REP HILL 8-6-26

Mike Drop, hosted by former Navy CEO, Mike Ridland. What is your take? Was it what you expected? Oh, it was the best thing ever. It was something I always wanted to do. If you show me a clear goal, I'm like, okay, I can do that. Master Chief. He's like, you realize there's about 1% chance that you make it through. 1%. That's all I need Master Chief. My platoon went home early, and I just went up to my chief, and I was like, I'm not going home. Turns out I'm staying. That's when we go to war. Yeah, I was like, okay, I could get used to this. Mike Drop, follow and listen on your favorite platform. Yeah, good Thursday morning to you. Welcome back to the big show, 11 minutes after 7 o'clock. And now joining us on the American leak detection phone line, our congressman from the 2nd District of Arkansas Representative French Hill. And Congressman, good morning to you. How are you doing this week? Hey, Toby, good morning. We appreciate you joining us. So I want to get in. I think this is on a lot of people's minds out of the Bill Gates this week, especially with the primaries going on around the country. We're seeing this rise of the Democratic Socialists of America, the DSA, as a lot of folks are calling it. We're seeing this in primaries across certain states right now. Why do you think, Congressman, that the Democrat Party is starting to hedge toward this socialist movement, which is, I mean, it's pitting Democrats against Democrats, and it almost looks like fighting across the aisle versus what it really is, which is infighting. And so what do you make of this movement right now? Well, it's a long, steady growth inside that part of people who've traditionally voted Democrats that are going full. Democratic socialism, and it's been growing, I think, since the global financial crisis and the Obama administration. The Obama administration greenlighted essentially national health care. That was a goal of Bernie Sanders, and Bernie Sanders almost beat Hillary Clinton for the nomination in 2016. So these far-left candidates are... growing and they want to abolish the Supreme Court, abolish the Democratic Republic we have here, do away with our Constitution, go to a parliamentary system. I mean, it's a radical set of agendas in addition to their crazy economic policy. Yeah, yeah, get rid of the electoral college and all the things you may. Have you seen, obviously we've got like Zohran Mamdani, who has been voted in as the mayor of New York City. I mean, do we see any evidence anywhere in the country that these policies are making things better? Because I personally, Congressman, haven't seen any numbers of crime being down in New York City or food and housing being less expensive, which was all part of the pitch. And so do you see any evidence that this ideology is working somewhere? No, it's a classic communist utopia philosophy where all the power of production is in the hands of the state. The state rules prices, the state rules access. like health care, like Zohran Mamdani's trying to do on rent control in New York, trying to build new grocery stores to compete with the private sector, something that's been an incredibly competitive business throughout all of the boroughs of New York. And he wants to have the government control everything. And, you know, socialism is essentially communism by vote. I mean, it's by vote instead of by cutting your head off. I mean, it both lead to the same disastrous outcome.

Yeah, that's very true as we're talking with Representative French Hill this morning. On another topic, I wanted to ask you this morning about the Clarity Act, which is still waiting for the Senate to vote on it. I hear there might be a procedural vote sometime today, possibly. What are you here about it moving toward a real vote? And so what's the status of this legislation right now? Well, Tim Scott, who chairs the Banking Committee, our own John Bozeman, who chairs the Ad Committee, have been trying to get... consensus to bring the bill to the floor for a vote because there's been so much work done, a whole year's worth of work done on it since I passed it in the House with 78 Democratic votes. So they're still working at it. The holdups are really the ethics provisions where Democrats want to make sure President Trump. President Trump's family have no access to doing business in the crypto industry. And, you know, I think that's going to be tough because we don't really tell presidential families what they can and cannot do. Look at Billy Beer, look at the Bushes, look at the Regans, look at most recently Joe Biden and all that crazy stuff. His family was involved in. So we traditionally don't regulate that. But that is a big hang up. And this test vote would see if some Democrats will now vote yes on a motion to proceed so that we can actually debate the substance of the bill. And then there would be amendments about ethics that could be voted up or down. Yeah. So obviously, still trying to get it across the finish line. As you said, this was passed in the House a year ago, maybe even more than a year ago. How long is there a time frame that it can stay in the Senate without getting voted on? Till finally die in December, the end of this Congress, and then in January we have to start all over again. So I hope the Senate can find a path to pass this bill. We need... regulatory structure for digital assets. By the way, if we had passed the Clarity Act last summer after we passed it in the House, the whole Trump, any family engagement by the Trumps would have been fully regulated by the federal government. This is the irony that if we had just passed the bill we worked so hard on, we would have had transparency, rules the road, a framework, the ability to regulate anybody involved in digital assets. Yeah, it doesn't make a lot of sense at least on the other side of the aisle not to push this through because it does have a lot of things that they want. As far as the House obviously in recess right now, so you made a visit to Jay Clayton Holmes out in Conway yesterday, which obviously you're going to have a lot of time here in the district over the next few weeks. What's on the schedule? What are you going to be doing over the next month or so? Obviously, we're getting ready for November 3rd and your reelection campaign is underway. What are some of the things on your docket? Well, I'll spend time in all of our eight counties, and this week I got to go to the kickoff with the faculty and staff at Bryant and Benton High Schools. That was a lot of fun to see everybody fired up for the opening of school next year, and those two great rivals, and their great esprit decor in Sling County. I went over to Moody Cabinets because I wanted to get a hands-on manufacturing view of how housing's going in this market from someone who's a premier...

manufacturer for custom cabinetry across the state. That was a really good visit. I'm listening in each county about how the housing bill that we got enacted into law can benefit our cities, counties, and private developers around the state. So that's going to be a big theme during August. And also yesterday was out at Faulkner County at one of our farm-to-table farms that does it on an institutional basis. They're producing produce for... Faulkner County schools expanding across the state, and that was really encouraging to see healthy food being produced for our local schools. Yeah, no, we definitely love seeing a lot of that. You know, on the news this morning, just watching, you know, are we getting a deal with the Middle East? And is it moving forward? I just saw a report that said coordinates had been agreed to for ships to go through the Strait of Hormuz. Now, it doesn't mean there's a deal. How confident are you? that we're close to a peace deal with Iran based on what you're hearing. Well, I just can't express any competence in a deal that can be implemented. I mean, this is the same problem the president faces with Hamas in bringing peace and reconstruction to Gaza. You're dealing with a completely unfaithful, unreliable criminal terrorist organization. And just think about that in any personal context you have. Can you negotiate with an untrustworthy? criminal element uh... that doesn't have the backing of their people or any uh... you know uh... civil government function. And just think how hard that would be. And Trump's got two on his hands. One, trying to end the 50-year terror conflict with Iran for all of the Gulf and for Israel and trying to bring that final step to finding peace with the Palestinians after Jon Ossoff has been some 30 years ago. So these are both massive. tasks and the biggest challenge the president faces is he does not face reliable partner across the table. Yeah, I think our vice president, JD Vance, said it pretty good yesterday. He said it's just messy to negotiate with Iran, and we're definitely seeing that. On a much brighter note, Congressman on the way out this morning, got football practice underway yesterday for the Razorbacks, college football starting all across the nation. What are your hopes with the new coach coming in Silverfield this season? Doesn't seem like the so-called experts are very high on our team here in Arkansas. What are your thoughts?

not necessarily on the talent level, but just the new coach coming in. What are you hoping to see this year? Well, Silverfield is a winner. I mean, he's proven he's a winner. He's got, he knows how to build this free decor, build a team. I think this is a rebuilding year for Arkansas. I think we ought to set expectations for that. But I think the university has a great new head coach. We've got to get behind him. And let's see who can win this quarterback competition. Let's see how he puts a team together. But look, Arkansas is in the heart of the hardest conference with the hardest schedule every year of any group I know. I'm for those Razorbacks, and I'm for watching our new coach light them up and see what we can get done here early in the season. Let's see how we can put it together. He does have a 50 and 25 record as a college football coach, which is pretty impressive. So I did see. There's a kid I've been watching over at your alma mater at Vandy. This Jared Curtis, a lot of people say it's best freshman quarterback coming into college football this year. Have you heard much about him? Well, I have not. I have been reading about him because I think that it offers a lot of excitement coming off Pavia and the dynamism that he had as quarterback for Vandy. They've got obviously a little easier schedule than the Razorbacks have. But it's going to be fun to watch, again, a chance to see that team, see if it can do two fantastic seasons in a row. I'll tell you what, when you bring up that Arkansas schedule, it's been rated by many folks, and this is mathematical, not necessarily an opinion, as the toughest schedule in America. And so that's going to be a tough one to get through for Arkansas this year. But Congressman, always appreciate visiting with you. And, of course, we'll try and catch up with you again next week. I'll bet. Thanks, Toby. The U.S. Soccer podcast. I'm your host, Megan Klingeberg. And after interviewing so many dudes during this Men's World Cup, I'm so happy to be back with my U.S. women's national team players. I know the U.S. men's national team has changed how I think about myself, how I think about being an American, how I think about being on a team. It's one year out from that World Cup, and we're going to talk about the brightest prospects in U.S. soccer. You ready? I'm ready. Let's do it. The U.S. soccer podcast, presented by Henko, following. and listen on your favorite platform.