GOP senator downplays shutdown threat: ‘Congress works best when it has a deadline’

Sen. James Lankford (R-Okla.) on Thursday downplayed the threat of a government shutdown next month, saying Congress works best under a deadline.

“We’re working through that over the next three weeks,” Lankford said on CNN’s “New Day.” “We’ve got three weeks and then we’ll bring these bills to the floor. By the 28th of April, we have to have all funding done at that point or have a continuing resolution.”

{mosads}”I’d like to have appropriations bills done. … There are a lot of important aspects that happen when you do appropriations, not a continuing resolution, which is basically taking last year’s budget, changing the dates and just putting in this year’s. It’s not very strategic at all,” he added.

Fears of a shutdown grew after conservative and centrist Republicans last week derailed legislation to repeal and replace ­ObamaCare, one of President Trump’s top priorities.

The legislative setback raised questions over the ability of Republican leaders to move a must-pass spending package before government funding expires.

“I don’t see a looming shutdown,” Lankford told CNN. “I do see a deadline. Quite frankly, Congress works best when it has a deadline. It hardly works at all when it doesn’t.”