sarah: good afternoon. obviously the impending conclusion of the schumer shutdown is leading media coverage today. and i'll get into that shortly. but want to start with a couple of other national security issues first. first on northwest syria, we call on all parties to remain focused on the goal of defeating isis, de-escalating and resolving the syrian conflict and protecting innocent civilians. we hear and take seriously turkey's legitimate security concerns and are committed to working with turkey as a nato ally. increased violence disrupt what is a relatively stable area of syria. it distracts from international efforts to ensure the lasting defeat of isis. it could be exploited by isis and al qaeda for resupply and

safe haven. and it risks exar baiter the humanitarian crisis -- exacerbating the humanetarian crisis. we ask that turkey ensure its operations are limited in scope and duration and ensures humanitarian aid continues and avoid civilian casualties. we want to ensure that assad's brutal regime cannot return to there and we will continue working diplomatically to end the syrian civil war. in afghanistan where terrorists attacked a hotel in kabul, such attacks on civilians only strengthen our restove support our afghan partners. we commend the swift and effective response of the afghan security forces. afghan forces with our support will continue to relentlessly pursue the enemies of afghanistan who also seek to export terror around the world. we call on spack stan to immediately arrest or expel the taliban leaders and prevent the group from using pakistani

territory to spoirts operations. lastly, in regards to the government shutdown, we were pleased to see senator schumer accept a deal that president trump put on the table from the very beginning which was to responsibly fund the government and debate immigration as a separate issue. a statement here from the president of the united states. i'll read. quote, i am pleased that democrats in congress have come to their senses and are now willing to fund our great military, border patrol, first responders and insurance for vulnerable children. as i've aid sauce -- always said, once the government is funding, my administration will work toward solving the problem of very unfair illegal immigration. we will make a long-term deal on immigration if and only if it's good for our country. end quote. with that i'll take your questions. jonathan. reporter: how's the president going to work with democrats when he's running a campaign ad that is calling them complicit in murder? how does he show leadership on this? sarah: look, the president's number one focus is our national

security. he's been very strong on discussing the need for border security and tying that directly to national security. that's a big focus of both the president's campaign at the time and also since he's become president. in terms of specifics of any ad running, those aren't being done by the white house and can't get into any details. but his position in terms of the need for border security and how him that pacts national security is something we've talked about and been very clear on. reporter: is he bringing the democrat it's down here, bringing republicans here, hashing this out? how's this going to be any different? we didn't see him over the weekend. he was only talking to republicans. obviously there's going to be a deal by february 8 it's going to need to be a bill with democrats. sarah: we've been very clear about what we want to see in any legislation. and i don't think that there's a whole lot of daylight between where we are and where the democrats are. we certainly want to negotiate and get to a place and we're hopeful that we can do that over the next couple of weeks.

reporter: schumer on the floor claimed the deal he had on the table with mitch mcconnell today was much different than the one he had last week. how did the ball move forward, if it did at all, between friday night and this morning? sarah: i think that democrats realized that the position that they had taken frankly was indefensible. and that they had to focus on, first, funding our military. protecting border patrol agents. funding vulnerable children through the chip program. these were things that they didn't disagree with. they agreed with everything that was in this c.r. the president stayed firm. republicans stayed firm. and democrats i think realized that they had to move past that piece of legislation so they could focus on the conversation they're desperate to have. reporter: is it your contention that the deal that chuck schumer send and lauded today is no different than the deal on the -- he had on the table friday? sarah: i don't see it to be das

particularly different, no -- drastically different, no. reporter: is there no interaction and was there no interaction between the president and the campaign committee in the creation of that ad? did he approve it? sarah: that's something i wouldn't be part of that process. i couldn't speak to that. reporter: it's an important question. sarah: again, the president has some liberties that i don't. that's something i would have to check. i would refer you to the campaign because they're the only ones who can speak specifically -- reporter: would you quote that as an accurate representation of what his belief of democrats are and what their position was during the shutdown, they were complicit and would be complicit in the future murders because of the shutdown? sarah: i think if people are unwilling to secure our borders, that they're unwilling to end chain migration, unwilling end to the visa lottery system, unwilling to fix all of the problems that we have in our immigration system, and aren't willing to negotiate and actually do things that fix that system, that we know to be problematic, then, yes, that

would be a problem and certainly allow for future incidents to take place. reporter: is a two-year requirement required from the president for defense spending going snoord -- forward? is that one of his top goals with the budget negotiations going forward? not just this fiscal year, but two years on defense? sarah: i'm not going to negotiate with you here, but we've made clear that that -- i'm not finished. we've made clear that that's our preference. reporter: the president several months ago called on congress to provide a legislative fix for the 700,000 or so daca recipients. is his position that he would sign such a bill, a clean bill, or would he insist upon funding for that border wall with mexico? sarah: we want to make sure the president and the administration have laid out what we'd like to see. those priorities haven't changed. a solution on daca into chain migration, into the visa lottery system, and funding for border

security, that would certainly claw the -- include the law. reporter: tomorrow i believe at the beginning of the final round of negotiations concerning nafta, the north american free trade agreement, how are those negotiations going right now? what we're hearing is that they're not going well. they haven't been going well for the first five rounds. is the president prepared to pull the u.s. out of nafta? sarah: we don't have any specific announcements but we feel like things are moving forward. we're going to continue in those negotiations. but as the president has said many times before, he's going to make sure that he gets the best deal for america and american workers. that's still the focus and that will still be topic of discussion as we move in these negotiations. reporter: after this shutdown episode, does the president feel like he can deal with democrats anymore? for example, senators, you implied the president didn't know the difference between authorization, appropriation. there's been other leaks about

conversations behind closed doors. what is the president's level of trust with the senate democrats going forward? sarah: i wouldn't say it's the highest level of trust. but i think we're certainly hopeful that we can reach an agreement on responsible immigration reform. we've laid out what we want and we hope that democrats -- we know they agree on most of those components and we hope that they'll come to the table ready to actually make a deal and less focused on playing political games. reporter: on immigration, you have a budget, infrastructure, other big things you want to get done. is that going to be possible after this? sarah: we hope so. we hope that democrats again will not play politics and they'll focus and put the needs of the country ahead of the political gamesmanship that they've been playing over the last couple of months. and we hope we can move that ball down the field on a number of issues, but starting with the budget and then moving it to imgration. reporter: would the president support a pathway to citizenship for dreamers? sarah: we have said that we would support a permanent solution for those in the daca

program. and i think that would address that. reporter: you must have some position on this. the president clearly has conviction on this issue. so does he support this divisive issue? a pathway to citizenship for these individuals? sarah: i think on the specific number of people that are already in that program, we do hope to find a permanent solution that would address that. reporter: legal status versus pathway to citizenship, or does it not matter to the president? sarah: i think that's part of the negotiation process. but right now we want a permanent solution for that program. we also want to keep a big priority for the administration is making sure we don't find ourselves having this same battle in two, three, four and five years down the road. so we have to have a responsible immigration reform that addresses a number of issues, not just the daca program. reporter: follow up. you said that you would be open to legal -- permanent legal solution for the 690,000 people in the daca program. what about beyond that? there's a lot -- i heard a story

that said the white house administration memo estimated that what the democrats want would potentially legalize three million dreamers. where does he get that number and what is the limit that the president has on how big this population of dreamers really is? i think the dream act would be predicted to legalize 1.7 million. where do you draw the line? sarah: i'm not going to negotiate with you any more than i was going to with major. this is something that we're going to work on with congress and look for the best solution for our country. as long as, too, again, don't forget a big priority for this administration is making sure we address this program in its entirety, not just that one piece of it. reporter: this program again, certain people who had daca protections. other dreamers decided not to apply for various reasons. is the white house open to addressing a deal in this go-around for a population that's larker than just those in the daca? -- larger than those in the daca? sarah: we're open to having a

debate on a level playing field on this issue and negotiating that with congress and making sure that we get the deal that meets the criteria that we've clearly laid out. reporter: one clarification before my question. the president is planning on going to davos? sarah: if all things go as expected this afternoon, with the reopening of the government, which we expect that there, the president's delegation will leave tomorrow and the appellate continue on his trip later in the week. reporter: my question, the priorities of a daca fix, where exactly does that rank? when you talk about what needs to happen for a deal, diversity visa lottery program, the wall, ending chain migration, daca. some other components up on the hill may need to be worked in as well. the actual daca solution, how big of a priority is that? that one component for the president? sarah: we look at all of those as equal parts in this process. that's why we laid out what we

called our four priorities and listed that as one of them. reporter: so a daca fix is on the same playing -- level playing field as the wall? sarah: we know that's going to be part of this negotiation. that's something the president has committed to do. but we don't want to do that without the other three components. it's like having a stool with two legs, it doesn't work very well. we want to make sure we're addressing this more fully and in a responsible way. so that we're not just kicking the can down the road, but we're actually dealing with the issue more long term. reporter: [inaudible] -- what has he been doing behind the scenes as this drama has unfolded? sarah: we've put out a number of readouts. he's had several different calls, both with members on the hill. he has met with a number of his cabinet to manage the shutdown that was a big priority for the president, was making sure that this was well managed and that it wasn't as director mulvaney calls weaponized as it was in 2013. and making sure that we could make the impact of the shutdown have as little effect on

americans as possible. it's been a big priority for the president. i think that it certainly went much smoother than it has in the past. but also the president was putting pressure and standing firm on exactly what he was willing to do and what he wasn't. and it very clearly worked because we're back where we basically started on friday. and the democrats have now allowed this to move forward, hopefully the house will move this through quickly. and it will be at the white house for the president to sign and then we can start immediately on discussions on immigration reform. reporter: when will we see him? sarah: we'll keep you posted. we'll certainly make sure you guys are aware when that time comes. reporter: will he sign the thing? sarah: certainly possible. we'll let you know the timing of that still isn't finalized. we have to wait on the house piece. there's also o.m.b. and legal reviews that have to take place before it actually finally hits the president's desk and so a

little bit of that's just the timing and formality issue. reporter: are we going to see him today regardless of what the house does or doesn't do? sarah: we'll let you know and keep you posted. reporter: going back to the nafta discussion. does the president still have faith? there was a report suggesting otherwise. sarah: absolutely. spoke with the president about it directly this morning. he has 100% confidence in secretary ross. he loves wilbur. thinks he's doing a great job and has been a strong advocate for the administration. and been a great leader when it comes to the trade discussion on steel, aluminum and certainly his involvement in trade across the board with the administration. reporter: the president was very clear back in september when he said that dreamers have nothing to worry about. is that still the case? sarah: i think we've been pretty clear that we want to find a solution on the daca program. and we're going to hope that democrats are willing to work with us to make sure we actually resolve this issue.

reporter: there are a lot of dreamers in this country who are living on pins and needles, not knowing what their fate is. what is this white house's message to that population? do you think they should storm capitol hill and protest there? sarah: because that is the place that has held up this discussion. democrats are the one that shut this discussion down by forcing a government shutdown. by being unwilling to fund the government. we lost four days over this process of the conversation that should have been focused on immigration reform, fighting over the c.r. if they had been part of the solution instead of part of the problem, then i think we would have already been further down the road in our negotiations on that package. and hopefully we won't have problems like that in the future. reporter: two questions. the first on the obvious. congressman tom cole, a member of the republican leadership, said over the weekend that to a member republicans in the house were committed to the three

priorities the president laid out in the process of reopening the government. is the president in cement on those three in the negotiations that are going to follow? the ending chain migration, the ending of the lottery, and the appropriations for the wall? sarah: yeah. we've been clear those are our priorities when it comes to immigration. reporter: they're non-negotiable? sarah: these are the priorities we want to see in the package and we're going to negotiate that with congress. but we've been pretty up front. i think i've said it about 30 times already today. those are the priorities and the principles that we've outlined that we want to see in any legislative packing an that the president signs. reporter: my other question is, on a completely different subject, monsanto and bear were two giants in the seed industry, preparing to merge.

their c.e.o.'s have met with the president. and many fear that this is going to lead to a monopoly for them. in the seed industry and raising the prices which will hurt the farm community. is the president in favor of the merger of monsanto and bear? sarah: i haven't spoken with him about that. i'll have to get back to you. reporter: i understand that you guys have laid out new criteria for what you want in the deal. is the president saying that on march 5, if he doesn't get what he wants from the democrats in those area area, that he will begin to deport the dreamers? sarah: we haven't determined that. we're hopeful that we don't have to do that and that we don't have to get there. we would like democrats to get serious about actually solving problems. they say they want to have this conversation, they say they want to negotiate. so much so that they were throg shut down the government -- they were willing to shut down the government. if they're willing to go that far, surely they'll be willing to come toth to the table and talk about real solutions and

get something done. reporter: remove deportation protections from the dreamers? sarah: the president is the one that enforced the law, yes, he is. that is his job as commander in chief. he did that. absolutely. reporter: one other question. sarah: because -- let's be clear. that is because of congress' failure to actually address the issue. they're the ones that actually pass and make those laws. and the president gave a six-month time frame in order for them to do that. and now i think all of america is counting on them to show up and make sure that happens. reporter: one more. the president's son said the shutdown was a good thing for us. meaning politically it was a good thing for the president and the party. does the president agree with that? sarah: i haven't spoken to him about those comments. sorry. reporter: what is the guidance on how -- on how quickly the government would reopen and workers would be expected to be back at work and national parks and other facilities that were closed will reopen? sarah: most of those parks, they tried maintain and keep those open. unlike in past shutdowns. they really tried to minimize

the impact on the american people. in terms of what the turn-around time for a full reopen, as i said earlier, we are waiting on the house to vote and clear. then it will go through the o.m.b. budget process and review, a legal review, then hit the president's desk which we expect sometime late afternoon, early evening. which would make most government offices already closed and so they would start back in full capacity tomorrow morning. if that changes, we'll certainly let you guys know. but that's sort what have we tentively expect at this time. reporter: a chance to respond to the criticism that senator shuker -- schumer lobbed over the weekend. saying that negotiating with the president is like negotiating with jello, today the senator said the great deal maker sat on the sidelines. was it an effort on president's part not to reach out to him this weekend? is that part of his strategy? sarah: what the president did clearly worked. the vote just came in 81-18. i would say that those numbers

are much more in the president's favor than in senator schumer's favor. i'm not sure what changed for him and what he gained other than maybe nancy pelosi taking a bunch of republican members out for dinner to celebrate their shutdown. i'm not sure what other positive things came out of this weekend for democrats. sorry, democrat members. i'll take one last question. reporter: following up on that. in addition to chuck schumer saying the president negotiates like jello. even peter mcconnell said he wasn't completely clear on where the president stood with some of these immigration priorities. so the president shifting his policy positions behind the scenes under pressure from his conservative base? sarah: not at all. the president, as well as the administration, we've laid out clearly in a three-page memo what our priorities are, what our principles are, for this process. and we have been very consistent on that front. reporter: -- [inaudible] -- veto power over any immigration deal?

sarah: jason miller doesn't work in the administration. the only person i'm aware of with veto power in this country is the president. thanks guy,. -- thanks, guys. reporter: is it still too early to talk about gun control? [captioning performed by the national captioning institute, which is responsible for its caption content and accuracy. visit ncicap.org] [captions copyright national cable satellite corp. 2018]

host: the white house briefing there. white house press secretary sarah sanders saying that they expect things to be back to normal tomorrow. at least at this point they expect that. the senate moving forward. not a final vote yet in the senate on funding the government but looking like they are progressing in that way. they just had a vote as was mentioned by the press secretary

again, 81-18 vote. they needed 60 to move forward. to end debate. in order to get government funding passed through february 8. we're going to take your phone calls, get your thoughts. the numbers there at the bottom of your screen. host: the senate breaking the shutdown log jam and advancing a three-week continuing resolution . the chamber voting 81-18 to end debate on the short-term funding stop gap measure and also word coming out of the house that they expect to be taking it up this afternoon as well. so we could see movement within both chambers. pretty quickly here throughout the day today. the third day of the government shutdown. a number of votes. those were voting yes, republicans equaled 48. 32 democrats joined them. in order to pass this short-term

funding measure. and one independent, that's angus king. the other independent in the senate, senator bernie sanders, voting against the short-term funding. along with 15 democrats and two republicans. those two republicans who were not voting with the rest of their party, mike lee of utah and rand paul of kentucky. had here are some of the remarks from the -- here are some of the remarks from the minority whip, steny hoyer. mr. hoyer: mr. speaker, it's important to understand why we are here. we're here because the majority has not funded the government. secondly, we also are here because there are a number of issues on which i think there is agreement in both houses that have not been brought to the floor.

irrespective of the majority's will. it appears from what the senate leader has said, is that there is an agreement in the senate. and perhaps, and i think we probably will move forward today to open up government. but i hope my republican colleagues do not misinterpret what is happening. because the issues will not go away. between now and february 8, if that's the date, we must resolve how we're going to fund the government. that is what has held us up. and we must bring to this floor a bill to protect people that the president of the united states said we ought to protect. let's do it. let's do our work. i yield back. host: steny hoyer of maryland there from earlier.

we are taking your phone calls and also want to let you know we're having an open line specifically for federal workers. deral workers can join us at 202-748-8923. going to get right to your phone calls. we have lois on the line for republicans. go ahead. caller: i just think -- i am very, very upset that that man just spoke, blamed this on the republicans. i blame this on every single person that is getting paid by us hardworking people in the united states that are here legally. and they're putting all of our rights and the protection that they all took an oath to protect , they're putting it all on the line and saying they're more important is the he will legals that they're trying to -- is the illegals that they're trying to

protect. that is criminal. that is criminal. that they're breaking their oath and they're breaking the law. there are laws in place that immigrants have to use to be american citizens. any law should not be broken by anybody. and don't care who they are, what their name is, or what class they're in, they all took an oath to follow the laws of this nation and every one of them that voted against that and decide to shut down the government, and it was not the republicans that did it, i don't care what they say, it had nothing to do with that. those military people deserve their money and by what they did, not only was it illegal, but it was horrifying to think that they treat our military people like that. it just irritating me and it's against the law. do they not understand what taking an oath means? it means you are there to serve and protect the people that are

paying for you. and i just -- they need to sit down and think about that. host: where are you calling from? caller: maine. host: thank you for your call. caller: very hardworking state. host: thanks for your call. appreciate it. milwaukee, wisconsin. republican line. we have daniel. your thoughts on shutdown and some of the more recent activity we've seen today on this third day of the shutdown. caller: yes, hi. i'm from milwaukee. i mean, it is ridiculous to think that the republican party is responsible for shutting down the government. people are getting so sick of these lies coming from the democrats. we're getting so sick of them putting the american citizens second behind illegal immigration. people here illegally. it's no fault of their own. they knew what they were doing.

they're walking in with their parents. it's ridiculous. the obama administration, nothing was pass thrude congress . as he said, he did it with a pen and a phone. which is illegal, number one, it's unconstitutional. and it's ridiculous. the american people all know. thank you. host: thanks for your call from milwaukee. again, the numbers are up on your screen. we have an extra line open for federal works who most of whom were asked to actually report in today. for a partial day. and sort of to wind down their duties at their office. also find out if they were going to be considered essential or nonessential works. we've been hearing from some of you throughout the day today. mike joins us from fort walton beach. mike, where is fort walton beach? democrat line. caller: so, it's in between pensacola and panama city. host: what are your thoughts?

caller: you know, my hope is for our whole government to work like it should. like it's supposed to. i'm glad that both parties found a commonplace to come together and move forward. but partisan bickering needs to end and, again, just my hope is that we can move on. if february 8 comes about, i pray that and hope that they're able to resolve everybody's interests. but first and foremost, put the country ahead of everything else. by the way, i am a federal worker. i was laid off today. i've done it before. so it's not a big deal. but it is -- i don't think it should have happened this time. but it did and we just move on. thank you. host: and, mike, in terms of

this being -- is this your second shutdown? is it any different from the first time? are you preparing in the same way? caller: well, it's a process. and it really doesn't matter which administration it came under. it's just that it's just a process, that you have to accept when you become a servant. the last one was like for three days for me. i think it was in 2014 maybe. but anyway. i substitute taught those three days so it did make a big difference to me. but it's just a process, like i said. we have to go through it. it's what we accept as being a civil servant. host: what kind of work are you in? caller: d.o.d. host: what about folks who you work with? you have been hearing with them, keeping in touch? how's morale? the messenger: we have a high

morale in our -- caller: we have a high morale in our unit. i think this is just a glitch. we'll get back and get back going, track whemb gets back. host: do you know how they're planning on or if paying you for the time? i guess this is considered a furlough for you? caller: yes. my boss told me this morning at we could file for unemployment. but i know -- i noticed in the last furlough that i had, i was back paid so i'm not sure how this bill was written. maybe it includes back pay. i won't know until i get called back to work. host: in the meantime, are you substitute teaching this time around as well? caller: no, not this time. i recently retired from the military so i've got part of my retirement coming in. but that will help a little bit.

but i'm just sitting here at the house watching c-span and keeping in touch with everything. host: glad to have your call. and thanks for watching and we're trying to keep people as posted, as updated as possible. and again, some movement in the senate. although it looks like, according to this tweet from roll call, maybe a little bit less movement on the house democratic side, house leaders not whipping the stop gap spending bill to reopen the government through february 8. freeing members to vote on how they wish. so it's a look inside the capitol building. within the last hour. taking your phone calls. we want to hear from you. see what your thoughts are. if you're a government worker, federal worker, let us know what if plans are in terms of this is going to be a short is shutdown or maybe something that stretches on a little bit longer. but again, some movement in the senate, which has members holding out hope that they'll be able to pass something that will

fund the government through february 8. at this point. we're on to santa maria, california. we have harry on the line. caller: hi, how are you doing today? host: pretty good, how about you? caller: not too good. i live in place called santa maria, california. it's north of santa barbara, where they have the floods and all the problems down there. we're about 90 miles north from there. we have nothing but problems here. we've got corruption from the topdown, bottom-up, all the way to washington, d.c. this place is a mess. i've lived here since 1971. i came out here with my family to work as a pipe fitter. i've given everything i can for my city. and they treat us like you know what. it is a mess over here. it's a sanctuary city. they have no control of anything over here, every time they get a chief of police, he's worse than the other one that they got

before. we're all hardworking people. this is a mostly farming community. and we're all for people coming in here. but if they can't control the crime and they can't control all the problems, then we don't see any difference over here. i don't care who the president is of the united states. i've been voting since i've been 18. and it just gets worse, worse and worse. and if you say anything in this town, they think you have a problem because you want to clean up -- just take a look at the crime statistics. we have murders after murders after murders. we have car jackings. we've even made shows, information shows about this, about the carjacking, where they're taking the cars and the people. smuggling people in here. it's a mess. i don't know what trump's going to do about it. i don't know what the democrats or independents or republicans are going to do about it. but we need help out here in california.

and god bless us all, if you know what i mean. host: harry calling from santa maria there. again, let you know, if you're joining ounce radio you can join derges 202-748-8920 is your line. republicans, 202-748-8921. independents, and others 20rks2-748-8922. and if you're a federal worker, we've got a line set aside for you, if you want to call on that. 202-748-8923. taking your calls on this third day of the shutdown. again, some movement in the senate. looking like they could be moving toward a short-term funding measure to fund the government through february 8. kennedy on the line for democrats. calling from tampa, florida. caller: hello. thanks for taking my call. first of all, i agree with most of the democrats and the republicans, saying that this is a bad, bad deal. they are taking distribute democrats, i'm a registered democrat, but i voted for trump. the man is trying to put meat on

the table. hello. and it's a mean-spirited, those representatives, bland and white, it breaks my heart -- black and white, it breaks my heamplet mean-spirt. they talk trump because the man doesn't take the junk they push out on him. so i'm agreeing. the crime, like the man just said. we have turned our face on it. i'm here in tampa, florida. and it's not anything worse in california than it is in tampa, florida. blacks killing blacks, black on black. yeah, black lives matter. all lives matter. and we are on the guard. thank you for listening to me. my heart is broken and i will not vote for one of those democrats. black or white. they've been so mean-spirited to our president trump. the man is trying to give us something. thank you, my dear. host: thank you. kennedy calling from florida there.

out to alaska. we have a caller from anchorage. chelsea on the line for independents and others. caller: hi. how are you doing? host: very good. how about you? caller: d.o.l. doing well, thank you. i'm calming as a federal employee. host: what do you do in anchorage? caller: i work in aviation safety. i think that it's something that touches everyone. on flights and receiving packages and otherwise, all those things that are regulated through the government and that might not be something that many people understand. but it is. what i'd like to say, is i've been a federal employee for six years. i've worked in many different arenas doing many different things. and as a civil servant, if i need to go to work every day to make sure this country is succeeding and rung efficiently, i'm going to do that. on the other side, if i have to stay home, which i do this shutdown, i've been part of, two the last one i worked the whole time. this time i'm furloughed.

so if my paycheck is going to go toward more efficient government so that we can effectively run our country, then i'm going to -- my paycheck will suffer for that and i'm proud to have that be my reality. however, politically you only -- the only subject i'd like to comment on in terms of having an opinion is the military. these are men and women who at a moment's notice could be and are or have been sent away to fight and lay down their lives for our freedom. and messing with that i feel, no matter if you're a republican, democrat or otherwise, it deserves attention. and from what i understand, ensuring pay for our military was stopped and the last shutdown it was unanimously passed. so that's very surprising to me. i'd just like to remind everybody that this isn't just park rangers and people on capitol hill or in washington, d.c., that are affected by this.

this is everybody. who has any need for transportation or otherwise. and also the people who are defending this country and giving us the opportunity to vote for people, giving our consent to their authority to oversee us, those are the people who really need to be part of the conversation and regarded as the utmost, highest level. that's all i have to say. host: while we have you on the line, are you expecting to get any back pay? you have kind of been informed of what to expect? caller: currently, as a furloughed employee, i'm on a no-work, no pay status. we're not expecting to get paid. there has to be another bill that's voted on and passed to give federal employees back pay. that is something that has happened in the past. but it is not assured. that is not something that we can count on. and there are -- as somebody who has worked at a very low level in the government, making not very much money, let me just tell you, that even if we are

paid, and for those employees who are at that lower level currently, it's hard to have to plan your life considering that you won't get paid or that if you do get paid, it will be later. most people can't afford to wait to pay their bills because, you know, the government schutz down. most people who aren't in the government can't wait to pay their bills. we still have to explain and account for those things. even if we're paid back pay. which again is not assured. host: you said last time you worked through the shutdown. this time you were furloughed. did you have a choice? caller:, no i did not. i was identified as an send employee. there's different statuses. i won't go into. that however, at that time i was not life or safety, but i was part of an organization which are needed to be there to make sure that the people who were traveling out to maintain facilities and those types of things were able to do that. because it takes processing, it takes expertise and it takes time for employees who aren't

considered essential, quote-unquote, essential to life, those operations still need support. and i was one of those people who was part of that endesker. host: chelsea calling from alaska. appreciate your phone call and weighing in. especially as a federal worker as well. let's take a look at some remarks by kevin mccarthy in the house. california. here's some of what he had to say earlier. mr. mccarthy: looks like the senate will vote around 2:30. from an estimate time, probably around 4:30 today we'll be able to vote. we'll have a short time period back and forth and have the vote. reporter: [inaudible] mr. mccarthy: no. we won't do it under suspension. but i'm sure they will have a very big vote. get the government open. and hopefully we learn a lesson from this. hopefully never comes back to holding the government hostage from the standpoint that you're ha