Latest / Sid & Friends In The Morning / Keith Sonderling | Acting United States Secretary of Labor | 07-07-26

Transcript

Keith Sonderling | Acting United States Secretary of Labor | 07-07-26 · Sid & Friends In The Morning

• 0:00
  Speaker 1: So a few weeks ago, I had the real fortunate
• 0:02
  Speaker 1: opportunity to have two great people in the studio at once,
• 0:06
  Speaker 1: the General Inspector of the Labor Department, former Congressman and
• 0:10
  Speaker 1: dear Frand Anthony Diesposito, and Keith Sandling, who was the
• 0:15
  Speaker 1: acting Secretary of Labor. And last week, well maybe two
• 0:20
  Speaker 1: weeks to when I was away, President Trump now has
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  Speaker 1: nominated Sandaling to be the full time, take off the temporary,
• 0:29
  Speaker 1: not the interim, make him the Secretary of Labor, which
• 0:33
  Speaker 1: is a huge deal. Keith is a great guy. I
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  Speaker 1: love him, so congratulations Keith Sondaling, and welcome back to
• 0:40
  Speaker 1: sitting friends in the morning.
• 0:42
  Speaker 2: Thank you so much. I was so excited for you
• 0:45
  Speaker 2: to hear about the news.
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  Speaker 3: When President Trump announced it. And as you know, I've
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  Speaker 3: been working for the President since twenty seventeen doing his
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  Speaker 3: labor policy, and now to be able to lead the
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  Speaker 3: Labor Department as the permanent Secretary is the honor of
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  Speaker 3: my lifetime. And we're going to just continue to make
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  Speaker 3: sure that American workers get the first and best opportunity
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  Speaker 3: to get these jobs in this incredible economy that the
• 1:10
  Speaker 3: President promised to create and has delivered.
• 1:12
  Speaker 1: On So were you what were you doing when President
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  Speaker 1: Trump reached out and said, okay, Keith, this one's yours.
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  Speaker 3: I was in Manchester, New Hampshire. We had just finished
• 1:23
  Speaker 3: up a full day of going around Manchester. First we
• 1:27
  Speaker 3: visited a community college where they were teaching students how
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  Speaker 3: to weld, and they actually let me put on a
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  Speaker 3: welding hat and try to weld myself, which sid is,
• 1:36
  Speaker 3: as you know, is something they don't teach us in Boca.
• 1:41
  Speaker 2: But I was able to put it on them.
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  Speaker 3: I'll send you a picture when we're off. It's on
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  Speaker 3: Sunderling forty seven on Twitter. But and then you're really
• 1:49
  Speaker 3: just talking about all these jobs the president has created,
• 1:51
  Speaker 3: you know, the rebuilding American infrastructure. To get people more manufacturing,
• 1:55
  Speaker 3: it has to happen in community college. So the Department
• 1:57
  Speaker 3: of Labor is partying with community colleges around the country
• 2:00
  Speaker 3: to get these types of skills back, you know, for
• 2:04
  Speaker 3: shop for HVAC, for plumbing, So I.
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  Speaker 2: Was visiting that.
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  Speaker 3: Then I was able to visit the manufacturer in New
• 2:11
  Speaker 3: Hampshire that was building submarine parks. So we were just
• 2:13
  Speaker 3: having a great day talking about the President's policies and
• 2:16
  Speaker 3: how it's impacting areas like in New Hampshire. And then
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  Speaker 3: we were at the airport ready to board our flight
• 2:23
  Speaker 3: and the flight was delayed. So fortunately that delay must
• 2:27
  Speaker 3: have been sent by gem himself because during that delay,
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  Speaker 3: the President called me and said that he was going
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  Speaker 3: to nominate me for the job while I was standing
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  Speaker 3: in the Manchester airport. So how about Bosomer Stewart.
• 2:40
  Speaker 1: That is awesome. And it was not just Manchester. You
• 2:43
  Speaker 1: also did Florida. You mentioned Boca ratme, but I know
• 2:46
  Speaker 1: you were in Tampa Bay and Saint Petersburg and Orlando.
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  Speaker 1: Good buddy Anthony Coumia who does the show on Sunday nights.
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  Speaker 1: He lives in Greenville, South Carolina. You we there too,
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  Speaker 1: And you also toured manufacturing facilities all across northeast Pennsylvania.
• 3:01
  Speaker 1: So we spent the last couple of weeks Keith, What
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  Speaker 1: are you going around the country all looking to make
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  Speaker 1: sure that these jobs are flourishing here in America.
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  Speaker 3: Yeah?
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  Speaker 2: And since I saw you have been on the road
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  Speaker 2: almost every single day.
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  Speaker 3: And we're going around and we're seeing how President Trump's policies,
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  Speaker 3: We're seeing how the trillions of dollars of investments that
• 3:20
  Speaker 3: the President has personally brought back has really impacted American workers,
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  Speaker 3: and we see just an excitement of every where we
• 3:27
  Speaker 3: go because these jobs are coming back, and these are
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  Speaker 3: jobs that were lost. You know, they think about the
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  Speaker 3: manufacturing jobs and made in America. Everyone wants American made
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  Speaker 3: products and now has just shipped overseas. So the President
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  Speaker 3: has brought us back. We see those historic investments, and
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  Speaker 3: from my job at the Department of Labor is to
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  Speaker 3: make sure that not only American workers are getting these jobs,
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  Speaker 3: but they're skilled and trained in their local communities to
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  Speaker 3: get these jobs. And that's really what I was able
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  Speaker 3: to see. The other thing we were out doing and
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  Speaker 3: we've been doing, is you know, it's been one year
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  Speaker 3: since the President's Working Family tax cuts has passed, so
• 4:00
  Speaker 3: we're really seeing the benefits of that no tax on tips.
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  Speaker 3: So when I go to restaurants, you see all these
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  Speaker 3: restaurant workers, waiters, waitresses, meter d's. Everyone's happy because they're
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  Speaker 3: making more money in tips because more people are spending
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  Speaker 3: and they're keeping that money without having to pay tax.
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  Speaker 3: When I visit plants, we see more overtime happening because
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  Speaker 3: of the increased production. Six months straight the manufacturing index
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  Speaker 3: has increased, reversing its decline from the Biden administration, which
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  Speaker 3: was down every single month. So there's more overtime out there.
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  Speaker 3: And when they get more overtime, they're not being taxed
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  Speaker 3: on that as well. So we're just seeing the benefits
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  Speaker 3: of the working family tax cuts. We're seeing the benefits
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  Speaker 3: of the President's policy and that's why it's so important
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  Speaker 3: for us to leave DC to go to these places
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  Speaker 3: around the country where these policies are really hitting home.
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  Speaker 1: Keith Sondlingo was recently been nominated to be the Secretary
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  Speaker 1: of Labor full time. He's alread done at tremendoy's job
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  Speaker 1: of President Trump the last god nine years. You know, Keith,
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  Speaker 1: yesterday President Trump did something pretty cool. He rang the
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  Speaker 1: opening bell from the Oval Office in the White House,
• 5:03
  Speaker 1: very cool, and he was there basically to pump up
• 5:06
  Speaker 1: Trump accounts. And we know that a lot of the
• 5:09
  Speaker 1: Trump accounts stuff really speaks to the younger generation, kids
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  Speaker 1: like you all across America, or parents of young children
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  Speaker 1: looking to make sure that their futures are steadied here
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  Speaker 1: in America. What are your thoughts on what you saw
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  Speaker 1: yesterday the opening bell, Trump accounts from the White House.
• 5:27
  Speaker 2: Well, two things.
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  Speaker 3: One, see, I think you'd much rather than come to
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  Speaker 3: the New York st Hockey Schans ring the bell there,
• 5:32
  Speaker 3: because I'm sure if you would go, and I'm sure
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  Speaker 3: if he saw you, he'd make you come up and
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  Speaker 3: ring the bell with him.
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  Speaker 1: He usually does that. You're very good, Keith. He usually
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  Speaker 1: calls me up on stage. And it's so silly because
• 5:43
  Speaker 1: when I heard he was ringing the opening bell, I'm
• 5:45
  Speaker 1: be honest with you. I sent him a text yesterday morning.
• 5:48
  Speaker 1: I said, you know you're gonna be down on Wall Street.
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  Speaker 1: Maybe we can bump into each other this morning before
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  Speaker 1: you head to Turkey. So I was under the impression
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  Speaker 1: he was doing just that heading to Wall Street. I
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  Speaker 1: had no idea he was doing it at the White House.
• 6:02
  Speaker 2: And they brought him a special bell, and I don't
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  Speaker 2: know if you saw the press conference, it's a big
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  Speaker 2: gold bell. And he says he's not sure if that's
• 6:10
  Speaker 2: a bell going back to New York, but it's not
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  Speaker 2: leaving the White House. So I can assure you there's
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  Speaker 2: no way that bell is ever coming back to New
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  Speaker 2: York at historic. But yeah, it was a great day
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  Speaker 2: ringing in Trump accounts, And this is just such an incredible,
• 6:23
  Speaker 2: incredible program for families with young children's I signed both my.
• 6:27
  Speaker 3: Kids up yesterday, four and a half and one and
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  Speaker 3: a half year old, for their Trump accounts. But for
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  Speaker 3: those kids who were born from January first, twenty twenty five,
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  Speaker 3: through the president's term, you know, through the end of
• 6:39
  Speaker 3: twenty twenty eight, the extra benefit is that they're going
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  Speaker 3: to get one thousand dollars paid for by generous donations
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  Speaker 3: from you know, obviously Michael Dell and his wife has
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  Speaker 3: committed to giving one thousand dollars to newly born kids.
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  Speaker 1: By the way, and now you have bought them up.
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  Speaker 1: Michael and Susan, they were an amazing couple.
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  Speaker 3: Of the amazing, yes, amazing, and the fact that they're
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  Speaker 3: doing this just to help kids grow wealthy, you know,
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  Speaker 3: the fact that they can get one thousand dollars invested
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  Speaker 3: in American companies.
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  Speaker 2: And that's also what's so special is that this.
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  Speaker 3: Money that you put in and this money that is
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  Speaker 3: going to be put in for you if your kids
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  Speaker 3: qualify by generous people like Michael and Susan Dell and
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  Speaker 3: other very wealthy people and companies who.
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  Speaker 2: Are committed to This is going to go.
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  Speaker 3: Back into the American market, so it's going to be
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  Speaker 3: invested in American companies. So it's a dual win for
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  Speaker 3: the kids, you know, to get that thousand dollars, to
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  Speaker 3: watch it grow over time, teach kids about financial literacy,
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  Speaker 3: teach kids about compound interest, but also that money is
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  Speaker 3: now being reinvested in the American economy in premier American companies.
• 7:44
  Speaker 3: So if you go to your app store, I mean
• 7:47
  Speaker 3: you download Trump Accounts the app, you'll see how to
• 7:52
  Speaker 3: sign up. It's very easy, but also there's a lot
• 7:54
  Speaker 3: of financial literacy in there, teaching the basics, and it
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  Speaker 3: also shows you where the money is going to great
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  Speaker 3: American companies. It's just a win win. As you know,
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  Speaker 3: President Trump ran on making America wealthy again, and he's
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  Speaker 3: doing this now by building generational wealth for younger children.
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  Speaker 3: And no president and no administration has ever thought to
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  Speaker 3: do that before. And that's why you know, President Trump,
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  Speaker 3: when he promises to do something, he delivers and this
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  Speaker 3: is probably one of the most unique ways to do
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  Speaker 3: that we've ever seen.
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  Speaker 1: Let's talk about NATO for a second, because you know,
• 8:25
  Speaker 1: making money, you know, the oil prices are going down
• 8:27
  Speaker 1: now with this Iran water is still it's still going on.
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  Speaker 1: Iran once again fired at the ships on the straight
• 8:34
  Speaker 1: up for moves yesterday. But oil prices have come down
• 8:37
  Speaker 1: and inflation has come down, interest rates warshes well till
• 8:42
  Speaker 1: be new in that wall. We got to wait to
• 8:43
  Speaker 1: see that. But the economy certainly has indicated that it
• 8:48
  Speaker 1: has improved. It's improved already, even though the war is
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  Speaker 1: not officially over. Now he goes to NATO, of course,
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  Speaker 1: and he wants to make sure that Europe right pays
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  Speaker 1: their end of the bill, wants to make sure that
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  Speaker 1: all these European countries allocate five percent towards defense. And
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  Speaker 1: I spoke to Bill White earlier, the ambassador for Belgium.
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  Speaker 1: They've already done it. Many other European countries have done
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  Speaker 1: it as well. So when you talk about what's the
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  Speaker 1: ideal person to lead this country, is it a politician
• 9:18
  Speaker 1: or a businessman? Clearly the money making businessman is the
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  Speaker 1: right guy with a job.
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  Speaker 3: Yes, absolutely, And that's what you know he did in
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  Speaker 3: his first term and what he's doing in his second term.
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  Speaker 3: And I think the key is when you look at
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  Speaker 3: all these international agencies, this is the President is just
• 9:35
  Speaker 3: tired of getting ripped off. He's tired of America paying
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  Speaker 3: the largest share of all these organizations and other countries
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  Speaker 3: not paying their fair share as well. So I think
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  Speaker 3: that's always been a message and always something that he
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  Speaker 3: has when he goes over there, whether it's to NATO
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  Speaker 3: or whether it's the UN he shows these other countries
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  Speaker 3: how much more of the US is paying than the
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  Speaker 3: other countries, and that we continue to bear the burden
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  Speaker 3: on this, which of course is fu but it has
• 10:01
  Speaker 3: to be on the level playing field and America has
• 10:03
  Speaker 3: to be represented properly in this. And I have no
• 10:05
  Speaker 3: doubt he's going to deliver that strong message, including making
• 10:08
  Speaker 3: sure that our NATO allies are on the same page
• 10:12
  Speaker 3: he is, especially with the conflicts overseas, and I'm sure
• 10:16
  Speaker 3: he's I know he will deliver that message strongly, and
• 10:19
  Speaker 3: as he did in his first term, just getting these
• 10:21
  Speaker 3: other countries to pay up.
• 10:22
  Speaker 1: Secretary of Labor Keith Sandaling one of the most impressive
• 10:26
  Speaker 1: guys in that Trump cabinet. Young guy, great guy, Hey, Keith,
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  Speaker 1: tell me this. Obviously, all these things are going extremely well.
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  Speaker 1: You just pointed out for the last ten minutes how
• 10:35
  Speaker 1: great things are going, but you've got a job for
• 10:37
  Speaker 1: a reason, and that is to maybe pick something that's
• 10:40
  Speaker 1: not going great or to advance something that's moving a
• 10:43
  Speaker 1: little slowly. So what is it out there right now
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  Speaker 1: that you want to see improve?
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  Speaker 3: Well, we want to continue to see companies higher American workers,
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  Speaker 3: and I think that's a very big part of what
• 10:55
  Speaker 3: we're trying to do. And as these jobs come back,
• 10:58
  Speaker 3: the worst thing that can have happen is that local
• 11:01
  Speaker 3: Americans don't get these jobs. That companies pick foreign workers.
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  Speaker 3: They bring in people on these foreign visas unnecessarily when
• 11:07
  Speaker 3: there's qualified local Americans there. So that is something we're
• 11:11
  Speaker 3: certainly pushing is to make sure that American companies or
• 11:14
  Speaker 3: even foreign companies that are making these investments are only
• 11:18
  Speaker 3: hiring their local workforce and hiring American workers who were
• 11:22
  Speaker 3: completely left behind during the Biden administration. A lot of
• 11:25
  Speaker 3: these workers, especially in rural communities where we're seeing a
• 11:27
  Speaker 3: lot of these investments, they saw their jobs first shipped overseas,
• 11:30
  Speaker 3: and then if they came back, companies were just flying
• 11:33
  Speaker 3: in workers from overseas to take those jobs. And we're
• 11:36
  Speaker 3: not going to put up with that information. So that's
• 11:38
  Speaker 3: something we want to see improved when these jobs come
• 11:40
  Speaker 3: that the only people who are getting them are people
• 11:43
  Speaker 3: in their community and American workers.
• 11:45
  Speaker 1: I love that. So on the way out, Keith, you
• 11:47
  Speaker 1: worked for Trump, then you're stuck around for Biden. Now
• 11:51
  Speaker 1: you're back with Trump again. So is it pan who assume?
• 11:54
  Speaker 4: Then?
• 11:55
  Speaker 1: No matter who wins in twenty twenty eight, Heath Sandaling
• 11:58
  Speaker 1: will be part of the administration.
• 12:01
  Speaker 3: Sid you and I are going to go retire in Boco. Okay,
• 12:04
  Speaker 3: after this, after experience, I think we deserve to go back.
• 12:08
  Speaker 3: You're putting in.
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  Speaker 2: Your hours in New York, and I put in my
• 12:10
  Speaker 2: hours here since twenty seventeen.
• 12:12
  Speaker 3: I think we just retired to the beast and play
• 12:14
  Speaker 3: golf and hang out.
• 12:15
  Speaker 1: Doesn't sound horrible, I gotta tell you, especially with this creep.
• 12:18
  Speaker 1: I mean, the only way that New York stays attractive
• 12:22
  Speaker 1: and it's losing that every day, is if my friend
• 12:24
  Speaker 1: Bruce Blateman was on hold right now, Keith, he's on hold.
• 12:27
  Speaker 1: He's running the governor. He's got to win.
• 12:29
  Speaker 3: You know that, well, of course he does. And Bruce
• 12:33
  Speaker 3: and I had an amazing dinner together in Long Island
• 12:36
  Speaker 3: at this incredible Italian restaurant that Anthony brought us to,
• 12:40
  Speaker 3: so he had a great time. And obviously he is
• 12:43
  Speaker 3: the guy to make sure that our home state, including mine,
• 12:47
  Speaker 3: your listeners, remember I was born in Manhattan, gets back
• 12:51
  Speaker 3: on the right track.
• 12:52
  Speaker 1: He's the guy, Anthony d Esposito. Of course you're referring
• 12:54
  Speaker 1: to who is with your group and the he's now
• 12:57
  Speaker 1: the general inspector for the Labor Department. At any rate, Keith,
• 13:00
  Speaker 1: I couldn't think of a better guy. I'm very very
• 13:03
  Speaker 1: happy for you, really, I am. I love meeting you
• 13:05
  Speaker 1: a couple of weeks ago. I love the fact that
• 13:07
  Speaker 1: you're back on this program today. I love it that
• 13:09
  Speaker 1: President Trump has now nominated you for that position full time.
• 13:12
  Speaker 1: You deserve it. Your great Keith Sondaling, thank you so much.
• 13:16
  Speaker 3: Thank you.
• 13:16
  Speaker 1: I We'll see you back in New York one of
• 13:20
  Speaker 1: these days soon. Keith Sandaling right there, recently nominated by
• 13:23
  Speaker 1: President Trump to be the full time Secretary of Labor.
• 13:27
  Speaker 1: Terrific guy.
• 13:29
  Speaker 4: Thanks for listening to Sit and Friends in the Morning.
• 13:32
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• 13:35
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• 13:38
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• 13:54
  Speaker 4: time for a new episode, so you never have to
• 13:57
  Speaker 4: wonder
• 13:57
  Speaker 1: What the heck is going on here