1 00:00:00,720 --> 00:00:02,880 Speaker 1: To night. Michael Brown joins me here, the former FEMA 2 00:00:02,960 --> 00:00:06,160 Speaker 1: director talk show host Michael Brown. Brownie, no, Brownie, You're 3 00:00:06,160 --> 00:00:08,600 Speaker 1: doing a heck of a job the Weekend with Michael 4 00:00:08,600 --> 00:00:11,760 Speaker 1: Brown broadcasting Life from Denver, Colorado. You've tuned into the 5 00:00:11,760 --> 00:00:13,640 Speaker 1: Weekend with Michael Brown. Glad to have you joining the 6 00:00:13,640 --> 00:00:16,880 Speaker 1: program today. A few rules of engagement. If you want 7 00:00:16,920 --> 00:00:19,200 Speaker 1: to tell me anything or ask me anything, you can 8 00:00:19,280 --> 00:00:22,440 Speaker 1: use the text line. In the last hour, we're talking 9 00:00:22,480 --> 00:00:24,800 Speaker 1: about whether or not we're going to put Donald Trump's 10 00:00:24,960 --> 00:00:30,640 Speaker 1: President Trump's caricature, photo design, drawing portrait, whatever you want 11 00:00:30,680 --> 00:00:33,720 Speaker 1: to call it, on our currency or even commemorative coins. 12 00:00:34,400 --> 00:00:39,880 Speaker 1: And that apparently set off a lot of you in 13 00:00:39,960 --> 00:00:43,240 Speaker 1: every direction you can possibly be a match. And I 14 00:00:43,640 --> 00:00:45,199 Speaker 1: haven't had time to read it through all of them, 15 00:00:45,200 --> 00:00:47,080 Speaker 1: but trust me, I'll read through all of them today. 16 00:00:47,440 --> 00:00:48,839 Speaker 1: So do you want to tell me anything or ask 17 00:00:48,920 --> 00:00:52,880 Speaker 1: me anything, The number is three three one zero three 18 00:00:52,960 --> 00:00:55,720 Speaker 1: on your message app three three one zero three. Just 19 00:00:55,800 --> 00:00:59,720 Speaker 1: use the keyword Mike or Michael. And as anybody will 20 00:00:59,760 --> 00:01:02,240 Speaker 1: tell you, I read them all. Both my producers will 21 00:01:02,240 --> 00:01:04,760 Speaker 1: tell you I read all of these of these text 22 00:01:04,760 --> 00:01:08,600 Speaker 1: messages all the time, because sometimes you actually spur me 23 00:01:08,680 --> 00:01:12,600 Speaker 1: to chase rabbits or chase squirrels. You give me things 24 00:01:12,600 --> 00:01:15,720 Speaker 1: to think about, might even change my mind about certain things. 25 00:01:15,840 --> 00:01:19,640 Speaker 1: So three three, one zero three keyword Michael, Michael. And 26 00:01:19,680 --> 00:01:21,679 Speaker 1: then just like in that last segment we talked about 27 00:01:22,680 --> 00:01:25,840 Speaker 1: this whole thing that I discovered on X, I will 28 00:01:25,840 --> 00:01:31,200 Speaker 1: probably later today repost that story that I read about, 29 00:01:31,319 --> 00:01:34,200 Speaker 1: you know, the conspiracy to destroy the food security of 30 00:01:34,200 --> 00:01:38,039 Speaker 1: the country and debunk and of course then that will call. 31 00:01:38,240 --> 00:01:41,600 Speaker 1: That will cause everybody with the ten foil hats to 32 00:01:41,640 --> 00:01:43,920 Speaker 1: come out and pound on me for a while, which 33 00:01:43,959 --> 00:01:47,600 Speaker 1: is always fun. I'm used to getting pound on. So 34 00:01:47,760 --> 00:01:51,480 Speaker 1: the on X formerly Twitter, it's at Michael D. Brown. 35 00:01:51,520 --> 00:01:53,760 Speaker 1: Go give me a follow right now. Don't put it off, 36 00:01:53,800 --> 00:01:56,000 Speaker 1: just go do it right now at Michael D. Brown. 37 00:01:57,920 --> 00:02:00,880 Speaker 1: I guess I would call this segment maybe something like 38 00:02:00,920 --> 00:02:06,120 Speaker 1: the Theater of the Shutdown the Complete Edition, because what 39 00:02:06,160 --> 00:02:07,280 Speaker 1: I want to do is I want to take you 40 00:02:07,320 --> 00:02:11,359 Speaker 1: through what happened in Washington over the last forty eight outs, 41 00:02:11,400 --> 00:02:15,280 Speaker 1: from beginning to end. As Bill O'Reilly used to say, 42 00:02:15,320 --> 00:02:18,200 Speaker 1: no spend, I don't want a cheerlead for either side 43 00:02:18,240 --> 00:02:20,919 Speaker 1: because quite frankly, I'm fed up with both sides right now, 44 00:02:21,120 --> 00:02:26,120 Speaker 1: particularly over this, because what we have witnessed, I think 45 00:02:26,240 --> 00:02:29,680 Speaker 1: is one of the most remarkable displays of institutional dysfunction 46 00:02:29,720 --> 00:02:35,120 Speaker 1: in modern American history. And I mean that as someone 47 00:02:35,160 --> 00:02:39,919 Speaker 1: who has actually run one of the agencies involved, and 48 00:02:39,960 --> 00:02:44,360 Speaker 1: not just run one of the agencies, but was the undersecretary, 49 00:02:44,400 --> 00:02:49,639 Speaker 1: one of four undersecretaries, not counting the administrator, that ran 50 00:02:49,720 --> 00:02:55,600 Speaker 1: the entire Department of Home Land Security when Homeland Security 51 00:02:56,000 --> 00:03:02,880 Speaker 1: stood up on March three, two thousand and two, I 52 00:03:02,919 --> 00:03:07,360 Speaker 1: think one hundred and eighty thousand employees. I forget exactly 53 00:03:07,360 --> 00:03:09,480 Speaker 1: what the total budget was, but I want to say 54 00:03:10,320 --> 00:03:14,360 Speaker 1: it was twenty billion or something. And that's not counting 55 00:03:14,360 --> 00:03:16,239 Speaker 1: the money that we're spending in New York or the 56 00:03:16,280 --> 00:03:20,040 Speaker 1: Pentagon or anywhere else. But and it's just grown exponentially 57 00:03:20,120 --> 00:03:27,320 Speaker 1: since then. So when I'm telling you that this is 58 00:03:27,639 --> 00:03:31,359 Speaker 1: the complete edition, and I'm not cheerleading for either side, 59 00:03:31,720 --> 00:03:36,320 Speaker 1: it's because I have dealt with these yahoos that are 60 00:03:36,360 --> 00:03:38,800 Speaker 1: causing people. I heard on the news this morning driving 61 00:03:38,840 --> 00:03:45,720 Speaker 1: in to the studio that Baltimore BWI Airport outside Baltimore, 62 00:03:46,440 --> 00:03:49,440 Speaker 1: the wait times there were three or four hours, then 63 00:03:49,480 --> 00:03:52,440 Speaker 1: I saw somebody text from LAMS that there were any 64 00:03:52,480 --> 00:03:55,840 Speaker 1: wait times in LAMS, And of course the person texting 65 00:03:56,120 --> 00:04:00,440 Speaker 1: or the person posting on X about LAX was claiming, 66 00:04:00,520 --> 00:04:04,560 Speaker 1: we'll see we don't need ICE. No, you can't compare 67 00:04:04,760 --> 00:04:07,880 Speaker 1: LAX to b w I anymore than you can compare 68 00:04:08,000 --> 00:04:14,520 Speaker 1: Denver International to Dallas International. Every airport is different. It 69 00:04:14,560 --> 00:04:18,000 Speaker 1: has its own flow, it has its own you know, 70 00:04:20,800 --> 00:04:25,080 Speaker 1: busy times and quiet times, and the staffing is different. 71 00:04:25,920 --> 00:04:31,400 Speaker 1: The staffing I'm speaking specifically about TSA. It's different at 72 00:04:31,400 --> 00:04:36,520 Speaker 1: every airport because the the the the employment pool that 73 00:04:36,600 --> 00:04:43,240 Speaker 1: you draw from is entirely different. Atlanta Hartsfield pulls from 74 00:04:43,279 --> 00:04:48,280 Speaker 1: a different employment pool than Dallas Fort Worth does. So 75 00:04:48,320 --> 00:04:53,000 Speaker 1: you're gonna have different levels of people calling out sick 76 00:04:53,640 --> 00:04:57,760 Speaker 1: or unable to stretch their paychecks between getting paid, and 77 00:04:57,800 --> 00:05:01,600 Speaker 1: so you'll have different kind of works stoppages at different airports. 78 00:05:02,640 --> 00:05:05,760 Speaker 1: They're not all the same. But here's a number I 79 00:05:05,800 --> 00:05:10,640 Speaker 1: want to start with. Forty two. That's how many days 80 00:05:10,960 --> 00:05:15,000 Speaker 1: the Department of Homeland Security was operating without well, in fact, 81 00:05:15,000 --> 00:05:19,400 Speaker 1: it still is technically operating without a funding appropriation before 82 00:05:19,440 --> 00:05:24,920 Speaker 1: this week, forty two days in which and remember I'm 83 00:05:24,920 --> 00:05:28,200 Speaker 1: not a supporter of the Transportation Security Agency. I think 84 00:05:28,200 --> 00:05:31,200 Speaker 1: it should be dismantled, done away with, And I think 85 00:05:31,279 --> 00:05:34,320 Speaker 1: airport security should be as it was prior to nine 86 00:05:34,360 --> 00:05:38,240 Speaker 1: to eleven. It should be handled by private security firms 87 00:05:38,560 --> 00:05:41,760 Speaker 1: hired and accountable to the airlines and the airports, not 88 00:05:41,839 --> 00:05:46,520 Speaker 1: to the government. If you want to talk about accountability, 89 00:05:47,279 --> 00:05:49,040 Speaker 1: look at the massive amount of fraud going on in 90 00:05:49,040 --> 00:05:52,960 Speaker 1: this country. Where's the accountability there? Well, the same is 91 00:05:53,000 --> 00:05:57,760 Speaker 1: true with TSA, because they're not accountable any more than 92 00:05:57,760 --> 00:06:00,600 Speaker 1: all the money we spend on Medicaid or any sort 93 00:06:00,640 --> 00:06:06,080 Speaker 1: of social welfare programs. I want security at the airport 94 00:06:06,120 --> 00:06:09,440 Speaker 1: held accountable by the people who have the most to lose, 95 00:06:10,160 --> 00:06:17,960 Speaker 1: the airlines, the airports, and the passengers. More than four 96 00:06:18,080 --> 00:06:24,000 Speaker 1: hundred and eighty TSA employees simply quit gone because they 97 00:06:24,040 --> 00:06:26,560 Speaker 1: couldn't afford to keep showing up for free. And I 98 00:06:26,640 --> 00:06:31,960 Speaker 1: understand that. And when you're already working at a job 99 00:06:32,360 --> 00:06:36,320 Speaker 1: where the average salary thirty five thousand dollars a year, 100 00:06:37,400 --> 00:06:39,359 Speaker 1: and you're trying to feed a family of four and 101 00:06:39,400 --> 00:06:42,359 Speaker 1: you're not getting paid, even though we know that you 102 00:06:42,400 --> 00:06:46,320 Speaker 1: will eventually get your back pay. Not everybody can afford 103 00:06:46,400 --> 00:06:49,200 Speaker 1: or even have the access to the line of credit 104 00:06:49,360 --> 00:06:51,800 Speaker 1: or the loan or whatever they need to stretch them 105 00:06:51,800 --> 00:06:55,000 Speaker 1: through to the next paycheck. So the shutdown began in 106 00:06:55,040 --> 00:07:02,880 Speaker 1: mid February. Now listen closely. That shutdown was triggered when 107 00:07:02,880 --> 00:07:07,320 Speaker 1: the Democrats refused to vote for the annual Homeland Security 108 00:07:07,360 --> 00:07:10,800 Speaker 1: funding bill, a bill that should have been law by 109 00:07:10,880 --> 00:07:15,960 Speaker 1: October one of last year. It was triggered when they 110 00:07:16,000 --> 00:07:19,200 Speaker 1: refused to vote for the funding bill for homeland security 111 00:07:19,840 --> 00:07:23,640 Speaker 1: because of the fatal shootings of two Americans, Alex Pretty 112 00:07:23,680 --> 00:07:28,120 Speaker 1: and Renee Good by federal immigration agents in Minneapolis during 113 00:07:28,200 --> 00:07:35,360 Speaker 1: an enforcement and immigration enforcement operation. So the Democrats, rightly 114 00:07:35,440 --> 00:07:38,200 Speaker 1: or wrongly, I'm not making any judgment about it, demanded 115 00:07:38,240 --> 00:07:43,840 Speaker 1: some reforms. Republicans refused, and thus you started the stalemates. 116 00:07:45,200 --> 00:07:49,360 Speaker 1: Now here's what the next forty two days looked like 117 00:07:49,840 --> 00:07:56,360 Speaker 1: from the outside. A whole lot of nothing, negotiations, collapsess, 118 00:07:56,440 --> 00:08:00,360 Speaker 1: collapsed negotiations, then more negotiations, and then all offers and 119 00:08:00,560 --> 00:08:04,720 Speaker 1: encounter offers, rejected officers, Senators running to go on to 120 00:08:04,840 --> 00:08:07,720 Speaker 1: Fox News to blame the Democrats. Democrats going on to 121 00:08:07,880 --> 00:08:14,360 Speaker 1: MSNBC to blame the Republicans. Meanwhile, real people just trying 122 00:08:14,400 --> 00:08:17,800 Speaker 1: to go on spring break or trying to go to 123 00:08:17,880 --> 00:08:21,280 Speaker 1: a business meeting from Denver to Chicago or Denver to 124 00:08:21,320 --> 00:08:28,440 Speaker 1: Houston or Lax to Miami, missing flights, showing up four 125 00:08:28,480 --> 00:08:33,640 Speaker 1: or five hours early, standing in line, and real people. Also, 126 00:08:33,760 --> 00:08:37,760 Speaker 1: federal employees with mortgages are car payments who kept showing 127 00:08:37,800 --> 00:08:42,720 Speaker 1: up to work without getting paid, Because if you're going 128 00:08:42,760 --> 00:08:45,240 Speaker 1: to be a dedicated civil servant, that's what you would do. 129 00:08:48,040 --> 00:08:52,800 Speaker 1: I've often thought if my heart came to me and said, oh, 130 00:08:52,920 --> 00:08:55,719 Speaker 1: you know, we're kind of a squeeze right now. Did 131 00:08:55,800 --> 00:08:58,560 Speaker 1: you work this week? But you know, will gladly pay you? 132 00:08:59,160 --> 00:09:02,720 Speaker 1: What is the old pop up, Well, gladly pay you 133 00:09:03,640 --> 00:09:06,560 Speaker 1: hamburger today. Yeah, we'll gladly pay you next week for 134 00:09:06,559 --> 00:09:10,120 Speaker 1: a hamburger today. I don't know. All my response would be, 135 00:09:10,760 --> 00:09:14,600 Speaker 1: I think it would depend upon all the circumstances. If 136 00:09:14,640 --> 00:09:17,320 Speaker 1: they were truly in just some short term financial crunch, 137 00:09:17,559 --> 00:09:20,360 Speaker 1: I would probably keep working because what I enjoy what 138 00:09:20,440 --> 00:09:24,240 Speaker 1: I do, and two, I'm fortunate that I could afford 139 00:09:24,280 --> 00:09:26,440 Speaker 1: to go with or maybe I shouldn't say that. They 140 00:09:26,520 --> 00:09:30,000 Speaker 1: might be listening, so I better shut up. But some 141 00:09:30,040 --> 00:09:32,240 Speaker 1: of these people can't say that's right. Some of these 142 00:09:32,240 --> 00:09:35,120 Speaker 1: people can't afford that, so maybe I shouldn't say it. 143 00:09:35,559 --> 00:09:38,560 Speaker 1: But the pressure finally broke this week, and let me 144 00:09:38,600 --> 00:09:48,719 Speaker 1: explain why. I'll be right back. Welcome back to the 145 00:09:48,720 --> 00:09:50,560 Speaker 1: Weekend with Michael Brown. Glad to have you joining the 146 00:09:50,559 --> 00:09:53,960 Speaker 1: program today. We're talking about the forty two days of 147 00:09:54,000 --> 00:09:58,920 Speaker 1: a government shut down, which is utterly absurd, totally absurd, 148 00:10:00,400 --> 00:10:04,960 Speaker 1: and I'm trying to give you a objective review of 149 00:10:04,960 --> 00:10:08,200 Speaker 1: what really took place. Let me remind you, though, before 150 00:10:08,240 --> 00:10:10,840 Speaker 1: we continue with that, that if you like what we 151 00:10:10,880 --> 00:10:14,200 Speaker 1: do on the Weekend program, i'd encourage you to listen 152 00:10:14,240 --> 00:10:16,200 Speaker 1: to the weekday program. And it's very easy to do 153 00:10:16,640 --> 00:10:19,240 Speaker 1: on your iHeart app on your computer. However, you listen 154 00:10:19,280 --> 00:10:23,959 Speaker 1: to radio, which is any number of ways in our 155 00:10:24,040 --> 00:10:28,800 Speaker 1: modern society. Search for this station in Denver with the 156 00:10:28,840 --> 00:10:33,120 Speaker 1: call letters KOA KOA on the dial. It's at eight 157 00:10:33,240 --> 00:10:36,880 Speaker 1: fifty am or ninety four to one FM. Eight fifty 158 00:10:36,920 --> 00:10:41,000 Speaker 1: am ninety four to one FM, and I broadcast live 159 00:10:41,160 --> 00:10:45,360 Speaker 1: from nine to noon mountain time on that station. So 160 00:10:45,400 --> 00:10:48,280 Speaker 1: i'd encourage you to stream us nine to noon mountain 161 00:10:48,480 --> 00:10:52,680 Speaker 1: on KOA eight fifty AM, ninety four one FM. So 162 00:10:52,800 --> 00:10:56,000 Speaker 1: back to where we were. So we go forty some days. 163 00:10:56,520 --> 00:10:59,440 Speaker 1: Everybody's blaming everybody else. They're all running to their corners, 164 00:10:59,600 --> 00:11:03,000 Speaker 1: they're all running to their respective cable channels, and everybody's 165 00:11:03,000 --> 00:11:06,640 Speaker 1: blaming everybody else. Well, the pressure finally broke this week 166 00:11:07,320 --> 00:11:13,000 Speaker 1: because the airport chaos became impossible to ignore spring break 167 00:11:13,040 --> 00:11:18,400 Speaker 1: travel four or five hour lines. The TSA Acting administrator 168 00:11:19,960 --> 00:11:24,080 Speaker 1: testified before Congress that some airports had forty to fifty 169 00:11:24,080 --> 00:11:27,920 Speaker 1: percent of their workforce calling out sick on any given day, 170 00:11:29,000 --> 00:11:33,520 Speaker 1: and that the agency was actually asking the FAA to 171 00:11:33,600 --> 00:11:39,120 Speaker 1: consider closing smaller airports entirely. So members of Congress started 172 00:11:39,120 --> 00:11:45,000 Speaker 1: paying attention right around the time that Delta Delta Airlines 173 00:11:45,840 --> 00:11:53,000 Speaker 1: and their president suspended special bypass for lawmakers at airport security. 174 00:11:54,000 --> 00:11:58,719 Speaker 1: Funny how that works, isn't it. We see when now, 175 00:11:58,920 --> 00:12:02,280 Speaker 1: as I've told my local audience, when I was the 176 00:12:02,360 --> 00:12:06,839 Speaker 1: under secretary, I had a security detail. So when I 177 00:12:06,880 --> 00:12:09,320 Speaker 1: would travel, if I wasn't traveling on the government airplane, 178 00:12:09,360 --> 00:12:13,679 Speaker 1: if I was traveling commercially, I did not go through security. 179 00:12:14,280 --> 00:12:17,520 Speaker 1: And the reason I didn't go through security was because 180 00:12:17,640 --> 00:12:22,199 Speaker 1: one I had law enforcement credentials, and I was surrounded 181 00:12:22,240 --> 00:12:26,840 Speaker 1: by usually traveling with at least two security guards, security 182 00:12:27,800 --> 00:12:32,880 Speaker 1: security detail, who were armed. So we didn't, you know, 183 00:12:33,040 --> 00:12:35,320 Speaker 1: like you know, they didn't take their guns out and 184 00:12:35,320 --> 00:12:39,360 Speaker 1: put them on the conveyor belt. We went around where 185 00:12:39,800 --> 00:12:43,840 Speaker 1: an airport employee that's already been through security might go through, 186 00:12:44,000 --> 00:12:47,280 Speaker 1: so we didn't. We didn't walk through, or if we did, 187 00:12:47,320 --> 00:12:48,839 Speaker 1: we walked through in a just beep and we just 188 00:12:48,920 --> 00:12:51,559 Speaker 1: kept going. But of course we had to, you know, 189 00:12:51,600 --> 00:12:54,880 Speaker 1: we had to show our credentials, so we never had 190 00:12:54,920 --> 00:12:57,960 Speaker 1: to wait in line. And yes I would, I would freely, 191 00:12:57,960 --> 00:13:01,280 Speaker 1: you may. That was wonderful. What I wouldn't give to 192 00:13:01,280 --> 00:13:04,679 Speaker 1: be able to do that today? Will members of Congress 193 00:13:05,440 --> 00:13:09,280 Speaker 1: get to do it all the time? And the airports 194 00:13:09,440 --> 00:13:14,400 Speaker 1: because remember the airports and the airlines, but most particularly 195 00:13:14,440 --> 00:13:18,200 Speaker 1: the airlines. They have an interest in doing this because 196 00:13:18,480 --> 00:13:22,200 Speaker 1: airlines always have business in front of what well, the 197 00:13:22,240 --> 00:13:27,160 Speaker 1: Department Transportation, the Federal Aviation Administration, the US Congress, the 198 00:13:27,200 --> 00:13:32,360 Speaker 1: White House, the Executive branch. So they provide special lines 199 00:13:32,600 --> 00:13:35,760 Speaker 1: where members can be escorted through and they don't have 200 00:13:35,840 --> 00:13:38,600 Speaker 1: to deal The members of Congress don't have to deal 201 00:13:38,640 --> 00:13:43,040 Speaker 1: with the riffraff like you and me. Well, Delta said, 202 00:13:43,120 --> 00:13:46,520 Speaker 1: you know enough enough, We're not going to do that anymore. 203 00:13:47,360 --> 00:13:53,000 Speaker 1: And then suddenly, oh, Congress wakes up. Now, by Thursday evening, 204 00:13:53,000 --> 00:13:56,480 Speaker 1: the talks had collapsed again, and that's when President Trump, 205 00:13:56,559 --> 00:14:00,440 Speaker 1: in a truth social post, announced that he was directing 206 00:14:00,440 --> 00:14:03,920 Speaker 1: the new Secretary of Homeland Security, Mark Wayne Mullen, who 207 00:14:03,960 --> 00:14:06,720 Speaker 1: Jimmy Kimmel says, is just a plumber, what an idiot, 208 00:14:07,440 --> 00:14:12,520 Speaker 1: to immediately pay TSA agents using funds from last year's 209 00:14:12,520 --> 00:14:15,840 Speaker 1: One Big Beautiful Bill. And Trump admitted that that was 210 00:14:15,840 --> 00:14:18,240 Speaker 1: not going to be an easy thing to do, because 211 00:14:18,240 --> 00:14:21,440 Speaker 1: that tells you something about the legal complexity of using 212 00:14:21,600 --> 00:14:25,960 Speaker 1: reconciliation money that way. But Trump said he was not 213 00:14:26,040 --> 00:14:29,840 Speaker 1: going to allow what he called Democrat Democrat chaos at 214 00:14:29,880 --> 00:14:35,200 Speaker 1: the airports to continue. Now that announcement changed the math 215 00:14:35,240 --> 00:14:39,840 Speaker 1: for the Senate overnight, with Trump taking the TSA payroll 216 00:14:40,040 --> 00:14:43,920 Speaker 1: off the table unilaterally, regardless whether it was legal or not. 217 00:14:45,120 --> 00:14:50,040 Speaker 1: He just administratively did it by executive voarder. If you 218 00:14:50,120 --> 00:14:53,840 Speaker 1: want to if Congress wanted to challenge that, or if 219 00:14:53,920 --> 00:14:56,920 Speaker 1: anybody else wanted to challenge that, you're gonna have to 220 00:14:56,960 --> 00:14:58,560 Speaker 1: go to court. You're gonna to get an injunction. You're 221 00:14:58,560 --> 00:15:00,840 Speaker 1: going to fight, You're going to start fighting, you know, 222 00:15:01,000 --> 00:15:05,240 Speaker 1: in a llegal manner. And does some member of Congress 223 00:15:06,000 --> 00:15:09,040 Speaker 1: while people are waiting in line for five hours because 224 00:15:09,040 --> 00:15:12,280 Speaker 1: there's not a TSA person to screen them or not 225 00:15:12,440 --> 00:15:15,000 Speaker 1: enough TSA people, and then they find out that a 226 00:15:15,000 --> 00:15:17,600 Speaker 1: member of Congress has asked for an injunction to prevent 227 00:15:17,640 --> 00:15:20,480 Speaker 1: Trump from paying. It's not going to happen politically. That's 228 00:15:20,520 --> 00:15:24,520 Speaker 1: the political world, that's the political boiling pot that all 229 00:15:24,560 --> 00:15:28,880 Speaker 1: this was operating on. When he calls it the Democrat 230 00:15:29,040 --> 00:15:31,800 Speaker 1: chaos at the airports and that he was not going 231 00:15:31,800 --> 00:15:34,680 Speaker 1: to allow that to continue, whether it was legal or not. 232 00:15:36,680 --> 00:15:42,160 Speaker 1: That announcement changed the math almost instant because what Trump 233 00:15:42,160 --> 00:15:45,640 Speaker 1: had done was at least temporarily and at least in 234 00:15:45,640 --> 00:15:48,720 Speaker 1: the minds of the public, had taken the TSA payroll 235 00:15:48,840 --> 00:15:53,880 Speaker 1: off the table unilaterally. So Senate Majority Leader John Thunne, 236 00:15:53,920 --> 00:15:56,720 Speaker 1: whom I have very little respect for, suddenly had a 237 00:15:56,760 --> 00:16:01,040 Speaker 1: path to a deal, just not a dee that anyone 238 00:16:01,520 --> 00:16:06,160 Speaker 1: anybody would have designed on purpose. At two twenty in 239 00:16:06,160 --> 00:16:09,840 Speaker 1: the morning on Friday, the United States Senate passed the 240 00:16:09,880 --> 00:16:15,920 Speaker 1: funding bill by unanimous consent. Now, let me explain what 241 00:16:15,960 --> 00:16:19,440 Speaker 1: that means. The Senate majority leader brings the bill to 242 00:16:19,520 --> 00:16:25,720 Speaker 1: the floor, it's ready for a vote. If he's presiding 243 00:16:25,760 --> 00:16:28,320 Speaker 1: over the Senate or someone else's presiding over the Senate. 244 00:16:28,800 --> 00:16:33,440 Speaker 1: They look out, they see there's five senators, clearly not 245 00:16:33,480 --> 00:16:38,320 Speaker 1: a core, not enough to actually take a vote. But 246 00:16:38,360 --> 00:16:42,120 Speaker 1: the bill is up for debate, so they they call, 247 00:16:42,520 --> 00:16:47,000 Speaker 1: they call the question, but nobody asks for a roll 248 00:16:47,080 --> 00:16:56,000 Speaker 1: call vote. So unanimous consent simply means that if no. 249 00:16:56,360 --> 00:16:58,640 Speaker 1: In fact, they say something to this effect. The chair 250 00:16:59,360 --> 00:17:03,960 Speaker 1: says something to the effect that without objection, the bill 251 00:17:04,040 --> 00:17:08,119 Speaker 1: is passed. And if nobody stands up and says I 252 00:17:08,240 --> 00:17:12,000 Speaker 1: object or nobody stands up and says I call it, 253 00:17:12,080 --> 00:17:15,320 Speaker 1: you know, I question a quorum or I vote no, 254 00:17:16,840 --> 00:17:20,440 Speaker 1: it passes. But here's what I want you to understand 255 00:17:20,440 --> 00:17:24,760 Speaker 1: about that passage. There's not a voice vote. There's not 256 00:17:25,280 --> 00:17:29,359 Speaker 1: all favor say I, all favor say no. There's not 257 00:17:29,440 --> 00:17:34,600 Speaker 1: even that. There's no roll call. There's simply a handful 258 00:17:34,640 --> 00:17:38,200 Speaker 1: of senators on the floor and they just keep their 259 00:17:38,240 --> 00:17:43,960 Speaker 1: mouths shut. And let's just say it's five m bill passes. 260 00:17:45,160 --> 00:17:48,520 Speaker 1: You don't know who did or did not vote for 261 00:17:48,560 --> 00:17:52,080 Speaker 1: the bill. In fact, everybody can claim they did vote 262 00:17:52,119 --> 00:17:54,920 Speaker 1: for it, and they can also all claim I didn't 263 00:17:54,960 --> 00:17:58,200 Speaker 1: vote for it. And you wonder why I despise these people. 264 00:17:58,680 --> 00:18:09,880 Speaker 1: Hang tight, I ain't done to night. Michael Brown joins 265 00:18:09,880 --> 00:18:11,880 Speaker 1: me here, the former FEMA director of talk show host 266 00:18:11,960 --> 00:18:14,679 Speaker 1: Michael Brown. Brownie, no, Brownie, You're doing a heck of 267 00:18:14,680 --> 00:18:18,240 Speaker 1: a job The Weekend with Michael Brown. Welcome back to 268 00:18:18,280 --> 00:18:20,040 Speaker 1: the Weekend with Michael Brown. Glad to have you with me. 269 00:18:20,080 --> 00:18:24,040 Speaker 1: We're talking about this whole charade of bullk wrap that 270 00:18:24,119 --> 00:18:28,360 Speaker 1: took place over the past forty some days about funding 271 00:18:29,000 --> 00:18:35,199 Speaker 1: for Homeland Security, including well every component of it. And 272 00:18:35,760 --> 00:18:37,600 Speaker 1: I may or may not have time to get into 273 00:18:37,800 --> 00:18:42,840 Speaker 1: the details about immigrations and customs enforcement, but funding there 274 00:18:43,000 --> 00:18:47,280 Speaker 1: was fairly convoluted too, and not always reported accurately. But 275 00:18:47,400 --> 00:18:50,119 Speaker 1: right now I'm just focusing on TSA and just the 276 00:18:50,200 --> 00:18:53,600 Speaker 1: process by which the US Senate went through to do this, 277 00:18:55,680 --> 00:19:03,159 Speaker 1: because it's infuriating, absolutely infuriate that members of Congress have 278 00:19:03,280 --> 00:19:10,400 Speaker 1: become so dysfunctional that they can't even vote to fund 279 00:19:11,240 --> 00:19:15,080 Speaker 1: the Department of Homeland Security. And remember, you're talking to 280 00:19:15,080 --> 00:19:17,800 Speaker 1: a guy who objected to the creation of this stupid department. 281 00:19:18,400 --> 00:19:20,040 Speaker 1: I don't think we should have in the first place. 282 00:19:21,040 --> 00:19:23,280 Speaker 1: But if we are going to have it, then Congress 283 00:19:23,280 --> 00:19:27,159 Speaker 1: has an obligation to fund it. And if they don't 284 00:19:27,520 --> 00:19:32,280 Speaker 1: like the way a particular subset of the entire department operates, 285 00:19:32,600 --> 00:19:37,400 Speaker 1: in this case Immigrations and Customs Enforcement, then they should 286 00:19:37,560 --> 00:19:43,639 Speaker 1: work to make certain that that organization is obligated to 287 00:19:43,880 --> 00:19:50,600 Speaker 1: follow reforms that they implement and not hold another component hostage. 288 00:19:51,720 --> 00:19:57,800 Speaker 1: Because everything else in DHS was held hostage. So let's 289 00:19:57,840 --> 00:20:01,240 Speaker 1: go back to what occurred. When the vote heard at 290 00:20:01,280 --> 00:20:04,919 Speaker 1: two twenty in the morning, it was by unanimous consent. 291 00:20:05,320 --> 00:20:07,800 Speaker 1: It was a voice vote, no roll call, just a 292 00:20:07,840 --> 00:20:12,840 Speaker 1: handful of senators on the Senate floor, and they, without 293 00:20:13,480 --> 00:20:16,879 Speaker 1: anybody having to push the yes or the no button, 294 00:20:17,119 --> 00:20:21,080 Speaker 1: the yay or the may button at their desk, the 295 00:20:21,520 --> 00:20:27,000 Speaker 1: presiding chair just called for unanimous consent to pass the bill. 296 00:20:28,040 --> 00:20:31,800 Speaker 1: And whether there was five or whether there's been all 297 00:20:31,840 --> 00:20:36,240 Speaker 1: one hundred sitting on the floor of the US Senate, 298 00:20:37,280 --> 00:20:41,760 Speaker 1: if nobody says a word that unanimous consent, it means 299 00:20:41,760 --> 00:20:46,240 Speaker 1: exactly what it says. They grant unanimous consent to pass 300 00:20:46,320 --> 00:20:48,520 Speaker 1: the bill. That means that you and I have no 301 00:20:48,640 --> 00:20:52,520 Speaker 1: idea who would have or would not have voted for 302 00:20:53,119 --> 00:20:56,480 Speaker 1: this bill to fund them, or who was holding it up. 303 00:20:57,359 --> 00:20:59,840 Speaker 1: And none of them had the cajones to stand there 304 00:20:59,840 --> 00:21:02,000 Speaker 1: and if they didn't like it, to vote no and 305 00:21:02,119 --> 00:21:09,680 Speaker 1: keep it closed. And you know another factor, Easter break. 306 00:21:11,320 --> 00:21:14,160 Speaker 1: I know Easter's not this Easter is not till next Sunday. 307 00:21:15,520 --> 00:21:21,680 Speaker 1: But unlike you and me, where I don't get good 308 00:21:21,680 --> 00:21:25,760 Speaker 1: Friday off, I suppose I will get Easter Sunday off. 309 00:21:27,200 --> 00:21:30,720 Speaker 1: But members of the Senate and the House, they worked 310 00:21:30,720 --> 00:21:33,199 Speaker 1: so hard they have to have two weeks now. They 311 00:21:33,280 --> 00:21:37,400 Speaker 1: just came back from President's Day for at least ten 312 00:21:37,480 --> 00:21:41,520 Speaker 1: days in February. Now in March, you gotta take off 313 00:21:41,520 --> 00:21:44,720 Speaker 1: again March and parts of that part March and April. 314 00:21:46,680 --> 00:21:51,600 Speaker 1: So Chuck Schumer walked out to the microphones. No, not 315 00:21:51,680 --> 00:21:57,360 Speaker 1: in the Senate, the press microphones. Chuck Schumer, senior Senator 316 00:21:57,359 --> 00:22:01,119 Speaker 1: from New York, the Senate minority lead, walked out to 317 00:22:01,160 --> 00:22:04,119 Speaker 1: the press microphones at two in the morning and declared victory. 318 00:22:04,480 --> 00:22:08,000 Speaker 1: No blank check, you said for a lawless ice and 319 00:22:08,040 --> 00:22:12,680 Speaker 1: border patrol. Well, how stirring chucky. Now we'll come back 320 00:22:12,720 --> 00:22:17,400 Speaker 1: to why it's also misleading. By Friday morning, the bill 321 00:22:17,400 --> 00:22:20,080 Speaker 1: crossed the Capitol to the House and there it ran 322 00:22:20,119 --> 00:22:22,960 Speaker 1: into a brick wall. Speaker Mike Johnston called it, and 323 00:22:23,000 --> 00:22:27,280 Speaker 1: I'm quoting directly, a joke. He convened House Republicans. They 324 00:22:27,320 --> 00:22:31,000 Speaker 1: rejected the Senate deal. They put forward their own alternaty, 325 00:22:31,480 --> 00:22:35,560 Speaker 1: a short term, sixty day continuing resolution that would fund 326 00:22:35,800 --> 00:22:39,680 Speaker 1: all of homeland security, including ice and border patrol, at 327 00:22:39,720 --> 00:22:43,960 Speaker 1: current levels through May twenty second. That bill passed this 328 00:22:44,000 --> 00:22:48,040 Speaker 1: past just last night, Friday night, two thirteen to two 329 00:22:48,080 --> 00:22:55,560 Speaker 1: oh three. Three Democrats voted with Republicans to pass. Every 330 00:22:55,600 --> 00:23:03,359 Speaker 1: Democrat voted no. So who's shutting down the government? The Democrats? 331 00:23:04,600 --> 00:23:10,639 Speaker 1: Now here's what is kind of incongruous. This kind of 332 00:23:10,640 --> 00:23:14,399 Speaker 1: a dichotomy. Part of me once the government shut down anyway, 333 00:23:15,560 --> 00:23:18,680 Speaker 1: because as long as they're not doing anything, we're fairly safe. 334 00:23:19,920 --> 00:23:22,359 Speaker 1: But if we're going to have a government, and we 335 00:23:22,400 --> 00:23:26,240 Speaker 1: do need a government, I'm not an anarchist, then Congress 336 00:23:26,280 --> 00:23:29,159 Speaker 1: needs to step up and do their part and fund it. 337 00:23:31,119 --> 00:23:33,879 Speaker 1: Why don't you focus on cleaning up the fraud? Why 338 00:23:33,920 --> 00:23:36,320 Speaker 1: don't you focus on figuring out ways if you want 339 00:23:36,320 --> 00:23:39,640 Speaker 1: to reform ICE, if they need reform, then do that. 340 00:23:40,200 --> 00:23:45,639 Speaker 1: But that's separate apart from funding. Every Democrat voted no, 341 00:23:45,800 --> 00:23:49,520 Speaker 1: except three in the House. And then this is the 342 00:23:49,560 --> 00:23:56,719 Speaker 1: part they should really stun you. On a voice vote 343 00:23:57,040 --> 00:24:00,239 Speaker 1: on a unanimous consent, actually not even avoid it, nick 344 00:24:00,560 --> 00:24:04,639 Speaker 1: not even correct on a unanimous consent, meaning nobody just 345 00:24:04,720 --> 00:24:06,959 Speaker 1: said a word. They' just kept their mouths shut. The 346 00:24:07,000 --> 00:24:12,720 Speaker 1: Senate sends the bill over to the House. Three Democrats 347 00:24:12,880 --> 00:24:19,520 Speaker 1: joined with Republicans and pass a clean continuing continuing resolution 348 00:24:20,160 --> 00:24:24,080 Speaker 1: to fund all of DHS at full levels through May 349 00:24:24,119 --> 00:24:30,119 Speaker 1: twenty second, he goes to the Senate, where they've already 350 00:24:30,200 --> 00:24:34,920 Speaker 1: left because both chambers of Congress packed up and went 351 00:24:35,040 --> 00:24:39,639 Speaker 1: home through a two week Easter recess. That's right, the 352 00:24:39,680 --> 00:24:42,840 Speaker 1: Senate passed the bill that the House will not take up. 353 00:24:43,400 --> 00:24:46,280 Speaker 1: The House passed the bill that the Senate won't take up. 354 00:24:47,080 --> 00:24:51,720 Speaker 1: Schumer called the House bill dead on arrival. Senate leader 355 00:24:51,920 --> 00:24:55,399 Speaker 1: John Thune, a Republican, said he has no plans to 356 00:24:55,400 --> 00:24:58,040 Speaker 1: call the Senate back because the math simply isn't fair. 357 00:24:59,160 --> 00:25:02,199 Speaker 1: So a Republican senator is reportedly going to attempt to 358 00:25:02,240 --> 00:25:06,160 Speaker 1: pass the House stop gap during a pro forma session 359 00:25:06,440 --> 00:25:10,000 Speaker 1: this Monday. That's the kind of session where one senator 360 00:25:10,040 --> 00:25:14,800 Speaker 1: shows up to technically keep the chamber in session and 361 00:25:14,840 --> 00:25:18,480 Speaker 1: a Democrat senator is expected to be waiting to object, 362 00:25:19,480 --> 00:25:23,560 Speaker 1: so that will go nowhere too. Both chambers are now 363 00:25:23,600 --> 00:25:28,240 Speaker 1: in recess until the week of April thirteen. Let me 364 00:25:28,280 --> 00:25:31,800 Speaker 1: do the math on that form. DHS has been shut 365 00:25:31,800 --> 00:25:36,240 Speaker 1: down since February fourteen. Congress returns April thirteenth at the earliest. 366 00:25:36,680 --> 00:25:39,520 Speaker 1: That's nearly two months of shutdown with no deal in sight. 367 00:25:39,600 --> 00:25:42,120 Speaker 1: When they return, we are now on track or maybe 368 00:25:42,200 --> 00:25:44,800 Speaker 1: already there, depending on how you Counada. I suppose to 369 00:25:44,840 --> 00:25:47,159 Speaker 1: the longest government shut down in American history for a 370 00:25:47,200 --> 00:25:50,840 Speaker 1: single department. Now here's what I need you to understand, 371 00:25:51,160 --> 00:25:53,000 Speaker 1: because I think it's the single most important piece of 372 00:25:53,040 --> 00:25:59,840 Speaker 1: context that both sides are either downplaying or they're ignoring 373 00:25:59,840 --> 00:26:08,679 Speaker 1: it entirely. Immigrations and Customs Enforcement never stopped working, not 374 00:26:08,920 --> 00:26:14,000 Speaker 1: for even one day. And here's why. Because when Republicans 375 00:26:14,080 --> 00:26:17,720 Speaker 1: passed the One Big, Beautiful Bill last summer, that massive 376 00:26:18,119 --> 00:26:24,840 Speaker 1: reconciliation package, they pre funded DHS's immigration enforcement to the 377 00:26:24,880 --> 00:26:27,520 Speaker 1: tune of about seventy five to one hundred and seventy 378 00:26:27,640 --> 00:26:33,320 Speaker 1: billion dollars in supplemental multi year funding. So that money 379 00:26:33,359 --> 00:26:38,040 Speaker 1: was sitting there specifically because Republicans anticipated that Democrats would 380 00:26:38,080 --> 00:26:42,640 Speaker 1: try exactly what they did, try to hold ICE funding hostage. 381 00:26:43,200 --> 00:26:48,360 Speaker 1: So the agents are being paid, the detention facilities are operating, 382 00:26:49,000 --> 00:26:54,880 Speaker 1: deportation flights are flying. The enforcement operations that the Democrats 383 00:26:54,880 --> 00:27:02,359 Speaker 1: said they were defunding, they're still running at full speed. Now. 384 00:27:03,000 --> 00:27:08,399 Speaker 1: The Majority Leader John Thune set it playing Friday morning quote, 385 00:27:08,440 --> 00:27:10,680 Speaker 1: the good news is we anticipated this a year ago. 386 00:27:10,720 --> 00:27:15,320 Speaker 1: Close quote. So what did Chuck Schumer actually win? He 387 00:27:15,440 --> 00:27:17,520 Speaker 1: won the right to tell his base that he didn't 388 00:27:17,600 --> 00:27:21,760 Speaker 1: vote to fund ICE while ICE does exactly what it 389 00:27:21,840 --> 00:27:25,680 Speaker 1: was doing the day before the shutdown started. What did 390 00:27:25,680 --> 00:27:30,919 Speaker 1: he give up to get that singular talking point? Every 391 00:27:30,960 --> 00:27:35,399 Speaker 1: single policy reform the Democrats claimed that they wanted. Those 392 00:27:35,400 --> 00:27:39,360 Speaker 1: included no requirement that agents removed their masks, no judicial 393 00:27:39,400 --> 00:27:43,480 Speaker 1: warrants before entering a home, no mandatory visible IDs, no 394 00:27:43,480 --> 00:27:49,200 Speaker 1: congressional oversighted detention facilities gone. And then Republicans correctly pointed 395 00:27:49,200 --> 00:27:51,239 Speaker 1: out that you don't get to impose reforms on an 396 00:27:51,280 --> 00:27:55,240 Speaker 1: agency's who's funding you're refusing to vote for. So Democrats 397 00:27:55,280 --> 00:27:59,000 Speaker 1: blinked on the reforms just to get the optics, and 398 00:27:59,119 --> 00:28:05,240 Speaker 1: then the House Republicans wouldn't even take the deal. Now, 399 00:28:05,280 --> 00:28:08,560 Speaker 1: what about the TSA agents, the people there's the middle 400 00:28:08,560 --> 00:28:12,800 Speaker 1: of all of this made up crisis. Well, they'll start 401 00:28:12,800 --> 00:28:16,600 Speaker 1: seeing paychecks on Monday, not because Congress did this job, 402 00:28:17,359 --> 00:28:20,840 Speaker 1: but because the President signed in executive order pulling money 403 00:28:20,840 --> 00:28:24,520 Speaker 1: from the same one big beautiful bill Reconciliation fund to 404 00:28:24,600 --> 00:28:29,000 Speaker 1: cover their wages. So the Congress spent forty two plus 405 00:28:29,119 --> 00:28:33,840 Speaker 1: days failing to appropriate money that the executive branch just 406 00:28:34,160 --> 00:28:38,160 Speaker 1: moved with a memo that brings me to what this 407 00:28:38,360 --> 00:28:50,640 Speaker 1: is really about. Hang type, I'll be right back. Welcome 408 00:28:50,640 --> 00:28:52,200 Speaker 1: back to the Weekend with Michael Brown. Glad to have 409 00:28:52,240 --> 00:28:53,800 Speaker 1: you with me. I appreciate you tuning in. I know 410 00:28:53,840 --> 00:28:55,520 Speaker 1: you have other things to do on the weekend, and 411 00:28:55,520 --> 00:28:57,320 Speaker 1: in fact you listened to this program means a lot 412 00:28:57,360 --> 00:28:59,520 Speaker 1: to me and I would appreciate it if you would 413 00:28:59,520 --> 00:29:01,640 Speaker 1: tell your friends and your enemies about it and get 414 00:29:01,720 --> 00:29:04,080 Speaker 1: even more people to listen. And if you'd like an 415 00:29:04,120 --> 00:29:07,200 Speaker 1: affiliate in your community, well send me an email and 416 00:29:07,240 --> 00:29:09,840 Speaker 1: I'll pass it on to the affiliate folks and see 417 00:29:09,840 --> 00:29:13,840 Speaker 1: if we can't get you aired in your locality. So 418 00:29:13,880 --> 00:29:19,120 Speaker 1: which we're talking about this shutdown now, I want to 419 00:29:19,120 --> 00:29:24,000 Speaker 1: talk about what's really about. This is not fundamentally a 420 00:29:24,040 --> 00:29:29,280 Speaker 1: policy dispute about immigration enforcement, as much as both sides 421 00:29:29,400 --> 00:29:35,640 Speaker 1: want you to believe that this is about political leverage. 422 00:29:35,760 --> 00:29:39,000 Speaker 1: Democrats have discovered, and it's not for the first time 423 00:29:39,960 --> 00:29:43,840 Speaker 1: that when you shut down a visible, high profile government function, 424 00:29:44,600 --> 00:29:49,360 Speaker 1: that creates political pressure. And Republicans discovered and again not 425 00:29:49,480 --> 00:29:54,480 Speaker 1: for the first time, that prefunding their priorities through the 426 00:29:54,560 --> 00:30:01,719 Speaker 1: budget reconciliation process insulates them from that political pressure. And 427 00:30:01,800 --> 00:30:05,800 Speaker 1: so you have a shutdown that inconveniences hundreds of thousands 428 00:30:05,840 --> 00:30:11,360 Speaker 1: of travelers, it leaves federal employees without paychecks, while the 429 00:30:11,560 --> 00:30:16,040 Speaker 1: underlying enforcement operations that this entire fight is supposedly about 430 00:30:17,000 --> 00:30:22,800 Speaker 1: it continues completely uninterrupted. So here's where things stand. As 431 00:30:22,800 --> 00:30:29,760 Speaker 1: you're listening to the DHS, shutdown continues. Both chambers of 432 00:30:29,800 --> 00:30:33,960 Speaker 1: Congress are on vacation. Now TSA agents, you know, the 433 00:30:34,000 --> 00:30:37,320 Speaker 1: TSA employees, they'll get paid Monday through an executive order. 434 00:30:38,680 --> 00:30:42,560 Speaker 1: Immigrations and Customs Enforcement will continue operating on the pre 435 00:30:42,720 --> 00:30:47,000 Speaker 1: appropriated funds out of the big beautiful bill, the Senate 436 00:30:47,040 --> 00:30:50,240 Speaker 1: bill that passed at two in the morning, it's still 437 00:30:50,240 --> 00:30:54,400 Speaker 1: sitting in legislative limbo. The House bill that passed Friday 438 00:30:54,480 --> 00:30:58,760 Speaker 1: night is dead on arrival in the Senate. Now, the 439 00:30:58,840 --> 00:31:03,640 Speaker 1: two sides will presumably returned to Washington on April thirteenth. 440 00:31:04,640 --> 00:31:06,360 Speaker 1: They'll sit down there, look at each other across the 441 00:31:06,360 --> 00:31:09,880 Speaker 1: same table, and they'll start this whole freaking process again, 442 00:31:10,680 --> 00:31:13,520 Speaker 1: unless somebody blinks in the interim, and I think history 443 00:31:13,520 --> 00:31:20,040 Speaker 1: suggests that's highly unlikely. Senate Appropriations Committee Chair Susan Collins, 444 00:31:20,120 --> 00:31:23,320 Speaker 1: the senior senator from Maine, I think, put it about 445 00:31:23,400 --> 00:31:28,680 Speaker 1: as honestly as anyone has. She writes, Congressional Democrats have 446 00:31:28,720 --> 00:31:32,520 Speaker 1: done real She didn't write. She said, Congressional democrats have 447 00:31:32,560 --> 00:31:36,880 Speaker 1: done real damage to the appropriations process by repeatedly forcing 448 00:31:36,920 --> 00:31:41,800 Speaker 1: government shutdowns and refusing to fund entire agencies. Well, she's 449 00:31:41,880 --> 00:31:45,320 Speaker 1: right about the president, even if she's part of the 450 00:31:45,360 --> 00:31:51,560 Speaker 1: institution that actually created the conditions for that precedent. And 451 00:31:51,600 --> 00:31:55,240 Speaker 1: I think the Vice President jad Vance said, well, a 452 00:31:55,280 --> 00:32:00,720 Speaker 1: lot of Republicans are thinking privately, the Senate filibuster is 453 00:32:00,760 --> 00:32:05,640 Speaker 1: what's making this possible without that sixty vote threshold to 454 00:32:05,800 --> 00:32:12,600 Speaker 1: stop debate. A simple Republican majority fifty to fifty with 455 00:32:13,000 --> 00:32:17,920 Speaker 1: Vance breaking the tie vote, or fifty one to forty nine, 456 00:32:18,120 --> 00:32:22,960 Speaker 1: however it might split, it could pass. But for the 457 00:32:23,000 --> 00:32:28,600 Speaker 1: Senate filibuster. Now, Trump's call for eliminating the filibuster, Thune 458 00:32:28,600 --> 00:32:32,200 Speaker 1: has the mass the math against him. He doesn't have 459 00:32:32,240 --> 00:32:35,960 Speaker 1: fifty Republicans that are willing to do that. So that's 460 00:32:36,000 --> 00:32:39,440 Speaker 1: your answer. Forty two days shutdown, two bills passing the 461 00:32:39,440 --> 00:32:43,160 Speaker 1: same twenty four hour period by the same Republican controlled Congress, 462 00:32:43,720 --> 00:32:47,000 Speaker 1: neither of which can or ever will become law. And 463 00:32:47,080 --> 00:32:50,440 Speaker 1: you have a president that is now everybody gratch about 464 00:32:50,440 --> 00:32:54,120 Speaker 1: an imperial president or Trump having too much power. He's 465 00:32:54,120 --> 00:32:57,520 Speaker 1: simply doing what I think any president would do. He's 466 00:32:57,560 --> 00:33:00,640 Speaker 1: going to pay the federal workers by executive memo, and 467 00:33:00,680 --> 00:33:02,920 Speaker 1: then if somebody wants to fight that in court, go 468 00:33:02,960 --> 00:33:06,480 Speaker 1: fight it in court. But at least he's showing that 469 00:33:06,520 --> 00:33:09,640 Speaker 1: somebody's going to take some action. And then you have 470 00:33:09,680 --> 00:33:14,880 Speaker 1: an enforcement agency that was never actually defunded, and you 471 00:33:14,880 --> 00:33:20,280 Speaker 1: have four hundred and eighty TSA employees who quit. People 472 00:33:20,320 --> 00:33:24,200 Speaker 1: were not getting back because Washington couldn't do in forty 473 00:33:24,240 --> 00:33:31,160 Speaker 1: two days what it should have done last October one. 474 00:33:31,400 --> 00:33:34,400 Speaker 1: I have sat in these rooms. I know how these 475 00:33:34,440 --> 00:33:38,800 Speaker 1: agencies operate, and how much the people who work in them, 476 00:33:39,680 --> 00:33:42,720 Speaker 1: most of them had the majority of them, to be honest, 477 00:33:43,920 --> 00:33:47,200 Speaker 1: how much they work to sacrifice to do jobs that 478 00:33:47,360 --> 00:33:53,280 Speaker 1: are indeed many times hard, dangerous. Almost never think what 479 00:33:53,360 --> 00:33:56,280 Speaker 1: happened this week is not governing. It's not even compromise. 480 00:33:56,840 --> 00:34:01,200 Speaker 1: It's not leadership from either party or either change. It's 481 00:34:01,240 --> 00:34:06,560 Speaker 1: a reminder that the most dangerous thing in Washington it's 482 00:34:06,600 --> 00:34:10,919 Speaker 1: not our foreign adversaries. It's not a natural disaster, it's 483 00:34:10,920 --> 00:34:14,560 Speaker 1: not even a policy disagreement. I think the most dangerous 484 00:34:14,560 --> 00:34:17,520 Speaker 1: thing in Washington is a Congress that has decided that 485 00:34:17,600 --> 00:34:24,160 Speaker 1: its primary function is to perform for an audience and 486 00:34:24,239 --> 00:34:30,120 Speaker 1: not serve the country. The shut down continues, Congress is 487 00:34:30,120 --> 00:34:36,879 Speaker 1: on vacation. You're welcome, that's where we are. But now 488 00:34:36,880 --> 00:34:41,799 Speaker 1: there's a footnote, a footnote that you're not going to like. 489 00:34:43,760 --> 00:34:48,680 Speaker 1: Remember we all to talk about eighty twenty issues. There's 490 00:34:48,719 --> 00:34:55,720 Speaker 1: another piece of legislation that is supported by Democrats, every 491 00:34:55,760 --> 00:35:01,800 Speaker 1: ethnic group, every racial group. Democrat and Republicans both sides 492 00:35:01,800 --> 00:35:06,160 Speaker 1: of the aisle. It's called the Save Act. It requires 493 00:35:06,200 --> 00:35:09,600 Speaker 1: that you the first time you register. Now, if you've 494 00:35:09,600 --> 00:35:13,239 Speaker 1: already registered, would not apply to you, But if you 495 00:35:13,320 --> 00:35:15,440 Speaker 1: move and you have to reregister, it would apply to you. 496 00:35:15,480 --> 00:35:18,680 Speaker 1: But if if I'm still living in my same precinct, 497 00:35:19,040 --> 00:35:21,399 Speaker 1: I don't move out of the state of Colorado, this 498 00:35:21,440 --> 00:35:23,640 Speaker 1: bill would not apply to me because I'm already a 499 00:35:23,680 --> 00:35:28,520 Speaker 1: registered Republican in Douglas County, Colorado. But if I were 500 00:35:28,520 --> 00:35:33,319 Speaker 1: to move to my disclosed location in New Mexico and 501 00:35:33,400 --> 00:35:35,800 Speaker 1: I wanted to make that my residence, then I would 502 00:35:35,800 --> 00:35:40,000 Speaker 1: have to prove my citizenship. I would have to show 503 00:35:40,040 --> 00:35:43,799 Speaker 1: my birth certificate. I know where mine is, I can 504 00:35:43,840 --> 00:35:46,279 Speaker 1: pull it up. But if I don't, I know how 505 00:35:46,320 --> 00:35:48,520 Speaker 1: to get one, and I can probably get it for 506 00:35:49,080 --> 00:35:51,960 Speaker 1: less than ten dollars, less than five dollars and have 507 00:35:52,040 --> 00:35:57,760 Speaker 1: it certified and in my mailbox in five days or less. 508 00:35:58,800 --> 00:36:01,560 Speaker 1: I would have to prove my ship to register in 509 00:36:01,600 --> 00:36:06,400 Speaker 1: New Mexico. And then when I go to vote, whether 510 00:36:06,480 --> 00:36:10,160 Speaker 1: I've reregistered or I'm already registered, I'd have to show 511 00:36:10,200 --> 00:36:15,520 Speaker 1: a government issued ID that says I'm Michael D. Brown. 512 00:36:15,760 --> 00:36:19,120 Speaker 1: This is my photo poll worker you can look at it. Here. 513 00:36:19,120 --> 00:36:21,200 Speaker 1: I'll hold my driver's license up next to my face 514 00:36:21,400 --> 00:36:24,640 Speaker 1: and you can see it's me now having my ballot. 515 00:36:26,000 --> 00:36:29,680 Speaker 1: Now without getting into the nuances of whether I'm casting 516 00:36:29,719 --> 00:36:33,240 Speaker 1: a paper ballot, or voting on a machine, or voting 517 00:36:33,239 --> 00:36:35,239 Speaker 1: with it a backus, or however I might be doing, 518 00:36:35,640 --> 00:36:39,800 Speaker 1: forget that. At least we would know that a citizen 519 00:36:39,840 --> 00:36:43,960 Speaker 1: of the United States is voting in a US citizen election. 520 00:36:44,840 --> 00:36:48,560 Speaker 1: That bill. You haven't heard about it, have you, And 521 00:36:48,600 --> 00:36:53,960 Speaker 1: you know why, because this shutdown is blocking everything else. 522 00:36:54,680 --> 00:36:58,279 Speaker 1: Congress isn't doing anything. I'll see you next weekend. Have 523 00:36:58,360 --> 00:37:02,600 Speaker 1: a great weekend, way and will wave