Rep. Tom Cole said Monday he doesn't think there will be a government shutdown this weekend, but there is certainly a chance of having a short-term continuing resolution to keep services going.
"We are within striking distance of getting this done," the Oklahoma Republican told MSNBC's "Morning Joe" program. "I hope we do get it done. The real question is whether or not outside groups, the extremes of both caucuses, will use the last minute to try to tack things on, to make it extremely difficult to have bipartisan cooperation in the end."
At the same time, Cole said he would not risk a trillion-dollar funding bill for a $3 billion wall at the U.S.-Mexican border, and he said he'd urge President Donald Trump to "wait and see" on the wall funding.
"Personally, I have a lot of respect for the president and found he does listen when you show or talk to him about what the practical realities are," said Cole. "Let's wait and see on this. There are things Democrats want. There may be a possibility for trade. We can come back and get this at another point if there's not ... there's another way, another time to get this."
The most important things for now are to make sure the military and the critical institutions of government remain funded, said Cole, and to make sure there is no shutdown while there is a Republican Senate, House, and president.
Meanwhile, there is an "outside shot" at healthcare reform, but "only an outside shot," the lawmaker said.
"Members haven't had a chance to see the negotiated agreements between elements of the Tuesday group and elements of the Freedom Caucus," said Cole. "It's going to take a while to see and digest that. Remember, we had about 200 of our members there for the American Health Care Act. We're not that far away."
Cole continued that Trump has had many positive accomplishments during his first 100 days in office, including doing "more in the deregulatory area than any president in modern history, and Congress has been a big part of that. The House passed 15 congressional review acts, undoing billions of dollars of Obama law. His national security team is a big victory."
Democrats also "threw away the 60 vote standard they could have had in the U.S. Supreme Court because they were afraid of their own base" during the confirmation vote for Justice Neil Gorsuch, said Cole.
"Finally, I do think we are on the verge of getting to tax reform," said Cole. "Again, would it be helpful if we can get the healthcare thing done first? No question about it. That was a setback. That was a setback due to Republicans in the House, not the president. We're the ones who didn't get our act together, not him."
Sandy Fitzgerald ✉
Sandy Fitzgerald has more than three decades in journalism and serves as a general assignment writer for Newsmax covering news, media, and politics.
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