Rep. Tim Burchett (R-Tenn.) said, when it comes to his morals, he is willing to break with the narrow Republican majority in the House on some legislation.
“If it’s morally correct, if it’s something that I really believe in. If it’s, you know, if we continue down this path of economic destruction, spending our great-grandchildren’s money, yes, I will, and I have,” Burchett said Wednesday in an interview on “CNN This Morning.”
“And we’ll continue on that path until we regain some sanity,” he told host Kasie Hunt.
The Tennessee Republican urged his colleagues in the lower chamber to resort to passing single-issue spending legislation to help out in cutting down the national debt.
“If we could just do like we do in Tennessee, single issue spending bills,” he said.
“It’s a great way if you’re in power, Democrat or Republican, you drop a 3,000-page spending bill on your desk two hours before, and all you do is read down, ‘oh, there’s page 25, there’s all the stuff I need, or there’s the lobbyist I need degrees or what have you,’ and then they vote for it,” Burchett added. “And that’s why we’re $36 trillion in debt.”
Republicans’ small majority in the house became even slimmer this week, after The Associated Press and others called the race for California’s 13th Congressional District for Democratic Assemblymember Adam Gray over incumbent GOP Rep. John Duarte. The Hill/Decision Desk HQ have yet to call the race.
President-elect Trump also nominated two sitting House members to key administration posts. He tapped Rep. Elise Stefanik (R-N.Y.) to serve as his ambassador to the United Nations, and Rep, Mike Walz (R-Fla.) as national security adviser. The move leaves the GOP with just 220 seats compared to Democrats’ 215.
Former Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-Fla.), whom Trump initially selected for attorney general but eventually withdrew from consideration, will not return to the lower chamber despite winning reelection. Because of this, the GOP temporarily only have a 2-seat advantage, 217 to 215.
With just a month left in the remaining session, lawmakers have just over two weeks to avoid a government shutdown. The current spending deal ends Dec. 20.
Asked whether he supports another continuing resolution to keep the government funded, Burchett said “it depends.”
“It depends on the situation,” he told Hunt. “But if we continue on this path, it’s inevitable we’re going to destroy our economy and shut the government down anyway.”
“You know, right now we’re — Americans are paying around $600 to $1,200 more a month just to survive,” he continued. “And the reason is, we are doing that is because of our reckless spending.”
Burchett called it “deficit” spending and warned his fellow lawmakers against perpetuating the cycle.
“Every economist will tell you that is what causes the devaluation of your dollar. And – and we just can’t continue on … this path. All we’re doing is really just – just buying our re-election,” he added. “And both parties are guilty of it.”
