Sen. Armstrong: Permitting Is Key to Lower Energy Costs

Senate reversed course on limiting president Trump's power in the Iran war in an effort to placate the president after an extremely tense lunch on Capitol Hill. Trump walked into the building and has already sparked frustration on his part and had a tense meeting, a tense

luncheon there on Capitol Hill, post on social media he refused to sign a housing bill that was passed by a near unanimous vote until his voting act also passes congress. Senator Allen Armstrong of Oklahoma was at that senate Republican

lunch with the president. We asked him about the housing bill as well as the president's interactions with lawmakers on Capitol Hill. I think that was obviously a surprise to everybody, and, I think, caught everybody off guard there a little bit.

I think, you know, clearly, the president's trying to make a strong statement about how important save act save America act is to him personally, and I think he certainly got his point across on that. There was this meeting that followed with the president, and

I would love your readout on some what transpired there. We've heard that senator Cassidy was the subject of a great deal of of anger from from the president. What was the mood in that room? What did you hear from the president about what he

wants to have happen here for that bill to get signed into law? Yeah. You know, I think he he just continues to express the importance of getting our voting here something that everybody

can trust and be dependent on. And I think that's obviously very important to him, but, you know, I'm not gonna make any comments on what exactly went on in the room, but obviously that's very important to the president.

He continues to press on that. And but, you know, it's a it's private conversation for good reason. And I I think we should have more, frankly. I think there ought to be more of those private

conversations and working out differences rather than letting them work their way out in in to the public. You said the president got his point across that this voting act is really important to him, but this housing act was really important to Republicans, especially Republicans who are

trying to run-in tight races come the fall because one of the things that voters say over and over again when asked they're focused on is these kitchen table issues, and housing has gotten so expensive in this country. Are you disappointed that the bill didn't get passed?

Yeah. You know, I think there's a lot of important work that we need to be doing. Permitting reform is obviously something I think is actually more important than any of those issues that we've been talking

about because it's something that's really holding our nation back. It's a huge tax against our economy, and it really is very crucial to our future to be able to get back to building things here with certainty, with lower costs, and and being able to put capital to work

in our country to power our future. And so I would just say, yes, there's a lot of important things that need to get done, and this is a place where people obviously express what they think is most important to them.

And, certainly, that's what the president was doing. Tell us a bit what you've heard from your constituents from Oklahomans about housing in particular. So Christine, you bring up the fact that affordability is such a big issue here going into to the midterms.

What are you hearing from your constituents about, the need for progress? Yes. On permitting reform, but just on affordable housing more broadly. Yeah.

You know, I would say that's not, that's not a front and center issue in Oklahoma. We have a very low cost of living in Oklahoma, and our governor is, you know, really governor has done a great job of making Oklahoma a place of low