rand corporation discusses national security threats over the holiday season. as always, we will take your calls and you can join the conversation on facebook and twitter as well. "washington journal" is next. ♪ host: good morning, a live view asthe u.s. capital republicans on the verge of passing their tax passage with a vote slated for the house on tuesday and then it will go to the senate. they promised to get it to the white house before christmas. journal,"washington we will go through the numbers, explain what it includes. if you were a member of congress, would you vote for the plan? if you say yes, (202) 748-8000.

if you say no, (202) 748-8001 send -- (202) 748-8001. send us a tweet. all eyes on the house and senate. we will have the coverage on the c-span network, but first we will tell you what is in the bill. the corporate tax rate will drop to 21% from a current rate of 39%. the top individual income tax 37%.drops from 39.6% to it increases the standard deduction for all who take it. businesses will get a 20% discount on the individual tax rate. the alternative minimum tax is .etained but it is narrow the corporate alternative minimum tax is taken out. state and local productions are capped at $10,000. student loan interest remains

deductible while graduate student loans do not. joining us is bernie becker who has been following this for "politico." walk us through the schedule this week. what can we expect? guest: we expect the house to take this up on tuesday. after that, it would move to the senate. president trump hopes to sign this by the middle of the week and by all accounts, it looks to be on a pretty good allied path. -- glide half. host: let me share what paul ryan said. >> if you look at the polling that was done in ronald reagan's signature 1986 tax reform a month before it passed, 18% of the people polled thought they would benefit. this is the nature of the debate on things this big like tax reform. you have pundits and spinsters

confusing theers public, so that is what is happening with tax reform, like any large piece of legislation. what comforts me as the results will produce fantastic results that improve the lives of hard-working taxpayers in this country. i am convinced it will repatriate capital, launch investment in businesses and workers. i am convinced it will give bigger paychecks, a simpler system. doubling the standard deduction means nine out of 10 people can fill out taxes on a form like a postcard. the results will be what sells this will, -- bill, not the confusion before it passes. host: bernie becker, i want to share this headline from the new york times. speaker ryan saying many americans could fill out their

taxes on a postcard. is that the case? guest: no. i think you could argue they went for a tax cut rather than tax reform. speaker ryan is right, the vast majority of people would see the tax cut early on but there's the question of how long they would have the tax-cut. in the end, this is more of a tax cut and in the end, his bet is this will work and people will see that reduction and it will become more popular overtime, but they also rushed this through. it is not surprising there would be confusion about a bill this massive going through in that amount of time, what its impact would be. host: let's explain how we reached this point, based on two headlines and stories you wrote, beginning with the election results in alabama. did that speed up the process or put more of an impetus among congressional republicans to get

it done before a democrat is seated? guest: they would say that doug jones was not going to be able to be seated until probably the new year anyway. they had this christmas deadline. you can argue it re-energize them, or they understood why they needed to get it done so quickly even more. i do not think it changed their thinking at all, but it did move them even more than i might have otherwise. lawmakersublican struggle to close the gaps in the tax plan." what happened from monday until friday? guest: this is something that kind of always happens with big pieces of legislation near the andy. -- end. certain severed -- senators have leverage. marco rubio one-a-day further extension -- wanted a further extension of the tax credit. he got that.

other senators and lawmakers got last-minute things they wanted as well. all republicans really wanted to vote for this. when you have that as a unifying principle to start with, these objections can fall into line ofe easily than in the past other big pieces of legislation for the gop. host: what is the headline this week as the house and senate moves on this tax bill, and what does it mean for 2018? guest: this is a massive moment for republicans and the conservative movement. this is something they have been searching for for decades. one of the questions we will see moving forward, as the tax cuts that start in 2018, how soon will voters see that? a lot of voters see this as more of a corporate-based tax cut than for them. we really do not know how voters will respond to this in 2018.

we know republicans needed to have something like this to run on. we do not know whether it will work. host: a number of house republicans from the so-called blue states will vote against this will. -- bill. nothing changed in terms of the high tax states? guest: you can now deduct property taxes or income taxes. before it was just property taxes. for folks in those blue states, high tax suburban areas, it was the $10,000 thing that for them, that probably is what one subset of the taxpayers that may see an increase in the next years. for them, it was not enough to get the yes. host: bernie becker is following this all on politico.com. thank you. guest: thank you for having me. host: if you were a member of congress, how would you vote? yes or no.

greg in wisconsin, you say no. why? caller: it just adds to the deficit and it doesn't really take care of the problem that is covering over. the problem is that the grinch don't pay enough taxes. they are hoarding their money and they have given breaks year after year. we need to have people in their test in there response -- in there responsible. paul ryan from my state and he does not know what the hell is going on. host: michael bloomberg, former mayor of new york city wrote a piece at bloomberg.com. he is heading up that media organization, calling it a trillion dollar blender. "ceos are not waking on a tax cut to jumpstart the economy or handout raises.

it is fantasy to think the tax bill will lead to certain -- significantly higher tax rates -- wages and growth. instead congress did what it --ays does, it puts con politics first. if true, their hard work has been suppressed. the flimsy one-page analysis treasury released, with excepts -- which accepts white house is reality defying economic --jections, is a politically renee says she would vote for the tax bill. gross and boxer, texas. -- texas. caller: my comment is the deficit always comes into consideration when they are talking about this. under eight years of obama and one year of bush, the deficit was more than doubled -- the

debt. .here never was a consideration as far a state and local taxes, those are issues that are relevant to that specific state. there should not be -- those are separate issues. if they want to tax at a higher rate, that is up to them. they can always roll those back. yet, and says this -- what did reagan have to do? he ended up having to raise taxes. kevin says -- no, it moves the income inequality needle in the wrong direction and increases the debt. from the weekly standard, this is the editorial. no, the middle class is not being fleeced. estimates have mostly been ignored in media coverage and the data are used and often cherry picked to create familiar impressions.

perception,public the bill will cut taxes for most americans at every level. if you say you000 would vote for the tax bill and (202) 748-8001 if you vote no. caller: of course, i am a no vote on this. this thing is a total sham. it is a total fraud. this is not going to do what they say it is going to do. i was working in the 1980's when we had the reagan tax cuts, and the biggest raises i got in the 1980's where the reagan tax cuts. they really put money in my pocket. too,about everybody else, because the reagan tax cuts were for real. how much of a tax thing can this be for the middle class when half the people in this country

do not even pay income tax to begin with? half the people are not even going to benefit. i just do not get it, i really do not. this is nothing more than a christmas gift for the republican party to the wealthy donor base. host: another no vote is tyrone from new york city. why? caller: it does nothing -- it makes the corporate rates real low. they did not even close the loopholes for the corporations. in essence, if they were paying 39% originally and they had loopholes, it was already down to 20%. now the loopholes takes it even lower. thehe people, we see minority of the people making the decisions for the majority of us is not in our best interest. , donaldcause of this

trump is helping us see that there are people out there that minas no good -- mean us no good. the majority of people, they are just for themselves. you think the billionaires think they will bring this money back? why do you think they took the money out of the country in the first place? host: cloud warrior with this tweet -- so much for grover norquist and his fake pledge. grover will be joining us in our next hour as we drill down into this tax bill. today."rial from "usa the tax cuts the gop will require it -- regret. the president had this to say. >> thank you all. it is critically important for congress to pass these historic tax cuts, and that will take place i think even before the media. i used the word "media."

did you notice? media"sed to "fake news is today is a very important day. i am excited to announce that if congress sends me a bill before christmas, the irs -- this is just out, breaking news -- has just confirmed that americans will see lower taxes and bigger paychecks beginning in february. just two short months from now. [applause] just got that. we just got that. host: the president from cross hall at the white house said -- crystal ball budgeting in the headline this week. they will take those tax bill predictions to the bank. susan from herndon, virginia, you would vote against the tax bill. caller: absolutely.

i want to say that to all the people in this country, you have a congress and a senate who is not working for you. they are doing this like a magic show you would go and watch in vegas, or like trump university where you get nothing. this is like them going out and picking up the trash in all your neighborhoods and bringing it into the congress. garbage in and it is going to be garbage out. for all the children who will inherit the debt that will be into the, into numbers no one can imagine, this is so immoral. i cannot even think how people like this ended up working for us. , call your, stand up people, call your congressman, women, everyone. no, absolutely not. and we have to get them out. with them patrick --

taxes for the rich and corporations reduced, can we outlaw lobbyists now? thiser tweet from carl -- is against the poor, young, and elderly. finally from another viewer -- i take it back, they are doing it for themselves. they are all millionaires and will personally benefit. "national review" with this editorial -- headline is serious reform. its detractors are pretraining it as a special interest nightmare. simply put, it isn't. the top 1% of earners account for about 40% of income tax revenue. the next 9% provide about 30% more. the republican tax plan is something more serious and responsible than tilting the tax code toward the wealthy.

joining us from florida, he would vote for the tax bill. caller: i am for the tax will. -- bill. it lifted my assets through my 401(k) -- rather my ira, and taxable assets. i am going to end up -- yes, i am a millionaire -- i am one of the millionaires who is going to start building a home in stuart, florida, a $750,000 home. so i am spending that money. yes, it has benefited me, but i'm going to put a lot of people to work building that home. it is the misnomers of, i can remember the luxury boat tax where we have to hammer millionaires. the democrats put that tax in place and it put a lot of people out of work. the ordinary people that build

ideas so these stupid that you are hearing are just ignorant. host: the tax bill that inequality created, the editorial this morning inside "the new york times." another yes vote is from jimmy, from virginia. caller: it is giving time for people to make money instead of giving it all to the democrats to dish it out. they want control of everything. host: when you phone in, be sure to turn the volume down. ron in clean, texas, you are a no vote. -- killeen, texas, you are a no vote. caller: most corporations pay zero tax for however many years since reagan. social security and the other things for military and

understandi do not how they take all of this away and give the money to the corporations. if you read the panama papers and the paradise papers, this money is all overseas and no jobs are coming back. i do not understand why they want to push this thing for the wealthy. the 1% is far above 60%, 70% of the country. most families make less than $30,000 a year. ,his tax thing will not benefit because the wages have not gone up. prices have gone up. the only thing that has fallen is gasoline and that is about to jump up. i do not understand why they want to push something that hurts the majority of this country. germany.s me of nazi , nethe seven words neutrality, it is all smoke and

mirrors to destroy the american fabric and society. host: that fcc hearing we covered rescinding the net 2006,lity rules from republicans by a three-to vote voted to rescind that, that is on c-span.org. a couple of tweets -- corporations will not expand with tax cuts, they will pass them down to their shareholders and i will be one of them. #tax scam is what we get for putting a flimflam man in the executive of our executive branch of our government. shield theverhaul gop during the upcoming midterm elections?" a yes vote from randy from saranac lake, new york. how much snow have you had? you have been getting hit pretty

hard. caller: no, it has been light. host: would you vote for or against the tax bill? caller: i would vote for it, but for some other things as well like what is going to get trump reelected in 2020. he will come out and say that we have to get rid of welfare, medicaid, and food stamps, gives people have to work or else they will not produce anything -- because people have to work or else they will not produce anything. that will get rid of the deficit. host: inside "the new york times" a complete breakdown. jim with this point -- most corporations pay zero tax. i am not sure that is true. cheri is joining us, albertville, alabama, a yes vote. caller: because it is going to

make america great again. trump has done already? i do not understand what is wrong with the left. host: skip is up next from virginia beach, virginia, a no vote. why? caller: steve, you are looking younger all the time, and it was good to see her dad at the world series, even though i am a dodgers fan. host: he is not my dad, but same last name. caller: sorry about that. in regards to the tax bill, as an average citizen i would want to vote no. as a member of congress i would probably vote yes. saying heng paul ryan was comforted by what the results will be, i am not sure the results are completely predictable there. it feels like so many are against it and so few are for it that it is just hard to

understand how they can play the big game in washington like they do. thank you for listening. host: the question -- the republican tax bill, would you vote for it? yes, (202) 748-8000, and if you say no, (202) 748-8001. the majority of the democrats voting against the bill and republicans voting for the legislation. from memphis, tennessee, a no vote. caller: i would vote no. because -- ino can't -- host: we can hear you. caller: i would vote no because the tax will as it is now -- bill as it is now is going to damage the middle-class and those trying to pay their taxes.

[indiscernible] irs for aor the iod.tio -- short per milk iputting the millionaires -- multimillionaires income tax. for two weeks, no one would deal with me. i said, if you get it down, i will do it. when i got it down, it was close to 10 inches thick, hard back a bolt and screw. was $900um income million. they taxed us for 900,000. maybe if they let everybody in the united states, not going to that person's tax returns, but let them look to see at the

taxes, how thick they are, maybe people in the united states will understand about taxes. host: thank you from the call. is thenorquist w president for americans for tax reform and andy greene will be joining us to give us their different points of view on the tax bill. senator chuck schumer, a democrat, leading opposition had this to say. >> it would be wrong for senate republicans to jam through this tax bill without giving the newly elected senator from alabama the opportunity to cast his vote. that is exactly what republicans argued when scott was elected in 2010, frame to health care. leader mcconnell said -- "what we ought to do, as we said

repeatedly throughout the month of december as you know, we were here every day, we ought to stop and start over and go step-by-step to concentrate on fixing the problem." he said of the election -- "i think the majority has gotten the message and no more gamesmanship, no more lack of transparency. what did leader reid do say? he said we are going to wait until the new senator arrives until we do anything more on the health care bill, which was then pending. what is good for the goose is good for the gander and what is good for the gander is good for the goose. mcconnell ought to do what he said should be done in 2010, and what we did in 2010, delay until doug jones gets here and cast a vote. york.chuck schumer of new of course, the senate is moving ahead with the tax bill.

and then on to the president for his signature. the president delaying his trip tomorrow lago to be here -- to a-lago and the vice president delaying a trip to israel to be here as a tiebreaker. thequestion is -- republican tax bill, would you vote for it? "hell, no. republican cowards could not care less about the middle-class, poor, elderly, students, children, unions, and women." -- if i'd spent the tax -- past decade crowing about the debt and deficit, no.

caller: it is quite easy. stimulus back to obama that when you had his former transportation secretary on your show in fall 2015, he announced they used 1% of the stimulus for our roads and bridges and shows how they wasted our money. steve, another thing. you had a guy just a second ago collis republicans nazis and you let them get away with it. -- who a man you called called -- you called out. the democrats stood behind the communists at charlottesville, carrying a big red flag with a hammer and sickle. as for taxes, i would like to thank c-span.

up,gentleman you brought and tried to explain and percentages how the government spends our money, and when a woman from asheville, north carolina called in and asked about the sexual assault tax fund that congress has got that we would have never known how they spend our money come up, there has been nothing brought up about that. host: we talked about it extensively, especially in light of what happened with congressman conyers. caller: let me ask you something. host: certainly. caller: do you think that the government ought to itemize out, down to the penny, how they spend our money? if i had to show the irs on a money,te how to make my

they would go down to the penny. the federal government should have enough courtesy to tell the american people how they spend our money. i want to know who these rich people are the democrats keep accusing, who these corporations are the democrats keep accusing of giving tax breaks to. their affiliation, are they republican or democrat? host: harry, i think you answered your own question. post" ishe washington -- the impact of the tax bill will have on this utah family. you can read details at washington post.com. another yes vote for the tax bill is michael from york, pennsylvania. caller: good morning. with everything that is been

said this morning that i've been listening to, i want to ask everybody that is listening, when is the last time that anybody ever got a job from a poor man and got paid for it? it seems like there is class warfare, always has been and always will be. is,the thing of it everybody is complaining about high taxes. well, you stop and think about basic economics. if we keep on aborting all the babies of our children that would be born and be productive members of society, yes, there would be some that would fall by the wayside like today. off the taxlled

space, who is going to pay for the taxes? " has "the washington post another point of view this morning, an opinion piece, why republicans should not be so optimistic that their tax bill will be a big win. done shows theut gop has been doing something, but pursuing legislation most of the country does not like is very risky. one third of americans think it is a good idea. the vast majority feel it is heavily skewed to the rich and big business. most americans are getting a cut under the plan. the u.s. has three fundamental economic problems -- sluggish growth, massive inequality, and high debt. the gop tax bill is said to they the tax problem and say it will improve the other andes, but many economists business leaders say republicans

are exaggerating the growth that will come, and they are not being realistic that the quality and the debt are likely to get uglier. a no vote on the tax bill is summer joining us from new york. caller: i am actually a solid no on this, because it is just a very sad tax bill. i am not even angry, because i am a business owner. i own an e-commerce retail website and this looks like it will somehow benefit me a little bit, but i guess i have to say because of my conscience, i cannot believe that people do not understand this tax bill at all. factor ofunderlining any business growth does not depend on the tax cuts to begin with. we raise capital for business based on income before taxes. nobody hires more employees or

plans a business model based on what kind of taxes it will be, unless you are some shady corporation. people like us to not raise capital to grow our businesses based on the tax cuts. this is just profit for me, which is great, but it is so bad for the american people. the way the republican party has been so sketchy about passing this so quickly so the least number of people are exposed to it and they do not know what is going on with it, is such a shady move on their part that there is no way any conscience above person can say yes to this tax bill. i would like to add that 90% of the wealth in this country is stuck with the top 1%. i could congratulate congress for this, somehow they have convinced the american people that all of their problems and misfortunes are to be blamed on the undocumented immigrants or

the mexicans or other people. no, it is these kind of tax bills, these kind of shady maneuvers that will destroy this country. there is a provision in this tax bill, and i do not think many people know this, and i have to say it was on c-span that i was watching the senate hearing. there is a provision in this tax bill that only benefits one university in this country. just one university, and you can say it is a mere coincidence that the university has some sc dubose.lated to this was related on the senate floor on c-span. this is cronyism at its best. so i think that is the complete note for my end. host: thank you for the call. a couple of tweets -- i cannot

recall when the public -- republicans passed a tax bill that benefited anyone but the richest. giving rich people money does not equate to jobs. the tophard rogers -- 1/10 of 1% owns close to 90% of the wealth. from james -- polls show americans have been lied to about the tax cuts only being for the rich. since that is a lie, the polls are a lie. from the business section of the washington post -- how trump's tax plan could push more jobs overseas. the legislation fails to eliminate incentives for companies to move abroad. john is joining us from north miami beach, florida, with a no vote. caller: thank you for taking my call. i am opposed to what is hanging out there now, as we never know

what is going to happen. it may change my mind, but i doubt it. i have a surefire way of the democrats stopping this in its tracks, and that is simply this. they are using the wrong verbiage, the wrong nomenclature. instead of calling this "class warfare," it is much more than this. this is financial class genocide. this is what they are doing. they want to destroy a whole class of lower middle class. they want that to be the finishing touch on them. what will happen after this is all those that are on social security and medicare will now have to take cuts, because this is all part of the building block of how they are going to knock the middle-class out for the last time.

they tried to do it in 2008 with the bank fake thing. they all knew what they were doing. it did not work. hopefully it will not work this time. i cannot for the life of me see why the carried interest, which is money that flows through and i don't even know the technical matters of it, but the brokers, the bankers, they all of this stuff because it is the blind trust, it is the hedge funds, it is all of this junk out there that they pay an interest of regular capital gains. president trump, i voted for president trump. i am a republican. he stated in almost every one of his stump speeches, i'm going to

do something about carried interest, this thing out there, the sacred cow they have. the democrats are not even bringing it up because they have been paid off. not paid off, they were paid in contributions, trips. it is disgusting one is happening out there, and this is a game changer for me. i shall not vote for trump again. i never thought i would say this, but this thing is a travesty. he is just ignoring it and babbling on about how it is the greatest gift for christmas. thank you very much for taking my call. host: on our facebook page, a lot of points of view, including this -- no, absolutely not. republican state they are cutting taxes for the rich because their campaign donors demand it. cut taxes or else politicians will lose money.

putleen -- it is going to the country in a depression and without a social safety net, my fellow citizens will die. jim has this tweet, a follow-up -- cutting taxes on the wealthy is nowhere close to giving tax money to rich folks. send us your comments at c-span wj and join us on facebook at facebook.com/c-span. a good place to go as cnbc.com, where they break down the specifics, including the following. it would remain seven individual tax and come brexit -- breck -- income brackets at several different rates. bill would scrap the personal exemption but would increase the standard deduction and slightly double its current levels to $12,000 for an

individual, $24,000 for family. it would drop the corporate tax rate to 21% and said a 20% business income deduction for the first $315,000 in income earned by businesses, and would scrap the affordable care act provision that requires americans to buy health insurance or take a penalty. doug is joining us from washington, a yes vote. caller: i already figured it out . it is pretty simple. us poor people do not have many deductions anyway. we are definitely going to make a few hundred dollars, is what i can see. most people do not have any -- maybe a mortgage, and i think it is going to stay the same, if anything. just for the no voters in democrats against it, and republicans against it, if they do not like it, just cut a check

back to the irs and they do not have to take it. i have heard a lot of people say corporations do not pay taxes anyway. it does not really matter. this are supposed to lose or something,ars then it will go back to the same anyway, so it is no big deal. the way the economy is going right now, everything looks pretty good to me. i am not against it, and it will definitely not hurt me. i think that is most of us poor people, it will not hurt us at all. that is just my opinion. are going tothey raise interest rates again so that should help. terry in west palm beach, florida, a no vote. caller: good morning. . am voting no

i think george washington is rolling over in his grave right about now. if they in laminate desk eliminate the inheritance tax -- inheritance tax, i want titles for everyone who gets the benefit of that so that we can have -- we already have barron trump, but we can have mark id. are working -- marquis de mercer or king koch. the way to make -- fix the tax code is five words -- lighter fluid and a match. nobody can tell what is going on here. a deduction is a taxi did not pay, a subsidy -- tax you did not pay, a subsidy. if you need a subsidy, put your handout like everybody else and you will get the subsidy. , at: in the washington post

photo of the chair of the senate finance committee, orrin hatch. you can check out the peace online -- how the oldest senate ever is taking a toll on the business of washington. there is a senate -- picture of senator john mccain, battling cancer, now in a wheelchair to get around. he was at walter reed medical center to get treatment. there are eight senators over the age of 80. senator thad cochran has also been dealing with health issues, both were not here last year -- week. looking how the senate republican leader, mitch mcconnell, has to deal with that as he scheduled's votes in the senate. randy is joining us in the louisiana, a yes for the tax bill. caller: i have to agree with trump, but the only thing is -- i could be wrong about this -- the middle-class is only getting

like 2% tax cut, and the corporations are getting like 20%. you know, i think they could do a little better on the middle-class because we are the ones paying the taxes. although trump is bringing jobs , and these democrats and republicans trying to fight all this like schumer and pelosi and conyers and all that other bunch , i would not trust democrats or republicans as far as i could throw them. i voted for trump, but as far as i am concerned, i have been lied clinton's, ands, bushes, all the way back to when they assassinated kennedy. trump is truthful if anything,

and i would vote for him again. host: your final point? much. thank you very a couple of tweets -- we were told the bush tax cuts which also benefited the wealthy would expire after a decade, but they were made permanent. -- keepinginia texan the money you have earned is a subsidy. another story available at ny post.com dealing with the special prosecutor robert mueller, tens of thousands of private, unredacted emails from president trump's transition team are in this hands of mueller and trump's team is calling foul. mueller obtaining the complete 12ton and -- contents of email accounts, including from jared kushner to the gsa, the

federal agency's bonded for supporting the government offices, supplies, and system. the email system was managed by gsa. joy is joining us, a no vote on the tax will, -- bill, from woodbridge, virginia. caller: i am definitely a no. we experienced this before and we know that trickle-down does not work. why do we do it again? i would get back maybe $100 a month and let's say someone making $6 million get $600,000 back. you are telling me you cannot live off of 6 million when i have to live off of $75 in northern virginia? i would rather it stay with the government -- honestly, i would rather stay with the government, fix the roads and bridges.

even the person who makes 6 million dollars drives on the roads, uses the police and firefighters in california and new york. it is ridiculous. we know that paul ryan is after his agenda and they are using the incompetence of the trump supporter. they are using the anger of the trump supporter and trump himself to get this agenda across. what they want to call in title meant are not in -- entitlements, are not entitlements. that is because we paid into them. i am entitled because i paid into this. people need to stop allowing republicans to tell you that the things that are here to support the worker, and i heard one more caller -- i have one more thing to say -- i live in florida and i'm going to build a big house. let me tell you, sir, that you might have people who bring jobs in but you have to have workers.

that is not everyone's goal to own a company. you have to have people work for you. that is how you get rich. if the walmart people did not have anybody to work for them, they would have a mom and pop shop on the corner in newport news. host: thank you very much for the call. we will go to randy, a yes vote from millington, michigan. where is that? caller: write about in the --th --f the film thumb. i want to start by thanking you. host: that is very nice of you. a lot of people work very hard behind the scenes. we will send your best wishes to everyone. caller: that is quite a crew. that is a lot of hard work. i vote yes on the tax bill

because i do not use the internet, do not really care to make a phone call. i live on a gravel road, so all the roads can go back to gravel as far as i'm concerned. i do not use airports often. i have a well and septic. police protection, they are 30 miles an hour away -- already miles away. the fire department is 20 miles away. for a civilized society, you have to pay for it. i wish they would start showing the reels of what new york city looked like before it had paid roads. let's see if walmart can get down those roads. all it takes is a good rain storm and we will not have to worry about commerce. i do not need a whole lot of bloated military. i have a 12 gauge shotgun. . had to call in to vote yes

i guess i want to go back to living in a cave. let me go out and kill a buffalo and put it around me as my clothing. i had to laugh. it has gotten to the point where it is not funny, but it is. i will get off the phone because i am wasting good airtime. host: thank you, randy. caller: thank you, steve. merry christmas. tom tolls inside the washington coast with an editorial cartoon. claus, picture of santa in it, the war on christmas is over and inside is a tax goodies for trump business and family. getting attention on the fox news channel, rumors that donald could fire robert mueller before christmas.

jackie sears said on friday " rumors suggest the president could fire the special counsel before christmas after congress leaves for the winter recess." the hill was that the president would make a significant speech at the end of next week and december 22 when we are out of d.c., he was going to fire robert mueller." the president was trying to shutdown the committee's investigation into the russian investigation. more details at the hill.com. we also covered the senate that hammered out the tax bill. no democratic supporters. among the opponents, lloyd doggett. >> there is a senate -- a sense of fear that permeates this committee. the fear of what it will do to american families in our economy in driving up trillions of

dollars in debt, but the real fear is over there, that if you do not rush this through with no questions asked, no amendments, no nothing, if the american people find out what is in this bill they will reject it and it will never be able to become law. the only reason they moved forward in this manner with no time, no opportunity to consider it, is not only because they are desperate to grasp out for a political life preserver after having accomplished nothing in this entire year of no significance, it determined to foist off this monstrosity, this outrageous bill on the american people. host: congressman lloyd doggett, democrat last week. another viewer saying -- the tax bill is nothing but trickle down economics. remember how that went the first time. bernie becker has a story about the win last week by democrats,

doug jones winning in the alabama senate race, and he posted the story saying -- giving republicans asked her a urgency to get the president by next week. -- extra urgency to get the bill to the president by next week. president's signature could come wednesday or thursday, depending on how this all unfolds. jennifer from cincinnati, a no vote for the bill. caller: good morning. how is everybody out there in tv land? everybody has said everything that i wanted to say. that if they want more money, they should close some of those military bases. we have 512 military bases in other countries, so i think we

should close some of the bases and then we will have enough money for all of us and we will not be in congress acting like a bunch of babies. that is all i have to say. -- save us says this a lot of money if president trump would fire robert mueller. i wish he would. the washington post -- america's tragic, crazy, tumultuous, horrible, disappointing year. pam is joining us from california, a yes vote on the bill. good morning. caller: good morning. i really get frustrated as every morning i turn on c-span and callers call in to say that these are tax cuts for the rich. the bottom 50% of the wage earners pay less than 3% of the total income tax collected.

the top 3% of wage earners -- someone who makes $135,000 the year which will put you in the top 10%, they pay 70% of the income tax collected by the federal government. these figures are coming from the irs and are cited in cap injures tax letter from december er's tax letter from 2016. these figures to people, they either deny them or ignore them. when you say that these are tax cuts for the rich, you are really saying they are tax cuts for the people that actually pay taxes, because the bottom 50% of the wage earners pay less than 3% of the income tax collected

by the federal government. this is from charles -- i would vote no, however our republican representative would rather commit political suicide and represent wealthy benefactors than represent the american people. from anthony -- yes, but most americans should see some benefit. not one socialist and congress will vote to cut our taxes. neither party is interested in the national debt. a no vote from justin in quakertown, texas. everybody expects money to make money. that is the craziest thing, because i do not have -- no how money -- i do not know how money is supposed to make money without involvement from human capital. that is supposed be worth more than just money, but the way

they are trying to turn everything, they are trying to make sure that money can make more money. that is why they are trying to push towards automation, getting rid of jobs, and that stuff. people do not realize exactly what is going on. these people want to vote yes for this bill just because things are going their way and they want to ride the waves, but do not realize how bad it will crash in on them. yesof host: -- one of those votes is from tim, portland, oregon. with people fed up who call social security and .edicaid entitlements those were paid in and if we want to balance the budget, we should stop giving money to the countries that hate us. the muslim brotherhood, and plenty of other places around the world that are benefiting off of our paychecks that would

rather see us all dead men be a part of the global community. from mount vernon, illinois, you are a no vote. why? ,aller: i am on social security and they just gave a cost-of-living raise, supposedly cost-of-living raise to social security. but it is not. what they did was say, they gave the raise and they raised medicare and it took care of the raise so we did not get one. because what's going to happen with this tax. host: from maryland, a yes vote. why? guest: -- caller: two things i want to point out is that they talk about income inequality that a lot of that was generated where

we choose monitored stimulus to get ourselves out of the fiscal crisis. basically needs to be replaced by cisco stimulus. what the tax thing does, the biggest piece of it, it is a corporate tax cut. so what people don't understand in this corporation -- they say to tax the rich but corporations don't get taxed but the people get taxed. and servicesgement and customers. up, you can't go cut too deep into your talent or dividends and you can't track capital so you have to raise as

a result. compete,can't companies go overseas. so really what this does is the exact opposite. it makes the revenue more readily available at lower prices. rises are lower and as sales you have to -- host: by the way -- thank you for adding your voice. program -- what are the threats with the u.s. homeland? up next, two different perspectives of the tax bill. and andy green. is that newsmakers follows "washington journal."

our guest is a member of the tax bill committee, representative sander levin. >> do you expect when the report democrats will be united? >> absolutely. atrocious. ,hen you combine two negatives you don't get a positive. you just get a bigger negative. and i think that will be true. the process has been bad. and the policy has been worse. the president promised a massive .ax cut for the everyday family

he says he wants to give a giant tax-cut to christmas. to the bills that passed, millions of families will pay, 15 million, higher taxes, primarily middle-class. 30 million will be paying more in taxes. essentially, the arch telling the truth as to who will benefit and they are grossly misstating what the realities owner as to the national debt and the hope for growth. anything else they want a tax bill because they haven't accomplished anything else. it is desperation. and that is why republicans are pulling together, even those who have doubts.

because if they fail on this then they're going to lose the election next year. so essentially what is driving this is politics. be policy will turn out to bad politics. i am convinced of that. newsmakers airs at 10:00 a.m. eastern. our guest this time will be representative sander levin. our sunday roundtable -- looking at the gop tax plan. who works atgreen the center for american progress have grover norquist. will this simplify the tax code? and a it will simplify it

lot of the competitions that were there does go away but also, how we deal with international competition. much of that will get fixed. it is tax reform like 1986. and it is rate reduction, pro growth. said you could do your taxes on a postcard. will that be the case? now, two thirds of americans use the standard and that will go up to .0% of americans there will that a larger standard deduction now. so it will be a lot easier for most people but for others it will be complicated.

host: explain what will happen to the alternative minimum tax for individuals? guest: we had hoped to abolish it completely. but high income people will have to deal with it. i think we should get rid of tax theyications like that and came down towards 20 million. grow back again. so right now it isn't completely it is gone for 99% of people. not in the bill that you wish was included? guest: a couple of people. everything that happens here. goyou are french and you

back to france, and you take your money with you, we don't bother you. this makes it more -- less competitive for american companies. for takingig reason the corporate rate down. even obama talks about doing that. but we didn't do that for individuals. and so right now, individuals to taxes in france -- it is my hope that we will get rid of that part of it. tax.o to a territorial this is something that makes us competitive.

green, where you opposed to this bill? guest: this is not a tax reform. it is an trend of wealth to the largest companies. programes a critical and investments that the government works to make our country work. cuts.oses them to and there is an increasing amount of monopoly that we have already seen because it takes companies that are doing the largest amount of business around the world, there are massive tax cuts. american onto partners are doing their best. host: one of the arguments put forward is that if we don't lower the tax rate, we lose more

american businesses? the reality is that the bill, as it is designed, incentivizes companies to ship overseas. this opens that up by saying, you know. if you invest abroad, you pay near zero tax and minor global minimum taxes. this is what michael bloomberg said in a piece. calling it a trillion dollar blender. saying "ceos are not waiting on a tax-cut to jumpstart the economy. this is fantasy to think that this will significantly increase higher wages and growth. congress did what it always does and put politicians first. they claimed to have more than

100 professional staffers working around the clock and if true, their hard work must have been suppressed. it's fantasy to think it will grow. the one-page analysis treasury released except the white house's ability. " guest: there are several things that help with job creation. we have small business expensing so in the united states today, when you invest in a new plant or equipment, it depreciates and you don't get your money back through that time. million on new trucks for your company, your -- if makes that

the investment less expensive than if you had to wait over 10 or 20 years to appreciate it over time. it makes investing with job creation less expensive to do the same thing. ,nd when you earn $100 today the government takes $35 of that on the margin. that is a decision that you make. is about a 22% increase in the after tax cash flow. so this isn't just for americans. this is for people overseas who want to invest and get jobs here. you get higher rates of return. and that is a helpful thing or the stock market and the 401k and the irs. one of the reasons democrats criticized the bill is that everybody in a 401(k) and an ira

can look at them every quarter .nd see their stocks increasing and increasing more dramatically. people's withholding will go down starting in february which is when the irs will get it done. the tax cut will take effect january 1. so is it less expensive to invest and more productive? more profitable, you will see more investment in the united states. and i was in europe and swiss bankers were saying that capital leaders were moving to the united states whereas in the past, they spend a lot of money going overseas. the marginal tax rates are in the 20's. the 35 highest in the world. this from this morning tax bills affect

have been mostly ignored in media coverage but data are used they are cherry picked to create that familiar expression. the bill will cut taxes for the majority of americans at every income level. overtime, it is a ration. when the tax cuts go away for the middle class, and over time, the middle class will pay more taxes than they are today. so critics of the bill -- this is joint tax. higher income groups get less of the tax cut that the lower income groups. and that is joint tax. that is the government's own numbers. overare hostile to this time. they're not doing us any favors. but what is important is that critics say, in 10 years.

waythat is because of the the bill had to be drafted in order to pass it. because there are no democratic votes for tax reform. there was a sign letter saying that if we don't support cutting taxes than they won't sign the bill. if you don't want to play, you don't want to play what they will pass the bill with 51 votes rather than 60. and that means you can only do things out 10 years. that's what happened with the first tax cut. obama extended for two years and then they extended it permanently. of course that is what is going to happen. they talk about one of the tricky amendments to after the middle income people permanent reformthere isn't a tax to the middle class then why do they make that permanent?

because they know it is substantial for middle-income americans and it will be permanent. if you believe for a moment that even democrats would be able to do that? we will be able to do that. guest: it is incontrovertible that the vast number of benefits at that chart go to the top income and large corporations. and over time, we will reduce those benefits for middle-class families must leave them in place for corporations. we won't have to wonder whose priorities are being played out across the street here in washington, d.c. and that is largest corporations. it comes down to your vision of what creates jobs. if you believe that corporate

profits are not high enough and they need more profitability to invest and create jobs then this tax bill is right for you. and if you believe that more competition, cracking down on monopolies and making sure that there is a stronger safety net with investments in education and infrastructure and research and development, the things that create a middle-class economy, then this tax bill is not for you. the history is that tax cuts do not create jobs. in the 1991 we had rather -- we they raisedrowth, taxes on the very wealthy. in 2000 when george w. bush lowered taxes to the wealthy, we saw poor economic results. and that ultimately helpfully to the financial crisis. so then barack obama went back

and raise taxes on the wealthy and the economy continued to grow during that time. and one of the challenges was that we are going down the wrong path. here, and headline the editorial against with these words. host: go ahead. guest: it is in controversial d.c.the very powerful in want their tax cuts. those are wealthy individuals with large donors and billionaires who are members of the cabinets and elsewhere, they want to see the estate tax lowered. it is a tiny fraction of the american people but it is

important we have things like that to prevent an aristocracy in this country like they did have in europe when our country was founded. so those who get the biggest benefits are arguing hardest for that. companies havet gotten bigger. and the benefits are greater than ever. are andy greene and grover norquist. our phone lines are open. (202) 748-8001, republicans. , democrats.00 send us a tweet and join in on the conversation at facebook. derek joins us from minnesota. good morning. caller: i have a couple of

points. one is that we haven't heard anything about the national debt when obama was in office for eight years. i have called on this program and they say it is overblown but you are saying $1.5 trillion over 10 years? 10 years. $1.5 trillion. the national debt will go up $10 trillion over that time. so i don't want to hear that this will expose debt. host: andy greene? guest: in the obama time, we heard tremendous amounts about how we can't raise the deficit a penny because the debt is going to kill us. and it stopped investments that would have helped america recover for more quickly but they were stymied for six years under the republicans in congress and now, senator corker

says oh, well, when trillion dollars, that doesn't matter. i just find it the height of accuracy. guest: we did increase the debt dramatically during the obama recovery we had a during which participation fell. during everybody else's recovery, more people enter the job market and more people started to work. so when people talk about the unemployment number dropping, have a good chunk of that was people looking for work and they were discouraged workers. but as to the question of the debt, our goal should be to reduce the total government spending. soreduce the personal income

we don't have the government take the money and run lives for them. it's your money and your work keeping thisok at thing in mind. if the government grows at 3% here. versus 2% what we had during obama. be at 3% and not at 2% or below. atif you grow at 3% and then 2% over the next decade, you will have more people working. that is the congressional budget offices own number. so the most avoidant thing we can do to get the deficit down is to reduce debt. to have strong economic growth. under reagan we had 4% growth

which was helpful and important. and it brings in more revenue and it allows you to not have a deficit and then we have republicans taking the house and senate when bill clinton spent what he wanted to spend. and we had strong economic growth. legit surpluses. and so the idea that there is any sort of debt or deficit the added suggests that you think grow by .4%will over a decade. use static modeling, you would have a deficit. and on top of that he will see everything else the same with deficit reduced because we have more than .4%. green, your response

to this comment? saying that only three people are happy. and1%, the trump supporters the democratic congressional candidates. guest: they will regret this in two ways. the american people are very unhappy about this tax cut bill. it increases taxes on the middle class. and they will show that. in elections coming up. and they will also regret this because there will finally be proven wrong on a lot of the claims they make about how cutting taxes to the very wealthy and large corporations will drive growth. if you go back to the evidence and compare what happens in the states, look at what happened there. california,versus bill clinton increased taxes on the wealthiest and the growth numbers in the economy are stark

and incredible. in 2015, california grew by 2.9%. so we can go further back in the numbers. host: share your comments on our facebook page. guest: can i address that question? you have the three people who benefit? 2015illion americans in were hit with the obamacare tax passed with penalties because they didn't want to guy -- they didn't want to buy government priced insurance. they said fine, we will claim $100 for a family of four. this was no government service, just a penalty. but that's your problem. notmillion americans will

eat screwed by the government. more than 1% of the population. and those are people who cannot afford to be manhandled by the government like that. has been a lot of talk about corporations for the first time. since 1931. we decided that half the country proprietorshipe or proprietorship, a d corporation. half of the country. or more than half of the country works for a corporation and for the first time they get a reduction in the rate that they pay. anda raise their rate impose taxes on the corporations. he raised those taxes. finally, the 28 million

--ricans -- that is not 1% 28 million people, some of them married and some of them with kids, they will all see lower taxes because this tax reform package decides that not just corporations gets tax cuts but those passed through partnerships and companies also do. and you have lower rates. this is a very important collection. the first $29,000 of what you sorry, the first $24,000 of what you earn is at a 0% tax rate. bloomberg doesn't care about people who make $20,000 or $30,000 but those people pay a lot of their taxes. this is what they said about the reagan tax cuts and every time we want to reduce taxes, this is what they say and they have been wrong.

host: here at the table is .rover norquist and andy green lois, you have been patient. thank you for waiting. er: i want to say that i am 76 years old and i have watched this seesaw for quite a long time. republicans come in and give tax breaks to the wealthy and the american people say oh my goodness, and then they put a democrat in. but then there is no money. there is no money. so democrats have to raise taxes. it is a seesaw that goes on all the time. grover norquist has been hanging around trump too long because he is lying through his teeth.

guest: if there is something i said that you don't understand, we can go through that but name-calling is not grown up. your view on this, dave? caller: i hate it. i watched trump speak the other day about how jobs will start pouring in the country they're coming in by the thousands and those are his words. is company from germany that contracting a company in china to build a piece of equipment that is, located so we had to ane guys to come over as engineer. smarter than smart. and he worked with us for 12 days. i got the bill for his labor the other day. degreed engineer

who knows what he is doing and the bill was $1200. $50 a day. so this is not going to do anything to solve that. companies are not going to come over here. i hate to call these lies but every time trump speaks with us he is exaggerating. and the thing of it is that we are not even addressing that. and they say companies will pour over here? grover norquist. tea party guy, right? isn't it the pinnacle of hypocrisy what we talk about putting the debt on our grandchildren? do you remember the mantra we all marched to? guest: your mixing several things together. madew wages or what economies do well then we would be doing very well.

what is important is productivity. the more productive workers are then the higher incomes and higher wages we are in, and that is this tax plan. business investments trying to get people more equipment to computers ander better machinery at lower costs, in order to make them more productive so they can make more money. and they can compete with companies in other countries with lower wages. the problem is that we have billions of dollars going from billionaires out of the country. and we have a problem with the governments that at the state and local level tax businesses too much. people are leaving high tax states and states with no income taxes, people are moving to their. people are saying that they prefer, starkly and dramatically.

they thought about doing something different but they didn't. they kept spending too much. so we have a real challenge in how we become more effective. down soto keep taxes that we get more productivity and growth. host: this is from rebecca, a tweet. "with mounting debt, we will begin to look like greece. the rich will take their money and run." about to go back and talk that tax cutst will spur business investment doesn't hold up in the environment of week competition

and the wide availability of borrowing? guest: thank you for bringing that up. this is the big argument between demand-side. the challenges we need to make sure is that we have to make sure they have more money and when they have more money, it will trickle down to everyone else. -- i didn't interrupt you. the law of economics says that when there is more money in people's pockets and there's competition out there between large corporations, people draw down prices and it will increase. so will be a scene for years is record corporate profits. we have seen them hidden offshore. and the economy america has been improving but not enough because

we have not been investing in the middle-class economic security. so i want to go back to something that grover norquist did say. the tax onbout health care. and getting rid of that in the bill. and what that actually is that this very tiny individual mandate will result not in having people's health care insurance cost go down but actually having health care insurance premiums go up. will have people higher and more expensive health care. and again, i'd like to go to a number of other things where these companies are not taxed at a corporate level. they are directly taxed at an individual level. so providing tax cuts at the individual level simply

more of the taking of corporate profits and put it in your pocket rather than investing in and being a participant in a civil society to a governmental investment make an educated and healthy and cooperative economy. host: i want back to my previous question. whether or not the tax bill makes this more simple. they say it does not pass the postcard test. it leads nearly every large tax break in place. it creates new preferences for -- keeping corporate accountants busy. guest: it's true. the pass-through loophole is the most egregious example of the tax bill.

the examples, we have seen them in newspapers. companies and farm equipment companies, debating over getting rid of the structure, whether or benefit or not. and a want to talk about low wages of productivity. we talk about a dollar here or a dollar there but at the end of the day it is about broader incentives. having an economy where ,orporations are accountable there has been massive amounts of consumer fraud recently where mandatory arbitration clauses cannot bring anyone to court. to hold them accountable. and if you want to live in a place with an economy where people don't have rights and where corporations can run , that is an economy like china.

suspect groveri norquist doesn't like to listen to. host: and other question through a tweet saying, if money trickles down, where does it go? good morning. call code good morning. here in north carolina, lowe's home improvement just sent close to 300 high-tech i.t. jobs to india. indiana, the deals that the president and the vice president made with carrier is falling apart. leaving bys are january 11 so happy new year's to them. and nobodyion is, seems to be old answer this, is trump going to be the example

and bring back his factories from china? and how about his daughter? is his daughter bringing back the factories from china? nobody can seem to answer that question and it would be great to lead by example. he says all these companies are going to bring the jobs "pouring back." but i just read yesterday that 12,000 people were laid off at ge. it is a con job. he is a con artist. paul ryan has admitted he is going after medicare and medicaid. you can find it on c-span. host: we will get a response. entitlements in 2018, where is that? guest: every year, you get to do

a budget reconciliation package that you could pass with 51 votes. parties were in a different place in 1986. many democrats helped to write and vote for the tax reform package. the top marginal tax rate was 28%. today, when you take the top to 37%, nine% down .oints higher than it was they have moved so far to the left that they can't be part of what they voted for in 1986 with the lower rate for individuals. so you have to work through a budget reconciliation package. and that will be in april. they will be dealing with the means test and entitlement.

if a democrat tells you that republicans are going to change social security, they are lying to you. it requires 60 votes. and the democrats are not cooperating so they cannot be part of it. social security is off the table. any democrat or person in the press who tells you that is lying to you. i talked to paul ryan ryan about what they're looking to do. they're looking to block welfare programs, going out to the state. as clinton did. states were able to increase the money to help poor people and people got jobs and did better with those jobs. state.are reform to the

it was successful under bill clinton. tax reform, he was brave and he said he was going to do it. and there isn't a clinton wing of the democrat party anymore so they will not be supportive of the welfare reform that at one time, they could support. republicans will do welfare thatm and we will look at to make sure that able-bodied men are told that you have to go to work. if you want help. so those are needs-based programs. california,in california can go crazy. the money will be up to them. michigan for the

democrat line. good morning. caller: good morning. bill is sos important that it should be voted on by the people and not congress or the president. just put it out the way it is so we can all read it or look at it on the internet and vote for exactly what we want instead of what they want. code i do think people will be able to make a decision and it is the election in 2018. and if you go back and looked back at what happened in 2004, the last time republicans did something similar with george w. -- what you saw is a wave in 2006 because the results were not there. there was a series of tax cuts

to lower the rate from the wealthy, just like we do in this bill, it cut corporate rates for companies putting profits overseas and the problem in 2004 was that there would be more investment here in america. we're going to create jobs but in 2004, the top beneficiaries the offshore tax holidays did is that they cut jobs in the u.s. and they handed out record increases in our backs and shares and evidence to executives and the very wealthiest shareholders, those doing well. so i think the evidence is that people don't like that. they don't think that is a priority that they need. and they would much rather have investment education with them for structure and everything

they can do to compete with china that are making those investments. of losingre at risk jobs. andy green and grover norquist. this is something you told the -- the when you drop after-tax cash flow of every american corporations that will do positive things for people's 401(k)s and iras and most american families are in the stock market. are they? guest: yes. most have defined pensions. all government workers in utah have defined pensions. the military is moving in that direction as well.

we don't want to end up like detroit where the government promises you things but the money isn't set aside for them. americans --ore they have 401(k)s and health savings accounts and flexible savings account and are in the stock market. and one of the reasons the democrats are having hysteria over this bill is because they know that at every month you will be old to look at the value of your 401(k) and ira and you will continue to see it go up as it has. the economy recognizes what helps the economy. a lot of the regulations that obama and his agencies put it, that were destructive to the -- a tremendous jump in

the stock market and it has continued to grow. taxwith the enactment of reform, watch next year and keep track of how door life savings increase. is pay lower taxes which helpful and good. but your life savings will increase. and the biggest winners will -- will be people who get jobs. we want to create more jobs in the united states. i don't want to take a job in china and move it here. we need more jobs and higher wages in the united eights which means we need lower taxes on all businesses. i love that democrats has started to attack -- 28 million americans being told that the tax cut you are getting is a bad idea.

the wall street journal focused on the debt. -- donald trump and congressional leaders take what he calls a politically convenient but risky task in the drive to overhaul taxes. here's a summary of what is in the republican tax bill moving through the house and senate. it includes the corporate tax rate dropping. the top individual tax rate from 39 point 6%. it increases the standard that auction for all who take deductions. as this is get a 20% discount of individual tax rates. the alternative minimum tax rate is lower. taxes arelowered --

cap at $10,000. let's go to ray. caller: i am as happy as a clam about the tax bill. survivor.bamacare i worked in the hospitality industry for 20 years. in, --n obamacare came over c-span. our owner was forced to cut everybody's hours to 28 instead of 40. that, i hadtop of some crappy insurance policy.

how is this good for me? guest: i think we need to do a lot more to make health care affordable and hold companies and executives accountable to do right by the workers. it sounds like you had somebody who was not doing right by the workers there. think we need to do a lot more to bring down rates of insurance. rather than increase them. now,bill being proposed cutting taxes for the wealthy, it will increase health insurance premiums or those who need it most to be affordable. so there is a lot more we need to do. host: you mentioned that democrats are not supporting the and republicans did not support the affordable care act. what will it take for the two parties to come together and compromise on the issues? legislatively?

guest: the two parties are moving in a different direction. the republican party wants to have lower taxes and less control on your life and the democrat party wants to impose on you and tell you what kind of health insurance you want. with obamacare, you were told that it was going to save you thousands of dollars on health care but it actually went up by that much. so they don't how to keep prices down. there were going to try to stop lawyers in hospitals. -- talk to your doctor and ask a much they have lawyers. to pay wheny have your doctor has to pay higher fees and your fees will get higher as well. the democrats are wedded so much

to the needs and not to patients. keep the prices down? it is a major challenge. guest: we're talking about the tax cuts. hillary clinton was clear what she wanted. no one got a tax rate reduction. no one. not low income people and no one. sheena came out in favor of a soda pop tax. tax on the people. and a wage tax. and she said she would sign the. so she was willing to raise taxes on poor people and middle income people. everybody. and $1 trillion that she admitted to with tax increases that she didn't spell

out how much they were. green.ndy guest: the affordable care act help 20 million people get insurance. the american medical association has a post and all associations have vigorously opposed every effort coming out of washington in the past 12 months to try to repeal it. clinton's taxk at plan, you will find that they were exclusively about raising taxes on the very wealthiest. taxes and the social security thing, that is closing the loophole that allows the wealthiest folks to not pay payroll taxes that everybody else pays. so i think this is really a question about, what is your vision for the role of

government in society. beit a government that will invested in you? a government that will be there to make sure you have education for your kids and access to college and the ability to have higher affordable care act? a healthy environment? all of those things require government investment. and they require government setting the rules. as opposed to running roughshod over ordinary families like it has done repeatedly through history. roast repeatedly during the financial crisis, which was one of the worst recessions in recent memory. and after years of obama and janet yellen, we finally dug out. tot: we have a live shot show all of the notes that you have. and you can see all of the paperwork on the desks.

they are offering their perspectives on the republican tax bill, moving through the house and senate this week. jeanette, you have been patient. thank you for waiting. caller: good morning, gentlemen. my comment is actually for grover norquist. i'm going to use your term. the american people are the ones getting screwed. because we all know that corporate america, when they get their tax cuts, they will not be putting it into give people more jobs. without a doubt. we know that isn't true. it's not. i worked for the department of education and we have to wait years.

and what ends up happening in medical went up. what i pay for medical went up. raise,finally got my guess what? i still pay higher for my medical. so they put the money in their pockets. grover norquist? guest: a couple of things. it is interesting to see that obama promised to cut business taxes. that showed people not bring money back to the united states. he wanted to bring that down. he kept promising people he would be kept saying how important it was to do. that he haddo was taxes on people who earned less than $200,000 a year.

it was said earlier that hillary clinton wasn't going to raise a on wages for everybody but she specifically said she would. she wanted to tax everybody. the democrats have made it clear that when they promise they won't tax people, they will. obama made that promise and -- they promise they won't tax people but they do. what we will see is that of the company wants to make more money, they have to invest in. that means hiring people.

see will we have investment and capital points in the united states is more jobs. and you certainly see that tween the states. it is especially important with the movement of people and capital of other companies into united states. see -- you can't invest without jobs. someone has to do something with the money that you are putting together to build a factory. republican on the line. good morning. caller: a question for both of you. i came in a little bit late and i'm not sure how you to get paid? are you self-employed? have you always been self-employed? do you work for somebody? green.ndy work for a nonprofit and our funding comes from a

wide range. guest: i work for a not-for-profit. donehing republicans have is put a cap on how much money people have been able to walk away from. there have been some real abuses. host: good morning. caller: thank you for taking my call. i have a comment and a question. my comment is, this is a's irritated conversation that we are witnessing this morning but it draws distinctive lines -- how grover norquist he says his facts -- versus andy green. hyperbole, this is the same old, same old. my question is -- c-span.

there are other sources you could use for sources then the new york times. investment daily? standardused weekly this morning and investment review. thank you. trade i don't mean to per corporations as evil institutions. i have worked for some and there are many good people there. i am simply trying to describe the incentives that exist in the economy. of the incentives coming out the legislation is to not invest in america. the incentives are to put more money into stock buybacks. into the stock market. that theke sure

economy does not create the foundation for economic growth. i believe that and i think many of you believe that it is essential. host: they talk about putting triggers in place. why was that not included in the final bill? guest: they have to decide to see if something fits in the senate rules and they decided that a trigger would not. they said that we couldn't do it, legally. some republicans were ready to if they had to do that. it isn't a good idea because you , please invest. any discussion as to whether these tax cuts are permanent reinforces it.

taxes were domestic and they if you're an and professional or you're self-employed, keep an eye on how your taxes are going down, no matter which party. guest: people will see a change on this bill. host: how do you measure if it is working or not working? on with will measure it her are being created or not, which is not exclusive. whether jobs are created here are overseas, and what other arguments are coming out of the conservatives on capitol hill about whether we need to cut entitlements, the safety net, and squeeze government and other things this bill completely ignores. host: the last word, andy green

for the center of american progress, and grover norquist. thank you. what are some of the biggest security threats we face in the u.s.? coming up, our guest will address those issues. seth jones from the rand corporation. you are watching and listening to c-span's's "washington journal," as both of our guests take all of their paperwork. we are back in a moment. ♪ >> jefferson probably knew more about more things than any single men in north america. and i include franklin in that, who would his only rival. and everyone was impressed by jefferson, the extent of this knowledge. adams was smart but he did not

have the build. but he had some depth in history and law that jefferson did not have. not because jefferson cannot. he was just not as interested in the law as adams. >> tonight on c-span's "q&a," professor and historian on his book about the relationship and differing political views of john adams and thomas jefferson. >> adams was a realist. he did not believe that all men were created equal. he's got all men were created unequal. he did not believe in america exceptionalism. we americans are no better, no different from other nations. jefferson is the opposite. he is and to nurture, and that i think is what most americans believe. in other words, we were all born equal and the difference is due to different experiences, different environments. that is why education is so important to us americans and so important to jefferson. >> professor in the story

encoding would tonight at -- gordon wood tonight at 8:00 eastern. >> monday night on "the communicators," ryan fung of the washington post talks about the fcc's vote overturning net neutrality. >> the question here is whether or not the rules that were put in place in 2015 are appropriate for this new era, and in some ways, by rolling them back, whether we are actually going to rulesether or not the new we will be living under are appropriate for the moment we are living in. >> tech companies are concerned about having to pay to reach consumers. that is the pretty biggest fear -- not so much the little guys who could pay, but smaller ones, they have reddit,

been active because they say, if we have to pay a toll, we cannot afford to do that. >>, watch "the communicators" monday night at 8:00 eastern on c-span2. >> "washington journal" continues. host: our topic, threats to the homeland. jones, policyet director for international security and defense issues at the rand corporation washington, d.c.. let's begin with what the president said friday at the white house. [video clip] president trump: as we have witnessed recently, america faces grave threats. terrorists have struck in the streets and subways in new york city twice in a few months, both terrorists came to our country through the dysfunctional immigration system that we are correcting and rapidly. and one came through chain migration, chain migration. the other, visa lottery.

they have a lottery. you pick people. you think the country is giving us their best people? [laughter] no. what kind of a system is that? becoming by a lottery. they give us their worst people. they put them in a bin, but in his hands when taking them, it is the worst of the worst. congratulations, you are going to the united states, ok? [laughter] lottery system, lottery system. we are calling for congress to end chain migration and to end the visa lottery system and replace it with a merit-based system of immigration. host: the president on friday, seth jones, your reaction. guest: i think it is important to look at the facts there have been since 9/11. to have been 86 plots involving jihadist groups against the u.s. homeland. of those 86, more than half were

from u.s. citizens. and of the remaining, most are actually legal, naturalized u.s. citizens. a small or small number were refugees are immigrants. is we have a problem of americans in the united states of been inspired to conduct attacks. keeping a close eye on who we let into the country may help with a small minority of threats we face, but the vast majority of threats are coming from inside our borders, not outside. host: this is the headline from the staten island newspaper -- rejecting the new normal. after the latest terror attack near times square, apparently a lone wolf, came to the u.s. from bangladesh and it was a homemade bomb. that you say is the bigger threat? he lived in america. guest: again, if you look at the last 10 years, the most serious plots, the ones that have been

most likely to kill individuals were people who have been born here. these new york city attacks. those of people capable of tilting major bombs and killing a large number of people. the guy that was involved in the recent manhattan plot -- this was like an amateur -- this was not a serious pot, per se. certainly concerning he built a pipe bomb but this is an amateur, not a grade a terrorist. most of those have been americans. host: we are in the holiday season, many traveling and renewed threats, especially with major targets like new york city, washington, d.c., los angeles, chicago. what is the homeland security department looking for? guest: first, it is important to recognize it persist through the seasons, just holiday

or july 4 or the anniversary of 9/11. they can strike at any time. i would encourage people to keep an eye on if there are large crowds, gatherings. one of the weakest form abilities that the european-style attacks we have seen, like an terrorists, germany, or spain, are large crowds gathering with barriers. so individuals who attempt to take the vehicle and drive it into people, it is relatively easy to do. make sure there are barriers for parades because we has seen an increase in those types of attacks, which i think is relatively common easily preventable if you have barriers. things like that. tactics like that are important to keep an eye on where terrorists are going. host: what is the difference between isis coordination and inspiration? guest: what can isis coordinated directed attack looks like is

what we saw in 2015 in paris. these people are trained in syria and iraq. emanated fromf senior leaders in those areas. they trained specifically for this attack. think of it the way law enforcement would work on security at a major event. they walk through it, practice it in many ways. so you are using trained people. it,have walked through collected intelligence and executing it. much higher probability it exceeds and kills higher numbers people. an inspired attack mean someone got an idea in the living room in whatever city and had to scramble onto the television or internet to figure out talked to do this. much lower probability they will execute and lower they will kill anybody. host: one final points, we are talking with seth jones, the

president made reference to the visa lottery system. either holes in the system? guest: i think there are always holes that are worth taking a closer look at. the system itself, vetting, looking at where people are coming from and whether groups like isis al qaeda are trying to push people through the system. libya has been a concern. there's been an increase in isis-attempted people that come from libya into europe, so areas you can look at. host: our phone lines are open at (202)-748-8000 for democrats. (202)-748-8001 for republicans. we have a line for independents and will take your tweets at c-spanwj. is there a difference between isis and al qaeda? guest: first, they originated with the same ideology. isis broke away in 2014 from al qaeda. they come from a similar ideology. their goals collectively are to

establish a number it, the radical islamic emirate that goes from north africa and southern europe to the asia-pacific region. theirthey differ is leadership structure, so al qaeda is led by one leader and isis is led by another. they. have a difference in the couple other areas isis has -- they had a difference in a couple of areas. isis has been more prone to killing, like beheadings in iraq and syria, so differences in the brutality of tactics. al qaeda has tried to shy away from the serious brutality that isis has done. seth -- host: seth jones serves as policy director focusing on national security and defense areas. he is a professor at johns hopkins university. george's joining us from florida, republican line. caller: good morning.

good morning, gentlemen. i have to say i think the rand corporation is a great american institution and a great company. i wish i had stock in that. look at even want to the price. i hope we built our military. let me ask you something. my father was a shell shocker for the second world war. from the battle of operation cobra it was called, a battle. you can hardly even find any information on it. even if you google it. i have got to tell you, it was the biggest event of friendly fire in history. two days in a row. take a look at that, please. wanted to ask some of the guys listening if anyone knows about it. it is an interesting subject. that is enough for me. thank you fur-lined me to voice my opinion and good day. host: thank you. current guest: --

guest: thanks, that is a beautiful horse country. and we jump on the points on the military. i do not know much about the george'sevent referring to, but one thing to highlight about the military is so important i think it is for the united states to continue to deal with some of these terrorists overseas. if you look at some changes in the past year have terrorists and tell the u.s. has operated against them. george, i would highlight the u.s. strategy in syria and iraq, which has decreased the islamic state's footprint and control of territory, u.s. military predominantly worked by, with, and through iraqi forces in the syrian context, so what is meant is the u.s. is leveraging locals as opposed to putting its own

forces on the frontlines in countries where locals should be standing up and fighting for their liberty. it has been successful relatively. isis has lost all the territory controlled in iraq and syria in 2014. kudos to the strategy now for at least severely weakening isis. this threat is not over from these kinds of groups but i think the military's role and it is important for development and diplomatic organizations. baltimore, maryland, tony, good morning. caller: good morning. come we had terrorism in this country, where las vegas. killed iny americans the carolinas.

that gentleman that walk into a black church shot down all these people. we kill more people ourselves than any islamic terrorist kill. two points, tony, when it comes to a definition of terrorism, what the most people who work on terrorism inside and outside the u.s. government generally focus on is the targeting of civilians with a political motivation. so there has to be some broader political motivation. individuals that are killing because they are upset about a job or upset because they are mentally deranged or insane generally would not be coded as terrorism, per se. the broader point is true.

we certainly have a problem in the united states with violence in the u.s. in places like , in additionvegas to attacks and plots coming from , or americans inspired by groups overseas. i would not downplay the threat coming from jihadist groups. since 9/11, there have been a large number of people killed in the u.s. and outside. and there continued to be plots. 86 plots since 9/11. 22 attacks, said there is a threat. one can debate how much but there is a threat. host: this program is carried on serious xm the potus channel 124 every sunday morning and every day on c-span radio, stream that www.c-span.org. our guest is set jones at the rand corporation -- seth jones

of the rand corporation. ground forid to the many potential terrorists? guest: well, steve, i think africa has become over the years and area of much more serious concern when it comes to terrorism. it is the use of several locations as hot beds for recruitment and training. there is west africa, which is nigeria. that group is boko haram. that organization has been involved in a number of attacks in that region mostly. when you look north, the most serious concerns are in north africa and countries like libya. fore is a major stationary a number of jihadist groups, including the islamic state and al qaeda in libya. europeans have been concerned because of the proximity to europe. it sits on the mediterranean, and there have been multiple attempts to get people from tunisia, north africa,

egypt, into europe. and the third region is the horn of africa, east, somalia, and yemen. those three areas we have seen, individuals but from those countries themselves, and foreigners coming to train and yemen,et outside, from somalia, and a range of groups in libya, continue to attract foreigners, who some a return to the west to conduct attacks. africa has definitely -- there has been an uptick in individuals in africa that i think pose a threat. host: from new york city, mike, good morning. caller: good morning. thank you for taking my call. i very much like the conversations we are having this morning. i was in new york for the 1993 attack. i was in new york for the 9/11 attack.

i think, unfortunately, our as we have done with the opioid crisis, we are much more reactionary than preventative. when we become preventative as a society, you look at europe, and i think a large number of those attacks are people who have been in those communities for 10 years to 30 years, and have been taught these things. it is not an islamic public statement, -- islamicphobic statement, but do we need to look at what people are being talked inside of their inside ofs -- taught their communities and what is going inside of mosques? again, i am not making a blanket statement. thank you for taking the time. host: mike, thank you. guest: thank you for your question.

let me start with era and i will come to the u.s. what we have seen in -- let me start with your and i will come to the u.s. -- europe. but we have seen is the ability turkeyy boat through into europe. in france, we have seen a big division between french society and some poor areas on the outskirts of paris. in those areas, there has been a pretty significant radicalization process, part religious, part socialist, part economic, and partly in the prison system. that has contributed to a higher number of debt due to -- death due to terrorism than in the united states. almost four times the number of individuals killed in europe as there have been in the u.s. i think when you come back to the u.s. and you make some interesting points. i think the challenge with

talking about the physical aspect of radicalization in the u.s. is we also have the online aspect of radicalization and both the islamic state and al qaeda are trying to radicalize people online, inspired them, as well as in the prison system. so i think one has to look at individuals in the community in cities like new york, washington, and los angeles and in the outskirts because some are happening outside of those areas. but i also think it is worth noting some radicalization is happening online and to people get sent to prison. we have seen some individuals radicalized in prison systems. i think what i would come back to his there is definitely a struggle, one might call it a war of ideas going on.

i think right now based on what we are seeing in iraq, syria, libya and others, the support have come down somewhat, so they are losing now in terms of their support base. i think that is an important fact to remember, but i also think the struggle will go on in the living rooms or kitchens of the united states, prisons, and online for the foreseeable future. director guest is the of the defense organization that the rand corporation. jim from ohio, good morning, independent line. caller: good morning. hownted to ask mr. jones much money does the rand corporation make off of war? because he seems to be putting out narrative there to get us out scared into a war. he has putng, wow,

out the perfect narrative to try to get america to go to war. but americans are tired of war. americans do not believe in war when we supposedly got saddam him, we dide killed not bring him back to america to identify him. we pitched him off the edge of a boat. well, i think, all of a sudden, gee, we really do not kill him. ok, then qadhafi gets killed, and they parade him around on the front of a jeep. americans do not trust the government. guest: two quick points. one is, i would certainly urge you to look at rand's website. research ands analyses is on topics like education, health care, population, so it has nothing to do with national security, let alone war. i urge you to look at the

research coming out of it and see a significant chunk of it comes from non-national security-related issues. on the subject of war. i want to be clear. the argument is not that war is a good thing. i have spent time overseas as a civilian in the united states operations.i have seen it up close . it is a terrible thing. have a directs we inside and outside the country from a small number of terrorist organizations. i think the issue is, how do you handle it? multiple ways. you handle it with local law enforcement agencies, communities in the u.s., homeland security, fbi, joint terrorism task forces that bring that together. overseas, you handle it by diplomats working to identify and support of the countries as they struggle against terrorist organizations. it is handled by u.s.

development agencies that try to identify grievance is causing this, and with militaries. i would point out the u.s. has gone away from, and in my view, should go away from putting large numbers of american forces overseas to fight these and supports countries like iraq and others to do it themselves. so it is not us doing it for them. it is the u.s. helping them. and it is protecting u.s. citizens, which is critical. i would also highlight that it is important to note the u.s. has plenty of other challenges. north korea, economic issues, russia rising china, issues at home. none of this means the u.s. should not focus on other issues, which it should. we are just talking about the terrorism problem. host: the website is

rand.org. you can focus on different issues. b if you are interested in also, isis could rise again. good morning, republican line. caller: good morning, thanks for taking my call. we are ignoring one group that was most affected -- effective against isl and dash, the kurds. managedll weapons, they to eradicate them, but we did not support them enough. they are asking for help. host: we'll get a response. make an think you important identification talking about the kurds. kurds have been important in a number of respects. one news they have been the bulk

of the force that the u.s. and its allies have worked with in syria that have composed the syrian democratic forces to take state heldlamic areas of raqqa and along the euphrates river. kurds have been important in northern and other parts of iraq , including taking back parts of isis inerritory held by northern and some areas of iraq. critical.have been the challenge with the kurds, obviously, has been a political one. the kurds have been important fighters against these kinds of groups. the challenge is there are elements of the kurds that have been pushing for independence. cap kurds in syria, iraq, -- there are kurds in syria, iraq, turkey and other areas of the middle east. how to deal with an emboldened kurdish population is a

politically sensitive issue for all the governments in the middle east. so you have this effort to support different kurdish forces in countries like syria, and then you also have some broader ambitions of the kurdish independent state i think are connected, but are much more sensitive to countries in the region. i think that is what makes the kurdish issue a complicated one. one i think will take some time to work through with governments in the region and how do continue to support kurdish forces effective on the ground but deal sensitively to broader political issues, especially as kurds want more autonomy and some want a broader independent state. host: russell's next in south carolina, democrat's line. good sunday morning. morning.ood my comment is that the president of the united states -- and i am also an air force

veteran -- but the president of the united states seems to be to be showing terrorism by declaring jerusalem its capital. we do not mention the fact that he did it because people were dying in palestine because of the president's decision. host: your response. guest: yeah, russell, the issue of jerusalem is a very complex and hot button issue. i would say this, that it is possible, and i think there have been a number of concerns that the political decision to move the u.s. embassy from tel aviv to jerusalem may create anger and potentially trigger violence , either directed at the u.s., israelis, or others from that move and broader issues. but i would also point out that

a lot of the terrorism we are seeing, and we have seen in the last decade and a half, is coming from other issues, as well. it is individuals that are wanting to support a number, and islamic emirate, that comes from africa into the middle east, into the pacific and salvation. regardless -- and south asia. and they are inspired by individuals like the head of al qaeda and the islamic state. i would say there are a lot of issues that may be inspiring individuals to duct terrorism. what you are putting your finger on this one, but i would say it is not a driving factor in the terrorism we have seen over the past few decades that is tied to groups like al qaeda and isis. host: time for one more call. leo in san diego, independent

line. good morning. caller: good morning, everyone. i guess what is happening over there is happening over here, and i do not like what i've seen, to be honest with you. i am an independent. i took that to the highest degree. i have never voted for a president. when i graduated high school, i got my notice, and i had to sign up, which i did and i served my time. was since then, and that the toughest part of my life -- i had to live through the johnson years -- now i see those years reflecting in the obama years. said, mr. obama openly supported the islamic threat and the care. it upsets me a great deal that all these people have come to the united states, they have filled their mosque with radicals, and look at the

evidence that proves this to be a fact. is there any way that immigration can be formed and reformed in a way that we make sure anybody with any kind of instincts, canl be kept out of the country? god bless everybody and happy holidays. thank you. host: leo, thank you. we conclude where he began. guest: thank you, leo, for your question. withnk there is a concern the threat from extremist groups operating in the united states, not just islamic. we have had over the last few decades, extremist left and extremist, but on the islamic threat, inspired are connected to groups like al qaeda and the islamic state, i think the immigration problem in my view, that data is not

support that the vast majority of individuals are immigrants. the vast majority are americans and have been americans in the united states. i think this gets to the challenge we face. they may be inspired by ideologies coming from overseas, so i think fixing some of the immigration challenges will help to some degree, but it does not deal with a vast majority of plotters that are living in the united states, have been in the united states, are u.s. citizens, and have grown up in the united states. and the challenge in the society weekdays, again, is that we have got an ability through social media and the internet to get access to ideas from overseas. inave seen some progress american companies, like with google, or on platforms like youtube, facebook, and twitter,

that they have become a lot more sensitive towards trying to take down sites that are actually inspiring violence. much like you treat child pornography. liberties sensitive issue, as well, but i think there has been a recognition there are problems in radicalizing individuals from the u.s. i think that is where the big part of the focuses, the ideas from overseas that are inspiring some americans. not just immigration issue. host: is that your biggest concern, your biggest worry and fear? is themy biggest worry ability of some of these groups, like al qaeda and isis, to inspire individuals online. with oneally, we saw of the plots, what is interesting, the bomb was made on most entirely from downloading and searching on the

internet. bomb, the nine volt battery, the christmas lights he used were entirely motivated by what he was finding on the internet. it is the inspiration and how to build a bomb were critical in that plot. host: seth jones of the rand corporation, thank you. happy holidays. guest: thank you very much. host: i want to share this headline from the arkansas democrat gazette focused on the tax bill -- it will be on the house floor tuesday. then on to the senate. and then assuming it passes, it will head to the president for his signature. this headline, trump lauds taxable as a middle-class s boon. if you are a member of congress, would you vote yes or no is our question -- yes or no? that is our question. if you vote yes, (202)-748-8000.

if you would vote no, (202)-748-8001. washington journal continues. back in a moment. ♪ him him >> -- >> jefferson probably knew more about more things than any single men in america, and i include franklin, who would be his only rival. and everyone was impressed by jefferson, the extent of his knowledge. adams was smart but he did not readth, but the at depth in history and law that jefferson did not have. not because jefferson could not. he just was not as interested in the law as items. >> tonight on c-span's "q&a wood on-"q&a," gordon his book "friends divided." >> adams was a realist. he did not believe all men were

created equal. he believed they were created unequal. he did not believe in american exceptionalism. we americans are no better or different from other nations. jefferson is the opposite. he is and to nurture. that is what i think most americans believe rate that is why -- in other words, we are born equal and the difference is due to different experiences. different environments. that is what education was important to americans and jefferson. >> professor and historian gordon wood tonight on c-span. c-span, where history unfolds daily. created as aan was public service by america's cable television companies and brought to today by your cable and satellite provider. "> "washington journal

continues. host: would you vote for or against the tax bill? that is our question. elusive, ang to be piece that says it is not past the postcard test. it leaves nearly every large tax break in place, creates preferences for special , as much as it gets rid of, and no taxpayer will see the postcard size return that president trump played a kiss on as they launch their overhaul tax effort. the full stories available online at nytimes.com. would you vote for or against it? which is a no votes from florida, why -- rich is a no vote from florida, why? guest: it only fit -- caller: it only favors the billionaires, millionaires, and it is simple to figure that out.

the republicans are controlling the media now, so that is the way it is. it is very easy to lead stupid people. host: we will go to new jersey. why?, a yes vote, caller: yes, i wanted to make the comparison between my social hopefullyncrease and an income tax refund increase. last week, i received my new benefit amount from social security. it showed that now it getting an increase in my monthly benefits, and then it showed that the amount of deduction for my medicare medical insurance premium would be increased by $30 a month. so and the increase in my

security monthly amount will be reduced actually, not increased. i wanted to say that i hope the income tax, new income tax bill, will result in a decrease in my tax liability. therefore, compensating me for what i am losing in my social security amount. host: thank you. more than 1300 of you have weighed in on her facebook page, including this comment from cindy gibson -- more of a process issue. as the lastmportant obamacare, yet where are the thehs of debating, nonpartisan findings, the time to evaluate 500 pages? and let's not forget seeding the new senator. the middle class, we are not stupid. republicans will pay in 2018 and 2020. national reviewr has this piece at nationalewview -- national eview.com -- currently, earners account

for about 40% of the federal income tax revenue. more.xt 9% provide 30% the republican tax plan says national review will provide something more serious and responsible than hurdling missiles, tilting the tax code for the wealthy. a look at how the media is covering the tax debate from national review. next, from new york, lewis is a no vote. why? caller: it is going to cause a slow recession in the united states. as you take money out of the economy for higher insurance that people do not get their tax money back from the tax returns because states like new york and california, we cannot take taxes on interest, that will cause a recession because there's less money going into the economy to stimulate it. i also think senators are getting a tax entitlements because they get insurance that we cannot get and that consider that an entitlement we do not get.

host: thank you. a no vote from nancy who says, no, all of a sudden deficits do not matter can? oh, yeah, republicans are in control, that is the difference. people are so enamored with a tax cut that will end in a few years that they will sacrifice medicare and social security. from new jersey, a yes vote. good morning. caller: good morning. about theen talking tax reform for the past 18 years. -- ken you hear me? host: we can. caller: we have been talking about tax reform, but every time they say tax reform, we have to hold onto our pocket book. we have never had a tax cut. and we are more proud of ourselves as an american with their current president and

before. he promises everything. democrats are obstructing everything he says. just look at and to turn basically. the not supporting the president. when we achieve something, the whole country benefits. but democrats do not care about the country. they're worried about the party. party comes first. -- party comes next. country comes first. if you reduce those things, we can balance the budget today. the other story, the first democratic senator elected in more than 25 years, and how he is the last democrat to have a d next to his name from alabama. can see where doug jones was

able to get nearly 50% of the vote. this area is known as the black belt because of the soil. the area in blue is where doug jones did well. the areas in pink or red is where roy moore did well. the white house say it is time for him to concede the race and he has not. joy from oklahoma. a no vote. good morning. morning.ood i am forgetting who said it, but there was a democrat senator who said it republicans are so worried about making sure the middle class had a tax cut, let's cut out the middleman and not give it to the wealthy for to trickle down. let's give it straight to the middle class. thatecond point is i feel

the health-care care bill was a 17% approval rating. from what i hear, this tax bill has a 27% approval rating. they have not gotten anything they are in ael rush to get this done by the end of the year to show they have done something. if this was -- to show they have done something. host: thank you. eagle,ading pennsylvania, the tax bill will aid the economy. and a look at the dire circumstances in terms of drug overdose in 2016. drugs to the lives of nearly 5000 pennsylvania residents. 39% increase84, a from 2015. robert is next. memphis, tennessee.

a yes vote. caller: good morning. i voted yes for the bill. fact that on the obamacare, affordable care act, number one, they put a fine son people who did not want the insurance in the first place, which i think is unconstitutional. is the other issue companies, if they can have a lower tax, we can offer higher wages for employees, which can aid in putting more taxes in a government. after obamacare, our deficit grows tremendously. it is not the fact of trump that will cause our deficit to go up. the tax reform will help america keeps companies here and provide better jobs, wages, and health

care. that is how i look at that. i just want everybody to understand that from is doing -- trump is doing a good job. anti-trump protesters are doing it for personal reasons. alabama,election in when you had all the sexual misconduct complaints coming up, now that the democrat won, you do not hear anything else about it. it seems to me there was a broadmoor towards with democrats and can't -- roy moore with democrats in congress. host: thank you. i want to share a photograph from another newspaper. ths million wrea placed to honor the fallen.

it is to pay tribute to those who paid the ultimate price. this photograph from many newspapers around the country. to continuelorida our conversation on the tax bill. you say no, why? caller: no, i do not believe it is altogether. the problem being i think trump is only out for himself and his family. they will make millions and millions of dollars a year. what about the poor people living on social security? we get a lousy 2% cost-of-living , the, when supposedly economy is doing so great? oh, we are doing really great to hear him, then how come we only get a 2% raise on one hand and take it away by upping our medicare? the are going to up our medicare every year? social security people are the

ones that end up losing out all the time. that is all. host: thank you. this is from jerry on her facebook page. an estimated 1400 people now weighing in. yes, this is overdue, and will spark the needed growth in our economy. anytime you can keep more money is a good thing. pelosi unable for the democrats to block this bill. she was asked about that last week. [video clip] >> this is who they are. tax cuts for the rich at the expense of the middle class, and health and well-being of the american people, and robbing from the future by increasing thedebt, ransacking finances of middle-class people by increasing their taxes, and rewarding corporate america and the wealthy. so i think they are in the lose-lose situation.

bill,y do not pass the you know what they said about donors will not answer calls it they do not pass the bills. said they lose in that regard. if they do, they will lose in the court of public opinion and we will have to hold them accountable. i would like us to defeat the bill because this is harmful to the american people. we have to stop it. and we have not given up yet. and in the pelosi washington post, can the tax overhaul shield the gop during the midterms? a yes vote is scott from africa, new york. good morning -- ithaca, new york. good morning. caller: good is a yes what they catch. i am a health care provider. -- and i willsing say i am running for u.s. senate. host: in new york? caller: yes. i have registered. my point is to address

everybody. instead of lowering the corporate tax rate to 21, if they lowered it to 25 and split some of the reductions to what the lady said about social security recipients getting a bigger boost, and the other part, 2% or so of that split, 2.5%, let's say, if it is a high percent difference from going down from 20% to 25%, splitting that in going to sell proprietors and llcs, because we witha problem underemployment, which are part-time workers that could be converted to full-time workers by little proprietors instead of giving huge corporations the biggest break, split some of it up with some of the small businesses. like somebody else brought up, you need more time to do that. a bill like this is rush through

and it was not carefully thought out. in some ways, like the affordable care act was. host: thank you. speaking in new york politics, the new york times and a look at senator kierstin gillibrand with a potential eye on 2020. -- senator's start shines as nation unites behind her cause. a photograph of the junior senator from that state. house speaker paul ryan with some speculation as to whether or not he will step down next year. that story available at politico.com. he was asked about the polling, which shows a majority of americans do not like the tax cut plan. [video clip] >> if you look at the polling done in reagan's tax reform, something like one month before it passed, 18% of the people thought they would benefit from it. so this is the nature of the debate on the news this big tax reform. you have got spinsters and

spinmeisters out there confusing the public. that is what i think is happening with tax reform, like you see with any large piece of legislation. but comforts me is the fact results will produce fantastic results that will improve the lives of hard-working taxpayers in this country. i'm convinced this will help repatriate, lunch more investment in businesses, workers, give bigger paychecks to a simpler system, just doubling the standard deduction means nine people out of 10 people get to fill out taxes on a form like a postcard. the results will be what sells the bill, not confusion before it passes. host: this headline from "the overngton post," -- angst tax bill or big families are the norm.

jones, a no vote on the tax bill. good morning. caller: i am very much against let'sause first of all, not talk about jobs coming back from the corporations that have been overseas because they are not going to come back. our salaries are too high and the salaries are low over there, so that is out. the money coming from the banks, that is questionable whether they will bring it back. the real thing i have against it is this is not meant that all for middle income america. tos is meant to get money the corporations. that is the whole purpose or they would not have fiddled around with our deductions and things. -- they upped are two points, the basis of our tax. that was the beginning. they have taken away important things. i am an older woman.and it will

cost me money i think this -- and i think this is really criminal. thank you. merry christmas. host: thank you. we would go to david. a yes vote from ohio. good morning. caller: good morning, america. why would you vote for the tax bill? caller: well, because it would not help me. i am retired, but my son and daughter have got incomes and families. a $12,000 it being deduction, it will go to 24,000. instead of 1000 for the children, it will be 2000. it will definitely help them. and to the social security people that called and said,

well, talking about their money, yeah, i got a $31 raise this year for social security next year. $24 of that was taken out for medicare. so i have a gross of seven dollars a month increase. that is the first increase since 2013. host: you mentioned that. this is from "the wall street journal." in case you missed it, the corporate tax rate would drop to 21%. that individual income tax rate drops to 37%. the caller pointed out a reduction for all who take it. and the owners of the pass-through businesses get a 20% discount on individual tax rate. the alternative minimum tax is retained but narrowed. state and local deductions are cap that $10,000. and the student loan interest remains deductible. brad from international falls,

and a soda. another -- minnesota. another yes votes. caller: how are you doing? host: fine, thank you. caller: i keep listening to a lot of people talk about this. what is striking is that used to be what was called the bush tax cuts, which are no longer. so they fought that just as well. can you imagine -- now they are the obama tax cuts? he basically extended them twice, but the real key to all of this is that corporations in the center are tax collectors. the consumer pays for everything. host: thank you. we have time for one more call. a no vote. charlie from florida. if you could be brief. caller: i was just going to say according to economics, you do not cut taxes and decrease revenues.

it is the time when the economy is doing well, unemployment is really low end this whole tax think is for the rich people to make our money so they can control our elections. i guess they are running out of their excesses so they will be using whatever pertains to get to get thes tax cut guys in for the next time and it is just wrong and will not help the country one bit. continues,is debate c-span will be your source for the house on c-span and the senate on c-span2, streamed on the web at www.c-span.org and c-span radio. the end of the year for "snl," and last night, a message, courtesy of alec baldwwin, i president trump. [video clip] [laughter] >> merry christmas, mr. president. amazing?t say you look

>> god, you are so good at lying. >> who do you want to put on the loser tree? >> i chose disgraced fbi director james comey. >> that is right. sadly, i defile him because he's a nut job and you all my secrets. i had to pull a little obstruction-a, justice-a. what would you like that the christmas? >> i went out. [laughter] >> look who else is here caller: sarah huckabee -- look who else is here. sarah huckabee sanders. >> merry christmas, mr. president. i brought sean spicer and anthony scaramucci, whose mangled corpses i stepped over to get this job. >> thank you. it is so impressive the way defend all these outrageous things i do and say every day. you shoot a gun at the floor and i will dance. >> that's my girl.

pence. >> merry christmas, mr. president. i hope i am not slurring my speech. i had a ginger ale. >> it is ok. are you here to deck the halls? >> are you here to deck the halls? >> i do not like that song because it mentions gay apparel. i am putting up that traitor michael flynn, because he lied to us, mr. president, and acted alone and without our knowledge. [knock at door] >> could it be santa? >> even worse -- it is omarosa. someone turn out the lights. >> too late. i see you in there, donald. nobody kicks omarosa out of the white house. host: