Senate Republicans hold news conference as August recess looms

[0:00] done and that is a rate that puts us ahead of every Congress going back for [0:06] the last 25 years, every Senate I should say, and I think they're somewhere on the [0:11] order in the last Trump administration at this point of about 155 nominees that [0:16] hadn't been acted on or confirmed and this would have it at about, that number at [0:21] about six. So we're going to be way ahead of pace of the historical average and I [0:25] think that's really important to ensure the President has his people in place so [0:29] that he can do the job the American people elected him to do. The other [0:32] thing of course we need to do is to fund the government and credit to Chair [0:36] Collins and her team working with Democrats and Republicans to come up [0:41] with a plan that will fund the government beyond the election into [0:45] December. We were able to get on that bill last night with a very big [0:48] bipartisan vote and I hope we can continue down that path and ensure that [0:53] we have funded the government, taken a government shutdown off the table. We've [0:58] had two of those as you know in the last year. They are incredibly painful for the [1:02] American people and it's important in my view that we demonstrate to the [1:07] American people that we can do job one and job one is ensuring that their [1:12] federal government is working and funded. So that will also be something that [1:17] between now and the end of this week or however long we're here we intend to [1:23] accomplish and so we will keep you posted on other things. There are other issues [1:27] out there. We had a discussion about some of them at lunch and we'll continue to [1:31] have those conversations and figure out as we attempt at least to get these things [1:38] stacked up and get as many things done as possible that we stay on pace to do that. [1:42] Leader Thune, are you isolated by the president when he says he wants you to stay in session, [1:49] wants you to pass the Save America Act? [1:51] Well, I think the president, I've heard from him a couple times this morning on issues that [1:58] he cares about. I wouldn't say I'm isolated, no. I mean, I've been very clear about the [2:03] prospects for the Save America Act and the only thing I've said all along is there are, one, [2:07] we have voted on the Save America Act five times. It was the pending business on the floor of the [2:12] Senate for over two weeks and I am willing to in any way possible get that across the [2:18] finish line if there is a path to do it. But there are two realities and two facts you have [2:22] to deal with. The first is there are no Democrats who are going to vote for this. All 47 voted [2:27] against the Save Act five times. So let's make this an issue in the campaign. How about we go out and [2:33] turn our fire on Democrats and make it about them opposing the Save Act? So we're not, that's the [2:39] point. So we're not getting any Democrats. The second thing is we are not getting rid of the [2:43] legislative filibuster. The votes aren't there to do that. I've made it abundantly clear many, many [2:48] times and it seems to me some days that I'm the only one here who can count to 50 in this town. But we [2:55] don't have the votes to get rid of the filibuster and there aren't, we aren't flipping 10 [2:59] Democrats to vote for the Save America Act. So those two realities are there. Now is there somewhere [3:05] in here with budget reconciliation that we can do pieces of the Save America Act or at least in a [3:12] fiscal way deal with funding for some of those things? Maybe. And we'll see what the traffic will [3:17] bear on that. We're having conversations as you know right now about that proposition. So we'll keep you posted. [3:23] One of the members of your conference, Senator Bernie Marino, is publicly calling on Max Miller's [3:28] former son-in-law to resign from Congress amid these allegations. Do you side with Senator Bernie [3:33] Marino and should Max Miller resign? [3:36] I just, one, it's a very, it's a very sad and unfortunate case. It is a family matter and I just, I don't [3:44] have any observations beyond that. [3:46] If a member of Congress is facing allegations of domestic, should they continue to serve in that? [3:54] Well, you're talking about this particular case? Okay. Well, I mean, I think again, that's something that the, [4:01] the House of Representatives, the House matter. And obviously, as I said before, it's a family issue, too, in this case. But I think, you know, those decisions on the future there are going to be made ultimately by the people of Ohio. [4:09] And I think that's true. And I would say that, I would say that of any similar case, it's ultimately comes down, it's an issue between the, whoever that person is and the voters that they represent and then obviously the institution in which they serve. [4:30] And when we've had circumstances like this, we refer them to the Senate Ethics Committee. Senator Langford, who chairs that committee is here. And there was a process by which those determinations get made. [4:40] Senator Langford, who chair Bozeman's latest farm bill proposal to increase penalty against states that don't bring down their payment error rates, their overpayments, to bring them down significantly and increase that penalty from 15% to 20%. [5:03] And do you think this is a showstopper for the farm building activity where you sit, and especially since Mitch McConnell, the tie-breaking vote on that committee is still out? [5:15] I think that that issue is one on which we made what I think were significant reforms last year. And those reforms need to get implemented. Now, for states who are out of compliance, we allowed plenty of time. [5:28] There's a lag here. There's a delay. There's time for them to come into compliance. But there are way too many states who are gaming the program. And the abuse rate, the fraud rate in some of those programs and the way that states are abusing them needed to be addressed. [5:44] And we did it. And I hope that we can retain those reforms and, for example, work requirements. And the work requirements imposed under that legislation last summer were less, I guess I would say less even restrictive than what was done by the Clinton administration back in the 1990s. [6:04] These are programs that were desperately needing reform and states which have been gaming these programs. So making sure that the dollars are spent wisely and well on the people who they're designed to serve and not being abused and taken advantage of by states around the country is something that we want to preserve in the bill. [6:23] So there are some changes that I think are consistent with that objective but make it that allow states to have the time in which to enact the reforms that are necessary to get them into compliance. But they need to get it in compliance. [6:41] You talked about the impact you think Israel is going to have not only on this primary election but the upcoming general election. The poll after poll shows Americans increasingly frustrated with the leadership in Israel. Do you feel confident that your candidates are on the right side of that issue? And how do you think it could impact the right side of that issue? [6:59] Depends on the state and the individual voters in any of these states. But clearly there are some states where you have, and I would say the Democrat Party, the progressive wing of the party, has moved increasingly left [7:12] on that on that and more anti-Israel. I think a lot of our candidates who are out there running are going to have to make their own determinations about the individual issues as they pertain to our relationship with Israel, which is one of our strongest allies as we all know in the entire world, certainly in the Middle East. [7:29] And so individual candidates are going to have to get comfortable with how they articulate their views about that relationship and that's probably going to vary from state to state. But is it an issue? Yeah. [7:41] I mean, I think it's an issue every election, perhaps even more so this year. But I believe our candidates are well positioned to win. And I think they are set up for success. We have quality candidates in all the key competitive races around the country. They are going to be well resourced. And my hope would be that when it's all said and done, we're going to preserve and protect our majority here in the United States Senate. One last question. [8:04] I think if there's a right now we're trying to get a limited time agreement, we have some objections that we're dealing with on Russia sanctions, one of which has to do with that issue. [8:24] And my assumption is if they're willing to yield back time in exchange for an amendment vote that we would probably offer that vote up. And so it could be a Rand Paul, Ron Whiten amendment. I'm not sure exactly how that gets structured yet, but I would like to at least have some closure on Russia sanctions. [8:42] And in order to do that, we've got to have a clear understanding of what the demands are in terms of amendments. And it seems to me at least they are both headed in the same direction and that might be one amendment vote that we could accommodate that would enable us to finish, you know, that bill and get it done. [8:59] And I think all of us here would like to see that certainly as a tribute to Senator Graham, but also because it's important to with respect to what's happening, not only Ukraine, but in the Middle East. [9:15] Far from clear. [9:19] You're like you're like you're like you're like you're so in the middle. [9:24] You're like. [9:25] Okay, [9:26] I think that's why I think that's why [10:03] I think that's why I think that's why I'm not sure. [10:17] Who's doing that? [10:19] Who is, are you doing this right? [10:21] I mean are you threatening this? [10:23] I think she's threatening them. [10:25] I think that's why I think that's why I think that's why I think that's why I think that's why I think I'm not sure. [10:53] Bring him to the microphone with you, he comes and talks too. [10:59] Thank you.