Source: Tom Williams / Getty
WASHINGTON — The House is on recess after the latest drama of Kevin McCarthy being removed as the Speaker of the House.
The Senate still trudges on with business of its own. Some of that business, at least for Sen. Mike Braun, is developing a new spending plan for when the current 45-day package expires in November.
The business of the House next Wednesday when lawmakers return will be to vote in a new speaker, which will take up a lot of precious time needed to figure out government funding, according to Braun.
“You know I’m not sure if anyone wants to step into (the role of speaker) because they would inherit that thin, thin margin that I don’t think is going to change,” Braun said on Fox Business. “Democrats out-maneuver us in the House and Senate. This place is their growth business and cathedral wrapped into one, and that’s how they always seem to land on their feet.”
Rep. Jim Jordan (R-OH) and Rep. Steve Scalise (R-LA) have both emerged as possible front-runners for speaker.
Regardless of who is speaker next week, Braun is hoping the House will be able to put forth an amenable spending plan that he hopes prioritizes funding to fortify the southern border from illegal immigration. He believes the amount of money the U.S. is giving to Ukraine is triggering more borrowing by the country to keep the southern border secure.
“We were borrowing a trillion dollars a year five years ago. Now it’s a trillion dollars every six months,” Braun said. “I don’t know how we justify emphasizing, in the Senate, Ukrainian help when we let the southern border go unattended.”
Braun is not seeking re-election to the Senate next year. Instead, he is running to become Indiana’s next governor.
