BATON ROUGE, La. — U.S. Sen. John Kennedy said he will vote to keep the government open, but he won't be surprised if President Donald Trump turns off the lights with a veto to force a showdown over the border wall.
Kennedy, who was speaking Wednesday with reporters back home on a conference call, also talked about Syria, justice reform and the governor's race.
Shutdown: Kennedy said he expects the Senate and the House to pass a temporary budget bill that would keep government operating through Feb. 8 and include an extension of the National Flood Insurance Program.
Kennedy said he supports the president's request for money to build a wall to stem illegal immigration on the U.S.-Mexico border, but he doesn't believe that funding can clear either chamber.
He and other GOP senators had lunch with Vice President Mike Pence Wednesday, where Kennedy said the vice president gave no commitment that Trump won't veto the budget bill.
"So I'm proceeding with the thought that there may be a shutdown and if there is we'll deal with it," he said.
Syria: Kennedy said many of his Republican colleagues were unhappy with President Trump's decision to withdraw American troops from Syria, but Kennedy said he doesn't have enough information to form his own opinion yet.
Trump announced on Twitter that America has "defeated ISIS in Syria, my only reason for being there during the Trump Presidency."
"I was caught off guard," Kennedy said of Trump's Syria assessment. "Some of my colleagues are pretty upset, and that's an understatement."
Justice Reform: Kennedy defended his vote against President Trump's justice reform bill to release non-violent prisoners early, even though he was out of step on the issue with the president and most of his GOP colleagues.
The Senate passed the bill on an 87-12 vote late Tuesday night and the House is expected to follow.
Kennedy previously and consistently opposed similar reforms in Louisiana led by Democratic Gov. John Bel Edwards that were passed here in a largely bipartisan fashion.
"I hope I'm wrong and the proponents are right," Kennedy said. "But I've seen this movie before when Gov. Edwards released supposedly non-violent criminals who were very violent. I certainly don't to see that happen on a federal level."
Kennedy said the assertion that only non-violent prisoners will be released "isn't true." He said the legislation allows prison officials to determine whether or not offenders are non-violent.
"It will make eligible child molesters, bank robbers, car-jackers and I could go on and on," he said.
Governor's race: Kennedy said he hasn't committed to supporting a candidate in the 2019 governor's race, though he believes either Republican Congressman Ralph Abraham or wealthy GOP businessman Eddie Rispone would be better that Democratic Gov. John Bel Edwards.
Many thought Kennedy would be Edwards' primary challenger before the senator opted out of the race earlier this month.
"I like them both; they're smart, committed and honest," he said. "Frankly, we have nowhere to go but up."
Greg Hilburn covers state politics for the USA TODAY Network of Louisiana. Follow him on Twitter @GregHilburn1