Today on CNN’s The Situation Room with Wolf Blitzer, Reps. Peter King (R-NY) and Sean Duffy (R-WI) joined the program to discuss the funding of the federal government. A highlight from the interview is after the jump and a full program transcript will be posted on http://archives.cnn.com/TRANSCRIPTS.
Please Credit – CNN’s The Situation Room with Wolf Blitzer
Highlight from Full Interview
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
WOLF BLITZER, ANCHOR: — which is Democratic-controlled, is — does not stop funding ObamaCare, you will allow the government to remain in business, is that what I’m hearing?
REP. SEAN DUFFY (R), WISCONSIN: So, Wolf, for all I know, Harry Reid and Mitch McConnell are going to sing Kumbaya together. They’re going to find an agreement, as they have a filibuster over in the Senate. They might negotiate this thing out and send us the package in the House that works for us.
I don’t know what they’re going to do. And listen, I think Peter King and I can’t figure out how the Senate behaves as House members, nor can America.
BLITZER: All right, go ahead, Peter King, respond to what we just heard.
REP. PETER KING (R), NEW YORK: Well, actually, I — I basically agree with Sean. I mean, you know, we’re on the same page. Neither of us — neither one of us wants the government to close. We’re going to do all we can to keep it open.
REP. SEAN DUFFY (R), WISCONSIN: So, Wolf, for all I know, Harry Reid and Mitch McConnell are going to sing Kumbaya together. They’re going to find an agreement, as they have a filibuster over in the Senate. They might negotiate this thing out and send us the package in the House that works for us.
I don’t know what they’re going to do. And listen, I think Peter King and I can’t figure out how the Senate behaves as House members, nor can America.
BLITZER: All right, go ahead, Peter King, respond to what we just heard.
REP. PETER KING (R), NEW YORK: Well, actually, I — I basically agree with Sean. I mean, you know, we’re on the same page. Neither of us — neither one of us wants the government to close. We’re going to do all we can to keep it open.
and I would just say if anything good comes from all of this, when — when Ted Cruz and Rand Paul and Mike Lee fail in the Senate next week, maybe, finally, we Republicans will have ended their influence. It’s — we, as House Republicans, should stop letting Ted Cruz set our agenda for us. He should stay in the Senate, he should keep quiet. If he can deliver on this, fine. If he can’t, then he should keep quiet from now on and we shouldn’t listen to him.
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