Back Pay to Big Pay TSA Agents Score $10K for Service During Crisis plus Trump Turns Epstein Scandal on Dems

The Ben Ferguson Podcast

iHeartPodcasts

Politics, News, News Commentary

4.9 • 4.7K Ratings

🗓️ 15 November 2025

⏱️ 31 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

1. TSA Bonus Checks After Shutdown

Event: DHS Secretary Christy Nome awarded $10,000 bonus checks to TSA agents who worked during a record-breaking 43-day government shutdown.
Reasoning: Rewards for “exemplary service” and commitment to national security despite lack of pay.
Details:
- Bonuses funded from fiscal year 2025 carryover funds.
- Trump reportedly pushed for the $10,000 amount, calling it “the American way.”
- Democrats criticized the move, alleging favoritism and photo-op motives.
Tone: Praises workers who “took pride in their country” and condemns those who skipped work despite guaranteed back pay.

2. Democratic Reaction and Shutdown Politics

Quotes from Democrats like Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and Wesley Bell expressing dissatisfaction with reopening the government.
Commentary frames Democrats as prioritizing political points over citizens’ welfare (e.g., food stamp recipients).
Democrats are considering another shutdown.

3. Epstein Files Controversy

Trump’s response: Directing DOJ and FBI to investigate Epstein’s ties to Democrats and major institutions (Bill Clinton, Larry Summers, Reid Hoffman, JP Morgan Chase).
Trump labels the situation “Russia Hoax 2.0” and claims Democrats are weaponizing Epstein allegations to harm him.
Virginia Giuffre’s statements clearing Trump of wrongdoing and accusing Democrats of hiding her name.
Criticizes Democrats for ignoring victims historically and only caring when it suits political attacks.

4. Clinton Foundation Investigation

A 2019 IRS criminal probe into the Clinton Foundation that was halted under Democratic leadership.
Whistleblowers (John Moynihan and Larry Doyle) claimed the foundation operated as a “foreign agent.”
Trump administration reportedly reopened the investigation.
Includes allegations of “pay-for-play” and Nigerian officials claiming favors for donations.
Clinton Foundation denies wrongdoing, citing high program spending.

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Transcript

Click on a timestamp to play from that location

0:00.0	This is an I-Heart podcast.
0:02.6	Guaranteed Human.
0:05.4	So Department of Homeland Security Secretary Christy Noam is really sticking it to the government employees that decided, ah, screw it.
0:13.5	We'll just let America be unsafe in the skies.
0:15.6	I'm not going to work even though they knew when the government reopened they were going to get back pay.
0:20.6	There's a lot of people in the government that decided, I'm going to go on vacation.
0:23.5	I'm not going to show up for work, even though they knew they were going to get back pay. So they decided at the White House, they were going to reward good behavior. By handing out, and this is, by the way, amazing. I love when people win when they do the right thing because people that
0:38.2	showed up during the shutdown did not know this was going to happen all right it wasn't even a
0:43.1	rumor it wasn't talked about it wasn't discussed they are now going to they they now have i should
0:48.3	say past tense handed out 10 000 bonus checks to TSA agents for exemplary service during the shutdown.
0:58.3	Now, look, again, every TSA agent knew they were going to get the back pay.
1:03.5	Now, some of them were like, I'm going to do Uber Lyft, and I understand that.
1:06.2	If you've got no savings and you've got to go do something else, I'm fine with that.
1:10.2	But I do love the fact that there were people that showed up, took their job seriously,
1:15.4	and wanted to make sure that Americans could still travel.
1:18.4	Like they took pride in their country.
1:20.6	And that's exactly why the Homeland Security Secretary,
1:22.8	Chrissy and Home, handed out these $10,000 bonus checks to agents who were there and working without pay during the
1:30.4	government shutdown. Now, there are liberals now that are actually angry over this and they're mad.
1:37.7	I want you to hear Christy Nome in her own words as she spoke to reporters in front of her at a press conference at Houston's
1:46.9	George Bush International Airport and turned to present about a dozen of the TSA agents with their
1:53.1	$10,000 bonus checks, this is like, again, rewarding good behavior, a boss move as a taxpayer.
	...

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