The deadline for Congress to approve a government spending plan is coming up at the end of the month.
Congressman Bill Huizenga tells us it’s too early to predict if a government shutdown will happen as an internal debate takes place among House Republicans over a continuing budget resolution. He says the budgeting process has been approached all wrong in recent years.
“The House has moved ahead with the vast majority of the spending bills.” Huizenga said. “Over 80% of all of the government funding has passed the House of Representatives and our appropriations bills, unfortunately and sadly, the Senate has indicated they’re not taking any of those bills up. They’re not going to do any of their own bills. They want to do one big giant omnibus bill at the end of the year. That’s a terrible way of governing.”
Huizenga says kicking the can down the road with more continuing resolutions puts the military in a bad spot. Then again, he says there will be someone new in the White House come January, so waiting on a budget until then will at least give the new president a say.
Huizenga says most House Republicans, including himself, don’t want a shutdown. He says he’s learned from past experience they don’t really accomplish much.
