Washington Journal Open Phones examines Iran's nuclear threats and ceasefire gaps while Marco Rubio signs a non-binding EU critical minerals deal. Listeners decry the 119th Congress's 10% approval rating, citing ICE failures, the 2025 voter eligibility bill's collapse, and FISA law extensions. Callers blame older leaders for corruption and economic struggles, with some supporting third parties. Ultimately, the dialogue highlights deep public frustration over government gridlock and ethical scandals. [Automatically generated summary]
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Rubio Questions Ceasefire Policy00:02:07
Fire, Mr. Secretary.
20 more attacks were carried out.
My question is, does that ceasefire include Iraq and the Kurdistan region?
And really, what is your clear policy toward proxies?
Why I'm asking this question by President Masoud Barzani's statement five times targeting his office, even targeting president of Kurdistan region residents in Dahoe City.
We watch it very closely.
And that area and those folks, the Kurds, deal with a lot of what the IAMGs or the proxies are capable of doing.
And a reminder of the reverberating effect of this Iranian regime.
It's not just what it does to its own people, killing 45,000 of its own citizens just recently, but it's also the terror they've brought to the region.
And so getting a good deal and making sure they can't wield a nuclear weapon over top of those proxies is why this mission is such an important one.
Thank you very much.
Thank you.
And we're getting a live look inside the room at the State Department as the cameras get set up here.
In just a few moments, Secretary of State Marco Rubio will host a signing ceremony alongside the European Union Trade Commissioner.
They'll be signing a non-binding agreement to establish a good-faith partnership on critical minerals.
Just getting a look inside the room here at the State Department,
we'll be hearing shortly from Secretary of State Marco Rubio and the European Union Trade Commissioner.
Frustration With Congressional Grip00:10:51
Bring you back here when it begins.
Until then, we'll take a look at some of today's Washington Journal.
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.
Every six months, I mean, you can't blame people for being annoyed at government, can you?
Well, I get that, I guess.
And 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 do 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 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 covering this.
Thank you for being here.
This is important.
Obviously, this shows a growing awareness and commitment throughout the world, but particularly with our allies in the West and in Europe, the importance of