The next is the transcript of an interview with Sen. Mark Warner, Democrat of Virginia that aired on “Face the Nation with Margaret Brennan” on Sept. 7, 2025.
MARGARET BRENNAN: We’re joined now by the highest Democrat on the Senate Intelligence Committee, Mark Warner. Good morning, Senator, good to have you ever right here in individual. You’re recognized to your intel work, however you are additionally on quite a few different committees. We have been simply there speaking concerning the financial system. Do you agree that principally, the financial information that the US releases is probably basically flawed?
SEN. MARK WARNER: No, I believe that the BLS has been the gold commonplace for years, considered not solely on this nation, however around the globe. May there be reforms? Completely, however it’s a bit of ironic that you just’re firing the referee, the president firing the pinnacle, chopping the employees. I am unsure how that’s going to enhance the standard of the information. And the President had promised {that a} golden age from American employees. We’re down 80,000 manufacturing jobs because the starting of his time period. We’re principally a flat hiring place. And what I believe households who’re listening, if anyone’s obtained a household, a member of the family that is in school or instantly getting out of school. You recognize what a troublesome job market is to seek out this. And one of many issues I wish to have heard from Kevin, and albeit, from extra economists, is we’re about to see the most important job dislocation in our historical past, I consider, by way of AI job dislocation. And people are many instances form of school pushed jobs. I imply, assume again 5 years in the past, we stated to each child, if you wish to get a great job, go develop into a pc programmer. These are going to be a few of the first jobs ignored and eradicated. And so I simply, I am fearful that this give attention to who’s holding rating once I assume the American public realized the job market is hard, and notably by way of manufacturing jobs, there is no such thing as a golden age.,
MARGARET BRENNAN: Nicely, and there is additionally a elementary remaking of the financial system, when you’re speaking about synthetic intelligence. So on that time rapidly, there have been greater than a dozen tech titans on the White Home this week, together with a few of these giants within the synthetic intelligence area. Microsoft’s founder Invoice Gates, Google CEO, Apple CEO, they usually have been throughout the desk praising President Trump for the funding in chip manufacturing. And AI, do you deserve- Do you assume he does deserve that reward?
SEN. WARNER: Nicely, I can inform you the chip manufacturing took place due to a invoice that John Cornyn and I put in below Biden the Chips Infrastructure Act–
MARGARET BRENNAN: Bipartisan.
SEN. WARNER: $52 billion completely bipartisan. President Trump has been very instances vital of that invoice. Now he’s, I believe, sending a little bit of a blended message, as a result of a few of the investments in that invoice have been going to Intel, our final that means, significant fabricator of chips. He took an fairness stake there, which is debatable, though I do assume getting a few of the earnings–
MARGARET BRENNAN: Taxpayers personal 10% of the corporate now.
SEN. WARNER: However this is the bizarre factor, whereas he is attempting to help American chip manufacturing, on the identical time, he is taken off any of the restrictions on, for instance, Nvidia H-20 chips to promote to China. So what- How can we learn this if we need to say we need to construct American capability till, sure, make sure that we preserve our lead towards China. Nicely, why promote a few of our most innovative chips to China? It’s a full contradiction in in coverage.
MARGARET BRENNAN: And the White Home says, Oh, they don’t seem to be nice chips, so due to this fact we will, can promote them. That is what the Commerce Secretary has stated. However on, on the intelligence beat, because the vice chairman of the Intelligence Committee, you could have an oversight authority, and below regulation, the Intel businesses should inform that committee about their operations. The CIA has to inform you about covert actions. This is a vital form of oversight, however this previous week, you stated you have been blocked from even attending a gathering on the Nationwide Geospatial Intelligence Company out in Virginia. Why do you assume you have been blocked? And has your Republican counterpart promised you that this is not going to proceed.
SEN. WARNER: I’ve finished these visits to our intel services for the ten plus years I’ve both been Chair or Vice Chair of the Intelligence Committee. They’re a part of the traditional course. You get an opportunity to see the workforce, the place they’re working. You get to see the brand new, latest, finest, coolest stuff, and oftentimes I get to do a city corridor assembly, as a result of I am not solely the Chair or Vice Chair, however many of those services are in Virginia.
MARGARET BRENNAN: Proper.
SEN. WARNER: So this, this assembly have been on the books for actually weeks. Regular course of enterprise. This very uncommon particular person, Laura Loomer, who’s a proper wing blogger who’s so controversial that the Trump administration did not even put her in- of their cupboard or- and she or he has been a 9/11 denier. She’s been a virulent anti-anti-Muslim particular person. She has been an enormous proponent of working with white nationalists, but she appears to have the ear of President Trump.
MARGARET BRENNAN: She speaks to high advisors together with the Secretary of State.
CROSSTALK
SEN. WARNER: His first Nationwide Safety Advisor- Nationwide Safety Advisor obtained kicked out as a result of she went after him, the pinnacle of the Nationwide Safety Company who I noticed with not too long ago, Basic Tim Hawk obtained fired. She claimed that firing. Just lately, we have seen 37 senior intel facility people lose their, their safety classification, which principally places them out of a job. And she or he brags about all this on her weblog. I imply, it actually raises the query, is she really the Appearing Secretary of Protection or Secretary of Warfare as of this morning? Is she the actual Director of Nationwide Intelligence? What she went after me on was one thing unrelated to this, and stated, Why can we let some anti Trump individual in to a intelligence facility? Surprisingly sufficient, Tuesday evening, my assembly was canceled. Now we’re not going to face up for that. I’ve talked to my Republican colleagues–
MARGARET BRENNAN: Proper, is Tom Cotton promising you this would possibly not occur once more?
SEN. WARNER: I will get these conferences held. I’ve raised it with Cotton. I’ve raised it with the opposite intelligence members. You need to discuss one thing that’s harmful, you limit Congress’s means to do oversight, notably with this administration, then we’re flying blind. And within the intelligence area particularly, not each member can do that. These of us who’re senior on the Intel Committee, we’re the restricted numbers, we’re the eyes and the ears of the remainder of the Senate to do that oversight. They attempt to limit this America will likely be much less protected. And we will, I will get these made.
MARGARET BRENNAN: So, inform me about this marketing campaign it might have seen in Latin America, with the US taking out this drug boat. Secretary Rubio, your former colleague on the Senate Intelligence Committee says, quote, when you’re on a ship stuffed with cocaine or fentanyl or no matter headed to the US, you are an instantaneous risk to the US. He’s saying that could be a nationwide safety justification to hold out a marketing campaign with an unclear timeline. Have you ever reached out to Rubio about this? Have you learnt something about how it’s being formulated right here with the intelligence neighborhood.
SEN. WARNER: Nicely, to begin with, the Maduro regime in Venezuela are dangerous guys, and we clearly must do all we will to cease fentanyl. We’ve got not been briefed on this. This was a DOD, it was not an Intel venture. It was a DOD venture. However my worry is, there are nonetheless worldwide legal guidelines of the ocean about how the method of interdicting these form of boats, they’re presupposed to be a firing of a warning shot. You are presupposed to attempt to take it peacefully. My understanding, this boat, none of these procedures are adopted, and I will get the complete temporary this week. However what I am fearful about is that if we put our sailors in hurt’s method by violating worldwide regulation, except there’s the suitable designations, might this come again and and harm these sailors? Sailors have been doing their job.
MARGARET BRENNAN: However so far as you understand, that is totally a army operation. It’s not utilizing the intelligence property?
SEN> WARNER: Sure, we not–
MARGARET BRENNAN: As a result of the administration says they know everybody who was on that boat, they’d “nice readability and constancy.”
SEN. WARNER: Nicely, I would prefer to see that information. However this, once more, goes to the purpose. This type of motion needs to be briefed to the intelligence neighborhood. And I am a member of what is referred to as the Gang of Eight. These are the parents that is presupposed to get absolutely the secret stuff, the one the President will get. I’ve gotten no briefing.
MARGARET BRENNAN: No briefing on this?
SEN. WARNER: No briefing on this.
MARGARET BRENNAN: Are they conducting common data sharing with Gang of Eight?
SEN. WARNER: There are data sharing, the extent of sharing and the timeliness of the sharing we, for instance, we have been on the Iran bombings. We weren’t notified beforehand, our my Republican colleagues have been notified. While you begin making oversight and who will get shared data on a partisan foundation, this type of cooking the books and intelligence how we obtained into the conflict in Iraq within the first place?
MARGARET BRENNAN: Senator Warner, thanks to your time. As we speak. We’ll be proper again with much more Face the Nation. So stick with us.
