The Clay Travis and Buck Sexton Show: Hour 2 – Congressman Jim Jordan

Date: December 3, 2025
Podcast: The Clay Travis and Buck Sexton Show (iHeartPodcasts)

Episode Overview

This hour features Congressmen Jim Jordan joining Clay Travis and Buck Sexton to discuss the Republican agenda in Congress, upcoming priorities, economic frustrations among Americans, health care reforms, repercussions from the government shutdown, the culture war with Democrats, immigration issues highlighted by the Minneapolis Somali community, and more. The hosts maintain their signature mix of serious political insight, personal anecdotes, and jovial banter.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Congressional Priorities and Legislative Agenda

Timestamps: 03:16 – 05:48

• Health Care Reform:

  • Jordan wants the GOP to focus on lowering health care premiums "not by further subsidizing Obamacare," but by encouraging "choice and competition."

    “Subsidies typically don't bring down costs. In fact, they normally drive cost up. The better approach is choice and competition, which is what we want to do.”
    — Congressman Jim Jordan (04:29)

  • Health Savings Accounts, association health plans, and flexible options for families are being considered.

• Other Legislative Items:

  • Today’s bill on college sports, looming government funding deadlines, possible second reconciliation package.
  • Emphasis on the GOP's record: border security, tax cuts, and President Trump’s international successes.

2. Looking to Campaign Season 2026

Timestamps: 05:48 – 07:17

• Switch to Campaign Mode:
  • Clay asks Jordan when campaign season "officially starts." Jordan says the August Congressional recess is the traditional pivot point but observes “we’re in a perpetual campaign” due to constant political attacks.

    “It’s almost perpetual... In some ways it feels like it’s never stopped.”
    — Congressman Jim Jordan (06:31)

3. Economic Concerns: Inflation and Affordability

Timestamps: 07:17 – 11:48

• Persistently High Prices:

  • Buck and Jim discuss chronic inflation, the slow effect of Biden-era spending, and the enduring frustration Americans feel even as inflation rates cool.

    “Bringing [prices] down—very tough. Even keeping them static would seem to be, in some ways, a challenge.”
    — Buck Sexton (07:17)

  • Jordan reiterates that choice and market competition are key to health care cost reductions, and touts Republican-implemented tax cuts.

• Relatability of High Prices:

  • Clay uses “the Chick Fil A test” — pointing out how restaurant costs shock ordinary Americans.

• Will Voters Feel Change By Election Day?

  • Clay and Jim discuss whether improvements will register with voters by 2026.

    “Will it register with enough people by the time we get to November of next year? That’s my biggest concern...”
    — Clay Travis (10:29)

  • Jordan is optimistic but stresses the need to “tell people what the other side wants to do” as Democrats push left-wing policies.

4. Democrats, Shutdowns, and Lessons Learned

Timestamps: 11:48 – 14:18

• Shutdown Strategy:
  • Buck asks if Democrats learned from the recent government shutdown.
  • Jordan believes they have not—“the left controls their party” and will “double down on that.”

    “So I do not think they’ve learned anything because again, remember, the left controls their party... That’s the control and the energy in the party.”
    — Congressman Jim Jordan (12:20)

  • Takes a jab at Tennessee Democrats for running too far left-wing candidates even in red districts.

5. Top Priorities for House Republicans in 2026

Timestamps: 14:18 – 15:56

• Fundamental Governance:
  • Jordan stresses the importance of simply "doing our job": passing the budget, following proper appropriations procedures, and avoiding “shutdown talk.”
  • Specific legislative priority: FISA Reauthorization. Jordan emphasizes protecting Fourth and First Amendment rights amid concerns about government surveillance.

    “We need to focus on protecting the Fourth Amendment, your First Amendment liberties, making sure those are strong protections in place... That’s an important element that we have to get right”
    — Congressman Jim Jordan (15:39)

6. Lighter Banter and Listener Interactions

Timestamps: 21:49 – 29:51

• Man Card Teasing:
  • After a string of listener emails and calls, Buck’s love of cozy blankets, crème brulee, guns, and his “nursing home tendencies” become fodder for playful ridicule.

    “My man card is in kind of jeopardy right now. I never put those all together. It’s fair.”
    — Buck Sexton (22:31)

  • Buck regales listeners with a story about a fly-fishing trip in bear country, trying to “win back his man card.”

7. Minneapolis Somali Fraud Scandal & Immigration Debate

Timestamps: 29:51 – 39:34

• Trump’s Comments on Somali Community:

  • Buck plays a recent Trump sound bite about massive welfare fraud in Minnesota’s Somali community.

    “I hear they ripped off — Somalians — ripped off that state for billions of dollars... The welfare is like 88%. They contribute nothing. I don’t want them in our country.”
    — Donald Trump (played at 30:23)

  • The hosts discuss the feeding program fraud, the inability of authorities to prevent or detect such a large scheme, and the moral depravity of defrauding programs meant for hungry children.

    “To steal under the guise of charity... is particularly grotesque, right?”
    — Buck Sexton (32:19)

• Broader Assimilation and Crime Issues:

  • Buck and Clay debate the challenges of cultural assimilation among recent immigrants, referencing the situation in the UK’s Rotherham abuse scandal as a cautionary parallel.
  • Clay highlights a legal defense in a Minnesota case that invoked “lack of assimilation” as a defense for a Somali immigrant accused of child rape.

    “What you’re saying is the culture completely condones 12 year old sex in Somalia.”
    — Clay Travis (37:15)

  • Buck and Clay argue that willingness to ignore such issues for fear of appearing xenophobic or racist has real costs for communities.

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On Health Care Reform:

  “Subsidies typically don’t bring down costs. In fact, they normally drive cost up. The better approach is choice and competition, which is what we want to do.”
  — Rep. Jim Jordan (04:29)

• On Perpetual Campaign Mode:

  “It’s almost perpetual. I don’t know if it’s necessarily good or bad, but certainly the traditional time frame is next summer. But I think it probably gets here a little sooner. And with the Democrats and their constant attack on the president, in some ways it feels like it’s never stopped.”
  — Rep. Jim Jordan (06:31)

• On High Prices:

  “I ordered, I had Chick Fil A with my kids yesterday. The amount I have to pay for Chick Fil A, it blows my mind every time I do it. Everyone out there knows what that feeling is.”
  — Clay Travis (09:38)

• On the Left’s Control of the Democratic Party:

  “The left controls their party and the left was adamantly opposed to opening up the government... So I think the lesson is we’re just going to keep pushing ahead with all the left wing policies.”
  — Rep. Jim Jordan (13:00)

• On Government Surveillance:

  “I just found out two weeks ago that Jack Smith and his team were getting my phone records, spying and surveilling me for two and a half years... That’s creepy, but that’s what they were doing.”
  — Rep. Jim Jordan (15:36)

• On Somali Fraud and Assimilation:

  “To steal under the guise of charity, specifically a charity feeding needy children, is particularly grotesque, right?... And then there’s also how much of this was able to continue because people in a Democrat state like Minneapolis just felt uncomfortable... it will look racist, it will look xenophobic. I don’t want to touch this.”
  — Buck Sexton (32:19, 33:41)

Important Timestamps

| Time | Topic | |-----------|---------------------------------------------------| | 03:16 | Congressman Jim Jordan joins; Congressional agenda| | 04:29 | Health care reform, choice vs. subsidy | | 06:31 | When campaign season 2026 begins | | 08:04 | Buck raises issue of stubborn inflation | | 09:38 | Clay’s “Chick Fil A” test on cost-of-living | | 12:20 | Shutdown politics, lessons learned/not learned | | 15:39 | FISA reauthorization & government surveillance | | 22:31 | Buck loses (then fights to regain) his “man card” | | 29:51 | Somali fraud scandal in Minneapolis & Trump quote | | 32:19 | Discussion on scale and depravity of charity fraud| | 35:48 | Assimilation, legal & cultural gaps (Somali case) |

Tone & Style

• Conversational, witty, and direct: The hosts maintain humor, break down complex topics to relatable analogies, and aren't afraid to stake strong positions.
• Critical of left/Democrats: Especially regarding spending, immigration, and “woke” cultural policies.
• Detail-oriented: Citing data, personal anecdotes, and referencing foreign policy implications.

Conclusion

This episode’s second hour delivers a substantive look into the GOP’s top issues heading toward 2026, the economic frustrations of ordinary Americans, the cultural and political trenches of the ongoing “perpetual campaign,” and charged debates over immigration and assimilation. Congressman Jim Jordan offers a clear conservative perspective on legislative priorities, the dangers of unchecked government surveillance, and the challenges of conveying political progress to a restless electorate. Interwoven throughout are the show’s hallmark exchanges—personal, humorous, and sharply opinionated—making the conversation relevant and engaging even for those who missed the episode.