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Inside Politics

House Republicans Wrestle With How To Cut $15T In Spending; Trump On Tariff Impact: Maybe Kids Will Get Fewer Dolls; Pence Wins JFK Profile In Courage Award For Jan. 6 Actions; Trump Says He's Ordering 100 Percent Tariff On Foreign-Made Movies. Aired 12:30-1p ET

Aired May 05, 2025 - 12:30   ET

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

[12:30:00]

DANA BASH, CNN ANCHOR: -- priority in Congress. A massive bill that would include an extension of his 2017 tax cuts, massive new funding for deportations and the border, and $1.5 trillion in spending cuts. Now that last piece is key.

Republicans are pretty divided over how or whether they can hit that target. House Speaker Mike Johnson says he wants it all passed by Memorial Day. That's an ambitious goal given how difficult the task is.

For more on this I want to bring in Congressman David Joyce. He is a Republican from Ohio and sits on the Appropriations Committee, which is a key part of this process. Thank you so much for being here.

REP. DAVID JOYCE (R), OHIO: Thank you for having me.

BASH: Appreciate it. Nice to see you in person.

Let's start with the spending side since you're on Appropriations. $1.5 trillion in spending cuts. How can you do that without drastically cutting from Medicaid benefits?

JOYCE: Well, you don't necessarily have to cut as much as you have to redo the programs as such where you start to make sure that people actually have job or work-related requirements that are being placed in there, making sure that you have cut the fraud, waste, and abuse, and other things. Because, you know, this president has said time and time again he's not cutting Medicare, Medicaid, or Social Security. And so we're going to rely on him to hold true to that.

Now, as I've explained to folks when we were initially going through this, the first thing we passed, that was like the chassis, right? When this car comes out on the other side, you'll determine whether or not you want to buy it. And we're still in the process of building out that car.

So I think it's time -- you know, these committees have not held the hearings to talk about what real cuts they're going to make. So in the meantime, I think it's important for members to hold their fire until they actually see that. But you could see that from the statements that are going out, the lines are starting to get drawn about what matters to folks. And --

BASH: And Medicaid is one of the things.

JOYCE: Absolutely.

BASH: Yes.

JOYCE: I mean, it'll decimate rural hospitals and who doesn't have them in their districts.

BASH: But so -- and then the question is, the obvious question is, how does the math add up without, meaning, how do you cut all that from spending $1.5 trillion without touching, I mean, you say Medicare and Social Security, and the president has been clear that that's off the table, but you talk about moving things around in Medicaid. It's pretty hard to do without actually making cuts.

Your colleague, Congressman Don Bacon says he was able to find about $500 billion in savings that he thinks the American people would support. Any more than that would risk cutting health care for his constituents. Is he right about that?

JOYCE: Well, I haven't seen exactly what Don's talking about because there's a lot of things being thrown about right now. And again, I think it's important for these committees to have a hearing and let people weigh in on exactly where they think these cuts or where these changes in the process should come from.

I've been one that thought we -- DOGE would have been much better served if they would have taken on the true drivers of our mandatory debt. Social Security, Medicare, Medicaid.

BASH: But the president promised not to do that.

JOYCE: Exactly. But you should lay out the problems are because you can cure this if you take the time to explain to the American people without the politics of it. So people aren't running ads against anybody saying you plan -- you said you're going to cut this.

Let Elon and let, at that point, it was Vivek and his DOGE crew talk about what the potential solutions are and what the options are and then say, reach out to your senator, reach out to your representative and see which one, you know, weigh in on where you like it. We didn't do that.

So I think that was sort of a wasted time because we're relying to the youth of our country. If we're telling them we're collecting Social Security, it's going to be there for you.

BASH: So you think DOGE was a mistake because they didn't go after the entitlements?

JOYCE: I think they could have been used and focused on a little different area. But, yes, I'm not in charge.

BASH: The Kaiser Health Foundation, you mentioned part of how you think you could find cuts to Medicaid is a work requirement. Is that -- so the Kaiser Health Foundation looked at potential work require requirements and found that 64 percent are working full or part time. 12 percent are not working because they're caregivers.

So it's a -- it's work --

JOYCE: It's important.

BASH: -- but it's not work outside the home. 10 percent are not working because they're ill or disabled. 7 percent because they're in school. 8 percent because they're retired or unable to find work for another reason. So there are a lot of people who are on Medicaid, probably in your district.

I mean, we looked at the numbers. 154,000 people in your district. So that's like a fifth of your district are either receiving Medicaid or CHIPS. So how do you tell them, especially those who can't work that they might not get benefits?

JOYCE: Well, I'm not telling them that. I'm telling them that there has to be changes to the system as a whole, and you have to verify that these people are actually entitled to it and should receive it.

BASH: So if they're caregivers, for example, they won't get cuts if you can help it?

JOYCE: I don't think so. They -- I mean, let's face it, because if you're not the person giving the care somewhere else, that care is going to have to be provided. Having gone through that with my elderly parents, that's an expensive proposition. And so I think it's very important that we continue to be able to take care of one another and do the things that are necessary.

[12:35:06]

But again, we're running trillions of dollars in debt, 36-plus the last time I looked. We have to change the way we're doing business. And so the way we do this is focus on the big picture things and try to figure out where we can repurpose and where we can reconfigure these things to make them work for the pressing needs of our nation.

BASH: I want to talk about trade.

JOYCE: Sure.

BASH: The president's message to concerned Americans about prices for consumer goods going up, in part, is this. Take a listen.

(BEGIN VIDEOCLIP)

DONALD TRUMP (R), PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: I'm just saying they don't need to have $30. They can have $3. They don't need to have 250 pencils. They can have five.

(END VIDEOCLIP)

BASH: Is that what you're telling your constituents?

JOYCE: Well, I don't use pencils, but --

BASH: Oh, but they do.

JOYCE: Yes, true. No, you know, look, anybody who's ever chased the -- one of these dolls, the American Girl doll or the chubby ones that were big when my daughters --

BASH: Cabbage Patch Kids?

JOYCE: Yes, yes. Thank you, Cabbage Patch Kids. When my kids were little, know what an important Christmas event that is.

But obviously, you know, this doesn't start overnight. And so the idea that the Christmas trade is already starting to slow down the progress and there might be less around, I get it. I think American people will understand that because American people understand shared sacrifice.

But what needs to be explained to them is that China has been eating our lunch. If you ever go back and look after World War II, they've slowly but surely stolen all of our steel industry by undercutting us --

BASH: Yes.

JOYCE: -- spring wire, everything they've done. They've stolen our technology that's gone over. They've stolen the IP and the thing of their enemy. And what I will give credit to this administration for is finally taking the task to them.

BASH: And -- I'm sorry, go ahead.

JOYCE: GO ahead. No, because they are the biggest producer of fentanyl. The compounds that are produced and reprogrammed down in Mexico and shot into our country are killing kids on an everyday basis. And I'm glad to see this administration is taking the necessary steps to abolish it.

BASH: You're chairing a hearing tomorrow. The Treasury Secretary, Bessent, is going to be before you. What's the most important thing that you want to hear from him on trade? There are no deals that have been made yet.

JOYCE: True. And our committee will be asking him about the wherewithal that he needs to run his office and how to go about that. And trade's obviously something that is he's going to be part of the negotiations, I'm sure, with the president. Then we make sure that he has the wherewithal he needs to do that.

I'm sure there -- those in the loyal opposition are going to ask a lot of questions about the IRS, as well they should. And we need to reform that system. We need to fix that system.

BASH: Last question quickly. The president was asked over the weekend if people deserve due process, no matter what their situation is, if they're on U.S. soil. He said, I don't know. What do you think?

JOYCE: Well, the Constitution lays out rights for every single American and every citizen. And I'm sure that right now in the things that they're arguing about whether or not these people can be labeled enemy combatants is something that's working its way through the court system. I'm a big believer as a 25-year prosecutor in the system, and I'm looking forward to see what the Supreme Court has to say.

BASH: OK. Congressman, thank you so much for being here. Appreciate it.

JOYCE: Thank you very much for having me.

BASH: And he was a staunch Trump critic, but that is long in the rearview mirror. How Vice President JD Vance is redefining his very vocal and very involved role in the Trump administration.

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(BEGIN VIDEOCLIP)

MIKE PENCE, FORMER VICE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: -- but it became a triumph of freedom. And history will record that our institutions held. When, after law enforcement secured the Capitol, leaders in both chambers, in both political parties, reconvened the very same day and finished democracy's work under the Constitution.

(END VIDEOCLIP)

[12:43:23]

BASH: That was last night, former Vice President Mike Pence received the John F. Kennedy Profile in Courage Award for standing up to President Trump on January 6th, 2021. It's a decision that the current Vice President has repeatedly said he disagrees with, which is a big part of what made President Trump pick JD Vance as his running mate.

We talked a lot last week about the first 100 days of Trump's presidency. But how about the first 100 days of Vance's vice presidency?

My smart panel is here with me now. You know, there's so many ways to talk about JD Vance. Obviously, he changed his mind, but so did a lot of people on Donald Trump. But the way that he has approached his job as vice president and made himself so important and almost indispensable as, you know, sort of -- he's been described to me as like, part son, part staffer, and part adviser.

AYESHA RASCOE, NPR HOST, "WEEKEND EDITION SUNDAY" AND "UP FIRST": And he's done it all while, you know, picking a lot of fights on Twitter, which -- or X as it is now.

BASH: Which is on brand.

RASCOE: Yes, which is on brand. And I also think that for the average person, they're probably not thinking a lot about Vance, but that's probably good for a vice president, right? Like, you don't want a vice president who is, like, sucking up all the oxygen, and Trump certainly doesn't want that.

And so I think that he's done a good job of fighting those fights. The thing that most people know him for probably is, like, meeting with the Pope and, like, fighting with Zelenskyy, right, which is, like, not bad for a vice president.

MANU RAJU, CNN CHIEF CONGRESSIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Yes.

[12:45:01]

BASH: Especially Trump's vice president. He was the tiebreaker vote to confirm the Defense Secretary, Pete Hegseth. He, of course, gave a blistering speech at the Munich Security Conference, talking about the fact that all these European capitals, from his point of view, are woke.

Of course, he talked about that clash that he had with President Zelenskyy in the Oval Office. And he did make that visit to Greenland.

KASIE HUNT, CNN CHIEF NATIONAL AFFAIRS ANALYST: He did, indeed. And, you know, this is -- it can be one of the toughest jobs in Washington for many reasons. There are a lot of people who -- while, yes, if asked, they will do it, they often struggle with being the number two to anyone else. Oftentimes, there are fraught and difficult interactions with the principal, with the president, because you don't want to be seen as -- or rather, the president certainly doesn't want to be threatened by somebody waiting in the wings.

And this dynamic is torqued in many ways because Trump is effectively a lame-duck president, right? I mean, he said pretty clearly in that interview with Kristen Welker, I am not running for a third term. He talked about JD Vance and Marco Rubio. You can already hear -- I mean, Republican strategists, I'm sure you're hearing the same things I'm hearing, are already talking about this brewing behind-the-scenes clash between the Rubio wing and the JD Vance wings of the party. So, I'm interested to know if Trump was trying to encourage that.

RAJU: Yes.

BASH: But let's listen to that part of that interview.

(BEGIN VIDEOCLIP)

KRISTEN WELKER, NBC NEWS HOST: Who do you see as your successor, Mr. President?

TRUMP: Well, it's far too early to say that. But, you know, I do have a vice president, and typically it would be -- and JD's doing a fantastic job.

WELKER: He would be at the top of the list?

TRUMP: It could very well be. I don't want to get involved in that. I think he's a fantastic, brilliant guy. Marco is great. There's a lot of them that are great. I also see tremendous unity. But certainly you would say that somebody's VP, if that person is outstanding, I guess that person would have an advantage.

(END VIDEOCLIP)

RAJU: Yes, there's a lot of words there. But I think that it's interesting. Yes, he said Vance and Rubio. But I expect in 2028, we're probably going to see a whole host of people jumping in.

And each one of them is going to probably -- is try to get the Trump mantle, unless the Trump presidency completely implodes and goes the opposite direction. And perhaps it's a liability to carry that Trump mantle. But this base is still going to be there --

BASH: Yes.

RAJU: -- going to dominate the primary politics. And he, you've got to say, is almost certainly going to be a frontrunner, if there -- especially if there's all these candidates dividing up their loyalty or dividing up the MAGA base.

BASH: We've seen that before --

RAJU: Yes.

BASH: -- with the guy named Donald Trump.

All right, everybody, thank you so much. Don't go anywhere. First of all, Ayesha, Manu, and Kasie, you're going. But don't go anywhere. Just keep it on CNN, because you really want to make sure to see Casey's fantastic show, The Arena, which is at 4:00 p.m. Eastern, 1:00 p.m. Pacific.

Up next, lights, camera, tariffs? We'll break down how President Trump's plan to encourage movie production here in the U.S., what it means for the film industry, really. Stay with us.

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[12:52:31]

BASH: Lights, camera, tariffs? Last night, President Trump posted on Truth Social that he authorized U.S. trade officials to immediately begin the process of instituting a 100 percent tariff on any and all movies coming into our country that are produced in foreign lands.

Now, just before we came to air, the White House said no final decisions have been made on new film tariffs. So what exactly does this mean for the film industry? And what exactly does this mean, period?

You see him there, CNN Chief Media Analyst Brian Stelter is here. Brian, before we talk, I just want to play a soundbite from Rob Lowe. And he was talking, I believe it was on his podcast, literally, to Adam Scott about this very issue of how expensive it is to make movies, TV, all of it in the United States. (BEGIN VIDEOCLIP)

ROB LOWE, ACTOR: It's cheaper to bring 100 American people to Ireland than to walk across the lot --

ADAM SCOTT, ACTOR: Right.

LOWE: -- at Fox.

SCOTT: Right.

LOWE: Pass the soundstages and do it there.

SCOTT: Crazy. Do you think if we shot Parks right now, we would be in Budapest?

LOWE: 100 percent we would be. We'd be in Budapest. We would be --

SCOTT: It's so weird. There's nothing shoots in Los Angeles.

LOWE: Nothing. Nothing.

SCOTT: Nothing.

(END VIDEOCLIP)

BASH: So, Brian, I know you hear it. This is a very big problem for lots of reasons. That things just aren't being shot the way that they were, particularly in Los Angeles, generally speaking, because it's Hollywood, but especially post fires, because it's not just the actors. It's everybody who works in the film and television industry who aren't getting as much work because a lot of it is going overseas.

BRIAN STELTER, CNN CHIEF MEDIA ANALYST: Right, it is a real issue. And that's part of the reaction in the last 12 hours or so. Hollywood executives saying, yes, this is a problem. So-called runaway production, first films and TV shows leaving California, then leaving the U.S. altogether.

Movie studios, including CNN's parent, Warner Bros. Discovery, they're going to make movies and TV shows wherever it makes the most sense financially. And that's why there's been an effort in recent months and recent years to get a federal film tax incentive in place so that more films, movies and television shows are shot here in the U.S.

But what Trump has proposed is not a carrot like a tax incentive, but instead a stick. And that's why so many people are baffled and worried about his idea that's been proposed. And maybe that's why the White House is a little bit walking it back in the last hour, Dana, and saying, hey, all options are on the table, although Trump is talking about tariffs.

BASH: Yes.

[12:55:01] STELTER: You know, in the last few hours, Jamie Gangel and I have been on the phone with studio chiefs, with entertainment executives. And we've heard some people downright apoplectic, you know, baffled by this. Others more open minded saying, look, the problem is real, but does Trump actually know what to do about it? And that's a very open question.

BASH: Well, also what do you tariff?

STELTER: Yes. What do you tariff? Normally --

BASH: Yes.

STELTER: -- tariffs are for goods --

BASH: Right.

STELTER: -- films, TV shows. They are services. So this would actually be a new kind of tariff. There are a lot of questions about how in the world this could be implemented. And frankly, some of our sources doubt it ever will be. It seems like, though, Trump is trying to start a conversation about this issue. And he's doing it in an industry, Hollywood, that he views as being against him.

So it could be a very interesting battle going forward, Dana.

BASH: Yes, it sure could be. I encourage everybody to check out your story on CNN.com, along with --

STELTER: Thanks.

BASH: -- Jamie Gangel. Thank you for jumping on with us to give us a preview.

Thank you for joining Inside Politics. Everyone out there, CNN News Central starts after the break.

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