Rep. Grijalva: Something bad is going to happen

Democratic Congressman Raul Grijalva discusses his disagreements with President Donald Trump and apprehensive feeling he senses in D.C.

“Unfortunately, the apprehension is focused on something bad is going to happen,” Grijalva says. “It affects everything. It affects the ability for Congress to do its business… I think the bombardment of one thing after another on the American people takes a toll.”

Grijalva says that he thinking one of the reasons the Republican Party and their leadership has been reluctant to provide oversight is because of a disruptor element created by Trump. About a third of Republicans have an “undying love for this president, they believe everything he says, and are prepared to rally behind him,” Grijalva says. The party’s leadership doesn’t want to use oversight because they’re “afraid of the backlash from that third,” he says.

The ongoing Mueller probe into Trump’s administration and Russian interference is digging up everything. Grijalva believes that the investigation should not be hindered in any way because the American people deserve to know what is happening.

“I think that skittishness and paranoia [in the Trump administration] is because something is going on and the investigation is getting close,” Grijalva says. “Let it work out. Any effort to remove Mueller from that function is going to put this country in jeopardy.”

Grijalva voted against the latest budget because of one reason, and one reason only: DACA. He says if the budget was passed, it would simply move the DACA issue to the back burner. It didn’t provide a permanent and codified solution to the problem. He says he won’t agree with a budget until there is a proposed long-term solution.

Young people have been shining a bright light on gun violence and gun safety regulations. Grijalva believe that this issue is currently a tipping point for the country. He emphasizes that it isn’t an attack on the second amendment. Legitimate gun owners don’t have anything to worry about. What’s being asked for is stricter background checks, waiting periods, closed loopholes and no assault weapons. Grijalva says he sees some progress for this issue being done, but the bigger parts of it probably won’t be handled until the election in 2020.