chicago is the second and third largest latino population in the country. host: raised by a single mom -- so your dad left when? rep. gallego: around the age of 11. host: any memories of him? rep. gallego: many, and that is what made it more painful. i really looked up to him. he was a construction work for. i went to construction sites with him. i worked on the farm. i looked up to him as a father figure. he was a father figure, but when everything went south, he also went. i don't the heat reacted well to it. his company and eventually shut down, which caused a lot of problems. that is why it hurt so much for someone who i looked up to two abandoned us and to abandon who i thought he was. host: can i ask what happened to echo rep. gallego: a lot of things happen. he had a construction company

and he wasn't paid by some contractors. he didn't pay some taxes everything fell apart, he start ed selling drugs. for someone who i thought was a good moral compass ended up not being that. host: how did your mom keep everything together? rep. gallego: it was amazing. she has done an amazing job. it was really tough. it was tough. i remember some hard times. she is an amazing woman. today is her birthday actually. i won't say how old she is. host: if you could talk to your dad today, what would you tell him? rep. gallego: nothing. i have moved on. you know, i took his spot. i had to become a father figure for my sisters at a very young age. i have closed that chapter of my life and i'm here to be a good

husband and hopefully a good father too. host: you went on to harvard. how did that come about? it is not a cheap school. rep. gallego: once everything settled down, we were pretty poor. and no orders -- in order for me to go to college, i had to get some scholarships. i realize that i had to get the best grades possible at school and on my tests. in my freshman year of high school, i committed myself that i would apply to harvard. that didn't make i would make it, but if i made myself ready for that, no matter where i landed, i would get a scholarship to college. i started taking practice exams my freshman year of high school, reading as much as i could about applying to college. i applied to harvard, and i did a lot of research to prepare myself to be qualified. i did that, and ended up doing

very well on some of my tests passed a law exams applied, got in, and they gave me nearly a full ride. michael was accomplished to get there and not be a burden in the process. host: what advice did your mom give you? rep. gallego: it was more emotional support than anything else. my mom is a hard-working person but she hadn't applied to college out of high school. she did by think it was community college. it was very difficult for her to understand all of the paperwork and things like that. when i was the first one, it was difficult. she gaining a lot of emotional support, believing in me that i could do it, and also making me stay focused. i was working and also studying

she made me realize it was important to focus on family and make sure i had time for my sisters and my mom, and realizing that is what really matters in life. host: you are in high school, you get the letter, excepted to harvard, nearly a full scholarship, what was your reaction? rep. gallego: i was really shocked. i was working that day. i was working at a hot dog stand . i knew what time the mail came and my boss let me go -- who actually came to my wedding -- let me go home and to look through my mail. i saw the letter, the big packet, which was a good sign. i called my mom come she was still at work, she started crying. i told my sister's, and then went back to her, and my boss is very proud of me. i went back to work that day.

it was another step to my past, when i was flipping the burgers that day. host: how did your mother support you? rep. gallego: what do you mean? host: over the years, growing up. she had many jobs. rep. gallego: she was a secretary. a legal secretary at a law form. she supported me emotionally. she worked some hard jobs as a legal secretary, and and administrative secretary. those were great experiences for me growing up, going to work with her, seeing professional people walking around, wearing suits. for me, it was a good example. growing up, the idea of work was about whether you can accomplish some sort of constructive go al. everyone in my family was cut a

carpenter, so that's what i thought i should be. i didn't know there were all these other options. seeing another profession was really important. my mom really taught me about the dignity of work. we didn't make much -- she didn't make much, but she did teach me that we should be proud that we are working on his jobs. she brought home enough they. -- pay. we were never lacking in food. our close weren't fancy -- clothes weren't fancy, but we left looking like a million bucks because we felt like a million talks. host: do remember the name of the hotdog stand you worked at? rep. gallego: susie's. 95th street. host: what did that teach you customer service? how do you apply that to

politics? rep. gallego: a lot of what i was doing was in the back. i was flipping the burgers in making the hotdog. what it did teach me was because of the interactions you had every day. people come in -- people were coming to the restaurant, really all walks of life. a lot of them were having bad days, coming from work or going to work. what it taught me is that i need to treat everyone the same, no matter what. even if you are having a great day or a bad day, i will treat you professionally and make you the best dang hotdog, i tell you beef sandwich, or hamburger. a lot of other jobs i have had have taught me that if you treat people professionally, you will be treated the same in return. even if you are not, you're not you are better off being professional about it. host: how were the hamburgers? what was the most popular item? rep. gallego: the hot does were

more popular than the burgers. the hot doug's work chicago style hot dogs. in my area, a lot of people wanted to put the peppers on the hotdog. host: you are at harvard, and then withdraw to join the marine corps. why? rep. gallego: i wasn't really getting on well at harvard. it wasn't harvard's fault. the coulter was very drastically different for me from where i came from. it is a rich school. some middle-class students. i had a very tough adjustment. a lot of things, i look back on, but i think i had always imagined myself going to harvard. that is what i thought i had wanted to do, when in reality, i had always wanted to join the marine corps. i felt that i got onto this track and it would keep taking

me somewhere and putting off my goal which was to join the marines. i was unhappy not getting good grades, and decided it was time for me to do what i wanted to do. i left and joined the marine corps reserves. you do your training, and then returned to school. that's what i did. i have never regretted it sense. host: once a marine always a marine. rep. gallego: absolutely. host: what do remember about your time in the military? rep. gallego: the friends i made. the friends i lost. i got to serve with some of the -- sorry. i served with some great men. i don't think i would be surrounded by people that great again. host: what did they teach you? rep. gallego: they taught me about humility. my friends taught me about

really being there for each other. the marines taught me about discipline and organization. that was the marine corps. the marines i served with taught me about what it truly means to care about another human being who you're not related to what you're willing to do to keep them alive. host: let me follow up, if i could, on the that point. can you explain about losses you have witnessed and sacrifices. rep. gallego: i lost my best friend. i lost platoon members. a lot of good men we lost in cap combat, and for reasons that i think were incorrect. we did not have the proper armor

in our vehicles. i think we are also in an area that should have had more manpower than what we had. to this day, the fact that i lost such close friends it still haunts me. host: as you and others in congress debate military spending, and what the military has or needs, how do you apply your experiences to the debate here? rep. gallego: i look at the budget from the perspective of the ground and not the infantry men. every operation will involve imagery -- infantry. when it comes to the budget, i look at, how will this affect the one infantrymen. when it comes to airplanes i will first look at what does the infantry guy need. at the end of the day, that is most likely where it will be

used. lastly, i think, just bringing my perspective in, i think it is important that we fulfill our commitments, specifically to the military personnel who are retiring. i've heard some talk about changing how we give benefits to retirees and dependents. i know for a fact as a member of the veterans, as a member of the military, there is nothing more disheartening to t join the military, and you are promised certain things, and then told, no that is not the case, it was changed because of budgetary priorities. how much they are willing to spend on the war, the same has to match when it comes to military benefits. what you promise somebody is what they should be getting, and they should not be taking shortcuts. host: as a member of congress you're dealing with a lot of

information, constituents, how do you filter through all of the data? the letters, e-mails, reports. rep. gallego: i don't really sleep much. that has been my nature. i do like being motivated and stimulated. i ask enjoyed getting a lot of information. most of the time it is at the surface level. when i need to go deeper, i start asking questions. for me, i enjoy it. it is enjoyable to hear from my constituents and even when things get into the weeds, i like the challenge. a lot of it is more -- i love my staff, but sometimes they can't keep up with me. they are human and i'm human too. i just do it. i guess i don't really think about it. for me it's part of the job and

it is enjoyable. host: is this job what you expected so far? rep. gallego: to some degree, yes. coming from arizona, you kind of understand what it means to be in the minority. there are other aspects of it that i have enjoyed. right now, we are working on a process to be helpful -- being the first colombian american elected to congress, it is very important to be involved. being on the army resources committee, it has been very helpful listening in try to figure out what to do with the aumf and budget. it has been enjoyable, but very difficult. and just being involved in all these other small projects. it has been a lot of fun. even while we have a very obstructionist congress, led by the republicans, we have found other ways to be productive for

the district and the state as a whole. host: how did you meet your wife kate? rep. gallego: she bought me on a day auction. host: you have to explain. what happened? rep. gallego: she was walking back from some late-night clash and s and she saw a girlfriend on the street. her friend invited her to come to this event. it was a day auction being done by the sororities and fraternities of harvard to benefit the 9/11 fun this was just after september 11, 2001. i happen to bened to be auctioned off that night. that woman was a mutual friend of ours, but we had never met, my girlfriend and i had never met. i was auctioned off and her good friend, and my good friend, she

urged her to bed for me. it was going well. i got bid up by others who were in the room to make sure i didn't get myself embarrassed. as the bidding went out, she stop bidding, and a friend was about to win me, and i asked the auctioneer to ask kate one more time. i wanted to see who this lovely woman was. he did and kate said that she had run out of money. i said if she bid for me one more time, i would pay half. she agreed, and that is how we met. we went on our first day about one week later, and ever since it has been pretty good. host: how much do they raise on your bed? rep. gallego: $44. that was the second-most for the day. host: was your mom here when you

took the oath of office? rep. gallego: absolutely. host: what was that like for her? rep. gallego: i think for her it was a great feeling. i don't think there is anything else we can do to reiterate how great of a job she has done. for her, her proudest moment was seeing all four of her kids graduate from college. that is very hard to do. the fact that she did it by herself really shows her strength, and what a great mother she has been. obviously, i think these kinds of things make her very happy because she knows i am fulfilling a goal or she a ste accomplishing a step. i have a sister in medical school. that will trump this. once i have a sister there is a doctor, she will be the favorite

in the family. i think my mother is very proud. host: when you took the oath of office, what was going through your mind? rep. gallego: i had three members for my platoon hold the bible. what was going through my mind is that i am here and it is my charge to do my best for my country and my district. i was thinking about the weight of that pressure, and i needed to fulfill what people wanted me to do, which is come here to be a strong advocate for people and for veterans and not shy away from the fight. host: how do you know when you have achieved that? what is your benchmark? rep. gallego: how many facebook post i get. no, i'm just kidding. at the end of the day, a lot of time, if i feel i have put it on

the table, pushed what i can push, and even if i fail, i know i did my best. that is an internal gut check that i have all the time. sometimes, it is just looking in the mere and saying, did i do what other people would be proud of? and then i answer yes or no, and hopefully i can answer honestly. host: and you say being a father, a son -- it has been, a son, and a father someday. rep. gallego: hopefully someday. host: what would you tell your kids? rep. gallego: that i am blessed to be born in this country. it has given me this opportunity. opportunities give you 50% of the way. you have to go the other 50%.

just because i made it doesn't mean that i can forget everyone else that got me here. now that the people who got me here, some of them didn't make it how can i be of service to them and their families. i think especially for someone like me who served in the military, i/o into the veterans to stay here and do my job to help them and help their families. host: congressman gallego of arizona, thank you. >> c-span's conversations with new members of congress continue with republican will heard of texas. he is the first african american republican to serve texas since reconstruction. he served abroad with the cia. this is almost half an hour. host: congressman will hurd

from the 23rd district of texas which includes approximately 5000 square miles, and 8000 miles of border. how do you manage that? rep. hurd: i put a lot of miles on the car. it is a big district. two time zones. 800 miles of border. it is gigantic. that is one of the reasons i love the district. we have some beautiful parts of the state and it is why a no-name fresh face was able to win this district because of the amount of time that we spent crisscrossing it, not afraid to burn up miles on my car and to letter. host: give us a sense of the demographics of the district, some of the cities and towns and what struck you most. rep. gallego: san antonio is the

biggest city. that is where i was born and raised. my parents stayed in the house where i was born into. that is on the eastern end. on the west is el paso. in the middle, you have towns like l castro, big bend national park. it is about a 60% hispanic district. when you have such a rule part and the urban centers of san antonio and el paso, sometimes on one end of the district there is one opinion, and in the middle, another opinion. the thing that struck me the most is that people worry about national security. they are worried about their future and the safety of their family. that was great because of my background. i spent almost a decade as an undercover officer in the cia. host: we will talk about that in

a moment. if you were to travel from one end of a district to the other how long will that take? rep. gallego: about 11 hours going 80 miles per hour. host: have you ever been pulled over? rep. gallego: i have. the first time the chief of staff came into my district. what's important to me is that the d.c. staff understands the district and gets out there and sees it. the first time i chief of staff was driving, we got pulled over. host: what did you tell the police officer? rep. gallego: nothing. he told us to slow it down. it was late at night. they were looking at us to say hey, be careful. it's great folks throughout the district. i don't know if he recognized me or not. they were making sure that we were being safe. host: you are the first african american republican since reconstruction to be elected.

how did that come about and why are you a republican? rep. gallego: it was funny getting up here to washington dc. the first question that i got asked was how did the black guy win in a hispanic district. my dad is originally from east texas. my mom grew up in indiana. a met in los angeles and got married, and moved to said tonio in 1971. my father is african-american and my mother is white. it was a en vogue to be an interracial couple in south texas in the 1970's. what's great is that their youngest son has been a member of congress. when they first went to san antonio, they had difficulty buying a home, and now, i am representing my hometown. part of that is because people are no longer voting on the color of your skin, but on the concept of your character. people knew that i would work hard and work across the

aisle and that i have the experience that you need. for me, it is about working hard. at the end of the day, whether you are black, brown, or anything, people care about couple of things, they want food on the table, a roof over the head and for the people they love to be healthy and happy. when you address those issues, it doesn't matter what community you are in, he says it will resonate with you. host: you have a difference with the president because of your party, but you have similarities as far as your background. rep. gallego: i am aware. it is not just tni. there are a number of people with his experience. he learned to be empathetic and excel in areas where you are the only person who looks like you. i think those were skills that i

had in the cia. it is an honor to be here, to represent my hometown, and like is that, i think it is a great example of how texas has evolved in putting people in office because of what they are and what they will do. host: as a graduate of texas a&m, certainly a premier school, a lot of school pride being an aggie. what does that mean for you? rep. gallego: they say the aggies not liars, cheaters. i think if we had more of that thinking in washington dc, it would be a better place. i'm proud to be an aggie. i learned a lot about leadership. i was president at a&m the year that the bonfire collapse. we basically built a very big fire, a collapsed during the building and killed 12 kids. in 1999, it was the worst accident to have happen on a college campus. to help lead the id family

through the darkest time of our history was an honor. i would give the experience up if it meant that those 12 students were still alive. we talk about the aggie network and i was able to leverage that in my run for congress. it is a great school. it is awesome representing my alma mater. that same system has a school in san antonio in the district, so it is cool to represent part of my alma mater. host: for those who do not remember what happened, explain the circumstances that led to the class, where you were, and how you responded. rep. gallego: this is what we did to show our burning desire to be our arrival, university of texas. it is a multitier bonfire, a couple of thanh, gigantic, all student run and builds.

when it collapsed there was a lot of rain that affected the center pole that held out the entire thing. a cracked -- it cracked and the enticing collapsed on itself. when it collapsed, i was actually a sleep. it happened a little after 2:00 in the morning. one of my friends called me and said, you should probably get a p a. about 11 minutes after collapsed, i was on campus and involved in all the aspects of it, from trying to recover the 12 kids, and dealing with the press. host: how did the tradition change after that? rep. gallego: it doesn't happen anymore at a&m. the year before that was the last year that the bonfire burned. host: y student leadership and

why did you decide to become student council president? rep. gallego: it's funny. i wasn't going to go to texas a&m. i have flight as a backup. i was a computer science major and i wanted to go to stanford. i got accepted to stanford. i even got a pretty significant scholarship to go. i went to texas a&m because i had a counselor at high school a big aggie, and he can't drink me to go out for -- kept badgering me to go out for a student visit. i said if i go, what you leave me alone? he said yes. i went for a tour and a football game, and fell in love with the place. the opportunity to get involved. there is something special there at texas a&m. i decided to run for his due by the president because i had been involved on campus and thought that there was some problems that needed to be fixed. my mother said that if i'm part

of the problem, i need to be part of the solution. somebodies decided to help me. we decided to do it. host: how did that train you for running for congress? rep. gallego: it is a big school. 45,000 students. when you add graduates and the number of professors, administrators, you are talking 70 5000, 80,000 people. it taught me how to deal with a diverse group of people ideologically, and the importance of sticking to your principles. a handful of individuals can indeed change the world. it was a good test run. i would have never thought that i would run for congress after that. it showed that we know how to get a message out our front door. host: how do you approach the job of being a member of

congress to echo what is your routine here in washington and when you go back to your district? rep. gallego: i ran for two reasons. one to be a leader on national security, and to to be the gold standard when it comes to constituent relations. we talked about the district, it is huge, 29 counties. some of the counties because they're so far away from the major centers, they don't get represented. my title is representative. i ran to be a representative not a congressman. we are here for votes, monday through thursday or tuesday through friday, and then i am back in the district every weekend. i will try to find in and out of said tonio to weaken for month midland one weekend, and el paso one weekend. we try to focus our legislative efforts on those things that resonate in the district and are key to my background. the fact that we -- im chairman

of the subcommittee on information technology is a great opportunity to leverage my experience and background. i have a degree in computer science from a&m. i did some offense of cyber operations in the cia. when i left cia and lost my first run in congress, i started a cyber security company. to be able to use that to focus on areas of privacy, cyber security, information sharing, and emerging technology. that is where we spend a good deal of our time. host: why are you a republican? rep. gallego: i am a republican because i believe in freedom, small government, a strong national defense, you will opportunity for all. these are all things that have always resonated with me.

my dad likes to say that he was the first black republican in said tonio. i have tried to fact check that and i have a been able to. my dad was a salesman for 30 years. when he retired from that, he and my mother started a beauty supply and beauty school. i saw what it's like to start something from scratch and be rewarded for your efforts. these are the experiences i had growing up. this is what i believe in. host: brothers, sisters? rep. gallego: i am the baby of three. my sister is four years older than i am and my brother is five years older. they all live and said and we are very close host:. -- host: when you took the oath of office, what were your mom and dad thinking? rep. gallego: i knew my mom would be crying. might dad was proud. it's funny, my dad is 82 years old. he normally walks with a cane, and he showed up and he didn't

have his cane. i said, dad, join you to send someone to the hotel to get your cane? he straightened up and said, i am in the capital, i don't need a cane today. he walked without his cane for the entire day. i know they were super proud. my parents have always believed in me. they have always been my rock and my biggest supporters. it really hit home when i stood up and raise my hand and was able to see them in the gallery. host: what was your biggest setback growing up or early in your career? rep. hurd: biggest setback was probably losing my run for congress in 2010. i left the cia specifically to run. i was frustrated with the caliber of our elected leaders. my job was to collect intelligence but also briefed members of congress. i was shocked by the lack of understanding of some basic issues that they were all

committees for. i decided to run for congress. i did not have a plan b. we ran, and we ran the first round, and everyone was excited. everybody thought we were issue into when the runoff. -- a shoe in to win the runoff. we lost by 700 votes. i felt like i had let everybody down. i thoroughly all these people were involved in the political process for the first time, they were excited, i felt like i d let them down. i had to figure out what was my plan be. i had coffee and interviewed with about 70 different people. all walks of life, different parts of the country. i said, if you were 32 again

what would you do? or if time and money were an issue, what would you do? their response -- there was no great idea generated from that but the father of one of my closest friends said, do something meaningful and hard. i was like, it's so simple, but that is kind of how i have lived my life since then. i have realized that all my life i have tried to do things that are meaningful and hard. i have learned a lot. i am a better person. i think that lost prepared me for where i am today. host: why did you decide to run again in 2014? rep. hurd: the opportunity was there. i have the fire in the belly. coming that close realizing that i had significant disagreements with the person in office, and thought that that person should be representing the district of it differently. i love my country.

i had the honor to serve my country for almost a decade in the cia. for me i will give this a different way. the opportunity was there. folks on my team said they were in for one more. we decided to do it. the rest is history. host: let's talk about the cia. you graduated from texas a&m got a job at the agency, what was your first position? what was your greatest challenge? rep. hurd: my first job. i was 22 years old, i was driving my toyota four runner from san antonio to washington dc. i stop at a convenience store and the tv was on about the gulf of t talk in. i became the desk officer for yemen. i was the guy back in the

headquarters, supporting the men and women in our station, which is the cia headquarters. that was my first job. one of my biggest challenges while i was there was fighting the bureaucracy. when i was in afghanistan i manage all of our undercover operations. i felt like there was some rules and regulations that we were having to use to do our job that were preventing us from protecting ourselves and doing the job that we were trained to do. so, fighting the bureaucracy in kabul, friday the bureaucracy back and linge was an incredible challenge. in the end, we won. i had enough experience and background and support to get that done. it was a great experience because guess what, that is what i am doing here. i realize that most of my responsibility is to fight the

bureaucracy for those folks who need the bureaucracy fought. that simple. it was a great lesson. it was a great challenge. for me, what i learned in the cia is filled with god-fearing, red blood patriotic men and women who are trying to do the right thing and make sure that you and i can sleep well at night and that our families are safe. that commitment to saying -- you know, when we got a tasking we never said, no we can't do that. yes was the answer. that can do easilyethos permeated everything we did. host: is a future president says, we want you to become the cia director, is there job that you would undertake?

if so, how would you approach the position? rep. hurd: you know, that's a good question. it would be an honor to serve. it really would be. how i would approach the position is go back to the basics. cia are the collectors of last resort. if you can get a piece of information, you call the cia to do that. you have to have very clear goals on what you're trying to collect and how you are trying to have the perspective. right now, as the number of threats to our country are increasing, we have to have even more intelligence. one of the problems is the fight against isis in syria and iraq. we don't have enough on the ground human intelligence. part of that is because we do not have enough people in the region. that is something where my good

friend, ambassador ryan crocker i think he is one of the best names that foreign service has ever produced. now he is at texas a&m running the bush school. if i was there, i would be aggressive, b in hard places but we would have clear collection priorities based on the threats we are facing. host: you have spent time in yemen, afghanistan, what worries you the most as a member of congress? what should americans be most concerned about? rep. hurd: the micro actors having macro impact. this is where one person can have a huge impact. who would have thought that 11 people would have had the impact

they did on 9/11? those are the full suite have to worry about. when you look at isis isis is -- the talent they are attracting from around the world is pretty significant. it is the higher levels -- at higher levels than afghanistan ever was. they are leveraging social media to get their message out. it is on resident. when i was chasing out al qaeda and the taliban, they would do things called night letters. they would write letters and put them on people's footsteps. they could only hit a couple hundred of people that way. what isis is doing is hitting tens of thousands of people and getting their message out in a way that is unprecedented. that is pretty scary. when you look at the cyber threats that we are facing

around the world, it is unbelievable. of course, it is no longer about preventing someone from getting in. if you give me enough time, i will get into digital network. the question becomes how can you protect it, to attain it, and get people out. the number of people who are able to get into our sophisticated digital infrastructure is increasing recognition of the -- increasing exponentially. the good news is i we have smart americans in our agencies that are keeping us safe and protecting us from these threats. host: i have to ask you about the knife behind you. it looks pretty scary. where did that come from? rep. hurd: it came from pakistan. that was kind of, when you left the award you were given for good service. it is an avnet adaptation of

eighta gurkha knife. the gurkhas were war years. they say if you ever pull your knife, you can't put it back in the sheath without being bloody. host: you are still single. rep. hurd: yes. when you come home and say hey honey, i work for the cia, and we are moving to pakistan, that has a chilling effect on the relationship. it was the right choice for her. i haven't found the right person just yet. i do travel a lot, move around a lot. i am young enough. my parents had grandkids, so

they are not pushing me too hard. host: there are members of congress who used a breeze as a staffer. do they view you differently now as a colleague? rep. hurd: some of the ones that i had -- that caused me to run no longer exist. here's what i would say. i have been shocked about how warm member to member relations are on both sides of the aisle and the fact that people who have been here who have a lot of experience have sought me out for my perspective and experience. that has been fantastic. host: what is the biggest learning curve for a member of congress? rep. hurd: how you manage your legislative team, your district team, and your political team. those are three separate organizations and have to be

manage that way. for me i realized that a lot of my work up here is about responding to my constituents. if one person is having a problem in the district, then i guarantee you, hundreds of people across the country are. how do we take up these and use them in a way to fix the problem on a macro scale? that is how i think we can be even more effective in representing our district and making sure we are fighting the bureaucracy for the folks who needed to be fought. host: are you where you expected to be at your age of 37? rep. hurd: i don't know. like i said before, i learned to start doing things that are meaningful and hard. for me, it is about having a positive attitude. that is something my father taught me. be honest to people and treat people with respect. i was taught that had a very young age. i continue to do that now.

it is an exciting place to be in order to represent my country and my hometown, and fight for 800,000 people. host: and he saw and else interests you politically? rep. hurd: i'm a just and going back and starting a business. for me, the next political objective is getting reelected. there are a lot of folks that are doubting my ability to do that. they have doubted me already. we know what we are doing. we will prove everyone wrong once again. host: congressman william he urd, republican from congress. them another new member of congress is norma torres from california, currently the highest ranking elected official of guatemalan dissent. she was sent to the u.s. at

five, works full-time as a police dispatcher. this interview from her office on capitol hill is about 25 minutes. host: representative norma torres from california's 35th district. as a freshman member of congress, what is the difference in serving here from serving in the california state senate? rep. torres: it is quite a difference between the two chambers -- i should say the three chambers. i served both in the assembly and the state senate. the biggest difference, i think, is our inability to work across the aisle. in california, we certainly a better job with that. host: how do you think the? rep. torres: members have to commit to working together. we have to commit personal time getting to know each other traveling into each other's district, and learning about the

issues that are important and respecting those issues. there are differences we have between each other, and i think it is important. host: i would imagine another big difference is the amount of money that it takes to run for congress and get elected. have what has that been like for you? rep. torres: it has been incredibly hard to get here. the money involved in politics makes it almost impossible for someone like me, i am an average mom, a 911 dispatcher by trade. it is incredible that i made it this far, but here i am. host: why did you decide to run for office? rep. torres: i answered a call as a 911 dispatcher of a 11-year-old girl calling for her uncle. a push me into a world that i did not know existed.

i was an average mom, raising my children, and all he did was go to work, go home, pay my bills, and take care of them. over the issue, it was a very difficult time for the city of los angeles and the state of california. we were facing a proposition 187 at the time. i was asking for changes to help primarily be spanish-speaking community in los angeles to hire more bilinguals and be more responsible to their needs. host: let me go back to that story. you have talked about it, but let me take it one step forward. what happened? you got the call. she is with her uncle, 11 years old. tell us the full story. rep. torres: it was a very hot summer night. there were only three dispatchers that spoke spanish at that time. this person called for help.

the call started very early with her on go uncle taking his live-in girlfriend -- he put a gun to her head and dried her next-door with a little girl lived. it took 20 minutes for me to answer her call. by the time i answered it, all i could hear was screaming. later i learned that the horrific sounds i was hearing was her head being bashed against the wall. she was shot five times point-blank. the person who shot her fled. our officers were there within 20 seconds of me advising them that there was a crime in progress. i really felt like we could have done more. so i did more. i began a process of trying to get my department to be more

sensitive to the -- bilingual dispatchers not only in spanish but other languages. many times i have to testify against my own department. certainly, that is not easy to do. host: did they apprehend the suspect? rep. torres: they did. eventually he turned himself in. he served, i believe, four or six years in jail for that crime. i spent many months waiting to go to trial. i was her only witness. it was the call they captured the shooting, the screaming, and her last words. which i really didn't know what they were until i went through the process of translating the

tape for the officers. her last words were, "uncle, please don't kill me. so in many ways, it changed my entire life. host: what does that say about the criminal justice system that he only third six years? rep. torres: very disappointing. the family was well off. they were able to hire an attorney who was able to convince the jury that i drink one beer, he was intoxicated and therefore did not know what he was doing, and it was a crime of passion. host: what was the girl's name? rep. torres: yahira. host: have you talked to the girls family over the years? rep. torres: i have not. host: that was the starting point for your political career? rep. torres: that was the starting point.

i would always say i hate politics. it is the work i have to do to do what i love to do which is better mike immunity. public service has been my life. host: you were born in guatemala. you came to the u.s. when? rep. torres: i came to the u.s. in 1970. i was sent here by my parents to live with my father's oldest brother, who lived in whittier, california. his youngest brother was here serving in the u.s. marines at the time. my mother was very very ill. guatemala was a war-torn country at that time. lots of violence. my father felt that they could not take care of me because they were so busy with my mother's illness that it was better for me to come to the u.s. i was told i was coming on

vacation. and many ways, i think i/o this country a great deal because i have had a wonderful life here. host: did you speak any english? rep. torres: i did not. back then, we did not have esl programs. i was thrown in when i went to school in the classroom with other kids. i learned english fairly quickly because of being a child. you don't have work, a lot of things on your mind other than, i want to be able to play with other kids and communicate with them. host: what you remember about your mom? she has since passed away correct? rep. torres: i don't remember a lot about my mom. that is unfortunate. host: your dad? rep. torres: he is living close to where i live. he is be married. he came to the u.s. about five years later. i've moved moved back in with him.

ing back with my dad in my teenage years, which is difficult for a girl, not having her mom, or for any child. host: brothers, sisters cousins? rep. torres: i have two older sisters. i was the baby. they still treat me like that. host: why? rep. torres: they always have tried to protect me. they always felt that since i was the youngest, the baby, protect me. host: your first office was in city hall, correct? rep. torres: yes. i ran for city council in the year 2000. at that time, president mcintyre challenge the membership to run

for elected office. he said, i don't care what you run for, county commissioner, whatever it is, put your name on the ballot and run. america needs their workers to have a voice at the table. america needs their workers to be able to negotiate at the table. i took that to heart. after being through what i went through in the city of los angeles, i felt, if they can do it why can't i? i love my community, and i want to help my community, and i have a lot to offer. i one bite 75 votes. -- won by 75 votes. i defeated an incumbent that had been in office for 11 years. he had switched parties because the area that we represented was very conservative, republican.

i defeated him with his own constituency. host: how did you break your ankle? rep. torres: walking on a broken sidewalk. i continue to walk four blocks. when i got home, buckley my sister was there, and she is a nurse. as soon as i took off my 10 issue, my foot lieu up, and she -- blew up and she said we are going to the hospital, that is broken, and she was right. host: did you ever imagine you would be in the house of representatives? rep. torres: absolutely not. the issues -- back then, they said, she is a union member, she only cares about certain things. there was an issue with the county fair that i had taken on. there was an expansion project that they were proposing, and they had done and eir.

there were issues that had been identified for us to negotiate. i was involved in all of that -- gaining the respect of my community and trust in my community was really important by never thought that would make it this far. host: let me ask you about union never ship. as you know, it is on the decline across the country. why is that, and from your pas experiences, is there way to change the curreve? rep. torres: i think so. labor has gotten away from what we used to do really good before and that is our outreach effort. i think we need to do more of that. engaging the membership at their level. on things that are important to them. like child care. prior to me being elected to the

city council, i was very involved in state and national lobbying efforts. because of childcare. i worked the great graveyard shift because i couldn't afford to hire a babysitter. those were the things that many of my colleagues had to do. a lot of their children went to the local library. that was childcare for them. single moms, i'm grateful that i'm not a single mom. but still, two-income family raising three sons, was very hard. in a neighborhood like pomona, i had to be there for my kids to make sure that they are on the right path. steve: you have three boys, names? ages? rep. torres: robert is 28. my son christopher, a veteran of the air force, is 25.

my baby matthew is 22. steve: what do they think of their mom being in congress? rep. torres: they think it is an incredible challenge for them. we have a very competitive household. and, you know, their biggest complaint is, how are we going to be able to compete with mom? what do i have to do to be better than congress? and i think they are now realizing that it is not a title that makes me who i am. it's my involvement in my community. steve: is there a budding politician in your family? rep. torres: maybe. my oldest son, robert, ran for local office. unfortunatley, he did not win. but he has stayed very well connected and continues to get involved with community issues. steve: how did you and your husband meet?

rep. torres: we met at a baptism. some friends were having a baptism party, a barbecue, a backyard barbecue, and that's how we met. i always said that i did not really like him, but i fell in love with him over the phone. he was my best friend. and eventually we started dating and we have been married this year we will celebrate our 29th wedding anniversary. steve: what about your routine here in washington? how often do you get home? what is your schedule like? rep. torres: i go home every week. i have to. because otherwise, i would not see my family. my husband thinks that his mission in life is to keep me grounded. if, you know -- if he was to come to d.c., he thinks it would be harder for me to get california. so, the travel is hard.

it's hard because unfortunately there are no direct flights from ontario airport that is 10 minutes away from my home. so in order for me to enjoy sunday afternoons with my family, i have to fly out of l.a.x., which means i have to leave at 5:30 a.m. for an 8:20 a.m. flight. but it is a direct flight. going home, it's a little bit harder. i either go through texas or phoenix to get to ontario airport. steve: when you are on that plane, how do you maximize your time? or do you try to sleep? rep. torres: i try to sleep, because when i get home, i have to hear about everything that has happened while i been gone not only at home, but in the community. then i try to catch up on reading. steve: let me ask you about the issue of immigration, because you are an example of the immigration system in this country, the debate that is front and center. what recommendations would you

give democrats and, more importantly, republicans as this debate continues? rep. torres: i think more so to my republican colleagues, i am a perfect example of immigration gone right. when i immigrated -- when my family, i should say, immigrated to the united states, it was a lot easier. there was a process that did not take 30 years. you could petition for family members, and we did all that. i think it was -- it was a good process. it allowed me to fully participate in this country, not just as a taxpayer, but as a voter and community activist and eventually run for office. and i think that that is exactly the american dream that we want every person that comes to this country to be able to reach. their full potential to participate in making this great country what it is. steve: where in guatemala is your family from? and have you been back there?

rep. torres: i have. i am from a coastal state. i have been back twice, once as mayor. and three years ago, i went as a state assembly member. i was invited by the government the second time around. it's very difficult for me to travel to guatemala. i am very popular. i had no idea that they had been following my political life. in these central american countries, this is an issue that we have been trying to address the governments are very very corrupt. and the people saw me this as an example of someone who works the full-time graveyard shift and still serves their community. and i think that that is what they want to see out of their government.

steve: in fact, aren't you the highest-ranking guatemalan in our government today? rep. torres: i am, and that is a very difficult position to be in. not only do i have my district to represent, but we get calls from all over the u.s. it's quite in honor that the people from the 35th congressional district had given me. steve: back in november, you and other freshman representatives came to washington as representatives elected later -- representatives elect, and went through the orientation process. you told the "l.a. times" that was like drinking water from a fire hose. what is it like? rep. torres: remember, we had just won an election, so everybody was tired. i think we got one week off, but i was not really off because i was a state senator. and, you know, i had to shut down my senate office within 25 30 days, or 25 days of the

election. when i came here, there was so much information given to us. in many ways, i think it is the way congress can say we gave you that information, and you signed that you received it. now you're on your own. steve: there is a picture behind you, and i think there is a story behind that photograph. with the other freshman representatives. so explain. rep. torres: the office lottery. it was a lot of fun, actually. we got to choose numbers, and it was done by alphabetical order so torres, i was one of the last members to choose a number. but i think i pulled in the mid 30's, 37, and that was the face that i was making. i did not think i would have a great chance to get a nice office. steve: you also learned about d.c. weather, did you not?

rep. torres: oh my gosh. i was not prepared, still not prepared. just last week, congresswoman napolitano who was my member of , my congress before redistricting, offered me a pair of boots. she said you need to have boots that are snow boots. those california boots don't work here. steve: you have moved up from city hall to the state assembly to the state senate to congress. what is next? rep. torres: this is where i am going to be for a while, i think. there is a lot of work to do here. there are a lot of relationships to mend. there is a constituency that feels that government is not working for them and they do not see themselves here. and i think it's a great opportunity for me to say, look, i came from four floors underground, working the

graveyard shift, the mom next door, the soccer mom next door i should say. and here i am. if i can do it, you can do it too. but more importantly, we need your involvement. it's too easy to forget where you come from when you come to d.c. steve: and finally, do you have heroes, role models, people who have influenced you along the way? rep. torres: i have had a lot of people that have helped in one way or another, either through constructive criticism or holding my hand during that mayoral election where i won by 250 votes. but it was over a very difficult time in my life. i had lost my home to a fire.

and here's congresswoman napolitano sitting in a living room of a temporary house, that we had managed to rent. every time a precinct reported she squeezed my hand. we won by a landslide that election, but i have had people like that who have truly cared about me. and i of course i have [indiscernable] to think about. steve: talk for a moment about the house fire? rep. torres: i was in the middle of running for mayor, and it was -- i had taken a leave of absence from my job as a 911 dispatcher. i was helping my union on two ballot initiativfes. i had just left my home. i was on the phone. unfortunately, with a constituent, because we were planning a demonstration the

next day for these rooming houses of sex offenders that were being sent to my hometown. so my husband's phone rings and my husband is driving and he puts it on speaker phone and it's the kids, the house is on fire. i'm thinking that i live on a hillside. i'm thinking it is the hill that is on fire. you never think that this is something that can happen to you. we drove home, we were 10 minutes away. we had to run the last four blocks because there were so many emergency vehicles. it was devastating. i went from driving a mercedes to driving a kia, but we managed. steve: what was the cause? rep. torres: to survive all that. the cause was electrical. we moved into a home that was built in the 1920's, and the electrical had not been

upgraded, so here we are, a family with three computers, a tv in every room, and some of the bedrooms had two tv's because you have to watch football, and not just on one channel, but two different channels. it was quite a devastating experience. i had -- i lived at five different places in 14 months. homelessness, i think that's why i'm so passionate about homelessness. i think it is america's black eye. you never know, it could happen to you. it happened to me. had it not been for a credit card with zero balance, i would have been living in my car. we had no place to go. but because of that credit card, i was able to check into a hotel and, you know, the hotel was my home for the first three weeks. eventually, i worked with my insurance company and we found a temporary house to rent.

i can't tell you how frustrating and how difficult it is for a family with young boys, a dog, and a cat to find a place to live, even though i was a councilmember, even though i was on the ballot to be the mayor. somehow, it's very difficult. people don't want to rent to folks who come with that baggage. i don't see it as baggage. my kids and my pets helped to a himre an influence on me that helps -- are an infl himuence on me that helps to drive my

politics. eventually, we found a temporary place. but then we had to move again to a hotel, and they found a more stable tenant. so we lived between hotels and this temporary house for 14 months. steve: thank you for your time and thank you for sharing your story with us. we appreciate it. rep. torres: thank you. >> our final c-span conversation with new members of congress is with republican ryan zinke e of montana. the republican defeated a field of four other candidates to win the nomination, and he won the general election with 55% of the vote. he talks about being raised by his grandmother, what he learned playing football, and fighting in iraq. this interview is about 25 minutes. steve: congressman ryan's zinke, republican from montana your grandmother had a huge influence in your life, how so? rep. zinke: she grew up on a

small farm, she went to school this is during the 1930's. not very many females went to college, so she worked as a handmaid and got a teaching certificate. the only job she could find during the great depression was a one room schoolhouse in montana. she is always my guide, growing up she was very independent and she met my grandfather when he was working on a dam. it was a cute story. there was a man camp there and went by the little school. there were two suitors who competed for my grandma. and my grandpa chopped better wood. and they got married. my grandmother was a tremendous influence in my life. steve: a lot of aunts and uncles, correct? rep. zinke: my dad was born in

glasgow. my mother grew up -- montana is an enormous state. and it is a diverse state, a lot -- although we do not have a lot of people in it. but i have always said i can speak east and west of montana and my family stretches across the whole state. steve: what do you remember about growing up, the experiences that shaped who you are today, as a teenager, as a young boy? rep. zinke: i come from a small town, a logging and timber town, fairly blue-collar. we are three generations of plumbers, so we didn't have a lot of money around the house. but there was a lot of spirit. there was a lot of hard work ethic. you know, you woke up before the sun came up and you work hard. that idea of hard work of sacrifice, family, that is part of the values that stick

with me hard today. and as i move forward, when i was a kid at the gym 15 minutes before the coach at 5:00 in the morning, i think i worked harder than those around me. because i did not have as much talent. and throughout my life, as a seal i was probably not the best jumper, or explosive expert, or shooter, sniper, but i always knew who i was and i surrounded myself with what i think was the finest talent. i have always been honored to be with men and women who had unbelievable commitment and sacrifice, on the most complex missions that our military faced. steve: your parents separated, how old were you? rep. zinke: i was in third

grade. my parents separated. the separation was not a happy -- friendly separation. with my daughter, i always wanted to maintain a cordial and friendly relation with her father. and it is helpful that way. my relationship with my daughter, when both myself and her father walked her down the aisle at her wedding that meant a lot. steve: when did you first have an interest in politics? rep. zinke: probably third or fourth grade. you know, i always would kid around about being governor of montana. i was always in student council, i was class president multiple years. looking back, i ran some pretty good campaigns, i listened a lot. but i like the idea of service and i like the idea of doing things for others and getting -- accomplishing goals. so at an early age i thought

about service, and i have been on a team most of my life, between a football team in high school -- we were successful state champions, undefeated. went to oregon. had a successful career on that team. and the seal teams, you are only as strong as your weakest link. politics is very much a team sport as well, for a higher purpose. you cannot operate independently, or you can, but you don't operate well. if you operate as an individual more than a team, i think the end result is you will not bring the ball to the field, you will not be successful. you will not be a successful politician. you will not get things done for a higher purpose, which is to make america more secure, make sure our future for children is more secure, to make sure that

protect opportunity. and it is about equal opportunity and not equal outcome. and that is an important part of the american value system, that is worth fighting for. steve: let's talk about college. you went to oregon, play football, why there? rep. zinke: pac-10, growing up in whitefish, oregon was in the pac-10 you are playing against other teams that you watch on saturday. it was a good program, some of my best friends today are a result of my college career. rich brooks and the coaching staff at that time, they were as much of a coach, mentor, father. and certainly, eugene and whitefish, being in a forest type community, outdoors, it was a good fit for me.

steve: big debate in the nfl about concussions. as somebody who played football, what are your thoughts about concussions, should parents be aware that their son or daughter plays football and those in the professional leagues? rep. zinke: i think it is a concern. the way you play the sport, the head contacts can be limited successfully. it kind of evolved where certainly when i was playing the helmet and head were a lot bigger and a more pronounced part of the game. i think a lot of it is techniques. making sure that at an early age you do not use the head as a battering ram. that you take -- the coaching has to be right. i think, looking forward, the game can evolve where we see less concussions and hopefully go back to its origins. which was kind of a rugby type

of a game. but when you are wearing a helmet, like the one behind me from oregon, that can be used as much as a weapon as protection. and there is a difference. steve: any injuries along the way? rep. zinke: i was undersized as a center. beside me was gary zimmerman, a phenomenal player, amazing athletic ability. scott shepherd played at left guard. i had ankle problems going through my last game and i started -- a four-year letterman, but my last college game in football, i was 212 pounds as a center. i used to wear three sweatpants so i look like i was heavier than i was. but it made for some pretty long, long days. when you face a 320 pound nose guard and you are 212 pounds, it

makes for a long day. steve: did you ever think about the nfl? rep. zinke: not really. i didn't think the opportunity was there. you know, early on, you have aspirations. a lot of my friends played in the nfl. again, i was probably not the best player, but i know who was and i surrounded myself with great, great people, a great team. but i don't think that my play was at that caliber to be successful in the nfl. steve: why the navy and why navy seals? rep. zinke: well, there was a mentor at oregon who commanded the enterprise during the vietnam war and i had a graduate degree in geology. he asked me what i was going to do. i said i am going to go off the coast of oregon as a geologist specialized in deep-sea operations. he said, if you're going to

dive, have you considered being a navy seal? they dive, but i think it fits your personality. at that time, nobody really knew what a seal was. this was before the books, before the movies. he brought a recruiter down, i took exams both physical and written, and he said, this is a volunteer program. if you don't like it, you can leave anytime. which -- he was very truthful about that. he was a pilot. but the program itself, he was truthful. you can leave anytime. you could ring the bell. but the program was hard and it should be. when you wear the tried and -- trident of a navy seal there was expectation that he would never quit. that you will complete the mission successfully. steve: hard, rigorous, tough training, so what do you remember about the training before you became a seal and what was the most difficult thing for you personally?

rep. zinke: in my life i was an instructor and student. and it is a lot more humorous and controlled on the instructor side then as a student. the basic course lasts about six months. we would look at about 3000 candidates and whittle them down to about 750 to start training. we graduate somewhere between 150 and 200. about 90% will leave the program voluntarily. they have the skills the aptitude and attitude, and skill set to be a seal, but they choose to quit. a lot of seal training is mental. never to quit, keep persevering. i mean i can teach a kid to do push-ups, pull-ups, to swim but is much more difficult to look at the heart within the

candidate and make sure he doesn't quit. and that is what the seal training, the toughest part of being a seal -- that is important. steve: did you hear your grandmother talking in your ear to not give up? stay with it? rep. zinke: for me, the nights were cold. i grew up in montana and we didn't have a swimming pool. we swam in a lake, that was glacial waters. so swimming was pretty cold. but i never was colder than what i was in seal training. and i was never colder in actually doing operations as a seal, as cold as training was. some of the seal operations i went on far exceeded the demands that were placed upon me in the training part, which was a testament of why the training is

-- has to remain hard. steve: you have been on a number of missions and i would like to hear stories, but behind me is something from saddam hussein's palace, can you explain? rep. zinke: that is a panel from a door in saddam hussein's bedroom. it was explosively breached. that was a small part of it that is still intact. i was a deputy and acting commander of special forces in iraq in 2004. i was responsible for a lot of different missions going on, and that was one of the non-value items that were brought back. steve: what was that like to be in iraq and what was going to your mind during that mission? and during the early stages of the war? rep. zinke: iraq is a complicated country. it is sophisticated in some terms, but very basic in others.

iraq has a sunni population, which is very proud and currently has been disenfranchised. it has a majority shia population that for many years was put to a side. it has a kurdish population up north. the current crisis of what we face, to a degree was creating a -- a result of creating a vacuum. it is a battle within islam as it is a battle between east and west. it will not go away unless america leads by example, unless the administration acts with resolve and shows other nations that we are there. we are committed to peace, and committed to being sure our allies have everything they need to be successful. steve: how did the iraqi people view american people? re.ep. zinke: i fought

with the kurds, with the she is. the people there, in all parts there was a great deal of respect. they knew we were not there to colonize. we spent a lot of effort looking at how to make their lives better. how to make the area stable in the long-term. and being stable and in the middle east is good for the world. steve: was it the right war? rep. zinke: it was a difficult call. i was on record of looking at going into iraq from the point of view of someone who was executing policy, not making policy. my job was to make sure that when we engaged in the mission, we won. our job is to make sure that everyone had all the right equipment, the right training, the rules of engagement are decisive on the field of battle. and also to eliminate collateral

damage. we went on a lot of missions where there was collateral damage and i would sit down and talk with the imams about what happened. the koran is very different from the bible. but ultimately, it is people. and as a u.s. commander, you are obligated to make sure that what you do is in the best interest of your force and the mission. steve: what is more difficult, serving as a navy seal or raising money for a political campaign? rep. zinke: being a navy seal is a great job. i kind of laugh sometimes being a congressman sometimes is more difficult than being a seal. as a seal, you can watch things get done. you can engage. you have a terrific team around you. normally, you had the resources to win, and you could watch progress being made. on the hill, under the current

polarization, there is progress being made. it is fixable. it is absolutely fixable. but progress is not as rapid as what you would like. you have to make sure you exercise some patientsce. and some is just political rhetoric. some people don't want the facts. they don't care about the facts. they care about an agenda. i never looked through life through a red, blue lens. it has always been red, white, and blue with me. as a former seal commander, i never asked the political affiliation of those folks around me. what i cared about was how good they were. were they skilled? were they committed? did they have the right training, and did they have the right gut and grit to do what

was necessary? the political landscape, the freshman group coming in, they have an enormous amount of talent. on both sides of the aisle. but again, my job is to surround myself with a good team. make sure we have the right resources to move the ball forward. steve: let me throw out a hypothetical. let's say democrats want to raise taxes slightly and you want budget cuts in other areas. can you hold firm to principles but also compromise on spending, taxes, the method matters? -- the other issues domestically? rep. zinke: there are some values that are nonnegotiable. those valiant should be -- values would be faith, family, the constitution. i hope those values -- my background, as a seal commander, i defend the constitution against threats foreign and domestic.

i gave the oath as a seal commander, as a state senator and i was proud to give the same oath in congress. the constitution is nonnegotiable. how we approach making america more secure and making the economy prosperous, so we can afford a strong military, so we can afford to keep promises we have made, infrastructure, social security, medical, it will take a strong economy. so i will sit down and reach across the aisle on how to get there, but i don't think that you have to ever sacrifice your values to do it. are there places where tax reform should be done, absolutely. but my philosophy, has three components in the economy, taxes, you have cutting, spending. and then you have growth. it is much better to grow the economy. you will gain more in a shorter

amount of time if we grow the economy. i think growth is really about obtaining energy independence. in my experience of the middle east, think about the change that the world would look at the change in our lives as americans, if we were energy independent and not held hostage by the middle east. our critics support natural gas to our allies in europe, so they would not be held hostage by russia. that is part of a vision. i am a huge fan of teddy roosevelt. i was when i was a kid. and going forward, what i like about roosevelt was he thought big. he built the panama canal. montana enjoys a lot of federal

lands for public use. over 100 years ago, he had the vision of looking at what america should be and could be. we were not a great power at the turn of the 19th century. we are today. a lot of that foundation was thinking big. i like the idea that roosevelt thought big, and america has to think big again. the problems are real, but we need to think big enough to find solutions. and we can. the american spirit is still strong. steve: how do you structure your life here in washington, back in montana and with your family? rep. zinke: i travel a lot. when montanans, and knock at the door of the office, i try to be here. i walked out of the committee and say hello. montana is still eye to eye, and

it is important. it is important to meet, that we have a conversation over coffee, we talk about things eye to eye. montana is one small town with very long streets, that is what i joke. and my family is spread across montana. i try to stay in touch with what is going on. we skype. cell phone coverage in iraq is better than cell phone coverage in montana. that needs to be fixed. i spend a lot of time on the road. my family is here in washington, which is important. i make sure that i am a father. i spent a lot of deployments away. and to a degree, i want to see my children, my grandchildren. my daughter is a navy diver, my son is a navy seal. they are in virginia beach. it is nice to have the grandkids but here -- up here.

i am proud to have them with me. steve: is it the job you expected? rep. zinke: to a degree. i have had to readjust my expectations on how fast we get things done. it is bureaucratic. i wasn't surprised at the amount of bureaucracy in washington d.c. the view from here is a lot different from yellowstone. part of the hurdle we will need to get over is that decisions being made in washington, by the bureaucrats, they are not bad people but they do not know the issues on the ground. they cannot tell you where montana is on the map, these -- or the difference between butte and bozeman, and yet decisions are being made that affect people across america from people who don't understand what it is to be out in america. and we see these dictums and regulations, and how they affect normal people and their lives. i think the further we can push

those decisions down where if you are going to make a decision, i think it is a fair request that if you make a decision, you should understand what the consequences will be on the ground. and decisions are made every day that are one-size-fits-all, but it doesn't work. what it does is, it is stifling what the one value that america has done better than any other nation in the history of the world -- is innovate and think out of the box. one-size-fits-all, top-down management, it stifles the thing that has made america a shining light of every other country. it is our ability to innovate and think out of the box. bring new products, look at things a little differently, the american way. that is what we need to protect. steve: you talk about your grandmother, family members, but was there somebody in your life that influenced you and sent you

on the path you are today? rep. zinke: my high school coach, bob, i think taught me that if you work hard you could be successful. he gave me an indication that i have some talent, but if i work hard -- it has always been a coach relationship. it was in the seal teams. there were vietnam instructors that had been to combat, and they have always been very kind. they were mentors. i have mentors on the hill here some great leaders that have gone out of their way, to bring me under their wing. and go this is the path that we see for you. if you want to go on this path you have to earn it.

like everybody else. but you have a great opportunity. as a result, i try to put discipline in my message, and a football sense i try to stay between the hashmarks. i understand that i represent everyone in montana. montana has one congressman. i represent not only the republican side, but the democratic side, the tea party side, the independent site, the union side. i represent every person in montana. i think of we take that value set forward, congress represent s america. true, you articulate the values and needs of the district, but the purpose is to make america better. there are a lot of ways we can a lot of paths to obtain our goals. but we are all here for one purpose, to make sure that america is strong, secure, and prosperous. steve: could we see you in leadership down the road?

is that something you would be interested in? rep. zinke: yes, i am always interested in contributing when i can. leadership, i think if i work hard, that is probably obtainable. it is wherever i can fit in and help the team. steve: congressman ryan zinke. republican from montana. thank you very much for your time today. rep. zinke: great to be here. a pleasure. >> on a picture-perfect sunday in our nation's capital, the expectation is that hillary clinton will officially enter the race sometime this afternoon. early news reports indicated an announcement would, at noon eastern time. it is now 12:41 on the east coast, and still no official announcement. we want to use this opportunity to hear from you. our phone lines are open on the candidacy of hillary clinton expected to be the first

democrat to enter the presidential campaign. 202 is the area code. we have lines for republicans democrats, and the third party. there is this tweet from jonathan allen, who says rand paul is trolling at hillary clinton. out in front of the gop pack, trying to go toe to toe with her. candidates including jeb bush and rand paul issuing some pre- buttal web announcements. let us first go to glenn thrush, who is following all of this for politico. it is available online at politico.com. thanks for being with us on a sunday afternoon. guest: good to be here. host: a noon tweet has not happened yet. what are you hearing? glenn: the clinton people, it is

the middle of the day. the claim people are forceful about pushing him back down, saying it would be in the afternoon or evening. i am kind of out of this predictions -- i have been proven wrong. the theme of the piece i wrote with other reporters today reported that hillary clinton has always been reluctant to jump in. i think we are seeing playing out today how she wants us to hold off until the last possible minute. host: why this approach? not a major announcement speech although we are hearing that could come sometime in may. why social media, trying to go under the radar, as much as a former secretary of state and first lady can do so, in early states like iowa and new hampshire this week? glenn: there are really two reasons. the first is, remember in january 2007, she did this

through a video announcement as well. she is a 67 euros presidential candidate. she is somebody from a previous generation. there is a feeling that associating her with new modalities of communication twitter and instagram and even facebook, are ways to freshen up her approach. i think there is an element of that. the other thing that i think is this notion that she does not want to project this imperial royal, dynastic succession. she wants to have a fairly slow takeoff, and preferably a softer landing than last time. and to do so, she is planning as we reported in march -- a series of low-key events. it is not like 2007, running for senate in new york. these are going to be smaller events, trying to avoid shock and awe stuff she did in 2008 that backfired. host: there is an article up at

politico.com that bill clinton is viewing 2016 as sort of a family redemption, that he never stopped urging hillary clinton to plunge into the race again. can you elaborate on that? glenn: that was one of the -- i guess it is a bit of a given but i was surprised when i talked to two dozen people in the last week, just a forceful he has been in private about her doing this. 2008 hillary clinton genuinely believed, i think, she was not going to do this again. this was a humbling, physically exhausting, psychologically exhausting experience for her. from the first, when she would say never again, bill clinton would push this. as you recall, bill clinton -- i do not know how to put this delicately -- has a fairly substantial ego. he was really burned by the 2000 eight indiana experience. i was with him in south carolina when african-american voters turned out.

there were a couple things he said about barack obama. that was a real pivot point in the race. i recall talking with him outside of a restaurant and mentioning talking about race to him. he pointed a finger at me and said, shame on you. bill clinton and hillary clinton always viewed themselves as racial pioneers. they are children of the 60's. they felt very much burned by that experience. to a significant extent, this coming together, the fact that she does not have a significant challenger in the democratic primaries and caucuses, they are viewing as an attempt, to some extent, to rehabilitate themselves. this is not just an issue of hillary getting elected president. this is an issue of bill clinton restoring what he believes to be his rightful place in party history. host: your piece providing inside baseball on the rollout of this announcement, including john podesta, who is heading up

the clinton campaign. he did not, according to your report like the fiction surrounding a potential candidacy of hillary clinton. he wanted her to jump in early. glenn: john podesta, this is a characteristic of this guy. he is a fast thinking, sharp talking kind of guy. he is sort of a prototype for rahm emanuel. he is rahm emanuel before rahm emanuel was rahm emanuel. he has an alter ego called skippy. when he loses his temper, he turns into skippy, they say. with the clintons, he was impatient with the slow pace of the planning, the hiring. one of the interesting things i discovered to my reporting was that there was some thought of being an exploratory phase going around to talk with people in a more public way, maybe even set up an export tory committee.

-- an exploratory committee. he thought that would be a waste of time and she needed to announce as president. he prevailed in that regard, but he was also pushing for a january, february launch. but she did not go for that. she wanted to push it back. host: glenn thrush is chief political reporter for politico. what is going to happen today and this week? glenn: to a certain extent, what is interesting about this is eight years ago, this was a big deal. the excitement around this, particularly because this was turning into a two or three person race between hillary and barack obama and john edwards -- there was a lot of attention paid to the social media aspect of this. there is less of that this time. "the new york times" put it --

my sense is, she is going to do a lot of it with social media. i think it is going to happen in a few hours. over the next couple of days, it looks like it is being pushed back a little bit. wednesday, she is going to go to iowa and do a series of events where she interacts with the public. the media has been told to stand by. we will be given 48 hours notice of what she is planning to do. we are told it will be a multistate tour and will almost certainly come to new hampshire. the question is, when will that happen? is it going to be a week, two weeks? perhaps the most important thing we have learned is, she is going to go relatively dark relatively quiet, into may and june. she will take some time to organize a fundraiser. that is the time she works on

the real infrastructure of the campaign. host: glenn is online at politico.com chief political correspondent. thanks for being with us. onto your phone calls. on the expected announcement today or early tonight guadalupe a from laredo, texas democrats line. what do you think? go ahead, please. caller: it is excellent that hillary is going to throw her hat in the ring, but she is going to have to throw in a new approach in the way she is going to conduct her campaign, very different from 2008. host: what approach do you want to be different? caller: she needs to reach out across all types of people -- working people, union people and people who support the republican party. host: thank you for the call. l virus is next, from florida.

republican line. elvira: i am 84 years old. i have two things i do not like with hillary clinton. one, when she was making the campaign to run for president they asked her about the status of puerto rico, where i come from. we are american citizens. we want statehood. she said that that will be a thing she will not have time to work on it. and the next thing i did not like from her was when she was here not too long ago, and she did not once meet with spanish people. did not give them any satisfaction about anything. i think that was wrong of her. there are a lot of spanish people in the united states, and they are citizens, and they have the right to vote. and she better reach her hands to them. otherwise, she is not going to go no place.

thank you. host: we are looking at hillary clinton last august, at the steak fry in iowa. cheryl is joining us from -- where are you calling from? cheryl: rolling hills estates california. i am so thrilled with this announcement. i have been waiting and waiting for this for so long. it is about time for america to have a woman lead us into the new 2016. host: thanks very much for the call. we go to bonita from wyoming, republican line. good afternoon. bonita: good afternoon. i am sorry to say that i don't think hillary clinton deserves to be running for president. her husband was nothing but a sexual predator, and i don't

believe she ought to be married to him. i am sorry, but i think she is going to just lose completely. host: many of you already weighing in on our facebook page. you can join in on the conversation. one says, she is the only candidate worth waiting for. rhonda says, don't trust her. do not vote for her. if she was the best woman on earth. jorge says, say no to hillary. jeb bush, who has yet to formally enter the race -- the official candidates are ted cruz and rand paul. we will have a third tomorrow with marco rubio officially entering tomorrow evening in miami, florida. the jeb bush campaign already releasing this. >> in the coming weeks and months i look forward to an exchange of ideas and substantive policy proposals.

i believe every american deserves a right to rise, and the opportunity to achieve the american dream. abroad america should be respected by our allies and feared by our enemies. that is why it is critical we change the direction our country is heading. we must do better than the obama-clinton foreign-policy that has emboldened our enemies. better than the failed big government policies that grow debt and stand in the way of economic growth and prosperity. i believe it is conservative ideas that will renew america grow our economy, put our fiscal house in order, and make our country even stronger. i know we can do better, and together, we will. host: right to rise is the political action committee for jeb bush. texas, independent line. good afternoon. caller: thanks for taking my call. it is interesting how much the people in the united states have adopted this idea of going green

in the way that we recycle political candidates. what bothers me about this is, i feel as though we could do a hell of a lot better. the people, whether it is jeb bush or hillary clinton and so forth -- these folks, to me, are really uninspiring. host: we go next to wreck joining us from spokane washington, democrats line. are you with us? we will try one more time. rick: i am here. am i on the air? host: you sure are. rick: i am going to support hillary in the democratic primaries. we do not need a reactionary president. let's face it, the republicans only want to help the rich. they do not really need it. it started back in the reagan years. all of the deregulation and everything, he said, get the

government off of the backs of the people. if you could read between the lines, what he really meant was get government off the backs of the companies. i do want the government to be the biggest kid on the block because at least we have some public control. host: from fort worth texas line for independence, edward. edward: i am disappointed in republicans because they are bending the constitution to their favor. people can say what they want about the clintons, but president clinton was the last president to balance the budget. i personally like the green party, because they don't want to borrow money to run the government. we have got a debt that is going to last until our great-grandchildren. so regardless of what hillary does, i think it comes to pass,

like i said years ago that we would have a black president before we would have a woman president. and i have no animosity towards a woman becoming president. host: jim webb, former senator of virginia, and martin o'malley, former maryland governor likely republican candidates. they were at it and raising dinner in des moines, iowa. tomorrow, we will have live coverage of senator marco rubio's announcement. that will happen about 5:30 eastern time. next weekend, friday and saturday, we are in nashua, new hampshire, for what the republican party is calling the first in the nation leadership conference. some of the candidates already in the race, and some who are likely to enter the republican race. full schedule information on our website. you can follow us on twitter. marianne florida, republican

line, good afternoon. marianne: i do not think hillary is the one to represent the u.s. she approaches individuals i think, without respect, and she is arrogant. i do not think she will have the skills we need either to represent us domestically or abroad. the diplomacy that is needed when individuals are abroad -- america really does not have the respect internationally that we once did. i do not think she is the individual to bring that back into the arena. thank you. host: you can share your comments on our facebook page as well. democrats line, what do you think? hillary clinton expected to make it official later today. caller: absolutely, all the way. i have been waiting and waiting for this day. i think she is going to make a wonderful representative, and i think she -- i think it is time that a woman with her experience has an opportunity to just get

out there and be a role model forno official announcement yet. as we wait, we are passing on what we know now. already, likely republican contenders weighing in on this. you heard from jeb bush, and this morning from senator rand paul. >> what path will america take? will it be a path to the past? a road to yesterday? a place we have been to before? hillary clinton represents the

worst of the washington machine. the arrogance of power corruption, and cover-up conflicts of interest, and failed leadership with tragic consequences. the washington machine is destroying the american dream. for a new leader and a new way. rand paul. rand paul plans to defeat the washington machine, they budget by law require congress to read legislation before they vote on it. >> i have a message. a message that is loud and clear and does not mince words. we have come to take our country back. >> unleash the american dream. >> i am rand paul and approved this message. host: i was from rand paul who officially entered the race in louisville, kentucky was fast week. there is a tweet from the washington post.