Rep. Kevin Kiley, R-Calif., said Thursday on Newsmax that there is "absolutely no reason" for another government shutdown.
He said that Congress has already passed bipartisan funding bills and warned that a shutdown would unnecessarily harm federal workers and key security agencies.
Appearing on "American Agenda," Kiley said the House has already approved the relevant appropriations measures with support from both parties, including the Homeland Security funding bill.
"We actually passed these bills already in the House with bipartisan support," Kiley said. "And the Homeland Security bill has bipartisan support as well."
Senate Democrats are weighing changes to House-passed spending legislation, raising concerns among some lawmakers about the risk of a shutdown if the chambers fail to reach an agreement.
Kiley criticized the idea of using a shutdown as leverage, saying it would cut funding for critical agencies and leave federal workers without pay.
"The idea that they're going to try to leverage this shutdown, which would result in no funding for TSA, as well as the immigration agencies, for FEMA and a whole host of others, causing people to go without paychecks, I think that's exactly the wrong thing to do," he said.
Kiley pushed back against claims that the House bills fail to address accountability concerns, noting that the Homeland Security legislation already includes reforms.
"It actually includes significant reforms when it comes to things like body cams, when it comes to training for interactions with the public, a lot of what they're asking for right now," he said.
The California Republican said there is broad agreement in Congress that further discussions are needed but stressed those talks should not be tied to a shutdown threat.
"I think that there's a lot of agreement on both sides that this is a conversation we need to have," Kiley said, pointing to a forthcoming oversight hearing in the House Homeland Security Committee.
"I think that there's bipartisan agreement on some reforms we can pursue," he added. "Foremost among them, by the way, is getting rid of these sanctuary jurisdictions."
Kiley concluded by reiterating his opposition to a shutdown, saying lawmakers should continue negotiations without disrupting government operations.
"But there's absolutely no reason to force us into another government shutdown," he said.
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