i do want to thank, elizabeth and ashley and peter kernen for not lag the at me too much. here is the opportunity for the next guy, neil cavuto, to have a good ol' chuckle at me. neil: i live in a big glass house. who am i to, unless you count subway sandwiches curling them. not the same. not the same. thank you, stuart. we are following up on what you have been reporting all morning, with the president focused on jobs, jobs, jobs. holding a ceo town hall. infrastructure a way to bo way beyond our roads and bridges is on tap. take a look. >> we're talking about building roads and highways. we're taking about a major infrastructure bill of trillion dollars, perhaps even more and we have to do our jobs. if we say we're giving to new york city hundreds of millions of dollars to build a road someplace.

it doesn't help if they can't start, because it is going to take seven 1/2 areas to get the permits, all right. so the president indicating today, besides tax cuts which the financial community would love to see, this idea of infrastructure and all companies behind that, they're going to see as well, better than a trillion dollars worth, not again just for roads and bridges but cyber, utilities expansion, that sort of thing. among the participants of today's pow-wows of ceos, 17th p.o.w. woe of this president, more than barack obama had in eight years and more than george w. bush by the way. this includes the nyse and equity and options exchanges, tom farley, very good to have you. thanks for joining us. >> great to be here. thanks so much. neil: what was the sense you got out of the president how likely and soon this will come to pass? >> let me say it was a really good morning, a productive

morning. he came in the room with his busyingnal stance and that's what he did. his quest to reduce regulation and taxes. there wasn't a lot of specifics about timing. he talked about the complicated permitting for federal projects that can take 10 years. he wants to see regulation reduced smartly. he was very clear to say to protect the investing public and projects down to one year permitting process. he joked four months is the ideal number. he would settle for a year. neil: did you get a sense from the president he is going to day focused on this? a lot of his admirers wince when he veers off track, talks about russia, media, when he is on message with this, he is on fire? >> yeah, i can tell you a question for me coming in. i suspect for colleagues, ceos

from new york elsewhere who were here today just judging by the performance the president had i can tell you he subdued my concerns quite a bit. like i said, on message. he came in, vice president pence introduced the 45th president, president trump, and he started by saying he wants to be the most business-friendly president ever. president trump backed h right up by going through althe business-friendly thin he wants to do and tied it to jobs and creating a more healthy economy. improving the standard of living for everyone, including as president trump stated 100 million out of work, technically unemployed and also those unemployed but do not fall in the 4.6% unemployment rate. neil: from the financial perspective, markets perspective, nyse has been on fire. the you guys had a big one, snap, we're seeing a lot more of that sort of thing. do you think the president's

agenda is a big reason for that? >> yeah, unquestionably. that is manifest, business confidence has improved. consumer confidence has improved since the election. the dow jones was all the way down near seven teen thousand on the night of the election -- 17,000. the futures were diving and it is up what, 15%. neil: do you worry about the markets with a draw back, still priced for perfect, if this doesn't pan out or tax cuts delayed or even denied or only corporate tax cut or individual rates are pushed back does that unsettle you or what? >> generally i'm somebody who worries and gets concerned about what could go wrong and that's why i'm here today. that is why i made the decision to come to advocate on behalf of listed companies with the partnership with new york city was we need to see deeds follow the words. we need to see actions follow the words in order to have confidence that the economy will continue to improve. we have the highest corporate

income tax among all developed countries. your viewers know that. that doesn't make sense in this day and age where it is very competitive global marketplace, we need to see smarter, sensible taxes. we need to see smart, sensible regulation that still protects in my case, investors. investors who use the new york stock exchange, in general the investing public and general public but we can do that without the labyrinth of regulations we put on businesses many of whom were here today in the white house. neil: we live very quickly in the high-tech world. you witnessed that of course first-hand on the days we had thousands of guys on the floor of new york stock exchange. i think 600 today. you see the number shrinking down even more? >> the time i've been on the new york stock exchange it has been static, maybe creeped up a few, and the reason is we have tremendously sophisticated technology as you imagine. you don't hear me or us talk about a very often but we process 10 of billions of transactions.

but the humans are what make us unique, opening and closing trade of new york stock exchange, which represent 6 1/2% of total volume for companies listed on the new york stock exchange, those are overseen by humans, allower volatility and tighter offer spread. it is blend of good old-fashioned humans and technology makes us what we are. make us get all the leading ipos that you referred to. neil: tom farley, good charting with you, nyse president, tom farley outside of the white house, part of an elite group of ceos getting a chance to talk to the president. >> thank you very much, see you, neil. neil: as tom was pointing out here, does the president need to focus on this sort of stuff, jobs, jobs be jobs? not all the ancillary issues not that they're important and russia who knew what was talking to when, real media, fike news, inbetween news. charlie what do you think? the here was a guy, ceo in the

brokerage community saying you keep your eye on these jobs everything will be just fine. what do you think? >> listen, tom farley has to be there because he represents the new york stock exchange. that is where all listed companies who want a corporate tax cut and that's the message i believe they gave him today, trump, in the nicest possible way. listen, all you have to-do listen to you over the last three months to say, to know the very, the reality is this. if donald trump goes you through with his economic plans, which is getting rid of regulations, getting rid of some taxes, getting down corporate tax rate, maybe fixings obamacare, this economy is poised to take off. that is what the markets say, if he gets mired in what he is mired in, i question his managerialabilities, susan rice, twitter fights, attacking fake

news, that will prevent them from getting stuff he needs to get done done. that is what the markets tell you. the trump rally has not been much of a rally last couple weeks because of that. neil: maybe that could change. obviously all the folks tell him the same thing, keep on message. don't worry about the distractions, when you're focused on this, this is your knitting, this is the greatest comfort to talk about fellow business titans and like, talk about how you get more jobs, you get to that message, you can't help but succeed. what do you think? >> i like hearing him talk like this. this is obviously his language. this is are with he thrives. this is what he he is used to. he has been doing this for decades. he sounds incredibly informed on these issues. i think he still playing within the framework of mainstream media. he has to realize. every time he tweets, it gives left and media ammunition to poison the public. the more he gets poisoned against him the approval getting

down which is pretty low, more difficult to get moderate republicans or tuesday republicans or democrats to compromise on infrastructure plans, he really needs. poll numbers shows left base does not want them to compromise with trump at all. neil: this whole gorsuch thing proves that. ed martin, how many republicans can he corral together? do you think revisiting health care as he is doing right now is wise idea? could he run across the same roadblocks? do they have to address rework of health care to get to the tax thing? i could see as another nightmare for him? >> with all due respect to the three of you, you i would poppings trump as different kind of a ceo. he is more of an entrepreneur. he thrives on meeting with the chinese leadership in three days and gorsuch on friday and health care. rand paul was out with him golfing. obama liked to play golf with his pals. trump likes to play golf with people he wants to get things done with. rand paul comes out and supports

the president not once and twice. neil: but to charlie's point he gets distracted on these things. might be legitimate distractions that tick him off. do they get in the way of progress, that is all i'm saying? >> look he has to be a big leader. he is demanding china take care of north korea. i think he will demand that of his role. he can't play only one part. he will play all of them. i think he is succeeding. >> neil, you hit the nail on the head here, i covered donald trump as manager. he wasn't a very good manager. he is a great salesman, a great branding person. he wasn't a great manager. he is now in a role where he has to be a manager. my one question is this, this is what markets and a lot of people are saying, is donald trump temper mentally suitable to be normal for a long period of time where he can manage through this stuff and stay away from the craziness. i don't know. neil: we know he is in his knitting in miss comfort zone when meeting with these kind of guys. 17th such pow-wow, emily. he is comfort with the group. where do you see this going.

>> i mean -- neil: emily first. >> okay. i was going to say, more you have those clips you showed on the news, more the american people he see the president in that environment, where he is fantastic that is huge for him. so the more he gets media to focus on that the better. he is master manipulator of media. if he figures out a way to do that, awesome. he will have a lot of support. >> this is my one caveat. he did it during the state of the union. markets went up 300 points. guess what he did after that? he went crazy town on twitter, markets went down. that is the conundrum. neil: leaving crazy town moments aside. that is in the eye of the beholder, do you think the president now, meeting with these ceos to the degree he has, is going to get the bang for the buck and all the meetings here? that they're committing jobs? the vice president made a point half a million created under his watch, two months of jobs reports we've had.

this will, will pay dividends? these type of meetings will pay dividend for him? >> well, look what i think is the president as a master persuader. what he has done, psychology of the economy is getting better and better. so these ceos will go back and farley will go back on top of how the president was. out here in america, out here in the real america,wer want to see a guy tang ooblems that we're seeing on the hill we want to see him taking on powers that be in the intelligence community. guys, he is, you said, you're right, i disagree. he is not a ceo, you're a salesman. the president is never ceo. he has to have better team, bannon, priebus everybody doing their job, he has to sell america getting better and he is doing it. the poll numbers -- >> failed at his first sales job. he failed miserably. >> that's okay. everybody that sells know you fail -- >> that's a big one. >> approval rating. >> sell nine times to get the 10th sale. don't say he is failing at sales.

>> when it comes to failure, dollars to doughnuts, get health care passed because a lot of people believe the tax cuts are premised on it he failed. he -- neil: not all on him. >> some of it is. >> of course not. don't you think every salesman, every great salesman would tell you that they fail seven, eight, nine times out of 10 and they keep making better and more progress. trump went back to the drawing board, we'll do better. that sounds like maturity leader to me. >> i went to school in missouri, the show-me state. show me. show me. >> i think he is showing you. he is a president of the united states. neil: that is profound right there. >> every great management takes ownership when they fail. neil: still early, guys. not even 100 days into this thing. meantime, we do know that president is revisiting health care. some people are critical of that already, saying if look at first you didn't succeed why risk failing yet again? the republican leader, kathy mcmorris rogers why they're going about this and why she is

very hopeful this time they will geit right, right after this. ♪

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one votes of one caucus, one group, that we get votes and consensus of 216 of our members. that is where we are. premature to say where we are, what we're on because we're at the conceptual stage right now. neil: no indications from the speaker today how soon they will have the health care reworked out. kathy mcmorris rogers is with us. >> we're having conversations right now member to member, colleague to colleague, having those conversations. the real issue comes down to preexisting conditions. for me and many of my colleagues, the president, that is the principle which we need to make sure protected is move forward, those with preexisting conditions, have confidence they will get access to health

insurance plans as we move forward. there is encouraging conversations. we're continuing to move in the right direction. neil: now you mentioned preexisting conditions, congresswoman, there are some in the conservative freedom caucus among others who were not keen on that. that should not be an outright guarranty. want it watered down a little bit. i take it from your remarks that you disagree strongly with that? >> i do. i'm encouraging some members that were no are rethinking their positions. those are the conversations -- neil: rethinking their position on preexisting conditions, congresswoman? >> and how to write this legislation in a way that will insure those with preexisting conditions are protected, but also can satisfy the, the key goals of bringing down premiums and returng the policy and decision making to the state level. vice president mike pence is having, really leading a lot of these discussions right now. neil: you know the process of the house, and by extension of

the senate far better than i, were do you bother revisiting the health care thing, given all the wounds getting it out the first go round? is it integral to addressing tax cut thing? because the consensus seemed to be, republicans are in broader agreement on tax cuts than they are on this thing? >> it is very important that we get it right but we remain united with the goal, this is actually part of our mission, to repeal and replace obamacare. we know that the current path is not acceptable. even democrats will say that there needs to be some changes. neil: why put it before tax cuts? >> well, the vehicle that we have put forward means that we got to do it before we start moving on the budget. the reconciliation process we think, i think, most effective way to get a bill through the senate and on to the president's desk. my goal is results. it is not about having a show vote. this is about getting results,

process in which we will be able to get a bill on president's desk. neil: so this means that you got to settle this health care thing one way or the other before you can mover on to taxes, right? >> you know, i'm not going to put a timeline on it. we're working through it. it remains a priority. tax reform is also a priority. as you think about what is going to take to get our economy growing, get people back to work, get innovation going in this country, tax reform is at the top of the list and republicans are very excited to get g. both of these are going to be, remain at the top of the list as we continue through the next few weeks and months. neil: a few weeks and months to deal with the health care thing? >> you know, we're just going to keep it going until we get to the place where we have the votes we need. neil: are you of the mind-set, congresswoman, that you want to deliver on the corporate tax cuts and corporate tax reform, and maybe individual rates could come next year?

>> i am of the mindset to get, i would like to move both individual and corporate tax reform at the same time. we have the highest corporate tax rates in the world. we need to bring those down. individuals sufficient irunder very complicated, costly tax code. as you think about giving certainty, allowing individuals to keep more hard-earned taxpayer dollars i believe it is important we do those together so we're providing certainty to everyone this country. neil: is it certain as well, congresswoman, that the likelihood of getting any democrats to join you in this effort is well unlikely and maybe given the back and forth over gorsuch as a reminder of how poisoned the well is for cooperation between the parties? so if you pursue this health care thing as you are, and tax cut thing as you want to, that it will come without democratic support? >> i believe that, if we can get through this first hurdle on health care reform, that we will

be able to move other aspects of health care reform in a bipartisan way. i co-chair the rural health caucus. i'm working with my co-chair, ron kind, democrat, we're working together on provisions that are important to rural health, on reimbursements for rural health hospitals, for example, and other providers. we will continue to work on those type of provisions and we'll do it in a bipartisan way. so i believe there is an opportunity to work in a bipartisan way as we move forward. neil: chairwoman, finally i want to get your sense the way donald trump was very angry at the freedom caucus for blocking this reform effort. it wasn't perfect but it was far better than obamacare, that he was even considering primary challenges against some of them. justin amash, for example, of michigan, to send that message. what did you think of that, how do you feel about that?

>> i see that donald trump is someone who want to keep his word. he wants to keep his promises. one of the promises that donald trump made was to repeal and replace obamacare. and the bill that is under consideration right now is an important first step. it is not the end-all, be of-all but takes an important first step. it is underlying bill, the base of the bill, that we put on president barack obama's desk last year that he vetoed. neil: members that don't share the view or giving primary challenge for them if they don't go along? >> president trump continues to keep the lines of communication open. that i think is going to be most important, that he and the house members, the senate members, we are united around this goal. we need to keep the lines of communication open to get results. so we get the bill on president's desk. those members, as i have conversations with them, they, they are encouraged too.

they wantoe a part of the solution. they want to, many of them told me they want to get to yes. that is where we need to be. neil: all right. kathy mcnorris rogers, house gop conference chairwoman. good seeing you again. >> thank you. neil: meantime the president is about to address unions right now. they're on board with a lot of these big infrastructure plans he has. what we didn't know going into today, this is a lot more than roads and bridges. this is cyber, this is utilities, this is high-tech. this is maybe a lot more than just a trillion dollars. after this.

neil: all right. want to go to washington. the president right now is going to be making some remarks at 2017 north american building trade unions national legislative conference. a lot of big union members there. big supporters i might point out during the campaign for hillary clinton but a lot of them have liked the message they're getting out of a president who reopened that pipeline and jobs that come with it, and a lot of other initiatives he has taken, gotten him kudos from the uaw, afl-cio, the president of the united states addressing them.

>> i know these people well. i know them too well. they cost me a lot of money. i spent a lot of money. i love them. they're great and their people are fantastic. nobody does it like you people, right? nobody. we talked about that, incredible, incredible people. so it's greatoe back with america's builders. [applause] so did you ever think you would he see a president who knows how much concrete and rebar you can lay down in a single day? believe me, i know. i know. [applause] we're a nation of builders, and it was about time we had a builder in the white house, right? we have a builder. [applause] i want to thank sean mcgarvey and the entire governing board of presidents for honoring me with this great invitation.

and i love that it is in washington because i don't have to travel very far. worked out pre well, i'll tell you, five minutes. sean took part in one of our very first meetings at the white house, he mentioned it. and i promise you america's labor leaders will always find an open door with donald trump. [applause] always. just look at the amazing talent assembled here. we have iron workers, insulators -- [cheering] never changes, does it with the iron workers. let's hear it. laborers. [cheering] painters. [cheering] fitters. [cheering] plumbers. [cheering] operators. [cheering]

they're operators all right, i will tell you that. electricians. [cheering] not that good. where is my local 3? where is local 3. that wasn't that good. they became so rich they don't have to -- [laughter]. let's do that again. electricians. here that is better. bricklayers. [cheering] boilermakers. [cheering] elevator constructors. [cheering] good job. sheet mattel workers. can. [cheering] roofers. [cheering] placerrers. placerrers -- plasterers. another about that. not sure i can do much. we brought back the coal miners. i'm not sure about the plasterers, okay? we'll do the best we can. we'll do the best we can, okay? how about the cement masons. [cheering]

of course our wonderful teamsters. [cheering] that wasn't very good, james. >> right here. you're really the backbone of america, with the talent in this room we can build any city at anytime and we can build it better than anyone. [applause] but we're going to do even better than that, together, we are going to rebuild our nation. [cheering] you're the keepers of the great trades and traditions that built our country. from the new york skyline, to the golden gate bridge, you represent the workers whose hands, skills an dreams will build the great landmarks of our future. every day your members live out, what i call the american creed.

they're on the job before dawn, and after dusk, and they never quit until that job is done. you know that. true. [applause] true. we saw this grit on display when the construction trades help rebuild new york city after 9/11. [applause] that was a terrible time. we were all there. that was a terrible time in this country's history. worst attack in the history of our country. worse than pearl harbor. pearl harbor they were attacking military. here they were attacking civilians. worst attack. i saw what happened within a very short period of time we were back rebuilding. and rebuild you did. i really congratulate. that took a lot of courage and a lot of strength. thank you. [applause] the fact is, you take pride in

every part of your work, joist, bolt and rivet. you're not only builders but artisans. are very talented people. a lot of people don't understand you're very talented people. enriching our cities and landscapes with works of great beauty. just as you take pride in your work, our nation takes great pride in you, believe me. time to give you the level playing field you deserve. [applause] [cheers and applause] thank you. thank you, fellows. washington and wall street have done very, very well for themselves. now it's your turn, and you're

going to be also sharing the wealth. [applause] d you know, for many years we've been taken advantage of by other countries, all over the world they took advantage of us. we had leaders that didn't have a clue or worse. that's not going to happen anymore, folks, that's not going to happen. you see what is going on right now. in fact the trade deficit went way down, just announced before i got on stage. and i will tell you, we'll have a whole different set of values when it comes to representing our country. that i can tell you right now. [applause] this election was all about returning power to the people. i spent my life working side by side with american builders. now you have a builder as your president. [applause]

one of my first acts as president was to stop one of the great sellouts of the american worker. i immediately withdrew the united states from the disaster this would have been a disaster, this would have been another nafta which by the way, is a disaster. i took you out of the trans-pacific partnership. [applause] thank you. that one wasn't even close. and you know it, and i know it, everybody knows it. next i cleared the way for the construction of the keystone xl and dakota access pipeline. [applause]

and it's looking like that's going to have about 42,000 jobs involved, those two jobs. that is some number of great people. [applause] that's a big, big, beautiful, a lot of people. and sean actually, and the whole group joined me in the oval office when we approved the keystone permit. and i joke, and i joked that day, i said, can you imagine the head of this big canadian any in this case, they build pipelines. d they fled. didn't work. they paid millions and millions, and hundreds of millions of dollars to consultants and lawyers and they failed. and it was over. and then one day trump wins and a few days later, they get a knock on the door, sir, the

keystone pipeline was just approved. can you imagine? i want to see the expression on his face. he is a nice guy. they came to the office because you know i did say, you have to use american steel, you have to fabricate it here. they had already bought 60, 70% of it, so you can't be too wild, right? [applause] but i was signing the order. i said where did they buy the steel? i didn't like the answer. i said who fabricated the steel? i didn't like the answer. i said from now on, we'll put a clause, got to be made in america. we want american steel, made in america, right own -- [cheers and applause] 100%, folks. right? you'll be hearing more about this in the very near future, but as time goes by, let's say

over the next seven and 3/4 years, meaning eight years, we believe in two simple rules, buy american and hire american. that is what it is going to be. [applause] that is not just a slogan. that's a promise, believe me, that's a promise. the era of economic surrend hears come to an end. it has come to an end. we are surrendered as a country to outside interests. the era of economic victory for our country has just begun. you will he see. no longer will we listen to those consultants who made one wrong prediction after another. delivering nothing but soaring trade deficits and a big, fat, shrinking workforce. for decades now we've watched as our factories have shuttered,

almost 70,000 factories. our jobs have been stolen, and blue-collar wages haveecli we've seen the economic pain inflicted on our fellow americans in pittsburgh and detroit and baltimore. we didn't just offshore our jobs, we offshored a big, big part of the american dream. we enriched foreign countries at the expense of our own country, the great united states of america. but those days are over. [applause] i'm not, and i don't want to be the president of the world. i'm the president of the united states, and from now on, it's going to be america first. [applause] we're going to bring back our

jobs, and yes, we're going to bring back the american dream. as i travel the nation, i heard pleas of the forgotten men and women of our country, people that work hard and who play by the rules but don't have a voice. together, we are their voice and they will never, ever, be forgotten again. that i can tell you. [applause] i don't know if you saw, but if you watched the democrats now, the anger, the anger and hatred and they're trying to figure out where did all these people came that voted for donald trump. remember they said, because the electoral college is very, very hard, they say almost impossible for republicans to win. the odds are stacked. they would say, there is no way to 270. you need 2 it 70. there is no way to 270. i heard that so much for a year.

i kept saying maybe i shouldn't be running you know, sean? maybe i shouldn't run. there is no way. the people are telling me, the same people say all the bad stuff. they're saying it is no way to 270 but there was a way to 306. but wasn't than an exciting one? places that nobody anticipated -- donald trump has won the state of michigan. they go, what? donald trump has won the state of wisconsin. they came you out of the blue. and we didn't even need them and we love those two states because we won the state of pennsylvania, and we won ohio and iowa, north carolina, south carolina, and florida, and some others. we ran the coast. if you don't run it, you can't win. huge disadvantage. electoral college very, very tough. almost i'm possible for a republican to win. i had the report i would say, i would say almost everybody in

this room. we had tremendous, we had tremendous support. no, we did. we had tremendous support. [applause] we had tremendous support. and i'll tell you we really had the support of the workers. we had tremendous support of the workers. would you like to make a change, folks? would you like to make a change? because if anybody wants to make a change, you won't be having so many jobs, that i can tell you. your jobs will be a whole different story. because in the last decade you lost over 750, think of this, 750,000 construction jobs. real wages in the construction sector have fallen more than 15% since the 1970s. we rank 19 ninth in the world for -- 39th the in the world for crux permitting. approvals for problem projects can take 10 years. i signed one action after another, to eliminate

job-killing regulations that stand in our way. i had a chart. is that chart around here someplace? do you have that? i have to show this chart here, because it is amazing actually. [laughter]. this is, if you want to build a highway the united states, these are some of the permits that you need. it is a process that can take way over 10 years, and just never happens. at the end of the period they vote against it. we're getting rid of many of these regulations. you have to go through 17 agencies. [applause] many permits in each agency. in february alone we added almost 60,000 new construction jobs, in the country. i ordered expedited environmental reviews for infrastructure, environmental

and energy projects, all across the country. no longer will you have to wait year after year, for approvals that never come. i also took historic action to lift the restrictions on american energy production, and to put our miners, who have been treated horriblyback to work. consumer confidence -- [applause] they're great people. consumer confidence is at the highest level in more than a decade. you've seen all of the charts. all of the studies. the national association of manufacturers just the other day can reported the most optimism in the entire history of its survey. this is an old survey. 93% of manufacturers are optimistic about the future. so almost 27% lower than that just a few months ago. the homebuilders confidence

index at its highest level in 12 years, and now in breaking news, it was just reported today, the monthly u.s. trade deficit declined by 10%, for a reason, not by accident, believe me, for a reason. we're also going to protect your jobs by protecting our borders. my administration in just a matter of weeks, literally, short period of time, has brought record reductions to illegal immigration. record reductions. [applause] down 61% since inauguration. general kelly is doing a fantastic job. and we'll crack down on visa abuses that undermine the american worker, and we're doing that right now. [applause] these and so many other achievement have defined our first 10 weeks in office.

we've done so much, for the worker, done so much for the military. we've done so much for the police officers. our men in blue and women in blue, who are not treated fairly. we're fighting for workers of all backgrounds, and from all walks of life. but to achieve true progress, we must remember our legacy. we're the nation that built the tallest skyscrapers. on what was once the hudson river, and put in. eon lights of las vegas in the desert. if the government punishes america's builders we'll not be on that nation any longer. i'm calling on all-americans, democrat, republican, independent, take part in the great rebuilding of our country. that is why -- [applause]

that is why in my address to congress i called on lawmakers to pass legislation that produce as one trillion dollar investment in the infrastructure of our country. and we need it. [applause] with your help we can rebuild our country as bridges, airports, seaports and systems. long delayed projects can finally move ahead and with will taxes on america's middle see a new rge of economic growth and development. all of you have come to the nation's capitol to call members of the house and senate to action. you've also called your president to action. when you see them, you can tell

congress that america's building trades and its precedent are very much united. [applause] [cheers and applause] together we are ready to break new ground. we will build in the spirit of one of the great projects in our nation's history, an enduring symbol of american strength. the empire state building was forged in the great depression, and provided jobs for more than 3,000 workers. we've all seen the pictures. rugged workers perched dozens and dozens of stories up in the air. workers liked these moved almost 60,000 tons of steel, installed

200,000 cubic feet of stone and laid 10 million bricks to build that american icon and they did the job in a record time, 13 month. hard to believe. think of that. empire state building, built in 13 months during the depression. now adays you couldn't even get a building permit or approval in that amount of time. when the workers that secured the last piece of steel, that amazing and beautiful structure, they marked the moment as we still do today with what is called a topping out ceremony. 1,050 feet above new york city, they hoisted a great big, and beautiful american flag. [applause] [shouting] >> they did a good job.

they did a good job, those iron workers, you better believe it. it was an american flag that represented american projects. the big, bold, and daring dream of one man, and then one city, and then finally one people. that banner marked our nation's proud climb to the top of the world. our people endured through the hardships of depression and battles of world war ii, and they emerged from these trials stronger and more united than ever before. now we must again summon that same national greatness to meet the challenges of our time. only miles from the halls of congress and newsrooms of washington you will find once-thriving cities marred by empties to the and booming industrial towns that are rusted and in total disrepair. standing before me today in this very hall are the men and women

who have given the chance, can transform these community. you are the citizens who can rebuild our cities, revive our industries, an renew our beloved country. and i know you will stop at nothing to get the job done. [applause] for the rest of their lives everyone who worked on the empire state building knew when they looked up at the great new york skyline, that they had lifted the stars and stripes atop the tallest flagpole on earth. somewhere high above the city streets their place in history was carved into beams of steel. in the future when we become the trials, and we are trials of our times, we too will emerge stronger, and more united than ever before. it's happening. you watch.

when we rise above the cynics and critics who live only to defend the status quo, and to defend themselves from failure, then we too will construct a lasting monument to lasting greatness. in the future our nation's craftsmen will look at way out at the vast open landscape and they will build new bridges and new schools and new landmarks and they will proudly raise up for all to see our bright and beautiful american flag. and when we see that flag, we will remember that we all share one american home, one american heart, and one american destiny. may god bless our nation's builders, may god bless our nation's workers, and may god bless the united states of america. thank you very much. thank you.

♪ neil: you've been listening to president outline what is a very aggressive infrastructure spending plan to a group that would have a vested interest in that. largely untypes, welders, builders, plumbers, electricians, you name it. to shelley moore capito, senator from west virginia. thank you for waiting through that. the president plans more than a trillion dollars for this. where is the money going to come from? >> that is obviously the big question but definitely there is a united front with republicans and democrats, we know it's a necessity for our country. it's a job builder. i think we can find a way and find a way together. it excites people i live because of the crumbling infrastructure we see around us. in the urban areas it is absolutely essential. >> you know, senator, he talked way beyond what we traditionally think of infrastructure spending between roads and bridges, that

sort of thing to include the power grid, air traffic control system, not in this speech but in the broader outline what he want to do. one idea that is being tapped to get democratic support which would be probably a lay-up for infrastructure spending keep them in line to get support on the tax cut thing. how likely is that? >> i think in the end it could all be tied together. although i do think we'll go to tax reform first. i think that that is going to provide the confidence that we've been waiting for, and country has been waiting for from this country. neil: you think the tax thing is going to happen before whatever he wants to doneinfrastructure? >> i think so. i do. i do. i'm an optimist. neil: we heard from the house as well, senator, sorry to jump on you, she wants to do the health care rework thing. get that done. they're very confident the second go round they will succeed, are you? >> that remains to be seen. that bill never made it over to the senate. i had a lot of questions about it. certain other folks did as well.

our numbers obviously are a lot fewer. we need to thread the needle. that remains to be seen. we'll see what they push over. neil: are you surprised pushing this health care thing? i understand the argument, i understand apparently it needs to pave the way to get tax cuts. it seems like a zero-sum game. >> for me i thought we would put ourselves in basic timeout to reassess where we are and how we're going to get there, take our time a little bit more. i don't expect it until the third or fourth week in april, which is still several weeks away. i am encouraged they're moving forward simply because we have a broken system now. we have to fix it, repair it, repeal it. neil: whatever we have to do with it, it is falling on its own weight. i'm encouraged they're back at it. i am a bit surprised so quickly. neil: quickly on judge gorsuch, full senate vote, outside of four senate democrats, would be

shy traditionally what it needs. how do you feel about that, whether it's a poisoned well in the senate? >> i'm disappointed. this is unprecedented, obviously a partisan filibuster for so well-qualified, well-thought of jurist, mainstream person who did excellently in his confirmation hearings. so it is not about him. so let's make it about him. the president's ability to choose a great jurist to be on the supreme court. neil: senator, thank you very much. we appreciate it. >> thank you so much. neil: senator capito. more on that and what happens to the judge. then some comments out of susan rice denying a lot of these unmasking comments tied to her after this. yes? please repeat the objective. ♪ thrivent mutual funds. managed by humans, not robots.

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and you want his defense he got out of the president on how likely and has to know this will come to pass? >> first, let me just say it was a really good morning, really productive morning or the president was on message. he came and wanted to signal his business friendly stance and that's what he did. trench about nyse president tom farley seen eli with other ceos for the seventeenseventeen th powwow today with president john appeared very encouraged by this message for jobs and find it very productive environment for the economy. it is no accident that his mark on trade market in the market in general have been doing quite well. the bumpy ride the notwithstanding. he's confident the president will deliver the goods to

justify that run-up in prices. former host of ceo joe rayburn. what do you think? he's saying all the right signals. the rework friend on the tax-cut front, maybe on the infrastructure rent. not all republicans are singing the same tune on any of the above. what do you think of that? >> well, it's a good indicator as to why john boehner is gone. he didn't lay just because he wanted to go melas on grass. the extreme right of the republican party obviously didn't get the message in the election that was also sent across party lines to the democrats than they need to figure that out. what happened on health care is just disastrous for the republicans. i think that is why you see now, your writing is a wkd see them come right back to that issue. i don't think i'll skip ahead to taxes. you will see them get together in the house and get something

to the senate on the health care. i think they understand just how bad they look and this past two weeks on health care. tree into the one thing that worries me is apparently they have not read from the same choir book in both houses, that is house republicans seem to be eager to get this right. but in talking to senator cap widow of west virginia, she was very keen on revisiting something to put it mildly was problematic. she wanted to go on and write the tax-cut and they are not doing that. so for a business guy like you that follows this thing follows this and maybe invest accordingly, what do you do? >> this is interesting. you and i talked about this a couple times ago when i was on. i certainly would've for tax reform first. to me, to lead off with health care was making this a that obama made when he had control and spent all that time ran in obama carried through.

tax reform to me, whether corporate or corporate and individual is kind of a no-brainer and it should be a bipartisan way to get something done and get that w. having said that, at the day of flat and release that on health care, i don't think we have a choice but to get something out of the house and that means that the far right has to moderate back to the center. neil: that remains as you say to be seen. do you think i'm the tax-cut side we are getting different reports in the washington repost looking at a value-added tax. they are throwing a lot in there. but there is another rumor out there that they have the muscle and the support for corporate tax relief, tax reform. maybe not the individual rate side but that might be pushed back. what do you think the fallout would he not? >> you know, the more important piece of that is really the corporate tax reform. that is so far out of line with the rest of the worldwide

economy and the disadvantage. >> if you address that in only.first off on tax related issues, you would be okay with that? >> i would give the other piece of that is the reason the individual tax reform is so difficult is because there are so many third rails issues like the deductions that they want to take way to find out. trying to take away the mortgage interest deduction are taking a wait state and local taxes has reverberations that are really difficult politically to deal with. i get that. the corporate side seems to me that's why they have the muscle to do it because it makes more sense anyway. neil: we will watch closely. probably folly of her is because everyone said twinkie was that many resurrected it. obviously there is proof of that. >> i do have hope. neil: hope springs eternal. former ceo among other things, good financier, great rayburn. thank you. we also get a new revelations

out from susan rice on msnbc. adam shapiro monitoring what she's been saying about whether she was improving spine on a lot of trump folks. indeed asking us well. >> a key headline is a quote she said where she sat idly to nothing to nobody and i'm going to get into that. fox news has confirmed with multiple sources that former u.n. ambassador national security adviser susan rice requested to unmask the names of trump transition officials who are caught up in surveillance. rice recently told cbs that she knew not in about the claims that trump transition officials including president trump may have been swept up in that surveillance of foreigners at the end of the obama administration. rice did appear on msnbc and said the obama administration did not use any of this for political purposes and she said nothing to nobody. there were occasions in order to understand intelligence reports say she asked for a name to be

provided to her. >> we can be passive consumers of the information and do our jobs effectively to protect the american people. imagine if we thought that vein ofat significance that involved russia or china or anody el interfering in our political process and we needed to understand the significance of that arrest not to try to understand it would be dereliction of duty. >> this morning's "wall street journal" included a call and citing unnamed sources with in the unmask names and documents claiming that they included political information about the trump transition team come in meetings and policy intentions. the same sources told the journal none of the documents had anything to do with russia or the fbi investigation into ties possibly between russia and the trump campaign. person close to rice issued a statement saying that the idea that they improperly thought the identities of americans is

false. members of congress like rand paul say rice should testify before the house intelligence committee. rice says the investigations underway about russian influence on the presidential election should continue, but she will not say if she's willing to testify. neil: well, you're closer to this than i am. it appear she first claimed entering any trump surveillance was ultimately revealed and find tonight and now claiming that she wasn't the one i'm asking all of the details ultimately coming out. >> not nobody, not no how. that's the headline quote. neil: i am thinking hogan's heroes myself. i know nothing. thank you, my friend. wild stuff. to adam's point here, in a consistent on the very least, his team is targeted and indirectly he was surrounded up in that and maybe directly. former fbi assistant director

ron hoskins. i'm very good ears. my head is actually hurting trying to understand this. what do you make of what we've learned thus far and what rice was saying a few minutes ago? >> well, to your point, if there are iterations to her reality, to which she's willing to say and share with us, that is very concerning that would bring the scrutiny either congressional investigators are fbi investigators to understand the truth of what actually happened. i could see that it would be expected where the intelligence community after trump selection is going to have more incidental collection about donald trump in his building administration. you're going to have foreign adversaries who are talking about trump, who are talking about participants in the new government and looking at ways to exploit those contacts that they may have. they are discussing the way in,

what policies may change in what they may be. so i can see an uptick in the collection related to donald trump doesn't necessarily mean he's been wiretapped. but i think there are legitimate areas of concern here that are slowly being exposed, i think, about who was asking for unmasking and here with respect to susan rice, there's some obvious questions. what had been her history with requts to unmask individual names in the past. is this an outlier or west is the routine? does it really look like it was to add context to intelligence collection? one of the frustrations i had and i imagine you and others. the fbi investigation will be ongoing. unfortunately, it is going to be opaque for a long time as they try to piece this together. meanwhile, what we see as the battle playing out in the mainstream media that is really

empowered by the politics of capitol hill and the piece is that we hear that may be true. there may be a smidgen of truth. there may be no truth it is the battle for hearts and minds that are played out by a media that isn't always biased in favor of the truth. >> whether you agree or disagree with the prior administration's concerns about the russians roll and the election and you get to the bottom of that and the guy you didn't think would win when and you are wondering about whether the connection can do with that. if that was a legitimate concern and appear to be, it wouldn't be a stretch to say let's gather what we can on these people invest part of that surveillance, even include even an indirect conversations that will follow or a noise that was made the president-elect himself. >> i think it's absolutely

responsible for government to be looking hard at russian influence and absolutely too can did her whether there were trump transition team members and colluding with the russians. there are little tidbits that point to some of that that may have been. i'm nursing for the truth and i fear that i am not going to hear it through the mouth of a congressman. neil: also ron, where there's smoke there's fire. funny they investigate on this because there's so much we know now. this is the same woman who disavowed that a lot of the benghazi actions were perpetrated by video. and we know now in retrospect that was not the case. so you would think the media in general would be at least a little shocked. >> you think the media would be a bit shy, but we are seeing evidence of that politicization of the media just in this morning's newspapers.

neil: explore the trump then by all means have at it. but certainly have at this as well. >> that's right. it is concerning and the more time that plays out before we hear from the fbi for before a commission is formed because i'm convinced that this house or senate now can't do it given what is going on with gorsuch. do we need an independent commission and who are those participants who come from the outside who are the fair and honest administrators have a commission. neil: yeah, it is wild. ron hosko, former fbi assistant director. we know that my know that my parents can the speaker paul ryan at the capitol. charlie gasparino has some rather startling developments and news coming up next.

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[ [ screams ] ] [ shouting ] brace yourself! this is crazy! [ tires screeching ] whoo! boom baby! rated pg-13. [ screams ] >> we are very close and consensus. 90% were there, 10% were not. now we have productive conversation and with the administration and that's where we are right now. neil: which would seem to indicate that hearing from the speaker speaker and now vice president mike pence speaking to the speaker as we speak that maybe they are making progress

on this health care at inc. and a lot of it has to do with putting some very heavy pressure onhe so-called freed caucus. charlie gasparino has been breaking as i'm not. >> yeah, let's have a pressure and i would say more between the white house and the freedom caucus that could lead, not done until it's done, to the health care that failed miserably last week. vice president mike pence has told people you will broker peace between the white house and the freedom caucus. this all came up last night at a meeting between the freedom caucus and the vice president for mark meadows, the nominal head of the freedom caucus basically put the question to mr. pants. why are you trying to get our members on elected and why is the white house attacking us? what we understand from people inside the room that pence essentially apologized and offered to broker peace between the two sides. we should point out that not a spokesperson confirmed this

account to fox business. we have a call into the white house waiting to hear the white house side. when you look as to whether there's health care reform, which obviously according to a lot of people think that is the linchpin of getting tax cuts because there's in savings involved. this is a very commensurate good development. the freedom caucus was the margin of non-victory for the trump administration and getting the health care past. president trump and certain members of the trump administration went on the attack against freedom caucus members. that was deemed as pretty and productive because freedom caucus members are budgeting from that. we do have mike pence looking bartering make headway to get e freedom caucus members on board for health reform. if you look at market, health care and market contacts is, this is a fairly positive development. when we first we get we first tweeted bissau, market was flat.

it's now up about 20 so there's a marginal improvement in the market. clearly, anything to freedom caucus is on board for health care reform, markets will like that because, guess what, that means a greater likelihood of significant tax reform happening and you know we've been reporting this for months now. the market for tax reform. neil: they do indeed. great reporting my friend. i want to get a reading on the house committee budget number. a member of the caucus, the freedom caucus i believe you left in disgust if i remember correctly. >> over exactly the kind of antics we are seen in this issue. neil: when you hear the speaker and the vice president trying to broker some sort of an agreement understanding regarding the caucus and how to proceed from here, when you make from that? >> everybody has motivation to get an agreement. at the moment, as a practical

matter, the freedom caucus is the biggest offender of obamacare in the congress. they don't mean to be, but that's the practical effect of their actions. they also have a huge motivation to finally reach an agreement on this and the vice president who is highly respected throughout our congress is doing the kind of kissinger shuttle diplomacy that is worked in bygone days and hopefully will work again. >> if they do make amends here, would you consider rejoining the caucus? >> no, of course not. their motivations are great. their strategies are counterproductive. they block our ability tadopt a balanced budget last year. the year before last ty block the ability of the house to take up a resolution to disapproval against the disastrous iranian nuclear deal. i think the best way to describe them as the late benjamin franklin once described john adams. he said mr. adams has the best interest of our country at

heart, is always an honest man, often a wise one. but in some games and sometimes he is completely out of his senses. i think that describes the freedom caucus to achieve. neil: to that point, i was freezing this with kathlyn morris rodgers who's been shepherding us through in the white house and she said she would be dead set against one of your old caucus members walk on a sort of a watering down of coverage for preexisting conditions. what you make of that and whether such conditions would still be covered under this reworked repeal effort? >> i think it's very important we not leave anyone in the lurch in the preexisting conditions problem was one of the reasons they got obamacare in the first place. we've got to be very certain that those of existing conditions still have access to health care at an affordable price. i think we do not in the ahca by

moving the cost of providing that -- those preexisting conditions out of the premium base. that will bring premiums down and placing it in that and the state stabilization fund which is a block granted federal grant which will go to the states. >> i'm sure you heard the president has a very big infrastructure plan. he gave scant details today that it's over a trillion dollars that it will include cybercome utility type restructuring, all of that beyond just roads and bridges. how do you feel about that and where will the money come from? >> we can do a lot of without sticking taxpayers with the time. get the federal government out of the way of blocking projects like keystone and dakota for years. when abuse of official in the sacramento office of the army corps of engineers was single-handedly blocking tens of millions of low growth infrastructure projects desperately needed by communities, fully financed are ready to go block by this one

individual. that is a lot of pent-up infrastructure. if you revise the environmental laws making projects like dams cost prohibitive, and i've got a $2 million spilled way to get more capacity. by the time they made all the environmental bureaucratic demands that cost $11 million in its cost prohibitive. there's a lot we can do to get the federal government out of the way and reduce pent-up infrastructure demands. neil: would you be okay spending that money even if there is not comparable funds to pay for it? >> again, that doesn't cost a dime. neil: i understand that. another thing very important would be to restore highway taxes for highways. that was the original promise of the interstate highway tru account. the money paid at the pump was supposed to go fewer rows.

it's been ripped up over the years for highways. put that back in you no longerke and construction. neil: real quickly, sir, your senate counterparts have it a little different how to proceed here than many house colleagues. the health care thing is a waste of time for the time being. go right to the tax cuts. what he said about? >> there was an old slogan years ago. we will sell no wine before its time. but the deliberative process in a nutshell continuing to go on. one is concluded, we'll have a product that would mean a big improvement in the choices available to patients and the cost that they have to pay for that health insurance. so it is going to take deliberations. i don't know when they'll be done, but i think we'll move the bill in the senate will support it. neil: you are well read literate at guy. i appreciate that congressmen.

>> i watch you a lot, neil. neil: can't be all bad. thank you very, very much. love that adam's comments, too. in the meantime, will democrats get on board that the congress is saying about infrastructure spending. the devil is of course how you pay for it. he had a couple of ideas just there. the president is lying are that to get to the second step after this.

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neil: we're getting confirmation now something that has been out there for a while today. richmond fed governor jeffrey lacker is leaving today avenues broke over inappropriate disclosure of some fed information and fed policy moves. he was supposed to formally retire in october. obviously moving that up in light of these developments. if we get more on this, we'll pass that along. lacker leaving the fed a little bit earlier than the october

dismissal originally looked at. is the president's infrastructure plan, it's a doozy, one trillion dollars plus something democrats can support and pave the way for support in tax cut? let's ask democratic congressman, house appropriations committee member, from state of texas. congressman, good to have you with us. >> thanks very much. pleasure to be with you again. neil: are you interested in this infrastructure spending the president is outlined? woulding bigger than that, more than a trillion dollars, would be more than roads and bridges, would be power grid, air traffic control system, is that is good thing. >> every great civilization has a strong transportation system. this is one of the things we need here in the united states. yes we're ready to work with the president but of course we got to be involved from the very beginning. we have to ask how we're going to pay one trillion dollars. along with that, we certainly want to look at other things like tax reform.

we just finished meeting with my good friend from texas, chairman kevin brady. so we're interested in trade, we're interested in transportation. we're interested in tax reform. the only issue is, we get so caught up on process. i think what i'm interested in, neil, what the american public is interested in, is, what are the real solutions to the real problems that 're facing out ther neil: is it your understandi, congressman, that there would be support for tax cuts by democrats, coupled with infrastructure? in other words, if that is the means by which the administration tries to woo you? >> well you know, certainly want to, we are very interested in tax reform. i certainly want to see corporate taxes go down. i certainly want to see individual taxes go down. see a simplified tax return. certainly i want to see that. the question is, how do we pay for it because we don't to add to the deficit.

the question is what are the different details, provisions? as you know, one of the biggest issues we've been facing is the border adjustment tax. it does bring a lot of money in so we can lower corporate taxes down, but as you know, yesterday as we met with the white house staff, i asked them if they know one senator, one republican senator that supports the border adjustment tax? as far as i know i haven't seen that republican senator that supports the border adjustment tax. i don't like it. i think we need to find another way to pay for the corporate taxes and individual taxes that go down. neil: we know separately, congressman, that republicans are trying to iron out an agreement that would be acceptable to some of those conservative freedom caucus members who torpedoed the original republican repeal and reworked health care measure. that now they're more united on that front. these are early reports we're

getting. you how do you feel about that, especially if they address near-term financing needs for the health care law as we know isn't. >> certainly one of the problems we have in washington, d.c., is the process that i mentioned is, either people just want to work with one party, either the republicans want to work with themselves or democrats want to work with themselves. i think the american public just want to us figure out what they practical solutions to those real problems that we. so if they just want to get 216 or, 218 numbers, just the republicans god bless them, but i think it will be an issue i think we need democrats involved. neil: all right, now on the infrastructure thing, i know you have to get going, is it your sense there, that the president would have a lot of support, that could carry over to the tax cut thing if that is the way he wants to go? >> you know, i think there wit be a lot of bipartisan support. the question is, are democrats going to be involved from the very beginning? will we have public hearings?

the process issue is important but at the end of the day, i think what the president wants and president wants and i want is, we want practical solutions to real problems out there. they're tired about talking about the process. it is interesting to talk about the legislative process. what do we get at the end of the day. that is what i'm concerned talking about my constituents and the american public. neil: henry cuellar, house democrat. >> thank you, neil. neil: senate will vote yea or nay on the supreme court justice of the united states. it is looking republicans will employ so-called "nuclear option" where it won't take 60 votes to do it. connell mcshane with that. reporter: things will heat up on senate floor, it looks to your point we're going nuclear unless

something changes here. this "nuclear option" get as name as analogy to nuclear weapons, last option out there, most extreme option. in this case we're talking about a change in senate rules. so you would have it as a simple majority needed for passage in the senate, rather than supermajority which would be 60 votes. it is down to simple math from all we're getting, at least 41 democrats are opposed to gorsuch. doesn't take a genius getting to 60 does not appear likely. the ball in mitch mcconnell's court, the senate majority leader. he is expected, everybody is saying he will change the rules and hasn't come out explicitly said i'm doing that instead he continues to say things like this. >> what i'm telling thaw judge gorsuch is going to be confirmed. the way in which that occurs is in the hands of the democratic minority. and i think during the course of the week we'll find out exactly how this will end. but it will end with his confirmation.

reporter: read between the lines. end of the week on friday. here we are on tuesday, confirmed either way says mcconnell. the democrats we must point out when they started that with harry reid was majority leaders. so judges and cabinet members could be confirmed with the simple majority. he left fell buster in place for supreme court nominees. now there is shoe on other foot. there was interesting comment, democrat chris coons on cnn he is open to conversations how we might preserve the filibuster it. i don't know, there is always a chance that a deal can be made. way it iworking out right now, the senate plans to vote next hour to proceed with the nomination of gorsuch. if they're successful, have the votes to proceed the nomination they begin formal debate on the floor you but doesn't look like they have the 60 to stop it. so again, as you said, "the nuclear option" is looks like the way to go at this point.

neil: you know still looks like gorsuch would be guaranteed, 55, as many as 56 votes, which is more than the 52 votes that clarence thomas got in 1991. i guess what i'm saying is, i know this is recent phenomenon here but we forget that it hasn't always been the case, you know? reporter: right. things are so different than even the most, you know, seen as extreme judges on one say one side or the other politically, antonin scalia on the right or ginsberg on the left, they were confirmed with 90 some odd votes a piece. so things are much different now than they ever were. now looks like senate rules if you're into that kind of thing, will change which is a big deal for people who are into that kind of thing. neil: used to be the days of voice acclamation, by voice vote. reporter: aye. cavuto, nay. neil: exactly. good job this morning. took the bull by the horns on "imus." nice job. reporter: thank you, sir.

neil: connell does not sleep. connell mcshane up bright and early so you can hear him on "imus." he does great work there. reports of home buying and how big it will be this spring, let's put it this way, they're expecting a busy spring. but here's the problem for a lot of folks. there are not enough homes for number of buyers want the hopes. it is a weird kind ever conundrum to be in, after this. yes? please repeat the objective. ♪ thrivent mutual funds. managed by humans, not robots. before investing, carefully read and consider fund objectives, risks, charges and expenses in the prospectus at thriventfunds.com.

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traditional retail stores would do good as well but they are not. but the problem this spring appears to be limited number of homes for people who want to get in them. former fannie mae executive tim root and katrina cam pen. what is going on here? people are priced out or not enough homes for them? >> well, all signs are pointing towards a strong 2017 real estate market. the issue is, that for first-time homebuyers the spring season will be a challenging one and the reason for that is, that prices are rising and mortgage rates are rising, but it is coupled with inventory levels that are extremely he low, in fact, we're reaching almost the 20-year low. and what is occurring -- neil: why are they so low? why are they so low? >> they're so low, some sellers, potential sellers would like to sell but they're afraid once they sell, they're not able to

find the right home. the reason for that is, that there is, there is strong job growth in many parts of nation, especially amongst young first-time homebuyers. but by the same token, they can't find a home because a lot of potential sellers are not willing to sell because even though they're gaining on the price appreciation when they sell, they're going to then have to buy a home that again, is more expensive as well. so it is kind of a catch 22. even though we're seeing this amazing job growth, we're not seeing inventory levels where they should be. now the luxury market is completely different story. you're seeing a glut of inventory. one thing to note, that a lot of potential sellers are actually pricing their homes too high. so even if there is inventory, they're pricing it much higher than they should be. neil: you know, tim, i guess a lot of folks here, over the worst of the levels and meltdown and all of that, but we could plant seeds for another one, couldn't we, or no? >> hi, neil. nice to see you again.

think about it this way, the last housing boom was really based on fraud, speculation, overbuilding. this new, rebound if you will is based on more fundamentals. you've got clear supply and demand disconnects. you have a lot of new demand from millenials coming of age, but you can't buy what is not for sale. inventory is a peoplic. to katrina's point, you see many on luxury side, but entry level side, 20% lower inventory from last year which was pathetic. neil: are there more constructive problems than we had in the past? >> no doubt. i will take this all day long. you can see the light at the end. tunnel on this one. a third of millenials are just coming of age, that 85 million population, just about a third of them are coming to the home-buying age. also now you're seeing cohort, that 25 to 34-year-old, that is the most active hiring base. they're getting jobs. getting out of the parents

basement. they will rent and soon going to buy. neil: katrina, i didn't mention ivanka trump, she was talking about the bigger economy at the white house town hall. this is ivanka trump earlier. >> my father wants to create 25 million jobs in this country and, women need to fully participate for that to be realized and for that goal to be realized. women are starting businesses at enormously fast rate. we need he tome power them and to feel -- fuel that growth. neil: which by extension, katrina, that would be housing growth as well, right? >> i've been working with ivanka for a very long time. i have been a friend of the family for a decade, and she has amazing grace. she has been very eloquent and knowledgeable and proven to be an amazing advocate for wome i think it's a very fortunate time for americans and young women who have a great role model in her. the fact that she is now officially in an white house

role and complied with all the federal egg i can thises standards. i am very happy to see her in this role. i really think she will do a lot for women and for the economy and for business in general. neil: tim, whether it's ivanka or anyone else, the markets seem to be hoping that the trump agenda gets, gets going here. and, puts up a victory, puts up a win. by extension, you say the same for housing as well? >> i'll tell you, this is the first time in a long time, certainly since, maybe nine years that we've heard an administration really talks about, recognizes the value of housing. housing is so pro-cyclical. if you think about construction, how positive it is for gdp. even sales of existing homes, creates a lot of economic value. important to hear talking about taking up issues of reform. now seeing in the infrastructure bill, there is a special part where the secretary carson, the head of hud, talking about, hey, look, we get it. housing is important.

we'll focus on housing as part of infrastructure play. that serves a lot of different purposes and a good vibe from this administration we hadn't heard in the past. that will lead to a lot of housing reform emphasis which is much bigger ball of yarn. neil: katrina, tim, thank you both very much. i appreciate it. >> thank you. neil: the white house had fixation of russia on what it did or didn't do in the election. didn't alter the result as likely didn't change the results. even critics would have attest, hillary clinton would have lost regardless but this fixation on the role of the russians, is it getting in the way of getting the agenda of donald trump done? after this. ♪

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today with ceos and big trade union officials in washington to send a message, ignore this whole other issue with russia. focus on what i'm tying to do with the economy and generate jobs. "real clear tics" cofounde tom bevin. he has been a real laser bm on these issues, tom. market likes that kind of talk. doesn't like it when he gets sidetracked. what do you make of that? >> yeah, look, the russia investigation, the russia scandal and the surveillance investigation that's been going on hats sucked up a lot of oxygen and energy in the trump administration. supporters of president trump are happy to see him get back on track talking about pieces of his agenda they think will make a difference. quite frankly he needs to stay focused and rack up wins and turn around what is most accounts fairly rough start in first 100 days of his administration. neil: administration is talking

about a half a million jobs gained in first couple job months reports we've seen. you can go back and forth whether that is doing, happens on his watch. who can blame him. one of the things come up here, he needs a victory. part of that might be a health care rework. get that going, tax cut going, infrastructure thing going. he is off the to races. is he? >> well look, i think it is true, he needs a win. will probably get one with neil gorsuch by end of the week i that is one thing that will be a positive development for him. i think he has done positive things from economic aspect, rolling back regulations, what he can do through executive order. he needs to generate economic growth to deliver on promises he made to americans in the white house. to do that, he needs i think to do tax cuts, particularly corporate tax cuts to generate e kindf growth he willeed, so those people in the rust belt really feel something in t next year or two as trump begins his re-election push.

neil: real quickly, the gorsuch thing is indicating how little support and help he is getting on the democrats front but that with infrastructure he just might, for the tax cut front. what do you make of that? >> i'm a little skeptical. i think democrats are, sort of obstructionist across the board. in part that is what their base is demanding of them. neil: yeah. >> so i will be interested to see whether he is able to forge any bipartisan compromise on tax cuts, tax reform or infrastructure. we'll have to wait and he see. neil: tom bevin, "real clear politics" cofounder. great to see you again, tom. >> thanks, neil. neil: to tom's point they need a victory, need a win, something to show the trump white house they're making progress. the gop is convinced they have a win are in a rework, second shot at the health care rework. if that is the case all systems go for a big tax cut? they are firmly convinced it is, after this.

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neil: all right, two quick developments we're following for you, mylan hit with a new class action lawsuit over the epipen pricing, and separately staples still exploring a deal after that failed office depot deal, a lot of potentially interested suitors, but the stack up 10% just on the -- the stock up 10% just on the talk of this. and now an administration agenda that seems to be green lighted

to get progress on the health care front if we're to believe what some guests have said this hour, and the fact that it could pave the way for a tax cut deal, hope springs eternal. right now to trish regan. trish: thank you, neil. the president making our economy front and centered today, promising the u.s. will be back on top under his leadership. but first, also promising the ceo community lower taxes, less regulation and better infrastructure. he also spoke to union members and made the case of americance. all of this as more questions surface right now surrounding susan rice's alleged unmasking of the names of various trump campaign officials that were being reportedly surveilled by the obama administration. i am trish regan, we have your intel for you. i growing outrage this afternoon amid revelations that president obama's former national security adviser, susan rice, reportedly unmasked the identities of