Nashville Standard

United States Senator Bill Hagerty, representing Tennessee, appeared on Fox Business's "Mornings With Maria" to discuss ongoing government funding processes. Hagerty addressed several topics during the segment, including the continuing resolution in the U.S. House of Representatives and the debt ceiling issue.

Discussing the current situation in the House, Hagerty remarked, “There’s been a tremendous amount of motion over in the House. We’re waiting here in the Senate.” He emphasized that Republican control in originating bills would yield better results and mentioned ongoing discussions involving JD Vance and Russ Vought with the Freedom Caucus.

On reconciliation plans, Hagerty stated, “The reconciliation process is right before us. We’ve got great plans of how we’re going to proceed through that as quickly as we possibly can.” He highlighted concerns about Chuck Schumer potentially using the debt ceiling to increase spending and hinder efforts to enhance America's competitiveness.

Hagerty criticized Democrats for preferring a government shutdown, noting that Republicans largely supported a bill to avoid it while most Democrats opposed it. He expressed hope for effective advocacy from President Trump and his team on related issues.

Addressing the debt ceiling urgency, he said: “Anything’s possible, but the debt limit issue is one that we need to address at this point too.” Hagerty warned against delaying action beyond January 1st when extraordinary measures might be needed during critical reconciliation processes.

Hagerty also criticized actions by the Biden-Harris Administration regarding border wall parts sales and called them financially detrimental. On appropriations processes, he described certain legislative practices as disgraceful and emphasized President Trump's attempts at more focused resolutions.

Regarding economic relations with Europe under Biden's administration, Hagerty commented on worsened trading terms due to new taxes and regulations affecting American companies' competitiveness. He advocated for measures addressing trade imbalances and reducing European dependency on Russian energy.

Lastly, Hagerty warned about potential consequences of a government shutdown under President Biden’s administration compared to past approaches by President Trump.