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Tom Barrett: “I still think we have the greatest form of government in the…”

Featuring: Tom Barrett, Republican | U.S. House, Michigan, District 7

Candidate Interview: Tom Barrett (R) Representative in Congress - 7th District

Published June 15, 2026 | Video Starts at 35:50

You've got issues of the House and the Senate and the, you know, internal battles that go back and forth. But in spite of all that, I still think we have the greatest form of government in the history of the world. I'm proud to be here in our 250th anniversary of our country. I don't plan to be here for the 500th anniversary of America, but I do hope to lay … (35:50–35:55)

CLAIM

Asserts that the U.S. government is the greatest form of government in history.

This is an excerpt from a raw transcript. The assertions have not been audited or verified. Tap the video to view the source footage and understand the context.

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Tom Barrett

“The Government Accountability Office...found the same Social Security number had been used more than 120 times to sign up individuals for a…”
Candidate Interview: Tom Barrett (R) Representative in Congress - 7th District | Uploaded June 15, 2026 | 13:53-14:08
“There were tens of thousands of other examples where the same Social Security number had been used more than once to enroll somebody into…”
Candidate Interview: Tom Barrett (R) Representative in Congress - 7th District | Uploaded June 15, 2026 | 14:31-14:39
“In Michigan, I was disappointed to see that a few years ago there was a green energy mandate that will require in, in just a handful of…”
Candidate Interview: Tom Barrett (R) Representative in Congress - 7th District | Uploaded June 15, 2026 | 16:19-16:34
“Michigan right now is the most expensive state for energy in the entire Midwest.”
Candidate Interview: Tom Barrett (R) Representative in Congress - 7th District | Uploaded June 15, 2026 | 18:59-19:05
“The Government Accountability Office found that only two or three of the dozens of fake accounts they created were ever flagged for fraud.”
Candidate Interview: Tom Barrett (R) Representative in Congress - 7th District | Uploaded June 15, 2026 | 22:25-22:33
“Between a third and a half of the programs that were in existence had zero medical claims filed against them [in 2024].”
Candidate Interview: Tom Barrett (R) Representative in Congress - 7th District | Uploaded June 15, 2026 | 22:41-22:48
“We had more than 10 or some estimates of 15 million or more illegal immigrants coming into the country completely unchecked by our federal…”
Candidate Interview: Tom Barrett (R) Representative in Congress - 7th District | Uploaded June 15, 2026 | 23:50-24:00
“We had about 7,000 Americans that died on the battlefield during the War on Terror.”
Candidate Interview: Tom Barrett (R) Representative in Congress - 7th District | Uploaded June 15, 2026 | 29:29-29:40
“During that same 20 year period of time we had 30,000 post 9/11 veterans who died to suicide.”
Candidate Interview: Tom Barrett (R) Representative in Congress - 7th District | Uploaded June 15, 2026 | 29:39-29:48
“I currently serve in United States House of Representatives.”
Candidate Interview: Tom Barrett (R) Representative in Congress - 7th District | Uploaded June 15, 2026 | 01:11-01:15
“I spent my career in the United States army, was 22 years as a soldier.”
Candidate Interview: Tom Barrett (R) Representative in Congress - 7th District | Uploaded June 15, 2026 | 01:22-01:27
“I was in Iraq, Kuwait, Guantanamo Bay, South Korea.”
Candidate Interview: Tom Barrett (R) Representative in Congress - 7th District | Uploaded June 15, 2026 | 01:31-01:36
“I have four kids and my wife and I are raising our family in Charlotte right in this district.”
Candidate Interview: Tom Barrett (R) Representative in Congress - 7th District | Uploaded June 15, 2026 | 01:38-01:45
“I try and make our, you know, make the border secure, make our communities safer.”
Candidate Interview: Tom Barrett (R) Representative in Congress - 7th District | Uploaded June 15, 2026 | 02:52-03:08
“We have manufacturing, we have agriculture, we have academics, of course, Michigan State University and other schools and colleges in the…”
Candidate Interview: Tom Barrett (R) Representative in Congress - 7th District | Uploaded June 15, 2026 | 03:38-03:49
“I think that we can do each of these things in a fiscally responsible way.”
Candidate Interview: Tom Barrett (R) Representative in Congress - 7th District | Uploaded June 15, 2026 | 04:31-04:35
“I spent eight years in the state legislature. We had to run a balanced budget every single year.”
Candidate Interview: Tom Barrett (R) Representative in Congress - 7th District | Uploaded June 15, 2026 | 05:54-06:00
“I actually have a constitutional amendment that I've signed on to that would require a federally balanced budget in the next 10 years.”
Candidate Interview: Tom Barrett (R) Representative in Congress - 7th District | Uploaded June 15, 2026 | 06:19-06:27
“I voluntarily had my own pay withheld as a member of Congress until we got an appropriation approved that reopened the government.”
Candidate Interview: Tom Barrett (R) Representative in Congress - 7th District | Uploaded June 15, 2026 | 06:43-06:58
“The issue of the filibuster that requires a higher threshold of votes in order to move forward to pass something really shouldn't be used…”
Candidate Interview: Tom Barrett (R) Representative in Congress - 7th District | Uploaded June 15, 2026 | 07:46-08:00
“We don't have enough housing stock to meet the demand that's out there.”
Candidate Interview: Tom Barrett (R) Representative in Congress - 7th District | Uploaded June 15, 2026 | 09:15-09:19
“Large scale corporate, often foreign investors [are] coming into communities and buying up the single family housing stock.”
Candidate Interview: Tom Barrett (R) Representative in Congress - 7th District | Uploaded June 15, 2026 | 09:52-10:01
“I've actually introduced legislation and co-sponsored legislation that would prevent [large-scale private equity, often foreign-owned…”
Candidate Interview: Tom Barrett (R) Representative in Congress - 7th District | Uploaded June 15, 2026 | 10:40-10:56
“I've introduced...a bill that would allow people over the age of 65...to waive the capital gains tax...if they sold the home to a first-time…”
Candidate Interview: Tom Barrett (R) Representative in Congress - 7th District | Uploaded June 15, 2026 | 11:14-11:32
“Health insurance costs have gone up and up and up and up and up.”
Candidate Interview: Tom Barrett (R) Representative in Congress - 7th District | Uploaded June 15, 2026 | 12:41-12:45
“I've actually sponsored a bill that would require health insurance companies to spend more of what they are taking in in premium to actually…”
Candidate Interview: Tom Barrett (R) Representative in Congress - 7th District | Uploaded June 15, 2026 | 12:50-13:01
“We suspect many of the people that were signed up using duplicative Social Security numbers and all these other ways that it was done, maybe…”
Candidate Interview: Tom Barrett (R) Representative in Congress - 7th District | Uploaded June 15, 2026 | 14:14-14:26
“Certainly 120 times is an indication of a high level of fraud in that specific instance.”
Candidate Interview: Tom Barrett (R) Representative in Congress - 7th District | Uploaded June 15, 2026 | 14:26-14:32
“We can't allow our tax money to go to benefit corporate insurance profits.”
Candidate Interview: Tom Barrett (R) Representative in Congress - 7th District | Uploaded June 15, 2026 | 14:39-14:44
“I'd love to make health care tax free in the United States to allow every American the ability to obtain a health savings account.”
Candidate Interview: Tom Barrett (R) Representative in Congress - 7th District | Uploaded June 15, 2026 | 14:55-15:08
“Co-sponsored a bill that another member was leading on that would allow more uses of tax-free health savings accounts for things like gym…”
Candidate Interview: Tom Barrett (R) Representative in Congress - 7th District | Uploaded June 15, 2026 | 15:07-15:21
“Energy is one of the leading costs that Americans are facing.”
Candidate Interview: Tom Barrett (R) Representative in Congress - 7th District | Uploaded June 15, 2026 | 16:11-16:15
“At the federal level, I'm working to make energy more affordable by increasing domestic energy supplies so that we're not reliant on foreign…”
Candidate Interview: Tom Barrett (R) Representative in Congress - 7th District | Uploaded June 15, 2026 | 19:14-19:25
“They anticipate that about a third of all the money spent on healthcare today doesn't actually go into healthcare.”
Candidate Interview: Tom Barrett (R) Representative in Congress - 7th District | Uploaded June 15, 2026 | 20:43-20:52
“People that were on the terror watch list, people that were convicted of violent and dangerous crimes in their home countries [were released…”
Candidate Interview: Tom Barrett (R) Representative in Congress - 7th District | Uploaded June 15, 2026 | 24:04-24:12
“More than 80% of respondents in every single public opinion poll that we can find, people support the idea of very reasonable voter ID…”
Candidate Interview: Tom Barrett (R) Representative in Congress - 7th District | Uploaded June 15, 2026 | 27:44-27:57
“You don't actually have to show an ID when you come in to vote.”
Candidate Interview: Tom Barrett (R) Representative in Congress - 7th District | Uploaded June 15, 2026 | 28:11-28:15
“80% or more of Americans, including clear majorities of Republicans, Independents, and Democrats, support the expectation that you would…”
Candidate Interview: Tom Barrett (R) Representative in Congress - 7th District | Uploaded June 15, 2026 | 28:24-28:37
“I was the only member of Congress to introduce an authorization for use of force [in Iran] that would really put guardrails around the…”
Candidate Interview: Tom Barrett (R) Representative in Congress - 7th District | Uploaded June 15, 2026 | 30:35-30:44
“It says we have to defeat or degrade the Iranians' ability to develop a nuclear weapon.”
Candidate Interview: Tom Barrett (R) Representative in Congress - 7th District | Uploaded June 15, 2026 | 30:49-30:54
“The war in Afghanistan took 20 years because there was no expiration date that Congress set on that authorization.”
Candidate Interview: Tom Barrett (R) Representative in Congress - 7th District | Uploaded June 15, 2026 | 31:51-31:59
“Congress repealed two dormant authorizations for use of force that were still on the books.”
Candidate Interview: Tom Barrett (R) Representative in Congress - 7th District | Uploaded June 15, 2026 | 32:16-32:22
“The first was from the 1991 Persian Gulf War, and the second was from the war in Iraq that began in 2003.”
Candidate Interview: Tom Barrett (R) Representative in Congress - 7th District | Uploaded June 15, 2026 | 32:26-32:35
“Emerging technologies that could really disrupt our national defense.”
Candidate Interview: Tom Barrett (R) Representative in Congress - 7th District | Uploaded June 15, 2026 | 33:48-33:54
“Drone technology, cyber warfare, attacking our electric grid vulnerabilities that we have.”
Candidate Interview: Tom Barrett (R) Representative in Congress - 7th District | Uploaded June 15, 2026 | 33:54-34:01
“I take the experience that I have from the military experience I had in the state legislature, and fundamentally the experience I have…”
Candidate Interview: Tom Barrett (R) Representative in Congress - 7th District | Uploaded June 15, 2026 | 35:15-35:28
“Congress is a frustrating place. A lot of things don't get done. A lot of people are here just trying to get famous.”
Candidate Interview: Tom Barrett (R) Representative in Congress - 7th District | Uploaded June 15, 2026 | 35:36-35:42
“I'm proud to be here in our 250th anniversary of our country.”
Candidate Interview: Tom Barrett (R) Representative in Congress - 7th District | Uploaded June 15, 2026 | 35:55-36:00
“I do hope to lay in place policies that will be taken up by the next generation to allow them to go on and prosper.”
Candidate Interview: Tom Barrett (R) Representative in Congress - 7th District | Uploaded June 15, 2026 | 36:02-36:11