WEBVTT 00:01.233 --> 00:03.000 align:left position:20% line:83% size:70% GEOFF BENNETT: Welcome to the "News Hour." 00:03.000 --> 00:06.066 align:left position:20% line:77% size:70% The Trump administration ended week one with a Friday night mass firing 00:06.066 --> 00:10.833 align:left position:10% line:77% size:80% of more than a dozen lead inspectors of government oversight, a weekend uptick 00:10.833 --> 00:15.833 align:left position:10% line:77% size:80% of immigration arrests and a daylong fight over deportations and tariffs with Colombia. 00:17.066 --> 00:18.866 align:left position:20% line:83% size:70% AMNA NAWAZ: President Trump is meeting tonight 00:18.866 --> 00:22.300 align:left position:20% line:77% size:70% with House Republicans at his golf resort in Miami. Moments ago, 00:22.300 --> 00:27.300 align:left position:10% line:77% size:80% he addressed the GOP lawmakers as they gathered for their annual strategy retreat. 00:29.400 --> 00:31.500 align:left position:10% line:77% size:80% DONALD TRUMP, President of the United States: If we do our job over the next 21 months, 00:31.500 --> 00:35.900 align:left position:10% line:77% size:80% not only will House Republicans be reelected and expand our majority. In 2026, we will 00:38.300 --> 00:42.633 align:left position:10% line:71% size:80% cement a national governing coalition that will preserve American freedom for generations to come. 00:44.766 --> 00:46.666 align:left position:10% line:83% size:80% AMNA NAWAZ: Congressional correspondent 00:46.666 --> 00:50.466 align:left position:20% line:77% size:70% Lisa Desjardins is in Miami at the Republican retreat and joins us now. 00:50.466 --> 00:52.733 align:left position:20% line:83% size:70% So, Lisa, tell us what you're hearing from 00:52.733 --> 00:57.700 align:left position:20% line:77% size:70% those House Republicans. Are they all firmly behind the president's actions? 00:59.200 --> 01:01.133 align:left position:10% line:83% size:80% LISA DESJARDINS: The sense here, Amna, is that they are. 01:01.133 --> 01:04.666 align:left position:10% line:77% size:80% Certainly, publicly, Republicans are all telling me that they back even his most 01:04.666 --> 01:09.200 align:left position:10% line:77% size:80% controversial ideas. Now, what is happening, though, somewhat behind the scenes is that 01:09.200 --> 01:14.200 align:left position:10% line:77% size:80% there is some discomfort for some members on some ideas, including things like Cubans and 01:16.300 --> 01:19.400 align:left position:10% line:77% size:80% Venezuelans who have temporary status. That's an issue here in Miami in Florida in particular. 01:21.666 --> 01:24.000 align:left position:20% line:71% size:70% But members who have problems with the way that President Trump has proceeded here seem to be 01:24.000 --> 01:29.000 align:left position:10% line:77% size:80% trying to influence him behind the scenes, not criticizing him. Overall, he has basically a wide 01:31.266 --> 01:34.433 align:left position:10% line:71% size:80% grace period, a very wide berth from his own party to do what he will right now as they watch him. 01:36.366 --> 01:39.700 align:left position:20% line:77% size:70% I asked Speaker Johnson just a few hours ago about President Trump's announcement 01:39.700 --> 01:44.666 align:left position:10% line:77% size:80% that he may want to dismantle FEMA, as well as his firings of those inspectors general. 01:47.000 --> 01:50.466 align:left position:10% line:71% size:80% And Johnson defended both of those moves as the sign of what he calls a new era in government. 01:52.600 --> 01:54.800 align:left position:10% line:77% size:80% REP. MIKE JOHNSON (R-LA): When the president says he wants to make the government more 01:54.800 --> 01:57.533 align:left position:10% line:77% size:80% efficient and effective, and we say we want to limit the size and scope of government, 01:57.533 --> 01:59.966 align:left position:10% line:83% size:80% it means that everything is on the table for reevaluation. 01:59.966 --> 02:04.933 align:left position:10% line:77% size:80% This is a new moment for us to reevaluate everything that the federal government does. 02:08.733 --> 02:12.733 align:left position:20% line:71% size:70% LISA DESJARDINS: Now, essentially, what we have here is not just the party of Donald Trump, 02:12.733 --> 02:15.733 align:left position:20% line:83% size:70% but also the Congress for now of Donald Trump. 02:15.733 --> 02:18.866 align:left position:20% line:77% size:70% It really is more than symbolic that House Republicans are meeting here 02:18.866 --> 02:23.866 align:left position:10% line:77% size:80% at his resort. Trump stands to profit both politically and financially from this retreat. 02:25.866 --> 02:28.833 align:left position:10% line:77% size:80% AMNA NAWAZ: And, Lisa, of course, this is a critical time for Republicans' larger 02:28.833 --> 02:33.733 align:left position:20% line:77% size:70% agenda. So what are they discussing at this retreat specifically? 02:33.733 --> 02:35.900 align:left position:20% line:71% size:70% LISA DESJARDINS: You know, I have got to tell you, Amna, I have been to many of these retreats, 02:35.900 --> 02:39.200 align:left position:20% line:77% size:70% and I don't think I have ever been at one where the decisions here have had 02:39.200 --> 02:44.033 align:left position:20% line:77% size:70% such high dollar figures and potentially such high, far-reaching effects to them. 02:44.033 --> 02:49.033 align:left position:10% line:71% size:80% So let's look at this sort of massive fiscal goals that Republicans have here at this retreat. First, 02:51.000 --> 02:54.500 align:left position:20% line:77% size:70% they want to extend the Trump tax cuts. That has a price tag of some $4 trillion 02:56.366 --> 02:58.333 align:left position:20% line:77% size:70% and could affect every American either way, whether they're extended or not, 02:58.333 --> 03:02.733 align:left position:10% line:77% size:80% most every American. They also want to add to that a host of other tax cuts. 03:02.733 --> 03:07.733 align:left position:10% line:77% size:80% Remember, Trump on the campaign trail raised, for example, exempting tipped wages from tax 03:09.666 --> 03:11.500 align:left position:20% line:77% size:70% cuts. Well, what we have here, what I have seen and other reporters have obtained, 03:11.500 --> 03:16.133 align:left position:20% line:77% size:70% is a list, a menu of over 200 kinds of actions related to this tax cut 03:17.866 --> 03:20.233 align:left position:20% line:77% size:70% agenda. That includes also how you might pay for those tax cuts. 03:20.233 --> 03:25.233 align:left position:20% line:71% size:70% So, going along with that, though, there are also some hurdles that Republicans face as well, 03:27.000 --> 03:29.200 align:left position:10% line:77% size:80% including fiscal deadlines coming up quickly, including the funding 03:29.200 --> 03:33.633 align:left position:10% line:77% size:80% of government. They also need the House and Senate to agree on an outline for spending. 03:35.666 --> 03:39.000 align:left position:10% line:77% size:80% Deficits are climbing, about $700 billion just the first three months of this year. 03:39.000 --> 03:42.533 align:left position:10% line:77% size:80% And some of these ideas, cuts in particular to Medicaid, are tough politically, 03:42.533 --> 03:46.266 align:left position:10% line:77% size:80% Amna. So they really have their work cut out for them. They all have to agree, 03:46.266 --> 03:48.566 align:left position:20% line:83% size:70% and these are not easy things to figure out. 03:48.566 --> 03:51.333 align:left position:20% line:71% size:70% AMNA NAWAZ: Lisa, walk us through the timeline here. What's needed to get all of that time? 03:51.333 --> 03:55.633 align:left position:10% line:83% size:80% LISA DESJARDINS: OK, we're going to talk about this a few times, 03:55.633 --> 03:57.500 align:left position:20% line:83% size:70% but let me go through this, first of all. 03:57.500 --> 04:00.700 align:left position:10% line:83% size:80% The first step for Republicans is they have to pass a budget, 04:00.700 --> 04:05.666 align:left position:10% line:77% size:80% a framework of spending. So let's talk about what this would look like. If you look at today, 04:05.666 --> 04:10.666 align:left position:10% line:77% size:80% you look at exactly what that outline would be, you start today and you look at January 04:12.733 --> 04:16.133 align:left position:10% line:77% size:80% 27 today. And then the first major deadline, the first fiscal deadline coming up March 14 04:17.900 --> 04:21.033 align:left position:20% line:77% size:70% is when they have to figure out how to fund all of government, no less. 04:21.033 --> 04:25.800 align:left position:20% line:77% size:70% Then Speaker Johnson has announced before that, that major deadline, 04:25.800 --> 04:29.933 align:left position:10% line:83% size:80% that he wants to have a budget for the following year from his 04:29.933 --> 04:34.500 align:left position:10% line:77% size:80% party by that last week of February. And what's more is the Congress will not be 04:34.500 --> 04:39.500 align:left position:20% line:71% size:70% here all of February. So there's only three weeks really remaining to get these things done, Amna. 04:41.700 --> 04:44.833 align:left position:20% line:71% size:70% And a reminder that they are down or they will be down soon to just a single-vote majority in 04:44.833 --> 04:49.833 align:left position:20% line:77% size:70% the House. So this is a very difficult business and they're working on it here. 04:51.733 --> 04:53.233 align:left position:10% line:77% size:80% AMNA NAWAZ: That's our Lisa Desjardins reporting from Miami, Florida, tonight. 04:53.233 --> 04:56.200 align:left position:30% line:89% size:60% Lisa, thank you. 04:56.200 --> 04:57.633 align:left position:10% line:89% size:80% LISA DESJARDINS: You're welcome.