On this “Face the Nation with Margaret Brennan” broadcast, moderated by Margaret Brennan: 

• Energy Secretary Chris Wright
• Rep. Jason Crow, Democrat of Colorado
• Rep. Lisa McClain, Republican of Michigan
• Michigan Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson, Democratic nominee for governor
• Sunoco chairman Ray Washburne, Republican midterm convention chair

Click here to browse full transcripts from 2026 of “Face the Nation with Margaret Brennan.”   

MARGARET BRENNAN: I’m Margaret Brennan in Washington.

And this week on Face the Nation: There are new signs of resiliency in the job market, but prices remain high. As Americans hit the roads and skies before the end of summer, gasoline prices are at the highest ever for a Labor Day weekend. One major factor behind elevated prices, the war with Iran, which flared up again last week.

What could that conflict, plus a new landmark U.S. oil deal with Venezuela, mean for consumers in the U.S.? We will ask Energy Secretary Chris Wright, who’s just back from Caracas.

Plus, as Republicans begin to make their case to fall voters at their first ever GOP midterm convention, we will hear from the fourth-ranking Republican in the House, Michigan Congresswoman Lisa McClain, and the co- chair of the GOP midterm convention, businessman and Sunoco chairman Ray Washburne.

Democrats plan to counter that convention to make their case. But what do they plan to do about affordability? We will talk with Colorado Democrat Jason Crow and Michigan gubernatorial nominee Jocelyn Benson.

It’s all just ahead on Face the Nation.

Good morning, and welcome to Face the Nation.

There is breaking news today from Ukraine, where, after 19 months in office, President Trump has finally sent his top foreign policy envoys to visit. Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner arrived in Kyiv earlier in an attempt to end the now-5.5-year long war with Russia.

Their trip comes after months of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s pleas for the envoys to visit. The two were in Moscow yesterday. That was Witkoff’s sixth visit with Mr. Putin that we are aware of. Vladimir Putin said he rejected Zelenskyy’s suggestion of a cease-fire, but both leaders agreed to temporarily halt attacks on the capital cities to allow for the envoys to visit.

Here at home, Americans are enjoying their last unofficial weekend of summer. But with the midterm elections now less than two months away, voters want answers on when the price of gas and other goods will go down.

We begin today with the U.S. secretary of energy, Chris Wright, who joins us from Denver.

Mr. Secretary, it is Labor Day, and Secretary Bessent had predicted we’d see $3 gas by September 20, depending on the Iran talks. Do you think we’re going to be back at three bucks in the next two weeks?

CHRIS WRIGHT (U.S. Energy Secretary): Well, we’ve passed peak demand time with Labor Day tomorrow, the end of the summer driving season.

And the Trump administration a couple weeks ago rolled out a change in regulations that’ll allow American refiners to produce more gasoline and diesel with their existing equipment. So, seeing demand likely go down in the next few weeks and supply going up, I think prices headed downward is – – is not an unreasonable expectation.

MARGARET BRENNAN: What about the diesel fuel that trucks and trains rely so heavily on? We saw that record high price of $5.89 a gallon this week. Is, for example, an export ban off the table?

SECRETARY CHRIS WRIGHT: You want to keep as much energy flowing as possible.

The diesel situation has been challenging because Russian refineries have suffered significant damage. Russia used to be a meaningful exporter of diesel. Today – today, they don’t export any diesel, and, in fact, they’ve become a meaningful importer of gasoline.

So it’s global refining capacity is why gasoline and diesel prices are high, even more than oil prices. And this is – for 17 years, Democrat policies have been attack hydrocarbons, get as many refineries and coal plants closed. You could summarize their energy and climate policies in two words, expensive energy.

President Trump has swum against that tide.

MARGARET BRENNAN: Well, you could also say Russia shouldn’t have invaded Ukraine, and then they’re – they’d still be able to export.

But to the point of what you’re going to do about it, are you looking at an export ban?

SECRETARY CHRIS WRIGHT: We consider all options of how you can move prices that are favorable for American consumers, but, right now, we’re leaning in on maximum production, energy addition, again, in gasoline, in diesel, in the electricity sector. The way to solve a supply shortage is to grow supply.

MARGARET BRENNAN: OK.

I want to ask you about Iran. You were on another network this morning, and you said the U.S. may not reach a nuclear deal with this current Iranian government and may have to wait for a new regime. If that is the current assessment, should the American people prepare themselves that the new normal will be these, for example, strikes like we saw just two days ago on Iranian oil tankers?

Are you shutting down diplomatic outreach?

SECRETARY CHRIS WRIGHT: No, we are always open for a deal. That’s President Trump’s goal is always to have a negotiated settlement and not use a military solution unless absolutely necessary.

But the biggest role of our military in the region right now is to stop the export of any Iranian crude or crude-related products, natural gas, whatever. We are strangling their economy to try to bring either a change in policy from the existing regime or a new regime.

Their current strategy is – is slowly failing for them. Our exports of oil through the Strait of Hormuz are at the highest they’ve been since the conflict started, but they’re still causing trouble.

MARGARET BRENNAN: Yes.

SECRETARY CHRIS WRIGHT: But what we can do is add supply in Alaska, in the Gulf, in Venezuela, everywhere we can, and continue to grow the rate of exports from the Middle East as well.

MARGARET BRENNAN: But, I mean, to that point, Secretary Bessent said something like the Strait of Hormuz will be irrelevant in two years. It takes time to build pipelines to avoid the strait.

How do you go from $90 a barrel now back to where we were prewar, like 50 buck range? How quickly?

SECRETARY CHRIS WRIGHT: You know, that’s – that’s as – as soon as we can get barriers out of the way to grow production.

Venezuelan production is well ahead of schedule, 50 percent growth in oil exports in the eight months we’ve been involved. That’s pretty tremendous. Alaska has been sanctioned more than Iran by Democratic politicians. We’ve got to unleash Alaska, and that’s happening.

The Gulf of America has enormous oil and gas reserves there. Those are growing as well. And, of course, we’re in constant dialogue with the Canadians, our neighbors to the north. They’ve got huge room to expand oil production capacity.

MARGARET BRENNAN: So, years.

SECRETARY CHRIS WRIGHT: We’re trying to center the world on bettering people’s lives and economic growth in the long run. Every month, production is growing. Every month, production is growing.

MARGARET BRENNAN: You mentioned Venezuela.

SECRETARY CHRIS WRIGHT: Refineries is a bigger challenge.

MARGARET BRENNAN: Yes.

You mentioned Venezuela a few times there.

SECRETARY CHRIS WRIGHT: Yes, refining…

MARGARET BRENNAN: Sorry, go ahead.

(LAUGHTER)

SECRETARY CHRIS WRIGHT: Go ahead, Margaret. Go ahead.

MARGARET BRENNAN: This is the problem with remote. We love having you in studio, so we don’t step on each other. I apologize there.

You mentioned Venezuela a few times. How is U.S. investment in Venezuelan oil production consistent with American energy dominance and independence?

SECRETARY CHRIS WRIGHT: Well, first of all, it’s the Western Hemisphere. It’s America’s. And the great thing about this deal the United States did no cost, zero cost to American taxpayers.

But we’re going – to we’re going to get massive amounts of discounted oil price and ownership interest in some production there. But it’s a win for Venezuela as well, because it helps the investment climate to draw more and more foreign capital in, mostly American capital, but from elsewhere around the world, to grow their production, lift the incomes and job opportunities for Venezuelans, and lower energy prices for the United States, a classic win-win business deal.

MARGARET BRENNAN: But is it really sustainable if the deal is with an unelected and arguably illegitimate government that has not committed to holding elections, which the U.S. says are a priority? How can you instill confidence when it’s a deal with Delcy Rodriguez?

SECRETARY CHRIS WRIGHT: There will be elections, of course. Those are coming. But this is a win-win deal.

MARGARET BRENNAN: When?

SECRETARY CHRIS WRIGHT: Any government that took power in Venezuela would say, wow, we’re going to draw more capital, grow our production, increase jobs and tax revenues in Venezuela, and tighten our relationship with the United States. That’s a pretty big win.

I don’t think it’s that dependent upon which government is in power on whether that deal is a win.

MARGARET BRENNAN: So…

SECRETARY CHRIS WRIGHT: There’s also a lot of refining capacity in Venezuela that we will see investment to drive that back up.

Under President Biden, we had over a dozen refineries closed in the United States, and Gavin Newsom doubled down and strangled two more refineries in California in the last 12 months.

MARGARET BRENNAN: OK.

SECRETARY CHRIS WRIGHT: That’s the way to expensive energy in the long term, not just during a conflict.

MARGARET BRENNAN: But just to button that up, you said there will be elections. Do you have a timeline for that? Does this deal with the current government make it impossible, for example, for Maria Corina Machado, a person who won – party won the last election, to actually return, for democracy to return?

SECRETARY CHRIS WRIGHT: Oh, there are dialogues going on right now between the former leaders of the Parliament, the election that was the last sort of fair election in 2015.

The opposition leaders that fled the country are back in the country meeting with the existing powers.

MARGARET BRENNAN: She’s not.

SECRETARY CHRIS WRIGHT: You need to get secure voter rolls. You need to have rule of law. We need to release the political prisoners and get the conditions for free and fair elections. But those are coming.

MARGARET BRENNAN: OK, but no time frame on that. OK.

I’m told by the producer that we are going to have to leave it there.

Secretary Wright, thank you. And we do hope to have you in person again, so that we’re not stepping on each other.

Face the Nation will be back in a minute. Stay with us.

(ANNOUNCEMENTS)

MARGARET BRENNAN: We’re joined now by Colorado Democratic Congressman Jason Crow.

It’s good to have you here in person.

REPRESENTATIVE JASON CROW (D-Colorado): Thank you. Thanks for having me.

MARGARET BRENNAN: So, CBS is reporting that several dozen of the highest- ranking officials in the United States military were subjected to polygraph tests as part of the sweeping leak probe that Secretary Hegseth has ordered.

This includes combatant commanders. They’re looking for who leaked the highly classified details about the nation’s stockpiles of sophisticated weapons. This is extremely rare.

REPRESENTATIVE JASON CROW: Yes.

MARGARET BRENNAN: Is it appropriate? Has Congress been told anything about the outcome?

REPRESENTATIVE JASON CROW: I haven’t been briefed anything about this.

I’m a senior member of the Armed Services Committee and the Intelligence Committee. We haven’t received any information. It’s just been public reports. And, certainly, stopping leaks and protecting classified information is really important. And I would always support that.

The problem is, is the broader context that Pete Hegseth has created here. He has purged over 80 generals and admirals. The top 10 percent of the entire military chain of command has been purged. We are at a 25-year low for the number of women on the promotion list. And he’s created an environment of fear. He’s pushed out journalists.

He’s pushed out media. This is part of his effort to create fear and to clamp down on information coming out of the Pentagon.

MARGARET BRENNAN: I mean, polygraph tests are part of routine cadence.

REPRESENTATIVE JASON CROW: Right.

MARGARET BRENNAN: But, from what I understand, it’s the number, it’s the rank of people here. It also seems to confirm the reporting about the problems with America’s munitions shortages.

REPRESENTATIVE JASON CROW: Right.

MARGARET BRENNAN: What is the state of that?

REPRESENTATIVE JASON CROW: Well, because they don’t – they don’t want people to know. This is exactly the point. They don’t want people to know what’s actually happening.

That’s why they fired the editor of “The Stars and Stripes,” an independent newspaper that’s been around since 1861, by the way, 1861. It was founded during the Civil War to be an independent media outlet for our service members, so that people would understand what they’re going through.

This is the broader trend of them not wanting anybody, including members of Congress, to understand what’s going on. Munitions have been depleted. The stockpiles are very low. Contrary to what Donald Trump wants us to believe. these types of precise munitions do not grow on trees. They take a long time to build up.

They started this war, the president started this war without a plan, without a strategy. I mean, I just heard your prior guest, Secretary Wright, talk about numbers and barrels and – and that’s all tactical discussion, right? These are tactical decisions.

There’s no strategy here. There’s no off-ramp. There’s no longer-term plan for how we get out of this and how we normalize the markets and how we drive down prices for Americans.

MARGARET BRENNAN: Speaking of the region, one of the other things we’re looking at is the 50,000 personnel the U.S. keeps currently in the region.

The Navy’s Fifth Fleet is headquartered in the country of Bahrain. The chief of naval operations held a town hall this past week. A sailor asked about, like, when can I go back and get all my gear?

And he said: “We’re not getting back in there any time soon. I just want to be completely honest about that.”

Should we understand that as saying the U.S. is withdrawing or drawing down personnel from – from the Gulf?

REPRESENTATIVE JASON CROW: I – I have for a long time thought that we need to draw down our forces generally in the Middle East. We need to get out of endless conflict in the Middle East.

Donald Trump campaigned on this, by the way. He knew that Americans are fed up with an endless cycle of conflict and the quagmires in the Middle East. Over the last…

MARGARET BRENNAN: But even from the Navy’s Fifth Fleet? You want to pull back from that base?

REPRESENTATIVE JASON CROW: No, not from that particular base. I’m talking about overall.

You mentioned the 50,000 service members. We’ve had 50,000-plus service members in this region since 2001. That – that is – that is a high, high number. That is to support our endless conflicts in the region, right? We can move that number down. We can save money for taxpayers.

We can be stronger. We can be more nimble. But the broader point here is that Donald Trump has doubled down on 25 years of endless conflict that’s cost us $3 trillion to $5 trillion, thousands of American lives, hundreds of thousands altered forever, right? We – we have been at war in the region for 25 years now.

MARGARET BRENNAN: Since 9/11.

REPRESENTATIVE JASON CROW: Since 9/11.

That’s not OK. It’s not inevitable. That does not need to happen, right? So, what is happening now is – is – is, again, a perpetuation of this conflict that has to stop.

MARGARET BRENNAN: And I understand Secretary Hegseth sent letters out to the Army this week extending troop deployments as well. And our Ellee Watson obtained some of those letters.

Let me ask you about a story we shared last week on Face the Nation. General Alizai, an Afghan commander who has asylum here in America, is under current government restrictions due to his nationality. He can’t travel outside. He hasn’t been able to bring his wife and three children to this country, even though he has asylum here.

What are vets like you trying to do to reunite those who fought alongside us in that Afghan war?

REPRESENTATIVE JASON CROW: There’s a bipartisan group of us who are – who are fighting hard to expand the Special Immigrant Visa program to what it used to be before the Trump administration came in and dismantled, entirely dismantled that program, cut the visas, defunded all of the agencies and departments and personnel that were working to keep that promise.

We are pursuing temporary protective status and looking at trying to find ways to force a vote in the House and the Senate to move it forward, because we have a moral obligation to these folks who fought with us.

Me and others who came back after wars in Iraq and Afghanistan may not be here today if it weren’t for those Iraqis and those Afghans who fought with us, served with us, were essential to our war effort. And, beyond a moral obligation, it’s a national security imperative.

If we want to go someplace in the world and conduct operations, keep America safe, we always, without exception, work with local forces and people on the ground. Those folks will not be there for us, they will not work with us and keep American soldiers safe in the future if they don’t think we’ll have their back.

MARGARET BRENNAN: Let me ask you about a little bit of Democratic politics, because you are out there on the front lines, battleground co- chair, I understand, of the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee.

You’re headed to Dallas this week for the Republican GOP midterm convention. What’s the purpose? What are you going to actually try to achieve while you’re there?

REPRESENTATIVE JASON CROW: Yes, we’re going to hold them accountable. That’s what we’re going to do.

MARGARET BRENNAN: How do you hold them accountable when they’re…

(LAUGHTER)

REPRESENTATIVE JASON CROW: By – by calling – by calling out their – their – their lies, right? They’re going to get up there.

I – I know how this is going to happen. I mean, all of this is so predictable at this point. They’re going to get up there and they’re going to talk about how great everything is. This is what Donald Trump does, you know, the – the economy is A-plus-plus-plus. We’re hotter and better than ever.

None of that is true, right? People are losing their farms. They’re losing their health care. They can’t afford basic costs. We – we are going to be there to call them out on their failed policies and the fact that we are now almost two years in this administration, and on every measure, every measure, Americans’ lives have gotten worse.

MARGARET BRENNAN: Well, on that point, if Democrats are trying to flip the House, gain control of Congress, you’ve also got to convince people you’re going to do something when you get there.

REPRESENTATIVE JASON CROW: Yes.

MARGARET BRENNAN: Both the president and Speaker Johnson have said, if Democrats take control, they’ll undoubtedly launch impeachment inquiries.

Jamie Raskin, Maryland Democrat, on another network this morning, saying the president has undoubtedly committed impeachable offenses. Is that the plan? Is that what people should be looking for if Democrats win, two years of impeachment inquiries?

REPRESENTATIVE JASON CROW: The plan is – is for accountability. Now, I know a lot about impeachment, because I prosecuted the first impeachment trial. I sat on the floor of the Senate in my first term in Congress and made the case to those senators.

I looked in their eye and I said, Donald Trump is a danger. He is not qualified. He’s not competent, and he’s corrupt.

They didn’t listen to me then, even though there were plenty of warning signs. So, impeachment is one tool of many, and I’m less concerned about, you know, the specific tools. And I won’t hesitate to use that tool if we need to.

But what we have to do is look at what’s available and what’s going to deliver results…

MARGARET BRENNAN: Yes.

REPRESENTATIVE JASON CROW: … for accountability. That’s what I’m concerned about, because the corruption is – is boundless.

This is the most corrupt administration in the history of America.

(CROSSTALK)

REPRESENTATIVE JASON CROW: And what corruption really is, is stealing from my constituents. It is taking money out of the pockets of Coloradans, money that should be used for their health care, for their homes, for their farms, and it’s going into the pockets of Donald Trump and their cronies.

And I’m going to go after that money, and I’m not going to apologize for it.

MARGARET BRENNAN: Well, I’m going to have to ask you another time exactly how you plan to do that. But we’re going to leave it there for today, Congressman Crow.

We’ll be right back.

(ANNOUNCEMENTS)

MARGARET BRENNAN: We turn now to Congresswoman Lisa McClain. She is the chair of the House Republican Conference, and she joins us today from New Haven, Michigan.

Congresswoman, you’re not just one of the most powerful Republican women in Washington. You also work on messaging. I want to ask you about President Trump’s plan to hold this big gathering in Dallas.

REPRESENTATIVE LISA MCCLAIN (R-Michigan): Yes.

MARGARET BRENNAN: His approval rating currently is 39 percent, according to CBS, on Iran, inflation, even lower. He says, put the focus on him, though, for these midterms. Pretend he is on the ballot. Isn’t doing that possibly helping the opposition?

REPRESENTATIVE LISA MCCLAIN: Well, I don’t think he thinks so, and I don’t think so either.

Listen, Trump is absolutely on the ballot, right? But the whole goal of the midterm convention is to get Republicans together and share the stories of what we’ve done through this Congress and the past two years, and get our base fired up and united.

And I will remind everybody what Republicans did was secure the border. We passed the largest tax cuts in history. We want to keep more money in your pockets. And what our goal is with the midterm convention is really compare and contrast the two roads, one communist crazy versus traditional American commonsense values.

So that’s the goal of the midterm convention, and I’m pretty excited to go.

MARGARET BRENNAN: Well, Charlie Cook of The Cook Political Report said of your party’s prospects in the midterms: “Republicans should brace themselves. The outcomes could be bad, really bad, or truly horrible.”

What he was zeroing in on are the tariffs and the fuel and fertilizer costs that are hitting rural voters. I know, out in North Dakota, Senator Kevin Cramer said farm country serious trouble for Trump. Are rural voters in Michigan also serious trouble?

REPRESENTATIVE LISA MCCLAIN: Listen, I have had the opportunity to be in the district and talk to the rural voters, right? We have a lot of farmers in our communities.

And what the farmers are excited about and actually applaud the president for is actually standing up to Canada and try and level the playing field with the tariffs. (AUDIO GAP) that since the 1990s, Canada has had a 250 percent tariff on our farmers for things like milk and cream and poultry. He’s trying to level that playing field.

Number two, the president, for our farmers, also is – has enacted 20 new trade deals, 20. The last time we had a trade deal was under Barack Obama, and we had three. And the third thing that our farmers are – really applaud the Republicans and President Trump for is actually the death tax.

We want to keep more of those family farms in the family. So we want to make sure that they can pass that generational wealth onto the next generation.

MARGARET BRENNAN: Yes. Oh, sorry.

We are going to take a quick break. You’re freezing up a bit. I’m hoping we fix that during this break. Stay with us, if you could.

More Face the Nation.

(ANNOUNCEMENTS)

MARGARET BRENNAN: We will be right back with Republican Congresswoman Lisa McClain, Michigan Democratic nominee for governor Jocelyn Benson, and the co-chair of the GOP convention, Ray Washburne.

(ANNOUNCEMENTS)

MARGARET BRENNAN: Welcome back to “FACE THE NATION.”

We continue our conversation now with Michigan Congresswoman Lisa McClain.

Congresswoman, you were talking about how Michigan was navigating some of the Trump tariffs. The National Taxpayer’s Union Foundation said those tariffs cost your state $23 billion since January of 2025. That’s the equivalent of $5,619 per Michigan household. There are more tariffs coming on Tuesday from Canada to hit back at the U.S.

REPRESENTATIVE LISA MCCLAIN (R-MI): Yes.

MARGARET BRENNAN: It’s going to hit aluminum, dairy, steel, appliances. This is a big market for Michigan. How much is this going to hurt?

REPRESENTATIVE LISA MCCLAIN: Yes. Listen, I shop at the same grocery stores as everybody else does. But what the president’s trying to do is actually level the playing field because what we’re not happy with is we want a trading partner with Canada. And right now, they’re not being a great trading partner.

And I’ll give you a great example. We have trading – tariffs, for example. Country of origin tariffs. For example, on China. What our trading partner Canada is doing is say, hey, China, put your goods through Canada. We’ll take a little piece off the top. Then we will pass those goods through to the Americans and act like there’s no – there is no tariff, like they came from China. That’s not a good trading partner, number one.

Number two, we have to level the playing field like I said earlier. Canada, since the 1990s, has had tax and tariffs on our dairy farmers at 250 percent. Listen, we don’t want a war. We –

MARGARET BRENNAN: I think that’s a sliding scale, right, that only kicks in at a certain level?

REPRESENTATIVE LISA MCCLAIN: We don’t want a trading war with Canada. We want a trading partner with Canada. So, I applaud the president for actually trying to level the playing field.

MARGARET BRENNAN: But it comes with a bit of pain. And you think voters will understand that?

REPRESENTATIVE LISA MCCLAIN: It does. It absolutely does. But at the end of the day, I trust that President Trump is not going to do anything to hurt the American people long term.

MARGARET BRENNAN: Yes.

REPRESENTATIVE LISA MCCLAIN: But because we’ve had these poor trading policies – and I might remind you that we are at a $60 billion deficit right now with Canada. What’s the matter with trying to level those long term and getting the tariffs that Canada is charging us lower? I applaud the president for doing that, for trying to level the playing field.

MARGARET BRENNAN: Yes. Well, hopefully there will be a return to the negotiations.

REPRESENTATIVE LISA MCCLAIN: Yes.

MARGARET BRENNAN: Let me ask you a little bit about House business, since you are in leadership. The National Republican Congressional Committee announced last week it’s going to spend nearly half a million dollars boosting Max Miller. He’s the Ohio Republican congressman who’s been accused of domestic abuse by his two former partners.

REPRESENTATIVE LISA MCCLAIN: Yes.

MARGARET BRENNAN: Speaker Johnson said he still supports Miller’s re- election. Do you?

REPRESENTATIVE LISA MCCLAIN: Listen, divorces are ugly. And I’m glad I’m not – I’m not in his shoes right now.

I support anybody with an “R” behind their name. I hope when all of this comes out that it’s not true. But at the end of the day, we’ve got to let the process play out.

I’m focused on winning the House back, taking the House back, keeping the House, because we are the only party that’s actually putting more money in your pocket.

MARGARET BRENNAN: Yes.

REPRESENTATIVE LISA MCCLAIN: Making sure that crime is down, securing the border and rooting out waste, fraud and abuse.

MARGARET BRENNAN: But –

REPRESENTATIVE LISA MCCLAIN: And Max Miller has been a good advocate for his constituents doing that.

MARGARET BRENNAN: But your – some of your Republican colleagues, including Katie Britt over in the Senate, Jim Banks, John Husted, Roger Marshall, Shelly Moore Capito, have called on Miller to resign or quit. They also have “R’s” next to their names.

REPRESENTATIVE LISA MCCLAIN: Yes.

MARGARET BRENNAN: And so does Senator Tim Sheehy, who said, “this guy is clearly a degenerate sociopath.” He “should step aside and seek help.”

REPRESENTATIVE LISA MCCLAIN: Yes.

MARGARET BRENNAN: As the highest-ranking Republican woman in Congress, how do you make, you know, peace with that?

REPRESENTATIVE LISA MCCLAIN: I think they’ve tried that avenue. And he’s chosen to stay in the race. So, like I said earlier, divorces are really ugly. I hope this comes out that he is OK. But at the end of the day, he’s our nominee right now. I wish the allegations were – were – the allegations aren’t true. But at the end of the day, we’ve got to continue to do what’s right for the American people. And that’s what we’re trying to do, keeping more money in your pocket, making sure we secure the border and making sure crime rates are down.

MARGARET BRENNAN: Congresswoman McClain, thank you very much.

We’ll be right back.

REPRESENTATIVE LISA MCCLAIN: Thank you.

(ANNOUNCEMENTS)

MARGARET BRENNAN: We turn now to Michigan’s secretary of state, Jocelyn Benson, who is the Democratic nominee for governor in Michigan.

Good morning to you.

JOCELYN BENSON (D, Michigan Secretary of State): Good morning. Thanks for having me.

MARGARET BRENNAN: Sure.

I want to get to the issue of affordability. A new University of Michigan analysis revealed 40 percent of the state’s population struggles to pay for basic necessities. Is that affordability issue something you can improve on as governor?

JOCELYN BENSON: Yes. Well, first, thanks for having me. And affordability is the centerpiece of our campaign. Our campaign is ultimately about driving down costs, growing our economy so that we can increase well-paying jobs in our state, protecting democracy and ending corruption. And everywhere I go in Michigan, I hear heartbreaking stories about choices that residents are having to make. Moms having to choose between whether to pay for food or childcare. Seniors on a fixed income trying to decide how they’re going to still pay for medicine with these rising costs. The next governor of Michigan must address these. And I’ve done that as secretary of state. I known how to fixed broken systems. I’ve run our state agencies well. I’ve improved our democracy. I improved our department of motor vehicles in a way that has saved people time, saved people money, and made their lives easier. I’ve done that as secretary of state. I’m ready to do that as governor.

MARGARET BRENNAN: Well, one of the challenges in Michigan, of course, is the fact that a large portion of your state’s exports, 36 percent, go north to Canada. On Tuesday, Canada’s tariffs on steel and aluminum products, U.S.-made dairy and appliances will go into effect as part of this trade dispute. It’s going to be between 15 percent to 50 percent on $20 billion worth of American-made goods. How much is that going to hit Michigan?

JOCELYN BENSON: It already has. I mean since Trump took office, we’ve seen our expenses go up and these tariffs, particularly with Canada, have increased prices in Michigan more than any other state. The average Michigan family is paying $5,600 more. That’s a tax on our groceries. That’s a tax on our small businesses, on gas.

And what’s frustrating to me in this race is that my opponent has been fully supportive of these tariffs. He’s voted multiple times in support of them instead of in support of the people of Michigan. That is cowardice and that is not leadership.

MARGARET BRENNAN: Yes.

JOCELYN BENSON: And Michiganders need a governor who will lower their costs and stand up to the president, as I’ve done as secretary of state.

MARGARET BRENNAN: Yes.

JOCELYN BENSON: So, I announced this week my intention as governor to ensure we’re negotiate subnational agreements, partnering with other governors, if necessary, to insure we’re developing ways to, in spite of the federal government’s best efforts, to drive up costs with these taxes and tariffs.

MARGARET BRENNAN: Yes.

JOCELYN BENSON: Negotiate subnational agreements that will drive down costs and protect the people of Michigan. That’s what we need the next governor to be able to do. And that’s what I’ve done and will do as governor.

MARGARET BRENNAN: Well, your Republican competitor was on this program last weekend. He said he doesn’t want more trade dispute and will talk to the White House about it. You just said subnational agreements. But practically speaking, how, at the state level, can you do anything to cancel out the cost coming from the federal government’s dispute?

JOCELYN BENSON: Well, first, it’s important to note, my opponent can talk a good game, but the bottom line is, he has either been silent or he’s voted for these tariffs. And that means we call these tariffs in Michigan the John James tax because of his actions, because of his inability to stand up to the president as a congressman, we are hit with taxes, we are hit with these increased prices and he has to take responsibility for that instead of running away from it.

But in addition to that, subnational agreements are things that governors in other states have already talked about and negotiated to drive down costs when the federal government won’t do that.

So, as governor, I can meet with officials in Canada and identify specific ways we can ensure trade between Michigan and Canada gets around these tariffs, reduces costs. And in particular when it comes to our auto industry, we need a governor who’s going to stand up for our auto workers, who’s going to stand up for the critical industry in our state and ensure that our partners to the north are working with us, collectively, to create jobs and drive down costs. That’s what a subnational agreement can help guarantee.

MARGARET BRENNAN: Just quickly, what vote are you talking about? Because most of the tariffs have come from executive action.

JOCELYN BENSON: There was a vote in February in Congress in which our – my opponent voted in support of these tariffs. Also, notably, he’s been consistently asked on the trail if he would stand up and do anything about these.

MARGARET BRENNAN: Yes.

JOCELYN BENSON: And he’s been silent on them, both as a congressman and as a candidate for governor.

MARGARET BRENNAN: Yes.

Let me ask you about your current job. Two million Michiganders vote by mail. Ballots go out on the 19th. And a federal judge again this past Friday blocked the Postal Service from enforcing President Trump’s new mail ballot rules. He tried to put those in through executive order. Do you see any impact on voting in your state?

JOCELYN BENSON: Well, first, we have to see this as the latest attempt by this Trump administration to try to create chaos and confusion about our democracy. We’ve been battling this for the better part of six years now, since 2020. And what we will do here in Michigan is continue to ensure that states run elections. And that means in Michigan, where citizens have a right to vote by mail, we’ll use every tool in our toolbox to ensure they know the truth about our elections. We’ll follow the law. We’ll protect the right to vote.

And that’s why, frankly, state officials who know how to do that and stand up to the president are so important right now because this isn’t just about 2026. This is about 2028 when we will need a governor in Michigan who will know how to protect democracy and protect our voter’s voices and votes.

MARGARET BRENNAN: Yes.

JOCELYN BENSON: I’ve done that as secretary of state. And notably, when my opponent lost his last statewide race in 2020, he did not stand by the will of the voters. He joined the president in trying to overturn and undermine that election. That is – that makes him unfit to be governor in this moment. And it’s why it’s all the more important that in this race Michigan is led by a governor who knows how to protect democracy and protect citizens’ right to vote from home.

MARGARET BRENNAN: Yes.

President Trump has already sort of laid the groundwork saying that Detroit is corrupt. He already said, “don’t discount fake mail-in ballots that will show up at the last” minute in Michigan.

I know that in the last election, Michigan ended up fighting non-citizens who did vote. There were 22 cases under review. Your attorney general has charged six people with those election law violations.

Given that this is something the president’s already focused on, how are you verifying the names on your voter roles?

JOCELYN BENSON: You know, we’ve done more in Michigan than any other state to ensure that our rolls, our voter rolls, are accurate. And that’s why we see non-citizen voting so rare in this state with 5.5 million people voting in 2024, the highest turnout election in our state’s history. I’m really proud that our elections have been ranked among the most secure and accessible in the nation.

MARGARET BRENNAN: Yes.

JOCELYN BENSON: And we – you know, the fact that we have identified a handful of individuals who are ineligible to vote, we were able to hold them accountable. That shows the system is working. And I’m proud of the work that our 1,500 local officials do every day to continue to ensure that every eligible vote and only eligible votes are counted in every election.

MARGARET BRENNAN: Well, Secretary Benson, we wish you well with that upcoming vote. But we also will watch your candidacy and some of these platform issues.

Thank you for your time today.

We’ll be back in a moment.

(ANNOUNCEMENTS)

MARGARET BRENNAN: We go now to Ray Washburne, co-chair of the GOP midterm convention that is happening later this week in Dallas. He’s also chairman of gasoline distributor Sunoco and a real estate investor.

Mr. Washburne, good morning to you.

RAY WASHBURNE (Co-Chair, RNC Midterm Convention): Good morning, Margaret. Thank you for having me on.

MARGARET BRENNAN: So, there’s a lot of talk about what is the first ever Republican midterm convention. I’m seeing reports here that lawmakers are being asked to pay $25,000 to attend. Vulnerable ones are not.

Do lawmakers have to pay to attend and participate?

RAY WASHBURNE: You know, the whole attendance and so in the packages is all an RNC thing. I’m chairman of the host committee that’s putting the convention on. So, I’m not sure exactly in all the different packages they have.

But what I do know is, we have 20,000 people attending, all 50 states, every territory and people started arriving this weekend. And there’s a high degree of energy here in Dallas for the convention. So, we’re very excited.

MARGARET BRENNAN: OK. Well, the timing I know for some candidates, it’s kind of tough to leave their tight races in certain districts. Do you know how many lawmakers are attending and what the money being raised will do for those who attend?

RAY WASHBURNE: Yes. Well, obviously with – it’s going to be a great networking thing for candidates to come down. There are going to be a lot of donors here and high profile people, not only in the administration, but in the donor community. So, there are events stacked every single day. So, it’s very advantageous for them to come, even if it’s just for a day, just to meet and network in. So, we’re going to – we have a high degree of candidates coming. We pretty much have every race represented here except for a couple that couldn’t break away.

MARGARET BRENNAN: OK.

Well, President Trump said this past week that he thinks in Dallas the speaker to focus on is former Texas A.G. Ken Paxton, who’s running for Senate. And he kind of – he was half joking here and he said, people don’t like the way he dresses, looks or does interviews, but he’s the centerpiece candidate. Is he the centerpiece candidate? Is that kind of the drive and focus?

RAY WASHBURNE: For the – for the convention, is that what you are asking or –

MARGARET BRENNAN: Correct.

RAY WASHBURNE: The focus for the convention is Ken Paxton? Well, no. The – every candidate is a focus of the convention. You know, Ken Paxton, just because this is his home state, obviously, he’s a very high-profile person.

Yesterday, Trump announced that they were going to contribute to his campaign $10 million with more to come.

MARGARET BRENNAN: Yes.

RAY WASHBURNE: Elon Musk has announced that he is putting in a substantial amount of money. So, there’s a lot of momentum for the Paxton campaign starting this week, which we knew was going to happen, starting with the convention through – because he hasn’t had a chance to put ads up this summer. And actually the first ad dropped this morning. So, there’s going to be a wall-to-wall ad campaigns for Ken Paxton from here through the convention.

MARGARET BRENNAN: Yes, a lot of focus on Texas and how competitive it might be.

I want to ask you about the –

RAY WASHBURNE: No, it –

MARGARET BRENNAN: Sorry, if you can hear me, I want to ask you about your other role at the top of Sunoco.

It is the largest reseller of refined fuels. That means you’re selling at gasoline stations. You got a look inside what’s happening with consumers right now. Are they changing their behavior based on the fact that gas prices are, what, more than 20 percent higher than last Labor Day?

RAY WASHBURNE: Well, you know what’s interesting, and the energy secretary spoke to it earlier. Right now we’ve passed peak demand for the summer. And so going into the fall, the refineries are turning more out. It’s very interesting. The refineries are running at 98 percent right now. And so, it’s – and energy – versus the 1970s and the malaise of the Carter administration when we had lines around the block, you have no issue at all finding any gas station to drive into and fill your car up. There are no lines. There’s been no demand destruction really at all that we’ve seen this year. People are filling their cars up and they’re still driving.

Is it painful? Yes. It’s more expensive. But, you know, as inflation adjusted to what it was in the 1970s when it was typically around five percent of someone’s paycheck, today it’s less than two percent. So, it is more expensive because you see the signs in front of everyone, but companies like Costco, Buc-ees, the big retailers, they’ve really done a great job on keeping a lid on prices to where they could be. They could be much higher, but they’re not.

MARGARET BRENNAN: Do you think we’ve actually seen the worst of the energy shock? I mean what’s concerning you now?

RAY WASHBURNE: Well, we have supply – as the energy secretary said earlier in your broadcast, we passed peak demand. Supply is increasing. And demand, as long as it stays steady where it is, I mean it hasn’t gone – demand hasn’t – for gasoline has not gone up, but it hasn’t gone down either.

MARGARET BRENNAN: Yes.

RAY WASHBURNE: So, it’s been pretty steady. So, what we’re – our projection through the fall are pretty much the same. Flat demand. And, you know, as a distributor of gasoline, we’ll sell about 17 billion gallons this year is – we feel very positive through the rest of the year for our business. But we’re selling to the stations. And the margins that they do, that’s up to the stations to determine those.

MARGARET BRENNAN: Well, let me ask you about the forecast ahead here because crude oil is roughly $90 a barrel.

RAY WASHBURNE: Sure.

MARGARET BRENNAN: Yesterday, Secretary Bessent said that is going to plummet once the Iran War ends.

Take a listen.

(BEGIN VC)

SCOTT BESSENT, TREASURY SECRETARY: We have an energy supply shock. And that is going to end. And I – Lara (ph), I actually think on the other side of this, on the other side of this, we’re actually going – could see oil prices $40 or $50, because there’s so much supply coming on it’s just constricted right now.

(END VC)

MARGARET BRENNAN: So, $40 to $50 a barrel. What timeframe would you put on that kind of price drop?

RAY WASHBURNE: Well, Russia, right now, their refineries are only running at 40 percent. Forty percent. OK, they’re doing no exports because Ukrainians, you know, are bombing their refineries. Once that comes back online, which it should hopefully soon, once the Iranian situation is resolved, well, then we do have a tremendous amount of supply that’s bottled up that will come back on the market. So, if you look out, what’s called a strip price, a year from now –

MARGARET BRENNAN: Those are two pretty big wars.

RAY WASHBURNE: Yes, yes, they are two pretty big wars, but there can be a resolution to getting energy out. If you look at what’s called the forward strip price, where people are projecting a year from now, it’s much, much lower than the $90. So, the oil traders are all looking out and thinking there is going to be a resolution in the next – within the next few months in which case prices will come back down.

MARGARET BRENNAN: OK. Yes.

RAY WASHBURNE: But we’re not in the refining business.

MARGARET BRENNAN: Yes.

RAY WASHBURNE: I mean that’s the thing with refiners. They’re buying their feed stock today.

MARGARET BRENNAN: Yes.

RAY WASHBURNE: And they’re taking a big risk.

MARGARET BRENNAN: OK.

RAY WASHBURNE: If prices drop, they’re going to be – they’re going to be very exposed.

MARGARET BRENNAN: Ray Washburne, we’ll watch Dallas this week. Thanks for your time this morning.

We’ll be right back.

(ANNOUNCEMENTS)

MARGARET BRENNAN: In the five years since the Taliban took over Afghanistan, the United Nations has found more than 2.5 million girls have been denied a secondary education. But some educators have been running secret schools. Senior foreign correspondent Imtiaz Tyab has a look inside one.

(BEGIN VT)

IMTIAZ TYAB (voice over): Marsal (ph), not her real name, greets her small circle of students at a location we cannot reveal. An Afghan woman journalist filmed these scenes for us in secret. And we have concealed everyone’s identity for their own safety.

The girls here are all between the ages of 14 and 16. Old enough for the Taliban to ban them from formal education.

Today’s lesson, hydrocarbons. Even in the shadows, the girls work through complex chemical equations, carrying only discreet pens and notepads that won’t reveal where they have been.

“I tell my students not be afraid, but to move around the city cautiously,” Marsal says. “I try to reassure them that nothing bad will happen.”

It’s a promise of safety Marsal knows she cannot make. Since the Taliban swept back into power five years ago, it has made Afghanistan the only country in the world where women are systematically barred from university and girls from high school.

“I always come to class in fear,” says 16-year-old Tabasim (ph). “I am terrified that one day I might get arrested.”

Abdul Qahar Balkhi is the spokesman for Afghan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs and insists there are no such thing as secret schools.

ABDUL QAHAR BALKHI (Spokesperson for Afghan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs): It’s homeschooling. Homeschooling is not banned. It’s not suspended.

IMTIAZ TYAB: You can see why I’m a bit incredulous about the idea that this is just homeschooling. These are girls who are not at home. They are going to a place, learning on subjects that they cannot do at public schools anymore because your government banned it, and they are doing it in secrecy. And they are doing it, in their words, in fear.

ABDUL QAHAR BALKHI: Public schools – again, public education is not banned. There are avenues for them to learn and go to a Madrasa (ph) that is not a secret, it’s not underground.

IMTIAZ TYAB: Why make it so hard?

ABDUL QAHAR BALKHI: Again, I’m going to stress that governments make laws and regulations in light of their priorities. And currently, the Afghan government has suspended public schooling, a certain form of schooling, from seven onwards for girls.

IMTIAZ TYAB (voice over): A priority to bar women and girls from formal education with no end in sight.

“My message to the American people is to know about what’s happening to the women and girls of Afghanistan,” says Marsal. “Do not forget them.”

(END VT)

IMTIAZ TYAB (on camera): On Friday, America will mark 25 years since the September 11th attacks that brought it to Afghanistan and into its longest war, justified in part by the promise of freeing women and girls from oppressive Taliban rule. A generation later, Margaret, and Afghan girls find themselves once again fighting for that same freedom.

MARGARET BRENNAN: Imtiaz Tyab reporting in Kabul.

That’s it for all of us today. Thank you for watching. Until next week, for “FACE THE NATION,” I’m Margaret Brennan.

(ANNOUNCEMENTS)