AMNA NAWAZ: Several key Republican lawmakers share## the concern about the impact the budget# bill will have on the national debt.

GEOFF BENNETT: Wisconsin Senator# Ron Johnson is among them.

And I spoke with him earlier today.

Senator Johnson, welcome back to the "News Hour."

SEN. RON JOHNSON (R-WI): Thanks for having me on.

GEOFF BENNETT: You have called this bill# immoral.

You have said it's grot.. strong language.

What specifically# do you find so offensive about it?

SEN. RON JOHNSON: No, that's not how I refer# to the bill.

I have referred to the fact that## we are mortgaging our children's future as# immoral and grotesque, and then the level## of debt that we have accumulated and that we# continue to accumulate.

So that is immoral.

What we are doing to our children, how we are# robbing them of the opportunities and diminishing## their prospects, that's truly immoral.

And we need# to recognize that fact and we need to stop it.

GEOFF BENNETT: Well, the Congressional# Budget Office, as you well know,## now estimates this bill would add $2.4 trillion# to the national debt over the next decade.

The White House says that number# is misleading and they say that you## have your facts wrong.

Here's what the# press secretary said earlier this week: QUESTION: But Republicans like Ron Johnson# and Rand Paul disagree.

They are saying that## it will add to the deficit.

That is their# concern.

Is the White House's position## that those two Republican senators# are -- quote -- "blatantly wrong"?

KAROLINE LEAVITT, White House Press# Secretary: It is.

Those senators,## it's not news that they disagree# with this president on policy,## and the president has vocally called them out# for it and for not having their facts together.

GEOFF BENNETT: So respond to that, if you will.

SEN. RON JOHNSON: Well, first of all,## I met with the preside.. know I have my facts straight.

We have# got a lot of respect for each other.

Now, I thought it was kind of interesting,# in that White House meeting, one of the## things that President Trump pointed out# was, the Democrats are always unified.## They're always united.

And I pointed out to# them, well, that's because they're doing the## easy things.

They're spending money we don't# have.

They're mortgaging our children's future.

We're trying to do something hard.

And I# think the good news is that those of us## who are trying to do something hard, we# do respect each other.

Listen, I'm a big## supporter President Trump.

I respect Speaker# Johnson and leader Thune and Chairman Crapo.

But we are trying to do something very hard.# We have had an unprecedented level of spending## increase since the start of COVID from $4.4# trillion to $7 trillion.

Our deficits under## Biden and the Democrats averaged $1.9 trillion# per year.

It's very difficult to dial that back.

But, again, we're trying to do it.

I recognize and# I sympathize how difficult this is in the House,## even in the Senate.

I realize I'm kind of# not one of the easiest gets here.

But, again,## my loyalty is to my children and grandchildren.# And I believe that's -- that is shared by the## president and by the other leaders who are# working on this enormously challenging problem.

GEOFF BENNETT: So what needs# to happen to get you to yes?

SEN. RON JOHNSON: So I have been pretty# honest about this.

I am up front.

We need a commitment, I need a commitment# to a reasonable pre-pandemic level of## spending -- don't expect that to happen# overnight -- and a process to achieve and## maintain it.

So that gives people pretty light# wide latitude to satisfy what I'm trying to do.

But the problem is severe.

We're starting,# according to the CBO projection -- and that's## what I'm focusing on.

I'm not real fond of the# CBO scores either.

They're static.

They're not## dynamic.

But their projection is pretty# solid.

I think you have to look at that.## They're projecting $22 trillion of deficits over# the next 10 years.

That's an average of 2.2.

Starts about $1.9 trillion up to about $2.5# trillion.

It's completely unacceptable.

We## need to bend that deficit curve down toward a# trajectory where we can balance our budget.

Again,## that's a hard thing to do.

But I just need a# commitment to that pre-pandemic level.

And I## want a process and a commitment to work with# me to achieve that over the next the few years.

GEOFF BENNETT: President Trump and# Speaker Johnson have set a July 4## deadline to pass this bill.# It's only a few weeks away.

Is that timeline realistic?

And what would## potentially happen if you# don't meet that deadline?

SEN. RON JOHNSON: Well, I think the skinnier# we make this bill, the more realistic that## timeline is.

It's kind of hard to predict.# I do believe that people like Senator Rick## Scott and Mike Lee are working on different# components with the chairmen of the committees.

I think the bill actually will become better# in the Senate.

I think we will find additional## spending reductions, help us solve that# problem a little bit better.

And, again,## I'm working with the White House economic# advisers, who are just first-class and very## knowledgeable group of people.

We want to get# our numbers straight, so that nobody's disputing## what the projections are, what the scores are, so# we're all on the same page from that standpoint.

And then we will move forward from that point.

GEOFF BENNETT: Before we let you go, I want to# ask you about a separate development, because## President Trump today defended the executive# order he signed last night imposing travel## restrictions on more than a dozen countries,# most of them in the Middle East and Africa.

Do you support that move?

And do you# think that policy is necessary right now?

SEN. RON JOHNSON: I certainly support# keeping America safe.

Unfortunately,## in the last administration, President Biden# and his allies in -- Democratic allies here## in the House and Senate threw open our borders,# allowing millions of people completely unvetted,## members of transnational criminal organizations,## violent gangs, drug human sex# traffickers, into this country.

President Trump has to clean up an enormous# mess, and he's trying to prevent that mess## from becoming even bigger.

So, by and large,# I support his actions.

We have to secure our## border.

We have to protect Americans,# make sure that Americans are kept safe.

GEOFF BENNETT: Senator Ron Johnson,# thanks for your time this evening.

SEN. RON JOHNSON: Have a great night.