Sen. John Kennedy (R-La.) urged President-elect Donald Trump to come to Washington to help the House Republicans pass a spending deal as a potential government shutdown looms.
Capitol Hill has been thrust into chaos after Trump and his close advisor, tech billionaire Elon Musk, torpedoed a bipartisan spending agreement that would have kept the government funded through mid-March. Congressional leadership unveiled the agreement on Tuesday, but conservatives and Trump allies railed against the deal for including too much spending.
With just a slim majority in Congress, House Republicans would need to agree on a deal to avoid a partial government shutdown come Friday.
But Kennedy expressed little optimism Thursday on “FOX & Friends” that House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) could unite the GOP House caucus by himself.
“If I were king for a day… here’s what I’d do. First, I would tell everybody to take their meds. Number two, I think President Trump is going to have to consider coming to Washington,” Kennedy said on Thursday. “Let’s face it, he’s the President now. It’s not President Biden. President Trump needs to sit down with Mike Johnson and John Thune and come up with a new skinny CR.”
“If the President wants to do something on the debt limit, we need to find out what it is and put it in the bill, and then the President is going to have to help Mike sell it in the House,” he added.
Musk spent most of Wednesday railing against the bipartisan spending agreement. Hours later, Trump and Vice President-elect JD Vance released a joint statement opposing the deal and demanding the House raise the debt ceiling before Trump takes office next month. While Musk and other Trump allies decried the legislation, Johnson spent most of Wednesday trying to defend the deal he helped negotiate.
Kennedy went on to compare some House Republican to “free-range chickens.”
“Speaker Johnson’s problem is that on the Republican side. He’s got a bunch of free range chickens. I’m not criticizing them, but they wander off, and Mike can’t catch all of them by himself,” he added.
When asked if Johnson could be Speaker, Kennedy reiterated that Johnson cannot control the Republicans.
“There’s one person that can control the Republican caucus in the United States House of Representatives right now, and that’s Donald J. Trump. That’s my best assessment at this point. Could that change, sure, but Speaker Johnson cannot,” he said.
“It’s clear he hasn’t been able to do it, it’s not his fault. I mean, I’m not sure anybody could, but he can’t get all the Republicans together in the House, and in order to pass the CR he’s got to do that without Democratic support. But I think President Trump could and I hope he’ll consider coming to Washington. Like I said: He’s the president. It’s not Joe Biden,” he said.
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In a recent statement, a Senate Republican has made a plea to President Trump, urging him to step in and provide much-needed support during these challenging times. With the country facing unprecedented crises on multiple fronts, the senator emphasized the importance of strong leadership and unity in order to tackle the various issues plaguing our nation.
The senator acknowledged President Trump’s unique position as the leader of the country and called on him to prioritize the well-being of the American people above all else. In a time of great uncertainty and division, the senator emphasized the need for the president to set aside political differences and work towards finding common ground for the greater good.
As the Senate continues to grapple with pressing issues such as the ongoing pandemic, economic downturn, and social unrest, the senator stressed the importance of a united front in order to effectively address these challenges. By working together and putting aside partisan differences, the senator believes that President Trump can play a crucial role in guiding the country towards a brighter future.
In closing, the senator expressed hope that President Trump would heed the call for help and work collaboratively with Congress to find solutions to the myriad of issues facing the nation. Only by coming together and putting the needs of the American people first can we hope to overcome these trying times and emerge stronger than ever before.
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