Sen. Roger Marshall, R-Kan., told Newsmax Tuesday that the opposition of Democrats on Capitol Hill to the GOP's stopgap funding bill might shut the government down for "a day or two," but it's really "just the next chapter of Trump derangement syndrome."
"They want to do everything they can to slow us down, to slow down President [Donald] Trump's agenda, but remember, they own this budget," Marshall said on "Wake Up America." "This is [former] President [Joe] Biden's budget. This is something that they should have taken care of last year, so they should be able to support it. They're the ones that wrote this."
"It continues spending at the same level," he continued. "Maybe we save a little bit, but that's their big problem. They want to extract a pound of flesh. For their votes, they want more spending, more social programs. We're not willing to give, so we'll see.
"If this doesn't get through on Friday, if the government shuts down, then it's on the back of the Democrats. It's on the back of [Senate Minority Leader] Chuck Schumer."
Democrat leaders in the House are signaling their reluctance to support the stopgap measure, with House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., Democratic Whip Katherine Clark, D-Mass., and Democratic Caucus Chair Pete Aguilar, D-Calif., saying on Saturday that Democrats won't vote to advance the bill, which would fund the federal government until Sept. 30.
Responding to Democrat criticism that the stopgap bill harms Americans, Marshall said he thinks "it helps Americans" by taking the first step toward bringing down the cost of everyday living.
"I think the No. 1 thing we can do for most people is cut the interest rates and cut inflation," Marshall said. "As we're spending less in the federal government, then we'll be printing less money up here.
"This is the first step in slowing down inflation, which will impact interest rates. So I think that's the big challenge ahead of us right now is inflation, cutting back the cost of gas and groceries, and I think getting toward a balanced budget is a first step in doing that."
The pending legislation does not negatively impact Medicare, Medicaid, Social Security or veterans, Marshall said, adding that the Democrats are promoting "a false narrative" about the bill.
"We're spending 50% more today on Medicaid than we were five years ago," he said. "Medicare will be the same as well. Look, there's lots of waste, fraud and inefficiencies in Medicare and Medicaid, but this bill doesn't impact any of those. The spending continues the same."
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Nicole Weatherholtz ✉
Nicole Weatherholtz, a Newsmax general assignment reporter covers news, politics, and culture. She is a National Newspaper Association award-winning journalist.
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