[Ray Bogan]
Former House Speaker Newt Gingrich says Republicans should not fear a government shutdown, as the deadline to pass a funding bill quickly approaches.
In a post on X, Gingrich said the next election is two years away and that Republicans won a majority despite two shutdowns in 1995.
The 1,500 page continuing resolution which contained dozens of non-spending related policy provisions was killed Wednesday night with a joint statement from President-elect Trump and Vice President-elect JD Vance.
“Republicans want to support our farmers, pay for disaster relief, and set our country up for success in 2025. The only way to do that is with a temporary funding bill WITHOUT DEMOCRAT GIVEAWAYS.”
There are Republicans on Capitol Hill who believe it’s better to do nothing rather than something that is perceived as flawed.
Rep. Tim Burchett, R-TN: “If we didn’t do anything, that would be a good thing, as you know, because Americans are pretty resilient, and they figure out a way to maintain but as far as I wish we could just stop some spending.”
Congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene said she supports a government shutdown. She responded to Gingrich: “I’m all in. The government can shut down all the way until Jan 20th as far as I’m concerned.”
Democrats say if the government shuts down, it’s Republicans’ fault.
Rep. Hakeem Jeffries, D-NY: “This reckless republican driven shutdown can be avoided if House republicans will simply do what is right for the American people and stick with the bipartisan agreement that they themselves negotiated.”
One of the key sticking points is disaster relief aid. Congress needs to approve the funds to rebuild after Hurricanes Helene and Milton, in addition to other natural disasters. If there’s a clean CR, meaning the government is funded at its current levels without any add-ons, that would preclude disaster relief. So money for storm victims would have to be approved separately.