luther king's i have a dream speech. we must mark him as the most dangerous negro. >> former members of congress reflectnam war veterans on lessons learned and ignored during the war. >> we learned the limits of military power during the vietnam war. we learned that as a society, as a culture, that you cannot kill an idea with a bullet. >> american history tv this weekend only on c-span3. >> the daily white house briefing was dominated by questions about the tax reform sarahith press secretary sanders praising republicans for passing the bill. this is 25 minutes. >> good afternoon. i am sure you all just saw,

the house of representatives voted for final passage on the tax cuts and jobs act. that brings us one step closer to the president making good on his promise to deliver tax cuts for christmas. we are looking forward to the senate vote later this evening and the president will be monitoring these developments throughout the day. as december winds down, i thought this would be a perfect opportunity to look back at what has been a historic year. nearly 1.7 million new jobs have been created at the unemployment rate has fallen to 4.1%, the lowest rate in 17 years. the stock market reached a record high, more than 60 times and closed above 20,000 for the first time in history. we rolled back 22 regulations for one new regulation saving taxpayers over 8 billion dollars and liberating america's economy from the grip of bloated government. we have withdrawn from or began renegotiating the trade deals that once threatened to destroy american industry and shipped

our jobs around the world. nation on set up our a path to not only energy independence, but energy dominance. we approved the keystone xl and dakota access it well at opened up for responsible operation. the president has protected america's communities. we have seen the lowest level of illegal border crossings on record. we ended the obama administration's dangerous catch and release policy, resorting law and order to the border and the interior. we have built eight prototypes for the border wall. we have taken unprecedented steps to tackle the opioid epidemic by declaring a nationwide public emergency, promoting peace through strength. under the president's leadership, isis has lost almost all of its territory and its most important strongholds in iraq and syria.

we've forged new alliances, rebuilt our military, and made it clear to the world that there is no fiercer and adversary or's greater and allied in the united states. we reshaped the american judiciary for generations. justice gorsuch was confirmed, and 22 more have been confirmed, including a record-setting 12 circuit judges. we reinstated and expanded the mexico city policy protecting $9 billion in u.s. taxpayer money used to fund abortion. the president will have delivered the most significant tax cut in history of the nation, and repealing the obama care individual mandates. we are just getting started. as some of your scene, disney world debuted its animatronics president trump. we are just getting started. in the president's remarks which

he recorded earlier this year, he said, "from the beginning, america has been a nation defined by its people. it is why our founders began their great constitution with three very simple words. we the people." in the coming days, talking heads will discuss with this year means. what it means for the president, what it means for the republican and democrat parties, and for the never ending political theater in washington, d.c. i would encourage everyone to take a step outside of the beltway bubble to consider what this year means for the american people. to the forgotten men and women around our country, you are forgotten no more. this president is with the 100%, and is this year has proven, he will never let you down. with that, your questions. john. >> two questions. first, what is the schedule for signing? i understand this may not happen until after the christmas break. mrs. sanders: we want to make

sure it gets passed first. we want to see this through to the finish in the senate, and we will announce details on what the signing will look like. >> the carried interest provision. this is a loophole that president trump has again and again promised to fail. it is still in there. why did he not get rid of that? mrs. sanders: look, the president was focused. he laid out his principles. he wanted to make sure that he was part of any piece of legislation. we certainly answered and addressed that. that was our focus all long, and what we've continued to talk about consistently here and every time we talk about taxes. >> this tax bill is going to cost him a fortune, apparently. that is not the case. how does he figure this will cost him? mrs. sanders: we expect that it will likely on the personal side cost the president a lot of money.

again, his focus is not necessarily been at all on himself, but rather on the core principles we laid out. priority number one is that it helps the american middle class. we know that this bill does that, and that is one of the biggest reasons the president supported it. he looks forward to signing it hopefully in the coming days. >> he gets benefits from top rate tax deduction. is he going to make money on that? mrs. sanders: look, again, this is a tax plan that we hope benefits all americans. primarily and priority number one, middle-class americans. that is been the administration's focus. we feel like that is addressed. we feel it has been prioritized in this legislation, and we are going to be very excited to sign it hopefully in the coming days. matthew. >> earlier reports indicate that the fatal amtrak derailment out in washington was similar to the philadelphia derailment, and

could have been prevented by positive train control. congress mandated back in 2008 that it should been on all lines by 2015. that has been pushed back. it is only on the corner of passenger lines right now. is this white house considering any steps to speed up the implementation to stop these kinds of accidents? mrs. sanders: we continue to review and investigate exactly what took place yesterday. once we have more detailed determinations on that, we can take steps to prevent things like this from happening in the future. john. >> you ticked off a number of accomplishments that you see the president has made in his first year in office. why are his approval ratings mired in the mid to upper-30's? mrs. sanders: often times because while the president in this administration has been very focused on how we can better help the american people, i think often the media is focused on other things. certainly not talking about the

growing economy. certainly not talking about the crushing of isis. not talking about the creation of jobs. if you look about -- if you look at the amount of time of coverages and spent on the president, 90% of it is negative. as you just said, i listed up a number of things that it been pretty historic in nature in this first year, and if people were focused on more of that in the media his numbers would be higher. we anticipate they will go up as more of these things continue to happen, and particularly as people feel the impact of the booming economy, the tax cuts that will take place later tonight and go into effect in the first part of february. those are all things to help boom our numbers. >> if i may, matthew peterson withdrew his judicial nomination. there's been a viral video of his inability to answer basic legal questions. how did he slip through the cracks?

why was he nominated? and are you doubling efforts at the white house and over at doj to ensure that your judicial nominees can answer those basic questions? mrs. sanders: look, the president's judicial selection process has led to a historic pace of confirmations, including 12 circuit court justices and a supreme court justice. every administration has individuals who do not go all the way through the process. we've had 60 nominees, and only three that have not gone through it. we're going to make sure that we fill that spot with strong and qualified candidates. >> where was the president watching the house vote, and what was his reaction? sec. sanders: i am not sure. i will have to circle back around on that. i was getting ready to come out. >> can you explain why the president has submitted names to

the senate for nomination than his predecessors? sec. sanders: we've been focused on filling positions as quickly as possible, but at the same time, the president has said before he does not think that every single position in the government needs to be filled. he is to cut back on some of them. every single position in the government needs to be filled. we will continue filling out individuals. we have also seen a massive slowdown in obstruction by the democrats. hopefully they will continue to push our people through, particularly individuals who were held up weather in the judiciary or in the national defense profile. blake. blake: let me ask if you questions where john roberts left off. he asked about the loophole. how is keeping the loophole good for the middle class? sec. sanders: the priorities that we have, i will go back, or make it easy, make it fair, bring it home.

we feel like this tax legislation does that. there are provisions put in place that directly help the middle class. they see more of their money come home. the sea childcare tax deductions double. there are a lot of things that will affect the middle class. if you like those things addressed the need to really help give them that boost. we think this absolutely will. blake: an individual who makes roughly $83,000 would pay 24% with their rate. someone who benefits, a millionaire, still might pay 24% on that money. does the white house believe that someone who makes $83,000, paying the same as someone making millions, do you guys believe that is fair? sec. sanders: again, i am not going to get into a back-and-forth over the details, hypothetical situation.

i cannot quickly do the math on it, but you feel like this plan -- we feel like it fully addresses giving the majority of middle-class americans more of their money. that is what we've been focused on. jordan. jordan: i actually want to ask about ufos. several media reports -- sorry. sec. sanders: i was going to say. [laughter] sec. sanders: i do not know whether or not this is a coincidence. i feel like i already want to pass on this question given that you have aliens among you. jordan: the secret program that the pentagon funds. does the president believe in the existence of ufos, and when he be interested in restoring funding for the program? sec. sanders: somehow that question has not come up in our back-and-forth, but i will check into that and circle back.

jennifer. jennifer: does the president ensure that the irs has what it needs to implement these rules? jennifer. sec. sanders: we understand that they they are fully prepared to take action immediately. people will see the benefits of this tax package start at the first part of february. confirmed that with the irs. major. major: were you saying that the particular judicial nominee in this viral video did not properly go through the vetting process? sec. sanders: no. i did not say that. i said we are focused on pushing forward good candidates. we have put forward over 60 nominees. we have had three individuals that have had to with draw. that individual's one of them. we are focused on making sure we fill that position with somebody who -- >> you thought he was prepared. sec. sanders: again, we are looking for the best and brightest. fill that position with somebody when we felt like that was not necessarily the right person for

the job, he withdraws his nomination. we have not continue to go forward. that is pretty standard in most administrations. in fact, every administration prior to us has had to withdraw nominees. we have had to withdraw three out of 60. a lot of people are focused on just these three, and not the overwhelming number of confirmations. many of them with bipartisan support, including the 12 members of the circuit court. major: you do not disagree with what she said about personal benefits that will accrue to the president based on provisions in the tax-cut bill. that it will benefit him, personally. sec. sanders: i said it will benefit him is in some ways, particularly on the personal side. the president will likely take a big hit. on the business side, he could benefit. the biggest focus for this white house has been to make sure all americans are better off today after this tax package passes than they were beforehand. we focus on invigorating the

middle class and making sure they have more their hard-earned money. we think that will happen in package. >> you said the focus is on the middle class. why was one of the last provisions to lower the top bracket? did the president support that? if not, why did he not insist that that not be added? sec. sanders: we respected the back-and-forth process. a lot of it took place in the house and senate. we have been engaged in that process, but we laid out our priorities because we wanted them to happen. that was our focus on the process. >> about the middle class. lowering the bracket rate for top individual earners? sec. sanders: some economists think that it does. i would be happy to refer you to some of them to get into a very wonky conversation. a lot of people think that that helps the middle class. i would be happy to set you up with those folks later. peter. peter: what do you say to those people who will end up paying

more because the individual mandate has been repealed? sec. sanders: we maintained all along that we think that is the right step. most americans want to keep more of their money. this plan does this. most americans want to get rid of the special interest loopholes that benefit the rich. this plan does this. they want to signify the tax code so that it makes it easier for them to file. this does this. when you look at the actual elements of the bill in front of the american people, they overwhelmingly support it. supportot of democrat has picked up when you look at the elements of the bill. peter: to be clear though, you would acknowledge that many more americans will end up paying more? sec. sanders: look, we said all along that the health care system has been broken. it is not sustainable. this is one step in the process. we're going to continue moving forward in looking at the best ways to improve the health care system. we anticipate this being a big part of our focus next year. peter: and you think people should have to swallow more until that comes? sec. sanders: i don't think that

is the case. we are committed to fixing the whole system as a whole, and this is certainly a step in the right direction. this system is simply unsustainable. >> women around the country continue to speak up about sexual harassment in the workplace. i wanted to check in with you and see if the president or this administration is considering any legislative steps to protect women from harassment? there is a gretchen carlson bill to remove arbitration clauses from contracts. also the congressional contact reform act. holding congress people accountable. would the president consider signing either of these bills? sec. sanders: i would have to talk to him in get a more detailed version of the legislation. obviously, we take this very seriously and are always looking for ways to protect all

americans, especially women. >> is the white house considering legislation? sec. sanders: i have to talk to the affairs team and get vacuum -- back to you on the specifics of those. jill. >> i wanted to ask about puerto rico. it has been more than three the hurricane hit. does the president still give him a 10 out of a 10? sec. sanders: look, the federal government continues to be engaged. the secretary of homeland security and hud are in puerto rico today. further engaging in the process, continuing to be partners with the leadership on the ground at the state and local level. we have given everything we could from the federal level, continuing to be partners with the leadership on theand we wilg with them until they are fully restored. >> and so still attend. sec. sanders: i still believe, and you can refer to the comments the governor made previously, that every time they asked, the federal government has delivered. we want to continue to partner

with them and make sure we rebuild. that is why the president has sent two members of his cabinet directly to deal with that to further assess and see what other actions we have to take. >> you're getting a lot of questions about will it benefit the president or won't. i get that he does not want to releases taxes, because that would put all of these questions to rest. can you elucidate why the president cannot release taxes for 2016? why not back up what you are saying and prove he is correct? sec. sanders: as we have said many, many times before, the president's taxes are still under audit. until that is complete, we will not move forward on him putting taxes out. >> i do not need to belabor it, but the president wants to wait until after the audit. sec. sanders: it is not complicated. as long as they are under audit, he is not going to release his

taxes. they are under audit, so he's not wanting to release it. i think we've addressed this a number of times. i'm not sure why answering it another time makes it any different. john. john: two questions on russia. first, the kremlin as recently threatened twitter with a complete shutdown throughout russia if it continues to carry the twitter account of what they call undesirables, notably dissidents. they have made a similar threat to youtube recently. what is the administration's reaction when the russian government wants to shut down american-run businesses, bringing an expression of opinion to their country? sec. sanders: certainly, generally speaking, we would not support a government shutting down american businesses. i do not know why this would be different, but i would have to look into the details on the specific action.

john: senator rubio has introduced legislation to name the street in front of the russian embassy here after the slain russian dissident boris nemtsov. nemtsov. senator corker has blocked it. ans the administration have opinion? sec. sanders: not that i'm aware of. >> now that the senate committee nameaid that scott harris' should not go forward, does the white house think it needs to name someone else? sec. sanders: we are going to work with the committee going forward. we're certainly very disappointed in the senate banking committee for missing an opportunity to get export-import banking fully functioning again. we will work with them to determine the next step. >> by his name or someone else? sec. sanders: we will let me know.

if it is going to be that individual or a different plan. brian. brian: matthew was asking about amtrak. there was a budget request as i understand from the president for $630 million in deduction for the amtrak route. do you plan on revisiting that issue? on matthew peterson, the three that were turned down as i understand it was they had close ties to the process. finally -- sec. sanders: let me do one at a time because i am not going to answer those questions. the first one was on judicial nominees? brian: the first one was on amtrak. sec. sanders: oh. as i told matthew, we will wait until the investigation is complete. we will talk about next steps when that is done. in terms of the judicial nominees, i have walked through

that a couple of times now. we have nominated 60 individuals, only three of whom had to withdraw or not go forward in some capacity. that is pretty standard for any administration. every administration before us has had similar challenges with either withdrawn or not go -- >> this applies to the white house. was it because they were friends of the white house? are you going to change the vetting process? sec. sanders: we are focused on friends close to the white house they would have moved forward and not been withdrawn. james: the new national security specifically calls out russia. why did the president use that -- why didn't the president use that kind of aggressive speech? sec. sanders: he has enumerated the policy and strategy in a

very detailed paper. that was of the president, and it reflected his views. he did not read every single page of it word for word. i am sure you will all thankful for that. we certainly couldn't. maybe i should do that for the next briefing. but look, the president has been clear about his position. we have been tough on russia. we have put sanctions on russia. we have imported energy and impacted them in a big way. the president has not been soft in this process. he chose to focus on different things in his speech. those things were included in the national security strategy, because they are important and part of the administration's viewpoints. jill. jill: does the president regret having nominated someone who advocated getting rid of the export-import bank? sec. sanders: not that i'm aware of. jill: any idea of the timing for a potential visit? sec. sanders: the invitation has

been extended and accepted, and we are working to finalize the details which we expect to announce soon. we will keep you posted on that one. last question. >> the president did say that this tax cut bill would cost him a fortune. that was false. right? sec. sanders: no. because on the personal side, this could impact the president in a large way. >> does this balance out corporate versus personal? sec. sanders: i'm not sure whether or not he's done a side-by-side. but there are number of factors that could negatively impact and personally. however, like i have said, our focus has been on the middle class and that is what we think is delivered in the tax package. we very much look forward to seeing it pass later today. signed and dated soon. we will may should keep you posted on that. thank you so much.

>> c-span's washington journal, live every day with news and policy issues that impact you. coming up wednesday morning, we're getting your reaction to today's vote on the gop tax reform bill. get the conversation all morning with your phone calls, emails, facebook comments and tweets. be sure to watch c-span's washington journal live at 7 a.m. eastern wednesday morning. join the discussion. >> sunday on c-span's "q&a," lee edwards chronicles his 60-year involvement in the conservative movement. lee: i met joe mccarthy through my father, who was something of a confidant.

he was a fellow well met. he liked to party. he liked to drink. as long as you did not talk about communism, you could not ask for more fun guy to be with. but he was very serious about that. he was also someone who did not take advice very well. and he consequently said things and even did things that hurt the cause of anti-communism for some time. >> "q&a," sunday night on c-span. >> thursday, the house is expected to vote and debate on a temporary spending bill to fund the federal government through january 19. the rules committee met tuesday to consider rules of debate on this bill. this is one hour and a half.