Season 2 Episode 23: Congressman Greg Stanton - podcast episode cover

Season 2 Episode 23: Congressman Greg Stanton

Apr 24, 202444 minSeason 2Ep. 23
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Episode description

In this episode of Let’s Talk Business Phoenix, hear from Congressman Greg Stanton, former Phoenix Mayor from 2012-2018. He discusses his interesting political career journey and the changes he’s seen in the Valley over the years. How does he approach bipartisan cooperation and finding common ground on important issues? How is the congressman working to find adequate resources and thoughtful policy solutions to secure our border? Listen to get these answers and more! 

Transcript

Todd Sanders:

Well, welcome back to the podcast. We are honored today to have former mayor and now Congressman Greg Stanton join us. Congressman, thank you for joining us.

Congressman Greg Stanton:

It's great to be here. You and I have been friends and colleagues for so many years.

Todd Sanders:

Yes. Yes.

Congressman Greg Stanton:

It's good to see you in this setting. It's awesome.

Todd Sanders:

It's old home week, right? Well, and we're happy to have you back. I know that you're in D.C., obviously a lot. We sometimes get to see you on the plane when we're doing delegation trips, but it's nice to spend some time with you.

Congressman Greg Stanton:

I am smiling right now. The moderates came together and we passed a budget, which is a good compromise budget. We kept the extremists out of the room and we came together and passed, did the right thing for the American people, and passed a good budget. That's how government is supposed to be done.

Todd Sanders:

100%. And I want to touch on that. That's such an important part of what needs to be happening in D.C. To start, I think everyone knows you. And if you don't know Congressman Stanton, you can look him up. Tell us something interesting about you that we wouldn't know that's not on your bio or on the website.

Congressman Greg Stanton:

Wow, okay. I mean, I've been involved in public life for so long, I guess I've been a pretty open book-

Todd Sanders:

You are.

Congressman Greg Stanton:

... for that entire time. Let's see, I'm surrounded by Swifties in my household. Jeez, holy cow. Swifties are taking up all of the sound in my house and a lot of money out of my pocket. You see, as you know, Swiftie opened up the concert, her tour here in Phoenix. And my wife and daughter loved it so much that they went to LA for the last trip of the tour. So, surrounded by Swifties. Also, we are huge basketball fans. We are basketball fanatics.

Todd Sanders:

College, pro?

Congressman Greg Stanton:

Everything.

Todd Sanders:

Okay.

Congressman Greg Stanton:

I love high school basketball, college basketball, professional basketball. People ask me all the time, "Why do you like women's basketball so much?" I'm like, "I don't. I just like basketball." And if they're talented players, male or female, I'm watching. That's why I'm such a big Phoenix Mercury fan. I love the game. And yes, let's see. What should people know? When I went to University of Michigan, I won the University of Michigan free throw contest.

Todd Sanders:

Really?

Congressman Greg Stanton:

Making 97 out of 100 free throws. You see-

Todd Sanders:

That's huge.

Congressman Greg Stanton:

... Todd, I can't rebound. I can't play defense very well. But I can shoot the basketball.

Todd Sanders:

You can shoot the basketball. I like that. Well, let's kind of-

Congressman Greg Stanton:

No more basketball. Let's get to business.

Todd Sanders:

We could go back. But thinking about when we worked together, and amazing how times has flied, but four years now in Congress. Changes here. As you come back to the state, what are some of the changes you've seen in the time you've been in D.C. here in Phoenix?

Congressman Greg Stanton:

Well, look, you and I have been working on economic development together for a long, long period of time. There's so many new people who have moved here. So, they almost take it for granted that we're going to have almost weekly announcements on major corporate locations, major increases in job creation by many of the current companies that are located here. It's been so wonderful to see. But you and I remember not that many years ago, post-Great Recession, not the pandemic, the Great Recession. At that time, I had just won and became mayor of the city of Phoenix. And just beginning-

Todd Sanders:

You had hair. I have none. Yeah, I remember. I remember. You still look the same.

Congressman Greg Stanton:

But look, we were so overly reliant on real estate and growth for growth's sake. And it's an amazing achievement. Republicans and Democrats came together at that time and said, "This has got to change." We got hammered worse than any other city in the country after the Great Recession because of our overreliance on growth in real estate. Nothing wrong with growth in real estate.

Todd Sanders:

Not to say there's nothing wrong with that.

Congressman Greg Stanton:

We just need more diversity in our local economy. And we went to work. And we invested in ASU and higher education. I mean, no city in the country has invested more in higher education than the city of Phoenix. Normally, in other states, that's a state thing. But we weren't getting the resources that we needed out of the state. So, the city of Phoenix directly invested in the growth of Arizona State University. We were also supportive of the growth of Grand Canyon University, which has been an amazing achievement-

Todd Sanders:

A power house, right.

Congressman Greg Stanton:

... in the West Valley.

Todd Sanders:

Right.

Congressman Greg Stanton:

Speaking of basketball, they had a great absolutely post-season.

Todd Sanders:

Yes, absolutely.

Congressman Greg Stanton:

But on the academic side, we know we needed a higher educated workforce. So, we invested in higher education. We invested in the biosciences. We invested in creating an entrepreneurial ecosystem here that really didn't exist. We laid the groundwork for what we're seeing today. And again, I want to make this point, it was Republicans and Democrats working together saying, "As a community, we have to change and up our game." And it's one of the great economic development success stories. It happens little by little.

Todd Sanders:

Yes.

Congressman Greg Stanton:

So, sometimes you don't really see it happening. But to go from the Great Recession to the largest foreign direct investment in the United States of America happening in Phoenix with TSMC, and seeing the President here recently making the largest investment from the CHIPS and Science Act in Arizona is an incredible achievement. And for those of us who have been around a while, us old school people from the economic development world, it's really heartening to see that all of that hard work is paying off at this time.

Todd Sanders:

I think intentionality was so important back then. So, thinking about our leaders today, I think Mayor Gallego and our city council, what should they be thinking about then for that next 10 years that we need to be looking at?

Congressman Greg Stanton:

Well, look, number one, keep it going. And Mayor Gallego is doing an outstanding job. It's so awesome to be a recovering mayor. But to see the current mayor of the big city share values, share priorities, we work closely together. We're always on the phone talking with each other, giving each other advice.

Todd Sanders:

It's a small club.

Congressman Greg Stanton:

She tells me what I should do in Congress, which I respect.

Todd Sanders:

Yep.

Congressman Greg Stanton:

And I take my orders from the cities that I represent, including Phoenix, in terms of projects that I chase after. And of course, I want to be a sounding board for her as much as possible. Keep doing what you're doing, especially on the issue of water because good water planning and good economic development in Arizona is one and the same. And Mayor Gallego and the team are working on some major investments for greater water reclamation, water recycling, utilizing less of the Colorado River through recycling.

It's not going to inexpensive. But in terms of the use of this reduced natural resource, the Colorado River, we have some tough decisions that we have to make and strong investments that we have to make to overcome this drought. City of Phoenix is doing some really good work in that regard so that they're prepared for continued growth, both in terms of people and job creation in our community.

Todd Sanders:

And water's tough because it's not sexy. And it's incredibly complicated. So, you mentioned the CHIPS Act. We had the President here, $8.5 billion investment. What should we be thinking about as it relates to the CHIPS Act and the impact here?

Congressman Greg Stanton:

We're just getting started. The reality is is that this is maybe the most important industry on planet earth, the semiconductor industry. Everything in terms of an advanced economy and national security is based on these chips. And so we need to make sure that we're manufacturing them here in the United States for supply chain reasons and for national security reasons. The United States, the inventor of this industry, had kind of I don't say lost its way, but investment decisions were made to invest in other countries for the most part.

And so, we were receiving these most important items. These chips were being made elsewhere and having to be brought to the United States. And that put our economy at risk and it put our national security at risk. And the United States didn't really have an industrial policy for decades. We talk about intentionality. That needs to be done not just at the local level, at the national level. How are we going to support these companies and the suppliers?

Because I know the investment was directly in Intel, but make no mistake, hundreds and hundreds of supplier companies are going to, or they're already here and grow, or they're going to move here to Phoenix to help supply this industry so that we do shore up our supply chain in this most important industry. Make no mistake, the rest of the world wants to take the lead in this industry. The United States has no choice. We have to be a leader in this industry. So, the CHIPS and Science Act is going to go a long way, not just on the investment in the infrastructure for advanced manufacturing, but in people. That's probably the part of the CHIPS and Science Act that people are not fully understanding is the investment in workforce development-

Todd Sanders:

It's significant.

Congressman Greg Stanton:

... community college, labor unions, and the opportunity to have apprenticeships, et cetera. Because the workforce needs are incredible. And we have to create that strong workforce here in the United States to make it happen. But the reality is is that the CHIPS and Science Act is an incredibly strong investment. But for the United States to maintain its leadership, we're going to have to continue to invest in this most important industry. We have the capability to maintain our position as the strongest economy on planet earth. But it's not going to happen by osmosis or wishful thinking. It's going to be real intentional policymaking.

Todd Sanders:

So, would it be correct to characterize this as both an economic development and national security play?

Congressman Greg Stanton:

I mean, there's no other way to describe it. From a national security perspective, we saw during the pandemic how vulnerable we are by having supply chain have to come from countries that are getting to be more adversarial to us. The US China relationship is getting to be a more adversarial relationship. They are our economic competitor. They're not our enemy.

We're not at war with them. And I hope and pray we can avoid any military conflict with China. But make no mistake, they want what we have. They want to be the number one economy on planet earth. And we need to maintain that position. And we've got to handle our business the right way in order to keep our position. And that's what the CHIPS and Science Act is all about, is maintaining the United States as the strongest economy on planet earth.

Todd Sanders:

And that was another bipartisan play as well.

Congressman Greg Stanton:

The only way to do it. When you see Congress in terms of hearing about all these crazy characters, and people that go on TV and say bombastic things, and they become famous for that regard, or they're chasing after the highest number of Twitter followers or whatever, that's not where the real work gets done. We're a divided government. So, the only way to get good bills through is in a bipartisan way.

And there's a lot more of that activity going on than I think people realize. I mean, I describe it as the raging moderates in the middle where the real action occurs. I have much fewer Twitter followers than the bombastic members. But we're where the action is happening. And good things are happening in Congress as a result of people willing to reach across the aisle and get good things done.

Todd Sanders:

I will say a little disconcerting, we were in D.C. a couple weeks ago. We got to see you and a few other members. And I think people were genuinely surprised from the business community here that last session, Congress passed 34 bills. And a good number of those were post offices, which of course, those aren't controversial. Those are going to pass. Is there a common sense middle that's able to govern? Because 34 bills for the biggest and most powerful country in the world is pretty disconcerting.

Congressman Greg Stanton:

So, Mike Johnson is now the Speaker of the House. As you know, the decision was made by the Republicans to remove Kevin McCarthy as Speaker. I think they had an irrational belief that the Speaker, which is one-half of the Congress, which is one-third of the branches of government, could somehow assert its will on everyone else. It doesn't work that way.

I don't know if they didn't study how government actually works. The role of a member of Congress, you should explain exactly where you are on issues. But also you owe it, part of leadership is explaining to people you're not going to get everything that you want. So, explain your values, explain what your position is. But you're going to have to get in a room, and negotiate, and compromise.

I think there was an unwillingness by some in the Congress to accept that reality. I think Mike Johnson, when he first got there, was playing to some of those extreme elements. Once he realized if he did that, you're going to have this government shutdown, which is terrible for the American people and terrible politics for the other party.

Todd Sanders:

It never works out. It never does.

Congressman Greg Stanton:

How can it?

Todd Sanders:

Yeah.

Congressman Greg Stanton:

How can it? And so, he did what I know it's tough because there's always going to be critics, but ultimately the right thing for the American people and the right thing for his party by reaching compromise and getting a deal done.

Todd Sanders:

So, there's hope.

Congressman Greg Stanton:

Of course there's hope.

Todd Sanders:

Yeah.

Congressman Greg Stanton:

And at the end of the day, it was never going to be anything other than that. What a disaster it would've been by a self-created government shutdown. It would've been a complete disaster. And the funny thing is, now I'm a moderate Democrat, probably from a political perspective that would've been good for the Democrats if there'd been a government shutdown because the blame would've been the other side.

Todd Sanders:

Right.

Congressman Greg Stanton:

But we don't want a government shutdown. It's bad for the American people. It's bad for the American economy. We want our government to work. It's not perfect. And there's always going to be critics on both sides. But compromise is not a weakness.

Todd Sanders:

Yeah.

Congressman Greg Stanton:

We got to get away from that thinking. Compromise is a necessary element in a divided government and good things happen. By the way, on the Senate side, we had the border security is such a hot issue. They had a bipartisan agreement with a lot of things that made elements of both parties unhappy, but it was a bipartisan agreement. A complete shame that that bipartisan agreement with Senator Lankford, one of the most conservative members of the Senate, couldn't get a vote in that Senate and certainly couldn't get a vote to the House. We would've been better off if that bill had gotten to the floor.

Todd Sanders:

Absolutely. And we're certainly cheering for that. So, what's the outlook for going back and looking at immigration again? I know when we talked to Senator Sinema when we were in D.C. she felt like that's a distant possibility at this point with something we have to do. Clearly, we still have an issue at the border. We still have immigration-related questions as it relates to workforce. What's your sense there?

Congressman Greg Stanton:

Okay, I'm going to turn that question right on you because you are one of the top representatives of the business community. The business community I think needs to engage even more on this issue. The way I describe it is the business community, certainly if you talk to the top leadership, would suggest that border security immigration reform are on their list of priorities. And I'm suggesting a little more shoulder to the wheel in terms of holding your elected officials a little more accountable for actually acting on that because it is in the American best interest. And the deal points are there.

Todd Sanders:

Yeah.

Congressman Greg Stanton:

Senator McCain, rest his soul, took an incredible leadership role not that many years ago with Senator Flake, by the way, our two Republican senators to come up with a bipartisan immigration reform package that had strong border security and reasonable immigration reform. It did pass the Senate by two-thirds.

Todd Sanders:

Right.

Congressman Greg Stanton:

It should have passed the House. It didn't even get a vote. The essential elements of that are still right there. Of course, we need stronger border security. And I supported the Senate bill, more border patrol, more technology at the border to stop the flow of fentanyl, more customs officials, more asylum officers so that we can get much quicker adjudication of cases. Because I think a lot of people get frustrated that someone can come here, claim asylum, whether that is a valid claim or not, and be able to stay here for years on end.

That frustrates people, rightfully so. We've got to get that more quickly done. But at the same time, why haven't we passed a DREAM Act? I'll be talking about one of the most self-defeating things that we've done in Congress is the inability to pass such an obvious thing as to support our Dreamers. Why can't we support farm workers? The agricultural industry has come forward and said they want a Farm Worker Modernization Act, which would allow for more H-1B visas so that more people can enter the industry.

But if someone has been here a long period of time doing this backbreaking work, not engaging in other illegal activities, why shouldn't that person have an opportunity to then go through the legal process to ultimately become a citizen? There are so many other industries that fit that as well. And oh, by the way, why couldn't a kid from India or any other country in the world come to ASU, get an advanced degree, maybe a PhD in a STEM field, exactly the kind of person we need for us to lead the world on semiconductor, and put a green card onto that degree? That is totally self-

Todd Sanders:

I heard Michael Crow say that, yeah.

Congressman Greg Stanton:

Yeah. It's totally self-defeating that we don't do that.

Todd Sanders:

Correct.

Congressman Greg Stanton:

So, we can walk and chew gum. We can do strong border security and smart immigration reform that helps grow our economy. One is not the opposite of the other.

Todd Sanders:

Well, and I guess for proof of the fact that we can get things done that are difficult are some work you've done on infrastructure with Transportation Infrastructure Committee. Clearly, infrastructure is such an important part of our state. Talk to us a little bit about that work.

Congressman Greg Stanton:

Well, it is more important in Arizona than any other state in America. I'm going to tell you why. We are both an old and a new state. I mean, we have a great history here in Arizona. And there are certain parts of the state where we have aging infrastructure. But we also have greater needs for the growth. We've been the fastest growing state for a long period of time.

And so, we also have to have the infrastructure to keep up with that growth. And that involves both transportation infrastructure, certainly more highways. The announcement recently about I-10 is awesome that we're finally going to-

Todd Sanders:

Thank you. Yes.

Congressman Greg Stanton:

... get the additional lanes.

Todd Sanders:

We've been waiting.

Congressman Greg Stanton:

And for the Gila River Indian Community that they finally fixed that bridge that is a danger to the people living on the Gila River Indian Community. That's a wonderful thing. But that's not... I-10 and I-11 are not juxtaposed against you. We need both in Arizona. Keep up our aging infrastructure, and we're still the only state in the country that the interstate system wasn't completed in. There's no reason why Phoenix and Las Vegas should not be connected by interstate. That's a dangerous road for people to take.

Todd Sanders:

Yes.

Congressman Greg Stanton:

And every other major metropolitan areas are connected by interstate except for that one.

Todd Sanders:

It's odd that we're not connected, those two major cities.

Congressman Greg Stanton:

But just look, the interstate system is almost done in the United States. But it ain't done. And we got work to do. And you've seen the benefits of investments in public transportation. I know Light Rail has been a controversial thing at the legislature.

Can anyone argue that Light Rail, whether you take it or not, hasn't led to an incredible amount of private sector investment along the Light Rail? From when you and I started to what we see now, along the Light Rail lines, so much dense development that is going on, which is good for the environment by the way. They have that density.

Todd Sanders:

True.

Congressman Greg Stanton:

It's good for cities. It's good for restaurants, and bars, and the other activities that go on in the heart of the city both in Phoenix, Tempe, and Mesa. The built environment is completely different. So many people are selling their homes in North Scottsdale and choosing to live an urban lifestyle.

They may or may not take Light Rail, but they like living near Light Rail because of all the energy that goes along with that. It's just really an awesome thing. So, in not only investment in highways, but in public transportation, Light Rail, buses, the streetcar system, and Amtrak. And we are going to get Amtrak.

Todd Sanders:

Yeah. How long does that take?

Congressman Greg Stanton:

Finally.

Todd Sanders:

Right?

Congressman Greg Stanton:

Well, we lost it because of an accident that occurred years ago. It's time to get that back so that we are on equal par with other parts of the country.

Todd Sanders:

As it relates to that, clearly, having funds set aside for ongoing project, but certainly we had the devastating news Key Bridge in Baltimore, unimaginable. But certainly, we're going to have to do a lot of investment for the State of Maryland. Make sure that that bridge can get built back so that they have that important entry point. Maybe speak to that a little bit in terms of how we're going to make sure that we have ongoing projects covered, but also when we have devastating incidents like this that we have funds that are set aside for that as well.

Congressman Greg Stanton:

Yeah, what a tragedy in Baltimore. And all of our hearts go out to the victims. I know it's early. So, they're still gathering facts. But it appears that 20 or so people may have lost their life in a tragic, tragic accident. And I don't want to prejudge what happened until we find out then. The National Transportation Safety Board's going to be doing an investigation, as they should. And I want to reserve judgment until then. But just what a tragedy.

Look, one area where I have always worked so well with the Phoenix Chamber is an infrastructure investment because you representing the business community know better than anyone. There is no better return on investment than infrastructure investment. It pays for itself many times over. And in Arizona, we talked earlier about transportation infrastructure, but water infrastructure is as important as anything else.

And winning this battle against the drought, which we have to do, is not going to be inexpensive with the water infrastructure necessary. It's going to be a lot of redundancy between the Salt and Verde system and the Colorado River system working with SRP and others, making pipelines between the two so that we have better redundancy between the systems that we rely on here in Arizona. Better water recycling. Intel recycles every drop of water. That's because they have invested.

The city of Chandler invested. And the federal government, through my advocacy, have invested in local water reclamation facilities so that they can recycle every single drop. That's what I said earlier is that good water planning and good economic development are one in the same. And so, you're going to see much stronger advocacy to continue to invest in water infrastructure. So, that we can continue to grow as a state, continue to grow our economy, which is we're doing so well.

That we have to do the right thing by the people of the state and invest in water infrastructure. That's going to be part. There's been a lot of talk about desalinization. We should be looking at that, researching and making sure we're on a path because long-term that is going to be one of the solutions. But in the short run, better water recycling, better reuse of the existing water is going to be probably the best thing we can do to reduce our impact on the Colorado River.

Todd Sanders:

And it starts with [inaudible 00:23:23]-

Congressman Greg Stanton:

And all good, by the way. And our tribes. I should mention that.

Todd Sanders:

Yes.

Congressman Greg Stanton:

I mean, we are so lucky to have the tribal leadership in this state that we have. The tribes have even a greater legal right to that Colorado River than does non-tribal entities. So, our full partnership with the tribes, having good working relationships with our tribal nations, is another key element to getting past this drought conditions that we're going through.

Todd Sanders:

So curious, when your colleagues ask you, when you're meeting them in the cloakroom and they say to you, "What's happening in Arizona with water?" What do you tell them?

Congressman Greg Stanton:

Exactly what I just told you.

Todd Sanders:

Are we running out of water?

Congressman Greg Stanton:

Well, the answer is no.

Todd Sanders:

Okay.

Congressman Greg Stanton:

But we could, if we don't make the smart investments that we need to make. If the drought continues, then water could be a challenge. But there are solutions. They're not inexpensive solutions, but there are solutions. And we need to invest. But my argument I make to them is the Colorado River serves 40 million Americans. That semiconductor manufacturing investments that are occurring here is not just important to Arizona, it's important to the United States of America.

There is a greater, don't tell Texas, but there's more of it going on here than in Texas. And the manufacturing, the advanced manufacturing in this industry, is important for national security. So, this is not an Arizona thing or just a Southwest thing. Investing in water reclamation, better water recycling, better water planning so that we can continue to grow is of national importance. And that's why I tell it no matter what part of the country you're from, you have an interest in helping the desert Southwest with our drought conditions.

Todd Sanders:

Well, let me pivot on that. You mentioned important investments. And as you know, you well-know, we have a good problem to have here. We have more jobs than people, which means workforce is incredibly important to us. The Workforce Innovation Act is currently before Congress. Where does that stand and where do you stand on that?

Congressman Greg Stanton:

Well, I support the workforce bill. We need to. In my former role as mayor and then before that on city council, I saw that when you support business in their training programs, effective programs, upskilling workers, that can make massive impact on people's lives and improving the economy. It has to be done in an intentional way. And let's be honest, workforce development programs, there are some outstanding examples and some not so outstanding examples.

And we need to make tough decisions and make sure that we are investing in the right programs, the right entities, providing that training, making sure there are actually real job opportunities at the end of that rainbow, if you will. And that the best model is really taking existing workforce, using those workforce dollars to upskill those workers so that they can kind of take it to a whole new level.

I know it's a strategy of the chamber. And I'm really proud of you for making workforce development, which doesn't often have the ribbon cuttings, and the groundbreakings, and the photo moments, if you will. But it is the blocking and tackling of good economic development. And you deserve federal support. And I certainly plan to give it.

Todd Sanders:

Well, and you were an early champion when you were mayor of that work when no one was talking about it. So, we appreciate that.

Congressman Greg Stanton:

I know the city of Phoenix and Mayor Gallego have also made this a priority.

Todd Sanders:

Absolutely.

Congressman Greg Stanton:

And I'm really proud of them for continuing and even growing those important programs at the city. Look, I think the lesson that we learned is that industry, business, it shouldn't just be the recipient of a trained worker. They need to be in the room training that worker for jobs that actually exist. And for so long there had been a disconnect there. We need to make that connection so that businesses themselves see the advantages of putting in their time to help create the job training programs for the jobs that they know are coming. That element of it is essential for successful workforce development.

Todd Sanders:

It's not a one-way street. I totally agree with you. So, thinking about when we were in D.C. We were looking at sort of the delegation now versus what it was 10 years ago. It's constantly changing. Certainly, we now have some retirements. What do you think it's going to look like going forward? I mean, we're certainly going to see some big changes to the delegation.

Congressman Greg Stanton:

Well, I don't know what's going to look like. We're going to have an election pretty soon. So, this is not an election podcast. So, I will only to say that Arizona is the most competitive, it's probably the most purple state in the country. And we're going to have a delegation that's pretty purple.

Todd Sanders:

Okay.

Congressman Greg Stanton:

Now, the question is whether that purpleness of our delegation, a pretty even delegation of Republican, Democrat is a strength or a weakness? Do we have members that are really willing to reach across the aisle and work in a bipartisan way to get things done for Arizona and for the country? Or, are we're going to have members that want to go to the extreme elements of either side and try to be famous for dissenting on everything? My governing philosophy has always been to build coalitions. When I was mayor, we got a lot of big things done.

Todd Sanders:

You did.

Congressman Greg Stanton:

Always in a bipartisan way and always with different coalitions. There was never the same coalition of council members for any particular major initiative. That's how it's supposed to work. Same thing in Congress. But it has to be a mindset that you bring to the job, which is, "I'm not going to get everything I want." At the end of the day, I've got my own values, my own priorities.

But I'm going to come to the table in good faith, a willingness to compromise, a willingness to meet in the middle, and then a willingness to say yes once an agreement is made, despite the fact that there's going to be critics coming from all sides. Just government doesn't work that way. So, the question for the Arizona delegation is how many of us really want to operate in that regard? It's not sexy being a raging moderate, but it's effective.

Todd Sanders:

Yeah.

Congressman Greg Stanton:

And we've seen that in Arizona.

Todd Sanders:

Well, it's certainly the business community I think has to reward that because common sense solutions are what we're looking for. So, point well taken.

Congressman Greg Stanton:

Yeah. By the way, on the tax deal, I know we're going to talk about that in a minute.

Todd Sanders:

We'll talk about that.

Congressman Greg Stanton:

We had a good tax deal that passed. People think, "Can things get done?" We passed a budget. I think we're going to, in the very near future, support our ally Ukraine in this terrible war that they're facing. That can only get done in a bipartisan way. And there's going to be a lot of critics of that. But it's the right-

Todd Sanders:

You believe that's going to happen then?

Congressman Greg Stanton:

I do.

Todd Sanders:

Okay.

Congressman Greg Stanton:

As I sit here right now, we can, as the United States, for our values and our reputation, we can't let an ally like Ukraine, after the commitments that we had made, we have to live up to those commitments. That's part of being, the United States is the leader in this world. And there are responsibilities that go along with that on the global stage. And one of them is you don't leave your allies hanging like that.

Todd Sanders:

That is a vacuum, if we don't.

Congressman Greg Stanton:

Yeah.

Todd Sanders:

Before we get back to the budget, or I'm sorry, the tax bill, Mexico. I remember one of the first trips you took down there. I was fortunate to be with you. And we met with the US ambassador. And he said, "No one's going to meet with you because no one knows who you guys are. You haven't been here. And you've made a commitment."

And I think conservatively we went at least 10 times, and have now. We're now enjoying that, the benefits of that relationship. Mexico, for instance, is our largest trading partner. I think for the United States it's one of the largest. From a national perspective, how should we be looking at Mexico?

Congressman Greg Stanton:

Okay. So, Arizona is a border state. And one thing we have to think about is, is that a strategic advantage or a liability? It's a strategic advantage. And it's been our number one trading partner. By the way, Mexico is now the number one trading partner of the entire United States of America.

Todd Sanders:

Not just Arizona.

Congressman Greg Stanton:

Tensions with China. Tensions with China and the disinvestment of American business from China has created a situation where there's more investment going on in Mexico. And they are now our number one trading partner across the United States America. How can we take advantage of nearshoring? American business and world business making a decision that they want to be in North America. Hopefully, in the United States. And we got to adopt policies that really promote the United States.

But if not in the United States, we'd prefer them be in our neighbor to the north in Canada, or to our south in Mexico. And we need to adopt policies that reward that. Now, we can't allow policies that then allow a back door for our adversaries to get into those countries. But in terms of the strength of the United States and where international trade is going on, much more international trade goes on in your region than around the globe. It's why years ago when SB 1070 had passed.

Todd Sanders:

That's when we went down I think.

Congressman Greg Stanton:

Yeah. And Arizona essentially it turned its back on Mexico. We wanted to say, "There are challenges in the relationship, but if we get this relationship right, there are tremendous economic benefits to Arizona." So many hundreds of thousands of jobs here in Arizona are based upon trade with Mexico. So, we've got to get this policy right. Now, I'm going to be critical for just a moment.

The current president of Mexico is not doing enough to fight the cartels. If we're going to win this battle against fentanyl, which is such a massive challenge here in Arizona and across the United States of America. It's not going to be done unilaterally. It has to be done bilaterally. And so, Congress needs to be clear that the current president of Mexico, AMLO. And there's going to be election there soon.

It may be the same party that wins. They need to do more to take on the cartels, do more on their side for enforcement so that less comes on our side. We need to make our investments in people and in technology to better detect fentanyl from coming in. But China's sending those precursor chemicals to Mexico. Mexico needs to do a better job telling China.

Todd Sanders:

Yes.

Congressman Greg Stanton:

We need to do more ourselves. But also Mexico needs to do more to stop allowing the importation of the precursor chemical. So, it's a complicated relationship. But it's one that we got to get the relationship right. And we have to engage with Mexico in order to get this relationship right.

Todd Sanders:

Well, coming from Colombia where we were sort of, that was us 20 years ago. I think that's what really turned the corner when we were able to do that.

Congressman Greg Stanton:

In this region, Colombia and other countries in this hemisphere, United States, for a variety of reasons, has not engaged in this hemisphere nearly to the level that we... And China is taking advantage of that. I know it's controversial when the United States does investments in other countries. Some people think foreign aid is too big a part of our budget.

But make no mistake, if the United States is not engaging across this globe, China is. And long-term, that is really a problem for American leadership on this globe, and ultimately for the American economy. We need to establish, reestablish our position as the global leader, particularly in this hemisphere. Root causes of migration is a huge issue.

Making sure that we reengage. And particularly, have strong trade agreements, enforceable strong trade agreements, but trade agreements nonetheless, is one effective tool to help us do more on the root causes and to help people not want to come to the United States, but stay in their country of origin and be able to live their lives there. And we have less of the economic migration that we're seeing.

Todd Sanders:

Well, and I mean, from a micro perspective, you proved that. That's what we did. We built that relationship over time. And now, we have such a strong relationship with Mexico here in Arizona. So, agreed on that front. Let's go to the Tax Relief Act for American Families. From a business perspective, what should we know about that bill?

Congressman Greg Stanton:

It's a good bill, number one. It's a bipartisan bill. It's a good bill. It supports companies that are investing in research and development, which we need to have research and development in the United States. We want it more here in Arizona. We want companies to be investing in themselves in the capital investments, in equipment, for example. And we have a tax policy that supports it. And we want a tax policy that supports middle-class families through the child tax credit.

So, this was in the sweet spot. I know there was an argument, "Well, Democrats got what they wanted on the child tax credit. Republicans got what they wanted, our R&D tax credit and tax credits for investing in capital investments like equipment, et cetera." And I'm like, "Why is that a partisan thing?" Research and development, having the United States be the leader in research and development, it's not a Republican or Democratic thing. That is the right type of tax policy to support the growth of the American economy. That shouldn't be a partisan issue. I like both sides of that equation.

Todd Sanders:

Yeah, everyone's a winner there.

Congressman Greg Stanton:

By the way, the Senate needs to pass that bill.

Todd Sanders:

That's what I was going to say.

Congressman Greg Stanton:

The House passed it. Now, it's time for the Senate to pass it.

Todd Sanders:

I was going to ask, "We're in the Senate. So, what are the odds here?"

Congressman Greg Stanton:

Pass the darn bill. That's my message. It's a good bill. I mean, look, there were critics on the far right and the far left on our side. That's why it's because it's a good strong bipartisan bill. And it does reflect a compromise. And they should reward that by passing that bill.

Todd Sanders:

Absolutely. Well, as we wrap up, I do want to comment on our good friend Robin Reed, who's the President of the Black Chamber, who we lost not too long ago, just maybe about a month ago. I was at his services. And I thought your speech was really poignant. And I think one thing that really struck me was your comment about him being a man of character. And you said, "That he was a man of character. And men of character are on short supply these days." What'd you mean by that?

Congressman Greg Stanton:

Well, people listening weren't at the event. But there was a beautiful speech before mine about things that are in diminishing supply in this world. And it was talking about natural things like cactus, and coral, et cetera. So, I played upon that and said, "And we're also missing people of character. And that's actually what we're here to celebrate." Robin Reed was a good human being. He was passionate about helping entrepreneurs, especially from underserved communities, especially from communities of color, to have access to the things that they needed to succeed. And he was an evangelist about it.

Todd Sanders:

Yeah, he was.

Congressman Greg Stanton:

I mean, the guy was as smart as could be. He could have been making a ton of money doing other things in his own private business. But he chose to be a leader of the chamber. And I know you're a leader of a chamber as well. You know. You've spent so much time working on public policy, et cetera. And it's a wonderful thing. But there's nothing better than seeing a small business that you particularly worked with because of a connection you made get access to that capital. They can invest in their company and see that company grow. That is like your reason for being.

Robin Reed not only tried to make public policy that support our entrepreneurs, he was a successful businessman. And he used his personal connections to help people get a leg up as well. And he was a guy that was just infectious. I mean, number one, smart, sophisticated, great sense of humor. As I said at the event, Hollywood good looks. I mean, this guy literally had worked in the entertainment industry. That baritone voice. When he came into a room, he lit up every room. He was often the center of attention as he should be.

And he used that, his personality, his connections, his strategic thinking, for the benefit of not just African American owned businesses, but small businesses generally. And as you and I talked about when we did so much work in Mexico, he said, "You know what? You need to think more about the African American Chamber as well. Black Chamber of Arizona." And we did.

Todd Sanders:

You did.

Congressman Greg Stanton:

And we made sure that they were right there with the Hispanic Chamber and the other key chambers across this community, that they were active participants in our effort to grow business in Mexico. He died at age 62. A tremendous loss for this community. We need to show some respect in that name, if you will, because Robin Reed made a big difference in this town. And we should not forget that. We need to appreciate that.

Todd Sanders:

Yeah. Well, thank you for that. I completely agree. He was a good man. And I think a lot of us were just really pleased to see you there, with many others. Well, as we're wrapping this up, I want to thank you for obviously your legacy here in Arizona and then what you continue to do on the national level, not only for Arizona and for Phoenix, but also for the country. Clearly, your interest is in the country, and the constitution, and moving forward. So, we're going to finish up with a quick lightning round.

Congressman Greg Stanton:

Oh, no.

Todd Sanders:

This is easy. I promise. I promise. No one gets this wrong. All right, first job?

Congressman Greg Stanton:

My first job was Penny Saver. A Penny Saver route on my bicycle delivering Penny Savers to my local neighborhood. So, I was sixth or seventh grade or something working with my siblings on that. And then my first, I guess, regular job, McDonald's. 19th Avenue and Northern in my old neighborhood.

Todd Sanders:

Nice.

Congressman Greg Stanton:

Flipping burgers. That's like so many Americans, I got my start in fast food.

Todd Sanders:

So, many incredibly successful people worked at McDonald's.

Congressman Greg Stanton:

Let me tell you something right now, the life lessons when you have an angry customer because you gave them the wrong order and having to talk them off the ledge, those skills, working in customer service in the food industry probably served me better in politics than anything I learned in college or law school.

Todd Sanders:

100% agree. Such a great training route. Okay, first car? What was your first car?

Congressman Greg Stanton:

A 1976 Chevy Nova with a big old dent in the side.

Todd Sanders:

We all had a dent.

Congressman Greg Stanton:

That we prayed every time we had to go to the emissions that it would pass. Because if it didn't pass, I was taking the bus to school every day.

Todd Sanders:

And a quarter tank of gas every time, right? Excellent. And then the final question, first concert?

Congressman Greg Stanton:

My first, oh, jeez. Pat Benatar at Compton Terrace.

Todd Sanders:

Yes.

Congressman Greg Stanton:

If you're old school in Arizona-

Todd Sanders:

Yeah, absolutely.

Congressman Greg Stanton:

... you remember Compton Terrace on the Gila River Indian Community.

Todd Sanders:

A great place.

Congressman Greg Stanton:

Pat Benatar with the opening act, Red Rider.

Todd Sanders:

Oh.

Congressman Greg Stanton:

Now, I don't know if there are any young people listening to this, but if they are, Google that.

Todd Sanders:

Yeah, totally. Google it. That's a good one. That's very good. Well, Congressman, thank you. Thanks for the time. Thanks for everything you're doing. We'll look forward to having you back soon.

Congressman Greg Stanton:

I appreciate that. By the way, as I said, Pat Benatar, always hit me with your best shot.

Todd Sanders:

Thank you.

Congressman Greg Stanton:

Good to see you.

 

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