Alabama Sen. Jeff Sessions says he wasn’t aware of any progress in negotiations over the current year’s budget, the failure of which could lead to a government shutdown. But Sessions also said Sunday on ABC’s “This Week,” he doubts a shutdown will occur.
“I think negotiations continue, and they need to continue,” Sessions
told host Christiane Amanpour. “We really need to understand is this is more than a Republican-Democratic squabble. The fundamental question is: Are we headed to a financial crisis if we don’t get off the fiscal course we’re on. We’ve had witness after witness say that’s so.”
Sessions said he wanted to see bigger cuts than the $33 billion that has been suggested as a compromise and supports tea party calls for more.
“Millions of Americans participate in the tea party, tens of millions of Americans support and believe what they are saying,” Sessions said. “And they are right fundamentally — maybe they don’t understand all the realities of Washington politics — but fundamentally they know this country is on a path to fiscal disaster . . . this Democratic leadership proposes nothing but to attack the people that are trying to get this country on the right course.”
Amanpour asked Sessions if he believed there would be a government shutdown on April 8.
“I hope not; I doubt it,” Sessions said. “I doubt there’ll be a shutdown.”
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