As Congressional leaders continue trying to work out a short-term spending bill and avoid a government shutdown, U.S. Rep. Jamie Raskin (D-8) remains concerned but cautiously optimistic.
“I feel optimistic, because enough Republicans remember how bad” previous shutdowns have been, including one in 2018 that last 35 days. “I am just hoping that cooler heads will prevail,” he said, adding, “I hope the Republicans have learned their lesson.”
The most recent spending bill ends at midnight Saturday, and an agreement needs to be reached by then to keep the government functioning and able to pay for things. A shutdown after that could just last a day, the weekend or much longer.
If a shutdown happens, it will not just affect the 50,000 federal employees and thousands of federal retirees that live in Raskin’s district, it also could affect anyone receiving Social Security and other federal funds as well as those needing government services. It could close the Smithsonian museums and national parks.
Congressmembers had reached an agreement that Raskin supported, but it was pulled when Elon Musk suggested that any Republican voting for that measure would face stiff competition in the next election primary, Raskin said. “We were completely ambushed.”
Another agreement was created but voted down by 37 Republicans and most of the Democrats, according to Raskin.
Republican leadership does realize that it needs the support of some Democrats for a new spending bill to be passed. “A bipartisan with the Democrats is the only path forward,” Raskin told MCM.
Ideally, Raskin said, Congressional leaders will bring back the spending bill that was pulled, because it had bipartisan support and took weeks to hammer out.
If there is a shutdown, federal workers most likely will be paid eventually once the government reopens, but Raskin called that “very wasteful. We don’t want to be paying workers for not working.”
This holiday season, House Republicans want to break a bipartisan deal and furlough millions of hardworking federal workers— including 50,000 in my district—to placate the richest man in the world, President-Elect Elon Musk and his VP JD Vance. I voted NO.
— Rep. Jamie Raskin (@RepRaskin) December 20, 2024
This outrageous breach and betrayal would bring the government to a grinding halt.
The "Department of Government Efficiency" is a Department of Chaos.
— Rep. Jamie Raskin (@RepRaskin) December 19, 2024
