john barrasso, chairman of the republican policy committee., from new york, democrat kent conrad, chairman of the senate budget committee. senators, welcome back to fox news sunday. >> thanks for having me. >> chris: before heading to hawaii for christmas the president laid out a new, stripped-down plan to avert the fiscal cliff. here's what it is, extend the bush tax cuts for people making less than $250,000. extend unemployment benefits for the 2 million people who will run out, next month. and, delay the sequester of $110 billion, in spending cuts, next year. for all of the talk of $4 trillion in debt reduction the plan would only save $800 billion, over ten years. senator conrad, is that the best that washington can do over the next nine days, and can you pass even that? >> look, chris. it may come to that but we can do better. and we should do better. this is an opportunity to do something that would be hugely important for the country. and, my own belief is, what we ought to do is take speaker boehner's last offer, the president's last o

show is what you think you know, may not be true people think they save us every day. >> senator barrasso, it shows he lives in the alternate universe. john: my neighbors in new york save best. >> burma it is the chair of the public works committee i am trying to have the republicans takeover the senate. she will not be the chairmen anymor the extreme agenda will not be in charge. i want to get a healthy economy and environment and we can do both but the benefits are unknown we are not helping our country. john: more examples of what you think you know, may not be true. do you steel ever? my cameras catch people in my cameras catch people in the act. [ malennouncer ] it's tt time of year again. time for citi price rewind. because your daughter really wants that pink castle thing. and you realldon't want to pay more than you have to. only citi price rewind automatically searches for the lowest price. and if it findone, you get refunded the difference. just use your citi card and register your purchase online. have a super sparkly day! ok. [ male announcer ] now all youeed is a magic carria

show is what you think you know, may not be true people think they save us every day. >> senator barrasso, it shows he lives in the alternate universe. john: my neighbors in new york save best. >> burma it is the chair of the publicorks committee i am trying to have the republicans takeover the senate. she will not be the chairmen anymore. the extreme agenda will not be in charge. i want to get a healthy economy and environment and we can do both but the benefits are unknown we are not helping our country. john: more examples of what you think you know, may not be true. do you steel ever? my cameras catch people in my cameras catch people in the act. ♪ music body language can tell you all sorts of things. like someone is having a stroke. know the sudden signs. learn f.a.s.t. face drooping arm weakness speech difficulty time to call 911 and get them to a hospital immediately. learn the body language and spot a stroke f.a.s.t. john: we all have biases but i believed scientists are special, us march, unbiased comment trustworthy. >> accurate, down to earth. >> nerdy. >> i know a lot of resea

senator barrasso. there is a very damning report on benghazi. i wanted to get your reaction to the testimony today? >> well, it's a very damning report. it shows you that mistakes were made, lives were lost and hopefully, lessons will be learned. we need to hear from the secretary of state. i believe the president and this administration had a deliberate coverup, if you want to call it that or an effort to deceive the american people from the beginning... of this. we need to know the president promised he would find out and get to the bottom of this, who did this? who's responsible? we still don't know. i asked that question in the hearings today and basically, i was stonewalled with an answer. we need secretary of state clinton to testify in person, in public and on the record. >> sean: well, when you heard senator lee, that it went to the seventh floor and that's where hillary clinton's office is. is it likely she could have seen this? we were told there were warnings at the annex and at the consulate, say that this risk was great -- as far ba

he wants to spend more money and i believe and some of my colleagues disagree, even senator barrassoisagrees with me, i think the president wants to go over the cliff. he doesn't want -- he's not acting in good faith right now. listen to him this morning, what he was saying on "meet the press" he's saying he came with a plan that was a balanced approach, a balanced approach, talked about two to one, three to one, we don't have a two to one or three to one and as senator corker said a few minutes ago, where are his spending cuts? there's not a single plan out there with spending cuts. >> you -- i understand the politics of this town fairly well. but -- and you're not the first to suggest that the president wants to go over the cliff but a lot of people are saying so do republicans. republicans would rather vote for restoring tax cuts to people than getting rid of them for some people. so i mean, two can play this game and in the end, the problem is, nobody's gotten the job done. >> patty murray who chaired the democratic senatorial campaign committee has advocated going over the cliff

joining us now is jon barrasso, member of the senate foreign ofh relations committee. he said the hearing explains stify.y why secretary clinton needs to testify. good to have you with us we. might thank you for having me. >> this is remarkable. i understand the testimony of secretary clinton was tellinggow her what was going on, what was transpiring as to the inadequacy of ecurity. over many months in benghazi. .> is that right? >> that's why we need secretary clinton to testify on thetions record. to answer a numberwh of questio, what she did, did she give anytt orders. the same applies to thed st president of the united states where he was when he was doing, and what heatid did. i have seen the video from the drums, i have seen the video from the security cameras thereu senator risch is absolutely right. most people don't focus on the fact that there were two deaths almost immediately, and the other to the died died about seven hours later. it is hard for me to understand that they weren't able to get help.le lou: there are a couple of discrete judgments to be made.

senator barrasso, thank you for taking the time to be with us, sir. >> thank you, trcy. tracy: ain't that the truth? all right? we have a lot more still to come this hour including a new report on the success of both the boehner and the obama fiscal cliff plan. hint hint, neither are successful. now, does the speaker of the houshave the file behind him in the deal making progress? are some lawmakers breaking away from theeader? congressman tim gives us the scoop next. we'll be back. ♪ ♪ [ male announcer ] they are a glowing example of what it means to be the best. and at this special time of year, they shine even brighter. come to the winter event and get the mercedes-benz you've always wished for, now for an exceptional price. [ santa ] ho, ho, ho, ho! [ male announcer ] lease a 2013 glk350 for $399 a month at your local mercedes-benz dealer. gives you 1% cash back on all purchases, plus a 50% annual bonus. and everyone...but her likes 50% more cash. but i'm upping my game. do you want a candy cane? yes! do you want the puppy? yes! do you want a tricycle? yes! do you wa

senator barrasso, thank you for taking the time to be with us, sir. >> thank you, tracy. tracy: ain't that the truth? all right? we have a lot more still to come this hour including a new report on the success of both the boehner and the obama fiscal cliff plan. hint hint, neither are successful. now, does the speaker of the house have the file behind him in the deal making progress? are some lawmakers breaking away from the leader? congressman tim gives us the scoop next. we'll be back. i always wait until the last minute. can i still ship a gift in time r christmas? yeah, sure you can. great. where's your gift? uh... whew. [ male announcer ] break from the holiday stress. ship fedex express by december 22nd for christmas delivery. tracy: does speaker boehner have more than a fiscal cliff to worry about? up next, will the top republican in the house stay that way in 2013? tracy: speaker boehner 1 not the only one facing the challenge of keeping the u.s. from falling off the cliff, but he's keeping the top post in the new year, and finding that could be a challenge. will

senator john barrasso joins us where things stand at this very moment.nd whether a deal will get hammered through tonight in the senate. that is coming up. do you ever have too much money? ♪ . adam: all this talk about the fiscal cliff could make you forget there are other hot spots in the world so we're going to turn our attention to the middle east and some potentially troubling news from iran. officials there report a successful test after surface-to-air missile during military drills taking place near the strait of hormuz. the strait, which the iranians have threatened to close, is a crucial passageway for 20% of the world's oil. what could this mean here in the united states? with me now is michael rubin, resident scholar at the american enterprise institute and a happy new year to you, sir. what does it mean for the united states? does it up the ante or is this more bravado from the iranians? >> certainly, adam, we need to take iranian bravado seriously. they are sabre-rattling, when it comes to the military tests there are photoshop warriors to be

gregg: well, that's what barrasso said on fox news sunday yesterday, the senator.rpootlian and brad lakeman, merry christmas, gentlemen. >> merry christmas. heather: so would you add toppings or o cut them? gregg: that's the line of the day, john boehner can't deliver a pizza. >> well, coming out, time is running out and with the fiscal crisis at a standstill, is there more at risk than our tax rates? monica crowley joins us live with her take and new questions about the president's foreign agenda a for the next four years as iran continues to defy international pressure over their nuclear program. ambassador john bolton is here live. >>> and as we remember our brave men and women this holiday season, there are many here at home trying to cope all year round. we'll hear from a doctor next who's made it her mission to help them. guy heather: welcome back. the holiday season, it can be with incredibly tough for our troops returning from war. megyn kelly recently spoke with a doctor who has made it her mission to help them. here's that conversation. megyn: well, a new

we have representative barrasso and yarmouth. along with our own maria bartiromo on the fiscal cliff. stay tuned. you're watching cnbc the first in business worldwide. i've always had to keep my eye on her... but, i didn't always watch out for myself. with so much noise about health care... i tuned it all out. with unitedhealthcare, i get information that matters... my individual health profile. not random statistics. they even reward me for addressing my health risks. so i'm doing fine... but she's still going to give me a heart attack. we're more than 78,000 people looking out for more than 70 million americans. that's health in numbers. unitedhealthcare. >>> well, it's crunch time. the president says a deal is close but not done. we've heard the same from mitch mcconnell. then the president threw in this monkey wrench this afternoon. >> if republicans think that i will finish the job of deficit reduction through spending cuts alone without asking also equivalent sacrifice from millionaires or companies with a lot of lobbyists,

joining me, one of his colleagues, senator john barrasso, chairman of the republican policy committee. i want to talk to you about the fiscal cliff. but, first, i want to talk about jim demint. >> sure. >> what is this say about the senate, about the ability of someone like jim demint, an avowed conservative, to accomplish what he wants to accomplish within that chamber, that he felt the need or saw the opportunity to step outside of the chamber? what does that say about the folk like yourself who are still within it? >> well, jim demint is going to continue to be a leader in this country for years to come. specifically on conservative issues. he's going to continue to push for ways to cut spending and to limit the size of government. and i welcome that. he's choosing to do it outside now rather than inside the senate but he's had a huge, positive influence on the senate and we're going to continue to see that for years to come. >> senator, this may seem like a simple question, but i wonder, and a lot of people do is the senate from your perspective, is the senate a difficult place to

. >> barrasso said president obama is eager to go over the fiscal cliff. senator barrasso joins us. well, why do you say that? >> well, i think the president sees political victory at the bottom of the cliff in term of the increased tax money coming in that he can spend for other programs. i think he sees a lot the military which the democrats have been after for a long time and then he gets to do what he loves to do, is to blame republicans. my concern is that i actually see financial problems for our nation at the bottom of the cliff and that's why i want to get a solution. >> tomorrow do you think it's going to be the beginning of the emergency meeting at the white house, is it the beginning of a deal or is it a political drama? >> my concern is it may be a political charade by the president and harry reid and nancy pelosi. i hope it actually is the beginning of a deal because if we don't get it done now, we need to go and make sure that things get done so we don't raise taxes and taxes aren't raised for all these americans that are looking at it come january 1st. >> why did he f

we want to start with senator john barrasso, a republican from the state of wyoming.s nice to have you back. >> thanks for having me. thank you. >> the house republicans will vote on plan b. as we mentioned, $1 million would be the threshold. let's say hypothetically it does in fact pass the house. would you support it in the senate? >> well, you know, 53 democrats have already voted to support that in the senate earlier this year so i think it's wrong for the president to say he's going to veto it, soledad. it's an opportunity to make permanent the lower tax rates for 99% of americans. so i think the house, as leader boehner said, will pass it today. it ought to get a vote in the senate, an up or down vote, rather than games being played. it's too close to the end of the year. americans the at home want to make sure their taxes don't go up. i don't think we ought to raise taxes on anyone during economic times like these. the president seems fixated on raising taxes, but 53 democrats are on the record in the senate supporting this proposal. >> yeah, but that was like

bill: one of the senators at the heart of all this is republican john barrasso. he is live a few moments from now to tell us three key questions he says the obama administration has to answer now more than three months after the attack. the senator coming up in a matter of moments. martha: in connecticut this morning it is another somber day of remembrance. there will be six wakes and five funerals that are scheduled for today for some of the 26 children and adults who were killed last friday at sandy hook elementary. look at these images. all the little angels set up around that town. today 6-year-old catherine hubbard, teacher anne-mariery murphy. teacher lauren russo. 6-year-old benjamin wheeler, 6-year-old allison wyatt will be laid to rest today. more on services ahead. others are scheduled for friday and saturday as this woeful week goes on. bill: it continues unfortunately. right about nine minutes past the hour now. we'll move to deadline quickly approaching. both parties hoping for an agreement to avoid going over fiscal cliff. president obama, house spe

one gop senator is throwing gasoline on the fire, wyoming's john barrasso said quote that the presidentdoing nothing about the addiction that he has toward spending. let's bring in a.d. stoddard to get her perspective. let's start off by saying what we've heard, the setback, tounder state it, it doesn't sound good, does it? >> no, it doesn't. but this kind of thing does happen a lot towards the end. et cetera always darkest before the dawn and deals have been saved from the rubble like this before. i think that what you're seeing from the republican side is what candy was talking about. previously, a desperate need to be able to find something that they can tell their constituents they supported in terms of cuts. >> it's lot of money to get the unemployment checks going again. to fix the medicare, which is going to raise, cut their pay by almost 30%. a lot of money needs to be found. even as they, to tax some wealthy at the top brackets, there's not enough money in the pot. so there's a scramble to be able to have republicans vote for a tax hike and be able to say they voted for some cu

reviewed from bank ozzyguests hr asking for help we will also aba joined the -- the joint by senator barrasso. november strong signs for a recovery will be joy and by richard smith tonight. 11 days before the fiscal cliffysgosoke americans facing a biggest tax hikes in history. house speaker boehne sr right chw zeros did on of alllan. black planned mike emanuel joins us. this has been ahead be left with groups urging republicans to vote against pan "b" but less than two th weeks from the fiscal cliff leaders say they tried toax hikr avoid a massive tax hike for everybody. >> it will be a to the democrats in the white house. >> it would extend the bush tax cuts below $1 million also the house votes on a separate measure to cancel the pentagon cuts with sequestration that has upset house democrats. >> these are not a plan. it is a ploy. they are bills to know where. and a deeply cynical move, republicans decide toill o offer another bill to put off some of the sequester.oehner >> speaker boehner has notnd b given up on a grand bargain. >> and our respective rolesspecv we have ea responsibility

the treaty was also supported by republicans john mccain dick lugar and john barrasso receive sixty one votes in the senate a clear majority are over treaty ratification requires a two thirds majority sixty six votes and thirty eight republicans including senators jim de mint mike lee and marco rubio joined together to block it out of fear that it threatens the sovereignty of the united states even though again the treaty would require no changes to u.s. laws since our nation already passed laws to assist the disabled on which this treaty is based rather than doing what's right for the nation in the entire world republicans in the senate use this treaty to scare the hell out of their base and warn of a nameless faceless global un that they say is trying to take over the united states nothing could be further from the truth and even more ironic is that these same republicans support free trade agreements like nafta and the trans-pacific partnership which actually do threaten our sovereignty on behalf of transnational corporations it's time for some sanity you know it's. now it's turned o

tomorrrw, jon barrasso joins us and will be lovely, jeffrey garter, two of the best psychologists ination will be with us. and time magazine maxim magazine of the year and we will come right back. lou: just about everybody's down stance on gun control following the newtown, connecticut, school massacre. a new rasmussen poll showing our mental health system should have changes as well. 40% say that mental health treatment would do more to prevent mass murders than gun control. 27% say stricter gun-control laws. joining us now is doctor gail saltz. good to have you with us. >> thank you for having me. lou: as i said earlier in the broadcast, gun-control proposals on the president's desk by next month. but not imperiously ordering studies on mental health, school security. i mean, this is simplistic and reflexive and single-minded. what is your reaction to the role of mental health in these tragedies as the president noted, far too quickly? >> it is a piece of the puzzle. i would love to say that it is a complex puzzle. and i do think that looking at gun-control is going to be enforced

jon: senator john barrasso, republican, from wyoming. we'll look forward to the hearings and yes we do hope they're open. >> thanks for having me, jon. jenna: now one year since a mysterious crime rock ad wealthy massachusetts town. jack and jerry mcgee murdered in their mansion and the message police have for us up ahead. >>> a major winter storm causing travel nightmares in the midwest. maria molina with on a update where this storm is headed. anncr: some politicians seem to think medicare and... social security are just numbers in a budget. well, we worked hard for those benefits. we earned them. and if washington tries to cram decisions about the future... of these programs into a last minute budget deal... we'll all pay the price. aarp is fighting to protect seniors with responsible... solutions that strengthen medicare and... social security for generations to come. we can do better than a last minute deal... that would hurt all of us. jon: right now an update on some crime stories we're watching a possible settlement today between

i happened to be with senator mccain and john udall and barbara mikulski and john barrasso after they did their mugging of susan rice. john was -- knew he had hit at least a double if not a triple in going after her and basically put the white house back on its heels in the way the president responded to their comments. and i think that this -- you know, episode has given john mccain a win and i don't think the white house is going to say okay, we're going to give you what you want, now you have to play with us on other things. i don't think that's the way this game was played. this was a vicious game and i think there are resentments that will continue for some time. >> that's exactly right. although they plight be feeling like -- might be feeling like winners, i would not want to be senator mccain or senator graham. there is more to the story that won't go away. these people will pay for this in the long run. >> eliot: we only have a few seconds left. to turn the tables on the susan rice story, is it possible that what underlies this is the possibility that she knew something about

senator barrasso? >> thank you, mr. chairman. and first to senator lugar and wyoming, we have a code of the west. and number one is live each day with courage. and number two is take pride in your work and you really are the embodiment, the code of the west. you are always welcome in the rocky mountain west, specifically in wyoming so thank you very much for your leadership, senator lugar. >> thank you. >> for our guests, president obama claims that the moment he heard about the attack o on the u.s. consul in benghazi, he said he did three directives and one of those was to find those was find a to do this work and bring them to justice. secretary clinton's letter to us just two days ago, she states quote we continue to hunt the terrorists responsible for the attacks in been got seek and are determined to bring them to justice. had to identify the terrorists responsible for the deaths of these four brave americans and the additional injuries and the destruction of u.s. facilities? >> senator barrasso, first just to restate that w

. >> i want to you listen to wyoming republican senator john barrasso.listen. >> when i listen to the president, i think the president is eager to go over the cliff for political purposes. i this i he sees a political victory at the bottom of the cliff. he gets all this additional tax revenue for new programs, he gets to cut the military, which democrats have been calling for for years and he gets to blame republicans for it. >> so, congressman, are democrats overplaying how detrimental the fiscal cliff will be? as we remember, this is really more of a fiscal slope. employers have already baked in the 2011 tax rates, for instance, for january, the recession is not expected to hit for six months. is this what democrats are doing you think? >> no. i think democrats have made the case for two years now in order to deal with our fiscal situation that we need to have a balanced approach. that balanced approach has to include revenues. and the people who have done very well over the last ten years, 1% or 2% of the population, they need to contribute a little m

. >> let's listen to senator john barrasso on president obama's position. >> i think the president is eager to go over the cliff for political purposes. i think he sees a political victory at the bottom of the cliff. he gets all this additional tax revenue for programs. he gets to cut the military, and he gets to blame republicans for it. >> let's take the cynicism out of that, let's ask the question, is there in fact some benefit to going over the cliff? >> i think that there is. i don't think that the president does want to go over the cliff. i think he's made it extremely clear that he doesn't. and that's because he -- the president is not that much of a risk taker, he would rather come to a deal. he's eager to come to a deal. i don't think he's kidding, hen watts a big deal. he just doesn't have a partner on the other side. he's right and republicans know he's right. if you go over the cliff at this point tax rates go up, on dividends, capital gains and estate taxes go up. republicans want them down, they have to actively push to force them down. democrats only have to lower them

and republicans on some of the sunday talk shows, like senator john barrasso of wyoming was on "fox news sunday" charging that the president really does want the nation to go off the cliff because then tax less go up. take a listen. >> when i listen to the president i think the president is eager to go over the cliff for political purposes. i think he sees a political victory at the bottom of the cliff. he gets all this additional tax revenue for new programs. he gets to cut the military which democrats have been calling for, for years. and he gets to blame republicans for it. >> reporter: democrats say that is ridiculous, that the president has been working with republican leaders again and again trying to workout some sort of a deal, both on spending and taxes to avoid the fiscal cliff, and democrat chuck schumer yesterday said the real problem is that republicans won't admit the president won the election and that tax rates are going up. take a listen. >> on taxes, i know it's hard for the republicans, but the president ran on that platform, 250, no tax increase for people below, but

barrasso said so. look, there are a bunch of others who think so. >> there are certainly some on the left who also, just like conservatives, there are some on the left that do. i don't think the president does. part of the reason, just like i don't believe john boehner actually does the house speaker. there is this group in the middle, first of all they are not sure where the political blame would lie. it could end up on them and they want want to have that happen. second of all these are deal mayors. they came to washington to get deals done. and they see the result, the goal as a deal to get past this rather than looking at the numbers. the folks on each side eve are looking at the numbers and they say the deficit would be in better shape and the economy in the long run is in better shape. they are looking long term. the deal makers in the center are looking right now and say they are scared of the political consequences and we are not quite sure how the numbers end up, the last thing we need is a re

senator barrasso? >> thank you, mr. chairman. and first to senator lugar and wyoming, we have a code of the west. and number one is live each day with courage. and number two is take pride in your work and you really are the embodiment, the code of the west. you are always welcome in the rocky mountain west, specifically in wyoming so thank you very much for your leadership, senator lugar. >> thank you. >> for our guests, president obama claims that the moment he heard about the attack o on the u.s. consul in benghazi, he said he did three directives and one of those was to find those was find a to do this work and bring them to justice. secretary clinton's letter to us just two days ago, she states quote we continue to hunt the terrorists responsible for the attacks in been got seek and are determined to bring them to justice. had to identify the terrorists responsible for the deaths of these four brave americans and the additional injuries and the destruction of u.s. facilities? >> senator barrasso, first just to restate that w

chuck todd, gop senator leader john barrasso and more.ohn larson on what role house democrats can play in the budget negotiations. and the latest on the showdown in syria and defense secretary leon panetta's warning for president assad with former ambassador nick burns. male announcer ] jill and her mouth have lived a great life. but she has some dental issues she's not happy about. so i introduced jill to crest pro-health for life. selected for people over 50. pro-health for life is a toothpaste that defends against tender, inflamed gums, sensitivity and weak enamel. conditions people over 50 experience. crest pro-health for life. so jill can keep living the good life. crest. life opens up when you do. [ tylenol bottle ] me too! and nasal congestion. [ tissue box ] he said nasal congestion. yeah...i heard him. [ female announcer ] tylenol® cold multi-symptom nighttime relieves nasal congestion. nyquil® cold and flu doesn't. [ "the odd couple" theme playing ] humans. even when we cross our "t"s and dot our "i"s, we still run into problems

barrasso: thank you, mr. president. i rise today to talk about the fiscal cliff that this country faces on january 1. we're now beyond the point four weeks after the election and now four weeks before the date of the fiscal cliff, and as republicans have been pointing out on this floor, mr. president, congress must act soon to take on the numerous expiring tax provisions and the sequester. and i believe president obama must provide leadership in those efforts. i've seen very little so far. last week i came to the floor to speak about the fiscal cliff and some of the concerns that i continue to have and hear about as i travel to wyoming just about every weekend. just got back from there a few days ago, and people are very concerned about the direction of the country and what may happen to all americans on january 1. last week on the floor i spoke about the president's proposal to raise taxes on people making more than $200,000 a year. in terms of spending next year, that tax increase would pay for just 6.8 days of what w

barrasso: thank you, madam president. madam president, i rise today to talk about the tax hikes that are going to be hitting the middle-class families all across this country, and it is going to do so in way that many americans do not realize. everyone in washington is talking about the fiscal cliff and the tax increases that might come from that. but today i want to talk about something different. those are the tax increases that are coming regardless of what happens with the fiscal cliff. and those are the tax hikes that we're seeing because of president obama's health care law. people who have been following this closely know that president obama's health care law guarantees that middle-class families will pay higher taxes. the president promised repea repeatedly that he would not raise taxes on the middle class. as a matter of fact he said -- quote -- "if you're a family making less than $200,00200,000a year, my plan won't raise your taxes one opiniony. not your income taxes, not your payroll taxes, not your capital g

senator jon barrasso says they his questions cannot be fully answered until she testifies. which is expected in january. >> well, it is a very damning report. it tells you that clearly, mistakes were made. lives were lost. hopefully there will be lessons learned. we will hear from the secretary of state, and i believe that the president and this administration had a deliver a cover-up. or if you want to call it that -- i think an effort to deceive the american people from the beginning. we need to know that the president promised that he would find out and get to the bottom of this area to do this, who is responsible. we still don't know. i asked that question in the hearings today. i was basically stonewalled with an answer. we need secretary of state clinton to testify in person, in public, and on the record. bill: the slain ambassador, christopher stevens, sent at least 15 classified cables, warning of security problems in benghazi, libya. sending this to the state department before the september 11, attack. we will discuss this with senator bob corker when he joins us h

barrasso: thank you, madam president. madam president, for the past several weeks, i have come to the floor to talk about the fiscal cliff and the threat that it poses to our economy and to our nation. as the deadline nears, the fiscal cliff has caused a lot of concern and a lot of uncertainty around the country, and it appears that too many people in washington just aren't serious about real solutions to get us back on solid economic ground. the white house and democrats in the senate are still not focused on spending cuts. they continue ignoring the real drivers of washington's debt. we know what they are. they are out-of-control entitlement programs, social security, medicare and medicaid. until we find a way to save and strengthen these programs, no amount of tax revenue will be able to match the increase in entitlement spending. according to the latest numbers from the congressional budget office, the problem is actually getting worse. in its monthly budget review for december, the congressional budget office said th

. >> senator barrasso, thanks. >> thanks so much for having me. >>> bad weather in the northwest may be to blame for a tour bus accident sunday that killed nine passengers and injured at least 26 others. as lee cowan reports, the bus driver lost control near pendleton, oregon and went down an embankment. >> reporter: a steel guard rail along a rural part of oregon's interstate 84 did little to keep the tour bus and its roughly 40 passengers from going over the 85-foot drop. dozens of rescuers followed the scar in the ravine to find the bus. just to get to the people that were dead and dying was enormous. >> there was snow on the ground which made it pretty treacherous. so we used a haul system to get the patients from the crash site which was down in a ravine back up to the highway so they could be transported to medical facilities. >> reporter: the most seriously hurt were airlifted to hospitals as far away as portland and boise, idaho. the bus was owned by mijou travel and headed from las vegas to vancouver, canada but the weather was hardly optimal. >> we're not blaming road condi

. >> that was senator john barrasso this morning claiming that president obama wants to go over the fiscaliff. joining us now with his response is democratic congressman steve cohen. what do you think of that statement? >> he talks about it like it's space money tann tan at disney world and the president wants to go for a ride. if he wanted to help the president go for a ride, he'd vote for the president's bill with tax relief for 98% of the american public, and $250,000 and less, and then the president wouldn't go over the cliff. they can stop the president from space mountain, the fiscal cliff, by voting for what they proposed this, doe wasn't to vote for it. they want to protect millionaires. >> would you actually argue that republicans want to go over the fiscal cliff? >> republicans -- they are in a real bind. they don't want to be read my lips, no new taxes. they don't want to vote for any taxes. they are afraid that they will be attacked in their primaries by somebody from the right who said you voted for taxes, even if it was on the uber rich so they are all afraid. they were suppo