Republican Senator Ron Johnson Talks Russian Sanctions, Federal Employee Pay
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Hello and welcome. This is The Michelle Hussein Show. I'm Michelle Hussein. I speak with people like Elon Musk. I think I've done enough. And Shonda Rhimes. That's so cute. This will be a place where every weekend you can count on one essential conversation to help make sense of the world. So please join me, listen and subscribe to The Michelle Hussein Show from Bloomberg Weekend, wherever you get your podcasts.
You certainly ask interesting questions.
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fresh reaction amid these reports this evening on a potential workaround to end the government shutdown. We're joined now by Republican Senator of Wisconsin Ron Johnson. He's with us live from Capitol Hill. And Senator, it's great to have you back on Bloomberg TV and radio. I'm looking forward to your thoughts on the shutdown here, but I'd love to ask you about this news that's coming from the White House now and whether the moment has arrived for secondary sanctions to hit the floor. I know that John Thune has said they're on pause right now out of deference to the White House, but is it time to vote?
Well, again, I really will let that up to the president. When he wants that as a backstop to put pressure on Putin, I think that's what we'll act.
Understood. Is that something that you feel like we're moving closer to as he prepares to sit down with the secretary general at NATO? We're just trying to get a sense of which direction the president's leaning in here and how to deal with Vladimir Putin.
Well, my guess is he's getting pretty disgusted with dealing with Vladimir Putin. He's giving him every opportunity to end up with a peaceful solution here, dangled economic benefits in front of him, obviously threatened sanctions. Again, this president wants peace. I think if there's a hallmark to his administration, even his previous administration, he's not a wartime president. He wants peace. Now, he used and achieved peace through strength, but in the end, he wants peace, and he's doggedly pursuing it.
And you may have heard Joe just go to Truth Social post from the president. He just shot down a Wall Street Journal report that the U.S. is allowing Ukraine to use long-range missiles in Ukraine. How will that play into what is supposed to be a meeting between President Trump and Vladimir Putin, which is now looking much less likely?
Yeah, I think that meeting is canceled because Vladimir Putin keeps lobbying missiles, more than lobbying, launching missiles into Ukraine. He apparently hit a kindergarten earlier today. Again, Vladimir Putin's a war criminal. There's no reason for him to invade Ukraine. The fact of the matter is he's not going to lose this war, though. You've got to recognize that reality. The only way this war ends is through a negotiated settlement. We're not going to like the terms of that, but like even worse, the... the bloody stalemate that we're in right now where we're losing thousands of people on both sides a week. It's just untenable.
I want to ask you about what's happening with the shutdown here, Senator.
What are the latest developments regarding Russian sanctions?
I spoke earlier with the chairman of the House Ways and Means Committee who kind of stopped us in our tracks when he suggested that he might be behind a full year CR. In fact, one that would get us through December of 2026. I want you to hear what he said earlier on Bloomberg. Let's listen.
December 21st, 2026 is what I've been hearing up here as a suggestion, as an opportunity of a continuing resolution. As we know, we're operating under a year-long resolution from last year. We're looking at what was appropriated when Biden was president.
That was Congressman Jason Smith earlier on Bloomberg. Senator, is this what it's come to? And would you support a full year continuing resolution?
No.
What would be a much better idea would be just pass my Eliminate Shutdowns Act. What that does, it sets up automatic rolling 14-day continuing appropriations for whatever department or all government that hasn't been appropriated for. That would give the appropriators time to find areas of agreement, pass the bills they can pass.
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