Scalise: Senate Democrats Must Do Their Part to Avoid Government Shutdown

Today, House Majority Leader Steve Scalise (R-La.) joined ABC News’ This Week as the government funding deadline approaches to discuss how House Republicans already got their work done and to call on Democrats to do the right thing, set aside partisan politics, and vote to keep the government open. Additionally, Leader Scalise addressed the indictment against disgraced former FBI Director James Comey.
   
Excerpts from Leader Scalise’s interview:

On Democrats voting for a government shutdown:

“We passed a bill through the House to keep the government from shutting down. Hakeem [Jeffries] actually whipped his members to shut the government down. He voted that way. But luckily, we were able to get the bill passed. Right now, it's over in the Senate, and it's on Chuck Schumer and Democrats in the Senate to keep the government from shutting down. I hope they'll come to their senses and do that early next week.

“Just keep in mind, Martha, if you go back to March, this is the same set of funding levels that Democrats voted for in March that is contained in this CR. There is no new changes to what we're trying to do to keep negotiations going. We still need to have negotiations. There is a conference committee on many of the appropriations bills right now... Ultimately, let's let those talks continue until November with this short-term government funding bill that's in the Senate. But it's the same levels of funding that the Senate voted for, Democrats included, back in March.”

On Democrats trying to placate their radical base:

“I'm not only hopeful. I, Speaker Johnson, all of my Republican colleagues voted to prevent a government shutdown, and we passed that bill to the Senate. That bill is still sitting over in the Senate. You saw a vote a few days ago where almost every Republican and only one Democrat voted for it. There's still time for an agreement to be reached. I'm glad that President Trump is showing leadership in meeting with all leaders, Republican and Democrat on Monday in the White House. But ultimately, those Democrats have to make a decision. Do they want to shut down the government to appease their radical base who's been just looking for a fight for Donald Trump for no reason other than they're not happy with the results of the election last year? Or are they going to work with the President to keep negotiations going? Again, this is a short-term funding bill that goes until November 21st, allows for troops to be paid, all of the other things that Hakeem [Jeffries] and everybody says they don't want, yet they voted to shut the government down. Let's have the Senate go do the right thing and pass that bill that's sitting over there waiting.”

On Comey Indictment:

“Well, we saw an unbelievable abuse of power from federal agencies for years and years. Frankly, James Comey is one of the main culprits in undermining the public's trust in agencies like the FBI. He abused his power, Martha. Now, ultimately, he has been indicted for lying to Congress. This isn't about what he did to the President. It's about lying to Congress and obstructing justice. That's what he was indicted for. He's going to ultimately go before a jury of his peers, so he gets to make his case. But there's serious charges, and it's not the only thing that he's done that he's been accused of in the past. I mean, he was behind the Russian hoax that undermined public confidence in these agencies. He's accused of being a dirty cop, and it's not a good place for somebody to be, and he's disgraced the agency.”

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