Sen. Andy Kim Signals Willingness to Block GOP Funding Efforts, Risking Government Shutdown Over Trump’s Agency Cuts [Video]

Sen. Andy Kim, D-N.J., signaled Sunday that he is willing to collaborate with fellow Democrats to block Republican efforts to fund the government if the Trump administration continues its aggressive restructuring of federal agencies.

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“In a few weeks, the Republicans are going to try to figure out how they move forward, and they have, for the last two years, needed Democratic votes for every single continuing resolution, and they should not count on that this time,” Kim said on NBC’s “Meet the Press.”

Kim warned that he opposes GOP-backed funding measures if the administration persists in dismantling agencies such as the U.S. Agency for International Development and the Department of Education.

“They are simply trying to dismantle the government,” Kim told moderator Kristen Welker. “So yes, look, if we have to take steps to be able to hold them accountable, use the leverage that we have to force it, I cannot support efforts that will continue this lawlessness that we’re seeing when it comes to this administration’s actions.”

Sen. Patty Murray, D-Wash., echoed similar concerns, arguing that bipartisan negotiations are futile when the administration disregards previously approved funding. “Democrats and Republicans alike must be able to trust that when a deal gets signed into law, it will be followed,” she told NBC News.

Kim insisted that if a shutdown occurs, Republicans should bear the responsibility. “They are the majority, and if they cannot govern that, then you know that’s for the American people to see,” he said.