United States Senator Bill Hagerty (R-TN) appeared on Fox Business’s Varney & Co. to discuss the ongoing hostage situation in Gaza, President Donald Trump’s proposal for a tariff rebate to American taxpayers, and the need to address the national debt.
Reflecting on the nearly two-year duration of the Hamas hostage crisis, Hagerty stated: “We’re coming up on the two-year anniversary of the attack by Hamas on Israel. They took 1,200 lives that day and 250 hostages. It will be two years in October since this began. Hamas continues to fail in every negotiation. They don’t seem to want to negotiate. I can understand the desire of the Israelis to get tough and finish the job. I don’t know that it requires a leveling like we did in Tokyo and Berlin– something I know firsthand from my time as ambassador to Japan– but it’s going to require something different, because negotiation hasn’t worked. I know there’s a ceasefire right now, and they’re working on a humanitarian package to try and ease some of the suffering there. But Hamas has got to go. […] It’s shocking that we have not had more international condemnation. The only international condemnation we get is from members like the U.N., which would condemn Israel. It’s extraordinarily frustrating. […] We’re down to fifty hostages now, and perhaps twenty are still alive. This must come to an end– for the sake of the families, for the sake of the hostages, and certainly for the sake of the rest of the world. We’ve got to bring this to an end.”
On economic issues, Hagerty addressed Trump’s proposed tariff rebate plan and emphasized fiscal responsibility: “I certainly think the U.S. taxpayer has taken a lot of pain. We were fortunate to move through the reconciliation package to lock in tax rates. The Democrats wanted to put over four trillion in tax increases on Americans. So, having Americans get more of their money in their pocket is a good idea. But the number one issue for me is our debt. I think the top priority here should be using the tariff funding to pay down the debt. President Trump has certainly got a lot of latitude here, but again, my number one priority is the debt. […] It [tariff revenue] could significantly [cut the national debt]. We haven’t seen all the other deals come through yet, so I think we’re going to see more good news to come.”
Hagerty serves on several Senate committees including Appropriations, Banking, and Foreign Relations.
