Hoyer: It’s The Republicans’ Fault If The Government Shuts Down

House Minority Whip Steny Hoyer (D-MD)
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Here’s how the federal spending fight is shaping up — just barely over two weeks from March 4, when the government officially runs out of money.

Democrats are warning House Republicans not to force a government shutdown while Republicans are adding more and more cuts to spending legislation — which is being debated on the floor this week. If the March 4 deadline passes before Congress reaches an agreement, House Republicans say they’ll agree to a stop-gap measure (perhaps at reduced spending levels) to allow more time to negotiate six-month spending plan.

But whether Democrats and Republicans can reach a global spending agreement, and whether that agreement will be forged on Democratic or Republican terms, depend to a great extent on negotiating tactics. Will Republicans be willing to budge from their spending levels, and particular allocations? Will Barack Obama threaten a veto?

At a roundtable with reporters Tuesday morning, House Minority Whip Steny Hoyer (D-MD) explained the stakes.

“It takes two to reach agreement…. If [House Republicans] pass this budget they’re going to send it over to the Senate, the Senate will have to work its will,” Hoyer said. “Hopefully we’ll go to conference and reach agreement. But there’s a short time frame in which to do that.”

Republicans rightly note that Democrats are making a bogeyman out of the possibility of a government shutdown. But here’s where Democrats have a point: House Republican leaders haven’t said yet whether they’re willing to negotiate backwards from their proposed spending levels and specific allocations. If they’re not, then we’re in shutdown territory — and Democrats are wisely dangling that albatross around the GOP’s neck.

“If the government shuts down, it will be the Republicans’ responsibility in my opinion,” Hoyer said. “Compromise is not having frankly a take it or leave it position from the Republicans.”

This will all get very real after the House passes its spending measure in the coming days.

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