are far in error. host: what is the convention of the states project? what are they doing to make that happen? guest: we are expanding our grassroots base. we should be at the end of 10 million people at the end of this year. it gives us a grassroots army to go and lobby legislators about changing things. probably eight to 10 states next year, which will put us somewhere between 20 and 22 states. then we will take that same resource and that same grassroots and work on the states that are left. host: convention of the states.com is the website if you want to learn more about the project that our guest is with. he is also the author of the book "smashing the d.c. monopoly." segment, right

now, we're going to take the senators idea as far as limiting the powers of the federal government, asking you specifically your thoughts and things that you may think of, ideas on what limits you would put on the federal government. it could become what it comes to spending, regulation, or other things. if you have thoughts on what limits you would put on the federal government, you can call democrats,8-8000 for (202) 748-8001 for republicans, and independents (202) 748-8002. you can post on twitter at c-span wj. you can also make your thoughts on video. if you want to produce a short video about a minute in length and tell you who you are, your political affiliation, and your idea, use your phone to shoot a short video and send it to us on twitter. if we like it, we will put it on air. you can post on facebook on

facebook.com/c-span. andid highlight the budget offered a graphic of some of the every is highlighted in the budget expected today. when it comes to new spending, over a decade, two hundred billion dollars in public-private partnerships, $29 billion in expanding the veterans program, and $19 billion for a new parental leave program. the potentialt cuts for the medicaid in the children's health insurance program -- $616 billion. food stamps -- $193 billion. student loan program changes at $143 billion, $72 billion for disability programs, and it goes from there. there will be more, to on that as well. -- comment on that as well. what limits would you put on the federal government? we will start with stephen florida on the republican line. go ahead.

you are up. caller: who knows their state better than the people in it? i mean, i had to work from the time i was 15 years old. host: so you would support what senator coburn was advocating? , becausexactly everybody is calling in and doing all this and saying it's race or whatever and it's not. -- the harder you work, the more money you make if you are able to. it don't have nothing to do with it. i started off as a 15-year-old. lynn is up next in utah on the democrats line. believe that the

federal government maintaining power is the only chance our country has to survive. heren example, in the utah power, completely gain it will sell off all of our national parks. it will sell off every bit of oil we've got to the development companies. they would do so in a heartbeat. getssecond example, it about two or $3 billion every outfit, a sportsman for fish and wildlife, to supposedly keep wolves out of utah. it is a fraud that has gone on in the state for at least four or five years that i have known of. i'm completely against the loss of federal power. i think we have global warning.

we would have environmental degradation that would just be completely unsurmountable. host: from lancaster, south en, independent line. good morning. caller: there are many ways you can limit the power of the government. the states can piggyback off one of the calls earlier. the good old boy system is still alive. how you deal out the money -- i don't know how it will be dealt out, but the military-industrial complex can be cut. everybody is always talking about the fraud in medicaid and the snap program, but nobody is talking about the fraud in the military-industrial complex and the money they are wasting a government -- in government. host: what limits would you put on the federal government?

call the lines of you want to let us know. (202) 748-8000 for democrats . (202) 748-8001 for republicans. (202) 748-8002 for independents. you can post your thoughts on twitter as well. ite new york post" reporting is isis saying that one of its members carried out that attack, the concert attack in manchester, united kingdom, that killed 22 people. that is a tweet sent out by "the new york post." that was an event that took place yesterday. in the papers this morning, issues of russia and investigations therein. ,"is is "the washington post saying that president trump asked two of the nation's top intelligence officials in march to help push back against an fbi investigation between this campaign and foreign governments.

"ccording to "the post, to president made appeals the director of the national security agency, urging them publicly to deny any evidence of collusion during the 20 16th elections. both refused to comply with the request, which they both deemed to be an appropriate. they spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss private communication with the present. that is on the front page of "the washington post." the ranking member of the house oversight committee, elijah cummings, sending a letter to the chief of that committee about the topic of michael flynn. this is the press release released yesterday, saying that cummingsative elijah sent a letter to jason chaffetz with the excerpt containing that michael flynn might've cummings sent a lied,

saying that the oversight committee has in our possession documents that appear to indicate that general flynn lied to investigators who interviewed him in 2016 as part of the security clearance ritual, specifically the committee has obtained a report of investigation dated march 14 .16 showing that general flynn told security clearance investigators that he was paid by u.s. companies when he traveled to moscow and december 20 15 to dine at a gala with russian president vladimir putin. the actual source of the funds for general flynn's trip was not a u.s. company, but the run rush of media propaganda arm, rt. michael flynn denying that, claiming fifth amendment rights. the topic of limits on the power of federal government in your thoughts. anna in new castle, delaware, republican line.

caller: you say you want to try to have more money than the government so that it can have roads and all that kind of stuff. i think we need to cut back on the welfare, the food stamps, the people using food stamps. they are taking their cards and putting them in the atm machine, getting the money out, and going to can se casinos. , plus weying for that have to pay for the kids to eat in school. the ships, thep, wic program, the subsidized housing. if these people would go out and work for a living, then they would know what it was like. i'm 81 years old and i cannot continue to pay the high taxes to keep these loafers that did not want to go out and work. host: your thoughts on what limits you would put on them.

from michigan on the independent line, philip, go ahead. caller: i just think the answer is automatic. i'm stunned that people haven't said it. make it a federal offense to circumvent or access the social security fund. they stole all that money. bush bought the election with $3.5 trillion. it was not his to purchase votes with. it was my money that i worked with and i do not get any of it because i became disabled when he started doling out the cash. thank you. host: lisa, good morning to you. what are your thoughts on limits that you would put on the federal government? caller: i think that your guest earlier was right on target when he said that the only way for a republic to survive is to have a virtuous populace. i think putting limits on the federal government about lying

and criminal activity would be the first step in trying to get more money available for the programs that need it by keeping people honest. host: how the you enforce that? -- do you enforce that? caller: in this particular administration, it would be pretty easy. there's evidence of lots of people lying to need to be taken out. a lesser obvious situations, you have a code of ethics. you have the ethics boards that we have now who decide whether ethics have been violated or not. line,virginia, republican you are next. caller: good morning. how are you? host: i'm well thanks. go ahead. caller: i think we should expand the federal control. our problem is being addressed fraudulenty -- the spending of our programs that are to help people.

that means they are not monitoring those programs as they should. if someone can illegally access it and take funds, than they should be federally prosecuted not slashing the funding that is needed to support people, people whoare paraplegic, people have catastrophic medicine problems, children born with heart diseases. those programs need to be funded ashed in our government needs to take accountability for monitoring those programs on how spending needs to be done. host: are you saying more manpower is needed to oversee these programs and that would improve the situation? caller: i don't know if it's more manpower or restructuring of departments that already have allocations of people, enough people but maybe not the right positions. host: to your initial thought of expanding the government, do you think if you expand it you open

the opportunities for more of these things that you listed to happen? caller: i hope not. that would not be the intention, but anything is possible and the federal government. they are talking about limiting time. they've not accomplished anything in 15 years, let alone four or two. the whole thing needs to be re-addressed as to how we are structured, how we function, and where that money is really going. we pay millions and millions of dollars. who is watching that? as the senator earlier addressed, all this fraudulent spending an in social security, who is watching? host: tony is in florida on the line for democrats. good morning. caller: good morning, pedro. 1% it's more -- gets more. people who get social security, we pay social security. donald trump said he was not going to touch it.

he lied to the american people. welfare, thesere people don't see that. host: what you say 1% it's more welfare, specifically how? caller: tax breaks. we're talking billions. that's why they are rich. that's why they are billionaires. we americans -- we work and pay for social security. we pay for medicaid. we pay for medicare. doll trump says i'm not going to touch that. to take it away from a lot of americans who work their butts off. this is what people don't see. it's true what your guest said. their people taking a venture social security -- there are people taking advantage of

social security and when they get caught, they will be sent to federal prison. utts people work their b off pay for social security and medicare. republicans love to do that. cuts to social security and medicaid and all that stuff. the 1%, they don't pay taxes. host: thank you, tony. you made that point already. this one from "the washington post" when it looks at a new memo from the justice department, which clarifies what it means to be effectuated city. sanctuary city. it was attorney general jeff sessions who said that section where cities are those that violate a federal law that require local and state governments to share federation and anymation

town that violates that statute could lose funding this year. the memo also goes on to say from a warning from jeff sessions that the administration and the congress may seek to future grants or award grants to other factors, including whether local law enforcement officials comply with federal immigration efforts or refuse to detain immigration for deportation." the trump administration will continue to publicly criticize non-cooperative cities, states, and towns that threaten public safety are refusing to work with federal immigration officials. if you go to the pages of "usa of foreign story visitors who have overstayed their visas, the visa overstays represent only 1.2 5% of the 50 million travelers who arrived in 2016 from the nation's airports and seaports. people who overstay their visas make up an estimated 40% of the

11 million undocumented immigrants who live in the u.s. their largely overshadowed by undocumented immigrants who cross from the southwest border with mexico. fromding to the report dhs, a total of 739,004 some foreigners remained in the u.s. after their visas had expired, but not all those are here to stay. by september 30 place 16, the 8,799. fell to 620,000 arma in california. we are getting a thoughts on limits that you would put on the federal government. what is your thought? caller: my first limit would be to audit the military. their outsourcing work to contractors that are overcharging the federal government. the next one would be medicaid. most people who have medicaid

hardly use it. the hospitals overcharge. that's the majority of the budget. as far as food stamps, people are working for low wages. most of their wages are taken out for a place to live. you have big companies who are not paying their employees enough to survive so they have to get food stamps to live. it's hard to get food stamps anyway. if they cut them, it's even worse. there are people who want to work but can't work. somehow felonies or are illiterate. what do you do? do you just throw them to the side? host: of programs of medicaid and food stamps, a feature of and aesident's budget, story analyzing what's going on with the budget, other saying

the underlying the plan to eliminate the budget deficit, the white house is projecting a decade of rosy economic predictions. the jobless rate rising slightly and a modest increase in rate increases. the one big question is whether faster growth is achievable. the u.s. is already nearly eight years into an economic expansion with a low unemployment rate of 4.4% and the federal reserve raising short-term interest rates, which tends to occur growth. the administration is counting and other changes to stimulate faster growth. hear is bob on the republican line. caller: i would like to see congress put on a term of service by the president -- like the president to get rid of the good old boy attitude and government. like a senator can only serve two terms of two years each,

like the president, because i see too much just good old boy attitude. they are all basically very rich people from what i'm hearing. get them out of office and keep the fresh funds coming in so there's no more little boy, i will scratch your back types. host: if you eliminate or push out those who have been in congress for a while, you push out a lot of experience as well. caller: not really. i'm prior military. when my term was up, my term is up. you guys say i'm too old to serve. anyway, the government says i'm too old to serve. you look at pelosi and lewis and people like that, they need to get out. if we put a term on those people, they can't come in and corrupt as bad. the lobbyists cannot get a hold of people and corrupt them as

bad. our government is corrupt. host: let me through another one at you because this is what i've heard before on these topics. some legislators will even say that an election is kind of like an idea of a term limit. if a body of people want me out, they will vote me out. that's my term limit an in a sense. what you think about that idea? caller: america is supposed to be about the vote and not the few. government has become the few. if people say ok, we like the guy, he might be doing good. i guess of the people vote him in. i still in my head say get rid of them after a certain time because i have seen corrupt politicians ever since i was a kid. some of them are still there. that's all. and ione more question apologize -- the house speaker paul ryan from wisconsin, you

would currently give him a term limit if you had the opportunity to? caller: yak, everybody needs to follow the same procedure. that's the problem with america. the thing is certain people get away with it. democrats and them did not have to buy obamacare, yet they forced it on us. there's that kind of inequality all over america. host: stephen in baltimore, maryland, democrats line, thanks for holding up. caller: i would like to say i agree with the caller from florida speaking about the text codes. -- tax cuts. the tax cuts the president is pushing should belong to working people. when i was young, they do not have a lot of millionaires and billionaires. i'm nearly 60 years old, but i do remember there were not a lot of billionaires. i remember the tax cuts are generally the way they become billionaires. programt of a corrupt

as they sponsor congressman and senators. they cut those people's taxes. one more thing about the social welfare programs is that, i'm not worried about them cutting the first because blonde haired, blue-eyed kid that they see who is hundred or going hungry, they will put it right back in place. there is this perception that only minorities are on those programs. i've seen a lot of caucasians on those programs, too. that's all i've got to say. host: pennsylvania is next, jack, independent one. go ahead. caller: i appreciate it. i think the federal government seems to be focusing on overseas contracts for the defense contractors, which is happening with president trump right now and saudi arabia.

health care seems to be the least of their worries other than cutting health care for people. i don't see how we can defend our country when the people are not going to get proper health care. that makes absolutely no sense to me. host: you would say as far as the current efforts on replacing the affordable care act, what would you say to that? caller: i honestly believe that if would've put the public option and at the beginning and congress had not got that removed, that would have kept prices at a reasonable rate and we would have had a chance with the affordable health care act. host: how is engaging the public option going to keep those rates reasonable? we have seen concerns about rates and costs with this type of program being put in place. caller: as i understood it, the government would compete against businesses to keep the prices at a reasonable rate. for everything i read, insurance companies and many hospitals

made huge amounts of money during this obama administration, which just meant that they had free reign. d, theey enacted part let the pharmaceutical companies have no regulations on prices. host: michigan on the line for democrats, janet, good morning. go ahead. caller: thank you for taking my call. just a couple of things. my concerns about the limitations on the federal government is that i think i see at least in michigan some of the very same behaviors in the states as you see the federal government. it doesn't stop outside entities like the alec organizations that modelome in and crafted legislation and states across the country, including in michigan. how do you limit what the states

do if you don't have some kind of federal oversight? let us be clear. historically states rights often very, verying dutch mental to people with lesser means, people of color. we have seen that historically. limitsneed some way of and measure what the states what would do if they had that kind of control. host: give me an example of what is going on the state level. caller: on a state level here in michigan, we have had a number of years in which we have got a republican governor, we have a republican legislature, a lot of them at local levels republican dominated, the laws that are being passed and regulations being passed are not beneficial to the people here in michigan.

than we have outside entities that would come in that affects our public education, that affects our desk just laws at a very minute level. i'm sorry i cannot give you specifics. what i do know is that we do have the same types of behavior and influence that happens at the federal level as well as the state level. my concern is how do we control that at both levels of government? host: paul is in new jersey, democrats line. go ahead. caller: thanks for taking my call. for years i was for all term limits. forthhed debates back and between democrats and republicans and it's so nauseated. they go up there and grandstand and talk for hours and repeat the same thing.

at the time, they forget what they are talking about. their walking around with walkers. it's time we stand up and say eight years, that's it. we need fresh blood in there with new thoughts and new ideas and get this country moving again instead of bashing each other. these two parties are dividing this country. they really need to get their act together. term limits i think would be the best way. host: do you think an eight-year term would be enough time to build influence in the congress and pass legislation and do things for the states and localities? caller: yes come i do. if the president has eight years, you can continue on the notion that whatever he was implementing, if it worked, you continue on with it. that is why you need the young blood in there with the initiative and energy. i see these old-timers, with no disrespect at all, but there's a time to give it up and say i did enough, i did my job.

let's move on and let a younger person with new ideals take over this country. host: what about your current representation in congress from new jersey? would you say the same about that as far as your satisfaction with them? caller: i was so that all cross the board. we are too divided. if you are democrat, you will never vote republican. if you are republican, you will never vote democrat issues. it's just a big joke and countries are laughing at us. host: one of the topics that came out of the current debate of the of 40 will care act is what happens to subsidies received under it. robert pear writing that the trump administration has asked the federal appeals court on monday to delay ruling on a lawsuit that could determine whether the government will continue paying subsidies under insurance help

companies for the benefit of low income people, effectively prolonging uncertainty rattling the health care law. insureds are supposed to submit their proposals to the health care government june 21 and have already filed state request the several states. loss of subsidies could lead to increased premiums by 50%-20% or more on top of any increases they might see for other reasons. a joint status report that was filed on monday at the united states court of appeals and the district of columbia, the trump administration and house republican leaders asked that the case be held in advance for another 90 days. "the parties continue discuss measures that would obviate the need for petition of this appeal, including potential legislative action." on this idea of what limits you would put on the federal government? caller: good morning. codeld like to see the tax

-- i mean the tax laws a reworked. i would like to see the rue polls -- loopholes for the rich shutdown. i like to see the earned income credit done away with. i've seen so much fraud and abuse and waste of money that these people get back each year. it's really sickening when hard-working middle-class people are gathering up even more money to send in. an these people are wasting the earned income money they get on tattoos and vacations and things that middle-class people that paid the tax can't get. host: can i ask how you know they are doing that with the money? caller: because i have worked with the people. i've seen it firsthand. i've seen young girls who are childrenth they have had out of wedlock. i've seen them spend up to $1000 on tattoos.

host: as far as tax loopholes are concerned, what would you eliminate? caller: i don't know. just the loopholes that the rich, the very wealthy, are getting. a lot of them are getting out of paying their fair share because of them. host: was get a pennsylvania on the democrats line. elizabeth, your next. -- your next. where is birds borough? caller: 50 miles above philadelphia. as far as term limits go, i'm not for against them. i think we need to take care of the problems at the state level first. gerrymandering -- major problem. it takes all the power away from the people and puts it in the hands of the bosses, the party bosses. you cannot hold your representatives accountable

either at the state level or the federal level. ,ntil people change that nothing is going to change. same thing with finances. if you don't get the dark money out of politics, nothing will change. host: when it comes to the idea of gerrymandering, is this something that you are seeing going on in pennsylvania? do you notice this in other states? what's your particular interest in that? caller: pennsylvania is number three on the list of the worst gerrymandered states. only north carolina and ohio is worse. there was just a lawsuit in of it being blatantly gerrymandered for political gain for one party. they just lost in court. host: how our districts determined in the state of pennsylvania? is it the legislature or an outside body? how does it work? caller: is the legislature -- it

is the legislature. we are trying to change that and get it over to a citizen body. host: remind me of the makeup of the legislature there in pennsylvania. is it republican dominated or democrat? caller: it is republican dominated for the senate and the house, but we have a democratic governor. host: elizabeth is north of philadelphia, giving us her thoughts. you are welcome to share your thoughts on the lines. (202) 748-8000 for democrats. (202) 748-8001 for republicans. (202) 748-8002 for independents. you can also contribute on twitter on our c-span wj page. a professor of law and political science at university of

california irvine talks about voting rights and the supreme court. 's argument is that they may have given the voting rights act a powerful new tool, saying that sometimes the most important stuff in the court of opinions is in the footnotes. in monday's supreme court ruling striking down to north carolina congressional districts as unconstitutionally influenced by race, the majority buried a doozy, potentially powerful new tool to attack but he rights violations in the south and elsewhere. at issue in the case is whether the two congressional districts were drawn by the north carolina general assembly work unconstitutional racial german verse. -- jerry manders. a racial gerrymandering exist when race and not other criteria for text a party for a dominant draw linesow they and the legislature to present no compelling reason to pay so much attention to race. the more interesting of the two findings involve the 12th whichssional district the court upholding the lower

court's ruling. its line defended drawing on the grounds that the meandering district was constructed that way for partisan purposes. on the surface, justice kagan's opinion may have seemed went fory modest, and challenging both colitis districts for sure, but a straightforward application of principles without referring to the findings of lower court judges, the lower court found that race was a driving factor, wrotestice plans thomas a concurrent stressing that lower court's factual findings are entitled to considerable differences. if you want to hear about his concerns that he has about districts are determined and things along that nature, you can find that in "the washington post" this morning. as we referenced this morning about the release of president trump's budget, a big topic of discussion here on capitol hill and other matters that will take place as well, joining us