Fox News "Hannity" - Transcript: Interview with Reps. Jim Jordan and Mark Meadows

Interview

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HANNITY: Well, Trump says it's bad. Democrats say it's good. Now Trump's president and the wall to Democrats is suddenly immoral. Actually, Democrats, what they're doing is playing politics and risking in the process, the lives of American citizens, just because they don't like Donald Trump, who wants to solve a problem.

And yet, the solution they once supported is effective. We know the law works. After completion of the wall, south of San Diego, illegal traffic drops by approximately 92 percent. The wall in El Paso, Texas, resulted in a significant drop as it did, walls in Tucson and Yuma, Arizona, where they extended one wall from five miles to 65 miles, it drops 95 percent.

The president is now requesting one tenth of 1 percent of our federal budget to build more strategic barriers. He's also requesting increased border patrol, and ICE personnel, and an increase in detention capacity and humanitarian resources and counter smuggling tools along with other important technology.

It's not a radical plan. It's a plan to keep America safe. It address what is is an urgent serious crisis.

So let me say, I understand, by the way, the concerns. Twenty-five percent partial government shutdown are furloughed. Workers furloughed.

Look, I've been there in my life, living paycheck to paycheck. It's not fun. They will and should and deserve to re coupe all of their money. While they're not working, they deserve it.

And this is, though, for others. Life and death, literally, preventable death, which makes this all the more frustrating. Officer Singh is gone forever. The Corcorans will never see their song Pierce again.

The families of the people you see on the right of your screen throughout the night tonight, they deserve better. These deaths are not manufactured. This is not a manufactured crisis.

And Democrats and their allies in the media, their talking point, frankly is cold, heartless, it's a lie and frankly, a slap in the face to every angel mom and dad and family member in this country that have lost loved once, as a result of open borders and illegal immigration, or every family that has lost a loved one from a heroin overdose or from other drugs smuggled over our wide open borders.

The clashes with border patrol agents, rocks, bottles thrown, chaos, destruction, they also -- that's not manufactured, that's real. Democrats, remember, it wasn't a manufactured crisis because they were politically bludgeoning Trump over the family separation issue, something he eventually stopped that happened in the previous two administrations. It wasn't a manufactured crisis for the Democrats or the media when they were bludgeoning our brave border patrol officers who had to use tear gas after they were being pelted with rocks and bottles. Remember, the left accused them of gassing children.

So, Pelosi, Schumer, the rest of the Democratic Party and the media want to stay on manufactured crisis and allow this to continue and play a political game? The president, he will have the full authority and power to declare a national emergency and tackle this head on with or without congressional funding approval or he could use the Defense Department. This is about protecting our homeland.

But, first, it's up to you. Look at the number on your screen, you might want to call, ask your member of Congress or the Senate, to hold the line. This is too important -- 202-224-3121.

Joining us now, Congressman Mark Meadows of Freedom Caucus, Jim Jordan of Freedom Caucus as well.

Jim, you look like you're standing out the White House. Is that where you are?

REP. JIM JORDAN, R-OH: No, no, I'm in the studio.

HANNITY: OK.

Look, we're losing all these lives. Ninety percent of the heroin comes in. Human trafficking, drug trafficking, violence -- I mean, if saving American lives isn't a priority, I don't -- why do we have of the government? What is their role?

JORDAN: Sean, you're exactly right. I loved your opening statements.

Look, the vast majority of the country understands this is a crisis. Democrats get it. Republicans get it. Independents get it.

The only people who don't get it are Democrats in Washington, D.C., and it comes right down to this issue. Democrats in Washington are more concern about stopping the president than they are in helping the country. More concern about stopping President Trump than dealing with 400,000 apprehension on the border last year alone, and the drugs, the gangs, the human traffic violence that you talked about.

So, until their constituents tell them -- that's why it's great, you put the number on there. Until their constituents tell them, focus on the country. Focus on the crisis. We're not going to get this problem solved and we saw that today in the meeting that the presidents had with congressional leader.

HANNITY: You know, Congressman Meadows, if we can stop 90 percent of the heroin that comes into the country, and if we can -- look. I support immigration. I believe 98 percent of people that run across the border and even illegally, want a better life.

But it's the 2 percent. It's the criminal element. It's the cartels. It's the human traffickers. It's potential terrorist that come to our border and want to bring harm to our cities and towns.

Why is this so unconcerning to them?

REP. MARK MEADOWS, R-N.C.: Well, it should be very concerning. And you mentioned it earlier. That's why government was actually founded and supported is to protect and serve. And if government is falling down on its fundamental premise of why it exists, then we have got to do better than that.

But, you know, listen, Sean, the big thing today is going to be the fact that the president walked out of a meeting because he said it was a waste of time to deal with Democrats because they're not negotiating. And you're exactly right. He should --

HANNITY: Well, they offered a dollar. They're insulting -- they sent aides to negotiate with the vice president. Pretty insulting.

MEADOWS: Exactly. They're not negotiating. They're not negotiating in good faith.

He should have walked out that have meeting but I'll tell you who he's not walking out on. He's not walking out on the moms and dads who have lost their children. He's not walking out on law enforcement officers who have to fight this each and every day and sometimes tragedy strikes there. He's not walking out on the families who have to deal with drug overdoses each and every day. He's staying engaged and I applaud him for doing that and we need to get behind him.

HANNITY: I know the president means what he says. We learned that about him in two years.

Will the Republicans in the House and Senate hold the lines and stand up on the principle that these lives can be saved? Jim Jordan?

JORDAN: We will, we held together when the Democrats offered an appropriation bill, spending bill in the House floor. Only a handful of Republicans voted with the Democrats. So, we're holding strong and we're going to continue to hold strong because this is a crisis.

The drug problem, the gang problem, the human trafficking problem is real. Everyone gets it, except Democrats in Washington D.C.

And again, they're too much focused -- they're too focused on just stopping the president. Let's address this. How could it not be a crisis? When we have seen this caravan phenomenon over the last several months play out on our southern border. Anyone who's watching knows it's a crisis.

HANNITY: Last word, Mark Meadows?

MEADOWS: Yes, it's not a manufactured crisis. It's a crisis that is happening on our southern border. But more importantly, it's a crisis that's happening in our communities, each and every day. We've got to make sure we fight back, stand strong and stand with this president and take the political games out of it.

HANNITY: You know what? There are things worth fighting for. American lives are one of them.

When we come back -- thank you both -- Congressman Dan Crenshaw, retired Navy SEAL. He is here to explain why walls do work.

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