Former President Donald Trump told congressional Republicans to shut down the government unless they get everything they asked for in the spending bill, arguing that President Biden would be the one to take the blame if the government closes.
“The Republicans lost big on Debt Ceiling, got NOTHING, and now are worried that they will be BLAMED for the Budget Shutdown,” he wrote on Truth Social. “Wrong!!! Whoever is President will be blamed, in this case, Crooked (as Hell!) Joe Biden. Our Country is being systematically destroyed by the Radical Left Marxists, Fascists and Thugs - THE DEMOCRATS.”
Others have argued that Republicans will shoulder the blame.
A recent poll by the Republican Main Street Partnership showed that 38% of voters said Republicans would be to blame for a partial shutdown, twice the 19% who said they would blame Democrats.
The government funding expires Saturday and will trigger a partial shutdown unless Congress passes a stop-gap spending bill. The effort has stalled in the House, a faction of arch-conservatives is demanding spending cuts and other provisions such as increased border security.
In June, the two chambers signed the agreement to suspend the $31.4 debt limit until 2025. The agreement was made after a standoff between the two parties because Republicans refused to raise the limit unless Democrats agreed to cut spending.
House Speaker Kevin McCarthy has struggled to reach a deal with the arch-conservatives in his GOP conference as the rebels knocked down spending bills.
“UNLESS YOU GET EVERYTHING, SHUT IT DOWN!” Mr. Trump wrote. “Close the Border, stop the Weaponization of ’Justice,’ and End Election Interference — WE MUST HAVE HONEST ELECTIONS. It’s time Republicans learned how to fight!”
In a Truth Social post on Wednesday, Mr. Trump called on Republicans to use the impending government shutdown date as a way to stop funds for the Department of Justice that has indicted Mr. Trump.
“A very important deadline is approaching at the end of the month,” he said. “Republicans in Congress can and must defund all aspects of Crooked Joe Biden’s weaponized Government that refuses to close the Border, and treats half the County as Enemies of the State.”
“This is also the last chance to defund these political prosecutions against me and other Patriots,” he said.
Two of the criminal cases against the former president’s indictments are being prosecuted by the Justice Department: Mishandling classified government documents and attempting to overturn the 2020 election.
“They failed on the debt limit, but they must not fail now,” he wrote on social media. “Use the power of the purse and defend the Country!”
On Monday, the Biden-Harris campaign called out House Republicans for letting Mr. Trump “function as their chief political strategist at the expense of American families.”
“Let’s be clear what is happening here: Trump is directing MAGA House Republicans to either slash funding for food safety, education, law enforcement, housing, and more, or completely shut down the government — which could delay cancer research, force federal law enforcement and troops to work without pay, and kneecap essential services hardworking Americans rely on every day. All because the former president believes this helps him politically,” campaign spokesman Kevin Munoz said in a statement.
• Mallory Wilson can be reached at mwilson@washingtontimes.com.
Please read our comment policy before commenting.