Rep. Jason Smith (R-MO) on Tuesday struggled to answer questions from CNN's Dana Bash about major problems faced by American farmers thanks to the actions taken by X owner Elon Musk with the blessing of President Donald Trump.
During her interview with Smith, Bash played a video of a Missouri farmer named Skyler Holden discussing being unable to get payments he's owed from the United States Department of Agriculture to make improvements to his farm.
"It puts me in a bind because I've made business decisions based on that contract," Holden said.
"What do you say to Skyler Holden and people in that predicament?" Bash asked Smith.
"What I would say is that that the government needs to do a better job at working for the American people," Smith replied. "Too often it seems like the American people are working for the government, and the whole purpose of freezing and putting a hold on everything right now is to review, to make sure it's working the way that Congress and the executive is supposed to implement.
"It's unfortunate that this is the case. I've been talking with several farmers that have been experiencing this and trying to help guide them through this process, but it's all going to work out. Right now, it's a little bit disruptive, but that's what this administration promised whenever they were coming to Washington."
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Bash then pressed him and asked him to address the farmer who said that the current freeze in funding could "put him in a bad situation financially."
Smith dodged the question and said that the current problems with paying farmers were akin to issues he's experienced with trying to help a constituent file a claim with the Social Security Administration and he implied that this was because so many federal workers get to work from home.
Bash then pointed out that, under Musk, many federal workers have been shut out of their offices all together.
"There are a lot of full agencies that have been told not to come to work today that are causing some havoc around the country and around the globe," she said.
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