HomeUploadUpload DirectHotlinkRandomAbouttheme toggle

Rep. Justin Amash on Trump, Ryan, and the 'Stupidity' of How the Government Spends Your Money

Views: 940
The firebrand Michigan congressman unloads on the GOP leadership's unwillingness to shrink the size, scope, and spending of government.
----
Subscribe to our YouTube channel: http://youtube.com/reasontv
Like us on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Reason.Magaz...
Follow us on Twitter: https://twitter.com/reason
Subscribe to our podcast at iTunes: https://goo.gl/az3a7a

Reason is the planet's leading source of news, politics, and culture from a libertarian perspective. Go to reason.com for a point of view you won't get from legacy media and old left-right opinion magazines.
-----
Since arriving in Washington in 2011, Justin Amash has cast more consistently libertarian votes than any other member of Congress. A lawyer by training, the 37-year-old Michigan Republican is an outspoken defender of due process, civil liberties, and defendants' rights. He is also resolutely non-interventionist and friendly toward immigrants. Outspoken in his principles, he rarely misses an opportunity to excoriate his GOP colleagues when they fail to live up to the party's limited-government rhetoric.

"There is such a level of stupidity right now in the way we spend money," says Amash, an opponent of ever-increasing Pentagon budgets and adventurism overseas. He is also a fierce critic of Speaker Paul Ryan (R-Wisc.): "The speaker has not been protecting the institution. You need a speaker in there who is an institutionalist, who cares about the institution first, who is not a partisan." Instead, Amash tells Reason's Nick Gillespie, Ryan is protecting individual members from having to cast votes for which they might be held responsible. "Let Republicans and Democrats and others offer their amendments, and let's have votes on all sorts of things, substantive things, not just post offices like they do now."

He is also fed up with Republican scapegoating of immigrants and refugees. "My parents are immigrants," he explains. "My dad's a Palestinian refugee. I think that a lot of his experience rubbed off on me. That he came from a place where he had no rights. He came here as a refugee. He told me all the time how wonderful it was to be in this country. How blessed we were to have been born in this country. That we have an opportunity here."

Amash is known for explaining each of his votes on Facebook and for maintaining a lively Twitter feed, where he excoriates Democrats and Republicans whenever they seek to expand the size, scope, and spending of the federal government.

"The omnibus is one of the worst—and most costly—pieces of legislation ever to become law. Period. That's why I voted no," Amash tweeted after his congressional colleagues passed a 2,300-page bill they clearly had not read.

This interview was conducted at Reason Weekend, our annual donor event, which was held this year in West Palm Beach, Florida.

For a transcript and downloadable versions of this interview click https://reason.com/reasontv/2018/04/09/justin-amash-reason-weekend

Cameras by Jim Epstein and Meredith Bragg. Edited by Alexis Garcia.

Destiny Day by Kevin MacLeod is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution license (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/) Source: http://incompetech.com/music/royalty-free/index.html?isrc=USUAN1500008 Artist: http://incompetech.com/

Dimmy by Podington Bear is licensed under an Attribution-NonCommercial 3.0 International License (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/3.0/) Source: http://freemusicarchive.org/music/PodingtonBear/Driving/Dimmy Artist: http://www.podingtonbear.com/

Saunter by Podington Bear is licensed under an Attribution-NonCommercial 3.0 International License (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/3.0/) Source: http://freemusicarchive.org/music/PodingtonBear/Backbeat/Saunter Artist: http://www.podingtonbear.com/

Photo Credits: Jim West/ZUMA Press/Newscom - Bill Clark/CQ Roll Call/Newscom - Jonathan Ernst/REUTERS/Newscom
@ReasonVidsfollow
Thumbnail for Stossel: The Great American Tax Ripoff4:25
Stossel: The Great American Tax Ripoff
ReasonVids
890 views
Thumbnail for Live streamer stops an asian getting stabbed and robbed1:00
Live streamer stops an asian getting stabbed and robbed
bestofvoatxyz
1419 views
Thumbnail for Pharmacist Admits His Feelings After Being Reminded That Moderna Vaccine Information Inserts Are Blank5:15
Pharmacist Admits His Feelings After Being Reminded That Moderna Vaccine Information Inserts Are Blank
SingularityJett
1044 views
Thumbnail for Jeb Bush on Disrupting the Education Monopoly6:30
Jeb Bush on Disrupting the Education Monopoly
ReasonVids
863 views
Thumbnail for Remy: If You Like Your Plan You Can Keep It (The Rap)1:49
Remy: If You Like Your Plan You Can Keep It (The Rap)
ReasonVids
966 views
Thumbnail for South Africa is so fucked up that Niggers now agree that White Europeans, and White culture are superior.2:15
South Africa is so fucked up that Niggers now agree that White Europeans, and White culture are superior.
bestofupgoat
402 views
Thumbnail for I Caught A Cloud In A Bag & Sold It | Zac Alsop19:16
I Caught A Cloud In A Bag & Sold It | Zac Alsop
invidious
370 views
Thumbnail for DIRECTO: PRIMERAS DECLARACIONES DE TRUMP Y ZELENSKY: EL MOMENTO CLAVE PARA UCRANIA | Negocios TV1:47:00
DIRECTO: PRIMERAS DECLARACIONES DE TRUMP Y ZELENSKY: EL MOMENTO CLAVE PARA UCRANIA | Negocios TV
invidious
74 views
Thumbnail for Capitalism vs. Slavery...and The New York Times' 1619 Project1:18:51
Capitalism vs. Slavery...and The New York Times' 1619 Project
ReasonVids
723 views
Thumbnail for Why Does Kenny G Drive Critics Crazy?7:17
Why Does Kenny G Drive Critics Crazy?
ReasonVids
866 views
Thumbnail for Joe Trippi: "I don't see Jeb Bush and Hillary Clinton having a big fight over the NSA."0:56
Joe Trippi: "I don't see Jeb Bush and Hillary Clinton having a big fight over the NSA."
ReasonVids
790 views
Thumbnail for These Vets Think There is a Better Path to Peace: Selling Flip Flops9:10
These Vets Think There is a Better Path to Peace: Selling Flip Flops
ReasonVids
1011 views
Thumbnail for California's High-Speed Rail Boondoggle: An Interview With CFEC's Eric Christen7:26
California's High-Speed Rail Boondoggle: An Interview With CFEC's Eric Christen
ReasonVids
866 views
Thumbnail for Eric Garner Protesters Stage "Die-In" at Grand Central Station0:56
Eric Garner Protesters Stage "Die-In" at Grand Central Station
ReasonVids
912 views
Thumbnail for you know this sound, but not its name.. | synthet1:12
you know this sound, but not its name.. | synthet
invidious
101 views
Thumbnail for Give Us Cash or Lose Your Kids and Face Felony Charges: Don't Cops Have Better Things to Do?!2:20
Give Us Cash or Lose Your Kids and Face Felony Charges: Don't Cops Have Better Things to Do?!
ReasonVids
933 views
Thumbnail for EU and China ban food chemicals approved in US1:22
EU and China ban food chemicals approved in US
bestofupgoat
374 views
Thumbnail for How Long Does The Forever Pen Really Last? | The Action Lab8:11
How Long Does The Forever Pen Really Last? | The Action Lab
invidious
80 views
Thumbnail for New Chat Rules0:50
New Chat Rules
AmericanMuskrat
343 views
Thumbnail for Walter Williams: Up From the Projects28:50
Walter Williams: Up From the Projects
ReasonVids
903 views
Thumbnail for Police Have Immunity to Violate Your Rights - Here's How26:07
Police Have Immunity to Violate Your Rights - Here's How
IJvids
910 views

points

Permalink
Reply
libertarian, reason magazine, reason.com, reason.tv, reasontv, justin amash, gop, republican, paul ryan, congress, budget, spending, donald trump
TOS  •  Add Keywords  •  Donate  •   Analytics  •   DMCA  •   Puzzle