Lawmakers, after avoiding repeating the political damage of a prolonged shutdown by reaching a spending bill deal, will face an even tougher battle as Congress turns its attention to border enforcement and election-related legislation, Rep. Pete Sessions said Wednesday on Newsmax.
"It's important to note that we've just come off of a 45-day government shutdown and that that really did not help anybody," the Texas Republican told Newsmax's "Wake Up America Early." "It made Washington look like what it really is, and that is at a very close, close divide."
Sessions said he was not surprised leaders were able to reach a short-term funding agreement after the shutdown that began over the weekend, as Washington cannot afford another drawn-out standoff.
The ability to keep the government operating matters not only domestically but also in how the U.S. is viewed abroad, he added.
"The ability for us to get our work done must be seen not only by the American people, but the world as some bit of strength," Sessions said.
But the larger fight, he said, will come amid battles over immigration enforcement and the Safeguard American Voter Eligibility (SAVE) Act, which would require proof of citizenship to register to vote and remove noncitizens from voter rolls.
"When we want to come and do the SAVE Act, you're going to watch the real explosions happen," Sessions said.
He said Democrats would resist the measure because, in his view, they benefit from noncitizens remaining on registration rolls and from census-related political calculations.
"The argument against it is, is that people, the Democratic Party, have counted on these people for being on the rolls," Sessions said.
On immigration enforcement, Sessions said conservatives will not concede policies he said protect federal law enforcement, including Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
"We need to understand getting in the way of federal law enforcement still should be a crime, and we're not going to yield that away," he said.
Sessions also said Congress could fall back on a continuing resolution if negotiations stall, but insisted conservatives would not accept provisions he said put ICE personnel at risk.
"Conservatives do not intend to give in on the matters that will put our men and women at ICE at risk," Sessions said. "The job must be done."
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