row seat to democracy. coming up this morning on "washington journal," jim himes of connecticut and a member of the financial services committee joins us to talk about the government funding deadline and talk about increasing the debt ceiling and priorities for the 1/18 congress. later, the nebraska representative a member of the armed services committee, will also discuss the latest on government funding including the national defense authorization act. you can join the conversation with her calls, texts, and tweets. ♪ host: it's "the washington journal," december 6. polls are open across georgia as that collection takes place between raphael warnock and

herschel walker. the outcome of the race will not determine which party controls office in the senate next year, it will determine how much legislative power dem rats will have an next congress. in the next hour, calling with your thoughts on the special election and what it means for the senate. (202) 748-8001 for republicans, (202) 748-8000 for democrats, and independents, (202) 748-8002 . if you are a georgia resident, call us at (202) 748-8003. you can also use that number to text us this morning or paste on her -- or comment on our facebook page. on t hill they have posted the five things to watch out for whiltaking a look at the race in georgia. under the headline -- can election day turnout save walker -- it writes that early voting

turnout has been strong, something that almost certainly benefits warnock. repeatedly breaking their one-day record for early voting, topping things off with a turnout of 350,000 voters last friday. the story adds it's important to warnock for several reasons. democrats generally benefit from high turnout and there have been long lines in the heavily democratic counties of the atlanta area and democrats cast about 52% of early ballots where republicans cast only 9% according to data. it also asks the questions, are the polls wrong again, stating that the opinion polls taken since november 8 clearly point to a narrow warnock victory, five major polls released since the start of december and walker has not led in any of them. this one puts warnock up by 2%

and it goes on from there. you can find it at the bottom of the website on the hill, if you wish. we will get your thoughts on the special election from georgia. (202) 748-8001 for republicans. (202) 748-8000 for democrats. and (202) 748-8002 for independents. if you are a georgia resident and you want to call give your thoughts this morning, (202) 748-8003. to talk about the impacts of the race and how it affects the senate, michael snell is with the hill. guest: thank you for having me. host: it doesn't determine power but what are leaders in the senate watching for today? guest: it's significant as to how you legislate in the senate.

if warnock wins the first full term today, democrats get a 51 to 49 full seat majority. those committees will no longer be split thinly between democrats and republicans. they will have a majority meaning the senate no longer has to use the power-sharing agreement that schumer and mcconnell had agreed to last year. that would be significant because it root -- could really speed up the committee process when it comes to judicial nominees on the senate judiciary committee. it would then be the majority that democrats could easily vote judicial nominees out from committee for a full vote. also democrats winning an extra seat and giving them that one seat geordie would mean that no one senator could derail negotiations. when i say that, we think of people like joe manchin and

kyrsten sinema who have sometimes not voted with the entire democratic caucus, throwing off negotiations or plans set by leaders. essentially giving democrats some breathing room so they don't have to negotiate directly with those two lawmakers and they could afford to lose a vote. talking about things like absences, sicknesses, we are still coming out of covid. with the extra breathing room, not all 50 democrats will have to be in washington to cast a vote on every bill to make sure it will pass. they will have that breathing room in case there are unforeseen absences. these are just a few reasons why, even though democrats hold a majority of the chamber as things currently stand, them gaining one more seat would have a significant impact. host: we have seen president biden stay away from campaigning in the state. we have seen president trump

stay away. how much support from the senate themselves are senators giving either candidate? guest: they are giving a good amount of. jon ossoff was alive it along warnock in the evs runoff race, he's been campaigning with his fellow home state senator in georgia throughout the race and recently we saw on the republican side with herschel walker, people like ted cruz, he went down to georgia to campaign with herschel walker. while we haven't seen too much on the ground participation from people like president biden or former president trump, we have seen those senators jumping in and stumping for their respective candidates ahead of the runoff race. host: when it comes to the day to day of the senate, if raphael warnock does win, what does that do for things like the future of the filibuster and the day to day things to get legislation

passed, getting a certain amount of senators on board with legislation? guest: even if warnock wins, democrats will still be only at 51 votes. that filibuster will still be there and it will be a significant challenge for democrats to get enough republicans on board. i guess technically they could have votes to take away the filibuster. the joe manchin and kyrsten sinema are both opposed to it. but the other elephant in the room, talking about democrats increasing a majority in the senate, the house will still be in republican hands, making legislating increasingly difficult for democrats. largely because democrats are able to send a messaging bill from the senate to the house, unlikely because of the filibuster and the lack of votes to take away the filibuster, it would likely not move in the house because of the gop majority there.

some procedural things will be different and certainly things like nominees will be easier in the senate but casting legislation for democrats will be a large hurdle. host: in a general sense, i don't know if you cover this directly, but do you know if we will have a result the night as far as who wins? guest: i believe that remains to be seen. as you know recently voting has taken longer in terms of absentee ballot. i know myself i will be watching the returns in eagerly awaiting the answer as to who wins the race. host: you can find her work at the hill.com, here to talk about the impact of the special election in the workings of the senate. thank you so much for your time today. guest: thank you for having me. host: give us a call on the lines if you wish you would like to comment. (202) 748-8000 four democrats,

(202) 748-8001 for republicans. independents, (202) 748-8002. georgia residents, give us a call at (202) 748-8003 and you can text us there as well. good morning, go ahead. caller: i do not understand for the life of me why lv to king, dr. king's niece, doesn't go down to georgia and talk for herschel walker. she knows you can't be a black man in to be religious and be a man of the cloth and, and be pro-abortion. you can't do that. i don't understand why she don't go down there and speak up or herschel walker. she knows that warnock's got to be a liar. he's fooling the people in georgia. host: you are not a georgia resident but i assume that from your comments you are supporting

herschel walker in this? caller: of course. why would i, you can't be black and be a man of the cloth and before abortion. you cannot do that. guest: ok. stephen, indiana, virginia. democratic line. caller: i called in two months ago about this race, you had an expert on. i think it's interesting, first of all you have already mentioned, if warnock wins, the senate is the seat of power that the other doesn't have. it is sort of important for warnock to take this because when all the republicans in the congress, in the house, start all of these wild accusations, they have been pilloried for months and years. the senate and the state department exonerated hillary but they just went ahead. there is nothing there, there. also this idea that we will have

this caucus in the senate is crazy. c-span.org -- [indiscernible] down south it looks like they like football and don't care about integrity. i think that what happened in 2020, when trump bailed on georgia, the maggot people failed on georgia and give it to the democrats, that's great. i still do wonder why the senate -- talking about trillions of dollars, obama, 9 trillion. trump, over 7 trillion. biden, 3.52 years into this thing. trump spent all that money when the economy was going great. host: we will leave it there. some of you participating on the facebook page this morning, comments there from the facebook

page, forget about party, walker is not qualified to be in office. this is jackson saying how do i know warnock is an honest representation of georgia? walker has made it right with god. nothing past that. karen otley saying that herschel walker signifies everything wrong with the country today. how is this man a legitimate candidate in the eyes of anyone? this one saying hopefully the good people of georgia will choose wisely. several political ads have been published and to be honest they were despicable and should be beneath anyone claiming to be a man of the cloth, those are my two cents. twitter, when it comes to this race, this special election race in georgia today, you can make your comments on facebook, facebook up him/c-span.

-- facebook.com/c-span. or you can text us at (202) 748-8003 this morning. we set aside a special number for georgians, same line as the text number. this is bill. go ahead. caller: yes, good morning. thank you for my call. host: go ahead, you're on. caller: great. i would like to voice my opinion. i don't thing i can express myself more than this election. i mean it means everything to this country and the nation. so, the people of georgia in my opinion have only got two choices and i think it's very simple. you are voting for two candidates, herschel walker and senator warnock. herschel walker, obviously, has

nothing to bring to the table except a big bag of lies and support for trump. senator warnock, he brings integrity. he brings ambition. he brings vision. not only for the state of georgia but the whole country. and i think right now -- i've got a 98-year-old sister i'm taking to vote today. i think we owe it to the state of georgia as well as the country, whether you are republican, independent, democrat, whatever, do not risk this election over a bag of lies and foolishness and allow this country to become greater, greater, and greater country as it has the potential to do so. host: if i may ask, did you participate in early voting? caller: i already voted, my wife

already voted. she has vote by mail. sister-in-law has voted. and today i'm taking my elderly sister, 98 years old, i'm driving her all the way to marietta, georgia to vote. host: ok. let's hear from alan in brooklyn, new york. caller: good morning, thank you. i'm a little puzzled at the way the republicans have treated the issue of herschel walker's immorality. the pregnancies he caused and the abortions he were rested of the women he was involved with. to say that the religious view is not only to excuse his wrongdoings but to make the fact needed to be forgiven a virtue, not just from the standpoint of

another religious person, but a virtue in choosing a senator. at best, if you forgive someone their shortcomings when going into a senate race, it should simply take the issue of the sin off the table and then leave you free to examine the relative qualifications of character and ability in the two candidate. but they are going so far to turn the fact of his sin into an asset in the campaign because it gave them an opportunity to express their view on the power of forgiveness. that would be so far from the way that they would choose a professional in their own lives if they were looking for an accountant, a lawyer, a doctor, surgeon to treat them. they would not say i'm going to select you because you did something wrong and were religious enough to ask for forgiveness. if you are not a skilled professional, why would i want to use your services? host: some of you mentioning and

talking about today's special election. (202) 748-8001 for republicans, (202) 748-8000 fro democrats. independent,s -- independents, (202) 748-8002. we will show you the final ads from raphael warnock and herschel walker. [video clip] >> my daddy woke me up every morning, 6:00 a.m. get up, get dressed, put your shoes on. he thought you should always put your shoes on and be ready for whatever came. only in america is my story possible and that's why i'm running for reelection. i don't work the big oil and gas for rations. i work for you. i don't work for the big pharmaceutical companies.

i worked were you. until every child has a chance, until every veteran has the benefits they deserve, until every woman knows they are in control of their own body. are you ready to do this one more time? are you ready? put your shoes on. if we fight together, if we band together, we will win the future together. god bless you. >> more optimistic about the future of our state that we cannot rest on our laurels, everyone. you are going to decide who our senator is. this is going to be a turnout election. who is more motivated? them or us? it's time to retire rough ale warnock and elect herschel walker to the united states senate. >> i'm herschel walker and i approve this message.

host: those are some of the final at being shown therein georgia. mark is from mableton, georgia. go ahead. guest: -- caller: first with the situation from both sides that find personal issues in both candidates, right? and you have a situation here where warnock said his wife said things about running over the foot and in response to that you have people talking about herschel walker, right? either side is not believable that on the other site you have warnock telling us that he's for abortion and he's a pastor. that's the one side of people that should be against abortion. otherwise everybody would be for abortion. if pastors are going to be for abortion? who's left?

obviously being a christian i'm against warnock for that reason. on the other i'm also against both sides talking personally against both candidates at the level they are. you noticed the stuff against herschel walker came up after the stuff came out against warnock and his wife, right? you seal the people talking about walker and warnock, his own wife was against him. i don't see a reason i would ever vote for warnock because of that. host: did you already vote, or what is your plan? caller: i already voted. i'm working out of town right now. i came back to do the early vote. host: smooth process as far as that went? caller: it was a long line. host: ok. mark there, georgia. we have set up a special mine for georgia residents to give their thoughts on today's elections.

more facebook responses, this is from a viewer saying that they are both terrible choices. teresa hall says walker knows nothing about being a senator. like donald trump, everything that comes out of his mouth is lies. another viewer saying that a religious leader with a history of public service, which one will the christian right choose. a 50-50 senate evening the democrats at bay, 5149 leads to shenanigans like packing the supreme court. this election isn't about georgia. walker isn't the greatest candidate but he's a solid vote against democratic policy. those are some of the responses from facebook there. alicia is next. you are next. good morning, you are on. caller: good morning, thank you for having me on and thank you, pedro, for c-span and that is

what i respect the most. i will be voting for herschel walker today and i do have a problem you are a man of god for wanting abortions and saying it's ok and i'm a woman and i have a beautiful child. i think every woman has a right to her body. i think everybody needs to read into that and understand. i think the democrats have really just totally blindsided everybody with this. read deep into it. we still have our right. go herschel. host: why did you choose to vote today as opposed to early voting? caller: i early voted last time. i'm a mobile groomer and i've been slammed with doggies the last week and didn't realize it topped on friday. before that it was saturday so i

will be going today. host: is your polling place usually busy and do you expect it to be busy today? caller: yes, sir, and i will wait in line forever today. host: alicia, there, posing that question on herschel walker. one data point from november 8 that was stark, walker got 200,000 fewer votes than his party colleague kemp, who won comfortably over stevie -- stacey abrams, showing a potentially great problem for walker, difficult times connecting with independent voters, showing warnock vesting walker by 11 points by the one in four voters who describe themselves as independent and amongst self-descred moderates the margin was larger once

again. more than 30 points. darren was in florida. republican line, go ahead. caller: yes, my name is darren, i live in florida and i'm definitely for herschel walker. got to get that seat for republicans in the senate so that we can moderate and use the win. it's very important. people think it's not a crucial race? it's a crucial race. warnock is so corrupt. i just hope that people don't fall for this time. i didn't like when he ran over his wife, whatever happens there. always seems like he wants to work across the aisle but he never does. i want everyone to know, run, walker, run. host: that was darren in florida. let's hear from john in new york city. caller: hello. how you doing? pedro, you doing a good job, you one of my favorites. i want to explain this abortion

thing to all the clergy and all you so-called christians. i'm going to say a few statements in the number to hang up, gonna be short. jesus died to give everybody the right to choose right or wrong. ministers, christians saying it's wrong to have abortion? jesus if you the choice. you could do right or you could do wrong. i'm so surprised all of these christians is not explaining that. jesus didn't all make us like zombies. he give you a choice. host: how does that apply to today's race do you think? caller: well what it is, they getting on warnock because they say he's for abortion. he's not for abortion. he's forgiving people a choice to have an abortion if you want. that's between you, your god, your family, and your doctor. that's all he's saying.

i want these christians, these bishops, these preachers to explain to people. you have to talk. say abortion is against god's rules? you have a choice. he gives everybody a choice. thank you. host: john, new york city. "the new york times" takes a look at districts that could be a challenge for walker or warnock. a small collection of precincts across georgia favoring both the republican, brian kemp, and a democrat in the midterm election. crossover precincts that are concentrated in the northern suburbs of atlanta, flipping's of work from one party to another in recent elections. a majority of these republican precinct strongholds voted to elect trump and 2016 by significant margins but shifted to the left in 2022 help deliver georgia.

the georgia voters who delivered kemp a comfortable victory over stacey abrams didn't show the same tuesday as him. -- susie has him -- intimacy -- enthusiasm. (202) 748-8000 democrats, (202) 748-8002 for republicans. (202) 748-8003 if you are a georgia resident. teresa, tennessee, republican line. caller: i have lived in georgia all my life. all my family lives in georgia, fayette county, south georgia. clayton county, mcdonough, they

all live there. but you media have it all, you report like it's all sewn up that warnock has got this thing beat. but you know they have spent $100 million trying to get rafael warnock reelected. and he hasn't wiped out herschel walker yet. i mean, they were within a couple of percentage points that took it to a runoff. so, this ain't over. herschel walker is a good man. he's always been at good man in georgia. always been a hometown hero. never had a hint of scandal until he ran for congress. rafael warnock is nothing but a slumlord kicking people out of their homes for $30. he run his -- how do you never talk about him running over his wife's, his ex-wife's? he took his campaign cash to pay

over $70,000 in back child support where he won't pay for his kids. he's a false prophet. he's a prosperity preacher where if you give me money and buy me a jet, you will prosper. he supports lewis farrakhan. you do not report fairly. one other thing, i will make it quick, i am sick and tired of people calling, democrats calling herschel walker dumb and stupid when they elected john fetterman, who is a retard. host: ok, that was to reset in tennessee. joanne, south carolina, democratic line. caller: good morning, thank you for taking my call. first of all, i am, i have an issue with people who think that pro-choice equates pro-abortion. it simply means you have the

right to choose. secondly, i do not believe that herschel walker is qualified to run for office. herschel walker is not qualified to serve in congress, despite whatever the previous caller had to say about rev. warnock. herschel walker is simply not qualified. he was a good football player and he should stick to that. inc. you, that's all i have to say. host: that was joanne in south carolina. we will hear next from jim on the republican line. caller: good morning. what i would like to scream remind people is that rev. warnock reaches up a lot of people. he's one person who reaches congregations, services televised, reaching a lot more people.

but i want to remind individuals who are going to polling, herschel walker was traded to minnesota for 10 individuals are draft picks. i don't know any other person that is equal to that. that's 10 to one. he supports the right to life. people who use the word choice need to look up a website about choice. host: so, you're 10 to one comparison, what does that mean as far as his ability to serve in the senate? caller: it means that he has been acclaimed to be as strong as this and people.

-- as 10 people. every football player, every former football player retires early because of injuries. but they have gained so much. either as an offense of player or defense of player. now he's worth 10 people. he went to minnesota. didn't do as well because he was older. but we need to remember that those 10 choices that went to dallas made dallas a top-notch team. host: ok, democratic line, go ahead please. caller: cannot say i've ever heard an analogy like that last call, kind of ridiculous. herschel walker was a good football player. he is totally unqualified for congress. morally and knowledge wise, i would say. as far as all these so-called

christians that call in knocking warnock, i would be inclined to bet that most of them voted for trump and still support from after all of the things that he did that mocked religion. so. bottom line, herschel walker is totally unqualified. he's an embarrassment to georgia . republicans don't care. host: what makes him not qualified, in your opinion? caller: well just you can tell by the way he can adjust like the same way that marjorie taylor greene, the same way that they go in there for one reason only. herschel walker will be used like a puppet. warnock has shown he's qualified. herschel walker is qualified to carry a football and that's about it.

host: how has senator warnock shown himself to be qualified? are you there? caller: he's already in congress and he's done a good job. host: ok. that's ronnie. let's go to dave in cincinnati, ohio area democrats line hello. caller: [inaudible] doesn't mean you are pro-abortion. i'm not pro-abortion. i'm not a woman, i didn't have an abortion. [inaudible] people calling in about warnock and his ex-wife, that was investigated at the time and

found not to be credible. all this stuff with walker, it's just apples and oranges. if they can't come up with anything else? warnock is a pretty solid human being, pretty good person. i think he'll win easily. easily. four, maybe even six percentage nine's. host: a georgia runoff special election taking place today that will determine who controls the senate and the political power that the democrats have in the senate and will have in the next congress. we are talking about that for the next half-hour or so. you can call in to participate if you wish. (202) 748-8000 for democrats, (202) 748-8001 for republicans.

independents, (202) 748-8002. if you want to text us, (202) 748-8003. we have more ads, particularly the ads that had to say things about each other. here's a sampling of them now. [video clip] >> i'm raphael warnock and i approve this message. >> a stupid movie but you are watching anyway. i was watching this movie talk, fright night, street night. it was about vampires. vampires kill people. >> what the hell is he talking about? >> is he for real? >> a werewolf can kill a vampire. i don't want to be a vampire, i want to be a werewolf. >> are you serious about this? >> i've been telling this story about six cows. three of them are pregnant. >> there's no segment.

-- there's no substance. >> makes me laugh and then it makes me think we are in trouble. >> no one is watching this and thinking -- man, that guy has got it together. >> it is embarrassing. >> character is what you do when no one is watching. >> warnock thought that no one was watching when his ex-wife called. thought no one was watching when he evicted poor people from their home. >> character is what you do when no one is watching. >> you find out who rev. warnock really is. ask i'm herschel walker and i approve this message. host: let's hear from laura. good morning. >> inc. you for taking my call.

i was listening this morning and hearing some of this stuff. some of it is just, you know, ridiculous. i'm one of those split ticket voters. i did vote for warnock. known him for the past 20 or 30 years. about the apartments? he doesn't own that. they're owned by the federal government. it's a historical property. if you want to know what's going on, i am a native atlantean, all you have to do is pick up the phone and talk to someone from atlanta and they will pick up the story. herschel is a good person and they don't support him for that

reason. everywoman will go through turmoil. host: how do you make that analogy? caller: you have got a man in congress who did all these things to women and it's ok, that's what it will say. some of these women, you have daughters and granddaughters. i'm a senior citizen, just like most of you are. i would not have no man put his hands on my granddaughter. so what you are saying to me is it's ok. all right, let's hear from linda in mississippi, republican line. go ahead. caller: i hope that everybody is due -- in georgia is listening this morning. herschel walker maybe southern, may have an accent, may be country, but he has got everybody's heart, the heart of

georgia. warnock on the other hand, his background, if you really look at his background, is not good. he does not have the good intentions of people from georgia. i'm from mississippi. i'm southern and country. that doesn't mean that i'm not seven years college educated. herschel walker is also a good person. he's got good morals. we are not all without fault. thank you. host: again, we have set aside a special line for residents of georgia this morning. stone mountain, jd, hello. caller: pedro, thank you for taking my call. my wife just got off the line.

took her less than 30 minutes to travel to the election office, cast her vote and come home. 30, 30 minutes. so i'm thinking that's going to be the situation for much of dekalb county. the republicans have retired stacey abrams, ok? now we are going to retire raphael warnock. talking about herschel walker's intelligence level, it's absurd. it's absurd. talking about atlanta, atlanta is a democratic stronghold. warnock spent over $100 million in ads. that's not going to save him. georgians, we need to be saved right now. you have to go out and vote for herschel walker. if you don't want all the

democrat issues to happen in the senate. so everybody, i'm speaking to republicans, i'm speaking to independents and i'm speaking to conscientious republicans who did not vote for herschel walker two weeks ago. vote today. host: stone mountain, good morning. caller: yes, i'm calling about the democrats. i am so surprised at the republicans for picking someone they got to train, they got to teach how to talk. i don't understand this. all of them republicans, bush, why they pick somebody they have to train? i mean we got many, many

intelligent black men. i can name them from atlanta. we got many. why did they pick somebody they had to train? i do not understand. the republicans know that herschel walker won't know what to do once they close the door. host: ok, that's ann in georgia. if you want to call in from georgia, it's (202) 748-8003. on this special election day, a few stories to share with you from the recent day or so. this is out of the supreme court from "usa today," a majority of the court on monday appeared some pathetic to a web designer who wanted to decline to create websites for same-sex weddings, embracing the idea that antidiscrimination laws could not compel her to do so and it could be a profound implication

for businesses turning away customers. they argued the state should not be used to compel her to communicate messages to which she objects. same-sex couples being denied wedding websites because of their status as lgbtq individuals. the designer said that it conflicted with her religious beliefs. by the way, we air to the audio portion of this live yesterday at the supreme court and if you want to find out and listen to the arguments made by both sides and the questions by the justices, go to your website, c-span.org. or go to the app and find the archived audio on the case. no result yet as far as the decision, that will come later, but if you want to hear the arguments that were made on

either side, the place to go is our website, c-span.org. john is in chesterfield, virginia. independent line. caller: thank you for taking my call, pedro. i hope that warnock pulls it off. herschel walker, i think he's like dr. oz. carpetbagger, i would say. primary residence in texas? i don't feel like he's really going to get things done like warnock will. the southern united states is in a really bad spot and has been for many years. poverty. uneducated people. confederate flags everywhere. we need someone to clean that up. we need someone like warnock to really take care of the mess down there. you know, i'm from alaska and here in virginia visiting family. i'm not southern, i'm northern. i hope that warnock flows it off.

-- pulls it off. host: 11:00 this morning there will be a congressional gold medal ceremony to honor the u.s. capitol police, metro police and others who protected the u.s. capitol january 6 of 2021. you can see the live coverage starting at 11:00 today on the main network, c-span, the c-span app and c-span.org, our website. trish is in atlanta, georgia. go ahead. caller: it was really difficult for us to vote in the runoff. counties that lean blue are heavily populated in the reduce the amount of time we can vote from 17 days to five days. the turnouts pretty good, but it's not great. they made it difficult for us. the comment by the woman

earlier, the disparaged veteran, herschel walker, despicable. walker is highly unqualified. please vote warnock today in georgia. remember, if you have to vote at your desert -- remember, you have to vote at your designated polling place, not the early voting center. thanks, have a great day. host: randy, north carolina. democratic line. go ahead. caller: yes i just have a couple of comments about this election. i'm in north carolina but my heart is in georgia. my daughter and my grandkids live out there in gwinnett county. i'm a veteran, also. when i look at leadership, i look at these two candidates and i do a comparison. i do an evaluation. herschel walker is unfit for government, for one.

the listeners out here listening, he won't pass a background check. i worked in a top-secret job throughout my whole federal career and military career. to stay in that position takes a whole lot. from relationships to finances. how you gonna even tackle the complex issues of foreign affairs? georgia, been lost. i was stationed there years ago. for years. i know a lot about georgia. i got stuck, roberts, all the bases. he's unfit for office. he wouldn't pass a top-secret

background check. host: ok, you made that point. we will hear from another georgian. ed joins us on the line for georgia residents. go ahead. caller: yeah, good morning. i'm a senior retired teacher educator. i spend my summers in kalamazoo, michigan. herschel walker, like many callers have been saying, has no reason to be running for any political office. he is not educated. he, i listened to the debates. 24/7. didn't say one single thing he would do for georgia. senator warnock, his message is positive. he has ideas. he thinks about the people.

herschel is just in, he's kind of like, like that jim -- can't think of his last name from ohio . my dad used to say big mouth, little mind. he hasn't said anything. he hasn't said two sentences that really make any sense. i suggest everyone go out and vote for warnock and let's get georgia back online. host: ok. working in congress there on passing a bill on the house side to keep the government funded. on the senate side, work on various immigration bills this morning, saying that kyrsten sinema and thom tillis have outlined a potential proposal to provide to legalization for the immigrants brought to the united states as children known as dreamers in exchange for $25 billion in increased funding for

the border patrol. another piece of legislation being reported on, michael bennet of colorado and mark trejo out of idaho are negotiating on a narrower bill out of the house providing a pathway to citizenship for some undocumented farmworkers. senators have not yet reached a deal but are hoping to get one before the end of the lame-duck session. ron, california, independent line. talking about the runoff. go ahead. caller: how are you doing? i've got a few remarks to make. these people, them saying that he's not qualified? everyone that goes there has no experience to begin with anyway. we just have to look at the person. is he honest in the way he talks?

warnock is nothing but a salesman. far as i'm concerned, warnock is -- the only thing he does, everybody else, he stands for everything else and doesn't believe in it. he doesn't believe in anything. whatever the headman says, he goes for. at least herschel is down-to-earth and is honest. all these people that say he's not qualified, not qualified, who is qualified when they first go to office? host: jerry, tennessee, democratic line. caller: can you hear me? host: go ahead. caller: first of all, thank god for the gen z generation or whatever they said the other day, getting out the vote. but the people, little girls

ain't going to have a change if republicans keep carrying on with these people. it's pitiful. i'm very disappointed in the church. herschel walker has a son that can't -- comes out and campaigns against him. he won't pay his child support. as long as the republicans nominate people like this, they don't need to get elected to office. this is kind of the full, what we are getting from them. young people, get out and vote. your future depends on it. vote. vote today. thank you. host: jerry, tennessee, from the pages of "the wall street journal," taking a look at twitter here and practices, a duty to protect free speech, he writes. "the tension was on full display when "the new york post" story

dropped less than a month for the election. suppression violated first amendment principles, banning links to the story, arguing the story violated company policy because it obtained -- contained information obtained through illegal means

host: more, they, if you want to read it on the wall street journal website. let's hear from north metro, georgia. lauren, hello. caller: good morning. i'm calling, i have already early voted. i weighed to both candidates and i chose to vote for warnock. he's qualified. herschel walker, unfortunately, if he goes to congress, he will be lost. as a former irs employee, and i know a lot of people think

negatively, but i worked for the irs for several years and one of the things we did as a taxpayer advocate was if there was a serious problem with an issue, we would always tell the people -- contact your congressperson. we can do so much but congress makes the laws and if you are not happy with the law, contact your congressperson. i hate to say this, if herschel walker was the contact person in congress, they probably would not get the information they need. because he is not qualified. in any job -- as in any job i've ever worked in, you must be qualified and unfortunately, he's not. he's going to go in there and do whatever the republicans want him to do without a doubt, without question. we need a qualified person. host: let's go to victor in

stone mountain. caller: how you doing, sir? host: fine, thank you. caller: you know what, people on both sides are very, very angry right now but you know what, pedro? change is here. ain't nothing you can do about that. you know? warnock is going to win the race. people need to get ready for that. that's going to happen. a vote for herschel walker is really a vote for donald trump and you know what, donald trump is not going to run this state. thank you, sir. host: on the independent line we will hear from martha in alexandria, virginia. caller: first of all i think it's really a sad state for gop to choose, out of all of the qualified black republican men, herschel walker.

i feel that he's upon. if you are voting for first amendment thinking and changing from one country to another, voting for a man who talks about pregnant bulls, werewolves and vampires, that's sad. when he does have a chance to talk about the issues for helping georgia, he doesn't talk. he's got lindsey graham or the governor there, other people will talk for him but he never gets a chance to talk or he chooses not to. all of that aside, as a black person, having a person on the senate floor being told what to say because he cannot articulate it himself, it says a lot about the gop and a lot about the people who vote for him. if it's a single vote for

pro-life, how about you vote for discover pro-life but the gop hasn't really done anything when the life is there. caller: herschel walker, i don't think he could do what herschel walker did. they have different talents. anyone knows, herschel walker is being used but to seek care? no, he's getting paid. he doesn't care about being used. the only thing we can do is vote and pray to god that everything goes through right and worn out get selected. he did a wonderful job when he

was serving in office. host: finishing off this hour taking a look at georgia special election. join us tomorrow to take a look at those results. thank you for those participating. the house is coming in at 9:00. in the next hour we will be joined by two congress men. first we have rep. jim himes, and then we will hear from rep. don bacon on the house armed services committees. we will be speaking to them next on the washington journal. >> congress gets back to work in

the wake of the midterm election. watch as the next 118 congress elects new committee members, and sets an agenda for 2023. meanwhile the outgoing congress tackles unfinished business such as defense spending, judicial nominations and funding for the federal government. follow it all live on the c-span networks and c-span now, our free mobile app or any time at c-span.org. >> middle and high school students it is time to get out your phones and start recording for your chance to win 100,000 dollars in total cash prizes in the gr prize of $5,000 in the studentcam documentary contest.

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tell your smart speaker to play c-span. c-span, powered by cable. "washington journal," continues. host: our first guest this morning is rep. jim himes, thank you for giving us your time. what has been revealed as far as solving the government's funding crisis? guest: i think we are still on track to get something by december 17. we have committed to get a budget bill done. we have heard a little bit from kevin mccarthy about let's waiting to have the republicans take over in january. it's always a good idea to get a budget bill done rather than a continuing resolution. i hope we get it done.

host: as far as the omnibus, what would you like to see come out of it? guest: that's a big question, i sit on the intelligence committee in one of the projects i have been working on is helping the pentagon, the intelligence community by innovative stuff. and the software world, just imagine you have satellite photographs. you need good technology, good artificial intelligence. the government has not been good at buying stuff from small, innovative companies. a lot of the cutting-edge technology happens in your start ups and we are working really hard in the senate and house to set up a situation where we can get the best tools we need to keep this country safe.

host: why focus on the small companies rather than the largest ones? guest: if you are building a battleship, their are large companies that have been building them for a long time. are you buying heavy battleships or looking at cutting-edge programs that are in smaller companies. host: is there an agreement between republicans and democrats for funding defense side spending? guest: we spend $800 billion on our defense every year. to put that in context, that is more than all of our enemies combined.

you have some people that is too much. that is what we are not paying for infrastructure, our schools. it will not be a unanimous vote but it will be a majority vote. host: we will talk about a lot of topics but if you want to call and ask questions, (202) 748-8001 for republicans, (202) 748-8000 for democrats, (202) 748-8002 for independents, you can text us your thoughts at (202) 748-8003. what can you tell us about the decision to move the state for south carolina for primary voting? guest: south carolina is much more representative state than iowa or new hampshire. they are not representative

demographically. i think in general it is a good thing. i think having a large more representative state go first is better. host: do you think they will make the final vote in the d and nc? guest: if they do that will they be sanctioned at the convention? i am happy with the larger, demographically diverse state going first. host: you said you made the pitch for connecticut. what was the pits? guest: we are a very diverse state. my own district has a remarkably diverse set of people. i represent some of the wealthiest people on the planet in communities like greenwich

but we have inner cities that have inner-city problems. we made the case that we are a diverse state and we are in the new york media market. host: for things taking on the congressional site, we will take a vote on the same bill today? guest: it passed with strong bipartisan support. in this case, i am happy. the bill takes care of two sets of values. the value that most of us share that in the united states you should be able to marry who you want to marry. in case the supreme court decision never got overturned, it has explicit protection for religious freedoms and such.

you have the balance between two separate values which is why it has bipartisan support. host: what is that like for you to become a member of the minority next year? guest: it's never good in the house. i am going to keep doing what i have been doing the whole time. the republican majority, if they decide to do stuff. we hear that it will be nothing but oversight and hunter biden's laptop. my hope is that the majority wants to continue to do stuff on a bipartisan basis. i would say what i mentioned before about modernizing our national security. my hope would be that we would

look at the amount of money that we invest in our youngest americans, this country invest less in our youngest people than any other industrialized country. if we are making less investment in early childhood education. if our kids at age five are less prepared to learn then german, japanese, korean kids what you think will happen in international competition? senator mitt romney has a bill that would provide for additional resources for early childhood education. that might be a step too far but we will see. host: (202) 748-8001 for republicans, (202) 748-8000 for democrats, (202) 748-8002 for independents. what is your thoughts about

hakeem jeffries becoming house leader? guest: i have in this respect for nancy pelosi. three years from now, they will agree with me. she will go down in history as one of the top three speakers in history. she was working with the young president, president obama to get dodd frank and the affordable care act done. it's wonderful to see generational change. hakeem jeffries is thoughtful, prudent and pragmatic. he comes out of new york, he's in new york progressive. he would rather get something done, make some compromises rather than being in the camp that we should never compromise. i am excited to see the generational turnover. host: what kind of learning curve do you see?

guest: managing democrats is a challenging job. there is no job you can get that is preparation for the job that he now has. he has worked inside the american private sector as well as doing an awful lot of good. he has the background and temperament to be a good leader of the house. host: let's hear from mike in north carolina, for rep. jim himes, representative from connecticut. caller: good morning, i hope you don't cut me off i have three points. you talked about hakeem jeffries, is seen not an election denier when it came to tromp and he said he was an illegitimate president? the military needs to go back to what it was from the beginning until the last five years,

learning how to defend america. learning how to fight, learning how to kill the enemy. not worried about this woke, transgender, all of that stuff. the last thing in the most important is the security of our country, when will the democrats buck up and secure our southern border? the border is not closed and democrat leadership, look september 11 was 11 or 12? guest: let's start with the border. we have had a problem at the border for a long time. is not just a democratic issue. we have never gotten the formula right. i hear there is talk about a bill that would provide more

resources for border patrol in exchange that the dreamers have their status secured. let me take exception with mike and this makes me angry. one of the great things about my job, i spent time with our soldiers and i don't want to hear from anybody that our military is not the most competent and capable force on the planet. it makes me crazy that fox news and others say that because we are committing ourselves to draw on every segment of the population, african-americans and latinos. they are not sufficiently included in the officer corps. these are americans who will die for you and me and to hear that

characterized as well. they should be working to make sure that every young american who wants to join that organization can do so. . host: before we go to the next call, the exclusion of vaccines for the military, what you think about that? guest: people are dying right now in this country because we politicized vaccines. there is not a shred of evidence, i know there are people watching who will point to some rutted thread. there is no shred of evidence that vaccines do anything that keep you alive. they will make it much less likely for you to die. anybody in the military knows that they get a whole raft of shots. so the people saying let's not make that mandatory, what they

are saying is let's make our troops raise their hand and say they will die for our freedoms, let's make them more vulnerable to covid. i get animated for keeping these people safe. this misinformation is killing americans. it will result in harm to our troops. shame on those pushing this ideology. host: we have gary on the democrats line. caller: good morning gentlemen. i think one of the big problems is the pork spending. why it is congress able to take money out of social security and does social security that money

why is that not malfeasance? guest: i am glad he asked those questions. congress does not take money out of social security and use it for other programs. the payments we all make, including members of congress, they get paid out to current retirees. the money comes in and then it goes out. they keep track of how much money the comes in, and right now it's going out faster than it is coming in. why is that? because the population is aging. it is important that people understand that we are not taking money out of social security to spend it on other stuff. it doesn't mean we need to think about the long-term sustainability of social security. congress is not spending this

money that should otherwise be spent on social security. host: from our independent line, this is rich from tennessee. caller: good morning rep. jim himes, you seem like an affable fellow. i want to take a deep dive into the marriage equality question. i hear the talking points that you brought up earlier. i hear it frequently, it's usually the same things. as always you should be able to marry whom you want to or you should be able to love whom you want to. how far does that go? let me mention a couple of situations that are illegal if

you have two siblings, consenting adult siblings who want to marry. if you have three people who want to marry, those are illegal presently but then so was same-sex marriage. and does senator cruz brought up, slippery slope arguments have been true. when we say, you should be able to marry whom you want are there exceptions to that? or do you mean that to be for consenting adults or are you or any other liberal willing to come out and say you really mean that? guest: i hear this argument brought up a lot, where does it in? the majority of americans believe that gay couples should

be able to marry each other. that's been a dramatic change. today, the majority of americans believe that two men should be able to marry each other. it's not true that a majority of people believe three people should be able to marry each other. americans don't believe that. we live in a democracy so you have to respect what the vast amount of americans believe. could to hundred years from now marriage look different than it does today? i think the majority of americans are there because they know gay americans because in the last generation they have been able to come out of the closet. look at the language from 50 years ago.

gays were not allowed to get security clearances. thank god the country has moved beyond that. gay people are just like anyone else and therefore people believe they should have the rights as everyone else. host: you are on the committee of economic fairness. what is that? guest: we have reached a point in this country where economic disparity is as wide as it ever has been in our history. 50 families in this country have more wealth than the bottom half of this country. i am not saying we need to get rid of capitalism. what i am saying is that we have to look at stuff that it used to be that it wasn't that hard to be in the middle class, today it

is really hard. we tried to come up with ideas to make sure more americans have the ability to become middle-class. we will produce a report where we will have a bunch of suggestions. host: you are also doing a documentary. guest: no matter how good the report is, it will end up on someone's shelf collecting dust. we met with different families and covered the fights they are making to hang onto the middle class. the reason we did that is that congressional reports will give you ideas about expanding the child tax credits.

i was in the chamber when americans attacked the chambers. as long as we don't know each other, we will continue to be two warring tribes. i think it will be a good addition to our sense of ourselves in a country full of people who work hard and have a lot of dignity. host: is it out yet and can people find it online? guest: we will presented next tuesday on the national archives. it will be up on the select committee of economic disparity website. at the end of that 30 minutes, you will think our country -- it's like what i think it is when i watch cable news.

caller: good morning pedro, thank you. i hate to say this to your face but i have always seen u.s. a light weight and the liberal light at that. you probably say you're a member of the intelligence committee. i work in intelligence. i spent 15 months in korea. i worked undercover, there were no status reports, just an agreement with korea. north korea was still in a war footing. i had a few months at the pentagon which is where i discovered the fbi reports were

not reliable. and then i fought in vietnam where intelligence was in the field. it would frequently end up in a firefight. i look at you and you talk about intelligence work like you are right out there face-to-face with their enemy. the work we did was the kind of work you could never do. i am not saying that to put you down. i'm saying that because that is the reality. you sit on a committee in washington and your intelligence work is to make sure we have awoke military. host: you made your point we will let our guest respond.

guest: thank you for our service. i don't think i have ever said i am face-to-face with the enemy. our job here as civilians, is to conduct oversight. in the case of intelligence, i conduct oversight of the intelligence community it's not to conduct oversight of the pentagon. i've never said otherwise. it's important work because the work that the intelligence community does secret. in a democracy lots of things are done in secret and that's an uncomfortable thing. and what we say is that some of the people will look over the

shoulder of the intelligence community and in a democracy want to make sure that the people who do that are accountable to the people of the united states. it is through the members of the intelligence committee that we make sure there is some oversight for things that need to remain secret. it is a piece of my job that i feel the most weight. you can't screw that up. if you screw that up, you wind up with things like the bay of pigs which i don't think kennedy would've repeated. or you wind up with the less safe country. host: one more call from barbara. caller: good morning rep. don himes. these people call in

and they're so disrespectful to our people. as far as the border, this has been going on. republicans get together, enough is enough. trump should have no closeness to the white house again. if he wants to be a dictator go to russia with her boyfriend, thank you. host: before we let you go unless you want to take on what she said. guest: let me touch on something here. i think it is important, i love the fact that both democrats and republicans call in. i was in the chamber on january 6, i always love debate.

we should have arguments about the border, the military. we have to stop inking about ourselves as enemies. i was on the other end of it on january 6 when americans decided to attack democracy. i am all for the debate but we really have to remember that we are americans with different points of view. there has to be some level of respect associated with that. host: where do you think the debt ceiling is going to go? guest: here is what the debt ceiling is, it's an absurdity. it is never controlled the debt ceiling. it's a grenade that people use and it will cause us to be downgraded. i hope we handle it like adults.

host: rep. jim himes, representative from connecticut. rep. don bacon from nebraska will join us when washington journal continues. >> preorder your copy of the congressional directory for the 118th congress. it's your access to the federal government. important information for congressional committees, the president cabinet, skim the code on the right to preorder your copy for today. is 29.95 and is supports our nonprofit efforts at c-span.org.

there are a lot of places to get political information but only at c-span do you get it straight from the source. no matter where you are from or where you stand on the issues c-span is america's network. if it happens here, or here, or anywhere that matters, america is watching on c-span, powered by cable. "washington journal," continues. host: joining us now is rep. don bacon. guest: good morning to all your viewers. host: what would you like to see in a final budget package? guest: we have to get the appropriation bills done. those are our main priorities before christmas break. we have china that is a military

threat. russia conducting its barbaric invasion of ukraine. it's important that we get a divisions bill so we can keep building the new bombers and continue to do our training. host: you have probably heard kevin mccarthy say that maybe wait until next year until republicans have more leverage in the debate? guest: we will have more leverage next year but it's important to get defense done now. i think we passed a good bill. i do agree with kevin mccarthy that we need to look at the vaccine mandate. we will be able to tackle this, but i hate to put our icm on hold, a continuing resolution costs the military 3 billion a month that they can't get back.

it hurts our national security by doing long-term continuing resolutions. host: what case would you make for the vaccine's removal from the package? guest: we will lose close to 10,000 people when we have a hard time recruiting. our recruitment is down and one of the big factors is the mandate. some people won't sign up. in nebraska, and the nebraska guard will lose 50% of their people. this will have a profound impact on recruitment and retention and for what? i took the vaccine, i got the booster. i recommend it. but you can still get covid, you can still pass it on. the payoff for getting it is not worth the cost of losing on these people.

i don't think it's a wise policy. i think it's a lawful order but i think it's a foolish policy and is hurting our national security. host: some democrats want to see an increase in social programs if the pentagon gets that funding, could you meet them on that point? guest: it shouldn't be dollar for dollar. we should spend on defense what we need for defense. not a dollar more, not a dollar less. we should spend on social spending what is netted. but just arbitrarily tying a dollar for dollar increase doesn't make sense. holding the defense, hostage to their priorities, don't agree with it. we do have a physical problem in our country. we have a military that still

deals with terrorists in the world. when it comes to percentage of our gdp, we are out of low point in spending for defense. we are doing a good job for defense spending. host: our guest is with us until 9:00. if you want to ask him questions (202) 748-8001 for republicans, (202) 748-8000, (202) 748-8002 four independents. you said the brigadier general in the air force, there is an op-ed from the wall street journal that calls for the need for the b-52 bomber. why is it needed? guest: the b-2 was a stealth

bomber. once that still technology is outdated and the chinese and russians have productive the -- perfected their bomber. we need to update it. if you want to hold targets are risks, we needed deterrence. those countries will be less willing to take risks. the b 21 is the best capability we have right now. host: our first call for you comes from washington state. this is ryan on the independent line. caller: good morning washington

journal, i am curious. were you in congress when speaker ryan and kathleen rogers promoted doing away with the house ethics and morals committee? guest: i was in congress, but i don't remember this topic. caller: it was the first thing you had on your agenda for the new congress. it was to do away with the house ethics and morals committee and there was such an uproar with your constituency that you guys retracted it. guest: what you're saying is not totally accurate. we had a rules meeting in they

wanted to rewrite some of the rules for the ethics committee. i voted against it and paul ryan did too. there were folks getting allegations made that were anonymous and they had a hard time defending themselves. they were ultimately found innocent. they wanted to refine the rules for the ethics committee. paul ryan voted against him. based on his advice, i voted against it. the majority of the republicans voted to modify those roles. there was an uproar the next day , president trump said it was the wrong thing to do on the first day. we revised it back at the end of the day. i voted against the rules

changes and so did paul ryan. host: let's hear from the republican line from virginia. caller: thank you for taking my call again, c-span you're a national treasure. i served in the military since 1987. i am coming up on 30 years. i am a senior chief warrant officer. our retention right now is being devastated by all of the politicization of the military. i watched at the reagan institute, they talked about why is that? the reason is, it has been so politicized that they no longer want to protect the government we have right now. they are still loyal to the constitution but the political

leaders, i heard the congressman say i talk to all of the soldiers, sailors and marines and i am not hearing that they have a problem with wokeism. that is why they are leaving. they no longer want to be a part of it. and the families that have for generations protected our country is a small number of families. you are now losing those families as well which leads me to january 6. most people don't know this but the reason for january 6 and i wrote a report on amazon. you can find it on amazon. the reason for january 6 was very simple. true allegiance to the

constitution is lacking in leadership. it has started to affect our senior military leadership who are becoming woke themselves to keep their pensions. host: we will leave it there. guest: i think the color first service. i serve 30 years myself. i talked to so many families who say i served for 28 years, i would not let my kids today serve because the military is too political. that is why we are having a hard time making our recruitment numbers. i also get out to the bases, the air force academy and i think

the perception is worse than reality. i would encourage our four-star generals, they have to be clear that we have the strongest, toughest military in the world. we are defending the greatest country in the world. when they hear that kind of talk it inspires people to join. our leadership has to do a better job communicating to the american people that it is about being the best military, the strongest military because we have the greatest country in the world. we are not hearing that message strong enough. host: what is your level of support for kevin mccarthy to become house speaker? guest: i supported him.

you coalesce around the one who won. i asked the folks who are opposing him, what is euro turn at him? and they don't have one. we have to come together as a team, teams win. when you have cowboy split off, they weaken the team. we are not going to be held hostage by a small number of people that will hurt the team. we will stand up to this. i support kevin mccarthy after the 85% vote, we owe it to the team to work together as a team. host: you saw the story saying that he would work across the aisle if kevin mccartan win the votes? guest: as long as he wants to stay in the fight we will support him. but at some point if these 5, 6

people don't give them, we won't be held hostage to them. i will work across the aisle to find a republican that we will mutually agree to. i do think there are moderate democrats that are willing to work with those to find the best republican possible and i think it's important to do this. you can't be held hostage by 5, 6 people. host: who do you think that republican should be? guest: we have a couple of names. but we will concentrate on getting kevin mccarthy the speakership. we will do multiple votes to get there. host: let's hear from robert from austin, texas on the independent line. caller: i appreciate what y'all do.

especially all of our states representatives, senators and congressmen. i'm sure everybody is trying to do their best to raise the bar for america and everything. i did have a couple questions. it seems a lot of representatives talk about what we need in the government and it seems like these days we are told what we need rather than being listened to. it seems like the one ratio on being the military being funded with social services. if the people are asking for that, why is that a problem? it seems that we have to fight

with the representatives to essentially be heard. it seems like at the same time, these representatives in the government is answering to corporations that is monetizing the world. it seems like america is not america anymore and we are all run by corporations. host: i apologize, but go ahead. guest: we just finished a campaign, had an election. i have never heard of voters say, for every dollar that you spend on defense, spend on social spending. i hear much more concerned about physical -- fiscal responsibility.

you spend what you need on our military, not a dollar more, not a dollar less. you spend what you need on social spending. it should not be tied together, that's an arbitrary measure and it's used to hold national security hostage by one side of the aisle i don't think it's right. host: where are you as far as including ukraine and the spending package? guest: i don't think you will get a 40 billion dollar bill. it's in our national security interest for ukraine to prevail. it is very important that we support ukraine and it is winning right now with american and nato weapons and support. putin is in a corner, we

can't let this dictator threaten us and bully is. we have to stand up to him. i think the american people wants to know what the rest of the world is doing. i think the administration owes a better explanation, what is the percentage of our share and they have not done that adequately at this point. we need to demand an office that tracks our weapons given to ukraine. we are not given an accounting of how these weapons are distributed. by doing so, i think we can continue to have broad support for ukraine. right now, it's about 70%.

that number is going to go down if we don't do the accountability part and show that we are part of a larger response to of the ukraine. host: what do you think about long-range missiles to ukraine? guest: i support it. there has to be a counterpunch for ukraine. it creates a deterrence. the russians need to know that they just can't bomb kiev without the potential counter blow from ukraine. we can't turn a blind eye to it. host: from florida, we have greg

on the democrat sign. caller: the reason that they can't retain anyone in the military is because they look around the streets and seized the military that are homeless in the fight they need to get their military needs met. why would anyone put their life on the line for a country who would not take care of them? guest: that's a great question. when you talk about the veterans who get out. i've been to those homeless shelters. we do owe them better support and provide better services. that's one area that has bipartisan support. suicide prevention, because we do have a suicide prevention issue with our veterans.

now, i see is a top issue increasing funding for our mid-level ncos. right now if you're married, you are probably going on snapper food stamps if you have children. i think that is unacceptable. we are going to make it a top priority to increase those salaries at the lower and mid levels. it is unacceptable that anyone in the military be on food stamps. host: this is ed from jacksonville, florida. caller: i served in vietnam and afghanistan and iraq. i would like to know how the congressman feels about the vaccine that affects his guardsmen that may be deployed

to disaster sites. guest: one of the big factors in our recruitment numbers and we will kick out 60,000 people if we continue with this mandate. in the nebraska guard, some of those units will lose 15% of its people. i want to encourage the vaccine through education but i think the vaccine mandate is not working for america. host: you are being asked what you think about president trump's comments on the constitution. guest: i think it is reprehensible.

and eating dinner with a guy who has made anti-semitic comments make him unelectable in the general election. host: from washington state on the democrat sign. caller: yes sir, could you repeat the question? host: you're on, you're asking the questions. caller: i'm watching the news and if it were up to me i would take departure into ukraine to defend those who are defenseless. 40 years of chronic insomnia, i would definitely go. host: that was rob there, where

do you think american support is for ukraine? guest: about 70% are in support. unfortunately, we have a growing strain of isolationism. it doesn't work for america. it is not america first to be isolationist. we have the duty to defend ukraine against a bully. there are nato countries that need our help, we have a good case to make for ukrainians. but going back to our borders and looking inward does not work. it did not work in world war i, world war ii.

the united states is indispensable but we can't do it alone. we have to use our alliant system. these countries have to stick together or we will have a much more dangerous world. host: a vote planned to protect interracial and same-sex marriages. guest: i am traditional that i also believe people have the right to live their private lives. estate state does not have to officiate marriages but they have to respect other states marriages. i think it is written in a pretty good way but i appreciate the language that has been inserted to protect religious rights. i tend to vote for it.

i have had to do a lot of soul-searching because i am a person of faith but i know that not everyone believes the same way i do. host: here is jason in alabama on the independent line. caller: i think the conversation about the covid mandate is hurting its ability to recruit. we know it's obesity, congress

shown a lack of desire to help soldiers with their mental health. you have toxic burn pits. you have a job market that will pay them better. covid is on the list because they need to be ready when they go places. host: there are a lot of different things hurting recruitment efforts. guest: 77% of 18-year-olds can't qualify to be in the military. that is a national emergency if you ask me. when only 22% are able to get in

. physical fitness is a big part. the shop is a factor. part of the 22% that can get in will not join because of the vaccine. don't take my word for it, the marine commandant said that at the defense forum. they have seen those numbers go down in those demographic areas in the vaccine was a big factor. 6000 of been kicked out, there's about 60,000 on hold from getting kicked out. we are not well served to kick out 60,000 members who are otherwise doing a great job. when you look at the retention and recruitment, i don't think this policy is working for us. i think there are good numbers to see the benefits of it and we

should take that tact and convincing others to do so. host: mike, we have about a minute before we let the representative go but go ahead. caller: you come on the show often. i am a democrat and it is enjoyable to hear your point of view. you argue your point eloquently and i have no problem with you. i think if we got together and talk like you talked instead of talking down to people, and c-span gets a shout out. we need better discourse between our parties and come to a consensus where we can all agree to disagree and get something done. thank you for being on the show. guest: that is why i am on the problem solvers caucus.

it's about 13 republicans and democrats are trying to do the same thing. our funders designed a government where factions have to work together to get things done. it's an incremental process. it's one step at a time but that is the way it was designed. host: rep. don bacon, a republican out of nebraska. thank you for giving us your time today. don't forget later on, you can see that gold medal ceremony honoring capitol police who had a job in protecting the capitol on january 6. you can see that on our main channel, c-span now and our c-span.org website. another program comes your way

at 7:00 tomorrow morning. we are just about to head into the house of representatives, we take you to them now. [captioning made possible by the national captioning institute, inc., in cooperation with the united states house of representatives any use of the closed-captioned coverage of the house proceedings for political or commercial purposes is expressly prohibited by the u.s. house of representatives.]