Government shutdown is likely, Pelosi aide says

http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0211/49814.html


A high-ranking aide to House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) told chiefs of staff of Democratic lawmakers that a government shutdown is more likely than not, according to attendees.

Speaking at a regular meeting of the top aides to House Democrats, Pelosi’s floor director, Jerry Hartz, offered, unprompted, his assessment that the odds favor inaction before the government runs out of money, sources said.

That became the focal point of the meeting, sources said, with the other aides asking only questions about “the possibility of a government shutdown and the logistics” — i.e., what it would mean for their offices and government services — according to one chief of staff who spoke to POLITICO on the condition of anonymity.

The aide said the message of a likely shutdown did not appear geared toward ginning up the staffers for political purposes.

“It was genuine,” the aide said.

A spokesman for Speaker of the House John Boehner (R-Ohio) responded to the news of the meeting, saying Republicans have no plans to close the government’s doors.

“This is just another example of Washington Democrats rooting for a government shutdown, hoping to take partisan advantage,” said spokesman Michael Steel. “Republicans, on the other hand, are listening to the American people, who want us to cut spending — not shut the government down.”

In fact, during a closed-door meeting Friday afternoon between Republican leaders and GOP freshman lawmakers Majority Leader Eric Cantor (R-Va.) told the rookies that Nancy Pelosi’s warning of a government shutdown is reckless, according to a source inside the room.

Republicans, however, are clearly trying to gird their new lawmakers how to deal with the politics of a potential government shutdown.

“Republicans are not about a shut down — if that is the Democrats’ intention, that is unfortunate,” Cantor told the freshman lawmakers, according to the source. “When you go home and talk to your constituents, let’s show them how united we are, and let’s them that we are changing Washington and finally getting this government’s fiscal house in order.”

Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell’s office echoed the sentiment. Spokesman Don Stewart said that “Senate Democrats seem strangely preoccupied with the notion of a government shutdown.”

A spokesman for Pelosi pushed back on the accusation, saying Democrats are not rooting for a shutdown.

“The last thing the American people need is for congressional Republicans or Democrats to draw a line in the sand that hinders keeping the government open,” said Nadeam Elshami.

One aide, who was not at the meeting, said Hartz’s remarks were misinterpreted. “He was saying what would happen if the worst occurs, which has already been advocated by some Republicans. He wasn’t predicting anything,” that aide said. “Democrats are committed to work responsibly with Republicans to ensure that critical services to our constituents are not cut.”

Yesterday Pelosi told reporters that if there is a government shutdown, responsibility will fall on Republicans’ shoulders.

“It is a failure. It’s really a failure to say we have taken the leadership of the Congress of the United States and the first thing we’re going to do is shut down the government to the detriment of our people, to our security and to our country’s future,” she told reporters.

“I would hope that instead of having ultimatums and statements of ‘I’m not going to do this’ or ‘I’m not going to do that’ that we will really have a process, go forward with an approach that talks about how to keep government open, not how we intend to shut it down,” she said.