House Republican Leaders also had a News Conference. They talked about the trone crires coronavirus response, as well as the 2020 elections. Good afternoon. Good afternoon. [laughter] well, thank you very much, everyone, for joining us today. Couple of issues that we want to address. First of all, on coronavirus, every day were learning more about the threat that this virus poses. Its very important for everyone to understand that we are united. Ms. Cheney this is not a partisan issue. We believe, the House Republicans certainly, that we have a duty to make sure that the nation is prepared. Our nation has more resources than any other nation in the world to be able to address whatever threat coronavirus poses. But its going to require bipartisan action. This is not a time for partisanship. Passage pathogens do not respect party lines and its very important for all of us to come together and to Work Together to make sure that were prepared. I think we have a duty to do that. Its patriotic duty. We do have the very best infrastructure in the nation, we have in the world. We have the very best ability to innovate, the very best ability to develop whatever responses are necessary. But its got to happen on a bipartisan basis. I think its absolutely clear, as House Republicans, that we are going to be prepared to stand behind and support whatever resources are necessary for this to work closely with the president , to work across the aisle with our democratic colleagues. And we would urge our democratic colleagues to do the same. As we all are focused on coronavirus and on the threat that thats posing, we also are obviously watching whats happening in the president ial race and just had a debate last night and in particular as we watched senator sanders continue to be in the lead on the democratic side, we think its very important to remind people at all times what senator sanders stands for. How radical his views are. The extent to which he embraces socialism and what the facts and the reality of socialism really are. Socialism extinguishes freedom. Theres simply no question about that. The stories that youre hearing from senator sanders about somehow socialism providing power to the people are absolutely wrong, absolutely untrue. And history absolutely demonstrates the devastation of socialism across the world. Theres nobody who understands this more than people whose families came to the United States from cuba, in particular, and in contrast to senator sanders, who seems to be a real fan of fidel castro, were very pleased to have with us today congressman Mario Diazbalart about a lart who is going to talk a little bit about the reality of what life was like in cuba, continues to be like today, and the reality compared to what senator sanders has been saying about socialism. So with that, ill turn things over to congressman diazbalart. Mr. Diazbalart thank you, madam chairwoman. Good afternoon. As liz says, if anybody wants to know the devastation of socialism, and the tyranny that often is accompanied by socialism, i invite you to come and speak to some of my constituents. Including the thousands, thousands of formal former Political Prisoners and the relatives, by the way, of current Political Prisoners who are languishing in chew about as prisons j cubas prisons just because they had the courage to speak for freedom or speak out against the regime. This is not new. What senator sanders said the other day. Its been kind of like the calling card from the Progressive Movement in the United States for a long, long time. I remind the senator and the Progressive Movement that the castro regime is a threat. Not only by the way to the National Security of the United States but also to all of the democracies in this hemisphere. This regime has been on the list of state sponsors of terrorism for many years, for its support of other terrorist states. And organized terrorist groups. We can mention a number of them, but we would not have enough time to do so. Let me just remind the senator of something else. In 2013, the cuban regime was caught smuggling weapons to north korea, in the largest violation of International Sanctions against that country. It has been propping up the maduro regime in venezuela with thousands of intelligence operations operatives, again, owe potion the venezuelan peoples design for freedom and democracy sire for freedom and democracy. The cue desire for freedom and democracy. The cuban regime has been harboring fugitives, including one in the top f. B. I. Wanted. And a bomb maker. That never seems to come up with our friends who apologize for the castro for castros atrocities. That is why, by the way, i am filing filed a resolution that condemns the blatantly false, irresponsible, ignorant, highly ignorant and hurtful comments of the democratic socialist candidate for president , mr. Sanders. This resolution also rejects the false claims that cubas health care, their education system, and Literacy Rate have improved as a result of the castro dictate shrp, of that dictatorship. Of that murderous dictatorship. Claims that have been bunked time and time again and yet they debunked time and time again and yet they continue to reuse them and repeat them. Let me give you some facts. According to the state department report, cubas infant mortality rate was 32 of 1,000 live births, one of the best in the western hemisphere in the 1950s. Precastro. Cubas Life Expectancy was also one of the highest in latin america in the 1950s, oh, yes, this is before the castro dictatorship. Cubas Literacy Rate was one of the highest in the western hemisphere in the 1950s, i repeat, yes, hard to believe, before the socalled literacy programs of the castro dictatorship. Again, some realities. In cuba, well over a million people, in a country of just nine million, have risked everything to escape that dictatorship. Because things are so good there . Many, by the way, have perished on makeshift rafts and as they place themselves and their family members and their children at risk, just to try to reach freedom in the United States. Why . Because things were so good in the islands . Why would they do this if things were good . Why would they do this if castro wasnt that bad and had done so many good things . So, let me give you a contrast. During the precastro cuba, i dont know if you are aware of this, more americans went to live in cuba than cubans left cuba to come to the United States. Thats the reality, not the myth, that some of these would that some, like senator sanders, would like to create. So, again, i must reiterate the demand that i and many of my colleagues by the way, including, for example, Amnesty International and secretary pompeo, among others have made. Because i want to take this opportunity with all of you here for the Immediate Release of jose daniel ferrar. He has been languishing in a cuban prison now and being ortured since october 1, 2019. Again, as far as we can tell, hes not only languishing in prison, but also being tortured in prison. Hes a renowned independent journalist, just like all of you, a journalist and leader of the Human Rights Organization [speaking foreign language]. He, along with all of cuban Political Prisoners have to be released. But it seems that the apologists for the castro regime, those now and those for the last few years, will like to talk about maybe some things that castro has done. By the way, things that they gave him credit for that hes done, which he didnt do. While never, never talking about the real situation that the cuban people are suffering, the threat to our National Security, and the damage that that regime is doing around the world and in this hemisphere. In contrast with the blatantly false, irresponsible, ignorance ignorant and hurtful comments about the castro regime, and from the senator and the usual apologists of that regime, this resolution stands in solidarity with the people of cuba as they struggle against that regime, while demanding human rights, democracy and freedom. The reality is that that regime is and has always been a threat to the u. S. National security and a threat to the wellbeing of the cuban people. That has never changed. This resolution will highlight that reality, not those false claims by the apologists of the castro regime and others who believe that somehow torturing and murdering and enslaving people is ok if youve given them some free things. No. The only thing the castro regime has done is taken away the future and freedom, the ellbeing of the cuban people. Mr. Scalise marios voice is so passionate and powerful. To serve as a stark reminder to people of just how devastating the castro regime and socialist regimes in general are to the people of those communities and those countries. Socialism is not only a failed ideology. So often those regimes that embrace socialism also deface and violate the human rights of the very people that live under those regimes. And anybody who wonders if thats actually happens, just go to talk to Mario Diazbalart or so many other people who fled that country because they saw the devastating consequences of what socialism does to the human rights of people. So, while the major leading candidate for president of the United States on the democrat side is embracing some of the policies of the castro regime, that same week hes criticizing an organization like aipac who fights for freedom, who fights to have not only this great bond between the United States and israel be maintained, and supporting our dear friend, israel as a jewish state israel, as a jewish state, but literally picking sides in this fight for determination of whether or not there will be a twostate solution, whether there will be a palestinian state to attack an organization like aipac just baffles the mind, that thats something that a major candidate for president would do if you understand the history of what aipac fights for. So i want to strongly embrace and support the things that aipac stands for as they come to washington so often to express that support. That unifying bond, that bipartisan bond between the United States and israel that is shared here in congress and what they represent. So its unfortunate when you see whats happening on the democrat side, that their parties a been taken over by socialism. As they try to rig the rules against the leading candidate for president , id be interested to see how many of our house colleagues would be willing to support Bernie Sanders if he were to be their nominee. But lets have that debate. Lets see that debate in full view so people know just what is at stake. As we try to advocate for those free market principles, that provide real opportunity to families. The principles that we fought for, working with President Trump, that have put more money in the pockets of hardworking families. Given them more control over their lives. Allowing the middle class to be rebuilt in this country, at a time when we saw it being taken away, fleeing to other countries. Were finally bringing that back. Were finally seeing those forgotten men and women being able to have an opportunity and a chance to seek the American Dream again in this country. And on the other side, all they talk about is having more government control and undermining some of those very things that have given more freedom and more opportunities to people in america while embracing the ideologies that have been so failed and devastating to people in other countries. So i hope the American People are watching this debate play out because it will play out through november. But were already seeing just the stark contrast between what we as republicans want to do to promote freedom and just what the leading democrat candidates for president want to do to take away that very freedom while associating themselves with people who are directly responsible for the deaths and denial of freedom to so many millions of people. In the middle of all of this, were working with the administration to combat the coronavirus. Leader mccarthy and i were at a bipartisan briefing at the white house just a week and a half ago where you had the Top Health Officials in the Trump Administration talking about the things that theyre doing to keep the coronavirus out of the United States while recognizing just how dangerous it is and also while trying to get more information from china so that we can find out how deep and severe this disease is spreading throughout their country. And unfortunately they havent shared the information that they need to be sharing with us and the rest of the world so that we can make sure were taking all the steps necessary to keep our country safe and to help come up with a vaccine to help prevent the spread of this dangerous disease. So i look forward to hearing the president s comments this evening. And i look forward to seeing congress Work Together in a bipartisan way to make sure we provide all the tools necessary to combat the coronavirus. This isnt a partisan issue. Anybody thats playing partisan games with this, especially while the president s in a foreign country, should be ashamed of themselves. Thats not how we conduct business. Thats not how we solve problems. We Work Together. Like weve done when we were in the majority with president obama, to make sure whether it was ebola or any other disease, that we were working with the president to combat it. Not to try to find a way to divide the country, but by finding a way to Work Together. Finally, theres a debate going on today and over the next few days and weeks to determine what is the next step in making sure that the fisa courts work properly . To keep america safe, the fisa court has been an important tool in Americas National safety. But we saw that the fisa court was abused. Clearly in the 2016 elections there were some people in our intelligence agencies who abused the fisa court to carry out their own political agenda. That should never happen in the United States of america. The people who did it ought to be held accountable. The horowitz report identified some of those problems. I hope that the Durham Report actually names names so that the attorney general can hold those people accountable who abused their positions of authority to try to change the outcome of a president ial election. So, as theyre moving this through, it should not be done in a partisan way, which unfortunately chairman nadlers carrying out. When members on our side, from Ranking Member collins and jordan on down, have proposed good reforms, reforms that should be bipartisan, that not only make sure it doesnt happen again, but put real criminal penalties in place so if somebody does violate the law, theyre fully held accountable. Thats something that needs to happen and i hope does happen through this process. Unfortunately its not happening in chairman Nadlers Committee yet but i think he, as well as others, will recognize this is something we need to come together on and work and address. No president or candidate for president ought to have federal agencies working against them in an election. Our elections ought to be free and fair and decided by the American People, not by bureaucrats in washington abusing their power to try to determine the outcome in the election, or foreign countries. Clearly were working to make sure that foreign interference is not allowed to happen either. Im glad President Trump is taking it much more serious in 2020 than the previous president did in 2016 when the russians did try to interfere in our election process. With that, our leader, kevin mccarthy. Mr. Mccarthy thank you, steve. Thank you, liz, thank you, mario. I want to start off, first, by echoing a colleague of mine, tom cole. From earlier this morning, for years, congress has been parring to reinforce our defective disease readiness. Four of the last five years we were in the majority. We have increased n. I. H. Funding by more than 40 . Averaging almost 2 billion a year preparing for what we see today with the coronavirus. We created the Infectious DiseaseRapid Response fund as well. An idea by tom cole, took us two years, but we were able to build it. We want to be prepared, having learned from ebola and others, when it comes to the future of where were directing. I do want to thank the president and give him credit in his administration having leaned in from day one. Taking preemptive and decisive measures, including travel restrictions and aggressive quarantines. This is something some people would criticize from the beginning. When you look back in hindsight, it was the right decision at the right time. We want to continue to keep america safe from the coronavirus. Today appropriation leaders from both chambers have met to discuss adequate funding. This is not a time to play politics. We want to make sure we have all the funding needed. We want to make sure we have the money going and theres accountability for that. I have great confidence in kay granger and her leadership in working through this and we want to make sure it comes through as quickly as possible, the supplemental to the floor. Despite what Chuck Schumer wants to play politics this time with other press releases, theyre not the time to do it. Its now time to put the American Public first. I want to thank mario for his comments and for coming today and his resolution that will be on the floor. No one knows firsthand more than mario and his family of what socialism will do. From his district alone, the thousands of individuals, from themselves being held in prison to those that have family members today. From those that have risked their lives for the idea of coming to america. For the idea of freedom. They have the lead candidate for the democrat, Bernie Sanders, credit fidel castro. It was appalling. Today those in the house will have an opportunity to vote when it comes to a p. Q. Of where they really want to stand. Do they stand with bernie or do they stand for freedom . For those who believe that maybe Bernie Sanders just misspoke when he said truth is truth, all right, only this time he went one step further. He praised the communist party of china and he claims raising people out of poverty. This is the same government that if you disagree, you get put in prison. This is the same government that if you want to buy an Airline Ticket or a train ticket, you first have to check your social score. Whats most interesting, when you listen to that debate last night, it wasnt just bernie that had different ideas. Another leading candidate on the democratic side is one who has set the record for the most money spent on television and he hasnt even had one vote yet for anyone who ran for president. But i believe he thinks he can buy the presidency. Because when you listen to him last night, he apparently bought this house. He wanted praise because he says 21 of the individuals that gave nancy pelosi the speakership, he bought those seats. It would be interesting to know if any of those 21 have endorsed him. To know how far his money went. I dont think americans want a president to buy the seat and i dont think america wants somebody to buy a house. Maybe thats why this house is not has not worked so well. Maybe thats why they spent their entire majority of just investigating. Is that what bloomberg bought . Interesting question. But only those of those 21 that he bought, i guess could answer that question. I wonder how many of those 21 voted for impeachment . Dont know. Question, how much did he spend . 110 million, he bragged about. He said he bought those. And he worked with nancy pelosi to make her speaker. With that, open it up for questions. Yes, sir. Reporter [indiscernible] press conference obviously in 2016 democrats made a point about President Trumps record, access hollywood, republicans did the same thing. Worked out pretty well for him. Why do you think that this works in this sense [indiscernible] sanders and things he supports to be for and why do you think that would be successful in contrast to what happened in 2016 with President Trump . Mr. Mccarthy i never heard President Trump say he praised the socialist form of government. Reporter there were some pretty dicy things about his record and that worked out well [indiscernible] mr. Mccarthy i never heard President Trump say he wanted america to to become a socialist country. I never heard President Trump praise fidel castro. Or a regime that people would risk their lives to escape. I never heard that President Trump honeymooned in the soviet union. So im not sure that will work well. But if the Democratic Party believes that will, hes the leading candidate and i think were going to have the American Public make that decision. At the end of the day, i think President Trump will be reelected and by a higher margin. Why . Not because of Bernie Sanders. Not because of Bernie Sanders socialist beliefs. But because of the record of President Trump. Strongest economy you had in more than 50 years. Lifting every american up. Rebuilding the military. Rebuilding the v. A. Giving people the right to try. When they have a terminal disease. Making government run more efficient and more accountable. And preparing us, even when china brings us the coronavirus to try to protect the americans. I think there are so many reasons why President Trump will be reelected and i think when you sit down to it, bloomberg may want to try to buy another term for speaker pelosi, but i dont think the American Public will believe in that as well. Yes, sir. Reporter what do you want specifically in a coronavirus package . How much money and what does Congress Need to do specifically . Mr. Mccarthy a supplemental was put up in the way most supplementals were, if we put together the appropriations committee, set down with n. I. H. , c. D. C. See what we need right now. We want to make sure from a testing kit, the resources there to supply. We have resources prior but whether a supplemental comes but when a supplemental comes, walking all the way through, talking to experts. Weve been at the white house numerous times. It wasnt just even bipartisan. It was bicameral in those meetings. This is not a time to play politics. Just as you watched, if you would take anything that we had said during the ebola crisis when we had a different administration, being able to Work Together to keep america safe. I think that will be fundamental. Reporter how much money [indiscernible] mr. Mccarthy thats why the Appropriation Committee met together. We want to make sure there is enough money. We can always come back. I think 2 billion is a little low on the side. I think were probably looking at 4 billion in this process. Having spoken to democrat house members from appropriations, thats what they were looking. Having spoken to tom cole. Tom cole and roy blunt have been the leader in rebuilding the c. D. C. And n. I. H. If theres any people that deserve credit, when you talk to tom cole, working 2 1 2 years to get an Infectious DiseaseRapid Response fund. Something a lot of people didnt think about, but thinking about this day coming, are we prepared . And having that fund build and averaging more than 2 billion a year in building up for that. My greater concern is, what if h. R. 3 from the democrats became law . Wiping out the cures of the future when we see as the world continues to change that we are going to need new cures. Were going to need a vaccine. Do we have all the Science Behind what we need to get that vaccine . We have a number of pharmaceutical companies over in china today supplying them the best way to treat. How do we speed this process up . The lack of accountability from china harms the entire world. And i think america has been leading in this charge and we want to make sure we continue to do it. Because this is something not created here but can still come here. Reporter do you think there needs to be a czar, if you will mr. Mccarthy i think secretary azar has been acting in that way. Just his background and others. I think hes done a good job at that. I want to make sure everybody is working together. Currently where we are, i think works well. What happens in these situations, a lot has to happen n the state level. So the federal government supplied resources but a lot of those action will be provided in the state. Im, being from california have a great concern. The amount of homeless we have in california is very concerning to me. On so many different levels. But with the fear of coronavirus coming, and you know where coronavirus started, in the east, but where you pretty much travel a lot is into california. If it was to get into the Homeless Population, how do you quarantine inside a Homeless Population . With the health care itself . What is the governor doing at this moment in time . What if this came into a college when you have a campus, when you room within dorms and others . These are the preparations that i believe we need to be working on as well. Thats why you have to engage the governors. The secretary, having been in the health care industry, having worked as the secretary of health and Human Services, understands government as well. So its not just plopping somebody in. They have to have an understanding of government and also from the medical community as well. Azar is really at the right person at the right time. Yes, sir. Reporter [indiscernible] coronavirus. Bottom line, what is your message as far as how serious this coming threat is and the ability of the u. S. Government to contain it . Is this very serious, is it not . What level are we looking at . Mr. Mccarthy this is a serious situation. Thats why this administration has taken it that way. When the president went out on that weekend and stopped any flights coming in, he also led the world where others would follow him. To try to contain it just to china. The challenge here is the lack of accountability coming from china. Our scientists from the very beginning have been communicating. But they have not been as open. Weve now we now find it started in november. Maybe if theyd told us then, we could have been doing something much better about it now. If theyd allowed our scientists in sooner, maybe we could have been able to deal with it on a different level. The movement of it and being so contagious means that it can move at a rapid speed. The mortality level is at a lower level, higher than a flu. But from a pandemic situation, if it once it gets in, how do you control it from growing . Thats the preparation that weve been doing now. Thats the preparation that this president had done before. Trying to contain to china. Unfortunately has iran been open and how much how big is it within iran . Italy has been open with their discussions. I think this is a moment in time where the world works together. America has been a leader in so much of this. Thats why im proud of the fact in our majority of what we did to increase the funding at n. I. H. And c. D. C. Forward looking to this day coming. We have some tremendous experts in there. And really, if the other countries would unshackle whats holding them back from allowing our experts to help, i think the world would be safer sooner. Yes . Reporter [indiscernible] mr. Mccarthy no, hes not. Yes . Reporter [indiscernible] act was recently defeated yesterday. Mr. Mccarthy unfortunately, yes. Reporter do you believe a fetus that survives an abortion is a human being . A fetus that survives an abortion is a human being . Mr. Mccarthy yes, i do. Almost everybody in the world would believe that too. If a bleeding its a heart thabeets, its a lung that breathes that beats, its a lung that breathes. To me in any definition that would be murder. Thank you very much. [captioning performed by the national captioning institute, which is responsible for its caption content and accuracy. Visit ncicap. Org] [captions Copyright National able satellite corp. 2020] the hows house tomorrow considers whether to regulate vaping. Members meet at noon eastern to debate a bill to have the f. D. A. Oversee vaping regulations. It would ban all flavored tobacco products, including menthol, and impose a fee on makers of vaping products. Watch live coverage of the house debate here on cspan. President trump is holding a News Conference this afternoon to talk about the administrations response to the coronavirus. Well have live coverage at 6 00 eastern here on cspan. Health and Human Services secretary alex azar was back on capitol hill today to answer questions about the administrations twoun budget request, but 2021 budget request, but house members also asked about the coronavirus outbreak. See that tonight at 9 00 eastern here on cspan. And more about the coronavirus tomorrow as centers for Disease Control and prevention director and other federal officials testify on the administrations response. Thats live thursday at 2 00 p. M. Eastern on cspan3. Online at cspan. Org. Or listen live on the free span radio app. President trump so this november were going to take back the house. Were going to hold the senate and we are going it keep the white house. Going to keep the white house. President trump speaks at a rally in South Carolina friday ahead of the primary. Watch our campaign 2020 coverage live friday at 7 00 p. M. Eastern on cspan. Watch ondemand at cspan. Org. Or listen on the go with the free cspan radio app. The South Carolina primary is saturday. Join us to hear the candidates reaction to the results. Live coverage saturday evening on cspan, on demand at cspan. Org, or listen live on the free cspan radio app. Washington journal continues. Host jennifer nuzzo, senior scholar and associate professor at johns hopkinser