Full transcript of "Face the Nation with Margaret Brennan," Aug. 23, 2026

Key Points:

• The U.S. economy faces uncertainty with a record $40 trillion debt, persistent inflation, and rising borrowing costs, as discussed by Minneapolis Fed President Neel Kashkari, who highlighted multiple factors influencing Treasury yields and emphasized the Fed's commitment to reducing inflation to 2%.
• Medicare and Medicaid costs are a major concern, with CMS Administrator Dr. Mehmet Oz reporting a historic 3.1% drop in drug prices due to most favored nation pricing policies, expanding access to affordable medications like GLP-1 drugs for seniors, and efforts to combat fraud and improve healthcare technology.
• Former FDA Commissioner Dr. Scott Gottlieb praised recent advances in mRNA cancer immunotherapy and defended the FDA's handling of foodborne outbreaks, while noting that recalls are voluntary and not a definitive measure of agency effectiveness; he also expressed cautious optimism about President Trump's nominee, Dr. Heidi Overton, for FDA commissioner.
• Florida Republican gubernatorial candidate Rep. Byron Donalds emphasized controlling illegal immigration to address public health and workforce issues, advocated for healthcare price transparency, and supported parental choice in vaccination schedules while opposing broad vaccine mandates.
• Democratic Congressman Seth Moulton, challenging Senator Ed Markey in the Massachusetts primary, called for generational change in Democratic leadership and criticized Markey for relying on establishment support; Moulton is actively working behind the scenes to aid Afghans left behind after U.S. withdrawal and is focused on flipping congressional seats to gain majorities.