Sen. John McCain (R-AZ) predicted Thursday that the government will not shut down again any time soon.
“We’re not going to go through the shutdown again,” McCain said on CNN’s New Day. “People have been too traumatized by it. There’s too much damage.”
McCain said that despite partisan gridlock, lawmakers will not bring the government to the brink again because they care too much about public approval.
“Everybody suffered in this thing,” he said. “One thing that politicians want, it’s approval. The American people spoke loud and clear. They disapprove of what we’re doing.”
McCain added that a budget is unlikely, despite his confidence that the government will not shut down again.
“I think we could reach probably a short-term agreement. What I mean as short term, a smaller agreement than the, quote, grand bargain,” he said. “We’re not going to shut down the government again. I guarantee it.”
