House Republicans wouldn’t accept a bad deal on the government shutdown and the pending federal debt ceiling negotiations from President Barack Obama, House Rules Committee chairman Texas Republican Rep. Pete Sessions announced.
“I will tell you we will not back down, but there is much, much that we must understand about what is out there and how to accomplish it,” Sessions said on an interview set to air on Hugh Hewitt’s radio show on Friday night.
Hewitt asked Sessions about the possibility of a deal made by the first of the month to ensure the government fulfills certain payment obligations, but Sessions said Republicans won’t make a “bad deal” just for the sake of those payments.
“Only if it is a good deal,” Sessions replied. “The House Republicans are not going to agree to a bad deal. And this is no threat. This is reality. House Republicans recognize that the president of the United States has within his wherewithal like he did at the World War II Memorial, like they did at other burial sites, Normandy, other places as well as paying the family members upon the death of their loved one who are soldiers. The president has enormous latitude and he is trying to make this as difficult as he can on us. And shame on anyone that does not do the right thing. We have passed the bills to the Senate. We have given Harry Reid an opportunity to approve them. Normal, common sense operational things should and must be done. They are trying to force our hand.”
“So the question is, will we be for a bad deal just to get people paid?” he continued. “Sorry, that’s their problem. We will not back down.”