On friday, an important bill was passed. You voted no against the bill. Can you explain your know vote and your position on this piece of legislation . Rep. Walker thank you for the opportunity of being with you today. I did vote no on this particular package, primarily because, 100g with another 92 or republicans, we felt concerned this was not a good attachment to any kind of debt ceiling raising. Steve mnuchin met with republicans three or four months ago, back in june, and we specifically asked for some kind of longterm reform to raise the cash reform the attached to raising the debt ceiling. In 2014, only 24 republicans voted for the debt ceiling to be increased. We understand the importance of it. All we are asking is that some reform be attached to it longterm. Nearly all of us voted for the relief package on wednesday, but when we start attaching things that drive us deeper into debt time after time, a lot of us have problems with that. Raising the debt ceiling, funding the government these , issues are now pushed off. We will be back in the situation in the middle of december. How do you approach negotiations knowing what you know now about how house and Senate Leadership carries themselves and we are meeting with President Trump on this, how do you as the chairman say these are going to be our top pieces to negotiate and what do the next couple of weeks look like . Rep. Walker we are going to do the same thing we have done the last several weeks and be proactive and specific. We have narrowed it down to 19 different reforms we feel could be included. Not even altogether, just pick one. I was disappointed today in the treasury secretarys response to many of our our questions in the Conference Meeting we had. Concerning specifically one question i personally asked, what does the debt ceiling look like in december . The treasury secretary could not answer that. Many of us found that troubling. What are going to be be Top Priorities for you out of those 19 . I know you outlined those in a letter. Do you have the top issues . Rep. Walker yes. We have listed out several that we consider top issues, depending on the leadership perspective. Mcclintock has a bill. It will be number one on the list, it allows the debt ceiling to be raised while attacking the taxpayer. I spoke to the chairman of the ways and means committee, kevin brady, and we discussed this. We are trying to find ways to include that in some of the legislation. This has to happen. Other things like making the cbo more transparent, putting some kind of reforms on medicaid for capable bodied adults. Those are the kinds of things that we feel like should be included that her that help curb the long term influence on the we, as a publican, we cant influence on the national debt. We as republicans we cant sit here the Obama Administration for the last eight years and talk about increased debt, and that when it comes to our turn the on track for as much spending as when the democrats were in charge. It is ludicrous and insincere. Given the list of demands from your group, when you go to negotiate the next time around, what do you say to people who say, you are just forcing the president and republicans to rely on democratic votes to get something done . Rep. Walker i think if they would incorporate some of the reforms we wouldnt be reliant on democrat votes. That is the point. If we were able to attach some reforms, you would have to bulk of the people who voted against in this particular package today, you would have their support. You would not get all of them, 75, i dont want to speculate. You wouldnt have all of it, but the majority would support if there was some kind of republican reform attached to it. That is the whole issue time after time. This has been going on for six or seven years in a row. It is not just that it is a poison pill. We understand if we have spent the money and we dont want to default. We get all of that. If we do that and not put anything attached to it, it is very disconcerting. I think that is what a lot of us were troubled about this today. Congressman the republicans , dont have a super majority in the senate. They would need at least eight democrats to vote for whatever legislation comes out of the house. Does the house representative have a responsibility to design legislation and a way that can get some democrat votes in the senate, and have you spoken to any of your democratic colleagues about these kind of reforms . I imagine some of them are concerned about our countrys longterm debt. Rep. Walker to be fair to the question, youre exactly right. I have spoken with several democrats and there is a growing concern as far as how fast we are adding to the national debt. I have also spoken to Senate Colleagues as well. To the heart of your question, should the house be crafting legislation with the mindset that if we get 60 votes out of the senate, my answer to that is no. I dont think the senate is sitting around twirling their thumbs wondering if their legislation is going to get 218. I would add further, the house should not be worrying where others are on this. We have to do what we are supposed to do in the filling the promises we have made to the american people. Im not saying we have to be flippant. We have to get the law passed. But to sit around and try to drafting legislation specifically with mind of where it could or couldnt get a vote, that is not where we need to be. Looking ahead to december when we have to do the debt ceiling debate again, the administration is going to be very involved in this. You mentioned there were conversations with house republicans, with secretary mnuchin and with mick mulvaney, they were advocating yes votes on this massive fiscal package as a way to get something done. The start working on tax reform. I understand it were making this argument. How do you work with the administration while supporting their priorities but also wanting to say we need to have these fiscal reforms . Rep. Walker forgive me for putting it bluntly, but getting something done from my mindset doesnt include adding hundreds of billions of dollars to the national debt. Working with managing and mulvaney, they are encumbered to work with us. After we declined the offer in june, my question to him today which was not answered, which was which reforms were considered . Why didnt we have discussions about some reforms being attached to that . It was a question that was not answer. Specific, over the next three months, i hope they will hear from the base of republicans that they need to engage us to talk about some of these reforms. Right now, we have been shut out. I am hoping with 90 republicans voting against this today that they will Pay Attention to it. Congressman, 90 republicans voted no after this meeting with the treasury secretary and mick mulvaney, the budget director. Do you think those two Administration Officials turned ses, or would it have the same outcome . Rep. Walker that is a tough question to speculate. If i were to give you an answer, i would probably say they lost a few votes rather than gaining a few. Because of Steve Mnuchins inability to answer some of the basic questions that came from conference members. The closing statement he had as far as why we should be voting forward fell flat, crated murmurs throughout the conference. I dont think they did a Great Service to their position. It took Kevin Mccarthy coming in at the end trying to rally the troops, which he does well, and lays out an articulate vision. Otherwise, it probably would have been a tougher vote. How can you change this dynamic . There is a lot of legislation that is going to come up in the next few months, not only the things that have been pushed off until december, but also tax reform, immigration legislation is going to be on the agenda as well. How do you change the dynamic not only within the conference but also working with the administration . How do you get the treasury secretary and the president to take the demands of conservative s seriously . Mr. Walker i dont think there is any guarantee. We said we would be proactive instead of reactive. We are going to continue that. One of the things that helped is when you have the bulk of conservatives that voted against something that the administration had signed off on, i hope that sends a clear signal. I dont know of anything else we can do to make it stronger. A lot of these conservatives are ones that have constituent bases at the heart of the support for this administration. I am hoping that somewhere along the line there will be more discussions as far as, where is the breakdown . Why did this happen with unanimous or majority support to get some of these things done . We have to continue to be out there vocally. An dont have to do that in disparaging way. But we cannot look away any longer. Ther is the signal from administration that they have to work with democrats . They did get the bill passed today with help from the minority party. Rep. Walker if you are looking that from a democrat perspective, then i would agree. My job is to focus on what we believe are republicans values in republican principles. If you are counting on democrats to get something done, for me that is counterproductive. One of the Big Developers big developments this week was the deal reached by President Trump and congressional leadership to get to this legislation that passed on the floor and friday. Can you talk about the dynamic within the conference and how you felt personally when the deal was reached. It was a pretty Surprising Development to anybody on capitol hill that the president decided to not go with the idea from speaker ryan and leader mcconnell. With speaker ryans leadership, it doesnt seem like any sort of direct challenge right now, republicans are quick to say they support him, but do you think he could do anything different in the future . Rep. Walker when you say he, you were referring to the president or Mitch Mcconnell . Could speaker ryan do anything different . Rep. Walker i think speaker ryan is the best policy person in the house. I do think there are probably some areas where we have got to be, not just speaker ryan, but our entire conference has to be more demonstrative in our whation to speak out, might sometimes be a title away from the other side. We have to hold our positions and articulate those well, not just from a visionary standpoint but for that execution that creates the opportunity to accomplish those. That is where i see is going this fall. I know many of us are supportive of the speaker and want to see him continue to do well, but we have to have wins quickly, because of the next two or three months, i believe will come and and we have nothing to show for it. You said the speaker is a good policy person. Is there a skills that he is lacking for the job . Is there a skill set that he is liking for the job . Rep. Walker speaker of the house is the toughest job in washington. I think it is incumbent upon him and all of us vision is great. Creativity is wonderful. We have to do better execution. Do you think republicans are going to be will to overhaul the the u. S. Tax code this year . Rep. Walker i do. I think youll be subjective as far as who is interpreting what level of overhauling me hopping. I am confident and expected to happen for thanksgiving. Will be comprehensive for tax cuts . Rep. Walker i think it will be reform. Kevin brady deserves a lot of congratulatory remarks because of how hard he has worked as chairman of the ways and means, even through the health care he continued to stay diligent in trying to put the best performance possible. That is why i think the framework is there. It is reasonable to believe we could get this done by the end of november. Does Steve Mnuchins position on the debt limit and peril his . Position imperil his position . Rep. Walker i think we are going to need to see a stronger vision from him. When it comes to tax reform as opposed to the talking points, we want to know what that looks like. Not saying he is not the person from the job, but he needs to do a stronger job and what he has done for the debt ceiling. Stronger vision . Rep. Walker it is his responsibility to understand from the policy side, not just his perspective, but the process of what it takes to get these done through committee and to be available, working alongside the committees of jurisdiction to a compass this. Does this deal with President Trump and the democrats cause you anxiety when thinking about the future of tax form . Do you think he might go off and try to muppet the way to bring democrats into what is now a republican focus tax reform plan . Rep. Walker i dont blame the president for trying to bring democrats to the positions. I understand it and i applaud him for it. This onetime event of him working with schumer and pelosi, were we surprised by it . We were. Was it uncomfortable . It was. I dont think this one time making this kind of move establishes any kind of longterm concern. If its a pattern, it would be, but not at this point. According to nancy pelosi, the president agreed with her on passing the dream act. Where are you one that . Rep. Walker i want to make sure that is accurate. I wouldnt do a total pass here. It is a legislative issue. What should the scope of the legislation be . Should it just be legal status of the socalled dreamers or also the people that would follow into the daca category . Should it address the millions of people that are here undocumented . Rep. Walker i think those are several pieces of legislation, but i will add that was the republicans being in charge, it is incumbent upon us to pass some kind of longterm result of some of these issues rather than kicking the can down the road. This is not something that we just look the other way and hopefully democrats will figure it out. This is something we need to be in charge. It is incumbent upon us to to some this longterm. I support securing the border. I think it is going to be part of the process of reaching any time of any kind of longterm agreement on the things you just mentioned. The border wall is going to be a crazy better with debt ceiling and government funding. Can you talk about how you will be approaching those conversations. Are you certain to outline what you think will be the Top Priorities in that conversation. What do you want to see included in those bills . Rep. Walker i believe all of those issues are concerned. If youre asking me for my priority standpoint, tax reform is number one. Health care has been at the forefront. We are having to see what kind of fight is left in the house. Daca and debt ceiling are crucial. If the republicans across the board cannot resolve some of these issues, we may get it a failing grade. If we are waiting until january or february 12 publishes, we have waited too late. All of those issues should be something we should be capable of. How worried are you about the leverage in december with democrats going to be supplying some of the votes for the debt ceiling and having a Government Spending conversation as well . Rep. Walker i am concerned about it. We are going to do what we feel like is right. Try to create and layout of vision. What we get the votes needed . I dont know we will, and that is one of the concerns. You mentioned health care. You signed on to a petition that would not include a replacement for the obamacare law. Do you think there is time for the house to go forward with that in september, knowing that the budget reconciliation vehicle expires on september 30 . Rep. Walker i dont believe i actually signed that discharge. We are probably meaning that direction or in favor of, but we will do whatever it takes. If we need to do or repeal only to try to continue, not saying im opposed, but i dont know if we are able. In north carolina, at the end of this year, 94 out of 100 counties will only have one choice. This isnt something that is going to go away. Is some legislation comes back from the senate, is that something you ignore fellow conservatives would . Rep. Walker i think so. Not to the point where the president is, looking for any kind of deal, but we want to continue to have the mandates removed on the individual and employer. If they cant get the skinny deal done, which we felt was the baseline, even with the promise of the house, it does create concern of what can get passed in the senate. We have time for a couple more questions. The next couple of weeks, do you have any plans to push some of these spending reforms he wouldve liked to see attached to the debt ceiling . Any plans to try and use some of the leverage to try to get Something Else done in september . Rep. Walker there is. Im hesitant to lay out specifically what the strategy is. Come on, you are on newsmakers. [laughter] rep. Walker i did layout earlier which maybe working with kevin brady. There are some things we are looking at doing. If we want to be consistent about some of these reforms we believe are important, the reason the debt ceiling isnt the only avenue to try to accomplish some of these things. The budget is the next obvious challenge for the house we have seen the budget resolution side of the last couple of months. It is starting to get attention and could come to the floor next week. How important is this vehicle with billions of dollars of cuts in mandatory spending, how important is it for the house to definitively pass this . Rep. Walker it is crucial. The house must pass this budget. We have friends of ours on the left and right that still have questions and concerns, and some of those are valid. This is the vehicle for tax reform. Diane black has been incredible and trying to find longterm reforms in the mandatory side. She is to be applauded for that. It passed unanimously with republicans. Do you think there are enough republican votes at this point to pass the budget . You supported do you and your committee supported . Rep. Walker i dont know there are enough votes to pass it right now. Yes, i do plan on supporting it. I believe the bulk of the Republican SenateCommittee Supports it as well. One more question. When suggesting that came up yesterday from Chuck Schumer and President Trump was to suspend the debt limit altogether, do away with it. Is that something you would support . Rep. Walker no. It is not something i would support. I dont see that happening. I dont know if that was just a conversation between a couple new york buddies or what, but it is not something either myself, but i believe most members would have a problem with that. Represented mark walker, thank you, sir. We turn to our to reporters here. Anna, let me begin with you. What is our take away from the conversation . 150 of conservative blog to this caucus group. What did you hear . You can tell from the congressmans frustration how much tension there is in the Republican Party right now and her hard it is and how hard it is the way the two houses of congress are set up, the way the democrats have been able to be unified in whatever position it is they take on the debt limit or obamacare. It is hard for republicans to get anything done turning on their own party. That makes for a challenging job for speaker ryan. You said we should craft legislation that cant pass in the senate, but it they dont, it it doesnt end up on the president s desk. What are folks telling you about december, and will the democrats have a seat at the table and be relied on to deliver votes . Its clear the democrats will have a seat at the table now. The congressman says he is not worried about december. I have been hearing from other members that they are nervous about the next couple of weeks and whether they are going to support trading in. This has shaken the caucus. The biggest issues of the year, we have the debt limit, funding the federal government, the very first spending bill that President Trump will have a role in shaping. You have the border wall. It is coming to a head. Everybody hates those holiday time votes. It is unavoidable at this point unless we can see some other major development. but did you make of his assessment of Steve Mnuchins performance before the republican conference . Thats an interesting dynamic. That is not a new complaint. I have heard, especially conservatives, say they have taken their suggestions for Senate Reforms to the treasury secretary and house leadership months ago, and he werent considered. They were received with a nod and, ok, thats a good idea, but not taken seriously. You are probably saying that bubble over today. That is going to have implications for tax or form, because it is Steve Mnuchin in gary cohen that are heading up the tax or form experts for the white house. If those are the two people heading up these conversations, that is a hard proposal to sell to the republican conference as a whole. What are you hearing about the timeline for tax reform . The white house is still saying it is going to happen, we want it done. Realistically, when you look at how difficult it is to get anything done, we talked a little bit about the budget resolution, which is required to have the gops tax reform even start the process. There are a lot of problems with this bill. Even just thinking about the forces outside the republicans control, the hurricane that is about to hit florida, it is republicans in the house trying to figure out how they can possibly bring a budget to the floor without knowing how many members they are going to have next week if you think about the forces like the hurricane, the republicans are trying to figure out how to get a budget to the floor. They have a lot to manage. That is a perfect example. Speaker ryan often says the republicans are wired the same way when it comes to tax reform. They all prefer lower taxes, but when you get to be policy details, there is going to be a lot of pushback and people in districts affected in different ways. I dont think it is going to be very easy. On top of all of that, republicans like the congressman them of those spokesman to see another vote on health care. Is that possible . We so much frustration that doesnt go anywhere in the senate. He goes to the other point that they dont have a responsibility to design legislation that can pass in the senate. If that is their attitude, then it wont. It is going to be hard to move forward on republican priorities and it is why tax reform is so important. Given the failure on health care, that is the main bold letter piece of legislation they wanted to do this year. Because we got this debt ceiling funding deal done so early, you cant exaggerate how remarkable it is that they are so ahead of the deadline. September 30, and here we are. There is extra time right now. The house has an extra couple of weeks that they didnt have planned. This was supposed to be taken up by really hard physical conversations. We have several other deadlines on september 30, other programs that are going to expire, but theres a chance we could see Something Else on health care bubble up. Before this week, nobody was talking about funding the government to the rest of the month. If they could to help her, they are going to get back into the hard feelings that were left. Thank you very much for being part of newsmakers. [captions Copyright National cable satellite corp. 2016] [captioning performed by the national captioning institute, which is responsible for its caption content and accuracy. Visit ncicap. Org] you are cspans washington journal, live every day, with news and policy issues that impact you. Morning, aaturday person will assist her groups churches,ree texas for sewing fema for Harvey Disaster fund. And the transportation reporter will talk about construct infrastructure reform. 30 feel coming september deadline to read on front we offer is the faa. Intel martin attempts to look at the world wildfire management. Be sure to watch cspans washington journal live at them and 00 eastern saturday morning. Join the discussion. Monday marks the 16th anniversary of september 11. Our live coverage of the remembrance begins at 8 00 a. M. Eastern on cspan to life from new york city for the ceremony of the National September 11 memorial treatment michael and 30 a. M. On cspan, 530 of the september 11 said ceremony at the pentagon. On cspan3 come alive from shanksville, pennsylvania, the 9 11 commemoration of the flight 93 national memorial. Watch it live on the cspan Network Online at cspan. Org. The republican governor of o, john kasich, and junk John Hickenlooper have proposed dutch reforms to the health care system. Here first from a panel of Public Policy analysts. This is an hour and 45 minute. Ok