THANKS SO MUCH, CHERYL CASONE ON
RETAIL.
WE ARE LOOKING AT HOUSE
REPUBLICANS THIS MORNING AND GOP
LEADER KEVIN MCCARTHY AND
LAWMAKERS ARE HEADED TO THE
SOUTHERN BORDER TODAY TO EXPRESS
GRATITUDE TO BORDER AGENTS JUST
DAYS BEFORE THANKSGIVING.
SOON TO BE HOUSE OVERSIGHT
COMMITTEE CHAIRMAN JAMES COMER
SENT LETTERS TO SEVERAL
GOVERNMENT AGENCIES RENEWING
REQUESTS FOR ALL BORDER AND
FENTANYL CRISIS RELATED
DOCUMENTS.
COMBER WRITING, QUOTE, NOT ONLY
HAS THE BIDEN ADMINISTRATION
FAILED TO SECURE THE BORDER BUT
IT IS ALSO DIVERTING CRITICAL
TAXPAYER DOLLARS INTENDED FOR
PUBLIC HEALTH TO PAY FOR A SELF
INFLICTED CRISIS.
JOINING US NOW, CONGRESSWOMAN
BETH VAN DUYNE.
GOOD TO SEE YOU.
THANKS FOR BEING HERE.
YOUR THOUGHTS ON THE BORDER
SITUATION TODAY, TITLE 42 ABOUT
TO GO GO AWAY BASED ON THE JUDGE
RULING AND EVEN BIDEN
ADMINISTRATION OFFICIALS ARE
CONNECTINGOF EXPECTING ITTO BE 1
SHOWING UP AT A THE SOUTHERN
BORDER WANTING IN.
>> WE HAVE SEEN WHAT THE
NUMBERS ARE, WE’VE SEEN WHAT THE
RESULTS ARE.
WE’VE BEEN TALKING ABOUT THIS
FOR OVER TWO YEARS.
IT SEEMS TO BE GETTING WORSE.
AND EVERY SINGLE TIME WE TURN
AROUND THERE’S A THREAT THEY’RE
GOING TO TAKE ONE OF THE TOOLS
OFF THE TABLE THAT’S BEEN
WORKING UNDER THE LAST A
ADMINISTRATION.
YOU ARE SEEING SOME REALLY BAD
PEOPLE THAT ARE COMING OVER THE
BORDER, NOT ALL, BUT REALLY BAD
PEOPLE.
AND AT THE SAME TIME, THEY’RE
CRITICIZING BORDER PATROL FOLKS.
I’M GLAD THAT KEVIN MCCARTHY IS
LEADING PEOPLE DOWN THERE TO
GIVE THEM THE APPLAUSE THAT THEY
NEED, THE SUPPORT THAT THEY NEED
FOR A JOB WELL DONE.
MARIA: KEVIN MCCARTHY’S GOING
THERE TODAY.
BUT WHAT CAN YOU ALL DO AS A
CONFERENCE TOGETHER IN TERMS OF
GETTING KNOWN THE BORDER?
LET’S FACE IT.
JOE BIDEN WANTS TO SEND
$80 BILLION TO THE IRS TO HIRE
87,000 NEW IRS AGENTS.
IS THERE ANY WAY THAT MONEY CAN
BE DIVERTED TO GO TO THE BORDER
TO HELP SUPPORT THE AGENTS
THERE?
>> OUR COMMITMENT TO AMERICA HAS
IN THEIR BORDER SECURITY, WE’RE
FOCUSED DOING THAT WE PLEDGED ON
DAY ONE THE MONEY THAT’S GOING
TO THE 87,000 IRS AGENTS WILL BE
STOPPED.
WE DON’T NEED TO HIRE 87,000 NEW
IRS AGENTS WHEN WE NEED SUPPORT
AT THE BORDER.
THE TEXAS DELEGATION HAS BEEN
WORKING WITH LEADERS INCLUDING
LEADER MCCARTHY AND GOVERNOR
ABBOTT ON A PLAN, LED BY CHIP
ROY, ON HOW TO BE ABLE TO STOP
THE INSURGEONS THAT WE SEE AT
OUR -- INSURGENCE THAT WE SEE AT
THE SOUTHERN BORDER.
MARIA: BY THE WAY, LET ME ADD
THE FACT THAT IF THAT MONEY GOES
TO THE IRS, WE’RE TALKING ABOUT
A TOTAL OF 166,000 IRS AGENTS
VERSUS 15,000 BORDER AGENTS.
WHICH IS JUST MAKES NO SENSE IN
TERMS OF OUR NATIONAL SECURITY
AS A COUNTRY.
I WANT TO GET YOUR TAKE ON THE
ECONOMY GIVEN YOUR ROLE IN THE
SMALL BUSINESS COMMITTEE.
THE COUNTRY’S BIGGEST RAIL UNION
HAS REJECTED THE LABOR DEAL THAT
PRESIDENT BIDEN CELEBRATED.
HE SAID HE LED A TEMPORARY DEAL
AND IT WAS ALL HAPPENING AND IT
WAS GREAT NEWS.
LOOKS LIKE AT LEAST FOUR UNIONS
HAVE REJECTED IT, WEEKS AWAY
FROM A POTENTIAL RAIL STRIKE
AHEAD OF THE BUSY HOLIDAY
SEASON.
THE WHITE HOUSE IS CALLING ON
BOTH SIDES TO COME TO AN
AGREEMENT AFTER THEY MADE UP A
STORY THAT THE DEAL WAS IN
PLACE.
YOUR THOUGHTS ON THE POTENTIAL
FOR A RAIL STRIKE RIGHT IN THE
MIDDLE OF THE HOLIDAYS.
WHAT KIND OF AN IMPACT MIGHT
THAT HAVE?
>> YOU KNOW, IT’S GOING TO HAVE
A HUGE IMPACT.
YOU’VE GOT FOUR OUT OF THE 12
UNIONS THAT HAVE REJECTED THE
OFFER WHICH INCLUDES A 24%
INCREASE IN PAY WHICH INCLUDES
BACK PAY, WHICH INCLUDES MORE
FLEXIBILITY IN SCHEDULES.
IT’S A STRONG DEAL.
THE PROBLEM IS, THAT EVEN FOR
THE SHORT TERM IT’S GOING TO BE
DEVASTATING FOR OUR ECONOMY.
THEY’RE TALKING ABOUT $2 BILLION
COST PER DAY TO THE U.S. ECONOMY
IF THIS RAIL STRIKE HAPPENS.
AT A TIME-IT’S ONE THING THAT
WE’RE TALKING ABOUT CHRISTMAS
TIME AND CHRISTMAS GIFTS NOT
BEING ABLE TO MAKE THEIR
LOCATIONS BUT IT’S SOMETHING HE
TOTALLY DIFFERENT WHEN YOU THINK
ABOUT THE NUMBER OF PRODUCTS
THAT GO ON RAIL INCLUDING LIQUID
NATURAL GAS.
AND THINGS LIKE CHLORINE THAT
HELP WITH ALL OF OUR WATER
SUPPLIES.
THIS IS A NATIONAL
SECURITY ISSUE, NOT JUST A
CHRISTMAS GIFT ISSUE.
I THINK YOU’RE GOING TO HAVE TO
SEE CONGRESS IS GOING TO HAVE TO
STEP IN.
I SIGNED ON TO SAM BRAVE’S BILL
LAST MONTH, BACK IN SEPTEMBER,
ACTUALLY, THAT DEALT WITH
ACTUALLY HE CONGRESS MAKING A
DECISION TO USE THE RAILWAY
LABOR ACT TO BE ABLE TO PREVENT
A STRIKE AND YOU MAY SEE THAT
HAPPEN AGAIN.
MARIA: WE HAVEN’T HEARD FROM
THE TRANSPORTATION SECRETARY
ABOUT THIS AT ALL, WE KNOW WHAT
WENT ON WITH THE SUPPLY CHAIN
SHORTAGES EARLIER IN THE YEAR.
THAT WAS A NIGHTMARE FOR THE
ECONOMY.
YOU’RE ON THE TRANSPORTATION
COMMITTEE.
WHEN YOU SAY CONGRESS IS GOING
TO HAVE TO GET INVOLVED, WHAT
DOES THAT MEAN?
DO YOU THINK A DEAL CAN BE
REACHED BEFORE A STRIKE HAPPENS
OR NOT?
>> WELL, LIKE I SAID, CONGRESS
ACTUALLY HADS HAS WITHIN ITS
PURVIEW THE ABILITY TO BE ABLE
TO PREVENT A STRIKE UNDER THE
RAILWAY ACT.
RAILWAY LABOR ACT.
AND THAT’S SOMETHING WE ARE
PURSUING.
WE WERE PURSUING IT BACK IN
SEPTEMBER IF THE WHITE HOUSE
WASN’T ABLE TO STRIKE A DEAL.
RIGHT NOW WE’RE LOOKING AT
DECEMBER 5th DEADLINE FOR A
STRIKE TO HAPPEN.
AGAIN, GET YOUR CHRISTMAS GIFTS
NOW IF YOU HAVEN’T ALREADY
GOTTEN THEM.
BUT LOOKING AT DECEMBER 5th.
BUT CONGRESS IS GOING TO HAVE TO
STEP IN IF THE RAILROAD LABOR IS
NOT -- IF THE UNION% NOT ABLE TO
COME TO A DEAL BECAUSE THIS IS A
NATIONAL SECURITY ISSUE
AFFECTING EVERYTHING INCLUDING
OUR WATER SUPPLY.
MARIA: YOU MADE SUCH GREAT
POINTS IF IN TERMS OF THIS BEING
AN A NATIONAL SECURITY ISSUE
WITH REGARD TO WHAT THEY’RE
CARRYING, NATURAL GAS, OIL OF,,
WATER, FOOD, AS WELL AS GOODS
AHEAD OF CHRISTMAS.
CONGRESSWOMAN, THANK YOU.
WE’LL BE WATCHING ALL OF THAT