Brendan Boyle
Appearances
The MeidasTouch Podcast
Rep. Boyle Responds to Trump Destroying Economy
You know, it's pretty striking that literally Donald Trump All he had to do was do nothing. He could sit there, watch Fox News all day, sit with the remote control, occasionally tweet, and then on weekends go down to Mar-a-Lago and play golf. But he just had to purposely go about ruining this economy. With the exception of COVID and perhaps the Great Recession in the fall of 2008 when it began,
The MeidasTouch Podcast
Rep. Boyle Responds to Trump Destroying Economy
I don't remember any other period in which you've had a Federal Reserve so quickly revise their projections from about 4% growth expected to now 4% decline. That is an eight point swing. in the economy in just two months. I have, again, with the exception of COVID and the beginning of the Great Recession, I have never seen anything like it. And this is not because of the normal economic cycle.
The MeidasTouch Podcast
Rep. Boyle Responds to Trump Destroying Economy
This is not because of a pandemic. This is literally all manmade, made by one man, Donald Trump.
The MeidasTouch Podcast
Rep. Boyle Responds to Trump Destroying Economy
Well, you know, I held this press conference about Social Security on Monday morning, but I actually want to go back 48 hours earlier to another event I held in my district. And this was a community event on Saturday morning, interacted and spoke to several hundred constituents who came.
The MeidasTouch Podcast
Rep. Boyle Responds to Trump Destroying Economy
I have never heard the level of anger as well as fear about what's going on right now, but specifically to Social Security. There are a ton of seniors. who are deathly afraid that they're not going to get their social security checks. Social security has existed for almost exactly 90 years, has never missed a paycheck.
The MeidasTouch Podcast
Rep. Boyle Responds to Trump Destroying Economy
We are now in real danger of seeing paychecks screwed with because of the gross incompetence and the malicious intent of what Elon Musk and the Doge Bros are doing. Let's not forget Elon Musk has already publicly said Social Security is next. He said that a few weeks ago. He's also said that Social Security is a Ponzi scheme.
The MeidasTouch Podcast
Rep. Boyle Responds to Trump Destroying Economy
Howard Lutnick, the Commerce Secretary, said that, well, people could afford to go one month without a paycheck. He cited his own mother saying that she could miss a month. Well, yeah, no kidding. Her son's a billionaire. Most people on Social Security are like my father who rely on that paycheck that check that they earned over a lifetime of work.
The MeidasTouch Podcast
Rep. Boyle Responds to Trump Destroying Economy
So I'm doing everything I can to fight back against a malicious administration that is purposely going after the things that people care most about.
The MeidasTouch Podcast
Rep. Boyle Responds to Trump Destroying Economy
We are seeing evidence of those boycotts having an impact. I think the Atlanta Fed's figures are somewhat reflective of the damage from both tariffs as well as the Canadian boycott. But I can tell you one area, we're certainly going to see it in my area, is come summertime, we have a ton of Canadians who come and vacation at the Jersey Shore.
The MeidasTouch Podcast
Rep. Boyle Responds to Trump Destroying Economy
You can see the Canadian flags and Quebec flags in a lot of places. I have already heard from business owners saying that they are being impacted by the boycott because their expected bookings are down and down considerably. You know, the first early indication, I happen to be a sports fan and I was watching hockey when the U.S.
The MeidasTouch Podcast
Rep. Boyle Responds to Trump Destroying Economy
was playing Canada as part of that tournament that was played last month. And to hear the American National Anthem loudly and resoundingly booed at the beginning of that game that was played in Montreal. I never thought that I would see the day. It's truly sad.
The MeidasTouch Podcast
Rep. Boyle Responds to Trump Destroying Economy
And what is so bewildering about this is I still have not yet to hear one sentence, at least, from Donald Trump on why suddenly Canada is the enemy. What exactly is the pretense for going after them? I mean, I can understand, you know, if you're concerned about, say, steel dumping that comes from China or if you have tariffs that are industry specific and country specific.
The MeidasTouch Podcast
Rep. Boyle Responds to Trump Destroying Economy
Tariffs are a tool in our toolbox when it comes to trade and national security. That's not what's happening here. I mean, we might be seeing us actually. imposing an incredibly high tariff on every single one of our nation's allies beginning tomorrow. It's just insane.
The MeidasTouch Podcast
Rep. Boyle Responds to Trump Destroying Economy
i don't want to get too wonky but how how bad is this what's coming down the pipeline what should we be worried about what are you focused on yeah you know it's a as ranking member of budget this is uh basically what i spend most of my time on um and as you can imagine when we're talking about i mean even the name of the process reconciliation to try to explain this
The MeidasTouch Podcast
Rep. Boyle Responds to Trump Destroying Economy
and not get too much into the weeds and to speak plain English is a challenge. So let's see how I do here. Bottom line is House Republicans have an incredibly austere plan that they already voted for and approved a few weeks ago, which includes $1.5 trillion worth of cuts, mostly coming from Medicaid. These would be by far the biggest cuts to Medicaid in American history.
The MeidasTouch Podcast
Rep. Boyle Responds to Trump Destroying Economy
all to help partially pay for the biggest tax cuts for billionaires in American history. So the beginning of that plan passed already in the House. It sits over in the Senate. That's where it sits right now. Senate Republicans are trying to figure out what they want to do with it, if they want to come up with their own plan. That right now is kind of an internal Republican squabble
The MeidasTouch Podcast
Rep. Boyle Responds to Trump Destroying Economy
that is playing out as we speak. At some point, they're going to have to internally resolve that. The Senate will pass something. At this point, it doesn't, believe it or not, it doesn't exactly have to match at this point what the House Republicans have done. And then that would allow the next step of the process to play out. So it's a bizarre Byzantine multi-step process.
The MeidasTouch Podcast
Rep. Boyle Responds to Trump Destroying Economy
One important step has already been taken, has already taken place with the House Republicans passed. But we still have a few more steps to go. And I'm hopeful.
The MeidasTouch Podcast
Rep. Boyle Responds to Trump Destroying Economy
that there will be an opportunity for just one or two House Republicans to grow a backbone or at least get very afraid of their own voters and stand up to Donald Trump and actually vote with House Democrats so we can kill this once and for all.
The MeidasTouch Podcast
Rep. Boyle Responds to Trump Destroying Economy
It's a very good question because We don't know something that's called the X date, which is basically the drop dead date. It means this is absolutely the date by which you have to raise the debt ceiling or you've gone into default as a nation, which would have disastrous consequences. Remember, this is what Republicans, the Tea Party Republicans were threatening Barack Obama with.
The MeidasTouch Podcast
Rep. Boyle Responds to Trump Destroying Economy
In the summer of 2011, this is what they were threatening President Biden with just a few years ago. Well, now the shoe is a bit on the other foot, where House Republicans and Senate Republicans in the White House need to raise the debt ceiling. We don't know, though, that X date. The Treasury Secretary will announce when that is, probably the end of this month.
The MeidasTouch Podcast
Rep. Boyle Responds to Trump Destroying Economy
And a lot of it is determined and shaped by where tax collections are on April 15th. It could be as late as August or September, but it could be as early as May or June. You might remember two years ago, We were in a very similar situation.
The MeidasTouch Podcast
Rep. Boyle Responds to Trump Destroying Economy
Most analysts were projecting that the X date would be in August or September, but then tax revenues came in really soft and suddenly the X date got revised to June 1st and suddenly Congress really needed to act very quickly. So we might see that play out again. At the moment, as part of the House Republicans plan,
The MeidasTouch Podcast
Rep. Boyle Responds to Trump Destroying Economy
reconciliation plan that they voted out a few weeks ago, they have included in there an increase in the debt ceiling. From what I hear, Senate Republicans are pushing back on that. So it still remains to be determined. Yeah, well...
The MeidasTouch Podcast
Rep. Boyle Responds to Trump Destroying Economy
No, listen, happy to do it. Like I said, the biggest challenge is explaining this bizarre process in plain English. So hopefully I at least did a good enough job and happy to come back anytime.
The MeidasTouch Podcast
Rep. Boyle on Trump Abandoning His Promises
Yeah, you know, hearing Howard Lutnick talk about cars, actually, he does remind me of the first guy I bought a used car from 25 years ago. And it turns out it was a lemon. So Lutnick is very much along those lines. You know, this is so crazy. It's nuts. I come from, as you pointed out, proudly the city of Philadelphia, the home of the Super Bowl champions, by the way.
The MeidasTouch Podcast
Rep. Boyle on Trump Abandoning His Promises
Biggest city in the biggest battleground state. I was inundated with nonstop campaign TV ads for all of 2024. About 70% of them were about inflation and getting costs down. That's really more than any other issue, what the campaign was about. It was the number one issue for voters.
The MeidasTouch Podcast
Rep. Boyle on Trump Abandoning His Promises
Trump ends up winning by one and a half points, or as the other side likes to say, the greatest landslide since George Washington. As those of us who like math say, the second closest election in the last 50 years. And what does Trump do? Does he attempt to lower costs? No, still to this point, not one piece of legislation has been introduced in Congress by Republicans to reduce costs.
The MeidasTouch Podcast
Rep. Boyle on Trump Abandoning His Promises
Instead, he's focusing on attacking our closest ally and literally has members, senior members of our government talking about taking over Canada. It is nuts. It achieves nothing. And I don't know really what the end game for this stupid tariff strategy is. And I do fear things will get significantly more expensive for most Americans and Canadians before it ends.
The MeidasTouch Podcast
Rep. Boyle on Trump Abandoning His Promises
As you pointed out, those of us from Philly are not exactly known for being shy or polite. So we'd have no problem letting Donald Trump know exactly what we think and feel. But it's just... I wish that all of this, that we could just laugh at it and it was a bad reality TV show.
The MeidasTouch Podcast
Rep. Boyle on Trump Abandoning His Promises
Unfortunately, real damage is being done though to the American people and real damage is being done to the standing of the United States around the world. You know, if I had said six months ago to you that we would be in an all out trade war with Canada, threatening to physically take it over,
The MeidasTouch Podcast
Rep. Boyle on Trump Abandoning His Promises
Inspiring Canadians of all different political ideologies to boo the American national anthem to see the approval rating of the United States in Canada now and around the 10 percent level. We're polling about where China and Russia do. in terms of what Canadians think of us. It's truly disastrous and tragic.
The MeidasTouch Podcast
Rep. Boyle on Trump Abandoning His Promises
You know, my wife is a public school teacher. She's an elementary school teacher, has been for 25 years. Very dedicated person that could be making a lot more money than she chooses to make because she's so committed to what she does, teaching right now, teaching second grade kids. The war on education that we're seeing being waged by Donald Trump and Musk and the Musketeers. It is disgusting.
The MeidasTouch Podcast
Rep. Boyle on Trump Abandoning His Promises
And you know, what Jim Banks wanted to confuse people about, the reality is, Most of the funding for K through 12 education in this country comes from the state and local level, and that's already where those decisions are made.
The MeidasTouch Podcast
Rep. Boyle on Trump Abandoning His Promises
Nonetheless, the Federal Department of Education plays a crucial role in our overall education system, while still primarily most of the funding and the decisions are made at the state and local level, especially as it relates to higher education. and student loans.
The MeidasTouch Podcast
Rep. Boyle on Trump Abandoning His Promises
So to see so many people committed to education, committed educators, literally thrown out of their offices and not allowed to come back in after years, sometimes decades of real service to our country, it just disgusts me.
The MeidasTouch Podcast
Rep. Boyle on Trump Abandoning His Promises
Yeah, let's just be clear. What happened in the 2024 presidential election is perhaps the greatest con of Donald Trump's long career as a con man. And this was the con. He was able to convince a lot of working class people that he and his party were on their side. And then in office, what was his number one agenda item?
The MeidasTouch Podcast
Rep. Boyle on Trump Abandoning His Promises
His bill to extend the Trump tax cuts, most of which go to the top 1% of Americans. The majority of the money literally goes to billionaires. And it is funded, it is paid for by the largest cuts to Medicaid in American history, $880 billion worth of cuts to Medicaid. Now Trump gets on TV and he lies about it. He lies as easily as he breathes.
The MeidasTouch Podcast
Rep. Boyle on Trump Abandoning His Promises
He said, oh, I promise to, in his words, love and cherish Medicaid. Well, anytime Donald Trump promises to love and cherish anything or anyone, you know that that commitment is about to be broken. And that is the reality of what they're pushing. We had that vote a couple of weeks ago in the House.
The MeidasTouch Podcast
Rep. Boyle on Trump Abandoning His Promises
I hope that it gets more attention than I think it's currently getting with all of the madness that's going on. It shouldn't distract people from one of the most significant votes of my time in Congress. And that is the largest cuts to Medicaid in American history to pay for tax cuts for billionaires. That, in the end of the day, is what Donald Trump and the Republican Party is actually about.
The MeidasTouch Podcast
Rep. Boyle on Trump Abandoning His Promises
Yeah, look, I think a lot of Democrats throughout the nation are frustrated and angry right now. I know I'm one of them because the reality is, while it was a very close election, the Republicans ended up winning the House and winning the Senate and have the White House. And so as a result, they'll be able to do a lot of damage.
The MeidasTouch Podcast
Rep. Boyle on Trump Abandoning His Promises
That said, I'm not giving up and I don't think any one of us should give up. I believe in a three pronged strategy, a legislative strategy, a litigation strategy and a people mobilization strategy. On the first point, even though we're in the minority, we do have leverage. You do have enough senators on the Democratic side in the Senate that they can filibuster most bills if they choose to do so.
The MeidasTouch Podcast
Rep. Boyle on Trump Abandoning His Promises
You also have in the House the closest, while Republicans aren't in the majority, it's the closest margin between the two parties since 1930. That means that if every Democrat sticks together, the same way basically we did on the budget vote yesterday, it forces every Republican but one to vote for any piece of legislation that they want to pass.
The MeidasTouch Podcast
Rep. Boyle on Trump Abandoning His Promises
We have to make sure that we stay unified as House Democrats.
The MeidasTouch Podcast
Rep. Boyle on Trump Abandoning His Promises
and continue to force republicans to reach total unity for them to achieve anything something that historically they've really had a tough time doing second on the litigation front we've already seen initial success in trying to block what elon musk and his doge crew are doing a lot of our outside groups have really been successful in courts even i have to say with republican appointed judges
The MeidasTouch Podcast
Rep. Boyle on Trump Abandoning His Promises
And I think you're going to continue to see more of that. And then third and finally, on the people mobilization front, the model is exactly what happened eight years ago. You know, at this point, eight years ago, it was Republican President Donald Trump, Republican House, Republican Senate. And their number one priority, if you recall, was to repeal and replace Obamacare.
The MeidasTouch Podcast
Rep. Boyle on Trump Abandoning His Promises
They got it through the House. But then what happened? In the Senate, enough Republican senators voted with Democrats to block the repeal of Obamacare. They did that in part because so many people mobilized throughout the country. They had protests. They made their voices heard. The repeal effort you saw in the polls became very unpopular.
The MeidasTouch Podcast
Rep. Boyle on Trump Abandoning His Promises
That was enough to sway wavering Republicans in Congress to vote against the repeal, including the moment ultimately that John McCain gave the final thumbs down. So I look at that as a real model for us to follow, that we know that if enough people
The MeidasTouch Podcast
Rep. Boyle on Trump Abandoning His Promises
mobilize and speak out and pressure Republican members of Congress, then hopefully just enough will be more afraid of the American people than they are afraid of Donald Trump.
The MeidasTouch Podcast
MeidasTouch Full Podcast - 3/14/25
Yeah, let's just be clear. What happened in the 2024 presidential election is perhaps the greatest con of Donald Trump's long career as a con man. And this was the con. He was able to convince a lot of working class people that he and his party were on their side. And then in office, what was his number one agenda item? His bill to extend the Trump tax cuts
The MeidasTouch Podcast
MeidasTouch Full Podcast - 3/14/25
most of which go to the top 1% of Americans. The majority of the money literally goes to billionaires and it is funded, it is paid for by the largest cuts to Medicaid in American history, $880 billion worth of cuts to Medicaid. Now Trump gets on TV and he lies about it. He lies as easily as he breathes. He said, oh, I promise to, in his words, love and cherish Medicaid.
The MeidasTouch Podcast
MeidasTouch Full Podcast - 3/14/25
Well, anytime Donald Trump promises to love and cherish anything or anyone, you know that that commitment is about to be broken. And that is the reality of what they're pushing. We had that vote a couple of weeks ago in the House. I hope that it gets more attention than I think it's currently getting with all of the madness that's going on.
The MeidasTouch Podcast
MeidasTouch Full Podcast - 3/14/25
It shouldn't distract people from one of the most significant votes of my time in Congress, and that is the largest cuts to Medicaid in American history to pay for tax cuts for billionaires. That, in the end of the day, is what Donald Trump and the Republican Party is actually about.