Congresswoman Harriet Hageman (R-WY) called into the Weekday Wake-Up on Thursday, April 16 for her monthly report from Washington D.C. Congresswoman Hageman touched on an upcoming Veterans Congress in Lincoln County event, scheduled for May 6 in Kemmerer, along with her thoughts on the ongoing war in Iran and the ongoing partial government shutdown.

(0:00) Weekday Wake Up on SVI Radio, SWIFT 98 and the SPUR Monthly Report from U.S. (0:05) Representative Hageman today on the Weekday Wake Up. Congresswoman Harriet (0:09) Hageman, appreciate your time as always. I wanted to start with some Congress in (0:15) our community that you’re doing once again.

We have some Veterans Mobile Office (0:19) Hours that are going to be in Lincoln County on Wednesday, May 6th. Tell us (0:24) what these Veterans Mobile Office Hours are for and how they can help our (0:27) service men and women. (0:29) So one of the things that maybe people don’t know as much about in relation to (0:33) our office is I obviously have my work back here in Washington, D.C. The voting, (0:38) the committee work, the writing of bills, those sorts of things.

But also what is (0:42) as important, if not more important, is the constituent work that we do right (0:46) there in the state of Wyoming. So with Congress in your community, what we do (0:50) is my staff will travel around the state, come into your community, set up hours (0:54) where you can come in. And if you’re having problems with any kind of (0:58) federal agency, we try to help you to resolve those.

So it can be Social (1:02) Security, the VA, the IRS, the CMS, or Center for Medicare Services, the BLM, (1:11) the Forest Service, any federal agency. If someone is having a challenge or a (1:15) problem with them, they need to get a hold of my office and we will find a way (1:19) to help them. Probably the big ones are the IRS, the VA, and the Social Security (1:24) Administration.

But we also know that with the VA and with our veterans, (1:29) sometimes there are unique challenges associated with what they’re trying to (1:33) navigate. And so we’re setting up the specific meetings just for our veterans (1:37) coming into that community. And I have a staffer in the Cheyenne office who is (1:41) also a veteran and understands the issues very, very well.

And then we can help (1:47) to navigate. It may be a situation where they are not being reimbursed for (1:51) certain expenses that they have incurred. It may have to do with the (1:55) disability rating that they have had.

It may be that they are going through the (2:00) separation process and it becomes very challenging to understand how to fill (2:04) out all the paperwork. It can be many different things. But again, it is part (2:10) of the services that we provide as your representative in the U.S. House of (2:15) Representatives to make sure that we’re taking care of the constituents right (2:19) there in Wyoming.

(2:20) So again, that’s going to be Veterans Mobile Office Hours in Lincoln County, (2:23) Kemmer on Wednesday, May 6th. You can find additional details and contact (2:27) information to schedule an appointment on Congresswoman Hageman’s website at (2:31) hageman.house.gov. Representative, let’s talk about the war in Iran as it (2:37) continues, the Strait of Hormuz, and oil and gas prices. There’s a lot to kind (2:42) of wrap around.

Maybe just bring us up to speed and the latest on what’s (2:45) happening there. (2:47) So I happen to be one of those people that remembers in great detail what (2:51) happened in 1979 with the Iranian Revolution. And the way that I put it is (2:55) we have been paying a terror tax ever since that time because of the kind of (3:00) country that Iran is.

Iran is not only tyrannical to its own people, its own (3:05) citizens, but they’re the largest state sponsor of terrorism in the world. And (3:09) between the bombing of our barracks in Beirut in the early 1980s, you can (3:16) look at what they’ve done with Hezbollah, Hamas, the Houthis. You can go (3:20) on and on their activities in Syria.

They have been the most destabilizing (3:24) force within the Middle East. And as a result, everything is more expensive, (3:28) getting the oil and gas out, insurance for the ships. They have just, and that (3:34) was the point, that really is the point of the Iranian leadership, is to (3:38) destabilize their neighbors and to always have them guessing as to what (3:41) they’re going to do.

The attacks on Israel have been absolutely (3:45) reprehensible, in addition to which, even in the start of this war, where they (3:49) turned around and started shooting at what they claim to even be their (3:52) neighbors and friends. So they are just, they are a rogue regime. I have (3:58) watched, and I, as president after president after president, have said, (4:02) number one, they can never get a nuclear weapon.

Number two, we need to deal (4:06) with the terrorism that they spread around the world. Number three, we have (4:09) to address what is going on with their ongoing war with Israel. And yet no (4:14) president prior to Donald Trump has actually been willing to do something.

(4:17) So I commend him for being willing to step up and say enough is enough. We (4:21) are no longer going to tolerate this kind of behavior from an uncivilized (4:25) society and an uncivilized leadership. From what I understand, we’ve got fits (4:30) and starts in terms of getting tankers out and through the straight-of-horn (4:35) moves.

I do understand that we have been able to get some of our ships in (4:39) and that there is movement with others. And I think that the president has (4:44) said that he is going to have an embargo and prevent a blockade and (4:48) prevent any of the tankers going out, unless all tankers have the ability to (4:53) go out. And at this point, he’s also trying to prevent them from charging (4:56) about a million to $2 million a ship to allow them to traverse the straits.

(5:01) So, you know, really the countries that are the most affected by this are (5:05) obviously in the Middle East, but it’s China. The vast majority of the (5:09) Iranian oil goes to China. So they’re severely impacted.

But, you know, so (5:14) many of our allies over the years with their insane net zero philosophy and (5:19) their obsession over global warming and climate change have really done a (5:23) terrible, terrible disservice to their own citizens by refusing to develop (5:28) their own resources. And I think Great Britain is the perfect example. They (5:32) not only buy the resources from the Middle East and Iran, but they buy it (5:36) from Norway because they won’t tap into the very same resources that Norway is (5:40) tapping into that they have off of their coast.

So, you know, this is a (5:44) reckoning. This is a long time in the coming. And I think that we are at a (5:48) point where we’re going to have some challenges in the short term.

And I (5:52) think in the long term, everybody is going to be better off for what we’re (5:55) doing with Iran right now. Congresswoman, what has been your view (5:59) as far as the response from the citizens of Iran and during this (6:05) conflict? Because we all know what social media is. You can scroll through (6:08) and you’ll see a photo of everybody welcoming what’s happened from the (6:12) United States.

And then a couple of posts later, you’ll see the exact (6:15) opposite. And so it’s hard to know what’s been your perception from those (6:20) that actually live inside the country. So I think that you’ve seen over the (6:24) 20 years, efforts several times to rise up and throw off the yoke of the (6:31) tyrants, the Khomeini’s that have run that country.

Right now, it is my (6:35) understanding that the messages that we’re sending to them is that right now, (6:39) while it is so unstable in that region and uncertain, you need to stay inside (6:44) because we do know that the Iranian guard is more than willing to start to (6:49) continue to shoot and slaughter their own people. The numbers that we hear (6:53) from January to February when they did have the popular uprising is anywhere (6:56) from 30 to 40,000 people killed, maybe more. And I find that very ironic from (7:03) the standpoint of the reaction in this country from the leftists, especially (7:07) screaming about no kings and attacking President Trump in terms of his (7:14) leadership here.

And they don’t say anything at all about the leadership in (7:18) Iran, the Khomeini’s and the military guard slaughtering their own people for (7:22) marching in the streets. You know, just as a side note to that. But I do think, (7:27) I am hoping that there is a leader there, that there is leadership that can (7:31) step up and take control of that country.

But I think right now, the fear (7:36) is that to the extent that they try to come out and support either us or to (7:41) continue to challenge the regime, they will be slaughtered. (7:45) Congresswoman Harriet Hageman on the weekday wake up this morning with SVI (7:48) Radio. Let’s switch gears and talk about the ongoing partial government (7:51) shutdown.

And coming back this week after recess into Congress, what do you (7:56) see as a possible resolution here moving forward? (8:00) I have now voted four times to fully fund the Department of Homeland Security. (8:05) And it is the Democrats in the Senate at this point that are blocking it. And I (8:09) think that it is reprehensible, not just because we are in a war, but the (8:15) funding associated with the Coast Guard, TSA, the Department of Homeland (8:20) Security, FEMA, these are agencies that should be funded.

And so I am back in (8:26) Washington, D.C. I returned late last night after being in Wyoming for two (8:31) weeks. And I am hoping that we can perhaps get some votes even this week. (8:36) I don’t know what the status is in the Senate.

I don’t know if there has been (8:40) any movement in terms of the funding. The president did issue an executive (8:44) order two weeks ago that does pay salaries for the DHS, but that money (8:50) that he is using is going to run out, and then we’re going to have to (8:54) replenish it. But right now, we’ve got to stand off because the Democrats have (8:58) found that they are just simply going to hold them hostage until we’re willing (9:03) to give up things like ICE and Customs and Border Patrol.

And we can’t do that. (9:08) We cannot go down that lane. (9:10) Congresswoman, as always, appreciate your time.

Anything you would like to (9:13) touch on while we have you on the air today? (9:15) Well, I just appreciate everything that you do. I look forward to getting over (9:19) to western Wyoming and having more meetings and engagement with folks. I (9:23) was just in Rock Springs, Green River, Rollins, just this last week doing (9:27) town halls and had an opportunity to meet with quite a few different (9:30) businesses and industries over there.

And the political leadership, I sure (9:34) enjoyed doing that. And I’m honored to represent Wyoming, and I very much (9:38) appreciate you for being willing to get this information out to your (9:42) listeners. Thank you for what you do.

(9:45) That’s U.S. Representative Harriet Hageman this morning. (9:47) Weekday Wake Up on SVI Radio.