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Tom Barrett: “I was in Iraq, Kuwait, Guantanamo Bay, South Korea.”

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 01:31

Before coming to Congress, I spent my career in the United States army, was 22 years as a soldier in the United States army, and spent time overseas in different deployed capacities. I was in Iraq, Kuwait, Guantanamo Bay, South Korea. came back to Michigan and raising a family here. I have four kids and my wife and I are raising our family in Charlotte right in this district. (01:31–01:36)

CLAIM

Asserts deployment to Iraq, Kuwait, Guantanamo Bay, and South Korea.

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…”
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“There were tens of thousands of other examples where the same Social Security number had been used more than once to enroll somebody into…”
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“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…”
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“Michigan right now is the most expensive state for energy in the entire Midwest.”
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“The Government Accountability Office found that only two or three of the dozens of fake accounts they created were ever flagged for fraud.”
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“Between a third and a half of the programs that were in existence had zero medical claims filed against them [in 2024].”
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“We had more than 10 or some estimates of 15 million or more illegal immigrants coming into the country completely unchecked by our federal…”
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“We had about 7,000 Americans that died on the battlefield during the War on Terror.”
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“During that same 20 year period of time we had 30,000 post 9/11 veterans who died to suicide.”
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“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.”
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“I have four kids and my wife and I are raising our family in Charlotte right in this district.”
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“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…”
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“I think that we can do each of these things in a fiscally responsible way.”
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“I spent eight years in the state legislature. We had to run a balanced budget every single year.”
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“I actually have a constitutional amendment that I've signed on to that would require a federally balanced budget in the next 10 years.”
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“I voluntarily had my own pay withheld as a member of Congress until we got an appropriation approved that reopened the government.”
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“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…”
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“We don't have enough housing stock to meet the demand that's out there.”
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“Large scale corporate, often foreign investors [are] coming into communities and buying up the single family housing stock.”
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“I've actually introduced legislation and co-sponsored legislation that would prevent [large-scale private equity, often foreign-owned…”
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“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…”
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“Health insurance costs have gone up and up and up and up and up.”
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“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…”
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“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…”
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“Certainly 120 times is an indication of a high level of fraud in that specific instance.”
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“We can't allow our tax money to go to benefit corporate insurance profits.”
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“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.”
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“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…”
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“Energy is one of the leading costs that Americans are facing.”
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“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…”
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“They anticipate that about a third of all the money spent on healthcare today doesn't actually go into healthcare.”
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“People that were on the terror watch list, people that were convicted of violent and dangerous crimes in their home countries [were released…”
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“More than 80% of respondents in every single public opinion poll that we can find, people support the idea of very reasonable voter ID…”
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“You don't actually have to show an ID when you come in to vote.”
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“80% or more of Americans, including clear majorities of Republicans, Independents, and Democrats, support the expectation that you would…”
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“I was the only member of Congress to introduce an authorization for use of force [in Iran] that would really put guardrails around the…”
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“It says we have to defeat or degrade the Iranians' ability to develop a nuclear weapon.”
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“The war in Afghanistan took 20 years because there was no expiration date that Congress set on that authorization.”
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“Congress repealed two dormant authorizations for use of force that were still on the books.”
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“The first was from the 1991 Persian Gulf War, and the second was from the war in Iraq that began in 2003.”
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“Emerging technologies that could really disrupt our national defense.”
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“Drone technology, cyber warfare, attacking our electric grid vulnerabilities that we have.”
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“I take the experience that I have from the military experience I had in the state legislature, and fundamentally the experience I have…”
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“Congress is a frustrating place. A lot of things don't get done. A lot of people are here just trying to get famous.”
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“I still think we have the greatest form of government in the history of the world.”
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“I'm proud to be here in our 250th anniversary of our country.”
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“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.”
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