welcome back to "face the nation" and our conversation with philippe lazzarini of the u.n. relief agency for palestine refugees. mr. commissioner general, how much aid is getting in to gaza now as part of this diplomatic

deal? >> since two days i would say the beginning of the truce we have seen a significant increase of trucks entering gaza. i would say we had an average of 40 trucks which was far, far, far too little compared to the immense need in the gaza strip. and now i would say over the last few days we had an average of 160 to 200 trucks crossing rafah and entering into gaza. having said that, i do believe that 200 are hardly enough for humanitarian response if we want to reverse the impact of the siege of the gaza strip, we need also commercial fuel. >> i want to ask you, sir, about your organization, which continues to be criticized by some in israel including their intelligence minister, who published an op-ed recently in

the "jerusalem post," and she said unrwa has done zero to help the palestinian people, even though it has an annual budget of over a billion dollars. she argued that the international community should instead fund the costs of moving palestinians to other countries. i wonder how you respond to that. >> unrwa has a mandate from the general assembly, and basically is requested to provide protection and assistance to the palestinian refugees across the region, not only in gaza. until there is a firm and lasting political solution. since then when we refer to the $1 billion budget we have in our school more than 100 million girls and boys learning education from grade 1 to grade 9. we have more than 2 million people benefiting from our primary health not only in gaza but also in lebanon, in syria,

in jordan, in the west bank and in east jerusalem. >> and resettling all of the palestinians, i imagine, you would strongly disagree with. >> unrwa does not have a mandate from the general assembly to resettle the palestinian refugees. the assumption is there need to be a political solution, a lasting one, and that's the way an organization like ours would then phase out. unfortunately, for 75 years there haven't been any solution and basically we are dealing with the longest-lasting unresolved conflict. >> understood. we will continue watching what happens. commissioner general, thank you for your time today. >> thank you, margaret. >> and we turn now to the executive director of the world food program, cindy mccain, also part of the united nations. director mccain, we just heard

this ceasefire is bringing some aid into gaza, but unicef just published some information saying that there is a life-threatening form of malnutrition in children that could increase by nearly 30% in gaza. weakened immune systems, weight loss, death from illness like common cold and diarrhea. they are talking simply about the children, who make up half the population. what are you doing to prevent this from happening? >> well, thank you for having me. first of all, the bottom line here is that we need to get more aid in, as has been said. we are looking at possible -- possibly being on the brink of famine in this region. this is something that is not only terrific but it will spread. and with that comes disease and everything else that you can imagine. bottom line, we need more trucks in, we need more aid in, we need

to be able to have more access to be able to distribute the aid. and you know, hopefully maybe a longer time to do that, not just four days. we look forward to making sure that we can work with all of our partners on the ground and in the area to make sure that this can happen. and i want to thank the egyptians for being so helpful in all of this. >> unicef also said approximately 30,000 children under the age of 5 in gaza had stunted growth. and this was even before the war began. >> right. >> why? >> well, the access for aid, again, prior to the war and of course since the war has been an issue all along. and the ability to make sure that these children get the proper nutrients, not just food but the proper nutrients in this. it's a terrific situation. it's a massive, catastrophic event that is occurring, and it

will cross regions as it happens. we have got to be able to get in there. and not only that, we have to make sure that we can safely have access to be able to feed the people that we need to feed. so far we've fed about 110,000 since the ceasefire, but we need to do a lot more than that. >> for the next generations, no doubt. i know you are looking at the entire globe here, and there is a lot of need right now. i read that the world food program had to cut off 10 million people in afghanistan. in africa you've announced you'll have to end food aid for more than a million people in chad, suspend aid in nigeria, in carr and cameroon. how do you prioritize aid and how do you decide who to cut off? >> margaret, it's something that keeps me awake at night and that's the honest truth. it's very difficult to do.

but the problem is not just the ability to not be able to feed but it's -- the problem is the world needs to step up and help us. cutting off 10 million people, primarily women and children, in afghanistan, it's deadly. it will kill the country. so we've got to be able to make sure that we can get aid in, and more importantly, we need our countries around the world, not just the united states but every country in the world to step up and help us, to feed people who cannot feed themselves. >> the last time we spoke you emphasized that some countries could provide technology, advice on how to do it if they don't want to kek inick in money. china of course is one of those countries that's been pressed to do more. are you seeing anything more? >> i'm seeing other countries, yes, offer things and begin to work with us on a daily basis to see how we can better improve. not just what we give but how

it's grown and can be grown with less water, more technology. it's a series of things to try to combat not only climate change but the effects of covid as well as conflict. it's a long-range prospect. but we do need the technology. >> and specifically, the crisis was made worse by russia's invasion of ukraine, which is such a bread basket for the world. how significant is that conflict now on supply? >> well, as you know, it has managed to really devastate many countries, not just from not haing enough grain to be able to distribute but also enough money to be able to do that. the russian invasion has caused catastrophic effects. they've dribbled all the way down through africa, as was mentioned, and so forth. ukraine was very significant in all of this. we are getting grain out. as you know, it's going in different directions.

but we are getting some out. but this is a catastrophic event, as i said. and it's affected nearly every country in the world. >> well, director mccain, we thank you for working on these hard issues and your time today. >> thank you. >> we'll be right back. hi, i'm ben and i've lost 60 pounds on golo. (guitar music) i've struggled with weight my whole life. i'm sure you're like me and you've tried diet after diet. if you want to stop the insanity, try golo. (inspirational music) - [speaker] at first, just leaving the house was hard. - [speaker] but wounded warrior project helps you realize it's possible to get out there - [speaker] to feel sense of camaraderie again. - [speaker] to find the tools to live life better. - [narrator] through generous community support, we've connected warriors and their families with no cost

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we turn now to the senior colorado democratic senator michael bennet. good morning to nato >> good morning, margaret. >> well, when congress comes back from this break, they have a lot of work to do. i understand you are part of a small group who has worked during the break on this very tough issue regarding the u.s. border and president biden's request for about 14 billion to help with it. where do talks stand now? >> well, i think the really important thing, that there's broad bipartisan support for in the senate right now, is that we've got to get -- a recognition that we've got to

get the ukraine funding done as part of this package. we've got to get the israel funding done, the humanitarian funding done, and the funding for southeast asia as well. there are some republicans who have said that in order to do that, in order to have that vote they want to see something done on the border. and i think we have had good conversations over the last several days and before that trying to see if we can get to some sort of solution. i believe of course that the ukrainian people have earned a vote to support them without a negotiation on the u.s. border. but there are others net senate who feel differently, and we're trying to see if we can get to a solution. >> and you mention that because as i understand it the indication in the republican-held house is that border needs to be bundled with ukraine aid in order to get it through. is that still the case? >> that is what -- yeah, that is still the case from the house. i mean, when you think about the

courage of the ukrainian people has meant for humanity, it really has been extraordinary. they have taken back over half the territory that putin took from them. they have rendered the black sea fleet, putin's black sea fleet can't do what they've tried to do. so the grain you're talking about with cindy mccain is actually going out because of what the ukrainian people did. and now the united states i think has an obligation to continue to support them in this fight not just for ukraine but a fight for democracy. and i don't know whether the house will come to the conclusion that that's enough for them, so we're continuing to see if there's something we can do on the border. my view is there's always room to make our immigration system better on behalf of the american people. and i hope people of good faith can come together and reach a solution. >> okay. so on that front, if your leverage here is the border,

tell me, what is the sticking point at this stage? is it still that republicans are pressing to tighten qualifications for claiming asylum and there's some democratic resistance? is it resistance to including dreamers? what are the specifics that you're actually able to tackle? >> well, obviously i would love it if we could include the dreamers in this package. 90% of the american people believe that the dreamers should have a pathway to citizenship. there has been discussion about whether or not we ought to think about changing the asylum standard. one of the things we all have to recognize i think as americans is over the last ten years gangs south of the border have created a billion-dollar business that's smuggling human beings across the entire world to the southern border and the southern border as a result of that is being

undermined and is being much more difficult to manage. that's been a problem in republican and democratic administrations, and if we can find a way to help fix that in a bipartisan way that would be great. the point i'm trying to make is that whether we succeed or not in terms of getting to that agreement this ukraine funding has to happen for the sake of democracy and for the sake of the western world. putin believes he could lose on the battlefield in ukraine, the battlefield he's trying to win on is the battlefield on capitol hill. and democrats and republicans have got to come together to make sure that doesn't happen. >> do you have clear guidance from leader schumer on how he wants this to play out in the next few weeks? you're running out of time 2023. >> we're running out of time in 2023. i've literally talked to leader schumer almost every day except thanksgiving and his birthday

over the course of this holiday weekend. i've had the chance to talk to democrats and republicans individually. everybody knows what's at stake here and everybody knows how short the time is. you said at the beginning of this interview congress has a lot of work to do. that's true. for once we should do that work instead of playing politics. the stakes are just too high. >> on the other conflict that we haven't talked about, with israel and hamas, president iden said when he was asked, "it is a worthwhile thought" raised by some democrats that there should be conditions placed on israel aid. now, you heard the national security adviser avoid any specifics there. are you asking for any conditions to be placed on aid to israel? >> i haven't so far, but i think that's a debate certainly we're going to have in the coming days. in the meantime, it's critical that everybody understand that

hamas is a terrorist organization that israel has to defend itself, that it's been made much more difficult because of hamas's use of civilians as human shields, and that it is incumbent on israel notwithstanding that, notwithstanding that difficult issue to meet the highest standard. that's critically important for israel, to make sure that they kill as few civilians as possible as they defend themselves against hamas and that they subscribe to the rule of law. and i know we're going to have a debate about that in the congress and perhaps we should. but we have always disappointed ourselves when we've not met the highest standards, when we've been in armed conflict. and i think israel's going to be facing that high standard as well, which is the right standard for israel, for those of us that support israel, and right standard for those of us

that have high aspirations for dmocracy, which those of us that are supporting both israel and ukraine at this moment have. >> all right. senator, we'll continue to track the work you're able to get done. we'll be back in a moment.

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we go now to republican congressman ken buck, also from the state of colorado. he announced his retirement from congress earlier this month. good morning to you, sir. you've still got a bit of business to handle in these next few weeks. that's for sure. congress has a lengthy to-do list. reauthorizing the faa, finishing the defense bill, taking on all these supplemental requests from president biden. can you get all of that done in the remaining weeks? >> we can. we have three weeks of legislative business ahead of us if not more, and we can get those things done and are very important to get done. >> you have, on that issue of ukraine, which i understand is controversial among some republicans, you are part of the freedom caucus. that's put you more to the right of your party.

but you are for aid to ukraine. i'm wondering if you think it is possible to do what senator bennet just laid out and said was essential, which is have that aid passed no matter what, even if it doesn't get bundled with a border bill. >> i think it's absolutely essential to get aid to ukraine. i think president biden has slow-walked different types of military equipment that ukraine has needed and we need to make sure they have the very best equipment and support that we can give them in fighting the russians. i hope it gets done. the question, margaret, is always where does the money come from? so to expect that the democrats help us find ways to pay for the israel aid and the ukraine aid i think is absolutely fair. for the senate we've already sent the israel aid to the senate. it is sitting there, has been for weeks. they have done nothing. i think that's irresponsible. we need to work together to find ways to pay for this aid and

then to make sure that both the israel aid and the ukraine aid are sent to those countries. >> well, you voted against this latest short-term spending bill to keep the government open. do you anticipate that the new speaker of the house, speaker johnson, will face more of a rebellion from the right flank of your party if he tries to partner with democrats on this? >> i don't think that most republicans blame speaker johnson for the problems that he is now facing, the challenges he's facing. those were created during the mccarthy time period, and speaker johnson is doing a good job to work his way through those issues. so no, i don't think he's going to face a rebellion. i think he's going to face support when he finds ways to reduce our national spending, our $36 trillion debt at the end of next year. $1 trillion of money that is being spent to service that debt. those are real existential

issues that america needs to deal with, and i think speaker johnson's going about it the right way. >> does that mean speaker johnson has been working through the break and has a plan to do this and a way to pay for it in the next three weeks? >> yeah, absolutely. the israel aid was conditioned on the -- >> but that's dead on arrival in the senate and the president said he would veto that as structured. >> well, and the democrats are going to own that. if we don't get aid to israel -- they haven't sent a package back to us and said we don't agree with all of these cuts, we agree with some of them. and if the democrats want to hold up israel aid, that's up to them. i think it's important that we find ways to pay for the needs that israel has and ukraine has and to do it in a responsible way. >> okay. well, we'll have to see if that can get done. i want to ask you about how i introduced you, which was mentioning your retirement. we've seen a tremendous number

of retirements announced in just the past few weeks. it's the highest number of retirements in a single month for over a decade. you said too many republican leaders are lying to america. who do you have in mind when you said that? >> i have -- everybody who thinks that the election was stolen or talks about the election being stolen is lying to america. that's everyone that is making that argument. everyone who makes the argument that january 6th was an unguided tour of the capitol is lying to america. everyone who says that the prisoners who are being prosecuted right now for their involvement in january 6th, that they are somehow political prisoners or that they didn't commit crimes, those folks are lying to america. as a republican party if we're going to offer good solid policy answers to the real challenges we face in america, we've got to get past the lies and we've got to have credibility with the american public. and i think we can do that.

but we have to move forward. >> but you know that the speaker of the house tried to reverse the 2020 election results by signing on to that texas amicus brief. by cbs standards that makes him an election denier. but you support him. >> i do support him. i signed on to that brief also. and i believed that going through the courts to challenge an election is absolutely proper and it's been done dozens of times in american history. what's wrong is to try to stop a legal function, a legislative function like counting the votes in an election as happened on january 6th. mike was not the leader of the party at the time that so many republicans voted against the certification of electors. >> does he need to be more clear, though, now? >> i disagree with some of his -- i hope he is -- i hope he becomes more clear. i hope all of my republican colleagues become more clear and

recognize the fact that joe biden is an existential threat to this country and we need to defeat him and we do that with someone who's not lying to the country. >> well, congressman ken buck, we appreciate your time on this post-thanksgiving holiday weekend. we have some good news we want to share with all of you, just out of gaza. we have learned from a source with knowledge that 4-year-old american abigail edan is in the custody now of the red cross. the qatari foreign ministry also says 39 palestinians will be released by israel as part of this latest hostage swap in exchange for those prisoners being released. we will be right back. help you reach your goals. i can make this work. it can help you reach them with confidence. no wonder more than 9 out of 10 of our clients are likely to recommend us. ameriprise financial. advice worth talking about. when someone tells you who they are, believe them.

stealing their basic supplies.

before we go today, we want to pay tribute to our friend and colleague ricardo rick whitson, who died last week at the age of 57 years old.

he was a talented lighting director adored by us here, and our thoughts and prayers go to his family and friends at this hour. for "face the nation," i'm margaret brennan. news, new

york. >> announcer: this is the "cbs overnight news." we begin tonight with the latest developments in the middle east. hamas is now seeking to extend the four-day temporary truce set to expir