Senator Marshall: Voters Deserve to Have Confidence That Our Elections Are Secure

Senator Marshall Joins The Brian Kilmeade Show

Washington - U.S. Senator Roger Marshall, M.D. (R-Kansas), joined The Brian Kilmeade Show on Fox News Radio to discuss the Democrats' continued defunding of DHS, the importance of securing our elections through the SAVE America Act, and balancing the reasons for the conflict in Iran with the costs of war.

Click HERE or on the image above for Senator Marshall's full interview.

On the Democrats' refusal to fund DHS:

"Yeah, Brian, no, we're not close at all. So think about this: if the Democrats like this issue, they are the party of defunding the police. It took them 18 days to respond to President Trump's offer, 18 days. They wouldn't sit down with the White House; they still won't sit down with the White House, and even at the member level, this should be done through appropriations. Our appropriations Chairwoman, Susan Collins, and the Democrats will not sit down with her, the same way as with Chuck Schumer. So they want this issue; they think it's a political winner for them, they're appeasing their base. Right now, the vocal minority of the Democrat party, the radical vocal minority, is running that Democrat Party, and the radical media is complicit with them as well; the legacy media on the left is complicit."

On changes to ICE protocols:

"Yeah, Brian, you nailed it. So what separates us are the issues of the ICE agents wearing masks, and then the warrant issue between a judicial and administrative. Look, I've talked to these ICE officers; their families back home have been doxxed, their kids are being threatened, their spouses are being threatened. They need to have a much more clearly identifiable uniform on, they need to have their name and ID, all those things possible, but unfortunately, because they're being doxxed, they're not safe. And then on the warrant side of things, you and I both know if there's, let's just say there's 20 million - there's probably 20 million illegal aliens in the country right now - there's no way we could really go through this in a judicial way, opposed to administrative, it's just not practical."

On why Democrats refuse to protect Americans by funding DHS:

"Yeah, so let's think back when Chuck Schumer finally gave in and funded the government. He got crucified on national news; he got crucified by his base as well. So I think they're all living in fear of their base, and don't forget the fundraising part of this - they're raising money off of this. So, between their radical base, which is leading, the tail wagging the dog, fundraising, and then the national media loves this story, and then you have Chuck Schumer running for his political life as well, I think that's the summary. Every time the Democrats delay this, they're choosing their politics over the safety and security of America."

On the importance of the SAVE America Act:

"So again, the theme here: we want to make it easier for American citizens to vote and harder to cheat. Think about this, Brian: at least 60% of Americans have concerns about election integrity. That's a big number, 60%. Well, why do they have that concern? I think number one is, we now have 50 million non-American citizens in the country, 50 million non-American citizens in the country, and half of those are illegal. There's at least four states that are allowing them to register to vote, and granted, it's supposedly for local elections, but when you start seeing that happening, you have concerns. And then when you have unsolicited mail in ballots go out, it gives American citizens concerns, 'If I vote, I don't want any illegal vote to cancel me out.' So we do have a real problem here, that the perception is reality in this case. But their emphasis is making it easier to vote, but we want to make sure that it's legal citizens only, I think that's the battle here. And of course, it's really a political issue for them, they're not doing what's best for the country."

On a path to passing voter ID requirements:

"Yeah, so I think your point is well taken. The question we should be asking is, why won't 10 Democrats come across the aisle and vote for voter ID? I've only heard one or two even say they're in favor of voter ID. We're giving them a free pass by adding on these other parts of the bill. But this is what my philosophy would be - let's do the vote on the bill as it is now, these three pillars: proof of citizenship when you register, voter ID, and then verify your mail-in ballot some way, somehow. And then if they vote against that, then let's remove one of those pieces at a time and see where they are, and eventually let's at least get a win with voter ID here. I'll fight like heck to get all of them, but let's get them on record, and maybe we could get 10 of them to cross the line to at least vote for voter ID."

On the filibuster:

"Yeah, I'm afraid not. I think now it's all tied up in the procedure, and I'm afraid that maybe some Republicans have overpromised. There is no easy way for us to get rid of these filibusters, and I don't know if you want to dive down into that, but even though we have at least 50 Republicans that support the SAVE Act, there's probably at least a third of the Republicans who would never touch the filibuster. And for good reason - small states like mine, when you're in the minority, the filibuster protects you, so it's much easier said than done to change those Senate rules."

On the conflict in Iran:

"Yeah, so number one, of course, I'm going to support the troops. I served, my dad served, my brother served, my son is serving, and I am supporting our troops. I would also add that I hate war. President Eisenhower said, 'I hate war as only a soldier who lived it can with all its brutality and futility.' So I'm hoping this war is over soon. My depth of gratitude goes out to all the soldiers who have made the ultimate sacrifice, and to the Gold Star families. But I'm behind the President on this one. Look, 47 years you're describing, you and I lived through this. You're not quite as old as me, but I do remember being in college when they when the Iranian stormed the embassy and held them for 144 days. I was in medical school, I think, when they killed 241 Marines, and then, since 2023, 160 attacks by Iranians on American military forces. There has been an imminent threat for 47 years. Maybe the history books will write the question, 'Why didn't another president stand up sooner to these bullies?' I think that's what history will finally show. I wish we didn't have to go into war, but I do think that it's justified, and hopefully will protect generations in the future."

On keeping American soldiers out of the Middle East:

"Look, you know, I'm glad to have that voice there. And I'm probably more isolationist than you are, I'm probably more cautious going into war than you are, but once we make the commitment, then we need to do it. But I'm against boots on the ground, so I think it's good we as Americans should have this debate. I think it should be very hard for the President to engage our soldiers in any type of war, put their lives on the line, so I do want the President to be thinking twice about this as well. And at the end of the day, you know, the commander in chief makes a play call, and then we need to support him or her."

On the Joe Kent resignation:

"Gosh, you know, Brian, in my world, it was a blip on my radar screen. I mean, I read the letter; it was brought to my attention, but onward we go. I hear you, but to be honest, I didn't lose much sleep over it. I think that there's, you know, a big swamp up here; it's hard to get rid of all of them, it's hard to figure out who's who going into these things. And this guy had a very unique situation - he lost his spouse in one of the desert wars as well. So I think he reacted from his heart. I respect where he's coming from, but I think the President's doing the right thing at the end of the day. But again, I just can't point out enough that I hate war. I grew up in the Vietnam Era. What I hated was the troops weren't being supported. Regardless of how you feel about the war, I want these troops to be supported, I want these goals to our families to know that I'm so grateful for their for their loved ones dying for our freedom."

On the cost of war:

"Oh, absolutely. So on the other hand, I'm a big Eisenhower fan, as you can imagine, being from Kansas. You know his belief in peace through strength, and when you hit someone, you hit him real hard as well. And you know, I'm the doctor here, I'm always going to weigh the benefits and the risks. And in this case, I think that the benefits outweigh the risk; I think the benefits of taking on Iran and hopefully eliminating their future ability to fund an armed terrorist is absolutely worth the risk that we're taking. And then we talk about the Desert War, so I was in the Army Reserve at the breakout of that as well. Fortunately, it was over pretty quickly, and I didn't get overseas orders, but we have hindsight now, right? Hindsight is always 20/20. But now I'm living with so many of these veterans, with all of the challenges that they have as well. You want me to balance the federal budget, we need to stay out of these wars. We're going to spend over $400 billion on veterans this year, a lot of it from health-related issues from those wars, but that's the dollars and cents side of this thing. Of course, war isn't about dollars and cents, it's about our blood and our greatest treasure we have, which is our young women and men who are serving in the armed services."

On why President Trump was right to attack Iran:

"I do. So courage is doing the right thing when it's not popular, especially when it's not popular in your own party. But I feel like the party is coming along now, I feel like the MAGA base is coming along and getting behind our troops as well. You know, the other thing I liked about President Eisenhower, he didn't make a decision based upon tonight's headlines. He was always thinking the long game: what's the impact of this for 10, 20, for 40 years? And that's my prayer every day, is that I would do justice, that I wouldn't worry as much about the headlines - I got to survive politically, but I try not to worry about the headlines tonight, instead I want to do the right thing. And to your point, I think President Trump did what he thought was the right thing, especially in this moment of military advantage that we had, that God had given us this military. We may never have this big an advantage going forward for decades. He had the opportunity to strike and strike hard, and he did."

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