BIDEN, MIKE.
MIKE: ALEX, MANY THANKS.
FOR MORE ON THE DISCUSSIONS I’M
JOINED HERE IN STUDIO BY FLORIDA
REPUBLICAN CONGRESSMAN AND
MEMBER OF THE HOUSE ARMED
SERVICES AND JUDICIARY
COMMITTEES MATT GAETZ WELCOME,
CONGRESSMAN, GREAT TO HAVE YOU.
>> GOOD TO BE WITH YOU.
MIKE: IS IT WORTH GOING 15
ROUNDS TO ELECT A SPEAKER?
>> ABSOLUTELY.
WE GOT CONCESSIONS THAT REALLY
WERE BEING REJECTED AS EARLY AS
MONDAY WHEN IT COMES TO BEING
ABLE TO READ LEGISLATION, 72
HOURS BEFORE ITS ADOPTION,
INDIVIDUAL APPROPRIATIONS BILLS
AND ULTIMATELY WHAT WE
NEGOTIATED ENSURE THAT IS WE
WILL NEVER AGAIN HAVE A
CIRCUMSTANCE LIKE OMNIBUS
SPENDING LEGISLATION BECAUSE
BILLS WILL HAVE TO COMPORT TO A
SINGLE SUBJECT.
THERE WILL BE GERMANTIY
REQUIREMENTS, OPEN PROCESS AND
I’M THRILLED WHERE THE HOUSE OF
REPRESENTATIVES IS TODAY.
MIKE: THE CONSTRUCT OF THESE
RULES CONCESSIONS FUNCTIONALLY
TURN THE SPEAKERSHIP INTO A
CEREMONIAL POSITION, DO YOU MEAN
THAT?
>> LONG LIVE THE SPEAKER.
I LOOK FORWARD WORKING CLOSELY WITH HIM BUT HE DID AGREE TO HIS
WITH HIM BUT HE DID AGREE TO HIS
GREAT CREDIT TO DEMOCRATIZE
POWER AND WHAT THE SPENDING
PARADIGM IS THEY ARE CONTROLLED
BY PEOPLE LOYALED TO THE
SPEAKER.
NOW WHAT WE HAVE REAL
REPRESENTATION OF DIFFERENT
VIEWPOINTS WITHIN THE CONFERENCE
ON THE RULES COMMITTEE, ON THE
APPROPRIATIONS COMMITTEE WE
FOUGHT HARD TO GET AGREEMENTS TO
HAVE CONSERVATIVES, BUDGET HAWKS
ON APPROPRIATIONS AND I CAN’T
WAIT TO SEE WHAT WE ARE ABLE TO
DO WHEN WE UNLOCK THE POTENTIAL
OF ALL OF OUR MEMBERS GOING
FORWARD.
MIKE: WHAT ABOUT THE CONCERN
THAT THE DELAYED PROCESS
WEAKENED HIM AND TO RECAP WE
HAVE A DEMOCRAT IN THE WHITE
HOUSE, WE HAVE DEMOCRATS RUNNING
THE UNITED STATES SENATE, DON’T
YOU NEED HIM TO BE A STRONG AS
POSSIBLE?
>> WELL, I THINK THE WAY TO HAVE
A STRONG REPUBLICAN POSITION ON
A LOT OF THESE ISSUES IS TO HAVE
STRONG REPUBLICANS ON THE MOST
RELEVANT COMMITTEES.
I DON’T REALLY GET TO CRITIQUE
THAT TAKING FROM TUESDAY TO
FRIDAY TO WORK THIS OUT PUTS THE
MAJORITY IN IMPERIL.
YOU KNOW, MIKE, IN THE SUMMER
THE ENTIRE CONGRESS TAKES LIKE
SIX WEEKS OFF WHERE WE ARE NOT
AROUND AT ALL AND TAKES 4 DAYS
TO BE WHO IS SECOND IN LINE TO
PRESIDENCY AND ENSURE WE HAVE A
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES THAT IS
A FIGHTING FORCE GOING TO CHECK
THE BIDEN ADMINISTRATION,
ABSOLUTELY WORTH IT.
MIKE: UP NEXT THE RULES PACKAGE,
GOVERNING RULES FOR THE NEXT TWO
YEARS AND THE HOUSE OF
REPRESENTATIVES, ANY DRAMA
THERE? >> I DON’T EXPECT IT.
>> I DON’T EXPECT IT.
I THINK THIS IS AN REQUISITE --
EXQUISITE RULES PACKAGE BUT
OFTENTIMES WHEN YOU MAKE THE
RULES BETTER YOU CAN ACTUALLY
IMPROVE THE HEALTH OF THE
INSTITUTION LONG TERM.
SOME OF THE RULES WILL ALLOW US
TO ZERO IN ON SPECIFIC ELEMENTS
OF FEDERAL SPENDING AND FORCE
VOTES ON WHETHER OR NOT THAT IS
AN APPROPRIATE USE OF TAX
DOLLARS, ALSO BAKED INTO THE
RULES WE ARE GOING TO VOTE ON A
CHURCH-STYLE COMMISSION TO
EVALUATE THE WEAPONIZATION OF
THE GOVERNMENT AGAINST OUR
PEOPLE.
THAT’S THE FBI, DOJ BUT EVEN
OTHER ENTITY THAT IS WE SEE
ABUSING THEIR POWER TO THE
DETRIMENT OF THE LIBERTY OF OUR
CITIZENS, THIS IS GOING TO GIVE
US MORE STAFF, MORE RESOURCES
AND WE ARE GOING TO GET
GOVERNMENT BACK ON THE SIDE OF
THE AMERICAN PEOPLE.
MIKE: THERE WAS A TENSE MOMENT
LATE NIGHT FRIDAY NIGHT WHEN
CONGRESSMAN MIKE ROGERS EXPECTED
TO BE NEXT CHAIR OF ARMED
SERVICES CONFRONTED YOU, YOU
GUYS BOTH SERVE ON THE ARMED
SERVICES COMMITTEE, WHAT WAS
THAT ALL ABOUT AND ARE YOU GUYS
GOING TO BE ABLE TO WORK
TOGETHER ON ARMED SERVICES?
>> MIKE ROGERS IS GOING TO BE A
TERRIFIC CHAIRMAN OF THE ARMED
SERVICES COMMITTEE AND WE SHARE
A DEEP COMMITMENT TO OUR
NATIONAL DEFENSE, TO OUR MEN AND
WOMEN IN UNIFORM, OF COURSE, IN
A LATE-NIGHT MOMENT OF HIGH
DRAMA, PEOPLE CAN HAVE MOMENTS
OF FRUSTRATION, MIKE ROGERS AND
I HAVE SIX-YEAR PRODUCTIVE
WORKING RELATIONSHIP.
WE ARE GOING TO WORK TOGETHER
WONDERFULLY GOING FORWARD.
I DON’T THINK THERE SHOULD BE
ANY PUNISHMENT OR REPRICAL JUST
BECAUSE HE HAD ANIMATED MOMENT.
HE HAS MY FORGIVENESS AND
CERTAINLY IS SOMEONE WHO HAS
DONE GREAT THINGS FOR OUR
NATIONAL DEFENSE AND WILL
CONTINUE TO DO THOSE GREAT
THINGS.
MIKE: YOU HAVE TAKEN PRAISE FOR
PEOPLE WHO LIKE THE FIGHT LED
THIS WEEK AND TAKEN CRITICISM,
SOME PEOPLE SAY IT’S
FUNDRAISING, MORE MEDIA
APPEARANCES, DO YOU CONSIDER
YOURSELF A SERIOUS LEGISLATOR?
>> ABSOLUTELY.
ONE OF THE REASONS WE FOUGHT FOR
THESE RULES WAS TO ENSURE THAT
ALL MEMBERS OF CONGRESS CAN GET
INVOLVED IN THE LEGISLATIVE
PROCESS AT A GRANULAR LEVEL, FAR
TOO MANY YEARS POWER WILLS BEEN
HAS BEEN CENTRALIZED IN A FEW.
I THINK I’M SOMEONE WHO APPEARS
ON YOUR NETWORK AND OTHERS MORE
THAN ANY OTHER MEMBER OF
CONGRESS SO IT’S AN ODD
CRITICISM TO SAY THAT I’M DOING
THIS FOR MEDIA HITS WHEN I DO
THOSE A LOT ANYWAY.
EVEN BEFORE THE EPISODE I WAS
TOP FUNDRAISERS IN CONGRESS WHO
I’M ONLY REPUBLICAN WHO DOESN’T
ACCEPT WILL LOBBYIST MONEY, I BE
OUR POLITICS IT IS MORE PURE
WHEN IT IS FUNDED BY THE PEOPLE
OF THE COUNTRY AND NOT THOSE
PAID WHO TRY TO INFLUENCE CONGRESSMAN.
MIKE: CONGRESSMAN MATTMATT GAETZ