dealings with mr. trump has with his company's with foreign governments as a potential violation of the clause.ge has observed it should send a clear message that he would regard his dealings with as companies abroad as a potential violation of the clause unless he can prove he is at the arms length transaction. makes it clear to the president that we care about the constitution and our democracy in the american people are watching. want . . to view this resolution and its aim through a distorting prism of politics. nothing could be further from the truth. i strongly support a smooth transition between the obama administration and the trump administration. i want the trump administration

to have the support for congress to succeed on behalf of the american people. but when mr. trump deviates from his constitutional responsibilities or recommends policies that are contrary total core values of our nation, members of congress have an obligation to speak out and to act. i stand here today because i believe that congress has an stiewl constitutional obligation to ensure the president of the united states whom so ever that is does not violate our constitution. acts lawfully and ob gaitions on a broad -- obligations on the broad interest of the american people. my resolution is not intended to create a misunderstanding or crisis but to avoid one so president-elect trump can put aside any appearance of impropriety and devote himself to the good work on behalf of the american people. we owe it to president-elect trump to make it very clear what our expectations are ahead of his inauguration day. why? so we can avoid constitutional crisis. such a crisis would not serve in

the best interest of the president, congress, or the american

ladies and gentlemen, welcome to the george washington university auditorium. tonight, as with many that have taken place recently in the universities, homes, farms to veto clubs and places throughout the united states, tonight is an event of careful reflection on our future with guests as we move through history in the wake of the most recent election. as is the tradition of the university and the renowned university and the renowned school of media and public affairs, we are the promoters of respectful dialogue and exchange

and abuse of some of the most delicate issues of the time. the conversation series has a long tradition of bringing together some of the leading politics to engage in healthy debate and advance the civic dialogue. behind every headline is a story and there are ideas and actions. as an institution of higher learning our never ending quest is to penetrate these elemental levels in search of truth and understanding. the pillars of every society. ..

>> as we symbiotically melt the life of the mind with the real world at large, we are the home of value added education. where we strive to nobler citizens to be's leaders ready to tackle whatever the world may bring. with the highest ethical and moral compass and education can provide. the grand my a stroll of this evening's events and of our school of media and public affairs is frank says no, frank is the director of public affairs at george washington university and he is a

washington bureau chief, and current correspondent. he is an emmy award-winning journalist and creator of planet forward.org. a multimedia project that highlights innovations into sustainability. is passionate about storytelling when he is adamant that we need an informed public if we are to have a healthy democracy. it gives me pleasure to introduce tonight, frank. >> thank you very much and good evening. this is quite a crowd. a testament to how topical this is. before i bring out our guest for what is going to be a tremendously fascinating fascinating and unbelievably timely conversation or to couple of things. i want to thank special people who are here. we are able to have this conversation and many other things we do at the school of meeting a public affairs and

here generally because of the generosity and support on wavering friendship us special people, we have our national council and showers here, so to our national council members and to your support that helps make the sorts of things possible and i want to ask you to join me. [applause] so much of what we're able to do is done because of the generosity and philanthropy of people that support us and support you, the students in the room. i want to thank the college democrats on republicans who are cosponsoring the event with a spray there'd us publicize this and have done a good job. thank you to college republicans and democrats and tour media in the room, who join us for this conversation, this is a conversation that's important and we're happy to share.

we hope others can join in in real-time and will be able to watch and learn. john, chris, and betty are staffers and are very special leader here who help make this happen. the # this evening is now what s and pa. so as your tracking and tweeting please feel free to share it with your social networks and let's get a little positive conversation going. i like to introduce a remarkable panelist this evening, senator james lankford of oklahoma, senator chris chris coons of delaware, senator of minnesota and the one in only alumna dana, [applause] thank you for coming how many

students are in the room? and how many of you would consider yourselves politically active or politically aware? >> and how many predicted the president-elect to be the president-elect? >> go to the cameras i see about five hands. so what we're going to do this evening's talk about where we are, what is, what is changing, how a bipartisan group, democrat, and republican are going to interact and govern with a very unusual, unprecedented president-elect and president, the role of the media and i'm going to invite my wonderful friend and journalist to join us as we go. we'll come to the audience for

questions and then you will have an opportunity as well. let me start with a big, broad question. to the three senators and that is simply, what do you think it's going to be like? just on this day, president-elect is tweeting about flagburning and you should lose your citizenship and medical go to jail. he has named new nominees to his cabinet who are true to his campaign pledges wanting to replace, repeal obama care and move against certain other things that he talked about on the campaign. but we have never had anybody like this in the presidency. >> accept andrew jackson served his country before he was. >> was a big change going to be? >> that's the unpredictable nature. i think that is the part that shaken everybody up is that no one really knows what to

expect other than to expect things are going to be different. what do you expect? i do expect him to follow through on some of the campaign promises and then some that he's good to say when i can do that anymore. i think that's the nature of what we have seen. for instance i'm to prosecute hillary clinton knows come through and said no i'm not good to do that anymore. so there will be some of those that will come out for instance in trade he was very passionate about trade issues in the beginning but throughout the campaign he also set i like free trade. he's a businessman after all he said we should have better deals, nobody knows what the better deals are. but he said we should better deals but we should trade. so there's a little uncertainty there. what you think the big change is going to be? >> verse that will have a president that is tweeting himself immediately all of the time. not necessarily -- in a middle

of a meeting if you dislike what i think he'll call me up and say what you think about donald trump street? during the primaries and general election he demonstrated a remarkable ability to literally grab the steering wheel of the bus and shifted. to change the focus of a national conversation at whim. in some ways that demonstrates the power of social media, every time there has been a major shift in communications technology a president emerges who really grasped it and it was able to lead with it. this was our first real social media president. barack obama come our current president was kurt and agile with it. but this is taken into a new level. what i think will be like? i think the senate will matter more than it has before. i think the structure, the fundamentals of our democracy going to be challenge in straight. i think the role of media is going to be more part and that

ever before. >> i want to make one point that is important for the audience to know. we have two democrats when republican here. we tried we tried very hard and senator koontz thank you and your staff to get here calendars are tight and we were not able to add to the screw. but senator when he think of the change landscape and the change role of the senates which you are not a majority, what you anticipate? first of all i would agree to my colleagues that it is going to be an unpredictable time. we don't know exactly what this will look like. what we do knows the senate the democrats in the senate will have power. it's because of a senate rule. >> democrats are going to have power? yes we have 48 emma craddick votes right now and senator mcconnell will's has said that he is going to keep in place the senate rules that he said at dinner that i attended.

so if that is the case that we have the fact that you need 60 votes on most legislation for budgets and other thanks, there's exceptions for cabinet nominees and for judges, but not for the supreme court if that remains the same. we. we were taken that is the 60 vote margin and we assume that is what will happen with the republican majority again. so given that, we do have power. i think we have to be smart about how we use it. first of. first of all if there is, ground, i have never wanted to say simply because you don't agree with someone on a lot of different issues that you don't find that, graham. if it's good for the country things like infrastructure we can talk more detail about these things that maybe there'll be some agreement and we can move forward. but then i think the main role as the senate and the congress as a whole will be to be a

checks and balance on power. a check and balance on the administrative. but a check and balance of democrats in the senate because one party will now control the administration, the house on the senate. i. i think that it's going to be a very important role when it comes to trying to say no we need some compromises on this legislation or no, we're not not going to reverse this policy and go back decades on whatever the issue is? >> come to some of those over the filibuster, but as a journal journalist you have observed many different administrations and clearly one of the big differences here is the twitter president and that once upon a time when the media set the agenda or so other people thought has been blown up by

candidate and now president-elect who has been uncommonly successful at setting the agenda at three in the morning or seven in the morning. i was at cnn on 650 we're talking about his tweet that preceded us. >> what does that mean? >> we don't know. we know what it meant for the campaign which was you put it so well in a vivid way which is that he did take the steering will in turn a with his twitter feed. sometimes he did it to his detriment to the point where at the end of his campaign you remember his aides successfully somehow took his twitter away from him and he won. however, he also understands the power of social media and his twitter account in particular and he feels emboldened because he won. >> it worked, campaigning is one thing and governing this quite different. if he is attacking my colleague

for correctly pointing out that donald trump's tweet saying that there were 2 million illegal votes cast was not provable and probably not accurate is okay, that's probably not going to be stockmarkets, but it is possible that he could wake up one morning and send out a tweet that could shake the global economy depending on his mood that day. so i don't know the answer, none of of us know the answer. i actually wondering you don't get picked on but the one republican here, what you think. if donald trump called you on the phone right now and said, how do you think i should handle this twitter thing what would you say? >> i would say he needs to have somebody who's by them so he can say it out loud and say should i tweet that and someone else can say well. just a couple was about to clarify.

>> your time about adults and provision. >> it's just a person to be next to you. there is a difference between a candidate and a president. >> absolutely. i think you will are quickly that what he says as president of the united states the entire world listens. this. this is the most powerful office in the world. it can move markets and it can change the relationship of nato and it can change the relationships with people even within our country. >> so i would say it's not a bad thing to continue to communicate. because he is very authentic. people know this is really what he's thinking at this moment. also not a bad idea to set out loud have someone else say let's work on wordsmithing it. that's not unfair, quite frankly every press release that goes out from every president was not written by the president it was written by someone else. they either ran it by him or the chief of staff of the president never saw. the spokesman typically speaks for the president. this is this very raw, the

emotion of the president. >> lemanski adding something how many of you have felt or are fearful about the incoming president. >> again for the cameras if you can see, what would you say,. >> allots. 90%. >> so this is a serious issue. it's one thing to have political division, we've experienced that in the past with candidates when one of loss but it's but it's another thing and i have had students in my office interiors, i've had students tell me they have been called names that we do not accept as proper, acceptable discourse, it's about what we do and don't call one another and how we think of one another.

how should donald trump and the people around donald trump handle this now? and how pervasive do you feel this is? >> i think there's different reasons for failure if i could guess this. one is a a breakdown of our politics and what that is going to meet. i think a lot of that will depend on what's in his hands including on his phone how he treats people and remember he has a government that he is going to be running now so as jim mentioned he may have people negotiating agreements for him and then he tweet something and can undercut them. i just just think there's problems that he's going to have to work with the team that he has. the second piece is legitimate security fears. if depending on what his policies are. a president has to make dozens of decisions a day that can affect people's lives that can affect the world order and he is going to have to take that very

seriously. i think that is why president obama has been repeatedly meeting with him to convey that message. the third fear that i picked up my own state is immigrants and people that are concerned about their status. we have a lot of refugees in my state, we have somalia population and i have told them repeatedly and of course this doesn't apply to everyone in the country if you have dreamers and others that are here, but the laws bigger than anyone's tweet. the law is bigger than anyone's rhetoric. so a lot of this is going to depend depending on what his actions are on those of us that are involved in other parts of the government to be a check and balance. i think that's a big part of it. i would i would agree with danna, i'm like the campaign where it was like everyone went down in a vortex with whatever he said and then it all became that. i'm not certain at least my party going forward is going to be doing that. were going to have our own agenda focused on the economy in working with

republicans in congress when we can. i think you're going to see a different dynamic. >> wasn't going to be in the senate as a response? >> my hope is that we'll find each other and work together more than we have been able to. >> partly because of the dynamic between that amy points to. the one piece within congress were controversial bills and bills that don't necessarily command the broad support as they might get stopped. and and frankly because partly because of structure and intention. when institution that has six-year term. we were joking backstage the difference between 62 and six-year terms. part of our structural role is to be small enough and serve long enough that we get to know each other. all three of us are active members something that happens every wednesday session focused

on a broad range of religious and political backgrounds get together for an hour, there's nobody there were senators and the chaplain and we get to learn a lot. it's a very powerful experience. it is possible for us to agree to senators that we want to focus on infrastructure, on manufacturing and supporting our veterans, of things that we will agree can strengthen our country and that we want to downplay or marginalize the jerking the wheel back and forth effect that it has on our constituents of a nation that seems to be led nearly by women tweet. i think that gravity of the job is beginning to sink in with president-elect trump. i think the conversations he's had in intelligence briefings and with president obama. >> what makes you say that? >> the temple of the tweeting's. and it's focused change quite a bit quite a bit after the night of the election.

i'm choosing to be an optimist here. >> this is the beginning. >> it look, i choose to be hopeful based on the tender that he struck in his victory speech where he focused on veterans and infrastructure. and i choose to be optimistic about the number of his more outrageous, outlandish, or outlandish proposals from his campaign that he is already step back from. i have have no illusion that i'm going to agree with many of his cabinet nominees in his agenda or priority, but to the point just made a few minutes ago that 90% of this audience is genuinely scared of him as president i think a number the more outlandish things said in the campaign are going to be put aside partly by senators working together to say hang on a minute

were not going to some again have a bro man's with putin and set aside decades of alliance with nato. we are not going to ignore the illegal annexation of crimea. >> they have been very forceful and that. >> and that's another factor which is the number of republicans who of various issues whether it is mike lee and rand paul on some of the civil liberties issues, whether john mccain and lindsey graham on russia, or susan collinson lisa makowski and jeff leg and others who have taken more moderate positions on various issues. i think that will be a factor as well,. >> i just want to add what you're saying about trying to make 90% of the people in here who raise their hands and they're fearful. this is definitely a shock to the system, but it's not a shock to the system is not necessarily a bad thing. as somebody who has covered you

and genuinely believe that these individuals are phenomenal public servants to a person, there phenomenal public servants in a system that has been broken. voters got that. it hasn't worked. the gridlock, there's so so much blame to go around and it's unclear if the solution is going to work but voters wanted a disruption and they got it. i actually think there is reason to be optimistic that people like this and as long as those of us in the media hold their feet to the fire can find common ground, whether it's on infrastructure or fixing, the republicans, you guys have different points of view with the president-elect on how to deal with entitlements, but you have to deal with them. you're not going to have them unless there.with. >> here's the issue.

were not in a dictatorship that has a single leader that defines the land. i've heard up her longtime people say the president is the ceo of the country, but no, he's not. he is the leader of co-equal branch of three branches. he leads the executive branch, there's a legislative branch, there's a legislative and a judicial branch. the perception that has risen for the past couple of decades and somehow the president is the leader of all government is not true. he is a co-equal leader in many ways. it's been fascinating to me the week after the election and i chair i chair the subcommittee and regulatory affairs. so i work not just with right in the regulation but the process on how they come together. there's a regular process of how regular should come about i would tell you my committee, i work hard for the last two years to be able to build coalitions and to say we have real problems without regulations are, now,

the speed, the frequency, the way there, not how many are being overturned in the court. there's a problem with them in my democratic colleagues would not get on board and i kept saying to them in a presidential election, if there's a president trump you are going to want to have good boundaries on how regulations are done. so help me a week after the election democratic members were calling me and saying let's work on regulatory reform. >> as soon as possible and i smiled at them and said i'm still willing to work on this because regardless of whether it's a republican or democrat that's a coequal ranch that needs to have boundaries like everyone else does. and i agree on this, for those of you that are scared of a president trump, this is america responding to a sense of frustration to a budget process that doesn't work and hasn't worked since 1974. there's been four times since 1974 the budget process has worked.

this is a frustration people feel like they're not being hurt and not having engagement. with most elections the electorate when they look at who they're gonna vote for either look for arsonist or carpenters. these three folks here carpenters, president-elect trump is an arsonist. he's going to say this needs to change immediately. >> if you want to burn down the house, you hire they arsonist. that's exactly what just happened. >> but that's response of the american people but they're still a white house, there still house and the senate and a judicial branch. none of that has changed. >> i'm looking at the former prosecutor that prosecuted arson cases. i can't go there with you. [laughter] >> but were also talking about three senators here in the senate is a deliberative body and the deliberative body is designed to slow things down but there are plenty of things. >> they do that well there's

plenty of things president trump can do quickly and some fears i know relate to kit climate change. he is turned his transition team is led by someone who is essentially climate and i are. the person who he's turning to to the department of transportation believes that in lighting up the coal plants again and digging. that may be good for those areas and produce jobs but those who think climate is a big issue that shows the president can move quickly i can make rapid change. >> i remain optimistic that the economy has moved in a way that even if a new secretary of transportation wants to dramatically revive coal production in the united states, most of the closing has happened because of fuel switching to natural gas.

we have abundant natural gas because a fracking in this country. i don't think we're going to see a significant resurgence of coal mining and production in the united states. we will see. i frankly. i frankly think there has been more reduction in greenhouse gases because a fuel switching then there has been because of ventilatory impact on coal production and output. hopefully one thing that could happen is a new administration might really invest in sequestration and technology to make it lester to a more sustainable. but bluntly the private sector in the united states is overwhelmingly accepted the idea that climate change is real. >> what happens in washington will have less of a negative impact given that virtually every nature fortune 500 company says we've already invested in making these changes. our regulatory agenda matters and what the epa does matters. but i'm trying to find some small reason to be less

depressed when he talked to obama he suggested a bit and out and say it. >> he suggest in the new york times that he would reverse himself that he might not change. >> and i agree with chris that there's a lot of action the private sector and companies in the state that are very supportive, general mills moving forward on reducing greenhouse gases so there's also major businesses that see this is an issue going forward especially international businesses but if he were to step back from the agreements that we made with other countries which it does have an impact to me if we start putting pressure on other countries, if we just walk away from i think that would be that

would not be good for the future. >> because we have had some a political engage people in the world i can make reference of nixon goes to china could trump be that. >> yes. i absolutely agree this will be situate when it goes to china. if you go back to the early steers in the obama administration when all of the promises were made with immigration issues and it didn't happen and then the work the senate did, wasn't there at the time on immigration was not matched by the work of the house or the actions -- the senate did its job. >> it was not matched by the house of the white house and trying to engage in bring a real agreement together. you have to get all three parties to do that. this is a situation where trump could stand up and say he has he can say immigration is a problem.

where he has been effective us to stand up and say, this is this is a problem and he gets criticized by saying what someone says okay tell me what the solution is in his solution is i'm gonna hire good people, that's a a ceo mentality that says i don't have to fix that, i have to find good people that can fix the, i just know that's a problem and we need to commit resources to it. i wanted this on the security at the border, did not mandate a wall across the border is gonna be a combination of personnel but of course but it had a number of other things. >> so the point is i have thought in my most pleasant moments that maybe there's a chance to move for a given the

strong support we have in the senate with a bipartisan bill. >> and their other compromises brought up in the last. the point is, it's going to be elite with a behcet's behind him in the campaign and the immigrant community which is not quite to be very trusting of this. so this would be a major effort if he wanted to do the senate would be clearly there's people in congress who want to work, but on the democratic side it has to be a combination of not just order at the border, but also some kind of path to citizenship, documented workers, something that works for the people that are here that the people that are here that would qualify for that status. >> there's been an ongoing conversation about how to we do compromise in congress and how to handle that. the lock on this has been that everybody will take parts they really hate to put it together. so we've just been in gridlock.

there's a way to approach it and so building relationships. >> so we are ready have the relationships of that's okay. the issue is if you look at and say i really like amb, i think amb are good idea amy thinks b and c are good ideas she really hate say, by the way i really hate see, at some point we can say to compromise you have to do a little bit a that she hates, little bit bit to see that we hate, and that works it out. but your stock if you truck try to do it that way. is it easier to get unstuck if we say we both like be let's move on what we agree on and stop staring at each other and stop fighting and start moving again. part of the challenge we have is everyone is trying to say you have to do a little bit that you hate. so we are doing nothing.

>> it's easy to talk about what is a b&c, it's hard to talk about when it's obama care and a question of going to be required to have health coverage, if not he going to be fined as the federal government telling you to do that. what is the a the be the lessee. so let's take that because i was a specific and deeply held position of candidate trump throughout. >> you're talking about repealing obama care? >> interviews five or six not included the debate and you talk to him about obama care. >> yes i asked him question during the debate about obama care not just obama care but what he would put in place. >> a what you see taking place? i see that he will rely a lot on you guys. >> truthfully. may be that these guys but you. >> i remember very clearly in one of the debates during the republican primary my line of questioning was about what would

you replace obama care with in his first answer was i'm just gonna do with do away with the lines are on the state is a very core republican ideal that you allow more insurance to be sold across state lines. and that then i said well what else? they said would you do anything else? he said no. and and then of course this is just one example of how and if you, no offense it would be wiped out. you don't you don't have a healthcare plan but it didn't really matter, the flip side and positive side of that for you is that now he has put pricing for the democrats but he somebody who has some plants and he's done this and has come up with ideas and written it into legislative language and is a dr.. i think obama care is a perfect example of how he has got big

idea. >> on the 30th of july of medicare this is a really interesting and i'm looking at my friend in terms of media bias all the reporting that i've seen today talks about conservative anti- obama care, tom price and how he has a quote about how medicare was the worst thing and having government and medicare's source and having healthcare. but if you go back and read the entire paragraph here's what it says, as a physician i can

attest that nothing has a graded negative effect on the delivery of healthcare than the federal government's intrusion to medicare. that's what i see quoted everyplace. because of washington's one-size-fits-all approach it has coverage rules of broken financing roles and seniors federal health spreading spirals out of control. in earlier he made reference to insurance companies. talk to a senior citizen about medicare. talk to a senior citizen about doctors who are not taken medicare patients anymore or the for the concierge service they have to buy. and may be medicare really broken, maybe they are really right. >> when you look at medicare itself it is actually been one of the best things that is happen for the seniors in a country when you look at the status of what their life was like before and what it's like now and there's a reason they

wanted to stay. do we look at reform? yes. i've been a longtime advocate for better delivery system reform. i don't actually think we did enough in the affordable care act being from a state that has always had high quality care and seen the money go down in a big transfusion tube to states that a less organized healthcare in charge medicare rates that are much higher than what we do in some states. that's not right. so i've been an advocate for some reform. at the same time, when you look at the need to make changes to the affordable care act i think you need to look at what's going to work and he can't make the changes in one day. you have the benefits people want, stand on your parents interested in your 26, the donut hole that was close, the pre-existing conditions and then when i start looking at one by one changes i would like to see, clearly some changes to way the individual exchanges work clearly changes to pharmaceutical which no one in

the senate ever wants to take on but it's huge, it's 20% of our healthcare costs when you include hospitals. senator mccain and i have a bill to bring in less expensive rotation drugs from canada. senator grassley and i have a builder together to stop and pay for delay where big farmer pays off genetics to keep competition off the market. look at what happened with epipen. that was just one example. the top ten drugs in this country for have gone up 100% in their price to consumers. insulin in their price to consumers. insulin has gone up three times. the opiate overdose medicine has gone up. i want reform. but i was said it's a beginning not a name. it's more than the carrot stepping back and looking at this. i was hopeful we could do a reform bill and make changes. not. not if the whole discussion is going to be let's just throw it out and we'll figure out what were going to do later. that's not to work for the american people. >> i worked hard in the last

congress to introduce and work on five different bills that were modest reforms to the affordable care act, will never forget there is a new republican senator physician from louisiana presiding over the senate and i came to the floor to give a speech on obama care the first half of the speech was three stories about three delaware people who lives have been saved through the affordable care act. and the other three stories were delaware's who are small business owners, contractors, or cut physicians where the increase in rates and costs have hurt them, for their business, cause them their business, cause them to drop coverage and stop providing certain care. and he was writing away when he looked at me and he said your democrat aren't you? and i said yes i am in you just spent 15 minutes talking about the flaws of obama care. and i said yes. he was genuinely surprised.

he didn't think there is democrats who think there's anything but perfect. i think there's many in our caucus that recognize it wouldn't by god it was written by humans and it has flaws. the challenge here is compared to what? if you simply follow the path that the house republican majority has and repeal it, wipe it out without any work together to find something that can achieve some of the same goals in terms of coverage, quality and cost reduction i think then republicans will rule the day because there'll be negative consequences. on the in hand, one of the core principles has been federalism, respect for states and their ability to reach a conclusion. my hope is one of the things in the table will be those states who have really embraced the affordable care act and i put in place exchanges that have worked will have the option to retain much of the structure and rules that exist today and those who

have rejected it and said this is not something that works for our state have an alternative path to achieving the same goals with market mechanisms and less government. >> a friend of mine who's a player in the healthcare i said, what should i ask and he said ask a republican given to the promises made to repeal are you committed to ensure that the 21,000,000 americans provided under the law will continue to be covered? >> i would say that's one of the conversations we have. when obama care was put in place many people had state base coverage or other coverage that lost her coverage. they had to get new doctors through new testing they had to do new shift. we don't want to see that again. those folks who are diabetics in cancer patients that's a very hard time the hope is to be able to have that and do a whole farm list and say freeze with what you have a minute and then help with the transition. you look at it to states with the bridge in transition.

the may make a few comments while going back to just the bias and tom price, that's the focus right now for every person that trumpets out, the first story is not trump, danna of course the first rays how horrible they are we respect 1973 and a, they made in a college meeting and they said this so there are terrible racist and there are an awful human being and they hate all people, they don't like any human beings. so what i get people coming to me insane these people are horrible individuals were you finding these instead of backing up and looking at people and say let's look at the whole of what they're doing and give them the opportunity to walk to the prospect. that's one of the things i think think there are people that are frustrated and upset they lost the election they didn't wish it this way so i don't like him and i won't like anybody he likes. in many ways am catching people saying you're doing to him what

you said you don't like he did to you. how do we fix that because that is a modeling issue and a shift that has to change. >> i think that's the modeling that we do in each individual does, i'm amazed that the number people who don't like the caustic nature of his tweets or what happens on social media but if you read their tweets, holy cow. trumps are g rated compared to some stuff i see that other people put out there and have caustic and angry on how things have become a social media. i tried asked folks to say look at your own stuff and evaluate what were doing an example were setting for the next generation. on the healthcare issue the strong man that has been put up is democrats wanted take care of all people and republicans want to put people on the street. that's not true.

it's a two different solutions. there is a passion to say how can state solve these issues? states are closer. in the past five years medicare i'm sorry medicaid has of the highest and proper payment rates of all government. $142 billion in improper payments in just medicaid, that's a state run programs that the federal governments trying to manage and can keep up with. if you move to states organizing and are more engaged, that regulator in oklahoma that's overseen under 4 million people, when there's fraud there down the street and we can check on it. it's 1200 miles from here. from here. so when you're managing fraud in relationships when you have a bad dr. and hospital they know about it in the state because there down the road.

>> there's multiple options but there should be more ability to monitor and control that on a state level. i don't have the belief that the only people in washington d.c. love americans. i think there are state leaders leaders who love the people in their state and care for what's happening in the state as well. what's your your response to that how we portray this? and this touches on a media thing and in five minutes will go to audience questions. so much we're not going to get to hear. the way a lot of this is pretrade through the media including cnn, certainly a lot of talk radio whether it's rush limbaugh or rachel on msnbc through the ideological prism. it's not as gentlemanly and womanly assist conversation and it doesn't focus on compromise and consensus focuses on conflict and headbutting. >> so one of the things that has frustrated me and my service in the last six years as i will get asked of him available for show all get tentatively booked on that all get pumped for somebody who is more of a willing to

throw a punch. >> smiling and nodding. >> repaid person who will do it and pretend they're not paid. >> if it didn't matter in our line of work whether we were ever wrong the sunday show her the cable show it would be easy to ignore as it doesn't matter but on some level our visibility to our constituents to her friends and supporters nationally depends on how often were on the shows they're interested in. >> so there is a feedback loop. i'll give you quick example to get back to your point about nominees. senator sessions have spent nominated to be an attorney a next attorney general. i have done a series of interviews and one of the things i did immediately was put out a statement and i've said it a few interviews and i told jeff directly, give him credit for two things that we worked on

well together that i did not expect to be a good partner on. when the federal defender service got savaged by the sequester, he's a real law and order guy and former prosecutor, he joined with me to make sure that funding got restored for the public defenders. i should have understood that as a principal prosecutor he understands if the defendant doesn't have a good lawyer the odds you're going to get a back conviction and it will get overturned on an appeal are higher. but i did not naturally grasp that. it was a good relationship of an. second when the obama administration cut funding for victims of child abuse act senator sessions worked with me to get the funding restored and reauthorize. in six years, those are the two things we worked well together. there's a lot of other things i suspect i will disagree with him on, civil liberties, civil rights another issue. >> to hold him accountable to the statement he made, apparently in defense of soft peddling the ku klux klan but i

think you made reference to decades ago? >> i promised him i will keep an open mind, will have a full and fair hearing, what merrick garland didn't get i think we'll him and every other nominee which is several daylong full hearing. i'm less concerns about statements decades ago than things he has done recently in the senate as a legislator. but i will look at the whole record. ultimately whether i will support him or not i haven't made up my mind yet. i don't think i should have made up my mind yet. >> any decision he has president-elect has made that you have made up your mind? >> i am waiting eagerly to see who he will nominate for secretary of state? >> what if it's corker? senator corker was the first senator with whom i traveled overseas. as i think we discussed over four, joe mentioned mentioned bernie sanders, bob corker and me.

>> if there is a camera crew in the back of a c-130 bouncer from pakistan to afghanistan we had some fascinating conversations. i knew senator corker least of the other three and i came back with a respect for him. he was the mayor, i think he and president-elect trump might get along well because they both have a background and develop many construction. he is a conservative republican. we do not agree on a lot of issues. but i find he someone whose earnest, honest, fair, honest, fair and he has managed the committee well, to meet those were recommended i. >> rudy giuliani? >> that be harder for me. >> i don't know rudy but i'm not afraid of him. only because of what i saw him doing his leadership in new york city. he was fair, he was law and order, he engaged with all people and all parts of the community was passionate about helping the whole city when he

was there. >> i'm just very concerned about some of the comments he has made during the campaign. unlike chris am going to look at each nominee on their merits. i think that's important. i did that when the two were nominated to the supreme court. that's what you do and that's what your job as a senator. >> any name your post right now? for the supreme court? chris coons. >> no. for the cabinet? >> know i'm just gonna see who he brings in. >> the me ask you a question of the senators who covered so closely. >> i think you are obviously a conservative and from a very red state. >> that's why have red hair. >> but, where do you think that

you, you talk about the prayer breakfast and so forth, where do you think that u.s. a republican along with democrats, along with president trump can actually get things done? >> i think there's a lot of various. >> in real terms that you think you can move through congress and guitarist us that with simon think okay maybe things are working? >> that's a tough one to try to think of the first thing, there so many priorities of what the first thing is. i mention precatory issues before but try to figure out how we function again. >> and it's important but it's not sexy. i jokingly say that i chair the nerdiest committee. >> highchair antitrust. >> so that issues a big issue, i think will find more common

ground on immigration and the people are willing to drop amb or ansi focus on the common ground i think we'll will be able to move on things and we have for decades now done nothing on immigration. their major problems there that we need to address. if we can focus on, ground areas and not fight about anc areas i think were were going to do okay. >> it because you tomorrow says i want to work on something with you, what you think we can actually do. >> i would say infrastructure because i think that's the best bet. by the way he call me tomorrow i would say don't step back on what obama has done on cuba. like i'm very concerned if we move backwards. >> they'll be the first thing you'd say. >> sr just say it. >> the first thing i would say. >> probably hello. [laughter] to finish answering the question, the thing that i think

think has the most potential based on what chris said was infrastructure. i live eight blocks from the bridge that fell down in the middle of the summer day in minneapolis, 355w bridge is not just a bridge, the highway. thirteen people died and i will never forget that. if he's willing to finance a major infrastructure development in this country, we've already passed the -- act which has led by mcconnell and boxer. it's not like were just making up for things, we actually could have a chance to do something on broadband, roads, bridges wastewater treatment plant any talk about a rule agenda in the state that's a role state, think that would be a big step we started working on that. how we pay for, there's some interest in overseas money, trillions of dollars overseas, senator schumer, our leader leader has been devoted to this for a long time and i am as

well. that's finding way way to bring that money back from overseas. it will be a bit controversial on our side of finding a way to bring the money back and then if companies voluntarily bring the money back with the rate that we have enough votes to pass you could then as part of the deal have a certain percentage of it go into either an infrastructure financing authority, i don't call it an infrastructure bank because that creates problems on your side. an infrastructure financing authority for straight into the highway fund. >> ethnic you should take more time to think about it. >> but he probably wouldn't listen that long to me so i would just put out there now because maybe one of the advisors is watching c-span. >> and senator you obviously your passion in your mind portfolio is national security

as republicans go he's not so hawkish. >> he is inches i would talk to him about manufacturing first. i've led along with senator baldwin the manufacturing for america. we put together 25 bill sutter on a wide range a wide range of issues, tax, trade, skills for the workforce, that are all around how to strengthen and sustain the growth the manufacturing. we have had 900,000 new jobs in manufacturing added over the last five years. we are winning again at manufacturing and there are things that we can do to accelerate the trend to move in the right direction. we can increase both employment and productivity. it's an area that puts people to work without for your university degrees. it allows folks to have a decent life.

>> and also talk about the middle east and africa and nato. >> we can invite people to come to the microphone for questions. what does the media need to change? >> nothing, were perfect mac when we start. look. we always put ourselves under the microscope and be reflective in this new world where you have a present tweeting and the inclination is to follow the shiny red object and the inclination is also conflict is good tv.

sometimes it's not just about conflict it's about compromise. working harder on that is important. >> really get your questions if you can keep them short will get as many as we can. i know we have to let you go because you have an interview and you have to go to. >> first thank you for being here tonight. i'm curious in general with the election cycle and now moving forward with the new president-elect, people people have been talking about the future of elections in the electoral college and things within the united states and i was wondering if you had any opinions or ideas about the future of these things and i know a lot of people and for the conversation? >> i would first will make it easier for people to vote in a lot of states not harder. the voting rights reauthorize and

that would be good, electoral college it turns out the facts despite what trump may have set on his tweets, hillary clinton did win the popular vote. i think that's worth looking at. i know that will be difficult. if i could do one thing is the campaign-finance eye. my new perches the ranking member roles. we have jurisdiction over that. i'll focus on it. citizens united decision has brought in so much of this outside money that candidates no longer control their own message or what they're doing and the money that we raise which is all reported his store by what comes in and major campaigns from the outside. i think it's very damaging to our democracy. >> good evening. with the with the president-elect celexa form policy is a zero-sum game with winning and losing only and how form policy has become more unilaterally focused with actions from the present recent

history, what you think the senate can do to russell back some of that power from the president as it looks like the president elect will not be diplomatic in any way. >> i don't know that he he won't be diplomatic but i will be nervous at the first state dinner. as he is so informal and how he speaks. he is not careful sometimes and how he does it. i think that is part of it seeking and that he's president of the united states and everything he says matters. he's a very smart businessman and he knows how to mission issues and he has traveled around the world. his passion for america to be first is not a bad position. the world benefits from a strong america. we are still a quart of the world's economy. if our economy continues to struggle the world economy continues to struggle. i don't think he's walking away from nato, don't think he does. nato has not lived up to its military obligation.

not a country but us in the nato alliance has kept their end of the bargain to maintain what is required to stay in the nato alliance. if pressure was put on to say we want to keep an alliance but you have to actually live up to your end of the bargain it's not necessarily a bad thing. while we don't know someone and we will know after he picks his secretary of state what direction he wants to go on form policy, again i'm not all that concerned. >> i have an article that just were not democracy that lays out five area where i think a senate in a bipartisan basis can it should make a real difference in form policy. i would disagree that there's never been a nato country that has met the spending goals or military commitment, we've we've been disappointed in several of our largest nato allies. >> that may be a positive outcome, it may scare the daylights out of our nato allies

, that would not be altogether bad. i will briefly say that we really have not stepped up her lived up to the constitutional war to declare wars. were conducting conflicts and a half a dozen countries based on the 2001, 2002 authorization of military force. they've authorization of military force. they been stretched beyond recognition of the original scope. on a bipartisan basis we should look at what were authorizing the president to do, and what geography, to a purpose, to what time and work in a bipartisan way to authorize the wars we are conducting today and do it in a way that doesn't have the leaking and nongovernment edges. >> thank you for being here. why question is for senator langford. this morning senator mccain and discussion with reporters exasperated said i don't want any more questions about president-elect. that's my right as a senator. so my question is two-part. do you think that is your right is a senator and second of all,

what is your advice to your republican congressional colleagues and fielding questions about the president-elect. >> are used in here? do we the best students? that's a great question. let me clarify for my position on the senate republican side we have the gauntlet that we walk through and they renamed it the trumped up month when we had to mean it because there's a line of reporters that line up the hallway try to stop us and catch us and ask ask a question about something trump said ten minutes ago. . .

they are trying to find a way to divide republicans to say this republican is battling that republican. it's a great story. >> to say i'm sorry we don't agree on everything, not all republicans think alike. i just have a question about immigration because it's been a huge driving the campaign for so long. do you think that will be one of the issues where the senate can meet halfway, do you think that is one of the things to be

negotiating. >> as chris and amy were saying before, it is a place they go to die. the house was going to pass something and the president elect will be engaged in the issue and the plac place the miy voice is always heard. there will be that dashing between and my hope is that the end of it we don't walk away and say we are going to do nothing but what progress can we make and move on mac. >> we also had a history we did work out a bill and had some sick to get support. so there's a lot of people that are very knowledgeable about the issues and worked together before, and a lot of the same people are there but i think it

is going to be hard to, given the rhetoric but facts are i do think there could be a chance, but it would be to do it immediately i am trying to picture. >> we serve on the judiciary committee together and we did three weeks of markup on the bill. we had literally hundreds of amendment with bipartisan senators that pieced it together. they made significant contributions. a lot of the architecture was already there. we need a president that is willing to take risks, needs in the middle and craft a bill that can gain support from both parties. >> as an observer of the political system, if president trump makes conservatives happy with the supreme court pick and figures out a big win like

reforming the obamacare, there will be a lot of tips that he can call in and i think it is possible. >> i think at the end of the day if it is about citizenship to people that are here, the whole thing falls apart. but there are so many other areas of immigration reform we can pull together. >> there is a difference of citizenship and legal status. that will be a lot of the debate. >> i agree you have to deal with all the basics first. if people are willing to say let's find an agreement, that will be one of those type of issues to say everyone demanded we can't move on this unless you give everyone citizenship. >> next question.

>> i want to ask about campaign finance reform. i wasn't a supporter of this election cycle but one of the things that appealed to a lot of people that did support him is the idea that he could be boug bought. really he self-funded a lot of his campaign in the primary in comparison to jeb bush who had $100 million in corporate money. how does donald trump . campaign changed to finance reform in the united states even if things like citizens united remain? >> he's made it a major theme and focus on lobbyists and those issues and i thin that i think e support on the democratic side of that. >> i think he spent a third of what hillary clinton spent.

>> he hasn't talked about putting the justice for citizens united for the amendment to change citizens united which to me is the way you put the control of the campaigns back in the hands of the candidates themselves. >> i am so sorry we can't take more of the questions that maybe therbut maybethere will be a che and they. >> let me ask each of you through the conversation which has been built around ten or 20 seconds what young people here should be watching for you thinking about as they experience washington. >> i think they should be looking at first of all getting involved yourself. for those that are disappointed the last thing would be to throw

your head under the covers and say i can't believe this happened i'm not going to be part of this. we need you urging us to action and we need people to volunteer in the system. i thought maybe people would be like that but they haven't been at all. they want to talk about issues and they've been coming up to me at diners and airports more than that for. i think that is what you have to do. >> i would say a couple things. if you are more interested in policies and politics a lot of people were fantastic in the campaign. be more interested in the job than the job interview. that will help a tremendous amount. on a personal level i see some of you that are concerned, afraid, whatever it may be. in my state and oklahoma eight

years ago when president obama was elected they said he's going to shut down this industry and this industry. there were conservatives in the other direction. it's still america and we are going to work this out. the final thing i would say if you are a person of faith, with your faith. that is one of the most deepest parts of who we are in for individuals that don't have a faith you can still be a great american and not have faith. live that out because that is the stabilizing force for most individuals and personal life. >> what we suggest you look to these two as role models. senator langford has an article he wrote with senator scott finding our way towards each other across racial divide that is worth reading and it reflects how thoughtful he is. senator klobuchar was recommended by the school of

journalism for being the leading senator in taking bipartisan bills and getting them signed into law. we have two great examples here of the folks who make a difference if i could offer some closing advice, be willing to be engaged, learn from people who are different than you. live your faith and make a difference in the world because then you will find things that matter to you. we have to have an electorate where democracy will work. it will be a rough couple of years as we try to find a new accommodation with a new president but it's still america. the lights are on it still works and democracy, that the media, the governance and the sense of community depend on you so thank you for investing your time and i hope we have offered some encouragement. >> i don't want to follow that. [applause] i will end up where i started

which is the systems may be broken, and for the two decades i've covered washington, to a person these individuals come to washington and run not because of the power of the grammar, it's not easy but because they want to get stuff done and because they believe in the ideas that drove them to public service. the optimistic about this because it's real. you've seen it tonight. >> raise your voice, make a difference. that's why you came here this evening. your voices are heard. i wanted us to have this conversation and i'm sorry we have run a little over what it is worth every second and a part of this is because it is a media issue. we hear the same voices saying the same things.

they don't get the chance to hear individuals relationships. you are not marching in lockstep behind donald trump and you didn't march in lockstep necessarily behind obama, though close. [laughter] but it's important for people to realize the men and the women that work in these jobs are three-dimensional human beings and they bring more than the soundbites that we often see in those jobs and the fac that is e of the dangers that we have seen in the campaign that was turned into simplistic soundbites and yet america rose up and said bernd house down, so now we burn the house down and we will start again someplace. there's a lot of work to do. it isn't easy and it isn't a straight line and i think that is the lesson that we take from this.

it doesn't end it just takes a different shape. please join me in thanking the wonderful panelists.>> "washing"

continues. host: our first guest is representative jim mcdermott, the ranking member of the committee on health and also on the budget committee. thank you for joining us. guest: good to be here. host: the head of the budget committee, is hoping to come -- become the head of health and human services. what do you think about tom price for that position? man,: tom price is a nice but his politics are so bad, it's one be bad for the whole question of how we deal with health care in the country. what he said he wants to do is terror out obamacare and replace it with things that have been

talked about for years, but nobody has ever put them on the deck before. when going to see is he's we called to the map to defend what he things will work. i don't think it will work. host: give us a sense of what these proposals are the good ultimately replace the affordable care act as we know it? host: health -- guest: health savings accounts. that implies that you have enough money to put aside to look to your health. most people don't have that. that's what we have subsidies that we have in the obamacare. because we know people don't have money. the entrance governors can sell policies across state lines. there's a rotten insurance policy in alabama with our policy in summary in washington state buys it, when it isn't pay for anything, who do they complained to? they can't complain to the insurance commissioner in the state of washington. he didn't approve it. the have to go all the way to alabama to complain.

that kind of stuff, what he's doing is tearing apart the insurance commissioner system that we've had in this country of 50 individual states governing their own policies. those kind of things aren't going to work in the long run. they sound good on paper. but it's like buying a pig in a poke. if some intelligent something is good in arkansas, and you buy it in north dakota, and you get the poke home and say there's nothing in here, who you complain to? the majority of the people on the affordable care act of done so through medicaid, what you see of the future of that system? guest: it is hard to know what they're going to do. is take thent to do name obamacare off. and then they're going to try and take everything in there that seems to make sense and then put trump care on top of it.

they don't want obama to get credit for anything, ever. so they're going to try, they will do some cosmetic stuff. but some of that stuff you can't take away. if you take away medicare, the hospitals in this country will be in the pink. i know what happens in hospitals when people are brought in from the street with no health insurance. the hospital lines up paying for it. has been the way that hospitals have had insurance cover the people who were brought in with no insurance. host: our guest, if you want asking questions about the affordable care act and other things, democrats, call (202) 748-8000, republicans, call (202) 748-8001, independents, call (202) 748-8002. i read that was a plan put in place to help health care, that was taken apart. did it work?

guest: it didn't work. we put an individual mandate in the state of washington. we then require the insurance companies to cover everybody, the precondition -- pre-existing condition problem with taking care of. public and stick out the individual mandate. they said we shouldn't require people to join. ok, now the insurance company has to take whatever comes through the door. they had one example in seattle where woman was pregnant, as soon as she government she went down and bought insurance policy. , and then stopy the insurance policy. she got pregnant again, and got a new insurance policy. the company spent five times as much on her care she paid in premiums. you can't have people going into the insurance company when they have a problem. if you get a cancer diagnosis and run what a way to the insurance company saying give me a policy and they can't turn you down. there was no was

individual policies sold. you could not find individual policy in the state of washington until they got rid of some of that stuff and changed the way they put it together. that's what's going to happen here. they want to take out the individual mandate, with english and have people just writing on the backs of other people with this. that's un-american. you want to do your part. i have to do my part. you buy it if you can, we assisted we can make it ourselves. with the idea that you're not going to have a responsibility for everybody to have it just won't work. automobile insurance is the best example of that. we don't let you get your license unless you have a certificate that you have insurance on your car. car, whof you hit my is going to pay for? need? -- me? wash i have to pay when you hit me -- why should i have to pay if you hit car, who is going to pay for? me? mortgagor companies require you to have homeowners insurance if

your house catches on fire, it's not up to you whether you want to have fire insurance or not. you have to have it if you have a mortgage on your house. but in personal health, we say do whatever you want. i will take care of you. don't worry about it. that's not american. the american ways that we all do our part as we are able to. host: just before the election, the obama administration released figures saying there was going to be increases to premiums when comes to the plan. we heard about people talking about the cost for deductibles and things like that. are those lingering concerns or problems with the current state of the affordable care act? said since it was put in place that there were things that needed to be changed in the affordable care act. but the republicans would never try and make it work. they just wanted to get rid of it. because if obama got credit for it, my goodness, what a huge legacy for him to leave. but instead, they took away

things and monkeyed around and tried to bring it down. chasedke the dog that bus. they've now caught the bus and they have to figure out what to do with it. in your mind, anything they propose to so far will not work. in that case, why do you say that definitively? guest: they never accepted the principles that in order to have insurance, you have to have everybody covered. a whole bridge of people who are not covered by insurance. in automobiles and homeowners and all that, we don't let people opt out. but in medicine -- we all know we are going to get sick sunday, probably. you are going to get sick, i'm going to get sick, and it would be responsible for me not to have insurance. and just say well i'm going to wait and i will let pedro pay for it. when i get sick, call pedro. you got the money, you will pay for me. that's not the american way. when they won't accept that basic principle, then they have

got a real problem. the other one is how to control costs on the providers. on doctors and hospitals. the medicare law was written with doctors having the right to charge their usual and customary fees. whatever the doctor says is the fee, that's the fee. i'm sorry, but we can't let doctors make all the decisions about how we spend money on health care. there have to be some limits on that kind of thing. i'm a physician, i understand. i practice. but you can't let the doctor be the sole decider of that, nor can you allow hospitals to be the sole decider of that. representative mcdermott with us, we have calls lined up for you. this is from nathan and roland berg, new hampshire on the republican line. nathan, good morning. you are on with our guest. caller: good morning, thank you for taking my call. because i have a couple of questions. , it seems-time worker

like ever since obamacare, a lot employers have cut back to part-time. thatr a lot of stuff about obamacare civic center for employers and they are cutting back the part-time workers. i'm 30 years old and it seems their lot of guys my age jobs of been cut back to part-time and a lot of it is because of the obamacare. i'm wondering if you can shed some light on that. we, and putting the law together, recognize that all employers want to have good, healthy workers. you don't want your workforce have not showing up because they are sick. so we'll and employer have a common interest in having good health. and we say that the employers should have to put some money in to help his employees.

and the employee should have to put the money in, and if we don't have enough money, we put in subsidies, both for the company and for the workers so that we could buy insurance policies. if the numbers aren't exactly right, they're not working, we can change that and make it work. republicans never wanted to work. they didn't want a requirement that an employer look after his employees. big employers, boeing in my state and microsoft, all the big companies, they all take care of their people. it's a small companies that are operating on a thin margin who say i can't quite do it. we can adjust that so that you can make it possible. it's in their interest, both sides, to have a healthy worker. it's in the country's interest to have healthy workers. host: tony from florida on the independent line. go ahead. caller: i want to say that this is excellent, perfect, good example of our republicans want

to privatize health care. they could care less about the american people. they care more about health insurance. why they do that? it is simple. with health insurance, when they ,un for four years or two years people who run for president or senators were governors -- the money goes to them. the ghost of them, so they can -- it goes to them so they can be in power. they do not care about the poor with the middle class, were americans for that matter. all the curious power, corruption, that's all they care. whole you open up a subject matter. insurance companies are not inherently bad. they are like every other company. they taken money, and they spend as little as possible producing

a product, and then they send the rest to their stockholders. and insurance companies want to pay as loud as possible, and they want to take in as much as that is the system we have in this country. as lungs you have the insurance industry and trying to deliver health care, you are going to have a rep problem. they will take in as much as they came. -- you are going to have a real problem. they will give the biggest to their stockholders that they can. my view is that insurance companies have to be limited. put underve to be strict limits on how much profit as they can make it. affordable and we have may companies give up money back because they were not paying out as much in benefits as they percent to stockholders. when you have the private sector a you want to

have free enterprise where the sole goal is making as much money as possible. when you have been a service industry where you have health care and the question is not how much money is that can make off of me, do i have the coverage necessary? are when youngs bring them together, the private sector and health care, you are going to have problems and we still have them and we will have way in mr. price has his getting rid of obamacare. host: donald trump after the election even indicated that one of the things he might keep of the affordable care act is the idea of two key people with pre-existing conditions. if that as a concession, what do think about it? what: he understands happen in washington. if you do not keep that, the people are going to be mad. if he keeps it in his plan and

does not protect the insurance goingy some way, they are to be really upset. you will have a real fight over the issue. some of thekes things mr. obama did but they do not like the individual mandate and the mandate on employers and on individuals without insurance. you take those away and you really tear the system up. host: and a leading kids stay on into their mid-20's. can you keep 2 aspects? up, how.k. but you tear -- you can, but you tear up, how do they rate a policy? if you let anybody come through company, the insurance can at some point say, we are through writing individual policies. you either get it through work or you are out of luck. host: kathleen from chicago.

democrats line. caller: how are you doing this morning? mr. mcdermott, will you do me a favor as a democrat? when president-elect trump takes office, would you all go back to washington and pull up all of president obama's policies that do not get a chance to close what to the surface? like you said, with president obama's health care, they will take his name off of it and put their names on it. that is what they will do. it is a shame, this president has such a good ideas for the american people, but they never knew. democrats, you do not have a spine like the republicans a get in front of a microphone and talk to the american people. dumbed down by the democrat party and i love you all. you have to do a better job. republicans are out to hurt people, not hurt people that

help people. president obama deserves credit. they what not taken up in the house. i will get off in a few seconds. they do not have any ideas. put double a ribbon or a pink ribbon and put them in a cabinet somewhere and we will use it. host: thank you. first, let me be clear -- this is my last appearance on c-span because i am retiring from the congress free i served 28 years and i decided i was going to do something else for the rest of my life. you are absolutely correct. there is going to be a need for people to speak up on behalf of the good things president obama did pretty he did good things in the area of health care. he did good things and the area of climate change and a variety, immigration areas were he protect undocumented kids. he did a whole lot of things

that were very good and he should begin a credit for. host: jay is next. independents line. caller: thank you for taking my call. mr. mcdermott, i would like to why in thisly -- country we cannot have a single-payer system? all of this nonsense about insurance companies, somebody having to make money off of somebody else's misery is nonsense. the rest of the world does this. why can't we? offll take your explanation the air. thank you. guest: i was not going to bring up single-payer by calling it. i put in a bill in 1991 and i have been pushing it. i believe it is the way to do it. every industrialized country has

a system that covers every body. and is paid for out of a comment of fun. -- common fund. they are all different. our resistance is we have thought of single-payer health care as socialism or communism or something. and so, we cannot have that in this country. it is the only thing that works. healthadians have a good care system. nobody worries and canada about being interrupted by an illness. you go to germany and go to work, in 25 minutes, you are on the german system. they put everybody whether migrant workers or immigrants on germanr are in the system. everybody is paying every month so everybody is covered. that is true in every country in , it is simplyan the most efficient way and we are going to get to in this country. canchurchill said you always trust the americans to do

the right thing by only after they have tried everything else. we have tried everything else. you will see mr. price put everything on the table and get to single-payer. host: republican line. is mostmy comment health issues are self caused whether through diet and not exercising or not a healthy lifestyle, drugs, unsafe sex. you can go through the line. and all of a sudden, we have to pay for their health care? the other thing i was going to say, when i am at the payrmarket, i see people with an ebt card and a by pop in chips. as the government is paying for their health care. -- and as they buy pop and chips. the government creates the problem and wants to created the

solution. guest: there are a lot of things we could do to make our health a better and all of that kind of stuff. there is an awful lot of medicine not caused by people's choices. most of the money spent and the health care system in is spent in the last six months of life. as people get to the end and they haven't heart attack or -- and they have a heart attack or stroke and we spent a lot of money keeping people alive when they are ready to go home or god or were ever they thinking they are going to go. and we do not push people who involve themselves in directives. everybody should have a directive. if you're in an automobile accident on the highway area and they take you to the hospital and they know what you want done , let them go into the afterlife . if we do not to do that, what we do is go with the doctor, i have

to keep you alive. we spend 40% of the money in the last six months of life keeping people alive who are really ready to go. dohink there is a lot we can to make our lives, the quality of our lives, better. you have to have a system of that covers people. if represented price for comes secretary of health, do you imagine a scenario where the affordable care at a would be repealed and delayed until a definite plan? the bestat would be political way. if they took it out tomorrow, they have a catastrophic problem. they cannot come in the first of june or may and take out obamacare and leave the people with nothing. that what not work. but would clearly end it

say we will have a new plan by the first of october or something. as they will give themselves a bit of a transition period to do -- it iser that people going to be a huge change when they take away obamacare. it could be. i am not so sure. i think they want to take the name off. host: another scenario would be would paul ryan take a direct hand in this crafting of the legislation or who are the key people to watch? guest: no question that paul ryan is central in all of this. what they put through the house and human services secretary can put anything they want. if paul ryan does not put it on go tooor and it does not the energy secretary, he does not go to the committees, that

is what nancy pelosi said. the three committees, she said you have to have me a bill. they put one together and brought it to her. that is why mr. ryan will be central. he has been against -- he wants to get away -- get rid of medicare a give people voucher and say here is a voucher for $6,000 and find an insurance company that will ensure you. have a hard time will want to ensure somebody -- insure somebody. they will have to pay for. the voucher system is going to the house.ight in i do not think they will get it done. host: representative jim mcdermott joining us. ,epublicans (202) 748-8000 democrats and independents (202)

748-8002. will nancy pelosi stay the minority leader? this idea you are old, i am getting old. in a month, i will be 80 years old? i do not too know but i decide to do other things. if you look at age, it is a very interesting thing. the young people have no experience. what you throw out and talking about getting rid of nancy pelosi is a huge amount of she has to know what is going on in a pretty progressive city where state were many things are happening. i think she's a great leader. in "usaere is an op ed penthouse about nancy pelosi m makes all point and says --

and says about nancy pelosi and makes a point and says -- is that a fair statement? guest: it is fair. politicss like the -- is like the tide. in 1932, the house of representatives were all republicans and were swept out a guide democratic congressman in everything roosevelt did. those kind of tides, we had one in 1976 when mr. nixon was dumped out of office. the next election, huge number democrats. a huge number of republicans, but it is not the end of the world. the problems are still there are the guys in charge, the people are warned to say, out with you,

guys. run, i might not like what i see. , oregon,e is john independent line. caller: good morning, mr. mcdermed. mcdermott. i have contacted my representatives as far as the health care issue. it seems workers compensation homeowners insurance and automobile insurance, it seems as though all have a health care aspect to them. but as far as workers and itation, it helps does not seem like there's any credit toward the health care part of that. it seems like there's a triple pay for the consumers. guest: well, as i say, obamacare -- there has not been a perfect

set of rules written anywhere since as a role to commandments, i think. everything else has to be amended. together really need some changes in workers cup is one of those areas. the republicans if they were really smart way to say, we are in charge and we will fix this thing and make it work and the right away rather than we are going to rip it all out, that is all we can do with it. they will have an awful time because of pre-existing condition question and 26 age, kids staying on until they are 26. it will be hard for them to do it. it would be more straightforward to say it is this wrong with it and that and let's do that. ry, go ahead. caller: good morning, gentlemen.

i have two questions and 2 comments. how come the house of representatives only works part-time? and as paul ryan is the speaker of the house, why is he never in the house? what does he do all day? and for you pedro, you should do a show on the electoral college and another on how can we get term limits. i will take my answers off-line. answer to -- guest: the answer to why the congress works part-time, when i came in, we came in on monday night. i will fly across the country from the west coast and we will go home on friday night free we worked all week. the republicans have cut it down because they do not want -- basically, a people in charge who do not want government and do not want government to work.

, democrats always trying to figure out ways to make it better. let's pass a lot to do this and that. the republicans say let's pass a law and wipe it out. the e.r.a. and department of education. it does not take very long to tear things down and that is why they do not spend time and they do not want the american people to see them terrible things down. the speaker, was very seldom sits in his chair. he appoints somebody called the speaker pro tem, it means for the time. he has to go to meetings or do things or have meanings about what is happening, but he sensed somebody out to sit in the chair and do the job of speaker running the house. it is perfectly appropriate. everybody back to the first house has done that. mr. ryan, in my book, he does

the job of being speaker in the chair very well. host: about term limits, would you -- guest: absolutely not. these people coming in have no knowledge. trying to figure how to make it work. it will take three or four years or three terms or four terms to figure out how things are put together. it is a very complicated government we have. , i cannot -- nobody comes in was smart, i am a doctor, i am very smart. i come in their and i do not know what in the world i am doing and it took me a while. to throw people out as they do in california, who turned california assembly into a chopper market. they go in and see they are going to be in six years and

they say where my going to find my job? in my view, you want to somebody there was anything about the people of the seventh district and i am going to have to go back and say what i did to them. i can do that. i am not against a that. that's what we have a two-year thing so people can throw me out anytime you they want. and the law that says after these years, it is says like a schoolteacher has to quit after they are 45 years old. host: tell us who will take your place? guest: and indian-american woman and has worked in the community and she is smart and capable. host: we are talking with representative jim mcdermott and kevin on the republican line does next. caller: good morning. my question is this -- everybody you have been speaking is i have

been hearing those darn republicans. passed, there was republicans had a super majority in the house, the senate and presidency which required no votes from republicans. youop of that, any changes wanted made, you had a them made through executive action from obama. now the bill is still a disaster is still not working right. are still skyrocketing. how can you say it is the republicans' fault when ever done has been done by democrats? thank you. guest: on the night of january 2009, mr. mcconnell said at my job is to prevent barackthank y. obama from getting reelected. and as they have been undercutting him from the very beginning. whether we brought the day health care bill out, the republicans use the filibuster in the senate to prevent any

compromises being made. this country is built on compromise. our whole constitution, everything about is a compromise. suddenly, we had no compromise and we are not going to give him anything. that kind of attitude towards the legislative process has really bogged us down for quite some pedal of time. we do not have super majorities. we had a president, we had a senate. when it kennedy died, we lost our 60 votes. we could've ran for anything we wanted, but we couldn't. we had to compromise with republicans and they wouldn't compromise. the minute they stop compromising, we had to run it through another mechanism involved reconciliation. wasreconciliation process not as good as if we had compromise between the republic is a democrat.

it always works better. you know something i do not know and if i listen to you, i might incorporate it and we would have a better built than if i wrote it all myself like i knew everything. i do not know every need. i need to have you. that is what is missing. host: democrats line. joseph. caller: good morning. good morning, mr. mcdermed. listen, i am a veteran. i love this country. i would like to make a comment and asked the question. system and the needoral system we have serious attention. on the health care system, my resume, germany italy and world war ii, we do not crush them, we help to them. we help to do a rewrite to their constitutions.

guaranteed health care. why can't we do therefore our own people? i think the solution is medicare for all. it might be difficult but medicare is a great system. goes, as electoral system the second time in 16 years someone has won more votes and loss election. -- and lost the election. represents asked to campaign, i ame paraphrasing. he said i did this because i was tired of trying to explain to my five euro grandson how somebody eould get more votes and los the election. it is making great progress and the time is now. guest: for medicare for all, i am for it. i would vote for it tomorrow. it would be a good way to go.

basically a single-payer system. where the government provides the health care and we all pay taxes and senior citizens are taking care of. why couldn't we do that all the way down to birth? way to go.be a good the electoral system, i agree with you. i have wanted to remove the electoral college, the itccurate as some -- the way was set in 1790 or whatever when they did the constitution. in this day and age with the movement of people and the concentration of people, it does produce these results where you have clearly mrs. clinton won the election. she had more votes than mr. trump did. in a few days, they will have a meeting of the electoral college where the votes are counted and low and behold, she will not be the president because of the intricacies of votes between

small states and big states as a whole compromise that is put together. and as old days, virginia and new york were fighting and they did not want -- they were little states and said what will happen with us when the giants are fighting? they put to the electoral college in for that situation. in aes not been looked at 200 odd years. it ought to be changed. should be a constitutional and amendment. host: what about the efforts of a recount and the three states back to by jill stein, do you back that? guest: they have a right. it makes sense to me. i am not sure it will change the election. i do not think it will. in a democracy, you have a right to do and if you are willing to pay for, go ahead. what is really strange is railing at themp these people and saying, i won

those states. if you are so sure, why don't you just say do whatever you want with your money? he can be very gracious. it is really very, very straight. host: charlotte, good morning. caller: my question is, how is it the democrats always blaming the republicans but we have had a democrats who do not do anything? we have a president is that as opposed to be the best thing in the world and yes not done anything. we have the gentleman up here, how long have you been in congress? too long because you're not getting anything done. people saying we are for the people and we get this affordable care act that makes the middle people pay for the lazy people who will not work. that is not fair. you people say it is the best thing.