will negotiate with the president of iran, but not you all. let's cut through, i know it's hard -- >> i can use putin. >> reporter: it makes it hard to be candid. i know you are a candid guy. the reality is the speaker isn't somebody he can negotiate with now. he's negotiating with you all, not necessarily you, but your republican brethren to figure out what kind of combination or formula he can get votes on, never mind negotiating with the president. there's no point in negotiating with something you can't pass. >> the fact is, trying to protect the american people, trying to bring certainty for the next year is something we believe very strongly. the speaker has 218 votes for that. he won't have a single democrat, perhaps. this is a compromise we are trying to do and when we keep hearing from the senate and the