Rep. Meuser to Newsmax: CR Doesn't 'Fit Well With the Trends'

Rep. Dan Meuser, R-Pa., told Newsmax on Wednesday that the proposed continuing resolution to fund the federal government until mid-March doesn’t "fit well with the trends" embodied by President-elect Donald Trump's Department of Government Efficiency.

"One thing the American people should know: We knew about 90% of this bill well before we received it in portions," Meuser told "National Report," referring to lawmakers. "So, there's a good 10% that we're reviewing and, frankly, a fair amount of it is troubling. It's about $120 billion higher than what a straight CR would be, and I wouldn't be comfortable with a straight CR in the first place.

"There are some good aspects of it, and Speaker [Mike] Johnson [R-La.,] and others, we all did [our] best to negotiate. But, nevertheless, it's not something that fits well with the trends … when we're talking DOGE, and then we're talking $110 billion, which includes some funding for the Francis Scott Key Bridge, that gets a little schizophrenic. We're looking to reduce, not increase."

Meuser pointed out that the executive and legislative branches of the federal government are still controlled by Democrats, which limits what Republicans on Capitol Hill can do.

"Keep in mind Joe Biden is still in the White House," he said. "[Senate Majority Leader] Chuck Schumer [D-N.Y.,] is still in the Senate. We're not in charge yet. The new sheriff is not yet in town. They will be, though, come Jan. 20. That's part of the thinking of sending this off until March. But I have serious questions regarding voting yes on it."

Meuser said "as of right now," he’s "leaning no on this bill," which he acknowledged "means there could be a government shutdown."

"But, if that's the negotiating we need to do, that's the position of strength we need to maintain," he said. "We do have the majority."

Meuser also said that he’s "so looking forward" to the "reckoning" that’s coming for "our bloated federal government."

"The Department of Education, EPA [Environmental Protection Agency], Department of Labor have increased over 117% under the Biden administration, 150% [at] a couple of those agencies," he said. "So, they need to be ratcheted back. The COVID dollars that went in increased our overall spending to $6.7 trillion, barely had been pulled back and reduced. And that's even before we start getting to the waste, abuse, and fraud that exists throughout so much of the federal government. So, this is going to be tremendous."

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