Episode Description
The national debt crisis reaches into your paycheck, your mortgage, and your retirement. Ken Buck warns that America’s $40 trillion debt demands action. Why do both parties promise fiscal responsibility, then approve bigger federal budgets?
In this episode of The P.A.S. Report Podcast, Professor Nick Giordano talks with former Congressman Ken Buck about his book, Wake Up America!: The Rise of Socialism Is the Death of Freedom. Buck shares a firsthand account of congressional dysfunction, explains how party leaders pressure lawmakers to approve costly bills, and connects federal debt to the costs families face. He also makes the case for permanent DOGE oversight, challenges Congress over Trump’s tariffs, and predicts Democrats will take the House in the 2026 midterm elections.
What You’ll Learn In This Episode:
- The household cost of national debt: Why Buck argues that federal deficits put pressure on mortgage rates, food prices, and family budgets.
- Why Republicans abandon fiscal restraint: How political threats and primary challenges undermine promises of limited government.
- What permanent DOGE oversight could achieve: Buck’s proposal to make waste, fraud, and abuse reviews a core congressional responsibility.
- Why Congress must check presidential power: How Trump’s tariffs expose a deeper problem with separation of powers and emergency authority.
- What voters can do before the 2026 midterms: Hear Buck’s House and Senate forecast, plus practical steps to hold candidates accountable.
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Timestamps
- 00:00 Ken Buck on the National Debt Crisis and Wake Up America
- 02:07 How National Debt Affects Mortgage Rates and Household Costs
- 07:21 Federalism Under Pressure as States Depend on Federal Funds
- 09:30 Why Republicans Fail to Deliver Fiscal Responsibility
- 14:22 Permanent DOGE Oversight and the Fight to Cut Federal Waste
- 18:56 Why Congress Fails to Use Its Power to Cut Federal Budgets
- 26:47 Ken Buck’s 2026 Midterm Forecast and Warning to Republicans
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