We are on day 23 of the federal
government shutdown.
So far, the Senate has failed 12
times to pass the House bill that
would reopen the government.
Joining us now is Republican
Congressman Glenn Grothman.
Congressman, thanks for joining us.
Glad to be on the show.
So the continuing resolution the
House passed would only fund the
government through November 21st.
And at this point, we're almost
closer to that date than the start
of the shutdown.
Do you think Republicans should
consider a new CR with
maybe a longer date behind it?
Well, I think we should,
first of all, wait a little bit,
and see if the Democrats
will keep the government open.
I mean, like you just said, the
Republicans in the Senate, my own
Ron Johnson, have voted 12 times
to keep the governor open.
And it's normally automatic.
So you understand we
are waiting for a budget for the
calendar year, for the fiscal year,
beginning October 1st,
13 times when Joe Biden
was president.
The Republicans helped him out by
keeping the government open in
similar circumstances.
I bet it didn't even make the shows,
right?
So I think a lot of us still
want to believe that the Democrats
will do what is power for the course
has been for decades and
just vote to keep the government
opened. No reason not to.
So the hangup for Democrats in
the Senate, according to them, is
that this extension of
Affordable Care Act subsidies,
they're holding out for that.
They expire at the end of the year.
November 1st is when those
subsidies, when the marketplace
opens and people may see what
premiums may look like without those
subsidies. Would you vote to extend
the subsidies if that was
the deciding factor in the deal?
Package.
You got to remember, it's always
fine and good to say we're going to
vote for more spending of every
type. But right now we're borrowing
26% of our budget.
That's why we've got to get the
continuing resolution passed,
because there may wind
up being a little more for subsidies
in there, but it depends upon
what's going on in the other items.
We've got about $1.8 trillion
in discretionary spending
that we're voting to extend, of
which the
Obamacare subsidies are part.
That is because the Obama care
is flawed.
It would be nice to change the
Obamacaare works so we
don't have to keep dipping further
and further in these subsidies.
But again, we've got to ask the
Democrats, 26 percent
of our budget is borrowed.
What do you plan on cutting instead
if you do want to put
34 billion dollars
a year about what they're looking at
into Obamacare subsidies.
So one of the things that
people in the public that are
receiving these subsidies aren't as
nuanced in the federal government
spending as obviously you are, but
when they hear headlines like $20
billion for Argentina to bail
out their economy, but we can't
afford subsidies for Americans, how
do you explain that discrepancy
there?
Well, I think President Trump
is in a situation where he doesn't
want Argentina to become a
new Venezuela, which would be even
more wildly expensive
to deal with.
I think they just have to realize
the Obamacare was poorly drawn up.
We are prepared to keep
the government open.
And then as far as subsidies are
concerned, you know, they've got to
ask us where other parts in the
budget are that they don't want to
spend as much in it.
The consumer price.
Again, the Americans have to get
used to the fact that right now
we're borrowing 26% of
our budget. You're talking about a
volunteer subject.
I'll tell you, when I'm in my
office, again and again and,
again, I meet Americans who want the
government to spend more money.
Can we spend more here?
Can we spent more there?
And I can think of things that can
be done to get to
$34 billion for the Democrats
and putting those things on the
table. And in part,
They haven't put them on the table
because we're not negotiating, we're
not negotiating because we should
keep the government open first.
It's just not that difficult for the
demand.
It's something that's done
automatically.
And if you look at the statements in
the journals that are
put out in Washington, D.C., the
Democrats admit.
That the reason they are not opening
the government is they want to use
leverage, not just on Obamacare,
but on things like
more DEI programs,
for example, which I think are just
the most vicious things,
it wouldn't be good to spend money
on if somebody gave us the money for
free.
So the consumer price index
was released today and showed
inflation was up 3% in
September and they say largely due
to tariffs.
Do you continue to support Donald
Trump's tariff policy?
I'm not as big a fan of
this terrorist as some other people,
but you know, President
Trump is our president.
There's no question, there should
have been no question about the
American public, but he's a big fan
of terrorists, as is his Treasury
Secretary.
Speaker of the House Mike Johnson
has canceled floor sessions over the
past couple weeks Democrats say
it's because he doesn't want to
swear in a newly elected Democrat
from Arizona who potentially could
be the final vote to discharge
Epstein files.
Do you believe that or do you think
there's another reason the floor the
house hasn't come back to the floor?
And the reason he doesn't want
Republicans back in Washington is
I think he wants to control the
narrative as far as what's going on
during the shutdown.
And I think is afraid if you had 200
more Republicans running around
Washington, the reporters would find
somebody to say something that
maybe Speaker Johnson wouldn't like.
I was back in Washten this week.
I plan on returning to Washington
next Monday.
And if people want to interview me
there, they can interview me.
I don't have a problem with
going back to Washington.
And today the Trump administration
announced they had denied
Wisconsin's application for federal
disaster relief for six counties
damaged by flooding in August.
Some of those in your district,
what's your reaction to that?
I was very disappointed.
Obviously, we're very broke.
That may be one of the things that's
entering into the
decision.
It's news from just got out today,
and I'll be in contact with the
Trump administration and see the
reason for those decisions.
All right, Congressman Drowthman,
thanks for your time today.
Thank you very much.