Verdict with Ted Cruz
House Budget VICTORY, Cartels Escalate War Zone at Southern Border & Dems DIg in on Boys in Girls' Sports
Wed, 26 Feb 2025
1. House Budget Victory - The House passed a significant tax cut bill by a slim margin, with President Trump actively whipping votes to secure its passage. - This is the first step in the budget reconciliation process, which allows certain budget-related legislation to pass with a simple majority in the Senate, bypassing the filibuster. 2. Cartels Escalate War Zone at Southern Border - A Texas rancher was killed by a suspected cartel IED near the Mexican border, highlighting the increasing violence and danger posed by cartels. - The discussion emphasizes the need to treat cartels as terrorist organizations and take aggressive action against them. 3. Dems Dig in on Boys in Girls' Sports - The Department of Justice, under Attorney General Pam Bondi, is enforcing federal laws to prevent boys from competing in girls' sports. - States like Maine, California, and Minnesota are resisting these federal mandates, leading to potential legal battles. Please Hit Subscribe to this podcast Right Now. Also Please Subscribe to the 47 Morning Update with Ben Ferguson and the Ben Ferguson Show Podcast Wherever You get You're PodcastsYouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@VerdictwithTedCruzSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Chapter 1: How did the House pass the $4.5 trillion tax cut bill?
Welcome, it is Verdict with Senator Ted Cruz, Ben Ferguson with you as always. And Senator, it was a wild night last night in Washington, D.C. And the big headline is a $4.5 trillion tax cut has passed the House. It was touch and go. It's a slim majority in the House, but they got it done for the American people.
Well, this is the first step. So you and I are recording this. It is 1220 in the morning, Tuesday night. The House had a touch and go vote on the floor of the House on whether to begin the first step of budget reconciliation. They ended up getting the votes by one vote. Initially, they put it on the floor of the House and it failed. Then they brought it back. President Trump
was whipping the votes that were on the sidelines, and it passed by one vote. Now, this doesn't mean it's done, but it's the beginning of the process. We're going to break that down. We're going to explain what it means, what that is starting us on the path to do.
We're also going to talk about the rather shocking news from this week about an IED that exploded in South Texas, blowing up a Texas rancher as the Mexican cartels are engaged in what you would have to call just open warfare at this point. IEDs you envision in Iraq, you envision in war zones, you don't envision them in the state of Texas. We're going to break that down.
And finally, we're going to talk about the latest step in the battle over boys and girls sports, which is the Department of Justice is coming after the state of Maine, the state of California, and the state of Minnesota to comply with the federal law and Trump's executive order concerning boys and girls sports.
And Maine and California and Minnesota are saying, hell no, we're going to break that down as well.
Yeah, it's awesome. I got to tell you, today I did something that was just really fun, and it was to spend a little time at the National Religious Broadcasters Convention in Dallas, Texas, with my friends at the International Fellowship of Christians and Jews.
And I got to see just what their work looks like with some videos that I was shown, some pictures of the impact that so many of you are having by being involved with IFCJ and helping the people in Israel. After more than a year of war, terror, and pain in Israel, there is still a great demand for basic humanitarian aid.
And that is where the International Fellowship of Christians and Jews has supported, and they continue to support those in the Holy Land still facing the lingering horrors of war and those who are in desperate need right now.
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Chapter 2: What is the significance of budget reconciliation?
Chapter 3: How are cartels escalating violence at the Southern Border?
We're also going to talk about the rather shocking news from this week about an IED that exploded in South Texas, blowing up a Texas rancher as the Mexican cartels are engaged in what you would have to call just open warfare at this point. IEDs you envision in Iraq, you envision in war zones, you don't envision them in the state of Texas. We're going to break that down.
Chapter 4: What is the controversy over boys in girls' sports?
And finally, we're going to talk about the latest step in the battle over boys and girls sports, which is the Department of Justice is coming after the state of Maine, the state of California, and the state of Minnesota to comply with the federal law and Trump's executive order concerning boys and girls sports.
And Maine and California and Minnesota are saying, hell no, we're going to break that down as well.
Yeah, it's awesome. I got to tell you, today I did something that was just really fun, and it was to spend a little time at the National Religious Broadcasters Convention in Dallas, Texas, with my friends at the International Fellowship of Christians and Jews.
And I got to see just what their work looks like with some videos that I was shown, some pictures of the impact that so many of you are having by being involved with IFCJ and helping the people in Israel. After more than a year of war, terror, and pain in Israel, there is still a great demand for basic humanitarian aid.
And that is where the International Fellowship of Christians and Jews has supported, and they continue to support those in the Holy Land still facing the lingering horrors of war and those who are in desperate need right now.
Your ongoing monthly gift of $45 will provide critically needed aid to communities in the north and the south that have been devastated by the ongoing attacks against the Jewish people. Now, your generous donation each month helps deliver to those that are in need the most, including the evacuees and the refugees from all of these different war-torn areas.
There's also a lot of first responders and volunteers and wounded soldiers, even elderly Holocaust survivors that are in desperate need and you are helping them. That is why I just want to say, number one, thank you for getting involved and helping so many people in this great time of need and uncertainty. Your gift to bless Israel and her people, you can do that by visiting support.org.
That's one word, support, ifcj.org. Or you can call them, 888-488-IFCJ. That's 888-488-IFCJ, 888-488-4325, or supportifcj.org. All right. So, Senator, it was an exciting and intense night on the floor of the House. It was the vote was on. It was off. You literally could physically see people on the floor taking phone calls, speaking on the phone.
That's been reported was with the president of the United States of America. This was part of the whipping votes. And by the way, this is when I tell people, please share this podcast on social media, because we're going to pull back the curtain here and explain to you what happened and what is next. So you guys, they're messing with the algorithms now.
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Chapter 5: How is Steve Scalise's health after his past challenges?
And he believes that's the best way with his exceptionally narrow majority in the House to get all of this across the finish line. I will tell you, virtually every Republican senator, including myself, believes the way to do this is two bills, starting with one bill that secures the border, rebuilds the military and unleashes energy.
And then a second bill that extends the tax cuts and makes them bigger and bolder. I don't know who's right. I don't know if the Senate's right or the House is right. But at some level, Ben, I don't care. We just have to get the job done. So tonight I had dinner with Steve Scalise. Steve is a good friend. He is the House majority leader.
By the way, how's he doing for people that know his history of being shot and the health issues? I just I want to pause and ask, how is he doing physically?
Really, really well. So Steve, Steve has been is a good friend. He's from Louisiana. He's a conservative. He's a friend. He and I have been friends a long time. He's doing great. And listen, Steve, we all remember where Steve was shot with with the crazed, angry leftist who went to the practice of the congressional baseball game and wanted to kill Republicans. And shot and badly wounded Steve.
Chapter 6: What role did President Trump play in whipping votes?
Shot him in the pelvis and he was in a coma for several days. He almost died. He's recovered from that. And then I got to say, Steve has had some tough health scares because he had just a couple of years ago cancer. And he was down in Houston at MD Anderson being treated. And MD Anderson is an amazing hospital. My mom, who's 90 now, she was treated there for cancer.
It is... Look, cancer is a terrifying diagnosis. I hope never in my life to be a patient at MD Anderson. I don't want to be a patient there because you're only a patient there if you have cancer. I'd really like not to have cancer. But I'll tell you this, if I ever get cancer, you better believe I want to be a patient at MD Anderson. I mean, they do an amazing job. And I got to say, Steve...
His health is doing great. I told him tonight he's in remission. He's finished with his cancer treatment. He is strong. His color is back. He is full of life and vim and vigor. I told him, I said, look, even five, six months ago when he was coming out of the cancer treatment, you could see, look, when you go through that, you go through chemo, it weakens you. You can just see it's hard.
Your body is, I mean, it exacts the cost. It's brutal. It's brutal. But you know what? Steve is strong and effective and good. I was really encouraged. It's the best I've seen Steve in years. And he's come through this. And he was jubilant. So he was on the House floor. He's the House majority leader. He was trying to get the votes to pass this on the House. And he wasn't sure.
So the first time they brought it on the House, it failed. And then he kept pressing and then he got it done. And he got it done. Look, a critical piece of getting it done was President Trump. And I sort of joked when Steve showed up at dinner, I said, you know, it does help when the chief whip in the House is named Donald J. Trump. Yeah, no doubt about it.
And they were putting President Trump on the phone with the Republican votes that are wobbly. And he was saying, listen, I need you to vote with us. And he flipped the votes. And so it was... And Steve told me, so we were supposed to have dinner at 730. He didn't get there until about 830 because he was on the floor battling. And Steve told me, he's like, all right, I'm late for dinner.
So he said, I'm picking up the tab, which I appreciated. Last time Steve and I had dinner, I picked up the tab. And he said, I'll tell you what, order a drink, whatever you like, make it expensive, I'm paying. Okay. And he said, I want to celebrate.
That's what I want to know. Did you make it hurt a little bit?
So I ordered McAllen 25 Neat. There you go. Which is a great single malt scotch. And, you know, Steve is not a big scotch guy. I actually don't drink scotch a lot, but I do like McAllen. And so we toasted. And when someone else, by the way, is paying, it's just a nice little touch there. Look, Steve said hurt me a little bit and ordered something pricey. So I thought about Michelob Ultra.
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Chapter 7: Why are conservatives boycotting certain brands?
But I'll say this. You'd go to the stadium, and a few years ago, like, everyone was drinking Bud Light. It was literally every person in the stadium, that's what they drink. And now, I don't even think they sell Bud Light. I mean, it is an astonishing difference.
No, it is. It is a real boycott. It has not gone away at all. And I do love every once in a while when conservatives say, OK, you insult us at this point. Enough already. We're not backing down. And we have it. Like, I don't think I'll ever drink one again the rest of my life.
So, by the way, there's a structural reason for that. So listen, you take something like the NBA. The NBA got all woke. It put all the damn slogans on the court and on the jerseys. It pissed me off. It pissed a lot of conservatives off. Here's the problem. I love basketball. Like, for me, the price of boycotting the NBA, the price of boycotting the NFL, the price of boycotting sports is painful.
Like, I get great joy from watching professional sports. And so I didn't like their politics, but I'm like, I'm not willing to sacrifice my joy just because I'm pissed about politics. What got Bud Light... is they have a product that is easily substitutable. Yeah, easily replaceable. Every place you could get a Bud Light... There's a Coors Light. Yeah. There's a Miller's Light.
It's right next to it. And by the way, show me the guy that if you do a blind taste test between Bud Light, Miller's Light, and Coors Light could tell you the difference. I don't know. That's someone with a better palate than me. They're all light beers, and they all taste pretty much the same to me. I'll probably piss off some listeners.
But I can tell the difference between a Guinness and a Bud Light. Yes, yes. But I'll be damned if I can tell the difference between a Bud Light and a Coors Light. That meant every customer, it was not a boycott that was painful. It was not a boycott that's like, I got to give up something that gives joy to me. It was a boycott that said, oh.
Yeah, I literally hold my beer or let me return it and I'm going to get a different one and watch how easy this is for me. Right, right. And that got them in real trouble. By the way, Target gotten a little bit of this when they got super woke and Target is somewhat substitutable.
But I'll say I think Target and they suffered a big drop, but I think they've come back because listen, I mean, I guess instead of Target, you can go to Wal-Mart. But they're not a ton of choices. I'll tell you, my girls, I'll confess, my teenage girls love Target.
Yeah, trust me, my wife loves it, and there's no way she was substituting Walmart for it.
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