‘I Don’t Understand’: Kudlow Baffled by GOP Senate Leadership in Interview with Republican Senator

Fox Business host Larry Kudlow is not happy with Senate Republican leadership, which appears poised to support an omnibus spending bill that would keep the government funded for most of 2023.

The former economics adviser to Donald Trump maintained that Senate Republicans should hold off until the Republicans retake the House in January. He noted that will give GOP lawmakers leverage to force spending cuts. On Thursday, the Senate passed a funding bill to avert a government shutdown as talks continue on a longer-lasting package that would fund the government until Oct. 1, 2023.

That omnibus bill would require 60 votes to advance in the Senate, meaning 10 Republicans will have to vote in favor in the current 50-50 Senate – assuming all Democrats vote in favor. There appear to be enough GOP votes to pass the legislation, thanks in large part to Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell’s (R-KY) willingness to act before the next Congress.

“The Senate Republican leadership’s apparent support of the omnibus bill is an unbelievable betrayal of the victorious House Republicans,” Kudlow said on Fox Business Network on Friday. “Kevin McCarthy and company don’t want an omnibus for all next year. They want a short-term CR – continuing resolution – that might carry through late January when they take over the House. This would give them the chance to restore regular budget order with 12 appropriations bills that would substantially cut back on all this inflationary overspending in the omnibus bill.”

Kudlow welcomed Sen. Marsha Blackburn (R-TN) to the show and expressed his frustration.

“I thought Rand Paul put it pretty succinctly,” he said, alluding to a recent appearance by the Kentucky senator on his show. “Giving up the power of the purse and emasculating Republican power. Why is the Senate leadership backing this omnibus process?”

Blackburn replied by noting the looming bill’s contents haven’t been made available to her and other senators.

“We’re going to spend over $6 trillion with a ‘t’ – $6 trillion,” she said. “We have not seen the omnibus bill. We are hearing that it is full of earmarks and special interest projects. That is something that I oppose. I think it would be a good thing to do to let the House Republicans take a swing at this thing, see if they can reset some of these baseline numbers.”

Kudlow stated he’s bewildered by the Republican Senate leadership’s thinking.

“I don’t understand why Senate leadership would undermine or betray a new Republican leadership in the House,” he said. “As you said, why not give them a shot at cutting spending? But you can’t do that if you take over all of next year’s spending, then you’re gonna go into the summer and the fall before you get to [fiscal year 2024]. I don’t understand the politics of it, Senator Blackburn. And I totally disagree with the economics of it.”

Watch above via Fox Business Network.

New: The Mediaite One-Sheet "Newsletter of Newsletters"
Your daily summary and analysis of what the many, many media newsletters are saying and reporting. Subscribe now!