'They Are Freaked Out': Teresa Leger Fernandez Warns Of Citizen Disapproval Of Trump Agenda

Forbes Breaking News

At Monday's House Rules Committee hearing, Rep. Teresa Leger Fernandez (D-NM) warned of citizens concerns about President Trump's agenda.

Transcript

00:01Gentleman yields back.

00:02Now recognize Ms. Ledger-Fernandez for her time of question.

00:09Well, thank you.

00:11So, you know, for months, my phones have been ringing off the hook,

00:16and I know everybody's phones have been ringing off the hook

00:19because Americans have been calling us because they are freaked out.

00:23In fact, Americans have been calling us so much

00:26that they have shut down the phone system at times

00:30because they're so upset about what Trump is doing,

00:33what Doge is doing, what Musk is doing,

00:35and, you know, I don't think,

00:38I've not fielded a single call asking for this name change,

00:44but Americans really disapprove of what Donald Trump

00:48and the Republican leaders are doing to their pocketbooks,

00:52their Social Security, their health care.

00:54They don't like the fact that Trump is ignoring the Constitution

00:58and doesn't believe in the basic value of due process.

01:02Hell, on the interview on NBC,

01:06he didn't even seem to know that due process

01:09was guaranteed under the Constitution

01:12and had to be honored.

01:15And the reality is Americans thought that Trump,

01:19and they voted for him, and they feel betrayed

01:20because they thought he was going to address costs on day one.

01:26But what have we seen instead of Trump addressing costs on day one?

01:30We've already had the first quarter of negative growth.

01:37That's the beginning of a recession,

01:39and everybody says a recession is coming

01:42because of Trump's policies, because of Trump's tariffs.

01:46You know, Madam President asked for unanimous consent

01:49to enter into the record, the Fox News poll.

01:52The Fox News poll.

01:53There's lots of other news polls out there,

01:55but just so that people know,

01:57this is coming from the Republicans.

01:59The Fox News poll that shows 56% of Americans

02:02disapprove of Trump's handling of the economy,

02:0558% disapprove of his tariffs,

02:08and 59% disapprove of how he's handling or not inflation.

02:15And it's this idea that he's not handling what's important

02:18that has Americans upset.

02:21Mr. Chairman, I'm sorry, I said Madam Chair.

02:23The gentle ladies asked to have the Fox polling

02:25put into the record without objection.

02:27So ordered.

02:29So according to a poll published by the Washington Post newspaper

02:33and ABC News, only 39% of Americans approve

02:37of how Trump is handling his presidency,

02:40and they think he is going too far

02:42because he keeps doing things like this,

02:46and like the tariffs, which are serious.

02:49I mean, I'm sorry if I reacted to the idea

02:52that part of this may have come out of a comedian,

02:56but the tariffs are hurting people.

02:59And most Republicans, not all,

03:02I recognize that Representative Hageman

03:04has had a town hall.

03:06Most Republicans don't even want to hold town halls

03:09because their voters are so mad at them.

03:12I did a town hall in one of Ken Calvert's towns on Saturday.

03:17They were so disappointed that he hadn't showed up

03:20to answer their questions about Medicaid,

03:23about Social Security.

03:24But you know who was particularly upset in that audience?

03:27The veterans.

03:29We had multiple veterans get up and say,

03:31he's not showing up to answer our questions.

03:34And you know what else is upsetting?

03:36The idea that he could just say,

03:39we are going to rename Veterans Day Victory Day.

03:43We're going to rename the Gulf of Mexico,

03:47the Gulf of America.

03:48We're going to rename things.

03:50The fact that he is acting like a tyrant

03:52and saying we're going to do, you know,

03:54we're going to do things that I want because I want them to

03:58and that Republicans are then going to go along.

04:02So these are just a bunch of ego trips.

04:04His birthday parade,

04:05$45 million that he says it's going to cost,

04:08but we should all be happy.

04:09Another idea about this is about ego,

04:13not about caring for your community.

04:17And you know what?

04:18The Gulf of Mexico doesn't need a new name.

04:19It's been that name for a long time.

04:23Yes, it may have been, have other ideas,

04:25but over from 1552.

04:29And let me tell you, I'm from New Mexico.

04:32I am from New Mexico.

04:35New Mexico doesn't need a new name either.

04:38New Mexico, our name reflects that there is a complex history

04:42and that when you understand the complexity of history,

04:46the diversity of history, you are better off for it.

04:50So let's leave the Gulf of Mexico as the Gulf of Mexico.

04:54But if you want to rename it,

04:56since we're not doing what everybody wants us to do,

04:59how about naming it the Gulf of Plunder?

05:02Because you're here from natural resources,

05:05but we know that tomorrow,

05:07we're going to take a bill tomorrow, aren't we?

05:09And it's going to be about plundering the Gulf of Mexico.

05:14It's going to be about giving oil and gas companies more,

05:19more power, more money,

05:21and more control over our lives without any consequences.

05:27It's going to let them lower the royalty rates,

05:31take more money of our resources

05:33that belong to the American people.

05:35Let them have them for cheap, on the cheap.

05:38Let them not have to be accountable

05:40for the pollution they leave.

05:42That is called plundering America's resources.

05:46And we should be protecting those resources

05:49in the Gulf of Mexico.

05:52And with that, I don't know if Representative Hoyle,

05:55you want to add anything to anything you've heard today?

05:58I am the last Democrat.

06:00So this is your last chance

06:02if you want to just add anything.

06:04Thank you, Mr. Chair, and Ms. Leisure-Fernandez.

06:11I think that you said it exactly right.

06:14Again, I have done 12 town halls

06:18throughout my district in the most conservative

06:21and in the most progressive,

06:23and they're standing room only,

06:26and people are concerned about NOAA,

06:28about tariffs, about veterans care,

06:31about FEMA, about wildfire response,

06:36about all the things they want government to work,

06:40and yes, we should work on waste, fraud, and abuse.

06:42Absolutely.

06:44And that's not what this is.

06:46And this is going to,

06:48the costs are going to be borne by our local schools.

06:52And you may say it's just a little bit,

06:55but every little bit counts,

06:57especially in our rural communities.

06:59So I think you and Ms. Scanlon said it well,

07:02and I really wish we could be focusing on things

07:05that we could do together.

07:08And there's a lot that can be done,

07:10and this seems like a waste of time and taxpayer dollars.

07:15Thank you very much, and it is absolutely true.

07:18The voters want us to be taking up those tariffs,

07:20and I keep saying it.

07:22If they believe the tariffs are great,

07:23take them up, debate them,

07:25but that's our job.

07:27That's what we should be doing,

07:28not renaming the Gulf of Mexico.

07:32So thank you very much,

07:34and with that, Mr. Chairman, I yield back.

07:36General A yields back now,

07:37recognizing Ms. Fischbach for her time of question.

07:40Thank you, Mr. Chair,

07:41and I just have a question.

07:43You're so concerned about the money.

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