Cspan. Inues. Host we are back with will goodwin, the Government Relations director of his organization. Good morning. Is. T, tell us what votevets we represent more than 700,000 mentor members across the country committed to using our voices and perspectives as people who have served and families who have served to help build a better, stronger, and more just america. We do that by electing democratic veterans to office. We help elevate National Security and veterans issues. And we advocate on behalf of our members here in washington to help in that progressive, National Security, and veterans policy. Host where you get your funding . Guest we receive funding from a Broad Coalition of folks. Donations,ve larger and a lot of grassroots supporters. More than a hundred thousand have helped us raise several million dollars. Its all people who believe that the veteran perspective matters, and military families on both sides of the isles have not had their voices heard in american politics in a way they should have. If we elevate those voices not only do we bring in that kind of shared service perspective, people who have served with folks across the country who understand what it is like to rely on fellow Service Members , is a healthyife perspective to elevate in our politics. And the issues that matter to veterans, military families, would receive the attention that they deserve. Looking at the warring afghan against the war in afghanistan, continuing to support veteran programs. The more we elected to office, the better life will be for everyone who has worn a uniform. Host does your group only support Democratic Candidates or is it a multiparty . Guest we support democrats who are running. There are good stats report groups that support republican veterans. Organizehe issues we around are aligned with allies on democratic on the democratic side and progressives because we believe that those are in line with the needs of veterans and their families. Strengthening labor, ensuring that v. A. Employees are receiving the training and benefits they deserve helps deliver better care to veterans of all political affiliations. Thats one example of how we operate. Host recently, your group endorsed mayor Pete Buttigieg for the democratic president ial nomination, what makes him the best choice for the white house . Guest we were excited about this. The first time we have endorsed in a president ial primary, because mayor pete has served, we believe hes ready to lead on we are excited about the generational change he represents. And the vision he is laying out not only to defeat donald trump in november but to move the country forward, pass this fractured moment in history. As i mentioned, we believe that electing veterans brings people into office who have a shared understanding of their fellow american, and who have served the country before and have put country over party because the Mission Comes first for those who serve in the u. S. Military. With pete, we are also excited about the vision hes laid out for the future. Not just the selection but the decisions that we make in the next four years and how that affects the next 40. Its an inspirational, aspirational message that we believe will help here at home but also will help restore americas place in the world. We are excited about that, and it matters to our members. Who better to end the war in afghanistan than someone who has served in it . Who better to care for veterans than somebody who wore the uniform . We are excited to be on team pete, we will help win the primary and support him as he wins the general election in november. Host another candidate for the democratic nomination, Tulsi Gabbard had support. How difficult was the choice buttigieg . Bard and guest shes an example of the work weve been doing since 2006, going into democratic primaries were a veteran candidate may not have the institutional backing that other candidates have, and helping them win and make it through the general election. But one of the important questions for us is is the person in a position to come out and win the contest . In this case, mayor pete is in the top tier, hes in a fourway tossup race to be the democratic nominee. And our support could really make a difference and the voices of our members can make a difference in this primary. To theadnt come decision of we will endorsed . Is it a vote by the members . Is it made by the executive council . One of the things that makes us unique is that we have a shared set of values. Similar to when folks serve in the military. Our members who participate in a variety of ways, from contributing to the organization and engaging with us on social most with one of the Robust NationalMedia Security presence on the internet, they buy into those decisions that way. But just because of the way that these decisions were, unfortunately, we cannot hold a vote on something of this magnitude. But thats our job, to take the needs and the concerns of our members across the country and weigh them against whats happening in a political race and make an endorsement. We have been thrilled by how supportive our members are of this decision. Some of them are supporting other candidates for the nomination, but when they talk to us about that they understand this endorsement, and even if they are supporting another candidate, they want to see a veteran who is young, who has served overseas as part of the conversation. I think we are excited. Host lets let our viewers take part in this conversation. We are opening special lines this morning for this conversation. Our first line is for veterans, if you are a veteran of the u. S. Armed forces we want to hear from you especially, your number. S 202 7488000 we will open another line for active military, if you are an active member of our u. S. Armed forces, we want to open a special line to you, that line is 202 7488001. If you are not a veteran and not in active military service, we still want to hear from you, if you do not fit in those first two categories your number is 202 7488002. Once again veterans, 202 7488000. Ctive military, 202 7488001. Veryone else, 202 7488002 and we are always reading your 202 7488003. You can also reach us on social media, on twitter and facebook. Will, what you think is the most important issue that veterans see in this upcoming democratic primary, then in the general election . Guest i think there are a lot of issues that matter to veterans, servicemembers members, and their families. A couple of that to buckets. On the National Security front, we saw some shocking revelations about the or in afghanistan. The war in afghanistan. That senior political and sendmatic officials americans to fight in afghanistan despite believing its unwinnable. Bringing that war to an end is a top priority and has been since we have been founded. We are concerned about the rest of the picture with National Security. President trump has taken actions that have destabilized things in iran, and he walked away from the Iran Nuclear Deal that was helping us to prevent iran from developing a nuclear weapon. We fought hard in this last congress to make clear that the take americated to towards offense of military action with iran, he needs authorization to do so. When we look at the veterans and military family picture, primitive Veterans Affairs has been weak and since President Trump has come into office. He is allowed political appointee warfare, chaos, and failed nominations to come before veteran care. We dont need leaders who are going to go against veterans and try to dismantle the v. A. We need leaders who strengthen the v. A. Who help fill a provider shortage, to address the veteran suicide epidemic that continues to grow year over year. And when it comes to military families, President Trump has used military families to fulfill his own domestic political aims. Taking money away from military Construction Projects for schools and classrooms to build his racist border wall. Its also targeting individuals like the transgender Service Members. Thousands of them and their families thrown into disarray for no reason because of the president s hate. And immigrant serving in the military left to worry about the citizenship status of their children, born while they are stationed overseas. Of issues wide bucket that matter to veteran Service Members and their families. Our job is to elevate them and make them part of the conversation because democrats need to talk about this issue. We need to talk about this once we win the white house back and everyone should be talking about those issues from a position of strength. Of theets look at one advertisements running right now. Lets take a quick look. [video clip] hes been called one of the most effective members of the u. S. Senate. He served in the navy reserve and after the september 11 attacks volunteered to serve again. Gary peters voted to get our troops the payraise they deserved and worked to keep it safe. We should not even be thinking about democratic ideas and republican ideas, just ideas that are good for the country. And ideas that are great for michigan. Thanked gary peters and tell him to keep fighting for michigan. Host tell us about that ad. Guest this is a great example of taking an elected official who has served, gary peters, and talking about how he has worked in the senate on issues. Example substantive at ad example. Issues like the environment, and helping a leader like him, who is facing a tough reelection. , he is veteran representing progressive National Security and veterans values. Host lets let our viewers take part in this conversation. Lets talk to dr. Butler, from portsmouth, virginia, dr. Butler is a veteran. Good morning. Caller good morning. Im calling about access to medical care. Virginia has a tax credit, not a tax deduction, for doctors, dentists, and lawyers help indigent people. If this were to be adopted not only by the other states and commonwealths, but also by the congress, it would help everybody in our country. This issue is parallel to what you just mentioned, which is the state of the v. A. Hospitals, and the question of whether to have a separate system or not is a about which im not an expert to comment. But i have been treated at both private hospitals and the v. A. , and im pleased with the care in both systems. But this virginia law as a good thing for all americans, it helps everyone of us to get the care we need. Thank you dr. Butler for your service. You raise some good points. When it comes to caring for veterans, this is about everyone working together. That means the federal government, state government, those of us in the community and those of us no longer serving. One of the reasons that the v. A. System is so important is because often times, when veterans experience medical conditions that are connected to their service, those are externalities that may not be recognized by a doctor who is not used to treating a patient who served in the military. So somebody comes in with a , and the v. A. Doctor is able to connect that back to agent orange exposure in vietnam, ensuring the veteran is receiving care at the expense of the federal government because its connected to their service. You bring up great points about caring for veterans and strengthening the v. A. System. It should be important to all of us the selection. Gave once again, votevets an endorsement to mayor Pete Buttigieg. One of the things that Pete Buttigieg has a doubt is a 21 page plan for democratic veterans. The Las Vegas Review journal actually covered some of this, im going to read a little bit on what it says. The 21 page plan includes well covered ground within the democratic field, including increased funding for the department of Veterans Affairs, simplifying the benefits process , improving access to Vocational Training in Mental Health services, and ending the transgender military band, but it also addresses more specific issues that buttigieg says he noticed during his service in the navy like improving the quality and availability of childcare on basis, elevating more women to officer positions, and increasing rights were military members. Whats her reaction to the plan that mayor Pete Buttigieg will put in place if he becomes president . We think he has a great plan for americas military families. Thats where it starts, how we treat people while they are serving on active duty. When we look at the family issues that people face during service, access to childcare is a huge one. Making sure that families with special care special Needs Children can receive the educational and health care that those children need on their base or nearby. It is important that mayor pete is broadening this conversation and bringing military family issues into the fold and talking about how we care for the people who serve our country. Fundamentally, personnel is everything when it comes to the strength of the military. Strongitary is only us is only as strong as the family members and Service Members who serve your after year. This is important and we are excited to see it. And its a 21 page plan, mayor pete wants to get specific and talk about what he will do when hes the democratic nominee and president of the United States. That matters to Service Members and their family their families. John, activealk to military from washington, d. C. , whats your branch . Guest im in the army. I dont want to blow your mind too much, but i think you are the Regimental Commander when i was a cadet at west point. But thats not what im calling about. I just finished reading general jim mattiss book, he writes a lot about how the United States gas been receiving recedin from its leadership roles in international institution, he writes about the Obama Administration and the United States taking a step back when we did not act on the redline in syria. But he also outlines what seems to be going on in the current administration, where the United States has been very critical and not supportive of some of our most important institutions like nato. Im curious on what votevets, or where mayor pete stands on our involvement on the global stages. As a member of the military im concerned about us taking a leadership role and working with allies. Guest absolutely. Thank you for your question. Important Football Game happening in philadelphia that army is going to win. Host whats the score going to be . Somethingy form the fortysomething, navy zero. But this is an important question john. The experiment works the other way with President Trump, who does not understand the importance of alliances, standing up for our friends, and how to use the entirety of the National Security toolkit at the president s disposal. When we talk about heathers Big Decisions on the world stage affect military leaders, mattis himself and others have said that when we cut money from the state department budget, when we dont invest in diplomacy and aid, we are saying we are going to buy more bullets and employ foru. S. Military to step in the reasons that the situation surrounding impeachment and with the president in ukraine is so problematic. Because we use military aid, and diplomacy, to make sure the u. S. Military does not have to get engaged in those conflicts. That is something mayor pete has talked about, restoring americas role in the world. And other Democratic Candidates have done the same. We need to get back to the place where we value our allies, and where the president demands enough respect that hes not being left out of overseas conferences like we saw just last week in europe. That restoration of American Leadership on the world stage is important and has a direct impact on the lives of people like you were serving our country, and the families who serve with you. Thank you. Host lets talk to tonya, from west point, georgia, shes a veteran. Good morning. Caller good morning. Beingl for veterans president because we need to reestablish our respect on the world stage. But the questions that pete iftigieg has not answered, you could answer the questions on how blacks were treated in his state. But im all for veteran, because we have always needed a veteran to be president and represent the world on the world stage. Thank you. Guest thank you for the question. I think anybody who has been watching this campaign over the last several months has seen mayor pete making a concerted effort to go meet with africanamerican elected officials and voters to hear about the issues that matter to them, their priorities, and he is explaining the policies he has laid out to make sure that all american are all americans are represented by our president. Thats part of the way the system is built, we expect our elected officials to represent the interests of their fellow citizens who come from different life experiences, or have a different perspective. If the job of candidates and elected leaders to show that they can empathize with people who may not have the same experience that they did. Thats true for mayor pete as he works to build relationships with africanamerican voters, but thats the same concept, Elizabeth Warren needs to represent the needs of lg tv b americans, etc. We are excited about expanding how mayor pete plans will benefit all americans. Plan,aid out in intensive the ductless plan, talking about housing,s in hbcus, affordability, equity, and health care. I would encourage you to take a look at his website and learn more about that. And you will see that we at votevets, we will talk about what it means to serve alongside folks from every corner of the country and every back round, which is a perspective that pete brings as a veteran and we believe it will help them connect with voters of all backgrounds, and races. Host lets talk about afghanistan, its been in the news. This week, newsmakers interviewed the Top Republican on the House Armed Services committee, Mac Thornberry of texas. He talked about the u. S. Trip presence in afghanistan, heres what he had to say. [video clip] i believe based on good information that there is a significant terrorist threat in afghanistan that threatens our homeland. So before we pull the plug and say ok, nevermind, we are done, we better figure out a way that the terrorist threat against our homeland is going to be addressed. Mind, you can watch that full interview on cspan tomorrow at 10 00 and 6 00. Now, i want you to react to art representative thornberry had to say. Weve heard a lot of talk about afghanistan, especially out of the washington post. Whats your reaction to whats going on in afghanistan and with this issue. Guest sure, lets be clear about what we learned about the afghanistan papers. Senior military, diplomatic, and political officials have been misleading the American Public for 18 years regarding our involvement in afghanistan. They are taking events on the ground and trying to put as much spin, and twisting them to justify a continued u. S. Trip presence when we cannot define, if you listen to the congressman, what he did not address is what is our National Security interest in afghanistan that is achievable through the use of the u. S. Military in a setting that does not leave us there indefinitely and continue to cost us american lives yearoveryear . Hes at odds with a lot of members of his own party. There is bipartisan consensus, President Trump ran on a platform of withdrawing troops from afghanistan. And its really disappointing to hear it from somebody who has such an important leadership role on the Armed Services committee, the thornberry logic flawed way ofn thinking about this conflict. If you listen to his words, it would justify an indefinite u. S. Troop presence in afghanistan. When you go through the documents released last week, officials from both parties, across three administrations are telling us that this is not working. The war is not winnable. Theres not a Sustainable Way forward with afghanistan. And we have invested 2 trillion into this conflict on reconstruction efforts alone we have spent 133 billion in afghanistan. Thats more we spent at the world war ii when you adjust for inflation to rebuild the entirety of western europe. Its money that the Afghan Government cannot absorb because the corruption is 70. Is so deep. And this plays out in washington with no progress, americans are dying. We are losing Service Members every month in afghanistan. It doesnt make the news the way a lot of us believe it should, but its unacceptable that there are american servicemembers will be over skate overseas in afghanistan for the holidays. And families without their loved ones over the next few weeks as we celebrate the holidays. And they know that that commitment is part of a war is unwinnable. And one that leaders say should come to an end. They cannot seem to get there and they need to. From lets go to richard, grove city, ohio. Good morning. Caller hello. Im curious about one thing, congresswoman kelsey tulsi almost gets no coverage, they tend to ignore her on the media. Night whenn monday three reporters on the pbs newshour were basically talking about all the women that were running for office, and the only person they did not mention was Tulsi Gabbard. The weird thing about that is that at some point in time pbs. S supposed to do a debate if they are going to go into the debate with that kind of attitude and totally ignore that person running, i dont know its fair about that process. In the other thing you mentioned about Pete Buttigieg, he apparently takes a lot of pac money, and i think that hes about person at this time. Gabbard does not do that, she takes it from individual donors and she is still active military. So you tell me why in the world she is ignored . Shes a major, shes a veteran, she served overseas. Do you have any answers to any of this . Guest sure. As we discussed earlier, votevets help support congresswoman gabbard when she ran for office. I think that she has received a significant amount of attention, she has an online following that has allowed her to communicate with supporters and she has been on the debate stage. The other question you asked about support or disagreeing with that fundamentally, mayor ofe has built a ton grassroots support across the country and is receiving contributions from everyday people across the country to help fuel his campaign. And fundamentally when it comes to the way that we has democrats approach this primary, we have two options. We can divide and go negative and make this about personal attacks against individual candidates, or we can talk about why we like her candidates. Our candidates. You talked about why you are supporting representative gabbard, thats the right way to do this. We value mayor petes military service and the leadership that he has shown in south bend. Our support against him our support with him is not a knock against anyone else. Youverybody is engaged like are and keeps focusing on why your candidate is the best and why they deserve the nomination, we will be in a better place as a party. We have to come together once we have a nominee and we have to work united to defeat donald trump. Thank you. Host lets talk to devin tour davatore, a veteran. What branch did you serve . Caller i was in the army. I was in vietnam for two tours, i came back permanently disabled. The problem we are right now having, im so tired about hearing impeachment because a man can be driven out of office already. [indiscernible] ive personally worked with the man and he is twofaced, but why im calling is that we, as veterans, need to get a better card to use at medical places where we live instead of traveling all these miles, we need Something Better than what we have. Votevets work on medical issues for veterans . Or does it work on the political spectrum . Work to elects leaders who care about people like the gentleman who called. We believe the right way to provide quality care to every veteran is to strengthen the v. A. And to make sure that access is easier. That the handoff from active Duty Military Service and the department of defenses medical system into the v. A. Is flawless. And going back to help folks who for one reason or another, whether they were discharged under dont ask dont tell before that law was repealed, have full access to health services. That goes for folks who have experienced military sexual trauma as well, and making sure that every veteran has access to a v. A. Doctor. There is a web of care that has been built and we work strongly in the believe that the nurses, doctors, and other providers are the best people with the right experience to care for our nations veterans. We will continue to push the president and back up Congressional Democrats as they were to invest in the v. A. System. Adt we saw the gary peters , and you have endorsed mayor buttigieg for the democratic nomination. Are you getting involved in any other races around the country . Host absolutely we are involved in a ton of important house and senate races. We have played an Important Role in the past, and it will have a bigger impact than ever when it comes to the 2020 election had elections. We are looking at key senate and house races where our unique voice and ability to connect ,ith voters across the spectrum different facets of the Democratic Party and independents and republicans that can break through. There are some candidates leading the way for the Democratic Party on our website, mark kelly in arizona is running against appointed senator martha rejectedthe voters when they elected senator Kyrsten Sinema last go around. , calrth carolina cunningham, a major in the u. S. Army reserve is running a Great Campaign to unseat thom tillis, who has been a real disappointment to veterans and military families. He has an important seat on the senate Armed Services committee and when President Trump decided to rip way military Construction Funding from fort bragg he refused to hold the president accountable and fight for his constituents. In the house, boat votevets works to help max rose, mikey wo in someple who in somestricts won tough districts. We will have their backs, and we will work to send them some reinforcements, and with terrific candidates like jean ortiz jones in texas, we have seen the power at a time when President Trump controls the white house, republicans controlled the senate, and americas place as a leader in the world is at risk and our National Security is at risk, the voices of veterans and military families, politically engaged and serving as elected officials is more important than it has ever been. Host lets call lets talk to mark, a veteran from florida, what branch did you serve in . Caller i was in the marine corps. Good morning. Wanted to thank you for the work that you have done with votevets. I think its a bit of an organization thats been veterans for peace from a historic standpoint, not directly related but thats the look aton i get when we the iraq and afghanistan experience, unfortunately. I wanted to call and ask will, if he did not mind explaining the privatization of the v. A. And how dangerous it is that it could be sold by political persuasions that we do not support, and could eventually be sold to another corporation which is not even americanbased. In other words, could you imagine going through the v. A. And being treated by Corporation Owned by the Chinese Government or the russians . And i would like to close with , i became a Union Carpenter and we have , if you could touch on that. Host i will start with your last point, helmets to hardhats. One of the reasons that votevets work so closely with allies in the Labor Movement is that labor and unions are critical to ensuring that every american has access to a job that pays well, provides for advancement, and takes care of people with benefits that they and their families deserve, to live the american dream. Its really important that we help create a channel and continue to provide opportunities for veterans as they leave the military to find a good union job. If you are an air force mechanic , working on boeing planes, you should be able to find a good union job as an Airline Mechanic working on similar aircrafts. I could not stress how supportive we are of those efforts and how much we value our brothers and sisters in the Labor Movement created to your first point on the privatization of the v. A. , you hit on some really important components of it. People might not know that the push to privatize has been funded by a lot of corporate interests who want money. They want to make a profit off of veterans. They are willing to compromise the quality of care that veterans received to make that happen. We see it in the trump administration, where President Trump had Corporate Executives who were members of his golf opinions andtheir corporate interests onto the v. A. Secretary directly. They had an open channel to do it. We believe in strengthening the v. A. , we dont think veterans should be looked at as a way to make a quick buck. Veterans and their health care, it should be about caring for veterans and family members. When we distract from that and we push towards a profit motive, it skews our ability as a nation to care for those who have worn the uniform. Stefon, fromo to king george, virginia, you are a veteran, what branch did you serve in . Caller i served in the army. I would agree with most of what you said. Also you should look at tricare, which is what the military retirees has. The copay for us to go to a civilian doctor has tripled since the 2018 authorization budget. And last year they voted to remove our dental plan. We have to go with a more expensive federal plan now. I agree with you, the v. A. Should be strengthened, but they should also look at tricare. Guest thats a great point. Thank you for your service. When we look at the pentagon budget, the challenges that our defense leaders are trying to address moving forward, the cost of health care and other benefits is an area where they have looks to cut money. We dont share that view at vote we believe in investing in military families and providing the best possible benefits is critical to enable Service Members and their families to do their jobs, and the retirees who have earned those benefits, to look back fondly on their military service. This is not just an issue of this is about recruiting and retaining the best people to serve in the u. S. Military. One of the ways we do that is to offer benefits, especially to retirees that incentivize people to serve a career in uniform. Once people retire from the military and we have paid those promises, we owe it to them. Because we are spending plenty of money on our Defense Budgets on airplanes and ammunition and other Defense Industrial base priorities. Personnel, the people who wear the uniform, are the ultimate source of strength in the u. S. Military and we cannot cut their benefits back. Host we would like to thank will goodwin, but before we let you go, you are a west point grad, give us the score today, the one hundred 20th army. Uest at point spread for army were gonna call it big. Its gonna be a great game in philadelphia. One quick thing about the game. Militarye in the Community Follow armynavy, we like to say its more than a game. This is about the men and women across all the branches of the military who put on the uniform every day. And just recently with the attack in pensacola, a Naval Academy grad, Joshua Watson was killed along with other servicemembers. They will be honoring him at the game. Go about theirs day today, maybe watching the game or not, its important to think about ensign watson, and everyone who has worn the uniform. If you come from a military family and you have the same appreciation, can never do enough to honor that service and sacrifice but one of the easiest ways is to Pay Attention and to reflect. Host amen. We would like to think will one cspans washington journal, live every day with news and policy issues that impact you. Hoban up, william discusses the 1. 37 trillion Government Spending bill voted on in congress. And David Hawkings previews Congress Debates and vote on impeachment articles against President Trump. Watch washington journal live at 7 00 eastern. Join the discussion. The House Rules Committee decides parameters for the impeachment debate on the house floor. Watch our live coverage of house rules at 11 00 eastern on cspan3. That on wednesday, the house is expected to vote on the two articles of impeachment against President Trump. Watch our live coverage of the impeachment debate on cspan3, online at cspan. Org impeachment or listen at the free cspan radio app. President trump held a round table with governors and local leaders to discuss efforts to cut regulations. This is just under 30 minutes. President trump 33 days where we set a new record. Thats fantastic. Our jobs numbers have come in fantastically well. Were with some of our great governors and other leaders of areas of our country that are doing incredible things. Doing incredible things. Were talking about a lot of regulation. Were talking about various tax cuts and various tax incentives so they continue onward with what theyre doing. But this is a meeting that was set up and was set up a while ago and i think theyre very happy about the fact that we have cut regulations like nobody in the hift are rf history of our country. In less than three years weve cut more regulations than any president for their