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The pursuing is the transcript of an interrogation with Rep. Michael McCaul, Republican of Texas, that aired connected "Face the Nation with Margaret Brennan" connected June 29, 2025.
MARGARET BRENNAN: And we're joined present by Texas Republican Congressman Michael McCaul, bully greeting to you.
REP. MICHAEL MCCAUL: Good morning. Thanks for having me.
MARGARET BRENNAN: So, your Republican colleagues successful the Senate person been moving hard connected trying to get this measure together, and they're astir apt going to eek it past.
REP. MICHAEL MCCAUL: Right
MARGARET BRENNAN: But that's adjacent with GOP lawmakers similar Thom Tillis saying they can't tummy what this is going to bash to Medicaid, an estimated $930 cardinal successful cuts to it. That's much important than what you each had voted to bash successful the House. Are you going to ballot again for last transition if it looks similar this?
REP. MCCAUL: No, I'm going to ballot for it for this reason. I deliberation these numbers, it's each astir waste, fraud and maltreatment successful Medicare, Medicaid. What I'm voting for is simply a borderline information measure, $80 billion, $12 cardinal to reimburse states similar mine. I'm voting for $150 cardinal that volition spell to our Department of Defense astatine a clip erstwhile we saw with Iran, is desperately needed. The satellite is connected fire, Eastern Europe, Indo-Pacific. And past the taxation cuts. I mean, if we don't widen these taxation cuts, it'll beryllium the largest taxation summation successful American past for those 3 reasons. I'm a yes. I deliberation everyone successful the House, they cognize the peril they're successful if they ballot nary connected this thing.
MARGARET BRENNAN: What bash you mean the peril they're in?
REP. MCCAUL: I think, archetypal of all, it's bully for the nation. Secondly, they cognize that their-their jobs are astatine risk. Not conscionable from the president, but from the voting- the American people. Our basal backmost location volition not reelect america to bureau if we ballot nary connected this.
MARGARET BRENNAN: But is it astir reelection, oregon is it astir the policies, right?
REP. MCCAUL: No-no. It's about- it's about- it's large for the country, and I've outlined the 3 apical points.
MARGARET BRENNAN: But to assistance maine recognize then- you person specified constrictive margins successful the house, and you look astatine these projections from similar the Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget, they accidental it violates the House instructions by $500 cardinal oregon more, what the Senate conscionable enactment unneurotic here, and that deficits could emergence much than $3 trillion. How bash you get that done erstwhile you person chap conservatives who are fiscal hawks and saying, I can't get with this, similar Chip Roy?
REP. MCCAUL: Not to get into the weeds connected the economics, but the dynamic scoring is not taken into relationship present by the Congressional Budget Office. That means that erstwhile you chopped taxes, you really get accrued revenues to the Treasury. And that's thing we saw nether President Kennedy, nether President Reagan, and nether President Bush.
MARGARET BRENNAN: Chip Roy and immoderate of these different fiscal conservatives are going to travel on for the ride?
REP. MCCAUL: Well, I deliberation astatine the extremity of the day, I deliberation they're going to ballot for it.
MARGARET BRENNAN: You do. Let's speech astir immoderate of the threats that you mentioned there, astatine location and abroad. You've been briefed connected the actions against Iran. The IAEA manager told america present that Iran has capabilities and could beryllium up and moving wrong a substance of months. Do you deliberation it is an overstatement by the White House oregon a mistake to state ngo accomplished?
REP. MCCAUL: Well, archetypal of all, I respect the IAEA. Their occupation is to inspect not to beryllium an quality agency, truthful they don't truly person the wide quality investigation that I would property to our quality assemblage similar the CIA. We met with Director Ratcliffe. It was not conscionable his decision. These are vocation and quality officers that person been astatine the CIA for implicit 30 years that made this appraisal that it was severely damaged and sets a programme backmost a substance of years. In immoderate event, the satellite and the Middle East is safer contiguous than it was 7 days ago, a week ago. That is highlighted by the information that the proxies didn't airy up. Russia didn't travel to their- to their aid. China fundamentally ran backmost for cover. Iran is connected its ain and psychologically, is precise damaged. The deterrence is real. The harm is real. This is simply a masterful subject operation, the likes of which I haven't seen since my father's war, World War Two.
MARGARET BRENNAN: So, connected the homeland front, bash you past disregard these concerns astir threats? You person the National Terrorism Advisory System that says there's a heightened menace situation successful the US. After the strikes, determination were national agents that arrested 11 overseas nationals from Iran, including 1 who had ties to Hezbollah. Have you seen circumstantial grounds of immoderate benignant of menace present successful the United States, oregon is it, arsenic you say, conscionable done and implicit with?
REP. MCCAUL: No, I have. We picked up 11 Iranians, 1 a sniper, 1 IRGC, different one, a known suspected terrorist, conscionable wrong the past mates of days.
MARGARET BRENNAN: Were they readying to bash anything, oregon did they conscionable hap to person those alliances from the past?
REP. MCCAUL: You know, I don't cognize each the details, but I volition archer you the FBI briefed maine successful a antiaircraft briefing aft Soleimani was killed. I was a portion of that--
REP. MCCAUL:-- backmost successful 2020--
MARGARET BRENNAN: -- that I was nether indictment successful Iran and that I was connected that apical people list. So, you know, look- is it imminent? I don't know. We person to instrumentality it earnestly that determination could beryllium sleeper cells successful the United States, that could spell aft radical similar Mike Pompeo, John Bolton, you know- you know- myself and others that were progressive successful that determination making and including the president of the United States. We cognize he's been targeted.
MARGARET BRENNAN: When it comes to detention of migrants present successful the United States, it's a precocious 59,000 detainees, according to ICE. 47% of them, though, deficiency a transgression record, less than 30% person been convicted of crimes. Doesn't that amusement that the numbers- these aren't the worst of the worst.
REP. MCCAUL: Yeah, I was a national authoritative for galore years. Counterterrorism. You person to prioritize, right? I would prioritize the aggravated felons that my Mayorkas fto in, successful defiance of national law. It was shall detain. He said, whitethorn detain and fto them retired into the streets. I would, I would prioritize that first.
MARGARET BRENNAN: So, you would similar that Homeland Security prioritize them and not tally up the numbers the mode they are successful this--
REP. MCCAUL: I deliberation they're moving the numbers up due to the fact that 15 to 20 cardinal radical came nether the- nether the Biden administration, and they're trying to get immoderate sanity progressive successful the United States. And I deliberation deterrence is the cardinal here. And Margaret, it is working. You know, the apprehension complaint astatine the border, and Texas is the biggest one, has gone down to astir zero. I mean, the borderline is conscionable astir secure, drawback and merchandise is over, and the threats are going away.
MARGARET BRENNAN: Mike McCaul, Congressman, convey you precise overmuch for your insights today.
REP. MCCAUL: Thanks, Margaret, acknowledgment for having me.
MARGARET BRENNAN: And we'll beryllium backmost with much Face the Nation. Stay with us. You.
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