geoff: Lawmakers on both sides
of the aisle are pressing
federal banking regulators after
the collapse of silicon valley
bank and signature bank.
Our congressional correspondent
Lisa Desjardins has been
following it all
and joins us now with a
check-in.
Good to see you.
The president this morning
called for stronger banking
regulations in that speech.
What has been the response from
congress?
Lisa: No surprise we have a
divided response.
To take you through, there are a
few like senator Bernie Sanders
who say there was a mistake by
the trauma senate -- trump
administration, they got rid of
too much regulation, he wants
more back.
But more people like Alex
Padilla are saying let's figure
out who was to blame.
Some like senator Tim Scott, who
is the top Republican on the
banking committee, are simply
saying we need to find out what
happened.
Congress is at a moment with the
finger in the air.
There will be a debate over is
it the regulators to blame or
the regulations?
One bipartisan thing we should
watch, interest in Twitter, and
the idea that a bank might be
going under might have
accelerated things in a way
never happened before.
I think congress will look at
that.
Geoff: We are more than two
months into this new congress.
How are you holding up?
[Laughter]
Lisa: So far so good.
Geoff: What are Republicans
doing with the new majority?
Lisa: I've been tracking the
bills, the vast majority, all
that one have come out of the
house.
39 bills.
Let's talk about what the house
Republicans have been doing with
their time in power.
They passed a number of bills on
China and one bill that was
anti-socialism.
Those were bipartisan issues.
More of what they passed have
been partisan.
Abortion, for example, a couple
of items there.
A bill on censorship defined in
Republican terms, that was a
dividing line.
There's also been the largest
number of bills house
Republicans have passed so far,
on covid.
They have taken interesting
approaches.
I want to run through some of
the bills out of the house.
Some we don't not -- we do not
expect to move forward.
First, they would like to end
all national emergencies
immediately.
President Biden is moving to end
those in may.
Also a bill that would send
federal workers back to the
office.
Republicans say you should not
be working from home anymore.
Here is one I think could end up
becoming law -- they would like
to end the noncitizen
vaccination requirement for
people flying into the country.
One that could become law is a
bill that would declassify
everything intelligence agencies
know about the Wuhan lab and if
covid started there.
That passed unanimously in both
chambers and we're looking to
see if president Biden will make
that public.
Geoff: Let's talk about the
senate, there are some
health-related absences on the
democratic side.
What does that mean for the
majority and what they can
accomplish?
Lisa: It's almost impossible to
get anything through, including
regulation or deregulation of
banks because the majority is so
narrow.
There's not even a technical
majority for the Democrats
because we have two senators
out, Dianne Feinstein of
California, recovering from
shingles, and also senator John
Fetterman, who is recovering
from depression and his stroke
last year.
Two senators out is usually not
a big deal but when we your
majority is one senator,
Democrat have to be careful.
So far it hasn't affected his
news and part of that is because
Republicans have had absences,
senators who have had covid and
their leader, which Mcconnell,
out last week because he had a
fall.
Geoff: What is the latest with
his condition?
It's been five days since he
suffered that fall.
Lisa: Senator Mcconnell is 81
years old so a lot of people are
paying attention.
He was just released from the
hospital today.
He was not released to go home,
he was released to inpatient
rehab.
He suffered a concussion.
They also discovered a fracture
in his rib.
He is going to inpatient rehab.
We don't know what kind of rehab
but he is not yet going to
return to the senate and we will
be watching carefully.
He's not just a leader in name,
he determines how senate
Republicans operate.
Geoff: Can I ask you about
China?
We've been talking abouthow
that might be the one area of
bipartisan cooperation.
The special committee on China.
What are they focused on?
Lisa: They are focused on the
Chinese communist party.
I think they will take a couple
of approaches, one on economics
and one on security.
It is a serious committee.
They are hoping to legislate.
Not just for show, to
investigate, just to have a
conversation on China.
It is probably the area of the
most bipartisan agreement in the
house so far.
Geoff: Lisa, thank you.
Lisa: You are welcome.