WASHINGTON — In his capacity as chairman, Sen. Tim Scott, R-SC, recently managed to push through the first bipartisan bill the Senate Banking Committee has produced in more than 10 years. Remarkably, it was approved unanimously 24-0 in an era marked by polarization and partisan friction.
Scott also has a prescription to break the division in the public sphere. He writes about it in his new book, One Nation Always Under God: Profiles in Christian Courage. Scott makes the case that America’s past and future success are rooted in a rich and abiding history of faith.
He discussed his book along with a host of issues in the headlines with CBN’s John Jessup at the headquarters of the National Republican Senatorial Committee in Washington, DC. Below is a transcript of the interview with minor edits for readability.
On Republican Disunity: ‘Stay on Message’
JOHN JESSUP: You have immigration and border crossings that are down. Then the One Big Beautiful Bill that was passed and sets up a lot of President Trump’s second term agenda. But what’s filling the headlines is a lot of talk about division within the Republican ranks – whether it’s about the Jeffrey Epstein files or the war in Gaza and reported cases of starvation. Do you think the GOP is stepping on its own message of success?
SEN. TIM SCOTT: “I think the simple message is the road to socialism leads right through a divided Republican Party. The good Lord has blessed us with victory, in my opinion. Any time we’re talking about something that isn’t a promise that we made, that is a promise we are keeping, we’re on the wrong topic. And, so I’ve been laser focused as the guy in charge of our reelections for the senators running for reelection this cycle: Stay on message. When we do, we get a five to 20-point advantage. And, so I want to make sure that we stay on that topic because it works for us. And, frankly, it only works for us because it works for the American people.”
A Plan for the Housing Crisis
JESSUP: We’re in the middle of what many would refer to as a housing crisis, not just in terms of housing supply but affordability. The Senate Banking Committee just passed the ROAD to Housing Act – unanimously.
SEN. SCOTT: “Yes. Praise the Lord.”
JESSUP: How did we get here and what’s the plan to fix it – so that you’re making part of the American dream, which is homeownership, a reality for Americans?
SEN. SCOTT: “You know, my mother was unable to buy a home until she was 38 years old. Think about that. It is the exact same age now. That was 1982 . . . Literally, today, the average first-time homebuyer is around 38 years old. Why? Prices are too high. Supply is too low. And the regulatory environment that exists is just too much. And, so what the ROAD to Housing Act does – I’ve been working on it for years now. When I took over as chairman, I said that my job is to put legislation before this Congress that could become law signed by the president, which means it has to be bipartisan. I worked night and day with members on both sides of the aisle to make sure that we represented all of the American people in this ROAD to Housing bill.
“That means that we have things like making it easier for local jurisdictions to change their zoning so that they encourage more supply. It means that we are cutting through the red tape to reduce the costs of a closing. It means empowering HUD {U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development} to look at ways to become more innovative and more creative in the housing space – to make housing more readily available. It means using, low, low, low dollar loans – like $100,000, as an example, versus a $400,000 home – for a lot of mortgages. Mortgage bankers don’t want to fund the low dollar loans, so we’ve made that easier. We focus on manufactured housing so that more people in rural communities have access to housing. And now modular homes are becoming in vogue in urban areas. So, we have a real strong package because we didn’t think red or blue, Black or white, rich or poor. I thought about my mom – a single mother struggling to make her ends meet, wanting to live the American dream. For so many Americans, that starts with a home.”
JESSUP: So, you really believe that the ROAD to Housing Act will make a difference?
SEN. SCOTT: “There’s no question it will. Matter of fact, for those jurisdictions who do a better job of increasing their housing supply, we’re going to give them more CDBG {Community Development Block Grant} grant money. For those who don’t? We’re taking them away. And, so there’s a carrot and a stick. And the good news is the jurisdiction determines which one they receive. As a guy who spent half my career at the local level, I can tell you that most housing issues cannot be solved in Washington, but we can provide incentives for the local jurisdiction to make capacity a top priority.”
Immigration Crackdown Impacts Churches
JESSUP: We’re in the middle of, as you mentioned, this dramatic drop in border crossings. We’re seeing more detentions and ICE raids, but we’re also hearing, at CBN, from pastors of something that wasn’t part of the campaign pledge: people without criminal records who were getting caught up in ICE raids and detentions. This includes recently a pastor in Maryland on the Eastern Shore, who immigrated and came to the United States in the early 2000’s with his wife and young daughter from Honduras to escape violence there. He was caught up in an ICE raid on his way to work. And he has no violent criminal record, and that does not seem to fit the campaign pledge to go after the “worst of the worst” violent criminal offenders. What are you doing to address that? Because a lot of pastors that we talked to are saying that they’re not only seeing this happen, but they’re seeing a drop in their congregations’ attendance.
SEN. SCOTT: “I feel like I could just simply say the truth to them, which is that if you cross into our country illegally, you’ve already broken the law. What President Trump has said from a prioritization perspective is he wants violent criminals out of the country. And so you’re seeing a strong campaign to eliminate that violent, illegal immigrants presence in our country. That’s where he starts. . . But there’s no doubt that there’s going to be other folks who have crossed the border illegally that could easily be caught up into that. But his priority – he has been consistent at looking for those violent criminals who are in our country illegally first.
“But at the end of the day, what we saw under President Biden is really important for us to take a look at it. Number one, we saw nearly 12 million people come into our country illegally. Number two, we haven’t a clue where they are or who they are. Number three, we know that over 30,000 immigrants, or over 100,000 people came into our country illegally from China. Number five {sic}, we know that the vast majority of the people that come into our country, across our southern border under the Biden administration, did not come from South America. It leads us to one very simple conclusion: that we have sleeper cells in this country that would do Americans harm if they had the opportunity. Therefore, whatever we can do to figure out who’s in our country and to eliminate the actual threat that exists, it is an absolute requirement – a prerequisite for any other conversation on the immigration front.”
JESSUP: Notwithstanding anything that you just said about sleeper cells and concerns that are national security related, but for a pastor who’s been here for 20 years and who came on a visa—staying longer than he was allowed to, but has no violent criminal record. This is a party that talks about family values and keeping the family a unit. We’re seeing families are being broken apart. Is the Republican Party ceding any ground with respect to cases like this?
SEN. SCOTT: “I saw a poll today, which I thought was really exciting on the issue of illegal immigration. Our country, and specifically Republicans are with us, around 85% of Republicans. What does that tell me? It tells me that what we’ve promised, we are keeping. The fact that there are some folks who overstayed their visa – we could find compassion story after compassion story somewhere out there. The truth of the matter is, where do you want us to focus? The average person in this country walking on the streets come up to me and thank me for our position on immigration, because it’s actually what keeps our country safe. Is that our primary responsibility? 100%? No apology for that.”
Scott’s New Book: “One Nation Always Under God“
JESSUP: Of all the threats we face, what do you see as the biggest danger facing America today? Or maybe what’s the thing that keeps you up at night? The book seems to suggest it is this growing cultural shift away from our shared values.
SCOTT: “There’s no doubt that when you think about all the issues that we face as a nation, it’s hard to not go to John 8:31 and 32. Thirty-two is a very popular verse that says, ‘You will know the truth, and it will set you free.’ I think 31 might be a little bit more important if I was going to put a prioritization of the two scriptures. The reason why is that 31 says you have to immerse yourself in truth. . .
“The vast majority of the issues that we face, they’re kind of simple: do the right thing by leading first with compassion for the American who is here. In my opinion, when you think about our issues that we face as a nation – if you immerse yourself in the truth – you come out with a clear objective of maintaining the strong trajectory that protects the vast majority of the people, a vast majority of the time. If you do those two things, you’re standing on solid ground.
“And our nation today is facing a philosophical disconnect that we believe that there’s something called ‘your truth’ versus my truth. Well, that ain’t true. There is an objective truth that can only be found in the Gospel of Jesus Christ. And if we stay there, then we’ll find ourselves in the best position to remain the city on the hill. Because at the end of the day, no matter how many examples that we find, no matter how many issues that we face, the truth is if we’re going to remain America—the land of exceptional people—we have to first preserve the nation. How do you do that? I believe that you do that on the foundation of Judeo-Christian principles that have allowed us to stand the test of time. . . And so that dividing line, philosophically, is at the core at what makes us great. And, frankly, the challenge that would, I think, imperil this nation’s future.”
JESSUP: Is this book, a rallying cry? And, if so, for whom?
SEN. SCOTT: “I hope that it really is a call for a revival, a revival of the soul – not just a Christian spiritual revival but as a country. We need to be revived. And I see signs of it. You can look at Ohio State University, where you see the football players on campus praising the Lord. And hundreds and thousands of people are showing up to say yes and amen.
“In One Nation Always Under God, it focuses on how Fred Fox, an actor, used his skill set during World War II to fake out the enemies. To set up a fake army, basically with inflated tents, inflated rafts, inflated weapons, with music coming from sound systems that sounded like marching – to do one thing: to preserve this nation and to help us win the war. When we have great examples that show us that God is still at work in this country, I think it revives the soul. And I think it leads us to a place where we know the best years for this country are still ahead of us.”
Building Bridges toward Bipartisanship
JESSUP: Bipartisanship seems to be something that’s very difficult to find on Capitol Hill these days, but it seems that wherever it shows up, you happen to be there. Why do you find yourself in these situations when our bipartisan issues crop up?
SEN. SCOTT: “You know, it’s a blessing and the favor of the Lord. I think, it’s hard work. And I’ve been taught as a young kid, as an African-American, conservative, Republican, in the Deep South – most people who look like me aren’t Republicans, but they’re good people, solid people. Many of them love the Lord. I found when you look for common sense, you will have a conversation about common ground. And on that common ground, you can do things that have nothing to do with being a Republican or Democrat.
“When I created legislation for fentanyl, I said we should punish the Mexican cartels for bringing fentanyl across our southern border. I was able to get that done 23 to 0 in the {Senate} Banking Committee. When I decided that it should be illegal and wrong for us to reward CEOs who lead to bank failures, I partnered with the Democrats on that. We were able to pass legislation in a bipartisan way that passed the Banking Committee 22 to one. . . When I look back at how tough it was to do what I’m doing today, I could always find a partner. . .
“Sen. Schatz of Hawaii, a progressive Democrat. He says, ‘I might be a liberal, but on the issue of housing, I might be the most liberal yet pro free market guy in the Senate’. And I took some of his work, and it made it in the bill. Working with {Sens.} John Kennedy and Elizabeth Warren to put carrots and sticks in the bill. Working with Senator Rounds and one of his friends on the other side to put in compassion was part of the rural housing proposal that he had. I decided instead of looking for what Tim Scott wants, why not find a way to reward rural citizens, inner city kids, to help folks who are homeless? Folks living in apartment complexes and people living in modular homes. Why not put that entire tapestry together and see if I can get my committee members to think more about their constituents than their parties? And the good news is, if you do that I think more times than not, you might be a part of the conversation that leads to bipartisan solutions that really should just be nonpartisan solutions.”
Next Horizon for Tim Scott?
JESSUP: We are sitting here at the NRSC. You wear many hats, as you just mentioned. You’re trying to get 22 Republicans elected – maybe even more from the other side? You also have a milestone birthday ahead. What’s next? What do you think God has in your future?
SEN. SCOTT: “Well, the good news is I’m confident of one thing: He’s not finished with me yet. . . My goal in life has always been to hear Matthew 25:21: ‘Well done my good and faithful servant.’ My only question is: how do I get the most accomplished for the Kingdom’s sake and for the people I hope to spend eternity with? And for me, I don’t know what that is. At this point, I can’t tell you it’s this office or that place, but what I can tell you is I’m putting my shoulder to the grindstone. I don’t care about who gets the credit. Let’s get things done, and when I do that, more times than not, {God} sends the right people at the right time to join with me. And sometimes they’re smarter, consistently better looking, and we just get stuff done.”
