by WorldTribune Staff, May 3, 2017
Rush Limbaugh on May 2 pressed Vice President Mike Pence on a budget deal that many analysts say looks more like a win for Democrats than the Republican majority.
“What is the point of voting Republican if the Democrats are gonna continue to win practically 95 percent of their objectives, such as in this last budget deal?” Limbaugh asked the vice president.
Pence responded: “Well, look, respectfully, Rush, I actually think this was, as the president said a little a while ago, I think this was actually a clear win for the American people. Look, you’ve had Washington, D.C., that has been, you know, paralyzed by gridlock and partisan infighting for many years, and in this new president you have someone who was able to bring people together and make a $21 billion increase in defense spending at a time of great challenge for America’s interests around the world. And that’s a – you know, he spoke about that today, surrounded by a lot of great members of the United States Air Force. And it was also a piece for years, Democrats in Washington insisted that any increase in defense spending would be matched with an increase in domestic spending.
“So you gotta grow government at home if you’re gonna, you know, invest in our national defense. This ended that. I mean, in a very real sense this was a game-changer because we’re just back to putting the safety, security, and the national defense of the American people first, and I think it sends, having just traveled around the Asian-Pacific representing the president over the last couple of weeks, I think this sends a decisive message to the world that under President Trump’s leadership we’re gonna make the strongest military in history even stronger.”
Limbaugh countered: “If I’m the Democrats, $21 billion, 15 billion for defense that was not originally authorized, that’s a small price to pay for continuing to fund refugee resettlement, continuing to fund Planned Parenthood, continuing to fund sanctuary cities, continuing to fund the EPA, and not build the wall. The Democrats clearly think this is a big win, and they’re confident they can block Trump’s agenda after this spending bill for the rest of Trump’s term. There isn’t anything of the president’s agenda in this budget, and people are beginning to ask, when’s that gonna happen? If you’re gonna shut it down in September, why not now?”
Pence insisted that “to get Democrats in Washington, D.C. to agree to a $21 billion increase in a short-term budget bill — and, you know, the president’s calling for the largest increase in military spending since the Reagan administration in the upcoming budget, I think is no small – it’s no small accomplishment.
Also, this bill includes the largest increase in border security funding in 10 years, with enough, as the president said to make a down payment on a border wall. We’re replacing ineffective and failing fencing and wall with an unbreakable barrier. We’re beginning to build the wall already, and look at the statistics, Rush. Illegal immigration, border crossings, are down more than 60 percent.
“Throw in there, Rush, remember, this is an issue you’ve been a great champion of, educational choice for disadvantaged kids for as long as I’ve been listening to you, and it’s just about as long as you’ve been on the air, and President Trump insisted here in this bill and got that we’re continuing the educational choice program here in our nation’s capital, and we’re gonna continue to expand educational opportunities for some of our most vulnerable kids. There’s a lot in here. This is just a five month bill. This is a short term bill that finishes out this year, but I think it demonstrates that, in President Trump’s leadership, the American people once again have a president who can bring together both parties, who can move the ball forward on the priorities of the American people, and when the next budget comes around next fall you’ll see even more of President Trump’s leadership and priorities reflected.”
Limbaugh asked “why then is the president now suggesting a budget shutdown in September or October? If it’s no good now, why is it good then? You guys were sent there to drain the swamp. There’s a clear Trump agenda that just isn’t seeable. It’s not visible in this budget, and some people are getting concerned that there’s more concern for bipartisanship and crossing the aisle, working with Democrats, than there is in draining the swamp and actually peeling away all of the roughage that is preventing actually moving forward here on so many of these issues that affect people domestically.”
Pence responded: “Well, I think people look at the efforts of the last hundred days. I was with the president in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, Saturday. It took him an hour just to outline the highlights of the last hundred days. I mean, he signed more bills into law than any president in the first hundred days since Harry Truman. Thirteen different bills rolling back an avalanche of regulation and red tape on businesses across this country, 500,000 jobs have been created since the first of the year. And you mentioned the Planned Parenthood issue. I know that’s emerged. You know, the president recently signed a bill into law that ends the Obama-era regulation that blocks states from banning Planned Parenthood funding. Now states can ban Planned Parenthood funding like we tried to do in the state of Indiana. And of course the health care bill that we hope comes up soon actually de-funds Planned Parenthood altogether, while we repeal and replace Obamacare.
“What you’re gonna get is the beginning of the end of Obamacare and the beginning of a better health care system for the American people.”
The Limbaugh-Pence debate: Trump agenda ‘not visible in this budget’ added by World Tribune on
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