October 22, 2025 • 13 mins
Ned Pillersdorf is running for Congress to replace longtime Representative Hal Rogers. Pillersdorf, the "Atticus Finch of Eastern Kentucky," says Rep. Rogers has done some good things over the years but his vote for the BIG BEAUTIFUL BILL will harm generations of people in District 5.
Mr. Pillersdorf explains how Kentuckians are more drastically affected by the BBB downside than any other state. He also explains how scant WIFI availability rains down daunting challenges for the region.
Ned does pass out a bit of praise for Senator Rand Paul for voting against President Trump's wishes on multiple occasions.
WEBSITE nedforcongress.com
Mr. Pillersdorf explains how Kentuckians are more drastically affected by the BBB downside than any other state. He also explains how scant WIFI availability rains down daunting challenges for the region.
Ned does pass out a bit of praise for Senator Rand Paul for voting against President Trump's wishes on multiple occasions.
WEBSITE nedforcongress.com
Mark as Played
Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
I always love spending a few minutes on the radio
(00:02):
with Ned Pillars dor If. I call him the Atticus
Finch of eastern Kentucky. He's a hero. He helped a
lot of folks back when a guy named Eric con
She did more than four thousand of his own clients
out of Social Security. Hey, Ned, welcome back.
Speaker 2 (00:17):
I appreciate you having me Terry.
Speaker 1 (00:19):
Okay, and you don't mind the reference to Atticus Finch.
That's one of my favorite books of all time, So
not at all. Indeed, all right, you're running for Congress.
You're up against Hal Rodgers ultimately, who's been in office
for a long time. But I like picking your brain
about certain things that are cooking right now, and that is,
of course, the government's shut down. How's that affecting folks
(00:41):
so far in your area of Kentucky in the fifth district.
Speaker 2 (00:46):
Well, I think the current swirling hurricane is well. The
snap benefits, the food stamp benefits. I think they're going
to expire next week or the week after that will
certainly have a dramatic effect around here where the second
most impoverished congressional district in the country. And the other
(01:07):
issue is the what's important to me and why I'm
running is the eventual Medicaid cuts that would be catastrophic here.
We've already got a significant rural hospital shortage as it is,
and I don't see how these pending Medicaid cuts are
(01:31):
going to make things any better. May make it a
lot worse.
Speaker 1 (01:35):
Yeah, you wrote an op ed talking about over three
hundred thousand men, women and children, seniors who would be
affected by Medicaid, and that is if these measures go forward.
We don't know exactly how things are going to play
out here, but these rural hospitals could be at risk
(01:56):
of closing. It's a matter. The Republicans have said, what
we put fifty billion in here to keep the rural
hospitals operating. Do you not see that as a truthful statement.
Speaker 2 (02:09):
I see that as a misleading statement. You cut more
than eight hundred billion and then say, hey, leave us alone.
We put fifty billion back. By my math, that's at
least a negative seven hundred and fifty billion. And what
people don't understand is we already have a rural hospital shortage.
I'm sitting in Floyd County, Kentucky, three counties at border Floyd,
(02:34):
not magoffin and Martin County have zero hospitals now, and
on top of that, they now did this crazy thing.
We're foreign doctors, I think, have to pay one hundred
thousand dollars to come here if you go to an
East Kentucky medical clinic. Now we depend on foreign doctors.
(02:55):
We have a doctor's shortage as well, and that will
simply aggravate the problem. And that's kind of why I'm running.
I mean, I'm really really worried about our future. You
know how Rogers in the past has done some good things.
You know, he you know, they call him the King
(03:17):
of Pork. You know, some of the pork I liked.
But you know, he took us a couple of steps forward.
But this bill that he signed on to is taking
us twenty steps back. And I think it's just an
incredible act of betrayal in our poverty stricken region for
him to vote for the bill. And the vote was
two fifteen to two fourteen. And I made clear. I've
(03:42):
actually had some contact with some of Rogers people, and
they knew I was talking about running, and I told
him if Rogers thwarts that bill, which he could have,
I'm not running. But not only did he vote for
that terrible, big, ugly bill. He's issue this pack of
lies trying to justify it, and that's why I'm out
(04:05):
campaigning every day.
Speaker 1 (04:08):
Well, let's unpack some of those What are the misleading
statements that are coming from the Rogers camp.
Speaker 2 (04:14):
Well, let me put this way, Terry. The tax cuts
will benefit the top I keep saying one percent, it's
actually ninety nine point nine nine. Those are the people
who are getting the overwhelming lion's share. He called it
a historic tax cut for the working class. That's just
absolute nonsense and misleading, and it's simply not true. And
(04:39):
the standard Republican line that Rogers and the other Republicans
say the Medicaid cuts will preserve and strengthen Medicaid, that's
just not true. You cut so much out of that program. Uh,
and the program will hit the hardest. Well, I call
them the non compliant people. To keep your Medicaid, you'll
(05:03):
have to fill out forms, do paperwork. You know, they
tried it in Arkansas, and they tried it in Georgia
and it was a total failure. More money went to
spend it to administering these obstacle course, these requirements to
keep them Medicaid than actually we're being paid out for
health care. And I just it's the non compliant people
(05:27):
I'm worried about. We have a lot of people, and
I learned this story of the Erican litigation representing all
those people. You know, I thought I understood rural poverty,
but the air concept educated me. But the non compliant people.
We have so many people in Appalachia's significant mental illness,
seem to have a lot of people with significant drug problems,
(05:51):
a lot of a lot of autism. Those people are
not going to be compliant. They're going to lose their Medicaid.
And I'm really fearful for the future of region.
Speaker 1 (06:01):
You mean, for the inability to fill out the or
go through the dungeons and dragons of online registration.
Speaker 2 (06:10):
Exactly. And I learned that in the conltigation. You know,
I think one of my biggest legal achievements was what
we call it the forgotten five hundred, those five hundred
people of a class action settlement I negotiated by the way,
I think they offered me the great deal right about
the time the big Con documentary came out. But those
(06:33):
five hundred people, if they simply made acclaim, they got
their monthly benefits for reinstated today, and if they win
their new hearing, they get hundreds of thousands back pay.
You know, the five hundred, only about two hundred, maybe
two hundred and twenty five actually were able to navigate.
(06:54):
I think we have a lot of people like that,
and those are the people who are going to lose
their Medicaid. You know, more than half of the former
conclients from my experts, has significant mental illness, autism, various
social phobias. And when the Republicans say, well, it's just
they just got to fill out a form that's simply
(07:16):
not gonna happen, We're gonna have a lot of people
who are truly deserving and need Medicaid are going to
lose it. This was just a cruel bill, and I
think you know why the Republicans vote for it. You know,
James Carvill says, with a suicide pact. Well, I think
the Republicans have made the cynical but probably accurate assessment
(07:39):
that those people who are dependent on Medicaid food stamps,
they don't vote in normal numbers, they vote less, and
they certainly don't give money to the Mitch McConnell packs,
so though the Republicans have made the cynical obligation. Yeah,
those people will get hurt, but they don't vote and
(07:59):
they don't give money, so we don't care. Well, Frankly,
I'm running because I care about these people. You know,
I live in Floyd County, Kentucky. At one point, Floyd
County had the highest juvenile poverty rate in the country.
I've been here forty four years, and I'm really worried
about them, you know. And unfortunately, my Democratic Party we
(08:22):
are viewed as a coastal elite party, and we keep
talking about we're going to help the middle class. You know,
We've got a lot of people at Floyd County and
not County Latric County would love to climb into the
middle class. And I worry about those people. And I'm
running because those people deserve a voice.
Speaker 1 (08:41):
Yeah, what does the Democratic Party need to do to
get the pulse back in middle America? Because You're right,
they are labeled as coastal elites.
Speaker 2 (08:51):
Well, you know, I'm running as a rural Democrat and
we have different issues than Hakim Jeffries or Nancy Pelosi.
You know, I'm also the executive director of the David School.
Every kid in my high school tuition free, below the
poverty line. My kid's got to go to McDonald's to
get on the internet. We have bad internet or no
(09:13):
internet in a lot of areas. We also, as I said,
we have a rural hospital shortage, We have bad roads,
and those are the issues we need to talk about.
I can't think of another national Democratic figure who's really
from a rural area. The only one I could think
of is maybe John Tester of Montana, and he got
(09:35):
beat So I wish Democrats would, would you know, they
don't pour money into districts like mine. They've ignored rural America,
and I'm running to talk about rural Appalachian issues.
Speaker 1 (09:49):
It seems like you and I over the last twenty
five years have heard all kinds of talk about the
money that's there for to get everybody wired. You know,
you biquitous Wi Fi everywhere we're in the world. World
is all that infrastructure we were promised? Is that Frankfort's problem?
Speaker 2 (10:06):
No? You know, ironically, during the Biden administration, they contacted
me and I went around and found people to talk
about lack of internet interests, internet connectivity. That's still a
huge problem here. You know, part of it is just
geographically logistically, where ninety eight percent mountains. But by the way,
(10:29):
the Trump administration could cut out that Biden program. But
we still have problems with internet connectivity. If you travel
out to the David School and beautiful David, Kentucky, you
may not get sell service very good. Our internet works sporadically,
and there certainly needs to be a lot more money
(10:50):
invested in that. That's one of the many things. And
we still have terrible rural roads. You can't drive to
Harlan County very easily. You know. Years ago in nineteen
ninety two, the first time hol Rogers won in the
new district, he promised us to interstate sixty six. Right,
that never happened.
Speaker 1 (11:11):
Yeah, I've heard about that one for a long time.
So all right, since you were the attorney of note here,
I want to ask you a question outside the parameters
of the United States. What's your take on these striking
these drug boats off the coast of Venezuela, South America.
It's fascinating to me. Are we way out of bounds
(11:31):
with this?
Speaker 2 (11:33):
Yes, and I'm a Democrat, but I'm going to say
this boy has ran Paul been heroic and blasting that
those little boats they're not coming to the United States.
What did Ram Paul say, they have to refuse twenty
times each right killing fishermen. I don't care if some
of them are little drug dealers. We don't have the
right to unilatter to give them the death penalty. And
(11:58):
I never thought i'd say this, boy Ram Paul is
he's heroic in blasting the Trump administration for that and
keep going round, keep doing You're doing good, buddy.
Speaker 1 (12:09):
And he still goes out and plays golf with Donald
Trump and says they're friends. I find it fascinating too
on many fronts.
Speaker 2 (12:16):
Well, he's a quirky character, you know. On the other hand,
I don't like what ram Paul says about Ukraine that
you know. It's interesting. I've done about twenty five thirty
town halls in Appalachia. Ninety of the questions are about
medicaid and hospitals. Nobody has asked me about Ukraine. R
(12:37):
Nobody has asked me about Israel. And that's kind of
where they are.
Speaker 1 (12:44):
Yeah, that's where you're spot on talking about. The party
needs to come back in here and start ringing the
bell again. In Middle America. Never out of time this time,
but let's talk again down the road.
Speaker 2 (12:54):
Appreciate you having me, Thanks sir.
Speaker 1 (12:55):
Where can people find you online to learn more about
your campaign?
Speaker 2 (13:00):
Ned for Congress dot com.
Speaker 1 (13:02):
All right, Ned Pillarsdorff, great talking to you again.
Speaker 2 (13:06):
Thanks, Sorry, bye bye.
Speaker 1 (13:07):
All right. That's Ned Pillarsdorf live from Prestonsburg, Kentucky. That's
where he has law offices. You can read more about
him on his website. He just named back in a
minute on news radio. Wait forty whas
I always love spending a few minutes on the radio
(00:02):
with Ned Pillars dor If. I call him the Atticus
Finch of eastern Kentucky. He's a hero. He helped a
lot of folks back when a guy named Eric con
She did more than four thousand of his own clients
out of Social Security. Hey, Ned, welcome back.
Speaker 2 (00:17):
I appreciate you having me Terry.
Speaker 1 (00:19):
Okay, and you don't mind the reference to Atticus Finch.
That's one of my favorite books of all time, So
not at all. Indeed, all right, you're running for Congress.
You're up against Hal Rodgers ultimately, who's been in office
for a long time. But I like picking your brain
about certain things that are cooking right now, and that is,
of course, the government's shut down. How's that affecting folks
(00:41):
so far in your area of Kentucky in the fifth district.
Speaker 2 (00:46):
Well, I think the current swirling hurricane is well. The
snap benefits, the food stamp benefits. I think they're going
to expire next week or the week after that will
certainly have a dramatic effect around here where the second
most impoverished congressional district in the country. And the other
(01:07):
issue is the what's important to me and why I'm
running is the eventual Medicaid cuts that would be catastrophic here.
We've already got a significant rural hospital shortage as it is,
and I don't see how these pending Medicaid cuts are
(01:31):
going to make things any better. May make it a
lot worse.
Speaker 1 (01:35):
Yeah, you wrote an op ed talking about over three
hundred thousand men, women and children, seniors who would be
affected by Medicaid, and that is if these measures go forward.
We don't know exactly how things are going to play
out here, but these rural hospitals could be at risk
(01:56):
of closing. It's a matter. The Republicans have said, what
we put fifty billion in here to keep the rural
hospitals operating. Do you not see that as a truthful statement.
Speaker 2 (02:09):
I see that as a misleading statement. You cut more
than eight hundred billion and then say, hey, leave us alone.
We put fifty billion back. By my math, that's at
least a negative seven hundred and fifty billion. And what
people don't understand is we already have a rural hospital shortage.
I'm sitting in Floyd County, Kentucky, three counties at border Floyd,
(02:34):
not magoffin and Martin County have zero hospitals now, and
on top of that, they now did this crazy thing.
We're foreign doctors, I think, have to pay one hundred
thousand dollars to come here if you go to an
East Kentucky medical clinic. Now we depend on foreign doctors.
(02:55):
We have a doctor's shortage as well, and that will
simply aggravate the problem. And that's kind of why I'm running.
I mean, I'm really really worried about our future. You
know how Rogers in the past has done some good things.
You know, he you know, they call him the King
(03:17):
of Pork. You know, some of the pork I liked.
But you know, he took us a couple of steps forward.
But this bill that he signed on to is taking
us twenty steps back. And I think it's just an
incredible act of betrayal in our poverty stricken region for
him to vote for the bill. And the vote was
two fifteen to two fourteen. And I made clear. I've
(03:42):
actually had some contact with some of Rogers people, and
they knew I was talking about running, and I told
him if Rogers thwarts that bill, which he could have,
I'm not running. But not only did he vote for
that terrible, big, ugly bill. He's issue this pack of
lies trying to justify it, and that's why I'm out
(04:05):
campaigning every day.
Speaker 1 (04:08):
Well, let's unpack some of those What are the misleading
statements that are coming from the Rogers camp.
Speaker 2 (04:14):
Well, let me put this way, Terry. The tax cuts
will benefit the top I keep saying one percent, it's
actually ninety nine point nine nine. Those are the people
who are getting the overwhelming lion's share. He called it
a historic tax cut for the working class. That's just
absolute nonsense and misleading, and it's simply not true. And
(04:39):
the standard Republican line that Rogers and the other Republicans
say the Medicaid cuts will preserve and strengthen Medicaid, that's
just not true. You cut so much out of that program. Uh,
and the program will hit the hardest. Well, I call
them the non compliant people. To keep your Medicaid, you'll
(05:03):
have to fill out forms, do paperwork. You know, they
tried it in Arkansas, and they tried it in Georgia
and it was a total failure. More money went to
spend it to administering these obstacle course, these requirements to
keep them Medicaid than actually we're being paid out for
health care. And I just it's the non compliant people
(05:27):
I'm worried about. We have a lot of people, and
I learned this story of the Erican litigation representing all
those people. You know, I thought I understood rural poverty,
but the air concept educated me. But the non compliant people.
We have so many people in Appalachia's significant mental illness,
seem to have a lot of people with significant drug problems,
(05:51):
a lot of a lot of autism. Those people are
not going to be compliant. They're going to lose their Medicaid.
And I'm really fearful for the future of region.
Speaker 1 (06:01):
You mean, for the inability to fill out the or
go through the dungeons and dragons of online registration.
Speaker 2 (06:10):
Exactly. And I learned that in the conltigation. You know,
I think one of my biggest legal achievements was what
we call it the forgotten five hundred, those five hundred
people of a class action settlement I negotiated by the way,
I think they offered me the great deal right about
the time the big Con documentary came out. But those
(06:33):
five hundred people, if they simply made acclaim, they got
their monthly benefits for reinstated today, and if they win
their new hearing, they get hundreds of thousands back pay.
You know, the five hundred, only about two hundred, maybe
two hundred and twenty five actually were able to navigate.
(06:54):
I think we have a lot of people like that,
and those are the people who are going to lose
their Medicaid. You know, more than half of the former
conclients from my experts, has significant mental illness, autism, various
social phobias. And when the Republicans say, well, it's just
they just got to fill out a form that's simply
(07:16):
not gonna happen, We're gonna have a lot of people
who are truly deserving and need Medicaid are going to
lose it. This was just a cruel bill, and I
think you know why the Republicans vote for it. You know,
James Carvill says, with a suicide pact. Well, I think
the Republicans have made the cynical but probably accurate assessment
(07:39):
that those people who are dependent on Medicaid food stamps,
they don't vote in normal numbers, they vote less, and
they certainly don't give money to the Mitch McConnell packs,
so though the Republicans have made the cynical obligation. Yeah,
those people will get hurt, but they don't vote and
(07:59):
they don't give money, so we don't care. Well, Frankly,
I'm running because I care about these people. You know,
I live in Floyd County, Kentucky. At one point, Floyd
County had the highest juvenile poverty rate in the country.
I've been here forty four years, and I'm really worried
about them, you know. And unfortunately, my Democratic Party we
(08:22):
are viewed as a coastal elite party, and we keep
talking about we're going to help the middle class. You know,
We've got a lot of people at Floyd County and
not County Latric County would love to climb into the
middle class. And I worry about those people. And I'm
running because those people deserve a voice.
Speaker 1 (08:41):
Yeah, what does the Democratic Party need to do to
get the pulse back in middle America? Because You're right,
they are labeled as coastal elites.
Speaker 2 (08:51):
Well, you know, I'm running as a rural Democrat and
we have different issues than Hakim Jeffries or Nancy Pelosi.
You know, I'm also the executive director of the David School.
Every kid in my high school tuition free, below the
poverty line. My kid's got to go to McDonald's to
get on the internet. We have bad internet or no
(09:13):
internet in a lot of areas. We also, as I said,
we have a rural hospital shortage, We have bad roads,
and those are the issues we need to talk about.
I can't think of another national Democratic figure who's really
from a rural area. The only one I could think
of is maybe John Tester of Montana, and he got
(09:35):
beat So I wish Democrats would, would you know, they
don't pour money into districts like mine. They've ignored rural America,
and I'm running to talk about rural Appalachian issues.
Speaker 1 (09:49):
It seems like you and I over the last twenty
five years have heard all kinds of talk about the
money that's there for to get everybody wired. You know,
you biquitous Wi Fi everywhere we're in the world. World
is all that infrastructure we were promised? Is that Frankfort's problem?
Speaker 2 (10:06):
No? You know, ironically, during the Biden administration, they contacted
me and I went around and found people to talk
about lack of internet interests, internet connectivity. That's still a
huge problem here. You know, part of it is just
geographically logistically, where ninety eight percent mountains. But by the way,
(10:29):
the Trump administration could cut out that Biden program. But
we still have problems with internet connectivity. If you travel
out to the David School and beautiful David, Kentucky, you
may not get sell service very good. Our internet works sporadically,
and there certainly needs to be a lot more money
(10:50):
invested in that. That's one of the many things. And
we still have terrible rural roads. You can't drive to
Harlan County very easily. You know. Years ago in nineteen
ninety two, the first time hol Rogers won in the
new district, he promised us to interstate sixty six. Right,
that never happened.
Speaker 1 (11:11):
Yeah, I've heard about that one for a long time.
So all right, since you were the attorney of note here,
I want to ask you a question outside the parameters
of the United States. What's your take on these striking
these drug boats off the coast of Venezuela, South America.
It's fascinating to me. Are we way out of bounds
(11:31):
with this?
Speaker 2 (11:33):
Yes, and I'm a Democrat, but I'm going to say
this boy has ran Paul been heroic and blasting that
those little boats they're not coming to the United States.
What did Ram Paul say, they have to refuse twenty
times each right killing fishermen. I don't care if some
of them are little drug dealers. We don't have the
right to unilatter to give them the death penalty. And
(11:58):
I never thought i'd say this, boy Ram Paul is
he's heroic in blasting the Trump administration for that and
keep going round, keep doing You're doing good, buddy.
Speaker 1 (12:09):
And he still goes out and plays golf with Donald
Trump and says they're friends. I find it fascinating too
on many fronts.
Speaker 2 (12:16):
Well, he's a quirky character, you know. On the other hand,
I don't like what ram Paul says about Ukraine that
you know. It's interesting. I've done about twenty five thirty
town halls in Appalachia. Ninety of the questions are about
medicaid and hospitals. Nobody has asked me about Ukraine. R
(12:37):
Nobody has asked me about Israel. And that's kind of
where they are.
Speaker 1 (12:44):
Yeah, that's where you're spot on talking about. The party
needs to come back in here and start ringing the
bell again. In Middle America. Never out of time this time,
but let's talk again down the road.
Speaker 2 (12:54):
Appreciate you having me, Thanks sir.
Speaker 1 (12:55):
Where can people find you online to learn more about
your campaign?
Speaker 2 (13:00):
Ned for Congress dot com.
Speaker 1 (13:02):
All right, Ned Pillarsdorff, great talking to you again.
Speaker 2 (13:06):
Thanks, Sorry, bye bye.
Speaker 1 (13:07):
All right. That's Ned Pillarsdorf live from Prestonsburg, Kentucky. That's
where he has law offices. You can read more about
him on his website. He just named back in a
minute on news radio. Wait forty whas
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