The next is the transcript of the interview with Rep. Dan Crenshaw, Republican of Texas, that aired on “Face the Nation with Margaret Brennan” on Nov. 2, 2025.
MARGARET BRENNAN: Welcome again to “Face the Nation.” We flip now to Texas Republican Congressman Dan Crenshaw, who joins us this morning from Humble, Texas. Welcome to “Face the Nation.”
REPRESENTATIVE DAN CRENSHAW (R-TX): Thanks for having me.
MARGARET BRENNAN: Congressman, I do know you’ve got been out and in of Washington, however largely that the Home members haven’t been right here on the town. The Home hasn’t voted since September 19. It will likely be the seventh consecutive week now that they have been working from house. Would you urge Speaker Johnson to deliver everybody again to attempt to break the deadlock over authorities funding?
REP. CRENSHAW: It is as much as the Speaker. Home Republicans and Home Democrats coming again to Washington, won’t break the deadlock. Let’s not overlook that the Home handed a clear CR. It was a brief CR, okay. And you recognize, Democrats maintain saying the Republicans haven’t any intent to barter. We won’t belief them to need to negotiate if we reopen the federal government. That is nonsense. If we had- look, if we had handed a year-long CR, I feel they might make that argument. That is often an indicator that we actually do not need to speak in regards to the funds proper now, we would like to- we need to maintain the can down the street for a 12 months. However once you move a really quick time period length CR, a seven-week one, it’s a clear indication that we intend on persevering with these conversations. So look, there’s different issues we may do. The rationale I maintain going again is as a result of I work on the Intelligence Committee, and I’ve to try this work from inside DC. There’s plenty of causes individuals return. However look, ultimately, the Senate has to take care of this, and Senate Democrats simply should reopen the federal government. It is that easy. They voted- I do not even what’s it, 15 instances now, to maintain it closed. They would not even vote to maintain federal staff paid. That was a loopy lifeline that Senator Thune gave them, permitting them to vote, virtually have the simple method out, enable them to not less than vote to take the ache off of federal staff. And so they voted that down too. I actually do not know what their technique is at this level. They’re those that have to determine this out.
MARGARET BRENNAN: So, you heard- maybe you heard Senator Warner on the prime of this system say, you recognize, conversations are taking place this week. He hoped that there can be some- some finish. In your facet of the- of the Capitol. You are saying you do not see indicators of this ending this week?
REP. CRENSHAW: Do not see what- sorry, yeah- I do not, I do not see us going again into session. I feel we’d have been notified by now. Yeah, however once more, the deadlock just isn’t within the Home. You understand, we handed it out of the Home–
MARGARET BRENNAN: — Understood– however to return to an settlement, which is was- the senator was speaking about everybody getting collectively and going to the White Home with the President to hammer this out. The speaker, not less than, it does not sound like you’ve gotten that degree of optimism. However let’s speak in regards to the affect the place you might be. Your district contains elements of Houston. We checked the numbers, and it seems 350,000 Houston space households might have some issue with their meals stamps, these SNAP advantages due to the standoff. Have you ever gotten any steerage from the state or from the administration about whether or not individuals get meals funds this week?
REP. CRENSHAW: Properly, from what I can inform from the administration’s statements, I imply, they will attempt to use the emergency contingency fund for- on a brief foundation. However look the entire- I feel there’s about $6 billion in that fund. The month-to-month SNAP advantages value People $9 billion in order that’s- that could be a very, very small band help. And the one method you are going to get SNAP advantages again on observe is that if Democrats vote for our clear CR. I visited a meals financial institution just lately. Yeah, they’re getting ready for an enormous inflow in demand. You understand, the state can solely accomplish that a lot on this. We- all of us can solely accomplish that a lot there’s- there is a actually easy resolution to this, which is simply maintain the federal government open and you recognize, you need to negotiate this very complicated well being care situation, which is what Democrats say they need. I feel they type of selected it out of- randomly, and rapidly determined throw this mood tantrum. However tremendous, let’s negotiate it, however you need to do it with the federal government open and never hold- you are not holding a gun to our heads. You are holding a gun to the common American individuals’s heads.
MARGARET BRENNAN: You might be on the Intelligence Committee. You talked about you had, have needed to come again right here to view what I assume is classed intelligence. The President confirmed a couple of weeks again that he had licensed some CIA exercise in Venezuela, he did not give element on that, however have you ever seen any proof that the US strain marketing campaign on Nicolas Maduro is working, that each one this navy {hardware} that is being moved round into the area is doing one thing?
REP. CRENSHAW: I can solely inform you what I can assume, having been out of session, we do not get the briefings because- as a result of we aren’t there. One of many causes I maintain going again is to look into these items. The broader question- that is extra of a geopolitical query, is the strain marketing campaign working? Properly, look, deterrence virtually at all times works, particularly once you’re dealing with- with dictators like Maduro. They solely hear to 1 factor, which is energy. And Venezuela has been largely left alone by American administrations. The western hemisphere has been left alone, and I feel this President is taking it far more severely. Look, the Venezuelan authorities is a, it’s- it’s- it is a pretend authorities, proper? He ran a rigged election. Everybody is aware of that it is propped up by the Cubans and by the Russians. They’ve been in collusion with terrorist teams just like the FARC for years. It has been an annoyance to international locations like Colombia for years. There’s many high-level rating officers in government- in Venezuelan authorities which are actually beneath indictment for drug trafficking. It’s successfully a narco-terrorist state–
MARGARET BRENNAN: — However Maduro remains to be in power–
REP. CRENSHAW:– Maduro, what? Sorry–
MARGARET BRENNAN: However that he nonetheless is in- in energy. That is what we had been simply speaking about that with Senator Warner. The- the necessity for extra data to go to lawmakers about precisely what the extent goes to be of US navy involvement. Would you help US land strikes in Venezuela?
REP. CRENSHAW: Really boots on the bottom in Venezuela?–
MARGARET BRENNAN: — Land strikes–
REP. CRENSHAW: — I feel we must should have an extended dialog about doing one thing to that extent. However I feel what the- what the President is doing proper now could be very a lot inside rational authorized means, taking a look at drug boats that we have- individuals ask, do we’ve got the intelligence to essentially know what these drug boats are and who’s on them? Sure, we do. That I can say, proper. We’ve got multi-source intelligence that- so we all know for positive what we’re- what we’re- what we’re truly capturing at, and we do not even shoot in any respect the targets. And other people say, nicely, why cannot you simply interdict all of it? And I say, nicely what number of boats do you suppose we’ve got? What number of boats and helicopters do you suppose you’ve gotten? And you know the way dangerous an interdiction operation is? You are going to people- put individuals’s lives at stake. And you recognize, we have been doing that for years, and it hasn’t labored. So, you do have to attempt one thing new, as a result of it’s an imminent hurt to the US, and that is clearly inside the President’s authority beneath Article Two. So, I do not wring my palms over what is going on on proper now. Speaking hypotheticals about invading Venezuela. I imply, that is probably not what we’re speaking about proper now.
MARGARET BRENNAN: No- no, I used to be requested about land strikes. However- however let me ask you about one thing a few of your fellow conservatives have been speaking rather a lot about together with Mitch McConnell, he is been involved about antisemitism. On the suitable, Senator Ted Cruz of Texas mentioned he is seen extra antisemitism prior to now six months than in his complete life. Take a hear.
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SEN. TED CRUZ: “It is a poison, and I imagine we face an existential disaster in our occasion and in our nation. ///// In case you sit there with somebody who says Adolf Hitler was very cool and that their mission is to fight and defeat world Jewry, and also you say nothing, then you’re a coward, and you might be complicit in that evil.”
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MARGARET BRENNAN: He was particularly referring there to a broadly watched interview Tucker Carlson did with far-right commentator and Holocaust denier Nick Fuentes. Do you share Senator Cruz’s concern about your occasion?
REP. CRENSHAW: Oh, yeah. Mr. Cruz, put it fairly nicely. I’ve had a long-standing feud with Tucker Carlson. I am glad everybody else is- can also be waking up now to how unhealthy of an individual he’s. He is modified quite a bit over the past 20 years. You understand, exhausting to say why, but it surely does not actually matter why. I imply, you’ve gotten a man like Fuentes in your present, you’re- you are uplifting what’s a man who has actually fallen off the radar. You understand, he- he used to ship his followers to my occasions and attempt to ask me a bunch of questions in regards to the Jews and Israel help and all that, and attempt to disrupt occasions. And they’d attempt to infiltrate the MAGA motion. You understand, they had been actually on a downhill slide. And for Tucker to have him on- Senator Cruz is strictly proper. And this concept that we’ve got to, you recognize, that it is cancel tradition, if we- if we- if we- if we maintain Tucker out of our circles any more, is simply nonsense. I actually wrote a guide on cancel tradition. So, you recognize, I’ve thought deeply about this. Cancel tradition means you’re- you are canceling somebody for what’s mainly a mainstream perception, or maybe- possibly a small, like, sincere mistake they made that might be possibly thought of cancel tradition. It isn’t cancel tradition once you say, look, I need to disassociate myself from you as a result of your beliefs are loopy and also you’re psychopathic and also you’re- you might be falling aside in entrance of everybody. You understand this disassociation just isn’t canceling anybody, and I do know some have instructed it’s. So, I feel moral- ethical readability is much more essential on this case.
MARGARET BRENNAN: Congressman Crenshaw, we’ve got to go away it there. Thanks in your time this morning. We’ll be proper again.
