Republicans should have forced a standoff with Senate Democrats over border security funding during the record-breaking Department of Homeland Security shutdown, as the final deal was "very disappointing," Rep. Warren Davidson said Sunday on Newsmax.
"The funding bill that the House passed funded all of the Department of Homeland Security, including ICE [Immigration and Customs Enforcement] and Border Patrol," but the Senate approved a baseline plan that "includes $0 for ICE and Border Patrol," forcing Republicans to turn to reconciliation to pass funding with a simple majority, the Ohio Republican said on Newsmax's "Wake Up America Weekend."
This forced the House to pass a "skinny budget" to set up that process, which he said would fund ICE and Border Patrol for three years and avoid further negotiations with Democrats.
Still, he warned that the outcome sets a bad precedent.
"You've set a precedent that you can have a baseline that if one party holds out in the Senate, they can extract massive demands," Davidson said.
He said Republicans should have forced Democrats into a prolonged floor fight to center national attention on border security.
"I think we should have made a bigger price for Democrats. I wish Sen. [John] Thune would have held the floor," Davidson said, adding the debate could have focused the country on border enforcement.
Turning to the SAVE America Act, Davidson said House Republicans have repeatedly passed legislation only to see it stall in the Senate.
"We only send it to the Senate to be ignored," he said.
He said the Senate has resisted pressure to act on voter ID measures despite broad public support.
"The Senate is immune to pressure," Davidson said.
Davidson added that lawmakers could force debate, but have not done so.
"There are so many things that they could do differently, and they throw up excuse after excuse for inaction," he said.
He also floated repealing the 17th Amendment as a way to increase accountability.
"I've wondered whether repealing the 17th Amendment might be a solution just so states could have more control over who their senators are," Davidson said.
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