CNN’s Manu Raju spoke to several House Republicans on Wednesday about the possibility of a government shutdown as Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) tries to pass a temporary spending bill tied to a controversial election bill being pushed by Donald Trump.
“Congress has to pass a spending bill by the end of the month. What’s the play here?” anchor Brianna Keilar asked Raju.
“Yeah, this is going to fail this Johnson plan, even though not just because Democrats are opposed to that immigration provision. They say it’s unnecessary because it’s already illegal for undocumented citizens to vote in this country. Johnson said it is necessary nevertheless,” Raju began, explaining Johnson’s difficult road ahead. He added:
But it’s not just the opposition from Democrats. It’s also some Republicans who do not like short-term spending bills rather than the annual funding bills that Congress is supposed to approve by the end of the month. Others are concerned about the six-month extension that Johnson is proposing. Worried that it could hamstring the Defense Department at this critical time of threats from overseas. But in talking to Republicans, there is no consensus about the way forward. Some are making clear to their colleagues on the right who are itching for a government shutdown that it now is not the time to do that so close to an election.
“There are some in my district who want ‘shutdown, shutdown.’ But then what? A shutdown at this point is not a winner for the Republicans,” said Rep. Mark Alford (R-MO) in a clip.
Rep. Mike Lawler (R-NY) added, “I’m not shutting the government down. My colleagues aren’t shutting the government down. At the end of the day. The election is going to be determined by the American people based on the issues of affordability, the border crime and the international crises that we’ve seen under Kamala Harris and Joe Biden. And obviously, a government shutdown would distract from that.”
Hardliner Rep. Lauren Boebert (R-CO) told Raju, “I absolutely believe that the speaker should always be ready for a government shutdown. We are the most powerful branch of government. And because we control the purse strings, because we control the funding.”
“And one person who seems to agree with Congressman Boebert there is former President Trump himself. And back last week he posted on social media that if Republicans in the House and Senate don’t get absolute assurances on election what he called election security, he said they should in no way, shape or form go forward with the continuing resolution on the budget,” Raju continued, concluding:
That would mean essentially a shutdown if they were to listen to Donald Trump. I asked the speaker today, do you agree with what Donald Trump said? And he didn’t quite say. In fact, he said that he and Trump have spoken. And he didn’t also reveal what his next step will be when this measure fails tonight. But everyone be watching here because time is running out to avoid a shutdown by month’s end.
Watch the clip above via CNN.
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