Former Republican New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie bashed the “jokers” in Congress for celebrating narrowly avoiding a government shutdown, arguing it is their job to keep the government funded.
The Republican presidential candidate, speaking at a town hall in New Hampshire on Monday alongside Gov. Chris Sununu (R-NH), also took aim at President Joe Biden, saying that Congress has not had “a president who has worked with them.”
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“You look at Washington. These jokers take a victory lap for not closing the government and think like they deserve a big round of applause for that,” Christie said. “Congratulations, you didn’t close the government you’re supposed to be down there running.”
“But I don’t think that deserves any great round of applause,” Christie added. “But they do, because they haven’t had a president who has worked with them and made them understand that our job is to work for you — not the other way around. Our job is to make the tough decisions.”
The 118th Congress passed two stopgaps to avert a government shutdown, on Sept. 30 and last week. Funding for the federal government is set to go through at least Jan. 19, 2024, after Biden signed the continuing resolution into law on Thursday.
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Christie has been a critic of Congress, including the turbulent Republican majority in the House of Representatives. The former New Jersey governor railed against the “political assassination” of Rep. Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) when he was ousted from the speakership last month, leaving the chamber paralyzed for more than three weeks.
Christie, who has put all his odds on getting the GOP nomination on doing well in the New Hampshire primary, is in third place, according to the RealClearPolitics polling average, behind former President Donald Trump and former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley.
