The Crusade to Cut Spending + My Super Bowl Reaction

Summary

Podcast Summary: The Charlie Kirk Show Episode: The Crusade to Cut Spending + My Super Bowl Reaction
Release Date: February 10, 2025
Host: Charlie Kirk
Guests: Senator Rick Scott (Florida), Senator Mike Lee (Utah)

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1. Introduction and Guest Welcome

The episode begins with Charlie Kirk introducing Senators Rick Scott and Mike Lee to discuss the pressing issue of government spending and the challenges surrounding the confirmation of presidential nominations.

Notable Quotes:

• Senator Rick Scott (00:40): "Maybe Charlie Kirk is on the college campus."
• Senator Mike Lee (00:46): "Charlie Kirk's running the White House, folks."

2. Challenges in Confirming Presidential Nominations

Charlie Kirk initiates the conversation by addressing the delays in confirming Cabinet officials under the current Senate majority. Senator Rick Scott elaborates on the Democratic tactics that are slowing down the confirmation process.

Key Points:

• Filibuster and Procedural Delays: Democrats are leveraging procedural moves and extended debate times to hinder confirmations.
• Current Status: Out of 26 nominees from Obama’s administration, 13 have been confirmed, highlighting significant slowdowns compared to the current administration's pace.

Notable Quotes:

• Senator Rick Scott (02:04): "They can slow the process down by requiring us to make, to have a vote on every procedural move you can imagine."
• Senator Rick Scott (04:49): "In the last five years, we've had a 2% increase in population and a 53% increase in spending."

3. The Imperative to Cut Federal Spending

The discussion shifts to the alarming rise in federal spending, which has surged from nearly $4 trillion to over $6.5 trillion annually. Senator Scott criticizes the inefficiency and wasteful expenditure, advocating for a balanced budget approach.

Key Points:

• Budget Growth vs. Population Growth: The federal budget has grown disproportionately compared to the population increase.
• Call for Fiscal Responsibility: Emphasis on stopping unnecessary spending to reduce the national debt and curb inflation.

Notable Quotes:

• Senator Rick Scott (05:49): "We have to watch how we spend every dollar. That's exactly what Trump is doing."
• Senator Rick Scott (09:11): "We've got $36 trillion worth of debt. If we balance the budget, guess what. We wouldn't even have to worry about a debt ceiling increase."

4. Legislative Strategy and Future Plans

Senator Scott outlines the legislative priorities aimed at addressing fiscal irresponsibility and national security threats, including balancing the budget, securing the border, and countering Chinese economic and military expansion.

Key Points:

• Reconciliation Process: Utilizing the Senate’s reconciliation process to pass spending bills without the need for a 60-vote majority.
• Spending Cuts: Aiming to cut $2 trillion from current spending through meticulous budget reviews.

Notable Quotes:

• Senator Rick Scott (07:29): "We have trillion dollars of things that we can cut spending on. We need to cut $2 trillion."
• Senator Rick Scott (14:03): "Number one, we have to balance the budget. Number two, we have to do everything we can to get China under control."

5. Defunding the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB)

Senator Scott discusses his co-sponsored bill with Senator Ted Cruz to defund the CFPB, highlighting its inefficacy and adversarial nature towards American consumers.

Key Points:

• CFPB's Role and Criticism: The CFPB is perceived as harassing Americans rather than protecting them.
• Legislative Efforts: Efforts to eliminate the CFPB to foster economic growth and reduce bureaucratic overreach.

Notable Quotes:

• Senator Rick Scott (11:28): "It's just money to go harass Americans. They've harassed Floridians."
• Senator Rick Scott (12:49): "They can shut it down because they can decide not to ask for money from the Federal Reserve. So it's not constitutional."

6. Appointment of Russ Vought as OMB Director

The conversation turns to the confirmation of Russ Vought as the Director of the Office of Management and Budget (OMB), emphasizing his expertise and commitment to fiscal discipline.

Key Points:

• Russ Vought's Role: Expected to implement common-sense budgeting and work alongside Elon Musk and other Cabinet members to identify savings.
• Senator Scott’s Endorsement: Praises Vought’s previous experience and knowledge in budget management.

Notable Quotes:

• Senator Rick Scott (13:00): "He's going to bring common sense to the budget. He's going to look at every dime."
• Senator Rick Scott (13:41): "He's fearless. He's going to have Trump's back and they're going to figure out how to balance his budget."

7. FBI Director Nomination: Cash Patel

Senator Mike Lee discusses the nomination and expected confirmation of Cash Patel as the next FBI Director, highlighting Patel’s integrity and commitment to depoliticizing the bureau.

Key Points:

• Patel’s Confirmation: Despite Democratic opposition, Patel is anticipated to be confirmed swiftly.
• Reforms under Patel: Aims to refocus the FBI on crime investigation rather than political espionage, improving transparency and accountability.

Notable Quotes:

• Senator Mike Lee (17:43): "Every FBI director I've questioned... Cash told the truth. That is why the deep state doesn't like him."
• Senator Mike Lee (19:14): "You'll see an FBI that is focused on investigating crime rather than investigating enemies of the sitting regime."

8. Addressing the January 6th Investigations

The episode touches on the extensive resources the FBI allocated to January 6th investigations, raising concerns about neglected crimes due to this focus.

Key Points:

• Resource Allocation Concerns: The large number of agents dedicated to January 6th cases may have led to other crimes being overlooked.
• Impact on Law Enforcement: Emphasis on balancing FBI resources to ensure comprehensive law enforcement coverage.

Notable Quotes:

• Senator Mike Lee (20:19): "The opportunity cost of an FBI that has been thwarted is remarkable."
• Senator Mike Lee (20:58): "They put as many resources into this one as they did. It does concern me."

9. Federal Bureaucracy and Judicial Overreach

Senator Mike Lee criticizes recent judicial decisions that impede the functioning of presidential appointments, arguing that such actions undermine executive authority and constitutional governance.

Key Points:

• Injunction Against Treasury Access: A New York judge’s decision to block political appointees from accessing Treasury data based on unsubstantiated theories is highlighted as problematic.
• Bureaucratic Power: Concerns about the unelected bureaucracy exerting excessive influence over elected officials.

Notable Quotes:

• Senator Mike Lee (26:52): "Our Constitution sets out a system in which the President nominates... if that person may still this easily succumb to one order saying, you can't deal with this..."
• Senator Mike Lee (28:07): "We are no longer in charge of our own government. This is part of that mindset."

10. Super Bowl Reaction

Charlie Kirk shares his personal take on the Super Bowl, critiquing the production quality of the broadcast lower thirds, the performance of Tom Brady, and the nature of the commercials, while also highlighting cultural shifts reflected during the event.

Key Points:

• Broadcast Production: Dissatisfaction with the simplistic design of the lower thirds and scoreboard.
• Player Performance: Praise for Tom Brady’s performance and Jalen Hurts' achievement as Super Bowl MVP.
• Commercials and Cultural Reflections: Critique of the lackluster commercials and recognition of cultural and political undertones, such as Taylor Swift receiving boos.

Notable Quotes:

• Charlie Kirk (34:49): "We are in progress of expelling [woke] from our system, but we're not there yet."
• Charlie Kirk (34:49): "We are at the front, front edge, the cutting edge, the tip of the spear of a reclamation of our government."

11. Conclusion and Final Remarks

The episode wraps up with Charlie Kirk reinforcing the themes of governmental reform, fiscal responsibility, and cultural shifts, urging listeners to stay informed and engaged in the political process.

Notable Quotes:

• Charlie Kirk (34:49): "Making America great again starts with Making America healthy again."
• Senator Rick Scott (34:49): "Thanks so much for listening everybody. Email us this as always. Freedomarliekirk.com."

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Insights and Conclusions

• Bipartisan Efforts: Both Senators Rick Scott and Mike Lee emphasize the necessity of bipartisan cooperation to overcome Democratic obstructionism and achieve fiscal reforms.
• Fiscal Responsibility: A recurring theme is the urgent need to balance the federal budget, reduce national debt, and eliminate wasteful spending.
• Institutional Reforms: The importance of depoliticizing institutions like the FBI and ensuring that federal agencies operate transparently and efficiently.
• Cultural Commentary: The Super Bowl discussion reflects broader societal tensions and the ongoing cultural conflicts in America.
• Leadership and Appointments: Highlighting key appointments like Cash Patel and Russ Vought, the conversation underscores the significance of leadership in driving governmental change.

This episode of The Charlie Kirk Show delves deep into the intricacies of federal budgetary issues, the challenges of political confirmations, and the importance of maintaining the integrity of governmental institutions. Through candid discussions with Senators Scott and Lee, the podcast provides listeners with a comprehensive understanding of the current political landscape and the strategies being employed to navigate and rectify systemic issues.

Transcript

[Charlie Kirk]

Okay, everybody tan the Charlie Kirk Show. Two senators join us for a lay of the land and my super bowl reaction. Senator Mike Lee and Senator Rick Scott also join us. Email us as always freedomarliekirk.com get involved with turningpoint [e-mail] that is tpusa.com you can email me as always, freedomarliekirk.com and become a member today. Members.charliekirk.com that is members.charliekink.com members. As always, you can email us freedomarliekirk.com AND get involved with turningpoint usa @tpusa.com that is tPusa.com Buckle up, everybody. Here we go. Charlie, what you've done is incredible here.

[Senator Rick Scott]

Maybe Charlie Kirk is on the college campus.

[Senator Mike Lee]

I want you to know we are.

[Senator Rick Scott]

Lucky to have Charlie Kirk.

[Senator Mike Lee]

Charlie Kirk's running the White House, folks.

[Senator Rick Scott]

I want to thank Charlie. He's an incredible guy. His spirit, his love of this country. He's done an amazing job building one of the most powerful youth organizations ever created, Turning Point usa.

[Charlie Kirk]

We will not embrace the ideas that have destroyed countries, destroyed lives, and we are going to fight for freedom on campuses across the country. That's why we are here. Noble Gold Investments is the official gold sponsor of the Charlie Kirk Show, a company that specializes in gold IRAs and physical delivery of precious metals. Learn how you could protect your wealth with Noble gold investments@noblegold investments.com that is noblegold investments.com it's where I buy all of my gold. Go to noblegold investments.com joining us now is Senator Rick Scott from the great state of Florida. Senator, thank you for taking the time, as always. We have this standing appointment on Monday. You are doing a wonderful job. I'm in the state of Florida right now, and I hope you are, too, because it's just a great spot. If not, I'm still here.

[Senator Rick Scott]

I go back, I go back in about an hour. We're working on these confirmations, these nominations, to get them done. So we have to be there to move the process along because the Democrats keep trying to block it.

[Charlie Kirk]

Yeah. So tell us about that. What exactly are the Democrats able to do? Can you explain this? Because our audience gets a little impatient, as they should. They say we have a majority. Why do we have to wait for these guys for Cabinet officials? What gives? Explain it, please, to our audience.

[Senator Rick Scott]

Well, first off, here's what's frustrating. We have 13 nominees done at this time. Obama had 26. So. So what's happened is they can slow the process down by requiring us to make, to have a vote on every procedural move you can imagine they are. They're also requiring us to use the entire 30 hours of debate time for every cabinet member, which they are. So, you know, we're, we have to stay there, we have to work weekends, we have to get these things done. This tonight we're going to be doing the confirmation for Tulsi Gabbard and then once we get her finished, which will be either tomorrow or Wednesday, we'll go to Robert Kennedy. So I'm optimistic that we're gonna get enough votes to get everybody through. But you know, be vocal, tell your, tell your senators, you know, how much you care about these individuals. Cuz it increases the odds that they'll vote for them.

[Charlie Kirk]

So, Senator, when is it worth saying, okay, we need to change the Senate rules? I mean, at what point do we get there? Because we are now three weeks into the presidency. I know that's a tough question and I know that it comes with a lot of weight, but we're three weeks in and we still do not have a Secretary of Commerce. We still do not have. And by the way, just so everyone in the audience understands, we don't have any of the deputy positions either. We're talking about deputy positions that need to be Senate confirmed. This is, this is, they are not good faith actors. I know we have no ambassadors, so Senator, they're trying to steal Trump's first second term.

[Senator Rick Scott]

But what they're trying to do is try to make sure he didn't win. I mean, he won, he got a mandate. So, so what we have to do is we have to keep saying up there. And eventually, I believe what's going to happen is the Democrats will finally relent, although they're, they are, what Elon Musk is doing is just destroying them. The fact that he's showing this unbelievable abuse. I heard there was a tweet this morning that just last week over $50 million was sent from FEMA to hotels in New York City. This has got to stop. So he's finding this, what he did by, you know, we're getting rid of usaid. How could any American say, oh, that was a good use of American money, what USAID was doing? So Trump's right. We've got to go through every line in the budget. I did, it was, Governor, there's 4,000 lines of the budget in Florida. I went through every year, every line. We had a written purpose. That's how we balance the budget. Trump is committed to balancing the budget. So we're going to keep working on these nominations, but we also have to get this budget in line.

[Charlie Kirk]

Yes, we do. Senator, I'd like you to comment on Doge, which I know is a new concept in D.C. to actually try and save money. You've been a wonderful fix fiscal hawk, which I really appreciate about you. You ran a great ship in Florida and have been trying to do the same in D.C. the federal budget has grown from nearly $4 trillion a year to over six and a half trillion dollars a year for no good reason over the last couple of years. What is your response to, for example, Senator Chris Murphy? Chris Murphy says we're in the midst of a constitutional crisis. I want to play this and get your response to your colleague. Play cut 13, please.

[Senator Rick Scott]

Listen.

[Charlie Kirk]

I think this is the most serious constitutional crisis the country has faced, certainly since Watergate. The President is attempting to seize control of power and for corrupt purposes. The President wants to be able to decide how and where money is spent so that he can reward his political friends, he can punish his political enemies. That is the evisceration of democracy. Your response to a fellow senator?

[Senator Rick Scott]

I mean, he's completely full of it. I mean, here Donald Trump was elected. He has a mandate to start watching how the money's being spent. The. I mean. I mean, what Chris Murphy. I don't know what he's talking about. We should watch how we spend every dollar. That's exactly what Trump is doing. That's what Elon Musk is doing. He's showing us the unbelievable abuse there is in the system. He's not doing this to help a political ally or hurt. Hurt somebody else. He's saying, do you want to waste money, you know, anywhere in the world? I mean, some of these things the USAID was spending money on makes no sense. So that's. He's doing, Trump's doing what he should be doing, and he's talking about what's important to the American public, balance of budget. So I'm very appreciative of what everybody at Doge is doing. I'm appreciating what Elon Musk is doing. We've got. We've got to go through every line. We got to get all this money out. Charlie, think about this. In the last five years, we've had a 2% increase in population and a 53% increase in spending. If we went back to spending five years ago, we would balance the budget. We would balance the budget. That means interest rates will come down. That means inflation will go away. We can do that we should be doing that right now.

[Charlie Kirk]

So, so Senator, the markup process is very important. There are some reports here. If I could read from you from, I think it was the hill.com this weekend. Let me get this. And I think it's very important. Hill leadership now admits it is planning an extension of the CR through September 25, which means that Trump's first year of his second term, it would actually be Biden's budget. Is that necessary to get to the reconciliation bill? And please explain this.

[Senator Rick Scott]

Well, what we have is we have one or two or three recreation bills. So with that, what the first one that we're talking about in the Senate is, we would fund the border so Trump can for sure secure the border, which he's doing everything he can. Number two, there's a military spending we need to do. And number number three, then we start the process to extend the Trump tax cuts. That will probably be done a little bit later, maybe April, May, June or July, something like that. In the meantime, government gets shut down March 14th if we don't continue our government funding. So the right thing to do is it would be to go back and balance the budget right now. But it's very difficult to do that because we need 60 votes to be able to do the continuing resolution, whatever we're going to do. Typically on a continuing resolution, you have this big blowout spending. Fortunately, we're not talking about big blowout spending bill now. They're talking about continuing the existing, which is, which is better than 8,000 earmarks, which is what they've been doing every year since I've been up here and everything under the sun that somebody wants. So, so right now we've, we started the reconciliation process in the Senate. We are working on what we're going to do on March 14, even though it's not the best thing. It's probably the only way we get 60 votes to get something done is the continuing resolution where we don't increase the spending. Then we can go with our reconciliation and cut spending as quickly as we can. We have, we have trillion dollars of things that we can cut spending on. We need to cut $2 trillion. And we can do that.

[Charlie Kirk]

It is, we have to, we have to first freeze all of this spending as well. It is such an exorbitant amount of overspending, isn't it, Senator?

[Senator Rick Scott]

I mean, it's, it's unbelievable. Think about so 2% increase in population, 53% increase in spending. I mean, that just doesn't make any sense. Why, why can you Balance your budget. Businesses are successful to balance their budget. I was able to do it when I was governor of Florida. Now they had not done it but once in 40 years before I became governor. But why are states willing to do it and our federal government can't? It's because people don't want to. They don't want to stop spending. They want to just give away free money. Because this sounds really good and somebody will say something nice about you, but this is your money. This is not free money. This is your money. It's going to be you're going to pay it in increased debt with interest expense or you're going to pay in higher taxes and fees. That's wrong. It's not fair to the American public. So we've got $36 trillion worth of debt. If we balance the budget, guess what? We wouldn't even have to worry about a debt ceiling increase. We could do what I did when I was governor of Florida. We could pay, start paying off debt. When I was governor, I paid off a third of the state debt. We could do that at the federal level and we should be doing that. We have to do that someday.

[Charlie Kirk]

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[Senator Rick Scott]

Cfpb, who I have never met one person in the entire country that said, boy, I'm excited because we have the cfpb. So it's just money to go harass Americans. They've harassed Floridians. It's just, it's his money to pass them. And guess what? Trump is doing the right thing. I mean, he's done so many things, but shutting down the CFPB would be a fast. It'd be unbelievably important to help build our economy. So I'm on a bill with Ted Cruz, who's the lead on it, to get rid of it. But look at what Trump's done. What he's been in office, what, three weeks with this. Get rid of usaid, get rid of cfpb. He's got, what, nine Americans back from Hamas, Taliban, Maduro. Maduro's taking people back. See, Colombia is taking people back. The border secure. I mean, this is three weeks. Just think of what's going to happen in the next little less than four years now.

[Charlie Kirk]

So it's just what's happening here with the CFPB over the last couple of years has been remarkable. And was it ever given original congressional charter?

[Senator Rick Scott]

My saying is not in. And guess what? They can shut it down because they can decide not to ask for money from the Federal Reserve. So it's not constitutional. It should never be there. And the Trump administration figure this out. Russ Vote is going to make sure it doesn't continue in existence.

[Charlie Kirk]

What is the significance of having Russ Vote as OMB director? He's now been Senate confirmed. Every Republican voted for him. What do you hope he'll accomplish as Office of Management Budget Director?

[Senator Rick Scott]

Is going to bring common sense to the budget. He's going to look at every dime. He's going to work with Elon Musk, he's going to work with other Cabinet members and they're going to figure out where all the, all the savings are. He has had this job before, so he's, he's got a lot of knowledge. He's a smart guy. He's fearless. He's going to have Trump's back and they're going to figure out how to balance his budget and get this wasteful spending under control. So I'm really excited about Russ Vote. I've had the opportunity working with him when he was in the White House the first time and then the last four years while Biden's been in office. So I think he's gonna do a fabulous job and Then Dan Bishop is gonna be number two there. Dan used to be in the House and they're both fiscal hawks and they know it's your money.

[Charlie Kirk]

In closing here, Senator, the legislative priorities seem to be on one bill versus two bill, two bills. Any other legislative fights that you want our audience to be aware of, bills that you are trying to advance that are of great significance or of weight, especially in this once in a many lifetimes opportunity that we have?

[Senator Rick Scott]

Well, number one, we have to balance the budget. All right? Number two, we have to do everything we can to get China under control. I mean, they want to destroy our way of life. They're killing Americans with fentanyl. They're building a military to defeat, to be able to defeat us. On top of that, we've got to support democracies and fight against the dictatorships in anywhere in the world, but especially here, close to home, close to Florida, in the Southern hemisphere. Then I'm excited about rfk, where he's going to come in and make him. He's going to make us healthy again. Instead of the health care system makes money off of you getting sick. He's going to try to make sure people stay healthy so you can go agency by agency. We're going to make sure we're independent from the standpoint of oil. We're not going to have bad food that we're eating. I mean, there's so many exciting things going on.

[Charlie Kirk]

Senator, thank you for your leadership. Thank you for your time. Much more to discuss at another time. Every Monday we have Senator Rick Scott on the program, honored for that and thank you so much, Senator. Every other Monday. Have a great day. Bye bye. Thank you. I'll take you every Monday if you want to come. For the record, I'll take Senator Scott as much as we can have him. Look, everybody, we are, we are at the front, front edge, the cutting edge, the tip of the spear of a reclamation of our government. This is one of the more unlikely things ever to live through. The cycle of nations is usually once a republic is lost, that does not come back. We are questioning that. We say if America has done exceptional, unlikely, unique things before, why can't we restore it? Why can't we give a voice back to the people? We are a special nation. What's really crazy is how you look at the stakes around us and how we were providentially established. We were at the abyss. We all dodged a bullet when President Donald Trump's life was spared. And President Trump is fighting so hard every day he is working his tail off. I had the opportunity to see him over the weekend at Mar a Lago and up until midnight he is working, he's doing meetings, he's signing documents. I mean he is just a beast working for you, by the way, for the American people every single moment. They can't keep up. They can't keep up with this machine. And the shock and awe is going to continue. And the Democrats are still trying to process all of this asymmetric warfare. Are you tired of scrolling through shows on TV and finding nothing but the same mind numbing content? Don't waste your time on that nonsense. Instead, use that time to learn something new and inspiring. Hillsdale College offers more than 40 free online courses. Learn about the works of C.S. lewis, the meaning of the U.S. constitution, the rise and fall of the Roman Republic, or the history of the ancient Christian Church with Hillsdale College's free online courses. Consider the Constitution 101 course. In it, you'll explore the design and purpose of the Constitution, the challenge it faced during the Civil War, and how it has been undermined for more than a century by progressivism and liberalism. Our country needs more Americans who can understand the Constitution and can defend the freedom of the American people against the encroachments of an increasingly large and unaccountable government. Start the Constitution 101 course today. Right now. Go to charlieforhillsdale.com to enroll. There's no cost and it's easy to get started. That's CharlieFillsdale.com the Register CharlieForHillsdale.com Senator, thank you for taking the time. Senator from Utah does an excellent job. This is the Good Senator Hour. For the record, here on the Charlie Kirk show, we had Senator Scott, now Senator Lee. Senator Lee, I'm going to start about our good friend Cash Patel. The Democrats are doing everything they can to stop Cash Patel from becoming FBI director. Where does his, let's just say, his status hold as of right now?

[Senator Mike Lee]

First of all, Cash Patel has got to get confirmed. And he will get confirmed because the American people need it. You haven't had a chance to watch it. Take a look at Cash Patel's Judiciary Committee hearing. It was six hours of pure cash badassery, as I like to say. I don't think I've ever seen a nominee with so many headwinds come out of his hearing so masterfully looking so good, in such good shape. They threw everything at him they had. And every single time he proved up to the task. Every FBI director I've questioned since I've been in The Senate has led me astray in one way or another on issues like FISA 702 and domestic surveillance. Cash told the truth. That, by the way, is why the deep state doesn't like him. That, by the way, is why there has been so much opposition to Cash. But the truth is he's going to get confirmed this week. On Thursday, we're going to hold his vote in the Judiciary Committee. The Judiciary Committee has some procedures that are somewhat unique, and those procedures can make it time consuming to get out of there. But we'll get him out of committee on Thursday. Once that happens, we'll rush him to the floor, and within a few days, probably early next week, he'll be sworn in as the FBI director. I'm confident of that.

[Charlie Kirk]

So since him being sworn in as FBI director, what will that mean substantively of changes at the Bureau? What are the major changes that we can expect from the FBI?

[Senator Mike Lee]

Well, first of all, you're going to have somebody in there who is skeptical of government, which is exactly what we need in government generally and in that FBI in particular. So I think you're going to see a different approach taken toward FISA 702. I think you're going to see more strict procedures in place. I think you're going to have an FBI that is focused on investigating crime rather than investigating enemies of the sitting regime. And that's been one of the problems that we've had at this entity. As a former federal prosecutor, myself and Cash has the same distinction on that front. We can both see that the FBI is this long revered institution whose reputation has sadly been tarnished by people who have wanted to make the FBI much more about political espionage, much more about gaining a political advantage for the deep state and for the Democratic Party. That will be no more. And I think you'll see changes right away that will reflect those things.

[Charlie Kirk]

And this is one of the more important fights in front of us. We never thought we'd be able to get Cash Patel as being FBI director. Seeing the powers to be consolidated around him has been very promising. This story from CBS News. Justice Department agrees to not publicly reveal names of FBI agents who worked on January 6th cases. Initially, the FBI handed over employee identification numbers of 5,000 people. Did we really have 5,000 people, Senator Lee, working on January 6th cases? How many pedophiles, child sex traffickers, murderers, went free because we did not have agents allocated towards those cases?

[Senator Mike Lee]

Senator Lee certainly makes a person wonder. Look, we have those numbers that have been released about the sheer number of the very substantial percentage of the FBI's agents that were working on January six related matters. Now, what we don't. No, what I haven't seen yet is the extent to which those people were working entirely or mostly or, you know, predominantly, significantly, on January 6th cases, to whatever degree you had most of those people doing most of their work on January 6th cases. That, to me, suggests that there were a lot of other things that went uninvestigated, crimes that went unsolved and unpunished and unproven in a court of law. But like I say, we don't have all those numbers. It is significant that they spent as much time as they did, devoted as many members of their team as they did to this. Given that it was one day reflecting one incident and there are lots of crimes going on at the United States at any given time, it does concern me that they put as many resources into this one as they did. Just as they did put a lot of resources into, you know, looking at concerned parents who show up at school board meetings as if they have to be presumed as some sort of threat to our domestic national security.

[Charlie Kirk]

So, Senator, the opportunity cost of an FBI that has been thwarted is remarkable. Other implications of having Cash Patel will also be depoliticizing the lawfare and getting to make sure that President Trump is not a victim of. Of a Russiagate 2.0. We want the FBI focused on terrorist sleeper cells versus January six protesters. Very, very simple. In addition, Senator, it looks as if Tulsi Gabbard is likely to be confirmed as the next Director of National Intelligence. Your reaction to that and the significance of having her at dni, this is.

[Senator Mike Lee]

Also significant because much like Cash Patel, Tulsi Gabbard is someone who the deep state loathes. The deep state has sort of a sworn vengeance to retaliate against and to prevent from getting into positions like these ones. And yet Tulsi Gabbard, like Cash Patel, is about to get confirmed. And it couldn't happen a moment too soon. This is not happening a moment too soon. We need both of these people in those positions.

[Charlie Kirk]

The Senate right now seems to be stalled by a lot of Democrat obstructionism. What do you recommend to try to give President Trump his Cabinet as quickly as possible?

[Senator Mike Lee]

Look, in the Senate, a lot of what happens is kind of a race against the clock. The best way to move things forward is to exhaust those who were trying to slow the process down. And I think the longer the hours, the longer the weeks that we can work, even working through weekends when necessary, when the Democrats are Dragging their feet can help work wonders. Nothing sharpens the mind and enhances the willingness of a recalcitrant senator, one who's hell bent on using the Senate rules to prolong the process needlessly. Nothing will sharpen the mind quite like saying, okay, you feel that strongly about it, you're going to stay up late nights and for that matter, you're going to have to stay here through weekends in order to get this done. The more we can do that, the better off we will be and the faster we'll get Trump's picks confirmed.

[Charlie Kirk]

Senator Lee, you floated out an idea of having former Representative Ron Paul for the Chairman of the Federal Reserve. Why? Tell us about why Ron Paul would be the perfect chair of the Federal Reserve.

[Senator Mike Lee]

For the very same reason that I think Cash Patel and Tulsi Gabbard are exceptionally well suited to lead the FBI and to serve as the Director of National Intelligence. I'd love to see Ron Paul heading the Federal Reserve. The reason is he's a longtime skeptic of that very institution. He has seen and has been one who has commented early and often about the problems with the Federal Reserve, about how the Federal Reserve perpetuates the growth of big government, about how the Federal Reserve has slowly eaten away at the purchasing power of every paycheck that you have and the value of every dollar. The Federal Reserve, through its so called dual mandate where it's supposed to at once look out to make sure that we control inflation and simultaneously maintain full employment. Those things are often at odds with each other. And so every single time it sort of leans into the second part of the mandate, into full employment, which results in more and more inflation. Look, inflation is something that you can handle really well if you're rich. In fact, a lot of rich people get far richer during periods of inflation. It's America's hard working poor and middle class who get screwed with all that. And that's one of the reasons why we need reformers. And I would love to see Ron Paul on a position like that one.

[Charlie Kirk]

Senator, Also this weekend there was a breathtaking decision by a New York judge, Paul Engelmayr, who just forbade all political appointees, including Scott Besant, from accessing the Department of Treasury data, all based on a Blue Anon conspiracy theorist. His theory couldn't be challenged because the order was ex parte, meaning that Trump's lawyers weren't warned and couldn't weigh in. Only Democrat Attorney Generals were allowed to argue. Senator, this begs a deeper point, which is the power of the unelected bureaucracy, this fourth branch of government, something I know you deeply care about. Your reaction on this injunction and the looming constitutional question in front of us. Yeah.

[Senator Mike Lee]

What bothers me most about this is that what Judge Paul Engelmeier did in New York, prohibiting these political appointees, including Treasury Secretary Scott Bessant, from accessing Treasury Department data seems a real problem. You know, our Constitution sets out a system in which the President nominates and with advice and consent from the Senate, meeting the confirmation of the Senate, may appoint these officials, including the Secretary of the Treasury. If after we follow the process, after we duly elect a President and a Senate and the Senate confirms that Treasury Secretary, if that person may still this easily succumb to one order saying, you can't deal with this, only the deep state folks can do it. Only the sort of permanent personnel, as they like to think of themselves, may access this data that is necessary to do so much of what the Treasury Department does, then we've got a real problem and the American people are no longer in charge of their own government. This is part of that mindset. The progressive mindset loves the bureaucrat, loves the expert and hates the voter.

[Charlie Kirk]

I'm expecting some judge from the Northern Mariana Islands to do an injunction against President Trump's Diet Coke button. You can't do that. It's not constitutional to have a Diet Coke button, to be able to have it whenever you want. I mean, at this point, we have the entire presidency that could be held subservient by the unelected bureaucracy. Senator, thank you so much. Excellent as always. Talk to you soon.

[Senator Mike Lee]

Thanks so much, Charlie. Good to be with you.

[Charlie Kirk]

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Call 864-644-1900 to schedule your one on one consultation or visit myphdweightloss.com that is myphdweightloss.com 864-644-1900 okay, the super bowl, was it me or just felt a little anticlimactic? Let me just kind of air some of my grievances. Number one, what was with the lower third? Do you know what I'm saying, Andrew? The Philadelphia, the little lower third, the scoreboard. It looked as if someone made it in clip art. Do you know, usually they have all these opulent, elaborate. I didn't like it. I know that we've all agreed as society, no one took a vote that after trying to the left and trying to the right and trying to the upper left and the right that the bottom is the best. I just, I thought it was very underwhelming. I will say, I think, Andrew, thank you bringing this up. I think Tom Brady did great. I thought Tom Brady was a 10. I thought Tom Brady was a 10. I thought Tom Brady was way better than I anticipated. And dare I say I thought Tom Brady was even better than Tony Romo. I know Tony Romo is, you know, I think Tony Romo gets a lot of, he gets a lot of mixed reaction. I thought Tom was terrific. I've always been a huge Tom Brady fan. But he just seemed as if he was having fun. He was having a blast. And I think Tom Brady was also enjoying it because he was like, haha, Mahomes, you're not the goat. And he obviously channeled a lot of his super bowl experiences. But look, that's not easy. You got to be honest. Like doing color commentary without a lot of experience on that, that's not easy. I thought Tom Brady crushed it. I thought he did very well. Over 100 plus million people were watching. Can I also just mention the commercials were terrible. I thought they were so underwhelming. And I thought the best commercial was The Food Conspiracy 1. The Matthew McConaughey. You know what I'm talking about. I thought that was the best one because it also had the bears in it. But the greatest moment of the super bowl, to great Daisy and Emma's delight, was when finally, I don't know if Taylor Swift has ever gotten booed. About time. Taylor Swift had no idea what was happening after getting booed when shown on the Jumbotron play. Cut 41. Oh, they're booing her. And I love when she says like, what is going on? She's never been booed in her life. And look, I just, I Think it's well deserved. She went after MAGA and endorsed Joe Biden, and she's not exactly in favorable company there. President Trump got applauded. Look, regardless of your opinions on Taylor Swift, it was a fun moment, but it really represented a cultural shift. Represented a cultural shift where President Trump gets roaring applause and Taylor Swift not as much. Here's President Trump getting applauded. Cut 42. And then there was this Nike ad saying that women were oppressed overall. I will say, though, that the advertisements were probably more pro American, more pro family, and a little less woke than I would have anticipated in previous years. But it just seems like the spark and the creativity was largely missing from them. You could see them clearly trying to signal. But a lot of the ads were just bland. They weren't boundary pushing. They weren't that entertaining, some of them. I even said. I said, I know that ad. They run that on regular TV. It's the McConaughey Salesforce ad. They've run that many times. And, you know, they say that the super bowl reflects kind of where American culture is. And here's the best summary I could give. We are in progress of exercising the woke, but we're not there yet. We're in progress of expelling it from our system, but we're not there yet. The Vibe ship is clear, but we still have a lot of work to do. And by the way, so many of the ads were released before the super bowl, so it wasn't exciting to watch it for the first time like it used to be. But, I mean, if I was a marketing agent, I would revert. I would release it ahead of time because you get all these extra views and then you get the views at the Super Bowl. So releasing ahead of time, I think is actually super smart. Overall, I was thrilled to see the Kansas City Chiefs lose. I hate to say it. I like Mahomes, think he's a great guy. I like Harrison Butker, got to know him. But seeing the Philadelphia again, I'm not exactly an Eagles fan. I think they burnt Philip Philly to a crisp. There's gonna have to be, like, a rebuilding plan, a national stimulus plan. I think FEMA is going to have to visit Philly after what happened last night. But I was happiest of all for Jalen hurts. Jalen hurts. In 2018, I remember he was benched in the middle of the national championship where Tua Tagavayola took over, and then he ended up having to transfer to Oklahoma. He never gave up. He fought for every inch I've been following his career for years. People thought he was no good and now he is Super Bowl MVP and Super bowl champion and they can never take that away from him. Thanks so much for listening everybody. Email us this as always. Freedomarliekirk.com thanks so much for listening and God Bless.

[Senator Rick Scott]

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