On Wednesday, Congressman Mike Garcia, R- Santa Clarita, interviewed live on-air with KHTS to discuss economic issues, inflation and North Korean rocket launches.

Congressman Garcia spoke about rising inflation in the United States, North Korean missile tests and other topics live on-air with KHTS.

“Unfortunately, this is one of those evil dynamics; inflation doesn’t care who you are and doesn’t care if you’re having a hard time, it just affects literally every American family,” Garcia said. “And it really affects and impacts most severely the lower-income families.”

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Although minimum wages have been rising, so has the cost of living, according to Garcia.

“Obviously in California, we’re somewhat accustomed to a higher cost of living,” Garcia said. “But what we’re seeing now is on a whole new level…Even that $15 minimum wage is behaving like $10 an hour because everything is so expensive.”

Garcia mentioned his belief that federal spending with money the government does not have is the reason for the steep level of inflation the country is facing.

“I think we’ve got to hold politicians accountable,” Garcia said. “When we elect officials who want to raise our taxes and then come up with these massive spending plans with no real way to pay for it, this is unfortunately what we get.”

Garcia placed some blame on California Governor Gavin Newsom, who Garcia states has dialed up taxes to record levels, which the Congressman states leads to Newsom giving away free things and raising taxes further.

The discussion shifted to the topic of North Korea’s recent hypersonic missile launch, which Garcia states is a major cause for concern in the United States.

“These hypersonic weapons stay lower in the atmosphere and fly around 50,000 feet,” Garcia said. “They’re extremely small, which means they are hard to track, and in the end because they are so fast, so small, and they are going to be armed with nuclear weapons, they are very lethal and very difficult to defend against.”

The Congressman described the missile launch as a major international issue and stated that he believes sanctions might be needed in the future against countries that use these.

The discussion shifted then to lighter news, in which Law Enforcement Appreciation Day and the Congressman’s support for the day was discussed.

“In Santa Clarita we took (deputies) breakfast, and in the Antelope Valley we served them lunch. It’s a small gesture…but it’s these small gestures on days when the average person may not understand why we’re doing it that matter most to our local’s sheriffs,” Garcia said. “Our local Sheriff’s Department in Santa Clarita is one of the nation’s best.”

The Congressman urged those who support local law enforcement to express appreciation for them whenever they are encountered.

For more information, and to watch the full interview, click here

KHTS FM 98.1 and AM 1220 is Santa Clarita’s only local radio station. KHTS mixes in a combination of news, traffic, sports, and features along with your favorite adult contemporary hits. Santa Clarita news and features are delivered throughout the day over our airwaves, on our website and through a variety of social media platforms. Our KHTS national award-winning daily news briefs are now read daily by 34,000+ residents. A vibrant member of the Santa Clarita community, the KHTS broadcast signal reaches all of the Santa Clarita Valley and parts of the high desert communities located in the Antelope Valley. The station streams its talk shows over the web, reaching a potentially worldwide audience. Follow @KHTSRadio on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.