Donald Trump is demanding that the House GOP put his political interests ahead of the American people and shut down the government if MAGA Republicans don’t get their way — and it’s led to yet another week of chaos and dysfunction on Capitol Hill. Even members of Trump’s own party recognize how catastrophic his government shutdown could be for Americans: Sen. Mitch McConnell trashed the plan as “politically beyond stupid” and Rep. Steve Womack called the plan “counterintuitive” and gave Republicans’ ability to pass government funding “a D-Minus.” MAGA Republicans continue to play partisan political games instead of bringing a bipartisan, common-sense bill to the floor because that is Trump’s endgame — controlling the MAGA GOP for his own gain and shortchanging the American people.

Republicans are in complete disarray this week as they continue to play partisan political games with government funding at Trump’s behest. 

The Hill: “House GOP torpedoes Speaker Johnson’s funding bill”

“A diverse group of House Republicans torpedoed Speaker Mike Johnson’s (R-La.) proposal to fund the government on Wednesday, dealing an embarrassing blow to the GOP leader and derailing his strategy to avoid a shutdown at the end of the month.

“The vote outcome, nonetheless, is putting the Speaker in a bind. It leaves the path to averting a shutdown unclear, puts him in danger of disappointing former President Trump and his conference’s right-flank, and threatens to thwart his efforts to remain GOP leader in the next Congress.”

NBC News: “House Republicans reject their own funding bill with a shutdown around the corner”

“It was an embarrassing blow to Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., who had yanked the same funding package off the floor last week amid growing GOP defections, only to watch it collapse on Wednesday in a vote that seemed doomed from the start.”

The Hill: “Non-starter pure & simple!!” Rep. Ralph Norman (R-S.C.), a member of the conservative House Freedom Caucus, told The Hill in a text message when asked about Johnson moving toward a ‘clean’ three-month stopgap.”

Axios: “Asked if Johnson would face a revolt if he moved ahead with a clean three-month bill, Rep. Jim Banks (R-Ind.) responded: ‘I sure hope so.’”

Republicans aren’t even trying to defend themselves as the MAGA House majority failed once again to agree on a plan to avoid a shutdown ordered by Trump. 

Sen. Mitch McConnell: “My only observation about this whole discussion is the one thing you cannot have is a government shutdown. It’d be politically beyond stupid for us to do that right before the election, because certainly we’d get the blame.”

Rep. Mike Simpson: “If you shut down the government a month before the election, that’s problematic.” 

Rep. Steve Womack: “‘I don’t know where we are right now. As far as the grade for the appropriations process for the 118th Congress, it’s a D-minus.’”

Rep. Steve Womack: “It’s counterintuitive to somebody in government to think about shutting down the government.”

Rep. Steve Womack: “There’s an old saying in Arkansas that you don’t learn nothing the second time you get kicked in the head by a mule.”

Rep. Thomas Massie: “It’s a fake bar fight with … wood chairs and sugar bottles. This was all theater.”

Axios: “Another House Republican, speaking on the condition of anonymity, called Johnson’s plan ‘puzzling’ and predicted that it will frustrate some GOP lawmakers.

Punchbowl News: “Johnson is putting a bill on the floor that his entire leadership team — Majority Leader Steve Scalise of Louisiana and Tom Emmer of Minnesota — knows is going to fail. One House Republican lawmaker entered a meeting of GOP whips Tuesday and told us that he was ‘going to see how well they’re polishing this turd.’”

Trump and Vance spent the week doubling down on their call for a government shutdown unless MAGA Republicans get their way — and Johnson continues to allow Trump to pull the strings. 

Punchbowl News: “Mike Johnson tells leadership he is talking to Trump on CR”

Jordain Carney, Politico: “News: Johnson just told reporters that he is going to be meeting with Trump ‘in a little while’”

NBC News: “‘I would shut down the government in a heartbeat if they don’t get it,’ Trump said on the ‘Monica Crowley Show’ last week.”

“‘It should be in the bill. And if it’s not in the bill, you want to close it up,’ he said. ‘So I’m not there but, you know, I have influence.’”

CNBC: “Trump tells Republicans to shut down government if hard-line voter ID bill gets cut from spending bill”

“Former President Donald Trump on Tuesday said congressional Republicans should pursue a government shutdown if they cannot attach a hard-line voting bill to the temporary funding resolution that would keep the government open.”

Vance: “…And so yeah, man, why shouldn’t we be trying to force this government shutdown fight to get something out of if that’s good for the American people? 

The 118th Congress is on track to be one of the least productive in American history — all because MAGA Republicans allow this Trump-fueled chaos to continue. 

ABC News: “118th Congress on track to become one of the least productive in US history”

Axios: “Capitol Hill stunner: 2023 led to fewest laws in decades”

Associated Press: “Americans’ faith in institutions has been sliding for years. The chaos in Congress isn’t helping”