As House Republican leaders scramble to unify their conference on a government spending deal, Democrats are seizing the moment to paint themselves as the responsible party in the chamber and place all the blame on the GOP’s shoulders.
Progress on appropriations bills has been at a standstill over the last two weeks as members within the Republican Party disagree on topline numbers and push for the inclusion of certain provisions in exchange for their support. Democrats, for the most part, have stayed out of the drama — instead letting Republicans take the reins and, if necessary, the blame for a possible government shutdown.
AS GOP WRESTLES WITH SPENDING DEAL, WILL HOUSE DEMOCRATS COME TO THEIR AID?
“House Republicans are leading the country towards a government shutdown because their only priority is to hurt President Biden politically and to help reelect Donald Trump. It is who they are,” House Democratic Caucus Chairman Pete Aguilar (D-CA) said on Tuesday. “The contrast could not be more clear: House Democrats are fighting for everyday Americans and House Republicans are fighting for Donald Trump.”
House Democrats began circulating a memo with talking points for lawmakers to use as the deadline nears, instructing members to frame the GOP as “plotting” a government shutdown. The party is even coining the incident as “The Great MAGA Shutdown.”
“Extreme MAGA Republicans are endangering our national security by threatening to shut down the government. If they get their way, our troops will be forced to serve without pay and critical investments in safety and security will be at risk,” the memo sent by Democratic Policy and Communications Committee states. “If House Republicans follow through on their threats to shut down the government, they will hurt working families and small businesses across the country. The American people can’t afford an extreme MAGA Republican shutdown.”
The White House also sent out a missive to House Democrats on Wednesday outlining the negative effects of a government shutdown, such as a pay freeze for law enforcement officers, complications with FEMA disaster relief response, and more. And their message is the same: If those things happen, Republicans are to blame.
“If extreme House Republicans fail to ram through their radical agenda, they plan to take their frustration out on the American people by forcing a government shutdown that would undermine our economy and national security, create needless uncertainty for families and businesses, and have damaging consequences across the country,” the memo states.
Democratic groups are also involving themselves in the messaging war, launching a series of ad campaigns against vulnerable Republicans seeking reelection in districts President Joe Biden won in 2020. The House Majority PAC is set to release a new ad over the weekend hitting out against House Republicans that will air nationally and in the districts of Reps. Juan Ciscomani (AZ), Ken Calvert (CA), John James (MI), Mark Amodei (NV), Anthony D’Esposito (NY), Mike Lawler (NY), Marc Molinaro (NY), and Lori Chavez-DeRemer (OR).
The $500,000 ad campaign includes spots during a series of highly anticipated college football games on Saturday, accusing the lawmakers of being responsible for a possible government shutdown. The ad campaign will be released in conjunction with Democratic-aligned groups League of Conservation Voters and Climate Power.
“Instead of working to grow the middle class, MAGA Republicans are threatening to shut down the government,” House Majority Forward Executive Director Abby Curran Horrell said in a statement. “Americans must make their voices loud and clear, and tell their representatives to stand against cuts to health care, clean energy jobs, and Social Security.”
Congress has until Sept. 30 to pass the budget for the next fiscal year, after which the government will run out of money and shut down until a deal is made. By then, lawmakers must advance 12 appropriations bills in each chamber before sending their final product to the president’s desk for approval, setting the stage for an arduous process as House Republicans and Senate Democrats disagree on top-line spending numbers.
If Congress can’t pass all 12 of its bills before the end of the month, lawmakers will typically agree to a continuing resolution that allows the government to operate at the same spending levels until a new agreement is made. Memes of the House Freedom and Main Street caucuses unveiled their own CR proposal over the weekend that would keep the government funded throughout October and bring spending to $1.59 trillion — the spending level set in the bipartisan debt ceiling deal signed into law in June.
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However, more than a dozen House Republicans have come out in opposition to the deal, sending GOP leaders back to the drawing board in order to get all corners of their conference to agree.
It’s unclear when the House plans to reconvene to vote on any spending legislation, throwing the House into uncertainty as GOP leaders scramble to unify their party. Members were advised on Tuesday afternoon to keep their schedules “flexible” over the coming days, with a possibility lawmakers may need to meet over the weekend for votes.
