earlier today senate majority leader mitch mcconnell and other g.o.p. leaders spoke to reporters on several issues including the cia director nomination, the president's decision to withdraw from the iranian nuclear deal in recent u.s. job numbers. this is 15 minutes. >> good afternoon everyone. obviously we are going to be concentrating on confirming circuit judges hear in the senate this week. that may carry over into early next week. gina haspel's hearing before the

intelligence committee is tomorrow and i've asked chairman richard burr to come out and give us some thoughts about that chairman burr. >> thank you leader. tomorrow the intelligence committee will hold an open and a closed session on gina haspel's nomination. it is clear to most members if not all members that gina haspel is the most qualified individual that i have seen in the 24 years that i have served in congress. she brings a component of the operations of the cia over 30 years. she has served in numerous capacities. she has received many recognitions and awards as a cia officer. the one thing that she brings to the table though issue brings a tremendous trust by the employees of the cia. she brings a great leadership skill that is displayed today as the deputy director. i know that some have requested

documents that deal with covert action being made public and declassified. that has never happened in the history of the cia and it's not going to happen with gina haspel's nomination but we have declassified an unprecedented amount of information for members-only. they will have an opportunity to review that but we will process her in as timely a fashion as we can once we complete the hearing tomorrow. we look forward to putting her in as a permanent director of the central intelligence agency. >> let me just add to chairman burr's leadership on the leadership committee i concur with what he is said about gina haspel but let me add a note of caution. we have seen how this toxic clinical environment people have

been experiencing character assassination without the opportunity to answer questions and defend themselves and we hope those who did that before will refrain and give gina haspel a fair opportunity. i think the thing that you will see tomorrow that will distinguish our approach from that of some of our colleagues across the aisle is they are going to be living in the past to try to relitigate issues that have long been resolved while we are going to be asking about the present threats to the country russia, north korea, obviously china and other concerns that our intelligence agency up to be focused on. but the american people really care about is making sure that the cia is in the most competent hands possible doing everything they can within the law to keep us safe today and in the future. >> in the april jobs report 800,000 jobs have been created

since the passage of tax reform and the unemployment rate is at the lowest level in 17 years. the number of job openings listed around the country is 6.6 million. those are all types of jobs but another example of another record in terms of what happened with this economy. we believe that's a result of policies that are progrowth and pro jobs and those are the things that we have focused on in these last couple of years working with this administration and president trump. we generated regulatory reform and energy policy and an environment that is conducive to investment and expansion and is paying dividends for american workers. as those jobs are available out there wages come up. we have seen wages increase for american workers, all good news for the economy and something that doesn't happen by chance or happen by accident happens because there are policies out

there creating the conditions that are favorable economic growth and as a result we are seeing favorable results. one final point the additional reports of the cbo -- in the month of april were at a historic high and again generating surplus and i think again that's a result of a growing economy and i think you'll continue to see those. >> the economy is growing at such a fast pace. the unemployment record is down to s. 17 low. commentators call that a wow number 3.9% unemployment. certainly what i saw traveling around wyoming last week if as the optimism. government can neither create opportunities or crush opportunities based on taxes and mandates and regulations.

we are committed to lower taxes, fewer regulations. that's what we have promise in that's a we are to do. the national federation of independent businesses says 50% of small businesses in this country are either hiring or planning to hire more workers so the economy is growing. more people are being hired and wages are going up at the same time so people are having more money in their pockets due to increased wages as well as less taxes being paid. because of the fact we cut taxes and cut regulations. people are seeing that we are continuing in this america first economy of a strong healthy and growing economy due to opening up opportunities for more americans and more american small businesses. >> regarding gina haspel, she is the most qualified person to ever be nominated to run the cia she has the best background, the

best preparation. i think she's exactly the right person at exactly the right time which is why she has this broad-based bipartisan support from individuals who have dealt with the cia over the three decades she has been here. general hayden the other day said she was exactly the person he would want in the room with the president when the facts have to be put on the table. she will be a master of those facts. she will be an important part of protecting the country and it will send a great signal to the people that defend us. the other announcement that the white house will make today and i'm not sure what they are going to announce but i'm sure that the iran agreement entered into without the congress and the senate approving it, entered into in a way that president obama assumed every other president would have his day in an agreement that has done none of the things you would hope to do, it absolutely guarantees a nuclear-capable iran sometime in

the next decade. he did nothing about the ballistic missile delivery system and their terrorist activities gotten worse, not better since this agreement was supposed to put them on a whole new track. i don't know what the president will decide today but i know this agreement has not worked. it was not entered into the right way and it doesn't solve the problems. we don't need another north korea to deal with a decade from now because we foolishly entered into an agreement that allowed that to happen. >> senator thune talked about economic growth and senator bradley talked about the fact that congress will make a break from economic growth. one of growth. when one of the things we know talking to businesses as certainty, they need certainty within the tax code to be able to make these estimates that they know will grow their businesses and grow their economy. one of the best steps we have provided are the tax cuts passed

late last year. a affect is more businesses are providing investments into job opportunity and wages because of the tax tax cuts that we passed those laws congress. today nancy pelosi announced their plan for the next congress would be to increase taxes if they were to take the majority back. the american people know what's at stake. more investment or concerns about whether or not taxes will be increased on working families and businesses across the country. we know a rescue for economic success is less washington in their life and a recipe for disaster is more washington taking more dollars out of the taxpayers pockets. that's what we can expect as we go forward over the next couple of months. >> is the united states a country that is somewhat isolated? >> first of all i think we need to wait and see what the

president decides to do but in terms of looking at it, it obviously was flawed from the beginning. almost none of the republicans voted for it. a terrible deal is senator blunt pointed out. it didn't deal with ballistic missiles and it didn't deal with the extracurricular civvies creating problems all across the middle east. we will wait and see what the president announces that my view is it's a flawed deal and we can do better. the president is going to address the issue shortly. >> he's as we will be instituting the highest amount of economic sanctions. [inaudible. >> what he is going to be doing is laying out where we go from

here and it obviously would have balked our european allies as well and maybe additional steps that we manage to take some of which may require legislation but clearly this is the next step beyond this and we look forward to seeing what he recommends. to the extent that we need to be involved in implementing it we will. [inaudible. >> my understanding of the rescission package is that it does not breach the bipartisan agreement we have reached in the deal. if the house is able to pass the rescission package we'll take a look at it. i believe chairman shelby believes that as well so we will take a look at it and see. [inaudible. >> i do not have any plans for

legalization of marijuana. it may be good to point out again these are two entirely separate plans and i hope everybody now understands that. four years ago in the farm bill when i put in there the ability to have pilot projects there was a lot of confusion about what hemp is. it is a different plan. it has an illicit cousin. [laughter] which i choose not to embrace but hemp is an incredibly diversified crop. it could end up in your food. it could end up in your medicine or end up in your car. i think we are going to find the vast majority of senators think it's time to move on and to allow farmers across america who are excited about this possibility to grow the crop legally. >> are the ads that blankenship is running or these as racist?

>> we are going to find out what happened in west virginia tonight and i may have more to say about that tomorrow. we will wait and see and will have more to say about it tomorrow. thanks a lot. [inaudible conversations]