The following is a transcript of an interview with Senator Alex Padilla, Democrat of California, on “Face the Nation with Margaret Brennan,” airing December 1, 2024.
MAJOR GARRETT: Welcome back to Face The Nation. We now turn to California Democratic Senator Alex Padilla. He joins us this morning from Porter Ranch, California. Senator, good to see you. Let’s start with Kash Patel. Your reaction to that nomination, or that proposed nomination by President-elect Trump?
SEN. PADILLA: Well, good morning. Great to be with you. And look at this announcement that Kash Patel will be nominated for a high-level position at the FBI, which is of great importance to the Justice Department. Raises many of the same questions that other announcements and other nominations raise: Are they going to go out there and do the job that the Justice Department is asking for to be truly, truly independent of the President of the United States? Or will he follow Trump’s order? That’s the big question here. Is it a real, legitimate arrangement? Or a political appointment to politicize the Bureau and the Department in Trump’s favor? That’s just the beginning of the questions we expect to be asked in the car during the confirmation hearings that begin in January.
MAJOR GARRETT: Do you expect that the current FBI director, who has three years left in his term, will simply have to resign?
SEN. PADILLA: Well, that’s going to be a personal decision for Director Wray, both of whom, as the public should remember, were appointed by Trump in the first place. And so he has three years left. It is up to him to resign or not. Your previous guest suggested that Trump could very well fire him, which is par for the course. Anyone who remembers the first Trump administration remembers a lot of Cabinet officials being named, confirmed and sold as the best thing since sliced bread. And as soon as they lose Trump’s favor, as soon as they don’t do 100% of what he asks, suddenly they are often dismissed by social media posts. And who knows what Donald Trump will do, whether it’s with Director Wray, Kash Patel or any of his other nominees in the coming term.
MAJOR GARRETT: During the first Trump administration, California fashioned itself into the resistance state. Some Democrats in the Legislature are already starting to describe that as a cliché, saying they don’t even know what that means anymore. What does it mean?
SEN. PADILLA: Look, I think there’s a lot of reason to be concerned about the second Trump administration, if the first administration is any indication. I think, as the governor, as other legislative leaders and even the congressional delegation have said, if, you know, the federal government will continue to support California in its leadership in so many policy areas, there’s still a lot of good work to be done. there. But Donald Trump has made no secret of his appetite for California, whether it means withholding disaster funds. I mean, a lot of FEMA dollars that Donald Trump tried to keep from not the California state government, but from California families, simply because it’s a state that didn’t vote for him in the presidential election. We try to protect ourselves against these types of threats. There is also a lot of good that can be completed before the end of the Biden administration, whether it is Environmental Protection Agency waivers that will allow California to continue growing our economy while aggressively addressing climate change. Waivers at Health and Human Services that would give California a little flexibility with our Medicare dollars to also be able to treat behavioral and mental health issues for Californians, because if we know that treating the whole body is good for both physical and mental health . we try to ensure that these waivers–
MAJOR GARRETT: –Where do those waivers come from–
SEN. PADILLA: –be locked up before the end of the Biden administration.
MAJOR GARRETT: Where do you stand with the Biden administration on that, Senator? Will they respond?
SEN. PADILLA: They are very encouraging that the technical work can and should be done before the end of the semester, but we will notice if there are signatures on the documents we need. But again, these are just examples that we want to capture before President Trump comes into office, and that we can then use, either as a threat, as a punishment, or as Senator Cruz said in the previous segment, simply use it to do other things that he would like from California.
MAJOR GARRETT: You know, President-elect Trump has promised mass deportations. You also know that there is a state law in California that directs local law enforcement not to participate and cooperate with ICE agents in deportation or identification processes. The Trump administration’s new border czar, Tom Homan, has said law enforcement officers who do not cooperate will be prosecuted under federal law. How will this be resolved?
SEN. PADILLA: Yeah, I think there’s an important distinction here. No state government, not Texas, not California, not a single state in the country has constitutional authority to impose federal immigration laws that are the responsibility of the federal government. Some states like Texas want to push the boundaries and try to find a way to help, but there is no obligation to do so, and that’s what California leaders and municipal leaders across the state are saying. You know, we’re not going to use state and local resources to do the federal government’s work for them. First of all, I think there’s also a long history of these smart public safety policies. California is the most populous state in the country, the most diverse state in the country, home to more immigrants than any state in the country, and the last thing you want is for immigrant victims of crime to fear to come forward. report that crime. The last thing you want is for immigrants who may have witnessed a crime to be afraid to come forward and share information they have when investigating and prosecuting crimes. That’s what we’re talking about here. Let the federal government do the federal government’s work, but let state and local officials do the state and local officials’ work. There doesn’t need to be a conflict unless that’s what Trump wants.
MAJOR GARRETT: The governor has called a special session that will take place this week to set aside money to fight the Trump administration. Will some of that money also be set aside to protect migrants and undocumented immigrants in California as they seek legal counsel or continued legal financial assistance to support their efforts to remain in California and the United States?
SEN. PADILLA: Again, if the first Trump administration is any indication, we know that there will continue to be a lot of fear in communities and communities that deserve to know what their rights are and what their rights are not. And so when it comes to legal help, legal advice, legal support, that’s just the California way. We embrace our diversity, our diversity has allowed our communities to thrive and our economy to thrive. And so we will help families against the Trump administration’s threats, if we’ll just cut the chase a little bit. You know, we’re hearing a lot of bombas – from Trump and his allies about the largest deportation operation in our country’s history on the one hand, versus perhaps a focus on violent criminals on the other. No one, no one disagrees with the focus on violent criminals. Democrats and Republicans agree, but that’s very different from millions and millions of people being indiscriminately deported, tearing apart not only families and communities, but the enormous damage to our economy that would cause.
MAJOR GARRETT: Senator Alex Padilla, Democrat of California, we thank you for your time this morning, and we’ll be seeing a lot more Face the Nation right away. I invite you to please stay with us.
