White House Press Secretary Jay Carney said Tuesday that a congressional attempt to fund parts of the federal government in a piecemeal fashion is “not a serious approach.”
Asked during the daily press briefing whether the president would sign smaller funding bills allowing select federal agencies to reopen, Carney said the strategy shows an “utter lack of seriousness” on the part of Republicans.
“If they want to open the government, they should open the government,” he said. “Then we can negotiate about how we fund our budget priorities in the future. A piecemeal approach to funding the government is not a serious approach.”
Republicans in the House intend to pass legislation that would reopen parts of the federal government, including national parks and processing of Veterans Affairs claims, according to the Associated Press.
