Face the Nation: Vice President Kamala Harris
Interview
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They feel the need to attack because they're scared.
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We're delivering for the American people.
And the reality of it is that, unfortunately, very few of those who would challenge our administration actually have a plan for America. You look at what we have accomplished, Margaret. We have created over 800,000 new manufacturing jobs in America, 13 million new jobs, unemployment at record lows.
We have capped the cost of insulin for seniors at $35 a month, capped the cost of prescription drugs on an annual basis at $2,000.
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... for seniors.
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Listen, this is not new. There's nothing new about that.
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Yes I am, if necessary. But Joe Biden is going to be fine.
And let me tell you something. I work with Joe Biden every day. Under Joe Biden's leadership, we have transformed and are in the process of transforming America's infrastructure with a historic investment in, not only roads and bridges, but high-speed Internet, what we are doing around issues like lead pipes. And I could go on and on.
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I don't understand the question.
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We will win reelection.
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We will win. We will win reelection. There is too much at stake, and the American people know it.
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Around the globe, we are seeing an increase in irregular migration. And there are a number of factors at play, an increase in authoritarian regimes, what we're seeing in terms of extreme weather occurrences, what we're seeing in terms of, in many places around the globe, increasing food insecurity.
So there are many reasons for why this is happening. And -- and America is -- is not immune to that. The point has to be, then, to understand what we must do to deal with, one, ensuring that we have a secure, humane and orderly policy about the border, but also what we must do in the long term to address the root causes of migration.
The work that I have been doing in that regard has been to build public- private partnerships, to the extent that we have now raised over $4 billion to invest in the countries in that region.
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Absolutely not.
What it means is that we have to stay focused on a number of issues related to the irregular migration that, again, we're seeing around the world. And America is not immune. You know, my philos...
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Overall, we are seeing progress, but there is -- we're not going to have a constant -- there are going to be fluctuations.
That is normal, just like the weather fluctuates and -- and circumstances fluctuate, such as elections in those regions and what that might mean. It doesn't mean that we keep our foot off the gas. We have to stay focused and understand there has to be a long-term strategy, as well as a short-term strategy.
And here's -- here's the bottom...
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My point is that focusing on root causes...
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... and doing the work that we have been doing to bring U.S. investment into those countries in a way that is supportive of their economies and supportive of fighting corruption actually works.
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Congress has the ability to put back in place the rights that the Supreme Court took from the women of America.
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But that's why we have elections. And that's why we are seeing around this country that, when this issue is on the ballot, from Kansas to California, people vote in favor of upholding basic freedoms.
The vast majority of Americans agree that the government should not be making this decision for the women of America.
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We need to restore the protections of Roe v. Wade.
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We're not trying to do something new.
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But it -- so, no, no, no, no, no.
Let's -- let me be very clear...
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Let me be -- let me be very clear.
From day one, the president has been clear. I have been clear. We need to put back the protections that are in Roe v. Wade into law. Since the Supreme Court took it, Congress has the power and ability to pass legislation to put those protections back in law, and Joe Biden will sign that bill. So, that is what we want.
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We need to put back in place the protections of Roe v. Wade.
But we're not trying to -- but we're not trying to do anything that did not exist before June of last year. We are saying...
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But it...
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Which is ridiculous, which is...
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And it's ridiculous.
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And it's a mischaracterization of the point.
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No, the point is...
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The president is, we have to -- I am being precise.
We need to put into law the protections of Roe v. Wade. And that is about going back to where we were before the Dobbs decision.
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The Republicans are also...
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But the Republicans -- member -- members of the Republican Party are also proposing a national ban.
The thing that...
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The..
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I believe that we should put the protections of Roe v. Wade into law, and the way that will happen is if we have a United States Congress who, regardless of their personal view for themselves or their family, would agree that the women of America should be trusted to make decisions about their life and their body, based on what they know to be in their best interest.
It's that simple.
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There's no question that we are very concerned about the Chinese government's actions on the South China Sea and how that is impacting the security and the future prosperity of the nations that are affected.
For example, I was recently in the Philippines. And I've been spending a lot of time with President Marcos. The -- what is happening in terms of unprovoked actions against the Philippine interests in the South China Sea is significant. And we have been very clear that we stand with the Philippines.
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They are. Absolutely. Yes, they are.
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Not only is there a treaty relationship, but the very basic issue that the American people will experience and feel if we're not - if we're not on top of it is what that will mean in terms of commerce flowing freely through those waters.
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I think the issue that is most present here among the southeast Asian leaders is that there be a respect for and enforcement of international rules and norms. But they hope that there will be an avoidance of conflict. And that there is a great symmetry between that and our policy toward China. We do not invite conflict, but we absolutely are prepared to and engaged in what is necessary to compete.
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We, as the United States, and our policy is not about decoupling, it is about de-risking. It is about understanding.
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It's not about pulling out, but it is about ensure that we are protecting American interests and that we are a leader in terms of the rules of the road, as opposed to following others' rules.
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It's no secret that China is experiencing economic problems. And - and what you will find is -- certainly in my conversations with American business leaders is that they are looking at the future in terms of their capital investments and taking into account which countries are engaged in practices that are about abiding by the rule of law and international rules and norms in a way that they can be guaranteed that there will be some stability so they can make long-term investments. There is increasingly an understanding that China may not be the best bet when you are looking for stability, when you are looking for an investment in a place where there is an adherence to and respect for international rules and norms.
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Yes. Yes. Yes.
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Well, it is important to the order of things, if you will, the stability of things, that we keep open lines of communication.
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Yes, I have - and I have actually met with President Xi as well.
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Well, we exchanged pleasantries, yes. Yes.
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I don't think it's as simple, if you will, as whether there is tension. Yes, there's tension when you are in a competition of any sort, but that does not mean that a we are seeking conflict.
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And I think it's important to not conflate the two.
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I think he is absolutely an important player in this region of the world. And if he comes, then that will be, I'm sure, something that could be productive.
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I think it would be a huge mistake. I think it would be a huge mistake. First of all, when you look at Russia's unprovoked war on Ukraine, and the idea that they would supply ammunition to Russia, well, it's predictable where that ends up.
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But at some point it's just a step too far.
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Our allies are telling you -- us about their concern about what's happening in terms of North Korea. We are all absolutely clear and unequivocal about our goal of the complete denuclearization of North Korea. But when we think about the -- Russia's aggression in Ukraine, we're -- many, most, are very clear also. It's an absolute violation of one of the most important agreements that we have around the world in terms of international rules and norms, which is the importance of sovereignty and territorial integrity. And, Margaret, I -- on that matter, I -- it is very clear that Russia has -- clearly they're very desperate. They have already experienced a strategic failure. So, clearly this is an act of desperation on the part of Russia. But it would be a huge mistake for Korea to do this - for North Korea to do this.
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