talks about a report on the rising cost of specialty prescription drugs. we will take your calls and you can join the conversation on facebook and twitter. "washington journal" is next. ♪ host: good morning. 2019.tuesday, june 25, the house returns at 10:00 a.m. eastern. the senate also in at 10:00 a.m. and we are with you with the next -- for the next three hours on the "washington journal." we begin with a question on the student loan debt crisis. senator bernie sanders unveiling a plan to eliminate all student debt, you want to know what you think the best way is to deal with the student debt total that exceeds $1.5 trillion. give us a call on special phone lines. if you have student loans totaling less than -- if you

have student loans between $10,000 and $20,000, 202-748-8001. if you have student loans totaling more than $20,000, 202-748-8002 is the number. if you have no student loan debt, 202-748-8003. you can catch up with us on social media. on twitter it is @cspanwj. on facebook it a's facebook.com/cspan. beginning our program where we left off yesterday on the idea of the student loan debt prices -- crisis, more than 45 million americans have student loan debt. the total debt in 2018 was 1.5 trillion and it increased since then. 2 million american borrowers have defaulted on their loans. because of those defaults, the --jected taxpayer loss is

the average student loan debt amount, some $37,000 for those who take out student loan debts. it comes out to about an average of $293 a month. those numbers from the federal reserve bank of new york. having this conversation a day after senator bernie sanders announced his proposal to eliminate student don't -- student loan debt. here is senator sanders from yesterday. [video clip] >> we are entering a proposal which will allow every person in this country to get all the education they need to live out their dreams because they are americans. in the wealthiest country in the history of the world, it is simply not acceptable that our younger generation through no fault of their own will have a lower standard of living than their parents, more debt, lower

wages, and less likelihood of owning their own homes. that is why this proposal completely and lemonades student debt -- eliminates student debt and ends the absurdity of sentencing an entire generation to a lifetime of debt for the crime of doing the right thing, going out and getting a higher education. 10 years ago, the united states government bailed out wall after their greed, recklessness, and illegal behavior drove us into the worst recession in modern history. today, the major wall street banks are larger than ever. and -- are soaring's soaring and ceos receive huge compensation packages.

our proposal will be fully paid streeta tax on wall speculation similar to what exists in countries around the world. host: senator bernie sanders yesterday on capitol hill. if you were at that press -- alexandria ocasio-cortez was there along with randi weingarten. proposalcts of the -- providecanceling tuition free trade schools and apprenticeship programs. newould be paid for by a tax on financial and

transactions that happen every day in this country. we are talking about the student debt crisis. if you have student loans of $2000, 202-748-8000. if you have student loans between $10,000 and $20,000, 202-748-8001. student loans of more than $20,000, 202-748-8002. if you have no student loan debt, 202-748-8003. we hear from the air up first in columbia maryland. caller: good morning. thank you for c-span. $35,000.point had over right now it is significantly less, about 6000, 7000.

i would rather make sure those " i would rather- have jobs rather than making those sanders keeps talking about crippling debt. i have several of my friends that graduated college after dental school close to $100,000 .n debt the $30,000 loan group, you will pay the minimum. it will take you years. bernie is not entirely honest when he says you cannot get loans and bought a home.

some of my loans were not federally backed loans, a lot of them were private. a lot of them were credit card debt. what is important is getting a alevant degree to get you decent job. icom from a poor family and i am happy i have the chance to borrow this money. plus what about the 200 borrowers who have defaulted and start their working career with a default on their financial record? thing, when is the i graduated, i did not have a job for 6 years -- 6 months. there are periods of time when you can say, sorry, federal

loan, i cannot pay this right now and it is called loan deferment. college,aduate regardless of when it was, if you have an irrelevant degree and zero skills and if you have a degree in english and you are not willing to go and become a teacher, i am not sure how we can help you. i am not sure if you had not defaulted on another loan because it is an issue of personal choices and the ability to recognize what is going on in the american job market. host: this is teresa from kansas with student loans of more than $20,000. go ahead. good morning.

i have student loan debt that started at over 23,000. i can be angry about it and upset about it, but i would just study pay it off. i work for a government agency and the only way you really qualify for student loan forgiveness is if you end up with a degree and get a job that pays a lot less than any job is going to pay you if you have a degree, pretty much. if you pay the required payment, that will be paid off. the only way you get that forgiveness is if you get income-based payment where you pay less. the math does not add up. it sounds like a good thing that is not really a thing at all. host: what about a universal loan forgiveness as bernie sanders is proposing? caller: i think that would be

fantastic, i just don't know how they will make it rain on a certain amount of people. i worked with people who went to private colleges and paid a lot more than i did. $80,000 for an associates degree where i paid less than $20,000. i have a light at the end of my tunnel. they seem to just keep going to school. i love bernie sanders. i love everything he says. i just don't see that top 1% letting go of enough money to let us down here like i am the first graduate -- college graduate since my family settled here in the 1800s. i don't see that top 1% letting go of enough funds to make a better life happen for us unless it.cratch our way to i think it would be fantastic.

i think it would be fair and it would uplift the entire hopelessness of this country because we are seeing a lot of hopelessness and that is where a lot of our problems are coming from. money is the root of all evil and we are seeing the effect of that. the student loan, i can be angry about it. i pay about $120,000 a month more than i have to so i can pay it off. if i am making decent money into my 60's and 70's, i will be happy to pay my fair share so the kids don't have to struggle. i don't want to see my grandkids struggling as well. host: thanks for the call from kansas. call every 30one days. thanks for making this your first call into the washington journal. kate is next on the line for

those who have more than $20,000 on student loan debt. i am a high school teacher and i teach at a lovely school. i advise them about college. we are in serious trouble and to spread the wealth is critical and do not fully yourself if you are the top 1% as if it is not going to affect you down the road. are comingf students out and the kind of debt over their head they will not be able to spend thanks. this debt is looming. it is coming and if we do not grab it now, it is going to be a huge issue. host: under bernie sanders's plan, if a child of a top 1%

citizen is able to take out student loans, if bernie sanders's goes forward, that child would have their loans forgiven. it is a little bit different under elizabeth warren's student debt forgiveness plan. elizabeth warren would cancel up to $50,000 in student debt for those who have annual income in their family of less than $100,000 a year. the debt forgiveness would the plan is cap for households that make more than 250,000 dollars and her plan calls for tuition free college. withroposes paying for it a 2% annual tax on those making more than $50 million a year. your thoughts on the differences between those proposals? caller: i appreciate you

clarifying that. i think we need to do something. hers sounds good as well. what i will say is wake up, america. we are looking at a terrible, looming storm. look at why the stock market is so bust. what is happening is a clear mindset difference. we are not talking about a little bit here or there. the new generation is starting to think i will not go by that car. that will ultimately affect the 1%. i teach overseas as well. it is hugely different. i teach in france and what they do over there is amazing. i had a friend, a young student i worked with who is going to

the top architecture school in thes living at verse i wear school is located and her tuition, she told me when she started out a few years ago, something like the $200,000 range for the whole year. if you look at the educational listings around the world and get online, you can do this yourself with different western countries and where students are coming out, they are not coming out uneducated. the other side of this is visiting colleges, if you see where the colleges are starting to compete against each other, you don't need to have brand-new every 15all seats years or something. some of the spending could be halted because what is happening is some schools are competing

and putting more and more money into structures. it comes down to teachers. is one of the points the editorial board of the wall street journal brings up today in their criticism of bernie sanders and elizabeth warren's student loan debt forgiveness plan, calling the democratic presidential primary a bidding war. the editorial board saying ending tuition will not address troubles. many jobs that once did not require a bachelor degree now do. college funding mechanisms make administration withings, deputy dean's inclusion and schools compete to have the most walls per capita. the fix is not funded taxpayer diplomas for everybody. try --old college

hearing from you this morning asking about the best way to deal with the student loan debt crisis. rose is next, orlando, florida. good morning. i went to school years ago. other students i went to school with, taking loans out to go to spring break. another girl wanted to have a nose job. my answer is if you cannot afford things, don't buy them. hold off on your nose job or your spring vacation. some of these kids, i bet you -- why them even today go to europe your junior year, stay in the united states.

why not forgive mortgages, car loans. why not everything for free? younger.when i was some people took advantage of it. host: this is jamie in california. thanks for getting up early with us. caller: yes. host: go ahead, sir. caller: i don't think this is a political stunt, really. i think elizabeth warren's plan is better than bernie sanders. students don't go to college. this is the 30% that will get the better loans and die -- i think the wall street journal editorial pointing out -- raising the tuition and happy to have all this money coming in.

i just think it is misguided. i think breaking up the banks, bernie was right on. war.nk this is a bidding backscale it and pay it and i think there is a lot of overhaul that needs to be done. if you want to deal with the 70% that have not had a wage increase, that have -- do not have a minimum -- they need to focus on the real problems. host: would you say in general ura bernie sanders supporter -- you are a bernie sanders supporter? caller: i voted for him in the primary last time. when he went with the banks, -- right now, this college debt

thing, there is a lot of debt and i think until you deal with --leges and universities paying really high salaries and stuff, you need to get at the basics of the problem. host: you say there is a lot of good candidates in the democratic field, the 20 out of the two dozen candidates will be taking the debate stage this week on wednesday and thursday. these will take place in miami. senator bernie will be part of these debates, releasing the college debt forgiveness plan yesterday ahead of those debates. the senator believes forgiving student loans of some 45 million americans will cost about $2.2 trillion in the coming years. here is how he talks about how

he would pay for it. [video clip] >> under the proposal we released today, all student debt -- student debt would be canceled in 6 months. , we notg this action only provide immediate financial americans45 million who have $1.6 trillion in debt, but we will be improving the entire economy. according to a recent study canceling all student debt would add an estimated $1 trillion for .conomy over the next decade host: we are talking about this issue of student loan debt, taking your calls on phone lines set up by how much student loan debt you have. janice, good morning. caller: good morning.

i have two student loans. has doubled because i was taken out of deferment. it is not like they put it on hold, they increase the principal. that one doubled. the second one, i am paying off and make my payments on both. i am paying all this money, all this interest, i don't even know if it is going to the government. i took out the loans for the government, but i don't understand why the interest is so high. if you ask for help, you are increasing your principal. there is no way to get around this. host: it is almost 1:30 in the morning in hawaii.

alan in hawaii on the line for those who have more than 20,000 in debt. thanks for staying up with us. caller: i actually worked really hard to chisel my debt town. i could not even graduate. i did not know which number to call because mine was over $20,000, but i was able to have my parents help when i did a refinance. friends told me there was no way i was ever going to get out of it if i did not. there is a bill that has already been in the federal house of representatives which was to make it so student loans would bankruptcy.able in congress made it so they were not and that is when it became extremely problematic for everybody.

with tryingproblem to get rid of all student loans, is it a one-time thing and people who start getting loans again later have to wait for another promised by another candidate. is that going to be a reoccurring thing? there are questions that need to be answered about how that will work. the bill is sitting in the house of representatives. advocate with a group called student loan justice and he would be an extremely good guest for c-span to get. he is well versed on the idiosyncrasies. host: that is a different alan from you? caller: it is a different alan. i have several friends stuck in it and his organization is in washington, d.c. if c-span got him, he could show up.

getand other people to representative cat cow -- a representative to introduce legislation. host: thanks for the suggestion. it is officially the discharge student loans in bankruptcy act introduced in january 24th of this year. it has been introduced and awaiting action in the house of representatives. congress.gov is a good place to track that legislation. here are some comments from those who have been following on facebook and twitter this morning. cara saying don't let the universities charge so much. ish saying the way to fix it incentives for those who finish with a degree. go after uninformed money with

college loan money and go to a school you can afford. ellis saying they need to pay their own debt they created themselves. i worked two jobs and took a full course load to get through college. you can join us on twitter. taking your calls for a few minutes. mark from new jersey, no student loan debt. caller: i am calling because this is such a big issue and i have nieces and nephews who cannot afford to buy a house. they have good jobs and huge student -- this hurts the whole economy. i believe in forgiving student debt, it is all a matter of values. people do not blink an eye when we spend over a trillion dollars on the iraq war. if we talk about colleges that are public and students can go

to for free, that is a big issue. host: what about the fairness act? people saying i worked hard to forgive my student debt, why should it be forgiven for folks who may be did not plan as well? caller: that is a good point and i begged one of my nieces to go to a state school in new york where she was from, which would have been much less and she wanted to go to a good school and she is paying it back 10 years later. that is a valid point. i want to say when you are talking about this issue and the only newspaper you read from is the wall street journal, that is a very right-wing side of it. host: how do you feel about usa today? caller: that is more in the center. i would not have as much problem. editorial is the lead

saying the most obvious thing to say is proposals like these make fools out of people who saved to keep their borrowing down. repayment plans are unfair to people who have paid back their loans and undermine the concept obligations.egal that is the editorial board of the usa today. should note just below that lead editorial is bernie sanders' hisd making the case for debt forgiveness plan adding along with some of his comments you heard from his press conference yesterday in the editorial some may say this is on affordable, but a decade ago our government provided trillions of dollars to wall street after they drove us into

the worst recession in modern history. wall street can provide -- afford to provide a mere fraction of that. class bailedmiddle out wall street and now it is time for wall street to create a -- an economy that works for all americans. that is usa today. this is jason from baltimore, maryland. go ahead, jason. with collegehing was, it starts with high school. counselors suggesting all kids should go to college. i went to college based on what i thought was good information. after about two years i realized it was not a great fit, but the pressure was to stay. i racked up a lot of debt. line, i called the wrong i have paid off my debt. like a lot of people, i saved and went without and constantly

thought in the back of my mind, should i let these balloon and hopefully someone will come along someday and expunge it? i am afraid that may happen again. i will not do anything and someone will take care of it. for years i begged -- i even begged my congressman, can you put a freeze on my loan so that much like janice a handful of calls ago, it does not become a burden. if you cannot pay, there will be abilities for the debt to freeze. if you owe $10,000 and 10 years you have not paid it down, the debt becomes frozen and it all goes to principal, no more interest. expunging the debt becomes dangerous because it takes away the initiative to pay it back or work with it or understand the meaning of what a debt is. i love bernie sanders, but in

this capacity, i think elizabeth warren is a little bit more realistic about her approach. this our last collar in first segment of the washington journal, but a lot more to talk about, including a discussion on u.s.-iran tensions. we will be joined by two members of the house foreign affairs committee. up first is scott perry of pennsylvania and later this morning we will be joined by abigail spanberger of virginia. we will be right back. ♪ >> a cold war historian of

different ideologies and friends of mine emailed me and said why do you want to tackle this issue ? marriage and family. you are jumping into the culture war, do you really want to do this? >> paul king gore will be our guest on sunday, july 7 from noon to 10:00 p.m. eastern. his latest book is the divine plan. books about the spiritual lives of ronald reagan, george w. bush, and hillary clinton. join our live conversation with tweets and facebook questions. watch in-depth with paul king gore live on july 7. month with author lee edwards. watch book tb every weekend on

c-span 2. the complete guide to congress is now available. it has details about the house and senate for the current session of congress. contact and bio information about every senator and representative and information about congressional committees, state governors, and the cabinet. the 2019 congressional directory is a spiral-bound guide. order your copy from the c-span online store. "washington journal" continues. host: we welcome scott perry, the first of two committee members who will be chatting with us. first the latest on iran and your reaction to the new round of sanctions president trump announced yesterday. they i -- guest: i think are appropriate and it is

measured and warranted and certainly better than fighting. the united states in particular has a breadth and depth of actions we can take very far short of military conflict and we need to remember what we are trying to get iran to do. if you are older, you remember things called fallout shelters. we did that training where we trained for the advent of the nuclear war with the soviet union at the time. we don't want to live like that. i ran having a nuclear weapon is unacceptable. we are trying to show them the way. host: do sanctions work? as it proven to change their action in the past? caller: it changes it a little bit. i think that is what brought them to the table initially. we have not been able to get them to reverse course

completely. i think that is what brought them to the table. we should have increased pressure at that time and let them know how tough it can be. often times in these autocratic regimes, there are a few people at the top -- probably a couple hundred to a couple thousand running the operation, so to speak. sanctions on them in particular make a huge difference. aborted went from an military strike and the president saying he would renegotiate without preconditions. the president saying some of our allies and countries who have shipping in the gulf of oman need to do more to protect their own interest. how would you assess the trump administration's strategy? host: i think it is evolving and

one that wants to avoid armed conflict and one that is focused on the goal. we would hope other countries would see where we are headed and many countries have a much greater stake than the united states in that part of the world. ofticularly the free flow the persian gulf of goods and services. i think we would welcome their involvement and i think they have a greater stake that they would want to get involved earlier rather than later. state howwould you much involvement they have so far? guest: they seem to be helpful the united states will handle it and they can keep their hands off and have no consequences. living in this global economy and connected. to wash your hands of these things is not practical or realistic and the other thing to

consider is there are other malign actors who do not have the same views as much of the west, which is freedom and democratic values. when you talk about russia or china getting involved, there are not going to be things that our nation and freedom loving nations support. scottwe are talking with perry until the top of the hour. phone lines as usual. republicans, 202-748-8000 -- 202-748-8001. democrats, 202-748-8000. independents, 202-748-8002. as folks are calling in, you spent a career in the army before you took this job. your thoughts on mark esper and his nomination for secretary of defense. guest: we need somebody and i am sure he will go through the process and everything will be put on the table. we are glad he is willing to serve and looking at different cabinet positions and different

individuals that have served the administration, i think we need somebody willing to carry out the goals of this president, this administration and follow through with those policies and you have to be honest about it, i have been privileged to serve in uniform, but you understand who the commander is. sometimes you have a disagreement. if the commander says i appreciate your input, we are doing this, roger, sir, we are moving out. that is how things work in the military and how they need to work because lives are on the line and you cannot have one -- two or three commanders. host: secretary mattis stepped down because of his disagreement. what did you think? guest: i think it is the appropriate and honorable thing to do. we are americans, so we are freethinkers and have the right to our opinion.

when you have the job as the secretary, a great part of your duty is to carry out the views of the administration and the commander-in-chief. if you cannot do that or are unwilling to, the honorable thing to do is move on and let somebody else do that. host: do you know secretary esper personally? guest: i do not, but he seems to be interested in the position, so that would lead me to believe he understands the goals of the administration and would be willing to carry them out. the military is important to this country. every family generally has a connection to some type of military service. we want to get this right. host: a lot of callers interested in chatting with you. brian out of michigan, independent. is is wehe thing of it like to have it both ways. i am staying at a station in by

rain -- bahrain. can you hear me? guest: yes, sir. i can hear you loud and clear. caller: the thing of it is, of course i am with us on this. i am a proud veteran. guest: thank you for your service. caller: no problem. it is the least you can do. a lot of people serve in different capacities. ouret back to my point, presence and our power, we utilize it. we are not colonists, but we set up races around the world. in this instance we are talking about bahrain. the army presence there is a big problem. we are going to take advantage of who we are as americans and try to be nice, but we do it. in the month -- in the muslim

world, they don't appreciate us being there and you understand that. i have walked the streets in bahrain, saudi arabia by myself. i would suggest more politicians do that without an entourage and maybe we would learn a little bit more. with anything up when i served, sir. you could not get near us and i will end on this in particular muchin the port of aden, time. we took as much precautions as if we were in a hurricane. i am always sickened when i see commander leopold on television and he will tell us about security when we have always known aden was a hospital -- hostile port. host: thanks for telling us about your service.

guest: i think what brian is trying to say is america is a country -- we feel we are the good guys and we are the good guys, but we are in places where some places we are somewhat unwelcome. maybe by the people or generally by the government or we would not be there at all and we are trying to balance this and we understand if america is not there, someone else will be there and the question is do you want freedom and democratic policies being upheld and uplifted by america's presence or some other country to be present encouraging their viewpoints? there is a cost to this leadership, but somebody has to do it and america is uniquely positioned to do that work. in canton, ohio, good morning. caller: good morning. i would like to ask you a question. do you know the only country in

the world that has used atomic or nuclear weapons on another country? guest: certainly i know america has. caller: that would be us. why doesn't congress put out the document where we went around the world and got permission from all the other countries in the world for us to have nuclear or atomic weapons. guest: i don't know that that document exists. america has been a force for good. we do those things reluctantly, knows overably ken the course of history, there was a calculation made about what the cost would be in lives to the allies and the axis powers and japan in particular at that thatand we made determination that was the necessity to end that devastating and costly in the form of lives and other things. it is unfortunate, but it is the

reality of the world we live in and our particular with -- position with iran is to avoid that circumstance once again. an unusual group of countries possibly coming together. united states, israel, and russia. the u.s. and israel are working to convince russia to join them in reining in iran after the theey -- gathering of security council. john bolton today in jerusalem to discuss middle east security. your thoughts on what that gathering could bring. guest: it could bring a lot of things and there are things we disagree with in particular with russia, but they have interests in the region as well and they have a very concerted interest in the stability of the region. when it comes to things like supplying iran with weaponry used to attack their neighbors, this is an opportunity to say

this isn't helpful for russia either and we can work together to make things stable. we are not going to agree about maybe how the outcome comes out, but stability is important to everybody and i think it is great we have a conversation. .ftentimes we disagree oftentimes there are things you agree on and for the things you agree on, those are things you can and should work on. supplyingidea of weaponry, explain why the white house is looking to supply a billion dollars of weaponry to saudi arabia without congressional approval, something it is supposed to do when we talk about these arms sales. guest: there is a predicate to that, they made the request generally 18 months in advance. this has been languishing for 18 months. generally these take 30 to 45 days. this has a long tail to it.

during that time, we have gotten information that iran is interested in malign activities against the united states. not only the united states, potentially their neighbors in the region. they have asked for the capability they need to defend themselves. you have to consider this in the broader scope that if they don't get the capability they need to defend themselves from the united states, their friends, they will get it from somewhere else and potentially our adversaries. how does that help the interest of the united states? while the administration has been working with congress diligently. at some point because of actions on the ground, the determination was made that we could not wait any longer to help our friends and allies in this endeavor. host: you are ok with that determination? guest: i think it is appropriate congress has the oversight.

i received a classified briefing and based on the opinion i got and the actions of the administration to go through using theegitimately normal process, we could not wait any longer and the actions are justified. -- taking yourn phone calls prayed online for democrats, 202-748-8000. republicans, 202-748-8001. independence, 202-748-8002. paul in portland, line for democrats. i would be interested in ofwing if there was any kind diplomatic bargaining chip we can use. is there anything we need from iran or is there anything they would like from us to solve these kinds of problems in the persian gulf? guest: i think that is a great

and prescient question. there really isn't anything they need that they can get from us the -- they wish to be wish to essentially run the middle east, for lack of a better way to putting it. we would like them to quit attacking their neighbors and american citizens. and iran isiraq particularly and directly responsible for the unfortunate deaths of over 500 service members through the use of something devised and made in the and ship to iraq, explosive foreign penetrator. is there something we would like diplomatic lay that would solve this? unfortunately, the list is probably fairly short. we would just like them to act like a civilized nation with their neighbors and the region

and they would like to dictate what happens in the middle east and the persian gulf and with all their neighbors and their neighbors do not like that either. that is what causes instability. we have a hard time finding common ground in that regard. this is the interesting thing, too. many of their population. many of the people who reside there want stability and freedom and democratic values and a democratic lifestyle where their voices are heard. while we might not have much in common with the government, the leaders of iran, the theocratic leadership of iran, we do have something in common with many of the people in iran and we cannot forget that as well. host: jeff is next in oklahoma. caller: good morning and thank you for taking my call. tensions with iran are getting high and to a critical point and we are doing nothing but making it worse. screwed upause trump

his foreign policies, struggling to clean this mess up is what he has done. creating jcpoa by saying he wanted to solve the problem of diplomacy, but iran will never trust him again. up someday andke see ourselves in the middle of a huge and fruitless and full-fledged war with iran. why did the trump administration not show any response to khashoggi's murder? they want to increase tensions with iran. what kind of logic is that? host: that is jeff in oklahoma on the day the guardian has this headline, mike pompeo did not raise jamal khashoggi's murder in his meeting with the saudi

king this week according to their sources from that conversation. guest: i know it is a particular point of contention, but i think it has been raised on numerous occasions with the saudi's and with turkey. one of the problems is they are not going to provide some of the information that the american people want and we are -- we have limitations to getting that information. they are not going to let us investigate and forensically deal with the embassy where the crime occurred and so on and so forth. there are bigger issues here as well and unfortunately, while you are having these very increased and concerning tensions with iran, other things move down the list of priorities and i am not sure to a certain extent what iran has to do with

khashoggi's murder. it is unfortunate to be sure. host: the tweet from the secretary of state showing his meeting yesterday with the king of saudi arabia saying it was productive. freedom of navigation is paramount. the secretary's twitter feed from 24 hours ago. mike is a republican, good morning. caller: i want to make a point about school and bernie trying to take over school and guaranteeing schools. there are people i knew going through college that may be in their junior year, they want to go to europe and take their school money and use it to go to europe, not for school and they end up in debt and wonder why and we are supposed to pay them back? another thing people use is i had friends that wanted to be an entertainer. to be an entertainer, you have

to have talent and you have to look at. the person i knew, she could not sing good. she did not have the personality. she did not have the traits. her parents should have pointed that out to her, yet they spent $60,000. host: we are losing you a little bit. of thejohn, the host show, certainly looks good. mike, i would say that. we all want the most education we can get for the people -- the citizens of our country, for sure. i think we have to look at the cost of this and how it will be paid for. in particular, as a person who struggled myself to pay for my schooling and my higher education, why has the cost risen so much and what has caused that?

i think that has to be part of the equation, not just we will have the taxpayers pay for it, but what is the cost and what is reasonable? in this particular instance, there is one entity that does not seem to have a lot of skin in the game and that is often time the incident -- oftentimes the institution of higher learning. on some occasions, it is. maybe they would be interested in cosigning for the loan the students are getting for the education and if they have some skin in the game and it is like mike said, if you pick the curriculum that may be is not going to have the return on investment, maybe you would not do that if you knew you were not going to be able to -- host: the colleges would not offer those? guest: or they might be selected about -- selective about who gets it, if it is not in the capacity, so to speak, of the

college, they might think better about having that presented? host: a piece of legislation perhaps? guest: no. we are looking at the reasons college have become more expensive and trying to find ways to have the free market determined a little better and transparency is important. the college i am proud to have gone to, it was when i was in the state legislature, the tuition rate was going up about double the rate of inflation. i think it is a reasonable question to ask why is that? michigan, a republican. good morning. happy: good morning and 40 years. host: thanks. caller: no problem. congressman, the whole thought $1.5ss behind shipping billion worth of gold, what are we really getting out of that? tion aftere an erup

giving all that money? why isn't anyone being held accountable for that? guest: that is a bone of contention for a lot of folks and a lot of folks say we did not get money for -- anything for the money we sent to iran. i think it was a laudable goal to reign in iran's nuclear capabilities and ambitions. the only thing we did was really delay the time they were going to have nuclear weapons. nobody builds a heavy water reactor for the purposes of generating energy, certainly in that part of the world where fossil fuels are abundant. seeking particularly nuclear weapons capability and delaying it is of little solace and provides little solace. we spent all that money and did

not really move the ball that much further. that is why we are in the posture we are now. host: here is a chart from bloomberg looking at uranium stockpile trajectories. these are expectations for when meet limits from the original jcpoa. if they continue to move at the rate they have been moving at june -- in june, they would have enough material for a weapon, december or the end of november, projections of what might happen. guest: those capabilities existed then and they exist now. all we really did functionally was delay, delay what you are showing on the screen and that is the concern. we don't want any nuclear weapons, not now and not in a couple years. all we did was say we are not

going to have them now. we will spend all this money and hamstring the west and provide the funding to continue malign activities, the leading sponsor of terrorism worldwide and in those few years, you will have nuclear weapons capabilities. on whate jcpoa limits was allowed, that is the blackline of how it would escalate over time. you can see a much flatter line. guest: again, the blue line, which is where they are projecting, was going to happen anyhow. the question is when, not if. the question is when. if you are happy with nuclear armed iran in five years, i guess we should have stayed with the jcpoa. if you think somebody like iran should not have a nuclear weapon because they cannot be trusted with that power and capability, then something has to be done

differently because it was not a question of if, it was a question of when. host: wesley, good morning. caller: good morning, sir. good morning to both. my problem is i am an american veteran. guest: thank you for your service. host: i appreciate yours -- caller: i appreciate yours, too. i woke up this morning and 45 is hurting children from another country. i would protect this country with my life any day of the week . i do not understand why a man has to use those children as a weapon against another country. i know and you know that we as some things.e done

my family came over on a boat and i wound up here in north carolina. i still serve this country because i love this country hure children, whether it's one or 100,000, or hurting. we are a country of love. host: we will give the cogs many chance to respond. guest: i'm assuming he's talking about the border situation on our southern border and he is right, there is a humanitarian crisis occurring and the president, this administration has asked for funding to deal with the beds of the children , the you must know facilities there are like a police station. they weren't really ever set up to handle mass migration, which

is what is occurring. 5000 a day coming illegally we apprehend right now and then probably double that that we don't opera hand. many of them -- apprehend. the administration has asked for most two months for the funding, particularly for beds -- host: for viewers on the map of where we are, democrats may be putting that on the day. still some question a $4.5 billion bill of emergency humanitarian aid to the southwest border. some democrats pushing back, late last night fearing some of it might be used to carry out the president's aggressive tactics as they are described by the new york times when it comes to deportation, raids and other concerns they have. guest: right. late last night i heard there was a claim didn't have the votes for it and we will have to

-- but i think it is good the conversation is moving forward. the administration has been asking for the funding knowing that they are out of money to provide this humanitarian assistance on the border for these children and families coming they don't have the capacity to deal with. they have been asking for it in congress has been unwilling to give it and particularly these start in the house. company pelosi and could have moved this 60 days ago, they could've moved 30 days ago. they could've moved it yesterday. i think it is appropriate obviously to deal with the humanitarian crisis, but to belie the fact that there is not a national security factor to this and say it's only one side of this, it is, but it is also a crisis where we don't know the intentions of some of the people coming into the country and we don't have the resources needed

and necessary to make sure these people are vetted and they follow the process to come into this country. i think rightly so the president is asking for that and if nancy pelosi and her party doesn't want to deal with the deportation orders, not ordered by the president, ordered by the judicial branch. these people of gone through the process, there here illegally and have committed crimes. and the judge has said they must be deported. if the democrats don't want to deport criminals, i guess that can be their position but i think most people in any community don't want criminals living in their community and if they don't have a lot of people -- knowing that they have people next to them in jail or deported because they have been involved in crimes. --t: you probably know he reported in our ago -- an

hour ago that the democrats are kind of your issues that supplemental spending bill. we will find out when the house comes in at 10:00 a.m. for a legislator business. beenast call, rene has waiting in fort lauderdale, florida, independent. --ler: much for taking my call. fornted to ask a question the representative and i want to there has been a lot of things said that are not true and i want to let you know that i love this country and i would do nothing to hurt anybody or anything and i'm deeply sorry you guys got a chance to meet me

-- circumstances and you never got a chance to meet me and my real heart and who i really am. maybe one day we can sit down. maybe get to know who i really am. host: can you say where you're matter what -- where you met with the topic was? caller: i'm not quite sure. i was listen to the radio. i wanted to ask the question anything about foreign affairs, if for any reason if an american thaten -- is it possible an american citizen can be attacked from a foreign adversary without the united states knowing? guest: sure that is possible that someone could be attacked fine adversary or another country without this knowing them. i think we would find out at happenint, but they do

and america tries to make it right and adjudicate those and make sure the country that may be responsible would do the right thing in that regard. appreciate her patriotism and love for her country. congressman scott perry, republican of pennsylvania, come back again. coming up next, a time for your phone calls, discussion about an executive order the president signed yesterday pushing to make health care pricing more transparent. we will get your calls after the break. ♪ >> i'm a white male and i am prejudiced.

is something is wasn't taught but it's something i learned. i don't like to be forced to like people, i like to be led to like people through example and what can i do to change, to be a better american? >> that was a remarkable moment. i didn't realize until i stepped off the set, because there are more calls after that, how powerful it was. there is something in my voice -- in his voice that touched me. it was so authentic as he searches for the words to say some into a national audience we won't admit in our homes, i'm prejudiced. >> heather mcgee, president of the public policy organization was a guest on washington journal august of 2016 when gary called. she talked about the interaction at her follow-up. >> part of the reason for that. this was august, we had had this

racially charged era with donald trump's campaign, police shootings, black lives matter. tragic events in baton rouge and dallas. it was a time where people felt like all they were seeing on tv was first and here white man admitting he is prejudiced which for people of color, we thought finally. >> washington journal continues. host: for more of your phone calls on the washington journal, a discussion about transparency when it comes to health care in america. we want to hear your experiences when it comes to figuring out the cost of medical procedures or your medical issues. if you are in,

the eastern or central time zones, 202-748-8000. mountain or pacific time zones, 202-748-8001. setting aside a special line for doctors and those in the medical field, 202-748-8002. we would be interested in hearing your thoughts on price transparency theory -- transparency. having this the morning after president trump it -- signed a set -- signed an executive order when it comes to price transparency by showing prices to patients. the idea is that if people can shop around, market forces may drive down cost. president --s, powerful companies have denied the public access to the real cost of health care services. this lack of price transparency

has enriched industry giants greatly, costing americans hundreds of billions of dollars a year. patients have been billed nearly $800 for saline, more than $6,000 for a drug test of the simplest methods used. $17,000 for stitches to just stitch up a minor wound. drastically differ between providers and hospitals for the exact same services. there is no consistency, there is no predictability and there is no rhyme or reason to what has been happening for so many years. host: that was president trump yesterday talking about the executive order called improving price and transparency in america. we want to hear your thoughts or experiences when it comes to health care prices.

202-748-8000 in the eastern or central time zones. 202-748-8001 if you're in the mountain or pacific time zone. the special line for doctors and medical professionals, 202-748-8002. more on what that order would do, it directs agencies to develop rules for hospitals and insurers to provide information based on negotiated rates to the public. this from the npr wrapup of the executive order. currently they are hard to get so after medical care is provided. that's when insured patients get their expo nation a benefit statement which shows how much the hospital charged, how much their discount received in the amount a patient may owe. consumers are unable to get price information upfront and negotiate a discount rate and insurers as well. even within the same region. uninsured patients are charged the full amount.

some provide online tools or apps that can help individual patients estimate out-of-pocket costs for a service or procedure ahead of time. research has shown few patients use those tools. so shopping for prices just isn't possible. when it comes to the executive order. your thoughts, your experiences with health care transparency, staci appel mclean, virginia. of mclean,t virginia. caller: my biggest concern is the bait and switch. when you have insurance they say there is no co-pay, nothing to worry about and then a week later there is a 200 or $300 bill for services they said were covered by my insurance. it concerns me i could break my costn mclean and it could

maybe $1000 or $2000 but if i go to kentucky, it may cost $200. we have to get a hold on the pricing thats the is a problem. the doctors and hospitals are pretty much allowed to charge whatever they want depending on the zip code you live in and that in itself is disturbing. host: thanks for the call. this is brent in washington, d.c. on that line for doctors and medical professionals. your experience with health care transparency when it comes to prices? honest, ihave to be wasn't clear on exactly what this directive was intended to do and based on what i heard, it's a little bit nebulous and it sounded from a provider standpoint, i guess confusing.

my fee structures quite a bit different from medical health fees are pretty and you may run into the occasional individual provider who may not be forthcoming with what their fees are or how they apply their fees, but generally speaking, it is pretty difficult not to be clear about what your fees are. host: can someone walk up to the front desk in your office or go to you and say can i have a menu of the costs of filling a cavity, pulling a tooth, getting braces? is that available for someone to do? it,er: if someone asks for yes, we could provide it.

it, but that is not to hide anything from patients, it's mostly because in a competitive market, most folks are shopping around and as opposed to giving all of our information that some of our competitors can use against us, we typically share what the fees for those specific procedure the patient is interested in in the moment. but yes we have a fee schedule and if someone asks for it, for the right reason i can make it available. host: is there a fear among doctors and medical professionals that if people know more about the pricing that you are going to make less money? i wouldn't say that. i think some medical professionals, some dentists in

my field, i can only speak for myself, i don't look at it from my josh from that perspective. -- from that perspective. a key principle of my practice and business is to be as transparent as possible about what we are charging, why we are charging it, when it will be charged, how will be charged because it is bad for business if the patient ends up with a bad experience. just like if they worry -- were to experience something negative from a clinical standpoint, they -- theygoing to share are not going to be shy about that. i'm not afraid of sharing my fees with my patients, but just from a competitive and business don't like the

of my competitors necessarily knowing what all of my fees are. want to say my patients, people shop around generally in life and so folks could go from one office to the next and say -- host: got your point. do you think dentists are better at providing those fees when people ask then general medical practitioners? the family doctor? caller: i think it is hard to in my experience, i would say no. insurance had private since i was under the care of my parents. any also never had extenuating medical

requireances that would truman's matzoh fees. the co-pay has been reasonable eob at the end of the time that explained to to see what was charged. i may have a better opportunity to interpret that than a patient might. totally -- they are to interpret. if you call the insurance companies ask, you can get an explanation and understand it to some degree. standpoint,der dentistry is different. host: thank you for sharing your story.

want to stay on the line for doctors and medical professionals to pennsylvania, maria called in. caller: hi. host: what kind of medical professional are you? caller: i'm a pig -- i'm a physician. my point of view is that insurance companies are a third party, they do not always know what's going on with patients, sometimes it just makes practicing medicine harder because if you need to do something whether it is a cat scan or anything like that, if they have an hmo, you have to ask for permission, it is , i'mng more difficult now a solo practitioner and that's a dying breed is most doctors cannot serve -- cannot survive as a solo practitioner.

then the patient has no choice at that point. host: you mentioned a cat scan. what is the range of costs for a cat scan and what is the reason for the range? caller: i don't know. hospital -- only the hospital knows exactly how much. and probably the insurance companies. patient, but i've said if they had to go for the hospital for surgery or removal, that would cost anywhere from a forter of a million dollars staying in a hospital for a couple of days and doing all kinds of surgery. if you are sick in this country and don't have the money, you will get support. the poor people who did not have insurance, they don't get any

care. i don't care for a card that says they don't have insurance, they don't get any kind of quality care, they go to a doctor, the doctor spends five minutes with them. and then sends them home and follow them up within three months. that's not a good kind of health care. host: brian waiting in northeastern washington, good morning. a couple of relevant stories. , anis a neighbor independent family farmer raising a fourth-generation in their house. i had a conversation with the cost of the childbirth was. i said he pays cash -- he said he pays cash for his medical bills.

the difference from my wife's birth with insurance versus his cash payment was a four digit number versus a five digit number. host: were you the five digit? caller: yes. our insurance paid three times the amount for delivery of our child and it was an uncomplicated birth in the same delivery room. third ofpayment was a what it was. is a friend had a bone spur on the foot and you go to the bone spur doctors office independent of the hospital, it was an 800 $50 bone spur surgery. to go through the local hospital that has incorporated all of eastern washington medical facilities, it turned into a $3200 bill for the same doctor, the same surgery, but just in a different building.

the same insurance company will pay for it so i just have to say you need to have a group of people calling in of record keepers and insurance people because the bottom line is people that have bankruptcies have health insurance, but of those health insurance people, they do not get complicated by their health insurance and the last professional doctor who called in made it obvious how difficult billing is. i lost interest in his explanation because it was so drawn out like i was listening to it on a robotic explanation. there is too much paperwork, there is too much overhead and now we also have a situation where the corporation health care, if you want to be a vendor for this big health company, you $500to submit almost a

payment to them to be on their vendor list to do services for that medical facility. host: folks on twitter. one saying no one person is exactly the same there are so many variables for health care how long do we wait to see prices go down, just some of the many comments as we have been chatting this morning. carol saying patients should be told the prices of procedures and care and what their responsibility will be. one saying president trump is taking steps. huge thanks to the president is what linda says. another -- just some of the comments this morning. thats next in new york on line for doctors and medical professionals. caller: good morning.

occasions on numerous to make some points clear about the plight of physicians and what they are caught up in. no one goes into medicine to make money. if you see what it is to reach the point where you have your own practice, you would realize people go in to medicine for the love of medicine. most physicians, 98% of physicians are salaried. that means they work for somebody else. prices, theyt any don't set any fees, they don't even get to decide how much effort is put in to repair a patient or prolong the life of the patient. is businesscare upon business upon business and that word entrepreneur which is a pejorative 19th-century french

term for the taker in the middle, those are the ones making all the money, they do not of the work. they throw money into the system so you see new machines and new systems come into existence because these guys have bought them for the institution, but essentially it is the patient who pays for that and the doctor has nothing to do with that aspect. host: what kind of medical professional are you? caller: neurosurgery. host: you work by yourself or are you salaried? caller: i'm retired now. i got out because i thought it is getting to be where you have the responsibility and none of the authority. the essential problem is we have so many profit motive layers, people who know nothing about health care, play no role, and so many unfixed salaries and have all the responsibility. health care is an ongoing continuous process.

the patient has a relationship with the doctor and only goes when he does not feel well is the patient who is shortening his own life. we are discussing this at the idiotof trump, who is an and we are essentially putting at risk the life of all our children doing this. fresno,is is dee out of california. caller: good morning. day with youe a folks that everybody shows their medical bills. i worked for an insurance company for 25 years, i know the contracted rates, i know the negotiation the goes on. 90% places in my area are of bills meaning they can bill you whatever you are responsible for that payment and 10% if you

have a coinsurance. i had a recent surgery last year. i'm getting up in age, had a recent surgery last year, had an x-rays, than they gave me a cd to take it to the specialist. guess what? when i get to the specialist, they don't want to accept that for the mri i've already paid out-of-pocket for. therefore sending me to do another. because it wasn't under their watch. game.hink that is a they also do the same thing with all of my labs, everything i have previously went through, they want it -- they want to duplicate some of in their own facility. where does this stop?

accepting ourtart cds, something we already paid go, it is well-known if you to a hospital and have your test done, they charge you double. if you go to an independent, they charge you half. when are we going to start talking about that? stop does all the money coming from, if we paid for within twoously weeks or three weeks, a month, then you go to a specialist, why are they demanding the same test? host: our last caller in this segment of the washington journal. to the return next foreign policy discussion with a number just another member of the house foreign relations committee joined by democratic

congresswoman to discuss the growing tensions and later we public -- public policy institute member about their new report on the rising costs of specialty prescription drugs. stick around for those conversations. we will be right back. ♪ historian, a war historian of different ideologies. friends of mine said why do you want to tackle this issue? marriage and family, you are jumping into the culture war. do you really want to do this? >> authoring grove city college professor will be our guest on in-depth sunday, july 7. his latest book is the divine

plan. takedownles include and the crusader. as long as -- as well as books around the spiritual lives of ronald reagan, george w. bush and hillary clinton. join our conversation with tweets, facebook questions. live sunday, july 7 from noon to 2:00 p.m. eastern and be sure to watch in-depth next month with author lee edwards. weekend ontv every c-span2. ♪ the house will be in order. >> for 40 years, c-span has been providing unfiltered coverage of congress, the white house, the supreme court, and public policy events from washington, d.c. and around the country. so you can make up your own mind.

created by cable in 1979, c-span is brought to you by your local cable or satellite provider. c-span, your unfiltered view of government. washington journal continues. host: we welcome to our desk for the first time, virginia democratic congresswoman abigail spanberger. you previously served as cia officers. can you talk about the work you did with the cia and how that job affects this job? guest: i was a case officer so i wasrecruiting -- i recruiting people to provide us with information that would allow our diplomats, military and president to make informed decisions. i think the way my experience as a case officer prepared me for my time in congress is my whole

thing is trying to figure out what is missing to fully understand and i think as a legislator in order to make the policy, we have to make really probing questions to recognize what could be the potential outcome of the policy ideas and whether or not those outcomes are going to actually meet our desired goals. i think it is a good background for a new lawmaker. host: can you talk about where you served and if any of your work involved iran or nuclear emissions? guest: guest: i was undercover for the entire time with the agency. europe and in u.s., the west coast of the united states. what is your assessment of president trump's strategy when it comes to iran right now? guest: the challenge i see with the strategy is there doesn't appear to be a consistent strategy and i say that as someone who has been classified and unclassified briefings.

significanthas experience with understanding iranian culture and politics and the iranian nuclear program and so i think the challenge we are see, it ise need to thinkistent strategy, i it is alarmingly absent to the view of the iranians and i think it puts us in a more challenging circumstance when we are dealing and a foreign adversary they can't understand what our priorities are because they haven't been well outlined. host: where would you see the priority should be? guest: we need to see what the goals are. we are hearing that the goal is to get diplomatic talks. the challenging point is we had diplomatic talks.

we had the talks in advance of the iranian nuclear deal that were 20 months long and it was the g5 plus one nation and the european union. you look at the people at the and all these countries came together in multilateral agreements to negotiate with the goal of having a nonnuclear iran. we set a plan in place and the iranians and we were abiding by it until we weren't. -- toal is to negotiate say the goal is to negotiate is -- because perhaps pivot to a place we can think is more aligned with american priorities. all of those are on the table but i think we need to recognize our engagement on the international stage has likely been seemingly frenetic because

we are now saying we want to have what it is we walked away from. host: we are less than a week removed from an aborted military strike. we sent an hour asking viewers if they thought congress should do more to reassert its war power authority. the majority of viewers who called and said yes. would you agree with them? host: 100 -- guest: 100%. we continue to be vocal on this. i would argue this is not a partisan issue, congressman doing it -- congress doing its duty of authorizing war actions in the executive respecting congresses constitutional authority, it's the -- over the years it has been easy for congress to give up some of that decision-making toer, then we don't have make the hard decisions to send

a child off to war. it is easy for the executive to be able to push the envelope, especially with a willing congress. the way we address it is we step up and say it is our responsibility, not just our constitutional authority, but our authority to say -- have a say in whether we are sending u.s. soldiers and airmen and marines and sailors off to war. ist: is there pillow -- there the political will to do that and why hasn't it been there in recent years? >> i can't speak to why it hasn't been there in recent years, i wouldn't broad brush terms say taking votes on whether or not we are engaging military action is potentially hard, potentially politically sensitive and people of want to avoid those. i haven't been there so i can't speak to prior congress actions. in terms of the will now, there is a bipartisan energy on the

ground for members of congress who want to assert the role of congress, our constitutional authority. we are talking about the role of the authorization of military force of 2001 and 2002. predominantly because it does seem as though the administration is to some degree trying to create a pathway to use the prior authorized military force to potentially take action against iran. host: you are with us until the top of the hour. you can call in on phone lines. for republicans, 202-748-8001. democrats, 202-748-8000. independents, 202-748-8002. we will get your calls in just a second. switching topics to what's going to be on the house floor today, how this bill potentially on $4.5 billion in emergency humanitarian aid for border

relief, we heard about a possible split in the democratic caucus on support for the bill. do you supported and are there the votes? guest: i believe there are the votes. and yes i supported. i supported because we have seen horrific humanitarian conditions and we have seen troubling reports which every member of congress should be absolutely alarmed by. it is not a partisan issue how we treat people in u.s. custody. it is an issue of who we are as a country and how we conduct ourselves. and the standards to which we hold ourselves. an absolute need for additional funding. the detention facilities or their breaking point and we need to authorize the funds and so i will be supporting this bill. in addition to other pieces of legislation, the keeping families together act.

outline what our minimum standards that we as a nation should consider necessary in any detention facility. ist: are you concerned this handing over money to the trump administration that might go to aggressive tactics for arrests and deportations? how do you make sure this goes to where you think it is going to go? guest: part of that is we have to say this money is allocated -- atod and water and these facilities. it is up to us and we can take issue with some of the administration actions and also it should be on us if we don't like the laws the administration is prioritizing and enforcing, we have the power to take action . i mentioned the keep family --

families together act, they are putting that piece of legislation forward. cannot jeopardize the health and safety of people held in detention facilities by not funding them. host: plenty of callers waiting to chat. kathleen out of ohio, democrat. caller: good morning. wish there would be more focus and talk about the history of the nonproliferation treaty, which we know iran signed decades ago and israel continues to refuse to sign the npt and has around 200 nuclear warheads. talk about why we don't push israel to sign this? we know they have been pushing us toward the confrontation with iran for a long time. talk about u.s. history with 52, shootingp in

down one of their airlines. host: a lot to go on there. as a regional actor, one of our greatest conflict with iran is its interactions potentially and its aggressive stance towards israel, one of our closest allies. when we determined we wanted to justforward with the jcpoa a couple of years back, part of our motivation was a nonnuclear iran is not just an issue of securing our national security, but those of our partners in the region and particularly the security of israel. and our european partners in the next door region. the long history we have had with the iranians in terms of our efforts and ensuring change

of government. we have seen shifts in around from a democratic nation to an authoritarian regime and across -- and across that where we fighters of now in the relationship of the countries that you have access to nuclear weapons. iran is kind of the current chapter in our current political process. i think it's important when we are looking at a ron, we are informed by -- iran, we are informed by history. is whereon the jcpoa we should be looking at what is possible and the current regime government purview has been going to discuss. david, republican,

good morning. caller: howdy. i called to talk about iran. i would like to have a mention -- you've got the jcpoa that was put together by basically the old colonial powers, the u.s. is the exception to that. after some territories the spanish-american war but we didn't try to colonize. thepeople in the region, other country -- the arab countries, certainly israel and saudi arabia don't want anything to do with the jcpoa. they are happy the u.s. withdrew. you can look at the line when the congressman was there earlier, the showed the line, the trajectory of enrichment the uranian's are on right now and soon they will have the ability to make a bomb, that is always there because the treaty wasn't worth anything. they postponed the inevitable and gave the uranian's the

ability -- iranians the ability to have their biggest economy possible, $150 billion and deals all over the world. the europeans are the ones who want to do business with iran, they still want to. there were a lot of things announced about companies in england and germany that were trying to do business, even on bbc where they are trying to talk about putting a coalition of countries, they are tired of the u.s. sanctioning them for once you business with a country like iran. you can't trust the ayatollah, it is a theocracy, the worst kind of dictatorship when you bring -- when you bring theocracy into it especially when it brings in the belief of the 12th imam. host: let's get the congressman a chance to respond. last --we showed in the two segments ago with congressman perry showing

uranium stockpile trajectories, the blue line on here is the june 8 rate showing the stockpile limit at the end of this month and have enough material for an actual weapon by december. guest: thank you for that call. affirm that io agree completely with the fact that iran is a malign actor in the region, it is very difficult to deal with iranian intentions, but when it does come to the jcpoa, when we look at the countries that came to the table , countries involved in the conversation, russia, china included. we had a multilateral effort to s of as the challenge nuclear iran. priorities,iety of but ultimately the one agreed upon purpose of this agreement

theto ensure iran is not on path towards a nuclear weapon. along the way even as recently has confirmedea iran was keeping it side of the bargain. it remains to be seen what will wepen in the future now that have stepped so far away from butterms of that agreement, i think it is important to note that for a time even past the u.s. withdrawal, iran was keeping to its portion of the agreement. host: 15 minutes left with abigail spanberger, democrat from virginia. twitter, they write in ingail is a deep state wonk the john brennan mold. i wonder what your thought is on the deep state -- the phrase deep state? guest: i think it is a

iallenging term, i think actually don't understand why anyone would think someone who has devoted her life to public goal of keeping this country safe from attacks and terrorism and work wholeheartedly to reform -- i don't understand why anyone would determine there is some sort of deep state. i find it quizzical. it is an insult that seems to be coming about and in recent terms it was certainly something we heard on the campaign trail. i would challenge everyone to question the notion of this deep state. i'm public with my opinions.

clear, iions are very worked as a cia officer in support of this country and in support of the constitution. as a member of congress this is a third time where i've sworn an oath to uphold the constitution of the united states. probably an easy insult for some to lob on twitter, but it has no bearing. host: lakeland, florida is next. peter, independent, good morning. caller: good morning and thank you for having the congressman on. observation, i have a tough time now trusting the government and the media covering government officials. , the japanese oil tankers, the rest of the world is questioning everything. they are openly saying it's a cia set up.

then we have the drone being shot down. is it classified to have the gps coordinates not available to the american people? because of the drone was in fact in iranian air, we are just trying to start a war. starting the war for the weapons industry because i've got all of these retired generals telling me war in the media, or is it for israel? people don't trust you guys anymore. host: congresswoman. guest: i think peter makes an think thereint, i is a deep lack of trust at times. there's so much information that is deeply conflicting and i think it is fair for people to challenge what happened in washington and around the world. i think in a way to try and affirm a level of trust that voters and constituents that people have across the country, this is one of the reasons why for example the arms sale, the

executive branch, the administration has issued a national emergency in order to be able to sell weapons to saudi arabia and other regional partners and many members of the house foreign affairs committee find this deeply troubling. congress has authority over the sales in declaring this emergency effort, the administration is seeking to in run congressional authority here. if we look at the changing dynamics and why are we selling these two saudi arabia, without congressional approval? see reasons why we and we affirm the trust do that by doing our job. we do that in the actions of our counterparts in the department of state or debarment of

agriculture. i think to some degree this notion of us conducting oversight has gotten spun into being an adversarial circumstance. sometimes it's ensuring the u.s. government is making -- and sometimes it's affirming what we're are doing is working. it does not make the news rolese it's an important and it's working well. i think to address the concerns and the lack of trust that people like peter have, what we can do is ensure where possible congress is asking questions to ensure the decisions that the administration is making or congress might be making. get to make decisions we debate them for quite some time. forth,show that back and

we have information come to the forefront. host: a follow-up on the saudi arms deal. you introduce legislation to block part of the gun sales with your colleague who has called for blocking all of those. guest: it is multifaceted effort. on the senate side there are efforts to try and block the sales. in the house we've introduced four bills. i'm an original cosponsor of the original three bills. our efforts are on all fronts to try and assert constitutional authority and make sure, when i say reassert constitutional authority it's not just the fact in this circumstance we are not -- this circumstance being the administration is declared this emergency, the challenge is not --t we don't get to we have legitimate questions like if we sell some of these

,eapon systems to saudi arabia there are verifiable reports some of the weapons we have sold two saudi arabia have made it into the hands of our enemies such as isis. some of our questions are if we are doing this at such a quick pace, doing this under the auspices of an emergency, how can we ensure the weapon systems are not making it into the wrong hands of our other adversaries? some of the portions of this proposed sale include us manufacturing in saudi arabia. we have significant concerns about what that means for the intellectual property and understanding of how to produce what has to this point been produced weapon system. host: med has been way -- ahmed has been waiting in herndon, virginia. caller: thank you for your service.

, youvery proud of you travel overseas so many times. , he knows how to run for a war better than the generals and the cia, having said that, have you ever seen anything like it? the president who called an attack and on the way he turned off. it seems to me he gets his information from saudi arabia and netanyahu. we can't have that. i think it is sad that your answering the questions, people who don't know how this works and i'm very thankful that i have someone like you who andeled, worked at the cia i'm recruiting my daughters to become cia so they can work for this country. guest: thank you for those comments.

he commented on some of the regional issues, are we doing this to support saudi arabia, to support israel? there are so many complicated relationships and priorities within the middle east. it takes people with a strong background in understanding these and i hope i bring that background to service on the foreign affairs committee. he also mentioned the aborted attack, the missile strike on iran. what i find challenging is allegedly what happened is 10 minutes before we were set to have that missile strike, the president stopped it a stencil bleed because he was made aware there would be deaths. an estimated 150 casualties. thatep concern on this is at what point in time is he not briefed on the casualty potential in the first place before ordering to strike and was he not listening? it has been my experience and my

knowledge of how often are put on the table, you look at all possible outcomes because you have to weigh the pros and cons of every decision. happy that the president chose not to proceed with this strike. i think it would've locked us into an armed conflict that we should avoid absolutely should avoid to protect our blood and our treasure. but i also question the process if thats advising him information was not made available immediately? who else needs to be in the room to make sure we are not 10 minutes away from a potential war with iran on a daily basis. host: roger, independent, good morning. caller: thanks for taking my call. the reason why saudi arabia gets all the weapons is because they trade their oil on the u.s. dollar.

anybody who goes off that dollar is in trouble. i think iran went to the euro. gaddafi was going off in african coin and saddam hussein went off of it. it's like a death sentence. dollar,on't use that you immediately become a target to the u.s.. anybody who complains about the iranian theocracy government, they had a democracy and we put in the shah. host: guest: robert makes good points. a particularly looking at the history of iran, and our efforts so long ago,, not efforts to overthrow the shaw in iran. he commented regarding the use of the u.s. dollar throughout the middle east, and i think

there's a variety of complicated factors on why we prioritize some lives over others, but we should always be questioning relationships we have with our partner nations, such as saudi arabia, and particularly in light of some of the incredible allegations against them, some of them very verifiable. speaking specifically as a --resentative of host: you mentioned the district do you represent in virginia. this is a washington post story profile piece on you, the spanberger agail moderate democrat, working to survive in the aoc era." what is your relationship like with the congresswoman from new york? guest: i have a good relationship with a variety of

different members of congress. alexandria is a spicy, passionate, and a driven member of congress. we disagree on a lot and also agree on a lot. , respect her passion and voice and the conversations i have had with her have generally been fruitful. our districts are so incredibly different, and i hope that's where i have been able to explain to her what a district -- inine is, in suburban a suburban, rural district looking at concerns related to my soybean farmers -- and i have a lot of moderates in my district, we run the gamut. where i've have been able to tell her what a district like mine is, i hope that has been useful to her view of who i represent and what some of the calls on my time and my priorities have been because of my constituency.

i think the media loves to make these stories where they put the different members against each other. it is not about the personality. it is about the policy. we agree on things where we agree, and wherever i can partner with her or somebody on the opposite side of the aisle on the opposite end of the spectrum, i will do that if it benefits my constituents and the people of the country. host: time for one or two more callers. democrat, think for waiting periodcaller: -- waiting -- waiting. caller: can you hear me? host: yes we can. about the question is border crisis and it being mismanaged, because what i've heard is that some of the detention centers are for-profit and we are paying over $700 per child. i can't imagine paying that kind of money and they don't even have a toothbrush and they're

sleeping on concrete floors. is there a way we can make accountable the funding that has already been given and make sure it is in this bill that you're talking about today? guest: thank you so much, julie. there was a report out, a good piece of reporting that i was reading that was giving the price breakdowns, estimating it is about $775 to keep one child in one of these detention facilities, whereas some of the other facilities, where they are kept with family, it is less than $300, some cases as low as 250 dollars per person. i think we need to ask really hard questions about where our taxpayer dollars are going and what is the end result? we also need to look at overall comprehensive immigration reform with a couple of priorities in mind. when we look at those who are coming into this country and

applying for asylum, how is it we can make that process faster, consistent with values, and ensure it is secure for national security priorities when we are looking at the root cause of those coming to the country applying for asylum wherever it is we can, engage in preventative measures be at stability, aid, and develop an dollars known to work in addressing some of those factors that would lead someone to flee his or her home in central america? as angress's role oversight body, we do have the responsibility, not just the authority, to ensure the dollars spending, be at the border or anywhere else are being used to a responsible degree and meeting the goals we set forth. the notion we would be spending more than $700 per child in you main conditions -- in in human

conditions is a shocking element of why this is so shocking. host: congresswoman represents the foreign affairs committee. thank you for your time. guest: thank you for having me. host: up next, we talk about prescription drug prices and we aarp's leigh the purvis on the new report on rising costs in that sector. be right back. >> i'm a white male and i am isjudice, and the reason that it was kind of something that i learned. i don't like to be forced to be like people -- forced to like people, i like to be led to like

people by example. what can i do to change to be a better american? >> that was a remarkable moments. i didn't notice until we stepped off of the set because there were more calls like that -- more calls. there was something in his voice that touched me, and you could hear it. it was so authentic while he was searching for the words. announcer: heather mcgee, president of the policy organization as a guest -- was a guest on washington journal when gary seven tello called -- sivatelo. >> you have to remember, this was august and we had this racially charged summer with donald trump's campaign, black lives matter, the police alltings, and tragic events

in baton rouge, dallas, it was really a time where people felt like all they were seeing on tv about race was bad news. here was, first, a white man admitting that he was prejudice, which for people of color was -- we kind of said finally. announcer: sunday night at 8:00 eastern on c-span's q hyundai -- q&a.d day -- announcer: for 40 years, c-span has providing unfiltered coverage of congress, the white house, the supreme court, and public policy events from washington dc and around the country. so you can make up your own mind. created by cable in 1979, c-span is brought to you by your local cable or said light provider. c-span, your unfiltered view of government. ♪ announcer: washington journal

continues. host: leigh purvis joins us now. she is from the public policy institute, aarp, discussing a new report on prescript and drug prices. most people know what the aarp is. explain what the public policy institute does there. guest: the public policy institute is the aarp's internal think tank. it is our job to take a look at the issues aarp works on and make sure we have policies that help guide our positions and advocacy work. host: an ongoing research on prescription drug prices. they cuss through what your latest report looked into. guest: this report as part of an ongoing series. our latest report focus on specialty prescription drugs, more specifically 97 widely used specialty prescription drugs, and we found on average there price increased at three times the rate of inflation 2015 -- 2017. host: what's the difference

between a specialty and regular drug? guest: specialty's prescription drugs don't have a set definition and are typically --scribed to affect people affect conditions that affect people for the rest of their lives. a lot of specialty prescription drugs come with price tags well into the six figures. host: so the average annual cost of one specialty medication used on a chronic basis, some $79,000, the annual price was almost 12 times higher than the average price per brand named, and over 215 times higher than generic drugs. if people are trying to figure out an example of a specialty prescription drug, what is the name you might have heard of? price revatio had a

greece over 40% in 2018. you also see drugs that treat multiple sclerosis and even cancer. those tend to follow in the specialty category. host: you say specialty's prescription drugs require specialty administration. guest: the pricing is very similar to other prescription drugs, what the market can bear. there's not a lot in the health care system to stop drug manufacturers from setting prices wherever they want and increasing them whenever they want. we are starting to see the impact of giving them so much pricing power. host: if you have questions about prescription drug prices, now would be a great time to call in. special phone lines in the segment, if you are 60 and over, the number is -- 50 and over, the number is (202) 748-8000. if you are under 50, your number is (202) 748-8001. specialty talk about

and non-specialties prescription drugs. the phone lines are open now. specialty uses prescription drugs? his older americans? guest: a lot of the conditions treated affect the older populations. cancer, sclerosis, hepatitis c we have been hearing a lot about. those are all conditions that tend to affect older americans more than the younger americans. host: if people want to see prices lower, when it comes to these specialty drugs, what are the avenues aarp is advocating for on that front? guest: aarp launched a new wepaign, and within it, support a wide variety of federal and state solutions. at the federal level, we are interested in finding ways to improve generic competitions, things like prohibiting paper delay agreements where brand-name drug manufacturers and drug manufacturers work together to slow

competition. we are also interested in finding a way to cap out-of-pocket costs under medicare part d. a lot of people right now think there is an out of pocket limits, but the reality is you are required to pay some share of your costs once you enter catastrophic coverage. something else we have long supported is negotiation or allowing medicare to negotiate on behalf of its beneficiaries. right now, it can't do so and we are seeing the impact of that in the medicare spending trends. host: you mentioned medicare part d. the administration is proposing medicare part d rebate rule, talking aboutesar that proposal from the trumpet ministration. >> under our proposal, the rebates around part d, which in 2000 17 totaled more than $29 billion, will have to be passed the rackley to the patient's, right at the pharmacy counter.

think about that. discountsn of direct now reflected in senior's pocket books the pharmacy counter, starting january 1, 2020. andy defenders of the status quo are not just arguing that patients like sue shouldn't get of full benefits discounts offered by manufacturers. they are arguing we are better off if we don't kno where those discounts go at all. you possibly defend this catastrophically broken status quo that rewards higher prices, conceals kickbacks to the middleman, and denies seniors tens of billions of dollars of savings at the pharmacy counter? host: leigh purvis, is that medicare part d rebate rule isething the aarp supporting? guest: we have some ideas.

it will cost the medicare program close to $200 billion over the next 10 years and result in higher premiums. the problem that it was initially trying to solve, prescription drug prices, the reality is that they will not change and could increase. we have concerns about the implications of implementing that idea. host: prescription drug prices is our topic in this half-hour of the "washington journal." we are taking your phone calls and are joined by leigh purvis of the aarp. renee is up first from mcdonald, ohio on the 50 and older line. good morning. caller: good morning. -- i am onne one of those specialty drugs and recently had to go on medicare. a lot of the prices, like she says, are very extreme. it is hard for people on fixed income to be able to afford those medicines, so i appreciate that you are on today.

i really do. i guess what i'm asking is, what else can we do besides calling our congress, senators, governor? what else can we do because i'm really flustered. i will listen to what you have to say. i appreciate you taking my call. the first thing all medicare beneficiaries need to look at is, under medicare part d, there is extra health available for people who have relatively low income and assets buried that can reduce your costs significantly. another is talking to your health care providers. there could be a less-expensive alternative treating the condition that you're trying to treat. contacting theis drug manufacturers themselves through their patient programs. if you can meet criteria, they can -- you can often get their products at a lower cost are often for free. host: phone lines, if you are 50 and over, (202) 748-8000.

if you are under 50 years old, (202) 748-8001 is the number. joseph on the line for 50 and over from houston, texas. caller: good morning morning to both of you. guest: good morning. leigh, i have a quest -- have two questions. can you ask plane how long our patent laws concerning these can you explain how long our patent laws concerning these drugs and then how these drugs side together? guest: both are great questions. as far as patents, we think of around 20 year terms for prescription drugs, it receives a new patent. a lot of manufacturers have ways to find loopholes and extend their monopoly period. that is something getting a lot of attention. they can do things like patent their drug in hundreds of different ways, creating a

patent ticket, or they can icket, or there -- th they create an evergreen. sometimes patents can be much longer than originally intended. you also raise a great question on how the taxpayer contributes to these products. a lot of people don't know taxpayer-funded research is the basis for a lot of the prescription drugs on the market today. nihayers are paying to the or other resources for research that becomes prescription drugs that they are then charge high prices for. you can say taxpayers are paying twice. host: john is next in florida on the line 50 and older. go ahead. caller: how are you doing? when you are doing your research, did you compare american crisis to other developed nations for the same drug? and, what did you find?

and, what was your assessment as far as why the price difference? look: we didn't actually at international comparisons for this research project, however, a lot of people have been looking into that, including the current administration. it is safe to say americans do pay among the highest prescription drug prices in the world, which is a huge issue and a challenge. we do think that is something that needs to be addressed, and it is frankly not fair. that is something we are going to be taking a look at, hopefully at, hopefully in the future. a lot of research out there indicates it is an issue. host: what else have you looked at when it comes to previous prescription price watch reports? guest: we take a look at a very wide range of products. we have been tracking brand-name drugs, generic drugs, specialty drugs, and all of the drugs together for a combined market basket of around 750 drugs. we've been tracking prices for these products since 2004, and it is a very consistent trend,

especially for specialty drugs what we see remarkable price increases every year. host: what were the years we saw the largest price increases, and what was 2018 like compared to the previous year? guest: for specialty drugs, we saw a higher trend in 2014, 2015, 2016 and a relatively lower increase in 20. again, there is still -- they 3 times higher than generic. even a price increase of 7% is meaningful when you talk about a product that costs tens of thousands of dollars. a 10% increase for a $1000 product is much smaller than a 10% increase for $100,000 product -- a $100,000 product. the fact that we see a percentage price increase for specialty drugs is much more meaningful. host: gary, good morning. caller: good morning.

on -- i have private insurance, and i was forced to go on medicare when i turned eligible for medicare. when i was on private insurance, i don't understand this, my prescription was for creon and i got it for five dollars. i go on to a fixed income, the most critical part, when you are retired, and when you get the doughnut hole, everything can get into chaos as far as paying for these things, and it seems like it is almost directed at a way to give back -- get back your social security money. it takes a good chunk of it in a lot of people. guest: you are absolutely right. that is part of the reason that aarp is so engaged on this issue and part of the reason for our campaign. we are recognizing the fact that people are being asked to pay a significant share of their

income, and the median annual income for a medicare beneficiary is $26,000, so there is no way for them to be able to absorb the costs with these products. which, you raise within the medicare part d benefit. we see a lot of high cost sharing for certain products. in bright spot is the fact that the part d doughnut hole is closing and has already closed for brand-name drugs this year, and will close entirely for generic drugs next year. hopefully, that will no longer be as much an issue. however, keeping in mind that drug prices are increasing, there are people that are now spending even more than they would with the doughnut hole still open. we are seeing these prices driving a lot of out-of-pocket costs for people, a serious concern. host: on medicare part d, you talked about the concerns by the aarp on that rebate rule being proposed by the trump administration. i want you to respond to

partition barman -- patricia barn's article, a commenter on forbes. she says this could hit the aarp in the pocketbook. aarp is a leading purveyor of the so-called medigap supplement programs of its membership of 38 million older americans. she writes aarp has offered medigap policies underwritten by unitedhealth group, united health care insurance company since 1967. the insurance company compensates aarp for marketing and administrating the insurance theembers, and, clearly, loss of rebates would affect policy profitability. for the record, aarp'saarp's

positioning is no way shape or form to influenced by what is -- by anything other than what is best for our members. we have relationships with many providers, just like many other nonprofit organizations. we looked at royalties, have program dates, member fees, this is all part of the income, and all of that is public really -- publicly reported and not driving advocacy in any way. there is not a connection between medigap and medicare part d because medi-cal plans do not cover prescription drugs, so there's not a strong connection between the two. . is 100%ositioning driven by our social mission. host: linda is out of illinois for those -- on the line for those 50 and older. good morning. caller: my name is linda, and i have crohn's disease. crohn's disease requires medication that costs me $19,000 for one shot. if thereting to know is anything we can do, it doesn't cost me that because medicare will cover most of it, and i have extra help, and i was just wondering if there is

anything we can do to please bring those prices down for my crohn's. issue we ares an heavily engaged on. art of the issues we support or solutions we support as part of our campaign our efforts to bring bio similars on the market , which are generic equivalents of biologics, a subset of specialty drugs that come with very high price tags. right now, there is a 12 year wait before we can start getting bio similars on the market. we think it is important to shorten that timeframe to make have access to lower-cost versions as soon as possible. host: rochester, minnesota. good morning. caller: good morning. i wanted to call about a situation. . about six years ago, i bought a drug which was an antibiotic. the years went by and the doctors prescribed me medication, and i asked for

tetracycline. made the drug $94 and $.63 -- $94.63. there was no need to have such a high price on that medication, and i just refused it. it was exceptionally good, and i was very disappointed that that is what had become of a really old, good drug, that it was now almost impossible for an average person to just pay for an antibiotic, which i got a different kind that costed me five dollars and was nowhere near as effective. i'm glad about your work, and i think there should be conscience with the people that administer these prices on these drugs, because it is a travesty for the country and the people that really need help.

thank you for your good work. host: leigh purvis. guest: thank you. you raise an issue that is a problem throughout the prescription drug market. when drug manufacturers have a lot of pricing power, they can set high prices and increase them anytime they want. what you experienced is what is happening in the sense that people have to choose between treating a condition and paying for other things leg rent or groceries-- like rent or groceries. you fromuestion for twitter this morning. penelope writes, why are the same medications priced differently at different pharmacies? it seems like they are marked up at every turn. guest: the drug pricing system is remarkably opaque. that is why aarp has been so strongly supportive of trying to shine a light on a very black box. what you are seeing is the effects of that where there is a lot of action taking place behind the scenes that can

result in different prices for insurers. there's a lot of variation in the system. part of that is the fact that we don't understand what is happening behind the scenes. that is something we need to address. host: time for a few more calls in this segment in the "washington journal." , leigh purvisby the research director at the aarp's public policy institute. you can see their work at aarp.org/ppi. our phone numbers, if you are over 50 years old, (202) 748-8000. if you are 50,: that the line as well. if you're under 50, it is (202) 748-8001. robert, and allman, wisconsin. good morning. -- in allman, wisconsin. caller: my problem is not with the prices. for me and my wife, we have been on hydrocodone for i don't know how long because of pain.

neck, and my wife's has deterioration of the bones and needs another knee surgery, but our doctor has told us that they were going to wean us off. what we don't understand about weaning us off, weaning us off from what? none of us are hooked or are dope addicts or nothing like that. why are they trying to take people off of medication? guest: you raise an incredibly important issue. here at aarp, we are aware the country is in the throes of an epidemic of opioid abuse. our position has always been, we need to make sure patients with legitimate medical needs maintain the access to the products they need for your type of situation. there are patients that are struggling with pain and we need to make sure they are treated effectively. we want to make sure any efforts to address the opioid epidemic don't go so far as patients are

negatively affected. host: mark is out of lincoln, nebraska on the line for those 50 and older. good morning. caller: yes. i have questions like four, , anda, who does medicare like, they have no trouble telling you what they are not you have to, but argue with them for a long time to find out what they paid. it gets quite confusing. i've been on medicare 4-5 years i still take out five to $10,000 -- 5000 to $10,000 per year for medical things. host: mark, think for the call. leigh purvis. guest: that is a challenge throughout the health care system.

it can be difficult to find out what is happening behind the scenes. it goes back to increasing transparency and making sure people are informed consumers. a new executive order came out yesterday focusing on transparency for consumers, and we are hopeful it will help build on additional efforts by the administration that also helped improve transparency within the prescription drug market, in a sense they are requiring drug manufacturers to include their prices and television advertising. host: moving the right direction, how soon? that executive order, to come up with proposals and plans to make that price transparency possible , when could we see the results of that? guest: it depends on what the requests are and to which agency. the vast majority of requests should be fulfilled by the end of the year. host: laura is out of ohio on the phone line for those 50 and older. laura, good morning. caller: yes. i'm starting to wonder why.

most of these are american companies, a lot of their [indiscernible] these drugs are funded by american taxpayers. why can't our government put it cap and say you are not allowed to charge american customers anymore than you charge overseas customers because a lot of these companies charge less overseas for the exact same thing they charge americans even more for. companies,erican have american sanctions, american privileges, so why should they be able to do this? guest: you raise a question that has been asked by a lot of different people. the administration is interested in this as well. they put forth a proposal that would allow the u.s. to debate prices and prices another , for drugs administered in a physician's office. onre is interest in building

prices available in other countries, or trying to bring ours down. there is definitely clear recognition our prices are significantly higher than what others are paying and something needs to be done about it. host: have you tracked the difference and know about how much it is on average? guest: it depends on the country. i've heard anywhere from two times higher in the united states to six times higher in the united states, to sometimes, even more. it depends on the product, but across the board, we are definitely paying more. host: anna has been waiting in new castle, delaware, the line for 50 and older. caller: i swear by aarp. i have united health care, and i have a prescription plan, and medicare. the united health care just went up to $252.50 per month. i don't care about that, but i get my prescription, and what they've done, i stayed there for

and it, but i was paying forur ato $143 three month supply. off for my prescriptions, and i can get most of them for free. but, i was paying over $700 per for the ones i use, and now i swear by aarp. i've been with them for 33 years. [laughter] afford -- if they can phones, theyell ought to be able to afford their medicines. host: leigh purvis, i will give you the final minute. guest: it's always good to hear feedback like that. you raise a very important thing for people to do, shop around.

you have had a great experience with united, but there are a lot of other plans out there, and it is important for people to take a look at their plan options during open enrollment every year. there's a chance you could save a significant amount of money on your prescription drugs or other health care by making sure you are in the health care that best fits your needs. host: leigh purvis's health services reachers director at the aarp's public policy institute. the house will be in at about 25 minutes this morning. until then, in our next segment, we want to know what stories you are most interested in today in washington. phone lines for republicans, democrats, and independents are on your screen. you can start calling you now. we will be right back. ♪ >> i'm a white male and i am prejudice. the reason is something i wasn't

taught, but something i learned. don't like to be forced like people. i like to be led to like people through example. what can i do to change, you know, to be a better american? >> that was a remarkable moment. i didn't realize until i stepped off of the set, because there were more calls after that. we had to keep rolling. how powerful it was. there was something in his voice that touched me, and you could hear it. it is so authentic as he is searching for the words to say something to a national audience that most of us won't admit in our homes, i'm prejudice. on q and: sunday night day, heather mcgee -- q and a, mcgee was a guest in 2016, when gary called and she talks about the follow-up. >> you have to remember that this was august. eraad this racially charged

with donald trump's campaign, black lives matter, police inotings, tragic events all baton rouge and dallas. it was a time when people felt like all they were seeing on tv about the race was bad news. here was, first, a white man admitting that he was prejudice, which for people of color -- we kind of all said finally. announcer: sunday night at 8:00 eastern on c-span's q&a. announcer: "washington journal continues -- earn all" continues. host: the house will come in -- journal" continues. host: the house will come for legislative business today. the senate will also come in. until that time, we talk about what stories you are most interested in today in washington. republicans, (202) 748-8001. democrats, (202) 748-8000.

independence, (202) 748-8002. here a few of the stories we have been tracking today as you are calling in. the house border supplemental funding bill, there was uncertainty last night, whether it had the votes in the house to pass fox news's congressional reporter noting that senior officials in the democratic house leadership expect that measure to come up for a vote today, a four point 5 billion dollar funding bill for 4.5 billion aid -- dollar funding bill for humanitarian aid. mitch mcconnell is expected to meet with 9/11 victims group to talk about funding for the 9/11 victims compensation fund. we talked about that fund yesterday in our "your money" segment of the washington journal. today, on capitol hill,

reaction to president trump and the sanctions that the trump administration has imposed on iran, the new sanctions announced yesterday. plenty of reaction from members of congress. we will take you through that today. by writer e.g. carol. the president's, according to the whole newspaper yesterday, said she was totally lying when she recently accused him of raping her during an encounter in the 1990's, and that exclusive interview, the president denied the allegations

hours after she detailed the president during cable news interview. the president says, i will say it with great respect, she is not my type, and number two, it never happened. that story in the hell newspaper. talking about reactions to that story and the other stories we are tracking today in washington. whicht to know stories you are interested. republicans are (202) 748-8001. democrats are (202) 748-8000. independents are (202) 748-8002. of philly. first out a republican. steve, go ahead. caller: [indiscernible] nobody talks about the homeless people in america. i feel bad for the illegals coming here, but they are getting medical treatment, a roof over their head, food. nobody is talking -- especially

nancy. look at all the displaced homeless people. it is all about votes, but nobody talks about what we do in america. there are crazy comments about the border, and i want to be very respectful to her. host: one of the stories that spurred this latest debate over humanitarian aid was the treatment of children out of overcrowded border station in clint, texas. here is the story in the new york times noting that hundreds of those children have been transferred out of the border patrol station in texas or they have been detained for weeks without access to soap, clean close, or adequate food, authorities confirmed on monday. that suggests the worsening conditions and overcrowding they have reached a breaking point. caller: i think it's time for the democrats to come together with this president and stop this. we don't -- they don't want a republican to get a win.

that's what it's all about. we don't want a republican to do anything. that is a way the democrats are. it's not about what's best for america. oath sides are so angry with each other, i feel bad for these people coming through the border. everybody should have a great life, come here illegally, but again, the people coming here are living better and have better conditions than the people living on the streets. msnbc don't talk about it. not like fox news. host: that is stephen philadelphia. this is john out of illinois. an independent. john, good morning. i.e.r: i'm not financially but i'm curious how the sanctions are applied, because if it is someone's personal assets, how are they controlled by a foreign country, unless those assets are in that foreign country, which in the case of

iran would be in our country, the united states. just a curiosity, may be an answer to exactly how these are applied. host: certainly perhaps a topic for an upcoming segment on the washington journal. here's what's reported today on these new sanctions that they target the country's supreme , and the trump administration noting that iran's foreign minister would soon face sanctions, perhaps as later this week. that's the reporting in today's "financial times" about the sanctions announced yesterday in the oval office. you can see president trump there with mike pence and stephen nguyen -- steven mnuchin. maryland.next out of a democrats. good morning. caller: good morning to you.

a great conversation about health care today. i'm not a physician, but i did used to work for one of the nation's largest health insurance companies. the rates that doctors charge and hospitals charge are not the same rates that providers are contracted for with each insurance company. for instance, if you get a bill for $10,000 -- a $10,000 surgery, your insurance will pay 1000 and they will pay -- maybe you will pay 800 or 20% of that, but the contracted rate is 1000. i don't see what good trump's plan is for putting out the rates hospitals and doctors charge. hospitals get paid pretty him -- perdiem. it is a lack of a health care plan in my opinion. private insurance rations care. i worked for the insurance companies the aca, the pre-existing condition the nile, medical necessity, precertification, all part of

the ration of care. president's executive order he signed yesterday would require that hospitals publish prices reflecting what people pay for their services. the president said in his remarks that you will get great pricing. pricing will come down by numbers you wouldn't believe. the cost of health care will go way way down. that's with the promise is with this new executive order aimed at price transparency. dana in indiana, a republican. good morning. caller: hello. this is janice, not dana. host: sorry janice. caller: that's fine. i wanted to comment on the immigration on the border. believe we are doing everything we can. the border patrol is doing everything they can, and i don't know why our congress cannot,

cannot get together on this. i don't understand. what do we even have them for if they can't do anything? host: what should congress be doing, janice? caller: i believe that they ought to give the border patrol money to at least get these children fed, help , and youthese kids know, you can look at reports. i've seen reports on newsmax, fox, different channels that -- border patrol agents are bringing things to their -- from their homes. bringing clothing, all kinds of here, pelosi, durban, all of these people are sitting there, letting all of this happen.

i can't believe, you know, here we are in the greatest country in the world, of course everybody wants to come to america. janice in indiana. this four point $5 billion emergency humanitarian supplemental bill for targeted at the border, the north -- the new york times noting the house vote is expected today and we see reports it is likely to go forward, but democrats revolved -- revoltedsure over the measure. republicans are siding with the white house, which on monday threatened to veto -- threatened a veto on the bill as it was scribed yesterday. the restrictions on the measure are to dictate better facilities on facilities that

hold migrant children and to bar the money from being used for enforcing immigration law. lori is next out of alabama. and independent -- an independent. caller: i want to thank c-span for taking these calls and the "washington journal" which does a good job. i want to talk to you about an issue that is now increasingly inply exhort and given up on washington, that is the rising federal debt. many republican politicians, especially during elections, will say a few words about how terrible the debt is. almost no democrats will even talk about it anymore.

the only time democrats and republicans seem to agree on anything is when they can trade back and forth on spending measures. try to find a politician in washington who will arrange an alliance with another politician to cut federal spending and deficits as they apply to that politician's state or district. now, we have these wild proposals, completely, and practically funded by democrats -- in practically funded -- im democrats, funded by creating more debt. you notice how the gridlock and toxicity in washington has made it impossible to rationally even address this problem. spending is what they do. see if it is possible to find

any elected politician or bureaucrat in washington that will ever say, "i'm going to try to spend money to reduce the debt." that is to decline the debt, to pay it off. you will never find it in washington, d.c. it is a tragedy in this country. host: if you are a "washington journal" viewer, you are probably familiar with the u.s. debt clock, a real-time view on the deficit. the current national debt is $22 trillion and counting. the current federal budget $1,014,000,000,000 that you can see there. usdebtclock.org. rogers, next out of minnesota. a republican. good morning. caller: good morning.

how are you doing? host: doing well. caller: my comment is on the border. a couple of quick things. we have a woman representative who stated earlier today that said we should send more aid to the countries, where immigrants are emanating from. we did that for years and it didn't work. the people showing up here are basically, especially the men, are cowards. they want to stay in their own country and fight for the rights in that spot. even worse, they have no problem having little children that are not theirs and using them to get across. i think the congress is responsible, and i notice, on your show and everybody else's, rarely do they bring up congress's approval. it's about 14% to 16%? yet, they are constantly on trump at 45%.

the rate right now, our congress is doing nothing but political moves, and they are proving the president's write about the fake news. seems to behe press in torts with the democratic party. -- in cohorts with the democratic party. host: would it surprise you, your guest on the congressional approval rating, the latest gallup numbers are from may 1 through 12th. they have congress approval ratings at 20% at this point, disapproval 75%. caller: what more do you need to have? why isn't the press bringing that number out all of the time? people thatting should not be supported. that is our congressional representatives. they are not doing their job. it is their way or no way, and

it is this constant deal of investigation. electiongoing to be an in the year and a half. cut it out. us, the people of the united states, will resolve it one way or the other. host: congress will be in at 10:00 a.m., both the house and senate expected to retu rn. here's a few of the other congressional hearings taking place today that you might be interested in watching, including at 2:00 p.m. on c-span3, we show the environment's subcommittee house oversight and reform committee. resiliency, and readiness, contending with natural disasters in the wake of climate change is the title. c-span3 is where you can watch that along with c-span.org. you can listen to it streamed live on the free c-span radio app. the house judiciary subcommittee on the constitution of civil rights and civil liberties is holding a hearing on the

continuing challenges of the voting rights act at 2:00 p.m. and thering on radio website, c-span.org. the house veterans affairs subcommittee on oversight and investigation starting in a few minutes at 10:00 a.m. here. we will be holding a hearing entitled learning from whistleblowers at the department of veterans affairs. that, you can watch on the website, c-span.org. time for a few more of your phone calls, asking you what stories you are most interested in today in washington. terry out of north carolina, an independent. good morning. caller: good morning, c-span. first of all, i am from legalized immigration, but what is going on in our country now, my father served in the south pacific in world war ii, i am a veteran also. i don't understand why we go out of the country to defend our borders. yet, democrats cannot even

defend the southern border against an invasion. that is exactly what it is. it's a slow invasion, but a slow invasion into the country. i don't understand why the democrats sit on their fannie's and do nothing. thank you for that. range, tennessee, wanda, a democrat. good morning. caller: good morning. i was calling to say i don't understand why the democrats get so much blame. they've only had a voice as of the 20th of this month for five months. and the house has had -- republicans have had the house for nine years? i don't understand why we get so much blame. host: how would you rate democrats and how they are doing in the house since they won back the speaker's gavel? caller: i can't say i see anything that either side has been doing. i may not know, but it seems

like it is confusion there, so much talk, and not much to be done. host: what would you like them to get done, wanda? caller: promote peace and to being able to get along with each other, and kindness. it is so sad, it seems so sad we are so divided. host: thank you for the call from tennessee. darlene is next from oregon. a democrat. good morning. caller: hi. i am a believer in some type of universal health care, and i think one of the ways we can begin that is to combine the veterans hospitals and veterans medical care into medicare. they would have 100% care, but they would be able to see private doctors in private hospitals. it wouldn't have anything to do with people being wounded overseas. that would still be handled by the department of defense's

medical care there. we could eliminate a lot of bureaucracy by doing this, number one. number two, it would be the beginning of combining health one groupll under that has been handling health care for 5060 -- 50, 60, 70 years. to gentleman called in reduce the debt -- it would be one way, the gentleman called in, to reduce the debt. the veterans would get the best care possible because they would have access -- they would have access to any health care and doctors they want to go to. host: do you are any of your family members have experience with the v.a.? caller: my father was a veteran. he is from world war ii, fred at the end of his life. the problem was that he had to go so far from where he lived in order to get to a va hospital.

and, for the kind of care he needed. my husband and i, a very good friend of ours in his 80's living with us here, he -- my husband would get up at 2:00 in the morning to drive him to wear a bus would pick him up to take him to a va hospital, all the way in roseburg, which was, what, two and a half hours away? then, when he came home, the same bus would bring him home early morning hours, and he would have to take a cab or call my husband. this gentleman was over 80, had cancer, and in order for him to get that kind of care, that is what he had to do. when there was an emergency, we would have to take into one of the regular emergency hospitals because, occasionally, he would have some sort of outstanding pain or attack, and they would treat him for the immediate cause happening then, but yet again, his care was turned over to the v.a. and he would have to travel all the way from gold hill to roseburg, which i

believe is about 2.5 hours. host: i wonder if you have tracked the v.a. mission act, signed into law on june 6 of 2018 and went into effect earlier this month on june 6 of this month. it was aimed at addressing some of these access issues you're talking about, reducing the long drive times, allowing v.a. in thes to receive care community, if they qualified if these drive times or distance times were too long. caller: so my point is taken. they had to address it that way, even in their health care act. the point i'm making is that it is time for us to relook at veteran's health care altogether. these hospitals are few and far between. these people are not getting appointments in a timely manner, where their health can be cared for. they have to go through another

bureaucracy, with when there is medicare that covered it, at the end of their medicare number would be a v for veterans to make sure they got the 100% care as opposed to the rest of us who get 80% care, and then either by a supplemental insurance or we pay the difference. host: thank you for the call this morning. a few minutes before the house comes in and we want to get a few others who have been waiting on the line, including john in new york, a republican. go ahead. caller: good morning. i live on the east side of long island. i had a cleaning route. ad 21 industrial of industrial receipts. it was money orders, everything. the minimum money order that i had was $600.

all of that money is going south. this is three years before them coming north. they had to prepare their financial expenses before they traveled north. host: john, you are saying these are immigrants sending money they have earned south? caller: yes. on the side. we have an influx of immigrants working on the farms out here in long island. host: john, do you think there should be restrictions on how people use or what they do with the money they earn? well, i called the fbi on this. is more than 21 bags of money orders, minimum $600 per money order. that is about six years ago when i had the cleaning route in the hamptons. host: that is drawn out of new york this morning. this will be our last caller in