Transcripts For FOXNEWSW Shepard Smith Reporting 20170725 :

The record and voted on the motion to proceed. This would be the new healthcare bill. Trumpcare, if you will. Theres two no votes. Senator murkowski and senator Susan Collins of maine. Those are the two republican votes in the negative. There are two more republicans yet to vote. Senator ron johnson, the senior setter from wisconsin and senator mccain from arizona. John mccain is expected to be a yes vote. Senator ron johnson were not sure. Ive been told by our capitol hill producer, chad pergram, who is on the floor now, that senator johnson has been on the sidelines with senator mcconnell that leads the senate. Theyre having a discussion. Lets go to chad pergram who is on the floor now. What are we to make of this . Right now well have a 5050 tie with Vice President pence to cast the deciding ballot. John mccain came in just a couple moments to a standing ovation after his cancer surgery. He voted aye and ron johnson and the whip, john cornyn voted aye. Democrats that have held their powder dry here are casting their votes. What well have here if all democrats vote no, that will tie this at 5050. Vice president pence is presiding in the chamber right now. He would be poised to break the tie here on a 5150 vote. So far, mike pence has broken four ties already. One to confirm betsy devos as education secretary, he broke two in one day a couple months ago and significantly in his entire eight years as Vice President , joe biden was never called upon to break a tie. So they should get the votes to proceed here presuming Vice President pence does in fact break the tie in a few moments. Unless theres confusion, this is not the death of obamacare. This is a vote on a motion to proceed, which means in laymens terms, chad. This is like back in the old days where you would have a brides hand in marriage and they would go to the father first. Thats a motion to proceed. You have to get permission. The senate agrees to go to debate or Something Like that. The key here, shep, theyre considering this build under budget reconciliation. Dont worry about that term so much. Know what it does, it shuts off filibusters. They were worried about the democrats keeping them from bringing the bill to the floor. It shuts off filibuster. Under a garden variety build, you need 60 yays. This lowers it to 51. And its not been democrats blocking this but members on their own side. They couldnt cook up 51 votes just to get on the bill. It looks like all they were able to do today with senators murkowski and collins voting no is to get 50 votes on the motion 0 to proceed. Theyre dancing on the head of a needle here and get Vice President pence to break the tie. Shepard in the next couple weeks, debates will be offered. Amendments can be offered by anyone and the republicans have to keep the 50 votes and the one from the Vice President to be able to not repeal obamacare because this would be a defunding of obamacare. Nevertheless, the structure would remain there. Obamacare as a law would in essence be dead. But to keep Shelly Moore Capito on board, its hard to come up with based on her public utterances thus far, its hard to imagine how they get her to a yes on the bill itself. Look at someone like dean heller from nevada. The republican senator. Probably one of the most embattled that faces a tough election. He voted for the motion to proceed. Mccain expressed reservations and would try to work to amend the bill. Senator mccain says he almost always votes yes on procedural motions. On the final product, thats the key. I want to point out something that is very important. Ill come back to the term budget reconciliation. What it does, it robs the senate of its basic glory, which is unlimited debate and unlimited amendment process. So once they get on the bill, they have 20 hours of raw debate. That means this will probably be settled one way or the other just this week. That doesnt count against actual voting time and things like that. So as soon as they get this vote complete and were told theres a request for senator mccain to speak on the floor as soon as this vote is complete, the clock on debate will start. Thats limited to 20 hours and amendmented are limited not to policy, it has to be fiscal. It cannot add to the deficit. You dont have the usual free wheeling unlimited debate, unlimited amendment process under reconciliation. This is the all way this gambet that republicans used to get this across the floor. I should note something from a historical standpoint, if you dont mind, shep, this is the same trick that democrats used in 2010 to pass the final version of obamacare. They lost unexpected the Massachusetts Senate seat and went down to 59 votes add had to go to 51. Shepard thanks, chad. For viewers just tuning in, were in the middle of an enormous news day. As you heard, john mccain will speak while in recovery from brain surgery, from surgery on a cancer on his brain. John mccain has made this triumphant return to the senate today to cast that final 50th vote. Without him, this would not have been possible. Hes flown in arizona for this purpose with the okay from his doctor. Were expecting him to speak up to 15 minutes. In the lower righthand corner, the president is about to hold an event in the rose garden. The president expected to comment on this matter. Make zero mistake, this is an enormous win for leader mcconnell here. This was something that just two days ago was flat dead. They did not have the votes in the Republican Party to even proceed, to pass the motion to proceed. Thats what theyve done today. Now ill that proceed to the rest of the process to get a bill to get 50 votes on. Whether that is possible remains to be seen. Its unlikely. Mitch mcconnells ability to wrangle votes is yet to come to fruition. Theres enormous news in washingt washington. For a third day, the president of the United States has taken aim at his own attorney general. Yesterday he was beleaguered. Now hes weak. The president s new communication director, scaramucci, said this morning that he believed that it was going to be necessary for sessions to go and then said he didnt want to speak for the president on this matter. It appears to be a cat and mouse game between the attorney general who was the president s first major supporter in the United States senate, first to endorse him. Now appears to have his job very much in jeopardy. Theres media reports that the attorney general is furious over this matter. Well see how this proceeds. Will he resign . His friends say no. Will the president fire him . We shall see. Right now Vice President pence speaking on the floor. The Vice President votes in the affirmative. The motion is agreed to. The clerk will report the bill. Calendar number 120, hr 1628. An act to provide for reconciliation pursuant to title 2 of the concurrent resolution of the budget for fiscal year 2017. The senior senator from arizona is recognized. I thank you, mr. President. I stood here many times and addressed many presiding officers. Ive been so addressed when i sat in that chair. Thats as close as ill ever be to a presidency. Anyway [laughter] its an honor were indifferent too. In truth, presiding over the senate can be a nuisance, a bit of ceremonial bore and usually relegated to the more junior members of the majority. I stand here today looking a little worse for wear, im sure. Im have a refreshed appreciation for protocols and customs of this body and for the other 99 privileged souls that have been elected to this senate. Ive been a member of the United States senate for 30 years. I had another long if not as long career before i arrived here. Another profession that was profoundly rewarding and which i had experiences and friendships that i revere. Make no mistake, my service here is the most important job ive had in my life. Im so grateful, so grateful to the people of arizona for the privilege, for the honor of serving here and the opportunities it gives me to play a small role in the history of the country that i love. Ive known and admired men and women in the senate who played much more than a small role in our history. True statesman, giants of american politics. They come from both parties and from various backgrounds. Their ambitions were frequently in conflict, they held different views on the issues of the day and had serious disagreements on how best to serve the national interests. They now however sharp and heartfelt their disputes, however keen their ambitions, they had an obligation to work collaboratively to ensure the senate discharged its Constitutional Responsibilities effectively. Our responsibilities are important, vitally important to the continued success of our republic. And our arcane rules and customs are intended to require broad cooperation to function well. The most revered members of this institution accepted the necessity of compromise in order to make incremental progress on solving americas problems and defend her from her adversaries. That principle mindset and the service of our predecessors who possessed it come to mind when i hear the senate referred to as the worlds greatest deliberative body. Im not sure we can claim that distinction with a straight face today. Im sure it wasnt all deserved in previous eras, either. Im sure theres been times when it was and i was privileged to witness some of those occasions. Our deliberations today, not just our debates, the exercise of all of our responsibilities, authorizing government policies, appropriating the funds to implement them, exercising our advice and consent rule are lively and interesting. They can be sincere in principle. Theres more of the time than at any time that i can remember. Our deliberations can still be important and useful, but i think we would all agree they havent been overburdened by greatness lately. Right now they arent producing much for the American People. Both sides have let this happen. Lets leave the history of who shot first to the historians. I suspect theyll find we all conspired in our decline either by deliberate actions or neglect. Weve all played some role it in. Certainly i have. Sometimes have let my passion rule my reason. Sometimes i made it harder to find Common Ground because of something harsh i said to a colleague. Sometimes i wanted to win more for the sake of winning than to achieve a contested policy. Incremental progress, compromises at each side criticized and also accept, just plain muddling away to keep our enemies from doing their worst isnt glamorous or exciting. Doesnt feel like a political triumph but its usually the most we can expect from our system of government. Operating in a country as diverse and quarrelsome and as free as ours. Considering the injustices but autocratic governments and how corruptible human nature can be, the liberty and justice that it preserves is a magnificent achievement. Our system doesnt depend on our nobility. It accounts for our imperfections and gives us an order to our individual strivings that has helped make ours the most powerful and Prosperous Society on earth. Its our responsibility to preserve that and even when it requires us to do something less satisfying than winning. Even when we must give a little to get a little. Even when critics on both sides denounce us for tomidity for our failure to try up triumph. Stop listening to the loud mouths on the radio and television and internet. To hell with them. [applause] they dont want anything done for the public good. Our incapacity is their livelihood. Lets trust each other. Lets return to regular order. Weve been spinning our wheels on too many important issues because we keep trying to find a way to win without help from across the aisle. Thats an approach thats been im employed by both sides with out all the parliamentary rules it requires. Were getting none done, my friends. Were getting nothing done. All we have really done this year is confirm neil gorsuch to the supreme court. Our healthcare insurance system is a mess. We all know it. Those that support obamacare and those that oppose it. Something has to be done. We republicans have looked for a way to end it and replace it with Something Else without paying a terrible political price. We havent found it yet. Im not sure we will. All we have managed to do is make more popular a policy that wasnt very popular when we started trying to get rid of it. I voted for the motion to proceed to allow a debate to continue on amendments we offered. I will not vote for this bill as it is today. Its a shell of a bill right now. We all know that. I have changes urged by my states governor that will have to be included to earn my support for final passage of any bill. I know many of you will have to see the bill changed substantially for you to support it. We tried to do this by coming up with a proposal behind closed doors in consultation with the administration. Springing it on skeptical members, trying to convince them that its better than nothing. Its better than nothing . Asking us to swallow our doubts and force it past a unified opposition. I dont think that will work in the end. Probably shouldnt. The administration and Congressional Democrats shouldnt have forced through Congress Without any opposition of support of social and economic change as massive as obamacare. And we shouldnt do the same with ours. Why dont we try the old way of legislating in the senate . The way our rules and customs encourage us to act. If this process ends in failure, which seems likely, lets return to regular order. Let the Health Education labor and Pensions Committee under chairman alexander and Ranking Member murray hold hearings. Try to report a bill out of committee with contributions from both sides. [applause] something that my dear friends on the other side of the allow didnt allow to happen nine years ago. [applause] lets see if we can past something that will be imperfect, full of compromises and not pleasing to partisans on either side. That might provide Workable Solutions to problems americans are struggling with today. Do we have to do to try to Work Together to find those solutions . Were not getting done much apart. I dont think any of us feels very proud of our incapacity. Merely preventing your political opponents from doing what they want isnt the most inspiring work. Theres greater satisfaction in respecting our differences, but not letting them prevent agreements that dont require abandonment of core principles, agreements made in good faith that help improve lives and protect the American People. The senate is capable of that. We know that. Weve seen it before. Ive seen it happen many times. The times when i was involved even in a modest way with working out a bipartisan response to a National Problem or threat are the proudest moments of my career and by far the most satisfying. This place is important. The work we do is important. Our strange rules and seemingly eccentric practices that slow our proceedings and insist on our cooperation are important. Our founders and vision, the senate has a more deliberative careful body that operates at another body from the passions of the hour. Were an important check on the powers of the executive. Our consent is necessary for the president to appoint juris and powerful government officials and in many respects to conduct foreign policy. Whether or not we are of the same party, we are not the president s subordinates. Were his equal. As his responsibilities are onerous, so are ours. We play a vital road in shaping the judiciary, the military, the cabinet supporting foreign and domestic policies. Our obligations depend on Cooperation Among ourselves. The success of the senate is important to the continued success of america. This country, this big boisterous, brawl, beautiful, bountiful, brave, good and magnificent country needs us to help it thrive. That responsibility is more important than any of our personal interests or political affiliation. We are the servants of a great nation. A nation conceived in liberty and dedicated to the proposition that all men are created equal. More people have lived free and prosperous lives here than in any other nation. We have acquired unpreshe debted wealth and power because of our governing principles and our government defended those principles. America has made a greater contribution to any other nation to an International Order that is liberated more people from tyranny and poverty than ever before in history. We have been the greatest example, the greatest supporter and the greatest defender of that order. We arent afraid. We dont covet other peoples land and wealth. We dont hide behind walls. We breach them. We are a blessing to humanity. What greater cause can we hope to serve than helping keep america the strongest, aspiring, beacon of liberty and defender of dignity of all human beings and their right to freedom and equal justice . That is the cause that binds us. So much more powerful and worthy than the small differences that divide us. What a great honor and extraordinary opportunity it is to serve in this body. Its a privilege to serve with all of you. I mean it. Many of you have reached out in the last few days with your concern and your prayers. It means a lot to me. It does. Ive had so many people say such nice things about me recently. I think some of you must have me confused with someone else. [laughter] i appreciate it though. Every word. Even if much of it isnt deserved. Ill be here for a few days. I hope managing the floor debate on the Defense Authorization bill, which im proud to say is again a product of bipartisan cooperation and trust among the members of the Senate Armed Services committee. After that, im going home for a while to treat my illness. I have every intention of returning here and giving many of you cause to regret all the nice things you said about me. I hope to impress upon you again, its an honor to serve the Susan Collins<\/a> of maine. Those are the two republican votes in the negative. There are two more republicans yet to vote. Senator ron johnson, the senior setter from wisconsin and senator mccain from arizona. John mccain is expected to be a yes vote. Senator ron johnson were not sure. Ive been told by our capitol hill producer, chad pergram, who is on the floor now, that senator johnson has been on the sidelines with senator mcconnell that leads the senate. Theyre having a discussion. Lets go to chad pergram who is on the floor now. What are we to make of this . Right now well have a 5050 tie with Vice President<\/a> pence to cast the deciding ballot. John mccain came in just a couple moments to a standing ovation after his cancer surgery. He voted aye and ron johnson and the whip, john cornyn voted aye. Democrats that have held their powder dry here are casting their votes. What well have here if all democrats vote no, that will tie this at 5050. Vice president pence is presiding in the chamber right now. He would be poised to break the tie here on a 5150 vote. So far, mike pence has broken four ties already. One to confirm betsy devos as education secretary, he broke two in one day a couple months ago and significantly in his entire eight years as Vice President<\/a> , joe biden was never called upon to break a tie. So they should get the votes to proceed here presuming Vice President<\/a> pence does in fact break the tie in a few moments. Unless theres confusion, this is not the death of obamacare. This is a vote on a motion to proceed, which means in laymens terms, chad. This is like back in the old days where you would have a brides hand in marriage and they would go to the father first. Thats a motion to proceed. You have to get permission. The senate agrees to go to debate or Something Like<\/a> that. The key here, shep, theyre considering this build under budget reconciliation. Dont worry about that term so much. Know what it does, it shuts off filibusters. They were worried about the democrats keeping them from bringing the bill to the floor. It shuts off filibuster. Under a garden variety build, you need 60 yays. This lowers it to 51. And its not been democrats blocking this but members on their own side. They couldnt cook up 51 votes just to get on the bill. It looks like all they were able to do today with senators murkowski and collins voting no is to get 50 votes on the motion 0 to proceed. Theyre dancing on the head of a needle here and get Vice President<\/a> pence to break the tie. Shepard in the next couple weeks, debates will be offered. Amendments can be offered by anyone and the republicans have to keep the 50 votes and the one from the Vice President<\/a> to be able to not repeal obamacare because this would be a defunding of obamacare. Nevertheless, the structure would remain there. Obamacare as a law would in essence be dead. But to keep Shelly Moore Capito<\/a> on board, its hard to come up with based on her public utterances thus far, its hard to imagine how they get her to a yes on the bill itself. Look at someone like dean heller from nevada. The republican senator. Probably one of the most embattled that faces a tough election. He voted for the motion to proceed. Mccain expressed reservations and would try to work to amend the bill. Senator mccain says he almost always votes yes on procedural motions. On the final product, thats the key. I want to point out something that is very important. Ill come back to the term budget reconciliation. What it does, it robs the senate of its basic glory, which is unlimited debate and unlimited amendment process. So once they get on the bill, they have 20 hours of raw debate. That means this will probably be settled one way or the other just this week. That doesnt count against actual voting time and things like that. So as soon as they get this vote complete and were told theres a request for senator mccain to speak on the floor as soon as this vote is complete, the clock on debate will start. Thats limited to 20 hours and amendmented are limited not to policy, it has to be fiscal. It cannot add to the deficit. You dont have the usual free wheeling unlimited debate, unlimited amendment process under reconciliation. This is the all way this gambet that republicans used to get this across the floor. I should note something from a historical standpoint, if you dont mind, shep, this is the same trick that democrats used in 2010 to pass the final version of obamacare. They lost unexpected the Massachusetts Senate<\/a> seat and went down to 59 votes add had to go to 51. Shepard thanks, chad. For viewers just tuning in, were in the middle of an enormous news day. As you heard, john mccain will speak while in recovery from brain surgery, from surgery on a cancer on his brain. John mccain has made this triumphant return to the senate today to cast that final 50th vote. Without him, this would not have been possible. Hes flown in arizona for this purpose with the okay from his doctor. Were expecting him to speak up to 15 minutes. In the lower righthand corner, the president is about to hold an event in the rose garden. The president expected to comment on this matter. Make zero mistake, this is an enormous win for leader mcconnell here. This was something that just two days ago was flat dead. They did not have the votes in the Republican Party<\/a> to even proceed, to pass the motion to proceed. Thats what theyve done today. Now ill that proceed to the rest of the process to get a bill to get 50 votes on. Whether that is possible remains to be seen. Its unlikely. Mitch mcconnells ability to wrangle votes is yet to come to fruition. Theres enormous news in washingt washington. For a third day, the president of the United States<\/a> has taken aim at his own attorney general. Yesterday he was beleaguered. Now hes weak. The president s new communication director, scaramucci, said this morning that he believed that it was going to be necessary for sessions to go and then said he didnt want to speak for the president on this matter. It appears to be a cat and mouse game between the attorney general who was the president s first major supporter in the United States<\/a> senate, first to endorse him. Now appears to have his job very much in jeopardy. Theres media reports that the attorney general is furious over this matter. Well see how this proceeds. Will he resign . His friends say no. Will the president fire him . We shall see. Right now Vice President<\/a> pence speaking on the floor. The Vice President<\/a> votes in the affirmative. The motion is agreed to. The clerk will report the bill. Calendar number 120, hr 1628. An act to provide for reconciliation pursuant to title 2 of the concurrent resolution of the budget for fiscal year 2017. The senior senator from arizona is recognized. I thank you, mr. President. I stood here many times and addressed many presiding officers. Ive been so addressed when i sat in that chair. Thats as close as ill ever be to a presidency. Anyway [laughter] its an honor were indifferent too. In truth, presiding over the senate can be a nuisance, a bit of ceremonial bore and usually relegated to the more junior members of the majority. I stand here today looking a little worse for wear, im sure. Im have a refreshed appreciation for protocols and customs of this body and for the other 99 privileged souls that have been elected to this senate. Ive been a member of the United States<\/a> senate for 30 years. I had another long if not as long career before i arrived here. Another profession that was profoundly rewarding and which i had experiences and friendships that i revere. Make no mistake, my service here is the most important job ive had in my life. Im so grateful, so grateful to the people of arizona for the privilege, for the honor of serving here and the opportunities it gives me to play a small role in the history of the country that i love. Ive known and admired men and women in the senate who played much more than a small role in our history. True statesman, giants of american politics. They come from both parties and from various backgrounds. Their ambitions were frequently in conflict, they held different views on the issues of the day and had serious disagreements on how best to serve the national interests. They now however sharp and heartfelt their disputes, however keen their ambitions, they had an obligation to work collaboratively to ensure the senate discharged its Constitutional Responsibilities<\/a> effectively. Our responsibilities are important, vitally important to the continued success of our republic. And our arcane rules and customs are intended to require broad cooperation to function well. The most revered members of this institution accepted the necessity of compromise in order to make incremental progress on solving americas problems and defend her from her adversaries. That principle mindset and the service of our predecessors who possessed it come to mind when i hear the senate referred to as the worlds greatest deliberative body. Im not sure we can claim that distinction with a straight face today. Im sure it wasnt all deserved in previous eras, either. Im sure theres been times when it was and i was privileged to witness some of those occasions. Our deliberations today, not just our debates, the exercise of all of our responsibilities, authorizing government policies, appropriating the funds to implement them, exercising our advice and consent rule are lively and interesting. They can be sincere in principle. Theres more of the time than at any time that i can remember. Our deliberations can still be important and useful, but i think we would all agree they havent been overburdened by greatness lately. Right now they arent producing much for the American People<\/a>. Both sides have let this happen. Lets leave the history of who shot first to the historians. I suspect theyll find we all conspired in our decline either by deliberate actions or neglect. Weve all played some role it in. Certainly i have. Sometimes have let my passion rule my reason. Sometimes i made it harder to find Common Ground<\/a> because of something harsh i said to a colleague. Sometimes i wanted to win more for the sake of winning than to achieve a contested policy. Incremental progress, compromises at each side criticized and also accept, just plain muddling away to keep our enemies from doing their worst isnt glamorous or exciting. Doesnt feel like a political triumph but its usually the most we can expect from our system of government. Operating in a country as diverse and quarrelsome and as free as ours. Considering the injustices but autocratic governments and how corruptible human nature can be, the liberty and justice that it preserves is a magnificent achievement. Our system doesnt depend on our nobility. It accounts for our imperfections and gives us an order to our individual strivings that has helped make ours the most powerful and Prosperous Society<\/a> on earth. Its our responsibility to preserve that and even when it requires us to do something less satisfying than winning. Even when we must give a little to get a little. Even when critics on both sides denounce us for tomidity for our failure to try up triumph. Stop listening to the loud mouths on the radio and television and internet. To hell with them. [applause] they dont want anything done for the public good. Our incapacity is their livelihood. Lets trust each other. Lets return to regular order. Weve been spinning our wheels on too many important issues because we keep trying to find a way to win without help from across the aisle. Thats an approach thats been im employed by both sides with out all the parliamentary rules it requires. Were getting none done, my friends. Were getting nothing done. All we have really done this year is confirm neil gorsuch to the supreme court. Our healthcare insurance system is a mess. We all know it. Those that support obamacare and those that oppose it. Something has to be done. We republicans have looked for a way to end it and replace it with Something Else<\/a> without paying a terrible political price. We havent found it yet. Im not sure we will. All we have managed to do is make more popular a policy that wasnt very popular when we started trying to get rid of it. I voted for the motion to proceed to allow a debate to continue on amendments we offered. I will not vote for this bill as it is today. Its a shell of a bill right now. We all know that. I have changes urged by my states governor that will have to be included to earn my support for final passage of any bill. I know many of you will have to see the bill changed substantially for you to support it. We tried to do this by coming up with a proposal behind closed doors in consultation with the administration. Springing it on skeptical members, trying to convince them that its better than nothing. Its better than nothing . Asking us to swallow our doubts and force it past a unified opposition. I dont think that will work in the end. Probably shouldnt. The administration and Congressional Democrats<\/a> shouldnt have forced through Congress Without<\/a> any opposition of support of social and economic change as massive as obamacare. And we shouldnt do the same with ours. Why dont we try the old way of legislating in the senate . The way our rules and customs encourage us to act. If this process ends in failure, which seems likely, lets return to regular order. Let the Health Education<\/a> labor and Pensions Committee<\/a> under chairman alexander and Ranking Member<\/a> murray hold hearings. Try to report a bill out of committee with contributions from both sides. [applause] something that my dear friends on the other side of the allow didnt allow to happen nine years ago. [applause] lets see if we can past something that will be imperfect, full of compromises and not pleasing to partisans on either side. That might provide Workable Solutions<\/a> to problems americans are struggling with today. Do we have to do to try to Work Together<\/a> to find those solutions . Were not getting done much apart. I dont think any of us feels very proud of our incapacity. Merely preventing your political opponents from doing what they want isnt the most inspiring work. Theres greater satisfaction in respecting our differences, but not letting them prevent agreements that dont require abandonment of core principles, agreements made in good faith that help improve lives and protect the American People<\/a>. The senate is capable of that. We know that. Weve seen it before. Ive seen it happen many times. The times when i was involved even in a modest way with working out a bipartisan response to a National Problem<\/a> or threat are the proudest moments of my career and by far the most satisfying. This place is important. The work we do is important. Our strange rules and seemingly eccentric practices that slow our proceedings and insist on our cooperation are important. Our founders and vision, the senate has a more deliberative careful body that operates at another body from the passions of the hour. Were an important check on the powers of the executive. Our consent is necessary for the president to appoint juris and powerful government officials and in many respects to conduct foreign policy. Whether or not we are of the same party, we are not the president s subordinates. Were his equal. As his responsibilities are onerous, so are ours. We play a vital road in shaping the judiciary, the military, the cabinet supporting foreign and domestic policies. Our obligations depend on Cooperation Among<\/a> ourselves. The success of the senate is important to the continued success of america. This country, this big boisterous, brawl, beautiful, bountiful, brave, good and magnificent country needs us to help it thrive. That responsibility is more important than any of our personal interests or political affiliation. We are the servants of a great nation. A nation conceived in liberty and dedicated to the proposition that all men are created equal. More people have lived free and prosperous lives here than in any other nation. We have acquired unpreshe debted wealth and power because of our governing principles and our government defended those principles. America has made a greater contribution to any other nation to an International Order<\/a> that is liberated more people from tyranny and poverty than ever before in history. We have been the greatest example, the greatest supporter and the greatest defender of that order. We arent afraid. We dont covet other peoples land and wealth. We dont hide behind walls. We breach them. We are a blessing to humanity. What greater cause can we hope to serve than helping keep america the strongest, aspiring, beacon of liberty and defender of dignity of all human beings and their right to freedom and equal justice . That is the cause that binds us. So much more powerful and worthy than the small differences that divide us. What a great honor and extraordinary opportunity it is to serve in this body. Its a privilege to serve with all of you. I mean it. Many of you have reached out in the last few days with your concern and your prayers. It means a lot to me. It does. Ive had so many people say such nice things about me recently. I think some of you must have me confused with someone else. [laughter] i appreciate it though. Every word. Even if much of it isnt deserved. Ill be here for a few days. I hope managing the floor debate on the Defense Authorization<\/a> bill, which im proud to say is again a product of bipartisan cooperation and trust among the members of the Senate Armed Services<\/a> committee. After that, im going home for a while to treat my illness. I have every intention of returning here and giving many of you cause to regret all the nice things you said about me. I hope to impress upon you again, its an honor to serve the American People<\/a> in your company. Thank you, fellow senators. Mr. President. [applause] shepard that may go down as a speech for the ages from the adult in the room on a very difficult day. Blood clot removed, cancer diagnosed, surgery performed, ufr are a recovery begins. Now the adult in the room says amendments are coming, success is not expected. This body should return to regular order, that the servants of the people should do their jobs, that theyre not the president s subordinates, they are his equals. And now the president is himself to speak. The president will be speaking in the rose garden and holding a News Conference<\/a> just a short time from now. It was scheduled to begin like ten minutes ago. What happened at the white house . To the microphone came none other than sean spicer, the former press secretary who has resigned by is staying on his job through august and it was he who came to the microphones to tell us that the president of the United States<\/a> is waiting for john mccain to finish his speech and then he and his guests would be out in the garden to hold this News Conference<\/a>. The president has presumably, were led to believe, been listening to this as he received a bit of a lecture one might have to say from john mccain up from his hospital bed. Two questions from each sets of media to be taken. This should be fascinating. Please, im very happy to announce that with zero of the democrats votes, the motion to proceed on healthcare has just passed. Now we move forward towards truly great healthcare for the American People<\/a>. We look forward to that. This was a big step. I want to thank senator john mccain, very brave man. He made a tough trip to get here and vote. So we want to thank senator mccain and all of the republicans. We passed it without one democrat vote. Its a shame, but thats the way it is. Its very unfortunate. I want to congratulate American People<\/a>. Because were going to give you great healthcare. Were going to get rid of obamacare, which should have been terminated long ago. Its been a disaster for the American People<\/a>. Thank you very much. Good afternoon. Thank you all for being here. It is my honor to welcome prime minist minister assad from lebanon to the white house. We just concluded an extensive conversation about the challenges and opportunities facing lebanon and its neighbors. Lebanon is on the front lines in the fight against isis, alquaida and hezbollah. The lebanese people of all faiths are working together to keep their you know this and weve been discussioning this their country safe and prosperous. They love their country and theyre going to keep it safe. Mr. Prime minister, i want to commend you and your people for standing up for humanity in a very troubled part of the world. The ties between our two countries stretch back more than a century. Long, long relationships. In 1866, american missionaries founded the American University<\/a> of beirut. Now more than 150 years later and with ongoing american support, this university continues to educate generations of leaders in the region. Today our two countries seek to strengthen our relationship in many ways. Including the pursuit of stability, mutual prosperity and peace. What the Lebanese Armed<\/a> forces have accomplished in recent years is very impressive. In 2014, when isis tried to innovate northern lebanon, the Lebanese Army<\/a> beat them back. Since that time, the Lebanese Army<\/a> has been fighting continually to guard lebanons border and prevent isis and other terrorists, of which theres many, from gaining a foot hold inside their country. The United States<\/a> will help in that fight and will help continue to do so. Americas assistant can help assure that the Lebanese Army<\/a> is the only defender lebanon needs. Its a very effective fighting force. Threats to the lebanese people come from inside as well. Hezbollah is a menace to the lebanese state, the lebanese people and the entire region. The Group Continues<\/a> to increase its military arsenal, which threatened to start yet another conflict with israel. Constantly fighting them back. With the support of iran, the organization is also fuelling humanitarian catastrophe in syria. Hezbollah likes to portray itself as a defender of lebanese interests, but its very clear that its true interests are those of itself and its sponsor, iran. I have repeatedly emphasized that syrias neighbors in the middle east must take responsibility for helping Syrian Refugees<\/a> until they can return home and rebuild their country. The lebanese people have led the way accepting more Syrian Refugees<\/a> per capita than any other nation. Its not even close. I want to thank the Prime Minister<\/a> and the lebanese people for giving shelter to those victimized by isis and the assad regime and pledged support to lebanon. Since the start of the syrian crisis, the United States<\/a> has help lebanon support Syrian Refugees<\/a> with clean water, food, shelter and healthcare. Our approach, supporting the humanitarian needs of displaced syrian citizens as close to their home country as possible is the best way to help most people. America is proud to stand with those that have the courage to stand up to terrorism and take responsibility for affairs in their own region. The reliance and resilience of the lebanese people in the face of war and terror is extraordinary. We honor the citizens of lebanon working to secure a future of peace, stability and prosperity for their children. Mr. Prime minister, im grateful youre here today. Its a big day in our country because of the vote you just heard about. We stood and watched the results on television before coming out. You found it very interesting, i hope. Yes, i did. And very important. I look forward to working with you to strengthen our partnership and the enduring friendship between the american and lebanese peoples. Thank you very much. Mr. Prime minister . Thank you. Good afternoon. I have the honor and pleasure and the pleasure to hold a very good meeting with President Trump<\/a>. I appreciate his leadership and the United States<\/a> leadership in the world today. We discussed the situation in our region and the efforts with in lebanon are making to safeguard our stability while combatting terrorism. I thank President Trump<\/a> for his support to our army and security agencies as well as support to fulfill maintaining peace and stability along our southern border. Where our government is committed to the United Nations<\/a> Security Council<\/a> resolution 1701 as well as all resolutions. We also discussed the pressures lebanon is facing as a result of 1. 5 million syrian displaced in our country. I outline to President Trump<\/a>, my governments vision, for dealing with this crisis with the support of the international community. We also discussed economic prospects in lebanon and our governments effort to jump start growth with the particular emphasis on job creation. I thank President Trump<\/a> and the United States<\/a> of america for their support to the lebanese people. Striving to keep their country a level of moderation, dialogue, co existence and democratic governance in our region. Thank you. Thank you very much. Margaret, please. Thank you. Hello, margaret. Hi, mr. President. Mr. Prime minister, ill have a question for you also in just a second if youll bear with me. You spoke earlier today, the wall street journal. Weve seen the comments. Everybody here probably is hoping that you can talk a little bit more about this. You have called your attorney general beleaguered. Youve criticized his decision to recuse himself on the russia matters. And youre kind of catch phrase or motto before the white house was youre fired. Would you talk to us about whether you lost confidence in Jeff Sessions<\/a>, whether you want him to resign on his own . Whether youre prepared to fire him if he doesnt and why youre sort of letting him twist in the wind . I dont think i am doing that. I am disappointed in the attorney general. He should not have recused himself almost immediately after he took office. If he was going to recuse himself, he should have told me prior to taking office. And i would have quite simply picked somebody else. So i think thats a bad thing not for the president , but for the presidency. I think its unfair to the presidency. Thats the way i feel. Thank you. Thank you. Mr. Prime minister, could you tell us what you think about the saudiled blockade of qatar . This is something that has been of great concern to the u. S. As well in terms of resolving. You think qatar is doing enough on terror and if so, would you like to see President Trump<\/a> increase the pressure on the Saudi Coalition<\/a> to ease their blockade and mr. President , if you would give us any more of your thinking on Going Forward<\/a> on the path of attorney general sessions and your timeline for making a decision. Thank you. Thank you. I think there is an effort by the kuwaitis. Theyre leading this effort. I think they made some progress. We believe that dialogue is the best way in improving this relationship between saudi arabia and qatar. I believe that maybe the United States<\/a> also could help in this unsolving this issue in the gulf. Denise . I have one question for the president and also for Prime Minister<\/a>. Congress introduced additional sanctions against hezbollah last week. What is your position towards the sanctions and on the role of hezbollahs playing in the region and syria . Ill be making my possession very clear the next 24 hours. Were going to see what is exactly taking place. I have meetings with some of my very expert military representatives and others. Ill be making that decision very shortly. Thank you. And about his role in syria and the region . Hezbollahs role. Ill be talking about that tomorrow. Prime minister [speaking foreign language]. Shepard the white house has a translator, i should say interpreter, but the white house decides what audio to send out to the American News<\/a> media, normally we would hear that interpreter. But at the moment obviously were not. This is a matter that is out of our control. Hello, blake. President trump, hello. Thank you. Indulge us here for a second to pick up American People<\/a> would like to know, do you feel that the attorney general should indeed stay and do you intend on firing him . Why should he remain as the attorney general . Secondly, on a separate topic with the healthcare vote that just came about, its still a long ways to go. At what point do you feel that republicans, if they cant get something done should just say you know what . We gave it a go, lets move on to tax reform instead . I want the attorney general to be much tougher on the leaks from intelligence agencies, which are leaking like rarely have they ever leaked before at a very important level. These are intelligence agencies. We cannot have that happen. Many of my views in addition to that. Thats one of the very important things that they have to get on with. I told you before, im very disappointed with the attorney general. We will see what happens. Time will tell. Time will tell. On healthcare, im extremely happy that we got this vote. This is they say, if you look historically, this is the tough vote to get. Now were going to sit together and were going to try to come up with something that is spectacular. We have a lot of options and a lot of great options. The republican senators really went out there. Its not easy when you have 52 senators and you have a block of 48 voting against you, no matter what it is, no matter how good it sounds, its very hard to get the numbers that we got. We ended up with 51 votes. 51 to whatever. I dont know what it is. Yeah, 5150. So we had two republicans that went against us, which is very sad, i think. Its very, very sad for them. But im very, very happy with the result. I believe now we will over the next week or two come up with a plan that is going to be really, really wonderful for the American People<\/a>. Obamacare is a disaster. Its failing in every front. Its too expensive. It gives horrible coverage. It was gotten by a lie 28 times. You can keep your door, they said or keep your plan. All lies. The people are sick of it. And were going to come up with a great healthcare that satisfies the needs of the people that we serve, which is the people of the United States<\/a>. I will say and i said it at the beginning, healthcare is always difficult. Because you have to weed a very, very narrow path like 1 4 inch wide right down the middle. If you go a little too far right, you lose three people on the left. If you go a little too far left, you lose five people on the right. It is a very, very complex and difficult task. But its something that i actually know quite a bit about. I want to thank some of the republican senators that were really fantastic in getting us here, particularly john mccain for making the trip. I think youre going to have a great healthcare. This is the beginning of the end for the disaster known as obamacare. Thank you very much. Mr. President mr. President , how can the United States<\/a> help lebanon cope with the massive number of Syrian Refugees<\/a>, and is there a way you can help facilitate the refugees return to their home country . Well, we are helping. One of the things that we have made tremendous strides at is getting rid of isis. We have generals that dont like to talk. They like to do. Were with general mattis last night. The success theyve had against isis extraordinary. Weve made more progress in the last four or five months than previous i can say the Previous Administration<\/a> made in eight years. Then we have to see what we have to see. I will tell you, isis in syria, isis in iraq, isis in other locations, weve made tremendous strides. Our military is an Incredible Fighting<\/a> force. As you know, i let the commanders on the ground do what they had to do. Before, they used to have to yeah in this Beautiful House<\/a> and speak to people that didnt know what was happening. Where they were, what locations, practically probably never heard of the countries they were talking about or the towns. I let the generals do what they had to do. We have made tremendous plans. We were discussing it just before. We have made tremendous gains with respect to isis in syria, iraq and other places. Thank you. What about assad . Syria . Im not a fan of assad. Okay . He will tell you that. We had 58 out of 58 you could say 59 out of 59 when we launched the tomahawk missiles. Im not a fan of assad. Im certainly think that what hes done to that country and to humanity is horrible. So i have been saying that for a long time. Im not somebody that will stand by and let him get away with what he tried to do. He did it a number of times when president obama drew the red line in the sand and then he should have crossed that red line because some horrible acts against humanity took place, including gas. The killing through gasses. That was a bad day for this country. And id go a step further. Had president obama gone across that line and done what he should have done, i dont believe youd have russia and i dont believe youd have iran anywhere near the extent and maybe not at all in syria today. Okay . Thanks very much. [speaking foreign language]. Shepard its the beginning of the president speaking. We had the interpreter underneath speaking in arabic. Now a mat or out of our control. On blake burman asked the president should attorney general sessions resign or do you plan to fire him thank you very much, everybody. Thank you. Shepard the president responding that hes disappointed in his attorney general, but time will tell, time will tell. What happens with the attorney general. If this is not unprecedented in american history, i cant find a time when a situation like this was upon us where the president of the United States<\/a> shows complete disrespect for the attorney general, his own attorney general and clearly is pushing him in the direction of a resignation though the attorney general has reportedly told friends that he will not resign. Impass is upon us, how this is resolved. As the president said, time will tell. Those of you on Fox Television<\/a> stations across america, well return to our regular programming. Our coverage continues on Fox News Channel<\/a> now. Im shepard smith, fox news, new york. Now that were back, just on the Fox News Channel<\/a>, well try to hash through some of this. Lets turn to john bussey from the wall street journal. The wall street journal and Fox News Channel<\/a> share common ownership. This is extraordinary what is happening with the attorney general. Yeah. This is an extraordinary day. We just had a remarkable vote in the senate. We had an incredible speech by john mccain. Need to come back to that. Shepard we will. And this discussion of sessions. A man that the president appointed. He was immensely loyal to him. Everybody realizes that this was the one of the very first senators to come out and support President Trump<\/a> during the campaign. This language that hes using, we just had an interview, Peter Nicholas<\/a> from the Washington Bureau<\/a> just had an interview with President Trump<\/a> a couple hours ago, with what he said on air just now. Im very disappointed in my attorney general. He doesnt say look, this guy has a tough job, im disappointed with this or that, but im backing my guy. He lets it hang out there. So what is the strategy here . Is he seeking to get rid of sessions by having him eventually resign so he can later say i didnt fire him . Is the point to have him out of the way so that a a new attorney general can come in who has not recused himself from the Russian Investigation<\/a> and how can somehow or another manipulate that investigation . Its unclear what is going on here. It seems like its a down side for President Trump<\/a> no matter what. Blake burman asked him the question. He didnt answer it. His premise is flawed in that the attorney general found out about this russia information after he had already been made the attorney general. It was then that he recused himself. There had been a trial balloon floated about rudy guliani, a close alley of thing becoming the attorney general. Rudy guliani said im not in consideration for that job and Jeff Sessions<\/a> did the right thing. So if this is it just appears at least and the appearance will be there for the president s detractors and others that will say youre interfering with the russia investigation or attempting to do so. At least thats right, people in his own party. The public calls them. This is the day arguably a good day for President Trump<\/a>. Shepard could have been. This was a vote in the senate that went his way. This was arguably a victory for him on the healthcare front to as he puts it, to basically start discussion. Its really a vote to start the discussion. Shepard blake burman is live from fox business. He asked the question of the president today. You gave it a valiant effort. It was asked by bloomberg. The president gave the standard answer. That he was dis appoiappointed didnt go about answering, do you plan on firing the guy. He called him weak earlier today. He said i think the American People<\/a> want to know, do you have confidence in the guy and do you want him to resign or be fired . Again the president sidestepped this just saying that his disappointed in the decisions that the attorney general made about recusal. Its still up in the air from the white house perspective of what Jeff Sessions<\/a> does next or potentially even what President Trump<\/a> might do next, shepard. Shepard blake burman from fox business. I know you have to do some reporting for that network. Thanks for stepping by. I want to head to julie now, White House Reporter<\/a> for the associated press. She cowrote a recent article about the firing of Jeff Sessions<\/a>. Any more to report based on this nonanswer today, julie . We were all hoping to hear an answer to that question. Its a headscratcher why the president isnt taking action on the attorney general. Its so clear that he does not want Jeff Sessions<\/a> in this position. He has the ability to fire him. So the ball is somewhat in the attorney generals court at this point. Well have to check back in with Jeff Sessions<\/a> and see if yet another day of the president pretty openly dump on him has changed his mind about whether he wants to continue in this role. Shepard aside from the flawed premise that Jeff Sessions<\/a> should not have recused himself from this matter because he should have told him before they made him attorney general, they cant be because all of this information came out afterwards. Is there another thought trend on this from the president or is that the main one . I mean, that seems to be what is stuck in the president s head. He seems to be unable to get beyond that and just beyond the basic anger that he has about that whole situation. In some ways, i feel like Jeff Sessions<\/a> has become the scapegoat for the entire sort of russia mess that the administration finds itself in with, you know, various congressional probes going on and of course the special counsel. What is really important to remember is that the special counsel is only here because of another sort of turn that the president took in his administration by letting go of james comey. So it sort of an unending problem. Its difficult for anyone to see where this ends other than just thinking, if youre Jeff Sessions<\/a>, youve got to be evaluating your job on a minute by minute basis here. Thanks, julie from the associated press. Thanks very much. Were in first he fired james comey. Now he wants Jeff Sessions<\/a> out. Theres the matter of the Rod Rosenstein<\/a> as well. We dont know how that will sit. You could make an argument that this president would get some points in congress by backing his attorney general at this point. As opposed to trying to erode his credibility publicly this way. Because there is a special counsel. Thats going to be there regardless of whether or not sessions is attorney general and why is there a special counsel . Its because he fired comey. That resulted in the appointment of the man that is now investigating him or his campaign and its relationship with russia. Shepard i want to show our viewers some of the things being said by members of his own party by conservatives. I want to begin with a word from mike lee. Lets listen. Even though he and i disagree from time to time, i find him to be a man of integrity. A man who has led the department of justice in what i regard to be a positive direction. Mike lee. Now to jim dement who is out with a tweet on this matter, a conservative himself. Trump right and medias russia obsession. Hope he sees jeff session is a great leader that will defend constitution and rule of law. Brit hume has issued one as well. Responding to Donald Trumps<\/a> tweet that the attorney general Jeff Sessions<\/a> has taken a weak position on Hillary Clintons<\/a> crimes and where the intel leakers. Brit hume tweets potus at his worst and most disloyal. For republicans and conservatives, they know. Mar mark la vin came out. The drudge report. Sessions in dog house. Republicans on brink of civil war. Difficult for him to attract talent into an administration when people will be questioning his loyalty to the individuals that he has brought in. To sessions particularly. Will he be able to get the talent to replace a sessions or to fill the many other positions that have gone unfilled so far in the administration . Theres a lot of them. They have complained that theyve not been confirmed, but in the vast majority of cases, theres been no one put up for confirmation. Vast majority. Yeah. Its a difficult moment for an individual to say whether or not theyre going to roll the dice and join the administration that still seems to be in upheaval. This is something that john mccain was talking about the senate. We have ourselves to blame for inability to pass legislation. The president at this stage of the game has himself to blame for the degree of that hes contending with day to day. As opposed to celebrating this moment when there has been a motion to start discussion on the healthcare bill, whether or not that goes through is a wide open question. This is a small victory. He was claiming it was a larger one. But it is a small victory. Its a good check in his column. Rather than celebrating that, hes enthralled with diminishing his own attorney general as opposed to handling it behind closed doors with a degree of civility that sessions can come out at the other end with his dignity intact. Shepard theres a lot of amendments to con on healthcare. Repeal and replace. They dont have the votes. Repeal and dont replace. They dont have the votes. Skinny repeal as of this moment, they dont have the votes. The Washington Post<\/a> writes a few moments ago, this is a tacid acknowledgement to repeal they cannot succeed as the republicans control the white house and both sides. A small victory no doubt. A large victory for mitch mcconnell. But what happens Going Forward<\/a> is another matter entirely. It will be a messy process and no one knows exactly how it will end. We must take a quick commercial break before the news begins anew on Fox News Channel<\/a>. Neil cavuto in the wings. About a medication. This is humira. This is humira helping to relieve my pain. And protect my joints from further damage. Humira has been clinically studied for over 18 years. Humira works by targeting and helping to. Block a specific source. Of inflammation that contributes to ra symptoms. Its proven to help relieve pain and. Stop further joint damage in many adults. Humira can lower your ability to fight infections, including tuberculosis. Serious, sometimes fatal infections and cancers, including lymphoma, have happened, as have blood, liver, and nervous system problems, serious allergic reactions, and new or worsening heart failure. Before treatment, get tested for tb. Tell your doctor if youve been to areas. Where certain fungal infections are common and if youve had tb, hepatitis b, are prone to infections, or have flulike symptoms or sores. Dont start humira if you have an infection. Talk to your doctor and visit humira. Com this is humira at work. This is cand right now, lobster. Were serving up more delicious crab than ever. Classic favorites like crab lovers dream. And new dishes like southern king crab and dueling crab legs with delicious dungeness and sweet snow crab. Its all happening at crabfest. And crabfest is only happening at red lobster. Now this is seafood. Neil all right. Were focusing on Democratic Senators<\/a> on the steps of the United States<\/a> capitol. Very unhappy with this largely parliamentary move to redo obamacare. Its just that, just a move. A point of order, if you will, that doesnt really change anything outside saving this for a chance to fight another day. Its quite a fight. Welcome. Im neil cavuto. Youre watching your world. A confusing police call world as republicans return with a surprise victory for mitch mcconnell, the leader of the senate. It was one that the president of the United States<\/a> had to break to make possible and was seen as a speech","publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"archive.org","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","width":"800","height":"600","url":"\/\/ia600806.us.archive.org\/28\/items\/FOXNEWSW_20170725_190000_Shepard_Smith_Reporting\/FOXNEWSW_20170725_190000_Shepard_Smith_Reporting.thumbs\/FOXNEWSW_20170725_190000_Shepard_Smith_Reporting_000001.jpg"}},"autauthor":{"@type":"Organization"},"author":{"sameAs":"archive.org","name":"archive.org"}}],"coverageEndTime":"20240617T12:35:10+00:00"}