i'm margaret brennan in washington. and this week on "face the nation" -- congress tries the

takedown of chinese ownership and the split between some allies of israel and the netanyahu government. with the arrival of spring in the nation's capital, house lawmakers move with surprising speed to push a bipartisan bill to try to force the social media platform tiktok to change the way they do business. with 170 million american tiktok users what's not so surprising is the politics playing a part in the back and forth over a ban since both parties see the app as a platform to rule young voters. >> it's not attempt to ban tiktok. it's an attempt to make tiktok better. >> we'll talk with the house's raja krishnamoorthi and mike gallagher and tech journalist kara swisher. with the aid package to ukraine and israel languishing on capitol hill new crypt sism of

the war in gaza makes the outlook more uncertain. >> prime minister netanyahu has lost his way by allowing his political survival to take the precedence over the best interest of israel. >> we'll talk with maryland democratic senator chris van hollen pushing fortighter control to aid on israel and talk to unicef facing the dire situation of the world's children. over his split with former president over january 6th we'll sit down with mike pence, and he says he won't endorse trump, but can he convince others to follow his lead? it's hall just ahead on "face te nation." ♪ good morning. welcome to "face the nation."

on this st. patrick's day. former vice president mike pence joins us in person in studio. good morning to you. >> good to be with you. >> there's a lot to get to with you today, but i want to begin with some remarks mr. trump made yesterday at a rally in ohio. he walked on to the stage to a song recorded by a choir of prisoners facing charges for their role in the violence of january the 6th. take a listen. >> you see the spirit from the hostages and that's what they are, hostages. they've been treated terribly and very unfairly and you know that, and everybody knows that. we're going to be working on that soon. the first day we get into office we're going to save our country and work with the people to treat those unbelievable patriots -- and they were unbelievable patriots and are -- >> i know in the past you've said mr. trump's reckless words endangered you and your family on that day.

what do you think when you hear him refer to those people as hostages and patriots? >> i think it's unfortunate at a time that there are american hostages being meld gaza that the president or any other leaders refer to people moving through our justice system as hostages, and it's just unacceptable. i was there on january 6th. i have no doubt in my mind, margaret, that sp people were caught up in the moment and that entered the capitol and they're certainly entitled to due process of law for any nonviolent activities that day, but the assaults on police officers, ultimately, and an environment that claimed lives, is something that i think was tragic that day and i'll never diminish it. >> the legal system is processing these individuals through and giving them trials. i wonder what you think, though,

about mr. trump and whether the public needs to hear and see some of the evidence in regard to the federal charges related to his alleged role in january 6th? do you think that needs to happen before election day. >> well, look, i think the american people lived through that moment. i and my family and my team lived through it at the capitol that day. most americans know what happened. you know, as i've said before, you know, i truly do believe that the judgment about the president's conduct that day should have been left to the american people. it's been brought into a criminal trial now and we have cases around the country that have brought related to that, notably in georgia, but at the end of the day the american people know what happened that day. i said the people that -- the people that ransacked the capitol need to be held to the fullest account of the law, and i believe that they are.

the judgment about the president's efforts that day i think can be left to the american people. look, you know, i said last week that, you know, after a lot of prayer and reflection i've come to the conclusion that i won't be endorsing donald trump this year. look, i'm very proud of the record of our administration, margaret. it was a record that left america more prosperous and more secure and our liberties and the sanctity of life stronger than ever before in my lifetime. >> you've said mr. trump's walked away from conservative principles? >> i said it during my presidential campaign. the president and i have profound differences. many think it's just over january 6th, and frankly, the fact that president continues to insist i had the right to overturn the election that day is a fundamental difference. i want to be clear that i've forgiven the president in my

heart for what happened that day. as a christian i'm required to do that. i've prayed for him in that regard. the issue to the constitution is not a small matter, but it's not just that. i mean, the reason that i cannot in good conscience endorse donald trump this year also has to do with the fact that he is walking away not just from keeping faith with the constitution on that day, but also, margaret, with a commitment to fiscal responsibility, a commitment to the sanctity of life, a commitment to american leadership in the world. the president's reversal just in the last week on tiktok, following an administration where we literally changed the national consensus on china, is the reason why i, after a lot of reflection, i concluded i cannot endorse the agenda that donald trump is carrying into this national debate. >> is that the final word from you?

can you be persuaded if he changes tacts to vote for him? would you vote for him. >> i won't be endorsing donald trump this year. >> would you vote for him? >> i respect the right of republican voters who have made it clear who they're for, who they want to be our standardbearer this year. what i'm going to focus my energies on of what remains this year of what we should be for. i joined this party when i was in college. >> yeah. >> i heard the voice and values of another good irishman named ronald reagan who said we need a strong national defense, but also recognize we're leader of the free world, need to stand for traditional values and sanctity of life, stand for the constitution and limited government. in the balance of the year and the years ahead i'm going to continue to champion those values i think are not just good for the republican party, margaret, but the right policies for a stronger, more prosperous america. >> i ask you about persuasion

and voting because this is not just mr. trump. he has taken the party with him. he has taken the senate republican leadership who are endorsing him. he has taken the house republican endorsements with him, too, in terms of leadership. are all of those people from mitch mcconnell to mike johnson walking away from the conservative principles you say? >> well, i don't want to say that they are. i want to say that my deep conviction is -- >> they are endorsing donald trump. >> this is a conservative party. this is still a party i believe that stands for less government, less taxes, american leadership in the world, traditional moral values and the right to life. i think, frankly, the disaster of the biden administration has resulted in people going back to what's familiar, and i understand that. >> yeah. >> i worked day in and day out for four and a half years to build that record of the trump-pence administration. i'm proud of it.

but as i look at what donald trump is running on now, i simply cannot in good conscience endorse his candidacy this year. >> on the issues of the economy, which many republicans refer to as, you know, something the trump-pence administration did well with until covid, trump's campaigning on that. last night he was talking about electric vehicles in particular and said when it comes to chinese companies who manufacture in mexico he's going to put in tariffs listen to exactly what he said. >> we're going to put a 100% tariff on every single car that comes across the line. you're not going to be able to sell those cars. if i get elected. now if i don't get elected it's going to be a blood bath for the whole -- that's going to be the least of it. it's going to be a blood bath for the country. that will be the least of it. >> what does that mean and given how divided the country is, does that language concern you?

particularly when it comes to political violence? >> i want to commend you, ma margaret, for putting that in context. i woke up this morning seeing the discussion online about blood bath. the president was clearly talking about the impact of imports devastating the american automotive industry. >> was that clear to you? >> because it was a little muddled. >> look, the president and i, it was clear for four years the president and i have different styles. we're different men. but my differences with him are not over style. it's not over language. as i said before it's not personal. for me, the reason why i won't endorse donald trump this year is because i see him departing from the mainstream conservative agenda that has defined the republican party over the last 40 years and still has the best hope for the future of the country. >> it sounds like you're trying to move the party back in that direction, which is why i'm

asking you if you're persuadable. on the point about the commitment to the sanctity of human life you say mr. trump is walking away from it. president biden is telling voters donald trump is trying to ban access to abortion even though he hasn't given specifics to what he actually thinks. what would you like him to say that he will endorse a 15-week restriction? like you did? >> i'm pro life. i don't apologize for it. i couldn't be more proud to have played a role in the administration that appointed three of the justices that sent roe versus wade to the ash heap of history. >> there doesn't seem to be a conse conservative consensus on this issue. >> states around the country have been advancing the principles of life. i was disapponted during our presidential campaign when donald trump denounced and said a pro life bill a six-week bill, enacted in florida, which had already been enacted in georgia and ohio, i think in his words

terrible. look, we're pro life party. i really do believe that there is a national role. i would like to see our nominee endorse a minimum 15-week ban, but also i would like to see a nominee that's affirming the sanctity of life as it's debated. this is a pro life party. >> protections for ivf. >> absolutely. >> endorsing -- should embryos be considered children? >> look, i'm someone that believes in the sanctity of human life, life begins at conception. my family as you know, has benefitted by fertility treatments and i think they should be protected. i also believe that in the days ahead, we would do well to ensure that unborn human life, including embryos, are properly treated and respected in the law. >> we will track that, mr.

pence. thank you for coming in anding their your views with us today. "face the nation" will be back in a minute so stay with us. i'm protecting my car. that's too much work. weathertech is so much easier... laser-measured floorliners up here, seat protector and cargoliner back there... nice! out here, side window deflectors... and mud flaps... and the bumpstep, to keep the bumper dent-free. cool! it's the best protection for your vehicle, new or pre-owned. great. but where do i---? order. weathertech.com. sfx: bubblewrap bubble popped sound. (vo) welcome to lobsterfest. is your party ready? ready to tango with tails on tails on tails? try lobster lover's dream with two lobster tails and lobster & shrimp linguini. it's one of ten next-level lobster creations. but lobsterfest won't last, so hurry in. were you worried the wedding would be too much? nahhhh... (inner monologue) another destination wedding?? why can't they use my backyard!! with empower, we get all of our financial questions answered. so we don't have to worry. empower. what's next. the push

to get food and humanitarian aid into gaza is intensifying, but at this point it's still far short of what is needed. the world food program said last week that famine was imminent if the amount of aid going into northern gaza was not increased exponentially. our chris livesay reports from tel aviv. >> reporter: u.s. air force pilots glide above northern gaza dropping three tons of food, water, and other aid. life-saving to those who can reach it, but according to one pilot, a drop in the bucket. meant to offset this supply line, more than 200 trucks entering the truck daily, israel says, much lost to looters, the dangers of open combat and a lack of truckers brave enough to drive through it. >> they cannot go and distribute. >> aren't aid groups getting

shot at over there? is it fair to put that burden on them? >> we acknowledge the challenges, but mostly they are distributing for the last two and a half weeks without any violence. >> reporter: aid is on its way by sea for the first time in this war. nearly 200 tons from europe arrived friday on a humanitarian ship. it couldn't come fast enough for these children. we want food. we want flour. we want the barist essentials of life, they demand. gaza is dying from you if not the missiles then hunger. hamas accused the israeli military of opening fire on hungry gazzens as they waited for food killing 21. israel denies it, pointing instead at palestinian gunmen. the humanitarian cost of the war and more than 100 hostages still in hamas captivity for five months are too much to tolerate for these israeli protesters. protesters don't only want the

hostages back, they want benjamin netanyahu to step down. october 7th happened on his watch and they have not forgotten. >> i think now we should get all the people that are kidnapped back to their homes. >> reporter: even if that means retreating and pulling out of gaza entirely and handing over all of the prisoners back to -- >> i think they should do any deal to get them home. this is the first thing a country swears to their citizens is security for their country and this is the reason they should do any effort. >> reporter: what's notable about this latest proposal from hamas is that reportedly they're no longer insisting israel completely withdraw from the gaza strip or on a permanent cease-fire and now, margaret, three u.s. officials tell cbs news they're optimistic hamas and israel can come to an agreement about a pause in the

fighting. >> that's chris livesay reporting from tel aviv. we're joined by senator chris van hollen. a lot to get to with you, but i know you met with some families of hostage members this past -- family members of hostages this past week. talks are about to resume. what do the hostage familie tell you? >> well, they came and talked about the terror every day of not knowing what's happening to their family members and they were very clear, we need to focus on getting the hostages back and a cease-fire. this is why i'm for a cease-fire and the return of the hostages. >> and that cease-fire would also allow for aid to move in. that's what the biden administration is championing. i want go to specific things that i know you're focusing on. there's this government funding debate happening in the next few days. some republicans want to cut off support for the u.n. agency unrwa that supporting about 6 million palestinian refugees,

lebanon, jordan, gaza, west bank, you said senators need to read the classified report prepared by the director of national intelligence about the netanyahu government claims about that agency. you seem to be implying that the links to terror groups are unfounded. >> oh, there's no doubt that claim that prime minister netanyahu and others are making that somehow unrwa is a proxy for hamas are just flat out lies. that's a flat out lie. if you look at the person who is in charge of operations on the ground in gaza for unrwa it's about a 20-year u.s. army veteran. you can be sure he is not in cahoots with hamas. netanyahu has wanted to get rid of unrwa since at least 2017. that's been his goal. not just in gaza, but also in the other places you talked about. ifyou get rid of unrwa in gaza today, it is the primary

distribution system for food and aid, so if you cut off funding for unrwa in gaza entirely, it means more people will starve, more people won't get the medical assistance they need, and so it would be a huge mistake to cut them off. >> can you explain why you believe that the prime minister is trying to dismantle unrwa, which is the agency that has 13,000 people distributing aid? no one has that kind of infrastructure in gaza. >> that's exactly right. there have been allegations made by the netanyahu government that up to 14 of those 13,000 people were involved in the horrific october 7th attacks. we should investigate it. we should hold all those people accountable. for goodness sakes, let's not hold 2 million innocent palestinian citizens who are dying of starvation. let's not hold them essentially accountable for the bad agents

of 14 people. netanyahu has wanted to get rid of unrwa because he has seen them as a means to continue the hopes of the palestinian people for a homeland of their own, and he has been opposed to a two-state solution and this has been his primary objective stopping a two-state solution. >> back in february you pushed the biden administration to craft what ended up being a national security memorandum that requires countries who receive u.s. weapons, all countries, to certify that they are in compliance with u.s. law and they are not blocking the delivery of humanitarian aid. israel has until march 24th to turn in a letter. they reportedly did so. are they in compliance. >> no, they're not. this is an important tool that the biden administration has put forward that applies to israel and any other country -- >> will biden administration's

administration say they are not in compliance? >> i hope they will be because president biden has said that netanyahu government is unnecessarily restricting desperately needed humanitarian assistance. the president has said it a number of times. he said no excuses. so it may be that the minister of defense in israel signed this, but i cannot imagine a scenario where secretary blinken can find that that promise is credible and reliable when the day it was signed clearly the netanyahu government is not in compliance because we see they're continuing to restrict humanitarian assistance. >> we'll watch to see if secretary blinken affirms it or denies it, but what's the consequence here? i know you said you don't want to cut off all military support for israel. you're talking about offensive weapons? >> yes. this would not apply to the iron dome or any defensive systems, but it would say, you know, no more bombs for use in gaza until

you come into compliance. it's not a total cutoff. the netanyahu government can open their crossing to help starving people in northern gaza and stop turning away maternity kits claiming somehow they pose a dual use danger to be used for military purposes. they could stop turning away water purifiers because when they do that they send the whole truck back for four wears. they need to allow more assistance in. people need to deliver assistance without getting killed. >> well, and the u.s. ambassador, david satterfield, who works for the biden administration has said that police have been hit while helping u.n. convoys be delivered. do you believe that the israeli government is deliberately targeting to stop humanitarian aid deliveries because the israeli government denies that. >> we know in the case of about six of these so-called blue helmet security escorts that

they were targeted because israel claimed they were part of hamas when they were sort of -- so we know in that case that was a deliberate targeting. but you're right, there are other cases where israel has, you know, used force and a convoy, for example, in the north past the inspection and was hit by a naval missile. i do want to point out also, margaret, ambassador satterfield has said very clearly that when it comes to u.n. provided humanitarian assistance, like humanitarian assistance through unrwa, there's been no evidence of diversion to hamas. >> and that -- >> he said this very clearly. >> all of congress has received that information? >> i have tried to tell my colleagues who keep coming back from meeting with netanyahu government officials, spreading this lie, this myth about diversion from unrwa. there may be diversion in other places but not from unrwa. >> we'll watch what happens in the coming days.

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