Sonora, CA — Congressman Tom McClintock spoke about issues up for debate in Washington, DC on this past weekend’s Mother Lode Views.

The District Four Republican gave a very glowing review of the Trump administration’s actions over the past year, speaking highly about the recently approved tax reform package and rolling back of environmental regulations. He stated, “You can see it everywhere you go….the announcements of bonuses and raises, companies planning new expansions and investments, and repatriated capitol coming back into the United States after being stranded offshore by our tax policies. These things are all enormously encouraging.”

McClintock expects the next big debate in Washington, DC to be over immigration. He stated, “We have to fix DACA (Deferred Action For Childhood Arrivals). About half of these young people came to the country under the age of 14, so this is really the country they’ve known. They are now in the their twenties. But, we can’t fix that until we secure our borders, or we’re just inviting a new wave of illegals bringing their children.”

An area of disagreement McClintock has with the Trump Administration is US Attorney General Jeff Sessions recent memo making it more difficult for states like California to legalize marijuana for recreational use. He says the federal government has the Constitutional role of regulating intrastate commerce between other states, but not within a state like California. McClintock added, “If the pot is grown in California, marketed in California, sold in California and consumed in California…that is California’s business and not the federal government’s. I’ve been very disappointed that Jeff Sessions has not taken a more Constitutional approach to the issue.”

McClintock says there have been several bills related to forestry and natural resources that have passed in the House of Representatives but remain stuck in the Senate. He says it is due to the Senate’s cloture rules that require 60 votes to end a filibuster. “This is very important. I don’t think we are going to make nearly the progress that we need to as long as the Senate continues to give the minority the ability to block any bill from being taken up. That’s where I would fault Mitch McConnell and the Senate Republicans grievously. All of the major regulatory relief bills that the House has passed are sitting right now unaddressed in the Senate because of the Senate Republican’s (McConnell) refusal to change the cloture rule.”

When asked about Special Counsel Robert Mueller’s investigation into Russian meddling in the 2016 election, McClintock turned the spotlight to the Democrats. Speaking about what he feels should be the focus of the investigation, he stated, “It’s not that there was collusion between the Russian government and the Trump campaign, but there was significant collusion between the Department of Justice, the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Clinton campaign. There is a classified memo that I have read that is absolutely appalling and have called for its release. The American people need to know what has been going on.”

You can find the entire 30-minute interview with McClintock by clicking here.