Bill Cassidy, Republican of Louisiana, that aired on "Face the Nation with Margaret Brennan" on Sept. 20, 2026. MARGARET BRENNAN: We're joined now by Republican Senator Bill Cassidy. He is the chairman of the Health Committee, and he joins us from Baton Rouge, Louisiana.
Good morning to you, Doctor. I want to start first on something that grabbed our attention. President Trump claimed Friday that his son has now repaid a Russian billionaire named Umar Kremlev, after it was reported that the Kremlin-linked billionaire paid for parts of his son's wedding celebrations in the Bahamas.
Don Jr. originally called it a gift, but your Republican colleague from Utah, Senator Curtis, called it corruption. Your colleague from North Carolina, Thom Tillis, said it was "beyond bad." Do you think it's corruption, and does repaying the funds make a difference? BILL CASSIDY: Repaying the funds does make a difference.
Anytime someone gives a $250,000 gift and they have strong ties to the Kremlin, that's- that's wrong. You- with that proximity to power, being the president's son, you've got to give faith to the American people that Washington is not a swamp, and even though in your mind it might be a gift, the appearance of it is really bad, and so I'm glad it's been repaid. Would be nice to have that kind of verified and no, it shouldn't have been done in the first place.
MARGARET BRENNAN: Well, it was the free press that brought it forward in the first place- it was a publication called ProPublica. Important reporting there. Let me ask you about an issue that I know is on your radar, and that is the debt we are in.
As a country, we are 40 trillion in debt. President Trump said he's going to pay out $5,000 to Americans if Republicans win in these upcoming midterm elections. I know the Treasury Secretary says he'll avoid going to Congress for that money, even if it's not fiscal spending.
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