'Fox News Sunday' on October 31, 2021

This is a rush transcript of "Fox News Sunday" on October 31, 2021. This copy may not be in its final form and may be updated.

CHRIS WALLACE, FOX NEWS ANCHOR:  I'm Chris Wallace. 

President Biden overseas on the world stage, while here at home, his 

domestic agenda and presidency are on the line. 

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JOE BIDEN, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES:  No one got everything they 

wanted, including me. But that's what compromise is. 

WALLACE (voice-over): Mr. Biden definitely desperately looking for a win 

as he meets with foreign leaders, after a last-minute stop on Capitol Hill 

fails to unite Democratic moderates and progressives at odds over his 

massive social spending plan. 

REP. CORI BUSH (D-MO): I feel a little bamboozled because this is not -- 

this is not what I thought was coming today. 

WALLACE:  We'll discuss the ongoing gridlock with Transportation Secretary 

Pete Buttigieg, and get reaction from Senator Rick Scott, head of the 

Republican Senatorial Campaign Committee, about what the Democrats' 

disarray could mean for the 2022 midterms. 

WALLACE:  Plus -- 

MIKE PENCE, FORMER VICE PRESIDENT:  Totally unacceptable. The whole policy 

on the Southern border has been a disaster from day one. 

WALLACE:  Reports the White House is in talks to pay hundreds of thousands 

of dollars to families separated at the border by the Trump administration. 

We'll ask our Sunday panel about the politics of the potential payout. 

And, our Power Player of the Week. We'll share how you can walk in the 

footsteps of the Old Guard as the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier marks 100 

years.

All, right now, on "FOX News Sunday".

(END VIDEOTAPE)

WALLACE (on camera): And hello again from FOX News in Washington. 

President Biden is meeting with world leaders in Europe this weekend, 

pushing his climate change policies and once again declaring America is 

back. But back here at home, his own party continues to block his domestic 

agenda, and his political team is closely watching the tight governor's 

race in Virginia where a defeat could signal Democrats are endanger of 

losing their control Congress and next year's midterms. 

In a moment, we'll discuss the latest hold up to passing big infrastructure 

and social spending bills with Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg. 

But, first, let's bring in Peter Doocy traveling with the president in Rome 

with the latest on Mr. Biden's efforts to win support overseas and at home 

-- Peter. 

PETER DOOCY, FOX NEWS WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT:  Chris, President Biden 

left problems with inflation and immigration an ocean away and came here 

looking to benefit not just the U.S. but the entire world with movement on 

climate change. And at a press conference today, we'll find out how he 

thinks he did. 

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

DOOCY (voice-over): The Biden foreign policy doctrine is taking shape. 

He'd like the U.S. to restart talks with Iran about their nuclear program 

by November. 

REPORTER:  Mr. President, when would you like talks with Iran to resume?

BIDNE:  They're scheduled to resume.

DOOCY:  He'd like to make nice with America's oldest ally France after a 

nuclear powered sub deal went sideways. 

BIDEN:  The answer is I think what happened was to use an English phrase, 

what we did was clumsy. 

DOOCY:  And he's joining the G20 in endorsing a new global minimum tax of 

15 percent. Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen says this deal will remake the 

global economy. His attempt to do the same thing at home has been blocked 

by progressives in the House and centrists in the Senate.

SEN. MITCH MCCONNELL (R-KY):  They're throwing spaghetti at the wall and 

hoping that something sticks that will get 50 votes. 

DOOCY:  And until progressives know the $1.7 trillion Build Back Better 

plan will pass the Senate, they won't vote yes on a bipartisan 

infrastructure bill. 

REP. ALEXANDRIA OCASIO-CORTEZ (D-NY):  So many people, you know, yes, no, 

doing the hokey pokey, one foot in, one foot out. 

DOOCY:  Leaders hope to bring both bills up Tuesday as the president 

returns from overseas with presidents, prime ministers and the pope. 

BIDEN:  God bless you.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

DOOCY:  This is the first time the full G20 has met in person since Biden 

became president, but one word that is not prominently featured in any of 

the public sessions or, we are told, the private meetings, Afghanistan -- 

Chris. 

WALLACE:  Peter Doocy reporting from Rome with the president -- Peter, 

thanks for that. 

And joining us now, Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg. 

Mr. Secretary, President Biden went to Capitol Hill on Thursday and he told 

House Democrats this -- let me put it on the screen -- I don't think it's 

hyperbole to say that the House and Senate majorities and my presidency 

will be determined by what happens in the next week. 

The immediate response was that House Democrats could not muster the 

majority to pass his infrastructure bill. 

Can you guarantee that House Democrats -- again, it's just your own party -

- will pass either of these bills this week? And there's talk right now 

that they may try to pass both on Tuesday. 

PETE BUTTIGIEG, TRANSPORTATION SECRETARY:  Well, what I know is we're the 

closest that we've ever been and it looks like we're teed up for major 

action soon. And the president is sounding that note of urgency not just 

because the president needs it but because the country needs it. 

You look at the need for action on the climate before it's too late. You 

look at the need to support our economy for the long run, to make our 

economy more competitive, to deal with issues like inflation which will 

benefit -- we'll have better tools for fighting inflation if we pass this 

economic package. 

The urgency of supporting families with things like that tax credit, that 

tax cut effectively for something like 35 million families with children in 

this country, putting money directly in the pockets of the Americans who 

know best how to spend it for their families, making sure we have preschool 

across the country. So many things that we need to do both on the family 

side and then, of course, the stuff I've been working on all year, giving 

our roads and bridges and ports and airports and so much more, those 

urgently needed improvements that we needed for years -- honestly, have 

needed for decades. 

WALLACE:  You have talked in that answer, I think you said three or four 

times, you used the word "urgent". But let's look at some of the issues 

that as we talk today are still unresolved -- allowing Medicare to 

negotiate lower drug prices, paid family and medical leave, raising the cap 

on state and local tax deductions, beefing up the IRS to go after tax 

cheats. 

Here's Democratic Senator Bernie Sanders. 

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SEN. BERNIE SANDERS (I-VT):  It is a major, major step forward. But 

clearly, to my mind, it has some major gaps in it. 

(END VIDEOI CLIP)

WALLACE:  Again, you talk about teed up for action and urgency, can you 

guarantee that all of these issues -- and these are just among Democrats 

and Republicans are out of it. Can you guarantee that all of these issues 

will be resolved by the Democrats this week? 

BUTTIGIEG:  What I can tell you is that what's in the framework is utterly 

transformational and historic, finally getting preschool for every kid in 

this country, making child care affordable for every family in this 

country. The biggest action we've done on climate ever in U.S. history, 

obviously, all the transportation work. These are huge benefits. 

You think about what it would mean to American families who are looking at 

these electric vehicles coming on the market, to get that discount of up to 

$12,500 so you could buy one of these electric vehicles and never have to 

worry about gas prices again. 

These are real concrete things for the American people. And taken together, 

just a framework that's been put forward would represent one of the biggest 

achievements in my lifetime for really any member of the House, the Senate, 

any president would be proud of that. 

Is there more that we could be working on, more that we hope to do? Of 

course there is and we'll keep fighting for it but what we have on the 

table it right this minute in this framework is historic, it's good policy 

and, of course, good policy is good politics. 

WALLACE:  You're a good spokesman for the administration but you didn't 

answer my question. So I'm going to assume the answer is no, you can't 

guarantee the Democrats are going to pass one, let alone both bills this 

week. 

BUTTIGIEG:  Well, again, we're the closest we've ever been. I don't speak 

for members of the House or the Senate. 

But I can tell you, this administration is ready to go. And I can tell you 

that the president put forward this framework with this particular shape 

because he's confident that he can get through the House and the Senate, 

and that's after engaging members of all corners of our Democratic Party, 

not to mention an awful lot of Republicans, over the course of a year. 

There's been so much back and forth. There's been so much give-and-take, 

and what we've arrived at is not perfect, it's not what everybody wanted, 

but it is enormously important, beneficial and good for the American 

people. And that's why we think it will and must pass. 

WALLACE:  Critics say that instead of focusing on these issues that the 

president and Democrats in the House and Senate should be focusing on the 

issues that Americans care about most. You mention one of them in your 

first answer and that's inflation. 

Gas prices have jumped from $2.14 a gallon a year ago to $3.41 now. Natural 

gas prices have more than doubled. 

And, Mr. Secretary, in September, consumer prices rose at the fastest pace 

in 30 years. So instead of -- I'm not denying or denigrating some of the 

social policies, but that's what Americans are most concerned about is 

inflation. 

BUTTIGIEG:  I'm so glad you raised this, Chris. This is extremely 

important. This bill will fight inflation. The reason this bill will fight 

inflation, among other things, is that we have a drag on our economy in 

labor supply because a lot of parents aren't going back to work because 

they can't find child care. 

Now, you're going to see some politicians, maybe even on this program, 

saying that up is down and black is white, and somehow saying the opposite. 

But let me be clear, this bill will flight inflation. And when I say that, 

that's not just me as a represent -- hold on, it's very important, Chris -- 

17 Nobel Prize-winning economists have signed a letter talking about how 

the president's pro-family policies in this package will help fight 

inflation. 

(CROSSTALK)

BUTTIGIEG:  Moody's and other Wall Street analytics firms have talked about 

how the president's bill will fight inflation. 

WALLACE:  But, Mr. Secretary, this administration has been talking down, 

minimizing inflation for months. I mean, you know the word that keeps being 

used by this administration -- I suspect you said it -- transitory. 

The fact that it isn't transitory, the -- you want to talk about experts, 

the former secretary of the treasury under Bill Clinton, former top 

economic advisor to Barack Obama, Larry Summers, has been talking about 

inflation for months. And a lot of people worry that when you take an 

inflationary, overheated economy and you add $3 trillion, which is what 

these two bills would do, $3 trillion in new government spending, you're 

going to make it even worse. And there are a lot of economic experts who 

say pass it or not pass it, inflation will continue well into 2022. 

BUTTIGIEG:  Yeah. So let's break this down, okay? There's long-term and 

short-term. That's definitely true. 

Now, as I said, 17 Nobel Prize-winning economists are among those who have 

talked about how doing things to allow Americans to get back to work, 

putting money in their pockets, but also just making child care more 

affordable, is going to help with inflation in the long run. 

Now, you're right, there's a short-term transitory inflation efforts. The 

ones that we're already seeing slowing down a little bit, but we're very 

mindful of, of course, because that's impacting Americans. That, of course, 

is a consequence of the economic effects of the pandemic.

Look, there are so many things that are still happening in our economy -- 

distortions, disruptions, things in our supply chain that are affecting 

prices, that are clearly a direct consequence of the pandemic, which is why 

the best thing we can do for our economy in the short term and to deal with 

these transitory issues is to put the pandemic behind us, which is where 

the presidents decisive leadership is so important. 

The best thing we can do for the long run, for issues around pricing and 

supply chain is better infrastructure so that goods can move smoothly in 

this country and better pro-family policies like child care. 

WALLACE:  Let's talk about the backups in the supply chain. Since the 

president announced two weeks ago that the port of Los Angeles was going to 

24/7 operations, the number of container ships waiting offshore has not 

gone down, it's gone up from 56 to 77. One day last week, a terminal pier 

in Long Beach announced 2,000 appointments for truckers went unused. 

Goldman Sachs says that port congestion is not going to ease until the 

second half of next year. 

BUTTIGIEG:  Yeah, there are definitely going to continue to be issues, 

especially as long as the pandemic continues, right? If you have, for 

example, the third largest container port in the world in China shutting 

down because of a COVID outbreak in late summer, you'll feel that in the 

fall here on the West Coast. 

Now, we're taking the actions that we know that we can as an honest broker 

in the administration, phenomenal work by our ports envoy, working with 

different players to get the gates of the ports open longer, to work with 

the truckers, the rail players, we're seeing expanded hours -- all of 

that's good. 

But let's remember, we are talking about global imbalances between demand, 

which is off the charts right now, and supply which is racing to keep up. 

So, even when supply is up, and let me emphasize, in many cases supply is 

up, right? Americans are buying and getting more than ever before but it's 

still not keeping up. 

For the long term, the best thing we can do about that is invest in our 

infrastructure. For the very short time, there are steps we can take in and 

around the ports that we think are helping. And in the medium-term, again, 

at risk of repeating myself, if we really want to see all of these 

disruptions end, we've got to end the pandemic. That's what getting 

everybody vaccinated is all about. 

WALLACE:  I've got about 30 seconds left. Inquiring minds want to know, 

your twin children, Penelope and Gus, are they going out tonight for 

Halloween? And if so, how will they be dressed? 

BUTTIGIEG:  So, Chas, my husband, found costumes that -- it's kind of like 

a traffic cone. It's a little bit hard to describe. But bottom line is 

they're going to be dressed up as infrastructure and I can't wait. 

(LAUGHTER)

WALLACE:  So even if you can't get the bill through the House, Gus and 

Penelope will be infrastructure. 

BUTTIGIEG:  We're going to get both, Chris. 

WALLACE:  And how are you dealing with the lack of sleep? 

BUTTIGIEG:  Sleep is a -- is a distant memory but we -- we're adjusting. We 

had on a shift system. My day starts at 3:00 a.m. and it is what it is, as 

every parent knows. 

WALLACE:  So getting up early to do our show was no problem. 

Mr. Secretary, thank you. Thanks for your time today, always good to talk 

with you, sir 

BUTTIGIEG:  Same here, thank you. 

WALLACE:  Up next, we'll get reaction from Republican Senator Rick Scott on 

the Democratic infighting and what it may mean for his efforts to win back 

control of the Senate in next year's midterms.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WALLACE:  As Democrats fight amongst themselves over infrastructure and the 

Build Back Better plan, Republicans have formed a united front with their 

sights set on taking back the House and Senate in 2022.

Joining us now from Florida, Senator Rick Scott, chair of the National 

Republican Senatorial Committee.

Senator, welcome back to "FOX News Sunday".

SEN. RICK SCOTT (R-FL): It's nice to be with you, Chris.

WALLACE:  You just heard my conversation with Secretary Buttigieg. What's 

your reaction to what he said and where the president's domestic agenda 

stands right now?

SCOTT:  First, if the secretary of transportation wanted to solve the -- 

the port issue, you'd fly out to the port, you'd sit down with everybody 

and find out what the problem is and then you go solve it. Typically, the 

problem is caused by some government regulation or some government red 

tape.

When I had hurricanes in Florida, I had to make sure we didn't run out of 

fuel, so I was constantly on the phone with everybody involved in 

delivering fuel. And even though we were selling sometimes nine-times our 

normal average of fuel, we didn't run out because we kept solving their 

problem.

If you look at what -- what they're talking about with this -- name 

whatever the bill is -- all it's going to do is cause more inflation. Make 

-- you -- look at what it's doing to poor families in this country with gas 

prices up 55 percent. Go to the grocery store. Food prices are up. It's all 

caused by government spending.

And, by the way, if you look at inflation, the border, parents involvement 

in schools, our military support, there is nothing that they're talking 

about doing, there's nothing that Democrats are talking about doing that 

solving a problem that Americans care about. I mean it's -- it's -- it's -- 

they're saying, solve the problem for you -- this is every family. Like, my 

-- growing up, I -- my mom struggled to put food on the table. Inflations 

hurt her. Solve it. Fix it. They have no fixes in this administration. They 

just -- they're like commentators. Yes, we're going to have a problem 

through the -- through next year. No, go solve the problem.

WALLACE:  Well, that's a real insult to compare them to commentators, 

Senator.

Let me -- let me ask you about -- about the infrastructure bill, though, 

because it's -- it is not a political game. It affects real people. And 

while 19 senators voted for the bipartisan infrastructure plan that -- that 

passed the Senate with a healthy bipartisan majority, you opposed it. And I 

-- I want to put some of the things that -- that would be affected in your 

home state of Florida. More than 3,500 miles of Florida highways are in 

poor condition. You voted against $13 billion to repair them.

Here's White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JEN PSAKI, WHITE HOUSE PRESS SECRETARY: This package is for -- would extend 

high-speed Internet to every American. Are you against that? Would -- would 

ensure that children don't -- aren't drinking poisoned water. Are you 

against that?

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WALLACE:  You also voted against money in the infrastructure bill to help 

your home state of Florida to deal with extreme weather, which you have 

plenty of in Florida.

Why did you oppose the infrastructure bill when 19 Republican senators 

supported it?

SCOTT:  Chris, I believe in spending money on real infrastructure, roads, 

bridges, airports and seaports.

WALLACE:  But that's what this bill is -- has in it, sir.

SCOTT:  I spent -- I spent $85 billion in my eight years as governor, all 

right. Let's look at the bill that they -- that passed the Senate. It's -- 

one, it's not paid for. I paid for my -- my infrastructure. I actually pay 

down debt. I balance the budget. This bill would -- they said it was going 

to be paid for. It wasn't paid for. This bill said it was infrastructure. 

Less than half of that bill was roads, bridges, airports and seaports.

You put a bill in front of me that's going to be roads, bridges, airports 

and seaports, paid for, I'm very interested in doing something like that. 

But I am not going to bankrupt this country. This country has almost $30 

trillion worth of debt. That bill by itself was a quarter of a trillion 

dollars of debt.

This has got to end. This is causing inflation. I mean this is hurting the 

poor families. It's not hurting the rich, it's hurting families like mine 

growing up that had to struggle to put food on the table with this 

ridiculous inflation. Solve that.

WALLACE:  But --

SCOTT:  We've got to live within our means like every family does.

WALLACE:  But, Senator, you talk about living within your means. You talk 

about debt. You talk about deficit. The Trump tax cuts, which were passed 

in 2017, the air before you were elected to the Senate, is estimated by the 

Congressional Budget Office that it is going to increase the deficit by 

over $2 trillion over 11 years. So, should the Trump tax cuts be repealed?

SCOTT:  My experience is, I cut taxes and fees 100 times, over $10 billion 

and I actually balanced a budget and paid off a third of the state debt. 

You can do both.

The reason -- the way you do it is you look at every line of your budget. I 

think there's about 4,000 lines of the Florida budget. I went through every 

line and said, I am not going to waste anybody's money. We've got to do 

that at the federal level.

WALLACE:  But -- but -- but, sir, we're --

SCOTT:  We need lower taxes and watch how we spend our money.

WALLACE:  But -- but, sir, respectfully -- respectfully, when Donald Trump 

was president, you had this tax cut which added $2 trillion to the deficit 

according to the CBO and you didn't have the commencement spending cuts. So 

the question is, if you're not going to have the spending cuts, should you 

repeal the tax cuts if -- if -- if the debt and deficit are so vital?

SCOTT:  Well, I'm -- I'm -- first off, I am not raising anybody's taxes. I 

want lower taxes. I want to watch how we spend our money.

I've been up -- I've been in the Senate now two years and nine months. The 

amount of waste is staggering. Americans should be furious with the way 

money is spent in the Senate and in all of Congress. It's -- it's -- it's -

- it's your money. It's not -- it's not government's money. We've got to 

figure out how to live within our means.

We -- I did it at the state level and actually paid off a third of the 

state debt. We've got to look at the -- every line, take every line in the 

budget. Don't -- don't say, well, you know, that's only a billion dollars. 

It's a billion dollars. That's a lot of money. We should watch how we spend 

every dollar, and we're not doing that.

WALLACE:  I want to ask you about a non-budget related issue, but it 

involves real money.

There is a report out this week that the Biden administration is 

considering giving huge payouts, up to $450,000 per person to families that 

were separated at the border during the Trump administration. Now the 

argument they make is, if this goes to court and the settlements may be 

even bigger. But about is your thought about that, about paying $450,000 

per person to people who came across the board in the first place 

illegally?

SCOTT:  I -- we -- what are we thinking? Why would we be doing this? They 

broke our laws. These individuals broke the laws of the United States of 

America and then the Biden administration wants to write them a check? I 

mean at first -- and then they want to -- the same -- the same 

administration wants to go snoop into your bank account and take more of 

your money. This is wrong. We've got to start -- do the logical things, 

secure the border, balance the budget, watch how you spend money, cut 

taxes. This is what Americans want. They don't -- they don't want this 

crazy, radical, socialist agenda that the Biden administration has come up 

with.

WALLACE:  Finally --

SCOTT:  It makes you mad what's going on in this country.

WALLACE:  Finally, you are the head of the National Republican Senate 

Committee, Senate Committee, but I want to ask you about the governor's 

race in Virginia on Tuesday because in a state that has trended from red to 

purple to now kind of blue, right at this point, Glenn Youngkin, the 

Republican, is in a neck and neck fight, according to the Fox poll he's 

ahead, of Democrat former Governor Terry McAuliffe.

If Youngkin wins and if he does well in the suburbs which have been 

bleeding support for the Republicans, what kind of a blueprint will that 

set for you as you chart Senate races in the 2022 midterms?

SCOTT:  Oh, the '22 is going to be a great year for the Republican Senate. 

We're going to get a majority back. And part of it is exactly what's 

happened with Glenn Youngkin's race. I mean suburban voters are coming back 

because they are saying, this idea that parents shouldn't be involved in 

schools that the Democrats want, it's wrong. The fact that the border's not 

secure is wrong. The fact that, you know, this critical race theory that 

they want to teach in our schools is wrong. Parents are coming back. We're 

going to win the Hispanic vote. We're going to win the suburban vote. And 

we're going to have a majority in the U.S. Senate.

And by the way, if you want to help, you can go to nrsc.org and help us 

raise money to get more Republican senators because we're going to change 

this country.

WALLACE:  And, real quickly, 30 seconds, you see Terry McAuliffe, he's 

campaigning as much against Donald Trump as he is against Glenn Youngkin. 

Now, there's some feeling that that helped Gavin Newsom in the recall in 

California. Does -- does the tightness of this race indicate that maybe 

Donald Trump is not such a strong weapon anymore for Democrats?

SCOTT:  Clearly not. But, by the way, why are people going to vote with us? 

They want a secure border. They want parents involved in schools. They want 

to fund the police. They don't want this ridiculous inflation. And they 

like an administration that will actually show up and do something and some 

-- come up with problems rather than just be simple commentators and say, 

oh, yes, we have a problem but we have no solution.

WALLACE:  Again, stop attacking the commentators, Senator Scott.

SCOTT:  Yes, but -- but they got elected to do something else.

WALLACE:  That's true. That's true.

Thank -- and -- and good for the country that we're not elected.

Senator Scott, thank you. Thanks for joining us.

SCOTT:  Sure, Chris.

WALLACE:  We'll be following development for Capitol Hill closely this 

week.

Coming up, we'll bring in our Sunday group to discuss talk of big payouts 

to families across the border illegally and were then separated.  That's 

next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WALLACE:  Coming up, the election two days from now that's capturing 

nation's attention. 

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

GLENN YOUNGKIN (R), VIRGINIA GUBERNATORIAL CANDIDATE:  I do think that 

America is watching Virginia because America needs us to vote for them, 

too. 

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WALLACE:  We'll ask our Sunday panel about the neck and neck battle and 

what its outcome may foreshadow for 2022.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

REP. JIM JORDAN (R-OH): Think about this, you're going to -- you're going 

to pay people half a million dollars who broke the law and at the same time 

the Biden administration is getting ready to raise taxes on the hardworking 

families of this country. It makes absolute no sense. 

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CHRIS WALLACE, FOX NEWS ANCHOR: Republican Congressman Jim Jordan reacting 

to reports the Biden administration may give payments of up to $450,000 per 

person to families that were separated at the border under Trump 

immigration policy. 

And it's time now for our Sunday group. 

Former Republican Congressman Jason Chaffetz, from "USA Today," Susan Page, 

and Charles Lane of "The Washington Post." 

Well, Susan, "The Wall Street Journal" broke the story this week. 

Apparently there are some 900 claims that have been filed. People saying 

that they suffered emotional distress when families were separated back in 

2018 by the Trump administration. And rather than go to trial, the Biden 

administration is considering a very healthy, expensive settlement. It may 

make sense legally but it sure is hard to defend politically, isn't it? 

SUSAN PAGE, "USA TODAY": Yes, it is. You know, I think a lot of Americans 

were very distressed by the separation of families back in 2018. But this 

number seems really high. The TV attack ads right themselves if this kind 

of payout happens. You know, we know that from the beginning President 

Biden's lowest approval ratings have been around the issue of immigration, 

and this would really risk making those numbers even worse. 

WALLACE: I mean, literally, Jason, they -- they -- this would be a bigger 

payout than the U.S. military, U.S. government pays to the next of kin of 

Americans who are killed in combat in wars. 

I fully understand why it's so hard to stomach, as -- as Susan said, these 

people came into the country illegally. But on the other hand, there are a 

lot of smart lawyers that say, you go to court in one of these cases and a 

very sympathetic mother gets up and starts talking about all the pain of 

being separated for an extended period of time from her child, and that 

jury may award that mother a lot of money and that just sets a standard for 

all other 899 cases. 

JASON CHAFFETZ, FORMER CONGRESSMAN (R-UT) AND FOX NEWS CONTRIBUTOR: Well, I 

think they should go to court. I think this is wholly offensive. Not only, 

you're right, is it more than a service member that is killed in -- in 

battle, it's more than the victims of 9/11 were paid out. I don't think 

there's any American that will understand why this would happen, why the 

Biden/Harris administration would do this. 

And, by the way, if you're talking about separation, you're talking about 

two people. The payment could be $900,000, which is an absurd amount of 

money. 

These people are fleeing because supposedly of asylum. They're -- they're 

being oppressed. And you're telling them that the United States didn't 

treat them well enough when they came across the border? That -- I -- I 

don't believe that this is a -- this is just absolutely absurd. 

WALLACE: We -- we should just point out, the reports are, and have not been 

denied by the administrations. So we -- it seems to be true, that the -- 

that the administration is considering this. They haven't put it into 

effect yet. But there's going to be quite a debate. 

Meanwhile, after months of bitter and expensive campaigning, we're finally 

going to get to the vote in the Virginia governor's race on Tuesday. Glenn 

Youngkin and Terry McAuliffe are busy making their closing arguments. 

Take a look. 

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

GLENN YOUNGKIN (R), VIRGINIA GUBERNATORIAL CANDIDATE: We know this on one 

side, Terry McAuliffe thinks the government should stand between parents 

and their children. I mean, come on. 

TERRY MCAULIFFE (D), VIRGINIA GUBERNATORIAL CANDIDATE: He said so much of 

the reason why I'm running is because of Donald Trump. You know what, he's 

running for Donald Trump. I'm running for you folks and -- and --

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WALLACE: Chuck, what strikes you about the Virginia's governor's race and 

how much of a bellwether could it turn out to be for the 2022 midterms? 

CHARLES LANE, "THE WASHINGTON POST" AND FOX NEWS CONTRIBUTOR: Well, so many 

things strike me about it. The most obvious one being this is now a blue 

state that Joe Biden won very comfortably by double digits in 2020, and 

veteran former successful Democratic governor running for what would be 

consecutive second term but another term is fighting for his life. And 

fighting for his life in the very part of the state, the northern Virginia 

suburbs, that had been the bastion of Democratic support.

So, I think the issue that it has turned into his education. And 

specifically in Virginia there are a lot of parental discontent with the 

closure of the schools during the pandemic and how that was done, perhaps 

that's even more in people's minds than these other issues, such as 

critical race theory and transgender students and those things are 

significant. 

But if the Democrats lose in this race, and I think there's a good chance 

they will, it will send a signal that Republicans have found a formula to 

recover in the suburbs that had been there week point in the last few 

election cycles and it will signal that the attachment of any Republican to 

Donald Trump in this very aggressive way that Terry McAuliffe has been 

trying to do is not a surefire formula for winning. 

WALLACE: The closing polls are all over the place. A Fox News poll this 

week has Youngkin up eight, but a "Washington Post" poll just out this 

morning has McAuliffe up by one. 

But I want to dig down into the poll and look at some of the internal 

numbers because they're very interesting. Forty-three percent approve of 

the job Joe Biden is doing. This is in Virginia, a state he won by ten 

points over Biden -- over, rather, Trump a year ago. Forty-three percent 

approve of the job he's doing, 56 percent disapprove. That tracks about 

with national numbers. And on education, which as we've been saying has 

become a big issue in this race, 44 percent trust McAuliffe to do a better 

job, 52 percent trust Youngkin. 

Susan, how big of a drag is Biden for the Democrats and how big a boost is 

education for the Republicans in this race? 

PAGE: Yes, well, Biden has not been the asset that Democrats had hoped he 

would be. And that's one of the signals that we'll be looking for, for next 

year's midterms. You know, the president's approval rating traditionally 

has a big sway when it comes to the -- the midterm returns that we'll -- 

we'll see next year. 

You know, there are -- I think there are two things to look at with the way 

Virginia might serve as a template or Republicans next year. One is on the 

demographics, what happens with those suburban voters, do they come back to 

the GOP. The other is on the -- on the issue front because this has turned 

into a culture war kind of election where they're fighting about teaching 

of racism in schools and treatment of transgender kids. It is not an 

election that seems to be turning on COVID and the economy, which is what 

we might have expected maybe six months ago. 

WALLACE: Jason, if Youngkin goes on to win on Tuesday, and it's very much 

up in the air as to whether he's going to win or not, but if he wins in a 

state that had seemed to be turning this blue, what is that going to say 

for Republicans? What -- how big a blueprint will Virginia be for how they 

pursue the 2022 midterms? 

CHAFFETZ: Well, as you pointed out, Chris, Joe Biden won that state by ten 

percentage points. So if Youngkin does anything better than that, I think 

you're going to show that what -- what the Democrats really need to be 

worried about are those true centrists, those true independents who are 

swinging to the Republican side of the aisle. Not only is it about 

education and who gets to make these types of discussions, but I think 

they're looking at their own pocketbook. I think they're going to the gas 

station and spending $100 to fill up that suburban and they're going to the 

grocery store and not being able to find what they want, and when they do 

find it, it's actually expensive. So it's hitting at all the wrong places.

And as Terry McAuliffe said himself, Joe Biden is a headwind. And -- and I 

think you have a poor communicator in Joe Biden and Kamala Harris. They 

can't blow into town and be able to command the airwaves and create a 

message that say maybe like a Barack Obama or -- or a Clinton or a Trump 

could do. They're just not capable of communicating and driving a vote in a 

positive direction for Democrats. 

WALLACE: It also strikes me, if McAuliffe loses on Tuesday these votes on 

infrastructure and Build Back Better, which are tough votes for a lot of 

Democrats, moderates thinks they -- particularly the Build Back Better goes 

too far, progressives think it doesn't go far enough. They may run for the 

hills if McAuliffe loses on Tuesday. 

Panel, we have to take a break here.

But coming up, the race for -- the -- the race for governor of Virginia in 

the home stretch, what it means for the state and the country, next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JOE BIDEN, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Some of you guys who have worked 

with me know this. I've said it a thousand times. It's never a good bet to 

get -- to bet against the American people. Never a good bet. 

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WALLACE: President Biden setting expectations for his second trip overseas 

as president where he's now meeting with world leaders at the G-20 economic 

conference in Rome, and then the U.N. Climate Summit in Scotland. 

And we're back now with the panel.

Well, Susan, as we say, the president is in Rome for the G-20, then headed 

to Glasgow for the climate summit.

Given the -- the gridlock on his domestic agenda in Washington, how strong 

a hand is he playing with? 

PAGE: You know, Chris, this is why presidents love to go abroad, right? 

Things are messy in Washington. He's having a hard time on Capitol Hill. He 

goes abroad. He has a very friendly meeting with the pope. He smooths over 

relations with France, which have been in some trouble. They managed to 

reach a deal on a 15 percent minimum global corporate tax. That's something 

that the United States and other countries have been seeking for years.

And so I think this has been a pretty good trip for him. He goes to this 

difficult U.N. climate summit. Of course, that's a big issue and one that 

there's -- there's -- there's been divisions over whether the United States 

and other developed nations have done enough. But he does walk in with the 

promise of this $555 billion expenditure in the reconciliation bill, 

assuming it's through the biggest investment ever in climate change. 

So, I think this has been an example of why presidents like to leave the 

country, especially when things are messy at home. 

WALLACE: Well, yes, I've got to say, you're accentuating the positive when 

you say the promise if the $555 billion, because he still isn't getting it 

passed through Congress. 

And, Chuck, let's talk about that climate summit starting tomorrow in 

Scotland because China, which is not going to be at the summit, President 

Xi is not, has just announced that it's going to -- because of economic 

demand -- is going to building even more coal-fired power plants and Russia 

appears to be threatening Europe, which is in a real energy crunch, with 

natural gas. So for all of the talking and all of the promises about 

bending the curve and getting climate neutral by 2050, is so all of this 

talk going to come to anything? 

LANE: Well, you know, our intelligence community often is criticized but 

the national intelligence estimate on climate came out a few days ago in 

preparation for this and it's key judgment number one in climate -- of 

pending climate risks was, geopolitical tensions are likely to rise as 

countries increasingly argue over just the sort of things that you're 

mentioning. 

There's a lot of criticism in addition to the kingdom of Saudi Arabia and 

Australia, which are large producers of carbon emissions, for tepid 

promises to go carbon neutral by some date in the future. And I think the 

crunch is really starting to come. People are beginning to realize that the 

2015 commitments made in the Paris Accords are probably insufficient on 

paper, and are not even being met in practice. 

And this Glasgow summit perhaps will approve even additional promises on 

top of that, even before there's been implementation. It is a major problem 

that Vladimir Putin and Xi Jinping are not personally participating in this 

G-20 and will not be, although their countries are participating in 

Glasgow, because after all China emits 27 percent of the carbon. We've got 

a lot of work to do and it's hard to see how we get from here to there. 

WALLACE: No, that's right. And we should point out that as ambitious and 

certainly as expensive as President Biden's economic agenda is when it 

comes to climate change, the fact is the centerpiece, the clean electricity 

plan, which was going to give bonuses to power plants that went to 

alternative energy and fines to utilities that stayed with fossil fuels, 

that was taken out of the plan. So it ends up being about $500 billion in 

corporate welfare in bonuses to companies. And we've seen how that works 

out. 

Jason, President Biden has gone to Capitol Hill twice in just over a month 

to push his domestic agenda, and twice he has come up empty. In fact, this 

is what he came up with or got -- got from his own Democrats on Thursday.

Take a look. 

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

QUESTION: Sir, are you confident that all 50 Democrats are on board this 

deal that President Biden is coming to announce today? 

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: No. 

REP. ALEXANDRIA OCASIO-CORTEZ (D-NY): I think we're open to other 

mechanisms, but it needs to be something a little bit more than a back of 

an envelope. 

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WALLACE: Jason, my experience in 40 years in Washington is, if you put the 

president in a room, particularly a room with members of his own party as 

opposed to foreign leaders, you have to know what's going to be the result 

when it comes out of that room. Twice the president has gone up to Capitol 

Hill to plead with House Democrats to pass part or all of his agenda. Twice 

he has come up empty. 

What does that tell you about the competence of this White House? 

CHAFFETZ: Well, I think it shows that Biden and Harris, by the way, who has 

not been an asset in this, that they're very weak. I mean twice he went up 

to Capitol Hill and twice members walked out of that meeting and said, why 

did he even bother coming up there? He wasn't even making a hard ask and he 

certainly didn't get what he was asking for. 

So he's a weak communicator. I think he's a weak president that way.

And the Democrats are acting as if they have some global or national 

mandate, but they don't. They have razor-thin margins. And I think -- I 

didn't think that the progressives would hold the line as -- as strong as 

they did. I didn't think they'd have that backbone. I thought they would 

cave. But, so far, they've shown that they're very strong. 

And, you know, while Joe Biden's over in Glasgow, where he's not is at the 

ports. And where he's not is on the border. And America understands and 

recognizes this and that's why I think Terry McAuliffe and other Democrats 

and people who are in these House races are going to say, whoa, going into 

2022, we're in a lot of trouble. 

WALLACE: Susan, to bring this back to the -- to the president's trip 

overseas, Joe Biden has, for months, really his whole presidency, has 

framed all of this as a competition between the world's democracies and the 

world's autocracies. 

Take a look at what he said earlier this year. 

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JOE BIDEN, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: I think we're in a contest, not 

with China per say, but a contest with autocrats, autocratic governments 

around the world, as to whether or not democracies can compete with them in 

the rapidly changing 21st century.

(END VIDEO CLIP) 

WALLACE: Susan, if that is the test here between democracies and 

autocracies, as Joe Biden is framing it, we're not doing so well. 

PAGE: Yes. The failure to get this over the finish line, I think, has been 

damaging to Biden. It's one reason his approval ratings are down in the 

40s. It's been trouble for Terry McAuliffe in Virginia. It's not been good 

for Nancy Pelosi, known as the master legislative leader, but someone who 

has set a series of deadlines that she has then been unable to meet. 

But if they manage to do it on Tuesday, number one, they'll have done it 

before in results from Virginia. I know you mentioned that as a potential 

problem. 

It also means there will be a competing headline Wednesday, even if the 

worst happens in Virginia. If they get it over the finish line, if they 

finally passed the heart of Biden's domestic agenda, I think some of the 

bad feeling over the messiness of the process will fade. 

WALLACE: Just really quickly, Susan, you -- you think that, that we'll 

forget how messy this has been and we'll just focus that, you know, he 

ended up with a $1.2 trillion infrastructure bill and $1.75 on the social 

spending? 

PAGE: You know, it's not as much as the progressives wanted, but it is a 

lot of money. 

WALLACE: Even in Washington. 

Thank you, panel. See you next Sunday. 

Up next, our "Power Player of the Week." We'll take you to the iconic Tomb 

of the Unknown Soldier and explain how you can walk in the footsteps of the 

old guard. 

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WALLACE: The procession of the sentinels who guard the Tomb of the Unknown 

Soldier is an unmistakable symbol of our reverence for these fallen heroes. 

On November 9th and 10th, just ahead of the Tomb's 100th anniversary, 

Arlington National Cemetery is opening up the guards pathway so any of us 

can walk in their steps and share their solemn mission. 

Here's our "Power Player of the Week."

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

KAREN DURHAM-AGUILERA, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, ARMY NATIONAL MILITARY 

CEMETERIES: We want people to make that connection, to realize that the 

unknown gave not just their lives for our liberty and our freedom, but they 

also gave their identities. 

WALLACE: Karen Durham Aguilera is talking about the Tomb of the Unknown 

Soldier. 

DURHAM-AGUILERA: We say that we, Arlington National Cemetery, are the 

unknown's hometown, but their hometown could be anywhere in America. I'm 

really proud and honored.

WALLACE: Executive director of Army National Military Cemeteries, she's in 

charge of marking its 100th anniversary. 

Generations of presidents have come to the tomb to lay wreaths and 

thousands of people are here every day making it Arlington's most visited 

site. 

DURHAM-AGUILERA: On a usual day we'll have 3,000 to 5,000 people out here. 

On a busy holiday weekends, we could have 20,000 people a day out here. 

WALLACE: Sentinels have kept watch here since the '20s when tourists used 

to hold picnics at the tomb. In 1948, the U.S. Army's Old Guard was given 

the assignment and they remain a constant presence. 

DURHAM-AGUILERA: They are truly special and they literally training for 

perfection, not just perfection in their uniform, perfection in their 

steps. 

WALLACE: In the silence as the guard changes, the solitary click of the 

sentinel's heels echoes across the granite plaza. Then, a lone sentinel 

walks 21 steps in front of the tomb, turns and pauses twice for 21 seconds 

each, and then walks 21 steps back. It signifies the military's highest 

honor, the 21 gun salute. The sentinel's watch is unending, 24 hours every 

day of the year, in heat and cold, snow and rain. 

DURHAM-AGUILERA: When no one's watching, the honor will always continue. 

WALLACE: Now, to mark the tomb's centennial, Arlington is inviting the 

public to take these steps themselves. 

DURHAM-AGUILERA: The public will be able to walk on the plaza similar to 

what our tomb sentinels do every day as they guard the unknown. 

WALLACE (on camera): Walk right down this same path?

DURHAM-AGUILERA: They will be able to walk down the same path as the tomb 

sentinels and they will be able to place flowers at the gravesite. 

WALLACE: Like presidents and foreign leaders?

DURHAM-AGUILERA: Yes. And so we are making our own present-day history. 

WALLACE: And what's the response you've gotten as people have heard they're 

going to be able to walk in the footsteps? 

DURHAM-AGUILERA: Oh, people are excited. We want the public to be here. It 

is really going to be extraordinary. 

WALLACE (voice over): It will evoke the pomp of the original dedication on 

Armistice Day, November 11, 1921. 

DURHAM-AGUILERA: The Department of Defense wanted to provide comfort and 

solace and the ability to mourn for families of those that lost their loved 

ones. 

WALLACE (on camera): And it might just be their son, their husband, who is 

in that tomb?

DURHAM-AGUILERA: It could be their son. Yes, it could be their son, their 

brother or their -- their husband.

WALLACE (voice over): The unknown warrior was brought back to Washington 

and honored in the U.S. Capitol. Then, he was brought to Arlington and laid 

to rest. His race, creed and name forever known but to God. 

WALLACE (on camera): What was the  reaction around the country? 

DURHAM-AGUILERA: Ninety thousand people came and view the unknown as he 

laid in state. Then there were tens of thousands that were here that day 

for the funeral procession. 

WALLACE (voice over): In 1958, the U.S. Army selected a World War II 

unknown. Those remains were interred alongside an unknown from the Korean 

War. In 1984, remains from Vietnam were also buried here. But in the 90s, 

DNA testing confirmed his identity as Air Force Lieutenant Michael Blassie, 

a pilot shot down in 1972. Blassie was returned to his family. 

DURHAM-AGUILERA: It doesn't matter how much time it's been. For the 

families, it's closer. It's comfort. Their loved one is home and they're 

not alone. 

WALLACE: This is Durham's fifth year at Arlington. Like every visitor, she 

is still humbled walk in the hollowed grounds. 

WALLACE (on camera): What is it that you hope that Americans, either 

whether they're here in person or watching on TV, what they'll take from 

this? 

DURHAM-AGUILERA: We want them to be able to connect with the unknown who 

represent all of us. Every day, as I come in, come to work, I turn the 

radio off so I can just reflect on those who are laid to rest here and what 

we do to take care of our veterans, our patriots and our families. 

(END VIDEOTAPE)

WALLACE: If you'd like to visit the tomb and lay a flower there on November 

9th or 10th, please go to our website, foxnewssunday.com. You'll find a 

link where you can register for free tickets. 

And that's it for today. Have a great week and we'll see you next FOX NEWS 

SUNDAY.

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