Senator Pat Toomey (R-PA) visited Heritage yesterday to explain what he believed to be the fight of our lifetime: out-of-control government spending that threatens prosperity. He sat down with Heritage’s Jackie Anderson before his speech to outline what’s at stake and also explain why he joined Senator Rand Paul’s (R-KY) filibuster.

Toomey visited the Senate floor twice—even after his dinner with President Obama—to speak on behalf of Paul’s fight over drones and John Brennan, the now-confirmed CIA director.

On the other big fight in Washington—government spending—Toomey said conquering the issue was pivotal for both economic growth and opportunity.

“I think this is the central challenge of our time here in Washington and in the federal government,” he said. “We have a government that’s spending for which spending is out of control. We have a party that wants to spend even more still.”

The interview runs about four minutes. It was produced by Patrick Frank. For more videos from Heritage, subscribe to our YouTube channel