Congressman Byron Donalds (R-FL) appeared on The David Webb Show on SiriusXM Patriot Friday, where he offered a blistering critique of Senator Chuck Schumer’s handling of the government shutdown, championed President Donald Trump’s “historic peace deal” in the Middle East, and defended the administration’s unconventional approach to the Congressional Budget and the Impoundment Control Act of 1974 to keep essential programs afloat.
Mideast Peace Achieved Through Strength, Not Acquiescence
Congressman Donalds attributed the recent success in the Middle East—specifically mentioning the return of all hostages—directly to the leadership of President Trump. He contrasted Trump’s approach with previous foreign policy strategies, arguing that the shift was a necessary realignment away from “two-state solutions” and policies perceived as overly sensitive to opposition groups.
“The difference is Donald Trump,” Donalds asserted. “He came in like he said he was going to do to bring peace, but he also made sure that the Middle East understood that it wasn’t going to be peace by bending the knee or acquiescing to the radicalism of Hamas or Hezbollah or Iran.”
Donalds emphasized that the foundation of the newly established peace is “mutual respect” and “mutual security.”
“We’re going to have mutual respect. We’re going to have mutual security. That’s going to be the baseline for a lasting peace,” he said, hailing the strategy as proof that strength is necessary to “develop peace accords that can stand the test of time.”
Criticizing the “Political Weapon” of Budget Fights
Turning to domestic fiscal issues, Donalds criticized the Democratic Party’s recurring use of budget deadlines and fiscal cliffs as political tools, specifically calling out Senate Majority Leader Schumer’s actions regarding the government shutdown.
Donalds commended President Trump and his team, including Russ Vought at the Office of Management and Budget (OMB), for “thinking outside the box” to navigate the budget impasse, citing the use of the Impoundment Control Act of 1974 to ensure the military is paid and vital programs are sustained for the most vulnerable Americans.
“They [Democrats] have been wielding either budget fights or these political fights to win elections as opposed to getting things done that are sustainable for the American people,” Donalds argued, stating this approach has been a Democratic tactic for the last 40 years.
The Congressman concluded by stating that while the administration is working to keep key programs afloat, it is also “getting rid of the ones that truly have no, no basis of being in the federal government anyway.” He labeled the ongoing debates over the Affordable Care Act subsidies as “totally indicative” of Democrats using budget battles as political weapons instead of focusing on sustainable governance.
READ: Florida House Republicans Throw Weight Behind Byron Donalds For Governor
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