PBS News Hour

AMNA NAWAZ: House Republicans have had a busy start to their majority, from investigations into the Biden administration to early negotiations around the debt ceiling.

Now they have turned their focus to the administration's handling of the Chinese spy balloon.

Here to talk about all that swirling is one Republican congresswoman not shy about breaking with her party.

That is Nancy Mace of South Carolina.

She joins me now.

Congresswoman Mace, welcome.

Thanks for joining us.

REP. NANCY MACE (R-SC): Thank you for having me.

AMNA NAWAZ: So, let's begin with the news of those the series of four flying objects that the U.S. has been shooting down in recent days, first of which was this Chinese surveillance balloon shot down off the South Carolina coast earlier this month.

Senators were briefed today.

Do you have any idea when you will be getting a briefing?

REP. NANCY MACE: Well, Congress did have a briefing midday this afternoon.

But it was a -- it was a briefing with open source information.

I'm looking forward to a classified briefing, another classified briefing.

I had actually two last week, but that was before these three new objects over Alaska, Canada and Michigan were shot down.

I have more questions than I have answers at this point.

AMNA NAWAZ: What's the biggest question you want answered right now?

REP. NANCY MACE: Well, I mean, really looking at this situation, either they have been up there the whole time and we're only now shooting them down, or we were unaware that they were up there.

And so neither scenario, in my opinion, is a good one.

What kind of technology are we using?

Because we have radar, we have satellite, we have other classified means to track objects in our sky.

For example, if you're above 18,000 feet, you will have an FAA flight plan.

The other questions I have are concerning the origin of these devices or objects, or -- I'm assuming -- I don't know anything yet, quite yet -- that these are surveillance drones, likely not from China, but from another country.

And we're not going to shoot anything down if we don't know what it is.

And so playing cat and mouse with Congress and keeping us in the dark over what this is, is not healthy for either side of the aisle.

And if we continue to shoot these things down out of the sky, I worry that there's going to be fear on the ground with the American people, which is why I'm asking for more transparency.

AMNA NAWAZ: I want to ask you about the other big news today out of South Carolina.

That's former South Carolina Governor Nikki Haley, who just announced her presidential run.

She is from your district.

You have said you would like to see a woman run.

So will you endorse her?

REP. NANCY MACE: Well, I would love to see a woman on the ticket, as I said previously.

I may have two constituents running in this election cycle in '24.

So, number one, it's very exciting to see the leadership coming out of South Carolina.

I do want to say something very special about Nikki.

I wish that people could see how hard she works and how much she cares.

Nikki was one of the only few elected officials that would return my phone call when I was primaried by the former president two years ago.

It was a very lonely experience.

We won resoundingly.

And she was with us every step of the way.

She's become a good friend.

I'm excited about her jumping into the race.

I have not yet decided on an endorsement yet, but I'm very excited.

I really do truly believe that Republicans need a woman on the ticket, and she's more than qualified for the job.

AMNA NAWAZ: She also made the case that it's time for a new generation of leaders.

That is similar phrasing to something we heard from Governor Sarah Huckabee Sanders in her response to the president's State of the Union address.

This idea of a new generation of leaders for Republicans, do you agree with that?

What does that mean?

What would a new generation do that the old one didn't?

REP. NANCY MACE: Well, we need to look forward.

Many -- many of our leaders want to look to the past.

They want to look to 2020 and the last couple of years.

We need to look forward.

And I represent a swing district.

I have a very purple seat.

Even though I'm in South Carolina, my district is very much a swing district.

And we have a number of people in this country that have left the Democrat Party, they have left the Republican Party.

They don't feel like they have a home.

And we need leadership that will embrace those independent voices and that will look forward.

And another example that I can cite is, after Roe v. Wade, Republicans didn't do a very good job of being and showing compassion towards women, even if we disagree on a very hot-button kind of issue.

I have worked really hard to build trust with women and constituents and voters alike to find some middle ground on that issue, because that issue is not going away.

And so I'm looking for that kind of leadership out of a nominee in '24.

AMNA NAWAZ: Does a new generation of leaders mean moving away from Donald Trump?

REP. NANCY MACE: Well, I think it means -- it means -- it certainly means looking forward.

And I want to see a nice field.

I want to see a vigorous primary.

By the time these candidates get to South Carolina, I don't want to see too, too many.

You don't want more than 10 or 12 in the race.

But South Carolina is a very seminal moment and it will play an important role in the Democrat primary and the Republican primary.

Typically, whoever wins South Carolina goes on to win the nomination the Republican side of the ticket.

And so I expect it'll be vigorous.

I'm excited about folks coming to South Carolina.

And I do believe that we need to, as a country, both parties, especially Republicans, we have got to look forward.

And we have to embrace more independent voices within our party.

And that's the kind of person I will be looking to support when the time comes.

AMNA NAWAZ: Congresswoman, as you well know, Congress needs to raise the debt ceiling in order for the U.S. to avoid defaulting on its debt.

Do you think that your party should be holding up that vote to try and get spending cuts, as some of your colleagues have said they want to do?

REP. NANCY MACE: We have a real problem with spending in this country.

I would like to see some sort of budget reform as part of the debt ceiling.

I think now is a good -- as good a time as ever.

This -- the debt ceiling was originally started right after World War II to help with the war and paying for the war.

And it's really important that we understand that that has been abused over the years by Republicans and Democrats.

It's both sides.

We're at $31 trillion in debt, $5 trillion under this current administration, $8 trillion under the previous administration.

And the list goes on and on.

And we need to have serious reforms about the budget now, rather than kicking the can down the road.

And I hope it's part of this vote.

AMNA NAWAZ: But, Congresswoman, as you know, Republicans have voted multiple times to raise the debt ceiling without tying it to spending cuts.

Do you feel it undermines the Republican messaging on spending cuts when that argument only comes up under Democratic administrations?

REP. NANCY MACE: Well, you definitely can't call yourself a fiscal conservative if you don't operate that way.

It is a problem within our party that we have this message of that we're a limited government and we're fiscal conservatives, and yet we have added to the debt by trillions of dollars administration after administration.

It is a problem.

I'm a fiscal conservative.

I have made no bones about it.

I have not ever voted to raise taxes on my constituents, for example.

I feel that's really important.

And I think that's a bipartisan issue.

Whether you're Republican or Democrat, nobody wants to see taxes raise in the middle of a potential recession or inflation as high as it is.

They want to see the government act responsibly and do what every other household has to do, what every other business has to do, is be responsible with the money that they have.

And that's simply what I'm asking for as part of this conversation.

AMNA NAWAZ: Congresswoman Nancy Mace of South Carolina, thank you for your time.

REP. NANCY MACE: Thank you.