The MeidasTouch Podcast - Democratic Congressman Neguse on GOP Disaster CR

Episode Date: March 12, 2025

MeidasTouch host Ben Meiselas reports on the GOP casting votes that will destroy the lives of their own constituents and Meiselas speaks with Democratic Congressman Joe Neguse about what he’s seeing across the country and in his district. Visit https://meidasplus.com for more! Remember to subscribe to ALL the MeidasTouch Network Podcasts: MeidasTouch: https://www.meidastouch.com/tag/meidastouch-podcast Legal AF: https://www.meidastouch.com/tag/legal-af MissTrial: https://meidasnews.com/tag/miss-trial The PoliticsGirl Podcast: https://www.meidastouch.com/tag/the-politicsgirl-podcast The Influence Continuum: https://www.meidastouch.com/tag/the-influence-continuum-with-dr-steven-hassan Mea Culpa with Michael Cohen: https://www.meidastouch.com/tag/mea-culpa-with-michael-cohen The Weekend Show: https://www.meidastouch.com/tag/the-weekend-show Burn the Boats: https://www.meidastouch.com/tag/burn-the-boats Majority 54: https://www.meidastouch.com/tag/majority-54 Political Beatdown: https://www.meidastouch.com/tag/political-beatdown On Democracy with FP Wellman: https://www.meidastouch.com/tag/on-democracy-with-fpwellman Uncovered: https://www.meidastouch.com/tag/maga-uncovered Coalition of the Sane: https://meidasnews.com/tag/coalition-of-the-sane Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Why do fintechs like Float choose Visa? As a more trusted, more secure payments network, Visa provides scale, expertise, and innovative payment solutions. Learn more at visa.ca slash fintech. The bill is passed without objection. The motion to reconsider is laid upon the table. Pursuing to close. So that's the moment the MAGA Republican members of Congress were cheering that they passed their CR their continuing resolution that reminds me of something where have I seen clapping like that before where people look terrified by clapping at the same time oh yeah I think I've I've seen that before it looks like that's what these MAGA Republicans have become these days.

It looks a little bit Kim Jong-un-ish. And I guess there's a reason why Donald Trump looks up to Kim Jong-un. When you look at this continuing resolution, there are about 22 different instances, at least, although I want to see if there may be even more than that, in this bill where the funding for certain programs is set at zero dollars. And if you look at the types of things that are being cut, go back to that last graphic as well there, Salty. I mean, you're looking at things like EPA, healthcare, education, things that are going to also harm red states. So these MAGA Republicans are quite literally cheering on the fact that they're harming their own constituents. By the way, these are the same MAGA Republicans are quite literally cheering on the fact that they're harming their own constituents. By the way, these are the same MAGA Republican Congress members who for years have now been saying, we will never pass a continuing resolution again.

The days of CRs are over. And if there is a CR, it's going to be clean CRs. This was none of that. But then they tried to spin it, I think, in kind of Pyongyang fashion. This is MAGA Republican Congress member Tom Emmer just saying how great things are. Play this clip. Last week, we celebrated President Trump's countless victories for the American people during his joint address to Congress. This week, Congress must pass a continuing resolution so the American people can continue to enjoy win after win after win. This is the way forward.

But unfortunately, Democrats in Congress would rather throw temper tantrums fueled by their hatred for President Trump than keep the government open and working for all Americans. Last time I checked, y'all are the ones who control the House and the Senate and the executive branch. And y'all are the ones who are throwing the temper tantrums. This is MAGA Republican Congress member Steve Scalise. Just take a look at this. Last week, all Americans who watched the State of the Union saw a very triumphant President Trump who's returned to the White House with even more energy, more vigor, and more focus to work for the American people than ever before. Laying out in just six short weeks how much he's already done to fulfill the promises. What was Donald Trump doing today while the markets were crashing? Oh yeah, he was

out there with Elon Musk selling Teslas and doing product placement while their propaganda network as well. Sean Hannity talking about buying Teslas. It must be nice, all these rich people buying Teslas all over the place and helping out their billionaire friends. Let's bring in Democratic Congress member Joe Neguse. Congress member, you sit on the Rules Committee. You're on the Subcommittee of Budget and Legislation. So you know this CR. What are they cheering for right there? Can you

put this into context? It's a great question. Good to be with you, Ben. And thanks for having me on. Look, first and foremost, I got to react to the clips that you just showed because it is the height of absurdity for some of those Republican members. Literally, as the stock market is crashing, 401ks are vanishing for countless Americans across the country. Prices are going up across the board. And yet you have these Republican members, sycophants, praising the administration that is pursuing the reckless policies causing the harm that their constituents are experiencing. It is nonsensical. And of course, as you mentioned, the logical extension of this was today's vote on the CR, which they apparently were very proud of.

This is a bill that would cut funding for core programs that countless Americans rely upon, nutrition assistance, health care benefits, veterans benefits under the PACT Act for the next fiscal year, all on the chopping block under this partisan Republican spending bill that they pushed through the House earlier today. There is nothing to applaud about. But, you know, again, past is prologue. It's clear that this is the course that they will maintain. And the fact that, as you said, you know, again, past is prologue. It's clear that this is the course that they will maintain. And the fact that, as you said, you can see the sort of corruption on full display over at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue today, it just is astounding, I think, to the average American who's struggling right now to make ends meet and to see a Republican majority

in Washington, in the House, in the Senate, and in the White House that clearly cares nothing about ultimately improving their quality of life. It's shameful. You know, I watch you on the Rules Committee, and it's an interesting committee because the members of Congress who are putting forward the legislation appear kind of as witnesses. So you're actually kind of examining or questioning your Republican colleagues. I want to talk about that because, I mean, I'm sure you speak to these people not in that setting where they know that, like, our people at the Midas Touch Network are clipping all that stuff and getting it all up. Like, after they're done with that theater, do they admit kind of privately

that like they know that this is big trouble or are they fully Pyongyang, North Korea, clap, clap mode that this is their shtick, this is their jam? I mean, look, it's instructive in terms of where we are as a country. I think in the past, you know, I might have a member or two that would approach me afterwards that understood that we had caught them, you know, in a bit of a trap, if you will, rhetorical trap, right? They sort of exposing the hypocrisy of their views in front of the rules committee, but would understand that perhaps that might be something that they need to modulate in the future. These days, that's not the case. Generally speaking, as I said, you know, most of the Republican caucus now are sycophants for President Trump. There is nothing that he cannot

do in their eyes, nothing that they won't bless and approve of and salute. And it's unfortunate. I mean, again, this is not the way in which Article I branch of government, the United States Congress, is supposed to function. And yet here's where we are. We find ourselves. So, yeah, with respect to the Rules Committee, as you mentioned, it's a unique committee in the Congress because it's the only committee in the Congress that, A, has no time limit in terms of the questions that are posed by members or the answers that are provided.

And then secondly, as you said, it's an opportunity to be able to question your own colleagues. And in my view, when you're coming in front of the Rules Committee and you're making the case to the American people for a policy that you're pursuing, then you ought to be artfully and honestly questioned about your own views and how they comport with, you know, the particular position you're taking. And often, as is the case, a lot of these members don't like, you know, ultimately being, you know, told or rather having it revealed to them the position they had taken on a particular issue previously that just lays bare the hypocrisy, which is all too common these days in Washington. You represent a district in Colorado. I would say on the whole, Colorado as a state is bluer,

but there are certainly lots of red dots within Colorado as well, and purplish areas in Colorado as well. What are you hearing from constituents, not just Democrats, but like, are you hearing from independents and Republicans? And are you hearing across the board in Colorado that there's kind of a growing frustration would be putting it, I think, gently to what Elon Musk and Trump is doing? Do you feel this is still kind of people are in their partisan camps? What are you seeing in your state? I think my answer to your the first part of your question

is unquestionably yes. I think people are frustrated and we hear from folks across the political spectrum about their frustration and displeasure with the way in which the Trump administration is conducting itself. I mean, look, I represent, you mentioned this district, of course, in my view, the best district in the United States of America, but it's a large geographical district. It's larger than nine states, central and northern and western Colorado, right? Rural communities, urban communities, suburban communities, you name it. And as I go across my district doing town halls, because as House Democrats, we do town halls. We actually enjoy town halls and visiting with constituents and listening to them and their concerns.

I hear from folks who are deeply troubled by the mass purge of federal employees, right, at the Forest Service. These are people doing wildfire mitigation work, preventing the next megafire in the Rocky Mountain West. People who are concerned about the land management agencies and the people working at our federal labs at NOAA and NIST who are now being unceremoniously fired and purged from the federal workforce. They are concerned about the rising cost of living in an administration that clearly has no intention of doing anything about it and instead is only pursuing policies that will exacerbate the problem. Right. I mean, you're you're an average working family looking at your 401k and realizing that in the last six weeks,

the Trump administration has erased all gains in the last year. I mean, and clearly a recession potentially looming on the horizon. So, yeah, folks are folks pissed off, just to be candid. As I talk to people in my district, again, across the political spectrum, it's not to suggest that people don't want to see government reform. I think folks are hungry for reform. They're hungry to see fraud, waste, and abuse rooted out of the government, but they don't want to see a chainsaw, a literal chainsaw taken to the core functions of the federal government that serve Coloradans each and every day. They did not sign up for that.

And I just don't think anybody signed up for the chaos. It's every day. Tariffs? No tariffs. Tariffs are great. Tariffs are the worst. What are we going to do? Am I going to invade Greenland today? Am I going to invade Canada today, 51st State Day? Is today a Panama Canal conquest day? Are we talking about fentanyl in Mexico today? Where are we going with this? Is he going to send a Shalom Hamas text? Is he going to post images of himself in Trump Gaza City with bearded people with cleavage? What? I always say we can't normalize thisage. Like, what's, like, it's not, I always say, we can't normalize this behavior. And then there's like a gaslighting element to it as well.

Like, you know, he'll have, you know, Peter Navarro, who, by the way, served jail time for, you know, his conduct relating to- Contempt of Congress. Contempt of Congress. He's out there right now asking Canada, can you please just tamp it down, tamp down the rhetoric? Canada, he goes, tamp down the rhetoric. Watch this.

But frankly, the premier, he's been, I mean, look, just tamp it down, please, over there. Okay, just throwing down the hockey gloves. Stop that rhetoric. And let's just look at what we're trying to do. We love Canada, but look, there's some big issues there at what we're trying to do we love canada but uh look there's some big issues there and uh we're not going to tolerate uh anything uh but them stopping killing americans and uh and doing what's right with respect to things like steel and aluminum which they've been dumping into our country and that's stopping i mean this is not this is not normal yeah i yeah you're precisely right. I don't know that I could say it better than you just did.

I mean, look, it's absurd. It's ludicrous. It's just sort of arsonists that are now complaining about the fire that they have created. And unfortunately, this is the most tragic part of all, is that there will be mass collateral damage to the absurdities of the policies that they are pursuing. And so, you know, I think about the average working family in my district that's struggling to be able to buy a new car because car prices are soaring through the roof. Interest rates are still remarkably high. And what are they left with? They're left with, you know, the car infomercial that the president of the United States conducted earlier today on the White House lawn.

That that is their policy prescription, right, is to engage in these reckless economic policies, the tariffs and the rest, unnecessary trade wars, and then ultimately offer nothing of actual consequence to the American people who are really struggling. And from my perspective, that's the most confounding part of all. House Democrats are going to remain focused, you know, as Leader Jeffries often says, keeping the main thing, the main thing, which is quality of life, cost of living, addressing core challenges that the American people face that Republicans refuse to address. And as I said, if anything, are exacerbating. There you have it. I loved that. This is your first time on the Midas Touch Network. We got to have you back. There's a reason that Asen has so many clips of you because as a former litigator, I love your style. I love your examinations. And I always point it out to him. So it's great to finally have you on the network and we hope you come back. The feeling is mutual. I'm glad to come on. I've been telling my buddy

Moskowitz, he keeps saying, you got to go on, you got to go on. I've been watching for a long time. So I definitely look forward to coming back. All right. Good to have you here. Hit subscribe. Let's get to 5 million subscribers. Thanks for watching. Can't get enough Midas? Check out the Midas Plus sub stack for ad-free articles, reports, podcasts, daily recaps from Ron Filipkowski and more. Sign up for free now at MidasPlus.com.