REP. MICHAEL CLOUD: Republicans Need To Play The Long Game In Budget Battle With Democrats

Every year, Congress is supposed to pass a budget that reflects the priorities of the American people. We all know that Sept. 30 is the deadline; yet every year, like clockwork, Congress acts surprised when it arrives.

It’s as if they forgot the date was coming, and we’re left with the same frustrating scenario: forced into a corner with a continuing resolution (CR) and then a bloated, end-of-year, multi-trillion-dollar omnibus package. And every August, when traveling my district, I have the same conversation with folks who are understandably tired of Washington’s failure to get its act together and work for them.

Let me make this clear upfront — we do not want a CR. They are a result of Congress failing to pass its spending bills on time, and this year, like so many before, the D.C. apparatus is setting us up for failure again. So, we are faced with a tough choice: fight for an acceptable CR with reasonable provisions that set up a potential Trump administration on his terms or risk a multi-trillion-dollar omnibus that will lock in Biden-Harris policies for his first year.

Given these two understandably not great choices, we are fighting for the better one — a CR with the Safeguarding American Voter Eligibility (SAVE) Act attached that would allow a Trump administration to set and negotiate his policy-and-spending priorities and secure our elections.

This is not about surrendering to the status quo; it is about using the tools we have to prevent a far worse outcome.

We want to make sure that — should Trump take office in 2025 — his administration is not tied to spending levels and policies already set by Biden and Harris, because the first 100 days of any presidency are crucial for setting an administration’s agenda and driving meaningful change.

The American people deserve a clear understanding of why this fight is so critical. If we don’t fight for this, Democrats and establishment Republicans will join together and pass a CR we don’t want — the one that leads to a massive debilitating omnibus. Fighting for a CR that includes the SAVE Act gives us a way to keep our options open.

It is not what we want, but it is far better than being forced into accepting another year of reckless, unaccountable spending and leftwing policies that do not reflect the will of the American people.

We understand the frustration with CRs — too often they are just an excuse to kick the can down the road. But faced with the certainty of a CR or the disaster of an omnibus that no doubt will include provisions designed to hamstring a Trump presidency, we choose the path that best preserves our ability to fight for conservative principles and policies.

It is a strategic structuring of the legislative process to best ensure that a future Trump administration has the flexibility and freedom to enact meaningful reforms in its first 100 days.

The stakes couldn’t be higher. If we allow the Washington establishment to push through another omnibus, we will lose the chance to change course and correct the fiscal irresponsibility of the past few years. The American people are tired of watching Congress fund a bloated bureaucracy that does not serve their interests. We are fighting to make sure that does not happen again.

The American people deserve better than business as usual in Washington. They deserve a government willing to fight for them, even when faced with tough choices.

We are ready to make those choices and urge our fellow Republicans to stand with us.

Let’s demand better.

Let’s fight smarter.

Let’s ensure that our country remains a beacon of freedom and opportunity for generations to come.

Rep. Michael Cloud represents the 27th Congressional District of Texas and is a member of the House Appropriations Committee, the House Committee on Oversight and Accountability and the House Select Committee on the Coronavirus Pandemic.

The views and opinions expressed in this commentary are those of the author and do not reflect the official position of the Daily Caller News Foundation.

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