and particularly, let's put that aside, there are still about 10,000 translators waiting to come to the u.s. that we promised. we must bring them here or at least put them in an intermediary place until we can process them. we will never win the local people to our side again when we inevitably have to go back to war someday. no, we are not going to invest. that frightening. emily: congressman, thank you for taking the time today and thank you to everyone who watched today. i wish that we had more time, but thank you so much for coming to the press club. hopefully we will be able to welcome everyone in person to the building. rep. kinzinger: you bet. thank you, guys. take care. >> attorney general merrick garland and a light hundred mayorkas testified wednesday morning about the mastic

violence extremism. watch that senate appropriations committee hearing beginning live on c-span3, online at c-span.org or listen on the free c-span radio app. politics in cover -- congress -- politics and congress for bloomberg news. we begin with this headline in your reporting available at bloomberg.com. for the president, pivotal week as he meets with congressional leaders on wednesday, the headline saying this meeting is a pivotal point in dealmaking. what is the significance of this meeting on wednesday that will include republican leaders kevin mccarthy and senator mitch mcconnell? guest: that is the headline meeting of the week, the first time president biden meets with the top leaders in congress, pelosi and chuck schumer will be there, as well. there is a follow-up meeting on thursday with other key republican players on

infrastructure. combined, it is a real turning point. democrats are saying they are going to give bipartisanship a chance. they really have to do that because their members like joe manchin really want to see a bipartisan infrastructure deal. so it is a chance to come together, especially on issues of how to pay for an infrastructure bill. the republican offer is $600 billion, perhaps a little bit more. how to pay for it, come together on a deal, and we could see that come together at the end of the month. if things fall apart, however, we could quickly see democrats turn to the budget reconciliation process that they used for the covid-19 rescue package for 1.9 chili dollars, in which they of 50 democrats to vote together to put it through. they cannot do that process until -- this is the week where that could come together. host: if that were to come together, will republican spend

more and will democrats agree to spend less? guest: that is one of the big questions. what they were trying to do, and i talked before the recess, to try to find out what other needs. let's find some data, let's look at the exact needs and add them up. that's a way to get away from this dollar versus dollar type of debate and ground it in fact. that is what staffers are working on so they can come together on real data, what broadbent inner needs -- what broadband internet needs. the biden administration has talked about raising the corporate tax rate to 21% -- from 21% to 20%. raising taxes on those making $400,000 per year. those are holding pretty popular . there is a real chance that they could just do that, and maintain political popularity. however, republicans are rejecting that.

where the rates were lower in 2017, they are suggesting user fees. even a gas tax increase for a vehicle's mild travel -- miles traveled. and rolling back some of the spending. i talked with representative fisher of nebraska, immoderate, and that is -- a moderate. that is their proposal. host: the other headline from inside the washington times has the house republican leader, kevin mccarthy, officially saying he is and/or sing elise stefanik from new york to -- and/or sing elise stefanik from new york to replace liz cheney. that taken place the same day that leader mccarthy will be at the white house meeting with president biden. the news yesterday from fox news says something morning futures with maria bartiromo, here is kevin mccarthy. [video clip]

>> what can you tell us about next week? do you have the votes to oust liz cheney? >> everyone in leadership serves at the pleasure of the conference. as you know, there is a lot at stake. democrats are destroying this nation. we've watched the greatest expansion of government and the socialist liberal agenda. we watch to them destroy our borders. we are hundreds of thousands -- we have hundreds of thousands coming across, we are catching people on the terrorist watch list. you have destruction of our energy. got the largest missed jobs report in more than two decades. did it -- to defeat nancy pelosi and the socialist agenda, we need to be united. we need to move forward, and that ice -- that is what i think will take place. >> is this just her ideology, that she is unable to get over

being never trump and hindering her ability to discuss that very message that you just laid out? >> any member can take whatever position they believe. that is what the voters vote on the individuals, and they make that decision. we are talking about a position in leadership. we are in one of our biggest battles ever for this nation, and the direction, whether this next century will be ours. as conference chair, you have a critical job as a messenger going forward, are we talking about what the democrats are doing on the border? about all the missed jobs report that we just had? are we building an economy where we are watching joe biden create inflation we have never seen before, a takeover of government, the rising of taxes? of the damage of what will be done that we cannot come back from? that is why we need a confident -- a congress that is delivering that message day in and day out, uniting the nation to make sure that we are on the right footing

going forward. >> do you support elise stefanik for that job? >> yes, i do. [end video clip] host: that was maria bartiromo. if you were in the room watching on wednesday, what would you be looking for? guest: i am very interested with how this battle within the republican party affects the bigger biden plans. looking at the wider economy, texas is a main focus for us. when you look at the words that mccarthy was using in this program, he's talking about the democrats being distractive, using a lot of strong rhetoric. i think that makes dealmaking more difficult. my analysis is that these -- these divisions within the republican party serve to promote the idea of resisting biden. look what happens with mitch mcconnell last week, when he was asked by his own past comments about president trump, he said he is 100% focused on stopping the administration. it is different from rhetoric he

said in the past. later he walked it back, saying he wants to do deals if he becomes a moderate. they may need a common enemy of biden, and that makes it the kind of dealmaking during more political tranquil times before an election more difficult. we will likely see liz cheney ousted and replaced with nicholas the phonic -- with elise stefanik. there is not a huge deadline to get a deal, but we are looking to see how republicans posture themselves in the wake of this turmoil within their own party. host: one of those republicans in the senate's bill cassidy of louisiana, one of seven who voted to convict donald trump in his impeachment trial. he was on "meet the press" yesterday and was asked about that vote again, where he stands on the republican party, and the mistake of the gop. [video clip] >> i find that being honest with

the american people always works . if they ask about the constitutionality of the impeachment proceedings, i say watch the youtube of the first day of the impeachment and you will come away with it being constitutional. these are good americans. the more they do their investigation, the more they will come to understand that at least it is reasonable to hold a position as i and as representative cheney, and that is our process of getting to a better place. >> do you still feel welcome inside the republican party? >> absolutely. i feel incredibly welcome. leave me, some are still upset with me, and some are very pleased. [end video clip] host: that from senator bill cassidy of louisiana. your reaction? guest: bill cassidy had the historic vote on the impeachment, and talked about -- talked about the political price he may have paid. talking about the infrastructure

deal, finding: -- common ground. i'm looking very much to see where the rubber meets the road, with the proposals and the negotiations, where they get heated, whether he will put forward compromise positions and whatnot. host: let's talk about elise stefanik, representing an upstate new york district, a republican now in her fourth term. in june of 2015 we sat down with her as a freshman member of congress and had a conversation that included advice she got from her parents, including this moment. [video clip] >> my mom's advice is always maintain a moral compass, which is good for anyone but particularly when you are an elected official. it is important to live by the values you espouse, and sometimes people are very

disappointed in what they see in their elected officials, particularly millennials don't have a high approval rating of elected officials, people that get involved in politics. that's part of the reason why they don't. i think it is important to live by moral compass. >> you're here running for reelection, but have you given any thought to what is next and any other glass ceilings you want to break? >> i'm excited. i love representing this district. i'm working hard to make the promise -- to make sure the promises i made on the campaign are kept. i think there is a lot i can do on behalf of my district, so i am not someone who plans 5, 10 years in advance, in terms of if i do this, than this will open up. that's not who i am. if you had asked me three years ago if i would be sitting in my office on behalf of new york's residence, i would have thought you were crazy. i think it is important to do what you can with the job you

have now, and that's what i'm focused on. [end video clip] host: that interview available at c-span.org. that was six years ago. what did you hear in her answers? guest: elise stefanik has had a very interesting trajectory, starting off as a moderate. her ratings were much lower than liz cheney on the conservative level, partly for example she voted against the trump tax cuts, because they reduced the state and local tax deduction, which benefits new york and new jersey and other northeastern states. she is strong on defense like liz cheney, but on many social and fiscal issues she is less conservative. so she has gone from the leader of the tuesday groove of moderates to really the stalwart trump defender. her breakup moment was when the house intelligence committee held hearings that were related to the first impeachment effort. she felt that was rushed and unfair to president trump, and president trump tweeted that she

was a new star that had been born. so we really saw her rise to fame with popularity connected to that, cross-examine witnesses, and she became one of trump's defenders in the trial. she has raise her profile, and now she's on the cusp of having the number three job in the house republican conference. host: where talking with erik wasson. our phone lines are open. join in on the conversation. 202-748-8000, our line for democrats. 202-748-8001 if you are a republican. an outline for independents, you can join us on social media, including c-span wj. liz cheney is much more conservative than stefanik, but mccartney this mccarthy says she has to go. guest: for him i think it is about messaging. he has not appeared at the

weekly press conference after their weekly meeting, after there was an awkward moment in which people asked, does trump have a future as the leader of the republican party, and liz cheney made her view clear, that no, and he disagreed with that and there was this moment of dissension. from a messaging point of view, that was very uncomfortable from mccarthy. she moved away from defending her vote and saying she needs to be on message, we need to get out there every day, have a message of the day about the biden administration about tax increases, about regulation. this is becoming a distraction will that argument is really going to carry the day. it is an area that they are not punishing liz cheney for her trump stanched -- trump stance so much as they need a new minister. host: governor chris christie, now an abc contribute or, was asked about that point. [video clip] >> if you look at the absence,

the atmospherics regarding donald trump, elise stefanik comes from a swing district in new york state that president obama won twice by double digits, and then president trump won twice by double digits. she comes from a place where it is much more likely that she will bring a more moderating voice on policy into that caucus leadership than what liz cheney did, who voted 90% of the time with donald trump. >> the right qualifier there, on policy. >> of course, i say my move -- i say my words very carefully. that's what you guys pay me to do, to say the right way. she will do that. in her first campaign, she was the youngest woman elected to the house of representatives, and i think she will bring some really good things. i also like liz cheney. liz is smart and tough, but i think liz is doing what she wants to do. i don't think she wants to be in

leadership anymore, because once she won the vote earlier, she continued to press this issue publicly in a way that was antagonizing the people against her, and you don't have it entitlement to be in leadership, but you do have an entitlement to be in congress. [video clip] host: can you talk about the role that chris christie is playing in all of this? guest: for him in the long game, he is excited to be a moderate member in leadership, and that is something that some conservatives like mike johnson and others have been expressing some moments about, we have replaced cheney, an anti-trumper, which someone who is too far to the left from their point of view. he is also talking about liz cheney and her goal. a lot of people are trying to analyze what is her game here. certainly she has the moral conviction that lying about the election is undermining

democracy. but is there also political calculation? if so, it is not the short-term. it could be long-term. one of my colleagues after if she would consider running for president. she was coy. i don't think she will necessarily, but that is being raised, if everything goes south for trump, trump facing convictions, will cheney be there to pick up the pieces and put the party on a different path? host: this is from fox news that broke over the weekend, saying elise stefanik could be a one term gop conference chair. what is the strategy behind that? guest: it is interesting, that position, the washington post did a great piece over the weekend. the number three job is not all it is cracked up to be. dig army, since him, no one has -- dick armey, since him no one has risen to that type of

majority, were someone could advance up the ranks and be the head honcho, but it has not worked out that way in practice. she may cut a deal with some of these supporters to term limit herself, something we saw nancy pelosi do on the speaker front when she did not quite have the votes. we will see how that turns out, whether that promise is kept. it is not surprising given that the job is not really the speaker in training john that -- job that some hoped it would be. host: roy from queens, new york, independent line. good morning and thank you for waiting. caller: good morning. thank you for the opportunity to speak. i think that biden and the democrats should forget mitch mcconnell, who swears that his only goal is to stop his agenda,

and just work for the american people. find some way, like trump did, to work for the american people. and forget totally mitch and kevin mccarthy, who everybody has seen the direction they are trying to take this country. host: erik wasson? guest: that is certainly something we are seeing from a lot of progressive, saying let's go to the budget recreation route. they cannot do gun control or police reform, but they could do a big tax and spending bill like biden has proposed -- infrastructure, childcare, corporate tax increases -- through this budget process. they could very well do that. we predict if they do that, we could see it in september or october, probably combined with the debt ceiling that needs to be raised.

before they return to that process, they have to convince the router it's -- the moderates in their party go along with it. joe manchin of west virginia has become the leader of that faction, saying he will not ram things through until he talks to republicans. joe biden also needs to talk to republicans. that is who he was in the senate. even when he came to the joint member of congress, shaking hands with some members, saying they had private conversations with him, where they talked about working together. i think he feels in his gut that is why he was elected and why he was able to get those independent votes in the last election, and he's got to at least try. we are not going to see them turn to this part of the process right away, but given the way republicans have messaged recently, it may very well become inevitable by the summer and fall. host: jerry is next, republican line from broadway, georgia. good morning. caller: i keep going back to the

2020 election. i would just like for everybody out there to ask ourselves one question. if, as the democrats say, there was no fraud, why are they trying so hard to pass a bill that would legalize all aspects of fraud that they say didn't happen? host: thanks for the call. caller: you want me to respond to that -- guest: you want me to respond to that? the issue here is the voting rights bill that had the mark up the senate this week, and basically it gives the federal government more power over elections. the republican argument against that is that the states have the power now and that we should not erode that. but democrats say what is happening in texas, georgia, and other places, where you see their effort to limit access to the polls -- fewer drop boxes, women did hours, other aspects.

they also argue -- limited hours, other aspects. this is a big debate going on. i think if it is something that gets through congress, you cannot do it to the budget process. it has become a big debating point on the hill. we will see republicans focused on messaging about s one this week, i'm told. and the debate continues come as we see in states like texas, also rolling out their own voting changes as the fallout from the 2020 election continues. host: from albuquerque, new mexico, kathy on the democrats line. caller: i'm a democrat and i could not be further than on the other side of the other side of liz cheney, but i still think want to stand up for her because she has a lot of courage and is showing the republican meant to be cowards. she cannot stop talking about it, it seems that trump is trying to stay involved.

i think it is an excuse, and i what to stand with her. i think she is showing a lot of courage and what is right. host: based on what she was just saying, let me get your reaction to indiana congressman jim banks, heading up the republican study committee, a conservative group within the republican party. he appeared on fox news sunday yesterday with host chris wallace. [video clip] >> what is it about liz cheney? she focuses on joe biden's agenda very strongly. >> that has not been seen as much as most of us in the republican congress would like to see. it is uncomfortable at times, but one of my jobs is to hold my republican leadership accountable for being focused on the republican ideals that we stand for, and the single mission that we have to win back the majority.

at this point, the reason that you and i are talking about liz cheney is the exact evidence that she has failed in her mission as the chief spokesperson of our party. we should not be talking about liz cheney, we should be talking about pushing back against the radical biden agenda, and this is all a distraction from our ability to do that. i don't know who will replace her, but that is a discussion the congress will have this week. and that we will take up because it is necessary to do so. >> i fast you two questions, congressman? why are you unwilling to discuss her criticism of president trump? >> i'm not, and as a rank-and-file member of the republican conference, -- liz cheney or anyone else in congress can stay focused on other issues in winning back the majority in the midterm election. the belief i had is that -- and that a majority of our conference has is that she has lost focus on the single mission

that we have and went to push back against the radical biden agenda, and that is why she needs to be replaced. make it clear to all of your viewers, chris, that we are not kicking her out of the republican party as she is removed from her leadership post. but in her leadership post, any member of congress doesn't just represent their district, they recommend -- they represent 212 members of the republican congress. [video clip] host: from fox news sunday. his name was mentioned briefly for the number three slot, and then he was true. why? guest: one of the things that republicans really have in the wider elect to -- in the wider electoral fields, the idea that they would have an all white male inter-ship team, they had optics. elise stefanik, just based on that has a lead over jim banks

or mike johnson or other people who have credentials, working in caucuses, who probably have significant support for their views and talents, but the only thing that she did aside from her defensive trump was to get more republican women elected. after democrats took over, there were only 13 republican women in the house, more than doubled. there is a real effort among republican women, and an effort speaking to those who oust cheney -- i think thanks probably have a limited possibility given that demographic. host: and of course liz cheney is facing a primary challenge back home in wyoming next year. guest: she may very well be -- that would be up to the voters. host: you are on the air from

erik wasson from bloomberg news. good morning. caller: good morning. i believe liz cheney should be replaced. the way she did about their president, whoever that is. and it is very discouraging that you have to keep your people in line, and so this woman whose father much killed lots of americans, based on filthy life, i am happy he is gone because she represents everything and the republican party that i as a republican are fighting against. host: thanks for the call. erik wasson? guest: bringing up liz cheney's father is an interesting point.

donald trump called her warmonger. he campaigned before the presidency, retaining the presidency against the involvement in iraq. he did not complete the withdrawal from afghanistan, but he set that in motion. he certainly is with the america first idea, there are certainly republicans who agree with him, in that they want to retain this coalition, where there are others who are very much about in the reagan tradition of expanding democracy abroad, having a strong military presence. we see this debate as well, but i think liz cheney would respond you don't see democrats out there criticizing biden necessarily the same way, although it is early days and we may see progressives coming out strongly against those ideas if he continues to be a moderate in their point of view, but cheney would say what trump did on january 6 was really the exception, when we had a riot that he encouraged and we saw

damage and death. so i think she would say this was an extraordinary circumstance and the fact that he continues to lie about the election is a real danger. host: randy has this text message, saying, would you ask your reporter, "i believe their actions prove this belief of mine." guest: there is a worry about that, other moderate republicans are saying we don't want to go down this road. there is no real evidence. if there was minor evidence of fraud, it did not possibly amount to the number of votes it would need for biden to win the election. 70% of republicans believe whether it is through their intake of meteor trump's particular comments that biden was not legitimately elected, it is a real problem because there is no real evidence for that. if 70% of one party believes

that, where down the road -- we are down the road to not having faith in our elections, and our elections are a cornerstone of the constitution and our country. host: this is another viewer tweet saying, if republicans don't win every election, they will always claim fraud every -- anyway. from new york, democrats line. good morning to you. caller: steve, i first want to say it is so wonderful to have you back. i really missed you, and you are a great moderator. i wanted to say this for a long time. it might not be quite a question, but first of all, what the republicans have been doing is so unpatriotic and just nasty. what's happening to cheney, even though i am not a democrat and i -- i am a democrat and i don't agree with her politics, but the

fact that she stood up to what is called the big lie, it is just amazing that she stood up for that. she spoke out, but it is very -- i watch a lot of news, so i have been watching how the republicans are dismantling our democracy, all the way from mitch mcconnell, who i really disdain. they did not -- they let trump go, which is the most dangerous thing they could have done. i don't know what is going to happen, but we are in very, very dangerous predicament here. elise stefanik, i am running out of time, but the meanness that the republicans spew out -- i'm not trying to be, you know, sort of one-sided here, because i try to be fair in my thinking all the time, and i think through things. when i am watching the

republicans, it is just a pure viciousness. there is no common sense. let biden govern. he is a very, very decent man. i voted for him. i am very happy with what he is doing. we don't have to agree on everything, but the principle of honor -- the man is a patriot, he is doing the best he can. especially mitch mcconnell -- it's like obstruction, obstruction, obstruction. the bottom line with these republicans, including christy, who is quoted all the time -- he goes with the wind. he is not to be trusted. it is just honestly come as a viewer of c-span -- and i love c-span, you know -- i am learning a lot. in terms of how -- what people are saying. but meanness at a time when we need to hear as a country, and

biden is trying to do that, i don't know what the end result is for republicans. it seems like there is something that is not quite out there on the surface, that there is sort of a united front of just trying to obstruct biden and to protect trump is the scariest thing. this is a man that destroyed our country, is constantly lying, and the meanness and the tweet and degrading people. you can have a difference of opinion in politics, that's fine. we are not always going to think the same way. but when you are trashing people as being mean and lying and telling his followers to go to the capital -- which is obvious that he planned that. how much more simple can it be, america?

host: i will jump in on that point. keep watching c-span and we will get a response from erik wasson. guest: one of the things i have to point to is the media itself -- maybe the loudest, meanest voices get airtime. that is drama. i would say a lot of republicans i meet are pretty levelheaded and not really nasty people. they may differ from biden, but they are not often the voices that are heard. so i think for me personally, there is hope of people coming together, just from a personal level. i would say the media personally -- making vicious comment perhaps, that does not get a lot of play. but certainly we are at a crossroads, and the country is very divided. and it is hard to come back after polarizing presidency

after polarizing presidency, after january 6, viewing your neighbors and countrymen of a different party in a positive light. host: a lot of comments coming in on our twitter page. a lot saying alice, to the moon. a phrase on jackie gleason. thank you for waiting, good morning. your comments or question to erik wasson? are you with us? good morning. caller: yes, i have three real quick comments. the only death that really happened on january to -- january 6 was the white woman who was unharmed and shot. and then for you, my comment is, joining the 22 -- what you did for the 2020 debate is shameful, and i'm surprised even let you back on fulsome and from your guest, why should we believe

anything this guy says? because in his newspaper and everything, they said during the 2020 campaign not to report anything or do any investigation on his boss, mike, or any democrat. only republicans and trump. so thank you very much. host: erik wasson? guest: certainly there are controversial decisions that news organizations make, some that i don't agree with. i try to be balanced, fair, try to base my own reporting in facts, and i would ask to be judged on do own reporting. host: what is the deadline to reach some sort of agreement? will it come before memorial day's rate? guest: the environmental public works committee and infrastructure committee are how -- trying to markup the highway and transit portions of this bill.

there are earmarks on all of that, that are trying to come together in a bipartisan way before memorial day. the real question here, nancy pelosi says she wants to do at least the jobs package that biden put forth, and i'm being told that may flip. that is also setting up action before the august recess. traditionally congress has the deadline in august, and that kind of deadline creates the kind of pressure, the kind of heat that get something done. if we don't see it then, we go back in the fall and the government could have the funding deadline by august 1, and that tends to create action. we're looking at those chokepoints versus the congress getting something done. host: erik >> c-span's washington journal. every day we take your calls live on the air on the news and

to discuss policy issues that impact you. tuesday morning, look at the biden administration decision to waive intellectual property for the vaccines. then michael farren and judy conti talk about the biden administration economic policies and the effect on job creation. watch washington journal live at 7:00 eastern tuesday morning and join the discussion with phone calls, facebook comments, text messages and tweets. next, army leaders review priorities and modernization efforts and talk with the atlantic council about withdrawal of u.s. troops from afghanistan, cyber warfare, and future weapons technology.