Senate GOP Leaders Hold Press Briefing After Trump Sends National Guard To L.A.

Forbes Breaking News

Senate Republican leaders hold their weekly press briefing.

Transcript

00:00America, you can't have a prosperous America unless you have a safe America.

00:04And so prosperity and security, safety are all issues that are intertwined,

00:09and our budget reconciliation bill addresses all of the above.

00:14Starting, of course, with border security, where we make a generational investment in the border,

00:20starting with building the border wall, finishing the border wall,

00:22also allocating resources to Customs and Border Protection,

00:26to ICE, to make sure that they have the resources they need, the technology, the equipment,

00:31to do the job that we ask them to do to keep the border secure.

00:35When it comes to national security, we make an investment in the Iron Dome,

00:41or Golden Dome, I should say, and then also in our Navy and our Coast Guard

00:46to make sure that our country is safe and secure from threats

00:50and equipped to deal with the requirements of modern warfare.

00:54And so those are two fundamental issues that are addressed in our budget reconciliation bill.

01:00And I think when it comes to the issue of safety and security,

01:03all you have to do is look at what's happening and has been happening in Los Angeles

01:07to realize that our law enforcement needs all the support that we can possibly give them.

01:13So I'm going to hand it off to Senator Wicker, the chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee,

01:18to talk a little bit about the things that we're doing in the Armed Services Committee's jurisdiction

01:23when it relates to making our country stronger and safer.

01:28Senator Wicker.

01:29Thank you, Leader.

01:30Thank you very much, Leader.

01:32And I do appreciate the opportunity that the Leader has afforded me to be back at this particular spot

01:39and speak at this press conference.

01:43And also I want to thank my colleagues on the Armed Services Committee

01:46and my colleagues in the conference for allowing me to have the honor and responsibility

01:50of being chairman of the Armed Services Committee.

01:52I would say one of the most important parts of reconciliation is our defense and national security portion.

02:05And it happens that it is the least controversial between the House and Senate and the administration.

02:12This is something that Chairman Rogers and I and our teams and our committees have worked on for quite some time.

02:21I really appreciate the product the House sent us.

02:26I appreciate the input the administration has given.

02:30And we are really of one mind.

02:32We have a package that bumps right up against $150 billion.

02:39It's $149 billion and change.

02:43We continue to make minor tweaks.

02:45But within the conference of Republicans and within the Congress as a whole and the administration,

02:55we're on the same page.

02:58This reconciliation package contains 13 new Battle Force ships,

03:07the largest ever investment in unmanned ships.

03:10And clearly the unmanned ships are out there to supplement the Battle Force ships.

03:19But we couldn't do it without either one.

03:24Dozens of new United States manufacturing sites,

03:29the ability to expand our military industrial base,

03:35drones, counter drones and the leader discussed what we've seen in the past few days

03:41concerning homeland security.

03:44But also in the last few days we've seen

03:47really historic events

03:50pointing to the necessity

03:53of using drones ourselves

03:56and how they can be used by our allies

03:59to neutralize much more expensive weaponry,

04:03but also the need for counter drones

04:05because that threat goes both ways.

04:10There is money in here for border.

04:13There's money for critical minerals.

04:15I'll be going to the White House this afternoon

04:18to meet with the Secretary of State

04:20and other members of Congress

04:21about the issue of critical minerals.

04:24We may do a little tweaking there,

04:26but it will be minor.

04:27And so just to say

04:28this is a very important part.

04:32Quite obviously

04:33we're going to vote for this

04:37regardless of what minor details

04:41because we must prevent

04:43this huge tax increase

04:45from going into effect

04:46in just a few short months and weeks.

04:49But I'm very pleased

04:51at the progress we've been made

04:52and I appreciate the cooperation

04:55of everybody in the administration.

04:57Chairman Wicker,

04:57can I ask you a question

04:58because you're wearing

04:59a Ukraine lapel pin.

05:01Yes, I am.

05:02And for every day

05:04the Russia sanctions bill

05:05languishes here

05:06brings a worse night

05:08for the people of Ukraine.

05:11One is not going to end

05:12the other instantly.

05:14But are you prepared

05:16to wait out the president?

05:18Are all of you prepared

05:19to wait out the president on this

05:20when he seems to have lost interest

05:22in ending the war?

05:23Well, you're making

05:24that characterization not I.

05:26But let me just say

05:27that this is a matter

05:30that Senator Graham

05:31has worked hard on.

05:33I know he's working

05:34with the chairman

05:35of the Foreign Relations Committee.

05:39And my hope is

05:41that this bill

05:41can come to the floor

05:42within the next few days,

05:44perhaps next week.

05:45Chairman Wicker, what is your...

05:46I do not know

05:48the schedule

05:50of the leadership on that.

05:51But it is my hope

05:52that this sanctions bill

05:54will be passed.

05:56I think the House of Representatives

05:57will pass it by

05:58enormous bipartisan numbers also.

06:01And I think the president

06:02will sign it.

06:02Chairman Wicker,

06:03what is your biggest concern

06:04about sending these troops

06:06into the streets of Los Angeles

06:07and also doing this

06:08in an appropriate

06:09constitutional way,

06:10but also about concerns

06:12of having American forces

06:13on U.S. soil?

06:15Well, I haven't...

06:17I haven't spoken

06:19about concerns about that.

06:20Let me just say what...

06:22Do you have concerns about that?

06:23Let me just say what...

06:24And I'll answer your question.

06:26I was heartened

06:27to hear the mayor of Los Angeles

06:29say yesterday

06:31that her interaction

06:33with the American military,

06:36particularly the National Guard,

06:38has been one of collaboration.

06:40And to me,

06:40that's how it ought to be.

06:43It seems to most

06:45Americans

06:45that this is a very

06:46dangerous situation.

06:48And I really think

06:51the governor

06:51may be making a mistake

06:52there politically.

06:55When a situation

06:56is fraught

06:58with the possibility

06:59of extreme violence,

07:01it would seem

07:01that the governor

07:02and the mayor

07:03would want all the help

07:04they can receive.

07:06And the National Guard

07:08is now present.

07:09The Marines are standing off,

07:12as I understand it.

07:13Would you be comfortable

07:15with the president

07:16sending the National Guard

07:18to your state

07:18if your governor

07:19said that they didn't need them?

07:21In similar situations,

07:23I would think

07:24the governor of Mississippi

07:25would be happy to help

07:26to have all the help

07:28he could get.

07:30But the main thing

07:32I want to stress

07:33is that we have

07:36a very important

07:38reconciliation bill

07:40that puts $150 billion

07:42extra where it needs to be

07:43to make America safe.

07:46And that's the purpose

07:46of the leadership

07:48calling on me

07:49to make this presentation

07:50at this point.

07:51So I'll be happy

07:51to answer questions

07:52about reconciliation,

07:55about the battleships

07:57and drones

07:57and industrial

07:59plus-ups

08:01that this will mean

08:02for the American people,

08:03not to mention

08:04our standing internationally.

08:05Chairman,

08:05do you still have issues

08:06with the Department

08:07of Defense budget request?

08:09I think this package

08:12of reconciliation

08:12is where there is

08:15almost unanimous agreement.

08:19And yes,

08:20my position hasn't changed.

08:23when the skinny budget

08:24came out

08:24with basically

08:26a flat-line amount

08:29for the next fiscal year,

08:31I expressed my disappointment

08:32and my position

08:33hasn't changed on that.

08:34Chairman,

08:34are we prepared

08:36for conflict

08:37in the Indo-Pacific?

08:38We heard you ask

08:39questions this morning

08:40about the fact

08:41that many,

08:43more than half

08:43of our amphibious ships

08:45are not ready,

08:46they're not mission ready

08:47for a conflict

08:50in the Indo-Pacific.

08:52That was the testimony

08:53of the acting chief

08:57of naval operations.

08:59That was the testimony

08:59of the top marine four-star

09:05in the United States.

09:07And so there's no question

09:08that we're not

09:08where we need to be.

09:10I think my message

09:13to Americans now

09:15is that while

09:17we are,

09:20we're basically

09:21all right

09:23when it comes

09:23to deterrence,

09:24the curve

09:25is headed

09:26the wrong way.

09:27Our adversaries

09:28are increasing

09:30their capability

09:32while ours

09:33is decidedly

09:35going in the wrong direction,

09:37and there's just

09:37no denying that.

09:38Yes, sir.

09:42Yes, I'm happy

09:44to surrender.

09:45Keep going, Roger.

09:46Come on, man.

09:47No, President's

09:47general.

09:48On Los Angeles,

09:50do you see

09:51inconsistency

09:52when the president

09:53criticizes and condemns

09:54the violent

09:55Los Angeles protesters

09:56but then pardons

09:57the violent

09:58January 6 protesters?

10:00Well, I mean,

10:01I think the issue

10:02that's in front of us

10:03right now

10:03is the chaos in L.A.

10:05And clearly

10:06the local officials

10:09there,

10:09for whatever reason,

10:11didn't seem up

10:11to the task

10:12of getting the job

10:13done there.

10:14And I think that

10:15as Senator Wicker

10:16pointed out,

10:17it's kind of a political

10:18imperative, honestly,

10:19because one of the

10:20most fundamental questions

10:21most people,

10:22most voters ask is,

10:23is my family safe?

10:25Is my neighborhood safe?

10:26Is my community safe?

10:27Is my country safe?

10:28And when you can't

10:30answer that in the

10:31affirmative,

10:32then you've got a problem.

10:33And I think that's

10:34what they ran into in L.A.,

10:35which is why

10:35they needed some

10:37outside help.

10:38But at the end of the day,

10:40it's about preventing

10:40chaos and preserving

10:42law and order.

10:43That's what this is.

10:45Is there a chance

10:45that no tax on tips

10:47and no tax on overtime

10:48get replaced

10:49in the big, beautiful bill

10:49with, let's say,

10:50R&D tax credits

10:51or something else?

10:52Well, I think that

10:53the president, as you know,

10:54campaigned hard

10:55on no tax on tips,

10:56no tax on overtime,

10:57Social Security,

10:58interest on car loans,

11:00those are all things

11:01that are priorities

11:02for the administration.

11:03And they were addressed

11:05in the House version

11:05of the bill,

11:06and I expect they will

11:07be in the Senate as well.

11:08Do you have any concerns

11:10about Secretary Kennedy

11:11removing all the appointees

11:12from the Vaccine Advisory Board?

11:13And do you still have

11:14confidence in the secretary?

11:15Well, I think most of us

11:16up here want to have

11:19confidence in the vaccine

11:21process that is used

11:22in this country.

11:23And so as he makes decisions

11:25about who he's going

11:26to put on that,

11:27who he's going

11:27to replace people

11:28with on that panel,

11:29I suspect my colleagues

11:31and I will be paying

11:32a lot of attention to that.

11:33Is there a plan B

11:35for the debt limit

11:35if you don't pass

11:36reconciliation by the tax date?

11:38There is no plan B.

11:39It's plan A.

11:40We have to get it done.

11:42Failure's not an option.

11:43One more.

11:44Are there provisions

11:45in the House

11:45reconciliation, though,

11:46that we don't think

11:47is about a birdbath?

11:48Well, I think there

11:49are always provisions

11:51and when the House

11:52sends it over,

11:53they don't have

11:54the restrictions

11:54that we have to comply

11:55with here.

11:56And so my expectation

11:57is there perhaps

11:58will be some things

11:59that won't survive

12:00the bird test,

12:01the birdbath here

12:02in the Senate.

12:03But we obviously

12:04are going to fight

12:05very, very hard

12:06on all those issues

12:07and make our arguments

12:08in front of the parliamentarian

12:09and that process

12:10is underway.

12:11We've already been doing it.

12:12Well, there are some examples

12:14which I won't get

12:14into specifics,

12:15but as you know,

12:17the bird test, of course,

12:18requires that it be

12:19principally about revenue

12:20and spending

12:20and not policy.

12:21And so,

12:23but those are arguments.

12:24What we saw the Senate

12:25or the Democrats do

12:26when they had

12:26House, Senate, White House

12:28unified control

12:28of the government

12:29is they dramatically

12:30expanded the scope

12:31of what's eligible

12:32for consideration

12:33under reconciliation.

12:35And so we're using

12:36that template

12:36and we're going to push

12:37as hard as we can

12:38for the priorities

12:39that the House included

12:40in hopes that we can have

12:42a bill at the end

12:44that preserves as much

12:45of the work

12:46that the House did

12:47as possible.

12:49Would you like to

12:49move to the parliamentarian?

12:51Good morning.

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