Last week, I was able to join the Morning Xtra show in Atlanta. We talked House Republicans' agenda, the Fair Tax Act, and even had my good friend, Chairman of the Ways and Means Committee Jason Smith (R-MO), join us on the line as well.
In case you missed it, here are the highlights:
Rep. Carter joins Morning Xtra
ON PRESIDENT TRUMP'S AGENDA
"[ T ]his administration—the enthusiasm, the excitement that we have again—that America is going to be number one again, and that we're going to be successful under his leadership, is phenomenal if you ask me."
"The Republican conference is dedicated to making sure that we fulfill what we feel like was a mandate from the American people back in November—that they wanted change and that Donald Trump and his administration were going to bring that change."
ON EXTENDING THE TAX CUTS AND JOBS ACT
"We've got to get the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act—the tax relief that was passed during the first Trump administration—we've got to get that [extended]."
"If we don't, just for instance, a Georgia family, an average family of four making $75,000 a year, if we do not pass these tax cuts and extend them, they will see a tax increase of over $1,500 a year. That's almost eight weeks' worth of groceries."
ON THE SOUTHERN BORDER
"[ T ]hank goodness the president has secured that border to stop the flow of those illegal drugs that are poisoning our citizens."
"That was one of the things [President Trump] said during the campaign: 'I'm going to secure that border.' Now, arrests at that border or apprehensions at that border are down 93%."
ON TARIFFS
"I mean, let's face it—say what you will about Donald Trump, he is a great negotiator."
"But I will tell you, he has used [tariffs], I think, masterfully."
"If you look at what has happened—first of all, he was sending two plane loads of illegal immigrants and criminals back to Colombia, and Colombia said, 'No, we're not going to take them.' He said, 'Okay, 25% tariff. Yes, sir. You are.' And all of a sudden, they said, 'Never mind. We'll bring our plane over there and pick them up.'"
"And he did the same thing with Canada and Mexico at the very beginning. He said, 'Look, unless you secure that border and stop the flow of illegal drugs coming across that border, we're going to impose a 25% tariff.' And what did Mexico do? They said, 'Okay, we'll send 10,000 troops up there right now.' And sure enough, that border is secured now."
"[ H ]e has achieved what he wanted to achieve, and I would submit to you that he's going to achieve even more with it. It is a tool in his tool chest."
ON ROGUE FEDERAL JUDGES
"It is ridiculous, with all due respect, to have a circuit court judge [issuing nationwide injunctions] and blocking the President of the United States, who is under a clear mandate from the American people—overwhelmingly elected back in November—and said what he was going to do."
ON THE FAIR TAX
"I mean, look, none of us like taxes, but given the choice between a property tax, an income tax, and a consumption tax, we would prefer a consumption tax because you have control over it as opposed to an armed, unelected bureaucrat at the IRS who has control over your income."
"If you make $40,000 a year under the Fair Tax, you take home $40,000 a year, and then you decide where you want to pay the taxes."
"[ W ]e can do away with not only that 81,000 IRS agents, we can do away with the whole IRS. If you go to the consumption tax, that's all you have to do."
ON THE SUCCESS OF GEORGIA'S FIRST CONGRESSIONAL DISTRICT
"[ W ]e have the Port of Savannah—the number three container port in the country, the fastest-growing container port in the country."
"We have the Port of Brunswick, which now is the number one roll-on/roll-off port in the country in terms of vehicles and heavy equipment."
"We are so blessed to have the economic engine of the southeastern United States in our district—100 miles of pristine coastline, two major seaports."
"For 11 years in a row, Georgia has been the number one state in which to do business. Brian Kemp has continued that and done an outstanding job with that."
"...I went down there for the ribbon-cutting of the Hyundai plant—the largest single economic development project in the history of our state."
"A $7.6 billion investment creating over 8,500 jobs—and that many more jobs in ancillary businesses. It is phenomenal."
"...[ N ]ot only did we cut the ribbon on the plant there—they announced an expansion at the same time."
ON PERMITTING REFORM
"I don't care what sector of our economy you're talking about—whether it be health care, energy, technology, whatever—I always hear, 'Permitting regulations are crushing us.'"
"We have got to do something about that."
"...President Trump is focused on that. Having been a developer, he recognizes the permitting problems that we have in this country."
"Of course, we want to make sure our environment is taken care of—yes, we do—but at the same time, some of these regulations and the permitting process are just crushing us."
ON THE DEPARTMENT OF GOVERNMENT EFFICIENCY
"What they're finding is significant—over a hundred billion dollars already—and they're just getting started using 21st-century technology, algorithms, and all the tools available."
"Our checks and balances are antiquated, but theirs are not. That's why they're able to uncover a lot of this stuff. But they can only do so much."
"We need to codify this in Congress. That's why we have a DOGE Caucus, and I'm a member. Our responsibility is to take what they find, put it into legislation, and then codify it so it’s permanent."
ON GEORGIA'S BOOMING ENERGY ECONOMY
"[ W ]e need an 'all-of-the-above' energy strategy."
"I am very proud of the State of Georgia. I'm very proud of Georgia Power, Oglethorpe Power, and the EMCs—all of them—for hanging in there and getting this done."
"Do you realize that Plant Vogtle now provides approximately 22% of all the power for the state of Georgia? Wow."
"You combine that with Plant Hatch in my district, which provides around 8%, and around 30% of our power is nuclear. It’s base load, it’s reliable, and it’s safe."
Listen to the full interview here.
