Fox News "Sunday Morning Futures" - Transcript: Interview with Marsha Blackburn
Interview
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BARTIROMO: And that was Senator John Barrasso with us on this program last month before the Senate passed both an infrastructure bill and opened the door to a bigger bill, a budget resolution that paves the way for Democrats' $3.5 trillion spending plan, which we know is actually $5.5. trillion in cost.
Joining me right now is Tennessee Senator Marsha Blackburn. She sits on the Senate Judiciary, as well as Armed Services Committee.
Senator, it's very good to see you this morning. Thanks very much for being here.
SEN. MARSHA BLACKBURN (R-TN): Good to see you.
BARTIROMO: Before I get to your colleagues opening the door to these massive tax increases and spending that will be coming to us, I want to get your take on what's taking place in Afghanistan this morning.
We have breaking news. The Taliban has entered...
BLACKBURN: Yes.
BARTIROMO: ... the capital city of Kabul. We have news that the president of Afghanistan has now left the country.
And there is panic under way at the White House.
BLACKBURN: Right.
BARTIROMO: The Biden administration is now sending 5,000 troops to Afghanistan. Your reaction?
BLACKBURN: Oh, Maria, this is heartbreaking. It could have been avoided.
The exit from Afghanistan should have been conditioned-based. It should have been based on these threat assessments. We know that President Biden chose not to do it that way. He wanted to set a timeline. And as the Afghanis and the Taliban, as the Taliban has said all along, you may have the clocks, we have got the time.
So they have worked this through, planning an exit strategy for us, how they would reenter. They have worked with China to get political and economic support. And the plan that President Trump and Secretary Pompeo had was the right way to do this.
So, to see 20 years of gains go away, I am just heartbroken for the Afghani people. The Gold Star families, we are hearing from some of them. We know that the sacrifice there has given us a period where we were not hearing about ISIS attacks and beheadings on the news every night.
The steps that Secretary Pompeo when President Trump made were able to send that message, if you cross us, there is a price to pay. But Joe Biden is weak. And they are not fearing him. I think it is of concern when you hear him say that the exit is proceeding as planned. Seeing those choppers going into the embassy this morning, that is something that is upsetting.
Secretary Blinken I think a couple of weeks ago said that having China in Afghanistan could be a positive. Maria, this is weak leadership. It is ending in chaos and in destruction. This is a disaster. And I am just praying that we get those that have fought for freedom out of that country, that we are able to get those embassy personnel out of that country.
BARTIROMO: Yes.
Yes, well, at this point, we are understanding that the Taliban has taken prisoners out of the largest prison in the city.
BLACKBURN: Yes.
BARTIROMO: Apparently, there are thousands and thousands of Taliban prisoners who are being let out.
BLACKBURN: Yes.
BARTIROMO: We have not heard from Joe Biden at all, no statement from this administration.
BLACKBURN: Yes.
BARTIROMO: And yet there is not a dime in the new spending plans toward our defense systems.
The readiness of the defense is being questioned as China continues to invest in its military. I want to get your take on this infrastructure package and what took place last week. I know you voted no.
Did your colleagues just open up the door for massive tax increases and spending numbers that are coming in the fall?
BLACKBURN: Well, what we know -- and my -- there are some colleagues that tried to come to a bipartisan deal. It was not one that Tennesseans wanted to see.
As I said about the infrastructure bill, I saw it as a gateway to socialism. This was the opener for those -- for the leftists, for Bernie's budget. And, of course, they immediately followed the infrastructure vote with the vote on Bernie's bill, which was a $3.5 trillion budget, which became 4.2 by the time we took the vote in the wee hours of the morning.
And the estimates are that it is going to be a $5 trillion bill. And we are hopeful that this is going to be somewhat derailed in the House. This is too expensive to afford. The American people do not want to see it.
And, Maria, what this budget is doing, look at what is happening to inflation. This administration is weak on every front, whether it is the out-of-control spending, or whether it is misplaced priorities. This is a weak president. It is an administration that is not focused.
They are not prioritizing what the American people want to see. And there's bipartisan agreement on that.
BARTIROMO: Yes.
BLACKBURN: And whether you're looking at this budget, what it is doing to inflation, whether you're looking at the loss of energy independence...
BARTIROMO: Yes.
BLACKBURN: ... with the Keystone pipeline, or Russia and Nord Stream, or China...
BARTIROMO: Yes.
BLACKBURN: ... and the way that they are being -- this administration is so soft on China, whether it's dealing with the genocide, whether it's dealing with trade...
BARTIROMO: Yes.
BLACKBURN: ... whether it is dealing with China and their military aggression, I mean, the list goes on and on.
BARTIROMO: Yes. And, Senator...
BLACKBURN: They have been wrong on everything.
BARTIROMO: Yes, it does -- the list does go on. You're right. Yes, the list does go on.
But, Senator, with all due respect, if they're so weak, why are they beating you, OK? I mean, the bottom line is, the Democrats are winning. And we are about you see...
BLACKBURN: Yes.
BARTIROMO: ... a major Green New Deal, thanks to your colleagues.
Mitch McConnell the other day praised President Biden for doing bipartisan work. What's going on with the Republicans? You have gotten nothing out of this, except to say, oh, yes, we worked with our colleagues on the left. But they don't say that: We have worked with our colleagues on the right.
They don't care if you're there or not. They're going to push it through reconciliation. So, if they're so weak, why are they beating you and your colleagues?
BLACKBURN: Well, one of the things that we're doing every day is pushing back on this.
And the good thing is, the American people are beginning to push back with us. I talk to people every day that look at what has happened to this country in the last seven months, the loss of freedom, the push to federalize elections. And you know that's their next big front, the push to pack the courts, so that you have somebody that's going to approve all of this, lockdowns, mandates.
And people are going, hey, wait a minute. Hey, wait a minute.
So I think this is the time for Republicans to stand strong against this. This is a weak precedent. It is a weak administration when it comes -- they're just rolling over on the national stage.
BARTIROMO: Well -- yes.
BLACKBURN: Biden wanted to go to the G7, be praised, be part of the club. America's back.
BARTIROMO: Yes. Well, where is the G7 and...
BLACKBURN: Well, America is back when it is standing strong and not letting things like Afghanistan happen.
BARTIROMO: Or China. And you were the first to come on this program and tell you...
BLACKBURN: Yes.
BARTIROMO: ... that you think that the administration is flying migrants to Nashville in the dead of night.
I also spoke with a source who told me that they're using private jets and private airports to transfer migrants all across the country.
BLACKBURN: Chartered aircraft.
BARTIROMO: You're right, in the dead of night.
BLACKBURN: Yes.
BARTIROMO: You also have China, the China challenge.
I spoke with Jamie Dimon last week. And he's getting ready to open up shop in China. Corporate America is not looking at the national security issues, partly because the Biden administration is not making it a priority.
BLACKBURN: Well, that's exactly right. They are not making China a priority.
And, Maria, when it comes to the border, Mayorkas said it this week. They know this is a problem. They know this should be our first line of defense. They know that the Border Patrol cannot sustain this.
So, reinstitute remain in Mexico, catch and release, and build the wall.
BARTIROMO: Wow, what a six months, Senator.
Thanks very much for being here this morning to navigate through it.
BLACKBURN: You got it.
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