♪ it is january 17, 2023.

we will show you these over the next hour and you will hear from the governors about what our issues in certain states. when it comes to your state and where you live you need to tell us what you think the top issue is. for the eastern and central time zones, it is (202)-748-8000. if you live in the mountain and pacific time zones, (202)-748-8001. perhaps you want to text is about the top issues facing your state. you can do that at (202)-748-8003. you can post on facebook at facebook.com/c-span, on twitter @cspanwj. when you go to california, president biden will visit later on this week, particularly as he

has to deal with the storm damage. another issue in arizona. a new report released out of phoenix saying the groundwater supply under the desert west of phoenix signals difficulty ahead for developers building hundreds of thousands of home and signaling the start of a new groundwater management statewide. if you go to south carolina, one of the first efforts of the legislature by republican senators to push private school choice bill. that would provide vouchers for tuition, making that a top priority in 2023. if you go to the montgomery advertiser, one of the issues as they are shorthanded when it comes to present employees. alabama is already shorthanded

and sustained substantial losses to security staffing last year. a net decrease of 415 employees in 2022. if you go to missouri, out of jefferson city, fox2 and others reporting one of the issues facing their streets's dress code for women -- facing their legislature is dress code for women. maybe you have a unique set of circumstances where you live. when it comes to those top issues facing your state, whether it be economic, political or otherwise, call and let us know. for the eastern and central time zones, it is (202)-748-8000.

if you live in the mountain and pacific time zones, (202)-748-8001. you can text us at (202)-748-8003. you can also post on social media at facebook and twitter. when you look at the state of south dakota, the governor gave her state of the state address. c-span making the effort to record all of the state of the state addresses from all of the governors and making them available on our website at c-span.org. she talked about issues in her state and one of the key issues was matters of the economy. she made the case for a tax cut. here is governor noem. >> in the last four years, we made south dakota the strongest state by making it the state to pursue the american dream. hey state for stronger families and secure.

we will prove the best is yet to come. in this legislative session, we will accomplish that. we will cut taxes for people. we continue to have record surpluses and what should we do with those surpluses? my answer is simple. cut taxes and provide relief for south dakota. [applause] i have been to a lot of grocery stores the last many months. prices have dramatically increased the last two years. when they see the bill at the end of the checkout line they are astonished. when i was talking to people about one out of every four

shoppers had to put something back because they did not have enough money. shocking. south dakota inns need this relief and it is not up to us to pick and choose how they use their extra dollars. by cutting the sales tax we will help every family in this state and they have the freedom to decide how to use those dollars to meet their needs. isn't south dakota about embracing freedom and helping every person? not just picking winners and losers? host: you can see her and other speeches and state of the state addresses when you go to c-span.org. we will show you more during the hour and we want to hear from you when it comes to those issues in your state. the top issue. if you live in the eastern and central time zones, it is (202)-748-8000. if you live in the mountain and pacific time zones, (202)-748-8001. this is from west memphis,

arkansas. elroy talking about top issues. go ahead. caller: i was just saying in the states i have been to over in tennessee and west arkansas, they have a lot of blight. that is part of the problem. is it possible to tell you something before i hang up? host: when you say blight, what do you mean? caller: trash. host: what is the cause of it? caller: i don't know. but that is it. can i tell you something before i hang up? host: quickly. caller: we believe in god and it is on our minds. we have to believe in something greater than life. i wanted to let you know this as well.

how did christ do all of this? host: that was elroy in arkansas. resident of alaska, this is ricky. hello. caller: i was just wondering, are you going to cover the twitter files of the governor interfering with elections? host: we have done some segments but that is not for today's topic. what would you say is alaska's issue? caller: that is part of our issue. host: how does that affect your state? caller: how does it impact the state? they put in that second rate choice voting. if you have not noticed, that is for the democrats, not for republicans. host: what is wrong with the system specifically?

what was right about the previous system, do you think? caller: the fact that when we truly voted for who we wanted to be in there they got elected and with this second-ranked choice voting we got different candidates than we should have. host: that is ricky in alaska giving us thoughts on the voting system. those are two examples, one dealing with trash and the other with voting systems. maybe there are others. anthony off of twitter says, it is the pollution of drinking water infrastructure and disrepair. many lack health care. jim says, nothing happened here.

that is where you can find twitter and facebook. you can post your thoughts on these ideas of top issues in the state. tyler in indiana, lafayette, you are next. caller: we have a lot of willing young men in the area who are battling with issues on a mental level. i feel we are not doing it properly. as a county, we tried to guide them to use new communications. i think that is invasive. but another point we have the bothers me is a lot of us young men have broken noses. host: that was tyler in indiana. mental health being an issue where many states dealing with that issue. new york was one of the states. the governor made an effort in

her state of the state to propose $1 billion in funding for new mental health programs. if you want to take a look at it online, it is at c-span.org. here is a portion of governor hogle making that case. [video clip] >> when it comes to keeping you safe, fixing new york state's health care system is essential and long overdue. [applause] even before covid the rates of mental illness had been on the rise. but since the pandemic more than one in three new yorkers have either sought mental health care or know someone who has. that is staggering. the fact that too many cannot get it. the barriers seem endless. no appointments close to home.

insurance will not cover care. on the weight for psychiatric beds -- wait for psychiatric beds in hospitals. what happens? people suffer in silence, illness grows, so it is no surprise the number of people suffering mental illness also continues to grow. we have under invested in mental health care for so long and allow the situation to become so dire it has also become a public safety crisis. new yorkers are anxious on the subways and in our streets when they see individuals who need help, people unable to take care of themselves. people can cause harm to themselves or others. not all, just a few, but they are also at risk of being victimized. i am declaring that ignoring the needs of these individuals is over. [applause]

because our success as government leaders is measured by our ability to lift up and support all of our constituents. today marks a reversal in the state's approach to mental health care and this is a monumental shift so that no one else falls through the cracks. this will be the most significant change since the 1970's. i am proud to announce we are prepared to invest $1 billion, making critical policy changes to fully meet the mental health needs of our people. it is about time. let's get it done. we can do this together. let's get it done. our people need this. [applause]

let's get it done. host: governor kathy hochul of new york, mental health being one of those top issues in her state. you can see if you experience that. (202)-748-8000 if you live in the eastern and central time zones, and (202)-748-8001 if you live in the mountain and pacific time zones. the top issue where you live. this is a viewer in texas, david, good morning. caller: good morning. host: how are you? go ahead. caller: i am in texas. our worst problem is the ignorance of the biden administration relative to the border situation. host: can you elaborate on that? caller: oh, yeah, millions of people coming across the border

unvetted. host: how do you think it is impacting the state overall and where you live? i believe it is hitchcock? caller: that is correct. you see crowds all over the place. you see homeless people sitting around and carrying their plastic bags. it is inundated with homeless people. host: all right. david in texas giving us his thoughts when it comes to issues of immigration. larry in new jersey texting us. (202)-748-8003 is the number to do that. he says it is infrastructure and weather related damages to the town beaches that are top concerns for the state. charleston, south carolina, this is steve saying, we are having issues with infrastructure with a large number of people moving here. we are business friendly and we are a retirement from the

community when it comes to taxes. we love the new citizens but the influx poses problems. it is hard to keep up. this is a viewer in minnesota saying, my wife and i are moving out. the state is going way too bonkers leftist. that is john. this is william in middletown, connecticut, saying, affordable housing, wrong way drivers, property taxes and health care costs. benny calling from stockton, california. caller: good morning. my issue is immigration and homelessness. there are too many people on the street sleeping. i think some of the money should be diverted to the homeless and they should build a wall.

host: do you think homelessness is a state issue or just what you are seeing in stockton? caller: i think it is an issue for the whole country. every city have homelessness. host: mark in new york city. thank you for calling. go ahead. caller: hello. i think new york city governor should be the first in line for mental illness. she said the vaccinations were a gift from god. people are getting killed by it. host: that is an issue for the state? is that the top issue? caller: hello? host: you are still on. caller: that is a national issue. what do you call it?

it is a national issue, state of the nation. host: but we are talking about the state of new york. caller: we do not know what is in the vaccine. host: but you are saying that is the top issue for new york as well. caller: the reason i also called about vaccines, everybody is putting masks on. i don't want them to pull me down with them. host: that was mark in new york talking about vaccinations. pennsylvania, this is jim in somerset. he think's gas taxes from the previous administration is a high feature of his when it comes to that. the need for younger, trainable labor. this is from steve in florida --

[no audio] -- host: that is the top issue for the state on top of high gas prices. (202)-748-8000 for those of you in the eastern and central time zones. (202)-748-8001 mountain and pacific time zones. the biggest issue in your state. randy in michigan. caller: good morning, pedro.

i would like to start by thanking you for your program. you are doing a great service to the nation. the issues they are working on in my state are to repeal that law the previous administration shoved down our throat. working on the potholes in the roads and we have a variety of issues. that is with the representatives are working on and i wish them the best of luck so we can get this state going forward. host: talk about the right to work aspect. can you elaborate on that? caller: that was put in quite a while ago under the previous administration.

it is more or less an antiunion push. they claim you do not have to pay union dues. the flipside is if you work in union shops, if you do happen to do something to get fired, you get to turn to a union rep and say, i want representation. they have to represent you even though you do not have to pay union dues. . and you get the benefits so you get better wages and health benefits. that will be a big plus for labor moving forward. thank you.

host: randy in michigan, labor issues his top issue when it comes to what he is seeing in his state. from texas, this is kathy. caller: good morning. the biggest issue facing texas right now is the food crisis as a result of climate change. droughts across the state and flooding, you know, the alternate extremes. our current administration and you guys on c-span, you are not talking about this enough. these are going to be the crux of the issue at the border. those people who are going to suffer are going to go north and they are going to come to us. we are already suffering food crises here. the radio has been reporting it the last week.

host: is the food crises you see, is this about availability or price? caller: it is about our ability to grow enough food. it is about availability as well. it is multi pronged. the places where access to quality food and, again, our crops are getting hit hard. people are going to be priced out or suffer more. host: when you are saying the crops are getting hit hard, by what? caller: drought. host: drought. caller: yeah and the extreme and the other end, floods. host: ok. that was a viewer from texas talking about food. george in chicago texting us at

(202)-748-8003. he says the top issue is, at least in chicago, it is crime saying it is not handled properly. dangerous to go downtown and beyond public transportation. something must be done. he goes on to say, you may experience what you're talking about in your city but if you see these as statewide issues, feel free to let us know. in new jersey, this is john. john in new jersey, hello? one more time for john. john in new jersey? ok. continue to call in the lines the best represent where you live and be ready to talk about that top issue. let's hear from indiana's

governor. he gave his state of the state to talk about what he sees as an issue, public health, and talked about his state's investment. [video clip] >> i hate to remind us but i will. we rank 45th for smoking, 46 for obesity, 43rd for access to mental health providers and 41st for childhood immunizations among all states. but what really struck me is that our life expectancy in indiana has declined in recent years, specifically around working age adults between 25 and 64 years old. that is a pattern we have to reverse.

i would politely push and prod and poke everyone to adopt the commission's recommendations, including a significant increase in our state's public health appropriation. $120 million in the first year and $227 million in the second year. these will be deployed locally in your districts where our fellow hoosiers need them. this initiative will come from willing counties to design a propose ways to leverage their own funds in a state and local mix. our health and well-being challenges extend to addressing mental health problems. helping hoosiers beat addiction, maternal and infant mortality, and assisting our veterans, who

faced double the risk of dying by suicide. our localized pathways to improvement must include programs to attack these issues close to home by building sustainable systems that prevent and respond to crises. like our 988 system is doing today and investing in evidence-based community programs with the funds we are receiving now. we do not have a day or dollar to waste. taking the next four months to get this right, nothing could be more important. [applause] host: we have your governor in our archives if you want to see the speech they will give or

have given. you can find that at c-span.org. we will show you a variety of those today. you can see a lot more when you go to the website. they are talking about issues they find important and you can do the same during this time. for the eastern and central time zones, it is (202)-748-8000. in the mountain and pacific time zones, (202)-748-8001. if you want to text, you can do that at (202)-748-8003. posting on facebook and twitter, you can do that as well. you can follow the show on instagram. mark off of twitter says, in maryland, legislators like to support education by the funding provided instead of the outcomes. a viewer in pennsylvania highlights the second-highest gas tax in the country and highlighting the worst roads. mike in orlando saying, the big

issues as we have a governor who wants to be a trump wannabe. desantis pushes grooming, adding he is ultra right wing and is destroying our great state. that is a sampling of those posting a social media and texting us. in georgia, anne, the top issues in your state? caller: how are you this morning? host: i am fine. how about yourself? caller: i am fine. i am thinking about the problems that we have in georgia. they are universal but we have a homeless problem here and we also have a problem with recycling. and protecting the environment. we need a better job of trash and recycling collecting for people. we have a problem with transportation.

we need more public transportation. we have too many cars on the road. you cannot get anywhere. i live 20 miles from atlanta. you cannot get anywhere with a car. we just build more roads. right down the street from me they are building another four lane. it is not helping the environment. we have some homelessness here. there are multiple problems and we have open gun carry which is abominable. that is practically uncontrolled. we have a lot to work on. host: you have quite a list. [laughter] caller: we have a lot to work on. it is not a bad state to live in. we have good people, a lot of good people. but we still have a lot of problems. host: the recycling, is it that

people do not want to or there is not a system for effectively recycling? caller: it is difficult to get pickup at your house. it is difficult to get proper service. in the local area, we do not have a government run service, we have private contractors who pick up garbage and recycling. they are not dependable. we have to fight to get our recycling picked up. it is difficult. host: anne in georgia watching out for the issues in her state, including recycling. leo in new hampshire. caller: how are you doing? host: i am well thank you. caller: this is my first time calling. i am thinking the top issues in new hampshire are the lack of affordable housing and the lack of housing.

the pricing of the houses are very high. the rent is exorbitant. i think there should be more low income housing developed in the state. i am also concerned about the global warming. these warmer winters are impacting our winter seasons and snowmobiling and things like that. in the summertime, we get too much drought. the last is definitely homelessness, which goes back to the housing issue. they are evicting the homeless that camp out across the street from the fire department. host: say i were looking for an

apartment in new hampshire, what you think i am going to pay? and relate that to the rent issue you talked about. caller: a friend of mine owns a farm and they have a single room apartment. another friend of mine bought their first house and they paid $300,000 for this house and it needs work. the prices for these young people are exorbitant and we have inflation, which i hope will level off. host: housing the top issue where he is seeing it in new hampshire. south of florida is where michael is. caller: how are you? thank you for taking my call. the problem with our state is the homeowners insurance. the governor and legislative body, i think there are too many insurance lobbyists that are

stuffing their pockets and they let them get away with murder. they cancel people's policies in the middle of their policy because they feel they are going to be a liability next year and they refund half of their money and say, good luck. the cost for homeowners is outrageous. nothing is being done about this lobbyism thing. the lobbyists are the big problem and they do not address that problem. that is the problem. they need to address it. host: if i may ask, but what do you pay for homeowners insurance? caller: well, in my home it was $3000 for home insurance. when i started it was much less.

but in the middle of my mine, same insurance carrier for 12 years, no claims, they set i was too much of a risk and we are canceling and they refunded my money. and then they sent me into citizens, which is the state fund, and they dictate that in tallahassee. they do not do nothing to the insurance companies. the insurance companies can do what they want and they get away with it. the reason they do is because they are stuffing their pockets. host: how much do the natural disasters factor into what is going on with the insurance system? caller: the natural disaster thing with the hurricanes and stuff, it is spread over everybody. everybody thinks -- the whole country works with that.

but the biggest thing with his homeowners is for young couples, it is a mandate. you have to have it. i do not have a mortgage anymore but you talk about how much the housing and the rent and everything is here. it escalates the amount of money they pay a month. it is terrible. do not let these insurance companies get away with murder. they walk away with thousands of dollars and they do not pay anything. they wait for the government to bail them out. host: michael in florida. he is seeing it in homeowners insurance. you can add to the list that you have heard. maybe you have similar experiences like some of the callers. maybe you have different ones. (202)-748-8000 if you live in the eastern and central time zones, and (202)-748-8001

mountain and pacific time zones. you can text us at (202)-748-8003. post on social media too. here is a text from -- not sure of the state. it says, virginia dilemma is how to return the overtaxed citizens that earn dollars back in this inflationary period, supply issues and eliminating small business. i think they are from richmond, virginia. another viewer of illinois saying, the biggest issue has always been the roadways and highway system. it seems the same companies have been working on the same problems for 50 years. the big issue should be clean water, education, which no one seems to get right, poor especially in poor communities.

dusty is next. caller: each governor and each mayor should fall in behind the game plan of the governor of new york. the one just elected in california, she has dedicated her life to building affordable housing for people. there are people out there that are homeless that all they need is one break. they don't want to be homeless, their kids cannot go to school like they should because they cannot afford their rent. and the renters need to stop being so greedy. host: you listed other states but you are saying south carolina, this is what you are seeing there too when it comes

to affordable housing. caller: i live on a beach. it is ridiculous around here. an apartment right down the street from me, 200 yards, last year was going for $400 a month. they got it up to $750 and you open the front door and out the back it is a shotgun apartment. one room. that is ridiculous and it is not in a high-class area, believe me. $400 is all they should be getting for it. it is going like that all over the speech and that is why these people -- over this beach and that is why these people don't have a place to live. and if you do not have a place to live, it is hard to give a

job and then you cannot get transportation and on the speech, you need transportation -- and on this beach, you need transportation. they need to build more affordable housing. across the country, it will stop this homelessness. they just need that one little break. host: that was dusty in south carolina. this is ike in santa clara, california. caller: hello, sir. the biggest problem i see here is insurance, just like the caller a couple of callers ago. insurance is killing us with all the fires and the floods. i am seriously thinking about getting out of here but where do you go? that is all i got to say. host: what do you pay for insurance? caller: oh, god.

last year it was $1700. i know that is not much for some but it is a squeeze for me being retired. host: $1700 for homeowners or car insurance? caller: homeowners. i am not even getting to the car insurance. my car insurance is out of this world. i have a new buick that i got a couple of years ago. mine was $2200. host: a year. [laughter] caller: sir. host: do you have to pay that upfront or monthly? caller: i tried to come up with money at the top of the year because i cannot be bothered with monthly payments. host: ike talking about the squeeze of insurance, whether it be homeowners or auto. some of you talking about insurance this morning. it was governor jay inslee in

his state of the state when it comes to washington talking about housing and homelessness, which a few of you have brought up. he said that was a top issue for his state. [video clip] >> we know states across the country are seeing an increase in homelessness in washington is one of them. why? we know there are multiple reasons. some people face behavioral health challenges or chemical addiction issues. the fundamental underlying challenge is that we do not have enough housing in our state for our people. and it is a difficult irony of having such a strong economy. well-paid workers flock here for jobs forcing lower paid workers to compete for housing. . and when there is not enough housing, rent skyrockets

beyond what we can afford. until we fix that issue thousands will remain homeless. we are short 81,000 units and shortening each year. our population grew nearly one million people in the last decade but housing only grew 15,000 units. we are going to need another hundred million units in the next 17 years. until we fix our housing crisis, thousands of people will remain homeless and we need to fix it to provide speed and scale beyond anything in the past. when it comes to building affordable housing the housing trust fund has been our primary tool. unfortunately, we can only adjust that here and there. we have been adjusting it up. but if there was ever a time to

go big, it is now. host: governor jay inslee from washington. you can see him and others at ce'zuan.org. jerry in arizona saying, the biggest problem is water. jaclyn smith off twitter saying, one of the top issues facing georgia and every other state is price gouging. michael in florida say, the top issue facing florida is losing tom brady. elaine in michigan, go ahead. caller: good morning. in michigan, we have the problem of the housing of the jobs. i would like to make two points. why is there no national committee made of state politicians to determine a quota for their state to take immigrants? each of the state should accommodate immigrants

determined by their financial status. why is there no national network program where immigrants can enter the lower paying jobs americans are not filling? those are two problems i cannot understand why they have not been addressed over the years. these immigrants want jobs but they need an organization. the federal government can structure that and include all of the states. participants from each state having their input in the organization. thank you for letting me say this. host: elaine in michigan. mac in vacaville, california, you are next. caller: good morning, pager. i just woke up and turned on the

program this morning. i am almost 70 years old coming up in february. i drove a big rig and a proud union man. but as far as homelessness, i would go 500 miles to fresno or bakersfield delivering or making back hauls. i would see 20 or 25 years ago, two tents under an overpass or in the drainage area. there are literally thousands of people. i am not driving anymore. actually, going back to

work next week because there is a driver shortage. but i see so many people and i know california well. one bedroom, one bath in vacaville is $2500 a month. there are homeless people that are living in tents and working at burger king, jack-in-the-box. i talk to people all the time. i am interested in what they do for a living. i am a social guy. there are so many people that cannot afford shelter. i have seen it progressively getting worse and worse preview could go to modesto -- i was going up to yosemite park to propose to a beautiful lady i met at lowe's 14 months ago --

and we were driving through the area and there are so many homeless people. i do not know what they did during the storms to shelter themselves. but the rent and the homelessness, it is epidemic. i love my country, i put a flag in the front yard of my country the last 30 years for those men and women who fought for america and did not come home. it affects their children. one service person passes away and it affects 400, 500 people. supposedly, we are supposed to be the richest country. they keep telling us that. $32 trillion in debt. i am proud of my country but i wish we would have a national lottery to help people. they gave away billions of dollars. one person won it and they

netted $800 million. let's have a lottery for homeless people. host: congratulations on the engagement. let's hear from teresa in florida. you are next up on the top issue in your state. good morning. caller: good morning. i have lived in florida for almost 38 years. in the past year, in 2022, i had three cancellations with homeowners insurance. the first one was $1500, the second was paid $1900, and the third ended up being $3600. just for homeowners insurance and never have made a claim. the state that said what would be helping would help the

individual is helping the insurance companies. they want the competition in the state. i am on a fixed income, social security, and i try to pay all of my bills. but the headache and the heartache of trying to find new insurance companies who will take me is horrible. i finally found a good agent who fought tooth and nail for me and i got insurance, but i have no idea if it is going to be canceled for 2023. you cannot rent an apartment or house or anything else. the smallest rent i have seen in vero beach is over $2300. that might get you a two bedroom home with one bath or a might be

a mobile home. but they are still raising the rents. it is an opinion of mine. i feel bad for everyone who has lost insurance because it is a horrible process to go through. thank you and i enjoy c-span very much. host: thank you for watching and participating this morning. kim reynolds is the governor of iowa. she used part of her state of the state address to talk about drug issues, particularly the fentanyl crisis in iowa. [video clip] >> the opioid crisis is a human tragedy taking place across this country and fentanyl has taken center stage. while iowa maintains one of the lowest overdose death rates in the country we are still experiencing unacceptable trends. overdoses are up more than 34% and for iowans under 25, they

are more than double. in 2021, illicit fentanyl was implicated in 83% of all iowa's oh you and related deaths, compared to 31% five years ago. these are not just numbers. siblings, parents, friends, shattered families and grief stricken parents. just ask derek and kathy kidd. their son sebastian, a normal highschooler, was having trouble sleeping. he took half a pill of what he thought was a percocet. but that pill was laced with fentanyl. derek found him the next morning slumped over in his bed. he describes it as an image that will haunt him forever. today, derek and kathy are looking to raise awareness that one pill can kill. if their efforts have helped

spare any family from this agonizing loss, they can take comfort their son did not die in vain. and with the help of derek, kathy, and sebastian's story, i am proud to announce tomorrow the state is launching public awareness campaigns to help parents understand the threat of fentanyl and how to protect their kids from it. derek and kathy are here tonight. please recognize them for their courage in bringing this issue to light. [applause]

much of the fentanyl killing our citizens and destroying our families come through our country's's's southern border. while iowa can either plug the holes nor compel the biden administration to care, we can take a stand by treating fentanyl crimes as the atrocities they are. i am calling on the legislature to increase penalties for manufacturing and distributing fentanyl in any amount. that means longer sentences and higher fines, even when the quantity is small. and when overdose leads to death the sentences will be even steeper. host: that was governor kim reynolds on her state of the state speech talking about opioid issues.

those and other speeches collected on our website at c-span.org. leo in arkansas, you are next on the top issue in your state. caller: hello. i agree with all the last callers. one of our big problems in the state is there is not enough probation officers. everybody goes to jail and comes out of jail and that is it. a lot have drug problems. if they had a probation officer that went to see them every month, i think they would be forced to clean up a little bit. we have a problem -- i think one of our problems is there is no housing development in a certain

area, like around ours. there is a limited supply of water but they are building houses left and right. i think the biggest issue is our governor never served any other position in the public. they are oriented much toward the religion point of view and not taking care of all of the citizens and all of the views. thank you very much for your time. host: virginia in waldorf, maryland. caller: good morning. the concern i have is agriculture. south dakota sold land to candida. china is buying up most of our foreign companies. and what we have done for the farmers.

we do not have enough food as it is or water for that matter. my concern is land. host: ok. gary in north carolina. caller: i got a couple of points. i am in north carolina near apple country and i heard a racist statement when i was really young. i did not even know what it meant. my uncle said,, black people because their skin is black, they can take the heat better. they can work harder outdoors because their skin is a darker color. now i am hearing that the democrats like to take the jobs americans don't want to do. i am on the ground every year -- we have thousands more immigrant

people coming to this area but they do not want those jobs. they are not some special race that likes to do hard work and enjoys it. they want those construction jobs, those better jobs like their friends have. they are just like us. they will work in the field for two weeks. a car will roll up, beep the horn, and they will take off. the farmer has to go back to the state asking for more workers. it is a revolving door. host: this is from iowa. shary on the top caller: my topic issue is drugs. i recently had lost one lady who was part of my family.

she was a young lady who was like my daughter to fentanyl . we have a real big drug issue. in and around our area. fentanyl has become a very bad thing. host: sherry and i was finishing off an hour of your calls looking at top issues in your state. for those of you who participated, thank you for doing that. starting today we are launching a series taking a look at the commitment to america, the blueprint they had last year that outlined their legislative approaches. we will take a look at energy priorities of the republican in the house. axios' reporter jael holzman,

we will also speak with kent lassman. those conversations coming up on washington journal. ♪ >> listening to programs on c-span just got easier. tell your smart speaker play c-span radio and listen to washington journal daily. important congressional hearings and events throughout the day. listen to fast-paced reports on issues of the day. tell your smart speaker to tell washington journal. c-span, powered by cable.

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you can find about books on c-span now are free mobile app or wherever you get your podcast. "washington journal," continues. host: this week we are launching a series taking a look at what republicans call the commitment to america. aspects of policymaking, now that republicans are in charge of the house. jael holzman with axios joins us. what was the general policy when it came to energy? guest: republicans are in favor of an energy structure that has more room for renewable energies

wind, nuclear. at this time, they are looking to decouple our country from china and the industrial supply chain. host: when it came from the specifics of commitment to america, you talkedbo building energy from friendly sources and environmental protection committee to make construction easier? guest: as a legislative tactic, senator showed mansion struck a deal to pass the inflation reduction act.

republicans have political goals in this and democrats are split on this issue. you have democrats who want to build more renewable energy sources but environmentalists focus democrats who would like a system that deals with the energy transition to include marginalized voices, and for them to have input in these processes more. republicans want to approve these processes faster because they are happy at a slower rate. when it comes to policy, republicans would like to do is streamline the national environmental policy act and make it easier for government agencies to issue permits but it

could split democrats. host: who are the ones with the incoming house of republicans when it comes to making these policy decisions? guest: i would watch the chairman of the natural resources committee. bruce westerman, i was sitting in his office and in front of me he showed me a graph that included oil production getting higher and higher every year despite rhetoric from countries and a lot of important policy to produce renewable energy. his point that he made to me was that just because we are transitioning away from fossil fuels does not mean that we should produce less. bruce westerman will be at chief ortiz on this. the committee will oversee those

permitting issues on display. host: our guests will be joining us as we launch this series taking a look at aspects of the commitment to america. if you have questions you can call (202) 748-8000 for democrats, (202) 748-8001 for republicans and (202) 748-8002 independents. if you wanted texas that's at (202) 748-8003. if you want to text us that is at (202) 748-8003. [video clip] >> we must address how long it takes in the cost associated with committees. the good news, the last congress towards the end of the congress we had democrats in the senate, democrats on the house to, calling for permitting reforms.

the effort led by mansion in schumer and others, we need to address the permitting and america. they were more focused on getting wind and solar suppose. i have concerns that we make sure we maintain local input in these permitting decisions and who will be bearing the costs. the first step is to recognize that we need to address the permitting and the usa. it is a barrier to doing things. we can do better. when i was leading on reform legislation we can get better outcomes at a lower cost without

lowering any of the environmental standards. we have some of the cleanest air and water in the world because of that. we want to maintain that. host: that is the house republican leader of the energy committee. can you talk about what it takes to get a permit and how they would like to see that length of time be? guest: my favorite example of permitting problems is the mining industry. the mining industry which is integral dealing with climate change. it requires enormous amounts of new mining. we know that because of estimates at this point, we need to permit more mining here or in other countries in order to

decouple from other countries like china. how faster we permitting now? it can take anywhere from two years, 10 years, 20 years. however, it's a misnomer to say that it is solely our environmental laws. many experts say that we need to stop up the bureau of land management. that's an irony with republicans raising issues over government funding. if we doubled the size of the staff at the bureau of land management and had them permitting lithium mines in nevada.

it would certainly be faster than it is today. at the same time, the changes that would happen around the margins, things like around the statute of limitations and timelines on decisions. that may create some legal vulnerability. similar to how the trump administration added paid limits and that lead to arguments in court. it's important to focus on how we consider these policies going forward. host: when it comes to permitting consists of biden administration have issues with storing up timelines? guest: not at all, they set up a regime to focus on permitting faster. we will see fruits of that labor, the biden administration

is also considering potential new environmental regulations. i think there is a bit of tension there over time. it's important to note that the biden administration is supportive of passing administration that makes approval for wind and solar projects to move faster. this is still an open discussion that we will be having in congress. the political dynamics of not change. host: jael holzman with axios with those. let's hear from alan. taking a look at republican strategists. alan is in indiana on the democrats line. caller: hi, good morning. thank you for taking my call. this is my favorite show. i love the wall street journal. i had two questions i wanted to ask.

in 2020 the price of gas a dollar 80 per gallon and as we were concerned with covid and george floyd, i read in new times -- new york times article that there was a price war between russia and the opec+ countries. russia had ramped up production and that brought down the price of oil and gas. it was like $20 a barrel at one time. the article said that donald trump made phone calls to russia and saudi arabia and got them to agree to end the price war but the coproduction by 10% across-the-board to reach the

price of oil. is that true? did that really happen? it was in the new york times. guest: i don't know the constants of that story. the access of the resources needed for energy generation is top of mind. i think supply change and access to oil and gas to make batteries and the like is top of mind. especially in light of the war in ukraine and geopolitical maneuvers on that russian aggression in that region. i understand why that story might concern you. host: we talked about china, the house republicans brought up

prohibiting the department of energy to sell to companies under control of china. what was the point of this? guest: the messaging behind it was to combat the ways in which as a world power china represents a strong hand. funnily enough earlier that week there was a bipartisan bill introduced by democrats that would have targeted other adversaries like iran and north korea. it's interesting that the later bill was not the house republicans choice.

it would not surprise me if the discussion between the house and the senate turns to what about these other countries? host: this is jael holzman from axios. during the obama administration, they brought up the support against energy companies. guest: i have a story that ran a few minutes ago, we have a newsletter about energy climate proposals. getting the most important information and covering things you talk about behind closed doors. this is a good example. there was an oversight in december when frank luke sent a

letter the chief company is in texas that get some revenue from chinese corporations. when you look at micro bass and other firms that are being funded by the buying and administration oversight targets they are bringing jobs to republican strongholds. my crevasse is building a facility in oklahoma. he has been supportive of the building of the factories and they are concerned about the involvement of the ccp and american companies. there were 200 samples, a

refinery in north dakota and there was a company called group 14 that is bringing jobs to dan neuhaus. they were supportive of the companies even though they are working with a large firm that is partially owned by a chinese state backed company. i also found that group 14, a company with marginal chinese ties said that despite that, his office pushed back and reported that was not accurate and that he has never heard of group 14. the search for solyndra, that represented a climate investment

going wrong. the energy transition and the firms that undergirded have learned a lot since then as well as the energy department. how do you manage risks? there is a lot of concern about what factors the biden administration is looking at. as they give moneys to these companies. as a binding give so much money and benefits to rural communities as part of its -- marjorie taylor greene had a coproduction company in her district. host: that's one of those topics republicans will talk about. hunter biden is in the news but

one if his thing was his connection to a mine. what would they see in that connection? guest: the sale of one of the world's largest cobalt mind. they are used in high-powered dvds. it's a key part in the fast car ev that does well on the market. hunter biden, according to the new york times. i have not verified the entirety of their reporting. he was involved in a firm that played a minor role in the exchange of a mine from a u.s. company from difficult financial conditions to a chinese company. that reporting was coupled with another new story published by

the new york times about u.s. officials potentially raising concerns about the sales from u.s. company to a chinese company. republicans have taken those two stories and put them together. i am not familiar of any examples where the united states interfered in a foreign business interaction. if republicans go in that direction, would they like the u.s. to play a greater role allows assets to be sold to chinese company, especially those that are strategic for us. i have not confirmed the veracity of the new york times reporting. perhaps the u.s. should have interceded but i wonder if we should be involved in business

actions overseas. caller: good morning, first time caller. being in minnesota with these electric vehicles. 40 below, you may begin at 40 miles on a full charge. i don't know if it's feasible for them to run up here. guest: the issue you raised is one that i would expect republicans to start talking about. what i have been finding in my conversation so far with republican lawmakers, their offices and staff in the way the political ecosystem is moving. it's harder and harder for anyone to deny the existence of climate change. it's easier to point out that the technology is not actually clean energy or it could be

about convenience in using fossil fuels. whether it be difficult to find a charging station. it would not surprise me to hear more and more complaints like these about the new alternatives from fossil fuel-based technologies. it is worth noting that experts say we need to move away from those things in order to stop the ever growing climate change threat. host: we have a few are asking about the leases. what's the percentage of leases on public lands versus those on private land? guest: i don't have the statistics on hand to quickly say -- generally speaking, i would say that the resource of

the future which is the hard rock minerals that will be in increasing demand, they are located on federal lands. it will forever be a conversation, do we continue to have the current status of federal land with energy production? do we mine minerals for the energy transition? do we continue to allow the same rate of fossil fuel use? host: for the divided and administration allow leasing with lands, it would upset the environmental protection wing of the party? from baltimore, good morning. caller: i am a real estate

developer in for a permit to get any sort of approval small numbers of folks are using the process just to kill things rather than to provide input and mitigate risk. i think that has to be part of a process change to press forward and accept some local concerns. guest: there is a concern with nimbys. when it comes to folks holding things up, there will always be people who are opposed to any kind of growth. there are even folks who want to do you grow. at the same time, i would also say that argument has been used to pillory communities that are disproportionately impacted by certain kinds of commercial development.

it's a thorny issue when you're trying to maintain a regulatory environment. host: there is a viewer who makes the statement, doesn't that type of energy policy mean maintaining the status quo? guest: people who advocate for it say if you streamlined the process to make approval for projects faster, it's like watching flowers bloom. in a hypothetical scenario where we let all the dogs out maybe we will see more and more renewable energy in the kind of mining and processing needed, manufacturing

plants being built faster. in a world where oil prices get higher it would enable new fossil fuel infrastructure, new drilling, new fracking that environmentalist and many on the left would argue would turn the tide away from the world where there is more renewable energies. host: this is jael holzman from axios. she is talking about energy policy. if you want to call and ask her questions (202) 748-8000 for democrats, (202) 748-8001 for republicans, (202) 748-8002 for

independents. lynn, you are on with our guest, good morning. caller: i saw a program where it shows that the ocean is growing worse and whales are being beach, is not a good thing to do in the name of climate change? guest: this is perhaps the single greatest issue they could say politics at this moment. his clean energy actually clean? as a reporter, i like to say often i don't like to use or phrase clean energy. i have interviewed many activists that say using that term papers over the way people interact with those energies.

we hear the oil industry saying this stuff is it really clean. the offshore impact, whales are impacted and they are a species that are more injured the way that climate change has impacted the temperature of our oceans. if we build out an ecosystem that puts out fewer transmission. bridging that balance is something the biden administration is trying to figure out. the science committee is looking at potentially looking at the oceanic administration.

it could be interesting to see how the politics around managing our oceans changes as the conflicts between building and emissions free energy and species management come to the fore. host: how serious might we see nuclear energy or hydro energy? guest: those are bipartisan agreements. i don't see any major legislation in the congress given the republican house. where we could find some bipartisan legislation or is on nuclear. i think the energy department has been supportive of a potentially uranium stockpile. there is a world where hydro in nuclear energy can find agreements.

anything coming out of this congress was surprised folks who watch it closely. host: this is bill joining us on the independent line. thank you for calling, you are on with the gas. caller: thank you for taking my call. it is hilarious to me that these reporters on your network all the time that have little knowledge on the subject they profess to report on. the lack of technology to maintain the ev industry. i live in central alabama. about 30 miles from where i live there is a big field filled with wind turbines.

it is unproductive, you have done for -- dead birds everywhere. and by the way, -- host: let me interrupt you there. guest: currently, it is easy to point to the potential flaws in the technology that we are turning to to get away from fossil fuels. the point you raise generally speaking are points that we would hope a congress that is looking deeply at scrutiny and oversight would look at. the thing i've heard from

presses, it's strange that democrats did not look more these issues when they had control of the house. when they are not present at the table, it does leave room for republicans to say why are you not looking at these issues? host: as far as the energy committee, what kind of hearings are we expecting? guest: i would expect a lot of focus on the giant package the new speaker is interested in moving. i would expect new focus on energy security. i would expect to see some focus on efg, environmental focus and government issues. they have tried to use their boardroom to leverage.

host: are these dead on arrival in the senate or with the white house? guest: yeah. it is a wonder that folks i speak with are bullish on something like a deal on permits moving through this new congress when we had such difficulty approving a speaker and in the senate, the political dynamics around bipartisan agreements are fraught. there are a lot of people in the environmental advocate space. i will not call anything dead. like any sports game, you want to see it until the end. at the end of the day, it will be difficult. especially since republicans are still challenging the administration on these issues. host: from patrick in georgia, a

republican. caller: good morning. i had about two questions. i was wondering what she thinks about the sanctions on russian energy and how it is affecting industries in europe? guest: i did not expect to hear a question about lunar mining. the artemis is trying to create a global mining. that is also the plot of a netflix film called don't look up. when it comes to russian sanctions, there is an open

question as to whether or not there sanctions demonstrate how ineffective our current effective supply chains will be in the future conflict. there was a lasting impact on prices. if china invaded taiwan, it will be even harder and we will feel those price increases in our day-to-day pocketbook issues. today, we are dealing with as high of an oil price. there has been arguments against using the strategic petroleum reserve. when it comes to being effective, there is a good example of why they were not. what that harbors in the future.

russia is a major producer of diamonds for jewelry and industrial purposes. it was really hard because diamonds are not regulated under the same scheme. russia was able to ruffle feathers by simply saying they do not agree. we track them with customs and border protection's. there is a little bit of concern the potentially, these diamonds and pieces of jewelry may have funded the war in ukraine. sanctions will be an open question but for future geopolitical conflicts it's worrisome that they could be ineffective. host: i would expect he will

talk about energy policy from the house, what about the topic of climate change? guest: i think we will hear more about climate change from the left. in the senate, you will be a lot more focused on the kind of issues like the oil industry's role in propagating a climate denial campaign. at the same time, republicans by and large have difficulty denying the full nonexistence of climate change. i will be watching how they oversee this annual climate science report that the united states puts out to forecast how climate changes is affecting her day-to-day. i would say oversight over scientific integrity that comes out of the white house and biden administration, that will be the place republicans focus on. not doubting climate science but

doubting the projections. host: let's speak with fort collins, on the independent line. caller: hey good morning. if windmills are killing the birds. if you are concerned about that, ban all caps in america because they kill over one billion birds a year. also, looking in oil, it's not just a climate change issue. it is a security issue. when we are dependent on venezuela, saudi arabia, russia, to get our energy from. i think that's a big mistake. we need to become energy independent. i won't see clean energy but

it's a heck of a lot better. i was speaking to my neighbor who teaches client science. if you are worried about whales and seals, climate change is killing everything. we are on a bad path with this. for the republicans in the house, they will grandstand, sit there and puff out their chests. they will not work with the senate or get anything done. in two years from now we will be exactly where we are sitting right now because of the way they are approaching this. host: got you charles, thank you very much. guest: the congress represents in the best of way the issue democrats may find themselves how republicans focus on how clean energy is not clean.

whether it be hunter biden being involved in coble mind deals with the chinese. or just generally speaking, how we manage the energy transition. i understand why people say why save the birds when we're dealing with climate change? there are a lot of people focused on both. this is an issue that will consume this new congress. you have folks in the senate starting to look at this issue and try to get ahead of this. studies have actually shown that when you present, i was speaking with my driver bruno.

i speak with lift drivers about climate change and they are concerned. and then i asked them do you know that the batteries and electric cars could be mined by child labor? we will have difficulty managing these competing issues and it could be an issue that republicans take on to highlight the tension that was brought up by the collar. host: let's hear from pamela, and taxes on the democrats line. caller: i do have an interesting question for you i would like to hear from you. why does everybody overlook lightning? i know that el in california was looking at that for quite a few years. they never said if it was

successful or not successful. they did say that if they could capture one lightning bolt that it would power cities like seattle for a year. why can't we do something like that? guest: the biden administration has taken shots that geothermal, i have not seen lightning power generation but i will research it after hearing it on tv. people are looking towards circular economies. a place that calls for not mining more when it comes to the energy transition.

this idea of trying to generate clean batteries. host: what do you expect to watch for in the next weeks or months when it comes to emily see policy? guest: republicans will pass legislation that will have difficulty in the senate. they will focus deeply on how the clean energy industry is not as clean. they will deal with emerging issues like efg and whether folks are living up to their commitments. it will be a lot of messaging. if you are working at a company that's working with the biden administration and you are looking at will i be brought up in the new republican house is an oversight target. we had a story that outlined

three companies, 20 companies that could be potential targets for oversight. it is more than two dozen before this new congress and the current energy chair is already talking about the biden policy is solyndra on steroids. that could be a watch point for people looking at washington trying to look at the transition. host: jael holzman is a reporter for axios.com. we will look at the republicans commitment to america and how it impacts policy. for those discussions, we will have competitive enterprise institute kent lassman.

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c-span, powered by cable. c-span now is your free mobile lab featuring your unfiltered view of what is happening in washington. keep up with the latest events with floor proceedings and hearings. all at your fingertips, stay current with the latest episodes of washington journal and find scheduling information at c-span radio. c-span now is available at the apple store and google play. download for free today. c-span now, your front row seat to washington anytime, anywhere. "washington journal," continues. host: we look at the commitment to america and how it will

affect policy. joining us for that discussion is kent lassman president and ceo of competitive enterprise institute. what is cei and what is it mean for economic issues? guest: competitive enterprise institute is a think tank here in washington we think about economic regulatory issues and the focus is on reforming what has become an unaccountable regulatory state where people can get out from under bureaucratic controls with freer, safer and healthier lives. host: can you change matters of inflation with regulatory efforts? guest: there are two levers available. the most important thing for inflation, his policy which is

not focused on with regulations. tariffs operate as a tax on goods. the way we understand inflation as we measure things like pricing takes. secondly, there is a wide array of agencies in the cities that are trying to tell people how to live their lives and run their businesses. when the sec, they get outside of their lane developing new workforce hours, that new work creates extra drag on the economy. just having congress focus those agencies on their core mission would do a great deal to help with inflation. host: when it comes to that commitment to america that we've been talking about, the economy and those related issues, some

of the big tentpole gls needed to fight inflation, lower the cost of living, make america energy independent. strengthening the supply chain, independence from china, what are the lovers they can be pulled to achieve those? -- levers that can be pulled to achieve those? guest: there is a reason this is called the master resource. we can't build things, move things or operate our lives without some form of energy. it is what we used to heat our homes, and run our businesses. energy infrastructure, we can't build, we can create new avenues for developing energy or

transporting energy. that would be a good start. permitting reform has come up and we expect to see it. i would stress what i said earlier, keeping a focus on permitting itself. that is a way to move them forward. host: kent lassman is with us and if you want to ask questions about the economy and inflation. (202) 748-8000 for democrats, (202) 748-8001 for republicans and (202) 748-8002 for independents, if you wanted text us (202) 748-8003. speaking of inflation, do you

think that needs congressional intervention on matters of inflation? guest: the most important lever for inflationary pressures is pending. there are three ways the government takes resources out of the economy. it can tax and spend, it can borrow and spend which we have seen a lot of in the past few years. so until congress gets its arms around how to live within its means in a reasonable timeframe for borrowing, inflationary pressures will be maintained. what i would like to see is a commitment and that means giving up some of the easy political winds in order to do what is right for the medium and long term. the short term political hit they like to make for making an announcement, those things need to be set aside.

host: when it comes to easy political winds, one of the discussions from last week is about the debt ceiling and republicans interested in using the debt ceiling to talk about these larger aspects of spending and calling for spending cuts is that the right approach? guest: the debt ceiling is something we don't want to take lightly but it is not the biggest issue. if the debt ceiling approaches it's good that we have a rule that we don't borrow without permission from the congress. how and to what degree different factions negotiate for changes in operations but particularly, going forward, i think there is something to unfold and not be afraid of. it is something we should encourage like the last couple of weeks we saw a lot of drama

in the capital and it was not necessarily a bad thing to watch democracy unfold that way. host: as far as using the debt ceiling to talk about mandatory spending and discretionary spending, should it use to dictate those? guest: i don't think you should dictate specific policy on spending and foreign policy. those conversations have to be a part of what we are doing for the medium and long-term with borrowing in this country. borrowing will ultimately affect our inflationary pressures in our ability to operate internationally. host: one of the people who talked about it on the sunday shows was senator raphael warnock, he expressed his concern about how it may play out. let me play what he has to say. [video clip] >> house republicans are saying

that they want something in return for raising the debt limit. there has to be some controls on spending in exchange for raising the debt limit. they say they will not negotiate. is that a mistake? you just said, the white house should be open to negotiation? >> here's the thing we have to be careful of. we have to make sure we don't make the work in d.c. about ultimatums. the fact of the matter is, we can do deficit reduction. we can deal with our national debt but at the same time, the last thing we ought to be doing is playing chicken with the american economy. we have been through the onslaught of a long pandemic

that has created a lot of challenges for the american family. they pay their bills and they expect the government to pay its bills. we can do this on a bipartisan basis we have done time and time again. but we lose our way when we make it about the politicians. i am focused on farmers who are invested in trying to make their businesses work in this economy. i'm thinking about ordinary workers who deserve a livable wage. when we make it about politicians we lose our way. host: those of the comments from george's senator, your reaction? guest: i think the senator is onto something. i believe it is a mistake for the white house to say preemptively that we won't have conversations among talk about these things.

clearly, it's the case that both parties have operated in the past that this is a foregone conclusion. today we see a different environment. there are stronger, more vocal and active factions within the congress and if you refuse to talk to them you work towards that cliff, that standoff. do i think the white house will suffer? no. when we talk about the kind of borrowing and spending we have done in the past three years. senator warnock is onto something. this is not about certain politicians grabbing a headline for it to be done.

host: this is david in ohio, independent line. good morning. caller: good morning, thanks for taking michael. -- my call. i want to push back on the notion of fighting regulations and cloaking it as a commitment to america. it is more of a commitment to corporate profits. i saw a wonderful show on c-span -- not c-span, but public tv, they were talking about the history of the meat packing. this was way back in the early 1900s, they had an ally in teddy roosevelt. he had been exposed to some terrible conditions packing meat. the corporations fought every step of the way to stop

regulations to protect them. i think it is a necessary cause of production to have healthy foods and a healthy environment. host: thanks. guest: there is something really important raised by the caller. just like all democrats are not alike, all republicans are not alike and independents are all over the map, all regulation is not the same. health and safety regulation is of a different kind. it goes by the same name, we call it regulation, as other forms of economic regulation. i am focused on things like what is happening at the federal trade commission. after a great trauma to the economy over the course of nearly three years, we have had all sorts of dislocation, movement of supply chains, difficulties with employment due to different restrictions on

inflation, where people can be. there has to be a resettling of the american economy and businesses need to sort out, how my going to get the work done? what market will abn? -- i be in? what goods and services will i offer? they are steamrolling restrictions on how readjustment can take place, so i take the point in safety. i would also point out that every single example of food poisoning, difficulty with meatpacking, every single one of those things that have happened in recent memory, those were all usda certified. government and government regulation creates balance and we need to be very careful about where we draw boundaries. host: give me an example.

guest: about a year ago, we saw a move to block a merger. one developed a new cancer screening and the other had the ability to bring it to market. with fewer players in the marketplace for science the developed cancer screenings, we are going to block the merger. that is the wrong direction to go. mergers and video games, supermarkets, pharmaceutical, all these things are a resettling of the economy. host: margaret in new york, democrats line. you are next. caller: hi, how are you? host: well, thank you. caller: i want to say something.

the honest picture of the president -- not the president, martin luther king -- [indiscernible] [no audio]

host: jerry is in virginia, republican line. caller: good morning. every time joe biden makes a speech, it is lowering the

deficit. every bill they pass. if that is the case, why would anyone want to raise the debt limit? guest: i think i missed the last part of the question, but something to keep in mind when we talk about deficits andguesth -- debt, deficits or how much we overspend each year. from 2020 through 2022, the u.s. government was spending wildly. upwards of 40% more than what would have been the trendline for normal. today, we spend less than last year, it is less from extraordinarily high levels so the deficit is falling, but not falling from what would be a normal trendline or what we might expect to be fiscally responsible. host: the wall street journal

has to take looks at the budget committee of the house and what faces them under republican leadership area -- leadership. they contend it was the agreement they got mr. mccarthy voted into office in the first place. the house budget committee must produce a resolution that balances the budget in no more than 10 years. the authors saying in theory, resetting fiscal spending to 2022 levels would result in about $130 billion cut and discretionary spending including about $75 billion cut to military spending, putting band-aids in. ultimately, what do they do and do they cause fiscal concerns for how a government operates? guest: there is an important idea baked into that that i think we should unpack, that is the notion of discretionary and nondiscretionary spending. all of it is discretionary. what we mean by nondiscretionary is in the past, it creates a

promise. we set that aside, we say it is nondiscretionary. not available to be changed. those promises are renegotiated all the time. i am not here today to tell you we ought to go terrible of the entitlement programs. i am telling you there is no way to take the budget of the federal government of the united states, $6 trillion, and manage it a responsible way without tackling both sides of that equation. we have to look deep into the future and understand our demographics and relationship, but we expect of the government, how it should provide or not provide, in order to do budget in a responsible way. host: people in the audience are saying cut social security. guest: they need to understand

social security, medicare and medicaid, just as defense policy, just as other retirement goods and benefits, they all need to be looked at and they need to be understood and discussed openly with canned or and not behind -- candor and not behind veiled words of discretionary and nondiscretionary. it produces scare tactics. members of the budget committee understand well that is not what it means. host: are you one that would advocate for things and changes like increasing the age of getting social security or increasing the amount certain people get? is that the way to go about it, as far as making changes? host: i will bring it back -- guest: i will bring it back to where we started. we produced an agenda for congress, focused on regulatory policy. these are the hidden taxes,

hidden obligations for most of how we operate in this country. the regulatory burden, low-end estimates is about $2 trillion. $2 trillion is about 40% of all we tax and borrow and spend. getting a handle on the regulatory state is the first step so you are able to address these budgetary concerns. host: the framework is available online if you want to check it out on the website of our guest, he is kent lassman of competitive enterprise institute. samantha is next on the independent line from new york, good morning. caller: thank you so much. host: you are on, go ahead. caller: thank you so much for all you do. i want to address with this gentleman was talking about, we do have a dilemma, a conversational dilemma. we are dancing around the word of asbestos. at this point, this conversation has to be up, because it is getting couched in climate change.

the ftc, it fda have all found -- we need this product to insulate our power grids, to insulate our, whether lithium, cobol, etc.. those are hot middles when they have energy. the big issue becomes asbestos and its impurities in the consumer line, this is not been regulated. this is beginning to go away from congress -- you are nodding your head, thank you. away from our economy. this is a big talk on our economy because we have to pay for people who have been harmed by the impurities of this pestis they get into their lungs, into their body. -- there you go, smile. we are not talking about protecting truckers carting the

stuff across the borders, we are not talking about protecting our consumer line. host: i think we have got the point, we will let our guest respond. guest: there is something to the call that is really important about the way regulation operates in relation to industries. that is, there is a learning process. this pestis, as she discussed, can cause great harm. for many decades, we have had an ongoing master settlement for those harmed by the development and production of asbestos. what regulation too often prevents as a learning process. it says as long as you meet our standard for how you ship it, how you cut it, how you package it, you will be held harmless. it turns out when you learn that it does cause real problems for people, including bodily harm,

death, there is no way to fix that problem short of changing the regulations. one thing about regulations, especially economic regulations, is they are very sticky. it takes years to undo these things. that means, whether it is is pestis or other risks in the economy, we want people out there innovating, studying, looking at entering to come up with a better way to develop insulation. once the standard has been set, you go forward and use it and it causes harm with recourse. there is no one to call at the fda. thousands of people work there, it is a faceless agency.

host: let us hear from john in south carolina, democrats line. caller: good morning america, good morning c-span. listen carefully to this guy answer to my question. who in the world does the government oh all this money to? -- owe all this money to? we take care of all these countries, with all these people into the country and take care of them. i will give you a fact. we print our own money if the government prints its own money, how in the world would we owe these people or whoever all of this? i will tell the people exactly who we owe.

thank you. guest: we owe future americans, plain and simple. most of the debt is held in bonds, we owe the bondholders, that means in the future. host: what is the impact? guest: we are starting to see it now. we have debt, we are carrying debt in the neighborhood of 107% of the size of our total economy, we have not seen debt loads like this since the end of world war ii. when you carry that sort of debt , it is not exactly the same, but it is similar in principle to a household. you are carrying more debt than the economy can spin off the goods and services to keep up with. it becomes a real problem. host: in wisconsin, hello. you are next.

caller: good morning. when obama took over, it was $9 trillion. when trump took over, it was $19 trillion. when biden took over, it was $27 trillion. now we are at $32 trillion. all these years, we never fixed anything. nothing. roads, highways, schools, jails, nothing. if you spent $1 million a year or $1 million an hour, every hour, 24/7, 306 to five days a year, it would take you 411 years to spend $1 trillion. what is with us? we are the stupidest country in the world. we are more runs. -- morons. we are all morons. guest: that comment reminds me

of something once attributed to, if not set by winston churchill, when describing america and american democratic processes. we will eventually do the right thing after it has been tried, we are heading toward that point. the trajectory you described of debt, two points on that. one, it is horrific. it is a very bad indicator of fiscal health. secondly, it is important to keep in mind the denominator. as the debt has grown, the total economic output has also grown. it is not as if from nine to 32 we are three and a half times more in debt. that is because the economy has grown since 2009. host: the chairman of the

inflationary effects for an thed executive action with an estimated impact of at least one billion, the white house would have to report findings to congress each year to increase transparency and accountability over executive actions. what do you think about that proposal, and what is your level of confidence in the white house buying into it? guest: i think it is a very good idea. the basic idea is, when you have big regulatory proposals, congress should have something to say about them. we typically do not have -- the most regulatory legislation in history was doc frank, congress passed a big law and instructed agencies to come up with regulations. when they produced those regulations, i do not think it is a problem and i think it tends toward the good to have some measure of accountability, especially when they are so large.

there upwards of half a dozen very promising regulatory accountability bills introduced or being reintroduced from previous congresses that show a lot of promise. host: in michigan, independent line. caller: hi, i've got a question. you touched on this a little earlier. i've had an idea for green energy, 10 years ago, can you kind of point to the marketing side of spending and corporate and government grants? is that all taken in perspective for spending? how would you -- is that by the states, or does that go back to congress or what?

i will take your answer off the air. thanks very much. guest: i will try to do a service for the audience here. i am not a very big fan of huge government pools made available for private development. it just tends not to work well. we do have private equity markets where people can have an idea, go to the bank and borrow money. there is lots of ways to get that, you do not need the government, which means taxpayers, taking on the risk of a new venture. anyone venture might not be a problem, but when we are talking about many new ventures and hundreds of millions of dollars, then it becomes a problem for the taxpayer. the caller might be referring to massive amounts of money passed in the most recent omnibus legislation, including some

detailed to the epa for distribution and has not yet determined whether that will be grants awarded through the epa, grants to the states, or some other mechanism. there is an active proposal that would fund these initiatives. it is probably best to stop there. host: why do you think they do not work? guest: i think you need to align the risks of new ventures with people taking on the risks, the lender, with the people that are going to reap the benefits. when you do that through taxpayer funding, you have worse oversight. you have looser standards for where the money goes, you end up with what economists would call mall investment. -- malinvestment.

money flows towards things that catch the eye of someone, not necessarily the most promising technologies or new developments that would enter the marketplace and improve distribution or manufacturing. host: a few more minutes with our guest, this is rick and pennsylvania, democrats line. caller: hello, i am glad he talked about services being cut. i often wondered -- i am on unemployment and welfare. i got a plan have to stop that. they call you from the welfare office, unemployment office, we have a job that will pay $400. the person says i do not want that money, i make more on unemployment or welfare. . why do they -- don't they pass a law for a few turn it down it

comes off your welfare check or unemployment check? i am not talking seasonal workers or people laid off for a month, i am talking about people that will not work. when that goes belly up after the 400 comes, we get the money back on unemployment. but i cannot see how the american people have to pay for people that will not work. that is my statement about that. thank you. guest: the precise mechanism that the caller describes is something i would have to look into a little more. i do think there is an important point here about the economy and unemployment. we have near record lows of unemployment, but we've also seen -- i think the callers may be alluding to -- marked change

in the labor market. something like 6.5 million people left the workforce, which means they are no longer looking for work, but they are out there. how we cope with them, how we get them back involved in meaningful work, is very important. not only economic objective, but social objective. people are more connected to the community when they are working. i think any agent, any group of people with decision-making, it will influence politics. it is part of her nature and it is fiction to think -- our nature into his fiction to think -- not entirely removed. just a nature of being human. host: the role is to control

inflation or introduce elements to control inflation. how do you think the track record is today? -- to date? guest: in some ways, they are responding -- it is responding to congress, as i mentioned the massive spending bills, relief bills, people do not know what is in there, where the money is coming from. the fed, in reaction, is trying to use big levers, gross movement to fine-tune things. i think they overshot a little bit, but they are trying to stay step removed from politics. host: republican line from new jersey, go ahead. caller: hello, how are you?

i was just listening to you guys. i had a question. if we show more products, would that help the economy in -- and the deficit go down more? we don't make anything here is much as we used to? let me know how we could lower the deficit. thank you. guest: so i think we have largely to unrelated phenomena -- two unrelated phenomena. the deficit is related to the amount of income into the government and the promises that go out. it looks a lot like a ledger. the trade balance for where things are made and sourcing of things we consume is really unrelated to that.

i would point out overall manufacturing probably is not the way the caller suspects. we have high levels of manufacturing, total output, total people employed. there is an awful lot of manufacturing happening in this country. it is the higher value manufacturing. host: one more call, independent line in new jersey. caller: hi. sorry, i have not been listening all morning. i want to ask a question in regards to the contribution states give to other countries.

all the money we give to other countries. california -- the entire country is in a whether influx -- weather influx. there is massive damage that has to be taken care of. i guess my question is, why can't the united states take care of the united states before it takes care of everyone else? host: thank you. guest: a question about u.s. foreign aid, direct foreign aid to other countries. two points to be made. when it comes to the ledger of the u.s. federal government, understanding how much money, where it is going, how much is likely to come in from different activities, foreign aid is a

minuscule amount of that. absolutely, congress and the white house can address or decrease -- that is where the money is, we need to look at the programs and delivered in the economy that will affect -- the size of u.s. foreign aid is not enough that it will be top of the list. host: if you want to see the work of the competitive institute, visit their website. thanks for your time. we will finish the program with open forum. if you want to call and make your thoughts known, (202) 748-8000 four democrats, (202) 748-8001 four republicans and

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washington journal continues. host: text us if you wish at (202) 748-8003. you can post your thoughts on social media at facebook.com/cspan and follow us on twitter @cspanwj. when it comes to matters of the documents found at president biden's home, the white house saying it was yesterday, taking a statement from the white house and secret service. when asked about visitor logs at the president's home in delaware, saying they are not available. every president across decades of moderate history, the personal residence is personal. upon taking office, president biden restored the norm of keeping white house visitor logs including publishing visitors regularly after the previous administration ended them. that was a statement from the white house, particularly when

it comes to those documents. politico has a story taking a look at some of the visitors to the white house on january 6 while former president trump was in office. this is information that came from the work of the january 6 committee. reporting the president spent his time in the office fighting the release of those visitor logs, the january 6 committee uploaded hundreds of documents from the exhaustive investigation into the attacks on the capitol. there was an excel spreadsheet detailing days of president trump's white house visitor manifests that capture key moments to the january 6 probe, such as the oval office meeting of the 18th of december where they discussed the prospect of seizing voting machines and other guests that former president trump was hosting during the final chaotic stretch of his presidency. that is from politico.

again, that information from the january 6 committee, you can find that on politico this morning. you can bring those up as a matter of points for open form up until 10:00 we had in dayton, ohio, democrats line. you are first up. caller: yeah, i was just wondering, why do they keep threatening social security? if you work for some federal agencies, your retirement is based on the three different tiers you have to have. that is retirement pay, social security you would be receiving, and savings plan. but they keep threatening about our social security. social security was put in for whenever we do retire, because we paid into it our whole entire careers. when we do retire, we do not starve to death.

we can pay her bills and buy our groceries. -- our bills and buy our groceries. but they keep threatening us with changing it. congress people do not have to pay for their insurance. once they are in there, they are covered on insurance the rest of their life. a federal employee has to pay for their insurance out of their retirement, which drops retirement down to nothing almost. i would like to have them answer questions. host: let us hear from shirley in ohio, republican line. surely in ohio, hello -- shirley in ohio, hello? caller: i am here. let me speak to the person that called from dayton, ohio. i have a question on social security also.

whenever they are mentioning any reduction in -- what is it called? we are placing it on social security. another person called in to ask about people -- foreign aid. when people come here, migrate here, especially illegally, does the foreign aid for other countries drop when our country takes up their support when they come here? that is the question i really would like looked into, because the foreign aid was described as minuscule by the person that was on speaking. but how minuscule is it that people feel threatened about their social security and income that they are entitled to? it is called entitlement. it is earnings for most americans who have worked many, many years, as i have also. i would like an answer.

why isn't foreign aid reduced to countries where thousands upon hundreds of thousands of people are pouring into our country from that country? thank you so much. host: let us hear from dave in atlanta, georgia, independent line. caller: i love my c-span, i want to beg the callers, this is the most important three hour show on television every morning. he did not need to ask him how he is doing, we know he is doing fine. please free up the air time for callers who want to call in and say something important, like the outrage going on. what they've done in egypt. there is always something in the news more important to talk about that how the host of the show is doing today. you can send him a think you know in the mail. please do not take up airtime. i want to hear people talk about

something that matters about issues that are essential that we talk about. host: you brought up iran and egypt, why are you concerned? caller: look at them. they are talking about the economy or whatever, that is all very nice. but how can you be a woman on c-span and not mention what is going on? we need to have people speak up about this outrage. it is unacceptable. i am too nervous. host: to your point, we've done one or two segments taking look at the issue of iran and women's rights issues. if you want to go to our website, you can check that out at c-span.org. democrats line from florida, hi. caller: good morning. i just want to to how that the efficacy of the republican party.

-- hit the chrissy of the republican party. -- hypocry --hypocrisy of their publican party. i've never had a republican what information from donald trump on mar-a-lago or the january 6 information -- insurrection. that shows everybody the hypocrisy of the republican party. no mention of investigations on donald trump, but as soon as joe biden, they are all gung ho on investigation. host: a couple events to keep you aware of on c-span today, 11:30, they will look at recommendations for the cdc to respond to outbreaks such as the covid pandemic. you can see that live coverage

and 11 130 on c-span, watch on c-span now or our website at c-span.org. this evening, senator bernie sanders of vermont will give his state of the working class address, talk about issues such as income and wealth inequality, housing and childcare. that is 7:00 on c-span. if you want to get the app and download it, that is c-span now, watch it on c-span.org. from leo in illinois, republican line. hi. caller: good morning. i am here. host: you are on. caller: yesterday, joe biden made a visit to a church for martin luther king day. he bowed to the host of that church. joe biden, i believe, is a member of the communist party.

she proved it by bowing like a chinese custom. -- he proved it by bowing like a chinese custom. that is how chinese socialist people greet each other. host: that makes him a socialist? caller: we have a custom in this country, that is a handshake or a wave. to move on, manufacturing, the gentleman talked about the last guest. i've been in manufacturing since 15 years old. there is no way. when anybody comes on the show and says me to go back to manufacturing, it is a fallacy. our infrastructure, especially the electric grid, has been decimated. it will never support any manufacturing business again, thank you. host: the president spoke at that event at ebenezer baptist church yesterday, thoughts and statements regarding martin luther king jr. and the day of celebration.

you can see that on c-span now and our website at c-span.org. independent line. caller: i am 87 years old pretty soon, c-span junkie since 1980. the debt ceiling is a game played by both parties. that is an honest way of looking at it. the last guest, we have never had -- [indiscernible]

the candidates pick the people to work for them. [indiscernible] it is sad. host: john in cleveland, ohio. the hill is reporting there is a challenger to chair brown's seat, that is an ohio republican who plans to run for the seat

who announced the bid, becoming the first republican to enter the race for 2024 saying i am unapologetically committed to putting the needs of ohio first and delivering results as our next u.s. senator. with the courage of my convictions and focus on the challenges and opportunities facing our beloved state, i am ready to lead. let us hear from alexander from virginia, democrats line. caller: hi, can you hear me? host: you are on. caller: first, i must say, you have some incredible patience, you have got some folks on here. but what i wanted to talk to you about was -- sorry, politicians becoming pseudo-celebrities. i wanted to get your thoughts, they get twitter fame and they become more a celebrity that a

politician, a human being, who is capable of making mistakes. host: who would you describe as a pseudo-celebrity politician? caller: aoc, ted cruz, they end up in the media a lot, and my opinion. there are people who are career politicians who fly under the radar, those are the ones i see the most they get a lot of attention on social media. host: if you see them online or follow them, what do you learn, if anything? caller: that is a tough one. i would say their morals, especially. the things they are willing to put online.

aoc will reply back to people on the internet, it reminds me that she is a human at the end of the day, someone who is capable of making mistakes. she has hopes, she has dreams. i think when they are making policy decisions like that, people do not realize in people put them up on a pedestal. host: you can answer this as you wish. do you or other people of your age get most of the information politics wise from social media, or do you consult other sources? caller: i consult other sources, too. i usually refer to c-span and i tend to be trusting more -- i do not go toward cnn unless it is entertainment. watching american news network

is kind of like watching snl. i watch the polarized stuffer entertainment. but i do use social media quite a bit, i use twitter highlights to get the main stuff, then do research on my own. host: that is alexander, you can follow us @cspanwj if you do not already do so. a lot of other elements to social media from the base operation of c-span, you can find that at c-span.org and follow the show on instagram @cspanwj, twitter the same and facebook.com/cspan. if you post on facebook. let us hear from walter in mississippi. republican line, hi. caller: how are you? i would like to talk about the border. we need to have a constitution amendment that would fix our border and stop people -- stop

congress from seeing the border is unfixed. host: what would the amendment say? caller: seal the border off. can't nobody come in unless you go the right way. they would have to figure that out themselves. i'm talking about all the border come all around the united states. can't nobody leave the borders open, shut the borders. it would be shut all the time. congress would set a law about how you can get in this country, that would solve this problem. host: ok. walter in mississippi giving us a call, you can call us on the phone lines (202) 748-8000 for

democrats, republicans it is (202) 748-8001 and independents (202) 748-8002. we ask two things broadly, pick the line that represents you and if you called in the last 30 days, if you could hold off from doing so today. democrats line from new york, this is rick. hello. caller: hello. i would like to see democracy be extended into the future. our country is really -- we have capitalism. along the way, we found we have legislation to guard the consumer, guard employees. we had to come up with social

security as a safety net. i reckon our system is not really socialistic, it is a kind of system that tries to see the whole united states as one big family, and how can we help all of the different segments? even teddy roosevelt was a republican, and he saw the need for legislation and a lot of different legislation to protect the workers and the consumer in that kind of thing, but that does not make us socialistic. when the word socialistic is used, it is used in the negative by certain politicians against their opponents. i am so happy we are helping people who would not have income otherwise.

if it was not for social security. they are all kinds of people under social security, like the disabled, for example. it is not only retired people. they can save social security by not having it cap on income and let it flow upwards. the cap is around $150,000. host: the front page of the washington post takes another angle, looking at representative george santos of new york. tied to cousin of russian oligarch, it puts comparisons of him and his wife who gave a maximum of $5,800 to santos' campaign. his cousin is a russian billionaire who was a section by the u.s. government for his role in the russian energy industry.

the relationship between them goes beyond campaign contributions, according to a statement made privately by santos in 2020 against a florida-based investment firm. the evidence suggest santos may have had a business relationship with him when he was first entering politics. there's plenty more if you want to read it, front page of the washington post. republican line. caller: hi. i am a combat vietnam veteran, 69 years old. i just wanted to let everybody know that it took 15 times for mccarthy to become speaker. he is setting himself up for the whigs, similar to what happened way back when. if we do not do something positive to alleviate the situation, we have to get mccarthy off of social security, because he is going to kill the

vote for the republican party in the next term. everybody is sick of hearing about them attacking social security, medicare and meta- -- medical. we were 5000 strong, everyone of them is talking about if he attacks social security, they will vote independent. they have to stop this. if they do not do this, why don't they just vote -- sit-down is to people -- as two people, get the debt ceiling taking care of, not talk about social security anymore, not talk about medicare and medi-cal because that is what screwed them up the last vote. the red wave became the blue wave and it will be a blue synonymy --tsunami if we do not

dissenting to take care of it. host: independent line. caller: i am calling in response to the gentleman who called and said that biden showed evidence of being a communist because he bowed. my response is, he is a catholic. it would be traditional anytime you come up toward the front, that is in his mode of operation. what i would like to see is a president can go to a church and can honor someone who believes in peace and understanding and people not criticize him for being a communist. a cue. -- thank you. host: treasury secretary meeting with chinese officials today in an effort to build relations, according to the wall street journal. seems like renewed engagement comes as both countries try to recalibrate their relationship with top geopolitical rival, one

of their closest economic partners. chinese officials are trying to vitalize -- revitalize their economy. the u.s. is scrutinizing a perceived national security risk. also aiming to avoid undue harm, the engine of global economic growth. that is the wall street journal reporting. virginia, independent line. caller: been a long time listener. i would like to talk about a famous comedian said we do not have to agree, but we do have to respect each other. i want to use that as a preface before i make the next statement the amount of money we are sending to ukraine while places like flint, michigan still have no clean water, baltimore is going through water crisis, we have a lot of issues at home

that we need to take care of. rather than using proxy wars to fight what is our enemy now and potentially turning these people into our new enemy, we did that in the 80's when we used afghanistan to fend off the russians. we train them and years later, we were attacked. i just feel like that is a new way -- that is a repeated process. while we are giving aid to ukraine now, there is the possibility to have somebody become radicalized because we are funding a war to fight russia through other people. we are not taking a hit here, but their whole life is being destroyed. that is my two cents. host: a story just posted today

saying the ukrainian first lady urged global, political and business leaders at the world economic forum in switzerland to use their influence to help ukraine. we are facing the collapse of the world as we know it, the way we are accustomed to it or what we aspire she told the audience. she spoke of the interconnectedness of the war in ukraine with food insecurity, energy and climate change. that is axios if you want to read more. let us hear from nick, democrats line. hello. caller: i am here. host: go ahead. caller: i am wondering why they don't take the caps off social security. the federal government owes social security over $2 trillion and a few years ago, there was a republican come out from caller: yeah, i am here. mike pompeo; you're on, go ahead.

i'm just wondering why they don't take the cap off of social security. i remember back two years ago, there was a republican senator came out from the capital that said they were putting social security money in the box and they were throwing away the key. i remember when president nixon got arrested, he made a statement that there was more money and social security then we could ever do with it. if someone correct me on that i would appreciate. host: let's hear from earl. caller: why was the white house legal counsel alerted that the documents were different residences of president biden? and also, another question is,

where is the fbi, cia, department of justice, homeland security? why are they not securing these documents instead of the white house counsel. do they even have the players to secure these documents. host: this is ron in alabama. caller: was there ever a proof that martin luther king had illegitimate kids? was it ever proven? host: that was rotten in alabama finishing it up for today. that is our program. another addition of washington journal comes your way tomorrow morning at 7:00 a.m.. ♪

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