Congressman Chiproy, Texas, kind enough to join us right now. Congressman, a lot hangs in the balance in that meeting, and I do want to get to politics in New Hampshire and your fondness for Ron DeSantis. But this meeting and whether it will help avoid a shutdown, what do you think?

Well, first of all, let me be very clear. Bill Bellugian has done great reporting, and I really appreciate you all clarifying that that was 100% not true. With all due respect to my colleague, Henry Coyar, it's just not true that it was because Texas This governor's office has been trying to establish their strength there in that particular spot in Ego Pass, that somehow that blocked out Border Patrol from getting to those migrants. We had a thousand migrants die along the border last year, Neil. We had 53 who got cooked in a tractor trailer in San Antonio. And listening to Democrats try to blame us in Texas for what's happening to migrants, it's absolutely appalling. What's happening right now, this conversation, we need to secure the border of the United States absolutely first before we even have a conversation about funding for Ukraine. And I hope Mike Johnson will stick to his guns on that. I've disagreed with him on the spending front. I think we need to cut spending. But he's been pretty strong on this, but he better stay strong because this is a non-negotiable position for the House conference, in my opinion.

Well, you've been very clear on that, congressman, and some of your colleagues are being even clearer that they fear that he will cave, he'll make allowances for the other side, and they might want his head. What do you think of that?

Well, look, Mike has been pretty strong about saying we to secure the border before we even have a conversation about Ukraine. So I'm going to trust him to continue to do that. But there's going to be an accountability on this. We don't like what we're doing with the CRs. We don't like the spending levels. We don't like what happened with the NDAA. It's not been the right direction. I know it's a thin majority, but what we're dealing with in Texas, Governor Abbott is 100% right to be aggressive. We spent twelve and a half billion dollars. Our state is under siege. We're the ones taking it on the chin. And then to watch these guys get all twisted knots like Martha's Vineyard when they got a plane load of 50 when they were there by Governor Ron DeSantis to shake things up, or New York or Chicago mayors complaining about getting a few thousands sent to their cities. We have millions pouring across Texas. Look, I'm all on board. Governor Abbott can be as aggressive as he wants, and he'll have my full support.

Now, a couple of your colleagues, I was chatting, and many on Fox business, congressman, which if you don't get, you should demand. Fortunately, you're on Fox business enough. You know it already, and you demand it and got it, and that's the way it is. Having said that, though, congressman, one of the things I first heard from many of them is that No, no, no. If it's a choice between shutting the government down and just taking a pass on the border again, it isn't going to work. Shut the government down. Do you agree with that?

Look, I will tell you this. I'm on the phone constantly with ranchers, with law enforcement sheriffs in South Texas. Right before Speaker Johnson took folks down to the border, I called them and I said, Guys, what are you doing? Because I wasn't going to make that trip. They told Speaker Johnson the same thing, You've got to shut the border down or shut the government down. They get it. They understand that it's tax money that we take and borrowed money to fund a government that is at odds with the people of Texas. Nobody's Jonesing for a government shutdown, but we're really sick and tired of funding the very bureaucracy that's undermining our freedom. We are not following the Constitution. We are not providing the service the federal government is supposed to provide to secure the border of the United States. We're going to stick to our guns on this. I fully back Texas, taking whatever efforts we need to do it, if the federal government won't, and fully supportive of Governor Abbott doing that. He can be as aggressive as he wants to be, like I said.

Congressman, you've been an early and a strong supporter, even getting the rap of Donald Trump and a lot of his backers of Ron DeSantis. He's not polling well in New Hampshire. He seems to be putting his focus elsewhere. He's looking like he's in a world of political hurt. Do you think you're hooked up with the wrong horse?

Absolutely not. You never regret saddling up with someone who is a good human being, a good man, a good husband, a good father, someone with a track record of what he's accomplished in Florida. This nation would be so blessed to have Ron DeSantis in the White House. I'm going to ride along with him as long as he wants to go, and I think he's got a message that's resonating. We're in New Hampshire right now. Everybody said, Oh, he's taken out. He's going to South Carolina. I'm talking to you from a hotel in Manchester. We just had an event that was filled with a bunch of people who love the message that Governor DeSantis is delivering. We're realists. I can look at numbers. But look, let's also peel back what happened in Iowa. President Trump, the incumbent, if you will, only got half the vote of a very depressed turnout of 110,000. Of the people who showed up, 7,000 were Democrats, and almost all of those went to Nikki Haley. Nikki Haley's support in New Hampshire is pretty much fake. It is a mix of independence, soft R's. The support in Iowa was Democrats pumping her up.

She dumped $26 million against Governor DeSantis only to come in third. I mean, talking about not having a date for the prom. She's coming to New Hampshire, she's going to lose. If she goes to South Carolina, she's going to lose. She's playing for I don't even know what. Meanwhile, she's taking away from the American people currently the ability of having a head-to-head race between two heavyweights, Governor DeSantis, who's delivered for the people of Florida, and former President Trump. I think with that choice, head to head, we'd have a real debate. You know what? Maybe President Trump would actually show up to a debate. Nikki Haley is not showing up to debates. President Trump has showed up to no debates. Governor DeSantis is showing up answering questions.

I know polls are just polls, congressman. I apologize for that, but she is swapping him right now in New Hampshire. That might change. I would imagine she has a better chance of doing better than him, at least in South Carolina. You're quite right. Right now, that could be Donald Trump's to lose. But she's not doing too poorly.

Well, again, she spent $26 million in use, 7,000 Democrats to come in third in Iowa. She is going to try to monopolize the more moderate flank of the in New Hampshire, and she's still going to lose. She's going to go to South Carolina and she's going to lose her.

He spent a lot more money collectively in Iowa from the very beginning, being among the earliest candidates. Like you say, he did come in second, but he didn't win one single county in Iowa.

Well, he worked it really hard and got 21% of the vote despite the fact the polls said he was going to be at 13 or 14. He did it because he did do all that hard work. Let's be very clear, with all due respect to Fox, and I'm happy to be on with you, but the earned media advantage, President Trump, it's like 20 to one. You go look at the spread in the chart since last March after the Bragg indictments, the massive amount of news that has been going on since last March, that earned media advantage is really difficult to go up against. Look, Governor DeSantis did the hard work out in Iowa, and that's how he earned that 21% in that second-place finish. We'll see what happens going forward. But look, we're in New Hampshire. He's going to be in New Hampshire in South Carolina this weekend, and he's working it hard.

All right. Well, if I'm an earned media advantage, that would be an advantage change for me. It's always good having you on, congressman. Thank you very much for taking the time.

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