Trump faces swift GOP backlash over shutdown comments
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Former President Donald Trump during a press conference at Trump Tower on Sept. 6. Photo: Cheney Orr/Bloomberg via Getty Images
Former President Trump drew near instantaneous pushback from establishment Republicans for pressing GOP lawmakers to take a hard line on shutting down the government.
Why it matters: Trump dropped a bomb into the government funding fight Tuesday by urging Republicans to hold out for "election security" language that Democrats will never accept.
- That has spiked the fears among Republicans, particularly moderates and those in swing districts, about a shutdown just five weeks before the election.
- One swing-district House Republican told Axios: "We are not going to shut the government down. Trump must want a Democrat majority in the House. We don't."
Driving the news: Trump said in a Truth Social post: "If Republicans in the House, and Senate, don't get absolute assurances on Election Security, THEY SHOULD, IN NO WAY, SHAPE, OR FORM, GO FORWARD WITH A CONTINUING RESOLUTION."
- That essentially boxes House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) into his government funding bill that includes legislation, known as the SAVE Act, to require proof of citizenship to register to vote in federal elections.
- But that bill is a nonstarter for Senate Democrats, meaning Johnson will have to eventually accept a compromise to keep the government funded.
- Any compromise measure would still require a substantial number of Republican votes, however — and Trump putting pressure on Republicans to stand their ground makes securing those votes harder.
What they're saying: Asked about Trump's comments during a press conference, Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) said, "Shutting down the government is always a bad idea, no matter what time of year it is."
- McConnell's comments are a signal that Senate Republicans will likely defy Trump and help Democrats pass a compromise funding measure.
- "This will most likely force a suspension vote that the speaker will have less influence over. ... This is not a good time for distractions," Rep. John Duarte (R-Calif.), a battleground-district lawmaker, said of Trump's comments.
Between the lines: Johnson has said he doesn't have a plan B if his funding measure dies in the Senate, but privately his GOP colleagues believe he will ensure the government stays funded.
- "He said there was no fallback plan. ... There is always a fallback plan," said one GOP lawmaker.
- Another said they are confident that Johnson "knows a shutdown is bad governance and bad politics."
