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GOP pushing to probe Transportation Secretary Buttigieg over supply chain crisis

2021-10-16 | 🔗
Rep. Carlos Gimenez R-Fla., calls out the Biden Administration for their handling of the supply chain crisis, says it could worsen due to vaccine mandates
This is an unofficial transcript meant for reference. Accuracy is not guaranteed.
Arrested but the shooter is still on the loose will keep you up to date on that Rachel we absolutely will joining us now is Representative Carlos Gimenez hes on the transportation Infrastructure Committee House, GOP Homeland Security Committee as Well Congressman welcome to Fox AMP friends. I know that you were a firefighter. You were a sheriff just wanted to get your reaction to this very tragic situation in Houston. Well, as mayor of Miami Dade, I was also the sheriff so its a very sad day in law enforcement and the first response community. It really sounds like this was kind of a setup. Usually people dont get robbed at gunpoint with a rifle. So maybe somebody was just you know, ruled up made riled up, got the police officers to respond and got shot from behind its a despicable act by a coward, but you know its been open season on police officers for some time ever since you know we had the defund, the
police movement and all of that and the disrespect thats been shown to our law enforcement officers, and so my sympathies go out to the families of the individual. The officer that was killed and those two that are fighting for their lives right now, if surgery, PETE, amen well, said well congressman as we get her developments on the story because it is breaking just now, well bring them to you, seeing as youre on the transportation and Infrastructure Committee, a lot to talk about infrastructure and, of course, about our supply lines. Our supply chain, one of the guys whos supposed to be doing a lot about it- is that man on the screen right there, PETE Buttigieg Transportation Secretary, who we also learnedded, took a couple of months of Papa Alternativety in the middle of paternity in the middle of this crisis, well hes back now and is Heres part of what he said to our own Bret Baier. When asked about the delays and quote
high class problems as the Biden economist put it, this is how he responded. Take a listen, so are new parents and any parents going to get the toys they want for Christmas. I know ill be very excited to shop for the first Christmas. For my new kids, remember you cant talk about supply without talking about demand right. Part of the reason we are where we are is that the president successfully brought this economy out of recession, so youre, saying thats more than ever before were seeing record goods coming through our ports and the demands there, which is great news thousand weve, got to make sure those supply chains, so youre saying its a high class problem. What im saying is that we are better off because the economy is growing and the economy is growing. Thanks to the leadership of this President PETE Congressman identify ive got to believe that inspires as hutch faith for you as it does for us now. We know why there were
all these problems in the Soviet Union and Cuba, because its a demand problem, laughter, thats, the problem right people just stop demanding all these things would be on the shelf. That is so ludicrous its the unbelievable that the Secretary of Transportation would say its a demand problem and this great economy we have right now. You know we had a great economy under the Trump Administration and the Biden Administration has you know every decision theyve made, has backfire Thed on them. Every decision that theyve made has really hurt the american people look. I was speaking to a couple of executives, one an executive of an airline for cargo and an executive for an airline with passengers and theyre deadly afraid of this vaccine. Man thats now coming down mandate, thats coming down where theyve got this supply problem and weve got to get as many pilots truck drivers, port
workers as possible, and now youve got this vaccine mandate that says to them they have to fire hundreds of their workers at this time in this critical time you know when we have the holiday season coming. You know it just shows the insensitivity of this administration to the working people of America, its an insult will and its incompetence. What a great observation little be bid. We know little did. We know its a demand problem who knew we just found out today. Pete Buttigieg has figured out whats going on this Cuba, the old Soviet Union, Venezuela and all those communist countries that cant get the goods to their shelves. Well, those people shouldnt want em. Will you know who knew might have been democratic old decisions was. If we look back in history, how they explain their empty store shelves, were they blaming it at that time on demand problems,
but lets stay within the Democratic Party for just one moment congressman because the in fighting by the way its been laid bare its in full display right now, Senator Joe Manchin of West Virginia is now dismissively calling Bernie Sanders a self declared independent socialist in response to Sanders publishing an op ed in a West Virginia newspaper. I want to read what he had to say this isnt the first time an out of stater has tried to tell West Virginia Yas Virginia Yas, whats best for them. No op ed is going to change that your response, if congressman amen, you know amen to Joe Manchin hes spot on. You know. Bernie Sanders wants to tell us here in America how life would be great if we just were a little bit more like the Soviet Union. You know the place where
he went to honeymoon right. I wonder what he bought in the Soviet Union, not much because there wasnt anything on the shelves, because again those soviets they wanted too much stuff. So Manchin, I think the senator is spot on. You know. Bernie Sanders wants to change America. Fundamentally, these especially the reconciliation bill wants to change us. Fundamentally, there are programs in there that you know are incredible. The amount is you know going to put our kids and our grandchildren in debt were going were stealing from our children and grandchildren, their future, but its okay with Bernie Sanders, and I think Joe Manchins absolutely right that somebody whos so south of touch with what so out of touch with rank and file normal people want and desire every day like Bernie Sanders is, is going into West Virginia to tell them whats good for them. You know good for you Senate Manchin. I think you put him on the spot.
I think you hit it right on the spot exactly what Bernie Sanders is all about Rachel yeah. I really think its, why its so important that there are congressman like you who have a direct experience as a cuban American with what were looking at. Anyone who knows whats happened in Venezuela or has family in Cuba has looked at what were seeing right now in our government and says boy weve seen this before and its really scary. I just think you have such an important role in sort of raising the flag, because I think too many Americans have taken for granted our prosperity and our free come and we are on a freedom and we are on a track to socialism and communism, and it is the very scary I want to talk to you, speaking of authoritarianism, about the vaccine mandates in Florida. So Biden is saying that he wants to make this happen. Hes mandating vaccines, vaccines for everybody and your governor in the free state of Florida is fighting it.
He says that hes just hes going to fight the Biden administration tell us how thats going in Florida. Well, look the governors actually had a pretty good track record here of fighting the federal government. I am one hundred percent behind our governors efforts to tile that lawsuit and if file that lawsuit and stop the madness lets look at airline pilots. Theyre now going to be mandated to be vaccinated again, you could have three hundred passengers in the back that are not vaccinated, but then you know the pilot is the one thats going to spread it all? There is no science here, its all political science, and you know its just a way to keep this going, and it really makes no sense and actually going to put our supply chain in real jeopardy. Its going to make things worse- and I think you know my prediction- is that the Biden administrations going to have to back off on this a little bit because there are hundreds of pilots and truck drivers and port workers etc even first
responders that are saying no to the vaccine for their own reasons. You know, and some people are saying well theyre listening to misinformation, you know a lot of the reasons that they have are logical and you know, while I may disagree with some, you know: im Vaccinated heist, thats, what Americas all about the ability to pick and choose what you want to do as an individual, especially ad medical decision like this, which is so important. Are you going to be vaccinated or not thats, a personal decision thats, not something that the federal government should be mandating, especially when its going to really cause. You know problems up and down the economy of the United States. Will you think the supply chain is broken now, wait until twenty, if even ten percent of federal, express or ups work force says, were not ready or Amazon wait until everything gets shut down, PETE Congressman, I hope youre right about mandates real quick to that second topic. Yes, the Democrats are in fighting right now, but what
would you handicap the likelihood they come together around a number around two trillion thats? The latest were hearing for that reconciliation bill still expensive, but do you think they find a way to forge it? Well, look I thought they would come to some kind of agreement, but now, when Joe Manchin put out that tweet, he didnt just talk about numbers. He talked about programs and those programs embedded in that reconciliation is really thats the poison right there, the programs its not the amount remember they can always reduce the amount by just simply reducing the number of years where its authorized. So you have something that actually the whole thing costs close to six dollars trillion. If you score it out over ten years, theyve tricked it down to three point: five by some of these programs being authorized three or four years. They can retrick that by two or three years and get it down to two dollars trillion, but its the programs and policies thats embedded in
that- and I am heartened by what Joe Manchin wrote in that tweet- there are programs in there that hes not voting, for. I think that now thats a fly in the ointment of the Democrats plans. Pete again, I hope youre right its always been about what they could slip in and hoping they could reauthorize it again.
Transcript generated on 2021-10-16.