BISMARCK – U.S. Senator Kevin Cramer (R-ND) joined Larry Kudlow on Fox Business to discuss Senate dynamics after the midterm elections and the importance of regular order. Excerpts and full video are below.
On Senate Dynamics:
“We have to be able to use our leverage, particularly as people who have a vote on confirmations of appointees. Those appointees can be judges, but oftentimes they are cabinet secretaries, undersecretaries, deputy secretaries, and deputy undersecretaries… The world is a very different place with 51 Republicans than it is with 50. We have to stick together as a team and we can transact business with Joe Biden if he’s willing to. I think we have to say, ‘look we either get permitting reform on oil pipelines and transmission lines and drilling on federal lands or you don’t get your Fish and Wildlife Service Director or you don’t get your budget director—whoever’s up and in front of us... When you have a very small majority, you don’t have a lot of room for mischief. You’ve got to have a team that sticks together. Sometimes you’ve got to put some things on the President’s desk to force the veto if, in fact, that’s what’s required.”
On Getting Back to Regular Order:
“I don’t think Joe Biden wants to go down as the president with the worst economic record in the history of the country. We have to be willing to play ball in a way that’s rigorous where you throw some fastballs high and tight and then get back to regular order. It’s so critical because if you don’t institutionalize discipline, you have [none]. And that’s what we’re seeing right now. For the next couple of months going through Christmas, we’re going to be watching to see what four people send to us for a spending bill and [National] Defense Authorization Act. We have committees for a reason. If we have the gavels, whoever wants to lead needs to make the commitment that they’re willing to start the process on January 3, and plow through with regular order.”