The looming threat of a potential government shutdown at the end of September, as well as the ever-nearing 2024 presidential election, will likely dominate the Sunday talk show circuit this weekend.
Lawmakers have about three weeks left to fund the government ahead of the Sept. 30 deadline. However, as a group of hardline conservatives in the House brush off or even embrace the possibility of a shutdown amid a push for steeper spending cuts, it appears unlikely that Congress will reach a deal by the end of the month.
Rep. Bob Good (R-Va.) talked down the threat of a potential shutdown late last month, suggesting that much of the government would continue to operate and “most Americans won’t even miss it.”
“If that’s the leverage that we need to utilize to force the Democrats to accept spending cuts and an end to the harmful policies that are, again, crushing the American people — I mean, then we need to do that,” Good told The Hill.
Amid the pushback from House conservatives, a short-term funding patch, or continuing resolution (CR), appears to be the most likely outcome.
Rep. French Hill (R-Ark.), who is set to join CBS’ “Face the Nation” on Sunday, said as much in an interview with Bloomberg Television on Friday.
“If Republicans want to maximize our negotiating clout with the Senate and with the president, we’ve got 11 more bills that we need to pass across the House floor, and that will give us that maximum benefit,” Hill said, referring to the one out of 12 annual appropriations bills that the House has managed to pass.
“In my view, that’s going to be a tough lift to get before Sept. 30,” he continued. “So, I don’t think it’s unrealistic to think that we’ll be confronted with a short-term continuing resolution while we finish our work.”
Sen. Chris Coons (D-Del.), who will make an appearance on ABC’s “This Week” on Sunday, previously warned in July that the spending battle was going to be tough.
“We are going to scare the hell out of you,” he said while appearing alongside Republican Sens. John Cornyn (Texas) and James Risch (Idaho) at the Aspen Security Forum. “We’re really good at that.”
He also pointed to the showdown over the debt ceiling earlier this year, noting that “we keep coming right up close” to the deadline.
The 2024 presidential election will also likely be a major topic of discussion this weekend.
A CNN poll released this week raised concerns about President Biden’s prospects in the race, both among the electorate as a whole and among Democratic voters. Nearly half of registered voters in the survey said they would prefer any Republican presidential nominee to the 80-year-old president.
About two-thirds of Democratic or Democratic-leaning voters said they would prefer a different nominee to Biden, and more than half said they are “seriously concerned” about his age.
Vice President Kamala Harris acknowledged the concerns about the president’s age in a new interview with CBS News’ Margaret Brennan, saying she is prepared to be president “if necessary.”
“Yes, I am, if necessary,” Harris said in the interview set to air on “Face the Nation” this Sunday. “But Joe Biden is going to be fine.”
Republican presidential candidate and former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley is also set to make an appearance on CNN’s “State of the Union” this weekend, while New Hampshire Gov. Chris Sununu (R), who ruled out launching his own White House bid earlier this year, will join ABC’s “This Week” to discuss the GOP primary race.
Below is the full list of guests scheduled to appear on this week’s Sunday talk shows:
ABC’s “This Week” — Secretary of State Antony Blinken; New Hampshire Gov. Chris Sununu (R); Sen. Chris Coons (D-Del.); Dr. Anthony Fauci, former director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases
NBC’s “Meet the Press” — California Gov. Gavin Newsom (D); Sen. Bill Cassidy (R-La.)
CBS’ “Face the Nation” — Vice President Kamala Harris; Rep. French Hill (R-Ark.); retired Marine Corps Gen. Frank McKenzie
CNN’s “State of the Union” — Blinken; Rep. Michael McCaul (R-Texas); Nikki Haley, a Republican presidential candidate
“Fox News Sunday” — Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin (R); Becky Pringle, president of the National Education Association
Fox News Channel’s “Sunday Morning Futures” — Sens. Ron Johnson (R-Wis.) and J.D. Vance (R-Ohio); Rep. Nancy Mace (R-S.C.); former assistant U.S. Attorney Andy McCarthy, FOX News contributor; Charly Arnolt, host of “Outkick The Morning;” Michele Tafoya, former NFL sideline reporter