Transcripts. Bannon’s War Room. Representative Andy Biggs: Republicans Must Get Behind Congressmen Who Fight for The America First Agenda. November 15, 2022
Topic. House Leadership Challenge to Kevin McCarthy. Guest, Andy Biggs. November 15, 2022.
Transcripts from Bannon’s War Room on Rumble: Representative Andy Biggs: Republicans Must Get Behind Congressmen Who Fight for the America First Agenda
Published November 15, 2022.
Steve Bannon:
I want to bring in Andy Biggs. Andy has been a longtime friend of the show we've had him on many many times over the last couple of years starting back in impeachment, when we started the show three years ago but a big announcement last night. Andy you were on the show over the weekend and late last week talking about the importance of the speakership about how many seats we would end up getting.
You called it and I got to tell you Andy Biggs he said hey here's what exactly what's going to happen. Here's what's going to roll out in Arizona with these seats here's what's going to happen. We're going to have a majority but it's going to be thin, but you announced last night I think, you actually announced that you're running for speaker. Walk me through that. Why are you doing that? You’re legendary in the House Freedom Caucus but you've never really, I don't think ever gone for this type of leadership position. And this would be speaker of the house. Why are you challenging Kevin McCarthy?
Andy Biggs:
There's a lot of reasons Steve, but not the least of which is, it's time for a change. We have to change the status quo. The status quo is the suboptimal path for both Republicans and this nation. So, we have to make a change. And I know that you've got people that are saying oh Andy don't do it now, the margin is too thin. If we had a 25 seat in majority that had been saying oh don't do it now Andy because the margin is so great, we just had a big victory.
They said in 2020 when we lost the House again, they said oh don't do it because we're in the minority. It is time to exit this path and move and turn a new leaf, turn a new page, so we can go forward for the American people. That's what this is about. It's not about even Kevin McCarthy so much or Andy Biggs so much as it's time to change the status quo in Washington DC. It's past time to do that.
Steve Bannon:
Yeah, that's why we had Russ Vought on and he's been on here. Russ's not, has not really been a political guy so much as he's a a policy guy, OMB but he has been at the forefront of this and it's and the reason I wanted to have you on a day it's ironic, this vote takes place at least the first-round vote, the leadership vote takes place in the same day as Donald J Trump's announcement.
We have a structural problem. We're not aligned, and I want you to talk to the audience about what we need to align particularly what the House does or the other congressional party with these what Trump represents with this kind of populist nationalist America first policies. Can you walk us through that? It's not really the personalities of Andy Biggs although he's a fighter and a beloved character or Kevin McCarthy who may seem to a lot of people to be too corporate or too establishment. It’s a fundamental deeper issue and that is it not, sir?
Andy Biggs
It is, and its structural. So, you know if you want to have good policy you have to have good procedure and you have to have the structure. And you have to rebalance the structure and that's what I'm talking about. I’m dealing with both these issues. Quite frankly so this structure has to change. How does it change? Well, how about if you open up the appropriations process in such a way that you actually can reduce the inflation sustaining and fueling budget of this massive federal budget that we have. In order to do that you have to fix the internal structure to do it, because it's not set up to fix that. The same thing with any kind of conservative idea.
And Donald Trump actually had this right, when he talked about the swamp and the uniparty and what goes on here. Well, these people all prefer the structure the way it is, because they profit off it. In order for the American people to profit off it you have to get in and use and resort back to the constitutional constraints. And so, you use that. How about things as simple as, I mean seriously simple, saying a single subject rules on bills. No more 3000-page bills that are given to people with one hour before you vote and saying you got to vote to know what's in it. Those things are structural, and they've gotten worse under Pelosi, but they were bad under the previous administration.
How about just allowing members of Congress to go to the floor and move to amend. It doesn't mean you have to grab it, just allow them to move to amend and debate it and have a vote on it. We haven't had an open amendment process and six years, Steve, six years. So that's the structural side.
The policy side is to say look, me and the more moderate side or liberal side of the Republicans, we agree on certain things. How about if we find those agreement points that are America First in nature and put those up in a very simple fashion not buried under thousands of pages of crap and just say let's build up a fence. They want to fence and let's fund it build it and go forward.
And then the other thing is, and this is what's key I think too Steve to altering the status quo and that is to recognize you use every tool in the toolbox to leverage against people who view us not as political opponents, not as Americans with just divergent viewpoints, they view us as political enemies, they do. And we have to change that. In order to change it, you have to be ready to fight and use the toolbox of tools that we have.
Steve Bannon:
So, Andy to do all this, is you're running for speakership a protest vote or do you have a shot for this, like people tell me hey you've got 10 or 12 votes, I don't know if McCarthy has the rest but I mean what what's the practical purpose of this this is a protest vote. Is this for you to lay out this alternative vision where we could go or as Andy Biggs has got a shot at this?
Andy Biggs
Well, I'm the first to admit that it's if I have a shot at it's really a long shot Steve. Kevin has got this sewn up. I mean this this status quo as I said you got people who say well, we can’t vote for Biggs because we have a too thin of a majority and they would find some reason to vote always for the for the establishment status quo.
If in the end we get significant number of votes then Kevin will still be the nominee, but he has to fight it out and we have to have an internal fight and discussion and maybe we can exit the path of this status quo that's defeating this country by January 3rd. Because on January 3rd is the actual votes, Steve. Today's really kind of the primary and January 3rd would be the general.
Steve Bannon:
So, what should people look for in the next couple of weeks and is this going to be tied to people's behavior during the lame duck. I mean the lame duck we're trying to get the audience up you're going to have a $2 trillion discretionary spending fiasco in this omnibus bill. You got the debt ceiling they’re going to trying to move. They’re going try to make Puerto Rico a state. I mean is the lame duck inextricably linked with this fight for the speakership?
Andy Biggs:
Absolutely it is, and so that so it's critical that we had somebody in the race. I was drafted, people asked me to run so I said OKAY. And you know we have to see what they're doing in the lame duck and that that will give you an indication, but don't forget that we have a history here of where we've been on this. And I will just tell you one other thing Steve I think it's important to know I actually was the Senate President Arizona. We didn't have a super majority but we it wasn't perhaps as thin as this majority is, but one thing I proved I think, is that I know how to lead and work with people who have divergent viewpoints. And we had very successful legislature when I was there because I think my ability to understand what we could do and move up to the line as far as we could go to protect and preserve the rights of Americans.
And people need to be watching what what's happening in this next three weeks, Steve. I mean by December 16th you'll have a pretty good idea whether Mr. McCarthy is fit for the job, and I think a lot of people would say they'd already seen his performance over the past four years or so.
Steve Bannon:
Some of your best allies, MTG for instance it says Andy Biggs is a great guy I love Andy Biggs, he's a warrior he's one of my partners in this but he's walking down a path that could flip this to the Democrats, you could have a moderate Democrat or Liz Cheney or some crazy idea like that. Is that realistic in your mind?
Andy Biggs
I love Marjorie as you know we've worked together side by side and taking our licks together and fought this battle, but I think she's wrong here, I think. And the reason I say that is we have a chance. If you don't make a chance because you have a small majority and you won't do it because we have a big majority, or you want to do because we're in the minority when will you make a change? When will you make a change?
Everything is fraught with risk. I don't think this is a serious risk though, I don't think even the republican who said he would go to Democrats, he's kind of walked that back already. Nobody wants to see a Democrat leading us now when we have a majority. So, I don't think that's realistic.
I think what's much more realistic is that, if we united it doesn't necessarily mean you have to unite behind Kevin McCarthy for Pete's sake. You can the United yeah united behind me and if I'm not the guy and you can find a different consensus candidate let's unite behind somebody who will actually invoke America First policies and that's what we need to do, Steve. This country is ripe for it. And this body is ripe for reform and transition and we have to exit the suboptimal path and build a new path and it might have some short-term pain but it'll have long term consequences and rewards that that will make this country a far better place, make this institution far better more responsive institution.
Steve Bannon:
Matt Gaetz has talked about hard No’s right now. As you see it how many hard No’s that will never vote for McCarthy how many hard No’s do you have?
Andy Biggs:
I don't know I I know we've been whipping it and I feel very comfortable that we will have a significant number of hard No’s here on Mr. McCarthy and we're whipping in the count, and I will just tell you it's a secret ballot a lot of people don't realize that this ballot today's a secret ballot. And there are people who want to vote no for Kevin, but they don't want him necessarily to know it because he might exact retribution against them and that's also a crappy way to lead this body.
Steve Bannon:
Congressman Biggs how do people follow you on social media?
Andy Biggs:
Go @Rep Andy Biggs Az
Steve Bannon:
Everybody ought to be following that social media account a lot happening. Congressman Biggs thanks for carving time out today to join us in the War Room.
Andy Biggs:
You bet Steve, thanks so much for all you do.
END
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