'Fox News Sunday' on November 19, 2023
Interview
BREAK IN TRANSCRIPT
Thanks, Shannon. It's great to be on with you again.
BREAK IN TRANSCRIPT
And so, Shannon, President Biden has been clear and forceful in responding to Hamas' terrible, horrific terrorist attacks of six weeks ago.
He went to Israel. He embraced Prime Minister Netanyahu. He's deployed two aircraft carrier groups to push back on any potential for Iran to try and strengthen and broaden the conflict in the Middle East.
And here at Halifax Security Conference this weekend, a bipartisan delegation from Congress, met with leaders from across our NATO allies and from other countries where there are folk here's who are advocates for freedom. So, human rights advocates from countries like Iran and Venezuela and Russia, opponents of the current regimes, as well as partners from Canada, from Germany, from other NATO countries, legislators from Taiwan and elsewhere. And there have been lots of conversations about the importance of the United States standing strong behind Ukraine and our more than 50 partners in supporting Ukraine in their resistance to Russian aggression and standing strong in supporting Israel and their important work against the terrorists of Hamas.
News of a potential hostage deal, Shannon, is great news, just before Thanksgiving, for the 10 American families whose loved ones are being held hostage and the more than 230 others.
I've met with those families, Shannon, in Tel Aviv and in Washington, and it's heartbreaking to be with parents who don't know how their children are doing and who believe they are being held in tunnels by Hamas beneath Gaza. This is a good development today.
BREAK IN TRANSCRIPT
Well, let's draw a distinction here, Shannon, between a ceasefire - - some folks are calling for a ceasefire in protests across Europe and in our country by which they mean Israel should stop fighting Hamas, should end their campaign in Gaza, or a pause that has been negotiated between Israel and Hamas to allow the release of hostages, Israeli and American and other nationality hostages, and allow food and fuel and medicine to get into Gaza.
A negotiated brief pause in the fighting, I think would be a good thing, and I would strongly support. A ceasefire, meaning an end to Israel's campaign against Hamas, I don't support, and neither does the president.
BREAK IN TRANSCRIPT
Yes.
BREAK IN TRANSCRIPT
Shannon, there is a bipartisan group of senators who've been working hard this weekend, last week and will continue working through the Thanksgiving holiday to come forward with a proposal for a few focused policy changes that would address the dramatic increase in recent months and the number of folks crossing our border.
We have to strike an important balance, Shannon, between protecting America's historic role as a place of asylum for those who are genuinely fleeing oppression because of their faith, their politics, their ethnicity or their background, and reducing what is currently a real challenge at our border.
President Biden has repeatedly demanded of Congress that we take up and pass bipartisan reform so it will improve our border security, and in the supplemental funding request he sent up to Congress, President Biden is demanding the single largest additional appropriations to improve border security in our history. I think we can and should find -- the middle ground here and move forward to secure our border.
BREAK IN TRANSCRIPT
Shannon, that's a mischaracterization of the supplemental request. It would hire literally thousands of more Border Patrol agents, Custom and Border Patrol agents, put in place at border crossings advanced nonintrusive inspections, systems that would allow us to scan more and more of the vehicles that cross our border every day, and fund an increase in deportation flights.
So, to say that the additional funding request is just to process more people into the United States misses a core goal of that funding request. But I'll say this -- I am willing to work with Republicans on changing policy to make sure that we protect asylum as something that genuinely protects those with a legitimate asylum claim, and yet reduces the number of folks crossing the border who ultimately don't have a legitimate asylum claim and years later will be deported.
That is a middle point that we should work on together because it's critical that we fund Ukraine, that we fund Israel and that we provide humanitarian relief which is the other key part of this package. The week before Thanksgiving -- I hope folks will reflect on the fact that providing humanitarian assistance into Ukraine, into Gaza and a dozen other countries is something that is a long bipartisan tradition in the United States and a key part of our leadership in the world.
BREAK IN TRANSCRIPT
That's an interesting point from David. In 2007, a year out from the 2008 election, I'll remind you that poll after poll was showing that Barack Obama was going to lose to Rudy Giuliani. And in 2011, that Barack Obama was going to lose to Mitt Romney. Head-to-head polls the year out, frankly, don't say much at all. What matters is the elections that just happened. The off-year elections were very positive for Democrats across the country. We far exceeded expectations in 2022 in the midterm elections.
So across special elections, midterm elections, I see real positives for this president. And those are rooted in his record of actual accomplishment. We have the lowest unemployment for the longest period of time in modern American history. He's really accomplished significant things on a bipartisan basis. Investments in infrastructure, reducing prescription drug prices, investments in community, mental health, and in gun safety, and frankly, rebuilding advanced manufacturing.
I came out of manufacturing to run for office. We've seen 800,000 new high- quality manufacturing jobs created, part of the 14 million new jobs in just the last two years. That's a strong record to run on, Shannon. And I believe the president will make that case in the coming year.
BREAK IN TRANSCRIPT
Thank you, Shannon.
BREAK IN TRANSCRIPT
Source