David Friedberg

So the arithmetic indicates we're entering into a debt-death spiral in the United States with the interest rates climbing, the deficit climbing, and we then need to spend more money to pay our interest on the existing debt. That increases the deficit. We need to borrow more. The debt spirals up. Interest rates climb, and this becomes an insurmountable hill to climb.

As you have the conversation with members of the Republican Party, what's the point of view? What is the motivating factor for business as usual? Why is it so difficult to get folks to see the basic arithmetic in front of them?

As you have the conversation with members of the Republican Party, what's the point of view? What is the motivating factor for business as usual? Why is it so difficult to get folks to see the basic arithmetic in front of them?

So when you say the folks in the Republican Party that aren't willing to do the hard work, it's just so obvious how big of a crisis we are in and everyone's kind of being blind to it. So I'm just trying to understand what is it that's keeping the blindfold on? Is it that there are donors, that there are constituents? I'll give you an example. A couple of years ago, I went in for the farm bill.

So when you say the folks in the Republican Party that aren't willing to do the hard work, it's just so obvious how big of a crisis we are in and everyone's kind of being blind to it. So I'm just trying to understand what is it that's keeping the blindfold on? Is it that there are donors, that there are constituents? I'll give you an example. A couple of years ago, I went in for the farm bill.

review with the Senate Ag Committee 2012, so a long time ago. And we started talking about one of the agencies in the USDA, and they have 10,000 employees, and said, why does this make sense in a digital age? And the answer was it doesn't. It's like, well, why is the agency still running and employing all these people?

review with the Senate Ag Committee 2012, so a long time ago. And we started talking about one of the agencies in the USDA, and they have 10,000 employees, and said, why does this make sense in a digital age? And the answer was it doesn't. It's like, well, why is the agency still running and employing all these people?

Well, because the senators don't want to lose the jobs in their state, because that's 10,000 jobs split amongst roughly seven states, and it's really important to those seven states to keep those jobs. Is that the motivation that there's economic dollars flowing into the states that keeps the representatives and the senators from making the tough decisions?

Well, because the senators don't want to lose the jobs in their state, because that's 10,000 jobs split amongst roughly seven states, and it's really important to those seven states to keep those jobs. Is that the motivation that there's economic dollars flowing into the states that keeps the representatives and the senators from making the tough decisions?

Is it that they're getting donor dollars? What's the real motivation here that's keeping everyone from tackling reality?

Is it that they're getting donor dollars? What's the real motivation here that's keeping everyone from tackling reality?

Why do you think that is? Have you talked with his staff or him directly about it? Was this not as apparent to him and his staff as it is to you?

Why do you think that is? Have you talked with his staff or him directly about it? Was this not as apparent to him and his staff as it is to you?

Senator, is there a hard line that you'll have that if we don't get this deficit level to X, because that's the focus, that's the objective, that's the primary objective, rather, at this point in time in this republic? that you'll say I'm a no vote? And have you been that declarative about your position on this?

Senator, is there a hard line that you'll have that if we don't get this deficit level to X, because that's the focus, that's the objective, that's the primary objective, rather, at this point in time in this republic? that you'll say I'm a no vote? And have you been that declarative about your position on this?

It's also a pretty big delta. What scoring do you go off of? Is that the CBO scoring that you would use to make that estimate? Some of the conversation that we've heard is that

It's also a pretty big delta. What scoring do you go off of? Is that the CBO scoring that you would use to make that estimate? Some of the conversation that we've heard is that

the revenue effects of some of the new programs are not taken into account fully, that there may be revenue coming in from tariffs, there may be revenue coming in from the sale of the Trump immigration card at 5 million a pop, and there's a limited effect of the tax cuts on GDP growth, et cetera.

the revenue effects of some of the new programs are not taken into account fully, that there may be revenue coming in from tariffs, there may be revenue coming in from the sale of the Trump immigration card at 5 million a pop, and there's a limited effect of the tax cuts on GDP growth, et cetera.

So there's a lot of arguments to be made to make the line seem a little more blurry than perhaps the scoring might indicate.