House Majority Leader Representative Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) pledged “you’re going to see a select committee” on Planned Parenthood, there won’t be a shutdown of the government in December, and that border security should come first on immigration, in a discussion several other issues on Monday’s “Special Report” on the Fox News Channel.
McCarthy, when asked how we would be different from Speaker Representative John Boehner (R-OH), said, “Well, as speaker, the speaker sets the culture, and the culture in Washington has to change. You know, we’ve been governing by crisis. And there’s too many people in Washington who care about power, [and] institutions, and don’t care about making a difference in the lives of the average American. Look, it’s not going to be easy to change this culture, and it won’t happen overnight, but that’s my mission.”
McCarthy did refuse to echo Boehner’s condemnation of “false prophets,” stating “Look, I believe in Reagan’s 11th Commandment. I believe we are a team. I believe everybody has a right to be part of the team. I’m not the manager, I’m the team captain. So, we’re all a part of it, and everybody has an opportunity to help change. We just have to come together, and work in the same direction. We’re going to start that, tomorrow night with a conference, laying out our agenda.”
When asked how we would avoid “becoming exactly what John Boehner was, which was eventually pushed out by his right flank?” He answered, “You change the culture, you bring people together. You set an agenda that drives people. And that agenda has got to change the lives of everyday American[s]. The other thing that’s quite different, that I see, from the perspective, is, we’ve got to unite. We’re in some of the worst times we’ve ever been in. We see the challenges around the world, we see the challenges economically. We need to stop governing by crisis. and start solving problems. We need to fight, but we need to fight to win.”
McCarthy was then asked how far he would go to defund Planned Parenthood. He responded, “They should not be getting taxpayer’s money. You’re going to see an enrollment correction, but more importantly, you’re going to see a select committee. When people in this country ask why Hillary’s numbers have dropped because people don’t trust her. Why don’t they trust her? Because [of] what the Select Committee on Benghazi found out she was doing. What if we we’re able to have a select committee on Planned Parenthood, and America’s able to find out what Planned Parenthood has been doing? Let’s fight, but let’s make sure we pick the fights to win.”
When asked if it would be a problem for him if Boehner brought up the debt ceiling, transportation, and the Ex-Im Bank in October, McCarthy said, “Well, it could be a problem for the country. But, you — what you want to do — I don’t think a highway bill being brought up is a problem, I think that’s finding a solution, because you know what, we could put a Republican solution to that, but we get tax reform as well. That’s a big coalition. And a debt ceiling, what if we’re able to get something that changes the direction, that brings the debt down. Because, in our own budget, that will go on balance in ten years, you had to approve the debt ceiling a few more times. Ex-Im, that has failed now, and it should stay failed. I fought hard for that, and I’ll continue to fight.”
After the discussion turned to the Senate, McCarthy stated that he believes there will be a “generational change” in the Senate towards “make the power of the idea win at the end of the day. I disagree with why they let 60 be the number in the Senate, and not a simple majority. But you know what? If our bills are strong enough, we will get them through. Now, I fundamentally disagree with this president, but we should have a contrast with him, because if this country wants to turn around, we’ve got to change the behavior and the culture of Washington, and that’s my mission.”
On the topic of immigration, McCarthy said, “we deal with it the way we need to. We need to secure our border. You know, we — one of the greatest strengths we have as America, is the rule of law. If you break the rule of law, you’ll break down society. So, why don’t we secure our borders first, change the fundamentals of immigration. You know, half of everyone that’s here illegally, came here legally on visa. So, why wouldn’t we solve the visa program? There are so many different ways that we can change where, now it’s a luck of a lottery, and it’s chain migration, you bring your whole family. I think there’s an ability to make an immigration system that works.”
When asked about Boehner’s negotiation over the “grand bargain” on entitlements and taxes, and if he would have pursued that as vigorously, McCarthy answered, “You know, I don’t think this White House can ever come to an agreement. But, I will work with anyone who wants to work. Why don’t you try to be able to solve a problem? Now, I’m not going to raise taxes, because we know that doesn’t work. But if we don’t deal with entitlements, and get reform, we’ve got some reform this year, 2.9 trillion. But we need to build more to be able to save this country.”
McCarthy also argued that “you can’t get 100% of what you want,” and that’s “probably good.” He continued, “I think we could find a compromise. I want to find the most conservative solution I can get into law, and come back the next day with what I’m not able to.”
McCarthy was asked if he believes there will be a shutdown of the government in December, and the CR is “just a punt to another fiscal cliff?” He responded, “No. We’ve got to stop these. You know, people look to Republicans, but we were doing our work. It was [Sen. Chuck] Schumer (D-NY) and [Sen. Harry] Reid (D-NV) who said in the summer, that they wanted to shut down government, that they devised a whole plan not to let the appropriation process pass. We need to join together, not just in our ideas, but in a media plan. So those in America need to join with us. If we are to be successful, we need to be able to fight and win. Those are the ideas we need to bring.”
Follow Ian Hanchett on Twitter @IanHanchett
COMMENTS
Please let us know if you're having issues with commenting.