Democrats hold Government Hostage plus Trump vs the Department of Education

Summary

The 47 Morning Update with Ben Ferguson Episode: Democrats Hold Government Hostage plus Trump vs the Department of Education
Release Date: March 13, 2025

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Introduction

In this special government shutdown edition of The 47 Morning Update, host Ben Ferguson delves deep into the pressing political issues shaping America. Focusing on the looming government shutdown, President Donald Trump's battle with the Department of Education, and his recent efforts to broker peace between Russia and Ukraine, Ferguson provides insightful commentary, backed by exclusive interviews and firsthand accounts. This summary captures the essence of the episode, highlighting key discussions, notable quotes, and Ferguson's analyses to keep you informed even if you haven't tuned in.

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1. Government Shutdown: Democrats Holding America Hostage

Overview

Ben Ferguson opens the discussion by addressing the imminent threat of a government shutdown. He attributes the potential shutdown to the Democratic Party's strategic maneuvering to undermine President Trump, despite their historical stance against such disruptions.

Key Points & Discussions

• Democratic Strategy: Ferguson argues that Democrats, led by Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, are deliberately blocking GOP funding bills to force a shutdown, aiming to place the blame squarely on President Trump. This tactic, according to Ferguson, is a departure from their previous positions where they opposed government shutdowns vehemently.

• Speaker of the House's Statement: Highlighting the seriousness of the situation, Ferguson cites Speaker of the House Mike Johnson's remarks at [02:12]. Johnson stated, “Planning to vote down this simple bill. They are going to try to shut the government down. Every House Democrat will participate in this.” Ferguson interprets this as Democrats using the shutdown as a political weapon against Trump.

• Chuck Schumer's Position: At [03:08], Schumer emphasizes the need for bipartisan cooperation, blaming Republicans for taking a “partisan path” by drafting the continuing resolution without Democratic input. Ferguson translates this as Democrats holding Congress and the American populace hostage, given the Republicans' majority in the Senate.

Notable Quotes

• Mike Johnson, Speaker of the House [02:12]:

  "Planning to vote down this simple bill. They are going to try to shut the government down. Every House Democrat will participate in this."

• Chuck Schumer, Senate Minority Leader [03:08]:

  "Funding the government should be a bipartisan effort. But Republicans chose a partisan path..."

Ferguson's Analysis

Ferguson contends that Democrats are prioritizing political gain over the nation's well-being, seeking to tarnish Trump's administration by intentionally causing economic and social hardships through a government shutdown. He questions the Democrats' concern for Americans, suggesting their actions reveal a disregard for the very people they profess to represent.

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2. Trump vs the Department of Education: Dismantling Federal Bureaucracy

Overview

The episode shifts focus to President Trump’s critique of the federal Department of Education. Ferguson explores Trump's plan to decentralize education, moving control from Washington to the states, and the implications of recent administrative changes.

Key Points & Discussions

• Trump’s Educational Reform Vision: At [05:44], Ferguson highlights Trump's assertion that the federal Department of Education is ineffective. Trump stated, “We're going to move education into the states so that the states instead of bureaucrats working in Washington... can run education.” This reflects Trump's long-term campaign promise to streamline education governance.

• Current Educational Failures: Ferguson underscores the administration's stance on declining U.S. education metrics, citing poor performance in reading, writing, and arithmetic compared to global standards. He emphasizes that increased federal funding hasn't translated into improved educational outcomes.

• Department of Education Layoffs: Ferguson reports on significant layoffs orchestrated by Education Secretary Linda McMahon, particularly within the Office for Civil Rights. Out of over 1,300 layoffs, approximately 240 were in civil rights, effectively crippling regional offices in major cities like New York, Chicago, and Dallas. This move has halted the department's ability to address thousands of pending civil rights complaints from students and families.

Notable Quotes

• President Trump [05:44]:

  "We have a dream... We're going to move the Department of Education, we're going to move education into the states so that the states instead of bureaucrats working in Washington... can run education."

• Linda McMahon (Referenced) [06:24]:

  Announced significant layoffs in the Department’s Office for Civil Rights, leading to the suspension of operations in seven of its twelve regional offices.

Ferguson's Analysis

Ferguson interprets the layoffs and Trump’s decentralization efforts as steps toward dismantling what he considers a "bloated" Department of Education. He argues that federal overreach has hindered educational progress, and returning control to states will foster more efficient, responsive, and accountable education systems. Furthermore, he suggests that the reduction in civil rights oversight may impair the department’s ability to safeguard students’ rights, a concern that Democrats have raised amidst the administration's restructuring efforts.

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3. Trump’s Russia Policy: Closer to Peace Amidst Media Silence

Overview

In the final segment, Ferguson addresses President Trump’s recent diplomatic endeavors to broker peace between Russia and Ukraine. He criticizes the mainstream media and Democrats for not adequately covering or acknowledging Trump’s efforts, framing it as another instance of Democratic attempts to undermine the president.

Key Points & Discussions

• Peace Negotiations: Ferguson recounts Trump’s declaration of threatening "devastating financial penalties" against Russia should President Vladimir Putin not agree to a ceasefire with Ukraine. In the Oval Office, Trump expressed a desire for peace, stating, “I want peace. We’re getting close to maybe getting something done.”

• Media Critique: Ferguson questions the lack of media coverage regarding the potential peace deal, suggesting that mainstream outlets are either ignoring or downplaying Trump’s achievements to maintain a negative narrative about his administration.

• Democratic Undermining: Highlighting historical parallels, Ferguson accuses Democrats of resurrecting the Russia collusion narrative to discredit Trump’s legitimate foreign policy efforts. He posits that the party is intent on damaging Trump’s reputation regardless of his actions toward peace.

• International Response: Ferguson is perplexed by the absence of international leaders praising Trump’s initiative, especially considering the significance of ending the conflict between Russia and Ukraine. He emphasizes the humanitarian importance of the deal being negotiated.

Notable Quotes

• President Trump [09:01]:

  "I could do things financially that would be very bad for Russia, that would be devastating for Russia. But I don't want to do that because I want to get peace."

• Trump on Ukraine Peace [09:01]:

  "We got Ukraine done... We got Zelensky to agree to peace after one week of him being in the White House angry and yelling and arguing with Donald Trump."

Ferguson's Analysis

Ferguson praises Trump’s proactive approach to international diplomacy, viewing his efforts as critical in averting further loss of life and stabilizing the region. He expresses frustration over the media’s failure to spotlight these developments, attributing it to a bias against Trump. Moreover, Ferguson challenges Democrats’ prioritization of political attacks over genuine peace initiatives, questioning their commitment to resolving the conflict if they do not support Trump’s efforts.

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Conclusion

Ben Ferguson wraps up the episode by urging listeners to subscribe for more in-depth coverage and analysis. He emphasizes the importance of staying informed through The 47 Morning Update to understand the true scope of the political maneuvers affecting the nation. By dissecting the government's potential shutdown, Trump's educational reforms, and his diplomatic initiatives, Ferguson provides a comprehensive overview of the key issues at the forefront of American politics, advocating for accountability and transparency in governance.

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Final Thoughts

This episode of The 47 Morning Update delivers a critical examination of the current political landscape, highlighting significant challenges and the administration's responses. Through detailed discussions and compelling quotes, Ben Ferguson presents a narrative that underscores the complexities of bipartisan interactions, educational reforms, and international diplomacy. Whether you're entrenched in politics or seeking to stay abreast of national developments, this summary encapsulates the essential elements discussed in the episode, offering clarity and insight into the ongoing debates shaping America today.

Transcript

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[Michael Corleone]

We have a dream. And you know what the dream is? We're going to move the Department of Education, we're going to move education into the states so that the states instead of bureaucrats working in Washington, so that the states can run education.

[Ben Ferguson]

You're listening to a 47 Morning Update special government Shutdown edition with Ben Ferguson.

Good Thursday morning, Ben Ferguson with you. It's nice to have you on the 47 Morning Update as we have a special show for you this morning. So many of you that listen to the show want to know the facts about what the President's actually accomplishing. This is one of those special special shows that I hope you will share everywhere on social Media. It's the 47 Morning Update and it starts right now.

Story number one, a government shutdown is.

Now likely after Chuck Schumer says the Senate Democrats will block a GOP funding bill. The speaker of the House, Mike Johnson, making it very clear that the same Democrats who've always said we can never shut down the government and it hurts Americans and poor people and the world is going to end now that Donald Trump is in charge. They've decided, nah, we'll just throw that all out the window and go with the government shutdown just to try to hurt Donald Trump. Take a listen. The speaker, in his own words, they're.

[Speaker of the House]

Planning to vote down this simple bill. They are going to try to shut the government down. Every House Democrat will participate in this. It Looks like that would be a shame if it's true. I hope some of them will have a moment of clarity themselves and do the right thing. But it looks like they're going to try to shut down the government. It's a striking new posture for Democrats who have always said they've just been apoplectic about the prospect of government shutdowns.

[Ben Ferguson]

So just think for a second about what the speaker just said. It's very clear that Democrats are solely doing this for political reasons, and they want America to suffer. They want Americans to suffer because they want you to blame Donald Trump for any inconvenience or real pain that comes from a government shutdown. You can also look at it this way. They're advocating for tanking the American economy because they don't actually care about Americans. And in fact, listen to the Senate Minority Leader, Chuck Schumer, in his own words about why they're doing it.

[Chuck Schumer]

Funding the government should be a bipartisan effort. But Republicans chose a partisan path, drafting their continuing resolution without any input, any input from congressional Democrats. Because of that, Republicans do not have the votes in the Senate to invoke cloture on the House cross. Our caucus is unified on a clean 4-11-cr that will keep the government open and give Congress time to negotiate bipartisan legislation that can pass. We should vote on that. I hope, I hope our Republican colleagues will join us to avoid a shutdown on Friday.

[Ben Ferguson]

Translation, Chuck Schumer saying, we, the Democratic Party, are holding Congress and the American people hostage because of that. As he said, Republicans do not have the votes in the Senate to invoke cloture on the House continuing resolution. So now it is a government shutdown that will be created solely by the Democrats. With Republicans holding a 53 to 47 advantage in the Senate. Chuck Schumer also understands that. Guess what? You don't always work together with the other side. Because when the American people voted in Donald Trump and gave the Senate back to the Republicans and the House control in the hands of the Republicans, they didn't ask Donald Trump to, quote, compromise with Democrats. They said to Donald Trump, go to Washington, save us money and go with a mandate to do what we're sending you there to do. Now, the question is, how long could this last? Only the Democrats can answer that question as they're holding all of us hostage.

Next story number two.

Donald Trump ran on a issue that actually saw incredible engagement in the presidential election cycle. It was the issue of education. American schools are failing. In fact, we are the lowest in many categories with the rest of the world in reading and writing and arithmetic. There are quite a few failing schools virtually everywhere you go in the country. And public education has been a disaster. We've continued to throw more money at it, and we've seen no increase on test scores or a return on our investment where students are getting better at the basics like reading, writing and arithmetic. The president has made it clear, believes that the federal Department of Education is a disaster, something that you cannot fix. Now, let's be clear. The president has not said that we can't fix education, and he believes it should be going back to the states. Well, the president was in an Oval Office meeting and the conversation came up about education. And here's what the president said.

[Michael Corleone]

They're not doing a good job. And if you take a look at, take a look at our education process, and if you look at the charts, because they have numerous charts where they do the top 40, we're at number 37, 38, 39, and 40. And recently they hit during Biden's last few days, they hit last, so they were number 40. And yet we're number one in cost per pupil. So it's pretty bad. But a number of the states, we have a dream, and you know what the dream is? We're going to move the Department of Education, we're going to move education into the states so that the states, instead of bureaucrats working in Washington, so that the states can run education.

[Ben Ferguson]

Now, this goes back to a basic promise that Donald Trump had made during the campaign. He believes that on the local and state level, they can run education in a much more efficient way than the federal government can. With all of the corruption in Washington, D.C. which brings me to something else. Linda McMahon, the education secretary, has now come out and had a major round of layoffs, gutting the civil rights office as well. The Education Department civil rights branch is losing nearly half of its staff in the Trump administration's layoff round one, effectively gutting an office that already faced a backlog of thousands of complaints from students and families, they say from across the nation. Among a total of more than 1, 300 layoffs that were announced this week, roughly 240 in the department's Office for Civil Rights were in that group. That, according to a list obtained and verified by The Associated Press, seven of the civil rights agency's 12 regional offices were entirely laid off, including busy hubs in New York, Chicago and Dallas, despite assurances that the department's work will continue unaffected. Huge numbers of cases, Democrats now say, appear to quote, unquote be in limbo, insert fear mongering right here. What Democrats do. Well, now, the Trump administration has not said how it will proceed with these cases being handled by its staff and many of those around them that have been eliminated. The cases will involve families trying to get school services for students with disabilities. And that is something the Trump administration has said is important. We also know, though, that the entire Department of Education is, well, bloated, and it's time to dismantle it piece by piece so that the President, United States of America, can then hand control back to the states. It's exactly what he said about Martin Luther King and his dream now, which is to give every kid a quality education and an education they can be proud of, and an education that has a return on our investment and an education that prepares kids for college and the future. We have far too many public schools in America, and the president's made this clear, that are handing out basically worthless pieces of paper after you, quote, graduate the 12th grade, even though you're not reading at that level, writing at that level, or doing math and science at that level. So for Donald Trump, this is another step in that promise from his campaign and a step that many parents will be happy about in states when they actually get back control of their public school system.

And finally, story number three, I want.

To take you back to 2016. It was the very first time that the media and Democrats used Russia to try to attack Donald Trump. You may remember the Russian collusion, Russia, Russia, Russia hoax, as Donald Trump has said countless times, with good reason. Well, now the Democratic Party is trying to use Russia again to undermine Donald Trump and his popularity, all because he wants to see a ridiculous war be ended between Russia and Ukraine. They're trying to drive a wedge between the president and the American people, claiming that Donald Trump favors Vladimir Putin and that there's some sort of shady, corrupt business going on between the two men, which we all know is obviously a massive lie, a lie that's been orchestrated by the Democratic Party. Well, there's a new story that you probably haven't heard about, and I hope you'll take this show and share it everywhere, because what I'm about to tell you is something that literally no one is covering. Donald Trump has threatened devastating financial penalties. Now for Russia. I didn't say Ukraine. I said for Russia and Vladimir Putin. President Trump on Wednesday threatened the, quote, devastating financial penalties for Russia if the president, Vladimir Putin, does not agree to a ceasefire with Ukraine, that Ukraine has agreed to, quote, there are things that wouldn't be pleasant. In a financial sense, I can do things financially that would be very bad for Russia. I don't want to do that because I want to get peace. That is what Donald Trump told reporters in the Oval Office. Quote, in a financial sense, yes, we could do things that would be very bad for Russia, that would be devastating for Russia. But I don't want to do that because I want to see peace. And we're getting close to maybe getting something done. We got Ukraine done, and as you know, Ukraine might have been the more difficult party here. You were here a week ago when some interesting things happened. Referring to the Zelensky meeting in the Oval Office, Trump went on to say, I had somebody who didn't seem to want peace. Now he's agreed to peace. Trump also said, people are going to Russia right now as we speak, and hopefully we can get a ceasefire from Russia. If we do, I think that would be 80% of the way to getting this horrible bloodbath to end. So the question that all of us should be looking at and asking now is this. Why is the media not reporting this story? Number one? And number two, a president is trying to bring peace. Why aren't they celebrating this? Why is the world media not celebrating this? And why is it that this isn't the number one leading story on every news channel right now, that the president got Zelensky to agree to peace after one week of him being in the White House angry and yelling and arguing with Donald Trump? And then the other question is this. Why aren't Democrats, if you really want to talk about Russian collusion, why, and this may be the most important part, why are they not demanding peace from Vladimir Putin? Why are world leaders not demanding peace from Vladimir Putin? Let's be clear. There is now an official deal on the table. Why is it that foreign leaders aren't walking out in front of microphones and demanding that Vladimir Putin agree to the cease deal, which Zelensky and Ukraine have agreed to? And why aren't any of them talking about how quickly this deal was done by Donald Trump? Now, look, I expect the media to hate Donald Trump. I expect many world leaders to, well, be jealous of him. But this should be bigger than that. This is about saving countless lives and so many families that have been destroyed in Russia and Ukraine in a senseless war from the very beginning. This is what leaders do. They lead. And the sad thing is, apparently, in this country right now, with our media, if his name is Donald Trump and he does something incredible like work for a peace deal, they will at best say something negative about him or maybe just not tell you the story at all.

Thank you for listening to the 47 Morning Update with Ben Ferguson. Please make sure you hit subscribe wherever you're listening to this podcast right now. And for more in depth news, also subscribe to the Ben Ferguson Podcast and we will see you back here tomorrow.

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