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The pursuing is the transcript of the interrogation with Sen. Mark Kelly, Democrat of Arizona, that aired connected "Face the Nation with Margaret Brennan" connected Oct. 4, 2026.
MARGARET BRENNAN: We crook present to Arizona Senator Mark Kelly. He joins america from Charleston, South Carolina, wherever helium is campaigning for his chap Democrats. Good greeting to you, Senator.
SEN. MARK KELLY: Good morning.
MARGARET BRENNAN: Our CBS polling shows that Democrats person crushed to beryllium optimistic astir taking the House, but however overmuch harder volition it beryllium successful the Senate?
SEN. KELLY: Well, Margaret, determination is simply a batch of vigor successful the states I've been to recently. Whether it's Ohio oregon Iowa, Kansas, Georgia, present present successful South Carolina, I deliberation we person existent opportunities successful a batch of places. But also, I mean, this could be, you know, adjacent elections successful galore of these states. But I'll archer you this: radical are frustrated and they're fed up with Washington D.C. close now, and they cognize that this president is not addressing, you know, immoderate of the needs that impact them and their families. I mean, the outgo of surviving is mode excessively high. The terms of everything conscionable keeps going up, and radical can't spend their lives.
MARGARET BRENNAN: Well, President Trump announced Friday he's going to nonstop $90 payments to 20 cardinal older Americans this month, Medicare Part B enrollees. That's successful summation to sending $500 successful presumption of checks to ACA refunds to a cardinal people. Also said if Republicans win, past he'll nonstop everyone $5000 bucks. Do you enactment immoderate of that? And what precisely is the Democratic connection connected lowering costs for Americans?
SEN. KELLY: Well, surely trying to assistance immoderate moving people radical and seniors connected a fixed income. But you got to remember, this is simply a feline that gave a large taxation chopped to the wealthiest Americans, to billionaires and millionaires, and past to partially wage for it, he's kicking radical disconnected of their wellness care, disconnected of Medicaid. He's taking nutrient benefits distant from radical that are having a hard clip affording food, adjacent children, successful bid to to assistance retired his household and his friends, truthful I deliberation radical should spot this for what it is, particularly this $5,000 payment, if Republicans support power of the House and the Senate. I mean, this is conscionable a- a payoff, and he's trying to bargain votes. I mean, are you amazed with this president, who, successful my view, is the astir corrupt occupant of the Oval Office ever? I'm not surprised, but it's not right.
MARGARET BRENNAN 09:02:11
But what is the affirmative Democratic connection here, different than we're not him?
SEN. KELLY: Well, we're going to little costs for the American people.
MARGARET BRENNAN: How?
SEN. KELLY: We've got to triumph the House and, oregon the Senate. Well- well, however volition we bash this? I person authorities with- with Chris Van Hollen. We've got to get Republicans connected board. It raises taxes for radical who marque implicit a cardinal dollars a twelvemonth successful income, and it provides taxation cuts for people, individuals, and adjacent couples up to- who marque up to astir $160,000 a year- that's immoderate relief. Ending this warfare successful Iran that helium started without a- immoderate benignant of a strategical extremity oregon a plan, has jacked up prices for the American people- ending that would help. Getting this tariff argumentation reversed, these ridiculous tariffs that person besides jacked up prices. The American radical wage this. For immoderate crushed the president thinks that overseas countries are paying for these tariffs, that is not true. So determination are things, a batch of things, we tin and volition bash erstwhile we triumph backmost the House and, oregon the Senate.
MARGARET BRENNAN: Well, Republicans person pulled funding, arsenic I recognize it, from North Carolina's Senate race, they've redirected it retired to Kansas. Not typically a spot a Republican would person to walk wealth to- to support an advantage, but what seats specifically are you optimistic you tin crook blue?
SEN. KELLY: Well, determination are a batch of them. I spent immoderate clip successful Kansas with Adam Hamilton. He's a pastor. He's- he's a large guy. He is the close idiosyncratic for Kansas. He understands what Kansans are dealing with. Josh Turek successful Iowa, akin benignant of concern wherever that's a precise winnable race. Mary Peltola successful Alaska, Troy Jackson successful Maine, Sherrod Brown successful Ohio. I'm gonna bash an event, you know, present contiguous with Annie Andrews successful South Carolina. Yeah, I recognize it's South Carolina, but she is simply a pediatrician, she's moving incredibly hard, she's raising the resources to beryllium successful. And past determination are the House races. Admiral Nancy Lacore, I did an lawsuit with her yesterday present successful South Carolina- tin beryllium captious to Democrats winning backmost the House of Representatives. She's a- she's a three-star admiral, a naval aviator similar myself, who was fired by Pete Hegseth aboriginal successful this administration.
MARGARET BRENNAN: Well, a fig of Senate Republicans person expressed immoderate interest astir Secretary Hegseth's firing. He besides announced this past week he's going to chopped by 20% the fig of generals and admirals. He says successful bid to effort to alteration the civilization and what the media calls a purge, helium says is simply a substance of accountability. Do you person immoderate penetration into who helium volition beryllium targeting successful these cuts, and if Democrats instrumentality immoderate control, bash you person immoderate quality to halt it?
SEN. KELLY: Well, helium often fires radical due to the fact that of the colour of their tegument oregon due to the fact that they're women. He besides seems to beryllium looking for--
MARGARET BRENNAN: He would contradict that.
SEN. MARK KELLY: --loyal- of course, helium would contradict that. I deliberation anybody would contradict that. But it's beauteous evident erstwhile you person a database of 7 radical who don't beforehand from one-star to two-star, and 5 of them are either achromatic oregon women. It's beauteous obvious. Also, close disconnected the bat, firing CQ Brown without giving immoderate reason, without immoderate peculiar crushed wherefore 1 of the astir qualified nonrecreational aviators, but a four-star general, main of unit of the Air Force, fired. Lisa Francetti--
MARGARET BRENNAN: Yeah.
SEN. KELLY: --the main of naval operations, fired. The commandant of the Coast Guard, besides a woman, was fired. The- the database goes on, Margaret. This is simply a signifier with this Secretary of Defense, and it's damaging our readiness. And erstwhile you wounded readiness, it means that each of us, everybody watching the show, you and your family, are little harmless due to the fact that we person the astir unqualified Secretary of Defense we've ever had successful this country's history.
MARGARET BRENNAN: Well, helium gave a large code this past week. The caput said that each subject subdivision has deed its recruiting targets up of the extremity of the year. He besides argues subject intersexual assaults are connected the decline. I cognize they person been connected the diminution for a fewer years now, but what is your effect to his statement that he's doing thing right?
SEN. KELLY: Well, he's doing precise small right. Remember, Margaret, this is simply a feline that gets connected a signifier successful beforehand of the elder enactment of the U.S. subject and runs astir talking astir sidesplitting radical and lethality, and that the rules of engagement- I'm going to paraphrase, but helium talks astir however helium wants to destruct oregon trim the rules of engagement, and you spot the consequences of that successful Iran. And he- his program is what we went into Iran with, and helium has bombed oregon attacked implicit 15,000 targets, depleting our munition supply. This happening has been a catastrophe due to the fact that the Secretary of Defense has nary thought what he's doing--
MARGARET BRENNAN: Yeah.
SEN. MARK KELLY: --and to immoderate extent, he's besides a yes- a yes-man for the president. Nobody seems to privation to propulsion backmost against this president, who--
MARGARET BRENNAN: Yeah.
SEN. MARK KELLY: --who I- I deliberation is checked retired from adjacent trying to bash this job.
MARGARET BRENNAN: Okay.
SEN. MARK KELLY: Got america into different warfare with- without- without a program and without explaining- explaining to the American radical what are we going to get retired of this.
MARGARET BRENNAN: Senator, I'm atrocious to chopped you off, but I'm retired of time, I person to permission it there. Thank you. We'll beryllium close back.
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