Transcripts For CSPAN Washington Journal 11292017 20171129

Discuss. And later, Siobhan Hughes on the Senate Tax Bill and potential changes to the legislation. Host good morning, it is wednesday, november 29, 2017. The federal government is 10 days away from a shutdown, and the past for a spending bill is less certain than it was 24 hours ago. Congressional democrats skip the meeting set with President Trump and other members, and now with the december 8 deadline moving closer. President ats and the have said they will both play each other if the government shuts down. Who do you think will shoulder the blame in the event of a shutdown . Give us a call, democrats, 202 7488000. Republicans, 202 7488001. Independents, 202 7488002. And if you are on social media, you can catch up with us on twitter and facebook as well. A very good wednesday morning to you. We are asking your reaction today after what happened yesterday when it comes to this looming budget battle. Here is one of the headlines from todays Washington Post. To start a tense months of negotiations, trump and democrats trade insults. In the wall street journals coverage, they note the timing here, the current funding for the government expires at 12 01 a. M. Congress could still pass a shortterm measure, which usually is not controversial, but yesterday the public dispute indicated that that split negotiations for a longterm package at years end would face partisan headwinds. Reportingme of the from the wall street journal. This meeting between President Trump, Republican Leaders, and Democratic Leaders were supposed to take place yesterday afternoon at the white house. The president yesterday morning tweeted this meeting with chuck and nancy today about keeping the government open and orking. That is Chuck Schumer and nancy pelosi. The problem, the president lete, they want to immigrants come in unchecked and raise taxes. After this tweet came out, Chuck Schumer and nancy pelosi canceled their meeting at the white house, and later in the day, Chuck Schumer said this. Works with just 3. 5 short weeks withbefore just three and a half weeks left to go, this is complicated. We need to reach a cap seal to increase defense spending as well as semester programs that the middle class relies on for jobs. We need to write an omnibus appropriations bill. We need to extend funding to Community Health centers, reauthorize chip, provide disaster raid and disaster aid and protect dreamers. In parties need to engage good faith negotiations to reach an agreement. That is what we hoped would happen at todays white house meeting. Unfortunately, the president had other ideas. With this tweet this morning, President Trump made sure that todays meeting is nothing but a photo op. These issues are far too serious for these kinds of games. Mr. President , it is time to. Top tweeting and start leading there are serious questions that must be answered, and many things that must be done. Democrats and republicans on the hill have come together on government funding before, in april. Speaker ryan, leader mcconnell, workedpelosi and i together to fund the government and avoid a shutdown. Four of us have worked together before, and us democrats are ready to do it again. If President Trump does not want to get involved in this, if President Trump says he is not interested in cutting a deal, then we suggest that speaker ryan, leader mcconnell, leader pelosi and i sit down. We can come up with a good deal on our own. Houseback at the white yesterday afternoon, the president went ahead with his meeting with Mitch Mcconnell, the Senate Majority leader, and paul ryan, the speaker of the house. They had empty seats on either side of him, seats that he said were for nancy pelosi and Chuck Schumer, who did not show up at that meeting. The president saying in those remarks that he would absolutely blame democrats if a shutdown happens. We are asking our viewers this budget about this latest battle. We will show you the other reaction at the white house and capitol hill in this first segment of our program today. Who do you think will shoulder the blame in the event of a shutdown . Democrats, 202 7488000. Republicans, 202 7488001. Independents, 202 7488002. Line for democrats, duluth, minnesota. Good morning. Thank you for taking my call. I think that the tax bill that they are proposing is blatantly unjust. I do not think it would be right for any democrat to sign onto it. What it is is a twopart deal. The first part is to blow the deficit so far out of balance, the second part would be to go after entitlements. If people want to take that Social Security, they are not going to be able to do it with this tax bill. Host we are going to get to the tax bill today, plenty happening and plenty of action yesterday, including that tax bill passing a Key Committee vote. The Senate Budget committees taking it up yesterday afternoon , and that proposal moving through the senate. We will have an entire segment focused on that today and ask some members of congress as well. We are talking about this potential shutdown fight in the first segment of the washington journal. Certainly, some tax issues are playing into that, but the federal government is excited to run out of money will run out of money if a new spending deal is not past midnight, december 8. The past two way budget deal getting less certain yesterday. As we are talking about, we want to hear from you. A socha gainesville, virginia, democrat line. Go ahead. Caller i wanted to make a brief the tax bill going through the senate, and then if i may, as a democrat, i am all a tax break to the people, especially in the middle class. My problem is host what is the problem you go are you still there . Harry, pittsburgh, pennsylvania. Line for republicans. Good morning. Caller i think it was pretty gutless and schumer and blows to not show up. They are on tv all the time bad mouthing him when he is not around, but they could not stand face to face with him. They want to shut this country down so the military does not get funding. This tax bill is not all that bad for the middle class. If you look at it, people with higher taxes are the ones who are hurt. I get a kick out of pelosi and schumer and find it hilarious that they will not sit down with the man . Do they not have any guts . He was making comments about their work brave American Indian to did stuff for this country, is pocahontas did not do anything. Year to 355,000 a teach a class and will not even take a test to prove that she is native american. Host we can certainly come back to that topic as well, but on this potential shutdown, a tweet from ghost eagle writes in that republicans control the house, senate, and the white house, and blaming democrats is just an obscure station is just by thes the occasion republicans. They wont even sit down with the man. What does that tell you about them . They are the ones who want to shut the country down. They have been trying to kill this country for the past two years from welfare all the way up. They wont even work with him. If trump would walk across the , they criticize him because he could not swim but he could hit a golf ball. It is getting crazy in this country, especially with the msn, cnn, and nbc. They think black guys and joe it isrough said racist. That is how nuts everything is getting. Host cats, baltimore, maryland, line for democrats. Caller i think the person and heresponsible is , is the one that is causing the parties to be divided, do not get along. When he became president , he said he would unite the United States, but it does not seem like that is happening so far. I am a teacher, if my principal is saying oh, this teacher is causing problems, and it was a poor meeting, why would i sit down and want to meet with her, i thought the democrats were taking a stand, but we need to start uniting and stop tweeting. President went ahead with that meeting, originally scheduled with all four democratic and Republican House and senate leaders. They went ahead with Mitch Mcconnell, the Senate Majority leader, paul ryan, the speaker of the house, and here is mitch thatnell and paul ryan at meeting talking about fiscal issues facing the country. At think it is regrettable that our democratic colleagues and leadership chose to not join us today. For a bill to become a law, Congress Passes it and the president signs it. That Means Congress and the white house always negotiate legislation . We have big deadlines to meet. We have a military in need of our support. I think it is regrettable that our democratic colleagues chose not to participate, because we have to negotiate these bills to get things done, and to help our military, where there are difficult situations to be had. I hope our friends in leadership on the other side of the i will choose to participate so we can get work done. I have been in this position under a couple of previous president s. I cannot recall them ever turning down an opportunity with the white house. As the speaker mentioned, only one person in america can sign a bill into law, and that is the president of the united dates. We cannot negotiate the senate bill without two sides to the bill in the room. I think the Democratic Leaders in the house and senate need to understand the way the government works. The administration has to be a negotiationultimate over what the spending level is going to be for the next year. We are very far apart, because our views on crime and our views on immigration and the military, so many are different. A lot of things have happened, even over the past two hours with respect to the Missile Launch. We want our military funded and we want it funded now. It is going to be bigger, better, stronger than it already is than ever before, but we want to get going on that now. That is the difference, in all fairness, from this morning, when i told them that we are way, way far away. Missed any of those press conferences yesterday, we covered them here on cspan. You can watch them all at but we areorg, asking you about this budget battle. Who do you think which older the blame in the event of a shutdown, and if nothing does happen, the government would be shut down 10 days from now. Janice, houston, texas, independent line. Good morning. Are you with us . We will go to monique, here in washington dc. Like for democrats. Caller good morning. Should the republicans shoulder the blame, because they control every piece of the government. And charlesme nancy were not showing up. The literally shocked that American People would believe that companies who are sitting on trillions of dollars in funds need a tax cut. You show something on cspan where they were asked, the the ores, the owners, the ceos, they were asked what would you do with the funds . Would you invest the funds back into your employee wages . What would you do . None of them have said that they would invest their money back into their employees. They would invest it in the stock. We have to wake up. The republicans are literally raiding the treasury department. I am just speechless that my american citizens wake up. They are draining our treasury department. They are not looking out for the average american family, like myself. I do not myself in that tax cut, and i make 65,000 with three kids. I do not get an earned income tax credit, i get nothing. Stuff,annot itemize my and i am tired of the race and disparity that everyone keeps on saying. No white person would want to be black. No white person would want to be indian, that pocahontas joke was very cruel. There is a thin line you have to think about when you are talking about different nationalities and call people certain names. D. C. , then,e in springfield, line for democrats. Caller thank you for taking my call, good morning. Obama,ck to president when he took office and wanted to try to gain some collaboration between the two parties. One of the first things that he did, he appointed members of the Republican Party to his cabinet, and you probably were member that. To gregg of seat new hampshire, and he gave one to the gentleman from kansas and thethe secretary kept secretary of defense, who was republican. But one of the things that happened yesterday is not being talked about enough this morning, that is his tweet that the president sent out yesterday early in the morning. Leaders in the house and the senate were going going to see the president and took pride in that meeting because they expected to work on a deal. This president says he a deal maker, but he tweeted that there ared be no deal, so if you going to meet and work on a deal and the person you are meeting with has already told the world that there will be no deal, why should you go to the meeting . This play that you showed a in the words of the majority leader and the speaker, it was demagoguery of the highest order. Mcconnell simply lied, because there was a time when he did not justwith obama, and ryan talked. They knew that the tweet had been sent out. The minorityand leader of the house said they would work with their colleagues in the Republican Party to try to work out a deal that would be presented to the president. So that is my comments to the morning. Sometimes we need to think about how things happen and the role that was played in them, and the role of the president when he uses both up and down to try to tell people what is going on. B inen it massachusetts. Ben inw tweets massachusetts. Not show up at the white house meeting . They were to blame for the obstruction. We want to update you on some breaking news. Nbc news firing matt lauer over misconduct allegations. The headline of the New York Times this morning. Nbc has fired its leading morning anger over Sexual Harassment allegations. The Network President said in a memo to staff on wednesday, and a tweet from the today show about this, saying matt lauer has been terminated from nbc news. On monday night, we received a atailed complaint from colleague about inappropriate sexual behavior in the workplace by matt lauer. As a result, we decided to terminate his employment. On the issue of sexual misconduct, that has ensnared highal leaders and ranking, highprofile officials on capitol hill, john conyers among them. The Washington Post today noting the political future of congresss longest serving member appeared precarious on tuesday, as he was pressed to resign. House later my house leader nancy pelosi accused said he should sit down after a fourth accuser came forward this morning. And a tweet just now from the president about the matt lauer situation we just told you about, that breaking news this morning. The president weighing in wow, matt lauer was fired from nbc for inappropriate sexual behavior in the workplace, but when will the top executives at nbc be fired for putting out so much fake new . S . This is the time of the day he often tweets, and we will certainly update you as he continues to do so. Coming back to your calls, we want to hear your thoughts on this budget battle, the potential shutdown. Who would be to blame if the government does shutdown next , december 8. Night that is when the current funding bill would expire. We want to hear your thoughts. Democrats, 202 7488000. Republicans, 202 7488001. Ndependents, 202 7488002 arkansas, line for democrats. Good morning. Caller thank you for taking my call. Mccain said you follow regular order. Regular order was not followed in the house or the senate through the committee process. They did not want to submit or accept any democratic petitions to change the tax plan. Therefore, this is all a whatevern plan, and the consequences are should be all republican. That is all i have to say, unless you have questions. Host theodore in arkansas. We will focus quite a bit this morning on the tax plan, the latest effort by Republican Leaders to secure the 50 votes they would need in the senate to pass that plan. Of course, if they got 50 votes, they would be the Vice President to come in and break the tie. We will spend some time going over the current whiplash, but we are talking about the budget battle as well. Mary, eureka, california, line for democrats. Hi, caller hi, thank you. Can you. . Host can you hear me . Host yes i can. For cspan,k you pbs, all of you guys. All of you who get up early in the morning. I do not know your name, but i know the other names heidi, lan, who started the station. But hello from humble county, too, and inut here force. That ofjust like to say course pelosi did not meet with this group on the tax plan. It is ridiculous, it is for the rich why even bother . Why even show up . The republicans did not show up for eight years when president , and that isoffice what i have to say about that. There is also something about a what do i want to say the matt lauer thing . Wow. All the president can say is we want comcast to do this and that and they should still be fake news. President ake news is trump. That is the fake news. It comes down to, i think, for me it comes down to the essence of what this is all about. I might be crazy, im from california, liberalist hell since i was 18, and i am 68 now. But i think it comes down to the appointment in the Supreme Court , being able to appoint the Supreme Court, and it comes down to abortion rights. It back to this budget issue, here is one of the editorials from the Washington Times today. The Editorial Board talking about this looming budget fight. They say Christmas Lights usually are a signal of a season of goodwill, but in washington they are more like the check engine light on a dashboard, warning it is time to fix the nations finances, and that time is running out. Finances and the future are as heartbreaking as the site of tiny tims empty chair. Unless democrats swear their opposition , this will be a bad train on a long winters night. That is the Editorial Board of the Washington Times today. To give you a sense of the numbers in the budget fight, the Washington Post gets into them a little bit in their story today. Currently, Congress Spends no more than 509 billion on the defense programs and 516 billion on nondefense programs, at the current levels from the Trump Administrations, and defense hawks want to boost Pentagon Spending to over 600 billion dollars, but democrats are demanding a dollar per dollar increase in domestic spending. Also overhanging this discussion on the budget, for democrats there is a growing resolve to withhold support of a spending plan that fails to address the fate of dreamers. And on tuesday, congressman carlos cabello, a republican florida, became the first republican lawmaker withdrew his support if some issues are not enacted. Quite a few issues overhanging this spending bill, the offending fight spending fight. Who do you think would bear the blame if the government does shutdown . Independent line, hornsby, tennessee. Go ahead. Geter it takes 60 votes to most things through the senate. The republicans do not control the senate. Made hisn why trump plea is because nancy and chuck have already made their demands and say they refused to vote on a but it does not budget if dodoes not have to anything with dreamers. What does that have to do with them . They need to be taken care of, but not on this budget. They want to defund planned parenthood the democrats have made demands and refused to budge on it, and some have said they are willing to work on these things, and he mightve gone along with it. But they refused to work on anything. They refused to give. If you listen to their speeches this house and Senate Speeches on it, they are obstructionist. They refused to give on anything. That is all i have to say. Kenosha, wisconsin, line for democrats. Go ahead. Caller as to who is going to get blamed, the media will tell us to blame someone, and we are going to go along with it. In reality, the entire. Overnment is to blame they failed all of us as citizens that they cannot band together and figure out how to provide for the country. Lets look at it. The opium hearings with Chris Christie in the committee, the federal government only spends 1 billion on the heroine crisis last year while the state of new five hundred spent million dollars. And the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau i myself had a case with chase where i made 20 phone calls and have gone all over the executive branch of chase, and they said to bad, so sad. I called the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau and filed a claim, and it was rectified within 48 hours because i was right. I think the government has lost sight of what government is and it was led by a corporation. We are no longer led by citizens. I do not know if we ever were. Host when it comes to the financial Protection Bureau, the b as often known obviously, the leadership fight at the head of the organization has put that agency in the headlines quite a bit this week. A District Court judge and denied the bid of leandra an employeeerday, who claims to be acting director, denied her bid to block white house budget director Mick Mulvaney of theming acting head of agency. The White House Agency held that ruling, saying it is time for democrats to cap enabling this by aazen political stunt rogue employee, and to ensure a smooth transition into an agency that wants to help consumers. No matter which side had won a net legal fight that began last friday, we will continue to watch that. The judges ruling is the latest step in that fight over the cfp b. Wanda, south carolina, line for republicans. Who do you think would be to blame in the event of a shutdown . Caller i think the republicans will be blamed. Host why is that . Caller because schumer and pelosi wanted to work with him. They wanted to work with him. Andhe put out that tweet, would you come to a place that has someone already made up their mind and said there is no deal . Why cant they Work Together . Mcconnell was there. Host you are calling for our line for cooking. Did you support the president in 2016 . Caller why cant they Work Together as a team . That is all i am asking. We want things to get done. That is all. We just want everything to get done. Work together as a team. Host our last caller on this first segment of the washington journal, but time is running out for congress and the white house to reach that deal to avoid a government shutdown. We will talk with two members of congress this morning about what is at stake. First, republican congressman on alahoma, i member of the appropriations and Budget Committee, and later on, we will hear from Earl Blumenauer from organ our oregon, we will be right back. Join us on cspan three this weekend for American History tv. Here are a few highlights. Saturday at 3 00 p. M. Eastern, publicanniversary of the broadcasting act, the library of aboutss held a discussion the history of public broadcasting. On the role of africanamerican ministers and politics, and how organizers gain experience with organizing and running for political office. And recollections of the battle of midway from old world war ii in Navy Veterans who took part in the battle, and on real america, coke dreams of a film about the first womens rights convention. American history tv, only on cspan3. Sunday, on cspans q a, Hoover Institution senior fellow john cogan on u. S. Federal entitlement programs. The entitlement programs stem from a basic human desire to help someone who is in need of assistance. Ll of us have it in us for politicians, it is a little bit easier because it is someone think theyy, but i have that basic desire you and i do. They also have the desire to be reelected. Once that entitlement is put in place, then the game has changed. Aroundt groups form protecting that entitlement, pressing for more assistance, money starts flowing to politicians who protect those benefits, and the game changes. It is that desire for reelection. John cogan on u. S. Federal entitlement programs, on cspans q a. Washington journal continues. Host i am glad to welcome Oklahoma Republican tom cole to our desk, a veteran of many previous fiscal shutdown fights on capitol hill what is your sense of this potential shutdown . How likely is that to happen . Likely, butbly not congress is not likely to get its work done by december 8 either. I think you will see a bipartisan continuing resolution, which continues to Fund Everything at the current levels. But what we really need is a larger deal that will fund the government for all of nextf years so that there can honestly be an orderly process of , coming tong agreement. That has to be bipartisan. No one party can impose their. Ill on the other we have to have some agreedupon and numbers, and we did to the appropriators in both parties, who worked together quite well. Much can you explain how the tax reform debate is overhanging this budget debate . Moving onyre different tracks, and it is unusual, and maybe one of the things that, case things. The tax bill is pretty much a partisan exercise. Republicans have a program and are trying to do it largely without democratic votes. But the spending process has to be bipartisan. You have to reach 60 votes in the United States than it, and frankly, since 2012, democratic votes have been required in the house as well. If you loose some republican votes because they do not want to spend anything beyond defense, veterans, Something Like that. The two sides have gotten good at working together in the appropriations process, but we seldom had to do it when simultaneously we had a fight as big as the tax fight going on, which is everybody and their partisan corner. Host democrats and some republicans now saying they want to see some legislation in the spending deal that will protect dreamers. Do you think this is a place that cameras all that immigration fight . Host i think not. I think you are conflating a policy issue with normal, daytoday operations of government. We have until march to deal with the dreamer issues, i think there is a natural deal there, which is legal status of some sort in exchange for Border Security, which are both broadly popular. Most americans feel pretty strongly if you came here as a child, you did not know or do something illegal, but were brought here by your parents, that status is fundamentally different and ought to be respected. Most americans also believe in Border Security, whether the left or the right. They want secure borders. When you do sit down and deal with it on its own, you can find Common Ground on it and get a good bipartisan majority. Host President Trump said he would blame democrats if a shutdown happens. With republicans in charge of the house, senate, and white house host , is that hard to do . Host is that hard to do . Is difficult,it but the reality is it takes 60 votes in the senate. They do know there has to be bipartisan by nds of some sort. There will be plenty of blame to go around if we were to stumble into a shutdown, as there should be. We are further along in the process in some way in the house, we have moved all 12 bills to fund the government across the floor, and how in usual is that . Guest unusual is that . Guest not in a Republican House since 2000 normally nine. Will have to negotiate with the democrats because of the senate. At some point, you will get into a process where you pick up democratic votes and lose some republican votes. Host talking with republican oklahomaan tom cole of , here with us for the next half hour if you want to call in and ask questions and give your comments. Emocrats, 202 7488000, republicans, 202 7488001, independents, 202 7488002. Congressman cole, i do not know if you remember me. I serviced your office as a recycler. Host oh i do. Oh, yes it is good to see you, or talk to you in the daylight instead of the evening. Caller my father has passed a sir, and issed away, have been here with my mother. I wanted to pass on a message to you. I haveally like something i need for you to see. Guest i can do that. Caller thank you so much, and i hope you guys work this out. Host not often you get here for people who worked in the congress . Guest no, i was often there in the evening, but you are lucky when you have superb professional staff. Everything from the protection of the Capitol Police but it takes a lot of people to make a place work. They keep it clean and safe for visitors, there are thousands of them. They do a great job for us. Host when it comes to making the place work better, there is a houseboat coming up on training when it comes to antiSexual Assault training for all offices, to make it mandatory. Can you speak to why we need a vote on that . Why cant speaker ryan just mandate the vote. Guest i am going to vote yes on it because i think it is necessary. Of twobeen the work great officers, Jackie Spicer and Barbara Comstock i used to be her supervisor, and she is a tremendous member. They have come together to talk about an issue that has dominated the news and to update the procedure. I applaud them both for their work. It is something i think will pass quite easily. Beverly, columbia, missouri, line four democrats. Caller yes, mr. Cole, i have a question. Overis really upsetting me the childrens fund. I have a grandson who is a disabled child. Everything that he gets he has to have in order to live. If this fund does not go through, and my daughter loses the funds, my grandson will die. Why havent you done something . Guest the house has done something. They have passed the reauthorization to the Childrens Health insurance program, the senate has not. I think they will. We understand how important that legislation is to people like you and your circumstances, and the grandson. I do not think there is much likelihood that it wont be extended again, but your case underlines the urgency of getting that done. Puts a part of this to peoples minds at rest. There is no reason for you, in my view, to go through what you are going through. You are worried about your grandson. Asuspect that if we have yearend spending deal, whether it is a continuing resolution where we keep things as they are and move toward, or what we need is a larger deal that allows us to take care, i think the children Health Insurance program is likely to be attached to that. Both sides want to approve it, there is support on both sides. Host coming back to the tax reform issue, you are recorded as saying if you are not going to have tax reform done, you will have a bad midterm. Guest we might anyway. No one has had a good midterm since 2002. I have been telling my friends since immediately after the election, expect a difficult midterm. The Democratic Party lost a majority in the Midterm Election of 2010, we lost hours in 2006. They have been rough on everybody. That is just the mood of the country right now. It is foolish not to recognize it. You have to have something to run on, something that you told people you would get done, and to me, tax reform is the most important single one of those commitments and we need to fulfill it. Host the house has its bill, the senate is working on its bill. When that comes together, what will be essential, what will need to be in there to get your vote . Guest there are different provisions for different people. This is not affect my vote, but a lot of votes hinge at keeping the property Tax Deduction at to 10,000 level, kept people and high property tax states in the house. I was pleased to see them pick that up. But i want to make sure there is tax cuts were about every taxpayer, that we make American Business competitive again. Right now, we pay the highest Corporate Income tax in the world, and remove the incentive that we have for companies to not move overseas. We have had a few in the past few years in search of lower tax rates. So we need to be competitive with other industrial countries. Host warren, michigan, line four democrats. Good morning. Caller representative, you and your republican buddies decided you wanted to write a tax cut bill that disproportionately gives everything to the rich and the corrupt corporations. In that bill, you decided you wanted no democrats in the room, no democrats to help write this bill. This is a tax bill for the entire country. Who in gods name gave you and out party the right to shut democrats from helping to write this bill . And now you want to say oh, well if the government shuts down we will blame the democrats. Guest i have actually not said anything like that. I said on a sending bill, spending bill, it has to be bipartisan. I hope that happens. I have been under that process under president obama and President Trump. We did this in april and funded the government. Again, with bipartisan majorities on both sides of the aisle. Democrats voted for this. The two parties have fundamental disagreements. They are not likely to find much Common Ground in the operation of the government. I think if you try to do both of they certainly, have votes, but in the case of taxes, if you use what is called reconciliation language, you can lower what you need to 51 votes. And by the way, that is how democrats passed obamacare, without a lot of republican support. So there are issues that are extremely partisan, extremely important to both parties, and they each resort to those kind of tactics in those cases. There are other issues where you Work Together. Process,priations where i spend most of my time, is very much a give and take exercise where both parties have to work to get something done. Minneapolis, minnesota, line for republicans. Good morning. Theer i do not think senator or congress should go home until they pass the tax bill. Get something done. The other thing i want to talk about, what is up with this 15 million shush fund to pay off Sexual Assault victims . What are you guys doing . How did we not know about that . How did you not know about that . How could you not tell us about this ridiculous thing . If any congressman is breaking people, theying should have to pay out of their pocket and we need to know what is going on. The other thing is yes, you are right, it takes a lot to keep that place working for you guys, but you are not working for us. You go home at the drop of a hat , and we have not got enough done. And what about the idea of cutting spending . We have handed you the house, the senate, the presidency, and what do you do . Guest you covered a lot of ground, so let me try to reach each one of your points . I could not agree with you more about not going home until the tax bill is done, and i do not think it needs to desert think it needs to use the extent to the spending bill as well. It needs to expand to the sending bill as well. And this is over a tenyear. , and not all congressmen have settled any kind of disputes. Mostly ornot completely Sexual Harassment. Again, i think you are right. That money needs to come out of peoples personal pockets, not out of the public purse. As a matter of fact, it is a lot more expensive in the private world. I consider here and name a lot of corporations that have paid more money on a single Sexual Harassment settlement in congress has in 10 years. If you look at these cases, at least so far, there are a lot more in the media world and entertainment world than there are a capitol hill. But one case is one too many. Colleaguesplaud my who are bringing forth legislation that will do exactly what you suggest, and i think well pass overwhelmingly with a great deal of bipartisan support. Is all well and good. Your final point, in terms of cutting spending quite frankly, congress has cut spending. What most spending is now, Social Security, medicare, and medicaid make up 60 of all federal spending. If you want to go to spending, thehe to the part go to part of what Congress Appropriates on a federal budget, it is about 70 of what the government funds, and that has gone down. When the Republican Party came into power, the deficit was 1. 4 trillion annually. It was lowered to under 500 billion, but it is now creeping back up. Were most of the increase is coming is again, not on capitol hill in terms of the daytoday operation of government, but we have an aging population and medicare and Social Security expenses that continue to rise, and they are going to continue to rise. So you can sit down and grapple with those problems, and Neither Party has wanted to do it. I have a bill with Social Security with my friend john delaney, a democrat for maryland who is running for president , and he is a guy who why have a lot of respect for, personally. When Ronald Reagan and to oneill set up tip a fund for Social Security. But neither side has had an interest in picking it up. We have had this for three congresses in a row. We cannot get the Obama Administration interested and we cannot get the Trump Administration and students in interested. But you will have to look at entitlement spending and the budget you want to achieve. And it has to be bipartisan. That is what they did in 1983, when they extended the life of Social Security. It was on the verge of going bankrupt. We can do that again. Host about 10 minutes left. You come on the show several times, and before you talked about more native american heritage, i want to ask you about President Trumps use of pocahontas to describe senator Elizabeth Warren at that ceremony. First of all, i was actually at the ceremony. It was a terrific ceremony. I want to start by giving the president is due. We have never honored code talkers in the oval office before. That was their idea. The code talkers were magnificent. The president actually handed the mic over to one of them, a guy who is 90, who gave one of the best addresses i have ever heard. I said gosh, i wish i could talk that good at my age. It was upbeat, it was good, and it was meant to honor native americans. I think the president was very sincere in that. He turned to mr. Mcdonnell at one point and said you know, he had us prepare remarks and we gave them to mr. Mcdonnell. He said everything i was supposed to say, i you have said, and you said the matter than i ever have could. The Elizabeth Warren thing was not in the prepared remarks. I disagree with the president very strongly on that. Pocahontas is a very important historical figure. Her name should not be used as an attack. Her descendents are still around, and she was a remarkable human being who had a very short life, she lived until her 20s and was buried in england. A pivotal person in the formation of the relationship between europeans and native americans in the 16th century. I do not like her name being used in anything other than a respectful way. And i am not a big believer in namecalling and politics. It does not get you very far. The end of the day, you have to work with people. I usually find it is easier to work with them if i have not call the main aim before i sit down. Called them a name for i sit down. Host have you sat down with the president . Guest it is difficult when you are at someones house, but because i was there, because i am native american, we got of a lot of requests immediately. And it is not an opinion i have not expressed before. I was quoted as saying that my recommendation was do not use this language in this way to the president in 2016, before he was president of the United States. My view has not changed, and i regret the use of the name and think it is inappropriate. Host as many calls as we can, rita, illinois, line for republicans. Go ahead. Caller good morning. I have two points to make here. Deficit,all, on the why arent the super rich paying back the money, the tax money that they used from our tax that are forojects their own self good . It makes them richer and the taxpayer poor, and they have never paid any of it back and they are worth trillions of dollars in themselves. Why would they even need it to begin with . Days of bill and hillary clinton, lets make a deal and told the country hold the country hostage until we get what we want are over. The democrats need to get in, stop holding of the country, and to get things done for the country and not for themselves. Guest for the first one, i am not sure exactly what you mean about not pay back. Frankly, wealthy people pay a lot more taxes and a lot higher taxes than folks that are not. That has always been the case in the country since we had an income tax, beginning over 100 years ago now in 1913. If you are referring to the thealled bank bailout in Great Recession, every time of that with interest was paid back. The government actually made about 40 billion dollars, 50 billion out of money it loaned. We did not give anyone anything. We gave them loans and collected interest on the money. It was devastating to the country, i do not excuse what happened. It was the right decision at the time and i supported it because you needed to stabilize the economy, but we were paid back that money. The only place we lost any money was on the loans to the American Auto industry. They got about 80 billion, about 60 billion of that came back so it was not a complete loss. But the net of the entire program, what went to banks and the Auto Industry was a moneymaker for the taxpayer. It did not cost them anything over a few years. Host charles, michigan, line for independence. Go ahead. Thank you. He would i thought have been more insulted that the indian ceremony was done under the portrait of Andrew Jackson. I think you would know more than anyone how Andrew Jackson treated the indians. But my point was on your talking of the 12 bills that you passed thosent on to the senate, bills were passed because of about 20 people in the Republican Party that you had to make sure they would go along with the boat, but when the bill was sent to the senate, all of that will be compromise and sent back to you guys, and you will lose almost 20 votes. You will have to get smaller votes from the democrats. If i can response to your first questions, i do know a lot about Andrew Jackson. My great, great grandfather had to walk 800 miles. I am chickasaw. We were one of the five tribes removed from the southeast United States, historically, northern mississippi and tennessee were our home areas, and taken to whichas indian territory, is oklahoma today. I understand that very much, and my own grandmother would not carry a 20 bill her entire life. But you also have Abraham Lincoln and George Washington washington of the had slaves, they were both very famous indian fighters. I said look, you can find a reason to be offended by any president , and i am no fan of Andrew Jackson, to be clear. But i do not think that was deliberately done by the white house, and other president s have had portraits of Andrew Jackson inside the oval office. The Democratic Party has a tofersonjackson day dinner slaveholders, to antiindian figures. If they want to get rid of those, that is fine but that is up to them. I think you have to be careful historically. In terms of your point about the appropriations classes, you are probably right. The way bills pass originally tends to be out of the house, a majority area and institution. They tend to be pretty partisan. Because it the way the senate operates, they tend to become bipartisan. And you have a negotiated process. You are right. We passed something, they pass something, and we negotiate it out. It has to be passing each body, it has to be side by the president , and in the end, the appropriations process will be bipartisan or nothing will get done. This is the opening part of the process. Obviously you will write bills the way you think they ought to be written, but when a point comes that you need someone elses vote, you are exactly right. You sit down and make a compromise. That is what we did in april on the appropriations bills, and the majority of democrats and republicans both voted to fund the government. There were some big wins for the president in that, big increases in defense spending, Border Security spending, and there were some things that the democratic side wanted, like nationaly for the institute of health to find cures for cancer and all farmers strongzheimers, a center of disease control, so there are important things that are extremely bipartisan in the appropriations process, and frankly, the majority of democrats and republicans usually vote for the final bill. Host talking about needing votes. One person looking for votes in the state of alabama is roy moore. Are you supporting his senate bid . Think you should withdraw from the race. I think the people of alabama have a difficult choice, because with all due respect, the democrat seems to be a very fine person. He does not represent the majority of what people in alabama believe. I do not pretend to know what the issues are with mr. Moore, but i do know this. The campaign is not being fought on issues anymore. I think the best thing to do would be to step aside. But in the end, people in alabama will have to make up their minds, and it is their decision, their right to make a decision, and who ever wins, the senate will have to make a decision as to whether or not they are going to see seek him. Seat him. Host joe, republican, colorado. Caller i would like to remind mr. Cole that in 2000, when george bush came in, we had money in the congress. Your tax plan then brought on the Great Recession. You acted like you did not expect it. Mike pence gave away millions of dollars in indiana. We are finding jobs that are costing us billions of dollars so that you can hold off. As a republican, i am disappointed with you guys. You are a bunch of spoiled brats. Thing, youize one are going to give the middle . 4750le a seven cents per hour tax rates, but you are guest i disagree with you about the details. To be fair, they are not finalized yet anyway. There is still a negotiation Going Forward. Day, americanshe who pay taxes will see a substantial tax cut. American businesses that are not competitive and leave the country in huge numbers you mentioned carrier as an example will have incentive to stay here. In terms of the performance of congress, look, theres areas i disagree, but i dont think any economist has ever argued that the tax cuts of 2000 brought on the Great Recession in 2008. I do not think there is much of a correlation. What brought it on was frankly aggressive over lending by wall street and literally peddling subprime loans that people couldnt afford them. That was incredibly reckless behavior. It was much more a regulatory problem that it was related to the tax cuts literally years before. Host got time for one or two more calls. Springfield, virginia, independent goahead. Caller im alexander from virginia could i want ta. I want to add to a topic that has not got much discussion at all. The last i heard is 11 million Illegal Immigrants are living in. Ur country could tha that means 11 million residents of our country are living taxfree. Program to give the ones that are not dangerous to our country some kind of tax status, then we could have billions of dollars of revenue. Has that ever been considered . Guest it actually has been. Theres a number of pieces of legislation that show depending on how you structure and immigration deal that you actually do gain longterm in terms of additional revenue. To be fair, most of the 11 Million People here are paying taxes. Getting anym arent benefits because they are not eligible for benefits. If they are working where they theyreur a salary, paying Social Security taxes and medicare taxes and a lot of them pay income taxes. You are still right. A portion of these people are outside the normal economy. Some of them are not fully taxed. If you could regularize the immigration system, you probably could prove the bottom line of the federal government sheet sheet. Eral balance you dont want to regularize it because its dangerous and theres a lot of Crime Associated with it. The country has a right to enforce its borders and has a right to decide who comes and goes. Host wayne on the line for democrats. Caller listen, you seem like a fair person. This is not directed to you. This is directed to the ones that need to hear. What about the special carried interest . Why cap the Social Security . The Koch Brothers dont need no help. Strengthen Social Security and health care. Theres just couple things you can do. Away what young can write off on your mortgage i dont even have a mortgage, but i can write off my taxes. Come on. Do this and that and thats a joke for a tax bill. Guest i dont think it is. To your point specifically, i agree with you about carried interest. The house bill did not eliminated, but it did increase the amount of time you have to hold the money before you can turn it into taxable income with the idea that it would limit it to some degree. A full or debate on this is in order. In terms of Social Security, you are right. We do raise the limit on Social Security won the reforms were made in 1983. It was to index the amount of money. The top line eligible for Social Security goes up. We have a real commission, it would look at that and that would probably one of the answers. In the past, we have raised the age and the amount you contribute. We raised the level of your salary at which you contribute. I think all those things make a lot of sense. Social security is much easier than most of these. Its basically a math problem and we know the system and how it grows. We have built up quite a surplus in the Social Security fund from 1983 to 2011. Then we are growing up more money than Social Security taxes pay in every year. You are not in any immediate 33, it, but by 2032 or 20 will be exhausted. Literally ebola be cutting peoples check in their 70s or 80s by about 20 . Thats an unacceptable outcome. Thank you for your,. I do try to be fair and i do look for Practical Solutions and most of my colleagues do on both sides of the aisle. Sometimes people paint with a pretty broad brush. Most of the members i know are pretty good people and you will have a good one here on in a few minutes. I can tell you hes just an outstanding member and a great guy. Host i appreciate you setting up and about 25 minutes, but i do want to thank you. Please come back and join us. Earl blumenauer gets here, we will have open phones. Lines for democrats, republicans, and independents you can see the numbers on your screen. We will be right back. This weekend, cspan cities tour takes you to kansas city, missouri. With the help with our spectrum cable partners, we will explode the literary scene of kansas city. On book tv, we will view the Kansas City Public Library pendergast digital collection. Pendergast was the political machine in kansas city from 1925 to 1939. A political machine is being and into organized crime other illicit activities, taking bribes and kickbacks, and using influence to make sure your preferred candidates are elected. On sunday at 2 00 p. M. Eastern on American History tv, a visit to the Negro League Baseball museum. Let me introduce you to group foster. Foster established the negro leagues in 1920 at a meeting that took place at the ymca. The building still stands and its right around the corner from where the museum currently operates. And thathere rube contingent of independent black team owners met in 1920 to form the Negro National leagues. The negro leagues would go on to operate amazingly for four years from 1920 until 1960. Watch cspan cities tour of kansas city, missouri saturday andoon eastern on book tv sunday on American History tv on cspan3. Working with our cable affiliates as we explore america. Where history unfolds daily. In 1979, cspan was created as a Public Service by americas Cable Television companies and is brought to you today by your cable or satellite provider. Announcer washington journal continues. It is open phones for about the next 25 minutes on washington journal. Any Public Policy issue you want to talk about, the lines are you. Democrats 202 7488000. Republicans 202 7488001. Independents 202 7488002. We do want to focus more on that Missile Launch yesterday by north korea, claiming that the United States mainland is in reach after what they call a successful testing of a new kind of intercontinental ballistic missile. The Washington Post story noting that yesterdays launch is a clear sign that the north Korean Leader is pressing ahead with its nation stated goal of being able to strike the United States mainland and is not caving to the Trump Administration strategy of applying maximum pressure. Log a longer flight time than any of its predecessors and went farther into the atmosphere than ever before, reaching a height of 2800 miles. The International Space station is to 40 miles above the earth. Plenty of discussion after that happened yesterday both by the president and by leaders on capitol hill. We also touched on this morning roy moores campaign. Heres the latest from the polling in that contest. Alabama voters are increasingly skeptical of the accusers against Republican Senate nominee roy moore according to a new poll released this week that shows that mr. Moore has recovered his lead and that race. In the middle of november, mr. Moore lost his lead in the survey of voters by change research. He is back on top with an advantage of 49 to 44 . The margin among voters who believe the allegations versus disbelieve them against roy moore stands at 42 to 38 . Almost 10 days ago the margin was 46 to 30 in favor of the believers. Theres that other breaking news story this morning that we told you about. Nbc has fired its lead morning news anchor, matt lauer, over a Sexual Harassment allegation. The network said in a memo that was released to staff on wednesday. Heres a tweet from the today show about it. On monday night we received a detailed complaint from a colleague about inappropriate sexual behavior in the workplace by matt lauer. As a result, weve decided to terminate his employment. With that new set, its open phones. Any Public Policy want to talk europe first. You are at first. Caller your name is john, i believe . Host yes, sir. Caller you are having a lot of difficulty in the first segment with the continuing resolution and tax issues and the tax bill. People were coming at it from different angles. Some callers were quite wellinformed. Because was confused there was a cross of issues between the closure of the government and the tax bill thats going through. I think i know why there is confusion. There was a lot of angst among your callers, but the confusion is they are not seeing i think a lot of people are not seeing that what we are dealing with is a metaissue that is much greater than the default of terms of aent in continuing resolution or the latest tax issue. Those two are very critical, but what struck me in the video you was turning schumer down the invitation to the white house, dick durbin was to the right viewing the video. Dick durbin looked like he was giving up. Nowink what we are seeing is that what is occurring is a Democratic Party is realizing that because they have not been sufficiently aggressive they dont want to be sufficiently aggressive. We are dealing with a different situation. We are not dealing with two and corporation in addressing anything. Countryealing with the that has basically morphed into an empire. On a financial basis, this current regime is basically a massive looting of the entire country. The financial choices on. That was passed earlier it continued into the senate 327. Addressed in the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau is really a finishing act. They have already taken over the financial empire. The empire has taken over the ability to legally loot the country in massive for portions. Some of the peoples anger and angst obviously was because some of them cents that its over. Based on hisdurbin facial expressions during that video realized this is over. The old Democratic Party that used to be in Opposition Party and was not an Opposition Party for so long, they realize there is no alternative. Its a single form of government, but its not democracy anymore. Bernie sanders likes to call it oligarchy. Its not oligarchy. Its empire. Host showing viewers on the screen there, dick durbin on the far right as you are looking at that video. You are right that theres a lot of issues coming together this week. To sort them out for you, theres a federal government funding deadline. If the government isnt funded and the deal isnt reached before december 8, we could be facing a se shutdown. Theres a debate over the spending bill, the fiscal 2018 budget happening at the same time as the tax reform debate is moving through congress. The Senate Clearing a key hurdle yesterday, passing their tax bill out of the Budget Committee and several other issues also happening at the end of the year. A lot of deadlines for other programs coming up. We are trying to sort through all of them for you and we will keep you updated as it happens. Its going to be a very busy december so buckle up and hang on. We will keep you updated the whole time. Robert is in michigan on the line for independents. Caller i would like to know a couple things. How do you check yourself in the prosperity . Tell me how you can tax yourself and prosperity. How can you borrow yourself into prosperity . We owe so much money. There is no way in the world that if we sold everything in america that we couldnt pay it. They want to borrow money to give tax deals . Why not give a tax break and forget it . Just like Ronald Reagan did. He didnt borrow money to do that. These people are out of control. Both sides of the aisle. I cannot believe that all these people have been in power for all these years. Some of them have for many years. Country tolowed our go to 22 trillion in debt. Something is wrong. Thats all ive got to say. 28ope they read deuteronomy the blessings will come upon you if you are a lender. Curses will come upon you if you are a borrower. Thats all i have to say. Thank you very much. Host for status on the current u. S. Debt, its 20. 5 trillion right now. And counting. The u. S. Debt clock. Org is a good place to go to see the United States that in real time. Carol in new york on the line for republicans. Go ahead. Caller hello. I have a real problem. Im from long island and here in long island we are paying 20,000 a year in home taxes. Are gettingfficers 150,000 dollars a year and her teachers are 100,000 a year. You talk to the rest of the country and they so thats ridiculous. Unfortunately its happening. We cannot afford to lose our souls. We are probably paying 30,000 local, andes, our our state taxes. If wesland will go under lose this. Our homes will be worth nothing. I called a number of senators offices across the country and ive been told very nicely they dont care. They are only interested in their local areas. I think we should also should know when this bill goes through how many perks and what are the perks thats going to go through because most of these senators and representatives are voting for these things, but they are getting gifts in order to get the votes. Unfortunately we have got to do something. This, we are to double taxing what we are already paying. We are paying it on our side and then the federal government is punishing us from the other side. Host on the state and local Tax Deduction that you are talking about, here some explanation of where it stands in the senate. This is from the breakdown from usa today. This is the jump page talking about it. Senator Susan Collins of maine so she was optimistic the senate would include in its final version of the bill a provision in the house bill that would allow taxpayers to deduct up to 10,000 in property taxes. Thesenate bill would repeal entire deduction for state and local Income Property and sales taxes. Its a change that could result in tax increases and high tax states even after lowering rates and increasing standard deduction significantly. The 10 thousand dollars property tax reduction was crafted by house Republican Leaders to win votes for members and some hightax states. Diane on the line for republicans. Go ahead. Caller yes, good morning. I would like to say that the democrats, they are not capable of making a deal with the republicans. They want all or nothing. They still cant accept the fact that the republicans are in the majority. Inch. Ont give an i would not have even wasted my time trying to invite them to a meeting or anything. They havent given on anything and they wont. They dont care whether the country falls apart because its falling apart. Before the republicans came into power. This is just the relevant to blame you relevant to blame the republicans. Evant to blame the republicans. The republicans are not agreeing with the whole party. This is democrats. They are serving the democrats. Postthe washington reminds us in the column today about a deal that President Trump was able to cut with Democratic Leaders back in midseptember. Headline of the peace from he likes us to sad the trump Schumer Pelosi friendship falls apart. For what happened yesterday, after trump acquiesced on the two Democratic Leaders for shortterm funding of the federal government and allowing the treasury to increase its Borrowing Limit to finance the National Debt. So what happens . He writes, the staff was doing great and to the president stepped in. Trump gotten the way of what were serious amateur negotiations. Senator durbin told him that trump was stunned by the negative reaction he got from his conservative base after he started wheeling and dealing with Democratic Leaders back in september. Thats in todays Washington Post. John in ohio, europe next. You are up next. Caller good morning, john. American people listen to this. We have either the most incompetent government or we have got the most crooked government in recent history. It doesnt matter which one it is. That tells me they need to go. They have quit working for the country antiAmerican People so and the American People so long ago i cant even remember when it started. Im waiting any day for this government to come out and tell us that we are absolutely belly up and some other dog on country owns us. Thats what this bunch has done to us. The American People, there are 300 million of us out here suffering and 20 to 30 Million People doing great in this country. The rest of us are doomed. What are we going to do about a government that no longer serves the people that it is supposed to be serving . Im no democrat or republican anymore. They have for second us. Power. N us for greed and thank you, john. Watch cspan every morning. Yall have a good day. Its time to take this country back or we will be speaking some other language and not like america anymore folks. Host john is in south carolina. Good morning could i do like to talk about the tax reform, which is actually a misnomer. Its not reform being proposed. Its the political equivalent of rearranging the deck chairs on the current system. Issues that is happening is this tax package has been pretty much thrown partyer by the republican with very little input by the Democratic Party by their choice. Participate, and its going to create a lot of problems that are going to add to the problems that the tax code already has. Instead of doing it the proper way, put it through the entire process like the 1986 tax act, which took over a year and a half and was done with participation of both sides. I think congress and the Republican Party and also the democrats have failed to realize that a tax package affects 100 of the businesses and individuals 100 of the time. Host do you think in this day and age that that could happen, that something could happen with both sides participating without trying to get the other side to try to pin something on them, that they could actually work on some sort of grand deal . Is that possible today . Caller it happened in the past in 1986. Whether a can happen today, im sure because we have gone from a multicamera legislation to tribalism within congress. Either you are republican or youre a democrat. If the republicans Say Something, the democrat is against it. If the democrats Say Something, the republicans are against it. We need to go back to running the country for the benefit of the country. Im a tax practitioner for over 40 years. Me this is a great tax bill because it will keep me in business till i die. And people like me, but its not going to help the average person because all its going to do is shift the benefits and the burdens to a new group of winners and losers. Host you dont think that putting your taxes on making them to be able to be done on the size of postcard is not going to hurt you . Caller first of all, it will not because there will still be a lot of complexities in the code. We also have one issue. You can already do that. Its called a 1040 ez form. Its on two sides of a piece of a paper, but its the equivalent of a postcard and a lot of people file 1040 ezs. Is it going to help the average person who has Tax Deductions and write offs and credits, those arent going away. People like me are still going to be in business. The government actually makes it so we can be in business. Reform insteadax of fake tax reform. Host appreciate the call from south carolina. Kathleen in jacksonville, north carolina. Good morning. I will hit the button for you. Caller hello. My concern is we have young people thats working. Is theyre talking about taxes and youre talking about young kids trying to work. Youre talking about taxes and tax breaks. Its going to hit the poor person. How is the poor person going to survive . You mean this woman is going to settle for the fact that shes got 20 coming in the house, but you will tax or more to where all shes got is six dollars. What is a kid supposed to do . Lets get real now. The rich are still getting their money and their try to take from the poor. Youre talking about crime going up and people robbing and killing. You think somebody is going to sit by and see their children starve . What do you think is going to happen . Honestly what do you think is going to happen . Host that is kathleen, our last caller in this open phone segment. We will be joined by congressman Earl Blumenauer from oregon, a member of the taxwriting ways and Means Committee. We will talk about the battle over tax reform. Later today we will be joined by wall street journal hughes. Siobhan we will be right back. This weekend, cspan cities tour takes you to kansas city, missouri. With the help of are spectrum cable partners, we will explore the literary scene in history of kansas city. On book tv, we will view the Kansas City Public Library pendergast digital collection. Pendergast was the political andine boss of kansas city was really in control from 1925 to 1939. A political machine is being tied into organized crime and other illicit activities, taking bribes and kickbacks, and using influence to make sure that your preferred candidates are elected. On sunday at 2 00 p. M. Eastern on American History tv, a visit to the negro league museum. Let me introduce you to rube foster. He would establish the negro leagues and 1920 in a meeting that took place at the old ymca. The building still stands. Its a right around the corner where the museum currently operates. That is where foster and a contingent of eight independent team owners met in 1920 to form the Negro National league, the First Successful organize black baseball league. They would go on to operate amazingly for 40 years from 1920 until 1960. Watch cspan cities tour of kansas city, missouri saturday at noon eastern on cspan book tv and American History td on cspan3. Working with our cable affiliates as we explore america. Announcer washington journal continues. Host glad to have oregon democrat Earl Blumenauer at our desk. You know him as a Senior Member on the ways and Means Committee and co chair of the congressional bike caucus. I wanted to get your thoughts on yesterdays aborted meeting between the president and house Democratic Leaders and what you think that means for a potential shutdown coming up next month. Guest well, i think it just symbolizes the problems that we but not just democrats republicans with a totally unpredictable president who is disengaged with the details and doesnt seem to be concerned that he tweets and insults and blows things up. In the end, it will be worked out with members of both parties on capitol hill. I dont think we will get any help from donald trump. Host you blame the tweet . Guest its just the holder hader and the notion whole behavior and the notion of not being forthcoming and being unpredictable and throwing also to things out that are completely unrelated. Insulting some kids father and getting that Serious Business here. Facing a deadline that may prompt another shutdown on capitol hill. Ive served with people, many of here who are still welcomed the last shutdown and still have fish to fry. We do not have the numbers allocated for the appropriations process and i hope people can get serious and move forward because we might have a real train wreck. Host what does a serious spending deal need to look like for you to support it . Guest it needs to be balanced. We have an agreement that has been reached to protect both military and nonmilitary discretionary spending. That agreement should be respected. We shouldnt be using this to force through a program where there isnt even support for republicans for it. Thats one of the reasons why many of these budgets have not moved in the past because they are so draconian that republicans dont want to support it. I think left to their own devices, people on the Appropriations Committee with a little attitude, id be able to work this out. We are talking about spending 2. 2 billion two point 2. 2 trillion. We ought to be dealing with Childrens Health and dealing with the fundamentals of keeping government going and those should not be partisan roadblocks. Host should there be a deal on dreamers included in this . Guest donald trump started this. Willning in march, there be a thousand a day of these young people pulled out of their jobs. Host march 2018. Guest causing massive disruption for over two thirds of a Million People who are part of our community. The notion that we are going to sit idly by, that sort of disruption for that population and their families, you are talking about millions plus their employers. I absolutely think we ought to resolve that. Its not going to get easier and they shouldnt be tortured. Host if its resolved and the deal includes spending on the wall, would you be ok on that . Guest there wont be spending on the wall in the deal. It just aint going to happen. Most republicans dont want to do it. Its not feasible. We have much higher priorities. I dont think thats going to be part of it. Host we are talking with congressman Earl Blumenauer, democrat from oregon and member of taxwriting ways and Means Committee. If you want to call in with questions and comments, democrats are 202 7488000, republicans are 202 7488001, and independents are 202 7488002. You voted against the house version of the tax reform bill when it was moving through the committee and through the house. Is there anything you like better in the Senate Version thats being cobbled together right now moving through the senate . Guest its interesting that senator corker believes he has some sort of agreement to have a trigger mechanism. Host explain what that is. Their rosy scenarios dont pan out, this doesnt pay for itself. The deficit explodes beyond the 2. 2 trillion increase in the debt ceiling and interest. My amendment that we advance the first thing in the house was to stop the tax cuts. You dont go further over the cliff. That has some encouragement, but it has to be real. Its not something thats a bait and switch like we have seen in the past. Host explain him example of a bait and switch in the past. Guest what we are talking about right now. Some people are saying the temporary tax benefits, the only way that this pencils out for some middle income americans next year is by tax benefits that expire. The benefits for the large corporations and the rich people continue in perpetuity, but we are watching tax increases on a temporary basis. Some of the tax increases start next year in the house and in the senate. Middle income people with exceedingly high medical peoples, nine million , are going to see their taxes increased dramatically and wont be able to deduct them anymore. 90 billion worth of a tax increase and over 9 million families. Think of it as an alzheimers tax. There are a lot of moving pieces here and im not certain they can put it together. At this point, it doesnt look like a good deal for most americans. Host christine is up first in hampton, virginia. You are on with congressman blumenauer. Caller thank you for taking my call. This is just fascinating. I truly have not been able to wrap my head around the fact that this could possibly go through until the last couple of days when theyre coming up with these new things like this stopped the tax if it doesnt work sort of thing. This is really getting crazy. I dont think any taxes should be permanent. You just dont know whats down the road. You have no idea whats down the road. The idea that we are going to make permanent those for the people who really dont need them and not for the rest of us is just more of the stuff that has got to stop. All, if theres going to be these tax breaks for the corporations, i mean, i thought they were people, so i dont do they do their thing on a postcard, too . Tax breaks for corporations should come with legislation that requires them to make 80 investment in industries and the workers for the American People. If they are so sure its going to happen, why dont they just make sure that its in the law . Host christine, we will take the point and let the congressman respond. Guest christines dilemma is something everybody is facing on capitol hill in both parties. Nobody really knows whats in this bill. Its astounding. The largest transfer of wealth in American History most large corporations and wealthy people paid for by increasing taxes on future generations with a greater debt. As i mentioned in some of the examples, it changes by the day. There has never been a hearing on many of these controversial issues that people are just now finding out about. It would tax the stipends for graduate students as income, making it impossible for them to do their research work. Int would be unacceptable any sort of public discussion and it wouldve never survive. Now. E facing a dilemma every day this morphs and changes. We do not know what is in it until long after its past if its passed. That is no way to do business. Dontfor people who understand the process, is there a chance for hearing down the road if the Senate Passes it and it goes to a Conference Committee . Guest the last time we did real tax reform and this is an tax reform. This is tax shift. Time we did real tax reform, we had a Republican Administration and democrats and republicans in congress and it took two years and you were able to dive in and understand whats in it. To have a hearing after this thing is largely bait and would be perfunctory. You are not going to know some of the provisions that have been snuck in by lobbyists and corporations and maybe a senator until long after the fact. Host to cedartown, georgia, lee is a republican. Good morning. Caller good morning and thanks for taking my call. Comeis is not biased, how it seems like sometimes a person will get 30 seconds to talk and get hung up on when someone else gets threeminutes . Why shouldnt everyone get two minutes and hear whats being said . As long as we are not cussing or anything, let our words be heard. What i would like to say is that shows like this are not a chess game. The two parties cant get along. This slushjust like funds, everybody you put on tv says i know nothing about it. And iveome approve it got 15 lawyers that say i dont know nothing about it. If i Say Something good that he likes to hear, he will agree with it. Every one of your people that you bring on their, if i Say Something bad, he would disagree with the. Its the same old thing with a publi puppet show. Host whats your question for the congressman . Caller it seems like nobody can get along. The thought is why can they get along when youre saying theres good people on the democratic side and on the republican side. Us watching people like there are some of the common sense things it can be done, but there is so much small print. The government says its always difficult, but its never really difficult. The governments making it difficult. We can stay in the squalor we are in. Host got your point. Guest i think the fundamental notion that i was try to make earlier is that we actually did this like we are supposed to if we actually had hearings on individual provisions, if there was an opportunity to work on a bipartisan basis. The tax bill in the house no democrat saw it in no republicans knew what was going on. There are ways to be able to deal with things that matter for the American Public. The fact that the Childrens Health program has expired and is being used as a bargaining chip this is something that doesnt need to be partisan. Overwhelming majorities of both republicans and democrats would agree to deal with a clean extension of it. We talked about the undocumented kids. A majority in both parties i think would be able to move something forward if we were given a chance. When you shut down the process, manipulate it, predetermined whats going to be in the legislation, and not allow other voices to be heard, a guarantees conflict. Host what do you say to republicans who say democrats did that with the Health Care Bill . Guest i was there and on that committee. We had dozens of hearings. There was lots of giveandtake. There were opportunities for people to be involved. There is no comparison. You look at what happened in the senate with the bike flat. Play. This is unprecedented. There has never been something of this nature in a history and the stakes could not be higher. Baltimore, maryland come line for democrats, robert, good morning. Caller i would like to point to the health example that the congressman gave and how it creates an adequate ability from healthy people. I will share with you my own personal profile. My 2016 taxable income and applied it to the proposed senate plan, my tax goes up 11 . Thats if you apply it to the house, it goes up 5 . Im a healthy person. If you take whats going to be 20182019,rofile for i will be able to shelter a lot more that income and hide it through contributing to my retirement ira. The taxable income will go way down and i will reap a huge reward. My taxes will go way down because i have the luxury of being able to save for retirement and enjoy that tax benefit. Moneyant afford to put into retirement and shelter that , that my Tax Liability goes up and im unhealthy. Obviously my medical expenses are going to go up. Its a triple whammy for inequitablility. And thats not even bring up the Senate Proposal to eliminate the mandated enrollment and to the Health Care System in a cowardly fashion. Surveying the preexisting conditions clause, its abominable on so many levels. Guest the caller raises an interesting point by including the repeal of the mandate. Part of the people who are going to pay for this package would be everybody with insurance next year. Its projected that the premiums across the country because of this one tactic is going to increase on average 10 per year. Next year, the following year, the year after that. There are all sorts of hidden increases. One of the things that people and one of then reasons i was so strongly opposed to what was going on in the house is that its going to provide a stealth increased. Reform adjusted brackets for inflation. Ofs bill has a lower Rate Adjustment for inflation, which means over the years its going to pull people up for higher brackets, paying more simply because of inflation not because they have more money. And those benefits for individual families, the one that makes the biggest difference, goes away in five years. Ief is illusory and the longterm increases ou are real. Caller i see this tax bill as robin hood in reverse. I find it interesting that students wont be able to write off the interest on their loans yet people that own private jets and golf courses have write offs. Put ink that they have this for Lisa Murkowski to get her to vote for the bill is to give her all these goodies for alaska and twister arm in order to get her to sign on. I find this just outrageous that we are excepting this kind of thing. You just address the other thing i was going to mention, which was the mandate. You take the mandate away in the whole Health Care System falls apart. My understanding from what ive read is that 10 is a low estimate in terms of the premium rise. It could be as much as 25 to 30 of an increase in premiums in the next couple of years. Theres going to be a lot more uninsured people and a lot more taxpayer expense and terms of people and Health Care Costs going up, people going to the emergency room, that kind of thing. This tax bill is extraordinarily unfair and its really robin hood in reverse. You have to write off for the planes in such, and yet people making under 75,000 a year are going to see their taxes increase. They are the least able to see their taxes go up. Guest i think the caller has it right. Reverse. In hood in it is the largest transfer of wealth in our nations history to most corporations and the top 1 . It is paid for by taxing future generations with increasing debt and having the increase for families over the course of the next 10 years. Most itll middle income families will pay more tax. The 10 years after that it will be even higher. Relief for the largest corporations and the wealthiest people who need it the least is permanent. For everybody else, its temporary and a bargaining chip. It really is scandalous i think. Host about 10 minutes left with cognos meant Earl Blumenauer from oregon. Onyou watched the tax debate the republican tax bill in the house and they were marking it up, you would recognize Earl Blumenauer from that. You can watch it on cspan. Org at any time. I wanted to change subjects for just a second. The house is expected to vote on instituting antisexualharassment training and making that mandatory for House Offices today. How are you going to vote on that legislation . Guest i agree. I think its important. The training and ive done it. Going through it its very clear and concise. It makes the points. There is no ambiguity here. Minimum that is what we should do Going Forward and dealing with opportunities to make these more transparent. Host what else would you like to see . Guest i think dealing with having as much transparency as possible on what happens in the aftermath, for example with some of the settlements. I have been in congress for 20 years and i was not aware of how public funds were used on these settlements. The fact that you could use office funds somehow to settle these claims. This is news to me. It shouldnt be in the future. Host we are seeing more news about congressman john conyers in the house. Heres an article from politico. The dean of the house facing quit after a to third exit after accuses him of Sexual Harassment. You think, from conyers should step down . Guest obviously thats his decision, but i think you should. Host back to your calls. Kentucky on the line for republicans. Caller yes, i think it should be mandatory that they should step down. I dont care who voted them in. Americans to put up with , its terrible. Its common sense. The tax thing is, too. Everybody can doubletalk it all they want to, but it comes down to this. If you have businesses that are , and peoplemoney going to work like myself im a greatgrandmother. I have great grandchildren. There are twins expected. Veryildren are hardworking people. Too, although im retired now. I have a lot at stake here with the future and not so much myself because if i live 20 more years, i will be lucky. About thisnt worry kind of stuff, but the people that are in charge that are in congress and in the senate should Work Together for the sake of our future. I mean, come on now. Host congressman . Uest i agree, and common sense should be the watchword and sexualharassment. Common sense should be the watchword for reasonable changes in the tax code. There are reasonable opportunities for us to strengthen american families. We should have been investing in infrastructure, which would create millions of family wage jobs and improve the quality of life. That should not be a partisan issue. Unfortunately this has been lost in the rush to have this large transfer of wealth and it should not be that way. Hopefully we may be able to rescue it still. Host two illinois on the line for democrats caller. Caller good morning. I have a couple suggestions. The big corporations have plenty of money. We need to go to them for any tax increases. They want us to let them bring their money back overseas so they can create jobs. Lets not do that, but lets create a rebate for them for every job they create here for an actual United States citizen who holds that job for at least a year, give them a little rebate. Dont let them just bring that money in for free. They are not going to create jobs. Money foris to create their investors. Guest kay makes a very important point. The last time the repatriation was tried, it didnt. Some of the companies that gain the most reduced employment. They bought things. House, mr. E white cohn, and Economic Advisor to the president , was asked when he what shocked when he ask a large group of businesses to raise taxes to boost employment. Very few hands went up in the room and he was somehow surprised. Right now corporations are a wash in cash. They have some overseas that they can borrow against any use. Capital is less expensive now than ever. They are not investing because they dont have profitable opportunities. And we have sadly a middle class that hasnt had a race in the last 30 years. There isnt a demand. There are ways to of structured this that wouldve been much more direct and to give the benefit to average americans. Host time for a few more calls. , go for independents ahead. Caller good morning. Im interested in the daca kids. Nobody ever talks about the parents. Its always these poor kids. Age andare about that they are out competing against them. Worked two jobs to get our kids through college and these kids are chosen time and time again not even being legal citizens. Oh the poor kids. Who is responsible . I find the most appalling and disgusting thing that americans are so upset about is how many years you people have been sitting up there on that hill talking about the same problems for 30 years. Illegal immigration has been a problem for well over 30 years and we have had durban and elosi and all these people who have been lifelong supposed to be servants of our nation. What have they been doing . Then you want to talk about the on Affordable Care act. Im going to be one of the middle class people that can no longer afford her ridiculous amount with a ridiculous of money. Im going to spend 30,000 before i even get any help from my Insurance Company whatsoever. Guys choseat you taxpayer subsidies to subsidize these wealthy Insurance Companies what a joke. Host a lot of issues for you there. Guest a lot of issues. Let me just say there has been Bipartisan Legislation that passed the senate that would pass the house if the Republican Leadership would have us do it six years ago or five years ago or four years you. It was bipartisan and the senate and they would be able to do a reset. Need thehe people who daca whomost are the are brought here as children or in some cases and since. They have been educated here and some of them have served in the armed services. The notion that we would pull out the road from underneath them and the only country to know is outrageous. The overwhelming majority of the mac and public agrees. We ought to be able to fix the situation for them. Host are you one of those democratic members of congress who would withhold a vote on any sort of funding deal for some sort of fix you are talking about for the dreamers . Guest i think at the end of the year there are certain issues that have to be resolved. This is one that has to be resolved. We cant put together a package and move forward and get votes from people like me if it doesnt deal with fundamental issues where there is bipartisan support to fix it. Host this cant wait until march . Guest these peoples lives are being upended. The employers cannot plan like something may happen in march and then you have 1000 and day being deported in that disruption. Thes outrageous and majority of the American Public agrees. If the republican side would allow us to vote on it, you would find the house and the senate would agree and its no longer an issue. Host jacqui is waiting in california on the line for democrats. Good morning. Caller thanks for taking my call. Im retired. Interested in politics and watch a lot of cspan. Of msnbc and fox news. I watch fox news to see what the republicans are talking about. I have a couple of thoughts and a question. I dont have a computer and i feel helpless in california that i dont do anything to help the other areas of the country where theres republicans in charge and a lot of democrats in the area that could protest and call. I dont have anybody do to protesting call. A couple of my thoughts was not just for the tax reform and for other things that you just talk about. Shouldse and the senate have the same talking points. With the same figures and the same whatever because its so confusing. I understand it because i watch so much of it. Other people here 1. 3 chilean dollars 1. 3 trillion. That here one thing one minute and another thing the next minute. Guest it is complex, but shes talking about the increase of the National Debt. They have authorized a 1. 5 trillion increase in the budget. If that is increased, we are paying interest on it. It will be well over 2 trillion. Yes, its complex and confusing, but its pretty easy to unpack in terms of paying for tax cuts for people who need it the least. Some people mentioned the alzheimers tax with extremely high medical care now. Its not as complicated as someone make it. Host congressman Earl Blumenauer from oregon. Up next on the washington journal, an update on the Senate Tax Bill, where it stands, what changes have been made in the past 24 hours, well joined by Siobhan Hughes of the wall street journal, stay with us, well be right back. We kicked off the tour in dover, delaware and visited 12 capitals, our next stop is tallahassee, florida, well be 6, with live mber interviews during washington journal. Join us on cspan3 for American History t. V. , for a few highlights. Saturday 3 p. M. Eastern in honor t50th anniversary of the prabroadcasting act, former newshour anchor and lectures and history, university of on the role ofr, African American ministers and churches help w gain experience with organizeing and running for political office. Eastern,. M. Recollection of midway from four world r war ii veterans. Equality, featuring 1848 womens rights convention, t. V. , all story weekend, every weekend, only on cspan3. Washington journal continues. Host Siobhan Hughes, reporter for the wall street journal, joining us to talk about maneuvering of bill, ahead ofrm expected vote later this week went rst, President Trump and made his pitch to members of the senate, republican members we know about what was included in the pitch to it . Reaction conveyed sident trump a sense of urgency, it was important to get something done, it was the pitch was important for republicans to have something to show for their allg. O. P. Control of both chambers and the white house in a decade. We also know that president seemed to be fairly engaged, back and forth with like ronembers, people johnson and he seemed to have h ol pol poli policys. Host how much did that help the vote in the Senate Budget ommittee to advance the tax reform bill . Guest two things, number one, sometimes when to capitolrump comes hi hill, he offends people. Republican necessary a tough spot, they are under pressure to get something done no surprise ense, after that meeting hupeople like come rker and ron johnson out, sound more optimistic and vote for the reconciliation measure. Host why was the vote so important . Guest it was important in a ways for optical reasons. Republicans could have preceded bill without that, however, it would have been a the mbarrassment had republicans been unable to get to the floor, their device for a partyline on vote. Host senator bob corker was a into on mark going yesterday and ended up voting yes in Budget Committee vote. To yes . Him guest bob corker is one of the more fascinating figures in the fight, hes been concerned the tax bill will add to the accounting for Economic Growth and he came out and said there was an agreement principle for some type of automatic trigger, where if not come inasts did as expected, in other words, if for ption tax cuts pay themselves wrong, taxes would go up. The question is, on whom are going to go up and that appears not to be resolved yet. Whip count when it comes to 50 votes needed by senate Republican Leaders to pass this . Guest i dont think they have 50 votes yet, but if you put me the e spot, i would say senate is going to pass a tax bill. Host at what point does that place, tomorrow night, early friday, what is time line right now . See, what were likely to this afternoon, a preliminary procedural vote, something to proceed and likely tomorrow see beginning of that tax vote, keep in mind this something special, there will be 20 hours of debate, something rrama. Vota host Siobhan Hughes covering it wall street journal, congressional reporter there. Here to answer questions about reform bill. Supplemental that we were to loan the 17 billion to the congress hat wanted to do was give them the money and weve done this over and over. Huge debt. So why would we cut spending, i revenue before we cut debt, in your city, if you pass to fund say a stadium or your schools or your government, ask your governor, would you cut sales a by 40 knowing you have committed debt thinking youre going to generate enough money to get it in . A joke. Thank you. Guest the caller has crystallized the issue quite lot of something a democrats do bring up. Right now theyre at the same tax bill, congress is working on a budget package and iguring out how to fund the government for the next year, there doesnt seem to be government to cut spending, the increasing s spending to convey the republican argument, republicans cuts will create Economic Growth that end up tax revenues more and pay for themselves because of creation of new jobs. Seen any analysis that supports that claim, but we this see more in that week. Host alexis in new york, line for republicans, good morning. Hi. Er yes. I really wanted to know where this leaves the most nderrepresented group of americans here . Your 18 to 30 year olds. Okay. Looking at most of the tax plans, health care plan, it kind everybody my age is of screwed out of everything here. I mean, you know, were the voters, were just beginning to enter the workforce, we have nothing. Looking at everything, my insurance inhealth two years, im 24 years old, i literally have to make sure i gives that to me, or im not getting it or paying ut of pocket, im kind of confused about this because it , if you want us to why are you leaving deeply verything concerned. Host Siobhan Hughes and peterson wrote their piece, six senators to watch as tax overhaul,rsue us through a few key guest the first cluster of of tors is a group we think as deficit hawks, this is bob flake and langford, they are concerned about what the earlier caller is concerned the risk tax cuts are going to create gigantic be cits, people who could satisfied by that trigger mechanism we discussed earlier, utomatic tax increases that would kick in if revenue doesnt come in as expected. Group, people nd concerned about passthroughs, sole proprietorships, limited liability, anything that is not a corporation. Cuts that the big four, the Trump Administration had would have set 25 tax rate for the people. In the not what happens senate bill, it is something on the order of 32 , they want a there and finally, you have misc, p i think of as people like Susan Collins, concern body repeal of and seems to date be appeased by some side deal to make n able promises. Host Mitch Mcconnell spending with in the last 48 hours before the vote . He deficit hawks, those concerned about past or misc . Be t deficit hawks would most important because there are three of them, the way the math only republican consist lose two votes to pass this bill. Host to scott, in milton, independents, for good morning. Caller the tax plan is fine, well, dy griping about, the wealthy is getting bigger wealthyor whatever, the is getting a raise in their democrats, while they were campaigning, we want do this, but and none of them have stepped up to of them. , none put donald trump in office, you congress, i dont care if they are democrats or republicans, they dont get heir act together, were going to vote them all out. Host Siobhan Hughes. Guest well, two things. Caller conveys a sentiment i heard a lot as i the country, donald trump was elected for change, that is what they hope he would produce. I encourage viewers to go to www. Jct. Gov, joint committee on taxation, that has distribution among various income groups. Is that the source you use when doing reporting, you think out Accurate Information there . Guest it is a key source, look to and ers outside groups, as well, but i think viewers would be served to look into this for themselves. Host joint committee on jct. Gov there. Top chart distributional tax as reported act out of the Senate Finance committee, is the top you can click on there. Taking your calls with Siobhan Hughes of wall street journal, hes been covering this tax reform debate, what is happening this week ahead of the senate vote. Your questions and comments, 2027488000 if youre a democrat. If youre a republican. An 7488002 if youre independent o. That line for independents, kathy, laurel, good morning. Caller talking about taxes, ve been doing them for individuals and businesses, the tax bill is going to take away deductions, for example, 15 , average income of my area. More oing to pay 81 taxes. Most of my businesses pay well 18 and there is a few,ifiy other things. Loans are around 6 , the additional percentage of that is pay down the deficit. People e other thing know, Social Security trust fund has been raided so many times, 3. 7 trillion guest the caller makes a number of points, one i would like to deductions, the house bill would eliminate a lot f those deductions, about 30 of the population itemizes, instead of taking standard deduction, the biggest focus now, of course, is on the state and local income and sales which the senate bill would eliminate and the house bill would eliminate, allowing deduction of up to 10,000 in property taxes. Want to ask about another issue, including tax reform elimination of individual mandate under Affordable Care act. Chart from the New York Times today shows percentage of ax returns paying the Affordable Care act penalty in 2015. Thats this map here. Down below the percentage of tax returns paying penalty by income group. Lower income groups down here. The red areas, the more people penalty. At can you talk about how that is impacting the whip count and vote . Ics of this guest that is a crucial issue for the whip count, but cuts a ways. Of different for someone like Susan Collins, ts a problem because of the risk that in taking away the individual mandate, you end up premiums, because healthier people feel they dont need to buy insurance. Over a decade, the republicans to use that it is something that could really deficit talks, like bob corker or jeff flake or james just on the map of it, it looks like they might have the winning case. Highland mills, new york, line for democrats. Go ahead. Caller good morning. Thats beenrguments given to lower the corporate rate is so that we can be more can bring and we business back from other countries. Countriesopping other like ireland, from lowering heir tax rate in order to entice American Business to come back to their country . Listen. Gup and just guest she makes a very good point on that. Ireland, actually has fixed some tax laws. It was a tax haven and the european union, in particular countries around the world had gotten angry with it. Makes a good point, 20 Corporate Tax rate is more competitive than we have now, necessarily going to be lower than rates in other countries. Booneville, new york, line for republican. Joe, good morning. Caller good morning. Host go ahead. Caller my question to you is, of the deficit hawks are so increasing the deficit, the obama era for eight 10 billion. Under the proposed trump plan, deficit will raise 1 billion 1. 4 billion or Something Like that over the next 10 years. So if we do the math, id rathe1 the 10 that it was already charged with. That will be much paid off prior to the 1 being back in. Thank you very much for your time. Host appreciate it. Call. Thank you for your im not familiar with the numbers the caller is talking about, i can tell you deficits a problem, for example, in was l 2017, 666 billion added to the deficit and right now the american debt load at about 20. 5 billion, are really bers genuinely a concern. Host just before you came on, congressman Earl Blumenauer, one concern, we the final what is in version of this bill, the senate bill and what would happen out the Conference Committee if passed by the senate. As a reporter, when do you final version . Guest i expect to see a final version probably at the last expect to have not much time to evaluate it. He deadline im watching is actually the date when the Alabama Senate seat could be on december race is 12th. If the democrat wins, mitch would change in ways that could potentially imperil the tax bill. Republican, roy moore wins, we dont know where roy moore stands on the tax bill, that is an essential risk factor. What Mitch Mcconnell said, the could be seated is december 23rd, im watching the next few weeks. Host as a reporter, how do you handle that, when you dont have much time to see a bill before you are writing about it, what is the first thing you look for in the final version . Guest i look for the host as a topline to know where the rates are, want to know how many brackets there are, what rate is, im particularly interested in ofmized deductions and which those will go away. Mindful of something one caller said earlier about young people students, ill be interested in tuition, Student Interest deductibility, but it is a lot, drinking from the fire hose. It take long does before you find out everything n it, the various sweeteners that Earl Blumenauer is concerned about . Giveaways tucked into this bill . Does that process take . Guest i think it takes a long time. Complete re we have a sense of everything in the senate bill frankly. Maine, line forn democrats. Good morning. Caller good morning, how are you . Well. Doing caller i would like to talk the republicans and debt ceiling and other things. Seemi seems the Republican Party, when they were in office, middle three wars in the east and spent how many billions of dollars over there, that is all. Mentioned at and then they took over all the regulations off the system and everything else, almost put this country into the depression there ever was f. It hadnt of been for mr. Bama, this country probably would have been flat busted broke and there wouldnt have left and that is what i think they are gunning for. The epublicans are given and then tax break putting restrictions on it so it cant be taken away from them. They will take it away from the middle class and the poor people. Is another ds, this program, steal from the poor and rich. O the and people in this country are of it, sick and tired well all have riot or revolution. Host give you a chance to talk points the caller brings up. Guest he brings up a number of points. Makes a e, i think he good point that in the political ofates, there can be absence sense of history. We tend to view thing necessary time frame, who would be immediately harmed or helped, but maybe not take a view. Angle hes also true that there is tremendous me of political turmoil and political upheaval and anger. Im not clear that it is diminishing. Sein new rochelle, new york, good morning. Aller good morning, how you doing . Host doing well. Caller yeah, i want to talk to hat guy from new york who was complaining about the deficit obama. Up under barack he forgets the fact that barack turned around and took the money that was being blown away and iraq that was creating budget deficit, they put that straight ff the debt, so the amount of money that barack obama had it wars that jrj bush had. Otally blown away hello. Host got your point, gary, did to add anything else . Caller no, i think if they ant the republicans want to get something done, they should actually put together a tax plan that only hurts the rich people. Everybody is rich, they got money. Want to increase what is going on with purchases, give it to people who dont have any money. If you are making 40,000 a buy anything. T host Siobhan Hughes. Guest it is correct the tax wealthier people for a number of reasons, partly because of raising estate tax exemption, partly because passthrough businesses are owned by the top 1 of the population and partly because it is wealthy people who tend to pay the most federal taxes, cutting taxes favor thelly tends to wealthy, in a moment of unintended candor, the secretary Something Like it is hard to cut taxes without helping the rich. You, the t to ask senate vote is happening sometime in the next 24 to 48 if it well see when, does pass, it goes to a Conference Committee, what Conference Committee, how that process works, how long that is expected to take and afterward . Ns guest absolutely n. Conference and ttee, the house side the senate side, democrats and republicans, designate people conferrees, the people who get together in groups and meet to iran out differences house and senate bills. A lot of times these are open to me are reporters like running around dark hallways after them or into meetings deals to find out what are being struck and once a conference agreement is reached precedes to the senate side and the house side nd the conference package report is voted on individually by each chamber before being over to President Trump. Host who gets to be a conferree . Is up to the leadership. One of the ways leaders, people ryan, tch mcconnell, nancy pelosi, wield their power. Eople always included for tax bill would be chair chairman of the house ways and thes committee, chairman of finance committee and counter parts. Host how many spots are left to fill . A handful . Guest my past experience covering conferences and we have from conferences in the last decade or so, is that it is not a ton. See, it is not going to be a dozen from each side, each chamber. 15 minutes left with Siobhan Hughes of the wall street journal, al wait nothing bueno park, line for ahead. Icans, go caller yeah, if we dont do nothing about tax reform, how we paying for entitlement programs . Plus, the obamacare is just went of this world. Im paying their 19,000 this 24,000 next year, its not stopping. Of Siobhan Hughes, status entitlement programs . Guest entitlement programs are in great shape right now, the one in more serious situation, would be medicare program. Social security is in less bad shape, that is an issue. One reason that this tax fight gets so tense because a are concerned s that if taxes arent generous governmentsver the needs, that is going to have to come from somewhere and cutting ly comes from entitlement programs. The caller makes an important premiums,t healthcare especially if you are buying on the individual market, those enormously, seems like just the type of person who has ended up feeling harmed by Affordable Care act. Host time for one or two more calls, robert gulfport, democrats,i, line for go ahead. Caller yes, sir. Ne of the previous callers seemed to indicate that the 10 under obama, it 1. 5 trillion, the deficit this tax cut is would be dd, preferable over 10 trillion, 10 years,rillion over plus the normal deficit that we have every year, so it is going be lets just estimate 10ther 10 billion, another trillion, plus 1. 5 trillion. So it is each worse than what is in the past. I just thought i would bring that up and thank you for taking call. Host appreciate the call, robert issue last minute, Siobhan Hughes. The caller lad mentioned the point, were not saying the deficit over 10 years will come out to 1. 5 trillion, that is growth in the deficit and there is in fact a the call deficit. Host Siobhan Hughes with wall street journal, if you want to follow her on twitter at siobhan to find. Retty easy thank you for your time. Guest thank you, nice to be here. That vote rn now to happening today in the house on assault training, this new vote taking place today joining us to talk about it alana shore, congressional reporter, weve had on before to follow this issue. Explain why they are taking this vote today and what would happen Congressional Office fist it does pass . Guest well, this follows a move by the Senate Earlier this month, john, to require training and staff about and avoid ent discrimination in the work place. The reason they are take hanksgiving step, you and the listeners know the constant stream of highprofile and assault allegations against media lauer, today matt producer charlie rose and john is what some lawmakers insist first step toward changing culture on the hill. Host remind us what happened in the senate when it comes to this ssue and why the house and senate are on two different tracks here . Guest right, house and senate is hard to tell from the oud, they make their own rules, they have two committees that determine things like payment and employment policies and the senate is called rule of in the house, called administration committee. The senate acted fast, the rules committee got together and said, pass to institute mandatory training. The house is bigger chamber, hearing ded to have a which happened a couple weeks ago and this hearing, there was shared, details congresswoman jackie spears said she knew of two sitting members the house who engaged in exually harassing conduct, it caused fury and that teed up debate folks. Host any chance this vote will today . Two different members have been on today, tom cole and earl they expectoth said it to pass and theyll be voting for it. Guest yes, we expect it to pass easily. The real question is whether further can and will go and do more. Moderator what are members Jackie Speier and others looking for . Whole really for remodeling of white house work place the misconduct cops, the way they handle complaints. Undergoes member who harassment is required to sign on for counseling and mediation required to sign confidentiality packs that from talking about their insurance, deter future misbehavior. Congresswoman speier and her colleagues want to change that. Host how close is that getting a vote or any sort of movement . There will we hear be another hearing in the House Administration committee in the weeks, this time on the secret Settlement Fund that is sed to pay claims related to Sexual Harassment, pay disputes, discrimination, part of the case bill sponsors are making to pass it. However, we know in washington, moves fast, it is tough to say whether momentum can be sustained. You go, if the pill does pass today, we expect it will, when does new training for Congressional Offices and what would the training look like, what do you about it . Guest several different options to get training. Option is online video provided by office of compliance, the office does inperson training and possible to get trained through the office. Ent counckoun counsels as far as requirements, it would comply. Fices time to we might not see 100 training until early next year, but the turnaround time is pretty fast. Host elana schor, talk tozional reporter, you down the road. Guest thank you. Host and in our last 25 minutes the washington journal today, we return to open phones. YouPublic Policy issue that want to talk about, the phone lines are open. So, 2027488000 is the line for democrats. For republicans. Independents can call in at 2027488002. As you are calling in, want to how you headlines and stories weve been tracking, including the power struggle at top of nsumer financial Protection Bureau. Win handed to the Trump Administration yesterday by u. S. District court judge timothy county denying bid by english, an employee of the cfpb who claims to be acting director blocking white house Mick Mulvaney, white house hailed ruling yesterday, President Trump tweet body it. Statement from white house spokesman in the Washington Times today, it is time for democrats to stop enable brazen political stunt by rogue employee and mulvaney to r continue the new transition to agency that truly serves to help consumers. Mrs. Englishs attorney, the story notes, predicted appeal, which side had won and an ral editorials and opinion piece today on that wall including from the street journal Editorial Board, their headline of their queen loses her head, more hilarity ensue protection nsumer bureau game of thrones tuesday when acting director english got her head handed to her by a federal judge, they write. Mrs. Doing photo ops, english continued to pretend to queenector, but the drama was formally deposed, editorial journal. Wall street one more piece on this from michelle singletary, in the Washington Post today. The headline of her piece, we must all fight to defend a key financial fairness. If you want to read it, the column is the color of money in Washington Post. Your calls, open phones. Pittsburgh, t, pennsylvania, line for republicans, good morning. Caller good morning. To comment about the training for the Congress Sexual te on the harassment. I think its well, frankly pathetic they have to go through training. They are mature adults, they right from wrong. To think that we were spending to pay because they misbehave is just and i just, you know, to train people at that age, i will make if they didnt have morals then, theyre not going to have any morals now. I just think the training is a ig waste of time and those people all know better. Host to be clear, the training of ot just for members congress, it is for staff, brandnew employees and offices and employees who have been there a long time sdchlt that make a difference to you . Caller no, they all should have morals, they know better than to that and i just think it is ridiculous they have adults, theyre all even the staff, they know better han to do things like that and to have to have training to train them not to do that is just abject to that. To our tax object money going to pay for people know better, they they should be paying it for themselves. Thank you for taking my call. When it comes to highprofile figures caught up issues, harassment that news this morning making today , nbc firing host matt lauer for behavior, ate sexual that story breaking this morning after about 7 00 there is the headline from the los angeles times. Benny is in stockton, for democrats. E good morning. Caller good morning. Good morning. Ofler i oned wanted to kind echo what the lady said. These men are in lected office and they shouldnt have go go through training, should be mature and engage in h not to that kind of activity. There should be them. Ties for i think they should be fired, office for in some way, as well as the sanctioned ould be about s mess he made and groping women, grabbing womens the other issue is the wealthy and 800 billion, i think, mistaken. T so where will that lead the people thats been on social and medicare all of these years . Going to be a travesty for the president to do and congress should vote on it. Thank you, god bless you. Benny, one more story for you on the topic of sexual arassment allegations, seeing increasing calls from house conyers, the john veteran michigan lawmaker democrat who was the ranking on the House Judiciary Committee until he stepped down in the wake of these allegations. Calls for him to leave congress after these allegationsand more have come out. Well keep watching that story for you. Grove, missouri, line for independents, mike, is on your what mind . Caller good morning, john. d say what was on my mind today would be an interview i senator rday with and he lindsey graham, said that they think that the cut is going to produce conomical growth and all this and that and shrugged it off and doesnt,and said, if it we lose. And he laughed about that. It is the American People that to lose, not him. Sex training the goes and things like that, that is a terrible, worse idea i ever heard, how about just using some morals, you know, donald trump, on the side of roy moore al franken, over yet he has more accusers than now i hear that es saying that the billy bush tape probably wasnt even real. Is real and wasnt a hot mic was his a hot mic was his interviews with howard stern and how he said that his job during the here andar was to stay serve his women. People should listen to those interviews with howard stern and then theyd know who we have in the white house. Access Hollywood Tape, a lot of attention from New York Times story, they write, shortly after victory beganear, President Trump revisiting one of his deepest public humiliations, infamous ccess Hollywood Tape of him making vulgar comments about women. Despite his hasty videotape from y under pressure advisors, mr. Trump began that it may not have been him on the tape after let all. He issue has swept through entertainment industries, mr. Trump persisted in denying unwanted ns he made advances on multiple women in ast years, recent days continued to see doubt about his appearance on the access ollywood tape, stunning advisors. You want to hear the story, it is in New York Times. Elk creek, nebraska, line for republicans, go ahead. Caller hi, john. You know, everybody across the world that listening to your in nebraska, i want to speak about the right to laws. You got a job there, you had to the union with him 90 days ecause they were manufacturing when it got shipped to new york, hey wouldnt even unload it unless it had union label. Right to work for less law, they should have called it. And the thing about the death guys in nebraska, if you 15,000 from a rich have to whatever, you pay, just take it before you get money, anything taxes, but a farmer and his wife can pass on put it in a trust nd they dont have to pay insuran insurance, 7 million and you that tax, that is fair . Nelson was in ben business and es needed his vote to get hat worthless Health Insurance program, they always call it also, are, but then they got it through the last vote to get it passed. Kind of a 14yearold mother let her get married to an older person in kansas, they were legally married and our attorney general spoke up that and put the they d in jail because moved to southern part of the husband, he broke up the marriage after they legally married and put him you know, just i guess some countries will let married at 12. Ben. Got your point, don, michigan city, indiana, line for republicans. Is on en phones, what your mind . Caller hi, how you doing . Good morning. Have a short comment. Women lp, you know, the are way past due this. I mean, we got a younger coming up and women need protection, men have desires, this could only help in process of women, you know, women had this coming a long host what can only help, the attention the issue of sexual is ssment and assault receiving in the media these days . Caller right. Right. Because are always men view th and them the men in power, power corrupt and not only men, omen need to training, too, to not seduce men. Women put themselves in bad and i just like to make that comment, the training going y help, were due. Rd and it is past host joe columbia, south carolina, line for independents. Ahead. Caller yes, sir, consumer going on, igency think you said something about someone said mrs. English had her head handed to her. Hasnt at all, that is an appeal, that battle is not over the heck t know what they talking about. He caller before me is right, absolutely, and what i call know, changer, you that in this country is to make country future, far more one, than red v. A good sir. Host frank in walden, new york, ahead. Or independents, go caller hi, how come government waste is never adjust by either reducing the deficit . I worked for the government for 20 years, was in the military pension and all those years i saw huge amount of waste you spend more than you make, you are uneven, you never deficit, that is my question. Thanks. Host patricia, philadelphia, line for ia, democrats, you are up next. Caller Martin Luther king said, lives begin to end the day e become silent about things that matter. The president , racism from the oval office is wrong. Thank you, cspan. Public policy issue you want to talk about, phones are open. Democrats, republicans and lines are open. Keeping you up to date on the latest happening in washington country. E this story from the New York Times this morning, president videos showing muslims committing acts of violence on twitter early wednesday morning, likely to fuel antiislam sentiment in the United States. The white house did not immediately respond to questions about the video, mr. Trump took cnn, and praised his administration for strong stock and other twitter posts this morning, mr. Trump video post from British Party leader, who previously charged in the United Kingdom with religious aggravated harassment, the titled muslim beats up dutch boy on crutches and of virgin mayor nd he islamist mob pushes teenage boy off roof and beats him to death. Fransens twitter there. Were showing host joyce in malten, new jersey, line for republicans. Joyce, go ahead. Just tired of m hearing about trump. Single thing he does, everything, he host joyce, we can hear you, go ahead. Caller oh, all right. In presidency for eight years. Host okay, joyce, just speak through your phone when calling throught wait to listen the television, that is the best way to have this conversation. Llen is in knightstown, indiana, line for republicans, good morning. Caller good morning. Want to quickly give advice to sexually might be attacked, as i was. My first ppened, reaction, of course, was to cry, top of me, he n was stronger. That , arent you worried god will send you to hell, he said, i dont believe in him, what he was ped doing. He said, im evolutionist. Will let me go, i wi to you not only is there a creator who loves you, but there is a heaven, there is a you can be sure you will go to heaven, will you let me prove that to you . Said, what are you going to do, send me a bible . Bookm going to send you a made by a man who had a similar did and the u situation came and he wanted to he what the truth was, looked into Different Things and wrote one of the most popular was hal lindsay, he wrote planet earth, i sent man and he pam a christian. Womenould just suggest to that you be prepared to change the subject to what is going to if he to that man continues to attack you. It worked for me, the man became a christian. Thanks for sharing your story this morning. One other news story to keep you updated on. Former militia leader from libya convicted yesterday of terrorism charges arising from the twenty12 attack necessary killed United States ambassador and three americans, acquitted on multiple the most serious count, murder. First charged and prosecuted in took on ks which broader significance as republican and conservative news outlets ambition of hillary clinton, that reporting from the New York Times story on it you want to if read more on the story. Few minutes left before the comes in today. House coming in at 10 00, well live coverage for when it happens. Open phones until then. Democrats, 2027488000. Republicans, 2027488001. Independents, 2027488002. Margie, in laurel, south democrats, go for ahead. Caller hi. I wanted to Say Something this and probably not going to be liked for it, but about the Sexual Harassment. It just seems to me that people re being found guilty before they even can face their accusers or anything and i dont that. Tand can fuddles me how people lose their jobs over something that hasnt even been proven yet. You. K bye. Host margie, in south carolina, this morning, taking your calls keeping you updated on what is going on. White house and congress today, here is some information about the third government, the Supreme Court, key cases happening at the Supreme Court coming days and weeks. Editorial t journal board calling it a fourth mendment showdown, the case carpenter dus, which challenges law,des of Fourth Amendment questioning how difficult should it be for Law Enforcement to get showing a records suspects past location. That case happening this week at Supreme Court. One other story on another case, happening next week. Wolf in richard todays u. S. A. Today. Charlie that when craig and david mullen swung over the door to the bakery in going to see a man about a cake. Now all three are going to the court because Masterpiece Cake shop doesnt do cakes for samesex weddings. Hassle yearold legal over the gay couples affections will reach the zenith next week, lawyers for both sides and the colorado and the United States come before the nations expensive rt, the content of a wedding cake. Back to your calls. Is in wabasha, minnesota, line for independents. Jack, good morning. Good morning, john. John, i want to piggyback off a couple of your callers. Very first call from coincidentally, minnesota, the caller said that this is a twostep plan by the powers that be, they want to balloon the expand the National Debt, that is step one, just so a 30 oing to have trillion debt after this tax cut is done. The second step was proved by another caller that complaining about our empire and saying the empire was of the e of the all deficits. He was exactly right and the had on, representative it. E proved hes complaining about, you cut, hes for this tax which will definitely explode and make the National Debt 30 trillion in 10 thing out the first of his mouth that he said to fix t is to look to the entitlements. The entitlements with fica tax, huge surpluses, they could not have been the cause of deficits. It was the reagan tax cuts, while they ballooned the it was the bush tax uts that while they ballooned the military, had two obama, whoars, it was didnt rescind the bush tax place et them remain in except for the top bracket. Going totizens, youre hear your Social Security has got to be chipped in here powers that be do not want to pay for the money that n essence they borrowed, instead of paying for their wars, l empire and its they dont want to pay that back, they want to stiff you. Call your representatives, all your senators, it may not do any good, but let them know what a stinky atrocity this tax is. L thank you, john. Host before you go, jack, how ften do you call a Congressional Office . Caller i call fairly often, i for a while. It are generally on my side side. The representative we have, is a total lost facist, i guess im not supposed to use that, ultrarightwing propagandist r for runs our country. Government by is the worst and that is what we totally criminal Plutocratic Party and then the democrats which are so, anothert worse, caller, i think made that point and ill emphasize it for them. Were screwed, there is no doubt about it, everything is quite opeless, but we have to call and i would suggest the callers call, i will try to call this is hopeless, but ill at least leave the message that what they are doing is rotten to the core. Host that is jack an minnesota. , in queen is in needles, california, line for independents, good morning. Caller how you doing . Host im doing well. Aller well, so that building directly behind you is congress. Anybody who went to visit congress get the first harassment. F sexual you see those bars, those pillars, those pillars represent doors, just little bitty doors, just three to five feet apart, those doors are congress, people go in, are conducive to that is rassment and the impression that anybody get, that is my First Impression when there. In and just to conclude ost when did you come to congress . When did you visit and what was the reason . Well, i grew up political interest, but paul yan, when he first became speaker of the house in 2016, it on the floor, on the house floor, before they gave hammer, he is interested curlyhaired red, girl, right there on tape in 2016, he got the hammer for of the house. And hes got a host not sure what you are eferring to, queen, you are talking about during the opening day of congress . Yeah, you remember when they had a big hoop about paul speaker of the house and he wanted several speaker. Fore he became he eventually became speaker, they were celebrating on the floor, before they gave him the curlyblondehaired girl comes past him and him and thereke eye contact right on the film. Host i guess i didnt see that, queen. Augusta, ga dpa, line for democrats. Clifford, go ahead. Yes, ive been watching this program for quite a while. Missed, i havent seen one man call in and sexual about women harassing him. I am that man. ve been told i should write a book. Ive been harassed by women for i was a rposes since teenager in high school. One chased me across the united intention of marrying me and im wondering if case, i decide to file charges against the women. Host clifford, well end there, in for the coming day, well take our viewer there is for live coverage here on cspan. Be in order. The chair lays before the house a communication from the speaker. The clerk the speakers room, washington, d. C. , november 29, 2017. I hereby appoint the honorable tom rice to act as speaker pro tempore on this day. Signed, paul d. Ryan, speaker of the house of representatives. The speaker pro tempore pursuant to the order of the house of januar,