The border and the budget are crucial issues. TikTok ban?

0:00 Speaker 1 With us today is Senator Ron Johnson from Wisconsin, Middle of America, one of a good friends and one common sense guy. Senator tell us what the heck is going on in Washington this week? There’s so many things happening.

0:16 I don’t know what this thought and what’s the situation on TikTok It seems to be on the front page.

0:24 Speaker 2 Well, John, Well, I hope you’re doing well well right now over the last couple of weeks. What’s happening is, I would say the Uniparty is succeeding in passing appropriation bills. They’ve they’ve larded these things up with ear marks. The first minibus that passed last week in the Senate I had over six hundred pages, more than six thousand ear

0:47 marks totally about twelve billion dollars. And that is, as you know, former Senator Tom Cobern used to say, it’s the gateway drug massive death suspending. You know, it was argued to be made. Why should we let the executive branch to direct all the spending? And that’s the legitimate argument.

1:07 But but again the problem is when you’re approaching thirty five trillion dollars in debt and spending is completely out of control. That the last thing you need is you know, this grease uh to to to grease the skids of more massive justice spending. So we’ll probably pass another one in the next week or two here and then we’ll

1:25 forget about it. All those members that requested the re marks, I don’t they’ll go home to their districts and they’ll take credit for a million dollars for this, that and the other thing. It’s just it’s a disease that’s you know, really bankrupting this nation. That’s one thing when it comes.

1:43 Speaker 1 To take the Senator. You know, after eight hundred after eight hundred years, the Roman Empire came to the end because the Senate and the whole thing went out of control. And you know, I want, I want, I want to have three hundred years at leaf under our belt. And it’s our responsibility due to the right thing for our country.

2:07 So we can get to three hundred years in twenty seventy six.

2:12 Speaker 2 But John, just show you how out of control things are. And before the pandemic twenty nineteen, we the federal government total spending was four point four trillion dollars. Then we went on this massive spending spree and quite honestly, during the pandemic, we had to do something fast and massive.

2:28 The Cares Act. Now, we started debating that at seven hundred and fifty billion dollars, that turned to two point two trillion within literally a matter of days. That was way too much, but we had to do something. I supported that, but that was the last cover relief package I voted for. There were just we never rated spending

2:46 back down, so we stayed above six trillion. How President Biden submitted his budget for seven point three trillion, so that would be sixty six percent higher spending over just five years ago. Our population has increased less than two percent. Again, there’s no justification for this. It’s completely out of control.

3:06 But there’s just very few people in washing it. You see, they even know the numbers much less you have to care less about it. So you know, we’re literally listening by the graveyard here, and you’re right, I mean, this can’t go on forever. Nobody knows exactly at what point in time global creditors are going to start looking at

3:24 the United States and say, you know, I don’t think I’m gonna you know, invest in your debt as you try rolling it over one more time, and this this could, you know, debt crisis could happen very suddenly. It could be really ugly.

3:38 Speaker 1 Understood. What are the items going on in Washington that’s concerning you today? But you brought up TikTok Uh. You know, President Trump tried to force the divestiture, get that out of the Communist Party’s hands, the Chinese Communist Party’s hands, but he was blocked by the courts. So that issue has just been kind of simmering for quite a few years.

4:04 All of a sudden, the House now has passed the bill. It’s coming over to the Senate. Here, I’m really looking at the build for the first time, and I’ll just have to say that there’s some pretty legitimate concerns and arguments on both sides. So I’m hoping the Senate doesn’t just rush into this. I hope we have a very

4:20 serious debate about this. But but I have to admit, as I’m reading necessarily the points from the opponents of the bill, if I just substitute the US better government in places of the Communist Party China and how they censor social media, you know, with Fauci and you know, how we how we labeled the truth misinformation during COVID.

4:45 It’s it’s pretty it’s pretty stunning, quite honestly. So anyway, I think this deserves serious consideration. I think both sides of the argument have got real legitimate points. Ukraine. Have we come to a resolution. What’s gonna happen in Ukraine?

5:01 What’s gonna happen to Israel? Because President Biden has his own attenda.

5:08 Speaker 2 But if those who want funny for Ukraine again, I have sympathy for Ukrainians, I think you need to be concerned about what’s happening in their country is being destroyed. This war has to end. But I’m well concerned about adding six hundred and sixty billion dollars more few of the flames of a bloody stalemate. But for those who

5:25 really want the sixty billion dollars, they could do two things. First of all, show us a game plan. How is this going to be used? They keep saying, well, they get it, they win, there’s no way that that food’s going to lose this. But the other thing they could do, and I don’t know, alway said I would vote for

5:41 I would promote a bill they would provide them funding as long as we secured the border. First, the US border, but President Biden doesn’t want to do that. Democrats, I know, they negotiate this awful bill that would have been worse than doing nothing. All they were looking for is political cover, and unfortunately Larry mcow And gave it to him to

6:00 these seat negotiations. But all President Biden has to do is use the authority he has. We’re happy to strength of that authority, but use the authority he has that he used to open up the border. To pose it again, he’d get his Ukraine funding very quickly, but he’s not willing to do that. They want an open border, they

6:18 just want political cover.

6:21 Speaker 1 Is anything serious going to happen other than extending the budget or extending the so we don’t overdraft before the elections or what’s your gut feeling.

6:38 Speaker 2 No, I think the fix is in. You know, most the vast majority members do not want to shut down. I don’t want one, which is why I propose and passed out of my Committee Preventing Government Shutdown Act. Republicans supported that in the end. Democrats, fine, large didn’t, but we don’t want to shut down. We’ll say to fixes in.

6:56 I’d say this last group of you know, the minibus. They call it a group of a number of bills, including defense. Uh hhs, kind of the big ones. That sounds like that will pass some time before we leave town next week. So so then, you know, so halfway through the year, we will finally funded this fiscal year.

7:14 That’s how dysfunction this place is. I hope we turn our attention then to passing a budget and having that budget guide a functional appropriation process where we bring up these appropriation bills one at a time so you can isolate problems with them and you know, trying to try and you know, improve the bill through amendment process. But

7:34 that that’ll take good. Chuck Schumer and and the House should get along with each other. And I’m not sure what the prospects of that are.

7:42 Speaker 1 Uh any final opinion. I mean, it’s been a week already over a week on President Biden’s speech, I mean, how did you feel about it?

7:56 Speaker 2 It was a speech given by a bitter, angry old man. I guess he’s upset that Americans just aren’t frankful to he’s destroying this country again. He and his administration just don’t get the fact that they’re massive death of spending sparked for your high inflation turned the value of a dollar that you helped to start to buy administration to

8:16 eighty five cents. So yeah, inflation rates down, it’s starting to accelerate again, but it’s but again that DAMA has already been done. So you know, people only got eighty five cents in their pocket where they used to hold a dollar, and so they feel that in the grocery store, they feel that the gas pump, they feel that in

8:32 their mortgage payments, they can’t buy a new house. Young people are having a very difficult time financing house. So I mean, real Americans are recognizing that this administration’s governance has been a train wreck. So again he’s all upset, but they’re not. You know, the Americans aren’t just grateful for you know, all the wonderful things he’s done, well,

8:51 because he hasn’t done anything wonderful. His his policies have put this country on the path of destruction.

8:59 Speaker 1 Well not better off today than they were four years ago. And I think that’s bottom line. Well, Senator Ron Johnson, and thank you so much for your common sense. That’s I guess it comes with Middle America, and God bless you and keep fighting for our country

9:19 Speaker 2 Stay well, God bless take care