Has been. Really one that marks a transformative moment for our country. This morning had, when the republicans voted to advance the budget that they put forth, they made they drew a line in the sand between the middle class and working families. And the very wealthy and Corporate America in our country. Its really unfortunate but it is at least an opportunity for the American People to understand more clearly what the debate is here in washington, d. C. On one side of that line in the sand we have the republicans in congress who are. Their dna committed to a mission of getting tax breaks to the wealthiest people in our country. In fact, the budget they put forth in that budget, 82 of the tax cuts will go to the top 1 . Sadly, it also in another way that is an assault on the middle class is an assault on a state and local Tax Deductions. I bring this up because it affects everyone. If you live in the district of columbia, for example, and you own a home, you will be negatively impacted. The district of columbia, 137,000 recent, more than 137,000 people. I bring this up because i assume you live here or if you live in maryland, 1,354,000 people. If you live in virginia, same thing. A million and a half people are affected. You will no longer have that deduction. If you live in virginia, the average deduction is over 11,000. And if you live in maryland, the average deduction is 12,000. So you will lose that deduction under this plan. Not only that, it has been reported by the realtors that the value of your home would be you would lose 10 of the value of your home. And you can thank the republicans in congress for that. Because as they misrepresent what they are doing to the middle class, what they are doing is looting them. Looting your homes, just its just a ripoff of the middle class. But you know why . Because theres so many people in the middle class. If you take some of their money, multiply it by a lot of people, you can give a big tax cut to the high end, increasing exacerbating the disparity in your Equity Opportunity in our country. And not only that, at the same time, you are increasing the National Debt. And i say that this morning was transformative because the amount of money the trillions of dollars that they increase the debt is develop hard to come back from. We under president obama came back, under president clinton came back from the deficits that existed when he took office. His last budgets were either in balance or in surplus. And president bush left office, the deficit was 1. 4 trillion. So youre talking about an enormous amount of money that the National Debt had increased by an enormous amount. The debt was 1. 4 billion in terms of the deficit opposed to the debt which increased by trillions of dollars. So then we go to president obama who again reverses that. And now we come to President Trump. So again, here we are, the budget. As i said the other day, and we saw in the pie crust, the pie chart, 80 of the damage goes to the top 1 . Who pays . The middle class. The fact theyre saying theres a middle class tax cut is not true. Its wrong. And when they come forth with their tax bill, well see more clearly, but what the republicans did today was to give, was to give an open path to this assault, an assault. Its a ripoff, a shakedown, a looting of the middle class. And that has a difference in our economy. Around toinbe wrote about mists of civilizations. You in one of his presentations he talked about societies and governments that were there for a creative c creative leadership where people col thrive and succeed versus exploitive, exploitive situations where they were there for the rich and the powerful. Thats not a good thing for a country. And thats the path that these republicans are taking a stand. So very calmly, we say to them, we want to do tax reform. We want to do it in a way that is fair, that is that has fairness, that has simplify indication, that has growth, that reduces can the deficit, creates good paying jobs and keeps america number one. Instead, we have a budget that they put forth that does not do that. But they misrepresent that it is good for the middle class which it is not. So hopefully, when this tax bill comes up, the public will be aware of what to look for in it. Know how they pay the price for their big transfer of wealth where the wealth is sucked up from the middle class to high income, the 1 as well as the wealthy corporations in our country. Its stunning. Its really startling. Its a con. Its a massive con. And we want to make sure that if them engage in this, the American People know how it affects them. This isnt about politics. This is about the American People and how policy here affects them. Instead, lets go to the table to create growth, create good paying jobs to reduce the deficit, to keep america number one and to reduce taxes on the middle class. Thats probably about all ill have to say unless you have some questions. Californians what theyve done california, im so proud of our governor. He wrote individually to each of the members to say how bad this would be. And you know what . I love the fact that in his letter he said not only dop you take away the deduction from individual filers but you keep it for corporations. In this bill. Youre an individual filer, you have a home, any of you have homes that you take a deduction, state and local taxes . You lose that. Your corporation, you keep it. Whose side are they on . But again, its a moment of its a moment of definition, its a moment of definition. And we will not allow them to misrepresent the facts on this tax bill to the American People. Heart breaking because we could have come together to do something in a bipartisan way that would be sustainable. You cant do tax reform without bipartisanship and sustainability if youre going to give certainty to the Business Community so they can act upon and individuals so they can act upon their personal as well as professional and business decisions. With him that, im pleased to take any questions yes, sir. Given what youve said and seen of the framework up to this point, if republicans stay on the current track theyre on with their tax overhaul, is your primary goal the goal of your caucus to see its failure at this point. Were here for the American People. We dont want that impact to be on the American People. And the problem with their tax bill is not just the harm it does directly in terms of it say the state and local Tax Deduction being removed. Thats just one example. But also, because they take this so deeply into debt, the opportunity cost for our budget to invest in education, it will it will necessitate a trillion dollars being cut out of medicaid and thats part of their plan. A half a trillion dollars coming out of medicare. It will have a cost to education and the rest. And that is about the health and wellbeing of our families and the future of our country in terms of education being essential. Education, by the way, being any money spent on education, nothing brings more money to the treasury than investing in education Early Childhood k through 12, higher education, post grad, lifetime learning. Thats a fact. So if they undermine that opportunity for investment, theyre increasing the deficit, not saving any money. So we would hope that i think that a part of what these members walk the plank for is something theyre going to answer v to answer for back home and hopefully, i think that the ability to have a leverage would have been to defeat this and then go to their speaker and say, we want something different. In fact, they have enhanced, given leverage to the exploiters. Yes, sir. Reporter me . Yeah. Reporter question on immigration and sort of your negotiating stance between now and december. The speaker was out here a little while ago denying reports he had told some of his colleagues that the spending bill will include some solution to daca for certain but conversations are continuing. What is your updated sense of where that are issue stands and what your potential leverage points are going into that by . Well, i didnt realize the speaker backed off that statement because people were taking some comfort in the fact that something would happen before the end of the year. Let me just say about our dreamers. They are really a blessing to our country. Ive said to them last two days, ive had six meetings relating to dreamers and i said to them, do me a favor. Thank your parents for bringing you here because youre such an inspiration to our country. They are so great, and the American People recognize that over 80 want them to stay, high numbers want them to stay on a path to citizenship. I think President Trump is inclined to be supportive. He said he is. I take him at his word. And that because the American People support the dreamers. Not because we were so persuasive but because the American People support the dreamers. So im optimistic that well celebrate, hopefully thanksgiving but more likely christmas with the d. R. E. A. M. Act passed. Do you still see your caucus Holding Together on that and potentially withholding support for a spending bill . I didnt say that. I just said were going to pass im sorry, i said were going to pass a d. R. E. A. M. Act. The our caucus overwhelming supports dreamers. I believe if the speaker brought a bill to the floor, it would pass overwhelmingly with republican votes. Many of our republican colleagues can support, support the dreamers. As it is frequently around here, its getting invoked so id hope that the speak worry give us a vote one way or another. Were just working to get the votes and we think we have them. Yes, sir. Reporter can you comment on the president s decision to declare an emergency on the Opioid Crisis . What i would say to the president on that is show me the money. What is the point . Weve passed a bill about opioids and this or that. Instead the president has sent a budget here that cuts the medicaid which is the major funder of how we address opioids as the governor of ohio has pointed out so clearly, thank god for medicaid in terms of fighting the Opioid Epidemic. Hes also in his budget cut funding for sam sa, a Substance Abuse and Mental Health agency that is there to address these needs declaring an emergency means he can have access to some funds but the funds in that account are like 57,000, 58,000. So show me the money. Okay. We au agree, we pass 21st century curious act last year. We all agree that this is a place we had to go. I had the speaker write me a letter that we would continue to have the funding in the appropriations bill but the president s statements or words without the money. So wed like to see, and the thing about the Opioid Epidemic is in every district in the country. Its not like you can say, well, its people in a certain area where its warmer or colder or whatever it is. Its all over the country. So hopefully, the concerns of our colleagues will be manifested in the allocation of the resources because you have to have the resources. Reporter on the kennedy documents, were still awaiting at National Archives release of those. But yourself as someone who read the Warren Commission years ago, did you have some nagging questions and what do you think the significance of this release will be. I have flow idea until we see what will be released. It was a sad terrible tragedy in our country. Yes, i did read the Warren Commission because obviously, as many people at that time, we were so stricken by the president s assassination. And that was a dispositive moment in our history. It made change because he was such and i spir ration to so many of us. But i really cant speak to something that i havent seen. So i look forward to seeing the documents. Does anything still matter 50 years later . Will it put it to rest or generate more. Depends what it says. Ive heard different accounts where people have said its only going to contribute to con spiry theories. I dont know. But you know, after we see when is it, today . We arent sure. They havent told us a hard schedule yet. Im sure many people will be very interested to see what a drajdy. On the budget, what is the status of talks with republicans in the white house on a deal to raise discretionary caps and when will appropriators have real defense and nondefense discretionary levels in law for fiscal hopefully soon. Hopefully soon. We have some discussions that are going on in house and senate, democrats, republicans and the white house as to what when that will happen. It has to happen soon. We are insisting or parity. If theyre going to lift the caps on the defense side, were going to put the caps on the domestic discretionary side, as well. What does the white house say to that . Really im not going to go into those conversations. But were on a path and im optimistic that it has to happen soon so that we can have it done by the end of the continuing resolution which is what the first or second week in december. They changed the date. I dont know if it was the first or second. Madam leader, yeah, can i ask a western issue. In the wake of the wildfires in california, you know, congress has been hung up for years on sort of a permanent wildfire funding fix. A lot of the debate what kind of forest policy is tied to that. Are you seeing any outlines of an agreement that can maybe get a solution to providing permanent funding for the Forest Service or prevention programs stepping those up . I hope so. I certainly hope so because the for those of you not familiar with the issue, one of the problems is that funds will be used instead of having mitigation to begin with on how we can prevent a lot of this, some of the money is spent on putting out fires which is what we have to do. But wed rather not have them in the first place. So just to have an overall policy. I think it would be bipartisan. I dont see that as a partisan issue at all. Weve seen the tragedy in our area, my colleague mike thompson, his district was like an inferno. And he has some ideas about this. My league jim costa every fresno area has been on this case for a long time. So i think we can come to a place that has more anticipation as well as resources to keep the American People safe. Theres been a couple hangups. One has been the debate sort of over what kind of forest policy things you attach to it, sort of between do you allow too much logging and overriding the environmental rules for those . And also, as i understand it the speakers been resistant to allowing some of these large wildfire disasters to go into the fema emergency budget. They should certainly go into the fema budget. They are a natural disaster. And theres absolutely no question that they should go into the fema budget. That will be that will be lively did you say the speaker was reluctant to do that . Supposedly, yeah. But as i say, this is deadly serious in terms of our country, the value we place on our Natural Resources for sure, but again, the impact it has on human life first and foremost. So i think that i think that we should be able to come to some terms on that. I see that little bit separate than money coming out of fema. Thats a different fight. But on management of forest, et cetera, hopefully we can find common ground. Yeah. Reporter just to get back to previous topic you touched on, in terms of the discretionary cap negotiations and so on, so is your hope or expectation is that by the descend, by december 8th crn, that there will be an omnibus able to be voted on or would you expect there to be some more time to work out workout either another cr to allow for an omnibus to be done . I dont see why we would have to have another cr because we know, as soon as we get the caps we know what the how the allocation will be on the appropriations complete. Hopefully that would be made known to us. Sometimes they dont let us know but hopefully, that will be made known. Youll insist upon it, and then well go from there. But we all know that we want to measure we have to keep our country strong, part of that is our military might and what we do in the defense side of it. The other part of it is the health, education and wellbeing of the American People what we do on the discretionary side of it. So i dont know by dragging it out at the end how much what were going to know we dont already know now. Lets get on with it and remove all doubt. If it requires if we reach ingredient and sometimes theres another week tacked on just to do the legislation, thats a different story. But not to just drag out the conversation because the debate is a clear one. Everybody knows what it is right now. But if youre going to having an omnibus by december 8th, dont you have to have the caps agreed to and locked in a little bit earlier. Pretty soon, hopefully we will. Leader, on jfk. So why dont we do somebody else and then we can come back. On opioids you said show me the money when it came to the president s decision to declare a National Health emergency. Administration officials said this morning they were talking to congress about allocating more money by the end of the year for that. Where would you stand on that . Where would the caucus be on that . I dont know what they mean by talking to i dont know did they say who they were talking to . Our appropriators and authorizers in a bipartisan way, i dont see this as a partisan issue, its in every district as i say and we came together on the cures act with a big piece of opioid authorization, but still not so much money to deal with it. So i cant speak to what the conversations are. Let me just say i would be last person to be able to tell you what the white house conversations are assuming its the republicans in congress on this, but again, if we have the cap lifted theres more opportunity for the National Institutes of health, sore samsa, for opioids, these are some of the things that could benefit from that. I have no idea what theyre talking about. I dont know if they do. Would the congress support the notion of them coming to congress to ask for more money for this . Would the congress support them asking for more money . Sure, of course. But they havent. I didnt see that in the announcement. I didnt see that in the you may have had a followup question with them, but i didnt see that in the announcement. Again, it has to be additional. You cant say were going to take as theyre trying to do on the chip, on s chip, theyre saying well have s chip. S chip is state Childrens Health insurance program. We want to pass chip, were going to authorize chip but pay for it by taking the money out of the Prevention Fund which is Childrens Health, childrens inknock clark, childrens test for lead and things that benefit Childrens Health. They want to take the money from that to pay for s chip while theyre giving tax breaks to the wealthiest people in our country unoffset. So tax cuts for the rich, dont are to be offset. They can increase the deficit. Childrens health, which is has its own benefit to our economy has to be paid for by other Childrens Health. And not only that, by undermining medicare and the health of americas families. So where would this money come from . Thats really the point. Are we talking additionnality . Are we talking cannibalizing other as penningtons of healpec our country. In all your years on the Intelligence Committee have you ever had a cia director or fbi director come to you and say, they were concerned about what may be released . No. No, we didnt even talk about it. They never brought it up. We were talking about in the beginning we were talking about force protection using intelligence force protection, addressing overarching issues like Money Laundering related to drug trade, issues like that that have an impact on supporting some certain groups and rest. We were concerned about fighting terrorism. Were about the here and now and into the future. Ive never heard anybody come in and say everything we just never talked about it. We shall see. In any event, stay tuned on this because this is a moment of truth for america. Were either going down a path that says the only thing thats going to come your way is what might trickle down from tax breaks for wealthy. You are going to fund those and not only that, were going to borrow from the future. Our childrens future, in my case children and grand childrens future in order to go deeply into debt to fund more tax breaks at the high end. Its really a tragedy actually. But, it is a differentiation and so lets hope that the American People can weigh in with the republicans to pull them back to a position of fairness, simplify indication, growth, creation of good paying jobs. Reduction of the deficit. Thank you. Purchase if you policed either of these briefings with paul ryan hon spoking about 20 minutes ago, and House Minority leader nancy pelosi who just finished up here, you can find them in the cspan Video Library at cspan. Org. As work on tax reform continues in congress, go live to the discussion on the future of tax cuts and change to the tax code hosted by the cato institute. It started a short time ago. With that its tremendous progress, politically it will pass because the brouhaha that the press likes to focus on does not endanger general votes. After all that stuff where people are pushing and throwing spitballs at each other, the senate went out and voted to