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Watch the full interview HERE or read highlights of the conversation below.
Maria Bartiromo: The U.S. Ambassador to Israel told me that there will be a military presence remaining in Gaza, but not the US military. I want to get your take on all of this. Your reaction?
Rep. Pfluger: Well, Maria, this is obviously historic. There's only one leader in the world who could have orchestrated that deal. It's Donald Trump. He brings together world leaders. He puts this negotiation into place. It's very similar to what he did with the Abraham Accords. This is a very important phase of the deal right now. It's a trust but verify phase. The hostages do need to be released. We do need to see trust built up, and specifically by Hamas. I mean, with those hostages dead or alive, they need to be released back into Israel, and Israel needs to see that they are going to start by honoring their word. But let me just make this point right now. While Democrats are in full meltdown mode, Donald Trump, the President of the United States, is still busy working on behalf of the American people. He's still busy orchestrating a peace deal that no other leader could have orchestrated. This is absolutely incredible. We've been waiting for this moment. Israel benefits, the entire region benefits, and the security of the United States benefits. It wouldn't have been possible without Donald Trump's actions inside Iran that set the conditions to allow this to happen.
Maria Bartiromo: Congressman Pfluger, you flew combat missions over Syria and Iraq. Thank you for your service to this country. Ambassador Mike Huckabee just told me that there will be no U.S. military and that Syria and Lebanon can be the first partners of the Abraham Accords. He's expecting the Abraham Accords to once again take flight after what we saw President Trump put in place during his first term. What are you expecting? Would you expect Syria to join the Abraham Accords? That would be huge.
Rep. Pfluger: Well, it's an important moment for Syria. You're right. I flew combat missions there. Bashar al-Assad was a domestic terrorist who killed his own citizens. We have a new president in Syria. There's a new moment for Lebanon. They need to take these important steps. Let's join the world community and be a good partner and show that, in good faith, you can actually help the solution and not be a part of the problem. I mean, they have to, they have to denounce terrorism. I mean, that is the first, most important step. And they have to build trust with Israel. I think this is a moment that we'll look back on 50, 60, 70 years from now, and go, 'Wow.' The President of the United States orchestrated this, and he did so with states like Lebanon, with states like Syria, who had chosen a terrorist path previously and now have come off that. So again, it's a trust, but verified situation, but there's only one leader who could have done this.
Maria Bartiromo: You're entering day nine of a government shutdown. I mean, these fights that you're having over you know, subsidies for Obamacare seem really small in the face of what we are talking about in terms of peace in the Middle East. So what can you tell us about tensions rising on Capitol Hill?
Rep. Pfluger: Unfortunately, House Democrats, Senate Democrats are all about a viral moment. That's all they want right now. Again, going back to President Trump, he is still working for the American people by getting this peace deal done in the Middle East. But we've done our job. I mean, House Republicans, weeks ago, passed a Continuing Resolution (CR) to pay our military to make sure that our U.S. Border Patrol and other federal agencies were funded to receive a paycheck. Senate Democrats have voted six times to defund those agencies. It's a clean CR. It's the exact same CR that President Biden signed into law. So it really is petty, and again, it just kind of shows you where their mind is in full meltdown mode, compared to Republicans that really want to go back and get things done. I mean, they're standing in the way of the continued progress. And one has to think and wonder, is that their goal? They just want to stop Donald Trump's progress. They want to stop the Republican Party from the advances that we've made to get our country back on track and have a prosperous economy and a more secure country.
Maria Bartiromo: This peace plan in the Middle East, where the hostages will be released, where Hamas is going to disarm. Senate Majority Leader John Thune needs five more Democrats. You think this could be one movement to get them moving, to come to your side?
Rep. Pfluger: You wonder what that tipping point is going to be for the Democrats to have a reality check to do the right thing and put the American public over their petty politics. I really don’t have a lot of faith that they’re going to do the right thing. There are national security issues that are out there. They’re completely focused on their paychecks instead of the issues that they should be focused on, which is protecting the United States and securing our borders and making sure that the threats that we face around the world can be deterred and defeated. I talked to some commanders yesterday who are in charge of three, four, or five thousand troops and airmen, and they’re worried right now, not on national security issues that they should be focused on; it’s whether or not they can make sure their young enlisted troops have the resources they need to make it through the month. They’re completely focused on that instead of the issues that they should be focused on, which is protecting the United States and securing our borders and making sure that the threats that we face around the world can be deterred and defeated.
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