Newsmax guest: “Shut the government down. Lay them off, purge the government of these deep state bureaucrats.”
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From the September 30, 2025, edition of Newsmax's Carl Higbie Frontline
CARL HIGBIE (HOST): James, the left has said that Trump is being unreasonable by not wanting to give $1.5 trillion in benefits to illegals.
JAMES FISHBACK (GUEST): Yeah, very unreasonable position, right? But it's amazing how the president sets up these games. Heads he wins, tails the Democrats lose. If we get a government shutdown, what Dr. Trump is going to end up ordering up is a emergency dose of DOGE for the economy. Let's lay off tens of thousands of people, bureaucrats that are trying to control your life and my life and everyone watching at home. So be it. Shut the government down. Lay them off, purge the government of these deep state bureaucrats, and we'll wake up in a month with a far more leaner, efficient system.
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HIGBIE: Yeah. I mean, it seems rational and I don't even agree with that guy on anything.
FISHBACK: That's right. It's it's a rational position that, no, you should not try to hold the government hostage to get health care for illegals at the last minute. $1.5 trillion, Carl, is what they're asking for. Mind you, the federal government budget is 54% higher today than it was right before Covid in 2019.The viewers at home ask yourself, is your life 54% better? The government services, the government response - is it 54% better than it was before Covid? The answer is obviously no. We got too many bureaucrats, too much spending, DOGE the entire system. Let's do round two of DOGE, a turbo DOGE speedrun over the next month by virtue of this government shutdown.
HIGBIE: I mean, a 50 -- that's actually shocking statistic because, like, if and if someone agrees that they are 54% better off, they've clearly not been to the DMV.