With Congress in its lame-duck session period, presumptive House Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) says this time Republicans will gear up for January and be limiting their work across the aisle with Democrats. Rep. Byron Donalds (R-FL-19) appeared on MSNBC's The Beat to explain the Republican position, while also discussing his opinion on why Herschel Walker lost the Senate seat in Georgia.
"ICYMI: I joined @AriMelberto discuss the GOP House Majority and much more," Donalds tweets.
ICYMI: I joined @AriMelber to discuss the GOP House Majority and much more. pic.twitter.com/F0LNcoFSCN
— Congressman Byron Donalds (@RepDonaldsPress) December 12, 2022
Melber asks Donalds for his take on McCarthy's remarks, and if there is anything he would be willing to work with President Biden (D) on.
"I think that's an accurate statement, I think Leader McCarthy is right," Rep. Donalds begins. He describes that "first of all, take a look at the past two years. Joe Biden hasn't come looking for Republican votes, especially in the House."
Donalds says the House has been a "steamroll factory" wherein Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) has "never asked our input on anything."
As a result, Donalds suggests "no major deals" should be made.
"The American people have now spoken, and so what we need to do is do everything we need to do to get across the spending line into the new year. And then we come in, we sit down, let the House actually speak its will by the voters of the people, push through the spending priorities and other priorities that are needed, see what the Senate comes up with, see what the White House wants to do, and then you go from there," added Donalds.
This mention of the House and Senate prompts Melber to ask for Donalds' take on why Herschel Walker failed to defeat Raphael Warnock in Georgia for Senate.
Donalds speculates on Georgia Lt. Gov. Geoff Duncan's dislike of Walker.
"I found that to be atrocious and disgusting, frankly," Donalds says. Secondly, he says there were things he took issue with in Walker's campaign.
Melber asks for clarification, citing criticism from other conservatives on how Walker conducted himself. "I think any time you come up short, there are things you could've done better." He compares the Georgia race to that in Pennsylvania between John Fetterman and Dr. Mehmet Oz.
"At the aend of the day, if you're going to run statewide, you have to make sure your campaign is clicking on all cylinders. And so there were things that I found not to be working well, but at the end of the day, you don't abandon the guy who's on the ballot just because there's a thing or two not going your way. You've got to see this thing out to the end," concluded Donalds
