Republican Senate candidate Matt Rosendale, who hopes to unseat Sen. Jon Tester (D-MT) in the 2018 mid-term election, spoke with Breitbart News Saturday on SiriusXM Patriot Channel 125 with Matt Boyle, Washington Political Editor for Breitbart News, about supporting President Donald Trump’s agenda in Congress, including getting a wall built on the U.S. southern border.
Boyle pointed out the challenges the president faces in dealing with members of Congress — on both sides of the aisle — and how a lack of progress in putting into place the things Trump campaigned on is frustrating the American people.
Boyle said one of Trump’s major campaign promises was to build a wall on the U.S. southern border with Mexico, which has not been done.
“Where do you come down on the border wall?” Boyle asked Rosendale. “How do we get this thing done?”
“You know, Matt, this is a really easy question for me,” Rosendale said. “We are a nation of laws. We are a nation of borders and — I mean that is one of the main things that the federal government is in charge with and that is protecting the citizens of the United States and our whole nation.”
“Where a physical wall has been built and fully implemented we’ve seen illegal border crossings drop as much as 90 percent,” Rosendale noted.
Rosendale said the facts support the need for building a wall in order to secure the border.
“There is no way that anyone who — besides the folks that want to plain ignore facts — there’s no way that anyone can say that by building that wall we are not going to accomplish a more secure border,” he said. “It’s just proven. We can do this.”
Boyle spoke with Rosendale about the other major issues facing Congress, including health care and the so far unsuccessful effort to repeal and replace Obamacare.
“We could not have a more stark contrast than Matt Rosendale and Jon Tester when it comes to health care,” said Rosendale, who is the Commissioner of Securities and Insurance in Montana.
That includes Tester commenting recently about looking into a single-payer health care system.
“So apparently not only does he feel that Obamacare is working but they haven’t gone far enough yet toward a complete government takeover of healthcare,” said Rosendale, adding that he believes the states should take the lead on putting in place health care policies.
“We need to make sure that systems are proposed that accommodate people’s personal budget, their health care needs and their personal choices,” Rosendale said, noting that Obamacare has hurt people in his state.
Boyle also asked Rosendale about tax reform and the candidate said he supports reform that includes simplification and the elimination of the death tax, which he said penalizes family-owned farms and ranches in a state where agriculture is the largest industry.
“When someone passes away all of a sudden you have this event that causes an inheritance tax and they are forced — the family members and the company many times are forced — to sell a piece of one of the largest assets that they have in order to keep the company functioning and that is just unacceptable,” Rosendale said. “Death should not be a taxable event.”
When Boyle asked what Rosendale would do to help veterans in his state, Rosendale said the Choice Act passed by Congress is not helping because physicians are not being readily reimbursed by the federal government and that he believes the states should take the lead on putting healthcare policies in place.
Boyle said he believes the American people don’t want a national debate about gun control, amnesty for illegal aliens or fixing Obamacare when the things they care about and that helped elect Trump are being ignored.
“People are tired of this,” Boyle said. “They’re fed up aren’t they?”
Rosendale agreed and said that he believes that is why his campaign is gaining support as the midterm elections approach.
“They don’t have to wonder what Matt Rosendale is going to do,” he said. “They can look at my record and see that I’ve got a very clear record of cutting costs.
“They’ve got a very clear record of me cutting regulations,” Rosendale said. “They’ve got a very clear record of me supporting their Fourth Amendment rights [for] privacy and protecting it.”
“So when I come out and say this is what I’m going to do they don’t have to wonder is this just another guy who’s making idle promises?” Rosendale said. “No, I do believe that your past performance is a very good indication of what your future results will be.”
LISTEN TO MATT ROSENDALE ON BREITBART NEWS SATURDAY: