Rep. Greg Steube told Newsmax that any stopgap spending bill needs to reduce government funding and protect the southern border to get his support.
Appearing Wednesday on "Carl Higbie FRONTLINE," the Florida congressman explained that although he prefers a resolution to keep the government open, he is willing to take a stand for conservative priorities.
"I think a lot of us standing strong on our principles have caused the caucus to realize that, if we don't pass an appropriations bill that has ... our bill shutting down the border ... then it's a no-go for us," Steube said.
"The American people didn't put Republicans in control of the House, who has the purse strings, to acquiesce and do continuing resolutions with Democrats," he continued. "That's not why they sent us here. So we need to do our job."
Steube acknowledged that House Republicans likely will not get everything they wish for due to Democrats controlling the Senate and executive branch. However, he said, the GOP needs to put its demands on the table.
"I just left our committee conference, and I think we have some agreements on some top-line numbers, which would be like a 26[%] to 30% decrease in overall spending — holding defense spending and holding VA [Veterans Affairs] spending," the lawmaker said.
Steube wants House Republicans to send those cuts, along with the inclusion of the Secure the Border Act of 2023, to the Senate and "dare them to shut down the government."
"I'm fine with the government shutting down to stand on our principle that we are not OK with an open border," Steube stated. "We are not OK with Democrats' open border policies and spending us into oblivion."
The continuing resolution being debated would carry the government into late November or December and seeks not to compromise deliberations on the 12 longer-term appropriations bills.
Splitting appropriations into 12 separate bills is a new process outlined in the Fiscal Responsibility Act of 2023 after negotiations between House GOP leadership and the White House.
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Luca Cacciatore ✉
Luca Cacciatore, a Newsmax general assignment writer, is based in Arlington, Virginia, reporting on news and politics.
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