Brennan Makes Jab At Biden Over Israel Peace Deal

President Donald Trump was snubbed by the Nobel Peace Prize committee, but received a prize nearly as nice Sunday: a rare compliment from left-leaning Face The Nation Anchor Margaret Brennan. She gave him credit for his role in the Israel peace agreement while also making a jab at former President Joe Biden’s incompetence.

“I know you have a lot of differences with the president, but on this, is this a clear win?” Brennan asked Sen. Chris Murphy, D-Conn. Sunday. He agreed it is a win for Trump. Brennan then threw former President Joe Biden under the bus.

“And President Biden wasn’t willing to put this kind of pressure on Benjamin Netanyahu. President Trump has…”

Brennan and Murphy talked about the need for Trump to keep pressure on Netanyahu long term to see that the entire agreement is implemented. This sustained pressure concept reflects a similar conversation she had earlier in the morning with Vice President JD Vance.

We’ve removed the answers so you can study just the questions from Face The Nation:  

Introduction

I’m Margaret Brennan in Washington.

President Trump prepares to head to Israel, as the deadline to release the remaining 48 hostages nears. Meanwhile, some federal employees will miss paychecks. Others face pink slips, as the government shutdown drags on. We will talk to Vice President J.D. Vance.

Hopeful Gazans have begun the trek back to their homes, as the cease-fire between Israel and Hamas continues to hold. But the rebuilding and recovery ahead is daunting and still very much unsettled. President Trump will join special envoy Steve Witkoff and son-in-law Jared Kushner in the region as peace talks continue.

Democrats Chris Murphy and Jim Himes will be here, in addition to the vice president. And we will hear from a key player in the region on the next part of the peace process.

With the shutdown now in its 12th day, more federal facilities are facing closure, paychecks are on the verge of being missed, and the Trump administration has begun sending reduction in force notices to some federal employees.

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It’s all just ahead on Face the Nation.

Margaret Brennan Questions J.D. Vance

Good morning, and welcome to Face the Nation.

We begin today with Vice President J.D. Vance, who joins us from Cincinnati this morning.

Good morning to you, Mr. Vice President.

We are getting very close to that 72-hour deadline for the hostage release. I think the world is holding its breath here. Is the administration seeing signs that Hamas and Israel are complying with everything they need to and that this will go ahead?

Those are some very ambitious plans in phase two in particular of this deal.

Let me ask you about some of the details, because the administration has pledged about 200 U.S. troops from Central Command to be part of implementing this deal. They’re not going to be in Gaza, but how long will they be involved here?

And, more broadly, is the Trump administration fully committed to keeping the pressure on? Because those things you just mentioned aren’t going to happen overnight in terms of dismantling Hamas and building towards a stable Gaza.

Big picture, though, when it comes to American security, you said back in July that you’d seen what you called heartbreaking images of little kids who are clearly starving to death in Gaza and that – quote – “Israel’s got to do more to let that aid in.”

Are you concerned that even if, God willing, this war ends, America’s security has been endangered by this perception that America has been OK with Israel and in support of it, despite conduct that clearly you and the president didn’t agree with?

Let me ask you about what’s happening here at home, or perhaps not happening, when it comes to negotiations to reopen the government.

There were more than 4,000 layoff notices, called RIFs, or reduction in force, announcements, that went out Friday to workers across seven different agencies, including Treasury and Health and Human Services. Take a listen to how the president described this.

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How are you deciding who gets laid off?

Well, these aren’t furloughs. These are notifications of being laid off, of losing their jobs. That’s why it’s a little different this time.

And specifically when it comes to what’s happening within the health sector, CBS did confirm on Saturday that the Trump administration went and rescinded some of the layoffs of hundreds of CDC scientists who were mistakenly laid off on Friday, and then told Saturday that’s not the case.

But some of them were involved with the federal measles response. Some of them were involved with the response on Ebola. How does a mistake like this happen? Did the White House even talk to the CDC?

Yes.

But that was a White House decision to lay off these individuals. You heard the president talking about that. That – that wasn’t Chuck Schumer’s decision. I understand your broader point on the negotiations, but the layoffs came from the president and the White House.

But are you confident that these job cuts are legal, that these reductions in force during a shutdown are going to withstand legal scrutiny, given that some unions are saying this is a violation of the Antideficiency Act?

Yes.

When I pressed Leader Schumer on this program just last Sunday about this, about reopening the government, he said it’s going to take getting everyone in the same room with the president of the United States.

Only the five people, including the president, he said, can solve it. Why doesn’t the president insist that lawmakers come back to Washington, sit with him and talk this through?

But the president says he’s a dealmaker. Why doesn’t he force a deal here? Why doesn’t he tell Republicans, like the speaker, get your lawmakers back here, come into my office, let’s hammer this thing out?

OK, just a quick follow there, though. What is your vision for that health care policy? Do you want these tax credits to fade out over time, extend them and then fade them out? Are you open to making them permanent?

All right, Mr. Vice President, thank you for your time this morning.

Face the Nation will be back in one minute. Stay with us.

(Commercial break)

Margaret Brennan Questions foreign minister of Egypt, Dr. Badr Abdelatty

We turn now to the foreign minister of Egypt, Dr. Badr Abdelatty. And he joins U.S. this morning from Cairo.

Welcome to Face the Nation.

So, President Trump is headed to Egypt. I know he will be meeting with President El-Sisi tomorrow in Sharm el-Sheikh to discuss this agreement about Gaza.

But everything seems dependent on this hostage release and the conclusion of phase one. From what you know and hear from Hamas, will those hostages be released in the next 24 hours?

So, the vice president, who you just heard, said that President Trump has convinced a number of countries to provide ground troops to go into Gaza. Will Egypt be sending ground troops into Gaza?

So…

But the leader of Indonesia is already committed to 20,000 troops. Is Egypt going to commit troops? Do you have a number?

OK.

Yes.

You are committing there to a Palestinian state. The president of the United States has given a bit more vague language.

And when I pressed the secretary of state on this point just last weekend, he said this is far off in the future. How long do you think it’s going to take before Palestinians are ruling Gaza and that we will see a state?

Yes.

Yes.

Right.

Well, it – again, that’s going to seemingly take a lot of time.

I want to go back to the question of security, because it is essential for rebuilding, and share with you some of what the United Nations estimates here. The U.N. says 92 percent of housing units in Gaza are destroyed or damaged. Almost 92 percent of schools will require full reconstruction or rehab; 77 percent of the total road network has been damaged; 86 percent of total cropland is destroyed.

How much is this going to cost, and where is this money coming from?

Well…

Right.

Yes. OK.

Well…

OK.

OK. I’m going to…

Well, we will look – we will look for that number to be released in the future.

Mr. Foreign Minister, I have to leave it there for now. Good luck with the conference.

We will be right back.

(Commercial break)

Report From Israel

Margaret Brennan: And welcome back to Face The Nation.

There are 200 U.S. troops going to Israel to help coordinate the Israel/Hamas ceasefire. They’ve begun arriving ahead of tomorrow’s expected hostage release. Our Debora Patta reports now from east Jerusalem.

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Margaret Brennan: Deb, that is just hard to hear. For those who are raising their hopes of what might be happening in the next 24 hours, what have you learned about how this release will happen?

And – and as you said, then the hard work begins.

Deb Patta, on the ground for us, thank you.

Margaret Brennan Questions Sen. Chris Murphy, D-Conn.

And we’re joined now here in studio by Connecticut Democrat Sen. Chris Murphy.

Thank you for being with us.

Just on this topic. I know you have a lot of differences with the president, but on this, is this a clear win?

And President Biden wasn’t willing to put this kind of pressure on Benjamin Netanyahu. President Trump has. Your point is, that’s got to be sustained pressure to see this all the way through. Am I understanding you?

Now, let me ask you about the other diplomacy that needs to happen just up the street, frankly. You have called on Democrats to stiffen their spines, to stand up to the president of the United States. At what point, though, does this pain become too much in terms of the cost of the shutdown, and when are Democrats going to show some flexibility on this?

What do you mean?

You’re talking about the premiums that will increase an average of about $1,000, I believe, for those who are using some of these health care programs through the government?

MARGARET BRENNAN: Because also it wasn’t dealt with earlier when Democrats were in leadership here.

But you – but you did hear the vice president say, when it came to healthcare, “the administration is open to a discussion. We want to lower insurance premiums.” That was a quote there. Did you hear any chance of an opening?

Right.

But this is just the seven-week deal that we’re talking about at this point. The – the short-term funding.

Right.

But you have been critical in the past of the tactic of choosing to shut down the government. You were in 2018. You were back in 2013, when it was a discussion over healthcare. This is what you said in 2018.

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Aren’t you doing today exactly what you were criticizing then?

But you do not – you do not trust that if you vote to open the government and then have a separate conversation about healthcare, that there will be any follow-through?

Because that is what the vice president was arguing here, that it’s like, Democrats aren’t even saying what it is they want to negotiate over.

Yes.

But the minority leader gave an interview to “Punchbowl” this week. I mean, there is just also the bare bones politics of this. And in that interview he said, “Every day this goes on, every day gets better for us.” The speaker of the House said that was a callous statement.

But you’ve been critical of Schumer in the past. Back in March, you were saying, we’ve got to stand up and do something. Is this about the tactic of just saying, hey, we’re standing up?

Well, but, in the meantime, there’s also the not – not getting a paycheck problem for some of these –.

Senator Murphy, thank you for your time.

We’ll be right back.

(Commercial break)

Margaret Brennan Questions Rep. Jim Himes, D-Conn.

Margaret Brennan: And we’re joined now by Connecticut Congressman Jim Himes. He is the top Democrat on the Intelligence Committee.

Good to have you here.

You are the House lawmaker in town. But – but I want to talk to you about your intelligence portfolio.

The Financial Times is reporting right now that the United States is helping Ukraine to target Russian oil installations. In other words, hitting Russia right in that pocketbook.

What can you say in regard to how the Trump administration is changing its policy? Are they truly now standing up to Vladimir Putin?

So, it’s not so much that he’s doing more, it’s that perhaps he’s freeing up more to be done by the Ukrainian military, not putting the same restrictions on them that he had been? Is that fair to say?

OK.

I ask you because Zelensky and Trump spoke twice in the past 48 hours, which is notable.

Venezuela, there are close to – the numbers we’ve seen are like 6,000 or so service people in the southern command region of operations. There have been four U.S. strikes on vessels. The U.S. says 21 people killed. You have been asking for legal justification from the administration to explain their actions. And you did it along with the head of Foreign Affairs, Armed Services, Judiciary, and Homeland Security. Can you, in any way, compel more information sharing so the U.S. knows what is being done?

They say they’ve designated them as terrorists, therefore they can use those —

Yes.

Do you – are you saying that these were not lawful orders?

That, in fact, the military was carrying – because what we constantly hear from our military leaders is, do not worry, our United States military is going to be reliant on the Constitution and only carry out lawful orders. Are you saying that these members of the military, who were the trigger pullers, did something else?

Yes.

Yes. Well, that is a huge topic, and I want to continue covering that with you. But I need to ask you as well about the shutdown and the cost in your home state.

We saw from just USAA, which is a lender and a bank to many people who work for the federal government, they said that they’ve had to provide $150 million in no interest loans to 4,500 people in just over 48 hours. That’s a cash crunch for a lot of people.

What’s happening in Connecticut?

Well, the White House seems to be trying to take that issue off the table. The president posted on social media that they’re going to repurpose funds somehow to pay the military, at least for this pay cycle. Is that sustainable? Is that legal?

As it has in the past.

So, I mean, is Donald Trump going to say a bunch of stuff? Yes, he’s going to say a bunch of stuff. But I don’t see anything moving. The House, as Senator Murphy pointed out, the House is, you know, on vacation. So, no, I don’t see – think that that’s very likely.

Well, the speaker says if the government wasn’t shut down, the military would be getting a pay if Democrats voted for the short term funding bill. But no one’s working right now, as you just said.

We’ll have to continue to track this.

Thank you, Congressman Himes.

We’ll be lack in a moment.

(Commercial break)

That’s it for us today. Thank you all for watching. Until next week. For Face the Nation, I’m Margaret Brennan.

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Beth Brelje is an elections correspondent for The Federalist. She is an award-winning investigative journalist with decades of media experience.

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