WEBVTT - The Path Forward: How to Fund DHS, Secure the Border, Pass Election Integrity & Win Historic Conservative Victories 0:00:00.240 --> 0:00:03.280 Welcome in as Verdict with Center, Ted Cruz, Ben Ferguson 0:00:03.400 --> 0:00:05.760 with you, and we've got a pack show for you, 0:00:05.800 --> 0:00:08.640 including predictions that we made in the last show that 0:00:08.720 --> 0:00:11.800 are spot on, and if you could be king for 0:00:11.840 --> 0:00:14.120 a day. I've got something I want to make that 0:00:14.160 --> 0:00:15.520 we should just banon politics. 0:00:15.600 --> 0:00:17.319 We'll deal with that a little bit later, but we 0:00:17.440 --> 0:00:18.360 have big news. 0:00:18.560 --> 0:00:21.840 It looks like Republicans are actually going to stand up 0:00:21.880 --> 0:00:23.280 and win on a big issue in the Senate. 0:00:23.320 --> 0:00:24.400 Center fill us in. 0:00:25.400 --> 0:00:27.960 Well, let's say, first of all, Monday's Pod, we made 0:00:28.000 --> 0:00:30.840 a prediction. We made a prediction that number one Eric 0:00:30.880 --> 0:00:35.440 Swalwell would resign from Congress and number two Tony Gonzalez, 0:00:35.479 --> 0:00:38.960 a Republican, would resign from Congress as well. It is 0:00:39.080 --> 0:00:43.000 Tuesday night, it is twelve twenty two in the morning, 0:00:43.640 --> 0:00:46.680 and both of them are gone. Both of them have resigned. 0:00:46.720 --> 0:00:51.280 Both are in scandals. Look, Gonzalez's scandal was really ugly. 0:00:51.400 --> 0:00:56.240 It was not pretty. He had an affair with staffer. Tragically, 0:00:56.320 --> 0:00:57.520 the staffer took. 0:00:57.360 --> 0:01:01.680 Her own life. She literally poured gasoline on herself and 0:01:01.720 --> 0:01:03.840 lit herself on fire. She was the mom of an 0:01:03.880 --> 0:01:08.920 eight year old child. It was horrific, and so his 0:01:09.120 --> 0:01:12.320 stepping down it is not a surprise to anyone that 0:01:12.440 --> 0:01:15.319 needed to happen. And then Swallwell. 0:01:15.920 --> 0:01:19.720 Swalwell almost like pushed Gonzales aside, said, hold my beer, 0:01:20.360 --> 0:01:22.640 I can be more slimy, I could be more nasty 0:01:22.680 --> 0:01:26.000 than you. At this point than the number of women 0:01:26.040 --> 0:01:28.240 who have worked for him who've come out and accused 0:01:28.319 --> 0:01:32.440 him of sexually harassing them, sexually assaulting them, raping them, 0:01:33.240 --> 0:01:36.920 the number keeps spiraling, and so it is fairly amazing. 0:01:36.920 --> 0:01:39.480 A few days ago, Eric Swalwell was the leading candidate 0:01:39.520 --> 0:01:42.720 to be the next governor of California. He is now 0:01:43.000 --> 0:01:45.880 unemployed and I think there's a good likelihood he'll be 0:01:45.880 --> 0:01:50.320 facing criminal prosecution. So wow, the world can change, and 0:01:50.400 --> 0:01:53.160 it turns out if you're a dirt bag, it can 0:01:53.240 --> 0:01:57.480 change really really fast. That prediction we told you about 0:01:57.480 --> 0:02:00.160 on Monday, we were accurate. And look, part of what 0:02:00.160 --> 0:02:04.640 we laid out is the hesitancy Democrats. A day ago, 0:02:05.240 --> 0:02:08.480 we're calling on Swallwell to suspend as a good manatorial campaign, 0:02:08.520 --> 0:02:11.359 but they were not calling on him to leave Congress. 0:02:11.400 --> 0:02:15.040 And that's because the balance of power in Congress is 0:02:15.160 --> 0:02:18.840 exceptionally close. I think part of why this happened today 0:02:19.320 --> 0:02:21.520 is Gonzales stepped down as well, so you had one 0:02:21.560 --> 0:02:24.600 Republican one Democrat, both stepped down, so it didn't alter 0:02:24.680 --> 0:02:29.200 the balance of power. And I believe every one of 0:02:29.240 --> 0:02:32.000 the members of Congress is glad they did so that 0:02:32.080 --> 0:02:32.919 was the right decision. 0:02:33.360 --> 0:02:34.520 Yeah, no doubt about it. 0:02:34.720 --> 0:02:36.840 We've also got a big deal that's going to be happening, 0:02:36.880 --> 0:02:40.000 it looks like with Republican leadership, and I want to 0:02:40.040 --> 0:02:42.160 talk about what that looks like. But before we get 0:02:42.200 --> 0:02:44.240 to that, I want to tell you about our dear 0:02:44.320 --> 0:02:48.120 friends a Compassion International. I want to be honest with 0:02:48.160 --> 0:02:51.000 you for a second about how an act of compassion 0:02:51.080 --> 0:02:53.720 really feels. A couple of years ago, I made the 0:02:53.919 --> 0:02:58.880 choice to partner with an amazing organization called Compassion International. 0:02:59.160 --> 0:03:02.560 Why because I wanted to sponsor a child in need. 0:03:03.120 --> 0:03:05.840 It was a nice idea, sure, but I had no 0:03:05.960 --> 0:03:09.400 idea just how much that simple act would change my 0:03:09.520 --> 0:03:13.320 life as well. I sponsored Nadia and got to watch 0:03:13.320 --> 0:03:16.320 your life change right in front of my eyes, going 0:03:16.360 --> 0:03:20.120 from starving literally alone on the streets, to getting the 0:03:20.160 --> 0:03:24.200 healthcare and education she needs to reach her God given 0:03:24.320 --> 0:03:27.680 full potential. I got to be a part of that change. 0:03:28.040 --> 0:03:31.280 And the light of that compassion not only illuminates in her, 0:03:31.800 --> 0:03:36.080 it illuminates now in me. That is the power of compassion. 0:03:36.560 --> 0:03:40.480 The light of Christ shines on all of us. Feel 0:03:40.480 --> 0:03:44.600 it for yourself and change literally a child's life, change 0:03:44.600 --> 0:03:48.160 the world, and you also change yourself. You can sponsor 0:03:48.280 --> 0:03:54.800 child today. Visit compassion dot com. That's compassion dot com. 0:03:55.080 --> 0:03:58.280 All right, senator, So you're there in DC. It's basically 0:03:58.440 --> 0:03:59.040 just list. 0:03:58.920 --> 0:04:00.680 Round numbers here about one in the morning. 0:04:01.600 --> 0:04:05.000 John Thune seemed too as I was it was described 0:04:05.000 --> 0:04:06.960 to me earlier, got some cojones and said he's had 0:04:07.040 --> 0:04:09.880 enough and and by golly, we're going to fight now, 0:04:09.960 --> 0:04:12.440 and we're gonna get funding that we needed. It's gonna 0:04:12.440 --> 0:04:15.320 be done through reconciliation, is what it's looking like. Can 0:04:15.360 --> 0:04:18.720 you explain what has been being said behind the scenes, 0:04:19.120 --> 0:04:21.479 how we finally got to this point, and now what 0:04:21.800 --> 0:04:23.320 actually happens moving forward? 0:04:23.920 --> 0:04:25.760 Well, Ben, I want to start by saying, you said 0:04:25.760 --> 0:04:28.360 it's about one in the morning. I said, literally three 0:04:28.360 --> 0:04:30.520 minutes ago that it was twelve twenty two in the morning. 0:04:30.800 --> 0:04:31.680 I said, rounding. 0:04:31.800 --> 0:04:34.119 I said, round, o, kid, that's not how you round 0:04:34.160 --> 0:04:35.360 you round down to twelve. 0:04:35.640 --> 0:04:36.680 I'm just saying that. 0:04:37.000 --> 0:04:39.120 Round up here. I was giving you more credit. Your 0:04:39.120 --> 0:04:41.560 dedication to the show at a sounds better. 0:04:41.839 --> 0:04:45.960 And you're in Texas, so it's barely eleven o'clock in Texas. 0:04:45.600 --> 0:04:47.880 Barely eleven twenty five if we're going to get right 0:04:47.880 --> 0:04:51.240 at it right, so it's time for you. 0:04:51.760 --> 0:04:54.679 This is a podcast that's going to insist on truth 0:04:54.680 --> 0:04:55.360 and advertising. 0:04:55.360 --> 0:04:58.680 It's going to insist on accuracy. So it is now 0:04:58.800 --> 0:05:00.479 what times now twelve. 0:05:00.240 --> 0:05:02.520 I love that he gets off the mic to get 0:05:02.520 --> 0:05:04.279 his phone to make sure that he knows my. 0:05:04.320 --> 0:05:06.000 Phone is down there. I got to see what time 0:05:06.000 --> 0:05:06.280 it is. 0:05:06.440 --> 0:05:09.680 So those glasses and those here and aids, we just 0:05:09.720 --> 0:05:11.000 got to get him for your next birthday. 0:05:11.000 --> 0:05:13.440 But keep going. I'm ready, all. 0:05:13.400 --> 0:05:16.400 Right, you know man, I'm tempted to hold up a 0:05:16.440 --> 0:05:19.200 finger foot to you, and it's not the thumb. 0:05:19.800 --> 0:05:21.320 It's not the thumb, and we're gonna save that for 0:05:21.440 --> 0:05:23.400 later in the show. We're gonna save that for later 0:05:23.440 --> 0:05:23.880 in the show. 0:05:24.200 --> 0:05:27.400 I was trying to give you a segue there make 0:05:27.440 --> 0:05:28.080 your day. 0:05:28.160 --> 0:05:30.400 So I'll give this segue before the show started today. 0:05:30.839 --> 0:05:33.400 We'll just pull back the curtain. I said, I would 0:05:33.480 --> 0:05:36.320 like to see a poll that is done on how 0:05:36.440 --> 0:05:41.080 untrustworthy people think politicians are both sides out if in 0:05:41.360 --> 0:05:45.200 every picture you take, you're doing the thumbs up post, like, 0:05:45.520 --> 0:05:47.839 maybe it's just me because I see more political pictures 0:05:47.880 --> 0:05:51.680 than than average Americans, but I despise all of them. 0:05:51.760 --> 0:05:54.480 I find a picture of me with a thumbs up like, 0:05:54.640 --> 0:05:57.240 you will not find that on the internet anywhere. I'm 0:05:57.279 --> 0:05:59.360 not gonna do that pose. I don't care who's standing 0:05:59.360 --> 0:06:02.520 next to me. And I think you would trust Americans 0:06:02.520 --> 0:06:04.320 more as you described it with a middle finger than 0:06:04.360 --> 0:06:06.599 you would like a politician with a thumbs up picture. 0:06:06.680 --> 0:06:08.040 So if I was king for a day, I would 0:06:08.080 --> 0:06:08.480 ban it. 0:06:08.960 --> 0:06:11.080 So I will confess, Ben, I. 0:06:11.279 --> 0:06:14.320 You've done the thumbs up picture. I googled it. Yeah. 0:06:14.400 --> 0:06:15.920 I don't do a lot of it. 0:06:16.400 --> 0:06:18.880 And the most common place I do a thumbs up 0:06:18.920 --> 0:06:20.919 picture is if I'm taking a picture with Aggie's. So 0:06:21.000 --> 0:06:25.040 Aggie's will do a gigam and that's that's the symbol 0:06:25.080 --> 0:06:26.520 for Texas A and M, and I'll do a hook 0:06:26.560 --> 0:06:28.480 them for longhorns as well. 0:06:29.160 --> 0:06:31.520 So I my guess is neither of those. 0:06:31.640 --> 0:06:33.400 Just for the record, you. 0:06:33.360 --> 0:06:37.000 Know that's that's okay, you came to Texas, but it 0:06:37.000 --> 0:06:37.679 took you a while. 0:06:38.520 --> 0:06:39.000 That's true. 0:06:39.000 --> 0:06:39.800 That's true. 0:06:40.360 --> 0:06:41.080 And so. 0:06:42.760 --> 0:06:45.359 My guess is eighty percent of the pictures that are 0:06:45.400 --> 0:06:47.480 thumbs up that I've done have been with Aggie's and 0:06:47.520 --> 0:06:50.280 then there's been a handful where someone really occasionally someone 0:06:50.400 --> 0:06:51.920 was like, hey, will you do a thumbs up? 0:06:51.920 --> 0:06:53.520 And I'm like, all right, fine, like if you really 0:06:53.520 --> 0:06:54.000 want to. 0:06:53.920 --> 0:06:55.680 But that is not my thumbs up. 0:06:56.520 --> 0:06:58.800 But I will tell you an interesting. 0:06:58.920 --> 0:07:01.640 By the way, do you know I feel about this 0:07:02.240 --> 0:07:05.520 not really In the first Trump administration, when I was 0:07:05.640 --> 0:07:08.240 in the Oval, somebody said, are you going to do 0:07:08.240 --> 0:07:09.960 the thumbs up? I was like, I will not. I 0:07:09.960 --> 0:07:11.600 will not do the thumbs up. And if you look 0:07:11.600 --> 0:07:13.320 at the picture that they sent, I did not do 0:07:13.360 --> 0:07:13.920 a thumbs up. 0:07:13.960 --> 0:07:15.480 I smiled. I did not do this. 0:07:16.760 --> 0:07:18.720 I'd do the thumbs up very rarely. But I will 0:07:18.720 --> 0:07:20.560 tell you a funny story about thumbs up. So it 0:07:20.720 --> 0:07:23.600 is like six seven years ago, I was down at 0:07:23.600 --> 0:07:26.160 the border, and I was at a border patrol checkpoint 0:07:26.480 --> 0:07:28.240 at our southern border where there were a bunch of 0:07:28.320 --> 0:07:32.360 eighteen wheelers crossing from Mexico over to the United States 0:07:32.440 --> 0:07:35.600 over to Texas, and I was just standing at the checkpoint, 0:07:35.600 --> 0:07:37.119 and I got to say, if you're a truck driver 0:07:37.840 --> 0:07:40.040 and you're driving across the border, there are a lot 0:07:40.040 --> 0:07:41.840 of things you may be expecting to see at the 0:07:41.840 --> 0:07:46.120 border patrol checkpoint, but the US senator from Texas is. 0:07:46.040 --> 0:07:46.640 Not one of them. 0:07:46.880 --> 0:07:48.160 Yeah, it's not on the list. 0:07:48.280 --> 0:07:54.119 Yeah, And so the looks of startled shock from every 0:07:54.160 --> 0:07:56.520 truck driver. It was really quite amusing because I stood 0:07:56.520 --> 0:07:58.640 there probably an hour or so and like geted every 0:07:58.640 --> 0:08:03.160 truck driver, and I took an informal survey. So a 0:08:03.240 --> 0:08:05.320 number of the truck drivers gave me a thumbs up 0:08:06.160 --> 0:08:09.480 and the remaining one gave me a middle finger. Yeah yeah, 0:08:09.680 --> 0:08:12.720 And it was I gotta say, I actually felt pretty 0:08:12.720 --> 0:08:14.680 good about the truck driver survey because I think it 0:08:14.720 --> 0:08:17.640 was about eighty twenty, so about eighty percent got the 0:08:17.680 --> 0:08:19.760 thumbs up and about twenty percent flipped me off. And 0:08:19.800 --> 0:08:22.240 I was like, all right, I'll take those odds. Like, 0:08:22.280 --> 0:08:23.720 truck drivers are my peeps. 0:08:25.000 --> 0:08:26.120 The rod number. 0:08:26.160 --> 0:08:30.240 That's the Republican Party has become a blue collar party, 0:08:30.360 --> 0:08:34.280 like truck drivers, steel workers, construction workers, cops, firefighters, waiters 0:08:34.320 --> 0:08:37.520 and waitresses. That's our base. But it was still a 0:08:37.679 --> 0:08:41.600 fun because it literally was. It's amazing. Almost every truck 0:08:41.679 --> 0:08:44.640 driver it was one of two fingers, and I got it. 0:08:45.440 --> 0:08:47.520 You know, I don't remember how much, but it felt 0:08:47.520 --> 0:08:49.200 like close to one hundred percent that they would give 0:08:49.240 --> 0:08:50.120 me one finger or the other. 0:08:51.320 --> 0:08:51.720 You know what. 0:08:51.760 --> 0:08:54.040 That's good odds there By the way, on Saturday, I 0:08:54.080 --> 0:08:56.000 worked out, I did get a middle finger in the 0:08:56.000 --> 0:09:00.559 gym from a liberal. And I mean, I'm I'm sitting 0:09:00.559 --> 0:09:02.680 there and I have my headphones in and I'm listening 0:09:03.120 --> 0:09:05.640 to music and this guy just you just you could 0:09:05.640 --> 0:09:07.840 just tell he just was wanting to talk and he 0:09:08.000 --> 0:09:10.080 just decided he'd had enough and he just he just 0:09:10.160 --> 0:09:11.120 put it right out there. 0:09:11.160 --> 0:09:12.439 And I was like, all right, well, I'm going to 0:09:12.520 --> 0:09:13.600 go back to lifting weights now. 0:09:14.040 --> 0:09:14.400 Okay. 0:09:14.400 --> 0:09:16.040 But that was a random dude. And it wasn't like 0:09:16.080 --> 0:09:17.640 Anna who was pissed at you. 0:09:17.679 --> 0:09:18.839 No, it was not that at all. 0:09:18.920 --> 0:09:21.640 No, it was just a random liberal who, if he's 0:09:21.679 --> 0:09:24.280 listened to the show like that was probably the highlight 0:09:24.320 --> 0:09:26.439 of his whole year. And I'm glad he had that moment. 0:09:26.440 --> 0:09:28.400 I'm glad I could facilitate that for him. 0:09:28.520 --> 0:09:28.880 All Right. 0:09:28.960 --> 0:09:30.760 I feel confident we don't have a lot of random 0:09:30.800 --> 0:09:35.800 liberals listen to this podcast. We have reporters because when 0:09:35.800 --> 0:09:38.280 I walk on Capitol Hill and people ask me questions, 0:09:38.320 --> 0:09:40.120 I'll say, oh, I just addressed that in the podcast. 0:09:40.160 --> 0:09:41.320 Why don't you listen to the podcast? 0:09:41.760 --> 0:09:43.400 And then they go listen to the podcast and they 0:09:43.400 --> 0:09:45.760 write stories and like break news because we break news. 0:09:45.760 --> 0:09:48.199 All right, let's talk reconciliation because we're actually going to 0:09:48.320 --> 0:09:53.520 talk about real and hard news. So Department of Homeland 0:09:53.559 --> 0:09:56.280 Security has been shut down for two months. Yep, the 0:09:56.320 --> 0:10:01.760 Democrats do not care. So understand, for two months, Coast 0:10:01.800 --> 0:10:05.640 guardsmen have not been paid, Secret Service agents have not 0:10:05.679 --> 0:10:11.000 been paid. FEMA has not been paid. Department of Homeland Security, 0:10:11.000 --> 0:10:13.480 the people that are fighting cyber terrorism, the people that 0:10:13.520 --> 0:10:16.760 are fighting bioterrorism, they have not been paid. About two 0:10:16.840 --> 0:10:19.640 hundred thousand federal employees have not been paid for two months. 0:10:20.320 --> 0:10:23.720 And the sad reality is not a Democrat I believe 0:10:23.840 --> 0:10:26.640 cares And a big part of the reason they don't 0:10:26.640 --> 0:10:28.520 care is the media is not holding them accountable, so 0:10:28.559 --> 0:10:33.280 they're having no consequence. So Brian Schotz, who is Democrat 0:10:33.360 --> 0:10:36.600 senator from Hawaii, he's widely viewed as the Democrat leader 0:10:36.600 --> 0:10:39.800 in waiting after Chuck Schumer. He said about a month ago, 0:10:39.880 --> 0:10:43.600 he said, Democrats are serene during the shutdowns, the longest 0:10:43.600 --> 0:10:49.480 shutdown in American history. About six weeks ago, I stood 0:10:49.559 --> 0:10:53.120 up to my colleagues in the Senate and I said 0:10:53.240 --> 0:10:58.280 the Republicans, and I said, look, the Democrats are wildly unreasonable. 0:10:58.960 --> 0:10:59.920 It is bizarre. 0:11:00.520 --> 0:11:03.080 But I think where Democrats are right now is I 0:11:03.080 --> 0:11:06.360 think they will never ever ever vote again to fund Ice. 0:11:06.720 --> 0:11:10.760 Their base just hates Ice, and this is an open border's, 0:11:10.960 --> 0:11:15.280 pro violent criminal party, and I think from their perspective, 0:11:16.120 --> 0:11:20.160 they will vote against funding ICE forever, and they're perfectly 0:11:20.200 --> 0:11:22.360 happy to shut down all of DHS to do it. 0:11:22.400 --> 0:11:22.559 Now. 0:11:22.559 --> 0:11:26.679 The irony is DHS is defunded. You know what is 0:11:26.720 --> 0:11:28.560 funded Ice? 0:11:29.040 --> 0:11:31.320 Ice. So when we took Plaine. 0:11:31.120 --> 0:11:33.480 That quickly ToView the man missed those episodes. 0:11:33.760 --> 0:11:37.560 When we passed the Reconciliation Bill last summer, the working 0:11:37.559 --> 0:11:41.800 Family's tax cut, we funded ICE, and we funded customs 0:11:41.800 --> 0:11:44.760 and border patrol for the next three years because we 0:11:44.840 --> 0:11:48.360 knew Democrats were getting unreasonable. And so the rest of 0:11:48.480 --> 0:11:51.480 DHS is shut down, but ICE is alive, and it 0:11:51.600 --> 0:11:53.880 is literally the case that Democrats are voting to cut 0:11:53.920 --> 0:11:56.439 off funding for Coast Guarden, FEMA and Secret Service and 0:11:56.480 --> 0:11:58.880 all the rest because they're mad at ICE and ice 0:11:58.920 --> 0:12:02.400 get is fully funded. That being said, here's what I 0:12:02.400 --> 0:12:04.480 said six weeks ago to my colleagues. I said, listen, 0:12:05.400 --> 0:12:08.240 this is where Democrats are. It is wildly unreasonable, it 0:12:08.280 --> 0:12:11.760 is indefensible, but it's where they are. So here's the 0:12:11.840 --> 0:12:15.240 approach forward. There were some Republican senators. They're saying, oh, 0:12:15.320 --> 0:12:18.320 let's do nothing. The pressure will build on Democrats and 0:12:18.360 --> 0:12:20.000 eventually they'll cave. And I said, you know what, they 0:12:20.040 --> 0:12:23.400 will never cave. They will leave DHS shut down for 0:12:23.440 --> 0:12:25.840 the entire year. And part of it is if the 0:12:25.880 --> 0:12:28.960 media were functional and real, they wouldn't because they'd feel heat. 0:12:29.200 --> 0:12:31.040 But nobody in the media is blaming them. And by 0:12:31.040 --> 0:12:34.160 the way, the standard media trick is they blame both parties. Oh, 0:12:34.240 --> 0:12:38.880 Congress is broken. That's how they give cover to the Democrats. 0:12:38.920 --> 0:12:41.760 To be clear, I have voted sixteen times in the 0:12:41.880 --> 0:12:44.880 last two months to fund DHS. Democrats have voted sixteen 0:12:44.920 --> 0:12:49.800 times to defund DHS. It's not both parties. The people 0:12:49.800 --> 0:12:53.560 who are voting to fund it are not responsible. In 0:12:53.600 --> 0:12:55.400 the way that the people are voting to defund it 0:12:55.440 --> 0:12:58.559 are The reason DHS is shut down is it takes 0:12:58.600 --> 0:13:01.160 sixty votes. We only have fifty three Republicans, which means 0:13:01.200 --> 0:13:03.520 the Democrats can shut it down and they're doing so. 0:13:04.360 --> 0:13:07.440 Now what I urge is, I said, you know what, 0:13:07.720 --> 0:13:10.760 let's pass a bill that funds DHS, and if the 0:13:10.800 --> 0:13:14.439 Democrats are so unreasonable they will not fund ICE and CBP, 0:13:15.240 --> 0:13:19.120 let's exclude them. Let's fund everything else. That's what the 0:13:19.160 --> 0:13:22.280 Senate did two weeks ago. It then went to the 0:13:22.280 --> 0:13:24.600 House and I got to say, House Republicans, they kind 0:13:24.600 --> 0:13:26.800 of lost their minds and they began screaming, We're not 0:13:26.840 --> 0:13:30.320 going to defund ICE. Now that claim was always false 0:13:30.360 --> 0:13:33.000 because ICE is fully funded. ICE is funded through the 0:13:33.040 --> 0:13:37.199 Reconciliation Bill. But I understand the sort of shock because 0:13:37.200 --> 0:13:41.840 the position of the Democrats is so wildly unreasonable that 0:13:41.920 --> 0:13:46.560 House Republicans were pissed. But the consequence they voted down 0:13:46.600 --> 0:13:49.160 the Senate bill and it meant DHS stay shut down. 0:13:49.480 --> 0:13:52.040 And I just think House Republicans had not gotten to 0:13:52.080 --> 0:13:55.920 the point where they have accepted, where they've internalized these 0:13:55.960 --> 0:13:58.559 are the crazy ass Democrats of the Senate we're dealing 0:13:58.600 --> 0:14:02.280 with and they're never ever ever going to fund ICE again. 0:14:02.840 --> 0:14:06.120 So here's what I suggested. Fund all of dhs except 0:14:06.160 --> 0:14:10.680 ICE and CVP, and then immediately take up a budget reconciliation. 0:14:10.840 --> 0:14:14.600 Budget reconciliation cannot be filibustered. The Democrats cannot block it. 0:14:14.679 --> 0:14:17.600 We can pass it with just fifty Republicans in the Senate, 0:14:18.240 --> 0:14:20.000 and we should fully fund ICE. 0:14:20.240 --> 0:14:21.840 And I will tell you today. 0:14:22.080 --> 0:14:25.840 So every Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday, when the Senate is 0:14:25.840 --> 0:14:29.600 in session, Senate Republicans have lunch together. So today Tuesday, 0:14:29.600 --> 0:14:31.560 we had lunch and we had. 0:14:31.560 --> 0:14:32.360 Let me ask you a question. 0:14:32.400 --> 0:14:35.000 When you say you guys have lunch, is it working 0:14:35.040 --> 0:14:37.760 groups at tables or is there like a big speaker? 0:14:37.800 --> 0:14:40.280 How does the lunch actually work? So people understand. 0:14:40.760 --> 0:14:44.040 So there are two rooms that you have lunch in 0:14:44.040 --> 0:14:46.160 in the Senate. One is the LBJ room. That's a 0:14:46.200 --> 0:14:49.160 smaller room, it's just off the Senate floor. The minority 0:14:49.200 --> 0:14:51.960 gets the LBJ room, and then the bigger room is 0:14:51.960 --> 0:14:56.000 the Michael Mansfield Room, named after Montana Senator Senate Majority 0:14:56.080 --> 0:14:58.840 Leader Michael Mansfield, and it's a larger room. So whoever's 0:14:58.840 --> 0:15:01.840 in the majority gets the man's fe old room, so. 0:15:01.880 --> 0:15:04.520 I know, for personal reasons, what do you eat there? 0:15:05.800 --> 0:15:08.560 So there's actually different. 0:15:08.320 --> 0:15:10.800 Centers that do it. How's that like? Is there a host? 0:15:11.640 --> 0:15:15.160 So Tuesday and Wednesday there is Senate catering and there's 0:15:15.200 --> 0:15:17.600 like a catering office in the Senate that brings in food. 0:15:17.640 --> 0:15:20.320 It ferries like today we had some beef and some 0:15:20.400 --> 0:15:23.200 chicken and broccoli and green beans. I mean, catering is 0:15:23.200 --> 0:15:25.080 actually pretty good. I mean one of the things that 0:15:25.400 --> 0:15:28.280 I'm surprised, just like the food they provide at the 0:15:28.320 --> 0:15:33.360 Senate lunches is surprisingly decent. And those are Senate employees 0:15:33.400 --> 0:15:36.440 that do the catering on the Capitol and so events there. 0:15:36.480 --> 0:15:39.440 They provide catering for any meal and we have dinners 0:15:39.440 --> 0:15:41.920 and lunches and things that are on the Capitol. So 0:15:42.360 --> 0:15:46.960 Tuesday and Wednesday the Senate Catering provides that, and then Thursdays. 0:15:47.000 --> 0:15:49.680 The way it works among Republicans is it rotates among 0:15:49.720 --> 0:15:54.040 different senators who hosts. So typically like I host about 0:15:54.080 --> 0:15:59.640 once a year, and when you host, you usually fly 0:15:59.760 --> 0:16:03.080 in food from your home state. So for example, when 0:16:03.120 --> 0:16:06.720 I host, I fly in food from Texas. It's typically 0:16:06.920 --> 0:16:09.680 either barbecue or Mexican or the two things that I've done. 0:16:09.680 --> 0:16:11.480 I've done. I usually do barbecue. 0:16:11.520 --> 0:16:14.960 I sometimes do Mexican, so I'll fly in either you know, 0:16:15.080 --> 0:16:18.520 different barbecue places in Texas where we'll'll fly the food in. 0:16:19.720 --> 0:16:23.440 And then what actually happens when you host is you 0:16:23.520 --> 0:16:26.640 send a gift bag to your other senators. And the 0:16:26.680 --> 0:16:30.200 gift bag is usually a collection of stuff from your state. 0:16:30.960 --> 0:16:34.440 So I'll usually pick up some stuff like some you know, 0:16:34.760 --> 0:16:39.360 HB tortilla chips and salsa and you know, kind of 0:16:39.440 --> 0:16:41.760 different and you kind of put a gift bag together 0:16:41.840 --> 0:16:43.920 that I don't know. It's about one hundred bucks worth 0:16:44.000 --> 0:16:47.240 of different stuff from the state that you collect and 0:16:48.640 --> 0:16:52.120 you send it. Oddly enough, senators send a lot of 0:16:52.120 --> 0:16:54.360 booze to each other, so I actually have I have 0:16:54.400 --> 0:16:56.600 a whole shelf in my office filled with booze that 0:16:56.640 --> 0:16:58.840 senators have sent me. And I don't drink the booze 0:16:58.920 --> 0:17:00.880 very much, so it just sits there. It collects faster 0:17:01.000 --> 0:17:04.240 than I drink it. But you have varying senators that 0:17:04.280 --> 0:17:06.760 will send like the Kentucky senators will usually send it. 0:17:06.800 --> 0:17:09.000 Burban around to win that ball game, right, And then 0:17:09.080 --> 0:17:11.200 I'm assuming Texas jo like, here's some Tito's. 0:17:12.320 --> 0:17:14.600 I've done Tito's. I've done Schiner back is what I 0:17:14.680 --> 0:17:16.480 usually send. I'll off and send a six pack of 0:17:16.520 --> 0:17:19.120 schiner Bach. I have done Tito's in the past. Those 0:17:19.160 --> 0:17:21.000 those have been the two that are kind of you 0:17:21.800 --> 0:17:24.720 pick a collection of stuff that sort of reflects your state. 0:17:26.400 --> 0:17:30.399 And so today we had and the Tuesday lunch is 0:17:30.440 --> 0:17:34.359 the leadership lunch, so leadership runs it. The Wednesday lunch 0:17:34.440 --> 0:17:38.000 is the steering lunch. Steering are the more conservative senators. 0:17:38.600 --> 0:17:41.040 Rick Scott is right now the chairman of Steering. There's 0:17:41.119 --> 0:17:43.800 about a dozen of us that are on the Executive 0:17:43.840 --> 0:17:47.000 Committee of Steering. I'm on the Executive Committee. They are 0:17:47.080 --> 0:17:50.639 by design the most conservative senators. So the Wednesday lunch 0:17:50.680 --> 0:17:54.880 tends to be more policy driven. But we typically meet 0:17:54.880 --> 0:17:59.160 from about twelve thirty to two, so it's anywhere from 0:17:59.160 --> 0:18:00.280 an hour to hour and a half. A lot of 0:18:00.320 --> 0:18:02.440 people get there about one, so it's typically one to two. 0:18:02.560 --> 0:18:05.240 Sometimes it's twelve thirty or too. But you have a 0:18:05.280 --> 0:18:09.719 good hour of robust discussion and it's not it's not 0:18:09.760 --> 0:18:10.399 a bunch. 0:18:10.160 --> 0:18:11.960 Of say it room where someone has a four and 0:18:12.080 --> 0:18:13.200 is talking then someone else. 0:18:13.240 --> 0:18:13.800 So it lunch. 0:18:13.920 --> 0:18:15.560 It's not like you're sitting there hanging out with your 0:18:15.560 --> 0:18:18.080 buddies and then for fifteen minutes someone speaks. 0:18:18.080 --> 0:18:20.800 It's the floor. It's actually a real working lunch. 0:18:21.280 --> 0:18:23.359 It is a working lunch, and actually a lot of 0:18:23.400 --> 0:18:25.480 work gets done. And so I try to make the 0:18:25.560 --> 0:18:29.119 lunch every day because you have real debates and discussions 0:18:29.119 --> 0:18:32.600 with your colleagues. And so today we had this was 0:18:32.640 --> 0:18:35.439 the leadership lunch today, and so you had a presentation 0:18:35.520 --> 0:18:37.840 from John Thune and from Lindsey Graham about the plan. 0:18:38.480 --> 0:18:40.920 And the plan is to take up a reconciliation bill, 0:18:40.960 --> 0:18:43.840 which is what I proposed six weeks ago. They are 0:18:43.880 --> 0:18:47.320 planning right now to fund DHS and ICE for three 0:18:47.320 --> 0:18:51.280 and a half years through fiscal year twenty twenty nine. 0:18:52.119 --> 0:18:55.240 And they want to keep the bill very narrowly limited 0:18:55.320 --> 0:19:00.439 to just ICE and CBP, And so I stood up. 0:19:00.440 --> 0:19:01.359 I actually talked at. 0:19:01.280 --> 0:19:04.880 Length today and I made a pretty vigorous argument. I said, listen, 0:19:04.960 --> 0:19:06.560 this is a no brainer. We need to do it. 0:19:06.560 --> 0:19:08.719 It's the right thing to do. Absolutely all of us 0:19:08.720 --> 0:19:11.560 agree with us. But I said, I think we're making 0:19:11.640 --> 0:19:15.840 three very serious mistakes. Number one, I think the proposal 0:19:15.920 --> 0:19:18.439 to fund icen CBP for three and a half years 0:19:18.880 --> 0:19:19.480