kerr outlined arguments for and against the abilities of employers to have access to employees' social media websites. pat dalton talks about a report on duplicating federal programs. "washington journal" is live at 7:00 a.m. >> joining us on "newsmakers" is the jim jordan, chairman of the republican study committee. and susan ferrechi. we will be discussing the budget plan by paul ryan and one by our guest jim jordan. let's go to wrestle berman. -- russell berna.

>> it is good to be with you. you have announced he will be supporting the ryan budget. you are also pushing the republican study committee budget. why the need for that? what is wrong with the ryan budget? >> there are good things in his budget, particularly the policy statements where they have incorporated ideas from us. there are a lot of good things in there. it is 1000 times better than the president's budget. it never gets to balance. the difference between his budget and ours is we get to balance in a reasonable time in a time frame we believe the american people think are common sense. ours takes five years. this takes 28 years to get to balance. we think it is important to show the american people this is what we need to do. you cannot get 218 votes for our budget. i do not expect to get that. we do need to pass something. paul's is better than the president's. we will support that. at the same time, we offer ours

as something that needs to happen. >> were you disappointed he adopted a modified version of the medicaid program from last year? -- medicare program from last year? it is similar to the one he has done with senator wyden. >> we have said we should keep rules in place that people have made decisions by. you do not change the rules at the end of the game for people. for people 55 and younger, things will change. if you are 55 or older, you will be able to abide by the rules and function under the rules you have made decisions by. we keep that in place. the ryan proposal allows people to stay in the existing program if they want. we think is overall a good program. it moves to a model which says we will empower the individual, younger americans to select the kind of insurance the best suits their needs and families. we think that is a model

consistent with american principles. we have adopted the same approach in the committee budget. >> you say your budget balances in five years. the ryan budget in 20. you say yours will not get 218 votes. are republicans putting their credibility on the line with voters? they hoped the 2010 election would bring about more substantial cuts to the budget. things are going slower in cutting the budget by supporting the ryan budget. does that put your credibility on the line? >> the conference budget is 1000 times better than the president's. his keeps adding to the debt and deficit. paul has put us on a path that begins to pay that down over

time and get us to balance. we think the american people expect us to do what they have to do. that is get to balance in a reasonable time. quit spending more than you take in, particularly when you have a $16 trillion debt. that is why we have offered our plan. it fits with what most american families and business owners view as common sense. >> would they expect members of the republican senate committee would hold together and not support the ryan plan to push for your own budget? why are not republicans willing to back your budget? >> i think you will see a lot of republicans back our budget. the president's budget was offered as an alternative. not one single member of congress, not one single democrat supported the president's plan. you will see a lot of members vote for our budget. my gut tells me you will not get 218, which is what we need to pass something in the house

of representatives. i wish we could. >> what stops people from supporting it? >> if we could have gotten a number, you would have seen a conference budget closer to the budget the republican study committee is offering. >> on a broader level looking back at the last 15 months of majority, what grade would you give republicans who have come in? there has been disappointment to have not been able to cut the budget as much as you wanted. you have had to settle for incremental progress in most cases. >> we are just the house of representatives. we have sent a lot of good legislation to the senate. the senate does not take it up. we have the debt ceiling by a customer. we have the debt ceiling

situation last summer. we passed with bipartisan support the plan to cut spending and cap it with a balanced budget amendment to the constitution. we passed the plan with bipartisan support. what did harry reid do? even the 67% of the american people like it, he did not even bring it up for a vote. he tabled the measure. they could not even debate our plan. that has been the problem. this new class has been great. they have brought energy to the process. they've helped us move things in a conservative direction. the problem is the senate. that is why that election this fall is so critical. >> speaker boehner has said repeatedly, contrary to what most people thought, the biggest problem in the republican conference is not the freshmen. it is the senior members who keep pushing for more and are never satisfied.

do you consider yourself one of those members? is that a point of pride for you? >> republican study committee is to push. that is our mission. that is why we are here. remember what the 2010 elections were about. they were not about us coming here and getting along with president obama or working out deals with harry reid. the elections were about stopping the obama agenda, stopping health care, stopping the uncontrolled spending, stopping the tax increases. that is why the voters sent me here with this huge class of freshmen. our job is to stop them. the speaker has done a good job in a tough situation. it may be the toughest job in america right now, what speaker boehner house to do when he has to deal with harry reid and the white house. it is a tough job. i would say he has handled it

well. >> what have you learned along the way? you have been on the front lines trying to push the agenda to the right. that often involves going toe to toe with the leadership in the house. that has led to clashes. what have you learned as you have experience that? >> you should always deal with a smile. we always try to do it with a smile on our face pushing for the policies we truly think are in the best interest of america. our job is to push. that is why the republican study committee exists. when our conference has been most unified, it has been when it was a policy initiative or a piece of legislation that the republican study committee was strongly behind. the very first budget vote last

spring when we pushed to get more savings for the taxpayer, we had a strong vote. 238 members of the republican conference supported the measure and we passed it. when we passed the cut, cap, and balance plan, we had 230 some members of the conference. a handful of democrats said was the right thing for america. in big policy debates when we came together, it was around our study committee conservative ideas. i think we have helped the process in the big debate. >> are you satisfied with the level of cuts? there was an initial plan to cut $100 billion from the budget. that fell short. are you satisfied? the federal budget will still grow. should you be cutting more? >> of course we should. the speaker wants to cut more. for the first time since the end of world war ii, we have a debt larger than our gdp.

the debt is larger than our entire economy. of course we need to achieve more savings. of course we need to make programs work better. of course we need to do all of those things. it is not just because we have this fiscal problem and heading for a debt crisis if we do not change. more importantly, it is immoral and wrong for us to say we will live for the moment and send the bill to the next generation. one of the things that makes our country special is the very simple concept. parents make sacrifices for their children so when they grow up, they have lives better than we did. they become parents and do it for their kids. each generation has done that for the next until now. now we have a political class saying it is more important to hand out favors and spend money and pretended is ok and send the bill to our kids and grandkids. that is wrong.

of course we need to achieve more savings, reform budget, and get the budget balanced. it is immoral not to do so. >> let's shift gears and look ahead to the election. it is looking like mitt romney will be the republican nominee. is he conservative enough? >> if he is our nominee, you will see republicans unite strongly around mr. romney, governor romney. if he wins, my background is in athletics, we are in the semifinals. whoever wins the competition is is who gets to go into the final competition. it looks like it will be mitt romney. he has paid his dues. he has fought the good fight. if he emerges as the winner, i will be behind him 100% and help him to beat barack obama. >> it sounds like you are not ready to endorse him. >> i have not endorsed anyone in the race.

i am comfortable with any of the three nominees. americans understand we do not want a second term of the obama administration. >> how will conservatives get excited about mitt romney after what we have seen? he is still struggling to win in the conservative states in the south. >> we do not want a second term for the guy in the white house right now who has increased spending to unprecedented levels, who wants to raise taxes. we know president obama will be advocating the largest tax increase in history when the bush tax cuts expire. on a host of foreign policy issues whether you are talking about israel or whatever -- the reason we will unite behind governor romney as the nominee is because we understand the alternative is four more years of this a administration.

>> are you concerned about the proceedings of the supreme court and whether health care reform will become a liability for republicans in the election? if the law is upheld, is it impossible for romney to make the contrast to president obama? >> we do not know what the court will rule. we will know this summer. it will have an impact on the election. it had an impact on the last election. one reason we got 87 freshmen and the republicans are in control is because of the health care law the democrats pushed through. it will have some impact. what the impact is, we will find out the summer. one thing i do know is that americans dislike this offer is -- law for a simple reason. americans value liberty and

freedom. they do not like the idea that the federal government is telling citizens how to get health care. bureaucrats in washington are telling you how to get health care. americans say we will not tolerate that because we believe liberty and freedom are important. that is why people came to this country. they came here to practice their faith and exercise their liberty and freedom. i think that is a big problem. that is still going to be present throughout the campaign. i think it will help republicans this fall. >> one of the plaintiffs in the suit fighting the health care what ended up going bankrupt. she has medical bills she cannot pay. does that concern you? >> american culture and the american people are the most generous people on the planet. we understand there may be families who through no fault of their own may have difficulties. we understand you need to help those people.

one reason we need to reform the government and its spending under control is so we can truly help the people who need that help. that is one reason i have introduced the welfare reform bill. the language is in congressman ryan's budget. we think you need to reform the welfare programs so you can help the people you just described. >> we have 10 minutes left with the congressman. russell berman? >> some say this will be a referendum on the president and his policies. you and others have said we need to lay out detailed plans and prepare the public for what we want to do if we get power. can you elaborate? is there tension between what the leadership wants to do? >> anytime the president is seeking a second term, it is largely a referendum.

if we do not laid the predicate and foundation for what we will do if the american people give us the chance to run the government, if we do not lay the foundation, when it comes time to implement policies that need to be accomplished to fix the situation, we will not have the credibility we need to do it. what we're trying to do with the budget document will unveil today, we try to show, here is what needs to happen if we're going to solve our fiscal problems and put us on a path that is sustainable. here is what needs to happen with reform in medicaid, welfare programs, the tax code. every single speech i give back home, asked a question of how many think we need to drop the tax code.

every hand goes up. they understand any tax code that allows 47% of the population not to pay the main tax is broken. you have to throw it out and start over. we move to a flatter system. we have to lay the foundation so if the voters elect us, they will be saying we do not want four more years of the obama administration. we will give these guys a chance. this is what they said they will do. now they will do it. >> in the reverse of that, are you willing to say if the president is reelected, that is a mandate for his policies and higher taxes? >> we will see. we are evenly divided as the country. i know what i will tell the voters. if the president is reelected

and i am reelected, there is a conflict. the voters will send me back to congress to keep fighting for lower taxes and reform these programs. that is why they are sending me here. that is not the same vision as the president. we will see how it plays out. i think it underscores this important fact. we hear from politicians every two beers that this is the most -- two years that this is the most important election. most of the time, it is baloney. but this is truly an election where there are two different visions for america. it is a watershed election and probably the most important in my lifetime. >> sometimes i look at the republican party and see a break between a group that is more moderate from the gop establishment, and folks that want things to go further. yesterday on capitol hill, folks from the tea party work rally in and talking about what has happened since the election of the tea party candidates in

2010. you probably remember the republican pledge to america. some people feel that has not been fulfilled. how do you respond to the people to feel they have been let down? >> let's use the debate taking place this week. the president's budget got zero votes. the congressional black caucus, the progressive caucus, the so- called simpson-bowles budget proposal, all of those will not get as many votes as the conservative budget, the study committee budget. this conservative, the two most conservative budgets will get the most votes. i think that shows the american people there is a group of conservatives who want to move policy in the right direction

to put a psychopath is fiscally get negative to put us on a path that is fiscally -- in the right direction to put us on a path that is fiscally sustainable. i think that will convey the message to the people who sent us here to do those things. >> if the republicans win control of the senate and white house, are you anticipating your group of conservative republicans will be able to push the agenda further right? >> that is our goal. that is what we will be working to do every day. >> if republicans of the majority next year, can you envision any scenario where john boehner is not speaker? >> my belief is our leadership team will largely be the same next year with speaker boehner and leader cantor. >> polls show the president is ahead of mitt romney.

what worries you most? what does the republican party need to do? what is it doing wrong now? >> it is too early. polling data in 1980 had jimmy carter ahead of president reagan. it turned out to be a landslide for reagan. it is too early. we do not even have an official nominee yet. there is a long time in politics between march and november. let's let it play out. i am from ohio, one of the critical battleground states. there are a lot of variables and factors. it is way too early to say. democrats are the party of government. whenever there is a problem, their answer is always more government. we are supposed to be the party of principle. limited government, less taxes, less spending, traditional

values, strong defense. when we articulate those principles in a compelling way to the american people, good things happen on election day for us. that is what we have to do. if it is governor romney or senator santorum, they need to be clear about those principles. we are the party of strong defense, less taxes, getting the fiscal house in order, and not afraid to stand up for certain principles and values. aboutnot afraid to talk those things and say they're critical to america. we will talk about them and defend them. when we do that and say that clearly, we win elections. >> you mentioned it seemed more likely mitt romney would be the nominee. some of your colleagues have suggested it is time to conclude the primary season and get behind one candidate to take on president obama. is it better to wrap up now?

>> it may be. i do not worry about that much. four years ago, hillary clinton and barack obama were duking it out. in ohio, secretary clinton won ohio. this could play out for awhile. that is not a problem. it was not a problem for the democrats for years ago. barack obama emerged as the nominee and is now the president. when people make a big deal and say we need to come together -- let's find out who is the toughest. that is why you play the game. let's see who wins. whoever wins will be ready for the championship game. >> what does mitt romney need to do to connect to voters more effectively?

talked about renovating a luxury home and his wife having multiple cadillacs. what does he need to do to connect to voters in your district? >> just get out there and talk with the voters. i had the opportunity to sit down with the governor for a few minutes in a private setting. he comes across great in those settings. when people get a chance to talk with him, that is always good for any candidate running for office to go out and meet people and let them see who he really is. the other thing voters will connect with is that you can tell governor romney truly cares about his family and wife and kids. that connects with republican voters, a lot of voters. here is a successful individual that truly cares about his family and shares the values that makes our country is special.

>> how confident are you the mitt romney or whoever the republican nominee is will win? >> it is interesting. last week, the president goes to oklahoma. he does not go to oklahoma because he thinks he will suddenly when the state in november. he will not win oklahoma. it will go for the republicans. he stands in front of a pipeline because he knows this energy issue is hurting him politically. if you saw any of the hearings we had with the secretary of the department of energy, the lack of understanding in connection with american people on the energy issue. it is not just $4 dollar gas. it is that coupled with the arrogance this administration has towards oil, gas, and coal. they sent money to companies that should have never gotten your tax dollars. they failed to do anything on the supply side to increase

supplies so we can bring down prices and have an energy policy that makes sense. this is connecting with voters. this issue is going to play big in the election. it will help the republican candidate because we have policies that will bring gas prices down and help the overall economy. >> thank you, jim jordan, for being with us on "newsmakers." of's turn to our panel reporters. susan, your biggest take away from what we heard from the congressman? >> there are two factions in the house. there are those who want to push for steeper cuts to reduce the deficit. there are those who want those things but are more realistic and moderate. the paul ryan budget gets the

most support. i tried to get congressman jordan to address why he could not get the majority behind his budget. it is part of what is dividing the house republicans. some of the steep cuts are difficult, even for republicans to swallow because of the way it will hurt people in their districts. you see the divide in the house. i hear it talking to voters. some are really dissatisfied. they wanted things to go further in congress in terms of stopping the deficit from growing and making big cuts in the federal budget. they did not get there. jim jordan was at the forefront of that in the house. i see him as someone more likely to work with the house leadership now than at the beginning of the year. you see that now in his support of the ryan budget. in those days, he might not have been as willing to vote for

the ryan budget. >> the committee has had issues internally. we have seen them not be as rabble rousing as they were in the first six-nine months of last year. you see that in the way he talks about speaker john boehner. not that they were really at odds personally, but he is pretty confident in the speaker's leadership. he would not even venture a guess as to whether the speaker would not be the speaker next year if the republicans hold power. he has confidence for him in that respect. it is interesting what he was saying about the election. he is a hard-core conservative guy who is not ready to endorse romney. marco rubio, as senator from florida, has recently come out and supported romney. he is saying similar what we have heard from jim demint, that he is comfortable with him.

>> and that is because republicans are, above all else, desirous of replacing the president. they can work with him to oust barack obama. you can kind of read between the lines and listen between the lines of what these members are saying. even jim demint, the very conservative south carolina senator, is giving a wink and a nod to romney despite the fact that a lot of them have enormous misgivings about his waffling is about abortion and health care reform. these are really important to conservatives. on the other hand, they want electability. that is a big issue. santorum, as much as his views align, they worry that he is less electable. less electable.