morning, arkansas republican congressman french hill joinss to discuss the recent deaths of two americans in mexico. the threat of china and other congressionane of the day. also with the chair of the federal reserve testify on capitol hill this week, we talked with brendan pederson about monetary policy in the state of the u.s. economy. eleanor holmes shares her thgh about an upcoming vote in descendant to repeal a d.c. crime bl -- in descendant to repeal d.c. crime bill. "washington journal" starts now. ♪ host: two of the four americans kidnapped by mexican drug cartels are back safely in the

u.s. but two of their friends were shot dead. the trip from south carolina, one was seeking cosmetic surgery in matamoros, mexico. the state department has reiterated its do not trouble warning for that area mexico. some members of congress with calls against action against the cartels. good morning. it is wednesday, march 8. welcome to "washington journal". this first 30 minutes will ask you about the incident in mexico and what he may mean for u.s.-mexico relations. democrats, 202-748-8000. republicans, 202-748-8001. independents, 202-748-8002. four border state residents, taxes or otherwise that is

202-748-8003. you can text us at 202-748-8003. it is 30 minutes the first half hour but want to let you know we will have a couple of open form on this incident and other issues. get calling this morning if you want to talk about the kidnapping and killing in mexico . we'll talk about the issue from medical tourism that is come up, the call for authorization for military force by some members of congress. here's the story from the dallas morning news. two americans in texas hospital after surviving deadly kidnapping in mexico. two americans back in the u.s. after surviving a deadly kidnapping in mexico and take into a texas hospital for treatment official said. two other americans and one a mexican woman was killed in the

gunfire. the surviving americans escorted in a convoy. a relative of one of the victims said the four americans had traveled together from the carolinas so wanted them to get a tummy tuck from a doctor in matamoros where the kidnapping took place. the disease were shaded water -- the deceased were shaeed woodard and zindell brown. latavia mcgee and eric williams were found alive. democrats, 202-748-8000. republicans, 202-748-8001. independents, 202-748-8002. border residents of the line is 202-748-8003. state department warns of travel

to mexico. [video clip] >> is the u.s. government satisfied with your engagement with the mexican government on this crisis issue and we have heard from yourself and from the white house that you would rather focus on ensuring justice is done. he explained what justice could look like -- can you explain what justice would look like? >> we express our deepest appreciation to our mexican partners for their efforts facilitating the recovery of these two americans and for the recovery of the remains of the two americans who tragically are now deceased. in justice and accountability, this is something that will be in the purview of our law enforcement colleagues, the fbi is engaged in this, mexican

authorities are engaged on this, it is not me or the state department to be prescriptive but ultimately we want accountability for the violence inflicted on the americans. host: some congressional reaction to the kidnapping and killings in mexico. the 34th district representative says i stand of the fbi and called the government of mexico as they department to work in good faith with mexican investigators to find out who is responsible for this and ensure the safe return of our citizens to u.s. soil. a quick note on the briefing a moment ago, political reporting this headline, state department spokesperson ned price to step down. he would not be working directly for secretary of state antony blinken. that cake -- they came from

carolina into matamoros. for those of you watching this morning on were all of this is taken place in the southeast part of texas with brownsville in matamoros across the rio grande from each other in the kidnapping happening on friday. the two were found dead on monday. nick in delray beach. good morning. what are your thoughts? caller: i would like to say, any american who travels to mexico does business with mexico, even byproducts for mexico, avoid them as much as possible. any american that has any business or travels there is not an american and they are a trader to america -- traitor to america. mexico is always been an enemy to the united states.

they sided with the kaiser in 11 -- world war i. these people are enemies to america. how many of these murderous thugs have snuck across our southern border because democrats went out and voted for a patient my joe biden -- dementia patient for joe biden and allowed it to be like this with the fentanyl via china to mexico and it is killing americans. host: derrick is in pennsylvania on the independent line. good morning. caller: good morning. i have a problem with people who talk about joe biden this and that. why are we not talking about the governors, senators in texas not helping these people? how about cut coat -- they

always talk about fentanyl. what about the crack cocaine pandemic? what about crack cocaine? now all of a sudden european people being killed or dying and now they want about it. they work for the people not big companies. host: where are talking about the kidnapping in mexico and killing of two americans from south carolina. the headline from usa today looking at the issue of americans who travel to mexico for health care. why do people in the u.s. cross the border into mexico for health care? also americans found dead and two alive after they report reportedly adopted while traveling to mexico or medical procedure in an incident raising questions of whether people in u.s. are at risk when they cross the border to assess data access health care. -- to access health

care. the city is seldom brownsville texas across from the rio grande . it is one of many places in u.s.-mexico border where u.s. residents flog to save money on medicare -- flock to save money on medicare. details about the trip remained sparse. one relative told the press they traveled to mexico for a tummy tuck surgery. it is not uncommon among the border. about 1.2 one million people in u.s. travel to mexico for medical, dental, or other health care services each year before the covid-19 pandemic. that is from usa today. teresa in florida, democrats line. welcome. caller: thank you.

this is has been an issue. why the cartel is getting away with this? they get away with it. we are playing you down. the mexican president, the last one anyway, was getting paid off by the cartel by hundreds of millions of dollars. as far as people in america going there for health issues, procedures, we should be able to make it more portable so they did not have to go there -- more affordable so they do not have to go there. the cartels have been drinking in drugs. they are well-equipped . they have their own little planes, votes --boats. there are now in our country, cartel groups in different states killing them. our government better step up, make mexico stand to attention.

a second rate country and we are putting up this crop because of the cartels? this is outrageous. host: a pressure relief from florida -- a press release from florida along with congressman crenshaw as well from florida. introduce targeting cartels. congressman waters on fox news yesterday and had this to say about his proposal and incident in mexico. [video clip] >> we have to realize these cartels in mexico have declared war on the united states. they control our border. there killing tens of thousands of american citizens. we need to deploy every asset we have, not just law enforcement, but also military and intelligence to dismantle this, to disrupt them.

i'm not talking about an invasion of mexico. u.s. military boots on the ground. i'm talking about cyber, intelligence, drones, targeting. we began disrupting their money, supply chain, targeting their leadership just as we did in columbia in 1990's when we took down the cartels. we need to take them the sinola cartels. we cannot accept a narco state uncovered on our border preying on american citizens. host: further reaction for members of congress via twitter. says, the kidnapping and murder of two american citizens in my tomorrow's spruce mexico is a narco state. the president must make it clear that this horrible violence would not go unpunished if

mexico cannot stop the cartels, u.s. will use any tools in our arsenal. the two kidnapped americans are now dead and cartel controlled mexico. bidens open border allow these criminals to thrive. mexican cartels are terrorist organizations. it is time for biden to treat them like it. democrats, 202-748-8000. republicans, 202-748-8001. independents, 202-748-8002. if you are a border state resident 202-748-8003. some the video we are showing you here is video reportedly and reported by other news organizations of the kidnapping sequence that happened on friday. we cannot independently confirm his validity but it has

been confirmed by several news organizations. for those on the border state and our text line 202-748-8003. marty in louisiana. caller: good morning. i would like to give my condolences to those families and the many families abducted going into mexico. either medical procedures or to get medicine or to vacation. i'm a former military officer and you can believe this being discussed somewhere in as we have to go to panama city. again my condolences to those people. america's going to mexico for vacation or holiday, you really got to be aware of your situation. host: as a former military

officer, do you think there's a narrow justification for limited military strike? caller: i think we have done so for less. yes. something is going to be worked out. they will have an agreement they need as we have done in the past. i figured something will be worked out soon. real soon. that is my morning. thank you all. host: thanks for that perspective. glitch in illinois. caller: yes, like the last guy was saying. mexico is not an ally of ours. why don't we stop trading with them? i know the cia.

don't we have drones and surveillance looking down on these cartels? there has to be a way to do this. because spy on them -- we can spy on them. host: a headline from the patch out of los angeles. u.s. are just spring breakers to avoid mexico due to risk of kidnapping. they write with spring break less than a month away u.s. department of state warning travelers to avoid mexico to the current risk of kidnapping and homicides. mexico is a spring break destination for millions of americans. every year california college and high school students across the border but this year the danger is not worth it. " violent crime such as homicides, kidnapping, car jockeys and common in mexico." u.s. government has limited ability to provide emergency services to u.s. citizens in many areas of mexico's as travel

distributed -- is prohibited. mexico emergency services is limited outside of the state capital or major sea cities -- major cities. judy in maryland. caller: my thoughts, black people cannot get a antilynching law. i cannot see how what they did in mexico is any different from what why people have done in this country. there is no difference. they cannot call them thugs when we have dogs here. -- when we have thugs here. host: in iowa, ron on the republican line.

caller: good morning. i view this as across the red as far as i'm concerned. our military to got isis, al qaeda. we need to send the military over there and hunt down all the cartels and get rid of every one of them. cia, special forces. i remember in vietnam they carpet bomb some of those places. find out where those people are and carpet bomb them. get rid of every one of them. do not ask mexico's permission to do that because the president of mexico and the government is owned by the cartels. just go across the border into it. as far as race of those people killed over there, biden's buddies, let's see what biden does about that.

he botched the exit for afghanistan. he will botch this to. host: what you are promoting a full-scale war rather than a targeted attack on the cartels themselves? caller: there declared war on us. they said all of that fentanyl any drugs killing hundreds of thousands of americans. i considered the cartels declared war on us. let's turn the tables and declare war on them. go across the border and kill all. host: from the washington times headline, abduction in mexico renews border concerns. writing the incident has raised questions about the state of security along the mexican border and left president biden opens a fresh attacks from republicans he was not doing enough to address the crisis. president obrador for mexico has

a prickly relationship to the u.s. condemned the killing and criticized the heavy media attention generated. the president press secretary karine jean-pierre talked about it yesterday. [video clip] >> we are working with mexican officials to relearn more and have all americans returned to the u.s.. president biden has been kept updated on this incident. senior members have been engaged. we send our deepest condolences to the families and friends. for the sake of privacy and out of respect to the families, were going to refrain from further comment about those circumstances at this time. i can confirm that u.s. officials are in touch with families of the individuals, but again we will respect their privacy regarding our conversations with them. we appreciate the hard work of the justice department and the

fbi, dhs, and dea for the swift response to this awful incident and for the continued collaboration with mexican authorities. these u.s. agencies remain in close touch with her counterparts and we expect they will share more as they can. attacks on u.s. citizens are unacceptable, no matter where or under what sector stances they happen -- or under what circumstances they happen. we will continue to work with the mexican government to ensure justice is done. host: photo congressman brian donald had a different take. he said this, john pierre claim since day one biden takes action against the cartels. in reality, his disastrous decision to reverse every child policy has resulted in -- every trump policy has resulted in destabilization of our border,

strengthening cartels . biden is a wall on americans to know what he would do to this horrific incident. sue said, why would someone travel to mexico for a tummy tuck? can't that be done in the u.s.? why are all these people done in kidnappings killed? what do the people get out of this? phil in washington and new york, i have been in and out of mexico for new york -- forward. why stays away from those avenues and is not big fights with strangers you will be case. the case in hand is definitely a mistake by the italians -- assailants. their bosses must be angry for generating this heat. vincent on the democrats line. caller: my son was killed in

mexico on may 5 2022. mexico is a dangerous country. i tried to tell a lot of people when they go down there is just observation of walking around mexico. it is a beautiful country. i love how beautiful it is. but when i am down there with my family on several occasions, even though to -- talum is pitiful i tried to convey to my family as you walk around to see think is a false security the people that go down there. they go to these resorts. the resorts can be safer because you're on the beach but once you step off of the beach and go into town.

host: your son built a house down there? caller: yes. a beautiful house. he just completed it. it was just so senseless. it was a home invasion. i would not consider it a home invasion. mexican police one night, we were stopped going to a restaurant, and they hit you for money. i was trying to explain to them, listen this is not a safe place. they were polite but they were not going to let you go until you pay them because they're trying to convince you you do not have to pay this ticket.

you can see it is so corrupt. host: your son case, did they find the killers? were they brought to justice? caller: they said they did. but it was not like we are going to go back. they do not send you anything. the problems i have with this, i'm glad you have the subject about the kidnappings. it is been going on. you do not hear anything about the families of the killings like myself. you got this because somebody decide to put this in the news media. my son had a little article about home invasion. you had to search it. not in the papers. he had to go to the mexican papers to see this time he article.

it happens all the time. it is not just americans. they kidnapped canadians. i truly feel it is a false sense of security when people go to mexico. if you are not -- i have not because i was brought in south bronx. i know i soon as i go down i'm comfortable. host: have you stop going down since your son death? caller: my immediate family has not been down. i have two sons. i do not think my son has been down there. host: our condolences. i appreciate you sharing your experience, your son's experience as well as horrific as this was for calling us this morning.

we will hear from gary next in pikeville, kentucky on the republican line. caller: good morning. someone talking about going to mexico , these cartels are embedded across the u.s. with billions of dollars in bank accounts. they could definitely stop them in u.s. when they cross the border with drugs and take this money and repay it with all the deficit taken, all the destruction. i saw on the news a whole family killed by drug cartel. they can take this money and use it for border security, build a wall. have border security. host: clark calling from west virginia.

hi. republican caller. caller: good morning. my condolences to the gentleman that laws his loved one -- that loss his loved one. my daughter was down there frequently. the problem is the mexicans sees us as weak. like the other gentleman said, the other republican gentleman said the cartel was embedded but even here, you have to watch how you speak to others. if you speak to others in any kind of down tone or manner that is wicked or racist -- bigot or racist, you will be assaulted. people have to watch the language. host: thank you for your call. there are more of your calls coming up here on "washington journal".

of next on the program we continue our conversation about the violence in mexico, kidnapping in mexico and violence in other global hotspots as well. where i joined by republican congressman french hill joining us right after the break. later jay powell back on capitol hill today talk about economic policy, the battle against inflation. we get a preview with frieden peterson -- brendan pederson of "punchbowl news". ♪ >> the name of america which belongs to you in your national capacity. >> fourscore and seven years ago. >> asked not what your country can do for you. >> throughout american history

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a member of the foreign affairs committee -- host: a member of the foreign affairs committee. i thought we would start our conversation with you about the killing of to be americans. how should the u.s. respond to this? guest: i think we need to look at what happened. these people were somehow drug smugglers. that does not make a lot of sense to me. in the old days, going down to the border, we used to drive from the main highway to monterey and it has the same travel warning. the whole region is in trouble. and we need to have them on the

same page to defeat the cartel activity. host: it is becoming more and more of a national security issue. >> the old cliche is true. we have a record amount of drugs coming across the border. we have all the tools at the points of entry. it is chaos in our cities. it will impact the mexican government and economy because northern mexico is such a big part of trade and business. host: there have been increasingly strong words from president xi jinping and --

about the relationship with the u.s. what do you think is going on there? guest: i think china has changed its strategy to militarization. not only domestically but around the world. but they have also grown their navy and air force to more than a defensive posture. record numbers of intercontinental missiles, and a have a navy way past time on.

host: how concerned should americans be about the security of their personal devices and their presence in cyberspace? guest: one of the goals is to dominate artificial intelligence. you have billions and billions of terabytes of data. they surveilled all of their citizens, but they are also surveilling the world through their technology. friends and family, you should not have tiktok on your phone or your home laptop, not only because of risk of surveilling, but you are giving them data,

which allows them to build a i, which could -- which should be concerning. we have an overwhelming the for kevin mccarthy selecting -- on how to counter the communist party. we love the chinese people and we have in the allies of the chinese people over many years. but the chinese communist party has hijacked our country. they are imprisoning their own people and imprisoning people in hong kong. we do not want to see that happen a timeline. host: the committee is holding a hearing today on the withdrawal of forces. what are you hoping to find out?

guest: i want to get to the bottom of this. we did not consult sufficiently about how to do this with our allies. when we pulled out, they surprised some of our allies in europe. it was vladimir putin -- and then technically, i think every american was shocked and blown away by the horrible mismanagement of it. i want to look at the strategic aspects of it. i am disappointed in both. host: our guest from arkansas is with us for about the next 20 minutes or so. we welcome your calls.

(202) 748-8000 for democrats. (202) 748-8001 for republicans. and for everyone else, (202) 748-8002. in the peace, it did not go as joe biden intended. the special inspector general found that the trump administration agreement with the taliban to leave within 14 months put the biden administra in the position of having to uphold a. it led to a drop in morale. guest: i do not support the

negotiations that trump had with the taliban. i thought it was a terrible idea but the key, strategically is, it was an opportunity. that alone sent a message to the government hold the line from the taliban. it is an open question and hypothetical question. host: let's go to new york city on the democrats line. you are up. caller: good morning. i think it would be very important, if you examine, rather than blaming president biden for the debacle in

afghanistan, i think you need to investigate the background of what kind of arrangement was made with the president of afghanistan. if the president led the country, how can you blame our president? he did not have a partner to negotiate with on the withdrawal. president biden did the right thing about getting the people out of afghanistan, that the problem is that the president of afghanistan left the country. he fled the country, so there was no partner to discuss with. host: let's get a response. guest: yes, he fled the country because he found out the u.s. was operating the entire security apparatus with the afghan military.

i do not believe he should have fled the country. i share your view on that. i think that is by the exit was so botched. there was a lack of preparation for contingencies. not having a plan for next say. i am still taking calls and concerns, doing casework on people who were told to get out of afghanistan by the biden administration that have not yet been able to get through -- get out of afghanistan. host: there was a report. the headline reflects an. a surprise visit coming up on

the 20th anniversary. friends of a stable and democratic syria caucus. you spoke last week about the assad regime. what more should the u.s. be doing militarily and diplomatically in that region to fight against that? guest: you have to work with our partners. it has been difficult because the assad regime has destroyed its country. in partnership with iran and the russians. that has made any kind of compromise and diplomacy more difficult. we have to keep asking. host: for there is no indication that the biden administration is wanting to do anything about

that. guest: no. and i do not think it is a good idea. it is putting billions of dollars into the assigned regime. i hope that the biden administration will cut that money off. in addition to being a war criminal -- host: richard line. caller: there has been a lot of corruption reported with the biden family. joe biden -- i believe that the

government has information on the biden family and is actually afraid to get tough with anybody that has got this information. what can you all do about it? guest: thank you for your question. the question was, does joe biden view his son's business dealings as a compromise? james comer is actively investigating the hunter biden laptop. that is an active investigation. host: you are vice chair of the services committee. two sessions, including one testimony today. and yesterday's session saying that there will likely be

another interest rate hike. what is your view about how the fed has handled inflation? >> they started late in shrinking their balance sheet. they have been so accommodative. but by being late, it is making it tougher to win the fight against inflation. they are doing a good job now, but they are late. it is like that first golf shot. there was an interception on the first throw because he was late. the second point is, he is up against the headwind of the biden administration's policy. borrowed money and a regulatory policy that is raising costs for

your constrained supply. a lot of fiscal stimulus. it makes the job tougher. host: what is your district like in terms of the economy? you represent the tulsa area. guest: our economy has come back strongly from the pandemic. we are a huge health care center. host: where is that shortage coming from? guest: part of it, we do not understand and it is a challenge. we do not understand why we have such a shortage of workers. we do everything that we can. we have a very active skill trade and work.

part of it is they have not recovered from the pandemic. a calls them to work fewer hours. host: let's hear from joel on the democrats line. caller: good morning. one of the things i would like to say is, i know you have people there and they talk, but they do not offer to support their points. when mccarthy got in, the first thing he spoke about was using the power of the subpoena.

i would love to know about why there were 22% republicans that said that they would not hold a vote for supreme court nomination during an election year, which is why merrick garland did not get it. and yet they all voted for barrett while an election was going on. guest: i think you have a separation of powers issue. it is a controversial point. but the house definitely uses

subpoena power. it does not take an individual's right to fair representation. on the supreme court, supreme court appointments are very political. they are impacted by who is in control of the senate. in the second instance, chuck schumer was in control. host: next is from pennsylvania. morning. caller: i heard the congressman mention a few moments ago, he said one problem with the economy is that there are a lot of missing workers and i wanted to ask him if the pandemic had something to do with that.

many are debilitated because of the covid pandemic. guest: is a complicated issue. the employee and participation act is down and down significantly. some think it is other topics. that is a big part of it. the pandemic was sort of the last straw. working fewer hours, having a different kind of job, there has been some issue about women in the workforce, but so many more come back to the workforce. but it we need to raise

productivity. we need workers. you need to build a future for our country, but everything you mentioned is on the table. host: joseph is on the republican line. caller: this is joseph i had a question for the congressman. what does he think about term limits for congress? the house representative and the senate? guest: that has been an issue that has always come up for 240 years. i got elected in 2014, so i finished eight years in congress, and 70% of those i served with are no longer here. the turnover in congress is

significant, so we focus on those people that we do not care for and there are a lot of those. we can probably share a list of names, but the constitution would have to be amended. it is a robust general election system. i have never seen anything more competitive than the number of people running for congress. host: i was going to ask you what you think about that turnover rate. guest: i think it is a good idea. you have to onboard them and get them productive.

it takes them a two year term or two to make sure they are serving constituent in the right way. host: woodbridge, virginia. caller: you mentioned -- do you realize that trump and pompeo released 5000 enemy soldiers and everything was working there. there were only 2500 troops there. afghan allies were doing all the fighting until trump released prisoners. why would you not mention that? why would you not hold him accountable for that? second question is, you are getting a shortage of workers because people have used ppp to

get a livable wage. many are low-wage jobs. they are entry-level jobs. because of lack of support, they are going back to get higher waged jobs. host: the congressman has a couple minutes. we will let him respond. guest: i do not remember the exact number of taliban exchanges, but i do not disagree with your point. i do not support that either. they all do not agree with me on every topic, and when they do not, i let them know about that.

i do not necessarily agree with the points about afghanistan. but anytime you can successfully -- you will be better off. coming out of the pandemic was a rapid increase in wages at the bottom. i think they did well in my district. amazon came in with 22 dollars an hour. $22 an hour is quite a living wage. you can certainly buy a house and have a yard, and raise your kids there. that raised wages across the marketplace. i think there is vigorous competition for workers. you see wages go up, and you

have certainly seen that. host: we will see you later today. thank you for being with us. on the program this morning, at the bottom of the hour on washington journal, brendan pearson will be with us and people preview dates to bof the federal reserve chairman testifying again on capitol hill, but next, it is open forum. we can talk about anything that we have talked about so far. anything that you are following in the news. >> c-span now is a free mobile

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our nonprofit organization. >> washington journal continues. host: we are in open forum until the bottom of the hour. we started the program looking at the kidnapping and the murders in mexico by the drug cartel that happened on monday. mexico will face pressure to crack down on kidnappers. it is controlled by factions of a cartel. they have generally improved security. the most violent places in mexico are where multiple groups are battling for territory.

they had stopped crossing the border when violence surged and began returning for medical appointment and cheaper appointments. signs have remained. in 2021, 37 migrant were kidnapped on the outskirts. last year, mexican authorities suspended the excavation of a mass grave after they were threatened by members of the cartel. let's hear from katy, texas. carol is on the democrats line. caller: i had a question, but i was a little late calling in. they are very focused on hunter biden and i am curious as to why there is no discussion about the $2 billion that jared kushner

receives from saudi arabia within months of leaving the white house. after spending 70 trips over to saudi arabia during his time in the white house. one more point. president trump signed an agreement that the american troops were going to be out of afghanistan in may, so all joe biden did was what trump had promised to do but did not do. host: welcome. caller: good morning. i would like people to call the white house and ask president biden to sign the willow project. i think it will start and it could have -- it could add a lot of oil to our short supply right

now and reduce oil prices. they passed a 2040 plan, which requires the electric company to go totally carbon free by 2040. the estimate is going to cost a minimum of 3% increase in our electric bills. the only way to achieve that -- it will cost billions they said in the star newspaper in minneapolis. host: do you know what the alternative forms of energy are? caller: i think they stated around 20% wind and solar right now. it -- and they plan to shut down

all the plants. north dakota was going to sue minnesota because of their agreement to sell their electricity to minnesota, so there was a big lawsuit. host: i will let you know about some of our live coverage. the senate on c-span pbo and some of our other coverage this morning. first of all, intelligence officials will testify on global threats this morning. live coverage beginning at 10:00 eastern on c-span3. it streams at c-span.org. we are carrying ro powell testifying today and they have

been tki about the federal reserve semiannual report you can watch that hearing starting at 10:00 a.m. eastern on the mobile app. let's hear from manhattan, kansas and manhattan, new york is up next. go ahead. caller: good morning. how are you? thank you for taking my call. my issue is, my dream came true. six years ago, i was saying, fox news. i watched them for years but it is a propaganda machine. it is not a news station. what they did, president trump built -- william barr, the attorney general, what they did

first of many of the news like chris wallace. to shepard smith. what they did, it came back and bite them. but the only thing now, i am waiting for jack smith to be a real american. we have so many crazy people. i watch every channel. i am a book freak. i've read a lot. i have the time, i watched television, but the truth is coming and i am begging for jack smith to do right. they started in atlanta georgia to start investigating.

what they are doing to our democracy. i came to this country 60 years ago. i know what i am talking about for me and other americans, we love america. you have a good day. host: from new york city, a headline for the wall street journal. criticized by republicans and democrats. criticizing a fox news segment that showed footage of the january 6 2021 attack saying that it played down the severity of the riot. senate republican leader mitch mcconnell said he agreed with the letter written by the police chief. he said the segment was filled with offensive and misleading conclusions about the attack on

the capital. matthew in dearborn, michigan is next. hello. democrat line. matthew in newborn, you are on. one more time. go ahead. you are on. >> i would like to talk about this hunter biden is this. first of all, it does not seem to have anything to do with it. it does not seem to have anything to do with the laptop. all they did was interview executives. second, i would like to say that trump was the first modern president who never put his business dealings in a trust. i do not understand. maybe they are going to produce some evidence on hunter biden, but so far, the committee has

not done anything about that. host: it is open forum on washington journal. your chance to talk about issues that we are following in the news. the line for democrats, republicans and independent. michael is on the line from stanford, connecticut. caller: you guys used to show all those political cartoons from around the country. i used to like that and you do not do it anymore. the other thing is, donald trump loves to give people nicknames. you guys should have a contest to give trump a nickname.

and governor desantis. i sign interview. some guy said -- i thought florida was where republicans go to die. isn't that what is going on down there? all those republicans go down there to be angry together? host: on your comment about political cartoons, we do not get as many newspapers as we used to. there are not as many of them as they used to be in the papers themselves. but a couple of weeks ago -- that is a good point. there are still some cartoons out there, and we will make an effort to show more of them. caller: another thing, desantis will want to sue you for making a cartoon about him.

this is the land of the free and home of the brave. host: sally, hello. caller: hello. i was on a week ago and they were protesting in new york. the protesters got thousands of dollars for going in and destroying the town. why is that happening? protesters should pay, not get paid. host: one of several hearings that we are covering on capitol hill today. to tell us more, we are joined by the reporter for the hill. what is the purpose of the hearing this morning? guest: it is a regular hearing.

we talk about the major threat that the country faces every year. this year they will talk about a lot of different issues. this year will be a little bit different compared to other years. but that is about what they have going on. it depends. there are some things that they can say that everyone can hear, but there are others that will be in a classified setting. intelligence heads will be able to get it at a more detailed level. it is -- there are a number of issues that they will be able to talk about openly, hopefully with a lot of detail. host: it is a public hearing

that will be seen on c-span and as you said, the secure hearing, how long does that typically last? and in terms of the issues that you expect to come up, the interaction with china with the spy balloon and the fallout from that. guest: china is probably top of the list this year. it is about the issues that they have with china. they have the intelligence committee trying to block tiktok. china tops the list.

you will hear about covid-19 and the origin of that. you will hear about russia. you'll hear them talk about other hostile countries like north korea rising and other things. but you'll hear it from a lot of different lawmakers. host: is this something required by the intelligence committee to hold the app -- toehold? guest: -- to hold? guest: i believe so. host: we are talking this morning about the horrific kidnapping in mexico and the murder of americans there. is that expected to be addressed? guest: we will see. there are a couple other topics, but i would not be shocked. the other item that will likely come up is the intelligence

committee. the community has been in a bit of a brouhaha over these classified documents. i would expect to hear a little bit about that at some point. host: you mentioned the chair of the committee. how disparate are there views? guest: the tiktok bill that came out -- rubio is posing that. it is not exactly go after tiktok as hard as others would like it to. it really digs in on the topic.

host: we will have wide coverage of the hearing coming up on c-span3. it gets underway at 10:00 eastern and you can follow it live on the c-span now mobile app. i have been joined by someone covering the hearing today. thank you so much. moving on, on washington journal, on open forum, we will go back to the calls. thank you for waiting. caller: good morning. thank you for taking my call. for those of us that watch the news and stay with the political items, we are just in a mess right now. we have two nuclear powers, one

that wants to do in invasion, then we have a president or former president that may get indicted or may not get indicted, and then we have these with a nuclear power and then we have fox news, that is spewing all of this false information to their viewers. this is just going to be a total powder cake that is just waiting to happen. thank you for taking my calls. that is all and wanted to say. caller: i just want all the democrats and joe biden to stand up and show that they care about

the american people and do something about the fentanyl in our country. what'd they get from our government? they get praised. we are so sorry that we lost two of you. but i do not think that is right. the insurrection at the police training facility right they, let's do something about that. i would like to see all the people put in jail. exactly the way that the people from january 6. i'm glad that fox news is bringing out the truth, putting it in the people's face.

a lot of people are complaining about it, but that is because the truth hurts. host: one of the president's nominees. seeing withdrawals after fcc confirmation. withdrawing the nomination to become a member of the federal communications commission after senator joe manchin had he would oppose her confirmation. her withdrawal was confirmed in a news conference. adding that she was a leading advocate for consumers. the white house does not have any updates about possible nominees. only the narrowest of paths to get through the senate. they must remain above the toxic partisanship that americans are tired of. on to ingrid on the democrat

line. caller: i have something in the back of my mind that keeps coming to the front throughout biden's administration. the people that we left behind in afghanistan. i was at the doctor's office last week and there was an older gentleman with vietnam cap with all the buttons and everything on it, and he was leaning on his cane, and we got to talking about vietnam because i graduated in 1967 and had a lot of high school friends that went to war and never came back. but i asked him. i said -- he was a a republican for trump and a solid catholic.

that is ok, but the question i asked him, i said, i have been wondering since the biden and afghanistan thing came up, i said, if we leave people behind -- did we leave people behind? and he said, indeed, we did. how come republicans can jump on biotin and say how bad he is. he said it was even worse. host: on the line for maryland. caller: first i want to say that the meeting yesterday was very interesting. i got a lot out of it. the second part of that is coming today at around 10:00 i think. i saw the presentation of some of that video yesterday and i

thought it was very interesting and informative. it looks like the january 6 committee has a lot of information. there is the potential for abuse there. i think that people need to see all the facts unfiltered. there is a benefit to that. all the other networks were complaining about how carlsen had shown this. i did not see them lifting a finger to do anything. they just mocked what fox news did. let's be clear about that. i think it was great for mr. mccarthy to do that for us. this is our democracy. it looks like they are just spinning their own narrative. host: do you think other networks should be given access

to that video? caller: yes, sir. but they did not. they just complain and point fingers. i really enjoy watching c-span. i think the people of america are smart enough and mature enough to be given facts to make up our own minds. thank you. you guys have been doing it since 1979, so i really appreciate that. host: you mentioned the second hearg with the federal reserve chair. we will have that live for you on c-span.org. you can follow it on our mobile app, c-span now. mitch mcconnell and chuck schumer responded to the use of that video on the tucker cross show. >> my concern is how it was

depicted. clearly, the chief of the capitol police, in my view, describes what most of us witnessed firsthand on january 6. so, that is my reaction to it. it was a mistake, in my view, for fox news to depict this in a way that is at variance with what our chief law-enforcement officials -- host: open forum? into the nation's capital. you are on the air. good morning. caller: the congressman this morning.

[indiscernible] i did not hear anything about that. he is -- all that is going on. what can they say to democrats? why is this happening? my belief is it is like putting a child molester in a daycare center. you do not mix them. they are coming back together. the people are divided.

they need to come together and do the people's work. they are fighting each other and blaming it on the people. have a good day. host: thank you. republican call. caller: just wanted to comment on the tapes fox news was showing. i do not see what the big problem is, showing all the tapes. really, the people should see all the tapes and decide for themselves because what happened on january 6 was terrible. i do not think many rational people are going to say otherwise. vandalism, a right, prosecuting for sure, but i thought the word

insurrection was a little strong. what happened in afghanistan was in insurrection. but i do not know how you are going to take a government over. as far as schumer lecturing about how tucker carlsen should be taken off the air, this is the same senator who threatened to be osa pin quite justices, so i do not really want to be lectured by senator schumer. host: the president tomorrow. part of that is this editorial published in today's new york times, a plan to extend medicare. the president writes, my budget will build on reform by strengthening the newly

established -- it is another $200 billion in debt reduction. we will put it into the drug fund while -- long-term, he writes, to increase the medicare tax on earned and unearned income. as i proposed in the past, my budget will ensure that the tax cannot be avoided altogether. those with the highest incomes will help to keep the medicare program strong for decades to come. peter is in melbourne, florida. caller: i am concerned.

i saw the speech yesterday and i went to a school meeting last night because of what is going on with taking books out of school and everything. i am just concerned. he could be elected by the wrong people and somebody mentioned to me that he was pushing to take away your right to speak. host: are you seeing the effects of what the governor has seen past and you seeing that on the local level of your school board in melbourne? caller: yes. he is trying to enforce things as much as he can. it just seems like he is asking

for too much power. host: another viewer from florida, next. caller: i came to talk about the insurrection. host: he broke up for a second. continue. caller: i called to talk about the -- they do not even recognize it. but since another florida caller had called in before me, i would rather talk about our governor, and that man is right. i'm not too worried. host: your phone is breaking up a little bit. we have the gist of what you are talking about. pennsylvania is next. independent line. caller: i was not calling to

intend -- the first item, the gentleman who called in about the individuals who went to mexico and suggesting that they brought fentanyl back, i suggest that they look at the investigation first before they start listening to news agency -- other news agencies. i feel sorry for that individual. another individual, -- i lost my train of thought. host: go ahead. you are still with us. caller: another individual called in talking about the tucker carlsen changes. i watched the january 6 insurrection from start to and, and i sat there and cap raising up in my seat and raising up in my seat. just my hair on fire to see this, this egregious act.

and saying we did not see all the tapes, no, we didn't see the tapes where people were walking around but i watch people put a guys had between the door, i watched the hockey stick, who brings a flag and starts stabbing people with a flag? that was fake? peaceful? i don't think so. that individual also needs to reconsider the information they listen to. the main reason i called in was about china. simply put, america created china. america created -- to put it explicitly, american businesses created china. everyone says the government should step up and do this, that is not what we want. we need to hold corporations accountable for what they have created and now what's going on in taiwan possibly the aggression we will have with china, that is a whole another thing.

were a lot of chips being produced in taiwan question mark what we need to protect? the chips. starting our own factory now but here we are. american corporations created its, created -- american corporations get tax break and they stay. everyone wants to put it on the government or president but no, it is corporations, american corporations. host: that is ken from pennsylvania and there will be more open form in a bit here on "washington journal." next, federal reserve chairman jay powell is on capitol hill today to talk about economic policies and the battle against inflation. we will get a preview with brendan peterson later. the senate will vote later today to revoke a much debated change to washington dc's criminal code. eleanor holmes north will be with us with her reaction. ♪

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word. if it happens here or here or here or anywhere that matters, america is watching on c-span, powered by cable. announcer: "washington journal" continues. host: our guest is brendan pedersen, financial services reporter here with punch bowl news to talk about the seat with the jay powell services committee and yesterday saying rate hikes are likely to continue. is the fed chair concerned the economy is still too hot? guest: i think so. the data he has received and the fed received over the past couple months has been a lot hotter than what we saw toward much of the end of 2022. if you are having this conversation two months ago, we would be dovish. every major inflation indicator was looking down. over the last month we have

gotten hot jobs report data, more openings in the economy than expected and we saw price egregious that are high. the fed is responding to the data it is seeing and data is hot. host: everything seems to go up, employment is up, inflation is up, people and consumer spending is still strong. >> that's right. 3.4% unemployment rate is historically low, the lowest since 1969. it is hard to see how it does not go up from here and jay powell has been talking about that a lot as are democrats on the hill, democrats are concerned about the risk unemployment will spike with the fed's rate hiking. host: what did senators want to know from jay powell yesterday? what was a common theme you heard? guest: democrats have been beating the same drum for a while, risk and consequences with rate hikes raises rates, the risks are uncertain. we do not know when the impacts

of higher rates will be felt and when those expenses will work their way into the economy and things like people's credit card terms, things like that, all that has a very long tail but the fed does not want to be behind the ball, they want to raise rates until they are high enough inflation goes down. but democrats are worried about undue job losses. republicans are more of a mixed bag. we heard a lot yesterday about regulatory capital review, something the biden administration's bank regulators are working on. they want to make sure banks have enough economic cushion to weather economic downturn. banks are little more skeptical and republicans, their allies on the hill want to make sure the regulation will overstep. guest: our guest, brendan pedersen, comes to this field with experience. an american banker and now financial services reporter with punch bowl news. we welcome your calls and comments on today's hearing or

other monetary policy issues. (202) 748-8000 is the line to call for democrats, (202) 748-8001 for republicans, and for independents and others, it is (202) 748-8002. you can also send us a text with your thoughts, that's (202) 748-8003. on the effects of the interest rates going up, we certainly have seen slowing in areas like home sales for example. that is obviously an area that is beginning to cool. guest: that's right one area which the housing market has not culled down is the price people want to pay for housing. we have written a couple times on a hunch will news about when economists look at inflation data, one of the things they worry about is costs. housing costs is a slow-moving indicator and takes time for rents to go up and takes a lot of time for rents to start to go down. that's a big cost of people, 30% to 40% of people's budgets depend on where you live. host: you would think especially

in the for-sale market that it comes more of a buyers market, higher prices, fewer people -- fewer homes, more homes available i guess, and more people out competing for them. sellers would -- buyers rather would have any advantage in this market. guest: that's true but you have to bear in mind mortgage rates are going up. they are much higher than a couple years ago and i do not know if there is much reason to expect they will go down soon. if you are someone like me it was a young professional thinking about long-term financial planning, there's a lot of pressure on you to find a house or something. it is not thing i'm doing anytime soon but in a buyers market, there is pressure on the buyer to get it done. host: yesterday senate hearing, i want to play your comments on senator warren, her concerns about the job losses expected because of the increased rates and get your take on what she was trying to get from jay powell. here is senator warren from yesterday's hearing.

[video clip] >> according to the fed's own reports, if you continue raising interest rates as you plan, unemployment will be 4.6% by the end of the year, more than a full point higher than today. chair powell, if you had your projections, do you know how many people who are currently working, going about their lives, will lose their jobs? >> i do not have that number in front of me. i will say it is an unintended consequence. >> while it is and it is in your report, 2 million people. people working right now to make their mortgages. if you could speak directly to the 2 million hard-working people who have decent jobs today, who you are planning to get fired over the next year, what would you say to them? how would you explain your view that they need to lose their

jobs? >> i would explain more broadly inflation is extremely high and is hurting the working people of this country badly, all of them, not just to million of them, all of them are suffering under high inflation and we are taking the only measures we have to bring inflation down. >> putting 2 million people out of work is just part of the cause and they just have to bear it? >> will working people be better off if we just walk away from our jobs and inflation remains 5%? host: brendan pedersen, help us understand this, it sounds like she was asking the chair the impact of all these rate hikes. it she saying you need to stop raising interest rates right now because it will cause further job loss? guest: yes. senator warren has been pretty upfront about this when it comes to urging the fed to slow down

or outright stop rate hike campaigns. if you look at the fed's own data, in december, they built into their predictions they anticipated having a 4.6% on the plymouth rate. the current rate is 3.4%. so you're talking about a more than one percentage point increase and given senator warren's math, 2 million people, that's a fair number of people. when it comes to understanding the long tail of the rate hike increases, on a limb is the number one thing. you will also hear economists, especially the fed, talking about -- tech about -- talk about the labor market tightening, and that is people losing their jobs. lawmakers and people get elected will face that brunt if there's a lot of unhappy, unemployed people out there. host: brendan pedersen, financial services reporter at punch bowl news. you can read it at punch bowl. news -- punchbowl.new.

good morning, peter. caller: mr. pedersen, you stated the unemployment rate, 3.2%, whatever, the lowest since 1969. isn't it true that this rate is based on people who are drawing compensation and does not include people who are not drawing unemployment compensation? thank you. >> it's true the way in which the bureau of labor statistics calculates the unemployment rate is a little different than folks might imagine from the term unemployment rate. the on them limit rate does not include people who are underemployed, people who might have advanced degrees but are working at jobs that do not require that. it also does not count people who are actively looking for work. if you are someone who has tried and not been able to find a job that suits you for a long time

and you have given up on the job hunt, you are not going to be included in that number. there are something tanks that estimate on a plane rate could be much higher than is when you take the unemployment word more literally. the ludwig institute is one that estimates it is closer to 18% last i checked. it really depends on how you crunch the numbers. host: did the fed chair get asked or expressed concern over the worker shortage in some sectors of the economy? guest: i don't remember if he talked about it specifically but he has talked about in the past immigration and the impact that had on the unemployment rate -- i should say the number of job openings in this country. when you think about how our integration system has taken a lot with people through the pandemic, there is a roughly two to 3 million person hole in the economy where, arguably, some of that labor could have gone. it is seasonal labor or more

advanced technology-related labor. host: to pennsylvania, patrick, democrats line. caller: good morning. host: good morning. caller: my question would be, when the economy slows down, the fed is cutting rates, congress is cutting taxes and they are increasing government spending. but when the economy heats up, they are only raising interest rates and are not doing anything with taxes or government spending. so wouldn't it make more sense now to fix social security that would take somebody out of the economy and they would not have to raise rates as much? guest: that's a great question. when we talk about the different approaches of congress with fiscal policy and the fed with monetary policy, there is progress to be made that both sides have a role to play. powell said a lot in the past

that raising rates is a really blunt tool, not a scalpel, it is a hammer. what they are doing is trying to hammer the economy into growing a little slower. there are things congress can do to produce -- reduce spending if spending is the problem is the class of -- classic truism of too much money, too good, but there is an argument that this particular bout of inflation has global causes that when you compare the economy today to the economy of the 1970's and 1980's, we are more globalized today. what that means is when you have a land war in europe with the invasion of ukraine, when you have china reopening and a lot of covid-related difficulties over there right now, that will have an impact here and raise rates. so this is unusual relative to the inflation we have had in the past. host: have any sectors seeing

cooling in terms of the effects of inflation? guest: we've seen a good amount of cooling. i think you mentioned the housing market and housing construction. that has been a little subdued. otherwise, most measures are high. guest: the fed -- host: the fed will much meet two weeks from today, presaging what the fed might do, but the fed will get additional monetary and fiscal data before the meeting. what are they looking for question mark guest: that's correct. -- for? guest: that's correct. the last time we saw job openings, a cayman high. i think we were expecting 180000 and we got closer to 500,000. that was really the first sign the fed has seen in this year that inflation data is pretty hot. the rest of the week we will have new jobs like payroll numbers on friday from the commerce department i think and we will also have some initial

jobs report data on thursday i believe. host: to new jersey, we hear from brock on the independent line. caller: thank you for c-span. the fact america mace most of its money off taxes on americans is disturbing. what if we give a coalesced other countries, not china or nothing. especially because of the covid situation let's say it is china's fall, we will not pay them anything, if you do something you hold onto it and we don't pay them nothing this year and we will figure it out next year. i think that micah well. how does that affect our deficit if we do not pay them anything? guest: when it comes to china, there are few things in congress right now that there is more alignment on then republicans and democrats. we have seen a lot of interest in considering different ways we can compete with china. in terms of the debt ceiling,

paying our bondholders is a pretty important part of that. you have heard a lot of complaints from democrats when it comes to potential negotiations over the debt ceiling and raising it so treasury can continue paying bondholders. if treasury does not get that authorization, we might be looking at a serious financial situation, our market, the u.s. debt, our system of bonds and u.s. treasuries means a lot in the u.s. financial system and if we stop paying that, that will have a ripple effect to the american financial system in a way we have not experienced in the past. host: i want to play the question about senator john kennedy concerned and asking jay powell about this. [video clip] >> it stimulates the economy, does it not? >> it would depend on whether that is funded by tax increases or not. if there is a spending that is

not accompanied by taxes, would have a net stimulant effect. >> when congress borrows money, to spend more, that stimulates the economy even more, does it not? >> at the margin, yeah. >> if congress reduced the rate of growth in its spending and reduced the rate of growth in its debt accumulation, it would make your job easier in reducing inflation, would it not? >> i don't think fiscal policy now is a big factor deriving inflation at this moment but it is essential we slow the pace of growth. host: what do you think john kennedy was trying to get at there with jay powell? guest: what's interesting about

that exchanges jay powell has loads to talk about financial policy. he often gets questioned from republicans pumping him to say isn't fiscal spending the problem? isn't biden administration's the problem? he almost always says fiscal policy is your job, monetary policy is my job. what you heard then is he did comment on fiscal policy. he said he did not think it was a major driver of inflation. that is a significant statement from the chair. not something we hear about often. when it comes to gdp and things like that, it is pretty hard to say what the effect of our debt is on our output. there are folks one way or the other but there is ambiguity on exactly how that works for an entire nation. host: let's hear from norwood, massachusetts, john on the republican line, go ahead. caller: this is john from

norwood, mass. senator warren in our state, she is a fraud. she is totally a liar about being an indian. host: i'm gonna let you go there and go to sharon in florida, democrats line. caller: hello. thank you for taking my call and i'm enjoying your guest today. i have a question for him to address as far as the unemployed rates goes in conjunction with corporate greed. it seems as though more people have been -- more work has been put on the back of one person. maybe what needs to be the work of three people is now scaled to one person doing the job of three people. therefore, less jobs and it seems to be hurting in both service and quality in this country and also the pay scale

has seemed to stagnate for everybody except for maybe the ceos who are buying their second or third yachts. [laughter] also blaming the immigrants for taking the jobs instead of addressing the problem of that. i would like to hear his comments. host: ok. guest: you are getting at something that powell has used in a defense of the fed's approach to getting inflation down. in terms of job loss. he has tried to argue that raising rates will not necessarily bring on a lot of unemployment. it might bring some, he would say softening the labor market, but the big thing he argued with the labor market is in its strength, we have seen employers , job creators, are really hesitant to get rid of workers. hiring is really hard right now. i'm sure you have seen signs in

storefronts near you with people trying to hire workers. we have seen huge signing bonuses for jobs that would not and a million years get that three to four years ago. it is a problem. you are right that more people are being asked to do more with fewer resources than ever before. jay powell would argue that is kind of a good thing as far as wholesale unemployment goes. host: there was a lot of talk at the beginning of the year we would see a recession sometime in 2023. remind us again technically what i recession is, what it would be, and how likely do you think it is we will see one in 2023? guest: sure. a recession is generally speaking a certain amount of unemployment, certain slowdown in growth. there's a couple different government agencies that decide when we have hit the point of recession and it is not exactly a fixed, technical thing. in terms of what we are

expecting this year, it is tough to say. when a labor market is this strong, absolutely teflon, it is hard to imagine a recession really taking route at this point. that can change on a dime. one of the point senator warren was trying to make in her testimony yesterday was the fed is saying 4.6% unemployment, 2 million less jobs at the end of the year but what does that -- when does that stop? exactly right. when you start i think the word she used was runaway train and it is a good metaphor because there is no big off button on unemployment at the fed. once the economy begins to slow, it is a big trade and -- big train and takes time to turn around. host: bob on the independent line from pennsylvania, good morning. caller: good morning and thank you for c-span. i didn't really want to waste my call on this but it seems to me this is ridiculous.

everything seems to go back to the little guy. when they raised the interest rate, only thing that does is make the poor person pay more on their credit card and bank it's richer. so where does that stop inflation? so it's taking it out of the little guys hand and putting it into the bankers hand, you got that guy making $169 billion per year and they are talking about cutting social security and medicare, they got all the money in the world to buy bombs and planes and keeled -- kill people but they don't have money to help people and this falls down to the little guy. it is greed from the top. they need to change the tax code where these people have to pay a fair share of taxes. they take $1 million and fly around space because they got money to waste and they talk about raising the interest rate when the poor people that of got a buy food, gas in their car to go to work, it is ridiculous.

i'm not an economist but anybody that's got any kind of brains can see what is happening. host: to bob's point, is there any data on increasing rates, particularly credit cars, are people slowing down use of credit cards, are peoples balance is going up? >> i don't know the latest on credit card data. i think the last thing i heard was that people are using a greater portion of their credit card balances, which can sometimes be an early sign of consumer spending stress, but to their point, yes, rate hikes absolutely had working-class people first. when it comes to why the fed would do that as a matter of policy, the fed is ultimately concerned about this thing in economics called the price and wage spiral. the point of an inflationary cycle where people, the things people pay for get so expensive so quickly that their wages have to move consistently higher to

keep up and when those two things revolve around each other, you get to this point where there is no clear off-road for inflation and that scares economists. we do not know exactly how to address that, not really. when it comes to things like layoffs, there are relatively straightforward policies we can pursue. you can invest in robust job loss income, an implement insurance, that thing. something congress would have to step up to do but that is something it can do. there are ways to address unemployment and jobs training and things like that area there is not as many things you can do with inflation. host: one more for you, gary is on the line in indiana. no ahead. caller: yeah, i just wanted to say how much i appreciate c-span to start off with but i want to tell a little short story. to lead up to my point. a guy goes what would you do if you were president question mark

i meet alecia -- immediately said the first thing i would do is change the tax code and get it to where everybody was paying nothing more or less than their fair share of taxes, in particular the rich people paying as much as they really need to and people like me not having to pay as much as we should. it is very unbalanced way of conducting it, and i think having to pay less taxes for poor middle-class people would really help. as far as the economic situation we are in. thank you. host: final thoughts, brendan pedersen. guest: the biden administration made taxes a really important policy point for this administration. we have seen the president advocate time and time again to raise taxes on people who are making more than $400,000. you just mentioned on your show on his op-ed in "new york times" about using the same approach to

find medicare -- medicaid. thank you. [laughter] it is something he has hit time and time again. part of that has to do with funding the irs and making sure it has the resources it needs to invest in the types of taxpayer who are best at hiding their assets, rich people, folks running large businesses. you need an irs that can go to the mat in terms of an audit to get the income they need. i think the biden administration estimated hundreds of billions of dollars were left on >> reporting on that. brendan peterson, financial services reporter, and as we mentioned, you can read more. at punch bowl news. you can read more. thank you for being here. >> still to come, washington journal. with much debated changes for

washington dc, with the criminal code,, rdc delegates to congress will be with us with a reaction after the break.

>> washington journal continues read debts. host: we are joined to talk about the criminal claude bill that is now facing the overturning in the u.s. senate later today. congresswoman norton, welcome back. >> thank you. >> what are your thoughts on the

process of taking up a legislation that will block the enforcement of the crime bill. >> this code has not been updated since 1901. what the city did was to look at crimes based on actual experience, and what judges had in fact done, so it was not off the top of the head, changing in the crime code, it was based on looking at what the experience had been and doing a crime code with -- based on that experience, and as it turns out,

crime code comes up to the house and the senate at a time when there was rising crime, and the in the country. there is a lot of blowback. i think that might have happened with any update given crime is breaking out all over the country. host: always last time congress overturned a law must mark --? guest: it is very rare. 1990, when i joined congress. >> here is a perspective on the timeline. it was introduced after the reelection of the mayor. the council passed code changes in 2022. the mayor veto legislation in the end of january, and the council near the beanie of january overrode the veto, and

the house voted to overturn the legislation just about a month ago, and for for -- and for some perspective, reducing some penalties, robbery and other offenses, it would scrap the mandatory minimum sentencing for some crimes and expand. trials for some misdemeanors and increase penalties for other crimes such as attempted murder and attempted sexual assault. in your argument back in february, it was against overturning this legislation, what did you say? >> the strongest argument is that the new code is based on actual experience. it is sentenced judged intact. it wasn't top of your head changes. it was the kind of change that

are experiential, and scientific. >> in your experience with your colleagues, going back a number of years, what impact do you think the overturning of this law may have in terms of efforts that you have been working on through your entire career to get a voting representative. >> this is something of a statehood, and i don't think it will have a lasting effect on that legislation. that is my piece of legislation that will make the district 51st state. we have had all of the democrats vote for in the house, all of them in the senate, and i remember that most of the democrats know the criminal code. it is just that some of them do not, and that is unusual for

democrats because they usually support the district of columbia, and the laws. i think this really relates to crime. to the criminal code, and it will not affect other -- i hope it won't. >> this came out of the white house last weekend. the president would not veto the legislation if it came to the white house. were you surprised by this? do you have any heads-up up warning about this? >> initially, the president said in his statement that he was in favor of the legislation. he did a reverse reversal. when he saw what happened in the senate, and ultimately, we lost him. >> eleanor from the district of

lumbee a. with the line for democrats, and republicans, the numbers are on the screen. he made a special speech over the years which you've talked about the efforts to get statehood for the district. you've talked about your view of what the founders intended for the city. tell us what the founders intended, and what it will be like in 2023. x the founders recognized that the city could not be part of the state, but there is nothing in the constitution that could indicate that the people who live in the nation's capital should have a right to vote read that has been the way it has been for 200 years.

>> what is your thoughts on what this means if this gets defeated . if it is passed by the senate. or defeated. it gets blocked. what does that mean we are relations with members in the u.s. senate, particularly the majority leader who said they will support that. >> i am hoping that this is an anomaly, and i think it is i think this will reflect the vote , a loss for the district. nobody wants it to look like that. while i am grateful that we did get this, i not surprised. we lost some democrats in this climate today. >> have you talked to the mayor after her veto of the bill.

>> that veto hurt us, but it was not a veto of the bill as such. he wanted some changes in the bill. the only way you get changes is to veto. she is in favor of most of what is in the bill. so much so that the council tried to take back the bill to allow for the bill to make those changes for the senate did not allow that. we'd have to start over again. >> let's hear from our callers. we will go to temple hills maryland on the independent line. go ahead. >> good morning. >> good morning. >> yes. i listen to other black radio stations and networks and they

get candid with the congressional black caucus on the issue of reparations. the only thing we can get for representatives, they say hr 40. why can't they just cut a check right away like they do for other act groups. also, in defunding the lease, why is it so hard to get behind the community? my third issue for black scituate's is that, why can't the cbc support a crimes bill specifically or descendants of american slavery. certainly, descendants of american slavery can get this. those are three points i'd like you to address. reparations, and don't go off to hr 40. that is a step to qualified immunity for police, and a hate crime bill specifically towards

descendants of slavery. we'll list your answer. >> thank you. ask -- >> the reparations bill is -- has been voted on in the house, but as a recalled not the senate. on the hate crime bill, i'm not sure what the caller is after. qualified immunity remains the law. that has not changed a. >> we will hear from mike in north carolina. >> good morning. this has rightly been defeated. it is doing nothing but

emboldening more crime. you get a smack on the hand, and her glory, and i think three constituents with a representative were assaulted this past year. in a apartment building, last year, there was a carjacking. ever since the george floyd riots with all of the burning and looting, none of the prosecution, none of the arrests, and they were emboldened with crimes just like with anti-folk and the people who assaulted the police in atlanta georgia. i hope the government goes after them like the people that were in january 6, if they wanted to eat justice -- equal justice. >> to have reaction? >> the crime bill will take this into account. >> the actual experiences with

the kinds of crimes the callers talking about it is a response to those crimes and to how justice has sentenced in those crimes. the important thing to think about in terms of the crime bill here is it is a scientific -- it is as scientific as you can get. it is based on experience, on what judges say has been done, and i'm not sure that is responsive to what this caller spoke about with all the crime across the country, but i think this bill was meant to respond to crimes in the district, just as you have this across. >> we are from charles in the nation's capital.

go ahead. charles from washington, d.c. you are on the air. charles, are you there? just make sure you turned on your volume. go ahead with your question or comment for eleanor it --. >> good morning. thank you for your service. my comment or concern is what you mentioned. about the crime and sentencing guidelines that are part of the crime bill. a lot of the sentencing of residents have been in place for over 100 years. one of the things that we found is that getting a tough on crime or make the neighborhood safer.

death is in a lot of places, and crime has not gone down. my question is, first of all, for the residents, --. >> what was that? >> repeat that comment. >> there is no prison in the district. there is no prison. as you mentioned, these sentences were based on actual sentences that were being handed out by judges, so, we've seen in the district that there is an upsurge, whatever you want to call it, in crime. most of it because a lot of the family has been broken down because of this. some are going to jail for 30 or

40 years, and crime should be sentenced, but there is a length of time. i am talking to a guy that has and in prison for 51 years, and he does not have a job. if this stays now, how do we go about addressing the outlandish time. >> there are several things you put before the congresswoman. we want to get a response. >> in prison inmates across the country, we won't have a prison for the district of columbia, and the district crime has to be based on what the actual experiences here. that's why the crime cold -- code is so important. people will go to prison. it is based on actual experience

and the prison terms matter, and how much they matter. i hope that is responsive to this caller. >> there was a piece from channel nine in washington. the headline that congress can abolish the government. there have been members, including andrew klein of georgia who is proposed loving the idea of getting rid of the overall. what does that mean, and is it likely? >> it is all right as a proposal that recently has come down. the district has limited home rule. it is had it since 1983. i don't think there is any chance that we will lose home rule. in fact, we are trying to go the other way. we are trying to become the 51st state. but yes, urban republicans who try to even take away the limited home rule with the mayor

and the city council. even they have limitations on governing and the district. >> what is the population of washington dc? >> the population is close to 700,000. it is the same population as smaller states. >> how many people come into the district who don't live here to work, say pre-covid or what would be normal times? >> the federal government is located -- we are dealing with normal times. there are a million people in the district. all the federal agencies are here. >> in philadelphia. excuse me, darnell, democrat. go ahead. >> good morning, c-span. i would like to speak to a specific case in washington dc of a 13-year-old boy at 4:00 in the morning.

he was shot and killed and the guy who shot 13-year-old boy was earl arise at 4:00 in the morning. he was shot and killed in the process of doing that. the guy who shot him, he stayed in jail for some considerable two or three weeks. i wonder, with gravity like that, i lost my train of thought. but i guess that is the core case. that is the core of gravity, and is it possible that we can address today's crime. i lost my train of thought, big time. but i do want to highlight how roosevelt fixed the problem of bonnie and clyde culture. i will end my call with that. >> i don't know about bonnie and clyde culture, you spoke about eight-year-old way to was burglarizing a car.

that is the kind of crime that was trying to go now. that is juvenile, so he would not have been held under these new criminal codes, but there has been crime for very young people in the district read >> you mentioned the crime in washington dc and other cities across the country. data from the metropolitan police department. versus 2023. the rate of homicide of sexual abuse, up 20%. and in washington dc. have you heard from the chief of police in terms of what has been viewed on this legislation? ask on the proposed legislation. the council pass. >> he was down by the do over of the mayor, who is in favor of most of the criminal code.

they wanted to make changes, and he made those changes based on the chief of police and the advice. >> both of those changes reflect addressing the bill itself. were they aiming to address sentencing disparities for crimes, for example? ask they took into account dozens of disparities and looking at the new criminal code, they looked at how judges have in fact sentenced and often made the crime suit the kind of sentence. that was scientifically based. >> let's go to sean colorado.

good morning. x in is a constitutional republic and for this key piece. it is just of puerto rico, washington, usually we fought communists and we didn't elect them. there were political prisoners. thank you. >> to the nation's capital, go ahead. >> good morning. good morning, congresswoman. thank you. good morning two points. i am a black man, and i was born here in d.c.. i haven't heard you discuss what i find troubling, that the mayor on city council wants to allow illegal immigrants or noncitizens the right to vote at

as a black man, i feel that is a smack in the face to all black people. especially when i have relatives who died for that right. the city just wants to give it to people who are not even citizens. >> yes. >> go ahead. >> my second point is crime in the city. i used to, when i grew up in the city, growing up, i am 67 years old. we were able to come out of prison and get jobs on roads and in construction. if you've been anywhere in the city, when you go past construction, all you hear is for language and spanish. they are not hiring people with low rates jobs who are able to do roofing, roadwork, but they are turning to crime. i don't see anyone addressing

illegal immigration, but i hear you saying you want to give them the right to vote. i have a problem with both of those things. i don't see anyone going around checking to see they are hiring illegal immigrants. they are not finding them. they are just taking away for them, but for black people, you are not doing anything. that is my comment. >> illegal immigrants, the council voted to allow them to vote and in city elections. they base that on paying taxes. on crime and construction, this was a matter of great concern to me. i care about one of the subcommittees that just passed a new infrastructure bill and that is a matter of having fathered

members of congress and making sure that people who live in the city where the construction is occurring get jobs in the city, and congress is keeping track of that, and i can tell you i am being track of it here in the district of columbia. x to jim and marilyn, democrats line. hello. >> good. thank you for your service. this end a lot of other issues come down to home rule. you've been pushing this for years, but my question is, as her ever been a viable option to consider incorporating the district into the state of maryland to solve the home rule issue. seems to be the most common sense approach, and i will take my answer off-line. thank you for your time. >> that's a very good question.

it has been raised, and the district was formed. in virginia. virginia took its back. that left us part of maryland. but maryland gave the land to form the district of columbia. in what we call simple. that is, they gave us in perpetuity, so, they couldn't take it back. marilyn does not want to have the district back. they do not want to be a part of that. >> i want to ask you about your endurance or patients of this issue because sometimes, it feels like lucy and the football, and it seems like with the republican house, what keeps you going on this issue? >> this is a major issue.

it has been since i've been to congress read the issue of making the sequel. two other states and the people who live in other states. >> we've come so close. with this bill, it's been passed in the house. his impasse twice. >> in this senate, i believe we can get there. it is always difficult to get a bill as seminal as this one pass. >> we will go to evansville indiana to hear from keith. good morning. >> good morning. yes ma'am, i want to just point out something that i've noticed. i am 62 years old. at the age of 13, i tell you what it the gentleman the call

just a few minutes ago, people can't really do any jobs it it pays good with construction. it was sent here to help out on the farms, but now, everywhere you look, they've got brand-new trucks, and equipment. they are on every single roof. were just flooded with them. when i had my business, i had a life, and i had a number on the truck. and, they come with 20 or 30 people in a van, and they get out. i believe my own theory is that they are bringing drugs in here to poison our youth. >> were straying from the issue a little bit. >> that kind of thing is happening in the district of columbia. i hope not. >> we will get one more call from you. north carolina on the democrats

line. hello. >> i want to talk about how 700,000 people don't get to vote. maybe she is already address that in a presidential election. and, to address the fact that people who don't live there make the rules, such as the senate and the house. thank you. >> citizens of the district to vote in the presidential election. >> they vote in the presidential election. we are almost there. we do not have the same rights in the house of representatives. we have no vote in the senate. do you feel like you can offer your constituents the same level because you don't have the vote in the house. can you offer the same level of situate service for those who

need. >> in the house, the problem is with the senate. i have the same staff, and other members. generally, in the house, we are empowered with democrats, and we offer the same kind of service. we have to go to the senate. we do not have representation. >> eleanor holmes norton in her 17th term in the -- 18th. i'm asking you. >> either way, we are grateful you are here. thank you for being with us on washington journal. x always of usher. >> moreheaon the program. we will wrap up program this morning by opening our phone lines. open forum for issues you want to talk about. independence with numbers on the screen. political policy items in the news.

all fair game.

>> washington journal continues. >> open forums to talk about public policy or topics we talked about today or ahead today. on capitol hill and elsewhere, that is the line for democrats, and republicans. for independents and others, the numbers on your screen.

in politico, this is burgess everett, the headline with washington tears on the brink of a cold war. over social security. ready to congress, the members have struggled to fund the government, raise the debt ceiling, and suddenly, we are talking about changes to medicare and social ready. plenty of reasons to be skeptical that any of that talk will pay off. democrats have a unique seat at the table as for it bipartisan meeting for the quiet solutions to shore up the long-term fiscal health. a close ally of joe biden had sat in on meetings for social security, opening entitlement as one of the most difficult things for congress today. democrats for the whole time i have been hearsay that social security is easy to fix. just raise taxes. he supports the position, but

republicans refuse to do that. it is an easy fix, simply raise the eligibility or otherwise reduced benefits over time. democrats refuse to do that. kuhn's description of the two-party transposition helps to explain why the entitlements group led by angus king of maine and bill cassidy is offering few specifics as to what the work entails. not only is the gang not done yet, but its members are keenly aware that as soon as they unveil a plan, it is going to come under an immediate attack area three or calls, we will go first to james in new orleans. good morning. >> morning. i spent a great deal of time in the d.c. area, and i've just come down to new orleans. i am very unfamiliar with the crime bill. i hear talk, i hear you know,

thanks among some people. i don't know the details of it. can you give me a brief overview of what that bill would do? >> we have wrapped up our conversation with the district delegates. they will take up the legislation on overturning that bill. but broadly, some of the highlights of that crime code change passed by the d.c. council back in november of 2022. it included reducing maximum penalties for burglary, carjacking and other offenses. it scraps the man to mom minute tory sentences for crimes, and jury trials are some misdemeanors that increase penalties for other crimes such as attempted murder and attempted sexual assault.

circleville ohio, on the republican line. welcome. >> thank you for taking my call. i want to talk about the tucker carlsen statements from the last two nights. what response democrats had. chuck schumer wanted to censor media. it is on dome, folks. that was a film, that was surveillance of the capital. that was a lie. but i guess he lied rated look at the democrats. look at everything they have done in the last 60 years. i was on youtube a little while ago, and paul harvey, of senior citizens, paul harvey, the rest of the story, yet a segment back in 1965, everyone should listen to this. what the devil would do. everything he said in these three minute segments has come true. that was 58 years ago. what the devil would do, paul harvey, listen to it. you will see what's going on today.

>> will move on to ohio. we will hear from clarence on the democrat line. >> yes. i've always wonder why the black caucus has not challenged black americans as citizens. that as citizens, you have a right to vote. thank you. >> are you talking about the statehood for the district of columbia? >> yes. >> all right. >> go ahead. >> brian is on the line in ohio -- in iowa. independent caller. >> i was calling him because i think it is silly that a place like the population of washington, larger than many states like wyoming, montana, the dakotas, they get representation from a much smaller representation. i just think we need to look at this honestly.

we need to look at people who deserve representation, and also a shout out orbit. >> we are on washington journal until 10:00 when the house comes into session. we will have a live look on c-span. the senate is over on c-span, and looking at some of our live coverage this morning on c-span, the senate intelligence committee will be meeting at 10:00. they are hoping the holy worldwide threat hearing, and they will get testimony from officials with the cia, the fbi, and the national sick dirty agency. that is live on c-span. on our re-mobile app read now. also on c-span.org. the mobile app, you will be able to follow the federal reserve chair. they are testifying this morning. as before the house financial services committee. robert is on the line. it is open forum, and we are in north carolina on the republican line. >> yes. this is me.

i was going to talk about the immigrants coming across the border. what they need to do is any companies mexico they have attacks, and if they have these three things, a minimum wage down there, as, health care, and a pension program. they don't have to pay the input tax. >> when you get a minimum wage, there are fair wages down there that people won't see coming across the board or because they want to stay with that. they will have a decent wage. >> but how u.s. policymakers enforce that in other countries?

>> it comes to this country. you judge the import tax. 90% of everything that comes from mexico comes from this country. >> you know. >> this hear from larry in des moines, iowa. democrat caller. >> yes. hello. >> please meet your volume on the television. go ahead with your comment. next ok. i think we need to turn to jesus because god would drive our enemies back, the lord told me to turn to jesus and i woke up out of time. we need to let god do it, or we have to get a nuclear bomb. we run this country, and wants to get over, we have to new and. >> more fallout from the testimony in the dominion

lawsuit. the dominion lawsuit against fox news. the headline from this washington post, trump spurred existential crisis at fox news. they write that for years, fox news executives and host cultivated a close relationship with donald trump. but after he lost the 2020 presidential election, and he turned his back on the network, it inspired many loyal viewers to do the same. the relationship curdled, and the ensuing pressure caused tension with second-guessing on a scale of existential crises, as one executive called it. internal communications released tuesday as art of a $1.6 trillion defamation lawsuit, it indicates that we are very close to being able to ignore trump most nights, but tucker carlsen texted a colleague on january 4 2021. i truly cannot wait. carlsen, who chaired private meetings with the president and defended him on air added that

he hates impassively. what he's good at is destroying things that he is the unjust did world champion of that. he could easily destroy us. if we play it wrong. >> in iowa, david on the independent line. hello. cedar rapids, go ahead. >> thank you. i've been watching with interest for the comments on your bipartisan committee working on social security. i encourage and hope that they can accomplish something, but i am pessimistic that they will be able to accomplish anything at all with the extremes in both parties that we see. the media is extreme in every sense. at least with the network news cable channels read and i think they fuel the ire of extremism. as an independent, i hope -- excuse me. i surely believe and hope that we will accomplish something,

but i am afraid that it will get to the brain, and that will be a point of desperation. >> what would be your most common sense thing for a social security roof on. what would you like to see. >> i think a combination of increasing taxes and perhaps pushing forward the eligibility age which would make some sense. i think raising the cap certainly has a lot of merit, and when i was working, we would reach the cap on the salary every september. that wasn't right. i think it should go much higher than just the cpi each year or whatever that would be. >> we will go to win dell and alba georgia. hello. are you there? georgia. >> i'm here. >> i just wanted a comment on

the border. if you go to another country and you don't have a card or anything to get in there, they will put you in jail. we have laws on the books, that it's a felony to come across the border. as you come across the border, it is five years in prison. if they start locking these people up, they will stop coming you know, it is just unbelievable. i am getting up in my age, and i've never seen this country. i think the people in congress and senate, and the government, i think they've all just milked us for what they can get rid they don't care about american people. all they want to do is line their pocketbooks. biden has bought into all of these countries and china, so he can twist the arm of electric cars that he is pushing on the

country, and i just don't think it is right. i the american people ought to stand up and get strong and get rid of these people up there who are doing this kind of thing. the american people needed. they are sending money to all these other countries and their people dying on the streets here, and living on the streets intense, and doing all these drugs. people are dying. that is because of that in in here. it is just ridiculous read it is -- our kids have to grow up in this place. >> we are an open forum on washington journal. up until 10:00. that is the line for democrats. with republicans and independents and others, any topic on the public policy or political realm that you are following, are caller mention a border or immigration. here is a story from this rollcall. the rollcall with find administration discussions riley

democratic lawmakers and is written that the democrats in the senate have expressed optimism last month about the biden administration's direction on immigration and border policy. several described it as a constructive and productive meeting with homeland security. from the capital. the senator said they raised concerns about potential new asylum restrictions, but in california, the senator who chairs the immigration panel said they clearly know what they are doing. the department of homeland security has released a sprawling proposal that includes tougher asylum restrictions for migrants who cross from another country, including the u.s. mexico border. the agency reported reviving the trumpet miss ration practice of detaining migrant families. the apparent move to ramp up controversial immigration reports meant policy has wrangled those congressional

democrats who have pushed president joe biden to adopt more humane immigration policies. especially since biden lasted the previous and miss ration policies during his campaign for the white house. in michigan, paul is on the line. democratic caller. >> yes. i don't have any anything on the border at this moment, but i wanted to mention something about daylight savings time. i was wondering, how what it really save any daylight. lichen old indian chief, is from one end, sewn onto the other, and that does not make it will get any longer. i wish that the legislature and the senate and house would come to an agreement on moving one way or another. >> all right. to connecticut, republican caller. hello.

>> hello. how are you? >> line. >> thank you for taking my call. i wanted to make a quick comment on the federal reserve. i was listen to jerome powell yesterday on one of the business channels, and every time he talks, he just crashes the stock market, and i really inked the efforts by the federal reserve are absolutely feckless. you just can't stop this kind of inflation by raising interest rates. the first thing is energy cost. they are so much higher because biting cut production on federal land, and it was like 3 million barrels a day over capacity, and that has struck up energy costs and there's nothing the federal reserve do about that. they cannot fix the supply chain issues. and, there is just no way they are going to stop federal spending. we spent trillions of dollars in inflationary spending, and there's just nothing at all. the federal reserve cannot do anything to stop this.

i just wish they would stop raising interest rates. it is killing the 401(k) plan and is killing retirement fans, and it is hurting for capital markets. i am not really sure what he thinks he is capable of doing at this point. >> next is terry and indianapolis. welcome. >> i would like to talk about social security. ok. i was -- i am in my 50's now. my friends, their dads and moms are retired in their 50's. they've already raised retired bills until 69. that's ridiculous. the talk about new taxes -- why. they can give away money everywhere, but they can't take care of people who built this country. i'm sorry. thank you. >> loses calling from new jersey. democrat. democrats line.

welcome to open forums. >> thank you. i've been listening to these comments each morning when i tuning, and i think overall, we have so many of these conspiracy theories that people call in, and they absolutely believe them to the core. they have no proof, but they just want to believe in several things -- the southern border seems to be a real hot button issue, some really dry discussions, but every sensible immigration policy, we are not getting it with the likes of the governors or taxis in florida. they are shipping people around the united states, and it is a federal policy. it has to be handled by the house or the senate read has to

be signed into law by the president. all of these little bits of opportunity to show boat themselves on immigration, it is pointless. it is just for show. >> i think we need to get a little brighter and not fall for some of these antics like the governor of texas and the governor of florida about participating. they are not fixing anything. they have no power to ask anything. it is a federal policy. thank you. >> next is frank from pennsylvania. a republican line. >> good morning. i am calling about a concern that i recently heard from our president going to increase the prices of medicare drugs to people who depend on them.

i have been retired for a few years, and i'm in my 70's. it is kind of high price, especially heart medication, and i just want to ask russ my concerns and hope he doesn't do this to the people who really face these drugs. >> the president released a budget tomorrow ahead of the announcement. there were proposed changes to stabilize the medicare trust fund. this is the headline from the hill. biden launches a battle on capitol hill. it calls for a medicare tax hike read president biden viral -- fire the opening shots of spending and taxes that will assume capitol hill. they proposed on tuesday a 5% medicare surtax on $400,000 a year. the white house is hailing the proposal, which is part of the presidents budget plan, something that will extend the medicare solvency by 25 years republicans are slamming it as a

massive tax hike, and the key democrats are ducking and covering to climb and say whether they will back it ran we will have full coverage on the washington journal tomorrow as it relates to the presidents budget proposal. maryland is up next. we will hear from robert. hello. independent. >> how are you? >> fine. i am fine. i just wanted to call today about inflation. what i'm saying is inflation is unbelievable. it is so high. that is dual to -- do to fuel. we can't drill in the united states. we've got plenty of oil here in the ground, and we are buying our oil elsewhere. that was one of the reasons i thought today, there is no reason why our fuel is so expensive. the president can do something about that. that is all i have to say about

that. >> will hear from jim parsons in west virginia. he is next go ahead. >> yes. good morning. >> we lost you. sorry about that. i apologize about that. you just drop right there. we apologize. san antonio, texas. chris. republican. open forum. >> thank you for taking my call. i wish the washington journal would report about the border. i'm close to the border. cartels and power are making the kind of money to bring immigrants across. there killing people. they kill people in mexico every day. women are getting raped every day. young girls get raped every day. they are killing them down here. that is the truth that i wish the washington journal would get on some of these issues instead of taking a political side. >> we spent the first half-hour talking about the kidnappings

and proposals by some republicans to authorize the use of military force. there was a targeted campaign against the cartels. what are your views on that? >> >> the reason why we have to do this is because we been empowered by poor policies of the biden's ration. that is why they are doing it. they are empowered, now we have to do something different. or you can just let it go. it is terrible. the washington journal will come down here and bring a crew, and they will investigate. they have closed their eyes to protect certain clinical people. >> i appreciate that. >> we appreciate the idea. we've done that a couple of years ago. thank you for the idea. we may possibly do it again. next is mike and your city. the house is coming in. do you want to say something? >> i do. they send in $100 billion to ukraine. i don't understand why we didn't take that money or half that

money and fix our border. all of these immigrants -- i am a union worker in new york city. all of these immigrants are taking our jobs. the whole city is nonunion. >> the houses coming in momentarily for their morning hours speeches on washington journal. that will do it for the program. we are back at 7:00. we hope you are as well. meanwhile, enjoy the day. they are coming in momentarily.