Verdict with Ted Cruz - Christ is Born, America is Working： Christmas Hope, Jobs Booming & Welfare Fraud Exposed

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

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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

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00:35:30.880 and please

00:35:31.480 grab the

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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 .

Verdict with Ted Cruz - December 24, 2025

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

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