United States Senator Bill Hagerty, representing Tennessee and a member of the Senate Appropriations, Banking, and Foreign Relations Committees, appeared on Fox Business’s “Mornings With Maria” to discuss several key issues. The conversation touched on the Middle East conflict, budget reconciliation negotiations, and the GENIUS Act.
Discussing Iran’s nuclear ambitions, Hagerty remarked on former President Donald Trump’s stance: “It’s not surprising. President [Donald] Trump has been entirely clear this entire period that Iran needs to come to the table, that he will not allow them to have a nuclear weapon.” He noted Israel’s actions as an existential decision by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu due to Iran’s threats against both Israel and America.
Hagerty emphasized U.S. support for Israel under Trump’s administration: “I think President Trump has been very clear. He’s not for these forever wars that go on. I agree with that. At the same time, he’s also been very clear that we stand with Israel.”
The senator also highlighted China’s role in supporting Iran: “They have been supporting Iran, Maria, over time. If you think about it, who’s been buying this illicit oil? Iran’s been evading sanctions.”
Regarding budget reconciliation negotiations, Hagerty mentioned ongoing discussions around state and local tax exemptions (SALT): “There’s going to be more deficit reduction orientation in what the Senate is working on right now.”
On IRA subsidies scrutiny: “I think they’re going to be scrutinized very, very carefully, Maria.”
Finally, Hagerty expressed enthusiasm for the GENIUS Act concerning stablecoin legislation: “We’ve been working on this for months. We have a strong bipartisan product.”
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