Both of Montana's congressmen were hailing a plan approved by the Republican controlled US House of Representatives that would both lower spending and avoid a default on the federal debt. Democrats like liberal Senator Jon Tester (D-MT), meanwhile, refuse to support any spending cuts before another hike in the debt limit. This, as the national debt now soars above $32 trillion.

I ran into both Montana Congressman Ryan Zinke (R-MT01) and Congressman Matt Rosendale (R-MT02) on Friday. Zinke joined us in studio on our statewide radio show. Rosendale spoke Friday at the Yellowstone County Lincoln Reagan Dinner.

Whether it is his age or something else, is Joe Biden simply unable to handle negotiations with Congressional Republicans? Is that why Biden is refusing to negotiate with Speaker of the House Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) and Congressional Republicans? Why is Biden now refusing to negotiate when just weeks ago he was demanding they negotiate?

Michael Faulkender had some great insight. He is a former US Treasury Department official who is now with the America First Policy Institute. He says Biden simply did not plan on Republicans staying united and passing a measure that both lowers spending and avoids default.

Faulkender: I think they were surprised at the White House that the House Republicans actually were able to put together a majority. Many around this town in Washington believe that House Republicans, after taking 15 votes to elect a speaker, they were never going to be able to put something together. And so now people in the White House, people on the Democratic side of the aisle, and in the Congress- they're floundering, because they were shocked that the House was actually able to put something together. They had put all their eggs in the basket that House Republicans were going to fail to get a majority of the House, and that they were going to be able to knock off a couple of moderates and pass a clean bill. And so now they're figuring out what to do.

 

Full audio of our conversation with Faulkender and Congressman Zinke is below:

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