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Rep. James Lankford, (R-Okla.), on his bill to prevent government shutdowns and keep the government funded.
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While the house approving a bill to prevent the government from shutting down at the end of the month but.
We aren't out of the woods yet not by a long shot.
It's now up to the senate -- away and Republican congressman James Lankford of Oklahoma.
Congressman -- back to show up he don't you must be the only person on Capitol Hill working today.
Actually the -- in the capital that house in the senate Sutter working but the rest the streets -- vacant today really the federal government shut down over.
There -- out there probably thirty or forty snowflakes thinking that's -- one point.
So -- pretty vicious.
Yeah I'm amazed you can even find yourself capable of talking after all that pressure.
I guess you guys don't have any any snow removal equipment I I won't be -- -- it's.
It's its -- its reign shall we had all day it was raining so last week we had few snowflakes none of them stuck so.
Well -- let's get down to business here this house bill that now goes in front of the senate 982.
Billion dollars global senate deal with that in your view.
Our hope is they're gonna take it out that typically the -- if they're gonna just fight it like crazy they're -- -- make a scene about it before we ever passed since they don't pass this.
-- -- it won't take it up there were they were strangely quiet about it to this process.
The White House is well came out and did their standard -- Which was you know we won a big deal we wanna big proposal we wanna raise taxes but didn't oppose it as well throw hoping is that we've actually -- -- an agreement here.
This this gives more flexibility to defense.
-- military construction and veterans and it lays out for the rest of government it claimed to be able to understood the into the fiscal year.
Well so -- also reprogram some of the money to get some flexibility in sequestration but keeps a number still love.
Well I would go -- when -- -- that you know I I know everybody's hopeful that something can be done in fact that president is meeting.
With senate Republicans first.
That's tonight for dinner for those few hardy souls that stayed in Washington.
And then next week with house Republicans.
You think the find some common ground there I mean there's so many.
Frankly heavy criticism of the president for not really trying negotiate with people only coming to loggerheads.
How do you think I don't doubt.
We'll see we we did one large meeting in 2011.
As well we're all the house members came to the White House.
He -- one meeting for an hour.
It was fine as a conversation -- obviously can't do much -- 240 people that one person responding became -- -- town hall for the president for in depth.
Tell us what his ideas work and we'll see what is again hey it's the right thing for the White House the house and the senate.
To have some conversations -- wish that would have happened during sequestration it never did until actually the data sequestration was implement it was the first on the White House actually visit.
The rest time the president just flew around the country can campaign against -- Whenever he sat down to visit so well we gotta have real conversely.
This could be different.
I heard you about your bill you want to create a mechanism whereby.
Government cannot go one funded.
How would that work.
We've we have all these fights about the government shut downs in the it's this constant thing for the last twenty or so years -- gets the edge.
And the government shut -- it destabilize our economy makes it very uncertain obviously affects federal workers and their families -- everyone else who has any nexus.
With the federal government it's very unsettling into our economy as a whole.
So I've got a bill this all the government shutdown prevention act that if we get to the point.
Where we should have -- pass a continuing resolution or appropriations bills.
That we haven't that -- an automatic.
Extension will happen on a continuing resolution but it reduces total government spending by 1%.
Does that for three months and -- we don't get it done of the next three months there's another 1% reduction so it's an incentive all the agencies will start screaming saying we don't want our budget cuts.
We need to do our job and actually get a real budget proposal -- -- they wanna see that well.
-- -- to go down.
I -- my preferred methodology -- we go back to the old fashioned way and there's actually a budget comes out of the senate -- gets debated and everybody weighs in on but I realize that just not happening now congressman -- -- -- this this an emergency back up best way to do it is actually get a budget against in the house the senate since the senate hasn't passed one in four years right makes a little tough.
Congressman thanks for coming on tonight be careful out there you know you might get out of the snowflake you don't know good luck well watched what kind.
