Key GOP senator: "Bunch of Washington bozos" would be to blame for government shutdown
Sen. Cory Gardner, the chairman of the Senate Republicans' campaign arm, said Friday that shutting down the government over immigration would be "irresponsible" and that "a bunch of Washington bozos" would be to blame. "I think it's irresponsible to shut the government down when we still have time to work, we're still communicating, we still have opportunities to solve this problem," the Colorado Republican said in an interview on "CBS This Morning," referring to protecting so-called "Dreamers" and making permanent the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program.
"What Washington doesn't need to do is pick up its sticks and go to its collective partisan corners," he added. "The shutdown politics we're seeing today are simply ridiculous. Who's going to get the blame? Well, how about a bunch of Washington bozos who can't seem to get the job done."
If lawmakers don't extend funding by Friday night, the government will shut down early Saturday. It would be the first government shutdown since 2013. The House passed a short-term spending bill Thursday night, but the bill lacks enough votes to pass in the Senate.
Gardner, the chairman of the National Republican Senatorial Committee (NRSC), said he hopes that people will come together and say they're going to continue to work on a solution for "children who came to this country through no fault of their own."
"I think it's absolutely critical that we act as soon as possible," he said. "But to solve these problems, you don't do it by simply throwing a temper tantrum and shutting the government down. That's irresponsible."
This marks the fourth short-term spending bill Congress has had on its plate since September. Democrats, however, remain largely opposed to the measure because they want it tied to a larger immigration deal over the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program and border security.
The CR includes a six-year reauthorization of the Children's Health Insurance Program (CHIP) and delays on three Obamacare taxes.