Democratic Sen. Andy Kim of New Jersey stated Sunday {that a} bipartisan short-term authorities funding invoice is one of the best path to averting a shutdown this week, highlighting the challenges congressional Republicans doubtlessly face in advancing a plan with out Democratic votes.
“Republicans are in charge of this process right now,” Kim advised NCS’s Jake Tapper on “State of the Union.”
Kim accused House Speaker Mike Johnson, whose GOP management workforce unveiled a Trump-backed stopgap bill on Saturday, of strolling away from “ongoing” bipartisan talks.
The senator stated he would like to vote for a invoice that extends present funding ranges for 30 days, so bipartisan negotiations might proceed over a longer-term plan, as an alternative of Johnson’s plan to “kick the can down the road” to the top of the fiscal yr.
Pressed by Tapper on whether or not he would vote in opposition to the House GOP plan, which additionally consists of $6 billion for protection spending and $13 billion in cuts to home spending, if it involves the Senate ground, Kim stated, “That’s not what I’m saying,” including, “We need to see what happens in the House.”
Kim speculated that Johnson might not have the ability to safe the GOP votes wanted to move a invoice along with his narrow majority, saying the speaker is “very bad at keeping his caucus together.”
Senate spending negotiators have been working in current weeks on a shorter-term bipartisan funding invoice, although appropriations laws should in the end be launched within the House, the place Democratic leaders have already thrown chilly water on Johnson’s plan, signaling he can’t afford to lose nearly any Republican votes.
Key GOP lawmaker weighs in: The Republican co-chair of the bipartisan Problem Solvers Caucus, Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick, stated on CBS’ “Face the Nation” on Sunday that he stays undecided and continues to be “digging through” the measure.
Fitzpatrick stated ideally he would have appreciated to see a bipartisan invoice that didn’t have such a skinny margin for achievement in funding the federal government.
NCS’s Aileen Graef contributed reporting to this put up.