WASHINGTON — Rep. Chuck Fleischmann (R-Tenn.), chair of the energy and water appropriations subcommittee in the House, told the Exchange Monitor he does not know when a vote on the federal budget would be.
“I have not been privy to that,” Fleischmann said here Wednesday in the U.S. Capitol. “But I sure wish we could’ve come up with a budget by now. It would’ve been so much better for the country, so much better I think for the new administration for defense, for my energy and water portfolio.”
That portfolio includes the Department of Energy and its semi-autonomous National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA).
Both chambers of Congress must agree to a federal budget, or decide on another continuing resolution, by Dec. 20 to avoid a government shutdown.
“As I understand it I don’t even think there’s a topline number agreed to,” Fleischmann added, with the deadline looming as Christmas approaches.
Fleischmann, while chairing the energy and water subcommittee and also working on the defense appropriations subcommittee, was also just reelected in the district that neighbors Oak Ridge National Laboratory.
When asked if he will still be on the defense and energy and water committees come the next administration, Fleischmann said it was his “desire” to stay on those committees, as they were a “perfect fit” for him.
Fleischmann also said he’d had “furtive” discussions with Chris Wright, President-elect Donald Trump’s pick for the secretary of energy and CEO of oil company Liberty Energy, on their “priorities.”
Fleishmann said the talk he hears, “and it’s just talk… is March” for a final budget vote. “But I’d be very amenable to something earlier.”
Fleischmann added that while normally there are some anomalies, he did not know whether there would be anomalies for the DOE as he is “not privy to those discussions.”
“If you give somebody that time, nothing will get done until that time,” Fleischmann said. “So the sooner the better.” He said. “Now the clock becomes the enemy.”
