00:00Our products have to go to Canada. I mean, this is devastating the economy and the Iran war on top
00:05of that, like the fuel prices are seven times more than what I used to pay working in the woods.
00:12And the rates are pretty much the same. They've been stagnant all that time. So a lot of those people
00:17are working for about the same amount of money and paying seven times more for their fuel. And like this
00:23is not drama or anything.
00:25Troy, any comment on the ProPublica report alleging corruption in Senator Collins' campaign in 2020?
00:33Well, I mean, obviously, that was a very detailed report. I think it does answer a lot of questions for
00:40me about why Senator Collins has been voting with Donald Trump 96 percent of the time.
00:46You know, I mean, that's obviously the worst type of corruption and, you know, something that, I mean, I don't
00:53know what else to say.
00:54I mean, you're not supposed to be the chair of appropriations to steer your money towards people that fill your
00:59campaign coffers.
01:03And, you know, I mean, I think we deserve a better government.
01:09We're at a family event. How do you plan to close child care gaps in Maine if you're elected?
01:15Well, I don't think that's really hard at all. I mean, I think if you don't pump $70 billion in
01:20a rogue agency like ICE, if you don't fund foreign wars, if you don't fund bombs going to Israel,
01:27you know, if you don't give tax cuts to wealthy people, I think you have resources to do child care,
01:35you know.
01:35And, I mean, we've proven in the state that, you know, Republicans and Democrats can support that because they know
01:41it makes the economy better.
01:42It's obviously better for the kids.
01:44So, I mean, that should be an easy thing to just prioritize where we're going to put our money.
01:50You know, I know where they want to put it, but this is one I want to, you know, this
01:55is an area I want to put it into.
01:56I believe that child care is going to make our economy stronger, but certainly make our young people, our kids,
02:01a lot stronger.
02:03And that's really what's important.
02:04Drew.
02:05And when you hear Senator Collins say that you and others are lying about this corruption that has been reported,
02:13as well as just lying about her votes on certain things like the Epstein files, I guess, what's your response
02:19to that?
02:20Well, I mean, as far as the corruption, I mean, there's a man in jail with two felony counts.
02:27You know, I didn't write the article.
02:30There's a very detailed article about, and there's a check that went to her pack from that guy.
02:35I mean, those are all facts.
02:39And as far as, you know, other things like Epstein files, stuff like that, I mean, she's supposed to be
02:44the most powerful center in the country.
02:47Why haven't the Epstein files been released?
02:50You know, why has she voted against them?
02:52You know, I would say because she's protecting the people on that list that have given to her campaign.
02:58You know, Republicans and Democrats probably.
03:00I don't really care.
03:01I mean, that is an issue that people should know.
03:06I mean, nobody should be able to get away with that.
03:08And she and others have the power to release them, and they're not.
03:12Greg, let's go to you.
03:14Sure.
03:14So Collins and her team, they say, you know, she voted against the one big, beautiful bill.
03:19She's pressing for heating assistance.
03:22She's against the tariffs.
03:24She's not behind the policies that are driving up prices from Washington.
03:27What is your response to that?
03:29I think Senator Collins thinks that we're all stupid in this state and in this country because, you know, you
03:34can't say on one hand, I'm the most powerful person.
03:37I'm the chair of appropriations.
03:38You know, don't replace me.
03:40We'll never be this powerful again.
03:41But all these things that she could have done something significant to stop, she wouldn't.
03:46I mean, she let the bill go to the floor.
03:49She could have blocked it then.
03:51You know, I mean, that is clear.
03:53You know, as far as the ICE, she put no guardrails on that $70 billion.
03:58That's her committee.
04:00The Iran war, she could block funding for that.
04:03Tariffs.
04:04I mean, she's the chair of appropriations.
04:06She could leverage that to do so many things to stop what's going on in this country.
04:11And she's not willing to.
04:12And honestly, that article that came out Tuesday makes a lot of sense why she's not willing to do that
04:17because Donald Trump owns her.
04:20And he helped her get out from underneath that article, that investigation, and now she lets him do whatever she
04:28wants and she doesn't block anything in there.
04:31So, look, I've been in government for 20 years.
04:34I've put people on appropriations, things like that.
04:37I know the power.
04:38She's not using the power.
04:39And Charlotte, we'll finish with you.
04:41I wanted to ask you about communities like the one you're from on the border with Canada.
04:45How are these kind of communities being affected by the trade war, by the fuel prices?
04:48Could you kind of encapsulate that for me?
04:51I mean, it's not just the communities on the border, but it's, you know, the fishing industry, the firemen, the
04:57forestry industry, tourism and old orchards.
05:00I mean, tourism has been down for a couple of years now.
05:03Cross-border shopping has stopped.
05:05Parts are coming out of Canada.
05:07Our products have to go to Canada.
05:09I mean, this is devastating in the economy.
05:11And the Iran war on top of that, like the fuel prices are seven times more than what I used
05:17to pay working in the woods.
05:19And the rates are pretty much the same.
05:22They've been stagnant all that time.
05:23So a lot of those people are working for about the same amount of money and paying seven times more
05:28for their fuel.
05:29And, like, this is not drama or anything.
05:33This will not go on.
05:35You know, they will end up going bankrupt.
05:39They'll end up losing their equipment.
05:41They'll end up losing their homes because many times that's how they got their equipment.
05:44There's no way that they can continue like this because we're, like, in the forest products industry, we're a production
05:51-based service contract.
05:53And so, you know, there's no way to make it up.
05:56You don't have the product to actually charge more, much less, I don't think the consumers would pay more.
06:02But we're looking at a big crash here if something doesn't happen with fuel prices.
06:06And also, folks, for the border, a bit more conservative for the border areas.
06:10And, you know, what about the argument your policies might be a little bit more progressive or too progressive for
06:14that more conservative sort of communities there?
06:17Well, I mean, I've won there 20 years in a row or for 20 years.
06:22I mean, I've been on the ballot with Donald Trump three times, Susan Collins three or four times.
06:27You know, people, I don't think people thought I was too progressive.
06:31What they thought was I was a mainer that was fighting for them.
06:33And I'll take that against her record every day, fighting for Elon Musk.
06:37Okay, that's all we have time for.
06:39We've got patients with a grandchild as well, by the way.
06:43Well, I mean, I don't know how many people know.
06:45But, yeah, we had a little baby granddaughter yesterday morning, my first grandchild.
06:51And she's about that long, and she's just as cute as can be.
06:54She doesn't look like me.
06:55That's why she's cute.
06:56But I'm pretty damn excited about it.
06:58I mean, it's, you know, obviously I'm not trying to use her as a campaign prop,
07:03but it certainly makes, you know, what I've been trying to do even more important.
07:09I mean, what we talked about here today is the same mindset.
07:12I mean, you know, people should have time with their kids,
07:14and they shouldn't have to stress about making it work.
07:17And I just think that our world's upside down,
07:20and I'd like to make it better for them and my granddaughter.
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