The Tudor Dixon Podcast: Rep. Tim Burchett on the Government Shutdown, Failing Schools, and the Next Generation of Leaders

Summary

---

Podcast Summary

Podcast: The Clay Travis and Buck Sexton Show – The Tudor Dixon Podcast
Episode: Rep. Tim Burchett on the Government Shutdown, Failing Schools, and the Next Generation of Leaders
Date: October 6, 2025
Host: Tudor Dixon
Guest: Rep. Tim Burchett (Tennessee)

---

Overview

This episode of The Tudor Dixon Podcast, part of The Clay Travis and Buck Sexton Show, features an in-depth conversation with Congressman Tim Burchett. The discussion centers around the looming government shutdown, generational power struggles in Washington, the crisis in public education, crime and policing in American cities, and the rise of progressive leadership. Burchett offers candid, often humorous takes on the state of politics, the influence of government on young Americans, failures in education, the impact of policies like DEI (Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion), and the necessity of strong leadership for the next generation.

---

Key Discussion Points and Insights

1. Behind the Scenes of the Government Shutdown

• Senate Leadership and Generational Power:
  • Burchett sees Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer as stuck between appeasing his old guard base and pressure from younger, more leftist voices like Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez.
  • "Schumer is looking in his rearview mirror. He's looking at Alexandra Acacio Cortez, or as I call her, Cortez. She is probably chomping at the bit to run for U.S. Senate... He could care less about the country." (Tim Burchett, 02:57)
• Responsibility Lies with the Senate:
  • Burchett argues that the House has already done its work, and that the blame for any gridlock or shutdown lies with the Senate and Democratic leadership.
  • “The House has already done its business. It’s up to the Senate now... the country is not buying this one bit.” (Tim Burchett, 03:56)

2. Aging Political Leadership and the Next Generation

• Holding on to Power and Fears of the Progressive Wing:
  • Both Dixon and Burchett discuss how older leaders in the Democratic Party refused to cede ground to younger generations, which has now resulted in a powerful far-left contingent.
  • "They wouldn't give up power when they could... now they're afraid of what this communist power is, but they're going farther to the left." (Tudor Dixon, 05:01)
  • "It's about preserving their leadership. It's an arrogance that thinks... they're not going to be able to succeed without them." (Tim Burchett, 05:35)
• Youth Attitudes Toward Government:
  • The hosts highlight a generational divide: some young people want less government, others expect more intervention and financial relief.
  • "The government was designed to be maybe an ambulance carrier and it's become a transit system." (Tim Burchett, 07:16)

3. Failing Schools and One-Size-Fits-All Policy

• Expanding Entitlements and Bureaucracy:
  • Discussion turns to programs like universal free school lunches, with Burchett criticizing the “one size fits all” mentality and growth of bureaucracy at the expense of effectiveness.
  • "It is why Donald J. Trump wants to get out of the education business. One of the reasons it's just become such a bureaucracy." (Tim Burchett, 08:28)
  • "We were number one in the world. Now, trillions of dollars later, we’re in the 20s... So it is." (Tim Burchett, 09:19)
• Critique of Teachers’ Unions:
  • Both hosts take issue with the way unions use dues, suggesting that much of what's being done is not truly in teachers' or students' best interests.
  • "The only reason most teachers are in there is for insurance, if you talk to them in reality." (Tim Burchett, 10:01)

4. DEI (Diversity, Equity, Inclusion) and Ideological Capture in Higher Ed

• Persistence of DEI Initiatives:
  • Despite announcements to curb DEI initiatives in Tennessee universities, Burchett explains they simply rebrand and persist.
  • "It's like kudzu... it grows everywhere, and you cut it down, and... it always comes back." (Tim Burchett, 11:07)
• Focus on Trade and Practical Education:
  • Burchett expresses frustration over degrees he views as lacking practical value.
  • "We need to teach people how to read, write, and do arithmetic... If they're going to be an electrician, let's teach them how to do it... all the other stuff is nonsense. It's just fluffy and it drains the tax base." (Tim Burchett, 12:22)

5. Political Hostility, Campus Culture, and the Role of Professors

• Hostility on Campus:
  • Tudor recounts a Turning Point USA organizer being harassed—by both students and a professor.
  • "An actual professor came up and poured his coffee on the kid." (Tudor Dixon, 18:53)
  • "They need to be unemployed, but that's tenure for you..." (Tim Burchett, 19:03)
• Foreign Influence on Campuses:
  • Burchett warns against recruiting students from adversarial countries, fearing ideological “infiltration.”
  • "We're recruiting people from overseas... they’re infecting our way of life... with communist propaganda." (Tim Burchett, 19:31)

6. Crime, Urban Decay, and Leadership Failures

• Memphis, Detroit, and Federal Intervention:
  • Burchett comments on the proposal to send the National Guard to crime-ridden cities.
  • "Memphis, Tennessee, has a higher death toll than Mexico City... and it's been run by a Democrat machine for longer than I live." (Tim Burchett, 20:26)
  • "The best people in the world are held hostage by some of the worst people in the world." (Tim Burchett, 21:40)
• Cycle of Crime and Low Law Enforcement Morale:
  • Critique of cashless bail and lenient prosecutors which, he argues, lead to criminals returning to the streets and demoralize police.
  • "By the time they fill out the paperwork, that person's already going to be out on the street." (Tim Burchett, 23:39)

7. Partisan Messaging Failures and Policy Realities

• Republican Messaging and the Shutdown:
  • Burchett laments poor Republican messaging, arguing Democrats are intentionally orchestrating the shutdown for political gain and to reinstate progressive policies.
  • "The best friend the Democrats have right now probably is the Republican Party because our messaging stinks." (Tim Burchett, 25:53)
  • "The Democrats are going to shut this thing down and they have shut it down for providing health care for illegals... They want to refund those and start them all over again." (Tim Burchett, 26:15)
• DEI Criticism and Secret Service Example:
  • Burchett draws a direct line between DEI policies and recent security failures.
  • "DEI just about got Donald Trump killed because we had a head of Secret Service that was a DEI hire, had no business being in that position..." (Tim Burchett, 28:09)
• Republicans should embrace “America First.”
  • "America first should be our agenda." (Tim Burchett, 29:57)

8. Critique of DEI in Politics and Biden’s Vice President

• Kamala Harris as a “DEI hire”:
  • Dixon and Burchett agree that Harris’s selection was driven by identity rather than qualifications.
  • "She was a DEI hire." (Tudor Dixon, 35:29)
  • "He said, I'm looking for a black female and his thing. I mean, you know, and I was criticized for saying that. But Biden said it. Don't accuse me." (Tim Burchett, 35:30)
• General Fatigue with Political Correctness:
  • "I'm so sick of everybody being wusses. The wusses are losing in numbers and folks like me, numbers are going up because I'm sick of it. And I think America is sick of it." (Tim Burchett, 35:52)

9. The Importance of Humor and Personal Touch in Politics

• Comedy as a Political Tool:
  • Burchett identifies as the “class clown” and says maintaining humor wins support, as long as the job is taken seriously.
  • "I always say I don't take myself serious, but I take the job serious." (Tim Burchett, 37:11)
• Constituent Service and Frustration with DC Bureaucracy:
  • "Washington, D.C. is too much about, about how this will appeal... Congress just doesn't get it, neither party." (Tim Burchett, 38:03)
• Call to Action:
  • Both stress the need for increased turnout—especially from underrepresented demographics like sportsmen and hunters.

---

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments (with Timestamps)

• "Schumer is looking in his rearview mirror. He's looking at Alexandra Acacio Cortez..."
  – Tim Burchett (02:57)
• "The government was designed to be maybe an ambulance carrier and it's become a transit system."
  – Tim Burchett (07:16)
• "When Jimmy Carter moved the Department of Education up to a cabinet level position in 1976, we were number one in the world. Now, trillions of dollars later, we’re in the 20s."
  – Tim Burchett (09:19)
• "It's like kudzu... it always comes back in five or six different places. And that's what our colleges and universities are."
  – Tim Burchett (11:07)
• "An actual professor came up and poured his coffee on the kid."
  – Tudor Dixon (18:53)
• "Memphis, Tennessee, has a higher death toll than Mexico City... and it's been run by a Democrat machine for longer than I live."
  – Tim Burchett (20:26)
• "The best friend the Democrats have right now probably is the Republican Party because our messaging stinks."
  – Tim Burchett (25:53)
• "DEI just about got Donald Trump killed because we had a head of Secret Service that was a DEI hire, had no business being in that position..."
  – Tim Burchett (28:09)
• “She was a DEI hire.”
  – Tudor Dixon (35:29)
• "I always say I don't take myself serious, but I take the job serious."
  – Tim Burchett (37:11)
• "We need more than 12% of the population to vote. We need preachers to preach the gospel. We need parents to tell their kids what's right..."
  – Tim Burchett (38:51)

---

Key Segments & Timestamps

| Topic | Timestamp | |------------------------------------------|-----------------------| | Introduction of Rep. Burchett & Shutdown | 02:39 – 05:01 | | Generational Change & Power | 05:01 – 07:16 | | Young People's Attitudes Toward Government| 06:32 – 07:50 | | Schools, Bureaucracy, & Entitlements | 07:50 – 10:54 | | DEI and Higher Ed | 10:54 – 13:31 | | Campus Hostility & Professors | 18:15 – 19:55 | | Crime in Cities, Law Enforcement | 19:55 – 24:57 | | Republican Messaging and the Shutdown | 25:53 – 29:57 | | DEI Politics & Identity, Kamala Harris | 35:05 – 36:41 | | Humor in Politics & Personal Stories | 37:11 – 39:34 |

---

Tone and Style

The conversation is unfiltered, personal, and often wry, with both hosts using humor and colloquialisms to drive home policy critiques. Burchett is blunt, folksy, and peppered with analogies (e.g., schools as "kudzu," the "ambulance carrier" government). Both he and Dixon voice deep frustration with the status quo in both parties and urge listeners to be active and vigilant.

---

TL;DR

Rep. Tim Burchett joins Tudor Dixon for a candid talk on Washington gridlock, the generational struggle in politics, failures of the education system, the rise and fallout of DEI and progressive policies, and the need for principled leadership and citizen involvement to turn the tide. The discussion is rich with real-world examples, pointed criticisms, and a dose of humor.

---

Transcript

[Tudor Dixon]

This is an iHeart podcast.

[Ted Cruz]

The US electric grid is approaching a breaking point. As demand soars from data centers and home energy use, our aging infrastructure can't keep up. And the Department of Energy warns that without action, blackouts could surge 100 fold by 2030. The good news? One solution is already here. Propane. It's American made, stored on site and always ready. Powering homes and businesses with cleaner, reliable energy that doesn't depend on the grid or the weather. Learn [e-mail] Take a deep dive into.

[Tim Burchett]

The stories making the news headlines across the world.

[Emily Maitlis]

The News Agents we're not just here to tell you what's happening, but why? From me, Emily Maitlis. And me, John Sopel with Global's award winning podcast the News Agents Dropping daily covering everything you need to know about politics and current affairs.

[Tim Burchett]

And the newsagents USA.

[Emily Maitlis]

Listening to the news agents on America's number one podcast network, iHeart. Open your free iHeart app and search the news agents to to start listening.

[Rodney Williams]

I'm Rodney Williams.

[Travis Holloway]

And I'm Travis Holloway. Welcome to the Wealth Break podcast, a real conversation about finance.

[Rodney Williams]

Let's be honest, building wealth doesn't look the same for everyone.

[Tudor Dixon]

I feel like sometimes being broke is a cycle and that we might have.

[Travis Holloway]

To revisit that and we're not stopping at success stories.

[Commercial Announcer]

What happens when it doesn't go right? How do you cope with it?

[Rodney Williams]

Because wealth isn't just about money. It's about creating a life where you thrive and help others do the same.

[Travis Holloway]

Listen to the Wealth Break podcast on the iHeartRadio app.

[Tim Burchett]

Hey, Ryan Reynolds here from Mint Mobile. Now, I don't know if you've heard, but Mint's Premium Wireless is $15 a month. But I'd like to offer one other perk. We have no stores. That means no small talk. Crazy weather we're having. No, it's not. It's just weather. It is an introvert's dream. Give it a try. @mintmobile.com Upfront payment of 45 for 3.

[Commercial Announcer]

Month plan, 15 per month equivalent required. New customer offer first 3 months only, then full price plan options available, taxes and fees extra.

[Tim Burchett]

Cmno.com I'm Ben Ferguson.

[Ted Cruz]

And I'm Ted Cruz. Three times a week we do our podcast Verdict with Ted Cruz.

[Tim Burchett]

Nationwide, we have millions of listeners.

[Ted Cruz]

Every Monday, Wednesday and Friday, we break down the news and bring you behind the scenes. Inside the White House, inside the Senate, inside the United States Supreme Court.

[Tim Burchett]

And we cover the stories that you're not getting anywhere else.

[Ted Cruz]

We arm you with the facts to be able to know and advocate for the truth with your friends and family.

[Tim Burchett]

So download Verdict with Ted Cruz now, wherever you get your podcasts.

[Tudor Dixon]

Welcome to the Tudor Dixon Podcast. Today we have Congressman Tim Burchett with us. He is from Tennessee, but you are in Washington, D.C. right now handling this government shutdown. I just want to say we're recording this on Wednesday and anything could happen. But tell us the behind the scenes right now, if you don't mind.

[Tim Burchett]

Well, I think there's a lot of things going on. I think what part of it really nobody's addressed this. The it's, it's Schumer is looking in his rearview mirror. He is looking at Alexandra Acacio Cortez, or as I call her, Cortez. She is probably chomping at the bit to run for U.S. senate. Schumer knows that he has been left by me isn't he's a liberal. But this I don't, I don't know that he's approached, approached the Marxist level yet. And I think he sees New York going completely communist Marxist for this, this lunatic they're getting ready to elect. And he knows that his, he's going to have that base. So he's going to throw everything at this, you know, the transgender surgery, the, the health care for illegals. And that's what he's looking at. He doesn't care about the country. And Jeffries is just a, it's just along for the ride because the House is already, we've already passed the bill. It's in the Senate. And it, and it's clearly, you know, the, the Democrats are, you know, all in D.C. i wanted to correct you. I'm sorry, I'm in, I'm in Knoxville today, actually, so and we're not there's no reason for us to be there because there's nothing going on. We, the House has already done its business. It's up to the Senate now. And I think that's what Schumer is doing, that's his ultimate plan is to appease his far liberal base. He could care less about the country. He needs to go back to flipping raw hamburgers with cheese on them on his grill. And, you know, I think he needs to go play with his grandkids, if he has any, and get on with his life because this thing has clearly passed him by. The country is not buying this one bit. They know this is about providing health care for illegals.

[Tudor Dixon]

You make an interesting point, though. He is at the high end of the age range in his party. This seems to be a trend in their party to have people well into their 80s and sometimes into their 90s. I think that they have held off the younger generation, the generation of 40 to 50 year olds, and now they have the 20 and 30 year olds coming in that are of the far progressive left. They wouldn't give up power when they could to the next generation. Now they're afraid of what this communist power is, but they're going to the far, farther to the left. It's shocking to me.

[Tim Burchett]

Well, it's just, it's, it's. I think it's, it's about leadership. You see it in all parties. It's about preserving their leadership. It's an arrogance that thinks that they're not going to be able to succeed without them. I can remember one time here in Knox county when they put in term limits and they were interviewing some of the county courthouse folks and one of them got on the news and said, I just don't know if this county is going to be able to function without us. And I thought it was a joke. I had to check my calendar, make sure it wasn't April 1st. But honest to goodness, they were serious. And that's the mentality of this. But you get that because you've got, you've got these staffers that walk around and, you know, I don't know, they might heat the commode seat before you go into the bathroom. I don't know. I mean, it's ridiculous how these leadership, they've got, they've got their posse, they got their Suburbans, they got security four deep. They're never waiting in line anywhere.

[Tudor Dixon]

How much of an effect do you think they've had on the younger generation? Because we talked to a turning point group in northern Michigan just a few weeks ago and those young people were saying, we're kind of in this. In between where part of our generation is saying we don't want big government and part of our generation is saying, well, what is the government going to do for us? And I asked them, what are you expecting from government? Why do you feel like you are owed something by the government? The government should be there to provide public safety and infrastructure, but what else are you wanting from them? They have gotten to the point, the Democrats have gotten to the point where they've convinced young people that Democrat, that government is, is essential to their life and should provide them financial relief.

[Tim Burchett]

I agree. I think the government was designed to be maybe an ambulance carrier and it's become a transit system. And that's, you know, it's just, we've allowed that to happen. More and more taxes, more and more regulation just kind of ease into us. We have higher property taxes, higher sales tax, user fees going down the list. And it's, and then you add income tax and, and all the egregious things that brings on. So, yeah, we've allowed it, is what we've done. We got to quit. When you have 12% of the population in K Street, lobbyists running the show.

[Tudor Dixon]

It's true. We've seen it in Michigan right now. There's this, I mean, we have, the Michigan government is shut down as well. We have this battle over whether or not we're going to pay for everybody's school lunch. It's such a bizarre battle because it's very hard for the Republicans to come out and say, well, why should we subsidize the wealthy? But essentially, free and reduced lunch is always going to be there for the people that need it. This is now giving free free lunch to the wealthy families. And it's a really hard, it's a really hard semantics argument to have with the people of Michigan to say, why do you want to pay more taxes to pay for people who can afford their kids to have lunch to pay for their lunch?

[Tim Burchett]

Well, that's, that don't want to make anybody feel uncomfortable kind of BS. When I was a kid, I'm 61 years old, and I can remember the kids that were on the free and reduced lunch, nobody knew it. I was, I guess, just attentive. And the teacher would give them a little slug that they would use for their lunch and, and then they would know, the cafeteria workers would know that they. Just because they could see them, you know, and we didn't pay attention. Just they just handed them a coin is all. It was just like we were handing them a coin and, and nobody was made fun of, nobody was pointing the finger at. It was just part of it. And now, yeah, there's, there's areas in my district where there are people that are a lot of wealthy folks and a lot of poor folks in combined. And then they just give everybody a free introduced lunch and it's a one size fits all. I think that's. That is why Donald J. Trump wants to get out of the education business. One of the reasons it's just become such a bureaucracy. You know, we, when Jimmy Carter moved the Department of Education up to education up to a cabinet level position in 1976, we were number one in the world. Now, trillions of dollars later. We're in the 20s, if we're lucky in some categories. So it is. You see Ms. Weingarten on there ranting and raving for her teachers union. And now we find out they've spending well over a hundred thousand dollars promoting her book. Their union dues.

[Tudor Dixon]

Right. Which is essentially our money that is being paid to teachers. And then they're stripping it off of their paycheck.

[Tim Burchett]

Exactly, exactly. And the only reason most teachers are in there is for insurance, if you talk to them in reality. My mama was a classroom teacher. My sister was. I have a degree in education, Certified K through 12 in Tennessee. So I get that. And they make a push for it when I was in college and I. And I made those points to her, to our director. The director. I forget the title of education, but you know, and all the philosophy of education classes I had to take and all the garbage that they need to teach you how to. And a very few teacher classes taught you how to actually teach school. And until they throw you in the deep end when you do your student teaching. And then you wonder why you have such a large burnout rate in education. And then these poor teachers are just run over by these union bosses. And it's ridiculous.

[Tudor Dixon]

Well, now we're suffering with dei. We see that at our university level. You've seen that in Tennessee. There have been some undercover videos that have come out. Even though the president said, no more dei, it's still happening.

[Tim Burchett]

That's right. They just rename it. And the problem we have is, and follow me on this, and I've made this a point when we, our great senator Marsha Blackburn raised a ruckus and had one of them kicked out, I believe, at mtsu. But the problem is, it's like kudzu. I don't know if you're from the south or not. Now you're up there in Michigan, aren't you, in the cold country. But kudzu is a plant. It's an invasive species, and it just grows everywhere on the hillside. They say you got to close your windows at night or it'll crawling and snatch your kids back in the old days. But anyway, it grows everywhere up here, and it's just all over. And you cut it down and they got all these new plants. They'll bring in goats. Oh, goats will do it. And I don't know, they napalm it. I'm not sure they use all these chemicals, but guess what? It always comes back in five or six different places. And that's what Our colleges and universities are. We fire these people. What we've got to do is fire the people that are doing the hiring these, these departments that, that allow this kind of thing because it's going to come back bigger and better and stronger under these liberal policies in the future and that, and we should, and these legislators, I mean, you know, they get schmooze, they get invited to the sky boxes all over the country, you know, to be the football games and, and, and the, and the heavy hitters, pat them on the back and tell them how great they are and then they just keep funding this garbage. And then here we are at the University of Tennessee and Knoxville with somebody with a lesbian studies degree that's trashing Charlie Kirk, you know, after he's dead. And from what we've understood, you know, I just. And what, what does that prepare somebody to do in life? No, I'm go down and work down the coffee shop I guess. You know, we need to teach people, we need to get back to education. We need to teach people how to, how to read, write and do arithmetic. But if we're going to teach them a trade, teach them a trade, go to the trade school. That's just beautiful. My degree is technological adult education. If you're going to teach them to be a lawyer, send them to law school. If you're going to be a doctor, put them on that track, early medical chemistry, those kind of things and, and you know, and, and go down those lines. If they're going to be an electrician, let's teach them how to do electric, how to do it and, but all the other stuff is nonsense. It's just fluffy and it drains the tax base and that's where these liberal policies come in.

[Tudor Dixon]

Let's take a quick commercial break. We'll continue next on the Tudor Dixon podcast.

[Commercial Announcer]

Time for a sofa upgrade. Visit washablesofas.com and discover Annabe where designer style meets budget friendly prices. With sofas starting at $699. Annabe brings you the ultimate in furniture innovation with a modular design that allows you to rearrange your space and effortlessly Perfect for both small and large spaces. Anibe is the only machine washable sofa inside and out. Say goodbye to stains and messes with liquid and stain resistant fabrics that make cleaning easy. Liquid simply slides right off. Designed for custom comfort, our high resilience foam lets you choose between a sink in feel or a supportive memory foam blend. Plus our pet friendly stain resistant fabrics ensure your sofa stays beautiful for years. Don't compromise quality for price. Visit washablesofas.com to upgrade your living space today with no risk returns and a 30 day money back guarantee. Get up to 60% off plus free shipping and free returns. Shop [e-mail] Authors are subject to change and certain restrictions may apply.

[Dr. Nicole Safire]

This is Nicole Safire from Wellness unmass with Dr. Nicole Safire. If collagen products are not part of your daily routine, you may want to pay attention to this did you know Collagen makes up about 30% of the body's total protein and is essential for healthy joints, skin elasticity, bone strength and even your gut lining. Starting as early as your 30s, collagen production declines by roughly 1% each year. By age 60, you may have lost nearly half of your body's natural collagen, contributing to joint degeneration, wrinkles and brittle bones. Multiple clinical studies have shown that supplementing with collagen can help reverse some of this decline. In one trial, participants saw a 43% reduction reduction in joint pain within just six months. In another, women experienced up to a 20% increase in skin elasticity after 12 weeks. That's why itrus nativepath collagen. Its peptides are clinically shown to absorb and rebuild damaged tissue. If you're serious about aging well, Nativepath collagen is one of the smartest, most evidence based choices you can make. And for a limited time you'll receive a special bundle offer up to 45% off the retail price. Go online and type in explorenativepath.com for 45% off. Today that website is explornativepath.com explorenativepath.com the.

[Ted Cruz]

US electric grid is approaching a breaking point as demand soars from data centers and home energy use. Our aging infrastructure can't keep up and the Department of Energy warns that without action, blackouts could surge 100 fold by 2030. The good news? One solution is already here. Propane. It's American made, stored on site and always ready. Powering homes and businesses with cleaner, reliable energy that doesn't depend on the grid or the weather. Learn [e-mail] Take a deep dive into.

[Tim Burchett]

The stories making the news headlines across the world.

[Emily Maitlis]

The News Agents we're not just here to tell you what's happening, but why. From me, Emily Maitlis and me, John Sopel with Global's award winning podcast the News Agents Dropping daily covering everything you need to know about politics and current.

[Tim Burchett]

Affairs and the newsagents USA.

[Emily Maitlis]

Listening to the newsagents on America's number one podcast network iHeart. Open your free iHeart app and search the newsagents to start listening.

[Rodney Williams]

I'm Rodney Williams.

[Travis Holloway]

And I'm Travis Holloway. Welcome to the wealth break.

[Rodney Williams]

Let's be honest. Building wealth doesn't look the same for everyone. It's not just about saving. It's about investing. It's about navigating systems that weren't built for you, embracing your hustle, and relying on your community to create something bigger.

[Travis Holloway]

And that's exactly why we created the wealthbreak. We made something different, something more human. It's not just another financial podcast. It's a conversation about real life, real struggles, and real wins.

[Rodney Williams]

We're here to talk about the journey. You're hearing from people who've broken barriers, found creative ways to succeed, and learned to build wealth on their terms. Whether it's the first time homeowner, a gig worker, or someone turning a side hustle into a six figure business, we're bringing you their stories.

[Travis Holloway]

And we're not stopping at success stories. We're breaking down the realities, like what it means to take risk, how to navigate failure, and why resilience matters. Because wealth isn't about money. It's about creating a life where you can thrive and help others to do the same.

[Rodney Williams]

So if you're ready for a podcast as much as about people as it is about money, you're in the right place.

[Travis Holloway]

Listen to the Wealth Brave podcast on the iHeartRadio app.

[Tudor Dixon]

So I went to college in the 90s and I don't remember having any type of politics on college campuses. I do remember Bill Clinton coming to my college campus, but it wasn't as though people were completely absorbed by it. I think it was mostly because of social media. But you make such a great point about the Charlie Kirk situation. We went to, like I said, went to Northern Michigan University last weekend. We sat down with the Turning Point kids there. The kid who is the young man who has organized the Turning Point group, he said he put out his table on campus to recruit more people. There were students coming by yelling, you're fascist. You're horrible. But the worst part is an actual professor came up and poured his coffee on the kid. Think about that.

[Tim Burchett]

Well, they need to be unemployed, but that's tenure for you. Yeah, he probably checked his union rules before he did that. And it was probably specifically allowed. But we've got to get control of public education. We got to defund it and we got to quit sending money to places like Harvard that have multi billion dollar bankrolls. They're Sitting on. And we just got to get away from it. We've recruited people from overseas to come into China specifically. And we're all the liberals tell us, oh, this is great, we'll teach them the American way of life. Well, in fact, no, they're infecting our way of life. Not all of them, but some of them with communist propaganda and they infiltrate in their long term. The communists have a long term plan. Americans, you know, we want our pizzas in about 30 minutes and that's about our dadgum attention span.

[Tudor Dixon]

Let me ask you about crime because you have the city of Memphis in your state. We have the city of Detroit. We are constantly in a competition as to who is the most deep, violent city in America. Donald Trump has said he wants to come into Memphis. He's sending the National Guard. Your governor is on board with that? Our governor is obviously in Michigan not on board with getting the National Guard into the city of Detroit. What do you see as the possibilities there to improve the city of Memphis?

[Tim Burchett]

I think that it's a great opportunity for Tennessee. I worry that we're sending these troops in that may be possibly unarmed. I think that's a bad idea. That's going to get somebody killed. I think we watched that when I was in the state legislature, we looked at unarmed traffic people and things in certain areas and we most of the time voted against it because obviously there's a major crime and you look like law enforcement. Somebody runs up to you and says, I need your help. Well, all you can do is write him a ticket, throw a radio at them or something. So I think we better, we better do it right. And, but you're right, Memphis, Tennessee has a higher death toll than Mexico City. So, yeah, it is horrible. And it's, and when I'm on national news, cnn, they always point that out. Oh, red state Tennessee has Memphis. I said, yeah, but it's been run by a Democrat machine for, for longer than I live. It used to be the, the Crump machine and then the Ford family ran it and now it's just who knows who's running it. But it's, it's an awful scenario right now. And what you see is the best people in the world are held hostage by some of the worst people in the world. When we had the, the mayor of Washington D.C. and all their people in, in our oversight committee, I'll never forget it, it was five white guys up front and all the black folks were sitting in the back. The community activists and they were just shaking their head the whole Time. And I said, and I brought that. I brought that up. I said, I see five white guys up here, but I don't see anybody representing the community. I said, I'm pretty sure there's a pretty large Black population in D.C. you know. And after I walked out, one of the more prominent black Democrats in Congress thanked me. He said, tim, that needed to be said. And I said, and I'm glad you said it. And I said, thank you. And I get it. It's just. There's a sense of denial, there's a sense of ownership, and. And there's an arrogance and. And people are dying because of it. The people that can't speak aren't able to speak. The people that are in power, the preachers and the. And the shady politicians, they're all going to get up front of the mic and holler about racism or whatever. But there's little. There's mamas out there that are crying every night because her babies are getting killed. And there's no reason for that. And we can stop it. And it needs to be stopped.

[Tudor Dixon]

We see the same thing in Michigan. We have. Not too long ago, a few years ago, a mother from Flint went on the news and they said, you know what happened? Sheila had lost her son the night before. And she said, if the leaders came in, if they cared about jobs, if they cared about taking the bad people off the streets, my son wouldn't have been in this position. And that's the thing that shocks me, is that it doesn't seem like this is a. I don't understand why they say that this is the caring thing to let these people out. We have these prosecutors that just let these folks back on the street. Just last weekend, our. One of our county sheriffs was saying it really is a handful of people that commit the most crimes, but we can't get them off the streets because the prosecutors let them right back on.

[Tim Burchett]

They're right back on. You're exactly right. And that nothing infuriates. And that's why you see law enforcement, the morale is so low. They know by the time they fill out the paperwork, that person's already going to be out on the street. And a lot of these, you have zero bail. You know, this got to do away with that cashless bail. That just doesn't work. They're not coming back. That's why you saw an angry father on the news yesterday, talking about a guy that had murdered. No telling what he did to his beautiful daughter. You know, how many convicts, how many was he sitting on 29 felonies or something like that. I mean, something ridiculous. And it just goes on and on and on and it never seems to stop. And you know, again, 12% of the population votes. You have the leaders and the preachers and all telling you, whooping you up and pointing the finger and saying it's race when it's just within. Ma', am, we have. Our leadership in all these areas is very lacking. And in these minority communities, especially if they had some true leadership that cared about their people and not about staying in power or getting a headline, it would change everything. 180 but currently we don't see that, that type of bravery out there.

[Tudor Dixon]

We see a lot of Democrats and I've seen a lot of my friends that are Democrats on social media that have been just wild about the fact that Donald Trump is overstepping his authority. He's a king. He is walking into these cities and he's bringing the military and he's taking over. But they don't live in these cities like you said. Those are, those are the white people who are trying to manage it from the outside. They don't deal with it. Every single day now we see this government shutdown. I've, I've heard the leftist news saying that this is going to hurt Donald Trump because a government shutdown always hurts the President that's in power. The midterms are coming. Are these shenanigans being pulled by the Democrats because they know their policies on public safety and their policies on an open border and their policies on foreign wars are not acceptable right now. So they're trying to put the government shutdown in place to hurt the President.

[Tim Burchett]

The best friend the Democrats have right now probably is a Republican Party because our messaging stinks. You know, I put out on, on Twitter or X the other day that, that this exactly what was going on and what was causing this shutdown. And, and it had 1.5 million views. Ma'. Am. I'm the 435th most powerful member of Congress. I can't imagine what some of our so called studs would do that, that people in the media clamor to interview all the time. If they would just quit being such whiny little, little kids and start doing their jobs and message. This thing is, it is so beautiful politically because that is in fact the truth. The Democrats are going to shut this thing down and they have shut it down for providing health care for illegals and they'll say no, we're not. No we're not. Well, sure they are. They want to reef. They want to start back all the programs that Donald Trump and Congress in some regards, kicked out or cut out, and they want to refund those and start them all over again. And that includes npr, public television. You know, I was in the NPR hearings. I asked this question because I heard it on the radio. They said, what is your definition of propaganda? And they said, lee Greenwood singing God Bless the usa oh, my gosh. And I asked the head of npr, I said, is that your position? Oh, no, that's not our position. That's just one of our commentators. I said, no, you can't. That is your position. That is your position. You cannot sit here and say that. And you know, they want to restart all the DEI programs. Well, DEI just about got Donald Trump killed because that was. We had a head of Secret Service that was a DEI hire, had no business being in that position, had people in those positions protecting Trump that were not that. I don't. That were not of the right height even. I mean, you saw the pictures, and then you saw some of them. When you get shot, they're all ducking down. Well, that's not their job. Their job is to take a bullet for Trump, for whoever they're guarding. I don't care if it's Obama. I don't care who it is. But that is their job. I've heard Bongino say it many times. He, he guarded Hillary Clinton at some asset. You know, he would have taken a bullet for. That was his job. He didn't have to agree with her. But dad Gamut, that was his job. And, and we've allowed, we're going to allow these programs to start back again. The funding of the transgender surgery for minors, things like that, that you're taxed, I mean, that's demonic. Yet that is the things that Democrats are. And frankly, the national media is not calling it out. I tell you, when Schumer will come to the table is when he sees his numbers are too far gone. He knows he's sinking right now. That's why you see Jeffries kind of in the background more so than he was, because he sees this is hurting his own people and they're going to get up and they'll. The usual cast of characters will talk about all this stuff. This is killing them. We just need to pour the coals on. We need to stick to our guns, stay loyal to this president. Because honestly. And I get so aggravated with Congress, we get so puffed up. We're in a, we're one flu season away from from losing the majority of two or three people don't show up. We're out. We're out. And the reason is we ran on our own agendas. President Trump ran on some pretty strong stuff. The border, strong economy, end in the, yeah, all this stuff that, that, the, that the, the conservative base hates. I mean they, they love Trump because he did it, but the left hates us for it. And we ran on all this other different stuff and we barely hang on. And that's the reason, because we should have adopted his agenda. I did pretty well in my district and I, I think I, I got one point more than the president. Don't tell him I said that. If he were to ask me, if he were to ask me, I'd say you carried me, Mr. President. But all kidding aside, I think we should look at that agenda and that should be our agenda. America first should be our agenda.

[Tudor Dixon]

Let's take a quick commercial break. We'll continue next on the Tudor Dixon Podcast.

[Commercial Announcer]

Time for a sofa upgrade. Visit washablesofas.com and discover Annabe where designer style meets budget friendly prices. With sofas starting at $699. Anabe brings you the ultimate in furniture innovation with a modular design that allows you to rearrange your space effortlessly. Perfect for both small and large spaces, Anibe is the only machine washable sofa inside and out. Say goodbye to stains and messes with liquid and stain resistant fabrics that make cleaning easy. Liquid simply slides right off. Designed for custom comfort, our high resilience foam lets you choose between a sink in feel or a supportive memory foam blend. Plus our pet friendly stain resistant fabrics ensure your sofa stays beautiful for years. Don't compromise quality. For price, visit washablesofas.com to upgrade your living space today with no risk returns and a 30 day money back guarantee. Get up to 60% off plus free shipping and free returns. Shop [e-mail] Authors are subject to change and certain restrictions may apply.

[Dr. Nicole Safire]

This is Nicole Sapphire from Wellness on Mass with Dr. Nicole Safire. You may know me from my medical appearances on various networks throughout the years and today I'm here with a health message for all listeners, no matter your age. Here's what's happening. Starting around age 25, we lose 1 to 2% of our collagen production every single year. By 50, you've lost nearly half and that can lead to a lot of discomfort. Patients in their 40s and 50s are complaining about joint pain that used to be reserved for much older adults. Collagen is the most abundant protein in our bodies. Type 1 and Type 3 collagen make up more than 90% of the collagen in the human body. That's why Native Path's formula is just those two fibers to support connective tissue, muscles, organs, skin, hair and nails. Multiple randomized controlled trials show that collagen supplementation can significantly reduce joint discomfort within as little as four weeks, and it can also improve skin elasticity in eight weeks. That's why I recommend Native Path Collagen. It's not just any collagen you'll find on the shelves at your local grocery store. Just two small scoops of NativePath collagen gives you 20 grams of their single ingredient, clean, bioavailable protein. It's flavorless and it mixes easily into your coffee or other favorite beverage. Visit shopnativepath.com today for 45% off plus free shipping. That website is shop nativepath. Get your native Path collagen before this deal expires.

[Tim Burchett]

Visit shopnativepath.com the US electric grid is.

[Ted Cruz]

Approaching a breaking point as demand soars from data centers and home energy use. Our aging infrastructure can't keep up and the Department of Energy warns that without action, blackouts could surge 100 fold by 2030. The good news? One solution is already here. Propane. It's American made, stored on site and always ready, powering homes and businesses with cleaner, reliable energy that doesn't depend on the grid or the weather. Learn [e-mail] Take a deep dive into.

[Tim Burchett]

The stories making the news headlines across the world.

[Emily Maitlis]

The News Agents we're not just here to tell you what's happening, but why? From me, Emily Maitlis and me, John Sopel with Global's award winning podcast, the News Agents dropping daily covering everything in need to know about politics and current.

[Tim Burchett]

Affairs and the newsagents USA listening to.

[Emily Maitlis]

The newsagents on America's number one podcast network, iHeart. Open your free Iheart app and search the newsagents to start listening.

[Rodney Williams]

I'm Rodney Williams.

[Travis Holloway]

And I'm Travis Holloway. Welcome to the Wealth Break.

[Rodney Williams]

Let's be honest, building wealth doesn't look the same for everyone. It's not just about saving. It's about investing. It's about navigating systems that weren't built for you, embracing your hustle and relying on your community to create something bigger.

[Travis Holloway]

And that's exactly why we created the wealthbreak. We made something different, something more human. It's not just another financial podcast. It's a conversation about real life, real struggles and Real wins.

[Rodney Williams]

We're here to talk about the journey. You'll hear from people who've broken barriers, found creative ways to succeed, and learned to build wealth on their terms. Whether it's the first time homeowner, a gig worker, or someone turning a side hustle into a six figure business. We're bringing you their stories.

[Travis Holloway]

And we're not stopping at success stories. We're breaking down the realities, like what it means to take risk, how to navigate failure, and why resilience matters. Because wealth isn't about money. It's about creating a life where you can thrive and help others to do the same.

[Rodney Williams]

So if you're ready for a podcast as much as about people as it is about money, you're in the right place.

[Travis Holloway]

Listen to the Wealth Break podcast on the iHeartRadio app.

[Tudor Dixon]

Well, and I agree with you on the DEI thing. I think we should be calling them out. I mean, the Democrats obviously didn't even believe in their own dei, because if they did, they wouldn't have hesitated when Joe Biden stepped out of the race to say, it's gotta be Kamala Harris. But you know that they were all looking every direction but Kamala Harris, because they knew she wasn't qualified. She was never qualified to be vice president. She was a DEI hire.

[Tim Burchett]

Yeah, he said it. He said, I'm looking for a black female and his thing. I mean, you know, and I was criticized for saying that. You can't say that stuff, you know, I said. But, but Biden said it. Don't accuse me. I'm just repeating what Biden said, what the president at the time said. So, yeah, you know, it's just, to me, it's, I'm so sick of everybody being wusses. You see, the wusses are losing in numbers and folks like me, numbers are going up because I'm sick of it. And I think America is sick of it. And that's why podcasts like yourself, yours are so successful right now, because you're telling the truth and the left doesn't know what to do with it. All they've got is their traditional hatred and scaring poor folks. We're going to cut your Medicaid off. We're going to cut all this other stuff off. And the reality is all we did was cut illegals off and cut people who are gaming the system. And if it turns out a lot of your people are gaming the system or ripping us off or stealing from the American taxpayer, yeah, you're going to be ticked off. And, but there's no reason in the world, ma'. Am. And if somebody is able and capable should not go out and do 20 hours of work a week.

[Tudor Dixon]

Yeah, absolutely. You, I would just want to end on this. You've also been called the class clown. You are always making jokes. You're very funny. You don't care about the fact that people don't like comedy anymore and it has benefited you. I mean, I, I come from the era of some of the funniest shows on television where you, they said all kinds of inappropriate things and you just continue that on because you don't take things too seriously. How do you do that? Because I love it.

[Tim Burchett]

Well, thank you. I always say I don't take myself serious, but I take the job serious. My constituents know and when they can't get funding or they're getting ripped off or they're some crackhead taking advantage of their family, they know they can call me and I'll take care of business. And they, you know, it's. I've always. Constituent service has always been my thing. When I was, I was a state rep and I was a state senator and I was county mayor, best job ever had in the world was county mayor, ma'. Am. I was on with Rudy Giuliani last night. I said, you may be America's mayor, but I was Knox County County's mayor. And, and I told him, I said, you know, that is the best job you can have because you got somebody that needs. Got emergency workers that were snowed in. I could send the plows down and get them out. You know, I didn't have to have a committee meeting. Washington, D.C. is too much about, about how this will appeal. You know, it took me over a year to pass a bill out of the House to defund the Taliban. We found out we were sending them $40 million a week. A week. 40 million. I had a memo on my desk, I think from the State Department, who's no friend of mine and probably no friend of yours, said that we probably sent them close to over $5 billion at the time. It was a classified document that was unclassified. And I got a hold of it and that's why I put it out. But the truth is, is that, you know, we're not. Congress just doesn't get it, neither party. And they need a wake up call. And I hope these elections are that wake up call. And we give us the guts that we need. We need more than 12% of the population to vote. We need preachers to preach the gospel. We need people to get bold. We need parents to tell their kids what's right and to start looking over their shoulders. That's one good thing about COVID The one thing positive came out of COVID And those little kids were at home. Parents were looking over their shoulders at what in the world they were studying. What, you know, the, the science, the. The psychology of all this nonsense that our kids are being force fed. And then you wonder why our countries turn out like it is. That's why it is. We've. We haven't been paying attention, and now we're paying attention. America, as they say, they welcome the sleeping giant.

[Tudor Dixon]

Yep. Yeah. And we just said last week we were talking to a group up in the up and said we got to get our sportsmen out. If you're a hunter, go out and vote. There are certain demographics that don't like to go out and vote, but your. Your rights are being taken away. So get out there and do it. But I appreciate everything that you do every single day. Congressman Tim Burchett, thank you so much for coming on today.

[Tim Burchett]

Thank you, ma'. Am. You have the coolest name in American politics.

[Tudor Dixon]

Thank you. I appreciate that. I'll tell my mom. She'll be thrilled. People all the time, they're like, that's a fake name. I'm like, my mom would beg to differ.

[Tim Burchett]

Where did she come up with that?

[Tudor Dixon]

You know, she said she. She came up with, you know, like all these regular names like Kristen and Susan. And my dad was like, oh, no, I dated one of those. I can't have one of those. And finally she was like, she was a big English history nut, so she decided to go with Tudor.

[Tim Burchett]

That's cool. Mama named me Timothy because he was Paul's buddy in the Bible. So that's how I got Timothy.

[Tudor Dixon]

That's beautiful. Nothing better. Thank you so much.

[Tim Burchett]

Thank you, ma'. Am.

[Tudor Dixon]

And thank you all for listening to the Tutor Dixon podcast. Remember, you can get it on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or you can watch it on Rumble and YouTube. Uterdixon. And join us next time. Have a blessed day.

[Tim Burchett]

Take a deep dive into the stories making the news headlines across the world. The news agents.

[Emily Maitlis]

We're not just here to tell you what's happening, but why from me, Emily Maitlis and me, John Sopel with Global's award winning podcast, the News Agents Dropping daily, covering everything you need to know about politics and current affairs.

[Tim Burchett]

And the newsagents USA listening to the.

[Emily Maitlis]

Newsagents on America's number one podcast network, iHeart open your free iHeart app and search the newsagents to start listening.

[Ted Cruz]

Oral health goes beyond just aesthetics. It's deeply connected to your general health and well being. That's why preventing oral health problems before they start is so important. When you use the Colgate Total Active Prevention System, you're not just helping to prevent oral health problems like cavities and gingivitis, you're laying the groundwork for overall wellness. Colgate Total's three product routine includes a reformulated toothpaste, an innovative toothbrush, and a refreshing antibacterial mouthwash that all support a healthy mouth. In fact, the three products were designed to work together to be 15 times more effective at reducing bacteria buildup in six weeks starting from week one compared to a non antibacterial fluoride toothpaste and flat trimmed toothbrush. Take control of your oral health and get the Colgate Total Active Prevention System today so you can be dentist ready. Visit shop.colgate.com total.

[Rodney Williams]

I'm Rodney Williams.

[Travis Holloway]

And I'm Travis Holloway. Welcome to the wealthbreak podcast, a real conversation about finance.

[Rodney Williams]

Let's be honest, building wealth doesn't look the same for everyone.

[Tudor Dixon]

I feel like sometimes being broke is a cycle and that we might have.

[Travis Holloway]

To revisit that and we're not stopping at success stories.

[Commercial Announcer]

What happens when it doesn't go right? How do you cope with it?

[Rodney Williams]

Because wealth isn't just about money. It's about creating a life where you thrive and help others do the same.

[Travis Holloway]

Listen to the Wealth Break podcast on the iHeartRadio app.

[Tim Burchett]

Mint is still $15 a month for premium wireless and if you haven't made the switch yet, here are 15 reasons why you should 1. 1. It's $15 a month.

[Tudor Dixon]

2.

[Tim Burchett]

Seriously, it's $15 a month.

[Tudor Dixon]

3.

[Tim Burchett]

No big contracts. 4. I use it. 5. My mom used to say, are you. Are you playing me off? That's what's happening, right? Okay, give it a try. @mintmobile.com Switch upfront payment of 45 for.

[Commercial Announcer]

3 month plan $15 per month equivalent required. New customer offer first 3 months only, then full price plan options available, taxes and fees extra.

[Tim Burchett]

See mintmobile.com I'm Ben Ferguson.

[Ted Cruz]

And I'm Ted Cruz. Three times a week we do our podcast Verdict with Ted Cruz.

[Tim Burchett]

Nationwide, we have millions of listeners.

[Ted Cruz]

Every Monday, Wednesday and Friday, we break down the news and bring you behind the scenes inside the White House, inside the Senate, inside the United States Supreme Court.

[Tim Burchett]

And we cover the stories that you're not getting anywhere else.

[Ted Cruz]

We arm you with the facts to be able to know and advocate for the truth with your friends and family.

[Tim Burchett]

So download Verdict with Ted Cruz now. Wherever you get your podcasts, this is an iHeart podcast.