Nikki Haley Says US Government Shutdown Would Be ‘Irresponsible’

Christian Hall
·2 min read
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(Bloomberg) -- Republican presidential contender Nikki Haley says she told lawmakers that a US government shutdown would be “irresponsible and inexcusable” — even as she urged her party to rein in spending.

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“I’ve talked to all of Congress saying it is irresponsible and inexcusable that you would let government shut down. It is also irresponsible and inexcusable to not cut all of the spending,” Haley said Monday in an interview on Bloomberg Television.

Haley said a shutdown would “harm taxpayers” already dealing with economic challenges such as high inflation and mortgage rates.

“Taxpayers already can’t afford groceries and gas, they can’t afford buying a home or buying a car and now you’re gonna say, ‘oh, we can’t figure it out, we’re gonna shut down government,’ that’s not OK,” Haley said in the interview at the American Energy Security summit in Oklahoma.

Haley’s comments come with Washington barreling toward a potential federal government shutdown if lawmakers cannot agree to extend funding when it lapses at midnight on Sept. 30.

House Speaker Kevin McCarthy is seeking to convince hardline Republicans to support a stopgap measure and avoid a shutdown this weekend, while also addressing their demands to cut spending in longer-term funding bills.

Earlier: Your Questions Answered on US Government Shutdown: QuickTake

Haley said she hadn’t spoke to House leadership as she criticized Congress.

Haley’s remarks come days before the second Republican presidential debate on Wednesday in Simi Valley, California. Haley is in fourth place in the GOP field according to the RealClearPolitics average of national polls at 5.3%.

Her campaign received a boost after the first GOP debate last month, where she displayed her foreign policy chops as a former UN ambassador and stood out for criticizing her own party for its role in government spending.

Last week, Haley unveiled her economic policy plan vowing to slash taxes and reduce inflation by cutting spending if elected to the White House.

Earlier: Tax Cuts, Social Security at Center of Haley Economic Plan

Haley said she would also seek to boost US domestic energy production by expanding drilling, speeding up permitting and building of interstate pipelines, rolling back some energy subsidies and regulations and reinstating the Keystone XL pipeline.

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