Romney Warns ‘Our Party Would Suffer’ If Government Shuts Down

Former Massachusetts Gov., and 2012 Republican presidential candidate, Mitt Romney pauses while speaking at the 40th annual Conservative Political Action Conference in National Harbor, Md., Friday, March 15, 2013.
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In a rare political appearance after losing the 2012 presidential election, Mitt Romney made a strong statement Tuesday against a movement in the Republican Party that would allow a government shutdown as a means of defunding Obamacare.

“I badly want Obamacare to go away, and stripping it of funds has appeal,” Romney said at a private GOP fundraiser in Wolfeboro, N.H., in remarks quoted by the Washington Post. “But we need to exercise great care about any talk of shutting down government. What would come next?”

Romney said a shutdown could have serious consequences, including soldiers going unpaid, seniors missing out on Medicare and Social Security checks, and FBI agents being forced off duty, according to the Post.

“I’m afraid that in the final analysis, Obamacare would get its funding, our party would suffer in the next elections, and the people of the nation would not be happy,” he added.

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