Anderson

I'm sure we're gonna have some good spirited conversation in there.

He's a dear friend and he's doing the Lord's work over there.

But this is gonna be a central issue that we've gotta deal with.

And I've been very clear to the administration privately and publicly that I very much support what the president is doing to try to reset the geopolitical landscape.

President Trump has a long vision about what we need to do to put pressure on China and Russia and to kind of reclaim the Western Hemisphere and the actions of Venezuela.

But I've been very clear about not wanting a blank check, that I wouldn't grant or agree to or vote or support a blank check, and that I wasn't interested in boots on the ground unless we've got a very specific and very concrete targeted mission that will be in and out.

I've said no more soccer fields.

I don't want soccer fields in Tehran.

I didn't want them in Baghdad.

And, you know, we've never talked about this, Steve, but in 2008, I went on a trip over to Baghdad in the middle of that conflict and had a three-star general taking me around and showing me soccer fields.

The American people didn't sign up to put men and women in danger for that sort of thing.

Now, the good news is I don't believe the president or Secretary Hegseth or the leadership of this administration want to do that.

But we've got a lot of complex issues that are all coming together at once.

And as you said, look, I believe you got to pay as you go for any of this stuff.

So put aside the defense buildup question, which we were already wrestling with before engaging in Iran.

Now we've got some requests for somewhere between $100 and $200 billion.

And I got to be honest, you know, a bunch of people from the Budget Committee went over the Pentagon before this recess, visited with them, and they didn't deliver what they needed to deliver in terms of specifics.

as to what we would use money for to build munitions and to make sure the military is as modern as it needs to be.

We have a job as Congress, as much as I love this president and this administration, we've got a job to do to hold them accountable.

By the way, FISA is another issue that I'm going to be on Monday when we come back.