In case you missed it – Senator Tom Cotton (R-Arkansas) and Senator Tim Kaine (D-Virginia) joined Bret Baier on “Special Report” to discuss their bipartisan legislation, the Focus on Learning Act. The senators’ bill would provide funds for the Department of Education to study the effects of cellphones on students at school. Additionally, the senators discussed U.S. aid to Israel and Ukraine, the southern border, and the recent rise of antisemitism on college campuses.
In part, Senator Cotton said:
On the Focus on Learning Act: “I think a lot of parents and teachers that I've heard from across Arkansas are deeply concerned about at a minimum, [cellphones causing] a distraction in the classroom, but also learning loss and mental health challenges.”
On foreign aid and the southern border: “I support Ukraine and Israel and helping Taiwan and certainly border security. I do worry that the situation at the border now is so chaotic, that it presents a genuine national security crisis, just yesterday, we had 12,000 migrants cross our border and an increasing concern that these migrants could be camouflaging potential foreigners who want to attack Americans. So, we have to address the situation at the border.”
On the high levels of antisemitism: “I think it should be pretty simple, that if you're calling for the genocide of Jews, that would be hate speech or violate your campus's code of conduct. I can only imagine what Jewish students or Jewish faculty members, or employees, those campuses think. I think the administration could take steps, or the Department of Education, investigating potential acts of Anti-Semitism on federally-funded campuses.”
The senators’ full interview may be found here and below.
Bret Baier: It's time for our Common Ground segment. Tonight we talk about efforts to combat antisemitism nationwide, specifically on college campuses. And a special bill about schools. Joining me, Virginia Democratic Senator Tim Kaine and Arkansas Republican Senator Tom Cotton. Senators, thanks for being here. I want to talk about your cell phone bill and schools in just a second. First, coming off of that soundbite and the testimony. It is a big concern, right? It's eye opening what we've seen across the country. How do you characterize it?
Senator Kaine: Well, Bret, it is a huge concern. And we have scar tissue in Virginia from the rally in August of 2017, where kids who were at the Hillel, they had just come to UVA to start the semester, had the Hillel surrounded and people were chanting "Jews will not replace us." So we've seen it, but it has spiked dramatically since October 7-a 14%increase
Bret Baier: You both have sent letters to the administration, specifically Secretary Cardona about concerns of this on college campuses.
Senator Cotton: Yeah, Bret, I thought the testimony you saw yesterday from these college presidents was disgraceful. I think it should be pretty simple, that if you're calling for the genocide of Jews, that would be hate speech or violate your campus's code of conduct. I can only imagine what Jewish students or Jewish faculty members, or employees, those campuses think. I think the administration could take steps, or the Department of Education, investigating potential acts of Anti-Semitism on federally-funded campuses.
Bret Baier: You all seek common ground on a number of things: you're for this funding for Israel, for Ukraine, and this supplemental, but it has kind of fallen apart over the issue of immigration. Take a listen.
Senator Lindsey Graham (clip): "Count me in on Ukraine, count me in with Israel, count me and with helping Taiwan. The border provisions in the supplemental sent over by President Biden were inadequate.
Senator Chuck Schumer (clip): "I'm still awaiting for their amendment, any amendment they want. If they can get 60 votes that can solve the border problem."
Senator Debbie Stabenow (clip): "We as Democrats are ready to meet Republicans halfway."
Bret Baier:So that's the question, Senator Kaine is, is an immigration solution possible to get this supplemental across the finish line?
Senator Kaine: I think it is. But the President sent over a proposal that had robust border security funding. But he didn't send it over thinking that everybody was just going to say yes, without wanting to edit or amend that. I mean, we're going into the Israel to the Ukraine to the to the Taiwan provisions and making adjustments. So I get that the Republicans say, okay, that was your proposal, but we have ideas. It looks like the motion to proceed to the bill tonight is likely to fail. That just means we got to sit down at the table and come up with a solution because we do need to get this funding to our allies to defend against the serious challenges before the holidays.
Bret Baier: You're up against the holiday calendar. You think that those days are there to get it done?
Senator Kaine: I think they are. We've talked about this a long time. I don't think this is an issue where people need to know more, I think they just need to sit down and hash something out.
Bret Baier: Think so?
Senator Cotton: I hope we can get a solution, because I support all those initiatives. I support Ukraine and Israel and helping Taiwan and certainly border security. I do worry that the situation at the border now is so chaotic, that it presents a genuine national security crisis, just yesterday, we had 12,000 migrants cross our border and an increasing concern that these migrants could be camouflaging potential foreigners who want to attack Americans. So, we have to address the situation at the border.
Bret Baier: You know, Senator, that the Republican Caucus in the House, there is angst about Ukrainian funding. I had the Ukrainian defense minister on yesterday talking about how it really has stalled as far as what the counter offensive has looked like. What's the pushback to that?
Senator Cotton: Well, the answer, I think, is that the President sent up a bill that had funding for Ukraine, and Israel and Taiwan, but also funding for the border, as Tim said. I don't think the border provisions in particular are adequate. I do support the funding for those foreign countries as well to help them with their own defenses. But we have to protect our country as well.
Bret Baier: For the folks who say we shouldn't be sending all this money to Ukraine, they're not seeing a lot of success. They should get a deal. Make a deal and have a negotiation.
Senator Kaine: That's up to Ukrainians. But look, they are seeing success. They've taken 60% back from what Russia took from them early in this invasion. You're right. In recent months, it's a little bit more stalemated. But I think the there are the votes there in both houses to support Ukraine.
Bret Baier: Talk to me about the common ground on this bill, to study the effects of cell phones in schools. Pilot program to provide schools with secure containers to store phones, $5 million dollars annually for a pilot program, gather input from parents, students, educators. You think cell phones in schools is a bad thing?
Senator Kaine: I'm really worried about it. And I think Tom and I come at it from some different angles. He's the parent of school kids right now, my kids are long out of school. But here's what I'm seeing Bret. In Richmond, where I live, six schools in my city embrace this as a policy to restrict cellphone usage. And the other schools didn't. But, they're going to compare and see. Does this help with avoid learning loss, help kids focus? Does it help kids feel better about themselves because they're not seeing stuff on social media that makes them feel bad about themselves. And I think what we want to do, is do a study of the many jurisdictions that now embrace these reasonable restrictions, see if they're working, and also provide some pilot funds so that other schools that want to do it can.
Bret Baier: You know, I probably see a lot of parents who would say, that's a good thing. The one red flag would be perhaps, if there's something horrible, a school shooting or something, and they want to get in touch with their kids, or the kids want to communicate, how do you respond to that?
Senator Cotton: Bret, on that question, which I get a lot from parents and teachers across Arkansas, is if something horrific like that happened at your kids school, imagine where kids are more likely to survive: where they're all looking at their phones, all texting their parents are converging and potentially blocking avenues for first responders to get there. Or, where they're all looking at the grown up, the teacher or the coach, or the administrator, who has a phone himself or herself can communicate with other adults, and the kids are taking directions from the adults. But as Tim said, in the ordinary run, of course, I think a lot of parents and teachers that I've heard from across Arkansas are deeply concerned about at a minimum, distraction in the classroom, but also learning loss and mental health challenges.
Senator Kaine: TikTok is on a lot of those phones. Are you both in favor of jettisoning TikTok. I'm not there yet. But we had a hearing on anti semitism in the HELP Committee. When we asked a college student what is the one thing we should do? We thought she was going to talk about some campus policy and she said ban Tiktok. Even today, I had a group of high schoolers in my in my office and they're saying, tell me something you're working on when someone the other side of the aisle. I mentioned this bill and I can tell they had a lot of reaction, so I braced for them to tell me it was a bad idea. They said that's what our school does,and itt works out fine.
Bret Baier: Wow. I finally got my kids off TikTok. It took a long time. Senators, thanks so much for coming on Common Ground.