Congressman Gary Palmer (AL-06) met with the Eagle Forum Monday in Hoover to discuss pressing issues in national politics.
Palmer is a Republican, first elected in 2014, is Chairman of the Republican Policy Committee and sits on the Committee on Energy and Commerce and several of its subcommittees.
The Eagle Forum is a pro-family and conservative nonprofit based in Birmingham. It is intended to educate about and advocate for principles such as unalienable rights, limited government, private enterprise, strong national defense and traditional moral values.
During his conversation, Palmer spoke about the war in Ukraine, the midterm elections, Congressional distrust, energy and issues with China.
Palmer said he’s been involved in the efforts to assist Ukraine against Russia.
“I’ve had four Zoom calls with a member of the military, a member of parliament and one of the media people and a former member of parliament,” Palmer said. “I’ve been able to get information that some of our top people haven’t gotten.”
According to Palmer, only about $2 billion of the $13 billion of Ukrainian aid passed by Congress in March has reached Ukraine.
“What they’re doing is sending it just in time, like it was a manufacturing operation,” Palmer said. “I would much rather send $13 billion and defeat Putin in Ukraine than let him take Ukraine and let him attack a NATO nation and then we would be in World War III, because that’s the choice.”
Some of the forum members expressed concern about Zelenskyy’s involvement in the World Economic Forum (WEF), a non-profit lobbying organization founded by German engineer and economist Klaus Schwab.
The WEF is often attended by many prominent politicians and corporate billionaires such as Bill Gates, Bill Clinton, Prince Charles and George Soros and has attracted attention from critics and skeptics for its global initiatives such as the “Great Reset.”
Palmer discounted those claims. “I’ve had people come up and bring up stuff that’s just factually not true. They got it off the internet. I don’t know what to tell you.”
Palmer said the most significant issues of the upcoming midterm election are inflation and energy costs, which he said are connected.
“Energy is the most inflationary component of the entire economy,” he said. “There’s an energy cost in everything you come in contact with. Today, in terms of food, clothing, water - it all has an energy cost.”
According to Palmer, unaffordable energy can threaten people in cold areas. “[Northern States and parts of Europe] converted to renewables, and their household energy costs went through the roof to the point that it caused thousands of people to die unnecessarily… In the winter of 2016-2017, there were 17,000 people [who] died in Great Britain because they couldn’t afford to keep their homes adequately heated.”
Palmer said they did not freeze to death but suffered from conditions such as respiratory or cardiovascular issues, making them vulnerable to the cold. He quoted a study from Lancet, the highly respected British health journal, that said 17 times more people die from cold-related illnesses than heat. “I bring this up. It drives the left crazy.
“...Just because of fracking and bringing down the cost of natural gas, it's probably saving 11,000 lives per year in the US,” Palmer said.
He said China is the enemy the United States should be most focused on.
“The past administrations, Republican and Democrat, have made enormous mistakes in trading with China,” said Palmer. “...[China is] turning Africa into a vassal state, and they’re doing the same thing with South America.
“...If we do not confront China, we’re in deep, deep trouble,” Palmer said. He said he has been working with diplomats across North and South America to form a Western Hemisphere Prosperity and Security Alliance to “offset China’s influence into the Western Hemisphere.”
He also warned about a potential Chinese attack on Taiwan. “If China takes Taiwan, they control the Taiwan Strait… 85% of international trade goes through those sea lanes. They will suffocate Japan.
“...70% of our semiconductors are manufactured in Taiwan, 90% of the advanced semiconductors.”
Palmer said China is learning the impact of U.S. and European countries pulling out of Russia and criticized American enterprises for investing in Chinese companies.
“They see these companies pulling out of Russia. If that were to happen to the Chinese economy, they would go into depression.”
"You can talk about the World Economic Forum all you want to,” Palmer said. “...I’ve read that stuff. The plan set in place in 1949 by Mao Ze Dong is called the 100-year marathon. By 2049, China will be not just the dominating economic power but the dominant world power.”
According to Palmer, the Republicans in Congress will release their Commitment to America this summer. “It’s going to deal with inflation. It’s going to deal with the border. It’s going to deal with crime in the streets. It’s going to deal with healthcare. It’s going to deal with education, essentially putting parents back in charge.”
Palmer said he and his fellow Republicans have not been able to do as much as they want as the minority. Still, he is confident the GOP will at least take the majority of the House of Representatives in November. “When we get the majority back, you’re going to see a lot of people brought before committees for hearings to give an answer to what they’ve done.”
After the forum, Palmer told 1819 News that National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases director Anthony Fauci will be included in committee hearings.
“It won’t just be the healthcare people. It will be the State Department,” Palmer said during the forum.
Palmer also said some of Alabama's current representatives are in good standing to obtain a handful of leadership positions in the House of Representatives. He said Rep. Robert Aderholt (R) could potentially be the next chairman of Appropriations and that Rep. Mike Rogers (R) will be the next chairman of Armed Services. “It’s huge for Alabama.”
To connect with the author of this story, or to comment, email will.blakely@1819News.com.
