>> 7 BUCKS A GALLON ALMOST.
>> THAT’S ALWAYS BEEN THE CASE
HERE.
NATIONWIDE DOWN 1.55 AND WE ARE
STILL DOWN OVER A DOLLAR.
MARIA: THAT WAS PRESIDENT BIDEN
TRYING TO EXPLAIN AWAY GASOLINE
PRICES AND OIL PRICES.
THE AVERAGE PRICE OR REGULAR GAS
3.90, 61 CENTS HIGHER THAN JUST
A YEAR AGO.
BIDEN MAKING COMMENTS AT LA TACO
SHOP WHERE HE ORDERED 4.50
QUESADILLAS.
JOINING ME NEBRASKA CONGRESSMAN
HOUSE WAYS AND MEANS COMMITTEE
MEMBER REPUBLICAN LEADER ADRIAN
SMITH.
CONGRESSMAN, GREAT TO SEE YOU.
IT FEELS LIKE JOE BIDEN HAS A
TENURE TO ALL OF THIS.
HE DOESN’T ACKNOWLEDGE THE ISSUE
FOR THE AMERICAN PEOPLE.
>> I SUGGEST THAT HE GET OUT
ACROSS AMERICA AND APPARENTLY HE
HAS AND HE STILL DOESN’T GET IT.
MARIA: HE’S TRYING TO TALK TO
HISPANICS AS THEY MOVE TO GOP AS
IT APPEARS.
BIDEN MAKES STOP THE SAME
CONSUMER PRICE INDEX SHOWING
INFLATION WAS UP 8.2% YEAR OVER
YEAR.
ASSESS THE SITUATION FROM YOUR
STANDPOINT ON HOUSE WAYS AND
MEANS IN TERMS OF WHAT THIS HAS
DONE AND WHAT THIS MEANS, WILL
YOU BE ABLE TO STOP ANY OF THIS
BAD POLICY, SHOULD YOU AND YOUR
COLLEAGUES TAKE THE MAJORITY IN
NOVEMBER?
>> ABSOLUTELY.
THERE ARE MANY WAYS WE NEED TO
STOP IT WHETHER IT’S THE 87 NEW
IRS AGENTS THAT WILL BE
TARGETING SMALL BUSINESSES AND
TAXPAYERS AT ALL LEVELS, WHETHER
IT’S THE SPENDING AND BASICALLY
THE GASOLINE THAT’S BEEN POURED
ON THE FIRE OF INFLATION.
WE NEED TO STOP THAT, WE NEED TO
REDUCE SPENDING, WE NEED TO BE
SMARTER ABOUT THIS AND REDUCE
REGULATIONS AND THERE ARE MANY
OPPORTUNITIES HOPEFULLY COME
JANUARY TO DO THAT.
MARIA: SO JUST TO BE CLEAR, YOU
SAY YOU CAN POTENTIALLY STOP THE
$80 BILLION WHICH THE PRESIDENT
WANTS TO EARMARK TO THE IRS TO
HIRE 87,000 NEW IRS AGENTS, THE
PRESIDENT WANTS 167,000 IRS
AGENTS VERSUS JUST FOR
COMPARISON SAKE 15,000 BORDER
AGENTS WHICH IS ABSOLUTELY
INCREDIBLE TO ME.
HOW WILL YOU SPECIFICALLY STOP
THAT?
>> WELL, THERE ARE DIFFERENT
OPTIONS, DEFUNDING IT IS ONE
THING BUT LEADER MCCARTHY HAS
SAID THAT THE FIRST VOTE WE WILL
TAKE IS ACTUALLY THE BILL THAT
I’VE ALREADY REPEALED WHAT
CONGRESS HAS DONE OF MORE THAN
DOUBLING THE NUMBER OF IRS
PERSONNEL.
I THINK THAT APPROACH IS
OBVIOUSLY DANGEROUS BUT WE HAVE
A LOT OF OTHER THINGS THAT WE
NEED TO DO IN ADDITION TO THAT.
MARIA: WE HAVE BEEN TALKING FOR
MANY MONTHS ON THE PROGRAM ABOUT
THE FACT THAT ALL OF THE MONEY
FROM THE COVID RELEASE PACKAGE
HAS NOT BEEN FULLY ALLOCATED
JUST YET.
JASON SMITH CAME ON THE SHOW AND
TOLD ME THERE ARE STATES THAT
ARE STILL GETTING HUNDREDS OF
MILLIONS OF DOLLARS, TALK TO US
A LITTLE BIT ABOUT THAT AND WHY
THAT IS ONE OF THE PRESSURES
KEEPING INFLATION ELEVATED.
>> WHEN YOU LOOK AT THE
RESTRICTIONS, CHUCK SCHUMER LEAD
THE WAY ON TELLING LOCAL
GOVERNMENTS THAT THEY CAN’T USE
ANY OF THE PAYMENTS TO REDUCE
TAXES AND SO A LOT OF THESE
DOLLARS ARE PARKED, SO WHEN YOU
ALREADY SEE WHAT’S BEEN DONE AND
CAUSED INFLATION WITH FEDERAL
SPENDING, TAXPAYER DOLLARS AND
THE FACT THAT THERE’S STILL A
LOT OF THE DOLLARS PARKED AT
LOCAL GOVERNMENTS AROUND THE
COUNTRY, THAT SHOULD MAKE A LOT
OF FOLKS NERVOUS.
MARIA: THAT’S WHY A LOT OF THE
PREDICTIONS I NEVER BOUGHT INTO
THAT INFLATION HAS PEAKED
BECAUSE THE MONEY IS STILL
FLOWING, TOO MANY DOLLARS
CHASING TOO FEW GOODS.
I WANT TO GET YOUR TAKE ON
FOREIGN POLICY BECAUSE SAUDI
ARABIA CONFIRMED IN A STATEMENT
OVERNIGHT THAT BIDEN DID ATTEMPT
TO COERCE THE KINGDOM POSTPONE
THE OPEC PLUS AFTER MIDTERM
ELECTIONS.
THIS IS SO MISLEADING.
THE PRESIDENT GOING HAT IN HAND
BEGGING THEM TO NOT CUT
PRODUCTION AND THEN ACTUALLY
TRYING TO COERCE THEM TO, OKAY,
YOU’RE GOING TO CUT PRODUCTION,
DO IT AFTER THE MIDTERM
ELECTIONS SO THAT PEOPLE WOULD
NOT UNDERSTAND WHAT WAS REALLY
GOING ON.
>> WHEN YOU SEE WHAT THE
PRESIDENT HAS DONE WITH ENERGY
ALLEN, CANCELING THE PIPELINE,
GOING TO VENEZUELA ASKING
VENEZUELA I SHOULD SAY FOR
RELIEF AS WELL AND NOW IT LOOKS
LIKE SAUDI ARABIA.
THE FACT THAT THE PRESIDENT HAS
CANCELED DOMESTIC PRODUCTION AND
THEN GONE TO OTHER COUNTRIES
ASKING BASICALLY FOR MORE, I
THINK THAT’S TERRIBLE, NOT TO
MENTION THE STRATEGIC OIL
RESERVE THAT HE WOULD TAP INTO
THAT FOR POLITICAL REASONS FAR
MORE THAN ACTUAL STREAM AND
ECONOMIC REASONS.
MARIA: THAT’S WHEN THIS BECOMES
A NATIONAL SECURITY THREAT
BECAUSE WE ARE TALKING ABOUT THE
STRATEGIC OIL RESERVE DOWN TO
LEVELS NOT SEEN SINCE 1984.
AND SO WE ARE SUPPOSED TO LOOK
AT THAT AS A CRISES AND AN
EMERGENCY STOCKPILE AND IF HE’S
SELLING IT JUST BECAUSE HE WANTS
PRICES AT A CERTAIN LEVEL BEFORE
THE MIDTERM ELECTIONS, BY THE
WAY, HE DID THE SAME THING WITH
RAIL UNIONS, HE CAME OUT AND DID
A WHOLE PRESS CONFERENCE TELLING
US THAT HE HAS A TENTATIVE DEAL
WITH THE UNIONS AND I WASN’T
BUYING IT AT ALL BECAUSE I NEVER
HEARD FROM THE UNIONS AND I
THOUGHT, HMM, WHY AM I ONLY
HEARING FROM JOE BIDEN AND NOT
THE UNIONS.
SURE ENOUGH THE WASHINGTON POST
REPORTED THAT TWO OF THE UNIONS
HAVE REJECTED WHAT HE’S TALKING
ABOUT AND WHAT HE’S TALKING
ABOUT IS A 24% RAISE FOR THE
RAIL UNION WORKERS.
SO MY QUESTION TO YOU IS, DO YOU
EXPECT THESE FOLKS TO GO ON
STRIKE AFTER THE ELECTION, THE
MIDTERM ELECTIONS AND IF SO WHAT
WOULD THAT DO TO THE ECONOMIC
STORY RIGHT NOW?
>> IT WOULD BE HORRIBLE,
HORRIBLE BECAUSE IT’S PERVASIVE
ACROSS THE COUNTRY AND I HAVE
MADE MAJOR RAIL IN MY DISTRICT
AS WELL AND I THINK, YOU KNOW,
FOLKS WANT TO AVOID THE STRIKE.
I HOPE THAT WE CAN BECAUSE TO
CONSUMERS AND TO OUR ECONOMY IT
WOULD BE VERY PAINFUL.
MARIA: ISN’T EVEN AS PAINFUL TO
SEE THE COMMANDER IN CHIEF
MAKING UP STORIES OF A TENTATIVE
DEAL, MAKING UP STORIES THAT
THAT OPEC IS NOT GOING TO CUT
PRODUCTION ALL IN THE FACE OF
POLITICS JUST TO MAKE SURE
NOTHING HAPPENS WITHIN THE NEXT
28 DAYS.
>> THE PRESIDENT IS QUITE THE
STORYTELLER THESE DAIS AND
ESPECIALLY WHEN HE STANDS OUT
THERE AND DISMISSES INFLATION
AND THIS ECONOMY IS CRUEL,
ABSOLUTELY CRUEL TO THE MIDDLE
CLASS AND FOLKS WHO CAN AFFORD
IT THE LEAST.
MARIA: CONGRESSMAN, WE WILL BE
WATCHING THE FATE OF YOUR BILL
THAT YOU’VE INTRODUCE TODAY STOP
THE 87,000 IRS AGENTS.