and walter jones of north carolina democrat jim mcgovern of massachusetts discuss the fight against isis, and giving the president authorization for the use of military force. ♪ host: the house passed a budget yesterday, bernie sanders announcement president, the supreme court earlier this week for the gay marriage debate, and politicians have been reacting to the violence in baltimore. those are some of the stories we want to discuss in this first hour of the washington journal. what is the public policy issue that you have undermined you want to discuss -- on your mind to discuss? democrats, call (202) 748-8000 republicans call (202) 748-8001

independents independents, call (202) 748-8002. you can reach us on facebook or twitter. the house gases budget, a win for the gop. the house on thursday passed a republican budget would boost defense spending,/social welfare programs, and target obamacare. in what gop cast as the victory for fiscal sanity. it passed to 26 to 197, 14 republicans joining every democrat in opposition. republican leaders have pointed to the budget framework which balances in a decade by cutting more than $5 trillion from spending as yet more proof that in all gop congress is governing effectively. the senate is expected to pass the combined budget next week. even as the house passed in the first joint budget in roughly a decade, republicans are already seeing signs they would face difficulties, including a divide

between defense and fiscal hawks . they are trying to turn the budget numbers and fleshed out spending bills. the gop budget, crafted by representative tom price and senator mike enzi sticks to the budget ceiling of $1.017 trillion for fiscal 2016, that was put in place by the 2011 deal to raise the debt ceiling. to win over defense hawks, the framework gives a more than $90 billion boost to an off the books were fund the critics on both sides of the aisle have termed a slush fund. a little bit on the hill. from politico this morning black lawmakers see renewed hope on justice reform. members of the congressional black caucus, who spent years or even decades pushing in vain for criminal justice reform say their fellow lawmakers in congress are finally paying heed

in the heightened attention on the heels of a high-profile death of black men who have been shot by police or died in their custody, sparking protests riots, in baltimore in ferguson, missouri. they look at the crack cocaine disparity, how we are paying thousands of dollars to house these folks when other methods could be just as effective. that appeals to republicans. a democratic representative from indiana, whether the newfound interest yield actual legislation is another matter. host: that is a little bit from the hill. this is an "the washington post," this morning. obamas library we in chicago.

-- will be in chicago. he has chosen his hometown of chicago host's future presidential library. host: democrats call (202) 748-8000 republicans call (202) 748-8001 independent independents, call (202) 748-8002. what is your top story this week? robert on the republican line, what is on your mind? caller: it seems like this week's top news story will be the supreme court's hearing of the gay marriage cases. that's something that's going to impact the country no matter

which way that things turn out. i hope that the conservative justices stand up for traditional values, but either way, that is something very important. host: robert in birmingham, the just dutch in redding, california. independent. caller: hi, how are you doing? host: good. what is on your mind? caller: with all the current unrest happening, is this a place for obama to actually hold power for a third term, america of becoming a martial law state where police state? host: what makes you think that? dutch? what makes you think that? i think dutch went back to sleep. front page of "the washington post," has bernie sanders'

announcement. taking aim at billionaire class. he seems an unlikely presidential candidate. and next it be -- an ex-hippie who rails against a billionaire class taking over the country. there was senator bernie sanders on thursday, launching his campaign for the white house and representing a challenge to the democratic front runner hillary rodham clinton as she fights to win over the kind of left-leaning democrats inclined to heed sanders' firey call to action. guy is a democrat in maryland. caller: what i think would help with the situation in the city would be of some of these companies that say they don't have the insight as far as

people being qualified for the positions they have available, i think a lot of companies that are still in this country, if they would get in contact with the school system and try to prepare kids out of high school level to prepare for the job and the skills they are looking for i think kids would be more inclined to stay in school and get that education they are looking for. host: how do you propose doing that? caller: they say they are looking for special qualities and the workers, and they can't find it in this country. what better way to do that then prepare to to her age at high school level like vote used to do. ch the opportunities are gone. host: how close are you to baltimore? caller: i'm around the corner. i go to baltimore at least twice

a week, go to church in the city. the cbs they set on fire, i go past their every time i go to church. that is sad. host: what do you do? caller: i work at columbia maintenance technician. host: thanks for watching. jesse is in michigan. you have to turn down the volume on your tv. we will put you back on hold and leave it the volume down. you will hear everything for your phone, i promise. this caller is from atlanta. are you with us on the democrats line? caller: yes, i want to deal with this new excuse that the baltimore excuse for freddie gray, there's that he was trying to kill himself in the back of the van by hitting his head up against this bolt.

if that holds was just one whole, it may have hit his head one time, but to constantly hit his head up against the bold, you wouldn't have the same place every time. they come up with these lies and expect us to believe that kind of stuff. that is what this investigative thing is all about. you come up with something to justify this wrong that the police are doing. and then what about his severed spine? 80% of his spine was severed. they should cut this out. this should be independent investigators, not working for the government, but hired by the government so they could possibly tell the truth. the police out here at killing people and they let them do it. i'm 69 years old and i have been seeing this kind of murder on black people all my life. they just pick up people, take them out of the woods, beat them up, and take them to the police station. host: if you were in baltimore,

would you be marching? i think he hung up. loretta lynch commented on the baltimore situation this week as well. loretta lynch: the senseless acts of violence are not only a grave danger to the community and they must stop, but they are also counterproductive to the ultimate goal here, just developing a respectful conversation within the baltimore community, and across the nation about the way our law enforcement officers interact with the residents that we are charged to serve and to protect. that is a conversation i'm committed to advancing. i am heartened that the unrest from a few nights ago has seemed to to ease and the members of the community are trying to come together again to clean up their city. i am hopeful that progress will continue in the coming days. 11 just add something else about this issue in a larger sense. as we watched the events unfold in baltimore, from the relative security of our offices or

through the television screen, it is easy to view baltimore as a symbol of the issues that we must all deal with. and of course, the difficult situation there does highlight so many issues that are part of the national debate. but i would ask that we remember the baltimore, as significant as it is, is more than just a symbol. baltimore is a city. it is a great city. it is a beautiful city, it is one of our cities. and like so many cities, baltimore is struggling to balance great expectations in need with limited resources. it is dealing with balancing the challenges of public safety and community expression. host: from the "washington times," house moves to scrap nsa phone snooping. the judiciary committee put the phone snooping program on the path to being scrapped when a bipartisan majority voted for major reforms to the patriot

act. host: jesse from mexican -- michigan, what is on your mind? caller: good morning. [indiscernible] my comment this morning is about the president of the united states, and why black people

have been [indiscernible] i guess maybe they will learn something. this is been for a long time. host: when the mayor of baltimore and the president called some of the writers in baltimore thugs, did that offend you -- the rioters in baltimore thugs, did that offend you? caller: it does. do they call white men when they kill somebody? [indiscernible] we expect the president and the mayor of the city to say something like that, it's racist . but it's only want us anyways. i pay attention to things.

[indiscernible] he doesn't go to white neighborhoods. in a lot of these people that see these things going on, especially a lot of racist people, they're not all white people. but a lot of good nice people in this country, just like you are. host: what do you do in michigan? caller: i retired from textile. i worked there for 32 years. i worked there for a long time. host: we appreciate you watching c-span. pascal do our -- may i ask cold you are?

-- how old you are? caller: i'm 83. host: victor, we're going to have to move on. brenda, you are on "washington journal," we are all listening. caller: i think that michael brown the gentleman in new york city and now freddie gray, think there are big differences. this is not going to be a popular comic, but i think michael brown was a thug. he stole stuff out of the store he shoved the store owner, there is no doubt in my mind he would've killed that police officer and he scuffled with him in the police car. i think his death was justified. the gentleman in new york city where he said he couldn't breathe 11 times, i think that

some action should have been taken. i think the police officers were at fault. with this freddie gray, i'm not really sure yet. i don't know the findings, but i don't know, like in ferguson his hands weren't up he wasn't hands of don't shoot. he was a thug no matter what anybody says, he was a thug. even eric holder didn't want the video shown, because it showed he was a thug. and then his father were stepfather was up there and said bernard down. there was all that unrest and he should've gotten arrested for inciting the riots. host: brenda at lockport, new york. chuck is an independent in crystal river, florida. jack, you are on c-span. -- chuck, you are on c-span.

caller: this is -- historically, it has proven that systematic takedowns of a communist takeover, and aggressor takeover that these crises are created, and when they are created in the rule law gets out of hand, the government says oh my goodness, you guys are controlling it. my question is, i think this president in my mind wants to control the rule law and bring an end to martial law and therefore the constitution will be no when he will have total control, and then hillary will be able to come in on a popular vote. i think that's what he's doing. host: have you seen evidence of that? caller: i have. they are nothing our area of

homeland security, it's a high area of retired military, real high. they are really watching everything that we do carefully. the fema pens that around the country, we have evidence that russian garrisons are inside garrisons of the human called the sheriff in the county, and the sheriff said we know they are there but there but there's nothing we can do. they are planning a whole bunch of stuff, whether you like to believe it or not. host: are you retired military? caller: retired marine. host: thank you for calling him. it was tuesday that the supreme court heard the arguments in the gay marriage debate. here are the two main opposing attorneys in their statements after the court. [video clip] today was a landmark day.

there are millions of people across the nation who helped create this day and make it possible. you will lose names we will never know, but certainly, the legal teams, the political teams, people in every state who have tried to stand up for equal dignity of gay people, because gay people are part of our common humanity and our citizenship in this country. the court asked tough questions today, that is their job. and we are very happy to be here and just again very grateful to everybody having had this opportunity today. last but not least, i do need to say the real heart of this issue will always, every day, israel people who committed to one another, who simply want to make that commitment a legal one. and take responsibility for one another and have that support. that is where we hope this will end up in the end. >> the three key justice is the

main competition for attention to our justice kennedy number one. he says this is the mayor's definition we have had for millennia. how are we in a position that we can decide better than everybody else in the history of the world? you have just described with the same point about marriage and said why is it a thin line of us get to decide rather than the people? and you have chief justice roberts used as if we decide this question, it will cut a bit of a cathedral would ordinarily happy the democratic losses. those were really the themes we were pushing from the beginning and we felt very encouraged by that. 1 host: mary in worcester massachusetts. caller: good morning. i will just be to you about something that happened many years ago. i'm 84 years old and widowed and i live in worcester, i grew up in the midwest. i've come back to the east coast to study the history my husband

taught about in high school in california. in world war ii, my brother-in-law was stationed as a copilot in england. and his wife, my sister, worked at the telephone office in kansas. she had a penpal she had a lady in britain that she wrote to on a regular basis. and they exchanged gifts, the woman in england center heather, i've never seen heather is a little girl. she sent her soap and my sister would center's open of the things, they became friends. i think we should do a friend to friend thing in baltimore. i would take on a young woman that had children, i have raised two daughters. i have the means that i could be a friend to this woman, help her in growing with her children,

and helping them to go to school, helping her if she needs money. i have some money. i would help her with clothing, i would help her with the money to buy food. it could be a person to man. and we can help america to save ourselves from the terrible things that are happening in our society. i was a little girl growing up in kansas on a farm. i was the youngest daughter of six. i have a younger brother still living in ohio. he's 81 years old i am 83 years old, he is my best friend. we talk to in three times a week. solving the problems of the united states. i will vote, i will send money today for bernie sanders, because he is my generation. he knows what it's like.

i have been through all the potholes, i have been through tornadoes. i have been through floods, i have seen it all. i know the sorrow of war. because we lost many men when i was growing up. they were the workers. they were the farmworkers that helped my daddy on the farm in kansas. at 12 years of age, i drove the we truck to the elevators. -- the wheat truck. you could get a license at 12 years old at that time. i loved it to go to the elevators. host: i very much appreciate you sharing some of that history and with your idea. are you on the internet, you have a computer? caller: i do. host: have you thought about

reaching out to someone in baltimore and posting them on facebook? caller: i plan to send a donation to the minister of the church there and i will also be in contact with the mayor. host: that is marion worcester, massachusetts. i hope we get to hear from you again, thank you for sharing your personal story with us. this is from bloomberg news this morning. the irs may be trying to stop tax exemption of karl rove's crossroads gps. a little bit from the story, the irs may be trying to block the tax exemption of one of the largest politically active nonprofit groups, crossroads grassroots policy strategies, an organization founded by republican strategist karl rove. the oblique disclosure can be found between the lines of the inspector general's report released on thursday. which said that 149 of 160 installed applications from

nonprofits with potential ties to politics have been resolved. of the other 11, 6 are in litigation in the irs, and five have received repose denial letters or appealing. that suggest that the irs has sent crossroads a denial letter, that's a little bit from this article in bloomberg. in politico this morning, how rand paul blew it on baltimore. when rand paul lost -- launched his presidential campaign he focused on the inner city the other america, the place where people experience a daily ugliness that dashes hope and leaves only the fatigue of despair. three weeks into a campaign where he promised to broaden the gop's base of support in some of those places he has missed critical opportunities to change the parties dialogue with minority communities. on tuesday, as baltimore burned in the late -- the wake of

the latest episode, paul's response was notably off key. i came through the train on baltimore last night. i'm glad the train didn't stop. host: brian is in chicago democrat. good morning. caller: good morning, peter. regarding the situation in baltimore, but we do know is that freddie gray had run into a building, followed by police, who went into the building.

we don't know what went on in the building. the officer in charge has not been interviewed. what we all have seen with our own eyes is freddie gray, being pulled out of the building, bent over, had nearly touching the ground -- then pulled up to an almost any position, but his toes, the toes of his shoes are touching the ground and he is being dragged. whatever went on inside of that building, we don't know. but if he was already beaten with billy clubs, on his back, he they have already been in a paralyzed condition. we know he was severely injured. he may have already been paralyzed, his spine might have already been severed. by the time he was put in the van.

host: brian in chicago. up next, this is gina in mississippi. gina is a republican. caller: good morning. from a medical standpoint, i don't think anybody -- if someone's spine had already been severed, i don't think they would have been beating their head up against a wall in a van. but that's not what i called to say. i called to say -- i want to say what offends me. i am so sick of hearing blacks complain about everything. the stats prove that the police do not kill blacks more than they kill whites. it's all ridiculous. i'm offended by african-americans. i hate that word.

if you are a true american, you are an american. unless you were born in africa, you are not an african-american. so it's offensive to me, as an american, that they want to be labeled or called that. everybody in this country is an immigrant, except the indians. and we don't go in say we are scottish american or english american. so in my opinion, that statement or phrase is offensive. and it's un-american. and it's unpatriotic. host: that is gina in mississippi. speaker boehner reacted to baltimore. [video clip] speaker boehner: the people of baltimore have been in our prayers. like many americans, i have been inspired by stories of residents banding together to clean up the damage. the president has suggested more

taxpayer money is the answer. again, we believe the answer is more jobs and more opportunities. our government spends hundreds of billions of dollars a year on well-intentioned programs designed to help people get out of poverty. of poverty. we have been doing this for decades. it is clear this approach is not working. i think we should be asking the question -- what is working and what is not? if they are not work in, how can we fix these programs. how can we make sure we educate more of america's kids? how can we put in place more economic opportunities that expand up trees for all americans? host: this tweet in from brenda williams, a producer at cnn. she says "gotten the cap to go to a television shoot and was

totally able to call that the driver was listening to c-span's washington journal of this morning." thank you to that brenda williams i thank you to the cap driver listening to washington journal. robert in pittsburgh, democrat. caller: good morning. i have a statement to make. when the kids in florida on spring break go down there and terror of the plays, rate some women, we call them college kids. -- on spring break go down there and tear up the place, rate -- rape some woman, we call them college kids. when there are -- why do we call lack americans when they celebrate italian-americans? it is not just black folks who use the term. the news never make it, miami,

when the kids go down and tear it up, because they are white kids. in west virginia, when they burn up the place, they are white kids. and we call them kids. but when black people do something, they are called stocks. people get carried away and say they may not plan on doing something but they get carried away in the moment. that is my statement. host: what do you do in pittsburgh? caller: i am 78, retired from the military and the state of philadelphia. host: a couple of tweets on that same line. and this is -- when lack people riot, they are thugs. when white people riot they are precocious young'uns. fishinsam says thugs, and all callers. on a different note, if you will have watch this program after

the years you have asked -- you may have heard calls asking where the petersons where. they are regular viewers, an older couple who get on the line and talk at the same time. they are regular viewers and we like that. i got a letter from mrs. peterson in granberry, texas. here is a little bit. "on your program this morning" -- this is the last week -- "a couple of your callers asked about us. and mrs. peterson said she tried to call in and could not get through. they had a few issues. this is the important part. "let people know that we are still alive and kicking," is what mrs. peterson says. we wish the best to bernadine and lee peterson and granberry texas. we appreciate the letter very much. back to your calls. randy at chicago heights

illinois. caller: good morning. i would like to go back from the very beginning -- the day before the funeral. let's be safe than sorry -- i blame the governor and the mayor of baltimore for this. they should have had the national guard and the however many police -- they should have had them staged before or the day of the funeral. this all would never have happened. this all never would have been seen or talked about on tv. if they had had the national guard and the police department where they were the day after this happened, it would have never happened. look at what happened when they were rioting at the cvs store. it took them two hours to get there. the other places they sent in police, the crowd ran away. but they did not have it -- to

them in the places. if they would have got them in places before the funeral or the day of the funeral and had been safe instead of sorry, now, this would never have been on tv or in focus. i am blaming the mayor and the governor of baltimore for all of this. host: that was randy in chicago heights. from "the washington post" is the story. before fame, how rick perry defended the real lone survivor. a navy seal who escaped a 2005 telegram ambush on a mountain slope in afghanistan, marcus luttrell was a broken man in search of a haven. he found it one day in spring 2000 71, struggling to recover his body and mind and with the horrors of war still raw, he showed up unannounced at the texas governor's mansion and

asked to see rick perry. over the ensuing months, a virtual father-sunday relationship blossomed, the two men said. the governor and his wife, anita , helped bring luttrell back to health. . use the power to his office to find him a spine surgeon to fix his back. the perry's gave him a spare bedroom -- i was the creepy guy and the added, he recalled. the governor to can bass fishing, the first lady counsel him about his love life and, as he became famous -- his memoir "lone survivor" became an adaption. -- governor perry taught me how to be a good man. . and -- perry and luttrell share their story in a next lens of interview with "the washington

post" and in an appearance at the ronald reagan presidential library. they are drawing attention to their unusual relationship as the now-former governor prepares to launch his second presidential campaign. william is on the line. what is the name of your town? caller: it is called chemical and -- host: go ahead please. caller: they are saying we are having problems in getting water in california. severe drought for 10 years. william shatner said build a pipeline from washington state to bring fresh water there. instead of doing that, why do we not build type lines -- like 10 of them -- from the pacific ocean to above death valley california where water is about 50 feet below sea level. we dump it on the paddle wheels

to generate electric energy. as the water goes down to the valleys lower, it would run down into different aqueducts. every 65 feet we can harness energy. we could equal more than 100 nuclear power plants for energy. we are lowering rising sea levels. when water gets to the valley's floor, after it seats in, we drilled deep, freshwater wells and wait don't -- top that water back to california -- host: it sounds that you have put a lot of thought in this. caller: more than a lot. host: why? caller: water is for our crops, so we have added food crops. host: william calling in from washington state. carly is in -- hello, carly -- oklahoma city.

caller: good morning. the one guy was saying about how the cops were not there and it was the governor and mayor's fault. it is not the governor. the mayor has to call and ask before the state or federal government can come in. so he can just say the mayor. they are in such poverty -- i realize, the education -- i am wondering how any of those teachers still have a job there. you have to get rid of the teacher unions and the way they do. just coming in, collecting money from the taxpayers are not giving kids education and you see how that is working out. we pay for their housing, their food stamps, their medicaid. we even pay for them to be born. taxpayers, including cops, they are taxpayers -- how was it the cop's faults that the teachers

do not teach and the mothers continue to have children who do not have fathers and the home. how is that the cops' fault? they know they cannot afford them. they want jobs. but the mothers are not teaching them how to get up in the morning and did citizens. how is that the cops' fault? host: that is carly and oklahoma. on the op-ed page in the new york times, we begin with david brooks, who has a new book out. the title is "the nature of poverty" in his column. here's a little bit. "it is wrong to say federal efforts to tackle poverty have been a failure. the $15 trillion spent by the government over the past half-century have improved living standards and east versions for millions of poor people. all of that money and all of those experience have not

integrated people who live in areas of concentrated poverty into the mainstream economy. often, the money has served as a cushion, not a ladder. saying we should just spend more does not really cut it. what is needed is a phase shift and how we think about poverty. renewal efforts in sandt own-winchester paradise bricks and mortar. but the real barriers to mobility are matters of social psychology, the quality of relationships in a home and a neighborhood that either encourage or discourage responsibility, future oriented thinking, and practical ambition." also on the op ed page, is this article from a professor. "black culture is not the problem," is the problem he said. we line is people like toya gra

ham, the baltimore mother who went upside the head of her rioting son. baltimore's police commissioner, anthony batts applauded her pleading with parents to take control of your kids. but this reaffirms violence as the best way to get wayward lack people under control. moreover by treating a moment of black on black violence as a bright spot, we take our i off the circumstances that created the event. we forget about how officials, in their fear of lack use, issued what witnesses said was a preemptive riot police blockade hemming in students around mondawmin mall, where looting erupted. the problem is not lack culture. it is policy and politics. -- freddie gray's exposure to lead pain as a child his suspected

participation in the drug trade, and the relative confinement of lack unrest in black communities during the riot are all features of a city and a country that still segregate people along racial lines to the financial enrichment of landlords, corner store merchants, and other vendors selling second rate goods." that is from professor colony. we have jilly -- we have jimmy on the line now. caller: good morning. i have a few questions that we should consider. first, the policy of congress and authority is due was i say, not as i do. i do not want this done to my family. so, my first question is, if they want people to use -- not use contraceptives, birth

control, why do not they raised their hands in congress and say i or my family have never used it and we should be hired or not hired. the second question is, many business does not believe in birth control should have a sign in front of their businesses that says we do not hire or serve people who use birth control. the third one is why do not there -- use the average of american incomes to determine where the cut off is for people who get tax breaks and business

loopholes and then tax from that level? host: jimmy in san antonio, texas. this is thomas in new jersey. republican. caller: thank you for taking my call. i think it is mainly, the problems occurring in baltimore and ferguson and michigan, these are actually political problems. you have democrats running some of these areas for up to 40 years. what have they done for their lack residence or any residence? this is what i see is the main problem. host: from the "washington times," three new president to hopefuls do in 72 hours. it will be an intense weekend for ben hudson, carly fiorina and mike huckabee, all scheduled to make a fair presidential intentions known within 72 hours from now, give or take an hour

or two. next week, you hear from those three. yesterday, we heard from bernie sanders. [video clip] >> this country today, in my view, has more serious crises that any time since the great depression of the 1930's. for most americans, their reality is that are working longer hours for lower wages. they are earning less money than they used to years ago, despite the huge increase in technology and productivity. how does it happen? we are producing more but i am working longer hours for lower wages. my kid cannot afford to go to college. i am having a hard time affording health care. how does that happen? at exactly the same time 99% of all new income generated in this country is going to the top 1%. how does it have that the top 1%

owns almost as much wealth as the bottom 90%? my conclusion is that that type of economics is not only immoral and wrong, it is unsustainable. host: from "political," -- "politico," why hillary is embracing bernie. -- the senator is so far from the left he is not even a democrat. quote "i agree with bernie. focus must be on helping america's middle class. gop would hold them back," clinton tweeted. to make sure everyone noticed, she signed a tweet "h." you can bet if it had been elizabeth warren, there would have been less jubilation. why is hillary happy?

ernie has no chance of winning the democratic nomination whereas war and may actually have a shot. the quixotic nature of his campaign will all but an sure that resistant progressives will go to clinton sooner rather than later. blake is in mississippi. hello. you are on "washington journal." caller: good morning, america. i am an african american and i am a veteran. but i will be truthful with you america. this country is not fair. african-americans accounted for more than 85% of the wealth of this country in the civil war. yet we cannot get reparations get federal lands to us. if these companies claim they are social and our people, instead of bringing millions of people here -- go to the city today.

give these companies tax breaks so they can invest in the city. but they will not do that america. because it is all about being on someone's neck. america was built -- you want to know why 99% of the wealth is going to 1%? it was built on a formula of slavery. they let all of the italians spanish, germans or whatever. they took wealth from the african-americans. they took from their culture and language and everything. we have no place to go, and america. we love this country more than everybody. the perk -- the first person to die for this country was crispus atticus. you care more about people in guatemala or wherever else. immigrant, unemployment, is much

better than african-american unemployment. it is ridiculous. nobody cares about it because it is our problem. everybody is passing the buck. in this country, 350 million are special interests. nobody cares about anyone but their own. when black people stop buying cars, all this coffee from america and invest in our homes that is when it will be all right -- host: blake, since you left the military, what have you been doing in mississippi? caller: i have been in gaming ever since. i cannot be in gaming because i went to chicago and got a job at a casino. when i got a job at the casino, -- i have been in gaming almost 25 years -- i walked by a vehicle. rod daylight, 12:00 noon.

i am accused of being -- i have managed walmart, hotels casinos, millions of dollars of responsibility. i am accused of breaking into a vehicle, 20 years old. i went to the worst jail and america. staff choked people. i had to do all of this to survive. -- that is why i am missed -- why i am in mississippi. trying to get this off my record. we prosecute with no evidence. we convict with no evidence. i had no fingerprints, no booking, nothing on the vehicle. a 25-year-old vehicle with no motor, no tires. and i was responsible for millions of dollars. i am going to risk my career for

this? but this is what happens america. i am sick of this shit. i apologize, but i am sick and tired. goodbye, america. host: blake in mississippi. from -- south carolina reported in the -- representative who heads the committee investigating the benghazi attacks says he may be willing to accept reassertion says dass reassurances from clinton about her e-mails pending an examination of her server. quote, "if she were under some theory, able to say, 'yes, i can promise you under penalty of perjury you have every single document you are entitled to,' that would probably shut off the line of inquiry." that is in "usa today" this

morning. every weekend, it is booktv. 48 hours of nonfiction books and authors. you can see the website there booktv.org. we are live with john -- jon ronson. he will be doing a call in with but tv from noon to 3:00 p.m. you can watch it and call in and participate on that sunday. every weekend on c-span three is american history tv. 48 hours of american history. this weekend, on the anniversary of abraham lincoln's funeral possession back to his sprinkled, illinois, american history tv springfield and we will have a reenactment of the funeral. there will be a call in program

later in the afternoon. you can go to cspan.org /americanhistory and get the details. both american history and booktv will be visiting topeka, kansas this weekend. we go around the country and visit cities and learn about their historical aspects and their literary aspects. here is the mayor of topeka talking about his state -- his city. [video clip] >> topeka, the capital city of kansas, is in the northeast corner. when people come to to be got, driving into the city, on the state capital, the tallest building. it is taller than the capital at washington, though not as large a building. when topeka and kansas were being established during the

civil war era, leading up to the civil war. we went through the process of being either a slave state or a free state. and constitutions for the state were written both pro-and anti-slavery. the anti-slavery people won and kansas came in as a free state. the people who originated the town site of topeka work to make to become the capital. the founder of topeka, who also was the founder of the atchison, topeka and railway that he built at that time, made a gift to the state of four blocks on which the capitol was built. our state capitol is one block off of our main street. it is on the highest level of downtown topeka. it is very prominent and certainly is the most important revision when you come into the city. host: john is calling in from

fairfax in the suburbs. democrat. you are on "washington journal." caller: good morning. i was afraid he time when run out before i got own. you are generous with time today. i want to talk about the morality of veterans and the high suicide rate. i believe that the legacy that president obama could best be remembered for would be to take marijuana off of the schedule of useless drugs and allow it to be used to treat ptsd. host: hasn't the v.a. been given the authority to do that? caller: no, i go to the one in d.c. because medical marijuana is legal in d.c. can you give me a prescription? my doctor said no because it is

against federal law. if marijuana would be legal there would be fewer suicides. the other thing they could do is provide a separate service for disabled veterans, because at the regular bathing service, you can -- you have to compete with nondisabled people. it would help a lot, because it would keep them from filling these stalls. host: thank you for calling him. john is in pennsylvania on our republican line. hello. caller: i was wondering, when do we stop blaming -- and chocolate all these problems we're having to a cultural breakdowns? host: what do you mean? caller: --

and they do not want to raise them. we have grandparents raising them. they are letting the tv raise them, they music raise them. i am not saying that music or tv is going to make you do this but like rap music, i like it it is fine but my parents taught me wrong from rights. these caret -- these kids who do not have the parents raise them, listen to this and glorify selling drugs and beating women and things like that. they do not know what is wrong from right. these people do not talk about what they experienced and all that. if these people do not have a role model to look to, they do not have a role model to tell them this is not what you do. it is lower five through the media and everything else. host: john and pennsylvania. a couple more news stories and

phone calls. breitbart editor running for aaron schock's seat. he has launched a campaign from his hometown of quincy in illinois. his entrance into the state is a -- lahood is the sun bam of former transportation secretary and illinois representative ray lahood. that is in the hill newspaper this morning. also in "the hill" is a story white house rips rain or on trade as they continue to debate that tpd. the financial times this morning has endorsed, and a full column, david cameron for reelection as prime minister of england. they reinforce -- they endorse the conservative party.

that election is may 7. we have covered a couple of the debates and we will cover the election -- a plan unveiled to overhaul the failing destroyed school system by creating two districts, one to manage paying off millions of dollars in debt, the other two manage the day-to-day operations of the school. the plan was met from opposition from the school. hundreds of detroit teachers called in sick to attend a protest at the state capitol in lansing. their absence shut down 18 public schools for the day. teachers argue that his plan would not improve outcomes for detroit children and it was a step toward turning the district into an alternative district. that is in "the new york times." we hear from randall in georgia.

good morning. caller: good morning, peter, and to the worldwide c-span audience. i would like to speak with clarity and distinction about this baltimore -- they could not walk to the van he had to be carried to the band. he was being carried to the van an officer reaches around his back and places something in his pocket in freddie gray's pocket. there is a lot of questions about the actual apprehension of this man. today chased him? -- did they chase him? he wasn't moving, from the pictures i've seen. i've seen pictures -- are people looking at the same picture? they say he placed himself in the van. he was pushed in the van.

he was held by those belt loops and pushed down into the van. what happened? host: thank you. randall in georgia. finally, this article in the new york times. an issue we talked about. rule change on irs seizures, too late for some. the irs and the justice department have announced in recent months that they will no longer use a law designed to go after drug it was an terrorists to seize the bank accounts of small-business owners who are not suspected of criminal activity. --

that is in "the new york times" this morning. the house is in at 9:00 a.m. this morning, working on a number of appropriation bills -- we have only one more hour left in the washington journal. coming up, to congressman -- two congressman, walter jones and jim mcgovern.

we will talk about u.s. military actions in the middle east. you are watching "the washington journal" on c-span. ♪ ♪ ♪ >> here are a few of the books we will be covering this spring on c-span2 possible tv. we visit maryland for the live coverage of the gaithersburg book festival. -- c-span2's tv. we close at book expo america in new york city where the publishing industry showcases their upcoming books. in june come alive for the chicago tribune print fast. -- in june, live for the chicago tribune printers row lit fest.

>> the funeral train made its way from washington, d.c. to its final resting place in springfield, illinois. this sunday afternoon on c-span3 , we are live from oak ridge cemetery in springfield. over 1000 reenactors and the recreation of the 1865 eulogy speeches and musical performances and historians and authors on the funeral journey. a tour of the newly created lincoln funeral car. saturday at 10:00 a.m. eastern the grand prize winners in our studentcam documentary competition. the festivities of the state visit of shinzo abe, including his arrival at the white house and the toast in his honor.

the supreme court of united states oral arguments on the issue of same-sex marriage on whether the 14 commitment requires a state to license a marriage between two people of the same sex -- 14th amendment. saturday night at 10:00, peter slevin looks at the life of michelle obama, from childhood the white house. our live three-hour conversation with jon ronson, who has written many books. join the conversation with jon ronson. we will be taking your phone calls, facebook comments and tweets. >> "washington journal" continues. host: for the next hour we have to two congressman -- we have two congressman to talk about

their group. walter jones and jim mcgovern. mr. jones, let's start with you. what is the purpose -- what is this constitutional work study group? guest: the power to declare war including the power of judging the costs of war is fully and exclusively in the legislature. we have no debates. the only time we have a debate is when they are asking for money, millions and millions of dollars to send overseas. mr. mcgovern and i have been outspoken about our constitutional response ability. before we send young men and women to get their lives -- that's why we wanted to put this study group together because we believe members of congress should have an opportunity once a month, bringing in speakers to try to educate our colleagues to

feel more responsible for these young men and women who have given their lives host: what is the role of congress when it comes to declaring war or pursuing warfare? guest: we are supposed to have a role in declaring war. we're supposed to have a role when the president commits troops to combat operations. war is a big deal. congress does not treated as a big deal. we debate authorization bills. we don't talk about what's going on in afghanistan or iraq or syria. we try to offer amendments and often times they are denied. we don't have the opportunity to debate these issues on the house floor. that is a great service to the men and women who serve in our armed forces. -- disservice to the men and women. you cannot have it both ways. you can't criticize the president for committing troops

into another war in iraq and syria and then say but i don't want to do my job, i don't want to vote yes or no. it's too easy for congress to stand back and let it all happen. if it goes bad coming you can seattle do it was going to go bad. if it goes good, i was with them all the way. we are trained to force our colleagues, forced the leadership to do what congress is supposed to do. host: you are saying that congress is reluctant to step up to take its constitutional duty. guest: walter and i had a resolution we brought to the floor last july. if u.s. troops were engaged in sustained military combat operations in iraq, we would have to come back and have a vote to authorize that. it passed with 370 votes, a huge bipartisan vote.

everyone is on record saying we ought to engage in this issue. in august, we begin bombing in iraq every single day again. we are more and more engaged and we have boots on the ground and there is no end in sight. we can get the committees of jurisdiction to bring a resolution to the floor. walter and i both have serious issues about what we are doing in the middle east right now. if you think it's a good idea, you vote yes. you cannot blame the white house. the president has done his job. he submitted an amuf to congress. congress is not doing what it's supposed to do. host: the president's amuf is too broad from your perspective. from a conservative's perspective, it is too narrow. guest: i think it is to brought.

-- broad. put it on the floor and let's have a debate. those who don't want to have a time in, let's debate that. i blame the speaker of the house -- the president did send to congress this new amuf that we have not had members -- we have not had any formal hearings. the hearings included other issues in addition to the president's request for a new amuf. we cannot get it to the floor. host: you are racing senior member of the armed services committee. this article this morning -- it says tom cole and adam schiff

have sent a letter saying we need to have this debate. have you to sign on to this letter? guest: we sent a similar letter a few months ago. we have done this time and time again. we are a bit tired of sending letters. one of the things we will probably do when we come back offer a privilege revolution -- resolution and try to force a debate and a vote on our involvement right now in iraq and syria. if i can make a quick point -- we are spending roughly $8 million a day. the american people and those who wear the uniform, we have a responsibility and obligation to have this debate. it makes no sense for this leadership of the house to not let us meet our

constitutional responsibility. this study group could help educate our colleagues, bringing in people who know the constitution to say you have a responsibility, bejewel responsibility -- mutual responsibility. host: let's put the numbers up on the screen. guest: not only do we not vote on whether or not to put our men and women in harm's way, we don't pay for it, either. these wars have cost us trillions of dollars. if you go to war, congress and the president ought to impose a war tax. right now, the only people that are sacrificing are the men and women serving in afghanistan and iraq. the rest of us don't have to pay for it. the american people don't want to paperwork, maybe don't go to

war -- pay for war maybe don't go to war part we've made it so easy to get into these foreign entanglements. congress sits back and ignores this constitutional responsibility, it's outrageous. we have done letters, done resolutions. we may use the privileged resolution to force a vote on this in the next few weeks. guest: we have done five-minute speeches. i've done one a week. you've talked about the waste and abuse. that's why jim and i feel so passionately about this. it's about the taxpayer -- host: are we still operating under the 2001 amuf right after

9/11? guest: absolutely. the amufs we passed during the bush time -- the amufs from 2001 and 2003 is what obama is using now. he has his legal advisers, they say he has the authority to use the existing amufs. it's a new fight, it's a new world. we need a new plan. guest: it's 2015. we are relying on a amuf from 2001. it is ludicrous. we are fighting a different war in iraq then when we entered

into thousand three. -- th when we entered inan ♪n when we entered into thousand 2003. we should have a thorough debate on this issue. i'm skeptical of what we are doing right now. it ought to be tough to send american men and women into war. it has become too easy and i'm not sure that what we are doing in some of these involvements is for our security one bit. host: should the president have the free hand he currently has to wage the war? guest: the president has the authority but we have a war powers resolution.

the constitution says what our response ability is. -- responsibility is. it is pretty clear -- the fact that they are using the 2001-2003 amuf to justify what they are doing now tells you they even recognize that. that's a long time ago. we ought to repeal those amufs. if you want to start another series of wars, they ought to have a new amuf. i don't believe we should start another series of wars. that's one of the reasons we have to have this debate. are there alternatives that are more effective? it reminds me of the dr. seuss book, cap and accurate we go over to clean up a mess, it gets bigger.

-- cap in thet in the hat. host: it has cost over $2 million so far, the air attacks and bombings on isis. -- $2 billion so far. guest: we have to deal with isis. the aren't evil group -- they are an evil group. we have to have a debate on the floor of the house. we continue to allow the president, who has the authority to continue this bombing, yet we say nothing about it. i blame the leadership of the house and senate for not allowing us to meet our constitutional responsibility. host: let's take some calls. walter jones and jim mcgovern. this is robert in georgia who is a democrat. caller: thank you. i can get to questions out in 30

seconds. can you tell me if you believe the special forces and intelligence were the most likely cause or ability for getting the people they wanted to get in al qaeda in afghanistan? it was sold that we need to send troops and. -- in. for iraq, it was weapons of mass distraction. -- destruction. there was a boat held on that. we sent regular troops in there. you were talking as if you were proud of that vote. are you? guest: no, i was not proud of that book. it was one of them worst mistakes i've made. the administration was misleading, manipulating

intelligence a lie about the iraq war. it doesn't do my heart any good but i show god that i regret my vote. i will go to my grave regretting that vote, quite frankly. guest: you are right. we got osama bin laden with a well-trained group of special forces, navy seals got them in pakistan -- him in pakistan. we ought to go after the bad guys, but how you do it is something we ought to discuss. i would argue that our involvement in afghanistan all these years has been incredibly costly. we have put up one corrupt government after another. al qaeda is gone and now we are

fighting the taliban and there is no end in sight. we were supposed to be out of afghanistan this year. we offered an amendment saying ok, we support the president come if we decide to stay beyond 2015, congress ought to vote to authorize that or not. we were denied by the congressional leadership to even offer that amendment. host: is you are leadership and support -- in support? guest: i think they are. the weight displaced work, whoever is in majority is in charge. -- way this place works, whoever is in majority is in charge. at the end of the day, congress says no, the answer is no. if congress has yes, the answer is yes. the majority, the people in charge have the responsibility

of scheduling what goes on the floor. i know our democratic leader wants to have a boat and discussion on this -- vote and discussion on this. she is not in charge. john boehner is. guest: jim mentioned afghanistan. i went to walter walter reed tuesday. i had these two little girls whose daddy was killed two years ago in afghanistan. his name was sergeant kevin balded. benjamin palmer was from cherry point, in my district. they were sent to afghanistan to train afghans to be policeman. the night before those two men were killed, kevin e-mailed his wife and says i don't trust them , i don't trust any of them. the next day, he and palmer were

killed by the people they were trying to train. i had no idea that i was going to meet two of the four who were part of the group were a medic was shot in afghanistan and killed by the people they were trying to help. we need to have this debate. the military deserves it and the american taxpayer deserves it. host: al in tampa, florida. caller: i'm a disabled vet. i've been waiting nine years, two months and five days for my v.a. claim. my concern is, you don't know where anybody stands anymore. republicans or democrats, even their speeches about these wars. at least you can go and look at the voting record. it's nice to see republicans and

democrats talking about the same issues. i've given my service, i was not injured during the war. i was injured in an accident in the service. the problems with the v.a. and not being treated -- host: thank you very much. guest: i would say quickly that al should call his member of congress. i have 7000 retired veterans in my district. they come first and they call our office response quickly. thank you for your service. -- they call and our office responds quickly. call and say i've waited so long, i need my benefits, i've earned them. guest: we are very grateful for your service.

we owed them a debt of gratitude. that means making sure the healthcare services they are entitled to are available. we took up a v.a. appropriations bill that is underfunding rva system -- our pa system. -- v.a. system. we are told we have a tough budget situation, we can't afford it. that is just wrong. host: have you seen improvements in the v.a. in the last year or two? guest: i have seen some improvements. there is more to do. the v.a. got the message. it's too bad we had to confront these issues by learning about this terrible scandal that occurred. idc changes in massachusetts -- i do see changes in massachusetts.

host: joe. caller: good morning, peter. i'm 63. i wholeheartedly agree with both of these gentlemen, republican and democrat. if you look back at what congress did when george bush was negotiating with saddam hussein to go and inspect him he told congress he needed the war power so that saddam knew he meant business. this congress did the most cowardly thing in its history and gave the power to declare war to the president, which is the most of noxious -- obnoxious thing i can imagine. no, they did not hold any

hearings on that back then. i don't know why these gentlemen expect them to hold hearings on anything of substance after that. guest: we appreciate your comment and we certainly feel your frustration. that's why we are putting together this group. that's why we're also putting our fellow members of congress on notice that we will use every procedural motion available to us to try to force this debate. if you go to work, there ought to be a clearly defined mission. -- if you go to war. no one can tell us how it ends. i can't figure out what our current mission is in afghanistan anymore. we need to exercise our proper constitutional role in oversight and providing authorization or not providing authorization. sitting back and letting all of this twiddling of thumbs is

unconscionable. host: you may use a privileged resolution. how does that work? guest: this is jim's initiative. this really is getting to a point where it's about the only option we have to force any discussion to put debate on the floor. jim would introduce it and i would join it. this is his idea. guest: we mentioned we took the vote last july, we introduced a privileged resolution saying invoking the war powers resolution enforcement an end to further escalation. we negotiated with the speaker about a less forceful resolution. if we are engaged in sustained combat operations, we will reconvene and vote on a formal amuf. that was in july. nothing has happened.

we come back from our break and we will introduce the privileged resolution. it forces the vote on the floor. host: what makes a privileged? guest: there are procedures in place that give us that ability to bring a resolution like this to the floor. unfortunately, you can't write the legislation you would like to write. it's about withdrawing our forces. we hope people will vote with us . to send a message to the leadership that you have to do something. if the majority in congress is saying no, it's no. if the majority say yes, it's yes. but being silent, that's moral cowardice. it really is. walter talks about the veterans that he has seen at walter reed.

i've talked to veterans come i've been to funeral after funeral after funeral. to not even be actively engaged in the discussion about what we are doing is a sad commentary. host: tom in harrisburg, pennsylvania. democrat. caller: he took a lot of fe heat -- guest: i voted for the afghanistan resolution because i thought it was appropriate to hold those responsible for 9/11 to account. what i did not expect was that resolution would be so broad in terms of its interpretation that we would still be in afghanistan , not fighting al qaeda, now fighting the taliban, god knows who else -- i voted against the

iraq resolution as well because i thought that was a mistake. i'm glad i voted against it. the important point here congress was on record on both afghanistan and iraq. we are not on record in this current war. host: robert in rochester michigan. independent line. caller: i would just like to say that i am very proud of both of these gentlemen for being sociable and giving -- getting along with each other, which is very rare for both parties. as far as all these wars, i don't know why are in the middle of everybody else's for. we have to keep the shipping

channels clear. if we are going to be in the middle of everybody's work, they should be paying us instead of us paying to control everybody else's war. there is no reason for us to be in the middle of every war. host: a response by walter jones. guest: i want to thank robert because that's exactly why jim and i are grateful to you to have us on this show today. we will be in afghanistan for nine more years. it's an agreement that obama signed with the new president of afghanistan. nine more years of life, limb and money. we have not even had a discussion on that. a nine-year agreement with a foreign country to have a troop presence and to help them rebuild their roads and streets

when we cannot build our own roads and streets, spending billions of dollars every month that's why we are so frustrated. you hundred percent correct. -- you are 100% correct. host: is this different than the congress being involved in the iranian negotiations? guest: the president should have the latitude to have ongoing negotiations. we do have a role. once they complete this agreement, congress should have the ability to analyze the agreement on behalf of the american people. i do think that we need to have an ongoing negotiation. both parties have a right to see what the agreement is. guest: what walter and i are talking about are instances where we are putting american

servicemen and women in harm's way, directly involved in hostilities and combat operations. that is war. it is very clear that congress has a role in that. even the executive acknowledges that. that's why the president keeps pointing to these amufs from a long time ago and why he's amid a new -- what he submitted a new amuf. when it comes to war, it's ironic because the iranian deal is not about us putting troops into harm's way. everyone feels congress ought to have a role, we ought to have a debate and approve this and prove that. yet, we have people in harms way right now. we are borrowing billions of dollars to fight these wars. where is everybody?

why doesn't congress have a role in that? host: you are a member of the rules committee. could you explain briefly why that is such a powerful committee? guest: it is the traffic cop of congress. every bill that comes to the house floor goes to the rules committee. we sometimes alter the text of the bill. we decide whether amendments can be offered. we keep the trains running, if you will. the rules committee -- i'm on the committee -- it's where we make the decision to say let's add these amendments, let's be able to debate whether or not we should continue to be in afghanistan or expand our military footprint in iraq. the leadership has been very insistent on saying no, we don't want these debates.

i was told this is a defense bill. the are a lot of important matters in the defense bill. what can be more important than the fact that we have american men and women in harms way fighting a war? that deserves debate. people can have differences of opinion. walter and i have some disagreements with the administration on their amuf. i respect them for putting their views on paper and presenting them. good people can differ and we ought to have those differences aired publicly and we ought to be on record as voting no or yes on these things. host: do you consider yourself an outlier on the republican party? guest: i am an independent. my first obligation is to my lord and savior. i think an obligation is to do what i believe my lord wants me

to do. when walter jones goes to the floor, i don't know whether he will vote as a conservative, a populist or libertarian. i guess that is who i am. too many times, i see the influence of money in policy in washington and that bothers me greatly. host: why did you vote against the budget? guest: i voted against the budget resolution because i think it is a shell game. it will not accomplish what they say it will accomplish in 10 years. they continue to use a gimmick type of system to say we will balance the budget. i don't think it is an honest budget to begin with. host: do you support the defense spending portion? guest: no. the problem is, it's like why we are here today.

in these bills, they write the bills so they can get the votes of certain members. if they had not been able to get those on the committee by $94 billion in the slush fund, they probably would not have gotten the resolution passed. host: muriel in new haven connecticut on our democrats line. caller: hey, peter and walter and jim. i have to say this, on the issue of war and peace, i support peace 100%. here is the thing -- walter and jim represent what is really great and true americanism. they support our flag, they support our country and they

know what war means to families their sons, their daughters, their husbands. a famous poet wrote "the poppies grow amid the crosses row on row." wars do not solve anything. the only thing i want to say more than what i already said, if you support our flag, if you support our country, this issue of having a debate among our people that represent us is the most important thing to the republic. host: we will leave it there. guest: i appreciate her

statement. i agree. i think it is a very american thing to have this debate. it's a very american thing to have to set. -- have dissent. that's the way this country operates. in coffee shops all across the country, people talk about these things. if i want to go to a diner in worchester, people ask why we are still in afghanistan. they wonder why we are not having that debate in congress. congress is becoming a place where we debate tribute -- trivial as issues casually. we need to talk about this and we need to get it right and there are alternatives other

than doing the same old same old. guest: she made some great points. why don't you in congress meet your constitutional responsibility? that's why we are here today. host: the work-study group, when is the first meeting? will it be open to just members open to cameras, what is the plan? guest: we are working together with jim's office and we will have the first meeting at the end of may. i will be the first host. we will rotate every month. we want to bring in any one that would like to join us. we are trying to get enough members of congress, anywhere from 201125 that would come sit on a regular basis -- 20-25. we want experts on the

constitution that can remind us that we have a duty based on our constitutional -- host: have other members joined the study group yet? guest: we have people calling in wanting to be part of it. there are a lot of members of congress who are hungry to have discussions on these things. to talk about the alternatives or the procedures. they are hearing from their constituents as well, why are you so silent on this? why don't you do your job? this is an attempt to try to force us to do our job. we will look at privilege resolutions and procedures to force this debate. this debate might be for some it's a debate that has to happen. host: mark in clearwater, florida. republican. caller: good morning. thank you for letting america

have their voice. on a bostonian, i'm familiar with mr. mcgovern's politics. if i recall, thousands of kurds were killed with syrian guestas. there were two resolutions for war. we told them we were coming in what the we were landing them on and he moved them out before we got there. there were cameras on the beach. the republican independent stated that bush lied. i would like to know now, what information he has to prove that bush lied. that is the comment you made. guest: i have spent, ever since

i voted for the amuf to go into iraq, i have met with people such as general anthony zinni who oversaw the iraq territory. he told me he was in constant contact with you when inspector, going in every day to see what saddam hussein was doing. -- with a you and inspector. i've talked to people on the in before we went into iraq and they all said it was manufactured. -- with a youu.n. inspector. host: corey from vermont. independent line. caller: this is for congressman jones. i would like to know how far he has gotten with this bill on the

9/11 commission report declassified. when you was when what the bill is actually about -- would you explain what the bill is actually about? guest: we have read the 28 pages that came from the 9/11 congressional inquiry. what we want to do -- president obama has promised the 9/11 families on two separate occasions that he would declassify the information to 9/11 families. mr. president, please keep your promise. bob graham was up here this week , i had a chance to talk with him, he has had in

conversation with rand paul -- i asked rand paul yesterday to put the same resolution in on the house side. senator paul will talk to -- it's all about relationships. host: you were able to read them as a member of the armed services committee? guest: any member can read them. you have to ask permission of the intelligence committee and they would give you authorization. you go into a room and someone watches you read them. i read the 28 pages. the american people have the right to know the truth about who financed the 9/11 attack. guest: i was afraid to read classified pages because i was afraid i would repeat it.

it seems to me that people ought to know what their government does and what the government does. it's our job to keep everything a big secret, people can't handle the truth -- people's taxpayer dollars are funding this operation in washington. they ought to know what's going on. i'm all for letting sunshine in on what's going on. host: the war powers act passed in 1973. how will that take a role in your constitutional or study group is work-study group -- constitutional work-study group? guest: we will invite some constitutional scholars. we will talk about what our constitutional responsibilities are and why we are not meeting the right now. we will file a privileged

resolution in conjunction with the war powers resolution which says the president has 60 days in which to come to congress and ask for our approval. we are not doing that. either we disagree with the president -- he submitted an amuf. he has done his job. we had to wait for him to submit an amuf and he did. now, were told that we should not vote on anything, we ought to wait until the new congress comes in. we now have a new congress. we have exhausted that excuse. now, we're being told that we can't come together on it because there are too many differences. bring it to the floor. let us have this debate and let people vote their conscience.

if you don't have the vote, you don't have the vote. you can't do things without the votes. to say, well, it's too complicated, too uncomfortable or to blame it on partisan bickering -- walter is a conservative and i'm a liberal. we have a lot of differences. we have come together on this. this is not republicans versus democrats. it's about what we think is right and what is wrong. we are not the only republican and democrat below on this. you mentioned tom cole and adam schiff. there are lots of republicans democrats who feel as we do. host: any appetite for this in the senate? guest: it's going to be interesting -- that's why we appreciate this opportunity to meet with you today.

we just sent the first letters out this week, asking our colleagues to consider joining us in this study group. we will see how this develops. i hope we will get a lot of energy from people who believe in the constitution, scholars and not scholars and give us a bit of momentum with this effort. this is about our response ability -- response ability. host: senator kaine has been very vocal on this issue. all we are trained to do is to get this place, this congress to do its job. we could argue about every different positions. that's our different positions but right now, we are doing nothing. host: tom in clinton, maryland. democrat. caller: good morning.

these wars have cost the american people so much. we had the marshall plan for germany. our roads are coming apart. baltimore is an example of people in the inner-city that get nothing from the government. our money is going overseas to help other people. why aren't we spending money on our people to help them and we won't have all these shootings and riots? guest: i agree, totally. our nation's debt is $18.1 trillion. when bill clinton left office, it was $5.9 trillion. that's why we are sitting here today, so frustrated because we are finding all this money to send to these foreign countries

afghanistan for nine more years so that they can build roads and schools and let the taliban blow them up while we can't fix our roads and schools in america. it's time for america to have this debate, time for congress to reestablish the policies for this country. guest: we had a vote supporting this notion that every dollar we spend over here, we ought to spend a dollar over here. every dollar we spend on a road or bridge in afghanistan or iraq , spend at least a dollar here in the united states. if we did that, we would have created millions of jobs here and fixed all of our roads and bridges. it is frustrating when we have these budget debates and we are told, we don't have money for infrastructure here, we don't have money to rebuild schools or

invest in revitalizing neighborhoods. when it comes to sending money overseas, whatever money we don't have, we borrow and nobody says anything. to those who are fiscal hawks out there, they ought to demand that we pay for these wars or stop them. going to war on a credit card can no longer be an option. our country is paying the price. our constituents are saying, why are you helping us back home? we are told there is no money. that's not what we are being called when it comes to investing in these wars overseas. guest: general campbell, i asked him recently, would there ever be anyone in the military or administration to come to congress when congress is funding a nine year agreement with a country and ever come back to congress and say look, i

think four years i cannot see any changes, let's stop it? we won't do it. we will probably be there nine years after nine years. this is our frustration. it's not fair to the american people. host: george in jacksonville, florida on our public . -- on our republican line. caller: i would strongly suggest that we cut back to shock and all, pullout come up the christians and the moderate muslims out, send them to lebanon or other countries that will take them in and tell them we will be back if they attack us. there are six steps to islamic conquest. diplomacy, immigration --

host: if you could, go straight to your point. do you think our current policy set up with -- caller: 100,000 troops, four weeks, pullout. guest: i'm not sure i subscribe to his solution. we ought to have a debate on it and people ought to be able to express their views. lyndon johnson had this great line -- he said it is easy to get into work, hard to get out of one. it's been too easy for us to get into these wars and no one can tell me how this ends. the ultimate answer is, the people in iraq have to live with each other. you cannot bomb that into a reality.

we need to think differently. otherwise, we are doing the same old same old. i don't think it has been worth it, quite frankly. host: kevin in manchester, new hampshire. democrat. caller: i just want to say, as far as democrat-republican goes it doesn't make any sense anymore. no one is working together. used have -- you should have general wesley clark on there with you guys. he talks about the destabilization of other countries because they don't want to use our paper money because our paper money is in deep trouble right now. the federal reserve is a private organization -- every piece of dollar bill that comes across the bank has a debt attached to it. we are all working under debt. we pay our bills with debt,

we're constantly in debt. we've had enough of your bickering. we could go over and stop this thing if we wanted to. there was a false flag attack to put the pressure on the american people. i can start my own business. -- can't start my own business. the states have stepped in and they want to take money from me when i'm not a part of anything? guest: i agree with kevin on 90% of what he said. this country is in financial chaos. i believe sincerely -- $18.1 trillion in debt -- i believe we are headed toward a financial calamity if we don't start dealing with the out-of-control

debt of this nation. you can start that by having a foreign policy that makes sense and has an end to it. guest: we are frustrated too with the bickering and partisanship. we agree. host: how did this relationship form? guest: jim and i are strong together on home health care. a totally different issue. host: you were working together? guest: absolutely. we established a relationship, a friendship. it's through these relationships that you were less you have a lot more in common than you think. you don't have to agree on everything to agree on some things. when it comes to war congress ought to stand up and vote yes or no on it.

people who are watching, call your members of congress and tell them to join our study group, to be part of this bipartisan effort to demand that congress do its job. maybe we can change some things. host: the constitutional work-study group begins when? guest: it is being formed as we speak. we get members together and learn about what our options are. what are the different solutions to these difficult situations in the middle east? it is primarily organized to remind our fellow members of congress that we have a constitutional responsibility when it comes to war and peace and we are not living up to that response ability. host: a privileged resolution

after the break next week. guest: divorce a debate on the floor. host:-- to force a debate on the floor. host: gentlemen, thank you. walter jones and jim mcgovern. the house is now in session. [captioning performed by the national captioning institute, which is responsible for its caption content and accuracy. visit ncicap.org] [captions copyright national cable satellite corp. 2015] chaplain conroy: let us pray. eternal god, we give you thanks for giving us another day. lead us this day in your ways that our nation might be guided along the roads of peace, justice and good will. grant strength and wisdom to our speaker and the members of both the people's house and the senate, to our president and his cabinet and to our supreme court. we thank you for the inspiration granted to the members of this house who have worked long hours in recent days to produce