Host or Commentator (3:20)

You need more context than that. Lisa Murkowski and Susan Collins, or are you clutching your pearls? Oh, my gosh. Grow a spine, Republicans. What are you doing here? Going back to Republican Senate leader Senator Thune. He's asked. Okay, this is a good question by the reporter. You talk about saying that agriculture is the lifeblood of your state, South Dakota. Well, the budget guts billions of dollars for farmers. And Donald Trump's Doge attacks affected a lot of jobs of farmers. Donald Trump's tariffs are going to hurt the farmers and you're selling out your state, Thune. And he's like, what are we talking about here? Here, play this clip saying that agriculture.

Reporter (4:13)

Is the lifeblood of South Dakota. Yet your farmers already struggling, are now facing additional headwinds, including contract freezes, staff firings, including inadvertent ones or accident ones, affecting bird flu responders, and also the interruption of overseas food aid that they depend on. So how does all this make sense when food prices are reckless, are already through the roof and when support for downsizing the government could be on the chopping block as the damage, the damage from this purge builds up?

Senator Thune (4:53)

Well, look, I think we all know that the administration, the new administration, is giving a very careful scrub to the government, to all the agencies of the government to figure out how we can do things more efficiently and save money for the American taxpayer. It's important in doing that that you don't undermine important services. In many cases, as you point out, there are some that affect my state, there are some that affect all of my colleagues, states around the country. And we will work with the administration as they move forward to ensure that important services that have to deal with health and safety, for example, are protected and preserved. But I think we all understand that this government, federal government, is long in need of the kind of scrub that is being done to figure out how we can do things better. And I think most of us support that effort and we will, with our individual states, respond to the administration if there are things that we think that need to be addressed, that perhaps that they're not Considering as they make some of these decisions. But at the end of the day, the American people, I think, demanded in the election that we have a smaller, more limited, more efficient federal government that costs less and delivers the important services that they expect their government to deliver. Thank you.

Host or Commentator (6:14)

I mean, look, then you go to MAGA Republican, ultra maga, Republican Senator Tommy Tuberville. I mean, you don't expect anything from this guy. I mean, this guy's a total clown. And here he goes. Look, I just feel bad for what the American people are about to go through. Things are gonna start to get even harder for the American. Why are you gonna make it harder? Things were going in the right direction at the end of the Biden administration and these Republicans constantly keep talking about inflicting the hardship on us, right? Every day they're like, we need to inflict hardship. Look, we gotta make sure the billionaires are doing good. We gotta hurt the working class Americans. Why play this clip?

Senator Tuberville (6:57)

There's no way some of these places actually receive this money. So it's going to be interesting to watch. But again, I hate it for the American people. They've had to go through this. But again, tough times get hard. President Trump is going to, he's, he's going to expose all this and then after we expose it, we correct it.

Host or Commentator (7:15)

I think you're onto something with that. That's why I wanted you to elaborate.

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Host or Commentator (9:08)

Then you have Ted Cruz go on Fox and Ted Cruz's version of events is not that Donald Trump is literally parroting Putin talking points. And Donald Trump is talking about what, removing troops, American troops in Baltic states and basically collapsing NATO. And Donald Trump's talking about what just totally capitulating to Russia, letting Russia do anything that Russia wants. But for Ted Cruz, it's Biden's fault. You know, we all know it's Biden's fault. No, not Russia's fault for unlawfully invading Ukraine. They go, it's Biden's fault. It was clear when President Trump campaigned throughout last year that he was campaigning, among other things, on ending the war in Ukraine. The war in Ukraine was caused by Joe Biden's weakness as well, weakness as commander in chief. But I mean, these people are pathetic. I mean, you go to former Russian President Dimitri Medvedev statement, he goes, he's quote, he quotes Trump here and he goes, a dictator without elections. Zelinsky better move fast or he's not going to have a country left. That was Trump's, he's quoting Trump. If you'd have told me just three months ago that these were the words of the US President, I would have laughed out loud. He goes, they're mocking us in Russia and these spineless Republicans like we stand firmly with Ukraine. You don't, if you're allowing Donald Trump to do this, if you're enabling Trump, then you have over here MAGA Republican Senator Tim Scott, who's literally just making up numbers at this point. He's like 10 trillion, 2 trillion, 4 trillion, 18 trillion. Here, play this clip.

Senator Tuberville (10:46)

And that's why Doge is so important. Whether he finds 500 billion, a trillion dollars or even aspirationally $2 trillion that probably multiplies to 10 trillion in private sector activity over a 10 year period of time. Those numbers are real dollars in the pockets of the American People, thank God Almighty we have a president who made promises on the campaign trail and now he's keeping those promises. Free news for the American people. Free at last. Free at last. Not quite yet, but we'll see. God almighty, who knows where they are in six months.

Host or Commentator (11:23)

Who so wild. Then you have the Trump pick as labor secretary. Remember who that like Maga, Teamsters head, what? Sean O'Brien was the guy's name, you know, who, who would give the thumbs up and said donald Trump. So great. We love Donald Trump or whatever the ridiculous. I mean, throwing the Teamsters under the bus. Geez. But here's the labor secretary Trump's pick, refusing to answer if any American can survive comfortably on a minimum wage that Trump supports because refused to support living wages. Here, play this clip.

Labor Secretary Nominee (11:57)

I recognize that it hasn't been changed, the minimum wage.

Interviewer (12:01)

I guess I'm just asking you, like, do you think that's enough for a.

Senator Thune (12:03)

Worker to live on?

Interviewer (12:04)

I'm just trying to get a sense of your vision for what the standard of life for an American worker is.

Labor Secretary Nominee (12:09)

Yeah, well, I mean, again, for every state, for every community. Again, I mentioned Oregon. What happens in Portland doesn't happen in Grants Pass. It certainly doesn't happen.

Interviewer (12:18)

I don't understand that about Oregon. But like, I guess I would ask you, what is 725 an hour? That is what in an annual term, do you know off the top of your head? Oh, it's not a math question. I'm just trying to get a sense. So it's about $15,000 a year. So I guess I just want to ask you, do you think that there is a state in this country where someone can live comfortably on their own for $15,000 a year?

Labor Secretary Nominee (12:39)

Well, I don't know if there is, but I would look to work with Congress. This is a congressional issue. I hope I can support you in telling the story of what's happening on the ground.

Interviewer (12:51)

But that's what I'm just trying to get a sense of is what your vision is.

Host or Commentator (12:56)

And I got to play this because in my view, this guy's basically MAGA at this point. Sean O'Brien, the Teamsters president, the damage this guy has done to the Teamsters rank and file, one of the greatest betrayals, I think, in labor history. It's, in my view, one of the most shameful things. You can't see it over there. I have the Teamsters magazine. I love Teamsters. I just can't believe that this guy's leading it here. Sean O'Brien goes on Fox goes on the propaganda network and he downplays Trump's reckless firings of federal workers. Play this clip.

Sean O'Brien (13:33)

The President came in and he didn't come in subtle, that's for sure. I've never known him to do this. There's a lot of controversy on that. Look, we don't want to see anybody get laid off. We don't want to see anybody losing their jobs. But he thinks he's within his rights. There are court proceedings and ultimately the courts are going to decide whether what he's doing is lawful or not. I know that there is a lot of fat in the government he's trimming, and I don't think people are opposed to that. And look, I tell people all the time, let's take a look at the 101st day and where we're at at that point in time, right?

Host or Commentator (14:05)

All of this is taking place. Donald Trump is posting photos of himself wearing crowns saying long live the king on fake Time magazine covers. While all of this is going on, you've got another plane crash yesterday, the ninth plane crash. Nine plane crashes. I think four were lethal. This one was lethal, maybe five. Nine plane crashes since the Trump administration started. And this one was in Arizona. But folks, you have people like this MAGA Republican from Florida, Ashley Moody, who goes, everybody. The grownups are back in charge. The big boys are back in charge. Here, play this clip.

Ashley Moody (14:49)

So our country was looking more and more like cartel territories. Deadly drugs, gang violence, taking over full apartment complexes. I mean, it was out of control. Well, guess what, the parents came home. The grownups are back. It is time to take back control of this nation. President Trump said he would do it. He is fulfilling that promise. And those of us that have been in law enforcement and begging for this decisive, aggressive action. It's like Christmas come early. And you know who's going to pay? The cartels. And we're going to make sure that Americans are put first again.

Host or Commentator (15:26)

You know, Senator, and then over here you have Speaker Mike Johnson, who previously said, one of my promises is we're gonna have single subject legislation. And then Donald Trump said, nope, I want one big, beautiful bill. And then Mike Johnson was like, we're doing one big, beautiful bill. I mean, again, these people, they're not a co equal branch. They're just utterly pathetic. You got Mike Johnson saying this is what he said on January 9, 2023. He goes, The House GOP instituted the most positive reform in generations. Some highlights, a truly open legislative process. Bills must be about one single subject only. No new votes on a bill without at least 72 hours notice. And then Donald Trump, though, sends a post yesterday, February 19, saying the House and the Senate are doing a spectacular job. However, unlike Lindsey Graham's version in the Senate, the House resolution implements my full America first agenda. Everything, not just part of it. We need one big, beautiful bill. So what does Mike Johnson then say? House Republicans are working to deliver Trump's full agenda, not just a small part of it. Let's get it done. By the way, you know what that agenda is? $880 billion in cuts to Medicaid. $250 billion in cuts to agriculture. $350 billion cuts to education. Nothing about no tax on tips. Nothing about no tax on Social Security. Nothing about no tax on overtime. $4.5 trillion in tax cuts. For the billionaires. For the billionaires. We told you that was going to happen. It's all the Project 2025 agenda screwing over hard working people. Sad to see. Sad to see. We got to make our voices heard, America. We got to make our voices heard. Hit subscribe let's get to 5 million subscribers. Thanks for watching. Can't get enough Midas? Check out the Midas plus substack for ad Free articles, reports, podcasts, daily recaps from Ron Filipkowski and more. Sign up for free now@midasplus.com.