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The monstrous omnibus spending bill provides funding for the protection of Ukraine’s border, but not America’s border. Rep. Dan Bishop (R-NC) told The Todd Starnes Show that the bill also includes hundreds of millions of dollars to protect the borders of Egypt, Oman and other Middle Eastern countries. And while there is some money designated for Border Patrol – agents are forbidden from using the money to stop people from coming across our border. Following is a rush transcript of Todd’s interview with the congressman. And you can listen to the conversation above on Todd’s podcast.
TODD: [01:45:12] Congressman, first of all, thank you. Because you have been literally exposing all of the pork in this outrageous omnibus thus far. What is the most shocking thing that you’ve discovered?
BISHOP: [01:45:29] Well, you know, overall, Todd, you got to say the bill is an absolute monstrosity. The one thing that I think comes to my mind at this moment. Is the fact that it has this provision that prohibits the use of operations funds allocated to Border Patrol to improve border security. It actually it expressly prohibits the money from being used to improve border security in the United States. And yet there are hundreds of millions of dollars that are appropriated to enhance the border security of Egypt, Oman, other countries in the Middle East. That is all too typical. And of course, as you know, Don, Republican senators are the ones who are advancing this bill.
TODD: [01:46:18] It is so offensive to me that that that the Republicans in the Senate are basically sabotaging the efforts that you guys had in place to stop all of this out of control spending, Congressman.
BISHOP: [01:46:34] I’ve got I’ve only been up here three years, but in the three years that I’ve been here, what I’ve witnessed is a relatively small handful of people who are trying to change a status quo that is almost impossible to change. And this is this bill depicts the status quo and how impossible it is to change. I think better than anything else. But I cannot imagine if I’m an American watching what is happening here and being anything other than in despair. It is outrageous. And I’m going to tell you, Todd, I am one of those members who says whatever it takes, we are going to change the status quo in this place. America cannot I don’t think America can survive with this kind of oblivious lunacy masquerading as legislation.
TODD: [01:47:32] Congressman Dan Bishop on the Patriot Mobile Newsmaker Line this afternoon. And Congressman, I mean, your team has been going through and exposing a lot of this in this mass or what is it over was 4155 pages. Has your team made it all the way through to the end of the omnibus?
BISHOP: [01:47:51] So they’ve made it through. This small team of people, they have worked. You cannot imagine what they have done to undertake to get through this and to find these things. And so we’re through it once we’re going through more detail. And this is hard stuff to find. So I’m grateful to this team of excellent young people who are bringing this information to the American people. You know, they’ve just been marvelous.
TODD: [01:48:27] I don’t know this it will help, you know, because we’re all about helping helping our fellow Americans on this radio program. During a commercial break, we Googled about what it takes to procreate. We’re talking about salmon. And I think we can save $65 million just by sending the Google information over for the for the Republican senators there.
BISHOP: [01:48:48] Yes. Somebody a great response on Twitter to the so the 65 million for the salmon is that salmon is the new pork. I thought that was a great.
TODD: [01:49:00] Wow, that’s that’s that’s a great way to look at it.
BISHOP: [01:49:04] I think you just can’t believe. But, you know, there’s a certain senator from Alaska who always sell out Republican voters and and you might think that might be related to her.
TODD: [01:49:15] Do you? That’s an interesting word, sellout. Do you think that’s what the senators are doing?
BISHOP: [01:49:22] Thousand earmarks in this bill for? And I think and look, there’s one super senator of the United States and that’s President Zelensky of Ukraine, $47 billion more for Ukraine taking the number, the entire appropriation bill, which I’ve been voting against them since I did the first 10 billion or whatever, that over $100 billion the United States has spent on Ukraine, where we have an open border and we’re suffering an invasion of our own. You know, it is unbelievable. Todd, I and you can look at a million different and these guys have done a great job assembling this information, but it’s just touching the surface.
TODD: [01:50:03] And Congressman, the idea from from the lips of Mitch McConnell himself when he said their top priority in the Senate was was Ukraine. I mean, they care more about Ukraine than they do America.
BISHOP: [01:50:18] That much seems clear and it is insane. And I have not had one call asking me to support this bill, this omnibus bill.
TODD: [01:50:30] Well, let me jump in here. I think, Congressman, we’ve been asking all of our callers to call those senators. And, you know, the phones are going directly to voicemail. They’re not even taking the calls from their constituents.
BISHOP: [01:50:42] That’s symbolic, too, isn’t it?
TODD: [01:50:44] It is. It is. Congressman, a real quick we’ve got about 30 seconds here. Do you is is there an opportunity in the Senate to get these these lawmakers to change their mind, or has the is the cornbread already cooked, as they say?
BISHOP: [01:51:02] I think it’s I think it’s not too late. I mean, theoretically, I think leadership here in the House ought to go to the mat right now. And I’ve heard, you know, Kevin McCarthy has said he’s going to vote no on it and they shouldn’t do it, but he isn’t going to the mat. And this is the kind of thing I’m talking about, Todd. That has to change. We’ve got to go to the mat for the American people to really be committed to change.
TODD: [01:51:29] You’re saying McCarthy’s not going to the mat?
BISHOP: [01:51:32] That’s what I’m saying.
TODD: [01:51:33] Well, have you declared your your support or whether or not you’re going to vote for him as speaker yet?
BISHOP: [01:51:39] I have not declared that.
TODD: [01:51:40] Are you ready to do that now or are you still. You want to wait?
BISHOP: [01:51:44] Stay tuned.
TODD: [01:51:45] All right. All right. Well, do it. Congressman, we really appreciate you hopping on and we’ve got to take a hard break here, but thank you for standing up for the American people and exposing this.
BISHOP: [01:51:57] Delighted to join you. Thanks very much.
