>> the bill is passed. ♪ host: house republicans

celebrated yesterday after narrowly passing a bill to raise the debt ceiling and cut federal spending over the next decade. this morning, your reaction to the house gop proposal and what happens next. republicans dial in at 202-748-8001. democrats, your line this morning is 202-748-8000. independents join us at 202-748-8002. you can also text with your first name, city and state at 202-748-8003. or you can post your comments on facebook.com/c-span or on twitter at @cspanwj. we will get to your thoughts in a minute. at -- the speaker spoke with reporters. here is what he had to say. [video clip] >> the house republicans just past the only bill in washington

that lifts the debt limit, ends wasteful washington spending and puts america back on the right economic path. will limit the growth, save by pulling back the unspent covid money, we will grow this economy by making us energy independent again and getting more people encouraged back to work. the sad part is the democrats need to do their job. the president can no longer ignore by not negotiating. senator schumer, if he's got a plan, put it on the floor. see if you can pass at. but now the president can no longer put this economy in jeopardy. we've sent it to the senate. we've done our job. the only body in here that's done theirs. the senate did name march maple syrup month.

what they have done nothing to focus the economy or debt limit. >> the speaker of the house saying the house is on their job and now the senate needs to act. the senate majority leader chuck schumer has said this proposal by republicans is dead on arrival. the president for his part from the wash and newspaper has said he won't meet with speaker mccarthy on the debt limit is the plan years a vote saying that is not negotiable. negotiating over the debt limit you will not do. here's the president yesterday. [video clip] >> republicans say you are refusing to negotiate for the debt limit saying you are missing in action. are you missing in action? >> will you meet with -- with mccarthy. >> i will but not on whether or not the debt limit -- that's not

negotiable. i know that quote reagan all the time and they quote trump. both of them said it would be an absolute crime to not pass the debt limit. host: the two sides have about six weeks to come together on raising the nation's debt limit. we want to get your reactions to republicans approving their plan yesterday in the house. 217-215. three lawmakers were not present for the vote. kevin mccarthy, republican leader that only afford to lose four. these four republicans did not vote for the bill. they joined all the democrats in opposition. representative tim burchard of tennessee, matt gaetz of florida, ken buck of colorado and andy biggs of arizona.

sandy in silver spring, maryland. , democratic caller. what happens next? caller: i think kevin mccarthy should be vacated and his other two should also. the one from louisiana. host: over this? caller: read the washington post today it's disgusting. kevin mccarthy is a liar, was under dr. carlsen and that's all , he's the most dishonest human being. i wouldn't even deal with kevin mccarthy will lie, cheat and steal. host: are you saying the president should not negotiate? caller: absolutely not. the president has character. kevin mccarthy has donald trump. host: let's get more of your thoughts. dial in and let us know what you think will happen next year over the debt ceiling.

should it be a clean bill like democrats are asking for? this is the story that came out yesterday. the gop's plan would kill 780,000 jobs. moody's analytics impaired the impact of the proposal on the federal economy with the alternative of a clean debt ceiling favored by president biden. the firm founded for public and secured all of their desired cuts the nation would be closer to a recession. under the legislation, gdp growth is that employment inclines in the first three quarters of 2024 wrote in a report a clean debt limit scenario by year-end 2024 employment is 780,000 jobs lower. they found a plan to raise the debt limit by 1.5 trillion exchange for slashing spending a

4.5 trillion is estimated to kill 780,000 jobs. as we said the senate majority leader said that this house republican plan is dead on arrival. [video clip] >> for those who worry about gun violence and crime and crime in keeping our communities safe, this will wipe out while also gutting critical resources to secure the border. donald trump told house republicans to defund law enforcement and so the default on america act on cue does just that. that's with the default on america act does and not just that. it would eliminate over 142,000 new jobs including 18,000 manufacturing jobs that have been created since the inflation reduction act was passed. if you are a parent struggling to pay for child care the default on america act will eliminate one childcare slots

making it harder for parents to find work, finish their education or provide for their families. if you know someone who struggles with addiction, this bill would worsen the opioid epidemic by cutting critical hhs programs in the next decade. that's the definition of cruelty. if you want to go to college the republican package will/pell grant's for all students by $1000 and even eliminate pell grants entirely. -- for tens of thousands of americans. >> the senate majority leader reading off why they are opposed to the plan raising the debt ceiling and cutting federal spending. one of our viewers sends us this tweet saying the bill is d.o.a., but it's much ado about nothing. the wall street journal editorial board disagrees saying mccarthy gets the debt ceiling

when they write president biden says he won't sign the house bill but the pressures on him to negotiate. the same for the senate which will have to pass a bill of its own risk a u.s. default. democrats can say they still won't negotiate that's harder to do now that the house will pass -- has passed a bill to raise the limit. he goes on to write there is a heavy political lifting to come. having to copper mice with the senate and mr. biden. getting a couple of these would be no small political and policy victory. do you agree with the wall street journal editorial board. it's now incumbent upon president biden to come to the no shading table with republican -- to the negotiating table. good morning ronald. >> good morning. i believe the republicans are not dealing in good faith here. host: how so?

they have a lot of cuts in there for social security, medicaid, people who are assistance, they are not negotiating in good faith, believe me. host: there's no cuts to social security. medicaid -- caller: they always say they are not going to and then you find out something is in the bill were social security and everything else will be cut. they are never true to their word. host: usa today, what's in the bill. resending the funding for 87,000 irs agents. reallocating unspent covid-19 relief money which comes to the tune of about 90 billion. eliminating the student loan forgiveness plan. raising the age limit to 56 from

50 on work requirements to receive aid for the supplemental nutrition assistance program and blocking the administration from limiting consumer access. these are tied to the 1.5 trillion increase of the federal debt spending. this morning in the papers, they note that the spending cuts would happen over a decade. it would essentially freeze spending at last year's level and that would amount to a 14% cut over the next 10 years. a little bit more from yesterday's floor debate before they voted yesterday early evening on a party-line vote. jody who is a republican of texas and a chair of the budget committee gives his argument for voting yes. >> for the last two years

president biden has financed this radical agenda and vast expansion of the federal government with an unprecedented $10 trillion in spending. 6 trillion of which has been added to our national debt. the highest level of deficit spending in the history of america. this unbridled spending spree has resulted in sustained record inflation, soaring interest rates, and economy in a recessionary tailspin and a nation on the brink of a catastrophic debt crisis. mr. speaker, the fiscal state of the nation is bleak. our national debt is unsustainable and the outflow grows more uncertain every day. for 100 years the debt ceiling has served as a check on our accumulating debt and its impact on the financial health of our nation. no responsible leader can look

at the rapid deterioration of our balance sheet and the unsustainability of our deficit spending and standby defending the status quo. this is not a republican or democrat problem, it's america's problem and it's a mathematic reality that requires leadership from both sides of the aisle and before it is too late. house republicans debt ceiling proposal is an important first step to getting our fiscal house in order and a good faith effort to bring the president to the negotiating table and our plan will reduce deficit spending, save taxpayers $4.8 trillion and begin extinguishing the flames of our current cost of living crisis. first, we limit federal spending by will raining and the federal bureaucracy. our bill will reduce spending

levels by 9%, $130 billion, turning us to the same spending levels we were operating under just four months ago. we will cap the growth of discretionary spending by 1% annually over the next 10 years, reducing wasteful washington spending by over $3 trillion. put simply, this bill would require washington to do whatever he american has been forced to do as a result of biden's spending induced inflation. tighten our belts and change your spending habits. host: the budget committee chair on the floor yesterday. it is your turn to tell washington what you think. should the two sides come together. mary in maryland. >> good morning. i'm a staunch progressive democrat and i do have knowledge

about everything that's going on. i see the republicans doing their grandstanding speeches and most of it is inaccurate and lies. this is going nowhere. the senate said stay at the door. so this is just the republicans doing their thing and good luck kevin mccarthy adding this past completely with your rules. it's going nowhere, it is dead at the door. >> what do you think about the argument but now the republicans have acted. they are the only ones so far to have put a bill on the floor. >> they are not in control of congress. we have the senate and the white house. they are reaching for votes. it's a message to their voters only and may be when their voters actually look things up and check things out and research on their own, they will say no, dead at the door.

thank you. >> good morning to you. it's mark. sorry. caller: no problem. i was a little confused at first. the congress -- congressman from tennessee who voted against this bill last night said the reason he voted against it was because even this bill with all these cuts will still add $17 trillion to the debt over 10 years. that would put the national debt at somewhere between 48 and $50 trillion in 2033. so you have two politicians coming up in the next hour, ask them how much is too much debt because in 2023 they will pass the program done of the 20 trillion over the next 10 years.

in 2043 the national debt will be somewhere near 75 or $80 trillion. so when should we stop spending money. i think the answer is right now. the national debt is just as much a threat to our liberty and our country and republic as is china, isis or any other external threat. host: mark mentioning the republican of tennessee, one of the four republicans who oppose the gop plan yesterday. here's from the new york times, saying the opposition was based on the view the legislation did not go far enough in reducing federal debt. same the issue to me is the democrat budget plan in 10 years will be 50 trillion in debt. the republican budget plan yields 53 trillion in debt and 53 trillion in debt is unacceptable to me.

we go off a cliff at sompoint. democratic caller. hello. >> good morning, thank you for taking my call. as ronald reagan once said, here we go again. it's the same old thing. they just passed for donald trump with no question. the debt ceiling has never been negotiated. ronald reagan saying it something shouldn't be. this is just another step board is taking social security away. helping the working people. what about the big tax cuts for the wealthy. they had the big train wreck up in ohio. taking all the railways away. stop it, pass the debt ceiling,

negotiate the budget. that's what this country as always -- has always done. if the united states default on their debt it is bad. host: for those who haven't been -- bad how for those who haven't been paying attention. host: interest rates will go -- caller: interest rates will go through the roof. the united states is the driving force of the world. you can see what happens over there. the united states -- >> democratic caller. on twitter echoing what jerry said. we have always paid our bills. the time to negotiate is with the budget, not the debt ceiling. it reduces the deficit on the backs of the poor and middle class and won't -- would throw the economy into chaos. eric in washington, d.c. a republican. what do you say? caller: good morning, how are you.

i don't know why we are giving these democrats such a hard time. we lifted the debt ceiling every time under trump which was great. i don't want my 401(k) to be crashed. instead of talking about george soros and iran, we should just raise the debt limit and look at that i got a bingo. have a great day. host: democratic caller, ann. caller: raising the debt ceiling is already just paying the bills that have already been incurred. and they have always done that. i do know why the republicans -- they want to i guess to collapse the economy. maybe they would rather have the economy collapse.

but they've always raised the debt ceiling. and the president has said he would change the budget after he raise the debt ceiling. that would be the time to do that then. republicans lie with a straight face. i don't understand how they can do that. thank you. >> richard in las vegas saying yes both sides should be willing to negotiate. the house plan seems ago reasonable way to curb runaway spending. diane and michigan, independent. we will go to you next. >> i had a question. if we are so far in debt, why are we importing data daily? people come here illegally and need help and we are importing data. $30 trillion was what we started. and now we're just going down

the same road and it doesn't even make sense. secure our borders and then start putting this place back together. it's a mess. host: all right diane. let's hear from william in florida. do you like what your party did in the house yesterday? caller: i appreciate your time today. i think it was a good move by the speaker of the house. we need to negotiate with the democrats about our spending. that's why it's important that we do this in the debt ceiling has not always been there. it started in 1970 from the democrat who was online earlier. i totally agree with that.

thank you so much. host: let's listen to the democratic side of the argument led by brendan boyle who is the top democrat on the house budget committee. here he is on the floor yesterday. [video clip] >> my friends on the others of the aisle claim they will be fiscally responsible. let's be clear. there never has been and never will be anything fiscally responsible about refusing to pay america's bills. killing millions of jobs is also not fiscally responsible. neither is knowingly unleashing a recession. that is why even the former president trump said "i can imagine anybody ever even thinking of using the debt ceiling as a negotiating tool." i had hopes that when the

speaker referred to the budget process and debt ceiling as apples and oranges it meant my friends on the other side finally understood the real world ramifications of their reckless brinksmanship. and yet here we are. republicans d.o.a. act, the default on america act will cut investment, across job creation and crash the economy. there default on america act must be d.o.a.. there is no way congress will agree to 10 years of destructive caps and the biggest single cut to non-defense programs in american history. and for what? in exchange for a few months of respite before we would have to go through the debt ceiling roller coaster all over again. >> brendan boyle, top democrat on the house budget committee yesterday.

janet, your turn in pennsylvania. what do you think of this back-and-forth between the two parties. >> good morning, thanks for taking my call. i don't agree with what the republicans past but i would like to say when you had nancy grace on the other day unless i misunderstood her she said there would have to be some cuts in spending and also some tax cuts. think about that for a second. she just equaled out there would be nothing. all republicans can talk about is tax cuts. i believe the committee for responsible budget says there will have to be tax increases and spending cuts. which is the reasonable approach. the republican tax cuts i believe you had a speaker on the other day in the last few weeks

that said the tax cut it pays for itself only paid for about 30%, the rest of it was deficit spending. they don't have a problem i believe when it's republicans in control. thank you and have a nice day. >> nancy green on the program and the washington journal. yesterday morning she told reporters she was a no on this legislation, hours later before the debate on the vote began she emerged from speaker mccarthy's office and said it would come to the aid. four republicans voted with all the democrats in opposition to the vote. there's the republins who said it didn't do enough. matt gaetz saying voting against legislation after threatening on monday over request for changes

strengthening work requirements for government benefits. the original text of the legislation would require able-bodied adults recipients younger than 56 years old who do not have dependents look for work or volunteer at least 20 hours a week starting in 2025. gaetz wanting 30 hour requirements and that to begin at the start of the fiscal year 2024. republican leaders said the last-minute change to the bill for snap benefits at the start of fiscal 2024 they did not increase the requirements to fiscal year 30 hours. so matt gaetz was unknow. let's hear from bill in maryland, independent. >> good morning coretta. thanks for taking my call. last time i said it's like a

charade and it is. the reality is we are bankrupt and it would be like a family who has a $50,000 income whose 330,000 on their credit card and they have a mortgage that they cannot afford. they are in a house that's too big. now the choices either raise taxes in the mortgage of course is the welfare state that we are not paying for. we are passing this on to our children and grandchildren. it is intergenerational theft. you have two choices. either mom is good to have to get a job which means we have to raise taxes or we are going to have to say we can't afford this big house we will have to downsize. what we are talking about would be like we are going to start making policy at home instead of going to starbucks.

instead of just having internet television we will get cable on top of internet. we are arguing over small things that are not really going to make an impact. i don't know where the end of this. i can understand the republicans. they put something on the table. it's all about power. who is going to win the next election. when you get down to solving the problem, we are not doing it. it is immoral. they are going to suffer like we can't even imagine what can i happen to their standard of living and everything else. it's the same old story that i share every time. it's a charade. thanks for letting me get on. host: andre, florida, republican.

debate over the debt ceiling limit. >> i think the separation with the green new deal. cut off the spigot of the energy and i think republicans, i'm a republican and i think we should be concentrating on not investigations but working with democrats. we have to, with the energy in our own country, of the border and crime. we have to come together, republicans have to put aside their ego and come to the table because this country is for the people. so i think that the green new deal, that's why the republicans are hesitant because there's underlying themes in their that we don't know the cause, they are expensive. i think that's the barrier republicans and i think we need to sit at the table and hash it

out. >> republican caller. as you know the bill house or publican proposal would go after some of the tax credits that president biden has put in the inflation reduction act. it would reform energy committee and promote clean energy tax credit. in order to get enough votes yesterday kevin mccarthy, the speaker took away or backtracked on eliminating the subsidies for ethanol. this is from the wall street journal. the disappointment is kevin mccarthy had to rewrite the bill to appease members from the corn belt who want to preserve tax credits for ethanol and other biofuels. it now retains several tax credits for biofuel and carbon capture.

these concessions do not bode well for the gop ability to's -- to stick together. the green energy handouts. here is a republican of iowa who he along with the others in the iowa delegation would vote no. >> we must get together and work with the chairman as the speaker and house republicans put forward. a budget that holds our government accountable. that addresses the debt ceiling now gets federal spending under control and grows our economy by letting americans keep more of their money. that's why urge the iowa delegation to hold firm. in iowa we will not allow government to balance its budget on the back of america's farmers. that's why i'm proud this bill makes critical investments in biofuel. in will empower american energy independence, decreasing the

cost of fuel overseas and helps families at the pump. biofuel grows our main street businesses and empowering our farmers for what they need to both feed and fuel the world. >> from yesterday's floor debate before house republicans narrowly passed along party lines their proposal to raise the debt limit and cut federal spending. we are getting your reaction to their proposal and what happens next. the senate has said it is dead on arrival. the president told reporters he won't negotiate over the debt ceiling. the democratic party wants a clean debt bill. stephen in michigan says they passed the bill with no democratic support. they barely control the house. they are not entitled to their dream wish list. steve in grand rapids, michigan. , democratic caller. good morning to you. caller: good morning. every time the republican party

is in charge they do the same thing. it's just like everyone says. we are handing debt it's already been used. the last time they had someone in office which was trump, they gave a giant cut to the rich and cooperation. in order to live you have to take care of your people. the 21st century coming and what if they think. you have to pay your debt. everybody pays your debt but at the same time it's how you pay. they act like they are not doing anything. like they are not seeing what's going on. we have to move forward. there are things being built and things being looked at that they have never seen before to bring this country along. we need to act like it. any republicans come in, wanting

to take the dog -- dall from the child that has the dall and they want to do whatever they want to do with it. they have to raise the debt and stop acting like they are bullies. >> richard in arlington, virginia. independent. >> the last two times they allowed the deadline to pass for raising the debt ceiling, it was a disaster for the republicans in the house who you can correct me if i'm wrong, but i remember that gingrich lost his job after he went past the ceiling. and both times and for a while, no one has said this so far there's a while they weren't able to fund the government,

there wasn't funding for the government for maybe a week in the 1990's and for a few days in the obama administration. and what a disaster it was to not pass a clean debt ceiling. i don't think biden has really anything to worry about. i don't think this is the suppose it pressure but i don't think it exists. >> host: here is a fact check. on whether or not the u.s. is ever defaulted on its debt. the house democrats saying that debt -- default would be unprecedented. this is what they find. senior reporters the kevin mccarthy's preparing a debt limit increase. in 2021 in the hill, a political news outlet, former treasury

official argued this precedence of u.s. debt default. restoring to paper money largely not supported by gold during the civil war. redeeming gold bonds rather than gold points -- gold coins during the great depression. and abandoning the agreement in 1971. also announced by the nonpartisan crs in 1979 the treasury failed to make one-time payments to investors. most were paid within days or a week. those are some of the examples. the one you gave is not on the list. , crescent others have argued we've never defaulted on our data. let's go to tim in berkeley springs, west virginia. >> thank you for taking my call. i would just like to say they

try to make this look like a bunch of rocket scientist. you break this down to your home level. you can keep adding money to your credit card level because you keep overspending. it's going to come due sooner or later. i remember a book in high school by socrates that made a statement about democracy form of government can only withstand itself or about 200 years and then it will collapse. not word for word what he said. that's kind of what i would like to say. host: we will hear from charles next in washington, d.c.. >> good morning how are you doing. like the guy said, you can keep doing the same thing over and over. every time the republicans get in, they spend as much money as they want to. they take away from the poor and cut programs that would help people, of the working-class

people of america. it never gets any attention. but it always gets the attention. the people of the top get the money. you need to spread the money out through the whole body of america. they need to keep it healthy. it has a stroke. and the republicans time after time what they do is at the top, it coagulates at some point. >> more from yesterday's house debate and frank pallone the top democrat and why he opposed the bill. >> house republicans are manufacturing a crisis to justify cruel cuts that will raise money for american families, pick millions of

people of their health insurance and reverse the historic progress we've made in combating the worst economic crisis. the republicans default on america act has $100 million from medicaid which will have devastating consequences on every beneficiary, a and plans. the republicans dedicate work requirements are about stripping health care away from vulnerable people. the majority of this -- of those on medicaid or working oftentimes part-time jobs but do not offer health care coverage. those who are not are often dealing with caregiving responsibility. this includes health issues or experiencing other barriers. these republican cuts are not about jobs. they are intending to use red tape and paperwork to get millions of people offer health insurance simply because republicans have always opposed medicaid. republicans also oppose our efforts to outcompete the world and the transition to a clean energy economy.

the default on america act continues the republicans polluters over people's agenda. the democrats deliver the inflation reduction act last year that are already making a huge difference in the clean energy transition. we've seen about $20 billion of new domestic manufacturing companies have announced new clean power investments and more than 142,000 clean energy jobs created across this nation. these are impressive results in less than a year and yet house or republicans want to reverse the progress with big oil giveaways and loopholes. this is a dangerous bill that will strip health care away from millions of americans and undermine efforts to combat the worst climate crisis. >> the democratic congressman, the top one on the energy and commerce committee. back to all of you and your thoughts on the house republican plan to raise the debt limit and

cut federal spending. what do you say? >> i don't believe what to say. america look out. one of the kennedy boys are running for president. i have been republican all my life but i'm get a vote democrat with the kennedys. you have a great day. host: wesley in hyattsville, maryland. democratic caller. are you there? good morning. caller: good morning. about this debt ceiling, this debt ceiling i believe donald trump has something to do with it. they are going to tank it. but that's not the point i want to make. now we are in -- times. i will tell you why. the lord wants me to tell you all these things and i hope you

please listen and believe. host: we will go to kathy in delaware, republican. caller: hello. i want to emphasize that this is why i watch c-span because we get the truth from the horses mouth. and yes there have been defaults. but instead of listening to the mainstream media, the democrats should inquire about what the content is of what the republicans are putting forth. for one thing, if you are a recipient of government funds or subsidies, individuals should be if they are able to work for those subsidies. that's one of the issues that's important. the health of the economy is equally as important because when i see all these layoffs the

day after day, that tells me we are headed in the wrong direction as far as keeping our economy sound. that concerns me. housing for instance is an important part of the healthy economy. once you start laying off people can spend money, they can produce taxes for the government. it's a different picture than just this feud between the republicans and democrats. i think people should be informed and educated about what is really behind with the republicans are offering. thank you for your time. >> more of your calls here in this first hour of today's washington journal. also want to share with you from last night the white house held an official visit for the south korean president, president biden the first lady hosting the president and his spouse at the white house. the two leaders making toasts

during the beginner and east room of the white house and also according to reports the south korean president saying american pie at the white house state dinner after prompting by president biden, the president gifted a guitar by artist don mclean to the south korean president. you can find more of the night's festivities and the pomp and circumstance if you go to our website. we have the arrivals some hollywood stars and others and also the arrival of the south korean president and what you are seeing on your screen. howard and winston-salem, north carolina. >> good morning. >> this is -- caller: yesterday was just so funny with the maga republicans.

the spirit of the truth of the lord, a lot of people can't see it because they don't dwell in it. this is the truth that i see. the republicans, it's good to go to the senate. we know the democrats will go against it so to democrats will go through republicans and pass. then it's good to be up to biden to veto. we know biden is going to veto. we already spent the money. republicans and democrats spent the money. they want to take millions of dollars from the veterans. i like to hear the veterans come in and talk about this. you know biden is going to veto it. so when the government sat down they are going to say look what the democrats have done. but they have so much stuff in there to rip out housing, food

stamps and snap. to rip out medicare. people don't act like they don't see that. the democrats and republicans voted on it. god bless america. all i want people to see they're going to try and blame it on the democrats. >> another note for you. the south korean president will be here on capitol hill today in a joint meeting of congress he will address both parties and both bodies. live at 11:00 a.m. eastern time. you can watch that right here on c-span on demand at c-span.org and on our c-span app. let's hear from henry in modesto, california. independent, good morning. caller: thank you for taking my call. i have a couple of things i would like to say. just like the senate where they

can -- it's just a thing, i think it's the progress of the way our government -- of governing ourselves. we have to pay our debts. will we need to do is figure out things like social security and stuff which i think what they should do is everyone should accept a quarter of a cent more on the employer and in the employee side and keep charging people up until whenever. make sure -- that's the kind of stuff they need to talk about. people are kicking in and everybody to do good things. >> eugene in highland, new york. >> good morning, thank you for taking my call. i would like to say you have politicians like biden, everyone talking about these green jobs and all these -- all this money.

we are making big dollars paid john kerry saying they can make all the solar panel stuff. how are they supposed to go transport our guys to china to work on them? politicians should be working for minimum wage and have medicaid for health insurance and they should be forced to do what they are making the general public do. work for minimum wage and have this health insurance, this obamacare. they charge you this and that. they should be put to the same scrutiny they are putting the american public to. host: got it, eugene. how did kevin mccarthy get the republican votes he needed yesterday? the number was 217 because three lawmakers were not present for the vote. he secured that number and the deaf political rights this morning how mccarthy mollified

the right on his data plan for now. soon after house conservatives extracted enough concessions from kevin mccarthy to let him claim the speakership began plotting their next move. pushing him as far right as possibly -- as they possibly could on the debt ceiling. it started in late january when a group of house and senate conservatives gathered around senator rick scott's dining room table. given mccarthy slim majority, the reality many on his right flank never voted to lift the debt ceiling, could conservatives write a bill that would unite the party and give it at least a bit of leverage in talks with the white house. the answer came wednesday afternoon when mccarthy muscled through his data plan in the most consequential votes since he won the speakership on january 7. a huge relief or a speaker who faces a constant risk of a conservative rebellion. the gop elation over passing the

bill that would never become law also marks one more example of the party's right flank facing a congressional strategy at nearly every turn. daphne and plant city, florida. let's hear from you, good morning. >> the thing is everybody is scared to say is democrats versus republicans, then you've got them running around like he's president. they don't respect biden so nothing's ever get a pass out. democrats and republicans. laws with the concerns of people is who's right and who's wrong. that is it. >> brian in owings, maryland. what do you say on this? >> i am hearing a lot of good ideas but i'm afraid the

solution is not can it come from the politicians. i would like to see a 10% across-the-board cut. support from the federal government. there's plenty in the federal government to make some cuts and make the agencies within their own agencies. thanks. host: thoughts there. we have a little less than 10 minutes left in other news this morning, tucker carlsen broke his silence after he and fox news parted ways. he posted a video on his twitter last night. here's a little bit of what he had to say. [video clip] >> the big topics that will define our future get virtually no discussion at all or civil liberties emerging, demographic change per corporate power natural resources. when was the last time you heard a legitimate debate about any of those, it's been a long time.

debates like that are not permitted in american media. both political parties and their donors have reached consensus on what benefits them and they actively collude to shut down conversation about it. suddenly the united states looks like a one-party state. it's a depression real it -- depressing realization. nobody actually believes them. hardly anyone's life is improving. this is to inherently ridiculous to continue and so it won't. the people in charge know this. that's why they are hysterical and regressive. they are afraid they've given up persuasion at resorting to force. what it won't work. when honest people say what's true calmly and without embarrassment we become powerful. the liars try to silence them strain and become weaker.

true things prevail. where can you still find american sing true things? there aren't many places left. there are some and that's enough. as long as you can hear the word there is hope. we assume. host: tucker carlsen not saying where he will go next posting that video on twitter. you can talk about that and other policy political issues in our last 30 -- 20 minutes or so in the washington journal. we will go to open forum at that point. for now, joan in rochester, minnesota. what do you say about house republicans passing their debt ceiling bill yesterday? caller: i do not think it is a fair one. i wonder we spend money, people put money from what they make back into the government. now we have all of these politicians who get enormous retirement packages after working just a few years.

they get paid for security, they get paid all kinds of money and i would like to know how much our federal government pays to all of these politicians that they support even after they leave office with security and everything else and how much they pay out of what they make into this government. they are protected and as far as i'm concerned thinking they should be making all the rules like the king or queen or some type of royalty is wrong and the people need to get more involved and we should allowed to be be more involved with what's going on with the money that is spent and what they are trying to cut from the people who work every day and pay out of their own pockets. for their protection whether it is medicare, social security, it is paid for by the people. but certainly not paid for by

those guys in washington. and we need to notice that and we need to do something about it. it's we the people that they are working for the government. thank you. >> we want to let you know in the senate side today the majority leader chuck schumer said the senate will hold a vote on the equal rights amendment. we understand that is happening today area the senate will be gaveling in around midday, you can watch our coverage on c-span two. for key in indianapolis, democratic caller. >> hello. i want to say that the bill has already been spent by both sides and the author -- the offer that republicans put out there yesterday is a disgrace. we have a whole bunch of new kids that are going to be voting soon. i truly understand why the

democrats for 40 years because they don't want to do right. host: you have to turn down your television, mute it please pray just talk and listen through your phone. elton in ohio, republican. caller: good morning young lady. i am a vietnam veteran. >> hold on, mute your television. caller: yes. i did. i am for the house on this 100%. what is in the bill that is going to help lower gas prices, lower inflation, people, the blame game is not with the republicans. joe biden on day one before

pruden ever went in to ukraine started by cutting off the pipeline, he started inflation. he started high gas prices. what in the bill is going to help lower inflation. i understood at one time there was millions of dollars in the bill for michelle obama hiking trail. i don't know if that's true or not but things like that do not belong in the bill. >> we will take a short break and continue the conversation over the debate on raising the nation's debt limit. two members of congress joining us. a california republican tom mcclintock, member of the budget committee. wisconsin democrat gwen moore, a

member of the ways and means committee. we will be right back. ♪ >> book tv every sunday on c-span two features leading offer -- authors discussing their latest nonfiction book. former bridgewater associates ceo and 2022 senate candidate jason mccormick outlines his future for america. then at 10:00 p.m. on afterwards, david, author reflects on her families experience across five generations and the impt e chinese exclusion act had on her community. she is interviewed by mary. watch book tv every sunday on c-span2 and find the full schedule on the program guide or watch online at book tv.org.

>> the very first president attending the white house correspondents dinner was calvin coolidge. i just been elected to the united states senate. >> the white house correspondents dinner. the mere black-tie event is saturday. watch c-span's live coverage from the washington hilton hotel including red carpet arrivals of journalist and celebrities. this year's headliner is y wood junior and president biden is expectedo speak. the white house correspondents dinner live saturday data clock p.m. eastern on c-span. our free mobile video app or online at c-span.org. c-span.org. ♪ >> this year's grand prize winnerse stentcam video coests are eighth graders at

dr. martin luther king jr. middle school with a documentary about data privacy. watch the grand prize and other winning documentaries at studentcam.org. ♪ >> c-spanshop.org is c-span's online store. rouse our latest products, apparel, books, home to core downed accessories. there is something for every c-span fan and every purchase helps support our nonprofit operation. shop now or at any time at c-spanshop.org. ♪ >> a healthy democracy does not just look like this. it looks like this. where americans can see democracy at work, where citizens are truly informed. get informed straight from the source on c-span.

unfiltered, unbiased, word for word from the nation's capital to wherever you are. because the opinion that matters most is your own. this is what democracy looks like. c-span, powered by cable. >> washington journal continues. host: joining us this morning is congressman tom mcclintock, republican of california, member of the budget committee. guest: i have been in congress now for my 15th year and i have never voted for a debt limit increase. i voted for this one because for the first time it had serious measures to reduce the reckless overspending that is undermining our economy and ruining our prosperity. host: how do you respond to moody's analytics? they said this proposal compared to the clean debt limit would cost 780,000. guest: he is probably the most consistently wrong economist of the world.

in 2016 he forecast that trumps economic measures would take the economy, create a lengthy recession. instead we had one of the biggest economic expansions in our nations history. he is an economist who wrongly told us this would be transitory inflation. i can go back to a long list of predictions and they were almost always wrong. he takes government spending, multiplies it by 1.5 and declares that will be the economic growth that the government spending is creating. that is partially true. if i take it from peter and give it to paul that is true. paul has a dollar to spend, it will ripple through the economy. that part is true. he forgets the other half of the equation. has one less dollar to spend in that same economy. one less dollar to ripple through. which is why those economics are

a failure and mark sandy is always wrong. host: eight caller in our first hour said why are republicans -- repeal their tax cuts? that would raise revenue and lower the deficit. guest: the opposite was true. that was a prediction that the tax cuts were going to cost money. but they were such an economic stimulus to the economy, combined with the largest regulatory rollback in u.s. history, we collected more revenues after we cut taxes then we have been getting before them. the figure about taxes is the rate can vary wildly but changing the rate does not necessarily increase your tax revenues. taxes can only come into 13 or 19% of gdp, whatever the tax rate is within certain bounds. that is one of the flaws of that analysis. host: with republicans having a

slim majority and the speaker losing four votes yesterday, that is all he could lose. what power do republicans have at the negotiating table with such a slim majority, to get any of the four dust reforms they want to see approved in some final piece of legislation? guest: we had the only proposal put on the table by either congress or the president to deal with this catastrophic debt. in that debt is having a huge impact on people's lives. we at the beginning of this administration printed and spent trillions of dollars that we don't have. that triggered the worst inflation in 40 years. a number of good democratic economists, accurate ones worried about that. it's mark agreed by the way.

if you had $100,000 you were able to save since inauguration day, it is worth only $80,000. when the president says i'm not going to negotiate that, he can't be serious. it is the most important issue our country is facing. why do they think we built that building at the center of this town with the dome on top? it is so late to talk these issues out, to negotiate, to compromise and it comes to presumably a wise and reasonable course for the nation. to say we are not negotiating is ludicrous. host: we are talking to congressman tom mcclintock this morning. republicans, (202) 748-8001,

democrats (202) 748-8000 and independents, (202) 748-8002. john in easton, pennsylvania, the democratic color. -- caller. caller: good morning. i have a few points to make with the representative. if you want to solve the problems about the debt ceiling, you go back to when george bush was president and he left the deficit for clinton and clinton islands the budget without help from the republicans. host: that is with help from republicans -- guest: that was with help from republicans but you are right on that point. caller: when young bush came along like an idiot, he destroyed the texas economy and

he decided he is going to start two wars, maim and mutilate 10,000 troops, and left with a $10 trillion deficit. republicans are always saying the democrats are doing it. obama with the health care bill. you people got bent out of shape for trying to help the american people stay alive. guest: this will surprise you but i agree with a lot of what you said. after bill clinton lost the house of representatives in 1984, he reached across the aisle. he worked with republicans and he did have republican help, a great deal. together they did a miraculous thing. by compromising, they performed a welfare system. they delivered one of the biggest tax cuts in american history and they balanced the budget four years in a row and

produced one of the biggest economic expansions in our nations history. that is what negotiating and compromising does. and clinton was reelected for it. all that biden has to do is sit down with republicans as though clinton did and work these issues through. i agree with you on that and also on george w. bush and the terrible job he did with the economy. we did get a tax cut, but the problem is he increased spending at a larger rate. once you have -- if you cut taxes but don't cut spending, you are not really cutting taxes. the spending can only be financed in one of three ways. it is financed either by direct taxes which reduce your current standard of living, it is financed by borrowing, which runs up huge interest costs as

we are seeing today, and it has to be paid back by your future taxes. at the same time it is crowding out capital that would be available to lend a business seeking to expand or home seeking to make purchases or consumers seeking to make purchases. or it is paid for by inflation. which is what this admin assertion is doing. once the government has decided to spend a dollar it has already decided to tax it. when we increase spending while cutting taxes, those taxes were shifted to rowing or inflation. host: --guest: borrowing or inflation. host: president trump did the same thing. guest: but he also had regulatory rollbacks. and the impact on various

businesses and commercial activity. host: in columbus, ohio, independent. caller: hi, is it me? host: you are on the air with the congressman. caller: i was eight united states marine corps veteran, i served in the infantry. i don't think this is what i served for most veterans have served for because there is a lot of talk about social security, which i think should be there, we easily raise the cap. i am no fan of joe biden, i just want things that make sense. we've got 800 something -- $850 billion every year to the tenant on budget and they failed to pass an audit five times. i want you to exclude -- explain how they continue to give the military almost $1 trillion

every year and they don't pass an audit. why should they continue to spend that much, the war in afghanistan is done, trump signed a deal with the taliban to make sure we would exit and biden finished that. the iraq war is done. why do we continue to spend almost $1 trillion on the pentagon budget? guest: it is a good question. i have always agreed with ronald reagan's view on defense spending. you spend what you need to spend in order to defend your country. and we do have rising threats particularly from china that we have to be aware of. and make preparations for, to be prepared for wars in the most effective way of preserving the peace, as george washington told us. there is waste in the pentagon

and we should go after that just as aggressively as we go after waste and other parts of the budget. the waste in the pentagon is the worst because it detracts from the dollars that should be spent in the defense of our country. host: martin, lancaster, california, republican. go ahead. caller: representative tom mcclintock, big fan. but i have a question. have you yet realized that nothing they do is from incompetence or lack of knowledge? they have heard your logic for years. they are communists and they intend to destroy the country. they are trying to destroy the country. i want to know how many country club republicans actually are pretty to this thing -- p rivy

-- privy to this staring in the face. we can't live at these people. host: are you talking about democrats? caller: i am. guest: it is true that things have become very bitter and partisan in recent years but i try to remind people there was a day in the capitol in 1856 when congressman preston brooks across the rotunda took his walking stick, entered the u.s. senate chamber and smashed it to pieces over the head of charles sumner of maine. his constituents responded to the act of violence by the representative by sending walking sticks to replace the one he had broken over his head. two years after that, abraham lincoln reminded us that a house divided against itself cannot stand. he said i do not expect the house to fall but i do expect it

will cease to be divided. it must become all one thing or all the other. he understood there are times in the history of a nation where two antithetical ideologies are vying for the future. they can't be compromised. they are polar opposites. our system is based on being able to compromise but there are certain principles that cannot be. lincoln understood freedom and slavery were two such principles. i think we have come full circle and the two antithetical principles are freedom and socialism. slavery and socialism stem from the same rotten principal that you work and toil and make bread and i will eat it. i think that is why things have become so bitterly partisan. we have a system that allows us to talk out these differences, to resolve them and move forward. i agree we are either going to

become another failed socialist state or we are going to see a rebirth of freedom. i think the american people are going to choose the latter. host: in maryland, steve, democratic caller. caller: yes, why is our federal government so incompetent and it seems to run across every level of our federal government? the legislative branch is going to bankrupt the greatest nation in the world. you sit on the budget committee. i giggle because i never see a budget. we have not done a budget, they have talked about it for the past 25 years up there. i will never understand the incompetence of our federal government. the good news is china will be here soon and i think we will all be the next set of -- you

have a nice day. host: i don't -- guest: i don't know how to address that. our system was not designed to make the best decisions, it was designed to make the best decisions that were acceptable to the majority of people. no system is perfect. but as churchill once observed, many points of government have been tried and will be tried and democracy is by far the worst except for all the others we have tried from time to time. the system that was given us by the american founders is a brilliant system to preserve our freedom and preserve the rights of every citizen to be heard, to be protected by due process of law, and to prosper in a free market. that is a lot good stuff.

and we are protecting it. as far as incompetence of congress, remember what mark twain once said. suppose dear reader you are a congressman and suppose you are an idiot but i repeat myself. we do the best we can with what we have got and somehow the country has moved forward through those years. host: i wanted your reaction to the wall street journal editorial, they call it a win for the speaker, about yesterday. the right that the disappointment is speaker mccarthy had to rewrite some of the bill early wednesday to appease eight members from the corn belt who ought to preserve tax credits for ethanol and other biofuel. the buildout retains several tax credits for biofuels and carbon capture. the concessions don't bode well for the gop's ability to stick together to roll back inflation reduction act green energy handouts business.

guest: i agree. but that is the role of a leader, to find that spot particularly with such a slim majority, that will be acceptable. it is not to make the best decisions, it is to make the best decisions that are acceptable to a majority. that is where we are. host: is it a good policy? guest: no, it is terrible. gingrich pointed out that in the compromises in 1994, they had to agree to a similar compromise he has fought his entire life, ethanol subsidies and the like. but he did because the sum total of the package moved us in the right direction. i think that is the case with this. but i agree with those sentiments. this is a racket. it is harmful to the economy and people's ability to make ends meet. and if we don't stop all of these subsidies, why don't we get back to a system of free

market economics? that is the most democratic system in the world. every consumer, every day in the free market votes with every dollar they spend on with the economy will produce and what prices they are willing to pay. that is a brilliant system. every time you subsidize something, you are distorting those decisions. and it harms the economy. if i could work my will we would get rid of every subsidy in the system and let people vote with their own dollars what they want and what they want and what they're willing to pay for it. host: those distortions have happened for decades. why when there is an inflection point do they continue to win out? but where are the rest of your colleagues on this issue? are you the majority? guest: the majority of congress, yes. i don't know. i am pretty sure i'm in the

majority of my conference. but the speaker is not a free agent. the speaker has to find that sweet spot where he can get the votes to put these measures through. that was a necessary and lamentable compromise but that is the system that we have and nobody has figured out a better one yet. host: newport, rhode island, independent. caller: i have a solution for you. when you stop paying people on social security, make sure it is 62 days -- for people that can't work. two, are you one of the republicans that decided that catch-up was a vegetable? -- catch up -- ketchup is a vegetable? host: what are you referring to? caller: the republican congress

in equated that it was a vegetable. guest: i don't know about that. but your point is correct. those who can't fend for themselves, there does need to be a safety net. but we have gone way beyond that with our welfare programs. it is one of the provisions that was passed yesterday. if you are an able-bodied single adult, you ought to be working or looking for work as a condition of receiving a welfare check. that is designed to protect the system for those who truly need it. host: peter your next, in new york, republican. what is your question further congressman? caller: i am a big fan. this is a bipartisan problem.

i have been a republican since 1980. i voted for ronald reagan. the issue was republicans wanted more military spending and the democrats wanted more social spending. so they kept spending and spending because their priorities were different. one issue that i had also was the 18 republican senators that voted for that omnibus bill last year. i am hoping that kevin mccarthy will go back to regular order and they can not wait until the end of the year to pass these huge budgets which is a big problem. the main problem is most americans don't understand basic economics. between federal, state and local taxes, the average american is paying over 50% of their income in taxes. the question is, who should spend your money? you who earned it or the

government redistributed? guest: i think you are right. that is the whole question. and it comes down to a question of freedom or socialism. do you have the right to what you have earned and to make your own decisions, or should the government take that right from you and make those decisions for you? that is a fundamental question. i hear all the time, capitalism is dog eat dog selfishness, taking care of yourself. socialism is sharing, taking care of others. it is backwards. the only possible way to prosper in a cast -- capitalist society is to figure out what somebody else needs and figure out a way to get it for them better than they can get it for themselves. socialism is taking what one person has earned by helping others and giving it to someone who hasn't. when it takes a dollar from peter and gives it to paul, it

robs both peter and paul of eight dollars worth of incentive to help each other. peter because he no longer profits from helping others and paul because he no longer needs to help others. that is why socialism always ends up producing misery and poverty and freedom always produces prosperity. that rising tide that lifts all boats as john f. kennedy once said. host: let's hear from adele in springfield, illinois. democratic color. caller: good morning. you just talked about socialism and five minutes ago you talked about ethanol subsidies. you believe in corporate welfare, but if some poor guy can't get a job or can earn enough, you want him -- guest: you misheard me.

i'm adamantly opposed to the subsidies and any form of corporate welfare. i think consumers ought to be making the decisions and driving the economy, not government officials handing out subsidies and credits and other advantages to their friends. that is destroying our economy. we are in agreement on this point. host: are you there? caller: yes. thank you for correcting me. by saying that does not change how they vote. they are in the same boat in the sense that democrats have a certain industry that they subsidize and there are other subsidies they want to subsidize. it has been going on for 50 years. guest: it is not a partisan issue. i think it is a critical one for this country. both parties are to blame and maybe we ought to start seeing

if we can organize a caucus of both republicans and democrats that will oppose all subsidies, all tax credits, all of these grants where we throw out money without following up on what is being spent. that is at the core of our problem in my judgment. caller: in saying that, do you believe having trump's taxes, you put it on the edit card, that $1.9 trillion, that goes toward our debt. guest: but again, those tax cuts, and it was not just the tax cuts, it was also the impact of the regulatory reforms, that was a larger portion of the stimulus, we ended up collecting more money after we cut those taxes then we have been taking it before. right now we are at the highest percentage of taxes per gdp

since world war ii. caller: last question, the 10 years that you had the budget at 3 trillion dollars, is there a freeze on your salary that you are imposing on others? guest: i was elected in 2008 and congress has not had an increase in all those years so my salary has been frozen now for 15 years. but i do think we need to be skeptical about all of the savings. i have argued that the only year that matters is the current year because that is the only year that we have control of. instead of talking about savings 10 years from now, we need to be focus on what we can save this year. if we do that successfully, the future will take care of itself. host: in california, a republican caller. caller: good morning, it is good

to see you. you are a very good congressman. kevin mccarthy is my congressman. but one of the few republicans we have left in california. i am struck by the fact that you are one of the few republicans i ever heard it the point that every time, going back to john kennedy that the taxes have been cut, the revenue to the government increases. every time. and if you would cut the capital gains tax, you would see an economic boom that would increase more money to the government. also i wish the republicans -- i think we are in for a shellacking in 2024. i don't think we react well when biden announced his candidacy, one of the first things he said was the republicans want to cut social security. i wonder, do you know of a

republican that is proposing we cut social security? which is not the program that everybody believes it is. one of the reasons social security is strained is they have included disability and things like that. some legitimate disabilities, drug addiction and all that, but in actuality probably is more welfare than social security. host: i have to jump in. guest: those who say don't touch social security, they are advocating a cut. in 2024, social security recipients will see an automatic 25% or so cut. that is wired in. that is going to happen. the question is, are we going to step in and make the modifications to the system that are necessary to prevent that from occurring?

but doing nothing, it guarantees a 25% cut across the board in benefits in 2034. that is the course we are currently on. host: he said republicans will take a shellacking in 2024. who do you think should be the candidate for the republican party? guest: i am leaning toward ron desantis. i don't agree on everything but i think we would have successful trump policies without drama. but a lot is going to unfold between now and then. my experience has been that the candidates you are talking about a year and a half before the election are seldom the same candidates you are talking about a week and a half before the election. host: the former president endorsed you. guest: and i think he did a superb job as president. he has a lousy communicator. oliver wendell holmes, jr. advice is something he should've taken. when you argue with your emotions you will never fail to

delight your supporters, infuriate your adversaries and alienate that middle group you need to persuade. if donald trump had been able to summon a little of his inner ronald reagan -- and all of my experience with him has been positive. but i think if he had been able to do that he would have been reelected in a landslide. host: you have some fans on the program. guest: i am a fan of c-span myself. it's you have got such a unique audience. they are always very well-informed. they span the political spectrum and they care about the future of our country. so i get a big lift every time i appear here and i thank you for having me. host: thank you. come back. we will take a short break and when we come back we will go to the other side of the aisle, congresswoman gwen moore, democrat of wisconsin will be here and we will talk about the debt ceiling debate.

stay with us. ♪ >> if you are looking at the constitution for review, the main thing should focus on our checks and balances. you need to know how different branches can limit each other. and then you can't go wrong with the bill of rights either because you know in the comparison question, you are going to be asked about aourt case that most definitely will be somewhere in the bill of rights. >> are you a student getting ready for the advanced placement government and u.s. politics exam? tune into washington journal saturday at 9:00 a.m. eastern for your cram for the exam, where we will take your questions on the test. join sunshine from el dorado high school in california who

will take your questions on the content and structure of the exam. watch the annual cram for the exam special saturday at 9:00 a.m. eastern on c-span's washington journal. ♪ >> fridays, c-span brings you afterward from book tv, a program where nonfiction authors are interviewed by journalists, legislators and others on their latest book. this week, ava chin, reflecting on her family's american experience across five nerations and the impact the chinese exclusion act had on her family and community. she is interviewed by yale professor mary lu. watch friday at 8:00 p.m. eastern on c-span. ♪ ♪ >> c-span campaigned 2024 coverage is your front row seat to the presidential election. watch our coverage of the

candidates on the campaign trail with announcements, meet and greets, speeches and events. to make up your own mind. campaigned 2024 on the c-span network. c-span now, our free mobile video app or any time online at c-span.org. c-span, your unfiltered view of politics. ♪ >> washington journal continues. host: joining us from capitol hill is congresswoman gwen moore, democrat of wisconsin, member of the ways and means committee. let's begin with how you voted on the debt ceiling proposal by republicans. guest: i voted no. absolutely. host: tell us why. (202) 748-8001 -- guest: this was not a bill brought forth in good faith. if i had to guess i would say there were many moderate republicans that held their noses and voted for it, crossing

their fingers, knowing this is d.o.a. in the senate. certainly if something were to happen where it would pass the senate, it would be vetoed by joe biden. there are many republicans, if you ask them in private, i have not had one single republican not say out loud that yes, we should raise the debt ceiling. and this queens gambit is definitely not going to work. they know it. to say that in order to pay the country bills and prevent a default on the countries credit, in order to stop us from going into what moody's calls a resection, we are going to demand that republicans agree to a 22% cut across the board in discretionary spending, hurting

everybody from veterans to close down social security offices, to clawing back energy investments. laying off people, losing workers. it was an easy note for me. -- no for me. host: pres. biden: he will not negotiate but republicans are the first to act in the house. they passed the bill. democrats can say they still won't negotiate but that is harder to do now that the house has passed the bill to raise the limit. guest: that was kevin mccarthy's message to his members. please vote for it. all of those unwilling folks who voted for it, please vote for it so we can say that we did something. this is a fig leaf. so that we can get to some of

the things we really want to do. we really want to make these cuts to crawl back, all of the stuff the democrats have done through the inflation reduction act, student loan debt, clawing back our ability to negotiate with drug companies. the $35 per month cap on insulin. benefits for veterans. talking about defunding the police, this bill strips billions of dollars from local law enforcement agencies, programs that provide funding to our local police agencies. 1200 fbi agents would be lost where this bill to pass and be signed into law.

this was not a serious bill. when you say it you want to negotiate with someone, you have to be negotiating in good faith. can one hand clap? no. host: let's listen to steve scalise, the majority leader for republicans in the house making the argument for work requirements that republicans put in the proposal. >> in america if you talk to any small business owner, they are looking for workers. everybody that wants to work is capable of working. that is not the case. president biden put in place over the last few years different changes to welfare so that people that are fully able-bodied, they are not turning down work, they're not even looking for work, some making over $35,000 a year to sit at home. that is costing taxpayers over $100 billion. what we say is frankly a question and a lot of people

have asked over the years. i'm going to read it to you. as the voters of the state of wisconsin presented just a few weeks ago, quote, shall able-bodied childless adults be required to look for work in order to receive taxpayer funded welfare benefits? straightforward. 79.5 percent of wisconsin voters if you weeks ago said yes, they should look for work before they get taxpayer benefits. should a single mom working two jobs have to pay for somebody sitting at home who chooses not to work? this is america, if you want to sit at home and not work, that is your prerogative. should you ask a hard-working taxpayer to pay for you $35,000 or more a year to sit at home when everybody is looking for workers? so we said let's put those requirements back in place, just like the voters of wisconsin said a few weeks ago. you would think the white house said that was a far-reaching

idea. most people get this. host: congresswoman gwen moore from wisconsin, how do you respond? guest: i want to solve that question. i was not surprised 80% of people voted for this way. we had commercials in wisconsin that did not capture the faith of people who were really seeking those benefits. these work requirements are really designed to take benefits away from the neediest people. i will give an example. about $11 billion over the decade would be saved by not providing medicaid to people with one provision, providing that people who are 50 years old -- they would raise the age to 55. so if you work a quote unquote able-bodied 55-year-old you

would have to work in order to receive medicaid. that would save a lot of money. there are a lot of people who are 55 who are not quote unquote able-bodied. they conflate welfare recipients , women who have children, maybe multiple children, barriers with so-called able-bodied people that they want to take benefits away from. snap. food stamps. what data shows is that 80% of people who receive snap have worked the year before or the year after they received snap. something happens in their family. in loss of a job, a debt, lowered wages. something has happened to create the need for this supplemental nutrition in a family.

this is all word salad nonsense to stir up anger based voters and make them feel jealous. people who receive medicaid, they are people who already work right now in the state of wisconsin. if you work every single weekday at every--at $7.50 an hour, you are working at a fast food restaurant. probably you could not get full-time work because these poor small businesses that asterisk police was talking about, if you got yourself two of these jobs, working $7.50 an hour, 40 hours a week, 52 weeks a year, you would make $15,080 a year and that would be just enough money to disqualify you from medicaid.

there is a lot of nonsense in this. with regard to -- recipients, over a decade they saved $6 million over a decade by requiring more people to work. because people who receive this are by far the most vulnerable people. they by definition are parents who have kids, dependent kids. most people on kanas our children and a majority of those are under age 12. they're not going to get many workers out of that population. this with regard to supporting small businesses, small businesses that have a business model that need to exploit people, pay them subpar wages, rely on part-time workers,

seasonal workers, immigrants, people who can be exploited. these are the kinds of small businesses that steve scalise is talking about that he wants to support. with the government-sponsored program that targets these workers, it forces them to work and never be able to lift themselves out of poverty through this work. host: let's get to calls. people are waiting to talk to you. pete in independence, ohio, independent. caller: how are you? guest: great. caller: i wanted to talk about the previous segment with commerce meant mcclintock. person who said that ketchup was a vegetable was ronald reagan. he also came up with trickle-down economics, which has not worked.

one of the biggest myths is that if you lessen taxes, somehow the economy grows when it grows for the wealthy. bill clinton did away with the act that led to a meltdown in 2008. before that, 60% of the american population was middle-class. 40% of the american population is middle-class since then. as the congresswoman said, there is rose poverty in our nation. people who are on welfare and medicaid, they need that. remember when george w. bush complemented the woman for having three jobs? that is ridiculous. the last thing i would like to say is that matthew desmond, professor at princeton who wrote

"evicted" and "poverty by america" states that if we audited the top 1% likely audit everybody else, we would have $175 billion extra in revenue. he also estimated that is how much it would cost annually to basically eradicate poverty. thank you for your service, congresswoman. guest: that was a lot to unwrap. i will comment on the last thing he talked about. with the tax cuts and jobs act, we increase the deficit by $2 trillion, providing those benefits to the wealthiest americans. and part of this bill that we passed yesterday was eliminating the 87,000 irs agents that

really just bring us back up to where we need to give regular customer service to people. but i am also on the committee that tried to examine the audit of presidential and vice presidential audits of their taxes. the irs could not audit trumps taxes because they did not have the personnel. the background, experience and resources to do it. right now, a conservative estimate of how much revenue the united states is losing through tax sheets is half trillion dollars to $1 trillion a year. we have a voluntary tax system so if my daughter who is a schoolteacher gets her w-2 and

we get every dime of texas she owes because she does not have any means of hiding it, it is not fair for her to pay all of the taxes that she oldies and for people to regularly get away with up to $1 trillion tax cheating because they know that the irs has no capacity to examine them. so the 87,000 ages, who will not have ar-15's, many of them will just be trying to keep people from holding on for five hours on the line waiting for someone to answer their questions. so i think you for that part of your question. host: anthony in chicago, independent. caller: good morning. that is going to be a hard call to follow. that was a smart caller.

my question for you, we heard in that last segment from representative's police, talking about what i think are draconian work requirements, especially at a time now, workers in the united states are competing against a couple of different things. you touched down on some of it and that is the issue of real wages being in a complete nose drive -- nosedived especially with inflation or price gouging for essential goods. it is occurring rapidly. so it is decreasing the amount of money. left over and makes it hard to sustain a job if you are struggling to pay the rent which is often 50% of your income, to state in a job that is not paying you and you have to work 60 hours of the week. coupled with that, the federal reserve is aggressively raising interest rates. what is their target? they said they want to target higher unemployment in order to

decrease inflation. this is a double whammy that is putting more pressure on the boot on the neck of the workers that is going to be very hard for anyone to get by and get through. and coupling work requirements at a time when the federal reserve's policy is to increase unemployment is just inhumane. host: i will have the congresswoman spohn. guest: -- respond. guest: you raise interesting points. there is debate of did they raise interest rates too late, maybe if they had done it more gradually we would not see this. there was a time when the minimum wage was still five dollars, seven dollars $.50 an hour. there is no effort that anybody in the federal government can make to raise it beyond that. the poor small businesses that steve scalise talks about, they

want to exploit these workers for $7.50 an hour and there is nowhere in america that you can find a two bedroom apartment when you are making $15,080 year and still feed yourself. there is nowhere in america, i don't care if it is manhattan or rural mississippi, can you live off of $7.50 an hour. yet as you point out, they want to make it harder for workers. here you are, needing medicaid. they want to raise the age to 55 before you can get it. you need snap and already people are working. what is the target here? that is a great question. what are they trying to do other than to message to their base

that we need to completely cut off the social safety net for everyone in order to be able to maintain tax breaks for the wealthiest in our economy? this bill that we passed does not take one from the $2 trillion of tax cuts we provided for the corporations. not one dime from the defense of our country. but it takes millions from veterans health care, seniors health care. it says it does not close -- touch social security but we would have to close social security offices if this was still signed into law. everybody will suffer under this bill. homebuyers, mortgages will balloon under this bill. everybody will be harmed except the wealthiest. host: diane in jacksonville,

florida. republican. you're talking with the congresswoman. caller: good morning, congresswoman moore. i have one question and i want to maybe rally republicans that happen to be african-american. i love my party. but i don't think there is anything wrong with asking young ladies, maybe not 55, but what is wrong with asking some 30-year-old or 20 something-year-old that is not doing anything but sitting home watching tv while i'm going to work, what is wrong with -- if they don't want to pay them and they don't feel like they are getting paid justly, why can't they do public service? that would help out. they could pick up trash off the side of the road. there is a lot they can do to

get back to their country. host: let's get a response. guest: thank you for raising this. people want to work. they really do. and i'm grad you brought up national service because that is a real option for some young people who are looking to give back to the community. but the notion that if you are 30 years old, that you don't deserve to have an income -- if you are 30 years old, say you want to get married, who will marry you if you are making $7.50 an hour and you don't have health care bring to the table, you don't have sick days to bring to the table? would you be a good parent? no. it is just as much a myth that there are 30-year-olds sitting around, getting welfare benefits

, just as false as this notion of some welfare queen. if you are 30 years old and able-bodied, these are people who have figured out. they are not sitting around on medicaid, unless for example they were on their motorcycle without a helmet and found themselves in a crash and did not have health insurance and they could not afford to pay their hospital bills. they would be on medicaid as far as the charity care of the hospital. but other than that they are not getting medicaid. these are people who are not eligible to apply for medicaid if they are able-bodied and 30 years old right now. that is a talking point so that someone decent like you would begrudge the larger population of people on medicaid. medicaid primarily are children, babies, seniors in nursing homes.

that is the full complement practically of people who are on medicaid. it is not 30 years old playing video games, saying that is not real. host: the economy grew slower than expected. i asked because usa today has a piece about the president seeking a second term. they say the economy remains the americans top concern according to a reuters poll, with 66% saying the economy is on the wrong check dr. track. it is the main driver behind bidens approval rating of 39%, near the lowest of his presidency. are you concerned? guest: of course. which is one reason why i think

it was so brave and bold of democrats and bided to put forth the progressive agenda they did. it was going to take a wild to onboard some of the benefits we have seen. everywhere i go i'm beginning to see cranes as they spring construction season is coming into view. that is going to make a real difference in the growth of our economy the next couple of quarters. the ability to negotiate drug prices is going to put money into people's pockets. this $35 a month for insulin is a big deal for seniors. as we onboard other benefits like -- it is going to take a wile for the supply chain disruption to stop. but that is going to onboard before the next election and i believe we are going to see a

swing in the sentiment, the public sentiment. they are to recognize how much this president has done for the country. and despite declarations that covid is over, the impact of covid is still with us. we are still catching up and i'm confident we are going to see a slow growth, but moving in the right direction. host: congresswoman, we thank you for your time. we appreciate you coming on and talking to our viewers and we will look forward to the next conversation with you. guest: so good to be with you. host: the house will gavel in any second. it will be brief, they will then recess to prepare for and addressed by the south korean president to a joint meeting of congress happening later this morning at 11:00 a.m. eastern time. we will have live coverage on

c-span on our website, c-span.org. you can also download our free mobile app, c-span now. after the house gavel's out, we will come back here on the washington journal and be joined by the wilson center to discuss the visit and u.s. policy toward south korea. live coverage of the house.