COMMENTARY | Rep. Michele Bachmann (R-Minn.), prospective presidential candidate from Minnesota and Tea Party Caucus leader in the House of Representatives, went on MSNBC earlier in the week and said she believed that a federal government shutdown would be averted at the last minute. However, she also said she would not vote for the 2011 fiscal budget that was keeping Congress tied up at present, mostly due to language concerning health care funding. Then she said that Democrats had revealed their goal: to "see government shut down."
"I firmly believe that by Friday, a deal will be made," Bachmann said. "I doubt that we'll see a government shutdown in the final analysis."
The congresswoman's views were echoed by Democrats and Republicans in the early part of the week. However, as Friday approached, there was still no general agreement in sight. Republicans in the House had passed a budget bill that included spending cuts amounting to $61 billion, while Democrats in the Senate countered with cuts amounting to just over $33 billion. As of Friday, the two chambers were locked in stalemate and meetings between the legislative leaders and the White House were occurring on a daily basis.
Bachmann did not say whether the shutdown would be averted via a last-minute budgetary agreement or that another continuing resolution might be adopted to fund the government until the last of the budget's details were hammered out. She did, however, criticize the Democrats' unwillingness to do more with spending cuts.
Although there is plenty of blame to be cast toward both parties with regard to who could or should be blamed should the federal government be forced to shut down at midnight on April 8, both sides back away from actually talking about wanting a shutdown. Except for Tea Party members and lawmakers.
Tea Party Rep. Mike Pence (R-Ind.) publicly stated, according to Favstocks.com, at a Tea Party rally that he wants a federal shutdown if all of the Republicans' demands were not met. He even joined in with the crowd, chanting, "Shut it down!"
Many want the $100 billion in spending cuts that were promised shortly after the 2010 midterm elections, which saw a wave of Tea Party-backed politicians voted into congressional seats. Tea Party activists have been vocal about shutting down the federal government (some saying it is preferable and a definitive way to cut government spending) for months, as one CNN article pointed out.
In light of the ultra-conservative movement's public stance, some might find it a bit ironic that the leader of the Tea Party Caucus would project the general consensus of many Tea Party members onto the Democratic Party, perhaps implying an ulterior motive.
Bachmann did say, when speaking toward not voting for the 2011 budget bill, she did not speak for her colleagues in the Tea Party Caucus. Perhaps she meant she did not speak for the Tea Party movement as well when it came to who wants the government to shut down.
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