Rep. Greg Steube told Newsmax on Tuesday that Republicans are struggling to explain to voters why unified GOP control in Washington has not produced results.
Appearing on Newsmax's "Bianca Across the Nation," the Florida Republican said the party is "losing the messaging war" as Americans grow frustrated and confused.
"The Senate has to work with [Minority Leader] Chuck Schumer [D-N.Y.] because they need the 60-vote threshold, because [Majority Leader John] Thune [R-S.D.] and other moderate Republicans refuse to do away with the filibuster," Steube said.
He called the dynamic "pretty crazy," noting that Republicans still must negotiate with Democrats despite holding power across all three branches of government.
"You have Americans who elected Republicans in the House, the Senate, and the White House, and so they're kind of scratching their head as to why in the world we have to go to Chuck Schumer to get anything done in the Senate," Steube said.
He pointed to four moderate Republican senators as the key obstacle to eliminating the filibuster and advancing the GOP agenda.
"Because we have four moderate Republicans in the Senate who refuse to nuke the filibuster ... you have to go to Chuck Schumer to get anything done," Steube said.
He argued that the disconnect is hurting Republicans politically and allowing Democrats to control the narrative.
"But I'm telling you, it doesn't land well when Republicans have the House, the Senate, and the White House, because the general populace doesn't understand it takes 60 votes to get anything done in the Senate," Steube said.
"So, we are losing the messaging war, which is exactly why Thune and President [Donald] Trump has asked him to kill the filibuster, pass the things we need to get done to show the American people that when we're in charge, these are the type of policies that we can put in place," he added. "And right now we're losing that talking point."
Steube also defended House Republicans, saying they have repeatedly voted to fund the Department of Homeland Security and end the partial government shutdown.
"We passed a clean DHS funding bill out of the House on Friday, sent it over to the Senate, so now it's in their court," he said.
Steube maintained that Democrats are responsible for the current standoff, accusing them of refusing to support border security funding.
"This is all because Chuck Schumer and the Democrats refused to fund Border Patrol and refused to fund ICE because they want open borders," he said.
Steube added that unless Senate Republicans act on the filibuster, the party will continue to struggle to deliver results and make its case to voters.
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Nicole Weatherholtz ✉
Nicole Weatherholtz, a Newsmax general assignment reporter covers news, politics, and culture. She is a National Newspaper Association award-winning journalist.
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