Sen. Jim Banks Joins!

Nigel Jason Hammer (0:00)

My name is Nigel Jason Hammer, right over there with a very special guest on the hotline.

Hammer (0:04)

Representing the great states of Indiana in Washington DC, Senator Jim Banks. Senator, I know you've been barnstorming the state of Indiana doing a couple different events. Tell me about your time back home here, what's going on?

Jim Banks (0:21)

Well, I'm back in DC this week, but most of August, home for the August recess, and getting around the state visiting with Hoosiers, hearing from them about what matters most to them, which frankly these days is high gas prices, affordability, I mean, those issues are real.

And we got to do more in Washington at the federal level, do more at the state level to bring down the cost of gas and the cost of groceries. Diesel cost is really bad. Of course, much of this is tied to what's going on overseas. And I've been working with the president and the White House to support our military, to try to bring a resolution to what's going on in Iran ASAP. And once we've seen kind of the ebb and flow of gas prices, but once there is a resolution, those prices will come down immediately, but that can't come soon enough. So that's what we're fighting for. Back in Washington this week and probably next week, we have a number of bills that we're still working through in the Senate. The House has already done until after the election, the first Tuesday of November, but in the Senate, we're still focused on a number of issues that we'll be voting on yet today and tomorrow, and probably next week before we take a break before the November midterm.

Hammer (1:49)

I know one of the bills that I know you've been working on is the one banning non-citizens for Pell Grants. Walk me through this.

Jim Banks (1:59)

I just introduced you yesterday. Pell Grants are student aid grants to low-income, working-class kids that want to go to college. You guys, I probably told you before, I'm the first in my family to go to college, son of a factory worker, and I could only do it with the help of student loans. And Pell Grants are really important to who's your kids, that give them that opportunity to pursue a good education, whether it's workforce training or two-year or four-year colleges. But here's the crazy thing about it, guys. Those Pell Grants also go to non-citizens. And I've fought against that over the years, but I introduced this bill yesterday. And the amazing thing about the bill that I introduced is it's not a new bill. I introduced it under my name yesterday, but it goes back as far as 1994 It was introduced in Congress in 1994 by three Democrats, not Republicans. Three Democrats in 1994 introduced a bill to take Pell Grants away from non-citizens to protect it for young American men and women who want to go to college. And I'll just make a prediction to both of you today. Not a single Democrat is going to support my Pell Grant for Americans Act because that's how radicalized the Democrats have become since 1994

They would rather non-citizens get those Pell Grants than American citizens, and they'll fight against my bill. But I'm going to make a point with it. That kind of support funded by the taxpayers, hard-working men and women, met for American young men and women.

The Democrats are going to fight against them, and fight for it, and try to make that right and change that rule.

Hammer (3:56)

Do you think you got all Republican support? Because let's be honest, that's been a problem with the Republicans for a while. You've got some wishy-washy Republicans that, for whatever reason, don't want to do what's best for the country and want to look super progressive to the other side.

Jim Banks (4:13)

Well, no doubt about it, there are some squishy Republicans, and some of them are fortunately retiring, or have gotten beat, and will be done at the end of this year.

But let's focus on the 100 percent Democrats who are against common sense and believe that non-citizens should be treated equally with American citizens when it comes to aid, like Pell Grants for College or Welfare, or even the Voter ID issue, truly one of the most common sense issues on Capitol Hill. 100 percent Democrats are against Voter ID to prove that you say you are, and that you're an American citizen when you show up to vote. 100 percent Democrats are against that, 99.9 percent of Republicans are for it. So I think that's the same thing with my Pell Grant bill that you'll come to see. I just introduced you yesterday. Again, we're going to take a break here for the election cycle, and then we'll be back for the lame duck session after election day. We'll see how the election turns out. But hopefully, we get past the midterm election, and hopefully these Democrats will come to their senses and do the right thing and pass bills like this to take Pell Grants away from non-citizens.