Meet the Press   |  February 10, 2013

Cantor discusses drone policy

House Majority Leader Eric Cantor discusses Capitol Hill lawmakers’ responsibilities in the administration’s recent publicized drone policy.

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This content comes from Closed Captioning that was broadcast along with this program.

>> before you go, i want to ask you about the debate over drones. it's a key part of the president's national security policy. why hasn't congress passed any additional legislation to review drone policy, to really understand where there ought to be checks and balances in the time that's passed since the original authorization post-9/11 that gave the president the authority to have a kill list, as the president works off of, for drones?

>> you know, i'm glad to hear that the administration has released the memo that is under discussion to our intelligence committees in both the house and the senate. we're going to be about oversight and getting into examining that memo. but, you know, let's just say -- suffice it is to say, david, we have a terror threat out there. islamist extremists are out there still trying to kill americans and go after what we stand for in this world. and if we're going to continue to be the leading force for peace, prosperity, and security in this world, we're going to have to have the tools necessary to do so. and i believe we can strike that balance to employ technologies to do that, at the same time upholding constitutional rights .

>> and you're not concerned about the current policy, even where it might target americans who join the enemy?

>> again, this is no different than the policy perhaps that was in place before. we'll find out about that in the oversight that we'll pursue.

>> all right. leader cantor, thank you for your time. i appreciate it.

>> david, thanks.