🇺🇸 The Schumer Shutdown: Families, Fuel & The Fight for America | Congresswoman Beth Van Duyne
The government shutdown is hitting home — and Texas Congresswoman Beth Van Duyne returns to The Crude Truth to call it like she sees it.
💥 In this episode, Rey Treviño III and Congresswoman Van Duyne dive into the real impact of the “Schumer Shutdown” — from families struggling with halted paychecks to the political gridlock keeping America closed for business.
Takeaways:
Why Democrats admit they’re using the shutdown as “leverage” — and who’s paying the price.
The truth about the $1.5 trillion spending demand and how it affects small businesses and the middle class.
Van Duyne’s new bill protecting America’s highways from unqualified commercial drivers.
How Texas leads with jobs, energy, and common sense — including her record-breaking North Texas job fair.
The role of energy independence, tariffs, and trade in restoring American strength.
The ceasefire abroad and how peace through strength is reshaping U.S. leadership.
🎙️ “We can’t cave to childish and dangerous demands,” says Van Duyne. “The American people deserve adults in the room.”
Rey closes the show reminding listeners that energy — and leadership — still power this great nation.
📺 Watch the full episode: The Crude Truth with Rey Treviño III
🎧 Listen on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and everywhere you get your podcasts.
Highlights of the Podcast
00:01 – The Schumer Shutdown and Its Impact
01:57 – Democrats Using Shutdown as Leverage
03:47 – Budget Battles and Conservative Policies
05:11 – The Human Cost of Political Games
14:38 – Finding Common Ground Across the Aisle
16:08 – Energy Prices and American Production
17:21 – Restoring the Strategic Petroleum Reserve
26:10 – Clarifying Misconceptions About Congress
27:27 – Closing Remarks and Call to Action
Please reach out to Congresswoman Beth Van Duyne on LinkedIn
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🇺🇸 The Schumer Shutdown: Families, Fuel & The Fight for America | Congresswoman Beth Van Duyne
Video Transcription edited for grammar. We disavow any errors unless they make us look better or smarter.
Rey “RT” Treviño III [00:00:00] The Schumer shutdown is in full effect, and unfortunately, Americans are really beginning to feel those negative effects. We bring back friend of the show, Congresswoman Beth Van Duyne, to dive into what’s going on and how quickly we can actually get this government back open on this episode of the Crude Truth.
Narrator [00:00:20] In 1901, at Spindletop Hill near Beaumont, the future of Texas changed dramatically, as, like a fountain of fortune, thousands of barrels of oil burst from the earth towards the sky. Soon Detroit would be cranking out Model T’s by the millions, and America was on the move thanks to the black gold being produced in Texas. Now, more than a century later, the vehicles are different, but nothing else has truly changed. Sure, there may be many other alternative energy sources like wind and solar and electric. But let’s be honest, America depends on oil and entrepreneurs, and if the USA is truly going to be independent, it has to know The Crude Truth.
Narrator [00:01:03] This episode is brought to you by LFS Chemistry. We are committed to being good stewards of the environment. We are providing the tools so you can be too. NAPE Expo, where deals happen. Air Compressor Solutions. When everything is on the line, Air Compressor Solutions is the dependable choice to keep commercial business powered up. Sandstone Group. Exec Crue, Elevate your network, elevate your knowledge. Texas Star Alliance. Pecos Country Operating. Fueling our future.
Rey “RT” Treviño III [00:01:40] As I said the in my teaser, the shutdown is still going on as of today. And I just cannot thank this guest enough for coming on now for I think her third time, a friend of the show, Congresswoman Beth Van Duyne. Congresswoman, how are you?
Congresswoman Beth Van Duyne [00:01:57] Well, you know, I’m I am I’m frustrated, I’m irritated, I’m busy. But we’re I’m doing well. I’m I I I think right now all of us, at least all of us on on the Republican side of the aisle are just ready to get started, wanting to get back on the floor, wanting to get some of these votes passed and are very frustrated that Democrats are gonna continue to to keep the American people hostage. I mean, welcome to day 23, right, of our of our shutdown, where we’ve seen such things as our our hate American rallies going on. And just yesterday we had the Democrat whip, Catherine Clark announce that, yeah, they understand that this is going to be horrible for American families, but they’re gonna use it as leverage. You know, this is the this is what the Democrats are doing. They’re acknowledging, finally, they’re saying it out loud, that they know how horrible this shutdown is for for families, especially those who are vulnerable, those who are struggling, those in the military, you know, TSA agents, and and air traffic controllers who are having to work around the clock, but they don’t care because they’re gonna use it as leverage to be able to get this $1.5 trillion excessive spend for their pet projects, 200 billion of which is to pay for health care for illegal immigrants. This is what we’re up against. This is why I’m frustrated. And I think, you know, this is this is what you’re seeing from from Democrats across the country. And, you know, I’m hoping that the American people are very vocal with them and let them know that they don’t appreciate it.
Rey “RT” Treviño III [00:03:26] Well, you know, Congresswoman, the fact that they’re trying to bring in another one point six trillion dollars to a budget that and all y’all want to do is just keep moving forward with the one that you have. And and until you have a real budget created, it just blows me away. This is like the epitome of just playing politics. Is that correct?
Congresswoman Beth Van Duyne [00:03:47] They got what they wished, you’re right. They got what they asked for. We offered them what they’ve already voted on 13 times. The difference is it was under the Biden administration, not under the Trump administration. The passing of a clean CR is something I don’t want to do. I it was a it was a you know pulling of my teeth to just even have to vote for that bill. I don’t like the spend. But it was a short-term spending gap in order to be able to get our conservative policies in, in order to get our appropriation bills finished. That is why I voted for it. And then Democrats still aren’t satisfied. Even though that is the same level of spend that they had under Biden, they’re still not satisfied. They are really furious that we were able to pass our one big beautiful bill, you know, that looked that had something in there for every vulnerable American, you know, that helped small businesses, that helped seniors, that helped law enforcement, that closed our border, and stopped sending billions of dollars of foreign aid, you know, for pet green new deal projects. They’re livid about that. And so part of what they’re trying to do is stand up to take back what we already passed. It’s not gonna happen. This we are on the agenda that the American people supported in November, and we’re gonna keep fighting for it. And you know, I hate that right now that the Democrats are using American families as leverage, but we can’t cave into these childish and unrealistic and dangerous demands.
Rey “RT” Treviño III [00:05:11] You know, you mentioned dangerous demands. The Democrats, as far as I see, being on the outside, I’m not there. They’re literally being dangerous with the American people. They’re now, you know, we’ve there’s so many groups that have been shut down, as far as the, you know, who’s being paid. And it’s hurting the American people, and it’s hurting the middle class that they say that they’re always fighting for. And it’s like, you know, how much more danger can they really be in? And are they putting these all of us Americans in as they continue with this Schumer shutdown, as I call it? Well, you’ve been you’ve been at it now for such a a good while. Really just adding positive to North Texas I know I know I’ve had to check a box once or twice when we vote. So I always thank you for that. And you mentioned you know, n by nonpartisan. You do talk to the other side. You work with them. And and I w I’d like for you to highlight that. It’s like, hey, you you you have Democrats that you know that you talk to that you’re trying to figure out ways to move forward. Is that correct?
Congresswoman Beth Van Duyne [00:14:38] We are. I mean, I’ll give you a perfect example. Earlier this week, I was on a panel talking about breast cancer. And I was with Debbie Dingle. She is a she’s a Democrat, but she has had personal experience with breast cancer. I have had personal experience with breast cancer, and we were trying to bring it to the forefront. So we’re working on a bill that, you know, women who actually have you know who who have cause to get a mammogram, not just for a diagonal but are gonna need diagnostic work and gonna need an ultrasound that we can get it covered. You know, and so I told my personal story. She talked about it. And these are things that should not be political. They should not be partisan based. There’s a lot of of issues like that that we face around the country that we could be particularly helpful if we can just get rid of some of the nasty r rhetoric and work together as a team. But it’s you know, you can’t do that. We can’t push these bills through if a government’s closed. So yeah, as much as I as I’m looking forward to working with my my colleagues on the other side of the aisle, I’d also like to stress to the Senate get your act together, get back to work and and do what you have done, vote for a CR 13 times and allow us to open the back of the floor because there’s a lot of good bills, a lot of them are b bipartisan that we can get passed through that I believe would be a huge benefit to the American people.
Rey “RT” Treviño III [00:15:58] You know, as as we continue on and with with the government still shut down and this being you know, I always try to make this an oil and gas show as best I can, oil prices are down right now.
Congresswoman Beth Van Duyne [00:16:08] Yeah, they are. I don’t know if you saw my post earlier, but I had a post earlier this week that showed some gas prices in in North Texas. Okay.
Rey “RT” Treviño III [00:16:19] Yes. Yes, ma’am.
Congresswoman Beth Van Duyne [00:16:20] 58 a gallon. And we’re like, whoo, I mean that that’s everybody, everybody across the country when we have lower gas prices. And why? Because you’ve got bills that are cutting through the red tape that are looking at being able to produce more American freedom energy. And that we’ve got a president who instead of demonizing an entire industry, talking about how he is going to attack them with further regulations, and how basically his goal is to eradicate that entire industry, is supporting them, is propping them up and is giving them the acknowledgement of the need and the demand in the US. That goes a huge way, as you’re seeing, we’ve got more production now than ever before, and prices have dropped.
Rey “RT” Treviño III [00:16:59] Well, w as as this continues, ‘cause obviously the price of a barrel has continued to drop with the historic ceasefire agreement that we have. Would you be in favor of a certain price that maybe if we hit and I’m just gonna throw out a number, like so I’m not trying to hold but like we got down to fifty dollars, would you be able would you be willing to vote to fill up the strategic petroleum reserves?
Congresswoman Beth Van Duyne [00:17:21] That’s something that should never have been on on drained in the first place so that we saw under the Biden administration. It was so short-sighted and so dangerous, especially with all of the different wars that he was encouraging across the country across the planet. I absolutely would be in favor of starting to do that. I think that has to happen. There’s a reason why we’ve got the strategic oil reserve. It’s is if we do have some catastrophic wars where we’re not able to produce, we’re not able to get you know, meet the demand that we need. That that demand obviously would would, depending on on what happens of, you know, in in other countries, you know, that could that could possibly increase our demand even further. We need to make sure that we’re preparing for those emergencies. And so yes, I would definitely be in favor of making sure that we’re getting those reserves back up. And now we need to reverse those policies, recognize that we need to have manufacturing back in the States, much safer safer in much it’s a national security issue. You know, just looking at what we are missing during during COVID years. We need to bring that back. Those are good jobs, it’s it’s they’re good paying. We need to have it for national security. We’ve got an ability to do that. But all of this is through trade and tariff deals.
Rey “RT” Treviño III [00:25:45] Well, Congresswoman, you have just been on a trail right now and just kicking butt and taking names across across that trail. I can’t thank you enough. I know as as we kind of wrap up, I just want to kinda give you the platform just to talk about anything else that you wanna say, ‘cause you know, as you know, we always try to line up what we’re gonna talk about. But, you know, if there’s anything else that you wanna share with everybody out there, please, please do.
Congresswoman Beth Van Duyne [00:26:10] You know, I have been hearing a lot about how well the Republicans have a majority in the House. They have a majority in the Senate. We should be getting this stuff done. I’d remind people the work that that gets done in the House is by simple majority. In order to get these bills out of the Senate, you need 60. We only have 53 Republicans. So keep that in mind that while we can prevent some bills from actually seeing the floor in the Senate, in order to get them passed, we need 60 votes. But I would also say that the job of a Congress member is not always in DC. That’s another fallacy that I’ve heard is oh, they’re on vacation. You know, they’re not in DC, they’re on vacation. No, we’re not. We are not on vacation at all. Just because we are not on the floor voting does not mean that we are not meeting with constituents, that we are not trying to do what we can to to push our bills through, writing bills on in and really working on our casework when we’re home. So I I would encourage people to to contact their congressmember if they need help. Right now it’s it’s tough because these agencies are closed. We need to work on getting the government back open, but it is it is a very intricate job that we do and not everything is done in DC. It isn’t, you know, that DC is not the center of the universe for me. It is our our folks in District Twenty Four in in the state of Texas. So I appreciate the work that you do and I really thank you for the opportunity to be able to share all this information.
Rey “RT” Treviño III [00:27:27] Well, Congresswoman, again, you have been just so busy even during this down turn shutdown is what it’s called, the Schumer shutdown, that I’ve done that it literally took, I think, two weeks for me to get you because you have been meetings after meetings and and visiting with so many people. So for you to take time to do this episode, I cannot thank you enough. And just keep up the good fight and you know definitely give it a little extra for oil and gas if you can for me, please. Well done. Well thank you. Take care. Thank you so much. And to all our listeners and viewers out there, thank you as always. Definitely reach out to your congressman or woman, whoever it is, whatever side, and let them know what what you’ve got going on. And we’ll see you again on another episode of The Crude Truth.
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