journalism. exploring the american story. watch american history tv saturday on c-span # and find a full schedule in your program guide or watch online any time at c-span.org/history. joins us.

thank you for giving us your time this morning. guest: glad to be with you. good morning. host: with the build back better act in the senate and maybe undergoing changes, how much of those changes do you think would impact the climate provisions within it? guest: i hope we can keep the strong provisions of the build back better act. as a member of the committee on science and technology and as a member of the select committee on climate crisis i have been listening for a long time to scientists. we know it is with us now. we need to listen to the red alert the scientists are telling us. i'm hopeful the provisions stay in the senate bill. people are feeling the effects of climate change across the country. host: our previous guest talked about fossil fuels. as of now the main force for

america's energy needs. what would you say about the alternatives that can replace what fossil fuels currently do? guest: that's a great question. there is no question anymore the greenhouse gas emissions are causing climate change. we need to transition to a clean energy economy. renewables are becoming more cost-effective, particularly when you consider the health effects and the impacts of climate change. as we increase the use of renewable energy, whether it is solar, wind, wave energy, there is a lot of potential. we will see costs go down but households will improve. we are spending tremendous amount of money dealing with extreme weather events, which we know are exacerbated by climate change. you see more frequent and intense severe weather events. it is taking lives and costing

money. we need to make the transition to clean energy economy. i want to say i was thrilled when i heard president biden he think of climate change and he things of jobs. there's an in norma opportunity between the infrastructure built that was signed into law and with our transition to clean energy. wonderful potential for people to be able to scale up and get good living wage jobs to support their families. host: you attended the u.n. climate change conference in scotland. you saw the promises made by the other countries. can countries actually meet those promises? what is your level of confidence in that? guest: i was thrilled to be able to attend the conference in glasgow this year. what is encouraging is to see the presence of the biden administration there. we are all in on this.

we had president biden there, former president obama, the secretaries of energy, transportation. so many administration officials with a commitment to address climate change. former senator, secretary john kerry is really leading the effort. with the united states showing that leadership i am optimistic we will be able to make those commitments and also work with other countries. we know climate change is something we need to address globally. i was encouraged to see u.s. leadership. we had some great meetings at the conference and look forward to continuing to do the work to make the transition and help people get these good jobs in clean energy as we transition from fossil fuels. host: the house at the coming at 9:00. our guest when guest until that time. (202) 748-8001 for republicans.

(202) 748-8000 for democrats. independents, (202) 748-8002. you can text us your questions or comments for our guest at (202) 748-8003. representative bonamici, we saw the extension to government funding. what about the use of the short-term extension to fund government? guest: obviously i would prefer to do long-term appropriations and not have to do a last-minute continuing resolution. however, that being said, i'm grateful we were able to keep the government open. it is our responsibility to do that. government shutdowns don't help anyone. we will continue to do our work. we have until february to pass these appropriations bills and continuing to operate government. i was encouraged to see everyone come together.

unfortunately it was at the last minute but we were able to do that. we will continue to do our work to keep the government open and functioning and meeting the needs of the american people. host: when it comes to the last-minute issues, the debt ceiling being one of them, what is the best result for that issue? guest: everyone is working on it. the debt limit is to pay the bills that are already incurred. we don't default on u.s. debt. it would be devastating to our country and the economy. i'm optimistic we will be able to come together and find a way to meet that requirement and not default on debt. host: this is jerry from minnesota. rogers, minnesota. republican line for our guest suzanne bonamici of oregon. caller: good morning. i have a question.

i think the major concern is when the largest pollution producer in the world, china and russia don't attend and have no interest in abiding by the rules put forward, what good is it really do? secondly, i think transitioning to better forms of energy is great. right now you can't -- i can't heat my home with potential energy. i think the policy the biden administer ration took of attacking the fossil fuel industry before we were ready to be up and running on a better way of doing it was foolish. it was full hearty. it is what happens when you get zealots and extremists trying to force an issue before you are ready to do it. thank you. guest: thanks for your question. i am very aware of the role of china and russia.

this is a global issue and we absolutely need to address it, the transition to clean energy economies. towards the end of the conference there was a conversation and negotiations between the u.s. and china. i hope we can have those global conversations. in some ways china is ahead of us on things like electric buses. there needs to be a commitment globally. the u.s. can show that leadership and show we can make that commitment to not only transition to a clean energy economy but create jobs that come along with it and make sure everyone has access to energy. we will absolutely doing that as we transition. there is not going to be an abrupt change. it will be a transition. i had the opportunity to write in electric freight truck. -- ride in an electric freight

truck. it's a partnership between daimler and general electric. there was a charging station right there for trucks and school buses. we are working on making sure there is reliable energy for everyone as we transition. a lot of the transition away from coal, that is market driven and voluntary. renewables are lowering -- lower in cost. there is also how savings and the savings that come with making sure we are not cleaning up after this huge extreme weather events we have seen increase infrequently. take care. host: ron, west chesterfield, new hampshire. guest: good morning. caller: good morning. . i have two comments. one for c-span, "washington journal" in particular.

pedro, the moderators, some people, congratulations on another great year. i love this show. for your guest, which i'm honored to speak with, i have a question and a comment. it's about bipartisanship. with the republicans, the moderate republicans. the far right is way to wacko. there is a lot of areas we can work with moderate republicans and democrats. the roe v. wade, the border wall. we do need a solid border on the southern border or we are not a sovereign country. we also need to reform our immigration system. roe v. wade, unless rape, inc sest, the possibility of the month -- incest, the possibility of them being killed from the

pregnancy, the mom should have a baby. that life should come to the world. but i don't want to just forget about it. have a grope in a drug infested, gang infested area. the child tax credit, things like that, would help ensure those things would not happen. i would be for some more things towards trying to get the mom to want to have a baby. things like that would not be used as an excuse anymore. i can understand a mom's hesitance to bring another child into a situation like that where the father is in prison and they are growing up in a drug infested, gang infested, inner-city, nastiness. for the next 18 years they are part of the problem. host: ron, thank you for that

call. representative? guest: so many thoughts in there. the way i approach my work in congress is when i look at a piece of policy or legislation, i asked myself, will this create a better future for the people i represent? a lot of the thoughts you had relate to that. will this create a better future? i stride to be bipartisan and have done that since i joined congress. i have several pieces of bipartisan legislation i'm working on now. one is to help kids in childcare get an extra meal. it's a bipartisan piece of legislation. legislation to help anti-party agencies -- anti-party agencies -- anti-poverty agencies.

providing headstart for kids, a low energy assistance program, and truly anti-poverty issues. i have bipartisan legislation to address the climate crisis. blue carbon. we restore habitats. that act as a carbon -- to protect natural habitats. we strive to create a better future. i see more optimism. women's rights, it's up to the person who is pregnant to make that decision with her unconscious and health care provider -- with her own conscience and health care provider. i strive to be bipartisan without sacrificing values, but also understand we need to move forward on many of these pieces

of legislation and create the better future. thank you for your question. host: during the debate over build back better we saw the progressives have a voice as far as the way things played out. do they have a stronger voice now within the house caucus? what does that mean as far as getting the president to go along with the things they would want? guest: thanks for the question. the progressive caucus is almost 100 people. i am a member of the caucus. it's important to have those values. we pushed hard for making sure we have affordable childcare. right now i have spoken with parents in oregon. they can't go back to work because they cannot find childcare. if they find childcare, they cannot afford it. making sure childcare is affordable, we pushed hard to make sure people are not paying

more than 7% of the income. we have pushed hard to make sure there is funding for affordable housing. this is something i hear about all across oregon. not just urban areas but also rural areas on the coast. people cannot afford housing. we have pushed hard to make sure there is funding for affordable housing. the progressive caucus has a significant voice. with about 100 members, it's important for those voices to be heard. we compromised along the way to get the deal done. it is important to have this voices as well. host: the president compromised on the programs. does he still have your ear as far as the ability to influence the president? guest: i don't look at it as influencing the president. he is working together with the administration to make sure we have the best policy and help the people we represent and we are rebuilding our economy in a

way that works for everyone. host: the jobs numbers have come up. the un-implement rate is 4.2%, but only 210,000 jobs added. will this be a continuing issue? guest: the pandemic has been incredibly challenging over the last almost two years. if you told me a year ago we would still be in the pandemic, i don't know if i would have believed it. the administration is doing what they can right now to help make sure people get vaccinated and boosted and make tests more available. we must address the pandemic. as we begin to see that light at the end of the tunnel, things are getting better but now there is a new variant. you have to be ready for that. not panic but be ready for it. increased access to vaccination but also testing so we can stay safe. as we get to the light at the end of the tunnel and we see more people able to go back to work, more jobs created, the

upper structure built we passed and transitioning to clean energy, we will create a tremendous amount of jobs. that will make the economy grow and be more robust. when you look at the economic fairness of it, it's been a real concern that too many people are struggling. i have worked hard to get workforce provisions and to build back better. we will continue to make sure everyone has a path to a good job and a path to get the skills to get the good jobs. we updated the national print and ship act. -- apprenticeship act. host: charles from albuquerque, new mexico. independent line. caller: good morning. just a basic observation.

i have listened to all these policy positions the democratic party has and what they are wanting to put into the social spending bill. a simple way to frame it is this. you can do anything you want in your life and you can expect the federal government to always step in and take care of you. which is insane. the reason why we have so many people in poverty is because they are making poor decisions. whenever talk about the decisions and actions people make that put them into poverty. one of the biggest is having children when you don't have any money and you were not married. then democrats say, that's a family. it used to be considered shameful for unmarried women to have children. now it is no big deal. you can do whatever you want and the government has to take care of you. that is the rubicon we have crossed in politics. it's insane for people they

don't know it, the population of the world will hit 8 billion people in a few years. the democrats say we can let everybody immigrate to the united states. there is never any discussion of limits and reality. let's hear some reality. host: thanks for calling. guest: thanks for calling in. when i started my legal career, i put myself through community college and then i spent time looking at legally to help low income families. i discovered people are not struggling by choice. they have either had lost a job, had health care bills they could not pay, down on their luck. oftentimes because of health care. with those lessons i learned, people need a hand up getting through tough times.

i appreciate your perspective. i don't agree with it because of my experience talking to people that are struggling. i want to talk about how investing in our children is such a good thing for our economy and community. economists support it. when we have universal pre-k and childcare, that's a good investment that pays off later in life. we will find that when kids get a good start in life, being in charlie -- quality childcare and a good pre-k program, they will be more successful when they entered the k-12 system and as they move on. we will need fewer safety networks. investing in children, investing in education are good investments. host: debra in west chester, ohio. guest:guest: republican line. good morning, deborah. caller: it's a privilege to speak with you. guest: thank you. caller: my parents owned a daycare for 25 years.

i ran the cacfp program for children. what we found is it's an excellent program. it is mandated in the code of federal regulations. the state administers the program. what we tell our children in this program and tell our parents is that sweets are fine on occasion but we don't need them everyday. snap coming on the other hand, -- snap allows any food sourse. we spent 5% of snap dollars on sugary soft rings. what i cannot understand is why we don't change snap to match the cacfp program. we spent five years with her children encouraging a healthy pallet. what happens is we don't and

should not control what their parents feed the children, but our tax dollars are paying for snap. it seems to me, without being disrespectful, we are pandering to the vote of the parent and outputting the child first when we don't change snap to meet the code of federal regulations. host: we will let you go but thank you. guest: i appreciate that perspective. thank you for understanding the importance of the cacfp program that i am working to strengthen. snap does have nutrition education components to it. i am a big believer in nutrition education and healthy food for students. thank you for your perspective. host: representative, your thoughts on your colleague from your state peter defazio announcing his retirement and becoming the 19th house democrats to do so. guest: peter defazio is such a remarkable legislator and friend.

he will be greatly missed. he served more than 35 years here in the u.s. house of representatives. he is beloved at home by his constituents. he will be sorely missed. i do thank him for his decades of service for being a friend and mentor and a fierce advocate for the people of southwest oregon. i wish him the very best in his retirement. he will definitely be missed, this specially with issues like chance rotation and infrastructure, which he had the honor of leading the effort for that very important committee. also i worked with him on natural resilience issues. he has been a wonderful colleague. i wish him well. host: 19th democrat to do so. what is your confidence after the midterms the democrats will remain in power in the house of representatives? guest: we will do everything we

can to remain in the majority. we will see what happens. when you look at the policies and the values we stand for, a better future, really looking out for the rights of people, the rights of people to make reproductive health care decisions, voting rights which are critical, as we know. i want to note in oregon we have a vote by mail system we had for 20 years that is safe, secure, and make sure everyone who is eligible to vote has a safe and secure way to vote. the system that works across the country. i am very concerned about the voter suppression efforts across the country. i strongly support the voting rights act and making sure everyone is eligible to vote has the right to vote. getting voting rights, there is a lot at stake and we will make

sure -- we will work hard to make sure the democrats stay in the majority. host: steve from indiana, democrats line. straightaway with your question or comment. caller: hello. guest: good morning. caller: the thing that gets me is the republicans don't want to do this build back better. but if you turn around and you say you want to give the rich more money, every one of them will vote for it. i just don't understand that. it is a bunch of baloney. guest: we saw that with the tax-cut bill passed in 2017 that helped those who were already doing well and did not help those that were still struggling. with the build back better act we will see opportunities for

those who are struggling to get a path to a good job, to be able to afford childcare and have a better future. i appreciate you calling in. host: anne from lake city, tennessee. caller: all the handouts in this bill, like this universal preschool, we've had that in this area. this is a very low income area. these underprivileged parents will not get out of bed and bring their kids to this free prekindergarten school. they lose in advantage by second grade because they go back come to the same parents. there are no work requirements on this bill. it is more people, 11 million people not working. they have discovered the joys of sitting home on the couch and the government will send them a check. that is what will happen with all these free things you are giving out. it doesn't help the children. host: we will leave it there. guest: i support the universal

pre-k and the affordable childcare. as i mentioned earlier, giving kids a good start in life with good quality childcare and pre-k is a good investment in our children and our future. host: should there be more of a means test on some of these programs to make sure the most benefit is given to those most in need? guest: some of them are. we don't have the test for k-12 education. the way the bill is structured, the people will not pay more than 7% of their income. it will not help people doing well. they are not paying 7% of the income for child care. it is designed to have a sliding scale to help those people. host: representative suzanne bonamici, on the select committee for the climate crisis. democrat from oregon joining us

>> today the deputy add mortgagor and director of the center for medicaid and chip services will give an update on u.s. health policy. live coverage beginning at 2 p.m. eastern on c-span. online at c-span.org, or watch full coverage on c-span now. our new video app. >> tuesday morning the inspector general of the u.s. capitol police, michael bolten, tests on the january 6 attack on the u.s. capitol before the senate rules and administration committee. watch live at 10a.m. eastern on c-span3. online at c-span.org. or watch full coverage on c-span now, our new video app. >> c-span is your unfiltered view of government. we are funded by these television companies and more. including cox. >> cox is committed to providing eligible families access to affordable internet. through the connect to compete program. bridging the digital divide one connected and enga