Rep. Jake LaTurner, R-Kan., told Newsmax on Thursday that House Republicans will come together to "get the job done" and avoid a looming government shutdown.
"That's what we're trying to do," LaTurner said on "Wake Up America" about getting Republican members on the same page. "We want to do a couple of things. Number one, we want to keep the government open, but we want the president to care more about our border than he does about Ukraine. We want our president to care more about our $33 trillion in debt than he does expanding massive welfare programs.
"We've got to get this country back on track. It is worth having a fight over. But at the end of the day, I think Republicans are going to stick together and get the job done. We've been underestimated time and time again, and, at the end of the day, we've stuck together to do the right thing for the American people. This time, that will happen again."
Facing a Saturday deadline to fund the federal government, House Speaker Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., is racing to quell the internal GOP rebellion and pass a temporary measure to keep the government open, even as the Senate advances its own bipartisan bill.
McCarthy reportedly called on his fractured Republican majority to work together during a closed-door strategy meeting Wednesday. He also scheduled a test vote for Friday on a conservative-led bill that would cut federal spending by 8% from a number of federal agencies and strengthen border security.
The measure has reportedly been rejected by Democrats and by McCarthy's right-flank Republicans.
"I want to solve the problem," McCarthy told reporters at the Capitol after the meeting.
Asked if he supports more Ukraine funding, LaTurner said he and many of his constituents "resent" how President Joe Biden cares more about the war in Ukraine than about "our wide open southern border."
"He wants money for Ukraine," LaTurner said. "The $4 billion that he talked about for the border isn't really for the border. It's handouts to countries in Central America. We need real border security because we have people on the terrorist watch list crossing our southern border. That's a fact.
"We have hundreds of Americans dying every single day from fentanyl overdoses. That's a fact. The president isn't dealing with that. [Department of Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro] Mayorkas isn't dealing with that. We are going to force him to."
Nicole Wells, a Newsmax general assignment reporter covers news, politics, and culture. She is a National Newspaper Association award-winning journalist.
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