Security Held the Line even as Funding Failed, Teslas win Food Stamps & The Tragic Math of Liberal Homeless Policy Week In Review

Summary

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Verdict with Ted Cruz: "Security Held the Line even as Funding Failed, Teslas win Food Stamps & The Tragic Math of Liberal Homeless Policy"

Date: May 2, 2026
Hosts: Senator Ted Cruz & Ben Ferguson

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Episode Overview

This Weekend Review episode explores three headline topics through a conservative lens:

• Secret Service heroism during an assassination attempt on the President amid congressional funding battles;
• Major FBI raids uncovering massive fraud in Minnesota’s social safety net, including luxury cars owned by food stamp recipients;
• Portland’s controversial scoring system for homeless services, which factors in race, sexual orientation, and other identity metrics over need.

The episode is a punchy, fast-paced catch-up on the week’s big stories, mixing news breakdowns, biting critique, and Ted Cruz’s pointed commentary.

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Segment 1: Secret Service Heroism & the Standoff over Funding

Secret Service Risked Their Lives Unpaid

[04:14–05:12]

• The co-hosts discuss the latest assassination attempt on the President at the White House Correspondents Center.
• Despite "DHS being shut down for more than two months” and lack of formal funding, the Secret Service acted bravely, with some being paid only through emergency reallocations ([04:14], Ted Cruz).
• Cruz sharply blames Democrats for blocking funding:

  “The Democrats have voted against funding the Secret Service, funding the Department of Homeland Security. They voted against it 16 times… I don't know if you're a Democrat, how you justify going and voting against paying for the Secret Service when they may have quite literally saved your life the couple days before.” ([04:30], Ted Cruz)

Critique of Security Measures Litigation

[05:19–07:33]

• The hosts highlight litigation that blocked Trump’s new secure ballroom, intended for protected government events.
• Cruz calls the federal judge’s reasoning “stupid,” mocking the dismissal of bulletproof and drone-proof measures for national security:

  “I'm going to give you the technical legal definition of that. That segment of the district court's ruling. That is stupid. It is stupid on its face.” ([05:57], Ted Cruz)

• He warns the threat of violence remains high, claiming "leftists out there... know exactly what they're saying" when escalating rhetoric is used, connecting this to real-world attacks ([06:41], Ted Cruz).

History and Political Context

[07:33–09:32]

• The hotel hosting the event is nicknamed the ‘Hinckley Hilton’ for being where John Hinckley shot President Reagan.
• Co-hosts agree security is subpar compared to the proposed secure ballroom—which would benefit politicians of all parties—with Ferguson adding:

  “This is the difference between the Democratic Party [and] the Republican Party: Democrats call for this type of violence and assassinations and celebrate when people like Charlie Kirk get shot, and we on the right say we don't want anyone to die because of their political beliefs, even if they're against me.” ([08:27], Ben Ferguson)

• Both denounce political violence categorically.

Academic Radicalization and Manifesto Analysis

[09:32–13:53]

• Cruz characterizes the would-be assassin as indoctrinated in Marxist ideology at Caltech:

  “This is the consequence of consistent radical indoctrination. An indoctrination that says... in Marxist ideology the oppressor oppresses the victim and violence is justified in overthrowing the oppressor. This young man was taught that garbage.” ([11:19], Ted Cruz)

• Cruz quotes the shooter's manifesto to point out “Marxist language” and argues this rhetoric emboldens violence.

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Segment 2: Massive Fraud in Federal Safety Net Programs

FBI Raids in Minneapolis

[19:00–24:19]

• The FBI raided 22 centers in Minnesota (many Somali-owned) after years of alleged fraud, with a now-infamous “Leering Center” (a typo for Learning Center) involved.
• Cruz and Ferguson allege local politicians (e.g., Ilhan Omar, Governor Tim Walz) benefited politically and financially from the fraud—which they claim amounted to over $9 billion:

  “Ilhan Omar is one of the leading Democrats… [and] integral in covering up the Somali fraud in Minnesota. She was elected by the fraudsters. The Somali voting base is her core base. Their money helped elect her.” ([21:10], Ted Cruz)

• They mock Governor Waltz’s claim of fighting fraud, likening it to “the arsonist taking credit when the firefighters turn up and put out the fire.” ([24:16], Ted Cruz)

Outlook: More Raids to Come

[24:19–25:05]

• The hosts predict more crackdowns, particularly in California, indicating confidence this is “the tip of the iceberg.”

Food Stamp Abuse: Luxury Cars & the SNAP Fraud Pipeline

[25:05–33:50]

• The show highlights findings from Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins and a New York Post exposé:

  “We found SNAP recipients had more than 2,000 Tesla owners, 200 Alfa Romeo owners, more than 144… driving Porsches.” ([25:48], Sec. Brooke Rollins, via Ben Ferguson)

• Cruz expands, reciting the full list:

  “There are 306 Land Rovers… 59 Maseratis… 11 Lamborghinis, 3 Ferraris and 3 Bentleys. These are people getting food stamps driving a quarter-million-dollar or more... that is an absolute abuse.” ([26:40], Ted Cruz)

• They explain these frauds are enabled by loose eligibility rules, notably “broad based categorical eligibility,” originally a cost-saving device turned loophole:

  “Anyone who touches that pamphlet… is then treated as being ‘categorically eligible’ for food stamps, even millionaires. It's fraud by design…” ([29:01], Ted Cruz, quoting NY Post)

• Cruz highlights thousands of applications tied to foreign IPs and email addresses, equating to $10.4 billion/year in improper payments.
• On policy:

  “If you got the money for a Ferrari, we ain’t paying for your food. I got to say, that sounds like common sense. And there’s not a single Democrat governor in the country that’s saying that.” ([33:37], Ted Cruz)

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Segment 3: Portland’s Woke Homeless Services Point System

Identity-Based Access to Homeless Services

[38:42–46:56]

• Portland developed a priority system for homeless services, awarding points for various characteristics (identity, age, pregnancy, language), not strictly need:

  “They’ve got a scoring mechanism now… you get bonus points for certain things while being homeless in America. And then you get services, AKA rewarded based on your race and your sexual identity.” ([38:42], Ben Ferguson)

• Cruz breaks down the political ideology:

  “In the Democrat party, being LGBT or being a racial minority is... more privileged than simply being poor and being homeless... Portland, Oregon is almost like a deranged faculty lounge experiment gone awry.” ([39:49], Ted Cruz)

• Portland spent roughly $200,000 per homeless resident, but “the death rate among homeless quadrupled… from 113 in 2019 to more than 450 in 2023.” ([41:49], Ted Cruz)
• Ferguson ridicules the elaborate point spreadsheet, “like English is a second language gets you two points… If you’re pregnant, that’s a three pointer…”
• Cruz details the point menu:
  • English as a Second Language: 2 points
  • Head of household under 18: 2 points
  • Interest in LGBTQ services: 1 point
  • Over age 55: 2 points (the same as ‘interest in culturally specific services’)
  • Zero income: 1 point
  • Homeless for over a year: 1 point
  • Currently homeless: 2 points ([43:22–45:01], Ted Cruz & Ben Ferguson)
• Cruz closes by blasting the waste and priorities:

  “They’re spending 200 grand per homeless person… And yet the death rate quadrupled because they were more interested in LGBTQ elementop... than they are actually in helping someone who needs help.” ([46:03], Ted Cruz)

• Ferguson speculates on the fraud:

  “You got to ask yourself the question, how much fraud’s involved here?” ([46:42], Ben Ferguson)

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• “That is Marxist language of oppressors and victims.” ([10:49], Ted Cruz)
• “If you’re on food stamps and you’re driving a Lambo or a Ferrari or a Maserati, like you are defrauding the US Government, full stop.” ([27:34], Ben Ferguson)
• “200 grand per homeless resident. You could house them and feed them. 200 grand is a lot of money... the death rate among homeless people in Portland quadrupled.” ([41:43], Ted Cruz)
• “In the Portland world, interest in a culturally specific service is equally prioritized to being a domestic violence survivor.” ([44:12], Ted Cruz)
• “This is DEI on a whole nother level of stupid.” ([45:11], Ben Ferguson)

---

Timestamps for Key Segments

• [04:14] — Secret Service risk their lives without pay due to congressional funding failures
• [05:19] — Litigation blocks secure ballroom, Cruz critiques federal judge
• [09:32] — Shooter’s manifesto & academic radicalization
• [19:00] — FBI raids Minneapolis, Somali fraud detailed
• [25:38] — SNAP fraud: luxury car owners on food stamps
• [29:01] — Loopholes in SNAP: “Fraud by design”
• [38:42] — Portland’s point-based homeless aid system
• [41:49] — Quadrupling of homeless deaths despite huge spending

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Tone & Takeaways

The hosts are unapologetically critical of progressive policy, frequently using sharp, sarcastic language ("DEI on a whole nother level of stupid") and driving home a message of governmental failure and misaligned liberal priorities. They call for accountability, tighter eligibility in social programs, and for party leaders to rein in what they see as dangerous rhetoric and ideological experiments.

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Useful for listeners who want an unfiltered conservative perspective on the week’s political controversies, with a focus on government accountability, security, and social program abuses.

Transcript

[Martha Stewart]

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[Martha Stewart]

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[Ted Cruz]

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[Ben Ferguson]

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[Ben Ferguson]

It is verdict with Ted Cruz, Ben Ferguson with you. It's nice to have you with us on the Weekend Review. And here are the big stories you may have missed that we talked about this week. First up, another assassination on the president of the United States of America. And Democrats still playing politics, not wanting to pay the Secret Service. They showed up to do their job, but Democrats don't want them to get a paycheck. We'll explain that. Also, the FBI, they've had major raids this week in Minnesota, including the famous leering center. You know, the sign that was supposed to say learning center. So what's behind all this? And is the president paying off on stopping waste, fraud and abuse? And finally, if you're homeless, well, you may get bonus points if you have a certain skin color before you get benefits. And if you check the right box on if you're gay, lesbian or transgender, how does that get you ahead of people that are senior citizens? It's all been set up by the Democrats. It's a weekend review and it starts right now. Let me ask you another question on this. And, and this is, I, I know the answer, but I think the audience needs to know this. The president was talking about how the Secret Service did an amazing job and making sure that this threat was neutralized. Do those guys get paychecks right now that were at the White House Correspondence Center?

[Ted Cruz]

Look, DHS is shut down. It's been shut down for more than two months.

[Ben Ferguson]

So they're not getting paid.

[Ted Cruz]

Well, some of them are getting paid because the president is reallocating money from other parts of the budget. So some of them have gotten paychecks.

[Ben Ferguson]

But, but the Democrats are saying they don't want them paid.

[Ted Cruz]

The Democrats have voted against funding the Secret Service, funding the Department of Homeland Security. They voted against it 16 times. And by the way, there were Democrats at that event, that event. In fact, there were more Democrats in that room than there were Republicans because it's mostly reporters and they're almost all either Democrats or further left. And, and the Secret Service, look, when they stop this shooter, any one of them could be killed. I, you know, I don't know if you're a Democrat, how you justify going and voting against paying for the Secret Service when they may have quite literally saved your life the couple days before.

[Ben Ferguson]

But, but I have no doubt that they would still vote against it, right? They would. They would vote against it. They would say, no, no, we're not going to fund them. Like, they're unified on that.

[Ted Cruz]

That's, I don't know what they're going to do next. I do know that they voted 16 times against it. I'll also point out, you know, you look at the litigation against the new ballroom that President Trump is building. And yes, in that litigation, a federal district judge enjoined construction of the, of the ballroom, ordered that it be halted. And, and here was his reasoning. I want you to listen to it because it, it's absurd on its face. Quote, the fact that the ballroom is planned to include security features such as bulletproof windows and a drone proof roof does not bring the structure within the scope of the national security exception. While these features may well be beneficial, defendants have not provided any national security justification for why these features must be installed immediately such that they should be excluded from the scope of the injunction. Now, I'm going to give you the technical legal definition of that. That segment of the district court's ruling. That is stupid. It is stupid on its face. And now, thankfully, that injunction was stayed by the court of appeals, so it's not in effect. But, but the federal district judge was saying, why I see no national security justification three times. Wow. In about a year we have seen President Trump attempted a year and a half attempted to be assassinated. And yet the judge is saying, look, if it were in the White House ballroom, if you had the security of the White House, that would be a much safer place to minimize these kinds of threats. And sadly, I think the odds are high this is not the last attempted assassination of President Trump. There are leftists out there who are hearing Hakeem Jeffries war all the time. Everywhere they're hearing Democrat after Democrat after Democrat using language that, that is not even a dog whistle. It's not even a coded call to violence. Their lunatic supporters know exactly what they're saying.

[Ben Ferguson]

You know, you go back the ballroom of the politics of this, by the way, it was made private funds came in to, to pay for this as well. And there was. Democrats are obsessed with this ballroom. They don't want it to happen because Donald Trump's the one doing it. And the other thing I think is interesting is the president said in his interview on 60 Minutes that this has been something that the, that the Secret Service and the military have been saying for like basically the last 100 years. We need this because it's a way to have events in a safe manner. You look at the hotel where the White House Correspondence center was last night. I've gone to countless events there. I know you have. I mean, how many, how many events do you think you've been to that thing in your, in your political lifetime? Like, almost every event is there because it's one of the bigger, closest places.

[Ted Cruz]

The nickname that, that pretty much everyone in politics calls it is the Hinckley Hilton because it is hotel where John Hinckley shot President Reagan. And it's just, I mean, you say, oh, we've got an event, Hinckley Hilton. That's just, that's just what they call it.

[Ben Ferguson]

Yeah. I mean, and it, and, and, and this goes back to the Secret Services obsession with safety is we do the best we can. We have all this security. It's still a hotel. This guy was able to check in, apparently on Friday. It still operates like a hotel. We're rushing people out the back. I, I had friends at Fox News that were rushed through the back of the, of the hotel, through the kitchen to try to keep them safe after all this went down. And as you mentioned, the nickname of the hotel goes directly back to Ronald Reagan, which again, if any of these Democrats are against having a ballroom, which, by the way, will benefit Democrats in the White House, there will be more Democrats in the White House. I believe in our lifetimes, that's the way politics works. It will keep them safe as well, because I never want to see an American president assassinated. I don't care if you're Republican or a Democrat. And this is the difference between the Democratic Party, the Republican Party is Democrats call for this type of violence and assassinations and celebrate when people like Charlie Kirk get shot and we on the right say we don't want anyone to die because of their political beliefs, even if they're against me.

[Ted Cruz]

You are absolutely right. Violence is wrong, period. I do think this attempted assassination, it is the fruits of a corrupted elite academic system. Where did this kid get radicalized? I think the odds are quite likely at Caltech being trained by leftists. And look, he wrote his manifesto, and I'm not interested in highlighting his deranged attacks on President Trump, but I actually do want to read a little bit of it because he put out a series of objections and rebuttals, and they show just how twisted the indoctrination is. So he writes, objection one, As a Christian, you should turn the other cheek. By the way, this guy calls himself a Christian. He claims to be a Christian. Rebuttal. Turning the other cheek is for when you yourself are oppressed. I'm not the person raped in a detention camp. I'm not the fisherman executed without a trial. I'm not a school kid blown up or a child starved or a teenage girl abused by the many criminals in this administration. Turning the other cheek when someone else is oppressed is not Christian behavior. It is complicity in the oppressor's crimes. By the way, listen to that language. Complicity in the oppressor's crimes. That is Marxist language of oppressors and victims. And, and, and he is repeating what, what leftists have indoctrinated him in university

[Ben Ferguson]

here.

[Ted Cruz]

Here was his next objection to. This is not a convenient time for you to do this rebuttal. I need whoever thinks this way to take a couple of minutes and realize that the world isn't about them. Do you think that when I see someone raped or murdered or abused, I should walk on by because it would be inconvenient for people who aren't the victim? This is the best timing and chance of success I could come up with. Objection number three, you didn't get them all. So. So he believed he was going to kill President Trump. Multiple members of the cabinet, but he recognized someone would live. The Vice President, his speaker was there. His rebuttal gotta start somewhere. This is the consequence of consistent radical indoctrination. An indoctrination that says that, that. That in Marxist ideology the oppressor oppresses the victim and violence is justified in overthrowing the oppressor. This young man was taught that garbage. The young man who murdered the United Healthcare CEO was taught that garbage. And the people purveying this poison, they are doing massive damage. The lunatic who tried to murder Brett Kavanaugh was taught that garbage. And when you teach people violence is okay and justified and justified, morally justified, you must act. By the way, this lunatic was not at all worried about, about all the children who were raped by human traffickers under, under the Democrats open borders that those crimes. He was not worried about the people murdered by illegal alien criminals and gang bangers released that those murders don't concern them at all. It's kind of like the leftists who hate Israel and are constantly protesting against Israel. And yet when Iran murders between 10 and 40,000 protesters, not a single leftist utters a peep because they only care about the people they deem oppressors. And I really do hope that some responsible Democrat office holders stand up and say, you know, the rhetoric that my party is using is producing horrible results and we need to stop. But I got to say, other than John Fetterman. I don't see anyone doing that.

[Ben Ferguson]

Now, if you want to hear the rest of this conversation, you can go back and listen to the full podcast from earlier this week.

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[Ted Cruz]

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[Martha Stewart]

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[Ben Ferguson]

I want to move center on to another Topic. And that is some good news for people that are sick and tired of seeing crime committed in one actual action. Especially when it comes to taxpayer dollars disappearing by the tens of billions. And now we have the FBI that is raided. The the Minneapolis fraud ridden care centers, 20 plus of these that were actually rated by the FBI including the famous children's leering center that was supposed to say on their sign learning but it was just a leering center. That one was rated as well. And, and I am, I am excited to just say at least it looks like now we're getting some real action into stopping this fraud and to showing that if you take away taxpayer dollars this way and you send it to terrorist organizations like Al Shabaab and you bribe Democrats to look the other way like Governor Waltz, but with campaign contributions, somebody is at least going to come in and actually hold you accountable.

[Ted Cruz]

Yes, look, I'm very glad that there is finally going to be some accountability. 22 locations in Minneapolis raided by the FBI this week. You mentioned the quality leering center, of course. Their most proud graduate, Ilhan Omar, who actually is not technically.

[Ben Ferguson]

We had World War 11 yesterday. Did you know about that? We've had 11 world wars. That's impressive stuff. I didn't think the King of England knew that.

[Ted Cruz]

It really is stunning. So she was giving a speech and the speech referenced World War II, but the two is two Roman numerals and that's how you normally write World War II. And she read that as World War 11.

[Ben Ferguson]

Yes. Now didn't like correct herself, just owned it and kept going like it was not. Like if you or I did that. And by the way, if you've ever read a speech and you're tired or you're just kind of, it's a long day, you can, you might.

[Ted Cruz]

She didn't know.

[Ben Ferguson]

But you did not correct it. She had no clue. No idea.

[Ted Cruz]

Look, look, there's a level of ignorance there. If a ninth grader thought World War II was World War 11, you would flunk that ninth grader. I mean you think about it years too.

[Ben Ferguson]

Nowadays we'll just socially just pass them on in our public school system back in the good old days. You'd fail.

[Ted Cruz]

Look, look, Ilhan Omar is one of the leading Democrats. She and AOC and I mean the crazy squad is driving the agenda of Democrats today. And the level of ignorance of basic world history is really stunning. And Omar was also integral in covering up the Somali fraud in Minnesota. She was a beneficiary of it. She was elected by the fraudsters The Somali voting base is her core base. Their money helped elect her. Their votes did elect her and she and Tim Walsh and the governor and Keith Ellison, the ag, they were all absolutely involved in the COVID up. They had every incentive. It was corrupt and we're talking over $9 billion of taxpayer money swindled away. And so here's what Fox News reported about the raids. Federal authorities raided more than 20 locations including childcare facilities in Minneapolis on Tuesday as part of a sweeping fraud investigation into largely Somali owned businesses. Sources confirmed to Fox News, quote, today the FBI with federal, state and local law enforcement is involved in court authorized law enforcement activity as part of an ongoing fraud investigation. A Department of justice spokesperson said authorities executed 22 federal search warrants in Minnesota on Tuesday morning as part of the operation, which is not immigration related. Sources said the raid center on federal fraud investigations into largely Somali owned businesses, including childcare facilities that registered they their daycare with the state but were allegedly billing for care that was not provided. Sources told Fox News that two of the raids were conducted at the Quality Leering center and Baby Halim no child care, both in Minneapolis. Vice President J.D. vance addressed the raise post on X writing, the task force of the DOJ will be relentless in exposing these fraudsters wherever they may be hiding. Governor Tim Waltz, this is, this is you. You want to talk about amazing chutzpah?

[Ben Ferguson]

Yeah.

[Ted Cruz]

Said the raids were carried out by federal and state law enforcement after state agencies, quote, caught irregular behavior and reported it, quote, if you commit fraud in Minnesota, you're going to get caught. And that's exactly what we saw today. We catch criminals when state and federal agencies share information, joint investigations work and securing justice depends upon it. Now that truly is stunning because Waltz, his entire governorship has looked the other way on massive fraud, has refused to investigate it, has profited from it, has been elected by it, has, has taken campaign donations from it. The entire Democrat machinery was built on fraud. And now he's taking credit. That really is like the arsonist taking credit when the firefighters turn, turn up and put out the fire.

[Ben Ferguson]

Yeah, it really is. And it's all because now he's not running for reelection, right? So he can just be like, oh, we're rooting out fraud and try to I guess, rebuild his legacy so maybe he can have a grand comeback one day. I don't know if that's gonna work. There's one aspect of this though, Senator, that excites me and it's the fact that it's clear this is the beginning, not the end. Based on what was said by the doj, like this is the tip of the iceberg. We're going to the catalyst point and then there's been directives at all states, including Republican led states, to start looking at waste, fraud and abuse. They're looking at California. I think you're going to see more people that are going to be indicted and more places that are going to be rated outside of Minnesota. That is exactly what the American people voted for, which was to get rid of waste, fraud and abuse.

[Ted Cruz]

That is exactly right. And I will point out also that other blue states are coming. California is coming. I have every reason to expect and indeed I've been told by senior officials in the administration California is even worse than Minneapolis has been. And I want you also give a listen to Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins and what she revealed about fraud and abuse concerning snap, concerning food stamps. Give a listen to Secretary Rollins.

[Ben Ferguson]

Yeah, this one's amazing. By the way, for context. This is about luxury cars and how many people on food stamps are driving like luxury cars. It's incredible sharing.

[Ethos Insurance Announcer]

Previously no data was shared. We had no idea where the taxpayer dollars were spent. Just one red state. The recent dump of data we found SNAP recipients had more than 2,000 Tesla owners, 200 Alfa Romeo owners, more than 144 that were receiving food stamps were driving Porsches. Again, this is the data dumps we're getting because that we before we had no accountability on any of these programs. We now are requiring accountability. The blue states are suing us. They don't want to share the data. And can you imagine this was a red state where there is actually some taxpayer accountability. Imagine what's happening in the blue states if that's happening in the red states.

[Ben Ferguson]

Well, I love that. It's like a bunch of Tesla owners, Alfa Romeo, Also Porsches, Mercedes, BMWs and you're on food stamps. Like these were high end luxury cars, Ben.

[Ted Cruz]

It's even worse. So let me give some additional breakdown. So there are 306 Land Rovers, cheap by the way. There were 59 Maseratis.

[Ben Ferguson]

Yeah, that's a food stamp car.

[Ted Cruz]

You know that there were 11 Lamborghinis, there were three Ferraris and there were three Bentleys. These are people getting food stamps driving a quarter million dollar or more like a Lamborghini could be a million dollar car depending on which one they had. Yeah, that is an absolute abuse. And if that happened in just one red state that handed over its data, how much do you think it's happening in Minnesota? How much do you think it's happening in New York. How much do you think it is happening in Illinois? How much you think it's happening in California? The numbers are gonna be stunning.

[Ben Ferguson]

Every, every time they went after and got somebody there for fraud recently, what were they doing? You saw them putting in a six figure car that was being seized. And in some of the cases there was like multiple six figure cars that were being seized center and put on flatbeds. Like, yeah, they finally raid the house of this fraudster and look at what they had. Like if you're on food stamps and you're driving a Lambo or a Ferrari or a Maserati, like you are defrauding the US Government, full stop.

[Ted Cruz]

Amen. Hallelujah. And listen, I'm very glad the Trump administration is, is, is having some accountability. Let me read from what the New York Post wrote about this, this story about Ferrari drivers on food stamps. So it's entitled Ferrari Drivers on Food Stamps How States Help Scam Scammers Game Welfare, New York Post. What do a university professor, a celebrity barber and a professional football player have in common? All three bought new six figure luxury sports cars and lived lavish lifestyles while collecting food stamps. How on earth can these quote, welfare recipients purchase high end vehicles while remaining on the dole? Thanks to a federal loophole known as broad based categorical eligibility. The Clinton administration manufactured this loophole and the Obama administration supercharged it. Currently, 43 states and Washington D.C. use broad based categorical eligibility to bypass federal Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program eligibility limits on income, assets or both. The mechanism, based on a federal law that was meant to minimize states administrative cost, is simple. State welfare agencies print up a brochure about welfare programs or set up an informal hotline and deem it a quote benefit under the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families program. Anyone who touches that pamphlet, touches or receives the phone number, is then treated as being, quote, categorically eligible for food stamps, even millionaires. It's Fraud by design that distributes benefits intended for the truly needy to otherwise ineligible individuals under the insidious goal of maximizing enrollment and dependency. And it works in almost every state. Researchers from the foundation for Government Accountability examined de identified data on food stamp enrollment in a single representative state. The data set matched recipients with jobs, addresses, car registrations and more. And then then they redacted the personal details before the researchers reviewed. That's what produced these outcomes. And by the way, it also thousands use Social Security numbers that federal databases could not verify that included real numbers with mismatched names and birthdays, numbers issued Years before the applicant's date of birth, numbers of people who died years ago, and numbers that don't even exist. All are clear.

[Ben Ferguson]

And they still got him.

[Ted Cruz]

That both stolen identities and synthetic identities are being used to defraud the system. The BBC loophole doesn't just expand enrollments. It creates the condition for outright criminals to flourish. When state agencies eliminate asset checks, they tear out the trip wires that cost fraudulent applications. This is so a case in point. The wealthy professor barber and professional athlete that FGA researchers spotted could be victims of identity fraud. Because SNAP intentionally allows anything to serve as proof of identity, even a library card. If states were cross checking income and assets, those cases would be flagged as potential fraud. Thousands more. Here's something else. Thousands more food stamp recipients in the study enrolled using IP addresses traced to foreign countries, including China, Mexico and Canada. More than 5,000 applicants in this state used foreign based email addresses to apply. And countless others used disposable emails, the kind designed for identity theft and fishing. Look, the USDA puts improper food stamp payments at $10.4 billion a year with a B. That's more than one in every ten dollars spent on the program. And so now we're going after that fraud. And I'm here to say, yes, this is what I voted for. Holding the criminals accountable. And by the way, holding the Democrats accountable who have enabled this theft of taxpayer fraud. You want to know what the Democrats stand for? They stand for Somali fraudsters stealing your tax money and sending it to Al Shabaab Islamist terrorists in Somalia. They stand for thieves driving Bentleys and Lamborghinis and Ferraris who say they need food stamps and stealing your money. That is if the. And by the way, look, sometimes Heidi will say, gosh, you know, that rhetoric sounds really harsh. Well, Ben, if the Democrats don't stand for that, then I just want to ask you a question. Why wouldn't Democrat governors do what the Trump administration has done? Why wouldn't they go after and cut them off? And they don't do it because ideologically they are in favor of it. If they just said, I mean, is there one Democrat in the country will say, all right, we're going to have a rule. Nobody on food stamps can have a Ferrari. Like, if you have a Ferrari, sell

[Ben Ferguson]

your damn card stamps. Yeah.

[Ted Cruz]

And buy your food with that money you get for selling your car. But you don't get. If you got the money for a Ferrari, we ain't paying for your food. I got to say, that sounds like common sense. And there's not a single Democrat governor in the country that's saying that.

[Ben Ferguson]

Amen to that. Don't forget we do this show Monday, Wednesday, Friday. Hit that subscribe or auto download button. Please share this podcast with your family and friends. Share it on your social media pages, wherever you are on social media and the Senator, I will see you back here on Friday morning as before. If you want to hear the rest of this conversation on this topic, you can go back and download the podcast from earlier this week to hear the entire thing. All right, I want to take a moment and I want to talk to you about the incredible impact that you can have for the people of Israel right now. Right now, our Jewish friends are feeling forgotten. There's a Jewish woman named Esther I'd like to tell you about, and her home is in Israel. Esther is living through days and nights of fear. Sirens are sounding, rockets screaming through the sky, long stretches spent in a bomb shelter. She's 84 years old. Esther is elderly. She's fragile and all alone. Now imagine that. No help, no food deliveries, no medical care, no one knocking at the door. It's a war zone. But because of friends like you, Esther is not alone. Now through the ifcj, they are there bringing her food, meeting her urgent needs, and reminding Jewish people like Esther, you are not forgotten. In times of fear and uncertainty, your compassion brings hope and real help. Esther asks that you hear these words, quote to those who give. You are doing a very great mitzvah, a good deed. You give from your heart. May God protect you. Friends, I want you to know that your gift to God's people is truly hope giving and life saving. So if you've not gotten involved with the IFCJ, please do it now and don't wait. Call 888-488-IFCJ right now. That's 888488 IFCJ or go to ifcj.org that's ifcj.org I want you to pause

[Martha Stewart]

what you're doing for just one minute to hear about Alejandra. She lives in a remote community with very few resources and little to no health care. So when Alejandra got sick, her parents had no real options, no doctors in the community, and no money for real medical care. By the third day, her body was shutting down. She woke up just long enough to tell her mom, I can't take the pain anymore. I can't keep going. Her parents drove hours to find doctors who tried everything. But she needed a private hospital and that was impossible for her family to afford. That's when Compassion International stepped in. Through Compassion, Alejandro was treated and against all odds, she survived. She lived because someone took action. Right now, there are children like her who won't survive unless someone steps in. Someone like you. Compassion International partners with local churches providing children with the support they need. Critical medical care plus food, education and the hope of the Gospel, all in Jesus name. Help a child like alejandra today. Visit compassion.com that's compassion.com support for the

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[Martha Stewart]

is Martha Stewart from the Martha Stewart Podcast. Ever wonder how to make hosting look effortless? Here's a secret. When prepping for cooking and baking, get ahead of the mess with new Reynolds Kitchens countertop prep paper. Just lightly wet the counter so the paper grips. Lay it down and drips and spills stay on the paper, not on your counter. Cleanup is as simple as lifting it away to reveal clean counters. Effortless it is thanks to Reynolds Kitchens Countertop Prep Paper. Wet it, set it, prep it, done. Available in the Reynolds Wrap aisle at Walmart, Target, Amazon and Costco.

[Ben Ferguson]

I want to get back to the big story number three of the week you may have missed. Senator. This might be one of the most entertaining stories that I've seen in a long time. If you want to know how bigoted the Democratic Party is, look no further than how they treat homeless people. They've got a scoring mechanism now you get bonus points for certain things while being homeless in America. And then you get services, AKA rewarded based on your race and your sexual identity. Now this is like English is a second language gets you two points. So just think of that as a jumper. If you're pregnant, that's a three pointer. We give you more points if you're pregnant. If you're a child under 5, you get 3 points. If you're a child under 18, you only get 1 point. So in other words, and if you're head of household and you're under 18, we give you bonus points, two points for that. There's an actual quota list of points you receive depending on how you describe yourself. And if you say that you know you're gay or lesbian or transgender, that's bonus points as well.

[Ted Cruz]

So look, we talked a minute ago about the, the hierarchy of victim groups. In the Democrat party, it's, it's a notion that's called intersectionality. And in the Democrat party, being LGBT or being a racial minority is, is more privileged than simply being poor and being homeless. And let's talk, we're going to talk about Portland, Oregon because Portland, Oregon is almost like a deranged faculty lounge experiment gone awry. Yeah. I'm going to read from an article in ProPublica. To be clear, ProPublica is not a right wing outlet. It is a left wing outlet. But, but here's what they described, quote. As the city of Portland, Oregon clawed its way out of the pandemic, it faced a new set of crises. The city's homeless population was growing. Tents lined some city blocks. High powered business associations held press conferences demanding the city remove homeless people and touted self funded survey saying that without action, businesses and residents would flee the city. By late spring 2021, the city committed to a new strategy that then Mayor Ted Wheeler said would, quote, reprioritize public health and safety among homeless Portlanders, ultimately allocating 1.3 billion by the end of 2024. Now let's see what the results were. Although the city spent roughly $200,000 per homeless resident, now let's stop and think 200 grand per homeless resident. You could house them and feed them. 200 grand is a lot of money. That's what they spent. What do you think it did? What do you think? Massively spending and saying we're prioritizing the safety of homeless people. What do you think it produced?

[Ben Ferguson]

I'm going to guess close to nothing because it's a government program and liberals are in charge. Sorry, call me a cynic.

[Ted Cruz]

You're not cynical enough. Nothing would be better. Close to nothing would be better. The death rate among homeless people in Portland quadrupled went up 400%. The death rate went up from 113 in 2019 to more than 450 in 2023. So when liberals say we are going to focus on the homeless, if you're homeless, God help you, because at least in, in Portland, what that meant was the death rate quadrupled. Now, they also put in place, as you referenced, an elaborate point system.

[Ben Ferguson]

I mean, and this is not a joke, like it's literally. And they even tell you, like, hey, you can't get double points if you get points in one category compared to another category. So if you're pregnant and under 18, that's bonus points, but only if you haven't already gotten points for being pregnant on another, another piece of paper for another point system. It's just, it's unbelievable how well organized it is.

[Ted Cruz]

So look, and I'll say actually pregnant makes some sense. Prioritizing pregnant women, that, that has a reasonable basis. You are more vulnerable. Uh, but English as a second language, that was worth two points. Uh, head of a household under 18, that was worth two points. Interest in LGBTQ services, that was worth one point.

[Ben Ferguson]

Just interest. So just make sure you say, I, I, I, I think I've thought about being gay or transgendered or a lesbian. And then you get one bonus point point.

[Ted Cruz]

So total disabilities impacting entire household, ability to secure housing. I don't even know what that means, but it's worth three points.

[Ben Ferguson]

Yeah, there you go.

[Ted Cruz]

Interest in culturally specific services, that's two points. Again, I don't know.

[Ben Ferguson]

By the way, comparing that, just so you understand how woke this is, if you are over the age of 55, 55 plus, which is a higher vulnerable. I think we can all agree on that. For homelessness, you get two points. For that, you get the same number of points. If you're interested in culturally specific services, you can just catch up to somebody that's 55, 60, 70, 80, 85, 90 years old.

[Ted Cruz]

Yeah. And also worth two points as being a domestic violence survivor. Now that actually is rational and makes sense that you would prioritize domestic violence survivors. But in the Portland world, interest in a culturally specific service is equally prioritized to being a domestic violence server survivor. Now, how about this? What do you think being poor is like? Like having, let's say, something crazy, zero income. Like, if you're trying to help homeless people having zero income, you, you would

[Ben Ferguson]

think that would be One of the top scoring things on a sheet because that would get you, obviously, to be homeless. So you would think, like, that would be worth something, right? Guess what?

[Ted Cruz]

One point.

[Ben Ferguson]

It's not one point.

[Ted Cruz]

One point.

[Ben Ferguson]

One.

[Ted Cruz]

One point.

[Ben Ferguson]

And if you're homeless for a year or more, you only get one point. But if you are currently homeless, this is what's weird. Currently homeless gets you two points. Wouldn't that also mean you get one point for being homeless for like 12 months or more or no income? I. I don't know. Like, this is DEI on a whole nother level of stupid.

[Ted Cruz]

Look, look, here's what they said they've done. So. So Multnomah County, Oregon, which is home of deep blue Portland, where deaths of homeless people quadrupled between 2019 and 2023. The county screening tool for housing services is designed. And this is a quote from the county to, quote, prioritize BIPOC households, LGBTQIA2s plus.

[Ben Ferguson]

Yep.

[Ted Cruz]

And people with disabilities.

[Ben Ferguson]

Yes.

[Ted Cruz]

Again, this is not. They're spending 200 grand per homeless person.

[Ben Ferguson]

With 200 grand, you can buy somebody a house.

[Ted Cruz]

You could buy someone a house. Yeah, but. But you could pay. That would make too much sense. You could pay rent for a long time. You could get someone a hotel room, you could feed them, you could get the medical care. And yet the death rate quadrupled because they were more interested in LGBTQ elementop. Like. Like the number of letters there. I can't even. It reminds me of that crazy Canadian who got up and gave this incredibly long stream that I pretty sure was her WI fi password. But they're more interested in their woke policies than they are actually in helping someone who needs help. And.

[Ben Ferguson]

And that's trash mentioned. 200,000 a person. Just to put it in perspective with everything we know, you got to ask yourself the question, how much fraud's involved here?

[Ted Cruz]

Massive. Massive.

[Ben Ferguson]

Yeah, it's hard to spend that much money. 200,000. It's going to be interesting to watch. See what?

[Ted Cruz]

Somebody's driving a Ferrari. Somebody's driving a Lamborghini.

[Ben Ferguson]

Yeah, there's. Yeah, you're absolutely right about that one. Don't forget, we do the show Monday, Wednesday, Friday. Hit that subscribe auto download button. You've been listening to Verdict with Ted Cruz. We will see you on the podcast this week and back on this radio station next weekend. As always, thank you for listening to Verdict with Senator Ted Cruz, Ben Ferguson with you. Don't forget to download my podcast. And you can listen to my podcast every other day. You're not listening to Verdict or each day when you listen to Verdict afterwards. I'd love to have you as a listener to again the Ben Ferguson Podcast and we will see you back here on Monday morning.

[Martha Stewart]

This is Martha Stewart from the Martha Stewart Podcast. Ever wonder how to make hosting look effortless? Here's a secret when prepping for cooking and baking, get ahead of the mess with new Reynolds Kitchens countertop prep paper. Just lightly wet the counter so the paper grips. Lay it down and drips and spills stay on the paper, not on your counter. Cleanup is as simple as lifting it away to reveal clean counters. Effortless it is thanks to Reynolds Kitchen's countertop prep paper. Wet it, set it, prep it, done. Available in the Reynolds Wrap aisle at Walmart, Target, Amazon and Costco.

[Ted Cruz]

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[Ben Ferguson]

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[Ben Ferguson]

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[Ted Cruz]

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[Ted Cruz]

More power to you.