from Texas, he did as well.
And Representative Sheila Scherfiles-McCormick, right before the Ethics Committee was slated to sanction her, she resigned as well.
Karen Tumblety writes a piece for the Washington Post this morning.
Congress is supposed to police its own ethics.
Here's why.
It falls short.
The House has an independent Office of Congressional Conduct charged with reviewing ethics complaints and referring what it deems valid ones to the Ethics Committee.
The Senate has no such review body, which means potential violations are handled or not directly by the elected lawmakers who sit on its ethics committee.
In 2024, the nonpartisan Campaign Legal Center compared the records of the two houses of Congress over more than a decade.
While the House's Office of Congressional Conduct, then known as the Office of Congressional Ethics, found evidence of a violation in 43% of the cases it considered, the Senate Ethics Committee did so just 3% of the time.
What's more, the House released the records of its investigations nearly half the time, whereas the Senate issued public reports in fewer than one in 20 cases.
Those statistics, the Campaign Legal Center wrote, quote, speak volumes about the disparity in accountability between the House and Senate.
Listen to Speaker Mike Johnson talking to reporters about the ethics investigations, not only into Representative Scherfiles-McCormick, but Corey Mills, a Republican of Florida, who's facing a separate ethics probe into whether he violated campaign finance laws and engaged in sexual misconduct.
We are always concerned when allegations of inappropriate behavior and certainly sexual misconduct are made against members.
If you talk to Representative Mills, and he's entitled to do that, he has said that all of these allegations are untrue.
He is working through that.
There is a due process that he is allowed, and they're going through that process, as have all the other members.
It took Sheriff Liz McCormick over two years for them to work through that in a deliberative fashion.
So we support that process.
We don't prejudge anything.
I can decry how horrific allegations are, but until they're proven, they're only allegations.
It's not been approached by Mr. Jefferies, no conversation between you two.
So it's one for one, nothing like that.
It would be totally unjust and a violation of the due process that I'm describing to you for party leaders to get together and say, hey, one for one, we'll kick one out, you kick one out.
That's not how this works.
Each one of these cases had to be evaluated on their individual merits.
And that's what we'll do.
The Speaker of the House and the minority leader have no business or role whatsoever governing any activity of the ethics committees.
I have my opinion, like every other member does.
It's a very important rule that the leaders don't put their thumbs on the scales.
We allow that process to play out.
So I would like all of this to move a lot quicker as well.
I'm confident that they are moving along as quickly as they are able.
And when members cooperate, which my understanding is Representative Mills is cooperating, unlike Sheriff Liz McCormick, I would expect that the outcome would be much sooner.
So he's very upset about some of the allegations that have been made.
He says that he wants to prove his innocence, and he has the opportunity to do that.
Speaker Mike Johnson, on the back and forth between the parties, pointing fingers and threatening to expel members of Congress.
This ties to the Gallup poll that we've been talking about all morning that shows 86% disapprove of the job Congress is doing while 10% approve.
Roll call points to the poll with the headline, two ways Congress can improve its standing with Americans.
The first way they said is that Congress could help itself by kicking out members behaving badly.
They also say that Congress could help itself by working together.
Do you agree?
We'll go to Pat in New York, an independent.
Hi, Pat.
Hey, good morning, and thank you for taking my call.
If you can give me some time, both parties are staged.
The props that we have to elect are propped there before we can vote on them.
Both parties pull and toe the line for financial powers in this country, industrial powers, because in this country, these powers control the state, as opposed in China, where capitalism is now allowed, or in Italy in the 1930s, where the state controlled the capitalist powers.
Instead of eliminating them, they allowed them to function, but they control them.
And that's the difference in this country.
And we don't understand it because there's intellectual deprivation among the society here.
We don't understand how government works, even though our Constitution was written so that we can play a part in it.
And aside from just one vote every four years, let me just read something really quickly for you.
From John Adams.
This is one of our forefathers.
There's nothing I dread so much as a division of a republic into two great parties, each arranged under its leader and concerning measures in opposition to each other.
This, in my humble apprehension, is to be dreaded as the greatest political evil under our Constitution.
And that was John Adams.
We just saw a vote the other day against sending a type of vote with an increased Democratic group to stop sending weapons to Israel.
This is a stain on our history, what's happening there.
It's no lesser an atrocity than it was 80 years ago in Central Europe.
And yet, we had one Democrat who turned over and gave the Republicans the extra vote they needed.
Is this coincidence?
I mean, Jeffries and Schumer continue to vote to provide weapons, even though they fight against all the evils of the Trump administration, which, by the way, I want to see out because we've never had an administration that's so unqualified, including its group, because it's all propped up by other forces.
It's stage.
It's something that's set up there for our entertainment.
Okay.
Heard your point.
Pat from New York, on our line for independence.
Pat talking about votes in the Senate recently, an amendment that were offered by Democrats to stop military aid to Israel and the increase.
It was 40 Democrats who voted in favor of that amendment.
It did not pass.
The Senate also this week, Senate Republicans defeat for the fifth time a resolution to halt military operations against Iran.
So for the fifth time, Democrats have pushed for this vote on a war powers resolution that would require the president to get congressional approval to continue combat operations in Iran, and it fails again.
Next week, as you recall, May 1st, is the 60-day deadline under the War Powers Act for the President to seek congressional approval or ask for, get a, certify that out of military necessity, He's extending this for 30 days.
Cheryl and Maryland, Democratic caller.
Hi, Cheryl.
Hi.
Morning.
I just wanted to say.
Good morning.
I just wanted to say that this is the most feckless Congress that I can remember in my time.
And why, Cheryl?
One of the reasons is ever since they Citizens United, and they've allowed corporations to be represented as the people and all of this money into politics.
The people in Congress are not representing their constituents.
They are busy trying to get reelected, stay in Congress, and continue with their programming.
And they are not representing the people.
And what's really shameful about it is one of your callers said it, and it is true, that some of these older people that have been in Congress for decades need to get out and move out of the way for younger and more progressive minds to come in and move for the people.
We are sick and tired of the way in which this country is being directed in and that they have no checks and balances on this executive branch.
Navy Secretary Keeps His Job00:02:24
They are all feckless on both sides.
They both take money from the same people and they are not using their power for the constituents' behalf.
Okay, Cheryl's thoughts there.
In Maryland, Democratic caller, we are waiting for a Pentagon briefing to get underway here in Washington.
Coming up at the top of the hour, the Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, along with the Joint Chiefs of Staff Chair, General Dan Kane, they will give a briefing as they've been doing throughout this conflict with Iran, and that is at 8 a.m. Eastern Time.
We will show you the top of that briefing.
We will carry it in its entirety over on C-SPAN 2.
The Pentagon and the Defense Secretary making the front page of the Wall Street Journal this morning with this headline.
Pete Hegseth keeps Trump's support amidst strife and firings at Pentagon.
And they say that John Phelan sat in the lobby of the West Wing for more than an hour on Wednesday night, waiting to see if his longtime friend, it says, in the Washington Post and neighbor, President Trump, would save his job.
He would leave disappointed, it says.
Earlier that afternoon, Phelan, the Navy Secretary, had received a phone call from his boss, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, asking for his resignation.
And it says that Phelan had made a round of calls, including to the president's executive assistant, saying he needed to speak with Trump.
Phelan then headed to the White House.
Once the president had a spare minute on Wednesday evening, Phelan asked to keep his job.
The commander-in-chief backed Hegseth's decision.
The episode is a sign that Hegseth retains Trump's support despite recent personnel churn at the Pentagon.
That's a front page reporting of the Wall Street Journal this morning.
We'll note that the Washington Times headline on this story is the president telling reporters the former Navy Secretary quit, wasn't fired.
That's the headline in the Washington Times.
You can assume that the Defense Secretary will get a question about this this morning at the Pentagon briefing coming up at 8 a.m. Eastern Time.
Back to our conversation.
Do you approve or disapprove of Congress?
President Claims He Wasn't Fired00:07:10
Bud in House Springs, Missouri, a Republican.
We'll hear from you.
I think Congress is doing a pretty decent job on the Republican side, but I think all the Democrats got they got no policy, but their policy is I hate Trump, and I'm going to stop everything he does.
And I think the man's doing a great job.
And what do you think about the Republican leaders, Bud?
I think Mike Johnson's doing a great job.
And John Thune?
I think he's doing a great job as well.
Okay.
Bud, they're happy with his party.
All right, we'll go to Dusty, who's in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, independent.
Hi, Dusty.
Good morning.
I'm going to answer your question right there about Mike Johnson and Thun.
Donald Trump's got a knack for sniffing out weak, I mean, very, very weak people.
And he's got two of the weakest right there you'd ever want.
They'll lie to him, they'll lie for him and lie to the public just to keep Donald Trump happy.
They're so scared of it.
Biden used to call them the MAGA Republicans, and that's about 10 of them.
And every time you see Mike Johnson, police wants to stick his nose in the hammer.
And there's a couple of more just as sorry as he is.
And that Buck, his last name is Buck, I think.
I know his last name is Buck.
He's come out of Texas.
And the 118, he would get on the floor two or three times a week and just raise cane about how much and accused Biden of spending how much and wasted money.
And Donald Trump's sitting there acting like and pretending to be a president of the United States.
And all he is is a cotton man and a crook stealing as much money as he can.
Mike Johnson and Thun are letting him do it just anytime he gets ready.
And I'm going to tell you right now, we're going to take that Congress, and I hope we take that Senate.
No, don't try to impeach him.
He says he needs to be impeached.
Don't waste the time.
Okay.
Just embarrass the hell out of Donald Trump by talking about all his corruption that he's got going on.
All right, Dusty, so I think you were talking about Ken Buck from Colorado, Republican.
No, he's from Texas.
He's bald-headed and got a goatee.
And he's one of the main ones that talk about the Democrats.
And he, he, you'll know who he is.
Yeah, Dusty, you're talking about Chip Roy of Republican, Texas, who's actually retiring from Congress and he's running for Attorney General in the Lone Star State.
Rita, Branson, Missouri, Democratic caller.
Hi, Rita.
Good morning.
I think the problem with our Congress is Mike Johnson.
And the man that just spoke is exactly right.
He is obstructing our Congress.
And unfortunately, for the people of the United States, it's run on a system of who has the majority.
And right now, the Republicans have the majority, and they are making a show out of it.
And as long as Mike Johnson is willing to send people out, go home for vacation rather than doing the people's work, we are at their mercy.
And all I can say is God bless America.
All right.
Rita, in Missouri, Keith is in Indiana, an independent.
Hi, Keith.
Oh, we'll go to Ronnie in Missouri, Democratic caller.
Ronnie, you're next.
Hello.
Morning.
Do you approve or disapprove of Congress?
I totally disapprove of Congress.
They're doing a lousy job.
I mean, I'm watching on the news yesterday where they were debating something about rotisserie chicken and blue sands.
Come on, give me a break.
You ain't got better things to debate than that.
And I think one of the biggest problems is, in my most humble opinion, is some of these members have been up there too long.
People like Lindsey Graham, Chuck Schumer, probably others too.
Been in Congress way too long.
I mean, it's not just a job to them.
It's something to, in my personal opinion, to enrich their own pockets.
I mean, I voted for the first time this year in my life, basically because of the fact that I spent a lot of years in prison.
And I said, I'm going to vote and try to make a little bit of a difference because you can't complain if you don't vote.
And I really felt like I had not much of a choice at all.
First, there was Biden and Trump.
And then now you got, so I voted for Harris.
I register as Democrat.
Doesn't necessarily mean I'm a Democrat.
But I mean, it's just a joke.
I mean, there is so much party favoritism up there.
I mean, if you're, unless you're blind or lie to yourself, I mean, we all know what goes on.
All right, Ronnie.
Ronnie there in Missouri.
Roger in Ohio, Democratic caller.
And Roger, approve or disapprove of the 119th Congress approved of the way that they are allowing the individual at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue to do exactly whatever he wants to do when he wants and how he wants to without taking the initiative to pull the reins on him.
And I've watched Congress since I was 14 years old.
I'm now 70 years old.
And I've always been an admirer of both houses, both the Senate and the Congress.
And at times, both parties.
However, I have been so bitterly disappointed, bitterly disappointed.
I one time wanted to be a part of Congress.
And now I'm so glad I did not.
Well, I probably would have made a difference had I taken the initiative to become a Congressperson.
But as I look back and see the kind of people that have been elected throughout the United States, I probably wouldn't have been successful because they have been so taken over by this president and present administration.
And I am just kind of very disappointed in them.
But I love C-SPAN.
You do an excellent job.
And I've been watching you ever since I was 14 years old.
And I thank you very much for your coverage.
Roger, I'm not going to ask how old you are now.
70.
60?
Okay.
All right.
Tim in New York, Independent.
Good morning, Brett.
Good morning.
I would just like to say that I'm not happy with the Congress at all.
AIPAC Money Fuels Broken Immigration00:02:41
And mostly it's the money that they're getting from AIPAC, which is creating a lot of the problems.
With the exception of Massey on the Republican side, all the Republicans are getting significant fees from AIPAC.
And with the exception of about six Democrats, they're all getting AIPAC money.
So when it comes to anything in the Middle East, you know, they're going to have the last word.
And this is why we're in Iran right now when the Republican boots step up and just, you know, say to Trump, enough is enough.
And, you know, we're going to get you out of here.
All right, Tim, I have to leave it there because you got to mute your television for all the folks that are calling in.
Mute your television so that you can listen and talk through your phone, and we don't get that feedback.
Judy in Pennsylvania, Democratic caller.
Hey, good morning, Greta.
I have a response to all the people who think Mike Johnson and John Soon are doing such a great job.
Back during the campaign in 2024, every time Mike Johnson stepped up to the microphone, he bragged about the big, beautiful House immigration bill.
And this House immigration bill was the widest sweeping reforms to our immigration system in decades.
And it was going to fix our broken immigration system and solve all of our immigration problems.
And he blamed Chuck Schumer for not bringing this big, beautiful House immigration bill to the Senate floor.
It was all Chuck Schumer's fault, our broken immigration system.
Well, now John Republican Jon Soon is Senate Majority Leader.
Has John Soon brought this big, beautiful House immigration reform bill to the floor for a vote?
No, he has not.
All right, Judy.
I will leave it there.
We're going to bring you over to the Pentagon here this morning in what is turning out to be a weekly briefing by the Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and the Joint Chiefs of Staff General Dan Kaine.
They will give an update on the Iran conflict.
They both tend to deliver opening remarks and then they will take questions.
You can see the reporters are in the room.
Their remarks have been put at the podium.
They've done audio checks.
And as soon as we see the two gentlemen go to the podium, we will bring you live coverage here on C-SPAN.
We will stick with it here on C-SPAN for about 10 minutes or so.