Tennessee U.S. Representative Tim Burchett (R-TN-02) is continuing his push for Congress to codify President Donald Trump’s agenda into law, stressing how Republican lawmakers must deliver on the efforts that the people elected them to do.
“I want our Congress to start doing what we’re elected to do. Let’s get bold, let’s start moving stuff,” Burchett said on Thursday’s edition of The Michael Patrick Leahy Show.
The Tennessee congressman went on to cite his “No Tax Dollars for Terrorists Act” as a “bold” example of legislation Republicans should pass to carry out Trump’s agenda and serve the interests of GOP voters.
“I have this bill to defund the Taliban. We’re sending them $40 million a week. I have a memo from the State Department, which is no friend of mine, and they claim that it is, in fact they think, more than $5 billion that we’ve given to these people. And look, [the Taliban] will hate us for free. Don’t give me this college town garbage about, ‘Oh, they just want peace and freedom.’ Listen, if you’re gay, they’ll throw you off a building. If you’re a woman, you’re treated like cattle. If you’re raped, it’s your fault. It’s beyond belief,” Burchett explained.
Noting how most of the funding for the Taliban is distributed through NGOs (non-governmental organizations) and likely sometimes ends up “in the pockets of congressmen,” Burchett, however, was doubtful in the current leadership of the U.S. Department of Justice to deliver on any bombshell arrests.
“We are funding the Taliban, and how are we doing it? Through NGOs, non-government organizations. There’s almost 1,000 of those that operate in Afghanistan and all they’re doing is filtering the money right back to America – probably into the pockets of congressmen,” Burchett said.
“I’ll be happy when I see one of these congressmen or congresswomen in either party…walk out of here in handcuffs…But I don’t have a lot of faith in Pam Bondi actually going after these people. We have to force her to do it in the media,” Burchett added.
Burchett said he has discussed his concerns on these matters with House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA-04), but admitted that the speaker has fallen subject to “groupthink.”
“We have a structural problem up here and we’ve gotta fix that. I’ve had a heated conversation with the speaker. He and I are good friends and I’m taking it to him personally. I go talk to him one-on-one. I say, ‘Listen man, this is what people are saying.’ But the problem you get in leadership is just like anywhere else, you get the problem called groupthink. You get people that are around you, that advise you, and they get to the point where they’re just fanny kissers, for lack of a better term,” Burchett said.
Watch the interview:
Tune in now to hour 2 of The Michael Patrick Leahy Show – your AMERICA FIRST news talk w guest host @EJUndertheRadar!
– Watch LIVE here on X
– Listen on Spotify
– Listen on WENO AM760 in Nashville
– Read more at @TheTNStar https://t.co/ZkgTxFCY12— MichaelPatrick Leahy (@michaelpleahy) May 1, 2025
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Kaitlin Housler is a reporter at The Tennessee Star and The Star News Network. Follow Kaitlin on X / Twitter.
Photo “Rep. Tim Burchett” by Rep. Tim Burchett.
