NICK GOSNELL
Hutch Post
HUTCHINSON, Kan. — Kansas First District Congressman Tracey Mann headed to Washington D.C. on Tuesday with a lot of uncertainty about the final resolution of the budget process and the looming end of the federal fiscal year.
"If these four bills that are going to come up, combined with what's already been done, go through, this would account for almost 75% of federal spending," Mann said. "Some cuts have been made, some serious reductions in certain areas, if these bills, as proposed, pass. There will be a slew of amendments. We have a very busy week."
Even if the House passes the bills through it plans to vote on, the Senate would still have to agree to the language, otherwise, it would be quite difficult to get the process completed in just a week's time and some sort of stopgap measure would likely have to be passed to avoid a government shutdown.
"We're $33 trillion in debt," Mann said. "Washington, in my view, spends too much and borrows too much. Get those bills done and then we will see if there is a willingness or the votes are there for some kind of a stopgap spending bill, which I would like to tie to securing our border, or something like that."
Mann doesn't believe that there is any serious threat to House Speaker Kevin McCarthy at this point.
"I don't hear rumblings of any serious notion that he would not continue to be the Speaker," Mann said. "We've got to get back to Washington D.C., have a lot of these votes, have a lot of these conversations and get things figured out with the government spending and let's see where it goes, but I don't see that changing."
The federal fiscal year ends at the end of the day on Sept. 30.
Below is a podcast of Rep. Mann's interview with Nick Gosnell.
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