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The Situation Room
March Madness Continues; Interview With Rep. Pete Sessions (R- TX); Judge Blocks Use of Alien Enemies Act; Education Department Employees Given 30 Minutes to Collect Belongings. Aired 11:30a-12p ET
Aired March 24, 2025 - 11:30 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
[11:30:00]
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: And it feels devastating to me. Come in here and packing up my bags and not knowing when I'm going to get a next paycheck. You know, it's -- it's devastating.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
WOLF BLITZER, CNN HOST: And joining us now is Brandon Cardet- Hernandez. He's the president of Mrs Wordsmith, a company that creates educational content for kids.
Brandon, thanks very much for joining us.
I know you have more than 20 years experience in education. How do you think dismantling the Department of Education will impact people across America?
BRANDON CARDET-HERNANDEZ, PRESIDENT, MRS WORDSMITH: Well, first, thank you so much for having me today, Wolf.
I think this is a pretty scary time. We are distracted from what we know is the reality of the situation for kids; 70 percent of young people across America are reading below grade level; 60 percent are not proficient in math. We're not having the right conversation right now.
We're distracted by the politics of Washington and not talking about what our kids need the most.
BLITZER: The Department of Education, Brandon, as you know, does not staff teachers. They work for state agencies.
But I want to read from an excerpt from Trump's executive order that asserts what the department does do. And let me read it.
"While the Department of Education does not educate anyone, it maintains a public relations office that includes over 80 staffers at a cost of more than $10 million per year."
Trump has long complained that the agency, as you know, is wasteful, but does this part of the order downplay the role of the agency? CARDET-HERNANDEZ: Of course it does.
Every -- on the ground, as a former principal myself, we're not thinking about what's happening at the Department of Education day in, day out. We're focused on kids and how to improve outcomes. But there's important stuff that comes out of that office, whether that's our national assessment strategy and the NAEP scores, National Assessment of Educational Progress.
That information allows us to know what's happening across different states, how are kids progressing, what can we be doing better? You know, there's really important information that's happening through that department that supports the work on the ground.
BLITZER: The new education secretary, Linda McMahon, could allow states to decide how to use any future federal funding. How do you think that money should be disbursed?
CARDET-HERNANDEZ: I can't get into sort of how it should be disbursed.
I think any parent of a special education student wants to make sure that their kid is still getting the services they need. Any leader of a Title I school wants to make sure that their kids are getting the funding that they need.
Again, there's a distraction happening right now, when we have 70 percent of kids reading below grade level, 60 percent not proficient in math. We're not talking about the things that are going to move us forward, professional development for teachers, the technologies that will help us close achievement gaps that we can deploy in our schools, right, the real stuff that's actually going to change outcomes in our country.
Instead, we're talking about the bureaucracy of Washington, something that we should look at, right, probably with a scalpel, not with an axe, right, to have a conversation around what's working in the department and what's not. But, instead, we're in this moment where we are just talking about getting rid of it, creating a lot of uncertainty on the ground, right, and creating conversations at the state level and the city level.
The real folks who are doing the hard work of moving the needle in school districts, they're now focused around funding streams, instead of the actual things that will move kids forward.
BLITZER: This morning, the NAACP and other advocacy groups announced they're suing to stop the closure of the Department of Education. But do you think that will deter the Trump administration from dismantling it beyond repair?
CARDET-HERNANDEZ: I can't speak for what the president is going to do.
What I can say is that it is a moment for parents and communities to come together to have these conversations: What do I want to see on a local level? What do I expect from my city? What do I expect from my town? What do I expect from my state? And what do I expect from the federal government?
Because the results right now are unacceptable. We need to be doing more for kids. There are solutions that we know we can deploy. And instead of having conversations around those solutions, the technology, the professional development, all of that good stuff that our kids need, they really need right now -- we are in a crisis -- we are instead having a conversation around the sort of politics in Washington.
And I'm worried, I'm worried about our kids. I'm worried about our teachers who are having to sort of manage this chaos, instead of managing the reality of the situation, which is that our kids need us and our kids are not performing where they need to.
BLITZER: Yes, I'm worried about the kids as well.
Brandon Cardet-Hernandez, thanks very much for joining us.
CARDET-HERNANDEZ: Thanks for having me.
BLITZER: And just ahead: a sharp break from tradition for a White House event that has been around for nearly 150 years. Why historians don't know what to make of a major change to the Easter egg roll over at the White House.
[11:35:00]
Stay with us. You're in THE SITUATION ROOM.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BLITZER: Less than two hours from now an appeals court, a federal appeals court here in Washington, will hold an emergency hearing on certain deportation flights carried out by the Trump administration. A federal judge has temporarily blocked the White House from using the Alien Enemies Act of 1798 to deport alleged gang members.
Today, Justice Department lawyers will fight that ruling.
Joining us now is Texas Republican Congressman Pete Sessions. He serves on the oversight and Financial Services committees.
Congressman, thanks so much for joining us. Always appreciate having you here in THE SITUATION ROOM.
Is the Trump administration, do you believe, cutting some corners to carry out its sweeping deportation plans?
[11:40:07]
REP. PETE SESSIONS (R-TX): Wolf, the administration has signaled to the American people for many years now the assignment of these duties deals directly with the federal government. The federal government had an obligation not only to protect our borders, but to make sure that the people who were in here followed the law of being here legally. The president has been strenuous about his viewpoint that the people that were here needed to be removed. The American people understood this not only as they went to the polls, but as they celebrated a change in policy.
I believe that I do support many of the things that this administration is doing. I also, however, see where things need to be done in a systematic order that the American people understand what is happening. And I believe that that is what is attempted to be done here.
They have gone after dangerous criminals who were in our country, and they're in the process of removing them. Secondly, there are also an incredible amount of people that are housed in sanctuary cities. The president will not allow that sanctuary city to deter the federal government from doing its job.
BLITZER: Are you at all concerned, Congressman, that the Trump administration has so far provided very limited information to verify the claims that the people who were deported are affiliated with violent terrorist gangs? Why not provide evidence if the allegations are true?
SESSIONS: Well, this -- this is certainly an important part. We still are a country of rule of law.
With that said, that I believe that what the Department of Homeland Security has done is, they properly -- as they gathered these people, they looked at their -- the things the -- the crimes that they had committed, they looked at them in jails, they looked at them.
A telltale sign is the gang markings that are all over these individuals. And that is a lifelong obligation that these what I will call criminals, people who had committed crime or were part of a criminal organization.
And I think that's what the president did. I think we saw, when they moved them back on military flights and back to Venezuela and other places, gang members who were dangerous to men and women and children in our country. And that's what the president ran on.
BLITZER: A source is telling CNN that the Internal Revenue Service, the IRS, is close, very close to finalizing an agreement with the Department of Homeland Security to help locate migrants suspected, simply suspected of being in the U.S. illegally.
Are you comfortable with the use of IRS information, very sensitive personal information, which breaks decades of assurances that this information would remain private?
SESSIONS: Wolf, let me say this.
We saw where the president had a conversation with the American people on the night of the State of the Union. At that night, he spoke about thousands, maybe hundreds of thousands, of Social Security numbers that were assigned to people -- quote -- "over 100 years old."
Our Social Security number system is old. It does not work well. As part of a process of doing the right thing, I think we need to get our Social Security numbers to know who they are and how they reside. Does it concern me that we're sharing information? No. Does it concern me that we fix the problem, but have an answer for that other than just necessarily deportation? Yes.
And so I, as a member of Congress, would be interested in knowing, how are we going to fix the problem for the integrity of Social Security? Yes, sir. I am in favor of a 100 percent or close to that audit that can be done.
BLITZER: Well, do you have any concerns, Congressman, that, by having the IRS provide this sensitive information to ICE, undocumented immigrants will be far less likely to pay taxes?
SESSIONS: Well, of course, and that is something. And I go to that with the statement I just made. We need to know how we intend to look at this.
As you will recall, the president spoke about a system of first taking people who were criminals out of our jails. Secondly, he spoke about those people who had received an order to remove them from the country and then, thirdly, those people who were dangerous criminals.
Now you're getting to the point, and they are too, of developing their ideas about how they will handle these people. We have got them in agricultural product services all over this country. They better figure that out, how they intend to deal with someone when they find they have got a bad Social Security note.
[11:45:15]
BLITZER: On a very, very different issue, I want to get your thoughts before I let you go, Congressman.
The White House, as you know, is now publicly soliciting corporate sponsors for this year's annual Easter egg roll over at the lawn on the White House, a very highly unusual move. Do you support this? Do you have any ethics concerns about this decision by the White House?
SESSIONS: Wolf, I'm delighted that the ethics experts -- and we do need them -- have raised the flags. I think it's now up to the White House to define what that might look like.
The White House Historical Society gets about $7.5 million a year. I want to make sure that it's not misused. Just because they're a sponsor, they can put it up on their Web site, does not mean that the White House would do the same.
So I will be very pleased to look at that and get answers. But, obviously, how they do it is where the lines come into conflict.
BLITZER: Yes, so, clearly, you have some concerns, right? SESSIONS: I have a desire to look to find out what the plan is.
Simply that they're doing this to get money into the White House Historical Society does not bother me. What advantage would they get as a result of that sponsorship, that would be a question of ethics for me.
BLITZER: Congressman Pete Sessions, thanks so much for joining us.
SESSIONS: You bet.
BLITZER: And coming up: No perfect brackets in the NCAA men's basketball tournament no longer, but 16 teams are looking for their one shining moment.
The latest on March Madness, that's just ahead.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[11:51:39]
BLITZER: The first buzzer beater of March Madness.
Maryland squeezed out a major win against Colorado State with this stunning bank shot, clearly punching their ticket for the Sweet 16.
I want to bring in CNN contributor Cari Champion. She's also host of "The Cari Champion Show."
Cari, thanks very much for joining us.
That shot by Maryland's Derik Queen, and I watched it, it was amazing.
CARI CHAMPION, CNN CONTRIBUTOR: It was great. Did you think he traveled?
BLITZER: No.
CHAMPION: OK. Neither did I.
BLITZER: I like Maryland.
CHAMPION: Oh, you...
(LAUGHTER)
CHAMPION: Neither did I.
Because, in that moment, the refs did the right thing. You let them play. You don't you don't call a game at a buzzer beater. So it was good to see Maryland advance. I thought they were about to be upset, but it was great.
BLITZER: So what do you think of my Final Four in the men's? And then we will talk about the women's the second.
In my Final Four, I have Duke, Houston, Florida and Auburn. CHAMPION: I love your Final Four, because, to me, you have picked the
teams that have consistently shown that they can show up in these big moments.
I also feel -- and people don't like when I say this -- it's time for blue blood to get back into the game, and I'd like to see Duke take it all. If not, I'm close with your Final Four. I have Michigan State playing Duke in the end.
BLITZER: But you went to UCLA.
CHAMPION: I went to UCLA. So on the women's side, I absolutely have the women winning it all, UCLA.
BLITZER: It's an emotional thing.
CHAMPION: It's an emotional thing, but I have a good feeling about South -- I mean, I just really feel it's hard to go against Dawn Staley, but I'm giving it to UCLA. What about you? What's your...
BLITZER: And the women, I have UCLA, Duke, Michigan and UConn. Ask me who I predict will win the whole thing.
CHAMPION: Who's going to win it all?
BLITZER: That's a good question.
(LAUGHTER)
CHAMPION: OK.
BLITZER: I will tell you, in my opinion, among the women, Michigan.
CHAMPION: OK, that's tough.
BLITZER: Ask me why I like Michigan.
CHAMPION: I will, OK, because Michigan is a tough one. Why would you pick them? That's a tough ask.
BLITZER: Because I have a lot of friends who went to Michigan.
CHAMPION: OK, so it's an emotional pick for you as well.
BLITZER: It's an emotional thing. They would be very mad at me if I didn't pick Michigan.
CHAMPION: Well, tonight, we get to see two of the best players in women's ball play, college basketball. That's JuJu. And then we also get to see Paige Bueckers at UConn.
So I'm looking forward to see what she does.
BLITZER: It's amazing how women's basketball on the college level, professional has really exploded over the past few years. CHAMPION: The last three years have really shown that what we can do
is, we give it the time and attention that it deserves, it can really blow up.
It's been three years, and it's a steady rise. They're getting more advertising dollars. They're making more money. And, to me, finally, we will get to the point, especially on the collegiate level, where we see the women get the same advertising dollars as well.
BLITZER: It's really amazing to see how some of these women play basketball.
CHAMPION: I think they have all been playing at a level that has been really intense. And now that the eyes are on them, it's like it's an entire new world for people who love sports.
I always say the women have continued to play aggressively, but it's the first time that we're allowed to see it on a national stage. And I'm excited about it.
BLITZER: So you're excited. Are you excited more watching the women or the men?
CHAMPION: I got to be honest with you. The storylines are with the women.
JuJu Watkins, Paige Bueckers, it's an incredible class of amazing young women who have played this well. We follow them since high school. And we get to see the maturation process. This is Paige Bueckers' last year at UConn.
BLITZER: She will go to the WNBA.
CHAMPION: She will go directly to the WNBA. I don't want to say this, but maybe teams are tanking, hoping that they can get her.
She is by far one of these generational talents that brings in the people. And so if anyone has been trying to get into women's basketball, watch her tonight against South Dakota State. You're going to see some special basketball.
BLITZER: I will be watching. I love basketball, as you know.
CHAMPION: Yes.
And can I tell the fun story?
BLITZER: What's that?
CHAMPION: That I bumped into you at All-Star New Year's -- New Orleans, probably...
BLITZER: NBA All-Star.
CHAMPION: NBA All-Star, 2000 -- I don't remember what year it was. Maybe '13 or '14? And you were a good time. [11:55:04]
I said, who knew that Wolf was such a basketball genius? No one knew that.
BLITZER: I'm not a genius. I'm not a genius.
(LAUGHTER)
BLITZER: Ask me when my basketball career ended?
CHAMPION: When did your basketball career end?
BLITZER: Eighth grade.
(LAUGHTER)
BLITZER: I tried out for the team. And the coach said, you have got to dribble not just with your right hand, but your left hand too. I couldn't dribble with my left hand. I could dribble with my right hand. At that point, I realized...
CHAMPION: Look, for those who -- but you were like, I'm not going to do it.
BLITZER: ... I got to fall into journalism.
(LAUGHTER)
CHAMPION: If you can't do it, teach it. You're doing it well.
(LAUGHTER)
BLITZER: Yes.
Cari, a pleasure having you.
CHAMPION: It's a pleasure to be here.
BLITZER: And I remember meeting you in New Orleans as well.
CHAMPION: It's such a pleasure.
BLITZER: Thank you very, very much. Good work.
CHAMPION: Thank you.
BLITZER: And, to our viewers, thanks very much for joining us this morning. You can always keep up with me on social media @WolfBlitzer.
We will see you back here tomorrow and every weekday morning for our expanded two-hour SITUATION ROOM 10:00 a.m. Eastern.
"INSIDE POLITICS" with Manu Raju today is coming up next right after a short break.
