Sen. Roy Blunt, R-Mo., appeared on CNN's 'State of the Union' on Sunday.
— Days after being elected to Senate Republican leadership, Missouri U.S. Senator Roy Blunt blasted Congress as a whole for its inability to break partisan gridlock.
Appearing on CNN’s ‘State of the Union,’ on Sunday, Blunt was asked about Congress’s historically low approval rating at 11 percent nationwide, which, as the questioner pointed out, is lower than President Richard Nixon’s approval when he was being impeached.
“I don’t know who the 11 percent are. Congress is almost totally dysfunctional this year,” Blunt responded. “Of course people are not satisfied than that.”
Citing in part the importance of getting past the disfunction, Blunt ran a successful campaign for Republican conference vice chairman last week. In previous interviews, Blunt has said in his new position, he can use his 14 years of experience in the House to help bridge the gap between the two chambers.
Saturday, the Senate passed an two month extension of the President’s payroll tax cut 89-10. While the bill received significant bipartisan support in Blunt’s chamber, the bill faces significant partisan opposition from conservatives in the House, some of whom don’t want the cut extended at all.
“I think our friends in the House are going to have to work through this,” Blunt said.
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