Speaker-in-name-only Kevin McCarthy couldn’t get his chaotic Republican conference to agree on anything, so he sent them home as the entire country braces for a Republican-created government shutdown that would be devastating for working families. MAGA House Republicans are willing to put our economy at risk, undermine our national security and border security, and more — all over a laundry list of extreme partisan proposals.

After a messy and unproductive week, Kevin McCarthy once again failed to lead as MAGA House Republicans brought us another step closer to a government shutdown. 

NBC News: “Deflated House Republicans leave town with no solution for government shutdown”

Associated Press: “Hard-right Republicans push closer to a disruptive federal shutdown”

MSNBC: “McCarthy suffers another embarrassment as shutdown deadline looms”

Salon: “McCarthy expresses frustration at House Republicans who ‘just want to burn the whole place down’” 

Daily Beast: “Furious Kevin McCarthy Takes Yet Another L”

USA Today: “Opinion | House Republicans as government shutdown nears: Nobody told us we’d have to govern”

New York Post: “House won’t work through weekend with shutdown deal elusive, defense bill beaten again”

The Guardian: “McCarthy’s House speakership hangs by a thread as US shutdown looms”

Politico: “Republicans resigned to being the villains in the inevitable government shutdown”

Let’s be clear: The chaos coming from House Republicans is exactly what Donald Trump asked for. 

Welker: “Do you think Republican hardliners should abandon their threat to shut down the government over their spending priorities now that there is this impeachment inquiry?”

Trump: “No, I think if they don’t get a fair deal — we have to save our country. We’re $35 trillion in debt. We have to save our country.”

Welker: “You would shut down the government? You’d support that?”

Trump: “I’d shut down the government if they can’t make an appropriate deal. Absolutely.”

2024 Republicans are cheering for a government shutdown — prioritizing petty political games over having a functioning government that delivers for working families. 

Politico: “The Florida governor spent about 30 minutes on the phone Wednesday with conservative Reps. Chip Roy of Texas, Thomas Massie of Kentucky and Bob Good of Virginia — leaders of the cadre that is pushing House Speaker Kevin McCarthy to embrace a shutdown if Democrats won’t agree to hard-right policy demands. DeSantis’ message, according to a person familiar with the call: ‘I got your back. Keep fighting.’”

Radio Iowa: “Republican presidential candidate Tim Scott — who represents South Carolina in the U.S. Senate — says he’s ready to draw a line in the sand on federal spending, even if it leads to a government shutdown. Scott voted against this spring’s budget deal that set a two-year framework for government spending.”

Tapper: “Do you think that the House Freedom Caucus should hold the line and keep pushing McCarthy even if it means a government shutdown? Or do you think a shutdown would be a mistake?”

Pence: “I think House conservatives are the last line of defense for taxpayers in Washington, D.C., and I strongly support their effort to stand firm and demand the kind of budget cuts necessary to make a small down payment on fiscal responsibility and reform.”

Here’s some of what’s at stake if Republicans shut down the government, from crucial programs that keep our food and water safe to our economy, national security, and border security.

Washington Post: “Some federal inspections that ensure food safety and prevent the release of hazardous chemicals in drinking water would be halted, the Biden administration has warned. Federal research toward cancer cures and other innovative therapies would cease. Passport offices in parts of the country are expected to close, snarling some Americans’ plans for international travel.

“And with each passing day, Washington would further deplete federal safety-net programs that carry over their unused money from past years. Eventually, the government may not be able to provide some poor families with child care, nutrition assistance, housing vouchers or college financial aid. The longer a shutdown persists, the greater the blow it could ultimately deliver to an economy that has teetered for more than a year on the precipice of recession.”

Dallas Morning News: “A congressional report after the last budget stalemate in 2019 found border security deteriorated markedly during the furloughs, creating significant vulnerabilities that lasted long after federal workers returned to work.”

CNN: “In the event of a US government shutdown, the Bureau of Labor Statistics says it will stop releasing data, including key figures on inflation and unemployment. A lack of crucial government data would make it difficult for investors and the Federal Reserve to interpret the US economy.”