00:00Are you concerned about that breakdown of communication and do you think it's important for the Secretary of Defense to maintain that, to provide that aid to Ukraine? And are you concerned about the second question of the confidence in the Secretary of Defense?
00:14Well, I mean, I think the President echoed the importance and need to continue to support and allow Ukraine to defend itself and to provide the weaponry that's necessary for them to do that. And how that's communicated between the White House, between the President and the Secretary of Defense, they'll have to work that out. But I think the President's statement about that is the definitive one. And I think that's one that would be echoed and shared by a lot of folks up here on both sides of the aisle.
00:41Can you tell us if you have a plan to bring this Graham sanctions bill to the floor before the August recess?
00:48I hope that we can get it on the floor before the August recess. We are working with the administration, with the House, to try and get it in a form where it's ready.
00:59Obviously, there is a tremendous amount, as you know, of bipartisan support here in the Senate. I think that's shared in the House of Representatives, at least I hope that it is.
01:07And in the White House, obviously, is very engaged in trying to get it in a form that we can transact it and move it across the floor of the Senate.
01:16So whether that happens in the next couple of weeks is a bit of an open question, but I'm hopeful that it can.
01:21How important is timeline cooperation with the White House on this sanctions bill? Are you talking to President Trump about when you might want to put this thing forward?
01:30We are communicating with the White House. Our team's been in touch with theirs on a regular basis. We've got individual senators, members who are talking to the White House and to our colleagues in the House.
01:41And we're sort of gaming out how that might ultimately be accomplished. But I think it's an important message to send, especially now. And I think it's leverage that we need and that, frankly, the White House needs in their negotiations with the Russians.
01:56So in my view, the sooner we can execute on that, the better. But I also understand that in order for this to work, it's got to be something that the White House, the House, our colleagues are all bought into, and it's got to get in a form that it's ready to move.
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