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Why Hasn't The SAVE Act Passed The U.S. Senate? · Conversations: Special Guests with Preston Scott

• 0:02
  Speaker 1: And here we are together again Revenge of the Fifth
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  Speaker 1: May fifth. On the Morning Show Show fifty five ninety six.
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  Speaker 1: He's Osam Preston and this is us Congresswoman Kat Cami Kat.
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  Speaker 1: How you doing?
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  Speaker 2: Good morning? How are you doing? We're doing all right
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  Speaker 2: over here?
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  Speaker 1: Are you sure? I'm man? I am I. I don't
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  Speaker 1: know what's worse right now. What I feel like is
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  Speaker 1: mixed signals. I'm getting on what our successes are in
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  Speaker 1: Iran or the fact that the Save Act is going
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  Speaker 1: to die. I don't know what's worse.
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  Speaker 2: Trust me. This last weekend Washington was probably one of
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  Speaker 2: the most stressful weeks I've experienced. It's it's a lot
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  Speaker 2: of whiplash up up in BC. I feel like the
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  Speaker 2: Iran situation is cooling a bit, especially now that we've
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  Speaker 2: got some passage through the strait of Hormoose. And despite
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  Speaker 2: all of the craziness of the oil markets, the stock
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  Speaker 2: market has rallied, so nothing seems to really make sense anymore.
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  Speaker 2: People are looking around like this both happened, and I'm like, well,
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  Speaker 2: we're in for it. Lots of craziness happening. I would
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  Speaker 2: say that every day we all get a little bit
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  Speaker 2: closer to wanting to abolish the filibuster because it's clear that,
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  Speaker 2: despite having a majority in the Senate, the Democrats are
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  Speaker 2: not going to move along with any of the Trump
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  Speaker 2: agenda simply because it's got Trump's name on it. And
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  Speaker 2: so at this point, you know, we know that they're
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  Speaker 2: going to abolish it when they eventually get that majority back.
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  Speaker 2: It makes you wonder if we shouldn't just do the
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  Speaker 2: same so we can get the agenda that the American
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  Speaker 2: people voted for and elected Republicans to do.
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  Speaker 1: How do we get to even that when you've got
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  Speaker 1: Lisa Murkowski, Susan Collins, Tom Tillis, and Mitch McConnell.
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  Speaker 2: You know, a part of me wants to say that,
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  Speaker 2: you know, us, us really putting the heat and the
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  Speaker 2: pressure on them works, but anymore it really doesn't. I
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  Speaker 2: go back to something very simple, of course, now as
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  Speaker 2: a mom, you know, it's you know, the theory of
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  Speaker 2: kiss right, keep it simple, stupid right. I have been
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  Speaker 2: advocating for us to break it up into different parts
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  Speaker 2: because the whole adage of you know, how do you
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  Speaker 2: eat an elephant one bite at a time. Let's start
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  Speaker 2: with photo ID get people on record on photo ID
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  Speaker 2: and take it from there, because I think us pushing
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  Speaker 2: for a larger package, it's clear that the resistance is overwhelming.
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  Speaker 2: It is very clear that you have members of the
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  Speaker 2: Senate that are not willing to take it as an
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  Speaker 2: entire package and then let them answer for each individual
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  Speaker 2: item that they support or don't support. I mean, I
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  Speaker 2: actually feel pretty frustrated. You know. Last week I was
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  Speaker 2: in those negotiations on the FISA deal, which I voted
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  Speaker 2: against the clean visa because after all the negotiations reforms
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  Speaker 2: and enhance criminal penalties and all these things that we
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  Speaker 2: had been fighting for, they put a clean reoff on
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  Speaker 2: the floor and so I voted against that. But part
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  Speaker 2: of what we were saying along the way was we
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  Speaker 2: can't on one hand, say hey, I want single issue
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  Speaker 2: bills and then turn around and try to tack everything
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  Speaker 2: onto every single bill. That is one of the hiccups
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  Speaker 2: that the Republican Party has hit at this point.
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  Speaker 1: One of the things, and you and I have talked
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  Speaker 1: about this quite a bit over the years, Kat, is
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  Speaker 1: that to effectively hold people accountable, whether they're Republicans or Democrats,
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  Speaker 1: for voting against eighty three percent of the country that
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  Speaker 1: wants to save Act in one form or another. You
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  Speaker 1: have to be able to then message that and go
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  Speaker 1: out and do that and say that. And I just
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  Speaker 1: don't see the will in the leadership of the Republican Party,
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  Speaker 1: whether it's elected leadership or appointed leadership the rpof or
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  Speaker 1: the Republican Party of the National Party. I just don't
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  Speaker 1: see the will to do that, I.
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  Speaker 2: Think, and you're one hundred percent right. I think that
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  Speaker 2: part of this kind of gnashing of teeth that you're
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  Speaker 2: seeing is a divide within the Party of half wants
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  Speaker 2: to focus on, you know, the affordability agenda, which is
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  Speaker 2: really important. But then there is the basics that again
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  Speaker 2: we're very, very important and central to the election of
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  Speaker 2: We are going to make sure that the legals are
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  Speaker 2: not voting in our elections. We're going to ensure that
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  Speaker 2: you're a citizen. We're going to ensure that you have
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  Speaker 2: to present voto ID when you go to vote, like
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  Speaker 2: real simple, basic things. And again overwhelmingly you say eighty
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  Speaker 2: I've seen polls where there's ninety percent people surveyed that
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  Speaker 2: support the idea of the Same America Act. And so
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  Speaker 2: I think people are in conflict over what they should prioritize.
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  Speaker 2: And the thing that I am very frustrated with is
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  Speaker 2: everything we've passed in the House goes to the Senate
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  Speaker 2: and dies a very sad, slow desk. The Senate needs
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  Speaker 2: a shaking up, because I'll tell you the House we're
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  Speaker 2: doing our part, and it's just so frustrating. I can't
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  Speaker 2: even begin to tell you how frustrating.
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  Speaker 1: So it passed the hour. Kat Camick makes time for
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  Speaker 1: us a couple times each month from her very busy
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  Speaker 1: schedule representing Florida's third congressional district, and we have her
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  Speaker 1: on the program as opposed to a lot of other
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  Speaker 1: people because she fights the fight that I think all
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  Speaker 1: of you want fought. I hear it in your emails, Sorry,
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  Speaker 1: see it in your emails. I hear it from you
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  Speaker 1: in personal conversations.
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  Speaker 2: Kat.
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  Speaker 1: I think this issue connects real closely to what we
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  Speaker 1: were just discussing. Peter Schweitzer is a very good friend
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  Speaker 1: of this radio program. He's based here in Tallahassee. The
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  Speaker 1: book Invisible Coup was used in the Supreme Court arguments
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  Speaker 1: lately on a couple of very important cases that were argued.
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  Speaker 1: I'm curious what's happening in the House to really address
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  Speaker 1: the fact that we have Chinese nationals that are using
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  Speaker 1: birth tourism and we now have a you know, we
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  Speaker 1: got a million and a half people sitting in China
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  Speaker 1: being educated. They're going to move back here when they're
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  Speaker 1: eighteen or older and are going to vote and change elections.
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  Speaker 2: Yeah, it is a very real thing. It is a
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  Speaker 2: very real problem. I always this is going to sound terrible,
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  Speaker 2: but for those that have seen the show the Americans,
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  Speaker 2: it's about Russian spies that were referred to as illegals
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  Speaker 2: and they would basically establish lives here in the United States.
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  Speaker 2: Birth tourism is rampant amongst pretty much every nationality, but
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  Speaker 2: it's especially concerning when it comes to the Chinese, given
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  Speaker 2: that you cannot leave China without the blessing of the government,
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  Speaker 2: and it is very expensive, and there's actually islands that
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  Speaker 2: have an entire established economy surrounding the birth tourism of
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  Speaker 2: Chinese nationals, and that to me tells me that they
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  Speaker 2: have a long term strategic plan, because, as you said,
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  Speaker 2: they don't stay here, they go back and they're raised
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  Speaker 2: in mainland China, but they have an American passport. The
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  Speaker 2: value of that to the CCP is it's well, Kendley
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  Speaker 2: is invaluable and we will see and have fallout for
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  Speaker 2: years to come as a result of us not tightening
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  Speaker 2: down on this. And so I know there's been a
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  Speaker 2: lot of talk about the fourteenth Amendment, and I support
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  Speaker 2: the presidents moved to end birthright citizenship. I mean, I
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  Speaker 2: just I think that we have absolutely shot ourselves in
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  Speaker 2: the foot by allowing people who are looking to exploit
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  Speaker 2: the system rather than to come in and assimilate and
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  Speaker 2: be good Americans. We have adversaries that want to exploit it.
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  Speaker 1: Yes, I'm curious, though, is there discussion? Are there are
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  Speaker 1: there bills being advanced? Are you hearing of anything happening
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  Speaker 1: at least in the Republican Caucus in the House. If
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  Speaker 1: the Supreme Court rules against the Trump administration on this
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  Speaker 1: effort to define what birthright citizenship rightly is or is not,
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  Speaker 1: maybe are you preparing for the what ifs?
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  Speaker 2: Absolutely? And there are a couple pieces of legislation that
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  Speaker 2: have already been introduced. They're working their way through the
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  Speaker 2: committees of jurisdiction in this case judiciary, which I will
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  Speaker 2: just share with everyone that that is one of the
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  Speaker 2: hardest committees to get anything through it is very, very tough,
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  Speaker 2: and so people tend to try to avoid the Judiciary Committee,
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  Speaker 2: like the plague. Sure, just given that it's tough, but
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  Speaker 2: I have seen several iterations of bills that would handle
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  Speaker 2: and codify what the what the President is looking to do.
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  Speaker 2: And our hope is that once we get a green
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  Speaker 2: light from the Supreme Court, that we can actually advance
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  Speaker 2: those through committee to the House floor. But once again,
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  Speaker 2: what it stanned up to scrutiny in the Senate. With
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  Speaker 2: the Senate pick it up, I have my doubts.
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  Speaker 1: Chatting with US Congressman kat Camick, Florida's third district for
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  Speaker 1: just a few more minutes, kat off and on. Over
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  Speaker 1: the years, we've talked a lot about earmarks, and you're
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  Speaker 1: disdained for them, but sadly it's not shared by enough
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  Speaker 1: of your colleagues.
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  Speaker 2: Ah No, Unfortunately, I am in the very very small
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  Speaker 2: minority of members that don't engage in the currency of
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  Speaker 2: corruption earmarks. It's really frustrating because you know, we just
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  Speaker 2: had a pretty damning report come out where our debt
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  Speaker 2: has one hundred percent exceeded our annual revenues, and what
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  Speaker 2: that means for our children, our grandchildren, our economy. It's terrifying.
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  Speaker 2: And I will tell you that. People will tell me, oh, well,
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  Speaker 2: you know, these are just a drop in the bucket
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  Speaker 2: in the grand scheme of things, And I said, yeah, well,
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  Speaker 2: we borrow seven to eight billion dollars a day, and
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  Speaker 2: if we could, I don't know, save a month's worth
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  Speaker 2: of borrowing by not handing out pet projects like the
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  Speaker 2: Michelle Obama walking Trail in Georgia or the Nancy Pelosi
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  Speaker 2: Community Park in San Francisco, that to me is worth it.
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  Speaker 2: And if we are serious about being conservatives in small
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  Speaker 2: government advocates, there's so many of those projects that should
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  Speaker 2: be handled at the state or local level. Yes, and
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  Speaker 2: so if it's if it's not a direct tie to
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  Speaker 2: national security, I don't think we should be doing it.
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  Speaker 2: And that, to me is the most frustrating thing is
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  Speaker 2: all of virtually all of my Republican colleagues, with the
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  Speaker 2: exception of about a dozen, they all engage in earmarks
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  Speaker 2: and they use it as a tool to get re elected.
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  Speaker 2: And it's really really sad.
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  Speaker 1: Does that Does that shape who you pal around with
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  Speaker 1: up there?
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  Speaker 2: Yeah?
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  Speaker 1: You know what I mean? I mean, I just I
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  Speaker 1: don't know how you function when so many people are
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  Speaker 1: just with no North on their compass.
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  Speaker 2: Yeah, it does not make me very popular, and so
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  Speaker 2: you don't you don't see me frequenting the evening receptions.
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  Speaker 2: I would much rather be at home with my husband
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  Speaker 2: and my baby anyways. But you know, in terms of
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  Speaker 2: trying to get things done, people know where I'm at,
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  Speaker 2: and I've told them, I said, listen, I think we
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  Speaker 2: should go back to an earmark ban. And some will
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  Speaker 2: agree and they'll say, yeah, it is the right thing
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  Speaker 2: to do. But you know, politically it helps. I can't
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  Speaker 2: tell you how many times I have heard that, And
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  Speaker 2: especially last week there was some controversy around the farm bill,
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  Speaker 2: and I heard from more than I would say seven
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  Speaker 2: or eight of my colleagues who said, yeah, I know
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  Speaker 2: that the policy is solid on this, but you know, politically,
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  Speaker 2: I just don't want to take the heat. And they
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  Speaker 2: vote against doing what's right because they don't want to
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  Speaker 2: actually advance a conservative agenda. It's really really frustrating, and
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  Speaker 2: it doesn't deter me from the work that I do.
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  Speaker 2: It actually helps motivate me. I'm one of those random
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  Speaker 2: weirdos that is motivated by negative reinforcement. And so every
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  Speaker 2: time someone says, oh, you can't do that, or you know,
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  Speaker 2: we're not going to do this, I'm like, Okay, I'll
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  Speaker 2: just I'll try a different angle. I'll work a different
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  Speaker 2: different tact.
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  Speaker 1: So what are you hearing from your constituents?
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  Speaker 2: You know, I'm hearing a lot of dismay from from Republicans.
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  Speaker 2: I'm hearing a lot of frustration that the leadership in
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  Speaker 2: Washington is not advancing the items that they really want,
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  Speaker 2: like to Save Act, right, like to Save America Act.
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  Speaker 2: That's that's a no brainer. They feel like there's a
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  Speaker 2: lot of issues that are being tackled that weren't part
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  Speaker 2: of the original agenda. So there's a lot of frustration there.
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  Speaker 2: And when I talk to Independence and and and folks
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  Speaker 2: in like young families, they're saying it's the affordability issue.
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  Speaker 2: They're really really concerned about rising prices and making ends
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  Speaker 2: meet and and I think there's real truth to that.
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  Speaker 2: And if we could actually get government out of the
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  Speaker 2: way and things like the Rains Act or the USA Act,
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  Speaker 2: that will actually put us on a track that would
• 14:02
  Speaker 2: bring the prices of everything down, because that's the regulatory
• 14:06
  Speaker 2: in the permitting reform that opens up industry.
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  Speaker 1: Kat is always you're generous with your time, and I
• 14:12
  Speaker 1: know it's remarkably busy, as it always is for you,
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  Speaker 1: but thank you so much for making it and my
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  Speaker 1: best to you and your family.
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  Speaker 2: Appreciate you. Guys, have a good one.
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  Speaker 1: Thank you. Kat Camick with US US congresswoman from Florida's
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  Speaker 1: third District, twenty seven past the hour