The Senate has passed its $95 billion “national security bill,” which Glenn believes should actually be called a foreign war bill. But if that isn’t bad enough, Senator J.D. Vance (R-OH) joins Glenn to warn that it would also give Democrats a powerful tool if Donald Trump wins the 2024 presidential election. Sen. Vance tells Glenn about a hidden clause in the bill that would give Democrats the ability to impeach Trump if he tries to stop funding Ukraine. Sen. Vance also explains what this bill’s $95 million is funding and why he’s shocked that so many Republicans voted for it. But he also discusses why he’s confident the House of Representatives can stop this.
Transcript
Below is a rush transcript that may contain errors
GLENN: Yeah. Let's talk to the senator, and find out exactly. J.D. Vance.
Thank you. I know you were on the floor at 4:00 a.m. Have you slept yet?
J.D.: I have not. But I'm still pretty fired up. So I'll sleep later, thank you.
GLENN: I bet. So tell us about this clause. This hidden clause.
J.D.: Well, so basically, if you go back to 2019, to understand this.
Using a weird, archaic rule, from the Impound Control Act.
The Democrats argued in 2019 that because money has been appropriated to Ukraine. Note the similarity, even though it's five years. Because the money has been appropriated to Ukraine.
And because Trump had refused to spend the money as appropriated. He actually violated the law. So what they've done with this lay here. Is appropriate money, not just through the end of 2024. But into '25 and into '26.
And so Trump, again, refused to give the money that was appropriated to Ukraine in exactly the manner described.
They would have not just the similar, but the exact same argument for impeaching him in 2025 as they did in 2019.
That would be absurd for -- but we shouldn't give the Democrats weapons, because they might stupidly use them.
We should just not give the Democrats weapons.
GLENN: So tell me where this speaking of weapons -- tell me where this money actually goes. Because they're saying, we are arming the Ukrainians. No, we've already done that. We've armed them.
And I'm sure some of this is for the military. But what else is are we funding in the 90 billion?
J.D.: Well, there's a lot of humanitarian assistance, not just to the Ukrainians, but also loads to the Gazans.
We know what happens with humanitarians close to Gaza. It very often ends up in the hands of Hamas.
So I guarantee, that at least a few dollars of their taxpayer money will flow to Gaza.
On the Ukrainian side, we have to remember, that the humanitarians are actually the biggest source of corruption.
We've heard for example, from American energy companies, that have tried to do business to Ukraine.
That the Ukrainian humanitarian assistance is handed out in the form of sweetheart contracts.
To Ukrainian oligarchs and the companies that they have. Heavily in favor --
GLENN: Of course, it is. We've documented this forever.
Forever. I mean, if you don't know it by now, you're -- you're -- I mean, you're just blind to the truth.
And you're just a reckless senator.
J.D.: Yeah. That's exactly right.
We know exactly what's going on.
We know it's a corrupt country.
We know that, yes. There's some money in this package. To rebuild the American weapons supplies.
But, remember, we have -- we give so much discretion in the Congress to Joe Biden, using what's called Presidential Drawdown Authority, or PDA.
That the president will immediately take the weapons that are produced for our own stock, and then just hand them over to Ukraine.
So this is a massive boondoggle. We know it will benefit a lot of corrupt parties. And importantly, we know it will continue this war, which I think is just not in America's -- I think there's strategy. There's no plan to bring this thing to a close.
I'm really just scandalized with just how many Republicans voted for this. Given the impeachment time bomb that we discussed. Given how endless the Ukraine War is. Given that Joe Biden is the commander-in-chief.
One of the arguments that I hear from my friends on the pro-Ukraine funding side is saying, well, we should be doing this, this, this, and this.
And I always say, well, why do you have any confidence that Joe Biden will do any of these things? Given how incompetent his administration is. We don't have President Donald Trump, or even President Tom Cotton in the Oval Office.
We have a President Joe Biden. And we have to make public policy, because we live in reality.
GLENN: So what's going to happen now?
The bill passed.
J.D.: Well, the one thing I will say, Glenn. It's always bad, when your enemies gain territory. Sometimes they can gain victory.
Because they gained territory at a lot of loss.
I mean, we really, I think, inflicted damage in the messaging battle yesterday. With the ultimate goal of spending so much time on the House floor and filibustering as long as we did.
The House I think is really radicalized in the legislation.
The only way, really the only way for it to pass in the House, is for Republicans, to cooperate with Democrats.
To give the floor over to Hakeem Jeffries. It's called a discharge position.
Look, we have to make sure this doesn't happen. In fact, any Republican who cooperates in handing the floor to Steve Jeffries, to get an immediate primary, and to be persona non grata in the Republican Party. So that is the next stage of the fight.
We have much, much better terrain for that fight in the house.
Because we have the majority. We will see what happens, Glenn. I'm optimistic. That they killed this first bill.
GLENN: Well, I hope it continues.
I just -- you know, there's so much misinformation on -- by the government. That this was a border bill. This last one was a border bill.
No, it wasn't. It was an immigration bill. And nobody except Chuck Schumer and Joe Biden have been asking for an immigration bill. America has rejected that over and over and over again.
Comprehensive immigration reform. That's not what we were asking for. We were asking for the border to be secured.
Now. Does it look like anything will happen on that front?
J.D.: Well, unless the House really stands their ground.
Again, what we should say to the president, is you don't get another (inaudible) to Ukraine, unless you actually secure the border. That's sort of a basic operating presumption. We won't even consider bills, to give money to Ukraine, unless you secure the border. We really need the House to sort of stand firm on this point.
I think they have a chance. Again, they have the majority. And they have the willpower here. Again, it's going to be a question of how many Republicans they can find, after voters in the back.
Unfortunately, they're -- there are a few out there. We know that.
Hopefully, there are not enough, in the House, to do it.
And to give Hakeem Jeffries control of the floor.
GLENN: I remember -- I remember September 11th.
I have absolutely no idea, what we were talking about, the day before. But all of it was irrelevant.
I don't know if you heard the sheriff of Butler County, Richard Jones. But he said, he was briefed along with the other sheriffs at the National Sheriffs Association, by Christopher Wray last week.
And Christopher Wray scared the sheriff's association to their core, it sounds. Saying, that we're -- we have a terrorist attack that is imminent.
Everything changes.
And I don't know how every Republican, or even just how every sellout, that just only cares about reelection.
Is missing, that because of these open borders, and because of what we're doing, in Ukraine. And with Taiwan.
And -- and Israel or Iran.
We are ripe for the taking! For -- for terrorist attacks.
And when that happens, these guys will not fare well at the polls.
They're just not.
J.D.: No, they're not. Sheriff Jones is a good guy, I know.
Butler County is actually where I was born and raised, Butler County, Ohio.
And so he is -- he is dead right, unfortunately.
We're at the greatest risk of a terrorist attack in this country, in at least 20 years.
We know there are many thousands of people, who are at least suspected on the terrorist watch list.
At least a few hundred of them are definitely terrorists.
They're in our country.
We have no reason why.
We have no reason planning.
And this is unfortunately, the consequence of Joe Biden's open border.
I, of course, hope that nothing happens.
GLENN: Me too.
J.D.: And I think we have to do whatever we can. To prevent as many bad people as we can, from coming into the country.
And we also have to prepare, and I think unfortunately, we have a lot of bad dudes in this country right now.
You know what I always notice, Glenn? Is these people always argue, meaning the open borders folks. They always say, this is about asylum. These people were fleeing political persecution.
And you look at the people allegedly claiming asylum.
And they're all between the ages of 20 and 35. I tend to remember from my history, that when political persecution is happening, it's the women and children who are the most affected by it, not the 25 to 35-year-old military aged men. So it's pretty frightening stuff.
GLENN: Yep.
Thank you, J.D., I appreciate it. Go get some sleep.
J.D. Vance, the senator from Ohio, who has been up all night trying to stop this bill in the Senate, along with a handful of others. And I thank every single one of them for doing their job.
This is a wrong-headed bill.
It is -- I don't know how, but it will be discovered at some point.
Who enriched themselves?
What NGOs enriched themselves?
What politicians enriched themselves?
Where did all this money go actually?
It will be revealed. It's just a matter of time.
