joining me now are congressman bobby scott, democrat from virginia. a member of the judiciary committee. and former governor ed rendell, democrat from pennsylvania. thank you both for being here. >> it's good to be here. >> our pleasure. >> congressman, what's your reaction to the president's move today? >> well, we're delighted to see the action. these eight people were sentenced to draconian penalties that would not have taken place had they been sentenced under the new law we passed just a couple years ago. the draconian sentences should have been -- this should have been retroactive when trying to pass new legislation to make it clear that the new law is to be retroactive. but the president has shown through his pardon powers that he can commute the sentences and make the new sentences consistent with the new law. the new law was passed because we found that the 100-1 disparity you commented on is unjust, has no natural basis. the tax money could be much better spent on prevention and intervention rather than life in prison for girlfriends of drug

virginia congressman bobby scott said the guns should contain metal parts that cannot be detached. >> law has a critical loophole which may encourage the production of firearms that may escape detuck shun. >> they may produce a firearm that is detectable only because it has a metal component, which is not essential to the operation of the firearm but is easily removable by the firearm user seeking to avoid detection. >> >> ifill: the senate could take up the bill on monday, when it returns from thanksgiving recess. the existing ban expires on tuesday. on another issue, the house decided to spend the money that air travelers accidentally leave at security checkpoints. all those coins added up to more than half a million dollars in 2012. under the "loose change act," it will go to non-profit groups that run airport lounges for military personnel and their families. the bill now heads to the senate. in japan, visiting vice president joe biden rebuked china for imposing an air defense zone over islands that tokyo also claims. he said the u.s. is "deeply concerned." the vice president trav

this year we interviewed governors chris christie, scott walker and bobby jindal who offered fresh new ideas for the republican party. >> what's happening in the states we're getting right because 60% of the governors in america republican. majority of state senators in america republican. huge land slipped since 2010. what are republicans not doing in washington, d.c. that republicans at the state and local level are doing. >> three big things. governors and state leaders were more optimistic than our friends in washington. we're not just against something. we're laying out a plan. we're laying out a vision. >> you got to. >> that's how you lead. you don't sit back and nick the other side. we talk in terms that's more relevant. sequester, goes right over their head. debt ceiling, fiscal cliffs. we talk about making our kids schools better, we talk about balancing our budget, we talk about helping our neighbor get a job again and finally the third thing is courage. having the courage to act. i think, unfortunately, a lot of american voters look at washington, don't think anybody has th

this year we interviewed governors chris christie, scott walker and bobby jindal who offered fresh new

that works for working families, middle class americans and seniors, i yield now to representative bobby scott from virginia. mr. scott: thank you. mr. speaker, i want to thank the gentleman from new york and the gentleman from nevada and the chair from ohio for their strong work and particularly for talking about some of the things that the congressional black caucus has accomplished over the last year. i wanted to take an opportunity to highlight the c.b.c.'s work on advocating a responsible budget, offering responsible solutions to address the budget deficit, cancel the sequester and grow the economy. last march we offered our budget for fiscal year 2014 as an alternative to the budget that was adopted by the house. the c.b.c. budget makes tough choices. but not at the expense of our most vulnerable communities. the c.b.c. budget offers a concrete plan that both cancels the economically disastrous sequester and then pays for that cancellation. our budget is able to do so while also protecting social security, medicare, medicaid, snap nutrition benefits and other vital safety net programs th

bobby jindal pushes every day on tax policy and regulatory climate for us to be more competitive. rick scott in florida, i guarantee you that guy is working double overtime to put policies in place that make me uncomfortable. but we understand, although it is uncomfortable, it will make us better. and at the end of the day, it is better for our citizens. i don't go to california to pimp jerry brown. i really don't. i go to pimp the legislature to do the things that are right for their people. unless we're there and talking about, listen, there is an alternative -- i mean, i am standing in laguna beach talking to 30 individuals who were curious about our little at a -- ad campaign and they came to listen to what we were talking about. and the sun is going down, touching the pacific -- laguna beach. we are at the montage hotel. what an incredibly beautiful part of the world. and i said that is exhibit a of how government could screw it up so bad that you would leave that. that is the type of competition that will make this country stronger. it is the governor's putting tax and regulatory and l