'You can't get rid of them’: Republican laments 'kinsfolk' in the 'far-right wing' of the party
08 September 2023
Chair of the U.S. House Armed Services Committee Rep. Mike Rogers (R-AL) on Thursday lamented the “far-right wing of [his] party” as he warned those Republicans could derail efforts to avoid a partial government shutdown on Oct. 1, AL.com reports.
Rogers made the comments Thursday during a meeting of the Montgomery Chamber of Commerce as he encouraged House Republicans to work with “reasonable Democrats” and pass a government spending bill by September.
“The far-right wants to cut everything except defense and veterans’ benefits to levels seen two years ago,” Rogers said of efforts to negotiate a spending bill.
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According to AL.com, Rogers “implied that the process might get stalled because of ‘unrealistic expectations’ in the far-right wing of the Republican Party," but “said he expected a compromise that would avoid a shutdown.” That compromise could include a “30-day spending bill” that would serve as a stopgap until a full spending bill is passed.
“That’s what you’re going to hear what the whole fuss is about – the far-right wing of my party,” Rogers said. “They’re like my kinsfolk, you can’t get rid of them.”
Rogers praised the bipartisanship of Democrats who work with him on the House Armed Services Committee, but “said that they disagree on about 5% of issues, such as nuclear weapons and 'transgender stuff,’” AL.com reports. The Republican chairman also said he supports Sen. Tommy Tuberville’s (R-AL) military blockade as roughly 300 military promotions remain on hold over the Pentagon’s abortion policy.
“We just, we do not speak to those in the Armed Services Committee, because the Defense Department is not a social behavior petri dish for us to experiment on that stuff,” Rogers said.
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