House Appropriations Committee Chairman Tom Cole (R-OK) appeared on ABC News to discuss the impending government shutdown, attributing responsibility to Democrats. Cole stated that Republicans had passed a continuing resolution (CR) intended to keep the government funded and operational, but said Democrats voted against it.
“We voted to keep the government open for an additional seven weeks while we continue to negotiate on the appropriations bills. These other items really don’t belong in a CR," Cole said during the interview.
He continued, “But look, we’ve done everything we can to keep [the government] open and keep talking. Almost every Republican in the House and Senate voted to keep the government open. Almost every Democrat in the House and the Senate voted to close it. It’s pretty simple who’s responsible for closing the government now. It’s an effort to get leverage over items unrelated to day-to-day government funding. I don’t think it’s going to work.”
Cole criticized Democratic demands tied to extending government spending, saying, “They’re asking for us to commit to spending a trillion and a half dollars in exchange for a four-week extension of government spending… It’s a ridiculous request, and the only conclusion I can draw is, look, Democrats really want to shut down the government."
He also commented on political motivations within Democratic leadership: “They’re desperately trying to prove that they’re fighting President Trump. When Chuck Schumer made the opposite decision in March, that is, to keep the government open at current funding levels, he was hammered by his own party. Not by President Trump, not by Republicans."
“We thought he did the smart thing and the right thing then. So this is clearly a political calculation on the part of Minority Leader Jeffries and Minority Leader Schumer that ‘hey, we’ve got to do something here to look like we’re fighting Trump, even if it inconveniences and puts at risk the American people.’”
On ongoing negotiations regarding appropriations bills amid stalled progress due to shutdown threats, Cole added: “I’d be happy to sit down with my Democratic colleagues. We actually have been negotiating a number of appropriations bills, [and we’re] pretty close to having three of them done. But this puts a chill on things, it stalls things. [Democrats] can’t afford to produce appropriations bills while they’re shutting down the government."
"This is a conscious decision by the Democratic leadership to shut down the government for political objective, and they don’t care who it hurts. And that’s unfortunate. I’ve seen both parties do it. It never works out well.”
