Biden comms director on possible shutdown: Another ‘manufactured crisis’ by ‘the MAGA wing’

President Biden’s communications director said the likely government shutdown set to begin Saturday night is purely the fault of “the MAGA wing” of the Republican Party, as the House GOP continues to feud over passing funding bills.

“It’s very possible that we will go into a shutdown tomorrow night at midnight,” Ben LaBolt said in an MSNBC interview late Friday. “This is totally the fault of House Republicans in the MAGA wing in the party. This is another manufactured crisis by them.”

LaBolt said House Republicans went back on a previously-negotiated bipartisan deal to fund the government with slight cuts, now demanding further cuts which Democrats will not support. Attempts to pass those partisan bills in the House have also run into intra-party conflict for the GOP.

“[Republicans] also attempted to crash the economy in the debt ceiling crisis earlier this year, which they also manufactured, but out of that they agreed to a bipartisan budget agreement with the president, with the House, with the Senate, that laid out a plan to fund the government moving forward,” LaBolt said. “Well now they’re walking away from that.”

The Senate passed a short-term government funding bill Thursday, but the House has failed to pass similar measures.

Negotiations to avert a shutdown remain at a standstill as hard-line Republicans’ demands of deep budget cuts are highly unlikely to pass the Senate or earn a Biden signature. LaBolt called on Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) to rein in his caucus’ holdouts.

“They take their orders from Donald Trump. The MAGA wing of the party seems to be in control here and unless their extreme list of ideological demands is met they’re going to shut things down tomorrow night,” LaBolt said.

“What’s clear is that Leader McCarthy may not have control over his conference,” he continued. “That’s something he needs to work out with the MAGA wing of the party if the government is going to stay open and he needs to take control here.”

A government shutdown would shutter most government offices and services, including National Parks, as well as force essential employees — including active duty military, border patrol and TSA agents — to work without pay.

“They’d rather prove a point than help serve the daily lives of hardworking people across the country and they’re playing with fire here,” LaBolt said.

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