Congressman Jody Arrington
Appearances
The Ben Shapiro Show
Ep. 2172 - What The Hell Happened on LIBERATION DAY?!
Well, I think it should just be an apples to apples fairness in terms of trade policy. So it should be tariffs. There are non-tariff sort of technical barriers like GMO with respect to our ag products. There are quotas that are not considered tariff, but they're still huge barriers. They've been for many years for dairy products going into Canada.
The Ben Shapiro Show
Ep. 2172 - What The Hell Happened on LIBERATION DAY?!
That was part of the restructuring of the NAFTA to USMCA. And so there's a number of ways, VAT taxes, border adjustment taxes. So I think the president and his team are looking at the totality of it. But I'm with you. It needs to be apples to apples.
The Ben Shapiro Show
Ep. 2172 - What The Hell Happened on LIBERATION DAY?!
We're not looking for isolationism or we're not looking for Chinese industrial policy where we're subsidizing our guys and blocking out competition from others.
The Ben Shapiro Show
Ep. 2172 - What The Hell Happened on LIBERATION DAY?!
That's a great question. I think there are national security implications if we can't make materials that go into making war machines that protect our country and our allies like Israel. So that's one you have to watch closely.
The Ben Shapiro Show
Ep. 2172 - What The Hell Happened on LIBERATION DAY?!
I think we all were surprised during COVID to find out that we couldn't get protective gear for our healthcare workers or that 90% of our antibiotics, for example, were made in China. And then, you know, computer chips that run everything effectively. We were a sole source provider with Taiwan.
The Ben Shapiro Show
Ep. 2172 - What The Hell Happened on LIBERATION DAY?!
So you have to look at these things I agree with in terms of where is the national security or public safety nexus.
The Ben Shapiro Show
Ep. 2172 - What The Hell Happened on LIBERATION DAY?!
and then on all and on everything else ben it needs to be the apples to apples fairness issue and uh because i do think we've been taken for granted that's why we have a two to one uh three to one uh a deficit with uh the top 20 countries representing the top 20 largest uh economies in the world
The Ben Shapiro Show
Ep. 2172 - What The Hell Happened on LIBERATION DAY?!
Well, let's just go back and look at just real quickly the first term. We had the highest levels of business investment, R&D investment. We had the lowest unemployment. We lifted 6 million people out of poverty. All of this was the comprehensive economic policy agenda. which included reset on trade, but it also was good energy policy, good tax policy, and work incentives, right?
The Ben Shapiro Show
Ep. 2172 - What The Hell Happened on LIBERATION DAY?!
Work incentives for work-capable adults. So we've gotta get back, transition from unbridled spending and failed economic policies to this agenda, most of which, to your point, is wrapped up in this budget reconciliation bill. We need to lock in the low taxes. We certainly can't have $400 billion tax hikes in the first year, which sent us into a recession.
The Ben Shapiro Show
Ep. 2172 - What The Hell Happened on LIBERATION DAY?!
We can't add 22% on average of a tax hike on taxpaying Americans after Bidenflation, which was about a 20% regressive tax hike. So couldn't agree more. That's in there. Opening up energy production, deregulating the economy, work incentives, investment in military and border security, all in there. That's why it's one big, beautiful bill, right?
The Ben Shapiro Show
Ep. 2172 - What The Hell Happened on LIBERATION DAY?!
That is the full America first agenda for the most part and the most consequential piece of legislation in my lifetime, Ben. But. We have to make sure that as we advance this and all the cost to it, we start to bend the spending curve that's driving an unsustainable debt. And Republicans have failed in the past to do that. And I want to make certain.
The Ben Shapiro Show
Ep. 2172 - What The Hell Happened on LIBERATION DAY?!
not just for this great country, our economy, and our current security or defense readiness, but for our children who are going to inherit the whirlwind of our recklessness now to the tune of $36 trillion in debt, $2 trillion annual deficits, a trillion dollars just to service the debt. Those are all deferred taxes on our children. So we have to have offsets.
The Ben Shapiro Show
Ep. 2172 - What The Hell Happened on LIBERATION DAY?!
We cannot increase the deficit and we got to get our country on a sustainable and responsible path. That's missing from the Senate's bill. That was in the House bill. And I made sure of it along with other colleagues. So at the end of this rainbow, we have to get to a spot that we reignite economic growth through all the policies we talked about, including tax.
The Ben Shapiro Show
Ep. 2172 - What The Hell Happened on LIBERATION DAY?!
But we're bringing the debt to GDP down. We're bringing the deficit to GDP down. Otherwise, we bankrupt the country and none of this matters. None of it. And we're not the leader of the free world. And our values aren't the dominant values that influence the world. And we can't support our allies, et cetera, et cetera.
The Ben Shapiro Show
Ep. 2172 - What The Hell Happened on LIBERATION DAY?!
Well, a whole lot. I mean, you have to have, if you just took the Medicaid, that's the largest means tested welfare program. It doesn't have a work requirement for able bodied adults like all the other programs from the Bill Clinton welfare to work. era that actually brought down dependence on welfare by 80%, but it's been gamed by states and others, especially California.
The Ben Shapiro Show
Ep. 2172 - What The Hell Happened on LIBERATION DAY?!
So we have to close the loopholes there and we have to put actual expectations for work capable adults in these programs, like in Medicaid. If you just reviewed the roles, This is a basic program integrity measure that everybody can understand.
The Ben Shapiro Show
Ep. 2172 - What The Hell Happened on LIBERATION DAY?!
If you review the roles and make sure that those benefiting are legally eligible and they're not here illegally in this country or for other reasons aren't eligible, then you save $160 billion just reviewing it twice versus once. So it's all of the above. You also have states and local special interests that siphon money away from these programs that have nothing to do with the beneficiary.
The Ben Shapiro Show
Ep. 2172 - What The Hell Happened on LIBERATION DAY?!
So it's broken. It's part of what's bankrupting the country. And we've got to act responsibly as we write this fiscal ship to focus on these welfare programs.
The Ben Shapiro Show
Ep. 2172 - What The Hell Happened on LIBERATION DAY?!
Ben, it's an honor to be with you.