News · Press Release

30 Days ‘Til Shutdown: Today’s Broken Shutdown Promises

The government runs out of funding in just 30 days and Congress will work just 10 of them. Even as Congressman Steve King is threatening to force a shutdown, House Republicans seem to be going with a “just trust us” strategy, claiming that they don’t want to shut down the government – but without committing to a specific plan to keep the government open.

Sound familiar?

A year ago, House Republicans promised they would take shutdown off the table…and we saw how that worked out. The DCCC launched http://shutdownbrokenpromises.com to take a trip down memory lane to see what House Republicans were saying at this point in 2013. The site will be updated each day with promises Republicans made not to shut down the government exactly a year ago. The American people won’t make the mistake again of trusting this Republican Congress to do the right thing and quickly take shutdown off the table, preventing weeks of unnecessary worry and uncertainty. It’s time for real action, not just empty rhetoric.

Today’s broken promises come from Congressmen Glenn Thompson, Steve Womack and Larry Bucshon:

• Rep. Glenn Thompson: “U.S. Rep. Glenn Thompson, a former health-care executive, has made it clear that he is no fan of the Affordable Care Act. But Thompson does not think that shutting down the government, or denying funding for the law to halt its implementation, is the way to go.” [Erie Times-News, 9/01/13]
• Rep. Steve Womack: “Rep. Steve Womack, who represents Republican-heavy northwest Arkansas, has also warned colleagues of the political fallout they’d likely suffer over a standoff that he says would certainly trigger a government shutdown. Womack, who was elected in 2010, noted the backlash the GOP faced over partial shutdowns in 1995 and 1996. ‘To me, the risks are not worth the gamble, the gamble being that we somehow cause the Senate to have this epiphany and the president to have this epiphany,’ Womack said.” [Associated Press, 9/01/13]
• Rep. Larry Bucshon: “Am I in favor of a government shutdown? Absolutely not.” [Tribune Star, 9/01/13]

Previous broken promises:

• Rep. Rodney Davis: “At a Springfield appearance last week, Davis said a shutdown would go against his reason for seeking office. ‘I came to Congress to govern,’ he said.” [State Journal-Register, 8/29/13]
• Rep. Steve Scalise: “Scalise says he doesn’t want to see government shut down.” [The Advocate, 8/28/13]
• Rep. Tom Latham: “I am certainly not for any kind of government shutdown for any reason.” [Des Moines Register, 8/28/13]
• Rep. Martha Roby: “She said she supports the defunding of the Affordable Care Act, but doesn’t believe Republicans should shut down the government in their attempt to repeal the law. ‘I am not for it (shutdown).’” [Dothan Eagle, 8/27/13]





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