Untitled Document

[00:00:06] socially distance hard to tell these [00:00:17] days so thank you I'm here with Senator [00:00:20] Danes and cotton to talk about issue I [00:00:24] think most Americans not paying much [00:00:25] attention to but should right so what [00:00:28] what is this all about the house just [00:00:30] passed legislation to make the District [00:00:33] of Columbia a new state I can promise [00:00:36] you in the founding of this nation [00:00:37] nobody envisioned that would happen in [00:00:40] the Constitution and the residence Act [00:00:42] of 1790 they designated the District [00:00:46] Columbia to be the seat of federal [00:00:48] authority neutral in nature where no [00:00:50] state would have undue influence on the [00:00:52] operation of the federal government and [00:00:54] to the argument that people in DC are [00:00:57] disenfranchised it would be very easily [00:01:00] for Maryland to give them the ability to [00:01:03] participate in national politics they [00:01:05] want to be part of Maryland I think in [00:01:07] the 1830s and 1840s part of DC was ceded [00:01:11] back to burr Virginia under that concept [00:01:14] so this is not about voting this is [00:01:17] about altering the makeup of the house [00:01:19] and the Senate this is a continuation of [00:01:22] efforts by the Democrats to alter the [00:01:25] way America operates from packing the [00:01:28] court to doing away with the legislative [00:01:32] filibuster I can go on and on and on [00:01:35] about the desire to reshape the [00:01:38] political balance in this country I can [00:01:41] promise you this from the South Carolina [00:01:43] point of view this is not a good deal [00:01:45] for us being two of 50 is better than [00:01:49] being two of 52 this would dilute South [00:01:52] Carolina's say in the United States [00:01:55] Senate and it would empower the most [00:01:57] radical agenda and modern American [00:01:59] politics this is not about enfranchising [00:02:03] people this is about expanding the [00:02:06] Senate map to accommodate the most [00:02:09] radical agenda that I've ever seen since [00:02:13] I've been up here getting more radical [00:02:15] by the day so I hope [00:02:18] that Senator McConnell would allow a [00:02:20] vote on this all of us need to be on the [00:02:23] record I think it's patently [00:02:25] unconstitutional to change the nature of [00:02:28] District of Columbia to a new state I [00:02:30] think it is a bad deal for the country [00:02:33] and it's driven by power turn it over [00:02:37] senator deigns here but Cavanaugh was [00:02:39] about power they tried to ruin a good [00:02:42] man's life to keep the seat open past [00:02:45] the 2020 election and I'm here voting [00:02:49] for Sotomayor and Kagan and I can't [00:02:51] believe what I'm witnessing I thought [00:02:53] Brett Kavanaugh was as qualified as [00:02:55] Sotomayor and Kagan the point is that [00:02:59] you see a effort by the most radical [00:03:01] elements of the Democratic Party to [00:03:03] reshape the country reshape the Senate [00:03:07] reshape the house destroy policing as we [00:03:10] know it this is the fight worth having I [00:03:13] want every senator to be on record and [00:03:16] again I'll in where I started from a [00:03:19] South Carolina point of view this is a [00:03:21] very bad deal did dilutes our influence [00:03:23] in the Senate it empowers an agenda that [00:03:26] I think over time will destroy this [00:03:28] country [00:03:28] senator Dane's thank senator Graham they [00:03:34] can sum this up in three points this is [00:03:37] all about number one a total power grab [00:03:40] this is about the Democrats radical [00:03:43] progressives trying to change the very [00:03:46] makeup of Congress and specifically the [00:03:49] United States Senate second this is a [00:03:53] another demonstration of Nancy Pelosi [00:03:56] and Washington DC at its worst the last [00:04:01] thing the last thing we should be doing [00:04:03] is giving Washington DC more power you [00:04:09] get outside the Beltway and the [00:04:10] craziness here of Washington DC the [00:04:13] American people agree with us in 2019 [00:04:16] Gallup poll this 64% of the American [00:04:20] people did not want to see DC statehood [00:04:23] only 29% supported it sometimes I think [00:04:28] it's important for senators and [00:04:30] congressmen in fact [00:04:31] most of time to get out of this city go [00:04:34] out to where the real people are at [00:04:35] across our country and ask them what [00:04:37] they think they see this is a power grab [00:04:40] and they see this as Pelosi in DC at its [00:04:43] worst lastly it's unconstitutional [00:04:45] pretty important issue it's [00:04:47] unconstitutional the three senators [00:04:50] standing here on this podium today all [00:04:53] took a vow and oath to uphold the [00:04:56] Constitution this bill that the house [00:05:00] that the house has and passed is [00:05:02] unconstitutional [00:05:04] you cannot skirt the Constitution that's [00:05:07] a very important fundamental point and [00:05:10] it's why we oppose what's going on right [00:05:13] now in the US House and Senator cotton [00:05:16] has been one of the real leaders on on [00:05:18] defining this issue of center-cut [00:05:21] Washington DC is a city it's not a state [00:05:23] Washington DC was designed to be a city [00:05:26] by our founding fathers for a reason to [00:05:28] ensure that the seat of government was [00:05:30] safe and secure and could continue the [00:05:33] business of the American people this is [00:05:35] not an abstract or a hypothetical [00:05:36] concern in 1783 hundreds of soldiers [00:05:40] mutiny against the Congress in [00:05:42] Philadelphia where it then sat the [00:05:44] governor of Pennsylvania refused to send [00:05:46] out the militia the Congress had to flee [00:05:48] to New Jersey that was only 5 years [00:05:51] before James Madison explained why we [00:05:54] have a federal city a city that is under [00:05:57] federal authority whose institutions can [00:05:59] be protected by federal authority now [00:06:02] you may say that's an old outdated [00:06:04] old-fashioned concern we don't face [00:06:06] mutinies anymore I would remind everyone [00:06:08] that there was literally rioting in the [00:06:10] streets one block away from the White [00:06:13] House and the Department of the Treasury [00:06:15] and the Department of Commerce [00:06:17] just last month what did it take to stop [00:06:20] that rioting the DC National Guard which [00:06:23] is under the control of the Department [00:06:24] of Defense and federal law enforcement [00:06:26] agencies that's why we have a federal [00:06:30] city to ensure the safety the security [00:06:32] and the continuity of operations of our [00:06:34] federal institutions but look what the [00:06:37] House Democrats would do look at this [00:06:39] ridiculous map the new seat of [00:06:41] government would have 90 sides a 90 [00:06:44] sided gerrymandered seat [00:06:45] government which in many places would be [00:06:48] narrower than a city block can condone [00:06:54] any of our operations of the federal [00:06:55] government be secure here where were to [00:06:59] get its power where would it get its [00:07:01] water where would it get its [00:07:03] communications surrounded by a state [00:07:06] which is a city that would become a [00:07:09] state that right now is govern by a [00:07:11] mayor who obviously hates the president [00:07:15] these are the reasons why we have a [00:07:17] federal city these are the reasons why [00:07:18] it creates constitutional problems on [00:07:20] the original constitution of senator [00:07:22] gainsaid but there's another [00:07:23] constitutional problem there's the 23rd [00:07:25] amendment which grant three electoral [00:07:27] votes to the seat of government not to [00:07:29] Washington DC but to the seat of [00:07:31] government now the House Democrats know [00:07:33] that that's a problem their bill says [00:07:35] that they'll provide for expedited [00:07:37] repeal of the 23rd amendment if it [00:07:39] passes [00:07:39] we've only amended our Constitution on [00:07:41] 18 occasions though so it's not like [00:07:43] that's a walk in the park and in the [00:07:44] meantime look at that map there is one [00:07:47] place one place on that map where [00:07:51] American citizens reside up there at the [00:07:54] top at the White House that means the [00:07:57] president and the first lady need only [00:07:58] changed their voter registration from [00:08:00] Florida to Washington DC and they would [00:08:02] then control their very own three [00:08:04] electoral votes I cannot imagine that [00:08:05] that's what Nancy Pelosi and the House [00:08:07] Democrats had in mind that is why this [00:08:10] proposal is plainly nothing but a [00:08:13] democratic power grab Washington DC [00:08:16] consistently has the highest share of [00:08:19] Democratic votes in our electoral [00:08:21] college the Democrats are angry that the [00:08:23] American people have not given them [00:08:25] total control of the government we're [00:08:26] going on a decade now so senator Graham [00:08:28] said they want to stack the rules of our [00:08:30] democracy they want to give the [00:08:33] Democratic Party two Democratic senators [00:08:36] in perpetuity how do we know that [00:08:38] because of Senator Graham said if this [00:08:40] was just about voting rights if there's [00:08:41] just about representation in the House [00:08:43] and the Senate you could use this map [00:08:46] you could make some practical [00:08:48] accommodations for the security and the [00:08:50] safety of our federal institutions and [00:08:51] retro seed the entire residential part [00:08:54] of Washington DC back to Maryland that's [00:08:56] exactly what we did in the 1840s with [00:08:58] Arlington and Alec [00:08:59] Andrea which were then part of the [00:09:00] district they would have representation [00:09:03] in the house in fact it would probably [00:09:03] be their own congressman because it's [00:09:06] about the size of a congressional [00:09:07] district these days they would be [00:09:09] represented by two Democratic senators [00:09:10] Ben Cardin and Chris Van Hollen but the [00:09:12] Democrats don't want another seat in the [00:09:16] house [00:09:16] they want two seats in perpetuity in the [00:09:19] United States Senate because they can't [00:09:21] win a majority here by the ordinary [00:09:23] rules of the road in every election and [00:09:25] they haven't won one for the last six [00:09:27] elections that's why we should have a [00:09:29] vote on this we should have a vote on [00:09:30] this piece of legislation we should know [00:09:32] where every senator wants to stand every [00:09:33] candidate for Senate should say where [00:09:36] they stand I can't imagine that John [00:09:38] tester or Steve bullet would want to [00:09:41] dilute Montana's vote and voice in the [00:09:44] United States Senate the one place in [00:09:46] our society where a small state like [00:09:47] Montana or small state like Arkansas or [00:09:49] a smaller state like South Carolina can [00:09:52] speak with a voice that is equal to [00:09:54] giant states like New York and Florida [00:09:56] Texas in California Jamie Harrison [00:10:00] should be on record - where does he [00:10:01] stand on DC statehood I can't imagine [00:10:03] that these senators from smaller states [00:10:06] for all the reasons I've laid out would [00:10:09] want to dilute the voice of their states [00:10:11] but we should have a vote here and [00:10:13] everybody running for Senate all around [00:10:14] the country should speak out as well [00:10:15] where they stand on this senator Gramm [00:10:17] turn over your stories questions well I [00:10:36] will admit that Republicans don't do [00:10:38] well with members of the media and with [00:10:40] bureaucrats and lobbyists I will admit [00:10:42] that we don't do well I would say I [00:10:47] would suggest that Washington DC is a [00:10:49] federal city it is the seat of the [00:10:51] federal government the main thing that [00:10:53] contributes to our national economy is [00:10:55] influence peddling regulations and no [00:10:58] offense tweeting by reporters [00:11:09] I'm saying that for all the reasons I [00:11:12] laid out Washington is a federal city [00:11:14] and should remain a federal city we have [00:11:18] an african-american senator 31% of my [00:11:22] state is african-american [00:11:24] Tim Scott won big in South Carolina so [00:11:28] don't buy this line of reasons [00:11:29] nothing to do with race it's all to do [00:11:33] about power yeah I think Tim Scott is [00:11:36] going to break through along with the [00:11:37] rest of us I hope to grow the vote but [00:11:41] this is not about growing the vote among [00:11:43] minorities the Republican challenge and [00:11:46] it is our challenge this is about [00:11:48] changing the Constitution in a way to [00:11:51] give Democrats more power to enact a [00:11:54] radical agenda that will not sell unless [00:11:57] they can somehow find ways to get new [00:12:00] people into the Senate because we're not [00:12:02] buying what they're selling and this [00:12:05] idea of transforming the District of [00:12:08] Columbia into a separate state is all [00:12:11] about political power so I personally [00:12:18] think the founders are right we should [00:12:20] have a federal city because we need to [00:12:22] have federal certainty over the [00:12:24] institutions of our federal government [00:12:26] we don't need a city under under the [00:12:29] control and wholly dependent on another [00:12:31] state whatever that state may be a new [00:12:33] state of Washington or the state of [00:12:35] Maryland which has a Republican governor [00:12:36] for its power for its water for its [00:12:39] communications for its National Guard [00:12:41] now I think it an obvious compromise [00:12:45] here to address some of the concerns [00:12:46] that Senator Graham's laid out is to [00:12:48] debate retrocession repeal the 23rd [00:12:50] amendment and then ret recede the [00:12:52] residential parts of Washington to [00:12:54] Maryland that would be an obvious [00:12:55] compromise the Democrats reject out of [00:12:57] hand why because they don't want [00:13:00] representation in Congress under those [00:13:03] terms they want two Democratic senators [00:13:22] [Music] [00:13:31] I think the whole idea of having a [00:13:36] District of Columbia to be the seat of [00:13:38] our federal government that is not [00:13:41] influenced by one single state makes [00:13:44] sense this Enclave here is 10 miles in [00:13:48] the country the people thought about [00:13:50] this who wrote the Constitution read [00:13:54] Federalist 47 they had an experience as [00:13:57] Tom indicated in New York and they said [00:14:00] how can we secure the federal [00:14:02] government's ability to operate without [00:14:05] dependency and this is what we came up [00:14:08] with so the Democratic Party is changing [00:14:12] this construct to get two more seats in [00:14:15] the Senate if you don't see that you [00:14:18] really are blind politically it's not [00:14:25] really about the quality of governance [00:14:26] of the DC city government that is [00:14:29] obviously evan flowed over the years [00:14:30] just like it has in cities in our states [00:14:32] or our own state governments as well [00:14:34] it's not about whether the DC city [00:14:36] government you know can meet its budget [00:14:38] can pick up trash filling potholes do [00:14:40] streetlights and all the other things [00:14:42] that city governments every has to do it [00:14:44] is about the unique federal nature of [00:14:46] our of this city it is about the safety [00:14:48] and security and the continuity of [00:14:50] operations of our federal institutions [00:14:52] that little rump of a seat of government [00:14:54] does not ensure that our federal [00:14:57] institutions can continue safely [00:14:59] securely and have continuous operations [00:15:12] the the federal government has to have [00:15:16] the ability to control all those vital [00:15:18] systems it it has contractual [00:15:20] obligations though which we don't know [00:15:22] what would happen under this under its [00:15:23] makeup it also has to have control of [00:15:25] things like the National Guard remember [00:15:27] is the National Guard that help stop the [00:15:28] riding last month that would no longer [00:15:30] be the case look at the map again look [00:15:33] at the borders of this they were all [00:15:35] within a street of places like the White [00:15:37] House the Capitol the Supreme Court [00:15:39] building other vital places no no I'm [00:16:09] I'm just saying that there's a way to [00:16:11] admit a state into the Union and that [00:16:16] may happen one day I'm saying that they [00:16:18] thought about this problem when they set [00:16:21] up the federal government that this is [00:16:24] undoing a constitutional construct that [00:16:27] has served this country well in 1968 [00:16:29] there were riots in DC that was a [00:16:32] Democratic president they called out [00:16:34] federal troops then because of riots in [00:16:37] the street after the killing of dr. King [00:16:39] so times ebb and flow and I'm not [00:16:43] talking about running the District of [00:16:45] Columbia having a federal government [00:16:47] mayor I'm talking about having a [00:16:49] relationship to the District of Columbia [00:16:52] that would avoid what the founders was [00:16:54] most worried about and that's all we're [00:16:57] talking about here as to future state [00:16:58] admissions there's a process to do it [00:17:01] but this process about the District of [00:17:03] Columbia is already in the Constitution [00:17:07] history too in 1978 they tried to do [00:17:10] this using the current process of [00:17:12] amending the Constitution only 16 states [00:17:14] approved it so what happened is they hit [00:17:17] a brick wall what they're doing right [00:17:19] now is too cute by half they're skirting [00:17:21] the Constitution to achieve what their [00:17:24] end goal here and that is a power grab [00:17:25] in Washington DC I'm just suggesting [00:17:51] that perhaps a little different view [00:17:53] outside of this city then there is [00:17:55] inside this city so so what what I'm [00:17:58] saying is that is it you get outside and [00:18:01] talk to the American people outside of [00:18:03] Washington DC residents outside of this [00:18:05] and they overwhelmingly oppose this idea [00:18:08] that's the point [00:18:15] well all I'm saying is I'm willing to [00:18:18] sit in and talk about how to empower [00:18:20] people who live in the District of [00:18:22] Columbia through a process that doesn't [00:18:23] destroy the Constitution and create two [00:18:26] Democratic seats one would be the [00:18:28] Maryland situation change to 23rd [00:18:30] amendment it's not you know I'm up here [00:18:32] three days a week I like it I mean it's [00:18:36] a beautiful city is it well-run no but [00:18:40] there's a lot of place not well-run it's [00:18:42] not about the city it's not about the [00:18:44] people in the city it's about a power [00:18:46] grab there's nothing these people won't [00:18:49] do to change the face of the country and [00:18:52] we're tired of it we're going to fight [00:18:53] back we thought that with Cavanaugh [00:18:55] we're gonna make sure that Nancy Pelosi [00:18:57] and all those who are driving her do not [00:19:00] win the day if a Republican had tried to [00:19:02] do this in like circumstances you'd be [00:19:05] all over us and you should be Thanks