reporters are waiting for press secretary sean spicer to take questions. cnn will take you there live as soon as that briefing begins. lots of news happening today. we're also staked out up on capitol hill. sleep-deprived members of the house energy and commerce committee are still debating the gop health care bill. they've been at this now for more than 24 hours. so far, each party's leader is refusing to budge. >> this is the closest we will ever get to repealing and replacing obamacare. the time is here, the time is now. this is the moment. >> republicans are racing this bill forward before the cbo can truly expose the consequences, the catastrophic consequences of their health bill. and this is in stark contrast to when we passed the bill.

>> all this as president trump is courting lawmakers and republican conservative groups opposing the bill. according to those at a meeting yesterday, the president revealed his plan if -- if the republican effort is not successful. let obamacare fail, he says, and then blame democrats. the white house will likely be pressed on this strategy during today's briefing. that's coming up momentarily. also expected to come up, the president's still unproven allegation of wiretapping by his predecessor. and the wikileaks document dump detailing the cia's alleged surveillance techniques. our senior white house correspondent jim acosta is in the white house briefing room getting ready for the briefing. our national politics reporter m.g. lee is up on capitol hill. jim, opposition to the republican health care bill seems to be growing from key industry groups and plenty of conservatives out there. does the white house believe it can sway that opposition?

>> they are confident that they can win this argument in the end, but they certainly have a big hill to climb at this point, wolf. no question about it. you can tell this is top of mind for the president because he tweeted it right in the middle of that presentation that was given by house speaker paul ryan at the capitol. walking reporters through the ins and outs of his health care proposal. sort of a ted talk or powerpoint presentation. it was in the middle of that presentation that the president put out this tweet. essentially acknowledging some of the concerns that are out there about this health care initiative in the republican party. and he said that, despite everything that you're hearing in the media right now that all this is going to end in a, quote, beautiful picture. the picture is not so beautiful right now when you talk to republicans. there are a group of tea party conservatives at the white house meeting in the oval office with the president. i talked to some sources in the room last night with the president who said they have very big concerns about what's

being proposed over on the house side. they don't like this idea of offering tax credits as financial assistance to people who can't afford health insurance. they see that as a subsidy like what's already in obamacare. and they don't like the fact this medicaid fix that's going to be pushed off until 2020. they'd like to see that happen in january of 2018, as in next year. according to one source i talked to, there was some willingness on the part of the white house to accept that as a potential compromise. so that's, obviously, going to rile some of those moderate republicans in the senate who will be needed ed ted to push r the finish line. they are dealing with a very, very tough task ahead. and sort of, i think appreciating what president obama went through when he took some two years to get obamacare passed and signed into law. but make no mistake. when you have senator tom cotton tweeting this morning that the house republicans should just

start over again, that's not the kind of reception they were hoping for over here at the white house. >> certainly not. we'll get more on tom cotton's warning to his house friends over there. house republicans. another important issue, wikileaks wiretapping allegations, jim. both expected to come up at the briefing. you're there. have we heard directly from the president or vice president on either of these issues? >> you know, i think the last time, and there's a lot of reporters in this room so they can all correct me, but the last time the president took a question from us was on that aircraft carrier last thursday. now there might have been some individual reporters here and there who have had a chance to ask the president a question. he's not had a chance to weigh in on camera on a whole range of issues whether it's this baseless wiretapping allegation that he's made against the president, accusing the former president obama of committing a crime and bugging trump tower. an outlandish claim that's not been supported by any evidence at this point. the president has not commentod

that. and we've also not heard him weigh in on wikileaks. he was asked about it this morning. here's what happened. >> document dump from wikileaks. any thoughts? >> all right. i'm going to interrupt you, jim. sean spicer is now at the lectern in the briefing room. let's listen in. >> thank you to cnn viewers around the world. good to see you guys. good morning, everyone. it's nice to -- thank you all. appreciate the -- john roberts fact checking from the seat. good morning. good afternoon. it's not my fault. it's on the paper. after receiving his daily intelligence briefing this morning, the president led a national economic council at a listening session with ceos of small and community banks. since 2008, the number of small banks has declined 30%. the dramatic increase in regulation following the financial crisis has been a

major driving force in the decline of these banks. dodd/frank alone has resulted in 22,000 pages of new regulations. while large banks can hire armies of compliance officers whose sole purpose it is to ensure they meet the ever growing number of regulations, it increases the cost of doing business for community banks leading some not to engage in some forms of lending or simply due to the time and costs involved. our community banks are key funding sources for small business owners, entrepreneurs, farmers and ranchers across the country. many of whom can't qualify for traditional loans. they provide approximately half of all loans to small businesses. by reforming the regulatory system so that it's efficient, effective and appropriately tailored, we'll stop treating these institutions in our communities the same as banks that have more in assets enabling them to engage even more with small businesses and entrepreneurs that stimulate local economies. the banks participating in these

listening associations are members of the american banking associate and independent community bankers of america. a full list is available to those who are interested. yesterday i noted the continued signs of good news in our economy in terms of hiring and the morning reports showed that consumer comfort has risen to the highest level in a decade. illegal southwest border crossings are down by 40%. significant deviation even when you consider the seasonal friends. both the economy and the border are responding to the president's agenda even while we're still in the beginning stages of puttings his policies in place. the country and the world are clearly ready and waiting for the change the president campaigned on and is already delivering. right now the president is holding a legislative affairs luncheon with mulvaney and key members of congress on the federal budget and repeal and replace that we've talked about. this is just the latest opportunity to continue the dialogue between the president

and members on capitol hill on turning his ambitious agenda into action. the strong relationship between president and congressional leaders will be key as the budget process moves along. as director mulvaney has been saying, our budget blueprint will be released in mid-march and the president is working collaboratively with both his cabinet and congress to create a think about that keeps the president's promises to secure the country and make the most efficient use of taxpayer money. in attendance are senator crepo, the chairman of the senate bachking committee, chairman cochran, the senate chairman of the senate appropriate jobs committee, senator mike enzee, senator bob corker of the senate, congresswoman black, the chairman of the house budget committee, congressman thornbury, congressman jim jordan of ohio, congressman meadows of north carolina, the chairman of the house freedom caucus, and congressman rokita of indiana.

later this afternoon, the president will meet with pete meterson. then the president has a meeting with kelly and the director of the ceo mike pompeo. finally, the president will make remarks to the senate youth program around 4:00. a tradition that begin with president kennedy and has continued through every administration. the president's honored to be speaking to this distinguished group of young men and women who are interested in pursuing careers in public service. i also want to mention right about now the vice president is giving the keynote remarks at the latino coalition policy summit. his remarks focus on the negative impact of obamacare on small businesses, many of who have been unable to hire more workers or forced to scale down their operation due to high taxes and burdensome requirements imposed by the law. the president's dedicated to improving health care system for every american, including small business owners who have especially have had to suffer through complying with thousands of pages of regulations and

rules. that's exactly why he's working with congress to enact the american health care act which he was glad to wake up and see approved by the house ways and means committee. also the president was pleased to see his ambassador to israel, david freeman voted out of xhpt we'd hoped to see seema verma who would be confirmed as the administrator of health centers for medicare and medicaid services at the department of health and human services. unfort notally, senate democrats continue to unnecessarily delay her confirmation. at this critical time when we're talking about health case, it's ironic they refuse to consider someone with such amazing expertise in this area. seema verma has worked for over 20 years in health care policy. she has redesign eed medicaid programs in indiana, iowa, ohio and kentucky. she's worked with governors offices, state medicaid agencies, state health departments, state departments of insurance and private companies and foundations. she's unquestionably and

uniquely qualified for her position and especially now that health reform is at the top of the president's agenda, it's time to get her in place. this delay by senate democrats at this critical time is unacceptable. on a scheduling note for the weekend, the vice president announced yesterday that he'll be in louisville, kentucky, on saturday with governor bevin. the vice president's office will have further details for you on that trip as we get closer. finally, want to take a moment to acknowledge today is the ten-year anniversary of the disappearance of former fbi agent robert levinson from iran. the trump administration remains unwavering in our commitment to locate mr. levinson and bring him home. the levinson family has suffered far too long, and we will not rest until his case is resolved. and with that, i'll take your questions. hallie jackson. >> i have a couple of topics for you if you don't find. julian assange says the cia has lost control of its entire

cyberweapons arsenal. does the president agree? >> as we've commented before, there's grave concern that the president has about the release of national security and classified information that threatens and undermines our nation's security. obviously, he believes that the systems at the cia are outdated and need to be updated. we're not commenting on the current situation as we've -- as u.s. government policy. but i think the situation technologywise at the cia, the president acknowledged needs to be updated. the cia put out a statement regarding the current situation. >> is he going to talk about that with mike pompeo today? >> he gets a daily briefing from the director. i'm not privy to the contents of his discussion. obviously, issues of national security, including that are probably something that gets discussed. >> and then some republicans have said julian assange should be in prison. does the president agree? >> the u.s. government has had a position on jewel yulian asaun

position in the past. i'll leave it up to the department of justice to further comment on their disposition of him. >> second topic -- second two topics. >> an interview not a press conference. >> the president tweeted just a little bit ago that he believes health care is coming along great. we've also been watching paul ryan deliver a lengthy power point presentation. >> very good. >> aimed at convincing republicans to get on board. isn't that a sign that health care is not coming along great? >> i think anybody who has been in washington for a few days or longer recognizes that any major piece of legislation takes a lot of explanation. the president has been very committed to talking to members of congress. another meeting last night. something as complicated as this that deals with one-fifth of our economy, a major takeover of our health care system, isn't a simple thing. it's a major, complicated piece of legislation that's got three prongs to it. n this is the first one.

the reconciliation piece that starts to chip away at finally repealing obamacare. when they passed obamacare, they rushed it so quick they gave the then secretary of health and human services great authority to enact certain aspects of it. that would be our phase two is having secretary price go through the pieces of obamacare he's been given the authority to when they passed it to help unwind a lot of things they did and phase three has to be done through other pieces of legislation that does stuff like allow people to sell insurance across state lines that allows small businesses to pool. there's been a lot of facets to getting this pushed through. one of the things we've been able to do effectively is talk to members, especially in the house but the vice president has been very active on both chambers to communicate how this is a comprehensive strategy and three prongs to repeal and replace it with something more effective. >> will he, for example, roll

back medicare -- >> hallie, this is going through the process of -- it's working its way through ways and means. today there's a mark-up in the house energy and commerce committee. and i think that's where we're going to continue to see action in the house and then when it goes to the senate, the president will continue to engage with the house and senate to get this done. >> one at a time. >> thank you. mccray said in a statement that donald trump should keep his hands on women's bodies, and women's health care. i want to know what the response from the white house was on this. >> well, with respect to planned parenthood, specifically, the president is very clear he's pro-life. he is -- we've worked with them to talk about making sure that there's a difference between taxpayer funding of abortion and women's health services. we have -- and the president has

committed to making sure that funds for women health community centers is going to be reflected by a substantial increase in his budget. he's committed to doing that and he's trying to figure out a way to make sure the focus of taxpayer money is spread toward community centers that provide vital health services to women and that we're not using taxpayer funds for abortion. >> john roberts? >> just want to follow on hallie -- >> which one? >> an unrelated topic. on health care, senator tom cotton sent out a series of tweets in which he said this is dead on arrival. go back to the drawing board adding it's absurd for the committees to be voting on something that hasn't been scored yet. what does the president think of what senator cotton said today? does he plan on having a conversation with him? >> well, we're going to engage. he has talked to senator cotton. we'll continue to talk to any senator that has questions or concerns or ideas. it went through the ways and means committee last night. i think they started something

like 10:15 yesterday morning. it was an 18-hour -- i don't believe he's met with senator cotton. he had dinner with senator cruz. i think you're going to see a very aggressive, very robust push. we continue to have the team out doing -- talking to local media, local radio, talking to local leaders. we believe the more we talk about the comprehensive three-prong approach that we have to doing a lot of the things that conservatives have talked about to bring back cost containment to get people to be more patient centered in the health care decisions they make is going to bring people on board. the thing that's really interesting, john, about the current approach is that no matter where you are, especially on the conservative side, you cannot possibly believe that the current health care system is an effective program. it is a monstrosity. it's a government gone wrong.

and i think -- >> [ inaudible ]. >> we'll continue to engage with him and other members of the house and senate that have ideas. but it's going to continue to work its way through the process. it went through the house ways and means committee. currently going through the house energy and commerce committee. when the house passes it and it goes to the senate, i'm sure senator cotton and other senators will have an opportunity to have their say. that's part of the process. we welcome his ideas and his thoughts as we do with other senators. the president has continued to do tremendous outreach. and our staff has continued to do that. mick mulvaney has been on the hill. vice president pence has maintained an aggressive schedule and other members of the administration. we'll get this passed with all their input and ideas. >> was the president aware that lieutenant general michael flynn was acting as a foreign agent when he appointed him to be the national security adviser? >> i don't believe that that was known. i would refer you to general flynn and to the department of justice in terms of the filings

made. >> had the president have known that, would he have appointed him? >> that's a hypothetical i'm not prepared to answer. i don't know what he discussed prior to being appointed in terms of his background, resume, client base. i don't know any of that. from what i've read, he has filed the appropriate forms with the department of justice, and you should ask him and subsequently them if you have any questions about the specific filing. >> following up on senator cotton. he told me a short while ago he believes this bill might actually make things worse than the current obamacare. what do you say to senator cotton? >> i respectfully disagree, and i think that we -- i hope we have an opportunity for the team to continue to not only talk to him about what we're trying to do and how we're trying to do it but that we would love to hear his ideas. as i mentioned, we're not jamming this down people's throat. we're welcoming ideas and thoughts. we think this is a great vehicle

to restore a patient-centered health care bill to drive down costs. and i think senator cotton clearly recognizes the current version of health care out there right now is it's not sustainable. and so we welcome him -- his input into this process. we think that the work that we've done prior to putting this together with the house is something that reflects a lot of the best ideas and we'd continue to welcome his input in this. >> are you open to -- >> charlie? >> i'm not open to it. i think the president -- >> major changes or -- >> i think the president has said he wants to hear members' ideas. he believes this bill encompasses the best of ideas and the best way forward. but again, we're going to let the process work its way through the house and through the senate. if members have ideas, we want to hear them and want to be part of it. it's not -- this isn't getting jammed through. n we welcome that. that's why the president continues to meet with folks. he met with individuals yesterday. he's going to meet with them

today. he's going to be hitting the road. he wants to hear members of congress outside groups, physicians, health care providers, patients. but he wants people to have an unput to make sure we have the best possible bill that serves their needs and we don't look back like we do with obamacare and say, i wish we had done this right. we have a system that isn't working. and no matter where you are in the political spectrum, you have to admit that either you or a loved one or friend or colleague isn't getting the care they deserve or paying what they thought they'd be paying. we have to do this right so we don't look back the way we do now and regret the way it was done. charlie? >> senate and house conservatives said they want a return to the 2015 obamacare repeal effort. if that effort landed on the president's desk, would he sign it? >> i think the effort that's going through right now is the vehicle that's got -- is what people are on board with. one of the things we have to

remember is that the process, this three-prong process is done for a particular reason. the reconciliation process, which i know for most people, it sounds like a very arcane, inside baseball congressional term, but it only allows for certain things to happen in that repeal process. and that's why we've been very clear, and i think paul ryan laid out, dr. price has laid it out, mick mulvaney is laying it out when he comes up to the hill. there's a reason we keep talking about it in three prongs. there's only so many things you're legally allowed to do through the reconciliation process. when the democrats jam this through, they did it in a way that they did it basically in two steps. they jammed it through the reconciliation process, and number two, they gave broad authority to the secretary of health and human services at the time that she could unilaterally do certain things with health kaur and implement certain things we have to undo in the same way. what we've done is add a third

prong which allows for additional legislative vehicles that will go through the house and senate that will allow core conservative principles we've talked about for decades, about allowing more competition, allowing people to pool and to do things we think will allow lower prices to come out of the process. that's a big difference in how -- >> if a repeal lands on the president's desk -- >> it is going to land on his desk because we'll go through this process. >> repeal without replace? >> again, i think the way that we're doing now is the right and the responsible way to do this. this bill will land on the president's desk. he will sign it. we will repeal obamacare and put in a system patient centered that will allow the american people to have greater choice and lower cost. >> -- you're getting so far with health care. do you think it's realistic to have a health care and tax reform done in 2017? i ask you that because mitch mcconnell was asked about this

and he talked about certain constraints and the tax reform portion of it could be a 2018 item. >> we feel very confident we'll get a lot done. continue to get a lot done this year. tax reform is high on the president's priority list. it's high on the american people's priority list. especially as april grows closer n closer n people look down at their federal tax form and realize how much they are paying and we see companies pledging to come back recognizing that these companies bought into the president's vision and agenda to make america more tax and regulatory friendly so that they'd create jobs, manufacture more here. that's something that he is committed to. he understands how important it is. the president's uniquely qualified as a businessman. a successful businessman, to understand what a good business climate does to job creation and to manufacturing. and i think his commitment isn't just a campaign promise. it's something that he has lived

by for decades now, understanding that that's what spurs economic growth. that makes one place more attractive to investing or to hire more people or to grow jobs. and so for him, this is deeply personal. and i think that you're going to see secretary mnuchin and others work on the contours of that in the next several weeks. we intend to maintain to the schedule he laid out. >> the portion is still the timeline? >> that's right. ayman? >> on drug prices, elijah cummings was here yesterday. he said the president was enthusiastic about his bill to cut drug prices? is the president enthusiastic about that, and if he is, how much pain should drug companies be prepared to take during this? >> ironic you're talking about drug companies and pain. maybe there's a pill for that. i think the president, as you know, one of the reasons he reached out to elijah cummings

is because they share that and yesterday came to a lot of other areas where they can find common ground and work on other issues. and i know that drug prices is something that he understands near and dear is helping many people get the care that they need but the rising cost is something that is -- so as we look at the vehicle in terms of the specific legislation, they share a commitment to it. and i think that there will be continued follow-ups as to what the best piece of legislation is and how we get that home. >> democrats said they'll draft this bill in two weeks. is the president prepared to push -- >> i think that's a bigger conversation that we have to have with house leadership in terms of some -- maybe it is that right vehicle. maybe speaker ryan and leader mccarthy and chairman brady have other ways to achieve the same goal or work with congressman cummings. i don't wantprescriptive to the house.

the president wants to work with congressman cummings and others who share that. >> thanks so much, sean. john gizzy. i'll come back. >> thank you, sean. two questions. and first, a japanese news service is reporting this morning that the president will have a meeting with president xi jinping of china in april. does this mean that there is a new meeting before their scheduled meet at the g20 in july? >> i'm not going to comment on the president's schedule or foreign leader visits at this time, john. i've pretty much gotten that one down. so until i have something further for you, i'm just going to let you get on to your next question. >> all right. thank you. going back to the meeting and to your opening statement about the banks, in the last campaign, candidate trump campaigned hard

on restoring the glass/steagall act which would put a barrier between commercial and major investment banks. it of course was repealed in 1999 and the repeal signed by president clinton. senator sanders campaigned on this as well. noted that it was in the republican platform in cleveland and said in december he'd be happy to work with the trump administration on restoring glass/steagall. is there any plans for the president to meet with senator sanders, and is repeal of glass/steagall on his agenda? >> there's no current schedule to meet with him. i'm sure as he has done with several other members of congress, from both sides of the aisle, at some point that will be scheduled. we don't have anything on the books for now. he's shown and today was -- or yesterday was another example. today another example of his willingness to reach across the aisle he

aisle. his willingness to look into both chambers. not just business but labor union and other industries where we can find common ground. if senator sanders and others want to work with the white house on areas of ways that we can improve the financial industry, we're going to do that. >> still committed to restoring glass/steagall? >> yes. erin? >> on infrastructure, can you give us a sense of timing where it is on the priority list and if these new reports say the infrastructure is in really bad shape, does that give it new urgency? >> the president mentioned in the joint address, we're looking at a public/private partnership as a funding mechanism. there's a lot of work being done behind the scenes. i don't want to put a timeline on that. obviously, we've got -- currently dealing with the repeal and replace of health care. we need to move on to tax reform but that's definitely somewhere that we're trying to figure out how to move that vehicle. there will be further discussion of that as we get closer to the budget as to where that fits in

to the piece. john decker. >> the president last evening at the white house with some conservative groups. out of that meeting, can you tell us whether the president was successful in twisting arms, getting these conservative groups to back this particular health care bill? and i see on the president's campaign website that there is a campaign-style rally planned in nashville, tennessee, next week. can you confirm that, and why did you choose nashville, tennessee? there's a democrat iic congressn that represents nashville, tim cooper. are you hoping to get some democrats behind this bill? >> on the first part, you saw a lot of the statements that came out last night from various groups. they were very encouraging. their guiding principle is we want to get to yes. one of the things that's really interesting and i addressed it earlier, is that there's a lot of -- a lot of members, a lot of interested parties, a lot of groups that haven't fully heard

the three-pronged approach. speaker ryan did a phenomenal job of laying this out. dr. price did a good job. people need to understand the totality and comprehensive nature of this. there are three pieces of it. what happens sometimes is that the reconciliation piece of this and the totality of it and people need to understand. the health care advocates and conservatives have fought for a long time that allow greater competition that allow small businesses to pool those resources together. there's a lot of things that occur in phase two and phase three that help bring down costs and create greater choice. it's amazing when you listen to some of these meetings how often people say, i didn't realize that and didn't understand the full scope and totality of what the plan was. it's very encouraging, and then i think without getting into details, they've shared some ideas with the president that we might be able to find common

ground on. so we'll take it one step at a time. go ahead. >> and then on the campaign style rally. >> i think the president is going to be traveling next week. and then the details of that are listed on the campaign site. there's going to be additional travel on the official side and as we get closer to the end of this week or beginning of next week, i'll try to have more for you. >> how can a promise to immediately terminate daca. it's been nearly seven weeks tomorrow and you still haven't done it. can you definitively say if he's going to get rid of daca and is he giving them legal status and what's the plan for d.r.e.a.m.ers? >> we've talked about the status of that and how many steps we have to go through on immigration. we've made significant headway in achieving the president's priorities. starting the wall, driving down illegal immigration. the numbers show even when seasonally adjusted we see a 40%

dip in people crossing our southern border. that's a very promising sign. that being said, the execute uf order, the second one, there was a lot of effort put into making sure that was rolled out effectively and achieved the goal of protecting the country the president sought to do initially. we're continuing to take steps on immigration, both legal and illegal immigration. and as i mentioned, we'll have more as we go forward. >> so he does still plan to get rid of daca? >> the president has been very clear about how he plans to address immigration as a whole both legal and illegal. katie? >> the president's meeting with conservative groups. there's also opposition on the left. does he plan to -- he brought bipartisanship to washington. does the president plan to meet with the ama, aarp, which supported obamacare but are not supporting this bill? >> it would be ill advised for me to start saying who he is going to, but what we've shown over the last couple of weeks is the president's willingness to

meet with individuals, senators, groups. i don't want to rule in who going to meet. i've said with respect to members and with respect to groups that i think if people have ideas that will help provide a more patient-centered health care system that drives down cost, the president and the team here will be willing to meet with them. i don't to be prescriptive in terms of telling them who they have to meet with. their day is pretty busy with the hill. but i'll get back to you on some of the other groups they'll meet with. brian? >> two quick questions. one, this morning at the national press club, a local business in d.c. filed a superior court suit against the president in regarding the trump hotel. and there's -- i don't expect you to speak to that issue specifically, but their feeling was as much as this administration has supported small business, couldn't they divest themselves from this and support small business in the district? first question. >> i'm really not sure how --

how would he, in terms of what. >> there's 25 small businesses, restaurants in the area. they're saying the trump hotel is taking all that business away from them and could he walk away from it and help out the small businesses. >> as far as the president's -- obviously, the president has made very clear in that december press conference at trump tower, he doesn't have conflicts, and he's done everything in accordance with the guidance he's given and gone well beyond what he ever needed to do. but, obviously, you know, you can't -- your name is on certain things and that's a very big difference. in terms of some of the properties he owns. but he understands the importance of small business. that's why we're meeting with community banks to talk about the lending they need. farmers, ranchers, throughout the country. he understands the role of small business in our economy. and how many jobs they provide and he's been a champion of it. >> second question was, in his

speech before congress last week, he said it wouldn't -- it's not too much to dream at some point in time. i'm paraphrasing. with the nasa budget being released yesterday, i believe, is there a major initiative by this administration for space exploration? or is that -- we're just talking dreams? >> i'm going to let director mulvaney get into the details of the budget next week. or whenever that -- i'm trying to remember the calendar here. but when the director comes out, he'll talk about the specific funding levels. as you know, we're in the middle of this pass back provision where we've sent some numbers. they're sending us back their recommendations and observations and edits and questions with respect to their budget. so we're going to take this one step at a time. >> does he -- when he said -- >> obviously, he's very keen on america's role in space, and i don't want to get into specific

budget priorities or numbers until we're ready to release them. >> you called on me. >> sorry. >> it's very important. >> i know. i saw the hands right away. >> so, really fast, following up on john, we're seeing the campaign information for next week in nashville. who have you said something about talking to the campaign? who is the campaign? >> i'll try to get you a name. there's a campaign infrastructure still in place. it would be inappropriate to comment on campaign activities from the podium. there's a website up. same one during the campaign and i would suggest that you utilize that. but i don't -- i'm not here as -- i'm only here as an official of the government. i don't want to get into that. >> yesterday, going back to congressman cummings, you talked about some other issues they talked about in that meeting. i want to hit two issues. the voter irregularities, fraud and voter suppression. where does the president see this coming together? we heard from congressman cummings.

but where does he see -- we understand he was saying that voter fraud is real when there are other people saying it's not but then there are factual documents and cases of voter suppression. so what does -- how is there a marrying of this in this president's eyes? >> that's why he's asked vice president pence to look into it. i would disagree with the ascertation that there's also factual evidence of people voting illegally. s we saw that in texas a few weeks ago and other places. part of the reason he's having vice president pence to task this issue. and it's an area they'll continue to discuss. sarah? >> now also, congressman cummings said that when he talked to the president and he brought up the issue of funding for agencies, president trump said to congressman cummings that the president did not ask for money. now they came here, according to

many of those that i've canvassed, they came here with the fact that they were going to get some money from this executive order. and -- >> i don't think the executive order -- >> but they were -- that's what their belief was. but then what i understand that there was talk about investment in these colleges from steve bannon. one president wrote this down saying that we are looking for a plan from you to invest in hbcus and we will execute it when we get it. and so they're looking for full funding for title 3 pell grant full funding, fall, spring and one-time $25 billion investment. what does this white house think about this plan that they're trying to give back to this white house, especially at a time when you are looking at cutting domestic spending. >> when they were here, we were pleased to roll out the executive order that talked about making historically black colleges and universities a priority in this administration.

moving that sort of point person into the white house so that we can coordinate with a whole of government opportunities for -- we talked about this. looking at the different educational opportunities that expand government. whether it's health or investment in sciences or even stuff like rotc programs that are some of these that span out of the department of defense. we've got to look at how we're providing government assistance in a whole host of ways to historically black colleges and universities. i think the issue of funding will be properly addressed in the budget. and at that time. but, obviously, this is something that's been discussed. the president -- >> is this funding request -- >> april, i'm not going to negotiate the budget from here. but i think that the president has been made very clear that the vital role that they play in our society. and i think he has shown that initially by the executive order that he unveiled, and we'll have further information for you as we get closer to the budget.

sara? >> certainly back to what you said about critics characterizing the budget reconciliation bill as the entirety of repeal/replace, how quickly does the president want to see republicans move on phase three, the companion legislation? does he envision those unfolding simultaneously and then given the early opposition to the budget reconciliation bill, does the president maybe want republicans to recalibrate their strategy when it comes to that companion legislation? >> i am not going to start to tell speaker ryan or leader mccarthy or the whip mr. scalise how to release and when to release information. but obviously we need to make sure that members and all americans understand the totality of this. so at a schedule they see fit, and i'll let them unveil that schedule. they talk about the totality of this plan and the comprehensive nature and all three prongs that make up the repeal and replace

part of this. it's important, i think, for people who do understand there's a commitment to do all those things we've talked about, whether it's pooling or across state lines. there's a lot of principles and things we've discussed that i think are important to let people -- to know about. i'm going to -- >> what is your assessment of the situation in afghanistan because there has been a series of attacks there and sending additional troops to afghanistan? >> on troops, i refer you to the department of defense on that one. we are in the middle of a comprehensive review on our policy in afghanistan that working with our afghan partners in the department of defense and our key military leaders to create an approach to address afghanistan, to defeat isis. so i -- we're in the middle of that proerks acess, but i think department of defense is probably the best place to go to

get that. trey? >> today hundreds of u.s. marines were deployed to syria. so i'm wondering how involved was the president in that decision-making process and is this part of his wider anti-isis strategy? >> obviously, the president was made aware of that. this was something done in consultation. he understands the regional issues that need to be addressed there and i would refer you back to the department of defense on that. >> sean, thank you. i have a follow-up to hallie's first set of questions. calling for julian assange to be in jail or to be arrested. what about the tech companies he says he'll work with to give them the cia hacking techniques? should there be any legal repercussions for tech companies willing to sort of embrace and use this technology that you are taking a stance against, if you will. >> so number one, i'll go back

to the statement that we don't comment on validating or authenticating allegations of this sort as a u.s. government -- in terms of u.s. government policy. i will say that, you know, the president obviously feels deeply concerned about anybody, an individual, anybody that seeks to undermine the national security of our country. i don't want to, as -- stay within my purview here, but i do think that i would check with the department of justice in particular about if a program or a piece of information is classified, it remains classified regardless of whether or not it's released into the public venue or not. so i would just suggest someone consult with them regarding the legal repercussions of any individual or entity using any piece of still classified information or technique or product that hasn't been declassified. there's a reason we have classification levels, and that's to protect our country

and our people. and that's something that we have to maintain regardless of how it's laid out. >> two questions for you. one, back to general flynn. how concerning is it to the president and to the white house that a registered foreign agent was selected to become -- was the national security adviser for a brief period of time? >> look, i think this is what he did for a living. he talked to -- as the president said in the press conference, talking to individuals that are within the realm of the duties you're going to perform is part of our job. >> [ inaudible ]. >> i understand that. he was being compensated. he wasn't, you know, being compensated as part of the transition, as far as i'm aware. and so he was a private citizen at the time. and when you're a private citizen, you're allowed to engage in legal activities. i don't have anything further on that. i think there's nothing

nefarious about doing anything that's legal as long as the proper paperwork is filed. >> sean, real quick. several reports out of the state department from our colleagues there that on secretary tillerson's upcoming trip to asia he'll not be taking any press with him on that trip. that's a breach of precedent certainly of the last bipartisan administrations. is it concerning to the white house that the administration's foreign policy may not ively communicated? >> this is the first i'm learning of it. i'll be happy to follow up with you. we all have been a very transparent administration in terms of access to the president and his activities here. i would be glad to follow up with the department of state and follow up that you can share that with your colleagues. margaret? >> yesterday you said there was no reason to believe there's any type of investigation with respect to the department of justice. did the justice department give

you that assurance because they are telling "the new york times" they did not. >> i am not aware of it, but that's my point. we're not aware of anything. >> you haven't been told by the justice department that there is no investigation? so there might be one in you just don't know. >> right. i said i'm not aware and that's why we want the house and senate to do what the president has asked of them, to look into this. but, no, we're not aware. >> to discover if there is an investigation? >> no, to look into the situation. >> the justice department is saying they never gave you the assurances you gave us. >> the assurance i gave you was that i'm not aware. that's 100% accurate. >> when you said no reason to believe, it's i am not aware if there was an investigation? >> i don't know that they're not interchangeable. i'm not aware. i don't believe. i don't know that there's a distinction there that's noteworthy. but we're not aware. i don't believe that that exists. that's based on i've not been

aware of. that's the answer to that. someone is asking me if i'm made aware of something and the answer is no. >> the question is whether he was the target of a counter -- >> the answer is we're not aware. i don't know how much clearer we can be. >> the white house is not aware if the president is the target of a counterintelligence probe? >> correct. i'm not sure what we're dancing around the same question. >> because yesterday when you came out and corrected and clarified, people took that as a definitive answer that, in fact, that was -- >> it means we're not aware. that should be the definitive answer. >> i have two questions and a quick follow-up. >> so that three. >> can you elaborate on to what extent michael flynn was involved in shaping the current turkey policy for president trump? was he engaging with the turkish leaders? >> i don't have anything on that. >> okay. >> you can contact the nsc on that. i'm not aware.

>> for my two real questions, first, is there any official response to the lawsuit in hawaii over the revised travel ban? >> we feel very comfortable that the executive order that was crafted is consistent and we're going to go forward on this. but i think by all means, i don't want to -- we feel very confident with how that was crafted and the input that was given. >> thank you. and second thing is, nigel farage was at the ecuadorian embassy in london today where julian assange happens to be staying. don't know if they met or not. was he there? he's a close ally of president trump. was he there in any capacity? >> i don't keep his schedule. >> was he delivering a message? >> i have no idea. i have my own concerns here keeping track of what everyone is doing. i generally don't worry about what's going on across the pond. jonathan? >> you already gave me a little bit, but just to follow up -- >> wow. all right. >> but on the -- the question is

not what but can you tell us he wasn't there on behalf of the white house? >> sure. i don't -- he is not -- i am not. this is silly. i don't think asking where random foreign leaders are and whether they are there -- i'm sure he was there doing whatever on i understand that. but i. don't keep his schedule. >> two questions on two different. topics. the success tear sent a letter to congress saying congress should raise the debt ceiling. we know the budget director when he was in congress voted against raising the debt ceiling multiple times. so is he going to support the raising of the debt ceiling? and is he going to push congress to do that? >> we have a few months to do that. the secretary was making congress very much aware.

we got -- i've been in the white house six weeks. i think we are trying to deal with the swaugs at hand. the reason the president addressed the budget is to get the debt deficit in order. he's continuing to show a tremendous respect for tax pawer the way we spend money and bring it down. there are certain things that are beyond our control when we walked into this building and woer going to work with secretary to address this issue. and obviously work with congress. >> second question. scott said today that carbon dioxide was not a contributor to global warming. that's at odds with global scientific consensus. does the president agree? >> that's a snippet of what he said. he went on and said i don't think we know con can collusively. i would suggest that you touch

base with the epa on that. but he had a a very lengthy response. that's just one snippet of what the administrator said. >> two things, one, i think you mentioned at the top but i'm not sure that apprehensions were down across the border. there was a a question yesterday about the wall. is the wall still needed if the apprehensions are down? >> i think so, sure. the president was clear. it it's not just needed. the president committed to doing it. while we can have a good month and we'll see if that continues, that the president made a commitment to the american people to make sure that this isn't just an anomaly and while it may be down, we have to do what we can to prkt our country both in terms of national security and economic security. so it's still needed. it's a commitment the president made. one of the things the american

people regardless of where they stand across the aisle is he's a man that's kept his word. he made commitments to them. he's fulfilling them to make the country better. >> i said there was a second one. >> you did. >> i think you've been asked this before but have been reluctant to say whether president obama and president trump have spoken since the inauguration, although president trump was very forthcoming a about that. during the transition. but i'm asking it again. there was a a report yesterday that said aids for both presidents have spoken. can you talk to us about either of those thing? >> i'd be glad to follow up. i did not ask the president. i will be back tomorrow. >> can you comment? >> i keep my word to you. >> all the way in the back. >> you talk about guantanamo and

how it might have changed. whether guantanamo will be expanded, detainees will be brought to guantanamo, transferred out? >> i u don't have anything to announce with respect to its expansion or its use. but i think the president has commented on the importance of guantanamo in the past. and the need to maintain that it the people there are not people who seek to do anyone good. they are there for a reason. e had e has no plans to close it, if that's what you're asking. as far as the future goes in terms of expansion, i don't have anything to b comment on at this time. >> you keep trying to steal his question. >> the tax, they are not new. it happened in the past

although, but they have been having those things done also. the state department officials and also with president trump. any way how to stop the a acts? >> i think with respect to the event in kansas city specifically? i think the president whether it's the event that happened in kansas city, other events and attacks on community centers, we saw another report this morning. i think we have to continue to call it out. we have to continue to root it out. we have to continue to engage law enforcement. whatever the applicable level of law enforcement on the event.

>> they made it clear while certain policies may divide us as individuals, there are certain principles that can e unite us. >> dst been in the past and we have two businessmen -- so recent recently from india. >> so what are you confuse d an bilateral. >> we as talked about during the campaign and the transition

establishing a deeper relationship with the prime minister and businesses and i think as we move forward in terms of our foreign policy will have further updates on b that. but as you know very well, he spoke very clearly and frequently about the relationship that we have and hope to continue to grow with india. >> president trump was not shy about his desire to get out of these war, but we sent 250 marines into syria. is president trump committed to going to congress to receiving authorization for an aumf or declaration of war if we continue to deploy united states troops overseas. >> i think there's a big difference between authorization of war than sending a few

hundred advisers. most in congress would probably agree with that as well. that's a big difference between a hostile action and going in to address certain concerns. whether it's countries in the middle east or elsewhere. i would refer you to the department of defense on that one. i think the actions that he has done and taken with the advice that his generals have given him as well. >> it's something we will continue to work on. >> first off clarifying the difference between the campaign stuff and also the health care roll out. nashville will be the campaign stop. how will the white house pick and choose how that goes whether it's to be a presidential visit trying to sell the health care rollout or one for the campaign. >> i think the campaign will make decisions with respect to how they want to spend their money and where they. want to go. and the white house will do the same.

but i think that's something that every president as far as modern history has done as well. the president will be visiting several cities over the next coming weeks to engage the american people on the need to repeal and replace. other steps he's taking on promises as commander-in-chief. >> senator cruz was here for dinner. can you characterize the relationship between the two men b? 2018 will be here before you know it. do you anticipate the president will be there to support him in that effort? >> i think we had a few battles to get through legislatively, but i know he enjoyed welcoming senator and mrs. cruz and their two daughters last night to the white house. they had an enjoyable time and a fruitful discussion. but it's something that he's going to continue to do with members of both parties and both chambers. and not just here in washington. you're going toen continue to engage with governors and the attorney general and lieutenant

governors. the president truly enjoys this level of engagement. he like s s to sit down and tal about ideas, talk about the future of this country and get their unput and ideas and they talked a little business and personal and it was a very enjoyable thing. have a a great day. i look forward to seeing you tomorrow. tomorrow is going to be one question friday. thank you all. >> here we go. wuf been listening to the white house briefing. the overarching part is the white house is standing by this latest plan defending the health care plan there that we have out of washington. gloria borger may be joining me as