I didn't even know that.
It's a good band listening to you.
OK, stand by, sir.
The
horror continues to unfold now nearly two weeks after Hamas terrorists launched a deadly
surprise attack in Israel.
President Joe Biden seeks $100 billion in military and humanitarian aid, including for
Israel and Ukraine.
Meanwhile, leadership in the House of Representatives, which would have to vote on that aid package,
has been in chaos.
The Republican majority has struggled mightily to elect a speaker.
On this, we had to Washington now for a check-in with members of the Wisconsin Congressional
delegation on this developing situation on two fronts.
First, we talk with Wisconsin's sixth congressional district, U.S. Representative, Republican
Glenn Grothman, and Congressman, thanks very much for being here.
We are, Michelle.
So you and the rest of the Wisconsin delegation continued to support Representative Jim Jordan
in multiple failed votes for speaker, minus Derek Van Ordon, who we know is absent because
he is now in Israel.
What is your response to being part of this disarray, really, that has left U.S. government
unable to fully govern?
Problem is, I think leadership over a period of years, and maybe they couldn't have done
anything different, failed to instill in the Republicans the idea that you have an
internal vote first, a paper ballot vote, a secret vote, between people who want to be
speaker.
And then the person who wins that vote, every single Republican is supposed to stick behind
them on the floor so we can go ahead.
Unfortunately, in the last week or so, there are a given number of people who would not
vote for Kevin McCarthy, the speaker, I voted for him.
They're a given number of people who would not vote for Steve Scalise, who was the majority
leader right under the speaker.
We did not take that vote to the floor, but 10 to 15 people made a credible threat that
they would not vote on the floor.
So Steve Scalise withdrew, and the third man up was Jim Jordan, and we've now given him
three votes, which quite frankly is more than enough votes.
Many lost 20 than 22 than 25 votes.
So your listeners understand if they lose more than three votes, they don't have the
votes to govern.
And like I said, I think it comes down to a lack of preparation from the beginning.
I think of the eight people who voted against Kevin McCarthy, I believe only one of those
eight was around when I got to Congress just a few years ago.
So I think we've done a really bad job of educating the freshmen on the idea behind
team play.
A house vote would be needed for the $100 billion military and humanitarian aid package
to include Israel and Ukraine that President Biden is seeking and spoke to in a address
to the nation Thursday night.
What is your support for that kind of aid package?
There are two parts to it.
First of all, we do have to get aid to Israel, but we also have to realize that we've got
to make it clear to Joe Biden, we're not taking these Palestinian folks in America's
refugees.
They have been raised from early on to hate Jews in general and Egypt, which is the obvious
place for these people to go will not take them.
And I think they won't take them because they know very well who they beginning.
So we don't want these guys that people showing up here, much less than a million of them.
With regard to Ukraine, I voted for Ukraine packages six times in the past.
But the Biden administration is not trying to negotiate an end here, or they're not deputizing
the Turks or the French or somebody to work towards an end.
The Biden administration, the things that have been going on for about a year and a half,
and I would be happy if it went on another year and a half without making any steps towards
peace.
But somehow we got to send the message to the Biden administration that we want peace
in Russia, and they are doing what I can tell nothing.
I'll also point out that when the Russian-Ukraine war started, it seemed like every six weeks
or couple months we received private briefings from the relevant people in the Biden administration
as to what was going on.
We have not received a briefing on what's going on in Ukraine since before Christmas.
So for whatever reason, the Biden administration is not talking to Congress, and that's another
reason to vote no for now until I let us know what's going on there.
So you are saying with less than 30 seconds left that you would vote no on this humanitarian
humanitarian aid package?
Well, they can call it military and humanitarian, but like I said, the two things we want is
some effort from the Biden administration to work towards peace.
In some guarantee, they're not going to open up the doors and give us, say, a million Palestinian
refugees.
Let me say I'm a Glenn growth one.
Thanks very much.
Thank you.
Off to your meeting, just a little late.
Yes, I'll blame you.
If McCarthy yells at me, I'll say, well, if we're drinking, it's very, very, very difficult.
He'll go.
You have what up.
Okay.
Thank you.