Rep. Jeff Van Drew, R-N.J., told Newsmax on Tuesday that federal lawmakers need to strip out the budgetary excesses of the COVID years and get back to basics when it comes to spending levels.
"This is the kind of stuff that we didn't want to happen," Van Drew said during an appearance on Newsmax's "The Chris Salcedo Show." "We really need to change our ways in Congress. All I've asked is, I'm not even saying to radically cut the budget to 50%. All I'm saying is, let's get back to pre-COVID spending. We blew up the budget because of COVID, and there was never an intention that the budget would stay that high for these many years. So, we've got to get back to the real basics here."
On Tuesday, President Joe Biden and congressional leaders announced they reached a deal on the final set of spending bills for this fiscal year. Biden has said he'll sign the package as soon as it reaches his desk, and time is running short to avert a government shutdown, with funding for several key agencies expiring at midnight Friday.
Van Drew said he "didn't vote for the last set of bills, the six of them" and stressed that House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., is "trying his best" to get things done.
"He's got Senate Republicans, Senate Democrats, and House Democrats working against him, to be really honest with you," he said. "He may not be able to say that, but I can say it, and it really concerns me."
Following the deal's announcement, Johnson said the relevant committees are now drafting bill text which will be available to House and Senate members "as soon as possible."
Nearly six months into the fiscal year, Congress has still only passed about half of the spending measures needed to keep the federal government afloat. In early March, lawmakers passed the first tranche of spending bills, totaling about 30% of the year's discretionary spending. Facing a shutdown deadline, lawmakers are now focused on passing the larger package.
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Nicole Wells ✉
Nicole Wells, a Newsmax general assignment reporter covers news, politics, and culture. She is a National Newspaper Association award-winning journalist.
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