A New York Republican battled internet connection woes as he sparred with a frustrated CNN anchor on Wednesday night, who tried to point out that Republicans may shut down the federal government over the failed inclusion of legislation targeting a rare crime that's already unlawful.
Rep. Mike Lawler joined Kaitlan Collins on "The Source" to discuss House Speaker Mike Johnson's flopped government funding bill.
Lawler, who voted for the bill, said that lawmakers will eventually end up voting for a "clean" continuing resolution that would avert a government shutdown.
"The reality is we're not shutting down the government with 48 days to go before an election," he said, adding that the election will be decided by voters based on issues that impact them.
As Lawler tried to point to the "crisis" at the U.S.-Mexico border and affordability, his connection dropped out.
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About 20 seconds later, Collins pushed back on the congressman's statement and asked why the party doesn't simply put forward the "clean" funding bill, if that's what's going to happen anyway.
Lawler said he believes Johnson supports a funding bill that includes the so-called SAVE Act, which he co-sponsored and that would require people to provide proof of citizenship to vote.
"I think very clearly we should re-affirm the point that non-citizens should not be voting in elections," he said, echoing a common unfounded fear from the GOP.
Collins later asked whether forcing a government shutdown could hurt "vulnerable Republicans" such as Lawler. The congressman insisted that what the 2024 election will be about is illegal immigration and affordability, but acknowledged a government shutdown would "distract" from those issues — "and certainly won't serve any real purpose."
Collins called it "remarkable to see" that Republicans could shut down the government so close to an election, and noted it's already unlawful for non-citizens to vote in federal elections.
"So they'd basically be creating a record of their crime," said Collins. "So it just never happens."
As she tried to move on, Lawler overcame more audio issues to interject.
"Kaitlan. Kaitlan," he repeats, with choppy audio. "Kaitlan, respectfully, you can just dismiss it, but the city of New York actually tried to pass legislation to allow non-citizens to vote. And we sued in New York and won because it is unconstitutional and it's wrong."
When Collins repeated that it's illegal for non-citizens to vote in federal elections, Lawler doubled down.
"It's reaffirming," he said. "And frankly I don't know why any Democrat would be opposed to it. It's reaffirming a simple truth."
After he finished, Collins repeated herself a third time, and noted the crime is "very rare." As she again tried to pivot topics, Lawler refused to move on.
The congressman pushed back on the claim, prompting Collins to repeatedly try to get him to move on. The two ran out of time however and never moved on to another topic.
Watch the clip below or at this link.