Fox Business
Expand
Browse All Video
Watch Live

You're watching...

Rep. Lankford on Fiscal Cliff Deal

Details

  • Description

    Rep. James Lankford, (R-Okla.), on the fiscal cliff deal and the debt ceiling.

  • Duration 7:11
  • Date

Clips

Also in this playlist...

Latest Video

Auto-advance: ON

Auto-advance
View All

Transcript

This transcript is automatically generated

London while our first guest voted to -- -- -- to be speaker again but voted against the fiscal report resolution.

He says conservatives missed an opportunity to force.

Some much needed spending restraint joining us now is congressman James Lankford.

Member of both the house oversight and budget committee's chairman of the house Republican policy committee with a 113.

Congress congressman good to have you with us.

I thank you it is -- -- at the beginning of this evening's broadcast.

I mean this is quite a twist and turn for the speaker.

He -- just about two thirds of its caucus on.

-- on the fiscal cliff resolution.

And retains the majority.

To be speaker what in the world is going on down.

The bill they came over on the physical -- obviously was not the Republican bill was not the bill.

They came at a house rivers and what we pass a vast -- was done in May of this year and we have waited and waited and waited.

The decision to respond of that and they finally did respond actually about two and a half hours after the deadline was -- over.

So the struggle within the conference was no one like this response -- -- from the senate side but.

Obviously -- get past and then we put that behind us but we we don't blame speaker Boehner for that bill that's not his bill that's not his -- And that's not what you -- do on it he wants you back to regular order we should give back to actually putting things through committee in trying to resolve whatever one's able to get a voice into it.

Is that what is that what the speaker meant -- -- he when he said.

That he's through bargaining negotiating one on one with President Obama.

That he said two times that he's tried to bargain would President Obama where.

The president -- didn't say let's do this like Reagan and Tip O'Neill did back years ago.

It -- -- Tip O'Neill both broad good faith efforts into it we don't like the -- bring good faith and do we think it's politics.

And -- stall things out for seven weeks this negotiation so -- really be crammed in the end.

The speaker went into it saying good faith.

Good faith didn't happen on -- he -- we're done with that everything's gonna work -- committees -- -- order at this point that's the best way for the house to work.

It is there was also the request of many members have of the house before all of this transpired.

I mean let's be honest the Republicans a speaker Boehner got their tails kicked by the president.

And the result is four trillion dollars will be added to the national debt as a result of the legislation was approved.

You're gonna you guys may have -- -- bill over the what came back was four trillion dollars more on the taxpayers back.

At this nonsense is got to stop at some point.

We're going to see the debt ceiling now present itself are we gonna see another ugly repetition of what was and -- -- double -- poll.

In 2011.

Which cost investors you could put the market cap number on if you want but somewhere around a trillion dollars.

We don't need any more of that do it.

Right no we don't -- more than evident the end of the day there -- going to be more fights in this.

This is where we are as a nation now when you're sixteen and a half trillion dollars in debt you're overspending each year more than a trillion dollars we're going to have fights like this.

And having get -- result -- best compared.

To a marriage that the husband and wife go deep into debt creditors start calling they start fighting as a couple and we see millions of couples around the around America break up.

Because.

There in too much debt because they fight about it that's where we are as a country right now and quite frankly the house in the senate.

Look a lot like America right now in the fighting that we have all of the country about we understand we have too much debt we understand -- overspending.

But the battle is where do you cut back.

And we have to resolve that.

So I think there's no one single vote that's gonna -- expense and there's no one single vote but if there's any more of the year responsible nonsense over -- debt ceiling.

Independents as well as Democrats and and I and I think many conservatives are going to be disenchanted with the Republican Party right.

I think you've got to be candid here -- say.

That the Republican Party right now is clean.

-- political relevance right now and you are at -- you talk about a clip you're looking at a a deep deep chasm.

That a waste Republican Party if you guys continue.

To disregard the result of elections and think that in governance you can play politics are at the level that we for example of 2000 -- -- -- -- That's a very dangerous course for the nation it's a dangerous course with the Republican Party is -- And it.

He hears the Johns in many ways the rhetoric was overplayed but the reality was not in 2010 when there was -- groundswell election.

That's what dot Democrats control the house the mandate was making it stop.

They'd just seen Dodd-Frank coming aboard they'd just seen obamacare -- just in all the regulations accelerate many Republicans were sitting in the house represented one -- stop it.

But there wasn't a -- say and do -- he was only make it stop.

So the challenge for Republicans were we spent eighteen months saying stop it and not enough time saying and this is the right solution.

We have to get back to -- clear optimistic vision that is always -- the Republican Party.

To say we believe in famous having control states and local municipalities having control people not interfering and we with the government.

You know you're gonna say we believe congressman all due respect you could say that all day the your entire caucus say that all day.

It has no political effect it has no practical effect.

It is an abstraction that's irrelevant to most working men and women in this country who are as you well know hard pressed 43 million remain out of work.

This economy's not growing at the rate that we -- to and must have -- -- The reality is that the Republican Party right now if we -- to leave some reports is ready to roll over on gun control.

The Republican Party has just played a part.

In -- four trillion dollars to the national debt the Republican Party is made the decision and wish to raise taxes.

There seems to be no principled.

That is left.

That the Republican Party won't find itself both flexible and accommodative.

Two other forces and powers and particularly the -- Right here here's the challenge that lose that there's this perception that we stood our ground for two years.

And because we stood our ground we were punished and now if we providing flexibility we're going to be punished for that means that the question is we have to live our principles.

When we live our principles.

We're able to actually go to sleep at night and say okay we did the right thing -- represented people that elected -- -- we have to do that with the -- -- we have to take on the issues that Americans really care about in the ways they really care about them.

We're not gonna bring a 100% of people on board minutes that's that's not possible but we do have to live out what we say we believe -- actually do debt.

And that becomes a -- force -- there is no monolithic as you know well there's no monolithic Republican Party to say everyone thinks the same thing.

From central Oklahoma where -- represent -- to New York State Republicans do things differently.

But the core principles that -- surround -- with with -- low taxes with consistency.

-- business friendly environment.

With family focus and local -- that's our core until we get back to that you're right we're gonna wonder.

Right.

Congressman great to have you with us -- from -- from we have appreciated we will issue up all the very best in this new year and new congress.

Thank you we've got to get some things done -- -- ended up.

Congressman James -- much more.

Load More