chris? chris: kristining fisher reporting from the white house, thanks for that. now let's bring in the director of the office of managementing and budget, mick mulvaney. welcome to "fox news sunday." >> thanks. good morning. chris: president trump has talked about a number of items he'd like to see in this government funding bill, which are so important that he's willing to see the government shut down if he doesn't get them? >> i don't think anybody's trying to get to the a shutdown. it's not a desired end, a tool, something we want to have. we want our priorities funded, and one of the biggest priorities during the campaign was border security, keeping americans safe. and part of that was a border wall. and we don't understand why the democrats are so wholeheartedly against it. they voted for it in 2006. then-senator obama voted for it, senator schumer, senator clinton, so we don't understand why democrats are playing politics just because donald trump is in office. chris: i want to ask you a direct question, sir. >> sure. chris: will he sign a government

funding bill that does not include funding for the border wall? >> i new -- i think you saw his answer, which is we don't know yet. we are asking for our priorities and, importantly, we are offering to give democrats some of their pyreties as well. -- priorities as well. they want cost-sharing reduction payments as part of obamacare. we have offered to open the discussions to give the democrats something they want in order to get something we want. chris: okay. let me pick up on that, because on friday you did offer democrats a trade, funding for the border wall in return for continuing sub city byes -- subsidies that already exist to insurance companies to help pay for lower income people who get health insurance. here you are. >> we'd offer them $1 of csr payments for $1 of wall payments right now. that's the offer that we've given to our democratic colleagues. chris: democrats say that is a non-starter, and what you're in effect doing with that trade is that you are holding hostage health insurance for millions of

lower income americans. >> actually, what i would say is they're holding hostage national security. again, something they've supported in the recent past when president obama was in the senate. so we don't understand why this is breaking down like this, and we're worried, chris, that this is sending a message that this is going to be the next four years, that neil gorsuch was not just a one-off thing, that the democrats will oppose everything this president wants to do which is stunning to us especially when -- chris: some people wonder, director, how much leverage you have. i mean, if what you're saying is give us what we want and if you don't we're going to cut off funding that would provide health insurance for millions of lower income americans, are you willing to take that political hit? >> we're trying to get a border wall to protect millions of low income americans against folks who aren't supposed to be here -- chris: but are you willing to cut off the funding? >> we're willing to talk about things they want and we want. that's how washington used to work up until the recent past. chris: your agency hats told

federal departments, as you have to do -- the office of management and budget has told the government, prepare for a shutdown. you have to get ready for it. what would stop? what services that all of us have would end if we have a shutdown next saturday? >> yeah, well, it's a hypothetical. again, you're right. we have to have that phone call on friday, it's the law. even if we believe that an appropriations, a spending bill will be passed in the next seven days. you've seen what we've called non-essential services would shut down. social security checks would still go out, medicare payments would still be funded, national defense would still take place. again, i don't think anybody foresees or expects or wants a shutdown the end of next week. chris: but you're holding open -- i don't want to press it too harold, but you're -- too hard, but i don't understand. the president is saying, look, as you say, this is where we're going to set the marker for the next four years. can he back down on the border wall given the fact that you've set this up? >> sure.

let me put it to you this way. i like you, i'm in the going to negotiate with you on national television on sunday. we'll negotiate with the democrats, and negotiations are not finished yet. we think we've given them a reasonable set of chois, things they -- choices, things they want in exchange for we want. and for some reason, it's not working that way. chris: let's talk about the president's 100th day which, coincidentally, would also happen on saturday. on friday the president tweeted this: no matter how much i accomplish during the ridiculous standard of the first 100 days, and it has been a lot including supreme court, media will kill. but it's mr. trump who has been talking since the transition about the 100-day marker. here's just a sample. >> today i would like to provide the american people with an update on the white house transition and our policy lands for the first 100 days. i got it done in the first 100 days, that's even nice. i don't think that there is a

presidential period of time in the first 100 days where anyone's done nearly what we've been able to do. be. chris: is that why the president is in such a rush to get the obamacare repeal and replace -- and we'll talk about that in a moment -- passed this week, to unveil his big tax cut, because he wants to have more to show for his first 100 days? >> if you look at that tweet, it says regardless what we would do, it would still be down played by the media. some, not all. and i think he's right about that. folks don't realize we've signed more legislation into law in the first 100 days than anybody in the last 50 days, we've put out more executive orders than any administration, and importantly, these are not creating new laws. most of these are laws getting rid of other laws, regulations getting rid of regulations. we're reducing the role of government in your life during the first 100 days and doing so on a truly historic basis. but you add justice gorsuch, no

president has ever had a supreme court justice confirmed in the first 100 days. all anybody wants to talk about is health care. chris: well, i'm going to talk about something other than health care because the president shocked most of washington on friday when he announced he's going to unveil his tax plan on wednesday. take a look. >> we will be having a big announcement on wednesday having to do with tax reform. the process has begun long ago, but it really formally begins on wednesday, so go to it. chris: i'm trying to get more of a sense of this. will he announce the size of the tax cut? will he announce whether or not he's going to pay for it and how he'll pay for it? will it be revenue-neutral or add to the debt? >> i think what you're going to see on wednesday is some specific governing principles, some guidance, also some indication of what the rates are going to be. i don't think you're going to see something, and i don't think anybody expects us to roll out bill language on wednesday with. in fact, we don't want to do that.

so what you're going to see on wednesday for the first time is here's what our principles are, here's some of the ideas that we like, some of the ideas we don't like. we can talk about that if you want to. here's some of the rates -- chris: is he going to say whether it's going to be revenue-neutral or add to the debt? >> i don't think we've decided that part. it's a balancing act, chris. you can have a small tax cut that's permanent or a large tax cut that is short term, and and i don't think we've decided yet, but you'll know more on wednesday. chris: and you said the other day you don't think you'll see a real plan, meat on the bone, until june. >> i think that's still pretty fair. we have started working with the committees on the house and the senate as we try and build some momentum for this tax plan. chris: let's turn to repeal and replace, health care, you say the thing everybody wants to talk about. >> i've heard of it, yeah. [laughter] chris: all you have is this one piece of paper. it is an outline. there is no legislation. there is no legislative language yet in terms of what this new 2.0 health care would be. there's no congressional budget

office score of what it'll cost or how it will affect whether more or fewer people will have health insurance. house speaker ryan had a conference call with members yesterday, and he said, look, our top, our sole priority this week is to keep the government funded. health care is going to have to wait. are you okay with that? >> a couple different things. we've got a lot more than just that piece of paper. there is bill language. in fact, we know, i believe, that senate budget committee which is helping us write this language delivered some language to the house last night detailed, and keep in mind these are all tweaks to the bill which was discussed and taken up four weeks ago which was scored by the cbo, so i don't think it's entirely fair to say all we have is that piece of paper. regarding what gets done this week, if they have the votes this week, they'll vote this week. and that's what we expect -- chris: yeah, but the flip side as he said, look, our top priority is getting the government funded, and he really didn't talk in any length at all

about health care. sounded very much like he's going to let in that slip into e following week or later. >> we've also heard rumors that the house and senate might stay until saturday, which would be great. there's no structural reason that the house and senate cannot do both things in a week. if we can have an agreement by the end of the day on keeping the government, that can be done in a week, and if the house can get its ducks in a row on health care -- chris: you say getting it done today? >> there are negotiations going on as we speak. chris: is there some question -- reason to think that this funding in return for the border wall -- >> we understand the house democrat leadership wants the get involved, which is find. they were looking at some of the proposals last night. just because you and i are sitting here, i sat in the office all day on saturday and did this. there's no reason we can't have

an agreement as early as today. chris: finally, tens of thousands of people held a march for science in cities across the country. the crowds were really quite striking, and one of the things they're protesting are big budget cuts that the president is proposing. the administration wants a 20% cut, almost $6 billion for the national institutes of health. a 31% cut for the environmental protection agency. question: can you guarantee those folks, those tens of thousands of people who were marching that those cuts will have no effect on medical research or on protection of the air and water we have? >> yes. the air that you breathe and the air that my triplets breathe and drink is going to be just as clean even with those reductions. when we've looked at those, we targeted those agencies, amongst others, for duplication of process. mission creep, for example. what we've made sure is the epa will have enough money to funct- chris: and you're saying that

the $6 billion that you're taking out of nih or want to take out of nih, that's going to have no impact on medical research? >> it will certainly have some impact on medical researchers, but we don't think it will materially impact the quality of the research that's coming out. chris: and if environmentalists say you're wrong? >> step back and talk about what we did on the budget. we reprioritized. defending the nation, including securing the southern border, is the primary function of this government. it should be a priority of this government under this administration, and funding for the national institutes of health needs to take a backseat to that. chris: finally, i'm going to give you 30 seconds to call out one of your kids did something great yesterday. you missed it because you were working, so what was it? >> it broke my heart. my 17-year-old son james hit a walkoff grand slam home run in south carolina.