Russ Vought

We haven't been able to have cuts to non-defense, not because Republicans are unwilling, although many of them are unwilling as well, but because there has been a view that those two things have to be constantly considered together. And the Democrats insist and Republican hawks insist that defense has to be growing at X percent to deal with the threats in the world.

We haven't been able to have cuts to non-defense, not because Republicans are unwilling, although many of them are unwilling as well, but because there has been a view that those two things have to be constantly considered together. And the Democrats insist and Republican hawks insist that defense has to be growing at X percent to deal with the threats in the world.

We haven't been able to have cuts to non-defense, not because Republicans are unwilling, although many of them are unwilling as well, but because there has been a view that those two things have to be constantly considered together. And the Democrats insist and Republican hawks insist that defense has to be growing at X percent to deal with the threats in the world.

And that requires you to then bring additional non-defense spending to be able to be for that political coalition. And ultimately, if you get your average Republican member, they ultimately care a lot more about the defense stuff than they do about the bureaucracy.

And that requires you to then bring additional non-defense spending to be able to be for that political coalition. And ultimately, if you get your average Republican member, they ultimately care a lot more about the defense stuff than they do about the bureaucracy.

And that requires you to then bring additional non-defense spending to be able to be for that political coalition. And ultimately, if you get your average Republican member, they ultimately care a lot more about the defense stuff than they do about the bureaucracy.

Ultimately, you have your average Republican member cares more about the military industrial complex than they do about the woke and weaponized bureaucracy that is oppressing.

Ultimately, you have your average Republican member cares more about the military industrial complex than they do about the woke and weaponized bureaucracy that is oppressing.

Ultimately, you have your average Republican member cares more about the military industrial complex than they do about the woke and weaponized bureaucracy that is oppressing.

Well, I think it goes to the unhealthiness of the Republican coalition for like 50 years, but particularly in since 1989. Tell me what that means. So your kind of National Review Coalition, your fusionist Republican coalition was anti-communist. Yes. It was social conservatives, traditional conservatives. Yes. And it was kind of fiscal libertarians, right? That was your coalition. Absolutely.

Well, I think it goes to the unhealthiness of the Republican coalition for like 50 years, but particularly in since 1989. Tell me what that means. So your kind of National Review Coalition, your fusionist Republican coalition was anti-communist. Yes. It was social conservatives, traditional conservatives. Yes. And it was kind of fiscal libertarians, right? That was your coalition. Absolutely.

Well, I think it goes to the unhealthiness of the Republican coalition for like 50 years, but particularly in since 1989. Tell me what that means. So your kind of National Review Coalition, your fusionist Republican coalition was anti-communist. Yes. It was social conservatives, traditional conservatives. Yes. And it was kind of fiscal libertarians, right? That was your coalition. Absolutely.

And it worked until, you know, a certain level when we had the Soviet Union. But when we don't have the Soviet Union, it kind of takes on a life of its own, and now you have to keep us everywhere in the world to be able to justify all of the institutional buildup and the complex that has been built up, all of these defense industrial companies and things like that.

And it worked until, you know, a certain level when we had the Soviet Union. But when we don't have the Soviet Union, it kind of takes on a life of its own, and now you have to keep us everywhere in the world to be able to justify all of the institutional buildup and the complex that has been built up, all of these defense industrial companies and things like that.

And it worked until, you know, a certain level when we had the Soviet Union. But when we don't have the Soviet Union, it kind of takes on a life of its own, and now you have to keep us everywhere in the world to be able to justify all of the institutional buildup and the complex that has been built up, all of these defense industrial companies and things like that.

And Pat Buchanan actually talks about this in his book where he says, look, this was a specific strategy hatched out of the Department of Defense by some of the neocons at the time to be able to continue to justify the largest, from a defense standpoint, that we continue to be tied down to. That, I also think, you know, is...

And Pat Buchanan actually talks about this in his book where he says, look, this was a specific strategy hatched out of the Department of Defense by some of the neocons at the time to be able to continue to justify the largest, from a defense standpoint, that we continue to be tied down to. That, I also think, you know, is...

And Pat Buchanan actually talks about this in his book where he says, look, this was a specific strategy hatched out of the Department of Defense by some of the neocons at the time to be able to continue to justify the largest, from a defense standpoint, that we continue to be tied down to. That, I also think, you know, is...

And you don't actually then think through, okay, what does that mean? Does that mean I have to then be for every war that's been hatched? Right. Do I not to be for making— a defense that we can actually afford? Does that mean that I think that from an economic standpoint that we're not actually citizens before we're consumers? Like there's just a lot of unhealth in all of those. Yes.

And you don't actually then think through, okay, what does that mean? Does that mean I have to then be for every war that's been hatched? Right. Do I not to be for making— a defense that we can actually afford? Does that mean that I think that from an economic standpoint that we're not actually citizens before we're consumers? Like there's just a lot of unhealth in all of those. Yes.