>> comcast is partnering with 1,000 community centers to create wi-fi for students and low income families so they can get the tools they need to be ready for anything. >> comcast supports c-span as a public service along with these other television providers, giving you a front row seat to mocracy. >> coming up this morning on "washington journal," lizzo mascara joins us to discuss the legislative battles ahead in the current lame duck session of congress and the upcoming 118th congress. and then rachel snyderman discusses upcoming deadlines facing congress on both funding the government and raising the debt limit. host: it is the "washington journal for november 29. residents of china has protested the strict covid policies.

it was on monday the white house formally weighed in on the protests in the underlying concerns of the chinese people, with some questioning the administration about how strong of a stance it is taking on the issue. we will show you the white house response and when it comes to the protests in china, do you think the biden administration response is too forceful or too weak are just about right. if you think it is too strong, call (202) 748-8000, and two week, (202) 748-8001, and just right, (202) 748-8002. the washington times highlights what has been going on in china over the covid policies. it saying the chinese citizens

in multiple cities hitting the streets to let president xi jinping know they are fed up with the covid zero policies, lockdowns and covid testing, with the largest antigovernment protests since the tiananmen square protests. the government showed no sides of abandoning its covid zero policy and use of accounts to bury the news online. when it comes to the white house response yesterday, the new york times picks up that story about the response saying that the white house reacted cautiously on monday to the scenes of chinese citizens denouncing the zero covid policies and revival of the widespread censorship in a state a him repeated almost verbatim, a spokesperson for the

national security council, adding that it was a sharp contrast to the repeated condemnations of the authorities for the months long efforts to put down the government and enforcement of regulations that women must wear a hijab but administration said they were not comparable and had doubts that the protests that played out in beijing and shanghai would be sustained or that calls to end the covid restrictions amounted to a fundamental call for government change. sensitive deliberations were discussed by anonymity. it talked about chinese containment rather than police response. it was john kirby at the white house at the national security council spokesman talking about the protests and underlying issues. here is a portion from yesterday. [video clip] >> to people in china protesting covid lockdowns and the topic of

china's covid zero policy come up with the meeting with president xi jinping. they did talk about covid and the effect of the pandemic it had around the world. clearly that came up in the conversation. i don't know is specifically the zero covid policy was an issue of discussion but covid was on the agenda, as you might expect it would be. our message to peaceful protesters around the world is the same and consistent, people should be allowed the right to assemble and peacefully protest policies or laws or dictates they take issue with. >> does the white house support the efforts to regain personal freedoms in light of the lockdowns? >> the white house respects peaceful protest. host: that is john kirby it the white house yesterday. you can call and comment on the

white house response as you see it, if you think it is too forceful (202) 748-8000, too weak (202) 748-8001, and (202) 748-8002 if you think it is just right. the posttests were sparked by an incident in a capital where firefighters were slow to put out a fire and five people died. the city government denies delays. people took to the streets to call for the end of lockdowns. the story adding that the show defines is one of china's most surveilled regions. when it comes to republican response to this, the new york times picking up the story that one of the responses the administration drew of criticism

came from texas republic senator ted cruz saying, the bidens administration response -- the bite administration's response has been were sent expected. -- the biden response has been were sent expected. let's show you more from john kirby yesterday more about the protests in china and part of the response. [video clip] >> the president has drawn a line through autocracy and democracy here and abroad. without getting into a conflict to assert the rights of people advocating for freedom and democracy more forcefully than perhaps we have. this is a moment to reassert

what we believe in when it comes to free assembly and peaceful protests, and we have done that and will continue to do that, whether it is people protesting in iran or china or anywhere else. nothing has changed with the president's firm belief of democratic institutions and how important that is, but this is a moment for the chinese people and the chinese government to speak. we have been nothing but clear and consistent and you will see that going forward. >> why is the white house saying everybody has the freedom to peacefully protest but they are locked in their houses? >> the lockdown is not a policy we are going to support here.

we have come along way over these last three years in terms of treating covid and preventing covid. we accept the lockdown is not a policy we support here. obviously there are people in china that have concerns about that and they are protesting that and we believe we should be able to do -- they should be able to do that peacefully. host: if you think policy is to forceful (202) 748-8000, too weak (202) 748-8001, and just about right (202) 748-8002. vincent says they are weak. tell us why. caller: good morning. statements made directly to china. you cannot -- he cannot because he is in the pocket of china. we are americans but we are not

stupid. it was totally week. -- it was totally weak. it should've been stronger about these protesters for what everyone wants, freedom, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. this administration is doing everything it can come everything it can to deny us of those freedoms and constitutional rights. by the way, i hope we get baby formula on the shelves. host: before you go, what would have been an appropriate response? caller: an appropriate response would have been directly and immediately when it started from biden himself, not the administration, from biden himself should have confronted them, but he can't.

this -- host: ok, one says the response was just about right. hello joseph. caller: i think it is about right. this is delicate because the lockdowns in china is an issue where you are making comments but you can't directly attack the government. it is about freedom and the bertie that would've been different -- and liberty but that would've been different. the chinese people are protesting the lockdowns to ask for more freedom and the bertie.

that is exactly what it is. the chinese know that and the americans know that but they cannot come out and attack the government because they used the lockdowns. the people are asking for more freedom and liberty. host: that is joseph in maryland calling in. washington post right up adding that when it comes to china's covid policies, saying for months zero covid works and cases were nonexistent and outbreaks were brought under control with mass testing, contact tracing and quarantine. frustration with the approach simmered in a few places but it was national pride about china seemingly beating covid. some of you desponding. from if you're on twitter saying, we go in with mixed

feelings. on one hand we sympathize with the protesters in china like iran, but we allowed ourselves to become dependent on chinese manufacturing. this is response from a congressman from california saying that twitter lacks the capacity to counter china's propaganda during the ongoing protests in the country. this sets up a politically dangerous situation for other regimes. greg says -- is in pennsylvania. caller: number one, i would like to know what the policy is for c-span as to what can be said. a couple days ago somebody accused donald trump of killing one of his ex-wives because she fell down the stairs. how about 70 saying something

about what the palace -- how about somebody at saying something about what the policy is? it is too forceful, because the big guys, 10 percent is going to be less now. that is what the mainstream media cares about, that 10% for the big guy. support this person matter what he is sarah's, what he reads on the teleprompter, support him, because c-span is part of the mainstream media. host: what do you mean by all of that when it comes to the administration's response? caller: can you imagine what happened -- go back, don't imagine, go back and see what happened when donald meant -- met with putin and he said he

believed him. host: the response from yesterday on the protests in china specifically. caller: the mainstream media tried to crucified donald j., even though he it turned out to be right about the russia, russia, russia. it is now nuanced because this is a story -- kirby said something that can be spun to say we care about those people, but the story this morning on c-span, the topic is, was it enough? i see that as a positive. please keep doing what the mainstream media should do. host: let's go to pete from new hampshire sank the response was too weak. caller: the response is too

weak. on the other hand, backtracking on this story. the truth of the matter is we could go back and look at ukraine, but when it comes to us jumping in the middle of everything across the world, we need to start thinking about retracting from the united nations. we also need to keep our noses out of other countries' affairs and we need to look at a -- we need to take a good look at washington. host: if you think the response is too weak, what should have been the appropriate response? caller: no response at all. we have a war in ukraine, and you know what, so we have $90

billion of our federal tax dollars into its and they can only recover 30% of the money we have shipped over there. host: that is pete in new hampshire. several responses to this response from the white house when it comes to taking a look at the protests that have been going on in china and around the world in solidarity. you can respond. perhaps you think it was to forceful (202) 748-8000 is the number to call. if you think it is too weak, (202) 748-8001 is how you can reach us. if you think it is about right, (202) 748-8002 is the number to call. some responses from legislators on capitol hill and the response to this is senator maggie hassan saying the people of china are showing tremendous courage in

standing up against the chinese communist party. i support them in the right to fork -- test. another saying it is too weak. i agree with senator cruz. it is about freedom. what is next, tanks? one from las vegas saying the president probably supports the lockdowns. that is some of the responses. if you want to text responses, (202) 748-8003 is how you can do that. on the line saying it is to forceful from michigan in flint, this is tim. caller: it is too forceful. they cut those people off from letting them know what is going on in china. we need to go after apple and

google. everybody is mad at twitter because of elon musk, but the hunter biden is all true and people on your show need to understand that. our president is the most crooked president in the united states of america. host: go back to the two forceful part, why is that? caller: all the left wing liberal media -- host: let's speak to the administration's response pyd think it was too forceful? caller: because they are not standing up for those people. they need to go just like joe biden did to justin trudeau to do the lockdown on the truckers. host: when you need to say he has to stand up for the chinese, what do you mean? caller: the people of china. we need to step up for them

because they have a corrupt president that joe biden is tied to. they all need to be put in prison. host: let's hear from don sank the response was too weak. -- don who is saying the response was too weak. caller: they need to send a commission over there and work it out. host: you said the administration's response was weak. why was that? caller: you would think he would stand for freedom, but it seems like we are going in their direction, not them going in our direction. host: which means what schumer could you clarify that? caller: which means we are becoming more communistic here

and china is less free all the time. host: that is don in montana saying the response was weak. this is from the house foreign affairs committee, the republicans saying amongst other things, talking about those who fight against ccp abuse in china remind us of two critical facts. it is neither popular nor unchallenged your the ccp represents its own interests, not the people of china who are its victims and share a desire for liberty that every american cherishes. senator tim scott saying we must be clear in our message that the u.s. stance with the peaceful protesters in china. all people deserve dignity and a

government that refrains from oppression and violence. another representative saying we should be unequivocally denouncing men's -- human rights abuses in china. you can add your response as well. if you think it was to forceful, you can call us at (202) 748-8000. if you think it is too weak, (202) 748-8001. if the it is about right when it comes to the response, (202) 748-8002. let's hear from georgia. caller: i think it is to forceful because i don't we should be concerned about them. we have too many problems here at home. china came over with the buck lives matter protesters the --

if china came over with the black lives matter protesters -- god bless america. host: from the about right line, this is why nita in cincinnati -- when nita -- juanita from cincinnati, ohio. caller: the united states is no their caring on diplomacy. i think the response is just right just because they are demonstrating against the government? i am thinking, how can i get upset at the chinese when the supreme court had no problem trying to tell me what to do with my body?

i think the president has been doing exactly right. host: when you say the administration should engage in diplomacy, can you elaborate? caller: when i was a younger woman, there was a time when the united states could say something and virtually the whole world would listen but things have changed. it has like china is that now. i think in this case the chinese can work it out for themselves. host: the full response available on c-span.org if you

want to see it from the white house or if you want to watch it, you can download our c-span now app. in pennsylvania, john is next saying the response is too weak. caller: good morning. the administration and congress need to work on into economic sanctions on china. there has to be a way that we can help these people out. they would be hard-pressed to try to put a lockdown on americans. we need to work together on something like this and maybe that would give the americans something to say, listen, we

finally have a government. host: that is john in pennsylvania, one of the people responding. kevin mccarthy is campaigning to become speaker of the house come january and wrote the chinese communist party lockdowns have imprisoned people against their will and many have died as chinese citizens bravely protest. the biden administration shrugs and they will do what? the pariah is the ccp. if you watch kevin mccarthy as far as his campaign to become speaker of the house, stay close to c-span. the president travels to talk about manufacturing and economic related efforts. at 10:00 this morning, we will give you live coverage of the supreme court as they hear a case about administrations and the amount -- rights of states

on immigration decisions. that is set to play out at 10:00 as some of the cases get streamed audio and c-span carries them live for you to watch and take your own notes and make your own judgments. watch out for that at 10:00. when it comes to the response of the ministration from the china protests, let's hear from san antonio texas, this is newman. caller: i have been listening to everyone and their two cents in. from my understanding what started the riot w fire. these people hen locked down for three years and the question is, people are calling and about what biden d. i am not the president and i am in politics and only know what is going on from paying attention to the news. these people have been locked

down for three years. a fire started and they couldn't yet there to save these people and they went to the streets. what do they expect our president to do? when you say you are for it, then you want to blame biden for this. host: tell me exactly what makes the administration's response about right and what makes it about right in your mind? caller: in my mind it is about right because what else can he do? host: when it comes to some of

the protests of the united states in some countries in asia and britain, according to the washington post, 100 gathered outside the chinese embassy in london. sky news reportedly pay tribute to those killed in the fire and accused china of detaining protesters in shanghai. in the united states, college campuses planted vigils for the victims pier 1 took place monday at yale university. -- victims. 1 took place monday at yale university. -- one took place monday at yale university. mandarin chinese speaking protesters were calling for --

if you think the administration's response was too forceful or too weak or just about right, you can call us. caller: to be honest, it doesn't matter what we say to congress and the president, china is going to do what china is going to do. some of the callers mentioning the biden laptop, but hopefully the people will revolt they will probably be suppressed by the military, just like russia. they don't have a diplomatic hand. we buy all of our stuff from them. host: do you think it is our economic ties that keeps the administration from talking more forcefully? caller: i think it is the world.

america is the world grocery store and shopping mall. it is not just us. it is everybody. the whole world decides to buy a more expensive product built in your country and that would take some of the economic might away from them. host: brian in massachusetts giving us a call. when it comes to the administration's response to china's covid policy, (202) 748-8000 if you think it is too forceful. (202) 748-8001 if you think it is too weak. (202) 748-8002 if you think it is about right. here is for -- more from the national security council about the fallout from china's covid policies. [video clip]

>> how concerned is the president that china's covid zero policies may be inhibiting the economic recovery globally? >> the president believes and has said this many times that covid has had an impact on the goebel economy and -- the global economy and supply chains and resources around the world. that is why the president wants to move the united states as quickly and efficiently as we can through covid so that even our economy can get more on track than it is becoming now. it is having a global effect. as having a very acute global impact on the economy is the war in ukraine. that is why we are trying to go after a price cap on russian oil and heaving ukraine tools to succeed so the work and end in a way so that ukraine can be

sovereign in free. there are a lot of impact on the global economy. >> does he think that china zero covid policies are limiting the recovery? >> the president recognizes in many countries around the world that covid is still an issue and certainly to the degree that it inhibits the country's ability to conduct commerce, it is having an impact on the world and china is a huge economic competitor. i wouldn't get into the effect of the remaining challenge of covid in china but clearly china has a major -- is a major economic player and is struggling with covid and obviously there is an impact on the economy. host: all of that is available at the website. let's hear from rita in arkansas sing the response was too weak. caller: i think there are few

words to say the only thing i have to say is the truth from the white house and the media and the truth from the world would set us all free. host: what does that have to do with the response from the white house in china? caller: i think they are searching for freedom and this is what is holding us all back, is the truth in every situation that arises. host: you called with the response that it was too weak, why is that? caller: because untruth is very weak. host: what do you mean by that? caller: the truth the mediacom and the white house and everybody in every situation is what we need in order for this

country and world to come back to what it should be. host: we will go to cj and baton rouge, louisiana said the response was about right. caller: i set the response was too weak, but i am saying it is too weak and the reason why is, i think biden is to friendly with xi. when they met the other day, stood his ground at the conference and biden ran over there to him, i thought. china is a communist country and there is one party in this country that doesn't mind that and in fact they do everything to protect that. host: kyle is next in maryland

says also the response is about right. caller: good morning. you really have to appreciate this because i bet a lot of the same people saying the response is too weak with the same people who wanted to take away the funding for ukraine. i think one of the things that should be conveyed is if they want to stand up more to china, asked donald trump and yvonne got to stop producing products in -- and ivanka to stop producing products in china. host: you said the response is about right, why is that? caller: we are tied so economic ally to them is that we have to

let them do their own thing. the other caller said they are going to do what they are going to do. they are influential on the global scale and we have to allow them to do what they have to do in the internal uprisings will hopefully topple the government. host: news items to tell you about. one member of congress passed away, a democrat from virginia, died yesterday just weeks after winning reelection to congress. he represented the fourth district from wind to north carolina's line since 2017. he was nine years as a state senator and eight as a delicate. the congressman said that we have watched him fight in triumph of his colorectal cancer and tonight he lost the battle and the people of the fourth

congressional district lost a hero who fought for them. that is reported by the washington post yesterday. in the senate this week, possibly saying the senate brought a bill to codify same-sex marriage protections and voting to end the debate for freedom of religious. senators voted 61-35 to advance the amendment to the respect for marriage act for liberty and conscious acts under the constitution and federal law prohibits polygamists marriage and they wrangle over additional amendments put up for a vote and waiting on the vote of three republicans that voted to advance the broader bill. watch that play out into the week. on the senate, keep close to our website at c-span.org for all of

the events of congress, the white house, and the federal government. if you want to follow out -- along on your phone, you can go to c-span now. when it comes to the response of the biden administration to the protests in china, let's hear from warren in virginia who said it is about right. caller: these people keep calling in saying stuff that is silly. i believe as americans, we are over here trying to protect michael c. we are in -- protect democracy. we are in ukraine. china is wrong for what they are doing and our response should be understood but what they are not doing is supplying russia with

weapons and making saving democracy over there that much harder. i wish the people who were calling in blasting their own president, they need to stop that. host: why do you think the administration's response is about right? caller: i believe the response is about right, because if we go any further, china is going to ship russia more weapons to slow us down try to spread democracy in that country or try to get there democracy back. we don't need any more of that right now. if you look at what is going on in china right now, those people are fighting for their liberty

and for their freedoms, and that great. but if we tr intervene then xi is going to say, if you are ing against my authoritarianism, that i will go against her fight for democracy and hope russia. host: let's hear from donald in washington, d.c. good morning. caller: i think the response was what it was supposed to be and that is what we expect from our president and media.

on nbc it was said that every president campaigns on going after china. we are tied to china. one president trying to taking on the chinese, you saw what happened to him. we all know how it goes with social media. when you try to go in and take the chinese, they are going to destroy you. joe biden understands that. host: jerry is in north carolina. good morning.

caller: the response was appropriate. a lot of times we don't get the truth. vietnam, iraq, all of this. host: that is jerry in north carolina. the white house current virus coordinator responded on the sunday show criticizing the covid policy of china. here is a bit from the interview on sunday. [video clip] >> nursing extreme lockdowns in china and when they get cases -- we are seeing extreme lockdowns in china and they get cases, are

what they are doing effective? >> the covid zero policy is not realistic for the american people. our strategy has been to build up the community by getting people vaccinated and that is how you handle the contagious virus. i would recommend they pursue the policy of getting everyone vaccinated for the elderly. host: you can comments on the administration's response. the lines if you think the response that you have seen so far on the protests in china from the biden administration is to forceful, (202) 748-8000. if think it is too weak, (202) 748-8001. if they it is -- if you think it

is about right, it is (202) 748-8002. you can text at (202) 748-8003. this is of the twitter feed saying i think joe biden said the right thing. the anti-vaxxers threaten people's lives and we were never locked down in this country. this is sheila from twitter saying when the world found out people were chained in their apartment going without food and medical care, our government should have stood up with those people but we remain on china for too much goods and we have to remain spineless. she added the word shameful after all of that. twitter is how you can reach us if you want to post. this is larry in texas. caller: i want to say that we did just about the right response because we don't want to get china upset with us.

people in america are too soft. i don't want to have the coronavirus again. host: this is peter in silver spring, maryland giving us a call. caller: thank you for c-span for allowing everyone to voice their opinions. everybody has to realize the response to covid in china cannot be isolated from our entire policy with china and we have to realize it is going to be nuanced and it has to be valued and intricate.

it is very easy to criticize whatever the president says but hard to make a statement that is going to be exactly right. we are still learning about the situation. we are right where we belong and as we evaluate this situation going forward, i am sure of united states can adjust their policy. i think it is interesting we have a bunch of republicans complaining we are not supporting the protests enough that when black lives matter which was 99% peaceful, all they do is criticize that. they are a bunch of hypocrites. host: what makes the china policy nuanced? what keeps the response nuanced? what of those factors? caller: it is our economic relations, trade relations and issues we have in trying to come up with our economic policy and trying to get proper control

over what type of trade we do. i was listening when they were talking about the chinese airline that doesn't allow american airlines to be bought by the chinese airline so they can manipulate the market and develop their own airline company. we need to be keeping all of these policies in mind when we work with them. there has to be a way where we can keep influence on how they end up like their economic policy in line with what we are doing with our covid policy. host: let's hear from a californian, james who says the response is too weak. caller: the present has three things he can do in russia and china. he can move the ambassador of the united states back and he can have the ambassador from china and from russia expelled from the united states. number three, he can turn around

and have all americans depart china and russia immediately. those three things are within his quill and he can go to the united nations and call for an emergency meeting on emergency -- human rights. host: why should he do them? caller: because that will draw the world's attention to china and russia are what they are doing in ukraine and china and it would tell china and russia we are not going to stand for it anymore. if we take that leadership stuff, other nations will fall behind. host: let's hear from herbert in florida, also saying the response is weak. caller: i wanted to say the response was weak.

i think in normal business when you have a product to offer, you need a buyer. they offer products to us and we are the buyers, the greatest economy on the earth still. we should not be afraid to tell them and we have the right to tell them that the way we are doing things is not the way we like to do things. we are not telling you what to do, but we have the right to tell them that we think you are wrong and we should not be afraid of them, because we are buying everything. they are producing and we are buying so they need us more than we need them. host: herbert in florida giving us a call. 10 minutes left if you want to call the numbers and give your

response to what you are seeing play out, not only for the protests in china but the administration's response. you can see the full response on c-span.org and our c-span now app. yesterday, responses from republicans and former president trump's dinner that he had with kanye west and fuentes, saying some of the criticisms coming from two are pumpkins that have a history of breaking with him, he hosted racist anti-semites and that encourages others. these attitudes are immoral and should not be entertained and this is not the republican party. senator susan collins of maine saying i-8 condemn white supremacy and anti-semitism in the president should not have had a meal or meeting with them. one of the other responses

coming from the senate floor from the majority leader, chuck schumer. [video clip] sen. schumer: i will begin with marks on the floor. i want to say a few things about the disgusting news that came out of mar-a-lago over the thanksgiving break. last week it was reported that donald trump the former president of the united states had dinner at mar-a-lago with a notorious b.i.g. it who fan --biggot -- biggot, from antisemitism in denial. for a former president to sit down and have dinner with a high-profile anti-semite is disgusting and dangerous. to give an anti-semite even the smallest platform, much less an audience over dinner, even assuming former president didn't

realize mr. fuentes was coming, for him not to refute his words after the dinner is appalling and dangerous. i am glad some of the former president's friends and allies, particularly those in the jewish community, are pushing him to do the right thing by condemning this issues and for some -- this dangerous anti-semite since the former president does not have the honor, decency and humanity to do it on his own. i condemned the former president's decision to meet with this anti-semite and urge my colleagues on both sides of the aisle to do the same. host: the former president did offer a response that -- to the story that played out. he said i hope a troubled man,

kanye west, who has been decimated and has always been good and he asked for a meeting for much needed advice he showed up with three people, two of which i didn't know. i told him not to waste time running and the news went crazy. to what is going on in china and the biden administration's response, this is mark in maryland saying the response is weak. caller: i will comment on the weak response to china but i have to say after you played that clip i find it rich when democrats start talking about antisemitism, there was a socialist. socialists have always been anti-semitic in a runs to the party. host: the china response from

the biden administration? caller: it was weak but i think it is what we can expect from democrats. the fact of the matter is, i would like americans to think about the example of what is going on in china. the one thing all these places have in common is that the government has disarmed their citizens. the only reason the democrats didn't lock us down the same way china is doing is because we have the guns and they knew they would never be able to get away with that. believe me, if they thought they could, they would. host: bernie in kentucky saying the response is about right. caller: it is about right. is what we do here, we respond.

i wish that would have been more people from china calling in on the subject today, because i am sure it would have a completely different take on it. my boss is from china and i talked to her this morning and we do talk about these subjects, i think it was appropriate. i wish people would get off of the administration's back and quit making this into just another back and forth between the too parties. -- from the two parties. host: this is chance saying it is about right. caller: i lived in china for many years and what happened in the xi jinping province was -- on the shin jing province, was

unfortunate and it started because of the fire and it got mixed into the code zero issue. with china, it is almost impossible. look at the protesters, they are dressed well and are comfortable, middle-class people who are basically unable to respond, which we ourselves are always talking about human rights being violated in that particular province. i don't think we can do any more than that. most of the people are happy under the ccp. they just put xi jinping in power for another five years. this is just a little blip. most chinese do not want to

revolt against the current administration. host: that is chance in massachusetts talking about the administration's response saying it is just right. if you want to call in, we ned this briefly, later today the supreme hears a case taking a look at immigrand the legality of the biden atration's policy of the rule of undocumentedidents that pose a threat to national security. u can see that live starting 0:00 this morning on this network. you can follow along on our c-span now app or follow online at c-span.org if you want to take a look at that and follow along. we take in many of the cases the supreme court hears and give them the audio and we give it to you live and you can visit our website to revisit the cases,

especially the arguments being made. that is a special supreme court section on our website at c-span.org. let's hear from craig, tulsa, oklahoma who says the response was weak. caller: i don't mean to be too critical, president biden could have come out himself to speak on this is the first thing. the second thing is, as a strategy, not to criticize xi jinping, but he could do see -- could do is say, we have a lot of organizations helping people in crisis and catastrophes and there are people being locked in and we won't interfere with -- the communists do that -- but we want to have people who can bring food and medicine to the people in those apartments so we are offering that. not a huge amount, a little bit of a government a system in the

faith-based organizations to help people in disaster and help people to do that -- an offer to do that and say to xi jinping, i am sure you have been doing the best to support human rights, let us help you. i think that both to advance freedom in the world and to help china follow human rights and say we are not going to tell you to do it, we will help you do it and see how they respond to that. host: review surprised to hear about the protest that spread around other areas of the country and around the world as well? caller: no, because sadly those people were born under a communist government and they do that. the sad thing is, i would not

say this straight to their leaders face but they don't respect a lot of human rights like we do here in america. that's why everybody wants to come here. they yearned to be free, i feel for them. they lock people down and they go way too far and they need to have a positive influence to say, we will help you help your people and then try to get them to see that they need to change their ways a little bit. even if they are going to be communist, they don't need to lock people in the lead than die. they need to change and hopefully, we can do that. host: that was crag in oklahoma. one more text from michelle in illinois saying i think the response is just right. the people in china do not follow the u.s. constitution so do not have the same rights.

there's a long list of humanitarian issues that china feels that. are we surprised that the used covid to try to control their people? that's it for the calls for this hour. thank you for all participated. two guests joining us, one will talk about what is going on in congress. especially control for power there. that is lisa mascaro from the associated press. we will have her next. and later on we will hear from bipartisan policy center's rachel snyderman. those conversations coming up on the washington journal. ♪

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podcasts. "washington journal," continues. host: we are joined by lisa mascaro here to talk about the things to look for in the lame-duck session. thank you for giving us your time. what are the big things to watch with the house and senate? guest: these lame-duck sessions are always so busy. this week, we are starting right out of the chute. it is helpful to think of the lame-duck into buckets. there is a in legislation. what we have right now, the house and senate are going through their leadership elections. we are seeing this monumental shift happening on

the democratic side and the republican side. as the house democrats meet privately to elect their new generation of leaders after speaker nancy pelosi decided and announced before thanksgiving that she would be stepping down as the party leader in the aftermath of the midterm elections. this is an end for a 20 year run for the first's female speaker of the house. they will have a meeting in the middle of the week. republicans have already done that as they prepare to nominate kevin mccarthy as the new speaker of the house. again, in the aftermath of the midterm elections when the republicans won control of the house from the democrats in november. they are all preparing behind-the-scenes for the start of the new year when we will

have this change in congress. there is still a lot of legislation and these lame-duck sessions that can be extremely busy and productive. we saw last night on the senate floor, the senate moved towards passage of this historic legislation to ensure same-sex marriages cannot be thrown out by the supreme court. they did a procedural vote last night. they got that on track for final passage as soon as today. that will be a historic moment for the senate. this was not expected this congressional session. and has to bounce back over the house which may push into next week. that will soon be on the way to joe biden's desk to become law.

on the house side, they already had a schedule but nancy pelosi took up joe biden's call to consider legislation to prevent the massive rail strike, rail unions have been negotiating with the rail lines. it's been a long effort to come to an agreement. 11 unions are negotiating and there has still been issues and president joe biden said it's time to honor the last deal that was on the table from september and congress has the ability to step in and push up for word and how speaker pelosi said the house will be taking up a bill to do just that. they are in a race against time to do that by a week from

friday. that's just the tip of the iceberg. there are a lot of bills that will be rolling in the next couple of weeks. host: viewers, call and if you have questions. lisa mascaro with the associated press. (202) 748-8000 for democrats, (202) 748-8001 four republicans. let's talk about hakeem jeffries. is he a lock for the role? guest: who would've thought, they would have a seamless transition to a new generation of leaders. congressman jeffers is poised to make history himself as the first black person in the united states to lead a major political party here in the u.s. congress.

he is part of a new leadership team. the old team moved in a triumph for it. nancy pelosi, steny hoyer and james clyburn. they all moved together and they have all announced that they were stepping aside. leader clyburn will remain in leadership but in the lower rung role as he makes this transition. what we see with hakim jeffries, new york, democrat. he comes out of the brooklyn district, a mile away from chuck schumer. we will have two democratic leaders coming from new york. he has risen through the ranks and seems to have the support of his colleagues to move on.

he is moving in this trio with katherine clark, the congresswoman from massachusetts , who was working to get to the number two spot and pete a guilar. they all seem to be poised to make it to that point. host: how would you describe the styles that are coming in with this new team? guest: this is a great question and something we will start to see as time goes on. hakeem jeffries is from new york but he is seen as a more moderate democrat. as much as he has worked with the progressives they do have some concern if he would be progressive enough. we will see if he has a

collaborative approach but he will be taking over from leader pelosi who has led strongly, some say too strongly. she has always had such a tight grip over the democrats but she has done it in a way that brought lots of people to the leadership table and allows lots of voices to be heard. ultimately, speaker pelosi has been her own best counsel and made decisions in a powerful way. i think we might see a more collaborative approach from mr. jeffries, especially as he starts out and learns his way through leadership. democrats are a big party, they have lots of different views. the republicans are as well.

he will have to learn how to maneuver. the same thing with katherine clark who is seen more policy driven and someone who can make sure that the floor runs on time, the schedule runs on time. someone who will keep the party to task. and pete aguilar who is a great voice for the party. host: as far speaker pelosi herself, how much of a presence will she be in this new team? guest: we don't usually see this. often leaders retire and walk away. is not a president and what she is doing. former president came back, monroe came back and served after being in the white house

for 16, 18 years. it's not unprecedented for leaders to remain. what she is doing, we have not seen in recent memory. she told the group of us after her announcement last week that she does not want to metal. this was right before thanksgiving and she said she doesn't want to be like the in law in the kitchen telling people how to prepare the meal. she does intend to be a congresswoman from san francisco representing her district and staying out of the leadership role. i think it might be hard for her to do that and we will see. also, having these leaders, her and steny hoyer plan to remain.

they will be emeritus figures that others can rely on. host: let's hear from sean in california on the democrats line. europe first with our guest lisa mascaro from the associated press. caller: i am calling this morning, i have been a democrat my entire life in california. now that we have voted for the democrats to have the senate, i would like to know of the 36 days that they will be trying to get something done. i would like to know, what are some of the deals that we can start working on now before the senate takes over in january?

i think we are out here fighting for democracy and i am feeling that once we get to a point now, we are being backed up a little bit. i don't see an urgency and i'm concerned about that. i want to send a message to the democratic party. it is important that you work in these next 30 days. i'm not taking off for my christmas vacation. i think this is more important than spending time on christmas, getting her hair done, whatever we need to do. republicans, they're the same. if we start moving towards a positive direction we can get positive things done. guest: that is a great question

and let's just back up and talk about the lame-duck. this is the period between now and the end of the session. when it will actually close we don't have an end date. on january 3, the new congress will be sworn in. they have between now and then and to the caller, one of the main items is the legislative -- legislation needed to keep the government running. there is already a lot of talk to pushing the deadline to friday the 23rd. congress seems to work best when

they have a deadline and that friday before christmas is one that might motivate a lot of lawmakers to make the final decision they need to make and pass the bill they want to pass. i think we will probably be here right until the christmas holiday and maybe even after the christmas holiday to get some work done. on the democracy front, i will note there is a substantial piece of legislation that is expected to move in the coming weeks called the electoral cap act which is an update of a 19th-century law that governs the way the electoral college counts the votes that ensures the state tallies are sent to washington and the new president is duly elected. we saw the challenges of that i

came in the aftermath of the 2020 election between donald trump and joe biden. congress realized at that time that this law that was in place after one of the last big disputed election that law needed an upgrade. it needed an update. the house and senate have both been working diligently on legislation to update that bill and it is now poised to move. it could move as soon as next week intentionally on some of the other legislation. a lot of the bills at this time, they hitch a ride. there isn't time on the floor to pass each bill one at a time. if there's a big bill moving

like the spending bill or this annual defense policy bill. the other bills will hitch a ride on those bills and they get passed in one fell swoop which makes it a lot of legislating and a lot of -- in a short amount of time. caller: good morning. you mentioned clyburn, he has been in congress over 30 years and he has not accomplished anything for his constituents. i'm not speaking about black people, women are these other people. his district is one of the poorest. in light of that, you have jeffries coming in. the democrats now that they are out of power, we will give the black people one thing now. why should black voters expect

anything out of black politicians because they can't deliver on anything. a lot of the black population is dropping out from voting altogether because it seems like the democrats are trying to replace black people with latino voters and immigrants from other countries so there is no reason for black people to be invested in the voting process because it delivers nothing. clyburn has been working on reparations for 30 years and what has he accomplished for black people? guest: thank you for your call. i am sure mr. clyburn and the folks down in south carolina can point you to some legislation that he is worked on. changes incremental in the united states and we see that over and over. reparations bills have been

proposed year after year only to be met with opposition. it is difficult for one person to overcome some of these long-standing divisions in the country. we saw the first anti-lynching bill in more than 100 years and that's near and dear to many black americans, finally make it through congress after dozens and dozens of attempts. we had the first hearing on reparations just a few years ago. these changes do take time and i realize it is tiresome and frustrating for americans to go through watching over and over. there are small changes and i would just point to some of the legislation that mr. clyburn and others have worked on, whether

you find it effective or not or agree with that or not. they have tried to make improvements for the lives of americans across the spectrum. i think he would point to some of the broadband legislation that he is worked years the folks in his district can get online and get to the internet. democrats are most proud of the bill that they put together under then president obama, the affordable care act to provide health care to some 20, 30 million americans. to have a chance to buy into health insurance program. there are substantial bills that have moved but i hear the caller's point that these -- they do take time. host: republicans won the house.

the story that the ap published, the pursuit of the gavel comes at a high cost. what's that cost? guest: the cost is dealmaking. the house republicans one was such a mero majority -- narrow majority. in the house, the majority is 218, out of 435 members. to become speaker, unlike these internal party elections with party members themselves. the speaker needs to go before the full house. if leader mccarthy become speaker, they need the support of the majority of the house. he won the internal party

election before thanksgiving with 188 votes. he needs to get to 218 votes to become the speaker. if he has a majority of 222, he can only allow 3, 4 defectors and still become speaker. we have seen a handful of republicans, one lawmaker said 5-8 republicans said they would not be able to vote for him. what he has to do between now and january 3 is convinced these colleagues that he is the one for the job. there is no one running against him but there are people in the wings who would love to sweep in and take the position.

he has the house freedom caucus and other more conservative members aligned with donald trump who really want to see him make commitments to them about how he will run the house, what priorities he will put forward, the investigations into joe biden. they want to see a lot of that and that is what he is going to have to decide what he is willing to give in exchange for his support. host: andy biggs ran against him in that first election, what unites them is it -- guest: the freedom caucus, it's only become more conservative.

aligned with president trump. those members would all like to see similar but different points of view. mr. norman is most concerned, i don't know if i would say concerned, he is raised fiscal issues. he would like to see the house work on a balanced budget. we do not balance our budget every year, we run a deficit. there are a lot of reasons for that. a lot of that is mandatory spending on medicare, medicaid, policies that are on autopilot. guaranteed benefits and programs for americans. to bring that budget into balance would require severe budget cuts.

congress has worked on some of these issues the last time republicans were in control back after the tea party wave of the 2010 election. they had some success but nowhere near balanced. balancing that budget would be a big ask. there is also desire for these investigations that i mentioned. a lot of the members in that group and in the freedom caucus brett large, mr. biggs is the former chairman of the freedom caucus. they want changes in the way the house is run. they want legislation to move in regular order. going through the committee process, letting members amend the bills, debate the bills. that is all laudable and the way that folks think bills are written.

it isn't always the way it happens. a lot of times the leadership has to hammer out the final deal tools -- details behind closed doors. we saw that a lot under pelosi's tenure. we see that on the senate side constantly. it is a possibility, leader mccarthy has talked about making directions and this chick -- making changes in those directions. if he locks and some of these commitments it could tie his hands in the way that he is able to bring things forward. some of those changes that might be demanded are not changes that he can agree to.

a lot of these things happen behind the scenes. we will see those negotiations behind closed doors. host: maxine in ohio. caller: good morning, i wanted to talk about speaker pelosi. i think as a moderate democrat, speaker pelosi, you have to make a push towards use. these people are nearly 80 years old. these people are older than some of our grandparents. most people don't want their grandparents to run the country. i was also reading an interesting piece from citizens united to stop sexism. they said their best bet would

be to have a young woman. i think aoc would be a good candidate. host: you can respond to that. guest: this is a common refrain that the leadership of the united states is an older generation. the house leadership and leader hoyer and clyburn, they are all in their 80's. joe biden is also in the 80's. this is a generation that has wielded power for some time and there has been a younger generation in the house eager to take over. there have been a number of house democrats that saw central roles for themselves and leadership and moved on to the senate or other branches of government and politics because

there was no ability to move up in the house and we see that on the senate side as well with leader mcconnell of that generation. this is a real-time of generational change in the country. bypassing jeffrey's and the gen x leaders to the millennials. we are not seeing that quite yet. we are not seeing the millennials yet in these positions but certainly, they are on deck and able to start making their moves. it will be interesting to see what the new progressive leadership represented by alexandria alexandria ocasio-cortez do.

she has a long career she wants it. we don't know, we will see which way the younger generation goes. host: back to kevin mccarthy, if her some reason he doesn't become speaker, who's the next, best candidate? guest: leader mccarthy has been working his career for this. he was here before in 2015 when john boehner announced he would step aside, mccarthy was next in line. he was poised to get it and eventually withdrew from that race because of a similar situation. he did not have the support of his conservative colleagues. he has been here before and he has a lot riding on this moment. what is different now is that

there is no direct challenger. mr. biggs did mount a challenge to him in the closed-door meeting before thanksgiving but it was seen as more of a protest vote. i don't know if he would have the support of the entire republican conference let alone a majority to make it on the floor of the house. he was showing that there is opposition. in the past, there has been more direct challenges to mccarthy. so, to answer your question, the number two leader congressman's steve scalise from louisiana is a popular figure in the republican party and would b's next in line if mccarthy was unable to get there. mr. scully's is not running for that position. he is not making public overtures that he would be in that position. he is doing quite the opposite.

he is working as a trusted lieutenant of mr. mccarthy. part of the leadership team, a trusted number two. he is someone who is often mentioned as a compromise who could unite what is left of the traditional old-school conservative wing of the party and what we might think of the more centrist immoderate, even though they're very conservative. and the new trump era wing of the party. the right flank members represented by the freedom caucus. mr. scully's could be a unifying figure of those two branches of the republican party. he is popular, people might remember he was in a terrible tragedy with the shooting at the congressional baseball practice.

he is an affable figure on the hill. we are not quite there yet. mr. scully's has not made any public overtures. i would not be surprised if he would be one that would be recruited quickly if mr. mccarthy was unable to get there. host: our guest lisa mascaro, let here from paul on the democrats line. caller: good morning, hello? host: you're on, go ahead. caller: i would likely take action on the bankruptcy for student loans. right now, we have the house. it's on the floor right now, it's on the judiciary committee and hr 9110 and 4907 is for

private student loans. i would like to read for you the excerpts from the dnc party platform. not only will these measures make it easier for americans to buy homes or start businesses, student debt forgiveness will help address the race cap. democrats will empower -- host: why do you want to see these legislation pieces pass? why is it important for you? caller: i have 25 thousand dollars worth of student debt. when i made a

consolidation i didn't know what i was getting into. they charge me $1500 on top of each $3000 loan. i would not of done it unless i was under duress. they called me and they told me i would go to jail, i would have bad credit. i would be able to get a job. i would've qualified for the loan forgiveness but i was not making enough money. it's been many years. host: thank you for sharing that story with us. the issue is student loans,

biden administration is already making its push. guest: i don't see that moving in the lame-duck. i am sorry to say. never say never in these weeks of congress, a lot can happen. i have been surprised many times covering congress over what can happen in the last minute. i have not heard a lot of discussion about that. that is what gives me pause. i have not heard that in the turn of bills that could be coming forward. i think the biden administration has announced and made his policy on student loan forgiveness and it seems that's as far as the democrats in congress are going right at this moment. in the new year, i will say it

becomes more difficult. congress will be divided in the new year. republicans will be in control of the house. right now, democrats have a small majority. while divided government can be a time for bipartisanship and for dealmaking and compromises. that seems that will be difficult in this new congress, especially in the beginning months. we will have new leadership on both sides. i think it will be difficult for the new leaders to go out on a limb and make bipartisan deals on some of these big issues like this one. this is a big issue. people feel strongly about it on both sides. so coming to a compromise would be politically difficult. i just don't know that is

something they would be able to get to in the first months of the new congress. again, congress is surprising. it's a dynamic place. americans probably get tired of watching congress move slowly. every day of their there are new things you would never expect happening. host: when one of those things be republicans supporting the same sex marriage bill? guest: it's easy for the house with the majority to pass her priorities. it's more difficult in the senate. often these bills get passed on the house and you go over the senate and nothing happens. leader macconnell said he likes to consider himself the grim reaper. when he ran the senate he said

it's a place for democratic bills would go to die because he would never support those bills. even with democrats in control, the only have a narrow majority. they often need 60 votes to overcome a filibuster to be able to advance legislation. when same-sex marriage bill came from the house and was expected to be one of these messaging bills and then on the floor of the house, 47 house republicans joined the democrats and sending it over to the senate with enormous support. it was surprising, shocking. people were not expecting these republicans to go ahead and do this. it shows the cultural seachange on this issue where over the

past decade, a few years, this issue of gay and ensuring that americans have the right to marry who they love has come forward in a way that has been surprising on all sides. the senate sees the moment so that senator chuck schumer put it on the floor of the senate and they did. somewhere cad to be done but now it is on track and we have 12 republican senators have come out in favor of this. some of the more conservative members of the party. people know gay people in their lives, families, communities. senator tillis told us last night he has been getting calls from people who were upset with his vote in support of this but

also a lot of people who are in favor and that is north carolina , just split down the middle but he has chosen to support this bill and that will be on the president's desk and another week or so to become law in the united states. host: let's hear from donna in illinois. caller: i am calling about the25 98 bill. host: what you mean by that collar? caller: i feel like we have been lied to, told things. the student loan lending system is predatory. i don't know how anyone can see that is just. how they give about giving these

loans out. i started with the loan of 88,000, they took 5300 off of it. i still own 94,000, as of today i owe 80,000. host: let's talk about the house, what to expect in the first 100 days? what will be the mix do you think? guest: investigations will be number one in some symbolic changes. speaker mccarthy says he wants to open up the congress, the capital. the capitol has been shuttered first from the covid-19 crisis, no visitors, capital tours. and then of course and the aftermath of the january 6 attack in 2021.

lots of security, metal detectors, to protect the chambers from people keeping firearms out. the capitol is open for tours again. we will see how much he does move on that. he has also talked about ending the proxy voting that allows lawmakers to vote from afar. and have members vote in their place. he wants to and that. and of course the investigations. the incoming chairman of the oversight committee said sunday 50 investigations are on tap on his committee. we will be seeing one

investigation after another into joe biden, his son hunter biden, the homeland security secretary. they will be launching -- the secretary doesn't have any plans to resign. they will launch investigation into the border, the defense department for its handling of the withdrawal of troops from afghanistan. one investigation after another. then some of these symbolic moves, legislation will be slim. i don't know that we will be seeing a lot of substantial bills but we will be seeing some bills moving on the house floor. getting passed from the house into the senate. those bills are not expected to find much traction in the

senate. in fact, could be difficult for mr. mccarthy to get off the house floor because he has such a slim majority and he has lots of different views and is congress on some of the most basic bills. we will see what he can actually get off the house floor. host: you can see our guesswork at ap.com. glad to have you back in the studio. coming up we will hear from the bipartisan policy center's rachel snyderman, that conversation coming up next on the washington journal. >> live, sunday on in-depth. she is new york times white

house correspondent student glasser will talk about russia, the trump administration d u.s. foreign policy. they have written three books together. the divider, trump in the white house. join in the conversation with your phone calls, facebook comments, texts and tweets. in depth with peter baker and susan glasser, live sunday at no eastern on book tv on c-span two. congress gets back to work in the wake of the midterm election. watch as the 118th congress elects their leaders, makes committee assignments, incessant agenda for january 2023.

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code on the right to preorder your copy today. every purchase helps support our nonprofit operations at c-span.org. "washington journal," continues. this is rachel snyderman and she serves at the bipartisan policy center. government funding runs out and what has to happen to avoid that from happening? guest: first off, thinking you for having me. the deadline is december 16. the government is operating under a continuing resolution. up until this deadline we know lawmakers are hard at work figuring out at what level we should fund the government year?

we have president biden's budget to work with. we see that both sides have been entrenched in their budget priorities and looking to see what happens on the 15th because of the deal is not reached to further the continuing resolution, we will face a government shutdown. the conversation is whether us. cap funding measure will kick the can to the following week inching up against the holiday deadline. or perhaps another continuing resolution. maintaining the spending levels into the new congress but hopefully there is a budget deal in the works. i would like to remain

optimistic, but there can be a bipartisan agreement reached. all eyes are on the 16th and congress has their work cut out for them. host: both sides have priorities when it came to this. what are their priorities as they approach this? guest: the biggest issues we are looking at right now are pandemic relief, additional spending for the war in ukraine, funding for disasters and emergency expenses. those are the priorities of the democratic party. that has bipartisan support for this important in ukraine. there are some tax extenders for the republican party.

that is an area that republicans would like to see addressed in some of the conversations that we have seen. we need additional conversations about looking at expanding the child tax credit. those are part of the discussion , the national defense reauthorization act. while it is not part of this continuing resolution it is a big policy issue for both parties. i think we have had 61 consecutive years of it being passed before january 1. if that is not also passed, that would be a significant signal that something isn't working. we are hopeful that both sides

can come together because they are priorities of both sides. host: our guesses with us until 9:30, if you would like to ask about these priorities about debt and funding levels you can give us a call at (202) 748-8000 for democrats, (202) 748-8001 for republicans, (202) 748-8002 for independents and if you would like to text (202) 748-8003. where does covid follow? guest: about 9 billion is being discussed about the expense pandemic relief. democrats are supportive of and republicans are a bit wary of increasing pandemic support given the fact that we are seeing the effects of seeing 5

trillion pumped into the economy as a result of pandemic support over the past year. we are feeling the inflationary concerns and i think there's a lot to be said about taking stock of our fiscal outlook. we are averaging trillion dollar deficits each year. the debt is only increasing. the next congress will have to face the debt limit. you realize quickly these host of economic issues are interrelated and they can't be dealt with in silos. it is a holistic picture we have to paint for our leaders to address. host: the political topic that inflation has become.

not only as a political topic, but emotional one. guest: is something americans feels so personally. whether you are buying school supplies or picking up groceries. we know it will take a while for the inflationary concerns to dissipate. we saw records breaking each month over the past year and we will not see changes overnight even as the fed steps in and increases rates and tries to contain the demand in the economy. the changes are incremental, marginal. host: rachel snyderman joining us. our first call is from mike, a

republican. go ahead with your question or comment. caller: if the republicans decided not to fund the government, will this have any effect on the january 6 committee or the committee investigating tax returns? what is the chance of extending the child tax credit? guest: i am glad that you asked about the child tax credit because this is an issue that is near and dear to many american families as they are trying to make ends meet and there's a lot of confusion. it was expanded in 2017 and expanded under the american rescue plan but that temporary expansion for 2000 was a tax credit for families, it expired after 2021.

lawmakers are deliberating whether or not the american rescue plans version of the eitc will be expanded this year are permanently expanded. i would posit that this is something that will be taken up by the next congress. we know that the lame-duck session has a lot of priorities that need to get address. government spending and some of these other policies we discussed. where the child tax credit false in that list of priorities, different members are working on it. i believe it remains high on the priority list but whether or not they reach consensus on that in the coming weeks is yet to be seen. i am confident that this is something that is going to

remain front and center on policymakers minds in the coming congress. host: from washington, we have dori on the independent line. caller: caller: how much money has been are owed were taken from social security and other retirement funds? when are they going to start paying it back and what interest can people expect? guest: that's a great question. it's important to talk about the broader picture. right now, the debt is $1.4 trillion. we know this debt will only be increasing with the status quo

while lessees we have in place. that's growing as a result of social security, rising health care costs that far reflecting -- reflecting programs like medicare. i think we need to have a discussion in this country -- we know that social security must be able to meet the needs of its beneficiaries and we need to start thinking about some ways to fix the program. for example, in the year 2034, we are already aware that we don't make smart fiscal decisions now to ensure the benefits are there, benefits will be cut by almost a quarter. due to the physical issues we know of now, they are not on known like the global pandemic

that we are faced with. these are fiscal concerns that policymakers are well aware of and americans want to make sure these programs are around and work for them when it comes time to make that choice to retire. you want to ensure these programs are going to be there when americans need them just as they plan their entire working lives and ensure that the funding can be there. hearing the voices like yourself and ensuring your policymakers are well aware of your concerns is so critical because that's how we ensure that. even though these problems are a few years away or a decade away, they should be top of the priority list for policymakers. host: let's remind people what

the debt ceiling is. guest: the debt ceiling or debt limit, the fiscal cliff as we have heard of is the statutory limit the treasury department is up against to issue bonds to be able to pay our debt. congress passed a spending bill and through the appropriations process, and to be able to pay our bills on time, the treasury department needs to issue that. the reason we have to issue debt is because historically, we spend more than we bring in so to finance that, we need to borrow. the ability to borrow is a statutory authority the treasury department has but the amount the department is able to borrow is set by congress.

it's called the power of the person it dates back to the early 20th century. it's this philosophy of how we ensure that the government is acting in the best interest of the taxpayer in a fiscally responsible manner. throughout history, we've seen after world wars were different spending priorities, the debt limit being raised were suspended many times throughout history on the republican and democratic presidents and to be able to fund, do be able to ensure that the credit of the united states is still good. it's this past decade where we seen the debt limit really be used increasingly as a political

tool, depending when parties priorities demand spending cuts and response for raising the debt limit, etc. we know by looking at other countries that we don't want to face default because there would be catastrophic results if we don't choose to pay our debt in full. the united states in modern times has never reach that because we have always found some way to raise the debt limit or suspend it but the political brinksmanship has certainly come at a cost. host: the white house press secretary was asked about this yesterday. [video clip] >> we seen republicans using this as leverage to get their

agenda items. >> how important is the priority of the president to raise the debt limit? >> we've been clear about this when it comes to the debt ceiling, it should not be used for never be a matter of political brinksmanship, we've been clear about that and congressional republicans pass this with the last president three times. they passed a debt ceiling three times so there is no reason why this should not be happening this time around stop congress needs to take the responsibility once again to address the debt ceiling before it expires. and they need to act sooner rather than later. now that congress is back, we believe there will be more of an urgency to get this done. this is about every kind of me

and it would be better for the economy. the president will meet with leadership from both the house and the senate, democratic and republican leadership, and certainly will be having these conversations. host: that was yesterday at the white house. what do you think about what faces the president as he tries to deal with roadsides? guest: the press secretary has faced this battle before. i agree that it is not a successful bargaining chip to be using as a means to restore fiscal responsibility or to have these discussions in its current form. we've seen over the past decade that the debt limit has had to be raised were suspended and by

those parties in order to pay for the obligations incurred by the policy decisions implemented by both parties. the point that i would drive home is when we are thinking about this, families raised the debt limit in the united states. it would not only put us on the brink of potential default but failing to raise the debt limit would be a purely political decision. it differentiates us from other countries when faced with potential default. that's because they didn't have access to capital markets. the united states has that cap ability and that capacity to manage their debt and pay our bills in full and on time. if we didn't, we wouldn't because of the political choice not to and that's something that's different for americans.

we scratch our heads and say why don't we do this? that differentiates our economy. the other point is it's very clear regardless of which party is in power in congress or the white house, we need to think about reforming the debt limit process and we had working on that with members of both sides. how can we bring back the conversations on fiscal responsibility. it needs to be about encouraging debate and bipartisan consensus

and what about the fiscal policies we want to pass? at the bipartisan policy center, this is an issue we spent a lot of time working on earlier this calendar year was the responsible budgeting act which was suggested by representatives peters and arrington to look for a way to think about debt limit reform. brinksmanship and defaulter on the table and we need to think about how we need to use the debt limit process to have this conversation about fiscal responsibility and prudent management. this would allow the president to be able to notify congress of the intent to raise the debt limit if we were in a -- were

within a few days of reaching the debt limit and it would permit congress to address the debt limit when it passes the current budget resolution each spring. we are obligated to do that so they bipartisan bill could gain further traction in the next congress and that's a way we could rethink the future of the debt limit so it's not used as this political bargaining chip and upholding our national and international reputation when it comes to the strength of the u.s. dollar with our currency. host: let's hear some vivian in tennessee, democrats line. caller: how are you all doing? i miss the part about the debt limit will stop why do we have to raise it? people have worked all their lives for their money and the

people is paying for all of this. who is the head of raising the debt limit, explain that to us? and another thing about social security. they say it's going to be defunded. how is that? people are dying and their money is left behind to explain what do you will do with that money? host: let's start with what's been said about what republicans want to do with social security versus how it's currently fashioned? guest: it's an excellent question. we think about social security reform and it's an important thing we discussed, the solvency crisis. given current inflationary concerns, the fact that each

year the trustees of the social security and medicare programs really sit down and calculate what the future of the solvency of the trust funds look like. it's important we do talk about reform. whether or not is thinking about changes to the payroll tax rate or making sure that benefits are better targeted to lower and moderate income households so higher income households are not receiving social security benefits that they frankly might not need given their financial security. similarly, thinking about marginal changes to the retirement age. these things are all options to be thinking about that are not just one party.

these are reforms that a lot of american taxpayers are concerned about and even if we make changes at the margin right now, we could see the solvency of the program improved in the very near term so we wouldn't be faced with this fear of the program not being able to reach intended recipients because we know so many americans rely on social security as their means of income in retirement. these are certainly the questions we are thinking about that lawmakers are hard-pressed to consider but some are doing so in the near term. host: from florida, republican line, jim, hello. caller: good morning, i've got three questions but you did not answer the woman from washington

state regarding how much money has been withdrawn or lent out of the social security trust fund to the u.s. treasury? i don't know if that's the case. i know that's not really allowed but you didn't answer the question. that's number one. we have a $31 trillion debt for your comments and if we have a $12 trillion u.s. gdp, is it not unsustainable? the federal reserve has increased the cost of capital in the last year, even half a year by three or four percentage points and they are not done. when the u.s. treasury borrows, they have to borrow at market

rates even though it's a riskless rate of return. the debt is unsustainable and that's my question and statement. secondly, what if the u.s. dollar is no longer the world reserve currency? what happens then? think about the implications of that and the chinese especially in the indians are doing everything they can to find in alternative to the u.s. dollar as the reserve currency in the world capital markets. if that goes away, we are in deep doodoo. caller: host: i will leave it there because you put out a lot so let's start with the $31 trillion figure. guest: the point you drive home are ones that we are thinking about. it keeps me up at night. it's not only the fact that our

debt is the backbone of our economy but financing that debt will only increase when there is increased cost of borrowings and it's a great concern that within our lifetime, paying interest on her debt alone is projected to be the largest government program. it will out pace what we are allocating to other parties like health care and social security, education. that is a pretty monumental statistic. just being able to service our debt will be the largest budget priority by the year 2025 if we choose to do nothing. that's something that i think we need to draw attention to and the fact that that debt will not

just go away. this is something our children and their children will be inheriting. there are long-term fiscal consequences of the decisions we are making today or the decisions we choose not to make today. to answer your other point on the status of the u.s. dollar as the reserve currency, this is one of the primary concerns as to why it's so important that the parties rally together and address the debt limit in a bipartisan manner or reforming the process. we really cannot envision a world economy where the dollar is not the reserve currency. we know that treasury securities are the safest financial assets to invest in in the world. the global trade system and markets as we know them today depend on the u.s. dollar because of the full facing

credit. they know that creditors know that they will be repaid. we haven't faced an event where they haven't in modern history. that is certainly a top concern and one where that's why the issues and concerns you have are points that i urge you to drive home to your local lawmakers and your representatives in congress as to why it isn't as successful bargaining chip in the political discussions that we are seeing now. we need to be thinking about ways we can address the debt limit in a productive manner and realizing that they currency system is not working and there are reform options on the table

that we can utilize or pass legislation that can help us take off these concerns of the dollar not being the reserve currency for the risk of default on capital markets because we have seen that in the past decade, the threat of a potential u.s. default has downgraded our sovereign debt rating. it has increased borrowing cost for taxpayers. these are issues that affect all americans, the history around the debt limit or the mechanics of how government can pay its bills if we weren't to pass that point are complicated and they are complicated be because of the fiscal mechanics but also

because we've never in a situation in modern times when we had to deal with that. either the legal capacity of the treasury department to figure out what payments they can make and to whom and how, but also technically. we really don't know and haven't been in a situation like that. a lot of it goes back to there is great concern that if we were to default on our debt, it would bring into question, the role of the west dollar as a global reserve currency so that something we want to maintain and it's important that lawmakers address the debt limit in a productive manner. host: rachel snyderman is joining us from the bipartisan policy center. this is john in illinois, democrats line. caller: good morning. i wanted to talk about balancing the budget.

you tossed around some ideas like raising the age of retirement when you can get social security or other means testing. i haven't heard mentioned, why not just raise the tax limit from $150,000 to $400,000 and i think that would help solve the solvency of social security. what do you think? guest: i think you are talking about the tax that employers and employees pay that is levied on their payroll. it's the percentage that each employer and employee pays. that is certainly an option that i think could gain traction in congress. just by raising the percentage a few percentage points, anywhere

from a few percentage points greater would help address these solvency issues and even within the near term. it could help curb some of the fears we are facing benefits could be cut by a quarter and a decade across-the-board. i think there is an option and i would love to see some traction on as well. as you note, $140,000 of taxes has been levied on additional income at that limit. i think that is an opportunity for parties to come together and agree on a potential path

forward that could help address a part of the solvency. host: when it comes to the debt ceiling, what is the best avenue for reform and one is the best way to change it from its current form? guest: in regards to the debt limit, there is a bill that was introduced in congress called the responsible bill leveraging act which would keep the debt limit but bring it back to a point where we can utilize the debt limit to have these discussions. it would do you risk the debt limit and put to bed the risk of potential default. i would encourage the president to be able to spend the debt limit and he or she would have

to provide a kind of fiscal accountability plan, away to explain how the government can get its fiscal house in order. it would also allow congress -- they would either have to go to disapprove of that measure and then it would allow congress the power to address the debt limit with their current budget resolutions. it would really allow congress -- it would tie the debt limit, it would go more hand in how congress debates is spending priorities. they are related.

we have to pay the bills do for the spending policies and priorities we have in this congress and all questions -- and all congresses need to redouble their priorities and make sure they are maintaining and having discussions about our countries fiscal management and priorities. host: let's hear from jerry in new jersey, republican line. caller: hello? good morning. i am just curious -- will this increase our inflation that supposed to be transitory? is inflation going to go up? the $150 billion for covid in the 91 billion dollars for ukraine, does anybody know where almost that $200 billion went in

the next $50 billion we will give ukraine? there's been no audit about any of it. wouldn't that 200 billion help us if they could find out where it all went? host: thank you. guest: phrase to hear another new jersey native calling in. inflation is an issue that's top of mind with the colder months upon us and the holidays are well underway. we are all thinking about what the year end needs are with the next calendar year upon us. it's hard to predict. we've seen that over the past year and a half. there was a lot of talk about whether or not inflation is transitory and we are kind of in

this post-pandemic economic boom in consumer demand was outstripping the supply. the supply chain shortages were a result and we saw that represented in the continual price increases we felt not only in energy and food but new-car car sales and travel and a whole host -- and medical supplies as well, housing additionally. i think it's hard to determine what the future of inflation looks like and i would say the -- we know the fed is using their monetary policy power by stepping in and thinking about -- and raising interest rates. we are seeing the reflection of that in the economy.

we saw inflation curve slightly this past month. we saw a little bit of that tapering so inflation, many of us have never felt this for decades. seeing that it took as a year and a half in this post-pandemic boom to see inflation grow to what it's be come, it will take time for it to taper off and realize this new normal and get back to a state where we are not seeing 8% jumps in prices each month.

we're looking at the relationship between our government spending priorities. the result of pumping and covid relief funding that americans needed in financial and economic shock. it was created by the pandemic that we didn't anticipate. no one knew the extent to it that economic challenge would be. we are looking at the repercussions of that pandemic and fiscal responsibility is needed in the height of the pandemic. it's tricky to understand an estimate where inflation goes from me here. it will be front and center on america's minds.

policymakers will continually be pressed to respond. host: she is a senior associate director of economic policy for the bipartisan policy center, thank you for giving us your time. we will go to open forum for the last half-hour of the program. we will take those calls when "washington journal" continues. >> c-span now is a free mobile app featuring your unfiltered view of what's happening in washington live and on-demand. keep up with the biggest events

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usa takes a look -- usa today takes a look at immigration. we archive these audio cases

from the supreme court and you conceal of those at www.c-span.org. the first call in the open forum is lynn in philadelphia, pennsylvania. caller: i wanted to ask rachel this question but one thing that's on my mind, there is a bill in congress called hr 82 which is the social security fairness act and getting rid of the windfall and social security offset which affects a lot of people in america that have under 30 years of service under social security and for those who also have a pension. congress has 305 cosponsors that are bipartisan. the head of the committee has put this bill on september 21 for a vote -- on december 21 for

a vote. i want to know when congress will vote on this bill because that will give people relief with their social security payments and their pension payments that have been unfairly taxed. they have under 30 years of service or they have other government pensions. host: that's lynn in pennsylvania so let's hear from leslie in new york state, republican line. caller: good morning. i'm hearing a lot about inflation. i would like to know what the senate is doing to pass the senate bill [indiscernible] these student loans are full of predatory lending and nothing has been done about it. host: how is this directly

impacted you? caller: my student loan has ballooned to an unprecedented amount that feels on verily painful to pay. host: how much you owe on your student loan? caller: currently it's $88,000 to get a degree in my salary does not match my degree. host: what was your degree in? caller: i'm a master of library sciences. host: is there not enough work there in new york state or it's not a competitive enough salary? caller: i'm currently working as a librarian. however, the compounded interest on these student loans are predatory. right now, we have a bill host: you mentioned that.

let's hear from dave in las vegas, nevada independent line. caller: i wanted to ask rachel, how come people on social security, whenever that comes up, they cut the funds. they say you will not get it check. how come all those congressman, democrats and republicans get their checks and everything else is cut but they get their checks? they make 170 thousand dollars per year and all their benefits and they are billionaires. how come they get their check? can rachel or someone answer that? how can they make so much money anyway? host: every legislator makes the same amount including what they passing congress. occasionally, they vote to raise

that salary new contract that on our website www.c-span.org as far as what congress receives. we've done several segments covering that. let's hear from nebraska, democrats line. caller: hi, when i was looking at the protests in china, it was such a stark contrast to what i saw here in the united states. i was protesting about the george floyd killings and there was military half tracks that went down the role and cops lined up and i eventually see people got shot with rubber bullets just her standing there. they are doing better than us in china. i think our rights are being trampled on. i got followed for 20 miles on the interstate because i had a handicapped placard in a rental car and was that enough a

reasonable suspicion? i got pulled over because i had marijuana. i was in lawyer so i did some research and i couldn't find a lawyer to help me. the only reason lawyers will go to court is to win the case. they will only take a few civil rights cases. i went to district court. it's on appeal and i don't know what will happen. we were abandoned. there is a waiver program where it's 19 countries that can come here. without a waiver.

host: the georgia senate runoff is in one week. the new york times is reporting on what president trump plans do as far as his role. instead of holding one of the signature campaign rallies, mr. trump is planning to send online please for herschel walker. the decision to keep mr. trump out of the spotlight will energize democratic voters. one of the other people talk about the runoff is senate majority leader mitch mcconnell yesterday, talking about the impact as he sees it. [video clip] >> the georgia delegate race has been all about liberal spending

and tax hikes. just one workings and just working families in georgia need checks and balances, what they got was reckless rubberstamps. earlier this month, after the american people voted to break up the one-party government, president biden insisted defiantly that i'm not going to change direction. it's been two years since the senate democratic leader said if he got george's two senate seats, he would change america. they certainly have done that. on party lines, democrats squandered the promising economic comeback and replaced with staggering inflation now president biden says he's learned nothing and will change nothing? democrats have shown the american people what they will do with power. in the united states of america, the power lies with the people and in a little over a week, the

people of georgia will have the ability to make the choice between a check and balance or a rubberstamp. host: you can see more of that on our website at www.c-span.org . this is bob in arlington, texas, independent line. caller: i just want to say happy birthday to joan roberts, the granddaughter of president biden . she is four years old today. i'm ashamed as to how poorly he has treated his granddaughter. i would think his wife jill would be the immoral compass for president biden but she goes along with him. host: we go to dave in wisconsin, republican line. caller: i have a comment on the border crisis. it's never going to be solved,

the american people have elected a president who doesn't care. host: greg in texas, democrats line. caller: good morning to everybody. i just want to say that what's going on in your country and i see it. we've been letting the left hand not know what the right hand is doing. a lot of people are saying stuff . they believe the left hand and people in this country believe is an example and the hispanic people are not doing bad in america because 90% in my neighborhood -- are you there? host: go ahead. caller: hispanic community is buying up the neighborhoods. they need houses and they have

illegal immigrants building these nice neighborhoods from sun city, they keep a job and they never stop working in the underbid everybody so bad. in the military, the veterans choose to be homeless. they host: want host: to talk about where caller: caller: america is going. who are these people? the chinese took over the chip factory. the white and black people are the ones who are suffering. host: let's go to yale in miami beach, florida, independent line. caller:

very simple question -- if we were not to raise the debt ceiling and essentially these foreign countries would devalue debt and raise her interest rate, would that have an effect on the federal reserve pulling back and giving us normal rates for americans as opposed to foreign investors like china and others? host: we said this in the first hour, representative donald mceachin representative from virginia died monday at weeks after winning reelection. he said we are devastated at the passing of our friend. we have watched him fight and triumph over the secondary effect of this colorectal cancer

and tonight he lost that battle and the people of virginia lost a hero who always fought for them. he was the democratic monitor -- nominee for state attorney general. this is james in alabama, republican line. caller: i'm talking about the bill in the senate about same-sex marriage. this country is no longer a christian company when these people don't understand anything about scriptures. all the democrats and republicans voted or this. it's sodom and gomorrah.

they passes thing, they are in direct opposition to god. it's in leviticus around chapter 20. it tells what will happen to these people that believe in lgbtq+. host: that's james in alabama so let's hear from kay in maryland, democrats line. caller: i would like to remind the previous caller that in this country, we have a separation of church and state. i do not believe that the debt ceiling should be raised. i believe the four billion

dollars, the budget line item is real and each year, it should be canceled as well as some of the other foreign aid this country is giving away. israel has taken the money we have given them to build in the occupied territory and this is totally wrong. there is a budget line item $4 billion per year. host: how do you know they use that money to build in the occupied territories? caller: how else were they able to do this? they should not be getting $4 billion per year without even asking for it, thank you. host: that's k in maryland. the former vice president of the united states mike pence was on news nation, talking about the

dinner hosted by president trump featuring the former rapper kanye west and others including a holocaust denier/anti-semi will stop here is mike pence talking about that dinner. [video clip] >> president trump was wrong to give a white nationalist, an anti-semi and holocaust denier a seat at the table and i think he should apologize for it. he should announce those individuals and their hateful rhetoric without qualification. with that being said, as i point out in the book, i don't believe donald trump is an anti-summit. i don't believe he is a. racist or a bigot i would not have been as vice president if he was. people often forget the

president's daughter converted to judaism. for son-in-law is a devout jew. his grandchildren are jewish. the broad rush of attacks that the media has leveled at him, i think the president mistreated profoundly poor judgment in giving those individuals a seat at the table. as i said, i think he should apologize for it and announced them without all of occasion. host: you can find that on the news nation website stop let's hear from massachusetts, independent line. caller: i want to talk about congress passing the debt ceiling. does the senate need 60 votes to

pass that? if it does, shouldn't the democrats go 50-50 and send it to the parliamentarian to vote on that? host: good question. why is the debt ceiling important to you? caller: because i believe that even moderate republicans always increase it. they're trying to pass that without even the judiciary making a choice. we need to try to get the budget down as they did in the clinton area but at the same time, we can't default on some of these because china has 15-20% of error debt.

host: the house and the senate both take a role when it comes to raising the debt ceiling so you will see that play out in the weeks ahead as our last guest spoke about. let's hear from ray in virginia, republican line. caller: yes, i was just calling into give you my opinion -- they are worried about the debt ceiling, worried about the student loans, they are worried about getting rid of the social security. i can solve your problems. all they have to do is quit. given the united states money to all these other countries and then you won't have to worry about it. thank you. host: that's rate in virginia.

the wall street journal reports that a key element of the balance as a federal lawsuit in texas is challenging the law's requirement to cover an array of preventive health services that range for screenings from depression to mammograms. a district court judge ruled it's unconstitutional. the health insurance requirement for hiv violates religious freedom. you can read more of that in the wall street journal. that's hear from judy in texas, independent line. caller: good morning. joe biden has decided we will

give reparations to other countries in the climate crisis. all other countries will but not china. we are giving this money to corrupt dictators. $7.3 trillion is a number i got for reparations which is nonsense. why do we gives a much money to other countries and we don't take care of the people in this country? that's who we should take care of first. host: north carolina, democrats line, david's next. caller: hello? i want to know how come we are giving all this money to foreign

countries? i get $990 per month from the government and i can't pay my bills or eat. how come they don't give us no money and help us poor people out? host: felicia in iowa is next, democrats line. caller: hi, i just -- one of the representatives on your show the other day talked about how iowa red wave. every democrat in iowa had a challenger lost but republicans in iowa were not deniers of the election, they were here to represent i ones - iowans and

all this talk about donald trump in this dinner he had, he is very petty and i'm thinking he had this inner with kanye west as a poke to his daughter and his son-in-law. people say he doesn't have these ideas because his grandchildren and daughter are jewish. i think he had that dinner because ivanka said she wants nothing else to do with politics. he's just petty and that was his way of getting back at his daughter and son-in-law. host: what it you think about senator chuck grassley winning? caller: i think as long as he runs, he will probably win. the district he is in, they've gerrymandered everything so it's hard for publicans to speak their real mind because they gerrymandered all these districts and it's hard for them

to go against that. host: from kentucky, independent line. caller: yes, thank you for taking my call, i would like to say -- the lady who had on earlier, talking about social security, why doesn't anybody mention that they cut it off at $150,000 where you don't have to pay income tax on your wages? how come wealthy people don't have to pay? i would like for somebody to speak on that. have somebody on there to speak about that. the public is not mad because the wealthy people rule this country but they don't pay social security tax. c-span.org because there is a wealth of information when it

comes to a large variety of political topics including social security. when you type it in not only on this show but many forums and panels and such talking about those topics. you could probably find answers there. let's hear from erie, pennsylvania on the democratic line. hello, you are on. caller: hello, good morning. host: you are on the air, go ahead. caller: what are the requirements to run for office? do you have to have any type of historical education? how are we letting these people run for office and they have no experience? you can't get a job at mcdonald's without some kind of experience. what are the requirements of

being a president of the united states? we let everyone running for office, football players, astronauts. i want to know what the requirements are. host: gary in fort worth, texas on the independent line. caller: you can be a more on and run for president. we have seen that before. in fact, you don't even have to be an attorney to be a district attorney and places. how in the world can we have district attorneys that are not lawyers? hello. thank you. host: that was scary and fort worth, texas. this is clyde from oklahoma on the democrats line. caller: hello. i wanted to talk about the caller that was talking about israel.

god says that they are the chosen ones but we're still the leftovers. we should get off of their back, thank you. host: this is debbie and west virginia, hello. caller: i just wanted to say we are divided between the wealthy and the non-wealthy and i think our government needs to take a look at that situation. host: what he mean by that? caller: i feel that they are not looking at the people who are so well-off and they are trying to tax us when the wealthy needs to help the underprivileged. host: we are just a few minutes away from taking you into that supreme court hearing on immigration. on the independent-minded and pennsylvania. caller: i don't think donald trump should apologize for

anything. he showed who he is. i was born and raised in waynesboro. that is one thing i respect the people who say i am a racist, i am a klansman. let me know who you are. i have been shot at by the clan and everything. i am proud of the ones who say who they are. you have the neocons of the republican party. who are like i am really not like that, and one thing donald trump is learn how to do. he has learned how to use people skills. he will use jewish people, the black people, klansman. the people that run around behind him. he is making money off of them. host: kathy is next on the

republican line. caller: hi, i have a question to ask. why is it that nobody, no newscast talks about what ftx has done with the crypto coin when it points back to 90% of that money went to the democratic party? host: we just had a segment talking about cryptocurrency in the last couple of weeks on this program. i don't recall the exact day. you will have to look at the archives to find it for yourself. why is an important topic in your mind? caller: i believe the people who got that money needs to return it to the people who were playing that cryptocurrency. i do not believe that if we spend $30 million to a

democratic party that they should be entitled to keep other people's money. that is thievery. host: ginger is in kentucky on the democrats line. caller: my concern is that biden has downright on the china thing. we don't need to get involved anymore. the kids never sin -- rich people never sin their kids. with the debt, a lot of this money is appropriated. i wonder how much is spent? i wonder how much the real indebtedness is. it's like a line of credit on a credit card. another thing, if the republican party is set on doing away with

social security. older people need to let someone know it would be a different world here. host: let's hear from michael from pennsylvania on the independent line. caller: hi, how are you. i don't understand why people don't see they need laws against making a promissory note. they locked up made offer that. they did the same thing with the dollar. we are conned into being slaves to ourselves because we are the workers. we gather pack, ship and rebuy. they are failing at making money for our business, u.s. business. host: who is day? caller: the red and the blue.