Senator Cornyn says he's optimistic Congress will avert "highly unlikely" government shutdown
AUSTIN (CBSNewsTexas.com) — Senator John Cornyn told CBS News Texas Monday that he's optimistic Congress will strike a deal, preventing the federal government from shutting down this weekend.
He said while he's still not sure what an agreement between Republicans and Democrats will look like, the cost of a partial government shutdown is too high politically.
"No one benefits from that," Cornyn said. "We don't save any money. We actually spend more money and the same problems that cause you to shut down are staring you in the face when you reopen."
The new speaker of the House, Mike Johnson, has introduced a short-term plan to keep the government open through the new year.
It reportedly doesn't call for steeper budget reductions favored by conservatives but does keep in place prior cuts previously agreed to.
United States Representative Colin Allred (D-Richardson) recently told CBS News Texas that he also wants to keep the government open. "I hope that we can stick to that agreement that got a huge bipartisan vote in the House and in the Senate that does have cuts, and then let's have some responsible conversations about long-term spending where we can."
Sen. Cornyn said he supports a House bill to give Israel more funding to help win the war against Hamas.
Senate Democrats and President Joe Biden rejected the measure because it pays for the funding in part by reducing increased funding for the IRS.
When asked if he sees some form of aid to Israel passing, Cornyn said, "Yes, I do. What I'm amazed about is that the Senate has not acted at all on the Israel funding. There seems to be broad consensus that we need to support our ally, Israel. I certainly support that funding."
He said he also supports President Biden's request to help Ukraine, but that in exchange, the administration must crack down on the number of people entering the southern border illegally.
"We need to change some of those policies, for example, the catch and release policies of the Biden administration, which has just encouraged more and more people to come to the United States," Cornyn said. "There's a reason why we are seeing historic numbers of people at our border. It's because there is no deterrence. There are no consequences associated with illegally coming to the United States and entering the country."
The Biden administration has said the situation at the southern border is an example of a wider migration crisis worldwide.