Victoria Spartz is the first Ukrainian American Member of Congress. She has lived the American Dream. Grew up under the former Soviet Union. Left for a better life in America when she was 20 with nothing but a suitcase and a dream. Worked her way through school. Became a successful CPA and auditor. Worked in commercial real estate and farming in Indiana. Ran for the Indiana State Senate, won. Ran for Congress and won. Just won her primary. She knows the horrors of socialism and communism firsthand and is fighting to make sure it doesn’t happen in America. Victoria believes in the American Dream and is fighting to preserve it for her daughters and all of our children. -She understands that Energy Security is National Security. Doesn’t want the U.S. Dependent on other countries – Russia or China for our energy.
What a great introduction, and I am going to be quite honest – the conversation with Victoria got me a little choked up.
It is wonderful to see someone in Washington care about doing the right thing. It would be great to get Victoria, and Trump on a podcast. Wow.
Thank you for your time, and I look forward to our future discussions.
Highlights of the Podcast
00:00 – Intro
00:42 – Background and American Success Story
01:31 – Involvement in Politics
03:08 – Vote on Funding for Ukraine
05:53 – Energy Security and Open Borders
07:24 – Critique of Current Administration’s Policies
09:14 – Energy Policies and Inflation
10:49 – Election Victory and Campaign Challenges
12:12 – Engaging with Constituents and Political Pressure
14:33 – Encouragement and Hope for the Future
16:07 – Closing Remarks and Invitation
ENB https://energynewsbeat.co/
Substack: https://theenergynewsbeat.substack.com/
Check out the full podcast and transcript Here:
Take the Survey at https://survey.energynewsbeat.com/
https://energynewsbeat.co/conversationwithstu/
Other great resources from Sandstone and Energy News Beat
Real Estate Investor Pulse
1031 Exchange E-Book https://alternativeinvestments.sandstone-group.com/en-us/tax-benefits-sandstone-group-0-1-1-0
ENB Top News https://energynewsbeat.co/top-news/
ENB https://energynewsbeat.co/
Energy Dashboard https://app.sandstone-group.com/enb-dashboard-version-2
ENB Podcast https://energynewsbeat.co/industry-insights-2/
ENB Substack https://theenergynewsbeat@substack.com
Follow Stuart On LinkedIn and Twitter
The following is an automated Transcript and we disavow any mistakes unless they make stu sound smarter.
Stuart Turley – President and CEO of Sandstone Group [00:00:00] All right. We are going live now. Hello, everybody. Welcome to the Energy News Beat podcast. My name is Stu Turley, president and CEO of the Sandstone Group. And we’ve got an action-packed thriller for you today. We have Congressman Victoria’s Bronze and she is with Indiana’s fifth district. Welcome. How are you today?
Congresswoman Victoria Spartz [00:00:21] Good. Very busy. Has always crazy time in DC.
Stuart Turley – President and CEO of Sandstone Group [00:00:25] I tell you what, I am so excited to get to visit with you. You are actually a hero of mine. It sounds kind of awful, but you’re from, actually Ukraine, and you’ve had a real American success story. Tell us a little bit about yourself.
Congresswoman Victoria Spartz [00:00:42] Well, I’m not sort of being in politics. It’s considered to be a success, but it’s a very it’s very important honor and it’s a very important duty. I think it’s a tour of duty that I hope more Americans will consider to do, because you either get involved with politics or politicians will get involved with you, and then we’re all in trouble now. But I grew up on the very tyrannical government. I grew up in Soviet Union, so grown up, on the big communist government, makes me appreciate freedom very much as an American. And then I get angry. What’s happening in the country and then crazy enough to become a politician. But these are very challenging times for the country, so. But, I truly believe that, you know, with the right things, we can we can recover.
Stuart Turley – President and CEO of Sandstone Group [00:01:31] You know, for people that may not have just heard what you said. You you grew up in Russia, correct?
Congresswoman Victoria Spartz [00:01:39] Ukraine. But it was the Soviet Union at that time, the.
Stuart Turley – President and CEO of Sandstone Group [00:01:42] Soviet Union at the time. What prompted you to go into politics after you got you got your accounting degree, is that right?
Congresswoman Victoria Spartz [00:01:51] Right, right.
Stuart Turley – President and CEO of Sandstone Group [00:01:53] And what prompted you to go to politics?
Congresswoman Victoria Spartz [00:01:56] Well, I think, you know, I, I just get upset at what’s happening in the country. You know, I always kind of joke in my 45 years old, I grew up in the socialism. I saw what’s happened when socialist fell apart. And then, you know, when the age of 21, I came to the United States. Yarn adventures was one suitcase inspired by a lot of ideas of freedom. I was shocked to see what’s happening in our country, and we’re building socialism. I mean, it’s like a full circle. I can tell you what is going to be next. So that makes me very upset. And when I get upset that I belong to a group of people that I just don’t complain about it, I feel like I have to do something about it and I got involved. I was one of the founders, members of Tea Party movement, in my area. And then I got involved with the Republican Party, taking down bad politicians, tried to replace them with the better ones, and it didn’t work very well. And a lot of grassroots people wanted me to run, and they felt like they need someone who was willing to fight and really, truly, you know, determined to win. Then I was like, I it was crazy to to consider. I meant to do that. But I’m very honored to represent great people of Indiana.
Stuart Turley – President and CEO of Sandstone Group [00:03:08] And you’ve got a very important vote coming up on the on the floor here in just a few minutes. We’ve only got a few minutes as you’re going through this kind of thing. And you also even though you’re from the Ukraine and you said that you did not vote for some of the money coming yet, what can you tell us about your thought process on what’s going on right now with that?
Congresswoman Victoria Spartz [00:03:29] Well, is and, I’m actually, you know, I know enough about, javelins, but actually, even I used to do accounting. I’m a CPA, so I understand finances and I understand, unfortunately, there is no accounting and finances in the federal government. There is no understanding or desire to deal with finances at the federal level. It’s a sad reality, and a lot of people here in DC don’t realize what the spending and debt and inflation is doing to current generations and future generations of Americans who know we’re going to destroy middle class and and people on low income and fixed incomes. So I felt like we have to really be much smarter. We’re really been part in this issue of spending for many years, and I understand we have to build deterrence as we understand it. I understand that we need to have strong foreign policy for aggressors like, you know, like Putin. No, she in China, no Iranians not to it. We as but we also kind of have slush funds and have never spend and never end in the wars. I mean we so what’s happened was two trillions in Afghanistan. Where did we get. So we have to get smart and have a strategy. And it’s just not a weapons it’s all encompassing strategy. Soviet Union was not taken down by weapons. But we have a policy financial policy, energy policy, you know, and actually better and better policies and actions, including what’s happening with weapons right now. So right now, just really they’ve been slow work in that sense. No deterrence is and I felt again, you know, they just won more and more money. And that is not that wasn’t the was that the right strategy. And you know the right people in charge. So I, I fellas listen I understand that you know you know I have I’m very proud of my heritage, you know, but as an American congresswoman, my duty is to, you know, protect the people I represent, protect my children and your children and our country. And somehow I was actually attacked because I am not question in some government of countries that I left 24 years ago where they spent a lot of money, that would be an American for me not to question that, you know, but I understand very well government. So and that that’s my question probably more than other members, you know, that what happened in there, but also try to protect our own country because we cannot have open borders and lawlessness. So this is an issue that unfortunately wasn’t as handled as well as I wanted. This Congress.
Stuart Turley – President and CEO of Sandstone Group [00:05:53] You know, one of the biggest things we talk about energy security, but we talk about open borders and we talk about energy security, and yet we’re funding more for. And everybody that was talking to me was saying, why are we funding closed borders for Ukraine, but we’re not closing our borders here. What are your thoughts on that process? What are your constituents telling you?
Congresswoman Victoria Spartz [00:06:16] They’re well, that we’re not finding that through. You know, I don’t know who we’re funding from. 1 billion from Ukrainian aid went to Yemen. I’ve gone through here, as you know, probably all of this who is is in Yemen. Were pretty happy when they got billion dollars. So that’s a question is, you know, who is funded and what is funded and where the money’s going. I actually put into the management to see which companies, the countries that getting the money. I think it’s a great question. And they took it out in the Senate. We passed that in the House and was taken out in the Senate. You know, so I think we do a terrible job in our foreign affairs. And we see we have so many wars and escalation of conflicts now in the Middle East to China is advancing down the middle. And that’s pretty serious situation. And we abandoned our own border. So I think we’re mishandling right now this administration and mishandling everything domestic and international issue. It’s truly a truly disastrous situation and serious national security risks all over the place, you know. So hopefully more American people will start waking up and understand. And it’s not just, you know, they do a lot of presentations and grandiose statements on TV, but action has been terrible.
Stuart Turley – President and CEO of Sandstone Group [00:07:24] You know, I absolutely love the way that you are standing up for your constituents. That to me, why why can’t we have more politicians like you out there representing good Americans? It just it makes sense to me. What are your thoughts on your energy policies that you’re seeing that this current administration is doing right now?
Congresswoman Victoria Spartz [00:07:48] Well, you see, I mean, energy, you know, energy security is actually it’s a security. It’s international security. You see what’s happening right now, how we can talk about a lot of stuff. But, you know, Russia is funding, you know, right now because we have terrible energy policies, this bloodshed and this war, this funding, you know, selling the energy, you know, to China. And let’s just be honest, they’re making a lot of money because unfortunately, you know, when you shorten the supply, it’s, you know, time skews the prices increases. Right? So we’re short in domestic production of energy. We’re terrible with permits. You know we cannot on natural gas. Well who benefits from that. You know, countries like Russia, we didn’t even put real sanctions on Russian oil. So, you know, they Russia and Iran are making a lot of money. And finance is what this war is. And terrorists around the world. So I think it’s a very serious situation and we haven’t done anything about that. But it’s also a situation that cause a lot of inflation. I mean, you know, in the country, energy. But energy policy is one of the key drivers on inflation, you know, and we do not want to be dependent on some of the countries, you know, we have, you know, enormous opportunities. So you know, in the energy in our domestically and right now, that would be the smartest way to stabilize internationally the world, but also stabilize the domestic economy, which, you know, a lot of people are going to be heard by this spend and inflation and bad policies.
Stuart Turley – President and CEO of Sandstone Group [00:09:15] You know, you you just had a big victory, for one of your voting, I believe you won two. You had some big win, didn’t you?
Congresswoman Victoria Spartz [00:09:24] Well, I mean, there’s been, elections like crazy. I had the, you know, a little crazy primary. A lot of money was banned. But every election makes us tougher. You know, I had a lot of tough elections. So, you know, this it was very difficult because I honestly was first going to take time off, you know, and spend time a little bit more away from craziness from DC back home with the family and just reinvigorate and get some, you know, get my mind back, you know, because this place is there is no common sense. This place can drive you crazy. You have to you know, I don’t know how you can be here for very long. And I never plan to be for very long anyway. But then I felt just bad to know that, you know, the country’s in trouble, and the Republicans failed in a lot of issues that I’m very passionate about, that this Congress, I was very disappointed. So I felt I cannot abandon the Republic. I need to really help to deliver. But I have unfinished business. So I had very crazy election was a lot of opponents, a lot of money spent. I have very short time to really regroup, you know, but I was very honored to win them. Even against big money, you know, people still could see through through lies and crazy things that were never on TV. So I was I was flying on the broomstick, which is fine. You know, I, I can’t be that mean if I have to, you know, because this is you cannot be too nice here. Some people deserve here in Washington DC to be mean to them because they are mishandling and betraying our country. And I’m not going to be very kind to them.
Stuart Turley – President and CEO of Sandstone Group [00:10:49] Good for you. Thank you. Finally, somebody is making sense. This is exciting. Now you have big money. I mean, outside big money was coming after your seat, weren’t they?
Congresswoman Victoria Spartz [00:11:03] Well, I had outside money. I had my opponent spending millions. I mean, I know probably 5 to 7 million was span. And that’s a really short period of time. So I’m building a lot of name I.D.. I think, you know, I’m probably get into the Trump name idea in my district, which is, I don’t know, not all of it is good that it’s okay. You know, like one of and a lot of newspapers write about you is like one of my constituents said Victoria. If the right about you, it means that, you know, they doing something you should take is a badge of honor, even if they write bad hit pieces on you. All right. I’m not sure about that, but I’ll take it. You know, at least sometimes I write about Trump and Marjorie, so that’s good that they get attention off me. So. But it’s probably. Well.
Stuart Turley – President and CEO of Sandstone Group [00:11:45] If you are doing everything that you’re doing, you’re standing up for America first and then you’re getting the same attention. That means, Victoria, you’re doing stuff. Right. And my hat is off to you on this. How can we help you? How can we help you get out there? Is there a website for people to get Ahold of and donate for your next election? How do. How can we help you?
Congresswoman Victoria Spartz [00:12:11] Well, I have my political website as parts for Congress. Its cheesy parts. And also, you know, if you want to sign up to my newsletter, I try to do kind of know be asked straight updates what’s happened in Washington DC because I think this place can only be fixed. It will not be fixed from inside. It’s real in the terrible shape only from American people. Understanding what’s happening in started put pressure on politicians to govern. We have a lot of presentations, a lot of talking heads here, a lot of drama, a lot of circuses. No, but we really don’t have governance in the country, truly. And they need the government. And I think people on the ground. That’s why I’m very hopeful. I thought, you know, if I would, you know, if I would never be in the United States Congress, come in here with one suitcase. My bill is speaking English. And, you know, I’m still having my Yankee accent. That would never be in the United stand in the Congress if we wouldn’t be control of opportunities and the American dream wouldn’t be still alive. But I think it’s getting much harder and much harder for a lot of people. I can see that. I can see that people, you know, I think Congress has low approval rating then President Biden, and he is barely alive, you know, depending on the time of the day, you know, so it’s pretty you know, it’s pretty bad. So American people do understand. But, you know, unfortunately, it’s became so, you know, this war became so deep. The money is so powerful in Washington DC, you know. But my election kind of show that, you know, I didn’t have any big money supporting me. I’m very I’m an independent thinker. You know, I didn’t have leadership supporting me. I truly was elected because people trusted in me, in my district and truly know me and will not, you know, believe in all of the craziness and lies that unfortunately, you can put in TV whatever you want, truly fabricated information, you know, so it’s truly just you can see that the American people do understand what’s happening in the American people do care. And more and more people started waking up. So I think this will be very important election. But I truly believe we have so much opportunity, so much ingenuity on the ground. We can have so much innovation. You know, we just need to get this government out of the way of the people and start doing this job, protect people rights. And we have to fight for that. And we have to stop, you know, like giving so much money power to Washington DC. It has to stop. But it will be a big battle.
Stuart Turley – President and CEO of Sandstone Group [00:14:33] You know, I am such a cynic and I am so disappointed in our Congress that you today are giving me hope, and I cannot begin to tell you how much that means.
Congresswoman Victoria Spartz [00:14:49] Well. Thank you. I have some days when, you know, I have a very crazy day. So I feel so bad. But I’m thinking, you know what? Our republic survived much tougher times. And we cannot be a generation that let it fail. And, you know, I think when I talk to normal people, unfortunately, our government became not representative of the American people. And no matter which party you go to, you know, we it just unfortunately so so we’ll have to understand that we are here, not what we need to be. We just have to then have much tougher battles here. But I think people like you are that informed. The American people have a transparent conversation that people understand what’s happening. Then we can put pressure on politicians because unfortunately, majority of people here not not wanted to do any government because it’s tough. You know, there are a variety of reasons some people don’t know wouldn’t be probably employed. You know, if you know, some people, you know, they couldn’t probably get $10 an hour job. Some people, you know, they probably they have some their and then some people just tired. It’s a combination. But truly, you know, doing something it’s really, you know, you see what’s happening to Trump. You try to do something. This one comes hard. So a lot of people just don’t want to deal with that. But I think when people start feeling pressure, you know, my colleagues from people on the ground, they will have to start moving.
Stuart Turley – President and CEO of Sandstone Group [00:16:08] I’ll tell you what, I am just so excited and I know that you’ve got to get to your next vote. I want to have an open invitation for you to be able to get your story out on our platform at any time that you would like, because this is important in your encouragement is very, very cool. So, with that, thank you so much for your time. And I’ll be sharing this out there and getting this out there for everybody in, tell your whole great staff, thank you very much for from us as well too. So thank you.
Congresswoman Victoria Spartz [00:16:41] Hey, it’s my pleasure. Thank you very much.
Stuart Turley – President and CEO of Sandstone Group [00:16:43] We’ll talk to you guys soon.
Congresswoman Victoria Spartz [00:16:44] Thank you.
