Sen. Marshall on war with Iran, economic impact and redistricting

[0:00] Let's dive deeper on the war with Iran now and bring in Kansas Republican Senator Roger Marshall. Senator, thank you for joining me. [0:07] President Trump extended the ceasefire with Iran indefinitely after saying he wouldn't do it at all. But Iran has still refused to negotiate. [0:15] Does Iran have the upper hand here? No, absolutely not. Look, we have our foot on their neck. And I think what we need to realize is that [0:25] if Iran had nuclear weapons, gasoline would be ten dollars a gallon and that generations to come would not be safe. [0:32] Could you imagine like North Korea on steroids is what this would be like and our children would never be safe. [0:38] Look, it's impossible next to impossible to negotiate with these irrational, irrational religious zealots. [0:45] They don't value human life. They value women and children less than most Americans value their pets. [0:51] So it is very hard and it's day to day. It's moment to moment. [0:56] So I think we this is a day to stand behind our commander in chief and stand behind our military especially. [1:02] We've destroyed 90 percent of their missiles, 90 percent of their other Navy as well. [1:08] So I think we're we're in a good we're in a great position right now. [1:11] And his jujitsu move of us shutting down the strait absolutely has them scrambling. [1:16] Last point is, look, there's mixed messages coming from Iran because there's a power struggle there. [1:22] And surely your listeners get that, that we need to figure out who's going to actually be leading that negotiation, [1:28] a negotiation to a treaty that hopefully will stick long term. [1:31] Senator, let's talk about the impact being felt right here at home, particularly gas prices. [1:36] You said just last week that, quote, your national security is even more important than your pocketbook. [1:42] But a new poll shows that just 26 percent of Americans believe the war was worth the cost. [1:48] What do you make of that? [1:50] Well, I think you could ask a different question. [1:52] What percentage of Americans think in Iran having a nuclear weapon is a good idea? [1:56] To my point, I already said earlier, Iran with the nuclear weapon would be $10 a gallon gasoline. [2:01] But the good news is we're leading the world now in drilling, producing some 13 million barrels of oil a day that were the largest exporter. [2:12] We're not standing in line. [2:13] And, of course, I'm always going to put national security ahead of our pocketbook. [2:18] But the great thing is we're paying a fraction of what people in Europe are paying for gasoline. [2:22] I don't know. [2:22] It's like $4 a gallon in America versus some $7 or $8 a gallon in Europe as well. [2:28] So I do have empathy. [2:30] I understand that because of inflation, inflation is cumulative, that under the previous administration, the cost of housing, of health care, child care went up 50%. [2:39] I understand there's a group of Americans that are hurting, and gas prices are important. [2:44] And I'm as committed as to anyone to helping bring those gas prices down. [2:48] Now, voters in Virginia just yesterday approved a ballot measure on redistricting that could help Democrats flip four congressional seats. [2:55] Some of your GOP colleagues say this is a blatant power grab. [2:58] But it's the latest salvo in the national gerrymandering fight that was started by Texas Republicans last year with President Trump's backing. [3:05] Do Republicans have buyer's remorse here? [3:09] Well, listen, gerrymandering has been going on for, I guess, over a century. [3:13] I would remind your listeners is that I'm not a political scientist. [3:16] I'm a physician up here trying to do work for the people of Kansas. [3:20] My focus remains on the cost of health care, the cost of housing, child care. [3:25] So this is a blip in the screen. [3:27] I guess it certainly helps the Democrat Party. [3:30] I think there's 45%, though, of Virginians feel pretty disenfranchised by this. [3:34] But you can certainly paint the same picture in Texas. [3:37] I get it. [3:37] And what this ends up with, though, is that, number one, a large group of people that feel underrepresented. [3:44] And then it also leads, this gerrymandering leads to very few purple districts left as well. [3:49] And so you get people coming out of those districts that either slant hard right or hard left. [3:54] And it certainly affects all of us. [3:56] All right, Senator, I want to transition to your expertise. [3:58] Health Secretary RFK Jr. is testifying on the Hill right now. [4:02] And he's fighting back accusations from some Democrats that his rhetoric on vaccines led to recent measles outbreaks. [4:08] What's your take on that? [4:09] And how has HHS responded to those outbreaks? [4:13] Look, so as you pointed out, I'm a physician and have to deal with this on a regular basis. [4:19] I encourage people to get their MMR vaccines, their polio vaccines, tetanus shots. [4:25] Those have saved millions of lives as well. [4:27] But as you look to this latest measles outbreak, over 80 percent of those people are over the age of three that got measles, that didn't get their vaccination. [4:38] Look, this vaccination hesitancy was created during COVID by Anthony Fauci lying to us about the COVID virus, its origin, and the effectiveness, really the lack of effectiveness of the COVID vaccine and its side effects as well. [4:51] So don't blame Bobby Kennedy for this. [4:53] At the same time, with compassion, we want to reach out and contain those epidemics. [4:58] And I think HHS has done a great job of doing just that. [5:02] And, again, I encourage people to talk to their physician. [5:04] I value the safety of the patient-physician relationship. [5:08] And just like drugs have side effects and you should talk to a doctor before starting a new drug, I'd recommend you talk to your doctor before you get any vaccination as well. [5:16] That's common sense. [5:17] Well, Secretary Kennedy also refusing to commit to abide by vaccine decisions made by President Trump's CDC nominee, Dr. Erica Schwartz. [5:24] Your doctor, RFK Jr., is not. [5:27] So should he commit to following doctors' orders? [5:30] You know, I'd have to go back and see the context of that and let Secretary Kennedy expand on that. [5:36] I think that we have a vaccination committee in place. [5:39] And I would expect to follow the recommendations from that committee. [5:43] You know, the American Academy of Pediatrics has said that RFK's vaccine policy is destructive and not grounded in science. [5:51] You were an OB for over 25 years. [5:54] Who should the American people be listening to here, doctors or RFK Jr.? [5:59] How about their own doctor? [6:01] Every patient has a unique history, a unique set of high-risk factors. [6:05] And the advice that I would give my parents on the COVID vaccine is different from what I would give to my children for my grandchildren. [6:12] So I think, again, I go back to the sanctity of that relationship. [6:16] There were times when I went against the so-called expert's opinion as an obstetrician. [6:21] And even, you know, I think about a metastatic breast cancer patient where we might get three or four different opinions, each with a different idea. [6:28] But what they would do is they would come back to me and say, look, doctor, you know me best. [6:33] Of all these options out there, which one should I take? [6:36] And that's why I went to medical school for four years, four years of residency, delivered a baby most every day for 25 years. [6:43] So experience counts as well. [6:45] Listen to your own doctor. [6:47] Okay, Senator Roger Marshall, thank you for your time.