Bulwark Takes Sen. Kennedy Tried to Humiliate This Witness… It Backfired (w/ David Bier)
Mar 17, 2026
David Bier, a Cato Institute policy analyst specializing in immigration and budget effects, recounts his viral clash with Senator John Kennedy. They cover immigrant fiscal contributions and work rates. Conversation touches on visa bans for spouses and minors, ICE practices and surveillance, and proposals like privatizing airport security.
AI Snips
Chapters
Transcript
Episode notes
Immigrants Improve Federal Budgets
- Immigrants reduce U.S. government deficits by contributing more in taxes and using fewer benefits.
- Cato analysis found immigrants work 12 percentage points more and use far less Social Security and Medicare, lowering deficits by $14.5 trillion over 30 years.
Senator Read Tweets Instead Of Policy
- John Kennedy read David Bier's social posts during a Senate hearing aiming to portray him as hysterical.
- Bier says Kennedy ignored the underlying policy evidence and used out-of-context readings instead of substantive rebuttal.
Rhetoric From Officials Can Reflect Extreme Plans
- Extreme deportation rhetoric matters because official accounts promote it and policy can follow.
- Bier points to a DHS tweet advocating "100 million deportations," which would imply removing many U.S. citizens, calling it ethnic cleansing.