anyway, marsha blackburn was asked about the unemployment numbers earlier today. her nonanswer answer. >> the economy grew 236,000 jobs last quarter, unemployment went down 7.7%. president obama deserve some credit for it that one? >> well, i think that there is credit to go around and also, luke, i have to tell you, talking to so much business owners here in tennessee, they were pleased to see that we stuck to the point of letting the sequester take place and beginning to cut across the board, make cuts in this discretionary spending. >> well, that doesn't have anything to do with luke's very pressing question. it was about today's news, what do you make of the day's news. her answer was i don't have anything to say about the news. but you were getting to it, does the fact that things look a little brighter than they were, although i have to tell you, we have been rounding at 8% now for 14 months. for all the jubilation, it hasn't gotten marginally greater. still around 8% and the question i have to ask, bernanke says he'll stop pumping money into the economy whe

joining me, republican representative from tennessee, marsha blackburn. thanks for being on the program. >> good to be with you. thank you. >> the first thing i'd like to ask you, the economy grew by 236,000 jobs there's quarter. president obama deserves some credit for that one? >> well, i think that there is credit to go around and also, luke, i have to tell you, talking to so many business owners here in tennessee, they were pleased to see that we stuck to the point of letting the sequester take place and beginning to cut across the board, make some cuts in this discretionary spending. what people want is certainty from washington and economic. they want to see a growth agenda. they want to see tax reform. they felt like last week was a big step in the right direction. they think that getting a budget passed is going to be another step. and for the first time they feel hopeful that actually congress will get a budget passed. the house has done it. the senate hasn't taken it up. that's why we passed no budget, no pay last month. >> let's talk about that

joining me right now republican congresswoman marsha blackburn of tennessee. want to start by showing everybody the new poll numbers. both sides have taken a hit when it comes to the budget hit. 67% disapprove of the way the president has dealt with the budget. 79% disapprove of the republicans on this. people at home think it's just absolutely ridiculous. will those numbers push both sides to find a compromise before it's too late, before the numbers continue to go down any further? >> you. thomas, i think you're right. they do want to see a resolution to this and what they're wanting to see a resolution to first is the out of control spending. get this out of control spending under control. and that's what we hear from both sides of the aisle, from our constituents, regardless of whether they're democrat, independent, republican, libertarian, you name it. they say, washington spends too much. you don't have a revenue problem. you have a spending problem. get it all under control. that is what we've done in the ryan budget is try to find a way to within ten y

, former white house press secretary dee dee myers, republican congresswoman from tennessee, marsha blackburn. senior strategist of the mccain-palin campaign, steve schmidt and columnist from the "washington post" ruth marcus. also my conversation with former governor jeb bush as well. we're coming back after this break. we know why we're here. ♪ to connect our forces to what they need, when they need it. ♪ to help troops see danger, before it sees them. ♪ to answer the call of the brave and bring them safely home. [ female announcer ] around the globe, the people of boeing are working together, to support and protect all who serve. that's why we're here. ♪ gives you 1% cash back on all purchases, plus a 50% annual bonus. and everyone likes 50% more... [ dwestern/chicago accent ] cheddar! yeah! 50 percent more [yodeling] yodel-ay-ee-oo. 50% more flash. [ southern accent ] 50 percent more taters. that's where tots come from. [ male announcer ] the capital one cash rewards card gives you 1% cash back on every purchase plus a 50% annual bonus on the cash you earn. it's the card for people who li

congresswoman marsha blackburn joins me to discuss the ongoing federal budget debates.ary. not so much anymore. a couple of weeks ago senator rand paul conducted african old-fashion filibuster. he spock for 13 hours demanding answers about government policy and use of drones. he was harshly criticized by other republican senators john mccain and lindsey graham. the end result, ron paul clearly helped his cause 67% of republican voters have a favorable opinion. nipe points since the filibuster. mccain and graham don't fair as well. as congress considers what to do about the federal budget, 62% of voters nationwide are concerned they will raise taxes too much. only 29% worry they won't raise them enough. on another topic 50% of americans want to break up the nation's biggest banks. 23% are opposed. riding some of this is the fact these banks receive huge subsidies from the federal government in the form of loan guarantees. 76% of americans want those subsidies brought to an end. and, of course, there's still lingering anger at the banks from the financial industry meltdow

marsha blackburn was asked by luke russert about the unemployment numbers earlier today.n to her nonanswer answer. >> the economy grew by 236,000 jobs last quarter, unemployment went down 7.7%. president obama deserves some credit for that one? >> well, i think that there is credit to go around and also, luke, i have to tell you, talking to so many business owners here in tennessee, they were pleased to see that we stuck to the point of letting the sequester take place and beginning to cut across the board, make some cuts in this discretionary spending. >> well, that doesn't have anything to do with luke's very pressing question there, joy. i mean, it was a good question. it was about today's news. what do you make of the day's news. her answer was i don't have anything to say about the news. but i guess the question is you were getting to it, does this affect the things look a little brighter than they did several months ago. although i have to tell you we've been rounding at 8% for 14 months. for all this talk about jubilation and everything else that's going on, whatev

the irony of marsha blackburn's comments is the sequester is happening at the moment.unemployment is backward looking. it has nothing to do with the jobs numbers that were reported. you're absolutely right. look. the problem is for republicans is that the history of the american economy is when you withdraw government spending as fdr did, he tried austerity and we got a double-dip recession. hoover tried it. when the private sec to is always withdrawing it, it's lower gdp. that's simple math. no one has ever explained to me how cutting jobs in and of itself does it. if it's not the private sector, hello, it's got to be the government. >> thank you michael crowley, with that great last namt. marry crowley. i like her. what do you do if you're too far for the cp, the cpac crowd. you accuse them of being in cahoots with the muslim brotherhood. that's ahead. "hardball," the place for politics. y while thermocontrol wicks moisture away. keep moving. stayfree. hi victor! mom? i know you got to go in a minute but this is a real quick meal, that's perfect for two! campbell's c

republican congresswoman marsha blackburn said judd can prove to be a formidable opponent. >> she is one of my constituents. she is a friend of mine and on election day in november ashley and i stood at the polls and snapped a picture and tweeted it out. >> could she win? >> it shows that people who have differences of opinion f she runs, she will run hard and knowing that family, they are very tenacious and spirited. >> we shift gears now to business where wall street is hoping last week's historic gains will continue this week. all three major indices rose by 2%. we want to check in with cnbc's karen cho. >> good morning. it looks like the markets are a little bit softer. we had a bit of momentum with the dow closing higher. the head wind today is coming from the chinese numbers. it's showing us that industrial production was 9.99% in january and february. this is the lowest level since october last year. most of the strength in the chinese economy was supported by fixed asset investment in the government. in terms of some of the other rates, u.s. solar is showing strength still. t

congresswoman marsha blackburn weighs in again. i hate to be a doubter but there is that.doubters. we have to check stocks because, boy, in the last hour we accelerated to the downside. nicole petallides on the floor of the new york stock exchange. what happened? >> we're certainly get headlines out of cypress to talk about the fact they will limit how much people can take out of atms. we heard about people wrapping around the block to wait to take take money out. first they have to replenish the atms. that story feeds into the global worry particularly over in the eurozone and run on the banks and with will happen ultimately. don't forget on monday we lost over $500 billion in the global markets with concerns about cyprus and the eurozone. right this second we're at session lows now at 14,399. i have a take a double-take there. down 112 points that is loss of 3/4 of 1%. the nasdaq is down a full percentage point. techs are weighing down heavily on the stock market. the vix, the fear index is up about 8%, sitting at a level of 14. as i mentioned tech i can't leave out dow

, former white house press secretary dee dee myers, republican congresswoman from tennessee, marsha blackburn. senior strategist of the mccain-palin campaign, steve schmidt and columnist from the "washington post" ruth marcus. also my conversation with former governor jeb bush as well. we're coming back after this break. want younger looking eyes that say wow? with olay, here's how. new regenerist eye and lash duo. the cream smooths the look of lids... softens the look of lines. the serum instantly thickens the look of lashes. see wow! eyes in just one week with olay. in the middle of the night it can be frustrating. it's hard to turn off and go back to sleep. intermezzo is the first and only prescription sleep aid approved for use as needed in the middle of the night when you can't get back to sleep. it's an effective sleep medicine you don't take before bedtime. take it in bed only when you need it and have at least four hours left for sleep. do not take intermezzo if you have had an allergic reaction to drugs containing zolpidem, such as ambien. allergic reactions such as shortness of brea

, former white house press secretary dee dee myers, republican congresswoman from tennessee, marsha blackburnenior strategist of the mccain/palin back in 2008, steve schmidt and columnist from "the washington post" ruth marcus. also my conversation with former governor jeb bush as well. we're coming back after this break. ♪ who's that lady? ♪ who's that lady? ♪ sexy lady ♪ who's that lady? [ female announcer ] swiffer sweeper's electrostatic dry cloths attract and lock dirt, dust, and hair on contact to clean 50% more than a broom. it's a difference you can feel. swiffer gives cleaning a whole new meaning. and now swiffer wet and dry refills are available with the fresh scent of gain. to prove to you that aleve is the better choice for him, he's agreed to give it up. that's today? [ male announcer ] we'll be with him all day as he goes back to taking tylenol. i was okay, but after lunch my knee started to hurt again. and now i've got to take more pills. ♪ yup. another pill stop. can i get my aleve back yet? ♪ for my pain, i want my aleve. ♪ [ male announcer ] look for the easy-open red arthri

joining me now republican congresswoman marsha blackburn of tennessee, welcome back to the show.ming in. >> good to see you, thanks. gerri: gets numbers because people will be astonished to see insurance premiums jumping to 149%, are you kidding me? >> well, that is what the report found, and in tennessee, they'll go, you know, 100%, and with in wisconsin, they look at 200%. gerri, the point is when you increase taxes and fees on the plans, on drugs, on medical devices, when you guarantee issue, when you have preexisting coverage, what is ending up happening is the young and healthy, who have generally been able to be inexpensive to insure, they are going to see this escalation in the rates that are there for them, and, you're right, it's through the roof. gerri: because they are now required to have comprehensive policies to carry a he hefty pre tag when they can't afford it rather than the policies they had in the past. i have to tell you, another number from your study that blew me away, obamacare imposing $165 billion in new taxes fees on plans, drugs, and devices. this is on

tennessee congresswoman marsha blackburn right there was one of many guests on this weekend's politicalsked about actress ashley judd's potential challenge to kentucky senator mitch mcconnell. the article that stoked all that talk was by our own howard fineman. in this weekend's "huffington post" he writes, "ashley judd has told key advisers and political figures she's planning to announce her candidacy for u.s. senate here this spring." working with a pollster, interviewed media consultants. she's lining up allies in field organizations. number four, she's had advisers working on her filing papers and other technical issues. a judd bid against the senate minority leader would become the most watched race in 2014. joining me, howard fineman. and of course, alex wagner, our own colleague here from "now with alex wagner" which airs at noon every day and is doing great. i want to start with howard because he has fresh dig here from reporting. it seems to me that if she runs, if i were her adviser, i say one advantage you have over all the other candidates is you get in a debate with this g

tennessee's marsha blackburn argued today for a more limited alternative. >> making certain that in acally responsible, targeted and focused way, that those who need access to the help, the assistance, the funds, are going to be able to receive the help, the assistance, the funds, the focus and the attention that they are going to need. >> woodruff: but cracks in republican ranks appeared after president obama's strong showing among women voters in last year's election. and today, moderate republicans joined democrats in defeating the g.o.p. biland paing the senate version. the legislation now goes to the white house for president obama's signature. >> woodruff: for more on the political back-and-forth over the legislation and what it means for women and men going forward. we are joined by ashley parker, who covers congress for the "new york times." and, cindy southworth, a long- time advocate and vice president of the national network to end domestic violence. welcome to you both. ashley parker, the republicans, when they originally objected to this legislation back a year and a half

host: another angle on the tsa story -- congresswoman marsha blackburn of tennessee -- we had a tennesseealler: earlier. the commerce woman has a piece "dressing for access at the tsa ." she says -- since its creation the tsa is that an employment increase of 400%. host: she says the cost over two new uniforms was $12 million. however, tsa's recent $50 million agreement for its 50,000 officers is four times the cost. they are to have uniforms from previous years. what do you make about the congresswoman's concerns ? guest: i agree completely. when you look at the growth of a have a series over the last several years, over the life of the agency, and you look at issues like the uniform cost, the fact that they made the purchase before the sequester kicked in, and the uniforms were partially made in mexico, which is another concern -- i want to buy things made in america when possible. there are a lot of issues with this agency. it is a large bureaucracy. it deserves a lot of scrutiny. i do believe they have got leadership in place looking to make these changes. but we as congress will hold