Democratic leaders in the Senate unveiled a stop-gap funding bill this week to avoid a potential government shutdown Saturday.
The continuing resolution will keep spending at current levels and fund the government through Dec. 16. The bill passed a procedural vote on Tuesday and is making its way through the Senate.
In order to avoid a government shutdown the U.S. House of Representatives will also have to vote for the spending bill by the end of the month.
Wednesday, U.S. Rep. Gary Palmer (R-Hoover) said on Real Talk 99.5’s “Leland Live” that he plans to vote against the stop-gap funding bill.
“I’ve already made it absolutely clear today that I am a no,” Palmer said. “And what they’re saying is they want to do a continuing resolution that will expire the middle of December … they do this all the time, the Democrats do. They will put this up so that it expires the middle of December with the threat that they’ll make us stay here through Christmas, and I’ve already told my staff I’m fine with staying through Christmas. I’ll call their bet on Christmas and raise them New Year.”
The lawmaker said he doesn’t want a “lame duck” Congress controlled by Democrats to be able to pass another funding bill at the end of the year.
“That’s one of the worst things about this,” he said. “That in a lame duck Congress where they’re still in the majority and they control the entire process, from subcommittee to committee to the rules committee all the way to the floor, they’re going to put everything in that they possibly can, and that’s where the potential for a government shutdown becomes real.”
Palmer blamed President Joe Biden and the Democrats for hurting the economy and increasing inflation.
“When this so called Inflation Reduction Act actually goes into full effect,” he said, “it’s going to flood more money into the marketplace and increase inflation, plus I guarantee you that gas prices at the pump are going to go back up. None of what he has done is affecting the price of utilities. Everybody’s household utility bill is going to go up. He’s making inflation worse.”
The congressman also highlighted the Republican’s “Commitment to America” plan that was announced by House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) last week.
“We’re focusing on rebuilding the economy,” he said. “We had a strong economy before this administration came in and allied with the Democrats in Congress. They’ve destroyed it … people are struggling, and there is an anger out there I think beneath the surface that people realizing that they can’t make ends meet … people are getting hammered. And if they really stopped and thought about who’s responsible for this, what they’ve done to our energy infrastructure, what they’ve done to the supply chain, they should be livid.”
Yaffee is a contributing writer to Yellowhammer News and hosts “The Yaffee Program” weekdays 9-11 a.m. on WVNN. You can follow him on Twitter @Yaffee
