AUTO-GENERATED TRANSCRIPT:
[ALLEN WEST]
Hey, greetings, everyone. Lieutenant Colonel Allen West and welcome to Steadfast and Loyal.
[MUSIC]
[ALLEN WEST]
Hey, greetings everyone. Welcome back to Steadfast and Loyal. There's a lot going on up at Capitol Hill. As you know, I was there last week talking to some members of Congress about the National Defense Authorization Act. And we're joined by one of those members of Congress, Congressman and Dr. McCormack is a decorated veteran and emergency room. Position, who proudly serves Georgia's 6th Congressional District. In the United States House of Representatives during his tour deck, 2 decades of service, Congress Congressman McCormack deployed to several combat zones as a Marine Corps combat helicopter pilot. The Africa, Persian Gulf and Afghanistan between deployments, the congressman earned his Masters of Business Administration from National University. And a medical degree from Morehouse School of Medicine in Atlanta. In Congress, Congressman McCormack sits on the Armed Services Committee Foreign Affairs Committee, science, Space and Technology Committee, as well as a select subcommittee on the coronavirus pandemic, and we're joined now with Congressman Rich McCormack, Dr. McCormack, United States Marine Corps, McCormack, Navy commander, Doctor. I mean, how many titles do you have, Sir?
[REP. McCORMICK]
And I was told as a young lad that titles don't. It's it's kind of like being a black belt. If you can't lay it down, then it doesn't really matter what your title is and and same thing with being a doctor. A lot of doctors out there that if you don't practice the caring medicine they're supposed to and same thing with congressman, you made a congressman. And not get anything done so. Hopefully I'm used by God with special utility.
[ALLEN WEST]
You're absolutely right. And one of the things that I admire, one of the things that I wanted to do when I was in Congress, there was to get more military veterans up there serving in Congress. Those men and women that understood their oath to the Constitution, what has it been like for you to be up there in Congress? I mean, coming from the Marine Corps, coming from the Navy. With a background in the medical field, what has it been like for you serving your constituents there in the 6th Congressional District of Georgia?
[REP. McCORMICK]
Well, first of all, thank you because you're -- you've absolutely been leading the way through Guardian fund and other ways of getting military people into Congress, getting minorities, getting women leading the way in this diverse movement of representation in the Republican Party that think it's very healthy. I think veterans, if nothing else, we've done one thing in our life. It wasn't about us. It was. About this great country of ours, and hopefully that continues in the Congress, that same mentality. I really have enjoyed constituent services better than. Anything that's one thing. We can control. Otherwise, you're one vote out of four and 35. You can rely on relationships, good legislative efforts and a. Lot of convincing to. Try to get bills passed but ultimately constituent. Service is the. One thing you get to actually directly affect making sure the attitude of your staff is. It's receptive, it's your hard working, it's your timely. Those things really matter to me and. Then listening to people. It's funny. Everybody thinks that. They are the people I'm supposed to represent and. Yes, they are. Along with 700 and. 75,000 other people in my district. Who have a variety of opinions on everything from a war or our war efforts in Ukraine to transgenderism, to abortion, to gun rights, to every controversial topic there is out there, and it's really important to try to be as educated as possible. The thing that. Surprised me the. Most and and I could see this is probably something that you you some of the primary system where it's really nasty. Against between people who are supposed to think very similar, but when you're in Congress, the thing that surprised me the most is how many people get stuck on talking points. They've been digging deep and and becoming educated, learning about the details of of of what we're arguing and why, and what's constitutional and what made this great Republic, what it is. And trying to explain that break it down to. People in ways that they can really understand and. Digest. Some people are much. Better at it than others. That's why we win elections and we lose elections is. There's a distinct. Difference between people who are framing the conversation and who are bringing to the. Table or or to the church if you.
[ALLEN WEST]
You know, I agree with you wholeheartedly in that when we stand on the rule of law, the Constitution should be a very simple argument against those that don't. And that kind of brings me to where I want to start our conversation. I was up there sitting meeting with you last week with the National Defense Authorization Act, and of course that was passed there in the United States. Council representatives, but it was 219 to 210, and normally the NDA is a real strong bipartisan piece of. Why is it now that the progressive Socialist left is more so concerned about their woke agenda in the military than our actual military readiness, which is what the authorization act is authorizing the missions and the focus of our military? What is it that the the other side of the aisle up there right now is not? Understanding and not getting.
[REP. McCORMICK]
Well, I think they're they're missing the whole point of the military beginning with and. This whole right House system? Freedom hearing, where where the whole focus of 1 member. Of Congress was what about the LGBTQ? Whatever it's called in religion, being the religion discriminate against them. I'm like, wow, we we kind of the the whole rewrite of history and what the military is even for, as if we're a social experiment. One thing that. I noticed is this has been going. On since the Obama era. Where you started to replace warriors. Like yourself with politicians who are more interested in making politicians happy than the cops in the mission, similar to the army that brings whole mission is. To locate close with. And destroy the enemy to fire maneuver to tell the items. Assault through fire and close combat. Everything else is. Superfluous and and I'll tell you this focus even. The last year, when? I was in the military in 2017 when Trump was president. Trump was president. I had four lectures on how to treat somebody who's transgender. I'm not talking about as a patient. I'm talking about. As a person. We didn't even have transgenders in the. Military. So tell. Me that wasn't. Absolutely a political way to get young people to think in a certain way rather than to actually accomplish the mission. 4 lectures. Are you kidding me? I pushed back on the hard because I. Don't care. I'm at the end of my career, but nobody else felt like they were empowered to do that and only the people who. Are going to support. That agenda are going to get promoted the fastest to the next level and control the military. So you it's a natural selection. Process towards a. Politically correct military and I remember. I'll give you a perfect example. Of when I was talking to. Sergeant Major, the army. And not to pick. On it. On me too much. But the song name by. The way the army owes. Me 100 push-ups because he's not. Going to make his recruiting. Goals this year and he said the. Change things. We're gonna get it back on. Back, but once again, this this idea that you're trying. To recruit somebody other than warriors. First of all, you. Want warriors in the military? You want people who really want to. Do to protect their nation will fight. Tooth and nail to the. Death to accomplish the mission. Those who, that's what you want. Diversity aside, we're going to get. Diverse we we focus on that already the. Military decades ago, we. Were focusing on. Military recruiting minorities to be officers, so it could. Represent better what they're what they're leading.
[MUSIC]
And I think that's.
[REP. McCORMICK]
A good thing I support that and we we. Even biased it towards that in some ways, which? Is OK, I'm.
[MUSIC]
I'm not.
[REP. McCORMICK]
I'm not against the military in the military. But what I'm. Against is teaching people that we are divided by those differences, but that's where I draw a line where it becomes a divisive tool used by the government to. To conflate the issue issue in a very unhealthy way, and this is where we we've gone totally wrong and this is where they will fight tooth and nail to the end because it's it's their civil rights move and they think that they're going to get. In on on the the mark. Themselves that that somehow this is the same representing as if people are spraying down LGB YQ with fire hoses and sicking dogs on it's not the same thing because you were told you that that somebody wouldn't make a birthday. Cake for you. It's not the same thing. We're not. Equally discriminated against, not. In this country, not in other countries. And this idea that everybody's a victim. Is what they're fighting over, and they literally victimized every child America, to the point where some, some cities, some communities you. Have 40% of. The me saying. I too I'm. A lesbian or transgender or gay or whatever. That's impossible. It's not statistically possible, it's. Just they don't want to be chastised. For being normal. And this is this is the. Movement that they wanted. This is the way. They wanted to put government in the position where. They are the moral equivalent of. God or a church or a family. The total opposite of what we designed our Constitution around, which is empowering people to be the only moral equivalent of themselves, the ultimate minority is the individual. And now we've taken this over to the military. The one last meritocracy we had where people got along because made a common enemy, and we're the only thing that mattered is is Carl. Carry his back and shoot straight. Does he got my. Back is he loyal to me? Is he my God? That's what mattered to us in the past. We didn't see things in in terms of black and white. We started shades of green, we all bleed red. That was the military that's being. Destroyed on purpose, in my opinion.
[ALLEN WEST]
Now you're absolutely right. And this whole movement, the LGBTQIA alphabet, soup mafia, that's what I call them. It has become the religion of the left. And if you don't prostate yourself before them, you're persecuted and prosecuted. Now I will tell you something else. You can call up the Sergeant major of the army about and and get some more push-ups out of him. It was just last week, I believe that Christine Warmoth, the secretary of the Army. You know, talking about recruiting, she says that she does not want to recruit from generational families of service anymore. She wants to recruit, you know, other people to come into the military. To me, that's a slap in the face of multi generational families that have served this country like mine. I mean, it started with my dad. In World War Two continues up to today with my nephew, who's a Lieutenant Colonel. Why do you think that we have this incredible push of the left? I mean, when you have the Chief of Naval operations because you just quoted the the basic mission of the United States Marine Corps. But when the chief of the naval operation says they don't have enough amphibious assault craft to get the Marines to the battlefield, then you can't meet your mission. But yet pronoun usage and drag queen shows and drag queen recruiters and and all of this stuff is the emphasis, and they're upset. Because you and the House of Representatives realize we're not supposed to be funding this with taxpayer money, can we continue to hold the line no matter what the Senate does? And this comes back to a conference committee there in the House. That's the big.
[REP. McCORMICK]
And let's let's be Frank, is he doctor? Is a military member that you and I have been in, in the frank realities of the the mayors of? The military, both mentally and physically. We still don't allow people in the military with flat feet. Because they have. It prevents me to have foot problems when they hike and that's for all Marines. Doesn't matter what MOS. How ironic is it that we're accepting? People in the military that have. A 40% chance of trying to commit suicide in the highest intensity situations with the most stress, and then assume that they're going to transition while they're in the military, which would be extremely expensive and. Non deployable for. Their entire career so that some other. Bring deploys in their stead overseas. So now. You have a higher. Pressure on those people and their family to take over for what's we determined was better and safer than. Flat feet. How ironic is that now and get back to the start. Made the army. I I forgot to finish the story. Which is typical in. The yard that come up to the. Next thing but but. Here's what he said, and I said, why are You guys spending so much time on this? This diversity training that we know we're diversity, in fact, one of the things we we love about it, we we make fun. Of each other. We cut it up like good friends do. We we break down those barriers cause we feel comfortable. When you heighten that anticipation of if I say the wrong thing, I'm going to ruin my career or I'm going to be hated by this person because now they absolutely think I hate them and I can't. Joke with them anymore. I'm not coming. Couple of them and we. Create barriers instead of bringing. Them down before we we.
[MUSIC]
Got rid of.
[REP. McCORMICK]
The barriers by just cutting them up and wrestling. And being goofballs and knuckleheads. Now we're not afraid to make a mistake because of this diversity training. That's that's literally saying you're different from them and he's trying to hold you back because he just like the way. You look what? In the world are we doing? And when I brought this up? His defense was look, we have Marines from. Nathan not they're driving home in their uniforms because they're afraid they're going to be pulled over. Because they're black, I said. Good point the. Question is, are they military police pulling them over? Nope, they're not. It's a. Societal problem not. A military problem? Why are you making societies problems? The military problem? Gotta kind of figure it out. Follow our league. Don't do it the way that society. Is effed it all? Up, sorry for my. Language, but quite, quite frankly, the military has it.
[ALLEN WEST]
That's OK.
[REP. McCORMICK]
Right, we've led the way. We're breaking down barriers. We've led the way in diversity. We've led the way in Miss. Why are we trying to go back to society and reinforce the divisions? That have held us back. For, for decades or centuries. Whatever you want to say, who rehashing things that divide us instead of the things that unite us, like using the flag to represent all the bad things in the United States rather than all the good things in the. United States give us a standard give. Us something to believe in? That can unite us instead of using everything we have in the United again. Us and and using it. Really, a device of ways it gives us. Nothing left to united.
[ALLEN WEST]
You know, it's interesting. You bring that up because the 8th and our barracks that you're talking about, the United States Marine Corps headquarters there in DC, is located in Pretty Bad neighborhood. And my little hooch was there up in that neighborhood. And you're right, it is a societal, cultural problem in Washington, DC, with the crime that's being committed and turning. A black eye on the perpetrators of crime and not confronting that and sadly, we have soldiers, sailors, airmen, Marines all caught up into that. But let's transition over to another part. You're also on the foreign affairs comma. You just recently had one of your colleagues and I used that word in air quotes and loosely representative Jayapal, who is the chairperson of the Congressional Progressive Caucus. Basically, the Communist caucus come out and say, you know, this past week Israel is a racist country and we know that the President of Israel. Is now visiting Washington, DC. Are we going to see some type of, you know, response to her or something that happens on the the House floor? Some, since your measure against her because that undermines the foreign policy of the United States of America, I give it to you.
[REP. McCORMICK]
And This is why we kicked the Hallman off of the committee. You know, when we have problems, people talking like that is never conducive to to what we're trying to accomplish in the world. Ironically, they're the same exact people that. Would call America. Does that mean that Joe Biden can't go visit a foreign country? But think about that for. A second they have openly been calling America a despicable country, even to our own their own constituents. And yet, does that mean that we're no longer once again focusing on? The worst of. Us rather than on the best of US and. If you're going to judge every nation by. The worst of us. We're all in trouble.
[ALLEN WEST]
And the question.
[REP. McCORMICK]
Is what will. We do. That would be interesting. To see what we would turn our. Next conference, let's say a little more strict on that. Sort of rhetoric. I do think that there's a very unhealthy push that that leaders. In general, are judged by a A. Small portion of their their populace, including the United States and including our parties.
[ALLEN WEST]
You know, it's interesting because herself and several others have already said they're not attending the joint session of Congress when the Israeli President will be speaking. And I think that is a horrible reflection, because you always hear the left talk about threats to democracy. There's only one democracy in the in the Middle East. And that is the state of Israel. And yet they're speaking out against that state, but, and aligning themselves with the types of folks that you and I fought against Islamic jihadists and terrorists and things of this nature. So now let's talk about your select subcommittee on the Coronavirus pandemic. The American people were terrorized. Will we ever get to the bottom of this? As far as who's responsible and you know, to make retributions of this, and also I think one of the things we need to look at can we get to a point where those members of the military who were kicked out because they refused to take a shot. Which we now know would not have had any positive effect. As a matter of fact, they have more adverse effects. Can we get them to come back into the military? Can we make that offer to them and bring them back at the same rank and also with back pay?
[REP. McCORMICK]
Yes. So we're we're actually. We're actually passed legislation, that is. Going to be passed by. Senate and the White House. That's another issue. We've done our part. With what's interesting about that, and if I may just talk my last year ship was December 28th. I didn't overnight shift. I've been working pretty much 3/4 time during my entire. Race into the general I the only person in Congress who who's not just treated coronavirus patients, but thousands and thousands of coronavirus patients. So I happen to be scientific in the way. I approach this. I think we absolutely have the idea where this. Came from and this without a doubt. We know that's the. Epicenter and that's where it started. We know that it it did not come from animals. There's no animal reservoir, they can't find it. They can find DNA in the in the air. That doesn't mean anything. You can find. You can find the RNA DNA. That you can find. Rotaviruses on the on. A wood table doesn't mean it came from wood. Table. Let's be serious. About this, you don't find antibodies or reservoirs in in raccoon dogs or? Civic cats or bats? Despite Herculean efforts by the Chinese government to. Come up with some sort. Of animal as well, therefore. If it does not exist, it's not even. A good theory. Anybody who claims that is literally trying to cover up the truth. We do know that the Wuhan lab requested funding for gain of research in the area that this virus developed and that it started in the in the area and that it happened right after they requested that. Then they destroyed a bunch of. Evidence would not any access by any outside organization and people. Deductive reasoning isn't even he isn't. Even in question here. It's obvious where. It came from the question. Is do we have the fortitude to call it out? Now the next question we have when it. Comes to the coronavirus and this is. What we need to do next? Is what about all? The censorship, the censorship of physicians of of opposite opposite positions as. You said that turned out to be right. What about when I asked a, quote UN quote, expert in the field who hasn't seen a patient since the 1990s but yet had the power to, along with the government and the illegal? In my opinion, the relationship that they had with the media, social media and other news agencies to censor an ER doctor seeing thousands of patients? Saying I'm wrong. And then it turns out I'm right. But do you know the science? Came back and says shows that. I'm right on mass on vaccinations. On treatments on a multitude of things, but no. Apology and said their excuse was. But we didn't know. At the time that you were that, you were right. So why did? You censor me? When you turned out to be wrong, the the worst thing. The worst thing is we literally used. A very scary time and. This is where fear gets. Very, very dangerous. To justify government determining if our businesses were over closed, whether you could travel, whether you had to have a vaccination, whether you could. He will be heard on media and post what you wanted the popes, or how you treat medicines. They became the the more equivalent of all doctors where they required you to think like they do. And this is by the way, the same reason that medical pediatricians who used to universally be against transgender transitions as pedia. As pediatric patients now won't say anything because they're scared of the government, this, this I did, the government comes all powerful is what led to. The the death of 60 million. Russians during the Gulag. Archipelago from 19/17/1957 I. Know you're a student. I know you're. A huge historian, which I love about. You very well read a big fan. But you know, this is when. Government becomes all. Powerful and they decide you shouldn't have a. Gun but 30 million. Americans aren't willing. To give up their God-given right. And also the the Constitution. The rights, then what does the? Government have to do it has to buy force. Take it from you. Are you willing to kill 30 million people who will give? Up their life. See, this is that creep of government power that we have literally designed our constitution around to to prevent. And yet it's now being attacked from all sides.
[ALLEN WEST]
Last question, before I let you go because I know you're busy up there on Capitol Hill. And one the the. Only thing that is mandated for the Congress to do. It's to pass a budget and in order to pass a budget that means 12 appropriations bills that have to be passed out of the House, sent over to the Senate. All of this has to be done work wrapped up by the 30th of September, the end of the fiscal year, or else we go in and get another one of these omnibus spending gumbos and continuing resolutions and whatever. As you sit here right now, do you think that this House representatives will be able to get done? The one mandated thing they must do is to pass a budget, pass 12 appropriations bills for 2024.
[REP. McCORMICK]
Yeah, if any Congress can do it, we can consider. What we got done with the narrowest majority we've? Had in a long time. The fact that we've been able to bring innovative table, get everybody's input, pass some bills that are hard to do, especially like the NDA, even though we had opposition, we. Relied on some. Models from the Democrats, but overall, it's been really a a universal push by the Republicans to get a lot. Of bills passed. One of the most active congresses in recent history, with some of the most conservative legislation in recent history. And we've. All done with. This very minor majority and I. Think it's it's. Just showing how much. We can pull together when we want to. We've been very proactive, very, very forward thinking. We're not taking our time. You know, if we were taking our time on the NDA. Then the Senate would. Have a chance to come up with their first hack, and then we'd be playing defense. We would have got a much. Less conservative built the. Fact that we've had committees working and. People coming to the table allows us. To get ahead of this. And then I like. To say we I think we. Have a fighting chance of actually for the first time in. Very long time doing it the right way.
[ALLEN WEST]
Well, I pray. So, Congressman, Dr. Rich McCormack of Georgia's 6th Congressional District. How can people follow you? How can people support you? Let us know all of your social media and you know, where can people stay in touch?
[REP. McCORMICK]
So you can find. All that at mccormick.house.gov. Great resource tells all the links for. Both campaign side and official side. Lots of links about how we talked about. These sort of issues. And more, and maybe in a few videos about the Greens being knuckleheads in the in. Their congressional office.
[ALLEN WEST]
Well, I wish you, as they say in the Maritime services, fair winds and flowing seas and I also want to tell you BZ, proud of you. Proud that all that you are doing up there and you know with men and women such as yourself. The better days of this great constitutional Republic are ahead of us. Thank you for your service in uniform and out of uniform. Simplify Steadfast.
[REP. McCORMICK]
Lead the way. Say goodbye.
[ALLEN WEST]
Cool airborne, ladies and gentlemen. Thank you so very much for joining us on this episode of Steadfast and Loyal. A special thanks to my dear friend Congressman Rich McCormick from Georgia and also, if you like this show, please click that like button, share it with others and until next time Steadfast and Loyal.
[MUSIC]
Allen West | Steadfast & Loyal | Rep. Rich McCormick