House Freedom Caucus member Rep. Dave Brat of Virginia dispelled rumors Wednesday the conservative group would support a short-term continuing resolution in exchange for a pause in the Obama administration’s Syrian refugee program.
Members of the HFC have been vocal about their reluctance to support a stop-gap measure designed to keep the government funded at current spending levels through early December, fearing it will lead to another all-encompassing omnibus riddled with policy riders and higher spending levels during a lame-duck session.
Brat said support for putting a stop to the president’s call to allow upwards of 10,000 Syrians into the county was not substantial enough.
“There was a Politico piece today on the trade of the Syrian refugee piece in exchange for a short-tern CR and that is just not accurate,” Brat told The Daily Caller News Foundation. “A couple people just commented on some of the things they would like to see and Politico just ran that piece, probably to just to muddy the waters.”
As it became more apparent Congress would not complete it’s budget process, the Freedom Caucus stated it would like to see a measure that extends into 2017, when a new president is in the White House.
“The House Freedom Caucus is fairly united, we haven’t reached a formal decision, but we want a long-term CR, and after the last couple years of Obama’s executive overreach and power-grabbing, I find it hard to believe leadership would be in favor of a short-run CR,” Brat continued.
The group’s members are strong advocates for smaller government and budget cuts, arguing current spending levels are unsustainable in the long run.
Much to the dismay of House Conservatives, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell announced Wednesday the Senate will likely take up a measure lasting until Dec. 9.
“The latest reports coming out show the deficit approaching $600 billion, up from $550 a month ago – so this is what can go wrong in a month without a lame duck,” he said. “Then you throw in the foreign policy objectives Obama has, the Iran deal closure, trade deals he wants to pursue, more bureaucratic regulatory control, more crony policy, these tax extenders for green energy – there will be every sort of arm twisting with all the leverage in the world on their side.”
The Republican Caucus is slated to meet Friday to discuss the best way to proceed on spending measures.
Congress has until Sept. 30 to pass legislation before the end of the fiscal year.
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