参议院民主党人阻止国防授权法案

THIS IS "BALANCE OF POWER" LIVE FROM WASHINGTON, D.C. KAILEY: TONIGHT THE VIEW FROM THE HILL. WE’RE LIVE ON CAPITOL HILL AFTER A PACKED DAY OF CONGRESSIONAL HEARINGS WITH LAWMAKERS DIGGING INTO MONETARY POLICY AND PUTTING TRUMP’S PICKS FOR ATTORNEY GENERAL AND INTELLIGENCE CHIEF UNDER SHARP SCRUTINY. ALL THIS AGAINST THE BACK DROP OF AN ESCALATING WAR WITH IRAN. THE U.S. LAUNCHING YET ANOTHER ROUND OF STRIKES WITHIN THE LAST FEW HOURS.

WE’LL BRING YOU CONVERSATIONS WITH LAWMAKERS THROUGHOUT THE HOUR. FROM CAPITOL HILL THIS EVENING TO OUR AUDIENCE ON BLOOMBERG TV AND RADIO WORLDWIDE, WELCOME TO "BALANCE OF POWER." I’M KAILEY LEINZ ALONGSIDE JOE MATHIEU. JOE, WE’RE HERE IN THE RUSSELL SENATE OFFICE BUILDING, BECAUSE A LOT OF OTHER PEOPLE SPENT TIME IN THE SENATE TODAY, INCLUDING THE FED CHAIR, KEVIN WARSH, AS WELL AS TODD BLANCHE, WHO IS THE NOMINEE TO BE THE NEXT ATTORNEY GENERAL, AND JAY CLAYTON, WHO THE PRESIDENT HAS TAPPED TO LEAD THE OFFICE OF THE DIRECTOR OF NATIONAL INTELLIGENCE JOE: PRETTY DRAMATIC DAY UP HERE, AS WE WATCHED HOURS OF TESTIMONY, NOT ONLY DRAMA, BUT SOME TENSION BETWEEN DEMOCRATS AND REPUBLICANS AND THE WAY THAT THEY HANDLED THE PRESIDENT’S NOMINEES FOR D.N.I.

AND FOR ATTORNEY GENERAL, WITH SOME TOUGH QUESTIONS ABOUT EVERYTHING FROM THE ANTI-WEAPONIZATION FUND THAT THE PRESIDENT APPARENTLY STILL WOULD LIKE TO KEEP THE DOOR OPEN TO, TO THE EPSTEIN FILES. AND AS WE BEGIN THIS HOUR WITH TESTIMONY TODAY ON CAPITOL HILL, IT’S SOMETHING TO CONSIDER, KAILEY, THAT BOTH OF THESE GENTLEMEN, BLANCHE AND CLAYTON, ARE EXPECTED TO BE CONFIRMED. KAILEY: YEAH, I GUESS IT BECOMES A QUESTION OF JUST HOW TIGHT THE MARGIN OF THOSE VOTES R.

EVEN SOME REPUBLICANS DIDN’T SOUND SATISFIED BY THEIR TESTIMONY TODAY. JOE: TWO IN PARTICULAR, TILL AND I SAY CORNYN, WHEN IT COMES -- TILLIS AND CORNYN WHEN IT COMES TO THE BLANCHE TESTIMONY, AT ODDS WITH PRESIDENT TRUMP FOR POLITICAL AND PERSONAL REASONS. PRESIDENT TRUMP’S ACTING ATTORNEY GENERAL, WHO WE’RE TALKING ABOUT HERE, TODD BLANCHE, TOOK QUESTIONS FROM LAWMAKERS FOR SEVERAL HOURS, AND HE WAS PRESSED SPECIFICALLY ON HIS RELATIONSHIP WITH THE PRESIDENT.

ARE YOU AND PRESIDENT TRUMP FRIENDS?

I’M HIS LAWYER. WAS HIS LAWYER. AND NOW I’M THE DEPUTY ATTORNEY GENERAL. SO I MET HIM AS HIS CRIMINAL DEFENSE ATTORNEY. I’M NOT SURE THERE’S VERY MANY PEOPLE WHO HAVE EVER HAD A CRIMINAL DEFENSE ATTORNEY WHO CALLS THAT PERSON THEIR FRIEND. I NOW HAVE A --

ARE YOU, LET ME PUT IT THIS WAY. ARE YOU ENEMIES?

NO, WE’RE NOT ENEMIES AT ALL. JOE: JOINING US WITH MORE IS THE CONGRESSIONAL REPORTER AT BLOOMBERG GOVERNMENT, WHO’S UP HERE EVERY DAY. IT’S NICE TO MEET YOU HERE IN THE ROTUNDA. HOW CLOSE COULD THIS BE FOR TODD BLANCHE?

IT’S GOING TO BE REALLY CLOSE. IN THAT SENATE JUDICIARY COMMITTEE, WE CAN LOSE NO VOTES ON THE REPUBLICAN SIDE MUCH HE’S NOT GOING TO GET ANY DEMOCRATIC VOTES. THEY WERE VERY UNIMPRESSED WITH HIM TODAY. THERE’S TWO REPUBLICANS YOU GOT TO KEEP AN EYE ON, JOHN CORNYN AND THOM TILLIS. BOTH SAID AFTERWARDS THEY’RE IMPRESSED WITH BLANCHE, THEY LIKE BLANCHE’S CREDENTIALS. THEY HAD SERIOUS CONCERNS ABOUT THE ANTI-WEAPONIZATION FUND AND ABOUT THE IMMUNITY THAT PRESIDENT TRUMP HAS GOTTEN FROM THE I.R.S.

THEY’RE BOTH VERY CONCERNED ABOUT BLANCHE SIGNING OFF ON THAT, AND THEY SAY THEY WANT SOME KIND OF LAW, SOMETHING IN WRITING THAT WOULD CONFIRM THAT THAT WEAPONIZATION FUND IS DEAD, NOT JUST BLANCHE’S WORDS, CORNYN EVEN SAID BECAUSE IT’S STILL IN WRITING, THAT THERE’S A LEGAL SETTLEMENT AROUND IT, HE’S CONCERNED SOMEBODY COULD SEE FOR BREACH OF CONTRACT IF BLANCHE TRIES TO SAY IT’S DEAD. SO THEY’RE LOOKING FOR SOMETHING.

THEY’RE KEEPING THEIR POWDER DRIED. THEY SIGNALED THEY COULD VOTE FOR HIM, BUT THEY WANT SOMETHING. KAILEY: THE ASSUMPTION WITH TODD BLANCHE WAS THAT IT WAS ALWAYS GOING TO BE ALMOST IMPOSSIBLE FOR HIM TO WIN DEMOCRATIC SUPPORT. THE SAME WASN’T SAID FOR JAY TON WHEN HE WAS TAPPED TO BE THE NEXT DIRECTOR OF NATIONAL INTELLIGENCE. YOU HAD DEMOCRATS AT THAT TIME PRAISING HIM, BUT SOME OF THE VERY SAME DEMOCRATS, I’M THINKING OF MARK WARNER, SEEMED MORE UNIMPRESSED WHEN IT CAME TO THE CONFIRMATION HEARING TESTIMONY.

YEAH, HE BASICALLY HAD A TASK OF NOT LOSING VOTES TODAY, AND I’M NOT SURE HE MET THAT GOAL. HIS ANSWERS ON THE 2020 ELECTION REALLY EEN FEWER ATE DEMOCRATS. -- REALLY INFURIATED DEMOCRATS. I TALKED TO MARK KELLY ABOUT THIS, AND HE SAID -- KAILEY: JONATHAN, SORRY. WE’RE HAVING A LITTLE BIT OF DIFFICULTY WITH YOUR AUDIO, BUT HE’S SPEAKING VERY WELL TO THIS POINT HERE, WHICH IS THAT, FRANKLY, BOTH TODD BLANCHE AND JAY CLAYTON, WHAT DEMOCRATS WERE PRESSING THEM ON WAS THE ISSUE OF INDEPENDENCE FROM THE PRESIDENT, TO WHAT EXTENT THEY WOULD BE WILLING TO OPERATE WITHIN THEIR ROLES GOING AGAINST HIM, IF NECESSARY.

JOE: THAT’S FOR SURE. WE’LL PLAY THIS FOR YOU A LITTLE BIT LATER ON IN THE BROADCAST. THERE WAS AN EXTENDED BACK AND FORTH WITH SENATOR JON OSSOFF IN WHICH HE WOULD NOT SAY WHO WON THE 2020 ELECTION. AND WHEN PRESSED BY OTHER LAWMAKERS, AND I BELIEVE IT SENATOR WARREN, WARNER, RATHER, WHO WOULD ONLY SAY THAT JOE BIDEN WAS CERTIFIED TO BE THE NEXT PRESIDENT. WE’RE STILL HASHING THIS OUT IN 2026. KAILEY: YEAH, SOMETHING ELSE THAT’S STILL BEING HARD OUT ON CAPITOL HILL AS HE AS WE SPEAK IS THE FUNDING REQUEST THIS ADMINISTRATION HAS HANDED DOWN TO CONGRESS WHEN IT COMES TO THE PENTAGON IN PARTICULAR.

THEY’RE TRYING TO GET THROUGH $73 BILLION IN FUNDING VIA THE BUDGET RECONCILIATION PROCESS, ABOUT E BUT THE PRESIDENT WOULD LIKE TO SEE A .5 TRILLION BUDGET, IN PART TO SHORE UP THE DEFENSE INDUSTRIAL BASE, WHICH IS WHAT HE WAS TALKING ABOUT TODAY IN CARLYLE, PENNSYLVANIA, WHERE HE ATTENDED THE PENNSYLVANIA DEFENSE AND INNOVATION SUMMIT. THAT IS WHERE WE FIND OUR COLLEAGUE, OUR WASHINGTON CORRESPONDENT, TYLER KENDALL.

TYLER, TALK TO BUS WHAT YOU HEARD FROM THE PRESIDENT, WHAT YOU HEARD OVERALL AT THE SUMMIT TODAY. TYLER: KAILEY, AS YOU MENTIONED ACCIDENT THIS SUMMIT WAS REALLY ABOUT PRESIDENT TRUMP TRYING TO PUSH THE U.S. AND COMPANIES TO HELP INVEST IN THE DEFENSE INDUSTRIAL BASE, MADE PERHAPS MORE URGENT BY THE CONFLICT IN IRAN AS CENTCOM CONFIRMED AT 3:00 P.M. EASTERN THE U.S. WAS CONDUCTING ITS SECOND WAVE OF STRIKES TODAY DESIGNED TO DEGRADE IRAN’S ABILITY TO TARGET COMMERCIAL SHIPPING.

AND THEN BREAKING JUST MOMENTS AGO AT THE TOP OF THE HOUR, WE GOT THIS CONFIRMATION FROM THE U.S. MILITARY THAT THEY ARE ENFORCING THAT NAVAL BLOCKADE, SAYING THAT THEY HAVE ALREADY TURNED AROUND AN OIL TANKER THAT WAS ATTEMPTING TO SAIL TOWARD AN IRANIAN PORT. THIS IS ON THE HEELS THAT "WALL STREET JOURNAL" REPORTING EARLIER TODAY THAT PRESIDENT TRUMP IS LEANING TOWARD EXPANDING MILITARY OPERATIONS WHEN IT COMES TO IRAN, THOUGH HASN’T MADE THAT DECISION QUITE YET.

BUT IT’S DEFINITELY RAISING QUESTIONS HERE ABOUT THE TIMELINE, WHAT IS GOING TO HAPPEN NEXT, AND WHAT DOES THAT MEAN WHEN IT COMES TO STRAINING U.S. STOCKPILES AND THE MILITARY’S RESOURCES. I HAD THE CHANCE TO CATCH UP WITH REPUBLICAN SENATOR DAVE MCCORMICK OF PENNSYLVANIA, WHO IS THROWING THIS VERY SUMMIT THAT WE ARE AT HERE TODAY ABOUT WHAT THOSE CHALLENGES LOOK LIKE WHEN IT COMES TO WHAT’S HAPPENING NEXT. CAN YOU WALK ME THROUGH, WHAT ARE THE BIGGEST BOTTLENECKS YOU’RE SEEING WHEN IT COMES TO THE NEED TO BOOST OUR DEFENSE INDUSTRIAL BASE?

A BIG PART IS A LOT OF THE DEFENSE SPENDING IS FACING BACKWARDS. IT’S ON OLD PLATFORMS THAT HAVEN’T KEPT UP WITH THE TIMES. AND WHEN YOU THINK ABOUT DEFENSE, IF YOU’RE NOT CAREFUL, YOU CAN CONFINE IT TOO NARROWLY. WE LEARNED DURING COVID, FOR EXAMPLE, THE PHARMACEUTICAL SUPPLY CHAIN WAS DEPENDABLE ON CHINA. THAT SEMICONDUCTORS WERE KEY TO THE VEHICLES, BUT MILITARY EQUIPMENT. SO IN PENNSYLVANIA, WE HAVE 190,000 PEOPLE THAT WORK IN DEFENSE.

WE HAVE 9,000 COMPANIES THAT MAKE 435,000 PARTS FOR 2,900 WEAPONS SYSTEM. SO MAKING SURE THAT WE HAVE PRECISION MACHINING, MAKING SURE WE HAVE POWDER METALS, MAKING SURE WE HAVE THE NEXT GENERATION COMPONENTS FOR SATELLITE SOCIAL SECURITY REALLY C

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