COULD RUN DRY BY NEXT WEEK.
LELAND: WITH THAT WE BRING IN
THE NEW HOUSE BUDGET COMMITTEE
CHAIRMAN JOHN YARMOUTH FROM
KENTUCKY.
NICE TO SEE YOU HERE.
PICK UP WHERE ELLISON BARBER
LEFT OFF.
WHEN LEADERSHIP CAN'T AGREE HOW
THE MEETING WENT, MUCH LESS
PRINCIPLE AGREEMENT POINTS OUT
OF THE MEETING.
IT SEEMS LIKE A LONG WAY OFF.
>> IT SOUNDS LIKE WE'RE A LONG
WAY OFF.
IT'S SAD BECAUSE WHAT HAPPENED
WAS, AS MOST PEOPLE KNOW, THE
SENATE, A COUPLE OF WEEKS AGO,
PASSED BY UNANIMOUS VOTE THE
FUNDING FOR A TEMPORARY PERIOD
OF TIME TO GET THESE
NEGOTIATIONS DONE AND NOT SHUT
THE GOVERNMENT DOWN.
LELAND: BUT--
>> THOSE WERE ALWAYS--
>> CONGRESS MONDAY, ISN'T THAT--
>> AN ALL REPUBLICAN BILL.
LELAND: ISN'T THAT DISINGENUOUS
THOUGH?
THE IDEA SOMEHOW NEGOTIATIONS
ARE GOING TO HAPPEN AND THINGS
ARE GOING TO GET DONE.
THERE HAVE BEEN YEARS TO DEAL
WITH THIS.
COMPREHENSIVE IMMIGRATION REFORM
HAS BEEN ON THE TABLE SINCE THE
MID 2000'S AND CONGRESS HASN'T
BEEN ABLE TO AGREE ON IT,
REALLY, A COUPLE WEEK EXTENSION
OF ONLY THE REPUBLICANS PASSED
THINGS, SUDDENLY THERE WAS GOING
TO BE A DEAL?
COME ON.
>> NO, AS A MATTER OF FACT, I
WAS IN THE GROUP OF EIGHT IN
2013 THAT NEGOTIATED FOR SEVEN
MONTHS ON COMPREHENSIVE
IMMIGRATION REFORM AND IT'S
TRAGIC THAT WE DIDN'T GET THAT
BILL TO THE FLOOR.
IT HAD PASSED THE SENATE ON A
BIPARTISAN BASIS WE WOULD HAVE
RESOLVED MANY OF THE ISSUES
RIGHT NOW AND THERE WAS VERY,
VERY SUBSTANTIAL BORDER SECURITY
PROVISIONS IN BOTH THE SENATE
BILL AND THE HOUSE BILL THAT WE
DEVELOPED.
BUT WHAT HAPPENS IN CONGRESS IS
THAT, IF THE ADMINISTRATION
WANTS MONEY FOR SOMETHING, THEY
COME TO CONGRESS, THEY TESTIFY,
THEY MAKE A CASE FOR THE MONEY
THEY WANT.
WE DON'T WRITE BLANK CHECKS FOR
5.7 BILLION DOLLARS WITHOUT
HAVING ANY BACKUP OR DETAIL.
AND THAT'S WHAT THE PRESIDENT IS
ASKING US TO DO, THAT'S NOT THE
WAY IT WORKS, WE HAVE LEARN HOW
GOVERNMENT FUNCTIONS.
LELAND: WE HAVE BROUGHT THAT UP
AND ASKED THOSE QUESTIONS IN
TERMS OF EXACTLY WHAT THE WALL
LOOKS LIKE, WHERE IT'S GOING TO
BE, HOW TALL.
ET CETERA, TO THAT POINT.
THIS BRINGS UP AN INTERESTING
POINT.
YOU SAY 5.6 BILLION FOR THE
WALL, DEMOCRATS AGREE THAT
BORDER SECURITY IS WORTHWHILE
AND SOMETHING THAT'S IN NEED OF
FUNDING.
>> ABSOLUTELY.
LELAND: IT THE GOVERNMENT
SHUTDOWN NOW ESSENTIALLY OVER
SEMANTICS?
ANY BORDER SECURITY INCLUDES
PHYSICAL BARRIERS THAT CAN BE
WALLS AP
WALLS AND THINGS THAT LOOK LIKE
WALLS.
WHERE IS THE DISCONNECT HERE?
>> WELL, THE DISCONNECT,
ACTUALLY, LELAND, WE HAVE A
PRESIDENT WHO WILL NEVER REALLY
LET US KNOW EXACTLY WHAT HE
WANTS AND IS WILLING TO CHANGE
HIS MIND OR IS APT TO CHANGE HIS
MIND ON A WHIM.
IF WE KNEW WHAT HIS NEGOTIATING
POSITION REALLY WAS, IF MITCH
MCCONNELL HAD KNOWN WHAT HIS
NEGOTIATING POSITION REALLY WAS
WE MIGHT HAVE AVOIDED THE
SHUTDOWN AND THAT'S THE PROBLEM.
LELAND: CONGRESSMAN, THE
NEGOTIATION POSITION IS PRETTY
CLEAR.
HE WANTS MORE MONEY FOR A WALL,
A PHYSICAL BARRIER, SOMETHING
THAT IS GOING TO KEEP PEOPLE
FROM CROSSING THE BORDER.
IS THAT A PROBLEM?
WHAT'S THE PROBLEM IN THAT?
>> WELL, THE PROBLEM IS THAT THE
VICE-PRESIDENT CAME TO THE HILL
AND SAID, WELL, WE'LL TAKE 2.5
BILLION AND MICK MULVANEY SAID
WE'LL TAKE 2 POINT SOMETHING
BILLION AND I PRESIDENT SAID NO,
IT'S 5.7 OR 6 BILLION--
>> CONGRESSMAN.
>> THE POSITIONS ARE ALL OVER
THE PLACE.
LELAND: THE POSITIONS OF THE
WHITE HOUSE MAY BE A LITTLE BIT
ALL OVER THE PLACE, BUT NANCY
PELOSI SAYS NOT ONE DOLLAR FOR
THE WALL AND CALLS THE WALL
IMMORAL.
SO IF YOU'VE GOT LEADERSHIP
SAYING THAT SOMETHING IS IMMORAL
HOW DO YOU DO THAT IN GOOD
FAITH?
>> SHE'S WILLING TO NEGOTIATE.
YOU DON'T NEGOTIATE IN THE
MEDIA.
YOU TAKE YOUR POSITION.
LELAND: BUT CONGRESSMAN, IT'S
YOUR LEADERSHIP WHO IS
NEGOTIATING IN THE MEDIA.
IT'S NANCY PELOSI WHO SAID THAT
THE WALL IS IMMORAL.
.
>> YEAH, WELL, I DON'T KNOW THAT
AN INANIMATE OBJECT CAN BE
IMMORAL SO I PROBABLY WOULD
DIFFER ON THAT CHARACTERIZATION,
BUT--
>> AND THE GRAMMAR DISTINCTION
IS IMPRESSIVE.
>> RIGHT, I'VE BEEN TO THE
BORDER AND TALKED TO THE BORDER
PATROL PEOPLE AND THEY SAY THAT
BARRIERS, WHATEVER, HOWEVER YOU
WANT TO CHARACTERIZE THE
BARRIER, ARE EFFECTIVE IN ONE
THING AND ONE THING ONLY, THEY
DON'T KEEP PEOPLE OUT, THEY SLOW
PEOPLE DOWN, THEY SLOW PEOPLE
DOWN AND WHEN THEY'RE TRYING TO
CROSS THE BORDER SO THEY CAN BE
APPREHENDED SO THE QUESTION IS,
WHERE DO YOU PUT IT?
YOU KNOW, WE'VE GOT ONE
REPRESENTATIVE IN CONGRESS, A
REPUBLICAN NAMED WILL HERD WHO
REPRESENTS 820 MILES OF THE
BORDER AND IS AGAINST THE WALL.
LELAND: HE'S AGAINST THE WALL.
HE'S AGAINST A WALL FROM THE
GULF TO THE PACIFIC, WHETHER OR
NOT HE'S AGAINST INCREASED
PHYSICAL BARRIERS IN OTHER
PLACE, I THINK HE WOULD TELL YOU
HE IS.
THE GOVERNMENT AND POLICY SIDE
OF THIS.
THERE'S THE POLITICAL SIDE AND
THE POLITICAL ARGUMENT OF THIS
AND REPUBLICANS MAKING A NEW
ARGUMENT.
LISTEN TO MARSHA BLACKBURN, THE
NEW SENATOR FROM TENNESSEE.
>> WHAT YOU'RE SEEING IS THAT
BECAUSE WE HAVE THIS OPEN
BORDER, YOU HAVE EVERY TOWN A
BORDER TOWN AND EVERY STATE A
BORDER STATE, AND THESE GANGS
AND DRUG TRAFFICKERS, HUMAN
TRAFFICKERS, SEX TRAFFICKERS ARE
COMING TO A COMMUNITY NEAR YOU.
LELAND: SPENT A GOOD AMOUNT OF
TIME IN THE GREAT STATE OF
KENTUCKY, MOREOVER IN LEXINGTON
MAN LOUISVILLE, BUT FOLKS THERE
YOU TALK TO, THEY'RE CONCERNED
ABOUT THIS AS WELL.
DOES SHE HAVE A POINT THAT EVERY
STATE IS NOW BECOMING A BORDER
STATE?
>> WELL, I WOULDN'T DESCRIBE
KENTUCKY AS A BORDER STATE
ALTHOUGH WE WERE IN THE CIVIL
WAR, BUT, NO, I DON'T KNOW
WHAT--
THAT DOESN'T MAKE ANY SENSE TO
ME.
YOU KNOW, WE DO KNOW THAT THERE
ARE CERTAINLY SOME BAD PEOPLE
WHO TRY TO COME ACROSS OUR
BORDERS.
BUT WE DON'T HAVE A CRISIS ON
THE BORDER AND--
>> WE DON'T, REALLY?
WE DON'T HAVE A CRISIS ON THE
MEXICAN BORDER?
>> NO, ILLEGAL BORDER CROSSINGS
ARE AT A HISTORIC LOW LEVEL.
LELAND: DO WE HAVE AN
IMMIGRATION CRISIS?
>> YEAH, WE HAVE A BROKEN
IMMIGRATION SITUATION.
LELAND: WE DON'T HAVE A CRISIS
ON THE BORDER?
>> WE NEED TO FIX THE AMNESTY
PROCEDURES.
WE NEED TO FIX THE GUEST WORKER
PROGRAMS AND WE NEED TO FIX
BORDER SECURITY AND FIX A LOT OF
STUFF, UNFORTUNATELY, AGAIN, WE
TRIED FIVE YEARS AGO AND
COULDN'T GET IT DONE.
WE NEED TO TRY IT AGAIN.
LELAND: GOOD POINT.
BETTER LUCK THIS TIME, SIR.