BIRMINGHAM, Ala. — During an interview on Yellowhammer Radio Wednesday, U.S. Sen. Jeff Sessions (R-Ala.) endorsed his Senate colleague Richard Shelby, who is facing four challengers in his bid for another term.
“Yes, I will,” Sessions said when asked if he would be supporting Senator Shelby. “Richard and I, we have grown closer together as the years have gone by. He has been a rock-solid partner to me on immigration and other budget battles that we’ve fought.”
By way of example, Sessions said he and Shelby worked closely together in pushing Congress to adhere to the spending caps implemented in the Budget Control Act of 2011.
“Just recently they voted to bust the budget caps for non-defense discretionary programs,” Sessions recalled. “I deeply felt we should have adhered to the budget caps that President Obama himself agreed to. Senator Shelby voted with us on that… We’ve been good partners. He’s a senior member of the Appropriations Committee, Chairs the Banking Committee. Only one Senator from a state can be on (the Appropriations Committee) and he has many times been able to help protect the interests of Alabama, and that’s not unimportant, I’ve got to tell you.”
Sessions specifically pointed to Alabama’s military installations and large private defense industry as examples of areas in which he believes the Shelby-Sessions partnership has benefited the state.
“We’ve got a big defense industry in Alabama,” he said. “The bills generally first come before the Armed Services Committee, of which I’m a member… We try to provide for the national defense and we are also aware of the bases we have in Alabama and try to make sure they’re not getting unfairly damaged. But for the money to actually be spent, it has to be appropriated from Senator Shelby’s committee. He’s a member of the Subcommittee on Appropriations for Defense, and the full Committee… He could chair the committee in the years to come, which would be really special. He’s been able… to protect the interests of Alabama in a number of different areas.”
Other recent examples of Sessions and Shelby tag-teaming and issue include their efforts to block “ObamaTrade” and defund Planned Parenthood. Most recently, the senators jointly pushed to revoke funding for President Obama’s Syrian refugee resettlement program.
Alabama voters will decide whether to renew the Shelby-Sessions partnership on Election Day March 1st. Four other Republicans qualified to run as well.
(Video below: Sen. Jeff Sessions on Yellowhammer Radio)
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