tonight at 9:00 eastern on c-span, c-span now, and c-span.org. >> c-span's washington journal. our forum involving you to discuss the latest issues in government, politics, and public policy from washington, d.c. and across the country. wednesday morning we will talk about campus unrest, law enforcement issues and congressional news of the day with john rutherford, a member of the appropriations committee. then robert storch on his role in the pentagon and getting u.s. military aid to ukraine. we will also discuss u.s. saudi relations. washington journal. join the conversation live at 7:00 eastern wednesday morning on c-span, c-span now, and

c-span.org. >> the house will be in order. >> this year c-span celebrates 45 years of covering congress like no other. since 1979 we have been your primary source for capitol hill, providing balanced unfiltered coverage of congress, taking you to where policy is debated and decided, all with the support of american cable companies. c-span. 45 years and counting. powered by cable. representative of the republican national committee. tells about the republican college national committee. guest: it was founded in 1892 but a group.of college students in michigan since then, we've grown to all 50 states plus puerto rico and guam.

we have a chapter on college campuses in our mission is to get republicans elected at all levels of government host:. are you affiliated with republican national committee? >> we are in a sense and recognized by them as the official arm of the republican party but we are not funded by them or pay any dues to them. host: how are you financially supported? guest: we are supported by donors and we know how hard it is to be a college student. we are famously broke so we don't require our chapters pay any kind of money. we are one hundred percent supported by donors. host: how big is your staff? guest: we have a staff of about six people. i am both staff and board like chairman and ceo so i'm chairman of the board and i run our staff. host: have you started officially campaigning for former president trump even though he is not the official

nominee? host: our main goal this year is really down ballot. we are working on holding the house and flipping the senate. we cannot start doing that until the primaries are over. we are totally outside independent in the primary process and don't weigh in on that. most states have not made their nomination and the down ballot races yet so we are holding off on that at this time. host: i want to ask you about what you are hearing on college campuses about the main priorities for this year's election. guest: i think the concerns among college students are similar to the general population. let me start by saying the college students are not a monolith. what concerns one college student may not be of any concern to any other college student. that being said, a lot of college students are concerned about the economy right now. the economy affects young people in the way it doesn't affect older generations.

it affects everyone but we are trying to get our feet underneath us and we don't have a whole lot of financial capital built up yet. the economy is a huge issue for us. it's absolutely the number one issue. the other issues we hear about our border security and national security. host: there is a poll put out by rvd. they pulled 18-29-year-os. what they found was 53% say they llefinitely be voting in the presidential election. i don't know how you fe aut that number but we will talk about that. president biden leadsorr president trump by eight points among likely voters. that lead expands to 19 points. they also mentioned the economy but also reproductive freedom. what are you hearing about that? guest: that's an issue for a lot of people now. it varies so much state-by-state.

our primary concern from a national perspective is primarily focusing on the economy. we don't take a stance on the issues of reproduction or abortion and we are primarily pro-life but we welcome people in our ranks who are pro-choice. we are a big tent party. both parties in america have to cover the entire electorate. if you agree that's more of your concern, then be a republican. host: another that is attracting national attention is the pro-palestinian protests. i want to play you a section of what house speaker mike johnson said on colombia university's campus about what he think should be done there. [video clip] >> my attention is a call president biden after we leave here and share with him what we have seen with our own two eyes and demand he take action. there is executive authority that would be appropriate and this is not contained quickly and if it is not stopped, there

is an appropriate time for the national guard. we have to bring order to these campuses. we cannot allow this to happen around the country, we are better than this and i will ask the president to do that and i will tell him the same thing. >> what is the house going to do? what is your plan? >> the house has been investigating a number of these campuses. there is a nexus to federal funding of the campuses can't get control of problem, they don't deserve taxpayer dollars. that's a serious issue. it seem air education and workforce committee. we have brought the president to these universities and to congress to testify under oath and using accountability begun there. there will be much more of that we will continue to work on legislation to adjust this at the federal level. i genuine believe there is bipartisan agreement on this, we will stand for what is good and what is right. we are going to do what is right

by america. we respect free speech. we respect diversity of ideas but there is a way to do that in a lawful manner and that's not what this is. host: i wanted to get your reaction to that. he said two things that they should call the national guard in some cases on college campuses. i want to get your opinion on that and this idea of stopping federal funding for some universities. guest: i think it's appropriate in some instances to call the national guard. we seen wild instances across the country like at columbia. they've had to cancel commencement because they cannot get the students under control. they have really let this spiral out of control as appropriate to call the national guard in some instances. it's not fair that students are going to these universities in fear of their safety because of these protests. we are in full support of people

protesting. i can't think of anything more american than peacefully protesting. that ends where the peace and. once they become violent, it's an approach -- it's inappropriate. host: we will take your calls for courtney hope britt of the college republican national committee. if you like to call income of the lines are by party so democrats, (202) 748-8000 republicans (202) 748-8001 an independents (202) 748-8002. what are you hearing from young republicans about mr. trump's legal problems? guest: it's not something that people are focused on right now. college republicans are mostly focused on getting through the end of the semester. politically, they are focused on the issues more than legal concerns. host: speaking of the economy, a

big issue for college students is loans and student loan debt. what are they saying about that? are they looking to president biden to forgive student loan debt? guest: there are varied opinions on this even among republicans. there are opinions that there should be some level of student loan forgiveness and opinions there shouldn't be any. broadly speaking, total student loan forgiveness is not what most republicans are calling for. the bigger issue is that we need to address the cost of higher education. we can forgive all the student loans tomorrow and everyone coming through would still have this problem. we've got to address the rising cost of higher education. it has ballooned and far outpaced any other area with maybe the exception of health care. we need to address that before we address the issue of student loans but we do need to address that as well. host: what's the best way? guest: i think it will be

complex to address student loans. some level of forgiveness is probably appropriate. we've forgiven a number of other loans and i think certain other measures like reducing the cost of interest rates and some of the fees associated with them. it will take a full-spectrum approach for us to address this appropriately. host: we are going to go to the phones. we also have a line set aside for students and college administrators. if you would like to call in on that line, that's (202) 748-8002 (202) 748-8003 (202) 748-8003 which is the same line you can use for texting. bill in fairfax, virginia. caller: i'm curious about the student protests and who is actually funding them. i don't know whether your guest is any thoughts about that but it seems that if republicans

want to keep the border issue alive rather than addressing it, they might also want to keep this issue alive rather than addressing it and make it worse. what is she think about that? host: what you think? guest: if you are suggesting that republicans are behind the student protests, i cannot imagine how wrong that is. i know there are a number of groups that are organizing some of these protests and i know some of the campuses have multiple groups that are involved with the protests. i don't think the republicans have anything to do with this. i don't see what we have to gain from it. host: your organization put out a statement that said this -- these protests and encampments just -- displayed the worst form of a long growing anti-american sentiment among academia in the united states. can you explain that? guest: for years now, we have

seen this growing sentiment on college campuses, we are the worst country to ever exist attitude growing on college campuses. is something college republicans are frustrated by. also tons of americans are frustrated by this sentiment we see on college campuses.this is a natural outgrowth of that. if you think we can't do anything right, then eventually, you might get to the point where you are supportive of things as crazy as terrorist organizations which is some of these protesters are doing by flying flags of terrorist groups. we've heard them chant from the river to the sea and have been in support of hamas which is a terrorist organization. it's not entirely crazy that this has happened given the growing feeling of america is all batted we have no redeeming qualities. host: we got a text fromichard in the u.s. virgin islands --

let's go to joe in alexandria, virginia, republican. caller: yes, i have a question. host: go ahead. caller: i would like to know what you feel about the violence on campus being shut down and president trump did not do anything with the violence at the capitol and didn't shut that down for a long time and that was pretty violent. what to the college kids think about that? host: those two situations are not in the same context. i absently think the violence at the capitol should have been shut down more quickly than it was in much more should have been done to address that situation. host: we have a text here from mark in fort lauderdale, florida --

there is an article here in solon about that. the texas chapter may secede, what's going on with that? guest: bids in salon so i will leave it at that. it's far more than i could possibly explain in the 30 seconds i should take on this question. unfortunately, there is this growing movement on the right where when you don't get what you want, you say it was rate. you say the election was stolen. we seen that from the highest levels down. that trickle down to my election but like the 2020 election, i one there as well. host: so you do take a position on the 2020 election? guest: absolutely. host: let's talk to tim who is

in raleigh, north carolina, independent. caller: thank you for breathing some, i don't know, some truth back into the conversation? i wanted to ask regarding the students encampments at columbia, i think i heard or watched on the news that the police were the ones that came in acting violently. i'm curious if you been tracking that and have an opinion about peaceful protesters being treated violently by authorities? they don't want students to talk about this. maybe they are supported by weapons manufacturers and other means the u.s. industry does to uphold the genocide against

palestinians. host: your line is not that good. were you able to hear that? guest: i got the gist of the question. i understand that there is so much tension on his college campuses now. i applaud the law enforcement officers who are doing their best to address these issues. i think they haven't been characterized as they are. i've heard the same suggestion that the police are the ones coming in and being violent but i don't think that's the case. we have to remember that when it's the case, is because they are responding to violence and students who have been given the opportunity to leave their encampments and told to do so and then chosen not to. host: you're brought up the idea of the vestige are -- divestiture of universities doing business with israel. what are your thoughts on that? guest: i don't think it's appropriate, we stand by israel. i don't think it's appropriate

to divest from companies doing business with israel now. i think we should talk about divestment from companies that are doing business with china and who are oppressing the weaker minorities. i think that's a better discussion. host: let's talk to barry in new jersey, independent. caller: good morning. thank you for c-span. can you tell us your opinion of the january six in surgeons? -- insurgents? are they patriots or criminals? when you go to vote, you asked for -- you asked for -- hello? host: we are listening. caller: when you go to vote, you should read. the party's platform the republican's platform says that they are dedicated to execute the america first agenda

as directed by donald j. trump. isn't that the definition of fascism? one liter? you will do everything that one leader wants to do? host: let's get an answer. guest: there has to be a leader of any party. there are multiple leaders of both republican and democratic party. there are party chair chairs at different levels. all of these acronyms, there are many republican leaders. all of them contribute to the movement in a meaningful way. host: and what about the january 6 insurgents? guest: i absolutely condemn what happened at the capital. there were plenty of people that day who didn't go to the capital whatsoever and were part of a peaceful protest are also a lot of people who were part of a riot that tried to attempt an insurrection and i condemn that. we put out a statement then and i wasn't leader at the time but i stand by the statement we put out. host: silver spring, maryland,

independent line. caller: good morning. i want to say thank you for breathing sanity back into the conversation. i really do appreciate your levelheaded approach. i have two quick questions. for college republicans, i wanted to know how you were educating college republicans on how to stick to principle. they see the immediate cycle that seems to be alarmist and drives up a lot of anxiety but at the same time, may not be a realistic picture of what the majority of americans who work and have things going on in their everyday lives and not get wrapped up in the cycle. the second question is on ukraine stuff. i don't know if you said anything before but i understand historically ukraine was always corrupt. as i recall, donald trump was

elected president, russia was always considered to be the problem not the ukrainians. i wonder the college republicans or the college republican stance is and is moving toward on ukraine because it's a legitimate fear for those who are supportive of ukraine against russia. they worry about trump gets an office in the rug will be pulled out from under them. guest: i think your first question was about host: educating college republicans. guest: thank you, weave and number of different initiatives we engage in to do with different programs in person and online programming for students. we try to bring information to campus through speakers and other events and other events undertake many approaches to that. in terms of the media cycle, campus students don't look at a lot of mainstream media.

they are getting their news from things like social media and podcasts. your other question about ukraine and russia, we don't have a blanket stance on the situation toward russia's attack on ukraine. we support ukraine so they can fend off the events. we don't want to go overseas at the end of the day with americans. host: we have a posting onx - guest: it's interesting you bring up community college. i attended community college because of the cost of education. i attended for two years but i also continued going and grading credits i transferred to a four-year university. i spent three years at a community college. to say i am a fan would be an understatement. it's a great example of how you can do low-cost education. four years should be looking to

the committee colleges and seeing how the committee colleges are saving and what can we do to lower our costs like they have? host: low-cost but not free cost. guest: in most instances, free college is probably not the best idea. host: john is calling us from vicksburg, mississippi, independent. caller: hi, how are you doing? i feel like i'm a boomer and i feel like i need to apologize to this young lady for the world we've created that they are inheriting. my position at this point is that the older people really need to get out of the way and let you create the world you want to live in. host: what do you think? guest: i appreciate that so much. i think that's the perspective of a lot of us younger folks about the older generation, that they won't let go of power and

didn't such -- didn't do just such a good job with it. i appreciate you saying that and i agree with your sentiment. we need to get more young people elected. host: mark in nyack, new york, democrat, good morning. caller: good morning at thank you for c-span. i am curious about this young woman you have on. does -- do you believe in climate change? guest: absolutely, i think it's real. most americans think climate change is real at this point. caller: bright, the science is irrefutable. the republican party are climate change deniers always bashing the big polluters -- always backing the big polluters. i don't understand how any young person's day and age when were under the threat of climate change can be a republican. not to mention that this is not a reasonable republican party anymore. you have donald trump was a

criminal andm this wholeaga thing is nuts. i expect young people to be progressive and have better views. i am a lifelong progressive and i really don't understand the right wing philosophy. tell me about it. guest: i would urge you to take a second look at what republican opinion on climate change. one congressperson did a great piece for axios. i encourage you to look at that. there's a lot of great work to support the survey of climate movement. we've come a long way on this issue and years ago, you are right, republicans broadly speaking were climate deniers but today we are working to address it with free-market principles. to your second point about the republican party, neither party is perfect. nothing is on the side of heaven. it will not get any better if we

don't participate in the process which is what i encourage people on both sides who are dissatisfied with their party to do. if you're not happy with the things just way things are going, get involved and make the changes you want to see. host: last question from dave in orlando who says this -- guest: i need something more specific than that. the republican party is a big tent party and we cover a lot of ideas. that is the same on the left. the same on the left. we only have two parties so they will have to be pretty big.

>> washington journal. join the conversation wednesday morning on c-span, c-span now >> >>, or c-span.org. earlier today, president biden spoke at a holocaust remembrance ceremony, at the u.s. capitol in washington, d.c. watch his remarks tonight at 9:00 p.m. on c-span, c-span