A Republican lawmaker argued on Tuesday in favor of making a play for spending cuts without “fear” of a government shutdown as the appropriations process ramps up.
Appearing with colleagues in the conservative House Freedom Caucus outside the U.S. Capitol Building, Rep. Bob Good (R-VA) made a hardline case for demanding fiscal restraint ahead of the new fiscal year, which starts in the fall.
“We should not fear a government shutdown. Most of what we do up here is bad anyway,” Good said.
Rep. Bob Good: "We should not fear a government shutdown. Most of what we do up here is bad anyway." pic.twitter.com/Y5p1YhqIIf
— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) July 25, 2023
Reciting a figure given by Rep. Andy Biggs (R-AZ), Good said 85% of “essential operations” would continue. He also contended that most Americans “won’t even miss if the government is shut down temporarily.”
On social media, Rep. Gerry Connolly (D-VA) shot back at Good with a short list of services he said federal agencies would be unable to provide during a government shutdown.
“The [Federal Housing Administration] can’t process loans and mortgage approvals. The [Food and Drug Administration] can’t conduct food safety inspections. The [Small Business Administration] can’t process loans to help start small businesses. The [Environmental Protection Agency] can’t inspect drinking water systems and chemical facilities,” the Democrat said in a post.
Members of the Freedom Caucus have been putting pressure on House leadership to bend to their demands on appropriations or risk losing critical votes following this spring’s bipartisan deal to avoid a default on the U.S. debt.
Good was responding to a two-part question from a reporter, who asked if there were concerns about a government shutdown in October — the start of the new fiscal year — and whether Freedom Caucus-approved spending legislation could get through the Democrat-controlled Senate.
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Biggs, the first to answer the question, said he was not worried about a government shutdown at this point, predicting that some spending measures will be combined and pass as a “minibus” while a continuous resolution would keep the rest of the government running through the end of the year as talks progress.
WATCH LIVE: House Freedom Caucus holds news briefing on 2024 Congressional budget https://t.co/YkyzEdzVpE
— PBS NewsHour (@NewsHour) July 25, 2023
In rounding out his response, Good argued that House Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) “has an opportunity to be a transformational, historical speaker that stared down the Democrats, that stared down the free-spenders, that stared down the president, and said, ‘No, we’re going to do what the American people elected us to do.'”
“We’re going to pass a good Republican bill out of the House and force the Senate and the White House to accept it, or we’re not going to move forward,” Good added. “What would happen if Republicans for once stared down the Democrats and were the ones who refused to cave and to betray the American people and the trust they put in us when they gave us the majority? So we don’t fear a government shutdown.”