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Fox Business anchor Maria Bartiromo didn’t hold back during a tense interview with Sen. Rick Scott (R-FL), challenging him to name specific cuts he would support in President Donald Trump’s proposed budget. What began as a routine discussion quickly turned combative as Scott dodged questions on which areas of federal spending he would slash.
“I think we can clearly get his Big, Beautiful Bill done,” Scott said during the Wednesday segment. “I think we can clearly have fiscal sanity.”
Bartiromo immediately pushed for clarity. “Okay. So tell me about that fiscal sanity,” she pressed. “What’s most important to you? Is it raising the debt limit? Is it the Medicaid cuts? Is it removing those green energy credits in Biden’s Inflation Reduction Act?”
Scott responded vaguely, saying, “But even when we do those, we don’t get to a balanced budget. So the only way we’re going to do this is we’re going to get to do this by going through every line in the budget.”
That’s when Bartiromo’s frustration boiled over.
“So have you done it?” she asked sharply. “Can you identify some specifics for us? Have you done it? Have you gone through every line in the budget? And can you today give us some specifics in terms of what needs to be cut to get you on board?”
Scott deflected again, replying, “Maria, you cannot see a copy of the budget.”
Bartiromo, clearly exasperated, fired back: “How long have you been in the Senate? How long have you been in Congress? You know the budget, roughly speaking, right?”
After further pressing, Scott finally began to name priorities: “I can tell you where I would start.”
“Thank you,” Bartiromo responded, finally getting a more direct answer.
Scott cited the Green New Deal and Medicaid as areas he would target for cuts, stating, “We shouldn’t be spending more money on able-bodied adults for health care than we are on our poor kids.”
The exchange reflected a growing impatience among some media figures and perhaps voters with lawmakers who promote sweeping fiscal reform without offering specific plans. As the GOP continues to push for cuts in exchange for supporting Trump’s budget, questions like Bartiromo’s may become even more pointed.
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