Instant Reaction: House Passes Funding Bill

Bloomberg Audio Studios, Podcasts, Radio News. 0:00:07.080 --> 0:00:09.920 We have just gotten the gavel. The House has officially 0:00:10.160 --> 0:00:13.080 passed this stopgap funding measure that will keep the government 0:00:13.080 --> 0:00:16.680 funded through March fourteenth of next year. The tally three 0:00:16.800 --> 0:00:20.160 hundred and sixty six votes for this measure, only thirty 0:00:20.160 --> 0:00:22.840 four against. Not a single one of those votes against 0:00:22.840 --> 0:00:26.160 came from a Democrat. Ultimately, it was the Democrats who 0:00:26.200 --> 0:00:28.720 provided more votes to get this over the finish line, 0:00:28.720 --> 0:00:32.000 one hundred and ninety six Democratic members voting yes compared 0:00:32.040 --> 0:00:34.919 to one hundred and seventy Republicans. I want to come 0:00:34.920 --> 0:00:38.000 back to our political panel, Janie Shanzeno and Lester months 0:00:38.000 --> 0:00:41.240 in here. Lester, there were thirty eight Republicans who last 0:00:41.320 --> 0:00:43.920 night voted down the measure inclusive of the debt ceiling. 0:00:44.400 --> 0:00:47.960 Thirty four Republicans voted down this today with the debt 0:00:48.000 --> 0:00:51.720 ceiling taken out, it only changed four minds on that front. 0:00:51.920 --> 0:00:53.160 What does that signal to you. 0:00:53.159 --> 0:00:55.280 Well, it also changed the minds of all the Democrats. 0:00:55.440 --> 0:00:57.680 Fair enough, Yes, right, And that's. 0:00:57.160 --> 0:01:01.360 Really the key here. And so Democrats are clearly take 0:01:01.600 --> 0:01:05.319 Genie's earlier points on this exact question to heart. Democrats 0:01:05.400 --> 0:01:07.840 want to kind of force the votes next year and 0:01:07.959 --> 0:01:11.399 maximize their leverage over these tax issues which they are 0:01:11.440 --> 0:01:13.959 clearly going to be targeting. So you're starting to see 0:01:14.240 --> 0:01:18.400 the Democrats marshal their forces behind an agenda, thinking coherently 0:01:18.400 --> 0:01:20.959 about what that means, being willing to take some tough 0:01:21.040 --> 0:01:23.520 votes to get that done. And you saw those I 0:01:23.560 --> 0:01:25.840 think there was one present vote among the Democrats that 0:01:25.920 --> 0:01:28.080 there's one one Democrat who didn't vote favor this thing. 0:01:28.280 --> 0:01:30.720 So they have near total unanimity. They've they've got some 0:01:30.760 --> 0:01:33.479 real leadership. The question is going to be I think 0:01:33.640 --> 0:01:37.720 next year, can Senator Thun and Speaker Johnson do the 0:01:37.760 --> 0:01:41.240 same thing that McConnell and Ryan did eight years ago 0:01:41.600 --> 0:01:45.640 when they really guided the president's domestic agenda through Congress. 0:01:45.640 --> 0:01:50.960 Can these new leadership members do something like that next year? 0:01:51.000 --> 0:01:52.400 It's going to be a real challenge for him. 0:01:52.520 --> 0:01:54.560 Well, So, Genie, this is an excellent point that Lester 0:01:54.640 --> 0:01:56.560 is making, this notion that by and large we do 0:01:56.600 --> 0:01:59.880 see the Democrats sticking together and ultimately whatever Hawking Jeffrey 0:02:00.040 --> 0:02:03.240 says is usually what goes. And I wonder if you 0:02:03.280 --> 0:02:05.160 think that is going to be as easy to maintain 0:02:05.240 --> 0:02:08.040 when they are being asked to take votes on things 0:02:08.080 --> 0:02:10.480 like securing the border, something that was a weak spot 0:02:10.520 --> 0:02:13.959 for Democrats, frontline Democrats especially, and the last election and 0:02:14.120 --> 0:02:15.760 likely will be again in twenty twenty six. 0:02:16.680 --> 0:02:20.040 Yeah, I think we've seen Hakim Jeffries emerge as a 0:02:20.160 --> 0:02:24.560 very strong leader, following you know, the suit of Nancy Pelosi, 0:02:24.639 --> 0:02:27.560 who's also you know, one of the best that we've had. 0:02:28.680 --> 0:02:31.600 And you know, the reality is is that he does 0:02:31.800 --> 0:02:34.880 have the respect of his caucus, and we've seen over 0:02:34.960 --> 0:02:38.120 and over again, in almost lockstep to Lester's point, that 0:02:38.200 --> 0:02:41.320 they do listen to his advice and that votes very 0:02:41.320 --> 0:02:43.920 well for him. It's not going to be easy, but 0:02:44.000 --> 0:02:47.040 I will say it is easier obviously to be in 0:02:47.080 --> 0:02:49.960 the minority than it is to be in the majority. 0:02:50.080 --> 0:02:52.440 So you know, it may be a different story if 0:02:52.480 --> 0:02:55.960 they took over the majority, But because they're in the minority, 0:02:56.000 --> 0:02:58.560 I think they will stick together next year. And the 0:02:58.639 --> 0:03:01.000 reality is is that it is going to be so 0:03:01.160 --> 0:03:04.040 close next year that Mike Johnson is going to need 0:03:04.120 --> 0:03:07.640 them again and that's not going to sit well with 0:03:07.960 --> 0:03:11.359 people like Andy Biggs and Chip Roy and many others 0:03:11.400 --> 0:03:14.640 on the Republican side. And the question is how does 0:03:14.680 --> 0:03:18.919 Donald Trump handle this particularly? How does he handle it 0:03:19.120 --> 0:03:23.720 when somebody like Elon Musk is controlling the largest megaphone 0:03:24.080 --> 0:03:27.080 maybe we have out there in terms of the Republican media, 0:03:27.400 --> 0:03:30.840 and when he shouts, everybody listens. That's going to be 0:03:30.960 --> 0:03:34.640 really fascinating to watch. Well. 0:03:34.680 --> 0:03:38.080 Elon Musk's counterpart and in leading this new government Department 0:03:38.120 --> 0:03:41.120 of Government Efficiency, has just posted his thoughts on x 0:03:41.280 --> 0:03:44.960 vik Ramaswami, saying, quote, the last seventy two hours highlighted 0:03:44.960 --> 0:03:47.880 the positive impact that DOGE can have, but it also 0:03:48.040 --> 0:03:52.560 laid bare the massive lift ahead next year. We're ready 0:03:52.600 --> 0:03:55.520 for it, Lester, Both of Ake and Elon Musk aren't 0:03:55.520 --> 0:03:58.600 exactly ultra familiar with Washington. Do you really think they 0:03:58.640 --> 0:03:59.760 are ready for it? 0:04:00.160 --> 0:04:00.240 No? 0:04:01.200 --> 0:04:03.280 But I do like the way everyone is kind of 0:04:03.320 --> 0:04:06.480 dumping their hopes and dreams into the DOGE. Right. Oh, 0:04:06.520 --> 0:04:08.920 this problem will be fixed next year with DOGE. Oh, 0:04:09.000 --> 0:04:11.800 DOGE has a huge opportunity. DOGE has already affected things. 0:04:11.960 --> 0:04:15.040 DOSEH isn't really even a thing yet, it does certainly 0:04:15.040 --> 0:04:18.520 have some potential. Their real work won't be done for 0:04:18.560 --> 0:04:21.000 a year and a half. Will this still matter then? 0:04:21.240 --> 0:04:24.200 Will President Trump still have the same relationship with those two. 0:04:24.440 --> 0:04:28.080 That's a big question. So I think it's mostly hopes 0:04:28.080 --> 0:04:30.560 and dreams right now, but it certainly could become reality 0:04:30.680 --> 0:04:33.440 if people actually sit down look at it. Interestingly, there 0:04:33.480 --> 0:04:35.359 was a Tom Cole article on the Wall Street Journal 0:04:35.360 --> 0:04:37.480 this morning talking about they're going to have to look 0:04:37.480 --> 0:04:39.880 at entitlements if they really want to get close to 0:04:39.880 --> 0:04:43.120 a balanced budget. There's real truth in that, and that's 0:04:43.160 --> 0:04:45.080 not really something Republicans want to tackle yet. 0:04:45.120 --> 0:04:47.320 Well, when I was speaking with Congressman Beth Van Dyne 0:04:47.360 --> 0:04:49.880 just a moment ago, she was talking about how they said, yes, 0:04:49.920 --> 0:04:51.360 we're going to raise the debt ceiling, but we're going 0:04:51.400 --> 0:04:53.800 to cut two and a half trillion dollars in spending 0:04:53.839 --> 0:04:56.400 in order to offset that, and Megan schullly mathematically that 0:04:56.440 --> 0:04:58.479 probably doesn't work if you're going to not be touching 0:04:58.520 --> 0:05:01.479 Social Security and Medica, and as does not two point 0:05:01.480 --> 0:05:04.240 five trillion is more than the federal discussion your budget 0:05:04.279 --> 0:05:07.080 on an annual basis. So to put it in perspective, 0:05:07.600 --> 0:05:10.599 the Defense Department is, you know, creeping up to a 0:05:10.640 --> 0:05:14.839 trillion when you factor in emergency spending, and everything else 0:05:15.080 --> 0:05:20.080 is dwarfed in comparison. So finding that means digging deep 0:05:20.160 --> 0:05:23.839 into entitlements. And that's when I think you're going to see, 0:05:23.960 --> 0:05:27.279 particularly House members and senators who are up for election 0:05:27.480 --> 0:05:32.200 in twenty six really getting nervous because that Social Security 0:05:32.640 --> 0:05:35.360 is the third rail, and there are a lot of 0:05:35.839 --> 0:05:38.960 weird rules about how we can legislate on Social Security 0:05:38.960 --> 0:05:40.680 and whether or not it can be part of this 0:05:41.040 --> 0:05:44.040 budget deal, whether it has to be dealt with separately, 0:05:44.920 --> 0:05:48.320 but it is. You know, when you're talking about entitlements, 0:05:48.320 --> 0:05:51.280 you're not just talking about Social Security, You're talking about Medicare, 0:05:51.520 --> 0:05:54.440 you're talking about Medicaid, and you're talking about veterans benefits, 0:05:54.480 --> 0:05:59.640 which is something that lawmakers are very loath to you know, 0:06:00.080 --> 0:06:03.440 send well. But that doesn't mean that Ramaswami and Musk 0:06:03.560 --> 0:06:05.640 might not recommend it. But at the end of the day, 0:06:05.640 --> 0:06:07.600 and Lester was alluding to this, they are not elected 0:06:07.640 --> 0:06:11.560 members of the US government. They can only do recommendations. Technically. 0:06:11.960 --> 0:06:14.039 Have we not learned this week though, that their words 0:06:14.120 --> 0:06:18.480 ultimately can matter to legislation even before they've made their 0:06:18.520 --> 0:06:19.680 doge recommendations. 0:06:20.160 --> 0:06:24.479 Yes and no. Right, so Musk has talted you know, 0:06:24.560 --> 0:06:27.839 look at the you know, fifteen hundred page bill. You know, 0:06:27.920 --> 0:06:30.479 versus this one hundred and forty or however many page 0:06:30.480 --> 0:06:33.200 bill it is, and looking at the differences between the size, 0:06:33.400 --> 0:06:35.200 the fact of the matter is the majority of that 0:06:35.279 --> 0:06:37.479 spending is still in there. And if that is what 0:06:37.720 --> 0:06:40.480 DOGE is going after that one hundred and ten billion 0:06:40.560 --> 0:06:44.000 for farmers and for disaster aid, you know, tells you 0:06:44.040 --> 0:06:46.919 something that lawmakers were not going to cut that because 0:06:46.920 --> 0:06:50.400 that affects people's lives in their districts and in their states. 0:06:50.640 --> 0:06:53.960 Absolutely, And Genie, we just have about a minute or 0:06:54.000 --> 0:06:57.200 two left here, but considering this is our last evening 0:06:57.200 --> 0:06:59.520 addition of balance and power of the year twenty twenty four, 0:06:59.560 --> 0:07:01.560 and we are it like this with a down to 0:07:01.640 --> 0:07:04.719 the wire vote basically trying to avert a government shutdown 0:07:04.720 --> 0:07:07.680 that the Senate has to still act on. Given everything 0:07:07.720 --> 0:07:10.560 that has gone down in this year, does this surprise 0:07:10.640 --> 0:07:12.880 you in the slightest that we ended up in this 0:07:12.960 --> 0:07:14.000 moment at the very end. 0:07:14.000 --> 0:07:17.640 Of it, not at all, Although I am through that 0:07:17.720 --> 0:07:20.360 they did pass the government. It keeps it open. People 0:07:20.360 --> 0:07:22.880 can go home for the holidays, including you, Kaylee, who 0:07:22.880 --> 0:07:25.720 deserves a holiday and arrest. But you know, this is 0:07:25.760 --> 0:07:27.840 the one hundred and eighteenth That's how it's been from 0:07:27.840 --> 0:07:31.360 the very very start, and it has continued this way. 0:07:31.720 --> 0:07:33.680 I would say I want to be optimistic and say 0:07:33.680 --> 0:07:35.800 the one hundred and nineteenth is going to be different, 0:07:36.160 --> 0:07:38.960 but mathematically, and this is a game of numbers, can't 0:07:39.000 --> 0:07:41.480 imagine how it could be that much different. 0:07:43.000 --> 0:07:45.160 All right, final question to all three of you, Genie, 0:07:45.320 --> 0:07:48.880 will the Senate be able to pass this measure by midnight? Yes? 0:07:49.000 --> 0:07:51.200 They will. Meghan just explained it. 0:07:51.200 --> 0:07:54.360 Thank you Meghan, and Meghan your answer is still yes. 0:07:54.400 --> 0:07:57.640 I'm assuming I hope, so we all hope. 0:07:57.640 --> 0:07:57.720 So. 0:07:57.800 --> 0:07:58.480 Lester mumpson. 0:07:58.720 --> 0:08:01.080 Final word to you, also yes, but there's going to 0:08:01.120 --> 0:08:03.960 be some votes on Lee and or Ram Paul amendments. 0:08:04.120 --> 0:08:07.280 Megan predicted that one as well. Thank you so much 0:08:07.320 --> 0:08:09.320 to all three of you for joining me as we 0:08:09.400 --> 0:08:12.000 have worked through this breaking news in Congress as we 0:08:12.040 --> 0:08:14.360 work to avert a government shutdown. Megan Scully, who leads 0:08:14.360 --> 0:08:17.960 our capital influence team here in Washington, Genie Shanzeno, and 0:08:18.040 --> 0:08:20.280 Lester months in my political panel this evening, Thank you 0:08:20.360 --> 0:08:22.960 so much again. The stopgap funding measure to keep the 0:08:22.960 --> 0:08:26.880 government funded through March fourteenth of next year has passed 0:08:26.920 --> 0:08:29.960 the House by a wide bipartisan margin, more Democrats putting 0:08:30.000 --> 0:08:30.600 up votes for it,