WEBVTT 1 00:00:00.600 --> 00:00:03.160 Good morning, good morning, good morning, and welcome, welcome, welcome. 2 00:00:03.160 --> 00:00:07.400 It's time now to check in with US Senator James Langford. How are 3 00:00:07.400 --> 00:00:10.880 you doing today, sir, I am doing very well. Actually, good 4 00:00:10.880 --> 00:00:14.679 morning to you. We got a lot on the table today and a lot 5 00:00:14.759 --> 00:00:18.000 of things going on. One hits a lot of people, especially right here. 6 00:00:18.000 --> 00:00:21.280 Well I guess it hits them everywhere. How long do I have to 7 00:00:21.359 --> 00:00:26.559 wait for my passport? It seems like it's taking forever. It is taking 8 00:00:26.600 --> 00:00:29.920 forever. This administration's had a hard time getting a lot of things done, 9 00:00:29.920 --> 00:00:35.799 and a lot of just basic government functions they've really struggled to do. Passports 10 00:00:35.479 --> 00:00:39.960 is on that list as well. Passports used to take six weeks. Now 11 00:00:39.960 --> 00:00:44.320 they're taking fifteen to eight. And I honestly when people call and say how 12 00:00:44.320 --> 00:00:46.880 long does it take to get a passport now, I tell them, get 13 00:00:46.880 --> 00:00:52.479 your passport first, book your travel later. Because of this administration is so 14 00:00:52.560 --> 00:00:57.640 bad at getting passports done. I actually wrote a bill working with the State 15 00:00:57.679 --> 00:01:02.880 Department to say how do we actually get fixed and unwound where it would take 16 00:01:03.000 --> 00:01:04.879 less than twelve weeks to be able to get a passport that twice as long 17 00:01:04.920 --> 00:01:08.280 as it should but keep that as a maximum that I could ever take. 18 00:01:08.599 --> 00:01:12.519 And then to also have a setup to say where people could be able to 19 00:01:12.560 --> 00:01:17.120 track where their passport is in the process. What people call my office and 20 00:01:17.159 --> 00:01:21.079 say, I requested passport four months ago, I have no idea I've been 21 00:01:21.159 --> 00:01:23.159 coming tomorrow, or if it's coming at all, or if they've even got 22 00:01:23.159 --> 00:01:30.400 it. And it's amazing. You can deliver a package from Walmart and you 23 00:01:30.439 --> 00:01:33.560 know exactly where it is in the process of getting to you. But if 24 00:01:33.560 --> 00:01:37.879 you order a passport, you have no idea. The government just doesn't even 25 00:01:37.920 --> 00:01:40.200 tell you. So trying to be able to fix that as well, so 26 00:01:40.359 --> 00:01:44.840 we get some transparencyings process. Wow, wait, this is this is crazy. 27 00:01:44.879 --> 00:01:49.040 So you got you got the bill ready to rock and roll here and 28 00:01:49.439 --> 00:01:53.280 let's get this thing taken care of. Yeah. I fully agree that this 29 00:01:53.359 --> 00:01:56.000 is not a part is an issue, that's just a good government issue. 30 00:01:56.599 --> 00:02:00.159 Government should be able to take care of basic functions like passports, and for 31 00:02:00.200 --> 00:02:05.000 this administration, they've struggled with just basic things. And so let's get that 32 00:02:05.040 --> 00:02:07.879 fixed and get that turned around. Very good. Now, I understand that 33 00:02:08.280 --> 00:02:13.439 you're making sure that NATO countries contribute their pair share. This sounds like something 34 00:02:13.479 --> 00:02:16.879 that President Trump has started. But it's kind of the interest I guess from 35 00:02:16.879 --> 00:02:20.879 the wine house kind of waned here a little bit. Yeah, it is. 36 00:02:21.240 --> 00:02:23.039 This isn't a basic agreement. If you're going to be in NATO and 37 00:02:23.159 --> 00:02:28.319 part of that agreement, that security alliance, you have to do at least 38 00:02:28.360 --> 00:02:35.039 two percent of your GDP going towards defense. That's not a big number, 39 00:02:35.280 --> 00:02:38.360 but just to say you've got to do at least that. So what we're 40 00:02:38.360 --> 00:02:42.960 looking for is other countries can just depend on somebody else to be able to 41 00:02:43.000 --> 00:02:46.639 defend in saying on the NATO alliance and now don't have to do anything it 42 00:02:46.840 --> 00:02:50.599 that have to say, everybody pulls your weight. Everybody's standing up and defending 43 00:02:51.159 --> 00:02:53.719 not only their own country, but the countries are around them on it. 44 00:02:53.120 --> 00:02:57.599 Several of the NATO countries, fect the majority of the NATO countries are not 45 00:02:57.719 --> 00:03:00.599 doing that. So before President and left out for the NATO summit, I 46 00:03:00.719 --> 00:03:05.199 sent a letter in to say this should be a priority part of the conversation 47 00:03:05.680 --> 00:03:09.400 and NATO is pulling its own weight. If the Russian invasion of Ukraine is 48 00:03:09.439 --> 00:03:13.680 not a big enough wake up called the NATO to say you need to be 49 00:03:13.719 --> 00:03:15.439 well prepared. I don't know what it would be, but some of the 50 00:03:15.520 --> 00:03:19.479 nations still have not done it. Others, by the way, half they've 51 00:03:19.479 --> 00:03:23.360 actually stepped up and they're actually doing more for their defense. Good. They 52 00:03:23.400 --> 00:03:25.319 need to get there, But we still have some NATO countries not pulling their 53 00:03:25.360 --> 00:03:30.360 own weight. Well, wow, that's incredible. You'd think that things are 54 00:03:30.360 --> 00:03:35.039 happening in their own backyard they be a little bit more ready to participate. 55 00:03:35.080 --> 00:03:38.120 But that's the way it's going. It appears. Yeah, well some of 56 00:03:38.120 --> 00:03:43.120 them are. Some of them are engaging what the UK is doing, Germany 57 00:03:43.240 --> 00:03:46.080 is doing. There's quite a few nations that stepped up, Sweden, Finland 58 00:03:46.960 --> 00:03:50.080 that they've stepped up in significant ways to say, hey, we're going to 59 00:03:50.159 --> 00:03:53.280 do national defense and we're going to make sure that we're ready to be able 60 00:03:53.280 --> 00:03:58.039 to knowledge defend ourselves but our neighbors. But it is not enough for a 61 00:03:58.039 --> 00:04:00.360 few others. How about that. There you go a couple of things that 62 00:04:00.639 --> 00:04:05.520 the economy seems that you know, a few senators were on TV taking victory 63 00:04:05.560 --> 00:04:10.000 lapse last night saying, oh, the economy is getting better. Well it 64 00:04:10.159 --> 00:04:14.400 grouped by well, the inflation went up, by three percent, and that's 65 00:04:14.479 --> 00:04:16.120 not including food, which by the way, rose even high in price. 66 00:04:16.680 --> 00:04:20.000 YEP, that is true, and it is amazing. A three percent inflation 67 00:04:20.120 --> 00:04:23.800 rate is still a pretty good rate on it, and I want to see 68 00:04:23.800 --> 00:04:26.600 that higher. That just means the prices are last years and three percent. 69 00:04:26.600 --> 00:04:29.759 So if you didn't get a raise bigger than three percent, then you're not 70 00:04:29.839 --> 00:04:32.199 keeping up with it. So what I'm looking for is to be able to 71 00:04:32.240 --> 00:04:35.800 get rid of inflation. This inflation. No question that we've dealt with this 72 00:04:35.959 --> 00:04:42.040 spiraling inflations because of the massive overspending the Biden administration. What they came in 73 00:04:42.199 --> 00:04:45.600 just dumped trillions of dollars on the economy and that here's free money, and 74 00:04:45.600 --> 00:04:47.720 everybody's like, great, I'd love free money. But free money has a 75 00:04:47.800 --> 00:04:53.680 consequence not only in massive debt, but also in massive inflation. And so 76 00:04:53.839 --> 00:04:57.839 that's been a major problem during the time of COVID when we're trying to stabilize 77 00:04:57.839 --> 00:05:00.040 and just keep everyone alive. That's different are coming out of COVID and the 78 00:05:00.040 --> 00:05:04.160 administration to start pouring money out there. That's really what sparked this. So 79 00:05:04.319 --> 00:05:09.480 we're still dealing with the consequences if you're trying to buy a home right now. 80 00:05:09.759 --> 00:05:13.079 The mortgage rates are sky high, buying a car, so many other 81 00:05:13.120 --> 00:05:16.600 things on credit and debt. Those are all the direct consequences. And for 82 00:05:16.680 --> 00:05:19.360 people to stand up and say, look, three percent in places, great, 83 00:05:19.600 --> 00:05:23.600 everyone's gonna say great. But it's still almost eight percent to get a 84 00:05:23.639 --> 00:05:28.600 home loan now, so that's dramatically slow in the economy. Down, Senator, 85 00:05:28.639 --> 00:05:30.000 anything else you'd like to share with us while we have you, No, 86 00:05:30.079 --> 00:05:32.639 I'll tell you. I'll tell folks all the time, keep working, 87 00:05:32.759 --> 00:05:35.439 keep praying. This is not a time that we need to be able to 88 00:05:35.480 --> 00:05:39.600 just sit back and say it's terrible. Nothing can be done. Lots can 89 00:05:39.600 --> 00:05:43.160 be done. Number One, We're Americans. We fixed broken things. If 90 00:05:43.199 --> 00:05:46.279 something's broken, then we actually fix it, not just it back and complain 91 00:05:46.319 --> 00:05:48.480 about it. And the second thing is none of this is bigger than God. 92 00:05:48.920 --> 00:05:53.240 So let's pray, let's get to work, and let's just keep going. 93 00:05:53.839 --> 00:05:56.639 There are a lot of good things that are still happening, but it 94 00:05:56.759 --> 00:05:58.920 is up to us and our families to be able to get it done. 95 00:05:59.319 --> 00:06:00.879 Senator, thanks for being with us today.