Congressman Byron Donalds (R-FL) appeared on Fox Business Network’s Varney & Co. this morning to discuss the ongoing government shutdown, his highway safety bill H.R. 5177, “The WEIGH Act,” and the Trump administration’s commitment to the deportation of illegal aliens.
Shutdown Blame: “Democrats Keep Voting to Keep the Government Closed”
Donalds placed the responsibility for the government shutdown squarely on Democratic leadership, specifically targeting Senator Chuck Schumer and Representative Hakeem Jeffries.
He asserted that Republicans will not be blamed for this shutdown, claiming it is Democrats who “keep voting to keep the government closed.”
“What we’re not going to do is let this temper tantrum of Chuck Schumer and Hakeem Jeffries dictate federal policy,” Donalds stated. He criticized Jeffries’ position on paying federal workers, saying, “That’s your party that’s led us to this point. All you got to do is vote the same way you’ve voted the last time 13 times we were facing a government shutdown. Keep the government open, let’s work together on Capitol Hill.” Donalds emphasized the need for Congress to uphold its duties and run the government “efficiently and effectively for the American people.”
The WEIGH Act: A ‘Nonpartisan’ Safety Measure
The Florida Congressman also championed his proposed legislation, H.R. 5177, the “Weigh Station Enforcement to Intercept and Guard Highways (WEIGH) Act.”
This bill would require weigh stations on interstate highways to review Commercial Driver’s Licenses (CDLs) for irregularities and verify the English language proficiency of truckers. The bill aims to enforce a prior executive order and target what Donalds calls enforcement gaps created by states, which he claims are issuing CDLs to non-Americans who cannot speak English.
“It’s their states that are issuing these CDL licenses to people who can’t speak English and who are not Americans,” Donalds said, citing an example in New York. He argued the bill should be a “nonpartisan effort” focused purely on public safety. “It’s about safety on the public highways,” he stressed, urging Democrats to support the measure so it can “get to the president’s desk very quickly so he can sign it into law.”
READ: Across The Aisle: Florida Gov. DeSantis And Maryland’s Trone Launch War On Capitol Hill Incumbency
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