Budget Hawks Rejoice & Trump Cancels “Pride Month” | 6.5.25

Summary

Morning Wire Episode Summary: "Budget Hawks Rejoice & Trump Cancels 'Pride Month' | 6.5.25"

Release Date: June 5, 2025
Hosts: John Bickley & Georgia Howe

In this episode of Morning Wire, hosts John Bickley and Georgia Howe delve into the latest developments in U.S. politics, culture, and national security. The discussion centers around the contentious budget bill championed by President Trump, significant policy shifts regarding Pride Month, and a high-profile security breach involving Chinese nationals. Here is a detailed breakdown of the key topics covered:

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1. The Budget Battle: Trump's "Big, Beautiful Bill"

The episode opens with an intense debate surrounding President Trump's proposed budget bill. Elon Musk has publicly criticized the bill, raising concerns about the nation's escalating debt.

• Elon Musk's Critique:

  • John Bickley asserts, “[00:10] With all due respect, my friend Elon is terribly wrong about the one big beautiful bill.”

• Republican Defense:

  • House Speaker Mike Johnson defends the bill, stating, “[02:56] I extolled all the virtues of the bill.”
  • President Trump criticized Congressman Rand Paul, labeling his ideas as “crazy losers” and emphasizing the bill as a “big growth bill” ([03:03]).

• CBO vs. Administration Estimates:

  • The Congressional Budget Office (CBO) projects the bill will add $2.4 trillion to the national debt over a decade ([03:29]).
  • Contrarily, the Trump administration disputes this, with the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) claiming the bill would instead reduce the debt by $1.4 trillion ([03:47]).
  • Georgia Howe highlights historical inaccuracies of the CBO, noting their previous underestimations and political biases ([03:58]).

2. Rescission Package and GOP Infighting

Amid the budget discussions, the White House has also submitted a $9.4 billion rescission package aimed at cutting federal funding for organizations like PBS and NPR.

• House Freedom Caucus Push:

  • Congressman Brandon Gill advocates for immediate action, emphasizing the public's demand to “claw back” funds from perceived left-wing propaganda outlets ([04:44]).

• Future Legislative Actions:

  • Both Mike Johnson and Senate Majority Leader John Thune express eagerness to expedite votes on the rescission package, signaling potential legislative friction within the GOP ([04:29]).

3. Trump Cancels "Pride Month": Shift in Cultural Policies

A significant cultural shift is underway as the Trump administration moves to redefine June, traditionally recognized as Pride Month.

• Redefining June:

  • The Department of Education has declared June as Title IX Month, focusing on protecting women's spaces ([06:56]).

• Investigations into Title IX Violations:

  • Secretary McMahon announces investigations into Wyoming and Colorado for violations related to Title IX, particularly concerning gender identity policies in educational institutions ([07:51]).

• Republican Counter-Movement:

  • Congresswoman Mary Miller introduced a resolution to declare June as Family Month, aiming to "take back" the month from what she describes as "gender ideology" ([09:47]).

• Administration's Stance:

  • White House Press Secretary Caroline Levitt confirms there will be no official proclamation from the White House recognizing June as Pride Month this year ([10:10]).

4. Chinese Nationals Arrested for Bioterrorism

In a notable national security update, two Chinese nationals were apprehended for attempting to smuggle a dangerous pathogen into the United States, highlighting ongoing threats from foreign entities.

• Details of the Arrest:

  • Cabot Phillips reports that the FBI arrested Quinn Jeon, a researcher at the University of Michigan, and her boyfriend Zhangyang Liu, who works at a Chinese university ([10:44]).

• Nature of the Threat:

  • The duo attempted to smuggle Fusarium graminearum, a potent fungus capable of devastating U.S. agricultural sectors by destroying crops like wheat and maize ([11:45]).

• Broader Implications:

  • FBI Director Cash Patel describes the incident as a "sobering reminder" of the Chinese Communist Party's efforts to infiltrate American institutions and threaten the nation's food supply ([12:53]).

• Historical Context:

  • John Bickley references previous incidents involving Chinese nationals attempting to steal sensitive research from American universities, underscoring a pattern of espionage and intellectual property theft ([13:54]).

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Conclusion

In this episode, Morning Wire provides a comprehensive analysis of the Trump administration's controversial budget proposals and cultural policy changes, juxtaposed against significant national security concerns involving foreign interference. The hosts emphasize the ongoing battle within the GOP over fiscal policies and cultural identity, while also highlighting the critical threats posed by foreign actors aiming to undermine U.S. interests.

Listeners can expect Morning Wire to continue delivering incisive commentary and updates on these evolving issues in the days to come.

Transcript

[Georgia Howe]

The Senate takes up debate on Trump's budget bill, while Musk raises concerns over massive debt.

[John Bickley]

With all due respect, my friend Elon is terribly wrong about the one big beautiful bill.

[Tim Rice]

Will the upper house be able to compromise?

[Georgia Howe]

I'm Georgia Howe with Daily Wire Executive editor John Bickley. It's Thursday, June 5th, and this is Morning Wire.

[Tim Rice]

Instead of Pride Month, the Trump White House announced that June will be dedicated to highlighting the protection of women's spaces.

[Mary Margaret Olahan]

Parents can certainly rest comfortably knowing that the men would not be allowed in women's sports.

[Georgia Howe]

And two Chinese nationals have been arrested for smuggling a dangerous pathogen into the United States.

[Tim Rice]

Thanks for waking up with Morning wire. Stay tuned. We have the news you need to know.

[Cabot Phillips]

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[Tim Rice]

Elon Musk made waves this week with his criticism of President Trump's big, beautiful bill and budget hawks couldn't be Here.

[Georgia Howe]

With the latest on the budget battle is Daily Wire Deputy Managing Editor Tim Rice. So Tim Elon issued a pretty harsh critique of this budget bill.

[Caroline Levitt]

Yeah, that's right. Georgia Musk, who, let's remember, just stepped back from his government post last week, said Tuesday that the bill was, quote, a disgusting abomination. Republicans who opposed the bill, like Congressman Thomas Massie and Senator Rand Paul, quickly joined Elon in slamming the bill. Utah Senator Mike Lee took a slightly different tack to saying that the bill that passed the House was flawed and that it was on the Senate to fix it. And Democrats even joined the fight with Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, highlighting the fact that even Trump's buddy doesn't like his spending bill.

[Tim Rice]

Even Elon Musk, who's been part of the whole process.

[John Bickley]

And as Trump's buddy says, the bill is bad.

[Caroline Levitt]

You can imagine how bad this bill is. But plenty of people rushed to defend the bill as well, including the two men most responsible for its passage. First up is House Speaker Mike Johnson.

[John Bickley]

We had a long conversation yesterday. He and I spoke for, I think, more than 20 minutes on the telephone, and I extolled all the virtues of the bill.

[Caroline Levitt]

And he seemed to understand that. Trump also defended the bill, but stopped just short of slamming Elon, instead turning his ire on Rand Paul, saying, quote, rand votes no on everything, but never has any practical or constructive ideas. His ideas are actually crazy losers. The people of Kentucky can't stand him. This is a big growth bill.

[Georgia Howe]

Now, there was already a lot of infighting over this, and then yesterday, the CBO numbers dropped. What did they say?

[Caroline Levitt]

Right. So yesterday, the Congressional Budget Office estimated that the big, beautiful bill would add $2.4 trillion to the national debt over the next decade. Now, the Trump administration says this estimate is wrong. The Office of Management and Budget says the CBO is not using a realistic current policy baseline.

[John Bickley]

And.

[Caroline Levitt]

And that the bill would actually reduce the debt by $1.4 trillion over a decade. And on Tuesday, White House Press Secretary Caroline Levitt chalked the CBO estimate up to political bias.

[Georgia Howe]

The Congressional Budget Office has been historically wrong. In fact, they predicted the Trump tax cuts from the president's first term in 2017. Their prediction was wrong by half a trillion dollars. There hasn't been a single staffer in the entire Congressional Budget Office that has contributed to a Republican senior since the year 2000. So it looks like we should gear up for a big fight as this heads to the Senate in the next few weeks. But this wasn't the only budget legislation moving through Congress. Correct?

[Caroline Levitt]

Yeah. On top of all of this, the White House sent Congress a $9.4 billion rescission package. This bill codifies a number of Doge cuts, including federal funding for PBS and npr. Members of the House Freedom Caucus are demanding a vote on this package immediately. And both Mike Johnson and Senate Majority Leader John Thune say they're eager to call a vote on the bill as quickly as. And it seems like their members match their enthusiasm. Here's Congressman Brandon Gill singing the rescission package's praises last week. I don't think that we can get these rescission bills done fast enough. I think this is something the American people have been demanding that we actually execute on. They don't just want hearings, they don't just want talk. They want this money clawed back. We're going to get a rescission bill Monday that will pull back money from NPR and PBS, two left wing propaganda outlets that get over $500 million every year with. We're also going to claw back money from usaid. I think that's a great start, but we've got a lot more to do after that.

[Georgia Howe]

Well, this is going to be a major fault line for the GOP this summer. Tim, thanks for reporting.

[Caroline Levitt]

Anytime.

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[Georgia Howe]

During the Biden administration, the White House put a heavy emphasis on Pride Month, but this year under Trump, things are looking a lot different.

[Tim Rice]

Joining us to discuss the new approach is Daily Wire White House correspondent Mary Margaret Olahan. Hey Mary Margaret, so major changes this go round as it relates to the month of June. How is Washington responding to Pride Month this year?

[Cash Patel]

Well, good morning, John. It is indeed June here in Washington, D.C. the month where you will see pretty much every office building and restaurant littered with Pride flags all month. Under President Joe Biden's administration, the White House issued a big Pride proclamation celebrating Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer and Intersex Pride Month. And as part of those efforts to promote gender ideology, they hosted a now infamous Pride celebration on the White House lawn where trans identifying activists drew some Serious backlash for posing for topless photos and videos right there on the White House lawn as they mingled with former President Joe Biden and former First Lady Jill Biden. This year, however, things are looking a little different. We broke the news earlier this week that the Department of Education is declaring June Title nine Month instead of Pride Month. And that's not all. We also exclusively broke that the Education Department's Office of Civil rights is investigating two huge cases that developed under Biden. Here's Secretary McMahon breaking down these investigations.

[Mary Margaret Olahan]

We've opened investigations into the state of Wyoming and into Colorado for violations of their Title IX program. In Wyoming, it was relative to a sorority in college, and the sorority was allowing female identifying members to be part of the. Part of their sorority. We've also opened investigation into Colorado, Colorado, into Jefferson Public Schools, because on field trips, they were gender identifying females staying with girls, you know, in their rooms, actually sleeping in the same bed without parents having any notification about this. And that's just wrong.

[Tim Rice]

All right, so two big investigations to sort of kick off the month from the Education Department. Are any other agencies following suit?

[Cash Patel]

Well, the Pentagon announced in January that quote, unquote, identity months are dead at the Defense Department. And they specifically named Pride Month as one of those months that they're no longer going to be celebrating. And this week we're hearing that Defense Secretary Pete Hagseth will be ordering the renaming of a US Navy ship that was named after San Francisco gay rights activist Harvey Milk, who has been repeatedly accused of grooming young boys. And also, the FBI startled the world on Monday when it announced that it's looking for tips on any hospitals, clinics, or practitioners who are performing transgender surgeries on children. Now, that's obviously a very far cry from the old DOJ practices. Under the Biden doj, they actually targeted whistleblowers Ethan Heim and Vanessa Savage for trying to blow the whistle on transgender procedures in Texas.

[Tim Rice]

Right. And then there's that effort from Republicans to rename the month. What's going on there?

[John Bickley]

Right.

[Cash Patel]

So they're aggressively messaging against Pride Month and for celebrating traditional values. We reported on Tuesday that Republican Congresswoman Mary Miller introduced a resolution declaring June as Family Month in a bid to reclaim the month from gender ideology. Here's more from Miller on that resolution.

[Mary Margaret Olahan]

Sadly, the left hijacked June to present perversion to cause gender confusion and basically to give license for individuals to be indecent in public. And, and you know, I'm taking it back for the American family.

[Cash Patel]

And finally, during Tuesday's White House press Briefing Press Secretary Caroline Levitt said the White House has no plans to issue any kind of proclamation this month, so we shouldn't be expecting to see anything coming out of the White House.

[Tim Rice]

Well, a major political and cultural shift taking place here, no doubt. Mary Margaret, thanks so much for reporting.

[Cash Patel]

Thanks for having me.

[Tim Rice]

Two Chinese nationals have been charged with attempting to smuggle a dangerous pathogen into.

[Georgia Howe]

The US Daily Wire senior editor Cabot Phillips has more. So, Cabot, a potential case of what the FBI is calling agricultural terrorism. What do we know?

[John Bickley]

Yeah. Potentially explosive story here. This week. We learned that the FBI has arrested two Chinese nationals who attempted to smuggle Fusarium gramineurum, a dangerous biological pathogen, into the United States. One of those individuals, young Quinn Jeon, worked as a researcher at the University of Michigan. The FBI says she has expressed loyalty to the Chinese Communist Party and. And has in the past received funding from Beijing to study similar pathogens back in China. The other individual, her boyfriend, Zhangyang Liu, works at a Chinese university where he conducted similar research. According to the doj, when detained at customs, Liu made false statements to CBP officers about the purpose of his visit to the United States and his knowledge of the existence of the biological pathogen in his possession. But he later admitted that he planned on using his girlfriend's access at the University of Michigan to conduct research on that pathogen. The two have now been charged with conspiracy, smuggling goods into the United States, false statements, and visa fraud.

[Georgia Howe]

Now, what do we know about this pathogen that they brought in?

[John Bickley]

Well, Fusarium graninearum is a noxious fungus considered by scientists to be a potential agroterrorism weapon. That's because it causes head blight, a fungal disease that spreads among wheat, barley, maize, and rice crops, causing plants to shrivel and die, leaving behind infected kernels that can blow away and then spread to the next field. So you can see the danger there's the fungus is responsible for billions of dollars in ruined crops each year, and it also poses a significant risk to humans and animals. Causes vomiting, liver damage, and reproductive defects if accidentally ingested. FBI Director Cash Patel called the incident a, quote, sobering reminder that the CCP is working around the clock to deploy operatives and researchers to infiltrate American institutions and target our food supply, which would have grave consequences, putting American lives in our economy at serious risk. And it's worth noting, according to this criminal complaint, past communications between Liu and Jian indicate she may have smuggled other materials into the US during past trips. One time in her shoe, another time in a book. At one point, Leo Wrote to his partner ahead of his flight, quote, everything else will be easy once we get this done.

[Georgia Howe]

Now, this isn't the first arrest of a Chinese academic in the United States, even just recently.

[John Bickley]

Yeah, exactly. While it's not yet clear if this was part of a broader effort to, you know, unleash some sort of bias bioweapon in the U.S. it is clear that China is using students and researchers to steal American research from universities. For example, back in 2019, a Chinese professor at UCLA was convicted of trying to illegally obtain semiconductors with military applications so that he could then smuggle them back to China. Then, a year later, a Chinese national at Harvard was caught attempting to smuggle 21 vials of sensitive cancer research from a medical lab, again back to China. Similar arrests have been made at universities in Arkansas, Kansas, Texas A and M. The list, it goes on and on. And it's not just Chinese nationals who have taken part in this scheme. Beijing has also made brazen efforts to pay Americans to secretly share sensitive research data from universities. We've seen professors from Harvard, the Cleveland Clinic, West Virginia, and Tennessee charged with selling medical and military secrets to the ccp.

[Georgia Howe]

So this is part of the Trump administration's broader crackdown on Chinese academics.

[John Bickley]

Exactly. Now, some folks might not see a problem with these research researchers bringing in a fungus, but given Beijing's recent history, you can see why the DOJ is not messing around. It's also part of why the State Department is moving to revoke the visas of Chinese students with ties to the Communist Party. The administration says it's simply foolish to open up our labs and other facilities to researchers who will turn around and hand it back to Beijing. Keep in mind, while nearly 300,000 Chinese students are currently enrolled in American universities, fewer than 1,000American students are enrolled at Chinese universities. A big reason is that Beijing is highly restrictive when it comes to student visas for Americans. Trump administration says that discrepancy should tell you all you need to know.

[Georgia Howe]

Well, this has been a sleeper issue for a while. I'm glad it's being addressed. Kabbat. Thanks for reporting.

[John Bickley]

Absolutely.

[Tim Rice]

Thanks for waking up with us. And if you're watching on YouTube, don't forget to like and subscribe. We'll be back tomorrow morning with more news you need to know.