>> next, "newsmakers" with indiana congressman, chair of the republican policy committee, luke messer and in the victory speech by president elect donald trump and the concession speech by hillary clinton. this week on "newsmakers," joined by the chairman of the house of republican policy committee, luke messer of indiana. thank you. neuhauser, adaniel reporter, and mike, congressional reporter with "the washington post." mike, you go first. mike: thank you for joining us. we are two days or three days down from the american voters making a stunning statement by collecting donald trump.

what you think those voters want the republican congress and donald trump to go first? messer: turns out the american people were in charge. i think they are tired of the status quo. it is the first time in a long time that republicans will be in charge of not only the presidency but the house and senate and it will be expectations to get things done. mr. trump was clear about several things in the campaign and i think those will be the earliest and clearest priorities. clear about border security, i think you'll see legislation that makes moves toward securing the border. he was clear about the need to get rid of obamacare and you will see steps quickly to get the repeal on president trump's desk. there is possibility that through reconciliation, we could get that in the package similar to what president obama vetoed last year.

and then we will go about the other hard work of governing. ,e mentioned transportation reforming the tax code and trying to drop access for everybody, and there is a whole lot you can do by executive order. one of the big disputes is on the republican side, we felt like president obama went too far with executive orders in the fall of the legislative process. the downside for democrats will not be what was done by executive order cannot be undone just as quickly by executive order. i suspect you will see energy toward that. thing,s there anyone obamacare, the border, that you sense among republicans in the house that we went to get down to brass tacks to do this? we willtative messer: obviously have to do many things at the same time. we will not do them one at a

time, but i think those priorities of be the earliest ones. when you got out there and talked to the american people, i know my voters in indiana are tired of the washington that doesn't work. our nation can survive public policy mistakes, but it can't survive the loss of faith in the system. i think the american people spoke loudly they did the. like what they were seeing -- that they did not like what they were seeing and they want washington networks. part of our biggest priorities over the next several years will be to show this panel can get serious about solving problems of everyday working americans. mike: now that you control congress and the presidency next year, there is a non-amenity about policies and republicans, including the speaker, have sort of rebuked trump during the campaign for some policies, banning muslims, deportation, things like that.

won most ofump the red districts, can republicans push back against trump? well, itative messer: was clear about places i disagreed with trump and i was clear about that. be tok the key would focus on areas where we agree, and those include the border, getting rid of obamacare, working through major tax reform, trying to find a way to build better infrastructure and find a way to fund it. we agree that we need to get rid of the obama administration's rules and host of similar executive orders. there may be areas we disagree. president -- trump was elected president, and where the happened, we'll have to work

through them. mike: i think arguably, people voted for those parts of the policy. if you do not carry those out and build the wall, then muslims from coming into the country, would that be a betrayal of the people who voted for trump? representative messer: any coalition of folks who have their priorities, you heard mr. trump's emphasis has been and i suspect you will keep his campaign promises. that is who he has been throughout his career. focusk the answer is to on areas where we agree. for example, you mentioned building a wall, securing the border. i think there is broad consensus that we ought to do it. you cannot have the confirmation without having a border you can control and the american people are tired of having a country without any borders.

greta: who do believe will pay for the wall? representative messer: we will have to see. was a strongo believer in mexico paying for the wall? i doubt they will brightest one big check. who knows? there may be ways for a policy arrangement with mexico through taxes, fees or other efforts and it may turn out they do well and pay for the wall. i doubt they will do it in one check like heavy seen those checks they have back off matches? i doubt it will be that way. credit: if taxpayers have to pay, are you willing to drive up the debt in order -- greta: if taxpayers have to pay, are you willing to drive up the debt? representative messer: we have to get serious about spending, our economy. one of the best ways to halt our problems and balance the budget is have a growing economy with higher wages.

and the have higher wages better jobs, they pay more taxes. it worked in the 1980's, 1990's and no reason not to work now. i'll believe it is a priority of the american people that we secure our border. frankly, people voted for mrs. clinton that believe we should secure our boat -- border. two thirds to three quarters of americans believed we should. one way or another, we will have to figure out how to do and we need to make progress quickly. was -- greta was hading at that mr. trump some costly proposals, infrastructure that he was talking about on wednesday wall may not be paid for by mexico. think the deficit still matters to republicans and will

they demand that all these things be paid for like they demanded for president obama's priorities? representative messer: deficits matter to republicans because they matter to the american people. you cannot rob our children and grandchildren of the future. time, we have to juggle multiple priorities. governing is not easy. i cannot tell you precisely how each of these areas will be done, but i believe there is the commitment to tackling health care challenges right away, a commitment to getting started on securing the border right away, the commitment to trying to have efforts with infrastructure, reforming tax code. some of those issues can work hand in glove. if we do a better job with corporate dollars that are earned overseas and bring them back, there may be a way to use

them to pay for infrastructure investment. we are going to have to figure out how to do both and in the few days after the election, there is a lot of excitement about the fact that we know have the opportunity to govern, but it will be hard work. it will not be easy. daniel: i ask about funding the government passed december 9. do you believe that it is a better idea with the few down the road and give the unified republican government a chance to tackle that issue in march or april, or does it make sense to clear the deck for the next year fiscally by drafting a long-term cr and moving on to things like obamacare appeal and the border? representative messer: i'm opening to listening to others, be, itinclination would

is hard to see how to get the worst deal in february or january billy would today. by clinician would to be to have funding bills or a cr or clean cr or as close to a clean cr as you can, and then deal with most of the challenges after the first of the year. when i talk to the rest of my colleagues, there may be different consensus, but that would be my instinct. next week, we will have house leadership races. you are running unopposed. spawned -- and ryan sparred in the campaign and there was speculation that trump would try to unseat ryan are somehow pressure members to vote against him. have you them meant their relationship? representative messer: i am running for house republican policy chair. i was encouraged by the meeting

that speaker ryan and president-elect trump had this week. clearly, president trump will have a voice in what our team , and like moving forward initial indications seem he is comfortable with our existing leadership team. i see wisdom in that because given all the other moving parts we have to deal with, the big challenges in front of us, i think there is wisdom in taking the team we have and uniting that team and moving forward as a nation. greta: who won the leadership team represents the trump coalition? if that person doesn't exist, who should be the one representing that? representative messer: i was elected in a district where mr. trump had about 60% of the vote. i got 70%. [laughter] greta: you have bragging rights? representative messer: i laugh

and say i helped carry him across the finish line. i'm not sure that is true. he did well in my state as he did in other areas. many of our members are present districts that mr. trump did well in. and i think there is understanding that this was a giant election for republicans the giant because mr. trump carried our party across the finish line. many of us were here before he was elected and that remains the same. this was the trump coalition and this was the trump government we will have to deal with forward. the freedomld be caucus. iny have shown willingness the house floor in january. later on, and they said they are interested in having a seat at the table. do you think someone should be in the elected leadership?

representative messer: i think it would strengthen to have a broad representative at the leadership table. that includes gender diversity, racial diversity, and i think philosophical diversity. we are a conference that is a coalition for centrist conservative republicans. the center that is much more light than the center of a party when decade or two decades ago. the conservative coalition of the freedom caucus and other ingups that are present districts across the area. i think it would be strengthened by having all those in our leadership team. something else i think the public sometimes has not necessarily realized, many of the d.c. media has not realized that we are a young conference, at least as far as tenure in office goes. soughtrican people have

tom 2010, 10, 14, -- 2010 has, more of a conference been represented in the last six years. we have a strong leadership team and my hope is we will have the opportunity to move forward. parade, --ing on the not to rain on the parade, there are strong geordie in the house and the senate kept -- a strong majority in the house and the senate kept their majority. we have a president that did not win the popular vote. what to see the extent of his mandate and republican mandate generally and how do guard against the overreach that republicans -- that democrats sought in 2009 2 2010 that 2009 twoin the math -- 2010 that resulted in the mass reversal? representative messer: i think

the democrats made a mistake in 2009 monday started with a philosophical attack on health presidentwas not let obama campaigned on. that was the leading signature issues at the beginning of the campaign, at the beginning of their time in service. they paid a high political price for it. important to realize with the election told us and did not. it told us that people are ready for change and tired of the status quo. socialist got almost at the vote, mr. trump running against the media, the craddick establishments, not only had the primary but went on the democratic-- establishments, not only had the primary but went on to get elected. i believe the call is for more practical approach to governing.

people feel like it has priced us toms go up and expect do something about it. people think we need to get the border secured, need to take resources to do it. we did not even talk about mr. trump's approach to foreign policy or national security, but people think we need to get serious in the battle against isis and they are worried that we cannot be the world's policeman and enter every conflict. that was part of the coalition against together for mr. trump as well. what i take comfort in is that mr. trump is a businessman but a certain kind of businessman. he was in the real estate buildings, and you could look up and see that building. he was in the service business, working went to his hotel's or his golf courses, you had to have them deliverable. i think if we focus on

deliverables, things like changing the president's health care law, getting rid of obama ,are, building a secure border delivering better infrastructure , we will do fine. daniel: if i can ask about speaker ryan on fox news last night. he was asked about an area where he and trump crashed, entitlement reform. he said that as part of the effort to repeal and replace obamacare, the congress would have to look at medicare, making reforms to medicare. that is not an issue that came up a lot in the presidential campaign. do you believe republicans have a mandate to reform medicare? representative messer: i think we have a mandate to tackle big challenges, including debt. look athave to entitlement as part of those efforts of dealing with our debt. i think a lot of the details will have to be worked out and

debate with the american people over the coming weeks and years. what i think what speaker ryan was saying was many of our nation's biggest challenges from a fiscal perspective cannot be dealt with without social security and medicare. on the affordable care act, what is the alternative that republicans can agree on that would replace if you are successful in appealing the affordable care act? representative messer: if i was to criticize, i think it is fair to say we would not the -- we have not been clear enough to offer something that counters the president's health care law. that changed during the leadership of dr. tom price and many physicians in the house. we have started to put forward an alternative. i think it will include getting rid of many of the mandates that were part of obamacare, so taxing rid of the employer

for whether or not you provide health care and getting rid of the individual mandate tax for folks who may or may not or choose to have health care. our plan moving forward will include greater use of medical broaderaccounts, cooling for folks and small businesses, so if you're in a small business and have one sick person on your payroll and it spikes rates for everyone, and if you allow cooling for every competition along state lines, i think our proposal looks at tax credits, turning what was the and taxe funding credits that empower individuals to choose a private health care plan of their own, looking at high risk pools to deal with those that are already sick and cannot afford health care because they are already sick. all of the proposals will be part of the conference of plan. we are in the beginning days of figuring out what the specifics

might look like. it is clear that we cannot rip that i got from under this in one day. from this in one day. what we do will take effect over the course of the next year so that everyone can keep the policy they have now and over the course of the next year, we can transition to a new system. another policy area where you have most into trump's thinking, education. your former advisor is trump's education area advisor, but it is not something he talked about too much. what is trump's education plan? messer: first, he talked about school choice on the campaign trail. i think no president in the history of our country has talked more about providing educational options, about making sure every kid in america as an opportunity to go to

great school, and that they have the dollars they need to make it happen. he has also talked about making sure that the education decision is made at a local level. i think you will see in the trump administration efforts that devolve and rip power away from a strong, centralized entity and back into the states and local areas, so that moms, dads, teachers and kids are in charge of schools. greta: a couple more questions. michael: one thing that -- mike: one thing that came up in the presidential campaign and was not at the center of the conversation, but there has been overat cultural debate central issues and social change in america over the last eight years. there has been speculation about what a republican congressman would do about same-sex marriage, a constitutional issue that has been spoken to by the womene court, serviced by

and gays in the military, funding for planned parenthood, what can you say about republicans plans to address issues like that? will there be an attempt to look at these issues and go back to previous policies? representative messer: i think the question is an enormous part of the election victory a few days ago was the american people feel like the supreme court was trending in a direction where the fabric of our nation was .orn up from underneath them they did not want tilde clinton to be the person who was selecting our next three supreme court justices. those three justices will become an right now, it is only one. the rest is dependent on the service of those who are there. the replacement of justice scalia will be selected and that debate happens in the first half of next year.

on social issues, mr. trump is a traditional republican, pro-gun in his comments and throughout the campaign, very pro-life and comments throughout the campaign and a champion for religious freedom. i think you will see republicans and they will focus on those three areas, making sure rights are preserved in the country, -- there was one big debate of the presidential campaign, hillary clinton said she was getting ready to change the long-standing federal policy that federal funding could not andsed to fund abortions there was a debate emerging in our country about had we make sure that no one was this committed against in our society, yet, people are free to exercise their religious beliefs in our american society? that is not easy to balance. indiana is in the midst of that

ofate over the last couple years. that balance is raising the trump administration focus. mike: do you think congress should way into the bathroom issue, religious freedom issue at we have seen in indiana, but carolina? representative messer: the obama administration rated in through that, and that is or it started to executive order. i have something that would ensure local school district's should make decisions on how they handle restrooms that the federal government cannot cut funding based on those decisions. that will be moved now because i suspect mr. trump will resend any orders that were threatened and that area. on broader issues of marriage, my belief is i do not want the federal government big enough to define marriage. i would like to see these efforts continued to be decided at the state and local level, as they have been historically. the recent supreme court decision makes that much more difficult to do.

i think we are figuring out what the right balance is in reaction to that supreme court ruling just a few months ago. mike: is it fair to assume planned parenthood has been such a lightning rod, is it fair to assume planned parenthood cannot expect to have the federal funding for medicaid? representative messe: mr. trump's comments -- messer: mr. terms, as have been unique. i believe the structure planned parenthood should be changed. they ought not to be able to use federal funding and facilities were abortions occur. greta: congressman, thank you very much. congressman luke messer, thank you. we appreciate it. congressman messer: i appreciate the opportunity. mike fromre back with

"the washington post" and dental from "the washington journal." mike, where will there be attention from president-elect trump and the gop leadership in the house and senate? where do you suspect that the two will not necessarily have a smooth ride? mike: it could be any number of areas. what we saw from our conversation with congress and messer is that -- congressman messer is that they expecting to be the typical republican president, george bush, mitt romney, ted cruz or marco rubio, they would expect them to act like they would have but i don't know if that is a solid assumption. donald trumpad talk about infrastructure spending. typically, it has been that any dollars spent needs to be offset from spending elsewhere. that that could be difficult. everyone talking about

repealing obama care, which is great, but i have paul ryan talking about medicare, not something donald trump said anything about during the campaign. movie go along with paul ryan's long-standing desire to remake entitlement programs? basically, you can start their and keep working. we will be looking at some serious fiscal debates and we do not know -- donald trump says he is picking good that -- is the king good that, what -- king does debt, so what does that mean? the unpredictability of donald trump is the reason we are here and the reason we do not know how this relationship will shake out. read the: -- greta: daniel, what do you hear when it comes to -- excuse me, are they willing to drive up the

debt to pay for it and perception spending, tax cuts, building of the wall, etc. -- all of that requires short-term oft and to see the growth the economy that donald trump is promising? daniel: everything republicans have said over the past decade has been that they are not willing to drive up the debt. if you think of the legislative message, it is they do not want to spend money unless it is set. a lot of trump's policies are expensive, so that will be essential source of tension between the administration and congress, whether you can actually do these things and if you can pay for them. my question is that due congressional republicans have the fortitude to lock trump if trumpeed to question mark had their districts and in and captured her electorate, and he

did it by saying he is not of them, andbeholden to more powerful than them, so i do not know how they can season -- reasonably go back if he tries to elite ram one of the policies through. greta: trump's message is what resonated with the voters, not the message republicans have for the past decade of we are not going into debt. mike: we were one hairs breath away in terms of election results from their being civil war within the republican party between the trampling and orion ringgitryan -- trump and ryan -- ring and ryan ring, it takes one big battle to and mayberible things that comes over obama care.

maybe that comes over a tax reform proposal, infrastructure, there are a million different potential fissures that you can point to where this is tricky for them. granda: -- greta: what are you watching for with the relationship of president-elect donald trump in this republican-controlled is arst of all, there speaker vote coming up. they had a show of unity yesterday in the capital but i have not yet heard explicitly from donald trump that he backs paul ryan as speaker. they were at each other's throats at a later stage in the campaign. has that changed? i don't know. if you want to install someone else in their, then a lot of members tell me he would have the power to do so. i very interested in seeing how the relationship takes off in this first week.

>> we do have a lame duck session ahead. we have fiscal issues to deal with. there are government issues beyond december 9 that are points of pressure and division. the way paul ryan handles that and with that mitch mcconnell handles that -- that is not nothing. it is something that could certainly influence will happen in january. >> thank you both for being a part of "newsmakers." >> thank you. >> kforce knox was chosen, because it was america's most impenetrable location. it was the depository to have been opened for several years prior. a lot of gold had already been transferred there. the secretary of the treasury a portionssion to use of the depository for these documents. >> tonight on