Fox News "Hannity" - Transcript: Interview with Sen. John Kennedy
Interview
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Senator Kennedy, thanks a lot for joining us tonight. I really appreciate it.
I just had Austan Goolsbee on and I was talking about the math here. It can't possibly work. You have experience in this arena.
How do you have open borders -- Milton Friedman said this a long time ago - - you can't have open borders and a welfare state. The math just doesn't work because the entire globe essentially has a claim on the U.S. taxpayer assets. It can't work because it won't work.
Your thoughts?
SEN. JOHN KENNEDY, R-LA: I listened to part of the debates. I just found it bizarre, Dan. I mean, I know many of the candidates running but I felt like I was listening to folks who were Castro without the beard, or Cuba without the sun.
I mean, number one, it's clear to me that most of the candidates for president on the Democratic side had decided that illegal immigration is a moral good, that the border is just a nuance. I don't think most Americans believe that. I don't know a single country in the world that doesn't have borders and doesn't want to know who is coming into their country, if for no other reason but public safety.
In terms of the free healthcare for illegal immigrants, we've got at least 11 million folks in our country illegally. We have 5,000 a day coming in right now as a result of our asylum laws. I don't know how we would pay for that. It would cost by my estimation $55 billion to $60 billion, that's nine zeros, a year to give free health insurance to folks in our country illegally.
And we can't afford what we are doing now with healthcare in America. That's why we have a $22 trillion debt. We borrow $1 million a minute, not an hour, not a day, a minute to run government.
And right now, even before we added the illegal immigrants to the healthcare system, we are already Thelma and Louise in that car headed toward the cliff. I just found this bizarre. I mean, it's basically they want -- the Democratic position seems to be everything is going to be free, you know? Free education, free healthcare, free housing, free love, free kittens.
I don't know. I just found it bizarre. I don't know how they think we will pay for it.
BONGINO: Well, I hate to put out two Friedman quotes in one segment. But Friedman once said, you know, when you think it's free, you think your neighbor is paying for it. But the joke is he thinks the same thing. So, it's us, we're paying for it, right?
But the Dems -- you're up there on the Senate. On the Senate side -- I won't ask you to comment on the House side obviously. Are they starting to feel the heat a little bit on the immigration issue?
It appears that the Democrats are for nothing, a big zero. They don't stand for anything on immigration that would help the problem. I saw this week on this appropriation to ease the conditions on the border, there were 84 votes. Which says to me as an outsider, maybe you can clear it up and tell me if I'm wrong, they must feeling some kind of heat, the Democrat side, saying hey, guys, ladies, listen, we've got to stand. When can't say no to everything all the time.
Am I reading this wrong?
KENNEDY: No, I think you are right, Dan. I mean, for the longest time many members of the media and some of my Democratic friends contended that we don't have a crisis at the border. We clearly do. We have 5,000 people a day coming in and setting foot on American soil.
And under the law, as interpreted by some of our judges we have to turn them loose to America. That is not a week. That is 5,000 folks a day.
We have a huge humanitarian crisis. The Senate, Democrats and Republicans, worked out an arrangement to stem the humanitarian crisis web, about $4.5 billion.
Speaker Pelosi to her credit went along with us. I thank her for that. She got it right, once in a row. Now, she had to fight off the shadow speaker, Congresswoman Ocasio-Cortez.
But in terms of willing to fix the problem, look, we could fix this problem in about two and a half weeks, by changing the asylum laws. And right now, as interpreted by our courts, all you have to do if you are coming from the south is step foot on American soil, say the magic words and you are turned loose in to the country and you are told come back to court in a couple of years. And obviously, many people don't. This just makes no sense.
BONGINO: Well, I agree with you on that.
KENNEDY: But it could be fixed.
BONGINO: Yes, yes.
All right. Senator Kennedy, thank you so much for joining us. I appreciate your insights on that. I really appreciate it.
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