The Biden administration is warning of a government shutdown and blames “a small group of extreme Republicans.” The President told a meeting of the Congressional Black Caucus Foundation that a shutdown would “impact everything from food safety to cancer research to Head Start programs for children.” He said some GOP Congress Members were still angry about a deal he struck with House Speaker Kevin McCarthy earlier this year and “everyone in America could be forced to pay the price.”
Meanwhile, Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg said air traffic control would cease if the worst scenario came into being, and that would mean chaos for travelers.
Speaker McCarthy meanwhile is blaming the impending shutdown on President Biden and urges the President to agree to border policy changes and spending cuts. Some in the Republican party are laying the blame on McCarthy, accusing him of weakness. Floridian Rep. Matt Gaetz, for example, has threatened to call a vote on McCarthy’s leadership, while New York Rep. Mike Lawler said some of his GOP colleagues are “stuck on stupid” and want the government to cease.
On September 27, the Senate overwhelmingly passed a temporary measure to keep public services running while the crisis is resolved, but McCarthy said the House would not vote on the measure.
Donald Trump weighed in on the crisis and urged Republicans to close down the government. On his Truth Social media account, the former President said the previous deal with Democrats, reached during debt ceiling negotiations earlier this year, was a failure and Republicans got nothing. “UNLESS YOU GET EVERYTHING, SHUT IT DOWN! Close the Border, stop the Weaponization of Justice, and End Election Interference,” Trump wrote. Some Republicans however believe a shutdown would be politically self-defeating and the public would blame it on the GOP.
The last government shutdown occurred during the Trump administration in 2019 in protest at immigration policy. According to the Congressional Budget Office, GDP fell by $3 billion during the five-week cessation.
