The right thing for the country. [inaudible] good afternoon, everyone. I want to thank my colleagues for joining me. Now, last night we received a bit of good news, not just for democrats but for the country. That the president is easing off demands for a border wall in the government funding bill. We democrats have been opposed to including the wall in this bill that the beginning of the negotiations. Theres no plan to make mexico pay for it, as the president promised he would. Theres no plan to resolve the Eminent Domain issues on the border and the money is better used elsewhere. The wall is 50 billion and you can use that money to give just about every american broadband. For all those reasons and others , we oppose the wall and four weeks we have been making Good Progress in negotiating with our republican colleagues. The president s 11th hour demands threatened to upend the progress. Were pleased hes backing off. Now, the bipartisan, negotiations will reach an agreement that both parties can be proud of can move forward. We have a number of outstanding issues to resolve. First and foremost, democrats remain committed to making sure that there are no poison pill writers in this agreement. Senator leahy has done a good job knocking out a whole bunch but there are more on significant issues that has not been resolved. Republicans want to undermine womens health, will rollback financial protections for consumers, they should do so in the light of day. In full debate on the floor of the senate instead of trying to type those issues into a much past spending bill. As you know, for years democrats have said we will not be for these kinds of bills when they have poison pill writers. There are other outstanding issues to resolve, as well. We want to prevent the Top Administration and republicans from defunding healthcare. We want to help our minors, help puerto rico, among other things. We remain optimistic that we can reach an agreement quickly with our republican colleagues on the hill. Were committed to doing exactly that. The fact that the wall is now off the table, americans should breathe a huge sigh of relief that negotiations can resume and move forward. Senator durbin. Thanks, senator schumer. I want to add that the republicans are in control. The white house and the majority of the house and senate, its their decision about whether the government shutdown. Taking the border wall of the table is important but its not the end of the conversation. We got to make sure that their spare funding on the supplemental side when it comes to the department of defense any fair level thats important for military and on the nondefense side we have important considerations as well. As youve heard from senator schumer this is a priority list that we agree on in our caucus to make certain that we are taking care of the coal miners and their health care benefits. Also make certain that we have provision in there to help people in puerto rico with medicaid and finally, to make certain the trumpet ministration does not, literally, and the Affordable Care act protection for millions of americans. The step by the president taking the border wall off is a step in the right direction and if he thanks hes broken his word, his word also had mexico paying for it. At this point, we need to move forward and make sure the government has is light on. The formula for reaching a bipartisan agreement has always beens report. The moment republican leaders, in congress, decide to push aside the most extreme elements of their party and work with us to invest in middleclass priorities, we get a deal done. Thats what speaker ryan and i did in 2013, its what we been able to do every time since then and its what so many of us here are working to do as we head into the latest deadline. But this time the most extreme elements of their Party Include the leader of their party, President Trump. The demands he has made have been absurd. He said he wants to use pending bills to defund planned parenthood and attack womens health. He said congress a lastminute request to investments in healthcare, research, education and other middleclass priorities. By 18 billion. Despite promising that mexico was going to pay for it, he made a lastminute push to jim funding into the spell for families and taxpayers to pay for his illconceived and expensive border wall. And he announced that he was willing to make healthcare more expensive for families if he didnt get his way. President trump laid out demands for the spending bill and thankfully, democrats and republicans in congress have so far stood together to say absolutely not. So far, it looks like its working. President trump has dropped all demands to defund planned parenthood and he still hasnt said a word about 18 billion in extreme cuts that his fellow republicans have simply ignored. Yesterday he started backing away his demand for american taxpayers to pay for this terrible border wall idea. Our message to President Trump today is simple. Allow democrats and republicans to Work Together and dont shut down the government to try to distract people from your failed 100 days in office. We are committed to working with republican colleagues to get a budget that makes sense. For families and communities all across the country. We are at laser forecast on making sure that the priority is on middleclass families and those aspiring to get into the middle class. When you look at 70 billion to build a wall versus what we support which is using that 70 billion and other resources to build roads, bridges, water, sewer systems, broadband so that everybody who lives in a small town or Rural America can connect to the internet to operate their small business, their farm, their home, their students have access, telemedicine can make sure that doctors and healthcare is available for people in small towns all across america. Thats what we want to be focused on. Security and safety that makes sense and creating jobs and opportunities. I would also say that to come to the end of the 100 days, people in michigan are more concerned about the promise he made to them on day one that he would call china a currency manipulator. It cost 5 million on print jobs in america and its date 100 and he is not promise. Whether its outsourcing jobs, closing tax loopholes to bring jobs home, investing in jobs, good paying jobs and infrastructure, or getting tough with china and others who cheat, thats what we want to see. Thats what people in michigan want to see and thats what were hoping to turn his attention to. Senator leahy was done in the sounding job. Ill be very brief. Thank you, chuck. The negotiations upon negotiations and incidentally we knew then in november that we had all the corporations. [inaudible] many in the Republican Leadership in the house and senate were put on hold which they had not. The facts are, they didnt. In the last couple weeks weve gotten. [inaudible] weve gotten hundreds of poison pill writers and my message has been simple all the way through. We can do this in a responsible way and keep the government going. You republicans should not want to cut shut down the government. And they were only ones that have the power to shut the government down. The government is the most powerful nation on earth and we do not want to shut it down. Think of the humiliation of United States throughout the world if you republicans shut down the government. Theres a lot of responsible members on the other side of the aisle and in the house and senate who dont want to do that i hope in the next couple of days, itll be a wrap up in the appropriation goes, in a responsible way. Again, my message to them, youre the only ones that have the power to shut down the government. Think what that does to the most powerful nation on earth, the greatest nation on earth. Thank you, patrick. Questions . [inaudible] the president , we hope it doesnt change but it could. [inaudible] things worse. Thus far, all the signals were getting is that the president said last night is being taken at face value by republican negotiators. [inaudible] i had a great deal of confidence in senator warners been pushing very hard. The last few weeks have moved slowly under chairman bergs leadership and im troubled by it. I give senator warners time and credence to try to work those things out. Things have moved slowly for my taste and i think a lot of members of the committees taste yes. [inaudible] its, look, what were saying is we had issues that have to be decided. Will work on them all. You used to be right here. Your way in the back. [. [laughter] [inaudible] i am totally troubled by mr. Flynn, general flynns actions and this just makes things even worse. There needs to be both on the executive side and on the legislative slide a thorough investigation and they should take it where it leads. These are extremely, extremely troubling allegations today. Well, well see. Again, youll have to have things worked out between the prosecutorial authorities and the executive branch and the legislative branch but everything must be unturned and no one should hold back on what flynn has done and what consequences that they merit. [inaudible] well, senator mcconnell wanted me to negotiate the wall with President Trump. I said to him two things, first, its not a negotiation, no wall. Second, i said, only you can persuade him that he shouldnt do the wall because thatll cause a government shutdown. I dont know if senator mcgonagle played a role, if you did, more power to him but if he did and im glad it worked out. [inaudible] democrats have always been for Board Security we just think the wall made no sense. Border security is something we reported significantly in the comprehensive Immigration Reform bill that was supported by democrats in a public were not opposed to Border Security but were opposed to the wall and were not going to allow any dollars in any kind of Border Security appropriation to be used for a wall. [inaudible] ill wait for the whole package before i respond. Yet wait for the entirety. Our focus in texas is the middle class. [inaudible] im not going to comment behind the scenes negotiations. One last question. Mr. Mike. [inaudible] what my view has always been is that the four corners, the Appropriations Committee members in the house of senate aided in working with their leadership could get this done without white house interference and i remain of that you. Senator mcconnell, leader ryan can talk to the white house as to what they want but thus far, the white house hasnt shown its very selfdestructive in what its done. Thank you, everybody. [inaudible conversations] in case you missed it, karen harper royal at georgetown universitys dedication. Naming these feelings for isaac hawking is the beginning of our journey together towards the healing from the deserts of georgetowns legacy of slavery. Pennsylvania congressman holding a town hall meeting. We had moved the needle on this discussion. It used to be no way, no how on anything like the aca but now its, lets make it work. Being Competitive Enterprise Institute marlo lewis on science and public policy. To the extent that if possible, Scientific Research should similarly be separated from government. Then you would not find Climate Science in particular being a faction ridden, orthodoxy enforcing Political Movement but rather the quest for knowledge. Treasury secretary steve newton. The objectives are simplified personal taxes, create middletown taxes to spur the economy and make our business taxes competitive former ambassador to afghanistan. Clearly, we have to work with the afghans for stabilized the situation against a television on plot. Then living ahead with that will include pakistan. Attorney general Jeff Sessions on transnational crime organizations. If you are a gang member, we will find you. We will devastate your networks, people eat your rank and sees your profits. We will not concede a single block or streetcorner to your vicious tactics. Cspan programs are available at cspan. Org and by searching the video library. House Oversight Committee said today that he sees no evidence that michael flynn, former National Security advisor to President Trump, complied with the law when he allegedly received money for meeting with Russian Organization in the city he and the companys Ranking Member spoke with reporters earlier today. You can see all of that briefing cspan. Org, here are some of it. [inaudible] personally, i see no information or no data to support the notion that general flynn complied with the law and that is he was supposed to seek permission and receive permission from both the secretary of state and the secretary of the army prior to traveling to russia to, not only engage in that activity. I see no evidence that he actually did that. [inaudible] i think it can . I think thats why i cited the code. That should be left up to others to decide. We just wanted to know what the exposure is. I agree with the chairman. He was supposed to get permission and supposed to report but he didnt. Connect were not here to make the final determination but what well do is send the letter jointly to the department of army and comptroller specifically as well as the Inspector General there. At some point they need to make a final determination. One of the remedies is to recover the money that was paid above and beyond that, i dont know. Cspans washington journal, live every day with news and policy issues that impact you. Coming up wednesday morning, new York Democratic vice chair of the problemsolving caucus discussing the upcoming budget deadline and tax reform. Then Pennsylvania Republican congressman cochair of the congressional Mental Health caucus, talks about federal Mental Health and Substance Abuse policies and bradford fish , Congressional Management Foundation president and ceo on Healthcare Options for members of congress. Be sure to watch cspans washington journal live at 7 00 a. M. Eastern on wednesday morning. During the discussion