House Appropriations Committee Chairman Tom Cole (R-OK) appeared on Fox Business’s “Mornings with Maria” to address the ongoing government shutdown, which he attributed to Senate Democrats. Cole stated that House Republicans had previously passed a clean, nonpartisan funding extension intended to keep the government operational. According to Cole, Senate Democrats voted against this measure and have since blocked attempts to reopen the government.
During the interview, Cole commented on how long the shutdown might last: "It depends on the Democrats, how long [the shutdown] goes on. The House has already done its work. We passed legislation that would keep the government open, as you know. The Senate is dealing with that now. We have a bipartisan majority in favor of that, but only 55 votes, we’re still 5 votes short. So, when the Senate comes around, the government will get back open."
Cole outlined several impacts of the shutdown: "Our entire military will be on duty, but unpaid. Every air traffic controller across the United States – on duty, but unpaid. I can go through group after group. It’s not fair to them, it’s not fair to their families. It creates enormous uncertainty. It’s absolutely reckless to do what Democrats are doing, and they’re doing it for things unrelated to the day-to-day functioning of the American government. They’re doing it for Medicaid subsidies and programs. They’re doing it for tax stuff. And frankly, none of this stuff is running out any time soon. We’re talking about a short-term CR to protect the American people and keep folks working and compensated.
"These [furloughs and layoffs] are decisions the President and [OMB Director] Russ [Vought] didn’t ask to make. They wanted to keep the government open. This is a Democrat self-inflicted political disaster for them, in my view, and frankly, a real damaging blow to the country.The sooner they sober up and reopen the government, the less damage will be done."
Cole also criticized what he described as radical demands from Democratic leadership: "The problem is, they’ve taken the appropriations process and taken it hostage to achieve goals that aren’t related to appropriations at all. They’ve literally put the government and every federal employee at risk to achieve something that doesn’t have anything to do with them. It’s a really boneheaded play in terms of politics. Every day, the situation’s going to be worse, and I think the American people will hold those that shut down the government responsible. They always have in the past, and, frankly, none of these shutdowns, whether they were Republican- or Democrat-inspired, have ever achieved their objective. It’s a really dumb thing to do. I’m surprised politicians as experienced as Mr. Schumer and Mr. Jeffries have fallen into that trap."
For viewers interested in watching Chairman Cole's full remarks during his appearance on Fox Business’s “Mornings with Maria,” additional coverage is available online.
