On this 'Face the Nation' broadcast, Sen. Bernie Sanders and Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo join Robert Costa.
And this week on Face the Nation: The fall campaign season heats up. Politics enters a disaster zone. President Biden spent part of his Labor Day weekend touring damage left behind by Hurricane Idalia in Florida, notably absent, potential rival and the current Republican governor of Florida, Ron DeSantis.ROBERT COSTA: With four months to go until the first primary contest, we will take a closer look at the state of the presidential race.
Then: As President Biden gets ready to travel to Asia for a meeting with world leaders this week, we will hear from Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo, who just got back from her trip to Beijing. What did she accomplish amid growing tensions between the U.S. and China?Good morning, and welcome to Face the Nation. Margaret is off today.
Ambassador, you said this in recent days. The Senate is -- quote --"the most privileged nursing home in the country" and McConnell needs to -- quote --"know when to leave."NIKKI HALEY: Bob, I am completely for term limits. I'm completely for mental competency tests for anyone over the age of 75. And I'm not saying that to be disrespectful.
ROBERT COSTA: So, just to be clear, when Republican senators come back to Washington, should they have a leadership shakeup on the table? And should they talk about potentially having somebody else come in as the leader in the Senate? We have too many issues on the table that need to be dealt with. We can't continue to have these people who think they know better than the American people. The American people are saying it is time to go. If they would approve term limits, the American people would show that.
NIKKI HALEY: I think there should be mental competency tests. And I don't care if they're for everybody 50 and older. I don't care if they're for the entire Congress. So, as we go into this, I have said that Biden has spent already $5 trillion in his term, but Republicans have spent too. We've watched them open up earmarks for the first time in 10 years. We've watched the 2024 appropriations bill has $7.4 billion in earmarks. Democrats have $2.8 billion in earmarks.
What I'm saying is, Congress needs to do their job. Balance a budget. I have said I will veto any spending bill that doesn't take us back to pre- COVID levels. The only group that talks about closing down the government or playing these games are members of Congress. When you were on that debate stage in Milwaukee, which has earned you some good reviews inside of the party, inside of the Republican party, you raised your hand and said you would still support him if he was convicted of a crime and the nominee next year.
It -- first of all, he's innocent until proven guilty. But you are implying that the American people are not smart. The American people are not going to vote for a convicted criminal. The American people are going to vote for someone who can win a general election. I have faith in the American people.
That's what we're talking about. It's not about a person. It's about a country. And it's not just about Republicans. It's about independents.NIKKI HALEY: It's about conservative Democrats that know that we're going in the wrong direction. We finally took on the pharmaceutical industry, and we're beginning to make some progress in lowering the cost of prescription drugs. A lot more has to be done. After years of talk, we finally invested in rebuilding our crumbling infrastructure, roads, bridges, water systems. Manufacturing is coming back in America.
The Biden administration has made some progress. We have got a long way to go. And what the Democratic Party has got to do is have the guts to take on corporate greed, which is unprecedented, all over the economy.SENATOR BERNIE SANDERS: The people who own the large corporations are enjoying record-breaking profits. We got to create an economy that works for all, not just a few.
ROBERT COSTA: But is the administration doing enough? I listened closely to your speech in New Hampshire. The administration's recently taken action on marijuana, for example. You support President Biden 100 percent. You've made that clear. But for any reason, if President Biden decides not to seek the Democratic nomination, is a run by Senator Sanders for the nomination on the table next year?I think President Biden is going to be the nominee of the Democratic Party. And I think, if he runs on a strong, progressive agenda, he's not only going to win; he's going to win by a strong vote.
They may not share your view of how things have gone. And they're thinking about Cornel West, or they're thinking about Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. What's your message to them as they drift toward those others? And when we win big, we have to make it clear that we stand with the working class of this country against the kind of corporate greed that we now see.Progressives, voters are looking to you as well for action. You're investigating Amazon warehouses right now. Are you committed to issuing a subpoena for Jeff Bezos, the founder of Amazon, to come testify or not?Right now, what we're working on, Bob, is major reforms in primary health care.
ROBERT COSTA: Who specifically? Former Congressman Will Hurd didn't make the debate stage. Should he get out? What I'm -- I'm having conversations -- most of these folks are friends of mine. I'm talking with other leaders in the party that -- who share this concern, this issue that you're getting to. And I'm -- you know, my total focus at this point is trying to make sure we can get a challenger that's going to win this nomination that's not Donald Trump that can get us back to winning elections again and can win the race in November.
ROBERT COSTA: What about a late entry from Governor Brian Kemp of Georgia or Governor Glen Youngkin of Virginia? It may not be possible to get on the ballot in Iowa and South Carolina, in those early states.GOVERNOR LARRY HOGAN: Well, it seems like the opposite of what I have been saying. ROBERT COSTA: If you miss an episode of Face the Nation or want to see an extended interview, you can find it all on YouTube or on our Web site. Or, if you prefer to listen, you can subscribe to our podcast. Just search Face the Nation.ROBERT COSTA: Welcome back to FACE THE NATION.
ROBERT COSTA: To your -- the point you just made, does that mean a Republican, like yourself, in your mold perhaps, or even you, has to be at the top of the No Labels ticket, should there be a No Labels ticket? ROBERT COSTA: But it's very difficult to win the White House in a system that's the Electoral College.
Do you believe No Labels now, or at some point in the future, is going to have to offer Americans clarity about who's spending money on No Labels in order to win the public's trust if they want to move forward? But let's -- let's be real. If Trump is going to end up -- looks like the nominee come January or February of next year, are you, Larry Hogan, open to being atop a No Labels ticket as a Republican-type candidate with No Labels?ROBERT COSTA: I know it's not - we know you're not pursuing it, but is it - is it at least open door?
ASHLEY ETIENNE: No, I watched the senator's interview. I mean he -- he opened up by giving the president a lot of credit for what he's done, negotiating to lower drug costs, record economic growth, 13 million jobs created, manufacturing is roaring back. So, yes, I mean I agree with the senator. You know, we've made a lot of progress under this current president that supported working Americans, but there's still more to be done. There's no question about that.
TERRY SULLIVAN: Yes, you're right, I - I have experience losing to Donald Trump, so I -- I know what it's like. The - and, you know what, at the moment, this is what we're watching all of these candidates do. Unfortunately, they've got to engage Trump. Hope is not a strategy. And last time there was a lot -- in 2016 there was a lot of hope that you could be the last one when, you know, there's no way Trump can get over 50, and there's all these different things.
ROBERT COSTA: But how do they see it this time around, the Democrats, as they - as they come for Biden? TERRY SULLIVAN: Yes, look, I think he's - the speaker is sober enough to realize this is not a great long-term political play, but he's got to appease the base within his caucus and that's - that's an issue here.
So, for me, age is nothing but a number. And it's very personal. What you're seeing with McConnell is a serious issue. And I -- I do believe his staff is really doing him a disservice. They need to figure out what's going on him . It's serious in a way that we've -- it's not as serious with Biden nor with Pelosi and others.
What are you paying attention to? Because they're often a good read on what's going to happen the next year? TERRY SULLIVAN: Yes, who the heck knows. I mean, let's be honest, nothing that - that -- about Donald Trump's campaigns have ever been - been conventional or easy to predict. So, I do think that we're in unknown territory here.
GINA RAIMONDO : I think the reality is that inflation still exists and it - it is, you know, something that people see on a daily basis when they go to the grocery store or pay their rent or pay their mortgage. And we have to know that. You know, that's still a challenge for folks. When you talk to business leaders right now, are they worried about this deadline and what a shutdown could mean for the U.S. economy?
ROBERT COSTA: You said on the trip that, quote, increasingly I hear from American business that China is uninvestable because it becomes too risky. So, what exactly did you get in terms of those assurances from the Chinese that would really give confidence to American business leaders? GINA RAIMONDO: Trust is probably not the word I would use. We need to see action. And until we see action, there can be no trust.
GINA RAIMONDO: I think there's no question that it is slowing down, and certainly they're having real, real significant challenges in the real estate sector, which they readily acknowledged when I was there. But again, the -- to my mind the facts are quite clear in this regard. When China was more market oriented, open, you know, a little bit more transparent, their economy did very well.
United States Latest News, United States Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
Transcript: Sen. Bernie Sanders on 'Face the Nation,' September 3, 2023The following is a transcript of an interview with Sen. Bernie Sanders, Independent of Vermont, that aired on 'Face the Nation' on September 3, 2023.
Read more »
Transcript: Former Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan on 'Face the Nation,' September 3, 2023The following is a transcript of an interview with former Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan, a Republican, that aired on 'Face the Nation' on September 3, 2023.
Read more »
Transcript: Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo on 'Face the Nation,' September 3, 2023The following is a transcript of an interview with Secretary of Commerce Gina Raimondo that aired on 'Face the Nation' on September 3, 2023.
Read more »
Transcript: Nikki Haley on 'Face the Nation,' September 3, 2023The following is a transcript of an interview with former ambassador to the United Nations Nikki Haley, a 2024 GOP presidential candidate, that aired on 'Face the Nation' on September 3, 2023.
Read more »
Face The Nation: Hogan, Etienne/Sullivan, RaimondoMissed the second half of the show?The latest on...Former Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan tells 'Face the Nation' that he has 'not closed the door' to seeking the GOP presidential nomination in 2024 on a No Labels ticket, Democratic strategist and CBS News contributor Ashley Etienne and Republican strategist Terry Sullivan join 'Face the Nation' to discuss what to expect in the political world this fall, and Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo tells 'Face the Nation' that American business leaders are 'very worried' about a partial government shutdown.
Read more »