>> i'm jane pauley. we wish you a pleasant holiday, and please join us when our trumpet sounds again next sunday morning. i'm margaret brennan in washington and this week on "face the nation," memorial day marks the unofficial start to summer. we'll kick it off with a hat tip to the nation's military. president trump rallied west point graduates on saturday. >> the military's job is to dominate any faux and annihilate any threat to america, anywhere,

anytime, and any place. >> hip, hip -- >> hooray. >> but as these new members of the world's most powerful military go forward, are we doing enough to support them? we'll talk with some veterans serving in congress about the value of public service and we'll honor those who protected us. on capitol hill, the president's big beautiful bill squeaks through the house. what kind of impact will some of those taxes and provisions have on americans? and can they survive the senate? we'll ask house speaker mike johnson. and talk with the top democrat on the house intelligence committee, jim himes. some humanitarian aid is returning to gaza after a months long israeli blockade. will it be in time and enough to help those in desperate need of food? plus, a new plan for american assistance in the region, we'll talk to cindy mccain, head of the u.n.'s world food programme. all that and more is just ahead

on "face the nation." ♪ ♪ good morning and welcome to "face the nation." we have a lot to get to in honor of our military today, but we begin with the passage of what president trump is calling his big, beautiful bill and the man who got it through the house, speaker mike johnson, who joins us from benton, louisiana. good morning to you, mr. speaker. >> hey, good morning. and wish a blessed memorial day weekend to everybody. >> indeed. well, you got this massive tax and border bill through, just barely, one vote margin. you pulled an all nighter. among other things, it will eliminate taxes on tips, overtime, put about $50 billion towards the border wall and hiring border patrol agents.

keep in place existing individual tax rates, create savings accounts for kids with a one-time dependent of $1,000, increase the child tax credit by 500 bucks. but the bill is estimated between 4 and $5 trillion over the next decade. how much do you think this is all going to cost? >> well, that's about the right estimate. but at the same time, we have historic savings for the american people, cuts to government, to make it more efficient and effective and work better for the people. that was a big campaign promise of president trump and big promise of ours and we're going to achieve that. in the calculation here, there is more than $1.5 trillion in savings, margaret, for the people. that's the largest amount of the biggest cut in government really in at least 30 years. and if you adjust for inflation, probably the largest in the history of government. so, we're proud of what we produced here. we checked all the boxes. we're all the things you mentioned in existence -- in

addition to american energy dominance, investing in our military industrial base, which is appropriate for us to talk about this weekend and so many other priorities. tat's why we call it the one, big, beautiful bill. arguably the most consequential legislation that congress will pass in many generations. and it is a long time coming. >> well, just this morning we did hear from some of your republican colleagues over in the senate, where this heads next, that they can't support the bill as it is written. i think you know this. senator rand paul said the cuts are wimpy and anemic, the math doesn't add up it will explode the debt. in addition to that political criticism, you've seen moody's credit rating agency downgrade american credit and goldman sachs says that this bill will not offset the damage from the president's tariffs. isn't this an economic gamble? >> no, it is not an economic ga gamble. it is a big investment. look, this -- what this bill is going to do is be jet fuel to

the american economy, it is going to foster a progrowth economy. we're reducing taxes, we're reducing regulations, we're going to increase and incentivize american manufacturing again, and the effect this will have in the economy is that entrepreneurs and risk takers and job creators will have an easier time in doing that. they will allow for more jobs and more opportunity for more people and wages will increase. and, margaret, this is not a theoretical exercise, we did this already in the first trump administration after just the first two years, we brought about the greatest economy in the history of the world, not just the u.s., because we followed a very simple formula. we cut taxes and cut regulations. >> you didn't do it in the middle of a tariff war. in the first administration, there was sequencing, you got tax reform, the republicans got tax reform through and held off the tariff war, goldman sarchs said the hit to growth to tariffs will more than offset the growth. that's goldman sachs. >> i respect goldman sachs, but i think what they're discounting here is the growth that will be

spurred on by this legislation and the fact that the so-called tariff war is beginning to subside already. you got over 75 countries that are negotiating new, more fair trade agreements for the u.s. right now because of the p president's i 's insistence tha done. they howled when the first tariffs policy was announced and said that prices would skyrocket. that simply hasn't happened. many early estimates were far off. and that's being proven now. what i think will happen is the tariffs, you know, contest will subside, this legislation will pass and get the economy going again and people will feel that, they'll see it in their own pocketbooks and own opportunity and every american household will benefit by the policies. >> you know walmar has already said that it will have to raise prices. it is not theoretical. and the president on friday was talking about even more tariffs, this time on apple and others.

but back to your end of the deal here, for this tax relief, you talked about the cuts to pay for it all. you are eliminating subsidized federal student loans so the government no longer can cover the interest on debt while borrowers are in school, you're eliminating $500 billion in clean energy subsidies and terminating early tax breaks for electric vehicles, alongside that, you're carrying out about a trillion in reductions to medicaid and food stamps. we looked at your home state and the projection is that nearly 200,000 louisianans will lose their medicate coverage because of this. how do you defend that to your constituents? >> we have not cut medicaid and we have not cut snap. what we're doing is working on fraud, waste and abuse, and everyone in louisiana and around the country understand that's a responsibility of congress. just in medicaid, for example, you got 1.4 million illegal aliens receiving those benefits.

that is not what medicaid is intended for. it is intended for vulnerable populations, for young, single pregnant women and the elderly and the disabled and people who desperately need the resources. right now they're being trained by fraud, waste and abuse. you are 4.8 people on medicaid who are able-bodied workers, young men, not working, who are taking advantage of the system. if you're able to work and refuse to do so, you are defrauding the system, cheating the system. and no one in the country believes that that's right. so there is a moral component to what we're doing and when you make young men work, it is good for them, it is good for their dignity, good for their self-worth and good for the community that they live in. >> sure, but in -- first of all, undocumented immigrants, you know, are not eligible for food stamps or medicaid. some lawfully present -- >> yet they're receiving it, that's the problem. >> the 190,000 louisianans that

are projected by kff as losing their medicaid, your position is they were just lazy, not working, that they were undocumented? what about them? how do you defend that they will be losing their benefits? >> no, what we're talking about, again, is able-bodied workers, many of whom are refusing to work because they're gaming the system. when they make them work, it will be better for everybody, a win, win, win for all. the work requirements is not some onerous burdensome thing, you could be in a program or volunteering in your community. this is common sense. when the american people understand what we're doing here, they applaud it. this is a wildly popular thing. but because we have to preserve the programs, what we're doing is strengthening medicaid and snap, so they can exist, so they'll be there for the people that desperately need it the most and it is not being taken

advantage of. this is something that everybody in congress, republicans and democrats, should agree to. >> well, one of your republican colleagues over in the senate has been very vocal about his concern in regard to what you're doing to medicaid. josh hawley has been arguing it is morally wrong and politically suicidal to slash health insurance for the working poor. he said the cost sharing language will force people at or just over the federal poverty level to pay as much as $35 per medical visit, which means working people will pay more. how do you defend that? because you know in the senate, they are going to make changes to this. >> my friend josh hawley is a fiscal conservative as i am. and we don't want to slash benefits and, again, i make this very clear, we're not cutting medicaid, we're not cutting snap, we're working in the elements of fraud, waste and abuse. snap, for example, listen to the statistics, in 2024, over $11 billion in snap payments were

erroneous. that's a number that everyone acknowledges is real. it may be much -- >> louisiana is the second largest recipient of food stamps in the country, sir. >> let me explain it, margaret. the states, the states are not properly administering this, because they don't have enough skin in the game. what we have done in the bill is add some -- a modest state sharing component so that they'll pay attention to that, so we can reduce fraud. why? so it is preserved for the people that need it the most. this is common sense, margaret. it is good government. everybody on both sides of the aisle should agree to that. >> senator hawley objects to the cost sharing language. he is the one leveraging that criticism. this is going to change. you know that when it goes to the senate. how do you -- how do you put republicans up who have to defend these things when they're facing an election in 17 months? >> we got almost every vote in the house because we worked on

it for more than a year and finding the exact balance of reforms to the programs so that we can save them and secure them. i think senator hawley will see that when he works into the details of what we passed on thursday. this is a big thing, historic thing. once in a generation legislation, we call it the one big beautiful bill because it is going to do so much in the america first agenda delivered to the people as we promised. i had lunch with my senate republican colleagues on tuesday, their weekly luncheon and i encouraged them to remember we are one team, the senate and house republicans together that will deliver this ball over the goal line and i encouraged them to make as few modifications as possible, remembering that i have a very delicate balance on our -- i have diverse republican caucus in the house. >> you have five to six republicans from high tax states who are not going to want to see that change in the state and local tax deductions. and there is not a commitment to that in the senate. can you still get this through the house without s.a.l.t.?

>> look, we -- there has to be a modification to s.a.l.t. and as i explained to my senate colleagues many times, they don't have s.a.l.t. caucus in the senate because they're all from red states, but in the house, we do have a number of members who are elected in places like new york and california, new jersey, and they have to provide some relief to their constituents. those are what we call our majoritymakers, the people who are elected in the toughest districts and help us have the numbers to keep the majority in the house and so this is political reality. we would love to cut more costs. we would love to do even more. but we have to deal within the realm of possibility. this is a huge leap forward for fiscal responsibility, for a government that is effective and accountable to people and real relief for hard working americans and they well deserve it. >> before i let you go, i want to ask you about another provision tucked into this bill. democrats say it is weakening separation of powers and punishing the courts. it is a specific provision that would restrict a federal court's power to enforce injunctions

with contempt, unless there is a bond attached to it. sounds really weedy, but it is causing a lot of outcry. if this might get stripped out in the senate anyway, but why did you bother to stick it in? >> well, we bothered to stick it in, that's our responsibility in congress. it is about separation of powers and right now you have activist judges, a handful of them around the country, who are abusing that power. they're issuing nationwide injunctions, they're ingauging in political acts from the bench. that's not what our system is intended for and people lost their faith in our system of justice. we have to restore it. and bring it about a simple reform like that is something that i think everybody should applaud. >> speaker of the house, mike johnson, thank you for your time this morning. >> "face the nation" will be back in a minute. stay with us. will be back in a minute. stay with us.

♪ ♪ ♪ so one, two three ♪ ♪ take my hand and come with me ♪ ♪ because you look so fine ♪ ♪ and i really wanna make you mine ♪ ♪ ah yeah ♪ ♪ uh, be my girl ♪ ♪ are you gonna be my girl ♪ we're joined now by congressman jim himes, the top democrat on the intelligence committee and he joins us today from greenwich, connecticut. good morning to you.

>> good morning, margaret. thanks for having me. >> you just heard the speaker, i know you did not vote for this bill, but, you know, connecticut has one of the highest state and local tax burdens in the country. do you at least like that one little portion of this bill? >> that one little portion is going to be good for my constituents. but, margaret, i got to tell you, it was like listening to 1984, listening to the speaker. anybody can look this up. the american people want basically three things out of their federal budget. number one, at this point in time, when americans -- the wealthiest americans are doing better than ever before, americans want the wealthiest of the americans to pay more taxes. and to give tax relief to the middle class and below. number two, they want us to address the deficit, now spiraling out of control to the point where we got a downgrade in one of the u.s. credit ratings.

and third, a simpler tax code. this bill fails spectacularly on all three accounts. they're cutting medicaid and nutritional assistance, food stamps to tens of millions of americans to preserve tax breaks, adding $3 trillion to the deficit with this bill and lastly gumming up the tax code with you don't have to pay taxes on tips, what about the folks who don't own tips and what americans care about, what they want the congress to do this bill fails spectacularly. that will show up in the polling as americans come to realize what the house of representatives just did. >> i want to ask you about your other role on the house intelligence committee. when it comes to what the president has vowed to do to russia, he floated this idea two weeks ago of possible sanctions if russia doesn't stop its war in ukraine. but then he spoke to vladimir putin on monday and we heard nothing about sanctions.

we did hear from the head of the defense intelligence agency that this war is trending in favor of russia. what changes need to be made if anything to how the u.s. provides support? >> well, margaret, look, we're in the fork in the road with respect to the russia and ukraine war. and, you know, donald trump and his acolytes in the congress will go along with one of the two choices. either we will continue the trajectory that started when the president and the vice president humiliated president zelenskyy and the oval office, and paused aid. and vladimir putin will learn from that experience that he can count on the u.s. to support his murderous incursions into neighboring countries, or we can take another path, which i hope the president will take, which is to say what we need to do right now is generate maximum leverage against vladimir putin. i see the president getting a little frustrated by him, but

that maximum leverage comes because we really upticked the sanctions. we stopped the export of oil. we pressure india to stop buying russian oil and we keep arming the ukrainians, again, for this guy who considers himself the master of the deal, maximize the leverage of the west so that we can bring this war not just to a conclusion, but to a fair and just conclusion that will keep the russians from invading countries in the future. >> in your role on the intelligence committee, you get to see things the public does not. with that in mind, the president has designated this venezuelan gang, tren de aragua, tda, as a foreign terrorist organization. he says they're invading the country, he's using the alien enemies act to deport alleged members without a day in court. part of the legal justification of all of this rests on the claim that the venezuelan government is controlling what tda is doing. the national intelligence

council assessed the maduro government does not control the gang. but, on this program last sunday, the secretary of state rejected that, he says he favors the fbi's finding, which is that some members of the venezuelan government do influence the gang. why does all of this matter? >> well, it matters, margaret, because i'll remind you that in the george w. bush administration, exactly what is happening now happened. it was a different topic. right now, despite the conclusions of the intelligence community, the president, the director of national intelligence and the secretary of state are saying that venezuela directs tren de aragua. now, they're saying that because they need this no due process mechanism of deporting people. the alien es enemy act which th courts are laughing at. the reason it matters, margaret,

is because the last time the white house did this, when they were determined that the intelligence community be forced to find weapons of mass destruction in iraq, which turned out not to be, 4,400 american servicemen perished in a war that was fought on false pretenses. not to mention the many hundreds of thousands of iraqis who perished in that war, which was a catastrophic strategic mistake, driven by the politization that the notion that george w. bush had that there were weapons of mass destruction in iraq. that's why intelligence matters. there is 4,400 families in this country who lost people because the white house decided they would override the conclusion of their $90 billion a year intelligence community. that's what marco rubio is doing. that's what the president is doing. that's what the director gabbert are doing when they contradict what their own organization is telling them. >> so on that point, this is also becoming an issue for joe kent, who is the president's

nominee to run the national counterterrorism center. he's under scrutiny because emails show that while acting as chief of staff to dni gabbert, he pressed analysts. according to redacted emails that my network obtained, he wrote, we need to do some rewriting, a little more analysis, so this document is not used against the dni or potus, president of the united states. he says we need to incorporate the fbi's assessment. you have now read these declassified emails as well. do you believe that joe kent was just asking for more context? >> no, he absolutely was not. and i have seen the redacted emails. he was pressuring the national intelligence council to alter their conclusions. and, look, he gave away the game. you just read the line. he told us why he did that, so that this report would not be

used against the president or the director of national intelligence. think about that. the chief of staff of the office of the director of national intelligence wasn't saying we need the very best intelligence here, we need you to go back and make sure you're 100% true. he's saying we need to make sure your product is not used to embarrass the president and the director of national intelligence. that is the very definition, the very definition of politicizing intelligence. this is not about embarrassing or not embarrassing anybody. again, back to those 4,400 dead americans. so, no, joe kent must never be confirmed for any senate -- look, it is all ought t there f the senate to see. he must never be confirmed for any senate confirmed position because of what he did. >> and those emails are available for the public to read as well. congressman halfimes, thank your your time today. we'll be right back with a lot more "face the nation." ...and i want to s my time, my way.end

i chose kesimpta because it works for me and my busy life. kesimpta is a b-cell treatment that gives you the power of proven results... for reduced relapses... ...and slowed disability progression. when ready, i take it at home in one minute a month. don't take if you've had an allergic or life-threatening reaction to kesimpta or have hepatitis b. your doctor should test for hepatitis b before treatment. if you've had it, it could return. serious side effects, including fatal infections can happen, especially taken before or after other medicines that weaken the immune system. pml, a rare brain infection that may be fatal or cause severe disability can occur. tell your doctor if you had or plan to have vaccines, or you are or plan to become pregnant. it's not known if kesimpta will harm your unborn baby. certain antibodies may decrease and should be monitored. most common side effects are upper respiratory infection, headache, and injection reactions, including swelling, itching, pain, skin redness, fever, headache, muscle pain, chills, and tiredness. ask your doctor about starting with kesimpta for rms. wounded warrior project empowers post-9/11 veterans and their families

with life-changing programs and services. i realized i could be successful in a civilian career. we stand by warriors and advocate for their needs going forward. they were by my side in the hospital, and they're still with me today. through our programs, community and advocacy, we're proving anything is possible. learn more at wounded warriorproject.org/connect when you really need to sleep. you reach for the really good stuff. learn more at wounded zzzquil ultra helps you sleep better and longer when you need it most. its non-habit forming and powered by the makers of nyquil. for more than a decade, farxiga has been trusted again and again, and again. (crowd chanting) far-xi-ga, far-xi-ga (crowd cont.) far-xi-ga, far-xi-ga ask your doctor about farxiga. (organ chimes mnemonic)

in our next half hour, we're talking to not one, but two members of the mccain family. cindy mccain and her son jack. stay with us. (fisher investments) i understand. that's why at fisher investments, we keep a disciplined approach with your portfolio, helping you through the market's ups and downs. (husband) what about communication? (fisher investments) we check in regularly to keep you informed. (wife) which means you'll help us stay on track? (fisher investments) yes. as a fiduciary, we always put your interests first. because we do better when you do better. at fisher investments, we're clearly different.

i'm jordan and these are my breasts. we've been through some big changes. divorce, a new grandson, and as my next chapter began... metastatic breast cancer. then i learned about kisqali - a pill that stops cancer from growing and can help me live longer. since then, i drove cross-country, finished a degree, and finally saw my favorite band. kisqali with an aromatase inhibitor is for adults with hr+, her2- metastatic breast cancer. kisqali may cause serious skin reactions, liver problems, and low white blood cell counts, that may result in serious infections. life-threatening lung problems and abnormal heartbeats can occur. your doctor should test your heart and blood before and during treatment. tell your doctor if you have new or worsening cough, chest pain, or dizziness. before taking kisqali, tell your doctor all your medical conditions, medicines you take, and if you're breastfeeding, pregnant, or planning to be... as it can harm an unborn baby. common side effects include nausea,

headache, and tiredness. i'm more than just breast cancer, and i have a lot more to go. one congressional intradintradition is the cleaning of the vietnam wall. we ran into mike waltz on thursday when we visited. he's no longer in congress, but he explained why he started encouraging his fellow veterans in the house to pitch in. stay with us.

>> once a year the wcra throws one heck of a party on the southern coast of texas. it's rodeo's version of surf and turf. what is not to love? ♪ >> you're going to see people take some chances. tear going to be going for it. this is the kind of horse a guy wants to get