← The Jim Acosta Show
The Jim Acosta Show
Trump’s shutdown continues with Kentucky Governor Andy Beshear and Rep. Robert Garcia
00:56:49
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- [00:03]
A
If there is a shutdown, I think it would be a tremendously negative mark on the president of the United States. All right. Welcome to the Jim Acosta show. And Donald Trump's government shutdown has begun. The White House is signaling that the administration plans to fire not just furlough federal employees sometime over the next two days. That's according to NBC News. Trump and his aides are blaming Democrats for the shutdown, despite the fact that the GOP is in charge of both the White House and the Congress. And here to discuss is Kentucky's Democratic governor, Andy Beshear, who has been mentioned lately as a potential presidential contender. Governor, I'm not sure if you've heard of this, but that's being bandied about here in Washington. Good to see you, Governor.
- [00:49]
B
It is good to be on. I hate that there is a government shutdown going on, but I appreciate the chance to talk with you.
- [00:57]
A
Yeah, I guess. Just to jump right into this, what is your response to when you see the vice president, J.D. vance, president, blaming this on Democrats when Republicans control the White House, control the Congress, your sense of it?
- [01:11]
B
Well, they're trying to blame Democrats, but what they're actually doing is blackmailing Democrats. They're saying unless you do what we want, we are going to fire hundreds, if not thousands of people. And that somehow Democrats fault, even though only one person can order that firing and it's the president. It's like a bank robber saying, it's not my fault. I wouldn't have robbed the bank if the security guard had stopped me. That's exactly what's going on here. And Democrats, Democrats are fighting for the American people. If we don't get an extension of the Affordable Care subsidies, almost everyone's health care costs are going to go up. So the Democrats want to keep the government open, but they also don't want the cost of your health care to increase while tariffs are increasing prices of everything. And the big ugly bill is already starting to impact rural communities in such a negative way.
- [02:04]
A
Yeah, I mean, Governor, there are lots of effects for folks in Kentucky. My understanding, looking at the Lexington Herald leader, not including uniformed military personnel or federal contractors, there are about 23,449 Kentuckians who are federal employees and 600,000 Kentuckians who rely on SNAP, formerly known as food stamps, every month. A lot of places, a lot of people are going to get hit.
- [02:30]
B
They are. And certainly for our families that work for the federal government, we want them back and working as quickly as possible. But we also don't want they and their relatives healthcare costs to go up at a time when housing is so difficult to afford. You know, I was with a bus driver from Central Kentucky and she was talking about exactly how much her grocery bill costs that she can just barely pay at the end of the week. But she also knew exactly how much that vacation cost that she hadn't been able to afford for years with her family. The Trump administration promised to make life easier for people and it's making it so much harder. And I believe that the Democrats in Congress don't want to shut down the government, but they're trying to take a stand saying American families can't take any, any more costs. And certainly health care is a basic human right. Let's stop cutting it and let's make sure people can see a doctor when they're sick.
- [03:24]
A
Yeah, absolutely. And Medicaid is a huge issue. You mentioned the so called big beautiful bill. It's got lots of other nicknames, as you just mentioned, but Medicaid in Kentucky is a huge issue. I saw that you mentioned to NPR earlier this year that half of Kentucky's kids are covered by Medicaid and 70% of long term care costs are covered by Medicaid. And so if, you know, those Medicaid cuts, you know, happen, if they happen as they're designed at this point by the Republicans, a lot of people are going to get hit hard in Kentucky.
- [03:56]
B
Amen. And it's, and it's incredibly unfortunate because Medicaid covers the people we love the most, our parents and our kids. And we're already seeing the ramifications. And it is going to hit rural America even harder than it's going to hit urban America, which will also take a hit. Rural hospitals have, have by far, when you look at their revenue, larger Medicaid shares, meaning they operate on Medicaid dollars more than other hospitals. And if you remove this much money from Medicaid, which is what the Republicans have done, you're either going to see those hospitals shut down or shrink significantly. And so if you think about Kentucky, 35 rural hospitals are at risk of closing. Each one is the largest employer in their community. Each one will not have the specialties. One of the first areas that's going to go is delivery because there's such small margins on that, meaning women are going to be driving hours just to give birth, maybe staying in hotels in their third trimester. What does their husband or their partner do? But, but then think about the local economy. That rural hospital has the largest payroll in that community. It's the second largest employer behind the public school. You shut that hospital down or you significantly shrink it, you're going to close the local restaurant, the local coffee shop, the local bank. Trump's tariff policy is already hitting the American economy hard. These cuts are going to come in and devastate us even more. Our other major newspaper, the Courier Journal, this morning had a story on a furniture manufacturer in Georgetown that was cutting 100 jobs because of tariffs and a new birthing center that was announced in an area where people had to drive 40 minutes that is no longer going to open because of the big ugly bill. So those future harms aren't coming later down the road. They're here and they're going to continue to happen.
- [05:54]
A
And, Governor, for the folks who aren't paying attention at home, there's a D next to your name when we mentioned Governor Andy Beshear. But as you know, Donald Trump is very popular in your state. He won by a landslide the last time around. He's at somewhere around 90% approval among Republicans. With everything you just outlined there, how does he get away with this stuff? Why is it, is it because Democrats aren't, aren't getting the message out more effectively? What's your sense of it down in Kentucky?
- [06:21]
B
Well, the pain is just now starting to hit. And I recognize that people have been through a lot. We went through the pandemic where we were worried about the world falling apart. We went through a first Trump term where we talked about democracy falling apart, and neither of those happened. But what we see right now should be incredibly concerning, both for our country, the way Donald Trump just spoke to military leaders, from him forcing an indictment through a new U.S. attorney that I don't think had ever prosecuted a case, yet handled that indictment on their own, which was clear that he pressured. Why? Because he put it in writing and put it out there for the world. But on the other side, talk to a soybean farmer right now because if they lose China as their market, their families are not going to be able to be in farming anymore. They will go bankrupt, especially if that country finds new markets because of tariffs. Talk to folks who work in the bourbon industry that are suffering right now because of tariffs and because Donald Trump insulted Canadians and their country and they have banded together to support Canadian products. And thus we're seeing significant hits in revenue in one of our major industries. Or when you cannot see a doctor in your own community but have to drive two hours to see the same person that had to move. That's when people's Everyday life gets impacted. I believe I'm governor in a red state with a D behind my name, because I recognize that when people get up in the morning, they're not thinking about politics. They're thinking about their job and whether they make enough to support their family. They're thinking about their next doctor's appointment for themselves, their parents or their kids. They're thinking about the roads and bridges they drive every day, the school they drop their kids off at, and whether they feel safe in their community. If the Democratic Party wants to be able to speak to the rest of America again, we got to spend 80% of our time on those issues because they matter to 100% of the American population.
- [08:24]
A
Well, Governor, you mentioned that that wild speech that Trump gave in front of the nation's generals gathered in Quantico. I mean, they brought in generals from around the world, and, you know, it was just bonkers at times. And one of the things that stood out to me, stood out to a lot of people as he was saying, well, we're going to send the military into more democratic cities. He named them and said he was going to go after. He wants to go after the enemy from within. What was your response to that? Because, you know, to me, the question is, is, you know, I don't see my fellow Americans as the enemy. It seems as though Donald Trump does. And what was your response to that when you saw that? What did you think about that?
- [09:06]
B
It's deeply conservative, and it is un American. It is actually this un American. Think about when we say the Pledge of Allegiance, which, by the way, is to a flag in a country and not one person. But in that Pledge of Allegiance, after we talk about one nation under God, we pledge to keep it indivisible. Yet we have a president in charge of that nation who will hug that flag, but then do everything he can to divide Americans, whether that's talking to the military or even responding to a tragic death. Everything seems to be an opportunity for Donald Trump to create an us versus a them. And that is wrong in our country. While I wasn't alive for it, it seems very much like McCarthyism. And we need to hit our moment where we take a breath, we recognize that it has gone too far, and we come together to heal as a country. Because any American can walk out on their street, they can look at the six houses on their street, and at least one of them is somebody from a different party. Yet you want them to live a good life, you want really good things for their kids, and that's where we've got to get back to. But let me address his speech to the military is also un American. Our support of the military is something that actually Democrats and Republicans agree on. There's something out there that we are, I think deeply patriotic when it comes to our military. We thank those that serve. We recognize that we are home of the free because of the brave. And one of the reasons that I think everyone can support our armed forces is that they are professional and not political. And this was a direct attempt at politicizing our armed forces in front of all those generals. But you know what, most of them stood there stone faced, kept their professionalism on their decades of service and the idea that they were even dressed down by this Secretary of War that was saying no overweight generals, no beards. Well, I guess they've got to wear a whole lot of hair product if it's coming from that guy.
- [11:11]
A
That's true. And I mean he put on a display with his pull ups. I just wasn't, it wasn't, I wasn't impressed by it. Just me personally. But Governor, I guess the news guy in me has to ask the newsy question and that is have you been asked to send National Guard troops into any of these cities? And if you were asked, what would you say to the, to the President?
- [11:33]
B
I don't have one of those requests in front of me. And I would tell the President no. The National Guard is not trained to do what they're being called to do. Remember, the National Guard aren't even active military. There are friends and neighbors, they're welders, they're CPAs. There are people that have a full time job and a family at home and they're being taken away from their family to potentially do law enforcement duties that they are not trained to do that puts them in harm's way. That is not respecting that individual who serves their country. The National Guard is really there for logistics to support our military abroad and logistics to support us in times of natural disaster. And I've had to call them out more than just about any other governor in the country after natural disasters and in one massive protest where we needed to ensure that there was order. So I know who these individuals are. I respect what they do and I would not put them in harm's way. But here's the other thing. It is a gimmick because an area that is suffering from a high crime rate is going to go right back to the high crime rate the moment they're gone. And I hope no American wants Military in their cities from here forward, with no end date. If we want to reduce crime, do some of the things we've done in Kentucky, boost salaries of your law enforcement. We did that for the Kentucky State Police, and we now have more on the roads than we've had in a decade. Look at your programs to reduce recidivism. We are teaching a skilled trade in every one of our prisons. Why? Because so many people, when they leave prison, commit another crime. We maybe couldn't stop the one that sent them to prison. But a good job is one of the most important things that prevents a future crime from occurring. So we can be smart and lessen crime that way. And then we do have a challenge with our youth today. And certainly we've got to make sure that we've got those strategies to intervene, hopefully before a first crime ever occurs. But then certainly to make sure that our youth don't turn to a life of crime. But you've got to put in the hard work, and. And that's what it always takes. This president seems to always be looking for a Hail Mary or a gimmick, and that's what this is.
- [13:56]
A
Yeah. And you mentioned farmers earlier and how they've been hurting because of the tariffs, and that is absolutely the case. And I know that that's an important issue in Kentucky. And you mentioned a lot of the other important industries, like the bourbon industry and so on. How much are farmers hurting right now in your state? And I guess I've been to a lot of Trump rallies, so feel free to push back against what I'm saying here. But why do red state voters tend to vote against their own interests and seem to get caught up in cultural issues? And as a Democrat, how would you speak to those kinds of voters to just, you know, sort of cut through the noise, like what you were saying a few moments ago about the gimmicks and the Hail Marys and so on. How do you cut past some of that stuff and just talk about where they. Where they live, where they are?
- [14:40]
B
Well, I think to communicate with all the American people, but certainly many that have been voting Republican for a long time, we have to do three things. Number one, and I talked about this earlier, 80% of our time on issues that matter to 100% of people, and that's jobs, health care, infrastructure, public education, and public safety. That's that idea that there were a number of people who might have described themselves as pro choice that still voted for Donald Trump. Why? Because they couldn't afford a prescription for their child. And they thought he might be able to deliver more so than his opponents. So we've got to be laser focused and show the American people that we're going to spend the vast majority of our time on something that directly impacts them and makes their life a little bit easier, a little bit better. We should be concerned that so many Americans believe the American dream is out of their reach and we ought to re earn their faith by saying that we are the party that's going to work hard every day to restore that, to make sure you can buy a home in the same decade that your parents did. The second thing we've got to do if we want to connect with voters, especially rural voters, is get back to talking like normal human beings. Yeah, that would help this advocacy speak. It had well meaning. You're trying to reduce stigma, but you don't do that by changing words. You do that by changing hearts. And so in Kentucky, we got hit by the opioid epidemic harder than just about anybody. I think I've lost at least 12 people I know to an overdose death over the last, well, 47 years. I didn't lose any of them to substance use disorder. I lost them all to addiction. And that's a word when you say it, you feel it. It's mean, it's nasty, it's a killer. Or when someone's in recovery and they've triumphed over something so challenging. Again, that word having its meaning gives them the credit that they deserve. Or that big ugly bill. We're not going to get parts reversed if we say it's going to increase food insecurity. Now kids are going to go to school hungry and not be able to concentrate and raise test scores or seniors are going to go to bed hungry and not be able to sleep. But I think the last piece is that Democrats have been really good at the what we're really good at the policy. Policy.2 sub 0.3 bullet.4 III yeah, but we're really bad about talking about our why, our authentic why that drives us to make the decisions we do. To me, it's my faith and that's why I talk about it openly. I believe in the golden rule that says we love our neighbor as ourself. And the parable, the Good Samaritan that says everyone is our neighbor. I have vetoed bills simply because I believe that they are mean. Why? Because my faith tells me we're supposed to be lifting people up and not kicking anybody while they're down.
- [17:30]
A
Yeah, but you know, Governor, if you listen to Donald Trump, he likes to kick trans people. They're blaming the government shutdown right now, falsely saying that Democrats want to protect health care funding for undocumented people. They say illegal aliens, which is an offensive term, obviously, but is that what you're talking about? The way that. The meanness, the nastiness? Because to me, that's what I think of. I think it is nasty going after marginalized communities, trying to score political points like that. It's not who we are.
- [18:02]
B
And while I say spend 80% of our time on those issues that impact 100% of people, we have to be people of conviction, and you have to stand up for your beliefs. So in my reelection in 2023, my legislature passed the nastiest piece of anti LGBTQ + legislation my state had ever seen. And they did it because they wanted to do what Donald Trump's doing right now and do 10, $20 million of negative ads. But you know what? I still vetoed it because it's the right thing to do, and people were counting on me. But you know what? I explained my why. I told the people of Kentucky that my faith teaches me that all children are children of God. And I don't think people should be picking on these kids. And so if the legislature is going to show them hate, I'm going to show them love. If the legislature is going to show them judgment, I'm going to show them acceptance. And I will never forget the next day, I had a guy in a trucker hat make a beeline towards me, and I thought, oh, goodness, I know it's coming. I didn't. He stuck out his hand. He said, governor, I'm not sure I agree with what you did yesterday, but I know you're doing what you think is right. He said, I support you, and walked away. So that why gives a little grace and space. And let me tell you, I didn't lose a point. I won by reelection, by more. Even at a time when inflation was worse, that illegal border crossings were worse, we still want, and I believe so much of that is respecting voters enough not just to tell them what you're for, but why you're for it.
- [19:32]
A
Yeah. Yeah. And I mean a couple of things. One, I just saw a subscriber put up a comment saying, how do we counteract the Fox News propaganda machine? I'm curious what you think about that, because, you know, there's. There are Democrats who think that it's a good idea to go on Fox, but you have your own podcast, and so you're trying to Cut through some of the noise with your own podcast. I'm wondering if you want to talk about that and what Democrats need to do to sort of reach people in these new independent media spaces. First of all, thank you for coming on. I've already said it once, but I'll say it again. Thanks for, thanks for supporting independent media by coming on. But your sense of all that.
- [20:09]
B
Well, I'm excited to be on. I'm trying to learn from you so I can make the podcast a little bit better.
- [20:13]
A
Don't learn from me.
- [20:15]
B
It's called the Andy Beshear Podcast, and I started it to directly communicate with people. It actually was people coming up with all the news hitting them moment after moment in this feeling of chaos and maybe lack of control. And what people said to me was, it feels like the pandemic. It feels like the fear and being unsettled. And they said, you came on every day for a year and a half during the pandemic. And that routine and talking to us made us feel a little bit better. And so that's the goal of the regular podcast. And we've had folks on, from Mark Cuban to Amy Klobuchar to a whole lot of governors, because they're my friends. But we look forward to helping people get to know them as people. Getting directly to the why. But I'll tell you, I'm, I'm trying to participate in as many forms of media as we can. I think back to when my dad ran for governor in 07. You had to win the two major newspapers and the nightly news. And there was this new thing called Facebook that had a lot of cat videos on it now, even in what, what X is in threads and Blue Sky, YouTube podcasts. But, but the answer is we just got to do that much more work and especially try to reach people on, on platforms that maybe aren't directly political, because I believe that the way that we should heal the country is, is to take politics out of the major issues. That idea that a good job isn't bipartisan, it's nonpartisan. It's just really good for that family.
- [21:51]
A
And so you got to forgive me for being a bit of a rascal here, but who's got the better podcast? You were. Gavin Newsom.
- [21:57]
B
Well, I tend to like my podcast, but, but I respect what Gavin is, is doing.
- [22:03]
A
Yeah. What's he been doing lately? Sending out all these memes and stuff? I, I, I don't see a lot of Andy Beshear memes, but maybe you're letting that be his his thing, you.
- [22:11]
B
Know, Gavin has his approach and he's out there fighting the, the right fight on redistricting. I wish we didn't have to do it, and so does he. But if Texas is going to do it and others, we need a response. And he's showing a lot of leadership there, and I appreciate it.
- [22:27]
A
Yeah. All right. So I, again, I wouldn't be doing my job if I didn't ask you. You've been in South Carolina, you've been traveling around outside of the state of Kentucky to some very interesting states. What's the latest on your thought process for 2028, if the world hasn't come to an end by then?
- [22:44]
B
Well, I know what it's like to be in a state that hasn't gotten enough investment from our national Democratic Party, that hasn't had enough people travel to and work with and lift people up and bring attention. And that's what I'm trying to do right now. I'm trying to be a common sense, common ground, get things done type of voice in the Democratic Party, but hopefully for America, because I'd like to hear that more from the Republican Party as well next year. I'm the head of the Democratic Governor's association, and my goal is to change the map. You know, we cannot have 2028 decided in five states with a margin of error that is basically zero. So I'm looking forward to the opportunity to help win in some places that we haven't won in several cycles. And then after that, you know, we'll sit down and consider it. To me, the most important thing is we heal the country. I do not want my kids growing up in an us versus them country. I don't want them growing up in a broken country. They and everybody else's kids deserve to be able to get up in the morning and every now and then not check the news, to be able to go on vacation and know that the future of the country is not at risk. And they deserve a president that they could put their kids in front of and not be embarrassed or them hear things that, that they shouldn't.
- [24:02]
A
And so it sounds like you're thinking about it.
- [24:04]
B
If I'm not that candidate, we'll give it a lot of consideration with my family. But let me tell you, if somebody else is, I can fully support them because I care more about the United States of America than any title I'll ever have.
- [24:18]
A
Yeah. And I really appreciate what you're saying about the kind of country that our kids grow up in, because I don't think people focus on. On that enough, you know, what kind of country we're leaving to our kids and our grandkids. And I look at these ICE raids and people just getting ripped out of their cars and tackled and in courthouses and roughed up. Was just speaking with an Illinois congressional candidate the other day. US Citizen. She was tossed around by an ICE agent because she was protesting out of one of their facilities. Your thoughts? I mean, not to hit you with, you know, a really serious question here at the end, but I. You know, that, to me, is. Is disturbing, and it's. I think that's really hard for kids to watch and to see happening in this country.
- [25:04]
B
How we enforce our laws in this country shows our humanity, or lack thereof. The idea that people right now are pulling up into neighborhoods late at night in armored Humvees, in masks, grabbing people, throwing them in the back, and they could be in a different state. And we have now heard real stories of American citizens and others that this has happened. But even if someone is in the country illegally, yes, we need to enforce our laws. But shackling somebody's legs and roughing them up when they are not a threat, putting them in a cage that we wouldn't put an animal found in one of our cities is simply wrong. Our kids are watching. The rest of the world is watching. We've always talked about America in such amazing terms. Haven't always lived up to it, but at least have had that goal of being better, of being a moral leader. And what we see and how we're enforcing our laws right now isn't showing humanity. It's just showing cruelty.
- [26:03]
A
Yeah. And I was reading about you a little bit about you in Vogue, and I read a little something there. Talk about 2028.
- [26:13]
B
Speculation ever end up in Vogue?
- [26:15]
A
I was gonna say, did I ruin your street cred a little bit by mentioning that I read you in Vogue, But. But it happened to be on my coffee table, and I saw that you met the first lady, or maybe you hit it off at Cantina Marina in D.C. do I have that correct?
- [26:30]
B
You have that exact. I was working at a law firm, and she was working at a marketing firm, and we met at a birthday at Cantina Marina. That's where my love story starts.
- [26:40]
A
That's. That's. I'm not sure they were known for their food. I think they were more known for their margarita, Governor.
- [26:45]
B
But that could have helped.
- [26:46]
A
I don't know if that. If you can comment on that, but.
- [26:49]
B
That could have helped.
- [26:50]
A
That might have helped a little bit. Might have helped a little bit. Well, Governor Andy Beshear, really appreciate the time. Thank you very much. I noticed in the comments that. That people are sort of craving what you're talking about here. And I, you know, I just. I wonder, you know, you see hope.
- [27:08]
B
I do.
- [27:09]
A
Look at the situation. You have hope.
- [27:10]
B
I do. You know, pessimism never gets us anywhere. And so one of the reasons I try to stay hopeful and optimistic is because it is to keep going. And we've been through tough times in the past. Now you read about McCarthyism also, a time where people were attacking each other, people were being ripped out of their homes. And you know what? Our country had a great American reset. People took a breath and came back together. And I've even seen smaller examples of it. So here in Kentucky, I beat a governor who was, in many ways Donald Trump, before Donald Trump. He took his kids to a chicken pox party because he didn't believe in vaccines or. I still think about being in an elevator. What about two years ago, And a guy turns to me and says, I'm sorry. And I said, what do you mean? And he said, well, during the height of COVID I was at a lot of protests outside of where you live. And we were being loud, and we meant to scare you and your kids. And I looked at him and he said, and last week, I got the vaccine. And he said, I'm sorry. And I said, you know, it's okay. It was a scary time for everybody, and I'm just glad you're. You're safe. So, you know, the American people, remember, are still good at their core. I see it after every natural disaster, and we've had a bunch after tornadoes and floods. We just got to remind people that we're all one people, and we cannot combat cruelty with more cruelty or anger with more anger. We've got to show people that there's a better way.
- [28:43]
A
Yeah, I think that's so true. And I've had people, you know, who used to yell stuff at me at Trump rallies and stuff, come up to me later and say, you know, I'm sorry about. And I do tell people from time to time, you gotta have faith in your fellow Americans. They will sometimes surprise you, but you got that sense of it as well, obviously, being somebody who is managing the affairs of the state of Kentucky. But, Governor, thank you so much for your time. I appreciate. I'm sure I took too much of it and your staff's mad at me, but thanks so much. Really appreciate it.
- [29:11]
B
Thanks for having me.
- [29:12]
A
All right. Good to see you, Governor. Governor Andy Beshear of the great Commonwealth of Kentucky joining us here on the Jim Acosta Show. He sort of, I think he, I think he indicated that there is some interest in running in 2028, which I think a lot of folks will react to. It sounds as though his new job as the head of the Democratic Governors association next year is obviously going to be something that's going to thrust him into the national spotlight. And of course, I saw a lot of your comments over the last half hour from people saying this is the kind of common sense stuff that we need to hear from politicians, Democratic politicians these days. And I, and I, I'm not the first to say this, but listening to the governor, it does remind me of Bill Clinton back in the day in the early 90s. I remember watching him come onto the scene as a young, extremely young college journalist back in those days. And there's, there's a lot of similarities there. And that I think not, not because they're from the south and that's where, I mean, I guess that's part of it, but in the way that Governor Beshear breaks down a lot of these issues from a common sense, human standpoint. And one of the things that I think the next commander in chief is going to need in this country is this ability to cut through some of the BS that we've been hearing from Donald Trump, dividing this country, dividing Democrats versus Republicans, conservatives versus Progressives, rural people versus urban people, and folks who live in cities versus folks who are out in the farms and so on. And you need to have a president who can bring this country together. That is the job of the president of the United States. And so when you heard Governor Bashir there earlier say if he were asked to commit National Guard troops to Democratic cities, he said no, he would not do that, which I think is a very interesting response. And so I think Governor Beshear, despite being someone who is thought of as a moderate and from down south, I think he's saying a lot that progressives will definitely want to hear. Let me, let me go now to, with the government shutdown underway, Donald Trump's government shutdown underway. Let me go now to Congressman Robert Garcia of California. There he is in Washington. He's the ranking member of the House Oversight Committee. Congressman, great to see you. Thanks for coming on.
- [31:39]
C
Yeah, happy to be here. Just crazy times here in D.C. but happy to be with you.
- [31:43]
A
Yeah. What's your sense of it right now? I mean, we know from some reporting earlier in the afternoon that Russ Vogt, the architect of Project 2025, of course, he's the head of the Office of Management and Budget, was saying on a conference call with a bunch of Republican lawmakers that they're just going to start firing federal employees over the next couple of days. You're the ranking member on the Oversight Committee. I guess one of the questions I have is is that even legal? Can they do that? And what's your response to it?
- [32:09]
B
No.
- [32:09]
C
In fact, we've been in court for some of the firings that have happened, of course, even before the shutdown happened. I mean, it's pretty stunning to be in D.C. right now and seeing Democrats who've now been here obviously for the last few days, and there's not a Republican to be found anywhere. And while all of this is happening and Donald Trump and OMB and others are trying to cause more chaos, the Republican House, Mike Johnson, it's like nothing is happening. They've all fled to go other places across the country. They have a responsibility to be here. We've been ready to vote to negotiate, but they're just not interested in any of that. And what people need to understand one is that Donald Trump is not someone that first of all does anything that is by the book or by the Constitution or that is legal. He's going to do things that he wants to do or that Stephen Miller or his folks heritage or whoever else want him to implement. Well, our job is to do whatever we can to use whatever leverage we have to stop his harm. And so what this fight is really right now about is that we know that healthcare premiums are about to skyrocket for many Americans across this country. Those that are using the Affordable Care act or whatever their coverage plan is called in their own home state, those premiums are going to go up because Donald Trump, instead of extending kind of this, the subsidy the government does, he gave tax breaks to billionaires. And so here we are, we're fighting to keep these costs low. And as far as what OMB is going to do or what Donald Trump wants to do, we'll continue to call it out, we'll take him to court and it's chaos. And Republicans here have completely abdicated their duty or the responsibility to legislate.
- [33:58]
A
But yeah, as you know, the Republicans are trying very hard despite the fact that they control the House, the Senate and the White House. They're trying to say that this is a Democratic shutdown because you wouldn't give them the votes over in the Senate, I guess, to get this through but let me have you listen to what Vice President J.D. vance said earlier today and how they're trying to tie this to healthcare for undocumented people. Let's listen to it and we'll talk about it.
- [34:24]
D
Instead is to shut down the government because we won't give billions of dollars to health care funding for illegal aliens. That is what has actually happened to the American people who are watching. The reason your government is shut down at this very minute is because despite the fact that the overwhelming majority of Congressional Republicans and even a few moderate Democrats supported opening the government, the Chuck Schumer AOC wing of the Democratic Party shut down the government because they said to us, we will open the government, but only if you give billions of dollars of funding for health care for illegal aliens. That's a ridiculous proposition.
- [34:58]
A
Yeah, I mean, what he's saying is a ridiculous proposition is not true. The fact checks have come out. New York Times, others have reported that if you're undocumented in this country, you can't get Medicaid, Medicare services, I guess, unless it's an emergency situation. What we need to throw people out of ERs. But your response to the Vice President.
- [35:19]
C
It'S, it's completely just outrageous, Just bold face lie. Not only do people that are undocumented this country, they don't have access to Medicaid, they don't have access to Social Security benefits, they don't have access to the Affordable Care act. And they keep saying that somehow people that are, that are, they're non citizens, that are undocumented here have access to these programs. Look, certain states across this country, they may expand healthcare coverage for certain groups. That's on them. That's not federal dollars. Those are state programs. We at the federal government do not have access to those. The only time the federal government will step in to provide any type of service to whether they're a citizen or a non citizen, is in an emergency situation. So imagine, Jim, you have a child who was having head gash or someone that walks into an ER that has been stabbed in the chest and is bleeding and dying. At that point, we have to make a choice as a country is do we just tell that person to walk back out of the ER and say, go screw yourself, or do we tell that person, even if they are undocumented, you are about to die or you are in harm. Let us help you. And so we've had a tradition in this country that we will help you if you are in an emergency situation. And I don't know if J.D. vance and Donald Trump now believe that we should leave children to bleed to death in ERs. But that appears to be their position, and that is. It's shameful. And the fact that they are making this argument now, I think goes to show you that they understand the American people. They're catching on to their betrayal. And we're going to keep banging and harping on the truth here.
- [37:05]
A
Yeah. Meanwhile, they want to cut hundreds of billions of dollars out of Medicaid to the point where it might shut down hospitals. And so talk about people not being able to get into the emergency room. What are you going to do then if there are hospitals that are closed? But Congressman, I got to ask you about something else. I have this little theory, and maybe I'm not the only one to have this theory that maybe this government shutdown is happening because of the Epstein file, something that you've been working on. Congresswoman elect Adelita Grialva, she was elected in that special election. The Republicans refused to swear her in. And I'm just wondering if the government were open, I suppose they'd have to swear her in and then she would be the decisive vote, if I have that correct, to bring about a discharge petition to release the Epstein files. I know it's convoluted, but could there be something to this that Donald Trump just doesn't want the Epstein files to come out?
- [37:57]
C
Absolutely. I think, look, who knows what Donald Trump in his head, but it's clear that they don't want to see Adelita Grijalva. And she's won her election. She should be sat into the Congress this week. That's tradition. Mike Johnson, when other folks have won special election in the last year, he's done the same thing. They've come right in. And so the fact that they're delaying her from actually being installed is because they don't want her to be the 218th vote to get that discharge the petition out the door. Look, the White House is involved in a massive cover up on the Epstein files. There is no question. I think the American public is starting to get that. But they're doing everything they can to slow the release, to get their story straight, to try to get a Republican to pull off that petition. So that doesn't go through, but we're gonna get to the bottom of it. More and more truth comes out every day. More files get leaked. We get whistleblowers giving us more information. And so Donald Trump should know that the truth is going to come out and we are going to get justice.
- [38:57]
A
For all these survivors, I think that's great, and I think a lot of people want to hear that. And as the ranking member of the House Oversight Committee, you've been working diligently on this. And I'm just curious, since the last time we spoke, have there been new revelations that stand out to you that you say, you know, this is something the American people need to know about. We, you know, nice thing about podcasts, we have extra time to talk about it. But what has stood out to you so far?
- [39:21]
C
Look, I mean, first on new information. I mean, we just got some documents since last we spoke that it kind of revealed some additional names of folks that we weren't aware were associates of Epstein's or friends. For example, we saw that Elon Musk is scheduled to go to Epstein's island, and we saw that in the files. And Elon Musk has in the past denied some of this. And, I mean, the question should be asked, that Elon Musk go to the island, and what did he do and who did he see when he was there? Also there we were able to reaffirm some of kind of the horrors that Prince Andrew committed. There seems to be some payments through. Through the Epstein files and through the documents we received around Prince Andrew and others. We also saw for the first time, Peter Thiel actually mentioned having conversations with, with Epstein, Steve Bannon, some confirmation of some of those conversations with with Epstein. So those are clearly additional names that are kind of rounding out this list of folks that have been involved in all of this. But the biggest piece of this is every time I talk to a new survivor, I just spent some time with one just a couple days ago back in California. What's clear is that more and more folks now have the ability, the courage, the protection they feel to share their stories. They understand how powerful the men that are involved in this are, Some in government, others very wealthy in business. And so there is more information that's coming out because women are saying, enough, and they're sharing their stories, and they're feeling more protected now. And I think that is something that's really, really critical in a review of everything we have. What's crystal clear is that Donald Trump, of course, knew what Jeffrey Epstein knew, the kind of person he was. He was his best friend for 10 to 15 years. I mean, even after some of these crimes and these women were accusing Epstein of doing horrific things, he continues his relationship with all these powerful men.
- [41:21]
A
Right.
- [41:21]
C
From both parties, by the way. And so, like I've told folks, we're going to expose you regardless of your political party. Like we don't really care is the truth. And I think that's what's most important.
- [41:33]
A
Well, and it's kind of curious. I mean, for the longest time, Elon Musk was one of Trump's best buddies, and it really helped him out a lot. And Peter Thiel was one of his best buddies and helped him out a lot. And he likes to help out. JD Vance and Steve Bannon was really tight with Donald Trump for a long, long time. I mean, it's awfully curious, all these connections. And we don't know the extent of Trump's involvement. We don't. We. That is still an unanswered question. Right? We just don't know. We don't know. We don't know.
- [42:00]
C
It's an unanswered question. And I think that's fair. We don't know what, what President Trump's involvement was. What we do know is that he's refusing to release the files and he's clearly hiding something. And whether he's hiding something about himself in the files, which we know he's been, he's mentioned multiple times according to reports. And, and the Attorney General, or whether he is covering for his powerful friends. We, we need to get to the bottom of it.
- [42:29]
A
Yeah. And, and just finally, J.D. vance said Donald Trump was just joking. And I don't want to play the whole thing, but this, this batshit crazy AI video that Trump put out, we'll just play a little bit so people understand what we're talking about, which is obviously offensive and racist, I think. Not this one. Not this one, Matt. We'll show that one later. The, one of the, the video of the AI video that Trump put out the other night.
- [42:57]
C
There's no way to sugarcoat it.
- [42:59]
A
This is a little. Nobody likes Democrats anymore.
- [43:01]
B
We have no voters left because, okay, we'll get rid of trans bullshit.
- [43:04]
A
That's right there J.D. vance was saying, oh, he, Trump was just trying to be funny.
- [43:09]
C
What do you do?
- [43:10]
A
What's your response to that?
- [43:11]
C
I mean, he's, he's the President of the United States. What a, what a, what a joke he is. I mean, besides that just being racist and just completely beneath the office of the presidency. He's an unserious person. He never should have been anywhere near the White House. And now we have this, you know, man child of a person out there, ruining, destroying so many of the programs and the institutions that we really care about. And so, look, he wants to put out those videos that's fine. I'm sure my governor back home in my home state will put us in worth worse today. To which I'm excited about, honestly. I think more folks will be taking a cue from Gavin Newsom, my home state governor, and what he's doing. I think he really knows how to respond to Donald Trump. But yeah, I think, I think it's racist and, and sick. I mean, these people are not serious people.
- [44:06]
A
Yeah. No, and I mean, I guess my question is, shouldn't you be working on getting the government open? I mean, members of the military aren't getting paid, you know, and he cares.
- [44:19]
C
You know, when premiums start rising for working families, for middle class families, which they're going to start over the course of the next few weeks, people can start getting letters in the mail saying your healthcare costs are going to go up. That's on Donald Trump. It's because he was more interested in giving huge tax breaks to billionaires and multinational corporations than he was to actually taking care of working people. And he betrayed the public. He said that he was going to lower costs of groceries, he's going to lower costs of housing. Who's going to lower the costs of health care. None of that's true. I mean, he lied and lied and continues to lie. And now health care costs are going to skyrocket for millions and millions of Americans. And so that's the Donald Trump legacy and that's what this shutdown fight is all about.
- [45:06]
A
Yeah. All right. Well, Congressman Robert Garcia, I know you're busy, you got other stuff to do, obviously, but really always appreciate you coming on and bringing us up to speed, especially on the Epstein matter, which is of high interest to our audience here. So thanks as always for that as well. Thanks a lot, Congressman. Good to see you. All right, that's Congressman Robert Garcia of California. And I mean, I will say, you know, for folks who are like, why don't the Democrats fight more? I mean, people need to understand Robert Garcia is an up and coming. He's a rising Democrat in the Democratic Party and he sort of agrees with a lot of the comments that we get on the show, like, why can't the Democrats get their act together? Why can't the leadership fight? And so on. Garcia is of the mindset that that is something that needs to happen. I do want to go back and just kind of close out on something that we were just talking about a few moments ago about why this government shutdown may grind on for a while. And it has something to do with the congresswoman elect Adalita Grialva of Arizona. She won a special election to replace her father, Raul Grialva, who passed away. And she won the special election. She has not been sworn in. And they asked to swear her in the other day. And there's a congressman from Virginia who is sitting in the Speaker's chair, refused to do it. We've gone into shutdown now. Of course, they can't swear in now. And feel free, if it has happened during the taping of this show, please chime in and let me know. But I do not believe that that has happened. And she is the decisive vote for the Democrats and a couple of the Republicans who have signed on to this to get this discharge position petition, excuse me, out, that would force the release of the Epstein files. So right now, as long as the government shutdown grinds on, the Democrats cannot get this 218th vote to force the release of the Epstein files through this discharge petition. Again, I don't want to sound like Glenn Beck with the, with the whiteboard and all the crazy lines going everywhere and all his batshit conspiracy theories. I'm not trying to do one of those things, but it is kind of interesting. It is kind of interesting, isn't it, that she was sworn in or she has not been. So she was elected last week. She has not been sworn in. They had a special election in Northern Virginia a couple weeks ago. A guy named James Walkinshaw, he won the special election in Northern Virginia. The next day he comes to Washington, which is, you know, 20 minute drive from Fairfax county, sworn in, became a member of Congress. Grialva wins her special election last week, still not sworn in. And, oh, by the way, there's a government shutdown. Oh, by the way. Oh, we just can't, you know, we just can't swear in now because the government's been shut down. Isn't that interesting? And if we were to swear her in, we might get a release of the Epstein files. I wonder if, I wonder if any of that is on Donald Trump's mind. I wonder if any of that is on Stephen Miller's mind. I wonder if, wonder if any of that is on J.D. vance's mind, on Susie Wiles's. Are they thinking about this inside the White House? Oh, you know, if we, if we reopen the government, Congress can swear in Congresswoman Grialva. I mean, could you imagine a situation where you had a Democratic, you know, president like Barack Obama, Joe Biden, something like that, and the Democrats were refusing to swear in a Republican who just won a special election? And that person was the decisive vote on anything. They would go, they would go bananas. They would go apeshit. You have that exact same situation right now where if she were sworn in there would be this discharge petition as it's called that would, I suppose if, if the procedural things come to pass, would force the release of the Epstein files. But ah, just can't do it. Wouldn't you know it, we had a government shutdown. We just can't, we just can't. We just can't do the discharge petition, everybody, because we just don't have the votes for it because one person is being forced to sit on the sidelines. Ain't that something? Isn't that something? Good reminder for Matt there, my ep, hit the follow or subscribe button and join the conversation. I mean I, I will say, and I, I want to circle back to my conversation with Governor Andy Bashir of Kentucky because I think there was sort of an undercurrent to what he was saying that I think I want to highlight and that is. Aren't we all just tired of this? Aren't we all just tired of Donald Trump's games? He thinks this is a game. J.D. vance thinks this is a game. Stephen Miller thinks this is a game. Mike Johnson thinks this is a game. It's not a game. It's not a game when thousands of federal employees may be about to lose their jobs. It's not a game when thousands upon thousands of members of the US Military are going to go without pay. And here's what they have up on the website for the cdc. Mission critical activities of the CDC will continue during the Democrat led government shutdown. Democrat led government shutdown. This is on an official U.S. government website. This is on the Housing and Urban Development website. The radical left are going to shut down the government and inflict massive pain on the American people as they get their 1.5 trillion wish list of demands. It's all bullshit. It's all bullshit. Ladies and gentlemen, the Democrats don't run. I'm just gonna say it in plain English. They don't run jack shit in Washington right now. They don't even run a hot dog stand in Washington right now. The Republicans are in charge. They run all three branches of government. You've got a MAGA Supreme Court, you've got a MAGA Congress and a MAGA White House. And these MAGA turkeys have shut down the government. So when you listen to the corporate media and I will say, for Pete's sake to my friends in the corporate media, please do not take the bait in this. Please do not swallow this narrative that if the Democrats would just come along and reopen the government, the Republicans have a majority in the House. They have a majority in the Senate. They have the White House. Yes. I guess procedurally they may need 60 votes to get something to the Senate floor to ultimately pass something out of the Senate. You can't throw a bone, you can't throw one bone to a couple of moderate Senate Democrats to get this thing over the finish line. No, they don't want that. They want to shut down the government. So do not believe this bullshit narrative that has been amplified on Fox News, that has been amplified in corporate media, that somehow the Democrats have something to do with this goddamn government shutdown. As I said, the Democrats don't even run a hot dog stand in D.C. right now. They don't run anything. They don't run jack shit in D.C. right now. The Republicans MAGA is running the show. This is the MAGA government shutdown. And if you don't believe that, then you have been inhaling what they're pumping out over at Fox News. You've been inhaling what they've been pumping out on X. You've been inhaling what they've been pumping out over at the White House and what Caroline Levitt has been pumping out of her briefing room. Nonsense, bullshit, quackery. That's what they're pumping out. And it's. And it's all lies. This is the MAGA government shutdown. This is what the American people voted for. They voted for the return of Donald Trump in his crazy talk about the enemy from within. They have voted people like Mike Johnson. Mike Johnson in as the speaker of the House. Mike Johnson who, Did anybody know who he was a few years ago? He's the speaker of the House. It is a MAGA government shutdown and we're only in day one. And they want to use this government shutdown to fire thousands and thousands of federal workers. But here's the thing, here's the thing that you have to pay attention to. Donald Trump once said that presidents are responsible for government shutdowns. Let's take a look.
- [54:15]
B
If there is a shutdown, I think it would be a tremendously negative mark.
- [54:19]
A
On the President of the United States.
- [54:21]
B
He's the one that has to get people together.
- [54:23]
A
I hear the Democrats are going to.
- [54:25]
B
Be blamed and the Republicans are going to be blamed.
- [54:27]
A
I actually think the President would be blamed.
- [54:29]
B
Well, if you say who gets fired, it always has to be the top. I mean, problems start from the top.
- [54:36]
A
Exactly what he said. What Donald Trump said. Donald Trump said presidents are responsible when the government shuts down. My thanks to the folks over at NOW this for putting that together. It's a great compilation. There's a whole full compilation you could watch online. It's a MAGA shutdown, folks. Do not believe the. What did I once say? Don't give into the lies. Do not give into the lies. When your government of the people, by the people and for the people has been shut down by maga, by Donald Trump to play games, to not release the Epstein files, to fire government workers, to inflict pain on the American people. It's his shutdown and his alone. My thanks to Governor Andy Beshear. My thanks to Congressman Robert Garcia of California. Thanks, everybody, for watching. Make sure you do subscribe. Hit the like button. I don't say that enough, but make sure you do that. But in the meantime, still reporting from Washington, I'm Jim Acosta. Have a good evening. I'll see you next time.