Fox News "Sunday Morning Futures" - Transcript: Interview with Rep. Thom Tillis

Interview

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SEN. THOM TILLIS, R-N.C.: Greetings from Charlotte, Maria.

BARTIROMO: And you were among those who basically encouraged, embraced the idea that the president could use tariffs as a way to get Mexico to the table to help on this. Are you happy with this deal? Tell us what it means to you.

TILLIS: Well, last week, when Chuck Schumer said that it was a bluff, I said that probably a week from now he would be eating his words, and next week, this week, he will.

The president used what I think was a very important tool to convince Mexico that securing their southern border and working with us is in all of our best interests. And I'm glad to see it.

We have the potential for eliminating the flow of 60,000 or more people who are coming across our border every month from places other than Mexico. So I think this is a great first step. We have got a lot more work to do, but I'm happy with the president's action and happy with the result.

BARTIROMO: All at a time that things are getting worse at the southern border.

Griff Jenkins, Fox News, this morning reporting that, as of yesterday, ICE, Immigration and Customs Enforcement, says that they have released more than 200,000 individuals claiming to be part of a family since the end of December.

Experts tell me that 25 percent of the apprehensions are fake families. They're just renting kids in Central America and bringing them here. Your reaction to these numbers, which are the worst we have seen so far?

TILLIS: Well, it's very concerning.

If we can stop the future flows, which is what this agreement with Mexican will do, now we have got to go back and figure out how to clear the backlog of -- and in the last year, about 850,000 people have crossed the border illegally.

That is roughly the population of the city of Charlotte. And now we have got to process the asylum claims. And in many cases, because they're not going to have a valid asylum claim, we have got to get them back to their country of origin. And we have got to step up internal enforcement, so that we can secure our communities and secure a number of Hispanic communities that are at risk by having these folks go into the community without any way to track them, and actually putting those communities at risk.

BARTIROMO: And the system is just overwhelmed. Also, ICE is telling Fox News that they are accelerating the interior enforcement operations, pointing to existing overstays by 98 percent of migrants who came here in 2017 from Central America.

They're overstaying, because we know that, once you are apprehended, you may or may not be able to get a hearing for five, six, seven, eight months.

We're showing you video of when I went to the border about a month ago. We took the show to the border, and we watched these children being put in just terrible positions because they're being rented.

TILLIS: Well, that's exactly right, Maria.

We have seen instances, hundreds, if not thousands of instances, where somebody just teams up with children. They are taking advantage of them. And, sadly, many of these children and young women are being trafficked after they crossed the border.

The Democrats need to understand there's a humanitarian crisis at the border and in this country that can only be solved through stepped-up enforcement, for the good of those very people that they pretend to be protecting. It's not protecting them. They're being harmed in the thousands, not to mention the illicit drugs and all of the other problems that are coming from their lack, the Democrats' lack, of support for securing the border and providing Homeland Security with the resources that they need to secure our homeland.

BARTIROMO: What about USMCA and the ratification of this deal? The president needs to see this bill come to the floor for a vote. Do you think it's going to happen any time soon?

TILLIS: Well, I have no doubt that he has the support in the Senate.

And I believe that Speaker Pelosi will ultimately have to support it. This is good for American workers. I know that organized labor has stated that they support the agreement.

Now that we have gotten the threat of tariffs out of the way, I hope that Speaker Pelosi will put that on the House floor. It will pass if she puts it on the floor. And then we will pass it in the Senate. And that will even greater -- create a greater partnership with Mexico while we set about solving the border crisis.

BARTIROMO: And then there's China. Let me ask you about that, because the G20 meeting happening in two weeks, there is an expectation the president will have a meeting with President Xi Jinping at the G20 meeting on the sidelines.

What are you expecting from that, knowing that the China tariffs and the Mexico situation are two very different stories?

TILLIS: Well, if I'm China, I'm worried about the progress we're making with Mexico, the passage of the USMCA.

Getting that partnership together here in North America allows the president to take the same sort of strategy to China. China is stealing our intellectual property. They're not playing on a level playing field in terms of trade.

And, again, I think that our members, our Republican members need to provide the president with a lot of leeway, because he's proven with Mexico and with Canada that if we give him maybe even some unorthodox options for negotiating trade agreements, that America wins and it's good for American workers. I know it's good for workers here in North Carolina.

BARTIROMO: So, The Wall Street Journal reported this weekend that the Chinese officials broke the ice on trade with the United States...

TILLIS: Yes.

BARTIROMO: ... saying that China and the U.S. held their first high-level meeting on trade since negotiations fell apart a month ago. This is Steven Mnuchin meeting with China's Central Bank governor.

What's your take away from that? Do you think we're going to be able to move the needle on China, knowing that theft of intellectual property and forced transfer of technology has really been a culture in China? Do you really think they are going to change that behavior?

TILLIS: I do, Maria.

I think, as long as Congress makes it very clear that we're standing behind the president, we're going to do things differently. Past administrations, Democrat and Republican, have failed to actually use the capabilities, the might of the American economy, to get China to play by the rules.

China came close to having an agreement. They went back, talked with their leaders. They stepped away from an agreement in principle. And a lot of that had to do with enforcement. It's one thing to get an agreement. One thing I know about this president, if they cheat and if they don't live up to it, there's going to be a consequence.

And that's the only thing that China responds to. China would like to wait out President Trump. He would like to wait out this Congress. We're not going to let them do that. And that's why we have got to move quickly.

We can't -- this can't be a matter of years. This has to be a matter of months to get an agreement that we think is fair for American workers and workers here in North Carolina.

BARTIROMO: Yes, but China is already escalating what has been an already spiraling issue over Huawei. The Chinese now are creating their own black list of unreliable foreigners, basically trying to hit back at the U.S. for banning Huawei.

TILLIS: Well, that may work, but I doubt it.

At the end of the day, they know that America's economy is vital to their continued success. And if we have to take some hits in the near term for the long-term good of the United States and the free world, I think it's something that we have to be prepared to do.

It's very different. We have never had a president who has had the courage to use all of the tools in his toolbox. And I think that we actually have to be there to support him.

BARTIROMO: So, what's most important in the next month that you're looking at from the Senate before everybody leaves for the August recess?

TILLIS: Well, I think one is I think my colleague Mark Meadows is speaking later on the show.

The American people, people in North Carolina are tired of them reprosecuting a settled matter, no collusion, no obstruction. What we're going to be talking about as we move forward to the summer session is confirming more conservative judges, trying to get our colleagues on the other side of the aisle to work on regulatory reforms that make sense.

We're working with the administration. A lot of the things that we will do will be supporting the administration as they continue a great track record on regulatory reform, taking cost out of doing the business in the United States and attracting foreign investment, which is a key driver to our GDP growth.

BARTIROMO: All right, we will leave it there.

Senator, it's good to have you this morning. Thanks so much.

TILLIS: You too, Maria.

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