Verdict with Ted Cruz

Episode: Dems Refuse to Pay Federal Workers, Antisemitism on the Right, Standing up to the Muslim Brotherhood & Defending Christians in China

Date: October 24, 2025
Hosts: Senator Ted Cruz & Ben Ferguson

Episode Overview

In this episode, Senator Ted Cruz and co-host Ben Ferguson dissect the ongoing federal government shutdown, address a troubling rise in antisemitism (including on the political right), scrutinize the controversial nomination of Amer Ghalib as ambassador to Kuwait, and highlight new bipartisan efforts to confront the persecution of Christians in Communist China. The hosts share inside perspectives on Senate debates, dig into the moral and strategic stakes of these issues, and call for principled action at home and abroad.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Government Shutdown: "The Schumer Shutdown"

[00:35–09:14]

Discussion:

• The government shutdown has stretched into its 24th day, with Democrats staunchly opposing Republican moves to pay essential federal employees.
• Senator Cruz details failed efforts to secure salaries for federal workers, noting only three Senate Democrats broke party lines to support worker pay.
• Cruz predicts upcoming further votes for military and TSA pay, expressing skepticism about Democratic support.
• Real consequences: air travel delays, danger to public safety, and harmful rhetoric from anonymous Democratic aides.
• Cruz criticizes that while federal workers go unpaid, members of Congress, by law, still receive salaries—prompting him to request withholding his own pay.

Notable Quotes:

• Cruz [00:51]:
  “Warnock, Ossoff and Fetterman were the three Democrats who voted to pay the federal workers…every other Democrat voted no. No paycheck for you.”
• Cruz [08:14]:
  “Virtually every Democrat in the House and Senate has said, nope, keep my paycheck going, I’m going to take away yours. But you know me, the Democrat politician. I need every penny of my salary.”

2. Antisemitism on the Right: Serious Warnings

[09:14–16:54]

Discussion:

• Cruz recounts his keynote at Christians United for Israel, recapping the military and security alliance between the U.S. and Israel.
• He warns of a dangerous rise of antisemitism now surfacing in some right-wing circles, unprecedented in his lifetime.
• Younger conservatives, especially young Christians, are trending toward isolationism and skepticism of U.S.–Israel ties.
• Cruz pleads for church leaders and conservative influencers to actively confront antisemitism and support Israel as a matter of American national security.

Notable Quotes:

• Cruz (at CUFI speech) [10:07]:
  “Every lunatic terrorist in Hamas or Hezbollah or Iran that Israel took out made America safer. The United States of America should say to that little nation, thank you.”
• Cruz [11:52]:
  “In the last six months, I have seen antisemitism rising on the right in a way I have never seen it in my entire life.”
• Cruz [14:43]:
  “This poison of antisemitism on the right, it is spreading with young people. It is gaining traction. Part of it is philosophical. There’s an isolationism.”
• Cruz [15:58]:
  “If we do nothing, we’ll wake up in a few years and the Republican Party will be lost like the Democrat party has — that we’ll have two anti-Israel parties. And I, for one, I don’t intend to sit quietly and let that happen.”

3. Ambassador to Kuwait Nominee: Scrutinizing Amer Ghalib

[19:09–29:24]

Discussion:

• The Trump administration nominated Amer Ghalib, ex-mayor of Hamtramck, MI, as ambassador to Kuwait, largely due to his political endorsement of Trump despite being a Democrat.
• Cruz notes Ghalib’s troubling record: praising the Muslim Brotherhood, denigrating Israel and the Abraham Accords, supporting BDS, calling Saddam Hussein a martyr, and liking antisemitic social media posts.
• In Senate Foreign Relations Committee questioning, Ghalib defends, explains, and walks back some positions, leading Cruz to publicly oppose the nomination.

Notable Quotes:

• Cruz [20:32]:
  “In August of 2020, you posted that the Muslim Brotherhood was an inspiration. Do you continue to believe the Muslim Brotherhood is an inspiration?”
• Ghalib [21:02]:
  “No, I’m not part of it. I don't believe in that…”
• Cruz [24:26]:
  “Would a statement like ‘all Jews are monkeys’ — would that qualify as antisemitism?”
• Cruz [27:55]:
  “I think we’ll see this nomination withdrawn. I think the White House will make the decision to withdraw this nomination. If they don’t, I will vote no…It’s not possible for him to do his job and faithfully represent President Trump.”

4. Defending Christians in China: Bipartisan Action

[32:02–39:26]

Discussion:

• Addressing China’s intensifying crackdown on Christianity, Cruz laments the global silence prompted by economic interests.
• He details the history of Pastor Jin Mingri’s persecution and calls attention to bipartisan Senate efforts (with Senator Chris Coons) to formally rebuke China and call for the release of pastors and Christian prisoners.
• The conversation underscores the leverage of U.S. moral leadership and economic power, urging the President to press China directly on religious freedom in upcoming meetings.

Notable Quotes:

• Cruz [32:26]:
  “Communist China has a terrible record...and in particular, the persecution of Christians…recently they’ve been cracking down and it’s been getting worse.”
• Grace Jin (via Cruz) [34:10]:
  “His efforts demonstrate that the world is watching on as the Chinese government unjustly imprisons pastors and church leaders for the peaceful exercise of their faith.”
• Cruz [36:10]:
  “They [China] respond to pressure in two forms. Number one, to being publicly called, to having light shine on their oppression. And number two, they respond to economic leverage.”
• Cruz [37:51]:
  “President Trump has an opportunity…to call on President Xi to release these pastors…The United States has a responsibility to be a voice for religious liberty across the country, to defend Christians when they’re persecuted, to defend Jews when they’re persecuted, to defend people of faith all across the world.”

Memorable Moments & Quotes with Timestamps

• Cruz on Democrats refusing federal worker pay:
  “No paycheck for you.” [00:51]
• Anonymous Democratic aide on shutdown:
  "The shutdown will continue, quote, until planes start falling from the sky." [07:00]
• Cruz on U.S.–Israel alliance:
  “The United States supports Israel because it is unequivocally in the national security interest of the United States.” [14:43]
• Cruz on the need for Christian leadership:
  "Very few pastors...are engaging in confronting these lies." [15:58]
• Ghalib defending himself on antisemitic social media activity:
  "Clicking on it doesn’t mean I endorse it…I pass a resolution to condemn anti Semitism in all forms or shape." [24:42]
• Cruz’s call for change on China:
  "I very much hope President Trump will do so in the coming week." [37:51]
• Cruz on American leadership:
  “Strong American leadership can stand up to tyrannies. The Soviet Union was terrified of Ronald Reagan…Communist China and our enemies across the globe are terrified of Donald Trump.” [39:51]

Timestamps for Major Segments

• Shutdown Deep Dive: 00:35–09:14
• Antisemitism – A Conservative Problem Too: 09:14–16:54
• Ambassador to Kuwait Hearing & Controversy: 19:09–29:24
• Defending Christians in China – Bipartisan Push: 32:02–39:26

Episode Tone & Language

• Direct, urgent, and sometimes indignant; speakers employ vivid language and examples, aiming to rally listeners to the defense of American, Jewish, and Christian interests at home and abroad.
• Cruz’s speech at CUFI and sharp Senate questioning are especially impassioned, blending policy analysis with moral appeal.
• Ferguson amplifies points for clarity and underscores their personal and political implications.

Summary

This episode of Verdict with Ted Cruz delivers a fast-paced, pointed analysis of several intersecting crises: the government shutdown and unpaid federal workers; a surge of antisemitism within elements of the political right; a divisive ambassadorship nomination tainted by ties to anti-Israel and antisemitic rhetoric; and a renewed bipartisan stand against China’s repression of Christians. At every stage, the hosts challenge listeners—and conservative leaders—to speak up, act, and defend America’s core values in a turbulent world.