Verdict with Ted Cruz - December 24, 2025


Christ is Born, America is Working： Christmas Hope, Jobs Booming & Welfare Fraud Exposed


Episode Stats

Length

36 minutes

Words per Minute

167.53638

Word Count

6,068

Sentence Count

420

Hate Speech Sentences

9


Summary


Transcript

00:00:00.000 This is an iHeart Podcast.
00:00:02.700 Guaranteed human.
00:00:04.460 Welcome. It is Verdict with Senator Ted Cruz.
00:00:06.720 It is nice to have you with us.
00:00:08.320 Senator, we've got a lot to talk about during this Christmas week,
00:00:11.100 and some of it is really good news.
00:00:13.100 It deals with the economy.
00:00:14.480 That is something that has made a lot of people excited about going into 2026.
00:00:20.140 Well, there's a lot good going on, but I want to start by just saying Merry Christmas.
00:00:24.140 And I hope that at Christmastime, you're spending time with your family.
00:00:28.540 I hope you're taking time to hug your kids.
00:00:31.680 I hope you're taking time.
00:00:32.780 I hope you're having some fabulous meals where you're stuffed.
00:00:37.100 You have some great presents.
00:00:38.340 You have some great love.
00:00:40.040 But I also want to encourage everyone, remember what Christmastime is about.
00:00:45.220 Christmastime, yes, it's about family.
00:00:46.860 Yes, it's about coming together.
00:00:48.380 But Christmas is when we're celebrating the birth of Jesus,
00:00:51.160 the birth of our Savior who came, God incarnate, came to earth to live as a man,
00:00:57.960 to live without sin, and then to die willingly, voluntarily, freely to die for your sins and my sins.
00:01:06.020 I don't know about you, Ben, but Christmas is my favorite time of year.
00:01:10.260 I love Christmas.
00:01:11.460 I love the music.
00:01:12.180 I love everything about it, and I love celebrating the incredible mystery and marvel that God cared so much about each of us
00:01:24.840 that He was willing to send His only Son to die for us.
00:01:28.900 Yeah.
00:01:29.320 Amen to that.
00:01:30.320 I think it's really been sad over the last several years how much people tried to just get rid of the meaning of Christmas.
00:01:36.620 I also feel like we're seeing part of that bell curve come back around.
00:01:41.020 I was really encouraged Sunday at church to see so many people coming, not on Christmas service, but the week of Christmas.
00:01:48.480 And there just seems to be a new awakening.
00:01:51.800 I saw some really cool data the other day that there are more people under the age of 40.
00:01:57.800 We had a record-breaking number of people that bought Bibles in 2025.
00:02:02.260 Some of that they actually think is because of Charlie Kirk's assassination and his bold faith.
00:02:07.960 And evil, they're always as good that can come out of evil.
00:02:11.520 But to hear that we are having record sales of Bibles this year, that gave me such encouragement,
00:02:16.980 especially you've got kids like I do.
00:02:18.940 I worry about the future of this country.
00:02:20.840 It's why we do this show.
00:02:22.220 We fight for this country.
00:02:23.540 We fight for our rights.
00:02:24.860 We fight for our religious freedom.
00:02:27.040 And to see that there seems to be this real awakening among this younger generation,
00:02:31.980 that really inspires me, and it makes me even more excited about Christmas.
00:02:36.720 Well, and listen, I will say there are a lot of folks who listen to this show who are parents.
00:02:41.500 You may be a young parent.
00:02:42.560 You may have young kids at home.
00:02:44.180 I'll tell you what my parents did every Christmas for me
00:02:47.420 and what I try to do with our girls is when we sit down for Christmas dinner.
00:02:52.140 By the way, in a Cuban household, typically we'll have a Cuban celebration on Christmas Eve.
00:02:57.440 And then we tend to have an American Christmas on Christmas Day.
00:03:01.200 So we eat twice.
00:03:01.600 Hold on.
00:03:01.920 I got to know, what is the difference?
00:03:03.760 What's the difference between how rowdy is Christmas Eve?
00:03:06.360 Because that sounds like it's kind of fun.
00:03:07.980 Yeah, so look, when I'm with the Cuban side of my family, like the tradition is that we'll roast a whole pig.
00:03:14.460 And that's on Noche Buena.
00:03:17.380 That's a great tradition.
00:03:19.140 This year, I was with Heidi's side of the family.
00:03:22.000 So we had a Christmas Eve dinner.
00:03:24.660 But actually, her family are all vegetarians.
00:03:27.080 And so what we do instead is...
00:03:28.700 That would be bad for the whole pig.
00:03:30.360 That would be bad.
00:03:30.880 Yeah, the whole pig idea doesn't work.
00:03:33.060 And so instead, we have fondue, which is nice.
00:03:36.380 We make up fondue on the stove.
00:03:39.240 And all of us like fondue and dipping it in.
00:03:42.200 And then we do, on Christmas Day, typically either a turkey or a ham for the carnivores there.
00:03:47.660 And lots of vegetarian options for Heidi's family.
00:03:52.560 But one thing that I've tried to do every year is, when we're sitting down on Christmas Day, just to read from Luke chapter 2.
00:04:00.160 And to read the story of Christmas.
00:04:02.400 And so if y'all indulge, I want to do that right now.
00:04:05.760 Love it.
00:04:06.220 Go for it.
00:04:07.260 And it came to pass in those days that there went out a decree from Caesar Augustus that all the world should be taxed.
00:04:14.220 And this taxing was first made when Cyrenius was governor of Syria.
00:04:17.740 And all went to be taxed, every one into his own city.
00:04:22.720 And Joseph also went up from Galilee, out of the city of Nazareth, into Judea, unto the city of David, which is called Bethlehem.
00:04:30.360 Because it was of the house and lineage of David.
00:04:34.360 To be taxed with Mary, his espoused wife, being great with child.
00:04:39.220 And so it was that while they were there, the days were accomplished that she should be delivered.
00:04:43.700 And she brought forth her firstborn son, and wrapped him in swaddling clothes, and laid him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn.
00:04:55.340 And there were in the same country shepherds abiding in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night.
00:05:00.880 And lo, the angel of the Lord came upon them, and the glory of the Lord shone round and about them.
00:05:07.440 And they were sore afraid.
00:05:09.680 And the angel said unto them, Fear not, for behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people.
00:05:20.080 For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, which is Christ the Lord.
00:05:25.420 And this shall be a sign unto you, ye shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger.
00:05:34.540 And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host, praising God, and saying, Glory to God in the highest, and on earth, peace and goodwill toward men.
00:05:47.020 And it came to pass, as the angels were gone away from them into the heaven, the shepherds said one to another,
00:05:54.180 Let us now go even unto Bethlehem, and see this thing which has come to pass, which the Lord hath made known unto us.
00:06:02.500 And they came with haste, and found Mary and Joseph, and the babe lying in a manger.
00:06:08.540 And when they had seen it, they made known abroad the saying which was told them concerning the child.
00:06:14.480 And all they that heard it wondered at those things which were told them by the shepherds.
00:06:20.120 But Mary kept all these things, and pondered them in her heart.
00:06:24.440 And the shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things that they had heard and seen, as it was told unto them.
00:06:32.560 And, you know, that's obviously the story of the birth of Jesus.
00:06:37.300 And every year we take our kids to go to the Christmas show, and they do all sorts of great Christmas shows.
00:06:42.500 This Christmas show this year, they emphasize shepherds in particular, shepherds out caring for the sheep,
00:06:51.660 and talking about how the shepherds would look for the unblemished sheep, for the pure baby sheep,
00:06:59.920 and set that sheep aside, and they would wrap that baby sheep in swaddling clothes.
00:07:05.520 And that was to signify that this sheep was being set aside to be used as a sacrifice at the temple.
00:07:12.220 And swaddling clothes, everything about Jesus' birth, from literally the moment he was born,
00:07:17.600 he was wrapped in the same wrapping that a lamb would be wrapped in,
00:07:23.240 or a sheep would be wrapped in to show that they were—he was the lamb.
00:07:28.420 He was the sacrifice. He was born to be sacrificed for our sins.
00:07:33.100 And that's such an important—Christmas makes no sense without Easter.
00:07:38.160 Christmas and Easter are our bookends of the life of Jesus,
00:07:42.460 and the life of Jesus is willingly coming to earth as a man,
00:07:47.200 and then willingly giving his life, even though he had not sinned, he did not deserve death.
00:07:52.260 I deserve death. I deserve death. You deserve death. All of us are fallen creatures.
00:07:57.780 And so the Christmastime, I would just say to the parents, take some time, read that passage,
00:08:03.640 read other passages, and just talk with your kids about what it means,
00:08:07.500 because it is—at the end of the day, it's not about a fat man and a sleigh.
00:08:11.820 It's not about presents. It's not about all the food and the rest.
00:08:15.780 Christmastime is celebrating the birth of Jesus, and I just want to tell everyone, Merry Christmas.
00:08:20.880 Amen to that. Merry Christmas. And I love that you read that,
00:08:24.900 and I would encourage others. For people that maybe missed it,
00:08:27.860 what passage again was that, so they make sure they've got it?
00:08:30.540 That's Luke chapter 2, and it's basically the first half of chapter 2 tells the—
00:08:35.460 the version appears several times in the Gospels, but I like Luke chapter 2 to be very concise.
00:08:40.640 Senator, there was a Christmas gift that was given to all Americans.
00:08:44.640 It didn't matter if you're rich or poor. It didn't matter if you were black or white or Hispanic
00:08:48.120 or anything else in between. We got some new economic data, and it was—I tell you what,
00:08:54.640 if there's anybody that had coal in their stocking, it was the media.
00:08:58.020 There was an article that came out by the New York Times predicting the complete opposite
00:09:02.440 of what GDP reports showed. Of course, they're not going to retract it,
00:09:06.100 but they do look like idiots. And again, you've got to ask yourself this question.
00:09:09.780 Are they really willing and wanting to hurt Americans?
00:09:12.760 They want Americans to suffer just so Donald Trump looks bad,
00:09:16.100 because that's what their reporting seems to look like.
00:09:18.740 Well, listen, the news that broke just this week is the economy is booming,
00:09:23.480 that the latest GDP numbers show 4.3 percent GDP growth, which is terrific GDP growth.
00:09:31.600 And let me read from the Wall Street Journal.
00:09:33.380 Consumers power strongest U.S. economic growth in two years.
00:09:37.660 A long-delayed government report shows third-quarter GDP grew at an annual 4.3 percent rate.
00:09:45.220 Robust spending by U.S. consumers drove greater-than-expected economic expansion in the third quarter
00:09:50.360 and the strongest growth rate in two years.
00:09:54.200 Gross domestic product, the value of all goods and services produced across the economy,
00:09:58.200 rose at a seasonally and inflationally adjusted 4.3 percent annual rate from July through September,
00:10:06.740 the Commerce Department said Tuesday.
00:10:08.700 The report was delayed nearly two months by the government shutdown
00:10:11.620 and looks back at the period before the shutdown was in effect.
00:10:15.520 It does, however, offer a snapshot of an economy
00:10:18.780 that has managed to keep humming along for much of the year.
00:10:22.660 Growth picked up from 3.8 percent in the previous corner
00:10:26.880 and easily beat the 3.2 percent forecast among economists polled by the Wall Street Journal.
00:10:33.520 That's big, by the way.
00:10:35.440 It's over a point higher than expectations.
00:10:38.920 That's a big deal.
00:10:40.320 As the Journal said, it was the strongest expansion since the third quarter of 2023.
00:10:45.340 Rising consumer spending was partly driven by health care, including outpatient services,
00:10:49.460 and at hospitals and nursing homes.
00:10:51.620 International travel, legal services, and spending on products like personal computers and software
00:10:57.420 also contributed.
00:10:59.340 Artificial intelligence-related spending helped, too,
00:11:02.720 though the pace of growth appeared to cool from the second quarter.
00:11:06.260 Overall business investment growth slowed to 2.8 percent in the third quarter
00:11:10.460 from 7.3 percent in the prior three months.
00:11:14.240 This is great news.
00:11:15.620 And listen, when GDP is booming, what that means is it means there's more jobs.
00:11:21.980 It means there's more productivity.
00:11:24.040 It means the stock market is going up.
00:11:25.960 It means 401ks are going up.
00:11:28.400 It means wages are likely to rise.
00:11:30.720 And so GDP growth, it's not always immediate.
00:11:33.900 Are there still people struggling?
00:11:35.560 Yes.
00:11:36.500 But GDP growth is driven.
00:11:38.560 And I'll tell you, one of the things we're seeing is the Christmas spending numbers
00:11:42.580 are very, very strong.
00:11:44.300 And so that's one of the signs of consumer confidence, that, you know, if you're worried,
00:11:48.220 if you're scared about not being able to pay your rent or your mortgage,
00:11:51.820 then you don't necessarily go out and do some big shopping for Christmastime.
00:11:56.680 We saw the record-breaking numbers on Black Friday and Cyber Monday.
00:12:00.880 And that was as the Democrats were saying that we were in a tailspin,
00:12:03.880 and this was a disaster of an economy.
00:12:06.300 And they were trying to say, Donald Trump is ruining your Christmas.
00:12:08.660 I'm like, well, the data says that people, as you just mentioned,
00:12:12.580 they're going out and spinning at record numbers on Black Friday and Cyber Monday.
00:12:16.120 So that tells me that someone's lying.
00:12:19.460 That's exactly right.
00:12:20.960 And here, I want to show you, you talked about the press being dismayed.
00:12:25.780 And I got to say that the corporate media is utterly corrupt.
00:12:29.580 They are dishonest.
00:12:30.500 I just want to read to you two tweets.
00:12:33.740 The first tweet is from October 30th, 2024.
00:12:37.200 Now, what was happening right after October 30th, 2024?
00:12:40.860 The election, presidential.
00:12:42.840 There was a presidential election.
00:12:44.140 And who was president in October 2024, at least nominally?
00:12:47.160 Well, the auto pen.
00:12:48.460 But if you want an actual person with a heartbeat, we'll go with Joe Biden.
00:12:51.640 Okay, so here's what ABC News tweeted.
00:12:54.940 Tweeted, October 30th, 2024, one week before the presidential election.
00:13:00.500 Just in, the U.S. economy grew at a robust 2.8% annualized rate in the third quarter,
00:13:07.780 slowing slightly from the previous quarter,
00:13:09.560 but continuing to dispel any concern about a possible shutdown.
00:13:14.960 This report comes just ahead of the presidential election.
00:13:18.340 All right, so that was a year ago.
00:13:20.180 Now, that was 2.8%.
00:13:22.240 What do you think ABC News said about 4.3%?
00:13:26.560 What was it?
00:13:27.760 Just in.
00:13:28.320 The U.S. economy expanded more than economists expected over a recent three-month period,
00:13:35.100 recording robust growth despite concerns about sluggish hiring and cash-strapped shoppers,
00:13:41.360 federal government data showed.
00:13:42.880 So, 2.8% is robust and fantastic, and yay, 4.3%, well, we're really worried about sluggish hiring and cash-strapped shoppers,
00:13:53.600 and yeah, okay, I guess it is, like, almost twice as high, but damn it, we don't like those numbers.
00:13:59.400 That is not news, and I literally, whoever wrote that tweet should be fired.
00:14:04.980 Like, if ABC pretended to be a journalist, you'd say, okay, go work for the DNC, because you want to be a partisan parrot.
00:14:13.880 That's who they are, and it's why people don't trust the news.
00:14:19.380 Now, I want you to listen to Kevin Hassett.
00:14:20.960 Kevin Hassett is the head of the National Economic Council in the White House.
00:14:24.420 Listen to Kevin talking about these recent GDP numbers.
00:14:27.480 You know, it's a fantastic report, 4.3%.
00:14:30.260 It's just about as good as GDP numbers get, and especially coming, you know, on the heels of the CPI report,
00:14:37.760 Consumer Price Index report we got, which you actually showed some interesting data that it's consistent with,
00:14:43.220 that showed that quarter inflation is all the way down to 1.6%.
00:14:46.400 And so I think that these numbers are showing that President Trump's trade policy and his supply-side policy,
00:14:53.460 which is really increasing, you know, factory production and so on, is having a big effect, as is his trade policy.
00:15:00.100 So if we abstract from the reduction of the trade deficit, then the 4.3% number would only be 2.6%.
00:15:07.320 So Trump's trade policy is really working as well.
00:15:10.680 You notice they mentioned trade policy, because that was one of the other big lies this year in 2025,
00:15:16.060 which is the shelves were going to be empty at Christmas.
00:15:18.640 The toys you wanted for your kids were going to be not on those shelves.
00:15:21.960 You're not going to be able to afford basic things.
00:15:24.140 Half of the store is going to be gone at Walmart and Target and Costco and Sam's Club.
00:15:28.660 None of that happened.
00:15:29.720 And they said there was going to be massive spikes in prices for everything that you couldn't afford.
00:15:35.380 Again, that didn't happen either while we collected record number of tariffs and cash.
00:15:40.860 The President's trade deals seem to actually be working, and the leverage seems to be working,
00:15:44.920 and they don't want to admit that this has not been a disaster.
00:15:47.920 Well, listen, there's still some volatility when it comes to trade policy,
00:15:51.440 and as you know, I've been advocating that the President uses trade policy as leverage to open up foreign markets,
00:15:57.820 and he's been doing that.
00:15:59.080 That has been very, very successful.
00:16:01.380 This also underscores basic supply-side principles, that when you cut taxes, as we did,
00:16:06.280 and when you repeal job-killing regulations, as President Trump is doing,
00:16:10.080 it results in more investments, more jobs, and the economy's booming.
00:16:14.340 This is basic cause and effect.
00:16:16.380 Canadian women are looking for more.
00:16:19.100 More out of themselves, their businesses, their elected leaders, and the world around them.
00:16:23.540 And that's why we're thrilled to introduce the Honest Talk podcast.
00:16:27.220 I'm Jennifer Stewart.
00:16:28.440 And I'm Catherine Clark.
00:16:29.680 And in this podcast, we interview Canada's most inspiring women.
00:16:33.440 Entrepreneurs, artists, athletes, politicians, and newsmakers,
00:16:37.000 all at different stages of their journey.
00:16:38.880 So, if you're looking to connect, then we hope you'll join us.
00:16:42.380 Listen to the Honest Talk podcast on iHeartRadio, or wherever you listen to your podcasts.
00:16:48.660 Senator, there's another big story that I want to get to, and that is the out-of-control fraud.
00:16:52.700 We have now got a number, and it could go higher.
00:16:55.880 At least $9 billion was looted from the Minnesota Medicaid programs.
00:17:01.460 Plus, there was welfare fraud as well,
00:17:04.060 and a bombshell report coming from the Wall Street Journal.
00:17:06.660 This does not look good for the governor there.
00:17:09.420 And a lot of mayors have now sent him a letter saying,
00:17:12.880 we are in trouble, and it's your fault.
00:17:15.160 Look, the level of fraud we're seeing,
00:17:18.040 welfare Medicaid fraud in Minnesota, is staggering.
00:17:21.960 It is an order of magnitude greater than we've seen.
00:17:26.580 And here are the basic facts.
00:17:30.500 Federal prosecutors alleged Thursday that Minnesota may have lost
00:17:34.260 billions of dollars to fraud in its Medicaid program.
00:17:37.260 The latest development in an ongoing investigation.
00:17:40.800 As much as half, half, 50% of the roughly $18 billion
00:17:45.920 Minnesota has spent since 2018 on 14 Medicaid programs,
00:17:50.920 particularly vulnerable to abuse,
00:17:53.000 may have been siphoned off by fraudsters,
00:17:55.680 according to U.S. Assistant Attorney Joe Thompson.
00:17:59.960 Thompson made the remarks as prosecutors announced additional charges
00:18:03.480 in the ongoing investigation of the staggering industrial-scale fraud
00:18:10.740 engulfing the state.
00:18:13.040 Quote,
00:18:13.540 The fraud is not small.
00:18:15.140 It isn't isolated.
00:18:16.620 The magnitude cannot be overstated.
00:18:19.960 What we see in Minnesota is not a handful of bad actors committing crimes.
00:18:24.540 It's a staggering industrial-scale fraud.
00:18:27.880 It's swamping Minnesota
00:18:29.100 and calling into question everything we know about our state.
00:18:34.480 The level of it,
00:18:35.940 half of Medicaid for years,
00:18:39.060 that's in Minnesota.
00:18:40.560 By the way,
00:18:41.180 if you watch the corporate media,
00:18:42.800 you've seen very little about this.
00:18:44.260 They don't want to cover this at all.
00:18:46.600 Because it is the complicity of the Democrats in office.
00:18:50.520 And understand,
00:18:51.160 Minnesota is a one-party state.
00:18:52.740 It is governed by Democrats.
00:18:54.160 Democrats are in charge.
00:18:55.600 They look the other way.
00:18:56.900 Why did they look the other way?
00:18:58.120 Well,
00:18:58.380 much of this fraud was carried out by Somalis.
00:19:01.120 We covered in a previous verdict
00:19:03.120 how the single largest contributor
00:19:05.960 to Al-Shabaab,
00:19:08.080 Al-Shabaab is a radical Islamist terrorist organization in Somalia.
00:19:13.160 The single largest contributor to Al-Shabaab
00:19:15.520 are the Minnesota taxpayers.
00:19:17.420 That's the level of the theft that went on.
00:19:22.300 And Democrats,
00:19:23.320 elected Democrats,
00:19:24.400 in Minnesota,
00:19:25.320 they happily looked the other way.
00:19:26.780 Why?
00:19:27.240 Because they were buying votes.
00:19:28.780 And you know what?
00:19:29.360 If they actually watched the taxpayer dollars
00:19:31.840 and didn't let the criminals steal it,
00:19:33.740 well,
00:19:34.040 somebody might be upset
00:19:35.180 if they had even the tiniest modicum of scrutiny.
00:19:39.020 It is shocking.
00:19:41.280 And you know what?
00:19:41.860 You mentioned something a moment ago,
00:19:42.920 and that is that the media has not been touching this.
00:19:44.900 Luckily,
00:19:45.480 local media has.
00:19:46.940 CBS,
00:19:47.400 for example,
00:19:48.040 locally
00:19:48.480 in Minnesota,
00:19:50.620 they did a report on this
00:19:52.120 that was just kind of throwing their hands up in the air
00:19:54.520 like this is so egregious.
00:19:57.480 We need you to know
00:19:59.400 the national media,
00:20:01.240 completely silent,
00:20:02.620 no accountability for the governor there
00:20:04.560 or those in leadership under him.
00:20:06.300 I want to play this for people.
00:20:07.840 This is, again,
00:20:08.380 the local CBS affiliate there
00:20:09.940 talking about the fraud crisis.
00:20:11.500 Take a listen.
00:20:12.560 Minnesota's fraud crisis is growing.
00:20:14.960 Today,
00:20:15.420 prosecutors charge more people
00:20:16.940 for billing the state for social services
00:20:18.760 they did not provide.
00:20:20.380 The federal prosecutor says it's possible
00:20:22.220 half or more of the $18 billion
00:20:25.080 billed to 14 programs since 2018
00:20:27.800 is fraudulent.
00:20:29.580 We have team coverage,
00:20:30.600 starting with Jonah Kaplan
00:20:31.680 with more on what we've learned
00:20:32.820 about these latest charges.
00:20:34.040 Jonah,
00:20:34.500 so we've gone from maybe a billion dollars
00:20:36.780 to possibly $9 billion or more?
00:20:39.420 Well,
00:20:39.640 we've heard from the new U.S. attorney,
00:20:41.660 Frank,
00:20:41.940 that we're not even at the end
00:20:43.820 of the beginning of this investigation
00:20:45.740 and now we know why.
00:20:47.440 Feeding our future
00:20:48.200 was just the tip of the iceberg.
00:20:50.180 The fraud is not small.
00:20:52.600 It isn't isolated.
00:20:54.540 The magnitude cannot be overstated.
00:20:56.460 Prosecutors on Thursday
00:20:57.460 indicting six people,
00:20:58.820 including one already charged
00:21:00.440 in another case.
00:21:01.760 The five new defendants
00:21:02.800 are all accused
00:21:03.560 of defrauding a state program
00:21:05.100 meant to provide housing assistance
00:21:07.100 to the disabled
00:21:07.980 and those dealing with addiction.
00:21:10.180 Two people charged
00:21:11.000 aren't even from here.
00:21:11.920 According to officials,
00:21:13.540 Anthony Jefferson
00:21:14.300 and Lester Brown
00:21:15.160 came from Philadelphia
00:21:16.600 to Minnesota
00:21:17.440 looking for an opportunity
00:21:18.880 to make money.
00:21:19.980 They set up two fake companies
00:21:21.260 and collected $3.5 million.
00:21:23.840 This is an instance of
00:21:26.020 what's essentially fraud tourism.
00:21:28.420 Mr. Jefferson and Brown
00:21:29.640 were residents of Philadelphia
00:21:30.960 who had no connection
00:21:32.760 to Minnesota
00:21:33.320 except for they heard
00:21:34.960 that Minnesota
00:21:35.620 and its housing
00:21:36.700 stabilization services program
00:21:38.500 was easy money.
00:21:39.660 The state already cut off
00:21:41.260 the housing stabilization program
00:21:42.900 because of suspected fraud,
00:21:44.540 but it's one of 14 social programs
00:21:46.640 now under federal investigation.
00:21:48.620 Together,
00:21:49.200 they billed $18 billion
00:21:50.460 since 2018.
00:21:52.100 We asked how much
00:21:53.020 could have been fraud.
00:21:54.040 You know,
00:21:55.280 I don't make these generalizations
00:21:56.840 in a hasty way,
00:21:58.000 so when I say a significant amount,
00:22:00.120 I'm talking in the order
00:22:00.840 of half or more,
00:22:01.880 but we'll see.
00:22:02.700 One of the new indictments
00:22:03.660 accuses a fraudster
00:22:04.720 of exploiting a program
00:22:05.760 to help children with autism.
00:22:07.200 Court documents say
00:22:08.700 Abdi Najib Hassan Youssef
00:22:10.720 used some of the $6 million
00:22:12.120 he stole
00:22:13.020 to buy a Freightliner semi-truck.
00:22:15.440 Governor Walz
00:22:16.100 in a statement said
00:22:16.980 he applauds the new indictment
00:22:18.400 saying,
00:22:18.960 quote,
00:22:19.200 this is exactly
00:22:19.980 the type of strong action
00:22:21.280 we need from prosecutors
00:22:22.380 to ensure fraudsters
00:22:23.880 are put behind bars.
00:22:25.800 Frank,
00:22:26.140 this is not going away
00:22:27.180 anytime soon.
00:22:28.640 I love the end there.
00:22:29.700 Frank,
00:22:30.040 this is not going away
00:22:31.280 anytime soon.
00:22:32.320 Well,
00:22:32.520 if Democrats have their way
00:22:33.860 and the governor,
00:22:34.800 this will just be like
00:22:35.640 a one-time report
00:22:36.560 and then we just move on
00:22:37.520 and hey,
00:22:37.920 if it goes from $9 billion
00:22:38.900 to $12 billion
00:22:39.700 or $15 billion,
00:22:40.940 who knows where
00:22:41.600 the number could end
00:22:42.300 and that was what
00:22:42.840 they were referring to
00:22:43.660 there at CBS Local.
00:22:44.640 They're like,
00:22:44.980 hey,
00:22:45.400 we went from $1 billion
00:22:46.740 to $9 billion
00:22:48.340 and that may not
00:22:50.060 be the final number.
00:22:51.740 Well,
00:22:52.020 and Tim Walz says
00:22:53.020 he applauds the indictments.
00:22:54.660 Well,
00:22:54.860 my question is,
00:22:55.920 where was Tim Walz?
00:22:57.240 Where was the governor?
00:22:58.640 He was like,
00:22:59.920 where's Waldo?
00:23:00.600 He was popping up
00:23:01.400 everywhere he could.
00:23:02.260 He was following Kamala Harris
00:23:04.240 on the campaign trail,
00:23:05.200 but he was not actually
00:23:06.040 doing his job as governor.
00:23:07.740 And listen,
00:23:08.600 there is a political reason
00:23:10.200 and Ben,
00:23:11.180 I'm going to make
00:23:11.540 a prediction right now.
00:23:12.980 I love it when you do this
00:23:14.120 because usually you're right,
00:23:15.160 so pay attention to everyone.
00:23:17.060 As horrific
00:23:18.040 as this fraud is
00:23:19.820 in Minnesota
00:23:20.380 and it is staggering,
00:23:21.720 it is historically bad,
00:23:23.340 I'm going to make
00:23:24.240 a prediction
00:23:24.860 that it is worse,
00:23:26.760 that there is
00:23:27.420 even more fraud
00:23:28.960 in New York,
00:23:31.320 California,
00:23:32.380 and Illinois.
00:23:32.960 So you don't believe
00:23:34.440 this is an isolated
00:23:35.260 incident to there?
00:23:36.240 Follow the money.
00:23:37.460 I do not.
00:23:38.440 I think in bright blue states
00:23:40.160 where the Democrats
00:23:41.100 control all of the levers
00:23:43.880 of government,
00:23:44.740 all of the machinery,
00:23:46.400 I think the same incentives
00:23:48.160 that cause the Democrat
00:23:49.740 politicians in Minnesota
00:23:51.000 to try to buy votes
00:23:52.420 by allowing people
00:23:54.200 to rob the taxpayers blind,
00:23:56.440 I think those exact same
00:23:57.900 incentives are playing
00:23:58.760 out in New York.
00:23:59.600 I think those exact same
00:24:00.700 incentives are playing
00:24:01.520 out in Illinois.
00:24:02.120 And I think those exact
00:24:03.540 same incentives
00:24:04.200 are playing out
00:24:04.820 in California.
00:24:05.460 So I'm calling
00:24:06.600 on the Trump administration
00:24:07.800 to audit,
00:24:09.220 audit every state,
00:24:10.160 but start with
00:24:11.680 the big blue states
00:24:12.720 because I think
00:24:13.380 that is where
00:24:14.180 you are most likely
00:24:15.320 to find,
00:24:16.460 find the fraud
00:24:17.720 where the pattern
00:24:18.560 is the same.
00:24:19.980 And I gotta tell you,
00:24:21.420 people like Gavin Newsom
00:24:22.600 are sweating right now.
00:24:24.340 They don't want anyone
00:24:25.240 looking at the fraud
00:24:26.280 in California
00:24:27.100 because the incentives
00:24:30.700 are identical
00:24:31.520 and I suspect
00:24:32.860 you're going to see
00:24:33.940 the very same pattern
00:24:35.640 playing out over
00:24:36.780 and over and over again.
00:24:38.500 You know,
00:24:38.920 you mentioned
00:24:39.400 that they don't
00:24:39.760 want you looking.
00:24:40.800 There was a very
00:24:41.500 interesting playbook.
00:24:42.480 When Democrats
00:24:42.960 get in trouble,
00:24:43.660 they usually just start
00:24:44.400 playing the race card,
00:24:45.440 throwing down the race card.
00:24:47.060 Tim Waltz had a press conference
00:24:48.320 and he was asked
00:24:48.960 about the fraud
00:24:49.740 in the Somali community,
00:24:50.500 the money going back
00:24:51.460 to the terrorist organization,
00:24:52.580 al-Shabaab,
00:24:53.120 and how much
00:24:55.100 just total pure corruption
00:24:56.980 there was.
00:24:58.120 And then he was asked
00:24:58.960 about ICE raids
00:25:00.100 in Minnesota.
00:25:01.180 He's obviously against that.
00:25:02.800 They are a welcoming state
00:25:03.960 as he describes it.
00:25:05.240 They're a sanctuary state.
00:25:07.100 And what Tim Waltz
00:25:08.240 had to say back,
00:25:09.280 it really did kind of
00:25:10.760 make me laugh
00:25:11.460 because it's so predictable
00:25:12.520 and yet it's the classic
00:25:14.240 playbook they've been using.
00:25:15.400 You question them
00:25:16.100 on anything they get wrong,
00:25:17.140 they're like,
00:25:17.380 oh, well, you're racist,
00:25:18.440 a bigot, homophobe,
00:25:19.320 xenophobe,
00:25:19.700 the list goes on and on.
00:25:20.860 Well, now it's white supremacy
00:25:22.400 if you actually enforce
00:25:24.720 the law of the land
00:25:25.620 with illegal immigrants
00:25:26.860 in a state.
00:25:27.580 Here's how he put it,
00:25:28.540 Tim Waltz,
00:25:29.060 in Minnesota.
00:25:29.980 So this is what happens
00:25:32.280 when your own federal government
00:25:33.340 wages war against you.
00:25:35.000 This is what happens
00:25:35.860 when they target communities
00:25:37.080 for their own benefit.
00:25:38.500 This is what happens
00:25:39.280 when they scapegoat.
00:25:40.700 And this is what happens
00:25:41.700 when they no longer hide
00:25:43.000 the idea of white supremacy
00:25:44.420 when you hear
00:25:45.040 the Vice President
00:25:45.620 of the United States
00:25:46.280 talk about
00:25:46.860 now white people
00:25:47.960 won't have to apologize
00:25:48.840 for being white.
00:25:50.000 That's never happened
00:25:50.840 once in my whole damn life.
00:25:52.400 And I think everybody
00:25:53.560 in this room
00:25:54.140 knows what they're doing.
00:25:55.460 So we're here today
00:25:56.380 to say enough of this.
00:25:58.160 We're here today
00:25:58.880 to stand that Minnesota
00:25:59.760 will protect their neighbors.
00:26:01.700 Minnesota will protect
00:26:02.620 their neighbors
00:26:03.140 and this is what happens
00:26:04.840 And rob them blind.
00:26:06.260 Yeah, and rob them blind.
00:26:07.500 Nine billion
00:26:08.340 that we know of, right?
00:26:09.520 And he says
00:26:10.000 we're not going to
00:26:10.980 and we're no longer
00:26:11.700 going to allow them
00:26:12.220 to hide the idea
00:26:13.540 of white supremacy
00:26:14.220 when you hear
00:26:14.720 the Vice President.
00:26:15.460 I mean,
00:26:15.860 this is the classic
00:26:17.160 Democratic playbook.
00:26:18.360 Don't look at
00:26:18.880 what I'm doing.
00:26:19.920 I'm going to yell
00:26:20.620 you're a racist.
00:26:21.780 Like, he has literally
00:26:23.640 overseen
00:26:24.880 the biggest recorded fraud
00:26:26.840 in U.S. government history.
00:26:29.240 Not just a fraud
00:26:30.840 on the taxpayers
00:26:31.720 that defrauded
00:26:32.640 the taxpayers of Minnesota,
00:26:34.100 that defrauded
00:26:34.620 the taxpayers
00:26:35.200 of every state,
00:26:36.780 federal taxpayers,
00:26:37.680 but also that saw
00:26:40.640 the federal tax dollars
00:26:42.700 diverted to illegal immigrants
00:26:45.120 to Somalis
00:26:45.980 who sent it
00:26:47.080 to Al-Shabaab,
00:26:48.520 a radical Islamic
00:26:49.640 terror organization.
00:26:51.120 So it's fraud
00:26:52.200 funding
00:26:53.160 Islamist terror
00:26:54.680 and what is
00:26:56.060 Tim Walz's response
00:26:57.400 to scream
00:26:58.560 white supremacy,
00:26:59.740 white supremacy?
00:27:01.280 At some point
00:27:02.440 those talking points
00:27:03.500 get a little tired
00:27:04.600 and it's a clear
00:27:06.560 and transparent effort
00:27:07.940 just to avoid
00:27:08.700 any accountability
00:27:09.500 and to avoid
00:27:11.560 being held responsible
00:27:12.540 for what he allowed
00:27:14.640 to happen.
00:27:15.540 All right, Senator,
00:27:16.020 I want to move
00:27:16.500 to another part
00:27:17.500 of this story
00:27:18.280 and it's bigger
00:27:19.240 than Minnesota.
00:27:20.560 We were talking
00:27:20.860 about the fraud there,
00:27:21.760 but the Wall Street Journal
00:27:22.960 came out with a very
00:27:23.760 interesting report
00:27:24.540 and I think it's worth
00:27:25.720 us taking a moment
00:27:26.400 to talk about it.
00:27:27.400 It's the biggest fraud
00:27:28.540 in welfare
00:27:29.500 and it just talks
00:27:30.560 about how much
00:27:31.440 abuse there is
00:27:32.540 in the welfare system
00:27:33.880 that's costing
00:27:34.640 hundreds of billions
00:27:36.160 of dollars
00:27:36.660 to American taxpayers.
00:27:38.760 Well, and in particular
00:27:39.860 what it talks about
00:27:40.900 is bogus bookkeeping
00:27:42.740 that covers it up
00:27:44.200 and this is an op-ed
00:27:45.420 that was written
00:27:45.940 by Phil Graham
00:27:46.720 and John Early.
00:27:47.600 Phil Graham
00:27:48.100 was previously
00:27:49.520 Senator from the state
00:27:50.420 of Texas.
00:27:51.000 He's an economist.
00:27:51.820 Phil is a good friend
00:27:52.480 of mine
00:27:52.860 and it's an important op-ed
00:27:55.600 that he wrote
00:27:56.160 December 17th
00:27:57.220 in the journal.
00:27:58.040 It's entitled
00:27:58.440 The Biggest Fraud
00:27:59.100 in Welfare.
00:27:59.680 The government gives
00:28:00.420 tens of thousands
00:28:01.120 of dollars
00:28:01.640 in benefits
00:28:02.560 to the poor
00:28:03.240 which it doesn't
00:28:04.880 count as income
00:28:05.940 and so this is
00:28:06.960 in some ways
00:28:07.820 an accounting story
00:28:08.680 and please don't
00:28:09.240 go to sleep right now
00:28:10.060 particularly if you're
00:28:10.700 driving, don't go to sleep.
00:28:12.400 It is an accounting
00:28:13.640 story that matters.
00:28:15.280 So here's what
00:28:16.020 Phil Graham wrote.
00:28:17.520 Something is profoundly
00:28:18.400 wrong with the U.S.
00:28:19.320 welfare system.
00:28:20.300 A problem that runs
00:28:21.180 far deeper
00:28:21.740 and is more dangerous
00:28:22.740 than the shocking
00:28:23.420 fraud in Minnesota
00:28:24.240 that has been
00:28:25.120 making headlines.
00:28:26.680 Across the past
00:28:27.640 half century
00:28:28.380 America has seen
00:28:29.980 what in any other
00:28:30.660 country would be
00:28:31.340 considered a golden age.
00:28:32.700 in which lower
00:28:33.900 income households
00:28:34.820 have made
00:28:35.380 incredible progress.
00:28:37.020 Despite the end
00:28:38.200 of our post-war
00:28:38.980 economic dominance
00:28:39.940 around 1975
00:28:41.040 the country's
00:28:42.760 real per capita
00:28:44.100 gross domestic product
00:28:45.520 grew by 142%
00:28:48.780 from 1974
00:28:50.580 to 2024.
00:28:52.760 More than two-thirds
00:28:54.080 of U.S. households
00:28:55.220 have inflation-adjusted
00:28:56.620 incomes today
00:28:57.440 that would have put them
00:28:59.000 in the top
00:28:59.720 one-fifth of households
00:29:01.180 in 1967.
00:29:02.960 So used to be
00:29:04.140 the top one-fifth
00:29:04.920 of households
00:29:05.380 in 1967.
00:29:06.680 Today more than
00:29:07.540 two-thirds of U.S.
00:29:08.940 households have
00:29:09.840 inflation that would
00:29:10.600 put them there.
00:29:11.900 62% of all children
00:29:13.780 who grew up
00:29:14.380 in the poorest fifth
00:29:15.320 of all households
00:29:16.180 in the 70s and 80s
00:29:17.880 worked their way up
00:29:19.540 to a higher income
00:29:20.500 bracket as adults.
00:29:21.860 Some all the way up
00:29:22.960 to the top quintile.
00:29:24.740 Yet even as our economy
00:29:26.480 has experienced
00:29:27.260 broad-based growth
00:29:28.440 real federal welfare
00:29:30.440 spending has soared
00:29:32.040 by, what do you think
00:29:33.420 the number is?
00:29:34.740 I'm going to guess
00:29:35.680 70%.
00:29:36.820 765%.
00:29:40.440 More than twice as fast
00:29:43.000 as total federal spending
00:29:45.600 and now costs
00:29:46.740 $1.4 trillion
00:29:49.180 annually.
00:29:51.440 Incredible.
00:29:52.160 Were that money
00:29:53.280 simply to be doled out
00:29:55.140 evenly
00:29:55.660 to the 19.8 million
00:29:57.940 families the government
00:29:58.960 defines as poor?
00:30:00.840 Each household,
00:30:01.720 how much do you think
00:30:02.420 each household
00:30:02.920 would receive a year
00:30:03.980 if you just took
00:30:04.440 all the welfare payments
00:30:05.380 and sent a check
00:30:06.560 to each household?
00:30:07.780 Directly.
00:30:08.720 Yeah.
00:30:09.460 Yeah, I mean,
00:30:10.380 I'm going to guess
00:30:10.900 in the thousands.
00:30:13.380 More than $70,000
00:30:15.880 a year.
00:30:17.860 For each household.
00:30:18.560 I mean,
00:30:19.120 tell me that's not
00:30:20.740 a perfect example
00:30:21.600 of government waste
00:30:23.240 when you could just
00:30:24.260 send direct checks
00:30:25.100 of $70,000 a year
00:30:25.960 to people.
00:30:26.720 The source of this
00:30:27.840 dramatic mismatch
00:30:28.760 is a fraud
00:30:29.500 built into how
00:30:30.360 various programs
00:30:31.240 determine welfare
00:30:32.300 eligibility.
00:30:33.680 The government
00:30:34.180 doesn't count
00:30:35.260 any refundable
00:30:36.240 tax credits
00:30:36.960 or benefits
00:30:37.720 that aren't paid
00:30:38.860 in cash
00:30:39.500 as income
00:30:40.480 to the recipients.
00:30:42.060 Some claim
00:30:42.640 this is appropriate
00:30:43.300 because the beneficiaries
00:30:44.180 aren't free
00:30:45.120 to spend non-cash
00:30:46.200 benefits on whatever
00:30:47.040 they like.
00:30:47.960 But that is a
00:30:48.720 specious argument
00:30:49.560 because money
00:30:50.260 is fungible.
00:30:51.480 Receiving Medicaid,
00:30:52.500 for example,
00:30:53.020 frees up cash
00:30:53.920 that would
00:30:54.200 otherwise be spent
00:30:54.980 on health care,
00:30:55.980 allowing the recipients
00:30:56.860 to spend the newly
00:30:57.760 freed cash
00:30:58.400 on other things.
00:30:59.700 Non-cash benefits
00:31:00.800 aren't in the end
00:31:01.600 that different
00:31:02.140 from income
00:31:02.680 except that salaries
00:31:03.660 are taxed
00:31:04.640 while government
00:31:05.200 benefits aren't.
00:31:06.600 And if individual
00:31:07.360 welfare programs
00:31:08.420 often don't even
00:31:09.300 count benefits
00:31:10.000 paid in cash
00:31:10.760 as income
00:31:11.400 for the purposes
00:31:12.660 of gauging
00:31:13.900 eligibility,
00:31:15.300 the government's
00:31:15.980 failure to count
00:31:16.760 its largesse
00:31:17.620 as the recipient's
00:31:18.440 income
00:31:18.860 allows welfare
00:31:20.580 households
00:31:21.160 to blow
00:31:22.000 past the
00:31:22.660 income level
00:31:23.380 above which
00:31:24.100 a working
00:31:24.940 family no
00:31:25.660 longer qualifies
00:31:26.560 for government
00:31:27.060 help.
00:31:28.000 Take a single
00:31:28.880 parent with two
00:31:29.600 school-aged
00:31:30.120 children who
00:31:30.740 earns $11,000
00:31:31.840 annually from
00:31:32.760 part-time work.
00:31:34.020 The government
00:31:34.660 considers this
00:31:35.360 household in
00:31:35.940 poverty because
00:31:36.560 its income is
00:31:37.200 below $25,273.
00:31:39.280 But this family
00:31:41.300 would qualify
00:31:42.200 for benefits
00:31:43.280 worth $53,128.
00:31:48.260 It would receive
00:31:49.240 treasury checks
00:31:50.180 of $3,400
00:31:51.280 in refundable
00:31:52.200 tax credits
00:31:52.860 and $4,400
00:31:54.420 in refundable
00:31:55.360 earned income
00:31:55.760 tax credits.
00:31:56.780 It would also
00:31:57.320 receive food stamp
00:31:58.440 debit cards
00:31:59.140 worth $9,216
00:32:01.020 a year,
00:32:02.280 $9,476
00:32:03.800 in housing
00:32:04.480 subsidies,
00:32:05.460 $877
00:32:06.520 in government
00:32:07.280 payments for
00:32:07.800 utility bills,
00:32:08.520 $16,033
00:32:09.960 to fund
00:32:10.720 Medicaid,
00:32:11.740 $3,102
00:32:12.980 in free meals
00:32:13.820 at schools,
00:32:14.780 and $6,624
00:32:16.540 in temporary
00:32:17.380 assistance for
00:32:17.960 needy families.
00:32:19.140 All this puts
00:32:20.260 the family's
00:32:21.020 income
00:32:21.520 at $64,128
00:32:25.520 or 254%
00:32:27.640 of the poverty
00:32:28.680 level.
00:32:29.060 And look,
00:32:29.260 the point,
00:32:29.740 Phil Graham
00:32:30.080 goes on on
00:32:30.620 this,
00:32:31.220 but the point
00:32:31.900 is when
00:32:32.740 they're measuring
00:32:33.540 income,
00:32:34.600 they exclude
00:32:35.540 all the welfare
00:32:36.500 and benefits
00:32:37.160 that are going
00:32:37.680 down and then
00:32:38.300 they measure
00:32:38.700 income and
00:32:39.140 said,
00:32:39.280 look how poor
00:32:39.880 people are
00:32:40.500 without counting
00:32:42.080 the money that
00:32:43.140 is going out
00:32:43.940 out the door.
00:32:44.760 And by the way,
00:32:45.340 this also contributes
00:32:46.600 to the massive
00:32:48.140 fraud we saw
00:32:48.960 in Minnesota
00:32:49.480 because the
00:32:51.100 Democrats
00:32:51.800 and the federal
00:32:52.560 government
00:32:52.960 and state
00:32:53.400 government
00:32:53.800 are just
00:32:54.720 focusing on
00:32:55.580 shoveling cash
00:32:56.580 out the door
00:32:57.340 and they're not
00:32:58.640 focusing on
00:32:59.500 how do you
00:33:00.180 actually ensure
00:33:01.860 any accountability
00:33:02.520 or even more
00:33:03.500 importantly,
00:33:04.680 how do you get
00:33:05.520 people off
00:33:06.240 welfare?
00:33:07.640 Look,
00:33:08.240 one of my
00:33:08.920 favorite phrases
00:33:09.660 is that the
00:33:11.260 social safety
00:33:12.040 net should be
00:33:13.620 a trampoline
00:33:14.480 and not a
00:33:15.420 hammock.
00:33:16.280 And by that,
00:33:17.280 what it means
00:33:17.720 is,
00:33:17.960 listen,
00:33:18.820 many people
00:33:20.380 have get down
00:33:22.080 on their luck,
00:33:22.680 they need help,
00:33:23.820 but the entire
00:33:25.080 focus should be
00:33:26.740 to get you back
00:33:27.340 on your feet.
00:33:27.920 The entire
00:33:28.440 focus should be
00:33:30.220 to spring you
00:33:31.180 out of the
00:33:31.720 safety net
00:33:32.340 and get you
00:33:32.980 where you're
00:33:33.360 working,
00:33:33.800 where you have
00:33:34.160 a job,
00:33:35.240 where you're
00:33:35.840 providing for
00:33:36.580 your own
00:33:36.940 family.
00:33:37.520 You know,
00:33:37.700 there's a
00:33:38.040 dignity to
00:33:38.900 work.
00:33:39.880 You look at
00:33:40.920 families that
00:33:41.580 are trapped
00:33:42.060 in generational
00:33:42.880 poverty,
00:33:43.540 one generation
00:33:44.260 after another
00:33:44.920 after another,
00:33:45.980 and you lose
00:33:48.020 the self-respect.
00:33:50.000 You know,
00:33:50.160 one of the
00:33:50.620 amazing successes
00:33:51.840 of welfare
00:33:53.280 reform,
00:33:53.720 one of the
00:33:54.020 amazing successes
00:33:54.780 of the first
00:33:55.380 term of Trump
00:33:56.100 that saw
00:33:57.500 over 7 million
00:33:59.160 people go off
00:34:00.020 food stamps
00:34:00.700 and go
00:34:02.280 into the
00:34:02.620 workforce.
00:34:03.540 Is that
00:34:04.380 7 million
00:34:05.260 people that
00:34:06.520 get to
00:34:07.080 experience the
00:34:08.100 dignity of
00:34:09.320 work?
00:34:09.720 I mean,
00:34:09.960 that's literally
00:34:10.600 a single
00:34:11.180 mom who
00:34:12.540 comes home
00:34:13.560 from her
00:34:14.040 job and
00:34:14.880 is carrying
00:34:15.800 two bags
00:34:16.380 of groceries
00:34:16.880 and puts
00:34:17.420 those groceries
00:34:18.120 on the
00:34:19.060 kitchen table
00:34:19.700 and she
00:34:20.240 looks at
00:34:20.600 her kids
00:34:21.080 and she
00:34:22.320 has the
00:34:22.840 self-respect
00:34:23.520 of knowing,
00:34:24.260 hey,
00:34:24.380 I'm providing
00:34:25.060 for you,
00:34:25.580 and the
00:34:25.940 kids look
00:34:26.560 at her
00:34:26.920 and know
00:34:27.800 that my
00:34:28.220 mom is
00:34:28.620 providing
00:34:29.060 for you.
00:34:29.780 Look,
00:34:30.860 God created
00:34:32.120 mankind,
00:34:33.480 I believe,
00:34:33.940 to work
00:34:34.380 and to be
00:34:34.740 productive
00:34:35.200 and to make
00:34:35.620 a difference
00:34:36.140 and to provide
00:34:36.620 for your
00:34:36.960 family,
00:34:38.160 and this
00:34:40.660 welfare machine
00:34:42.180 that the
00:34:42.700 left is so
00:34:43.320 invested in
00:34:44.280 traps people
00:34:45.820 in dependency
00:34:46.540 and you're
00:34:46.920 not doing
00:34:47.500 anyone a
00:34:48.100 favor by
00:34:49.100 making them
00:34:49.680 dependent on
00:34:50.380 government.
00:34:51.520 Instead,
00:34:52.360 you're sapping
00:34:53.160 them of the
00:34:54.460 path to the
00:34:56.020 American dream.
00:34:57.200 Yeah,
00:34:57.500 no,
00:34:57.800 you're absolutely
00:34:58.480 right,
00:34:58.820 and it's
00:34:59.480 almost
00:34:59.800 modern-day
00:35:00.460 slavery
00:35:00.860 where you
00:35:01.240 keep people
00:35:01.660 addicted to
00:35:02.280 it so that
00:35:02.720 they owe
00:35:03.160 you on
00:35:04.080 election day,
00:35:04.760 and it seems
00:35:05.140 to be what
00:35:05.460 the Democrats
00:35:05.960 are obsessed
00:35:06.640 with.
00:35:06.940 It truly
00:35:07.280 is.
00:35:07.960 It's sad,
00:35:08.860 it's also
00:35:09.280 shocking,
00:35:10.300 and it's
00:35:10.900 also predictable
00:35:11.740 now of the
00:35:12.220 Democratic Party.
00:35:13.280 Don't forget,
00:35:13.940 we do this show
00:35:14.740 every Monday,
00:35:15.580 Wednesday,
00:35:15.880 and Friday,
00:35:16.580 so make sure
00:35:17.200 you subscribe
00:35:18.460 to Verdict
00:35:19.020 with Ted Cruz
00:35:19.660 wherever you
00:35:20.480 get your
00:35:20.800 podcasts so you
00:35:21.520 don't miss a
00:35:22.040 single episode.
00:35:22.640 You can also
00:35:23.020 watch these
00:35:23.560 episodes on
00:35:24.180 YouTube,
00:35:25.080 just put in
00:35:25.680 Verdict with Ted Cruz,
00:35:26.760 or on Facebook
00:35:27.800 as well.
00:35:28.380 We have it
00:35:28.740 there for you
00:35:29.240 wherever you
00:35:29.800 are on social
00:35:30.260 media,
00:35:30.880 and please
00:35:31.480 grab the
00:35:32.040 episodes and
00:35:32.900 share them so
00:35:33.680 other people
00:35:34.060 hear the
00:35:34.420 information we
00:35:35.060 give you.
00:35:35.440 And the
00:35:35.560 Senator and I
00:35:35.900 will see you
00:35:36.260 back here
00:35:36.800 next week on
00:35:37.920 this radio
00:35:38.360 station and
00:35:39.020 all week long
00:35:39.800 on our
00:35:40.340 podcast.
00:35:41.500 This is an
00:35:42.020 iHeart Podcast.
00:35:44.200 Guaranteed human.
00:35:44.920 Actually,
00:35:49.160 .
00:35:52.320 .
00:35:55.440 .
00:36:00.540 .
00:36:09.140 .
00:36:12.940 .
00:36:13.120 .