'Sunday Morning Futures' discusses GOP's future with Rep. Stefanik, Biden's radical agenda with Sen. Barrasso

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Rep. Stefanik on fighting 'radical' agenda as House GOP Conference chair

Rep. Elise Stefanik, R-N.Y., argues 'we have yet to see any bipartisan legislation coming out of the Oval Office or the House,' suggesting why she believes a change was needed in the role of House Republican Conference chair.

This is a rush transcript from "Sunday Morning Futures," May 16, 2021. This copy may not be in its final form and may be updated.

MARIA BARTIROMO, FOX NEWS ANCHOR: Good Sunday morning, everyone. Welcome to "Sunday Morning Futures." I'm Maria Bartiromo.

Today, the new face of GOP leadership. New York Congresswoman Elise Stefanik on becoming the third highest ranking member of House Republicans and how her new role changes the game.

Plus: Joe Biden's radical agenda. Wyoming Senator John Barrasso takes us inside his meeting at the Oval Office this week, as Republicans put a plan B on infrastructure on the table.

Then, breaking news this morning seen only here from the man who cracked open the Russia hoax on his upcoming comprehensive report on the origins of the coronavirus, Congressman Devin Nunes on the letter he just sent to President Biden calling for answers to an issue we have suspected for over a year, as Peter Navarro laid it out right here in April of 2020.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

PETER NAVARRO, FORMER DIRECTOR, WHITE HOUSE OFFICE OF TRADE AND MANUFACTURING POLICY: What we know is that the ground zero for this virus was within a few miles of that lab.

If you simply do an Occam's razor approach that the simplest explanation is the -- probably the most likely, I think it's incumbent on China to prove that it wasn't that lab.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BARTIROMO: Coming up, former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo on what the State Department knew and how the CCP is testing Joe Biden now.

Plus: violence in the Middle East again and whether the Abraham Accords are now in jeopardy, with rockets firing at Israel in another night of unrest in the Middle East.

All that and more, as we look ahead this morning on "Sunday Morning Futures."

And first this morning, the new face of GOP leadership, with House Republicans voting for New York Congresswoman Elise Stefanik to replace ousted conference Chair Liz Cheney on Friday.

Elise Stefanik, a fourth-term congresswoman from Upstate New York, joins me right now to discuss both the conferences and her own priorities.

Congresswoman, congratulations to you. So nice to have you here this morning.

REP. ELISE STEFANIK (R-NY): Thank you so much. Great to be with you, Maria.

BARTIROMO: So, tell us what this new role for you mean for the House Republicans and for the GOP agenda.

STEFANIK: Republicans are unified in exposing the radical, far left agenda of President Joe Biden and Speaker Pelosi.

We want to focus every day on exposing the border crisis, the economic crisis, and the national security crisis in the Middle East, because it's having an impact on everyday Americans' lives. Our focus is on safely reopening our economy, getting people back to work, rather than the incentive being to stay out of work, making sure that we're addressing energy independence.

We have the highest gas prices under Joe Biden in over seven years. So, we have a unified message that resonates with the American people across the country. Republicans are unified, despite what the media will tell you.

BARTIROMO: Yes.

Congresswoman, I mean, Liz Cheney has been focusing on January 6, focusing on slamming President Trump. She made these comments on Wednesday.

Take a listen. I want to get your reaction to what we're hearing from her. Here's Liz Cheney.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

REP. LIZ CHENEY (R-WY): I think that it is an indication of where the Republican Party is. And I think that the party is in a place that we have got to bring it back from.

And we have got to get back to a position where we are a party that can fight for conservative principles, that can fight for substance. We cannot be dragged backward by the very dangerous lies of a former president.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BARTIROMO: Congresswoman, your reaction?

STEFANIK: She is looking backwards. Republicans -- she is looking backwards.

Republicans are looking forward. We are unified. And we are talking about conservative principles. President Trump is an important voice in the Republican Party. We are working as one team.

And voters across America, certainly voters in my district in Upstate New York, we believe that President Trump's results, whether it was the economic growth, whether it was the historic accords in the Middle East, whether it was being tough on China, or the bipartisan coronavirus relief packages, these were significant results that helped everyday Americans.

We are focused on moving forward. But, also, the stakes are so high. Look at how radical Joe Biden and Nancy Pelosi's policies have been. Joe Biden promised bipartisanship. We have yet to see any bipartisan legislation coming out of the Oval Office or the House.

So, I'm proud to represent the vast majority of Republicans. And that's why we needed to make a change of House conference chair.

BARTIROMO: Yes.

So, these are the priorities. How will you be able to move the needle and actually fight this radical agenda? You're in the minority. I know that you're just a few seats away from gaining the majority. But will you be able to do it? Are you expecting a free and fair election to enable you to do that next year?

STEFANIK: Well, that's one of the really important issues, Maria.

When I go home to my district, and as I talk to my colleagues, this is the case across the country. Voters want to make sure that they have faith in our election system, which is why election integrity and election security is a top priority for the American people.

And it should matter to you, whether you're Republican, Democrat, or independent. This is why you're seeing state legislatures like Florida, like Arizona taking action to address and strengthen their election systems. We need voter identification. We need chain of custody when it comes to the absentee mail-in ballots, signature verifications.

And what the Democrats have put forward is a federal takeover to put them into power forever, the for the politicians act, H.R.1, which would be taxpayer-funded campaigns. It would eliminate voter I.D. and take us in a radical far left direction.

BARTIROMO: Yes, it's pretty incredible that they have gotten as far as they have with H.R.1. It already passed the House.

And we have seen Major League Baseball, a couple of corporations come out and blast Republicans for what we're seeing, in terms of several states coming up with their own voting law legislation just recently, including Texas.

There's also an audit going on in Arizona, which you have said you support that audit.

STEFANIK: I support that audit.

Transparency is important for the American people. And, again, this should be a nonpartisan issue. Whether you're Republican, Democrat, independent, or conservative, transparency is important. And the audit was passed by the Arizona state Senate.

The Biden Department of Justice is trying to block that audit. That is unconstitutional, from my perspective. Our states, constitutionally, are responsible for writing their state's elections law. So, the American people deserve to get those answers when it comes to the Arizona audit.

BARTIROMO: Yes, I'm glad you said that, because the truth is, is the media won't cover this. And it's important that you see it as a priority. And we certainly will cover all that is happening on the voting front.

Look, you have been hurled with hate ever since this took place. They are trying to attack -- the left is trying to attack your record, saying that Liz Cheney is even more conservative than you are.

Are you going to be able to withstand the attacks and hate being hurled at you?

STEFANIK: It's a great question, Maria.

I am used to the attacks, as one of the number one most effective Republicans fighting back against the unconstitutional first impeachment sham against President Trump. I was attacked from everyone, from Hollywood, from the far left, from the entire Democratic ecosystem.

And we stood up for the American people, the Constitution, my district, and the president. And, ultimately, that was exposed as an unconstitutional impeachment sham. So, I'm used to the attacks.

But the stakes are too important. I have a very thick skin. And I'm focused on issues that matter to the American people. For example, when I go to my district and talk to a small business, you see help wanted signs everywhere in this country right now. Small businesses are desperate to fill jobs.

And yet the incentive that Democrats have put forth is for people to stay out of work, rather than going back to work. So I'm going to focus on the issues that matter. I'm happy to take the criticisms from the editorial boards, the anti-Trump The Lincoln Project, because they're out of touch with the hardworking American people.

BARTIROMO: I want to, real quick, run this sound bite of Bill de Blasio.

The mayor of New York joined me last year to talk about the state of New York. We're talking about the border issues. The agents on the ground told me that all of the illicit narcotics coming into this country through the border, they reach places like New York in two days.

I raised the crime statistics with the mayor. And here's how he reacted. Let's look.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BARTIROMO: Let's not even go into the issue of the bail reform law, where you had to let all of these inmates out, and crime did spike. And we see that continuing, so much that you had to get them back and put them back in jail, because, as soon as you let them out, they went and they committed more crimes.

BILL DE BLASIO (D), MAYOR OF NEW YORK: Again, Maria, this city is the safest it has been since the 1950s.

I have increased the number of officers on patrol.

BARTIROMO: Shootings are up 200 percent.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BARTIROMO: Shootings are up 200 percent. He said it's the safest city since the 1950s, Congresswoman.

STEFANIK: Crime is on the rise in New York state. It has been for the past year. Look at the number of shootings. It is higher than at any point in my lifetime. And I was born in the 1980s.

Look at the high number of retirements from the NYPD. These are because of the failed progressive policies of Mayor de Blasio and Governor Cuomo. And New Yorkers are fleeing the city. It is sad. We need to make sure that we are funding and protecting the resources when it comes to our law enforcement to ensure that every community has the safety and security.

You pointed out the bail reform law. That has led to an increase in crime and violence in New York state. And it needs to be fixed. And this is impacting -- border issues are not just for border communities geographically along the border. Every town, every city, every state in this country is impacted by the border crisis.

BARTIROMO: Yes.

Real quick, Congresswoman, before you go, President Trump supported you to get the third highest rank in the GOP. How important is he to the party right now?

STEFANIK: He's critical to the party. He is the leader of the Republican Party.

Voters determine the leader of the Republican Party. And they continue to look to President Trump for his vision. And he's going to be an important part of us winning back the House in 2022.

BARTIROMO: All right, we will leave it there.

Congrats again. Congresswoman, we hope you will come back. We will be watching the developments.

Thank you so much, Elise Stefanik.

All right, we will take a short break.

When we come back, Congressman Devin Nunes is here. He broke open the Russiagate hoax, wide open. He is here with breaking news this morning on his investigation into the origins of COVID-19, his explosive findings, and his letter to President Biden demanding answers -- when we come back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SEN. TOM COTTON (R-AR): We don't know where it originated, but we do know that we have to get to the bottom of that.

We also know that just a few miles away from that food market is China's only biosafety level four super laboratory that researches human infectious diseases.

Now, we don't have evidence that this disease originated there, but, because of China's duplicity and dishonesty from the beginning, we need to at least ask the question to see what the evidence says.

And China right now is not giving any evidence on that question at all.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BARTIROMO: Well, that was Senator Tom Cotton on this program back in February 2020, when the world knew very little about what was happening, becoming the first U.S. lawmaker to go on the record on this program and suggest that COVID-19 could have leaked from the Wuhan Lab of Virology.

Here we are, more than a year later. We still do not have the official confirmation where the virus originated. And President Biden is in no rush to find out. He has yet to ask Xi Jinping anything about the coronavirus, let alone admit that the pandemic started in China.

Kentucky Senator Rand Paul confronted Dr. Anthony Fauci about this during a Senate hearing earlier this week.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SEN. RAND PAUL (R-KY): Will you in front of this group categorically say that the COVID-19 could not have occurred through serial passage in a laboratory?

DR. ANTHONY FAUCI, CHIEF MEDICAL ADVISER TO PRESIDENT BIDEN: I do not have any accounting of what the Chinese may have done. And I'm fully in favor of any further investigation of what went on in China.

However, I will repeat again the NIH and NIAID categorically has not funded gain of function research to be conducted in the Wuhan Institute of Virology.

PAUL: You're fooling with Mother Nature here. You're allowing super viruses to be created with a 15 percent mortality. It's very dangerous. I think it was a huge mistake to share this with China.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BARTIROMO: There you have it.

Now we have breaking news this morning. Congressman Devin Nunes is the ranking member on the House Intelligence Committee. He is here to unveil a new report that he has worked on, on the origins of the coronavirus.

Devin Nunes has been investigating China for over a decade. He sent a letter last night to President Biden -- on Friday, rather -- with 25 questions he wants answered by the end of the month.

He joins us right now to explain.

Congressman, it's great to see you this morning. Thanks very much for joining us.

REP. DEVIN NUNES (R-CA): Great to be with you.

BARTIROMO: Give the scope of your report.

NUNES: Well, look, you played that comment of Senator Cotton from a year ago. And here we are, and we still don't have these basic answers.

But if you begin to look at the circumstantial evidence, I think it's pretty clear that there wasn't some guy in a wet market in China that ate a bat. It likely didn't come from there. There's zero evidence of that.

But there's building circumstantial evidence that, indeed, this did come from the lab and, indeed, likely, there was money that flowed from the U.S. government through nonprofits that was actually supporting this type of research that was going on in China.

And, look, why is this important? This is about bioweapons. This is about biowarfare. This is -- this is very concerning. And I think what Senator Rand Paul was getting to, is this really something the U.S. wants to be involved in?

And moving forward from here, we have to know the answers to this sooner, rather than later. And the Biden administration needs to get to the bottom of it. I think they're sitting on and suppressing a lot of intelligence that we, the American people, should see in order to know how to move ahead over the coming next few years, as China continues to gain control of the life science arena and the life science global economy.

They're trying to move all this technology back to China, while, at the same time, not answering basic questions about the origin of this virus.

BARTIROMO: This is such an important report that you are going to unveil this upcoming week.

First of all, have you heard back from President Biden yet on the letter you sent him Friday night?

NUNES: Well, to be fair, we just sent the letter. I'm not expecting that.

But what I believe it is, and if the American people go and look at it, there's 25 questions that the United States government ought to be answering, not just for House Republicans on the Intelligence Committee who are trying to get to the bottom of this, but for all of the American people and all of our allies around the globe who are still reeling from this virus.

I mean, every day, people are still dying. And thank God most Americans have had -- been vaccinated or have actually contracted the virus. And it seems like we're on the -- a downhill slide here in the United States.

That's why it's so important we need to get the answers to know how to move forward from here.

BARTIROMO: So I want I want to ask you about some of the questions.

I was really struck by one thing that I learned from your -- from your incredible study and coverage. We were doing -- the U.S. was doing gain of function research. And then we heard from our diplomats in China, who said to us they are -- they raised concern about this research, saying that it could be weaponized, it could lead to a pandemic in the United States.

So, what does President Obama do in 2014? He puts a pause on the research. He paused this research in the United States. And then, in 2017, in December, President Trump's first year, somebody lifted the pause.

Now, who lifted the pause on gain of function research? Do we know that? Walk us through that history.

NUNES: So, what we know is, there was a -- there was a program that was started between the United States and the Chinese government, so the Wuhan lab specifically in the University of North Carolina.

Money was flowing through a nonprofit that was going into both of those. At the time, here in the United States, we thought that, ah, probably not a good idea that we convene and conduct that research here. So there was a pause put on it.

Now, at the same time, all of that research should have been stopped, including in Wuhan. But it was not. So that research likely continued for the next several years. I don't know who made the decision back in 2017. That's one of the questions we need to answer as to, are we doing that in the United States today?

Should we be doing it in the United States today? But we know one thing for sure. The Chinese should not be doing it. And if we had anything to do with this research, shame on us, and the American people deserve the right to know.

BARTIROMO: All right, we're going to take a short break.

I want to go back to this and talk about this history of gain of function and why it was continuing even after Obama put the pause in.

Stay with us. We have got breaking news this morning with Devin Nunes.

We will be right back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

COTTON: If it is confirmed that roads around that lab were shut down for a number of days in mid-October, it is highly coincidental that there was a major shutdown of those roads at about the time one might have expected this virus to first get transmitted to humans, whatever the origins may have been.

But this would be another piece of piece of circumstantial evidence that there was some kind of accident or outbreak from those labs, not from the seafood market or anywhere else.

That's why it's so important we get to the bottom of this data.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BARTIROMO: OK, we are back with Congressman Devin Nunes.

You just heard Senator Tom Cotton on this program back in May of 2020 raising the red flag on major road closures around the Wuhan lab in Wuhan, China, in October of 2019. Why would they close down the roads? No cell phone availability either.

Why is this important? He believed it could be a piece of circumstantial evidence.

And, Devin Nunes, this is one of the notes you have in these 25 questions with Joe Biden. Talk to us about the fact that there was no cell phone whatsoever and road closures in October 2019 in Wuhan. Why is that important?

NUNES: Well, what we have been working on is trying to piece together all the evidence we possibly have to try to determine, did this come from the Wuhan lab, did it come from somewhere else, or did it come from some weird Chinese dude eating a bat in a wet market, like the Democrat socialists in this country tried to perpetuate?

The media tried to perpetuate that. But what we have today, what we can say, after a year of investigating and coming up with these 25 questions, there's clearly a lot of questions that involved a lot of circumstantial evidence. We have a lot of that that indicate that this originated in a lab.

We have zero evidence that some dude ate a bat in a wet market. And I think that's important to know...

BARTIROMO: OK.

NUNES: ... because what we're talking about here is, we're talking about very dangerous, potential dangerous leaks, and also future biological warfare, which is -- which is really why this whole -- the concerns that I have also about, you know, why is the Biden administration now taking U.S. technology that we developed to develop a vaccine to this very dangerous virus, and now they're willing to spread this and let -- and allow the Chinese to have access to this technology?

This is maddening.

BARTIROMO: Yes, I want to get to that, because he's totally blowing off intellectual property rules, and -- from the vaccine makers, even as China has been trying to steal the vaccine for over a year.

But I want to get back to the history of the gain of function research and funding. And we have put together this timeline, based on what you are talking about in your letter.

I want to understand better why it was that there was a pause put on this research in the United States, number one, why it was that, even though there was a pause in the United States, it was still being funded in Wuhan from -- indirectly from the United States, and, number three, why it is that the pause was lifted under the Trump administration.

Did President Trump have any idea that they were lifting the pause? This was December of 2017. So, first, take the question on the pause. We had diplomats come back and tell U.S. officials, this kind of research, it can create a pandemic, and it can be weaponized. That's what they said.

NUNES: Yes, so that's all part of the circumstantial evidence case that we're building.

And I want to make sure that all the viewers understand out there that what was lifted in '17 had nothing to do with Wuhan. The challenge was, is that, when it was banned here in the U.S. or put on pause, the Wuhan research was continuing, and likely with U.S. dollars that we still don't have an accounting for.

So, that research, I assume, is being conducted here in the United States today. But the point here is, is, when something wasn't allowed in the United States, it was actually going on in China. That's something that the American people deserve a right to know and whether or not their taxpayer dollars were being used, because this type of activity, this gain of function, is really weaponizing a virus.

And I'm sure there's a lot of people who say, on one hand, well, it could weaponize a virus, on the other hand, you could come up with cures. I'm sure both are true. But the question is, something like this that can be so dangerous and so deadly and turned into a weapon, is that really something that we would want to be involved in, or that we would want taxpayer money being involved in?

BARTIROMO: Right.

Now, Anthony Fauci, on -- in his testimony was adamant, said it's just not true, to Rand Paul.

What was he doing? Did he lie?

NUNES: Well, look, we will see.

I mean, my guess is, is that there was no money -- they're playing word games here. As we know, the U.S. institutions, the government agencies in this country have gotten really good at supporting the Democrat socialist narratives that they want to support.

So, clearly, they wouldn't want it out there that Obama was -- actually created this program, was sending taxpayer dollars to China. So, what was likely happening, it was being routed through a nonprofit, and then routed into China.

Sound familiar? We have seen that -- we have seen this before with the Democratic Party doing similar types of operations ,where they were funneling information to the media and then funneling it back into the Department of Justice.

BARTIROMO: Yes.

NUNES: It seems like kind of the similar play call.

BARTIROMO: Yes.

And, by the way, the nonprofit was the EcoHealth Alliance run by Peter Daszak, who, by the way, tried to trash me on Twitter when I said on this program it's likely that this came from a lab. He's -- he's one of the people involved, correct? And he was also on the WHO team -- the WHO team, rather.

NUNES: Yes, that's correct.

And so this is somebody who was -- who clearly has taken, from our estimation, about $100 million. We don't know -- we don't have an accounting for all that money. I'm sure a lot of that money was being used for good research.

But the question is, should somebody like this, who was involved in allocating that money, be involved in investigating the origins of this Wuhan virus?

BARTIROMO: Yes.

NUNES: I'm not sure that would be appropriate.

BARTIROMO: So, Devin, Devin Nunes, one more question here.

When the pause was lifted, was this done in a -- through a backdoor? Did President Trump understand that they were lifting the pause on this research in the United States?

NUNES: We don't know that. We don't have any answers to -- we don't even know what type of research is being done at this point.

And those are some of the questions that we're asking that we need to be answered. What is being done here in the United States?

BARTIROMO: OK. OK.

And you are also asking why he's allowing this waiver for intellectual property.

NUNES: Yes.

BARTIROMO: The vaccine makers spent a decade and time and money coming up with a vaccine because of Warp Speed. And they did it in 10 months, and now we're giving it away.

Congressman, it's great to see you. You're doing incredible work, as usual. We will see you soon.

Thank you, sir.

NUNES: Thank you.

BARTIROMO: Coming up, former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo is next.

He will reveal what Trump's State Department knew about the origins of the coronavirus. He could fill in some holes for us when we come back.

And then Biden's foreign policy leading America toward war in the Middle East, with the Israeli-Palestinian conflict reaching a fever pitch? His warning for the Biden administration as rockets fly toward Israel.

We will be right back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JOHN RATCLIFFE, FORMER U.S. DIRECTOR OF NATIONAL INTELLIGENCE: It is a perilous waters.

We have relative peace in the Middle East because of the Trump policies with regard to Iran. Iran is weaker, poorer and less influential than they have been in two decades. And that's because we withdrew from the JCPOA and we implemented sanctions.

BARTIROMO: Right.

RATCLIFFE: And the Biden administration, much as they have done with domestic policy, trying to just prove that Trump was wrong, when, in fact, the policies very clearly show that the Trump administration was right, would jeopardize our national security.

BARTIROMO: OK.

RATCLIFFE: We shouldn't be backing that Iranian nuclear deal, and the Biden administration should walk away.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BARTIROMO: And that was former Director of National Intelligence John Ratcliffe on this program back in March warning the Biden administration that negotiating with Iran could be deadly, jeopardize peace in the Middle East.

Since then, tensions in the region have only intensified, Israel ramping up airstrikes in Gaza in response to Hamas firing on Jerusalem and Tel Aviv on Monday.

Joining me right now is the former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, who helped broker the deals between Israel and four Arab countries under the Trump administration known as the Abraham Accords.

Secretary, thanks very much for all of your work. Good morning to you. It is good to see you this morning.

MIKE POMPEO, FORMER U.S. SECRETARY OF STATE: Good morning, Maria. It's great to be with you this morning.

BARTIROMO: So, before we dive into the crisis in the Middle East, you heard John Ratcliffe predicting what's happening.

I want to get your thoughts on what you just heard from Devin Nunes about the origins of COVID-19. When you were at the State Department, what did you know about the origins of the coronavirus, sir?

POMPEO: Maria, we worked to get every bit of evidence that we could.

We tried to deliver this. The CDC tried to work with the Chinese. They covered it up terribly. But every piece of evidence that we saw throughout the entire time I was there suggested that this originated in that laboratory at the Wuhan Institute of Virology.

I haven't seen a shred of evidence that suggests anything to the contrary. That evidence continues to accumulate, in spite of the fact that the Chinese Communist Party will not permit anyone to get any access to the laboratory, to the original materials, to the doctors that were working there.

The list of the cover-up efforts is staggering. And the combination of the circumstantial evidence that we have, combined with the intense effort to deny us information about that lab, suggests to me strongly that this was where it originated.

And, Maria, as I think Devin said, the risk that something like this happens again from that laboratory or another Chinese laboratory is very real. They're operating and conducting activities that are inconsistent with their capacity to secure those facilities.

And the risk of bioweapons and bioterror emanating from this region is very real.

BARTIROMO: Unbelievable.

And I know that you worked with Devin Nunes all the way when you were a congressman from Kansas...

POMPEO: I did.

BARTIROMO: ... before you were the CIA director, before you were the secretary of state.

All right, real quick, one other question on this. Then I want to move on. We have got a lot to talk to you about.

We discussed a story on this program last weekend about a story broken by an Australian journalist, Sharri Markson. She said that the U.S. State Department obtained documents in May of 2020 revealing that Chinese military scientists discussed the weaponization of SARS coronavirus five years before the pandemic showed up.

What can you tell us?

POMPEO: Maria, I can't say much about those particular documents.

But you will recall, back in January of 2021, we released a set of now declassified information pieces that talked about the fact that we believe there were doctors that came down with the symptoms from the virus back in 2019, deep knowledge that the Chinese Communist Party had about human-to- human transition long before they admitted it to the WHO or to the world.

There is increasing evidence that the Chinese Communist Party acted at least with reckless negligence, and perhaps even worse.

BARTIROMO: I mean, should Trump -- should President Trump and the State Department been notified if they were lifting the pause on this gain of research funding in December of '17?

POMPEO: Absolutely.

I don't -- I don't know when that happened. I don't know whose decision it was. I hope Congressman Nunes and the members of Congress who are working on this diligently to protect and secure Americans from this kind of virus happening again, I hope we can get to the bottom of it.

I'm confident that, when we learn what happened here, we will find that there were mistakes on our side as well. I regret that.

BARTIROMO: OK, let me move on to the Middle East, because you brokered these incredible deals.

You actually presented peace in the Middle East to the Biden administration. Now we're seeing rockets flying around Israel every day.

President Trump made the Middle East safer by isolating Iran. Your thoughts on the policies that the Biden administration are taking to try to get the U.S. back into the Iran deal? Are the Abraham Accords now in jeopardy?

POMPEO: I think the Abraham Accords will survive because it was good for the people of the United Arab Emirates, of Bahrain, and of Israel. I think those leaders will ensure that these accords survive.

But every single step that the Biden administration has taken to date puts them at greater risk and puts those friends and allies and partners of ours in the Middle East to greater risk.

There is, Maria, a direct line. There is a direct line between appeasement and war. We worked for four years to create peace and stability in the Middle East. And we made clear to the Palestinian Authority, we're not going to underwrite you. We're not going to send American taxpayer money to the Palestinians while you're still committed to wiping Israel off the face of the Earth.

This administration came in and immediately began underwriting the Palestinians again. They handed billions of dollars over to the Iranians, in terms of absence of enforcement of sanctions. The Iranians are underwriting the very terrorists who are firing rockets into Jerusalem and Tel Aviv today.

This is crazy. This is bad for our friend and partner Israel. It's bad for the broader Middle East. And it puts American lives at risk as well. These sets of policies are completely, 180 degrees out of the things that we now know.

Maria, I will give you one more example. Remember, they said that exactly this kind of thing would happen if we moved the U.S. Embassy to Jerusalem. They said there will be war, there will be firing of rockets, and all things.

Well, we have moved to the embassy. None of that happened.

BARTIROMO: That's right.

POMPEO: When this administration refused to allow the Israelis to do the things that they need to do to defend themselves, that's when you get conflict like you see today between Israel and the Palestinians.

BARTIROMO: Yes, we're going to show a graphic of a statement by President Trump about all of this.

He said: "When I was in office, we were known as the peace presidency because Israel's adversaries knew that the United States stood strongly with Israel, and there would be swift retribution if Israel was attacked. Under Biden, the world is getting more violent and more unstable because Biden's weakness and lack of support for Israel is leading to new attacks on our allies."

Look, you just said it. One month after the administration -- these attacks are happening one month after the administration decided to send money, economic aid to the Palestinian Authority, including areas controlled by militant groups.

You, Ted Cruz and Marco Rubio warned the secretary of state, Antony Blinken, against doing this. And just a few weeks ago, you told a group that Al Qaeda is now based in Iran.

So, tell me about that. Iran is supplying arms to Hamas, the proxies, to fight against Israel as well.

POMPEO: Maria, it's crazy.

You have U.S. diplomats sitting with the Islamic Republic of Iran's leadership in Vienna trying to decide exactly how many billions of dollars to give to that regime. What's that regime doing today that impacts people all across America? It is hosting Al Qaeda, the folks who took down the tower in New York now almost 20 years ago.

The senior operational leadership is sitting in Tehran, and Americans are sitting in Vienna with the leaders in Tehran. That Iranian regime is underwriting the Hamas terrorists, the Palestinian Islamic Jihad terrorists, who are firing rockets on Israelis into Tel Aviv and Jerusalem, where many Americans reside, putting American lives at risk.

BARTIROMO: Yes.

POMPEO: The fact that this administration is so wedded to this JCPOA, so - - it's almost an article of faith for them.

And it puts American lives at risk. It doesn't secure American freedom, and it's bad for global stability, and certainly for our friends and allies in the Middle East.

BARTIROMO: Secretary, real quick, your reaction to this open letter from - - 120-plus retired generals and admirals signed an open letter this week questioning the legitimacy of the 2020 presidential election, also Biden's fitness to lead, as we watch open borders, where narcotics are coming in, killing our people, 90,000 overdoses in the last year, largely due to fentanyl coming into this country.

Tell me about that letter, though, from the retired generals. What did you make of that?

POMPEO: Well, I know this.

We have got to figure out how to host secure elections that the American people have confidence in. That has to happen, Maria. Our republic depends on this. The Democrats' solution to this is something called H.R.1. They want to make sure that no American ever has to show an I.D. to vote.

That is crazy. They want to make sure that your money, my money, taxpayer money, goes to fund candidates from the national treasure. This is not how you secure these elections.

The way you do it is the way you see state legislatures all across the country.

BARTIROMO: Yes.

POMPEO: They're working to build out secure systems. That's the right approach.

BARTIROMO: OK. All right, Secretary, it's great to see you this morning.

POMPEO: Maria...

BARTIROMO: We have many more questions for you on the border...

POMPEO: Yes, ma'am. Good to be with you.

BARTIROMO: ... and on the Colonial Pipeline. We will do it on another day.

Thank you, sir. Great to see you, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo.

We will be right back. Stay with us.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BARTIROMO: Well, welcome back.

Bad policy equals bad outcomes.

In just 116 days, Biden's policies have produced a crisis at the border, record inflation, the Colonial Pipeline being hacked by Russians, and peace in the Middle East in jeopardy, China eying Taiwan, just to name a few of the crises that we're looking at.

When asked if Biden could handle all of this, here's what Jen Psaki had to say.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JEN PSAKI, WHITE HOUSE PRESS SECRETARY: That's what we're made for here. We certainly know that, and the president knew from having served as vice president for eight years, that, when you walk in, and you're the leader of the free world, and you're overseeing a country that is still working its way through a pandemic and an economic recovery, that you have to prepare - - be prepared to juggle multiple challenges, multiple crises at one time.

And that's exactly what we're doing at this moment.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BARTIROMO: OK, then, multiple crises.

My next guest had the opportunity to judge for himself on Thursday, as one of six GOP senators invited to visit the Oval Office and meet with President Biden face to face.

Wyoming Senator John Barrasso joins me right now. He is the third ranking member in the Senate Republican leadership.

And, Senator, it is always a pleasure to see you. Thanks very much for being here.

SEN. JOHN BARRASSO (R-WY): Thank you, Maria.

BARTIROMO: Can you tell us about your meeting in the Oval Office? What was discussed?

BARRASSO: Well, it was very positive, very productive, and it was about infrastructure. That was the topic.

And I will tell you why I believe that Joe Biden is actually interested in cutting a deal with Republicans. We knew going in we were going to be plan B. And plan A is still the big infrastructure bill that has very little to do with infrastructure, massive tax increases, massive spending.

Joe Biden, I think, and the administration realize they cannot muster the votes that they would need, even using reconciliation, to get such a monstrous piece of legislation done.

We were there talking specifically hard infrastructure, physical infrastructure, roads, bridges, ports, waterways, the important things, airports, things that the American people think of as infrastructure.

And we used as a basis of that the bill that I had passed out of the Environment and Public Works Committee, bipartisan, 21-0, in the last Congress. I voted for it and Bernie Sanders voted for it.

Now, Maria, Joe Biden wants all those things, but, of course, he wants a lot more. And we told him we're willing to work with him on the things I mentioned, but we're going to leave out subsidies for electric vehicles, the green bad deal.

BARTIROMO: OK.

BARRASSO: We're going to leave out so-called climate justice.

And we're going to meet again on Tuesday, looking to get a solution.

BARTIROMO: I want to ask you about this upcoming Tuesday meeting.

I'm wondering if all of this is optics, if they're just going to try to get it through reconciliation anyway.

So, stay with us, quick break, and then more with John Barrasso on these very important meetings he's having on the Biden economic agenda.

Back in a moment.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BARTIROMO: Welcome back.

We're back with Senator John Barrasso, the Senate Republican Conference chairman.

And, Senator, real quick on Biden's plan to raise taxes, is this all optics; he's meeting with you guys and then he's just going to try to get it through reconciliation anyway? Does he have support on his side?

BARRASSO: He does not.

And he certainly knows from the Republicans that met with him the other day we are not touching the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act. It was so successful in stimulating our economy in 2017.

But we're going to meet and talk about different ways to pay for this legislation going forward to make sure we have the core infrastructure the American people need.

BARTIROMO: So, the bottom line is, some Democrats are saying: I'm not agreeing to higher taxes unless the SALT deduction is in there. And Bernie Sanders is saying: I'm not agreeing to anything if the SALT deduction is in there.

BARRASSO: Yes, the Democrats are divided on this, thankfully, for the benefit of the country, because we know higher taxes are going to hurt our economy dramatically.

You started this last segment talking about inflation. I mean, I'm home in Wyoming talking at a high school commencement today in Thermopolis, Wyoming. And what I'm hearing all around Wyoming is, we can't hire people and costs are going up, gasoline, groceries, because so much money has already been sent out by this administration.

And we're paying people more to not work than to work.

BARTIROMO: Yes.

BARRASSO: These are important, key issues for our economy into the future.

BARTIROMO: How about -- absolutely. So happy you're doing that at the high school in Wyoming. Good for you.

Let me ask you about the Colonial Pipeline. Talk about paying off. There was a ransom paid here. And to know that the Colonial Pipeline shutdown can create such havoc on -- in the Northeast, that shows you how vulnerable we are.

What are your thoughts on Biden's policy of canceling the XL Pipeline?

BARRASSO: Yes, we need more pipelines, not fewer pipelines.

Pipelines are a lifeline for our energy, for our economy, for jobs. This administration has been asleep at the switch on this. If one pipeline goes down and can cause this amount of panics and these long lines, it tells you how vulnerable we are.

And not just has Joe Biden canceled the Keystone XL pipeline. The secretary of interior had previously gone to North Dakota to protest the Dakota Access Pipeline.

BARTIROMO: Yes.

BARRASSO: You have John Kerry, the climate czar, going to New York, telling Wall Street, don't invest in pipelines because they're evil.

We -- this is how much this administration is against fossil fuels.

BARTIROMO: Yes.

BARRASSO: They hate fossil fuels more than -- more than our enemies.

BARTIROMO: Unbelievable.

BARRASSO: Right now, we are using more oil from Alaska -- from Russia than we are from Alaska.

We need more pipelines, not fewer.

BARTIROMO: Unbelievable.

Real quick, Senator, you're from Wyoming. Will Liz Cheney get reelected?

BARRASSO: Well, I expect to hear a lot about this at the high school graduation today.

Look, we only have a three-member delegation. We work closely together. We're all conservative.

BARTIROMO: OK.

BARRASSO: We're fighting an administration. We need to take back the House and take back the Senate.

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