Transcript: Rep. Don Bacon on “Face the Nation with Margaret Brennan,” April 6, 2025
The following is the transcript of an interview with Rep. Don Bacon, Republican of Nebraska, that aired on “Face the Nation with Margaret Brennan” on April 6, 2025.
MARGARET BRENNAN: We go now to Nebraska, Republican Congressman Don Bacon, who joins us this morning from Omaha. Congressman, I have a lot to get to with you on a number of topics here, but just to pick up on the tariffs that we’ve been speaking about, I know you are introducing companion legislation to what Senator Cantwell just laid out for us. But as I understand it, in the House, Republican leaders have already restricted the ability to rein in changes to the Mexico, Canada and China tariffs. They tucked language into the continuing resolution. Does that get in your way when you are trying to now claw back some congressional control of tariffs?
REP. DON BACON: Well, first of all, good morning, Margaret. Thanks for having me on. And I enjoyed listening to Senator Cantwell. I support the legislation that Senator Grassley, Senator Cantwell, we have a total of seven Republicans in the Senate, and I have some beginning support on the House side, which we’ll unveil tomorrow. It will be harder to pass this in the House. No doubt. I think if we get 60 votes in the Senate, they’ll put pressure on the House to look at this. And if we continue to see the stock market go a certain direction, or if we see inflation or unemployment shift in a bad way, I think then this bill becomes a very viable bill. So it will not pass tomorrow, or maybe in the next couple of weeks, but this will be in the queue that we can use, and it’s time that Congress restores its authorities here. And the Constitution is clear, the House and the Senate, Congress, has the power of tariffs and taxes, and we gave some of that power to the executive branch, and I think in hindsight, that was a mistake.
MARGARET BRENNAN: But I hear you saying you have some momentum. Respectfully, sir, that the president talked all the time during the campaign about tariffs. He put them at the centerpiece of his policy. He talked about the glory days of the 1800s and wanting to go back to them. Did Republicans just not take him seriously?
REP. BACON: There’s a couple of facets to your question, Margaret. It’s a good question. You’re right, though, when you look back, it was Republican-supported tariffs in the 1800s and up and through 1930 when we passed the Smoot-Hartley act that created one of the worst- well, the worst depression we ever had. We learned from that that tariffs and protectionism does not work, and that free trade in the end, as long as it’s fair, we want fair trade. And I support the president wanting to get fairness, so these countries do treat us wrong, but fair trade should be the goal. And you’re right. The president talked about this. He did not hide as this is part of his agenda. But here’s my take on it, and I’ve been studying politics since I was like 13 years old. People voted for President Trump because of the border, and he has really delivered there. They voted for him too because inflation surpassed wage increases. They were poorer today than they were four years ago. I really think people voted for President Trump because of that, the border, and maybe crime, if they saw crime in the big cities. I don’t think in the end- I don’t think tariffs was really a big factor in people’s decision making when it came to last November.
MARGARET BRENNAN: Yeah, I just- I know we certainly covered them on this program, and it is surprising to me, or perhaps it shouldn’t be, that the business community is so silent right now. As Senator Cantwell said, she said they’re afraid. But there is a conservative group, the new Civil Liberties Alliance, that filed suit to challenge these tariffs in court. Do you think it is the courts where this ultimately gets settled?
REP. BACON: I think ultimately it’s Congress, once we see enough of this, but maybe the courts as well. The Constitution makes it very clear Congress has control of taxes. And, by the way- and let’s be candid, tariffs are a tax. But they also mention tariffs in the Constitution, and we gave the president emergency powers. So the courts will have to decide, is what- what just happened? Is this emergency powers, or is this a total change in tariff policy? And I think it’s really the latter. This is where Congress has to step in and say, do we really want to create this new policy on tariffs? And if it is, it should come from the Congress and not the president.
MARGARET BRENNAN: I want to ask you as well about your work on the Armed Services Committee. President Trump has fired the top two officials at the head of the very powerful National Security Agency. It’s one of the most powerful intelligence agencies we have. It vacuums up information around the world through wiretapping, signals intercepts, and they work with the military, with Cyber Command. Have you received any explanation to Congress as to why General Haugh, the four star general unanimously confirmed to the job, was suddenly dismissed?
REP. BACON: Margaret, I have not. But let me just comment on this. General Haugh is the absolute best leader in the US military to lead Cyber Command and the National Security Agency. He commanded both because half of Cyber Command relies on NSA to be effective in cyber operations, so you have to have this team. And he was in charge of both. He served 34 years in the military, and his entire career was working signals intelligence or cyber operations. Frankly, he is the best that we had. And they also fired the number two person at the National Security Agency without an explanation. I will tell you, this puts us back. It hurts us. I will tell you, Russia and China today are laughing at us because we just fired the absolute best leaders, the most qualified guys that we spent three and a half decades preparing to have this role, and he’s gone. And it’s- it’s heartbreaking to see that that decision was made without explanation, and it hurt us.
MARGARET BRENNAN: And our reporting as a network is that it came as a decision following an Oval Office meeting with a right-wing activist named Laura Loomer, who has spread conspiracy theories about 9/11, said anti-Muslim, anti-immigrant things, racist things. It also happened as at least six other National Security Council officials at the White House were dismissed on the advice of Laura Loomer. I’m wondering again, respectfully, sir, Republicans are in control. You have oversight. Are there going to be hearings on this? Are there other Republicans who are concerned and going to do something about it?
REP. BACON: I’m sure there’ll be some oversight. I’m the chairman of the Cyber Subcommittee, and so I guarantee you that we will have various military leaders, we’ll have the Secretary of Defense speak to us, and He will be asked about this–
MARGARET BRENNAN:– Did he even know?
REP. BACON: I don’t know that he know, but we’ll find out when we ask him, and we’ll ask. They’ll say that this is the president’s right, and the president does have constitutional right to do this, but does it make it appropriate or okay? He may have the constitutional authority to do it, but does it make it right? And in the end, I’m going to make it clear we just removed the most qualified military leader that we had to run Cyber Command and NSA, and we will ask about it. Now, we have oversight, doesn’t mean we can- the president does have the constitutional authority to do this, but we have- we have an opportunity to probe into this and ask why. And I have a responsibility to make clear this is wrong. It hurt us. It hurt our country.
MARGARET BRENNAN: Very quickly. Do you think it is so that the president can split up those two commands and put someone of his own choosing, a political ally, at the top of the NSA?
REP. BACON: You know it’s possible. I know that’s out there, but I would say that’s a mistake. NSA is very important to Cyber Command. You cannot do Cyber Command without the inputs from the National Security Agency, the SIGINT. If you separate, put them under two different commands, then you’re gonna create a dysfunctional partnership and will hurt our cyber operations against China and Russia.
MARGARET BRENNAN: Okay, Congressman, we’d love to have you back for another conversation about cyber one time. We have to leave it there. We’ll be back in a moment.