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

Harmful content

Misogyny

3

sentences flagged

Hate speech

9

sentences flagged


Summary

Summaries generated with gmurro/bart-large-finetuned-filtered-spotify-podcast-summ .

Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) joins us to talk about his favorite holiday season and what he does to keep his family together during the hustle and bustle of Christmas Eve and Christmas Day. He also shares some of his favorite Christmas traditions and what his family does to celebrate the holiday season.

Transcript

Transcript generated with Whisper (turbo).
Misogyny classifications generated with MilaNLProc/bert-base-uncased-ear-misogyny .
Hate speech classifications generated with facebook/roberta-hate-speech-dynabench-r4-target .
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. 1.00
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. 0.78
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. 1.00
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. 0.62
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. 1.00
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, 0.69
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 0.91
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. 0.51
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. 0.92
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 0.51
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 1.00
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 0.56
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 .