Transcript: Sen. Chris Murphy on “Face the Nation,” May 26, 2024

The following is a transcript of an interview with Senator Chris Murphy, Democrat of Connecticut, on “Face the Nation”, which aired on May 26, 2024.

MARGARET BRENNAN: And now we’re joined by Connecticut Democratic Senator Chris Murphy. Good morning.

SENATOR CHRIS MURPHY (D-CT): Good morning.

MARGARET BRENNAN: I want to start here with the Middle East. The president’s National Security Advisor said that, so far, Israel has been somewhat “targeted and limited” in what it is doing in southern Gaza. But the US is watching to see if “there is too much death and destruction in this operation, or if it is more precise and proportionate”. Are you clear on what the red line is here?

SEN. MURPHY: Well, what we know is that there is a humanitarian disaster happening right now in and around Rafah, and we are unable to receive significant shipments of humanitarian aid. And therefore, no matter how many people die due to Israeli military operations, there are people who die every day due to an inability to access food and medicine. Ultimately, this results in the benefit, not the detriment, of terrorist recruitment. And that’s my big concern here. There is a moral cost to the number of civilians who die inside Gaza. But when you continue to withhold food and aid from the people, this ends up strengthening these terrorist causes, not just in Israel, but throughout the world. Our own intelligence experts have told us this is having a generational impact on terrorism. And so, for many of us who want Israel to end this military operation and focus on the future political settlement inside Gaza, it is in part because we fear that this will be a boon for terrorism, for the terrorist groups that are growing around the world. . .

MARGARET BRENNAN: Right. But the National Security Advisor was suggesting that the line has not yet been crossed.

SEN. MURPHY: Well…

MARGARET BRENNAN: Looking at whether there is a lot of death and destruction, there is already a lot of death and destruction.

SEN. MURPHY: Yes, and that’s why I’m among many of my colleagues who have caused – we’ve called on Israel to stop military operations to try to control this humanitarian nightmare and to take the time to find a realistic solution to what Gaza will look like after the end of the fighting. What we have seen in recent weeks is that as Israel abandons certain areas, such as northern Gaza, Hamas is just filling the space because there is no viable governance plan. Israel has to take some time to be less arrogant about humanitarian costs, but also to come up with a plan for what Gaza will look like after the fighting stops, and the fighting will stop at some point.

MARGARET BRENNAN: So I- I understand the intent behind building the pier, but $320 million, three injured soldiers, the thing is falling apart because of the rough seas. It’s not enough to be precise. That’s it [a] error in doing this?

SEN. MURPHY: No, it wasn’t a mistake. There is nothing that the States–

MARGARET BRENNAN: But it’s not even being fully delivered.

SEN. MURPHY: Listen, I think there are going to be some difficult moments at the beginning of trying to get this pier operational. But you’re absolutely right, whether it’s the airdrops or the dockside deliveries, there is nothing the United States can do that will replace Israel’s decision to open the crossings, to stop using these checkpoints as a means of stopping the flow. of vital goods. Israel must make a commitment to resolve the humanitarian crisis inside Gaza. The United States will not be able to do this for Israel.

MARGARET BRENNAN: I want to ask you here at home, the southern border. Border Patrol apprehensions of migrants have actually declined in these warmer weather months. They fell in April, they fell in March. Is this just because of the Mexican government? If this is a Biden policy, why doesn’t the president claim it was a success?

SEN. MURPHY: So, I think, it’s because of smart and effective diplomacy between the United States and the Mexican government. I don’t know if it’s permanent. And so I think we just have to recognize that without updating the laws of this country, without directing more resources to the border, we can’t count on the numbers remaining as low as they are today. And remember, today, about 3,000 people cross the border every day. This is still a high number compared to what we saw 10 years ago. And so, for many of us, we are heartbroken. We are fed up with the fact that our Republican colleagues in Congress continue to vote against bipartisan border security, which would give us the opportunity to actually give the president the resources and authorities to make this a permanent change, to keep the numbers under control. a permanent basis.

MARGARET BRENNAN: You’re talking about the bill that you helped write and- and it was put to a vote, which, they knew would fail, was about messaging. But like Senator Gary Peters, who is trying to help Democrats defend their Senate majority, was on this program last week and absolutely said the president should talk more about the border. Why isn’t he?

SEN. MURPHY: So I agree that the American people want to talk about border security. And right now, the president has the opportunity to go there and talk about a Democratic Party proposal negotiated with the Republicans that would put the border under control. And an opposing president–

MARGARET BRENNAN: Or he could have spent months and weeks getting support for this.

SEN. MURPHY: Or-and- President Trump’s desire to keep the border a mess because he thinks it helps him politically. This is the clearest contrast that has ever been available to the Democratic Party on the border issue. Democrats support bipartisan border security, Republicans want the border to be messy because it’s good policy for them. And the president and every Democrat running for office should talk about this.

MARGARET BRENNAN: But- but you know, and we really delve into this bill that you helped write on this show, but for Americans who just want something done, you know, the ifs and buts really they don’t matter much. The president could take executive action and has been talking about it since February, when the Secretary of Homeland Security mentioned it was being considered. Should he be caught trying? Pull the trigger, take some executive action?

SEN. MURPHY: The president has a very limited ability to issue executive orders that would impact the border. He cannot conjure resources out of thin air. If he tried to close parts of the border, the courts would reject that, I think, in a matter of weeks. The only thing that will bring…

MARGARET BRENNAN: 212(f) authority being considered here.

SEN. MURPHY: Yes, I- I think the only thing that will bring order to the southwest border is bipartisan legislation. We have a bipartisan border bill. If Republicans decided to support it, it would pass. We could take you to the president’s desk. It’s up to Donald Trump and the Republicans to decide if they want to solve the problem at the border or if they want to keep the border a mess because it helps them politically in the next election.

MARGARET BRENNAN: So, quickly, before I let you go here, there was a lawsuit filed this week by the families of those in Uvalde, Texas, whose children died at Robb Elementary School. And you represent Sandy Hook, I know you follow that closely. They are trying to file a lawsuit against video game manufacturers and Meta Platforms, which owns Instagram. What do you think of the premise of the idea that social media companies, and video companies, are to blame here?

SEN. MURPHY: Well, listen, there’s no doubt that these social media companies are feeding our children violent content. I don’t know the underlying dynamics of this legal case. But our social media companies have a lot to answer for, because these would-be killers, whose brains are racking their brains, often find inspiration for the crime they are contemplating online. But the solution here, again, is the same. Legislation needs to be passed, the courts cannot solve the problem of school shootings. And the good news is that since we passed the bipartisan Safer Communities Act shortly after the Uvalde shooting, urban gun homicides in this country have dropped 20%. And this is something very, very important.

MARGARET BRENNAN: Let’s talk to Tony Gonzales, who helped get us over the finish line as well, ahead. Thanks. We’re back.