Senator Bill Hagerty, US Senator for Tennessee | Official U.S. Senate headshot
Senator Bill Hagerty, US Senator for Tennessee | Official U.S. Senate headshot
United States Senator Bill Hagerty appeared on CNN's State of the Union to discuss the current state of government funding and President Trump's involvement in addressing the issue. As a member of the Senate Appropriations Committee, Hagerty expressed concerns about the lack of transparency in the appropriations process and highlighted Elon Musk's role in bringing attention to these matters.
Hagerty criticized Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer for not advancing appropriations bills that have been pending since summer. He stated, "We have had our appropriations bills on the floor of the United States Senate since this past summer. [Senate Majority Leader] Chuck Schumer has refused to bring them forward." He appreciated Musk's use of Twitter to provide transparency, saying, "Thank God Elon Musk bought Twitter, because that’s the only way we would even know what’s in this bill."
Regarding the debt ceiling, Hagerty emphasized its use as a political tool: "I’m sure [Speaker] Mike Johnson did everything he could to try to accomplish the elimination of the debt ceiling, or at least to push it out a long way." He underscored President Trump's efforts to illuminate challenges with raising the debt ceiling.
Hagerty also addressed media coverage and President Biden's involvement during these proceedings. He noted, "The interesting thing about this entire process though, as President Trump has been extremely involved in it, but where was President Biden?" He accused media outlets like The Wall Street Journal of malpractice for allegedly covering up Joe Biden's absence from these processes.
On Musk's influence in reducing government spending, Hagerty said: "We started out with over 1,500 pages; we got it down to 120 pages." He credited public pressure facilitated by Musk for improvements made to legislation.
Finally, Hagerty commented on Trump and Musk's relationship: “Anybody that knows the two men—and I know both of them; I’ve been with both of them many times together—I think President Trump is clearly the leader.”
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