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Wolf

White House Press Briefing. Aired 1-1:30p ET

Aired February 14, 2017 - 13:00   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.


SEN. LINDSEY GRAHAM (R), SOUTH CAROLINA: And I want to know did General Flynn do this by himself or was he directed by somebody to do it?

We do have allegations now coming from the media that the Department of Justice informed the White House that the national security advisor may be subject to blackmail by the Russians. I think that's something Congress has a right to know.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WOLF BLITZER, CNN ANCHOR: Our Senior White House Correspondent Jim Acosta is inside the briefing room. The briefing about to get started.

Jim, one of the big questions is what if anything President Trump knew about Michael Flynn's contacts with the Russian ambassador in Washington. How significant is that?

JIM ACOSTA, CNN SENIOR WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Right, Wolf. I think the age-old question, what did the president know and when did he know it? That is going to be asked of White House press secretary Sean Spicer in here.

And that is because on Friday, a very important moment happened on Air Force One. The president came and talked to reporters as he was heading down to Mar-a-Lago.

And he was asked, during that on-camera moment, whether or not he had been told about this reporting in "The Washington Post" that the then national security advisor, Michael Flynn, was correcting his recollection, in terms of what happened in that conversation between himself and the Russian ambassador about sanctions against Russia during the transition period.

And so, that is certainly going to be asked, Wolf. But there is a whole -- there is a whole range of questions that are going to be asked of the press secretary. Mainly because of the shifting and wide ranging assortment of comments that we've gotten from top White House officials in the last 24 to 48 hours.

One of those comments came from the White House counsellor, Kellyanne Conway, when she said, yesterday afternoon, that Michael Flynn had the full confidence of the president. And then, just an hour later, the White House press secretary told reporters that, no, President Trump was reviewing the situation when it came to Michael Flynn. And then, later on that evening, there was that story in "The Washington Post," that we've confirmed here at CNN, the Justice Department informed the White House a month ago that there was this conversation that occurred that dealt with sanctions.

And the fact that Michael Flynn did not tell the vice president this before he went on national television and vouched for the national security advisor, that that potentially could be used as blackmail to compromise the national security advisor.

And so, the question is, Wolf, if the White House was told a month ago about all of this, what did they do with that information? What -- I think one name that's going to come up at this briefing, Wolf, if the questions are ask -- are allowed to be asked by folks in this front row -- in the front couple of rows, were among -- several reporters in this room are going to ask this question is did the White House chief of staff -- excuse me, not the chief of staff but the White House counsellor, Don McGahn, inform the White House chief of staff, Reince Priebus, about all of this?

And then, was that information relayed to the president? Was all of that communicated to the president or was there a communications breakdown somewhere along the way? Those are very key questions.

Because, obviously, Wolf, as you know from covering several administrations over the years, when information like that comes from the Justice Department and it goes to top officials at the White House, it is always incumbent upon those officials to brief the president.

You can't have the president going up to cameras and saying, well, I don't know about this story in "The Washington Post" about my national security advisor.

If those officials had briefed the president, then, of course, we have a situation on Friday where perhaps the president was not being forth right with those reporters at that time. We just don't know.

And I think that's why there are some very crucial questions that are going to be asked in the briefing room here in just a few moments -- Wolf.

BLITZER: Very important questions, indeed.

And, Jim, there are questions about ties with Russia. They've been going on for some time involving President Trump and his aides. His former campaign manager, Paul Manafort, he resigned in the wake of questions about his ties to Russia.

There were questions involving secretary of state Rex Tillerson, the former CEO of ExxonMobil, faced about his connections to Russia. He seems to have adequately answered those questions during his confirmation hearings. And now the Flynn resignation.

One of the other aspects that comes up as President Trump as a candidate, as a president-elect, now as president. He rarely if ever says anything negative about Putin or Russia for that matter. So, here's the question. How serious is this overall potential problem involving Russia?

ACOSTA: I think it's a very -- I think it's a very serious question, Wolf. Whether it's the president or top officials in this administration or, as you mentioned, Paul Manafort, who was the former chairman of the campaign, why is it that there's always this line drawn from it these individuals to Russia?

Whether it's the president who declines to criticize Vladimir Putin, whether it's Paul Manafort who had these contacts, whether it's the national security advisor, Michael Flynn, who had this conversation with the Russian ambassador during the transition.

We also don't know whether or not the national security advisor had additional conversations with Russians during the campaign. That's another outstanding question.

[13:05:07] But, Wolf, there's also another serious question that has to be asked and that is why aren't these top officials in the White House talking to each other?

How is it that Kellyanne Conway can go out in front of a camera on national television and say that Michael Flynn has the full confidence of the president, when it was obvious, at that time, that he did not have the full confidence of the president.

And what I am told, by talking to a very well-placed Republican source who is in contact with top officials in this administration, is that they're not talking to each other because they're too busy undercutting each other behind the scenes. There has just been a, quote unquote, "game of thrones" situation inside this White House, I'm told, by this well-placed source.

And that that is a part of the reason why you have this breakdown in communication that you saw yesterday. We have one official saying one thing and another top official, the White House press secretary, saying something dramatically different.

Wolf, this is a White House that is just heading into week four of an administration and you have a national security advisor stepping aside because of questions about Russia and you have top officials that aren't singing from the same song sheet.

It is just a very bizarre and unusual situation and not a good situation for an administration that is just trying to get going here in these first few weeks of the administration -- Wolf.

BLITZER: Yes, you're absolutely right. It was shocking. Yesterday at 4:00 p.m. Eastern, Kellyanne Conway says that Flynn has the president's full confidence. And an hour later, Sean Spicer says they are evaluating his situation. At that point, a lot of us suspected he was probably toast, as they say.

Jim Acosta in the briefing room. We're going to get back to you shortly. We're going to stand by for Sean Spicer's briefing about to begin.

Meanwhile, Democrats in Congress are pushing for investigations into the Flynn affair. They've gone as far as saying Republican leaders have no spines and question their patriotism for refusing to look into the role of the president in the Michael Flynn conversations with the Russian ambassador and in the possibility that Flynn actually could have been a blackmail target by the Russians.

Joining us now from Capitol Hill, Congressman Seth Moulton. He's a Massachusetts Democrat, a member of the Armed Services Committee, a veteran serving -- a U.S. veteran serving in Iraq.

Congressman, thanks very much for joining us.

REP. SETH MOULTON (D) MASSACHUSETTS: It's good to be back, Wolf.

BLITZER: So, this blackmail concern, that the Russians could have blackmailed Flynn, should that -- should the investigation be on that specific? Because it's unclear what they presumably could have blackmailed him for, for that fear of blackmail or is there a bigger problem, the ongoing relationship that the Trump team has with Russia?

MOULTON: You're absolutely right. The bigger problem, the scandal of the century, not the scandal of the week, is this ongoing relationship with Russia.

There is no question, it's the unequivocal conclusion of all our intelligence agencies, that Russia wanted Donald Trump to be elected president. And either that's just because they think Trump is Putin's buddy and he's going to do his bidding or it's because they have material they can use against the administration.

So, we don't need to just know what Flynn knew or what his associates in the White House knew. We need to know what Russia knows and what they still hold over the heads of the people in the White House.

BLITZER: Do you think Flynn acted alone when he made that phone call to the Russian ambassador in Washington?

MOULTON: I don't think that anything in Washington happens alone. Certainly not a call with the ambassador to our number one enemy for the last 65 years.

I mean, let's not lose perspective on exactly who we're talking about here. Russia is the number one enemy of the United States of America. And if members of the administration are essentially conspiring with Russia either through the campaign earlier or now in the administration itself, I mean, look, Wolf, that's the definition of treason. This is a very, very serious affair.

And what we need to understand exactly what's going on with Michael Flynn, we can't let this little scandal, or perhaps big scandal at the moment, let us lose sight of the much bigger scandal which is what is the overall connection between Russia and the Trump administration?

BLITZER: Well, let me just be precise on this. So, you're throwing out a huge word, treason. Explain exactly what your concern is.

MOULTON: Well, the definition of treason is putting the interests of our enemy ahead of our own. That's what the definition is.

And it seems like there's a lot of evidence that there are members of the administration who are more concerned about Russia's goals than our own. That they've continually prioritize the desires of the kremlin, like, for example, rescinding the sanctions that have been so importantly put in place.

And it's just the voice of the administration that's doing this. Because you hear both Democrats and Republicans on Capitol Hill saying that this makes no sense. It makes no sense to pull back sanctions against our enemy.

BLITZER: But I just want to be precise.

MOULTON: So, why does this administration want us to do that?

BLITZER: Congressman, it's not the whole administration. Nikki Haley, the U.S. Ambassador to the U.N., speaking before the U.N. Security Council on Crimea. She was very tough on the Russians.

[13:10:05] General Mattis, who's now the defense secretary, in his confirmation hearings, very tough on the Russians. And other officials, Rex Tillerson, even though he had business dealings with the Russians, received an award from Putin, very tough in his comments on the Russians.

So, it's not the administration as a whole.

MOULTON: Well, absolutely it is because it starts at the top. And that doesn't mean that everybody is implicated, but this is exactly what we need to figure out, Wolf.

I don't think that Michael Flynn is going to be the only person to fall here. I find it very hard to believe that in an administration that has continually drawn the line, as Jim Acosta said. against criticizing Russia, has continually favored Russian interests very publicly, it's hard to believe that there is just one fall guy here.

I think, in a lot of ways, that's what the Trump administration is hoping. That this scandal with Flynn will distract attention from the larger issue, which is why did Russia want to influence our election? Why did Russia try very fervently to influence our election and help get Donald Trump elected president?

BLITZER: Well, we'll get to that a little bit later if we have the time.

But there's a story that just moved. "The New York Times" now reporting that Russia has secretly deployed a ground launch cruise missile that violates the arms treaty that exists between the U.S. and Russia. I wonder if you have been briefed on this. If you have, what can you tell us? MOULTON: I haven't received the formal briefing. I just heard the news. But this is, yet, another concerning move by the Russians where they think they can take advantage of it.

You know, the cold war that we had with Russia for over 50 years was a stand-off. And it thrives on deterrence. In other words, deterrence was what we used, not hot war to prevent Russians from doing things against us.

And, clearly, the Russians must think that that deterrence value is going down. When Trump gets out there and says NATO doesn't matter anymore, when Trump talks about unilaterally releasing the sanctions against Russia, that a signal to the Kremlin that they can do whatever they want. And I think we're seeing evidence of that today.

BLITZER: Congressman Seth Moulton of Massachusetts, thanks very much for joining us.

MOUTON: Thank you, Wolf.

BLITZER: As we await Sean Spicer, he's about to take the lectern over in the White House briefing room and start answering reporters' questions. I assume they'll begin with some opening comments, schedule, and other issues.

I want to bring in our panel in Washington. Our Chief National Security Correspondent Jim Sciutto is with us. Our Political Director David Chalian and our Chief Political Analyst Gloria Borger, and our Senior Media Correspondent, he's here with me, the host of "RELIABLE SOURCES," Brian Stelter.

Gloria, you actually broke the story last night. You and Sara Murray had the information. What does this say about the state of the affair -- state of the affairs -- of affairs in the White House right now and the overall state of U.S. national security?

GLORIA BORGER, CNN CHIEF POLITICAL ANALYST: Well, first of all, inside the White House, I think it's safe to say that it's dysfunctional. That there is a lot of turmoil. I think there are people in the White House trying to figure out where they go from here.

I think what we've also discovered and all these questions that have been raised this morning about the White House counsel, knowing that the Justice Department thought that General Flynn might be open to blackmail and was potentially was told of that.

And did he tell Reince Priebus and all of those questions. I think what you have in this White House is something that often occurs, and that is a White House that is siloed and that people are not talking to each other the way they ought to be talking to each other.

This happened during the Obama administration during the roll-out of health care reform. And the president, at that point, admitted they had a problem and tried to get folks to deal with each other more. And I think that is an issue inside this White House when you have different factions who are not communicating well with each other and that doesn't serve the president well.

I think they also know and we'll hear from Sean today that there are going to be lots of questions raised on the -- on the Russia question and on General Flynn, in particular. And going all the way up to the Oval Office.

As the Democrats raised earlier, what did the president know? John McCain, himself, had said we need to get to the bottom of this.

And so, you have the micro-issues of how you run a functioning White House. And then, you have the larger macro-geopolitical foreign policy questions about, what does this tell you about the U.S. relationship with Russia in the administration of Donald Trump?

BLITZER: Gloria, stand by.

Jim Sciutto, a group of Democratic lawmakers asked the secretary of defense to investigate whether or not Flynn had received money from foreign governments, including Russia. Just a short time ago, the U.S. Army made the announcement about that. What did they say?

JIM SCIUTTO, CNN CHIEF NATIONAL SECURITY CORRESPONDENT: They say that it's not accurate to say that there's an ongoing investigation of this. It's pouring some water on that particular fire.

[13:15:05] I think, just to echo what Gloria said, that the key question in this press conference, and it remains to be seen if it's asked of Sean Spicer - but the key question is, in effect, that old question, what did the president know and when did he know it? Did Michael Flynn act either directly or did he think he was acting on directions from the president to deliver a message to Russia? And that's something that it's not just Democrats, frankly, asking that question, Lindsey Graham asking that, John McCain and others. It's a fair question and it's a potentially explosive one.

BLITZER: All right, hold on, here comes Sean Spicer. Let's listen in.

SEAN SPICER, WHITE HOUSE PRESS SECRETARY: Good afternoon. Happy Valentine's Day. I can sense the love in the room.

First off, last night the Treasury Department's Office of Foreign Asset Control, OFAC, labelled the Venezuelan vice president as a specially designated narcotics trafficker under the Kingpin Act. Before I continue with the briefing and look forward to your questions, I want to turn it over for a short time to newly minted secretary of the treasury, Steven Mnuchin, to take - to issue a brief statement on this and deliver a few questions.

Secretary Mnuchin.

STEVEN MNUCHIN, TREASURY SECRETARY: Thank you.

A pleasure to be here on my first busy day in office. Yesterday the Department of Treasury's Office of Foreign Asset

Control, known as OFAC, designated Venezuelan National Tareck El Aissami as a specially designated narcotics trafficker pursuant to the Foreign Narcotics Kingpin Designation Act for playing a significant role in international narcotics trafficking. El Aissami's primary front man, Venezuelan national Samark Lopez Bello, was also designated.

These designations follow a multi-year investigation into El Aissami's criminal activities. And President Trump appreciates the hard work put into this case by the Department of Treasury, Department of State, as well as the National Security Council and many people throughout law enforcement.

Following the signing of the executive order last week, designing to break the back of criminal drug cartels, this action demonstrates the president's seriousness about fighting the scourge of drugs in the United States. In addition, he wants to send a clear message to the people of Venezuela that America stands with them.

And with that, I'm happy to take two or three questions specifically about this.

QUESTION: Secretary Mnuchin, since sanctions are directly relevant, obviously, to the Treasury Department, which is an agency that you now oversee, can you talk a little bit about plans to sanction Russia and if you will keep Obama (INAUDIBLE) sanctions against Russia?

MNUCHIN: Our current sanctions programs are in place. And I would say sanctions are an important tool that we will continue to look at for various different countries. But it's a very important program within the Treasury Department.

QUESTION: And for Russia specifically, sir?

MNUCHIN: The existing policies are in place.

QUESTION: Mr. Secretary.

MNUCHIN: Yes.

QUESTION: Are you contemplating any additional sanctions against Iran and can you tell us what you think the bottom line will be of these particular sanctions you announced yesterday and are referring to today for the Venezuelan vice president? What's it going to mean?

MNUCHIN: Well, first, let me just comment - again, this is as a result of a very long effort.

QUESTION: (INAUDIBLE)?

MNUCHIN: Yes, this is - this was underway. This was a very long effort. But the implication is quite significant. We expect that there will be frozen tens of millions of dollars. And, again, that sanctions are a very important way of us sending a message that we will not stand for illicit activities, whether they're drug trafficking or terrorism.

QUESTION: Secretary, including sanctions, what other tools are you looking at?

MNUCHIN: I can't comment on all the tools, but, again, let me just reinforce that sanctions are a very important tool within the department, and we will use them as appropriate.

QUESTION: Is that including (INAUDIBLE) with Iran, sir?

QUESTION: What about freezing assets?

MNUCHIN: In this case we did freeze assets. Again, as I mentioned, tens of millions of dollars of assets. And that will have a very big impact on us.

So I'll take one more question, please.

Yes, in the back.

QUESTION: During the admin - during the campaign, the president has made comments about Janet Yellen and whether - basically inferring that she was being too political and she should be ashamed of herself. Do the folks at the Treasury Department, within the administration, feel confident with Mrs. Yellen at the helm, and, you know, to be able to set monetary policy going forward?

MNUCHIN: Well, let me just comment. I'm really here today, again, to talk about the Venezuelan situation. But let me just say that there is a tradition of the secretary of treasury, having ongoing meetings with the head of the Federal Reserve, and I look forward to that, now that I'm in office, doing that and spending time with her.

Thank you very much, everybody. It's a pleasure to be here on my first day.

SPICER: Thank you, Mr. Secretary.

MNUCHIN: Thank you.

[13:20:00] SPICER: All right, let's get back to the fun.

We've been reviewing and - I want to address the events of last night, first and foremost.

We've been reviewing and evaluating this issue with respect to General Flynn on a daily basis for a few weeks, trying to ascertain the truth. We got to a point, not based on a legal issue, but based on a trust issue, with a level of trust between the president and General Flynn had eroded to the point where he felt he had to make a change. The president was very concerned that General Flynn had misled the vice president and others. He was also very concerned in light of sensitive subjects dealt with by that position of national security advisors like China, North Korea, and the Middle East, that the president must have complete and unwavering trust for the person in that position. The evolving and eroding level of trust as the result of this

situation and a series of other questionable instances is what led the president to ask for General Flynn's resignation. Immediately after the Department of Justice notified the White House Council of the situation, the White House Council briefed the president in a small group of his senior advisors. The White House Council reviewed and determined that there is not an illegal issue, but rather a trust issue.

During this process, it is important to note that the president did not have his attorney general, Jeff Sessions, who he trusts immensely, approved by the Senate. When the president heard the information as presented by White House Council, he instinctively thought that General Flynn did not do anything wrong and the White House Council's review corroborated that. It is not ordinary for an incoming national security adviser to speak with his counterparts about the issues of concern to them. In fact, he spoke with over 30 of his counterparts throughout the transition. As Charles Krauthammer said last night, it is, quote, "perfectly reasonable for him to do so." The issue here was that the president got to the point where General Flynn's relation - misleading the vice president and others or the possibility that he had forgotten critical details of the important conversation had created a critical mass and an unsustainable situation. That's why the president decided to ask for his resignation, and he got it.

The irony of this entire situation is that the president has been incredibly tough on Russia. He continues to raise the issue have Crimea, which the previous administration allowed to be seized by Russia. His ambassador to the United Nations, Nikki Haley, stood before the U.N. Security Council on her first day and strongly denounced the Russian occupation of Crimea. As Ambassador Haley said at the time, the, quote, "dire situation in eastern Ukraine is one that demands clear and strong condemnation of Russian actions." President Trump has made is very clear that he expects the Russian government to de-escalate violence in the Ukraine and return Crimea.

At the same time, he fully expects to and wants to be able to get along with Russia, unlike previous administrations, so that we can solve many problems together facing the world, such as the threat of ISIS and terrorism. The president is currently evaluating a group of very strong candidates that will be considered to fill the national security adviser position permanently and is confident in the ability of General Kellogg, a decorated and distinguished veteran of the United States Army, until that person is ultimately chosen.

Before I get into the president's schedule for today, a quick recap of the president's activity over the last few days since we haven't had the honor of sharing so much time together.

The president's been keeping a close eye on the Oroville Dam situation in California. We've worked closely with Doug Lamalfa (ph), who represents California's First District where the dam is located, and other state officials to help people who have been impacted. The situation is a textbook example of why we need to pursue a major infrastructure package in Congress. Dams, bridges, roads, and all ports around the country have fallen into disrepair. In order to prevent the next disaster, we'll pursue the president's vision for an overhaul of our nation's crumbling infrastructure. We hope everyone remains safe as the evacuations continue and we'll be working alongside with FEMA and appropriate government entities to make sure that we are doing everything we can to attend to this matter.

The president was honored also to welcome the prime minister of Japan last week. From their first official meeting at the White House, to their joint press conference at Mar-a-Lago - excuse me, their joint press conference and their time together at Mar-a-Lago, the president and the prime minister had a productive visit that reaffirmed their determination to further strengthen the U.S.-Japan alliance and economic relationship. At Mar-a-Lago the president was proud to stand behind Prime Minister Abe on Saturday to convey the United States' unwavering support for our Japanese allies in the face of North Korea's most recent missile launch.

On Sunday the president met with now Secretary of Treasury Mnuchin and Mr. Steve Wen (ph) before returning to Washington.

Yesterday the president set - had an incredibly productive set of meetings and discussions with Prime Minister Trudeau of Canada, focusing on our shared commitment to close cooperation and addressing both the challenges facing our two countries and the problems throughout the world. Our countries share a profound economic interest with more than $2 billion in two-way trade flowing across our border every day. The president was pleased to launch the Canada-United States Council for the Advancement of Women Entrepreneurs and Business Leaders by holding a roundtable discussion here at the White House. Together with Prime Minister Trudeau, his daughter, Ivanka, the president discussed the unique challenges that women face in the workplace with an incredible group of successful and respected female business executives from both countries. A full list of the participants is available through the pool.

[13:25:40] In addition to his in person meetings with the prime ministers of Japan and Canada, the president also recently had phone calls with the presidents of Tunisia, Peru, Nigeria, Colombia, and South Africa. Read-outs are available on all of those calls.

Finally, following the prime minister's visit to - yesterday, the president met with Chairwoman McDaniel and Co-chairman Paduchik of the Republican National Committee. In the afternoon, the president participated in a pinning ceremony for Major Ricardo Turner, one of his military aides. The aides to the president are midgrade officers, one from each of the services. They provide direct support to the president as - in his role as commander in chief. And their primary responsibilities are to serve as an emergency action officer, aide (INAUDIBLE) and ceremonial aide. It's a long-standing tradition that one of the president's military aides is promoted to the next higher grade. The president conducts that promotion. Major Ricardo Turner, the president's military aide, was recently promoted to lieutenant colonel and the promotion was held in the Oval Office.

The president also spoke yesterday with Maureen Scalia on the one year anniversary of her husband's passing. The president and Mrs. Scalia discussed her late husband's incredible legacy and how the president is making every effort to carry it on by nominating Judge Gorsuch, who shares the love of the Constitution, to succeed him on the bench.

Last night the president obviously hosted the swearing in of Secretary Mnuchin in the Oval Office. Secretary Mnuchin's a world class financier whose decades of experience with financial and monetary matters make him the ideal person to spearhead the president's plan to develop a dynamic, booming economy that works for all Americans. We're glad to officially have him on board.

Now moving on to the schedule of today.

This morning the president and newly confirmed secretary of Education DeVos held a parent-teacher conference meeting with parents and educators from public, private, charter, and home schools this morning. The president opened the meeting by congratulating Secretary DeVos for her toughness and staying the course throughout her confirmation process. He then discussed his vision for all Americans, to have an opportunity to climb the ladder of success, starting with making quality education available to every child, no matter their zip code.

Under the current system, the president believes too many of our children are trapped in failing schools, especially in the African- American community. The president told the group to begin addressing this problem, which he views as a civil rights issue. He wants parents to be able to decide what educational options are best for their children. The group launched into a wide-ranging discussion that included public and charter schools, home schooling, drop-out prevention, and the basis schools program, states responsibilities, and the current state of the U.S. Department of Education. The president's ultimate goal is to create safe communities, great schools, and well-paying jobs. He believes that each of these goals is linked to the others, and the Trump administration is taking concrete steps to achieve them all.

The president also spoke on the phone earlier today with Prime Minister May of the United Kingdom, continuing the productive conversation they started during her visit earlier this year. A read- out on that call should be coming soon.

The president then had lunch with New Jersey Governor Chris Christie and his wife regarding combatting drug use.

At 2:00 the president will sign House Joint Resolution 41 in the Oval Office. The resolution is the start of rolling back harmful Obama era regulations which have cost the American business consumers a staggering $890 billion, making our companies less competitive and even driving some of them out of business. The American free enterprise system is the greatest engine for economic prosperity in the world, but it - but for too many - to reach its maximum potential, we must remove the barriers to productivity that are holding back our great workers and businesses.

Misguided federal regulations, such as the SEC rule addressed by HJR41 inflict real cost on the American people and put our businesses, especially small businesses, at a significant disadvantage. It's a priority for the Trump administration to fix our broken regulatory system so that it enhances American productivity and well-being, without imposing unnecessary costs and burdens. Signing this joint resolution is one more step towards achieving this goal.

Later this evening, the president will meet with Secretary Kelly and Attorney General Sessions to continue discussions on potential options for addressing the very clear national security threats we're facing in light of the recent Supreme Court ruling.

[13:29:52] Tomorrow the president is welcome - is pleased to be welcoming Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to the White House. They will discuss ways to advance and strengthen the special relationship between our two countries and stability in the Middle East. They will consult on a range of issues, regional issues, including addressing the threats posed by Iran and its proxies, the crisis in Syria, encountering ISIS and other terrorist groups.