TEXAS, USA — Only days before the Iowa caucuses kick off the 2024 election season and officially begin the presidential nominating process, Congresswoman Beth Van Duyne, R-Irving, doesn’t see any scenario where Donald Trump isn’t the GOP nominee.
And Van Duyne says she thinks the efforts to knock Trump off the ballot using the 14th amendment and the former president’s connection to the January 6, 2021 assault on the U.S. Capitol is not only helping him with Republicans but also with some independents.
“So, I think the harder they push at him, the stronger that he’s getting in the polls, and more people are supporting him,” Van Duyne told us on Inside Texas Politics.
She says she's also keeping close tabs on budget negotiations.
House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-LA, recently reached a $1.66 trillion budget deal with Senate Majority leader Chuck Schumer, D-NY, backing Republicans who wanted more military spending over those members who are, sometimes loudly, calling for significant budget cuts.
Van Duyne says she hasn’t seen any of the specific details yet, so she’s not sure if she can support it.
But she does say she’s looking for certain elements in the deal, and at the top of that list is regaining control of spending.
“We have got to change the way that we look at spending in D.C.,” said the lawmaker. “Are we being serious about cutting down the spending? Are we setting up a debt and deficit commission that’s going to be looking at it and taking apart where can we cut, where do we have to spend? Are we looking at what’s going on at the border?”
Editor's Note: The following video was uploaded in Oct. 2023.