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The pursuing is the transcript of the interrogation with Reps. Brian Fitzpatrick, Republican of Pennsylvania, and Tom Suozzi, Democrat of New York, that aired connected "Face the Nation with Margaret Brennan" connected May 17, 2026.
MARGARET BRENNAN: Welcome backmost to Face the Nation, and the co-chairs of the bipartisan House Problem Solvers Caucus, Republican Brian Fitzpatrick joins america from Langhorne, Pennsylvania, Democrat Tom Suozzi from Queens, New York. Good greeting to you both, gentlemen.
REP. TOM SUOZZI: Good morning.
REP. BRIAN FITZPATRICK: Good morning.
MARGARET BRENNAN: I privation to commencement with you, Congressman Fitzpatrick. You know, CBS estimates that the nett interaction of each this redistricting is that Republicans are going to get astir 9 seats- get them 9 seats closer, I should say, to keeping power of the House. I mean, presumably that's the result the president was looking for here. Why are you acrophobic that you cognize driving towards the bulk done these methods is really a antagonistic for your party?
REP. FITZPATRICK: It's a unspeakable happening for our country. Margaret, gerrymandering is 1 of the most, if not the most, corrosive things to our ideology that I tin imagine. Tom and I wholly hold with it. Our full bipartisan Problem Solvers caucus agrees to it. We met this past week to commencement taking measurable steps to combat back, due to the fact that you cognize portion of the challenge, Margaret, is you cognize overmuch similar however elections are conducted, these territory lines, it's mostly a relation of authorities authorities and authorities legislative action. The lone jurisdictional hook we person connected the national strategy is funding, truthful peculiarly the Help America Vote Act, the alleged HAVA backing that passed aft the Bush v. Gore hanging-chad election. You know, we tin necktie that wealth - it's billions of dollars that get sent to the states to transportation retired their elections. We tin necktie that backing to definite reforms, and 1 of the things that has to hap - lone 7 states, by the way, bash this successful America - is person autarkic national commissions, with computer-generated enactment drafting assisting them, to marque definite that we person much balanced districts successful this country.
MARGARET BRENNAN: Well, I recognize the effort and the intent, but Congressman Suozzi, your party's leaders besides gerrymander- gerrymandering, and your group, arsenic we conscionable heard from Congressman Fitzpatrick, you're supporting efforts to halt it. But it looks similar your members are going to beryllium straight impacted themselves. About 45 members of your caucus whitethorn look redistricting. You've said it's going to termination the country. I mean, however does it really termination the quality to scope crossed the aisle similar you gentlemen are doing?
REP. SUOZZI: What happens is, erstwhile you make the harmless seats done gerrymandering, is that the lone elections that substance are not the wide election, but the primary, truthful everybody panders to their base, the Republicans speech to their base, the Democrats speech to their base, alternatively of talking to each of their constituents astir what they attraction about, and there's a batch of pandering that goes on. So you cognize we're successful this- this conflict close now, this contention to the bottom, and we're going to combat occurrence with fire. The Democrats are going to combat the Republicans, Republicans going to combat the Democrats. It's atrocious for America. It's atrocious for America to person each the harmless seats wherever nary person is incentivized to perceive to radical and to scope crossed the aisle.
MARGARET BRENNAN: So I misspoke. It's 45 members successful your caucus, much than a twelve of them whitethorn beryllium straight impacted, but inactive I instrumentality your broader constituent present that it's damaging to the quality to enactment transverse aisle. But I privation to inquire you, Congressman Fitzpatrick, from the Republican perspective, we conscionable saw what happened overnight down successful Louisiana, wherever Senator Bill Cassidy mislaid successful this three-way primary. The President himself, the person of your party, who wanted this redistricting, has besides been straight progressive successful immoderate of these superior races, picking candidates, helium came retired hard against Cassidy. He's besides present focusing successful connected Congressman Thomas Massie of Kentucky, who has taken votes successful absorption to the president, including for the merchandise of the Epstein files. Is the connection present for Republicans that if you dissent from the President, helium is going to instrumentality you down?
REP. FITZPATRICK: Well, it is 1 of the galore reasons, Margaret, wherefore we request to unfastened primaries up successful each 50 states, different origin that Tom and I are behind. Over fractional the states successful this state person closed primaries, meaning that if you are a registered independent, you are excluded from voting successful 50% of elections, and let's conscionable enactment this into context. You could beryllium a 98-year-old World War Two seasoned who stormed the beaches of Normandy, saved civilization, who registers autarkic successful the onshore of independence, which we're celebrating 250 years of, and successful fractional of the states of this country, including, unfortunately, our location authorities present successful Pennsylvania, if you registry independent, you're told you're not invited to ballot successful fractional of elections. That is insane. And not lone is it an injustice, Margaret, it has a unspeakable corrosive effect connected the level of the House. Tom and I spot it each the time. We telephone it the ballot no, anticipation yes crowd. They spell to the House level wanting to enactment a policy, knowing that argumentation is the close happening to do. But due to the fact that they unrecorded successful a closed superior state, and 18% of Americans, 18% of Americans ballot successful primaries, they're going to the House level reasoning astir 18% of their electorate alternatively of 100% of their electorate. So, closed primaries, coupled with gerrymandering, your erstwhile question, are really, truly hurting our country. They're causing gridlock connected the House floor.
MARGARET BRENNAN: Yeah. It would seem, though, that- that you are truly swimming against the tide here, some of you gentlemen. I privation to inquire you, Congressman Suozzi, astir your–
REP. SUOZZI: Can I conscionable marque 1 quick?
MARGARET BRENNAN: Yeah, sure. I was going to inquire you astir your race, but spell ahead.
REP. SUOZZI: Let maine just. Let maine conscionable marque a speedy point. I'm successful a territory that Donald Trump won by 19,000 votes.
MARGARET BRENNAN: Yeah.
REP. SUOZZI: Brian's successful the- and I'm a Democrat. Brian's successful the territory arsenic a Republican that Kamala Harris won. For maine to triumph my race, I person to perceive to everybody. I request the ample bulk of Democrats to ballot for me. I request the bulk of independents to ballot for me. I adjacent request a fewer Republicans to listen, to ballot for me. So, I've got to perceive to everybody, and that's what's bully for America, is erstwhile their elected officials person to perceive to their people. When you bash each this gerrymandering and make each these harmless seats, the politicians successful the harmless seats, astir of the elected officials successful Congress close present lone person to triumph their superior due to the fact that they're guaranteed the Republicans are going to triumph the Republican seat, the Democrats tin triumph the Democratic seat, and past they lone perceive to their basal and they pander to their base. That's contributing to the part of our country, on with societal media, cablegram news, our overseas adversaries filling our societal media feeds with a clump of dreck.
MARGARET BRENNAN: Not going to propulsion backmost connected you connected those points here, sir. But backmost to the question I was going to inquire you successful respect to your race. I cognize that erstwhile it comes to radical similar you person to spell retired and persuade, you judge that Democrats tin truly marque a lawsuit connected the affordability argument. We've been talking astir the polling that CBS has done, showing however worrisome it is for the President's party, but it besides shows neither Democrats nor Republicans ain the message. It's beauteous evenly split. 35 percent accidental Democrats would beryllium better. It's 31 percent who deliberation Trump and Republicans would be. 34 percent neither oregon not sure. No one's truly convinced that either the parties person an reply here. So, however bash you really marque that an edge?
REP. SUOZZI: Yeah, there's nary question that this is simply a large problem. Affordability is the fig 1 contented successful America. Your polling conscionable shows that, and we spot prices are going up similar crazy. Why? Because of the tariffs, due to the fact that of the war, due to the fact that of the caller information centers, and due to the fact that of each the debt. And we person to suggest policies that Democrats and Republicans volition enactment together. You know, the tariff issue, the President expected to travel to Congress, the warfare powers, the president's expected to travel to Congress. Let's enactment unneurotic to really enactment solutions successful place, truthful we tin get backmost to a spot successful America wherever everybody, whether you're a left-wing progressive oregon a right-wing conservative, you judge that successful instrumentality for moving hard, you marque capable wealth truthful you tin spend to bargain a house, amended your kids, wage for wellness insurance, and discontinue without being scared. We've got to get backmost to those basal fundamental, cardinal messages. Enough with the digit pointing and the civilization wars. Let's absorption connected the economics of people's lives, truthful we tin rebuild the mediate people and assistance those folks that are aspiring to the mediate class.
MARGARET BRENNAN: But successful immoderate ways, that polling Congressman Fitzpatrick says radical privation thing antithetic from what they're proceeding from some of the parties, they're not proceeding caller ideas. Go ahead.
REP. FITZPATRICK: Yeah. Over fractional of the radical successful this state unrecorded paycheck to paycheck. A batch of the things that are being discussed wrong the authorities capitals crossed America, wrong the US Capitol, is not laser focused connected that each day, each day. Yes, we person to absorption connected nationalist security. Yes, we person to absorption connected overseas policy. We got to bash it all.
MARGARET BRENNAN: Yep.
REP. FITZPATRICK: But we cannot disregard the information that fractional of Americans are stressing implicit their household budgets, and that's got to thrust the legislative agenda. I judge that it was that crushed that President Trump won successful 2024. I deliberation that's wherefore Zoran Mamdami won successful 2025 and I deliberation some parties, Margaret, are failing to get that connection that we person to absorption similar a laser connected the system connected these household budgets and place the silos. What's causing precocious vigor costs? What's causing precocious childcare costs? What's causing precocious wellness attraction costs? Tom and I measurement guardant done a discharge petition and passed the, done the house, the premium taxation recognition extension. We're trying to bash our portion to transverse the aisle to enactment successful the halfway to absorption connected the issues that radical truly attraction about, which is the room array issues.
MARGARET BRENNAN: Well, to that point, President Trump told my workfellow Nancy Cordes that helium endorsed a national state taxation holiday. Believe it inactive would person to spell earlier Congress. Would some of you gentlemen, ballot for that? Suspending it?
REP. SUOZZI: I deliberation you cognize we person to see abbreviated word fix. It's going to impact the (CROSSTALK) Yeah, it's a abbreviated word fix. We truly got to get to the president's got to travel to Congress to sermon the warfare and however to, however to determination guardant to get retired of the- retired of the war, and to impact the state prices. That's the existent contented here. The tariffs are what are truly affecting people's prices. Come to Congress, enactment with Democrats and Republicans. Let's effort and determination our state forward.
MARGARET BRENNAN: Congressman-
REP. FITZPATRICK: My answer. Yeah, my reply to that question. So we enactment with a batch with the labour unions, they've expressed immoderate concerns astir this national state taxation holiday, that it mightiness raid the road transit fund, which they trust connected heavy for each the section infrastructure and nationalist infrastructure projects, for that matter. So, I deliberation the devil is successful the item erstwhile we accidental national state taxation holiday, wherever is that wealth coming from? That's truly going to beryllium the driving question. Yes, we privation to bash everything imaginable to little state prices, but we don't privation to rob Peter to wage Paul, truthful we person to, we person to look astatine the details here.
MARGARET BRENNAN: Quickly earlier I fto you go. Congressman Fitzpatrick, you're a large protagonist of Ukraine. You did get immoderate further enactment for further assistance erstwhile it comes to the House. This is similar a ballot connected authorizing caller information assistance and imposing caller sanctions connected Russia, adjacent aft the House votes, we're proceeding successful the Senate from Leader Thune, he's got nary clip to instrumentality it up. What bash you bash next?
REP. FITZPATRICK: We're going to bash everything we can, Margaret, to marque definite they find clip to instrumentality it up, due to the fact that our- the heroes that are connected the beforehand lines of the Ukrainian subject successful Kharkiv and everywhere, everyplace other on the eastbound seashore of Ukraine, request our help. They request the morale boost. I've been determination connected the beforehand enactment respective times. I person pledged my unequivocal enactment for them. We reached 218 signatures, arsenic you know, this week connected a massive, monolithic discharge petition that is acold greater than adjacent conscionable Russia sanctions. That's a large portion of it, but it's an wide a bundle to Ukraine. So, my connection to our Ukrainian friends: assistance is connected the way.
MARGARET BRENNAN: All right, gentlemen, convey you for speaking to america successful this bipartisan setting. Appreciate it. We'll beryllium close back.
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