Distinguished group of panelists today who are both friends and colleagues and i think that group is very much representative of the things that you just laid out. And theyre the themes of this great democratic experience that we here in america undertake and have undertaken for the last 240 years. But it is a Bipartisan Group and if i can just add a p. S. On my personal bio, as everyone who knows me well, not only do i do National Security and Foreign Policy, but having served and worked on the hill, and i have a very much, in my d. N. A. , the essence of bipartisanship. For me, looking at this biden transition and where were going with that transition, its very much anchored in the clarity of what i call roles and responsibilities. And those roles and responsibilities are on behalf of all of us. As americans. And were all standing together, because as you said so well, were faced with challenges here in america. But theyre global challenges. So americas leadership will be executed with the degree of humility and transparency and we look forward to engaging with our colleagues on capitol hill, with the American People, and with our friends in the global landscape. So with that, may i turn over and ask our colleagues, id like to get into the nuts and bolts of this transition. So we live and breathe it here in the nations capital. And try to do a little better job educating this transition. This transition is a little tricky. Its different than what it has been in the past. But it is being rolled out quietly. If i may add, Speaker Boehner, if you would just, from your vantage point, give us a landscape, the congress is critically important to the rollout of this transition because its anchored in the new incoming cabinet members. So id like each of you after Speaker Boehner to offer his framework, to also pick up on that. So both rodney and former congressman crowley, if you could also address that issue as well. Speaker boehner, over to you. Mr. Boehner well, toni, thank you. It is good to be with all of you. I hope that everyone finds this very interesting. You know, divided government has served america pretty well over the last 200 years and looks like we may be headed toward a divided government once again. Of course there are two senate races in georgia that have yet to be decided. But for this conversation, my assumption is were going to end up having a divided government. And as you look at the new administration, theyre going to find, i think, some opportunities to work with the congress. Its not going to be easy. It never is. It was never intended to be easy. But when it comes to the makeup of the new cabinet, i think youll see republicans on the hill by and large be supportive of the president elects picks. There will be some, there will be a couple, i would guess, that arent going to quite pass the test. But theres going to be i think quite a bit of respect for the people that president elect biden chooses for his cabinet. Mr. Crowley i would really agree with john on this, Speaker Boehner. I think the American People expect that the senate will cooperate and give to president elect joe biden what hes entitled to and thats a workable cabinet. I wouldnt necessarily call that bipartisanship as much as its the expectation the American People have placed on the senate in their role, to confirm. And so i think that we may very well see i expect we will see some republicans in that mix. Some will have an easier time than others. I know that, from the outset, my good friend, mira danden has been singled out so far. I think shes wonderful. In this world of hyperpartisanship, to criticize her for having been partisan in supporting joe biden when some of the verbiage that weve had to deal with over the last four years she really pales in comparison to that in terms of the use of that. And so shes a person of substance. I hope thats a person people target and say, heres our problem, so to speak. But who knows. Well see what happens. Ms. Verstandig rodney . Mr. Crowley youre muted. Mr. Slater thank you. Is that good . Ms. Verstandig thats good. Mr. Slater thank, toni. Thanks to meridian for affording us this opportunity, its a great organization, we look forward to discussion. Id like to echo the sentiments of Speaker Boehner and congressman crowley. I think that clearly this issue of divided government is before t withstanding whatever happens in the Georgia Elections, its still going to be a split, almost down the middle, congress and youll have a change in the white house but this is a country that is pretty much split down the middle. And its going to take a unique, i think, president in the white house to attempt to bring that together and the good thing that the president elect has said is that hes going to be a president not only for those who voted for him but for those who voted against him as well. He believes that thats the responsibility of a president , frankly the only office in our , country that is voted on by all of the people of the u. S. He has a wonderful running mate and now Vice President elect in senator harris. They make a wonderful team. One other thing id like to say about the cabinet is that the president elect has said hes going to have a cabinet that looks like america, feels like america. You see that coming into focus. I think hes made some tremendous selections thus far. Tony blinken as secretary of state, we all know him very, very well. He will clearly be a secretary of state more in the traditional sense and we can get into that a little later in the discussion but clearly reaching out to our allies and trying to reestablish relations with those very, very important. Ill just close echoing joes comments about neera tanden, shes a great person. I think the president elects goodet is going to get a overview. Theyre all people of substance and capability. Hes clearly making that a priority. And hes looking them as a team, as much as individual members, because with the challenges we face theyre going to have to work as a team, clearly led by his vision and his encouragement in their service to the American People. But its a very exciting time. Ms. Verstandig thank you, i have laid this out quite well. I think i want to pick up on lets get into some granularity. You mentioned the Georgia Elections. Lets get into, what is the pivot point on the Georgia Election that references an impact on the cabinet selection and the degree to which the republicans appear to be divide divided, but even if the Georgia Election turns to two more democratic seats in the senate its still going to be close. President elect biden has a deep and rich background coming from the senate. And respect from his colleagues. Lets talk a little about two components. One, what happens after the Georgia Election . Is there a paradigm shift we can look at more of a consensus . Two, what can the republicans in the senate do that can help foster this more collegiality, beginning to break down some of so we can begin this process and everything doesnt need to be on the front page of our respective newspapers or media, just to be more quietly engaging to have Building Measures on this critically important rollout of a confirmation process. Rodney, lets start with you since you were the last. Mr. Slater sure, toni. Im clearly looking forward to hearing from the comments of my colleagues as well. As i think about it, its quite significant for this race involving two really senate positions in georgia. And its in georgia. I mean, as a native of the south, im excited about that. I remember during the Clinton Campaign back as far as 1992, when georgia was a target for thengovernor bill clinton, meeting with thengovernor zell miller and laying out a strategy to speak to the south and try to bring the south into the fold. Again, georgia came into the democratic column during that time and we havent won it again until this time. And president elect biden did tremendously well in georgia. The numbers actually continue to rise over time. And now weve got these two senate seats. I think its good, again, that we have two rather than one because it just puts everything on the table. There is the presumption that democrats may not come out in a runoff election. I dont think that thats going to be the case. I think its going to be very close. Everyone knows that President Trump is going to go to georgia this weekend. Which will be very interesting. President elect biden and Vice President elect harris have said that they will probably be going at some point. This is a very, very important election. Im excited about it. Now clearly, Rafael Warnock and ossoff i think are tremendous candidates for the democrats. I think they say a lot about what the new south represents. I think its going to be a competitive race. Im happy its in the south, it forces the nation on a state that was very important in the president ial election and it will mean a lot when it comes to the ability of the of the president to get some things done. But again you touched on his relationships with senators across the political divide. I think that thats going to come into play here as well. Able to manage whatever the outcome, but clearly if he has a majority or a split 5050 with the Vice President breaking the tie thats a big difference when it comes to your strategy and your movements as far as leadership. Ms. Verstandig thank you for that granularity, i think its a great snapshot. Speaker boehner, lets put you in the middle here. Because a lot has been theres a great deal of curiosity why your former colleagues in the republicancontrolled senate, theyre only now beginning to quietly speak up about supporting this transition process. Whats your take . How do you evaluate the landscape right now in the senate . And whats your evaluation on georgia . Mr. Boehner i think republicans in the senate are looking forward to the transition. They all know its coming. It is in fact happening. But all the action is about georgia. You have members who are going to be chairman of the committee or they could be the Ranking Member. Its a really big deal. All eyes are on georgia, all hands are on deck in georgia. And so until georgia gets decided, the only things that will get done are the things that have to get done. Funding the government by the end of next week. Probably some small covid relief bill that could be attached to such a bill. Doing something about the National Defense authorization act. Maybe a few other cats and dogs in their but other than what has , to get done its all about georgia. Ms. Verstandig former congressman crowley . Mr. Crowley i would just add to what john has just said as well, i agree with the importance of georgia. John boehner just said the difference as to who is the chair or the Ranking Member in the senate. Why that is so critical is that if democrats are able to capture the senate, even with a 5050 split, the use of reconciliation as a tool to pass a much broader agenda for democrats, that opportunity exists. Without it, it doesnt. And i think thats an important thing. I think youll see more of what the president campaigned on, had an opportunity to see the light of day in the senate. Lets keep in mind one thing. That the results of this election are becoming more and more clear. And that is, although the American People rejected soundly donald trump, they did not reject republicanism writ large. When you look down the ticket, overall, republicans gained positions in the house of representatives, they were expected to lose them. They didnt lose the senate so far. And going even deeper, they maintained control of the state legislative bodies they had already. And theyll have an oversized influence on reapportionment. When you look in terms of where the republicans stand right now and democrats, this is pretty split decision here in many respects. Everythings no doubt comes down to the georgia these two georgia seats. And you know, i think rodney is right. I think democrats have a better than normal chance in georgia for a lot of reasons, not the least of which is theyve had the highest turnout in a long time, almost five million votes. They dont expect that many right now. And the president continues to attack the system overall. And that is leading some republicans to lose faith in the entire system. Well see what happens in terms of that runoff. Ms. Verstandig congressman crowley, thank you very much. For the audience id like to point out what you just experienced is an extraordinary lesson in our democratic process here in america. As much as i participate in that process, i really respect each of you for your very thoughtful and granular comments. Its quite extraordinary. I hope you guys i hope you all will think about going on the road and educating in terms of young people because one of the things that were seeing here as we discussed, the cabinet selection, is that we want the cabinet selection as president elect biden said, to look like america. We need to listen to america. Just like we need to listen to our international colleagues. But i think all too often we forget how messy the democratic experience is but how incredible it is. So i want to thank each of you for that. Lets broaden our lens a little bit if were going to continue transition into looking and discussing some of the policies. Id like to hear your evaluation on cabinet choices thus far. Each of you have referenced a bit, touched on what i call roles and responsibility of the cabinet appointments. They are not all rolled out yet. Theyre being thoughtfully rolled out. Lets start with the top one, the National Security rollout as tony blinken as proposed secretary of state. Avril haynes, Jake Sullivan in n. S. C. The Economic Team is rolled out. Id like to get your each of you to offer comments on the selections and also, if you could, differentiate the significance of those that require confirmation against those that dont, for example, Jake Sullivan as National Security advisor. I think it would be helpful for our audience to better understand why some require confirmation and what that means and why other positions dont. , letsressman crowley start with you. Mr. Crowley i think president elect biden, as secretary slater has alluded to, when he made his speech about healing america, talked about what he perceived as what we need to do to move america forward. And part of that was to bring what i think is going to be the most diverse cabinet as well as white house staff that weve ever seen. Probably even more diverse than president barack obamas, which was very diverse itself. In terms of, you know, i think both Speaker Boehner and secretary slater, who has gone through the confirmation process himself, he may even have more insight into that as well, knows that certain positions within the white house do not require the confirmation of the senate under the constitution, but some do. Including the cabinet positions. And i do think with tony blinken, for instance, president elect biden has chosen someone that will reestablish our ties to our traditional allies. I think we all recognize that china is still a problem regardless of party affiliation. I think reengagement in the pacific is going to be critical for us. I also going back to my first point in terms of europe in particular, reestablishing those ties that have been traditional allies in the postworld war ii era, i think, is going to be important reengaging the paris , accord, i think trying in some way to work with our European Partners to wrangle iran back into the umbrella of nonproliferation of nuclear weapons. I do think that was a critical point. I think tony is someone who is respected on both sides of the aisle. As when people around the globe can to see the longest democracy in the history of the world, the most diverse democracy, and see that represented, and seeing it operating capably, thats a very strong example. Of thatthe power example. By the way, i would like to say that this you know, the difficulty of governance and the allcture we have, it is intentional. James madison and the other founders, they designed this government as it is with the separation of powers so that we would not sort of give into the strongman kind of philosophy of governance, that there would be a team effort, and that to get the big things done, you have to have cooperation and collaboration, so this is quite natural, to see it play out in the difficulty of it. The most significant thing about the recent election, i think, is that you had a historic election as far as numbers are concerned. More than 100 Million People voting prior to the election, absentee, by mail. On election day, some 50 Million People voting. That is significant, and i think it speaks volumes about the health of our democracy. Democracy. I also think that this development, as relates to appointments, speaks to that as well. And again, we mentioned that, and id like to mention alejandro, homeland security, and the first to be appointed to that pose and first after first after first. And wed look at the obama administration, but id like to mention, president clinton and vicepresident gore in 93 they basically said as well we are going to have an administration that looks like america. And if you go back and you look at it, you see that. And the good thing about that kind of commitment is that we know that you can have that commitment and still have excellence. Thats where looking at the individual choices that are being made. This Economic Team led by janet yellen, she is one of the most capable economic minds in the world. She served as the chair of the economic advisors during the clinton years. She was chair of the fed and now shes the first woman who serve as secretary of the treasury and when you think about historically, Alexander Hamilton and all of his wonderful work and now she is there and what we can expect from her, it is an exciting time. And then the team that theyre putting together, very, very fascinating. So, im excited about the appointment that has been made and weve got some big ones yet to come. Im looking forward to that. And just a quick point about the process. I have to tell you that one thing that ive really respected here is that ive had a couple of friends and so you hear the news, and then you reach out to them to congratulate them and you realize, theyre saying, no, no, no, until it will officially announced, ill going to respect the process, im going to respect the president elect, vicepresident elect and their considerations. There are a number of names out here. Choices have to be made and lets respect that process. And so, you know, were going to see a lot of names and ron klain and the team, theyre working with a tight group of people. The good thing is that theyve got people three and four deep to be selected from, which i think also speaks well of the talent pool of the country. So i think its going to be have he exciting and i will say this, one reason we had to get the transition process officially underway is because there is a vetting process that goes on as well, and you really have to have the space, you have to have the resources to start getting into that and so that, too, is why that gsa decision was so critically important to get this process officially underway. The good inning is that with the knowledge capability of the president elect and his team, and their knowledge about washington and its dynamics, they were able to actually get things going without some of that officially, you know, acknowledgment, but the fact that its now underway, i think, were going to start to see a lot of these appointments, row four, with roll forward more expeditiously. And what was said about the significance of having a chairmanship as compared to being a Ranking Member, as you know, because its so close, there are a number of people that the president elect would private like to consider in both the senate and the house, that he may not be able to really get to because he needs them where they are. Because of this power dynamic. Well, a lot of them, if they arent selected, theyre going to feel a lot better if they can become chair of a very Important Committee so ill just close with that to say, people are looking at this in a lot of ways from a lot of perspectives and thats one that i dont think that we can fail to really consider and understand its importance. Rodney, we both served in the Clinton Administration and im glad you rest on that in the room as you say, that was a great roll up. Cant help, but ask, so you referred to, you hear a lot of names, why dont you share with us some of the names youre hearing on transportation and energy, or others that you might have picked up before we close. [laughter] come on, rodney. You know, i was trying to get away from not getting into, you know, a lot of the names other than those that have been selected, but i will say this about transportation, i think, one, the person who is selected is who is going to be dealing with republicans and democrats and thats really always been the case when you think about transportation. Id also like to say that maybe its an opportunity for the president elect to at least consider whether he might have someone of a of the opposite party, you know. So youve got that dynamic in play, but you also have a list of very, very capable people and, you know, weve seen some of them. And, you know, its a way to bring someone from the state and local level into the cabinet post, during that first clinton cabinet, federico pena, former mayor of denver was selected. And i came in as secretary and worked as a highway commissioner in arkansas at the local level. Youve got a number of mayors being considered now. Mayor garcetti, former mayor rahm emanuel, both very, very capable. Bill washington heading the transition who needs the l. A. Transit association, very, very capable. Did a wonderful job in denver. I know hes pulling together information that will be of benefit to the president elect and vicepresident elect when it comes to filling all of the posts across the department of transportation. Youve got federal highway administrations, federal transit. I mean, its just a wonderful organization. So, i want to mention that. And then, you know, youve got john picari, the Deputy Administration from the obama administration, whos probably under consideration along with the three ive mentioned. Theres a wealth of talent again for the president to select from. All of the people ive mentioned i know well, theyre my friends, and you know, they know that i mention them because theyre capable, clearly, of occupying the post, but they all know that this is a choice for the president elect and the vicepresident elect and members of their team, and they also know that whatever the decision, number one, there may be others to be considered for them because these are people who can play different positions, but also, that there will be still the need for those in the private sector and an invitation for those in the private sector to be supportive of this administration. Weve seen the president elect move on that already by bringing business and labor together, earlier this week he met with Small Business leaders and a lot of frontline employees. I mean, were going to see him engaging the private sector as well and challenging us all to be concerned about the common good. Now, rodney, i think thank you for that and what youre clearly indicating is that the Biden Administration is really looking to bring all the stake holders to the table. Yes. And we began this conversation, we have so many challenges in front of us and thats really the only pay we can move forward. So Speaker Boehner, were going back to policy, politics and the congress and id like for us to really look at. If you could give us the landscape as you see it on both domestic policy Priority Issues and the National Security policy priorities. Were looking, coming off of whats now the congress as you yourself just mentioned. The president , its unclear whats going to happen to the National Defense authorization act which is now in conference and is by all accounts reading it, is in a bit of trouble. That really is not a very positive signal and id be interested in your thoughts. It would be unprecedented if the ndaa was not passed and agreed to. Secondly, where do we stand on the domestic landscape with an emergency economic package for those who are suffering so much with regard to the covid pandemic . And how do you see then pivoting to a new congress under the Biden Administration in the sense of how this congress its going to be tight by all accounts listening to how you all rolled out that landscape. And how do you see this new Congress Working together with both house and senate together, but also with the incoming Biden Administration to begin to actually, frankly, do what we used to do and that is pass legislation thats signed into law. I think its a Novel Concept these days. So Speaker Boehner may i turn the gavel over to you. Well, certainly lets break this down into prejanuary 20th and postjanuary 20th. And near during the transition as i mentioned earlier theyve got to find a way to fund the government. I think theyre pretty close on agreeing to a large appropriations bill. Theres going to be some covid relief. Im not sure what they can agree to. Im not sure this will happen by the end of next week, but i do think that that those two things will happen. On ndaa, the National Defense authorization act, if its like any other year, there will be a twothirds vote, enough votes to override the president s threatened veto. And so, they may be working to shore up the votes. To make it clear that theyve got the votes to override the veto. So, well get through all of that. But once we get po postinauguration day, i think both parties have an opportunity to show the American People, hey, its time to go. And i think the president elect biden understands what hes dealing with. I think hell reach out to the Senate Majority leader. I think theres going to be some room for doing some things together. Whether its a covid relief, whether its an infrastructure bill, you know, weve been trying to get a big infrastructure bill passed for many years. These are two places where theres at least a better than even chance you can find common ground. And so those are the things that i think both i think that rodney and jim would both agree, thats the place to get to. Theyre going to have their disagreements. As rodney pointed out before the founders that built this tension into our system, you know, with three separate and equal branches of our government. So that tension is there and its there on purpose. To try to minimize the amount of movement that can really happen in our government. If you look at our government, we kind of move a little to the right, then may move a little to the left. We dont have a winner take all. And so, i think that both sides will have an opportunity to begin to assure the American People, yes, theres a chance we can effect government. Well said. I couldnt agree with you more. I am cautiously optimistic in this process. Well, dont get too optimistic, all right . [laughter] invested in the process. Can i add to that one point . Were looking at as john says, Speaker Boehner says, prejanuary 20th and postjanuary 20th. And right now the democrats have a comfortable margin and that shifts after january. And headed into 2022. Thats behind us and were headed to 2022. The republicans were Successful Holding off a great effort by democrats to recapture state legislators. In those states where republicans control everything theyre going to have an incredible influence on the making of new congressional districts. So, heading into 2022. We have that going as a problem for democrats in 2022 and added to that is that the incumbent president in his first midterm elections historically tends to lose seats in the house of representatives. I know that nancy pelosi knows that. And its interesting to see what happens here pre and post. Were dealing with the National Security threat. Immediate threat. Thats covid19. Thats why i think were seeing this movement, by the gang, im not sure what they call themselves the gang of what, but to pass something shortterm and more done after january 20th. The House Democrats are going to be in an interesting position how they conduct themselves with a smaller majority. You know, i think one thing nancy pelosi knows the road to controlling the house of representatives was through the bread basket, the iron belt, Middle America and through interstate districts, not in new york or other cities, but the more challenging districts, thats how they won the house of representatives and thats why they were able to hold on so far. Republicans took many back and thats where the challenge will be in 2022 for democrats to keep that in mind as well. I agree. Yeah, hey, tony. Yeah, we have pea got to get into some policy. Oh, good because i was about to Say Something about transportation so let me let you go on. Because the speaker had mentioned that and i think its a great policy area for choorp cooperati cooperation. Go ahead. Thank you, i didnt mean to jump ahead of you. The speaker mentioning opportunity for compromise on an infrastructure measure. I think that is right on target and as he noted, its something that weve been talking about now for a number of years. I mean, and talking about it at the highest levels. And one thing that i will say about president elect biden is that when he talks about Building Back better, he clearly starts with covid as congressman crowley has noted, but when he starts to pivot to beyond covid, its really infrastructure and he says, you know, its about more though than highways and rail. Even though hes talking about a second rail revolution, which is quite exciting you, but its about more than concrete, asphalt and steel. Its about broadband. Its about building on all that we have discovered in this time of covid when it comes to telework and telemedicine and making sure that those investments are made in Middle America. Thats really the key here, and so im very, very excited about this and i think were going to see this administration lead with infrastructure in the forefront. He basically says that it is the new foundation on which were going to build this new growth economy, a Fourth Industrial Revolution economy with 5g and again, automation and those sorts of things. So its an exciting time, but he says were going to do that with the focus on workers as well, so that were bringing them along as we deal with these difficult challenges we face and ill just sort of close there, but it also underscores, frankly, the importance of that secretary of transportation, right . Because thats going to be the Cabinet Department that works with the white house, with the treasury, with commerce, with all other agencies across the government to really lead in that process and so, again, mr. Speaker, great job teeing up that issue. Its one where we can really have republicans and democrats working together. All right, well said by all three of you. I completely agree. Well, im going to now pivot. There are so many other questions we need to get to, but we have a robust set of questions from our ambassadors who are joining us today. So if i may in our chat room, the ambassador, singaporean ambassador, thank you for joining us, theres obviously a lot of interest in the asia pacific. The question is how should foreign governments deal with quote, unquote, the divided government that we have been talking about this morning. And will a republican with the bid Biden Administration. I will simply say i think weve had divided government before. How have foreign governments dealt with in the past . I think there are going to be opportunities for bipartisanship here. I think we all recognize what those existential threats are to the United States, the secure issues that we need to deal with and thats why i mentioned earlier, going back and reestablishing our traditional alliances, reestablishing at least, you know, theyve always been there, but i think in terms of placing importance on them with europe, to work in partnership to really straegize on security matters, on trade, how do we deal with china. I think those are going to be all the issues that i think well be working with again. Our traditional allies and then beyond that as well, i suspect. Weve had divided government in the past and i think that we will find ways to deal with the issue of threats against the United States and the world. And lets do a followup on that and excuse me for interrupting to comment on this. So do you see a Biden Administration in at least the first year reengaging on a broader trade landscape in an asia pacific concept, Speaker Boehner . Well, i was a big supporter of tgp and i would imagine there will be conversations. But without trade promotional authority, i think the administrations hands are going to be pretty tied, and i think doing trade Promotion Authority in the first year of a new congress is practically a pretty tall ask, considering the number of new members that never dealt with this issue. And so, i think that there will be engagement. I think it will be slow, but i think the motions in the right direction will be a signal to everyone. Everyone. And this will be back to the multilateral trade agreements and the emphasis in terms of bilateral. Looking at tpp, i think its a big, big step. I dont see that happening, certainly in the first years, my sense. I think it will be more baby steps, but i think we do need to recognize the advancement of china in terms of its alliances within the pacific and beyond. The quest for a blue water navy. I dont want to use the threat word, but in terms of what theyre attempting to do and what the impact will be is something that well be grappling with for decades to come. So i do like jon more often than not look at trade, but look beyond the pacific and again, europe. I think the eu and are working towards an agreement there. Its going to be difficult because of the multistates involved in it and nationalism kick into play there and what happens with brexit will impact our ability to get an agreement with the u. K. Or eu as well. I think rit large, biden is going to look to reengage worldwide and trade aspect, not only worldwide, but how we deal with our allies. Yeah, id agree with that, im a little more optimistic that we might move a bit more quickly in the pacific region. I think for not only economic interests, but security interests in particular and as you know, there was the recent announcement involving some of the major countries in the region coming to an agreement with china on a trade agreement. We need to be very sensitive to that and seek to enhance our own interest in that region as well. I think the question coming from singapore, and i think about japan and australia, india, and clearly, our relations with china, but im thinking about just how important this region is to our economic prowess and our economic relations. Vietnam, this is a powerhouse region. And i also think that the vicepreside vicepresident elects own interest, her heritage in the region is something that could come into play here and clearly our Economic Team and diplomatic team, they all understand the criticality of this region, but definitely as has been noted, atlantic alliances, those have been challenged a bit. So weve got to shore those up, but im excited about the role that we will reestablish for ourselves on the global stage. I think the world, with the reaction to the election, theyre signaling a desire for that, and so im looking forward to see how it unfolds. Thank you very much. Id like to we have another question to the opposite capitol continent, the ambassador from angola. What will be the politics and policy of the Biden Administration toward the strategic african continent, countries such as angola, nigeria and south africa which are so crucial . So do you want to start, rodney . Weve got to save time for the middle east. Okay. Yes, yes. First of all, im excited about the opportunities for africa. I think Linda Thomsen greenfield, the u. N. Selection that the vicepresident has made clearly knows africa. She was the assistant secretary for africa in the biden Administration Im sorry, in the obamaBiden Administration. Shes now going to be our u. N. Representative, very wellequipped to play that role. Interestingly, treasury with deammo is our deputy secretary there and his family hales from nigeria and we know about his wonderful experience in the obama administration, but all of the experience he developed with the did i think that they will be interest in africa. Id be remiss if i didnt speak about ron brown, building on the importance of the message of dealing with the economy really worked hard to open avenues for us with africa, turning from aid to trade, and the agoa african growth and opportunity act initiative. I think thats all there to be built upon. Much like we did in the Bush Administration in particular and in the obama administration. So im excited about this opportunity with u. S. Relations with africa. Sorry. And if i could say i would like to turn to Speaker Boehner if i could, please. And Speaker Boehner ask you to bifurcate both on the african continent and also if we could take a question from the egyptian ambassador. Thank you, ambassador, its great to have you participating in this session. But hes asking about iran, which is seemingly will be among americas first Foreign Policy primary challenges among many, and his question is, how will the Biden Administration reconcile between what seems to be somewhat of a lower level of engagement with the middle east in general on the one hand and iraniantu iranianturkish behaviors on the other, exacerbater quote, unquote, forever wars, clearly not combined to afghanistan and iraq, but involve syria, libya, yemen and others. If you could broaden the lens a little, our time were coming to the end of our time today, but Speaker Boehner, if you wouldnt mind commenting on both africa and the middle east. Theres no question that the stre strategic importance of africa is growing for the United States. And and i think americas relationships with the countries that the ambassador named, id probably add more such as kenya, i think its becoming more important with each passer year from an economic perspective, but also a geopolitical perspective as well and i think that secretary pompeo had a clear understanding of this with his policy the past four years and i frankly fully expect that the Biden Administration will, as well. And perhaps even more so. You know, angola is a very good example of the transformation that were witnessing in the relationship between u. S. And the leading countries of subsaharan africa. You remember a generation ago, angola was a soviet satellite country caught in a proxy war between the super powers. Today under its new president , angola is monetizing major portions of its economy and cracking down on corruption, and with the american investment. And this is a step in the right direction i suspect the Biden Administration will continue. When it comes to the middle east its going to be fascinating because clearly the Trump Administration has been anxious, nailed down the this relationship with israel and israel with its competitors, if you will, in the neighborhood. And so i think that youll see the Biden Administration move rather cautiously, while they said that they would reengage with iran, they put a number of caveats in place, and so i think i think youll see the Biden Administration move pretty cautiously when it comes to all things in the middle east, especially iran. Well, thank you very much, Speaker Boehner. So i see that our time has come to a close. Id like to express my gratitude to meridien and to stewart, our panelists, and this was quite an hour discussion and i hope that well be able to reconvene because we left so much off the table. So, stuart, may i turn this over to you . Thank you so much. Thank you, toni for guiding us in this very broad discussion. Id like to thank squire, and the group we have here are the pragmatic leaders we need to, i think, guiding our country Going Forward and i know the speakers got a book coming out in april, looking forward to that. But joe crowley, rodney morning, ap sunday discussion about President Trumps legacy and the incoming Biden Administration. Then we talk with the National UrbanLeague President about civil Rights Groups and the incoming Biden Administration. Watch cspans washington journal, live at seven 00 a. M. Eastern. Join the conversation with calls, facebook comments, text messages, and tweets. President trump is questioning the results and has not conceded the november election. On sunday night on q a, reviewing two of the most contentious president ial elections in history. 1861 between James Buchanan and Abraham Lincoln and in 1933 between Herbert Hoover and franklin roosevelt. Several Southern States did not recognize the election of Abraham Lincoln as legitimate, due to the fact that by and large his support came from nonslave states. No sooner had he been elected then South Carolina makes good on its promise and begins the process of seceding from the union. Hoover really had no choice given the resounding nature of the vote and the way it was reported in the press, and it was clear he lost the election, but he never conceded the substance of the argument. He continued to believe that the fundamentalresented threats toward the american way of life, so he devoted himself to preventing roosevelt from being able to enact it. Contentious president ial transitions sunday night at 8 00 p. M. Eastern on cspans q a. Next remarks from mark , travis, the former Deputy Director of the cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency on what led to his decision to step down after the 2020 election. He also spoke about combating disinformation domestically and abroad. Held by the aspen institute, this is about 40 minutes. Thank you for having me here. I am excited to interview matt travis. Someone who i wanted to talk to a lot about cybersecurity and other issues. Welcome, matt, thaou