WEBVTT - One Of The Yes Votes: Congressman Tom McClintock Talks to Armstrong & Getty

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<v Speaker 1>Congressman Matt Gates, who says he's going to seek a

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<v Speaker 1>motion to vakate. He's going to try to oust you

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<v Speaker 1>a Speaker of the House.

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<v Speaker 2>That's nothing new. He's tried to do that from the

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<v Speaker 2>moment I ran for the office.

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<v Speaker 1>Look well, this time he says he's going to keep going.

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<v Speaker 1>May not get there before the fifteenth ballot, but it

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<v Speaker 1>took fifteen for Kevin McCarthy. He says he's coming for you.

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<v Speaker 1>Can you survive, Yes, I'll survive. You need two hundred

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<v Speaker 1>and eighteen votes to vake Kate. Has Hakeem Jeffries, the

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<v Speaker 1>Democratic leader, said that he will.

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<v Speaker 2>Well, still what he hasn't said anything about what he's

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<v Speaker 2>going to do.

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<v Speaker 1>Look well, Democrat Democrats could cross over and follow Gates's

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<v Speaker 1>lead on this.

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<v Speaker 3>Yeah.

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<v Speaker 2>Look, Gates is trying to work with Democrats. He's reached

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<v Speaker 2>out to Swallowell to AOC and others. But if that's

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<v Speaker 2>the way we're going to govern, I don't think America

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<v Speaker 2>is going to be successful.

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<v Speaker 4>Is that the way we're going to govern? So this

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<v Speaker 4>whole issue is splitting the Republican Party. On Saturday, I

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<v Speaker 4>had ninety no votes on the legislation that Kevin McCarthy

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<v Speaker 4>put on the floor from the Republicans, but one hundred

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<v Speaker 4>and twenty six yes, along with all of the Democrats

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<v Speaker 4>but one to pass the legislation.

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<v Speaker 3>One of the yes votes was Congressman Tom McClintock. He

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<v Speaker 3>represents the fifth Congressional District of California, which stretches from

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<v Speaker 3>the Sacramento suburbs to Yosemite National Park.

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<v Speaker 4>Still waiting for.

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<v Speaker 3>You to do something about the bears and the Yosemite, Tom,

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<v Speaker 3>But I guess we'll keep waiting. Let's talk about the

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<v Speaker 3>more relevant issues. First of all, Hello, how are.

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<v Speaker 5>You just fine? Just just bring him more picnic baskets?

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<v Speaker 3>That's all right, bring them back up, picanic basket, that's right.

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<v Speaker 4>So why were you a yes vote? Part one of

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<v Speaker 4>the questions? And will you be a yes or no

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<v Speaker 4>vote for keeping McCarthy around?

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<v Speaker 5>First, Yes, I'll be a yes vote for keeping Kevin around.

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<v Speaker 5>I think he's done an extraordinary job. And the reason

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<v Speaker 5>I've voted yes on this is because we've learned from

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<v Speaker 5>past experience that a government shutdown can be administered in

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<v Speaker 5>a manner that does enormous damage to the economy and

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<v Speaker 5>of the lives of millions of Americans. The president, if

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<v Speaker 5>he wants to, can destroy every small business on federal

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<v Speaker 5>land and all of the adjacent to federal land. Obama

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<v Speaker 5>in twenty thirteen went so far as to barricade every

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<v Speaker 5>monument and memorial chain the gates of every acre of

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<v Speaker 5>federal land. He even barricaded the turnouts overlooking the Yosemite

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<v Speaker 5>Valley so people couldn't even pull over to catch a

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<v Speaker 5>glimpse of it. And mister Biden made it very clear

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<v Speaker 5>that he intended to follow that strategy specifically designed to

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<v Speaker 5>create a panic and to force an immediate resolution in

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<v Speaker 5>favor of the status. Quote. This at a time when

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<v Speaker 5>we've taken up and adopted appropriations bills that now comprised

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<v Speaker 5>seventy percent of the federal discretionary spending and are adopting

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<v Speaker 5>the reforms and spending reductions that we conservatives have dreamed

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<v Speaker 5>of for many years.

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<v Speaker 3>So you think that the measure, especially the original measure

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<v Speaker 3>which kind of shot down, You thought that was making

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<v Speaker 3>substantial progress toward fiscal sanity and away from fiscal ruin

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<v Speaker 3>which you know, we feel like the federal governments on.

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<v Speaker 4>The road too.

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<v Speaker 5>Well, what my preference was the earlier continuing resolution that

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<v Speaker 5>was just for thirty days that would allow us to

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<v Speaker 5>complete our work on the appropriations bills, that would have

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<v Speaker 5>averted a shutdown while reducing non defense discretionary spending by

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<v Speaker 5>a whopping eight percent and enacting the border security bill

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<v Speaker 5>that we previously passed. That is the strongest border security

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<v Speaker 5>bill in a century. It would have stopped the illegal

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<v Speaker 5>mass migration we're seeing right now. Unfortunately, twenty one Republicans

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<v Speaker 5>joined two hundred and twelve Democrats to defeat that resolution,

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<v Speaker 5>leaving our conference with no choice but to put a

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<v Speaker 5>forty five day continuing resolution on the floor without those

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<v Speaker 5>reforms to avoid the shutdown and to allow us to

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<v Speaker 5>continue our work to complete the appropriations problem.

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<v Speaker 4>Well, for people who don't understand the people that voted

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<v Speaker 4>against it, they want more spending cuts, they want to

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<v Speaker 4>tackle our debt more. Why are they wrong, Tom.

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<v Speaker 5>Well, they're wrong simply because we don't have the votes

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<v Speaker 5>for that. If we did, I'd go for it absolutely.

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<v Speaker 5>What we did have, though, is an eight percent reduction

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<v Speaker 5>and the strongest border security bill in a century. I

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<v Speaker 5>think that's pretty good. And then thirty days to complete

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<v Speaker 5>the other appropriations bills, which adopt further reforms and further

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<v Speaker 5>spending reductions. But in this case, two hundred and twelve

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<v Speaker 5>Democrats said no, But unfortunately also twenty one Republicans said no,

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<v Speaker 5>and that's what doomed it and produce a situation we're

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<v Speaker 5>now in.

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<v Speaker 3>Let's go a little big picture on the politics of

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<v Speaker 3>our time. What do you think is going on with say,

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<v Speaker 3>the squad on the left. They don't have anywhere near

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<v Speaker 3>the votes they need to enact their you know, pipe dreams,

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<v Speaker 3>but they're spouting off about them all the time. Then

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<v Speaker 3>you got this smallest group of Republicans on the right

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<v Speaker 3>likewise will accept no compromise, in my opinion, even though

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<v Speaker 3>that's the nature of government, you have to compromise. What's

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<v Speaker 3>their math? What are they thinking?

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<v Speaker 5>Well, you know what Franklin said about that, And as

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<v Speaker 5>his closing speech the convention, he said, when you assemble

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<v Speaker 5>a number of men to have the advantage of their

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<v Speaker 5>joint wisdom, you inevitably assemble with those men all of

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<v Speaker 5>their prejudices, their passions, their errors of opinion, their local interests,

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<v Speaker 5>and their selfish views. You're not going to get a

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<v Speaker 5>perfect product from that, and that, unfortunately is the system

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<v Speaker 5>that we have today, but we're getting a pretty good

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<v Speaker 5>product from it. As I said, substantial reductions and spending

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<v Speaker 5>at a time when our government is in the process

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<v Speaker 5>of bankrupting our country and border security, at the time

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<v Speaker 5>when our country is being overrun by the largest mass

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<v Speaker 5>migration ever recorded. Those were pretty good steps forward, and

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<v Speaker 5>unfortunately we had twenty one Republicans and two hundred and

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<v Speaker 5>twelve Democrats in the House that said no to that,

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<v Speaker 5>and that was enough to stop it. We do now.

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<v Speaker 5>We have now bought forty five days to complete the

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<v Speaker 5>appropriations process, but if Gates makes his move to vacate

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<v Speaker 5>the chair, it's only going to require four other Republican

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<v Speaker 5>members to join the Democrats who achieve that result in

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<v Speaker 5>the immediate effect is going to be to paralyze the

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<v Speaker 5>House indefinitely because no other business can be taken up

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<v Speaker 5>until a replacement selected. Just when we're on the verge

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<v Speaker 5>of completing the appropriations process and having joined those five

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<v Speaker 5>conservative Republicans to vacate the chair, I sincerely doubt the

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<v Speaker 5>Democrats are going to side with them to name a replacement.

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<v Speaker 5>Democrats are going to recruit the most liberal Republicans to

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<v Speaker 5>establish a left of Center coalition to run the House.

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<v Speaker 5>This isn't unprecedented. This is exactly what happened in California

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<v Speaker 5>in nineteen ninety four, and a coalition speaker is going

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<v Speaker 5>to move the administration of the House sharply to the left,

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<v Speaker 5>and I think it'll effectively end the Republican House majority

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<v Speaker 5>of the people elected in twenty twenty two.

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<v Speaker 4>Why, I don't think Gates is bluffing. He says he's

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<v Speaker 4>going to call for, you know, one of these votes

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<v Speaker 4>to try to get Kevin McCarthy out, and then I

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<v Speaker 4>think the rules are that you got two days to

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<v Speaker 4>have the vote, so it'll happen pretty fast.

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<v Speaker 5>Right, and he only needs four Republicans to join them.

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<v Speaker 5>I just hope that those four Republicans will put aside

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<v Speaker 5>their prejudices and their passions and theirs of opinion and

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<v Speaker 5>make a choice that is absolutely essential if we're going

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<v Speaker 5>to complete the process that we've started to bring our

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<v Speaker 5>finances back under control and a secure border.

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<v Speaker 3>Tom mclinto's a Republican congressman from the fifth district to California.

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<v Speaker 3>So let me take a quick look at the other

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<v Speaker 3>side of the aisle specifically, and this is a complete

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<v Speaker 3>change of topic. Do you think Joe Biden's actually going

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<v Speaker 3>to be running at the end of the Democratic Convention

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<v Speaker 3>next summer, do you think he's going to be the candidate?

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<v Speaker 5>Well, I can't read minds that I can't tell fortunes,

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<v Speaker 5>but I think we make a mistake making him the issue.

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<v Speaker 5>It's not Joe Biden who's the issue. It is the

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<v Speaker 5>socialist policies that he and the Democrats in the House

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<v Speaker 5>have enacted that have brought our country to the verge

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<v Speaker 5>of bankruptcy. We have to confront that issue with Margaret

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<v Speaker 5>to Thath who said, first you win the argument, then

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<v Speaker 5>you in the election. We have to win the argument

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<v Speaker 5>over whether we're going to become just another failed socialist

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<v Speaker 5>country or whether we're going to restore the uniquely American

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<v Speaker 5>principles of individual liberty and constitutionally limited government and person

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<v Speaker 5>responsibility that made this the most prosperous and a most

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<v Speaker 5>envied country in the history of the world.

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<v Speaker 4>So you were a yes vote on Saturday, and you

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<v Speaker 4>say you'll be a yes vote to keep Kevin McCarthy

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<v Speaker 4>speaker probably later this week.

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<v Speaker 5>That's it.

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<v Speaker 3>Nobody else wants the job, right, it's too hard.

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<v Speaker 5>There is another issue there. But look, we have a

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<v Speaker 5>very very slender majority, and Kevin has accomplished some truly

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<v Speaker 5>remarkable achievements with it, including the border security build that

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<v Speaker 5>we passed out several weeks ago, including the spending reductions

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<v Speaker 5>that we've been able to get through the House this year.

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<v Speaker 5>And I don't know of anyone, given the limitations of

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<v Speaker 5>that office, who could who could possibly have accomplished as

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<v Speaker 5>much as Kevin and kept his cool through all of

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<v Speaker 5>this too, which is something I certainly wouldn't have done.

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<v Speaker 3>Tom mcclintac represents the fifth District of California. He's a Republican. Tom,

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<v Speaker 3>good to talk to you. Thanks, good to talk to you.

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<v Speaker 3>Thanks Armstrong and Getty.