Kevin Hassett, Gov.-elect Mikie Sherrill and more

[0:01] i'm margaret brennan in washington and this week on face the nation the longest government shutdown [0:07] in history and no end in sight with each passing day the impact of the government shutdown grows [0:15] with millions of americans now facing major disruptions from mass flight cancellations [0:21] and delays because of staffing shortages to growing lines at food banks as the supreme [0:27] court lets the trump administration withhold some money to fund food stamp benefits frustration is [0:34] mounting and the blame game is on when i see hungry people in my state who are hungry because [0:39] of jd vance's bull politics that makes me angry isn't that what y'all been saying it's about [0:46] leverage this isn't leverage this is the lives of the american people we'll talk with maryland's [0:53] democratic governor west moore and west virginia's republican governor patrick moore [0:58] c about how they could fill the funding gap as safety net programs hang in limbo the president's [1:05] top economic advisor kevin hassett will also join us we'll ask him what kind of impact this [1:11] shutdown is having on our economy plus the whole uh series of pricing and and costs you know the [1:19] groceries and everything else it was a con job it was a con job affordability they call it was [1:24] a con job by the by the democrats where the president sees [1:28] a con job democrats see a winning message in last week's elections we'll hear from two incoming [1:35] governors abigail spanberger of virginia and mikey sherrill of new jersey it's all just ahead [1:42] on face the nation good morning and welcome to face the nation the senate is in session [2:02] today a rare weekend work day for lawmakers but there is still no deal to reopen the government [2:08] we begin this morning with the director of the white house national economic [2:12] council kevin hassett this is now the longest shutdown in american history the treasury [2:19] secretary told us two weeks ago november 15th was the hard stop for any paychecks going to us troops [2:26] does that remain the point of exhaustion right i think that that's about the right number and [2:30] the problem is uh that under the law we're not allowed to spend money that hasn't been [2:35] appropriated and uh there is a law anti-deficiency act that says that if a government official spends [2:40] money that isn't appropriated by congress [2:42] will only happen if the democrats vote to open up the government then you could even have criminal [2:48] penalties and so people are very carefully studying the law and trying to get as much [2:52] money out the door as is legal and we're very you know glad that we found a way to get a lot of the [2:58] snap money out but it's really really pushing the boundaries of the law which is why the supreme [3:03] court had to take that ruling from rhode island and put it on hold until the lower court until [3:08] the lower court goes back and comes up with a legal justification for what they said because [3:12] there probably isn't one sadly which is why we have to get this this government open i mean the [3:15] fact is goldman sachs they have a top economic team and they're estimating that we've already [3:20] knocked about one and a half percent off of gdp i think that number is probably low if we keep [3:25] going even a couple more weeks because there's going to be a massive amount of air disruption [3:31] especially around the holidays and you know one of these things every now and then when we're [3:35] talking economics you and i we talk about seasonal adjustments and things like that but the fact is [3:38] that thanksgiving that thanksgiving time is one of the hottest [3:42] times of the year for the economy it's you know black friday and all that kind of stuff [3:45] and if people aren't traveling at that moment then we really could be looking at a negative [3:49] quarter for the fourth quarter which is significantly disruptive to the president's [3:54] agenda but to the point you were just making about food stamps and we saw this friday [3:59] temporary stay by the supreme court that would block full foods stamp benefits pending the lower [4:05] court decision the administration's argument as you just referenced there was that it would be [4:12] important to kill the윤th [4:40] funding and to tap the section 32 account at the usda but why not do this as a short-term patchwork how to escape food stamps for young people [4:41] how to escape food stamps for young people solution because you have found ways of Pollin [4:42] the commander-in-chief stuff, but the legal analysis suggests that we're doing everything [4:47] by the book and then stretching things as much as we can and basically trying to keep people from [4:53] committing crimes, which you know about in the season of lawfare. If you are a cabinet secretary [4:59] and you spend money that's not appropriated for that purpose in your cabinet, then they can come [5:03] back and they can take you to court. But you're also making a political bet that Democrats aren't [5:08] going to challenge paying the military. Do you really think Democrats would challenge and take [5:12] to court paying people for their food stamp benefits? Let's just say that we've seen Democrats... [5:19] If Congress is going to fund it when the shutdown ends? We've seen Democrats take to court people [5:23] that are on really, really poor charges, and so I think they're likely to do anything. [5:29] Well, it seems a political calculation is the point. Well, we don't have a political calculation. [5:34] Our calculation is to get the government open, to get the food stamps to people, and to get people [5:39] to be paid. 750,000 government workers aren't getting paid right now. [5:42] Mm-hmm. [5:42] I know you're talking to the governor of Maryland in a minute. I'm sure his people are really [5:46] hurting. Let's just get the government open, and then let's talk about things like the health care [5:49] premiums, but do that through regular order. [5:52] So it sounds like you're saying the position is the same, open the government, then we'll talk [5:58] about health care. But the president, just in the past 36 hours, has put out a number of social [6:02] media posts. It sounds sort of like he's proposing something in regard to health insurance payments. [6:09] He said, I'm recommended to Senate Republicans that hundreds of billions, [6:13] millions of dollars currently being sent to money-sucking insurance companies to save bad health [6:18] care provided by Obamacare now be sent to the people so they can purchase their own much better [6:23] health care. He also said they should terminate Obamacare. What does this alternative system look [6:28] like? Because the entire standoff is about health care right now. [6:31] Right. Well, the president is, you know, a beautiful tactician, a beautiful negotiator. [6:35] And what he said, you know, what he said, he's brainstorming and trying to help the Senate come [6:40] up with a deal that can get the government open. And one of the things you could do, [6:43] too, is conservatives believe that they don't want the government to micromanage people's lives. [6:47] And, you know, everybody believes that people should have health care. And so why not take [6:51] the people who have higher health care premiums and just mail them a check and let them decide? [6:56] The reason why it could have an effect is that there are multiple tiers under the Affordable [7:00] Care Act of different types of insurance. And it could be that people would rather have the money [7:04] and go from, like, you know, this kind of plan to that kind of plan and save themselves a little [7:09] bit. And so that's, you know, basically giving the people an opportunity to make more choices [7:13] than not. [7:13] Is this the Senator Cassidy proposal? [7:16] I'm sure that Senator Cassidy and President Trump talked about it, [7:19] but whether he agrees with everything with Cassidy, I haven't talked to him about yet. [7:22] Well, does the Republican leader in the Senate accept this proposal? [7:25] The president has started this idea yesterday. I don't think that it's been discussed widely [7:28] in the Senate yet. It's the weekend. [7:31] The Senate's in session this weekend because they're trying to end the shutdown. [7:36] But this is not the Republican Party's position. [7:39] As of right now, it's not the Senate position. But the president thought it was something they [7:43] should think about. [7:44] Well, he seems to be negotiating before the government's open. [7:48] He's talking to his colleagues in the Senate and the Republican side. [7:51] But you would agree that there does need to be a deal on health care, that health care costs are [7:55] too high? [7:56] Well, I think that if you look at the Affordable Care Act, that these premiums weren't made [8:00] permanent by the Democrats during the COVID emergency because they're worried about the [8:04] budgetary costs. And so if you look at the premium increases, they don't affect most people below, [8:09] like, two times the poverty line, three times the poverty line. But there are a lot of senior citizens [8:13] that are... [8:14] Are above, like, around four times the poverty level, which with the husband and wife team would [8:18] be about $120,000, that are seeing really big premium increases. And I think that everybody's [8:23] going to want to think about what the next step for that would be. Because people are seeing, [8:27] again, most people aren't seeing much of an increase at all. But the maximum increases [8:30] you're seeing could be up to about $500 a month for seniors who have really costly plans. [8:35] The president has also been talking about affordability. And our CBS polling shows the [8:41] president's approval rating in the economy has dipped to 38%. [8:44] The lowest of this term. 75% of those polled say he's not focusing enough on lowering prices. [8:50] But the president said this week Democrats are making it up and, quote, every price is down. [8:56] I'm sure you know the Consumer Price Index showed grocery prices are up nearly 3% in September from a year ago. [9:01] Do you dispute that? [9:03] Well, actually, let's go through the facts, right? So inflation went up about 5% under President Biden [9:08] in President Trump's first eight, nine months, depending on where we get the last number. [9:14] It's up 2.7%. One of the big things that's hurting affordability is mortgages. The interest rate [9:20] went up by about 4%. [9:22] This is grocery prices. [9:22] No, grocery prices are actually down significantly under Trump. But here's the thing. [9:26] It depends on which... [9:27] No, let me... I just make a point. If you look at the real reduction in spending power for Americans [9:34] under Joe Biden, then it went down about $3,000 because we had up to 9% inflation. And then they [9:39] went to the grocery store. They couldn't buy the things they're used to buying. The real spending [9:44] power adjusted for inflation under President Trump has gone up about $1,200 so far this year. [9:50] $1,200 is not $3,000. And so people are right to feel stretched, but we're making progress. [9:55] And if you look at all the things, the positive things about the economy, industrial production, [9:58] just about at an all-time high, capital spending about at an all-time high, GDP growth right now [10:03] about 4%, then that shows that the income growth that we need to get more affordability is on the [10:09] path to happening. And the bottom line is that the last Consumer Price Index surprised [10:14] down. It was lower than expected. And it was actually would have even been lower than that [10:18] because there was a refinery shutdown that caused it to go slightly higher. So we see inflation under [10:22] control and the economy booming. But we understand 100% why people are still hurting because we [10:26] haven't made up all the room that was lost under Joe Biden. [10:28] So are you comfortable with 3% inflation? [10:30] I'm comfortable with 2% inflation. [10:32] So no, you're not happy where things are now. [10:34] Well, they're going to go down a little bit more. But the point is that inflation is like the Queen [10:38] Mary, my friend, Alan Greenspan, used to say. And so when you go from the almost 4% that we had in [10:44] January down to the mid twos, then that's a trajectory that usually has momentum. [10:48] So the St. Louis Fed found tariffs account for half a percentage point of the annual inflation [10:53] rate. How much do you think the tariffs are hiking prices? [10:55] There's a couple of papers out there that say that prices would up by between two-tenths and [11:02] five-tenths. And the thing to remember, if those papers are true, is that that's a level adjust, [11:08] because the tariff goes in and then the tariff's just there, so it doesn't affect inflation in the [11:12] future. So it would be a one-time level adjust. [11:14] Our estimates at CEA are much closer to zero, and it's all based on modeling and assumptions [11:20] about elasticity and things. But for the most part, the one way you can see it is you could [11:24] look at the price of imported goods. And the price of imported goods, CEA put a report out, [11:29] has actually been declining under tariffs. Because what happens is that the Chinese want [11:32] to sell us lots of stuff, and there's a tariff, and so they cut their prices so that they can [11:36] still have a larger market share in the U.S. Kevin Asset, always good to have you here. [11:41] Great to be here, of course. [11:42] We have to leave it there for now. We'll be right back in a minute. [11:45] Stay with us. [11:49] We're joined now by the Democratic governor of Maryland, Wes Moore. [11:52] Good to have you here in person. [11:54] Great to be with you. Thank you. [11:55] So, Governor, one in eight Americans use food stamps in Maryland. You have about [11:58] 700,000 people, as I understand it, who rely on this for food aid since the Supreme Court [12:04] put that stay in place on Friday. Do you know whether that money will actually be available [12:10] to residents in your state to buy food? [12:11] We don't know, and that's why we're not waiting. It is why, just in the past few days, [12:17] I have all the time I have. [12:17] I have authorized over $10 million as going towards heating assistance for people in the [12:21] state of Maryland. [12:22] Over $10 million has gone to our Maryland food banks that we have made public transportation [12:26] free for all of our federal workers, because they, in many cases, are going to work and [12:30] not being paid. [12:31] And I have also authorized $62 million to go towards SNAP to make sure that SNAP is [12:37] not going to be interrupted for the people of Maryland for as long as we can, despite [12:42] the fact that we are waiting for the president of the United States to finally do his job. [12:46] We are watching the president, who has left the United States, stay in the state for a [12:47] president who is literally breaking the law so people can starve. But we're not going to sit [12:51] there and tolerate in our state. Well, you just heard Director Hassett say that they are trying [12:56] to follow the law, which is why they went to the courts. The USDA did say they were going to work [13:01] towards implementing full payments. And then there was this Supreme Court stay put in place. So do [13:06] you have clarity on when money might be coming through at all? What's the federal government [13:12] telling you? There is no clarity at all. In the past six days, we've received four different [13:18] measures of guidance from the USDA and from the Trump administration about how to handle it, [13:23] where initially it was said, well, listen, we want the states to help to support. And despite [13:27] the fact that this program was built as a partnership between the federal government [13:31] and the states where the federal government were really helping to underwrite these costs for [13:35] people. And then once we decided to step up and say, we are going to make sure that our people [13:40] are going to be OK. You're fronting the money. That we are going to. [13:42] We've now received guidance saying the states are going to be punished [13:45] for fronting the money. There is a chaos and it is an intentional chaos that we are seeing from [13:51] this administration and where they have money for everything. They got money to fight wars. [13:55] They got money for ballrooms. They got money for everything. But when it comes to supporting the [13:59] American people, that's now when they are crying, well, we're broke and that's not what the law [14:04] requires us to do. As you know, the White House says those sponsorships for the ballroom are [14:10] separate from government money. But on the other hand, the White House says, well, we're not going [14:13] to do it. We're going to do it. We're going to do it. We're going to do it. We're going to do it. [14:14] We're going to do it. We're going to do it. We're going to do it. [14:14] On the issue, though, of the shutdown itself. On Friday, we did see the Democratic leader Schumer [14:18] offer to end it if Republicans agree to a one year extension of the Obamacare health care [14:23] subsidies. Republicans said that's a that's a non-starter. This is going to make a big issue [14:27] for the midterms. But would you would you tell the Democrats on Capitol Hill to dig in that the [14:34] pain that the people who are living in your state is somehow going to be worth it in the end for an [14:40] extension of a tax credit? [14:43] There is no pain that is worth it. Our people are hurting and they're hurting because of these [14:50] games that we continue to see from Washington, D.C. [14:53] Would you tell Democrats just take the vote, open the government, then keep negotiating health [14:57] care? [14:57] I want the government reopened now. There is no state that is dealing with more of an impact from [15:02] this than the state of Maryland. We have over 260,000 federal workers within our state that [15:08] even before the shutdown, Donald Trump had fired over 15,000 Maryland workers. [15:13] Federal workers more than any other state in this country. But I also know that saying that a [15:19] prerequisite for having the federal government open shouldn't be kicking up premiums by 90 percent by [15:25] kicking people off of health care. There's a there's a there's a there's a barbaric nature to [15:30] this ask and this request, particularly when we're watching how the Trump, you know, the Trump [15:35] administration, they have the White House, the House and the Senate. They can get this deal done [15:39] by just simply making a phone call. But they're allowing this pain to exist. [15:42] But Democrats also have a promise from the Republican. [15:43] Leader in the Senate that he'll talk about health care if they reopen the government. [15:48] Why isn't that good enough? Why would you tell your members of the Democratic Party to to relieve [15:55] the pain in the immediate term from your state? [15:57] I would tell them that we need to ensure that reopening the government does not mean kicking my people off of health [16:03] care, that when when we're spending time right now over in western Maryland and Appalachia and I'm proud to serve as [16:10] the as the as a co-chair of the Appalachian Regional Regional Commission, where we're [16:15] serving Appalachia all throughout, not just Maryland, but throughout West Virginia, throughout [16:19] Tennessee and Pennsylvania. And when we're speaking to our folks out there who are already watching [16:24] their premiums jump, who are already watching everything become more expensive because of [16:29] these policies, I don't think that anybody, whether in western Maryland or any part of [16:33] my state, would say, yes, it's OK if you just watch my health care go away. [16:37] Well, health care prices are going up even in the private market for a lot of different [16:40] reasons. But let me ask you about what's happening in Maryland. [16:45] This past Tuesday out in California, we saw this Proposition 50. [16:49] Sixty four percent of California voters came out in support of what Gavin Newsom put out there with redistricting. [16:56] This would allow him to charge ahead with plans to potentially gain an additional five Democratic congressional seats. [17:02] This is gerrymandering. You are looking at midterm redistricting in your state as well. [17:08] Of eight districts, you only have one Republican. [17:11] Do you really think Maryland is drawn in an unfair way? [17:14] Right now, I think that the reason that I ordered the governor's redistricting advisory [17:19] commission is because I want to make sure that we can have a bipartisan group being [17:24] able to look at the maps in the state of Maryland. [17:26] This is something that happens. [17:27] You don't think these maps are fair now? [17:29] This is something that happens every single decade. [17:31] And if other states are going to have this process and go through this, go through this [17:35] journey of identifying whether or not they have fair maps in a mid decade cycle, then [17:39] so should Maryland. [17:40] I'm just not sure why we should be playing by a different set of rules than Texas. [17:43] Right. [17:44] Or then Florida. [17:46] Or then Ohio. [17:47] Because you say those states are being unfair. [17:50] So why adopt unfair policies in your state? [17:52] This is just simply about making sure that we can have fair and representative maps and [17:56] we can go through our process. [17:57] It's the reason that I put together this commission where my job is not to draw the maps. [18:03] That what we've just simply said is I want this bipartisan commission to be able to actually [18:06] speak with the people and to be able to go through their process and just simply say [18:10] that if other states are going to go through this process. [18:13] That we're not just going to sit on our hands because Donald Trump tells us to. [18:17] That that's not the way this process is going to work. [18:19] Your state senate president, Democrat Bill Ferguson, says this could backfire. [18:23] He wrote, I believe mid-cycle redistricting twists rules for potential short-term advantage [18:28] while undermining trust in institutions and ultimately democracy. [18:32] It's too risky and jeopardizes your state's ability to fight against the radical Trump [18:36] administration. [18:37] How do you make sure it doesn't backfire? [18:39] Do you accept a map that gives you more Republican districts? [18:42] You're not going to do that. [18:43] I think fighting for democracy is never risky. [18:46] I think that's our job as leaders and elected officials. [18:49] So you're not committing to going with the outcome of what this commission provides to [18:54] you? [18:55] No, I think the commission, what I want is for the commission to do their work and the [18:57] commission to do their job. [18:59] My job is not to draw the maps. [19:00] And frankly, it's the state legislature's job to decide to vote on it. [19:04] That is not my responsibility. [19:05] My job is to make sure that I'm protecting the democratic process. [19:08] And the Senate president and I, we agree on the crisis that Donald Trump has put us in. [19:12] He agrees on the fact that we have watched an administration that's using the Constitution [19:17] like it's a suggestion box. [19:19] But what I'm simply, and where we differ, is the urgency that this moment requires, [19:24] the fight that this moment requires. [19:26] And I personally am someone who is not going to allow Donald Trump to determine whether [19:31] or not Maryland follows this idea of saying, are we going to do everything we can to make [19:35] sure we're preserving our democracy? [19:37] Governor Moore, thank you for your time this morning. [19:39] Thank you so much. [19:40] And we'll be right back with a lot more Face the Nation. [19:42] So, Senator, thank you. [19:43] Stay with us. [19:47] We turn now to the Democratic governor-elect of Virginia, Abigail Spanberger. [19:52] She joins us this morning from Glen Allen, just outside of Richmond. [19:56] Welcome to Face the Nation. [19:57] SEN. [20:00] SEN. [20:01] SEN. [20:02] SEN. [20:03] SEN. [20:04] SEN. [20:05] SEN. [20:06] SEN. [20:07] SEN. [20:08] SEN. [20:09] SEN. [20:10] SEN. [20:11] SEN. [20:12] SEN. [20:13] SEN. [20:14] SEN. [20:15] SEN. [20:16] SEN. [20:17] SEN. [20:17] SEN. [20:18] SEN. [20:19] SEN. [20:20] SEN. [20:21] SEN. [20:22] SEN. [20:23] SEN. [20:24] SEN. [20:25] SEN. [20:28] SEN. [20:29] SEN. [20:30] SEN. [20:31] SEN. [20:32] SEN. [20:33] SEN. [20:34] SEN. [20:35] SEN. [20:36] SEN. [20:37] SEN. [20:38] SEN. [20:39] SEN. [20:40] SEN. [20:41] SEN. [20:42] SEN. [20:43] SEN. [20:44] SEN. [20:45] SEN. [20:46] SEN. [20:47] SEN. [20:48] SEN. [20:49] chaos coming out of Washington that has been impacting Virginians so severely, beginning [20:54] with the Doge efforts, of course, continuing with chaotic trade policies, and now in this [21:00] government shutdown. [21:01] Virginians need to and Virginians want to see the government reopen. [21:06] And my expectation is that we will see a Congress, a Senate, and ultimately a president driving [21:14] us in that direction. [21:15] LISA DESJARDINS But should congressional Democrats open the government and then talk [21:19] about health care? [21:20] AMY WALTER The government needs to open, and it needs to open immediately. [21:26] We need the president to demonstrate leadership, bringing people together, endeavoring to get [21:31] through whatever negotiations need to get through, whether it's before or after. [21:35] My priority is focusing on the needs and the devastation, frankly, that more than 300,000 [21:43] Virginians are facing. [21:45] And that's just the federal employees. [21:47] Government contractors, they will never get made whole. [21:52] The entirety of Virginia's economy is impacted by the shutdown, just as we have been impacted [21:57] by Doge attacks. [21:59] And the government needs to reopen quickly. [22:01] LISA DESJARDINS Well, and that's why I'm asking, because there are, what, 825,000 enrollees [22:06] on food aid and the SNAP program. [22:09] They're in limbo right now. [22:10] You have immediate pain. [22:13] So at what point do you weigh that against the potential of... [22:17] AMY WALTER I mean, this pain is very real and very acute for people in your state right [22:22] now. [22:24] LISA DESJARDINS And it's been going on now for weeks, weeks too long. [22:28] The government needs to reopen, because, in addition to the pain that we are already seeing [22:32] federal employees and government contractors facing, we absolutely need everyone to vote [22:40] to open the government. [22:42] And that's not to say that the challenges we're facing within our health care system [22:46] are not also immediate and acute. [22:48] Even the passage of the one big, beautiful bill. [22:49] AMY WALTER That's right. [22:50] LISA DESJARDINS The bill will have catastrophic impacts on Virginia, taking $26 billion out [22:54] of our health care, leading to the closure of at least six rural hospitals. [22:59] We have already seen three rural clinics announce their closure. [23:02] Hundreds of thousands will lose their Medicaid. [23:05] And so the impacts on health care are already catastrophic. [23:09] We cannot compound that pain by keeping the government closed. [23:12] LISA DESJARDINS Let's take a break and finish this on the other side of it. [23:15] Please stay with us. [23:22] Welcome back to Face the Nation. [23:24] We return to our conversation with Virginia Governor Arne Duncan. [23:25] We'll be right back. [23:26] We'll be right back with Governor-elect Abigail Spanberger. [23:30] Governor-elect, artificial intelligence has created a really big demand for these data [23:34] centers, and Virginia has the world's largest concentration of them. [23:40] Power bills are up nearly 7 percent in your state over the past year. [23:43] Is that driven by the A.I. [23:45] boom? [23:46] And, if so, how do you offset those rising energy costs? [23:49] GOV. [23:52] ARNE DUNCAN-DUNCAN Well, what we have seen in the research so far is that it is not. [23:56] The increased costs are not driven by the rising costs. [23:57] It is driven by the rising costs. [23:59] It is driven by the increase in data centers. [24:02] There's some bad energy policies in some of our neighboring states that have driven [24:06] up prices, particularly in Southwest Virginia. [24:09] But looking towards the future, we have to be clear-eyed about the fact that we will [24:13] have an energy crisis headed into the future. [24:16] And so, here on the ground in Virginia, we currently have a rate case where it will be [24:20] important that large-scale energy users, particularly data centers, that the public know that they [24:27] are paying their fair share for the data. [24:28] They are paying their fair share for the energy that they are using. [24:31] And we have to increase our energy production here at home, so that we can meet the demand, [24:36] certainly of larger-scale energy users, but also of increased demand from our communities. [24:43] And it is a real challenge that we have to get ahead of. [24:48] And that's why among the first affordability plans that I laid out was one focused on energy. [24:53] It's a challenge that is pervasive across our communities, and particularly acute in [24:58] Southwest Virginia. [25:00] Just a few days ago, Cornell University reached a $60 million deal with the Trump administration [25:06] in order to see their federal funding restored. [25:10] This is the fifth such deal since the administration began this pressure campaign on universities. [25:16] I know you went to University of Virginia, as did I, and must be following that UVA cut [25:22] deals with the government, including kicking out the president of the school. [25:25] You called that extortion. [25:28] But now, as governor, are you going to have to play ball with the Department of Education [25:33] and the Justice Department in order to keep federal government funding going? [25:37] SEN. [25:40] KAMALA HARRIS , So, it should shock everyone that universities, public and private, [25:46] are receiving demands from the federal government, and that dollars, research dollars, are being [25:53] withheld, that our universities are under attack. [25:57] And, certainly, what we have seen in the case of the university. [25:58] SEN. [25:59] KAMALA HARRIS , In this case, the University of Virginia, a popular, experienced, [26:04] excellent president, was pushed out. [26:06] And on the ground here, we did not see our governor in any way step up in defense of [26:11] our university. [26:12] And the idea that the federal government would be withholding federal dollars, including [26:18] dollars already appropriated by Congress for research, in order to compel universities [26:25] to take certain actions, it is absolute. [26:28] SEN. [26:29] KAMALA HARRIS , And I think that, as a governor, I will be clear-eyed about [26:33] ensuring that we have structures in place, including boards of visitors across our universities [26:39] that want to defend academic freedom, and, frankly, the viability and vitality of extraordinary [26:46] institutions like the University of Virginia. [26:48] STEPHANIE SY, I want to ask you about your party. [26:50] In 2020, when Democrats lost House seats, you said, we need to not ever use the word [26:55] socialist or socialism ever again. [26:58] SEN. [26:59] KAMALA HARRIS , Well, you know, there are some who look to Tuesday's win [27:00] in New York City of a Democratic socialist and say that your party is actually being [27:06] rewarded for echoing progressive policies. [27:10] Does that victory create a branding problem for Democrats? [27:14] SEN. [27:16] KAMALA HARRIS , Well, certainly, you know, I'm excited about what we did here [27:19] in Virginia on Tuesday. [27:22] And I campaigned addressing, wanting to address the issues of costs and stopping the chaos. [27:28] I'm a capitalist. [27:29] I'm a socialist. [27:30] I'm a Democrat. [27:32] And I won by 15 points in Virginia. [27:35] You look to New Jersey and a similar story in Mikey Sherrill's win, now the governor-elect [27:40] there. [27:41] And so I think, you know, certainly we're a big tent party, but when I look at what [27:45] led to the success that we had here and the mandate for real governance here in the Commonwealth [27:52] of Virginia, it was based on what I campaigned on, the efforts to really address the challenges [27:58] that people are facing in a day-to-day basis. [28:00] And now it's on us to deliver and prove that really, truly, the mandate that we have to [28:07] work on lowering costs and strengthening our schools and keeping our communities safe and [28:11] creating steady leadership here in the Commonwealth of Virginia, particularly in light of the [28:15] chaos coming out of Washington, that not only was it a winning message, but the winning [28:21] path towards governance. [28:22] STEPHANIE SY, CNN NEWSHOUR CORRESPONDENT, Thank you very much for your time this morning, [28:25] Governor-elect Abigail Spanberger, the who will be the first female governor ever of [28:31] the state of Virginia. [28:32] We will be right back. [28:37] On Friday, we spoke with one of the other big Democratic winners last Tuesday, New Jersey's [28:43] governor-elect, Mikey Sherrill, who is currently a member of Congress, and asked whether, given [28:48] her new role as the chief executive of a state hard hit by the shutdown, she would support [28:53] the Democratic Party position of blocking government funding until Obamacare subsidies [28:59] are extended. [29:00] MIKEY SHERRILL, NEW JERSEY GOVERNOR-ELECT, WELL, IT'S REALLY IMPORTANT THAT WE KEEP UP [29:02] THAT FIGHT. [29:03] BECAUSE WE SEE IN THE MARKET. [29:05] COSTS GOING UP BY 175% IF THE REPUBLICANS DON'T ADDRESS THIS HEALTHCARE CRISIS. [29:12] WE KNOW THAT THERE HAVE ALREADY BEEN HUGE CUTS IN THE ONE BIG BEAUTIFUL BILL TO PEOPLE'S [29:16] ACCESS TO HEALTHCARE. [29:18] AND YOU KNOW, WHEN WE LOOK AT THIS CRISIS, SO MUCH OF IT IS REALLY IMPOSED BY DONALD [29:24] TRUMP. [29:25] SO THERE IS MONEY FOR HIM TO PUT TOWARDS SNAP FUNDING THAT HE'S REFUSING TO DO, EVEN THOUGH [29:29] COURTS ARE DEMANDING IT. [29:30] NOW HE'S KIND OF SLOW WALKING IT, MAKING IT VERY DIFFICULT FOR STATES TO DO THAT. [29:35] ILLEGALLY. [29:36] AND COURTS ARE HOLDING HIM ACCOUNTABLE. [29:38] WE SEE WITH THE AIR TRAFFIC CONTROL PROBLEM, SOME OF THIS IS BECAUSE THE ADMINISTRATION [29:44] HASN'T MOVED QUICKLY ENOUGH AT NEWARK IN SOME OF THE PROBLEMS WE HAD OVER THE SUMMER. [29:48] SO WE'RE ALREADY DOWN BY 25%. [29:51] NOW WITH THIS CRISIS GOING ON, BECAUSE THE PRESIDENT REFUSES TO OPEN UP THE GOVERNMENT, [29:56] WE'RE SEEING ANOTHER 10% IN FLIGHTS BEING DERAILED. [29:59] AND WE SEE CONTINUED LATE AND DELAYED FLIGHTS. [30:02] SO IT'S TIME THAT THE GOVERNMENT... [30:04] THAT THE... [30:05] THIS IS AN ADMINISTRATION THAT REPUBLICANS IN THE HOUSE AND THE SENATE GET SERIOUS ABOUT [30:09] OPENING UP GOVERNMENT. [30:10] WHEN WE LOOK AT OUR RECENT POLLING, A MAJORITY OF AMERICANS ARE REALLY CONCERNED THAT THIS [30:14] SHUTDOWN IS GOING TO HURT THE OVERALL ECONOMY. [30:18] HOW CAN YOU JUSTIFY THE DAMAGE? [30:19] WELL, IT TRULY IS HURTING THE ECONOMY, AND YOU CAN'T JUSTIFY THE DAMAGE, WHICH IS WHY [30:24] THE PRESIDENT AND THE SENATE AND REPUBLICAN MAJORITY IN THE HOUSE NEED TO GET THIS GOVERNMENT [30:30] OPEN. [30:31] AND THEY NEED TO DO SO IN A WAY THAT'S GOING TO STOP PUNISHING THE AMERICAN PEOPLE. [30:34] I THINK WHAT WE SAW WITH THIS ELECTION IS THE AMERICAN PEOPLE, YOU KNOW, ARE REALLY [30:39] DEMANDING THAT OUR FEDERAL GOVERNMENT OPERATE IN A WAY THAT IS GOING TO STOP PUNISHING THEM [30:45] ECONOMICALLY. [30:46] I'LL TELL YOU, I RAN ON AFFORDABILITY, ON THE FACT THAT I'M GOING TO FIGHT IN TRENTON [30:50] TO MAKE SURE WE'RE CUTTING THROUGH RED TAPE AND PERMANENTING TO DRIVE DOWN COSTS, BUT [30:54] ALSO THAT I'M GOING TO CONTINUE TO FIGHT FOR WASHINGTON TO ADDRESS THINGS LIKE THE TARIFF [30:59] PROGRAM, WHICH IS RAISING COSTS ON EVERYTHING FROM A CUP OF COFFEE TO GROCERIES, TO FIGHT [31:03] THE ONE BIG BEAUTIFUL BILL, WHICH IS CONTINUING TO RAISE COSTS ON EDUCATION, INNOVATION, HOUSING, [31:09] HEALTH CARE, TO CONTINUE TO FIGHT THIS GOVERNMENT SHUTDOWN SO THAT WE CAN REALLY ADDRESS HEALTH [31:14] CARE NEEDS HERE IN THE STATE. [31:16] YOU KEEP SAYING IT'S UP TO THE PRESIDENT TO REOPEN THE GOVERNMENT, BUT YOU WITHHELD YOUR [31:20] OWN VOTE ON THAT CONTINUING RESOLUTION, THAT SHORT-TERM FUNDING BILL. [31:25] AND OVER IN THE SENATE, LEADER THUN IS TEARING INTO DEMOCRATS FOR THAT DECISION. [31:30] HE SAID IT SHOWS YOU'RE NOT CARING THAT THERE ARE MEN AND WOMEN IN UNIFORM. [31:33] THEY'RE FREQUENTLY IN FOOD BANKS BECAUSE OF THE SHUTDOWN, NOT MAKING RENT PAYMENTS, TRYING TO [31:38] BORROW. HE SAID DEMS VIEW THIS AS LEVERAGE, AND HE USED THAT WORD BECAUSE IT WAS YOUR HOUSE [31:43] LEADERSHIP. KATHERINE CLARK JUSTIFIED WITHHOLDING VOTES TO END THE SHUTDOWN, SAYING THAT'S ONE OF [31:51] THE FEW PARTS OF LEVERAGE THAT DEMOCRATS HAVE. [31:54] HOW DO YOU RESPOND TO THIS ACCUSATION THAT IT'S ACTUALLY DEMOCRATS WHO ARE BEING HEARTLESS [31:58] HERE? [32:00] WELL, WHEN YOU HAVE THE REPUBLICANS THAT HAVE THE PRESIDENCY, [32:04] THEY HAVE THE MAJORITY IN THE SENATE, THEY HAVE THE MAJORITY IN THE HOUSE, THEY'VE EVEN, [32:08] MANY WOULD SAY INCLUDING MYSELF, TAKEN OVER THE COURT SYSTEM, THEN THEY HAVE A RESPONSIBILITY [32:13] TO OPEN UP THIS GOVERNMENT. [32:15] AND I HAVE TO TELL YOU, AS A VETERAN MYSELF, I KNOW HOW DEVASTATING THAT IS. [32:22] LEVERAGE TO SERVE THE AMERICAN PEOPLE. [32:24] I MEAN, WE SEE AGAIN AND AGAIN THESE REPUBLICAN ATTACKS ON EVERYTHING FROM HEALTH CARE. [32:29] LOOK, IF THEY DON'T FUND THE AFFORDABLE CARE ACT, COSTS ARE GOING TO GO UP BY 175 MILLION [32:35] PERCENT FOR PEOPLE HERE IN NEW JERSEY AT ALREADY HIGH LEVELS. [32:41] THAT IS GOING TO KICK SO MANY PEOPLE OFF HEALTH CARE. [32:43] THAT'S ON TOP OF THE HUGE MEDICARE CUTS THAT WE'RE SEEING IN THE ONE BIG BEAUTIFUL BILL, [32:48] ON TOP OF THE TARIFF COSTS THAT ARE RAISING GROCERY PRICES EVERYWHERE, ON TOP OF THE [32:52] FIGHT HE'S IN NOW, WHICH IS RAISING GAS PRICES. [32:55] SO AGAIN AND AGAIN, WE'RE SEEING THE TRUMP ADMINISTRATION PUNISHING PEOPLE, AND THESE [32:59] REPUBLICANS HAVE GOT TO COME TO THE TABLE, AND THEY'VE GOT TO START REALLY WORKING FOR [33:03] THE AMERICAN PEOPLE. [33:04] AND THIS ELECTION SHOWED THAT. [33:05] BUT WHEN YOU WERE TALKING ABOUT THE EXTENSION OF THE HEALTH CARE SUBSIDIES, WHY [33:09] ISN'T THE PROMISE TO HOLD A VOTE ON THOSE HEALTH CARE SUBSIDIES ENOUGH FOR DEMOCRATS [33:14] TO VOTE TO REOPEN THE GOVERNMENT? [33:17] SO WE ARE WORKING HARD TO ADDRESS THE CONCERNS FOR THE AMERICAN PEOPLE, AND REPUBLICANS AGAIN [33:22] AND AGAIN ARE REFUSING TO ADDRESS THAT. [33:25] SO RIGHT NOW, THIS IS PART OF HOW WE GET THE GOVERNMENT OPEN, AND THEY SHOULD DO IT RIGHT [33:30] NOW. [33:31] I THINK WE HAVE SEEN WHAT THE PROMISES THAT REPUBLICANS HAVE MADE HAVE BEEN WORTH. [33:36] WHAT HE NEEDS TO DO IS ACTUALLY PUT THE SUBSIDIES IN, WE CAN SERVE THE AMERICAN PEOPLE, WE CAN [33:43] DRIVE DOWN HEALTH CARE COSTS. [33:44] AND THAT'S REALLY KEY. [33:45] LET'S TALK A BIT ABOUT YOUR ELECTION. [33:48] AS YOU SAID, THE ECONOMY WAS FRONT AND CENTER FOR YOU. [33:52] ENERGY PRICES IN PARTICULAR, YOU FOCUSED IN ON. [33:56] IN NEW JERSEY, THEY'RE UP 19% OVER THE PAST YEAR, VERSUS 6% NATIONWIDE. [34:02] I KNOW YOU WANT TO DECLARE A STATE OF EMERGENCY DAY ONE, BUT WHAT DOES IT ACTUALLY MEAN? [34:05] HOW QUICKLY WILL PRICES COME? [34:06] HOW QUICKLY WILL PRICES COME? [34:06] HOW QUICKLY WILL PRICES COME? [34:07] HOW QUICKLY WILL PRICES COME? [34:09] SO THE STATE OF EMERGENCY WILL FREEZE RATE HIKES BECAUSE THERE ARE SOME RATE HIKES THAT [34:12] ARE SET TO COME INTO PLAY IN THE NEXT SEVERAL MONTHS. [34:16] AND I'M NOT GOING TO ALLOW THOSE TO BE PUT ON THE BACK OF THE NEW JERSEY RATE PAYER. [34:21] AND WE SEE THAT THE CAN HAS BEEN KICKED DOWN THE ROAD BY TOO MANY PEOPLE. [34:26] SO THE UTILITY COMPANIES HAVE ALREADY COME TO THE TABLE TO SAY, OKAY, LET'S NEGOTIATE [34:30] THOSE RATE HIKES. [34:31] WE HAVE MONEY THAT COMES IN THROUGH THE BPU TO DEFRAY THE COSTS. [34:34] BUT WHAT'S REALLY GOING TO ALSO HAPPEN IS VERY QUICKLY. [34:38] I'M TURNING TO ADDING A LOT OF POWER TO OUR GRID. [34:41] RIGHT NOW, PJM, THAT'S OUR REGIONAL GRID OPERATOR, HAS REALLY SCREWED UP THE MARKET FOR VARIOUS [34:46] REASONS. [34:47] AND SO EVERY ELECTRON WE PRODUCE IN NEW JERSEY WILL DEFRAY THE COST OF ELECTRICITY WE HAVE [34:54] TO BUY ON THE MARKET. [34:55] SO THAT'S WHY IMMEDIATELY I'M GOING TO CUT THROUGH RED TAPE AND PERMITTING DELAYS TO [34:59] GET SOLAR DONE. [35:00] WE'RE GOING TO CONTINUE TO BUILD OUT BATTERY STORAGE. [35:03] AND THEN IN THE FIRST BUDGET, WE WILL EXPAND MODERNIZATION OF OUR NATURAL GAS. [35:08] YOU SAID ON CNN THIS PAST WEEK THAT THERE'S A FEELING WORKING PEOPLE HAVE NOT BEEN HEARD [35:17] AND THAT THERE'S TOO MUCH CAUTION AND MEDIOCRITY IN THE DEMOCRATIC PARTY TODAY. [35:22] WHAT DID YOU MEAN BY THAT? [35:24] THAT AS I WAS TALKING TO PEOPLE ACROSS THE STATE, THOUSANDS OF PEOPLE, THEY WANTED [35:30] TO SEE AN AGENDA TO GET THEIR COSTS DOWN AND SOMETHING THAT WAS GOING TO TAKE PLACE QUICKLY. [35:37] AS I SAID, YOU KNOW, I'M NOT WRITING A STRONGLY WORDED LETTER. [35:40] I'M NOT DOING A TEN-YEAR PLAN. [35:42] I'M ON DAY ONE DECLARING A STATE OF EMERGENCY, NOT JUST BECAUSE I'M FURIOUS THAT, YOU KNOW, [35:47] AS TOO MANY PEOPLE HAVE FAILED NEW JERSEY RATE PAYERS, THAT THE COSTS ARE BEING DUMPED [35:53] ON THEM. [35:54] YES, THAT IS A HUGE PROBLEM FOR ME THAT I'M ADDRESSING, BUT IT ALSO, I THINK, CONVEYS THAT [35:59] SENSE OF URGENCY THAT I FEEL TO WORK FOR THE PEOPLE OF NEW JERSEY SO THAT THEY KNOW THAT [36:04] THIS IS A DAY ONE ISSUE FOR ME. [36:07] THEY ALSO WANT TO SEE SOMEBODY, THOUGH, THAT HAS THEIR BACK. [36:10] BECAUSE THEY KNOW THAT THESE TARIFFS ARE RAISING COSTS. [36:13] THEY KNOW THAT THE ONE BIG BEAUTIFUL BILL IS GOING TO TAKE AWAY THEIR HEALTH CARE. [36:17] THEY KNOW THAT ATTACKS ON THE GATEWAY TUNNEL PROJECT ARE GOING TO RAISE COSTS HERE AND [36:20] REALLY CUT INTO JOB OPPORTUNITIES. [36:23] SO THEY WANT TO KNOW THAT WHOEVER IS GOVERNING IS GOING TO BE FOCUSED ON GOVERNING FOR THEM, [36:28] NOT A PARTY OF ONE LIKE DONALD TRUMP. [36:31] WELL, YOUR CRITICISM THERE WAS OF FELLOW DEMOCRATS, AS I UNDERSTOOD IT. [36:35] BUT LET ME ASK YOU ABOUT SPEAKER EMERITUS NANCY PELOSI. [36:38] SHE JUST ANNOUNCED THAT SHE... [36:40] SHE IS GOING TO BE LEAVING CONGRESS. [36:42] WHEN I SPOKE TO HER LAST ON THIS PROGRAM, SHE INDICATED THAT SHE KNOWS IT'S A PROBLEM [36:47] RECRUITING NEW CANDIDATES IN PART BECAUSE OF THE ENVIRONMENT WE'RE IN, INCLUDING JUST [36:53] HOW NASTY OUR POLITICS ARE AND THE SECURITY THREATS. [36:57] AND SHE SAID THAT'S DISCOURAGING IN PARTICULAR WOMEN WHO FEAR THE IMPACT ON CHILDREN. [37:03] WHAT DO YOU SAY TO THOSE CONSIDERING FOR OFFICE RIGHT NOW? [37:06] ARE YOU SEEING THAT, THAT FEMALE CANDIDATES ARE FEELFUL OF DOING WHAT YOU JUST DID? [37:10] WELL, WE WORK VERY HARD HERE IN NEW JERSEY TO REALLY BUILD OUT A FUTURE AND AN IDEA THAT'S [37:19] GOING TO BRING EVERYBODY IN AND REALLY WORKING HARD TO KEEP PEOPLE SAFE. [37:24] PUBLIC SAFETY IS A HUGE ISSUE FOR ME AND FOR PEOPLE ACROSS THE STATE AS WE DOUBLE DOWN [37:29] ON OUR CONSTITUTIONAL PROTECTIONS, FREEDOM OF SPEECH, FREEDOM OF ASSEMBLY, ET CETERA. [37:34] BUT IT IS A SCARY TIME. [37:35] I REMEMBER RIGHT AFTER I WON MY PRIMARY, THE ASSASSINATIONS IN MINNESOTA TOOK PLACE. [37:42] AND HERE I HAVE FOUR KIDS AND I'M SUDDENLY THINKING, OH, MY GOSH, AM I PUTTING THEM AT [37:46] RISK BY RUNNING? [37:49] BUT WHAT I THINK MOST OF US ARE WEIGHING AS MOMS, IF WE'RE CANDIDATES, IS WHAT DOES MY [37:54] KIDS' FUTURE LOOK LIKE IF I DON'T RUN? [37:57] AND THAT'S ON BALANCE. [37:58] I THINK PEOPLE ARE CHOOSING TO RUN. [37:59] I SEE WOMEN ACROSS OUR STATE RUNNING. [38:02] WE HAVE PEOPLE NEWLY GETTING INTO RACES AND ALSO SOME OF THE GREAT, POWERFUL WOMEN IN [38:08] OUR STATE CONTINUING TO SERVE. [38:10] SO I DON'T THINK IT'S DISSUADING THEM. [38:12] BUT IT CERTAINLY IS ON OUR MINDS AS WE ARE THINKING ABOUT HOW ARE WE GOING TO KEEP OUR [38:16] FAMILIES SAFE AS WE ARE RUNNING FOR ELECTED OFFICE. [38:21] CONGRESSWOMAN, WE'LL BE WATCHING AS YOU TRANSITION INTO BEING THE NEXT GOVERNOR OF [38:26] NEW JERSEY. [38:27] THANK YOU FOR YOUR TIME TODAY. [38:28] WE'LL BE RIGHT BACK. [38:33] WE GO NOW TO THE REPUBLICAN GOVERNOR OF WEST VIRGINIA, PATRICK MORRISSEY, WHO JOINS US [38:37] FROM CHARLESTON. [38:38] GOOD MORNING TO YOU, SIR. [38:39] HEY, GOOD MORNING, MARGARET. [38:42] GOOD TO BE WITH YOU. [38:43] SO YOUR STATE HAS ONE OF THE HIGHEST POVERTY RATES IN THE COUNTRY. [38:47] NEARLY 16% OF RESIDENTS RELY ON FOOD STAMPS, THAT SNAP PROGRAM WE'VE BEEN TALKING ABOUT. [38:53] IN FACT, THE VERY FIRST FOOD STAMP PILOT PROGRAM BEGAN IN WEST VIRGINIA BACK IN THE 1960S. [39:00] GIVEN THE CURRENT SHUTDOWN AND HOW RURAL YOUR STATE IS, I WONDER, ARE YOU ABLE TO GET HELP [39:07] TO THOSE WHO NEED IT RIGHT NOW? [39:08] ABSOLUTELY. [39:11] LOOK, GREAT QUESTION. [39:12] I DO WANT TO START OUT, FIRST OF ALL, THANK YOU FOR HAVING ME ON THE PROGRAM. [39:16] ONE PIECE OF INFORMATION COMING OUT OF WEST VIRGINIA. [39:18] WE'VE HAD A MINING ACCIDENT, AND WE HAVE TEAMS DOWN LOOKING FOR A MISSING MINER. [39:24] I JUST WANT TO SAY THAT OUR HEARTS AND PRAYERS GO OUT TO THE FAMILY OF THAT MINER. [39:30] WE'RE DOING EVERYTHING WE CAN TO LOCATE THAT PERSON. [39:33] NOW, WHEN IT COMES TO THE GOVERNMENT SHUTDOWN, WE'RE DOING EVERYTHING WE CAN TO HELP THOSE [39:39] IN NEED. [39:40] AT THE VERY BEGINNING, I STARTED STANDING UP FOR THE FEDERAL WORKERS, AND WE ANNOUNCED [39:44] THAT TO ADDRESS SOME OF THE CONCERNS WITH FOOD. [39:48] WE WERE GOING TO SEND SIGNIFICANT DOLLARS TO THE FOOD BANKS BY TOMORROW. [39:52] THAT WILL BE UP TO $13 MILLION. [39:55] I'VE ACTIVATED THE NATIONAL GUARD, AND WE'RE DOING THINGS TO MAKE SURE THAT NO ONE IN WEST [40:00] VIRGINIA GOES HUNGRY. [40:02] OUR PEOPLE ARE HURTING RIGHT NOW, AND I'M DOING EVERYTHING I CAN TO SOLVE THE PROBLEMS [40:06] WHILE WASHINGTON BICKERS. [40:09] BUT I DO WANT TO BE CLEAR, THIS SHUTDOWN COULD COME TO AN END RIGHT AWAY. [40:13] IT'S UP TO CHUCK SCHUMER OR JUST HAVING SIX MORE DEMOCRATS. [40:17] STEP ACROSS THE LINE. [40:19] THERE'S BEEN A CLEAN CR ON THE TABLE AVAILABLE FOR SOME TIME. [40:23] PEOPLE SHOULD TAKE ADVANTAGE OF THAT, AND LET'S GET THE GOVERNMENT REOPENED, AND THEN [40:27] WE CAN GO ABOUT THE BUSINESS OF FIXING THE MANY OTHER PROBLEMS FACING OUR COUNTRY. [40:32] I'M SORRY TO HEAR ABOUT THE MINING ACCIDENT, BUT ON THE ISSUE OF FOOD STAMPS, GOVERNOR [40:38] MOORE OF MARYLAND SAID THAT HE HAD BEEN TOLD THE STATE WOULD BE PUNISHED ESSENTIALLY FOR [40:44] FRONTING THE MONEY. [40:45] IS THAT THE MESSAGE OF FEDERAL GOVERNMENT? [40:47] ALSO GAVE TO YOU, WEST VIRGINIA WON'T GET THOSE DOLLARS BACK? [40:50] NO. [40:52] WELL, FIRST OF ALL, I WANT TO EMPHASIZE THE TRUMP ADMINISTRATION HAS BEEN A GREAT PARTNER [40:56] TO WORK WITH THROUGHOUT THE PAST YEAR IN TERMS OF THE ECONOMIC PROGRESS THAT WE'RE MAKING [41:02] HERE IN WEST VIRGINIA, BUT ALSO, WE'VE REACHED OUT. [41:05] I WAS THE FIRST PERSON TO REACH OUT TO THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT, SO WE HAD OUR NATIONAL [41:10] PARKS REOPENED, AND NOW WE'RE WORKING BY ACTIVATING THE GUARD AND PUTTING RESOURCES AT THE FOOD [41:16] BANKS. [41:17] WE'RE ACTUALLY MAKING A DIFFERENCE TO KEEP PEOPLE FROM GETTING HUNGRY. [41:20] SO WE'VE BEEN IN VERY CLOSE CONTACT WITH THE TRUMP ADMINISTRATION, AND THEY'VE BEEN VERY [41:25] COOPERATIVE. [41:26] LOOK, I THINK THEY KNOW, AND EVERYONE'S FRUSTRATED, THAT YOU'RE SIX VOTES SHORT. [41:31] THESE DEMOCRATS ARE SAYING NO TO REOPENING THE GOVERNMENT. [41:34] IT'S A SCHUMER SHUTDOWN. [41:36] I THINK PRESIDENT TRUMP IS BENDING OVER BACKWARDS TO BE HELPFUL, AND I'M EXCITED ABOUT THE THINGS [41:41] HE'S DOING IN TERMS OF HOW HE'S HANDLING THIS AND THE BROADER ECONOMIC ISSUES AT LARGE. [41:47] WELL, THERE IS THE FIGHT IN THE COURTS SPECIFICALLY ABOUT PROVIDING FULL FOOD AID. [41:54] THE TRUMP ADMINISTRATION INITIATED THAT. [41:55] I WANT TO PLAY SOMETHING FOR YOU, BECAUSE 70% OF WEST VIRGINIANS VOTED FOR PRESIDENT [42:00] TRUMP IN THE LAST ELECTION. [42:02] BUT HERE'S HOW HE DESCRIBED THE FOOD STAMP PROGRAM. [42:06] LARGELY, WHEN YOU TALK ABOUT SNAP, YOU'RE TALKING ABOUT LARGELY DEMOCRATS. [42:10] BUT I'M PRESIDENT. [42:11] I WANT TO HELP EVERYBODY. [42:12] I WANT TO HELP DEMOCRATS AND REPUBLICANS. [42:14] WHEN YOU'RE TALKING ABOUT SNAP, IF YOU LOOK, IT'S LARGELY DEMOCRATS. [42:18] THEY'RE HURTING THEIR OWN PEOPLE. [42:20] HAVE YOU MADE THE WHITE HOUSE AWARE OF THE PAIN FROM THE FOOD SNAP, THE FOOD PROGRAM [42:25] DISRUPTION SPECIFICALLY? [42:27] YEAH, SO WE'VE BEEN WORKING CLOSELY WITH THE WHITE HOUSE, AND I THINK THEY KNOW THEY'VE [42:33] BEEN VERY SUPPORTIVE OF A LOT OF THE EFFORTS THAT WE'RE TAKING TO MAKE SURE THAT PEOPLE [42:38] DON'T GET HUNGRY. [42:39] THAT'S THE ULTIMATE GOAL. [42:40] WE HAVE TO MAKE SURE WE'RE PROTECTING OUR PEOPLE. [42:43] MARGARET, YOU'RE RIGHT. [42:44] WE HAVE 270,000-PLUS PEOPLE ON SNAP, BUT ONCE AGAIN, THERE'S ONE REASON WHY THEY'RE NOT [42:50] GETTING THE RESOURCES. [42:52] IT'S BECAUSE PEOPLE ARE INSISTING TO ADD ALL THESE NEW PIECES ON TOP OF JUST A BILL TO [42:57] KEEP THE GOVERNMENT OPEN. [42:59] THAT'S THE CONCERN WE HAVE. [43:00] BUT WE'VE BEEN GETTING REALLY GOOD RESPONSE FROM THE TRUMP ADMINISTRATION ACROSS THE BOARD, [43:05] WHETHER WE'RE TALKING ABOUT THE FOOD ISSUES, WHETHER WE'RE TALKING ABOUT OUR ENERGY JOBS, [43:10] OR EVEN JUST RECENTLY, THE CONVERSATIONS WE'RE HAVING ABOUT PRESIDENT TRUMP'S RELATIONSHIP [43:14] AND TRUMP'S RURAL HEALTH TRANSFORMATION BILL TO PUT RESOURCES UP FRONT TO SAVE PUBLIC [43:20] EXPENDITURES AT THE BACK END, THAT'S THE KIND OF GOOD WORKING RELATIONSHIP WE'VE HAD. [43:24] I WANT TO ASK YOU ABOUT THAT, BECAUSE I KNOW WEST VIRGINIA IS ONE OF THE HIGHEST RATES [43:28] IN THE COUNTRY FOR GOVERNMENT INSURANCE. [43:29] THERE'S CONCERN ABOUT RURAL HOSPITALS. [43:32] THERE IS THIS RURAL HEALTH TRANSFORMATION PROGRAM CONGRESS SET UP. [43:36] YOUR STATE COULD GET $100 MILLION A YEAR FOR FIVE YEARS, BUT YOUR WEST VIRGINIA HOSPITAL [43:41] ASSOCIATION SAYS THAT YOUR HOSPITALS ARE GOING TO LOSE MORE THAN A BILLION DOLLARS [43:46] PER YEAR BECAUSE OF THIS LATEST BIG, BEAUTIFUL BILL REPUBLICANS PASSED. [43:52] HOW DO YOU MAKE UP THAT KIND OF SHORTFALL? [43:54] WELL, I THINK WHAT PRESIDENT TRUMP AND RFK AND DR. [43:58] OZ ARE TRYING TO DO IS COMMON SENSE. [44:01] IF YOU SUBSCRIBE TO THE ADDAGE, AN OUNCE OF PREVENTION IS WORTH A POUND OF CURE, WHAT [44:07] THEY'RE TRYING TO DO IS INVEST THE SINGLE LARGEST AMOUNT OF MONEY. [44:12] IN IMPROVING RURAL HEALTH, AND IN WEST VIRGINIA, THAT MEANS EVERYTHING BECAUSE WE'RE A VERY [44:17] RURAL STATE. [44:18] SO THE RESOURCES CAN GO TO INVEST IN OUR PEOPLE, TO INVEST IN OUR HOSPITALS, OUR PROVIDERS, [44:25] AND THE TECHNOLOGY THAT ACTUALLY CAN MOVE THE NEEDLE IN TERMS OF IMPROVING HEALTHCARE [44:30] OUTCOMES UP FRONT, ATTACKING OBESITY AND COPD AND SUBSTANCE USE DISORDER. [44:37] SO WE'RE REALLY EXCITED ABOUT THAT BECAUSE IF WE APPLY THE RESOURCES THE RIGHT WAY, I [44:41] DON'T THINK THAT'S GOING TO HAPPEN. [44:42] I DON'T THINK WE'RE GOING TO HAVE THE DIMINUTION OF PUBLIC EXPENDITURES AT THE BACK END. [44:46] THIS IS THE COMMON SENSE APPROACH WE'RE SEEING FROM THE TRUMP ADMINISTRATION THAT WE'RE NOT [44:50] SEEING FROM SCHUMER AND THE DEMOCRATS IN CONGRESS. [44:53] GOVERNOR, WE HAVE TO LEAVE IT THERE. [44:55] WE ARE OUT OF TIME. [44:56] THANK YOU. [44:57] BE RIGHT BACK. [45:02] THE UNITED STATES MARINE CORPS WILL MARK ITS 250TH BIRTHDAY TOMORROW, AND VETERANS DAY [45:07] IS TUESDAY. [45:09] FOR MANY VETERANS, THE END OF THEIR MILITARY SERVICE IS NOT THE END OF THEIR PUBLIC SERVICE. [45:15] MORE THAN 700,000 VETERANS WORK AS CIVILIANS IN THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT. [45:20] AND DUE TO THE SHUTDOWN, MOST ARE FURLOUGHED OR HAVE BEEN WORKING WITHOUT PAY FOR WEEKS. [45:25] UNLIKE VETERANS, ACTIVE DUTY SERVICE MEMBERS HAVE BEEN GETTING PAID DURING THE SHUTDOWN, [45:30] BUT EVEN THAT LIFELINE WILL EXPIRE SATURDAY. [45:34] AND SOME CONTEXT, MANY MILITARY FAMILIES ALREADY STRUGGLE WITH A GROWING NUMBER FORCED TO SEEK [45:40] ASSISTANCE FROM FOOD PANTRIES OVER THE LAST FEW YEARS AMID HIGH PRICES. [45:45] AND MOUNTING ECONOMIC PRESSURE. [45:48] THAT'S IT FOR US TODAY. [45:49] THANK YOU FOR WATCHING.