Senate Republican leaders hold their weekly press briefing.
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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.