Will Congress Give Trump Another $200 Billion For The Iran War?

The spirit of this revolution is not going away. This is the Ron Paul Liberty Report with Ron Paul, Daniel McAdams and Chris Rossini. We're all ambassadors of the Ron Paul doctrine. It's us, just tell the truth. And I believe I have come to not stop by any army for any government. Hello everybody and thank you for tuning into the Liberty Report with us today with Daniel McAdams, our co-host, Daniel. Good to see this morning. Morning Dr. Paul, how are you this morning? Doing fine. Good. Excellent. Great, ready and rare and to go. Let's do it. But my mind is boggled and you're good at arithmetic. Oh yeah, right. No, they have a new, this is the new math, isn't it? They have a different math in Washington. But we're going to talk about an article at Jack, our friend Jack Hunter wrote about what are the options? Are they on the road to a balanced budget? Well, if you know Jack, that's not what he's going to be talking about. So, here he starts off his article, the Pentagon is asking Congress for another $200 billion for the war around, which is almost a quarter of the annual US defense stuff. Well, if that shouldn't stop every member of Congress to know what they're going to do on the vote, they would play this game. Oh, in case they need this or blah, blah, blah, blah, they go back and forth and they want to cover their bases, they want to satisfy the president, they want to satisfy their constituents, especially the ones who are noisy and they have a lot of money and they donate to campaign. But he goes through this pretty well. It's not very encouraging, but I want to do to clarify something. And I ask you, you got a little concern, I said first it was going to be less of a trillion in military and then they got it up to a trillion and I said, oh, this is a couple of months ago. Well, we need 150 trillion and now they're asking for $200 billion more. You know, what are they doing? Where are they spending their money? They're making us peace, giving us peace and prosperity and making American people happy and by bringing our troops home and saving a dollar too. No, it looks like these billions have turned into trillions of dollars and the truth is they probably don't know the difference and they probably don't care. So as long as they can coerce the people in Congress because we've talked a little bit about this and we've realized that, you know, there will never declare war again. I was told that about the first week I was in Congress and I was in a conversation on a radio program with a Democrat. And I said, that's good, he says, I sort of agree with you, but there will never be another war declared. And that was back in 1976. And I said, oh, I wasn't. I was hoping he was wrong, but we turned out, no, we don't declare war, but we declare war. If I, an inference, we just, we just tell him, do what you want and we'll ignore it and we'll help you as long as there's, you know, somebody behind us that can take care of our financial needs and get us reelected. Because we want to stay in Congress to, you know, help out and I can't do much if I'm not in Congress. So I have to, I have to be a little bit flexible. And so that's where we are. We're very flexible. Now we don't even know what we're doing with what? So this is a mess. And although we hear a pronouncements on television and on the internet, well, you know, the administration is doing well during conversation and they've offered a treaty and, you know, an agreement with, with Iran. But it looks like the leadership in Iran has begun to awaken up. I don't think they even admitted they're not going to fool us again. Yeah, after twice. Yeah. Well, Jack, as you say, Jack, Hunter, our friend wrote this for a responsible state craft. You can put that up. And certainly it's an admirable article. I would file it under wishful thinking though. And it's no, no insult to, to Jack, but Republican stepping up criticism skepticism. I should say over $200 billion dollar war request skepticism is a word that has to be redefined when you're talking about certainly beltway spending because skepticism means. I need political cover, but I'm going to give you the money. Hang on a minute. Go to the next one. Now here's what Jack writes. What about Republicans? Is the Democrats are large, largely and predictably against this additional $200 billion for the Iran war. Democrats are largely against it. Of course, for political reasons. I'm not not for. Never, never, never. But Jack, right up, keep it up, please. But Jack writes, what about Republicans? Well, many say they support the president's war. And they certainly do not want to allow a vote on it. Right, Jack. That's true. Republicans in varying degrees embrace the mantle of fiscal conservatism. I wonder when that was this supplemental request would be in addition to the more than trillion approved last year, including $150 billion dollar add on money. The Pentagon is still struggling to spend. So what about Republicans? Well, I would say they're not reading the polls. They're out of touch with the American public. Americans buying large are not interested in this war. Even Republicans are not interested in this war. Certainly when you talk about boots on the ground, which is this money is going to go for Republicans are completely against it. But Republican members of Congress, not so much. Right. You know, there's always a limit on the spending and the problems and the ramifications violation of civil liberties and they went too far with COVID. People finally do wake up. And I think most of the time it's too little too late. Most of the time it takes a long time. I don't even know if they ever woke up. I think they just walked a worn out and walked away from Afghanistan. Yet even when they pretend they walk away, I thought maybe we finally learned our lesson 10 years in Iraq. I thought we finally gave up on that. But we really never left. We always had a base there. So they're involved in the battle now that that has been created by our side of that war and with Iran. So it's one of those things that keeps going on and on. And I think I hope this is a subtle reflection. Some of these politicians saying different things. But I don't I think you were inferring. Don't they don't they listen to their constituents? Because the numbers are just fantastic when you say, should you spend this money on something? You know, I think the answer to doing these bills where they put a hundred different things in the bill and satisfy everybody. I think every amendment that would add money to a bill when it's on on the inflow should be voted on separately. Wouldn't that solve when that's all the law to put it up and down? You want you want $500 billion. That's not play these games because we're broke. We don't have any money. We have to save a dollar. And what do you think the odds are of us having our way? I don't think they're very good. I think it's going in the opposite direction. I mean, when we were there, there was a little bit of transparency on a binabit pilot all in. Well, let's go back to Jack's piece. The next clip, honestly, for the freedom caucus types who have demanded holding the law and deficit spending and I highlight this, this should be a no brainer. Yes, that is true. It should definitely jacket should be a no brainer. Even more so for those who remain unclear as to why the president is waging this war without Congress congressional approval in the first place. Like deficit hawk Thomas Massey criticized the supplemental as well as the war telling CNN begs a question. How long do they plan to be there? What are the goals? Is this the first 200 billion? Does this turn into a trillion? Very, very good questions. Go to the next one. And here's what they say, Dr. Paul. And here's how we should interpret it. Representative Lauren Bobert, who wasn't having it. She wasn't having it. She said, I'm so tired of spending money elsewhere. I'm tired of the industrial war complex getting our hard on dollars. I've got folks in Colorado who can't afford to live. We need American first policies right now. I will put 10 bucks on the table. Dr. Paul, she votes for it. And ship Roy. Don't we talked about it before the show. Let's not get started on ship Roy. Who always puffs out his chest and says, I know you don't like talking about people, but I'm going a little bit. He puffs out his chest and says, I'm against it. I'm not going to spend any more tax on money. And then at the very end, he backs down. Of course, every time. But Jack writes ship Roy gave him more nuance to you. He defended Trump's position on Iran, of course, but he also told Fox News he wants to know where the money's going. I like to be consistent. I was consistent about Ukraine. I'm going to be consistent on Iran. I just need to make sure I know the game plan. We want to know what the result is going to be. Yes, Chip Roy. You are very consistent. You always give money for war. Have an idea. Roy an idea. It's inviting him to come on our program. Yes. You tell him that we put a little bit of time in studying this. And we won't have a perfect answer to your. question and wondering but we'll try to answer the question where's the money going? Yeah, and I bet we can get pretty close to where the money is going that we could just flat out quit We don't have to cut a here 10% here or there that we just should go that's way because it's wrong We don't have our money. It's unconstitutional It's it's based on theft you have to steal money from people that they disagree with war and disagree with everything's going on in the middle list steal the money from them and then they suffer what the people who have to pay the bulk of this are the ones who suffer the consequences of oil prices going up Yeah, you know and and and that's the way it is and the overall problems of inflation so no I don't know whether chip I don't know if I've met chip up but I sort of said when he came on the scene and he was in the I think he was in the freedom caucus Yeah, which wasn't quite like our caucus and so he and I most of the things I saw but as time went on I thought oh maybe he has to do this to get reelected or something I was trying to make an excuse for him but I I predict he probably wouldn't come on how did you ever get reelected then if you didn't do that all the time It's a mystery. It became an asset isn't that amazing what they think is the most dangerous thing to do and I always laughed at it because I surprised myself when I took a position which I thought was very sound and it was challenging and that was a challenge of the war on drugs in Santa war on drugs and I was told and people who never could understand it but they understand the politics says run you'll never get reelected if you're not against putting all these kids to smoke to be a marijuana weed and put them in prison where they really learn the trick of her exactly what a man how to do better drugs well here's a little bit more you know this is hexeth I want I'm not even going to say anything about hexeth just watch him if you want to know what happens but go to that it takes money a clip if you can here's hexeth I can't I won't even do an impression of hexeth talk to Paul I don't want to I don't want to lower the show but it takes money to kill bad guys hexeth to reporters last week we're going back to congress and folks there to ensure we're properly funded for what's been done for what we may have to do in the future we got to ensure that our ammunition that everything is refilled so when I read this talk to Paul I thought hang on a minute they just gave you a trillion dollars and you don't have ammo what are the money go I mean we spend a trillion dollar military budget and that mean but wars aren't included you know it's like you got you buy a car and the well the wheels are extra I mean what do you think the hood well that's extra you know a trillion dollars for the military but oh the wars are extra we got a biamo you know what what if he got what he wanted for give him the body okay you have to start with the bad guys and we'll find out what is good in bad and what would have would happen if some of the politicians were on the list but take this money and spend it on them killing the bad guy yeah yeah tell you what did the attack on liberty and attack on the personal lives of every American citizen because they've been bamboozled and almost like now you know I keep going back to this this declaration the first month I was in congress Ron quit worrying about this because I'm a chairman of this committee and there's never going to be there's never going to be a declaration of war again but he did not say we have ways to get people into war we have ways to get the members of congress to always vote for the money yeah and and sometimes we will eventually know how to do it without even talking about the money we can just do things in a very secretive way through the central banking system which I believe happens yeah that's a much bigger and more more complicated situation absolutely well let's let's pick on someone else for a minute but and it's not personal it's just this is indicative of the mindset in DC put that next one up this is representative Nancy Mace now she's putting her foot down dr. Paul if a single boot of a single American soldier sets foot on Iranian soil I will vote against this meaning the supplemental I will not vote to fund sending South Carolina sons and daughters to die in a ground war with Iran so if if the no soldiers are on Iranian soil you'll vote for it then I mean that's literally what she's saying if a boot is on the ground all vote against if a boot goes on the ground she will be pushing everyone out of line and vote first for the money otherwise they'll tell her keep it up please that she's not being patriotic but here's the beauty of x for all of its faults they have community notes dr. Paul where you can correct people who say things that are incorrect if you go to the next one the community notes said to Nancy mace already voted against the war powers resolution that allowed the Iran conflict to can and she allowed the Iran conflict to continue without any oversight from congress so she's making a big deal a big blustery deal about I'm not going to vote for this money she's going to vote for dr. Paul and I think the one thing that's most important that Americans need to understand is as you say because we don't vote to declare war and now we don't even vote to authorize war when you vote for the money that is your vote for the war that has to be made clear and maybe someday they'll wake up and the message has to get to the people because if there isn't a consensus by the people you know the the members of congress won't listen and and yet you say well there isn't that like mob rule well no we have mob rule when you have pure democracy and you have deficits and then the mob gangs up on the minority so you all you need is 51% and you take all the money from the 49% and take over the the controls so you know putting your foot on the ground is a little bit confusing because you don't even know where the boundaries are does that mean are we going to include Venezuela on this you know put our foot on the ground and nobody complained as long as they think they're getting more control and control of oil and all these other things so it's it's it's it's I I I don't think it's complicated I think it's a basic principle of just having a concept of natural law which has been built into our constitution common decency morality and talk about and you know a non interventionism and have a foreign policy that follows that yeah it would be a lot nicer and there'll be a just just thinking the thousands of people that are bomb since it's a after-world war two have been killed by our weaponry even even now you know all these bombs going on in the middle east I mean almost all the countries of the Middle East are involved so and and that means we're involved so it looks like the promise that we got in the campaign that there were to be no new wars and we're going to stop the wars and now with the effort to stop this war becomes a little more complicated than most of them thought and and you remember very well Dr. Paul because voting for the money is the trap because once you vote for the money once the war starts you're never going to be able to not vote for more money because they say you sent them there you're going to let them lose yeah you're going to get them after without any ammunition you want them to die you want Americans to die that's the trap that's the trick that's why the other answer is so simple and and it should get more encouragement you know to to allow the to allow the people to make to make sure they can spend their own money and it's some pie they say well what if there's a condition someplace and there was abuse could an American citizen go over there and help they don't if you don't let them steal money from one group of senders to troops you know sometimes that happens it's true that people can volunteer but that shouldn't be the excuse for us sending the Marines to save their life I mean they it's it should be done at their own risk but that that is just an academic idea because I think the controls are pretty solid and then you mix that in with international organizations like like NATO United Nations that it gets a little more confusing but does indeed well the second thing we want to talk about briefly is just kind of an update on yesterday because remember yesterday the entire day was about Trump saying we're negotiating with Iran we're so close to a deal they are they are talking sense finally we are so close to a deal well it turns out that was just talk for the markets it wasn't true and in fact today it's just like Trump is gaslighting us he says stuff that he knows isn't true and we're just expected to believe it but go to this next one now this is from Hedge this morning Iran rejects US proposed ceasefire counters with five conditions for ending the war as US troops are en route so they're not having talks they're not about to make an agreement they said no way Jose we're not we're not we don't we have no interest in this deal that you're sending us and as you said in your opener Dr. Paul why would they every time they sit down to talks they get blown up who would sit down again nobody so go to the next one now here's what Iran wants to end the war a complete halt to aggression and assassinations by the enemy the establishment of concrete mechanisms to ensure the war is not reimposed on the Islamic Republic, guarantee and clearly to find payment of war damages and reparations. Well, they were the ones who were attacked. I mean, for the conclusion of the war across all fronts and for all resistance groups involved throughout the region, and five international recognition and guarantees regarding Iran's sovereign right to exercise authority over the strait of war moves. So that basically is going to change a lot of things. Now you go to the next one. Now here's what they've said. Iranian officials have told the countries trying to mediate the peace talks with the US that they have been outbentric twice by President Trump. And quote, "We don't want to be fooled again," according to a source. Well, that's understandable. You can't keep blowing up people you're negotiating with and invite them to come back for new negotiations. It's not rocket science, I think, Dr. Paul. You know, I got a kick out of this one answer from an Iranian leader. He said what they don't understand is that we are going to defend it. And they use the term, I thought, was appropriate. And they don't realize that we would defend our land. And I always make the point that the people who beat us are the people who own the land they live there. And of course, that always, you know, in the general principle of liberty, not only should people who get together and put a society together have a right to defend their land, as they see it. It's also the principle of private property. And it's so amazing how we go in the wrong direction. But that's history. History, they've been going the wrong way forever. Because in spite of all the wars and everything that go on, even the 20th century, just think of the scientific improvements that have been made yet at the same time. Millions of people have died at the hand of a government that pursues these causes with the use of force. So this is something that I don't know whether they'll ever -- they're not on the verge of peace-breaking hours away I see it. So we'll have to see. Yeah. Well, I had a couple of tidbits toward the end, Dr. Paul. And one, we always -- great insights from our friend Glenn Greenwald. You remember when the Republicans, when Trump was tearing up the JCPOA, the Iran deal, he said, that stupid Obama, he gave Iran $1.7 billion. Of course, it was their own money that was from -- Yeah, we stole from that. Yeah, yeah, yeah. But it was a whole thing was still. That dumb Obama, how did he give them money? Well, put up Glenn Green -- sorry, put up Glenn's piece, little ex-posts now, which is kind of funny. One of the most consistent vehement complaints about Obama was that he released funds of $1.7 billion to Iran. They think Obama gifted it to them rather than released it at the funds that we stole, but whatever. And here's a funny part, Dr. Paul. First lifting of sanctions on Iran this week could generate $14 billion for Iran. So they're going to get $14 billion from this because Trump is panicking over the oil markets and rightly so. And I have two videos to play because this is also Trump talking about how we're winning. We've won. It's all over. And I'm going to just follow up those videos with something that I think is why he seems to be so out of touch with three outlets. You might want to grab that earpiece. These are short, Dr. Paul, but you might want to put in your sound piece and listen to President Trump. Disappointed. I don't want to say this, but I have to. I said, Pete, in general, Raisin Kane, I think this thing is going to be settled very soon. Here they go. Pete didn't want it to be settled. It's these guys are doing a great job. It's a good attitude though, Tom. They were not interested in settlement. They were interested in just winning this thing. Yeah, let's go to the second one. Then sorry, let's go to the second one. This is this is him talking about how we've how we've won here. Well, we're in negotiations as it turned out. Now you've seen what I said yesterday was exactly correct. We're in negotiations right now. They're doing it along with Marco JD. We have a number of people doing it. And the other side I can tell you they'd like to make a deal. And who wouldn't if you were there? Look, they're Navy's gone. They're Air Force is gone. They're dying to make a deal. We're talking right now. We're making a deal. They're ready and say there's absolutely no truth to it. And you say, well, why is Trump making this stuff up? We're going to that next clip, Dr. Paul. And I think this might be a reason. Catherine Doyle is with NBC News. She's a White House correspondent. And this is kind of revelatory. I mean, this is important that Catherine Doyle, here we go. Exclusive. Today since the start of the war, US military officials compile a video update for President Trump that shows the biggest, most successful strikes on Iranian targets over the previous 48 hours. But the military can't fully brief Trump on every strike. So the video, while it showcases US capabilities, doesn't reflect the full scope of the conflict. We can't tell him every single thing that happens. They current US officials said the official noted that Trump's briefings tend to draw better feedback from his aides than when they focus on US victories. So he's not getting a briefing book, Dr. Paul. He's not getting a CIA briefing. He's getting video clips of bombs dropping on Tehran. One or one of the ones he feels convinced that we're winning. I get a kick out of the fact that when things get in the trouble like oil distribution and the ships doing this, that he has to suspend the sanctions on Russia, suspend, suspend even the oil coming out of the Ryan. So it's an issue to the whole thing. Not only is the foreign policy a failure, but all this sanction stuff and tear off something. They find out that they're in a nuisance when you go and sort of war on top of it. The argument always is that if you don't have trade, you will eventually have war's breakout. But in this case, it was a combination coming together. And I think that's why the American people are very unhappy about expanding the war and sending more troops over there. And I'll just go into solving the problems that we face. I have no idea where they get that information. Yeah, absolutely. Well, I do have an announcement to make. If you put that final clip up, I said I was going to have a big announcement. This is for our spring conference coming up in a month's time, plenty of time to get those tickets, but not a lot of tickets left. Yes, indeed. Marjorie Taylor Greene will be coming down to Texas to speak at the Ron Paul Institute conference on April 25th. People thought she was going to just shut up once she left Congress. She's done the opposite. She's spearheading some serious political movements in the U.S. She's talking to all the right people. If you were a subscriber to Ron Paul Institute of the Updates, you'd know this last night. But when I asked her originally a few weeks ago, it's been hard to get her. She said, I love Ron Paul. I love to do it. Her schedule was difficult, but she worked everything out. She's going to be down here. You're going to want to see Marjorie Taylor Greene in person talking about what it was like in DC for all the stuff that's happening. So I'm going to go ahead and put the link in the show right now to get those tickets. Don't miss that on your opportunity. I've got another big announcement tomorrow, but this is a big one. Marjorie Taylor Greene. I can't wait to meet her in person. She seems like such an interesting personality. Wonderful. Yeah. I like when people subtly, but brilliantly change their opinion and challenges the status quo. This to me takes a lot of courage at times because there's a lot of heat from your allies and you have in politics, you have all this loyalty, yet to deal with. But I often think of one of my heroes and that was of course my friend was Walter Jones because he was so locked in on the foreign policy, but he went from, you know, irrational hawkism that you had to bomb and all this stuff to the point where he was one of the strongest and most influential individuals and he is still remembered by that. So I love it when we come across somebody that challenges the status quo and decides that yes, even though there are a lot of people, you know, went along with this. But there's people like this all the time and sometimes you never hear them from them because I know after I decided that everybody should wake up and think more about the stupidity of the war on drugs that there were a lot of people came out, you know, and they don't know all of a sudden they were sort of waiting on somebody to say it. So I think it is a wonderful thing. I don't like it when people go the other way where they're basically, you know, libertarian niche and conservative. and constitutionalists, and then they get into Washington and they see, "Oh, to become influential and to have a cloud, you have to go the other way." I don't like that. I think that's a sellout. And unfortunately more leave. But boy, when people wake up and say, "You know, I might just be one of them if I change my position on this." And I think it's a lie because I think that it represents the people waking up, which used as an example, the way people waking up under the insanity of treating COVID and a couple things like that, because that is moving in a direction. So that is, I think, from moment to moment, that's the most we can ever have. You happen to us, is at least take the step in the right direction, because we can't achieve a perfect liberty and perfect peace, but we can move in that direction. But if we're always stepping in the direction of setting up the bigger government and government interventionism overseas and more spending, I'll tell you what, that could be discouraging, but the one thing is, it always ends and we have to be prepared for that and the answers are not complex. The answers can be found in peace and prosperity by recognizing the liberty of each and every individual. I want to thank everybody for tuning in today to the Liberty Report. Please come back soon. [Music]