his cards. we know what he doesn't want. what does he want? i'll speak with a veteran deal maker in the senate. and later, developments amid another developing crisis for joe biden as his administration faces growing back lash over the crisis at the southern border. welcome to "meet the press" daily. it's another busy hump day in washington for the president and his congressional party. here's what we do know. the president will be meeting with democratic leadership, progressives and moderates. not at the same time in separate meetings. they'll all be at the white house this afternoon to discuss a way forward on a bunch of stuff. specifically the bynum infrastructure deal and the go it alone legislative package. combined it makes up basically the entire legislative agenda for the rhett of the biden presidency. first up on this set of meetings an hour from now is the two leaders, speaker nancy pelosi, senate majority leader schumer schumer. after that, a meeting with the moderates. who are concerned the party is going too far and too fast on the legislation. yes, joe biden in that meeting, by the way. then to end the day, a meeting with the progressives who are withholding their support from the bipartisan infrastructure bill as leverage to prevent moderates from watering down or walking away from the reconciliation bill. so we are at the beginning of the end game. it is down to the wire. pelosi did strike a deal last month, though there's nothing in writing with moderate that's we knew was probably going to land us right where we are in this moment. she promised moderates a second vote on the bill first. it is technically scheduled for monday. will they hold it? moderates say they will not consider the larger $3.5 trillion bill until the bipartisan bill is done. it is a mess that only one personal can navigate right now. thats the president of the united states and the leader of the democratic party who is one and the same. someone has to give. everyone including house progressives though have dug in. >> at the end of the day, if we don't have the reconciliation bill done, the infrastructure bill will not pass. >> i got more than half the caucus who feels very strongly we'll deliver the entirety of the president's agenda. >> pelosi though is still standing publicly by her timetable. >> i'm very pleased that we're very much on schedule so far. >> is it going to be ready? >> we hope. >> and so eight months into his presidency is domestic agenda is now in limbo. biden is getting involved because he has to. where does that involvement lead us? with us, tony rahm, also an msnbc contributor. let me start on the hill. because i guess the question of the single moment is this. is there going to be a vote on the bipartisan deal in the house on monday. i asked because the budget chair seems to be hinting, at least about an hour or so ago, that that is looking like it won't happen. so where do things stand? >> reporter: these meetings at the white house will hopefully give us a clearer indication of what in fact is going to take place. now, though votes scheduled for monday is part of this agreement that pelosi has with moderates and moderates plan to hold pelosi's feet to that fire. they say they are acting very politely right now. they're not taking her to task right now because they've gotten no other indication other than the vote will take place on monday. we also know that speaker pelosi does not put things on the floor that are going to fail. so that's where the progressives come in. and that is the most immediate challenge that pelosi and president biden have on their hands, is this very next vote. because if the reconciliation bill is not done, then they have some choices to make. and the progressives, even after a meeting with speaker pelosi, representative came out saying she has dozens of supporters who will not vote for that bipartisan infrastructure bill without a vote on that reconciliation bill. leaders are trying to finish bill by monday. that's a very, very tough task, chuck. >> stick here a minute. shannon, what is the biden goal for today? because the progressives and moderates won't be in the same room. the end game doesn't get closer to the end until we know manchin, sanders and biden are in the same room finally getting down to brass tacks. this is certainly the beginning. what is their near term goal? is it to at least keep the timetable on the bipartisan bill for monday? or is that even a goal here with these meetings? >> well, administration officials aren't indicating there is any new strategy or any magic message or really, even any real clear result that's are deliverable. they view the president as an honest broker here. there is obviously a trust deficit between the moderate and progressive democrats, and certainly between the republicans and the democrat in congress. biden is someone who could bridge some of those games and administration officials point to what he did with the senate, with bringing together that bipartisan group. it looked like it wasn't going to happen sometimes only $500 infrastructure deal. it was pronounced dead repeatedly. they feel president was able to pull the sides together. it is important to note the president does not have the same relationships in the house as he does in the senate. and he doesn't have the same relationships with house progressives even compared to his relationships with republicans in the senate. and some would argue he would have a better chance convincing senate republicans than house progressives. so there will be a big divide. he doesn't have a time he can offer to them. so that's one of the things he will have to figure out, where that need tol thread, where is the compromise that can be made. what can the white house offer from the executive branch, and where does everybody stand on where they're willing to bend and where their red lines are. >> you know, tony rahm, the frustrating thing about this, and i hear it from viewers, i express it myself as a report he and those of us trying to explain what's happening to people publicly. in that we don't know what is on the table and off the table during this negotiation. so if it is $2 trillion, what is a part of the biden agenda? we're talking, we're negotiating about a number but we have no idea what the priority is, if for instance, joe manchin and the moderates here beyond the number. what do they want done beyond that number. and we don't hear what's at stake. if it is not $3.5, this means no child tax credit. i'm not saying that but it is really frustrating. we don't know what is on or off the table in the middle of these negotiations. >> yeah, and in some cases, we don't. at times we are talking on some folks like senator manchin. they don't really discuss the kinds of things they want and don't really get into the tradeoff that's come when you take a package with $3.5 trillion as it is now, and lower to it some amount, which he has not clearly specified in the last couple days. the fengss you're likely to see play out in a series of white house meetings will come this afternoon really just illuminate the many divides between centrists and progressives over the future of the democratic party. and we've seen it play out over these really grueling marathon sessions we've had drafting this 2,600 page legislation passed. so the size of the tax cuts or hikes, the various ways he would implement other elements of the biden agenda. throws the things progressives and centrists do not want to compromise on but that's the hard work that has to happen for the package to come together, especially in they want to see it happen before monday which seems increasingly impossible. >> do you get a sense of what would be off the table if this bill shrank? that's something that feels like, it does feel as if the dispute is only over the dollar figure, that it is not a dispute over the priorities. it is just how much to spend to fund those priorities. >> reporter: yeah. that's part of the question, chuck. there are some members who would rather scale down the bucket, the issues included in this bill, but keep the time frame of how long things are. they don't want some of these things that are underfunded and then they create cliff after cliff in congress. that's a big position among new democrats and the house of representatives like the kind of moderate group of democrats. and then others are saying that perhaps the easiest way is just to shorten the time frame from ten years to five years. that will cut the price tag in half. so that's another part of this negotiation as well. very few people are publicly saying this but a lot of people are privately saying this, that $3.5 trillion is not going to be the price tag. that it is going to have to come down. the progressives already think that $3.5 trillion is already a compromise. so this is extremely complicated. this is like the messiest part of this sausage making. if i can just say one thing we have a little breaking news here, which is also another problem to the biden agenda. that police reform talks are officially dead. i just got word that senator booker has called senator scott and said that he's done negotiating. that they cannot come to an agreement. so this is just another problem facing the democrats of this big, ambitious, bold agenda that they're struggling to get done. >> obviously, we knew. there was only one sticking point. qualified immunity. so clearly they didn't get over that sticking point on that. shannon pettypiece, what is the biden red line? what doesn't he want to see gone from this legislation? we don't know joe manchin's bottom line number. we don't know the minimum bernie sanders would expect. do you get a sense of what, you know, biden was very involved in the negotiations that got to $3.5 and the contours of what we are negotiating. so is there anything here that means more to him than other things that we'll find out today about? >> reporter: i think that's a really interesting question. when you look at the tone and what the white house has been saying publicly, when we were talking about the solid infrastructure, didn't have all the human infrastructure in it, the white house was like, we are open to negotiations. bring us your deals. bring us your proposals. it is very flexible here. now this bill that includes the childcare and the free college and maybe dental for seniors and all these other more human aspects, they're not talking in that same language of bring us whatever you've got. we're flexible and open. we want to get something done. they have been holding the line on trying to sell this. i will say one thing i've been hearing. people close to the white house and having conversations with the white house. there is a sense of urgency about wanting things in there that will produce results quickly. not things in there that will produce twroults or three years from now. they want real tangibles and deliverables from whatever is in there that people will see soon that would help politically for democrats, but it is also in response to the sort of crisis situation they feel the country is in right now. they don't want to wait three years for the climate change projects. they want them now. >> that's what the quarterly checks mean, i think, for sure on that. that's what, it is a tangible delivery there. tony romm, do you get, do you get a sense of, you know, that there's any regret that they didn't sort of do this one at a time? they could eventually have to use the reconciliation process but it seems the me they've missed out on using the prescription drug issue as a wedge. they've missed out on using child tax credits as a wedge. by putting this all in one, the public is less informed about the specific parts here, where if they were biting this off one at a time, there may be more public input. >> reporter: yeah, i think the democratic argument to that would be they have tried to do these piecemeal over a very long period of time without much successful prescription drugs, actually, is one of the best examples of that. it is not as though we didn't have a republican and democratic compromise on this issue for some time now and it couldn't get through house and the senate. democrats have had legislation on this for years as well and they couldn't get it through the house and senate. they tried and they saw this package, plus the majority, plus the tools of reconciliation as a way to address all these priorities and many democrats ran on in the 2020 election and have hanging over them entering 2022. and then there is this other thing hangs over us, by the way. we've talked about infrastructure and reconciliation and how hard it will be to keep democrats together over all of this and do things on time. we also have to fund the government. we only have a couple days left to do that. we have this looming fight. it may be the case as well that those create the agenda, creating trouble for democrats as they to look address these internal divides that have plagued them for some time. >> i'm glad you brought that up. very quickly, it feels like we know had a the end game is in funning the debt ceiling. they want to make republicans feel pain here, i don't know how they do it, and democrats will have to be the responsible party here. how much is this getting in the way of these reconciliation talks? >> reporter: it is getting in the way. in large part, not necessarily in the talks but it could get in the way next week when they have to deal with this crisis of the government shutdown when they're also simultaneously trying to vote a bipartisan bill, get a reconciliation bill done. so i think next week is the critical week. my big question that i have to democrats who haven't answered this directly yet, are they going to go it alone and do it to the reconciliation package? or are they going to punt everything, do another short-term funding bill that's clean for a couple weeks when this debt ceiling vote is actually needed? so this could go on beyond next week, chuck. >> wow, i'm shocked. congressional shenanigans will go on and not get resolved quickly. thank you all for your reporting and for getting us started. a little other developing news out of the white house. we also just learned that earlier today, president biden and the president of france, emanuel macron have spoken by phone amid the diplomatic tiff about marine sales with australia. according the a joint statement, they issued a joint statement is progress, as you can see. according to the joint statement, they addressed the matter. agreed that more consultation is needed. the statement also said though that france's investor will return to washington next week and the two will meet at the end of october to continue to try to smooth things over. meanwhile, you can hear more about the smart reporting and the new capitol hill news team in general if you will. and what is happening right now on the hill and in the next couple weeks on the next else of the chuck todd cast. also joined by garrett haake and the newest member of the team. so get the latest episode of the chuck todd cast wherever you get your podcast. up next, as president biden prepares to meet, we'll speak with tim kaine of virginia and the stand-off between progressives and moderates. t progressives and moderates manuf. i've got anywhere from 10 to 50 projects going at any given time. i absolutely have to be sharp. let me tell ya, i was struggling with my memory. it was going downhill. my friend recommended that i try prevagen and over time, it made a very significant difference in my memory and in my cognitive ability. i started to feel a much better sense of well-being. prevagen. healthier brain. better life. without my medication, my small tremors would be extreme. i was diagnosed with parkinson's. i had to retire from law enforcement. it was devastating. one of my medications is three thousand dollars per month. prescription drugs do not work if you cannot afford them. aarp is fighting for americans like larry, and we won't stop. that's why we're calling on congress to let medicare negotiate lower prescription drug prices. we gave new zzzquil pure zzzs restorative herbal sleep to people who were tired of being tired. i've never slept like this before. i've never woken up like this before. crafted with clinically studied plant-based ingredients that work naturally with your body. for restorative sleep like never before. new customers get our best deals on all smartphones. that's right. but what if i'm already a customer? 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>> well, i'll tell you. i wouldn't have used numbness. i would have used deja vu. we've seen these things happen before. and you're right. there are four big ticket items now. infrastructure, the reconciliation bill, the year end spending plan, the continuing resolution, and then the need to extend the debt to pay for debts that were largely incurred during a republican administration with a republican congress. we have those four things to do. a lot of drama about it right now. my gut tells me we'll get them done. i can't predict every chapter, every twist and turn but i've been hearing enough of these to have a strong belief. we won't shut the government down west won't default on the debt. we can't do either of those things. and then infrastructure and reconciliation, we need to get those done. democrats understand it. the biden team understands it. and the meeting with those who need to be corralled into the place where let's make decision. and i think the president will succeed in that. >> look. i understand why you're optimistic. as i said, there always seems to be a way through these things. particularly for a party in the first year of a presidency. right? you saw it with health care. we've seen it a few times. do you have a sense of what joe manchin wants? we know what he doesn't want. do you have a sense of what he wants? that seems to be, nothing else can move until we know what the bottom line is from his perspective. you know, you're geographically close to him. i know you're very friendly with him. what do you know? >> here's the way i see it. i know joe very well. we were governors together. he and i fwrorkd may until last week to basically take two voting rights bills and combine them into one that has joe manchin support. he has some concerns about reconciliation. he was key to the bill. good on him for that. joe is with us on the american rescue plan, joe is with us on voting rights. and to answer your question, i have some sense of what joe wants but i don't like to put words in joe's mouth. he can talk for him. when we need him, joe manchester yip is there and he's entitled to negotiate. i'm negotiating. i'm not doing it in public but they need my vote, too, and most of us are explaining to our leadership and the white house, we really need this. we're not so wild about that. maybe it isn't a deal breaker. we're having those conversations. at the end of the day, when it gets down to crunch time, i believe joe will be there. i believe kyrsten sinema will be there. and president biden's success will be good for the country and good for arizona and good for her. >> is it really a number issue, do you think? a cost issue? or is there some specific items you would like to see not included in reconciliation? i do feel that's why we're at this stalemate. >> i'll be generic. i'll talk about joe and others, too. for some it is the dollar figure, the total dollar figure. i'm on the budget committee and i helped negotiate between those on the committee who wanted higher than 3.5 and those who wanted lower than 3.5. so i understand people are concerned about the top line dollar amount. but i think at this point where you really get into the discussions, and then frankly, where you solve the disagreements is legislation about the top line number than programmatically, what is it we're trying to do? we are still in the midst of what is now the second most deadly event in american history after the civil war. this pandemic. people are still hit hard in this economy because the economy isn't able to take off. and we still have 30% of people not wanting to get vaccinated. a lot of folks are hurting. their health and their pocket books are hurting. we have the capacity in these two bills to help accelerate us out of this last 18 months of trouble. and so sure, there is going to be some negotiation about the program design of the community college program, or the program design of what new medicaid and medicare benefits there will be. these are things we can negotiate. and i think democrats understand that failure isn't an option here. people have needs. the president has articulated those well. we want him to be successful. >> how successful, if you were a party chair, you know how to make a transactional argument, meaning progressives, if you had 54 seats, you wouldn't need joe manchin. at the end of the day, they didn't william in iowa, north carolina, maine, so the flexibility is gone. i know prefg lawmakers make up a majority of this party right now. in the elective sense. do they know they're in the majority because of independents? >> i think most do. i won't speak for the house because i don't proclaim myself a house expert. in the senate, democratic caucus, from progressive to blue dog, people understand different states are different. they understand the politics of a guy like joe manchin. he's a senator from a state that went for trump in 2020. you know the numbers probably by 20 plus points. maebl 30 plus points. so we understand that. but what that gives you is the ability to be persuasive in your asking but it doesn't mean you're no vote. at the end of the day, joe manchin has not been a no vote when democrats have really needed something good for people, including good for west virginia. he's not a no vote. he's a yes vote. that's the way i think of him and i would be shocked if i'm proven to be wrong on this. >> one final question. if the to go it alone to deal with the debt ceiling. then just eliminate it. you're going it alone. if you have to do it this way you have to do it where you won't get any help, then take away the ability to ever take economy hostage again. >> we need another 20-minute segment to talk about how foolish the debt ceiling is in the first place. no city manages debt like this. no state manages debt like this. i've been a mayor and a governor. no household. the fed should have a debt management policy, rather than an arbitrary number. we should do it a better way. at the end of the day, look, the dems in the majority, republicans should join us because it is their debts as well as ours. and when the shoe is on the other foot, democrats the the responsible thing when president trump was in the white house on debt ceiling. if they don't join us, shame on them. but the majority are not closing down government. >> if you're going to do this, take it off the table. shouldn't this be the last time this is ever voted on if you have to do it alone? >> there are a couple ways to take it off the table. i have a vote with jeff merkley who says they can raise the debt ceiling and they can overrule it if congress doesn't like it. make it an executive addition like our treaties or other foreign policy statutes to do that it way. that would be a way to do it. that would give congress a role but only if they disagreed with the white house. >> that is a very small r republic way of thinking about it. senator tim kaine. thank you for coming on. >> glad to. coming up, an update as the cdc agrees to discuss if and when booster shots will be made widely in the united states. you're watching "meet the press daily." 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[ chuckles ] well, he may have friends, but he rides alone. that's jeremy, right there! we're literally riding together. he gets touchy when you talk about his lack of friends. can you help me out here? no matter why you ride, progressive has you covered with protection starting at $79 a year. well, we're new friends. to be fair. eh, still. did you know some deodorants may not last all day? secret works immediately! and is designed to last for up to 48 hours. with secret, keep it fresh. available in over 10 amazing scents and aluminum free. secret before discovering nexium 24hr to treat her frequent heartburn... claire could only imagine enjoying chocolate cake. now, she can have her cake and eat it too. nexium 24hr stops acid before it starts for all-day, all-night protection. can you imagine 24 hours without heartburn? welcome back. cdc advisory committee is meeting right now about booster shots as part of a two-day session on who exactly should receive a third dose of the pfizer vaccine. we haven't even gotten to the topping of a third dose of moderna. it includes only people over 65 and those at high risk for developing severe covid-19 due to underlying health conditions. certain front line workers will be eligible for a third shot. six months or so after they got their second dose. of course, these were only just recommendations. now it is out to the cdc committee to iron out the details before the boosters get their final stamp of approval and people can start showing up at cvs or walgreens and get their shot. also at the general assembly is another covid meeting. this as global one. vice president kamala harris just participated. in. during her presentation, she announced the united states will commit at least 250 million in seed funding for a new global health fund aimed at preventing the next pandemic. she called on world organizations to get the fun to at least $10 billion. president biden kicked off the virtual event this morning with events that outlined a number of lofty goals. he said the united states would donate an additional 500 million doses to low and middle income clis to help achieve adult 70% vaccination rate by next year's u.n. general assembly. about 30% of the world's population right now. today that is according to our world and data that we get only 2% of people by the way in low income countries have received at least one dose. to put all of that in context, only 4% of africa's entire population is vaccinated compared to 51% of the population of europe. then you ask yourself, should we be worried about a continent ending up with a variant? that's what happened to the sub continent of india. in addition to the challenge of getting people vaccinated, one of the other biggest covid challenges is what is happening and not napping schools. so let me bring in heidi from chicago with more on the learning losses that have been caused by the pandemic and what are the best practices to try to close the gap. or will this be something that we'll see in test scores really for the next 15 years while kids who have been dealing with this pandemic from kindergarten on. >> reporter: yeah. the data is starting to emerge here as well with some of the most underserved communities. here in chicago, for instance, in high school, one fourth of the students were just no shows. one fifth receiving failing grades in math and english and it is really important to understand why we are where we are in the human toll behind these numbers. that's why i came here, to meet with miss lank spencer. she is the single mother of two twin boys in a school in chicago's south side. just all the adversity that her family has faced to bring us to this point. she lost several family members to covid including her father. they experienced homeless know for a time. malfunctioning computer equipment, and for her, help cannot arrive soon enough. >> academically, they are way behind. i had tried to get them some tutoring that was unsuccessful with covid. so i'm still trying that right now. socially and emotionally, it is just a lot going on with them. i think the school systems are not dealing with the social and emotional learning these kids need. they need outside resources. they need counseling and mental health counsellors and they haven't been provided. >> this is a nationwide problem. it was found that if these games are not addressed, they threaten to follow these children far into adulthood. even though they have a high dosage tutoring program here that chicago is touting, she said she has yet to hear from anyone and her kids are in critical need of counseling services, tutoring services. she said they will need a lot of stance to get to college. >> we know a lot of parents who can try to get extra help are doing it and it is creating a wide yepping gap. public schools have a real struggle on their hands for parents who don't have the same resources that others do. thank you for putting a spotlight this learning loss issue. up next, two crises colliding. this is one people have to sit here and semi. how climate change is exasperating an already and dire migration situation. we got a first hand fluke guatemala. how families are struggling to survive as crops dry up and it forces more and more people to go desperately to one place. the united states. you're watching "meet the press daily." tes. you're watching "meet the press daily. ♪ kraft. for the win win. ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ welcome to allstate. where you can pay a little less and enjoy the ride a little more. ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ now, get new lower auto rates with allstate. because better protection costs a whole lot less. you're in good hands with allstate. click or call for a lower auto rate today. welcome back. the devastating effects of climate change in south america is complicating the southern border. in places like guatemala, farming is becoming an increasingly difficult task and people are simply facing starvation. it is forcing families between staying and suffering or leaving and making an unpredictable dangerous journey north to the u.s. border. our own megan fitzgerald has a lot more from guatemala as part of the climate challenge series. >> reporter: from high above, this looks like a lush land scape. when you people back the layers, a very different story. these fields are ravaged, crops inedible. million of guatemalaants are on the brink of starvation. are you scared? jose vasquez is struggling to feed his family. the father of four says his crops are being destroyed by climate change. what's the problem with this? [ speaking spanish ] >> reporter: that's because the soil is rapidly deteriorating, with extented periods of drought followed by torrential rain. the warming climate causing more catastrophic weather events. in 2020, two category 4 hurricanes hit central america in the span of two weeks, washing out entire villages in guatemala. climatologists warn it will only get worse and disfrom portionately impact impoverished countries. he takes us in his home where his wife does the little she can with what little they have. how long do you think this will last? two days worth of food. so it's a constant hunt for food. nearly half the children are malnourished. in rural areas, the number soars above 50%. the government is stepping in providing food for families in need to help starving children. these women walked miles to be here so their babies could be monitored. malnutrition has severely stunted their growth. like her 13-month-old daughter, isabella. she lives in this room with her three children, dirt floors and walls made of flax. she said she does the little she can with what little she has but worries that it may not be enough to save her severely malnourished baby girl. what do you fear most for your baby? for millions of guatemalans, this is life. it boils down to one thing. survival. the climate crisis fueling the crisis at the u.s. border. hundreds of thousands so desperate, they're making the dangerous trek north. like darwin mendez, he tried crossing three times. he now owes smugglers $30,000, in a place where they make $6 a day. he'll try again because he can't support his family with his crops now practically bare. for so many, it is a choice between starvation. a reality as the climate crisis tightens its grip, forcing people to the extremes. in guatemala, nbc news. >> great reporting there by my colleague on the importance of putting all of this migration issue in context. a lot of this is being driven by climate change. up next, as the humanitarian crisis mounts at the border, so does the political crisis for the biden administration. i'll speak with henne quellar about what he thinks needs to be done. you're watching "meet the press daily." you're watching "meet th daily. my credit card debt. i needed just one simple way to pay it all off. it was an easy decision to apply with sofi loans, just based on the interest rate and how much i would be saving. there was only one that stood out and one that actually made sense and that was sofi personal loans. it felt so freeing. i felt like i was finally out of this neverending trap of interest and payments and debt. ♪♪ [slow electronic notes fade in] [fast upbeat music begins] interest and payments and debt. 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>> you know, first we have to understand that the border communities are overwhelmed. i've heard from folks in the del rio area, from the county judge, the mayor down there. i don't represent that area, that's represented by my good friend tony gonzalez. they're asking for help. that's the first thing that they knead to look at, is those border communities. second of all, of course -- >> let me stop you there. what does help look like? when they say they need help, what does that mean specifically? >> yeah, first of all, we have to make sure nobody is released in the area, make sure that they take care of those migrants that need the food and the assistance. but at the same time, you know, when you have a small community of 35,000 and you get one-third of the population of people that want to come in, it causes confusion. i talked to them, they are very frustrated by what's happening at the border. yes, we've got to listen to the immigration activists, but at the same time you also have to listen to the border communities. and certainly you've got to listen to the men and women in green and in blue that are providing that. and that has a ripple effect. chuck, they closed the border checkpoints in laredo for 12 hours because they were told send every available border patrol agent. so that left those roads open for people who smuggle drugs, or people. it has a ripple effect across the border in so many ways. >> at this point is it possible to both be empathic and have sort of strict rules about what can come in and out? i mean, look, what do you do with these haitian migrants? i mine, to send them back to a country they haven't been to in ten years is pretty tough medicine. they have nowhere to go back to. this is not an easy answer. what's your prescription? >> certainly can you do both at the same time, absolutely. let me give you an example. president biden and secretary jeh johnson, they treated the immigrant, the migrants with respect and dignity. but at the same time, they followed the law. if they're not supposed to be here, nun with all due respect, you have to send them back. and you don't have to send them to haiti. as you mentioned, some of those folks were flying in as tourists into mexico, whether it was from chile, brazil, ecuador, the other countries. so you send them back to the countries where they were at. and again, i understand what's happening in haiti and we have to provide assistance. but if you read the asylum law, the assassination of a president is not a reason to come in under asylum. an earthquake, even though it's terrible, doesn't allow you to come into the united states under the asylum law. or even cartel violence, that doesn't fall under the asylum law. so if we change the law, that's one thing. but under the law, yes, you can treat people with respect. president obama and secretary jeh johnson did that. so yes, there is an example of a playbook we can follow. i know some of my more progressive democrats don't like what president obama did, they call him the commander of deportation. but i'll tell you something about president obama and secretary jeh johnson, they treated people with respect but they followed the law. otherwise why have laws on the books? >> so right before you came on, we did a story about the dire agricultural conditions in guatemala. we profiled a farmer and his family, he can't produce crops, he's tried three times to get in and failed to get in and will try again because he's desperate. what should american policy be towards guatemala? this is the conundrum. if we don't help make these places survivable, there's only one place they feel like they can come and survive. >> right, and this is why back in 2014 i myself and kay granger, a democrat and republican on the house side, created monies, $750 million that went to the central american countries. we worked with then vice president joe biden and worked with the senate. we have appropriated over $3.5 million. the money has to go directly to small farmers, microbusinesses. yes, i want to provide money for them. i want to make sure we work on the push factors, the crowd situations, the hurricanes that have come in, the people are hurting there. yes, we have to be more flexible and faster, because at one time the state department was helping up to $800 million that could have gone out there. it wasn't president trump. it was the state department that was not moving fast enough because congress happened to put all this criteria on how you provide the money. and look, we're working with guatemala. you do know that there's a problem with el salvador and honduras, and the u.s. doesn't really want to work with them. you can't have a perfect world. you've got to work with other countries and not look for the perfect situation to work with those countries. >> yeah, that's been the problem, we know where the money needs to go, we don't always trust the partners that we have in-country to help make that money work. congressman henry cuellar, democrat from south texas, thank you for being with us. and thank you all for being with us. geoff bennett after this break. . change in plans. at fidelity, a change in plans is always part of the plan. instantly clear everyday congestion with vicks sinex saline. for fast drug free relief vicks sinex. instantly clear everyday congestion. and try vicks sinex children's saline. safe and gentle relief for children's noses. at usaa, we've been called too exclusive. because we were created for officers. but as we've evolved with the military, we've grown to serve all who've honorably served. no matter their rank, or when they were in. a marine just out of basic, or a petty officer from '73. and even his kids. and their kids. usaa is made for all who've honorably served and their families. are we still exclusive? 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