Sunday shows preview: Government shutdown timer is ticking, 2024 comes into focus

The looming threat of a government shutdown at the end of September and strikes impacting the country from Hollywood to Detroit are likely to lead this week’s Sunday news shows.

Congress has just two weeks to pass a budget before a shutdown begins, and some members aren’t asking if there will be a shutdown, but rather how long it will last.

Conservatives in the House have pushed Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.), who will highlight Fox News Channel’s “Sunday Morning Futures” this week, for deeper spending cuts than he agreed to with Democrats earlier this year, as well as for an impeachment inquiry against President Biden.

Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.), one of the Speaker’s allies who made headlines this week after dissing the Freedom Caucus, saying she’s “not a member of the burn-it-all-down caucus anymore,” will also appear on the show. 

Greene was kicked out of the group earlier this year over internal conflicts and her relationship with McCarthy. The Freedom Caucus is among the groups pushing McCarthy the hardest away from making a budget deal with Democrats.

Democrats’ leader in that fight, House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.), is scheduled to appear on ABC’s “This Week.” He said this week that House Democrats will not assist Republicans in passing rule measures that would enable spending votes without the consent of the dissenting far-right Republicans.

“Extreme MAGA Republicans temporarily hold the gavels; the extreme MAGA Republicans are responsible for passing the rule,” Jeffries told reporters Thursday.

As politicians quarrel over budgets in Washington, workers hit the streets across the country in strikes against the movie industry and automakers. 

United Auto Workers (UAW) began a historic strike Friday against three major automakers — Ford, General Motors and Stellantis. The union is demanding increased wages, shorter work weeks and better retirement benefits.

Rustbelt Reps. Mike Turner (R-Ohio) and Debbie Dingell (D-Mich.), who represent districts containing UAW factories, will appear on CBS’s “Face the Nation.” Dingell backed the strikes in a statement Friday.

“Auto workers deserve a decent wage and benefits, and need to be assured that as the industry undergoes transition, their livelihoods are safe, and they won’t be left behind,” she said.

Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), who was in Detroit Friday to back the UAW strike, will also appear on CNN’s “State of the Union.”

“The fight you are waging here is not just about decent wages and working conditions and pensions in the automobile industry,” Sanders told the crowd. “It is a fight to take on corporate greed and tell the people on top this country belongs to all of us, not just a few.”

In Hollywood, both actors and writers continue their strikes — the first time in more than 50 years that both unions are on strike at the same time. Actor and director Sean Penn will be on “Face the Nation” to discuss the ongoing stalemate.

The ever-present 2024 election will also be a major topic of discussion, as three presidential candidates make their cases on the Sunday shows.

Former President Trump will have NBC’s “Meet the Press” all to himself for an exclusive interview with new host Kristen Welker. 

Pre-released clips from the interview show Trump touching on topics from the UAW strikes to revelations about his legal cases to potential picks for a vice president.

Republican presidential candidates Vivek Ramaswamy and former Vice President Mike Pence will also be featured on shows this weekend — on “Fox News Sunday” and “State of the Union,” respectively.

Below is the full list of guests scheduled to appear on this week’s Sunday talk shows:

ABC’s “This Week” — House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.); Rep. Nancy Mace (R-S.C); Cindy McCain, executive director of the World Food Program.

NBC’s “Meet the Press” — Former President Trump.

CBS’ “Face the Nation” — Reps. Mike Turner (R-Ohio) and Debbie Dingell (D-Mich.); actor and director Sean Penn.

CNN’s “State of the Union” — Former Vice President Mike Pence; Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.).

“Fox News Sunday” — Vivek Ramaswamy; Reps. Ro Khanna (D-Calif.) and Elise Stefanik (R-N.Y.).

Fox News Channel’s “Sunday Morning Futures” — House Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.); Reps. Michael McCaul (R-Texas), Michael Waltz (R-Fla.) and Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.).