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The pursuing is the transcript of the interrogation with Rep. Jason Crow, Democrat of Colorado, that aired connected "Face the Nation with Margaret Brennan" connected May 3, 2026.
MARGARET BRENNAN: We spell present to Colorado Democratic Congressman Jason Crow, who's joining america from Sedona, Arizona, wherever he's attending the McCain Institute Forum. Good greeting to you.
REP. JASON CROW: Hi. Good morning, Margaret.
MARGARET BRENNAN: So I privation to inquire you astir immoderate processing news. We learned precocious Friday that determination was a determination made by Secretary Hegseth and the 2 Republican chairs of the House and Senate Armed Services committees are objecting to it. They are precise acrophobic by Hegseth's bid to retreat a US brigade from Germany. They said it was not coordinated with Congress. And yesterday, President Trump said, connected apical of the 5000 that was announced, helium wants to propulsion adjacent much troops retired of Germany. What is the effect of doing so?
REP. CROW: Well, archetypal of all, it's not conscionable a deficiency of coordination oregon conscionable Congress's penchant that we privation this to beryllium on- this is law. There's really instrumentality successful spot that some the House and the Senate passed connected a bipartisan ground that sets definite conditions for question of our troops astir Europe. And we passed these laws retired of sedate interest for rhetoric by this medication successful the past that they were going to gully down our beingness successful Europe, which is 1 of the astir important unit footprints we person successful the satellite that helps unafraid Europe, helps unafraid our economy, helps support the hundreds of thousands of American citizens who unrecorded and enactment connected the continent. So we are enforcing the instrumentality and the requirements. Second is, it appears arsenic though this determination was made due to the fact that Donald Trump was upset by a remark made by the German chancellor, similar helium is getting affectional and aggravated astir this, and he's making truly consequential unit decision- unit question decisions based upon being upset by the comments of a overseas leader, which is nary mode to tally a overseas policy. So we're looking into it, and we're going to marque definite that immoderate movements, if they bash occur, are really successful our interests.
MARGARET BRENNAN: You were talking astir the Chancellor of Germany saying that a full federation is being humiliated by the Iranian leadership. I mean, that's a beauteous beardown connection from an ally. But successful respect to pulling troops retired of that country, we'll inactive person astatine slightest 30,000 troops oregon truthful successful Germany. Isn't that inactive wrong the ineligible framework? I judge that the level is acceptable to 76,000 successful Europe, but the President tin spell beneath it if helium certifies to Congress. It's successful the nationalist interest. Why bash you deliberation determination is simply a violation?
REP. CROW: Well, that's precisely the appraisal we person to spell through. You know, what we cognize is that the President is making a determination based upon a remark that helium didn't similar by a overseas leader. So that unsocial is precise concerning to us. It should beryllium concerning to each American that you person the President of the United States, a commandant successful main who's going to determination thousands of troops astir conscionable to get backmost astatine a overseas person for a remark that helium doesn't like. But I'm not presumptively against unit movements, similar if we request to determination troops oregon brigades astir to respond to nationalist information issues, we should, by each means bash that. That's the prerogative of the commandant successful chief. When I was successful the military, we would determination forces astir each the time. My constituent is, we really person to marque definite that this is being done according to the risks that our forces are facing, that it's being done connected the due timeline, due to the fact that moving troops and units astir is precise risky and exposes them to a assortment of risks, and that it's successful the champion involvement of the United States. And close present sitting here, what we cognize is that this isn't a determination that's driven by the champion interests of our troops and Americans. It's a determination based upon the emotion of Donald Trump.
MARGARET BRENNAN: Do you deliberation the U.S. tin extremity the war, oregon immoderate we're successful with Iran close present without clearing that Strait of Hormuz? Do you expect a instrumentality to combat?
REP. CROW: Well, archetypal of all, it's Iran that's blockading the Strait of Hormuz. We're blockading their blockade. I deliberation the existent question that we should each beryllium asking is, does America truly privation to proceed to person struggle successful the Middle East for different you know, 5, 10, 20 years? The occupation is, is that we person confused arsenic a nation--
MARGARET BRENNAN: --Why would it spell long?
REP. CROW: --We person confused arsenic a nation, tactics versus strategy. Most of the speech astir around Iran is astir tactics. Should we blockade? How bash we antagonistic drones? You know, who is moving lipid around, where? What is our strategy? Right? We spent trillions of dollars successful Iraq and Afghanistan to regenerate the Taliban with the Taliban. In Iraq, to regenerate Saddam Hussein with ISIS. We are not bully astatine having disconnected ramps and accomplishing ample strategical decisions successful the Middle East, right? And this is conscionable yet different illustration of that. So let's really speech strategy and what it is we're trying to execute here, alternatively of having a changeless treatment astir blockades.
MARGARET BRENNAN: So erstwhile Secretary Hegseth was earlier your committee this week and helium was asking for this 1 and a fractional trillion dollar fund request, are Democrats going to accidental nary until they get those answers? Or bash you person to money the troops who are successful harm's way?
REP. CROW: Well, I'm conscionable going to accidental no, careless of you know, what's going connected successful 1 area, due to the fact that we don't request that money, right? The Department of Defense has ne'er passed an audit. Never successful the past of that department. It is the lone authorities bureau successful the U.S. authorities that cannot archer us--
MARGARET BRENNAN: Don't you request to restock munitions?
REP. CROW: --how they're spending money. We person already, we person already funded munition stockpiles amounts, and what I americium not going to bash is proceed the pattern, similar we continued successful Iraq and Afghanistan, of throwing bully wealth aft atrocious and perpetually backing conflicts that ne'er extremity and volition not extremity up successful a bully effect for America, right? That is precisely what we did successful Iraq and Afghanistan. And idiosyncratic has to say, capable is enough. Somebody has to measurement up and say, we're conscionable not going to bash it. And a president that hasn't told america what the strategy is, hasn't travel to legislature for authorization, hasn't adjacent articulated to the American radical what he's trying to accomplish. I americium not going to constitute blank checks to person that rhythm continue. I'm not going to bash it.
MARGARET BRENNAN: I privation to inquire you astir different decision. Section 702, is that warrantless surveillance programme that's utilized to cod communications of foreigners overseas erstwhile they're- including erstwhile they're interacting with Americans. Your Democratic colleague, Jim Himes, who is successful that almighty presumption connected House intelligence, called it the astir important overseas quality instrumentality America has. He said helium has seen nary grounds that the Trump medication is misusing it, yet you person voted nary connected a agelong word extension. What grounds bash you person of maltreatment oregon violations of it?
REP. CROW: Well, here's the occupation we have. Jim Himes is right. This is an incredibly important instrumentality that helps forestall violent attacks. It gives america quality connected our adversaries that helps support our troops, which is wherefore I've ever supported it. But close now, successful the past year, we person seen a president that routinely ignores ineligible decisions. You cognize they are- they are ignoring much than a 3rd of tribunal rulings against them, routinely violating the law. Hell, successful February, they really politicized DOJ and they tried to enactment maine successful prison. They tried to indict maine and different members of Congress simply archetypal stating what the instrumentality is and what the work of our work members are. But I americium profoundly concerned--
MARGARET BRENNAN: But your committee seat is begging for it to beryllium extended and saying there's nary misuse of it.
REP. CROW: What I americium saying is I americium not consenting to springiness a precise agelong runway to this medication connected a precise almighty quality instrumentality erstwhile they person routinely shown to the American radical and to america that they interruption the instrumentality and they don't respect the law, and I volition bash a abbreviated word extension, and past we volition oversee that program, and we volition guarantee- I volition look astatine it hard each azygous month, and if they're abusing it, if they're straying from the law, past we propulsion it back. But giving them a 3 twelvemonth runway gets escaped of each of our leverage. If we springiness them a 3 twelvemonth reauthorization, what are we going to bash if a twelvemonth from now, 18 months from now, they commencement violating the programme and abusing it? We person nary recourse.
MARGARET BRENNAN: Well, close now, it goes until June 12 with this abbreviated word extension. Jason Crow, convey you, Congressman for joining america this morning. We'll beryllium backmost successful a moment.
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